Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 14, 2015

B4

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 14, 2015 


SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

GEOGRAPHER

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

WHERE THE WISTERIA GROWS 

by B. Renee Mullinax 

 What happens when the garden 
you have planted in your life 
suddenly becomes entangled 
with roots you never knew were 
there? How do you sustain life 
and beauty in blooms torn and 
shattered by the hurricanes of 
life? This is the story of a family 
caught in such a storm, yet, 
through a network of love, encouragement, hope, 
and faith, keeps its garden alive - and growing.

DEAD WAKE: THE LAST CROSSING OF 
THE LUSITANIA by Erik Larson 

 On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth 
month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as 
an English country house sailed out of New York, 
bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number 
of children and infants. The passengers were 
surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had 
declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. 
For months, German U-boats had brought terror 
to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one 
of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—
the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, 
William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith 
in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a 
century had kept civilian ships safe from attack. 
Germany, however, was determined to change 
the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the 
captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. 
Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence 
unit tracked Schwieger’s U-boat, but told no one. 
As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward 
Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and 
achingly small—hubris, a chance fog, a closely 
guarded secret, and more—all converged to 
produce one of the great disasters of history.It is 
a story that many of us think we know but don’t, 
and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching 
between hunter and hunted while painting a 
larger portrait of America at the height of the 
Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, 
Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative 
characters, from famed Boston bookseller 
Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect 
Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, 
a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war 
but also captivated by the prospect of new love. 
Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures 
the sheer drama and emotional power of a 
disaster whose intimate details and true meaning 
have long been obscured by history.

LESS MEDICINE, MORE HEALTH: 7 
ASSUMPTIONS THAT DRIVE TOO MUCH 
MEDICAL CARE by H. Gilbert Welch 

 The author describes seven widespread 
assumptions that encourage excessive, often 
ineffective, and sometimes harmful medical care. 
Dr. Welch is worried about too much medical 
care. It’s not to deny that some people get too 
little medical care, rather that the conventional 
concern about “too little” needs to be balanced 
with a concern about “too much”: too many 
people being made to worry about diseases they 
don’t have—and are at only average risk to get; 
too many people being tested and exposed to 
the harmful effects of the testing process; too 
many people being subjected to treatments they 
don’t need—or can’t benefit from. The American 
public has been sold the idea that seeking 
medical care is one of the most important steps 
to maintain wellness. Surprisingly, medical care 
is not, in fact, well correlated with good health. 
So more medicine does not equal more health; 
in reality the opposite may be true. The general 
public harbors assumptions about medical 
care that encourage overuse, assumptions like 
it’s always better to fix the problem, sooner (or 
newer) is always better, or it never hurts to get 
more information. Less Medicine, More Health 
pushes against established wisdom and suggests 
that medical care can be too aggressive. Drawing 
on his twenty-five years of medical practice and 
research, Dr. Welch notes that while economics 
and lawyers contribute to the excesses of 
American medicine, the problem is essentially 
created when the general public clings to these 
powerful assumptions about the value of tests 
and treatments—a number of which are just plain 
wrong. By telling fascinating (and occasionally 
amusing) stories backed by reliable data, Dr. 
Welch challenges patients and the health-care 
establishment to rethink some very fundamental 
practices. His provocative prescriptions hold the 
potential to save money and, more important, 
improve health outcomes for us all.

By Sean Kayden

Ghost Modern is the 
third album from San 
Francisco electro-pop act 
Geographer. The record 
marks Geographer’s first 
new material since 2012’s 
Myth. Geographer’s mastermind, Michael Deni, 
blurs the lines between electronic and alternative 
in creating an ethereal pop resonance. With 
Ghost Modern, Deni mostly avoids much of the 
spastic electronic beats with tranquil, tender 
structures to enthrall listeners. In fact, the 
direction the band is seemingly heading down 
is different than preceding journeys. There’s an 
incredible amount of elements that make Ghost 
Modern stand out as a deeper than expected 
type of release. Deni and company profoundly 
create a sonic palette that resemblances a 
dreamlike scenario. There are a wide assortment 
of instruments at work here too, including 
both live and drum machines, cello, violin, 
guitar, percussion, and piano. Nonetheless, 
Michael Deni’s most dominant instrument 
is his placid vocal abilities that have been 
extremely distinguishable over the years. While 
Ghost Modern is an ephemeral endeavor at 37 
minutes long, the dreamy arrangements and 
strong vocals evoking pure catharsis makes the 
listening experience irrefutably exceptional. 

Their first single, “I’m Ready“ is a warm tune 
that features honeyed melodies and airy vocals. 
The musing tune is a skillful demonstration 
of delicate arrangements paired with a 
heartbreaking cello. It opens up the record with 
much beauty and grace indicating this record 
sound much sweeter than previous records. 
“Need” has a slow build up before catching any 
momentum. Deni’s vocals elevate high with this 
serene tune. “You Say You Love Me” includes 
synth-y undertones that add a certain spacey 
vibe to the track. The tempo is faster than the 
first two tracks, but it doesn’t take away from the 
emotional aspect of the song. The strongest new 
song from Geographer is “Too Much.” Deni’s 
soft vocals paired with a completely layered 
musical structure of numerous instruments 
at work are striking to say the least. The way 
Geographer crafts music effortlessly bestows 
the listeners with the purpose to paint their 
own picture from each individual song. 
With the combination of heartfelt, personal 
lyrics and piquant melodies, Ghost Modern 
establishes Geographer as a band delivering 
the highest form of commitment to artistry. 
The craftsmanship behind “Read Your Palm” is 
unquestionably beautiful. While just under two 
minutes, the harrowing quality heard is by far 
breathtaking. The aptly titled “Patience” soothes 
and relaxes the mind. It’s an unrushed piece 
of art that combines the dual forces of piano 
and violin to form a rhapsody that could melt 
hearts. It’s one of the few songs off the record 
that reaches four minutes in duration, but the 
celestial tune isn’t something you would want to 
ever end. 

“Keep” starts with some mighty drumbeats 
before it unravels into the fastest tempo song 
off Ghost Modern. It’s more in vein with 
previous records, however, remains suitable 
for this compilation. The summery attributes 
attached to “Keep” are perfect for the spring 
release. It completely serves as a dance-worthy 
addition to the record. Geographer wraps up 
the album with the appealing, “Falling Apart.” 
This lovely closer is very reflective as it follows 
suit to the other echoes and noises Ghost 
Modern has demonstrated with prior tracks. 
The composition of smooth vocals and an 
airy structure lead to another strong offering 
for what may be deemed Geographer’s most 
established work to date. The range of beauty on 
Ghost Modern is immeasurable. Those readily 
eyeing something to be stimulated by on an 
emotional and mental level need not to look any 
further than Geographer’s latest and greatest 
contribution yet. Grade: 9 out of 10 


GALLERY 39

AKA Fotographix is delighted to 
feature Noah Gallo-Brown who will 
be exhibiting in Gallery 39 during 
the Wistaria Festival, Sunday March 
15

 Noah Gallo-Brown AKA Noah 
GB b. 1990 in Seattle, Washington 
graduated from The Colorado 
College in Colorado Springs with 
a BA in studio art in 2013. He is 
painter, printmaker, and street artist 
currently living in Los Angeles. 

 In this exhibit Noah GB explores 
portraits and patterns through 
a variety of mediums, including 
large-scale woodcuts, highly detailed 
linoleum cuts, photographic etchings 
with chine-collé, and paintings. 

 Noah GB has won several 
first place awards in juried art 
competitions, including a nationwide 


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