Surprisingly relaxing…
I spent this past weekend in London for personal and business reasons - specifically Shepherds Bush (home of 'The Who') and Soho. This post is not necessarily about where to go and what to do in London; however, we stayed at a bed&breakfast (it was actually a block of row homes that had been renovated into hotel rooms) that cost about 68 GBP which is relatively inexpensive for the city. It's in zone 2 on the Piccadilly line at the Hammersmith stop so it's not too far out.
Blame Yoko
As a younger man I really didn't have much of an appreciation for modern or contemporary art. It didn't really click - I didn't understand it - It didn't make sense. Hence, I didn't really like it. Then one Saturday my girlfriend convinced me to go the SF Moma to check out the Yoko Ono exhibit. "The bitch that broke up the Beatles?" I asked. "Yes" she replied.
To be quite honest I probably wouldn't have gone if it had been some artist whose name I didn't recognize somehow. I figured why not, let's see why kind of voodoo magic this woman had in order to cast her spell on the iconic John Lennon. There were 3 distinct things I remember:
1) A random pile of small bricks encompassed by a circle in one room then a larger pile of random bricks encompassed by a circle in another room. People walking the exhibit would randomly pick up bricks and move them from one pile to another. Oddly enough I felt compelled to do the same thing. So I did.
2) A film loop of a fly landing on someone's skin then of a fly landing on someone's nipple. It just looped over and over again. Yet I sat there for at least 10 minutes watching the loop because I kept waiting or expecting or anticipating for something to happen. Nothing ever did.
3) A film of Yoko putting strips of paper with Japanese writing on them into glass bottles and then throwing the bottles off the top of a building. The strips of paper and shards of glass were now on display on the wall next to the video monitor. I examined each piece of Japanese writing even though I couldn't make heads or tails of any them. (I did study Japanese every day for 3 months one summer in High School)
The exhibit left me shaking my head and thinking WTF? I didn't have an appreciation for modern art but I always had/have an appreciation for WTF? If something during the course of the day leaves you shaking your head saying WTF, you are probably having a pretty interesting day. It was at that point I realized that this exhibit wasn't about understanding anything. It was about experiencing something - having an emotional expression or reaction to something. I got it! Fucking Yoko!
So now I try to check out as much modern art as possible.
Since I live in Zurich and most people don't really know many Swiss artists, I want to spread the word on two reknowned Swiss (Zurich) artists Peter Fischli & David Weiss. They work in various mediums: multi-media, film & photography, and sculptures made out of interesing materials such as sausage (Swiss people love sausage), charcuterie, and clay. Their collection of small clay sculptures made me laugh hysterically. "Pythagoras discovering his own theorem" made me cry because of the look on his face - hilarious! The inner engineer in me also appreciates some of the Rube Goldbergesque installations because they blow things up. That's always fun.
They have some work at the Tate Modern and the Guggenheim; however, they are represented by the Matthew Marks Gallery in NYC. I don't know how big of a collection they have but if you get a chance to see their small collection of work, you should do it.
Clay Sculptures
Quick Take: Grand Avenue – Place To Fall
Place To Fall, Grand Avenue's latest album, dropped on September, 28th. They're a band I want to succeed if only because there are tons out there that have succeeded without being nearly as good. I suspect that if they were from the New York, Los Angeles, London, or Manchester more people would be aware of the band.
Place To Fall
On their last go around - The Outside - Grand Avenue focused on memorable hooks and lyrics that resonated with teenage girls. In the annals of pop that's a formula with a track record. Another part of that formula is radio and video rotation, touring, and product placement (movie or television). I think they got a song on a TV show - but what indie band doesn't get one now?
I guess that didn't work out for them because I didn't see any world tours with Grand Avenue as the headliner.
I've got no great expectations
I've got no plans or place to fall
Although taken from the last album, the sentiment fits the mood of Place to Fall. This album isn't focused on hooks - they're there but not the raison d'être. "Almost Gone" the first single and first song off the album is good - a good "pump yourself up" song. As a single it got me excited. I wasn't impressed with the other songs at first listen. I'll tell you though, I kept on listening and the album grows. I won't say they sound like nothing you've ever heard before. They've channeled New Order, U2, and INXS but Grand Avenue does have a voice and you can hear it throughout.
Place To Fall is an 7 out of 10. It's an above average work by a talented group of craftsmen. It's not a great album but how many great albums can there be before the word loses meaning? It is a good listen however. "Follow You Down" can easily be envisioned in some teen coming of age movie. "Waiting For The World" sounds like they got Joe Sumner of Fiction Plane to make an appearance. "These Days" is a good rocking tune - a strut your stuff affair.
If you get it I recommend listening someplace where you'd have a hard time changing it - in the gym on a treadmill or out cycling somewhere. You'll appreciate the advice and hopefully you'll better enjoy this latest effort from Denmark's Grand Avenue.