2015’s Biggest Art News Stories

While 2015 saw auction house art prices soar to record-breaking levels, the year in art wasn’t all about commerce. As Artsy notes, some of the most important art stories touched upon political and social occurrences globally. Appropriation artists continued to draw legal attention over shifting definitions of plagiarism, and freedom of (artistic) speech was called into question more than once in many nations. But perhaps …

Sondre Lerche: Hotline Bling (Drake Cover)

It’s hard to deny the continued ear-worm presence of Drake’s ubiquitous hit “Hotline Bling.” But when placed in the hands of Norwegian singer and multi-instrumentalist Sondre Lerche a cover track has been born that’s different than the slew of other reworks out there. The song immediately takes on a synth-driven Euro-dance club vibe, chirping and chopping new life into the music with a little bit …

Sonny Smith: Ayahuaska

Almost reminiscent of tracks from Lou Reed and John Cale’s speak-sung collection of curiosities Songs for Drella, Sonny Smith’s “Ayahuaska” is an eight minute-long monologue on adventure and consumption set upon noirish drums and synths. Ayahuaska is actually chapter five of (and the first single off) the greater album, Sees All Knows All (out 15 January 2016)—an hour-long tale of a life in crisis with …