Shelf Life: August 2018
ALBUMS
THEN
Vienna—Ultravox
Ultravox was at the forefront of new wave/post-punk ingenuity, and the swoonfully beautiful title track of this 1980 album showed the world that the deluge of synthtastic music still to come promised to be nothing short of glorious. And it was (for a few years anyway). The fact that Midge Ure had never even been to Vienna when he sang this makes it all the more endearing.
NOW
Science Fiction—Tom Bailey
It’s been over two decades since Tom Bailey, former front man of ’80s legendary duo The Thomson Twins has released any new music. This summer brings his first solo effort, with help from Chemical Brothers’ producer Hal Ritson. Science Fiction will be supported with a huge summer tour with Boy George and B-52s; keep your eyes peeled for dates later this year!
BOOKS
THEN
House of Names by Colm Toibin
In this vivid, violent retelling of the story of Greek mythology’s Clytemnestra, her husband Agamemmnon brutally sacrifices their oldest daughter and fills her with white-hot vengeance. In the meantime, her children, the hostile Orestes and revengeful Electra, individually swear to outlast her at any price.
NOW
The Mere Wife: A Novel by Maria Dahvana Headley
Bestselling author and Neil Gaiman collaborator Maria Dahvana Headley returns with her most ambitious work yet: a modern retelling of Beowulf. Set in suburbia, a wife and a veteran (both mothers) face off when their sons Dylan and Gren (short for Grendel) suddenly run off together.
DVDs
THEN
Wait Until Dark
This 1967 thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat! Audrey Hepburn plays a blind woman terrorized in her home by a group of ruthless con-artists. Hepburn received an Oscar nomination for her powerfully convincing portrayal and rightfully so. If you like a good jump-scare, you’ll get a workout with this all-time classic of the genre.
NOW
A Quiet Place
Don’t miss the thriller that everyone’s talking about (quietly). A family’s survival is threatened when they’re plagued by a mysterious force that hunts by sound. Real-life husband and wife John Krasinski and Emily Blunt co-star together for the first time.