Well toward the end of Christopher Theofanidiss enormous 2015 oratorio, Creation/Creator, the chorus sings text that was probably written by the academic art critic Michael Fried: The essence of something is in its conviction. There are no footnotes, but this sounds like something that Fried might have said. The musical setting is emphatic full of conviction with the words clearly articulated by the rhythms, and the harmony tinged with piquant dissonance. Fried is not so famous (at least in musical circles) as the other writers quoted in the libretto, including Franz Schubert, John Keats, Michelangelo and Franz Kafka. But his brief appearance offers an epigram suitable to the larger work, scored for a huge orchestra and even bigger chorus, with actors, vocal soloists and accompanying videos and lasting about an hour and a half.

Performed Friday evening by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Creation/Creator is brimming with a generalized sense of conviction, the idea that ideas matter, and the conviction that there are important questions to be asked, if not answered. The title hints at an homage to Haydns late 18th-century oratorio The Creation, and to some degree it shares with that work an appealing refusal to be absolutely serious. But its real relatives are such distinctly American scores as Philip Glasss Symphony No. 5 (which uses a similar mlange of religious and poetic texts), Hindemiths When Lilacs Last in Dooryard Bloomd and perhaps Leonard Bernsteins musically and spiritually eclectic Mass. Theofanidiss oratorio is an exemplar of one strain of American spirituality that takes its cues from the larger political project of inclusion and assimilation, with even God himself invited to the party, but strictly admonished not to be too bossy.

[The Shift Festival starts with musical postcards from Boulder, Colorado]

The performance was brilliantly executed by a stunningly good choir; there seems to be no slippage since the days (more than 30 years ago) when the late conductor Robert Shaw built the Atlanta orchestras chorus into a vital center of the contemporary vocal tradition. Under the direction of conductor Robert Spano, the orchestra finessed a complicated work, full of textural and strategic challenges: the audibility of soloists, the interplay of spoken word and musical accompaniment. Theofanidis has built a close relationship with Atlanta, and the fruits of that collaboration should be more widely appreciated. So this is a perfect example of what the Shift Festival, a joint project by the Kennedy Center and Washington Performing Arts, which presented the concert, can do: bring to the nations capital substantial works, and major orchestras, that need to be heard more widely.

The strength of the piece is its choral writing. Theofanidis can set unwieldy text with real grace and melodic flair. This gem of text from the Rig Veda There was neither nonexistence nor existence then rises through unrelated but pleasingly consonant parallel harmonies, familiar from minimalism, but with an earworm catchiness. In a movement based on words by St. Augustine, including A long time is only long because it is made of many successive moments, the text is divided up among choral sections, sometimes word by word, mimicking the philosophical idea of division and continuity, with hypnotic musical results.

[The National Symphony Orchestra brings public diplomacy to Russia]

Other strengths of the piece include: an ebullient ritornello led by the strings, following a Truman Capote quote; a swelling meditation full of closely intertwined instrumental lines that elaborates on words from an Aboriginal invocation; and a passage from Verlaine, offering a lovely setting for the luxuriously toned mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke.

One might remove some of the purely spoken passages, including a monotonous shouted recitation of a Chinese creation myth, which interrupt the music, and plead for something in a more contemplative vein, that is, music that gets at the silence and nothingness from which thoughts about creativity often emerge. What would Mahler do? Hed do something like that. And the staging, including the presentation of the score to the audience at the end, is sometimes tacky. But these are minor quibbles with a major work.

[New works from North Carolina part of the Shift Festival]

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A giant meditation on creation fills the Kennedy Center Concert Hall - Washington Post

Mindfulness is a type of meditation practice that involves awareness of the present moment without judgment. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, defines mindfulness as being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment.

Q: How can I cultivate mindfulness into daily life?

A: Mindfulness is a lot like weightlifting. Typically, you practice mindfulness in short, timed sessions, such as three to five minutes per session, once a day. You choose a focus point, such as breathing, walking, eating, listening or looking, and you bring yourself back to the focus point when you notice your mind wandering. As you continue practicing mindfulness, sessions become longer. You will also notice that you are more mindful in general life. This is similar to weightlifting in that, as you increase the number of repetitions or amount of weight, you will notice that everyday tasks such as carrying groceries become easier.

Q: How does mindfulness reduce stress in my life?

A: Being present in the moment allows you to function in the moment. Much of the stress in our lives comes from ruminating over things that happened in the past or worrying about what has not happened yet in the future. When we connect with the present, we choose meaningful behaviors for the present. This connectedness reduces stress.

For example, if you are worrying about what to make for supper tonight, you are not present to enjoy your breakfast. If you eat your breakfast too quickly, you might become hungry earlier than normal, which could lead you to snack on junk food during the day. If you snack on junk food, you might start judging yourself (Why do I always eat junk?), which could make you feel guilty. Feeling guilty takes a lot of mental energy, which could lead you to other bad decisions (e.g., Well, I already messed up my diet today; I might as well order pizza, instead).

In this example, simply being mindful during breakfast could help you avoid the other pitfalls. There are many other situations in which mindful behaviors help reduce stress, and there is significant research support for mindfulness practice for stress reduction.

Q: Can cultivating mindfulness in my life help with anxiety?

A: Anxiety often takes the form of future-based worry, which is sometimes called catastrophizing. Generally, our fear or worry of what might happen in the future is much worse than the actual feared situation, such as thinking about getting a flu shot versus actually getting the flu shot. When we are fearful of something, we typically try to avoid that situation, which can lead to additional problems such as avoiding the flu shot and subsequently getting the flu.

Mindfulness helps us to focus on the present moment, which generally is not nearly as painful as anxiety makes it out to be. This way, our brain can learn to lessen the focus on anxious thoughts and focus on the actual moments of peace and comfort that we have during the day.

Dr. Marie Schaaf Gallagher is a psychologist at Sanford Seventh and Rosser Clinic in Bismarck. She completed her undergraduate and masters degrees from North Dakota State University in Fargo and received her doctorate degree from University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D.

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Meditation technique can reduce stress | Health | bismarcktribune.com - Bismarck Tribune

Breathing techniques & Meditation are effective tools to bring out our best in us and enhance the overall quality of life.

"Learning about our breath is very important. Our breath has a great lesson to teach us, which we have forgotten, for every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath, for every rhythm in thebreaththere is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle your mind directly, through breath you can handle the mind. " - H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Join us for the workshop to learn about these techniques.

Admission:FREE (Please RSVP due to limited seating)

Location:Meeting Room 1, CRC, 171 W Edmundson Ave, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

When:3:00pm - 4:00pm

Please note this session is open for people with any or no experience of meditation or breathing exercises.

Session Contents

1. Light body stretching.

2. Relaxing breathing techniques.

3. Guided Meditation.

4. Take Home practices for daily use.

Benefits Reported

1. Reduced Stress & Increased Productivity.

2. Increased Joy & Happiness.

3. Enhanced Focus & Concentration.

4. Improved Relationships.

Meditation Sunday in Morgan Hill is a free event.

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Meditation Sunday in Morgan Hill - Gilroy Dispatch

The dialogue surrounding free agent Colin Kaepernicks employment status is filled with plenty of vitriol , as people debate whether or not he should have a job on football merits and whether or not theres a vast conspiracy to blackball him from the NFL.

The reality is theres probably just some middle ground that features a number of teams uninterested in his skill set and several teams who could use him from a football standpoint but do not agree with his political stance and decision to kneel for the national anthem during football games last year.

Lets introduce a little bit of gasoline to the already-raging fire then, by passing along a report from CSN Bay Areas Matt Maiocco, who reports that there are some teams concerned by Kaepernicks vegan diet.

Apparently teams are concerned that Kap going full vegan is a sign that hes not committed to football.

The idea that a team wouldnt sign Kaepernick because he doesnt eat meat is pretty wild. But, look, there are always outrageous reasons for why NFL teams to do things. This wouldnt be the first one.

However, the whole vegan diet thing ... well, its working out OK for this guy named Tom Brady. So its probably not an issue if Kaepernick isnt running around with spare ribs hanging out of his mouth.

The more likely issue is that Kaepernick reportedly wants $9-$10 million and also wants to be a starter . That coupled with the political stance he took last season probably isnt helping him gain employment.

But the idea that Kaepernick not getting a job because of his diet isnt helping the people who dont want to give him a job look any better when it comes to the optics of the situation.

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NFL teams reportedly consider Colin Kaepernick's vegan diet a red flag - CBSSports.com

Observer

A Loving Guide to Going Vegan Observer A loved one has decided to go vegetarian and has struggled in a couple areas, so I thought I'd write this guide for her. I'm writing it for those who want to go vegan, because that's what I am, but the ideas apply to those going vegetarian as well ...

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A Loving Guide to Going Vegan - Observer

Can you conceive and open a restaurant in Center City Philadelphia under the radar?

Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook have pulled it off.

About two months after they and their Federal Donuts partners opened Rooster Soup Co. downstairs at 1526 Sansom St., they are opening Goldie, a vegan, Israeli-style falafel shop serving three core menu items made to order: falafel, french fries, and tehina shakes. Its opening will be 11 a.m. Saturday, April 1.

Fittingly April Foolingly, an associate of the fun-loving partners sent me a cryptic video (below) hinting obliquely at the impending opening.

The 20-seat Goldie as a diminutive of gold (the translation of Zahav, their Israeli restaurant) has cafe tables and a stand-up counter. It will offer dine-in and takeout daily from 11 a.m. till the final pita is sold.

Cook said he and Solomonov, who also have the hummus-centric Dizengoff a block away, have been toying around with a falafel restaurant since Zahavs 2008 opening. As at Diz, the idea is to focus on one dish to make it the best.

They were inspired by the falafel shop Falafel Devorah in Karkur, just outside of Hadera. Goldies falafel combines ground chickpeas, aromatics, herbs, and a spice blend (cumin, onion, parsley, and cilantro) created by Lior Sercarz of La Boite spice shop in New York City.

Veteran CookNSolo chef Caitlin McMillans menu includes the falafel sandwich on a Dizengoff-baked pita ($7) with tehina, chopped salad, and cabbage and topped to order with amba, harissa, or schug condiments; a falafel salad ($9); fries ($3) with spices including shawarma spice, Shabazi spice from La Boite, and zaatar; and tehina shakes ($4) - vegan milkshakes that combine a base of tehina (ground sesame seeds) with flavorings like turkish coffee with halva, chocolate with Israeli Kedem tea biscuit, and coconut with rose. Sour cherry iced tea and jarritos are among the drinks.

Besides Goldie, Zahav, Dizengoffs here and in New York, and stakes in Rooster Soup Co. and Federal Donuts, Solomonov and Cook own Abe Fisher.

Photo: Michael Persico.

Published: March 31, 2017 5:33 PM EDT | Updated: March 31, 2017 6:40 PM EDT

Over the past year, the Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com have uncovered corruption in local and state public offices, shed light on hidden and dangerous environmental risks, and deeply examined the regions growing heroin epidemic. This is indispensable journalism, brought to you by the largest, most experienced newsroom in the region. Fact-based journalism of this caliber isnt cheap. We need your support to keep our talented reporters, editors and photographers holding government accountable, looking out for the public interest, and separating fact from fiction. If you already subscribe, thank you. If not, please consider doing so by clicking on the button below. Subscriptions can be home delivered in print, or digitally read on nearly any mobile device or computer, and start as low as 25 per day. We're thankful for your support in every way.

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Goldie: A vegan falafel shop in Center City from CookNSolo - Philly.com (blog)

Forbes

The Best Vegan Chocolate Alternatives For Easter 2017 - Forbes Forbes From dark chocolate with ginger pieces to milk chocolate alternatives, here is a selection of the best vegan chocolate products on the market. 6 of the best vegan dessert places around AustraliaThe Weekly Review all 2 news articles »

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The Best Vegan Chocolate Alternatives For Easter 2017 - Forbes - Forbes

March 31, 2017 Chenjiagou, ChinaThe clamoring of a jackhammer and shrill barks of two golden retrievers make a jarring soundtrack for Yan Zitengs afternoon tai chi class, but neither he nor his students seem to notice.

Instead, they concentrate on moving through a series of slow, sweeping motions while Mr. Yan looks on with a quiet intensity. Every few minutes he stops to demonstrate a pose or to suggest adjustments.

Tai chi isnt something you can learn from reading books, he tells his students at Chenjiagou Thai Chi School. Ive been practicing for 15 years, and I still have much to learn.

Yan appears wholly undisturbed by the din of construction that is a regular accompaniment to life here in Chenjiagou, the birthplace of tai chi. That may be because it signals the anticipated tourism boom that could transform this village into a global center for Chinese martial arts.

Later this year, UNESCO will decide whether to add tai chi to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanitylist. Chinas Ministry of Culture recentlysubmitted its nomination to UNESCO, after tai chi advocates had warned that time was running out. They worried another country could beat China to the list with its own version of tai chi.

Japan and South Korea are also trying to apply, Yan says about the list, which was established by UNESCO in 2008 to celebrate and protect cultural diversity. Tai chi is a treasure of Chinese culture. If we succeed, it would be good for our village and for the promotion of Chinese martial arts to the world.

But there are other issues at stake here, too. For one, yoga, which won UNESCO designation in India last year, has emerged as a trendy alternative. Then there's simple fact that the ancient martial art isn't as popular among young Chinese, many of whom think of it as a low-intensity exercise better suited for their grandparents.

The first impression I have of tai chi is that its something old people do in parks, says Yin Haolong, a 29-year-old freelance graphic designer and photographer in Beijing.

Chenjiagou sits just north of the Yellow River in the central province of Henan, about 350 miles south of Beijing. It was here where Chen Wangting, a Ming Dynasty general, is believed to have developed tai chi toward the end of the 16th century. What became known as Chen-style tai chi soon spread across China and became the foundation for four main offshoots.

Tai chi's links to promoting physical and mental wellness have boosted its following, even though its origins are in self-defense. Its practiced by millions of people across the world. Huang Kanghui, a tai chi coach at Beijing Sport University, estimates about 100 million people practice tai chi in China alone.

Chen Baobei, a shopkeeper in Chenjiagou, says she hopes the growing interest in tai chi will lead more people to explore its birthplace. She says a UNESCO designation could only help, though the only award is recognition.

A near lifelong resident of Chenjiagou,Chen expresses deep pride in her village's connection to tai chi. She practices for 30 minutes every morning, and estimates that 80 percent of the villagers are regular practitioners.

Maybe someday as many people who go to Shaolin Temple will come here, Chen says, referring to the fabled home of kung fu thats visited by millions of tourists every year and located 50 miles away.

The local government is also anticipating a rise in tourism. Chens storefront is one of dozens that it helped renovate over the past year. It also built a new tree-lined walkway through the center of the village and reconstructed the former home of Yang Luchan, a revered tai chi master who lived here in the 19th century.

Chens store sits across the road from Chenjiagou Tai Chi School, one of the oldest in the village. Founded in 1980, the school is a series of drab concrete buildings that encircle a large courtyard. Every afternoon some 200 students meet outside for three hours of training, weightlifting, and more creative forms of conditioning, such as climbing over the top of a 5-foot-tall tractor tire.

Chenjiagou Tai Chi School has enrolled students as young as three and older than 70. On a recent afternoon, a young girl practices with a group of middle-aged women near a gray brick wall. Still, the majority of students are teenage boys and men in their 20s. Some come for week-long courses; others have been studying there for more than a decade.

As tai chis popularity continues to grow, the school has opened more than 140 branches across China and dozens of branches in cities as far away as Buenos Aires, Warsaw, and Seattle.

[Chinese] people who live in cities are often in poor health and poor spirits, says Ren Mingming, a tai chi master who runs two branches in Beijing. Tai chi is not only a martial art, its also a philosophy. He says that philosophy, with its emphasis on moderation and balance yin and yang can help relieve the stresses of modern life.

Experts say such promises have made tai chi popular amongChinas increasingly health-conscious middle class, even as it competes with yoga.

A reportby the market research firm Daxue Consulting estimates that 10 million Chinese practiced yoga in 2014, up from 4 million in 2009. Mr. Yin started doing yoga five years and says more and more of his friends have taken an interest in it too.

Yet there could be room for compromise and even crossover between yoga and tai chi. In May 2015, a group of 400 practitioners from both disciplines performed in Beijing for Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi during his first state visit to China. Then came Jackie Chans comedy-action film Kung Fu Yoga, whichtopped the Chinese box officeearlier this year.

Meanwhile, the next generation of tai chi masters is coming of age in Chenjiagou. Jin Saifei, a 13-year-old boy from Anhui province, enrolled in Chenjiagou Tai Chi School two months ago after studying for several years at Shaolin Temple. Poised and deliberate in his practice, he says he plans to dedicate his life to tai chi.

I want to start my own tai chi school someday, he says. My dream is to become a tai chi master.

Xie Yujuan contributed reporting.

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A Tai Chi sweep? China bids for UNESCO cultural heritage status. - Christian Science Monitor

PUBLISHED: 16:56 31 March 2017 | UPDATED: 16:56 31 March 2017

Sarah Chambers

The Flower and Garden Show is a popular attraction at the Suffolk Show.

Tom Soper

A Dig for Victory display to motivate Suffolk Show goers to grow their own fruit and vegetables and a beer garden to relax with a craft beer and live music will be among the attractions at one of the events most popular attractions.

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The theme of this years Flower and Garden Show, which is undergoing a complete revamp, will be outdoor living.

The area is set to feature a new courtyard layout, providing a focus on an array of show gardens, horticultural trade stands and expert advice from the countys top garden designers.

Among the new features will be a Calvors Beer Garden, built and designed in partnership by Suffolk brewery Calvors and Flower and Garden Show sponsors Ed Hopkins Landscape and Garden Design.

There will also be family fun, with childrens storytelling in a magical tent, and the return of the popular Schools Show Garden Competition. The competition, now in its third year, has seen a record number of entries from primary school pupils who will be designing and building their own show gardens for this years Made in Suffolk theme.

Ed Hopkins, deputy steward and sponsor for the Flower and Garden Show, said: This year looks likely to be the most fun yet for visitors of all ages. We look forward to welcoming visitors and to showcasing the areas exciting new features.

In the floral marquee, the Museum of East Anglian Life will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special World War Two Dig for Victory display, motivating people today to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

Hedgehog Nurseries from Risby, Bury St Edmunds, will be returning after a break from the show in 2016, alongside Jelly Cottage Plants from North Norfolk.

Suffolk landscaper Roger Gladwell and David Johnson from Barcham Trees will be putting together a large exhibit at the Flower and Garden Show entrance to inspire visitors as they arrive.

Stephen Miles, senior steward for the Flower and Garden Show, said: The Flower and Garden Show is one of the most popular attractions at the Suffolk Show so were keen to impress visitors with new features each year.

Tickets for this years Suffolk Show on May 31 and June 1 are now on sale. Advance tickets cost 22 while children aged under 15 will once again receive free entry.

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Suffolk Show's 'Dig for Victory' display and relaxing beer garden set to inspire would-be gardeners - Ipswich Star

Record shops are now doing good business in the UK. Just five years ago, whod have thought that could happen? So does the current fetishisation of vinyl mark a growing desire to be back to physical formats, rather than disembodied technologies? Almost certainly not but it's of no matter, those that want to enjoy records now can, en masse, and theartsdesk on Vinyl is here to critique the very best sounds on plastic, taking in every imaginable style, as well as a few genres that we didnt know existed until the needle hit the groove. Dive in.

VINYL OF THE MONTH

Vitalic Voyager (Citizen)

French producer Vitalic Pascal Arbez created one this centurys great techno albums, 2005s OK Cowboy. He was never techno in the original Detroit idiom, in terms of faceless futurist cybernetic music for DJs, he was techno in that he created tough machine-bound sounds that referred backwards to the genres history. His was a very European and self-consciously vintage form of techno. In the years since, his music has veered towards pop, and his new album is certainly not short of that. The electroclash stylings of Hans is Driving, featuring Miss Kittin, and the cover of Supertramps Dont Leave Me Now are cases in point. They are techno-pop in pure form, bedded down in the genres glacial aesthetics. Vitalic has a toe dipped into synth-pops 1979-82 golden age (especially the Warm Leatherette-like Sweet Cigarette), and right back to Moroder and Vangelis, the dawn of electronic pop, but hes equally capable of ram-raiding the dancefloor with whopping bangers such as Lightspeed and Levitation. Arriving in a gatefold that features its maker beneath a non-PC bridge of naked womanhood, Voyager is joyously accessible and will be too much so for doyens of cutting edge dance music but for those who recognise it for what it is, its a tune-laden, party-starting classic.

George Harrison The Vinyl Collection Boxset (UMG)

The complete solo works of Transcendental Spice are gathered 16 years after his death (or, possibly, his move to another, more conducive, spiritual dimension). Like Martin Scorceses fantastic three-and-a-half hour 2011 documentary, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Harrisons output reveals an enigmatic, rounded Englishman with a sense of humour and a grounded desire to discover spirituality in the everyday. The albums included are Wonderwall Music (1968), Electronic Sounds (1969), All Things Must Pass (1970), Living In The Material World (1973), Dark Horse (1974), Extra Texture (1975), Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976), George Harrison (1979), Somewhere in England (1981), Gone Troppo (1982), Cloud Nine (1987), and Brainwashed (2002), plus the concert album Live in Japan (1992), and picture disc 12 singles of the late-Eighties hits When We Was Fab and Got My Mind Set On You. His first two releases were appealingly esoteric oddities, projects only a Beatle or a Stone could get away with. Wonderwall Music contains Indian music experiments interspersed with incongruous instrumentals (such as the jaunty Mrs Mill-smokes-a-bong mania of Drilling a Home), while Electronic Music consists of two side-long noodles that only occasionally hint at what Vangelis et al would do later. This isnt the place for a full review of every album, but All Things Must Pass, the triple (in a sturdy box) is a spewing of the blocked-up tunes in Harrisons head, including My Sweet Lord which topped and tailed his solo career, hitting the No.1 slot at its start, then again after his death. Some albums dont hold up well, notably the horrible Eighties session musician funkiness of Gone Troppo. The double album, Live in Japan, shows Harrison in fine form, enjoying a career resurrection, mixing solo fare with his Beatles songs, Here Comes the Sun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps (featuring a mass of Eric Clapton fret-widdling) and, from the White Album, the anti-establishment, baroque Charlie Manson favourite, Piggies. In terms of presentation the boxset adheres to the original releases. Extra Textures bright orange, dimpled leather effect cover is die-cut so the blue inner sleeve photo is visible. 33 and 1/3, Dark Horse and Living in the Material World are gatefold. For the truly maniacal Harrison fan theres even a 2500 limited edition Project Audio Systems turntable embossed with a Shepard Fairey lithograph art-print of his face. It seems likely that the retiring Harrison, never a fan of consumer culture, wouldnt have embraced this strange development. He might, however, have twitched into that enigmatic smile, knowing that in 2017 much of his stuff stands up well, even beside The Beatles.

Jeb Loy Nichols Country Hustle (City Country City)

Coming with a 12 x 12 info/art print insert, the latest from the Brit-based, uncategorizable American singer is his best in a while. Given hes expert at writing a song, Nichols could have carved himself out a generic career, building up a big fan base in any one area (probably country or indie), but hes too interested in wandering off along side-roads, in recent times taking in the dubby (2010s Long Time Traveller with Adrian Sherwood), the jazzy (2012s The Jeb Loy Nichols Special with Nostalgia 77) and much else. His voice his gently gritted honey, like a proper old school soul singer, and he uses it to that effect on songs such as Dont Drop Me and Thats How Were Living, which could easily fit into the catalogue of Seal or Bruno Mars, respectively, but hes as happy paring things back to very modern-sounding blues, rough but smooth, as on Thats All I Want or album opener Come See Me. Easy, but with an honesty to his music, Jeb Loy Nichols latest sounds like an album that should be streaming from tens of thousands of suburban stereo systems.

Bastien Keb 22-02-85 (First Word)

Bastien Keb actor and multi-instrumentalist Seb Jones - is something of an enigma. His second album is a fluid, loose concoction that mingles jazz and R&B to unlikely effect. Its late night music that sounds both smooth and lo-fi at the same time. He comes from Leamington Spa but his music sounds like it was created by recording snippets of a jam in some New York jazz cellar at 5.00 AM, with everyone spiked on psychoactives. There are numbers that have a semblance of a trad pop form, such as the catchily chorused Pick Up, but much of it, liberally sprayed with jazz trumpet, may be offcuts of an unrecorded occasion when Marvin Gayes pick-up band TARDISed into a Frank Ocean recording session. 22-02-85 isnt host to great songs but the overall sound definitely has something.

Franoise Hardy Ma Jeunesse Fout + Comment Te Dire Adieu Le Camp + Soleil + Le Danger (Parlophone/Warner Music France)

Four vinyl reissues for the Gallic pop icon, covering three different eras of her career. The two late-Sixties albums, Ma Jeunesse Fout and Comment Te Dire Adieu Le Camp, are singles in gatefold, while 1970s Soleil is the same but comes with an eight page blacknwhite booklet of portrait prints. The much later Le Danger also comes in gatefold with each album in photo/lyric inner sleeves. The first two were recorded for Disques Vogue and are a highly stylised continuation of her earlier Beatles-pop-meets-chanson, with the emphasis drifting towards the latter. Soleil is often overshadowed by the album that followed it, the game-changing Le Question, but is, in its own right, worth investigating. On it Hardy heads towards a more adult, considered version of herself. The opener, Point, even sounds a little like the Rolling Stones of the same period, and spiky piano blues, Le Crabe, is a stand-out. Le Danger is a very different creature. Having retired in the late Eighties, Hardy was persuaded by her nations chief new wave pin-up, tienne Daho, to record again. The results appeared in 1996 and, from the moment things kick off with the rockin Mode EEmploi, electric guitar riffage is never far away. The curious aspect is how well Hardys style sits within it, the whole coming over rather like those albums where an indie band signed to a major, circa 1985-95, and had their sound somewhat but not completely cleaned up. Im unclear why these four albums have been chosen for reissue. Seems a bit random, but the latter two, especially, have much to recommend them for those who wish to dig into one of Frances biggest pop names.

Homeshake Fresh Air (Sinderlyn)

Its appealing that this album sells itself with a sticker on the front that says, Its relaxing music. Coming on apt, airily transparent vinyl, with a 12 x 12 art-photo insert and a 12 x 24 poster of the albums title in blue, blobby watercolour, as well as a couple of blacknwhite cartoon stickers, midway between Mr Scruff and David Shrigley, these sounds are, indeed, relaxing. Homeshake is Canadian producer Peter Sagar who has previously gone for a more alt-R&B lo-fi pop angle but this time, while the synths are present, hes aiming squarely for super-mellow electro-jazz. If it wasnt so woozy it would occasionally be bland, but theres a queasy quality to Sagars music, so that its spaced out but, like marijuana, theres also a very slight weird edge to it which you have to watch out for. Basically, its future jazz for weirdoes.

Police Dog Hogan Wild by the Side of the Road (Major Tom) + Fairport Convention @50 (Matty Grooves)

Would that Brit folk-rockers Police Dog Hogan had a sniff of Mumford & Sonss success. The festival favourites fourth album, in gatefold with photo inner sleeve, is a feisty outing, somewhere between Skinny Lister, The Levellers and The Rockingbirds, which is to say folk is their species, but theyve interbred with witty, narrative songwriting, plenty of countrynwestern and a mainstream dad-rock sensibility. Her middle name was Dixie/strange name for a girl from Birmingham runs the opening couplet of Dixie and theres cheery humour throughout, with every other song a barn-dancin jig (Black Road, especially, appears to be a hoedown for lost hedonism). Their singer, in particular, has a very BBC Radio-2-friendly voice. Police Dog Hogan are loosely associated with Fairport Convention, a band whose spirit I admire, even if I only ever listen to a very small percentage of their vast back catalogue. As Tracy Thorn observes of them in her spirited autobiography, Bedsit Disco Queen, Fairport Convention were not of my punky generation: they were dyed-in-the-wool, ale-drinking, jumper-wearing folkies, but they were as DIY and indie as anyone Id met. It was inspiring. Now this folk institution are a half century old and celebrate with a black-clad lyric-gatefold collection of new cuts, old cuts, live cuts and guest vocals from Robert Plant (a live take of Jesus on the Mainline) and Pentangles Jacqui McShee (The Lady of Carlisle). For me the psychedelia-tinged live version of the moody 2011 song Mercy Bay is ahead-and-shoulders above the rest, but fans will surely enjoy the jolly self-celebratory jig Our Bus Rolls On. The whole thing is solid evidence that Fairports creative juices are far from dried up and, barring acts of God, will surely continue flowing to their diamond jubilee and beyond.

Clovis XIV Golden Hours (Clovis XIV)

Its impossible to listen to the music of Clovis XIV, a Parisian transposed to Los Angeles, without thinking of two other Parisians who rather successfully got lucky making the same move. There are stylistic similarities. However, drummer-turned-electronic musician Clovis XIV has much to recommend him in his own right, not least this one-sided concept suite of five songs that attempts to take the listener on a journey through the LA night. There are hints of Jean-Michael Jarre somewhere deep in there and also of sunshine EDM, but neither of those references does this often gorgeous music justice. Golden Hours twinkles with artifice, yet has a delicious, cinematic depth, as well as luscious tunes. Like the films of Nicolas Winding Refn, it revels in LAs plasticity yet renders it stunning. One of a limited edition of 300, it comes in a black and gold tote bag featuring the cover art.

ADULT. Detroit House Guests (Mute)

Detroit husbandnwife electronic duo, Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller have been around for a decade-and-a-half. Their work tends to wend its way between pop and electros less palatable corners, whether going for punk raucousness or simply a glacial techno coldness. Their latest album, their seventh, is two discs of collaborations with names who exemplify their appetite for the anti-norm, including Michael Gira of Swans, Douglas McCarthy of EBM duo Frontline Assembly, and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe of sonic strangeness merchants Lichens. Detroit House Guests is the result of a grant that allowed the pair to have chosen artists live and work with them. The results are more abstract than ADULT. generally are songs such as P rts M ss ng and As You Dream flit about twitchy electronic soundscapes rather than hammer home (although We Chase the Sound is a tasty 4/4 assault for EBM fans). While its not as immediate as some of their work - indeed, much of it is freeform and sonically abstruse - it may also be the duos most adventurous album.

Molly Burch Please Be Mine (Captured Tracks)

LA-raised, Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Molly Burch has something of classic easy listening, swing and jazz about her songwriting, and also a little of Duane Eddys cheeky twang. Her theatrically projected vocal style is a pleasure. The way she sing-says You make me feel like quite a woman on Wrong For You is pure camp, as is her occasionally hiccupping vocal style. Its great she doesnt feel obligated to emulate all the usual contemporary tics to express emotion. Her style is, in many ways, old-fashioned, but she brings a freshness to what she does and her material has lively sass. Also songs such as Torn to Pieces and Not Today have a winning Deep South torch song simplicity. Contains 11 X 11 art/info insert.

Seafoam Green Topanga Mansion (Mellowtone)

What a strange name for a band. That aside, this debut album (in lyric gatefold) by Liverpool-based Irish singer Dave OGrady is a feast of pure retro, early Seventies rock, leavened here and there with a seasoning of Celtic folk. OGradys original launch pad was when he fell in with ex-Black Crowe Rich Robinson a few years back and the pair wrote songs and toured together. The Black Crowes were all about emulating the Rolling Stones circa 1972, and so is Topanga Mansion, from the maudlin steel guitar balladry of Sister and Petty Tryants to the tougher southern boogie of Down the River, although the albums opening section takes an Irish folk moment. Theres nothing new about what Seafoam Green are doing but they do it well enough to be worth noting.

DJ Spider 1 EP (Green Village)

New Jersey label Green Village sent theartsdesk on Vinyl a package containing their entire output of six 12 singles. Thank you, Green Village! The latest and the one we lead off with is DJ Spiders 1 EP, a four tracker featuring the low-slung understated groove of Space Jungle, a squelchy electro-soul/funk tune with jazz sax called Satsung, the more trad techno of Divide and Conquer, and Urantia of Nebadon which features sinister Middle Eastern vibes amid a compote of murkiness. There are other DJ Spiders out there but Green Villages is the one to watch, a New York house merchant whos always looking for a gritty dark-side twist. Of Green Villages other tunes - by Dakini9, Policy, Disaroen, Fox, Nicuri and Franklin de Costa - the flavour of heads-down DJ tool techno is regularly spiked by glimpse of light such as Nicuris spacey, soul-flecked Ripples of Time (from the various artists Village Elders EP). My favourite cuts are Foxs brain-frying, mesmeric, druggy bass/percussion odyssey Yokai and Franklin de Costas haunted, glooping, semi-industrial slowie Derp Journal. Green Villages originality marks them out as a label to watch.

Various Keb Darge and Cut Chemist present The Dark Side (BBE)

To my mind, the second-greatest, most thrilling historical narrative of the Twentieth Centry is the story of LSD, from Hoffman to Huxley to Leary to San Francisco and to the world. It bled pure mischief into everything and disconnected multitudes of Western young people, briefly and beautifully, from predictable materialist norms. If that was the big picture, check the microcosm; just have a listen to Teddy and his Patches Suzy Creamcheese from this double album of Sixties US garage corkers. Its seriously unhinged, all freaky bass patterns, distortion and tuned-in, turned-on sloganeering. Like all the bands on here, Teddy and his Patches had likely been another suburban Yardbirds/Stones clone until the acid hit whether they took it or not! but afterwards the racket just had to be consiousness-altering. Nowadays you will find theres always someone ready, ready to blow your mind, announce Ohios Captain Crunch and The Crew, over a circular, spidery, rockabilly riff. Curators Keb Sarge and Cut Chemist make no apologies that theyre garage neophytes, walking in the steps of Lenny Kayes groundbreaking Nuggets compilation and its many successors, but the cheap psychedelic scuzz theyve dug up The Avents, The Tigermen, Als Untouchables, The Mach 5, The Choab, Caretakers of Deception and many more make a time trip worth taking to a lost land of pupil-popped teenagers briefly, zealously punching way above their weight, seizing their Sixties moment forever on 7 plastic. Comes in picture/info gatefold with a busy, informative 12 x 12 explanatory/biographical insert.

Emptyset Borders (Thrill Jockey) + Tycho Epoch (Ghostly International) + Heinali Anthem (Injazero) + Various [STAUB] (I/Y) + Nathan Fake Providence (Ninja Tune) + Children of Alice Children of Alice (Warp) + Sandro Brugnolini & Giorgio Carnini UST 7010 (Schema)

Heres a bunch of electronic releases that deserve reviews in their own right but, due to weight of incoming material, are bundled together. Emptyset are a long-standing Brisol duo as well-known in the art world as for their music. Conceptualists whose installation work has graced the V&A and Tate Britain, among others, their seventh album is a moody beast, redolent of Dead Fader and the like, an aggressive sting of angry robot fuzz, buzzing distortion and twisted, revolving machine assault. On transparent vinyl, its less a music than a filmic ambiance, imbued with Skynets darkest dreams. The latest album from San Francisco sound explorer Tycho, AKA Scott Hansen, on the other hand, would almost be new agey, proggy, if it werent for a certain warm organic propulsion, enhanced by the use of electric guitar. Hansen has long majored in combining the synthetic and the human and the Grammy-nominated Epoch, which has been out for yonks but only just appeared on vinyl (in print/detail inner sleeve) may be his most cohesive work. It sounds like The Egg produced by Brian Eno, which is no bad thing.

Its oddly annoying when a press release nails all an albums reference points perfectly but Heinalis does so Im reduced to paraphrasing. The Ukrainian composer-producer Oleg Shpudeiko gives us two sides of transparent red vinyl that hum with echoing, floating tones, adding up to a fusion of Clint Mansells soundtrack work, Max Richter, Popol Vuh and Oneohtrix Point Never (thank you, astute press person). Its a soup of sound that goes down easily but is spiced with metallic elements and synth swoops that give the whole thing more edge. A decade and a half into his career Heinalis taste for abstraction has given his woozy music rubbery teeth. Remember when the term Faceless techno bollocks was endlessly bandied about? Berlin club [STAUB] still adhere to the principle of stark anonymity and their second release for the same citys I/Y label gives no information about its four tracks. That said, it arrives in a greyly illustrated cardboard sleeve in a white carrier bag, stating in red, Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life, and the record itself is a striking zebra thing, half black, half off-white. Of the tracks, A1 is an opulent John Carpenter-esque beatless piece, A2 opens out to plinky, elegant techno interwoven with a catchy bleep-motif, B1 is a more electro thing and only B2 adheres to techno in its original, propulsive Detroit form. It certainly make me want to go to the club in question!

Nathan Fakes debut album, Drowning In a Sea of Love appeared just over a decade ago, a classic of rustic, downtempo electronica. Fake went in a more techno direction in its wake before drying up completely. Now signed to Ninja Tune, he found his new direction via an old Korg Prophecy keyboard which, heavily treated, is all over Providence. A double album in heavy, art-printed glossy inner sleeves, visible through the die-cut outer sleeve, there are a couple of vocal contributions, notably Braids Raphaelle Standell-Preston, who adds a Bjrk-ish something to RVK. Mostly, however, its unapologetically alien music, sculpted sound architecture that chugs into any dimension it pleases. Children of Alice are James Cargill and Roj Stevens of Broadcast and Julian House of The Focus Group. Together they create a whirlpool of wilful weirdness that has as much to do with the music the BBC Radiophonic Workshop made for sinister 1970s childrens TV programmes as with Musique Concrete. Consisting of three long tracks that wuzzle and tssssss and blooooop, its dream-like sound-bumbling that only the oddballs will love. Comes with 12 x 36 purple, red and white art print. Finally, an album that Children of Alice would undoubtedly covet, the re-release of 10 tracks by Italian TV library music dons Sandro Brugnolini and Giorgio Carnini, originally recorded in 1973 using the then-cutting edge ARP 2600 synthesizer. The pair originally termed this music Beat Drammatico Underground Pop Electtronico, which is pretty much what it is. Brugnolinis side of the record is all madcap instrumentals that have police chase written all over them, while Carninis is more varied, eccentric and suitable for science fiction or horror (especially the tickering, speeding abjection of Strutture Generative).

ALSO WORTHY OF MENTION

Rhiannon Giddens Freedom Highway (Nonesuch)

Arriving with a 12 x 12 lyric/photo insert, the second solo album from singer, banjo-player, violinist and American folk music scholar Rhiannon Giddens, is understated and lovely. Giddens band the Carolina Chocolate Drops was an explicit move to reclaim the Afro-American heritage of US roots music, and her solo career subtly continues the mission. So much harm was done, after all, when Okeh Records marketed music as either Race or Hillbilly in the 1920s. The categories stuck and became embedded in the popular subconscious. Giddens, who has a lovely voice, albeit with classically-trained precision, offers up a low key set on Freedom Highway, with occasional explosions of gospel flavour, as on the tragedy-laced historical ballad Birmingham Sunday. Its an album that wears its themes lightly. Whether earthy or ethereal, its gently strummed but often as powerful as any polemic punk band in full assault mode.

Horizont About Time (Century Media)

Swedish outfit Horizont are a band out of time. Their sound is midway between Owner of a Lonely Heart-era Yes, Survivor, early Queen, and heavier old school metal bands such as Dio. Their fifth album, in gatefold, opens with The Hive, a preposterous slice of Sixties sci-fi psychedelia which Jimmy Webb wrote for the second album of heavyweight Brit actor Richard Harriss unlikely post-Camelot pop career. The five-piece, who look like extras from Easy Rider (and in my world thats a compliment) turn Webbs whimsy into madcap prog and proceed, throughout About Time, to mine a multiplicity of retro rock styles for kicks, unafraid of campy vintage synths (just check the title track!), and maintaining a quirkiness, like The Darkness, that keeps them just this side of AOR indulgence.

Aimee Mann Mental Illness (SuperEgo/Membran)

This arrives on pink vinyl in a die-cut sleeve, redolent of fairytale woods, through which can be seen a strange, spooky duck-monkey creature with a mohawk (perhaps the Goose Snow Cone of the opening song). Mental Illness is dressed in uncanny imagery but its contents, while often melancholic, are more straightforward. My music listening life only crossed significantly with Manns when she did a bunch of songs for Paul Thomas Andersons extraordinary 1999 film Magnolia, but she has, apparently, maintained a cruising speed career before that and since, a thoughtful singer-songwriter classed as Adult Alternative by streaming sites. Her new album proves she still has the pith to lay down sharp lyrics, especially on Patient Zero and Good for Me (What a waste of the smoke machine/Took the taste of the Dopamine/And left me high and dry/Call the cops, call the cavalry/Spin the tops thatll dazzle me/And give me a new supply), while the delightful shuffle of Lies of Summer showcases someone thoroughly in charge of their melodic sense. Comes with a 12 x 12 lyric/art print insert.

Various Northern Soul Floorfillers (Demon): Some time ago, when working at a now defunct magazine, we writers were advised to never use the phrase Does exactly what it says on the tin, the now two decade old Ronseal slogan, when reviewing albums. Lazy journalism. And I never do. Except we should never say never, the occasional album just shrieks for the hackneyed old line to be retrieved, so lets wheel it out just this once. Northern Soul Floorfillers does exactly what it says on the tin. Its not one for the crate-diggers, poring through dusty 7s in dead peoples attics, its the songs that, as Northern Soul has grown from a geographically tiny cult into an international scene, have become the standard-bearers. It includes such 24 carat classics as Chairmen of the Boards Give Me Just a Little More Time, Dobie Grfays Out On the Floor, Freda Paynes Band of Gold, and one of my favourite songs of all time, Al Wilsons deathless amphetamine soul fable, The Snake. With 25 songs that dont quit, this is a one stop shop for Northern Soul vinyl beginners.

Scott Bradlees Postmodern Jukebox The Essentials (Concord/Postmodern Jukebox): New York jazz pianist Scott Bradlee has become a sensation by posting YouTube videos featuring versions of contemporary pop hits in a variety of vintage styles. This double gatefold in printed inner sleeves, featuring notes, details and cocktail recipes, celebrates the best of their hugely successful output. Achieving global viewing figures of around 650 million, the Postmodern Jukebox has toured the world as a live show, but this collection is a hit and miss affair. It would be great to come across this band, anonymous, in a festival tent, but on record it often sounds forced, twee and self-conscious, with the production bleeding out energy, as they attack songs by Ellie Goulding, Justin Bieber, Radiohead, GunsnRoses and more. However, there are a few superlative versions, notably a burlesque take on Miley Cyruss We Cant Stop, a showboating exposition of Beyoncs Halo and a shuffling, Dixieland deconstruction of Blackstreets 1996 smash No Diggity.

The Seshen Flames & Figures (Tru Thoughts)

From San Francisco, The Seshen major in Afro-centric electronic R&B pop. Its an under-explored musical corner and the six-piece, led by captivating singer Lalin St Juste and bass-playing producer Akiyoshi Ehara, prove there are rich pickings to be found. Theres a crossover into Thundercat/Low End Theory territory but its not extensive and songs such as Right Here and Firewalker are simply too catchy and poppy to fit in that niche. This is avant-R&B with its pretensions stripped away in favour of an airy, funky contagiousness thats melodic but has a jazzy dancefloor sway. Flames & Figures is their long-playing debut (they previously released a mini-album) and marks them out as contenders.

Lil Lost Lou Lil Lost Lou (Bully): The set contained in Lil Lost Lou sounds exactly the sort of thing thatd set a London pub alight on a boozy Friday night, and thats the circuit frontwoman Lou Psyche hails from. However, her self-titled debut album was recorded over in Nashville with a gaggle of session men who once put in time with the likes of Johnny Cash and Chet Atkins. Lous core style is upbeat hoedown, country-licked to the hilt, but dosed with the twang of rockabilly too. She knows her way round a tune. I Kissed Your Man (Jolene) is a feisty answer record to the Dolly Parton classic and He Put a Hook in Me (Bones, Feathers Black Boot, Rabbit Foot) has chugging cow-punk cojones, but shes also capable of more lonesome maudlin moments, such as Red is the Colour of My Shame and the Stonesy Song for Bob Dylan. On single vinyl with photo inner sleeve.

Barb Jungr Every Grain of Sand: Barb Jungr Sings Bob Dylan (Linn): Barb Jungr has been beavering away in cabaret, theatre, TV and music for decades, her name cropping up alongside everyone from Julian Clary to Billy Bragg, but shes perhaps best known for her interpretive singing work. Among the best-known of such ventures is her first album of Bob Dylan covers. Released on vinyl for the first time, Jungr doesnt go for the obvious numbers but brings her own (and arrangers Simon Wallace and James Tomalins) jazz, chanson and even gypsy stylings to songs such as Ill Be Your Baby Tonight, Its All Over Now, Baby Blue and Dont Think Twice, Its Alright. Arriving with a 12 x 12 photo/notes insert, Jungrs versions are an acquired taste, veering in places towards easy listening, but with the spikiness of Dylans lyrics piercing the smoothness sufficiently, and her clean enunciation allowing the songs poetry to shine.

Klaus Finger & PreJapandorf 2000! (Grnland): During the last ten years of his life Krautrock key-player Klaus Finger (of NEU!) formed an association with the ex-pat Japanese musical community of his native Dusseldorf, a friendship that led to much jamming and good times, as well as a number of releases. Foremost among his Japanese friends were Kazuyuki Onouchi and Miki Yui (who Dinger went on to marry) and 2000!, a Record Store Day exclusive, is a collection of cuts that came about when Dinger had a sort of mini-festival in the grounds of his Zeeland Studio, from the high times strum of Mayday to many more typically Moterik-rhythm punk attacks. Comes with a 12 x 24 poster featuring Polaroids of the session.

The Flowers of Hell Symphony No.1 (Optical Sounds): Beloved of cosmic noiseniks such as My Bloody Valentines Kevin Shields and former Spacemen 3 frontman Peter Kember, The Flowers of Hell is the project of Canadian Greg Jarvis. He has led various incarnations though trippy-but-keenly organized sonic explorations but now, after much struggle, and prominently featuring the voice of Toronto soprano Danie Friesen, he achieves his dream of an actual, orchestrated piece in the classical mode. Thus, swirling melodies are mustered from strings and horns rather than rock dissonance and, at its best, its as if Ennio Morricone has been given a Wagnerian boost, over four movements. Movement 2 is a tad operatic for my tastes but theres plenty to chew on here.

Bongo ENTP Debut EP (Music for Dreams): Jacob Andersen is a percussionist who was involved with a number of massive-in-Scandinavia-in-the-Eighties pop songs but, judging by this 12 six track EP selection from his debut album as Bongo ENTP, has now mellowed into a human Ibiza sunset. Lead track Foto Feita Do Avio is pure easy listening, as is Lujn, with keys mellower than melted butter and, in the case of the latter, a muted trumpet too. However, theres also enough slithering kick-drum and stoned bongo groove on other tracks (such as the remix of Foto Feita Do Avio by So Paulo duo Selvagem) to keep things interesting. One for the marijuana-in-the-tropics crowd.

Venn Runes (Full Time Hobby): In the last chapter of his richly detailed and often fascinating book Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany, David Stubbs observes that Krautrock is a well that can and will be returned to again and again an underground river, a self-renewing, self-purifying resource. Its been visited for inspiration for decades now and yet it remains untapped, full of potential. London trio Venn are the latest in a long, long line to embrace the truth of this and their debut album (in manifesto statement inner sleeve) is classy guitar pop riven entirely with motorik intent. Sure, some of it sounds a bit New Order and Slowly Sinking sounds like a sweet Eighties synth-pop slowie, but theres enough originality to grab the attention.

Esteban Adame Descendants (EPM): Underground Resistance affiliated Los Angeles producer Esteban Adame updates the classic Detroit techno sound on the original mix, replete with ghost-in-the-machine string lines permeating the gut of the tune. The Tresillo remix is a relentless buzzing thing that hammers away relentlessly but Detroit techno godfather Juan Atkins opens the music out, inflecting it with his Cybotron heritage while retaining its heart. Its the highlight of an EP that is, otherwise, primarily for tough techno DJs.

We welcome any and all vinyl for review. Please hit thomash.green@theartsdesk.com for a postal address.

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