New Music 05/2023 – Neil Young, Beyoncé, Wet Leg

Sometimes you suddenly find yourself getting into the artists you were never all that interested in, and that was the case with Neil Young and Beyoncé for me. Plus, a debut album from one of last year’s most-hyped bands.

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Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen – Book Review

This trilogy of autobiographical novellas from one of Denmark’s best-known poets and writers is one of the most striking memoirs I’ve read, reflecting on life, art and addiction with remarkable, matter-of-fact clarity and honesty.

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MSO: The Music of Hans Zimmer @ Hamer Hall

There’s no such thing as too much Hans Zimmer! I’ve already seen film music maestro’s own show twice, and this week I went to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s tribute to some of the most iconic and influential film scores of all time.

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Top Ten Tuesday – Places of Worship Around the World I Visited

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl is a Non-book Freebie! My list was inspired by the recent classical concert at Melbourne’s St Paul’s Cathedral, and is dedicated to the memorable cathedrals, churches, temples and mosques I visited on my travels. I decided to limit to one place per country, otherwise nearly half of my list would just be Italy.

Though I’m not a believer myself, I’ve always enjoyed religious buildings, for their historical and artistic value as well as their atmosphere of peace and reaching out to something greater beyond. I have fond memories of my grandmother taking me to a Russian Orthodox church when I was little, where I listened to the choir and looked at the beautiful frescoes of angels and saints.

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The Northman – Film Review

Sometimes I kick myself for not seeing a movie on a big screen during its cinematic run, and that’s how I felt after finally watching this ambitious, beautiful and brutal Viking revenge story soaked in blood and Norse mysticism.

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