Review: Dälek - Gutter Tactics

Artist: Dälek
Album: Gutter Tactics
Rating: 4 out of 5
In a nutshell: Not your typical, polished hip-hop record

I'm a person who doesn't listen to much hip hop. No, I don't dismiss it out of my roots being a metalhead. My music taste has grown much more eclectic, yet typical hip hop has not got in into that varied mix of genres. Though there are exceptions. I admire Eminem's genius for lyricism and realism and Kanye West's gift for beats. But nothing has captivated me more than your not-so-typical rap outfit, Dälek.

Dälek - No Question




Listen to the above track, and you suddenly realise that this is a group that is not afraid to experiment outside the comfort zone of gangsta rap. Here they employ a gritty lyricism that evokes anger and narrates stories of social injustice and violence, in contrast with a genre that seems to almost willingly promote sexism, materialism and violence.

In a sense, this is hip hop at its purest. This is taking elements from different sounds and then mixing it into a melting pot, experimenting with different ideas and sonic influences.

More often than not, the grit and the poetry here are one and the same. Its anger is its beauty, its political dissatisfaction a vehicle that moves along its sonic, dream-like journey. Dälek's verses are inventive and intelligent, and in The Oktopus's (the producer) musical vision of trauma and doom, it becomes an epic commentary of American hypocrisy.

Gutter tactics indeed.

Signing out

Over and out

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Now playing: Dälek - 2012 (The Pillage)
via FoxyTunes

Review: Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light

Artist: Antony & The Johnsons
Album: The Crying Light
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
In a nutshell: A rustic pre-apocalyptic ode

Contributing his voice to Hercules & Love Affair's self-titled debut album, Antony Hegarty injected a certain elegance in projecting poignancy and pain in one of last year's best single' 'Blind.' This is no mean feat considering Hercules & Love Affair is essentially a disco project.

What we have in 'The Crying Light' is more of the same, without of course the disco music. Antony Hegarty's voice is nothing if not moving. His vibrating vocals just always manages to send shivers down your spine. Through that voice alone he projects a sense of longing, for another world, and for another life.

The album actually starts with the vaguely optimistic 'Her Eyes Are Underneath The Ground' and the oddly-named 'Epilepsy Is Dancing.' This song does dance into your ears and is weirdly infectious. Then it plunges into a mournful grief from there on.

The album on its whole is an elegy to our dying world. 'I need another world / This one's nearly gone,' he laments in 'Another World.' There's a simple poetry to his words. It's all idyllic and rustic, but at the same time it's also incredibly mournful. He pays tribute to Mother Nature, singing of birds, seas and the wind, as if they were lovers. 'I'm gonna miss the wind / Been kissing me so long,' he grieves.

'Another World'




Sometimes his singing borders on the appearance of incoherence, never more so than in 'Dust & Water,' which becomes chant-like in parts. This is where he fails. The funereal tone of the whole album does wear you down out of sheer repetitiveness. Though it is beautiful, there is only so much pain and death a person can take in 40 minutes.

Signing out

Over and out

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Now playing: Antony And The Johnsons - Everglade
via FoxyTunes

My Top 50 Films Of All Time

I was bored, and I was looking through the imdb Top 250 Films list for ideas on what to watch. So I decided I might as well do my own. But I'm not about to dish out a list of 250 films. Let's just do 50, yeah? That sounds good. A nice round number, and a multiple of 5.

Notice that 'The Dark Knight' rules supreme. Yes, I do think it's the best film I have ever seen. And before you criticise me for not inserting your favourite film, let me just say I haven't seen every single movie out there. For example, I haven't seen 'Schindler's List,' 'The Shawshank Redemption' (well, not till the end anyway) or those really old films from the 40's/50's/60's. This is my list.

'Pulp Fiction'

1. The Dark Knight (2008)
2. Pulp Fiction (1994)
3. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
4. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
5. Wall-E (2008)
6. The Big Lebowski (1998)
7. The Breakfast Club (1985)
8. Pan's Labyrinth [El Laberinto del Fauno] (2006)
9. Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
10. Kill Bill: Vol. 1-2 (2003-2004)
11. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
12. My Neighbour Totoro [Tonari No Totoro] (1988)
13. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
14. Lord Of The Rings (2001-2003)
15. Back To The Future (1985-1990)
16. American Beauty (1999)
17. The Lion King (1994)
18. Spirited Away [Sen To Chihiro No Kamikakushi] (2001)
19. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
20. Gremlins (1984-1990)
21. 300 (2006)
22. American History X (1998)
23. No Country For Old Men (2007)
24. Life Is Beautiful [La Vita E Bella] (1997)
25. Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
26. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
27. The Incredibles (2004)
28. The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006)
29. The Truman Show (1998)
30. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
31. Juno (2007)
32. The Godfather (1972)
33. Batman Begins (2005)
34. King Kong (2005)
35. Knocked Up (2007)
36. The Matrix (1999-2003)
37. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
38. Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003-2007)
39. I Am Legend (2007)
40. Cloverfield (2008)
41. Sin City (2005)
42. Blood Diamond (2006)
43. The Last King Of Scotland (2006)
44. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2004)
45. Shrek (2001-2007)
46. Star Wars (1977-1983)
47. Ju-On: The Grudge (2003)
48. Spider-Man (2002-2007)
49. Babel (2006)
50. V For Vendetta (2005)

'A Clockwork Orange'

Yes, 'The Godfather' is #32. Boo hoo. I think I'm committing film blasphemy by saying it's not in my Top 10. But hey, I just happen to think 'Juno' is better. Never thought you'd hear that, did you? 'Juno' better than 'The Godfather'?

I have quite a few animated films in there too. There are people who are quick to dismiss animated films as 'cartoons,' lacking the depth of live action films. The truth is, these people are missing out. 'Wall-E' has more depth and more character than most films. 'The Lion King' is a brilliant tribute to Shakespeare's Hamlet. 'Spirited Away' is magical and enthralling, and 'My Neighbour Totoro' is one of the most endearing stories that has ever been told about childhood.

Teenage films used to be good. 'The Breakfast Club' exposes the inadequacies of enforcing stereotypes. 'Gremlins' was a teenage horror flick with a timeless charm and a self-deprecating humour. Now we're being infested with the so-called 'tweens,' and leading the march is, sadly, Disney. Films like 'High School Musical' and 'Camp Rock' are lacking in depth and charm, relying on the attractiveness of the cast and the catchiness of the songs. There are better musicals out there.

What recent films have been succeeding in doing is drama when infused with other genres. 'Cloverfield' for instance would seem on the surface to be a monster disaster movie, but in reality it is actually a film about people just trying to survive. The monster itself is a side dish. The true essence of the film is its humanity.

Adaptations from books doesn't necessarily mean a bad film. Take for example 'A Clockwork Orange.' One of Stanley Kubrick's best films, it is based on the novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess. Other book-to-film adaptations include 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'No Country For Old Men.' Even comic books (or graphic novels) can provide a brilliant flick, like 'Sin City,' 'Spider-Man' and 'V For Vendetta.'

A film doesn't even have to tie all its loose ends to make it a great one. There's 'Babel,' 'Cloverfield' and 'I Am Legend,' and they all refuse to give you all the answers. Arguably, having all the answers and all loose ends tied is an unrealistic thing.

Here's a list of prospective films (not necessarily new) that I want to watch in the near future:
'Vicky Christina Barcelona'
'Doubt'
'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas'
'Milk'
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
'RockNRolla'
'The Wrestler'
'Frost / Nixon'
'The Shawshank Redemption'
'Schindler's List'
'Revolutionary Road'
'Changeling'
'Waltz With Bashir'

Signing out

Over and out

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Now playing: Genghis Tron - Board Up The House
via FoxyTunes

Review: Beirut - Holland/March Of The Zapotec

Artist: Beirut
Album: Holland / March Of The Zapotec
Rating: 4 out of 5
In a nutshell: Brilliantly eclectic

I've never heard of Beirut before I recently read it in a friend's blog who thought it was brilliant. So I thought I'd give it a try. And it didn't disappoint. By the way, I'm writing this in the point of view of someone who has never heard Beirut before.

Technically this is a double EP. 'Holland' is produced under Zach Condon's (the man behind the one-man band that started it all) old moniker, realpeople. And he's right to use two different names for two different sides of this brilliant release. The two EPs are very different indeed.

On 'March Of The Zapotec,' he collaborates with the Jimenez Band, who - believe it or not - is a 19-piece Mexican funeral band. Oh, it's gonna be dark, sad and all background i.e. dull music, I hear you say. Not quite. Beirut's strength here lies in his ability to blend his emotions in his music. There's a darkness to it. There's a sultriness to it. And there's also an optimism to it. It's all quite sensual. There's so much here that grabs you. It's a kind of a mini orchestra with every little thing catching your attention here and there.

'Holland' on the other hand is a more upbeat affair. It's electronica stripped down to its bare bones. My particular favourite here is 'My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille.' It sounds like James Yuill if he decided to employ a mellow Matthew Bellamy as his vocalist and started playing around with other instruments other than his trusty acoustic guitar. 'My Wife, Lost In The Wild' sounds like Hercules & Love Affair collaborating with Bon Iver. Yes, in a sense it is folk electronica.

To be honest, I enjoyed the 'Holland' side more. This is probably because I've grown to liking James Yuill and Hot Chip (not that this is that similar to Hot Chip). But 'The March Of The Zapotec' is brilliant nonetheless.

Signing out

Over and out

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Now playing: Beirut - My Wife, Lost in the Wild
via FoxyTunes

Review: Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

Artist: Franz Ferdinand
Album: Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
In a nutshell: Same old stuff with irrelevant new tricks

I really wanted to like this album. I really did. I found their first two albums to be quite fresh, different and energetic. The self-titled album brought us the excellent 'Take Me Out' and ' The Dark Of The Matinee.' 'You Could Have It So Much Better' brought to our ears the brilliant 'Do You Want To' and 'The Fallen.'

On 'Tonight:," there are really no stand-out tracks. There are no horrible tracks either. Just distinctly average, unimaginative songs that kind of drag on and bore you to death. Alex Kapranos's voice is annoying at times. On songs like 'No You Girls' the choruses just hammer into your head trying to get you to catch on but never really succeeding. It just becomes an annoying mantra that gets your head in.

Every song sounds like an attempt to improve on old songs, and it almost always never works in this album. Couple that with instances of synth that just sounds like it was put as an afterthought, I really can't enjoy any of the songs.

From looking at reviews though, it seems that I'm alone in seeing this album as a disappointment. Really, I fail to see how this album can be considered good, let alone great.

Signing out

Over and out

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Now playing: Franz Ferdinand - Turn It on
via FoxyTunes

Cinematic Erratic

In a month's time it'll be the Oscars. So I have been looking into the nominees list, and I'm planning to see some of the films.

Alright. Let's start discussing some of the nominees.

Yes, you've guessed it. Heath Ledger got nominated courtesy of his brilliant portrayal of the psycho-anarchic Joker. Technically he's nominated for 'Best Actor In A Supporting Role,' but everyone knows he was the main star of the film. He's up against Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt) and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road). I'm predicting a posthumous Oscar for Ledger, because he earned it. If he loses, I will lose hope in humanity and the whole world will lay waste to itself in an act of pure shame for dishonoring one of the best performances ever committed onto the big screen. No exaggeration. Well, maybe a little bit.

'The Dark Knight' didn't get nominated for 'Best Picture,' which is kind of disappointing, but with the sudden influx of good films, I'm not that surprised. It's lost its momentum after a few months, and you can't underestimate the power of momentum when it comes to these award shows. My personal favourite is 'Slumdog Millionaire.' It's nominated for Best Picture, along with 'The Reader,' 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' 'Frost/Nixon' and 'Milk.' See review in the post below. It's also nominated for nine other categories (twice in Best Song, so a total of 11 nominations).

I'm probably going to watch 'Milk,' 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button' and 'The Wrestler' very soon. Looking forward to those. But hey, let's move on to the music.

The three nominees for Best Song are:

Peter Gabriel - Down To Earth (Wall-E)




A.R. Rahman & M.I.A. - O... Saya (Slumdog Millionaire)




A.R. Rahman Feauturing Sukhwinder Singh, Tanvi Shah & Mahalaxmi Iyer - Jai-Ho (Slumdog Millionaire)




All three songs are immense, but I have to say my favourite is 'O... Saya.' It makes the opening scene of 'Slumdog Millionaire' from great to magical.

Signing out

Over and out

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Now playing: Hercules And Love Affair - You Belong (Radio Edit)
via FoxyTunes