Dry Cleaning singer Florence Shaw likes to keep some distance between her vocals and the rest of the band. Shaw's curious confidences, spoken-word confessions, and bemused monologues appear to have only a passing relationship to the propulsive rhythms and brittle riffs that frame them. That dissonance can be striking at first, but it grows restrictive-stark contrast can only take you so far.
As we become more comfortable in the digital world, our tolerance for any discomfort in the physical world seems to decrease. We stand in the corner at the party looking at our phones to avoid making small talk; we let our eyes flit between screens to smother any thought that we might otherwise have to sit with alone. If this is what we do for fun, then what does work look like?
Around half of all families are affected by estrangement or alienation. Families can fracture due to cultural or political divides that are challenging to overcome. Grandparent alienation is on the rise, resulting in collateral damage to grandchildren as familial disputes escalate. Family members often face a choice between walking away or addressing their 'line in the sand' issues.
Marx believed that capitalism, especially in its technofeudal phase, alienates individuals from their labor and products, creating isolated selves amid abundant technology.
