The Art of Surprise

A remarkable concert, an unexpected museum discovery, and music that rewards paying closer attention.

On Tuesday, we saw the Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir perform at LPR in the Village. We both loved his latest album Julia, but we didn’t know what to expect—and those often turn out to be the best shows.

There is something special about Icelandic musicians. It may be a cliché that they have plenty of time to practice during the long winter nights, but you often encounter a high level of musicianship. Accompanied by Nashville musician Nat Smith on cello and bass, the delicate melodies, the precise guitar playing, and Ásgeir’s enchanting vocals captured us from the first second.

Also, I’m drawn to minimalist performances. It’s easier to bring a show to life on a stage full of musicians. But today’s touring economics allow that only for big names or for musicians who don’t care about money. Staging the intricate productions of his albums without going all acoustic or karaoke is hard. There was a backing track, but it never drowned out the live instruments and brought in just enough electronics to get that unique Icelandic feel.

Tuesday happened to be Ásgeir’s birthday, so he had to endure a rough rendition of “Happy Birthday” from the audience. That’s what you get in NYC! Maybe he intentionally scheduled New York as his last stop to head home on a high note.

Marina Abramović

One of my favorite summer rituals is spending an early summer morning with a cup of coffee (black, no sugar) and a beautiful hardcover book. While I’m still making my way through Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run (I don’t want it to end!), the other day I picked up another, entirely different favorite: Painting the Plate, which pairs visual artists with recipes inspired by their work. I tend to open it somewhere and start reading, and I almost always end up looking up the artist to learn more. The actual recipe and dish rank second.

This time, I landed on Marina Abramović. Curious whether we’d ever seen her work in New York, I searched her name—and yes, we had experienced her iconic performance piece “The Artist Is Present” at MoMA.

As I kept browsing online, I stumbled upon an unexpected surprise: Abramović is making her inflatable art debut with “Snowy/Windy/Spring on the Planet Z,” a multisensory installation featuring shoulder-high inflatable grass and falling ”snow.“ The work is part of ”Daydream: Air Becomes Art," the exhibition inaugurating the Balloon Museum at the Seaport’s Tin Building.

I’ll admit I had mostly written the Balloon Museum off as a playful family attraction, but discovering that one of the world’s most influential performance artists is part of its opening exhibition completely changed my perspective. Suddenly, it has become one of the museum experiences I’m very much looking forward to this summer. The museum opens soon, on July 15!

Discovery of the Week: Celeste Krishna - New Room

“Live-to-tape soul rock” from the South would normally fall outside my comfort zone, but the Alabama-raised, Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, and producer Celeste Krishna sets expectations straight from the first track: “It’s NYC & the South for me.” From there, she infuses just enough Brooklyn weirdness to make this record her very own brand of roots music, surprising you with every song.

New Room is her first album as sole producer and arranger.

Cover Song of the Week: Tame Impala - Hummer

We fell in love with The Smashing Pumpkins after hearing their cover of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” on the tribute album For The Masses in 1998.

This year, the Chicago band receives its own tribute album, Sending Hearts to All My Dearies, out on August 16 via Sumerian Records. The expansive 7-minute “Hummer” from 1993, with its drastic mood shift in the final third, seems perfect for a Tame Impala rework, and as expected, Kevin Parker nails it.

This Week in glamglare history

1 Year Ago: Ula - So Kind

Last year, the London-based Polish musician Ula released a string of sharply produced dark pop singles and the EP Boysulk.

5 Years Ago: Shady Groves - Smoulder

The Michigan band Shady Groves has scored four Song Pick of the Day features since 2016; “Smoulder” is the last from their 2021 album Dreamboat. After a 2022 follow-up, they have focused on Underflow Records.

10 Years Ago: The Hazy Seas - Kite Dodging

We enjoyed “Kite Dodging” as a jangly summer song in 2016. The Midwestern band The Hazy Seas released their debut album four years later and has been on hiatus since then.

Song Pick of the Day

Listen to all seven songs on YouTube, or follow our daily updated Song Pick playlists on YouTube, Apple Music, or Spotify.

• Anja Kotar - Writers & Lovers
• Abbie Ozard - Baby I’m Your Star
• Sophie Truax - I’d Still Be
• Au/ra - E-MOTION
• Dari Bay - On Your Side
• Sable - We’re Getting Older Baby
• Mandrake Handshake - En Vol

We publish one Song Pick of the Day every day. You can subscribe to receive them by email.

A Week by the Water

A curious crow paid our rooftop garden a rare visit this week—a small reminder that even in the middle of Manhattan, nature occasionally drops by.

The rest of the week belonged to Portugal. Time Out Market became Portugal House for the Men’s World Cup, filling the space with excitement, singing, and a wonderful sense of community. On the way home, the East River Ferry gave us the Manhattan skyline at night, while South Street Seaport offered one of those perfect summer boat sightings.

Add Portuguese conservas, colorful berries, and a few quiet rooftop moments, and the week felt very much like New York in summer. Enjoy the nine photos of our New York moments!