The Raconteurs, “Help Us Stranger” (Third Man Records)

Often a band is defined by its strongest member. A lead vocalist pushes to the front while the rest of the group fades behind.

For The Raconteurs, this is not the case. Jack White may be the most popular band member (and the most distinctive vocally), but each is essential on “Help Us Stranger,” the foursome’s first album since 2008.

While White is known for his many projects — The White Stripes, The Dead Weather and his solo career — The Raconteurs is White at his strongest, with songwriting help from Brendan Benson, who only propels White’s inventive, genre-bending style. They are backed by bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler, two musicians who can’t be underestimated.

“Don’t Bother Me” is just the kind of song you’d hope to hear from a band known for pushing boundaries. Its frantic musical composition matches the chaos that the lyrics sketch out: “Your hidden agenda/You ruthless rule bender/Your surface duplicity/It’s all nothing new to me.”

“Shine the Light on Me” is similarly experimental. The track starts with whirling, distorted notes before harmonies pour in an almost Queen-like manner. Benson’s voice smoothly intertwines with White’s before fat piano chords clamor over the track as he sings, “When you’re searching in the dark/It doesn’t matter if you’re blind does it?/Can’t you see?”
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Overall, the 12-track set never disappoints. Each song is unique and vital. From the angst of “Don’t Bother Me” to the weighty “Thoughts and Prayers,” with its searing violin and Nashville soul and blues influence, “Help Us Stranger” is a rock ‘n’ roll album that is not afraid to venture to new places.

Calexico and Iron & Wine, “Years to Burn” (Sub Pop)

Reuniting on “Years to Burn,” their first full-length project since 2005, Calexico and Iron & Wine remind audiences why they initially collaborated. Strong alone, the two bands are stronger together.

Sam Beam, better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, has been something of a sensation in the indie world since the early 2000s. Calexico, with main members Joey Burns and John Convertino, is a Southwestern rock band with influences from mariachi to jazz. Together, the two are perfectly complementary.

Beam brings his own talents to the table — a raspy whisper of a voice, telling stories and pouring out lyrics wrought with meaning. These talents are only further enhanced by those of Calexico, adding texture and depth with their musical composition.

Differentiating itself from the “In the Reins” EP, on which the two acts first collaborated, “Years to Burn” feels more self-assured, like a group of musicians comfortable playing together and not afraid to experiment.

“The Bitter Suite” serves as the perfect example of this talent realized. The eight-minute track split into three parts opens with a distinctively Calexico Spanish couplet, followed by an instrumental jam and finishing with a part that sounds like a separate song entirely. The third section would feel disjointed were it not for two lines buried in the verses — “There are dreams wild enough to pass the time” and “This dead bird wants the wings he can’t recall” — the same two lines sung in Spanish at the song’s start.
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The title track has all of Beam’s usual delicacy, yet there is more to explore, as soft trumpet pushes through the melding vocals of Beam and Burns. “Midnight Sun” is one of the few tracks written by Calexico, but it feels just as at home within the album. With a folklore theme and elusive, thoughtful lyrics, it could have just as easily been written by Beam. The songwriting styles of both fall into step, seamlessly.
The reunion feels a long time coming for two groups so wonderfully in sync and complementary. Hopefully, audiences won’t have to wait so long for their next collaboration to unfold.

Andrea Bocelli isn't just an opera superstar, he's also quite a stylish home and hotel owner.
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Bocelli showed off his beautiful home by opening his doors to Architectural Digest.

Bocelli's 8,000-square-foot Italian home, called Villa Alpemare, is the definition of luxury — a hotel-turned-home off the coast of Versilia in Tuscany, the same region he grew up.

Despite its grandeur, Bocelli told Architectural Digest that Villa Alpemare is an “elegant yet unpretentious house.”

The three-floor, powder-pink home offers Bocelli all he needs: a living and dining room on the first floor, offices, a music studio and guest rooms on the second floor and bedrooms and private spaces on the top level.

“I am very attached to this house,” he said. “I feel that it resembles me.”

It is a space he and his family — wife Veronica Berti Bocelli and three children, Amos, Matteo and Virginia — can enjoy; one he says is large enough “for us to live and work in, make music and host many friends.”

Over the past year, Bocelli has renovated the home to meet his needs by upgrading the building, installing new windows, redoing floors and modernizing water, heating and electrical systems.

His wife’s style is also on display within the home, as Bocelli credits Berti Bocelli’s keen eye for the beautiful design. He said she gave the rooms “a sense of coherence, restoring warmth to the house.”

His home isn’t the only real estate he owns in the vicinity. He and his wife took over the Alpemare Beach Resort off the Versilian coast in 2017.

His Alpemare resort is just as stylish with sleek white tents covering the seaside spot.

For more pictures of Bocelli's Italian villa, visit Architectural Digest.

You may recognize Michael Douglas’ voice as the detective in “Basic Instinct” or the unfaithful husband in “Fatal Attraction,” but now it's being used to narrate a real estate video.

The Oscar-winner is selling his $32.4 million home on the Spanish island of Mallorca. To help him find a buyer, Douglas created this video that outlines the estate’s history and luxurious features.

The home, named “S’Estaca,” is what Douglas calls a “magical retreat” — 200 acres with seven separate buildings, a vineyard, olive groves and a pool. It was bought in the mid-19th century by Austrian Archduke Ludwig Salvator and has been in Douglas’ possession for the last 30 years. He purchased the estate with his first wife, Diandra Luker, for $3.5 million.

According to Douglas, Salvator would invite Empress Elisabeth of Austria to visit him and take rides on his yacht, which was docked on the port of the island in front of the estate.

Douglas says he “fell under its spell” and has since modernized the buildings and added his own personal touches. With five apartments, two cottages and 10 bedrooms, Douglas says that it's a great place to entertain and up to 20 people can stay in “great style and comfort.”

At 74 years old, Douglas is ready to depart with the estate, saying it is time to let “someone else enjoy the privilege and adventure” of the home. He and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones have had the estate on the market since 2014, when they first listed it for close to $60 million.

The Spanish villa is not Douglas’ only property on the market. He has also listed his eight-bedroom, 3-acre Bermuda home for $10.6 million.

This seems like the perfect property for history buffs who also love luxury.

The Head and the Heart, “Living Mirage” (Warner Bros. Records)

On the heels of bands like the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons, the Head and the Heart arrived into the folk-rock scene at just the right time. Their self-titled debut — self-released in 2009 and later released by record label Sub Pop in 2011 — resonated with fans who delighted in their organic sound. From the tight harmonies to sparse production, the album was vulnerable and pure.

Fast-forward 10 years and the Head and the Heart have headed down a different path entirely. Fans looking for the folksy rock they fell in love with will be disappointed by the clean, heavily produced fourth record, “Living Mirage.”

The album contains only a glimmer of the magic held within the Head and the Heart’s first two albums. The band’s third release, “Signs of Light,” hinted at the group’s transition toward pop, but it isn’t until the first two songs of “Living Mirage” that this identity shift is fully realized.

Those tracks — “See You Through My Eyes” and “Missed Connection” — are arguably the album’s weakest. Gone are the idiosyncrasies that colored the group’s early work. The rough edges of Jonathan Russell and Charity Rose Thielen’s voices have been polished to perfection, and with them, the texture and charm eradicated.

The Head and the Heart are the strongest with songs like “Glory of Music,” where the production is stripped back and the raw vocals shine through. The title track is a breath of fresh air as the harmonica trickles in and Russell croons, “When I give in to you/Every word that you say rings true.”

The album has some other moments of brilliance, but they seem fleeting or lost among a collection of songs that don’t hold the same weight as the past work of the band.
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Simply put, the heart is gone from the Head and the Heart.

NEW YORK (AP) — Newcomer Sivan Alyra Rose represents a rarity as one of the few people of Native American descent to star in a Netflix series — or any television series, for that matter. But she hopes her breakthrough in “Chambers” will encourage more opportunities for women like her.

“I think ‘Chambers’ is really (at the forefront of) an important conversation of inclusion and how simple it really can be,” said the 19-year-old actress from the San Carlos Apache tribe.

The show centers around Sasha Yazzie, who receives a heart transplant and starts having disturbing visions and impulses that lead her on a quest to learn more about her deceased donor.

While Rose describes “Chambers” as a supernatural horror show, she says it touches on real-life issues as well.

“Real life has its stress. Real life has its scares and real life ... plays into the fantasy world at the same time,” she said.

The show also explores real-life cultural issues affecting Native Americans, including the use of its mascots and other imagery in mainstream culture. In one scene, Sasha sees a mural of a Native American on horseback, wearing a feathered headdress and lifting a tomahawk into the air.
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“I went to a high school that was off a reservation town and there’s so much insensitivity in the world. Those kinds of murals, they’re everywhere. We have football teams, we have high schools across the country that love to wear war bonnets to their football games on Friday nights,” said Rose. “We’ve got to stop covering up that there’s bad things in the world and that there’s insensitivity.”

Rose hopes that the show gives a more realistic representation of Native American culture, calling her character “an Instagram loving, super cute teen girl.”

“And that’s literally everyone else on the (reservation) that I grew up with,” said Rose. “That’s all I hope they see, too, is like, ‘Yeah, she’s very normal.’ And Native American, the subject, it sounds dark and it’s ominous and so big and grand, but ... we’re still here and we’re nice people.”

Besides Rose, other Native Americans who are part of the series include executive story editor Jason Gavin, as well as other Native American cast and crew.

“It was nice knowing that it didn’t start at me, to have to make calls and to make sure everything’s right. Yes, I am one of the newer generation Native American actors but I’m not the only one,” said Rose. “It was nice knowing that I didn’t have to do all the checks and balances. There were people all the way at the beginning.”

The series also co-stars Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn as the donor’s parents. Rose praised the pair for welcoming her and treating her as an equal despite her inexperience.

″(They) are so kind and so loving and they made me feel accepted. Even though I’m a beginner and I’m new, they never made me feel like that,” she said.

Though Rose recognizes that not everyone is a horror lover, she thinks there are pieces of the show that will resonate with all audiences — well, most.
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“I think ‘Chambers’ is really for everyone — not kids, though. I wouldn’t tell kids to watch ‘Chambers.’ I’m not going to lie about that,” she said with a laugh.

Mac DeMarco, “Here Comes the Cowboy” (Mac’s Record Label)

For a musician who rose to fame quickly — and somewhat unexpectedly considering his niche indie roots — it’s natural that Mac DeMarco may feel some reluctance when diving full force into the limelight. This reticence is palpable on “Nobody,” DeMarco’s first single off “Here Comes the Cowboy.”

“Another creature/Whose lost its vision” DeMarco sings of himself. “There’s no turning back/To nobody.”

“Here Comes the Cowboy,” DeMarco’s fourth full length album, carries a tone of melancholy mixed with hesitancy as DeMarco seemingly has one foot ahead of him and one in the past.

In “K,” a slower, more stripped back song for DeMarco, he comforts a lover, grateful for the path that brought them together and foreseeing the hard times ahead: “Anytime it feels as though my love has gone away/K, settle down, turn around, take this song, let it play.”

“Heart to Heart” also looks at past years of a connection, while “All Our Yesterdays” confronts the tension of the past and future head on: “All of our yesterdays have gone now/ But that don’t mean your dream is over.”

Throughout the record, DeMarco employs his typical lazy-rock style intermixed with lo-fi effects, yet adds a Western tinge to reflect the album’s cowboy motif. The cowboy theme perhaps alludes to the way an isolated DeMarco feels.

In “Preoccupied” he laments about a world with “no conversation”— one where people have opened up their minds, but “filled it with (expletive).” In “Finally Alone,” a cowboy desperate to get away takes a flight to Spain. “Honey, you’re finally alone.”
Overall, DeMarco delivers an album true to his traditional style, yet not afraid to experiment. “Choo Choo” and the latter half of the 7-minute track “Baby Bye Bye” feature a funkier DeMarco than his typical slow jam aesthetic, while “Little Dogs March” gives more of what you’d expect from DeMarco.
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The Canadian artist may feel like “another creature whose lost its vision,” but on “Here Comes the Cowboy,” his vision is perfectly intact.

Ani DiFranco, “No Walls and the Recurring Dream” (Viking)

Ani DiFranco has spent decades challenging the status quo, standing up for what she believes and creating honest, raw music. Her memoir is an extension of these passions. Looking at her lyrics over the years, it has always been clear: She cherishes the written word. In the pages of her memoir, “No Walls and the Recurring Dream,” she carries on this love affair.

Those familiar with the work of DiFranco_a Grammy Award-winner who founded her own record label and has a career spanning over 20 albums_know she is not one to shy away from her opinions.

It is not uncommon when listening to her work to hear a verse that speaks out against patriarchy, the death penalty or the government’s imperialism. So it comes as no surprise that in her memoir, DiFranco does not hold back.

“No Walls and the Recurring Dream,” is unapologetic, steadfast and vulnerable. It’s as if DiFranco has invited you into the living room of her New Orleans home to have a long discussion about how she got to where she is_from creating her first record to meeting Prince and recording in his home.

Readers who are already DiFranco fans are offered a window through which to better understand her music (just in case you’ve ever wondered about the story behind “Untouchable Face”). She gives you the rich context of her past and passions that have culminated in emotional verses and honest storytelling through the years.


The book also stands alone, for those who haven’t before encountered DiFranco. She is vulnerable in a way that is brave_she recognizes the imperfect moments in her existence just as she acknowledges her own triumphs. The honesty of her introspection encourages the reader to look internally as well. “Whatever the thing is that you are resisting the most, whatever thing will be the most painful, that is the thing you must do,” she writes.
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To her credit, DiFranco meets the reader where she or he is. Yes, she has strong opinions, but she makes it clear from the onset that she is not just someone who talks; she is also someone who listens. You don’t have to be a staunch liberal or feminist to appreciate what she has to stay and the stories she has to tell. DiFranco does a brilliant job of walking this line. She won’t sugarcoat her own opinions, but she also leaves room for a conversation to unfold.

Big Thief, “U.F.O.F.” (4AD)

Since the band’s debut album in 2016, Big Thief has continued to pull audiences in, captured by the voice of lead singer Adrianne Lenker and the compelling, poetic lyrics the band pairs with her distinctive, delicate tone. Her voice often comes across as angelic, but on “U.F.O.F.,” the band’s third album, her voice takes a turn. Coupled with cryptic lyrics and entrancing musical composition, her voice is haunting, as it floats through the album’s 12 tracks.

Big Thief, the Brooklyn-based band comprised of Lenker, Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik and James Krivchenia, has mastered the balance of bringing the intricacies of folk to life with the grittiness of rock. “U.F.O.F” shows the underbelly of folk — it is vulnerable, obscure and imperfect in a way that feels transparent and raw. The lyrics are more enigmatic than some of Big Thief’s previous songs, perhaps in an intentional effort to give a sense of disconnect. “Open Desert” is hard to make sense of, but holds their same poetic style.

Similarly, album opener “Contact” is a song that is hypnotic and dream-like, with ambiguous lyrics: “Wrap me in silk/I want to drink your milk.” The track closes with eerie screaming after Lenker coos, “She is both dreamer and dream.”

“U.F.O.F.” wraps itself in mystery, Lenker’s voice sounding as if it holds a secret she might whisper into your ear if you’re listening close enough. Even Lenker takes on an androgynous identity. “Betsy” is raspy and deep, sounding completely different than her usual self, showing she can play with both the masculine and feminine sides of her vocal register.

“Cattails,” ″From” and “Orange” are highlights on the record. “Cattails” plays more fully to the band’s folk side, with foot tapping percussion and a twangy guitar that feels like the sway of a cattail. The lyrical composition stays true to the band’s aesthetic with Lenker singing and reassuring, “You don’t need to know why when you cry.”
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Though the album does not make itself easy to understand, there is comfort in the ambiguity. In the album’s title track, the band makes peace with the object they cannot comprehend, “To my UFO friend/ goodbye, goodbye/like a seed in the wind.”

Brie Larson chopped her hair into a bold look that's perfectly fitting for a superhero star.

It’s only natural that the “Captain Marvel” star would be brave enough to try a new look, and it seems her courage has paid off with this new ‘do.

Not to mention, this sleek, blond bob is the perfect way to welcome summer.

At the “Avengers: Endgame” premiere just last month, her long locks cascaded past her shoulders, but with the premiere behind her and a new chapter ahead, there’s no better time to change it up.

Larson’s first Instagram post sharing the new cut was nonchalant enough (a congratulatory post to her friend Melinda Lee Holm, who launched a beauty line), but that didn’t stop fans from noticing and commenting on how much they loved the look.
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This isn’t the first time she’s chopped her hair short, but she usually opts for a cut that hits her shoulders rather than a full bob that stops just below her chin.

In years past, she’s experimented with her style. She was even a redhead for a stint, wearing the color with chopped microbangs.

​Larson chose a romantic half-updo with a center part for the Academy Awards in 2016.