My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? (Werner Herzog, 2010)
The second Werner Herzog film to appear in UK cinemas this year suffers only in comparison to the rest of his oeuvre, which has been particularly strong as of late. In 'My Son...' he subverts the hostage genre as a crazed Mummy's boy (the ever excellent Michael Shannon slowly becoming his generations' Brad Douriff) takes some individuals hostage in his home after murdering his mother. We then view his mental descent through a series of flashbacks. The film has some great performances by all (including...Brad Douriff!) but the plot is a little standard, quite surprising for Herzog, and it just feels like he's on autopilot here.
Exit Through The Gift Shop (Banksy, 2010)
A surprisingly good documentary from reclusive and slightly crap graffiti artist Banksy, helped probably because the film isn't about him. Thierry Guetta is a Frenchman living in LA who comes into contact with several graffiti artists and documents their own on his video camera, as this goes on he follows Banksy around, captures some of his work in progress and eventually becomes an 'artist' himself. A lot has been written about whether or not the film is 'real' or if Guetta is somehow a 'creation' of Banksy's. I'm inclined to believe that it's all real, it's simply too convoluted to be anything other and to fake the story would serve no purpose. Also, like 'I'm Still Here', it doesn't really matter; like all good documentaries, the film focuses on an interesting story with a likable guide to take you through in the form of Guetta, and it keeps your attention throughout. Even if you don't like Banksy, put it behind you, it isn't really about him particularly and it's a worthwhile sit though.
Enter The Void (Gaspar Noe, 2010)
I actually saw this last year in it's longer rough cut, but I saw it again in the cinema this month and it's worth revisiting. Enter The Void is a long, dark, difficult trip into the nether regions of the brain both literally and cinematically. The 'plot' involved an American living in Tokyo who is shot in the head while tripping on DMT and his soul floats around the past, present and future watching over his sister who he has an unhealthy (to put it mildly) interest in. Enter The Void, can be excruciating at times and does not improve on repeated viewings (for some reason the longer version didn't drag as much) and is certainly not for everyone. Nevertheless, Gaspar Noe has managed to make a film that is really like nothing else I've ever seen before, featuring some masterful special effects, realistic performances and basically throwing everything (sex, drugs, violence) into the kitchen sink. For me, this is the film of the year...it's not perfect, but like the best films it takes risks and Noe puts a lot on the line and delivers as good a directors performance as I've seen in a very long time. Challenging, but if you're into it, there's very little better nowadays.
Despicable Me (Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud, 2010)
Enjoyable enough computer animated film that nicely shows off the vocal and comedic talents of Steve Carrell as a supervillain who uses a group of orphan cookie sellers so he can break into his rivals’ lair and steal a shrink ray. The film is well paced and quite good fun for adults and kids both, but pales in comparison to the Pixar output. Nevertheless, as far as all non-Pixar cartoons go, this is definitely near the top of the pile.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Stephen Herek, 1989)
A film that seemed to pass me by during my younger days, an oversight now thankfully corrected. Seeing as anyone who is reading this has probably seen the film long before me, there's probably nothing more I can tell you other than its great fun in a cheesy 1980's kind of way, has some funny historical jokes and is great fun even if you didn't see it first time round.
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (Peter Hewitt, 1991)
A bit more un-even than the first film, which doesn't have the structure of the first and loses it's way when the Wyld Stallyns play their gigs at the end but William Sadler as Death is great in it, and it's still a lot of fun. But you probably knew that already...
Cemetery Junction (Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, 2010)
The first writing/directing collaboration between Gervais and Merchant since Extras; 'Cemetery Junction' is a coming of age story set in 1970's Reading, and is a little less 'comedy' oriented than their previous work. Three friends Freddie (Christian Cooke), Bruce (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan) hang around getting drunk and getting into fights until Freddie gets a job as an insurance salesman for a local businessman (Ralph Feinnes) and decides to try and make something of his life. There is a lot of text book 'soul searching' going on in the film, particularly as he develops a crush for the boss' free spirited daughter (Felicity Jones) but the film is fairly likable as a whole and has some good, low-key comic performances. Not a great film, but perfectly watchable.
The Invention Of Lying (Ricky Gervias & Matthew Robinson, 2010)
Ricky Gervais' proper cinematic directorial debut, released last year to polarizing reviews, and from the look of this, it's easy to see why. Although the concept is initially interesting (in a world where everyone tells the truth an everyman discovers how to lie and uses it to his advantage because nobody questions him), it quickly becomes annoying as the constant bland 'truth bombs' start to wear a bit thin. After he tells his dying mother about the existence of heaven (in so many terms) he quickly becomes a Moses like figure with people believing he holds the secret to the afterlife. From this point on it becomes a ham handed religious satire that never comes close to missing the mark and occasionally wallows in terrible sentimentality as he tries to win the girl of his dreams (Jennifer Garner). The Garner subplot is particularly poor; as her truth telling reveals her to be desperately self centred and shallow, it seems Gervais pretty much only loves her for her looks. Some people may find this clever and insightful; I thought it was a muddled and missed opportunity. Gervais is likable enough in the main role, but he never quite carries the film as he should. As I said, the film seemed to polarize opinions so although I didn't like it, you may.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Oliver Stone, 2010)
Boring sequel to Oliver Stone's brilliant 1980's original. The plot stutters along, is loaded with (to me) incomprehensible financial jargon and Shia LeBoeuf is bland, dull and unlikable as always. Carey Mulligan is slightly better as LaBoeuf's fiancé, Josh Brolin and the 95-year-old Eli Wallach are also good in supporting roles but anything positive about this film comes from Michael Douglas who is always at his best when administering put-downs, smoking cigars or generally being a smarmy prick. Sadly, Gorgon Gekko has softened with age, and his attempts at 'redemption' make you squirm a little bit. A dull, dreary and unworthy sequel...if you were a fan of the original, avoid.
Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995)
I missed watching this during my University years due to a particularly bad hangover, but more fool me as this is a superb film that deserves far more recognition, and may well get it in the wake of Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar success earlier this year. Set on the eve of the new Millennium, Ralph Fiennes is a low-life ex-cop who deals in memories of people but refuses to sell 'black-jacks' (ones where people die). A girl dies, and he gets caught up with his ex-girlfriend (Juliette Lewis) and the cops as the new year approaches. It's a long film (140 minutes) but goes by very quickly; it looks great, has decent performances by all and has a terrific screenplay from a then credible James Cameron. Very good indeed. Is also the source of the main sample of Fatboy Slim's "right here, right now".
Love Is Colder Than Death (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1969)
The first of several Fassbinder films I'll review over the next few months as I have two boxsets of his films to get through. This, his debut proper, is an ultra low budget affair (to the extent you can't see any flashes from the guns fired) about a pimp and a hitman who befriend each other and decide to rob a bank. Clearly influenced by 'Breathless' and French New Wave in general, it's not particularly original, but it looks great with lots of cool posturing from the actors and as a low budget debut, it's quite assured.
The Human Centipede (Tom Six, 2010)
Arriving billed as "the most disturbing film of all time", The Human Centipede does come with a concept (mad scientist joins three people together ass-to-mouth to make a 'human centipede' and it's "all scientifically possible"!) to satisfy the most depraved gore/torture porn lovers out there. While it's certainly unpleasant in parts, the end result (in both film and experiment) is actually quite dull, and the film is nothing more than a typical ho-hum kind of exercise that is neither tense enough to frighten and is surprisingly not as gory or graphic as you might expect. At times it's really quite stupid and ridiculous, and Dieter Laser hams it up ludicrously as the crazed doctor; but it's not very good and likely to disappoint any horror fans who watch it.
Date Night (Shawn Levy, 2010)
Tina Fey from '30 Rock' and Steve Carrell from 'The Office' team up in this fun, if lightweight action/comedy as a married couple who get chased around Manhattan by crooked cops after taking the wrong table at a restaurant while on a date to spruce up their marriage. Despite a couple of high speed car chases, it's very much grounded in a Cary Grant style tradition and never delves too far into risqué style humour. Again, it's very lightweight and forgettable, but it's fun to watch, Carrell and Fey are likeable as always and Mark Whalberg puts in a great supporting performance as a permanently de-shirted client of Fey's who helps the couple. A good film to rent.
Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
A superb off-beat horror film from Sweden that completely passed me by when released in the UK last year. A 12-year-old boy (Kare Hedebrant), bullied at school befriends a vampire (Lina Leandersson) with the appearance of a 12-year-old girl and they begin a sweet but clearly unusual childhood romance. With almost the entire film taking place in dark rooms or the snow and the generally arctic features of the two actors the film is very atmospheric and alternates between being very sweet, very sad and very unsettling with considerable finesse. The main actors are all excellent, the direction is superb and the story very engaging. Only the 'cat attack' scene with its poor visual effects fails to satisfy completely. This film has already established itself as a modern horror classic and justifiably so.
Somewhere (Sofia Coppola, 2010) *LONDON FILM FESTIVAL REPORT*
After releasing Marie Antoinette to a mixed reception in 2006 (I liked it), Sofia Coppola returns with something a little closer to her breakthrough success 'Lost in Translation'. This time, instead of making a pseudo allegorical film about her relationship with her then husband, she has made one loosely about her father. Stephen Dorff plays a successful actor who goes from a series of soulless Hollywood encounters (junkets, makeup tests, and willing groupies) and has to look after his young child (Elle Fanning). Although the film is perfectly watchable despite its slow pace, and I was never bored and Fanning and Dorff (in his best performance in years) are both very good, it seems like Coppola has decided she hit upon a willing formula with 'Lost...' and has tried to duplicate it. Dorff's encounters while in Rome with Italian interviewers and press conferences seem to be a repeat of similar scenes in Tokyo. Still, the main problem is that nothing much happens in 'Somewhere' and there is little or no sense of drama and conflict and there is no sense of the relationship developing in any direction throughout the film. 'Somewhere' also lacks the charm of Coppola's earlier film and Dorff's character seems to be a near mute cipher for various encounters. In the final analysis, while 'Somewhere' does have it's plus points, it can't help but feel like an unsatisfying rehash.
Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2010) *LONDON FILM FESTIVAL REPORT*
New film from Iñárritu, director of Amores Perros, 21 Grams and the lacklustre Babel, told in his native Spanish. If you thought those pictures were bleak, wait until you get a load of this one. Javier Bardem plays a small time criminal running trafficked African and Chinese workers in Barcelona who decides to settle his affairs best he can after learning he is terminally ill. At nearly two-and-a-half hours this is a very tough film, relentlessly bleak with little sign of hope or redemption. Bardem acts his heart and soul out in the film and delivers a powerful performance and Iñárritu’s direction is tough to say the least. The main problem, is that the film is far too long and sustains an uncomfortable bleakness throughout to the point where I’m unsure whether I’d actually recommend it to anybody. I’m glad I saw that, but I won’t watch it again.
Smash His Camera (Leon Gast, 2010) *LONDON FILM FESTIVAL REPORT*
A light-hearted and breezy documentary from the director of 'When We Where Kings' about notorious paparazzi photographer Ron Galella. Despite what you may think about his trade (I'm no fan personally), Galella's passion about his trade is undeniable and he comes across as being very likable, if a tad eccentric given his obsession with keeping rabbits. The film touches on his most notorious encounters including getting punched by Marlon Brando and getting a restraining order from Jackie-O. Not a revolutionary piece of documentary filmmaking of course, but its great fun and very watchable and definitely worth a look.
Tabloid (Errol Morris, 2010) *LONDON FILM FESTIVAL REPORT*
An extraordinary film from Errol Morris, arguably America's best living documentarian. This superb film focuses on Joyce McKinney and the so called 'manacled Mormon' case from the late 70's, where McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming, allegedly kidnapped a Mormon she had fallen in love with on a retreat in the UK and kept him tied up and had sex with him for three days. That is just the beginning of a truly bizarre series of events that have to be seen to be believed, and I'm amazed I never heard about the story before. McKinney emerges as the 'star' of the film and makes for a great interviewee with her folksy charm and unique view of the world, but the two journalists from the Mirror and the Times also make for great supporting characters. A superb addition to an already excellent filmography from Morris.
Upside Down: The Creation Records Story: (Danny O’Connor, 2010) *LONDON FILM FESTIVAL REPORT*
An entertaining documentary about Alan McGee’s legendary record label who, despite astronomical drug taking managed to release classic albums from My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, Jesus & Mary Chain, Teenage Fanclub and Oasis in the 80’s and 90’s. All of the major players from the bands are present and correct as well as McGee himself, and O’Connor’s film manages to perfectly balance the artists’ and label’s musical accomplishments as well as their chemical ones. McGee makes for an arrogant, but entertaining interviewee as does Noel Gallagher as ever and overall the film is great fun. As with most documentaries of this like, it’s essential for fans of the label and its bands as well as anyone interested in the music business but not for anyone else.
Strange Powers: Stephen Merritt & The Magnetic Fields (Kerthy Fix & Gail O'Hara, 2010) *LONDON FILM FESTIVAL REPORT*
Low-budget documentary focusing on the cult US group The Magnetic Fields. Although the group does not have the classic rock n roll story arcs and attempts to provide some drama with some half hearted accusations of racism against songwriter Stephin Merritt the film, which focuses mainly on the music, is perfectly watchable even if you are only partly aware of their discography (I'm only familiar with their outstanding 1999 opus '69 Love Songs'). The films' main asset if the offbeat Merritt who emerges as a grouchy yet talented songwriter possessed with a savage wit. Worth a look for fans of music docs and definitely for fans of the band.
A Nightmare On Elm Street Sequel Special:
After owning the box set for several years I decided this month to finally make my way through all of the original Nightmare On Elm Street sequels. I've missed out on the original and New Nightmare (both pretty good) and Freddy Vs Jason (which is ok) and the remake, which I have not yet seen.
A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (Jack Sholder, 1985)
Oh dear, this doesn't bode well! Fortunately, I started at the bottom; Freddy's Revenge is easily the worst in the series. The filmmakers try and do something different by having Freddy possess a sexually repressed high schooler and have him murder some of his friends while Freddy commits various murders in the real world. The film fails for several reasons: it abandons its original concept, has a total lack of any dread or suspense, features some terrible acting, is devoid of any memorable death scenes and features blatant, awkward and hilarious attempts to introduce homoerotic undercurrents. This film is so bad, it made me wonder what I'd let myself in for, but although it comes close, it never gets as bad as this again.
A Nighmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (Chuck Russel, 1987)
This is a bit more like it. Dream Warriors is easily the best in the series after the original film. Featuring a more interesting cast of teens in a mental asylum haunted by dreams of Freddy, and the return of Wes Craven as a scriptwriter and Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson, this is definitely a cut above the rest. Freddy, although in possession of some great one liners ("Welcome to prime time bitch!") never lapses into camp comedy and orchestrates some of the scenes most inventive and impressive death scenes. Featuring an unusually star studded cast in their early films (Larry Fishburne and a debuting Patricia Arquette) as well as some great cameos (Dick Cavett and Zsa Zsa Gabor), and an above average script (co written by Shawshank director Frank Darabont) ANOES3 is a fine slasher/horror film...only from here it really is downhill.
A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (Renny Harlin, 1988)
ANOES4 is planted straight in the middle spectrum in the series. Nothing about it is particularly dreadful (at least in comparison to some of the other films) but there isn't much to recommend about it either. After being resurrected by flaming dog urine (don't ask), Freddy kills off the survivors from Dream Warriors and goes after a new set of teens, one of whom (Lisa Wilcox) starts gaining the powers of her vanquished friends. Featuring a rather dull screenplay from Brian Helgland (later to win an Oscar for LA Confidential) and a completely unmemorable selection of characters (I watched the film two weeks ago and I've forgotten them already!) but still benefitting from some good special effects and as ever inventive kills, this film is better only in comparison to some of its neighbours.
A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Probably the most forgettable in the series, the heroine from the previous film is now pregnant and Freddy somehow manages to possess her child and use him as a cipher to kill more teens in some increasingly dull ways. The film hits a notable low point with Kreuger stalking a kid on a skateboard and tries to delve further into his background which always makes things worse. Also, Freddy has by now ceased to be a horror character and relies heavily on wisecracks and comes across as more of a prankster than a mass murderer. The selection of teens is even less memorable than before not helped by a lacklustre screenplay from another Hollywood luminaries and turgid direction. Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickenson's theme song 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter' would later become a hit for his own band.
A Nightmare On Elm Street 6: Freddy's Dead - The Final Nightmare
Finally the series it put out of its misery. Freddy's Dead is probably the worst entry in the series after Freddy's Revenge. Nothing much happens for the first thirty minutes as the last surviving Elm Street kid falls in with a bunch of teens in a care centre until finally it is revealed that Freddy has a child and only they (with the help of Yaphett Kotto severely lowering his standards) can bring him back into the real world and finish him off. While Freddy has now lost total menace and the human characters are as bad as ever the film is far more memorable than the previous two thanks to some truly ludicrous moments. The series hits it's all time low as Freddy kills off a stoner kid after luring him into a video game (with the help of a cameo-ing Johnny Depp) and finishing him off in the computer world while making him jump cartoonishly around as he sleeps. At the end it goes into 3D, or at least it would if the DVD had provided any glasses to watch that scene on the special features, seen normally there are a lot of shots of objects being pushed in front of the camera lens. Along with cameos from Alice Cooper, Rosanne Barr as well as Depp this is a more memorable film...but not necessarily in a good way.
Thankfully this was the end of the proper sequels, and Craven would return for the post-modern New Nightmare until Freddy Vs Jason would mark the final outing of Robert Englund as Freddy. This is one of the more unpleasant cinematic voyages I've had...maybe one day I'll attempt the Friday 13th and Halloween sequels.
Film Of The Month: Strange Days (of the old), Enter The Void (of the new).
Monday 1 November 2010
Albums I Heard In October
Deerhunter-Halcyon Digest
Touted as "the album they've been building up to", Deerhunter's new album arrives on a wave of critical praise and comparisons to Animal Collective's masterpiece 'Merriweather Post Pavilion'. Although it's nowhere near that work of genius, the comparisons are just, as the band's fourth album represents a big step forward to catchy songwriting, albeit still on their fuzzy, neo-shoegazing terms. The gentle, 'Earthquake' sets things off beautifully, suggesting a new dawn is breaking gently despite its aggressive title. 'Don't cry' and 'Revival' are both fine songs, but from the gorgeous 'Sailing' (sounding just like its title) the album takes off and doesn't leave room for any filler. The brief and joyous 'Memory Boy' makes for a fine early interlude before giving away to the epic 'Desire Lines' ending with an epic fadeout, that on any other album would be a perfect closing track. The album does, however, already have a perfect closing track; 'He Would Have Laughed' is a moving tribute to Jay Reatard who died in January. It's a bittersweet track, epic in length and with a gorgeous fadeout at the end, and it caps off an excellent album. Over the record lyrics float in and out of the mix and the whole album has a youthful, dreamy, nostalgic quality to it. A fine album and one of the best this year.
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti-Before Today
A so called 'debut album' from cult artist Ariel Pink, working with a full band and keeping in with the 'chillwave' scene he helped to start. Like many of these bands, the songs hark back to simple 60's pop/rock as the catchy melodies blend in with a decidedly cheap sounding production. That said, there are some good songs here, particularly the bouncy 'Bright Lit Blue Skies', 'L'estat', a reworking of one of his older songs, and the MOR, but in a good way, 'Round and Round'. Songwriting-wise, there is little that sets Before Today apart, but the DIY-style production does give it some charm.
Best Coast-Crazy for You
Yet another fuzzy, beach bound American indie band to add to the pile for albums this year. Best Coast are if nothing else, consistent. Their sound consists of simple drum beats, low fi guitar and sunny girl group style melodies from singer Bethany Cosentino. Lead track 'Boyfriend' and single 'Crazy for You' set the tone, and the album doesn't really deviate from the same formula throughout. It's a pleasing enough listen, and at 30 minutes and only one track lasting over three minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome, even if it lacks variety.
Tame Impala-Innerspeaker
Another hazy, neo-psychedelic offering this time from Australian four-piece Tame Impala, who are given some fine assistance from Flaming Lips/MGMT producer David Friedman. He boosts this record quite considerably; the production is very dense and at times reminiscent of some of Friedman's work on the last Flaming Lips album. The songs blend nicely into each other with only the occasional melody floating to the surface. Some of it is undeniably gorgeous, but this kind of sound is, through no fault of Tame Impala, really starting to become over-saturated.
Manic Street Preachers-Postcards from a Young Man
As much as 'Journal for Plague Lovers' was a welcome return to form, it did kind of paint the band into a corner. By resurrecting lost lyrics from Richey Edwards, and going back to a simple rock sound they confronted their past and laid it to rest with a well received album commonly thought of as a natural successor to their 1994 masterpiece 'The Holy Bible'. So, it seems natural that 'Postcards from a Young Man' which the band has dubbed their "last shot at mass communication" harks back to their first real commercial triumph 'Everything Must Go'. Unfortunately, while that album was a triumphant expression of survival in the face of tragedy, 'Postcards...' uses the blueprint to soften and saturate what might have been a worthwhile album. 'Journal For Plague Lovers' and 'Send Away The Tigers' re-established the Manics rock routes in a way that did not seem desperate, and made the most of James Dean Bradfield's considerable expertise as a guitar player, while Nicky Wire reigned in his more sixth form political tendencies. Here, they have taken a colossal step back, and far too many of the songs on 'Postcards...' are just, well...nice. The Ian McCullough collaboration 'Some Kind Of Nothingness' is really awful, the harmonized vocals on this and throughout the album sounding like Queen, while potentially interesting tracks like 'Hazelton Avenue' are missing a crucial guitary punch in the production and are instead drowned in strings. 'Golden Platitudes' benefits a little better from the production, as does the catchy lead single 'It's Not War, Just The End Of Love', but overall this a poor show in both songwriting and production. On 'All We Make Is Entertainment', Bradfield via Wire sings "I'm no longer preaching to the converted, that congregation has long ago deserted", if they carry on down this path, we all might.
Mystery Jets-Serotonin
New album from above-average indie pop darlings. I suppose the main question most people will ask of this record will be: is there anything here as good as 'Young Love' or 'Two Doors Down' from the last album 'Twenty One'? The answer is a negative, but there's still a number of pleasing enough tunes here. Opening track 'Alice Springs' is a fine start, 'Show Me The Light' with a great synth bass line is another highlight, and 'Flash A Hungry Smile' with it's 80's Fleetwood Mac-style synths is terrific fun. There isn't really anything about this album that will make you return to it in the years or even months to come, but as far as indie pop records go, it's ok.
How to Dress Well-Love Remains
Debut album from Cologne based songwriter/producer Tom Krell under the moniker How to Dress Well, is a spacey, ethereal, nocturnal affair. Opening with snippets from what sounds like Twin Peaks, Love Remains is a 'complete album' that moves gently along and has a late night, druggy/sexy feel to it. Classed as 'ethereal RnB' on Wikipedia, the RnB element lurks well beneath the surface, as the dominating force here are the spacey instrumental passages and his haunting falsetto voice. There's a lot of lo-fi reverb here, but the album is never impenetrable and works well as background music and for something to pay attention to. I've only listened to the album a couple of times, but it keeps growing on me and I'll no doubt keep listening to it...so check it out.
Ceo-White Magic
First outing from Eric Berglund, one half of the iconoclastic Swedish synthpop duo The Tough Alliance and the first thing TTA-related album since 2007's brilliant and under-appreciated 'A New Chance' (check it out now). Like that record, it is less than 30 minutes long and breezes by with a fine collection of nu-Balearic (which TTA pretty much invented years before Delorean) pop songs. A little less ravey than 'A New Chance', closer to Berglund's blissed out Sincerely Yours labelmates jj, White Magic still uses catchy pop music as a template for serene dance music. Single 'Come With Me' and 'Illuminata' are instantly catchy and the whole record is very immediate. Better still is the percussion heavy title track, its euphoric synth strings reminiscent of The KLF's 'Last Train To Transcentral'. The final song 'Der Blomsterid Nu Kommer', a cover of a Swedish hymn is a suitable coda to an enjoyable album that's over far too soon.
Album Of The Month: Deerhunter-Halcyon Digest.
Touted as "the album they've been building up to", Deerhunter's new album arrives on a wave of critical praise and comparisons to Animal Collective's masterpiece 'Merriweather Post Pavilion'. Although it's nowhere near that work of genius, the comparisons are just, as the band's fourth album represents a big step forward to catchy songwriting, albeit still on their fuzzy, neo-shoegazing terms. The gentle, 'Earthquake' sets things off beautifully, suggesting a new dawn is breaking gently despite its aggressive title. 'Don't cry' and 'Revival' are both fine songs, but from the gorgeous 'Sailing' (sounding just like its title) the album takes off and doesn't leave room for any filler. The brief and joyous 'Memory Boy' makes for a fine early interlude before giving away to the epic 'Desire Lines' ending with an epic fadeout, that on any other album would be a perfect closing track. The album does, however, already have a perfect closing track; 'He Would Have Laughed' is a moving tribute to Jay Reatard who died in January. It's a bittersweet track, epic in length and with a gorgeous fadeout at the end, and it caps off an excellent album. Over the record lyrics float in and out of the mix and the whole album has a youthful, dreamy, nostalgic quality to it. A fine album and one of the best this year.
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti-Before Today
A so called 'debut album' from cult artist Ariel Pink, working with a full band and keeping in with the 'chillwave' scene he helped to start. Like many of these bands, the songs hark back to simple 60's pop/rock as the catchy melodies blend in with a decidedly cheap sounding production. That said, there are some good songs here, particularly the bouncy 'Bright Lit Blue Skies', 'L'estat', a reworking of one of his older songs, and the MOR, but in a good way, 'Round and Round'. Songwriting-wise, there is little that sets Before Today apart, but the DIY-style production does give it some charm.
Best Coast-Crazy for You
Yet another fuzzy, beach bound American indie band to add to the pile for albums this year. Best Coast are if nothing else, consistent. Their sound consists of simple drum beats, low fi guitar and sunny girl group style melodies from singer Bethany Cosentino. Lead track 'Boyfriend' and single 'Crazy for You' set the tone, and the album doesn't really deviate from the same formula throughout. It's a pleasing enough listen, and at 30 minutes and only one track lasting over three minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome, even if it lacks variety.
Tame Impala-Innerspeaker
Another hazy, neo-psychedelic offering this time from Australian four-piece Tame Impala, who are given some fine assistance from Flaming Lips/MGMT producer David Friedman. He boosts this record quite considerably; the production is very dense and at times reminiscent of some of Friedman's work on the last Flaming Lips album. The songs blend nicely into each other with only the occasional melody floating to the surface. Some of it is undeniably gorgeous, but this kind of sound is, through no fault of Tame Impala, really starting to become over-saturated.
Manic Street Preachers-Postcards from a Young Man
As much as 'Journal for Plague Lovers' was a welcome return to form, it did kind of paint the band into a corner. By resurrecting lost lyrics from Richey Edwards, and going back to a simple rock sound they confronted their past and laid it to rest with a well received album commonly thought of as a natural successor to their 1994 masterpiece 'The Holy Bible'. So, it seems natural that 'Postcards from a Young Man' which the band has dubbed their "last shot at mass communication" harks back to their first real commercial triumph 'Everything Must Go'. Unfortunately, while that album was a triumphant expression of survival in the face of tragedy, 'Postcards...' uses the blueprint to soften and saturate what might have been a worthwhile album. 'Journal For Plague Lovers' and 'Send Away The Tigers' re-established the Manics rock routes in a way that did not seem desperate, and made the most of James Dean Bradfield's considerable expertise as a guitar player, while Nicky Wire reigned in his more sixth form political tendencies. Here, they have taken a colossal step back, and far too many of the songs on 'Postcards...' are just, well...nice. The Ian McCullough collaboration 'Some Kind Of Nothingness' is really awful, the harmonized vocals on this and throughout the album sounding like Queen, while potentially interesting tracks like 'Hazelton Avenue' are missing a crucial guitary punch in the production and are instead drowned in strings. 'Golden Platitudes' benefits a little better from the production, as does the catchy lead single 'It's Not War, Just The End Of Love', but overall this a poor show in both songwriting and production. On 'All We Make Is Entertainment', Bradfield via Wire sings "I'm no longer preaching to the converted, that congregation has long ago deserted", if they carry on down this path, we all might.
Mystery Jets-Serotonin
New album from above-average indie pop darlings. I suppose the main question most people will ask of this record will be: is there anything here as good as 'Young Love' or 'Two Doors Down' from the last album 'Twenty One'? The answer is a negative, but there's still a number of pleasing enough tunes here. Opening track 'Alice Springs' is a fine start, 'Show Me The Light' with a great synth bass line is another highlight, and 'Flash A Hungry Smile' with it's 80's Fleetwood Mac-style synths is terrific fun. There isn't really anything about this album that will make you return to it in the years or even months to come, but as far as indie pop records go, it's ok.
How to Dress Well-Love Remains
Debut album from Cologne based songwriter/producer Tom Krell under the moniker How to Dress Well, is a spacey, ethereal, nocturnal affair. Opening with snippets from what sounds like Twin Peaks, Love Remains is a 'complete album' that moves gently along and has a late night, druggy/sexy feel to it. Classed as 'ethereal RnB' on Wikipedia, the RnB element lurks well beneath the surface, as the dominating force here are the spacey instrumental passages and his haunting falsetto voice. There's a lot of lo-fi reverb here, but the album is never impenetrable and works well as background music and for something to pay attention to. I've only listened to the album a couple of times, but it keeps growing on me and I'll no doubt keep listening to it...so check it out.
Ceo-White Magic
First outing from Eric Berglund, one half of the iconoclastic Swedish synthpop duo The Tough Alliance and the first thing TTA-related album since 2007's brilliant and under-appreciated 'A New Chance' (check it out now). Like that record, it is less than 30 minutes long and breezes by with a fine collection of nu-Balearic (which TTA pretty much invented years before Delorean) pop songs. A little less ravey than 'A New Chance', closer to Berglund's blissed out Sincerely Yours labelmates jj, White Magic still uses catchy pop music as a template for serene dance music. Single 'Come With Me' and 'Illuminata' are instantly catchy and the whole record is very immediate. Better still is the percussion heavy title track, its euphoric synth strings reminiscent of The KLF's 'Last Train To Transcentral'. The final song 'Der Blomsterid Nu Kommer', a cover of a Swedish hymn is a suitable coda to an enjoyable album that's over far too soon.
Album Of The Month: Deerhunter-Halcyon Digest.
Films I Saw In September
The Girl Who Played With Fire (Daniel Alfredson, 2009) The second film adaptation of Steig Larsson's best selling Millenium Trilogy is a watchable enough film, but inferior to its predecessor. The film, like the book, follows journalist Mikhail Blomkvist's attempts to clear computer hacker Lisbeth Salander's name after she is accused of a double murder. Much like the first film, this is very well cast, directed and performed but it's chief flaw lies in its adaptation. Like the first film, and some of the Harry Potter adaptations, it seems to be working with the assumption that you have already read the books and that this knowledge will fill any holes the film has. As a result, certain elements, crucially the solving of the central crime seem to have been completely overlooked. I'd be interested to hear a view from someone who has seen the film but not read the book, but this is a muddled adaptation of a decent modern thriller, which is made all the more frustrating due to the worthwhile contributions of director Alfredson and actors Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist as Salander and Blomkvist.
Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire (Lee Daniels, 2009)
Much acclaimed Oscar worhty film focus on the cheery subject matter of an overwright 16 year old girl (Gabourey Sidibe) in Harlem in the 1987, pregnant for the second time by her father and her attempts to get a decent education despite living with her truly monstrous mother (Mo'Nique). What otherwise appears to be your standard 'worthy issue film' is made somewhat colourful due to the interlude of several musical/fantasy sequences that serve to list the title character out of her never ending gloom. Although this film was much acclaimed when it first came out, I found it to be disappointing and felt the fantasy sequences to be too jarring. True, the alternative would be relentless misery, but it would have been more consistent. Where the film does shine though is in its outstanding central performances. Sidibe is superb as Precious, aggressive, vulnerable and worthy of pity and sympathy as well as frustration. But it's Moni'que's Oscar Winning performance has her mother that really shines; foul mouthed and utterly hateful but definitely human by the end of the film, it's this performance that most people will take away from this.
The Special Relationship (Richard Loncraine, 2010)
The third part in Peter Morgan's 'Blair Trilogy' (After 'The Deal' and 'The Queen') follows Tony Blair (Michael Sheen)'s rleationship with Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid) while the latter starts off as an inspiration to the young Briton before Blair starts to steal his moral thunder during the Kosovo crisis. Once again, Sheen does an excellent job as Blair, capturing his mannerisms without ever seeming like he's doing an impression. Quaid is also very good as Clinton, getting the voice near pitch perfect. Still, this is definitely the least satisfying of the Blair films, it lacks the classic rival mode of the first, and best one 'The Deal' and the compelling central performance by Helen Mirren in The Queen, but the main blame is with Morgan himself. In choosing the Clinton angle, he goes for a story without any real drama, Blair was never a real threat towards Clinton and considering the multitude of potentially interesting Blair affairs (Iraq, the fuel crisis the latter years of his relationship with Brown) the Kosovo angle sits awkwardly alongside the more engaging Lewisnky affair. So despite some good acting, this is a fairly muddled and clunky thirs chapter. I should add though that it is a TV film and works well in that ballpark unlike The Queen. It's quite interesting that Morgan has thrice chosen to write about Blair when he was at his most popular, and with an actor as good as Michael Sheen, if he does another Blair film, it would be interesting to see one about his fall from grace.
Bloody Sunday (Paul Greengrass, 2002)
The film that brought Greengrass, now one of the finest working mainstream directors to the public eye. This is a justiable angry film about the notorious massacre at a rally in Derry in the 70's recently and officially found to be the total fault of the attacking British soldiers. Although Greengrass, with his hand held cameras, frantic pacing and unflinching detail (which would reach full fruition on United 93), James Nesbitt delivers (alongside 'Millions') his finest dramatic role as SDLP member Ivan Cooper caught in the middle of the carnage. Hard watching at times, but a compelling and disturbing portrayal of one of the darkest moments in modern British military history.
Lebanon (Samule Moaz, 2009)
Along with Hurt Locker, this is one of the best war films of modern times. Set entirely within the confines of a tank, the film follows four Israeli soldiers through the battlefield in the 1982 Lebanese war. All views of the outside world are seen through the tank, and almost immediately, the film is claustrophobic, susenseful, intelligent and thoughful. Like many great war films (Come And See, Cross Of Iron, Hurt Locker and Full Metal Jacket), Lebanon does not concern itself with the politics of the conflict, focusing instead on the lives of the anonymous troops. All four actors give first rate performances, the direction is superb and the whole film is gripping from start to finish.
Adventureland (Greg Mottola, 2009)
Greg Mottola's follow up to the highly enjoyable 'Superbad' is a huge disappointment, that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Instead of making what should be classed as a 'comedy' it tries to be an 'indie style comedy' in the vein of 'Garden State' or the awful '500 Days Of Summer', as a result it unconvincingly walks the tightrope between both styles and fails on both accounts. Jesse Eisenberg (yes, sadly this isn't a sequel to Zombieland) is an awkward teenager forced to work in a theme park for the summer where he falls for a free spirited quirky indie girl (Kirsten Stewart) and meets some quirky friends along the way. We know exactly where the film is going pretty early on, it follows all the indie comedy blueprints to a T and lacks the jokes and charm of Superbad to make it ok. Also, why is this film set in the 1980's? Does Mottola think he's being "cool" or something? Perhaps I'm being hard on the film because when I watched it, I wanted a proper comedy and didn't get one...but even if I wanted an indie comedy, this isn't what I had in mind.
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
One of the most acclaimed films in the Ghibli cannon, which again features original characters, gorgeous animation and an engaging (and at times even confusing) storyline. I'm really not the best person to pass judgement on any Ghibli films, I've seen four of them now and I can't bring myself to really love any of them (though Ponyo comes close). So many people I know absolutely love these movies and it's like that particular emotion has been blocked from my brain for reasons I cannot fathom. I like them, I just don't love them. Still, 'Princess Mononoke' has clearly been lovingly put together, has far more intelligence and warmth than 99% of all other animated films these days and puts together a strong vocal cast for the English language version. I would just rather watch a Pixar film personally. It's not you, it's me.
I'm Still Here (Casey Affleck, 2010)
Now that it's been confirmed that the Joaquin Phoenix quit acting/start a hip-hop career stunt was bullshit, something we know all along it's worth taking a step back and viewing 'I'm Still Here' on its own terms. The truth is, it doesn't really matter whether it was real or not, 'I'm Still Here' achieves it's aim stated by Casey Affleck and is a funny and at times fascinating commentary on fame in the modern age. It's an interesting glimpse of how A-listers live their lives with their Entourages and how much they can get away with behaving really strangely and still have a platform to air their indulgences. Phoenix in this 'performance' as himself is superb, only rarely betraying the act. There are some amusing supporting contributions willingly or otherwise from Ben Stiller and especially Edward James Olmos and the film manages to be hilarious at times and quite sad towards the end where the real world comes in, as Phoenix perhaps comes to realise that his histrionics are going to affect his career in the real world. Where he's going to go from here is anyone's guess, but in any case 'I'm Still Here' is a funny and fascinating 'mockumentary' and well worth a look.
The Ghost (Roman Polanski, 2010)
A rather faithful adaptation of Robert Harris' bestseller about an unnamed ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) assigned to write the memoirs of an unpopular, Blair-like politician (Piers Brosnan) after his predecessor has mysteriously died. The film, despite being well acted, has one of the biggest collections of strange accents I've ever seen from Scot McGregor's 'Lahndahn' geezer-ness, Kim Cattral's 'dahling-ness' and Brosnan who takes Blair's chameleon like qualities to the extreme in that he seems to flirt with every accent on the British Isles at some point in a manner that is quite extraordinary. Still, much like the book, the film is always watchable and engaging throughout and directed with an elegiac tenseness from Polanski, proving again he's still a force to be reckoned with, but as with the source novel, the ending is pretty ludicrous and it's a bit silly throughout. Still diverting enough and worth your time though.
Film Of The Month: Lebanon.
Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire (Lee Daniels, 2009)
Much acclaimed Oscar worhty film focus on the cheery subject matter of an overwright 16 year old girl (Gabourey Sidibe) in Harlem in the 1987, pregnant for the second time by her father and her attempts to get a decent education despite living with her truly monstrous mother (Mo'Nique). What otherwise appears to be your standard 'worthy issue film' is made somewhat colourful due to the interlude of several musical/fantasy sequences that serve to list the title character out of her never ending gloom. Although this film was much acclaimed when it first came out, I found it to be disappointing and felt the fantasy sequences to be too jarring. True, the alternative would be relentless misery, but it would have been more consistent. Where the film does shine though is in its outstanding central performances. Sidibe is superb as Precious, aggressive, vulnerable and worthy of pity and sympathy as well as frustration. But it's Moni'que's Oscar Winning performance has her mother that really shines; foul mouthed and utterly hateful but definitely human by the end of the film, it's this performance that most people will take away from this.
The Special Relationship (Richard Loncraine, 2010)
The third part in Peter Morgan's 'Blair Trilogy' (After 'The Deal' and 'The Queen') follows Tony Blair (Michael Sheen)'s rleationship with Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid) while the latter starts off as an inspiration to the young Briton before Blair starts to steal his moral thunder during the Kosovo crisis. Once again, Sheen does an excellent job as Blair, capturing his mannerisms without ever seeming like he's doing an impression. Quaid is also very good as Clinton, getting the voice near pitch perfect. Still, this is definitely the least satisfying of the Blair films, it lacks the classic rival mode of the first, and best one 'The Deal' and the compelling central performance by Helen Mirren in The Queen, but the main blame is with Morgan himself. In choosing the Clinton angle, he goes for a story without any real drama, Blair was never a real threat towards Clinton and considering the multitude of potentially interesting Blair affairs (Iraq, the fuel crisis the latter years of his relationship with Brown) the Kosovo angle sits awkwardly alongside the more engaging Lewisnky affair. So despite some good acting, this is a fairly muddled and clunky thirs chapter. I should add though that it is a TV film and works well in that ballpark unlike The Queen. It's quite interesting that Morgan has thrice chosen to write about Blair when he was at his most popular, and with an actor as good as Michael Sheen, if he does another Blair film, it would be interesting to see one about his fall from grace.
Bloody Sunday (Paul Greengrass, 2002)
The film that brought Greengrass, now one of the finest working mainstream directors to the public eye. This is a justiable angry film about the notorious massacre at a rally in Derry in the 70's recently and officially found to be the total fault of the attacking British soldiers. Although Greengrass, with his hand held cameras, frantic pacing and unflinching detail (which would reach full fruition on United 93), James Nesbitt delivers (alongside 'Millions') his finest dramatic role as SDLP member Ivan Cooper caught in the middle of the carnage. Hard watching at times, but a compelling and disturbing portrayal of one of the darkest moments in modern British military history.
Lebanon (Samule Moaz, 2009)
Along with Hurt Locker, this is one of the best war films of modern times. Set entirely within the confines of a tank, the film follows four Israeli soldiers through the battlefield in the 1982 Lebanese war. All views of the outside world are seen through the tank, and almost immediately, the film is claustrophobic, susenseful, intelligent and thoughful. Like many great war films (Come And See, Cross Of Iron, Hurt Locker and Full Metal Jacket), Lebanon does not concern itself with the politics of the conflict, focusing instead on the lives of the anonymous troops. All four actors give first rate performances, the direction is superb and the whole film is gripping from start to finish.
Adventureland (Greg Mottola, 2009)
Greg Mottola's follow up to the highly enjoyable 'Superbad' is a huge disappointment, that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Instead of making what should be classed as a 'comedy' it tries to be an 'indie style comedy' in the vein of 'Garden State' or the awful '500 Days Of Summer', as a result it unconvincingly walks the tightrope between both styles and fails on both accounts. Jesse Eisenberg (yes, sadly this isn't a sequel to Zombieland) is an awkward teenager forced to work in a theme park for the summer where he falls for a free spirited quirky indie girl (Kirsten Stewart) and meets some quirky friends along the way. We know exactly where the film is going pretty early on, it follows all the indie comedy blueprints to a T and lacks the jokes and charm of Superbad to make it ok. Also, why is this film set in the 1980's? Does Mottola think he's being "cool" or something? Perhaps I'm being hard on the film because when I watched it, I wanted a proper comedy and didn't get one...but even if I wanted an indie comedy, this isn't what I had in mind.
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
One of the most acclaimed films in the Ghibli cannon, which again features original characters, gorgeous animation and an engaging (and at times even confusing) storyline. I'm really not the best person to pass judgement on any Ghibli films, I've seen four of them now and I can't bring myself to really love any of them (though Ponyo comes close). So many people I know absolutely love these movies and it's like that particular emotion has been blocked from my brain for reasons I cannot fathom. I like them, I just don't love them. Still, 'Princess Mononoke' has clearly been lovingly put together, has far more intelligence and warmth than 99% of all other animated films these days and puts together a strong vocal cast for the English language version. I would just rather watch a Pixar film personally. It's not you, it's me.
I'm Still Here (Casey Affleck, 2010)
Now that it's been confirmed that the Joaquin Phoenix quit acting/start a hip-hop career stunt was bullshit, something we know all along it's worth taking a step back and viewing 'I'm Still Here' on its own terms. The truth is, it doesn't really matter whether it was real or not, 'I'm Still Here' achieves it's aim stated by Casey Affleck and is a funny and at times fascinating commentary on fame in the modern age. It's an interesting glimpse of how A-listers live their lives with their Entourages and how much they can get away with behaving really strangely and still have a platform to air their indulgences. Phoenix in this 'performance' as himself is superb, only rarely betraying the act. There are some amusing supporting contributions willingly or otherwise from Ben Stiller and especially Edward James Olmos and the film manages to be hilarious at times and quite sad towards the end where the real world comes in, as Phoenix perhaps comes to realise that his histrionics are going to affect his career in the real world. Where he's going to go from here is anyone's guess, but in any case 'I'm Still Here' is a funny and fascinating 'mockumentary' and well worth a look.
The Ghost (Roman Polanski, 2010)
A rather faithful adaptation of Robert Harris' bestseller about an unnamed ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) assigned to write the memoirs of an unpopular, Blair-like politician (Piers Brosnan) after his predecessor has mysteriously died. The film, despite being well acted, has one of the biggest collections of strange accents I've ever seen from Scot McGregor's 'Lahndahn' geezer-ness, Kim Cattral's 'dahling-ness' and Brosnan who takes Blair's chameleon like qualities to the extreme in that he seems to flirt with every accent on the British Isles at some point in a manner that is quite extraordinary. Still, much like the book, the film is always watchable and engaging throughout and directed with an elegiac tenseness from Polanski, proving again he's still a force to be reckoned with, but as with the source novel, the ending is pretty ludicrous and it's a bit silly throughout. Still diverting enough and worth your time though.
Film Of The Month: Lebanon.
Albums I Heard In September
Bit late again, sadly and only heard two albums in September. But here they are...
Klaxons-Surfing The Void
Along with MGMT's 'Congratulations', this is one of the most difficult second albums of recent times. Surfing The Void is the final result of an album recorded several times over, due to the apparent "denseness" of the original recordings. Now it's arrived, it has left the top 40 in less than a month, a huge disappointment from the Mercury Prize winners. Still, musically how does it add up? Well, it's certainly a step away from their 'new rave' days, and is a far more mature and 'indie' sounding record. Things get off to a good start with Echoes, at first slight but with more listens becomes quietly compelling. Most of the other tracks do not fare as well, the title track is a clear attempt to make a proper indie psychadelic tune, but it just stutters around without any kind of hook or genuine trippy-ness. The record is not helped by production from Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot) who creates a dense, murky texture and is totally unsuited to this particular indie dance band. It's a shame that sessions with James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco) floundered, as his production on the first album helped push the Klaxons above a lot of the dross around at the time and promising tracks like Valley of Calm Trees, reminiscent of 'Magick' lack the impact they should have, while other tracks like 'Extra Astronomical' are instantly forgettable. Still, there's no denying there is a definite dip in songwriting quality here, and as a result Surfing The Void is not only disappointing, but it's also dull. Perhaps with no doubt far less pressure from the record label and public, they can produce a decent third album.
Big Boi-Sir Luscious Leftfoot: Son Of Chico Dusty
The long awaited solo debut (or sophomore, if you count Speakerboxx) from one of the Outkast lads is a superb piece of work, terrific fun, worthy of the Outkast brand and sits well alongside his protegee Janelle Monae's album as one of the years' best. Much like the best of Outkast's work alongside their predecessors (Prince, Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone) Big Boi's debut indiscriminately takes elements of black and white music, old and new and makes it sound totally contemporary. Single 'Shutterbug', much like 'Stylo' off the Gorillaz album, doesn't sound like an immediate choice for a single but it creeps up and stays with you and is a low key hit. Elsewhere, the bombastic 'General Patton' is a massive onslaught, brass band and choirs galore sounds suitably ambitious and early track 'Turns Me On' is the kind of low key club track Big Boi does best. If there are any criticisms, it's that the album is slightly overlong...though it would be hard to tell what tracks to cut from here. Also it's a pity the Andre 3000 collaborations aren't present, though this is the reason for the album's long delayed release. Either way, mixed in with some truly bizarre lyrics ("The David Blaine" is an immediate standout) and great guest spots from Janelle Monae, Jamie Foxx and George Clinton amongst others, this is a superb record and more than wets ones appetite for the next Outkast album.
Album Of The Month: Big Boi's though even if I'd listened to more I'm sure it would still be the best.
Klaxons-Surfing The Void
Along with MGMT's 'Congratulations', this is one of the most difficult second albums of recent times. Surfing The Void is the final result of an album recorded several times over, due to the apparent "denseness" of the original recordings. Now it's arrived, it has left the top 40 in less than a month, a huge disappointment from the Mercury Prize winners. Still, musically how does it add up? Well, it's certainly a step away from their 'new rave' days, and is a far more mature and 'indie' sounding record. Things get off to a good start with Echoes, at first slight but with more listens becomes quietly compelling. Most of the other tracks do not fare as well, the title track is a clear attempt to make a proper indie psychadelic tune, but it just stutters around without any kind of hook or genuine trippy-ness. The record is not helped by production from Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot) who creates a dense, murky texture and is totally unsuited to this particular indie dance band. It's a shame that sessions with James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco) floundered, as his production on the first album helped push the Klaxons above a lot of the dross around at the time and promising tracks like Valley of Calm Trees, reminiscent of 'Magick' lack the impact they should have, while other tracks like 'Extra Astronomical' are instantly forgettable. Still, there's no denying there is a definite dip in songwriting quality here, and as a result Surfing The Void is not only disappointing, but it's also dull. Perhaps with no doubt far less pressure from the record label and public, they can produce a decent third album.
Big Boi-Sir Luscious Leftfoot: Son Of Chico Dusty
The long awaited solo debut (or sophomore, if you count Speakerboxx) from one of the Outkast lads is a superb piece of work, terrific fun, worthy of the Outkast brand and sits well alongside his protegee Janelle Monae's album as one of the years' best. Much like the best of Outkast's work alongside their predecessors (Prince, Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone) Big Boi's debut indiscriminately takes elements of black and white music, old and new and makes it sound totally contemporary. Single 'Shutterbug', much like 'Stylo' off the Gorillaz album, doesn't sound like an immediate choice for a single but it creeps up and stays with you and is a low key hit. Elsewhere, the bombastic 'General Patton' is a massive onslaught, brass band and choirs galore sounds suitably ambitious and early track 'Turns Me On' is the kind of low key club track Big Boi does best. If there are any criticisms, it's that the album is slightly overlong...though it would be hard to tell what tracks to cut from here. Also it's a pity the Andre 3000 collaborations aren't present, though this is the reason for the album's long delayed release. Either way, mixed in with some truly bizarre lyrics ("The David Blaine" is an immediate standout) and great guest spots from Janelle Monae, Jamie Foxx and George Clinton amongst others, this is a superb record and more than wets ones appetite for the next Outkast album.
Album Of The Month: Big Boi's though even if I'd listened to more I'm sure it would still be the best.
Films I Saw In August
Un Prophète (Jacques Audiard, 2009)
An outstanding crime epic that sits alongside Mesrine as a double act of fine 21st century crime films, French or otherwise. Boosted by a towering performance from Tahar Rahim as a young convict who rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld while in jail, it offers a brutal and utterly convincing portrayal of the French prison system. It's long, but never drags and is the work of a director at the top of his game. We should play close attention to what Audiard and Rahim do next.
Capitalism: A Love Story (Michael Moore, 2010
Yet another infuriating, small minded, simplistic, patronising piece of work from the man who gives the left a bad name. "Capitalism" contains all the typical Moore hallmarks of ambushing undeserving targets and looking really hurt in the process and his manipulative montage techniques. Still, it's hard not to be moved by the plight of some of the families in this film, who have genuinely been let down by their government, but it's Moore's presentation that really irks me. Especially as capitalism has been clearly very good to him, and he declines to offer any reasonable alternative system at all.
Micmacs (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2009
Jean Pierre Jeunet has been building up to this film for a long time, his quirk-o-meter has finally exploded in this tale of circus style misfits who take revenge on an arms dealer whose bullets caused one of their members to fall into a coma and lose his job. Unlike Amelie, this film doesn't grip us emotionally enough to justify it's visual flights of fancy, as impressive as they can be at times. Again, it's a little too quirky for me but others may well like it.
The Box (Richard Kelly, 2010)
Richard Kelly's follow up to the bloated, batshit insane disaster that was Southland Tales is a rather disappoint sub-standard thriller. It begins with an interesting premise (woman recieves a box with a button, if she pushes it she will recieve a million dollars but someone she knows will die) but then descends into daftness involving spaceships and secret government projects all of which are pretty stock. Overall, very disappointing with poor performances from all, except Frank Langella who is very watchable as the boxes' mysterious owner.
Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
There seems to have been a bit of a backlash to Nolan's newest mind bending action thriller; I feel this is a natural consequence to a critically acclaimed film that has done well financially. The plot, too sprawling to explain here involves Di Caprio and his team trying to 'plant a thought' in Cillian Murphy's head. With its booming brass score, head exploding plot and thrilling action sequences, it's been a fully justifiable success. It's not a perfect film, the dialogue is a tad overblown, the characters are too similar and it is way too long, but it's a fine, intelligent big budget thriller and is well worth a go.
Gainsbourg, Vie Héroïque (Joann Sfar, 2010)
The current trend for musical biopics continues with this, a look at the life of French playboy singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, played brilliantly by Joann Sfar. Unfortunately the film is very episodic in nature and consists of little more than our hero (accompanied by a puppet 'Gainsbarre' version of himself) wandering from woman to woman and getting rather drunk in the process. Much like Gainsbourg's life to be honest. Still, this isn't really film material, and there isn't much of an arc to keep it going despite very strong performances from Sfar and the late Lucy Gordon as Jane Birkin. Watchable, but a bit pointless.
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (Mat Whitecross, 2010)
Yet another music biopic. As much as I like his music, I'm not sure the story of legendary pub/punk singer Ian Dury is really fit for a film. Sure, he overcame polio and a limp to become a celebrated wit and lyricist and had a slightly turbulant personal life (as all musicians seem to, as I've discovered) but that's about it. The film tries to overcome this however with a lot of 'over-directing' and visual gimmicks that don't always work. However it succeeds enormously with Andy Serkis' spot on portryal of Dury, looking at clips of the man himself on youtube and Serkis' portrayal, much like his of Martin Hannett in 24HPP is near flawless and elevates the film considerably as a result.
I Love You Phillip Morris (Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, 2010)
One of Jim Carrey's superior 'serious' films, 'I Love You Phillip Morris' is a strange combination of gay romance/prison/con artist film pulling each off pretty well. It tells the story of a con artist (Carrey) and his many prison breaks and frauduant escapades including successfully impersonating a lawyer, judge, doctor, and corporate CEO to various degrees of success, all the while trying to balance this with his prison cellmate Phillip Morris and it's all a true story! I can imagine this was quite a problematic film for the studio to market as it's quite off the wall for a true story, it's nearest cinematic cousin is probably Soderbergh's disappointing 'The Informant!'. Still, I really enjoyed this film, it has Carrey's best performance since 'Eternal Sunshine...' and although containing one of Ewan McGregory's 'American Accent' performances, it's his best for a while too. Well scripted, engaging throughout, funny and oddly moving at times it's well worth seeing.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World (Edgar Wright, 2010)
Edgar Wright's effective 'solo album' and Hollywood debut is a wildly enjoyable geek comedy. Michael Cera falls for the girl of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winested) and has to defeat her seven 'evil exes' in several street fighter like encounters. Although the film can be repetitive in it's fight scenes and Cera is a tad miscast in the title role, it's an exciting and vibrant film that's great fun to watch and has some great supporting performances (Jason Schwartzmen and especially Brandon Rourth are excellent as two of the exes). It's a bit too Geekcentric for some possibly, and I'm not sure how older or non gamer audiences would like it as much, but I thought it was great fun and bodes well for Wright's future directorial career.
Bad Lieutenant (Abel Ferrara, 1992)
The "original" to this year's Bad Lieutenant is, in reality, nothing like Herzog's crazed triumph, it's far darker, rooted in catholic guilt and features an even worse Lieutenant played by Harvey Kietel. Like most Ferrara films it looks grainy and bleak and is at times frustrating, sometimes it seems it's trying to shock just for the sake of it. Nevertheless, this features one of Kietel's best performances in his long career and has a moody over the top insanity to it. Personally I prefer Herzog's film, but in all honesty they are completely different.
Film Of The Month: Un Prophète
An outstanding crime epic that sits alongside Mesrine as a double act of fine 21st century crime films, French or otherwise. Boosted by a towering performance from Tahar Rahim as a young convict who rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld while in jail, it offers a brutal and utterly convincing portrayal of the French prison system. It's long, but never drags and is the work of a director at the top of his game. We should play close attention to what Audiard and Rahim do next.
Capitalism: A Love Story (Michael Moore, 2010
Yet another infuriating, small minded, simplistic, patronising piece of work from the man who gives the left a bad name. "Capitalism" contains all the typical Moore hallmarks of ambushing undeserving targets and looking really hurt in the process and his manipulative montage techniques. Still, it's hard not to be moved by the plight of some of the families in this film, who have genuinely been let down by their government, but it's Moore's presentation that really irks me. Especially as capitalism has been clearly very good to him, and he declines to offer any reasonable alternative system at all.
Micmacs (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2009
Jean Pierre Jeunet has been building up to this film for a long time, his quirk-o-meter has finally exploded in this tale of circus style misfits who take revenge on an arms dealer whose bullets caused one of their members to fall into a coma and lose his job. Unlike Amelie, this film doesn't grip us emotionally enough to justify it's visual flights of fancy, as impressive as they can be at times. Again, it's a little too quirky for me but others may well like it.
The Box (Richard Kelly, 2010)
Richard Kelly's follow up to the bloated, batshit insane disaster that was Southland Tales is a rather disappoint sub-standard thriller. It begins with an interesting premise (woman recieves a box with a button, if she pushes it she will recieve a million dollars but someone she knows will die) but then descends into daftness involving spaceships and secret government projects all of which are pretty stock. Overall, very disappointing with poor performances from all, except Frank Langella who is very watchable as the boxes' mysterious owner.
Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
There seems to have been a bit of a backlash to Nolan's newest mind bending action thriller; I feel this is a natural consequence to a critically acclaimed film that has done well financially. The plot, too sprawling to explain here involves Di Caprio and his team trying to 'plant a thought' in Cillian Murphy's head. With its booming brass score, head exploding plot and thrilling action sequences, it's been a fully justifiable success. It's not a perfect film, the dialogue is a tad overblown, the characters are too similar and it is way too long, but it's a fine, intelligent big budget thriller and is well worth a go.
Gainsbourg, Vie Héroïque (Joann Sfar, 2010)
The current trend for musical biopics continues with this, a look at the life of French playboy singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, played brilliantly by Joann Sfar. Unfortunately the film is very episodic in nature and consists of little more than our hero (accompanied by a puppet 'Gainsbarre' version of himself) wandering from woman to woman and getting rather drunk in the process. Much like Gainsbourg's life to be honest. Still, this isn't really film material, and there isn't much of an arc to keep it going despite very strong performances from Sfar and the late Lucy Gordon as Jane Birkin. Watchable, but a bit pointless.
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (Mat Whitecross, 2010)
Yet another music biopic. As much as I like his music, I'm not sure the story of legendary pub/punk singer Ian Dury is really fit for a film. Sure, he overcame polio and a limp to become a celebrated wit and lyricist and had a slightly turbulant personal life (as all musicians seem to, as I've discovered) but that's about it. The film tries to overcome this however with a lot of 'over-directing' and visual gimmicks that don't always work. However it succeeds enormously with Andy Serkis' spot on portryal of Dury, looking at clips of the man himself on youtube and Serkis' portrayal, much like his of Martin Hannett in 24HPP is near flawless and elevates the film considerably as a result.
I Love You Phillip Morris (Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, 2010)
One of Jim Carrey's superior 'serious' films, 'I Love You Phillip Morris' is a strange combination of gay romance/prison/con artist film pulling each off pretty well. It tells the story of a con artist (Carrey) and his many prison breaks and frauduant escapades including successfully impersonating a lawyer, judge, doctor, and corporate CEO to various degrees of success, all the while trying to balance this with his prison cellmate Phillip Morris and it's all a true story! I can imagine this was quite a problematic film for the studio to market as it's quite off the wall for a true story, it's nearest cinematic cousin is probably Soderbergh's disappointing 'The Informant!'. Still, I really enjoyed this film, it has Carrey's best performance since 'Eternal Sunshine...' and although containing one of Ewan McGregory's 'American Accent' performances, it's his best for a while too. Well scripted, engaging throughout, funny and oddly moving at times it's well worth seeing.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World (Edgar Wright, 2010)
Edgar Wright's effective 'solo album' and Hollywood debut is a wildly enjoyable geek comedy. Michael Cera falls for the girl of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winested) and has to defeat her seven 'evil exes' in several street fighter like encounters. Although the film can be repetitive in it's fight scenes and Cera is a tad miscast in the title role, it's an exciting and vibrant film that's great fun to watch and has some great supporting performances (Jason Schwartzmen and especially Brandon Rourth are excellent as two of the exes). It's a bit too Geekcentric for some possibly, and I'm not sure how older or non gamer audiences would like it as much, but I thought it was great fun and bodes well for Wright's future directorial career.
Bad Lieutenant (Abel Ferrara, 1992)
The "original" to this year's Bad Lieutenant is, in reality, nothing like Herzog's crazed triumph, it's far darker, rooted in catholic guilt and features an even worse Lieutenant played by Harvey Kietel. Like most Ferrara films it looks grainy and bleak and is at times frustrating, sometimes it seems it's trying to shock just for the sake of it. Nevertheless, this features one of Kietel's best performances in his long career and has a moody over the top insanity to it. Personally I prefer Herzog's film, but in all honesty they are completely different.
Film Of The Month: Un Prophète
Albums I Heard In August.
Sorry these are a bit late, just got around to this Bestival/Birthday and all...
Robyn-Body Talk Pt. 2
The second part of Robyn's triple album statement of 2010 is another fine slice of electro pop that suffers only in comparison to the excellent first part. Not that there's anything embarassing here, the opening 'In My Eyes' is a good, catchy opener, 'Love Kills' is a great, pulsatic would be single and the main single 'Hang With Me', probably the best track, is a fine tune worthy of 'With Every Heartbeat'. Also of note is the Snoop Dogg collaboration 'U Should Know Better' probably the most idiosyncratic song here that's also great fun (is it me or is 2010 the year of "feat. Snoop Dogg" as 2003 was the year of "feat. Sean Paul"?). If Body Talk Pt. 2 falters, it's because it isn't quite as eclectic as it's predecessor, focusing mainly on harsh, dancefloor fillers and thus lacks the variety of Pt. 1.
Major Laser/La Roux-Lazerproof
I wasn't really a fan of Lazerproof's 'Gun's Don't Kill People, Lazers Do' from last year, despite its awesome artwork, but I've somehow warmed more to this mash up album of La Roux tracks, and their own songs with a few remixes thrown in. It covers a lot of ground from dancehall, reggae, electro and hip-hop and for the most part is pretty successful. The best tracks include 'Im Not Your Lemonade', 'Magic (Falling Soldier Dub)' and an appearance by the now legendary Skream mix of 'In For The Kill'.
Animal Collective-ODDSAC
Tricky one this. If ODDSAC was actually an album proper it would be treated as the kind of anti-star piece of work that often follows mainstream breakthroughs (in this case AC's glorious masterpiece Merriweather Post Pavillion). Instead it is the soundtrack to their debut film, which perhaps crucially I have yet to see, it's also the end result of a project they have been developing since 'Strawberry Jam'. On the basis of this music though, it's probably going to be the trippy drug fest I imagine it to me and the ODDSAC OST certainly does feel like a psychadelic soundtrack. Also, it's hard to pick out individual moments and I have to say I have not yet warmed to this. Maybe I need to see the film, but for me Animal Collective work best when they take what we know to be familiar music and song structures and make them sound like nothing else before or since. Their best songs (Fireworks, Banshee Beat, Brother Sport, My Girls) all do this and are among the best tunes of the last ten years. Maybe I'm missing the point and their intentions but it's hard not to be a little disappointed by the ODDSAC soundtrack. Despite this, 'Screens' is a lovely acoustic detour and 'Tantrum Barb' is pretty good too; basically the vocal tracks that actually sound like Animal Collective
Arcade Fire-The Suburbs
You have to hand it to Arcade Fire, they do their best not to cover old ground. Their masterful debut album 'Funeral' focused on personal grief, while it's disappointing follow-up 'Neon Bible' was overblown and highly spiritual. With 'The Suburbs' they sum their lyrical concerns up with the title, while widening their scope to an epic 16-track LP that represents an excellent 'return to form'. Starting with the catchy, but low key title track before moving to 'Ready To Start' the arrangements from the get go are more stripped down and devoid of the church organ sound that cluttered many of the tracks on 'Neon Bible'. The middle section of the album is by far the best, from the quick gorgeous rush of 'Empty Room' to the desolate 'Suburban War' with 'Half Light II (No Celebration) at the albums halfway point and feeling like a glorious centrepiece. At times, 'The Suburbs' feels a little overlong, particularly in the first half of the record, but overall this is a fine confirmation of Arcade Fire's status in the higher echelons of indie rock.
Album Of The Month: Arcade Fire-The Suburbs
Robyn-Body Talk Pt. 2
The second part of Robyn's triple album statement of 2010 is another fine slice of electro pop that suffers only in comparison to the excellent first part. Not that there's anything embarassing here, the opening 'In My Eyes' is a good, catchy opener, 'Love Kills' is a great, pulsatic would be single and the main single 'Hang With Me', probably the best track, is a fine tune worthy of 'With Every Heartbeat'. Also of note is the Snoop Dogg collaboration 'U Should Know Better' probably the most idiosyncratic song here that's also great fun (is it me or is 2010 the year of "feat. Snoop Dogg" as 2003 was the year of "feat. Sean Paul"?). If Body Talk Pt. 2 falters, it's because it isn't quite as eclectic as it's predecessor, focusing mainly on harsh, dancefloor fillers and thus lacks the variety of Pt. 1.
Major Laser/La Roux-Lazerproof
I wasn't really a fan of Lazerproof's 'Gun's Don't Kill People, Lazers Do' from last year, despite its awesome artwork, but I've somehow warmed more to this mash up album of La Roux tracks, and their own songs with a few remixes thrown in. It covers a lot of ground from dancehall, reggae, electro and hip-hop and for the most part is pretty successful. The best tracks include 'Im Not Your Lemonade', 'Magic (Falling Soldier Dub)' and an appearance by the now legendary Skream mix of 'In For The Kill'.
Animal Collective-ODDSAC
Tricky one this. If ODDSAC was actually an album proper it would be treated as the kind of anti-star piece of work that often follows mainstream breakthroughs (in this case AC's glorious masterpiece Merriweather Post Pavillion). Instead it is the soundtrack to their debut film, which perhaps crucially I have yet to see, it's also the end result of a project they have been developing since 'Strawberry Jam'. On the basis of this music though, it's probably going to be the trippy drug fest I imagine it to me and the ODDSAC OST certainly does feel like a psychadelic soundtrack. Also, it's hard to pick out individual moments and I have to say I have not yet warmed to this. Maybe I need to see the film, but for me Animal Collective work best when they take what we know to be familiar music and song structures and make them sound like nothing else before or since. Their best songs (Fireworks, Banshee Beat, Brother Sport, My Girls) all do this and are among the best tunes of the last ten years. Maybe I'm missing the point and their intentions but it's hard not to be a little disappointed by the ODDSAC soundtrack. Despite this, 'Screens' is a lovely acoustic detour and 'Tantrum Barb' is pretty good too; basically the vocal tracks that actually sound like Animal Collective
Arcade Fire-The Suburbs
You have to hand it to Arcade Fire, they do their best not to cover old ground. Their masterful debut album 'Funeral' focused on personal grief, while it's disappointing follow-up 'Neon Bible' was overblown and highly spiritual. With 'The Suburbs' they sum their lyrical concerns up with the title, while widening their scope to an epic 16-track LP that represents an excellent 'return to form'. Starting with the catchy, but low key title track before moving to 'Ready To Start' the arrangements from the get go are more stripped down and devoid of the church organ sound that cluttered many of the tracks on 'Neon Bible'. The middle section of the album is by far the best, from the quick gorgeous rush of 'Empty Room' to the desolate 'Suburban War' with 'Half Light II (No Celebration) at the albums halfway point and feeling like a glorious centrepiece. At times, 'The Suburbs' feels a little overlong, particularly in the first half of the record, but overall this is a fine confirmation of Arcade Fire's status in the higher echelons of indie rock.
Album Of The Month: Arcade Fire-The Suburbs
Tuesday 10 August 2010
Albums I Heard In July
M.I.A-/\/\ /\ Y /\
So the backlash has started at last. This, the infuriatingly titled new release from M.I.A. (which I'll just refer to as Maya from now on) is a crushing disappointment. Over the last few years I have been able to ignore M.I.A's regular and foolish and idiotic political statements (Facebook is run by the CIA! The Tower Hamlets MP flooded the area with heroin to sedate the Bengali's) because she has turned out a sizeable number of brilliant tunes (Boyz, Jimmy, Bucky Done Gun, Galang, Paper Planes etc etc) thanks in no small part to her production team (especially Diplo and Switch). With Maya, however she has allowed her sense of paranoia and seemingly unwavering belief that she is under attack filter into her music. The majority of Maya throws huge sounding blips, synths and drums at you without any sense of direction, it tries to batter you into submission but ends up sounding flat. Now, I am in no way moaning about the lack of a 'Paper Planes' or 'Jimmy' single, the opening trio of the masterpiece 'Kala' (Bamboo Banga, Bird Flu, Boyz) was a superb hurricane style onslaught but controlled with a sense of vision and effortless ability. In 'Maya' we are left with a hollow shell of an album, devoid of any heart or emotion (the vocoder overkill doesn't help either). The intro 'The Message' complete with the most annoying lyrics of the year thus far "iphone connected to google connected to the government" followed by the flat 'Steppin Up' do not make a good start. 'Meds and Feds', a collaboration with Sleigh Bells is also a wasted opportunity, a nice idea in principal but really just doesn't work. Single 'XXXO' is enjoyable enough, but it seems like she's in search of a pop moment and it just sounds like a Lady GaGa reject. The best track by far is the teaser 'Born Free' which retains an element of power even shorn from its controversial video and is probably the only track that is a match for anything on Arular or Kala. I'll still listen to whatever she does next, but here M.I.A has fallen for Third Album Syndrome big time.
The Radio Dept.-Clinging To A Scheme
New album from the latest 'neo-shoegazers' The Radio Dept. is a very worthwhile affair. The singles, especially 'Heaven's On Fire' make it a worthwhile listen but the album tracks, particularly 'Never Follow Suit' are pretty much solid indie rock stuff. Not life changing but perfectly passable.
The Drums-The Drums
Along with Delphic, The Drums were probably the best act on this year's Sound of 2010 list. Sadly like that group, their debut album seems to have had a decent first week position only to drop down like a lead zeppelin soon after. Still though, this is an enjoyable worthwhile listen and one of the year's more immediate records. Basically, they are a sunny indie band with 50's style melodies that you absorb fairly quickly. The bouncy 'Best Friend' sets the tone for things to come, two tracks later coming to the excellent 'Let's Go Swimming', lead single and probably the best track on here. 'Book of Dreams' is a wistful growing up style song very much in the Brian Wilson vein, 'Down By The Water' is just gorgeous, and on tracks like 'Skippin' Town' you find yourself singing along to the lyrics without even realising it. The Drums do live up to their hype at least as far as music goes; and this is a fun, likable album, if a tad samey. Nevertheless, it looks like, at this stage anyway, they won't become arena killers yet.
Robyn-Body Talk pt. 1
Robyn, despite having the superb #1 hit 'With Every Heartbeat' seems destined to fall down the same career path as Annie; namely crafting superb electo/dance/pop tunes that for some strange reason are completely ignored by the mainstream. This, the first of three albums out this year stalled at 47 on the album charts which to me is a real shame, because 'Body Talk Pt. 1' gives most other pop albums this year a proper run for their money. At 30 minutes and 8-tracks it's a very lean album, and time will tell with the subsequent 'Body Talks' if this should have been a longer, single album but on the strength of these tunes Robyn has plenty of fine pop songs up her sleeve to keep us busy for the rest of the year. The opening half is particularly strong, 'Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do' opens brilliantly with a call and response and general grumble about modern life that doesn't pause for breath until we get to the excellent 'Fembot'. After this is the albums centrepiece, 'Dancing On My Own', just as good as 'With Every Heartbeat' and like that fine record, it's a slow burner that creeps up on you the more you listen to it. Elsewhere, 'Dancehall Queen' sees her paired with Diplo who does a fine job on a deceptively straightforward song and winds up being better than any of his work on the M.I.A album. The latter half of the album winds things down slowly with the moody Royskopp collaboration 'None of Dem', lovely acoustic version of 'Hang With Me' and ending with a sweet sounding Swedish traditional song. The only real criticism of 'Body Talk Pt. 1' is that it's way too short, but in the light of the forthcoming parts, this may be best enjoyed as a whole experience. Either way, this is certainly enough to wet ones appetite for more.
Album Of The Month: Robyn-Body Talk Pt. 2
So the backlash has started at last. This, the infuriatingly titled new release from M.I.A. (which I'll just refer to as Maya from now on) is a crushing disappointment. Over the last few years I have been able to ignore M.I.A's regular and foolish and idiotic political statements (Facebook is run by the CIA! The Tower Hamlets MP flooded the area with heroin to sedate the Bengali's) because she has turned out a sizeable number of brilliant tunes (Boyz, Jimmy, Bucky Done Gun, Galang, Paper Planes etc etc) thanks in no small part to her production team (especially Diplo and Switch). With Maya, however she has allowed her sense of paranoia and seemingly unwavering belief that she is under attack filter into her music. The majority of Maya throws huge sounding blips, synths and drums at you without any sense of direction, it tries to batter you into submission but ends up sounding flat. Now, I am in no way moaning about the lack of a 'Paper Planes' or 'Jimmy' single, the opening trio of the masterpiece 'Kala' (Bamboo Banga, Bird Flu, Boyz) was a superb hurricane style onslaught but controlled with a sense of vision and effortless ability. In 'Maya' we are left with a hollow shell of an album, devoid of any heart or emotion (the vocoder overkill doesn't help either). The intro 'The Message' complete with the most annoying lyrics of the year thus far "iphone connected to google connected to the government" followed by the flat 'Steppin Up' do not make a good start. 'Meds and Feds', a collaboration with Sleigh Bells is also a wasted opportunity, a nice idea in principal but really just doesn't work. Single 'XXXO' is enjoyable enough, but it seems like she's in search of a pop moment and it just sounds like a Lady GaGa reject. The best track by far is the teaser 'Born Free' which retains an element of power even shorn from its controversial video and is probably the only track that is a match for anything on Arular or Kala. I'll still listen to whatever she does next, but here M.I.A has fallen for Third Album Syndrome big time.
The Radio Dept.-Clinging To A Scheme
New album from the latest 'neo-shoegazers' The Radio Dept. is a very worthwhile affair. The singles, especially 'Heaven's On Fire' make it a worthwhile listen but the album tracks, particularly 'Never Follow Suit' are pretty much solid indie rock stuff. Not life changing but perfectly passable.
The Drums-The Drums
Along with Delphic, The Drums were probably the best act on this year's Sound of 2010 list. Sadly like that group, their debut album seems to have had a decent first week position only to drop down like a lead zeppelin soon after. Still though, this is an enjoyable worthwhile listen and one of the year's more immediate records. Basically, they are a sunny indie band with 50's style melodies that you absorb fairly quickly. The bouncy 'Best Friend' sets the tone for things to come, two tracks later coming to the excellent 'Let's Go Swimming', lead single and probably the best track on here. 'Book of Dreams' is a wistful growing up style song very much in the Brian Wilson vein, 'Down By The Water' is just gorgeous, and on tracks like 'Skippin' Town' you find yourself singing along to the lyrics without even realising it. The Drums do live up to their hype at least as far as music goes; and this is a fun, likable album, if a tad samey. Nevertheless, it looks like, at this stage anyway, they won't become arena killers yet.
Robyn-Body Talk pt. 1
Robyn, despite having the superb #1 hit 'With Every Heartbeat' seems destined to fall down the same career path as Annie; namely crafting superb electo/dance/pop tunes that for some strange reason are completely ignored by the mainstream. This, the first of three albums out this year stalled at 47 on the album charts which to me is a real shame, because 'Body Talk Pt. 1' gives most other pop albums this year a proper run for their money. At 30 minutes and 8-tracks it's a very lean album, and time will tell with the subsequent 'Body Talks' if this should have been a longer, single album but on the strength of these tunes Robyn has plenty of fine pop songs up her sleeve to keep us busy for the rest of the year. The opening half is particularly strong, 'Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do' opens brilliantly with a call and response and general grumble about modern life that doesn't pause for breath until we get to the excellent 'Fembot'. After this is the albums centrepiece, 'Dancing On My Own', just as good as 'With Every Heartbeat' and like that fine record, it's a slow burner that creeps up on you the more you listen to it. Elsewhere, 'Dancehall Queen' sees her paired with Diplo who does a fine job on a deceptively straightforward song and winds up being better than any of his work on the M.I.A album. The latter half of the album winds things down slowly with the moody Royskopp collaboration 'None of Dem', lovely acoustic version of 'Hang With Me' and ending with a sweet sounding Swedish traditional song. The only real criticism of 'Body Talk Pt. 1' is that it's way too short, but in the light of the forthcoming parts, this may be best enjoyed as a whole experience. Either way, this is certainly enough to wet ones appetite for more.
Album Of The Month: Robyn-Body Talk Pt. 2
Films I Saw In July
Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie, 2009)
Surprisingly OK action thriller with Downey and Law sharing great chemistry in this fast paced, if over-directed film. Ritchie was not allowed to write the screenplay for this, which oddly enough is the weakest element in the film. The plot about a Freemason like group plods along and doesn't really have much in it to keep you interested. Also, Ritchie's style tends to pulverise the senses a little and employs way too much visual trickery. Nevertheless, Downey and Law are really good as Holmes and Watson and given the right treatment, a sequel could actually be really good. This however, is just average.
Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
Miyazaki's latest film about a girl-goldfish who's attempts to become human after she falls in love with a local boy causes environmental chaos is a delightful piece of work providing much fun for, as the phrase does 'kids of all ages'. The English translation boasts a fine cast (Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Matt Damon) who do the film justice, while the animation is simply gorgeous and lovingly crafted from the get go. Touching, funny, moving and awe inspiring, this is an excellent film and the best Ghibli film I have yet seen (others being Totoro and Spirited Away).
Predators (Nimrod Antal, 2010)
I entered this film with fairly reasonable expectations, seeing as there was no way this could be worse than Predator 2 or the AvP films and indeed it isn't. Basically it's a re-hash of the original film, only seeing as that came out 20 plus years ago it would now probably be deemed a homage. It deliberately avoids to have much of a plot and basically it's nothing more than a series of selected warriors from around the world put together to fight the titular race. Adrian Brody is fine in the lead role and there are some decent action sequences in, but overall it's far too self referential and it takes itself very, very seriously something action films should never do. Not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but not a patch on the original either.
Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984)
Lower tier De Palma, in what is probably his worst Hitchcock-aping film. An out of luck actor finds himself drawn towards a beautiful woman while house-sitting for a mysterious stranger in L.A. Unlike other De Palma films (Dressed To Kill, Blow Out) this lacks any innovation on his part and is hampered by what is ultimately a ludicrous storyline. May be of interest to 80's nostalgists, but I'm way past that stage myself. Although a club sequence involving Frankie Goes To Hollywood is probably the best bit in what is otherwise a pretty poor film.
Men Who Stare At Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009)
Zany adaptation of John Ronson's book about CIA mind control units. This film is episodic in nature, and therefore un-even, but has some great performances, especially from the ever dependable Clooney and Jeff Bridges who basically re-hashes The Dude only with a military career. The main story arc involving Ewan McGregor (in one of his dodgy American accent roles) is a little clunky and is probably best used as a loose anchor for a series of sketches. This film got mixed to negative reviews when it first came out, but to me, it is slight, enjoyable, and overall really fun. Worth a look.
Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)
An excellent, supposedly final chapter to one of the most beloved series of the last fifteen years. Toy Story 3 finds Woody, Buzz et al dealing with Andy's impending college trip and accidental drop of at a daycare centre. Toy Story 3 refines what was so special about the first two films and allows the characters to develop naturally without being too showy. Not that the Pixar team are resting on their laurels mind, the script is just as sharp as ever and filled with some terrific new characters (Barbie's Ken and a lederhosen wearing hedgehog, Mr. Pricklepants voiced by Timothy Dalton are favourites). While it does not have the knockout punch of the first two, or quite the level of emotion that Up and Wall-E do, it's really comforting to watch and basically spend time in the company of characters we have come to know and love. Basically, it's another triumph from Pixar, watch today!
Incidentally, the film is in 3-D and I really don't think it needs to be. Here is Mark Kermode's two cents on the subject and I think he pretty much hits the nail on the head: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/2010/06/_in_order_to_see_1.html
The Informant! (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
Soderbergh returns to his Erin Brockovich style, corporate villain mode for this strange tale of a real life whistleblower who seemed to be just as much of a crook as those he was informing on. The film is played as something of an offbeat comedy despite showing fraud and embezzlement on a massive scale. This is probably because Matt Damon's title character, an eccentric compulsive liar is such an oddball, that a straight telling just wouldn't work. Still, the tone of the film doesn't feel quite right and we never get close as to Damon's motives throughout. Not his fault though, as this is one of his best roles in a while, but the script and tone of the film just...seems...wrong. It's hard to explain why, but I just didn't really get this film! Maybe you will.
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus (Terry Gillian, 2009)
Heath Ledger's final film, which Gilliam managed to save by casting Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law as various 'personas' of Ledger's wanderer who falls in with a troupe of magicians and travels to fantasy lands through the title character's mirror, or imaginarium if you prefer. I was expecting this to make the film patchy, but it holds together well and the concept makes sense in it's own way. The main problem is one that hampers the occasional Gilliam film, particularly his last two films, Tideland and Brothers Grimm: the script and story tends to take a back seat to his admittedly brilliant visuals. Occasionally the plot falls off the rails, particularly in the fantasy sequences and we don't really care about that characters as much as we should. Still, this is much better than either of those films and it does represent a 'return to form' of sorts for the erstwhile Python. Ledger puts in a fine performance, but Tom Waits steals the film from everyone, hamming it up nicely as The Devil. Worthwhile.
Jurassic Park 3 (Joe Johnson, 2001)
I was watching the first two films recently and then realised I had never bothered with the third. Not that I was missing much to begin with, as this is a virtual re-tread of the first film without any sense of wonderment. It barely even attempts a plot, as Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) gets stranded on Site B along with a divorced couple (including William H Macy) and some mercenaries. Some of the CGI effects in this film have suffered quite badly over the years, remember this is pre-LOTR and King Kong, and as a result JP3 looks more dated than the first film in parts! While it doesn't have anything as ridiculous as the Kong style rampage at the end of The Lost World, the film is pretty much a long chase and doesn't really raise the bar a great deal. Actually, Grant conversing with the Raptors using one of their skulls is pretty ludicrous. Still, at 90 minutes it doesn't outstay it's welcome and in the words of Samuel L Jackson in the first film "it could be worse...a lot worse".
The Descent: Part 2 (Jon Harris, 2009)
Utterly pointless sequel to the brilliant 2005 original finds survivor Sarah returning to the caves with a new team only to be set upon by more of those nasty cave dwelling creatures. Next to the original, this is nothing, the monsters are shown way too much and the film goes for cheap gore effects as opposed to the genuine atmosphere and scares of the first. That, and some really stupid plot elements make this a vastly inferior sequel. Still, I found it watchable enough in parts.
Green Zone (Paul Greengrass, 2010)
Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon's Iraq War-set post-Bourne collaboration is a huge disappointment. Sure, the trademark Greengrass action, editing and pacing are all present and correct but the plot involving Damon's Lieutenant in search of nuclear weapons and the US Government's cover up over intelligence is very preachy to the point of being really annoying and filled with stock characters who are on the whole one-dimensional and un-engaging.. The action is good, but doesn't re-invent the wheel enough to make one care particularly. Worst of all, I found it actually really boring. Not awful, but probably not worth your time either.
Film Of The Month: Toy Story 3
Surprisingly OK action thriller with Downey and Law sharing great chemistry in this fast paced, if over-directed film. Ritchie was not allowed to write the screenplay for this, which oddly enough is the weakest element in the film. The plot about a Freemason like group plods along and doesn't really have much in it to keep you interested. Also, Ritchie's style tends to pulverise the senses a little and employs way too much visual trickery. Nevertheless, Downey and Law are really good as Holmes and Watson and given the right treatment, a sequel could actually be really good. This however, is just average.
Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
Miyazaki's latest film about a girl-goldfish who's attempts to become human after she falls in love with a local boy causes environmental chaos is a delightful piece of work providing much fun for, as the phrase does 'kids of all ages'. The English translation boasts a fine cast (Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Matt Damon) who do the film justice, while the animation is simply gorgeous and lovingly crafted from the get go. Touching, funny, moving and awe inspiring, this is an excellent film and the best Ghibli film I have yet seen (others being Totoro and Spirited Away).
Predators (Nimrod Antal, 2010)
I entered this film with fairly reasonable expectations, seeing as there was no way this could be worse than Predator 2 or the AvP films and indeed it isn't. Basically it's a re-hash of the original film, only seeing as that came out 20 plus years ago it would now probably be deemed a homage. It deliberately avoids to have much of a plot and basically it's nothing more than a series of selected warriors from around the world put together to fight the titular race. Adrian Brody is fine in the lead role and there are some decent action sequences in, but overall it's far too self referential and it takes itself very, very seriously something action films should never do. Not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but not a patch on the original either.
Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984)
Lower tier De Palma, in what is probably his worst Hitchcock-aping film. An out of luck actor finds himself drawn towards a beautiful woman while house-sitting for a mysterious stranger in L.A. Unlike other De Palma films (Dressed To Kill, Blow Out) this lacks any innovation on his part and is hampered by what is ultimately a ludicrous storyline. May be of interest to 80's nostalgists, but I'm way past that stage myself. Although a club sequence involving Frankie Goes To Hollywood is probably the best bit in what is otherwise a pretty poor film.
Men Who Stare At Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009)
Zany adaptation of John Ronson's book about CIA mind control units. This film is episodic in nature, and therefore un-even, but has some great performances, especially from the ever dependable Clooney and Jeff Bridges who basically re-hashes The Dude only with a military career. The main story arc involving Ewan McGregor (in one of his dodgy American accent roles) is a little clunky and is probably best used as a loose anchor for a series of sketches. This film got mixed to negative reviews when it first came out, but to me, it is slight, enjoyable, and overall really fun. Worth a look.
Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)
An excellent, supposedly final chapter to one of the most beloved series of the last fifteen years. Toy Story 3 finds Woody, Buzz et al dealing with Andy's impending college trip and accidental drop of at a daycare centre. Toy Story 3 refines what was so special about the first two films and allows the characters to develop naturally without being too showy. Not that the Pixar team are resting on their laurels mind, the script is just as sharp as ever and filled with some terrific new characters (Barbie's Ken and a lederhosen wearing hedgehog, Mr. Pricklepants voiced by Timothy Dalton are favourites). While it does not have the knockout punch of the first two, or quite the level of emotion that Up and Wall-E do, it's really comforting to watch and basically spend time in the company of characters we have come to know and love. Basically, it's another triumph from Pixar, watch today!
Incidentally, the film is in 3-D and I really don't think it needs to be. Here is Mark Kermode's two cents on the subject and I think he pretty much hits the nail on the head: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/2010/06/_in_order_to_see_1.html
The Informant! (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
Soderbergh returns to his Erin Brockovich style, corporate villain mode for this strange tale of a real life whistleblower who seemed to be just as much of a crook as those he was informing on. The film is played as something of an offbeat comedy despite showing fraud and embezzlement on a massive scale. This is probably because Matt Damon's title character, an eccentric compulsive liar is such an oddball, that a straight telling just wouldn't work. Still, the tone of the film doesn't feel quite right and we never get close as to Damon's motives throughout. Not his fault though, as this is one of his best roles in a while, but the script and tone of the film just...seems...wrong. It's hard to explain why, but I just didn't really get this film! Maybe you will.
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus (Terry Gillian, 2009)
Heath Ledger's final film, which Gilliam managed to save by casting Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law as various 'personas' of Ledger's wanderer who falls in with a troupe of magicians and travels to fantasy lands through the title character's mirror, or imaginarium if you prefer. I was expecting this to make the film patchy, but it holds together well and the concept makes sense in it's own way. The main problem is one that hampers the occasional Gilliam film, particularly his last two films, Tideland and Brothers Grimm: the script and story tends to take a back seat to his admittedly brilliant visuals. Occasionally the plot falls off the rails, particularly in the fantasy sequences and we don't really care about that characters as much as we should. Still, this is much better than either of those films and it does represent a 'return to form' of sorts for the erstwhile Python. Ledger puts in a fine performance, but Tom Waits steals the film from everyone, hamming it up nicely as The Devil. Worthwhile.
Jurassic Park 3 (Joe Johnson, 2001)
I was watching the first two films recently and then realised I had never bothered with the third. Not that I was missing much to begin with, as this is a virtual re-tread of the first film without any sense of wonderment. It barely even attempts a plot, as Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) gets stranded on Site B along with a divorced couple (including William H Macy) and some mercenaries. Some of the CGI effects in this film have suffered quite badly over the years, remember this is pre-LOTR and King Kong, and as a result JP3 looks more dated than the first film in parts! While it doesn't have anything as ridiculous as the Kong style rampage at the end of The Lost World, the film is pretty much a long chase and doesn't really raise the bar a great deal. Actually, Grant conversing with the Raptors using one of their skulls is pretty ludicrous. Still, at 90 minutes it doesn't outstay it's welcome and in the words of Samuel L Jackson in the first film "it could be worse...a lot worse".
The Descent: Part 2 (Jon Harris, 2009)
Utterly pointless sequel to the brilliant 2005 original finds survivor Sarah returning to the caves with a new team only to be set upon by more of those nasty cave dwelling creatures. Next to the original, this is nothing, the monsters are shown way too much and the film goes for cheap gore effects as opposed to the genuine atmosphere and scares of the first. That, and some really stupid plot elements make this a vastly inferior sequel. Still, I found it watchable enough in parts.
Green Zone (Paul Greengrass, 2010)
Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon's Iraq War-set post-Bourne collaboration is a huge disappointment. Sure, the trademark Greengrass action, editing and pacing are all present and correct but the plot involving Damon's Lieutenant in search of nuclear weapons and the US Government's cover up over intelligence is very preachy to the point of being really annoying and filled with stock characters who are on the whole one-dimensional and un-engaging.. The action is good, but doesn't re-invent the wheel enough to make one care particularly. Worst of all, I found it actually really boring. Not awful, but probably not worth your time either.
Film Of The Month: Toy Story 3
Films I Saw In June
Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008)
I've always had problems with Clint Eastwood's recent output. Films like Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby are always perfectly watchable with engaging storylines, but they always seem so 'worthy' and desperate for Oscar glory and the plot of this film (racist war veteran comes to terms with the multicultural world around him) did sound very contrived. But the truth is, this is Eastwood's best acting and directing performance since 'Unforgiven'. He's in a particularly grouchy mood, his performance at times seeming very like a Dirty Harry in retirement. The film is never sentimental, handles its subject matter well and has great performances by all through out. Very good indeed.
Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, 2008)
After watching the awful 'Margot At The Wedding' I was perhaps a little sceptical of this similarly titled film, but as it turns out this is how you do a Chekov style two sisters feuding around a wedding film. Anne Hathaway is excellent as the wayward sister who returns from rehab for the titular Rachel's wedding and in the process lots of family skeletons are brought out of the closet. It's a little formulaic to be sure, but it's well acted throughout and never loses your interest.
Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer, 2009)
Coming across as something resembling America's answer to 'Shaun of the Dead' this is a fun take on an already well worn genre. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harelson trek across a zombie ravaged America with a couple of girls and generally try and one-up each other while fighting zombies. The film is short and never overstays its welcome and is very enjoyable indeed. Particular mention must go of course to the celebrity cameo halfway through, which I won't spoil but you probably know anyway...
The Killer Inside Me (Michael Winterbottom, 2010)
Michael Winterbottom, one of the most versatile directors around has caused something of a stir with this film, an adaptation of Jim Thompson's 1950's crime novel. Most of the attention focusing on the main character's (Casey Affleck) brutalisation of women, opening up charges of misogyny against Winterbottom. Whilst I don't believe the film is misogynistic (Affleck's character is so vile and twisted that it doesn't exactly say much for masculinity either) it is one of the more brutal films of recent times. Shorn from it's controversy though and we are left with a film that's actually pretty dull with a script that plods along and poorly explains a plot that seems more labyrinth than it should. On the other hand, it looks really slick and Affleck delivers a fine, menacing performance up there with his 'Jesse James' role, but overall the window dressing and violence tends to distract you from what is really quite an average film at best.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)
I was somewhat disappointed with this film, being a lifelong fan of Rahld Dahl's books and Wes Anderson, but the two really don't mix well together as a film. For starters, it is annoyingly quirky pretty much from start to finish and seems to be peppered with several adult or 'intelligent' jokes that seem to subvert it as a children's film. While the original novella had plenty of charm, this goes for quirk and does so in spades and in the end I had to wonder "who is this film for?". It's not without its plus points though, the animation is great and Clooney's vocal talents are put to good use for the title role, but in the end I just felt that Wes Anderson should stick to making live action indie comedies and stay away from animated kids stories.
Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2009)
An excellent horror/ghost story film, genuinely unsettling and the best of its kind since the original Blair Witch. The story is simple enough, a couple are alone in a house and are haunted by a benevolent demon. It doesn't re-invent the wheel but knows exactly what makes the best horror films work and does it with aplomb. The two actors (Katie Featherston and Miach Sloat, using their real names) are both very convincing. It's scare factor may have been blunted on me as I was a little pissed when I saw this, but nevertheless it's still very creepy and definately worth a look for horror fans.
One Night In Turin (James Erskine, 2010)
After the debacle of England's World Cup exit this year, it might be worth revisiting a somewhat more noble defeat courtesy of this enjoyable doc. Relying solely on archive material and the odd incidental re-construction 'One Night In Turin' tells the story of England's 1990 World Cup campaign narrated compellingly by Gary Oldman. Of course, everyone knows how this ends but you still find yourself caught up in the tale which focuses as much on the off-pitch activities and the hooligan element of the times. It does centre a little bit too much on Paul Gasgoine as the main 'hero' though.
Harry Brown (Daniel Barber, 2010)
Morally bankrupt vigilante film set in and around Elephant & Castle with Michael Caine as a Royal Marines Vet pushed to the limit by a gang of local hoodies led by Plan B. From an ethical point of view this film is very circumspect, coming across like a Daily Mail readers worst nightmare and wildest dream at the same time. Still, it's quite watchable and if you can get over the political tones the film is kind of worth seeing for a decent central performance by Michael Caine and for it's arresting visuals.
Film Of The Month: Gran Torino, but Paranormal Activity comes close.
I've always had problems with Clint Eastwood's recent output. Films like Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby are always perfectly watchable with engaging storylines, but they always seem so 'worthy' and desperate for Oscar glory and the plot of this film (racist war veteran comes to terms with the multicultural world around him) did sound very contrived. But the truth is, this is Eastwood's best acting and directing performance since 'Unforgiven'. He's in a particularly grouchy mood, his performance at times seeming very like a Dirty Harry in retirement. The film is never sentimental, handles its subject matter well and has great performances by all through out. Very good indeed.
Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, 2008)
After watching the awful 'Margot At The Wedding' I was perhaps a little sceptical of this similarly titled film, but as it turns out this is how you do a Chekov style two sisters feuding around a wedding film. Anne Hathaway is excellent as the wayward sister who returns from rehab for the titular Rachel's wedding and in the process lots of family skeletons are brought out of the closet. It's a little formulaic to be sure, but it's well acted throughout and never loses your interest.
Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer, 2009)
Coming across as something resembling America's answer to 'Shaun of the Dead' this is a fun take on an already well worn genre. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harelson trek across a zombie ravaged America with a couple of girls and generally try and one-up each other while fighting zombies. The film is short and never overstays its welcome and is very enjoyable indeed. Particular mention must go of course to the celebrity cameo halfway through, which I won't spoil but you probably know anyway...
The Killer Inside Me (Michael Winterbottom, 2010)
Michael Winterbottom, one of the most versatile directors around has caused something of a stir with this film, an adaptation of Jim Thompson's 1950's crime novel. Most of the attention focusing on the main character's (Casey Affleck) brutalisation of women, opening up charges of misogyny against Winterbottom. Whilst I don't believe the film is misogynistic (Affleck's character is so vile and twisted that it doesn't exactly say much for masculinity either) it is one of the more brutal films of recent times. Shorn from it's controversy though and we are left with a film that's actually pretty dull with a script that plods along and poorly explains a plot that seems more labyrinth than it should. On the other hand, it looks really slick and Affleck delivers a fine, menacing performance up there with his 'Jesse James' role, but overall the window dressing and violence tends to distract you from what is really quite an average film at best.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)
I was somewhat disappointed with this film, being a lifelong fan of Rahld Dahl's books and Wes Anderson, but the two really don't mix well together as a film. For starters, it is annoyingly quirky pretty much from start to finish and seems to be peppered with several adult or 'intelligent' jokes that seem to subvert it as a children's film. While the original novella had plenty of charm, this goes for quirk and does so in spades and in the end I had to wonder "who is this film for?". It's not without its plus points though, the animation is great and Clooney's vocal talents are put to good use for the title role, but in the end I just felt that Wes Anderson should stick to making live action indie comedies and stay away from animated kids stories.
Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2009)
An excellent horror/ghost story film, genuinely unsettling and the best of its kind since the original Blair Witch. The story is simple enough, a couple are alone in a house and are haunted by a benevolent demon. It doesn't re-invent the wheel but knows exactly what makes the best horror films work and does it with aplomb. The two actors (Katie Featherston and Miach Sloat, using their real names) are both very convincing. It's scare factor may have been blunted on me as I was a little pissed when I saw this, but nevertheless it's still very creepy and definately worth a look for horror fans.
One Night In Turin (James Erskine, 2010)
After the debacle of England's World Cup exit this year, it might be worth revisiting a somewhat more noble defeat courtesy of this enjoyable doc. Relying solely on archive material and the odd incidental re-construction 'One Night In Turin' tells the story of England's 1990 World Cup campaign narrated compellingly by Gary Oldman. Of course, everyone knows how this ends but you still find yourself caught up in the tale which focuses as much on the off-pitch activities and the hooligan element of the times. It does centre a little bit too much on Paul Gasgoine as the main 'hero' though.
Harry Brown (Daniel Barber, 2010)
Morally bankrupt vigilante film set in and around Elephant & Castle with Michael Caine as a Royal Marines Vet pushed to the limit by a gang of local hoodies led by Plan B. From an ethical point of view this film is very circumspect, coming across like a Daily Mail readers worst nightmare and wildest dream at the same time. Still, it's quite watchable and if you can get over the political tones the film is kind of worth seeing for a decent central performance by Michael Caine and for it's arresting visuals.
Film Of The Month: Gran Torino, but Paranormal Activity comes close.
Albums I Heard In June
Sleigh Bells-Treats
Currently being touted by uber indie cool king Spike Jonze and M.I.A. this American noise pop duo are gradually getting recognition in hipster circles even if their monstrous sounding music is probably unlikely to cross over into the mainstream. Make no mistake about it, the debut album of the craply named Sleigh Bells sounds absolutely fucking HUGE! It makes an album like, say, Hidden by These New Puritans sound intimate by comparison. The guitars sound utterly enormous, the fuzzbox sounding like the speakers are going to explode at any minute, but still appearing to be oddly clean while the primitive sounding drums anchor the record into a truly bestial stomp. Opener 'Tell Em' starts things as they mean to go on and there's really no letup until the surprisingly tender 'Rill Rill' referred to in an NME article as the 'Paper Planes' moment on the album alleviates the onslaught. At 32 minutes, 'Treats' is a very short album and at times the band do sound like a one trick pony, but much like The XX album, each listen draws you further in and separates the tracks in your mind, albeit in an Earth shattering way. Either way, this is a superb album, original sounding and forward thinking.
The Chemical Brothers-Further
Tom n' Ed's follow up to 2005's underrated, but nevertheless Grammy winning 'We Are The Night' arrives containing the labels 'back to basics' and 'multimedia project', suggesting the dance duo are going through some kind of midlife crisis. By 'multimedia project; they mean the songs on 'Further' are designed to accompany a series of short films available with the album and projected in their recent live shows. I have not seen the films yet, so my focus is mainly on the music, which this time around indeed showcases a 'back to basics' approach given that the focus is on the songs themselves as opposed to a flurry of guest vocalists, in the past a staple of Chems albums and here notable in their absence. The album as a whole does feel like a soundtrack, and 'Further' is a departure for the group as the album is more of a display of cinematic electronic numbers and with the possible exception of the superb, tribal beat heavy 'Horse Power' does not contain anything like the big beat stompers with which they have made their name. If anything, that is the albums only real disappointment; 'Further' goes for beauty over fun. Still, what we are left with is pretty good to begin with, the epic 'Escape Velocity' which first arrived a couple of months ago is a fine song, slowly building and very subtle. Single 'Swoon' though underwhelming at first is a real grower and another highlight and the closing pair of 'K+D+B' and 'Wonders of the Deep' end things in a bright emotional fashion. In the final analysis, this is clearly a transitional album for the Chemical Brothers into making convincing and essential grown up dance music done with considerable skill and is definately worth a listen.
Jonsi-Go
The proper solo debut of Sigur Ros singer Jonsi Birgisson is something of a minor departure from his normal band and indeed from his side project Jonsi & Alex, whose album Riceboy Sleeps from last year was pleasant enough, but did seem to retread worn ground. The opening track 'Go Do' has a stomping beat to it, but is still filled with pixie-esque Technicolor flourishes (the mythical creature not band). The driving, 'Animal Arithmetic' is even more pulsating, building to a glorious beat heavy conclusion. Not that the album is a stomping indie/dance record mind, as it is mainly ballad driven; 'Sinking Friendships' is particularly lush as is 'Grow Till Tall' which sounds very reminiscent of ( )-era Sigur Ros. Overall, 'Go' is a lot more song oriented than the lush album oriented music of Sigur Ros and for fans of the group or quirky/ethereal/Icelandic music, it's an essential listen.
Christina Aguilera-Bionic
After a fairly lengthy (in pop music terms) absence, Xtina's first album in four years seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of making electro-pop songs akin to Lady Gaga, who has taken her and Britney Spears pop Queen crowns as of late. Therefore, it seems the thing to do is to put her with a series of now collaborators (MIA, Switch) along with electro pop ones from the first wave of electroclash (Le Tigre, Peaches) in an effort to re-jig her sound. Press releases were touting this album as 'experimental' but beyond it's lengthy (18 track) running time, what we have here is fairly by the numbers and a number of 'safe' tracks with Tricky Stewart and Polow Da Don fail to hit the mark. 'Not Myself Tonight' and 'Whoohoo' are both pretty pedestrian about which there is little to remark or recommend. The MIA album 'Elastic Love' is good enough, though by her standards it feels like an out-take from her own forthcoming album, of the safer tracks 'Glam' is better than much of the others and the Le Tigre song 'My Girls' is also pretty fun. According to a piece in the Guardian, this could well have been a worthwhile album, with the Ladytron collaborations either jettisoned or relegated to the bonus disc along with some more Switch/Santogold numbers, while songs with Goldfrapp and a cover of Ladyhawke's 'My Delirium' have also ended up on the studio floor. What we have left is an overlong, bland electro pop album that in all likelihood, could have been something more if only her record label had a bit more guts.
Janelle Monae-The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)
Now this is how you do an epic, modern pop album! The debut album of American pop/soul/dance/electro/psychedelic (whatever she fancies) singer Janelle Monae is again an epic 18-track journey of an album but one that impresses in its eclectic nature and sheer quality of tunes. Billed as a concept album about robots and dealing in concepts of Afrofuturism, or whatever that means, the lyrics trade in Philip K. Dick style cyberpunk tales. Allegedly. To be honest, I've not paid any attention to the lyrics, but what I do know is that this is a superb, ambitious and totally accessible pop album jumping between styles without sacrificing any sense of cohesion. The record is broken into two 'Suites'; the first features the big sounding commercial singles. 'Dance or Die' is a superb open proper with a funky bassline and catchy chorus and is followed by the equally superb 'Faster'. Later on is the stunning one-two punch of 'Cold War' and 'Tightrope'; the former is a relentless would be hit single, but it's 'Tightrope' that really shines through with contributions from Big Boi and a superb beat and winning chorus, it feels like a number one single. The second half trades in more sunny pop styles with a guest appearance from Of Montreal providing highlight 'Make The Bus' followed by the superb 'Wondaland'. Perhaps the album could do with a bit of trimming but pretty much everything here is worth listening to and the sheer scope of the album is part of it's charm. I'd be very surprised if I hear a better pop album than this all year.
The Black Keys-Brothers
The Black Keys return with another generous helping of blues rock, and to boot a consistent album worth savouring especially while contemporary Jack White descends further into mediocrity through his various side projects. After their previous Danger Mouse collaboration, 'Attack & Release' this does have something of a back-to-basics approach, but is unfortunately compromised by its 15-track and epic running time. That said, there are some decent tunes here. The single 'Tighten Up' is a fine indie rock tune with a catchy riff and bluesy lyrics. That track is followed by 'Howlin' For You' a good minimalist bar room style stomper; elsewhere 'The Only One' is chilled out and pleasing enough. It's a decent album, but it's pace is a little slow at times and it is far too long.
The Foals-Total Life Forever
Oxford five-piece The Foals were one of the most hotly tipped acts of 2008, but never seemed to live up to their full potential. They had a scattering of good songs (notably Balloons and Cassius) that received decent airplay but their album 'Antidotes' didn't quite live up to its promise and sold modestly. With 'Total Life Forever' they give it another shot, and their sound has become notably tamer or mature depending on your point of view. 'Miami' has a decent groove to it sounding very grown up and slick as does the cool sounding title track. Also worthwhile is 'After Glow' sounding the most like something off the first album and the single 'This Orient', definately the most catchy song here and probably the most obvious 'single' on the record. Still, the best cut here is 'Spanish Sahara', which may be because of its already familiar nature, but in any case it's a superb, massive sounding epic and a clear standout on the LP. I probably haven't listened to the album enough to let it properly creep in, and sometimes it's production can feel a little bogged down and stale, giving it a slightly MOR feel but I'm sure this is a grower.
Deloran-Subiza
Third album from Spanish alt-dance outfit Delorean and follow up to last year's excellent 'Ayrton Senna EP' is a very song-oriented and summery affair. Appropriately enough for a Spanish group, the album trades heavily in nu-Balearic sounds and housey pianos combined with an indie-pop (think Phoenix of Animal Collective) aesthetic. Second track 'Real Love', I don't think is a single, but it definately should be with its heavily distorted and hazy vocals make this a fine summer tune as does the gorgeous 'Infinite Desert', the very 90's 'Come Wander' and the carnival esque closer 'It's All Ours'. It's a little samey at times, but it's an album you can stick on and float away with in the sun, while drenched in echoes of the past it also somehow feels very 'now' in terms of dance music.
Album Of The Month: The ArchAndroid (Suites II & III) by Janelle Monae
Currently being touted by uber indie cool king Spike Jonze and M.I.A. this American noise pop duo are gradually getting recognition in hipster circles even if their monstrous sounding music is probably unlikely to cross over into the mainstream. Make no mistake about it, the debut album of the craply named Sleigh Bells sounds absolutely fucking HUGE! It makes an album like, say, Hidden by These New Puritans sound intimate by comparison. The guitars sound utterly enormous, the fuzzbox sounding like the speakers are going to explode at any minute, but still appearing to be oddly clean while the primitive sounding drums anchor the record into a truly bestial stomp. Opener 'Tell Em' starts things as they mean to go on and there's really no letup until the surprisingly tender 'Rill Rill' referred to in an NME article as the 'Paper Planes' moment on the album alleviates the onslaught. At 32 minutes, 'Treats' is a very short album and at times the band do sound like a one trick pony, but much like The XX album, each listen draws you further in and separates the tracks in your mind, albeit in an Earth shattering way. Either way, this is a superb album, original sounding and forward thinking.
The Chemical Brothers-Further
Tom n' Ed's follow up to 2005's underrated, but nevertheless Grammy winning 'We Are The Night' arrives containing the labels 'back to basics' and 'multimedia project', suggesting the dance duo are going through some kind of midlife crisis. By 'multimedia project; they mean the songs on 'Further' are designed to accompany a series of short films available with the album and projected in their recent live shows. I have not seen the films yet, so my focus is mainly on the music, which this time around indeed showcases a 'back to basics' approach given that the focus is on the songs themselves as opposed to a flurry of guest vocalists, in the past a staple of Chems albums and here notable in their absence. The album as a whole does feel like a soundtrack, and 'Further' is a departure for the group as the album is more of a display of cinematic electronic numbers and with the possible exception of the superb, tribal beat heavy 'Horse Power' does not contain anything like the big beat stompers with which they have made their name. If anything, that is the albums only real disappointment; 'Further' goes for beauty over fun. Still, what we are left with is pretty good to begin with, the epic 'Escape Velocity' which first arrived a couple of months ago is a fine song, slowly building and very subtle. Single 'Swoon' though underwhelming at first is a real grower and another highlight and the closing pair of 'K+D+B' and 'Wonders of the Deep' end things in a bright emotional fashion. In the final analysis, this is clearly a transitional album for the Chemical Brothers into making convincing and essential grown up dance music done with considerable skill and is definately worth a listen.
Jonsi-Go
The proper solo debut of Sigur Ros singer Jonsi Birgisson is something of a minor departure from his normal band and indeed from his side project Jonsi & Alex, whose album Riceboy Sleeps from last year was pleasant enough, but did seem to retread worn ground. The opening track 'Go Do' has a stomping beat to it, but is still filled with pixie-esque Technicolor flourishes (the mythical creature not band). The driving, 'Animal Arithmetic' is even more pulsating, building to a glorious beat heavy conclusion. Not that the album is a stomping indie/dance record mind, as it is mainly ballad driven; 'Sinking Friendships' is particularly lush as is 'Grow Till Tall' which sounds very reminiscent of ( )-era Sigur Ros. Overall, 'Go' is a lot more song oriented than the lush album oriented music of Sigur Ros and for fans of the group or quirky/ethereal/Icelandic music, it's an essential listen.
Christina Aguilera-Bionic
After a fairly lengthy (in pop music terms) absence, Xtina's first album in four years seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of making electro-pop songs akin to Lady Gaga, who has taken her and Britney Spears pop Queen crowns as of late. Therefore, it seems the thing to do is to put her with a series of now collaborators (MIA, Switch) along with electro pop ones from the first wave of electroclash (Le Tigre, Peaches) in an effort to re-jig her sound. Press releases were touting this album as 'experimental' but beyond it's lengthy (18 track) running time, what we have here is fairly by the numbers and a number of 'safe' tracks with Tricky Stewart and Polow Da Don fail to hit the mark. 'Not Myself Tonight' and 'Whoohoo' are both pretty pedestrian about which there is little to remark or recommend. The MIA album 'Elastic Love' is good enough, though by her standards it feels like an out-take from her own forthcoming album, of the safer tracks 'Glam' is better than much of the others and the Le Tigre song 'My Girls' is also pretty fun. According to a piece in the Guardian, this could well have been a worthwhile album, with the Ladytron collaborations either jettisoned or relegated to the bonus disc along with some more Switch/Santogold numbers, while songs with Goldfrapp and a cover of Ladyhawke's 'My Delirium' have also ended up on the studio floor. What we have left is an overlong, bland electro pop album that in all likelihood, could have been something more if only her record label had a bit more guts.
Janelle Monae-The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)
Now this is how you do an epic, modern pop album! The debut album of American pop/soul/dance/electro/psychedelic (whatever she fancies) singer Janelle Monae is again an epic 18-track journey of an album but one that impresses in its eclectic nature and sheer quality of tunes. Billed as a concept album about robots and dealing in concepts of Afrofuturism, or whatever that means, the lyrics trade in Philip K. Dick style cyberpunk tales. Allegedly. To be honest, I've not paid any attention to the lyrics, but what I do know is that this is a superb, ambitious and totally accessible pop album jumping between styles without sacrificing any sense of cohesion. The record is broken into two 'Suites'; the first features the big sounding commercial singles. 'Dance or Die' is a superb open proper with a funky bassline and catchy chorus and is followed by the equally superb 'Faster'. Later on is the stunning one-two punch of 'Cold War' and 'Tightrope'; the former is a relentless would be hit single, but it's 'Tightrope' that really shines through with contributions from Big Boi and a superb beat and winning chorus, it feels like a number one single. The second half trades in more sunny pop styles with a guest appearance from Of Montreal providing highlight 'Make The Bus' followed by the superb 'Wondaland'. Perhaps the album could do with a bit of trimming but pretty much everything here is worth listening to and the sheer scope of the album is part of it's charm. I'd be very surprised if I hear a better pop album than this all year.
The Black Keys-Brothers
The Black Keys return with another generous helping of blues rock, and to boot a consistent album worth savouring especially while contemporary Jack White descends further into mediocrity through his various side projects. After their previous Danger Mouse collaboration, 'Attack & Release' this does have something of a back-to-basics approach, but is unfortunately compromised by its 15-track and epic running time. That said, there are some decent tunes here. The single 'Tighten Up' is a fine indie rock tune with a catchy riff and bluesy lyrics. That track is followed by 'Howlin' For You' a good minimalist bar room style stomper; elsewhere 'The Only One' is chilled out and pleasing enough. It's a decent album, but it's pace is a little slow at times and it is far too long.
The Foals-Total Life Forever
Oxford five-piece The Foals were one of the most hotly tipped acts of 2008, but never seemed to live up to their full potential. They had a scattering of good songs (notably Balloons and Cassius) that received decent airplay but their album 'Antidotes' didn't quite live up to its promise and sold modestly. With 'Total Life Forever' they give it another shot, and their sound has become notably tamer or mature depending on your point of view. 'Miami' has a decent groove to it sounding very grown up and slick as does the cool sounding title track. Also worthwhile is 'After Glow' sounding the most like something off the first album and the single 'This Orient', definately the most catchy song here and probably the most obvious 'single' on the record. Still, the best cut here is 'Spanish Sahara', which may be because of its already familiar nature, but in any case it's a superb, massive sounding epic and a clear standout on the LP. I probably haven't listened to the album enough to let it properly creep in, and sometimes it's production can feel a little bogged down and stale, giving it a slightly MOR feel but I'm sure this is a grower.
Deloran-Subiza
Third album from Spanish alt-dance outfit Delorean and follow up to last year's excellent 'Ayrton Senna EP' is a very song-oriented and summery affair. Appropriately enough for a Spanish group, the album trades heavily in nu-Balearic sounds and housey pianos combined with an indie-pop (think Phoenix of Animal Collective) aesthetic. Second track 'Real Love', I don't think is a single, but it definately should be with its heavily distorted and hazy vocals make this a fine summer tune as does the gorgeous 'Infinite Desert', the very 90's 'Come Wander' and the carnival esque closer 'It's All Ours'. It's a little samey at times, but it's an album you can stick on and float away with in the sun, while drenched in echoes of the past it also somehow feels very 'now' in terms of dance music.
Album Of The Month: The ArchAndroid (Suites II & III) by Janelle Monae
Tuesday 1 June 2010
Albums I Heard In May
Caribou-Swim
First up, I've never heard any of Caribou's stuff before so in terms of 'sound evolution' I don't know how this compares to his other work, but Dan Snaith's new album is a superb, grown up techno workout devoid of any weak tracks. The opening stomp of the single 'Odessa' immediately sounds like the best track but it holds momentum throughout. The slick 'Bowls' is also excellent and has a cool creepiness to it and 'Leave House' is a Balearic style track coming in the middle of the album and is another highlight. Towards the end though it really takes off, particularly with the dark, brass-laden 'Hannibal' before exploding with emotion with the brilliant 'Jamelia'. Actually the whole thing is superb! Overall the record sounds minimal, yet melodic, always upbeat and intriguing and improving on each listen. In the end, this is a fine album and sits alongside the Pantha Du Prince and Four Tet albums as being this years top notch minimal electro releases.
Charlotte Gainsbourg-IRM
The new album from singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg is actually a collaboration with junk rocker Beck. Both seem to be riding on a fairly creative high, Gainsbourg having recently appeared in Lars Von Trier's brilliant but bleak 'Antichrist' and Beck's last album 'Modern Guilt' was his best for years, though it was criminally neglected. They suit each other perfectly and have together created a perfectly charming indie pop album. The title track, arriving early on is particularly good, driven by tribal beats and an ethereal hum it is both seductive and creepy. Overall, it's quite an eclectic album; 'Le Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes' is a sultry French ballad that makes her worthy of the name Gainsbourg, 'Trick Pony' is a decent blusey tune, 'Heaven Can Wait' is a cheerful and very 'indie' sounding number while 'Vanities' is a beautiful, gentle folky number. Not an amazing album to be sure, but a decent, innovative and eclectic one.
Liars-Sisterworld
Again, never really heard the Liars stuff before, but this album, the follow up to a self titled album definitely warrants interest. Like the These New Puritans album out earlier this year, 'Sisterworld' sounds ominous and brooding; Andrew Angus vocals sound dark and sinister throughout and from the get go the album exudes a sense of dread about it. The opening track 'Scissor' with its stop/start dynamic gets things off to a suitably dark surrounding that is followed by the even creepier 'No Barrier Fun'. The album is mainly dystopic in nature and seems to revolve around themes of urban decay and alienation. Tracks like 'Drip' have a real subterranean quality of them and a genuinely paranoid nature that threatens to explode at any moment, even though the album rarely does. Another highlight is 'Proud Evolution' which has a bit more of a groove to it than the other tracks and in many ways is the albums centrepiece. On the whole 'Sisterworld' is not an especially enjoyable album, but it is a very effective one.
Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles are, on the whole, a group I really can't stand. Their stand-offish nature in interviews seems like less of a genuine attitude and more of a paper thin calculated stance. Their whole background (Alice Glass runs away from home at 14 to live in squats) sounds so contrived and their whole 'cool' aesthetic seems to be so pathetically try hard. To add to this, their first album also called 'Crystal Castles' sounded like someone had taken a hammer to a NES game before putting it back in the console to see what blips might come out. An appealing notion to some no doubt, but to me it sounded fucking horrible. Still, this album is something of an improvement and they have found a certain amount of structure to their songs and at least on record you can try and forget about their godawful visual posturing. On its own terms 'Celestica' is a fine, ethereal and oddly haunting electro piece and 'Baptism' opening with haunted Ibiza style synths before turning into an actually pretty good waily dance workout. Best of all might be the stomping 'Year of Silence' punctuated by Glass' gibberish vocals and the haunting 'Violent Dreams' provides a haunting interlude. The latter half of the album is somewhat by the numbers, but on the whole this album is actually kind of OK. I still think they're a bunch of wanky poseurs though.
The National-High Violet
Again, I am unfamiliar with The National's previous work, but this is being touted as their 'breakthrough album', an American equivalent of Elbow's last album and has thus been getting a lot of enthusiastic press and for good reason; 'High Violet' is an upper tier indie rock record sounding equally epic and personal. Something of an Autumnal album, 'High Violet' seems to glide through with a sense of gentle melancholy and uplifting statements throughout its 11 tracks. 'Terrible Love' gets things off to a grand start, setting the scene admirably, sounding particularly epic towards the end; make to mistake, this album should be played pretty loud. It dips a little early on, 'Little Faith' and 'Afraid Of Everyone' are a little weaker in comparison but from the brilliant 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' it takes off and doesn't dip until it ends. 'Lemonworld' and especially 'Runaway' have a gentle beauty about them and my favourite track 'England' arriving near the end of the album sounds like the kind of anthem made for festivals. The albums real talent though, lies in expressing fairly universal themes of love, longing and regret without sounding like a total bummer and doing it in the way that earns bands titles like 'band of the people'. As each songs hooks creep under your skin, 'High Violet' becomes more and more compelling with each listen. I definitely need to listen to more of their back catalogue, and even if this is their breakthrough, I can easily imagine they can do even better.
Flying Lotus-Cosmogramma
The third album from Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison) has been much hyped and has become something of a darling to the critics, touted as his most varied and accomplished effort to date. Often billed as 'experimental hip-hop', to me it's sounds more like the IDM of Squarepusher, trading equally in house, electro and free jazz. The latter is a key ingredient: Ellison's Aunt is Jazz Legend Alice Coltrane, and the album is part dedicated to her. It certainly is an 'album' in the truest sense of the term, all of the tracks are around the two-minute mark and, much like the burial and Four Tet albums don't function as well on their own. Even the Thom Yorke collaboration '...And The World Laughs With You' doesn't leap out at you, but informs the record as a whole, much like the Panda Bear collaboration off the Pantha Du Prince album. That said, there are definite highlights in 'Cosmogramma'; the aggressive 'Computer Face/Pure Being' is superb as is the wistful 'Do the Astral Plane' and the oddly relaxed 'Satelliiiitteee' and 'Table Tennis' near the end of the album stands out for it's literal ping-pong ball percussion. So far, 2010 is looking like a good year for complex, innovative electronic music and Cosmogramma is as original and forward thinking as they come. Highly recommended.
Older Music:
Beach Boys-All Summer Long
Pleasant enough transitional album from the Beach Boys, but overall it's a little slight and nowhere near as good as the likes of Pet Sounds. It does contain 'I Get Around' though.
Popul Vuh-Affenstunde
Very ambient album from this 70's German group who also did the music to Aguirre: Wrath of God. A little too ambient for my liking and without being very atmospheric.
Funkadelic-Cosmic Slop
Another decent album from the P-Funk Empire. Not one of their best, but the opening 'Nappy Dugout' is pure filth and great fun and the family themed nightmare of the title track is outstanding.
A Tribe Called Quest-People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
The best older album I have heard this month. A Tribe Called Quests debut release is one of the best summery records I've heard in a long while. Q-Tip's rhymes about women (Bonita Applebum), a holiday gone wrong (the brilliant 'Left My Wallet In El Segundo') and most bizarrely his diet ('Ham n Eggs') are all first rate. The almost psychedelic production is always chilled out, summery and hypnotic. I definitely need to listen to their other albums.
Captain Beefheart-Lick My Decals Off Baby
Captain Beefheart's follow up to Trout Mask Replica is a little more listenable than that legendary monster but is still one of his more avant garde numbers. Has some good songs on, but if I'm going to be honest I do prefer his more 'normal' stuff by a considerable distance.
Phil Spector-Back To Mono
Here is the start of a mini Phil Spector section, I've been reading a fascinating biography of him this month (Tearing Down The Wall Of Sound by Mick Brown...only £2 in Fopp!) and have been revisiting his work. Back To Mono is a box set anthology of his 1960's work and much of it will be familiar to most people. What with Spector's bizarre personal life it's difficult to forget he was behind some true pop masterpieces like 'Be My Baby', 'Da Do Ron Ron' and the titanic sounding 'River Deep - Mountain High'. At three discs, this is a long listen and you're mainly supposed to dip into it occasionally but there are some real gems here.
The Ramones-End of the Century
I've had something of a volte face regarding the Ramones this year, and I appreciate them a lot more than I used to. With this album, they enlisted Spector's services and made one of their more controversial albums. Spector is often blamed for softening up the group, but I feel his production on End Of The Century is totally appropriate. Despite their punk and aggressive guitar work, The Ramones songs are clearly rooted in 50's/60's pop and Spector gives their music a fuller quality which I always felt was lacking even in their seminal debut album. It is inferior to their past work in terms of songs though, but Rock n Roll High School and the opening Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio are both outstanding, leading me to blame the albums patchy nature on the band as opposed to Spector.
Leonard Cohen-Death of a Ladies Man
I am, however, entirely willing to blame Spector for ruining this album. When the legendary gloomy songsmith Cohen enlisted Spector as a producer he probably believed he was going to get something like the stark production on John Lennon's masterpiece 'Plastic Ono Band' which Spector also produced. Instead, Cohen's vocals and lyrics are drowned out by Spector's totally bombastic string and orchestral arrangements which seem totally inappropriate. The making of this album was again notoriously difficult, with Cohen finding himself locked out of the mixing suite. Subsequent critics are kinder to the album, saying the production amplifies the theatrical nature of the songs, but to me they were right first time round. 'Death of a Ladies Man', despite having some decent songs such as the nicely titled 'Don't Go Home With Your Hardon', is a pretty messy affair.
Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
I never really listen to Jazz (not even sure how you're supposed to listen to it!) but I've stuck this classic album on late at night a few times and have been enjoying it very much. Not sure how I would distinguish this from any other Jazz album despite its monolithic reputation, but it's pretty good.
Syd Barrett-Barrett
Syd's second solo album is much patchier than 'Madcap Laughs' and lacks its sense of druggy desperation. He also sounds like he can't be bothered throughout most of the record, and much of it seems to wander aimlessly. Still, 'Baby Lemonade', 'Gigalo Aunt' and 'Dominoes' are among his best from his solo work.
Amon Duul II-Paradiewarts Duul
This spacey, chilled out 60's German record is nothing mind blowing but works enough for fans of its type. The epic title track 'Love is Peace' is very good though.
Amon Duul II-Phallus Dei
Another proggy album from these Krautrock pioneers, this one a little more jittery than Paradiewarts Duul and has a lot more in common with Can. Luzifer's Ghilom is probably the best reason to tune in here as is the superb and brilliantly named title track.
First up, I've never heard any of Caribou's stuff before so in terms of 'sound evolution' I don't know how this compares to his other work, but Dan Snaith's new album is a superb, grown up techno workout devoid of any weak tracks. The opening stomp of the single 'Odessa' immediately sounds like the best track but it holds momentum throughout. The slick 'Bowls' is also excellent and has a cool creepiness to it and 'Leave House' is a Balearic style track coming in the middle of the album and is another highlight. Towards the end though it really takes off, particularly with the dark, brass-laden 'Hannibal' before exploding with emotion with the brilliant 'Jamelia'. Actually the whole thing is superb! Overall the record sounds minimal, yet melodic, always upbeat and intriguing and improving on each listen. In the end, this is a fine album and sits alongside the Pantha Du Prince and Four Tet albums as being this years top notch minimal electro releases.
Charlotte Gainsbourg-IRM
The new album from singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg is actually a collaboration with junk rocker Beck. Both seem to be riding on a fairly creative high, Gainsbourg having recently appeared in Lars Von Trier's brilliant but bleak 'Antichrist' and Beck's last album 'Modern Guilt' was his best for years, though it was criminally neglected. They suit each other perfectly and have together created a perfectly charming indie pop album. The title track, arriving early on is particularly good, driven by tribal beats and an ethereal hum it is both seductive and creepy. Overall, it's quite an eclectic album; 'Le Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes' is a sultry French ballad that makes her worthy of the name Gainsbourg, 'Trick Pony' is a decent blusey tune, 'Heaven Can Wait' is a cheerful and very 'indie' sounding number while 'Vanities' is a beautiful, gentle folky number. Not an amazing album to be sure, but a decent, innovative and eclectic one.
Liars-Sisterworld
Again, never really heard the Liars stuff before, but this album, the follow up to a self titled album definitely warrants interest. Like the These New Puritans album out earlier this year, 'Sisterworld' sounds ominous and brooding; Andrew Angus vocals sound dark and sinister throughout and from the get go the album exudes a sense of dread about it. The opening track 'Scissor' with its stop/start dynamic gets things off to a suitably dark surrounding that is followed by the even creepier 'No Barrier Fun'. The album is mainly dystopic in nature and seems to revolve around themes of urban decay and alienation. Tracks like 'Drip' have a real subterranean quality of them and a genuinely paranoid nature that threatens to explode at any moment, even though the album rarely does. Another highlight is 'Proud Evolution' which has a bit more of a groove to it than the other tracks and in many ways is the albums centrepiece. On the whole 'Sisterworld' is not an especially enjoyable album, but it is a very effective one.
Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles are, on the whole, a group I really can't stand. Their stand-offish nature in interviews seems like less of a genuine attitude and more of a paper thin calculated stance. Their whole background (Alice Glass runs away from home at 14 to live in squats) sounds so contrived and their whole 'cool' aesthetic seems to be so pathetically try hard. To add to this, their first album also called 'Crystal Castles' sounded like someone had taken a hammer to a NES game before putting it back in the console to see what blips might come out. An appealing notion to some no doubt, but to me it sounded fucking horrible. Still, this album is something of an improvement and they have found a certain amount of structure to their songs and at least on record you can try and forget about their godawful visual posturing. On its own terms 'Celestica' is a fine, ethereal and oddly haunting electro piece and 'Baptism' opening with haunted Ibiza style synths before turning into an actually pretty good waily dance workout. Best of all might be the stomping 'Year of Silence' punctuated by Glass' gibberish vocals and the haunting 'Violent Dreams' provides a haunting interlude. The latter half of the album is somewhat by the numbers, but on the whole this album is actually kind of OK. I still think they're a bunch of wanky poseurs though.
The National-High Violet
Again, I am unfamiliar with The National's previous work, but this is being touted as their 'breakthrough album', an American equivalent of Elbow's last album and has thus been getting a lot of enthusiastic press and for good reason; 'High Violet' is an upper tier indie rock record sounding equally epic and personal. Something of an Autumnal album, 'High Violet' seems to glide through with a sense of gentle melancholy and uplifting statements throughout its 11 tracks. 'Terrible Love' gets things off to a grand start, setting the scene admirably, sounding particularly epic towards the end; make to mistake, this album should be played pretty loud. It dips a little early on, 'Little Faith' and 'Afraid Of Everyone' are a little weaker in comparison but from the brilliant 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' it takes off and doesn't dip until it ends. 'Lemonworld' and especially 'Runaway' have a gentle beauty about them and my favourite track 'England' arriving near the end of the album sounds like the kind of anthem made for festivals. The albums real talent though, lies in expressing fairly universal themes of love, longing and regret without sounding like a total bummer and doing it in the way that earns bands titles like 'band of the people'. As each songs hooks creep under your skin, 'High Violet' becomes more and more compelling with each listen. I definitely need to listen to more of their back catalogue, and even if this is their breakthrough, I can easily imagine they can do even better.
Flying Lotus-Cosmogramma
The third album from Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison) has been much hyped and has become something of a darling to the critics, touted as his most varied and accomplished effort to date. Often billed as 'experimental hip-hop', to me it's sounds more like the IDM of Squarepusher, trading equally in house, electro and free jazz. The latter is a key ingredient: Ellison's Aunt is Jazz Legend Alice Coltrane, and the album is part dedicated to her. It certainly is an 'album' in the truest sense of the term, all of the tracks are around the two-minute mark and, much like the burial and Four Tet albums don't function as well on their own. Even the Thom Yorke collaboration '...And The World Laughs With You' doesn't leap out at you, but informs the record as a whole, much like the Panda Bear collaboration off the Pantha Du Prince album. That said, there are definite highlights in 'Cosmogramma'; the aggressive 'Computer Face/Pure Being' is superb as is the wistful 'Do the Astral Plane' and the oddly relaxed 'Satelliiiitteee' and 'Table Tennis' near the end of the album stands out for it's literal ping-pong ball percussion. So far, 2010 is looking like a good year for complex, innovative electronic music and Cosmogramma is as original and forward thinking as they come. Highly recommended.
Older Music:
Beach Boys-All Summer Long
Pleasant enough transitional album from the Beach Boys, but overall it's a little slight and nowhere near as good as the likes of Pet Sounds. It does contain 'I Get Around' though.
Popul Vuh-Affenstunde
Very ambient album from this 70's German group who also did the music to Aguirre: Wrath of God. A little too ambient for my liking and without being very atmospheric.
Funkadelic-Cosmic Slop
Another decent album from the P-Funk Empire. Not one of their best, but the opening 'Nappy Dugout' is pure filth and great fun and the family themed nightmare of the title track is outstanding.
A Tribe Called Quest-People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
The best older album I have heard this month. A Tribe Called Quests debut release is one of the best summery records I've heard in a long while. Q-Tip's rhymes about women (Bonita Applebum), a holiday gone wrong (the brilliant 'Left My Wallet In El Segundo') and most bizarrely his diet ('Ham n Eggs') are all first rate. The almost psychedelic production is always chilled out, summery and hypnotic. I definitely need to listen to their other albums.
Captain Beefheart-Lick My Decals Off Baby
Captain Beefheart's follow up to Trout Mask Replica is a little more listenable than that legendary monster but is still one of his more avant garde numbers. Has some good songs on, but if I'm going to be honest I do prefer his more 'normal' stuff by a considerable distance.
Phil Spector-Back To Mono
Here is the start of a mini Phil Spector section, I've been reading a fascinating biography of him this month (Tearing Down The Wall Of Sound by Mick Brown...only £2 in Fopp!) and have been revisiting his work. Back To Mono is a box set anthology of his 1960's work and much of it will be familiar to most people. What with Spector's bizarre personal life it's difficult to forget he was behind some true pop masterpieces like 'Be My Baby', 'Da Do Ron Ron' and the titanic sounding 'River Deep - Mountain High'. At three discs, this is a long listen and you're mainly supposed to dip into it occasionally but there are some real gems here.
The Ramones-End of the Century
I've had something of a volte face regarding the Ramones this year, and I appreciate them a lot more than I used to. With this album, they enlisted Spector's services and made one of their more controversial albums. Spector is often blamed for softening up the group, but I feel his production on End Of The Century is totally appropriate. Despite their punk and aggressive guitar work, The Ramones songs are clearly rooted in 50's/60's pop and Spector gives their music a fuller quality which I always felt was lacking even in their seminal debut album. It is inferior to their past work in terms of songs though, but Rock n Roll High School and the opening Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio are both outstanding, leading me to blame the albums patchy nature on the band as opposed to Spector.
Leonard Cohen-Death of a Ladies Man
I am, however, entirely willing to blame Spector for ruining this album. When the legendary gloomy songsmith Cohen enlisted Spector as a producer he probably believed he was going to get something like the stark production on John Lennon's masterpiece 'Plastic Ono Band' which Spector also produced. Instead, Cohen's vocals and lyrics are drowned out by Spector's totally bombastic string and orchestral arrangements which seem totally inappropriate. The making of this album was again notoriously difficult, with Cohen finding himself locked out of the mixing suite. Subsequent critics are kinder to the album, saying the production amplifies the theatrical nature of the songs, but to me they were right first time round. 'Death of a Ladies Man', despite having some decent songs such as the nicely titled 'Don't Go Home With Your Hardon', is a pretty messy affair.
Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
I never really listen to Jazz (not even sure how you're supposed to listen to it!) but I've stuck this classic album on late at night a few times and have been enjoying it very much. Not sure how I would distinguish this from any other Jazz album despite its monolithic reputation, but it's pretty good.
Syd Barrett-Barrett
Syd's second solo album is much patchier than 'Madcap Laughs' and lacks its sense of druggy desperation. He also sounds like he can't be bothered throughout most of the record, and much of it seems to wander aimlessly. Still, 'Baby Lemonade', 'Gigalo Aunt' and 'Dominoes' are among his best from his solo work.
Amon Duul II-Paradiewarts Duul
This spacey, chilled out 60's German record is nothing mind blowing but works enough for fans of its type. The epic title track 'Love is Peace' is very good though.
Amon Duul II-Phallus Dei
Another proggy album from these Krautrock pioneers, this one a little more jittery than Paradiewarts Duul and has a lot more in common with Can. Luzifer's Ghilom is probably the best reason to tune in here as is the superb and brilliantly named title track.
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