2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the term “black power,” first voiced by student activist Stokely Carmichael. It also marks 50 years ... More

Soul of a Nation:
Art in the Age of Black Power

Book by Tate Modern

Soul of a Nation:
Art in the Age of Black Power

Book by Tate Modern

2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the term “black power,” first voiced by student activist Stokely Carmichael. It also marks 50 years since the US Supreme Court repealed the prohibition of interracial marriage. In celebration of these artists and the progress of civil rights, Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power brings to light previously neglected histories of 20th century black artists. Published by D.A.P and London’s Tate Modern, the book catalogues Tate’s current Soul of a Nation exhibit, featuring artists such as Sam Gilliam, Faith Ringgold, Melvin Edwards and Betye Saar. In the decades of crucial change from 1963 to 1983, young black artists confronted the complex task of making art that stood as original, formal and complex with the added component of reflecting their ongoing concerns and experience with America’s civil rights. Soul of a Nation expounds on these histories, offering extensive artist profiles while incorporating broader socio-historical narratives including art history, black feminism and AfriCOBRA. Text contributions include editors Mark Godfrey and Zoe Whitely, filmmaker Linda Goode Bryant and artists Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell and Samella Lewis. (D.A.P./Tate)

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Stranger in the Alps is musician Phoebe Bridges’s debut album, featuring haunting, personal tracks. Bridgers first came to attention in 2015 with ... More

Stranger in the Alps

Album by Phoebe Bridges

Stranger in the Alps

Album by Phoebe Bridges

Stranger in the Alps is musician Phoebe Bridges’s debut album, featuring haunting, personal tracks. Bridgers first came to attention in 2015 with the release of her three song single, “Killer,” produced by musician Ryan Adams. Since then, she has toured with Julien Baker, Conor Oberst and Adams and has opened for musicians such as Cat Power. Bridgers released two singles from Stranger in the Alps earlier this year, which became favorites with critics including NPR and Billboard. According to Bridgers, she aims to be the same person in her music as in real life, citing lost idols, well-known pop songs and personal experiences within her lyrics. (Dead Oceans)

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The directorial debut of Rodarte fashion designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Woodshock is a hypnotic exploration of loneliness, paranoia and grief starring ... More

Woodshock

Film by Kate and Laura Mulleavy

Woodshock

Film by Kate and Laura Mulleavy

The directorial debut of Rodarte fashion designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Woodshock is a hypnotic exploration of loneliness, paranoia and grief starring award-winning actress Kirsten Dunst. Set on the fringe of California’s Humboldt County redwood forest, Woodshock follows Theresa, a woman torn between the grief of a newly minted loss and the reality-altering effects of a cannabinoid drug. Floral motifs, crystal refractions and striking neons adorn Woodshock, reflecting the ethereal yet brooding aesthetic that the Mulleavy sisters do so well. (A24)

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“Synthesizers help me maximally feel the present moment,” says Moscow musician Kedr Livanskiy, who just released her anticipated debut album, Ariadna, via ... More

Ariadna

Album by Kedr Livanskiy

Ariadna

Album by Kedr Livanskiy

“Synthesizers help me maximally feel the present moment,” says Moscow musician Kedr Livanskiy, who just released her anticipated debut album, Ariadna, via Hype Machine. Livanskiy found inspiration for Ariadna from the Soviet-era music of Izhevsk, a city known as “the capital of Russian electronic music,” with 80s groups like Stuk Bambuka V XI Chaos (Bamboo Crash at 11 a.m.) and Samtsy Dronta. It was the mood of the post-Soviet era, however, and its ongoing reconstruction and sense of displacement, that drove Livanskiy to discover her music by escaping into romanticism, fairytale themes and imagery—themes prominent in Ariadna. (2MR)

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From director Alankrita Shrivastava, Lipstick Under My Burkha is an Indian black comedy about the secret lives of four women chasing after ... More

Lipstick Under My Burkha

Film by Alankrita Shrivastava

Lipstick Under My Burkha

Film by Alankrita Shrivastava

From director Alankrita Shrivastava, Lipstick Under My Burkha is an Indian black comedy about the secret lives of four women chasing after their personal freedom and dreams. A burkha-wearing college girl struggles with her cultural identity and dreams of becoming a pop star. A young beautician wishes to escape the confines of her small town. A housewife and mother of three leads a double life as an enterprising saleswoman. And a 55-year-old widow reawakens desire via a phone romance. The film stars award-winning actors Konkona Sen Sharma and Ratna Pathak alongside Aaahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur. Lipstick Under My Burkha made waves when it was in effect banned by India’s censor authorities for being “lady-oriented,” or as Shrivastava interprets it, “having a female point of view.” The decision was ultimately appealed and reversed, and the film went on to popularity at home and abroad, winning awards internationally at film festivals. (Prakash Jha Productions)

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Dog is the fourteenth album from country blues musician Charlie Parr. Based in Duluth Minnesota, Parr began playing guitar at age eight, ... More

Dog

Album by Charlie Parr

Dog

Album by Charlie Parr

Dog is the fourteenth album from country blues musician Charlie Parr. Based in Duluth Minnesota, Parr began playing guitar at age eight, influenced by his father’s extensive blues, folk and country record collection. In his most recent album, Parr raises existential questions and considers his own clinical depression, a reality he has described as a “hazy fog of rancid jello all around me.” Parr, who until this point has always recorded solo, counterbalanced Dog’s introspective mood by putting together a band to create the record. The result is as optimistic as it is personal. (Red House Records)

›› ISSUE Feature: Live performance and interview with Charlie Parr

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An adaption of Bastien Vives’ graphic novel, Polina tells the story of a young girl in Moscow training to join the Bolshoi ... More

Polina

Film by Angelin Preljocaj & Valérie Müller

Polina

Film by Angelin Preljocaj & Valérie Müller

An adaption of Bastien Vives’ graphic novel, Polina tells the story of a young girl in Moscow training to join the Bolshoi ballet company. Her life takes an unorthodox turn when she falls in love with a young dancer and moves to France where she discovers contemporary choreography. The film is the directorial debut of world-renowned choreographer Angelin Preljocaj along with co-director and screenwriter Valérie Müller. Newcomer and professional dancer Anastasia Shevtsova stars as Polina, alongside award-winning actors Juliette Binoche, Niels Schneider and Aleksei Guskov. Polina premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year before making its way to America. (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

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›› ISSUE Feature: Anastasia Shevtsova

Thousand Oaks, CA’s Angelo De Augustine releases his new album Swim Inside The Moon. The video for album track ‘Crazy, Stoned, and ... More

Swim Inside The Moon

Album by Angelo De Augustine

Swim Inside The Moon

Album by Angelo De Augustine

Thousand Oaks, CA’s Angelo De Augustine releases his new album Swim Inside The Moon. The video for album track ‘Crazy, Stoned, and Gone’ is a mixed media animated visual by Sufjan Stevens that incorporates several original drawings by De Augustine. Swim Inside the Moon is the second full-length from the 24-year-old, and captures a sound he’s been looking for since he started playing music a decade ago. “A sound behind the voice,” says Angelo, who recorded all of this record in his home’s bathtub using a reel-to-reel machine and a single Shure SM57 microphone. “I noticed that when you sing off a reflective surface you hear two voices. I was compelled to isolate that voice and bring it more to the front of the songs because in many ways I feel more connected to and comforted by that voice following me.” Sufjan Stevens said of this album: “Angelo’s music feels timeless and whole, unhindered and pure. In our age of exhibitionism and over-sharing, his music is quiet, sheltered, simple, and restrained.” (Asthmatic Kitty)

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From up-and-coming director and former frontman of The Fever, Geremy Jasper, Patti Cake$ tells the story of an aspiring rapper from New ... More

Patti Cake$

Film by Geremy Jasper

Patti Cake$

Film by Geremy Jasper

From up-and-coming director and former frontman of The Fever, Geremy Jasper, Patti Cake$ tells the story of an aspiring rapper from New Jersey who overcomes the haters, bills and broken dreams that lie between herself and stardom. Up-and-coming actor Danielle Macdonald stars as Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, alongside supporting actors Bridget Everett and Cathy Moriarty and newer faces Mamoudou Athie, McCAul Lombardi and Siddharth Dhananjay. One of this year’s highly-anticipated films, Patti Cake$ has garnered multiple awards and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize following it’s premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. (Fox Searchlight)

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›› ISSUE Feature: Danielle Macdonald