Chris Morris doesn’t do interviews, photoshoots or public appearances; at least that is conventional wisdom. Throughout his 24-year career he has acquired a reputation as one of the most elusive figures in comedy. For years he refused to be photographed out of character and when asked to do a photoshoot in the 90’s he asked to be photographed from a distance, blurred in amongst the dozens of commuters. As far as interviews go, he has often proved elusive and near impossible to get hold of. In 2003, Xan Brooks from the Guardian attempted to phone his office to ask some follow up questions to a recent and rare interview and was greeted with an answering machine advising the caller to try Morris mobile by "pressing the hash key 17 times". While nearly always maintaining a stern, secretive silence regarding his working methods and refusing to explain himself whenever he has courted controversy, he is regarded as something of a recluse.
Recently this seems to have changed, and now Morris has a new film to promote; a comedy about a group of would-be suicide bombers called ‘Four Lions’. It is his first feature film, and he has duly provided himself for all manner of recent interviews and Q&A sessions. Tonight, he is appearing at the Curzon Soho for a Q&A with co-writer Sam Bain and actors Kayvan Novak and Arsher Ali, I have come along mainly to get a rare glimpse of the man. It is a fairly significant fan-boy moment for me; the work of Chris Morris is second only to the music of New Order as the greatest of a long line of pop-culture obsessions of mine. He came to my office two years ago to pitch Four Lions (we turned him down), and I couldn’t bring myself to say anything to him, instead my supervisor, Dean badgered him on his way out, explained my fondness for his work and Morris very kindly send a runner back later with a signed Nathan Barley DVD addressed to me. Contrary to his difficult and reputation as a media recluse on a par with Terence Malick and Stanley Kubrick, he apparently seemed to be a fairly warm, charming and friendly individual. But then again where Chris Morris is concerned, nothing appears to be normal.
He was born in 1962, the son of two doctors and attended the public school Stonyhurst College. Later, after graduating from Bristol University with a degree in Zoology, he found work in radio, quickly learning all the tricks of the trade that would serve him over the years. He would eventually be fired for allegedly filling the news booth with helium during a broadcast, but he quickly found work for GLR before being hand picked by Armando Ianucci to be the lead reporter for the now classic news spoof radio series On The Hour and it’s television spin-off The Day Today. Working alongside Steve Coogan, Rebecca Front and Patrick Marber, Morris in the lead role would appear as a Paxman-esque anchorman berating his guests while maintaining strange banter with Coogan’s Alan Partridge, also making his TV debut.
In 1994, he moved to BBC Radio One, where he was given an hour long slot on Wednesday evenings. It is here, where in my opinion, his best work lies. He soon found himself trouble after announcing the death of Michael Hestletine on air and calling up MP Jerry Hayes and former Jam bassist Bruce Foxton for a soundbite, asking the latter which bass line would be “a suitable lament”. From then on, the show was pre-recorded, but brilliant moments still followed including a sketch where Morris and co-conspirator Peter Baynham find DJ Johnnie Walker dead in the studio and phone a French taxidermist to see if they can stuff him (“il est un dauphin de music-radio”). Legal action was soon threatened after he announced the death of Jimmy Saville and the series came to an end on Boxing Day 1994.
Once describing his approach to comedy as: "If you make a joke in an area which is for some reason, normally random, out of bounds, then you might find something out, you might put your finger on something" Morris has always sailed 'close to the mark' with his work and never more so with his next project. Resuming his Paxman-style news anchor he created Brass Eye in 1997, a spoof on current affairs programmes it focused on various issues (animals, sex, crime) while lampooning the news an media in general. The now classic ‘Drugs’ episode had Morris forming a campaign against “made up drug” Cake, and enticing Noel Edmonds, Bernard Ingham, Rolf Harris and MP David Amess to speak out in support of its banning. Before he realised he had been duped Amess even asked a question in the Commons about the fictional drug. However, Channel 4 boss Michael Grade soon asked for cuts to the risqué series and Morris responded by (possibly illegally) inserting ‘Grade Is A Cunt’ subliminally into the last episode. He also wrote to Nelson Mandella saying Grade campaigned for him to remain in prison and to Paul Simon telling the songwriter Grade considered Art Garfunkel to be the superior of his one-time duo.
But it was the 2001 Brass Eye special on paedophilia that made Morris a hate figure for the tabloids. Again roping in celebrities like the DJ Neil Fox saying paedophiles had the genetics of a crab (“there’s no scientific proof for this, but it is a fact”) and Richard Blackwood claiming paedophiles had taken over a piece of the internet the size of Ireland. The Daily Mail branded him the ‘most hated man on tv’ and the episode attracted a record number of complaints to Offcom. For his part, Morris remained silent, refusing to respond to the tabloids and quietly sitting the storm out. The episode, though it does push comedy about as far as it can go, is now regarded as something of a classic and the Brass Eye DVD became a best-seller.
This was then followed by the radio series Blue Jam and its TV equivalent Jam. Opening with a narration by Morris and set to a soundtrack featuring Aphex Twin and Brian Eno, it is a sketch show consisting of various creepy, surreal and bizarre settings involving murder, abortion, nervous breakdowns and dead babies. Arguably even more disturbing than Brass Eye, it attracted little attention due to a deliberate lack of publicity and its extremely late transmission time. They represent his most challenging work (it’s debatable as to whether or not it is actually comedy) but remains a rewarding part of his oeuvre. After completing My Wrongs, an award winning short film, in 2005 he collaborated with Charlie Brooker for the sitcom Nathan Barley, a satire of trendy East London types. Despite airing to disappointing ratings and mixed critical reaction, it is now regarding as a cult classic and its influence on pop culture has spread far and wide.
Since then Morris has been rather quiet, taking on an acting role for The IT Crowd and undertaking lengthy research for the Four Lions project. I saw the film in a rough version a few months ago and I feel it is lacking the bite of his previous projects. Nevertheless, it remains a refreshing and original take on the post-9/11 world and it certainly is not a chore to sit through again with an audience. Before it started Morris briefly introduces the film; he looks very different to his most famous representation in Brass Eye. He is very tall, around 6’’5, with long curly and unkempt hair, the acne scars glimpsed from his on camera appearances is clearly notable as is his large birthmark, his voice however is very similar, he is every bit the ex-public schoolboy and at times resembles a weekend middle class Glastonbury goer. Despite this he has a very commanding presence, and for someone who typically avoids interviews he is in many ways a perfect interviewee, providing constantly charming and witty responses and being able to talk at length and fairly eloquently about a wide range of subjects.
The Q&A passes by without much incident, the audience is very polite nobody asks any real challenging questions regarding Islamic terrorism nor grills him about his past work, everyone is quite happy just to hear him talk. Somebody asks what his plans are next and he proves to be typically elusive saying for all he knows it could be a “five second vod-cast”. When it finishes after a very quick hour I timidly approach the man as he descends from the stage and ask him if he would mind signing the poster. “Yeah sure” he replies in his immediately recognisable voice and I lay out the poster “do you want any of the other guys like Kayvan to sign it?”, meaning the other actors but they have already walked off. “They seem to have buggered off” I reply and Morris signs the poster (depicting a crow strapped to a miniature bomb) “Where’s Kayvan?” before putting his signature at the bottom. I then meekly shake his hand and head off into the night in a very good mood indeed.
Friday 28 May 2010
Sunday 16 May 2010
Albums I Heard In April
LCD Soundsystem-This Is Happening
The third and allegedly final album from the DFA's James Murphy is a fine addition to his oeuvre and a worthy bow out...even if it isn't quite as good as his debut or the 2007 masterpiece 'Sound of Silver'. Like 'Sound of Silver', Murphy has put a lot more attention to his lyrics, especially on the stream of consciousness epic 'Pow Pow', the mournful 'I Can Change' and especially on the superb closer 'Home'. Tune wise, its pretty much business as usual and all the better for it. Opening track 'Dance Yrself Clean' starts out slow before exploding into Technicolor, single 'Drunk Girls' is a fun little ditty, somewhat wrong footing as the albums lead single. The Strokes esque 'All I Want' is brilliant though, as is the aforementioned 'Pow Pow'. My only complaint is that some of the tracks seem to aspire to past glories, 'You Wanted a Hit' is very good, but it's no 'Us vs Them' which it’s clearly descended from. I'm judging it a little too hard perhaps, LCD Soundsystems other two albums were among the best of the last ten years and for any other artist this would be a major breakthrough. Nevertheless, this is still an excellent record which you should definately check out.
Dum Drum Girls-I Will Be
Debut album from new girl fronted band from legendary indie label Sub Pop is a worthy addition to its roster. Sonically, sounding somewhere between the Jesus & Mary Chain and Bananarama it’s less than half an hour long and breezes away nicely. Mainly a vehicle for lead singer Dee Dee, the tunes are pretty simple indie-pop fair with simple sing along choruses. Standouts include the bouncy 'Jail La La', the blissfully gorgeous 'Rest of our Lives' and the swaggering 'Bhang Bhang Burnout'. The record is a little bit samey, and it isn't at all original or unique but at less than half an hour it doesn't outstay its welcome and is pleasing enough.
I Speak Because I Can-Laura Marling
Despite its at times MOR tendencies, Laura Marling's debut album 'Alas, I Cannot Swim' was a promising enough record and with 'I Speak Because I Can' she has made a big step forward thanks to contributions from Mumford & Sons and production from King of Leon producer Ethan Johns. The record sounds more mature than Marling's years (she turned 20 in February) and her voice has a depth suggesting heartbreak and world weariness. There are times where you may think of this album as the response to last years 'First Days of Spring' by Noah & The Whale, an album which documented the breakup between her and singer Charlie Fink. But nevertheless the songs stand out well, and take on their own meaning particularly on 'Devil's Spoke' and 'Rambling Man' showcasing Marling's ability to soar and sigh in equal measures. A decent, solid, grown-up singer/songwriter album.
Music Go Music-Expressions
The last decades' penchant for looking back to various artists and movements, here, with Music Go Music, we have what can be best described as 'neo-ABBA'. Still, although this album has had lukewarm reviews and seems set to sink without a trace, despite my conviction it would be a success, I think 'Expressions' is great, if ultra-camp fun. The opening song 'I Walk Alone' is an absolute belter, 'Reach Out' is great as is the near ten minute epic 'Warm in the Shadows' and the urgent fun and single 'Light of Love' sounds like a lost chart topper straight from 1978. It's not very original, but if you consider ABBA as one of your guilty pleasures then it’s worth a look.
The Magnetic Fields-Realism
The latest album from Steven Merritt, architect of the brilliant modern classic epic '69 Love Songs' is a comparatively slight album (at 33 minutes a sixth of that albums length!) that is a decent enough showcase for his off kilter songs of love and heartbreak. The first track 'You Must Be Out Of Your Mind' gets things off to a good start, and overall it’s a pretty consistent album, even if it doesn't beat the opener. Not a revelatory listen, but good enough all the same.
The Morning Benders-Big Echo
Wow, here is yet another feedback, lo-fi sounding sunny indie band who once again sound pleasant and enjoyable. There have been so many now I'm starting to get totally confused as to which songs are actually on the Antlers, Atlas Sound, Yeasayer, Beach House, Fang Island and Surfer Blood albums. To the credit of Morning Benders, this is their second album and is once again a perfectly fine listen. The opening track 'Gorgeous' is...well, gorgeous and probably the best thing on here, though 'Mason Jar' comes close, but overall it again feels samey. Still, there are some lovely melodies here, and the production from Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor is suitably lush and it’s nice to hear something like this while the weather is getting nicer, as opposed to in the middle of winter.
Older Music: As you can see, I’ve been a little slack this month on reviewing new releases. The fact is, there wasn’t a great deal out this month that particularly appealed to me. Plus, this month my listening habits have mainly focusing on the large discographies of Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, and the Parliament/Funkadelic empire of George Clinton.
Beefheart has eluded me for many years, and he’s definitely one of the harder artists to get into. His snarling voice can put many off, and often his music sounds like an out of time cacophony. I made the mistake early on of listening to his highly regarded 28-track album ‘Trout Mask Replica’, his most acclaimed but most difficult album. Guitar and drum parts seem to be taped together totally at random, though in actual fact Beefheart (real name: Don Van Vleit) rehearsed the band in a Mason sequel commune for nearly a year before recording the lengthy album in just six hours. I haven’t quite ‘got’ the album yet, but I probably will soon a few of the tracks have revealed their brilliance to me, especially the crazy, urgent ‘Ella Guru’ and ‘Moonlight on Vermont’, the bluesy ‘China Pig’, ‘When Big Joan Sets Up’ and the bizarre ‘The Blimp’. Needless to say this album is very weird but if its avant garde/maverick type stuff you’re after than ‘Trout Mask Replica’ is probably an essential listen.
Far more pleasing to me though are ‘Clear Spot’ and his debut ‘Safe as Milk’. ‘Clear Spot’ is often touted as the perfect Beefheart entry point and its difficult to disagree, all of the songs have a tight, bar room feel about them, and although there are examples of his trademark weirdness (particularly on ‘Circumstances’) the album contains several off-beat ballads and is filled with dirty, bluesy riffs. ‘Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles’ is a great ballad as is ‘Too Much Time’, reminiscent of Otis Redding. The centrepiece though is definitely ‘Big Eyed Beans From Venus’, the most Beefheart like track on the album, sounding utterly monstrous and riff heavy, its one of his best songs, and a fitting near climax to a great album. For me though, ‘Safe as Milk’ is a true masterpiece and one of the best old albums I’ve heard in a while. Relatively straightforward, it’s probably best described as psychedelic blues, and sounds very 1960’s. ‘Yellow Brick Road’ for instance sounds very much of its time but it’s the nastier tracks punctuated by a young Ry Cooder on guitar that really bite. ‘Dropout Boogie’ is a superb stomper, ‘Abba Zaba’ has a psychedelic craziness to it and best of all is the monumental ‘Electricity’ which points ahead to the rest of his discography and really amazes you it was made in 1967. The band sound ridiculously tight on the record and at the centre Beefheart snarls his way through the whole damn thing. Definitely the best Beefheart song I have yet heard, it is the centrepiece of a true masterpiece of an album.
Other Beefheart albums I’ve heard this month are ‘Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)’ and ‘Doc at the Radar Station’. The former is another fairly accessible listen, often regarded as a return to form after an unlucky period at attempting commercial success. Although I don’t think it’s as popular with his fans, as it doesn’t have the bite of ‘Clear Spot’ nor is it as experimental as his other work, it does have some great songs on. ‘Tropical Hot Dog Night’ is surprisingly Caribbean sounding and ‘Bat Chain Puller’ has a leery menace to it. ‘Doc at the Radar Station’ is definitely an LP of two halves, the first side sounding a bit like ‘Clear Spot’ the second more like ‘Trout Mask Replica’. I definitely prefer the first half, the opening track ‘Hothead’ is brilliant as is ‘Sue Egypt’ and ‘Ashtray Heart’, the second half does have the messy ‘Best Batch Yet’, but overall I find this admittedly highly regarded album a little inconsistent. I have a few more Beefheart albums to hear in the next month so more to come from him.
Parliament/Funkadelic have a discography that’s arguably as intimidating as The Fall’s. They released a mind blowing twenty albums during the 1970’s alone under the two monikers (though they’re basically the same band). I’ve been dipping in here and there to various albums, chiefly Funkadelics’ over Parliaments and have discovered some true gems. Fronted by George Clinton, and featuring a revolving line-up with some amazing musicians like Bootsy Collins (bass), Bernie Worrell (keyboards) and Eddie Hazel (guitar) they are well worth your attention. A good staring point for anyone would probably be Parliament’s ‘Mothership Connection’ one of the best regarded funk albums ever, and probably the most accessibly P-Funk album I’ve heard. It contains the classics ‘P Funk’, ‘Mothership Connection’ and ‘Give up the Funk’ all of which have been sampled to death not least on Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’. The singles do stand out, the whole record is hugely enjoyable and all the other tracks are pretty fun. After that, you might want to give Funkadelic’s ‘One Nation Under A Groove’ a try, the album title alone says its all, it combines funk, disco and rock with superb ease. It does have some craziness in it, particularly the scatological ‘Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad’ but the immortal title track and the even better ‘Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?’ makes for pretty definitive mission statements.
They have so many albums so I’ll be brief. Funkadelic’s self titled debut is also a fine release if not as innovative; it’s far more rooted in the 1960’s but does have the great opening track ‘Mommy, What’s A Funkadelic?’. The second album ‘Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow’ was recorded in one day while the band was on LCD, and it certainly shows, not least with the feedback driven title track and the outstanding ‘Friday Night August 14th’. ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’ is a bit more disco oriented, and although its fairly good it is dominated by the 15-minute ‘Not Just Knee Deep’, memorably sampled by De La Soul for ‘Me Myself and I’. ‘Standing on the Verge of Getting It On’ is one I’ve only listened to twice so far, but it’s definitely one of the best P-Funk albums I’ve heard yet. It’s a lot more guitary, and ‘rocks’ more than any of the others I’ve heard and is brilliantly consistent. The title track is outstanding as is the laid back ‘I’ll Stay’. The double album ‘America Eats It’s Young’ is very inconsistent and is one of the weaker listens I’ve heard. It does have some worthwhile tracks though, particularly ‘You Hit the Nail on the Head’ and the filthy ‘Loose Booty’. But dodgy attempts and ballads like ‘We Hurt Too’ fall flat on their face.
Best of all though is probably the seminal ‘Maggot Brain’. Opening with the ten-minute title track consisting mainly of a mind exploding guitar solo from Eddie Hazel (instructed to play “like his mother just died”) it’s a quietly brilliant introduction and the album dips between the poppy ‘Can You Get To That’ to the freak-out OD nightmare ‘Super Stupid’ while ‘Wars of Armageddon’ ends things in a glorious rave up fashion. The discography of this outfit is very intimidating, but as I have discovered this month, to delve in is to find some real treasures indeed.
Album of the Month: LCD Soundsystem-This Is Happening
The third and allegedly final album from the DFA's James Murphy is a fine addition to his oeuvre and a worthy bow out...even if it isn't quite as good as his debut or the 2007 masterpiece 'Sound of Silver'. Like 'Sound of Silver', Murphy has put a lot more attention to his lyrics, especially on the stream of consciousness epic 'Pow Pow', the mournful 'I Can Change' and especially on the superb closer 'Home'. Tune wise, its pretty much business as usual and all the better for it. Opening track 'Dance Yrself Clean' starts out slow before exploding into Technicolor, single 'Drunk Girls' is a fun little ditty, somewhat wrong footing as the albums lead single. The Strokes esque 'All I Want' is brilliant though, as is the aforementioned 'Pow Pow'. My only complaint is that some of the tracks seem to aspire to past glories, 'You Wanted a Hit' is very good, but it's no 'Us vs Them' which it’s clearly descended from. I'm judging it a little too hard perhaps, LCD Soundsystems other two albums were among the best of the last ten years and for any other artist this would be a major breakthrough. Nevertheless, this is still an excellent record which you should definately check out.
Dum Drum Girls-I Will Be
Debut album from new girl fronted band from legendary indie label Sub Pop is a worthy addition to its roster. Sonically, sounding somewhere between the Jesus & Mary Chain and Bananarama it’s less than half an hour long and breezes away nicely. Mainly a vehicle for lead singer Dee Dee, the tunes are pretty simple indie-pop fair with simple sing along choruses. Standouts include the bouncy 'Jail La La', the blissfully gorgeous 'Rest of our Lives' and the swaggering 'Bhang Bhang Burnout'. The record is a little bit samey, and it isn't at all original or unique but at less than half an hour it doesn't outstay its welcome and is pleasing enough.
I Speak Because I Can-Laura Marling
Despite its at times MOR tendencies, Laura Marling's debut album 'Alas, I Cannot Swim' was a promising enough record and with 'I Speak Because I Can' she has made a big step forward thanks to contributions from Mumford & Sons and production from King of Leon producer Ethan Johns. The record sounds more mature than Marling's years (she turned 20 in February) and her voice has a depth suggesting heartbreak and world weariness. There are times where you may think of this album as the response to last years 'First Days of Spring' by Noah & The Whale, an album which documented the breakup between her and singer Charlie Fink. But nevertheless the songs stand out well, and take on their own meaning particularly on 'Devil's Spoke' and 'Rambling Man' showcasing Marling's ability to soar and sigh in equal measures. A decent, solid, grown-up singer/songwriter album.
Music Go Music-Expressions
The last decades' penchant for looking back to various artists and movements, here, with Music Go Music, we have what can be best described as 'neo-ABBA'. Still, although this album has had lukewarm reviews and seems set to sink without a trace, despite my conviction it would be a success, I think 'Expressions' is great, if ultra-camp fun. The opening song 'I Walk Alone' is an absolute belter, 'Reach Out' is great as is the near ten minute epic 'Warm in the Shadows' and the urgent fun and single 'Light of Love' sounds like a lost chart topper straight from 1978. It's not very original, but if you consider ABBA as one of your guilty pleasures then it’s worth a look.
The Magnetic Fields-Realism
The latest album from Steven Merritt, architect of the brilliant modern classic epic '69 Love Songs' is a comparatively slight album (at 33 minutes a sixth of that albums length!) that is a decent enough showcase for his off kilter songs of love and heartbreak. The first track 'You Must Be Out Of Your Mind' gets things off to a good start, and overall it’s a pretty consistent album, even if it doesn't beat the opener. Not a revelatory listen, but good enough all the same.
The Morning Benders-Big Echo
Wow, here is yet another feedback, lo-fi sounding sunny indie band who once again sound pleasant and enjoyable. There have been so many now I'm starting to get totally confused as to which songs are actually on the Antlers, Atlas Sound, Yeasayer, Beach House, Fang Island and Surfer Blood albums. To the credit of Morning Benders, this is their second album and is once again a perfectly fine listen. The opening track 'Gorgeous' is...well, gorgeous and probably the best thing on here, though 'Mason Jar' comes close, but overall it again feels samey. Still, there are some lovely melodies here, and the production from Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor is suitably lush and it’s nice to hear something like this while the weather is getting nicer, as opposed to in the middle of winter.
Older Music: As you can see, I’ve been a little slack this month on reviewing new releases. The fact is, there wasn’t a great deal out this month that particularly appealed to me. Plus, this month my listening habits have mainly focusing on the large discographies of Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, and the Parliament/Funkadelic empire of George Clinton.
Beefheart has eluded me for many years, and he’s definitely one of the harder artists to get into. His snarling voice can put many off, and often his music sounds like an out of time cacophony. I made the mistake early on of listening to his highly regarded 28-track album ‘Trout Mask Replica’, his most acclaimed but most difficult album. Guitar and drum parts seem to be taped together totally at random, though in actual fact Beefheart (real name: Don Van Vleit) rehearsed the band in a Mason sequel commune for nearly a year before recording the lengthy album in just six hours. I haven’t quite ‘got’ the album yet, but I probably will soon a few of the tracks have revealed their brilliance to me, especially the crazy, urgent ‘Ella Guru’ and ‘Moonlight on Vermont’, the bluesy ‘China Pig’, ‘When Big Joan Sets Up’ and the bizarre ‘The Blimp’. Needless to say this album is very weird but if its avant garde/maverick type stuff you’re after than ‘Trout Mask Replica’ is probably an essential listen.
Far more pleasing to me though are ‘Clear Spot’ and his debut ‘Safe as Milk’. ‘Clear Spot’ is often touted as the perfect Beefheart entry point and its difficult to disagree, all of the songs have a tight, bar room feel about them, and although there are examples of his trademark weirdness (particularly on ‘Circumstances’) the album contains several off-beat ballads and is filled with dirty, bluesy riffs. ‘Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles’ is a great ballad as is ‘Too Much Time’, reminiscent of Otis Redding. The centrepiece though is definitely ‘Big Eyed Beans From Venus’, the most Beefheart like track on the album, sounding utterly monstrous and riff heavy, its one of his best songs, and a fitting near climax to a great album. For me though, ‘Safe as Milk’ is a true masterpiece and one of the best old albums I’ve heard in a while. Relatively straightforward, it’s probably best described as psychedelic blues, and sounds very 1960’s. ‘Yellow Brick Road’ for instance sounds very much of its time but it’s the nastier tracks punctuated by a young Ry Cooder on guitar that really bite. ‘Dropout Boogie’ is a superb stomper, ‘Abba Zaba’ has a psychedelic craziness to it and best of all is the monumental ‘Electricity’ which points ahead to the rest of his discography and really amazes you it was made in 1967. The band sound ridiculously tight on the record and at the centre Beefheart snarls his way through the whole damn thing. Definitely the best Beefheart song I have yet heard, it is the centrepiece of a true masterpiece of an album.
Other Beefheart albums I’ve heard this month are ‘Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)’ and ‘Doc at the Radar Station’. The former is another fairly accessible listen, often regarded as a return to form after an unlucky period at attempting commercial success. Although I don’t think it’s as popular with his fans, as it doesn’t have the bite of ‘Clear Spot’ nor is it as experimental as his other work, it does have some great songs on. ‘Tropical Hot Dog Night’ is surprisingly Caribbean sounding and ‘Bat Chain Puller’ has a leery menace to it. ‘Doc at the Radar Station’ is definitely an LP of two halves, the first side sounding a bit like ‘Clear Spot’ the second more like ‘Trout Mask Replica’. I definitely prefer the first half, the opening track ‘Hothead’ is brilliant as is ‘Sue Egypt’ and ‘Ashtray Heart’, the second half does have the messy ‘Best Batch Yet’, but overall I find this admittedly highly regarded album a little inconsistent. I have a few more Beefheart albums to hear in the next month so more to come from him.
Parliament/Funkadelic have a discography that’s arguably as intimidating as The Fall’s. They released a mind blowing twenty albums during the 1970’s alone under the two monikers (though they’re basically the same band). I’ve been dipping in here and there to various albums, chiefly Funkadelics’ over Parliaments and have discovered some true gems. Fronted by George Clinton, and featuring a revolving line-up with some amazing musicians like Bootsy Collins (bass), Bernie Worrell (keyboards) and Eddie Hazel (guitar) they are well worth your attention. A good staring point for anyone would probably be Parliament’s ‘Mothership Connection’ one of the best regarded funk albums ever, and probably the most accessibly P-Funk album I’ve heard. It contains the classics ‘P Funk’, ‘Mothership Connection’ and ‘Give up the Funk’ all of which have been sampled to death not least on Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’. The singles do stand out, the whole record is hugely enjoyable and all the other tracks are pretty fun. After that, you might want to give Funkadelic’s ‘One Nation Under A Groove’ a try, the album title alone says its all, it combines funk, disco and rock with superb ease. It does have some craziness in it, particularly the scatological ‘Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad’ but the immortal title track and the even better ‘Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?’ makes for pretty definitive mission statements.
They have so many albums so I’ll be brief. Funkadelic’s self titled debut is also a fine release if not as innovative; it’s far more rooted in the 1960’s but does have the great opening track ‘Mommy, What’s A Funkadelic?’. The second album ‘Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow’ was recorded in one day while the band was on LCD, and it certainly shows, not least with the feedback driven title track and the outstanding ‘Friday Night August 14th’. ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’ is a bit more disco oriented, and although its fairly good it is dominated by the 15-minute ‘Not Just Knee Deep’, memorably sampled by De La Soul for ‘Me Myself and I’. ‘Standing on the Verge of Getting It On’ is one I’ve only listened to twice so far, but it’s definitely one of the best P-Funk albums I’ve heard yet. It’s a lot more guitary, and ‘rocks’ more than any of the others I’ve heard and is brilliantly consistent. The title track is outstanding as is the laid back ‘I’ll Stay’. The double album ‘America Eats It’s Young’ is very inconsistent and is one of the weaker listens I’ve heard. It does have some worthwhile tracks though, particularly ‘You Hit the Nail on the Head’ and the filthy ‘Loose Booty’. But dodgy attempts and ballads like ‘We Hurt Too’ fall flat on their face.
Best of all though is probably the seminal ‘Maggot Brain’. Opening with the ten-minute title track consisting mainly of a mind exploding guitar solo from Eddie Hazel (instructed to play “like his mother just died”) it’s a quietly brilliant introduction and the album dips between the poppy ‘Can You Get To That’ to the freak-out OD nightmare ‘Super Stupid’ while ‘Wars of Armageddon’ ends things in a glorious rave up fashion. The discography of this outfit is very intimidating, but as I have discovered this month, to delve in is to find some real treasures indeed.
Album of the Month: LCD Soundsystem-This Is Happening
Films I Saw In April
Iron Man 2 (Jon Favreau, 2010)
The follow-up to the surprisingly brilliant and successful Iron Man film promises more of the same and delivers in spades. Downey Jr. of course, carries the film again and does it very well with heaps of charm and some great one-liners. The film also benefits greatly from the addition of Sam Rockwell as his rival Justin Hammer, who is also given some great lines and functions well as the desperate foil to the charismatic Tony Stark. The film does fall prey to the curse of comic adaptations in bringing in too many characters, although she looks great, Scarlett Johansson is a bit of a sideshow as Black Widow, and seemingly functions as a vehicle for a future spinoff. Likewise, Mickey Rourke, on excellent form, equipped with a Russian accent is rather underused as Whiplash. It's not quite as good as the first, but fans of that will definately not find Iron Man a disappointment. Note: this film has some of the most OTT sound effects I've ever heard. See it at a decent cinema and you'll see what I mean, a human fistfight between Favreau and a security guard sounds positively industrial.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Werner Herzog, 2009)
Quite an unusual choice for Herzog to film: a remake of Abel Ferrara's controversial Harvey Keitel film, I’ve never seen the original so have no point of reference, but its hard to believe it could be better than this. Nicholas Cage, on something of a roll now after the superb Kick-Ass is on explosive film. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen someone look so insanely wired in a film (think the “I’m going to take his face…off!” moment in Face/Off but he’s in that mode for the entire two hours). He carries this brilliantly messy film throughout as Herzog delivers a gripping and disturbing portrait of post-Katrina New Orleans. Val Kilmer appears as his partner but is a little under-used, but Eva Mendes is effective as his prostitute girlfriend. This film is not for everyone, but I thought it was absolutely brilliant and cements Cage’s recent comeback of sorts..
Michael Jackson's This It It (Kenny Ortega, 2009)
Assembled together from the rehearsal footage taken during the build-up to Jackson's o2 concerts, which of course never took place, what we are left with is a surprisingly full own concert film, that is actually surprisingly impressive. Despite, or perhaps because of Jacksons' heavily medicated state at the time he appears to be dynamic, never faltering and full of energy taking full control of the rehearsals and immersing himself in every aspect of the production. As a tribute to Jackson, 'This Is It', although very sentimental, is very effective painting the bizarre artist as a dedicated perfectionist. Whether he would have been able to do all fifty dates is one matter, but on the basis of this, it would have been a really good show and certainly better than the awful performance fellow 1958-er Madonna put in that I saw at the o2 last year. Anyhow, this is a film review...'This Is It' is a rather saccerine film, but fans of the King of Pop should rightly lap it up.
District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009)
I thankfully didn't know much about this film other than it was about aliens and I was all the better for it. What I expected to be a dumb action film (nothing wrong there mind) turned out to be a thoughtful and intelligent sci fi thriller that packs a decent punch too. Newcomer Sharlto Copley is superb as the hapless office worker who runs afoul of aliens (known derogatorily as prawns) while leading the evacuation of their Cape Town ghetto. The special effects are believable and innovative, the acting is superb throughout, the script is thoughtful and the action thrilling. Highly recommended.
Robin Hood (Ridley Scott, 2010)
I was somewhat wrong-footed with this film; it is very much a prequel to the Robin Hood tale, showing you how he became an outlaw as opposed to narrating his 'robbing from the rich' exploits. Nevertheless, this is a very dark film to the point where it barely seems to have any life in it at all. There are some superb action sequences in 'Robin Hood' particularly at the beginning and the end, but in-between we are given nearly an hour twenty of exposition, and various meandering plotlines. The film was originally supposed to focus on the Sherriff of Nottingham (Matthew McFayden), now he is barely in the film, even as a villain. As a hero, Russell Crowe is not particularly likable and lacks the charisma and charm to be able to carry around the films stumbling middle act. The main problem here is the plodding storyline, and as always Ridley Scott has re-created middle age England very convincingly, but at 2h15m 'Robin Hood' sadly lacks the thrills to make you enjoy the film and charm to make you warm to it.
Up (Pete Docter, 2009)
The latest Pixar film is also one of the best and a worthy edition to their glorious library of modern classics. Unlike other Pixar films, 'Up' is not dominated by big name voices (Christopher Plummer is the biggest name here), the real star here is the touching story and breathtaking visuals. The story involves a kindly old man who attaches balloons to his house to fly to South America, and encounters a stray boy scout along the way, but that’s only part of the tale. I, like several of my friends found myself crying at various points throughout the film. All in all, up is exciting, enjoyable, moving, funny, sad, melancholic and optimistic. It's also absolutely brilliant. Watch it immediately.
Roger & Me (Michael Moore, 1989)
I fucking hate Michael Moore. He is arrogant, egotistical, deceptive and at heart, a total propagandist who is as unhelpful representative of the left as someone like Bill O'Reilly is to the right. Nevertheless, I have had a copy of his acclaimed debut 'Roger & Me' a film about the General Motors layoffs occurring in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Despite my personal dislike of Moore, I actually found this film to be fairly decent; it gives Moore an opportunity to focus and not go sprawling out in all directions as he does in 'Bowling for Columbine' and the awful 'Farenheight 9/11', and he tells the story of his hometown with clarity and intelligence. Still, maybe it’s because I work for a big corporation myself, but it really pisses me off when Moore turns up at buildings expecting to see GM CEO Roger Smith without an appointment and looks really hurt when he's told he can't see him. I can't help but feel empathise with the security staff instead of this at times obnoxious filmmaker. Anyway, Roger & Me has clearly not made me change my mind about Michael Moore, but I can get over my dislike of him personally a little and his is definately the best film of his that I've seen.
Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? (Morgan Spurlock, 2008)
Spurlock's follow up to the brilliant 'Super Size Me' is, I'm afraid to say, hugely disappointing. The stated aim of the film (finding Bin Laden) is clearly the root of the problem, as he is obviously not going to locate him. Instead, he spends much of his time wandering around Arabic countries asking randoms if they have seen Bin Laden (which gets tiresome after a while) and then, while meeting ordinary people realises "Hey! They don't hate all Americans, just our government and they are normal people like you and me!” Spurlocks conclusions would make a sixth form student feel pre-school, and his attempts to work himself and his family into the 'plotline' come across as egotistical. Nevertheless, unlike Michael Moore, he is a likable enough fellow, who clearly can make a decent film providing he chooses the right subject.
Thirst (Park Chan Wook, 2009)
The latest film from the director of 'Oldboy' is yet another vampire film to add to the 2009 pile. Still, this may actually be the best of the bunch...'Thirst' is an offbeat, supposed black comedy about a Priest who becomes a vampire and seduces a young girl and gradually gives up his chaste life. The lead characters are compelling but the film is bogged down slightly by its running time. Nevertheless, it is quietly compelling and a offers a refreshing new perspective on the vampire myth.
The follow-up to the surprisingly brilliant and successful Iron Man film promises more of the same and delivers in spades. Downey Jr. of course, carries the film again and does it very well with heaps of charm and some great one-liners. The film also benefits greatly from the addition of Sam Rockwell as his rival Justin Hammer, who is also given some great lines and functions well as the desperate foil to the charismatic Tony Stark. The film does fall prey to the curse of comic adaptations in bringing in too many characters, although she looks great, Scarlett Johansson is a bit of a sideshow as Black Widow, and seemingly functions as a vehicle for a future spinoff. Likewise, Mickey Rourke, on excellent form, equipped with a Russian accent is rather underused as Whiplash. It's not quite as good as the first, but fans of that will definately not find Iron Man a disappointment. Note: this film has some of the most OTT sound effects I've ever heard. See it at a decent cinema and you'll see what I mean, a human fistfight between Favreau and a security guard sounds positively industrial.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Werner Herzog, 2009)
Quite an unusual choice for Herzog to film: a remake of Abel Ferrara's controversial Harvey Keitel film, I’ve never seen the original so have no point of reference, but its hard to believe it could be better than this. Nicholas Cage, on something of a roll now after the superb Kick-Ass is on explosive film. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen someone look so insanely wired in a film (think the “I’m going to take his face…off!” moment in Face/Off but he’s in that mode for the entire two hours). He carries this brilliantly messy film throughout as Herzog delivers a gripping and disturbing portrait of post-Katrina New Orleans. Val Kilmer appears as his partner but is a little under-used, but Eva Mendes is effective as his prostitute girlfriend. This film is not for everyone, but I thought it was absolutely brilliant and cements Cage’s recent comeback of sorts..
Michael Jackson's This It It (Kenny Ortega, 2009)
Assembled together from the rehearsal footage taken during the build-up to Jackson's o2 concerts, which of course never took place, what we are left with is a surprisingly full own concert film, that is actually surprisingly impressive. Despite, or perhaps because of Jacksons' heavily medicated state at the time he appears to be dynamic, never faltering and full of energy taking full control of the rehearsals and immersing himself in every aspect of the production. As a tribute to Jackson, 'This Is It', although very sentimental, is very effective painting the bizarre artist as a dedicated perfectionist. Whether he would have been able to do all fifty dates is one matter, but on the basis of this, it would have been a really good show and certainly better than the awful performance fellow 1958-er Madonna put in that I saw at the o2 last year. Anyhow, this is a film review...'This Is It' is a rather saccerine film, but fans of the King of Pop should rightly lap it up.
District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009)
I thankfully didn't know much about this film other than it was about aliens and I was all the better for it. What I expected to be a dumb action film (nothing wrong there mind) turned out to be a thoughtful and intelligent sci fi thriller that packs a decent punch too. Newcomer Sharlto Copley is superb as the hapless office worker who runs afoul of aliens (known derogatorily as prawns) while leading the evacuation of their Cape Town ghetto. The special effects are believable and innovative, the acting is superb throughout, the script is thoughtful and the action thrilling. Highly recommended.
Robin Hood (Ridley Scott, 2010)
I was somewhat wrong-footed with this film; it is very much a prequel to the Robin Hood tale, showing you how he became an outlaw as opposed to narrating his 'robbing from the rich' exploits. Nevertheless, this is a very dark film to the point where it barely seems to have any life in it at all. There are some superb action sequences in 'Robin Hood' particularly at the beginning and the end, but in-between we are given nearly an hour twenty of exposition, and various meandering plotlines. The film was originally supposed to focus on the Sherriff of Nottingham (Matthew McFayden), now he is barely in the film, even as a villain. As a hero, Russell Crowe is not particularly likable and lacks the charisma and charm to be able to carry around the films stumbling middle act. The main problem here is the plodding storyline, and as always Ridley Scott has re-created middle age England very convincingly, but at 2h15m 'Robin Hood' sadly lacks the thrills to make you enjoy the film and charm to make you warm to it.
Up (Pete Docter, 2009)
The latest Pixar film is also one of the best and a worthy edition to their glorious library of modern classics. Unlike other Pixar films, 'Up' is not dominated by big name voices (Christopher Plummer is the biggest name here), the real star here is the touching story and breathtaking visuals. The story involves a kindly old man who attaches balloons to his house to fly to South America, and encounters a stray boy scout along the way, but that’s only part of the tale. I, like several of my friends found myself crying at various points throughout the film. All in all, up is exciting, enjoyable, moving, funny, sad, melancholic and optimistic. It's also absolutely brilliant. Watch it immediately.
Roger & Me (Michael Moore, 1989)
I fucking hate Michael Moore. He is arrogant, egotistical, deceptive and at heart, a total propagandist who is as unhelpful representative of the left as someone like Bill O'Reilly is to the right. Nevertheless, I have had a copy of his acclaimed debut 'Roger & Me' a film about the General Motors layoffs occurring in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Despite my personal dislike of Moore, I actually found this film to be fairly decent; it gives Moore an opportunity to focus and not go sprawling out in all directions as he does in 'Bowling for Columbine' and the awful 'Farenheight 9/11', and he tells the story of his hometown with clarity and intelligence. Still, maybe it’s because I work for a big corporation myself, but it really pisses me off when Moore turns up at buildings expecting to see GM CEO Roger Smith without an appointment and looks really hurt when he's told he can't see him. I can't help but feel empathise with the security staff instead of this at times obnoxious filmmaker. Anyway, Roger & Me has clearly not made me change my mind about Michael Moore, but I can get over my dislike of him personally a little and his is definately the best film of his that I've seen.
Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? (Morgan Spurlock, 2008)
Spurlock's follow up to the brilliant 'Super Size Me' is, I'm afraid to say, hugely disappointing. The stated aim of the film (finding Bin Laden) is clearly the root of the problem, as he is obviously not going to locate him. Instead, he spends much of his time wandering around Arabic countries asking randoms if they have seen Bin Laden (which gets tiresome after a while) and then, while meeting ordinary people realises "Hey! They don't hate all Americans, just our government and they are normal people like you and me!” Spurlocks conclusions would make a sixth form student feel pre-school, and his attempts to work himself and his family into the 'plotline' come across as egotistical. Nevertheless, unlike Michael Moore, he is a likable enough fellow, who clearly can make a decent film providing he chooses the right subject.
Thirst (Park Chan Wook, 2009)
The latest film from the director of 'Oldboy' is yet another vampire film to add to the 2009 pile. Still, this may actually be the best of the bunch...'Thirst' is an offbeat, supposed black comedy about a Priest who becomes a vampire and seduces a young girl and gradually gives up his chaste life. The lead characters are compelling but the film is bogged down slightly by its running time. Nevertheless, it is quietly compelling and a offers a refreshing new perspective on the vampire myth.
Albums I Heard In March
Gorillaz-Plastic Beach
The long awaited third album from Damon Albarn's virtual side project is a bit less immediate that the previous albums, but is still a more that worthy follow up. I've never paid any attention to the backstory or animations, so I'll focus on the music. Basically, Plastic Beach is loaded with decent electronic pop tunes and stuffed to the brim with perhaps too many guest appearances (Snoop Dogg, Mark E. Smith, Lou Reed, De La Soul, Gruff Rhys to name but a few). Still, that's a small complaint when the songs are so good. The Albarn fronted ones are probably my favourite, particularly On Melancholy Hill and Rhinestone Eyes. Elsewhere, Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul) is incredibly catchy, Glitter Freeze (feat. Mark E Smith) as a nasty funk edge to it, Stylo was a low key, but grower of a lead off single and its nice to see Mick Jones and Paul Simonon team up on the title cut. It does not have any immediate hit singles on like 'Clint Eastwood' or 'DARE', and does lose its way towards the end but is a very pleasing record none the less.
Midlake-The Courage Of Others
Midlake's third outing is an altogether darker affair than their second and breakthrough album 'The Trials Of Van Oppenheimer'. Consequently, this is a fairly dull affair with many of the tracks sounding rather samey. Opening track 'Acts of Man' and 'Rulers, Ruling All Things' stand out, and it's certainly not an offensive listen. Just not particularly inspiring.
Titus Andronicus-The Monitor
The second album from this anthemic New Jersey indie band is a soaring, epic record that purports to be a concept album about the American civil war. Not a low key release then, and indeed everything about this album is HUGE, sounding like the work of an enormous stadium band (Springsteen references are in check on several of the songs, and the band sound like a modern E-Street Band). Galloping drums and soaring guitar riffs galore each and every track aspires to greatness, and overall the album is very consistent. Two things let it down: the lyrics and voice of the lead singer occasionally get on my wick, and the album at 65 minutes is way too long and quite an exhausting listen. Though it’s difficult to decide which tracks to cut as almost every song has a searing power that captures your attention. Long, draining, but definately one of the better albums this year.
MGMT-Congratulations
For some time now, MGMT have claimed that their new album will contain no radio hits and no singles; instead it will be a dense psychedelic work with epic freakouts. Well, for 'Congratulations', they have certainly lived up to that, but overall the album is still fairly listenable and certainly not anti-social. Think more along the lines of the second half of 'Oracular Spectacular', but more intricate and satisfying, and in the end it's a more consistent LP. Yes, it would be nice to hear more 'Kids', but these days Fleetwood Mac are praised for following the hit-laden 'Rumours' with the experimental double album 'Tusk' so we’ll give MGMT the benefit of the doubt with this. Overall its a very bright album, 'It's Working' is a fine start to the album, 'Siberian Breaks' the monstrous centrepiece is superb, while 'Brian Eno' comes the closest to having a chorus, as the band chants the name of the legendary domed producer. Repeated listens to 'Congratulations' definately reap rewards, but listening to tracks like 'Someone's Missing' and the closing title track sometimes gives the impression that they are trying to deny their obvious pop songwriting gifts. I was not expecting much from this, given the lack of hype and a disastrous performance at Bestival, but overall 'Congratulations', though destined to disappoint fans of their first album, is a pleasant surprise.
Broken Bells-Broken Bells
James Mercer from indie luvvies The Shins ("they will change your life" Garden State) teams up with Danger Mouse (operating under his real name, Brian Burton) to create a likable enough alt-pop album. There's nothing much particularly wrong with the album, just that the songs simply don't leap out at you, and the album may be pleasing enough to listen to while doing the ironing. That said, 'The High Road' and 'The Ghost Inside' are pretty decent tunes, but overall they don't match their previous collaboration on the 'Dark Night of the Soul' album.
LoneLady-Nerve Up
LoneLady aka Julie Campbell, is a Manchester based solo artist whose post punk style album seems to be anchored somewhere between PJ Harvey and Television. It's a great guitar album; all the songs have a jittery, nervous and hypnotic quality about them. Although her influences are clearly audible throughout, this still feels fresh and new; she's a new signing to Warp and is a good example of their current horizon broadening away from elusive electronica. Best tracks are the title song, Early the Haste Comes and especially Marble. The album can seem a little samey at times, but at ten tracks and 40 minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome and is one of the better albums I have heard this month.
jj-jj n° 3
The mysterious Swedish act jj return less than a year after the brilliant jj n° 2 with an album that, although pleasing enough, is definately more of the same with diminishing returns. The album opens with a pseudo-cover of The Game's 'My Life', which is pleasing enough, but after their pastiche of Lil Wayne's 'Lollipops' on the last album in the form of the superb 'Ecstasy' it feels like a gimmick taken too far. Still, nothing on this very short (27 minute) album is really weak, and it makes a great, blissed out listen, though it is more autumnal and melancholic than its druggy, sun blissed predecessor. Sadly, after the out of the blue originality of jj n° 2, this outing can't help but feel slight. At least they are productive and not willing to rest on their laurels, but in the end jj n° 3 is pleasing and disappointing in equal measures.
Gonjasufi-A Sufi And A Killer
Another talented new artist from Warp, Gonjasufi is an unusual talent who seems to be deliberately trying to defy classification. Folktronia, indie, singer-songwriter, dance and experimental hip hop can all be to Sumach Ecks, the Nevada based former Yoga teacher. At times, particularly on the excellent 'She Gone' he sounds like early Captain Beefheart, posessed with a versatile voice that growls and purrs in equal measures. Other tracks, the multi part 'Sheep' and the oddly moving 'Holiday' are other highlights. The album is 19-tracks long, but never overstays its welcome, and in an era where there are so many acts who sound the same (even the better ones), Gonjasufi manages to sound utterly unique making this album well worth your while.
The Knife (In Collaboration With Mount Sims and Planningtorock)-Tomorrow, In A Day
With this newest release from The Knife, they have teamed up with two of their electro-peers and produced the soundtrack to an opera about the life of Charles Darwin. Right. Well, anyone else this would a little odd, but that's the Knife for you. Actually, first thing that sound be said: this is not The Knife's follow-up to 2006's brilliant Silent Shout. Those albums had a kind of pop aesthetic to them; this is more of a side project. It is also a long, dense, difficult and impenetrable album, that can't even be classified as a grower; you will either love or hate it. The first ten minutes are an unsettling collage of noise effects that pretty much lay down the gauntlet for what is to follow. Those looking for another 'Heartbeats' or 'We Share Our Mothers Health' should look elsewhere, as this music should be viewed as an opera. Despite this, 'Colouring of Pigeons' is a fine song and the most electro-like thing on this dark, brooding record. Some, who give this album proper attention, will find it a challenging masterpiece, and a bold step forward from an already essential group. Others will find it unlistenable, pretentious, difficult and will rarely, if ever, return to it, and the truth is both statements would be 100% correct, depending on the listener, and I probably lean to the latter.
Jimi Hendrix-Valleys Of Neptune
Yet another 'lost album' pulled from Jimi Hendrix's considerable stash of unreleased material, this properties to be the final album by the original Jimi Hendrix Experience group, recorded shortly after the masterpiece Electric Ladyland. I've always been a fan of Hendrix's main three albums and have not really delved further into the unreleased records so I can't say how much of this is actually unheard due the appearances of Stone Free, Red House and Fire, as well as elements from other songs (Voodoo Child) but the album as a whole is a worthy enough reminder to his talent. The title track is probably the best thing on here, as good as anything on his main albums and the (instrumental) cover of 'Sunshine of Your Love' is also very pleasing. Of course, this album is really for people already won over by Hendrix, so if you aren't already familiar with his work than you should be!
Sambassadeur-European
Yet another sunny, Swedish off-kilter indie pop act here for your attention. With their third album 'European' Sambassadeur have created a warm, elegant and sunny (almost every album this month is sunny in some way!) record. Opening track and single 'Stranded', 'Albatross' and the beautiful 'Forward is all' are all highlights. There's nothing especially revolutionary here, but it’s a nice enough background listen.
Goldfrapp-Head First
With Goldfrapp's fifth album, the group appears to be resting on its laurels a little. With 2008's underrated 'Seventh Tree' they stepped back from the electro pop scene they helped to predict, and released a quiet, understated album. Head First is a return to their dancefloor roots, and unfortunately finds them as followers instead of leaders. True, 'Black Cherry' and 'Supernature' treaded these waters, but at the time they felt like a breath of fresh air, and contained moodier pieces that set them apart, the likes of which are absent here. Lead single 'Rocket' is an enjoyable launchpad for the album and 'Alive' and 'I Wanna Life' are delightful slices of electro pop, but the main feeling of the record is that it’s very slight and a little bit knockoff. It's good fun to be sure, but in the current climate of 80's influenced acts 'Head First', as entertaining as it is, cannot help but feel somewhat un-original.
Fang Island-Fang Island (Dig)
This is a delightfully exuberant album, largely instrumental and seems to fit into the growing category of sun drenched American bands now known as 'Chillwave'. Compared to Andrew WK and Surfer Blood, this is a tight, largely instrumental, consistent and enjoyable record filled with hazy and triumphant guitar solos. 'Treeton' sounds utterly anthemic but that is trumped by the stunning 'Davey Crockett' which may be the best thing here. The early on triple punch of 'Daisy', 'Life Coach' and 'Sideswiper' is also particularly good, but there really isn't a weak track on this superb album. Definately worth checking out.
Ellie Goulding-Lights
The debut album of this years 'Sound of 2010' poll winner is a notably dull affair. 'Lights' is filled with pleasant enough pop songs, none of which, including the single 'Starry Eyed' sound distinctive. It's been quite successful, but that shouldn't come as a surprise as its mediocrity is unlikely to offend anyone. Once again, this is the same as everything else at the moment and certainly won't change your life.
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Fang Island, though Plastic Beach by the Gorillaz comes close.
The long awaited third album from Damon Albarn's virtual side project is a bit less immediate that the previous albums, but is still a more that worthy follow up. I've never paid any attention to the backstory or animations, so I'll focus on the music. Basically, Plastic Beach is loaded with decent electronic pop tunes and stuffed to the brim with perhaps too many guest appearances (Snoop Dogg, Mark E. Smith, Lou Reed, De La Soul, Gruff Rhys to name but a few). Still, that's a small complaint when the songs are so good. The Albarn fronted ones are probably my favourite, particularly On Melancholy Hill and Rhinestone Eyes. Elsewhere, Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul) is incredibly catchy, Glitter Freeze (feat. Mark E Smith) as a nasty funk edge to it, Stylo was a low key, but grower of a lead off single and its nice to see Mick Jones and Paul Simonon team up on the title cut. It does not have any immediate hit singles on like 'Clint Eastwood' or 'DARE', and does lose its way towards the end but is a very pleasing record none the less.
Midlake-The Courage Of Others
Midlake's third outing is an altogether darker affair than their second and breakthrough album 'The Trials Of Van Oppenheimer'. Consequently, this is a fairly dull affair with many of the tracks sounding rather samey. Opening track 'Acts of Man' and 'Rulers, Ruling All Things' stand out, and it's certainly not an offensive listen. Just not particularly inspiring.
Titus Andronicus-The Monitor
The second album from this anthemic New Jersey indie band is a soaring, epic record that purports to be a concept album about the American civil war. Not a low key release then, and indeed everything about this album is HUGE, sounding like the work of an enormous stadium band (Springsteen references are in check on several of the songs, and the band sound like a modern E-Street Band). Galloping drums and soaring guitar riffs galore each and every track aspires to greatness, and overall the album is very consistent. Two things let it down: the lyrics and voice of the lead singer occasionally get on my wick, and the album at 65 minutes is way too long and quite an exhausting listen. Though it’s difficult to decide which tracks to cut as almost every song has a searing power that captures your attention. Long, draining, but definately one of the better albums this year.
MGMT-Congratulations
For some time now, MGMT have claimed that their new album will contain no radio hits and no singles; instead it will be a dense psychedelic work with epic freakouts. Well, for 'Congratulations', they have certainly lived up to that, but overall the album is still fairly listenable and certainly not anti-social. Think more along the lines of the second half of 'Oracular Spectacular', but more intricate and satisfying, and in the end it's a more consistent LP. Yes, it would be nice to hear more 'Kids', but these days Fleetwood Mac are praised for following the hit-laden 'Rumours' with the experimental double album 'Tusk' so we’ll give MGMT the benefit of the doubt with this. Overall its a very bright album, 'It's Working' is a fine start to the album, 'Siberian Breaks' the monstrous centrepiece is superb, while 'Brian Eno' comes the closest to having a chorus, as the band chants the name of the legendary domed producer. Repeated listens to 'Congratulations' definately reap rewards, but listening to tracks like 'Someone's Missing' and the closing title track sometimes gives the impression that they are trying to deny their obvious pop songwriting gifts. I was not expecting much from this, given the lack of hype and a disastrous performance at Bestival, but overall 'Congratulations', though destined to disappoint fans of their first album, is a pleasant surprise.
Broken Bells-Broken Bells
James Mercer from indie luvvies The Shins ("they will change your life" Garden State) teams up with Danger Mouse (operating under his real name, Brian Burton) to create a likable enough alt-pop album. There's nothing much particularly wrong with the album, just that the songs simply don't leap out at you, and the album may be pleasing enough to listen to while doing the ironing. That said, 'The High Road' and 'The Ghost Inside' are pretty decent tunes, but overall they don't match their previous collaboration on the 'Dark Night of the Soul' album.
LoneLady-Nerve Up
LoneLady aka Julie Campbell, is a Manchester based solo artist whose post punk style album seems to be anchored somewhere between PJ Harvey and Television. It's a great guitar album; all the songs have a jittery, nervous and hypnotic quality about them. Although her influences are clearly audible throughout, this still feels fresh and new; she's a new signing to Warp and is a good example of their current horizon broadening away from elusive electronica. Best tracks are the title song, Early the Haste Comes and especially Marble. The album can seem a little samey at times, but at ten tracks and 40 minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome and is one of the better albums I have heard this month.
jj-jj n° 3
The mysterious Swedish act jj return less than a year after the brilliant jj n° 2 with an album that, although pleasing enough, is definately more of the same with diminishing returns. The album opens with a pseudo-cover of The Game's 'My Life', which is pleasing enough, but after their pastiche of Lil Wayne's 'Lollipops' on the last album in the form of the superb 'Ecstasy' it feels like a gimmick taken too far. Still, nothing on this very short (27 minute) album is really weak, and it makes a great, blissed out listen, though it is more autumnal and melancholic than its druggy, sun blissed predecessor. Sadly, after the out of the blue originality of jj n° 2, this outing can't help but feel slight. At least they are productive and not willing to rest on their laurels, but in the end jj n° 3 is pleasing and disappointing in equal measures.
Gonjasufi-A Sufi And A Killer
Another talented new artist from Warp, Gonjasufi is an unusual talent who seems to be deliberately trying to defy classification. Folktronia, indie, singer-songwriter, dance and experimental hip hop can all be to Sumach Ecks, the Nevada based former Yoga teacher. At times, particularly on the excellent 'She Gone' he sounds like early Captain Beefheart, posessed with a versatile voice that growls and purrs in equal measures. Other tracks, the multi part 'Sheep' and the oddly moving 'Holiday' are other highlights. The album is 19-tracks long, but never overstays its welcome, and in an era where there are so many acts who sound the same (even the better ones), Gonjasufi manages to sound utterly unique making this album well worth your while.
The Knife (In Collaboration With Mount Sims and Planningtorock)-Tomorrow, In A Day
With this newest release from The Knife, they have teamed up with two of their electro-peers and produced the soundtrack to an opera about the life of Charles Darwin. Right. Well, anyone else this would a little odd, but that's the Knife for you. Actually, first thing that sound be said: this is not The Knife's follow-up to 2006's brilliant Silent Shout. Those albums had a kind of pop aesthetic to them; this is more of a side project. It is also a long, dense, difficult and impenetrable album, that can't even be classified as a grower; you will either love or hate it. The first ten minutes are an unsettling collage of noise effects that pretty much lay down the gauntlet for what is to follow. Those looking for another 'Heartbeats' or 'We Share Our Mothers Health' should look elsewhere, as this music should be viewed as an opera. Despite this, 'Colouring of Pigeons' is a fine song and the most electro-like thing on this dark, brooding record. Some, who give this album proper attention, will find it a challenging masterpiece, and a bold step forward from an already essential group. Others will find it unlistenable, pretentious, difficult and will rarely, if ever, return to it, and the truth is both statements would be 100% correct, depending on the listener, and I probably lean to the latter.
Jimi Hendrix-Valleys Of Neptune
Yet another 'lost album' pulled from Jimi Hendrix's considerable stash of unreleased material, this properties to be the final album by the original Jimi Hendrix Experience group, recorded shortly after the masterpiece Electric Ladyland. I've always been a fan of Hendrix's main three albums and have not really delved further into the unreleased records so I can't say how much of this is actually unheard due the appearances of Stone Free, Red House and Fire, as well as elements from other songs (Voodoo Child) but the album as a whole is a worthy enough reminder to his talent. The title track is probably the best thing on here, as good as anything on his main albums and the (instrumental) cover of 'Sunshine of Your Love' is also very pleasing. Of course, this album is really for people already won over by Hendrix, so if you aren't already familiar with his work than you should be!
Sambassadeur-European
Yet another sunny, Swedish off-kilter indie pop act here for your attention. With their third album 'European' Sambassadeur have created a warm, elegant and sunny (almost every album this month is sunny in some way!) record. Opening track and single 'Stranded', 'Albatross' and the beautiful 'Forward is all' are all highlights. There's nothing especially revolutionary here, but it’s a nice enough background listen.
Goldfrapp-Head First
With Goldfrapp's fifth album, the group appears to be resting on its laurels a little. With 2008's underrated 'Seventh Tree' they stepped back from the electro pop scene they helped to predict, and released a quiet, understated album. Head First is a return to their dancefloor roots, and unfortunately finds them as followers instead of leaders. True, 'Black Cherry' and 'Supernature' treaded these waters, but at the time they felt like a breath of fresh air, and contained moodier pieces that set them apart, the likes of which are absent here. Lead single 'Rocket' is an enjoyable launchpad for the album and 'Alive' and 'I Wanna Life' are delightful slices of electro pop, but the main feeling of the record is that it’s very slight and a little bit knockoff. It's good fun to be sure, but in the current climate of 80's influenced acts 'Head First', as entertaining as it is, cannot help but feel somewhat un-original.
Fang Island-Fang Island (Dig)
This is a delightfully exuberant album, largely instrumental and seems to fit into the growing category of sun drenched American bands now known as 'Chillwave'. Compared to Andrew WK and Surfer Blood, this is a tight, largely instrumental, consistent and enjoyable record filled with hazy and triumphant guitar solos. 'Treeton' sounds utterly anthemic but that is trumped by the stunning 'Davey Crockett' which may be the best thing here. The early on triple punch of 'Daisy', 'Life Coach' and 'Sideswiper' is also particularly good, but there really isn't a weak track on this superb album. Definately worth checking out.
Ellie Goulding-Lights
The debut album of this years 'Sound of 2010' poll winner is a notably dull affair. 'Lights' is filled with pleasant enough pop songs, none of which, including the single 'Starry Eyed' sound distinctive. It's been quite successful, but that shouldn't come as a surprise as its mediocrity is unlikely to offend anyone. Once again, this is the same as everything else at the moment and certainly won't change your life.
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Fang Island, though Plastic Beach by the Gorillaz comes close.
Films I Saw In March
Crank 2: High Voltage (Neveldine/Taylor, 2009)
Utterly bonkers and extremely entertaining sequel to the surprisingly brilliant 2006 original. This time Chev Chelios (a hilarious Jason Statham) has his heart stolen by gangsters and has to run around LA causing havoc while recharging himself with high voltage currents. Like the first film, this is paced brilliantly at breakneck speed and creates so much fun in its carnage you almost feel guilty about it. In a way it’s more of the same, but it succeeds in re-creating what was so deliriously enjoyable about the first and if you liked that, then you will this too.
The Two Jakes (Jack Nicholson, 1990)
This long delayed sequel to Roman Polanski’s 1970’s masterpiece Chinatown is an incredibly boring and dull affair. Robert Towne, once again wrote the script and it has a number of good lines but the plot wanders around aimlessly and Jack proves himself to be no director. It goes on and on for two and a quarter hours and feels much longer, with very little actually happening. It’s wrong to compare it to its lofty predecessor, but by any standards this is an incredibly dull and pointless movie. It’s critical and commercial failure, along with deteriorating relations between Nicholson, Towne and the legendary producer Robert Evans killed off any chance of the planned third film, which on the basis of this, was probably a good thing.
My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
I actually saw this last month but forgot to add it, so here it is anyway. I’m pretty unfamiliar with the Studio Ghibli film (this is the second one I’ve seen after Spirited Away), but this is still a funny, whimsical and very strange film. Like the best children’s’ fiction it is actually fairly dark, with the kids struggling to cope with their mothers’ death along with the friendly titular spirit. The animation is superb with several memorable characters, particularly the giant bus-shaped cat, sticking in the mind.
An Englishman in New York (Richard Laxton, 2009)
Technically, this is a TV movie but I’ll write about it nonetheless. This, a long awaited sequel to the 1975 TV film The Naked Civil Servant, finds John Hurt reprising his classic role of gay icon Quentin Crisp as he moves to New York (bizarrely after the original series comes out!) and becomes a pundit/cultural commentator. The pacing isn’t as good as the original, and the plot centring about off the collar remarks Crisp made about AIDS is desperately contrived at times, but it’s still quite enjoyable and John Hurt is again outstanding as Crisp.
Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980)
A very, very strange sci-fi/body horror film from British enfant terrible director Russell. This finds William Hurt experimenting with various drugs and states of altered consciousness, while in the process hoping to discover if alternate realities are real, but in the process ends up devolving himself into an ape-man like creature. If you’re looking for an intelligent, thought provoking film, you’re in the wrong place…make no mistake this is a proper druggy/stoner film, completely loony with some excellent imagery and special effects, and very enjoyable. Leave your brain at the door and allow Russell’s box of tricks to delight you.
Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi, 2009)
Sam Raimi’s long awaited return to the horror genre is a fine retro style chiller packed with enough jumps and gross-out effects to keep those missing his earlier work happy. Alison Lohman is subjected to numerous perils and unpleasantries as she struggles to lift a curse placed on her by a vindictive gypsy. Drag Me to Hell pretty much knows what it is, and does it very well indeed. Shame there is no Bruce Campbell cameo though.
Outland (Peter Hyams, 1981)
Average, sci-fi in space (actually a re-imagining of High Noon) has intergalactic marshal Sean Connery battling evil corporate bosses at a mining station, trying to find help where there is none willing. The film is fairly diverting and has some good gross-out images of people exploding in space, but overall the action sequences are pretty standard and the whole thing basically rests on Connery’s own star power.
Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton, 2010)
The latest film from (the imagination of) Tim Burton is on the whole a rather disappointing affair. Adapting elements from two of Lewis Carrol's classic stories, his attempts to find a narrative instead of a series of strange happenings falls rather flat. It has some great imagery, and some of the casting is excellent (Stephen Fry voicing the Cheshire Cat and Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar especially), but overall the film lacks any kind of warmth or heart. Once again, I am yet to be convinced by the 3D effects and do not believe it is the 'future of cinema'.
Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010)
A slightly unusual film for Scorsese, but he proves to be well suited to the gothic horror Shutter Island. Di Caprio is effective as the traumatised detective investigating the disappearance of a patient in an island based mental hospital and becomes gradually paranoid and unsettled as time moves on. The 1954 setting adds additional cold war suspicions to the mix. It's a little too long, and at times the plot feels predictable, but overall this is a strange, offbeat Hollywood psychological horror film well worth seeing, and a pleasing little ditty for Scorsese after his recent award worthy epics.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Alex Gibney, 2005)
Very engaging documentary from Oscar Winner Gibney. Although I find concepts of shares and stock market fraud largely incomprehensible, this is a very human story about greed and its consequences, well told with characters straight out of high drama. Indeed, they made a play about it!
Hellraiser (Clive Barker, 1987)
Another classic horror film I never got round to seeing until this month. Although the Cenobites have become fairly iconic, this is still a genuinely unsettling film with great special effects for this time and with an intelligent script. Not sure the sequels are supposed to add up to much, but overall I was impressed with this and surprised I had not seen it sooner.
Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)
This passed me by on its original theatrical run, and have only just caught up with it on DVD. Of course, the reason this was so successful is the superb central performance from Downey who brings buckets of charm and humour to the role of Tony Stark; arms dealer turned superhero. Bridges and Paltrow are fine in the supporting roles, but the film succeeds mainly because of its engaging, funny script and Downey's effortless charisma. A fine blockbuster, I await the sequel eagerly.
Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, 2009)
A fairly likable, if by the numbers story of a country singer (Bridges) down on his luck, drinking heavily, who gets a second chance at life. Nothing we haven't seen before then, the film is rather formulaic, though quite watchable. It gets a significant boost from a superb, Oscar Winning Jeff Bridges that goes some way to elevating an otherwise pedestrian story.
Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)
Excellent British social drama, benefits greatly from newcomer Katie Jarvis' central performance about a teenage girl on an Essex council estate who forms an unhealthy association with her mothers' boyfriend (Michael Fassbender). The film is very grim at times, but is not without a sense of hope in the end. The performances are all outstanding, and the script and film as a whole is very believable.
Jennifer's Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009)
The adaptation of Diablo Cody's follow up screenplay to the Oscar Winning Juno is an altogether messy affair. Megan Fox, in the title role of the bitchy schoolgirl posessed by a man eating demon, proves once again that she can't act for shit, and does little else other than look great throughout. The film main fault is that it tries too hard to be a cool comedy indie flick, and a spiritual successor to Carrie and it doesn't achieve either. In short, Jennifer's Body is not as smart or as scary as it tries to be. Despite this, Diablo Cody's screenplay does have some good dialogue in it ("She's evil, not just high school evil!") and Amanda Seyfried is superb as Jennifer's geeky best friend.
FILM OF THE MONTH: Crank 2 - High Voltage
Utterly bonkers and extremely entertaining sequel to the surprisingly brilliant 2006 original. This time Chev Chelios (a hilarious Jason Statham) has his heart stolen by gangsters and has to run around LA causing havoc while recharging himself with high voltage currents. Like the first film, this is paced brilliantly at breakneck speed and creates so much fun in its carnage you almost feel guilty about it. In a way it’s more of the same, but it succeeds in re-creating what was so deliriously enjoyable about the first and if you liked that, then you will this too.
The Two Jakes (Jack Nicholson, 1990)
This long delayed sequel to Roman Polanski’s 1970’s masterpiece Chinatown is an incredibly boring and dull affair. Robert Towne, once again wrote the script and it has a number of good lines but the plot wanders around aimlessly and Jack proves himself to be no director. It goes on and on for two and a quarter hours and feels much longer, with very little actually happening. It’s wrong to compare it to its lofty predecessor, but by any standards this is an incredibly dull and pointless movie. It’s critical and commercial failure, along with deteriorating relations between Nicholson, Towne and the legendary producer Robert Evans killed off any chance of the planned third film, which on the basis of this, was probably a good thing.
My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
I actually saw this last month but forgot to add it, so here it is anyway. I’m pretty unfamiliar with the Studio Ghibli film (this is the second one I’ve seen after Spirited Away), but this is still a funny, whimsical and very strange film. Like the best children’s’ fiction it is actually fairly dark, with the kids struggling to cope with their mothers’ death along with the friendly titular spirit. The animation is superb with several memorable characters, particularly the giant bus-shaped cat, sticking in the mind.
An Englishman in New York (Richard Laxton, 2009)
Technically, this is a TV movie but I’ll write about it nonetheless. This, a long awaited sequel to the 1975 TV film The Naked Civil Servant, finds John Hurt reprising his classic role of gay icon Quentin Crisp as he moves to New York (bizarrely after the original series comes out!) and becomes a pundit/cultural commentator. The pacing isn’t as good as the original, and the plot centring about off the collar remarks Crisp made about AIDS is desperately contrived at times, but it’s still quite enjoyable and John Hurt is again outstanding as Crisp.
Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980)
A very, very strange sci-fi/body horror film from British enfant terrible director Russell. This finds William Hurt experimenting with various drugs and states of altered consciousness, while in the process hoping to discover if alternate realities are real, but in the process ends up devolving himself into an ape-man like creature. If you’re looking for an intelligent, thought provoking film, you’re in the wrong place…make no mistake this is a proper druggy/stoner film, completely loony with some excellent imagery and special effects, and very enjoyable. Leave your brain at the door and allow Russell’s box of tricks to delight you.
Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi, 2009)
Sam Raimi’s long awaited return to the horror genre is a fine retro style chiller packed with enough jumps and gross-out effects to keep those missing his earlier work happy. Alison Lohman is subjected to numerous perils and unpleasantries as she struggles to lift a curse placed on her by a vindictive gypsy. Drag Me to Hell pretty much knows what it is, and does it very well indeed. Shame there is no Bruce Campbell cameo though.
Outland (Peter Hyams, 1981)
Average, sci-fi in space (actually a re-imagining of High Noon) has intergalactic marshal Sean Connery battling evil corporate bosses at a mining station, trying to find help where there is none willing. The film is fairly diverting and has some good gross-out images of people exploding in space, but overall the action sequences are pretty standard and the whole thing basically rests on Connery’s own star power.
Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton, 2010)
The latest film from (the imagination of) Tim Burton is on the whole a rather disappointing affair. Adapting elements from two of Lewis Carrol's classic stories, his attempts to find a narrative instead of a series of strange happenings falls rather flat. It has some great imagery, and some of the casting is excellent (Stephen Fry voicing the Cheshire Cat and Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar especially), but overall the film lacks any kind of warmth or heart. Once again, I am yet to be convinced by the 3D effects and do not believe it is the 'future of cinema'.
Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010)
A slightly unusual film for Scorsese, but he proves to be well suited to the gothic horror Shutter Island. Di Caprio is effective as the traumatised detective investigating the disappearance of a patient in an island based mental hospital and becomes gradually paranoid and unsettled as time moves on. The 1954 setting adds additional cold war suspicions to the mix. It's a little too long, and at times the plot feels predictable, but overall this is a strange, offbeat Hollywood psychological horror film well worth seeing, and a pleasing little ditty for Scorsese after his recent award worthy epics.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Alex Gibney, 2005)
Very engaging documentary from Oscar Winner Gibney. Although I find concepts of shares and stock market fraud largely incomprehensible, this is a very human story about greed and its consequences, well told with characters straight out of high drama. Indeed, they made a play about it!
Hellraiser (Clive Barker, 1987)
Another classic horror film I never got round to seeing until this month. Although the Cenobites have become fairly iconic, this is still a genuinely unsettling film with great special effects for this time and with an intelligent script. Not sure the sequels are supposed to add up to much, but overall I was impressed with this and surprised I had not seen it sooner.
Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)
This passed me by on its original theatrical run, and have only just caught up with it on DVD. Of course, the reason this was so successful is the superb central performance from Downey who brings buckets of charm and humour to the role of Tony Stark; arms dealer turned superhero. Bridges and Paltrow are fine in the supporting roles, but the film succeeds mainly because of its engaging, funny script and Downey's effortless charisma. A fine blockbuster, I await the sequel eagerly.
Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, 2009)
A fairly likable, if by the numbers story of a country singer (Bridges) down on his luck, drinking heavily, who gets a second chance at life. Nothing we haven't seen before then, the film is rather formulaic, though quite watchable. It gets a significant boost from a superb, Oscar Winning Jeff Bridges that goes some way to elevating an otherwise pedestrian story.
Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)
Excellent British social drama, benefits greatly from newcomer Katie Jarvis' central performance about a teenage girl on an Essex council estate who forms an unhealthy association with her mothers' boyfriend (Michael Fassbender). The film is very grim at times, but is not without a sense of hope in the end. The performances are all outstanding, and the script and film as a whole is very believable.
Jennifer's Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009)
The adaptation of Diablo Cody's follow up screenplay to the Oscar Winning Juno is an altogether messy affair. Megan Fox, in the title role of the bitchy schoolgirl posessed by a man eating demon, proves once again that she can't act for shit, and does little else other than look great throughout. The film main fault is that it tries too hard to be a cool comedy indie flick, and a spiritual successor to Carrie and it doesn't achieve either. In short, Jennifer's Body is not as smart or as scary as it tries to be. Despite this, Diablo Cody's screenplay does have some good dialogue in it ("She's evil, not just high school evil!") and Amanda Seyfried is superb as Jennifer's geeky best friend.
FILM OF THE MONTH: Crank 2 - High Voltage
In Priase Of BBC 6Music
The BBC has recently announced that they are to cut several of its services, most prominently its wonderful digital station BBC 6 Music. Launched in 2002, it is a radio station that can genuinely claim to be by music fans and for music fans. I have owned a digital radio for a year and a half and over that time, have come to view 6 Music as not so much a radio station, but more a warm, erudite and informative friend who I can always turn to and enjoy whatever hour of the day (unless the odious George Lamb is on).
BBC 6 Music is one of the few radio stations that can genuinely claim to have an eclectic playlist. On its airwaves you will find indie, hip hop, dance music of all eras, jazz, funk, prog, pop, folk, pretty much most musical genres you can think of, as if the station is the brainchild of the biggest music geek in history. I have discovered new bands, and been introduced to lots of wonderful new music, and regularly hear new (and old) music that would have otherwise passed me by. To some, this approach could seem elitist, like the staff in the Notting Hill Record Exchange (or its fictional counterpart shop in ‘High Fidelity’) but the real beauty of the station is the warmth of its presenters as well as their knowledge. The superb breakfast show, hosted by Shaun Keaveney always starts my day on a good note and Keaveney is a great host, sounding more like a cheerful early morning mate at a breakfast bar. The Adam and Joe slot on Saturdays (on hiatus now, but returning) is always a delight and a worthy successor to their classic 90’s series. Mark Riley, with his playlist consisting of new bands and classic Peel sessions is always a great dinner companion on weekday evenings.
Even when the station has ‘celebrity’ guest DJ’s it is always because of their musical knowledge and warmth of character. Jarvis Cocker’s recent slot has been a fine recent addition, as are Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour (admittedly a US import), and above all Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour on Sunday evenings. The Elbow frontman may be my favourite of all the presenters, his witty deadpan delivery combined with a genuine love of music makes him as fine a host as I’ve ever heard.
Sure, it isn’t perfect. George Lamb, now thankfully sidelined to weekend mornings (when I’m usually asleep) was a total disaster for the station; an attempt to bring a Radio One aesthetic to a station that neither wanted nor needed it. But nevertheless the loss of this station would be a real pity. It offers vital exposure for new bands to the market that really need it: proper music fans. It is a station that entertains, informs and educates in a way that the countless blogs and pitchforks can never entirely do. The station is a worthy memorial to the legacy of John Peel, and proves that his spirit is still very much alive in the BBC corridors. In its absence where would music fans turn to? Q Radio is too much indie-by-numbers, Radio 1 aims too young, Absolute Radio is too MOR as is Radio 2, XFM may well be the choice for most but it doesn’t take any risks in its playlist, nor does it have the calibre of presenters. To lose BBC 6 Music would create a massive hole on the airwaves, and be a truly sad event for those who love music, and want to listen to a station that perfectly understands that love. Although I am sceptical of such things, the Rage Against The Machine facebook campaign did prove that people can get galvanised, at least to the point where the news will report certain facebook groups existence. Therefore please visit www.love6music.com and sign/tweet/join whatever you can, and if you don’t then go to the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/) and discover why this wonderful little station is worth saving.
BBC 6 Music is one of the few radio stations that can genuinely claim to have an eclectic playlist. On its airwaves you will find indie, hip hop, dance music of all eras, jazz, funk, prog, pop, folk, pretty much most musical genres you can think of, as if the station is the brainchild of the biggest music geek in history. I have discovered new bands, and been introduced to lots of wonderful new music, and regularly hear new (and old) music that would have otherwise passed me by. To some, this approach could seem elitist, like the staff in the Notting Hill Record Exchange (or its fictional counterpart shop in ‘High Fidelity’) but the real beauty of the station is the warmth of its presenters as well as their knowledge. The superb breakfast show, hosted by Shaun Keaveney always starts my day on a good note and Keaveney is a great host, sounding more like a cheerful early morning mate at a breakfast bar. The Adam and Joe slot on Saturdays (on hiatus now, but returning) is always a delight and a worthy successor to their classic 90’s series. Mark Riley, with his playlist consisting of new bands and classic Peel sessions is always a great dinner companion on weekday evenings.
Even when the station has ‘celebrity’ guest DJ’s it is always because of their musical knowledge and warmth of character. Jarvis Cocker’s recent slot has been a fine recent addition, as are Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour (admittedly a US import), and above all Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour on Sunday evenings. The Elbow frontman may be my favourite of all the presenters, his witty deadpan delivery combined with a genuine love of music makes him as fine a host as I’ve ever heard.
Sure, it isn’t perfect. George Lamb, now thankfully sidelined to weekend mornings (when I’m usually asleep) was a total disaster for the station; an attempt to bring a Radio One aesthetic to a station that neither wanted nor needed it. But nevertheless the loss of this station would be a real pity. It offers vital exposure for new bands to the market that really need it: proper music fans. It is a station that entertains, informs and educates in a way that the countless blogs and pitchforks can never entirely do. The station is a worthy memorial to the legacy of John Peel, and proves that his spirit is still very much alive in the BBC corridors. In its absence where would music fans turn to? Q Radio is too much indie-by-numbers, Radio 1 aims too young, Absolute Radio is too MOR as is Radio 2, XFM may well be the choice for most but it doesn’t take any risks in its playlist, nor does it have the calibre of presenters. To lose BBC 6 Music would create a massive hole on the airwaves, and be a truly sad event for those who love music, and want to listen to a station that perfectly understands that love. Although I am sceptical of such things, the Rage Against The Machine facebook campaign did prove that people can get galvanised, at least to the point where the news will report certain facebook groups existence. Therefore please visit www.love6music.com and sign/tweet/join whatever you can, and if you don’t then go to the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/) and discover why this wonderful little station is worth saving.
Albums I Heard In February
The Flaming Lips-Dark Side Of The Moon
Well, you can't fault the Flaming Lips for not being productive, three months after the superb double album 'Embryonic' we have a full blown cover album of Pink Floyd's 1973 classic Dark Side of the Moon. Whereas the Soft Bulletin-era Lips might have made a more faithful record, this at times sounds like cover outtakes that might have appeared on the rawer Embryonic. Unfortunately, this is not much of a success; perhaps inevitably given how familiar and justly revered the original is. It isn't even particularly necessary, as we already have the excellent reggae version 'Dub Side of the Moon' by Easy Star All Stars, but there you go. Henry Rollins is roped in to perform the spoken parts, which in the original were lofty and haunting and here are somewhat distracting, while Peaches snarls her way through 'Great Gig in the Sky' to little effect. At the same time, 'Us and Them' sounds fairly tepid, and 'Money' is just awful. The best tracks are of course, the ones that differ substantially from the originals, particularly 'On the Run' and 'Any Colour You Like' which are given a superb air of menace. That the band seem to have just knocked this one off quickly, and without much fuss I'll forgive them for, but this is easily going to be my least played Flaming Lips album.
Marina & The Diamonds-The Family Jewels
This is, for me, where the current crop of quirky female electoey singers reaches its end point. Unlike Florence, who Marina seems to rip off continuously, she is unable to work out a decent melody to be a pop star and her artier tendencies seem very contrived. Far too quirky for her own good, even her singles like 'Hollywood' and 'Mowgli's Road' come across as rather annoying. As it stands Marina & The Diamonds (oh, 'The Diamonds' are not the band they are YOU the fans! Giggle!) debut album is a dull, un-original debut release with clear bandwagon hopping tendencies on the part of her record label. That it has already been classified Silver on its pre-orders is a little worrying.
Odd Blood-Yeasayer
Delightful (at times) second album from this arty rock band, often dismissed as a poor mans MGMT. Well, while everyone is expecting their sophomore album to be a disaster, Odd Blood is a warm, upbeat yet credible listen. Unfortunately, much like MGMT's debut, it isn't quite as consistent as one would hope and it does contain some lesser tracks, particularly towards the end. Still, this is made up with songs like 'Ambling Amp' which is almost gospel like in its optimism, the luscious if very 80's 'I Remember' and especially the superb 'Love Me Girl'. It stretches too far and times, but overall its a fine listen to add to the ever increasing pile of sunny, arty American acts pile.
Four Tet-There Is Love In You
Four Tet return with a proper album a good five years after Everything Ecstatic, and its been worth the wait. 'There is Love in You' is a fragile, minimal sounding album that sounds intricate enough to make you want to revisit it. The second track and lead single 'Love Cry' is probably the best thing here, sounding almost dubsteppy but very fragile and beautiful. Probably the most 'dance' he has been, it isn't as original or effective as the outstanding 'Rounds' but its still a really good listen.
Surfer Blood-Astro Coast
Yet another warm, fuzzy, sunny surf American group to add to the pile alongside Girls, Beach House and The Antlers. Annoying, this lot are pretty good as well, they have a real talent for melodies and musically they have a nice escapist feel and make you wish it was the summer. It's unfortunate I have heard this alongside several other similar sounding, but equally good albums, but it does almost feel like a 'scene' is starting. Their debut single 'Swim' has a nice, uplifting quality to it, 'Harmonix' has a sunny/MBV ambience and 'Fast Jabroni' has a darker more urgent quality, but overall this is a consistent record that best exists as 'one'.
Johnny Cash-American VI: Ain't No Grave
Yet another posthumous release from The Man In Black. This continues (and possibly concludes) the excellent American series from Cash and producer Rick Rubin. Recorded three months before his death in 2003, most of the songs deal with death and the afterlife. Opening title track with the refrain "ain't no grave that can hold me down" seems very apt, and 'A Satisfied Mind' from the Kill Bill 2 soundtrack makes a belated appearance here. While not as strong as American IV, this is still a fine and moving album worthy of the series, with the bittersweet and moving final track Akiha Oe being a worthy finale to a long career as his version of 'Hurt'. Main complaint: it does feel a little contrived as a 'last testament' on Rick Rubin's part, but I'll let that pass.
Gil Scott-Heron-I'm New Here
Long awaited return from the celebrated and elusive 'Godfather of Hip-Hop', his voice sounds worn and withered after a sixteen year gap of drugs and imprisonment. Set to a moody electronic background its a superb, subtle record. I've recently been getting into his work and like what I've heard and this is no exception. There are a few covers (Bill Callaghan/Robert Johnson) thrown in for good measure but the originals shine through most. Only listened to this once unfortunately, but I will definitely be returning
Joanna Newsom-Have One On Me
I have been very critical in the past of Joanna Newsom, particularly her voice in her previous two albums which is capable of sending me into a rage and resembles a cat being strangled, so the concept of listening to a triple album by this harp wielding pixie would, to me, make waterboarding sound pleasurable. Thankfully, I had heard that her voice had 'matured' on this record and I can confirm that she has managed to overcome her own singing. Still, at three discs and over two hours, this is an exhausting listen. To her credit, I don't think it is meant to be swallowed hole, as I did and just dipped into. Although this is now, to me, listenable I still can't see why people think she is so brilliant. Maybe because it's 'cool' to like her, or maybe I just don't get it. Even if it was just one album, at only six tracks a disc I find her music just wanders aimlessly and varies little from track to track. As for her lyrics, she alternates between being poetic and annoyingly quirky. Either way, it's pleasant enough I suppose, and Have One On Me doesn't inspire hatred in me like her other work does. But I'm certainly not won over yet...
Older Music: My main discoveries this month have been the early solo albums of Brian Eno and mid-period Sly & The Family Stone. Eno's early albums, recorded shortly after he left Roxy Music are art-rock at its finest. 'Here Come The Warm Jets', his debut is outstanding, containing arty glam (Needle in the Camels Eye, Baby's On Fire), gorgeous ambient pieces (On Some Faraway Beach) and proto shoegaze (the stunning title track). The second album 'Taking Tiger Mountain' is a worthy follow up, but its their justly acclaimed 'Another Green World' that is really special. Here, the ambience and synth textures that would partly populate Bowie's 'Berlin Period' dominate here. 'The Big Ship' is amazingly beautiful, while 'St Elmo's Fire' is a weird pop glam workout, but this is best appreciated as a whole. As for Sly & The Family Stone, I have mainly focused on the albums 'Stand!' and 'There's A Riot Goin' On'. 'Stand!' must be one of the most uplifting albums ever, a glorious celebration of life and racial equality it really is a joyous listen, with 'I Want To Take You Higher' being it's frantic and amazing peak. 'Riot' is exactly the opposite; retreating into a druggy stupor, Stone renounced his 1960's optimism, declares his wish to be left alone and revels an a narcotic haze. Dense, difficult, but just as satisfying in a different way. Otherwise, I have been trying to get into Tom Waits, but his discography is so dense I don't know where to start. But I have listened to 'Swordfishtrombones', 'Rain Dogs' and the first disc of 'Orphans' all of which I though were excellent. I have also really enjoyed the first Tom Tom Club album, as good an electro-pop album as any I've ever heard. Also, despite their terrible name, I have recently been getting into The The, which may seem sub-Depeche Mode at times, have a handful of really good albums up their sleeve. The track 'Giant' off their first album is particularly good.
Well, you can't fault the Flaming Lips for not being productive, three months after the superb double album 'Embryonic' we have a full blown cover album of Pink Floyd's 1973 classic Dark Side of the Moon. Whereas the Soft Bulletin-era Lips might have made a more faithful record, this at times sounds like cover outtakes that might have appeared on the rawer Embryonic. Unfortunately, this is not much of a success; perhaps inevitably given how familiar and justly revered the original is. It isn't even particularly necessary, as we already have the excellent reggae version 'Dub Side of the Moon' by Easy Star All Stars, but there you go. Henry Rollins is roped in to perform the spoken parts, which in the original were lofty and haunting and here are somewhat distracting, while Peaches snarls her way through 'Great Gig in the Sky' to little effect. At the same time, 'Us and Them' sounds fairly tepid, and 'Money' is just awful. The best tracks are of course, the ones that differ substantially from the originals, particularly 'On the Run' and 'Any Colour You Like' which are given a superb air of menace. That the band seem to have just knocked this one off quickly, and without much fuss I'll forgive them for, but this is easily going to be my least played Flaming Lips album.
Marina & The Diamonds-The Family Jewels
This is, for me, where the current crop of quirky female electoey singers reaches its end point. Unlike Florence, who Marina seems to rip off continuously, she is unable to work out a decent melody to be a pop star and her artier tendencies seem very contrived. Far too quirky for her own good, even her singles like 'Hollywood' and 'Mowgli's Road' come across as rather annoying. As it stands Marina & The Diamonds (oh, 'The Diamonds' are not the band they are YOU the fans! Giggle!) debut album is a dull, un-original debut release with clear bandwagon hopping tendencies on the part of her record label. That it has already been classified Silver on its pre-orders is a little worrying.
Odd Blood-Yeasayer
Delightful (at times) second album from this arty rock band, often dismissed as a poor mans MGMT. Well, while everyone is expecting their sophomore album to be a disaster, Odd Blood is a warm, upbeat yet credible listen. Unfortunately, much like MGMT's debut, it isn't quite as consistent as one would hope and it does contain some lesser tracks, particularly towards the end. Still, this is made up with songs like 'Ambling Amp' which is almost gospel like in its optimism, the luscious if very 80's 'I Remember' and especially the superb 'Love Me Girl'. It stretches too far and times, but overall its a fine listen to add to the ever increasing pile of sunny, arty American acts pile.
Four Tet-There Is Love In You
Four Tet return with a proper album a good five years after Everything Ecstatic, and its been worth the wait. 'There is Love in You' is a fragile, minimal sounding album that sounds intricate enough to make you want to revisit it. The second track and lead single 'Love Cry' is probably the best thing here, sounding almost dubsteppy but very fragile and beautiful. Probably the most 'dance' he has been, it isn't as original or effective as the outstanding 'Rounds' but its still a really good listen.
Surfer Blood-Astro Coast
Yet another warm, fuzzy, sunny surf American group to add to the pile alongside Girls, Beach House and The Antlers. Annoying, this lot are pretty good as well, they have a real talent for melodies and musically they have a nice escapist feel and make you wish it was the summer. It's unfortunate I have heard this alongside several other similar sounding, but equally good albums, but it does almost feel like a 'scene' is starting. Their debut single 'Swim' has a nice, uplifting quality to it, 'Harmonix' has a sunny/MBV ambience and 'Fast Jabroni' has a darker more urgent quality, but overall this is a consistent record that best exists as 'one'.
Johnny Cash-American VI: Ain't No Grave
Yet another posthumous release from The Man In Black. This continues (and possibly concludes) the excellent American series from Cash and producer Rick Rubin. Recorded three months before his death in 2003, most of the songs deal with death and the afterlife. Opening title track with the refrain "ain't no grave that can hold me down" seems very apt, and 'A Satisfied Mind' from the Kill Bill 2 soundtrack makes a belated appearance here. While not as strong as American IV, this is still a fine and moving album worthy of the series, with the bittersweet and moving final track Akiha Oe being a worthy finale to a long career as his version of 'Hurt'. Main complaint: it does feel a little contrived as a 'last testament' on Rick Rubin's part, but I'll let that pass.
Gil Scott-Heron-I'm New Here
Long awaited return from the celebrated and elusive 'Godfather of Hip-Hop', his voice sounds worn and withered after a sixteen year gap of drugs and imprisonment. Set to a moody electronic background its a superb, subtle record. I've recently been getting into his work and like what I've heard and this is no exception. There are a few covers (Bill Callaghan/Robert Johnson) thrown in for good measure but the originals shine through most. Only listened to this once unfortunately, but I will definitely be returning
Joanna Newsom-Have One On Me
I have been very critical in the past of Joanna Newsom, particularly her voice in her previous two albums which is capable of sending me into a rage and resembles a cat being strangled, so the concept of listening to a triple album by this harp wielding pixie would, to me, make waterboarding sound pleasurable. Thankfully, I had heard that her voice had 'matured' on this record and I can confirm that she has managed to overcome her own singing. Still, at three discs and over two hours, this is an exhausting listen. To her credit, I don't think it is meant to be swallowed hole, as I did and just dipped into. Although this is now, to me, listenable I still can't see why people think she is so brilliant. Maybe because it's 'cool' to like her, or maybe I just don't get it. Even if it was just one album, at only six tracks a disc I find her music just wanders aimlessly and varies little from track to track. As for her lyrics, she alternates between being poetic and annoyingly quirky. Either way, it's pleasant enough I suppose, and Have One On Me doesn't inspire hatred in me like her other work does. But I'm certainly not won over yet...
Older Music: My main discoveries this month have been the early solo albums of Brian Eno and mid-period Sly & The Family Stone. Eno's early albums, recorded shortly after he left Roxy Music are art-rock at its finest. 'Here Come The Warm Jets', his debut is outstanding, containing arty glam (Needle in the Camels Eye, Baby's On Fire), gorgeous ambient pieces (On Some Faraway Beach) and proto shoegaze (the stunning title track). The second album 'Taking Tiger Mountain' is a worthy follow up, but its their justly acclaimed 'Another Green World' that is really special. Here, the ambience and synth textures that would partly populate Bowie's 'Berlin Period' dominate here. 'The Big Ship' is amazingly beautiful, while 'St Elmo's Fire' is a weird pop glam workout, but this is best appreciated as a whole. As for Sly & The Family Stone, I have mainly focused on the albums 'Stand!' and 'There's A Riot Goin' On'. 'Stand!' must be one of the most uplifting albums ever, a glorious celebration of life and racial equality it really is a joyous listen, with 'I Want To Take You Higher' being it's frantic and amazing peak. 'Riot' is exactly the opposite; retreating into a druggy stupor, Stone renounced his 1960's optimism, declares his wish to be left alone and revels an a narcotic haze. Dense, difficult, but just as satisfying in a different way. Otherwise, I have been trying to get into Tom Waits, but his discography is so dense I don't know where to start. But I have listened to 'Swordfishtrombones', 'Rain Dogs' and the first disc of 'Orphans' all of which I though were excellent. I have also really enjoyed the first Tom Tom Club album, as good an electro-pop album as any I've ever heard. Also, despite their terrible name, I have recently been getting into The The, which may seem sub-Depeche Mode at times, have a handful of really good albums up their sleeve. The track 'Giant' off their first album is particularly good.
Films I Saw In February
Up In The Air (Jason Reitman, 2009): Likable, quirky fluff from the director of ‘Juno’. Is quite funny and moving in fairly equal measures. I don’t think it’s Oscar material and Clooney is on ‘auto pilot’ for most of the film, but Vera Farmigan and Anna Kendrick are really good in the supporting roles. It’s a solid enough movie, but probably better to catch on DVD.
The Damned United (Tom Hooper, 2009): Wasn’t expecting too much from this, but really enjoyed it. Michael Sheen is outstanding as Brian Clough during his disastrous tenure at Leeds and Colm Meaney is superb as his predecessor Don Revie. Not really a football film, more one about hubris and the arrogance of talent and has real appeal even if you aren’t really into sports (which I’m not).
Four Lions (Chris Morris, 2010): This is the long awaited suicide bomber comedy from one of my biggest heroes, Chris Morris. He’s spent years researching this, and the results are definitely on the screen. The film is intelligent, and offers a fresh perspective on cinematic terrorism. Still, it isn’t quite as satisfying as his other works, it doesn’t feel like a film, even when it unconvincingly wanders into thriller territory, and (astonishingly for Morris) just isn’t funny enough. It’s good, but feels like a missed opportunity.
Harold & Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971): One of the few big ‘New Hollywood’ films I haven’t seen. The film, a quirky love story between an existentialist 19 year old and a feisty 79 year old woman feels like the sort of thing Wes Anderson would have made now, and not in the 70’s. It’s a totally original film, unsentimental and very moving, one of the best older films I’ve seen in a while.
The Sugarland Express (Steven Spielberg, 1974): Debut theatrical film from Steven Spielberg is not quite top league for him but is still a gripping enough lovers on the run kind of film with some great chase sequences and a fine performance from Goldie Hawn.
Hellboy & Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (Guillermo Del Toro, 2004 & 2009): I wasn’t expecting too much from these films despite the brilliance of Pan’s Labyrinth, but I found both to be top flight comic/action blockbusters, with good characters, action pieces and visuals. Both are fine films, but the second one has the edge with less exposition, better action and more imagination.
The Wolfman (Joe Johnston, 2010): Long delayed horror remake with Benicio Del Toro in the title role. He does very little other than stumble around in pain or in a daze, and most of the scene chewing is left to Anthony Hopkins, whose accent seems to change on a scene by scene basis, and the brilliantly hammy Hugo Weaving as a police inspector. Effects are good enough, (CGI is still not a patch on the animatronics for American Werewolf in London) but an over reliance on ‘jumps’ over atmosphere, and the absence of little new in the plot makes it a fairly pointless watch. Would no doubt have been superior if original director Mark Romanek was at the helm.
High Plains Drifter (Clint Eastwood, 1973): Along with Unforgiven this is the best Clint Eastwood-directed film I have seen. He basically reprises his role in the Dollars Trilogy, and, as a director, has clearly learned from Leone. I was really surprised as to how fucking nasty and badass this film is; definitely one of the most vicious Westerns I have seen. Combining supernatural elements with an unconventional revenge storyline it feels original, fresh and engaging. Best of its kind I’ve seen in a while.
Hollywoodland (Allen Coulter, 2007): Decent enough Hollywood mystery film inspired by the death of original Superman TV actor George Reeves. Ben Affleck surprisingly delivers the best performance in the film as Reeves and Adrein Brody is also fine as a brooding private eye. The film is a good half hour longer than it needs to be, and the pacing isn’t very good but as neo noirs go, it’s ok.
Life Is Sweet (Mike Leigh, 1991): Early feature film from Mike Leigh with a great cast, and one of his less downbeat films. Broadband is superb (as always), as his Horrocks, Spall and Thewlis. I generally am not a fan of realist British films, but Leigh’s are always the exception. Not his best film, but ‘Life Is Sweet’ is fun and moving in equal measures. It’s rather good.
Rope (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948): Good, Hitchcock thriller if incredibly homoerotic. Famous long takes used throughout have awkward transitions, but overall it’s a suspenseful examination of suppressed desire and murder. Not one of The Master’s best but good by any other standard.
Blur: No Distance Left To Run (Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, 2010): Solid music doc about one of my favourite bands. It’s a little self congratulatory an doesn’t really contain any new revelations, and the band (particularly Albarn) don’t always come across as likable but it’s impossible not to be moved by the climactic Glastonbury and Hyde Park performances if they mean as much to you as they do to me. Second disc on the DVD contains the Hyde Park gig, where a ‘Tender’ chant I started can be heard before they do ‘Popscene’!
Secrets And Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996): Absolutely brilliant, I’ve owned this for years but only just got around to watching it. Brenda Blethyn, who seems to spend most of the time crying after meeting a long lost daughter, is superb as is the hapless Timothy Spall as her well meaning brother. The script, acting and direction is all world class, and out of the Mike Leigh films I have seen only Naked ranks higher.
Bronson (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2009): Watchable, if slightly pointless British ‘hard man’ biopic. It’s unclear where the films sympathies lie in terms of Bronson, and one does wonder whether or not the world really needed to see a film about his life. Nevertheless it has a gritty retro feel to it, reminiscent of Alan Clark’s work and Thomas Hardy is absolutely on fire and commanding in the title role.
The Leopard/Il Gattopardo (Luchino Visconti, 1963): Long, but beautiful Italian epic with a superb international cast and gorgeous sets and costumes. The film is a lengthy meditation on the passing of the old aristocratic order in 18th century Italy. Not for everyone of course, this film is a work of art in the strictly classical sense. Burt Lancaster delivers arguably his best performances and Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale are one of the most glamorous cinematic couples ever.
Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes, 2000): I watched this mainly because of my love of Bowie and Iggy, but this film is a total bastardization of their legacy. Ewan McGregor is hopelessly miscast as the surrogate Iggy, and can barely hold the accent down. The eternally contemptible Jonathan Rhys Meyers proves himself to be utterly unworthy to lick the shit off Bowie’s boots also. The entire thing is overblown, and utterly ridiculous. It may have a great soundtrack, but fuck it; I could make a film with a great soundtrack. It doesn’t mean I could make a great film though. Anyway, this certainly isn’t a great film.
Mestine (Jean-Francois Richet, 2008): I saw the first part last summer, and finally caught up with the second this month. Together, they make an outstanding crime epic, and with a recent viewing of ‘Public Enemies’ it makes me realise how tepid that film is. Cassel gives the performance of a lifetime, he is vicious, charismatic and very well dressed. His treatment of his wife and girlfriends go a long way to scuppering sympathy but overall this is an exciting, well placed crime epic. Even when viewed together it never seems overlong. Very strongly recommended.
Soylent Green (Richard Fleischer, 1973): Somewhat tree hugging sci fi thriller, the films main success is in the creation of its future world, but in terms of pacing and story structure it is kind of dull, and the ending is pretty poor. It does have a moving performance from Edward G. Robinson in his last film though.
Kick Ass (Matthew Vaughn, 2010): Superb comic/action adaptation with a star making turn from Johnson and a brilliant comeback from Nic Cage. The film zips by and is such delirous fun it should be illegal.
Telstar (Nick Moran, 2009): Solid adaptation of Nick Moran’s 2006 play about producer Joe Meek, which I saw with Con O’Neil in its original run. Spacey does a decent enough British accent and is effective as his manager, and the ever annoying James Corden is actually OK as his drummer. It’s much longer than it needs to be, and does tend to drag the final act along quite a bit but O’Neil is superb as Meek and makes the film worth seeing.
The Damned United (Tom Hooper, 2009): Wasn’t expecting too much from this, but really enjoyed it. Michael Sheen is outstanding as Brian Clough during his disastrous tenure at Leeds and Colm Meaney is superb as his predecessor Don Revie. Not really a football film, more one about hubris and the arrogance of talent and has real appeal even if you aren’t really into sports (which I’m not).
Four Lions (Chris Morris, 2010): This is the long awaited suicide bomber comedy from one of my biggest heroes, Chris Morris. He’s spent years researching this, and the results are definitely on the screen. The film is intelligent, and offers a fresh perspective on cinematic terrorism. Still, it isn’t quite as satisfying as his other works, it doesn’t feel like a film, even when it unconvincingly wanders into thriller territory, and (astonishingly for Morris) just isn’t funny enough. It’s good, but feels like a missed opportunity.
Harold & Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971): One of the few big ‘New Hollywood’ films I haven’t seen. The film, a quirky love story between an existentialist 19 year old and a feisty 79 year old woman feels like the sort of thing Wes Anderson would have made now, and not in the 70’s. It’s a totally original film, unsentimental and very moving, one of the best older films I’ve seen in a while.
The Sugarland Express (Steven Spielberg, 1974): Debut theatrical film from Steven Spielberg is not quite top league for him but is still a gripping enough lovers on the run kind of film with some great chase sequences and a fine performance from Goldie Hawn.
Hellboy & Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (Guillermo Del Toro, 2004 & 2009): I wasn’t expecting too much from these films despite the brilliance of Pan’s Labyrinth, but I found both to be top flight comic/action blockbusters, with good characters, action pieces and visuals. Both are fine films, but the second one has the edge with less exposition, better action and more imagination.
The Wolfman (Joe Johnston, 2010): Long delayed horror remake with Benicio Del Toro in the title role. He does very little other than stumble around in pain or in a daze, and most of the scene chewing is left to Anthony Hopkins, whose accent seems to change on a scene by scene basis, and the brilliantly hammy Hugo Weaving as a police inspector. Effects are good enough, (CGI is still not a patch on the animatronics for American Werewolf in London) but an over reliance on ‘jumps’ over atmosphere, and the absence of little new in the plot makes it a fairly pointless watch. Would no doubt have been superior if original director Mark Romanek was at the helm.
High Plains Drifter (Clint Eastwood, 1973): Along with Unforgiven this is the best Clint Eastwood-directed film I have seen. He basically reprises his role in the Dollars Trilogy, and, as a director, has clearly learned from Leone. I was really surprised as to how fucking nasty and badass this film is; definitely one of the most vicious Westerns I have seen. Combining supernatural elements with an unconventional revenge storyline it feels original, fresh and engaging. Best of its kind I’ve seen in a while.
Hollywoodland (Allen Coulter, 2007): Decent enough Hollywood mystery film inspired by the death of original Superman TV actor George Reeves. Ben Affleck surprisingly delivers the best performance in the film as Reeves and Adrein Brody is also fine as a brooding private eye. The film is a good half hour longer than it needs to be, and the pacing isn’t very good but as neo noirs go, it’s ok.
Life Is Sweet (Mike Leigh, 1991): Early feature film from Mike Leigh with a great cast, and one of his less downbeat films. Broadband is superb (as always), as his Horrocks, Spall and Thewlis. I generally am not a fan of realist British films, but Leigh’s are always the exception. Not his best film, but ‘Life Is Sweet’ is fun and moving in equal measures. It’s rather good.
Rope (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948): Good, Hitchcock thriller if incredibly homoerotic. Famous long takes used throughout have awkward transitions, but overall it’s a suspenseful examination of suppressed desire and murder. Not one of The Master’s best but good by any other standard.
Blur: No Distance Left To Run (Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, 2010): Solid music doc about one of my favourite bands. It’s a little self congratulatory an doesn’t really contain any new revelations, and the band (particularly Albarn) don’t always come across as likable but it’s impossible not to be moved by the climactic Glastonbury and Hyde Park performances if they mean as much to you as they do to me. Second disc on the DVD contains the Hyde Park gig, where a ‘Tender’ chant I started can be heard before they do ‘Popscene’!
Secrets And Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996): Absolutely brilliant, I’ve owned this for years but only just got around to watching it. Brenda Blethyn, who seems to spend most of the time crying after meeting a long lost daughter, is superb as is the hapless Timothy Spall as her well meaning brother. The script, acting and direction is all world class, and out of the Mike Leigh films I have seen only Naked ranks higher.
Bronson (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2009): Watchable, if slightly pointless British ‘hard man’ biopic. It’s unclear where the films sympathies lie in terms of Bronson, and one does wonder whether or not the world really needed to see a film about his life. Nevertheless it has a gritty retro feel to it, reminiscent of Alan Clark’s work and Thomas Hardy is absolutely on fire and commanding in the title role.
The Leopard/Il Gattopardo (Luchino Visconti, 1963): Long, but beautiful Italian epic with a superb international cast and gorgeous sets and costumes. The film is a lengthy meditation on the passing of the old aristocratic order in 18th century Italy. Not for everyone of course, this film is a work of art in the strictly classical sense. Burt Lancaster delivers arguably his best performances and Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale are one of the most glamorous cinematic couples ever.
Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes, 2000): I watched this mainly because of my love of Bowie and Iggy, but this film is a total bastardization of their legacy. Ewan McGregor is hopelessly miscast as the surrogate Iggy, and can barely hold the accent down. The eternally contemptible Jonathan Rhys Meyers proves himself to be utterly unworthy to lick the shit off Bowie’s boots also. The entire thing is overblown, and utterly ridiculous. It may have a great soundtrack, but fuck it; I could make a film with a great soundtrack. It doesn’t mean I could make a great film though. Anyway, this certainly isn’t a great film.
Mestine (Jean-Francois Richet, 2008): I saw the first part last summer, and finally caught up with the second this month. Together, they make an outstanding crime epic, and with a recent viewing of ‘Public Enemies’ it makes me realise how tepid that film is. Cassel gives the performance of a lifetime, he is vicious, charismatic and very well dressed. His treatment of his wife and girlfriends go a long way to scuppering sympathy but overall this is an exciting, well placed crime epic. Even when viewed together it never seems overlong. Very strongly recommended.
Soylent Green (Richard Fleischer, 1973): Somewhat tree hugging sci fi thriller, the films main success is in the creation of its future world, but in terms of pacing and story structure it is kind of dull, and the ending is pretty poor. It does have a moving performance from Edward G. Robinson in his last film though.
Kick Ass (Matthew Vaughn, 2010): Superb comic/action adaptation with a star making turn from Johnson and a brilliant comeback from Nic Cage. The film zips by and is such delirous fun it should be illegal.
Telstar (Nick Moran, 2009): Solid adaptation of Nick Moran’s 2006 play about producer Joe Meek, which I saw with Con O’Neil in its original run. Spacey does a decent enough British accent and is effective as his manager, and the ever annoying James Corden is actually OK as his drummer. It’s much longer than it needs to be, and does tend to drag the final act along quite a bit but O’Neil is superb as Meek and makes the film worth seeing.
Albums I Heard In January
Contra by Vampire Weekend
There seems to have been a recent backlash against Vampire Weekend, the group being vilified for being ‘preppy’ (well, it doesn’t help if the girl on the sleeve is wearing a Ralph Loren polo shirt), but overall there has been an air of snobbiness about them, which I find really annoying. They are a very good band who have made two very good records, and Contra is a fine follow up. There is nothing on the new album that feels immediate as say ‘Cape Cod…’ or ‘Oxford Comma’, but overall it’s a far more consistent record that blends a huge amount of influences (world, synth-pop, indie, folk, dance, rock n roll) into something pretty coherent. ‘
Hortacha’ starts things off with some really odd lyrics, ‘Holiday’ feels like it could be off the first album but is more complex in its arrangements. Lead off single ‘Cousins’ is an absolute belter as is the sure-to-be-next-single ‘Giving up the Ghost’ which provides the album with its most sing a long moment, and is probably my favourite here. ‘Diplomats Son’ boasts an MIA sample, but sounds light hearted and sweet and far removed from its context..
Anyway, what the critics have been pretty much spot on with Contra. It is quiet, complex yet effortless, and its superb melodies really get under your skin. Although not as immediate as the debut, it has sold well, and I have found myself listening to it the most out of these records. Basically, it’s an excellent album and doesn’t have a single weak song on it.
Heliogland by Massive Attack
Long breaks in music can be a mixed blessing. One the one hand, Massive Attacks fellow Bristolian trip hop pioneers Portishead returned from an eleven year absence with the sublime ‘Third’, which redefined their sound and managed to sound nothing like their back catalogue or anything in the charts at the moment. On the other, there are groups like my beloved New Order, who reformed after a nine year break and released two turgid albums, unworthy of their greatness, before finally calling it a day. Released almost exactly seven years after their previous and dull album, ‘100th Window’; ‘Heliogland’ is a similarly dull affair.
Of course, it is unfair to compare them to Portishead simply because they are from a similar genre, but nevertheless the break between albums has allowed for little or no change in style and no display of honing their craft. Perhaps it was the departure of Mushroom after their last great record ‘Mezzanine’ that was the key factor, allowing 3D to pretty much claim 100th Window as a solo album. Well, here the main return of Daddy G appears to have achieved little. ‘Heliogland’ recycles all of the clichés that Massive Attack helped to invent, but without any real sense of innovation. Also, the album is peppered with guest vocalists from Damon Albarn and Guy Garvey to TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimp. These fine artists, sadly do little to enhance the album, and it plods along with little sense of variety or direction. Still, it does have one very good track: ‘Paradise Circus’ featuring Mazzy Star singer Hope Sandoval, which his haunting and gently seductive. Still, this alone does not save the album, so my advice is to download that track and leave the rest alone, and remember how powerful, innovative and moving Massive Attack used to be. The decline continues…
Black Noise by Pantha Du Prince
Excellent third album by German producer Hendrick Weber managhes to find the correct note between the thoughtful and the hedonistic. Panda Bear, who is ‘so hot right now’ makes a guest appearance on one of the tracks but the whole album makes for a great listen. Not absorbed it enough yet, and have only listened to it twice, but it is well worth the effort.
Teen Dream by Beach House
Outstanding album from these summery American indie types. The whole record seems to be filled with a sense of dream like longing. The opening track Zebra is gorgeous, and the singles Used To Be and Norway are filled with blessed out, summery gorgeousness but it’s 10 Mile Stereo that’s near the end of the album that really does it for me. Will sound even better when the summer comes, but even so, this is a great enough listen already. Superb.
Heartland by Owen Pallett
Breakthrough release from Owen Pallett, previously known as ‘Final Fantasy’. He attanged the strings for the Last Shadow Puppets album as well as for the Arcade Fire’s two LP’s. His style is fairly quirky and idiosyncratic (his live shows however are amazing) but this album really wins you over. Well constructed and beautifully arranged, it slowly unfolds with each and every listen. Quietly wonderful.
One Life Stand by Hot Chip
For some time now Hot Chip have struck me as the sort of band who could make a really great album. Unfortunately, they have yet to do it; ‘Coming On Strong’ was solid enough but lacked inspiration, ‘The Warning’, a huge leap forward and probably their best seemed uneven at times, while ‘Made in the Dark’ was overlong, messy and haphazard switching between synth stab experimentation and tender ballads. With their fourth album ‘One Life Stand’ they have created an album that is certainly coherent, but in that coherency lies its biggest problem.
It’s almost as if the band have taken a look at ‘Made in the Dark’ and felt that they had to make a decision as to who they were, and have gone for the ballads over the dancefloor and experimentation. At times if feels like Hot Chip are trying to sound like Robert Wyatt, the record is made up of soulful synth driven ballads, and is relatively light on dancefloor fodder. Still, it is by no means a bad album; the opening track ‘Thieves in the Night’ manages to straddle both camps and is one of their best songs; ‘I Feel Better’ is one of the best tracks on the album and one of my favourite by the group, it has to be the next single. The title track ‘One Life Stand’ is a fine, catchy number, but when you consider that the previous two albums opening singles were ‘Ready for the Floor’ and ‘Over and Over’ it can’t help but feel a little slight. After this the album sticks pretty much all of its ballads together, and while they are decent, well crafted and with good melodies, there just isn’t much to make you want to return to them, although ‘Brothers’ is quite decent. When the album returns to the dancefloor with ‘We Have Love’, it is a welcome break, though still does not realise the potential I know they have. The closing track, ‘Take it in’ ends things on a fine note though, a sleek stomper of a song that has the group finding its feet again.
‘One Life Stand’ does appear to have earned good reviews, with many people calling this their best album. Although, as I have said, I still don’t think they have made a great album I cannot agree. Perhaps I want something different from them, but even though ‘Made in the Dark’ was all over the place, it still had ‘Shake a Fist’, ‘Bendable Poseable’ and ‘Ready for the Floor’, three tracks better than anything here. In the final analysis, this album is competent, professional but not very impressive. You’ll enjoy it while it’s on, but not really feel the need to return to it in the years ahead. I feel that Hot Chip are destined to become like The Buzzcocks and Duran Duran: a singles band. When they get round to a greatest hits it will be a terrific listen from start to finish and that’s probably all you’ll need.
Acolyte by Delphic
Fortunately released right at the start of the year before they can be engulfed in the hype that is already surrounding them, this Manchunian indie/dance outfit have been slowly gathering momentum since the summer. The New Order comparisons are inevitable and for once justified. The best thing about Delphic is that unlike most similar bands they have perfected their technique in both indie and dance. ‘Doubt’ and ‘Counterpoint’ both have strong choruses typical of a decent indie/pop song and sonically the programming and beats on the album make it worthy of any all out dance producer at the same time.
A lions share of the credit must surely go to Berlin based DJ Ewan Pearson for his work here. The opening ‘side’ of the album gets things off to a great start. ‘Clarion Call’ is a fine, almost melancholic opener before moving into the terrific lead off single ‘Doubt’. ‘This Momentary’ has probably the catchy chorus of all though, and probably deserves a re-issue after becoming a small hit last year. The title track and centrepiece is moodily evocative and keeps the band firmly grounded in the dance camp.
Best of all though is probably ‘Counterpoint’ where they make as good an indie/dance song as I’ve heard in quite a while. It is huge, epic and powerful like Chemical Brothers meets Bloc Party. It stumbles a little in the middle, but overall it is a very well paced album nicely timed to catch the hype brigade off guard.
Hidden by These New Puritans
Already being heralded as a strong contender for album of 2010 in the same way that Merriweather… was early on last year. ‘Hidden’ is completely different in tone from that record, but it shares a bold sense of purpose with that record, and sounds completely original. ‘Hidden’ is a very dark, ominous record, it is the sort of album that more than deserves words like ‘apocalyptic’ and ‘gargantuan’ to describe it.
Almost every track has a looming, cinematic sense of dread to it. Single ‘We Want War’ thunders in early on with a minimalistic but earth shattering drumbeat typical of the rest of the album. ‘Attack Music’ sounds equally threatening with the sharpening of knives adding to various sound effects. ‘Orion’ builds up the strings and sounds positively Wagnerian. The production throughout the entire album is phenomenal, making perfect use of space to provide sheer menace, in the same way the XX use it to convey melancholic lust.
If there is a criticism of the album, its that it may be a bit samey to some, with its robotic drum beats, breathy vocals and near total absence of guitars. Also, is peppered with too many interludes and non-songs. But this is really clutching at straws, this is a wholly original art rock album, sounding like the sort of thing Muse should be making right now. It is a cliché, but play this record loud and terrify everyone in your house with it. Outstanding.
There seems to have been a recent backlash against Vampire Weekend, the group being vilified for being ‘preppy’ (well, it doesn’t help if the girl on the sleeve is wearing a Ralph Loren polo shirt), but overall there has been an air of snobbiness about them, which I find really annoying. They are a very good band who have made two very good records, and Contra is a fine follow up. There is nothing on the new album that feels immediate as say ‘Cape Cod…’ or ‘Oxford Comma’, but overall it’s a far more consistent record that blends a huge amount of influences (world, synth-pop, indie, folk, dance, rock n roll) into something pretty coherent. ‘
Hortacha’ starts things off with some really odd lyrics, ‘Holiday’ feels like it could be off the first album but is more complex in its arrangements. Lead off single ‘Cousins’ is an absolute belter as is the sure-to-be-next-single ‘Giving up the Ghost’ which provides the album with its most sing a long moment, and is probably my favourite here. ‘Diplomats Son’ boasts an MIA sample, but sounds light hearted and sweet and far removed from its context..
Anyway, what the critics have been pretty much spot on with Contra. It is quiet, complex yet effortless, and its superb melodies really get under your skin. Although not as immediate as the debut, it has sold well, and I have found myself listening to it the most out of these records. Basically, it’s an excellent album and doesn’t have a single weak song on it.
Heliogland by Massive Attack
Long breaks in music can be a mixed blessing. One the one hand, Massive Attacks fellow Bristolian trip hop pioneers Portishead returned from an eleven year absence with the sublime ‘Third’, which redefined their sound and managed to sound nothing like their back catalogue or anything in the charts at the moment. On the other, there are groups like my beloved New Order, who reformed after a nine year break and released two turgid albums, unworthy of their greatness, before finally calling it a day. Released almost exactly seven years after their previous and dull album, ‘100th Window’; ‘Heliogland’ is a similarly dull affair.
Of course, it is unfair to compare them to Portishead simply because they are from a similar genre, but nevertheless the break between albums has allowed for little or no change in style and no display of honing their craft. Perhaps it was the departure of Mushroom after their last great record ‘Mezzanine’ that was the key factor, allowing 3D to pretty much claim 100th Window as a solo album. Well, here the main return of Daddy G appears to have achieved little. ‘Heliogland’ recycles all of the clichés that Massive Attack helped to invent, but without any real sense of innovation. Also, the album is peppered with guest vocalists from Damon Albarn and Guy Garvey to TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimp. These fine artists, sadly do little to enhance the album, and it plods along with little sense of variety or direction. Still, it does have one very good track: ‘Paradise Circus’ featuring Mazzy Star singer Hope Sandoval, which his haunting and gently seductive. Still, this alone does not save the album, so my advice is to download that track and leave the rest alone, and remember how powerful, innovative and moving Massive Attack used to be. The decline continues…
Black Noise by Pantha Du Prince
Excellent third album by German producer Hendrick Weber managhes to find the correct note between the thoughtful and the hedonistic. Panda Bear, who is ‘so hot right now’ makes a guest appearance on one of the tracks but the whole album makes for a great listen. Not absorbed it enough yet, and have only listened to it twice, but it is well worth the effort.
Teen Dream by Beach House
Outstanding album from these summery American indie types. The whole record seems to be filled with a sense of dream like longing. The opening track Zebra is gorgeous, and the singles Used To Be and Norway are filled with blessed out, summery gorgeousness but it’s 10 Mile Stereo that’s near the end of the album that really does it for me. Will sound even better when the summer comes, but even so, this is a great enough listen already. Superb.
Heartland by Owen Pallett
Breakthrough release from Owen Pallett, previously known as ‘Final Fantasy’. He attanged the strings for the Last Shadow Puppets album as well as for the Arcade Fire’s two LP’s. His style is fairly quirky and idiosyncratic (his live shows however are amazing) but this album really wins you over. Well constructed and beautifully arranged, it slowly unfolds with each and every listen. Quietly wonderful.
One Life Stand by Hot Chip
For some time now Hot Chip have struck me as the sort of band who could make a really great album. Unfortunately, they have yet to do it; ‘Coming On Strong’ was solid enough but lacked inspiration, ‘The Warning’, a huge leap forward and probably their best seemed uneven at times, while ‘Made in the Dark’ was overlong, messy and haphazard switching between synth stab experimentation and tender ballads. With their fourth album ‘One Life Stand’ they have created an album that is certainly coherent, but in that coherency lies its biggest problem.
It’s almost as if the band have taken a look at ‘Made in the Dark’ and felt that they had to make a decision as to who they were, and have gone for the ballads over the dancefloor and experimentation. At times if feels like Hot Chip are trying to sound like Robert Wyatt, the record is made up of soulful synth driven ballads, and is relatively light on dancefloor fodder. Still, it is by no means a bad album; the opening track ‘Thieves in the Night’ manages to straddle both camps and is one of their best songs; ‘I Feel Better’ is one of the best tracks on the album and one of my favourite by the group, it has to be the next single. The title track ‘One Life Stand’ is a fine, catchy number, but when you consider that the previous two albums opening singles were ‘Ready for the Floor’ and ‘Over and Over’ it can’t help but feel a little slight. After this the album sticks pretty much all of its ballads together, and while they are decent, well crafted and with good melodies, there just isn’t much to make you want to return to them, although ‘Brothers’ is quite decent. When the album returns to the dancefloor with ‘We Have Love’, it is a welcome break, though still does not realise the potential I know they have. The closing track, ‘Take it in’ ends things on a fine note though, a sleek stomper of a song that has the group finding its feet again.
‘One Life Stand’ does appear to have earned good reviews, with many people calling this their best album. Although, as I have said, I still don’t think they have made a great album I cannot agree. Perhaps I want something different from them, but even though ‘Made in the Dark’ was all over the place, it still had ‘Shake a Fist’, ‘Bendable Poseable’ and ‘Ready for the Floor’, three tracks better than anything here. In the final analysis, this album is competent, professional but not very impressive. You’ll enjoy it while it’s on, but not really feel the need to return to it in the years ahead. I feel that Hot Chip are destined to become like The Buzzcocks and Duran Duran: a singles band. When they get round to a greatest hits it will be a terrific listen from start to finish and that’s probably all you’ll need.
Acolyte by Delphic
Fortunately released right at the start of the year before they can be engulfed in the hype that is already surrounding them, this Manchunian indie/dance outfit have been slowly gathering momentum since the summer. The New Order comparisons are inevitable and for once justified. The best thing about Delphic is that unlike most similar bands they have perfected their technique in both indie and dance. ‘Doubt’ and ‘Counterpoint’ both have strong choruses typical of a decent indie/pop song and sonically the programming and beats on the album make it worthy of any all out dance producer at the same time.
A lions share of the credit must surely go to Berlin based DJ Ewan Pearson for his work here. The opening ‘side’ of the album gets things off to a great start. ‘Clarion Call’ is a fine, almost melancholic opener before moving into the terrific lead off single ‘Doubt’. ‘This Momentary’ has probably the catchy chorus of all though, and probably deserves a re-issue after becoming a small hit last year. The title track and centrepiece is moodily evocative and keeps the band firmly grounded in the dance camp.
Best of all though is probably ‘Counterpoint’ where they make as good an indie/dance song as I’ve heard in quite a while. It is huge, epic and powerful like Chemical Brothers meets Bloc Party. It stumbles a little in the middle, but overall it is a very well paced album nicely timed to catch the hype brigade off guard.
Hidden by These New Puritans
Already being heralded as a strong contender for album of 2010 in the same way that Merriweather… was early on last year. ‘Hidden’ is completely different in tone from that record, but it shares a bold sense of purpose with that record, and sounds completely original. ‘Hidden’ is a very dark, ominous record, it is the sort of album that more than deserves words like ‘apocalyptic’ and ‘gargantuan’ to describe it.
Almost every track has a looming, cinematic sense of dread to it. Single ‘We Want War’ thunders in early on with a minimalistic but earth shattering drumbeat typical of the rest of the album. ‘Attack Music’ sounds equally threatening with the sharpening of knives adding to various sound effects. ‘Orion’ builds up the strings and sounds positively Wagnerian. The production throughout the entire album is phenomenal, making perfect use of space to provide sheer menace, in the same way the XX use it to convey melancholic lust.
If there is a criticism of the album, its that it may be a bit samey to some, with its robotic drum beats, breathy vocals and near total absence of guitars. Also, is peppered with too many interludes and non-songs. But this is really clutching at straws, this is a wholly original art rock album, sounding like the sort of thing Muse should be making right now. It is a cliché, but play this record loud and terrify everyone in your house with it. Outstanding.
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