M.I.A-/\/\ /\ Y /\
So the backlash has started at last. This, the infuriatingly titled new release from M.I.A. (which I'll just refer to as Maya from now on) is a crushing disappointment. Over the last few years I have been able to ignore M.I.A's regular and foolish and idiotic political statements (Facebook is run by the CIA! The Tower Hamlets MP flooded the area with heroin to sedate the Bengali's) because she has turned out a sizeable number of brilliant tunes (Boyz, Jimmy, Bucky Done Gun, Galang, Paper Planes etc etc) thanks in no small part to her production team (especially Diplo and Switch). With Maya, however she has allowed her sense of paranoia and seemingly unwavering belief that she is under attack filter into her music. The majority of Maya throws huge sounding blips, synths and drums at you without any sense of direction, it tries to batter you into submission but ends up sounding flat. Now, I am in no way moaning about the lack of a 'Paper Planes' or 'Jimmy' single, the opening trio of the masterpiece 'Kala' (Bamboo Banga, Bird Flu, Boyz) was a superb hurricane style onslaught but controlled with a sense of vision and effortless ability. In 'Maya' we are left with a hollow shell of an album, devoid of any heart or emotion (the vocoder overkill doesn't help either). The intro 'The Message' complete with the most annoying lyrics of the year thus far "iphone connected to google connected to the government" followed by the flat 'Steppin Up' do not make a good start. 'Meds and Feds', a collaboration with Sleigh Bells is also a wasted opportunity, a nice idea in principal but really just doesn't work. Single 'XXXO' is enjoyable enough, but it seems like she's in search of a pop moment and it just sounds like a Lady GaGa reject. The best track by far is the teaser 'Born Free' which retains an element of power even shorn from its controversial video and is probably the only track that is a match for anything on Arular or Kala. I'll still listen to whatever she does next, but here M.I.A has fallen for Third Album Syndrome big time.
The Radio Dept.-Clinging To A Scheme
New album from the latest 'neo-shoegazers' The Radio Dept. is a very worthwhile affair. The singles, especially 'Heaven's On Fire' make it a worthwhile listen but the album tracks, particularly 'Never Follow Suit' are pretty much solid indie rock stuff. Not life changing but perfectly passable.
The Drums-The Drums
Along with Delphic, The Drums were probably the best act on this year's Sound of 2010 list. Sadly like that group, their debut album seems to have had a decent first week position only to drop down like a lead zeppelin soon after. Still though, this is an enjoyable worthwhile listen and one of the year's more immediate records. Basically, they are a sunny indie band with 50's style melodies that you absorb fairly quickly. The bouncy 'Best Friend' sets the tone for things to come, two tracks later coming to the excellent 'Let's Go Swimming', lead single and probably the best track on here. 'Book of Dreams' is a wistful growing up style song very much in the Brian Wilson vein, 'Down By The Water' is just gorgeous, and on tracks like 'Skippin' Town' you find yourself singing along to the lyrics without even realising it. The Drums do live up to their hype at least as far as music goes; and this is a fun, likable album, if a tad samey. Nevertheless, it looks like, at this stage anyway, they won't become arena killers yet.
Robyn-Body Talk pt. 1
Robyn, despite having the superb #1 hit 'With Every Heartbeat' seems destined to fall down the same career path as Annie; namely crafting superb electo/dance/pop tunes that for some strange reason are completely ignored by the mainstream. This, the first of three albums out this year stalled at 47 on the album charts which to me is a real shame, because 'Body Talk Pt. 1' gives most other pop albums this year a proper run for their money. At 30 minutes and 8-tracks it's a very lean album, and time will tell with the subsequent 'Body Talks' if this should have been a longer, single album but on the strength of these tunes Robyn has plenty of fine pop songs up her sleeve to keep us busy for the rest of the year. The opening half is particularly strong, 'Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do' opens brilliantly with a call and response and general grumble about modern life that doesn't pause for breath until we get to the excellent 'Fembot'. After this is the albums centrepiece, 'Dancing On My Own', just as good as 'With Every Heartbeat' and like that fine record, it's a slow burner that creeps up on you the more you listen to it. Elsewhere, 'Dancehall Queen' sees her paired with Diplo who does a fine job on a deceptively straightforward song and winds up being better than any of his work on the M.I.A album. The latter half of the album winds things down slowly with the moody Royskopp collaboration 'None of Dem', lovely acoustic version of 'Hang With Me' and ending with a sweet sounding Swedish traditional song. The only real criticism of 'Body Talk Pt. 1' is that it's way too short, but in the light of the forthcoming parts, this may be best enjoyed as a whole experience. Either way, this is certainly enough to wet ones appetite for more.
Album Of The Month: Robyn-Body Talk Pt. 2
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Films I Saw In July
Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie, 2009)
Surprisingly OK action thriller with Downey and Law sharing great chemistry in this fast paced, if over-directed film. Ritchie was not allowed to write the screenplay for this, which oddly enough is the weakest element in the film. The plot about a Freemason like group plods along and doesn't really have much in it to keep you interested. Also, Ritchie's style tends to pulverise the senses a little and employs way too much visual trickery. Nevertheless, Downey and Law are really good as Holmes and Watson and given the right treatment, a sequel could actually be really good. This however, is just average.
Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
Miyazaki's latest film about a girl-goldfish who's attempts to become human after she falls in love with a local boy causes environmental chaos is a delightful piece of work providing much fun for, as the phrase does 'kids of all ages'. The English translation boasts a fine cast (Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Matt Damon) who do the film justice, while the animation is simply gorgeous and lovingly crafted from the get go. Touching, funny, moving and awe inspiring, this is an excellent film and the best Ghibli film I have yet seen (others being Totoro and Spirited Away).
Predators (Nimrod Antal, 2010)
I entered this film with fairly reasonable expectations, seeing as there was no way this could be worse than Predator 2 or the AvP films and indeed it isn't. Basically it's a re-hash of the original film, only seeing as that came out 20 plus years ago it would now probably be deemed a homage. It deliberately avoids to have much of a plot and basically it's nothing more than a series of selected warriors from around the world put together to fight the titular race. Adrian Brody is fine in the lead role and there are some decent action sequences in, but overall it's far too self referential and it takes itself very, very seriously something action films should never do. Not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but not a patch on the original either.
Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984)
Lower tier De Palma, in what is probably his worst Hitchcock-aping film. An out of luck actor finds himself drawn towards a beautiful woman while house-sitting for a mysterious stranger in L.A. Unlike other De Palma films (Dressed To Kill, Blow Out) this lacks any innovation on his part and is hampered by what is ultimately a ludicrous storyline. May be of interest to 80's nostalgists, but I'm way past that stage myself. Although a club sequence involving Frankie Goes To Hollywood is probably the best bit in what is otherwise a pretty poor film.
Men Who Stare At Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009)
Zany adaptation of John Ronson's book about CIA mind control units. This film is episodic in nature, and therefore un-even, but has some great performances, especially from the ever dependable Clooney and Jeff Bridges who basically re-hashes The Dude only with a military career. The main story arc involving Ewan McGregor (in one of his dodgy American accent roles) is a little clunky and is probably best used as a loose anchor for a series of sketches. This film got mixed to negative reviews when it first came out, but to me, it is slight, enjoyable, and overall really fun. Worth a look.
Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)
An excellent, supposedly final chapter to one of the most beloved series of the last fifteen years. Toy Story 3 finds Woody, Buzz et al dealing with Andy's impending college trip and accidental drop of at a daycare centre. Toy Story 3 refines what was so special about the first two films and allows the characters to develop naturally without being too showy. Not that the Pixar team are resting on their laurels mind, the script is just as sharp as ever and filled with some terrific new characters (Barbie's Ken and a lederhosen wearing hedgehog, Mr. Pricklepants voiced by Timothy Dalton are favourites). While it does not have the knockout punch of the first two, or quite the level of emotion that Up and Wall-E do, it's really comforting to watch and basically spend time in the company of characters we have come to know and love. Basically, it's another triumph from Pixar, watch today!
Incidentally, the film is in 3-D and I really don't think it needs to be. Here is Mark Kermode's two cents on the subject and I think he pretty much hits the nail on the head: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/2010/06/_in_order_to_see_1.html
The Informant! (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
Soderbergh returns to his Erin Brockovich style, corporate villain mode for this strange tale of a real life whistleblower who seemed to be just as much of a crook as those he was informing on. The film is played as something of an offbeat comedy despite showing fraud and embezzlement on a massive scale. This is probably because Matt Damon's title character, an eccentric compulsive liar is such an oddball, that a straight telling just wouldn't work. Still, the tone of the film doesn't feel quite right and we never get close as to Damon's motives throughout. Not his fault though, as this is one of his best roles in a while, but the script and tone of the film just...seems...wrong. It's hard to explain why, but I just didn't really get this film! Maybe you will.
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus (Terry Gillian, 2009)
Heath Ledger's final film, which Gilliam managed to save by casting Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law as various 'personas' of Ledger's wanderer who falls in with a troupe of magicians and travels to fantasy lands through the title character's mirror, or imaginarium if you prefer. I was expecting this to make the film patchy, but it holds together well and the concept makes sense in it's own way. The main problem is one that hampers the occasional Gilliam film, particularly his last two films, Tideland and Brothers Grimm: the script and story tends to take a back seat to his admittedly brilliant visuals. Occasionally the plot falls off the rails, particularly in the fantasy sequences and we don't really care about that characters as much as we should. Still, this is much better than either of those films and it does represent a 'return to form' of sorts for the erstwhile Python. Ledger puts in a fine performance, but Tom Waits steals the film from everyone, hamming it up nicely as The Devil. Worthwhile.
Jurassic Park 3 (Joe Johnson, 2001)
I was watching the first two films recently and then realised I had never bothered with the third. Not that I was missing much to begin with, as this is a virtual re-tread of the first film without any sense of wonderment. It barely even attempts a plot, as Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) gets stranded on Site B along with a divorced couple (including William H Macy) and some mercenaries. Some of the CGI effects in this film have suffered quite badly over the years, remember this is pre-LOTR and King Kong, and as a result JP3 looks more dated than the first film in parts! While it doesn't have anything as ridiculous as the Kong style rampage at the end of The Lost World, the film is pretty much a long chase and doesn't really raise the bar a great deal. Actually, Grant conversing with the Raptors using one of their skulls is pretty ludicrous. Still, at 90 minutes it doesn't outstay it's welcome and in the words of Samuel L Jackson in the first film "it could be worse...a lot worse".
The Descent: Part 2 (Jon Harris, 2009)
Utterly pointless sequel to the brilliant 2005 original finds survivor Sarah returning to the caves with a new team only to be set upon by more of those nasty cave dwelling creatures. Next to the original, this is nothing, the monsters are shown way too much and the film goes for cheap gore effects as opposed to the genuine atmosphere and scares of the first. That, and some really stupid plot elements make this a vastly inferior sequel. Still, I found it watchable enough in parts.
Green Zone (Paul Greengrass, 2010)
Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon's Iraq War-set post-Bourne collaboration is a huge disappointment. Sure, the trademark Greengrass action, editing and pacing are all present and correct but the plot involving Damon's Lieutenant in search of nuclear weapons and the US Government's cover up over intelligence is very preachy to the point of being really annoying and filled with stock characters who are on the whole one-dimensional and un-engaging.. The action is good, but doesn't re-invent the wheel enough to make one care particularly. Worst of all, I found it actually really boring. Not awful, but probably not worth your time either.
Film Of The Month: Toy Story 3
Surprisingly OK action thriller with Downey and Law sharing great chemistry in this fast paced, if over-directed film. Ritchie was not allowed to write the screenplay for this, which oddly enough is the weakest element in the film. The plot about a Freemason like group plods along and doesn't really have much in it to keep you interested. Also, Ritchie's style tends to pulverise the senses a little and employs way too much visual trickery. Nevertheless, Downey and Law are really good as Holmes and Watson and given the right treatment, a sequel could actually be really good. This however, is just average.
Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
Miyazaki's latest film about a girl-goldfish who's attempts to become human after she falls in love with a local boy causes environmental chaos is a delightful piece of work providing much fun for, as the phrase does 'kids of all ages'. The English translation boasts a fine cast (Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Matt Damon) who do the film justice, while the animation is simply gorgeous and lovingly crafted from the get go. Touching, funny, moving and awe inspiring, this is an excellent film and the best Ghibli film I have yet seen (others being Totoro and Spirited Away).
Predators (Nimrod Antal, 2010)
I entered this film with fairly reasonable expectations, seeing as there was no way this could be worse than Predator 2 or the AvP films and indeed it isn't. Basically it's a re-hash of the original film, only seeing as that came out 20 plus years ago it would now probably be deemed a homage. It deliberately avoids to have much of a plot and basically it's nothing more than a series of selected warriors from around the world put together to fight the titular race. Adrian Brody is fine in the lead role and there are some decent action sequences in, but overall it's far too self referential and it takes itself very, very seriously something action films should never do. Not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but not a patch on the original either.
Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984)
Lower tier De Palma, in what is probably his worst Hitchcock-aping film. An out of luck actor finds himself drawn towards a beautiful woman while house-sitting for a mysterious stranger in L.A. Unlike other De Palma films (Dressed To Kill, Blow Out) this lacks any innovation on his part and is hampered by what is ultimately a ludicrous storyline. May be of interest to 80's nostalgists, but I'm way past that stage myself. Although a club sequence involving Frankie Goes To Hollywood is probably the best bit in what is otherwise a pretty poor film.
Men Who Stare At Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009)
Zany adaptation of John Ronson's book about CIA mind control units. This film is episodic in nature, and therefore un-even, but has some great performances, especially from the ever dependable Clooney and Jeff Bridges who basically re-hashes The Dude only with a military career. The main story arc involving Ewan McGregor (in one of his dodgy American accent roles) is a little clunky and is probably best used as a loose anchor for a series of sketches. This film got mixed to negative reviews when it first came out, but to me, it is slight, enjoyable, and overall really fun. Worth a look.
Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)
An excellent, supposedly final chapter to one of the most beloved series of the last fifteen years. Toy Story 3 finds Woody, Buzz et al dealing with Andy's impending college trip and accidental drop of at a daycare centre. Toy Story 3 refines what was so special about the first two films and allows the characters to develop naturally without being too showy. Not that the Pixar team are resting on their laurels mind, the script is just as sharp as ever and filled with some terrific new characters (Barbie's Ken and a lederhosen wearing hedgehog, Mr. Pricklepants voiced by Timothy Dalton are favourites). While it does not have the knockout punch of the first two, or quite the level of emotion that Up and Wall-E do, it's really comforting to watch and basically spend time in the company of characters we have come to know and love. Basically, it's another triumph from Pixar, watch today!
Incidentally, the film is in 3-D and I really don't think it needs to be. Here is Mark Kermode's two cents on the subject and I think he pretty much hits the nail on the head: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/2010/06/_in_order_to_see_1.html
The Informant! (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
Soderbergh returns to his Erin Brockovich style, corporate villain mode for this strange tale of a real life whistleblower who seemed to be just as much of a crook as those he was informing on. The film is played as something of an offbeat comedy despite showing fraud and embezzlement on a massive scale. This is probably because Matt Damon's title character, an eccentric compulsive liar is such an oddball, that a straight telling just wouldn't work. Still, the tone of the film doesn't feel quite right and we never get close as to Damon's motives throughout. Not his fault though, as this is one of his best roles in a while, but the script and tone of the film just...seems...wrong. It's hard to explain why, but I just didn't really get this film! Maybe you will.
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus (Terry Gillian, 2009)
Heath Ledger's final film, which Gilliam managed to save by casting Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law as various 'personas' of Ledger's wanderer who falls in with a troupe of magicians and travels to fantasy lands through the title character's mirror, or imaginarium if you prefer. I was expecting this to make the film patchy, but it holds together well and the concept makes sense in it's own way. The main problem is one that hampers the occasional Gilliam film, particularly his last two films, Tideland and Brothers Grimm: the script and story tends to take a back seat to his admittedly brilliant visuals. Occasionally the plot falls off the rails, particularly in the fantasy sequences and we don't really care about that characters as much as we should. Still, this is much better than either of those films and it does represent a 'return to form' of sorts for the erstwhile Python. Ledger puts in a fine performance, but Tom Waits steals the film from everyone, hamming it up nicely as The Devil. Worthwhile.
Jurassic Park 3 (Joe Johnson, 2001)
I was watching the first two films recently and then realised I had never bothered with the third. Not that I was missing much to begin with, as this is a virtual re-tread of the first film without any sense of wonderment. It barely even attempts a plot, as Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) gets stranded on Site B along with a divorced couple (including William H Macy) and some mercenaries. Some of the CGI effects in this film have suffered quite badly over the years, remember this is pre-LOTR and King Kong, and as a result JP3 looks more dated than the first film in parts! While it doesn't have anything as ridiculous as the Kong style rampage at the end of The Lost World, the film is pretty much a long chase and doesn't really raise the bar a great deal. Actually, Grant conversing with the Raptors using one of their skulls is pretty ludicrous. Still, at 90 minutes it doesn't outstay it's welcome and in the words of Samuel L Jackson in the first film "it could be worse...a lot worse".
The Descent: Part 2 (Jon Harris, 2009)
Utterly pointless sequel to the brilliant 2005 original finds survivor Sarah returning to the caves with a new team only to be set upon by more of those nasty cave dwelling creatures. Next to the original, this is nothing, the monsters are shown way too much and the film goes for cheap gore effects as opposed to the genuine atmosphere and scares of the first. That, and some really stupid plot elements make this a vastly inferior sequel. Still, I found it watchable enough in parts.
Green Zone (Paul Greengrass, 2010)
Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon's Iraq War-set post-Bourne collaboration is a huge disappointment. Sure, the trademark Greengrass action, editing and pacing are all present and correct but the plot involving Damon's Lieutenant in search of nuclear weapons and the US Government's cover up over intelligence is very preachy to the point of being really annoying and filled with stock characters who are on the whole one-dimensional and un-engaging.. The action is good, but doesn't re-invent the wheel enough to make one care particularly. Worst of all, I found it actually really boring. Not awful, but probably not worth your time either.
Film Of The Month: Toy Story 3
Films I Saw In June
Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008)
I've always had problems with Clint Eastwood's recent output. Films like Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby are always perfectly watchable with engaging storylines, but they always seem so 'worthy' and desperate for Oscar glory and the plot of this film (racist war veteran comes to terms with the multicultural world around him) did sound very contrived. But the truth is, this is Eastwood's best acting and directing performance since 'Unforgiven'. He's in a particularly grouchy mood, his performance at times seeming very like a Dirty Harry in retirement. The film is never sentimental, handles its subject matter well and has great performances by all through out. Very good indeed.
Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, 2008)
After watching the awful 'Margot At The Wedding' I was perhaps a little sceptical of this similarly titled film, but as it turns out this is how you do a Chekov style two sisters feuding around a wedding film. Anne Hathaway is excellent as the wayward sister who returns from rehab for the titular Rachel's wedding and in the process lots of family skeletons are brought out of the closet. It's a little formulaic to be sure, but it's well acted throughout and never loses your interest.
Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer, 2009)
Coming across as something resembling America's answer to 'Shaun of the Dead' this is a fun take on an already well worn genre. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harelson trek across a zombie ravaged America with a couple of girls and generally try and one-up each other while fighting zombies. The film is short and never overstays its welcome and is very enjoyable indeed. Particular mention must go of course to the celebrity cameo halfway through, which I won't spoil but you probably know anyway...
The Killer Inside Me (Michael Winterbottom, 2010)
Michael Winterbottom, one of the most versatile directors around has caused something of a stir with this film, an adaptation of Jim Thompson's 1950's crime novel. Most of the attention focusing on the main character's (Casey Affleck) brutalisation of women, opening up charges of misogyny against Winterbottom. Whilst I don't believe the film is misogynistic (Affleck's character is so vile and twisted that it doesn't exactly say much for masculinity either) it is one of the more brutal films of recent times. Shorn from it's controversy though and we are left with a film that's actually pretty dull with a script that plods along and poorly explains a plot that seems more labyrinth than it should. On the other hand, it looks really slick and Affleck delivers a fine, menacing performance up there with his 'Jesse James' role, but overall the window dressing and violence tends to distract you from what is really quite an average film at best.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)
I was somewhat disappointed with this film, being a lifelong fan of Rahld Dahl's books and Wes Anderson, but the two really don't mix well together as a film. For starters, it is annoyingly quirky pretty much from start to finish and seems to be peppered with several adult or 'intelligent' jokes that seem to subvert it as a children's film. While the original novella had plenty of charm, this goes for quirk and does so in spades and in the end I had to wonder "who is this film for?". It's not without its plus points though, the animation is great and Clooney's vocal talents are put to good use for the title role, but in the end I just felt that Wes Anderson should stick to making live action indie comedies and stay away from animated kids stories.
Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2009)
An excellent horror/ghost story film, genuinely unsettling and the best of its kind since the original Blair Witch. The story is simple enough, a couple are alone in a house and are haunted by a benevolent demon. It doesn't re-invent the wheel but knows exactly what makes the best horror films work and does it with aplomb. The two actors (Katie Featherston and Miach Sloat, using their real names) are both very convincing. It's scare factor may have been blunted on me as I was a little pissed when I saw this, but nevertheless it's still very creepy and definately worth a look for horror fans.
One Night In Turin (James Erskine, 2010)
After the debacle of England's World Cup exit this year, it might be worth revisiting a somewhat more noble defeat courtesy of this enjoyable doc. Relying solely on archive material and the odd incidental re-construction 'One Night In Turin' tells the story of England's 1990 World Cup campaign narrated compellingly by Gary Oldman. Of course, everyone knows how this ends but you still find yourself caught up in the tale which focuses as much on the off-pitch activities and the hooligan element of the times. It does centre a little bit too much on Paul Gasgoine as the main 'hero' though.
Harry Brown (Daniel Barber, 2010)
Morally bankrupt vigilante film set in and around Elephant & Castle with Michael Caine as a Royal Marines Vet pushed to the limit by a gang of local hoodies led by Plan B. From an ethical point of view this film is very circumspect, coming across like a Daily Mail readers worst nightmare and wildest dream at the same time. Still, it's quite watchable and if you can get over the political tones the film is kind of worth seeing for a decent central performance by Michael Caine and for it's arresting visuals.
Film Of The Month: Gran Torino, but Paranormal Activity comes close.
I've always had problems with Clint Eastwood's recent output. Films like Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby are always perfectly watchable with engaging storylines, but they always seem so 'worthy' and desperate for Oscar glory and the plot of this film (racist war veteran comes to terms with the multicultural world around him) did sound very contrived. But the truth is, this is Eastwood's best acting and directing performance since 'Unforgiven'. He's in a particularly grouchy mood, his performance at times seeming very like a Dirty Harry in retirement. The film is never sentimental, handles its subject matter well and has great performances by all through out. Very good indeed.
Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, 2008)
After watching the awful 'Margot At The Wedding' I was perhaps a little sceptical of this similarly titled film, but as it turns out this is how you do a Chekov style two sisters feuding around a wedding film. Anne Hathaway is excellent as the wayward sister who returns from rehab for the titular Rachel's wedding and in the process lots of family skeletons are brought out of the closet. It's a little formulaic to be sure, but it's well acted throughout and never loses your interest.
Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer, 2009)
Coming across as something resembling America's answer to 'Shaun of the Dead' this is a fun take on an already well worn genre. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harelson trek across a zombie ravaged America with a couple of girls and generally try and one-up each other while fighting zombies. The film is short and never overstays its welcome and is very enjoyable indeed. Particular mention must go of course to the celebrity cameo halfway through, which I won't spoil but you probably know anyway...
The Killer Inside Me (Michael Winterbottom, 2010)
Michael Winterbottom, one of the most versatile directors around has caused something of a stir with this film, an adaptation of Jim Thompson's 1950's crime novel. Most of the attention focusing on the main character's (Casey Affleck) brutalisation of women, opening up charges of misogyny against Winterbottom. Whilst I don't believe the film is misogynistic (Affleck's character is so vile and twisted that it doesn't exactly say much for masculinity either) it is one of the more brutal films of recent times. Shorn from it's controversy though and we are left with a film that's actually pretty dull with a script that plods along and poorly explains a plot that seems more labyrinth than it should. On the other hand, it looks really slick and Affleck delivers a fine, menacing performance up there with his 'Jesse James' role, but overall the window dressing and violence tends to distract you from what is really quite an average film at best.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)
I was somewhat disappointed with this film, being a lifelong fan of Rahld Dahl's books and Wes Anderson, but the two really don't mix well together as a film. For starters, it is annoyingly quirky pretty much from start to finish and seems to be peppered with several adult or 'intelligent' jokes that seem to subvert it as a children's film. While the original novella had plenty of charm, this goes for quirk and does so in spades and in the end I had to wonder "who is this film for?". It's not without its plus points though, the animation is great and Clooney's vocal talents are put to good use for the title role, but in the end I just felt that Wes Anderson should stick to making live action indie comedies and stay away from animated kids stories.
Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2009)
An excellent horror/ghost story film, genuinely unsettling and the best of its kind since the original Blair Witch. The story is simple enough, a couple are alone in a house and are haunted by a benevolent demon. It doesn't re-invent the wheel but knows exactly what makes the best horror films work and does it with aplomb. The two actors (Katie Featherston and Miach Sloat, using their real names) are both very convincing. It's scare factor may have been blunted on me as I was a little pissed when I saw this, but nevertheless it's still very creepy and definately worth a look for horror fans.
One Night In Turin (James Erskine, 2010)
After the debacle of England's World Cup exit this year, it might be worth revisiting a somewhat more noble defeat courtesy of this enjoyable doc. Relying solely on archive material and the odd incidental re-construction 'One Night In Turin' tells the story of England's 1990 World Cup campaign narrated compellingly by Gary Oldman. Of course, everyone knows how this ends but you still find yourself caught up in the tale which focuses as much on the off-pitch activities and the hooligan element of the times. It does centre a little bit too much on Paul Gasgoine as the main 'hero' though.
Harry Brown (Daniel Barber, 2010)
Morally bankrupt vigilante film set in and around Elephant & Castle with Michael Caine as a Royal Marines Vet pushed to the limit by a gang of local hoodies led by Plan B. From an ethical point of view this film is very circumspect, coming across like a Daily Mail readers worst nightmare and wildest dream at the same time. Still, it's quite watchable and if you can get over the political tones the film is kind of worth seeing for a decent central performance by Michael Caine and for it's arresting visuals.
Film Of The Month: Gran Torino, but Paranormal Activity comes close.
Albums I Heard In June
Sleigh Bells-Treats
Currently being touted by uber indie cool king Spike Jonze and M.I.A. this American noise pop duo are gradually getting recognition in hipster circles even if their monstrous sounding music is probably unlikely to cross over into the mainstream. Make no mistake about it, the debut album of the craply named Sleigh Bells sounds absolutely fucking HUGE! It makes an album like, say, Hidden by These New Puritans sound intimate by comparison. The guitars sound utterly enormous, the fuzzbox sounding like the speakers are going to explode at any minute, but still appearing to be oddly clean while the primitive sounding drums anchor the record into a truly bestial stomp. Opener 'Tell Em' starts things as they mean to go on and there's really no letup until the surprisingly tender 'Rill Rill' referred to in an NME article as the 'Paper Planes' moment on the album alleviates the onslaught. At 32 minutes, 'Treats' is a very short album and at times the band do sound like a one trick pony, but much like The XX album, each listen draws you further in and separates the tracks in your mind, albeit in an Earth shattering way. Either way, this is a superb album, original sounding and forward thinking.
The Chemical Brothers-Further
Tom n' Ed's follow up to 2005's underrated, but nevertheless Grammy winning 'We Are The Night' arrives containing the labels 'back to basics' and 'multimedia project', suggesting the dance duo are going through some kind of midlife crisis. By 'multimedia project; they mean the songs on 'Further' are designed to accompany a series of short films available with the album and projected in their recent live shows. I have not seen the films yet, so my focus is mainly on the music, which this time around indeed showcases a 'back to basics' approach given that the focus is on the songs themselves as opposed to a flurry of guest vocalists, in the past a staple of Chems albums and here notable in their absence. The album as a whole does feel like a soundtrack, and 'Further' is a departure for the group as the album is more of a display of cinematic electronic numbers and with the possible exception of the superb, tribal beat heavy 'Horse Power' does not contain anything like the big beat stompers with which they have made their name. If anything, that is the albums only real disappointment; 'Further' goes for beauty over fun. Still, what we are left with is pretty good to begin with, the epic 'Escape Velocity' which first arrived a couple of months ago is a fine song, slowly building and very subtle. Single 'Swoon' though underwhelming at first is a real grower and another highlight and the closing pair of 'K+D+B' and 'Wonders of the Deep' end things in a bright emotional fashion. In the final analysis, this is clearly a transitional album for the Chemical Brothers into making convincing and essential grown up dance music done with considerable skill and is definately worth a listen.
Jonsi-Go
The proper solo debut of Sigur Ros singer Jonsi Birgisson is something of a minor departure from his normal band and indeed from his side project Jonsi & Alex, whose album Riceboy Sleeps from last year was pleasant enough, but did seem to retread worn ground. The opening track 'Go Do' has a stomping beat to it, but is still filled with pixie-esque Technicolor flourishes (the mythical creature not band). The driving, 'Animal Arithmetic' is even more pulsating, building to a glorious beat heavy conclusion. Not that the album is a stomping indie/dance record mind, as it is mainly ballad driven; 'Sinking Friendships' is particularly lush as is 'Grow Till Tall' which sounds very reminiscent of ( )-era Sigur Ros. Overall, 'Go' is a lot more song oriented than the lush album oriented music of Sigur Ros and for fans of the group or quirky/ethereal/Icelandic music, it's an essential listen.
Christina Aguilera-Bionic
After a fairly lengthy (in pop music terms) absence, Xtina's first album in four years seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of making electro-pop songs akin to Lady Gaga, who has taken her and Britney Spears pop Queen crowns as of late. Therefore, it seems the thing to do is to put her with a series of now collaborators (MIA, Switch) along with electro pop ones from the first wave of electroclash (Le Tigre, Peaches) in an effort to re-jig her sound. Press releases were touting this album as 'experimental' but beyond it's lengthy (18 track) running time, what we have here is fairly by the numbers and a number of 'safe' tracks with Tricky Stewart and Polow Da Don fail to hit the mark. 'Not Myself Tonight' and 'Whoohoo' are both pretty pedestrian about which there is little to remark or recommend. The MIA album 'Elastic Love' is good enough, though by her standards it feels like an out-take from her own forthcoming album, of the safer tracks 'Glam' is better than much of the others and the Le Tigre song 'My Girls' is also pretty fun. According to a piece in the Guardian, this could well have been a worthwhile album, with the Ladytron collaborations either jettisoned or relegated to the bonus disc along with some more Switch/Santogold numbers, while songs with Goldfrapp and a cover of Ladyhawke's 'My Delirium' have also ended up on the studio floor. What we have left is an overlong, bland electro pop album that in all likelihood, could have been something more if only her record label had a bit more guts.
Janelle Monae-The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)
Now this is how you do an epic, modern pop album! The debut album of American pop/soul/dance/electro/psychedelic (whatever she fancies) singer Janelle Monae is again an epic 18-track journey of an album but one that impresses in its eclectic nature and sheer quality of tunes. Billed as a concept album about robots and dealing in concepts of Afrofuturism, or whatever that means, the lyrics trade in Philip K. Dick style cyberpunk tales. Allegedly. To be honest, I've not paid any attention to the lyrics, but what I do know is that this is a superb, ambitious and totally accessible pop album jumping between styles without sacrificing any sense of cohesion. The record is broken into two 'Suites'; the first features the big sounding commercial singles. 'Dance or Die' is a superb open proper with a funky bassline and catchy chorus and is followed by the equally superb 'Faster'. Later on is the stunning one-two punch of 'Cold War' and 'Tightrope'; the former is a relentless would be hit single, but it's 'Tightrope' that really shines through with contributions from Big Boi and a superb beat and winning chorus, it feels like a number one single. The second half trades in more sunny pop styles with a guest appearance from Of Montreal providing highlight 'Make The Bus' followed by the superb 'Wondaland'. Perhaps the album could do with a bit of trimming but pretty much everything here is worth listening to and the sheer scope of the album is part of it's charm. I'd be very surprised if I hear a better pop album than this all year.
The Black Keys-Brothers
The Black Keys return with another generous helping of blues rock, and to boot a consistent album worth savouring especially while contemporary Jack White descends further into mediocrity through his various side projects. After their previous Danger Mouse collaboration, 'Attack & Release' this does have something of a back-to-basics approach, but is unfortunately compromised by its 15-track and epic running time. That said, there are some decent tunes here. The single 'Tighten Up' is a fine indie rock tune with a catchy riff and bluesy lyrics. That track is followed by 'Howlin' For You' a good minimalist bar room style stomper; elsewhere 'The Only One' is chilled out and pleasing enough. It's a decent album, but it's pace is a little slow at times and it is far too long.
The Foals-Total Life Forever
Oxford five-piece The Foals were one of the most hotly tipped acts of 2008, but never seemed to live up to their full potential. They had a scattering of good songs (notably Balloons and Cassius) that received decent airplay but their album 'Antidotes' didn't quite live up to its promise and sold modestly. With 'Total Life Forever' they give it another shot, and their sound has become notably tamer or mature depending on your point of view. 'Miami' has a decent groove to it sounding very grown up and slick as does the cool sounding title track. Also worthwhile is 'After Glow' sounding the most like something off the first album and the single 'This Orient', definately the most catchy song here and probably the most obvious 'single' on the record. Still, the best cut here is 'Spanish Sahara', which may be because of its already familiar nature, but in any case it's a superb, massive sounding epic and a clear standout on the LP. I probably haven't listened to the album enough to let it properly creep in, and sometimes it's production can feel a little bogged down and stale, giving it a slightly MOR feel but I'm sure this is a grower.
Deloran-Subiza
Third album from Spanish alt-dance outfit Delorean and follow up to last year's excellent 'Ayrton Senna EP' is a very song-oriented and summery affair. Appropriately enough for a Spanish group, the album trades heavily in nu-Balearic sounds and housey pianos combined with an indie-pop (think Phoenix of Animal Collective) aesthetic. Second track 'Real Love', I don't think is a single, but it definately should be with its heavily distorted and hazy vocals make this a fine summer tune as does the gorgeous 'Infinite Desert', the very 90's 'Come Wander' and the carnival esque closer 'It's All Ours'. It's a little samey at times, but it's an album you can stick on and float away with in the sun, while drenched in echoes of the past it also somehow feels very 'now' in terms of dance music.
Album Of The Month: The ArchAndroid (Suites II & III) by Janelle Monae
Currently being touted by uber indie cool king Spike Jonze and M.I.A. this American noise pop duo are gradually getting recognition in hipster circles even if their monstrous sounding music is probably unlikely to cross over into the mainstream. Make no mistake about it, the debut album of the craply named Sleigh Bells sounds absolutely fucking HUGE! It makes an album like, say, Hidden by These New Puritans sound intimate by comparison. The guitars sound utterly enormous, the fuzzbox sounding like the speakers are going to explode at any minute, but still appearing to be oddly clean while the primitive sounding drums anchor the record into a truly bestial stomp. Opener 'Tell Em' starts things as they mean to go on and there's really no letup until the surprisingly tender 'Rill Rill' referred to in an NME article as the 'Paper Planes' moment on the album alleviates the onslaught. At 32 minutes, 'Treats' is a very short album and at times the band do sound like a one trick pony, but much like The XX album, each listen draws you further in and separates the tracks in your mind, albeit in an Earth shattering way. Either way, this is a superb album, original sounding and forward thinking.
The Chemical Brothers-Further
Tom n' Ed's follow up to 2005's underrated, but nevertheless Grammy winning 'We Are The Night' arrives containing the labels 'back to basics' and 'multimedia project', suggesting the dance duo are going through some kind of midlife crisis. By 'multimedia project; they mean the songs on 'Further' are designed to accompany a series of short films available with the album and projected in their recent live shows. I have not seen the films yet, so my focus is mainly on the music, which this time around indeed showcases a 'back to basics' approach given that the focus is on the songs themselves as opposed to a flurry of guest vocalists, in the past a staple of Chems albums and here notable in their absence. The album as a whole does feel like a soundtrack, and 'Further' is a departure for the group as the album is more of a display of cinematic electronic numbers and with the possible exception of the superb, tribal beat heavy 'Horse Power' does not contain anything like the big beat stompers with which they have made their name. If anything, that is the albums only real disappointment; 'Further' goes for beauty over fun. Still, what we are left with is pretty good to begin with, the epic 'Escape Velocity' which first arrived a couple of months ago is a fine song, slowly building and very subtle. Single 'Swoon' though underwhelming at first is a real grower and another highlight and the closing pair of 'K+D+B' and 'Wonders of the Deep' end things in a bright emotional fashion. In the final analysis, this is clearly a transitional album for the Chemical Brothers into making convincing and essential grown up dance music done with considerable skill and is definately worth a listen.
Jonsi-Go
The proper solo debut of Sigur Ros singer Jonsi Birgisson is something of a minor departure from his normal band and indeed from his side project Jonsi & Alex, whose album Riceboy Sleeps from last year was pleasant enough, but did seem to retread worn ground. The opening track 'Go Do' has a stomping beat to it, but is still filled with pixie-esque Technicolor flourishes (the mythical creature not band). The driving, 'Animal Arithmetic' is even more pulsating, building to a glorious beat heavy conclusion. Not that the album is a stomping indie/dance record mind, as it is mainly ballad driven; 'Sinking Friendships' is particularly lush as is 'Grow Till Tall' which sounds very reminiscent of ( )-era Sigur Ros. Overall, 'Go' is a lot more song oriented than the lush album oriented music of Sigur Ros and for fans of the group or quirky/ethereal/Icelandic music, it's an essential listen.
Christina Aguilera-Bionic
After a fairly lengthy (in pop music terms) absence, Xtina's first album in four years seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of making electro-pop songs akin to Lady Gaga, who has taken her and Britney Spears pop Queen crowns as of late. Therefore, it seems the thing to do is to put her with a series of now collaborators (MIA, Switch) along with electro pop ones from the first wave of electroclash (Le Tigre, Peaches) in an effort to re-jig her sound. Press releases were touting this album as 'experimental' but beyond it's lengthy (18 track) running time, what we have here is fairly by the numbers and a number of 'safe' tracks with Tricky Stewart and Polow Da Don fail to hit the mark. 'Not Myself Tonight' and 'Whoohoo' are both pretty pedestrian about which there is little to remark or recommend. The MIA album 'Elastic Love' is good enough, though by her standards it feels like an out-take from her own forthcoming album, of the safer tracks 'Glam' is better than much of the others and the Le Tigre song 'My Girls' is also pretty fun. According to a piece in the Guardian, this could well have been a worthwhile album, with the Ladytron collaborations either jettisoned or relegated to the bonus disc along with some more Switch/Santogold numbers, while songs with Goldfrapp and a cover of Ladyhawke's 'My Delirium' have also ended up on the studio floor. What we have left is an overlong, bland electro pop album that in all likelihood, could have been something more if only her record label had a bit more guts.
Janelle Monae-The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)
Now this is how you do an epic, modern pop album! The debut album of American pop/soul/dance/electro/psychedelic (whatever she fancies) singer Janelle Monae is again an epic 18-track journey of an album but one that impresses in its eclectic nature and sheer quality of tunes. Billed as a concept album about robots and dealing in concepts of Afrofuturism, or whatever that means, the lyrics trade in Philip K. Dick style cyberpunk tales. Allegedly. To be honest, I've not paid any attention to the lyrics, but what I do know is that this is a superb, ambitious and totally accessible pop album jumping between styles without sacrificing any sense of cohesion. The record is broken into two 'Suites'; the first features the big sounding commercial singles. 'Dance or Die' is a superb open proper with a funky bassline and catchy chorus and is followed by the equally superb 'Faster'. Later on is the stunning one-two punch of 'Cold War' and 'Tightrope'; the former is a relentless would be hit single, but it's 'Tightrope' that really shines through with contributions from Big Boi and a superb beat and winning chorus, it feels like a number one single. The second half trades in more sunny pop styles with a guest appearance from Of Montreal providing highlight 'Make The Bus' followed by the superb 'Wondaland'. Perhaps the album could do with a bit of trimming but pretty much everything here is worth listening to and the sheer scope of the album is part of it's charm. I'd be very surprised if I hear a better pop album than this all year.
The Black Keys-Brothers
The Black Keys return with another generous helping of blues rock, and to boot a consistent album worth savouring especially while contemporary Jack White descends further into mediocrity through his various side projects. After their previous Danger Mouse collaboration, 'Attack & Release' this does have something of a back-to-basics approach, but is unfortunately compromised by its 15-track and epic running time. That said, there are some decent tunes here. The single 'Tighten Up' is a fine indie rock tune with a catchy riff and bluesy lyrics. That track is followed by 'Howlin' For You' a good minimalist bar room style stomper; elsewhere 'The Only One' is chilled out and pleasing enough. It's a decent album, but it's pace is a little slow at times and it is far too long.
The Foals-Total Life Forever
Oxford five-piece The Foals were one of the most hotly tipped acts of 2008, but never seemed to live up to their full potential. They had a scattering of good songs (notably Balloons and Cassius) that received decent airplay but their album 'Antidotes' didn't quite live up to its promise and sold modestly. With 'Total Life Forever' they give it another shot, and their sound has become notably tamer or mature depending on your point of view. 'Miami' has a decent groove to it sounding very grown up and slick as does the cool sounding title track. Also worthwhile is 'After Glow' sounding the most like something off the first album and the single 'This Orient', definately the most catchy song here and probably the most obvious 'single' on the record. Still, the best cut here is 'Spanish Sahara', which may be because of its already familiar nature, but in any case it's a superb, massive sounding epic and a clear standout on the LP. I probably haven't listened to the album enough to let it properly creep in, and sometimes it's production can feel a little bogged down and stale, giving it a slightly MOR feel but I'm sure this is a grower.
Deloran-Subiza
Third album from Spanish alt-dance outfit Delorean and follow up to last year's excellent 'Ayrton Senna EP' is a very song-oriented and summery affair. Appropriately enough for a Spanish group, the album trades heavily in nu-Balearic sounds and housey pianos combined with an indie-pop (think Phoenix of Animal Collective) aesthetic. Second track 'Real Love', I don't think is a single, but it definately should be with its heavily distorted and hazy vocals make this a fine summer tune as does the gorgeous 'Infinite Desert', the very 90's 'Come Wander' and the carnival esque closer 'It's All Ours'. It's a little samey at times, but it's an album you can stick on and float away with in the sun, while drenched in echoes of the past it also somehow feels very 'now' in terms of dance music.
Album Of The Month: The ArchAndroid (Suites II & III) by Janelle Monae
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Albums I Heard In May
Caribou-Swim
First up, I've never heard any of Caribou's stuff before so in terms of 'sound evolution' I don't know how this compares to his other work, but Dan Snaith's new album is a superb, grown up techno workout devoid of any weak tracks. The opening stomp of the single 'Odessa' immediately sounds like the best track but it holds momentum throughout. The slick 'Bowls' is also excellent and has a cool creepiness to it and 'Leave House' is a Balearic style track coming in the middle of the album and is another highlight. Towards the end though it really takes off, particularly with the dark, brass-laden 'Hannibal' before exploding with emotion with the brilliant 'Jamelia'. Actually the whole thing is superb! Overall the record sounds minimal, yet melodic, always upbeat and intriguing and improving on each listen. In the end, this is a fine album and sits alongside the Pantha Du Prince and Four Tet albums as being this years top notch minimal electro releases.
Charlotte Gainsbourg-IRM
The new album from singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg is actually a collaboration with junk rocker Beck. Both seem to be riding on a fairly creative high, Gainsbourg having recently appeared in Lars Von Trier's brilliant but bleak 'Antichrist' and Beck's last album 'Modern Guilt' was his best for years, though it was criminally neglected. They suit each other perfectly and have together created a perfectly charming indie pop album. The title track, arriving early on is particularly good, driven by tribal beats and an ethereal hum it is both seductive and creepy. Overall, it's quite an eclectic album; 'Le Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes' is a sultry French ballad that makes her worthy of the name Gainsbourg, 'Trick Pony' is a decent blusey tune, 'Heaven Can Wait' is a cheerful and very 'indie' sounding number while 'Vanities' is a beautiful, gentle folky number. Not an amazing album to be sure, but a decent, innovative and eclectic one.
Liars-Sisterworld
Again, never really heard the Liars stuff before, but this album, the follow up to a self titled album definitely warrants interest. Like the These New Puritans album out earlier this year, 'Sisterworld' sounds ominous and brooding; Andrew Angus vocals sound dark and sinister throughout and from the get go the album exudes a sense of dread about it. The opening track 'Scissor' with its stop/start dynamic gets things off to a suitably dark surrounding that is followed by the even creepier 'No Barrier Fun'. The album is mainly dystopic in nature and seems to revolve around themes of urban decay and alienation. Tracks like 'Drip' have a real subterranean quality of them and a genuinely paranoid nature that threatens to explode at any moment, even though the album rarely does. Another highlight is 'Proud Evolution' which has a bit more of a groove to it than the other tracks and in many ways is the albums centrepiece. On the whole 'Sisterworld' is not an especially enjoyable album, but it is a very effective one.
Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles are, on the whole, a group I really can't stand. Their stand-offish nature in interviews seems like less of a genuine attitude and more of a paper thin calculated stance. Their whole background (Alice Glass runs away from home at 14 to live in squats) sounds so contrived and their whole 'cool' aesthetic seems to be so pathetically try hard. To add to this, their first album also called 'Crystal Castles' sounded like someone had taken a hammer to a NES game before putting it back in the console to see what blips might come out. An appealing notion to some no doubt, but to me it sounded fucking horrible. Still, this album is something of an improvement and they have found a certain amount of structure to their songs and at least on record you can try and forget about their godawful visual posturing. On its own terms 'Celestica' is a fine, ethereal and oddly haunting electro piece and 'Baptism' opening with haunted Ibiza style synths before turning into an actually pretty good waily dance workout. Best of all might be the stomping 'Year of Silence' punctuated by Glass' gibberish vocals and the haunting 'Violent Dreams' provides a haunting interlude. The latter half of the album is somewhat by the numbers, but on the whole this album is actually kind of OK. I still think they're a bunch of wanky poseurs though.
The National-High Violet
Again, I am unfamiliar with The National's previous work, but this is being touted as their 'breakthrough album', an American equivalent of Elbow's last album and has thus been getting a lot of enthusiastic press and for good reason; 'High Violet' is an upper tier indie rock record sounding equally epic and personal. Something of an Autumnal album, 'High Violet' seems to glide through with a sense of gentle melancholy and uplifting statements throughout its 11 tracks. 'Terrible Love' gets things off to a grand start, setting the scene admirably, sounding particularly epic towards the end; make to mistake, this album should be played pretty loud. It dips a little early on, 'Little Faith' and 'Afraid Of Everyone' are a little weaker in comparison but from the brilliant 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' it takes off and doesn't dip until it ends. 'Lemonworld' and especially 'Runaway' have a gentle beauty about them and my favourite track 'England' arriving near the end of the album sounds like the kind of anthem made for festivals. The albums real talent though, lies in expressing fairly universal themes of love, longing and regret without sounding like a total bummer and doing it in the way that earns bands titles like 'band of the people'. As each songs hooks creep under your skin, 'High Violet' becomes more and more compelling with each listen. I definitely need to listen to more of their back catalogue, and even if this is their breakthrough, I can easily imagine they can do even better.
Flying Lotus-Cosmogramma
The third album from Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison) has been much hyped and has become something of a darling to the critics, touted as his most varied and accomplished effort to date. Often billed as 'experimental hip-hop', to me it's sounds more like the IDM of Squarepusher, trading equally in house, electro and free jazz. The latter is a key ingredient: Ellison's Aunt is Jazz Legend Alice Coltrane, and the album is part dedicated to her. It certainly is an 'album' in the truest sense of the term, all of the tracks are around the two-minute mark and, much like the burial and Four Tet albums don't function as well on their own. Even the Thom Yorke collaboration '...And The World Laughs With You' doesn't leap out at you, but informs the record as a whole, much like the Panda Bear collaboration off the Pantha Du Prince album. That said, there are definite highlights in 'Cosmogramma'; the aggressive 'Computer Face/Pure Being' is superb as is the wistful 'Do the Astral Plane' and the oddly relaxed 'Satelliiiitteee' and 'Table Tennis' near the end of the album stands out for it's literal ping-pong ball percussion. So far, 2010 is looking like a good year for complex, innovative electronic music and Cosmogramma is as original and forward thinking as they come. Highly recommended.
Older Music:
Beach Boys-All Summer Long
Pleasant enough transitional album from the Beach Boys, but overall it's a little slight and nowhere near as good as the likes of Pet Sounds. It does contain 'I Get Around' though.
Popul Vuh-Affenstunde
Very ambient album from this 70's German group who also did the music to Aguirre: Wrath of God. A little too ambient for my liking and without being very atmospheric.
Funkadelic-Cosmic Slop
Another decent album from the P-Funk Empire. Not one of their best, but the opening 'Nappy Dugout' is pure filth and great fun and the family themed nightmare of the title track is outstanding.
A Tribe Called Quest-People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
The best older album I have heard this month. A Tribe Called Quests debut release is one of the best summery records I've heard in a long while. Q-Tip's rhymes about women (Bonita Applebum), a holiday gone wrong (the brilliant 'Left My Wallet In El Segundo') and most bizarrely his diet ('Ham n Eggs') are all first rate. The almost psychedelic production is always chilled out, summery and hypnotic. I definitely need to listen to their other albums.
Captain Beefheart-Lick My Decals Off Baby
Captain Beefheart's follow up to Trout Mask Replica is a little more listenable than that legendary monster but is still one of his more avant garde numbers. Has some good songs on, but if I'm going to be honest I do prefer his more 'normal' stuff by a considerable distance.
Phil Spector-Back To Mono
Here is the start of a mini Phil Spector section, I've been reading a fascinating biography of him this month (Tearing Down The Wall Of Sound by Mick Brown...only £2 in Fopp!) and have been revisiting his work. Back To Mono is a box set anthology of his 1960's work and much of it will be familiar to most people. What with Spector's bizarre personal life it's difficult to forget he was behind some true pop masterpieces like 'Be My Baby', 'Da Do Ron Ron' and the titanic sounding 'River Deep - Mountain High'. At three discs, this is a long listen and you're mainly supposed to dip into it occasionally but there are some real gems here.
The Ramones-End of the Century
I've had something of a volte face regarding the Ramones this year, and I appreciate them a lot more than I used to. With this album, they enlisted Spector's services and made one of their more controversial albums. Spector is often blamed for softening up the group, but I feel his production on End Of The Century is totally appropriate. Despite their punk and aggressive guitar work, The Ramones songs are clearly rooted in 50's/60's pop and Spector gives their music a fuller quality which I always felt was lacking even in their seminal debut album. It is inferior to their past work in terms of songs though, but Rock n Roll High School and the opening Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio are both outstanding, leading me to blame the albums patchy nature on the band as opposed to Spector.
Leonard Cohen-Death of a Ladies Man
I am, however, entirely willing to blame Spector for ruining this album. When the legendary gloomy songsmith Cohen enlisted Spector as a producer he probably believed he was going to get something like the stark production on John Lennon's masterpiece 'Plastic Ono Band' which Spector also produced. Instead, Cohen's vocals and lyrics are drowned out by Spector's totally bombastic string and orchestral arrangements which seem totally inappropriate. The making of this album was again notoriously difficult, with Cohen finding himself locked out of the mixing suite. Subsequent critics are kinder to the album, saying the production amplifies the theatrical nature of the songs, but to me they were right first time round. 'Death of a Ladies Man', despite having some decent songs such as the nicely titled 'Don't Go Home With Your Hardon', is a pretty messy affair.
Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
I never really listen to Jazz (not even sure how you're supposed to listen to it!) but I've stuck this classic album on late at night a few times and have been enjoying it very much. Not sure how I would distinguish this from any other Jazz album despite its monolithic reputation, but it's pretty good.
Syd Barrett-Barrett
Syd's second solo album is much patchier than 'Madcap Laughs' and lacks its sense of druggy desperation. He also sounds like he can't be bothered throughout most of the record, and much of it seems to wander aimlessly. Still, 'Baby Lemonade', 'Gigalo Aunt' and 'Dominoes' are among his best from his solo work.
Amon Duul II-Paradiewarts Duul
This spacey, chilled out 60's German record is nothing mind blowing but works enough for fans of its type. The epic title track 'Love is Peace' is very good though.
Amon Duul II-Phallus Dei
Another proggy album from these Krautrock pioneers, this one a little more jittery than Paradiewarts Duul and has a lot more in common with Can. Luzifer's Ghilom is probably the best reason to tune in here as is the superb and brilliantly named title track.
First up, I've never heard any of Caribou's stuff before so in terms of 'sound evolution' I don't know how this compares to his other work, but Dan Snaith's new album is a superb, grown up techno workout devoid of any weak tracks. The opening stomp of the single 'Odessa' immediately sounds like the best track but it holds momentum throughout. The slick 'Bowls' is also excellent and has a cool creepiness to it and 'Leave House' is a Balearic style track coming in the middle of the album and is another highlight. Towards the end though it really takes off, particularly with the dark, brass-laden 'Hannibal' before exploding with emotion with the brilliant 'Jamelia'. Actually the whole thing is superb! Overall the record sounds minimal, yet melodic, always upbeat and intriguing and improving on each listen. In the end, this is a fine album and sits alongside the Pantha Du Prince and Four Tet albums as being this years top notch minimal electro releases.
Charlotte Gainsbourg-IRM
The new album from singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg is actually a collaboration with junk rocker Beck. Both seem to be riding on a fairly creative high, Gainsbourg having recently appeared in Lars Von Trier's brilliant but bleak 'Antichrist' and Beck's last album 'Modern Guilt' was his best for years, though it was criminally neglected. They suit each other perfectly and have together created a perfectly charming indie pop album. The title track, arriving early on is particularly good, driven by tribal beats and an ethereal hum it is both seductive and creepy. Overall, it's quite an eclectic album; 'Le Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes' is a sultry French ballad that makes her worthy of the name Gainsbourg, 'Trick Pony' is a decent blusey tune, 'Heaven Can Wait' is a cheerful and very 'indie' sounding number while 'Vanities' is a beautiful, gentle folky number. Not an amazing album to be sure, but a decent, innovative and eclectic one.
Liars-Sisterworld
Again, never really heard the Liars stuff before, but this album, the follow up to a self titled album definitely warrants interest. Like the These New Puritans album out earlier this year, 'Sisterworld' sounds ominous and brooding; Andrew Angus vocals sound dark and sinister throughout and from the get go the album exudes a sense of dread about it. The opening track 'Scissor' with its stop/start dynamic gets things off to a suitably dark surrounding that is followed by the even creepier 'No Barrier Fun'. The album is mainly dystopic in nature and seems to revolve around themes of urban decay and alienation. Tracks like 'Drip' have a real subterranean quality of them and a genuinely paranoid nature that threatens to explode at any moment, even though the album rarely does. Another highlight is 'Proud Evolution' which has a bit more of a groove to it than the other tracks and in many ways is the albums centrepiece. On the whole 'Sisterworld' is not an especially enjoyable album, but it is a very effective one.
Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles are, on the whole, a group I really can't stand. Their stand-offish nature in interviews seems like less of a genuine attitude and more of a paper thin calculated stance. Their whole background (Alice Glass runs away from home at 14 to live in squats) sounds so contrived and their whole 'cool' aesthetic seems to be so pathetically try hard. To add to this, their first album also called 'Crystal Castles' sounded like someone had taken a hammer to a NES game before putting it back in the console to see what blips might come out. An appealing notion to some no doubt, but to me it sounded fucking horrible. Still, this album is something of an improvement and they have found a certain amount of structure to their songs and at least on record you can try and forget about their godawful visual posturing. On its own terms 'Celestica' is a fine, ethereal and oddly haunting electro piece and 'Baptism' opening with haunted Ibiza style synths before turning into an actually pretty good waily dance workout. Best of all might be the stomping 'Year of Silence' punctuated by Glass' gibberish vocals and the haunting 'Violent Dreams' provides a haunting interlude. The latter half of the album is somewhat by the numbers, but on the whole this album is actually kind of OK. I still think they're a bunch of wanky poseurs though.
The National-High Violet
Again, I am unfamiliar with The National's previous work, but this is being touted as their 'breakthrough album', an American equivalent of Elbow's last album and has thus been getting a lot of enthusiastic press and for good reason; 'High Violet' is an upper tier indie rock record sounding equally epic and personal. Something of an Autumnal album, 'High Violet' seems to glide through with a sense of gentle melancholy and uplifting statements throughout its 11 tracks. 'Terrible Love' gets things off to a grand start, setting the scene admirably, sounding particularly epic towards the end; make to mistake, this album should be played pretty loud. It dips a little early on, 'Little Faith' and 'Afraid Of Everyone' are a little weaker in comparison but from the brilliant 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' it takes off and doesn't dip until it ends. 'Lemonworld' and especially 'Runaway' have a gentle beauty about them and my favourite track 'England' arriving near the end of the album sounds like the kind of anthem made for festivals. The albums real talent though, lies in expressing fairly universal themes of love, longing and regret without sounding like a total bummer and doing it in the way that earns bands titles like 'band of the people'. As each songs hooks creep under your skin, 'High Violet' becomes more and more compelling with each listen. I definitely need to listen to more of their back catalogue, and even if this is their breakthrough, I can easily imagine they can do even better.
Flying Lotus-Cosmogramma
The third album from Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison) has been much hyped and has become something of a darling to the critics, touted as his most varied and accomplished effort to date. Often billed as 'experimental hip-hop', to me it's sounds more like the IDM of Squarepusher, trading equally in house, electro and free jazz. The latter is a key ingredient: Ellison's Aunt is Jazz Legend Alice Coltrane, and the album is part dedicated to her. It certainly is an 'album' in the truest sense of the term, all of the tracks are around the two-minute mark and, much like the burial and Four Tet albums don't function as well on their own. Even the Thom Yorke collaboration '...And The World Laughs With You' doesn't leap out at you, but informs the record as a whole, much like the Panda Bear collaboration off the Pantha Du Prince album. That said, there are definite highlights in 'Cosmogramma'; the aggressive 'Computer Face/Pure Being' is superb as is the wistful 'Do the Astral Plane' and the oddly relaxed 'Satelliiiitteee' and 'Table Tennis' near the end of the album stands out for it's literal ping-pong ball percussion. So far, 2010 is looking like a good year for complex, innovative electronic music and Cosmogramma is as original and forward thinking as they come. Highly recommended.
Older Music:
Beach Boys-All Summer Long
Pleasant enough transitional album from the Beach Boys, but overall it's a little slight and nowhere near as good as the likes of Pet Sounds. It does contain 'I Get Around' though.
Popul Vuh-Affenstunde
Very ambient album from this 70's German group who also did the music to Aguirre: Wrath of God. A little too ambient for my liking and without being very atmospheric.
Funkadelic-Cosmic Slop
Another decent album from the P-Funk Empire. Not one of their best, but the opening 'Nappy Dugout' is pure filth and great fun and the family themed nightmare of the title track is outstanding.
A Tribe Called Quest-People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
The best older album I have heard this month. A Tribe Called Quests debut release is one of the best summery records I've heard in a long while. Q-Tip's rhymes about women (Bonita Applebum), a holiday gone wrong (the brilliant 'Left My Wallet In El Segundo') and most bizarrely his diet ('Ham n Eggs') are all first rate. The almost psychedelic production is always chilled out, summery and hypnotic. I definitely need to listen to their other albums.
Captain Beefheart-Lick My Decals Off Baby
Captain Beefheart's follow up to Trout Mask Replica is a little more listenable than that legendary monster but is still one of his more avant garde numbers. Has some good songs on, but if I'm going to be honest I do prefer his more 'normal' stuff by a considerable distance.
Phil Spector-Back To Mono
Here is the start of a mini Phil Spector section, I've been reading a fascinating biography of him this month (Tearing Down The Wall Of Sound by Mick Brown...only £2 in Fopp!) and have been revisiting his work. Back To Mono is a box set anthology of his 1960's work and much of it will be familiar to most people. What with Spector's bizarre personal life it's difficult to forget he was behind some true pop masterpieces like 'Be My Baby', 'Da Do Ron Ron' and the titanic sounding 'River Deep - Mountain High'. At three discs, this is a long listen and you're mainly supposed to dip into it occasionally but there are some real gems here.
The Ramones-End of the Century
I've had something of a volte face regarding the Ramones this year, and I appreciate them a lot more than I used to. With this album, they enlisted Spector's services and made one of their more controversial albums. Spector is often blamed for softening up the group, but I feel his production on End Of The Century is totally appropriate. Despite their punk and aggressive guitar work, The Ramones songs are clearly rooted in 50's/60's pop and Spector gives their music a fuller quality which I always felt was lacking even in their seminal debut album. It is inferior to their past work in terms of songs though, but Rock n Roll High School and the opening Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio are both outstanding, leading me to blame the albums patchy nature on the band as opposed to Spector.
Leonard Cohen-Death of a Ladies Man
I am, however, entirely willing to blame Spector for ruining this album. When the legendary gloomy songsmith Cohen enlisted Spector as a producer he probably believed he was going to get something like the stark production on John Lennon's masterpiece 'Plastic Ono Band' which Spector also produced. Instead, Cohen's vocals and lyrics are drowned out by Spector's totally bombastic string and orchestral arrangements which seem totally inappropriate. The making of this album was again notoriously difficult, with Cohen finding himself locked out of the mixing suite. Subsequent critics are kinder to the album, saying the production amplifies the theatrical nature of the songs, but to me they were right first time round. 'Death of a Ladies Man', despite having some decent songs such as the nicely titled 'Don't Go Home With Your Hardon', is a pretty messy affair.
Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
I never really listen to Jazz (not even sure how you're supposed to listen to it!) but I've stuck this classic album on late at night a few times and have been enjoying it very much. Not sure how I would distinguish this from any other Jazz album despite its monolithic reputation, but it's pretty good.
Syd Barrett-Barrett
Syd's second solo album is much patchier than 'Madcap Laughs' and lacks its sense of druggy desperation. He also sounds like he can't be bothered throughout most of the record, and much of it seems to wander aimlessly. Still, 'Baby Lemonade', 'Gigalo Aunt' and 'Dominoes' are among his best from his solo work.
Amon Duul II-Paradiewarts Duul
This spacey, chilled out 60's German record is nothing mind blowing but works enough for fans of its type. The epic title track 'Love is Peace' is very good though.
Amon Duul II-Phallus Dei
Another proggy album from these Krautrock pioneers, this one a little more jittery than Paradiewarts Duul and has a lot more in common with Can. Luzifer's Ghilom is probably the best reason to tune in here as is the superb and brilliantly named title track.
Films I Saw In May
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (Sydney Lumet, 2007)
The most recent film from the legendary Lumet, now in his sixth decade as a director as an admirable, character based drama themed around a heist gone wrong. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are both excellent as two brothers who conspire to rob their parents jewelery shop that backfires when their mother is shot. The advertising for this film was somewhat misleading, promoting it as a slick crime caper, and although the style is slick with a non-linear narrative, the film is deliberately paced and actually rather pathos-driven. Has great performances from all though, Hawke in particular delivers one of his best ever and Albert Finney is excellent as always as their father. Quite tough going, but worth it.
4.3.2.1 (Noel Clarke, 2010)
The latest film from actor/director Clarke is your standard multi-character/heist/things go wrong crime drama involving four girls who get caught up in a jewel heist over the course of a weekend in London and New York. Split into four interlocking stories a la 'Pulp Fiction' or 'Go' the first segment with Ophelia Lovibond (the underagte model from Nathan Barley) is by far the weakest, but it does pick up as it goes on and the latter two sequences with Shanika Warren-Marland and Emma (niece of Julia) Roberts are an improvement. Still, the whole thing is totally unbelievable and at times seems to tap into Noel Clarke's own fantasy ideas about women (he even casts himself as a character who Roberts proclaims to be "sexy"). At times, the film could do with a lot less 'directing' and a few more original ideas, but it is perfectly watchable...just not very good.
Margot At The Wedding (Noah Baumbach, 2007)
Baumbach's follow up to the brilliant 'Squid & The Whale' is another family oriented tragi-comedy played to a indie soundtrack. But where that film was a superb examination of family dynamics, 'Margot At The Wedding' is filled with some of the most contemptible characters of recent years. Nicole Kidman continues her 'box office poison' phase as a neurotic, self-obsessed writer who meets with her annoying sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her bum fiance (Jack Black) for a disastrous weekend. The film is neither funny, nor insightful; it aspires to Checkov like brilliance, but instead is tedious, plodding and hateful. In fact the only good thing about it was its minus 90 minute running time. Avoid this film like the fucking plague.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Neils Arden Oplev, 2009)
Admittedly, I am slightly biased when reviewing this, as I read the books quite recently, but overall this is a well cast but somewhat rushed adaptation of Steig Larsson's posthumous best seller. Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist are perfect as goth computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and crusading journalist Mikeal Blomkvist, a mis-matched duo investigating the long ago disappearance of a tycoon's niece and their performances are the main assets of the picture. It's well directed and staged, and overall it is fairly faithful, but to someone who hasn't read the books, the plot seems to be rushed through at almost breakneck speed and I'd imagine it would seem confusing or have holes, where the book moves along at a more thoughtful pace. Again, I'm prejudiced but despite the fine acting and directing I was a little underwhelmed by this.
The Missouri Breaks (Arthur Penn, 1976)
Despite its poor reputation, I've been meaning to see this film for a while, mainly because it features two of my favourite actors: Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando. A failure critically and commercially upon its release, this is an offbeat western with Nicholson underplaying his role as a horse rustler who moves in on the land and daughter of a local baron who hires the psychopathic Brando to take him and his gang down. The scenes where Nicholson philosophises with Brando or Harry Dean Stanton are all worth savoring, and the film looks beautiful, it just feels somewhat muddled. The film's either greatest asset or most fatal blunder though is Marlon Brando's performance. He is completely out of control, switching between his normal voice and an unconvincing Irish brogue seemingly at random, all the while decked out in an escalating, bizarre series of costumes and man-dresses. His performance is completely over the top and out of control; I can't think of anything else like it and for better or worse, his performance is the reason to see this film.
The King Of Marvin Gardens (Bob Rafelson, 1972)
Another Jack Nicholson film, this time a dark, again offbeat family drama and follow up to his previous collaboration (Five Easy Pieces) with Rafelson. Again, Nicholson delivers a somewhat atypical performance as a melancholic talk radio host who gets mixed up with his ne'er-do-well brother (Bruce Dern) in Atlantic City. Nicholson proves he doesn't need to go over the top to deliver a fine performance and Dern is superb as is the always excellent Ellen Burstyn as his wife. Still, despite the strong performances, the script lacks direction and seems to have a very 'dead' feeling to it. It also seems to go on for longer than its 103 minutes may suggest.
Film Of The Month: I haven't seen a great deal, but it would have to be Before The Devil Knows You're Dead.
The most recent film from the legendary Lumet, now in his sixth decade as a director as an admirable, character based drama themed around a heist gone wrong. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are both excellent as two brothers who conspire to rob their parents jewelery shop that backfires when their mother is shot. The advertising for this film was somewhat misleading, promoting it as a slick crime caper, and although the style is slick with a non-linear narrative, the film is deliberately paced and actually rather pathos-driven. Has great performances from all though, Hawke in particular delivers one of his best ever and Albert Finney is excellent as always as their father. Quite tough going, but worth it.
4.3.2.1 (Noel Clarke, 2010)
The latest film from actor/director Clarke is your standard multi-character/heist/things go wrong crime drama involving four girls who get caught up in a jewel heist over the course of a weekend in London and New York. Split into four interlocking stories a la 'Pulp Fiction' or 'Go' the first segment with Ophelia Lovibond (the underagte model from Nathan Barley) is by far the weakest, but it does pick up as it goes on and the latter two sequences with Shanika Warren-Marland and Emma (niece of Julia) Roberts are an improvement. Still, the whole thing is totally unbelievable and at times seems to tap into Noel Clarke's own fantasy ideas about women (he even casts himself as a character who Roberts proclaims to be "sexy"). At times, the film could do with a lot less 'directing' and a few more original ideas, but it is perfectly watchable...just not very good.
Margot At The Wedding (Noah Baumbach, 2007)
Baumbach's follow up to the brilliant 'Squid & The Whale' is another family oriented tragi-comedy played to a indie soundtrack. But where that film was a superb examination of family dynamics, 'Margot At The Wedding' is filled with some of the most contemptible characters of recent years. Nicole Kidman continues her 'box office poison' phase as a neurotic, self-obsessed writer who meets with her annoying sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her bum fiance (Jack Black) for a disastrous weekend. The film is neither funny, nor insightful; it aspires to Checkov like brilliance, but instead is tedious, plodding and hateful. In fact the only good thing about it was its minus 90 minute running time. Avoid this film like the fucking plague.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Neils Arden Oplev, 2009)
Admittedly, I am slightly biased when reviewing this, as I read the books quite recently, but overall this is a well cast but somewhat rushed adaptation of Steig Larsson's posthumous best seller. Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist are perfect as goth computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and crusading journalist Mikeal Blomkvist, a mis-matched duo investigating the long ago disappearance of a tycoon's niece and their performances are the main assets of the picture. It's well directed and staged, and overall it is fairly faithful, but to someone who hasn't read the books, the plot seems to be rushed through at almost breakneck speed and I'd imagine it would seem confusing or have holes, where the book moves along at a more thoughtful pace. Again, I'm prejudiced but despite the fine acting and directing I was a little underwhelmed by this.
The Missouri Breaks (Arthur Penn, 1976)
Despite its poor reputation, I've been meaning to see this film for a while, mainly because it features two of my favourite actors: Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando. A failure critically and commercially upon its release, this is an offbeat western with Nicholson underplaying his role as a horse rustler who moves in on the land and daughter of a local baron who hires the psychopathic Brando to take him and his gang down. The scenes where Nicholson philosophises with Brando or Harry Dean Stanton are all worth savoring, and the film looks beautiful, it just feels somewhat muddled. The film's either greatest asset or most fatal blunder though is Marlon Brando's performance. He is completely out of control, switching between his normal voice and an unconvincing Irish brogue seemingly at random, all the while decked out in an escalating, bizarre series of costumes and man-dresses. His performance is completely over the top and out of control; I can't think of anything else like it and for better or worse, his performance is the reason to see this film.
The King Of Marvin Gardens (Bob Rafelson, 1972)
Another Jack Nicholson film, this time a dark, again offbeat family drama and follow up to his previous collaboration (Five Easy Pieces) with Rafelson. Again, Nicholson delivers a somewhat atypical performance as a melancholic talk radio host who gets mixed up with his ne'er-do-well brother (Bruce Dern) in Atlantic City. Nicholson proves he doesn't need to go over the top to deliver a fine performance and Dern is superb as is the always excellent Ellen Burstyn as his wife. Still, despite the strong performances, the script lacks direction and seems to have a very 'dead' feeling to it. It also seems to go on for longer than its 103 minutes may suggest.
Film Of The Month: I haven't seen a great deal, but it would have to be Before The Devil Knows You're Dead.
Friday, 28 May 2010
A Brief Encounter With Chris Morris
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.
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.
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