Leisure

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

Leisure

Deadbeats: Don’t sell yourself short

I really like Brand New. No, that’s an understatement. I worship Brand New. I started listening to them in the middle of high school, and they form the basis of... Read more

By January 16, 2014

Leisure

Critical Voices: Burial, Rival Dealer

“This is who I am,” the first vocal sample of the EP resonates.  Six years after his album, Untrue, was crowned the best album of 2007 (based on aggregate reviews),... Read more

By January 16, 2014

Leisure

Critical Voices: Switchfoot, Fading West

It’s understandable if you don’t remember Switchfoot. After all, it has been ten years since they released that song, “Dare you to moooove!” In their newest release, Fading West, Switchfoot... Read more

By January 16, 2014

Leisure

Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? Chomsky doesn’t know

Noam Chomsky, linguist at the Massachusetts Institue of Technology and notable political activist, is often considered one of the finest thinkers alive. Michel Gondry, director of Eternal Sunshine of the... Read more

By December 5, 2013

Leisure

In/Finite Earth exhibits artistic expression

When I think of artists with disabilities, I tend to imagine Chuck Close, photorealist artist paralyzed from the waist down, or any other artist with the kind of disability I... Read more

By December 5, 2013

Leisure

New restaurant Rialto brings Venetian flare to M Street

Named after a famous Venetian bridge, Rialto is a welcoming new Georgetown restaurant, fittingly situated a short walk away from C&O Canal. The decor is eclectic, mixing simple wooden tables... Read more

By December 5, 2013

Leisure

Under the Covers: De la Pava in the buff

Just like all evocative art, really amazing books are impossible to describe. One of those novels is A Naked Singularity, the story of Casi, a 20-year old public defender who... Read more

By December 5, 2013

Leisure

Day Tripper: I won’t be home for Christmas

Spending the holidays with family is a blessing, but there is something magical about experiencing celebrations immersed in another culture. Chances are that while traveling, you’ll find yourself celebrating one... Read more

By December 5, 2013

Leisure

Critical Voices: Boston, Life, Love & Hope

In the 11 years since Boston last released an album, the band has undergone many changes, with the death of their lead singer, Brad Delp, and the addition of new... Read more

By December 5, 2013

Leisure

Critical Voices: Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones, Foreverly

It’s not every day you have Green Day’s frontman and Ravi Shankar’s daughter getting together to a record an album, but that’s exactly what happened with Foreverly. The LP is... Read more

By December 5, 2013

Leisure

Gritty and dark, Hunger Games whets audience’s appetite

The odds are no longer in Katniss Everdeen’s favor. Darker and more raw than The Hunger Games (2012), Catching Fire captures the emotional aftermath of Katniss’ Hunger Games win and the dangerous ripples of rebellion coursing through Panem.

By November 20, 2013

Leisure

Forget Lululemon, Smithsonian’s yoga exhibit makes you stretch

Sounds become muffled and a silence descends as you walk down the stairs at the Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery and enter Yoga: The Art of Transformation. Glowing chakras on the floor form a winding path that beckons you in to wander through the art.

By November 20, 2013

Leisure

At National Gallery, all that glitters is gold

“Do you see those eyes in the angel’s wings? I’ve looked around the rest of the pattern, and it’s only here. Do you know what it means?” a stranger asked me.

By November 20, 2013

Leisure

DCity BBQ smokes up

Cozily situated and reminiscent of Frank Underwood’s favorite refuge, DCity Smokehouse is D.C.’s newest barbecue joint helmed by Hill Country’s former pitmaster Rob Sonderman.

By November 20, 2013

Leisure

Lez’hur Ledger: Tofurkey and mommy issues

I’m not going home for Thanksgiving. This really wasn’t a hard decision. Usually I have a near panic attack with the logistics, given it’s the only time of the year when I have to do math. My thinking goes something like this: If my flight is Wednesday afternoon, and I have to be at Reagan National Airport an hour in advance, and it takes 20-40 minutes to get to the airport by Metro and 15-20 minutes to get to the Rosslyn Metro by GUTS bus, then that means… yep, I have to skip all my Tuesday classes. Also, on a somewhat related note, how awesome is that airport? If I have a child I’m thinking of naming it Reagan National. I’m not a Republican, but I am a fan of efficient transportation hubs.

By November 20, 2013

Leisure

Plate of the Union: Leo’s is where the heart is

If you knew how many times since coming to Georgetown I’ve made it home for Thanksgiving, you might say I’m a bad kid. As a senior, I’ve managed to make the trek back to Minnesota only once.

By and November 20, 2013

Leisure

Critical Voices: Wooden Shjips, Back To Land

Although they call their latest album Back to Land, Wooden Shjips seems to be lost at sea. On their fourth LP, the band uses a mix of Doors-inspired organ and fuzz-out guitar riffs to create a collection of trance-like, five-minute trips. “Ghouls” features a repeating organ riff that sounds so classic, you might wonder if you’ve heard it somewhere else before.

By November 20, 2013

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Ripples, The First Few

On Saturday Nov. 23, The Ripples, a Georgetown student band, will drop a pebble in the vast lake of the music world, hoping to create waves that disrupt our collective conscience.

By November 20, 2013

Leisure

Dancing the Dream fails to keep emotional images en pointe

Rather than randomly hanging beautiful pictures of beautiful dancers, the National Portrait Gallery examines the history of dance as a visual art form in its exhibit Dancing the Dream, on display until July 14, 2014. The exhibit finds its strength in discussing the historical significance of dance on American cultural identity. At the same time, this focus on history becomes overly intellectual at the price of beauty, which is where the exhibit finds its weakness.

By November 14, 2013

Leisure

Eclectic plates meet antique porcelain

As you enter Rose’s Luxury, a gilded velvet curtain is drawn aside to create a partition closing off the outside world. The hostess station showcases both a laptop and a bright red 1950s-era dial phone, but somehow the two work together harmoniously. An old mirror reflects the people eating in the dining area.

By November 14, 2013