Knuckle down
Ani DiFranco’s sound is so unique and her instrumental base so minimalist that she runs the risk every album of merely repeating the same songs with different lyrics. She has two speeds – the upbeat bouncy tracks that showcase her dexterous and rhythmic guitar playing and the minor key songs that tug at the heartstrings as she lyrically purges her soul. Such is Knuckle Down – a winding narrative of an album full of snappy acoustic guitar hooks, subtle basslines and DiFranco’s half-spoken, half-sung vocal delivery which flits dramatically from angry diatribes (‘course, you’re the kind of guy who doesn’t lie, he just doctors everything … but you can’t fool the queen baby’) to gentle pathos (‘tonight with every breath, I can feel my death’) with a touch of the confessional thrown in for good measure. DiFranco is nothing if not honest. And here she’s as prickly and acerbic as ever.
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Legend has it that Ta55o’s career started with some scrawlings on his grandmother’s kitchen table. Every year he would sign and date the underside of the table and over the years would watch as the style and flow changed. Read more
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Named after the first openly gay politician in US history, Harvey Milk make some rather testosterone-heavy tunes. While appealing mostly to the stoner-rock and indie-metal set, the quintet from Athens, Georgia, aren’t afraid of a little melody, as the almost pop track Motown on their latest album, Life … the Best Game in Town, proves. But more often than not, the band gets down and dirty with some knuckle-dragging sludge rock. Amid the haze of searing guitar squeals, menacing power chords, and seismic bass rumbling, though, are some almost math-rock flourishes that hint at the brains behind the brawn.
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Baltimore Mural by Josh Van Horne
My friend Josh Van Horne, a local Baltimore artist, did this amazing mural in our neighborhood that depicts the history of this warehouse-laden area.
Get lost in a daydream or a craving for something sweet while gazing at these cool sculptures by Brooklyn-based WiNK WiNK PONY. Made using clay, tree bark, wood, and mossy moss.
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Italian brand Brionvega has resurrected the classy Radiofonografio piece first created in 1965. The updated version is just like the original turntable/radio unit, but also has a CD/DVD player.
A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.
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It’s refreshing to see artists like Joe Kievitt who are contented to explore the beauty in simple forms and asymmetrical patterns. Read more
Illustrating the playful side of sexy, Donna Wilson uses burlesque and 60s pop art as inspiration for her original art cards. Read more
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