Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 6, 2016

B2 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 6, 2016 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT B2 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 6, 2016 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 
SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

By Sean Kayden 

UNDER THE RADAR RECORD OF 2016 


Debut record, “At Hope’s

Ravine,” from Glasgow’s

natives, Holy Esque, is 

a thematic, flourishing 

excursion through

unknown and unfamiliar 
territories. Singer/guitarist Pat Hynes bears 
a heavy Scottish accent, but it’s his fortitude,
conviction, and possessed by a spirit-like way ofsinging that brings meaning and character to eachsong. The band, which consists of guitarist HugoMcGinley, Keir Reid on keys and drummer RalphMcClure, have crafted an effortless and harrowingcomposition that’s both open and opulent. Whileinfluences may be compared to 80s goth rock, theoften darkly ethereal resonance and tight overallsound feel relatively fresh today.

There is a balance between the wall of noise 
and sweeping arrangements found on “At Hope’sRavine.” As one makes their way through thealbum, it’s apparent that the tracks are a dichotomyof light and dark, often blurring the two together.
It’s clear that Holy Esque are s force that doesn’tdo anything half measure. Their beautifullycomposed tracks are explosive with deep catharsisand ambition. The natural progression of eachsong is something to marvel at as this entire pieceof work feels much more than the sum of its parts.
“At Hope’s Ravine” is a record that requires muchattentiveness and open-mindedness as it hits youlike a heavy storm in the night, something younever could have expected.

Opener “Prism” begins with the lyrics, “Coldbroken child on a path through the wild/Holdinglife on your way to the light.” It kind of sets upthe record perfectly. A reflective record in searchfor something beyond what may seem reachable.
It’s the shortest song in length, at three minutesand ten seconds, but sets the tone and direction 
for the entire record. Hynes trembling vocals addsmore depth and a sense of impending doom onthe horizon. Subsequent track, “Rose,” bringsmore buoyancy and optimism. It’s both pleasantand energetic as well as giving off much lightthrough the lyricism. “Hexx” is a song about a 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com 
Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown 

The Underground Railroad by Colson 
Whitehead 

The Newest Oprah Book Club 2016 Selection.
From prize-winning, bestselling author 
Colson Whitehead, a magnificent tour de forcechronicling a young slave’s 
adventures as she makes a 
desperate bid for freedom inthe antebellum South. Cora is a 
slave on a cotton plantation inGeorgia. Life is hell for all theslaves, but especially bad forCora; an outcast even amongher fellow Africans, she is 
coming into womanhood— 
where even greater pain awaits.
When Caesar, a recent arrival 
from Virginia, tells her aboutthe Underground Railroad, 
they decide to take a terrifyingrisk and escape. Matters do 
not go as planned—Corakills a young white boy whotries to capture her. Thoughthey manage to find a stationand head north, they are 
being hunted.In Whitehead’s 
ingenious conception, the 
Underground Railroad is no 
mere metaphor—engineersand conductors operate a secretnetwork of tracks and tunnels 
beneath the Southern soil. 
Cora and Caesar’s first stop isSouth Carolina, in a city thatinitially seems like a haven.
But the city’s placid surfacemasks an insidious scheme 
designed for its black denizens.
And even worse: Ridgeway,
the relentless slave catcher, is 
close on their heels. Forced to 
flee again, Cora embarks on aharrowing flight, state by state,
seeking true freedom.Like 
the protagonist of Gulliver’sTravels, Cora encounters 
different worlds at each stage of her journey—
hers is an odyssey through time as well asspace. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates theunique terrors for black people in the pre–CivilWar era, his narrative seamlessly weaves thesaga of America from the brutal importationof Africans to the unfulfilled promises of thepresent day. The Underground Railroad is atonce a kinetic adventure tale of one woman’s 
ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondageand a shattering, powerful meditation on thehistory we all share. 

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

by Elizabeth Gilbert

From the worldwide bestselling author of EatPray Love: the path to the vibrant, fulfillinglife you’ve dreamed of.Readers of all agesand walks of life have drawn inspiration andempowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books 

All Things Considered By Jeff Brown 

New Zealand plans to kill every last oneof the wild invasive mammals that are 
eating its native birds. They have no nativeland mammals except bats,bur Maori andEuropean settlers brought pigs,opossums,rats,wild cats, and weasels which now gobbleup tens of millions of flightless kiwis and 
other rare birds. Eliminating them by 2050will be the most ambitious conservation 
project ever attempted anywhere in theworld says the Prime Minister.The programwill use a combination of traps,poison,andhunting,Residents are urged to keep their petcats indoors and nor replace them when theydie. 

In the U.S., cats that live in the wild or indoor 
pets allowed to roam outdoors kill from 1.4 

journey of finding hope when there’s no hope tobe clearly found. It’s the searching within and theexploration of the outer self that leads one on thepath to liberation.

“Silences” features swirling guitars, rich 
textures, and passionate signing. The swellingclimax unfolds with much effectiveness. It’s a 

Artist: Holy Esque 

Album: At Hope’s Ravine 

Label: Beyond The Frequency 

Release Date: Feb 26th, 2016 

beautiful trip worth taking. “Doll House” is amelancholy tune with an ethereal atmosphere. It’sa pinnacle song off the album, a part of a trilogyof songs, dating back to 2012 with “LadybirdLove” and the recent single entitled “Oslo.” Hynesdescribed the trilogy as “A tragic tale that followsa prostitute, harassed and tortured until her finalhour with everything left behind. “Doll House” isthe middle track and one that is about a sense of 
belonging. The haunting piece of work is anothershowcase of how much artistry and creativityHoly Esque can achieve.

Title track “At Hope’s Ravine” is the grandconclusion. It’s the definitive culmination of what 
this entire record is made of. The song is a deeplypotent, slow-building, gut wrenching that coverseverything from desires and uncertainties to loveand anger. It’s a humanistic effort and crescendofinish is captivating and eye-opening. The finaletrack feels like a proper ending to an album that hasheart and soul with a story to share that is genuine,
real, and honest. Holy Esque’s debut record is filledwith insight, depth, and notions of believing insomething, dreaming, loving, hating, and self-
worth. And it goes well beyond that too. “At Hope’sRavine” is mystifying in many ways, but these 45compelling minutes shed more light than you couldhave ever imagined for a debut record. 

Grade: 8.5 out of 10 

for years. Now this beloved author digs deep intoher own generative process to share her wisdomand unique perspective about creativity. Withprofound empathy and radiant generosity,
she offers potent insights into the mysterious

nature of inspiration. She asksus to embrace our curiosityand let go of needless suffering.
She shows us how to tackle 
what we most love, and how to 
face down what we most fear. 
She discusses the attitudes, 
approaches, and habits we 
need in order to live our 
most creative lives. Balancingbetween soulful spirituality 
and cheerful pragmatism, 
Gilbert encourages us to 
uncover the “strange jewels”
that are hidden within each 
of us. Whether we are lookingto write a book, make art, find 
new ways to address challengesin our work, embark on a 
dream long deferred, or simplyinfuse our everyday lives 
with more mindfulness and 
passion, Big Magic cracks opena world of wonder and joy. 

The Ashes of Love: 
Sayings on the Essence 
of Non-Duality by Rupert 
Spira 

The Ashes of Love features 
280 sayings by Rupert Spira,
taken from conversations 
with friends over a three yearperiod. From the Foreword byMonique Proulx: ‘This bookis a distillation of penetratingstatements gleaned from thenumerous teachings of RupertSpira: at times borrowing themusicality of a haiku, theterseness of a pith instructionor the persuasive power of

an oration. But no matter its shape, each onebears the treasure of a full teaching ....RupertSpira is an artist. He sculpts words intocondensed forms of pure intelligence to whichthere is nothing to be added or removed. Hesculpts our understanding until it becomespure light, pure flame. Truth seekers familiarwith his teaching will find its essence here:
concise, sharp as a diamond, overwhelmingwith its awesome higher reasoning, whilstbathing us in unconditional love. Others willbe struck by the clarity and profundity ofReality as conveyed by this master of Advaita,
and illumined by the glimpse of an innerrevolution.’ “Our self – luminous, emptyAwareness – knows no resistance and is, 
therefore, Peace itself; it seeks nothing and is,
thus, happiness itself; it is intimately one withall appearances and is, as such, pure love.”R.
Spira 

billion to as many as 3.7 billion birds in thecontinental U.S. each year, says a new studythat escalates a decades-old debate over the 
feline threat to native animals.It’s part of athree-year Fish and Wildlife Service-fundedeffort to estimate the number of birds killed bypredators, chemicals and in collisions with windgenerators and windows. About a third of the800 species of birds in the USA are endangered,
threatened or in significant decline, according 
to the American Bird Conservancy.”Ourfindings suggest that free-ranging cats causesubstantially greater wildlife mortality thanpreviously thought and are likely the singlegreatest source of anthropogenic mortality for

U.S. birds and mammals,” Marra and his coauthors 
conclude.