#Learoyd

[thephotoregistry]

Green Grapes, 2022

Richard Learoyd

[las-microfisuras]

Richard Learoyd, “Agnes Black and White, Eyes Closed” (2013)

[mentaltimetraveller]

Richard Learoyd A Loathing of Clocks and Mirrors Mar 7 – Apr 26, 2025 at Pace, New York

[leggerezza-dell-essere]

____Richard Learoyd

[389]

Mariko Mori’s current exhibition “Rebirth,” a meditation on consciousness, death, and rebirth. 

Photo by Richard Learoyd

[thinkingimages]

Richard Learoyd

[these-summer-nights-in-december]

Richard Learoyd

[mywifeleftme]

263: Motorists // Surrounded

Surrounded Motorists 2021, Bobo Integral (Bandcamp)

Rock ‘n’ roll is historically a cult of youth, but now that you’d be a little hard-pressed to find a parent who wouldn’t be kinda relieved their kid picked up a guitar instead of becoming a streamer, the genre is puttering into an increasingly Menzingerified future. As a late thirtysomething myself, I surely don’t mind seeing my peers continue to hang their shingles over at the local rock bar. One of my fondest memories coming out of lockdown was catching Toronto trio Motorists play basically the instant shows were back on the menu. Going out with a pal (blog gear consultant Haakon), tying one on, and semi-illegally pogoing with a small but enthusiastic crowd at an honest-to-God jangle pop show… if lockdown were a Warner Bros. cartoon this would be the kind of oasis-hallucination shit I would experience.

The Motorists lineup that recorded the 2020 cassette EP From the Wreckage, Vol. 1 and 2021’s Surrounded are native Calgarians with refined taste and fun musical resumes (Fahner has played in the essential Too Old for This Shit hardcore band Leather Jacuzzi, and alongside Learoyd in the fondly-remembered Feel Alright; Locke with Kiwi-flavoured indie rockers Tough Age and mini-legends Simply Saucer, plus he reviews for Pitchfork). Perhaps on account of joining forces in the economic meatgrinder that is Toronto, Motorists originally had a vague techno-dystopian concept that matched their nervous motorik rhythms and keening vocals (Wreckage has a kind of Pere Ubu meets Sloan thing going on), but Surrounded mostly drops that bit in favour of a more vibes-based lyrical backdrop. Despite this, the trio is much cleaner and more precise than most of the college rock bands from which they draw influence, which gives Fahner and Learoyd’s wistful harmonies the quality of someone staring out the window as a driverless vehicle does the work of transporting them.

The band sticks pretty closely to their template throughout, but every song is full of craftsmanlike touches that will delight vintage indie nerds and most bear fairly indelible hooks, particularly the R.E.M.-ish “Go Back” (returning from the earlier EP) and the new wave-y single “Surrounded.” While I miss the irresistible attack of EP-era tracks like “Instant Replay,” Surrounded is one of the most consistent albums to come out of the Canadian rock scene in a minute. Locke moved back to the West Coast around the time the record dropped and has been replaced with Toronto scene mainstay Nick McKinlay (an old pal, I should disclose), but the band has road-tested a heap of new material, and with any luck we’ll see another record from them one of these days.

263/365

[baraste-legacy]

Ming Jian has a Tumblr! 🙂 At @mi17zen and an older one at @mi90-oolong (Lots of Maul in the former 😊. Try https://mi17zen.tumblr.com/tagged/darth%20maul)

As for Amy Learoyd, they are @lunaerebus 🙂, and have tons of nightbrother goodness in their Tumblr. Try https://www.tumblr.com/lunaerebus/tagged/nightbrother

Nightbrothers. 🤌🏼

Artists featured: Darth Maul (Ming Jiang) / Feral and Savage Opress (Amy Learoyd)

[irenelichtensteinblog]

Richard Learoyd, Miami Beach 2018

[thephotoregistry]

Armature, Mount Buzludzha, Bulgaria, 2016

Richard Learoyd

[1000sassa1000]

Hombre con tatuaje de un pulpo - 2011

Richard Learoyd

[belles-endormies]

Agnes by Richard Learoyd

[skiijumpinng]

ok but remember learoyd

[thinkingimages]

Richard Learoyd

[havendance]

It's Library Trade Roundup time, baby!

Descender: Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 by Jeff Lemire, art by Dustin Nguyen -- I will be honest, I was reading this primarily because I love how Nguyen paints space in watercolors. Otherwise, I'd say that this was a fun, easy read. I don't think the plot ever really hooked me but I liked it well enough. I'll probably pick up Ascender (the sequal series) at some point which has a more fantasy vibe I believe, because while this wasn't one of my top comics, I certainly don't dislike it. And also I do like whenever Nguyen does the watercolors. (I am a little annoyed that it appears that Effie has contracted dead mom syndrome in the Ascender though because I really liked her.)

Dawn of X vol. 3 by various -- I am continuing to poke my way through these because it looks like my library has a good chunk of them. It's honestly kind of fun reading this in an approximation of publishing time (picking up a new volume of 6 #Xs every few weeks). Marauders continues to be one of my favorites. Fallen Angels continues to not work for me, and it's always fun when it calls back to previous comics and I get to go 'sure, why not, might as well happen' as opposed to actually knowing the callbacks. (I am being serious here. I do want to read more X-men comics but I am also down to just vibe.)

The Forged Vol. 2: Home Sweet Home by Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann, art by Mike Henderson -- Look this is very by Greg Rucka like most of his original work. This comic is in the space marine genre which I am here for. I had read the first volume digitally, and I've come to the conclusion that this is just one of the comics I need to read physically because it's published in the same oversized format as Historia, and while the art doesn't have that insane level of detail, it still just breathes way better full sized whether than on my little tablet. I enjoyed this volume much more than the first and I think having it full sized was a big contribution (as well as the fact that I read the first volume while sitting in the back corner of a full car on the way to vacation which probably didn't help either.) This was also a downtime arc and I liked how it built out the characters and the world more rather than the more action focused first arc. Issue #9 is coming out next week I believe, so I'll be waiting for when the 3rd trade comes out and my library gets their hands on it to see how this next arc goes, but I'm looking forward to it!

Coffin Bound Vol. 1: Happy Ashes by Dan Watters, art by Dani -- I picked this up because I was curious about reading more of Watters' work, but I only ended up reading half of this before deciding it wasn't doing it for me. There were interesting elements, but I'm not sure what to say other than it just didn't click.

The Autumnlands Vol. 2 Woodland Creatures -- This continues to be right up my alley. I liked seeing more of the world and the implications of nuclear energy in this volume were very interesting. Seeing Dusty rub off on Learoyd, the plotline with the Galateas, and all the fun sci fi fantasy fusion of the world was all very fun and it left me sad that there's only 11 issues of this.

Sleepless Vol. 1 by Sarah Vaughn, art by Leila Del Duca -- Courtly intrigue/romance + Fantasy makes this quite different from a lot of the other comics I've been reading, but still very enjoyable. The artwork is beautiful for this (I love all the pretty dresses) and has a very nice atmosphere. I liked seeing Poppy trying to navigate the court after everything got shaken up on her and the worldbuilding was also interesting.