Melodee Writes

Book Review: The Sealed Letter – Emma Donoghue (spoilers)

2012-03-09T17:02:00.003Z

The talented author of Man Booker Prize nominee ‘Room’ has followed up with ‘The Sealed Letter’, a completely different creation of piquant Victoriana. It’s loosely based on the true scandal of the time involving the divorce case of Helen Codrington in 1864, one of the first women to attempt to counter claim in the divorce courts and her friend and founder of the feminist Langham Group and manager of the Victoria Press, Emily ‘Fido’ Faithfull.

Accusations of rape, cruelty, neglect and complacency reverberate with yet more countering claims of promiscuity, deceit and implied and later substantiated lesbianism; what more could you ask for? It reveals the hypocrisies of the time, the complete lack of power of any woman to gain access to her children following divorce, accounting cases of women ‘sent abroad’ under the unspoken shame of feminine madness (shades of Flaubert’s wonderful heroine Emma Bovary) and extricates the complications and intensities of female friendship and attraction between the plain and intelligent Fido and her glamorous, highly strung and manipulative Helen.

Donoghue has woven characters into the historical documenting of this marriage of the time, the union of a young pretty thing with an older military man and the added complication of a trusted female authority ‘Fido’, who at times concurrently reveals strength and weakness. Interestingly, my sympathies did lie with the husband Harry and Fido who seemed to lay bare in the aftermath of this ruthless bombshell right to the bitter end. Even after all her lies and vanities are exposed, they both tussle with a loyalty and deep felt affection bordering protection, Harry when he wants to shouts inwardly:

‘I was not a brute, and she was not a freak’ and even after Helen resorts to extortion claiming Fido was no better than her male escorts after their own ‘carnal knowledge’ of each other in their youth, poor Emily Fido Faithfull (what a name!) as she ejaculates:

‘ Oh Helen, Helen, Helen, the name like the wail of a gull. Love found and complicated and lost, found and destroyed again…’

The delicious melodrama circles in a whirlwind around one beautiful and selfish woman, a blank page and the claustrophobic grime of the London pea-souper as Fido gasps daily for breath in all the scandal. A layered interest for me is that you equally feel outraged at the lack of equality and bias towards men in this era, while at the same time seeing Harry as a victim at the hands of a somewhat spirited young wife, albeit one then never really has a voice and is portrayed pretty much by Donoghue as would a tabloid newspaper…perhaps?

And something I love with historical stories, you can catch up on what happened to them once the story ended. Helen died relatively young and Fido went on to have two ‘devoted domestic partnerships’ and never went for a troublemaker again. 'Such fun' as they say.

Definitely worth reading and despite mixed reviews on Donoghue’s Victorian jaunt, I think it’s great she did something completely different to her million copy bestseller as it shows an admirable fearless approach to her writing.

Related Post:

Review of 'Room' by Emma Donoghue

Keep Shelly in Athens – New video for ‘Our Own Dream’.

2012-03-09T15:04:00.003Z

The electronic duo and haut monde of current music from Athens (although they’ve been known to flirt from the hometown mystery angle like so many bands of late) have released this rather lovely video for ‘Our Own Dream’, the title track from the 2011 EP that definitely deserves some more plays.

A mesmerising slice of down tempo, dreamy pop that will lift and transport you to a more fecund time of year if suffering with post wintery/hauntronica overload. Directed by Thanisis Tsimpinis, the video compliments the circling vocals and percussion that pleasantly disorientate and climax agreeably.

Keep Shelly in Athens - Our Own Dream from Thanasis Tsimpinis on Vimeo.

As captivating as the aforementioned ‘Cremona Memories’ and ‘Running Out of You’ from the EP In Love With Dusk , ‘Our Own Dream’ stands alone beautifully and they certainly don’t need to pull the mystery card quite so much. Sarah P is turning up as guest vocals on various projects lately and the release of this video was a reminder of this other quite carefree track heard a few weeks back that should have been mentioned, as usual too much music, too little time.

Here is this one from Mmoths for your listening delight; it will take you back to end of year parties at High School with some of the ambience of earlier M83 and atmospheric penchant of Portishead.

Related Post:

An Unearthly Place for 2011...

*Also published on Electronically Yours*

iamamiwhoami –Sever/Drops

2012-02-29T01:46:00.003Z

New album and visual art project on the way...

iamamiwhoami, the mysterious art pop ‘project’ has returned with some teasers from a rumoured album release in June. ‘Sever’ was available to view online a couple of weeks ago; after a few listens, I now adore it muchly and she sounds not unlike Cerys Matthews at times in this one.

The rather catchy ‘Drops’ appeared today and picks up with Jonna the ‘beauty’ dancing with her invisible ‘beast’. Who knows what these videos are about but the tunes are good, pure electronica; they are both well worth a listen so decide for yourselves.

Singer/songwriter Jonna Lee clearly likes things to link and each video seems to contain numerically related images; these new videos showing perhaps a thematic innocence as Jonna is clad in white and cavorts with, for want of a better word, a sasquatch? As some of the previous audio/visual treats featured so much woodland, maybe she dragged one back just for her slightly gaga imaginings. Anyway, could this symbolise her own demons or is it some comment on nature and purity and in no way an avant-garde attempt at remaking ‘Bigfoot and the Hendersons’ circa 1987.

I’m sure the audio/visual releases to come will clear this up and, you never know, maybe she’ll buy herself a dress to celebrate. These are quirky tunes with varying degrees of arty good or perhaps nonsensical visuals, all pointing towards a talented mistress of bonkers creativity. I lovelovelove her voice and the beeps are good. Enjoy.

Related Post:

iamamiwhoami-Who are they anyway?

*Also published on Electronically Yours*

Drive - 2011 directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (spoilery)

2012-02-24T21:54:00.005Z

'Be My Second At Thunder Road' (Kenickie)

Yes move over John Carpenter, whatever Blade Runner soundtrack. I can’t be the only person in the world that was praying for just one Kenickie or Zuko quote from the mysterious and nameless, silver jacketed ‘Driver’ (Ryan Gosling).

How many shots in this seriously noir film highlighted the Scorpion on his back (the name and symbol used by the rival gang of the T-birds of course, led by Cratorface), they even drove up Thunder Road and the scary comic strip face man (John Perlman) referenced a ‘pussy wagon’ mirroring the motor mechanic workshop build up to that lightning song, albeit a little more crudely than in the musical hit Grease. If you look closely at this film, it is an intricate web of retrospective, half Tarantino-esque bloodied headshots all leading back to John Travolta or Jeff Conaway. Stay with me on this. I think Nicolas Winding Refn was a fan. This really isn’t sarcasm; I want to know…chewing on a matchstick with a signature jacket protagonist? Yes maybe a touch Clint Eastwood too.

I did enjoy this film but my main criticism was that it was too self-consciously cool in places, too self-consciously retro and consequently having flicked through a few reviews, too self-consciously reviewed too which I kind of find off putting. It is quite simply a brooding hero that drives, with a great synth soundtrack, a love interest; nothing deep or meaningful, it touches briefly on the intricacies of mob mentality, family loyalty and abuse especially when Nino cries of his bullying family and fear of them as it all descends into ‘Reservoir Dogs’ stylistic blood shed. This film, thankfully, wasn’t heavy handed on the Hollywood front though and does stand out in its thrilling genre with an edgier Scandinavian starkness, particularly with a lack of any humour and sparse dialogue which could spiral it into ‘cult’ territory.

Carey Mulligan’s talents were not stretched in this one as Irene; quite sweet, good American accent, I won’t go as far as compare her to Olivia Newton John; she’s had better roles to be fair. This was never a film that would have a strong role in it for a woman anyway, briefly supported by Christina Hendricks' Blanche, who basically carried a bag and had her head blown off (thankfully missing her ample chest, imagine the mess that would have made).

Could a matriarch have been put in to bang a few badly behaved heads together? No, not really as it would have made it more mainstream ‘gangster’ and notably, there was no sex at all either, no rescue of a super glamorous ‘moll’, more a quiet anti climax as you learn ‘the girl is safe’ and he, guess what, drives off. More anti-action than action movie.

There was a brief foray into some sort of gentleman’s club which was one of the best clips of suspenseful violence for me, holding a bullet between a man’s eyes, hammer in hand, surrounded by stock still topless women with glazed expressions, an interesting image and far cry from the usual strip joint staged, often with a snake or some titillation which would normally have ended in more screaming and more bouncing body parts.

You can’t really ignore the violence in this one, the lift scene, let’s just say, a little more than a ruckus, again was interesting, shot a touch mutely with their first impassioned kiss after at least a hundred lingering pauses of resistance, ended with some foot on squelching head action. The contrast of the kiss and the brutality was impinging and affective at revealing the polar sides of this silent ‘Driver’. The romantic with a fatal flaw, it would take forever to discuss whether this is really a male or female fantasy.

The ending? Well in my mind, he saves the girl and drives off, a sort of happily but unhappily anti- fairytale ever after ending. I liked that. It could look rather ambiguous though and if you jump here, talk of whether it was a metaphorical death of the 'Driver' has been mentioned. However, this has been cleared up by the director himself with this;

"Well all my films always have open endings. All of them. Because I believe art is always best when…you talk about it and think about it, so forth. Maybe once in awhile I’ve gone too far, but I always believe in finding the right balance. And in ‘Drive’ he lives on for more and new adventures."

Now on DVD so go get it if you’re not too squeamish, it’s the sort of excessive violence that after the first shock, desensitises as you numbly watch more blood splatter. There’s great use of music especially if your thing is retro electronic beep. Admittedly, the synopsis to this film made me think The Fall Guy does Grand Theft Auto, rest assured it’s better than that. My final point, very importantly, Ryan Gosling has the look of a young Nicholas Lyndhurst in many shots, try not to let this distract you.

Now listen to a tune from the most talked about soundtrack for a while, well maybe in the circles I keep anyway…

Jump here for the trailer although bear in mind, I don't think it does the film justice.

*With thanks to my brother who has the propensity to make me watch a film I wouldn't shake a very long stick at normally... I enjoyed it. x *

The Woman in Black – directed by James Watkins/Script Jane Goldman

2012-02-21T18:57:00.007Z

Based on the novel and subsequent stage play by Susan Hill, this 2012 adaptation to film was a lot of fun, classic ghostie tricks, loud bangs, unexpected banshee like shrieks, creepy toys, dark corners and a self moving rocking chair no less.

I am no Hammer Horror aficionado but I think this film did what Hammer does best; an archetypal, somewhat old fashioned British ghost story, no sex, no gore; all quite refreshing with unpredictable nature in the form of fatalistic marshes, dangerous tides and trees that whisper, scary villagers warnings and creepy children, dead and alive. Please, please leave this one alone Hollywood.

Maybe not having seen any Harry Potter films (I’ve never flown either, I know, shocking) gave me a slight advantage on the Radcliffe post-Potter critique front but I did however slightly snigger when he got on an authentic choo choo train, obviously minus a school uniform.

If there’s one thing Susan Hill’s ghosts are, it is vengeful, bitter and they don’t let up; the film portrayed this wonderfully and even if you know the book inside out, the atmosphere did keep you in suspense. And of course, Jane Goldman’s script tweaked it somewhat, something you have to just accept otherwise you would never see a film after reading a book without leaving the cinema enraged.

Location wise it was perfect, the grimly oppressive village, the misty causeway to the isolated Eel Marsh House that’s stunningly dark grandeur had the imposition of a haunted house; formulaic maybe as are Susan Hill stories if you’ve read any of her others, but if it works, so be it.

Cast wise, a see of British actors from a variety of televisual and film backgrounds, all good but with nobody really stealing the show so to speak, perhaps maybe the glassy eyed pallor of assorted dismal curse ridden children.

The ending is, well I think it was softened, trying hard not to give it away now, kind of faithful to the original story in tone and outcome but not so in finer detail…I taught this book a few years back and it would lend well to a discursive essay on tragedy and finality and which ending could be seen as more so in respect of death and spirituality. The overall feel in this story was loyally kept in the dark vein of the impossibility of any resting in peace, the wicked of the earth bound lingering on the other side to wreak more revenge and cruelty as punishment.

If there’s an ounce of goth in you anywhere, you will want to raid the Hammer props cupboard after seeing this film and engage in some dark side feng shui. Resplendent jump factor and first rate spookiness set in a museum of creepy childhood indeed, admittedly I do prefer the book but a worthwhile film nevertheless.

Leading Cast:

Daniel Radcliffe - Arthur Kipps
Ciaran Hines - Sam Daily
Janet McTeer - Elizabeth Daily
Sophie Stuckey - Stella Kipps
Misha Handley - Joseph Kipps
Liz White - Jennet Humfrye
Jessica Raine - Joseph's nanny

Related Post:
The Small Hand by Susan Hill: Book Review

Nightlife: 'Radio' EP out now

2012-02-20T23:26:00.001Z

Nightlife is another duo embodying the new talents Darin Rajabian and Caroline Myrick. If you like very pure pop in a glitzy like Goldfrapp or Glass Candy way, this could be for you.

A synth melodic combination of new wavey 80’s slightly notched up without jumping on any cringe worthy bandwagons or regurgitating the past.

It’s rather euro disco inspired without the trash and heralding from Michigan, the side of the pond that a diverse range of electronic music seems to be emanating of late.

The latest EP ‘Radio’ has been out since October 2011 and is definitely worth checking out. Jump on the feel good video below for ‘On The Run’, the opening track which bursts with pop appealingly dulcet vocals gently yielding to shimmering synths.

The six-track EP unfolds with delectable and uncomplicated hook laden tunes, no surprises but an aural pleasure and light homage to pop if feeling a teensy bit bogged down with all the more affected electro prevailing lately. Thinking of the recent reminder of the dewy catchiness of Saint Etienne’s return, this duo has a similar energy without the London stamped postcode.

Enjoy my second choice, ‘Lightspeed’ which I think is pushing all the buttons in a veritably ‘Visage’ musical gait with a nod to ‘Fade to Grey’ within the lyrics too.

Tracklist:

On The Run

Radio

Awake

Already Gone

The Nineties

Drive

Related Links:

http://nightlifepop.com/

http://nightlifepop.bandcamp.com/

<p>&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://nightlifepop.bandcamp.com/album/radio-ep"&amp;amp;gt;Radio - EP by Nightlife&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;</p>

*With thanks to Toni Hughes for the heads up*

Grimes- Visions- album review (release date March 12th)

2012-02-14T01:07:00.006Z

I've been listening to Grimes for a while now and finally, she's making waves both sides of the Atlantic. This seems to have been down mostly to the great video ‘Vanessa’ from the EP last year ‘Darkbloom’ that earned her some well deserved blog recognition along with the quieter re-release of 2010’s Geidi Primes that I just love.

So finally, Visions is here, well almost, for now it can be streamed online in all its beauty, a mark of how the music industry has changed over the last decade or so that you can do this before the official release.

After touring with Austra and now rumoured to be doing a track with Creep and promises of a making videos for every track off of Visions, Claire Boucher is clearly an artist who will churn out more treats. All to come via visual, sound and artwork that already graces her many haunts online; a new and fearless talent that at the end of last year, I was really wanting to make a mark in 2012 and it looks so soon in, she already is.

So the album kicks off with ‘Infinite Love Without Fulfilment’, characteristically layered vocals and instrumentation that are her signature, effortlessly carrying across her range and influences as more of an introduction before going into 'Genesis', an absolute favourite of mine that echoes much of Geidi Primes in energy, sparkling synths and strong bass that hooks up beautifully with an oriental sound and rolling piano. What she seems to achieve repeatedly is very busy tunes that keep up momentum without jarring, individual and surprising in places without glitchy overkill.

‘Oblivian’ was the first single released and admittedly took a few listens for me, I think mostly as you can hear her love of certain RNB divas coming through in places but once you get over that, its another strong track. ‘Eight’ is a shorter track with slightly bonkers robotic voices, giving it an air of ‘lost in my own spaced out world’; very reminiscent of pioneering electro sounds but stamped with Boucherville. ‘Circumambient’ has a distinctly harder NIN intro and industrial start lightened with Claire’s vocals which you would kind of think shouldn’t work but blends with a strange almost girlish cheerleader air underlining what could sound like Mariah Carey being strangled; it works, trust me.

‘Vowels=Space and Time’ has a disco ball glow about it, all quite poppy but not, again with an edge of busy. ‘Visiting Statue’ starts a little more tribal with resounding beats and drum heaviness, her vocals a little lower showing off a range and pitch that is quite unmatched in its diversity over an album. The gorgeous layering in quite a succinct tune made me want more of it if I’m honest and undoubtedly will be another favourite that will go on repeat. ‘Be A Body’ initially reminded me of ‘Vanessa’ at first but again was full of instrumental surprises throughout and some fellow Canadian Austra percussive.

‘Colour Moonlight’ (Antiochus) is just lovely and has a touch of Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’ threading through showing how Grimes pulls influences from mainstream and maybe ‘not so’ in her unique cauldron of harmonies and resonating chatter. Symphonia IX (My Wait is U) starry intro and low intonation begins and is raised gently through a scale of music leaving you wondering quite where she starts when putting it all together. Her tracks bring the oddest of musical recollections at times from way back and current; with this one, there is a Depeche Mode feel in the latter half of the track but again her vocals dominate so that it could be missed. Or do they? Every part of the track dominates yet seems not to, at one point, you can even hear Cindy Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ fleetingly. All very unusual in a good way.

‘Nightmusic’ was my must listen all over New Year albeit a live version, it’s just perfection and the album version is slightly tweaked and buzzes a little more, it would be impossible not to like this one even if some of the tracks could be tagged with an acquired taste. ‘ Nightmusic’ ends with a quite lovely orchestral feel.

‘Skin’ bounces in quite unexpectedly and softer vocalising draws you in seductively, ignoring any kind of formulaic signature and taking you away with its charm; comeliness on first listen, it builds and builds and stands out in an album of tough competition of stand out tracks. Whispering allure to its end, you definitely feel the urge to put it straight back on.

The whole thing ends with ‘Know The Way’ and seems to wind down the album beautifully; a brilliant piece of work but having been loving the teasers for a few weeks now, it’s not surprising, yet it is. Grimes seduces, enchants, woos and bewilders and you would be equally as bonkers to pass this new talent by. Simply lovelovelove Visions.

Stream here : First Listen: Grimes Visions

Related Link:
Interview on Pitchfork

Rosemary, Crim3s and a new video from Au Palais...

2012-02-14T00:50:00.020Z

Rosemary: A Persian Tale EP available now

Rosemary has perked up a rather quiet start to 2012 superbly, a Danish/Iranian boy/girl duo that have already been making a mark in Denmark (yes those who enjoyed Borgen and The Killing recently, Copenhagen is all the popular culture rage right now). They are currently enjoying a friendly push from the brilliant The Golden Filter covered here last year and rumours are cautiously surfacing already of collaborations.

Not surprisingly, the lead track ‘Old Persian Tale’ will appeal to those that enjoyed the moody sounds of The Golden Filter ‘Syndromes’ EP and this also comes with a rather mysterious and darkly shot short film, jump here to watch the brilliance.

For those impatient for some spine tingling sounds, the EP track version has less atmospheric pausing and more ‘oomph’ for want of a better word.

It is a great taster from a mix of six tracks that really do engage the pioneering sounds of Kraftwerk and New Order, but with diversity of female vocal range layered over the top and the filmic qualities of Blade Runner along with some Abba on helium; honestly, try out ‘Sleep Alone’, brilliantly bonkers with echoes of ‘Lay All Your Love on Me’.

Download the EP ‘A Persian Tale’ for free here, the whole thing is a must listen.

http://www.rosemarymusic.net/

Crim3s- self-titled EP

Crim3s are channelling the energy of Crystal Castles rather impressively. High energy, ear bleedingly buzzy electronics and Alice Glass like reverberation and distorted vocals.

Definitely ones to keep an eye out for, it’s the sort of sound I prefer for summer for that festival feel but can hit the spot in the dark wintery months too. Don’t be put off by the sometimes pesky, sometimes misleading Witch House tag on these, it’s a troubled genre of symbolic gobbledegook that can hide some good stuff. . Listen to 'Breed' below...Wake up music.

The duo, Sadie Phelps and Sloww Ddeath (trying to be cool on this but to be honest, the teacher in me wants to grab a red pen and tell them off) also remixed the brilliant Crystal Castles ‘Intimate’ too…jump if you’re fan of this type of electronica then check out the glitchy promo here.

EP available on http://www.blackbusrecords.bigcartel.com/product/crim3s-ep

Au Palais- video for 'Tender Mercy'.

And finally, the very lovely Au Palais’ ‘Tender Mercy’ title track from their impressive debut EP of last year finally has a video.

Took rather too long but is prettily shot in and around an ironically merciless looking freezing Toronto. Enjoy the snowy scenes and somewhat pinched faces below…still a mesmerising tune with a video that was worth the wait.

http://aupalais.bandcamp.com/

Also posted on Electronically Yours

Being Human: Series 4. Big Fangs To Fill

2012-02-09T01:35:00.004Z

So what did we think of 'Eve of the War'? (spoilers)

Correction, what I thought obviously. Yes Mitchell is no more, he had nowhere further to go, he was as dark as he could get, to turn him to the light and have a ‘Happily Ever After’ with Annie would have surely been even more irritating than seeing him crumble? Not a dry eye at the time but really, I'm not dwelling on it now.

And Annie poutless, not moping about her forever-empty womb or making everyone tea but… in love and smiling and somehow bonking the face off Mitchell would be hard to swallow. So a good character died, another good character left this week, and quite well done too; no off into the sunset with mummy and baby wolf there either but some sort of weird moon poster suggestion that left him in limbo between wolf and man with no repair kit. Nowhere to go but through that door. It’s a supernatural drama, not a fairy tale so in my mind, the loss of people is par for the course.

And yes ‘quit while you’re ahead’ springs to mind but at the same time, those crying over the loss of main characters would probably complain if it hadn’t come back too, onwards and upwards I say. Fingers crossed.

It opened with some horrid looking ‘New World Order’ that was hinted at by Herrick in series 3. Landing in futuristic London briefly with a fatal message to say New York was down so the world surely next then. (Why New York? I found that jarring as it's all been so local up until now, Bristol or Bath would have done) Some mysterious lady was involved, it all looked a little military, a little fascistic but with blood suckers at the helm. Something here stank of Doctor Who too, another one you could shout ‘stop before you die in shame’ at, but imagine the loss of that institution. Again. I felt a bit worried at this point, too much TV lately doing the dystopic future thing, erm? ‘Misfits’.

Nina had been put to sleep (loving the dog metaphors as always) and then there was a super cute baby, surrounded by crucifixes and guarded by the angry but tearful George wielding a wooden stake. And Annie fussing.

The inevitable social services and police presence, a few clips to some parallel like existence of another threesome of ‘ghost, werewolf and vampire’ living together that somehow haven’t heard about the other quirky but not really house share and a dangling of new vampire, ‘Hal’ to replace Mitchell; big fangs to fill then.

He looked promising I thought and not a directly obvious fill in, i.e. another bit of vamp totty in a good leather jacket with the ability to look like a smiley charmer and brutal killer in seconds… but a decidedly more classic vampirey style (kind of 'True Blood's 'Bill Compton to look at, all quiet and strength) His character? Hard to tell from these short clips but let’s give the guy a chance. What was that ghost lady…so far another domesticated wet blanket, not unlike Annie but in a fifties outfit? Is she staying? All have to ‘wait and sees’.

The new werewolf 'Tom'? Well I liked him in the Series 3 so no problem there either. Overall, pleasantly surprising with a few flaws and a little messy in places but the first episode of anything making a tricky comeback will go overkill on the drama and please, please give it a chance plots.

The biggest criticism for me was the lack of immediacy of Nina's death, a gruesome flashback of her demise just to add some more grief might have been good. It was also a pity about the short-lived baddie ‘Windham’ (Did both feel the gamble fear and get better offers perhaps?) and the Vampire policeman that copped it spent most of the episode method acting ‘Herrick’ which was a little annoying. I do like Toby Whithouse’s fearless killing off though, it keeps up the momentum even if it is sometimes dictated by the actors themselves.

Good work. Chink of glasses for more supernaturally fabness then.

Jump to iplayer to catch up.
Being Human website

Related Post:
The Final Act

Book Review: Before I Go To Sleep - SJ Watson

2012-02-03T15:11:00.030Z

Tagged ‘Crime Thriller of the Year’ in 2011, ‘Before I Go To Sleep’ is based around amnesia and its mystery. It has been compared to films like ‘Inception’, ’50 First Dates’ and ‘Groundhog Day’, however, these could be seen as quite superficial comparisons really.

As I've said before, I am curious about how memories are linked to identity. Recollection ability that can only take on a day in your life is a minefield with lost people from your reality. Your mind wiped on waking each morning, personally does feel me with dread, especially as I find forgetfulness inconvenient enough.

The book, mostly well received as a debut novel, has come into some criticism for flimsier aspects of its ‘science’ although I think the story is gripping enough to overlook details of sketchy healthcare once a patient is discharged. To be honest, I can see how mistakes could be made and how someone pretty determined could trip up the system.

Without too many spoilers then, very simply the book is the story of Chrissie, an amnesiac who has suffered some sort of accident (avoiding spoilers here) as a younger woman that has left her unable to process memories beyond one day; on sleeping she wakes each morning not knowing who she is, who her husband is, where she lives and exists on a daily basis having to re learn her identity and sadly, to lose it again.

For her husband, and the only medical expert she conspiratorially sees through most of the story, Doctor Nash, and for us the reader, this does involve a lot of repetition as the story unfolds in an increasingly unsettling way. I didn’t have too much of a problem with this though as it does give the story a claustrophobic credibility, hemmed in by her dependence on really two main people, her husband and her doctor, to tell her who she is and also their combined frustration at times for having to relive minor and even mundane details.

I did feel for her constant dilemma over whether to trust her husband, as it is clear from the beginning that something is not as it seems. He appears to care and deceive (or mislead for her own good), as does the doctor. At times, she questions even what she herself reads in her journal as a possible ‘fiction’ in her head and you do kind of reel between the three in various levels of disbelief, belief and general perplexing disorientation. Criticisms of the structure in the novel from some, for me personally, helped in creating identification with her own murky loss of events and people at points.

You also inevitably question the validity of her doctor and get pulled into her confusion and paranoia when she has no real foundation of which to make a judgement from. The start of her journal to document her days and an almost instinctive need for her to keep it hidden lends well to there being a remaining modicum of her own sense of ‘self’.

This is further backed by her delicate sense of knowing she is a mother despite the discrepancies in her mind and what those tell her about it. As she gets better at remembering small details and almost seems to ‘exercise’ her brain to pull up details, mostly from trauma, it gives some hope, if at times dashed by the muddied waters of memory that can twist and distort, even invent inaccuracies, and even by the most efficient accounts of recall.

I think SJ Watson did a good job of keeping up the consistency of someone with no memory, highlighting things in everyday life we take for granted with regarding it. I liked the strangely small suburban setting, in some ways the ordinariness of how she lives makes it all the more believable and gives it a provincial sinister feel despite being set in London. Although there were a few pointers that were a little too revealing from the start, the big twist at the end did elude me, I kind of guessed it but not quite. You feel there’s a building of tension and know something horrific is going to be revealed, or is intended for Chrissie, but it is mostly just out of grasp as you read it.

My main criticism would be that the last part was rather rushed and although I can see the ending could frustrate finality fetishists; I liked the uncertainty and preservation of the fragility of the human memory. And to end on a positive note, I think SJ Watson wrote from a female perspective and in the first person with uncanny authenticity…well done him. A worthwhile read.

Previous Book Review

A Sense of An Ending - by Julian Barnes

Miike Snow, Lykke Li, Me And My Drummer and Purity Ring

2012-02-01T19:37:00.004Z

Miike Snow ft Lykke Li – Black Tin Box

Time for music again, ignoring the beeb’s ‘Birdsong’ as it was fluff soooo blog travels back to Scandinavia again via Miike Snow ft Lykke Li, who I love, and ‘Black Tin Box’. It’s an unusual track really and rather epic in length that seems all the rage right now.

Miike Snow isn’t a bloke that can’t spell but actually a trio of superproducers (that I’ve never heard of admittedly) Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg (aka Bloodshy and Avent) and Andrew Wyatt.

You can listen here if the soundcloud above gets removed, it has something of an Andersson ‘Knifey’ charm, strong bass, whooshy space age noise and drums that remind me of something that eludes me right now (one commenter mentions Peter Gabriel) My only criticism is, there’s just not enough Lykke in there and beware if you like bands to have consistently similar sounds throughout an album, they don't. I quite like the unpredictability of it all.

An album is due out in March 27 ‘Happy to You’ via Downtown/Universal Republic and will be worth checking out. They have also some, erm, barely recognise the original remixes of a couple of tracks from Depeche Mode’s early albums, most notably for me 1981’s Speak and Spell and ‘ Tora, Tora Tora’, it’s a bit bonkers but kind of captivates for the whole seven and a half minutes.

And this gives me the perfect excuse to share this rather lovely live preview of Lykke Li doing one of the best tracks from her ‘Wounded Rhymes’ on the American music show ‘Austin City Limits’, I suppose their version of Joolz but of course, bigger. A year later her second album is still sounding good.

Lykke Li "Sadness is a Blessing" from Austin City Limits on Vimeo.

Me And My Drummer - You're a Runner (debut single)

Another repeat listen recently has been German duo ‘Me and My Drummer’ Charlotte Brandi and Matze Prollochs with the debut single ‘You’re a Runner’, just loveliness.

Charlotte’s vocal range easing over some Kate Bush or more recently Niki & the Dove style drumming really makes it in the latter half of the track. Listen below and keep an eye out for more, I will be. For peeps that like The Do, it has a similar energy.

You're A Runner by Me And My Drummer from Sinnbus on Vimeo.

Purity Ring - Lofticries/Belispeak

Purity Ring is another quite lovely boy/girl duo that started making waves last year. Although these newbies don't have any official videos yet, this Fader live clip is rather good quality. It took me a little while to pinpoint what it reminded me of, but perhaps a little obscurely and ironically as the tag themselves 'future pop', it's a lesser know Communards track 'For A Friend' from 1988.

There's just something similar in parts of the instrumentals of 'Lofticries' that capture the same melancholic air contrasting to the sometimes stark and cold electronics in the other beep laden bands. Megan James' vocals are captivating and ghostly in places along with some percussion from band mate Corin Roddick. Ones to watch as they say...jump on the soundcloud below for 'Belispeak'.

Related Posts:

Lykke Li- Wounded Rhymes- Album Review
The Do- Both Ways Open Jaws

Related Links:

http://www.miikesnow.com/
http://www.meandmydrummer.blogspot.com/
http://thepurityring.tumblr.com/
http://lykkeli.com/

Beauty and Power: Real and Made Up

2012-01-28T15:42:00.004Z

*Warning - this blog post is probably too long. I don't care.*

It’s been a week or so since I’ve written anything and suddenly it's time to chronically waffle about things I've looked at, read or watched recently. I’ve been more in the mood for reading to be honest, picking up things online, ploughing through the current ‘ crime thriller of the year’ (review to follow no doubt) getting outraged or amused with news really. I feel slightly unmotivated on the straight forward review front so have decided on more of a round up of ‘stuff’ that’s caught my eye for this week which has been mostly issues around women; from beauty to power.

Over the last fortnight or so, I’ve had a slight tussle with the idea of ‘to see or not to see’ The Iron Lady. Why I’m not sure, it’s only a bloody film about one of the most damaging politician's of our time, sorry ‘feminist icon’! So looking at that last sentence on just the mere mention of it and my current late stages of preggalisciousness, the fury it could evoke may result in me pushing a poor innocent out on the cinema steps with cries of ‘they forgot the miners didn’t they?’ so (I think) I’m going to give it a miss despite my love for Meryl. Thanks to The Shiznit for this more truthful movie poster.

This was probably fuelled by my current viewing of the latest Danish political drama in our current love of all things Scandinavian, ‘Borgen’. Already, I was starting to weave a web of ‘ahh a post on women in power’, a contrast and comparison of Thatcher (I hear her name only in my friend’s brilliant angry Liverpudlian impersonation now which I can only get him to do as trade off for my Lady Penelope) and Birgitte Nyborg. This is however flawed by it having already been done a few times in the mainstream 'media-ocre' and because I spent too long thinking about it.

I was saved in the nick of time by my half following of the Leveson inquiry this week which has centred on sexism in the media and reporting of violence in an irresponsible manner in the press. The overall inquiry, having come about after the News International hacking scandal, has been investigating media intrusion into private life and in parts has reminded of this week’s (probably last week's by the time I get this on) first instalment of the aforementioned ‘Borgen’; so there’s the angle.

Firstly and importantly Borgen is fiction and it’s very watchable, politically interesting but perhaps flimsy in places, a little predictable but I think better than the hit ‘The Killing’ which I escaped from by episode 4 as I had guessed the killer but sadly can’t prove it now because I didn’t tell anyone or write it on a post it Derren Brown style. It’s not quite as starkly shot but there’s still some nice snowy scenes (must resist knitwear joke), cheekbones to die for, a few good female characters that don’t have to get their boobies out unnecessarily. That and the subtitles that make us all feel like we’ve dabbled in something exotic and have become frightfully clever just makes the whole thing ‘authenticity on stilts’…

Anyway, episode 5, ‘Men Who Love Women’ the half way mark for this current Danish import is centred around the Prime Minister’s push for a 50% female representation of the Danish companies’ board of directors. This, of course, is supported by the rather attractive Minister for Trade and a more traditional ‘feminist’ Minister of Gender Equality, i.e., she is a stereotype; plainer and more aggressive with hints of jealous inclinations of the more glamorous minister.

There’s clearly a tension between the two ladies. This is where it all gets a little predictable but so true to life with the ‘hell hath no fury like a misogynist scorned’ Laugesen. As now head of pretty much the equivalent of our ‘Dailies’ in that any picture of a woman celebrity/politician various body parts or hint of sexual scandal (or even not) will be used to defame and damage their reputation, he becomes a main contender in the campaign against Henriette as the chosen target to stop this feminist nonsense. You cannot help but see the parallels with the British Press on this one.

The subtleties of how differently women in power/public eye are faced with judgement on how they look are played out naturalistically with male and female within relationships and with roles switching at times. The more traditional sex and power tug of war of professional man and his ‘bimbo’ is turned on its head as the handsome gym instructor is judged as ‘not even being able to spell IQ’ while he chases the comparatively more qualified journalist Katrine who seems to view him more as a play thing. There are some good humoured moments too, most noticeable the way Katrine’s make up lady undresses the lowly gym instructor with her eyes and Ulrik’s announcement that for Women’s Day ‘our reporter hit the streets wearing a bra’.

Most of the men around Henriette Klitgarde are shown up to be the stupid ones, the newsreader Ulrik who flirts and ‘eats out of her hand’ and reveals Henriette’s nikname of ‘ The Clit’ and Kasper, especially, who talks of the ‘hot’ minister and Pernille Madsen ‘she’s a butch, angry bra burner with hairy armpits’.

Laugesen’s constant innuendo when accused ‘you do not like women in top positions’ with comments like ‘I love beautiful women on top’ just make him look like an idiotic chauvinist albeit an entertaining one.

Fraught with gender politics conflict, like Henriette does have men eating out of her hand because of her beauty so wields a kind of power, Pernille uses the state regulation to ask for favours in a bid to keep numbers up, reveals a double edged sword of sorts. Some fair game on both sides but at the end of the day, the women are the ones where it impacts with more serious consequences as Henriette has to resign for untruths about her CV, something incompetent men have done and escaped.

Laugesen’s own admission to womanising through college is announced proudly on national television to no detriment to his career plus his financial links to the businessman Crohne who is leaning on the Cabinet are revealed with little consequence. Ethically the misbehaviour of these men goes unnoticed at the expense of a female minister who despite her embellishment is good at her job.

The crux of the plot takes on the form of the bullying businessman, Joachim Crohne who threatens to move his interests abroad. After some research the Prime Minister calls his bluff and does a dodgy tax deal, all with a poker face of masculine proportions. A victory in one sense but not for the ex lingerie model who ‘embellished her CV’. Would a man have been attacked in the same way with the patriarchal/old boy links of the media, business and politics controlling everything?

Those who cannot see the importance of equal representation of the sexes in politics and public life may complain of this episode lacking the political weight of previous instalments. That possibly highlights how much more work is still to be done and how political weight is usually only assigned to women when they are victims of violence, domestic or global.

Back onto the Leveson inquiry now and a more general theme of sexism in public life and the media…is it OK for newspapers to dig out old pictures to damage people’s career even if they have no relevance? Is it equally OK that a tabloid photographer can stick a camera up Cheryl Cole’s skirt and put it on the front page, comment on Charlotte Church’s breasts when she’s a minor or another report the murder of a woman with the headline ‘Man kills wife after she changes her facebook status to single’ implying her action caused the crime. Last year, a certain Daily Snail referred to two 12-year-old girls having sex with promising young footballers as Lolitas in a midnight orgy and expressed dismay at the damaged careers of the footballers? I’m not linking, google if you need to.

The recent photo shoot of Minister Louise Mensch stirred up much criticism as she had a knee length leather skirt on? Shocking? Not really. How many pathetic photo opportunities have male politicians used to appease the public and not stirred up half the attention or criticism. So maybe drama is right to touch on some of these themes as this unfair treatment becomes more normalised across the board? Would fairer representation in public life, commerce and the media help to put tighter controls on this problem? It is something to mull over at least.

It seems there are some parallels with this drama and real politics and ethical considerations of both Denmark and Britain and arguable, globally too. Perhaps this is the secret of its success as so far it has been believable and not relied on far fetchedness to create tension and interest.

For me mostly, Borgen has been more about relationships than politics and some of the more poignant and endearing lines are shared between Birgitte and her patient husband while she battles to pursue a highly demanding professional post with the equally demanding private life of being a mother and wife and how it all starts to merge;

'When women become executives, they must apologise for being women, they must be over skilled and promise not to favour women’.

His calm reply ‘Men don’t force you to beg for approval’. Of course and with some tongue in cheek irony, she then asks him how she looks from ‘behind’. I like the light hearted approach alongside the feminist agenda; especially as most think feminists have had their sense of humour surgically removed along with their wombs and a banishment of any body hair extraction or trace of damning ‘girlishness’.

There is more Borgen via a Saturday night double bill this week so jump on iplayer to catch up here. It’s good, as good as Sherlock, trust me. And for those over the pond reading here, both are being remade to fit you already. Oh and by the way, I think Sanne, the clumsy curtseying secretary is a spy.

BBCiplayer : Borgen

Borgen Website

Is there any need to be fit and healthy when can just look it?

I am a little inclined to break a few blog rules, this probably is way too long now but stay with me. Some more media ethics bashing of sorts caught my eye recently, first off this rather good ridicule of the beauty industry, the ultimate secret being photoshop, even of moving image which I hadn’t realised before. A man has made it too…which begs another question, ‘Can men be Feminists?’ which is discussed at some length here in The New Statesman. Of course there are pressures on men from media image too but in no way to the same level. But when a man speaks up for unfair portrayal of female perfection or equality, does it give it more validity? It went viral anyway. One for the ladies and gentlemanlies...nobody’s born with it.

The problem with skinny bashing: come on ladies...let's all be nice to each other.

And finally, hurrah for skinny minnies in this gem from the ‘GirlieGirl Army’. Apparently skinny bashing is the new rage on facebook, the over zealous body hating of naturally slim women in a bid to promote the curvier figures not seen in the mainstream media. To be honest I’ve seen some of this on Twitter too and it bugs me. The constant putting up pictures of slim celebrities with captions like ‘eat something’ or ‘smell the vomit’ underneath and depressingly very often the main commenters spilling out the bile are women.

IS it ok to replace hatred for one body type for another? No, of course not. There’s no disputing that there’s a problem with under representation of bigger women across the board but that doesn’t mean ridiculing naturally slim, healthy women, however irritating you may find them, is acceptable. So if you’re a skinny minnie whose feelings have been hurt by constant accusations of undereating, have a read of this and remember beauty comes in all sizes.

The Problem With Skinny Bashing.

Coming soon…a look over Birdsong. I like beautiful houses, gardens and costume. Occasionally someone’s chest blows up or legs go missing but there’s a fair amount of bonking too. Should be able to find something to say.

New Grimes, Gazelle Twin plus videos from Austra and Emika

2012-01-13T18:15:00.004Z

Grimes - Genesis from much anticipated Visions

The talented Claire Boucher aka Grimes has allowed a new track from forthcoming album Visions to be available online coinciding with her signing to label 4AD. It’s ‘grimesy’ basically; kind of hard to pin point, rather layered with a solid synth bassline, reverb saturated percussion and undulating vocals, at times muffled and indecipherable murmurous undertones that skip effortlessly along Claire’s surprisingly varied range.

Pretty memorable indeed and another taster of what’s to come from Visions which so far has teased three tracks, ‘Oblivian’, ‘Nightmusic’ and ‘Genesis’ and if you missed in my related post predicting sounds for 2012, ‘Nightmusic’ is up there as a favourite clip along with Emika’s ‘Pretend live’ and so soon in this new year, she’s everywhere. I highly recommend Geidi Primes that was re-released in the latter half of 2011 after debuting in 2010. Visions is out just in time for my birthday in March, not that I drop major hints or anything lovely people…

Gazelle Twin – The Entire City

Talking of which, I manifested, with a little suggestion, Gazelle Twin’s album from my music Santa this year, the album was out in the autumn and quite mysteriously brilliant and innovative, ranging from filmic epic proportions, to eerie Fever Ray styling of electronic bonkersness. Simultaneously tribal and pulsating, crushing operatic melodrama, nature-centric clashes with technology and urban scapes, hauntingly trickling over your consciousness without the jarring glitch that some button pushing eccentrics make you jump with.

Brighton’s Elisabeth Walling’s avante garde approach as her pseudonym Gazelle Twin is now popping up all over blogsphere with her unique brand of music and art project transfigured through the inspiring The Entire City. Every song is progressive and modernistic without being too way out and of course it’s hard to pick a track to prick your ears with but I’m going to go with the debut single from last year ‘Changelings’. It is so beautifully transfixing and her genius is a multi sensory experience that you would be silly to pass by, all enmeshed in this enigmatic video. 2012 is looking like a year for innovative female artists whose cutting edge talent won’t need the usual industry tricks to get women to the forefront and create interest, an antidote to the superficial marketing of the more mainstream. Enjoy below.

Austra- new video for Spellwork

And finally…the long awaited video for Austra’s ‘Spellwork’. It is, what I call affectionately ‘ a load of comedy pish posh’ but at the end of the day, the track is fab and still holds sway a year after first mentioning Katie Stelmanis’ newest project here. If you’ve followed Katie’s career as I have, pre Austra, you will recognise straight away the prototype for this video in her solo effort with ‘Believe Me’ from 2009, more humour of the broomstick variety.

Nice horse but shame they didn’t use the same prop cupboard, I would like to see those plastic witch hats on the Tasseomancy twins. If I were you, I’d play the audio for ‘Spellwork’ (which also makes a great ringtone) and stick on the video for ‘Believe Me’, it’s kind of funnier but still retains that feel of an undergraduate film student’s late homework assignment.

Emika- new video for '3 Hours'

I said finally...and then a video for Emika's new single from her self titled debut popped up in my radar and had to be added on. The opening track '3 Hours' is rather unsettling with lyrics like 'Hit me when you wanna and I'll take the blame' and the five minutes of depiction of this darker side of a claustrophobic relationship definitely, for me, confirms the suffering of obsession and censure hinted at when listening as audio only.

The video shot in black and white has the same benumbed pain echoed in her repeated line 'hit me, hit me, hit me, anyway' as Emika's seemingly shackled face makes a plea to a man intermittently blindfolded (on a lighter note, didn't he look like Prince at that point?) Great debut album with videos to match. Very much looking forward to more from Emika in the coming year. Out Feb 13th, probably not one for your Valentine though.

Related Posts:

Sounds *during* 2012: an alternative list
Orbital, Grimes, Niki & the Dove
Grimes with Geidi Primes and Housse de Racket
Whimsy pop poppity again
Emika Album Review

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

2012-01-10T11:25:00.011Z

Stieg Larsson’s crime novel made over by David Fincher.

There will be many people coming at this film from different angles, from lovers of the Swedish trilogy in its original novel format, later adapted for Swedish TV and now a new set of David Fincher NIN fanbase who want to see what the fuss is all about. The sad and untimely demise of Stieg Larsson will no doubt be getting a lot of posthumous attention for his portrayal of sickening sexual violence towards women and conspiracy theories are abound already as to whether he actually penned the trilogy himself, and even to the circumstances of his death shortly before the publications of his first attempt at writing fiction. A man heavily involved in exposing far right neo nazism in the so often thought of social utopia of his own country was always going to be followed by an overwhelming shadow of people that may want him ‘shut up’.

So with all this teasing and speculating of the grim kind, the film looked like something worth going to see. And it was. The strength of this story, definitely being the female protagonist Lisbeth Salander, is an intriguing character and really makes the film worthwhile, a young woman, not a ‘girl’ as the film title implies, which is another current bugbear of mine, the constant infantilising of women in popular culture and the name change for this film is very interesting in the context of the themes in Larsson’s writing.

The original title for this crime novel was ‘Men Who Hate Women’, noted for a Swedish audience but possibly too confrontational for English speaking countries to be made so aware of. In order to make it more palatable for a different audience, I feel the title focuses on downgrading what is a strong and survivalist young woman who enacts revenge on her rapist to a fetishsized ‘girl’ and her tattoo which actually didn’t play much of a part in her role or the plot really but was merely a trivial aspect of her appearance. They may as well have called it ‘The Girl With The Nice Arse’ for the relevance it had to the plot really. I suppose if scrabbling around desperately, she does need a tattooist friend later in the plot and dragons can symbolise ‘strength’ but hmmm? Maybe this dragon tattoo has more relevance in the books, I will make a note to check this out.

Importantly the character of Lisbeth is not compromised as the title change is; she is outside of the norm, a ward of the state, abused yet surviving albeit with what some might call social limitations being aloof, direct and at times aggressive in manner.

Rooney Mara, I think, pulled off this character spectacularly and was well cast in a role that could have teetered dangerously on perversely titillating with such explicit ‘thriller’ scenes. Lisbeth as a woman with a photographic memory, technical wizardry to hack the computers of politicians and the like to help solve crime and ultimately to tap into her own survival instinct beyond no bounds when she plots her revenge on for want of a better word, her ‘carer’ after he violently rapes her.

Not only does she treat him to ‘like with like’, while making him watch his abhorrent treatment of her own rape by him on a video she has taken to hold as more evidence, an uncomfortable scene obviously, but tattoos his crime across his body in order to protect other women from becoming involved with him and to continue her own control of him in appalling rapist purgatory.

These scenes are really there to build up a profile of a woman who has the strength and motive to beat her abuser and to help investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist solve the crime of serial killer for the latter part of the film. If you haven’t read the books, this is the point in the film where you will go’ ahh I see, this is where it’s all heading now’ as I did; to this point, the two characters seem very vaguely trotting alongside each other and it did feel for me that there was more than one novel here getting crammed and rushed into a single film.

Once Mikael, (Daniel Craig, someone I have no particular strong feeling for or against as an actor, I’ve never seen him as Bond and have only seen him recently playing Ted Hughes in Sylvia, my sheltered life basically) has persuaded Lisbeth to help him find this ‘killer of women’ that has managed to dodge being caught for over forty years, the film starts to gel together more satisfyingly.

The main weaknesses for me were with plot, most notably the unexpected sexual liason between the two protagonists, Lisbeth and Mikael; it lacked intensity but did serve to reveal the softer side and ‘opening up’ of the aloof Lisbeth . It sadly teetered on the verge of a ‘crush’ when she bought him an expensive gift towards the end. I was in two minds about whether I wanted a happy or unhappy ending as the relationship did not seem plausible in the film (another reason to grab the novels and compare) despite a mutual respect that clearly started to develop.

Another dangling sub plot was centred on religious themes, most explicitly with the serial killer who was picking his victims through biblical women and verse. The brutal purging of their so-called sin through the sickening interpretation of the ‘teachings’ and the hinted disquiet Mikael had of his own daughters religious symbology were interesting and only touched upon; both I would have liked explored more really but of course some things have to be cut for film and this was after all, a ‘thriller’. At around this point the revelation of the missing girl as not being in the bible revealed the twist for me frustratingly before the final curtain.

There were, however, fabulous shots of snowy, dark and severe Stockholm and to be fair to Fincher, the ‘Hollywooding’ up of this film was limited to only a few moments throughout; the very goth industrial music video title sequence at the beginning didn’t seem to fit and a rather silly scene where Lisbeth chases the murderer on her motorbike; it's all shot very pop action and not really needed but aside from this, it did retain a modicum of Scandinavian unrelenting grimness.

Other than that, slight distractions for me were Stellan Skarsgard who I just kept seeing Lykke li dancing around him in the video ‘Sadness is a Blessing’, Jim from 'Neighbours' popped up at a surprisingly crucial point and the most annoying popcorn inhaling, packet rustling, getting up to go to the toilet THREE times during a film couple? The weak bladdered, impolite munching fools basically. Not that I suffer with cinema rage or anything. And none of these things were the fault of Fincher, obviously.

It was good and I would like to see it again as the family tree got a little muddled in places in a kind of ‘Donnie Darko’ hang on a minute, just need to rewind that bit kind of way. On discussion with my cohort for the evening on leaving, should it have been an 18 certificate? Yes. Rape is the most violent act towards woman, man or child so no question of its adult territory. The other pressing question; why was it remade so soon after the Swedish film? Well this will always be contentious with the battle field strewn with accusations of lazy people that can't be bothered to read subtitles and America wanting to make a fast buck out of European brilliance. On a positive note, hopefully most who enjoy Fincher's will go on to check out Niel Arden Oplev's version from 2009 if they haven't already. I know I will.

Sherlock – A Scandal in Belgravia

2012-01-05T17:03:00.008Z

Series 2: Episode 1

With the return of Sherlock to our screen came stylised camera shots, intricate plot, a fair amount of sauce and sexual speculation, along with pre watershed nudity.

Don't get in a lather though as it was of the underwhelming kind to upset a few watchdogs that clearly haven’t noticed the average underwear advertisement splattered across the side of a bus reveals more than Irene Adler ever did in this opener.

So to get it out of the way, let’s tackle the allegation of genius thrown on a regular basis at Moffat; well no he’s not in my book. He limits female characters to types and over –sentimentalises their emotions to bring out the dispassionate logic of his geeky heroes while continually killing off and bringing back characters within, overly in parts, chaotic plot. These are crimes against good writing that I find frustrating and have mentioned when reviewing his ‘raise from the dead’ tendencies in Doctor Who.

Saying that I do enjoy Sherlock and his other undertaking Doctor Who for what it is, but that is in no way genius. And by the way Moffat, I don’t think lesbians about-face that easily, methinks someone has done his research primarily in pseudo lesbo porn land where gay women clearly just play games and ultimately will fall for a man…but only after a lot of titillation and with any luck a threesome.

So Irene Adler, Sherlock’s equal and someone for whom he has much respect in the original ‘The Scandal of Bohemia’, was sharp and entertaining but in no way intellectually matching in this attempt at cutting edge; she was rather disappointing towards the end to the point of politically regressive as a predatory femme fatale that gives up the security she vehemently fights for at the start. The opera singer of the original story is 'modernised' to a sex worker of the ‘ I know what he likes’ variety to outwit. A pity.

And to add to the undermining of this powerful female commensurate, Adler gets rescued from beheading by her prince ‘Sherlocked’ in shining armour making me think of the Tom MacRae 's Moffat formulary 'The Girl Who Waited' Doctor Who episode.

I look forward to the day he allows a woman to break even in one of his scripts. Despite Moffat’s flawed modernisation of the female character and pre occupation with rescuing, ‘The Woman’ humanises Cumberbatch’s Sherlock, to a point, leaving him seemingly as ‘struck’ as someone so candid and unflappable as he could ever feasibly be.

So without wanting to over politicise and go on too much about Moffat’s sexist tendencies, this opener was gripping and well paced for something of 90 minutes, glamorous and lushly shot around London with modern reference to blogging, twittering and online presence over the notepad and pencil and word of mouth of its original time.

The chemistry between Watson and Sherlock is still working along with some humour and flirtations of intrigue of the thoroughly BBC kind. Their teasing and mutual despairing makes for enough of the coupledom to fuel avid speculation and drive the dynamic of the investigative pair.

I need to see a little more of the baddie Moriarty to comment on him thus far as he hurriedly ditched his plans for poolside killing time on the strength of a phonecall from the dominatrix, Adler, at the beginning, something I’m not sure worked. Not a bad effort overall and definitely worth catching the next instalment ‘The Hounds of Baskerville’ to see how it’s interpreted under the penship of Moffat and Gatiss. The dramas strengths so far being the stylised camera work, the screened text messages and thought scanning of individuals alongside the memorable performance of the aloof Cumberbatch and trademark befuddled Freeman.

BBC Sherlock official website

Catch up on iplayer

Book Review: The Sense of an Ending- Julian Barnes (a few spoilers but not biggies)

2011-12-16T22:59:00.001Z

I am already laden with a fascination for the human condition of editing our memories, of manipulating perception of our past, deluding ourselves of our futures, probably why I find the weird science of the film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ equally interesting whether we do it consciously or otherwise. It comes as no surprise that Barnes’ ‘The Sense of an Ending’ caught my attention and probably would have done even if it hadn’t won the Man Booker Prize 2011.

The main theme seems to be the unreliability of memories and how this embeds into personal lives via self preservation, delusion, a need to cover up and bury hurt or things we may regret or feel ashamed of, how this also relates to the bigger picture of recording history on a grand scale and can often reduce back down to recollections in nostalgia induced states.

This story starts in the 1960’s, a time of wild revelry and sexual revolution, humorously pointed out as dependent on where you lived of course. Going by the’ book hungry, sex hungry’ Tony Webster at this time, not so wild then, demonstrated so eloquently by the copious amounts of masturbation and ’infra red’ sex (what I call, over clothes feelies, yes we all remember those) he seemed to have with his first girlfriend Veronica.

It is a very simple plot, very simply structured but lusciously written full of poignant philosophical points about perception and how differently people see the same event or chain of events, Tony’s benchmark for this being his rather clever friend Adrian. Of course nowadays that clever friend has been rudely usurped and twisted out of shape by social networking within a global village of memoirs, basically someone you were scared of as a child, who made your life a misery, pops up cyberly and tells you how much they wanted to be you.

That goes into my waste paper bin of fucked upped-ness in that you then have to feel guilty about all the years you wished them dead and now it turns out they admired you…urgh who needs that unravelling your bitter perception and neurosis. So loosely speaking, Tony’s ex girlfriend’s mother bequeaths him five hundred pounds 40 years later after one disastrous meeting way back in history (so easily could have been a friend request but that book would have been shit)

Joking aside from the more modern day social dramas of the online variety and revelations of what you might have been responsible for twenty years ago, this book unravels the memories of one man, the mystery of the blood money and the tragedy of a young friend’s suicide that became one of the buried hurts in this protagonists life as he lays all his bare bones down for everyone to see the beauty and the beast within him.

A man that claims again and again his self-preservation is about maintaining a peaceable life, a trait that infuriated his girlfriend who advocated bluntness combined with enigma but continually got stamped as prickly and difficult when she pointed out Tony’s easy way out was actually cowardice (I liked her) He then marries Margaret, a woman who has clear edges in comparison, but then promptly and amicably divorces her.

Leaping too far ahead now though, the first part of the book is the friendship of initially three boys on the edge of coming of age, thusly joined by the super clever wonder boy Adrian. Their pomposity reminds me much of ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ and particularly as suicide starts to make such an impact on the young lives foreshadowing the demise of Adrian in later years. The boys remain friends through school but drift apart on starting different Universities and finally said girlfriend Veronica severs this, in Tony’s eyes ‘running off’ with the cleverer more suitably middle class match Adrian.

Bitter recriminations ensue and add to Veronica’s character maligned, even by her own mother, when she warns her daughter’s suitor to not take any guff from her. Later nicknamed ‘The Fruitcake’ by Tony’s wife, even after he omits this girlfriend from his own history, initially shows that this woman, as prickly as she might appear, is actually going to turn out to be the greatest victim of the story. So deluded is Tony that as a young man, he even manages to construct a theory of control and manipulation on her part because ‘she is short and never wears heels’. As he looks at her photograph some forty years later, he starts to see things differently.

Part two of the book is the retired Tony looking back and trying to piece together why Mrs Ford, the mother of his ex girlfriend from so long ago has left him money and the diary of his dead friend. This all falls apart and reforms another version of events and tragedies from the past, that as if stumbled upon by accident, throws up questions of vanity, of ageing, warnings that turn out to be betrayals, knee jerk responses that cut to the kill and investigations of responsibility on the scale of JB Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ ending with an unsettling self knowledge. 'The Sense of an Ending' is a mere one hundred and fifty pages of ordinariness that turns out to be nothing of the sort.

Niki & The Dove…release two new videos.

2011-12-16T00:59:00.009Z

Image:Tom Langford

These new videos are for tracks from 2010 to end what has been a phenomenal year for the Swedish duo. Personally, 'Mother Protect' and 'DJ Ease My Mind' are my absolute favourites and beat anything they've done since.

Such a welcome and deserved idea to promote these earlier pieces from Malin’s unsurpassable song writing for more a recent audience now they are all over the place since their BBC Sound of 2012 nomination.

‘Mother Protect’ was the first song I reviewed such a long time ago but is still sounding just as undimmed and vitally haunting as back then and was choicely placed on their second EP of this year ‘The Drummer’. This is Malin Dahlstrom and Gustaf Karlov sounding at their most Knife-like; nature centric yet impressively fused with tech pop.

The video is gorgeously fitting with the lovely wild haired Malin running tribal fashion through one of mother earth’s finest forests amongst a beautiful percussive combination of electronics, drums and the primitive sound of a pan flute, all without sounding too toe curlingly folky. As always the Fever Ray vocalising echoes and seemingly channelling of Kate Bush dance moves works wonderfully for the this superior Nordic electro. Enjoy the maternal pulse once again.

Shortly after this treat, ‘DJ Ease My Mind’ popped back into the radar with a new video, admittedly I’m not so enamoured with this one probably because I love the accidental choreography of the foundling tapes containing a trapeze courtship of the original video; simple beauty. Of course, this footage was a cheap way to promote the single at the embryonic stage of the duo’s new venture so now enjoy the glitzy disco vision of this new cut, a more literal interpretation of the song title. The track is as mind-blowing as it was, the new video is, well discotastic then, but lacks depth. The main thing is ‘play that song again’…lovelovelove.

News from Fever Ray...

And for those who love their music and want to do something a bit charitable in that lull after all the festivities, there’s a new track from Karin Dreijer Andersson ‘No Face’ on the 14 track benefit album to support the efforts in the post tsunami trauma in Japan due out in January.

The album is mostly commandeered by the band Blonde Redhead but has the known names of artists such as Deerhunter, John Maus and Interpol amongst others. Jump here to the Fever Ray blog for more information on We Are The Work in Progress, a good cause and no doubt musically interesting too.

Related Posts:

Niki & The Dove - Mother Protect
Niki & The Dove- DJ Ease My Mind/Under The Bridges
Niki & The Dove - Live at Electrowerkz
Sounds *during* 2012

Related Links:

http://www.tomlangfordphoto.co.uk/

http://www.nikiandthedove.com

http://feverray.com

Also published : Electronically Yours

Sounds during 2012: an alternative list.

2011-12-06T18:24:00.031Z

It’s that time of year again, there are lists everywhere, best designer, best artist, best book, some are surprising, and some are entirely predictable. But what is clear, people from the inside and outside, like lists, be they jolly, festive fun or the rather more staid New Year documenting of crisis and the who’s who of celebrity now six feet under.

I for one love lists and pretty much run my life writing them on pink post-its and occasionally purging myself of them if they get too long by setting them on fire, mostly near a tap, just in case. It’s very cathartic. Certain publications are, however, a little guilty of over doing the list thing in times of quiet news, Not Mentioning Explicitly anyone of course.

So today’s (or probably yesterday's by the time I get this done) big music news award goes to the BBC Sound of 2012. This year’s did actually have a band in I’ve blogged about on here and over at Electronically Yours, the rather fab Niki & The Dove.

Having fallen in love with them late in 2010 via DJ, Ease My Mind, and then seeing them in a relatively small gig back in May, the Swedish duo are now daaaahlings everywhere. I am your friendly neighbourhood witch so obviously saw this coming.

The BBC are a little lazy on the linking front but the more thoughtful ‘The Line of the Best Fit’ did offer some tasters of any artists on the list you may be unfamiliar with. To be honest, yes they were all OK, it was a varied list which is good but did leave me with that feeling I’d just sat through it’s close relative ‘Later with Jools Holland’ slightly bored. Music is so subjective of course.

So who do I think the favourite is, well there’s dubstep on there of course but surely that’s too obvious in this climate of ‘if it has a pulse, I’m going to dubstep remix it’ so I’m going to hedge my bets on the ‘princess of naughty words’ Azealia Banks.

Not because I listen to it, just because she will probably do well next year and is everywhere despite the amount of bleeps her tracks need for radio playlists.

Of course, realistically, the newcomer Lana Del Ray is going to take over the world, solve global poverty, rid of us of international terrorism and kick the arse of all her meanie critics. Pout or no pout, she is here to stay and personally I do love her new squeeeeezy hug promo for ‘Born to Die’.

Anyway, she’s not allowed on the list, not because of her trashy dress code but I assume as she’s too big, too quick, so strictly speaking, isn’t allowed. And clearly with the amount of divisive controversy she's stirred up, she could be part of the Illuminati reptilian race anyway.

Also cast your mind back to that thing we use to tape on a Sunday night, where you got cross with the squeaky pause button noise at the beginning and end of a track because the Radio toss jockey talked over to anger you? Well that chart still exists apparently but has the same three bands in it all the time with more than one record. Anyway, nominees aren’t allowed to have been in the Top Twenty or have been on any kind of talent show, thank fuckery for that.

So shortly after reading the list, I thought ‘wow, it’s a list and it hasn’t got Florence and the Machine or Adele in it’ and has nothing to do with anything strictly xfactoring all over our screens (although Skrillex I think is pretty well known, whether you care to admit or not, and Flux Pavillion but I digress).

Anyway, I thought, I would do a list not ‘of’ 2012 but ‘during’ meaning just hanging out casually next year. Because really if it’s ‘of’ it will saturate us and kill us all with boredom. I do think to be nominated is super cool but maybe to win can creatively pressure cooker spontaneously combust you in your own success. So big clink of glasses for Niki & The Dove but don’t, whatever you do, win.

After being distracted by this article in The Guardian, ( it doesn't take much right now as my attention span is seriously effected by the little person in my belly) then noting the distinct smaller percentage of industry female pundits in the formulation of the beeb list (25.136612021857924 %) I did the maths while discounting the few with non gender specific names) and had ‘Where are all the women?’ circulating in my head.

Gladly noted is that the list of nominees at least, was even ish, around 60/40 male to female, not bad but then that’s music and not sport’s personalities (bad beeb on that front). I finally decided to DO (see band to left, geddit?) a list, spent and exhausted after thinking about it too much. My list, at a glance, has an even mix overall but is heavier on female vocals, but then I'm not a corporation that's supposed to be about equality so...

The panel consists of me, female obviously and entirely predictable if you're a regular here plus a fair amount of rambling. I'm not going to write about each band, as I’m sure I’ve said enough over the year. They are in a ‘that’s the sort of mood I’m in’ particular order and I think I may do an odd number, just for the hell of it. Actually, no, I’m going to do 12 to be numerically significant for the year of course. If you read the list and think ‘who?’ and then never hear of them again, well that’s music for you because digitally the industry has had its soul torn out and eaten so for some well deserving, even a short shelf life is elusive.

And the nominees are (not that there's any voting as I'm the boss here) …

12.High Places (Year Off)
11.The Golden Filter (Mother)
10.Memory Tapes (Creep Remix) Sneaky two bands I like for one place move (Green Knight)
9.Planningtorock (Doorway)
8.Zambri (On Call)
7.Au Palais (Tender Mercy)
6. Paper Crows (Gone)
5.iamamiwhoami (;john)
4.Emika (Pretend- live)
3.Austra (Beat and the Pulse)
2.The Do (Slippery Slope)

So number 1?

...is Grimes. Super lovely in this clip of new song 'Nightmusic' from coming album 'Visions'. Her 'sometimes mousey' vocals won't be to everyone’s taste but I think there’s a chaotic creativity in it all and I want to hear more of that voice ‘during’ 2012.

Each band has a link to a personal favourite track of course (jump on them if unfamiliar) and are chosen mostly as I love them and partly as they seem to keep dancing about in my radar. Due to my proven predictive powers with Niki & The Dove, some may not happen until 2013. It was so hard to choose from the 24 longlisted from over the year so after a while, I scrapped who I think will technically do well for who I prefer. But who knows in this fickle business and hopefully both will overlap.

Currently touring with Austra and about to do something with Creep, I think Grimes is going to have a good year plus I haven’t shared this video yet. If you've got this far with meme, feel the blog love and enjoy below.

YTGvB: Grimes "Nightmusic" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

iamamiwhoami - Who are they anyway?

2011-12-06T18:20:00.005Z

*Updated: Iamamiwhoami- new videos 'Sever' and 'Drops' *

Well, Swedish definitely and fronted by singer Jonna Lee along with a big dose of mystery.

There is repeated symbolism, numerical codes, unusual imagery, cups of semen, mandrake root folklore (you know the thing put under the bed in Pan’s Labyrinth), toilet roll, a black dog, beautiful forest scenes and all while she wears impressive fake eyelashes and very little else. Ticks a lot of my boxes anyway.

Iamamwhoami (it takes a bit of practise to say but you get it in the end) are an ongoing stylised project backed by some pretty hook laden electronic music. They have been around since late 2009 but currently keep popping up in my radar. Interviews are few and far between, identities have been pretty obscured up until quite recently with a cult following of fans deciphering code heavy track titles in the pursuit of clarification of ‘who’. Where some of the mystery is dispelled via online gimmicky technology, that vacuous thumbs up social network, the little birdy information sharer and mostly in the ‘go viral’ world of uploading videos, deleting them due to copyright dilemmas, replacing them with more strangeness where needed and then re uploading. Clever teasing.

Who knows where it’s all heading but I’m guessing not towards a straightforward EP or any traditional route. The package so far is superbly voyeuristic but not gratuitous photography and videos to promote toe-tapping tunes. To start with is ‘;john’, at first glance looks like some sort of sperm bank with a queue of scantily clad people waiting outside a room.

Meanwhile vocalist Jonna clad in a towelling fetishy gimp suit dances provocatively on a bed of toilet rolls before allowing a member of the queue in. At this point she is masked and the mysteries of what then goes on in the room are flashed quickly on screens for the waiting to view. To finish is the hanging of a bag of the collected above a doorway amongst levitating white coat hangers. All beautifully gift wrapped in her unique vocal style and some clever catchy bleeping.

I love the tunes and the videos for that ‘did she just?’ feel; weirdness for weird’s sake perhaps but it works and holds your attention while listening to some very easy on the ear electronic music. ‘Clump’ continues in the same vain with another great track that links in video wise with Jonna again lying on a bed of toilet rolls, shot from above and only from neck up, moving in time to her own music…or perhaps something a little more penetrative?

For those who like The Knife and solo off shoot Fever Ray, she, they or whoever iamamiwhoami are, capture that signature Nordic clash of humanity, mystery, nature and technology while delivering some remarkably simple yet good layered tunes. It speaks for itself.

Interview on Bullet Media

Thanks to NYDiscovery Music on Twitter that's timely tweet reminded me to check iamamiwhoami out further.

*Also published on Electronically Yours*

Wuthering Heights – directed by Andrea Arnold

2011-11-26T13:39:00.003Z

Adapted fearlessly from Emily Bronte’s classic tale of illicit love, Andrea Arnold’s work goes above and beyond the realm of capturing the bleakness of the Yorkshire Moors. Shaky shots of nature’s most cruel abound and onslaught on one of the finer pleasures in life; love.

From the outset, it becomes clear that this is an adaptation of extremes, the wildness, animalistic and unrestrained instincts of the young Cathy and Heathcliff are almost uncomfortable in places while remaining touching and true to the feral young daughter of Earnshaw and rescued foundling Heathcliff’s original story.

Beware those who cannot cope with close shots of death of the small furry kind as puppies are left hanging, animals spines broken by hand and for those a little squeamish, step back from Cathy’s licking of Heathcliff’s wounds after he has been whipped. It is an extraordinary scene that’s power is the illustration of the almost instantaneous and natural bond of the two crossed lovers. As children their growing love and unquestioning urges in the coming of age shows no boundaries of the civilised kind outside the beautifully grey moors and melodramatic climate.

Nature, particularly the weather, dominates this film, the wind and rain envelops you as you sit watching and the passion unfolds mainly through inaction and atmosphere. Beautiful in my opinion but for some might be a hard task to sit through for two hours.

Alongside the severity and simple shots of nature is the unrestrained sexualisation of Heathcliff’s physical responses to Cathy’s close proximity, often centred around their hair, like animals seeking out pheromones, he buries his head in her scent and she claws at his own, letting it go, freeing him as she does with her collection of bird’s feathers.

Working with this is the harshness of language used that some could say sits clumsily in what most would see as period drama, however it does work in that the shock of the modern words would reflect the kind of language Heathcliff would have been partied to through insults and his own responses of the time. I think it worked although there were definitely some uncomfortable fidgets and a couple of people left in a flurry of coats and bags at the alarm of the word ‘cunt’, it seems ‘nigger’ doesn't hold the same power which leads on to the controversial casting of Heathcliff as a mixed race man.

For me, this made absolute sense as in the novel, his identity is often heavily implied as racially ambiguous and different from those around him, perhaps more traditionally those have seen him as of Romany descent, the foundling for this adaptation from the streets of Liverpool sat fine with the growing influx of slaves and his branding on undressing.

The second half of the film wasn’t as affecting as the story of the two characters’ childhood. The transition from child to man for Heathcliff (James Howson) was fine, silent, brooding passion with an edge of temper and perhaps instability. Cathy, however, in her casting as an adult was lacking in passion and spirit and physically didn’t seem to work. I actually think the two young actors Solomon Glave and Shannon Beer, could have continued in the second half with some subtle change in costume and manner, especially as surrounding characters like Hindley and Nelly remained the same.

Despite this, her taunting of Heathcliff was infuriating and her eventual demise had impact, again in more scenes of unrestrained and almost taboo responses as Heathcliff kisses her dead body and appears to climax in his grief and unconsummated passion.

Left without his love and declaring his wish she wakes in agony on the other side, Heathcliff’s anger is vent on his newly acquired young wife and ends with his visions of Cathy’s ghost. Of course anyone that knows the book, this is barely half way through the novel as the story almost repeats the illicit love through the next generation showing the spiritual balance is not put in place and the love is borne again to end in tragedy. However, no film seems to go beyond this point.

Andrea Arnold has done a great job, for me the novel was always centred around nature and this was at the forefront of the film, not always pretty but definitely capturing. My only two criticisms are the casting of the adult Cathy (Kaya Scodelario) and the end credit music from (urgh) Mumford and Sons, just seemed a rude interruption to the mystery and atmosphere of the film.

It is an adaptation for the more traditional Bronte fans but could also pull in new interest, the beauty of this literature is how the stories can fit into a more modern perspective while left firmly in a past of more mystery and accepted cruelty. It remains a timeless tale of impossible and inescapable passion, the consequences of ignoring always being haunted. I loved it.

The Golden Filter: Syndromes

2011-11-26T13:38:00.004Z

An EP and a short film directed by Kristoffer Borgli...

It is strange where you bump into good music sometimes but this short and beautifully shot film ‘Syndromes’ has sound and music by The Golden Filter, a band I’ve not heard much of before.

New Yorkers, Penelope Trappes and Stephen Hindman, are no stranger to the more atmospheric of electronic music, the soundtrack for this film directed by Norwegian Kristoffer Borgli, is mesmerising and perfectly fitting in the story of a young girl with healing powers that seems almost farmed out to perform her ‘gift’ by her own mother and protector.

The results be her literally vomiting her nurturing healing power out on to a metaphoric conveyor belt of production; anyone else see a parallel with the exploitative music industry? This film has many layers of meaning wonderfully captured in a matter of minutes of creativity and is almost certainly shot in a way for personal perspective. If that sounds of interest, do jump on the film short for 11 minutes or so of thought provoking direction plus some rather good music.

The Golden Filter are definitely a band to keep an eye out for if you like something verbosely layered with charmingly haunting melody; on first listen for me they seem to be capturing the spirit of early Ladytron’s brooding moodiness, Goldfrapp’s seduction and even in one track Tears For Fears on the cusp of their claustrophobic madness, all of whom have since rather lost their way (particularly Ladytron who seem to have resorted to raping a melange of ancient beliefs via a shopping spree for lanterns at Ikea in their latest video ‘Mirage').

After a couple of quiet weeks, this band and particularly the film were a pleasant find in my fog of nothing to share bubble pricked rudely by endless predictable ’best of year lists’ to bore your festive baubles off (yes, starts earlier every year) The short film gives the music some depth that may not come across when merely listening to it. The added profundity, I think, shows the impact of a great music video that so few bands bother to do in this quick ‘convenience music’ digital mentality of late.

The EP really is superb and as usual I’m finding it pretty impossible to choose a must listen so take your pick via this soundcloud stream. Make sure you also check out this gorgeous remix from Au Palais of The Golden Filter's latest single ' Mother' to be released from the EP on December 5th. Enjoy its soundclouding loveliness below via the beautiful marriage of two relatively new and great electronic and atmospheric bands.

The Golden Filter - Mother (Au Palais Remix) by TheSoundsOfSweetNothing

Related Links:

The Golden Filter on Facebook
Au Palais on Facebook

Related Post:

Au Palais: Tender Mercy

Misfits: Series 3- Episode 1 (spoilers)

2011-11-07T17:27:00.003Z

Rush rush to get this review online as episode 2 aired last evening, mostly as I stalled catching up on it due to my concerns over the loss of Nathan at the end of the last series. Lots of ‘Shall or shan’t I?’ and then I caved and was pleasantly surprised.

So Nathan’s super power was ‘luck’ if memory serves me so he’s gone now and will no longer don the icky orange jumpsuit. The old team of offenders were kind of tired and getting to the end of their stories: Lauren was, well Lauren, sharp, crude and funny, always very likeable; Curtis, well slightly dull along with his one time ‘lust interest' ‘Alisha’ in the ‘you can’t touch but quick jump behind this curtain while I do a little finger shuffle and you do the old in and out with a hand’…kind of sums up the lewd humour that went to new levels in this opener with the wise crack (geddit) derrière lines from the new character and aptly named Rudy.

Paling into insignificance along side this witty addition to the ‘asboers’ was Simon and who knows where this one is going; apparently he is now good at jumping and has successfully hooked the pretty one. Personally I preferred him as the nerdy, virginal weirdo to the unconvincing nice guy ‘knight in shining slightly off kilter’ cyber goth outfit.

Despite what looked like could be ‘over kill in concrete urban decay’ this opener did work, mostly down to the newbie Rudy. A face and voice that viewers may recognise from skinhead ‘Woody’ in the ‘This is England’ or perhaps your mum may recognise as a ‘Dingle’ from Emmerdale.

There was a slightly lame link for Rudy to the group having been involved with the ‘cock monster’ Alisha and then been so hurt, he’d tried to kill himself. Perhaps a way to gel the character to the group but to be honest, it didn’t work and actually Rudy’s character from the offset was strong enough not to need the tenuous bridge.

His character seems to hint at some sort of vaguely bi polar super power, which could get interesting. How handy would it be to rid yourself of extreme personality/chemical imbalance disorders or use them to meddle in life’s events? Not absolutely sure really, super power or super hindrance?

The new powers offered by the sudden appearance of the suited mystery man hunting for a specific power are a little vague so far, less obvious choices maybe than marvel character-esque invisibility, time reversal and so on, but they will need some pretty strong storylines to keep up the interest and pace that this opener successfully captured.

Great opening and looking much more promising than after the weaker finale last Christmas. The biggest disappointment for me? Well, killing off the evil ‘pause people’ girl it has to be, I really liked her and would have happily seen her replace Curtis or Alisha as a murdering then duping new insider to the group. Sadly she is now 6 feet under sharing a grave with the ‘she liked it up the arse’ girl...what an epitaph!

Sharp, well shot with very basic humour…at some point a hint at what the storm is all about may start to surface. For now, I think even the writers probably don’t even know and are winging it while keeping us curious.

Anyway, my droogs, not one for keeping to deadlines here, I’m now going to watch episode 2 a day late and hope last week’s wasn’t merely some weird storm honeymoon of comic moments. If you hear no more, it probably means I thought it went downhill too far into smut and unclever ‘get them out for the lads’ cheap tricks to keep its audience.

Jump here to 4OD to catch up.

Misfits Official website

New this week: High Places and Zambri

2011-11-07T17:24:00.002Z

High Places – ‘Year Off’ from the album Original Colors (release 7^th November on Thrill Jockey)

High Places are LA based duo Rob Barber and Mary Pearson; the whimsy vocals backed by curious percussion and addictive bassline wrapped in melody will appeal to those who like something a little off the mainstream map.

A treat for those that like their pop dressed in a dreamy transcendental realm of experimental yet beep corrosion free loveliness.

Tracks from the album vary comfortably under the umbrella of ambient and techno, seducing in the lazy luxury of the day or the mystery of late night repose. Dark without being too heavy, the chosen taster has to be the discerning and delightful ‘Year Off’ which has a little Mode/New Order feel going on and topped with the ambrosial vocals of Mary is a fine standard to set for an album.

Original Colors does have some of The Knife’s more accessible creations woven in to their own sound amongst the rest of the tracks. This is their third album and now the pair seem to be coming out of hiding and drawing in some well deserved attention. Enjoy 'Sophia' below.

Tracklist: Original Colours

Year Off

The Pull

Banksia

Ahead Stop

Dry Lake

Sonora

Sophia

Twenty-Seven

Altos Lugares

Zambri – new EP ‘Glossolalia’ (release date November 8^th on Kanine Records)

Another interesting release for next week is the EP Glossalalia from sisters Cristi Jo and Jessica Zambri.

In complete contrast to the previous band, this is not for relaxing, more spine tingling, ear bleeding ‘I’m not sure what that was but it was good’ feeling.

This is bonkers but brilliant glitch pop, again memorably haunts but not too heavy with a touch of psychedelic craziness going on. Check out the eccentrically superb bleeps and images below for ‘On Call’ that reminds me a bit of Siouxsie’s ‘Peek-a-Boo’ turned up a notch or two.

Zambri- On Call from Johnny Woods on Vimeo.

Zambri’s music seems to be turning up in the most unexpected of places including the catwalks of high fashion in Europe that does match well with the fearless and unbridled creativity within the music. For something a little more tuned down but equally capturing, jump on this link for another track off the EP ‘Heather’ which has a resplendent build up and outstandingly effectual chorus to hook you if you like something verging on the weird…enjoy.

Tracklist: Glossolalia

Disc 1:

On Call

Heather

To Keep Back

Disc 2:

News

On Call (biddibiddi)

Related Links:

High Places on Facebook
Zambri on Facebook

*Also published on Electronically Yours*

This Week...Orbital, Grimes and super Niki & The Dove live footage

2011-11-05T13:19:00.001Z

I've been a lazy blogger again and been sitting tight on a couple of new tracks for a week or so. Straying a bit from my usual path, Orbital's new track 'Never' caught my eye mostly for the rather fabulous but quite simple idea for the video. A journey through London at night that flashes many old haunts and places of nocturnal misbehaviour.

The brothers' Hartnoll haven't been around for a while, well since 2004 but the release of their eighth album early in 2012 looks like it might be worth a listen. 'Never' is just that lovely electronic dance beep that is quite hypnotic with lots of swirling synths building up to a crashing shift into faster beats. It comes down, rewinding to a moonlit motorway on leaving the bright lights of the city. Listen and watch the flickering images of London's impressive cityscape below and those of a *clears throat* certain age can lose themselves in the woozy 90's dance nostalgia.

Free download for 'Never' available here: orbitalofficial.com

Grimes - Oblivian

The house of Boucherville aka Grimes is about to release a third album 'Visions' chasing the tail of the re release of Geidi Primes with the single 'Oblivian' being the first release.

Admittedly this track wasn't as instant as some of her previous releases for me, most notably 'Vanessa' from the split Darkbloom EP with D'Eon, but a mere ten listens later, it worked some magic, yes just the ten, of course you know when you don't give up straight away, there has to be something there. A quirky pop tune with her distinctive vocal style that over rides and weaves its way over and above the instrumental in an earth bound yet soaring unusualness.

About to tour with Austra, it is clear why these two Canadian bands, although quite different, will compliment eachother with their mutual whimsical dark and light in electronic percussive glitching, pulsating its way through more classical moments and flirting with goth pop occasions.

Related Posts:

Review of Geidi Primes
Grimes: Vanessa

Niki & The Dove- The Drummer (live at Debaser 2011)

And finally some more Niki & the Dove love to be had here with the current single 'The Drummer' which not only had a fab Kate Bush inspired video, now has this great live footage.

If you weren't lucky enough to be at Brixton Academy last night, then check out this little treat and make sure you get tickets for their next show. This clip took me straight back to a much smaller scale live event earlier in the year...enjoy Malin in all her resplendent ribbons.

Niki & The Dove - The Drummer (Live at Debaser... by VEVO

Related Posts:

Niki & The Dove live at Electrowerkz
Betwitching music for the weekend anyone?

Related Links:

Niki & The Dove: Facebook
Grimes: Facebook

Paper Crows-When Friends Survive/Gone

2011-10-22T17:18:00.010+01:00

NatchMedia

This week has been all about B-sides sounding truly beautiful again. I really wanted to share Paper Crows new track 'Gone' that will be gracing the single 'When Friends Survive' next month. I was going to wait but couldn't.

Found on my usual hunt through soundcloud, blogs and finally a new XFM online chatty place See Hear Now which is looking a little livelier than the official radio station's website so far, this track is sooo gorgeous and any regulars here liking the deepness of Emika's recent debut might get the same tingle from this one.

Gone by Paper Crows

So who are Paper Crows? They are the London based boy/girl duo Emma Panas and Duncan McDougall and the single is out on November 7th. 'When Friends Survive' is the rather good but more hectic A-side. Vocalist Emma has the most enchanting voice even on something a little more energetic. Having just returned from touring with Fenech Soler, hopefully there's more recording to come over the next few months.

And so I go on with more blog rule breaking, waffling about B-sides and adding too many videos to one update as usual, here's 'Fingertips' from earlier in 2011 which again is ethereal and haunting and with a super long video too which does deserve a few more views to be honest. It takes a little while to start having the full length visual arty thing build up; once the music starts, Emma's vocal hit that same nice place Romy Madley Croft does with the XX.

To finish this rather self indulgent post, I also bumped into a Paper Crows' cover of 'Cloudbusting' which has a hint of Bjork's Human Behaviour going on in it too so how could I not like it? Cheered me after not immediately falling in love with Kate Bush's new releases so far, or Florence and the Machine's for that matter. There is still time though and of course more B-sides. I would say enjoy below but if you've only just landed here the 'all powerful' removed it from Soundcloud pretty sharpish...boo hiss.

Wade Fletcher Photography

Blog love as always. I will check and be doing some serious spellwork if I don't see some jumping on the track 'Gone'. It is the dark side of the year after all.

Related Links:
Paper Crows Official Website
Paper Crows Facebook

Images:
NatchMedia
Wade Fletcher Photography

The Fades – BBC3 supernatural fantasy (Spoilers naturally)

2011-10-18T00:21:00.003+01:00

After some resistance, mostly due to being commitment shy when it comes to television and preferring stand-alone dramas, I have succumbed to The Fades. It was only after a big wrestle with the first episode.

The new ‘Being Human/Sixth Sense-ish’ horror fantastical epic just sounded far too busy and the opening episode for me did wear thin on this point. However, I have liked other things penned by Jack Thorne (Slight exaggeration, I liked This is England) and in my ‘just managed to escape the one hundred and one hours of The Killing by the skin of my teeth’, decided to dive back in via good old iplayer.

Anyway, putting aside my televisual viewing dilemmas, the matter at hand, I see dead people stuff. First off, the title fills me with such sadness, the thought of people fading in limbo is unthinkable; watching loved ones carrying on and not being able to speak, touch or tell them you are still there is a simple premise though and one that’s been done many times.The Fades with its corruption of spiritual laws, angelic order and soul interspersed with ‘nanu nanu’ humour and reference to cringe worthy Spielberg makes it all the more watchable.

Some interesting interpretations of Biblical hearsay via dialogue and the outrageously Marilyn Manson-esque main murdering Fade is all very visually impacting but for me, the whole thing is a little too heavy on the special effects and glossed up a bit much.

And to get it out of the way, I did prefer ‘Being Human’ for its simplicity on that front; yes two little boys are strung up in the woods and eaten (ick) but that didn’t have me on the edge of my seat as much as the scene in ‘Being Human’ where George started the full moon ‘change’ in a primary school and had to get his wolf alter ego out of there before a massacre of the junior kind. That’s just me though; I don’t mind the odd ‘man in a costume’ not so special effect every now and then.

At this pinnacle in the series, we have gone through that age old teenage oddball story Paul that wets the bed, has a hideously popular and shallow sister, fancies her best friend, hangs out with equally, ‘on the fringe of nerdism’ fellow outcast.

A compellingly tragic best friend relationship with Mac pulls you in (both have absent fathers to varying degrees) but the difference is, Paul has inexplicable powers. Their friendship alone has held me. I fear for Mac. As much as Jack Thorne likes to make you laugh and shock your socks off, he also makes you cry.

Alongside that there’s more teenage angst (Skins ish of course), lots of grim toilet and masturbation moments, blood curdling unearthly yuck and shoot outs of ‘organic material’. Oh and a very dusty ash ridden place in nightmare form. Lots to be going on with. Extremely compelling shots of rebirth with slimy chrysalis transformation and butterflies, usually beautiful creatures but when huge and coming out of your mouth, take on a whole new creepy persona.

And yes the baddie Fade has that charm of ‘Being Human’s ‘Herrick’ in that he in the last episode did the classic ‘trust me/feel sorry for me’ and then slaughtered away happily. Never trust anyone with 'the hunger' basically.

So the current cliff hanger, it looks like Paul has been bought back from fade hell which means those around him will now be drawn heavily into this horrific existence that up until now has been on the peripheral for them.

Guiding their unknowing ‘angel’ through a life of accusations of ‘weirdo’ with ‘no darling you’re just different’ and replaced with an emotionally charged resurrection. Will his sister now stop the pouty sibling rivalry and be nice? And how is the torn relationship of Mark and Sarah and her involvement with head angel Neil going to develop and knit nicely in with Paul’s story.

I don’t want to give too much away so feast your eyes on some boundary pushing writing and performances from newish British actors that haven’t been nicked/overshadowed by HBO yet (put that in for a friend of mine, he knows who he is)

Wednesdays at 10.00pm. See you there for more blood curdling winged insect biblical/spiritual perversion topped with freakishness and hints of ‘end of the world’ 2012 histrionics; good stuff.

Jump to iplayer for catch up and on the official website for lots more on the fab casting below...

Episodes 1-4 of The Fades
Episode 4
Official website:The Fades

Images: BBC3 and my screen grabber Orac.

Au Palais- Tender Mercy

2011-10-18T00:20:00.002+01:00

Not another band standing accused of gothpop...

Au Palais is the latest arrival from Canada; musically conceived in Toronto, sibling duo, Elise and David Commathe, are now based firmly in London and about to release an EP.

Title track ‘Tender Mercy’ is quite unique, not really sounding like anything overtly but if your musical tendencies fall somewhere between Zola Jesus and Austra sprinkled with a little Grimes thrown in as a light chaser, this will probably appeal to you.

The track ‘Pathos’ teeters towards the mystery of The Knife in places but what is most striking on this debut is that Au Palais have given these recognisably stark and more other realm brands of electro their own spin. The result is synth layered, slow building with an effect of deterministic and meaningful brooding.

‘Tender Mercy’ still manages, despite the intensity to combine unusually airy and self-indulgent flavours where others have verged on claustrophobia. Yes, they claim to record at night and what could be a better way to tap into movement in music that reflects that time when unconscious thinking plays on the mind.

Music that feels like they’ve analysed, breathed and dreamt it to achieve the charm it exudes. A perfect treat for this darker time of the year and soundclouding in all its loveliness below…enjoy.

Au Palais - Tender Mercy by TheSoundsOfSweetNothing

Release in November/Pre-order here: http://thesoundsofsweetnothing.bandcamp.com/album/tender-mercy-ep

Related Links:

http://www.facebook.com/aupalais
http://aupalais.bandcamp.com/

*Also published on Electronically Yours*

Bewitching music for the weekend anyone?

2011-10-07T22:32:00.003+01:00

Esben and the Witch – Hexagons II (The Flight)

Esben and the Witch are releasing a new EP on the 7^th November and Hexagons is looking as deep and darkly enchanting as the brilliant Violet Cries from earlier this year.

Listen below to the signature reverb and melancholy lament that singer, Rachel Davies, lends her angelic vocals to over gentle and beguiling instrumentation.

Esben and the Witch were a welcome severance into a more tranquil breathing space amongst the higher energy acts at Bestival last month. They put on an exceptional performance to compose oneself to before the evening’s more club like escapades.

If you like to lose yourself in part to a fathomless realm of the more romantic side of goth, then this will suit perfectly and the 6 track digitally released EP Hexagons will burst with more dream like aesthetic.

Image:Tom Langford

Niki & The Dove- The Drummer

Very serendipitously, I was only bemoaning lack of exciting Niki & The Dove news in more than one quarter this week so with much elation share this new single ’The Drummer’.

Niki fans have been a little starved of videos from the duo but when they do treat us, it always penetrates the mind, this one particularly for its near channelling of dance moves from the wonderful Kate Bush ‘Running Up That Hill’ classic but with Malin’s internal battle. It is strangely interspersed with what could be a little reminder of the eccentricities of visuals used in ‘The Mighty Boosh’ a few years back too; intriguing and a little bonkers really.

Check out the quirky choreography going on in this clever track that’s brimming with glitch pop sounds and backing that sounds like it’s going the other way into some strange spell of coded message. For me, it is definitely the strongest this year from the Nordic pairing accompanied by an interestingly styled video that is close to breaking my love affair with the trapeze courtship of DJ, Ease My Mind…but not quite.

Enjoy the big hair, even bigger shoulder pads and ribbons absolutely everywhere; Malin’s accessorising matches up to the eccentricities of the pair’s stand alone electro.

Related Links:

http://www.esbenandthewitch.co.uk/

http://www.nikiandthedove.com/

http://www.tomlangfordphoto.co.uk/

Esben and the Witch: Violet Cries Album Review

Niki & The Dove live at Electrowerkz

The Do: album review of 'Both Ways Open Jaws' and teasers from M83 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.

2011-10-05T23:05:00.010+01:00

French/Finnish duo, Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy, The Do, are finally about to release ‘Both Ways Open Jaws’ in the UK on November 19^th. This follow up to ‘A mouthful’ and the brilliant track ‘On My Shoulders’ and ‘The Bridge is Broken’ is just as full of unique, glitchy and diverse treats.

Finnish musician and singer Olivia has a similar energy to Lykke Li, Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes and Malin Dahlstrom of Niki & the Dove. The Do are definitely combining that whimsy feel with tracks like 'Moon Mermaids’ and 'Was it a Dream?’ with the tribal beats of the more electronic sound of Fever Ray in the track ‘Slippery Slope’; a mergence of pop and nature sensibility.

The video for 'Slippery Slope' also reminds me of the choreography for Bat for Lashes 'Daniel' from a few years back. What The Do and all these other female fronted musicians seem to achieve is a layered embodiment of that haunting esoteric feel over hooky pop tunes adding a welcome and darker depth.

There’s a vocal effect towards the end which made me flinch in its lack of immediacy but after a few listens adds a hysteric glitch to the beats that works. Personally, it takes me a little while to warm to a surprise within a track but after the initial ‘jump’, I usually do. Have a listen below…

Her distinctive vocals backed by Levy’s music interchange enormously from track to track in range and the music affords the same variegation and is impossible to define in purist terms. It’s very hard to choose from an album of consistently strong tracks but they’re a few online to tease you as the album was released in France in March earlier this year. ‘Too Insistent’ is another favourite of mine and also has a rather good video that somehow reminds me in some shots of something Nick Cave might do and, no, it’s not just the mature man’s dancing.

So final taster was a tough one, I had to toss a coin over ‘Was it a Dream?’ and the opener track ‘Dust it off’. ‘Was it a Dream?’ won on the better youtube static and its beautifully melancholy air that mirrors one of the slower acoustic tracks on Lykke’s last superb offering ‘Wounded Rhymes’.

Only a few weeks to wait to release as the ‘want’ list gets longer and longer. The Do are sounding pretty original with some notable leanings to this year’s current sounds emanating from the colder climes with a touch of French joie de vivre.

Tracklist:

Dust It Off

Gonna Be Sick!

The Wicked and the Blind

Too Insistent

Bohemian Dances

Smash Them All Night ( Night Visitors)

Leo Leo

B.W.O.J

Slippery Slope

The Calendar

Was it a Dream?

Quake, Mountain, Quake

Moon Mermaids

Teaser tracks for new M83 album...

And talking of France, M83 has a super double CD offering being released on October 18^th, 'Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’. I've already mentioned the first offering which is the synth pop lovely ‘Midnight City’, jumpy jump back some posts here for my immediate thoughts on it; weeks later, it’s still pretty toe tapping catchy.

After a little bit of searching, here’s the tracklist and another teaser ‘Steve McQueen’ amongst the plentiful that have been removed from youtube pretty sharpish. From the few tracks I’ve heard, M83’s comeback is sounding very promising and will be available shortly.

*Don't forget anything in purple is a link for more info*

Related Post: Music making me smile this week...

Related Links: http://www.myspace.com/thedoband

http://www.myspace.com/m83

Doctor Who finale or Merlin opener?

2011-10-03T00:14:00.004+01:00

This week’s viewing felt very beeb autumn, fond memories of Robin Hood filtering in through the veil of ‘what not to do with ancient legend’ and confused steampunkish/Star Warsy Sci-Fi.

It usually happens in the lead up to Christmas and is often full of inaccurate costume and campness. Under this freakish hot sun in October however, teatime Saturday did give me that lovely ‘night drawing in’ feeling and I enjoyed both for what they are.

First off then, ‘The Wedding of River Song’, a tale of near death, of wibbly wobbly time and historical befuddlement and ultimately of higgledy piggledy plot flaws. Still watchable, still endearing, still asking the age-old question of ‘who’ the Doctor is while companions, aliens and the like go googly eyed over the geek chic charm that he eludes in every regenerative incarnation.

Talking of geek chic, surely the Silence moves menacingly down the steps towards Rory were choreographed from an early Pulp music video?

The aliens in ill-fitting suits sort of emulating Munch’s Scream have been the highlight for me. I really wanted them to do that Cocker ‘Are you sure?’ whisper on learning of the Doctor’s fabricated death, mostly as no way is anyone ever going to buy that he’s dead.

‘My name’s Pond, Amelia Pond’ was cringe worthy on stilts, but again, when the writers allow Amy to be rid of her awkwardness, strange shuffle and empower her, she is so much better. I liked the way she coldly murdered Madame Kovarian formerly known as ‘eye patch lady’ and its hint of a protective mothering instinct.

Her later horror at being the Doctor’s mother in law was all very comic yet reminding us of the family tree that has at best got a few ‘lacking in credibility’ branches, especially when River called her ‘mother’; when was she ever that formal sweetie?

We all knew the Doctor wouldn’t die, it was the twist that was the clincher and I think it was simple but sufficiently surprising, linking the first and last of this half series nicely. It was a diluted version of one of my favourite finale’s ‘Last of the Timelords’ with the correlation of River’s plea for help mirroring Martha’s earlier global cry for the universal prayer ‘Doctor’; he may be tired, he may be ready to go but we, as part of the universe, aren’t letting him yet.

And finally Nicholas Courtney got his fitting dedication in an emotionally charged moment as the Doctor faced the near reality of his own death on the news of the loss of The Brigadier.

Viewers then travelled back in time again on another wibbly wobbly historical journey into Arthurian Legend with’ Merlin’. How super cool would the Tardis landing in Camelot be? I’m sure CGI could do it as they seem to be overdosing the whole production in it. So why have I lumped the two together, it’s not lazy blogging honestly. I do think they are catering for a similar audience (even though Whovians and whatever the older ones call themselves would like to think they are cleverer)

Both are trying to cross the generations in the living room, embracing the darkness of humanity yet not wishing to alienate your Grandmother or give the kidlets too many nightmares.

Science Fiction and Fantasy mixed up with history and legend is for want of a better word, a ‘blurry’ boundary and what both have are ‘fanatics’. Experts to the level of Mastermind specialist subject to really, really big convoluted thesis areas that will watch and have steam coming from every orifice. So what shall we call the Arthur experts, erm Merliniums then.

There’s a lot of men or ‘merliniums’ huffing and puffing at the slight panto going on in this beeb production, you can imagine them fondly reminiscing their first ever King Arthur dress up.

Imagine the pre pubescent testerone surge as they held Excalibur for the first time, charging at their mother’s skirts probably on a hobby horse. And then there’s the academics blowing a fuse at, well everything. Fisticuffs over dragons basically.

The point is the whole thing is legend…nobody really knows, nobody is completely right and whatever version of the Arthurian tales you read and absorbed will be the one that your loyal eyes will view this with and either love, hate or decide it’s merely entertainment.

If there’s one thing that is indisputable, the legends are full of violence, rape and incest and all of this around magic, all things not do-able at this time on a Saturday. At the central point of the legend is the child of Arthur and Morgana but I can’t see that love scene even being hinted at unless they leave it so long that we forget they are half brother and sister.

So my loyal eyes watch, having loved The Mists of Avalon, the legends written from a more female, pagan perspective than a patriarchal Christian one. Any regulars landing here will not be surprised (or perhaps roll their eyes) so I will get it over with quickly. I am also looking forgivingly so will not go on too much about the repression of the sacred feminine or harp on too much about the evils of Camelot towards the Old Religions they speak so suspiciously of. Just please, please can we have some women with magic that are good and able to use it for positive?

Yes, Morgana is powerful now but you know she’s going to fall eventually because in this, the men with magic will know how to use it for good. Women can’t be trusted and so she proves this again and again. Balance needed.

Delightfully an ancient festival Samhain was referenced (and they said it right), the episode hit and missed on many points but overall was charming, visually exciting, lots of smouldering gazes, impressive magical eyes and the drama of athame wielding sacrifice and blood letting to release banshee like spirits of the dead was sensational to say the least.

The story is moving oh so slowly though; Uther has to go soon surely? And the ménage a trois has been heavily hinted at between Arthur, Gwen and Lancelot. There’s more metaphoric sword envy, men with fine teeth and provocative sorcery to come. As Gaius so wisely said, it’s not magic that’s evil, it’s how you use it.

So can you choose? I think the BBC has spent more money on Merlin, mostly as they haven’t the fanbase to rely on as they have with Doctor Who. Merlin looked better and was visually lush yet pitted with similar flaws… but it’s early days for Merlin and it has time.

Sadly, with the last series of Doctor Who, I felt you didn’t have to watch anything inbetween the first and last episode to appreciate it any further. I still love Matt Smith as the Doctor but it was a fragile series with a finale that looked too familiar and repetitive in places. For all it’s fluff and heaving bosom, Merlin is looking like it has more potential as they have writers with the ‘fear’ and it all looks like more effort is being made.

What goes without saying is that both dramas entertain; make you smile, warm your heart and occasionally make you grimace and could never be as soulless as Xfactor.

So let’s raise a glass for the end and the Doctor’s survival, the memory of Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen and look forward to more Merlin. I can’t promise I will keep reviewing it, depends on whether they nod to pagan history again and throw in some good witches.

Jump onto the iplayer links below to catch up on the super duper Xfactor bashing double bill below. The ratings war makes me laugh almost as much as the handbags at dawn over whether there were dragons in Arthurian Legend. (Of course there was...somewhere).

The Wedding of River Song
The Darkest Hour

Thanks to Orac for grabbing great images courtesy of the BBC.

Jane Eyre – directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga 2011

2011-09-27T19:19:00.006+01:00

So after weeks of underwhelming Doctor Who episodes, I decided to go to the cinema instead and risk watching one of my favourite novels ever put into (yet another) film adaptation. Having studied it a million times and finally taught it myself to students, it is the one novel that’s nearly always on a curriculum somewhere that I’ve never tired of; a gothic romance and timeless classic that couldn't possibly be messed up? Well, maybe by the odd unimaginative teacher.

A wonderful screenplay by Moira Buffini, this adaptation wasn’t a disappointment other than a slightly strange shot of Jane fantasising or having a weird episodic apparition of Rochester in place of St.John. This was dangerously close to the final scenes which would have left me possibly having to be tranquilised in my anger if they had got that far and changed the ending (phew…but why was it there, it trivialised her solitude for me)

The daunting task of movie-upping a much loved classic was successful and happily for me the darker and subtle supernatural elements of the novel were at the forefront; the haunted red room, the strange drawings of Jane’s imaginations all adding to the ever present cloud of doom that sits alongside the growing love affair between the alarmingly young Jane and the rather cruel and worldly Rochester.

Cast wise, I couldn’t find fault really, Mia Wasikowska was beautifully fitting in the role of a ‘rare, unearthly thing’, a young woman with directness and opinions that were far too modern for the early Victorians, physically understated but striking in gaze and close to the age of Jane in the book which some adaptations have skirted around or ignored.

Michael Fassbender was a pretty good Rochester for the most although some might say a little too charming and perhaps too good looking. His dark secret, his fatal flaw and anguish, i.e. the mad (and much maligned wife but that’s a whole other story) Bertha Rochester nee Mason in the attic was overshadowing his character throughout.

Bertha’s presence in the film was too quiet really and I would have liked to have seen more of the crazed and exotic woman that entrapped Rochester with her bursting sexuality that haunts Jane’s nightmares.

A filmic moment wasted in my view that we did not hear more of the maniacal laugh in those fittingly dark and coldly overbearing corridors and particularly the part where she tears Jane’s wedding veil in dream like horror symbolising the loss of her virginity moving ever nearer.

The film was shot partially in London and mostly in the north of England, which in my mind, it could only be. Thornfield in particular was exactly how I have always imagined it; a simultaneously imposing, frightening yet beautifully grand hall of secrets and passion, the perfect setting for any story. There were rumblings of shock at the accents in the film but I found it quite refreshing that the characters had, 'god help us' (mature lady in the audience), their regional accents and for those aghast, it was hardly on the scale of ‘Shameless’ and a pretty accurate reflection of Bronte land.

Structurally it was a surprise being told mostly in flashback from Jane’s arrival at the home of the Rivers in an almost hyperthermia induced delirium. As a pinnacle point in the novel of change in Jane’s outlook and circumstance of becoming an independent woman of the time, I think it worked.

The harshness of Jane’s childhood and the death of her best friend ‘Helen’ was a little rushed perhaps but the cruelty of Jane’s Aunt and cousins and her treatment as a sinner and outcast at Lowood School were well directed.

I found the script faithful to the original novel with little to find fault, the melodrama of this novel which could be criticised for being coincidental and farfetched in places needs to be kept loyally in the era; a modern view that inevitably questions how Rochester gets away with locking a mad wife away undetected for so long can be explained to insignificance if you think of the time; many rich people would have avoided the shame and cruelty of the madhouse and done the same.

If you consider the novel alone was originally written under Charlotte Bronte’s male pen name, Currer Bell, due to the difficulty of even getting published as a woman, this tale of a woman’s growing independence and refusal to settle for anything less in a society, although subtle by today’s standards of feminist, was quite controversial and ahead of its time.

As a woman who doesn’t play by the rules, Jane risked many times being cast further out and Fukunaga’s direction in this film keeps within the history and contextual boundaries of this.

This current adaptation is loyal and befitting the Bronte tale of early feminist unrest and passionate yearnings whilst keeping in the harsh critique of convention and religious austerity alongside the talk of spirit and nature that at the time was equated with all that is evil.

So yes the infamous line and statement of Jane’s independence ‘Reader, I married him’ cannot be easily translated in film but it was clear that she only returned to Rochester on her terms which was as a woman of substance, keeping her honour intact once he was free of his ‘dark secret’ to be her husband. This was, significantly, after his twin soul call 'in the air' as she refused a marriage proposal from St. John that most in her position would be grateful.

I highly recommend it if you love the novel…jump on the trailer below to see if you want to make a last minute dash to the cinema to catch it.

Cast:

Mia Wasikowska - Jane Eyre
Amelia Clarkson- young Jane Eyre
Michael Fassbender - Edward Fairfax Rochester
Jamie Bell - St.John Rivers
Judi Dench - Mrs Fairfax
Sally Hawkins- Mrs Reed
Simon McBurney- Mr Brocklehurst
Imogen Poots-Blanche Ingram
Romy Settbon Moore-Adele Varens

New Austra track 'Identity' and remixes for The Good Natured...

2011-09-23T18:00:00.003+01:00

Austra: next single ‘Spellwork’ and new song on B-side ‘Identity’.

I didn’t think I’d be writing about Austra again quite so soon but with the release of ‘Spellwork’, the news of a new track was something that had to be checked out. ‘Identity’ is quite lovely in a chilled synth way, her vocals taking on a more Siouxsie haunting pop feel. As a B-side, it is as strong as any on the album Feel It Break and being a little airy and effervescent reminds me of the recently re released Geidi Primes by Grimes…it seems there’s quite a lot of electronic talent coming from Canada right now. Enjoy!

The Good Natured- EP Skeleton and new remixes from Crystal Fighters and Creep.

The Good Natured is made up of brother and sister Sarah and Hamish McIntosh along with George Hinton on drums. The trio are relatively new on the scene and at the tender age of 20, Sarah has written three tracks for the EP Skeleton that tackle ideas of escapism from the rat race and broken love affairs, the territory of angst ridden creativity after dropping out of University to pursue her band more seriously. Seems it was a good move as they were noticed by Robyn producer Patrik Berger and whisked to Stockholm.

Skeleton was out in June and shows a lovely dark sensibility in pop which has transferred itself stateside and been released as part of a 7 track mini album following in the footsteps of La Roux. The Good Natured have been compared to La Roux along with Ladytron, which isn’t hard to hear if you listen to ‘Wolves’ below, my favourite from the EP.

Signed to Regal/Parlophone and apparently inspired by her parents’ record collection of Depeche Mode, Siouxsie, Japan and Tears For Fears, an album from them is eagerly awaited. The first single from the EP was the rather catchy ‘Skeleton’, a little more indie pop sounding, an energetic mix of sirens Shirley Manson from Garbage and further back Saffron from Republica. The final track ‘The Hourglass’ is rather good too and again a little different, jump on their facebook to stream all three and listen to the remixes from the likes of Grum which is also a goody.

They seemed to slip under the radar here a bit but were noticed after Crystal Fighters did one of their rather superb Basque folktronica takes on ‘Wolves’, the title track from the EP, tweaking Sarah’s vocals and hitting a few bits of wood cleverly as they do to make it all rather sunset on a beach somewhere more exotic. It’s now available on free download so grab a last slice of summer feel on today, the first day of autumn.

If you’re anything like me and welcome darker evenings and a time of things more ominous, then jump on this rather chilling remix of Skeleton from the eerie girls from Creep…brilliant.

They are about to embark on a UK tour with The Wombats so will be getting more attention in the months to come, admittedly I’d have to be blindfolded and be wearing reinforced ear muffs to get through a Wombat set but nevertheless, a great slot for them co supporting with the other fab newbies Get People.

Related Links:

http://www.austramusic.com/
http://www.thegoodnatured.co.uk/

Related Posts:

Austra Feel It Break Album Review
Austra Live Review

Emika: Debut Album Review

2011-09-19T09:56:00.004+01:00

No surprises here, the self-titled debut from Emika is simply brilliant; haunting, ethereal and hook laden in mystery, showcasing a talent with a fearless approach to producing and performing that is unique and welcome in the current tidal wave of crossover electronica.

It is the sort of unblinkered approach to music that pulls from her own mixed English/Czech background and draws on influences from Bristol ‘house’ and ‘dubstep’ to Berlin’s ‘techno’. Emika’s inspiration goes way back into the archives of electro pioneering with her love of BBC Radiophonic Workshop and some of the first generation electro musicians yet ‘unsticking’ a genre sometimes fastened to the past, taking the best bits and placing it firmly in the future for a wider audience of music fans of all ages. Am I gushing, yes well Emika is worthy.

Having fallen head over heels with her early single ‘Count Backwards’ earlier in 2011, it was a much anticipated and excited wait for more releases and the recent double A single Pretend/Professional Loving really did not disappoint.

The only problem with reviewing an album this good is that you just want to sit and listen to it and it’s often too tempting to merely say ‘amazing, now go buy it’… but now for the tracks. The opener ‘3 hours’ is currently and well deservedly all over radio playlists this week and being ripped for eager fans online. It’s a building track with muted vocals lying over and under the instrumentation simultaneously resulting in a rich sound warming up with bass that vibrates to your core.

'3 Hours' - From Mary Anne Hobbs Xfm show by emika

‘Common Exchange’ is my favourite amongst tracks that are consistently strong making it hard to choose; it however was immediate and the sort you flick straight back on for a repeat of the spine tingling overload of your senses, yes really that good. The intro has a definite Depeche Mode feel to it, breaking into lighter vocalising from Emika, changing the pace and layering the music in deep and resonating ways interspersing charming ivory tinkling at unexpected times.

‘Professional Loving’ is a strong seductive soundscape of creative enslavement and frustration resulting in a moody, down tempo filmic quality. The drama and darkness finalised with a strangely haunting piano close, something that Emika seems to use more than occasionally, a nod to her classical training and expertise at merging different styles and genres of music. ‘Be My Guest’ feels to me like the album’s intermission, its Portishead like spookiness putting stories of alien sighting and crop circles onto manuscript. Basically, it’s kind of strange and hard to explain sending you into eerie realm with a chance breather at all the glitchy catchiness gone before and about to come.

‘Count Backwards’ is just shadowy perfection, a musical panic attack of countdown to calm within avant-guard creativity. Emika’s vocal shapeshift from creepy whispers to deep penetrating tones within uncomfortably pleasurable listening provoke and draw you into her madness. ‘Double Edge’ wakes you with its jerky movement and clubs up the feel just a margin showing the diversity of her imagination and then throws you headlong into ‘Pretend’ which boasts some of the best live footage seen in a while. The pretence is coldly vocalised along side some stark music with emotion simmering below the surface, this double A side with ‘Professional Loving’ being the perfectly seducing teaser for this album.

‘The Long Goodbye’ is a wail of melancholy, a tribal and divine feel not dissimilar to air of Fever Ray’s solo creativity. Strange and otherworldly, ‘At any given time’…anything could happen in this track. Finishing nicely with a Knife like vocal distortion and soaring depths of femininity showing off Emika’s range. Yes, you kind of lose yourself in random thoughts with this one. ‘FM Attention’ moves on with the distortion, a horror movie soundtrack of claustrophobia, sitting in waiting for you ready with an onslaught of glitchy footsteps.

‘Drop the Other’ and ‘Come Catch Me’ change the pace again and move back into more melodic yet erring on genius in its uniqueness, flirting with a more clubby feel again yet maintaining unpredictability. The whole album ends with a wonderfully self-indulgent piano epilogue, grandly earmarked ‘Credit Theme’, a beautifully simple come down that grounds and puts your feet back on earth.

Emika’s debut is a seduction of the senses, musically a celebration in originality and quite simply amazing. Now go buy it.

Emika is released on the 3^rd October with the album launch in London on the 5^th at The City Arts and Music Project.

Must Listens and assuming you’ve heard the recent double A, I would go for:

3 Hours

Common Exchange

Come Catch Me

Recently put on Soundcloud is this rather fab Album Mix, listen below...

Emika : Album Mix.... by emika

Full Track list:

3 Hours
Common Exchange
Professional Loving
Be My Guest
Count Backwards
Double Edge
The Long Goodbye
FM Attention
Drop The Other
Come Catch Me
Credit Theme

Related Links:

http://www.emika.co.uk/

Emika Album Launch

Also published on Electronically Yours, my other haunt.

Doctor Who: The Girl Who Waited (spoilers)

2011-09-17T15:56:00.008+01:00

"Do not be alarmed, this is a kindness"...maybe this was also the Doctor's justification for putting 'future' Amy out of her misery.

I came to this episode a little late this week after being told it contained one of the saddest moments in Doctor Who in a long time. Hmm perhaps a little touching but after all the complaints about last weeks ‘Christmassy’ feel good factor, I’m amazed the sentimentality of this episode didn't have those unromantic souls reaching for a bucket especially that ‘Rose-esque’ moment with the hands…bleurgh.

So my first observation this week; Karen Gillan is acting after all? Well older 'future' Amy was far easier to watch, much less irritating, pouty and had lost the awkward fidgeting. Which leads nicely to point number two; why on earth did they save the past Amy? Silly men.

The gnarled fingers and wizened features (miraculously not a grey hair in sight) may not be a patch on the peachy face and manicure in the eye-candy stakes of the younger Amy, but how much more useful would her new found, technical, ‘I made a sonic probe expertise and can kick a few handbots backsides in' be?

So very simply; Amy ‘future' and Amy ‘past’ are the same except older Amy has grown up, is wiser, independent and no longer hanging out for her doctor in shining Tardis to save her. A little bitter maybe but so much deeper and that all adds some character surely?

With Rory once again, there were flashes of affection returning and this could have led on to some more daring observations in relationships regarding time. Imagine her working in partnership with River Song too, there would be no need for the raggedy man and his outdated screwdriver? Probably as likely as the writers revisiting the idea of a female doctor though.

So we can sit back and muse the tragedy, the ‘lost’ years of the relationship between Amy and Rory and the euthanazing of her older worn by ‘waiting’ self? Lesson then girls, don’t bother waiting. At the end of the day though, youth and beauty too often wins over wisdom and experience.

Ironically Amy talks of the beauty in Rory’s face, his personality written all over him, a personality partially written, if you cast your mind back, by his own wait for many more years as a Centurian in the Pandorica story. On the subject of beauty, Amy reflects;

"And then you get to know them and their face just sort of becomes them. Like their personality is written all over it. And they turn into something so beautiful. Rory's the most beautiful man I've ever met."

Yet when it came to Amy and her entrapment in another dimension, that part of her was deleted; they effectively rubbed out 36 years of the same from Amy’s face, part of her own beauty, returning to a clean and very blank page that will continue to need to be rescued.

Verdict? I liked it from the interest point of view of how it unravelled into predictability. It wasn’t just teatime entertainment and at times looked like a sad reflection of society and its attitude to time passing with the values of youth over experience. The saddest moment for me was just before the Wizard of Oz ‘show me home’ moment as ‘future’ Amy watched Rory carry ‘past’ Amy over the threshold of the Tardis and remembered how much he had loved her. Perhaps a similar thought ran through her mind as she picked up a lipstick earlier, looked at Rory despondently and returned it to its place.

Was she really giving a ‘gift’ of the years back or just realising that being the same person with a few more years of personality written into your face is too often a lost battle. Very simply, the Doctor for me 'pulled time apart' and rescued the wrong part of Amy.

Well that’s what I thought when watching with a very overtired ‘festival’ recovering head. Not a bad episode although for now the second half of this series has been a bit 'pedestrian' and I'm hoping for something a little more 'gutsy' and adventurous in the next episodes. Did I see a flash of weeping angel in the trailer for the next episode? Or are they wheeling them out and hoping we don’t recognise them in that beeb cuts way? It was a flash, maybe I imagined it.

Related Post: Doctor Who finale or Merlin opener?

Jump to iplayer to watch again or catch up.

Images courtesy of the BBC.

Grimes with Geidi Primes and some new Housse De Racket...

2011-09-05T15:10:00.002+01:00

Grimes – Geidi Primes

Esoterically themed musician, Claire Boucher aka Grimes, a Montreal based musician and visual artist is about to tour this autumn and happily, this has resulted in the re release of Geidi Primes, her debut in 2010 on No Pain in Pop.

Her brand of electronic music is diverse, mostly palpating darkness topped with her floating and whimsical vocals, not dissimilar to the other Canadian electronic witchery Austra. Geidi Primes is in places blithe and flirtatious in spirit, not unlike Darkbloom’s ‘Vanessa’ and then switches to the more melancholic air of follow up LP Halfaxa with some of the tracks embarking into oriental pop sounds.

My two picks from the album have to be ‘Avi’ above and ‘Freyd Rautha Dark Heart’, both of which pulsate with bass, loops with electronics and woo you with her effervescent and airy vocals, more innocent elemental enchantment than spellwork but still leaves you inescapably charmed.

Feyd Rautha Dark Heart - Grimes by The Rake

If you missed this treat in 2010 as I did, you can get it now released on 12 inch vinyl and CD, a textured album, spiralling in its ethereal moments and strangeness.

Tracklist: Geidi Primes

Caladan

Sardaker Lauenbrech

Zoal, Face Dancer

Rosa

Freyd Rautha Dark Heart

Gambag

Grisgirs

Shadout Mapes

Beast Infection

Cheery tune for this week, well as cheery as I get anyway…

Housse De Racket – Chateau

I’ve been trying to get into festival mode this weekend in preparation for Bestival so lots of Bjork, Robert Smith, Crystal Fighters, PJ Harvey and once slightly sidetracked to middle of the night radio, the only time worth listening to most stations in my opinion, this little gem came on.

I’ve never really listened to them before but this could put a spring in anyone’s wellingtons really. No they’re not at Bestival so why am I waffling on? Well there’s a lot of beepy stuff going on at the festival and something like this would have fitted in nicely plus my mind’s a little all over the place in excitement and this will probably be my last music blog for a week or so.

So to the point, Housse De Racket is a Parisian band with a new album called Alesia. They’ve made some noise with the super cool Air in the past and this album could be worth a listen or two and some are in French if you want to broaden your horizons a bit. It’s quite hooky, has a fab middle eight and nice melody. Listen below and enjoy.

Related Post:
Grimes: Vanessa

Related Links:
http://www.myspace.com/boucherville
http://www.myspace.com/houssederacket

Doctor Who - Night Terrors (spoilers)

2011-09-05T15:05:00.004+01:00

Doctor Who does CBeebies doing Aphex Twin…

So Gatiss has allegedly written his most scary moments EVER in this week’s ‘Night Terrors’. Maybe if you're ten years old and that’s not a criticism. I liked this episode for it’s unashamedly ‘for the kids’ scare factor plus I like spooky wooden people and tiny replica furniture all packaged up in a period dolls house.

Yes your terrors going into a closet rather than coming out is a slight twist and the boy turns out to be an alien with some of the classic mind erasing that excuses most discrepancies in Who plot, that’s as clever as it gets though. Despite this, there were lots of pale faces, wide eyes and rearranging of soft toys afterwards (and that was just me) and just sometimes the Sci Fi grown ups need to back off and let it be a children’s show even when it’s not Christmas day cue big soppy dad ending.

There needs to be some filler episodes otherwise we could all tire of the ongoing story arcs and complications, to be honest, I don’t think ‘motherhood’ is in Amy’s acting repertoire, although that may be proved wrong so a break from that plot was welcome.

Click back to last week’s review, I’d already said she was an ‘Aunt Sally’ and this episode gives many hours of ‘wooden dolly’ impression opportunities too. They were fabulous for their funny zombie like walk and 'Blink-esque' surrounding of the little boy towards the end.

And the best thing to do while watching something for the children, see the adult subtext or inspiration. Clearly Gatiss is an Aphex Twin fan, from the urban decay, or ‘Eastendersland’, the batty old dear with a thing for rubbish, strange short people singing nursery rhyme wanting your soul, real monsters and a status dog. Maybe it’s just me? Check out ‘Come to Daddy’.

‘I just want to play’ *shudder* Makes it a million times more sinister instantly.

Don’t forget to catch up if you haven’t already by jumping on iplayer.

Crossover with Emika, Bjork and AlunaGeorge...

2011-09-03T22:46:00.007+01:00

Emika- video for Professional Loving

Continuing the love for Emika, the double A-side ‘Pretend/Professional Loving’ is out on the 5^th September and on the back of the rather fabulous live footage for ‘Pretend’, debuting this week has been the atmospherically charged Bat For Lashes ‘What a girl to do?’ styled video.

That is where the similarity stops though with Emika’s otherworldly vocals interplaying with the some clever and unique button pushing which draws from the glitchy electronic goddess’ classical training, dub techno and Berlin ‘cool’ influences.

The video starts with the drama of a waning moon on a cloudy night, a thoughtful Emika dragging a huge burden along a tree lined road and setting it alight while watching on coldly. Its simple yet effective formula is shot in a sophisticated way mirroring the down tempo but nonetheless filmic sound and movement of the track.

It’s almost an anti climax to read Emika’s own words of the track being about the fakery of friendship and control within the music industry circa the famous Prince ‘slave’ statement. Although thinking of it in light of suppressed creativity, rather than cold business, control over creativity can evoke the drama of a manipulated love affair and this video does portray this within its mystery and collision with nature and commerce.

As I’ve said before, both tracks are equally strong, seductive and build anticipation in wake of a debut album which is already getting a lot of media attention. I will be going to the album launch party in October and previewing the album so do keep eyes and ears open for the verdict which is already looking like a keeper and inimitable talent for 2011. (also published on Electronically Yours)

Jump here for: Emika Album Review

More Bjork! This time it’s all about the moon…

So teaser from Biophilia this week is the opening track ‘Moon’. The reviews are getting more and more mixed as the weeks go by and I can’t help but wonder if by the time we can get hold of it, I mean ‘really’ get hold of, in your hand in a CD case and not in this super duper brave new world apps madness way, whether we will all be tired of hearing about it all.

After some careful consideration, well a few minutes spent listening to Crystalline, Cosmogony and Virus again, I’m sure I won’t. So far I loved each track for its quirkiness and innocence, even childlike quality, traits that mirror the persona of the publicly known Bjork herself. Lots of beautiful harps and melodies burst forth from this track and as each has become available online in some form or another, it is clear this is a project of surprises to hold attention through the evolvement and mobility of sound in voice and instrument.

Tracklist: Biophilia

Moon
ThunderboltCrystalline
Cosmogony
Dark Matter
Hollow
Virus
Sacrifice
Mutual Core
Solstice

And now for something completely different..again.

AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It

AlunaGeorge is the fusion of London’s band members names Aluna Francis and George Reid and relatively new on the indie/electro/dub crossover scene.

Having really loved Aluna’s vocals on Analyser earlier this year, which holds the same charm for me as Lykke Li’s, between her unusual voice and George’s production, this track which is quite RnB/Dance inspired for my tastes, has won me over because it has tweaked a genre which many feel saturates too much radio play.

Glitch pop flirting with the mainstream and potential for wide appeal, again a new band that are happily unpredictable in sound and what they will be next crossing over with an energy not dissimilar to Santigold. Nicely choreographed video to match…my only criticism, where’s George? A mere silhouette towards the end, let’s see him dance for the next single?

And if you’re anything like me and always love a darker interpretation of the more light side of pop, Ninja signed Raffertie has remixed it and given it some more shadowy depths, sadly only a one and half clip soundclouding but enough to give you a taster… enjoy!

AlunaGeorge - You Know You Like It (Raffertie Remix) by Raffertie

Related links:

http://www.emika.co.uk/
http://www.alunageorge.com/
http://bjork.com/

Related Posts:

Glitchy Musicality with Bjork and Emika
Count Backwards With Emika
AlunaGeorge

The Return of Florence and her Machine...

2011-08-29T20:15:00.000+01:00

What The Water Gave Me...

Looking endearingly befuddled in her promo video for this new track, might explain the brown outfit (come on Flo, come back to black), this track isn't a single but a taster for the new long awaited second album.

Lyrically inspired by Virginia Woolf's suicide, (clearly Ms Welch reads my blog ' A Room of Her Own' then) She sings of her sacrifice to the water, the 'cruel mistress', her pockets full of stones mimicking Woolf's own self inflicted demise. The track is dark and her delivery implies abandonment and gothic theatre. Has to be good then.

This track hints at darker move in her creativity in contrast to the debut 'Lungs'. I listened to it for the first time after a year or so recently and after a saturation of the 'lovely and her machine', it's now sounding good again. Note to self, do not over play an album.

'What the Water Gave Me' is the consistent and immense vocalising of Florence along with dramatic percussion, harp and cymbal heavy, I did slightly miss the signature tribalistic drums in this one which have been replaced with more guitar. Still a great sound coming from those lungs with a very difficult follow up to a debut that was everywhere for a good year or so.

So to wait in anticipation for November to hear the album. It's looking like more hefty themes and melodrama packaged in the big and beautiful sound from the quirky one who is already looking like she will be around for a while yet, something quite hard to achieve in music right now and more so if your debut is huge.

http://florenceandthemachine.net/

Doctor Who - Let's Kill Hitler (review with spoilers)

2011-08-29T18:36:00.001+01:00

Or perhaps just use a slightly inflammatory episode title to dangle everyone for the summer into thinking the Doctor could actually change Europe’s darkest hour.

Yes maybe I am thinking about this too deeply but first off what a waste of the setting Berlin and secondly if you’re going to make a farce of Hitler, don’t just stick him in a broom cupboard, at least have the backbone to do it Basil Fawlty style and offend a few people.

And then hurtle onward with the drama and introduce another little girl that had dreams of marrying the doctor in the form of Amy’s best friend Mels, who then turns out to be Melody Pond. Link in a few clips of them in history lessons, her claims that the Doctor didn't save the Titanic or stop Hitler and her subsequent ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’ line in a crop circle after stealing a flash car in a ‘Back to the Future’ appear from nowhere moment…exhausted yet? Too much, too soon really.

The other dangler from the half series finale was that River Song was Amy and Rory’s daughter. There had been a slow build up of hints and trickery as to what was going on and I think leaping straight into her childhood could have waited.

Amy and Rory have basically lost a baby and then gained an adult daughter, kind of a lot for the viewer to take on and clever writing could have created a believable bond between the three. However, rushing into her childhood, a speedy regeneration and revelation Melody had been around them all the time just made the bond look weak and unbelievable. Every time the young Melody or River says ‘mummy’ to Amy, it sounds ridiculous and lacks the depth for you to even care anymore whether the parents ever get their child back (accept they have) flimsy plot really that had a promising start. If anyone questions it, just shout ‘Silence’ and all will be OK and explained.

Anyway, enough moaning, the first ten minutes of nonsense was quickly remedied by impressive metamorphosis robots powered by teeny tiny people, the Doctor got a big improvement in the wardrobe department, although again, completely unexplained, the change into top hat and tails and choreographed staggering was very entertaining.

River Song was as feisty and flirtatious as always with lots of innuendo ‘never shoot a girl when she’s regenerating’ yes very good along with the jodhpurs tease.

‘Berlin on the eve of war. A world about to tear itself apart. Now that’s my kind of town’

Great line but the setting didn’t portray this although River does seem to get the best ones; how many of us have wanted to say ‘Hello boys’ to a bunch of Nazi soldiers?

I loved the robotic Amy, especially when she turned her squeaky head to blankly look at herself and Rory reminding me of the wooden Aunt Sally in Worzel Gummidge. Wooden is clearly one of her specialist areas. Rory finally got his balls thumping a few soldiers, riding off on a motorbike and quipping amusingly about the ‘miniaturisation ray’ shortly before the deadly jellyfish – esque exterminators turned up.

Again the bond between Amy, Rory and River is flawed as they allow River, without question, to save the Doctor at the expense of her own regeneration power. Of course they wouldn’t have known this, but caring parents would question it especially as River asks ‘Is he worth it?’ She was clearly going to do something big.

Hopefully this will grow as the series moves on though, as although the parent bond thing would be fragile with the short lived pregnancy and infancy circumstances, there has to be something for you to even care about their relationship and the tiny flashes of affection haven’t brought that across so far.

I find the ‘almost’ killing of the Doctor thing a little annoying and repetitive now but did like his guilt being dragged up via the voice interface companions. Now he’s seen the date of his own death on the beach too so it’s all a rather confusing ‘the boy who cried wolf’ situation. Will the Doctor ever die? If they keep doing this, we won’t care anymore.

So all in all, silly title, poor beginning then ‘kapow’, big Doctor Who (with quip) opener, impressive robots and baddie creatures and a fabulous spooky doll trailer for next week, hopefully less rushed and with more creep you out atmosphere.

(with thanks to Orac for grabbing images courtesy of the beeb)

Jump here to iplayer to watch.

The Hour: Crosswords and Soviet Spies

2011-08-28T15:23:00.000+01:00

BBC 2 Drama by Abi Morgan

So big shocker then viewers, the media, print and broadcasting, kowtow to the government as far back as the stylish 50’s.

This web of media collusion is all via crossword puzzles and soviet spies resulting in the big riddle ‘Brightstones’. Feel scared if you’re on that list basically. And no I’m not going to mention ‘Mad Men’, mostly as I’ve never seen it.

So to set the scene, it’s 1956 and the BBC are launching a new magazine programme under the watchful eyes of producer Bel Rowley (later revealed as picked by Clarence Fendley, Head of News, mostly at the easier option over a male producer, this was the era epitomising gender inequality)

The opening episode kicked off with intrigue and hints of deep seated conspiracy with a distress call from Lady Ruth, an old friend of investigative journalist Freddie Lyon, the creepy crossword guy, Thomas Kish, the murder of political/academic mover and shaker Peter Darral against the background of 50’s London and posters such as ‘Keep Mum, The World Has Ears’. Starting with a bloody murder on the London Underground and ending with the suspicious hanging of Lady Ruth Elms, the next few episodes were about knitting this all together in an elaborate plot of ‘Who’s the baddie/spy/traitor?’

There are a few references to the gender issues of the time; the reference to Bel’s ‘nurturing’ instinct in a patronising manner, dubious reasons for her appointment as producer and later ticking off for the affair with presenter, Hector.

Hector’s wife Marnie’s inane Bridge playing and acceptance of her husband’s infidelity after a high society arranged marriage was frustrating.

She briefly showed some ‘balls’ confronting Bel but later slips back into dutiful daughter/wife role when her options were more open than most women of the time with ‘daddy’ being able to arrange a divorce.

There was some loyalty to the era but for me, considering it was written by a woman, these issues were not really brought to the front and to be honest I didn’t find Bel a convincing career woman, especially with her fast action jumping into bed with her presenter and ‘oh god’ she blubbed at the end, that’s how hard hitting 'journo' she was. There is also the telling moment as Bel walks away from the ‘men only’ bar that she is excluded from despite being the producer.

The female characters were not particularly strong other than the brilliant Lix Storm whose character was a little under developed after some teasing about a broken love affair and her flawed affections.

I wanted to know about her photography career, why she hadn’t danced since the 40’s, why she drank so much and actually I think she was miscast and would have made a more convincing Bel Rowley.

There are rumours afoot of another series so maybe the women will be more of the backbone of the conspiracy theorising/solving while in keeping with the time. Very simply I would have liked a character like Marnie to be meatier but let’s wait and see. Having modernist ideals in an era of such inequality is a tricky balance though and I thought the open dating between Sissy and the black guy was a little ahead of its time perhaps?

I really liked the link in with the ‘woman in trouble’ Ruth dilemma and the way high society ‘killed two birds with one stone’ by trying to marry her off to the gay actor, Adam Le Ray, who later turned out to be involved with the slimy politician, Angus McCain.

Episode two and three were ‘fillers’ for me (great shots of English countryside estates and ‘hunting, shooting and fishing’ nonsense plus the links with aristocracy, politicians and media moguls) but episode four moved things on with the affair between Bel and Hector and the ‘connection’ between Bel and Freddie (Will they, won’t they, did they ever?) but mostly the escalation of historical events such as the Suez Canal Crisis in a country still in recovery from the war and unravelling of the Empire, the beginnings of the downfall of Anthony Eden and overlooking of Budapest and the Hungarian revolution started to liven it all up a bit.

The final episode really brought Freddie Lyon to the forefront and upped the risk factor with the programming and sudden revelations from Lord and Lady Elms and the dreaded Brightstone list.

Bel Rowley showed more backbone in the finale with her hellbent focus to keep to the overall claim by Freddy ‘newsreels are dead, we’ve bored the public for too long’ exposure type reporting going dangerously against Clarence and McCain in order to report the truth at the expense of her career.

Ultimately though, Freddy was the one who ‘pulled it off’ and got the programme taken off air despite the later revelation from Clarence about his motives in information sharing and 'running' stories.

To the bitter end Freddie stamps Bel with the pet name ‘Moneypenny’ even though she was his boss, friendly joshing but again a reality check for the time.

Overall’ The Hour’ was a good Beeb drama with, admittedly, some sleepy parts that maybe could have been cut down and speeded up for three episodes rather than six. Certainly not exclusively for the interest of those working in the media business and timely programming with the current news domination of control issues in the media and civil disquiet on the streets. Biggups for Freddie Lyons, Lix Storm and Sissy (Now why wasn’t she a spy?) for me in this…and well done for those on the peripheral. Not bad at all for a corporation making a programme about itself?

Jump on iplayer here to catch up if you missed...all episodes can be seen now, please check iplayer for availability as all are off by 2nd September.

Jump to the official BBC website : The Hour

Cast:

Bel Rowley - Romola Garai
Freddie Lyon - Ben Whishaw
Hector Madden - Dominic West
Marnie Madden - Onna Chaplin
Clarence Fendley - Anton Lesser
Lix Storm - Anna Chancellor
Lady Elms - Juliet Stevenson
Lord Elms - Tim Piggot- Smith
Sissy Cooper - Lisa Greenwood
Ruth Elms - Vanessa Kirby
Thomas Kish - Burn Gorman
Adam La Rey - Andrew Scott
Angus McCain - Julian Rind- Tutt
Peter Darral - Jamie Parker
Issac Wengrow - Joshua McGuire

Fearless returns, more Bjork kook and some Dove pop...

2011-08-27T12:55:00.004+01:00

I've been a very lazy blogger lately so apologies. Here's what has grabbed my attention over the last week or maybe two...

Death in Vegas featuring Katie Stelmanis – Your Loft

After a very long break, Richard Fearless is back with his band and a new album and yes there’s not a Gallagher in sight this time round, it is time to forgive that mad foray into ’Beatleism’ (ick) and focus more on the past genius of the likes of 'Dirge', a personal fave of mine especially since being used in Being Human last supernatural spectacular.

Death in Vegas’ return with ‘Your Loft’ uses the recognisable vocals of Katie Stelmanis looping in ambient weirdness in places, very different from Austra’s darkwave electronica. The album Trans Love Energies is out 12^th Sept and does feature her guest vocalising on two tracks; good move by Mister Fearless.

The long spacey intro kicks into a retro acid sound ( little person in the room thought I was playing a computer game, as if ) mixed in with some disco like vocal looping, a bit Debbie Harry mashed up with Donna Summer, very big sound, warm evening festival noise. If you like clubby electronica or Austra, this will interest you, if not more for Katie’s flexibility and unexpected jump out of the dark side.

Bjork – Virus

Track 3 from the ever growing ‘project’ Biophilia is ‘Virus’, completely what you would expect but at the same time ‘not’… harmonious and percussion laden kookiness. An acrimonious metaphor for love, attaching to bodies with no escape yet still sounds so lovely.

‘I feast inside you, my host is you’ and

‘I adapt, contagious, you open up, say welcome.’ sounds like a command and that the ‘perfect match’ is inescapable.

‘Virus’ musically sounds very percussively cute but contradictory in its message of diseased love. I like it. Maybe it’s me but ‘virus’ just sounds malevolent, ‘love’ however, bring on in bucket loads; a very interesting concept. It will be interesting to see how the Bestival crowd react to this new material on the closing night of the British festival season.

Niki & the Dove – Last Night

Niki & the Dove certainly seem to be the darlings of blogspere and the popular music press at the moment which is great but the word ‘haunting’ is being bandied around like no tomorrow.

I don’t think there’s been much overly haunting going on since ‘Mother Protect’ from last year and I’m still waiting for something as mind blowing as ‘DJ, Ease My Mind’. Having said that the EP ‘The Fox’ was pretty fab and the new track debut online ‘Last Night’ has the signature tribal drumming alongside some pure pop gorgeousness. I’ve never found the tracks ‘instant’ but that’s often a good sign for me, the glitchy percussion of these passion power lyrically driven pop songs get to you in the end.

So never go solely by reviews basically, I hear 80’s film soundtrack in this again, you may get a spooky spine chilling shiver from it, that’s the beauty of music and of course reviewing, it’s all subjective. Listen and decide for yourself…if there’s one thing that can’t be disputed, they’re making a mark with some pretty unique music. Looking forward to what the next EP release will bring.

And now...Countdown to Bestival...woop! (Rain rain go away)

Cold Cave: Cherish The Light Years: Album Review/Emika's Professional Loving

2011-08-15T21:15:00.005+01:00

Are you feeling self indulgent and in need of some austere yet romantic darkwave? Well Cold Cave can provide that with frontman Wesley Eisold's deep, disaffected angst ridden vocals echoing that of New Order, Depeche Mode and The Cure.

The new wave sound is given a modern American edge and mixed up with some of the theatre of IAMX, it's all rather goth pop new wave lovely. Listen to the rather good 'Confetti' below, it is a bit ' Tonight I'm going to be Dave Gahan' in places and yes I did say once 'no more wanabees needed here', however I renounce temporarily as Cold Cave aren't irritating about it.

The album was released in April on Matador in 2011 but with so much good music about, it's easy for some to pass you by...you can stream the album below for a very thorough taster. Starting with the theatrics of Bauhaus and more recently IAMX 'The Great Pan is Dead' kicks off with an impressive start, the album then leaps to a definite Cure sound with 'Pacing Around The Church' and 'Catacombs'.

'Underworld USA' has a distinctly New Ordery feel but my favourite is definitely 'Confetti'...so far. 'Burning Sage' jumps back to the the more industrial sound of their debut Love Comes Close but to be honest this album seems to be getting more attention and hopefully more still now they've supported Austra and The Kills.

All in all, nine strong tracks, sublime synths and swirling guitars topped by brooding vocals without the pomp of some bands that have tried the same, well maybe a little for that nocturnal melodrama. They are playing at Reading Festival so if you're lucky enough to be going, dodge the predictable headliners and seek out the noir deliciousness of Cold Cave.

If you'd like to buy the album digitally and support indie labels hit by the recent PIAS fire in the riots, jump here Boomkat: support PIAS labels

More Emika : Professional Loving

My latest girl crush Emika's double A-side single Pretend/Professional Loving is quite possibly the most spookily beautiful offering of eerie electro in recent weeks. 'Pretend' has a wonderful live clip that I blogged last week, jump here if you missed it.

The other track is just gorgeousness and equally as fearless and unique with so many influences evident from her classical training to her home town's Bristol stamp of techno dub vision. This is all merged with the multifarious Berlin scene where she also lives and records part of the time.

Emika - Professional Loving by Verstörter Charakter

This atmospheric track has the Portishead downtempo of Count Backwards and ends with a quite lovely 'filmic' piano showing what an amazing new and diverse talent Emika is...lovelovelove. It is quite unusual for me to be undecided which track I prefer which I think must be a good thing. Listen and enjoy...

Related Posts :

Glitchy Musicality: Bjork and Emika
Count Backwards with Emika

Related Links:

Pre order Emika Pretend/Professional Loving here: http://ninjatune.net/release/emika/pretend-professional-loving

Glitchy Musicality: Bjork and Emika

2011-08-03T19:53:00.001+01:00

Bjork: Each song is a star in the galaxy…

‘Cosmogony’ is my next focus from the biggest musical project of the decade so far; Bjork’s starry eyed awe of the origins of the solar system while aboard her ‘mother’ ship.

For weeks now, I’ve felt like I’ve been trying to wade through quicksand when reading about the ideas behind the creation and distribution of Biophilia. I took delight in the old fashioned ‘I still like a CD’ way when hearing it will be released in a physical sense in autumn. I also kept the mantra in my head ‘She’s at Bestival, I’m at Bestival so stick this app nonsense where the stars/crystals blah di blah really won’t twinkle’. I stubbornly chose the quicksand over embracing Bjork’s ‘brave new world’ however; I take it all back having listened to this interview on XFM.

Very simply, an overdose of kooky, yes, but also a visual and tactile demonstration and interactive musicality to show the movement of music via nature... Have a listen on the link above (look for the purple) , it does make sense when she charmingly explains it. She also makes a really good point about the defeatist self pitying attitude of the music industry regarding online distribution of music and the need for artists to come up with creative solutions.

So listen below to the full version of ‘Cosmogony’, signature Bjork strangeness with her quite lovely melodic vocals. There’s a shift towards the end in this track too, but unlike the claustrophobic machine of Crystalline, it’s a soothing, eerie wonderment.

Bjork has the iconic status that some cynics would say she could dress as a buttercup and play a tune through a blade of grass backed by Borrowers and people would still ‘cry’ over her art. Well, yes I say; she’s still brilliant all these years later.

Emika: Just for tonight, we can pretend…

And now to revisit the rich imaginations of Emika. I fell in love with her immediately with Count Backwards and Double Edge.

This new release on Ninja is super lovely, the techno dub electronic goddess is throwing a big piece of her classical training, her Bristol dub inspiration and Berlin ‘cool’ into a melting pot of bass and glitchy synths with the double A side ‘Pretend/Professional Loving.

She has produced something that sounds cold in its portrayal of pretense, yet her humanity simmers under the starkness of the music through her unique and atmospherically varied vocals. Emika’s sophisticated and fearless approach to electronic music is outside of the mainstream but very listenable.

Really looking forward to her self titled album in October so listen and watch this fabulous live clip; polka dotted, bobbed hair gorgeousness included...lovelovelove.

Related Links:

XFM Interview with Bjork
Music Making Me Smile This Week
Count Backwards with Emika

Music making me smile this week...

2011-07-26T15:16:00.003+01:00

M83, Bjork and some Amy to remember...

Celebrate the return of M83 with the new single ‘Midnight City’, a sunshiny bundle of synth gorgeousness. Dreamy layers of summery pop perfection from the French band which will hopefully boot ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ off the radio playlists (please…I liked it, now if I hear it again, I may kill someone) with this ode to summery electro.

It’s instant and lifting and indicates more good things to come from the forthcoming album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming in October.

Let’s not forget ‘We Own The Sky’ from 2008’s Saturdays = Youth with its lovely woozy ambience and this new single evokes the same feeling. Anthony Gonzalez has had a little help from friends Morgan Kibby and Zola Jesus for this album so it’s all looking surpassingly like a chilled indulgence for autumn.

Have a little listen below, light poppy beep with some super retro saxophone towards the end; for me the track could lose that bit but for many reminiscing the days of pop song sax, I reckon it could be the clincher, it even fades out…enjoy!

Bjork: new video for Crystalline...

Bjork’s ‘Crystalline’ now has a superbly bonkers animated video and the more you listen to this track the more it grows, the clearer the lyrics become as she conquers claustrophobia, anxiety and demands light all via the metaphor of rocks.

She sings of the core of the earth, kissing quartz, yet for this video appears to be in a bubble in space surrounded by rocks, shooting stars, weird planets; who really knows where she is, planet Bjork could be a whole other galaxy.

This is surely why her uniqueness continues to gather love or sends people reeling in confusion as she creates more curious otherworldliness in her internal nebular. That drum machine towards the end certainly does make me feel claustrophobic. Well, enough analysing, check out the video, Button Moon for grown ups.

Very muchly looking forward to seeing her at Bestival thanks to my mum, who I now call ‘My Miracle’. *Mwah* for grabbing me one of the few remaining camper van tickets. Tent? Me? No way!

Amy remembered: big voice, big hair, best eyeliner in the business.

And finally, farewell to Amy Winehouse, a brilliant song writer and performer when at her best. Rather than dwelling on her mistakes, remember her achievements which far outweigh them. One of my faves below…a sad loss that happens too often in music. In her own light now.

The Night Watch: BBC2 drama (spoilers)

2011-07-15T21:14:00.001+01:00

Based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Waters, finding this one off drama was a happy accident as I perused iplayer for something decent to watch. I say ‘happy’ but actually, there’s nothing I like more than getting a bit cry baby watching something and this does have its moments.

Starting in 1947, this film has an interesting structure as it tells the stories of the four main characters, Kay, Viv, Duncan and Helen backwards, straying from the more traditional flashback methods. It works brilliantly especially as it ends with the line;

‘’Someone once said, a happy ending depends on where you decide to stop your story, then again, it could be when you realise your story is not yet over, then you are only at the end of the beginning.‘’

The immediate riddle of these four stories is why is Kay so unhappy and walking the streets of 1940’s London (grimly and wonderfully shot in my opinion) dressed androgynously and clearly too modern for her peers going by the reactions she gets.

For me she is the most interesting character, the most in control of her emotions yet not and if there is one disappointment with this drama, it is that it’s a one off and probably could have been fleshed out into three parts.

So back to my point, the film starts in 1947, the end and the beginning and it continues to play around with the whole concept of time and question whether there are, if any, defining points other than what we make of them. Kay is traumatised, Viv is having an unsatisfactory affair, Duncan is living with a much older man and Helen is in a relationship with a vampish lady who clearly has some connection to Kay going by the quick flash to Julia’s new book in the newspaper. Four people that have survived a war externally but internally all seem to be fighting.

The second part to the riddles of these characters is Viv’s wedding finger ring and its connection to Kay who she sees walking the street. Why is she so desperate to find her and thank her? Clever unravelling ensues as the four stories rewind and travel backwards and the threads of connection start to show especially with the teaser of tormented pasts within the relationship of Helen and Julia.

The time travelling elements to the stories were shown with a rewind button too, it quite took me by surprise the first time, speeded up and after Duncan has been cleaning a clock dial, and Kay walks towards her old ambulance door, via an alleyway (yes, a bit Goodnight Sweetheart which due to the novel being rushed into 90 minutes, did give it that sitcom element of speed at times). However, this is soon overtaken with the harsh reality of the Blitz, the footage we all know of rubble never had the remains of children and mothers mixed in, but when thinking about it, of course it did.

Kay’s connection to Julia is revealed, as is the harsh reality, again, of a woman having an affair in these times; cut to early pregnancy vomiting, home made attempts at getting rid of the ‘inconvenience’ i.e. throwing yourself down the stairs (in footie match slow motion dive replay) and knitting needles. It all ends with the brutality of illegal back street abortion, via your dentist (yes I’m going to be looking at those instruments in a new and terrifying light from now on).

Not to make light of a serious issue, the film subtly hints at the horrors of the time for women as well as the political leaning of how to push women’s role; it’s a war so they can wear trousers and be brave, once it’s all over, they will urged to put the apron back on (50’s housewives).

The outcome of this abortion are predictably awful and shows us why the young Viv is so grateful to Kay and her snake ring, worn to imitate a wedding band for a young woman who has committed a crime. Stressed yet? Yes I was too especially as Reggie the offender ran off in Viv’s hour of need as she hemorrhaged all over a hotel room.

1944 was proving the year of trauma for them all, other than Duncan who is languishing in the Scrubs with his fine friend Robert Fraser at this point, crying and masturbation scenes afoot. His trauma is 1941 where we land shortly…after Kay has thought Helen dead but then realised she’s been having a sneaky snog with the vamp Julia.

Quick time travel to 1941, which clears up Kay and Helen’s first meeting, confirms her relationship with the now needy Julia and tells Duncan’s story of assisted suicide, too rushed really. I didn’t connect with him much at all or even feel a bit sorry for him when he realised his sister had bagged his beau from prison, I was too happy for Viv getting out of the affair with the spineless charmer.

So back to my previous point, brilliant but too condensed. Favourite character has to be the turmoil of Kay, a stand alone story of its own. It seemed Viv got the happy ending; the queers only had a hint of one, if you decide where the story ends that is?

Sarah Waters of ‘Tipping the Velvet’ and ‘Fingersmith’ fame, yes she’s naughty isn’t she? But also brilliant, let’s have more lesbians with a story and not for titillation in the mainstream. Well done Beeb. Now I'm off to buy the book.

Credits

Author Sarah Waters
Kay Langrish Anna Maxwell-Martin
Helen Giniver Claire Foy
Vivian Pearce Jodie Whittaker
Julia Standing Anna Wilson-Jones
Duncan Pearce Harry Treadaway
Robert Fraser JJ Feild
Reggie Nigri Liam Garrigan
Nancy Carmichael Claudie Blakley
Horace Mundy Kenneth Cranham
Director Richard Laxton
Producer Ann Tricklebank
Writer Paula Milne

Jump here to watch, only four days left now. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012mb0r

Melodee Writes

Book Review: The Sealed Letter – Emma Donoghue (spoilers)

Keep Shelly in Athens – New video for ‘Our Own Dream’.

iamamiwhoami –Sever/Drops

Drive - 2011 directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (spoilery)

The Woman in Black – directed by James Watkins/Script Jane Goldman

Nightlife: 'Radio' EP out now

Grimes- Visions- album review (release date March 12th)

Rosemary, Crim3s and a new video from Au Palais...

Being Human: Series 4. Big Fangs To Fill

Book Review: Before I Go To Sleep - SJ Watson

Miike Snow, Lykke Li, Me And My Drummer and Purity Ring

Beauty and Power: Real and Made Up

New Grimes, Gazelle Twin plus videos from Austra and Emika

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Sherlock – A Scandal in Belgravia

Book Review: The Sense of an Ending- Julian Barnes (a few spoilers but not biggies)

Niki & The Dove…release two new videos.

Sounds *during* 2012: an alternative list.

iamamiwhoami - Who are they anyway?

Wuthering Heights – directed by Andrea Arnold

The Golden Filter: Syndromes

Misfits: Series 3- Episode 1 (spoilers)

New this week: High Places and Zambri

This Week...Orbital, Grimes and super Niki & The Dove live footage

Paper Crows-When Friends Survive/Gone

The Fades – BBC3 supernatural fantasy (Spoilers naturally)

Au Palais- Tender Mercy

Bewitching music for the weekend anyone?

The Do: album review of 'Both Ways Open Jaws' and teasers from M83 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.

Doctor Who finale or Merlin opener?

Jane Eyre – directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga 2011

New Austra track 'Identity' and remixes for The Good Natured...

Emika: Debut Album Review

Doctor Who: The Girl Who Waited (spoilers)

Grimes with Geidi Primes and some new Housse De Racket...

Doctor Who - Night Terrors (spoilers)

Crossover with Emika, Bjork and AlunaGeorge...

The Return of Florence and her Machine...

Doctor Who - Let's Kill Hitler (review with spoilers)

The Hour: Crosswords and Soviet Spies

Fearless returns, more Bjork kook and some Dove pop...

Cold Cave: Cherish The Light Years: Album Review/Emika's Professional Loving

Glitchy Musicality: Bjork and Emika

Music making me smile this week...

The Night Watch: BBC2 drama (spoilers)

Credits

Sounds during 2012: an alternative list.