Culture Review

The Complete Spot Paintings 1986–2011

Damien Hirst
By Avram Finkelstein

Dots entertainment. >>

Artists are supposed to hate art market extravaganzas like the Damien Hirst circus. Collectors are meant to love it. For those who describe art, it's difficult to consider the work… >>

TV & Film Review

The IT Crowd

Graham Linehan
By Adrienne McIlvaine

Whip-smart British sitcom about two genius IT nerds. >>

Created by veteran Irish TV writer and producer Graham Linehan (Father Ted, Black Books), The IT Crowd is crammed full of witty dialogue, awkward relationships, and unabashedly retro sitcom sensibilities.… >>

Music Profile

Jan Garbarek

By Jim Allen

True jazz fusion at its most expansive. >>

The party line on Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek is that he began as an edgy avant-gardist and eventually sold out by making New Age-tinged ambient jazz in line with critics'… >>

CRITICAL WORKS
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    Jan GarbarekWitchi-Tai-To

     
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    Jan GarbarekDis (Garbarek)

     
  • CRITICAL WORKS

    Jan GarbarekIt’s OK To Listen to the Gray Voice

    Ambient jazz and airy fusion.
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    Jan GarbarekOfficium

     
Books Feature

Daydream Nations: Has Magical Realism Lost Its Bite?

By Damian Van Denburgh

Do you believe in magic? >>

At its simplest definition, Magical Realism is marked by an emphasis on the fantastical and its contemporaneous coexistence with so-called reality. I first came across this wild strain of literature… >>

Books Review

1Q84

Haruki Murakami
By Jeff Brewer

Something bizarre is on the horizon. >>

Haruki Murakami's exciting, expansive novel, 1Q84, takes elements from science fiction, literary thrillers, and neo-realism to create a narrative that's reminiscent of magical realism yet remains something quintessentially Murakami-esque. Told… >>

Music Review

Attack on Memory

Cloud Nothings
By Chris Payne

Another Albini success story. >>

On their third full-length in as many years, Cleveland native Dylan Baldi and his band Cloud Nothings have turned a creative corner. 2010's Turning On and 2011's self-titled effort held… >>

Books Feature

Animal Instinct: A Graphic Evolution

By Phil Guie

Sometimes a talking duck is more than just a talking duck. >>

Last year, after reviewing MetaMaus, Art Spiegelman's companion to his Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus, I decided to trace the influence of his original 1986 graphic novel. Specifically, I wanted to… >>

Culture Review

Thing/Thought: Fluxus Editions 1962-1978

Fluxus (art movement)
By Jason Bogdaneris

'60s Pranksters Get Their Due >>

Visually underwhelming but conceptually incisive, the MoMA retrospective of the 1960s-era Avant-Gardists Fluxus focuses mostly on their editions: reproductions meant to be distributed internationally through a mail-order system in an… >>

TV & Film Feature

Britcom Update: The New Wave Arrives

By Adrienne McIlvaine

New comedies carry on an old tradition. >>

If you're still in mourning over missing the perfectly awkward teenage friendships that made The Inbetweeners so heartbreakingly relatable; or wish you were… >>

Culture Feature

Jon Glaser’s Favorite Comedic Pieces

By Anna Graizbord

Jon Glaser loves classic ‘70s comedy. >>

Jon Glaser is the creator and star of Adult Swim's uniquely meta faux-reality show Delocated. Having an impressive background in many comedic genres-spanning improv, feature films, absurdist sketch comedies… >>

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