Rebecca Arzoian
Rebecca Arzoian
Recent Stories
Covered in compilations
Over the past few months a veritable pantheon of compilation albums were released. Many — “War Child Presents Heroes,” “Covered, A Revolution in Sound: Warner Bros. Records,” “Recovery,” and Yoko Ono’s “Give Peace a Chance: the International Remixes” — featured only covers.
Animal Collective
On “Merriweather Post Pavilion,” Animal Collective sings gospel. Fifty-five minutes of explosive praise not to a lord above but certainly to some higher power, one for whom the act of making music is the greatest joy.
Byrned to a crisp
About two years ago, a man in black skinny jeans and a purple silk button-down stood in front of a packed Green Hall. He shared his belief that art should aim to create spectacle from the ordinary. But that man was David Byrne, and his attempt to be ordinary — giving a lecture in an art school — seemed the greatest spectacle.
YDs breathe
During the intermission at Wednesday’s dress rehearsal for their Fall Show, the 21 Yaledancers trickle out from backstage wearing sweatshirts and leg warmers. They sit in hyper-extended center splits or trace their toes along the ground in a quick rond de jambe as they reflect on the pieces in the first act.
Mitchell goes Starbucks
There are only a handful of places where playing Joni Mitchell’s latest release would be appropriate. Unlike most of the Mitchell canon, these locations do not include dinner parties, campfires, Laurel Canyon or post-breakup ice cream socials for one. Instead, the 10 tracks which make up “Shine,” released on Starbucks’ Hear Music label, are best suited for tacky jazz lounges, Muzaked elevators and couples-only Caribbean cruises.
To practice improv...
Never Ending Books, located at 810 State St., looks like any second-hand bookstore. The walls are covered in chipping white paint, plastered over with posters advertising workers’ strikes. The bookcases are arranged so that navigating the store becomes a labyrinthine exercise, and there are more books than there is shelf space, resulting in teetering cases and strewn-about piles. Rugs try to hide the dirty brown carpet below, and a thin layer of dust has settled on the entire store
Firehouse 12 jazzes up city’s music act
In the 1970s, American photographer Lee Friedlander and his family traveled in their 1966 Chevy Camper for months at a time, in hopes of capturing images of the American West.
Akron/Family ‘Love’ songs
Love songs are ubiquitous, understandably so. It’s not that difficult to craft a good one, and there are a variety of self-pitying directions it can travel in: serenading (see, “Sea of Love”), metaphoric (“Bizarre Love Triangle”), pedophilic (“Playground Love”), futuristic (“Digital Love”), educational (“Can’t Buy Me Love”), and the ever-entertaining salaciously tormented (“Love Hurts”). One thing is for sure, however, “Love is Simple” — the name of the latest r
The Beinecke remembers slavery
This year marks 200 years since the government of Great Britain abolished the slave trade. To commemorate the anniversary, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is presenting “Documenting Slavery,” which will be on display through October 31.
Collective effort is a ‘Jam’ certain to please
At first glance, there is nothing at all enticing about the cover of Animal Collective’s latest, “Strawberry Jam” — a hot swarm of magenta and crimson, molten strawberries mired in a viscous puddle, hot, black ooze sunken deep into pitted welts. But shelve the quick visual for a mere moment to consider the treat before you. Yes, it’s messy, but only because it’s fresh. Yes, it’s thick and gummy, but only because the sugars have melted into a rich glaze. And yes, it does look downri