Leisure

Reviews and think pieces on music, movies, art, and theater.

Leisure

Critical voices: Devendra Banheart- “What we will be”

If Devendra Banhart believes that he just plays rock ‘n’ roll, he might need to look at a dictionary. On his newest album, What Will We Be, Banhart showcases the... Read more

By October 29, 2009

Leisure

Troubled troubador or smiling songsmith?

Tortured souls often write the best music. The heartbreak, the sorrow, the deviance, it all boils down to a yearning that, despite being too dramatic for listeners to completely associate... Read more

By October 29, 2009

Leisure

Wild Things will make your heart sing

Life can be scary. You and I may not have to face off against humongous monsters that gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes and show their terrible... Read more

By October 22, 2009

Leisure

Solving your coffee conundrum

Georgetown students are, by and large, avid consumers of legal recreational consumables. Alcohol is the most obvious, dominating the weekend nightlife. Tobacco also does its part to color the Georgetown... Read more

By October 22, 2009

Leisure

Trick-or-treating in style

They wink at you every time you open your underwear drawer—that pair of fishnets that only gets taken out for a spin every late October. They’re aching to be worn,... Read more

By October 22, 2009

Leisure

Avian art takes flight

The Pre-Columbian artifacts showcased in Flights of Fancy, a new exhibit at Dumbarton Oaks, aren’t as overtly flashy as the dazzling gold necklaces and chest plates in the museum’s permanent... Read more

By October 22, 2009

Leisure

A new fusion for U Street

Masa 14 feels a little out of place. Barely a week old, the swanky restuarant that is owned and operated by two successful chefs sits across the street from a... Read more

By October 22, 2009

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Suffer For Fashion: On the range with urban cowboys

My youngest brother was the first of the Timko brothers to wear cowboy boots. Although a love for western footwear is not common among most toddlers, Matthew would always end... Read more

By October 22, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

If you’ve ever felt a strange sense of nostalgia for the ‘80s childhood you never had, grab the latest from Neon Indian, the most recent project from Texas musician Alan... Read more

By October 22, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Alec Ounsworth – Mo’ Beauty

Alec Ounsworth may have a voice that makes Bob Dylan sound like Frank Sinatra, but on Mo’ Beauty, he reveals a bluesy sensibility with enough vibrancy to make even Thom... Read more

By October 22, 2009

Leisure

High Fidelity: One more time for the encore

I detest blatant self-promotion, so let’s just get the stupid part out of the way: I’m in a band. We’re playing a show tonight at the Red and the Black... Read more

By October 22, 2009

Leisure

One man’s Exit is another man’s entrance

At No Exit, everything is done well, nothing seems out of place, and the effect works. Audience members walk through an impeccably decorated antechamber, creepy and Halloween-appropriate in red and... Read more

By October 15, 2009

Leisure

Klosterman’s critical theory

We all rely on gimmicks. We discover actions that please us—a particular manner of speaking with hand gestures, crossing a left leg over a right knee, incessantly quoting The Hangover—then... Read more

By October 15, 2009

Leisure

Lez’hur Ledger: Solar flair

Ever since the first forest-dwelling pagans grotesquely sacrificed children and virgins to what they believed to be the Sun God, humans have recognized the significance of the brilliant orb of... Read more

By the October 15, 2009

Leisure

An audience in search of good theater

If you’re looking for a breezy Saturday night, stop reading now: Six Characters in Search of an Author isn’t light fare. The Department of Performing Arts’ first performance is an... Read more

By October 15, 2009

Leisure

Serious criticism

Leave it to Joel and Ethan Coen to turn the quotidian struggles of a middle-class Jewish family in 1960s suburbia into a dark, brooding masterpiece. A Serious Man is the... Read more

By October 15, 2009

Leisure

Bottoms Up: A toast to the morning after

My head throbbing with pain, I open my eyes ever-so-slightly, but the light—that harsh light of day, streaming through my bedroom window—is too painful for me to handle. There is... Read more

By October 15, 2009

Leisure

Low Fidelity: The sun is rising on soundtracks

Maybe we haven’t yet found a way to make music work as narrative, as discussed by my High Fidelity counterpart in this space last week, but narrative and music have... Read more

By October 15, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Atlas Sound – Logos

In the world of free internet music, Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox is a god. Not only does he share personal playlists and unreleased covers on his blog, but last year... Read more

By October 15, 2009

Leisure

Experimental media

It’s true that “the media” is synonymous with information overload—the constant barrage of current event tickers, fast action fast-food commercials, and nonstop Blair Waldorf outfit changes that leaves the mind... Read more

By October 15, 2009