alternative

Leopard Throw Pillow

beth — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

I was surprised to hear a shriek of delight from my house guest as she entered my messy apartment. I had forgotten that in a last minute effort to spruce up the place I had carelessly tossed my leopard Sin in Linen throw pillow on my living room couch. However, I was instantly made aware of its presence when my house guest followed her shriek with “I want that pillow!” As my personal anecdote demonstrates, if you are an alternative stylish individual and wish to express this through your linens, clearly, Sin in Linen is the place for you.

With unusual 1940s and 1950s inspired designs, Sin in Linen is perfect for all young/edgy/rockabilly types. Browsing the Sin in Linen website will give you plenty of gift ideas for all your alternative loved ones. Think about that edgy niece of yours who is going off to college and would love to impress her dorm mate with leopard print dorm bedding. Or, how about the adorable zebra print baby bedding which would be the perfect gift for that hip unmarried couple you know who are planning on a little one. Particularly appealing to me is the red sugar skull bedding collection inspired by Mexican Day of the Dead ceremonies.

But even if retro, alternative designs aren’t quite your thing, supporting Sin in Linen owner Sandy Glaze is reason enough for feminists to jump at the chance to meet their various bathroom, kitchen, and bedding needs through Sin in Linen. Those of you Seattlelites like me may recognize Sandy Glaze as former Rat City Rollergirl Ann Munition #357. For the past two decades, Glaze has been a huge supporter of the alternative art communities up and down the coast. She sees her company Sin in Linen as an extension of her passion to encourage and enable everyone to express themselves in every way possible.

Written by: Colleen S. Kenny, September 28th 2010

Heartland

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Owen Pallett

Domino Records

Former Final Fantasy mastermind Owen Pallett’s voice is one of my favorites in music right now. On Heartland’s opening song, “Midnight Directives,” it floats alongside the violin lines, reaching high and stretching across the track, taking it in beautiful directions that both fit and conflict beautifully with the insistent drums and electronic elements. The song ends abruptly, and the next, “Keep the Dog Quiet,” begins as abruptly, with a staccato string line and quiet maraca accompaniment.

Heartland is noisier and more electronic than any previous Final Fantasy album, which makes sense given the experimental nature of the project. Pallett wrote Heartland as an opera about a peasant named Lewis, who is ordered by his God (named Owen, no less) to lead a revolt. Pallett posted all the lyrics to Heartland online in October 2009, giving fans months to pour over the poetry of the words before hearing them set to music.

The girl-group inspired melody in “Lewis Takes Action” directly conflicts with the violence in the lyrics: “I took No-Face by his beak and broke his jaw, he’ll never speak again.” “The Great Elsewhere” is a beautiful song that ends in a crisis of faith about “the indifferences of the Storyteller.” Heartland is not only beautiful to listen to, but a joy to unfold and interpret the world Pallett has created in this album.

The album ends with a question: “What Do You Think Will Happen Now?” Pallett absolutely succeeds at keeping the listener thoroughly engaged, but always with that question of marvelous uncertainty. If you like your indie music literary and elusive, Heartland is a challenge and a delight.

Written by: Dana Reinoos, April 8th 2010

The Paper Bride: Wedding DIY from Pop-the-Question to Tie-the-Knot and Happily Ever After

admin — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:01:00 +0000

By Esther K. Smith

Potter Craft

Weddings are expensive. CNN Money states that, even with the recession, the average cost of a wedding in 2008 was $21,814. Paper goods, like invitations, save-the-date cards, and guest books can add up—so why not make them yourself? Esther Smith's instructional how-to book, The Paper Bride, goes over absolutely everything you need to make a wedding the way you want.

The Paper Bride starts with a cute proposal idea—a ring hidden in a book—and moves onto alternative ways to let people know you are engaged: postcard, magnets, or even traditional save-the-date cards, but with funky envelopes and mailers. Smith comes up with out of the ordinary ideas for invitations and bridal showers. Not a fan of finger sandwiches? How about a liquor shower, where each guest brings one bottle for the party and one bottle for your liquor cabinet. The book truly sticks to its name, even showing off a paper wedding dress.

Smith's background is in letterpress, so she goes into great depth about making your own books and journals, and even has a chart for doing calligraphy yourself. If you have never done paper crafts before, don't worry: Smith goes over each step in detail, and provides diagrams that even a first time DIYer can follow. In the back of book, there are templates for making envelopes, boxes, program fans, and coasters. Some of the crafts are offbeat, like making paper flowers, while others are great even if you aren't planning a wedding, such as making your own photo album.

The great thing about The Paper Bride is that Smith emphasizes putting your own style into your wedding. If you're not into the traditional white wedding, then you can design your paper goods to reflect that. No matter what type of wedding you're having, this book has something you can use. But as Smith reminds her readers, the wedding day should not be the pinnacle of the relationship: “it will be wonderful, whatever happens, but it shouldn't be the happiest day of your life. You don't want the rest of your life to go downhill from there. You want to live happily ever after!”

Written by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch, April 4th 2010

Blasted!

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Bitch

Short Story Records

Bitch’s second release, Blasted! is a bona fide labor or love, self-produced and fully funded by her loyal fan-base who labored themselves to the tune of $12,000. A ballsy, creative venture done by a few indie artists thus far, but pays off only for the truly original, passionate ones that appeal to music lovers with equal convictions. Blasted! shines with eclectic blend of electric violin, ukulele and moody, pulsating bass lines, all blissfully and ingenuously executed by Bitch. Add eclectic alt-folk rock, delicate layers of experimental instrumentation with affects, and probing, insightful lyrics. They travel from an introverted hinterland to a joyous landscape of sound meant to move and empower while leaving a lasting impression.

“Kitchen Dirty Revised” opens the record and sets an uplifting tone, with infused call and response and vocal layers conjuring up memories of group ‘singalongs’ and hand clapping in glorious unison. The loose, infectious beat stands alongside chirping birdies and Star Wars-like laser accompaniment. “Lost You” shifts gears a tad asking “what if love doesn’t multiply, just subtracts, scratches its fear on my face and marks me like that”. Her vocals convey the forlorn poignancy with warm, smoldering intensity. “Open Up” works up a groove with a bluesy guitar lead, and spoken word prose, eventually culminating with the indelible chorus, “The whole sky’s about to open up, and so am I”.

The title track, “Blasted” integrates her electric violin, so organic that it plays like a fiddle, no tweaks, just a raw timbre to match the emotion conveyed in her voice and the imagery the lyrics paint, “I’ll just add another scar to my belt, promise myself to never forget how this felt”. It concludes by sharply changing dynamics. “Bugs” rocks while delving into poetic verse intensely cradled by a booming chorus. “Wisdom” shifts and crafts into introspection “Lead me to your castle of would, far away from these shackles of should”. “Staying Alive” rounds out the brood with an inspirational call to action. “I get low I get high and if I can’t get either I really try”.

This sophomore release represents Bitch as an innovative songstress and musician who channels into her punk activism. She reaches out far and wide with her choice of instruments, themes and dynamics. Blasted! leaves its mark with slam-style poetics, stories of unrequited love, and empowering rock ballads. It’s an earnest, unifying assemblage true to its word and a gift to the fans who funded it.

Written by: Cat Veit, March 23rd 2010

Gay Fatherhood: Narratives of Family and Citizenship in America

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000

By Ellen Lewin

University of Chicago Press

In this well-written ethnography, Gay Fatherhood, Ellen Lewin examines the choices and the decisions of gay fathers in America, focusing particularly on men who choose to become fathers as gay men, rather than coming out after having had children in a different-sex marriage. Lewin, also the author of the 1993 ethnography Lesbian Mothers, works centrally from Chicago but has found research participants of impressive diversity with respect to race, religion, socioeconomic background, profession, number of children, and relationship to community. All of these elements make for a fascinating read.

The central question in Lewin’s book is one that has become increasingly pertinent and visible, particularly in queer communities, as the gay marriage debate advances in the United States. Does “being gay” simply mean being a man who loves and is sexually attracted to men, or does it imply another separateness, an inherent incompatibility, with a world that is and will always be predominantly straight? And does asserting the latter negate the identity of gay fathers, assuming "father," even "parent," to be the province of the straight world alone? Or does a gay man who chooses to be a father give up his right to identify as "gay?" Or does "parent" come to overshadow, to render irrelevant, the identity “gay”? And if none of the above are true, are there factors beyond the sexual orientation and gender of the parents that would specifically identify a family as a "gay family?"

As is often the case in anthropological research, Lewin explores these questions without ever fully answering them. Given the scope and depth of Lewin’s writing, however, no answer seems to be demanded. By simply displaying the complexity of the lives and relationships of gay fathers—relationships with partners, relationships with children, relationships with other parents, extended families, communities of friends, religious communities, communities of residence—she demonstrates that this is not an issue to be bullet-pointed or oversimplified. Lewin uses her ethnography to delve into the lives of gay families, and to show the complex nexus of identity at which they reside, and at which they must, in contemporary America, continue to reside. A true writer and a true anthropologist, she leaves the prescription of actions to her readers; there is no doubt that engagement with her writing will lead to more considered, and therefore better, action.

Written by: Gemma Cooper-Novack, March 1st 2010

Know Better Learn Faster

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:59:00 +0000

By Thao with The Get Down Stay Down

Kill Rock Stars

“Messy” and “complicated” could very well be the two best words for defining romantic love. As suggested by the title of Thao with The Get Down Stay Down’s latest record, Know Better Learn Faster, the brokenhearted masses could easily avoid painful relationships if they were just plain smarter and quicker learners. Alas, we as humans aren’t always the best decision makers, and as a small consolation, that’s why we get great break-up albums like this one.

On their second release for KRS, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down offers a varied record that is mostly energetic but also studded with a few mellow tracks. Drummer Willis Thompson, bassist and keyboardist Adam Thompson, and singer and guitarist Thao Nguyen have struck a fine balance of pacing on this album, avoiding any clichéd or sappy songs. The music itself is so lively that Know Better Learn Faster can be listened to at any time and in any mood.

Complementing the vibrant music are Nguyen’s capable songwriting abilities. She has a knack for quirky, attention-grabbing one-liners. On “Trouble Was For,” she opens the track by sultrily singing, “Everybody please put your clothes back on/We must see what the trouble was for,” and on “Body,” Nguyen pointedly asks, “What am I, just a body in your bed?”

“The Clap” gives the album an ominous and threatening opening. It’s a half-minute track complete with hand claps and layered vocals that repeats, “If this is how you want it ok, ok.” Sonically, this is as dark as the album gets, and while other tunes on Know Better Learn Faster are slowed and melancholic, none seem as chilling as the opener.

In most break-ups, there always seems to be a period of longing for the other to come back. This is a theme that is brought up frequently by Nguyen, like on “When We Swam,” where the plea is sung to “bring your hips to me,” or again on “Body,” where Nguyen makes a desire known by asking, “Won’t you reach for the body in your bed?”

But like Nguyen’s voice, which is strong and full-bodied, there’s a sense of resolve throughout the record to accept that the relationship is truly finished. On “Good Luck and Goodbye,” Nguyen sings, “Take care of your neck and spine and good luck and goodbye,” as if she is giving a reminder to learn from the past and to protect yourself from letting a relationship break you apart.

The dance-inducing “Easy” closes the album. It begins with Nguyen reminding us that “sad people dance, too.” It’s a great way to end this enjoyable album. Thao with The Get Down Stay Down leaves us with the knowledge that break-ups are never easy, but somehow, falling in love is still worth it.

Written by: Beverly Jenkins-Crockett, January 9th 2010

Magic Neighbor

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:01:00 +0000

By Lisa Germano

Young God Records

Lisa Germano’s music is like finding an old photograph at a yard sale. Somehow, inexplicably, you’re drawn in by a sad or troubled expression staring back in black and white. Soon, without knowing fully why, you feel a connection to the woman sitting in the photograph, hands in her lap, poised in an awkward position that seems unnatural, strange, perhaps even eerie. And you eventually see a story unfolding before you of a quiet childhood with a distant parent, an unrequited love, and precious moments of happiness glimmering in between.

Wandering and melancholic, each song on her latest album Magic Neighbor speaks in this same strangely intimate way, like a diary page read aloud. Germano sings almost as if she’s a young girl, alone in the corner of her room, creating lyrics to a meandering melody and humming to herself. Perhaps one of the more structured songs “A Million Times” beautifully depicts the path of a relationship as she recalls memories one after another. Germano sings of honest observations, blatantly saying, “We had more fun when we were strangers, as blind as blind can be.” Supported by minimal repetitive cords and percussion, she lays out, “A million times, we like to play the game all over, and when we’re done, we’ll start again.” With unforgiving candidness, Germano reveals the flaws and insecurities she harbors while in love, as if she never expected anyone besides herself to hear the song.

Peculiar instrumentals on various instruments including piano along with Germano’s half singing-half speaking style make the experience of listening to her music even more unique. Her music is painful and pleasing, comforting and disturbing, immediately memorable but only meaningful (and increasingly palatable) after a few listens. As a woman, she represents a feminine honesty and loquaciousness that could on the surface be perceived as trivial, but in essence is nothing of the sort. Like stumbling on an old photograph whose subject never knew they’d be viewed by a stranger’s eyes, Magic Neighbor draws the listener into Germano’s world and opens a window into the stories of another life.

Written by: Melissa Ablett, December 15th 2009

Roulette

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:43:00 +0000

Directed by Courtney Trouble

NoFauxxx

Perhaps it was an omen, but the first thing Roulette did was cause my computer to crash. My computer is used to gonzo, after all. Undaunted, I rebooted and continued on, quite curious to see how I liked this film.

I will preface all by saying that queer porn is not my typical viewing choice, nor is porn with people who fall into the category of 'alt' or 'natural', so for me, Roulette was a new experience. Comprised of several moderate length scenes, Roulette is very different in style and content; its style has a softer edge, more personal and intimate settings, shorter scenes, basic sets, and nothing hetero about it at all. Let me give you a blow by blow…

The first scenes is “Bring Back Art,” and features Ceci Dolores and Kenji. A female-on-female scene sparked by cute butch Kenji becoming bored with attractive femme Ceci’s endless indecision over what outfit to wear evolves to the two of them having sex—oral, strap on, and manual—on a pile of clothes on the floor. While the somewhat cooler-than-thou soundtrack sort of got on my nerves, these two women absolutely looked like they were enjoying themselves and the sexual pleasure taken and given seemed genuine. I can usually spot when someone is faking, and Ceci seemed to enjoy every bit of attention Kenji paid to her.

There was also a romantic feel to the scene, with a lot of kissing, caressing, and eye contact—things one does not generally find in mainstream “wham, bam, thank you ma’am” sorts of porn. Both performers smile a lot too. It was very pretty scene, and for some reason, Kenji’s grin is infectious. She looks like she's up to something, and I think that's rather cute.

The second scene, "Cyd," opens with a very young—and I mean teenage-looking young—athlete sneaking into a locker room. This person was the punk rock androgynous Cyd. She proceeds to snoop around and picks one locker to really go through. She fondles some shorts, gives them a sniff, and tries on an athletic cup before finding a snazzy dildo—I mean really snazzy, as in I need one of those—and some lube. (Shoot, I thought I was the only one who kept that sort of thing at the gym!) Cyd gets so worked up she begins to masturbate, one hand on the strap on she has in her boxers and the other inside them. Cyd then puts the stolen locker dildo to use (wooo, naughty), smelling, licking, and sucking on it first.

While Cyd has some really cool ink and the graffiti on the locker room chalk board had me giggling, I found it about as exciting as watching paint dry. Cyd looks to be having fun, but I found myself waiting for it to be over so as to move on to the next one, which is a music video.

You know, when I'm watching porn, a music video is not something I expect to see. Throwing a music video into the middle of a porno, even an alt queer porno, seems a bit pretentious to me. It smacks of screaming, “See how cool and different we are? See! See!” It just really rubbed me the wrong way. I can’t say I cared for the song either.

Next up we have Walter Crasshole and Nikolaj, who are described as “two fags in love drinking 40’s and fucking on rooftop.” Sure enough, this scene has two somewhat pretty, thin, punk rock guys going at it on a roof: oral, analingus, and anal (yay, condom use!). Once again there is a very sensual, romantic, and fun feel to this scene. There is lots of kissing, caressing, and smiling (as if screwing on a gravel rooftop—even with a blanket—could be comfortable!), and Walter and Nikolaj look like they are having a very good time. This is one of the more close-up and graphic scenes, and the pair get into some interesting positions, which I rather liked actually, and if this were my thing, I suspect I would think this scene was hot in a cute, sweet, and not so in-your-face way.

Then came another music video of White girls in very bright outfits rapping. I had a brief moment wondering if I was watching an '80s flashback on MTV. Fortunately the song ends and the nostalgia passes.

In "Dia," a fit, attractive blonde playing a black clad cat burglar in impractical breaking-and-entering heels proceeds to the fridge to get some milk, which she pours all over herself while masturbating. Aside from the music, this scene didn't seem all that out of the ordinary, just another hot gal up to things other than cookin’ in a kitchen, which is a mainstay in mainstream porn, right down to her ripping off her fishnets then rolling around on and licking the floor. She does smoke a Camel Light at the end, which made me grin.

A rather REM-esque, low budget music video follows, and then we move on to "Gangbang," which starts with cute butch going at it with cute femme on a bar, and proceeds when two other butch gals playing pool join in. There is oral, fingering, vaginal penetration, light bondage, and well, things one might expect to see in a gangbang, no matter who the participants are. This scene, like the one with Walter and Nikolaj, is more graphic, up close, and in-your-face. It is also rougher and more reminiscent of typical porn, and was also my favorite scene. Truthfully, it was the only one I found arousing, and they made excellent use of a pool table.

Roulette comes to an end with Courtney Trouble’s "Red Light Special," where a woman masturbates to music, and a short scene featuring what appears to be real-life girlfriends having some strap on fun on a sofa. While there are performers in Roulette are of various sizes, ethnicities, and personal styles, the majority of them would be considered conventionally attractive. Breast implants and bleached blonde hair may have been traded for tattoos and piercings, but by and large, the women here are slim, attractive, shave their pubic regions, and look a lot like many women in non-queer porn.

Overall, Roulette was fun because the people performing in it appeared to be having a great time—and that is a very good thing—and more than passing attention is paid to the full scope of a woman’s anatomy. Although this is not my general taste in porn, I found one of the scenes very hot, and I suspect that other people—those looking for porn that is organic, features people who seem to be into each other, and has a more erotic, romantic, and even silly feel to it—would find the whole thing very compelling.

Written by: Renegade Evolution, December 4th 2009

Abnormally Attracted to Sin

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:44:00 +0000

By Tori Amos

Universal Republic Records

It’s a sinful world out there, and Tori Amos wants to talk about a few sins not included in the Ten Commandments. Her tenth studio album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, tackles themes of oppression, shame, intolerance, and abuse of power. It’s a record aimed at exploring ways in which governments, organizations, and people degrade each other.

Abnormally Attracted to Sin is an eclectic mix of musical styles that range from classic piano-driven ballads to electronic, jazz, and cabaret-inspired tunes. With nearly every album Amos has put out over the past decade, she seems to take a step further away from being the “piano girl.” The result with Abnormally Attracted to Sin, is that Amos has achieved a more integrated band sound and continues to explore the world of keys. In addition to her beloved Bosendorfer piano, this album features Amos on synths, Rhodes electric piano, and organ. She’s also joined by longtime collaborators Matt Chamberlain on drums and Jon Evans on bass.

The opening song for Abnormally Attracted to Sin, “Give,” sets the mood with its message of giving instead of taking. But this is no rainbow and butterflies ballad. It’s a dark, electronic-tinged track, on which Amos’ voice is at times husky and at times soaring. She sings, “There are some, some whose give, twists itself to take, they mis-take, who, what made up the line, some say it was pain, or was it shame?”

From there, this seventeen-track album spans topics of religious intolerance in “Strong Black Vine,” infidelity in “Fire to Your Plain,” and the cycle of abuse in “Ophelia.” Some of the standout tracks on Abnormally Attracted to Sin include the jazzy “Lady in Blue,” the twangy “Fast Horse,” and “Flavor,” a spacey trip where the narrator asks what it would it be like to look down on the destructive forces of man at work on Earth. The track where Amos shows her musical ability at its best is the title track. It’s a haunting song where Amos warns “pussy willow calls there by the church, ‘don’t go in if you are abnormally attracted to sin.’”

Amos continues to garner an increasing amount of criticism for producing albums like Abnormally Attracted to Sin that some deem “bloated” and “self-indulgent” for passing the seventy-minute mark. For some, it might prove a tedious listening experience, but it seems, as Amos sings in the opening track, that she’s more interested in giving abundance than taking away. What does seem to suffer, however, is the quality of writing. The record has more duds than usual for Amos. On “Welcome to England,” she writes the clunker “bang a tango but do not get tangled...if your heart explodes, is it deathly cold?” On “Police Me,” it’s hard not to laugh when Amos sings “to get off he cries ‘slutty goth’, but I’m a brightly colored person.” Amos may have hit an all-time low with “Not Dying Today,” a cacophonous, embarrassing mess.

What is most disappointing about Abnormally Attracted to Sin, though, is that it feels like Amos is pushing fewer boundaries. Her music feels safer. And, she continues to deal with the same themes she has built her career on: religion, trust in relationships, and women reclaiming themselves from the patriarchy. But one can’t fault Amos for passionately and tirelessly pursuing topics that will not be solved overnight. It’s a worthy battle and one that she does well.

Written by: Beverly Jenkins-Crockett, August 13th 2009

The Hindus: An Alternative History

admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:32:00 +0000

By Wendy Doniger

Penguin Press

Wendy Doniger, currently the most outstanding American scholar of Hinduism, serves us a feast of tasty historical events and interpretative myths in this rich curry of a book, covering social and cultural developments in the Indian subcontinent from prehistoric times to the modern day. It is an “alternative history” in that it concentrates on the interactions between the religious texts and rituals created mainly by those whom Gurcharan Das calls “Dead Male Brahmins” and the alternative peoples Doniger finds so significant in the evolution of the multiform Hindu tradition, such as lower-castes, women, Buddhists, Muslims.

Doniger’s themes include violence versus nonviolence towards humans and animals, tensions between the worldly “householder life” and ascetic renunciation, the desire to obtain a good rebirth on earth and the desire to avoid rebirth altogether. She emphasizes the Hindu sense of time, the feeling that things that happened in the past are the source of things happening now, that the past comes to fruition in the present, and the value of oral traditions in preserving variant voices in society. She maintains the importance of the history of ideas and the stories that express those ideas: “For we are what we imagine, as much as what we do.” Tales of animals are especially vital in Hindu mythology, and she recounts many different stories in which animals such as horses, cows, tigers, monkeys, dogs and an occasional cat play key roles. Gods even become incarnate as animals and are associated with particular animals, such as Shiva with his bull, Nandi.

Another important focus of Doniger’s work is the representation of the female gender, whether in animals or women, goddesses or ogresses. From the ancient myth of the doomsday mare in the depths of the sea, , to the rise of popular worship of the dark goddess Kali, the female in Hindu mythology is dangerous and must be controlled and propitiated. Doniger argues that there is “an inverse correlation between the powers of goddesses or supernatural women in texts and natural women on the ground.” The female divinities of India can be divided into goddesses of the breast, peaceful wives and mothers, and goddesses of the tooth, unmarried, independent of male control, often killers. Doniger finds that the situation in India, in general, destroys “the pious hope of goddess feminists” that the worship of goddesses is a good thing for women. The powers attributed to goddesses have not encouraged men to grant to women, or women to seize from men, greater political and economic powers. Indeed, the shakti or creative power seen as inherent in women leads men to try harder to control women, to silence them, except for those rebel women who defy convention and allow themselves to be possessed by the spirit of the fierce goddesses.

Doniger devotes considerable attention to the development of the custom of suttee, or burning wives on the funeral pyres of their husbands, along with other abuses such as female infanticide and the dowry murders of daughters-in-law still occurring in modern India. She notes that some eyewitnesses give evidence of widows who seemed willing to go to the pyre and others of widows forced to sacrifice themselves, adding that the voice we most want to hear is missing: “the voice of the woman in the fire.” We can never hear the testimony of the women who wanted to die and did, whether for pragmatic or religious reasons. The ritual itself arises from the mythology linking women and fire in the cycle of marriage, death, and rebirth.

The final chapters of this impressive study analyze the political and religious activities of Mahatma Gandhi, the efforts to reform or repeal the caste system, the migration of Hindus and Hinduism to England and America, and the political and religious controversies in present-day India. The Hindu goddesses continue to evolve: in Kerala in 2008 the goddess Bhagavati paid a ceremonial visit to her “twin sister,” the Virgin Mary, at a near-by church. Meanwhile the women painters of Mithila, who traditionally made wall and floor paintings in their homes for marriages and other domestic rituals, have begun to make and sell similar paintings on paper to art collectors in India and around the world. In spite of conflicts, the rich diversity of the Hindu culture is moving forward to a promising future.

Written by: Kittye Delle Robbins-Herring, June 23rd 2009

Organic Original Rice Nectar

admin — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:14:00 +0000

By Suzanne’s Specialties

A gift box arrived at my home several weeks ago, origin unknown until my partner came staggering through the door, trying to balance the behemoth shipment he’d fetched from the post office. “It’s from Jaimie and Sabrina!” My kind, thoughtful acupuncturist and psychiatrist back in Boston—who share an office space, an affinity for holistic treatment, and unending support for my international move—had sent a care package after receiving a card from us. I nearly cried.

Instead, after removing our curious cat from atop the parcel, I tore into the massive cardboard container, revealing one of the most outstanding vegan supply kits of our modern age. In Copenhagen, among people—Danes—who generally see vegetarianism as a “those people who only eat fish” and who almost never know what a vegan is, replenishing my supply of dairy substitutes and meat-free options is a constant struggle. Team Brittany, as I think of my healers back home, had read my discouraged words, and despite their history of acting with diligence and speed on my behalf, had gone the extra kilometer. If you need needles for your qi or pharmaceuticals for your mind and live in the Commonwealth, I will be happy to provide a referral.

Among the many indispensable nonperishable products within my basket—vegan chili base, a canister of fake Parmesan, and even an organic materials squeaky catnip mousie for said curious cat—was Suzanne’s Organic Rice Nectar, in honey and chocolate flavors. Not a vegan who spends my days fraught with anxiety over the so-called honey debate, I was nevertheless thrilled to have a cruelty-free substitute for the sticky stuff.

Faux sweeteners can be used as just about anything, from a tea compliment to a cake batter ingredient replacement. Suzanne’s rice nectar is also the very best thing to hit my oatmeal since brown sugar, with a satisfying sweetness sans the chemical aftertaste.

Suzanne’s Specialties is the purveyor of many vegan, organic, gluten-free, and all-natural sweeteners and dessert toppings. A comparative substitute list is available on their website should you wonder how much one cup of rice nectar equals in molasses, maple syrup, or fruit juice. The first to make a marshmallow substitute—Ricemellow Crème—the company’s products are available at a variety of independent and chain grocery and health food stores across the U.S.

A few questions for the general public, not affiliated with Suzanne: Why must we call alternative but necessary food items “specialty?” Is it really so hard to consider the need for additional honey-type options, if for no other reason than we’re running out of bees? Could it be that we forced them into extinction through mandated labor so we might enjoy luxurious breakfast toast? Wouldn’t be the first time humankind has made such a critical error.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, May 17th 2009

Live Session EP

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:33:00 +0000

By Deerhoof

Kill Rock Stars

You either have that friend, or are that friend: the friend who tells people about obscure artists that seem weird or off-putting, but always become familiar with time. These bands usually rise from unknown to an only quasi-obscure status within about six months of your introduction, making your friend appear to have some magical intuition or inside information. For me, that friend is Israel.

We were in Israel’s green Subaru in Lincoln, Nebraska when I first heard the child-like Japanese/English ramblings of a mystery band, and I asked who it was. He said it was Deerhoof.

Drums are thrashing, guitars are humming and squealing, Satomi Matsuzaki is singing like a six-year-old in the bath. From the Live Session EP, the fifth song, "Basketball, Get Your Groove Back," seems like the zenith of the album’s fitful and fanciful lyrics. Reminiscent of stumbling into an Asian clothing store to find t-shirts that exclaim, “I’m If!” or “Boy girl smile love,” Satomi’s insistent and staccato, “Basketball, basketball, basket--b-ball, b-ball, b-ball/Escape!/Bunny jump, bunny jump, bunny, bunny, bunny jump” is both funny and awkwardly endearing.

While many of the compositions give a sense of being erratic, and jerk like a rusty skeleton, they hold a mysterious and driving beat that makes them incredibly catchy nevertheless. A great set of six songs to flail, clean, or mutter incoherently along with, Deerhoof’s Live Session EP is oddly enjoyable and comes with a four-star rating from yours truly.

Written by: Tatiana Ryckman, May 15th 2009

Mama, I’m Swollen

admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 23:58:00 +0000

By Cursive

Saddle Creek

Midlife crisis: the record. Mama, I'm Swollen is Cursive’s first record without their original drummer. Clint Schnase offers a window into a world of loss and longing: longing for youth, answers, and mommies. In our new world of hope, Cursive creates a microcosm of desolation where women are a nuisance and hindrance to a man’s freedom, yet simultaneously bring them their only comfort in this dark, cold place.

On "Donkeys"—the band’s shout out to Pinocchio—the band’s singer and front man, Tim Kasher, wails:

I'm going to Pleasure Island
I ain't comin' back home
Mama's thumpin' her Bible
She swears we're going to hell
And papa's just jealous
He wants to come here as well
We may be donkeys
But at least we have a tale to tell

Let me get this straight. So a man running out on his partner and their child is unattainable happiness? Succumbing to the evils of the universe is preferable to supporting your family? Debatable at best! To be fair, these lyrics could just as easily be interpreted as an old man longing for his youth, the period of time when he had the option of making horrible mistakes. But "Mama and her given role of religious sour matron" seems a relatively dour vision; it may have been overlooked if the next track "Cavemen" didn’t go on to say "I'm no happy family man/I'm no husband ain't no dad/I'm a goddamn caveman." Obviously someone is having family entrapment issues.

Caveman also highlights the thread of these irrepressible animal instincts, instincts that drive an individual away from modern conventions like career building and family and towards reckless spontaneous action. Somehow it is unnatural to pursue anything further than "swinging in the trees." It's safe to say that we should avoid fantasizing about the return of a time stereotyped by female caricatures that are clubbed into submission.

On the flip side, we have not one but two tracks in which the singer seems to be speaking directly to a mother figure. In "Mama, I’m Satan," Kasher sings:

My fathers and brothers
Raped your sisters and mothers
We are the sons of butchers
All in all we're pawns
The darkness of mankind stirs in us all

While the comfort of a mother’s arms are the only possible solace for this man, it is women who are raped. Here is this man whining for not one but two songs—one-fifth of the album—to his mother.

Obviously, the band is coming to terms with lost love, aging, and a great period of questioning. For better or worse, Cursive has really come to no conclusions. Exposing a lot of darkness in the world with a hint of remorse for hope, Mama, I'm Swollen takes you deep into the mind of the middle-aged man. You might not like what you hear.

Written by: Nicole Levitz, April 11th 2009