Blast From The Past: The Rolling Stones

It took me a long time to really get into The Rolling Stones for a reason I have no idea. The old argument always rears its ugly head when talking about The Stones… y’know the one, Beatles or Stones? For me it’s The Rolling Stones every single time, don’t get me wrong I do like The Beatles and they have some great songs. However The Rolling Stones just have this edgy appeal and I really love their classic rock and roll sound. It's not too very long for The Stones to become one of my favourite bands of all time.

What I found hard was where to begin with getting into The Rolling Stones because the back catalogue is absolutely huge. It’s very hard to know where to start with a band that has changed its sound over the years. Thankfully there is a really, really good collection called ‘Rolled Gold Plus’ which features all the great Stones songs and really concentrates on their early career which for most is when they were at their best.

I always imagine myself being around in the 60’s and really, really adoring The Rolling Stones, it would’ve been so easy to back then because there wasn’t as much competition as there is today. The Rolling Stones are one of those special bands that only come around every 40 years or so. Actually I would suggest there has never been a band quite like The Rolling Stones.

When you listen to ‘Rolled Gold Plus’ you pretty much will not skip a song (obviously if you like the band) however some of my favourite songs include ‘Come On’, ‘I’m Free’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘It’s All Over Now’ to name four that come to mind.

Other songs like ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, ‘Paint It Black’, ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, ‘Gimme Shelter’ and ‘Brown Sugar’ are more recognised songs. Obviously those songs mentioned are classic songs and ones that people will associate with The Rolling Stones.

However to me songs like ‘Get Off My Cloud’, ‘Play With Fire’, ‘Yesterday’s Papers’, ‘Time Is On My Side’ and ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ are just as good if not better than the more famous Stones tracks. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are two of the most iconic rock legends of all time and there is no question that The Rolling Stones are considered one of the greatest bands of all time. They definitely deserve that label especially when you consider the band have been going for 46 years!

Classic Record: The Smiths – Meat Is Murder

Every person has an “album” that defines the music they love, or the band that they are obsessed with or even a time in their life which they can relate to an album. Some albums help people get through life’s obstacles or help them cure depression and so forth. The gist is that all people who really love music have an album that they always go back to and consider the album which most represents them. One of my friends says ‘Kid A’ by Radiohead, another says ‘The Holy Bible’ by Manic Street Preachers and you get the idea.

‘Meat Is Murder’ is the album which I’ll always return to when I don’t know what to listen or just because I want to listen an album I know will I love. Some fans of The Smiths will say that ‘The Queen Is Dead’ is the best album but I think die hard Smiths fans will argue that ‘Meat Is Murder’ is the best Smiths record. It’s an album which I think you need to give at least two or three listens from start to finish before you can really have an opinion on it.

What I love most about the album is that there is no stand out “hit” or single, perhaps ‘How Soon Is Now?’ is that song but even then I don’t think it’s one of The Smiths most commercial songs like ‘Panic’ or ‘This Charming Man’. Each song on the album is different to the next which is another thing I really love about the album. Lyrically the album is my favourite too with lyrics like “Belligerent ghouls, run Manchester schools. Spineless swines, cemented minds” in ‘The Headmaster Ritual’. One of my favourite lyrics of all time is from this album and is in the song ‘Rusholme Ruffians’. Morrissey at his very best when he sings “So… scratch my name on your arm with a fountain pen (this means you really love me).”

Some of Johnny Marr’s finest moments happen on ‘Meat Is Murder’ like in ‘I Want The One I Can’t Have’ and really every song on the album is as good as the next. ‘What She Said’ at two minutes forty-two seconds is a particularly short song in terms of the album but at the same time is just as fantastic as the ‘Barbarism Begins At Home’ which stands at six minutes and forty-eight seconds.

‘That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore’ is a slower song and contains such lyrics like “But that joke isn’t funny anymore. It’s too close to home and it’s too near the bone.” ‘Nowhere Fast’ and ‘Well I Wonder’ are two more fantastic Smiths songs and the closing song ‘Meat Is Murder’ is a fairly hard listening closer but at the same time a very daring and incredible ending track.

‘Meat Is Murder’ to me is the most perfect record I’ve ever listened to and it is an album that I know I’ll always love.

The Kills - Midnight Boom

Released back in March of this year this review is over five months late, but better late than never is definitely the motto to have. The Kills are one of those bands that other bands seem to love and a band who are often trying to innovate and progress their sound. That is something that you have to admire when there are so many run of the mill bands out there at the moment. You have to respect any band that try and be different in a world where every band appears to be the same.

‘Midnight Boom’ to me was not an album that instantly clicked with my ears but after giving it some time it definitely has grown on me a lot. The fact that The Kills only consist of two people makes their sound interest me and impress me so much. The album at times is very old school rock and roll and at times is extremely innovative and intriguing. Alison Mosshart’s voice at times reminds me very much of Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs which is no bad thing.

The Kills are definitely doing great things for two pieces when you consider a two piece by the name of The Tings Tings are ruining the image of a boy/girl band should be about. Thank fuck that The Kills are nothing like the previously mentioned two piece.

Opening track ‘U.R.A. Fever’ kicks the album off to a pretty spectacular beginning and makes you want more tracks like it. Thankfully the album is full of songs as good, if not better than the opening song. ‘Getting Down’ is a great example of how two very different vocals on one song can work beautifully well if it’s done right.

‘Cheap and Cheerful’ and ‘Tape Song’ are two fantastic songs that really give the first half of the album a very strong start. ‘Last Day of Magic’ is and remains my favourite song from the record, Alison’s vocals sounding very strong and Jamie providing some great backing vocals as well.

Other songs such as ‘Hook and Line’, ‘Black Balloon’ and closing track ‘Goodnight Bad Morning’ makes this album a strong album from start to finish.

8/10

Label Focus: Rough Trade

Rough Trade is one of England’s most famous and oldest labels and it’s still going strong now and has some great record shops around London which put on some great in stores now and again. The label was founded in 1978 and is co-owned by original founder Geoff Travis and now Jeanette Lee (Public Image Ltd).

Rough Trade boasts some of the greatest bands and artists of the past thirty years including my favourite band of all time The Smiths. Other influential artists who’ve graced the Rough Trade label include Aztec Camera, The Fall, Delta 5, Galaxie 500, Television Personalities, Young Marble Giants and more.

Bands from the past ten years of rock, alternative and indie music include such artists like the heavily influential British band The Libertines and as influential New York band The Strokes. Arcade Fire are yet another important band from the past ten years that happen to be on Rough Trade too.

Other famous names include Jarvis Cocker, Belle & Sebastian, The Decemberists, Adam Green, The Long Blondes and many, many more. Rough Trade are one of the best labels of all time that include some of the most legendary artists of all time. Not many labels can say that!

Single: Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today

Port O’Brien are a five piece from Oakland in California and their latest single from the album ‘All We Could Do Is Sing’ is one of the most catchy and toe tapping singles of the summer. Three minutes and twenty-one seconds is pure toe tapping goodness from the Californians.

‘I Woke Up Today’ is extremely infectious from the start, middle and right the way through to the end. The song starts with some simple “Ohhhh's” that you cannot help singing along to and then “I woke up today in a very simple way” which immediately sticks in your head for whatever reason.

The lyrics are fairly simple but at the same time they are fun and feel very summery (despite our summer being an absolute wash out and it not feeling like summer one little bit). This song is bound to be a big hit for the band because you just can’t help humming, singing and nodding along to it.

8/10

Batman Forever

Tim Burton departed as director and acted as producer for Batman Forever and Joel Schumacher took over (Flatliners, The Lost Boys, Phone Booth) the reigns from Burton, unfortunately in this case.

Batman Forever was a return to camp Batman, camp comic style films and a return to the bad. Don’t get me wrong I really thought that Val Kilmer was a great choice for Batman and he made Michael Keaton look pathetic as Batman. The cast is fantastic with Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey the perfect bad guys and Nicole Kidman the beautiful love interest.

How could a director get a film so badly wrong with such a brilliant cast? The only man who knows that is Joel Schumacher. I thought Jim Carrey was very good at times as The Riddler however he was far too annoying and for me The Riddler wasn’t as evil as he could’ve been. The Riddler is next to The Joker the best bad guy in the Batman comics and it could’ve been so, so much better. Tommy Lee Jones was very good as Harvey Dent / Two Face and he did the role proud and himself. Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight plays a different Dent but ultimately better despite Tommy Lee Jones solid performance.

Nicole Kidman was pretty cringe worthy at times and her scenes with Val Kilmer were not ones I enjoyed. Now. Robin, why? I think Robin is pathetic and any director who believes in the character of Robin should not be making Batman films. The choice to include Robin seemed very random and Chris O’Donnell was fairly lame as Robin.

What pretty much saved the film was Val Kilmer’s performance as Batman and at times Carrey as The Riddler and of course Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face. Otherwise this would be simply getting zero out of ten. Please don’t let Schumacher near any comic book adaptation ever again, and please Christopher Nolan don’t ever, ever bring back Robin.

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Olympics

With no football currently it has been very easy to be drawn into watching the 2008 Olympic Games. It seems to be on all the time and just about everywhere you look there is something about the Olympics. So far in the Olympics there has been a heavy focus on the swimming events and there seems to be so many heats, finals and events in the pool you get lost with what’s going on.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that Michael Phelps is cleaning up big style as far as swimming goes. He is already considered the greatest Olympic athlete, swimmer and man in the history of the Olympic Games. I am just incredibly happy and feel extremely privileged that I was alive during his prime. The man must have fish DNA. No. Shark DNA. He is a monster in the pool and I won’t be surprised if he wins all the medals he has entered in for (eight; five won so far).

The British have done pretty well in the pool and it’s good to see that most of the swimmers we have are very young ranging from 17 to 20 years of age. So we have a good future ahead of us for the London 2012 Olympics. Although the men pretty much have no chance if Phelps is still swimming in 2012 which you imagine he will be.

I’ve also been fascinated with the table tennis; hockey and today the beach volley ball grabbed my attention. The game I was watching happened to be Russia versus Georgia, both countries I wouldn’t expect to be particularly good at the sport. How many beaches do Russia and Georgia have? Anyway Georgia were getting hammered in the first set but came back and beat the Russians which seems slightly fitting when you consider what’s happening between the two countries at the moment.

So far the games have been fantastic and with track and field events set to begin on Friday the Olympics will get a lot, a lot better.

Single: Golden Silvers – Arrows Of Eros

Golden Silvers are an new band, to me anyway. They remind me of a mix between Mystery Jets (new album ‘Twenty One’ sound) and a slice of Larrikin Love. Imagine that sound for a second and then think toe tapping, catchy and poppy and then you have the sound of Golden Silvers. A pretty spectacular mixture I’d suggest.

‘Arrows Of Eros’ is pretty much doing the rounds on many radio stations, however BBC Introducing was where I keep hearing it. Huw Stephens is to thank for me hearing it, good job Huw.

“There was a girl who lived in London town. The scenes and sounds, they would only bring her down” is the lyric which stands out for me. I know for sure if this song was the sound she heard living in London town it definitely wouldn’t bring her down. It would most certainly get her up on her feet and get her dancing, for sure.

‘Arrows Of Eros’ is the perfect pop debut single by Golden Silvers, the song is out via Young & Lost Club and you should buy it (here).

8/10

Golden Silvers – Arrows Of Eros

Single: Magistrates - Make This Work

Magistrates are a band, from Essex. I’ve been to Essex and have family there and there is no way a band from Essex should sound like Magistrates. Magistrates sound very much like they are from across the pond; their style fits in well with a lot of the American bands having success in this country at the moment. If you click here then you can download the single from the website for absolutely nothing, pretty swish eh?

Lead singer Paul Usher has an extremely unique voice; listening to his voice you would never ever think that he was from Essex. I know how people from Essex sound (when singing) and they certainly do not sound like Paul Usher. ‘Make This Work’ is sleek and stylish and has a real groove to it; you can bet it’s going to be a dance floor hit for Magistrates.

Signed to XL Recordings Magistrates appear to have a very bright future ahead of them, especially if they can continue writing songs like ‘Make This Work’.

8/10

Label Focus: Wichita

Wichita Recordings are a label based in London and have a great roster of artists many of them being some of my favourite bands.

Wichita do not get as much recognition as many labels despite them being a very good label that has a reputation to allow their artists to have complete control over their music. Which is of course fantastic and very rare with virtually all major labels so it’s refreshing to hear about a label that allows the artist the control over releases, recordings and so forth.

Two of my favourite artists on the Wichita label are Les Savy Fav and Los Campesinos. Los Campesinos released their debut album ‘Hold On Now, Youngster’ on Wichita earlier this year and Les Savy Fav’s fantastic album ‘Lets Stay Friends’ at the end of the last year.

Bloc Party are another extremely successful artist on the Wichita label and one of my favourite bands of the last few years. The Cribs are another band that Wichita can boast to have on its roster and with The Cribs they’ve always allowed them to be themselves. Both artists mentioned have released successful albums with The Cribs having three on Wichita and Bloc Party’s third album out fairly soon will be out on Wichita.

Wichita has some extremely talented musicians from across the pond as well with the likes of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bright Eyes, The Dodos and Giant Drag all apart of the Wichita family. Other artists worth mentioning on the label include Simian Mobile Disco, Those Dancing Days and Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John. Overall Wichita remain one of the consistent labels in the country and you can imagine they’ll continue being just as consistent.

Premiership Season 08/09

Supporting Manchester United whenever the season starts you always predict that the title is going to end up in Manchester at the end of the season. We’ve been so lucky over the years that you would be silly not to predict anything but the Premiership crown come May 2009. This time last season it was the same story and thankfully May 2008 was a very good month for everyone involved with Manchester United. Where do the challengers come from? The same ones as usual but Arsenal and Liverpool can’t win the title (I may regret saying that). It’s mainly between United and Chelsea, if United were to sign a top class centre forward it’d be more straight forward, but they won’t so it’ll be very interesting.

Elsewhere the relegation battle doesn’t appear to be as interesting as usual because the three teams that came up look the most likely to drop back down again. Out of the three of them West Brom have the best chance but even then losing players like Gera and Phillips will be a big blow and they could yoyo back to the Championship like so many others. Above them expect to see the likes of Wigan and Bolton because they are the two others who could face a long old season.

Sunderland and Fulham have spent the most it seems and they could both have good seasons if they can keep the key players fit. Teams like Newcastle and Middlesbrough will never really be in serious trouble because they both have goal scorers and Boro are usually very solid at the back. Everyone is predicting as usual that Everton as usual will finish 5th however this could be the season where the toffees struggle. So far not signing any players and selling Andy Johnson could result in a lowly finish for the blue half of Merseyside.

Aston Villa could push for that 5th spot if they can get a proven goal scorer and another option in midfield. Tottenham will fancy themselves to get a top 6 finish however if they don’t sign another forward then it could be a different story. They are also quite dodgy at the back with the likes of King and Woodgate both very injury prone. Then the full backs Bale and Hutton both prefer attacking than defending, however the midfield looks very promising with Jenas, Modric, Bentley, Lennon, Dos Santos, Huddlestone and Zokora.

Other sides like West Ham, Hull, Stoke, Blackburn and Manchester City (let's fucking hope so) will probably have quite miserable seasons but Portsmouth are very likely to get a top 6 finish with the strike force of Crouch and Defoe. Domestically the League Cup could end up with a team outside the top four again (Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Newcastle all come to mind). However the FA Cup will DEFINITELY end up with a top four side, hopefully Manchester United. Eight excruciating days remain; pre season football is really getting to me.

Label Focus: Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi Records are a small independent label based in London; the name means Hello in Japanese and is also a B-side by the American band Brand New. Moshi Moshi over the years have released some very important singles from some of the biggest names in British indie music. Over the years Moshi Moshi have released a couple of their own fantastic compilation albums.

In 2006 Moshi Moshi released the compilation ‘Can You Hear Me Clearly’ which includes songs by bands such as Hot Chip, Bloc Party, The Rakes, The Grates, Yeti and more. More recent compilation album ‘Moshi Moshi Singles Compilation Volume 1’ which includes bands like Late of the Pier, The Wave Pictures, Kate Nash, Danananaykroyd, Friendly Fires, Slow Club and more.

Moshi Moshi is most famous for their single releases but more recently have released some full length albums. Hot Club De Paris fantastic debut album ‘Drop It ‘Til It Pops’ was released on the label and their new released ‘Live At Dead Lake’ is also available on the same label. Quite excellent Tilly And The Wall brought out one of my favourites of 2006 with ‘Bottoms of Barrel’s’ on Moshi Moshi too.

More recently The Mae Shi released ‘Hlllyh’ on Moshi Moshi and it remains my favourite Moshi Moshi release to date. Alongside the quintessential English band The Wave Pictures LP ‘Instant Coffee Baby’ which is really growing on me this year. Moshi Moshi continue to release some fantastic singles and some even more fantastic albums. Keep up the good work Moshi Moshi!

Do The Splits

Eight months into 2008 and there already have been several casualties with bands, some good bands but mainly bad ones. August saw the announcement that Nashville rockers Be Your Own Pet announced they are splitting up. From all the splits this year the Be Your Own Pet split certainly saddens me the most because on record and live they were one of the best new and young bands around. Live they have so much energy and the self titled album is a great debut album and despite some criticism I really enjoyed the follow up ‘Get Awkward’.

Wolfmother have just announced they will no longer be recording music together and the members will go their separate ways. I am pretty sure we will see that big afro of Andrew Stockdale back one day but just not with Wolftmother. I can’t say I am that disappointed about this split because Wolfmother were not a band I really had much excitement about.

Earlier on in the year Mumm-Ra announced that after several years of constant recording and touring they would split up. Like the Wolfmother split I wasn’t terribly upset about this despite them having a couple of good songs. Northampton band The Departure announced they would no longer be recording as The Departure. This was something I was expecting for some while although their debut album ‘Dirty Words’ was a pretty good album you could never see the band lasting very long in the industry. The Dead 60s were another band to announce their split this year which was something that like The Departure did not surprise me. The first album was very listenable with some really good songs but the second album was absolutely terrible.

The final band to mention is Big Scary Monsters band Meet Me In St. Louis who I always really liked. Sadly I never got to see them live which was where I’m informed they were at their best. I am sure the members of Meet Me In St. Louis will be back in other forms however their legacy as one of the best post-hardcore bands from this country.

X2

Not that many sequels to films are as good as or better than the first but with X2 (or X-Men 2) Bryan Singer has made a film which certainly equals the first. Continuing on from the world’s quest to find all the mutants in the world William Stryker (played by Brian Fox) tracks down the school for gifted youngsters (mutants).

He also manages to capture Charles Xavier and through his son is able to get into the mind of Xavier and his plan is to through his son get into the mind of Xavier and find all the mutants in the world. Stryker builds his own Cerebro device to track down all the mutants in the world and kill them.

The usual suspects are back Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Rogue and Jean Grey along with a couple of new faces in Iceman, Pyro and Nightcrawler. Working alongside Magneto and Mystique to try and stop Stryker the X-Men of course managed to stop Stryker, rescue Xavier and shut down this fake Cerebro.

However, helping the X-Men get away proved too much for Jean Grey as she made the decision to save the X-Men over her own life. X2 sees Hugh Jackman’s performance as Wolverine come on a lot from the first film. Jackman really gets to grips with Wolverine’s past and in X2 we see how good Jackman can be as the Wolverine. Halle Berry continues her solid performance as Storm and newcomer Alan Cumming is an excellent Nightcrawler.

Brian Fox takes on the bad guy role in the film and does it brilliantly as William Stryker. Sir Ian McKellen is not so prominent in this film but when he is he is as good as ever and although Patrick Stewart takes a back seat in this film every scene he is in you thoroughly believe he is Charles Xavier.

Bryan Singer has added yet another superhero film to his Filmography and thankfully it’s another successful and enjoyable one.

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Single: Bombay Bicycle Club - Evening/Morning

I’ve followed Bombay Bicycle Club for a long time (I mean a long time) I have practically grown up with them. I saw them almost two years ago opening up the second stage at Chelmsford V Festival after they won the Road to V competition. Since then they’ve gone on to release a couple of really good EP’s but nothing that has impressed me greatly.

Until now I’ve had the new single ‘Evening/Morning’ on repeat for some time and I think it is the best song that the four piece have put together so far. If an album is coming out soon and sounds anything like this song then I can see it being a very, very, very good album.

At times the music sounds very much like something Kings of Leon would’ve come up with (first two album eras). Lead singer Jack Steadman has a very unique and obscure voice that I could imagine some people not liking however that is something I’ve always found so appealing and interesting about the band. ‘Evening/Morning’ is released via the superb Young & Lost Club and you should definitely be buying it with your pocket money this week (buy it here). “I’m ready to owe you anything” Jack sings, but trust me BBC with this song you owe us nothing!

9/10

Bombay Bicycle Club – Evening/Morning

Label Focus: XL Recordings

XL is one of my favourite labels, if not my favourite label. The label was set up by Tim Palmer, Nick Halkes and Richard Russell and was originally a label set up to release dance records. However the label has transformed since then and releases a wide range of different musicians.

XL definitely boasts one of the most eclectic ranges of music around at the moment. With the likes of solo artists Adele released her debut album ‘21’ on XL to other solo artists Dizzee Rascal and M.I.A. all releasing critically acclaimed albums on the XL label.

What is so great about XL is how they’ll sign lots of new talent and are constantly signing the freshest talent in the music scene. Most recently they signed hotly tipped St. Alban boys Friendly Fires who release their self titled debut album very shortly. Other debut albums to be released by XL this year include Cajun Dance Party’s ‘The Colourful Life’. Vampire Weekend dropped their self titled debut album in January and the album is one of the best on XL for some years.

Along with some great new bands XL has a range of more commercially known bands such as The White Stripes, Beck, The Raconteurs, Sigur Ros, The Prodigy and of course one of the best British bands of all time, Radiohead.

The talent doesn’t stop there when you consider the likes of Jack Penate, Be Your Own Pet, Tapes ‘n Tapes, The Teenagers and To My Boy have all used the XL label to release very successful albums. The Horrors have just recently announced that their new album will be out on XL Recordings too and future albums from new bands such as Magistrates and Kid Harpoon are expected too.

XL also assist in the development of other small labels such as Young Turks, Merok and Abeano who are all trying to bring fresh sounds to our ears all the time. To say XL Recordings is one of the most respected if not the most respected label in the country would be no understatement.

Formula One

On Sunday afternoon I spent a few hours watching a whole grand prix race, something I have never done before. I’ve always seen Formula 1 as a pretty dull sport really and only ever have watched highlights here and there. In the days where Michael Schumacher dominated the Championships I do honestly believe it was pretty dull. To watch a guy win race after race, title after title was slightly boring, especially when the sport itself can be at times boring.

In those years that Schumacher was dominating there wasn’t really any challengers either that could really take over from him. Y’know like when Chelsea spent 500 million on players and Arsene Wenger arrived to turn Arsenal around to challenge Manchester United. There was none of that during the Schumacher era really, however it’s in current climate there are so many drivers who have the ability to win the Championship, but at the same time lose it. Last season was one of the most exciting in history as only two points separated the top three drivers. In the end Ferrari’s Finish ice man Kimi Raikkonen wan the drivers Championship with Lewis Hamilton second and Spaniard Fernando Alonso on third.

This season the race is as close, as exciting and of course as unpredictable as ever and Lewis Hamilton is still leading the charge for the drivers Championship. Eleven races in Lewis Hamilton leads the table but only by a mere 5 points over last year’s winner Raikkonen and 3 points behind him is fellow Ferrari Felipe Massa. Seven races remain in the race for the biggest price in motor racing and Lewis Hamilton will be pushed all the way by the two Ferrari’s I’m sure. Many questioned whether last year’s success for Hamilton would be a one off but he has come back this year as strong as last year.

Winning races so far in Australia, Monaco, Germany and the Silverstone track in Northamptonshire, Great Britain. However Lewis will have to keep it up because in Massa and Raikkonen he is up against a very fast Ferrari car. Lewis Hamilton’s arrival and drivers such as Massa, Raikkonen, Alonso and Kovalainen have made F1 exciting again. I really hope Lewis does the business this year and secures the F1 Championship. 1996 was the year Damon Hill won the F1 Championship, the last from Great Britain and it’s about time we had a new British motor racing hero.

X-Men

Bryan Singer found his fame with his critically acclaimed film and one of my favourite films of all time, The Usual Suspects back in 1995. Five years on he was releasing highly anticipated X-Men, everybody watched (well I think everybody) the cartoon series as a child. I used to tune in to Fox Kids when I was small to make sure I watched the series about those X-Men and women of course.

For some reason I’ve never seen the film until today even though I’ve seen the second film X2, how that came about I really have no idea. X-Men is basically like the TV series Heroes which I am pretty sure most of you have seen / know what it’s about. Despite this comparison X-Men IS different because all the characters feel like superheroes and the characters are far better, obviously.

The world isn’t ready for mutants (X-Men) and considers them dangerous and wants them to come out and own up to whom they are and what they can do. The problem with the world of mutants is that there are bad ones and there are good ones. Magneto falls into the bad category along with his troops Sabre Tooth, Toad and Mystique. Where as Charles Xavier, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops and Rogue are part of the good guys of the film.

The cast is as good as any superhero film out there, any film which includes Sir Ian McKellen as the bad guy works for me. Hugh Jackman is the perfect Wolverine; in fact he is Wolverine just as Christopher Reeve is Superman. I couldn’t imagine Wolverine as anyone else, it would be wrong. Patrick Stewart is definitely the ideal Charles Xavier and Halle Berry is faultless as Storm. Bryan Singer’s 2000 X-Men definitely remains one of the best superhero films made to date.

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Batman Returns

Right from the word go this film feels very much like a Tim Burton film, a lot more so than the previous film Batman. The opening music and the very opening scene is very much what you would expect from Tim Burton, which of course is no bad thing.

The film follows the story of the Penguin also known by his “real name” Oswald Cobblepot who is played by Danny DeVito. His performance as The Penguin is one of the real treats of the film, he fits into The Penguin role perfectly and if you were to see The Penguin down the street (unlikely of course) then you’d definitely see DeVito.

Michael Keaton carries on as Batman and he definitely is growing into the role as Batman but I still cannot take him seriously as Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is meant to be a cool character but Michael Keaton is more like a geek something you do not associate with Bruce Wayne. Thankfully when he puts the mask on he is a very good portrayal of Batman.

The sexual feline Catwoman is played by Michelle Pfeiffer despite her being a quiet and shy secretary. Max Shreck who is played by the great Christopher Walken is the brains behind The Penguin who gets The Penguin to go for mayor so that he can go ahead with his power plant which will suck all the electricity from Gotham City.

The people of Gotham pity The Penguin when they find out how he was abandoned as a child and they begin to love The Penguin. Until thanks to Batman they find out what he is really like and at one point the people of Gotham turn on Batman because The Penguin sets him up but of course Batman is the man of the people and he saves the people from The Penguin and Max Shreck.

Overall the film carries on from the first and it’s very much the dark Tim Burton film everybody expects from a Batman film.

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Summer Transfers

2008 has been slow for transfer activity mainly because of the European Champions however transfer activity in the Premiership is now in full swing. Sunderland has one of the most active so far signing Spurs trio Taino, Chimbonda and Malbranque along ex Liverpool and Bolton forward Diouf. Roy Keane certainly has signalled his intent for the new season not to just stay up but to get a high table position.

The big four have been fairly quiet especially Manchester United and Arsenal who haven’t really splashed out with United not signing anyone so far. Arsenal have signed young starlet Samir Nasri but have sold Hleb, Gilberto Silva, Flamini and Lehmann. Chelsea have splashed out on Portuguese duo Deco and Boswinga and let the likes of Steve Sidwell and Ben Haim leave. Liverpool has made the biggest signing so far purchasing Robbie Keane for £19million and are still trying to get Gareth Barry for a similar price. They have recouped some of the money though by selling the likes of Crouch to Portsmouth and Riise to Roma.

Teams like Aston Villa, Everton and Manchester City have yet to really set the transfer window on fire. City did sign Brazilian Jo with Villa buying Chelsea’s Steve Sidwell and Blackburn’s veteran keeper Brad Friedel however you expect all three to bring in plenty of talent. Fulham have quietly been making several acquisitions including Andy Johnson (£12 million), West Ham pair Bobby Zamora and John Paintsill, Swede Fredrik Stoor along with free transfers Zoltan Gera and Mark Schwarzer.

Tottenham have probably been the most active signing the likes of Dos Santos, Bentley, Modric and Gomes. With the likes of Milito and Arshavin both expected to be Spurs players sooner rather than later. However Spurs have sold a lot of players with the likes of Gardner, Taino, Malbranque, Kaboul, Keane, Chimbonda, Robinson all departing and Berbatov is expected next too.

Newcomers Stoke, West Brom and Hull have all been fairly active in the market. Stoke City have made Dave Kitson their transfer record and have also signed experience Danish keeper Thomas Sorenson. West Brom meanwhile has signed Scott Carson and Gianni Zuiverloon and Hull have brought in George Boateng, Giovanni, Bernard Mendy and Anthony Gardner.

Elsewhere Newcastle and Middlesbrough have all been fairly quiet only making a couple of signings each. Wigan has made a fair few signings including former Birmingham duo Kapo and De Ridder. I expect so much more activity over the next 4 weeks with the transfer deadline looming on August 31st.

Introducing: Boy Crisis

Like my previous post Boy Crisis come from across the infamous pond however there is pretty much where the comparison stops with the previous band Amazing Baby. Oh, well they both come from New York but who doesn’t nowadays? Oh yeah and they (like Amazing Baby) appear in MGMT’s top friends on MySpace, lucky devils.

Totally different sounding to both the mentioned bands Boy Crisis delve more into an electronic. This 5 piece from New York are definitely going to be going places in the next year or so, you can just tell. ‘Dressed to Digress’ just happens to be my favourite song at the moment, the beats are pretty fucking hefty. “Let me love you like you’re the shit girl, you’re the shit girl” is not as bad as it sounds, it’s definitely a positive thing. 'Dressed to Digress' is 3 minutes and 10 seconds of pure pop heaven.

Having played a few shows with MGMT I imagine this band will be getting plenty of attention from music fans everywhere, it won’t be too long till’ the band are playing on these shores. Until then enjoy this beautiful piece of music…

Boy Crisis – Dressed to Digress

Introducing: Amazing Baby

This week’s NME focuses on top 25 bands from across the pond, I’ve not read the article or seen the list but Amazing Baby are a brand spanking new band from across those waters. From Brooklyn, New York Amazing Baby are so far an unknown quantity for most people I imagine. I don’t know a great deal about the band, y’know the vital statistics of the band like how many members, names and all that stuff.

However I do know that they’ve only played a few gigs in their short career thus far but they are getting plenty of attention from plenty of places. Today I discovered their website where you can download a 4 track EP titled ‘Infinite Fucking Cross’ for absolutely sod all. Pretty cool eh?

Amazing Baby sound very psychedelic at times especially on ‘Supreme Being’ which is one of the songs featured on that free EP. My favourite song so far is definitely ‘Head Dress’ which once again dips into the psychedelic bucket for its inspiration. I do believe the band is friends with MGMT and has already played a few shows with them. So expect NME to liken them to MGMT and tar them with the same brush as any band that comes out of New York at the moment. For the record I don’t think Amazing Baby sound much if anything like current New York successes Vampire Weekend or MGMT.

To download ‘Infinite Fucking Cross’ click right here.

Label Focus: Domino

Domino was formed in 1993 by Laurence Bell and Jacqui Bell and mainly brings out alternative music. Domino’s roster is one that any label would be extremely jealous, Domino Records UK has new artists such as These New Puritans, Wild Beasts, Lightspeed Champion and The Last Shadow Puppets.

Across the pond Domino USA boasts such talent as Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, The Notwist, Caribou and Yo Majesty. However more house hold names on the label include Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Sons and Daughters and The Kills.

Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand are arguably the two most successful bands on the label. Franz Ferdinand’s second album ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’ reached number one on the album charts and so did both Arctic Monkeys records. The Sheffield foursome have also provided two number one hits for their label (‘When The Sun Goes Down’ and of course debut single ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’).

Along with some commercially successful bands Domino has on his roster some older bands not to be ignored including Scottish twee indie legends Orange Juice along with fellow Scottish bands The Pastels and Josef K. Welsh outfit Young Marble Giants and the English band formed in the late 70’s The Television Personalities are also on Domino’s impressive catalogue.

One of my favourite artists on the label is influential American alternative band Pavement who although did not bring much success commercially for Domino have obviously influenced several bands throughout the years. There is no denying that Domino are one of the best labels around at the moment and they continue to sign new, fresh and talented artists.

Wall-E

Last night I finally got round to seeing the animation film of the summer and year, Wall-E. Sitting in front of me was a whole row of 5 year kids and sitting next to me a 60+ year old couple. Then there was me and my girlfriend both aged 20, there are not many films where this sort of situation occurs. Impressions of the “Wall-EEEE” voice can be heard every time the little fella pops up on the screen before the film starts. In between trailers and breaks crunching, slurping and the loudest rustling you’ve heard in your life. I basically want to leave and go watch The Dark Knight for the third time.

Thankfully the film begins and with this the noises stop, the crunching halts and the rustling is no longer an issue. Thank you Pixar for shutting up the incredibly annoying noises made by the general public because everybody in the room was fixed on this little robot cleaning up the world’s rubbish that had been left by the people who had left for space.

The premise of the film is very simplistic but underneath there is some really great hidden meanings and definitely some morals that can’t be ignored. The film follows a little robot named Wall-E who cleans up earth but has developed a personality and collects all sorts of things in his little “house”. Another newer robot is sent onto earth from space to check for signs of life or vegetation and Wall-E discovers a love interest for Eve (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator). Eve discovers a plant that Wall-E has and then shuts down and Wall-E is now incredibly sad. Eve is taken back into Space and Wall-E manages to grab onto the spaceship she is taken back to space with.

In space we see a new world where everybody is overweight, lazy and technology rules the world, a very sorry state. However because a plant has been discovered they can move back to earth however the robots who rule space don’t want this to happen. Eventually of course Eve and Wall-E stop the robots along with the captain of the spaceship where everybody lives and they get back to Earth.

What is so great and interesting about the film is that for so long (I think around 40 minutes) there is absolutely no dialogue. However you’re still gripped by the two characters Wall-E and Eve and when there is some dialogue later on there isn’t much really. It is definitely has broken new boundaries for animation and will definitely go down as another hit from Pixar.

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Frigthened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

Frightened Rabbit’s second album ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ is an album I over looked when it was released but so far this month I’ve been playing it a lot. The Scottish trio released the 14 track record back in April and have since released a couple of singles from it. Critically it has gone done extremely well with Pitchfork and NME both giving it 8/10 and Drowned in Sound giving it a 9/10.

The album is packed full with emotion that is something I notice the more and more I listen to it. You can really hear the pain that is going into some of the lyrics and through the vocals of lead singer Scott Hutchinson you feel his pain. Hutchinson has an amazing voice, it is very raw and his strong Scottish accent also adds to his vocals.

I’d not previously heard anything by Frightened Rabbit so when I first listened to the album I was pretty impressed. Opening song ‘The Modern Leper’ is as raw a song as I’ve heard so far this year and the pain continues with songs like ‘Feel Better’ and ‘Good Arms vs Bad Arms’.

Last single ‘Fast Blood’ is a powerful track and rolls on through the emotion and pain of the lyrics. ‘Old Old Fashioned’ is yet another great 3 minutes 43 seconds of pure bliss. We get an insight into Scott Hutchinson’s relationship in the lyric “I’ll turn off the TV, its killing us, we never speak”.

‘Heads Roll Off’ contains one of my favourite lyrics from the album: “Jesus is just a Spanish boy’s name. How come one man got so much fame?” a dig at religion possibly? Either way, I agree. ‘Heads Roll Off’ is fast becoming one of my favourite songs from 2008.

The album is full of other intense songs like next song ‘My Backwards Walk’ and another favourite from my album ‘Keep Yourself Warm’ which deals pretty heavily with relationships including this lyric: “It takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm”.

This album has come to me as quite a surprise but I won’t be surprised if it appears in many top 10 of the year lists.

8.5/10

Wild Beasts - Limbo, Panto

I saw Wild Beasts once and to say I wasn’t impressed is quite an understatement, quite a time later I find myself listening to Wild Beasts. I wasn’t going to even listen to ‘Limbo, Panto’ because of my experience with them that I had before. However every one deserves a second chance right? I mean when I saw them live it could’ve been one of the worse days of their lives. Everything could’ve been going wrong that day so a second chance was definitely deserved.

Thankfully I did give the band a second chance because ‘Limbo, Panto’ is a pretty special record in today’s climate of bands. There are far too many bands like One Night Only, the Pigeon Detectives, The Metros etc etc etc. Not enough bands like Wild Beasts who are definitely not like the current crop of crap that is out there.

Even if you don’t like Wild Beasts you have to appreciate that they sound much different to a lot of stuff at the moment. For that I tip my hat off to them, it would be so easy for a band to be middle of the road much like the bands mentioned. Wild Beasts are certainly not middle of the road, I can’t quite believe that they are from Leeds. You would never know (this being a good thing) and at times you would mistake them for being from across the pond.

At times they sound like Editors circa the first album and at other times I can hear Arcade Fire but most of the time I just hear Wild Beasts. Newest single ‘The Devil’s Crayon’ was the song which made me listen to the album, after seeing it on MTV2 I decided it was definitely time for a listen to the album. However the newest single isn’t the only great song on ‘Limbo, Panto’ bizarrely named ‘Woeboegone Wanderers’ sounds like an obscure Sunday league football team, either way the song is pretty epic.

‘The Old Dog’ is yet another fine moment on the record and believe me there are many: ‘Vigil For A Fuddy Duddy’, ‘The Club of Fathomless Love’ and ‘Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants’ for example. What I will say about ‘Limbo, Panto’ is that I have to be in the right mood to listen to it but when I am in that mood ‘Limbo, Panto’ is a stunning album. When I’m not I have to turn it off and listen to something else.

7.5/10

Metronomy - Nights Out

I’m not really sure what to make of this album, I like a bit of electronic as much as the next person y’know but sometimes I find it hard listening to songs with no lyrics. Especially songs which are almost 4 minutes with no words (like ‘End Of You Too’ on this album). Having said for Metronomy the album would not work without those songs sandwiched in between other songs.

‘Radio Ladio’ is the first single to crop up as you listen to ‘Nights Out’ and to me it still remains the best single by Metronomy to date. When you heard it you knew immediately it was going to be a great hit for the band and since then I’ve heard it countless amounts of times in indie clubs and it always goes down extremely well. Rightfully so as well because it’s a really infectious single and you can’t help singing “R-A-D-I-OOOOOOOOOO. L-A-D-I-OOOOOOOOOO.”

‘My Heart Rate Rapid’ which was released as a single back in April and despite not being as big as the previous single is definitely as good as the previous song. When I first listened to it I was hooked immediately to some of the really toe tapping moments to the song.

‘Heartbreaker’ is going to be the next single and it is so far my favourite song on the record. Softer vocals and quieter music makes this song definitely an excellent moment on this record. “I heard she broke your heart, that girl’s a heartbreaker” sings lead singer Joseph. I’m getting the feeling Joe’s had his heart broken, poor guy.

‘On The Motorway’ is the shortest track on the album at 2 minutes 37 seconds but what it lacks in length it makes up for in quality. This song oozes cool, it feels like a typical Metronomy song. Current single ‘Holiday’ still is yet to grow on me but I have the feeling it could easily do so because there are some terrific moments in the song. You can’t help loving the vocals on this song, slowed down at times and really squeaky high at other times, such an interesting but at the same time fantastic combination. ‘Back On The Motorway’ and ‘On Dancefloors’ end the album on a high point for me.

Overall ‘Nights Out’ is a superb album and there are definitely more good spots than bad times, this is a record that would be perfect at a party.

7.5/10

Noah and The Whale - Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down

When I first heard Noah and the Whale at the tail end of last year I was pretty hooked on the sound that they had. I really liked the folk sound that they possessed and I was really interested in lead singer Charlie’s vocals. Firstly I heard ‘5 Years Time’ which is quite easily one of the best summer songs I’m to hear from a new band. I always worried that ‘5 Years Time’ would be their peak, the one song which you listen to and nothing else. With this album I thought maybe you’d listen through and really only consider that song as the standout track.

I was wrong ‘Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down’ has some really beautiful moments on it and with the album the band have proved that they are not just a one hit band. Noah and the Whale are going to be one of those bands that on record I thoroughly enjoy listening to but live I just don’t think it’s the same. I’ve seen them live and unfortunately I found them quite boring, however on record they are very, very good.

The suns out and you are lying with your eyes closed with headphones on and songs like ‘Shape Of My Heart’ are perfect. They make you feel giddy inside and feel you up with a great sense of warmth. ‘Jocasta’ is yet another song which I really love listening to when the sun is beaming on my window and I’m looking out with this song in the background.

‘2 Atoms In A Molecule’ is the opening track of the album and really starts the album off very well. At 2 minutes 4 seconds it is the perfect Noah and the Whale song; clever and at the same time sweet lyrics. Further into the album ‘Rocks And Daggers’ is a really great song to follow, “I’m thankful for the love these rocks have always given” Noah and the Whale are big fan of rocks and I am too, especially those smooth little ones you can skim on the water. In fact this song reminds me of being on a beach in England skimming those very stones across the water.

‘Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down’ is a good start for Noah and the Whale. There is some strong songs on the album and find me someone who doesn’t like ‘5 Years Time’, ‘Rocks and Daggers’ and Jocasta’ and I’ll call them a liar. Despite this there are some weaker moments to the album which is why it won’t appear on my top albums of the year list and probably not many others.

7/10

Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel

I’ve been following the progress of Late of the Pier for some time, after getting extremely excited about the ‘Zarcorp’ demos that were doing the rounds some time ago. Summer 2008 sees Late of the Pier release their debut album produced by the man everybody wants to work with; Erol Alkan. When I first heard Late of the Pier I thought they’d maybe be one of those bands that have a couple of really good singles and then make a rushed poor album. Thankfully I was very, very wrong because they have plenty of impressive singles along with other just as impressive songs on ‘Fantasy Black Channel’.

‘Hot Tent Blues’ is the perfect Late of the Pier intro into this album and moves smoothly into ‘Broken’. Which is just as good as I remember the demo being, if not better. Sometimes it’s hard for a band to re-record a song and get the same energy as the demos but ‘Broken’ is definitely an example of a song re-recorded perfectly.

Singles ‘Space And The Woods’ and ‘The Bears Are Coming’ appear next on the album and they are as good as I remember them. “Suicide is in my blood, it always was” sings lead singer Samuel Eastgate on ‘Space And The Woods’ which was the bands previous single. ‘The Bears Are Coming’ sums up the Late of the Pier sound, which is pretty unique combining many styles and providing pretty odd lyrics.

New single ‘Heartbeat’ formally known as: ‘A Heartbeat. A Flicker. A Line’ and has now got a very 80’s sounding intro to it (thanks to Erol Alkan me thinks). However it still has that Late of the Pier sound and some really intriguing lyrics; “pineapple pieces in brine, fucking around with your mind” immediately come to mind.

One of my favourite songs from the demos was always ‘Random Firl’ and now with added lyrics it is 2 minutes 14 seconds of electronic heaven. The end of the album ends just as strongly as the beginning of the album with songs such as ‘Bathroom Gurgle’, ‘Focker’, ‘VW’ and ‘Whitesnake’ all as good as the already mentioned songs.

Overall ‘Fantasy Black Channel’ has many, many high points and no low points. This is the record you stick on when you want to step away from reality, thumbs up Late of the Pier.

8.5/10

Label Focus: Young And Lost Club

Young & Lost Club is a small independent record label set up by Nadia and Sara and is based in London. If you live in London then there is a good chance you would’ve heard of the label. The label has also been featured in many publications including Time Out, Flux Magazine, The Daily Mail, iD Magazine and Dazed and Confused. Also on a Saturday night they are responsible for the club night Push which showcases some great new bands, DJ’s and plays some wonderful music. It’s the place to be on a Saturday night in Central London.

YALC’s first release was back in 2005 and featured the Vincent Vincent and the Villains single ‘Blue Boy’ / ‘The Boy Who Killed Time’. Since then YALC have released some of the best singles from the best new bands around. Including ‘Six Queens’ by Larrikin Love, Good Shoes debut single ‘Small Town Girl’ and ‘Comfortable Silence’ by Cazals which featured one of my favourite ever b-sides ‘Cost’.

Other bands showcased by Young & Lost Club include Action Plan, New Moscow and Friends of the Bride. My favourite releases by YALC are singles such as ‘Animator’ (Pull Tiger Tail), ‘Take This Act Down’ (Lets Bitter Cinema) and my favourites being the two Fear of Flying singles ‘Routemaster’ and ‘Three’s A Crowd’.

More recently Young & Lost Club has released excellent artists such as Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit, Semifinalists, Bombay Bicycle Club, Noah and the Whale and unfortunately Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong. Young & Lost Club will continue to release fantastic singles I’m sure and I’m just as excited now about their releases as I was 3 years ago when Good Shoes, Larrikin Love and VVATV were on Young & Lost Club.

The Dark Knight

On the way to the cinema I felt strange, I was actually worried. I’d read all the great reviews (both Total Film and Empire gave The Dark Knight a perfect 5 out of 5). I’d read some people suggesting it was the “greatest film ever” but I was worried the film would not fulfil all the hype. Why should I be worried about it? It’s just a film… but after seeing Batman Begins and reading so much about The Dark Knight I wanted it desperately to be good.

So, the verdict. It wasn’t good at all. It was fucking fantastic. It’s not very often I go to the cinema and leave the cinema feeling quite how I felt on Saturday night. When I left the cinema I knew I’d seen one of the greatest films of my generation so far. That is quite some statement but one I feel pretty strongly about. I’ve never in my life gone to see a film more than once at a cinema but come Wednesday afternoon I’ll be in my local Odeon watching The Dark Knight again.

Heath Ledger is obviously going to get all the press from the film and rightfully so for his performance. I am of the opinion that his performance of The Joker succeeded Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of The Joker in 1989. Understandably his death has made it hard for fans of his to watch the film in the same way, but it shouldn’t. If you was ever going to do your last film before you died that was one hell of a way of doing it. At times he was hilarious, at times he was incredibly scary, most of the time he was insane and every scene he was in he was absolutely sensational. If he wins an Oscar for his performance it won’t be a win because he is no longer with us it will be because it was the best performance of the year.

Christian Bale is forgotten about in a lot of reviews but I think he is the best Batman we’ve seen so far. Michael Keaton, George Clooney and Val Kilmer have all tried it in the past 20 years but they come no way near Christian Bale. As Bruce Wayne Christian Bale is the epitome of cool and as Batman he is the superhero we all want. The combination of Bale and Nolan strikes again and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the awesome duo make another fantastic movie.

Aaron Eckhart is definitely worth a mention too because his performance as Harvey Dent / Two Face is just as impressive as Bale’s portrayal of Batman. I’ve not really seen much of Eckhart before but I am pretty sure after his role of Harvey Dent we will be seeing much more of him. The rest of the cast is great too; Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are better in The Dark Knight than previous film Batman Begins. My only gripe character wise was Maggie Gyllenhaal who I don’t think really pulled off the Rachel Dawes but thankfully she’s been killed off and didn’t get much air time in The Dark Knight.

I wake up Sunday morning pretty excited about the film still and read some of the morning papers and feel pretty disgusted at some of the reviews of The Dark Knight. One newspaper (The Daily Mail) claim it was “far too long and far too complicated”, what the fuck? Too long? Erm, the last Lord of the Rings film was an hour longer but that was critically acclaimed and won shit load of Oscars. Too complicated? Are you thick? Another quote from a horrible tabloid (News of the World) suggested “the film lacked a love story” since when has Batman been about love? The film is called The Dark Knight for fucks sake. Oh yeah and the best quote (once again from The Daily Mail) was “Christian Bale needs to appeal more to the 12 to 14 year girls, he has to be dreamy”. Oh please, pass me a bucket. This is not a teen movie you toss pot.

Overall this is the must seen film of 2008 and I think in 20 years time this film will remain a classic blockbuster superhero smash.

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Batman

It’s 1989 and Tim Burton has decided that it is time to bring Batman back to our screens. Not intent on making a Batman movie quite like the ones seen in the past, with the 1966 Batman film coming to mind. Y’know the one with the horrible bright colours, the tacky “KERRRRRR POW” speech bubbles, the poor action scenes and overall terrible performances. I remember seeing that film and thinking how lame Batman was, it was incredibly camp.

Thankfully Tim Burton prefers a darker more gothic Gotham City and thankfully his cast included the brilliant Jack Nicholson who played The Joker. As much as I think Michael Keaton was a pretty dorky Bruce Wayne he did all the Batman scenes pretty sufficiently. Kim Basinger was the love interest in the film and portrayed her character very well.

Gotham City is a dark place filled with criminals and those criminals killed the parents of Bruce Wayne. Jack Napier killed Bruce’s parents and from that moment on Bruce Wayne was content on fighting the scum of the streets. Unfortunately there is a criminal like no other, with no fear and who is as deranged as they come, The Joker. Batman has to beat off The Joker’s mad plans to take over Gotham City and kill all the people living there.

Of course he manages to eventually fight off The Joker and save Gotham City along with his love interest Vicki Vale. The film is a great comic book film which really gets the Batman back to how he should be. A dark hero of the night – The Dark Night you say? It took him away from the coloured camp character created in the 1960’s. Jack Nicholson was terrific as The Joker – he did the whole “crazy, fearless, psychotic madman” perfectly.

Tim Burton brought Batman back some serious credibility and Jack Nicholson as The Joker was hilarious and insane at the same time along with brilliant.

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Introducing: Tubelord

I’ve not really been excited by many “new” bands for a long time, and by new I mean a band who has no album and no hype surrounding them. Tubelord are probably the band I am currently most excited about. When I first listened to them a good 6 months ago I wasn’t as excited back then as I am now. I have no idea why but thankfully I went back to them and realised how good they are.

How do you describe Tubelord? Insanely different is how I sum them up. I a real mix mash of loads of different sounds. Despite having a really heavy sound there are some really softer moments with some great melodies and some softer vocals. But then the next minute they will rock the fuck out and shout their arses off. All this mixed together equals a pretty special sound. Loud drums, heavy guitars and even a harmonica at times make Tubelord a pretty unique sound.

‘Feed Me A Box Of Words’ was the first song I heard and that pretty much just sums up how I just described them. ‘Half Man Half Amazing’ is another great song by the Kingston three-piece. Another reason to why I really love them and want them to get as much success as possible is because they are from Kingston; a place pretty close to my heart whilst at University.

Tubelord are currently on tour with fellow awesome band Tellison and you can see them right across the country. Once that has finished they are touring with yet another exciting up and coming band Blakfish so they will be playing in a town near you soon so please, please go and see them.

When you go see them live with Tellison make sure you pick up the new split single which features Tubelord’s ‘Night Of The Pencils’ and the already reviewed and fucking fantastic ‘Wasps Nest’ by Tellison. I currently can’t decide which I prefer… so go out and buy it so you can decide!

Tubelord – Half Man Half Amazing

Tubelord – Feed Me A Box Of Words

Batman Begins

1989 was the year Tim Burton brought Batman to our screens with his successful adaptation of the DC Comics superhero. From then we saw the likes of Batman Returns (1992; Tim Burton), Batman Forever (1995; Joel Schumacher) and Batman & Robin (1997; Joel Schumacher). The last two of those films being critically shot down and the fans weren’t too keen either. Eight years later Batman Begins arrived on our doorsteps and thanks to the marvellous director Christopher Nolan Batman was back with a bang.

Batman Begins follows the story of Batman before he became Batman closely looking at his childhood and in more details his training. One of the key scenes in the film is where a criminal shoots Bruce Wayne’s mother and father dead. From this Bruce Wayne wants to revenge his parents’ death and fight the crime and destroy the criminals of Gotham City.

Along with the help from originally Henri Ducard (Ra’s al Ghul) played by Liam Neeson to become a great fighter and then later on Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine). But also Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Sgt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) aid Bruce Wayne along the way to becoming Batman.

The film is a lot darker than other Superhero films you may see like Superman or Spiderman. The theme behind the film lies with fear and how fear can drive people and in Bruce Wayne’s case he uses the fear of bats to help him become a stronger individual. The tradition with a Batman film has been to have a camp style much like the old film from the 60’s and the carton series. Even Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin used this camp style. However Christopher Nolan had other ideas and made the film darker and sinister.

Christian Bale plays the Batman / Bruce Wayne character remarkably well and there is even some suggestions that he is the greatest Batman thus far. Something Michael Keaton may have something to say about, I think Bale just pips it as the superior Batman.

I thought Cillian Murphy played his role of The Scarecrow / Dr. Jonathan Crane exceptionally well too. He managed to pull off being hated as both characters he played in the film even though to begin with you didn’t know Dr. Crane would become The Scarecrow you didn’t like or trust him. Katie Holmes performed her part as Rachel Dawes perfectly too, the casting of this film is one of the best casts I’ve ever seen. This along with a fantastic script, the greatest superhero (in my opinion) and the brilliant direction from Christopher Nolan makes this film one of the best superhero flicks of all time.

Roll on The Dark Knight!

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Superman Returns

The very first Superman film in 1978 starring the late great Christopher Reeve is considered by many the finest superhero film of all time. So to follow up that legacy was always going to be a hard task for director Bryan Singer. Christopher Reeve is also remembered as the greatest Superman to ever grace the screen so for newcomer Brandon Routh it was some big bloody shoes to fill.

Bryan Singer is no stranger to Superhero films after directing two X-Men films so therefore is the perfect director to bring Superman back to our screens. It was 19 years that Superman had been away from the big screen and all Superman fans were highly anticipating this new Superman film.

The cast is great with Kevin Spacey as a perfect Lex Luthor and Kate Bosworth who played the Lois Lane character extremely well. Brandon Routh would not have been many people’s choice before the film but I think as an actor he suits the role perfectly. He is as close to looking like Christopher Reeve as you’re going to get.

The film itself follows the story of Superman returning after being away for 5 years and Lois Lane had written a piece for which she won an award for called ‘Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman’. Obviously she was wrong when Lex Luthor’s plan to kill billions of people was discovered. However Luthor had found the deadly substance to Superman kryptonite and the land Luthor has built is made from the substance. This ultimately makes it difficult for Superman to fight Luthor and his henchmen and save the world.

But of course in usual Superman fashion he manages to overcome this along with being stabbed in the back with a shard of kryptonite and saves the billions of people from dying. Good old Superman! A lot of the film revolves around the relationship between Lois Lane and Superman and in the end Lois realises she and the rest of the world do need Superman. Near the end of the film she even begins writing an article titled ‘Why the World Does Need Superman’.

Overall this film has some very good moments particularly the role Kevin Spacey plays as Lex Luthor but with the money Singer had along with the script and cast you can’t help thinking he could’ve done a lot better.

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Black Kids - Partie Traumatic

I’d be the first to admit that I got pretty bloody excited by Black Kids when the buzz around them began near the end of last year. They released that EP for free from their MySpace and everyone went Black Kids crazy and since then they’ve released a few singles, made some festival appearances and got some serious radio play on Radio 1 thanks to Edith, Whiley and co. Today I even saw them on the extremely fucking awful T4 On The Beach which had the likes of Scouting for Girls, The Hoosiers, The Feeling, Sam Sparro. Pass me the fucking bucket, please. Actually no, a dustbin would be more appropriate for those artists.

Black Kids are no where near as bad as the previously mentioned artists, where as I’d give The Feeling’s new album 0 out of 10 Black Kids would definitely be able to succeed that low score. Anyway, the EP titled ‘Wizard of Ahhhs’ which was everywhere at the end of last year showed some real promise from the Jacksonville 5 piece. A sound which was compared to Arcade Fire (why I’ll never know) but a sound that to me was a nice blend between The Go! Team and The Cure.

The album ‘Partie Traumatic’ sadly does not really live up to the great potential shown by the digitally released ‘Wizard of Ahhhs’. Sadly like many other bands at the moment the band have rushed to get an album out pretty quickly obviously due to popularity. The album contains most of the songs that we’ve heard from the ‘Wizard of Ahhhs’ EP and songs from the same session that were released at the same time as that EP. What was so good about those songs was the raw sounding and fresh sound that Black Kids. However the polished sound that now goes with the album ‘Partie Traumatic’ is not one I’m particularly enjoying. Unfortunately the album seems to be one big blur of songs that sound very similar to each other. What a shame.

The new songs that exist on the album are no where as near as the quality I’d imagined from Black Kids. I think what they should’ve done is released an EP this summer and then took a bit longer to release an album nearer Christmas time. I mean it was only about Christmas time that the band was getting a lot of buzz just about everywhere. Oh yeah and also get a different producer because Bernard Butler has really wrecked their sound from the previous EP which was a very good sound.

Despite my criticisms there are catchy songs on this record and I’ll be the first to admit that the album has songs which will get people dancing. Newest single ‘Hurricane Jane’ being a perfect example of this along with other standout songs ‘Hit The Heartbreaks’ and first single ‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You’. One of my favourite songs from the first EP ‘I’ve Underestimated My Charm (Again)’ is still a really strong song and new song ‘I’m Making Eyes At You’ is a real grower.

This album moves along nicely, is not offensive but to me it doesn’t make any bold statements and is not really different from any other indie album that is out there or has been made. Having said that it is a lot better than The Feeling, The Hoosiers and Scouting for Girls, so kudos for that.

6/10

The Punisher

I remember when The Punisher was released in 2004 and I remember not thinking much of the film, I actually thought the trailers looked pretty bad. Four years later I found myself purchasing the film for £4 on play.com due to my current phenomenon of comic book / superhero films. Reading up about The Punisher comics I discovered that The Punisher is not like your typical superhero like Spider-Man, Batman or Superman; he is far darker.

The premise of the film is that Frank Castle (played by Thomas Jane) is involved in the killing of Howard Saint’s (the bad guy of the film, played by John Travolta) son. However during the same killing of his son Frank Castle is “killed” as well so that Howard Saint would not go after him on hearing who was involved in the killing of his son. But of course he did find out and hunted down Frank Castle who had gone on holiday with his whole family.

If you’ve not seen the film then don’t read on if you plan on watching it in the future because I’m about to ruin the whole film. Howard Saint’s men hunt down Frank and his family and kill everybody on the island. They think they’ve killed Frank too (tens of bullets to the chest is usually a clear indication you’ve killed someone) but of course Frank Castle (The Punisher) is not like normal human begins and has an extremely high pain tolerance level. Unlike other superheroes The Punisher has no special abilities but he succeeds solely through ingenuity and the rigorous training of his military upbringing, a finely honed killer instinct and an extensive arsenal of weapons culled from fallen foes and military allies.

Frank who comes back more pissed off then ever is after revenge on the people who killed his family and tried to finish him off. He kills off individually all of Howard Saint’s family and the people who are close to him. But not as brutually as you’d think considering Frank Castle goes by the name The Punisher. He cleverly makes Howard Saint kill his wife AND his best friend, this is what makes The Punisher’s killings all the more entertaining to watch. In the end he kills Howard Saint pretty brutally shooting him first, setting him on fire and dragging him around a parking lot attatched to an on fire car. Pretty bloody harsh you’d suggest.

What also makes the film so good is the people who live next door to Frank who are constantly watching his moves, listening to what he is up to and generally stalking him. They then come in contact with Frank and become friends with him and in the end even help him out to kill the people who massacred his whole family.

Overall the film consists of a good casting with Thomas Jane playing Frank Castle extremely well with John Travolta playing the evil Howard Saint as well as he has played many bad guys in the past. The supporting cast makes the film especially more enjoyable especially Frank’s two stalker floor mates (Bumpo and Dave). A few years ago I would’ve not considered watching this film but I am not thankful I did because The Punisher is a great old school comic book adapation.

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2008 Albums: Best Of The Rest (Part Three)

Operator Please – Yes Yes Vindictive

Technically this album was released in this country this year back in March, although most of us had many months before the UK release date. Looking back I enjoyed the album a lot more on it’s release then I do now, I think Operator Please are one of those bands you enjoy for the moment but when it comes down to it they aren’t really as good as you thought. Having said that the album has a few really good songs like ‘Get What You Want’, ‘Leave It Alone’ and ‘Ghost’ and not ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong’ which has become pretty annoying.

6/10

Lightspeed Champion – Falling Off The Lavender Bridge

‘Falling Off The Lavender Bridge’ has 3 really, really good songs: ‘Midnight Surprise’, ‘Galaxy Of The Lost’ and the best of the three ‘Tell Me What Its Worth’. Other than that the album is distinctly average but for those three songs the album definitely deserves a mention of albums of 2008. Dev definitely has potential as well as seen with Test Icicles and Lightspeed Champion so I do expect the next album to be better than this one.

6/10

Hot Club De Paris – Live At Dead Lake

After loving ‘Drop It Til It Pops’ I immediately assumed I would love the new album by the Liverpool trio Hot Club De Paris. I was a little disappointed actually with the new album and to me there weren’t really many good points on the album. There was no ‘Shipwreck’ or ‘Your Face Looks All Wrong’ and despite seeing the album done quite well in many reviews I am going to have to disagree and say the album is not a very good one. I may live to regret this review when the album grows on me (like the first did) and I love it but at the moment I am not that much of fan.

5/10