James Place: Sadie’s Tears

In his debut album Living On Superstition, NYC native Phil Tortoroli (under the alter ego James Place) reflects upon his self-ambiguity and anxious demons after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend and quitting his full-time corporate gig. The track “Sadie’s Tears” in particular was finished after one memorable fight where his girlfriend’s cat Sadie kept shrilly meowing for food in the background. “At the time, …

Grimes: REALiTi

As a special thank you to fans and to celebrate the two-year anniversary of her Asia tour, Grimes has shared the previously-unheard track “REALiTi,” complete with a music video shot on location, traversing Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo and more. What’s unbelievable is that it was a demo recorded in early 2013 for an album that was later scrapped because Grimes wasn’t satisfied with the material. Though …

Life of Cats at Japan Society Gallery

A new exhibition explores the recurring cat motif and how it's transformed in Japanese artwork over the past few centuries

If you thought the cat craze was only as young as YouTube, the latest exhibition opening at Japan Society Gallery will demonstrate that long before they became memes and viral sensations, the four-legged feline had already been a muse for centuries. Centered on Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the Edo Period, as well as cat-themed paintings, sculptures and more selected from collections within the US, …