Us (novel)

Us is a 2014 novel by English author David Nicholls for whom it won the Specsavers "UK Author of the Year" award. It was also long-listed for the 2014 Man Booker Prize.

Plot introduction

The book begins when Connie, frustrated artist and Douglas Peterson's wife of nearly 25 years tells him that now their son Albie is about to leave home for college, she wants to leave too. Douglas resolves that their last family holiday together, a 'grand tour' of the cultural and artistic gems of Europe will "be the trip of a lifetime, one that will draw the three of them closer, and win the respect of his son. One that will make Connie fall in love with him all over again".

The narrative then alternates between the story of the disastrous trip, at the start of which Albie deserts his parents in Amsterdam, and that of his unlikely courtship and marriage to Connie, contrasting his disciplined scientific life as a biochemist with Connie's spontaneous artistic character.

Reception

Angel (British musician)

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Sirach Charles (born 31 October 1987), better known by his stage name Angel, is an English singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer from West London, England. His debut single "Go In, Go Hard", featuring vocals from English rapper Wretch 32, was released on 18 March 2012. The song reached number 41 on the UK Singles Chart. The following single, "Wonderful", performed better commercially, peaking at number nine on the UK Singles chart and topping the UK R&B Chart.

Music career

2010–11: Early career

Angel started off at the early age in a band with his brothers and sisters called the Charles Family. After playing at over 300 plus schools the band of siblings decided to go their own way. Angel (formerly known as Bud or Ching) released his first mixtape Patience is a Virtue in 2010. The mixtape included hits such as "Julie" and "Run This Redeye".

Angel co-wrote the Number 1 single Green Light by Roll Deep with his writing team Parallel which sold 400,000 copies in the UK. He co-wrote and featured on Wretch 32's album Black & White singing on "Never Be Me and I'm Not The Man" (also featuring Chipmunk). The album sold over 150,000 copies in the UK. He wrote and produced "Coming Home" for Pixie Lott and Jason Derulo.

Us (Regina Spektor song)

"Us" is the fifth track from American singer Regina Spektor's major label debut Soviet Kitsch. It was officially released as a single in 2006 for her UK compilation album Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories by Regina Spektor. The song is notable for its use of a string quartet in addition to Spektor's usual piano and vocals. The song was also used in a UEFA Champions League Final montage, by ITV. This song was used in the film (500) Days of Summer.

Music video

This is the first Regina Spektor song to have an accompanying music video. The video used stop motion animation. It shows Spektor climbing into a dark green room and unpacking an assortment of objects from a trunk, including a piano, rug, a globe, and some seeds, which she places on the rug and grows with water. The video contains some strange scenes, such as toy soldiers coming out of Spektor's mouth, and ends with her placing everything (including herself) back into the trunk, which vanishes. The music video is a parody of Georges Méliès's silent film, Le Locataire Diabolique (1909), in which a man rents an apartment and furnishes it by unpacking objects from his trunk in the same fashion Spektor does in Us. The video was directed by Adria Petty.