Category Archives: New Utopia

We get it: Piecing together a cohesive look for a bathroom upgrade can be downright overwhelming. Allow us to help. Whether youre eager for a glamorous, Regency-style spa space or a pretty, preppy retreat, look to these materials palettesinspired by local designers workfor style ideas that make a splash.

Adding a dose of Hollywood Regency to graphic mid-mod style is nothing less than spellbinding, especially in this high-contrast bathroom by Renee Bergstrom of Haven Designs.

1. Marella cast-iron soaking tub in Black Semi-Gloss $8,560, Rejuvenation2. Brushed Gold circle mirror $220, Havenly3. Avondale Martini table $368, Serena & Lily4. Keeley pivot-ing sconce in Hand-Rubbed Antique Brass $699, Thomas OBrien for Visual Comfort, at Circa Lighting5. Tricorn Black paint Sherwin-Williams6. Contemporary double post free-standing tub faucet in Brushed Brass Randolph Morris, $669, at Vintage Tub & Bath7. Terra bathroom vanity set $3,950, Bemma, at Perigold8. Utopia 8-light crystal Sputnik chandelier in Satin Brass $575, Livex Lighting, at Build with Ferguson9. Kavala porcelain tile in White $32 per box, Adessi Contemporary Tile, at Floor & Decor10. Laurus Black Zebra marble bowl $210, Scully & Scully11. TurningArt wall art, Silent by Susana Paz in Walnut frame from $199, West Elm

You can add plenty of timeless traditional style to a new build, as this space by Emily Tucker of Emily Tucker Design attests. Just stick to scallops, marble, and classic blue-and-white beauty all over.

1. Bryce flush mount fixture in Plaster White $639, Kate Spade New York for Visual Comfort, at Circa Lighting2. Etoile hand shower with porcelain handle in Nickel $1,165, Waterworks3. Linen travel pouch in Sky Blue $69, Mark & Graham4. Blue Celeste field tile from $47 per square foot, Ann Sacks5. Lulworth Blue paint Farrow & Ball6. Freestanding oval marble bathtub $88,380, Lusso, at Waterworks7. Wave Bath Collection essential towel set $258, Serena & Lily8. Scallop side table $698, Serena & Lily9. Bianco Carrara hexagon mosaic tile price upon request, Decorative Materials10. Blue block-print kimono robe $195, Heidi Carey11. French Blue Hydrangea watercolor $328, Caitlin Wilson

For this retreat, designer Beth Strongwater of Studio Strongwater sought spa-like serenity. The recipe for aah? Cloud whites, blond woods, and natural textures galore.

1. Everlasting bouquet in All the Neutrals $45, Pickletown Flower Co2. Nelson Ball Bubble pendant $645, Design Within Reach3. Vetralla Englishcast freestanding tub $3,599, Victoria & Albert, at QualityBath4. Eldridge rounded rectangle mirror in White Oak $529, Rejuvenation5. Oak Bok side table $689, Ethnicraft, at6. Coconut milk bath soak $20, Herbivore7. Decorative vase sea sponge from $48, Cailini Coastal8. Sheepskin $599, Room & Board9. Chet ceramic soap dish/sponge holder $10, Crate & Barrel10. Freestanding bath vanity with single reinforced acrylic sink in Nature Oak-AV $1,779, Angeles, at Moreno Bath

To zhush her clients existing stone bathtub, designer Emily Tucker reached for a tropical wallcovering; paired with rattan accessories, it says vacay at a glance.

1. Paloma narrow chandelier $1,199, Arhaus2. Amiata Freestanding Englishcast soaker tub $4,874, Victoria & Albert, at QualityBath3. Jana Bone urn price upon request, Made Goods4. Concrete fluted planter in Terra Cotta $249, Pottery Barn5. Herons in Marsh peel-and-stick removable wallpaper from $23 for 2-by-3 feet, Spoonflower6. Super Soft bath mat in Sand $65, Food527. Olive of Marseille soap on a rope $14, Fer Cheval, at Burke Decor8. Temescal organic towels from $18, Coyuchi9. Stacked planter in Earthenware $138, West Elm10. Desert Sun cane floor mirror $449, West Elm11. Kaemon Beaded Leaf wall decor price upon request, Made Goods

Excerpt from:

48 Bathroom Style Ideas That Make a Splash - 5280 - 5280 | The Denver Magazine

Finally, someone's been combing the blockchain and calling out scammers on their BS. In doing so, software engineer Molly White managed to not only catalyse the downfall of the Cryptoland scams, but generally spread awareness about the dangers of 'Web3,' so scammers are less likely to indoctrinate more impressionable, would-be investors.

White is an avid Wikipedia contributor who's passionate about free and open knowledge and resources. The Byte (opens in new tab) pointed us to her blog, the awesome, satirically named 'Web3 is going just great (opens in new tab).' In it, she highlights the missteps, hacks, and dodgy work arising from Web3a blockchain dominated 'new internet' for anyone unaware.

In fact, it's White who's been attributed to aiding in the downfall of the disturbing case of Cryptoland (opens in new tab)the "world's first crypto island" marketed as a utopia for blockchain investors. The project poured millions into going physical but now appears to be inactive after a whole expose from White (opens in new tab) that caused a bunch of investors to jump ship. The Seychelles island they planned to take over is even back on the market (opens in new tab).

If you've a level of sympathy for the poor cryptodegens, remember: this is the same scam that when pressed on Twitter about what the age of consent would be on their magical blockchain island, the official Cryptoland account replied with "Mental maturity should be more than enough! 😉 (opens in new tab)"

Sickening. Good riddance.

"Most of my disdain is reserved for the big players who are marketing this to a mainstream audience as though its an investment, often promising to be a ticket out of a really tough financial spot for people who dont have many options," says White.

White describes their actions as "very predatory," and she's gained a lot of media attention for calling these blockchain scams out.

We've seen the marketplace halting transactions due to rampant NFT counterfeiting (opens in new tab), and so many other stories that show the possible horrors of investing in the blockchain. And yet all this is amazingly still so prevalent. Even during the current cryptocurrency crash (opens in new tab), crypto mining energy usage has barely dropped (opens in new tab).

With people like White around, at least, more of these blockchain scams might start to deteriorate.

Her site even contains a 'Grift Counter' that keeps a tally of how much money has been lost to scams so far as you scroll down the timeline, so you can keep monetary tabs on the crypto-dystopia we're creating for ourselves. Check it out if you fancy a cry.

See the article here:

This lady is helping put cryptocurrency scams where they belong: in the bin - PC Gamer

The year is at its midway mark, which means theres still a good deal of new music still to come. Grab your swimsuit and took a look at 37 new releases to anticipate in the coming months. (As of May 21, all release dates have been confirmed. But as usual, everything is subject to change.)

TBA

100 gecs Laura Les and Dylan Brady are set to return this year with the follow-up to their breakthrough 2019 album 1000 gecs. The new one, called 10000 gecs, is set to include the new single MeMeMe and Doritos & Fritos. According to a recent feature, the album will showcase the artists as they ease up on Auto-Tune, though not absurditylook forward to a song called Doritos and Fritos. Read Pitchforks Cover Story This Is Your Brain on 100 gecs. Evan Minsker

June 3

Adrian Quesada, the guitarist, producer, and Black Pumas co-founder, pays tribute to the Latin America balada music from the late 1960s and early 70s with Boleros Psicodlicos. The record includes appearances from iLe, Gabriel Garzn-Montano, Girl Ultra, Angelica Garcia, Gaby Moreno and more. In addition to original compositions by Quesada, the album features covers of balada classics including La Lupes Puedes Decir de M and Jeanettes El Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes. Quinn Moreland

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Adrian Quesada: Boleros Psicodelicos

September 9

In September, the Afghan Whigs will release their ninth album, How Do You Burn? The groups first album in five yearsfollowing 2017s In Spadesfeatures contributions from a series of familiar faces: Susan Marshall, who sang on the Whigs album 1965; Van Hunt, who toured with the band in 2012 and appeared on Do to the Beast; Marcy Mays, who sang on My Curse off 1993s Gentlemen; and the late Mark Lanegan, who performed in Dullis Twilight Singers and the Gutter Twins, and sings backup on two tracks. According to Dulli, it was Lanegan who picked the albums title. Quinn Moreland

The Afghan Whigs: How Do You Burn?

June 3

Country music is a good fit for Angel Olsen, who writes of the highs and lows of temptation, heartbreak, sin, and redemption. She looks to the genre on her new albums loose, lightly twangy singles All the Good Times and Big Time. The record, Big Time, is a satisfying twist for Olsen, who remains a force with her inimitable voice and unique insight into the human heart. Allison Hussey

June 17

Bartees Stranges follow-up to his debut 2020 LP, Live Forever, is also his first record for the storied British indie 4AD. A genre-busting jaunt through pop punk, R&B, indie rock, hip-hop, emo, and country, Farm to Table features the early single Hold the Line, written for George Floyds daughter, and Tours, an acoustic lament that ruminates on the loneliness Strange felt when his service-member parents would leave home on tours of duty. Read Pitchforks profile Hes Just Bartees Strange, Baby. Matthew Ismael Ruiz

Bartees Strange: Farm to Table

July 15

The British 90s alt-rock revivalist Beabadoobee welcomes listeners back into her world with a new album called Beatopia. Pronounced Bay-A-Toe-Pee-Uh, the record is 14 tracks long and includes a collaboration with PinkPantheress titled Tinkerbell Is Overrated. The follow-up to 2020s Fake It Flowers was led by Talk, and Beabadoobee said the single is about doing things that arent necessarily healthy or great for you but you cant help indulging. Rest assured, listening to Beabadoobee qualifies as healthy and good for you. Quinn Moreland

July 15

Hellfire, the UK group Black Midis third record for Rough Trade was written while isolating in London after releasing 2021s Cavalcade. Hellfire is led by the single Welcome to Hell, which explores the horrors and excesses of war. If Cavalcade was a drama, Hellfire is like an epic action film, the bands Geordie Greep said in a statement. Revisit Pitchforks 2019 Rising interview Get to Know Black Midi, a New Type of British Guitar Band. Quinn Moreland

June 10

BTS are celebrating their ninth anniversary as a group with the release of Proof, the K-pop titans first anthology collection. The three-disc set includes many of the groups biggest hits, plus deep cuts, demos, and a few previously unreleased tracks. The BTS anthology album that embodies the history of BTS will be released as they begin a new chapter, the groups management company said of the compilation. The anthology album Proof... reflect[s] the thoughts and ideas of the members on the past, present and future of BTS. Eric Torres

September 9

Its been seven years since Built to Spill last released an album of original music. Doug Martsch and the rest of his indie rock band will return soon with When the Wind Forgets Your Name, their Sub Pop debut and the follow-up to 2015s Untethered Moon and their 2020 covers record Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston. Martsch mixed the album himself with help from L Almeida, Joo Casaes, and Josh Lewis. If lead single Gonna Lose is any indication of what to expect, fans are in for more of the bands trademark fuzzy hooks and burning guitar solos. Nina Corcoran

Built to Spill: When the Wind Forgets Your Name

TBA

On stage at the iconic Madison Square Garden for his One Night in Space performance, Burna Boy became the first Nigerian artist to headline the venue and, in the midst, announced his next album Love, Damini. This next record will come on the heels of his Grammy-winning 2020 record Twice as Tall, which further cemented his status as a global popstar. In the time in between albums hes remained extremely active, releasing singles like Kilometre and Want it All and popping up on remixes such as Asakes Sungba and Black Sherifs Second Sermon. Alphonse Pierre

TBA

Another year came and went without another Cardi B album, and, though shes teased fans with singles like Up and Bet It, she still hasnt announced any new info about when her next full-length is set to appear. After last years appearances on summertime pop singles from Lizzo and Normani, Cardi has more recently flexed her Bronx bona fides alongside Kay Flock, DougieB, and Bory300 on the drill track Shake It. Shed noted that her little 15 minutes lasting long as hell on I Do, and shes probably still laughing. Allison Hussey

August 12

Cheat Codes is the long-awaited joint album from Danger Mouse and Black Thought. It is led by the song No Gold Teeth and features guests including A$AP Rocky, Run the Jewels, the late MF Doom, Michael Kiwanuka, and more. Cheat Codes arrives after Black Thoughts recent solo trilogy, Streams of Thought, and is Danger Mouses first hip-hop record since his 2005 collaboration with MF Doom, Danger Doom. Quinn Moreland

Danger Mouse & Black Thought: Cheat Codes

July 29

Lets clear up some confusion about Florist: 1) It is a band composed of Emily Sprague, Jonnie Baker, Rick Spataro, and Felix Walworth. 2) Yes, technically Sprague released a solo album under the moniker, 2019s gut wrenching Emily Alone. 3) The projects self-titled fourth album is both full-length and full-band. The foursome recorded the 19-track album in June 2019 while holed up in a rental house in New Yorks Hudson Valley. We called it Florist because this is not just my songs with a backing band, Sprague says. Its a practice. Its a collaboration. Its our one life. These are my best friends and the music is the way that it is because of that. Quinn Moreland

TBA

Since releasing her long-awaited fifth album Miss Anthropocene in 2020, Grimes has been hard at work on an epic space opera called Book 1. She teased the project earlier this year after sharing the one-off single Shinigami Eyes and announcing her next EP, Fairies Cum First, which was billed as a prelude to Book 1. Grimes discussed her forthcoming LPand some other thingsin a recent chat with Vanity Fair. According to the interview, Grimes 15-track fairycore album is set in the distant future, and contains as yet unreleased tracks like Marie Antoinette 2077, 100% Tragedy, and Sci-Fi, which she wrote with the Weeknd and his producer Illangelo. Madison Bloom

June 24

British musician Hollie Cook co-produced Happy Hourher follow-up to 2018s Vessel of Lovewith her General Roots band members Ben Mckone and Luke Allwood and executive producer Youth. Making this music that I love, I do turn deep inside myself, Cook said in a press statement. It makes me explore a lot of human truths and feelings that we should not shy away from, and it feels like a release to turn them into songs. Quinn Moreland

August 19

Freakout/Release is the first full-length in three years from electronic outfit Hot Chip. The London band recorded its eighth album at the Relax & Enjoy Studio in East London and has shared the first single Down, which samples Universal Togetherness Bands More Than Enough. The follow-up to 2019s A Bath Full of Ecstasy features contributions from Cadence Weapon, Soulwax, and Lou Hayter. Eric Torres

Hot Chip: Freakout/Release

July 15

Cooked up in London with Alan Moulder and Flood, The Other Side of Make-Believe is Interpols seventh studio album. Frontman Paul Banks took enough time away from Muzzhis band with Josh Kaufman and Matt Barrickto record Interpols follow-up to 2018s Marauder; it features early singles Toni, Somethings Changed, and Fables, which Banks described as evocative of classic R&B with a nod to the golden age of hip hop. Matthew Ismael Ruiz

Interpol: The Other Side of Make-Believe

July 22

Its already been a wild year for Jack White, and thats not only because hes single-handedly trying to get major labels to start pouring money into the vinyl pressing business. Almost immediately after the release of his recent album Fear of the Dawn, he played a hometown concert in Detroit where he got engaged and surprise-married on stage. This summer, with all that behind him, hes putting out a second album featuring the singles Love Is Selfish and Queen of the Bees. Evan Minsker

June 24

The cozy embrace of time at home with a growing new family inspired The Spur, the lead track to Joan Shelleys first studio LP since 2019s Like the River Loves the Sea. Shelleys tunes have always felt like warm, empathetic dispatches, but here, she expands on her acoustic-guitar foundation. Her fuller band arrangements, which feature contributions from Meg Baird, Nathan Salsburg, and producer James Elkington, abet the Kentucky singer-songwriter in pushing her songs toward stirring emotional ends. Bill Callahan joins Shelley singing on Amberlit Morning, a dreamy duet that puts his velvety baritone and her clear lilt in exquisite complement. Allison Hussey

June 10

California pop-punks Joyce Manor are gearing up to release 40 oz. to Fresno, their first new album in four years. The follow-up to 2018s Million Dollars to Kill Me is produced by Rob Schnapf, who previously worked with the band on Cody, and features Motion City Soundtracks Tony Thaxton on drums. The album title is a play on Sublimes 1992 classic 40 oz. to Freedom that the band lifted from an auto-corrected text message. That tongue-in-cheek spirit can be heard on Gotta Let It Go, the albums youthful lead single that harkens back to Joyce Manors early days. Nina Corcoran

Joyce Manor: 40 oz. to Fresno

August 26

Three years after her breakthrough, Crushing, Julia Jacklin will return with a new record. Pre Pleasure is Jacklins third album and is led by the single Lydia Wears a Cross. Jacklin recorded the album in Montreal alongside co-producer Marcus Paquin. For the first time I stepped away from the guitar, and wrote a lot of the album on the Roland keyboard in my apartment in Montreal with its inbuilt band tracks, Jacklin said in a press statement. I blu-tacked reams of butcher paper to the walls, covered in lyrics and ideas, praying to the music gods that my brain would arrange everything in time. Revisit Pitchforks Rising interview Julia Jacklin Was Finally Breaking Beyond Australias Indie Rock Scene. Then the Pandemic Hit. Quinn Moreland

Julia Jacklin: Pre Pleasure

June 24

Barbarism is the debut solo LP from former Priests lead singer Katie Alice Greer. The new record follows Greers trio of solo EPs: Freaky 57, 3 Colors, and No One Else on Earth. She announced her upcoming album earlier this year, sharing lead single FITS/My Love Cant Be. Greer also released a music video for the track that she directed, produced, and edited herself. The glitchy clip spoofs vintage news broadcasts, with Greer starring as every character. Madison Bloom

Katie Alice Greer: Barbarism

July 15

Special is the follow-up to Lizzos 2019 breakout LP Cuz I Love You. The singer announced the album last month with the release of About Damn Time, which she issued with a Christian Breslauerdirected music video partially set in a Stressed & Sexy support group. About Damn Time can lead into so many conversations, Lizzo told Zane Lowe following the singles release. Its about damn time I feel better, its about damn time we get out this pandemic. Its about damn time we to get the first Black female Supreme Court Justice. Theres so many things. Its about damn time we popped the champagne. Its about damn time the tequila got here. Last summer, Lizzo dropped her Cardi B collaboration Rumors, marking her first new track in over two years. It is currently unclear whether or not the song will appear on Special. Madison Bloom

July 29

Surrender is Maggie Rogers follow-up to her 2019 debut Heard It in a Past Life. Rogers recorded the LP at New Yorks famous Electric Lady Studios, Peter Gabriels Real World Studios near Bath, England, and in her parents garage. She announced the record with an album trailer and accompanying poem. More recently, Rogers released lead single Thats Where I Am, which arrived with a music video featuring cameos from pals David Byrne and Hamilton Leithauser. Madison Bloom

June 17

During lockdown, Nick Cave wrote a series of psalms, one a day for a week. Cave and his longtime collaborator Warren Ellis set those seven spoken-word pieces to music and will be releasing them under the title Seven Psalms. The seven psalms are presented as one long meditationon faith, rage, love, grief, mercy, sex and praise, Cave wrote in a statement. A veiled, contemplative offering borne of an uncertain time. The B-side of the album features a 12-minute instrumental piece recorded during the sessions that produced 2021s Carnage. Quinn Moreland

TBA

Normani has taken her time with the rollout for her first solo record, sharing her attention-grabbing debut Motivation in 2019 before recruiting Cardi B for the slinky, luxurious Wild Side last July. Shes delivered those two powerhouse singles with stunning choreography and eye-popping visualsfull-suite treatments that bode well for anything else on the way. Shes nodded to titans like Janet Jackson and Aaliyah as shes developed her own lane, maintaining a hold as one of the most promising young forces in the pop landscape. And, just last week, she shared another new track, Fair. Allison Hussey

June 17

Ugly Season follows Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, Mike Hadreas stunning 2020 entry as Perfume Genius. Hadreas reunited with producer Blake Mills for the new album, which comprises songs he wrote for The Sun Still Burns Here, an immersive dance piece made with choreographer Kate Wallich. The new LP includes two previously-released songs from the performance: Eye in the Wall and Pop Song. In addition to the 10-track record, Hadreas will issue an accompanying short film created by visual artist Jacolby Satterwhitethe director of Solanges film When I Get Home. My visual narrative serendipitously mirrors the lyrical direction in his music, Satterwhite said of the short in press materials. Its a creation myth. How do you architecturally mold and render an idealized version of utopia? Its about making something that you desire so beyond your scope that its hard to grapple into a concrete form. Madison Bloom

Perfume Genius: Ugly Season

June 3

Its been three long years since Post Malones last album, Hollywoods Bleeding and the Posties are hungry. Their cravings will hopefully be satiated by a new album called Twelve Carat Toothache. Post Malones fourth studio album will include his single with the Weekend, One Right Now. Malone also revealed that the album will feature collaborations with Doja Cat, the Kid Laroi, Roddy Rich, and Fleet Foxes Robin Pecknold, with whom he performed Love/Hate Letter to Alcohol on Saturday Night Live. Quinn Moreland

June 10

The Range, the electronic project of James Hinton, is gearing up to release Mercury, his first new album in six years. The follow-up to 2016s Potential includes the singles Relegate, Bicameral, Urethane, and Ricercar. In a statement, Hinton explained that the latter track is one of many in which he edits lyrics as a way to say something that [he] would never be able to say out loud. The Range promises, once again, to play around with a wide range of samples on Mercury, from a reworked Chief Kamanawanalea break by the Turtles to UK grime artist MIKs track Ice Rink. Nina Corcoran

June 24

New York avant-pop singer-songwriter Regina Spektor hasnt put out an album since 2016s Remember Us to Life. After announcing a new box set edition of her debut, 11:11, the singer-songwriter unveiled Home, before and after, which arrives this summer. Spektor recorded and co-produced the LP in upstate New York with producer John Congleton and has shared two singles from the album so far: the piano ballad Becoming All Alone and the experimental pop song Up the Mountain. Eric Torres

June 24

Soccer Mommy has built anticipation for her third album, Sometimes, Forever, with the singles Shotgun, Unholy Affliction, and Bones. The new album was produced by Oneohtrix Point Never architect Daniel Lopatin a collaboration that Sophie Allison originally believed to be a pipe dream but it turned out that Lopatin was a fan of Color Theory. Alphonse Pierre

Soccer Mommy: Sometimes, Forever

August 26

Following her 2019 debut, Beware of the Dogs, Australian songwriter Stella Donnelly will be releasing a new album titled Flood. Led by the single Lungs, Donnellys album was born from a period of transience that found her moving frequently. During this period, she became interested in birdwatching; a flock of Banded Stilts adorn the cover, their black and white frames forming an abstract mass. Donnellys commune with nature allowed her to lose that feeling of anyones reaction to [her], she wrote in a statement. I forgot who I was as a musician, which was a humbling experience of just being; being my small self. Quinn Moreland

July 29

In the past decade, Cocteau Twins Elizabeth Fraser has slowly become more and more of a visible presence in music. She put out records in collaboration with Oneohtrix Point Never and Jnsi, played some Massive Attack shows, and scored some TV series. Suns Signature, the new project from Fraser and her partner Damon Reece, is the first release of music thats been gestating in one form or another for a long time. Underwater is the name of a single she released in 2000, while others have been performed live. Golden Air marked the first proper introduction to the project. Evan Minsker

Suns Signature: Suns Signature EP

TBA

Ever since SZA dropped her breakout album Ctrl in 2017, weve been impatiently waiting for the next one. But the immediate future just brought big collaborations: A song with Kendrick Lamar for the Black Panther cut All the Stars, another with the Weeknd and Travis Scott for the Game of Thrones track Power Is Power, and, unfortunately (but inevitably), a Maroon 5 single. Her first single as a lead artist since 2017 didnt arrive until 2020, when she dropped the Neptunes-produced Hit Different (featuring Ty Dolla $ign) and Good Days. Earlier that year, she insinuated that Top Dawg Entertainment had been holding up the release of her new music, and, in 2021, SZA self-released three tracksNightbird, Joni, and I Hate You via an anonymous SoundCloud account. She issued the latter on official platforms months later, after a fresh string of collaborations, Kiss Me More, Fue Mejor, and No Love, to name a few. Madison Bloom

June 24

Tim Heidecker might be the busiest man in showbiz. The comic, actor, musician, and fake film critic seems to draw from an endless well of material. His latest endeavor is High School, a forthcoming 10-track album that the polymath produced alongside Drew Erickson, Eric D. Johnson, and Mac DeMarco. Last month, Heidecker detailed High School, which boasts an appearance from Kurt Vile on a track called Sirens of Titan. He also dropped the breezy lead single Buddy. The new LP follows Heideckers 2020 full-length Fear of Death, which featured Weyes Bloods Natalie Mering, the Lemon Twigs, Foxygens Jonathan Rado, and others. Madison Bloom

Tim Heidecker: High School

July 22

Prolific rocker Ty Segall is gearing up for another album. Hello, Hi follows last years Harmonizer and 2019s First Taste. Segall largely self-recorded the LP at his California home. He shared the albums title track last month and revealed the tracklist, which features song titles like Cement, Saturday Pt. 1, and, naturally, Saturday Pt. 2. In between Harmonizer and Hello, Hi, Segall released his soundtrack for Whirlybird, a 2020 documentary from Matt Yoka. Madison Bloom

Ty Segall: Hello, Hi

June 17

Yaya Beys music is R&B at its core, but with elements of neo-soul, rap, reggae, and jazz. Bey wrote and produced her new album, Remember Your North Star, with some help from Phony Ppls Aja Grant and DJ Nativesun. The album follows her 2020 project Madison Tapes and 2021 EP The Things I Cant Take With Me. Alphonse Pierre

Yaya Bey: Remember Your North Star

Read more:

The 37 Most Anticipated Albums of Summer 2022: Angel Olsen, Lizzo, Bartees Strange, Nick Cave, and More - Pitchfork

In the endless need for speed, digital leaders continue their shift from project to product orientation. However, this shift is not a set it and forget it initiative. It requires nurturing and continuous evolution that often leads CIOs to wonder: is our team doing this because its trendy, or are we in this to drive meaningful change?

Defining and rolling out a product operating model is just the beginning of a long road wrought with blind turns and detours.And your ability to drive meaningful change will ultimately hinge on your ability to navigate three realities once the table is set.

Successful product owners have a unique combination of business acumen, technical know-how, and leadership skills. An absence of maturity in any one of these traits can spawn an existential crisis for product-based IT. In our conversations with CIOs, one of the most common things we hear is that there arent enough qualified product owners.

Many organizations have spun up product management bootcamps or digital academies to buck the trend and equip their teams with the tools they need to be successful product owners. Amir Arooni, EVP and CIO at $13 billion Discover Financial Services, launched a technology academy to give his engineers a more diverse skillset and to curb the view that developers are like workers on a production line that churn out code, rather than creative problem-solvers who can help innovate. This training program coupled with a product orientation in IT is paying dividends: a recent mobile pilot resulted in a productivity increase of almost a third with no increase in headcount.

Other organizations may choose to source product owners directly from business units and functions, combining them with IT counterparts in a cohesive unit that breaks down the perceived wall between business and IT.

Whether you pursue a product management bootcamp, source product owners from business units, or pursue something entirely different, be prepared to invest in training to ensure new product teams have the skills to succeed.

Evolving your IT operating model in a vacuum, without bringing business units and functions into the fold, can create small wins, but it will ultimately fall short of the transformative outcomes you seek. For outsized returns in implementation, engage BUs and functions early and allow them to put their fingerprints on the following components of the operating model:

If the goal of shifting to product-based IT is to have autonomous and empowered product teams that pursue the highest-value opportunities, you cant let finance slow you down with rubber-stamp processes. Digital leaders need to build a close partnership with finance to demonstrate the benefits of a product-based funding model for them and the organization at large.

In a recent conversation with Maya Leibman, EVP & CIO of American Airlines, she noted that traditional, project-based funding models were designed to make you give up. There were so many mountains to climb, it had almost become a game of endurance. She went on to say that prior to adopting product funding, many teams would use maintenance dollars for projects just to avoid the approval process.

American Airlines new product-based funding model provides a persistent stream of funding and reduces unnecessary approvals. The boarding experience product team, for example, adds up the technology and process costs that go into maintaining and enhancing the boarding experience annually, then receives those funds to spend at their discretion to mature the experience. Not only did this improve speed and throughput, but it also provided finance more visibility into costs and new ways to prioritize investments. Ross Clanton, American Airlines Managing Director of Technology Transformation, highlighted a breakthrough that occurred in the finance department as a result of the new funding model: They could see into the black box of run costs now, not just the grow costs we submitted in the project-based model.

Shifting to a product operating model is a major cultural and operational change. When implemented well and improved continuously, it can result in faster time to market, more innovation, and better customer experiences. But the road is not easy, and CIOs need to be ready to get their hands dirty. Accounting for the realities above in your plans can help you bypass many traffic jams on the road to product utopia.

See the article here:

3 ways to avoid traffic on the road to product-based IT - CIO

All the men are gone. Usually this is conceived as the result of a plague. Less often, the cause is violence. Occasionally, the men dont die and the sexes are just segregated in different geographical regions. Or men miraculously vanish without explanation.

Left to themselves, the women create a better society, without inequality or war. All goods are shared. All children are safe. The economy is sustainable and Earth is cherished. Without male biology standing in the way, utopia builds itself.

Im describing a subgenre of science fiction, mostly written in the 1970s-90s. It was once so popular it was almost synonymous with feminist SF. In 1995, when the Otherwise Award, a literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore ones understanding of gender, gave five retrospective awards, four of the works were set in such worlds: Suzy McKee Charnass Motherlines and Walk to the End of the World, and Joanna Russs The Female Man and When It Changed. The fifth was Ursula K Le Guins The Left Hand of Darkness, about a world whose inhabitants are all of the same sex.

Recently there has been a revival of the genre in radically different form, with titles including Lauren Beukess 2020 novel Afterland, Christina Sweeney-Bairds 2021 thriller The End of Men, and my own new release, The Men. I think the way that these contemporary novels diverge from their earlier counterparts tells us something useful about gender politics in the 21st century. Part of the story, too, is a growing opposition to the basic premise, a conflict in which my novel has been recently embroiled.

The women-only utopia has a modest prehistory, going back to the myth of the Amazons and early feminist works such as Christine de Pizans 1405 The Book of the City of Ladies. But in its strict form as a single-sex utopia, it begins with Charlotte Perkins Gilmans Herland of 1915. Here, in an uncharted and unspecified wilderness, three male explorers stumble on a plateau the local savages fear as a realm from which no man returns. With their aeroplane, they are able to land there, and are instantly taken prisoner by the all-female inhabitants. The book then becomes a tour of the features of the womens ideal society.

Women excel in all occupations. Older women gain prestige instead of losing it; the women are physically formidable and easily subdue their male captives. Charmingly, the narrator says of the national costume: I see that I have not remarked that these women had pockets in surprising number and variety. Their babies never cry.

Much less charmingly, were assured the Herland women are Aryans, and their society is focused on the perfection of their race. In fact, many of the hallmarks of fascism are here: the paganism, the obsession with cleanliness, the emphasis on gymnastics, the eugenics. The Herlanders also have no erotic or even romantic feelings for each other; they have bred those dirty things out.

The golden age of the genre, roughly coinciding with the era of second wave feminism, could scarcely be more different. Here the keynote is freedom, and lesbian polyamory is the order of the day. Solo travel features prominently: the authors are captivated by the idea of women hiking alone into the wilderness without the threat of rape. No regret is expressed about the loss of men, which is always in the distant past. Indeed, the topic is often treated with a bracing gallows humour.

Alice Sheldons 1976 novella, Houston, Houston, Do You Read? (published under her pen name, James Tiptree Jr) gives the idea in its most trenchant form. Three male astronauts return to Earth after several hundred years in space. Learning that all human men have died centuries ago, they assume they will be masters of the helpless women who remain. Instead, the women test them by giving them disinhibiting drugs, watch them flail around blurting out rape fantasies and assaulting girls, then politely inform them they will be euthanised: We simply have no facilities for people with your emotional problems. However, they do thank the doomed men, saying: You have brought history alive for us.

Joanna Russs novel The Female Man (written in 1970 but first published in 1975) is considered the masterpiece of the genre. Here, four versions of the author inhabit four parallel worlds. One is ours, where the protagonist is Joanna. The second is a more conservative New York, where the anxiously conventional Jeannine works to catch a husband she doesnt truly want.

The third world is Whileaway, Russs utopia, where all men died of a plague 800 years earlier. Here, Janet fights duels, roams the wilderness, and is cheerfully promiscuous while adoring her wife, Vittoria, who, she boasts repeatedly, is much admired by Whileawayans for her big ass. Whileaway is a joyous, irreverent creation. Russ makes no apologies for stocking it with her own predilections (were left in no doubt of her opinion of big asses). Its people grumble all the time and are often jerks; it is above all things free though it does have capital punishment for people who dont do their share of the work. Even if its not your idea of paradise, you never doubt Russ would be happy there, which is more than you can say for most utopias and their creators.

Only towards the end of the novel are we introduced to the fourth world, a gender-apartheid society where men and women are locked in perpetual war. Here, Jael is fixated on revenge against men because of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. After tearing a would-be rapist apart with the steel claws implanted in her fingers, she comments: I dont give a damn whether it was necessary or not I liked it. In an aside, she announces that this world is the past of Whileaway; its men didnt die of plague, but were exterminated. She approves: In my opinion, questions that are based on something real ought to be settled by something real without all this damned lazy miserable drifting. Im a fanatic. I want to see this thing settled Gone. Dead.

The 21st-century revival is a very different animal. First, instead of being a dimly remembered political event, the mass death comes now. It has no good aspects. Men die horribly in front of us. Women are plunged into collective grief. Technological society falls apart for lack of skilled workers, and the world goes into decline. Women, meanwhile, are just as violent as men, and no more cooperative or empathic. The only result of generations of indoctrination into female roles is that girls are crap at engineering.

Another difference is that, in almost all these stories, at least one man is saved. The best known example is the comic Y: The Last Man, by Brian K Vaughan and Pia Guerra, published from 2002 to 2008. Here, all male mammals die from plague except our hero, Yorick, and his pet monkey. Only yesterday an unsuccessful stage magician, Yorick is suddenly the most important person in the world, as his DNA holds the key to the survival of humanity. Hes hunted across post-apocalyptic America by various groups, notably a cult of rabid feminists intent on exterminating every last man. Of course, he is also desired by randy women wherever he goes.

In Lauren Beukess 2020 novel Afterland, a threatened male is again the focus, after 99% of all male humans are killed by a flu that triggers prostate cancer. Survivors are incarcerated by the government and prevented from reproducing until a cure is found. The few free men are pursued by baby-hungry women and hunted by profiteers who want to harvest their sperm. The main character has broken her son out of a research facility and is fleeing with him through a post-apocalyptic world.

Christina Sweeney-Bairds The End of Men (2021) shows the male plague through a kaleidoscope of viewpoints. None, however, find the new world an improvement. As in Afterland, theres an intense focus on sperm: though only 90% of men die of plague, there is somehow a critical shortage. The government enacts a form of eugenics, restricting the precious substance to mothers it deems fit. This move may be uncomfortably reminiscent of the politics of Herland, but the impression is not that Sweeney-Baird is a fan of eugenics; she is imagining things she thinks would happen if there were a male plague, not suggesting what should happen.

All three of these works are apolitical. In their different ways, they are thrillers, and the reception of these works in most quarters has correspondingly been about their success as such, not their politics, and has been mostly positive.

The exception is the reaction of a group of critics who are hostile to the genre. You might think this would be about the fantasy of male genocide. In fact, its the erasure of trans identities. The line between male and female in these books is always based on traditional notions of biological sex; trans women share the fate of cis men. In the old utopian versions, female societies are always better; this is seen as implying that gender traits are biological. In some second wave works, trans characters are described with open bigotry; Joanna Russ later apologised for the (mercifully brief) depiction of trans women in The Female Man. But this is not the main point: the premise itself is seen as bioessentialist and harmful to trans and non-binary people.

Even a recent book by a trans author, Gretchen Felker-Martins Manhunt (2022), has drawn criticism online. In this novel, a plague transforms men into mindless, cannibalistic monsters who roam the woods, raping and killing. Trans women must stave off transformation by constantly taking hormones they can only get by killing men and eating their testicles. Meanwhile, theyre being hunted by TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists), who see them as man-monsters waiting to happen. The book is written to graphically convey the terror of transphobia. Still its been attacked by some on Twitter for its bioessentialist premise. Although producers of the TV version of Y: The Last Man hired trans writers to make the story more inclusive, it too was considered problematic.

My own book has been the focus of attacks, even before its publication. Once again, it is the premise that matters. In my novel, all male humans disappear inexplicably in a single moment, and the resulting female society has a utopian odour. Its no Whileaway; the plot is largely about the grief of people left behind. But fossil fuel emissions plummet, its easier to elect leftwing politicians, and, yes, lesbian polyamory is the order of the day. In the book, trans women are treated as women, trans men as men, and their problems are viewed sympathetically, but it has the hated premise. The attacks on it escalated to the point that a writer, Lauren Hough, had a prize nomination from an LGBTQ arts organisation rescinded for defending it online.

Critics of the genre make important points, but I wouldnt have written my book if I didnt believe their criticisms were too sweeping. The more thoughtful versions of the narrative dont affirm a gender binary, but try to dismantle it by erasing sex as a category. Russs Whileawayans are better and happier not because they are biologically female, but because they are free from sexism. The premise also interrogates the belief that excluding certain people is a means to a peaceful society. Exclusion as social policy is a time-honoured tradition in America (think mass incarceration and racial segregation) and on the rise worldwide.

Its also the idea behind excluding trans women from womens changing rooms. Making people ask hard questions about it is crucial to all campaigns for justice.

Finally, Russs and Sheldons utopias (and, I hope, mine) are fraught with doubt. They present the reader with impossible choices between accepting abuse and becoming as great a monster as your abusers; between rape and genocide. They are not works of dogmatic certainty like Gilmans. They dont even claim to know the nature of gender. All they know is that patriarchy is killing us, and something has to give.

I believe theres something potently transformative about utopian fiction. Too many of us now are trying to make a political revolution without hope. Our narratives of justice are all about punishment. We squabble about what constitutes punching up or punching down, but are poor in solutions that dont involve punching. In our art, we dont imagine better worlds, only more and grimmer apocalypses, and the people in them only long for the patriarchal world order that gives us supermarkets, indoor plumbing and hormone patches.

When you put down Y: The Last Man or Manhunt (or Station Eleven or World War Z), its with a sigh of gratitude for the status quo. When you put down The Female Man, its with the unsettled, heady feeling that a freer world is just out of reach but also with a consciousness of the violence that lurks behind most promises of freedom. We still have no answers and every utopia is riddled with asterisks. Lets mind the asterisks and listen to the criticisms but lets dream our dreams.

The Men by Sandra Newman is published by Granta Books (14.99). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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The end of men: the controversial new wave of female utopias - The Guardian

With an estimated $124 million domestic and $151 million international, Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount) is a global hit. The foreign interest in the Skydance co-produced sequel that centers on the American military and one that arrives decades after the original is a credit to its star as well as top-flight marketing that included its Cannes premiere. This is also Tom Cruises biggest opening ever, including adjustments for inflation.

More importantly, Cruises return to the character that propelled him into superstardom 36 years ago also represents a significant advancement for theater recovery.

It is the highest initial gross for any non-comic book movie since December 2019. Propelling its success is an audience thats been slow to return. It is also that rarest of creatures: astandalone film propelled by a stars draw.

Though not the biggest Memorial Day opening, Maverick might have had the highest average per-ticket price of any blockbuster (thanks to recent increases, including premium showings).

RelatedRelated

This weekend, not including the Monday holiday, totaled $175 million. Thats a good comp against 2019, which grossed $181 million and had a greater depth of offerings (Aladdin accounted for half of that total, while Maverick was over 70 percent). At 96 percent compared to three years ago, that is a strong indication of recovery. The four-week rolling comparison to the same period in 2019 rebounded to 78 percent.

Perhaps best of all is how this was achieved. Maverick had by far the most interest of older audiences of any film in the Covid era. A majority (55 percent) was over 35. That is far different from most top-grossing films, even in pre-Covid times. For the current environment, it is a major victory.

Maverick audiences were 37 percent 18-34, with 34 percent non-white (less than other top titles) and 58 percent male less the 62 percent for the first weekend of Doctor Strange.

The best news is the A+ Cinemascore. Thats the same as Spider-Man: No Way Home (with its more than double opening). Arating like that means positive response across the board. Between the likelihood that adults are still lagging a bit, this suggests a significant multiple ahead. Doable: $400 million domestic or more.

Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

The Bobs Burgers Movie (Disney) was the second wide studio opening, placing #3 with $12,600,000. This was also a bit above expectations. The Fox Animation spin-off from the TV series is significant just for its theatrical release, rather than going directly to Disney+. Whether this level of interest satisfies Disney will have to be determined (including how well it holds in the three weeks before Lightyear, the next animated release).

Disney also took second place with Doctor Strange with $16.4 million, now just shy of $371 million. It should be the first 2021 release to reach a $400 million domestic total.

The holdovers varied greatly in stamina. Downton Abbey: A New Era (Focus) fell 63 percent in weekend two, compared to 54 percent for the earlier film. Overlapping age appeal for Maverick, despite different genres (to say the least), likely accounted for this. Downton during the week did better than average; by normal calculations, it would predict an $8 million-$9 million weekend compared to the actual $5.9 million.

Two notable numbers among other top 10 titles. Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24) is now just shy of $57 million. That figure is now ahead of Parasite, which at $55 million (including its Oscar boost) stands as a top result for a specialized release. Though Everything isnt non-English, it is just as offbeat as Neons Korean hit. It could go as high as $65 million.

Paramount

Sandra Bullock (aided by co-star Channing Tatum) was key to boosting The Lost City (Paramount) over $100 million this weekend. Thats another non-franchise title for older audiences in its case, boosted by women.

Along with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and now Maverick, that makes three Paramount films this year to pass $100 million domestic. Only seven films have reached that in 2022, and Paramount has the highest total.

Of note in the struggling limited specialized market are initial results for two sold-out shows for the Freakscene: the Story of Dinosaur Jr. (Utopia). The rock documentary will have more than 70 similar showings on Tuesday.

Neon debuted A Chiara in two theaters, taking in a modest $5,000.

The Top Ten(3-day totals)

1. Top Gun: Maverick(Paramount) NEW Cinemascore: A+; Metacritic: 78; Est. budget: $170 million

$124,000,000 in 4,735 theaters; PTA: $26,188; Cumulative: $124,000,000

2. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness(Disney) Week 4; Last weekend #1

$16,400,000 (-49%) in 3,805 (-709) theaters; PTA: $4,310; Cumulative: $370,774,000

3. The Bobs Burgers Movie(Disney) NEW Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 74; Est. budget: $

$12,600,000 in 3,425 theaters; PTA: $3,679; Cumulative: $12,600,000

4. Downton Abbey: A New Era(Focus) Week 2; Last weekend #2

$5,900,000 (-63%) in 3,830 (+10) theaters; PTA: $1,540; Cumulative: $28,479,000

5. The Bad Guys(Universal) Week 6; Last weekend #3; also on PVOD

$4,630,000 (-25%) in 2,944 (-761) theaters; PTA: $1,573; Cumulative: $81,373,000

6. Sonic the Hedgehog 2(Paramount) Week 8; Last weekend #4; also on PVOD and Paramount +

$2,520,000 (-38%) in 2,329 (-761) theaters; TA: $185,139,000; Cumulative: $185,139,000

7. Everything Everywhere All at Once(A24) Week 10; Last weekend #6

$2,510,000 (-20%) in 1,189 (-389) theaters; Cumulative: $56,824,000

8. The Lost City (Paramount) Week 10; Last weekend #9; also on PVOD

$1,795,000 (+15 %) in 1,027 (-369) theaters; TA: $1,748; Cumulative: $

9. Men (A24) Week 2; Last weekend #5

$1,225,000 (-63%) in 2,196 (-16) theaters; PTA: $558;Cumulative: $5,968,000

10. F3: Fun and Frustration (Independent Indian) Cinemascore: ; Metacritic:; Est. budget: $

$(est.) 950,000 in 400 theaters; PTA: $2,375; Cumulative: $(est.) 950,000

Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr. (Utopia) NEW

$19,074 in 2 theaters; PTA: $9,537

A Chiara(Neon) NEW Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Cannes, New York 2021

$5,000 in 2 theaters; PTA: $2,500

Family Camp(Roadside Attractions) Week 3

$227,590 in 572 (-489) theaters; Cumulative: $3,348,000

Pleasure(Neon) Week 3

$14,730 in 33 (-11) theaters; Cumulative: $89,856

Montana Story(Bleecker Street) Week 3

$97,217 in 290 (+266) theaters; Cumulative: $152,722

Jazzfest: A New Orleans Story (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 3 11

$1,805 in 6 (-5) theaters; Cumulative: $19,971

Vortex(Utopia) Week 5; also on VOD

$8,448 in 16 (-8) theaters; Cumulative: $140,453

The Northman(Focus) Week 6; also on PVOD

$252,000 in 388 (-875) theaters; Cumulative: $33,790,000

Petit Maman(Neon) Week 6

$21,380 in 42 (-41) theaters; Cumulative: $755,509

The Duke(Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6

$72,388 in 102 (-78) theaters; Cumulative: $1,329,000

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Top Gun: Maverick Is a Marvel Older Audiences Are Finally Returning to the Movies - IndieWire

Travis Scott has been hinting at a new album for a while now. Way back in February of last year, the rapper detailed his upcoming albumUtopia, saying that it would "expand [his] sound." Since then, he's been dropping a trail of information for the forthcoming project, from buying Young Thug and Roddy RicchUtopia chains topreviewing a new verse off of "Escape Plan," a song off the album.

Now, more teasers are trickling out. The rapper took to Instagram to post two photos thatshow himworking in a studio. The pictures seem deliberately mysterious,one darkly lit and the other grainy. Scott's caption was simply one word: "Topia." The post was released to a chorus of fans in the comments begging the artist to finally drop the album.

Scott's been using Instagram to hint at the album for a while now. In December of last year, the rapperchanged his bio to include "Utopia," which had been there previously but had been removed. Of course, fans saw this as a sign that a release was incoming. These rumors were only stoked further when on New Year's Eve of 2021 he posted his first picture after a two month absence from the platform. He didn't stop there. In January, he posted a picture ofUtopia-themed headphoneson his IG story.

Two singles from the record have been out for a while now-"Escape Plan" and"MAFIA,"which included a feature from J. Cole. Both singles were released before the Astroworld tragedy, and it seems likely that the disaster of a festival is partially the reason the album has had such a long rollout.

Check out Scott's newest post below.

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Travis Scott Teases "Utopia" Release With Photos Of Recording Sessions - HotNewHipHop

KEYSTONE, Colorado, May 24, 2022 The America Association of Public Broadband on Tuesday praised many aspects of the U.S. Commerce Departments rules for spending the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but criticized some aspects of the regulations that will make it hard for cities to build broadband projects.

In a statement and press briefing at the Mountain Connect conference here, officials representing the association said that the $42.5 billion in spending under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program will go a long way to address the high-speed broadband access and equity gaps plaguing American communities.

The group is chaired by Angela Imming, who is responsible for a municipal broadband project in Highland, Illinois. The other four officers of the organization represent cities of Kitsap, Washington, Traverse City, Michigan, UTOPIA Fiber in Utah, and the town of Ridgefield, Connecticut.

The statement and press conference were conducted by Kim McKinley, UTOPIA Fibers chief marketing officer and secretary of AAPB, and Bob Knight, a commissioner of economic and community development in Ridgefield and a member of the AAPB board.

But AAPB, a new lobbying group that aims to represent the interest of municipalities seeking to build high-capacity broadband, also highlighted many problems.

But we cant take a victory lap quite yet, said McKinley and Knight on behalf of the group. In particular, these challenges include a cumbersome application process with a letter-of-credit requirement which serve as steep barriers to entry for local government, nonprofits, and small ISPs.

Additionally, the multi-year rollout of BEAD funds leaves many high-speed broadband projects out in the cold, limiting the options for those deploying prior to 2024.

Referring to comments that Alan Davidson, administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said earlier on Tuesday, the group said, We were pleased to hear Assistant Secretary Davidson say at Mountain Connect today that more refinement will be necessary and that the NTIA team is on the case. We look forward to working with NTIA to ensure that the interests of local, regional, and state entities are heard and acted upon.

The association was first announced on May 4 at the Broadband Communities Summit, and the group provided updates on its progress on Tuesday.

In the three weeks since the associations announcement, the organization said that $200,000 had been raised from the equipment vendor and non-profit community.

The group now has an advocacy and policy group that is working with federal and state leaders to advance the interests of municipal broadband, an education group, and a membership group.

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New Public Broadband Association Criticizes NTIA Rules, Boasts Strong Start for New Group - BroadbandBreakfast.com

click to enlarge

St. Louis alt-rock outfit sexdad.

"I've basically been living here," Bautz tells me as we head up the stairs of Utopia Studios in Shaw. The industrial sized building used to be a tobacco warehouse, and on the fourth floor the band has their practice space.

Bautz facilitates a quick round of introductions: Andy Lewis on lead guitar, Blake Hahn on bass and Jack Kohler on drums.

Each member has previously been in or is currently in any number of bands. But, like a couple that's planned a weeks-long trip together or just split the cost of a couch, they all seem certain that this band, sexdad, is "the one."

Afterward, Kohler and Bautz exchange looks, and it's clear to everyone in the room except me that the drummer is looking for some feedback.

"This is the only time they'll take me seriously because there's an observer," Bautz jokes, referring to my presence. He goes on to tell Kohler he's "giving away the rock n' roll" a bit too much in the song.

Kohler knows exactly what this means and seems to take it to heart. Later, the drummer references a secret language it feels like he shares with his bandmates when they are really clicking, which they have been more often than not as of late.

"I wouldn't be in a band called sexdad if we didn't have camaraderie," Lewis says.

The ridiculousness of the band's name seems to weigh a little on Bautz. The jokey name, for some, might undercut the bands and Bautzs serious intentions. Apparently, though, his mom is one of the name's biggest defenders. So at least there's that.

"And people remember it," he says.

Jessica Rogen

Frontman Adam Bautz peeks out from the audience at sexdad's show at the Heavy Anchor.

A few songs later in what has turned into a private concert, they play "Congratulations." During the verses Lewis plays a noodly lead guitar that proves to be a sleight of hand when the band hits the tight, staccato chorus that sounds from an entirely different decade than Young. But then, just as quickly, they're back to Young for the verse. The different sounds congeal nicely though and to my surprise, as much as this band of early 20-somethings talks about who they want to sound like they've concocted a style of their own.

As if reading my mind, Bautz says a few minutes later, "The last record was me deciding I didn't mind just copying other people's styles entirely. I would say, like, OK, this one's the Beatles song. This one's the Stones song. And then really, I don't know these songs feel a lot like my songs actually. Which is exciting."

Before moving their operation over to Utopia, sexdad used to practice in the basement of Bautz's mom's apartment building. But, as Lewis says, "Unfortunately the neighbors directly upstairs weren't Adam's mom."

As Bautz tells it, "We were in the middle of recording a song for the record, and I think it must have been really irritating because the same single instrument was playing the same thing over and over. Then we hear this stomping noise followed by 'Shut. The. Fuck Up!'"

Later, my feeling that the band has crafted its own sound is doubly confirmed when Bautz plays me a recording of "A New Dawn in St. Louis," which based on its name sounds like it would be corny as hell but is a total ear worm.

The song starts with some ambient keys and a subdued, groovy bass. Guitar comes in for the anti-anthem refrain as Bautz sings, "It's a new dawn in St. Louis. No!" Coming on the heels of the vocal is a viola and what Bautz says is a poorly played clavichord and a fake french horn.

The tune is lo-fi but truly catchy. Imagine a song that would play over a PSA put out by St. Louis's tourism board. Now imagine if the tourism board asked Handsome Boy Modeling School and Guided by Voices to co-compose the track.

He says I'll just have to wait and see.

Over the next week, I listen to the track a couple times a day. There's a tendency with earworms that what originally made the song feel special can start to grate with too many repeated listens, which does not happen with this track. "New Dawn in St. Louis" is the perfect mix of strange and catchy thats hard to achieve.

The following week, sexdad prepares to play a show at the Heavy Anchor in front of an enthusiastic crowd of about 30 youngins. Before they take the stage, I ask Bautz if they're going to play "New Dawn."

"Did you bring your viola?" he asks.

I put my hand in my pocket and, finding neither the viola nor the know-how required to play one, shrug in response.

"Then I'm afraid not tonight."

The show rocks anyway.

sexdad's new untitled album is forthcoming. You can find their catalog on Spotify, Apple Music and most other streaming platforms.

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St. Louis Alt-Rock Band Sexdad's New Single is a Total Earworm - Riverfront Times

Sandra Newman has made her name writing apocalyptic fiction. For her latest novel, she delves into a sub-genre of fantasy where all the men die or disappear, leaving the women to create a utopian society.

Im always surprised most people have not heard of this basic premise, which dominated feminist science-fiction for a long time, she says of The Men, her eighth book, and fifth novel.

The action starts when everyone with a Y chromosome vanishes in a flash. Chaos ensues: planes drop out of the sky, patients are abandoned mid-operation, and even foetuses vanish from wombs but slowly, the women left behind get to grips with their new reality. The plot focuses on Jane Pearson, who as a teenager was groomed by an older man into having sex with underage boys.

The book is very much a response to a conversation that has been going on about the shortcomings of feminism, and white feminism and the degree to which women have been complicit in the crimes of men, says Newman, 56, when we meet in the rented London flat in which she is staying with her husband.

Newman, who lives in New York and was longlisted for the Womens Prize for her third novel, The Country of Ice Cream Star, wrote The Men as the pandemic unfolded. The kind of sad utopia [that emerges] is based on aspects of pandemic society in Manhattan that were strangely utopian, the fact that streets were suddenly free from cars and everyone was living outside and talking to each other.

With everyone with a Y chromosome disappearing, those remaining include cis women and trans men, which leaves the novel open to criticism for its focus on biology.

I personally have no opinion about whether there are any essential biological qualities of the sexes. I dont think we really know, says the author, but you cant pretend theres no social conditioning. Thats very real.

Despite the title, Newman wanted to explore what constitutes a perfect society rather than to interrogate the qualities of gender.

I was constantly trying to have a realistic contemporary representation of gender without having it turn into a book that was entirely about transphobia, and it turned out to be really remarkably difficult to do that, she says. In a world with only one biological sex, trans people become much more important and potentially treated even worse than they are now.

Newman feels like a novelist for ever on the cusp of a commercial hit. Could The Men be The One? Its topical and I think the premise theoretically could be commercial, but its also problematic and too morally ambiguous to be really commercial.

One challenge for Newman is that however fantastic the narratives she conjures are, it is hard to overshadow her own life story, detailed in her 2010 memoir Changeling. Skirting over events feels wrong such as her adoptive mother taking her own life when Newman was 13, being raped, working as a prostitute, or her birth father hiring a private detective to find her before dropping her again a few years later but so does dwelling on them, given her current views on autobiography.

I feel guilty about every form of memoir Ive ever written, she says. She has vowed to avoid any more personal essays: Female writers are encouraged to write about themselves more than men. And I really wonder about it.

Given her penchant for dystopia, it is apt that she is next tackling a contemporary retelling of Nineteen Eighty-Four, reimagining the story from the perspective of Winston Smiths lover Julia. There is a lot of political material that is relevant to the present day and the different meaning of double-think.

She would like to attempt a more realistic novel, but is wary of creeping back towards autobiography. I feel culpable for my version of my life, and thats an experience that comes out of writing memoir and having people be angry or hurt by it, she says. Maybe you cant write from someone elses perspective without getting something wrong, but you cant even write from your own perspective without getting something so wrong that you hurt someone. I think there is no way to write without it being criminal.

YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND By Deena Mohamed

Shes Egyptian and its a really amazing science-fantasy graphic novel set in a world where you can buy wishes.

THE MASTER OF BALLANTRAE By Robert Louis Stevenson

My ex-husband bought it for me.

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Sandra Newman on The Men: 'There is no way to write without it being criminal' - iNews