Cool Hunting
Any fan of introspective music on the alternative end of things must check out The Wailing Wall's debut album, Hospital Blossoms. The brainchild of NYC-based musician Jesse Rifkin, The Wailing Wall brings together an immensely talented group of musicians to tell a story of sadness, acceptance and catharsis. Rifkin relates the concept behind the album to a phoenix rising from the ashes; it's about embracing the pains of life and being able to blossom out of them, cleansed, content and ready for the next trial.
Using the layout of the album as structure, the track listing lends symbolism. Morning and Morning #2 are the first and last songs, respectively. Morning opens the album with the chirping of birds and menacing growls of thunder, while Morning #2 closes with a crescendo of chaos that suddenly cuts to silence, speaking to the cyclic chaos of life's tribulations.
A wide range of conventional and not-so-conventional instruments flavors the entire album, with Rifkin himself playing everything from guitar to gamelan, mandolin to accordion and harmonica to harmonium. His captivating lyrics are no less intentional; to explain his lengthy writing process Rifkin cites Twain, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
His masterful composition skills shine especially strong in the CD's title song, "Hospital Blossom." In fact, its a track so captivating that I lost myself in listening to it repeatedly, nearly missing my interview with Jesse.
An impressive compilation, the entire album is now available online for free download, courtesy of JDub Records.
|
previous entry Join: Ctrl + Alt + Design Review |
next entry Ron English Guest Contributor to Lost At E Minor |
by Danielle Kosann Born into a family of musicians, 66-year-old Naomi Shelton grew up singing gospel with her sisters at churches throughout Alabama. Eventually, she moved to New York, where she spent most of her life performing soul music in Brooklyn nightclubs. Now, more than forty years since her arrival in New York, Naomi recently released her first full length album, "What Have you Done,...
by Bailee Wolfson Good news for cell phone addicts everywhere—on Monday 26 January 2009 our friends at LVHRD, the NY-based arts collective, is at it again with another unique event. Unlike their last (CLL) PHN-LCKN (pictured above) this time you can bring your phone and will be using it throughout the party. Drinks are on the house—Dewars and Sapporo—and a camera is a must, as...
What happens when an Italian opera director and a Japanese chef collaborate on a restaurant? Cho-Cho San, a new culinary hot spot in NYC's Greenwich Village, is the result of famed Metropolitan Opera director, Fabrizio Melano, and Jun Nagano, of the venerable Taste of Tokyo, joining forces. Named after the heroine of the opera Madama Butterfly, Cho-Cho San's menu combines traditional Japanese fare with...
by Ariston AndersonBefore the Sex Pistols and before the Ramones, there was the New York Dolls, one of the first boy bands that wasn't afraid to dress like women. Renowned rock photographer Bob Gruen's new book, "New York Dolls: Photographs," is not quite your average coffee table book. Unless you like your living room reading to be a reminder of just how quickly the...
DJ Spooky has had one foot in music and another in academia over the years and the release earlier this year of his new book "Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture" is no exception. The "literary mixtape" is a collection of "reports from the front lines on the role of sound and digital media in an information-based society." Tasking authors, musicians, designers, curators...
If anybody needs proof of how useless the recording industry has become, look no further than TheSwimmingPools. In the past few years, the NYC-based duo has recorded three albums and produced a slew of videos using only a computer in their East Village apartment. Comprised of Christophe Doloire and Daniel Smith, the group plays a brooding electronica that feels as if it would've been...
Riva Yachts
Bike Rides Exhibition
Academy of Art Collection Fashion Week Spring 2010
Cool Hunting Video Presents: Rye Rye
London Design Guide 2010
Olaf Breuning: Color Studies
Bernhard Willhelm: Keep It Unreal Collection
Anniel Sport Shoes and Bags
Babelgum Metropolis Art Prize 2009
