RICHARD MURGATROYD enjoys a readable account of the life and meditations of one of the few Roman emperors with a good reputation
Best of 2019: Albums
EMOTIVE: Lizabett Russo
ALEX HALL asks whether intelligence, and stupidity, are the outcomes of poverty and wealth, and cultural norms
BRENT CUTLER is persuaded by a new account of the rise of Christianity, and the fall of the Roman empire
If non-human nature is devoid of value under the capitalist mode of production, this book presents the case for its reintegration, suggests HENRY BELL
The Bard takes issue with a BBC portrait of The Balkans, and sets the record straight
ANGUS REID urges you to visit Britain’s most remarkable - and mind-blowing - festival of contemporary music
MARIA DUARTE reviews Desperate Journey, Blue Moon, Pillion, and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
IT’S been a year of pleasant and rewarding surprises, with Polish outfit Trupa Trupa’s Of The Sun (Glitterbeats Records) being perhaps the most unexpected revelation.
Frontman and poet Grzegorz Kwiatkowski has described their music as “a meditative, pessimistic thing,” adding that Don Quixote is an inspiration.
Brimming with sophisticated exploratory rock arrangements, delivered with superb musicianship, overlapping voices, beautiful guitar cadences and a spellbinding syncopation of bass guitar and drums, the sense of innovation is captivating, none more so than on the pulsating Long Time Ago.
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