News photos - Chinese Lantern Festival 2012

In Focus blogs on a regular basis on TheAtlantic.com a series of photos about subjects that play in the news or related to it. This time you can watch a photo series named 'News photos - Chinese Lantern Festival 2012'.

Top 3 Attractions in Puerto Rico

Beautiful and interesting places in the world, of which you would think: 'I want to go there some time'. This time the subject is 'Top 3 Attractions in Puerto Rico'. Curious where this is about?

News photos - Egypt: protests over Port Said soccer deaths

The Big Picture blogs on a regular basis on Boston.com a series of photos about subjects that play in the news or related to it. This time you can watch a photo series named 'News photos - Egypt: protests over Port Said soccer deaths'.

Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour

Big old heaps of bombast litter album two from the grizzled Southampton rockers.Setting sail from Southampton with a head stuffed full of American dreams may seem a treacherous endeavour – most famously, it’s the same city which waved the Titanic off on its maiden voyage across the pond – but natives Band of Skulls were never likely to sink in similar fashion. Their 2009 debut Baby Darling Doll Face Honey seemed far more suited to the down and dirty vibe of the Midwest than the south of England; a slab of whiskey-soaked rock‘n’roll resplendent with iron-girded riffs and sweetly sexy melodies. Coming off like a more primordial version of The Black Keys or The Kills, it would have taken one behemoth of an iceberg to curtail them. Unsurprisingly, they’ve plumped for some big old heaps of bombast on Sweet Sour, too – a follow-up three years in the making and one that, according to its creators, was a mighty mess to pull together in the studio. If there were any unsightly frissons between the trio, though, they’ve been extremely well hidden: the garage-indebted death-rattle of the title-track is supremely slick, its squalling wail of guitar consummately polished and buffered. Wanderluster, too, is a slinky, snaking number that gives the raw power of their debut a glossy overhaul, but without extinguishing the white-hot groove that chugs beneath the fuzz. But while Band of Skulls tick all the right boxes, it’s the lack of unpredictability and friction that often serves as Sweet Sour’s undoing. All the fret-mastery of You Aren’t Pretty but You Got It Going On, for example, can’t stop its riff-heavy body from becoming flabby rock-by-numbers. For all the nods to Jack White – particularly his days in The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather – there’s little in the way of his phosphorus-like flashes of inspiration, and The Devil Takes Care of His Own isn’t the only track to gamely replicate a grizzled blues rock sound, but without offering a fresh twist on old ideas. Tellingly, it’s the more restrained moments of Sweet Sour – such as the smoky, dreamy hue of Lay My Head Down and slow-burning beauty of Navigate – which sees Band of Skulls flourish most effectively. For now, they still have enough primitive power to brush past any road blocks, but they could do with tweaking their formula somewhat if they don’t want to run out of gas.

Gonjasufi - MU.ZZ.LE

A tighter and more cohesive album than its maker’s debut – and perhaps more impressive.Yoga’s pegged as the perfect hobby for bringing about inner tranquillity, but Sumach Ecks – aka Gonjasufi – isn’t much of a poster boy for spiritual serenity. Despite moonlighting as an instructor of the ancient Indian discipline, he’s appeared a restless spirit ever since first flickering into the public consciousness in 2008 with a turn on Flying Lotus’ Lost Angeles album; his own marvellous debut long-player A Sufi and a Killer, released two years later, showed just how widely his unfettered imagination could spread as he flitted from one sprawling soundscape to another with envious ease. No amount of cross-legged meditation, you’d wager, could tame such a nomadic spirit.On MU.ZZ.LE, though, Eck pulls off an almighty volte-face and abandons the roving ways of yore, plumping instead for a tighter and more cohesive approach. Unlike A Sufi and a Killer, a 20-track behemoth produced by fellow LA-resident The Gaslamp Killer, its follow-up clocks in at a mere 25 minutes and is a purely solo venture. It’s this ruthlessness, perhaps, which has yielded his darkest and most oppressive work to date: the ghostly and draggy off-kilter rhythms of opener White Picket Fence, for example, have more in common with the small-town eeriness of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet than suburban quaintness.What follows is a tense journey through the murkiest of labyrinths, with Eck’s dank and gloomy production crackling with uneasy glitches, awash with gremlins in the system. On Feedin’ Birds, he proffers a high-pitched howl that’s half-beautiful, half-otherworldly. Meanwhile, Nickels and Dimes’ tinkling melody jars unnervingly with the peals of childish giggles buried in the background.And somewhere, amidst the blackened rattle-and-hiss production, sits Eck’s voice, capable of morphing from Timeout’s disdainful sneer to the blissed-out and languid drawl of The Blame, in which he assumes the mantle of a man both condemned and contented. “I’m not the perfect man, and I never claimed to be,” he sighs. “I’ve done some things in my time, even I’m ashamed of me.” But even if Eck’s copybook were blotted with the most heinous of past crimes, you’d be half-tempted to wipe his charge sheet clean when he’s as fiercely focused as this. The beast may have been fitted with a muzzle, but just because it’s under tighter control, there’s no reason to assume it’s any less ferociously awe-inspiring.

Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It

Music from a bleakly beautiful twilight zone entirely of its own design. Mike Hadreas’ music as Perfume Genius has an overwhelming aura of not just frailty but a haunted shadow, as if he was running scared or simply rooted to the spot with fear. Whatever bruised alienation he’s imbibed over time and the almost devastating quietness of his music, Seattle-based Hadreas is not the type to play the victim. In a recent interview he said, "If Rick in Pittsburgh or whatever isn't going to listen to my music because I'm gay, f*** it", and you don’t choose the alter ego Perfume Genius without anticipating some verbal brickbats in return.

Young Magic - Melt

A cracking debut of invention and intrigue from the New York-based trio.Formed in New York but comprising no NYC natives (instead: a pair of Australians and an Indonesian), Young Magic are an intriguing proposition before a note of this debut album has been heard. And just as their appearance is rather awry of what might be deemed ‘typical’ of an outfit looking to break out of the Big Apple, their music is similarly striking: the influence of myriad acts has been stirred into a sound that’s rarely anything but its makers’ own. It’s hard to pin Melt down to precise parallels – as its title so curtly conveys, the lines that frame each inspirational cornerstone have come undone. The end product flirts with rap but crackles with a lo-fi looseness; thinks of itself as a companion to Brainfeeder’s out-there fare, but gets distracted into lassoing guitar motifs from the west coast of Africa; and muddles its way from A to B like Panda Bear blinded in a fog, only to cut into clarity with no warning. Yeasayer and MGMT serve as ‘ins’ for those needing established acts to open doors for them; but the best way to experience Melt is to sink into it shorn of expectations. Here, the listener can really let the bubbling melodies, chanted mantras and delicious textures take hold. And once bitten, it’s unlikely Melt will let go of one’s attentions soon.Sparkly opens with a gentle chorus of crisp guitars and ethereal vocals; come the drums, it’s a different track completely, and that Yeasayer comparison grips tightly. But then Melt finds another gear, Slip Time a cavalcade of instrumental shrieks, haunted moans and lyricism that might qualify as confrontational if you could be sure of what was being said. HEALTH at half-speed, possessed by chilling spectres, it’s a track to bolt a man upright in his seat. Night in the Ocean is the fulcrum upon which the set rests, a great four minutes which dares to encapsulate everything brilliant about this collection. Slurred raps, like a beat poet racked by drink addiction; music that waxes and wanes, and explodes; and a great spirit which, rather than confine itself to basements and bedsits, aims its sights on the heavens. It’s got a healthy dose of My Bloody Valentine to it which, partnered with the rap elements, might have some recalling the heavyweight hip hop of New Jersey’s Dälek – no bad thing, at all. But, throughout, there’s no concern that these three – Isaac, Michael and Melati – aren’t being true to themselves and whatever vision first possessed them to create this music together. Sure, Melt wears stripes that other creatures prowling the margins of the mainstream have been seen to sport; but these are singular in their direction, unique in their pattern. This is a discernibly different beast from any aforementioned acts of convenient comparison – from a distance, sure, it has its similarities, but zoom in and it’s an exquisite new breed to behold.

Pet Shop Boys - Format

Confirms that Tennant and Lowe have always been songwriters first and pop stars second.While Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe record their 11th album in LA, Format, a second collection of B sides, arrives as a sequel to 1995’s Alternative. Pet Shop Boys played a vital role in establishing the (once) standard of original, non-album flipsides with West End Girls, and continue to deliver all-new material to back their single releases. And it is here, relieved of the pressure to write hits or adhere to any album themes, that they regularly stretch their experimental wings. Format picks up in 1996, around the release of the unfairly maligned Bilingual album. From this period come Betrayed, which flirts with drum and bass, and The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On, capitalising on Danny Tenaglia’s Miami Latino groove with its ad-libbed banji rap. These cuts perfectly showcase Pet Shop Boys’ ability to shine when leaving the script behind. Ironically, some of the strongest tracks on this double-disc release are from a time in the band’s career relatively regarded as weak: the B sides from around 2002’s semi-acoustic Release could have made that good album a great one. The sublime, autumnal electro of Always and Between Two Islands are amongst their finest songs, while how the flipside to 2004’s Flamboyant, the celebratory wig-out I Didn't Get Where I Am Today (with Johnny Marr clearly enjoying himself on guitar), wasn't a single in its own right is unfathomable. Characteristic of Format is Lowe’s occasional appearance as vocalist, and there’s something indescribably cool about his deadpan rapping of Pet Shop Boys song titles (Shopping, Rent, Being Boring…) on their cover of My Robot Friend’s We’re the Pet Shop Boys. He also appears on the lesser-known Lies, with its punchy, uplifting defiance to a cheating lover. At 38 tracks, not everything on Format is essential. Transparent is a sketch, albeit one lesser bands might be proud of, and Nightlife’s Bee Gees disco is pleasant enough. But Silver Age and Screaming are best left forgotten, and Party Song is a mistake from the title down.   Highlights are plentiful, however. The Ghost of Myself’s brooding modern R&B, via Britney Spears, finds Tennant ruing his younger self over a pounding piano; and the swooping atmosphere of Bright Young Things is accompanied by some great lines: “In Berkeley Square the bright young things / Are flying on chemical wings / Intent on their one-last-flings.” 2006’s The Resurrectionist echoes their imperial period of the 1980s, and B sides from the (most) recent Yes album campaign – such as Up and Down’s effortless pop, and the majestic After the Event – confirms that Tennant and Lowe have always been songwriters first and pop stars second.

Various Artists - Necessary Mayhem - Future Cuts

The future looks bright for all involved in this compelling compilation.With a string of popular rhythm series to its name, London label Necessary Mayhem has made a virtue of bonding classic reggae elements to whomping rave-friendly basslines and modern lyrical subjects. Their third compilation – bearing new and modified flagship tracks from yet-to-be-released projects – doesn’t put a note out of place.Jungle-DJ-turned-reggae-auteur Curtis Lynch Junior's productions continue to sculpt his breaks-and-bass background to the lessons of acknowledged musical tutor, Jamaican superproducer Gussie Clark. Just as Clarke transposed 70s studio nous and rootsiness into the digital 80s, so Lynch uses current audio production tools to link the contemporary with Clarke's time.Where previous collection Love Directories focussed on serene lovers rock, Future Cuts takes us through roots, dancehall, lovers and then random oddities in strict succession. The opening is moody. Blood Thirsty lets the doleful, scantly-recorded Jah Mali haunt a revival of the rhythm to Ken Boothe's Black Gold and Green, while Gregory Isaacs is crisply remastered for his scolding, schoolmasterly Clarke production Report (to Me). Another Mayhem trait is a belief in anyone with talent: young or old, local or foreign, reggae or not, hot or underrated. Thus, premium Jamaican exports Busy Signal and Etana pile in with Swedish Mayhem mainstay Million Stylez and fearsome Francophone lady deejay Netna on a four-way dancehall mix of As Mi Forward. Likewise, Sizzla shares the ‘reggaestep’ fusion of Are You For Real with UK RnB singer Ny. For the benefit of singles buyers, previously released fare (like the usually laidback Mr Williamz's fervent endorsement of Ganja Smokin’ on the Shank I Sheck) has been remixed by Lynch – confirming Necessary Mayhem's ethos of producer-as-co-star. The exception is guest jungle retread of Tippa Irie’s fast-chatting Dancehall Style by Canada's Marcus Visionary that hypes up the veteran’s verbals – one of three bonus extras for the digital release.The strength here is that, for all their diversity, every track remains true to a signature sound: a sound with one ear in the past and the other in the present, proudly wearing its influences yet remaining instantly-recognizable on its own terms. The future looks bright for all involved.

News photos - Deep Freeze Spreads Across Europe

In Focus blogs on a regular basis on TheAtlantic.com a series of photos about subjects that play in the news or related to it. This time you can watch a photo series named 'News photos - Deep Freeze Spreads Across Europe'.

Shearwater - Animal Joy

Tot 2009 waren Okkervil River en Shearwater twee handen op een buik, beiden muzikale ontladingskleppen voor Jonathan Meiburg en Will Sheff. Shearwater was de dekmantel voor het werk dat te rustig was voor de ander.

Pet Shop Boys - Format

Wie opgroeide in het internettijdperk weet misschien niet wat een B-kant is. Pet Shop Boys-zanger Neil Tennant noemt het compilatiealbum Format dan ook "een aaneenschakeling van vijftien jaar aan veranderingen in de muziekindustrie".