Sally Davies' 'New York Daily Dog Project' was only supposed to last a year but it is still growing thanks to the number of canines in the city. Ms Davies, who is originally from Canada, says the collection reveals much about the dogs' social lives and how each pet has their own traits. ...read
Art big picture gallery
Nathan Walsh has captured the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple and Chicago in a collection of incredibly life-like artworks.
Art Headlines
Snooker fruity: Artist goes completely potty with banana-shaped pool table
British artist Cléon Daniel from Dorset came up with the idea for the 8.5ft-long bright yellow games table during a train ride. It took around nine months to complete. Cléon had previously put out a well-received book of hilarious drawings for zany designs called 'Unventions'. ...read
New Yorkers threaten to sue artist who secretly photographed them in their OWN apartments and is selling prints for $7,500
Artist Arne Svenson freely admits to secretly photographing his neighbors at the exclusive 475 Greenwich St apartment block in Tribeca, but claims he hasn't done anything wrong. Residents of the Greenwich Street building - where penthouses fetch up to $6 million - are furious over what they see as an invasion of privacy and are concerned about the safety of their children. ...read
MUST READS...Art stories from around the world
Kling-on to King Kong! Australian stunt artist hangs on for dear life 300m above Melbourne for new tourist show
Fortunately for the population of Melbourne, the vertigo-enducing image is a publicity stunt for a new musical production of King Kong, which open's next month.
Photographer shrinks New York City's landmarks down to doll sized proportions using camera trickery
Photographic artist Richard Silver uses a signature technique called 'tilt-shift' in order to shrink New York City and all its inhabitants into the Tiny Apple.
Who said it's the Windy City? Beautiful pictures of a very foggy Chicago as it gets blanketed by the morning mist
Shot from the 69th floor of the iconic John Hancock Center the spectacular snaps capture the rare sight of early morning fog rolling in from Lake Michigan shrouding the Windy City.
LATEST ALBUM RELEASES
Scroll through for the latest new album releases
Heart Of Nowhere (Mercury)
Once part of the new folk scene with Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons, the ever prolific Noah And The Whale are maturing beautifully. With Charlie Fink’s tuneful rasp prominent, their fourth album in five years builds on the FM guitar-rock of 2011’s Last Night On Earth. Not Too Late is a poignant coming-of-age anthem, while the string-driven title track benefits from a powerful vocal cameo from guest Anna Calvi.
★★✩✩✩
Modern Vampires Of The City (XL)
Most indie-rock bands are good for one or two albums, but this third effort suggests a long career. The New Yorkers once sang of bus routes in Manhattan, but the themes are deeper and darker here. Worship You revisits Sixties psychedelia, and the thumping Diane Young recalls Simon & Garfunkel’s Cecilia. A refreshingly adventurous affair.
★★✩✩✩
Mother (Sony Music)
One-third of Texan country rebels The Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines returns from a seven-year sabbatical in fiery fashion. Maines has voiced her disenchantment with the Nashville way, and she lets her anger burn on a set of rock-based songs. Mixing originals and covers, she rocks out on Trained, though the highlights are her ballads — the swirling Pink Floyd title track and Jeff Buckley’s languid Lover You Should Have Come Over.
★★✩✩✩
Violin Concerto etc
THIS is an outstanding performance of one of the most challenging concertos in the violin repertoire. Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili adopts decent tempi, instead of the sluggish speeds so many of her rivals favour. The work glows as a result. The only downside is the CD is 47:31 long.
★★★✩✩
English Electric (100%)
As Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, they were among the leading lights of Eighties synth-pop, and this second album since a 2007 reunion finds the Merseyside duo on familiar ground. Their tuneful computer-pop nods to New Order and Kraftwerk. And, while electronic sounds dominate, their strength remains a bittersweet, human touch.
★★★★✩
I Awake (Dramatico)
Australian torch singer Blasko’s fourth solo album is a dark, yet compelling affair. From the Portishead-like blues of God Fearing to the rolling kettle drums of the jazzy title track, it’s a record of deceptively simple songs that are high on raw emotion. The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra adds colour to Blasko’s smoky vocals.
★★★✩✩
Delta Machine (Columbia)
Depeche Mode return to their bluesy synth-rock sound after 2009’s surprisingly upbeat album. Singer Dave Gahan and co-writer Martin Gore harmonise brilliantly on Welcome To My World while My Little Universe is a lo-fi techno stomp.
★★★★✩
The Day In Pictures
The best pictures from around the world today
REVIEWS
IN BOOKS TODAY
- Dotty but adorable: Emma Thompson's mum on how love (and the healing power of gin) helped the family copy with the shadow of dementia: How Many Camels Are There In Holland?, by Phyllida Law
- Living it up on the brink of war: 1913: The World Before The Great War, by Charles Emmerson
- Fed up with politicians today? Just look at this rotten lot!: Perilous Question: The Drama Of The Great Reform Bill 1832, by Antonia Fraser
- The idiot's guide to wrestling alligators: Man Up! The Real Man's Book Of Manly Knowledge, by Rod Green
THEATRE
- QUENTIN LETTS: They breed 'em tough in this thirties typing pool! John Van Druten’s London Wall is a gentle comedy
- QUENTIN LETTS: Shining ladies light up our newest stage These Shining Lives was outshone by an update of Ibsen's Public Enemy
- Merrily We Roll Along: Stephen Sondheim's revival is a good, splashy, showbizzy romp You can’t fault this plucky production
- Travels With My Aunt review: Feels like a pair of comfy old slippers - not the great adventure it could be There is no Maggie Smith as elderly Aunt Augusta
- Flying high with the kites of Kabul: Play adaptation is worthy of Hosseini's bestseller Virtual brothers divided by envy and war in Kabul
- QUENTIN LETTS: Tempest? More like a chilly breeze... intrusion of city life becomes a fatal distraction to Shakespeare
- QUENTIN LETTS: The Pajamas are all right on the nightie Adler and Ross’s The Pajama Game is, plotwise, full of political hokum