Right Where It Belongs

The Mesmerising Mr. Nolan Works His Magic

2012-01-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

Another masterful directorial outing for Christopher Nolan who has not put a foot wrong yet, The Prestige is sandwiched between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and serves to once again highlight the wonderful diversity of his work. That he was overlooked for a directorial nomination for 'Inception' is to the eternal shame of the Academy.

The rivalry between Jackman and Bale's characters is loaded with intrigue at every mesmerising twist and turn, and they are supported by a superb cast of characters each presented with an engaging part that the audience cannot fail but invest in. But it is the story that is the true star, brought to life by Nolan, but beautifully imagined by author Christopher Priest.

The tricks are all explained but will enthral you nonetheless, as will this excellent film.

What's That Coming Over the Hill?

2012-01-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

Superb debut from writer and director Gareth Edwards, this is the kind of work that should give us all reassurance that there are some safe hands on the rise that will offer alternatives to the output of Hollywood that have great artistic integrity, genuine invention and will provide some new vocabulary for the language of modern cinema. Edwards beautifully captures the sombre and confused mood of a fictional near-future where aliens have arrived on Earth. The journey of his characters across this disorienting landscape is totally compelling due to Edwards’ deft touch with situations and dialog, and due to engagingly believable performances from his leads McNairy and Able. In these aspects ‘Monsters’ is in stark contrast to something like the effects heavy ‘Skyline’. Edward’s meagre budget and (necessarily) inventive filmmaking methods, and the wonderful outcome of his process, should be a lesson to big-bankroll directors and studios that truly substantive creation needs no budget to demonstrate its value. Superb filmmaking that you really should see if you have any interest in the future of cinema, well worth the rental.

The Definition of Shift

2012-01-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

I think that if you are going to try to create art with a camera the end result needs to be something that the eye cannot see unaided. As a result, pointing the camera and releasing the shutter is not enough in itself. Also, I've always been drawn to abstract images and so have, for some years, been trying to put these elements together. What I've come up with is not particularly clever in a technical sense, I'm no great technician when it comes to photography, I don't have the patience, but I think the results of my experimenting with movement of the camera are quite interesting.

This first image was taken in the Cannaregio area in northern Venice with my Sony, f/4, 1 second, ISO 320 (equivalent) and -0.7 step exposure bias.

The second image was taken on Olympiastrasse in Seefeld, Austria, Sony again, f/2.8, 1 second, ISO 320 (equivalent).

The Right One

2012-01-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

Don’t let yourself be put off if you think that this is a vampire film, it most certainly is not. There may be some bloodletting involved and it could be considered to have horrific elements, but these are incidental, ‘Let The Right One In’ is so much more than what some of its constituent parts might suggest. A glowing recommendation from Guillermo del Toro should tell you what territory we are in here, and that Tomas Alfredson has crafted a thoughtful, intelligent, near perfect film from the source novel. The central performances from Kare Hedebrant, but particularly Lina Leandersson, are enthralling, beautifully capturing the tenderness and hesitancy of the relationship at the heart of the film. That Alfredson went on to create a definitive work like 2011’s ‘Tinker Tailor, Soldier Spy’ will not have surprised devotees of ‘Let The Right One In’, there can only be great things to come from this superlative filmmaker. If you are not overly sensitive, treat yourself to a delightful and moving filmic experience.

In The Camera Eye

2012-01-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

How do you review a film about your all-time favourite band? Probably not very impartially, I think you would have to be a fan of Rush to seek this out, but it’s also well worth seeing for music fans who don’t know them. Rush and their music might be considered somewhat eccentric by some, but in my view Rush have, over the decades, conducted themselves with absolute decorum, through good times and hard times, concentrating on delivering the most stimulating, challenging and enthralling rock music that I have ever heard and (I strongly suspect) will ever hear. No one can do what they do, the power, the virtuosity, the insight, the passion, the sensitivity.

Intellectualism; compassion; virtuosity; heart; mind; soul; poetry; science; history; Earth; galaxy; universe; The Big Bang - Rush's canvas is the entirety of human existence. No theme is too big or too small. They are truly masters of the possible and the impossible. How well does this film capture that, well I think it is clearly an act of heart-felt tribute by the filmmakers, and the talking heads who have contributed are very impressive indeed. In the end it’s a pretty standard documentary about an extraordinary band, as a piece of archive work it is excellent, well worth seeing for those who know Rush and those who want to know them.

Keep Calm and Carry On, Watson

2011-12-29T06:10:00.000-08:00

After a good, solid first outing by Guy Ritchie featuring excellent cut-and-thrust chemistry between Downey Jr. and Law, and a suitably mysterious and involving plot, I was unsure what to expect from the sequel, but there is no dip in form here, ‘A Game of Shadows’ is excellent, its canvas is the whole of Europe, Moriarty is on the move and the game is afoot! The action is well-paced, Holmes and Watson’s relationship is under strain and darkness and daring abound as a spate of bombings shakes Europe.

The introduction of Stephen Fry is inspired; he provides an excellent second foil for Downey Jr. and also a degree of gravitas that was missing before. Noomi Rapace is superbly cast, a pity she was not given more to do, but excellent to see her in a big circulation movie, hopefully more to come. The stand-out performance however is Jared Harris, oh how different from his meek and mild-mannered role as Lane Pryce in ‘Mad Men’, his Moriarty is superb; not a blustering caricature of evil, thank goodness, but the best kind of villain, a super-intelligent man of strong desires and no morality. The scenes that he shares with Holmes are riveting, none more so than the last one, which is superb cinema.

To conclude, despite the very tacky strap line ‘A Game of Shadows’ IS bigger, it IS better and it IS funnier, but not at the expense of an excellent Gothic action thriller with a tremendous denouement. Go and see it on the big screen NOW, TODAY! then see it again online and as a rental, fantastic stuff.

Absolutely Dire

2011-12-26T04:14:00.000-08:00

As a child of the 60's, my musical hey day was in the early 80's. I've always had eclectic tastes, but it was the power and to some extent the bravado of Heavy Metal that called the loudest (literally) to me, I was too well behaved to be a punk, and only discovered the joys of The Clash and The Jam much later. Motorhead, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Saxon, Scorpions were the staples, Black Sabbath, Rainbow were venerated high priests (oh yes, Judas Priest too).

Metalheads were sworn enemies of the New Romantics, I mean with a name like that, and those haircuts, it was a rivalry forged in the fires of hell. For that reason it was much (much) later before I could admit that Human League, OMD, Soft Cell, Duran Duran et al had some great songs too.

Amongst all this battle-of-the-charts nonsense (wasn't it great?) were certain artists that transcended genre, and none was greater in the early 80's than Dire Straits. Mark Knopfler had that skill that all truly great artists have, of melding supreme instrumental skill with peerless storytelling and making the whole thing seem effortless. I'm moved to write this as I listen to DS best of, 'Sultans of Swing' which my 17-year-old daughter requested for her Christmas (one of my greatest joys is that she has musical tastes every bit as eclectic as mine.) Knopfler's achievement is written clearly in the track list of that superb collection, but even more eloquently in the songs that there is no room for.

'Love Over Gold' was always my favourite Dire Straits record, DS songs were never short, but by 1982 Knopfler was unconstrained by the niceties of commercial songwriting. The shortest track was 5:49 (the poppy, radio friendly 'Industrial Disease'), and 'Telegraph Road' was a tour de force at a magnificent 14:21, but it is the album's book end 'It Never Rains' that was, for me, the most poignant and heartfelt on that record. Okay the riff is a bit repetitive and the song peters out through a solo that is not Knopfler's most inspiring, but the first 4 minutes are an emotional return to the fairground landscape of 'Tunnel of Love' - magnificent stuff, and he was born in Glasgow.

'Breaking' news...

http://norriemaclean.blogspot.com/2011/07/bob-and-knopfler-at-braehead.html

Motion Capture

2011-12-26T03:55:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken in Paris in February 2007 at the Centre Pompidou. My family and I were there to see a Tintin exhibition, which was superb, lots of original drawings and page masters, really incredible Herge archive material. My Sony DSC-72P at work again with f/2.8 and 1/8s, set to ISO 100 with +2 exposure bias.

I love the way that the camera can capture images that the eye can't really see. The exposure is long enough that people moving across the shot appear blurred, but some standing or pausing are frozen fairly clearly. The man in the foreground turned to look at the camera, conscious that he was in the shot, but not enough to stop.

The over-exposure removes the definition from the outside world, although the odd person here and there is still visible in the distance. There are almost no objects in the shot so it becomes all about the people and what the viewer imagines about them.

I'd like to thank Orson Welles, without whom this would not have been possible

2011-12-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

Welles filmed Kafka's 'The Trial' in Paris in 1962, using the abandoned Gare du Quai d'Orsay for many scenes due to insufficient funds to work in a studio. The old station was scheduled for demolition until Jacques Duhamel, Minister for Cultural Affairs ruled against it, no doubt because of its use by Welles and other filmmakers, and also for a time as an auction house and the base for a theatre company.

This photo was taken in April 2005 in the cafe situated behind one of the clock faces that bracket the frontage to the Seine, using my Sony DSC-P72 when 3.2 mega-pixels was a lot. Limitations of memory stick capacity meant I had it on VGA mode unfortunately. F/5.6 and 1/125s for anyone who's interested.

Camera Eye

2011-12-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

It's been a long, long time since I blogged - in the interim since the Hangover II post (still stand by that), I have signed up to Twitter and found out at the I can't keep up with that either, at least my Fantasy Premier League team is up to date.

I've always wanted to 'do something' with my photography - the arty-farty, potentially pretentious stuff - Ash has a friend who started out trying to post a new photo every day - I'll never manage that! - maybe one a month, but then again I've got something of a back catalogue to work with. No time like the present.

This photo was taken in the Creston Valley on the shores of Kootenay Lake, British Columbia with by Minolta x-300 SLR (not digital, we're talking 1989!). This is a scan of the original print, pretty sure it was Ilford 125 film, but give me a break it was 22 years ago! The photo is called 'Spider', no prizes for spotting why.

More Bang and, indeed, C**k for your Buck

2011-06-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

The great thing about ‘The Hangover’ was its brazen lack of shame and Part II displays all of the irreverence of the first instalment, with the addition of an exotic location. The film makes the most its eastern setting, which is always colourful, often tawdry, but also an integral part of the story, not just a gimmick to spice up a sequel.

The story is straightforward, delivering the right amount of jeopardy and threat without being over complicated. There are a couple of passing points of misjudged prejudice which are unnecessary, but the generally locals give as good as they get, and it is for most part bawdy but good natured fun, shared with characters that already feel like old friends, stupid, reckless, but ultimately likable much in the way that the Carry On characters are.

Paul Giamatti’s role is small but enlivens the second half. The final set piece is, thankfully, in context, but feels like personality placement and it’s a shame that it doesn’t come off when the rest of the film has been so entertaining. There’s an obvious Part III, and if it steps up to the plate as Part II has done we are in for a rollicking good show.

The New Socialism

2010-12-27T16:18:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what a collaboration between all your favourite creative people would look and sound like? To be honest I had not - it's such an improbable event, the chances of such a thing happening are so remote, that it's not even worth thinking about...

(Roll VT)

I am sitting in the superb Grosvenor Cinema in Glasgow's West End about to enjoy the latest offering from David Fincher, The Social Network. I knew that it was scripted by Aaron Sorkin - he of West Wing fame - either one is a strong recommendation on its own, but both together bodes very well indeed, I am anticipating eagerly. Trigger Street Productions - ah, an unexpected bonus, my favourite actor of the 90's Kevin Spacey (Glengarry Glen Ross (92), Swimming With Sharks (94), Se7en (95), Usual Suspects (95), LA Confidential (97), American Beauty (99) - an incomparable body of work in such a short period) has produced, truly a stamp of quality.

Even now a full house has not even entered my head, and then the opening bars of the soundtrack creep from the speakers as the camera tracks up the stairs, only the first handful of notes are required, it's only Trent Reznor who's written the soundtrack, prophet of an alternative generation and my touchstone for musical inspiration. Right from the opening lines you have to run to keep up. Sorkin's dialog is as snappy and intelligent as the West Wing or Studio 60 ever were, it's nasty, smug, angry when it needs to be, but always, always, very, very clever. Who do you pick to write a script about a 'computer genius'? A scriptwriting genius of course.

The central performances are all good, Jesse Eisenberg in particular as the anti-hero Zuckerberg, excellently portrays a detached and somewhat bemused persona that I would imagine most computer 'geniuses' have. The protagonists all have their faults and none of the characters elicited any sympathy from me. That's usually my cue to switch off, but The Social Network transcends the characters and the plot, which is largely irrelevant in the sense that we all know how the story ends (to this point at least). But the script holds everything together and I found it impossible to take my eyes off the screen. On paper this is a turkey, a movie about an Internet billionaire and the contractual and legal fog that surrounded his success? It could not be a better example of what true genius can deliver to the screen. As a child, like most children, I used to think that the actors did all the work, and I wondered who all the other people in the credits were - if ever there was a lesson in how wrong that childish view is it in the team that brought us The Social Network.

So This Is Christmas...

2010-12-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

You know you're over the hill when...

Santa stops leaving Kerrang! in your stocking and leaves Classic Rock instead! But am I disappointed? Not a bit (probably the biggest giveaway that the sentiment is true!). Rush received the Living Legends award at the magazine's annual honours bash this year, and it could not be given to a more deserving group of gentlemen.
Over the decades Rush have conducted themselves with absolute decorum, through good times and hard times, concentrating on delivering the most stimulating, challenging and enthralling rock music that I have ever heard and (I strongly suspect) will ever hear. They are second to none, and I mean none. No one can do what they do, the power, the virtuosity, the insight, the passion, the sensitivity.

Truly inspirational, and you can dance to most of it.

'Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength.'

Long live Rush, and thank you.

Thank you Doug, thank you Paul, thank you Robert

2010-12-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

It would be easy to give too much credit to the excellent Bourne Trilogy for making an intellegent and sophisticated film like The International possible. It has become something of a cliche to give a heavy nod towards Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass, and their slick realisations of Robert Ludlum's source material whenever a thriller appears that is set anywhere east of Norwich, and to forget the films that went before like Funeral In Berlin, The Quiller Memorandum, The Third Man, to name but three, is regretable.

The International is however brilliantly constructed in its own right by Tom Tykwer, director of Run Lola Run and Perfume, and Clive Owen is excellent as the brooding investigator with a troubled past. Naomi Watts shines as always, pleasingly not glammed up as DA Eleanor Whitman (despite the obvious temptation), and Armin Mueller-Stahl brings effortless depth to insider Wilhelm Wexler.

The shoot out in the Guggenheim is a visceral centre piece. Owen's Salinger is no black ops killling machine, he is a man on a mission, driven to succeed at all costs. Indeed he and his temporary associates seem positively fragile as they scurry and dive to avoid the hail of gunfire that rips through the gallery set. There are further signs that Salinger is increasingly on the brink as events rattle forward, and Owen conveys that sense of running on the edge of control so well.

Like so many things in cinema, as in life, however it is the journey that is the real experience. So it is with The International, by the time it arrives at the denouement all the best scenes have passed. It is a disappointment that nothing better than a brief rooftop pursuit can be conjured up by Tykwer and writer Eric Singer - and the coup de grasse lacks true impact, despit the attempt at a twist.

But don't let this minor personal quibble put you off, The International is entirely worthy of 2 hours of your life, and desveres to be widely recommended to anyone who does not want to leave their brain in a jar in the cloakroom.

Now and Venn

2010-11-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

Music is a strange thing. There is really no predicting what will move a particular person, how wide their taste might be. One thing that is fairly reliable is that no-one's taste will be exactly the same. One person will evangelise about an artist that will leave his friend completely unmoved.

I have a close colleague who is a real muso, possibly (probably) more devoted than I am - his thirst for knowledge and history greater than mine. Our tastes are, inevitably, different - however what I find fascinating is where our particular Venn diagrams of listening touch.

I hope he will forgive me if I make some statements here (corrections always welcomed!). He likes what I think is referred to as 'New' country music, he seems particularly interested in 'solo' artists and singer-songwriters. Ryan Adams, Bowie, Dylan, Morrison, The King, The Boss. Above all else I believe he is a Bruce acolyte, a devotee if you will, with huge know of the man and his work. Me, I'm more or a band man. I am perfectly happy listening to many of those classics, but they are not cornerstones of my collection.

And here there is a great source of enjoyment. For me there is nothing quite like finding a point of unexpected agreement with a fellow enthusiast, that moment of discovery when you realise there is some profoundly enjoyable common ground, where you imagined there was more distance. I have always been, and still am, am an ardent metal-head. My tastes are very broad (I think), but are centred on the heavier side of life. Norah Jones, Jack Johnson, Counting Crows - all in my collection - but Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Tool and Iron Maiden (to name but a few) are mainstays.

I like Bruce Springsteen, he has some truly awesome songs, but he was always peripheral in my listening. Hence my great joy in discovering a video on my friend Norrie's site. Rather than me including, go see for yourself. As a huge Trent Reznor fan I have nothing but admiration for the sheer unrestrained energy of Bruce's performance here. He really is on the edge - it is an absolute joy.

http://norriemaclean.blogspot.com/2010/11/springsteen-stunning-version-of-candys.html

Shut the Door. Have a Seat

2010-11-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

It is so rare these days to find a drama that is not hackneyed and dumbed-down, or characters that are not cardboard cut-outs, a pastiche of stereotypes or ‘zanily quirky’ (c). At first glance I thought Mad Men was an unlikely prospect, and I dismissed it as a historical soap at the cost of a three year gap before discovering it. The loss was entirely mine, because Mad Men is a hidden gem. It does for Ad Execs what The West Wing did for public servants, etching fascinating characters that bleed, sweat and cry. They are so human, so individual, that they must be real, chock full or vices and virtues as they are. Drinking and womanising are tools of the trade, chauvinism and discrimination of every flavour are rife, men are men and a woman’s place is in the home or a seedy hotel room possibly. But MM is not a lecherous romp, it is very much what is advertised, a way of life in 60’s America.

It is also an enthralling saunter through a seismic period of history, a crossroads in so many ways. It is just starting to be revealed that smoking is harmful. MLK speaks and America listens whether it likes the message are not. Kennedy defeats Nixon, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Dallas Texas. The issues of the period are woven into the fabric of the Sterling Cooper agency and its staff. They are shaken by these world-changing events in a way that we can only imagine. But it is not the breadth of the canvas but the detail, the nuance the charming, hateful humanity of the characters and their workaday lives that give MM its true power. Roger Sterling is an arrogant bully who inherited his success, and yet he falls in love. Bert Cooper is a true eccentric and yet his judgement is incomparable. Pete Campbell is a grasping, jealous young executive but truly skilled at what he does. Peggy Olson is an anachronism, a talented, ambitious young woman who does not fit the new Barbie image, achieving success in a man’s world.

And then there is Donald Draper. How can anyone have sympathy for Don? The serial infidelity to model wife Betty, lies upon lies and the near-callous disregard for his staff, the charmed, seemingly effortless career – Don is fated to succeed, a genius in his field, the man with the golden tongue. And yet for me there is something fragile about him and a fascinating background, and there are secrets, oh boy are there secrets. You won't like Don Draper, but if you are a bloke you just might want to be him. Not since The West Wing has there been a drama from the US that has been so keenly observed and utterly immersing. In my view its creation was seminal in the field of TV drama. Mad Men is unashamedly TV for grown-ups.

Classical Gassing

2009-06-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, oh dear - I have done a bad thing. I guess the shiny newness of blogging had worn off - and I was busy! Anyway, must get back off the wagon.

Classic albums - a subject to fuel endless debate, and yet in everyone's Top 10 list there are undeniable true classics that tower above what should really be described as 'favourites' rather than anything else. What is a classic album? Well it will transcend any attempts at pigeon-holing in any genre, and it will not be allowed any duff tracks (well maybe just one). It should probably be something that stands that test of time too, just in case it turns out to be a favourite masquerading as something more. So, how many of the 'classic' albums from my collection do you think are actually classic, or just very good - or not even that? (As usual in no order.)

The Killers - Hot Fuss (2004)
Radiohead - Ok Computer (1997)
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Queensryche - Operation: Mind Crime (1988)
Marillion - Fugazi (1984)

Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)
AC/DC - Back In Black (1980)
Diamond Head - Canterbury (1983)
Alice Cooper - Killer (1971)
Rush - Signals (1982)

Okay, so let's see how many 'rules' I've broken. Is Hot Fuss too new? I say not. I used to dislike The Killers - so there's the zeal of the convert at play - but the sheer inventiveness of the songs is a blessing and Brandon Flowers' vocals are emotional and compelling. Radiohead - whiny English navel-gazers? No! On O.C. Radiohead chew up genres and spit them out, the scope of the musical ideas and their ability to realise them is staggering - and it's got Stephen Hawking on for fox hake! Shame they have never matched it.

What can you say about Dark Side... for me it is the anti-concept album. The concept is not, I think, in the lyrics as you might expect, but in the music and its progression. The Floyd utterly in tune with each other. Operation: Mindcrime is everything that Dark Side is not, and no worse for that. It is a single narrative from start to finish. Is there a theme emerging? Song writing is the key. Queensryche take 80's metal somewhere it had never been and never reached again in my view. The power of Geoff Tate's vocals, the melodic pyro of DeGarmo and Wilton, enthralling.

Marillion are like Marmite (you know the rest). As with The Killers I used to loath them until one day I got it. Fish lays himself bare in every song - anger, heartache, fear, loathing... As with The Floyd the band, all expert in their field, meshed as if one mind to concoct one haunting dream after another on an album that rode the crest of the new prog wave that Market Square Heroes generated. Several poles apart Nirvana cut loose with such manic intensity that the listener is left almost breathless. The sheer, vital energy of Nevermind, the seemingly casual and careless brilliance of Nirvana, is truly awesome, but without the mind-boggling song writing their crazed virtuosity would have been so much hot air.

The term Rock (and Roll) is used very casually these, mostly by people who don't know what they are talking about, but it used to mean so much more. AC/DC knew how to rock like no-one else. They understood it. Bon Scott lived it, and ultimately died it. How could they ever reach the heights of Highway to Hell and Dirty Deeds again? Few believed that they could and they would never be as truly masterful again, but there was one white hot parting shot, the 2nd best selling album of all time, a scorching tribute to the man from Kirriemuir.

Diamond who? Their star burned bright, but not long (although they are going still). The band who are most famous for inspiring Metallica were truly innovative songwriters, taking their brand of hard rock down a side road that led to their crackling 1983 offering Canterbury. This is surely what medieval metal would sound like.

Like AC/DC time has change Alice Cooper - as it does everyone. Unlike Bon Scott the Coop survived to conquer his demons, staggering through a distinctly sub-average period to start producing some fine material these days. But his heyday was with the classic 70's line up of Smith-Bruce-Dunaway-Buxton-(Ezrin). There are obvious classic songs in Cooper's back-cat, but to me no other of his albums is so consistently brilliant in the diversity and consistency of the material.

And finally Rush. They were my favourite band for at least one decade, probably two. Despite my evangelism for NiN and Tool, I can't help feeling that Rush are still there are at the hub of everything, waiting for me to come back. Intellectualism, compassion, virtuosity, heart, mind, soul, poetry, science, history, Earth, galaxy, universe. The Big Bang. Rush's canvas is the entirety of human existence. No theme is too big or too small. They are truly masters of the possible and the impossible. But which album? It was a close run thing between Signals and Moving Pictures, but ultimately the dark angst of Subdivisions; the summer breeze of Analog Kid; the sweep of Chemistry; the optimism of New World Man; and the intense excitement of Countdown tipped the decision.

It's a personal list, but so is everyone's. There is no right answer.

Eye Contact Leads To – Soundwave EP (06)

2009-05-03T00:08:00.000-07:00

According to fan feedback ECTL contain elements of Mission of Burma, New Order/Joy Division, Devo, Kraftwerk, The Kinks(!) and Motorhead(!!!). The Kinks I will allow – there’s a certain jangly, rhythmic, tonal quality that is reminiscent of the Kinky ones (until Eric opens his mouth at least), but Motorhead? – you are having a laugh, sir/madam.

The eponymous ‘Eye Contact Leads To’ is a track that certainly admits to the influence of New Order in its skipping synth intro and Sam’s jittery guitar. Eric’s vocals are raw – in a good way – distinctly edgy, almost incongruous given the mainly electronic thrust of the song, but again in a good way, where you might expect smooth lamenting, the edge is welcome, an 80’s punk ghost trapped in the machine of 90’s electronica - intriguing. There are other ghosts present in the mix also – a spectre of Muse in certain wandering keyboard runs – a little light haunting by Mr. Cobain (circa Bleach) in Eric’s angry, howling lyrics.

An absolutely manky (trad. Scots adj. – filthy) baseline provides the intro to ‘Nothingsomething’ – soon joined by anxious guitar and a tripping drum beat from Mikey that drive a schizo harmony at jogging pace – imagine yourself running down the street with a gang of irate jannies chasing you – in vain. This is an energetic platform for Eric’s taunting, verging towards vicious, rants. Something about the beat will definitely make you want to pogo – then it will get lodged in your head and follow you around all day – in a good way.

This review was written in 2006 and ECLT grew on me steadily. It wasn’t an instant thing, but after a couple of listens it’s a joyous experience to curse along with the Glasgow 3some (at that time). Despite some comparisons made on their ms site (www.myspace.com/eyecontactleadsto) at that time there are no dirges here, it’s all upbeat if more thoughtful aggression. Mental Up Your Arse, if you will.

The Film That Rocked

2009-04-25T02:27:00.000-07:00

There are some excellent music-themed movies out there and this latest effort from the ever reliable Working Title and Richard Curtis is another. Based on the 'adventures' of Radio Caroline in the 1960's this is great fun, with typically effortless performances from Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans and the masterful PSH. Kenneth Branagh (or kenNETH, braNAGH as the Good Doctor would have it) is a standout for me as the evil minister - Senator Palpatine meets Sir Humphrey if you will - and Jack Davenport reprises his Norrington roll in Pirates of the Caribbean as the self-serving lackey, only 300 years later. Also, our laconic and likable hero Carl (Tom Sturridge) is a ringer for Trent Reznor I think! (you decide).

Okay it doesn't scale the heights of 'This Is Spinal Tap' or 'The Commitments', but it's a good movie that recreates the feel of the free-loving 60's with affection (or so I hear, I was only born in '66). The soundtrack is every bit as good as you would expect of a film set in that time of musical revolution and written by Mr. Curtis. Whether you see it at the cinema or rent it it is definitely worth seeing. There are some very funny scenes, not a little excitement at the end, spotting the music is always entertaining and there is 'homage' to a certain Jimi Hendrix album cover...

File under 'Criminal Neglect'...

2009-04-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

While Nirvana were blazing an ultimately self destructive trail across the West Coast sky, and Mudhoney were out-garaging Arnold Clark (automotive retail monopolist in the West of Scotland); Pearl Jam were making music with a soulful and spiritual ease that belied the immense legacy they were creating. Okay, perhaps 'ease' is not the right word, as their distinct discomfort at the close attention of the industry machine was marked and appears to remain today, but to me that only gives their music a greater authenticity, an aura of truth that is rare in today's packaged and categorised world of media-ocrity.

It is utterly pointless for me to recommend a place to start with Pearl Jam, a route into their aural cornucopia. The depth, breadth and height, the variety and the consistency of their back catalog is truly staggering. The good news is that it is unnecessary for me to try, because you can start anywhere from 1992's debut 'Ten' to the last studio release 'Pearl Jam' in 2006, and anywhere in between, and I believe that you will be as enthralled, energised, enraptured as I have always been. But if you really do have the attention span of a mayfly with ADD here is my suggestion for the mother load (in no order but date).

Even Flow (from 'Ten' 1992)
Daughter (from 'Vs.' 1993)
rearviewmirror (from 'Vs.' 1993)
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town (from 'Vs.' 1993)
Spin The Black Circle (from 'Vitalogy' 1994)
Better Man (from 'Vitalogy' 1994)

Who You Are (from 'No Code' 1996)
Low Light (from 'Yield' 1998)
Light Years (from 'Binaural' 2000)

Cropduster (from 'Riot Act' 2002)
Bushleager (from 'Riot Act' 2002)
Unemployable (from 'Pearl Jam' 2006)

Frank Turner

2009-04-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

I first became aware of Frank Turner as a quarter of Million Dead who released 2 albums ('A Song To Ruin', 2003 and 'Harmony, No Harmony', 2005) before divorcing due to 'irreconcilable differences'. MD were a superb band, their songs both fierce and intricate, barbed wire frames for Frank's aggressively intelligent socialist-hued lyrics. For all that I did not share his leanings, I found the songs entirely compelling, infused with energy, anger and humour, and a rare accuracy and insight in the picture of modern life that they painted (e.g. 'To Whom It May Concern'). http://www.myspace.com/amilliondead dead

Frank's solo offerings are no less intelligent, no less compelling and not without humour. I have seen them pigeon-holed as 'Folk' but for me that is not an adequate description. Frank's voice is highly individual, the songs new friends that are at once familiar. Knowing what has gone before in the shape of MD just adds to the pleasure that I take from Frank's work. See 'Sleep Is For The Week' (2007) and 'Love Ire & Song' (2008). When was the last time you heard a song featuring a line about finding a charger for your phone? www.myspace.com/frankturner

Sky Architects

2009-04-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

Have a listen to this Danish band. I'm not recommending them just because drummer Steffen is a friend of mine and drummed for my former band Taunt (twice - not for two spells, I mean twice). I think they have a very fresh sound. Steffen is a bit of a metal-head, so this was a surprise to me. It's not perfectly polished and that makes it more accessible, more vibrant. You can hear influences in there, or perhaps they are echoes, for me a touch of Hell Is For Heroes and perhaps Khoma - both good things! Find them here, www.myspace.com/skyarchitects

By way of introduction...

2009-04-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

The title of this blog is a song by Nine Inch Nails, from the 2005 album 'With Teeth' on Interscope. You can expect to hear a lot about NIN in here for the simple reason that Trent Reznor is one of my great sources of inspiration. If you don't know NIN you will find it a love/hate thing I expect (strong reaction one way or the other), but I think it is impossible to deny the unique voice that Mr. Reznor has, evinced by the broad range of artists that he influences, from the usual metal/industrial suspects, to country greats, for it was he who created 'Hurt' which Johnny Cash covered so movingly. See them at T in the Park this year, at the MEN or the O2. http://www.nin.com/

...and I suppose I should apologise for my photo. Please do not mistake it for a homage to south-central gangstas, twas take just before taking the stage with Taunt at Moorings Bar in Aberdeen - people do funny things before playing music in front of a room 'full' of people. Alas poor Taunt, more of which later, but if you just can't wait there's http://www.taunt.co.uk/