The Way I See It
The shipyard painter, political activist and razor-sharp cartoonist Bob Starrett has just written a new book The Way I See It on his eventful life and times. Below we reprint one of his stories and review an essential read
La Boheme
ENO's production of La Boheme is a triumph,
Julia Holter
Ekstasis (Domino Records)
Tuesday 04 December 2012
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EmailSleepy, avant-garde and synth-heavy, Ekstasis makes a good album to nod off to.
That is not to say it is boring or lacks talent.
It's ambitious and at times transfixing.
Holter, a classically trained vocalist, shows off her soft, beautiful tone and impressive vocal range throughout, particularly in Marienbad and Moni Mon Amie.
Ekstasis is a coherent record, with each track flowing effortlessly into the next, with the exceptions of the Goddess Eyes I and Goddess Eyes II, which are haunted by an irritating effect on the vocal sample.
Its arty inaccessibility is perhaps down to the fact that the album's title is rooted in Greek mythology.
Ekstasis translates as "the state of being beside one's self or rapt out of one's self" and the often bizarre lyrics, presumably stemming from such philosophy, add to the head-scrambling effect of the record.
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