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Fuse CD Review: R. Stevie Moore’s “Personal Appeal” — the Lo-Fi Veteran Has Only Just Begun

August 28, 2013
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Like Lo Fi High Fives, Personal Appeal might not be a “best of” per se, but it is certainly a good entry point for those who have been daunted by R. Stevie Moore’s massive and impressive back catalogue.

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Book Review: Raising the Black Flag

August 26, 2013
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There’s still an opening for someone to come along and write the final, definitive word on Black Flag. In the meantime, Spray Paint the Walls is a more than worthy placeholder, and is highly recommended. It’s just not quite what it could have been.

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Book Review: “Scissors” — A Sharp Exploration of the Creative Process

August 26, 2013
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Scissors is a roman à clef. But Stéphane Michaka has not composed a fictionalized biography mapping out the itinerary of Raymond Carver’s life. The novelist above all focuses on the creative process in which a writer named “Raymond” is involved.

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Music Review: A Warm Homecoming for Singer/Songwriter Paula Cole

August 25, 2013
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Singer/songwriter Paula Cole’s musical and personal journey has been a long, sometimes painful hejira.

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Film Review: “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” — Superbly Simple Noir

August 23, 2013
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The understated soundtrack by Texas musician Daniel Hart and the ominous cinematography of Bradford Young complement director David Lowrey’s keen sense of pacing.

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Theater Review: An Exuberant and Dark “Absurd Person Singular”

August 23, 2013
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Alan Ayckbourn’s Absurd Person Singular is a comedy of total narcissism — belly-laugh jokes accompanied by a cold cruelty.

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Short Fuse Film Review: “The Attack” — A Compelling Look at the Conflict Between Israelis and Palestinians

August 22, 2013
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The Attack is a movie that tries to get to the core of violence without dissolving into its depiction.

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Fuse CD Review: The Not-So-Sad Pop Rock of Porches

August 22, 2013
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Weirdly paradoxical as the description may be, “bummer pop” is the best way to characterize the breezy half hour’s worth of music in Porches’ new album.

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Poetry Review: Imagine — Yoko Ono Plants an “Acorn”

August 21, 2013
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Yoko Ono has always been the kind of artist more interested in getting into your head than convincing you to occupy hers.

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Visual Arts Review: Winslow Homer at The Clark – The Painter and the Printmaker that Almost Was

August 21, 2013
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No one associates Winslow Homer with abstraction, but Sleigh Ride (1893) indicates that he at times ventured into the non-figurative borders of landscape painting Edgar Degas was exploring in France at the same time.

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