Culturedeluxe - December 2010

“New Year’s Day: now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” ~Mark Twain

December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

DECEMBER 2010 – THE 2010 ISSUE Editors

Mathew Parri Thomas (parri@culturedeluxe.com) Adam Gibby (adam@culturedeluxe.com)

Editor - Film

John Rain (john@culturedeluxe.com)

Advertising Manager

Nick Foster (nick@culturedeluxe.com)

Publisher

Richie Brown (richie@culturedeluxe.com)

Cover Design James Green

Contributing writers

Kevin Burgess, Chantelle Pattemore, Ross Park, Tim Pelan, Keith Howarth, Eve Massacre, Pete Hughes, Ingrid Francis, Olivia Isaac-Henry, Phil Russell, Alex Capitani, Dave Reynolds, Dean Coster, Matt Keeler, Ross Park, Ryan Reed, Ruban Byrne, Ted Woodward, Eddie Arthurs, Richard Allen, Adam Taylor, John McCreddie, Daniel McKay, Paul Sharf Copyright Culturedeluxe 2010 www.cuturedeluxe.com Culturedeluxe is published on 100% virtual paper. No trees were harmed.

Featured Artist James Green

For our The 2010 Issue cover instead of focusing on what was, how about we look at what could be.

To that end, we proudly introduce a new artist for 2011, James Green. We took James aside to ask him a few questions about his work and inspiration.

First off can we thank you for doing the cover for our December edition. Can you talk us through the thought process behind the design for the 2010 cover?

Hah no probs well, having seen the many covers already that other well known artists have done including Mr Chiu’s work which really made me put my ‘0’ game on. ‘A’ game in my world is the inferior in terms of what I produced. Thing is this really started out with Christmas in mind, the whole idea of the magazine focusing on the music scene plus the fact that what you wanted from me was something of my own. So combining those three ideas I came up with the cover. I’m pretty proud of it

When did you discover that you had a talent for drawing / painting?

Erm...as my mother will attest to, a very young age. I’ve always had a pencil in hand but it was only when I was in secondary school being solely influenced by Japanese animation series such as Dragonball Z did I actually decide to take things up to a serious level.

Have you worked on any commercial projects?

As a matter of fact this is the first one. I’ve always had a complex about my work where I think it’s a combination of self esteem issues and confidence that has always made me look to other talents to scale my work in terms of execution and finish but I can honestly say with this I’ve enjoyed the entire process start to crushing finish and there’s no doubt in my mind that no one else could have produced this work.

December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

Who would you say is your main influence when it comes to your artwork?

Music really. I listen to a lot of metal bands mainly Swedish death metal. Having a self motivated project in the workshop for going on 6 years now I’ve always needed sound boards to influence moods and emotion in parts of the story. Some say metal music usually makes you aggressive and moody but that’s only in my work. I have to have intent and purpose or there’s no point. Other than that mainly media, video games and Japanese animation. It’s always been a dream of mine to go into a book shop and stand behind a teenage or kid and have them pick up my graphic novel and go WOW!! Little do they know the creator of it is inches away from them heheheh.

What software do you use to produce your artwork?

This particular piece I used a combination of Paint Tool SAI and Photoshop CS 2. More SAI than anything, smaller as well in size and processing .

You still have a full time job, is art something you would like to pursue on a full time basis?

My parents have always been behind me in no matter what I do and I’m very fortunate to have that facility. But if given the choice, I’d have my own studio creating havoc in the art world no doubt.

Words: Nick Foster

Featured Artist James Green

December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

The best of 2010 A

s the country linked arms at the end of last year and slurred its way through the bits of Auld Lang Syne it could remember, the chart was just settling down after a Facebook campaign(!) saw Rage Against The Machine take the coveted Christmas Number One slot away from that year’s X Factor winner, who soon stole the crown at sat atop the chart as calendars flipped over to January.

In the more discerning music world the landscape was changing. Guitars and swagger have been on the decline for a while and 2010 was no different. With The XX picking up the Mercury music prize and ridiculously named genres like glo-fi, chillwave and witch-house finding themselves on the album chart, it wasn’t just those who trawl the blogs who were starting to appreciate a delicate synth line or two.

2010 featured more than a couple of releases which had been a long time anticipated. Vampire Weekend had to deliver on their universally lauded debut, Arcade Fire were under pressure to deliver their first new material in three years, The National were primed to cross over to a more widespread audience with High Violet, and the likes of Midlake, Laura Marling, Hot Chip, Mystery Jets, These New Puritans, Beach House, Errors and LCD Soundsystem were all expected to deliver after their previous form. To name just a few.

For those that like to keep their ear to the ground, their finger firmly on the pulse and their sounds white

hot, 2010 also created some notable debuts. Warpaint, Darwin Deez, Allo Darlin’, Broken Bells, Avi Buffalo, Wild Nothings, Perfume Genius, Best Coast and The Soft Pack were amongst the many albums that had reviewers frothing at the gills and reaching for the “Best debut of the year” button on their custom Music Critic’s Keyboards.

With all that in mind, the great thinkers of CDX (that’ll be our all-knowing music writers) sat down to discuss the music of the last twelve months, with the plan to crown one long player as the most triumphant release of 2010. Then we hit a snag; one which is evident from the plethora of bands and artists named above. There was too much; a lot of it is very good.

What makes one album better than another on any given day? How do you argue that the electronic wizardry of Gold Panda is a better album that country lilting of Caitlin Rose? The British obsession with queuing is matched only by its enjoyment of lists -- all of which are subjective, forever argued and largely pointless. Ranking and filing anything and everything so we can be sure we all know, unequivocally, what’s Best.

With this in mind we decided to just discuss what a great year 2010 has been, free from the binds of deciding why one great album is ‘better’ than the next great album. We jotted down some notes, enjoyed a few drinks and compiled the snappily titled...

The Culturedeluxe list of the best albums of 2010 in nothing more than alphabetical order Aloe Blacc – Good Things Good Things is an album for our times, chronicling betrayals by the business and political classes, not to mention the perpetually troublesome opposite sex.

Over lush Motown-style instrumentation, Aloe’s rich vocals guide us through a world of empty pockets and heartache; the economic downturn never sounded so good.

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

Archie Bronson Outfit – Coconut Dirty dirty, bluesy, ballsy, earbending deliciousness from this far too long absent Somerset band, who reappeared on the scene this year after an absence of four (yes FOUR) years. Like the Black Keys? This is better. Turn it up loud.

Baths – Cerulean

If there was any justice in this album would have exploded all over place in much the same way that Passion Pit’s Manners did in 2010. Full of playful samples, staccato beats and smiling vocals, Cerulean channels the energy of early Four Tet and takes it on a beach holiday.

Best Coast – Crazy For You

From opener “Boyfriend” , to “Crazy in Love”, “The End” right through to final track “When I´m With You”, Crazy for You is a collection of lo-fi sixties sounding songs that you should love but so could your parents and even grandparents. Pop perfection. Beth has captured the melody, innocence of that period and most importantly the band haven´t tried to over complicate what they are doing.

Caitlin Rose – Own Side Now

Possibly the most acclaimed of the numerous young country singers to come through this year, the easy, breezy, soft country style of Caitlin Rose’s debut long player has brought in much praise. Gentle guitars, warm tones and a rich production, the mature earnestness that runs through both her lyrics and delivery make this a captivating listen.

Common Prayer – There Is A Mountain If a you see a CV that includes the words “former member of Mercury Rev” you’re always going to anticipate a certain calibre or record. Even with those expectations it’s hard not to be blown away by the debut release from Justin Russo’s Common Prayer.

Full of heart, warmth, found sounds and ramshackle production it’s an absolute joy from start to finish.

Crocodiles – Sleep Forever

As with previous success stories of the genre there is absolutely nothing on this album that has not passed through the headphones of at least two generations of disenfranchised young men before them. But, what Crocodiles have done is distill the most potent active ingredients of the past and combine them effortlessly into this loving tribute to their influences. Whether they can get away with the same next time around is another question but, for now, this comes highly recommended.

Darwin Deez – Darwin Deez

It really can be this simple.

Guitar. Beats. Bass. Lyrics.

Darwin Deez magically appeared in 2010 looking like he’d just esaped a cult, with this perfect album. It’s such a simple formula, and such simple production, but it’s the execution of it that makes this album so fantastic.

Errors – Come Down With Me

Despite its suitably zeitgeistmocking title, the second full length outing from Glasgow’s Errors was more an absorbing, melodic high than a serotonindeficient pact. Nestling among ten teacks of layered, captivating Krautrock was this year’s best track: the stupidly entertaining ‘Supertribe’.

Foals – Total Life Forever

This record marks the point from which the band morphed from NME ‘cool list’ boys with instruments, to men producing some seriously outstanding music. Gone are the frenetic riffs that tore through Antidotes, and in their place are haunting harmonies and poignant lyrics that culminate into something magical. Previously we’d experienced an eager Foals sprint out of the starting blocks, but Total Life Forever has seen them race ahead of their contemporaries.

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

With music ranging from pop to rock to rap and legendary artists strewn throughout the tracklist, Plastic Beach could have been an incoherent jumble of over-ambition. Instead Damon Albarn has created an album of meandering and understated brilliance, whose beauty is enhanced with each listen.

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy This is a hip-hop album in the broadest sense of the word, yes there are beats and rhymes, but at its very core this is an ambitious pop record. It may be too early to proclaim, but this is comparable to a Purple Rain or a Thriller. Its scope is that audacious and we could very well be looking back at this album in twenty years time with the same frame of mind.

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The best of 2010 Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can

Second album, second Mercury nomination and still only 20. Marling’s Ethan Johnsproduced follow up continued to build the lofty reputation of the folkstress. She stated that she had ‘found her voice’ with this album, perhaps reflected in the title, and it’s now deeper, more confident and occasionally scathing. More important than making great strides from the sound and quality of her debut, Marling added complexity to the music and a consistent voice to the lyrics.

Laura Veirs – July Flame

While many were pouring praise on Laura Marling, what could be argued as her Stateside counterpart was quietly impressing anyone who was lucky enough to hear her seventh studio album. With My Morning Jacket’s Jim James along for the ride this album of oblique folk, layered with Veirs’ take on indie-rock, is a hidden classic for the year.

Midlake – Courage Of Others

Midlake took a risk with the Courage Of Others. A definite shift from the soft rock brilliance of The Trials Of Van Occupanther, The Courage Of Others saw the band take a step into the more traditional roots of folk. Those that took the time to get to know the album soon discovered that while this may not hit the same highs of Van Occupanther, the records can’t really be compared either. A quietly confident achievement.

Mother Mother – Oh My Heart

If there was a prize for Best Pop Album of the year (albeit an indie pop records which doesn’t necessarily conform to what we all know as ‘indiepop’) then Oh My Heart wins hands down. Just beating fellow Canadians The New Pornographers to the post, Oh My Heart is full to the brim of intelligent, layered catchyas-you-like tunes.

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

Neil Young – Le Noise

To his many devout follows the news of a new Neil Young album leaves you both trembling with excitement but also fearful. Thankfully with Le Noise Neil has both taken a step forward and back. This may be just Neil and his guitar but Neil is angry and his guitar is loud, In To The Black loud.

No Age – Everything In Between Much like the heroic and triumphant Odysseus returning to his homeland of Ithica, No Age, the smart and wily urchins of the current trend of lo-fi indie pop bands, return to our hungry and eager ears with a brand new album. They have swabbed subtle and minor changes onto what they do best and they win a lot of praise for not taking the easiest option and just making Nouns part deux.

The Pack AD – We Kill Computers With a little blues, punk and loads of raw energy, The Pack AD have made a wildly fantastic album with We Kill Computers. The Canadian duo are a more accessible version of The Kills with less electronics and more attitude. Every listen gets the blood pumping and head nodding. This is music with a serious roadhouse feel. Standout tracks are ‘Crazy’, ‘B.C. is on fire’ and ‘Catch’. This is an album that needs to be turned up to 11.

Paul Simpson – Man In A Burning Anorak Vol 1 & 2 Man In A Burning Anorak is an album comprising of studio recordings, demos and curiosities, some of which have previously appeared on Paul’s Mind Lagoons album recorded under his Skyray moniker. These are albums to become immersed in and listening to them is like an audio bubble bath for the mind. Why not treat yourself, cleanse your soul and luxuriate in a burning anorak?

Perfume Genius – Learning

Mike Hadreas has dealt with his his troubled life by making an album. Under the name ‘Perfume Genius’, he’s taken on his own kind of therapy whilst committing to record some of the year’s most touching and involving songs. The tragedies are many, counterbalanced only by the undeniable beauty.

Phantom Band – The Wants

There are generous synth bursts all across the album amid a dichotomy of bold chivaree and turbulent lullabies. They say “I wants don’t get” but with ‘The Wants’ what you get is the natural successor and superior to ‘Checkmate Savage’ and the best album to probably be sadly ignored this year.

Phosphorescent – Here’s To Taking It Easy Anyone who had the pleasure of seeing Phosphorescent live this year will surely have the show chalked up as one of the best, with Here’s To Taking It Easy playing a large part. Full of sweet harmonies, guitar freak-outs and good old rock n roll, this record is in a class of its own.

The Radio Dept. – Clinging To A Scheme After a four year hiatus the Swedish trio came back with an album which lifted the melancholy head of Pet Grief with fizzy synths, chiming brass and soft, heartfelt vocals. From the rug cutter of ‘Heaven’s On Fire’ to sun-kissed ‘You Stopped Making Sense’ Clinging To A Scheme was more than worth the wait.

Shit Horse – They Shit Horses Don’t They The record is short and compact, coming in at just over 18 minutes, but a familiar coherent theme runs throughout. The band have put their own bright twist on a well trodden path and, although its lo-fi in nature, it’s not really a sound that lends itself to any of the current lo-fi/no-fi trends, and in 2010, sounds rather refreshingly odd and new.

Standard Fare – The Noyelle Beat So they can’t really sing but that doesn’t matter when the delivery is this good. Full of post-teen lament, Standard Fare take an intelligent, humorous and sometimes embarrassing slant on the indie pop genre. With more melodies than should be legal for one record, teenage angst has never sounded so good.

Stephanie Finch & The Company Men – Cry Tomorrow Falling into the category of “A bit country but not too country” Cry Tomorrow is an absolute gem of an album.

Stepping away from her usual duties as musical cohort to husband Chuck Prophet, Finch’s debut is delivered with a quick wit and a knowing smile.

The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night It’s an awful word to attach to anything, but if there’s one album of 2010 that deserved the tag ‘epic’ then it’s The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night. Drowning in tidal waves of distortion, harmonies and reverb it’s as majestic as it is brutal. ‘Albatross’ is up there as one of the best songs this year.

Thus:Owls – Cardiac Malformations Erika Alexandersson’s exquisite voice sits at the centre of an album which is as perfectly executed as it is conceived. At one turn hauntingly beautiful and at the next snarling and fork tongued, it’s a beguiling thought that this patchwork quilt of an album can be called debut..

Warpaint – The Fool

If there was an award for 2010′s most talk about band then Warpaint would surely take the prize (although The XX would be mightily pissed off). Fortunately for them the buzz is warranted as their debut The Fool proved them to be much more than just the latest taste of the tips of too many tongues.

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Interview Andrew WK & Aleister X

Aleister X is the new protégé of Andrew WK after being s pats and currently dividing his time between Kingston, B an interesting history to the music. In this exclusive inte about their working relationship, meeting at a lighting s How did the two of you come to be working together?

Andrew: Umm, through ‘Wicked Wicks’ really. Well the same guy who, in a way, I would say discovered me in New York, this guy SS (Spencer Sweeney), that’s who I first heard the music from. I was hanging out at his house one day and it’s the same guy, Spencer, who’s co-owner of Santos Party House, a club in New York that we opened and he’s always a go to guy for me when it comes to finding out about mind-blowing stuff. He’s always finding out about it on his own or in touch with it. Anyway, I was over at his house and he was playing this music and it got to the point where I really couldn’t concentrate on anything else except this music and I had to know all about it and ask him all about it and he didn’t know much about it himself but he gave me the disc.

At that moment it was almost like a prophetic vision, that I could just tell this was going to become a big part of my life. This Aleister guy or this music or whatever it was and it did so...

Aleister: It was just Aleister then.

Andrew: Yeah it was before the X came right?

Aleister: Yes, ‘Wicked Wicks’ was five tracks on the CD-R or it might even have been a cassette and then we met at the first show.

Andrew: No, I met you on the street at a lighting store. No, no the first time was at the show, the first time was when we played together. That might have been the second time we met eachother, the

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

signed to his Steev Mike label. Born in Goa to Brit exBrooklyn and Tokyo it’s fair to say that he brings quite erview Adam Gibby chats to Aleister X and Andrew WK shop and the quest to find a booking agent. lighting shop. The first time was when I played in the band. That’s funny too because a lot of my band members, the first time I met ever them was when we were filming a music video so sometimes you meet people in situations where you normally think you’d be well acquainted. I had learned all of his songs from listening to the music and actually met Aleister at this concert where we played with a four-piece band, in New York.

Do you two have a very hands on relationship or do you just come together as and when?

Aleister: Well I sort of do my demos, I record them at my place and then I take them to Andrew and when we can get together it’s at his studio and then a lot of things happen and it kind of clicked magically. It’s really quite amazing, isn’t it Andrew?

Andrew: Yeah, you always hope that you click with people. I guess I never doubted that. I was working on a video for one of those early tracks from ‘Wicked Wicks’, that EP that we’ve been talking about, there’s a video on YouTube for it, ‘Super Creep’. That was the first music I had heard and I just wanted to dive in to it and just be a part of it and fortunately Aleister was kind enough to let me and he was very open minded.

But the reason why it was so exciting to work with him isn’t what he lets me do as much as what he comes up with that I get to learn from. I mean just incredible vocal phasing, incredible melody lines and a world of feelings and ideas. His songs paint pictures in my head that really no other music has and it’s a world that I just wanted to live in.

Aleister: Well it’s been the longest relationship musically and artistically as well for me. I’ve never really worked with anyone in terms of producing or recording or anything. I’ve done it all myself and

working with Andrew, working with someone who immediately understands what I want to do, what I’d like to do, what I’m doing and then what he does is just immediately beyond what I could imagine it could be and then together it’s just like the first production partnership I’ve had.

Andrew: I’d just like to add real quick, I mean he’s described it very well there and there have been times of almost psychic bonding for sure and it’s very refreshing for me because it’s totally a different vibe.

It’s nothing to do with what I’d normally work on. So, for myself, it’s a real nice change of pace to work with someone who is wearing black most of the time for example and at first that can seem kind of eerie but it really is powerful. The head space and the feelings that Aleister gets involved and what he does.

Aleister: It’s all in the eyes; it’s all in the eyes.

Andrew: It really is. It’s these beautiful eyes and there’s a lot to be seen with them and through them.

Aleister: And it’s been a real laugh.

How would you both describe the music?

Andrew: Well I mean there’s so much variety so for me it’s the voice. The music is this guy’s voice and what the voice was saying and the music is there to drive the point home or pump it up or frame it nicely.

To me it’s definitely a signature sound which has all emanated from this guy’s mind.

Aleister: It’s a bit all over the place. Maybe if I could describe it musically it would be all over the place of music that sounds good, that I like to hear or that I’d like people to hear. I want it to move people and really make them move or just sit still and not move as long

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Interview Andrew WK & Aleister X as there are heavy feelings.

Andrew: Yes, it can be so moving that you can’t even move.

Aleister: Completely motionless sound or non-stop motion, preferably both at the same time but it doesn’t always happen.

How do you set about writing your songs? Is there a particular way you go about it with the beat first or the guitars?

Aleister: Oh yeah, I start with the beat, get all my beats going, or just one beat and then get bass tracks and I basically just build it like that. A bit of bass and then maybe synths or guitars and then I get a skeleton track and start writing the vocals. It’s all very ‘I’ve got an idea’. It’s all very

planned, very meticulous, very editorial, very ongoing. So I get the song and start adding things.

What does Andrew bring to the songs with his production?

Aleister: Just amazingness really. Pretty much just mind-blowing amazingness and virtual insanity and intensity and deeper emotional levels.

Andrew: That’s very kind of you to say, Aleister. I didn’t pay him to say that. I just try to make the best of what’s there always. It’s mainly mixing I mean there’s times when we’ll over dub stuff and I’ll play something here, or we’ll get SS on track.

Aleister: You just bring your amazing ears and your hearing.

Andrew: And MacMall might pop in on guitar, he’s worked with Aleister for a while now.

Aleister: He’s not on any of the tracks though. All the guitars is me.

Andrew: Oh yeah. How long has he been playing live now?

Aleister: Umm, he’s been on the live shows since earlier this year, like January, the beginning of the year really.

Andrew: But yeah, for me it’s always really about the mixing so whatever Aleister brings in...

Aleister: You’re just amazing at editing; you’re like a total God. You’ve put me on a whole other track as a producer myself I’ve learned so much working with you.

Andrew: That’s very kind thank you. And right back at you.

Aleister: Remember the terrible tracks I’d bring to you at the beginning.

Andrew: Well it’s come a long way. How long has it been now that we’ve been working together? Since 2005?

Aleister: Yeah 2005/2006. So four or five years.

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

‘The Git’ EP came out a few weeks ago now. How has it been received?

Aleister: I don’t know really. I mean a handful of people have received it and I think they’ve received it well. It’s really hard to say. I’m really hoping to see just some good old fashioned reviews, music reviews.

I’ve seen a lot of press release copies so it’s really hard to say, we’ll just have to wait maybe. Maybe wait it out.

Andrew, how different a feeling is it releasing someone else’s music instead of your own?

Andrew: It’s a very good one. It’s the opportunity to just do more. At the same time it doesn’t really feel like a big choice for me so much, it’s the same reason that I do anything, whether it’s Andrew WK or anything else. It’s just what it feels like I was born to do. These things just come in to your life and to not do them would almost take more effort. It would be less natural or harder. When something’s meant to be it just becomes very streamlined so it all feels just part of the life you’re living and I have a variety of activities but they’re all related and that’s a very organic and natural desire to do that stuff. I mean there’s no-one else in the world I’d rather be working with than Aleister X so it’s very satisfying and exciting doing that but at the same time there’s nothing else that I’d rather be doing than just about anything else. So I’ve just been very grateful for the opportunity to be challenged, to be rewarded, to work on something meaningful and to contribute whatever skills I have to a vision that I really believe in. I really believe in this music and what Aleister’s doing and I’m confident that others will as well.

You’ve got plans for a third EP and then an album after that, is that right?

Aleister: Yep, that’s the plan.

Andrew: Yeah, we’ve been building it up and this is the first time that I’ve ever been involved with anything like this in terms of a label of this sort.

Running a record label has been a lot more strange than I had anticipated for a lot of different reasons.

With some folks that I had chosen to work with before in my career things got a bit complicated there so when I started this label first I had to change the name and reorder the sub-structure of the company but it all worked out and we can still release the music and it’s very exciting to imagine finally getting to that eventual album because it really will be quite a body of work at that point.

Aleister: I think the full length will be the one to look out for. Not to say that the EPs are bad, I think each one is the best thing I’ve ever done but the full length is really the one that I’m the most excited about.

Andrew: Likewise and for many reasons we feel that getting there through these three EPs is a good thing.

Aleister: Yeah, I’m very excited about ‘The Git’ right

now.

Andrew: Me too. What’s been really nice is that each one of my closest friends who I respect, my peers whose opinions have mattered to me going back ten years now, people that have had a huge part in shaping my creative outlook on the world have all been blown away by Aleister and what he’s doing and that to me is the only kind of encouragement I’ve required so far to believe in this and get it from obscurity to a more visible state. I think it’s just one of those things; it’s dark and it’s intense and it’s powerful but it’s also full of a lot of joy and I think people are finding that.

Aleister: Hopefully some people from booking agencies will discover it as well. If some booking agencies want to get behind a new upstart I’m the one.

Aleister X.

Do you prefer to be on stage or do you prefer writing and recording in the studio?

Aleister: I love it all. I love being on stage, I love performing live. I love recording music, I love being in the studio. I’m working on demos, I’m writing all the time, I just love it all equally.

Andrew: And that fact is what appealed to me so much, especially upon meeting Aleister is that he could do it all. He had every facet of his vision there and had the capabilities to do it. I mean he could write a song, he could sing it, he could play all the instruments, he could make the album artwork, he could make a video, he could perform really well, he had an amazing look and presence in general. When I’m encountered with something like that that’s just as exciting as it gets because again, it just seems so obvious that someone is doing what they were born to do.

Will you continue to work together throughout your careers or will you go off and do your own things and then maybe get back together in the future?

Andrew: That’s an interesting question. I mean this is already the longest collaboration I’ve ever had with another musician, it really is, and I’d actually never realised that until just now. I’ve normally worked with people for one release and then occasionally worked with them again. I have friends that I’ve worked with over the years, just playing around, jamming, practicing, whatever but as far as a focused, specified, musical project this is the longest.

Aleister: We’re locked in. We’re locked in for three (EP) and one (album) Andrew: We’re locked in for a long while more for sure. I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t keep going.

Aleister: Me neither.

Words: Adam Gibby

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Do they know it’s Christmas?

N

o need to watch out. Feel free to cry. Pout all you like, I’m telling you why. Nobody, it seems, is coming to town. Single releases in the week running up to Christmas have ditched the sleigh bells and tossed the eggnog to one side.

Meanwhile, an inevitable two horse race to the once coveted Christmas number one slot between this year’s karaoke king or queen and a Facebook-sponsored act of high and hilarious irony means everybody else has shut up shop early and gone home to defrost the turkey – or the new Maroon 5 single as it’s more commonly known.

Barring any late festive masterpieces leaving the recording studio any time soon (and we all know these are recorded at the height of summer), the December release schedule numbers a paltry two Christmasthemed singles. They both involve beauty and the beast style duets – and I’ll let you work out which is which. First up is Welsh bass-baritone and serial Proms-botherer Bryn Terfel teaming up through studio trickery with the ghost of Bing Crosby on a superfluous new version of ‘White Christmas’. It takes a lot to make you pine for the schmaltz of Bing’s last Christmas duet, but this new one may just make repeated showings of Crosby and Bowie at the piano this year bearable. And, if that doesn’t, then a brand new version of ‘Little Drummer Boy’ by latter-day Saint Nick himself Shane McGowan and The Priests, a group who blurs the edges between Father Ted and reality, certainly will. Their message seems rather simple, like Christmas carols before, there are plenty Christmas songs out there already, there is no need to write more. But, as any store worker over the festive period driven to distraction by a looping cavalcade of glam beats will attest, we need more – desperately.

Outside the glare of the media’s eye, the spirit of Christmas is kept alive by the likes of Cherryade Records whose annual ‘A Very Cherry Christmas’ LPs are as wonderfully festive as they are value for money. However, brilliant though they may be, the likes of The Bobby McGee’s, The Pocket Gods and The Gresham Flyers were never likely to take their place on Christmas Top of the Pops pulling

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

crackers with D.L.T. in a paper hat. Similarly, the warming, understated Christmas LPs from Stateside acts Low and Sufjan Stevens rarely darken the CD player of anyone who would think it a good idea to wear a novelty Santa hat to the pub in December.

No, Christmas is exclusively a time for remembering the poor and infirm, those no longer able to have hit records on their own – Messrs Holder, Richard, Stevens, Wood and, until recently, Glitter.

Ever since chart rules were changed to allow any song to be eligible for the UK charts regardless of a conventional ‘release’, yuletide countdowns have been peppered with these ghosts of Christmas past. For the greatest of recent times, it seems, we have to return to Old Father McGowan his previous charges The Pogues and their once magical ‘Fairytale of New York’ duet with the sadly-departed Kirsty MacColl. Since its physical 2005 re-release which saw it crash back into the charts at number 3, it has hit the Top 20 every year on record and, as I write this, is sitting at number 91, cackling after a fill of mulled wine and mischievously aiming a party popper at the festive countdown.

However, McGowan, MacColl and co. pale in comparison to the Daddy of all modern Christmas carols: ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ by Black Country rockers Slade. It’s ubiquity during the 1980s may very well have led to the resurgence of the Christmas single during that decade, while its absence during the following one (charting only once in a horrible remixed format presumably designed to reprise postIbiza hangovers) may have hastened the popularity of children’s TV tie-ins in 90s rundowns rather than raucous, jingly sing-a-longs.

Perhaps Simon Cowell will surprise us all and have his winning charge turn in a festive carol in favour of some tawdry power ballad. But then, just as there would be uproar at the thought of somebody else singing ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ or, indeed, ‘Fairytale of New York’, should we make old friends such as ‘Silent Night’, ‘O Holy Night’ or even ‘Hark!

The Herald Angels Sing’ suffer?

Words: Richie Brown

The Gifts that Keep Giving – Serial Festive Hits Slade – ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’

Band Aid – ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’

Chart entries – 6

Chart entries – 14 First release – 1973 where it reached number 1 and stayed for 5 weeks, well into the following January.

Returns – 1980 (70), 1981 (32), 1982 (67), 1983 (20), 1984 (47), 1985 (48), 1986 (71), 1989 (99), 1990 (93), 1998 (30), 2006 (21), 2007 (20), 2008 (32), 2009 (35)

John and Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir – ‘Happy Christmas (War Is Over)’ Chart entries – 11 First release – 1972. It reached number 4 behind TRex, Chuck Berry and the eventual Christmas chart topper by the rotund ‘Little’ Jimmy Osmond.

Returns – 1975 (48), 1980 (4), 1981 (28), 1982 (56), 1983 (92), 1984 (91), 2003 (33), 2007 (40), 2008 (67), 2009 (76)

The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl – ‘Fairy Tale of New York’

First release – 1984. At the time it was the biggest selling single ever in the UK with over 4,000,000 units shifted. It stayed number one for five weeks. New versions were released in 1989 and 2004 chalking up another seven weeks at the top for the song.

Returns – 1985 (3), 1986 (86), 2007 (24), 2008 (54), 2009 (50)

Wham! – ‘Last Christmas’

Chart entries – 6 First release – 1984. Originally a double A side with ‘Everything She Wants’, a track so superfluous that even Andrew Ridgeley cannot recall its existence. It was famously kept at number 2 by Band Aid, a track which George Michael also sang on.

Returns – 1985 (6), 1986 (45), 2007 (14), 2008 (26), 2009 (34)

Wizzard – ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’

Chart entries – 8 First release – 1987 where it reached number 2 and was kept off the top spot by the Pet Shop Boys’ comparatively unseasonable Elvis cover ‘Always on my Mind’.

Returns – 1991 (36), 2005 (3), 2006 (6), 2007 (4), 2008 (12), 2009 (12), 2010 (91*)

Chart entries – 6 First release – 1973. Unable to prevent Slade from taking that year’s Christmas crown, Wizzard reached number 4 behind non-festive hits by Gary Glitter and the New Seekers.

Returns – 1981 (41), 1984 (23), 2007 (16), 2008 (31), 2009 (45)

19

Interview foals

It’s been a big year for this Oxford five-piece. Releasing t Mercury Prize nomination and touring worldwide are just boast. As they completed their biggest UK tour to date, C hear his thoughts on their newer sound, the delights of a The difference in sound between your first and second album is noticeably more mature and really shows how you developed as a band in the two years between the releases. What sparked such a musical change in direction?

I don’t know, a boredom of the old sound, or something. It’s basically just a natural progression between the two albums. We took quite a long time off after touring, and moved into this house together; basically changed our environment completely. I think that’s largely responsible for the change in sound. The first album, the live shows and that entire period was really frenetic and jam packed; every second of every song had something in it. We wanted to explore space a little bit more, slow things down a little bit. And I think once you do that you learn to appreciate things a bit more.

You recorded the second album in Sweden – do you think that made a difference?

Yeah, I think so. It certainly made us all more miserable after a while. It was a weird recording experience, because we were in this amazing studio, living in it, it’s all beautifully made with all these instruments and these lovely people working there. We get to Sweden and it’s August and it’s really hot and really sunny and amazing and everyone was super happy. Then it descended into winter really quickly and all these lovely people disappeared except for the people in the studio. It got really bleak; we wouldn’t go outside, we’d just stay in the studio. Not to say that it was all bleak but there was definitely a mood change.

After being unhappy with Dave Sitek’s work on Antidotes you essentially went on to produce the record yourself...

Well, no, we just remixed it. That’s a popular

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

misconception; it must really piss him off! It took him five weeks to produce the album, and producing an album is the actual recording of it in a space. We just remixed it basically. We went away on tour and he stayed in New York and mixed our record while we were away. I think whatever he would have given us we would have changed because it’s like our baby, you know? The idea of someone doing something when you’re not there is horrible.

Luke Smith produced your second album – you didn’t remix it or anything after he’d done that?

No, no. We had Alan Moulder remixing this one, and he was great and they got on really well.

How was it for the band after relinquishing that final element of production control?

I think it’s good. It depends on who’s doing it – if the person is a bit of an idiot then you’re like, ‘erm’! But with Alan Moulder, this guy is a total legend. He either produced or mixed all of our favourite albums when we were growing up, so with him it was complete trust in what he knew. He was awesome; I liken him to a GP. His room would be very quiet and he’d play the song pretty loudly and then he’d stop and swivel round in his chair with his notebook and say, ‘So... any thoughts?

Let’s take it apart!’ And we were like, ‘wow, this is so chilled’, compared to the studio, where it was still quite chilled but it was different. Very different. So we just said, Alan, do whatever you want! Go wild.

You’ve just come back from a tour of America.

How does the reaction to the band over there differ to that in the UK and how important is it to you that you become one of the few bands that successfully cracks the market over there?

It would be nice to. I don’t know how you really

their second album Total Life Forever, nabbing a t a few of their achievements Foals’ 2010 diary can Chantelle Pattemore spoke to guitarist Jimmy Smith to a rural lifestyle and why he steers clear of writing lyrics. ‘crack’ America, this old saying. But the crowds are dramatically different. In the UK we had a big head start; it’s a lot smaller so word of mouth spreads a lot quicker. The crowds here are totally crazy, consistently for every single show of this tour there’s been huge mosh pits and crowd surfing and stage diving – it’s been pretty good. And in America, before we did this tour, our first tour over there was pretty stale, it was just people turning up out of interest. There wouldn’t be a collective good mood there, it was quite a sceptical mood and people would stand there with their arms crossed. They’d be very warm and nice but they’d never really move or anything; it was like the UK was a few years ago, basically. But people are starting to go crazy now. A completely different mix of people are coming to our shows, which is the same in the UK as well; old people, tiny kids. I met a girl with her parents and it was her first ever gig and it’s the same in America, although a lot of them can’t get in as it’s usually 18 or over shows. But something definitely good is happening over there. That was probably the best tour we’ve ever done because we weren’t expecting it to be very good. We drove 10,000 miles in a van; we went back from a bus to a van and we were very sceptical that it was just going to kill us and we knew we had this tour coming up afterwards, but it was just awesome seeing America go past the window.

What’s your favourite place that you went to?

Not necessarily to play, but just visit.

I’ve never been down South before. We played Atlanta, then Tallahassee, Florida and drove to Austin, Texas, New Orleans, and then through the bayou, all the swamps and I saw an alligator! It was really cool down there. But my favourite place is still New York, I think.

How do you feel having been on tour for a while

now? Do you really relish getting to play live for such a long time or are you happier back in the studio?

I like it when it gets to this level now, where we’re really well rehearsed. I think we’ve still got stuff we can do better, but I like this point of tour where it starts to get a bit gruelling and you’re completely used to it. I’ve started to turn nocturnal and you forget what it’s like and how intense it all is, and then it just reaches a logical end where you’re like, ‘fuck it, I’m done’. Right now, this is my favourite time of touring, when you know you’ve got no escape (laughs). Doing so many tours back to back, we’re literally right in the middle of it right now, which is nice. I get very depressed when there’s nothing to do. That’s the trouble with living like this every day, it gives you the shortest attention span and then when it stops you’re like, ‘oh God, I’m going to go mental.’ You can have two days off and really enjoy them and then be like, ‘right, that’s it, let’s go!’.

Whereas most bands migrate down to London when they’ve made it big, you guys have stayed in Oxford despite you saying in the past that you’ve felt somewhat stifled there. A lot of your friends in Oxford are making names for themselves in the industry at the moment; is this burgeoning music scene a predominant factor in your staying there?

Not really. I mean they’re our actual friends, all this ‘new music scene’ in Oxford, that’s always been there, this kind of bubbling tarpit of musical wealth but we just like Oxford. Our friends are there, it’s very small, very green and feels very homely to come back to. It’s great that there’s more attention on it now, I just hope the hype doesn’t overtake it because they are really good bands, especially Trophy Wife who are with us

21

Interview foals today. It’d be sad to see it all get brushed over in a few weeks.

Who are your biggest influences at the moment both musical and otherwise?

(Pause) I don’t know really, I’ve kind of stopped listening to music. I never seem to listen to music on tour. I bought the new Deerhunter album last, and that’s pretty good. Kind of... I dunno, is it? I haven’t really listened to it. Erm... Harmony Korine, I watched some interviews with him on Letterman yesterday and that was pretty inspirational, and all his films, obviously. I don’t know, sorry! I always find that question the hardest. Being on tour is our biggest influence at the moment, watching bands like Pet Moon, Crystal Fighters and Trophy Wife.

You were in a band with Walter before Foals’ conception...

(Laughs)

Why are you laughing?!

Well, it was just a school band. I’m surprised that you know about that!

I have done my research.

That’s good.

Thanks. When did you realise that music and being part of a band was what you wanted to do with your life?

Around then I guess, at school. I never thought I’d actually be able to do it for a living. Round about then, when I was sixteen. I had this band with Wally, then all through uni I kept on being in bands, just doing music.

So it wasn’t like, aged four, your dad handed you a guitar and it went from there.

No, I mean I was always quite musical I think. My mum forced me to have piano lessons when I was really young, then I had drum lessons and picked up my mum’s guitar and just pootled around on it. My mum was always playing her guitar and so was Dad... maybe that was why.

I read you completed a degree at Hull Uni whereas the other band members dropped out when the band were signed.

Why did you decide to carry on when it was evident the band were going somewhere?

Oh, well I didn’t join Foals til after I finished

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

uni, so it worked out perfect. I finished in Summer 2005 and joined Foals in Autumn 2005. I was very lucky that I joined Foals, otherwise I think I’d be on the unemployed scrapheap right now!

How did you come about joining them? I’m guessing that they were already then an existing four piece.

Yeah, it was Walter’s fault as usual! I didn’t know Jack or Yannis at all; I’d never met them. At this point Andrew Mears was still in the band and Wally was like, to Yannis, ‘you’ve got to get this guy to play guitar with you.’ We’d made this promise when we were in the school band – which shall remain nameless!

– that if either one of us ever gets in another band, then we’ve got to try and get the other guy in, and that’s what he did basically. I think Yannis was very sceptical to start off with, he was like, ‘I don’t even know this guy and he’s probably not very good’. It’s not very cool!

How do you think the dynamic of the band changed when Andrew left to go and focus on Youthmovies?

It changed completely. He’s very strong musically and personality wise, he has his own very strong identity and he has a way of writing music that just sounds like him. It’s great, but I think that was happening in the first incarnation of Foals, it sounded like an Andrew Mears band basically. Which was great at the time for me because I loved Andrew Mears’ band, so I was like, ‘wicked’. It was kind of refreshing when he left and Yannis took over more and it was like, ‘ok this is what we want to do’. I listened to Try This On Your Piano the other day, one of the first singles Foals ever released, and it’s pretty cool. Weird, it’s very weird, typical Andrew Mears.

It is very Youthmovies sounding.

Yeah, yeah. I love Pet Moon [Mears’ new solo project].

He opened up for us on the first half of this tour, and people just didn’t get Pet Moon. I think you just have to listen to it, it’s really rewarding when you do, but it’s so weird!

What do you like to do in your spare time? What do you do to wile away the hours on the tourbus?

Go and try and see my girlfriend in Germany; I spend a lot of time on trains and on websites trying to book trains last minute without telling her! Apart from that, I love cooking and fishing. Even though I never go fishing, I’ve been like, twice. I like real kind of rural relaxation stuff. Cooking, I love cooking and I’m not very good at it but I like chopping all the vegetables and talking to myself!

How do you think living together has affected your overall dynamic? I’m guessing it must create a really strong bond between you, but then surely there are times when the tension really makes things difficult.

it’s weird, it’s just like having brothers and you do miss everyone when you’re not around them. It’s just more practical, living together. Especially living with Yannis, because we can write music together. I don’t want to be travelling to write music. As much as you can write on your own, it’s way more effective if you can do it with other members of the band. I do get a bit sick of the same smells and sights every day but luckily we’ve got this other guy Jamie, who sort of mediates and breaks things up a little bit. And it’s a nice house, perfect for my rural needs! It’s got a nice kitchen, and Yannis has got a garden to play around in.

Would I be correct in thinking that Yannis writes the majority of the lyrics?

Yeah, he writes all of them!

Is that not something you want to be involved in?

Er, yeah, no. I tried actually in Sweden, there was one song on the album where I wrote more than Yannis, not lyrically but musically, and it’s kind of my song. And I was like, I’m actually going to try and write some lyrics. It was the worst thing, ever. I just couldn’t fucking do it. I took me two weeks, just sitting there going ‘come on, you’ve got to do it!’ I found it so hard; I just do not have that skill. Maybe I’ll get it but I’m not that good with language, and his [Yannis] brain is just designed differently, he can just do it. He did English at Oxford so he knows his stuff, he can articulate himself. With lyrics, I can say something but it’s so fucking obvious, just like rhyming poetry!

What direction would you like to see the band take next? Do you think your next record will continue on in a similar vein of sound?

No, I don’t think it will. Well... I don’t know actually.

I don’t think it will go the same direction as Total Life Forever has gone. We’re quite easily bored, so it’d be nice to do something completely different again. But we haven’t actually started writing, so I have no idea.

Could be an ambient record. Or a drone record and try and get off our record deal. No, we wouldn’t do that!

We’ve always tried to do pop-py stuff, so I think we’ll keep trying to do that. The age-old thing of pop-py and experimental, and pushing them away from each other.

Finally, name three songs you wish you’d written.

Good question. Erm... it’s like HMV syndrome, when you walk in and you can’t think! Three songs I wish I’d written... [Pause]. Let Down by Radiohead, I like that song. I’m trying to think of a Bob Dylan song.

Lay Down Your Weary Tune by Bob Dylan. And...

I can’t think! Anything really by Fugazi. That’s a really frightening look into the depths of my musical influences, isn’t it?

Words: Chantelle Pattemore

Not really. We have very few arguments. I don’t know,

23

Interview The Delays

Delays have been around since their debut LP was releas further three albums and have been a mainstay of the li the band about stripping back their sound, tweeting and

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

sed way back in 2004. Since then they have released a ive music scene. Adam Gibby had the chance to chat to d visiting Hull.

You guys are just finishing up an extensive period of touring. How’s your experience of touring changed since you first came on to the scene?

Aaron: Well I think about stuff more now. I grew a conscience.

Colin: I don’t know, it’s weird. I mean personally I think we appear to be a much more confident band than when we first started but that’s just natural. When we first started everything seemed... like sound checks seemed a very nerve-wracking experience and they’re still kind of weird things to do but I think we’ve grown a lot more confident in what we’re doing and we’re a much better band now anyway.

Aaron: I sleep less now, I really do. It’s weird, you can get by on about three hours sleep. I don’t want to miss out on anything like, in my head, a fairground sets up like maybe it might do, which would be a lot of fun and I’d miss it because I’d be sleeping. Maybe they could set up a system with lights to wake me up.

How different is it performing in a small venue like this to performing in a big venue?

Which do you prefer?

Aaron: They’ve both got their good and bad points.

Colin: That sounds a bit cliché.

Aaron: Well they have. They’re both wonderful in their own way. I mean a venue like this is brilliant and hopefully people will sing our songs back to us. It doesn’t matter where you are, if you don’t get goose bumps from that then you’ve got no soul. We just love playing, it doesn’t really matter where we are.

Colin: I think you feel more under a microscope in these small venues because you can see, well in at least the first few rows, you can see every little emotion on their face whereas at a festival they’re just..

Aaron: Numbers.

Colin: Yeah it’s just a sea of little people. But yeah, here you can see if they’re bored or if they’re liking it, every little tick.

Aaron: Whether they’re tweeting.

Colin: ‘I’m at a Delays gig. Lol,’ Aaron: ‘FML.’

So how’s the crowd reaction been to the new material?

Aaron: It’s been amazing. Really, really, really great. They’ve been singing along to every word, well the front row have. There are a couple of songs that we play in the set that have been getting a really good reaction.

Colin: A song called ‘Lost Estate’, which is going to be the next single seems to be getting a good reaction. I mean it’s one of our favourites, maybe our favourite track on the album and it seems to be really connecting.

How did you decide on the singles for this album? I know you went in to it not really thinking about singles.

Aaron: Well our record label chose the first single.

We’d have had ‘Lost Estate’ first.

Colin: Yeah, I mean we like all the stuff that we

25

Interview The Delays do but that wouldn’t have been the way we’d have kicked it off, the one that’s going to go out next would have been. So that definitely is the band’s preferred choice.

now and when we did the first album is that then we wrote some songs and went to the studio and hoped we wouldn’t just go ‘fuck’. Whereas now we just appreciate the whole experience a lot more.

You’ve had four albums now, which is a pretty good output. Are you constantly writing or do you have little bursts of creativity?

Colin: It’s bound to make music sound differently if you have more confidence with the tools.

Aaron: Always.

Colin: Yeah there’s always stuff. It’s usually Ron and Greg that bring it but there’s never a point where we’ve gone to them about new stuff and they’ve been like ‘sorry’. There’s always a surplus of material.

I’ve read that you’ve said that this album is your most personal. What made you decide to strip it back to that kind of personal level?

Colin: Well ‘Everything’s the Rush’ was, in every way, a big record and I think it’s only natural that after a record as cinematic as that, to want to kind of strip it back. I mean when we say strip it back we mean for us. We’ve always been...

Aaron: Bombastic.

Colin: Yeah so there’s still a layer of quality to the sound but more personal I think in the lyrics. I mean you’d have to ok this with Greg but I think the lyrics are more personal and have more meaning than maybe any of the previous albums were.

Aaron: He’s a fucking mess.

Colin: But in a kinda good way. And like you said before, we wanted to approach it just as a body of work rather than a few singles and then fill in the gaps. I mean we’ve never really done that but we wanted this to be just an album and if there were singles great.

So did you approach it as ‘let’s go back to the old days’?

Colin: Yeah we did it with the people who did our first album.

Aaron: We all went back to the same studio with the same people and it was great. Now we know what we’re doing. I think a big difference between

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

Aaron: I’ve been to Hull now.

Is that a career highlight?

Aaron: It’s something to experience.

Colin: Was it the last time or the time before we were there that there was an earthquake?

Aaron: A proper earthquake like in the movies.

Colin: And it was absolutely caused by us.

Aaron: We were just at the bar afterwards and it just went bang and Colin didn’t even feel it.

Colin: I could feel something.

With the record industry as it you’ve set out to make this album as an album whereas bands like Ash say that the album is redundant and have just been focusing on singles. How do you react to that?

Aaron: Well if you want to make money... don’t be in a band.

Colin: We didn’t set out thinking about how to best commercially exploit the industry.

Aaron: We should do that.

Colin: Maybe next album we’ll do that. But that’s certainly the way the industry seems to be going.

Aaron: For me I haven’t bought an album for a long time and if I want some tracks off an album I’ll go and get the individual tracks because I’ll end up skipping through the rest anyway. But there’s a hardcore element left who want to smell the inlay card and read who made it and I do love that, I mean I haven’t done it for a while but I do love it.

I’m so now.

What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you as a band? Most people go in with ‘what’s the best thing’ so I thought I’d come in with the worst.

Aaron: I like your negativity. That’s hard. We’ve all had individual badness as a band.

Colin: We’re just too damn positive.

Aaron: I had nervous exhaustion from touring.

That was pretty bad, really bad. I thought about killing my family.

Colin: I know your family, I can understand.

Aaron: Well maybe not killing. Just cutting them a bit.

In wanders Greg...

Aaron: What’s the worst thing to happen to us as a band?

Greg: I think the thing is, you can come out with all this stuff about this or that but you just end up sounding like a bit of a dick. Being in a band is a really positive thing, I mean how bad is it being in a band and making records? I’ve got friends in jobs that they hate making no money and they have to feed families and stuff so I think it would be a bit...

Aaron: We had a coach crash! Our driver fell asleep and you know those cement trucks that have a bit coming out of the back, it went straight through the front window.

Colin: Straight through the windscreen.

Aaron: So we had to get out and it was -8. Then the heating broke on the bus after the crash and it was ever so cold.

So what’s next after your tour’s finished up?

Aaron: Well we’re supposed to be touring the states so yeah, that’s next.

Colin: And then maybe Mexico after that.

Greg: We’ve been talking about maybe releasing a few EPs with just a few tracks on them.

Aaron: We could release them on every full moon.

Greg: When we were doing our last album we were sitting round in our baggy boxer shorts eating crisps talking about the possibility of doing an acoustic album for the next thing.

Aaron: Woah, woah, woah, what’s this? Clearly I’ve been left out here.

Greg and Colin: Well we were discussing it then. Just playing random things in the room.

Aaron: I could play the walls. Look at this wall, look what it says there! That’s so rude! Or is it just one word? Acunt. Acunt was here.

Greg: This kind of place is nice though. Everything seems to have been swallowed up by Academy venues and they have really nice pristine dressing rooms.

And then this is just shit.

Colin: Well you say shit but it’s not really. It’s a good little venue. I mean when everything’s been so homogenised it’s quite nice.

A refreshing change?

Colin: I don’t know if refreshing is the word. It’s a change.

Aaron: But these venues like this are so important because with O2 Academies and stuff, they won’t put on new bands so this is where new bands get to play. We did our first ever tour here supporting Clearlake.

Greg: That was actually a really long tour.

Aaron: We played in such out of the way places like people’s barns.

Words: Adam Gibby

27

One to Watch...

Tall Ships Slowly but surely Tall Ships’ brand of genrehopping, guitar wielding greatness is creeping into more and more people’s lives. Their blend of post-rock guitars, mathy beats and beds of harmonies is proving rather popular with anyone lucky enough to come across them. We caught up with the band on their return from a jaunt around Europe with 65 Days Of Static.

What’s your name and where’d you come from?

We are tall ships and we formed in a little beautiful town called Falmouth in Cornwall.

The most striking thing about both your EPs is that so many styles, genres and ideas can be found on there. There’s elements of postrock, krautrock, mathy electronica...; at one turn you’re layering multiple harmonies and at the next we don’t hear a lyric for six minutes.

You’ve a fairly eclectic taste in music between you then?

Yeah definitely. We all have very different music tastes and in very different genres. Were very open to all music and think that comes across in our music.

I think it especially comes across when were writing.

Rick will start a short loop and me and Jamie will just all jam together for hours. Sometimes it might turn into a prog spazz number, then to a ballad, then to a beatdown then to potentially anything until something sounds right. I would like to say that we arrived at these songs as a pre-conceived idea but that’s not how we write! I don’t think we’re that intelligent to be able to do that! Ha!

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

There’s quite a marked difference between your two releases so far. Do you think you’re still discovering who you are as a band?

Oh definitely. We’re still growing and still learning what to do with our ideas and gear we have. We also just literally don’t preconceive ideas. If it sounds good and we like it, it sticks. I guess it’s weird because the songs do differ but I guess to us it’s still us playing the same instruments in the same way but with different outcomes, which we really like. We also listen to so much different music that every practice we will come in and claim to have found this new band which then influences us in the practice thus adding to the mixing pot when writing.

It’s as trite a question as they come, but, seeing as we’re supposed to be getting to know you, when you are writing lyrics where are they coming from?

That would be a question for Rick to answer, but far as a I know the ideas are pretty much everywhere!

Some of the songs are about experiences and people and some are from novels. Rick usually carries a book around writing bits and ideas down too.

With these two records under your belt should be expect a long player next year? And if so, what should we expect of it?

Good question! Were not sure as of yet. The main priority is to release a single early next year and then play a load more shows and some festivals! But we to have a lot of free time at the start of next year to work, because we’re skint! We will have a lot of time to start recording demos rough and reflecting, we’ve got a lot of big ideas which can’t give away but we have no idea what will come out!

You’ve been touring pretty hard of late, playing a host of festivals and traversing the country with the likes of 65 Days Of Static. How’s the touring life treating you?

Very good! Touring is the best part for us, we love playing shows and to be as lucky as we have been and tour all over the UK and Europe is a dream come true! We have just got back from Europe with 65dos and it was absolutely incredible! Touring so much does make paying rent and holding relationships/jobs hard but where there’s a will there’s a way and somehow were doing it... just! Life is great at the moment.

December is always a time to reflect on the previous twelve months. What’s changed for you since this time last year?

We’ve released two EPs! And toured all of the UK and Europe! And met some of the most amazing people along the way.

Any New Year’s resolutions for 2011?

Get the single recorded!!!

Everyone loves a list at this time of year, if you had to recommend one album, one film and one video game from 2010 what would they be? from 2010 what would they be?

I can’t speak for everyone and I don’t really have time to go to cinema or play games, but I saw Blue Velvet by David lynch for the first time this year, it’s old but incredible. Games... umm Pro Evo 4? Albumwise, either Adebisi Shank’s new album or Pertch Patchwork by Maps and Atlases!

Words: Mathew Parri Thomas

29

Interview jonquil How’s the tour going?

Hugo: Great, it’s finishing today actually, because tomorrow’s show in Nottingham has been cancelled, there was a massive fire on the street.

You’ve recently replaced 3 members – 50% of the band – with just the one, Dom [of Great Eskimo hoax]. Has that been difficult?

Hugo: Dom’s actually got 12 arms and just does everything.

Sam: It’s been really easy for everyone, and refreshing. Before, we kind of weren’t leaving enough space for each other; it makes more sense as a four-piece.

In the past I’ve only ever seen Hugo and Sam in interviews, and those members who have left to form Trophy Wife seem quite happy to distance themselves from Jonquil. Was it always the case that those guys were going to “lift right out”?

Hugo: The others were always as much a part of Jonquil, but once things had started to happen for Trophy Wife, it was just a natural thing to happen, and after a show one day we just decided. Sam and I still live with Kit and Jodi; it was all very amicable.

You’re currently being managed by exYouthmovie Al English, is this what

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

You’d think that the departure o for change, but they shrug it off Mears (of Pet Moon) who came Andrew’s wife; just a few of the Blessing Force is all about, sharing the love and experience?

Hugo: Yes, that’s exactly what it’s about: insourcing.

Dom: It easily happens in Oxford. In Birmingham where I’m from, it would never happen; there isn’t this big group of people with shared interests.

Hugo, how is it you know everyone else in Blessing Force?

Hugo: When I was 16, I went to see Youthmovies, and when they moved to Oxford the only people they knew were me and Yannis [of Foals], so that’s how that was set in stone. Then when we made the first Jonquil album, the first person I gave it to was Al, and he said ‘I’ll put it out on my new label [Try Harder]’, so that’s how that whole thing started.

Speaking of Yannis, he spoke in a recent interview about an ‘inherited punk guilt’ which most of the Blessing Force bands suffered from in their previous incarnations. Is it the case that the music you were making 5 years ago was more contrived than what you’re doing now?

Hugo: It was at a stage when you’re first discovering music, and when you’re that young, finding obscure stuff was

of 50% of Jonquil’s members would be the biggest catalyst ff. Pete Hughes caught up with the band as well as Andrew e along to help the band shift some t-shirts – hand made by e perks of the being in Oxford’s Blessing Force collective. the thing; it was cool, and now we all just listen to massive pop tunes most of the time. I haven’t got any interest in really intellectual music at all now, and this [more natural music] is what I want to be making now, rather than having a pre-set idea.

Is that how you [Sam and Andrew] feel about Youthmovies in retrospect, that it was quite contrived?

Andrew: No, Youthmovies wasn’t really like that; everyone just liked different stuff in that band, and because it was such a democracy everyone just played what they wanted and the result was that it was quite diverse, we certainly weren’t trying to make intellectual music. The fans that we had least in common with were the people who took it that way; who thought we had some kind of ethos behind being so eclectic. They were quite weird, those kids.

Anyway, looking to the future, you’ve just been signed to Dovecote records, and you’ve got a new album coming out.

Hugo: It’s a mini-album; somewhere between an album and an EP. We started off

writing an EP and it just got a bit longer.

Robin: A lot of the songs, if we hadn’t recorded them now, would have been lost, which would be a shame, because it’s been a really good time for us.

Does it feel like you’ve finally broken through?

Hugo: No not yet, but it does feel like everything’s falling into place for it to happen. Not to ignore the UK, but we’re really excited at the moment about going to the States: we’re playing SXSW next year, and doing a tour there.

On the subject of Solid Gold Dragons, you’ve been described by me as the Jamie Oliver of music [Laughter], is SGD about making high art accessible?

Sam: Give me hate that guy!

No, I’m just

a break, I

making some songs, and I’m enjoying singing, that’s the main

31

“If you look at the success of other people and try to follow that idea, then you’re fucked.”

Interview jonquil reason I’m doing it.

Hugo and Sam, you both have solo projects making dance music; what’s the real dream for you guys, the pop band or the dance music?

Hugo: No, it’s not like that at all, I just want to make as much music as possible; I might start a side project making acid techno .It’s not about choosing one project and putting all my focus into it.

Sam: With Lions, reviewers said that it sounded like four different bands on one album, and I guess it’s a way of making some music that might not fit the Jonquil ethos. With Jonquil we try and make happy pop music, and that’s not what SGD or Chad Valley is about, it’s just a different remit. You have to set yourself parameters because we all listen to different

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

sorts of music, or else it just sounds like a jumble, which was maybe the problem with Youthmovies.

One thing that occurred to me is that a lot of bands that have been successful recently have had a sound which is somewhere in between Chad Valley and Jonquil.

Andrew: If you look at the success of other people and try to follow that idea, then you’re fucked.

Hugo: I think any kind of project we do from now is going to have a set remit, to have a sound unto itself.

Who knows, it might have a more 80s influence, the new stuff; it’s going to evolve and change.

Where are you recording the album?

Sam: In our basement.

Hugo: Also the guitarist in Dom’s old band set up a studio on a farm, and we are going to do some stuff there, it’s so beautiful. So we’re going to have a combination of things recorded there and at our house. The thing about our basement is it’s obviously our house as well, it can be a bit claustrophobic, and also it’s not the same as going away and dedicating yourself.

Are Trophy Wife recording at that house at the same time?

Hugo: Yes, but they record up in Kit’s room, so it doesn’t interfere with ours at all. One thing about that house is that all the Jonquil stuff, all the Trophy Wife stuff, Solid Gold Dragons, Chad Valley, is recorded there.

with, for example, Youthmovies, on the Vertical Montanas record; are there any more collaboration planned for the future?

Hugo: There will possibly be some Blessing Force stuff, working together. When we talk about Blessing Force being a way of circumventing industry, we also want to help each other musically as well. For example Rose, who’s playing with Rhosyn tonight, I really want to work with her, she’s a great singer.

Looking forward to it. Anything else to say?

Hugo: May the force be with you [Groan from everyone else] Bless this mess?...

Words: Pete Hughes

In the past you’ve done collaborations 33

Interview Feeder

Feeder have gone back to their roots with their latest offering ‘Renegades’. Adam Gibby chats to Grant Nicholas about the origins of the album, Bsides that didn’t make the cut and Masterchef.

There seemed a lot of confusion over Renegades when you first started. Was it a side project etc. What were the origins and how did it evolve to the ‘Renegades’ album?

Well I think confusion can be good sometimes, it’s good to shake things up sometimes. We were going to do it so underground, just turning up at venues and not even saying who we were, just doing gigs like any other band do and like we did when we first started. But we felt that by just road testing the new album some of the real diehard fans might feel a

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

little bit left out so we kind of hinting that we were doing this thing but we didn’t say exactly what it was. Some of them got it straight away, ‘I’m sure they’re just doing this...’ but some of them thought we’d split up or it was a new name or I’d done a solo record or whatever but it got people talking and excited and that was kind of the point as well. We didn’t sit down and work out this massive, amazing marketing plan, it wasn’t that calculated but it was just a way of us going back to doing some very small shows away from the usual Feeder thing and

not having to play all the usual songs we always have to play. Not that we hate them, it’s just nice to do something different sometimes and be able to play a whole album live, which we haven’t done since our first album. The more albums you do and the more singles you have that steadily becomes your set and it’s very difficult to get away from that because people go ‘oh I went to see so and so play and they didn’t play any of the fucking singles’, you know it happens and people get pissed off about it so that would be the point. It was a bit confusing as there were some gigs where the promoters put Feeder on the bloody tickets so some more mainstream fans turned up and were like ‘what the fuck’s this?’ you know, ‘where’s Buck Rogers?’ but that was bound to happen, you can’t keep everyone happy. But we had a great time doing it, it was such good fun.

When I was at the Hoxton gig people were heckling for the old stuff.

That’s only natural. It’s not like we were trying to bury our past this was just a different thing and we wanted to do something a bit different. We didn’t just want to be the same old Feeder, we wanted to try different thing and it’s really been great for the band as well, it’s really got us back to where we started you know with the power trio. We did that such a long time ago so now we’re sort of showing the kids how to do it.

You were moving back to heavier material on ‘Silent Cry’ so was ‘Renegades’ just a natural step?

Yeah that was kind of a stepping stone really. I think ‘Renegades’ would have been a bit too much and we would have tested, not the diehard Feeder fans who’ve grown up on ‘Polythene’ and ‘Swim’ and stuff like that and even elements of ‘Echo Park’ , but I think to do the ‘Renegades’ record after ‘Pushing The Senses’ would have been so different it probably wouldn’t have worked. Well, it could have worked but I think, for me, ‘Silent Cry’ is a more anthemic record, I mean I actually really like ‘Silent Cry’, I think it’s one of the best Feeder albums but it didn’t really get a chance, I don’t know why. I think if that had come out after ‘Comfort In Sound’ that album would have been huge. It was just timing. We were basically on a label that was just dead in the water, which didn’t help. We got a bit shafted on that. I mean it wasn’t their fault, we tried to buy the album off them so we could self-release it and we had a few deals on the table but they just wouldn’t let it go, I don’t know why. We offered a lot of money to buy it back but they wouldn’t have it so...

So when you made ‘Silent Cry’ were you thinking about doing something like ‘Renegades’?

No not really. I always felt like the five-piece band wasn’t really us I mean it sounded good and you can do a lot with three guitars but I kind of realised that I was thinking ‘we’ve got to have another record

and I’ve got to have some strings here and a bit of guitar there’ but then you know what, I thought ‘fuck it, you just don’t know where to leave it’. I do miss some certain things but we always used to get respect as a band as a three piece making a bloody big noise so I thought well let’s try and do that again. Yeah we do use a keyboard and there’s actually going to be four of us onstage you know, a trio or not he can do keyboards and strings on some of the songs. I mean we can do the whole set as a three piece but it just lets us do stuff like ‘Feeling a Moment’ and those kind of songs. If people come to see us play we do have to think about that, we can’t just be selfish bastards and play all of the ‘Renegades’ songs, unfortunately we can’t do that on this sort of tour. We’ve done that and we might do it again but not on this tour. This is more of a mixture. It’s mainly the new album but with a few old favourites in there but no ‘Silent Cry’ songs.

There will be on the next leg though; we’re going to work something out because we miss playing them.

Are you enjoying the freedom that comes with releasing your own music through your label?

Yeah, I mean it’s not that different it just means we have to pay for everything, which isn’t so good. And with all the marketing and paying people’s wages it’s scary how much money goes in. It’s easy to see why record companies are bankrupt half of them because the money that goes in to it is just incredible even in a very new level of doing it. We still use some good people and we’ve got some of the same people working for us so it’s not like we’ve got a mate doing PR for us or something. It’s tough but it’s where we are at this moment in time. We’ve got a few labels sniffing around so we’re thinking next album we might do a joint deal but we’re just not sure yet, we’re going to see how it goes. But we have different licensing deals in different countries in places like Japan, South Africa and around Europe so we have got labels helping us but we’re still on our own one at the moment. We don’t know how long we’ll have it for but it’s been a learning experience and it’s been good. I mean we’ve been chipping away and I’m quite proud of what we’ve achieved on just a very small scale on a tiny little label.

How do you decide on the track listing for your albums? You’ve become a bit notorious with your fans for ‘Just A Day’, ‘Shatter’, ‘Victoria’, ‘Feel It Again’...

What, leaving them all off? It’s not me necessarily, it’s a combination of people. I mean ‘Shatter’ was on the album, I’d put it on and then our manager was like ‘oh ten track album, it’s got to be ten, it’s always ten’ and we were just ‘why?’ So he just said ‘well ten’s great isn’t it’ and I was like ‘well, you know twelve’s better value for money’. I know what he means, loads of albums are too long, there are lots of fillers on records, we try not to have any fillers.

That was on the album and it got taken off at the last minute, I really don’t know why. If that had

35

Interview Feeder

been the first single off that record people would have seen it as much more of a rock record. So we released ‘Tumble and Fall’ first. Why? Whose idiot idea was that? I mean it could be a third single or something, a bit of a crossover, you know some people like the song, it’s not a bad tune but it’s not a lead single from a Feeder album to be honest with you. I’ll tell what you I think a lot of it was.

We had a European label and they were getting quite involved, in fact they had a lot of input on that and because we’d just been out on tour with Coldplay and stuff they thought ‘this song’s a bit of a crossover’ and they were trying to push us in to that market and we were like ‘well, if it gets us bigger in Europe it’s only a single, I don’t give a fuck’. It’s on the album, I’m not ashamed of it but it

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

was not the right song. What we should have done was had a different single for the UK. I mean even ‘Feeling a Moment’ would have been a better first single. I mean that song now is just its own thing.

It’s everywhere. We’ve just had a couple of films in America on it and we’ve had another thing on it.

It’s mad that song, it wasn’t that popular when it was around. It’s much more popular now, it’s weird.

Some songs just picked up after and get played on an advert and then suddenly it makes the song bigger.

I mean, Christ, they used that on Masterchef for God’s sake. Saying that, I’m not complaining!

How’s Karl settling in?

He’s great yeah. We’ve got a couple of drummers we use. Karl’s played the majority of the ‘Renegades’

album. But yeah he’s been great but obviously he plays with James Blunt as well, unfortunately. I think he’s coming tonight actually. Apparently he’s a really nice guy, everyone hates him but apparently he’s a really good laugh, a good boy really. But he works hard so good luck to him. You know, I don’t know how anyone can hate someone that much for doing music, if you don’t like it just turn it off.

What’s your favourite album that you’ve written and which are you most proud of?

My favourite album? That’s really difficult. I think probably ‘Comfort in Sound’ just because it was written at a really difficult time and it was that that sort reinforced my belief that we should carry on really, the response to that album. I think the one

I like the most is actually ‘Renegades’, just because it’s a fun album. I really enjoyed making it. I don’t care if it’s a commercial record it was just a great album to make but it was hard work and it’s really fun to play live. It captures a lot of what we are as a band as well. But I think the best album is ‘Comfort in Sound’. I really like ‘Silent Cry’ as well, it’s a great record. ‘Silent Cry’ is the most underrated Feeder album. All of the songs that I thought would be singles didn’t get released and I was like ‘why?’

We’ve got our own label now but we can’t re-release the album. It’s done. Though, you never know, it might get some plays on Masterchef.

Words: Adam Gibby

37

live review

Fenech Soler

Where: The Forum, Tunbridge Wells When: 03.11.2010

D

espite The Forum starting out life as a public toilet, since it’s conception eighteen years ago as a music venue it’s played host to what have eventually become some rather successful bands.

Coldplay, Oasis, Green Day, The Libertines and more recently Mystery Jets and White Lies are amongst this list, so it’s no surprise that one of the most exciting bands of 2010 are playing here tonight and adding their name to the list of esteemed alumni; Fenech Soler.

The quartet gracing the stage take no prisoners from the off, launching into the resonant and pounding bass notes of ‘Battlefields’. As the grinding electro beats and synths reverberate around the room, the tone is set for the subsequent 45 minute showcase.

Lead singer Ben Duffy’s high-pitched vocals provide the ideal counterpart to the crunkier instrumentals that support them, and the veracity and panache in his performance certainly aids in creating the party atmosphere that suits them so well.

Smoothly transitioning through ‘LA Love’ into the throbbing rhythms of last single ‘Lies’, the crowd finally start to warm up as they’re hit by twinges of

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

song recognition and the band undeniably feed off the positive response they receive from their small audience. The scratching intro of ‘Contender’ is remarkably catchy and provides a great foundation to a track that gets everyone moving. Upcoming single ‘Demons’ swings between softer verses and frenetic choruses and provides a gratifying variation that keeps us on our toes, whilst ‘Stone Bridge’ changes the pace entirely. The addition of piano on stage at this point detracts from the guitars and synths that previously dominate, and demonstrates the band’s more affecting side whilst also illustrating their ability to veer away from the upbeat funk-driven style they’re more accustomed to producing.

Fenech Soler are undoubtedly a great live band, with their musical ability and vocal prowess proving predominantly unfaltering. Tonight established that the group’s energy and enthusiasm in addition to their vivacious sound can and will inject life into stoic rooms nationwide and cause even the most resistant of audiences to succumb to their addictive electro-pop charms in the end.

Words: Chantelle Pattemore

@CDXmag

39

live review T

o me, Manchester Cathedral epitomises the Mancunian attitude towards religion. It’s stuck in the corner of the city, completely surrounded by pubs and clothes shops. We’re not talking York Minster here. It’s not much bigger than your average church. And we only have one. We’re not like those bloody scousers. We don’t need two. And it isn’t constantly falling down, even when someone tries to blow it up. In fact, I’ve never been in Manchester Cathedral before. I’ve snogged outside it, but I’ve never been in it. I told you, were all heathens around here.

That may change. In an attempt to promote business amongst the young the Cathedral has opened its doors to those loud rock ‘n’ roll bands. Not just Cliff Richard wannabes either. Proper ones. Naturally you should be suspicious of this. We’ve all watched enough 1970’s sit-com’s to know what trendy vicars are like. At least it’s not a Roman Catholic cathedral. A priest trying to get young people into his pulpit will probably end up on a register.

All of this is unfair, of course. They’re basically decent people at M/C and should be encouraged for trying something new. The sell out show tonight proves that if they get the right bands people will come. And as a venue it looks impressive. It’s all a bit gothic, naturally, but damn fine to look at. It certainly provides a wonderful backdrop for the stage. At least it’s better than the usual bit of cloth with the bands name on it.

Tribes are the first band on tonight. I watched them recently at In The City. How can I best describe them?

Indie-pop ala Razorlight. That’s what I wrote in my phone when I watched them performed then and I’m sticking by that assessment. Now you might think that is damning them by association. This is not the case.

I’ve always thought that I would appreciate the music of Razorlight more if they didn’t have that massive twat fronting them. It’s hard to listen to the music of a band when all you can think of is stabbing the lead singer with a rusty screwdriver. Stabbing him right in the eyes, listening to him screaming as he writhes around in the chair you’ve nailed him into, then getting a pair of pliers and ripping out his tonsils and making him eat them. Then getting him to puke them up and eat them again. And then…

I’m sorry; I completely forgot what I was talking about. Oh, yes. Tribes. Good indie-pop that would fit in fine on 6 Music. Jangly guitar-lead songs with a bit of drive to them. I can’t see them ever becoming big or creating fans who would die for them, but who

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

cares. Go on MySpace and have a listen to them.

In other words, they are completely unlike Egyptian Hip Hop. Then again, very little is like Egyptian Hip Hop. I watched them perform at ITC last year.

Rarely have I seen a band confuse so many delegates.

One delegate described them as a Marmite band.

He couldn’t understand them, but he could tell some people would love them. Some people do love them.

And tonight they will show all the things that people will either love or hate.

They start sluggishly. They’ve already been on stage for a while, preparing their instruments when one of them presses a button, a vocal sample screams “LETS GO!” and the background music is switched off. Slowly they start to build up a drone. It just builds up on itself. It’s a statement. They aren’t being the friendly “Hi, how are you?” type band. There’s almost a jam like feel to what they are doing. I’m talking about the preserve here. It’s gloopy, thick. If your ears were a spoon it would stick to it.

Influences are there in abundance. One track’s vocal hook heavily leans on an old New Order track (‘Temptation’) and the you can hear bits of old Gang of Four and million other good eighties bands. But it doesn’t sound retro, not by a long chalk. If I had to place them with any bands it would be with Yeasayer, Wild Beasts, probably Klaxons. That’s a damn wide range, but they are a wide ranging band.

But they haven’t got it right on record yet, as they freely admit. “If you go the merchandise stand you can buy our t-shirts and our new record. But it’s rubbish.” Honest young devils.

That leads me to another thing. Didn’t Jesus say something about merchants in the temple? That stand aint right...

Another thing. When Mystery Jets do come on, they’re all drinking Peroni. Shouldn’t they be drinking the blood of Christ? They seem very relaxed, as if they had reached their happy place. New and old songs were mixed together in a relaxed, jokey style. In fact, there was almost a religious fever to the proceedings. Presuming John The Baptist decided to baptise Jesus by standing on a drum kit waving his hands in the air. Which is a strange coincidence as they appeared to have his severed head on on the front of their drums.

Words: Dean Coster

Mystery Jets Egyptian Hip Hop Tribes

Where: Manchester Cathedral When: 22.10.2010

41

live review The Brights

Where: The Barfly, Camden When: 20.11.2010

A

s the world and his brother once again descended on the streets of Camden Town for another Saturday night of revelry, it seemed like most had found their way into the small but legendary Barfly venue. And why? Well, indiepop’s newest heroes, The Brights, are in town and they’re throwing a party to celebrate the launch of their new single ‘Footsteps’. Evidently, everyone was invited and most of them turned up. Oh, and there were even cupcakes.

The Essex-based foursome took to the stage and launched straight into their own particular brand of the genre we all know as indie pop. While guitars jangle, bass lines dance and drums shuffle — as you would expect — the thing that clearly sets The Brights apart from many of their have-a-g0 contemporaries is their ability to deliver on the night. So much of the indie pop scene is populated with bands that operate on an “enthusiasm over talent” ethos, but the Brights are clearly tight, well rehearsed and they know their shit.

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

Thankfully for the band they’ve got the tunes the back up the ability too. As the statuesque David Burgess paces the stage and hangs from his mic stand, his three accomplices fire out carefully chosen, catchy as you like melodies. While the band don’t wear their influences on their sleeves — there are obvious comparisons to obvious influences like The Smiths or Orange Juice — a carefully chosen mid-set cover of Elvis’ ‘Burning Love’ shows the band have an ear bent to and toe dipped in the more soulful sounds of the past.

Over the course of their forty-odd minute set The Brights delivered a tight, fast-paced set showcasing their imminent long player (early next year apparently). If tonight’s performance is anything to go by this pop-pioneering foursome might have you and many more reaching for your dancing shoes in the not too distant future.

Words: Mathew Parri Thomas

43

live review

I

f Friday night confirmed one thing to me, it’s that New York Cheesecake cannot be enjoyed fully when you are in a hurry. Especially when trying to eat in the rain, in the dark, on the move, with a plastic fork. All other encounters later that evening for me had already been established: the musical and visual collectives involved with Ninja tune are true pioneers; Adam Buxton makes me laugh like a bloody idiot; the BFI is a fine place that I need to visit more often.

This was BUG’s celebration of Ninja Tune’s 20th anniversary in the Southbank venue’s main auditorium, hosted by the aforementioned Buxton (without Boggins) as part of the ever-expanding One Dot Zero Festival. Twenty years in the business have done nothing to dilute this distinctive label’s vision. Ninja Tune offers the perfect entry point for the uninitiated into independent beats and pieces, instrumental or otherwise.

The evening begins with our compère lightening the mood with a skit on the beautiful youth who love their material lifestyles and American Polo as much as they do Wagon Christ and The Herbaliser. They have difficulties remembering their names but that may have something to do with the E numbers in the Coke they consume.

After this we get the real deal, Hexstatic’s Ninja Tune, a promo that is the sweded version, quite possibly, of Zatoichi, or kung-fu movie Ninja Showdown, I couldn’t decide. Bonobo’s Flutter directed by Conkerco follows with its hypnotic summer groove and the Electric Kool-Aid animation of an ice-cream van disaster in reverse. Next Floria Sigismondi’s interpretation for Amon Tobin’s Four Ton Mantis captures the industrial sleaze of the track perfectly.

This is what happens to the beautiful youth when daddy cuts the allowance. Dark and brilliant.

Ninja Tune, BUG & onedotzero present a Ninja Tune Video Showcase

Where: The BFI, London When: 13.11.2010

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

Throughout the BUG event, Buxton focuses on various comments left on YouTube. There is so much stupidity out there that one can only admire. Tonight we get, among other things, confusion with acronyms due to international foreign policy, adverts for crap Japanese cars, music to commit genocide to and a user called Bumfuckface.

Any programme like this would have difficulty whittling two decades worth of audiovisual down into a two hour show, so for Stockport’s Mr Scruff (aka Andy Carthy) we are treated to a montage of videos featuring Carthy’s own cartoon characters including the funky Donkey Ride, the pastry crazy Sweetsmoke and Moondog sampling jazzmatic Get A Move On (an actual Ninja Tune hit!).

James Bradell’s Funki Porcini also gets the same treatment as Scruff with a quick recap of his directorial work. The infuriately named Atomic Kitten has an ingenious visual that hypnotises as it magnetically draws you to its melody. Rockit Soul has a literal space themed video or as verbalweaponry0 had it online one year ago “Give me an IV drip of Rockit Soul and I’ll never come back down”. Indeed.

Ninja Tune has sister labels too. One of those is Big Dada, whose newest recruit is rapper DELS. Very special he is as well. US Design Studio’s video for Shapeshift took an agonising 18 months to make, maybe the appearance of Joe Goddard and his superb beard slowed proceedings down. I don’t know why it would, so more likely is that Christopher Barrett and Luke Taylor the designers behind the project had a painstaking job on their hands and took their time.

Fizzy Eye directed Shadows by Wagon Chris, which is next up, is all splendidly rendered Victorian elegance and science fiction battle-droids. This makes perfect sense no doubt to everyone except to Darwinists and Christians who’ll be choking on their cornflakes.

Headroom, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Matt’s own synesthesia. Up The Resolution’s beautiful animation for Coldcut’s Sound Mirrors closes this discussion.

The penultimate videos shown are an uncommissioned creation by an Amon Tobin fan named Chuck Eklectric for the track Esthers, batteries are certainly included in this one. And the hilarious video for Witness (One Hope) by Roots Manuva in which Rodney Smith is filmed by Matt Kirby returning triumphantly to his primary school sports day.

To end the BUG part of the event we are shown a new creation by Cyriak Harris for Eskmo’s We Got More, a clean cityscape folds in on itself to the sound of dubstep.

Cyriak has featured before for BUG and was convinced to create this piece especially for the evening. I’m glad they did; check his work if you can.

The party continued afterwards with a bass heavy DJ set in the BFI’s stylish Benugo bar. I’d learnt my lesson with the mobile cheesecake though and left before the evening became really messy.

I certainly hope I can attend future BUG events perhaps culminating in 2030 when we can reunite and celebrate Ninja Tune’s 40th Birthday.

Words: Matt Keeler

More BUG tomfoolery with Pop Levi’s Semi Babe, who had the groundbreaking idea to split the video on Youtube into two-parts that sync up. Clever Dicks. Of course Adam Buxton had to get involved and create a third part, this adds nothing to the song and you’ll not convince me otherwise, it does bring a smile to the face though. Start adding your own parts now.

Ninja Tune co-founder Matt Black (along with Jonathan More) is then welcomed to the stage for a chat about the origins of the Hex (Coldcut’s work with graphic artists Hardwire) later to become Hexstatic, whose seminal Timber video is shown in full.

Influences on the label including Max

45

live review Jonquil

Where: Jericho Tavern, Oxford When: 19.11.2010

B

efore they had named themselves “Blessing Force”, the members of Oxford’s new art collective were amongst my favourite bands: The Edmund Fitzgerald, before Jack and Yannis left to form Foals with members of Face Meets Grill, Youthmovies (nee Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies), and Jonquil. Now for the price of those four original teenage stabs at post-rock cult status we have numerous novel dreams of pop stardom. Andrew Mears, formerly of Youthmovies, now A Pet Moon, assured me in our interview that “If you look at the success of other people and try to follow that idea, then you’re fucked”, nonetheless I can’t help but feel that the new blossoming of bands isn’t quite as niche of genre as the old bunch.

Trophy Wife were dubbed by NME as “Foals’ little brother band”, presumably because they too are making dance music with real instruments; Chad Valley’s remit is quite solidly 90’s sounding trance music, and Solid Gold Dragons isn’t about breaking any new ground; as Jonquil quite happily admit, they are having fun taking on what they describe as the bigger challenge of writing decent pop tunes, rather than just making atonal, mathematical prog out of some ill-guided teenage rebelliousness.

But even if they’re not purposefully chasing success by plagiarising pop stars, when they describe the “challenge of writing decent pop songs”, they’re necessarily following someone else’s idea: the challenge is surely to meet the remit set for it by its creators is it not? For instance, Jonquil cite amongst their influences Motown, the inventors of the production-line pop song. Ironically, however, tonight’s first act Neon Pulse was so original, so avant garde (his set was half an hour of drone-like sounds barely punctuated by any rhythmic content), that I unfortunately found it all but unlistenable.

The second band on was Rhosyn. By way of comparison with Jonquil’s traditional line-up of bass, guitar, drums and keyboard, Rhosyn is comprised of two violinists, one cellist, and a pianist (all of whom

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

sing), supported by a drummer. The combination of classical instrumentation with pop aesthetic does draw the obvious comparison with Regina Spektor, but whereas I always felt RS was somewhat tonguein-cheek, Rhosyn feels genuine, sincere. Lead singer Rose Dagul’s powerful voice, which is not dissimilar to that of Florence [and the machine], alternated between hushed whispers and angry cries without every sounding out of its depth.

Finally, when Jonquil came on stage, there was no denying that they truly are a mesmerising spectacle; it is rare to see a non-manufactured band producing such finely composed music. After having been a fan of Jonquil pretty much since its inception, but never having seen them live, I found it very surreal to see these guys playing their instruments, like going to see the Four Tops and seeing them played their own instruments, such is the pop precision with which they compose their songs. A dancey cover of the XX’s ‘Infinity’, being the only song in a minor key, provided a great set divider and their final number sounded like a Latin American country’s anthem for independence. Overall the sound was one of restraint overriding an urge to burst into all-out party music, which kept the crowd craving more so that when they said their goodnights I could hardly believe they weren’t coming back to play for another half an hour.

Jonquil’s tantalising struggle to walk a line between party music and trying keep a groove as tight as James Jamerson’s trousers was only to be expected in an evening of stark contradictions for me: to hear some of my favourite musicians of all time belittle their own music; for the most experimental artist to be my least favourite, and for the “session musicians” to be the stars. Perhaps Blessing Force is breaking some boundaries after all.

Words & Photo: Pete Hughes

47

Album reviews of my house, trying to comprehend the mysteries of this nu-folk quartet from Aldershot; to discover the secret of their self-confessed popularity amongst the fans of Mumford and Sons and

half-forgotten folk legends and fairy tales, sung in a predictably hoarse-throated and rustic way, that, according to one reviewer, ‘sounds, above all, like the hoarse voice of a storyteller, the kind that would have held an assembly of listeners captivated in any century’, or alternatively that would have gently lulled to sleep an assembly of listeners in any Bellowhead; trying century. They lack the visceral to locate that special thrill of Mumford, the obvious unique something that makes them more encyclopaedic knowledge of folk history of Spiers and Boden, worth listening to than Cherry Ghost or or alternatively the up-dated Words: Pete Hughes 21st century subject matter of Dan Mangan, and, Dear Culturedeluxe readers; readers, I have failed.

Stornoway. dear verb-famished and thoughtThis wintery-dispositioned Not that these lads and lasses starved digesters of this monthly band of country and folksters are lacking in talent: in fact, magazine, I have tried and I have have wooed the bohemian scene it’s impossible to fault them tried to write this review. I have with accordion and banjo, and technically, but in the words of listened to this E.P. through my won the hearts of you all, but one of Matt Groening’s school PC speakers, through headphones, regrettably, I cannot figure out teachers ‘you do what you do through sub-woofers and trebly why. Their lyrics are inscrutably tolerably well, Mr Gro-nig, now speakers, at my house and out vague, conjuring images of you have to ask yourself: is it

worth doing?’ With a wealth of new faces on the folk scene in the past few years, not to mention a century of recorded material to chose from, these guys will have a tough job distinguishing themselves from the crowd, and I can’t say that Kingdom of Your Own quite does it for me. As one well-meaning reviewer put it, ‘they already sound as timeless as their evident influences.’ I personally prefer my folk freshly caught and still kicking for dear life, but then I don’t generally stray further into the folk forest than the Gogol Bordello or Flogging Molly, which many devotees would doubtless disallow from setting foot into their hallowed genre.

I would say that if Mathew and the Atlas shook of the cobwebs with a bit of foot-stomping and hollering, they’d be a force to be reckoned with. Good luck to them!

delivered five albums of sparse lo-fi, heart on sleeve songs, often acoustic and often heartbreaking in the vivid pain his songs could manifest, such as Last Call, from his first album, Roman Candle. The jagged guitar lines here point at a strong sense of melody at the same time as encouraging discomfort, something that runs through Words: Ross Park many of these songs.

Best ofs are tricky affairs. They’re If you buy a ‘best of’ for the either a greatest hits package hit singles, don’t worry, they’re aimed at the passing punter, or here for you (or as close as you’ll put together with a fans eye view, get) with the Oscar nominated collecting classic album tracks Miss Misery and Waltz #2, which and beloved b-sides. By titling this was record of the week on Mark ‘An Introduction to Elliott Smith’ Radcliffe’s Radio 1 breakfast it’s telling you exactly what it’s show. As for Miss Misery, this intention is: You might not know was performed by Smith at the Elliott Smith, so give this is a try 1998 Oscars ceremony dressed in and then delve in. a white suit and accompanied by The Portland singer songwriter the Oscars orchestra. It provided

a positive and forward thinking Smith, sharing (I) ‘Haven’t laughed this hard in a long time’.

To be frank, with his voice as fragile as the music is sparse, it’d be wrong to read any more into his state of mind on these songs than any of his previous work.

Its brutal truth lyrics and sparse arrangements can make it a difficult listen so it’s the fuller band backed songs that are the most accessible. Both Ballad of Big Nothing and Pictures of Me are musically uplifting and melodic and in both the arrangement and scope of the songs show off the range of talent in his songwriting.

Those who discover Elliott Smith through this release will find a talented songwriter whose catalogue will give them countless jewels for them to trawl through and treasure. Those that lament the loss of his talent will at least be able to say “I’m never gonna know you now, but I’m gonna love you anyhow”.

Matthew and the Atlas – Kingdom of Your Own EP

Elliott Smith – An Introduction to...

Elliott Smith

48 December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

fascinating viewing with Smith with his acoustic guitar and fragile voice in an atmosphere so at odds with his music, and his world.

If you weren’t aware of him already, sadly most people’s introduction to Smith would be the fact that he died in 2003 of apparent self inflicted stab wounds, and sadly, this may remain the fact most associated with him.

At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth album, the posthumously released From a Basement on the Hill, 2 of the tracks from which are included in this collection. Do they hint at a fragile state of mind and impending tragedy? Lyrics like ‘I’m tired of being down, I got no fight’ from Pretty (Ugly Before) would suggest so but the song is rather uplifting and is about finding someone who has moved the clouds from his life and let the sun come down on him, allowing him to feel able to shine himself.

The other track, Twilight, feels like

the news, flossing, and other things that would be good, I’m sure of it, if the effort was actually made on my part. Remember Remember’s latest EP, RR Scorpii, is an inspiring place to start. Musically representing postrock, arguably at its most beautiful, Remember Remember are Graeme Ronald, and on this EP, 6 other members; favouring a mellow and lullaby-esque tone not dissimilar to the likes of Mogwai, on the same Glaswegian label:

Rock Action Records.

Starting with ‘Lips’, probably the stand out track with its delightful pace, perfectly pierced by the dulcet tones of a saxophone and the twinkling backdrop of glockenspiels. ‘Get Good’ is almost reminiscent of a Field Music track lacking in lyrics but in no way suffering for it with a rhythmic and gentle manner. ‘Aria’ is quite possibly the most underwhelming song on the EP, providing filler at best.

‘Ghost Frequency’ is a simple yet delightfully progressive end to this EP, an almost nine-minute long epic that poignantly brings the EP home nicely, drums breaking through at about the

six minute mark to save it from sounding like it could be used in your local incense stockist, with accompanying waterfall sound effects. All in all this EP is a fantastic showcase of the Remember Remember’s work, building on the 2008 self-titled debut album (a more danceable offering, certainly worth a gander).

Any band that can incorporate glockenspiels without sounding reminiscent of a school music lesson get an A grade in my book.

This EP is a deliciously uplifting treat and is well deserving of your time.

fantastic single and inspired cover ‘Who Do You Love?. This beautiful, danceable song sits in well with the usual playlist at Madam Jojo’s White Heat, where the Stockholm trio perform live the day after they release.

In keeping with the club’s reputation for cutting edge indie/ electro it is a catchy yet intelligent track great for dancing while pretending you’re not having fun, as is expected.

Sadly this reviewer’s

enthusiasm pretty much ends there; as this EP is pretty disappointing on the whole.

The first track, ‘Painted Wall’, non-descript and without any real vocals, is instantly forgettable.

The somewhat listless but intriguing vocals are continuously the best thing about not only this song, but the entire EP. Saying that it’s hard to really be bothered to work out what she is trying to say, in particular over the hideously off-kilter climax of ‘Paloma’. The title track is a pretty easy-going and listenable number, yet ruined with some dodgy pan-pipe aspiring synth.

‘Watching the Glow’ is easily the stand out track on Days

Ahead, with its ethereal vocals, about being “short-sighted”, in love you’d assume and not their own music. In all fairness it naturally sounds like their next hit, or at least the best song out of a bad bunch here.

I can see Museum of Bellas Artes making a real mark on the future of electro if they go the right way about it.

Disappointingly though, this EP isn’t as strong as it could be, or as memorable as perhaps it should be. I won’t dismiss them as just another Swedish synth band completely yet though, and await their next release with my ears somewhat pricked. Do listen to Who Do You Love though.

than a musical one.

Appropriately the album opens with ‘Ocean’s Call’, an exaltation of the Atlantic, a stone’s throw from the group’s hometown of Nantes, France.

‘I have always seen you as a part of me’, singer Raphaël d’Hervez declares to the expanse of water before him in heavily Words: Olivia Isaac-Henry Gallic intonaition. As Despite its name, Atlantique recalls throughout the album, the accent a mid-eighties dance floor more is charming, but also distracting than the ebb and flow of the ocean, and often it’s difficult to make out being more a lyrical reference the lyrics. Synth chords push the

track along and it’s a fair sample of the album as a whole. There’s little variation here. ‘Wild Birds’ also references the sea and its fauna; a serious house beat bouncing through it lays out their dance credentials along with tracks like ‘Captain’ and ‘Snake Girl’.

‘She’s looking for herself’ employs a falsetto in the chorus, and is a little too trite, but ‘Hundred Years’ is fantastically catchy with a whistle along synth melody. ‘Heart of Stone’ and ‘Movie Of Your Life’ are the best tracks, with strong choruses that could easily translate to daytime radio play, which appears to be what Minitel Rose are aiming for.

This album is far poppier than its

predecessor ‘The French Machine’, but it’s not an album of moods and layers and this is its main downfall, there’s little to bring you back to the album, it mines a deep seem of electro pop but unlike its namesake, ultimately Atlantique is shallow.

You won’t find anything on the tenth listen that you didn’t get on the first. Eighties pop is used as a smash and grab opportunity rather than a starting point and Minitel Rose fail to stamp their identity on the tracks’ sound. French accents aside, this could be an album made up of discarded tracks by ABC and the Pet Shop Boys. Saying that, it’s pleasant and catchy, but I wont’ be taking to many dips into Atlantique.

Remember Remember – RR Scorpii Words: Ingrid Francis “Listening to more instrumental music” is on list of things I feel like I need to make a conscious effort to do more of, like reading

The Museum Of Bellas Artes – Days Ahead EP Words: Ingrid Francis Swedish Pop outfit Museum of Bellas Artes bring out their Days Ahead EP off the back of their

Minitel Rose – Atlantique

49

Album reviews — with connections to John Frusciante and famous fans like RZA there was always going to be — but they seemed to have weathered the storm. The songs on the album build on the foundations set

especially play a big part in the cohesive nature of the album and yet managing to ceaselessly guide the songs to different places.

A lot of the songs on the album sound like lengthy jams that have been worked on and moulded into shape for some time, they don’t really sound like instant creations, you can feel that these down on debut EP Exquisite Corpse and would have taken a lot of rehearsing the album opens up with ‘Set Your Arms and tweaking Down’. The song sets to become what Words: Kevin Burgess the tone of the album they are today and Warpaint have been in the they work better for it. perfectly, slowly building from making for the best part of six Sometimes that kind of tweaking the opening gentle guitar parts years; various line-up changes can take the original spirit out of as cracked drums come into play and famous associates aside, this and then we first hear the wistful a song, but in instances like this, all girl four piece band from LA and melancholic vocals that stamp it works well. Standout moments finally deliver their debut album the intentions for the whole album on the album include ‘Undertow’, The Fool on Rough Trade records, early doors. It’s definitely a bit again a song that slowly builds, a languid and fluid album that of a grower in general, and the with the reverb drenched guitars finds the girls creating psychedelic first few listens I found myself opening the song before the rest sound collages, where songs struggling to really grip to the of the band enters, half way meander in and out of structures songs, but there was something through the song they drop into and sections, with beautiful and in them that kept me interested an almost disco-esque beat before earthly harmony vocals floating enough to stick with it. The way slowly dropping out into more a top. It’s something a little the songs seem to float in and out gentle territory before leading the different for sure. of different structures and sections song out with a funky beat lead There has been plenty of really show an inventiveness that by the always impressive drums, hype for the band for a while is so easily overlooked; the drums and this is all in one five minute

song.

As previously mentioned, this is a grower and it certainly wont be to everyone’s taste. It’s not an album that I think I will be playing to death, but it’ll definitely be something that I’ll come back to if I’m in the right mood. That’s actually a good point, it’s a moody record at the core — not in a bad way — it just has a certain ethereal and moody quality to it that floats across the album and it’s a record that you’ll probably appreciate a bit more on loud speakers where you can sit back and let yourself fall into it. It’s not an on the move album for the iPod generation, that’s for sure.

Though I don’t feel the album has quite lived up to all the hype, it’s certainly taken a good shot at it, which is more than can be said for so many of the other hyped bands and albums we’re constantly hearing about, so kudos to Warpaint, it’ll be interesting to see where they go next from here.

that other Black Moth Super Rainbow band members have taken with their solo albums. It’s a rich album with a lot of depth and an almost childlike wonder.

Mainly using an acoustic guitar, a banjo, and a xylophone, Ryan is able to create a Words: Phil Russell friendly and fulfilling So I ate myself, Bite By Bite is the album from start to finish. This new album by Black Moth Super is sometimes an odd feeling to get Rainbow member Ryan Graveface. since the album is supposedly a It continues along the same path story that chronicles the events

the album, coming it at around 10 minutes long. The psychedelic sun-soaked choral “woo’s” are backed by a driving drum beat that builds and builds until it explodes. The rest of the track feels like the up and down ride through the “killers” mind as he wrestles with what he has done and what will become of him.

So I ate myself, Bite By Bite is an eclectic ride and surprisingly catchy, despite it’s subject matter.

It’s a great album to have on in the background for any road trip. So I ate myself, Bite By Bite may not be for everyone but, if you let yourself go along for the ride, it’s a highly enjoyable bit of experimental folk that should satisfy most listeners.

Warpaint – The Fool

Dreamend – So I Ate Myself Bite by Bite

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

in the life of a serial killer. It’s definitely a interesting way to cover that kind kind of subject matter. For instance in the track ‘Pieces’, between the soothing sounds of a banjo and xylophone, Ryan sings ‘I can’t believe it was just yesterday/I cleaned my hands and washed the blood away’.

Other tracks like ‘Pink Clouds In The Woods’ and ‘Magnesium Light’ have a seemingly more uplifting feel, the latter having lyrics like ‘I looked at the skies tonight and said I love the sun’.

‘An Admission’ is the highlight of

array of instruments such as the trumpet, lap steel guitar, flugelhorn and the seldom-heard EWI (a breath controlled synthesizer), Brasstronaut have made a haunting and

and drums with moody vocals to create a moving and enchanting piece of music. ‘Six Toes’, having a New Orleans-style jazz sound, is another track where the band shows their talent in crafting complex arrangements and skill with each instrument they use. ‘Slow Knots’, which is my personal rich album. favorite track ‘Hearts on the album, Trompet’ starts of with starts with the lyrics ‘Do a simple bass Words: Phil Russell you think that I before building Mt. Chimarea is a fitting name for into a wall of strings that is simply betrayed you, Honey Brasstronaut’s debut album. Just don’t you I’m too dumb for that beautiful. ‘Insects’ is a more like the mythical creature made jazzy number that lazily bounces / you kept a list of all those bad up of parts of different animals, around before letting the horns nights/we both know it got to the band’s sound floats between loose to fill the room. ‘Ravan’, long’. The track uses a subtle experimental jazz, electronica one of the highlights of the album, drum beat and bass to build the and pop sounds. Using a wide perfectly fuses the horns, bass track until it kicks in and melds

Brasstronaut – Mt. Chimarea

Drummer Lisa Milberg took the reins and took on the role as lead singer for previous release Hey Trouble. Despite the collective frenzy of creative genius and their

The Concretes – WYWH Words: Ingrid Frances Ever-expanding Swedish band The Concretes now consists of 8 members, many with their brushes in several musical pots, excepting the famously-departed Victoria Bergsman who now heads the lovely Taken By Trees.

complicated history, WYWH is a slick album, which builds on the varied nature of Hey Trouble; typical Concretes melancholy with a pop edge punctuated by actually upbeat tracks, claimed by the band to be influenced by disco.

First track ‘Good Evening’

is also the first single and immediately hits you with its catchy rhythm, disco-inspired?

Possibly. Incredibly cool?

Definitely. While the last album may have been somewhat overshadowed by Bergsman’s departure, Milberg really comes into her own on this album vocally. A prime example of this, and a personal highlight is, ‘I Wish We’d Never Met’, its raw, powerful lyrics about love (or lack thereof) are usual Concretes fodder but this song prooves perfect for Milberg’s voice, verging towards sound a little bit Nico-esque, which can only be a compliment in my opinion.

the vocals, keyboard and horns into a sublime echo filled lament on love lost.

The band has built credibility on the road, having played with bands from Belle Orchestre to Why?, and in international festivals like Reykjavik’s Iceland Airwaves ‘09, where they appeared on-stage with the brass section from Sigur Ros. They sure have my attention and I can’t wait to see where they go in the future. Brasstronaut, the Vancouver based six-piece, pride themselves on being unclassifiable. Fortunately for us, they have crafted a perfectly accessibly album that is fresh and exciting to hear. Surely a top album of 2010, this is a must buy for any real music fan and highly recommended.

‘All Day’ is a smooth number, and another single release with its contrastingly jazzy and tempting chorus of “we’re gonna stay bed, all day, all day, all day”. ‘What We’ve Become’ is a fantastic song, guitar riffs and drum beats abound, with a delightfully tuneful chorus. A couple of songs beyond this one are less exciting, and the album experiences a slight lull in particular with ‘Oh My Love’ and ‘Sing for Me’. Things pick up though, ending on a high with its title track, a seductive and contemplative treat.

It seems the disco was in fact an inspired move. WYWH is a smart and thoroughly enjoyable step in an exciting direction for the Concretes, with just enough variety to wet your appetite for more from in the future.

51

Album reviews Soler.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs specialize in a kind of gurgling blip-pop sound, with nods to the past whilst still having a futuristic slant to their music.

This mash up of sounds is evident from the track that the EP is named after, ‘Household Goods’.

It opens up with a scattered building and Words: Dave Reynolds progression of keys, Household Goods is the 3rd EP as Orlando lends his vocals for the from undoubtedly one of the big only time on the EP. Orlando’s buzz artists of the moment, Totally vocal style is understated and Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. The timid, but it matches perfectly man behind the name is Orlando with the nervous meaning of the Higginbottom, who is also known lyrics. ‘So give me a shot, because for turning out some much loved I could be, the dog to your bone... remixes for the likes of Darwin or something.’ It’s a verse that is Deez, Professor Green and Fenech shy and coy, and shows no sign

of the explosion of noise that is to come. The chorus arrives and hits you like David Haye punching Audley Harrison...or something (Orlando and I seem to share a slight keenness for metaphor). It’s the kind of explosive dance sound that the Swedish House Mafia and the like work so hard on, except there is an extra level of depth to it. Underneath the pulsing sound of the chorus is a scattering of futuristic sounds, one of which I can only describe as how I imagine a ray gun being fired sounds. The pace and verve feels slightly increased for the next verse and bridge, but as a listener you are just eager for that next chorus to arrive. It is the standout track on the EP. The second track on the EP is ‘Waulking Song’. A waulking song is traditionally a Scottish folk song, sung by women with a simple beat driving the song to

which people would beat newly woven tweed. Replace the word ‘folk’ with ‘blip-pop’ and ‘Scottish’ with ‘Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ and that’s what we’ve got. It’s a good showcase for the production skills of Orlando Higginbottom, as the guest vocal is twisted and fractured in amongst that driving beat.

The final track on the EP is ‘How Far’ which is comes off feeling a little flat. It has good moments as the keys twist and turn but it doesn’t really feel like it progresses anywhere nor does anything particularly new and interesting. It shows a slight lack of imagination from an artist that definitely has plenty.

Household Goods is an EP with plenty of originality and depth, and shows signs that Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs are far from dying out.

first album, The French Open, which is oddly appropriate as the two bands share a lot in common -- a love of music from a bygone era and big, fat synths laid on top of trashy disco beats.

You need to listen to The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion a few times before you get the full picture of what this album is about. The first thing you hear Words: Pete Hughes is trashy disco pop in Coincidentally (or perhaps not), the vein of every other band you when I type the word French into can think of making a name for the search bar to bring up The themselves in the charts currently.

French Horn Rebellion, the only The second time you listen to it, other track that comes up from my you realise that these guys are collection is a track from Foals’ very much paying homage to

particular artists amongst their electro-forebears with each track.

‘The Body Electric’ has echoes of MGMT, Hot Chip, even Saul Williams’ bombastic poetry, and the female vocals is The Love Cats all the way (the moniker adopted by the four girls who provided the backing vocals on Foals’ The French Open). ‘New Florida’ is Chad Valley all over, although obviously both artists are reproducing, whilst updating for the 21st century, late 80s and early 90s beach trance. ‘Brasilia Girl’ shows that their influences go beyond just the Pepsi chart, by opening with what sounds like the theme tune to zone four on Sonic the Hedgehog, before beating it to death with some rather fat snyth bass.

‘Antarctica/ The Decision’, feels like a changing point in the album;

after the album’s initial blitz of trashy synth-pop makes you feel like you’ve just walked into a big sweaty night club surrounded by wet t-shirt bleach blonde bimbos bouncing for buggery, suddenly it’s like we’re in some epic lunar landscape devised by Stravinsky in one of his darker moments, and then Robert Moog comes in to fuck it up something proper.

Album closer ‘What I Want’ feels like the epic conclusion that it should be to this epic adventure inside the very psyche of the 1980’s. The refrain, “We can tell it’s not enough, just bring it back to what I want,” feels like a cry for sanity in an obviously chaotic mind. And that’s when you realise: we’ve been taken on a tour inside a mind, only to realise to our horror that he is trapped alone forever in the year 1987.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Household Goods EP

The French Horn Rebelion – The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

Shrag – Life! Death! Prizes!

Words: Eve Massacre On this album Shrag somehow manage to ground the sparkling refusing-to-grow-up power of twee punk into modern wellcrafted indie post punk without losing its energy and charm. The

guitars have a nice range from warm indie rock riffs to plinky sharp post punk lines. There are solid dance rock beats, wonderfully dry and driving bass lines and well-dosed shimmering bits of organ, sometimes just used to back the sound up, sometimes in pure romantic melody attacks.

The vocals come with a big raw pop sensibilitiy and the lyrics go far beyond X-loves/ wants-to-fuck/left-Y tripe. The

ambient prog, wowing their most attentive audiences with bizarre instrumentation (glass harp, kalimba, musical saw), often doing their damnedest to steal the show from their critically worshiped headliner buddies. They released an EP that no one heard (2005′s Animamina), then a full-length (2007′s Words: Ryan Reed Kurr) that people It’s no fun living in the shadows. heard but few actually enjoyed Just ask Amiina, the experimental — the critical reaction was Icelandic sextet which, in its particularly lukewarm, many inception, was a string quartet, reviewers underwhelmed by the still most famous for augmenting album in comparison to their Sigur Ros’ expansive art rock with enigmatic live show. I saw Sigur some of the most gut-wrenching Ros live back in 2005 on their orchestral sections in alternative Takk tour and can concur that music history. Years ago, Amiina Amiina, while still worth listening started opening for Sigur Ros on to on album, are engaging on a their tours, playing an odd sort-of completely different level when

Amiina – Puzzle

female vocals might bring bands from good old pop days to your mind -- Bis, Le Tigre, even Life Without Buildings -- and when they interplay with their male counterpoint you can’t but mention the B52’s as a point of reference, too.

The really cool thing about this vague sense of nostalgia that Shrag is conjuring up is: Shrag do not sound like your next best retro copy. This album gleams of freshness and heartwarming joy with a hint of melancholy in the wink of its eye.

Dirty angry shouty noisy bits are

like the wrinkles that add more character to the safer and more solid melodic parts. It’s as if an in-it-for-nothing-but-the-music DIY past shimmers through every note of a serious ‘meaning business, thinking of the listener’ indie album.

There are only a few parts on this album in which a song seems to drag on a bit too long or sounds a tad too heard-before, but it’s but a few moments and just when this thought works its way into your consciousness up comes a jangling guitar and wipes it away and makes you fall in love again with this album. At least when you’re a true twee punk lover. Which you should be. They’s the best. They know pop should be all about action and drama.

you’re looking them in the eyes.

Puzzle takes the Amiina sound to completely new places, yet what you hear will sound mighty familiar. Perhaps all that touring with Sigur Ros finally did some damage. Perhaps they just simply got tired of their most impatient audience members falling asleep while waiting for the headliners.

For whatever reason, this new batch of songs is particularly Sigur Ros-esque, dialing down Amiina’s most experimental tendencies in favor of more emotionally direct soundscapes.

At a few points, particularly the enveloping, pizzicato-drenched ‘Over and Again’ and the very Takk-ish ‘What are We Waiting For’ (both featuring English vocals), Amiina border on outright pop songs. Expanding to a six-piece, they flesh out arrangements with drum kits, harmonies, and more layers of production. It’s immaculately

produced, most properly absorbing with a good pair of headphones.

So, Puzzle is beautiful — this much is obvious. The question is: was moving to more commercial, less adventurous material the right artistic move? We already have one Sigur Ros (and a shitload of imitators), so do we really need another? The bottom line is that, while Puzzle may not prove itself to be as unique as the band’s previous work, it’s definitely their most satisfying as an album. And while, at surface level, the Sigur Ros comparison is most definitely a given (how many times have they been mentioned in this review?), the songs are so wellcrafted, it’s hard to care much about innovation.

Ironically, by stepping further into the shadows of their tourmates’ sonic grasp, they find themselves most ideally situated to move out of it.

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Album reviews finally arrives all guns blazing.

Onto the music, and first things first, the album is huge.

It’s the only fair way to describe it.

It’s big and bold and West holds absolutely nothing back, and to

beat and dips in and out of a sample of King Crimson’s ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’. And the nine minute opus ‘Runaway’ is Kanye at his most outrageous and daring in terms of structure and reach, it’s intentionally epic.

Taken out of context this may seem a bit tedious and I suppose it is, in fact take many of the songs out of here and they probably be fair to the man, he managed to entice wont work as well. At nearly the crème de la crème seventy minutes in total, it’s a no holds barred bare knuckle ride of hip hop producers from start to finish. It’s hard to to work on the really pick any standout moments project, not least of as it’s something that should be all RZA, DJ Premier & Q Tip. Sadly not all of their digested as a whole, but ‘Monster’ contributions make the final cut. is a ferocious and at times I say sadly but in actual fact the claustrophobic listen; it’s probably album doesn’t suffer from them the beat that will turn more hip not being on it, and that’s hop heads than any other just on the production on the album, a dark side of things. His and grimy beat that list of guest emcees trudges for more and vocalists is than six minutes exhaustive. West and features guest however is the performances from star of the show, Jay Z and perhaps the he has a firm hand in best verse on the whole the production on pretty album delivered in an almost much every song on the album paranoid schizophrenic state by and his flourishes and explorative Nicki Minaj — it’s really quite touches take these songs from something to behold. good hip-hop beats to acceptable The record is an extreme pop statements. ‘Dark Fantasy’ statement from start to finish, he for instance has RZA’s trademark really needed this album to be a loose and ragged approach; Kanye giant “fuck you” to the critics and cuts this up and fills the gaps detractors. He needed not only with choir-like vocals. ‘All Of something that was going to be The Lights’ has a giant fanfare a statement, but it needed to be of a chorus, it would almost a bold statement, and it needed be a bit throwaway if it didn’t to be good. It’s self referencing, have a destructive drum beat but self proclamation it’s not. It’s underpinning the whole thing. as if he feels he has been totally ‘Power’ has a ragged and rickety misunderstood. The album sounds

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Words: Kevin Burgess There comes a point in every decent artist’s life when they reach a certain level and find themselves on an artistic plateau, the only place they can realistically go, to remain both relevant and integral, is inwards, and to take a long hard look at oneself. Now it’s not exactly a new phenomenon in the world of Kanye West to be inward looking, he has always had an elementary narcissistic demeanour, his almost geek like approach to a genre of music so heavily weighted in favour of the harder edged ‘gangster’ outlook has previously allowed him to take a large step into the mainstream consciousness.

Then it all went a bit wrong, I don’t want to dwell too much on events in recent history, I’m sure we all know about his recent transgressions, but that whole drama does lend itself to the general outlook and ethos of the album and those ‘darker’ moments for the man feel like the driving force behind this record and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

like the gospel of Kanye West according to Kanye West, like he’s trying to tell everyone he isn’t as crass and churlish as the media would have you believe and in fact there is depth to who he is and what he does. This is a hip-hop album in the broadest sense of the word, yes there are beats and rhymes, but at its very core this is an ambitious pop record. It may be too early to proclaim, but this is comparable to a Purple Rain or a Thriller. Its scope is that audacious and we could very well be looking back at this album in twenty years time with the same frame of mind. Much like those albums, this isn’t perfect, but what it does have is mass crossover potential, there is something for everyone here and though at times in the past West has had criticism for being too egotistical and self-centred, I do feel a true and genuine honesty from the man, and his integrity as an artist doesn’t come into question.

I can honestly say I don’t think we have had a pop album as inventive, experimental, crazy and ballsy as this in years.

The industry has become so streamlined that not many people with this talent and this attitude ever make it through anymore.

It’s all so docile and X-Factor, finding square people to fit into square holes. But when it’s good, pop music is as relative and as deserving of as higher praise as any other form of music or indeed art. Fortunately for us this is very good, this is pop music at its finest, this is a beautiful dark and twisted fantasy.

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Top ten of 2010

It’s been a good year for film. There have been laughs and tears, violence and love and, most importantly, ten good films. Here’s our pick of the ten best films from the year that will always be known as 2010 Words: John Rain and Tim Pelan

Inception

The film that showed the world that you could be bold with your blockbuster and use your brain. Innovative, inventive, sharp, intense, witty and a pure joy to behold. Stand out performances, directing and that score, oh, that score. This film is lightning in a bottle. Quite rightly our choice for film of the year.

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

Buried

Toy Story 3

A 96 minute film about a man buried in a box for a ransom by Iraqi Insurgents isn’t an easy sell, but this film lit up Sundance Festival and has had critics raving. The action remains in the box for the whole film and is lit using only a zippo lighter, cell phone, torch and glow sticks. Ryan Reynolds as the protagonist undergoes all kinds of emotion from fear, cunning, sarcasm, desperation and despair.

With hilarious escape attempts and a genuinely thrilling and touching moments not since Bambi has a “kids” movie touched on mortality so fiercely.

Roger Ebert said “Rodrigo Cortes, the Spanish filmmaker behind this diabolical, Hitchcock-influenced narrative stunt, makes merry mischief with camera anges and lighting”. We Reynolds for an Oscar nod.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

A charming and hilarious take on geek meets girl.

Edgar Wright shows the world that he can not just cut it on his own, but is more like a mad zeppelin cut loose from the moorings of Pegg and Frost, he can take over the screen with his wit and intelligence. Micheal Cera isn’t bad either...

But that’s not the gut punch. When Andy realises Little Bonnie thinks he’s giving her Woody, for a second he contemplates keeping his oldest toy, then realises she’ll look after him and get as much fun as he did with the toy. This single moment echoes every parent’s feelings about letting go of loved ones and moving on. Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly wrote that he, along with many other grown men, cried at the end. Admit it, you did too. Thank goodness for those 3D specs.

Kick-Ass

A superb alternate look at the Super-Hero genre.

Fast, frenetic, smart and by far the best Nic Cage performace since he drank himself to death once.

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Top ten of 2010 Green Zone

Up In The Air

Sold as “Bourne goes epic“, director Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon teamed up again for this thriller about the hunt for WMDs in the immediate aftermath of the Iraq war. So, a political film. If Greengrass could just ease up on the shaky-cam, one might enjoy the thrill ride even more. Proof, like The Hurt Locker, that an Iraq film can be entertaining, not just worthy.

It’s a character study, an existential rom-com, a treatise on modern corporate America and the cowardice of big business outsourcing lay-offs to “career transistion counsellors”. It’s tailor made for George Clooney’s smooth charm and has great parts for women. Anna Kendrick as Natalie snaps at Clooney’s Ryan Bingham’s heels with a cheaper lay-off method. Vera Farmiga plays Bingham’s equal, his frequent flyer part-time lover. When he discovers she’s actually married, it’s not a let down for the character.

Who could seriously live the way Bingham does?

Iron Man 2

The La Times said the film “makes it look easy... in its ability to blend entertainment and insight, comedy and poignacy... this film does all that and doesn’t break a sweat“.

Iron Man came back and was just as fun, interesting and clever as first time round. Sam Rockwell added some more class as the weapons rival and the set pieces were just as strong. If they could only solve the ending problems for the next one – enough with CGI robots htting each other!

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

The Social Network

Fincher’s ambitious three way timeline takes Aaron Sorkin’s punchy word-licious screenplay and spins gold out of what is basically a dry legal challenge on intellectual property rights. The cast, especially Jesse Eisenberg as nervy, nerdy Mark Zuckenberg, excel in seemingly unsympathetic roles and convincingly fight for the potential billion dollar stakes at play. As Sean Parker (an excellent Justin Timberlake) says “We lived in farms, then we lived in cities, now we’re gonna live on the internet!”

Shutter Island

Martin Scorcese’s adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s pulpy, noirish pyscological thriller has divided and in some cases (were they not paying attention?) perplexed audiences. Leonardo Di Caprio appears as lawman Teddy Daniels, investigating a missing patient case on the titular Island based Asylum. But up is down, black is white, and Teddy is a rat in a maze. A cineaste’s delight, riffing on many influences but never a lame rip off, it rewards repeated viewing.

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2011 film preview

Now we’ve looked back at a year gone by it’s time to whe hitting our screen over the next 12 months. This is the C True Grit

Halo, possibly. The trailer is moody, mysterious and visceral.

The Eagle The second big screen adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel, this time from the Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges plays Deputy Marshall Rooster Cogburn, hired by Young Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) to pursue her father’s killer Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Riding shotgun is Texas Ranger big mouth La Boeuf (Matt Damon). This version will stick closer to the book’s focus on events from Mattie’s perspective. The trailers promise a great adventure. Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!

Brighton Rock

The long delayed adaptation by Kevin Macdonald of Rosemary Sutcliff’s Roman adventure yarn finally arrives next year. Channing Tatum is the Centurion who ventures beyond Hadrian’s Wall with slave Jamie Bell to reclaim the titular Eagle standard of his father’s vanquished Ninth Legion (similar ground was covered in this year’s Centurion). A quest, bickering companions, action and adventure; all together everyone - Toga, toga, toga...

The Next Three Days A re-tooling of the Graham Greene 1938 novel, writer / director Rowan Joffe has set the film in 1964, the era of Mods and Rockers. It stars Sam Riley as nasty Pinkie Brown, previously a career making turn for Richard Attenborough. Andrea Risborough is the wall flower he marries to protect his alibi in a murder.

Helen Mirren adds class to this violent, gritty tale of guilt and revenge.

Based on French thriller Anything For Her, Director / Writer Paul Haggis’s film sees everyman Russell Crowe plot a jailbreak for his wife, convicted of murder. Liam Neeson, Brian Dennehy, Elizabeth Banks and Olivia Wilde round out a tasty cast.

Battle: Los Angeles

Your Highness

Not a lot has been revealed about this film other than aliens attack, guess where, L.A. Aaron Eckhart is the tough G.I at Ground Zero. Think

A very different take on the fantasy genre, Danny McBride stars in and writes this bawdy quest movie, as he and brother James Franco set out to rescue Zooey

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et our appetites with some of the great movies CDX preview to the oh so futuristic sounding 2011.

Deschanel’s damsel in distress. Natalie Portman plays a tough warrior. No jokes about cod-pieces, please.

The Green Lantern

Lake. Mila Kunis is her rival, Black Swan, Vincent Cassel the domineering artistic director. On the face of it a story centered around dance holds little appeal, but this comes from Darren Aaronofsky who made the little film that could, The Wrestler. The creepy trailer promises a descent into madness a la Single White Female. Only sexier.

Cowboys and Aliens Ryan Reynolds plays cocky pilot Hal Jordan, recruited into an intergalactic police force as Earth’s Green Lantern. There’s a danger of the wider audience staying away from less well known super hero stories, so here’s hoping an impressive trailer arrives to showcase Reynold’s charisma. His take on the film?

“Think Han Solo in spandex”. I’m already there!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

The conclusion to the most endearing franchise of the 21st century. The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemorts final horcruxes, but when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.

Black Swan

Psycological thriller Black Swan centres on prima Ballerina Natalie Portman who begins to crack up under the spotlight in a fraught production of Swan

Based on a not so familiar comic book, Jon Favreau’s take is a straight down the line western. With added aliens as the apaches. Heavyweight casting from Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell adds kudos. The four minute teaser at San Diego Comic Con this year garnered a 3 minute standing ovation from notoriously picky fanboys. Throw in some lost valley Dinosaurs and we are there...

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have agreed a 3 picture partnership on Tintin adaptations, starting with Red Rackham’s Treasure / The Secret Of The Unicorn mash-up. Utilising James Cameron’s groundbreaking 3D and motion-capture to maintain Herge’s animated character’s unique look, only a few images have been released so far. Actors such as Jamie Bell as Tintin, Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock and Nick Frost and Simon Pegg as the Thompson Twins are unrecognisable in stills realised so far. It remains to be seen how they bring the characters to life.

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2011 film preview Captain America : The First Avenger

Enough hints have been dropped that Marvel Studios would be attempting to bring Captain America to the big screen over the years (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2) and now the time has finally come. 2011 will be a big summer for Marvel so fingers crossed that their attempt at getting the Captain front and centre reaps as many rewards as their careful and considered handling of Iron Man.

Cars 2

The Pixar film that disappointed most gets a sequel. Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Sucker Punch

Zack Snyder seems to be having a nice time at the moment. 300 was a hit, Watchmen was well received, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole seems to be gathering good feedback and next year he will unleash the unbridled chaos of Sucker Punch.

Described by Snyder himself as “Alice in Wonderland with machine-guns”, Sucker Punch appears to be

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

another home run judging by the trailer.

Paul

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up once again, but without the careful supervision of Edgar Wright. Greg Mottola (Adventureland, Superbad) is in the directors chair and the trailer has managed to underwhelm most. Paul is the story of two British comic geeks (Pegg and Frost) who go on a road trip through America. On the way, they discover an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) at Area 51.

Thor

2011 really does belong to Marvel. With Thor, Captain America and X:Men : First Class, they could potentially clean up next summer. Thor will be directed by Kenneth Branagh and all indications so far point to Thor being a winner. The cast includes Sir Anthony Hopkins (who is on a massive run of stinkers BTW) Chris Hemsworth (Jim Kirk’s dad) and Natalie Portman.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

It would seem that not content with making daft films, Michael Bay is now trying to make daft films with even dafter titles. With the previous two Transformers movies being limp squids, the thought of a third coming soon does not inspire much confidence, in the same way that Shia Labeouf’s involvement doesn’t either. If you like robots hitting each other and not being able to tell who is who, this film can only be good news.

Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides

Johnny Depp returns to the high seas as Jack Sparrow and thankfully Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley stay on shore. Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago) the plot involves Captain Jack Sparrow crossing paths with a woman from his past (Penélope Cruz), and he’s not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

The Muppets

Not a great deal is known about this new Muppet caper other than a brief synopsis (Kermit the Frog and his Muppet pals put on a show to save their old theatre). It stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and Zach Galifianakis and it is to be directed

by James Bobin (Flight of the Conchords).

Winnie the Pooh

You know we live in an age when CGI and 3D is dominating when you see a film advertised with the USP of being produced using hand drawn animation.

Disney are obviously going for the retro dollar by bringing Winnie the Pooh back to life again for the 21st century to enjoy.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt and this time (allegedly due to poor box-office of late) Cruise is joined by The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner. Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) will be making his live action directorial debut and J. J. Abrams, who directed the third film in the series, will be writing the script for the film.

The Green Hornet

Source Code

Duncan Jones (Moon) is back with a new project - Source Code. Looking rather like Groundhog Day meets Minority Report it certainly looks interesting.

Jake Gyllenhaal takes the lead part as a soldier who becomes part of an experimental government program that is investigating a train bombing. He is forced to relive the incident over and over again until he can find out who is responsible and how to prevent the next terrorist attack from occurring.

Seth Rogan (who also wrote the film) stars and Michel Gondry directs the long awaited film adaptation.

Expect funny moments and unconventional yet memorable direction. Going by the trailer it looks rather good.

Words: John Rain & Tim Pelan

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Know The Score Michael Kamen K

amen was born in New York City, USA and studied at The High School of Music & Art in New York, then at The Juilliard School in New York City. While in high school, he met and became friends with Martin Fulterman, later known as “Mark Snow”, who composed the theme music for The X-Files among other projects. While studying the oboe, Kamen formed a rock classical fusion band called New York Rock & Roll Ensemble, together with classmates Snow and Dorian Rudnytsky. Martin Fulterman/Mark Snow was also a member. The group would perform rock music, dressed in tuxedos. In the middle of the concert, Martin and Michael would play an oboe duet.

Kamen’s early work centered on ballets, thirteen in all, before he expanded into Hollywood by writing the score for The Next Man in 1976, then into pop and rock arranging, collaborating with Pink Floyd on their album, The Wall.

After his work on The Wall, Kamen became a big deal and was now in high demand as an arranger for rock and pop. His successes include his work with Pink Floyd, David Gilmour and Roger Waters (he is one of the few people to have been invited to work with both former Pink Floyd members after their acrimonious split), as well as Queen (orchestration on Who Wants To Live Forever), Eric Clapton, Roger

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Daltrey, Aerosmith (live orchestral version of Dream On for MTV), Tom Petty, David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Eurythmics, Rush, Metallica (on their live album, S&M), Def Leppard, Herbie Hancock, The Cranberries, Bryan Adams, Sting and Kate Bush.

In 1981 Kamen scored the British film Venom, a tale of a kidnapping gone wrong when a boy’s deadly Black Mamba turns the tables and terrorizes the terrorists who have invaded the boy’s town house. He then scored The Dead Zone, David Cronenberg’s take on the Stephen King novel about a man who, after an accident, is able to see the future by touching people.

The score is haunting and tragic and works perfectly in unison with film’s sense of the inevitable sacrifice of the protagonist’s condition. Next up for Kamen was Terry Gilliam’s classic tale of mistaken identity, Brazil. The score is as schizophrenic as the film, jumping from office chaos to majestic sweeping up in the clouds. Kamen next jumped to the small screen in the U.K. and scored the epic TV series Edge of Darkness with Eric Clapton.

It was seemingly in action that Kamen felt most at home, scoring films such as Lethal Weapon (1-4 ), The Last Action Hero, Roadhouse, Highlander, Die Hard (1-3) and Licence to Kill, which can be argued to be the most action based Bond film the franchise had known at that point; Bond just out for blood. It can also be argued that the scores for each film are fairly derivative of each other, but they match the tone of each film perfectly.

Kamen also carried on composing for small British films such as 1990’s The Krays and 1991’s Let Him Have It, both tragic biopics in their own ways. Kamen kept the tone dark and sad throughout.

Perhaps Kamen’s most famous composition was when, together with Bryan Adams, he wrote the song (Everything I Do) I Do It for You when he was on composing duty for Robin Hood: Prince of Theives.

The song became a massive hit world wide and won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television at the Grammy Awards of 1992, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. In the UK, it sold almost 1.53 million copies, making it the best selling single in the UK since Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? in 1984. The song broke the record for the most consecutive weeks on top of the UK charts, with 16 weeks (but it felt like 16 years).

In 2001, Kamen returned to the small screen for Band of Brothers, an epic mini series depicting the tragic, harrowing and unifying events that occurred to one company of soldiers during World War II. The theme that Kamen composed is both touching and poignant.

Rather than being brash and proclaiming that war is for real men, it leans towards the sadness associated with war and the fragile relationships that the men had during that horrible time in world history.

Kamen died in London in 2003 from a heart attack.

He was 55 years old.

His last recorded work appeared on Bryan Adams’ album Room Service where he played the oboe and wrote the orchestration to I Was Only Dreamin. Kamen had also completed the charts for accompaniment to two songs on Kate Bush’s album Aerial, which was released in November 2005.

In 2004, when Annie Lennox accepted the Academy Award for Best Original Song (her composition Into the West from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), she dedicated her achievement to the memory of Michael Kamen.

Kamen once said, “We composers are at least as significant as the stars who make 14 million or 15 million. You just don’t see us.” And how right he was.

Here, in no particular order, are ten of the best from Michael Kamen:

the Christmas setting (something he also did with Die Hard).

Highlander

The stylish way that Kamen orchestrated the Queen song is deeply touching and wonderfully captures the feeling of living forever and leaving loved ones behind.

Die Hard with a Vengeance

A wonderful cue to play over the terrorists helping themselves to tonnes of gold.

Robin Hood: Prince of Theives

Love it or hate it, it’s an ideal piece for a love theme in a film, not so sure about being top of the charts for fifty years though.

Brazil

The chaos is everywhere in Gilliam’s future distopia, the soundtrack is no different as this slice of life in Central Services suggests.

The Dead Zone

A perfect match for the David Cronenberg adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Haunting and tragic. A masterly adaptation of, and variation on, a theme from the second movement of the Symphony Nr. 2 in D of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius

Die Hard

A score that feels as alone and cornered as the main prtagonist. The choice to incorporate Beethoven’s Ode To Joy was a masterstroke also.

Licence To Kill

Band of Brothers

The score is just tearjerkingly touching and sums up the futility of war and how delicate the human condition really is.

Kamen’s Bond score had Latin leanings and also menacing horns and the same kind of urgency as every other action score he has delivered. While not a good fit with Bond in general, it works with this Bond film as it was also a departure for the franchise.

Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon 2

The basic score for Lethal Weapon revolves around the Amanda suite and it is very brooding and delicate.

Kamen (working with Eric Clapton and David Sanborn) also utilises the sleigh bells to incorporate

A touching and poignant piece depicting two men in plutonic love with each other.

Words: John Rain

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Guilty Pleasures Daredevil “What do I want?

JUSTICE!!” Justice for Daredevil, the unfairly maligned superhero flic that is this month’s Guilty Pleasure.

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December 2010 – The 2010 Issue

D

irector / Writer Mark Steven Johnson complained of having to cut his dark avengertype movie to achieve a PG-13 rating imposed by the studio (Daredevil is rated 15 in the UK). Even after the cuts, the film is bleak and brutal, a brooding, tragic affair that left audiences whom were used to the breezy Spider-man cold. Any wonder it was released in February (bizarrely, Valentine’s day), so as not to suffer in comparison to bigger scale tent-pole movies.

Daredevil is the night-time crime fighting alter-ego of pro-bono blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck).

That’s right, blind. In a twist on superhero powers he’s blinded as a child by radioactive waste and develops super-enhanced other senses -- “seeing” by bat-like sonar, or “shadow world” sense. This is brilliantly realised by special effects and powerful sound design.

In his origin sequence we see him learn to navigate the world using his powers. When his boxer, widower father is murdered by the Kingpin’s lackeys (does Matt ever get a break?), he honours his dad’s wish to complete his education and become a Lawyer, but seeks revenge on the side. Of course, he’s also a tortured Catholic, his Confessor telling him “You don’t want forgiveness. You want permission.”

The film starts in medias res, and is too short to get it’s points across with sufficient depth, but it makes a good stab at it. One can see why the studio was nervous. There were endless discussions on Daredevil’s costume for instance, as to just how red should it be, or should it have horns?

The budget was tight as well, but the film brilliantly compensates with imaginative wire work where possible to illustrate Daredevil and co. leaping between the buildings of New York’s Hells Kitchen. Where CGI replacements are used however it is obvious, because of the limited time and money.

Affleck is very well cast as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, and gives a great performance, playing “blind” very convincingly. The film employed a sight-impaired consultant who advised on many tiny details, such as how Matt arranges his money bills in differently folded denominations. A great idea is for Matt to seek solace from the barrage of noise around him by immersing himself in an isolation tank.

A tragic hero has to have a tragic love story, so the film references the classic Elektra storyline. Jennifer Garner plays Elektra, the daughter of The Kingpin’s (Michael Clarke Duncan) criminal associate. She is perfectly cast as the avenging daughter who wields

dual Sais to seek her own justice. Unfortunately she gets Daredevil in her sights, unaware he’s he’s also her lover.

The film then throws Colin Farrell’s bonkers Bullseye into the mix, as a hired gun for The Kingpin, leading to a 3 way bloody battle atop the rooftops and church of Hells Kitchen. In a film which has done it’s best to be as realistic and gritty as possible in a comic book setting, Farrell’s Bullseye is OTT. He’s clearly having a ball, but he’s too much. Wisely, the film dispenses with a costume for him but settles on a branded target on his forehead. That doesn’t stop him growling “I want a bloody costume!” Just before he graphically dispatches Elektra by making her fall on her own Sai, he cuts her throat with a playing card. “You’re good baby, I’ll give you that” he tells her. “But me? I’m magic!”

Joey Pantoliano adds some class as newshound Ben Urich, and Iron Man director Jon Favreau brings some welcome light relief as Matt’s legal partner Foggy Nelson. The climactic fight between Daredevil and The Kingpin is imaginatively staged in a coldly blue lit glass office. Daredevil, taking a beating, sets off the sprinklers. As The Kingpin is framed in Shadow vision by water droplets he’s an easy target for our wounded blind avenger to take down.

Reaction to the film was mixed. It was a labour of love for Mark Steven Johnson and Marvel clearly supported him, with many Daredevil comic writers appearing in cameos. He released a Director’s cut DVD which supposedly improves on the theatrical release, though I can’t claim to have seen it. Ben Affleck has not exactly wiped it from his C.V, but he admits he was uncomfortable with the issues of costume. A pity as he supposedly took the role because “I didn’t want someone else to do it, because I was afraid that they would go out and do it different from the comic and screw it up.” Some fanboys have been vocal in dismissing his performance, but I feel he served the character very well.

Recently it was announced that Marvel are hoping to reboot the character. Michael C Hall of Dexter fame is said to be a fan favourite, and Jason Statham has previously requested “Just give me the chance, I would love to be Daredevil.” From Expendable to Daredevil?

Whoever plays The Man Without Fear, I for one would love to see this character on the big screen again.

Words: Tim Pelan

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For and Against Shutter Island AGAINST (John Rain) Let us be clear ladies and gentlemen, Shutter Island is not a good film. It is an average film. It labours and huffs and puffs its way along guiding the hapless viewer on a promised magical mystery tour all around the houses, only to drop you off at a destination that was neither where you’d hoped to end up nor where you realised you wanted to be. In fact the best way to describe Shutter Island would be to say it reminded me of a Ferrari with no engine. It looks pretty, but ultimately goes nowhere.

The general conceit of the whole film is flawed. Just why would a mental institution go to such trouble just to prove that someone is bonkers? Do mental institutions really put on some sort of twisted version of The Truman Show just to confirm what they suspected (i.e that you are a loony)?

The style of the film was maddening. It felt very much like an “homage-o-meter” throughout which you can pick out which scene from a classic film Scorcese was aping.

There is a nice level of suspense present in the film and it builds well. Sadly, by the time of the end revelation you feel incredibly cheated. It is very much as though the film’s mask was ripped off and it was old man Carruthers from the fairground all the time and that he would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for us pesky kids.

Hitchcock had a great way of describing tension and fear in the movies. He called it the “Bomb Theory.” This scenario runs as follows: Two men are sitting at a table discussing baseball. They talk for about five minutes, when suddenly, there is a huge explosion, giving the audience a terrible shock which lasts for about about fifteen seconds. According to Hitchcock’s Bomb Theory, when the scene opens, you show the audience that there is a bomb under the table, which is set to go off in five minutes. While the men are sitting casually discussing baseball, the audience is squirming in their seats, thinking “Don’t sit there talking about baseball... there’s a bomb under the table! Get rid of it!” The audience is overwhelmed with the desire to warn the characters of the danger which they perceive but of which the characters are not aware. Hitchcock’s method transfers the menace from the screen to the minds of the audience, until it becomes unbearable – at which point there is a climax.

Shutter Island utilizes this technique, only to abandon it to make way for the silly ending. If Hitchcock’s method

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Once a month our film and one loathes. This is in the dock. A warn spoilers from the out were applied to this scenario, it would be very much as if at the end of the film it turned out that the bomb was never there, and that the two men are not men, but hamsters and that they are not at a table but in a box under the stairs.

Look Martin, I love your work, I mean I really love your work (apart from the things you did when you wanted that Oscar) but you can’t move the goal posts like that when you have created all this tension and intrigue. The ending in this film reminded me of TV show Dallas when they killed off highly popular character Bobby Ewing. The whole of the rest of the season you are lead to believe that Bobby is dead, only for the start of the following season to reveal that it was all a dream and that he was alive and well and having a shower. How did the world feel? Short changed – and that is the same feeling the “twist” in Shutter Island left me with. Mugged and mourning the interesting and quite gripping film that just ran down a dark alley and left me with an anorexic and silly imposter who then slapped me in the face for the remaining ten minutes.

While the cast may look good on paper, in reality they look mildly lost and DiCaprio wanders through the film looking like he has stubbed a toe.

Mark Ruffalo doesn’t have much more to do other than look surprised and (Sir) Ben Kingsley seems to have played this part before (many times) and I cannot remember the last time he put in a good performance and was in a good film. This is the man who, remember, actually appeared in a Uwe Boll film for money. As for poor Max Von Sydow, he must be getting fed up of playing creepy old people who have something to hide, he has been playing eccentric old men ever since he was in The Exorcist at the age of 44.

In conclusion I would say that Shutter Island is a great eighty minute mystery/suspense/thriller and a lousy fifty seven minute art film.

Must do better. I rest my the case for the prosecution.

m writers will go head to head on a film that one loves s month Martin Scorcese’s noir thriller Shutter Island ning for the lighthearted: this article contains strong tset.

FOR (Tim Pelan)

I believe Scorsese is fully aware of the film’s supposed twist’s effect on audiences to pose a more intriguing question from its doomed protagonist - “Which would be worse? To live as a monster, or die as a good man?”

US Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) is really patient Andrew Laeddis, brought to the brink of breakthrough many times before. The Hospital Board’s role play is make or break time - if he doesn’t accept he murdered his depressed wife Delores in retaliation for her killing their kids, he’ll be lobotomised. “Missing” Doctor Sheehan Mark Ruffalo), plays Teddy’s new partner Chuck Aule (chuckle, one of the more obvious signs all’s a big joke). He is constantly asking “Are you OK boss?” because he’s monitoring Andrew’s withdrawal from his medication.

After being led like “a rat in a maze” as nutty inmate Jackie Earl Haley tells him, he comes to the revelation that all is as he has been told by the doctors. However, he realises he can’t live with what he’s done and chooses to pretend that he still thinks he’s Teddy, and the nurses move in to take him for his lobotomy.

while water conveys the path to reality. The choppy ferry ride, the storm, the glass of water, all make him upset or uneasy, because they symbolise how Delores drowned the kids. Hence, Dr Cawley’s strange greeting when he penetrates the Lighthouse and is on the brink of revelation -”Baby, why are you all wet?”

As for the charge that it’s ridiculous that the whole facility would construct an elaborate charade for one patient, I draw your attention to The Prisoner. Every week No. 6 was led a merry dance, believing he was about to escape, while No.2 and his staff sought to uncover why he resigned. Both period pieces, dealing with “truth”, identity, memory, survellance and many more issues. One was a product of the past, the other an homage to movies of the past.

Scorsese drapes his film in wonderful references to classic films like Laura, Shock Corridor, Vertigo, and his Cape Fear remake. The booming, discordant Frankenstein’s monster of a score further unsettles, and Teddy’s hallucinations with Delores echo DiCaprio’s scenes with his wife in Inception, both films relationships mirrored thematically.

Scorsese has crafted a film that rewards as an homage, as a treatise on memory and loss, and as a redemptive journey by the hero. I rest my case.

The film is an adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel, set during the early days of the Cold War and apes the paranoia of the day. Part of Teddy’s delusion is the suspicion the Hospital is running mind control experiments. Stylistically, the film is brilliant at conveying his Paranoia. Fire is a symbol of his delusion. Every time he lights a match, when he’s drying off by the fire in the cave or when he blows up Dr Cawley’s car, he experiences a hallucination. Fire is the symbol of his constructed fantasy that his wife died in an arson attack,

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Re-appreciation society southern Comfort

Considered by many to be a thematic sequel to Deliverance, 1981’s Southern Comfort drives down the same lonely road and comes a cropper of the locals. John Rain looks at this oft-forgotten classic

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outhern Comfort is a superb, taut thriller depicting a group of National Guardsmen trying to negotiate their way out of a swamp while being picked off one by one by unseen Cajun enemies – it could be regarded as a cross between Deliverance and Ten Little Indians. Above all else however, Southern Comfort is an outstanding ensemble piece with a wonderfully strong cast.

National Guardsman Boone (Powers Boothe) arrives in the middle of the rural Bayou to join up with his new squad for a weekend of manoeuvres. Boone has recently transferred in from the Texas National Guard and is immediately unimpressed with the behaviour and arrogance of his new squad. A married man, he wants no part of a date with prostitutes that PFC

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Spencer (Keith Carradine) has waiting for the men at the other end of their journey. It soon becomes evident to Boone, however, that Spencer is the only man in the squad with his head screwed on and they soon hit it off. The squad then move out and begin their manoeuvres through the dense swampland.

In the swamp, the patrol reach a river that is not on their map. Luckily for them, right by the river are some Cajun canoes, at a camp site. After some deliberation, they decide to “borrow” the canoes and leave a note for the Cajuns. While on the river, the squad notice that the Cajuns have arrived at the camp where they stole the canoes.

One of the men decides that it

would be hilariously funny to fire blanks from his M60 machine gun at the Cajuns as a prank. The frightened Cajuns quickly fire back, killing the squad leader, Staff Sgt. Poole (Peter Coyote). The squad then make a run for it into the woods and thus begins their quest for survival and a way on to the main road. The squad have three main problems: they are lost, they only have a small amount of live rounds (as they are on a training exercise they mostly have blank rounds) and the Cajuns are seemingly one step ahead at every turn.

Writer/Director Walter Hill (48 Hrs, Red Heat, writer of Alien) is no stranger to this kind of story – one of his most famous previous films was the wonderful cult classic The Warriors.

Ry Cooder is a masterpiece of creeping menace and laid back indolence and is a perfect marriage for the Cajun setting and intense feeling of dread that plays out on screen. You will be humming it in your head each time you fire blanks at anyone and cause your squad to be hunted and killed.

The comparison to Deliverance has always seemed far too easy. While they both feature a couple of similar aspects, the only film really that is really stands up as a spot on partner for this film is John Carpenter’s The Thing from 1982. They both feature the same feelings of paranoia and isolation, and an all male cast and they both seem to revel in dispatching the characters all one by one before your eyes. There is also the fact that T.K. Carter plays basically the same part in Southern Comfort as he does in The Thing (sans the roller-skates, head band and copious amounts of weed).

“For a film that is set exclusively outside in wide open spaces it manages the near impossible feat of feeling claustrophobic.”

Southern Comfort is an outstanding example of writing and pacing.

In fact the pace seldom ever lets up. The squad only seem to ever stop to bury one of their number. It throws you straight into the mix and at no point does it feel flabby or over indulgent. In fact for a film that is set exclusively outside in wide open spaces it manages to accomplish the near impossible feat of feeling claustrophobic and boxed in. The fact that you never really see the enemy also gives the film a mildly creepy feel. You are fully aware that these men are being tracked and hunted, but you don’t know when the enemy will next strike and what traps or scare tactics they will leave for the men. There are many eerie tricks employed by the unseen Cajun menace, for example at one point the men stagger into a clearing, only to find their fallen comrades, whom they had not long buried, strung up together on a tree.

The cast is faultless. Powers Boothe is perfect as Boone and offers a brooding intensity, and you cannot help but enjoy the genuine likeability and charisma of Keith Caradine as Spencer.

Fred Ward (Tremors) is on top form as Reece, the psychopath within the squad and Les Lannom is perfect as the hapless Sgt. Casper who attempts to lead the squad after their sergeant is killed. Bryon James (Blade Runner, 48 Hrs, Red Heat) keeps up his quota of being in every good film from the 1980s, as the squad’s Cajun prisoner.

If you go down to the woods today... make sure you hunt and trap Southern Comfort – or it may get you first.

Words: John Rain

The soundtrack by legendary guitarist/composer

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A Non-traditional Christmas 12 Must-See festive Movies Christmas films traditionally feature men in cardigans sat by a fire singing songs about Jack Frost, the women wanding around dressed in huge ball gowns carrying trays and smiling like their lives depend on it. That’s all very well, but what about a non traditional Christmas film? Well, here are a selection of 12 non traditional Christmas films that are well worth a watch over the Yuletide festival.

Lethal Weapon (1987)

Gremlins (1984)

With its gorgeous opening sweep of the L.A. night time skyline and the musical accompaniment of Jingle-Bell Rock, you know that this is no ordinary Christmas movie as you watch a young semi naked girl take drugs and plunge out of a high window. A blueprint for buddy cop movies that followed, Lethal Weapon is a master class in action, rapport and witty dialogue. Written by Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang, The Last Boyscout, The Long Kiss Goodnight) and directed by Richard Donner (Superman, The Omen), the film contains some classic moments and is right up there in your non-traditional Christmas must see movies.

With an opening title that blares out the classic Christmas (Baby please come home) by Darlene Love you could be forgiven for thinking you were about to watch a film about the joys of the holiday season, had it not have been for the pre credit sequence in which a father buys a small creature for his son’s birthday. What plays out subsequently is one of the most anarchic Christmas films ever made with none of the Christmas film rules adhered to. On the surface Gremlins would appear to be a children’s film – it is anything but. With tales of fathers breaking their neck and dying in the chimney while dressed as Santa and Gremlins exploding in a microwave and being decapitated with severed limbs landing in a fire, this is not Dr. Seuss, but it is a Christmas classic none the less and kids will love it.

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Die Hard (1987)

Die Hard 2 (1990)

The film that inspired a generation of rip-offs, Die Hard is easily one of the most perfect action films ever made, never stopping to breathe and rocketing along right up until the majestic last act. With classy directing by John McTiernan (Predator), this is the film that made the action hero an every-man and Bruce Willis the phenomenon he is today. It also gives the action baddie role a twist and Alan Rickman puts meat on the bones and portrays Hans Gruber as a bad guy that will live long in the memory. It is a perfect Christmas movie.

With the success of Die Hard it was only inevitable that a sequel would follow. Based once again at Christmas but moving the action to an airport, Die Hard 2 (sometimes awkwardly subtitled Die Harder) is surprisingly good seeing as it is essentially the same film but in a different location. The action is handled brilliantly by Renny Harlin (back when he knew a good film when he saw it) and William Sadler adequately fills the shoes of Alan Rickman’s previous tour de force bad guy role and gives a wonderful performance as the evil Colonel Stewart.

Bad Santa (2003)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2003)

If there is a funnier, more off the wall and eccentric Christmas comedy out there, I would love to know about it. It was missed by many on release as it was marketed as a screw-ball frat comedy, where as in actual fact it is a Cohen brothers film in all but name (they performed uncredited rewrites), with their trademark amazing dialogue and sublime character names (such as the wonderfully named Thurman Murman). Billy Bob Thornton gives the performance of a lifetime as Willy Stokes the eponymous Bad Santa and the soundtrack is a joy to behold. A Christmas classic for the modern generation of cynics.

Robert Downey Jr. (just starting out on the road to modern world wide acceptance and affection after his past unfortunate events) and Val Kilmer team up for this fantastic modern take on Raymond Chandler as the pair try and solve a murder mystery in modern day L.A. With Downey Jr’s wonderful narration and Kilmer giving his best and most likeable performance in years, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a film that should receive more acclaim than it does. Shane Black wrote and directed it and it is thoroughly recommended Christmas time viewing.

Trading Places (1983)

Brazil (1985)

One of the most satisfying comedies ever made – it ticks every box and falls neatly into the category of film that if you catch the start or middle, you have to hang on until the end. Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis and Denholm Elliot are in sumptuous form here and the majestic Don Ameche and Ralph Belemy lend a topnotch touch of class as the unscrupulous Duke brothers. Add this peerless cast to the glorious John Landis direction and you have yourself a classic of epic proportions that is infinitely quotable and remains note perfect.

Terry Gilliam’s epic tale of mistaken identity may not sound very much like Christmas, but in the future world of Brazil it is Christmas every day. A film that perfectly illustrates the overblown visual pomp of the 1980s that Blade Runner began and Brazil carries on perfectly. The script is razor sharp as well and the cast is sublime. A classic of Orwellian proportions and a perfect antidote to Christmas schmaltz.

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A Non-traditional Christmas 12 Must-See festive Movies Scrooged (1988)

A lovely take on the classic Dickens story A Christmas Carol. Bill Murray looks like he had all kinds of fun making this (and improvising) and Richard Donner lets loose some lovely visuals and assembles a fine cast. A lovely alternative Christmas, shame about the saccharine sweet ending, but hey, it’s Christmas!

National Lampoon’s : Christmas Vacation (1989)

While it can be argued that this is not in the same league as the previous two Vacation movies, it still has its fair share of laughs and even some poignancy.

Possibly Chevy Chase’s last half way decent film, so well worth treasuring for that alone. A perfect companion to Christmas build up movie watching.

A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Home Alone (1990)

From the left-field brain of Tim Burton comes this lovely take on Christmas. It has become a modern classic and rightly so. With the splendorous Danny Elfman soundtrack and the august Henry Sellick animation. This is an outstanding example of Burton getting it right and telling a story that generations will look back on as fondly as Fantasia is considered now.

While in reality poor Kevin would probably have been murdered just after the first trap failed, this tale of a kid having the time of his life after his parents accidentally leave him behind is paradisiacal Christmas fare. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern weigh in with great performances as the ill-fated “Wet Bandits” who spend the last part of the film living out a Tom and Jerry cartoon and fall into trap after carefully laid trap, the end results of which would certainly leave them dead, in a coma or paraplegic. That aside, this is a heart warmer and introduced the world to the precocious comet that was Macaulay Culkin.

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The $3m question T

o 3D or not to 3D? That is the question preoccupying the film industry, film media and increasingly discerning audiences this year.

Previously seen as a cool gimmick with animated features, particularily the brilliantly creepy Coraline, Avatar’s 3D immersive world lit the blue touch paper for mass audiences to flock multiple times to James Cameron’s unique film.

Even the new Alien prequel is going to be in 3D, Ridley Scott also blown away by the possibilities. Guillermo del Toro though, has said he will fight not to shoot his proposed Frankenstein in 3D. Although a fan of it in certain films he said: “Not every film has to be in 3D. I was not interested in shooting The Hobbit in 3D.” It will be interesting to see if his successor on that project, Peter Jackson, will push for it’s use.

Cameron helped design the digital 3D camera system used in combination with sophisticated motion capture to bring a fully realised, photo-real alternative world and people to life. He is convinced Avatar will usher in a use of 3D to enhance storytelling. Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are converts, utilising his pioneering techniques in their new Tintin feature. Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland utilised a fairy tale world, bizarre creatures and characters to show off an incredible depth to its 3D. It’s a shame the story diverged so much from Lewis Carroll’s original.

The overall effect was like eating a whole box of chocolates, then feeling sick and guilty.

Tron Legacy will save its 3D for the big reveal when the action switches to inside the computer world. The 23 minute worldwide preview in selected cinemas certainly showcased the effect utilised very well. It seems 3D is suited to fantastical imaginative worlds, but without convincing story, the effect is in danger of being an expensive tool that audiences will rebel against. Certain film-makers are also unconvinced.

Christopher Nolan recently said he will continue to utilise IMAX to a greater extent on The Dark Knight Rises, as he did to spectacular effect on The Dark Knight, and not use 3D. He said “There’s an intimacy at times (with 3D) and we didn’t want to lose scale...our ambition for the third film is to complete a story that has begun. We’re looking to do something technologically that’s never been done before...our ambitions are to make a great movie.”

“By the time he’s done we’ll be sensing Star Wars beamed directly into our synapses while we sit in our bath chairs in the old fans home.”

The worrying trend now is to tinker in postproduction with 3D, as Hollywood sat up and noticed the box office returns spiral. Clash Of The Titans was the most high profile culprit, however the general reaction was that the effect this time was an irritant, badly done and adding little to the muddled action on screen. The studio didn’t care though as the film raked in money, aided by hiked up ticket prices to cover the cost of upgrading cinema technology.

Another dubious development is the rush of filmmakers, including Cameron, to revisit their back catalogue and jazz them up with 3D. Titanic is being prepped and Peter Jackson is keen to do the same with The Lord Of The Rings. Even our beloved original Star Wars Trilogy isn’t safe. George Lucas will bleed fans dry with endless Blu-Ray releases to finance the tinkering. By the time he’s done we’ll be sensing Star Wars beamed directly into our synapses while we sit in our bath chairs in the old fans home.

Nolan and del Toro have not exactly exposed the Emperor’s new clothes, but rather put a cap on him.

They believe 3D should be treated as a tool that should creatively benefit the individual project, rather than as an automatic cash cow. Their feelings may be influencing the studios, as Warner Brothers have backed off from imposing post-production 3D on the latest Harry Potter film.

Now, what’s with this Dolby Stereo malarkly?

Words: Tim Pelan

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film review Machete

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez Starring: Danny Trejo, Don Johnson, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin

B

orn during Rodriguez and Tarantino’s Grindhouse project as a faux trailer, Machete arrives with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Obviously, Rodriguez felt there was enough contained within the trailer to make a serviceable film.

Machete tells the story of an ex-Federale who is hired to assassinate a senator and is then double crossed. He then launches a brutal rampage of revenge against the men who hired him.

It is gloriously silly and when Machete isn’t chopping heads off left right and centre, he is wonderfully pointing out that “Machete don’t text”.

The whole piece feels like a straight to video action film you may have rented out in 1986 and that is obviously what Rodriguez is going for.

The performances are all very good - very aware of the pond of silliness they are swimming in, and the actors look like they are lapping it up. Jeff Fahey plays the gruffer than a gruff-gruff bad guy, Robert De Nero turns in a southern drawl, Don Johnson is a great hate figure (with a hilarious credit in the titles of “introducing Don Johnson”) and Lindsay Lohan doesnt really have anything to do but goes topless for all you young perverts out there.

Michelle Rodriguez

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does her usual angry woman act and Jessica Alba is actually watchable for once. Cheech Marin has his usual cameo in a Robert Rodriguez film, this time as a priest with twin shot guns, as does Tom Savini as a rival hit-man.

Not done with surprising the world with his newly acquired “lawman” status, Steven Seagal turns up as the head villain of the piece and looks like he is

having lots of fun (as well as pies) with playing the bad guy, a role he obviously relished.

However, this film solely belongs to Danny Trejo and he finally gets the limelight after countless years playing second (or even third) fiddle in films such as Heat,

From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids and Predators. He is a joy to watch and has that 80s action star quality to him. Let us hope the sequel we are promised at the end titles materialises.

For fans of mindless action films of a bygone era, I cannot recommend this enough. It laughs at itself in every scene with a splendidly silly soundtrack (particularly with each love scene) and at no point can it be accused of anything other than parody. This is exactly the tongue in cheek feel that Stallone should have gone with when making The Expendables, rather than being unintentionally funny. My only gripe would be that they ran out of ideas for the last twenty minutes and just decided on a mindless mass shoot out.

Which is a shame as I was enjoying it so much up until that point.

I leave you with this wonderful piece of dialogue : Booth: Machete sent me a text.

Osiris Ampanpour: What did it say?

Booth: “You just fucked with the wrong Mexican.�

Words: John Rain

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film review Monsters

Directed by: Gareth Edwards Starring: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy

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reviewing at the progressive onedotzero festival, Monsters was going to have to be different from your average ‘creature feature’. The debut film from British director Gareth Edwards does not disappoint. Shot on a shoestring budget with a four-man crew and unknown actors, Edwards’ film utilises his Bafta-winning background in visual effects to surprising result. The basic premise of the film is that alien life-forms have arrived on earth and their presence has given rise to the creation of an ‘infected zone’ between the United States and Mexico.

The opening pre-credits scene doffs its cap to genre fans, a frenetic combat scene in shaky night-vision that sets up an intelligent nod to films such a ‘Cloverfield’ and may lead audiences to expect a similar film.

However, from thereon in, Edwards takes a welcome change of direction. Set in Mexico, Edwards paints a very compelling picture of life in the shadow of extraordinary circumstances. The hysterics of the opening scene are replaced by a much slower paced world in which we are learning to live with our new ‘neighbours’.

The lead characters start out as stereotypes immersed in their own pursuits and problems but Edwards’ focus and some beautifully observed moments of human interaction imbue them with depth, chemistry and most importantly allows us to identify with them. Edwards’ deftly balances this budding relationship drama with wonderfully integrated elements of the fantastical: signs for the Infected Zone; a glimpse of a kids’ TV show featuring cartoon aliens; wrecked planes and ruined buildings.

This where Edwards’ flair for special effects begins to shine through.

Not one of his shots is gratuitous

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or over the top as is so common in this genre. His approach brings to mind the feel of early movies by the likes of Spielberg, where a measured economy with what you are shown is used to maximum effect.

The cinematography is also impressive: its movement is considered and

graceful and Edwards shows he definitely has an eye for a beautiful shot making full use of the amazing light and locations on offer. The latter shows the edge a small crew can have over full-scale productions in terms of how quickly they can work and that Edwards has real directorial talent.

Despite it’s budget, this film never looks cheap. When the plot takes us closer to the Infected Zone the effects work expands tastefully and cleverly without ever outweighing the story. We get a different take on alien ‘invaders’ and the effect the journey has on our protagonists in human terms. Edwards manages to very successfully combine a love story, a road movie, aliens and even an allegory on immigration to make a film that transcends the monster genre.

Though the title is aimed directly at fanboys, the depth and scope of the film should give it far wider appeal. It feels fresh, intelligent, well paced and is always enthrallingJon Hopkins’ soundtrack is perfectly chosen. Destined to gain cult status this is an understated gem of a film and a last minute entry for one of the best releases of the year.

Words: Ruban Byrne

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RED

Directed by: Robert Schwentke Starring: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Cox, Ernest Borgnine

R

ED is an espionage action film which has been adapted from a comic book series. The film follows the life of a recently retired man called Frank Moses (Bruce Willis); who one night is targeted by a government hit squad under the guise that he is Retired and Extremely Dangerous.

Discovering that this is not a case of mistaken identity, Frank sets out on a quest the find the truth.

On the way he enlists help from old friends and foes.

I’m glad to say that Bruce Willis plays his character in the relaxed comical yet melancholy style we have come to know over the years. Watching Bruce Willis in a film is like ordering a fillet steak at a restaurant, every one’s little different but you know you’ll be happy with the meal, unlike the person who’s staring blankly into the fish platter that they ordered, heads and all.

As Frank sets out on his journey the first familiar face he meets is and old friend called Joe, played eloquently as always by Morgan Freeman.

Before long Frank has to seek out another old acquaintance played by John Malkovich, called Marvin.

Marvin is a retired agent who lives constantly on guard against everything and anything, but in the middle of nowhere.

He is also insane; a result of past military

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LSD experiments. For me, Marvin steals the show. John Malkovich plays a brilliantly mad person who’s also very good at his job. His facial expressions when his is at the back of a scene are very funny. Eventually they hook up with another old friend, a former MI6 agent called Victoria, played by Helen Mirren.

Victoria is never far away from a big gun. Her crowning scene is whilst wearing an elegant white evening gown, she drills open a few cars with a Gatling gun then proceeds to very smoothly hold off the secret service with a sub machine gun without blinking and with such grace, poise and gentility she will replace the 1986 Belinda Carlisle with a potted plant pin up I keep in my head. Forget Trinity from the Matrix or Alice

from Resident Evil, there’s only one lady you’ll need now in times of peril, ‘Helen Mirren with a machine gun’.

Frank also comes across a few other old acquaintances. I was very pleased to see Ernest Borgnine back on the big screen, so much so I’ve had to type his name in bold. And what espionage film would be complete without a Russian, played by Brian Cox. His “let the past be the past, let’s have some vodka” character fits very well with the film.

As the story develops, Frank is also relentlessly pursued by a younger agent who was once not unlike himself, (blinded by duty); played intensively by Karl Urban.

When I started writing this review, I didn’t plan on highlighting the characters and the actors who played them too much; but each one of them greatly radiates their on screen presence and yet harmonises with the others. It’s almost like they were been conducted by Robert Schwentke rather than directed.

RED’s storyline flows very smoothly, from Franks’ love interest who’s just enjoying a break from the mundane, to the great gun fights. It seems to have taken bits from the best espionage and spy films, shoved in a handful of old one liners and then stuck it all in a washing machine. The result is like slipping into a clean pair of your favourite pyjamas; it’s a familiar and comfy feeling but fresh at the same time.

Words: Alex Capitani

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film review

World’s Greatest Dad

Directed by: Bobcat Goldthwait Starring: Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, Alexie Gilmore, Evan Martin, Henry Simmons

K

yle (Daryl Sabara) is a douchebag, as dad Lance (Robin Williams) states at his memorial school Library dedication. Or, as we in the UK would say, a wanker. Literally. It’s all he thinks about, the prolificly porn obsessed, selfish little prick. Lance is a single parent teacher, and prolific failed writer. He’s insecure about his (secret) TILF girlfriend’s friendship with a popular male colleague, and runs an unpopular poetry class, all the while longing for artistic recognition and “a shitload of cash”.

A grief councillor sees an increase in pupils with their own imagined angst released in a wellspring by Kyle’s “suicide”. When Lance releases his son’s journal, ghost written by him, it leads to him appearing on a sub-Opera show to talk about his son and the possibility of his own work finally being published as well. All the while Kyle’s closest thing to a friend Andrew senses all’s not right. Everyone else wants a piece of the Kyle story, even Lance’s girlfriend is smugly pleased to come up with the journal’s title “Nobody Knows me”.

Suddenly, success of sorts bites him on the ass as a simple act of face saving spirals out of control, when Lance covers up Kyle’s auto-erotic asphyxiation accident as a successful suicide. An already scabrously funny film on disfunctional family values turns into a biting satire on grief junkies. Pupils who wouldn’t give wierdo Kyle the time of day ask Lance for momentoes, wear Kyle T-shirts, write bad poetry. Hilariously he passes off his own choice of in car C.D as Kyle’s favourite. Cue Best. Cameo. Ever.

There’s a perfect point where writer / director Bobcat Goldthwait’s darkly comic dig at the misery loves company brigade should have ambigously finished.

Unfortunately, he bottles it and settles for a happy cathartic ending of sorts. And for that, he drops a point in this review’s score. Kudos though for the wittily constructed soundtrack.

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Words: Tim Pelan

The American

Directed by: Anton Corbijn Starring: George Clooney, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten, Paolo Bonacelli

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n The American George Clooney plays assassin Jack, who having fled to Italy following an attempt on his life, goes into hiding whilst he completes one last job.

After being set up by contact Pavel (Johan Leysen), Jack meets with fellow assassin Mathilde (Thekla Reuten) who asks him to build her a sniper rifle. Constantly on edge, Jack, who is warned by Pavel not to ‘make friends’ with anyone in the village, soon begins visiting prostitute Clara (Violante Placido) on a regular basis and over time a relationship develops between the two.

The introduction of Placido’s character adds intrigue to a film which, despite being billed as a thriller, ignites little or no suspense until the last thirty minutes. With the introduction of Clara the audience is treated to the teasing possibility that we might see more from Clooney’s character, who seems permanently confined to the emotions of anger and fear. However that is not the case; George Clooney is an actor who is ultimately at his best when delivering slick dialogue, whether it be in the Oscar nominated Michael Clayton or his comedic efforts in the Ocean’s series, so it is a shame to see his performance hampered by the lack of dialogue his character is given.

The character of Jack bares many similarities to Sam Riley’s sullen portrayal of Ian Curtis in director Anton Corbijn’s last film Control. But whilst Riley’s portrayal led the audience to feel sympathy toward Curtis, Clooney depicts a character that you can feel nothing for.

Corbijn is a fantastic director; in The American he frequently shows a deft ability of being able to set the mood of a scene perfectly and the countless exquisite shots of the Italian countryside are perfectly accompanied by the Herbert Gronemeyer sparsely used soundtrack.

There is an excellent chase scene in which, as ridiculous as it sounds, Clooney astride a moped, tracks down a would-be attacker, in the sort of scene which would not look out of place in a Bourne film.

Ultimately, The American fails on many levels to recreate the earthy action sequences that the made the Bourne films such a success and it seems a sin to limit an actor of George Clooney’s ability to so few lines and so many smouldering looks.

Words: Ted Woodward

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film review A

Let Me In

Directed by: Matt Reeves Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Moretz, Richard Jenkins

ny work of art should stand or fall on it’s own merits or faults, not be forever held in the shadow of its forerunner. When Charlton Heston’s Ben Hur was released in 1955, did audiences say “Yeah, but I preferred the version where they didn’t talk so much...” That said, Director and co-writer Matt Reeves has his work cut out convincing fans of cult Vampire book and film Let The Right One In to give his remake a fair chance.

He sets his version in a snowy 1983 Los Alamos, the specially constructed nowhere town in New Mexico where nuclear test scientists were billeted in WWII. Reagan’s speech on

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“The Evil Empire” plays on the reception T.V as the horribly burned “Father” is rushed to hospital after a blood harvest gone wrong. Immediately an oppressive, bleak atmosphere is created.

12 year old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is viciously bullied at school, and has no-one to confide in. His mid-divorce mother leans on religion and alcohol, and is imaginatively filmed as a blurred out of focus figure, or with her back to camera. Many shots are at the young lead’s eye level, to further emphasise the sense of disconnect. Owen also spies on his neighbours, and becomes fascinated by the mysterious newcomers, Abby (Chloe Moretz) and her “father”.

The film focuses a lot on Owen and Abby’s growing relationship, the confusion and betrayal of secrets uncovered, and the desire to keep things secret and “the same”. The fact that she’s a vampire he witnesses viciously ripping into a dogged detective (the always excellent Elias Koteas), doesn’t deter him from longing to keep her close. He initially tries to process what he’s witnessed in an emotional confused phone call to his clueless dad while his mother lies passed out on her bed.

Two of the most tender and touching (and chilling) moments though are between Abby and The Father, her long term protector and murderous blood provider. When he first loses a precious harvest (“I guess I’m just getting old“), a tentative touch on the elbow and cupping of his cheek speak volumes about their long lonely history together.

It is up to the audience to judge the exact

nature of their relationship.

Later, when she beckons him to his hospital room window and he can’t invite her in because his vocal cords are badly scarred , he offers his neck to her bloody craving. She agrees, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

The vampiric attacks are bloody and graphic, sometimes enhanced by CGI, which does detract.

Surely there are more practical sleight of hands ways to convey the demonic energy of this diminutive reaper in full flow? A spectacular stunt sequence shows an unbroken rear seat POV shot of a crashing car with The Father and a potential victim.

The overall atmosphere of the film is one of dread,and tentative confused adolescent emotional awakening, sensitively handled and given a monstrous underpinning. It questions if evil acts are justified to “protect and survive”.

The young leads are both outstanding, and have a wonderful chemistry together. Let Me In is a film that deserves to be seen as a dark, gripping take on the Vampire mythos, and a fitting showcase for the resurgent Hammer Studio.

Words: Tim Pelan

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film review Jackass 3D

Directed by: Jeff Tremaine Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Preston Lacy, Danger Ehren, Ryan Dunn, Dave England, Wee Man

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riting a review of Jackass 3D would seem impossible. There is no plot, no acting, no character arcs, nothing that would suggest you are watching a movie. It could be Michael Bay’s latest.

But Jackass 3D and Jackass and Jackass 2 all have one thing Michael Bay could never include in one of his thoughtless discharges . . . . heart. You know Knoxville and co. all care. These guys are multi-millionaires, they don’t need to put themselves in a position to be shot at, hit by a ram, pooed on, punched, kicked, slapped and a host of other small tortures. Yet here they are, ten years after the show first aired, doing something that clearly means a lot to them.

But does it still mean as much to us? Since Jackass’ introduction we have also had several series of Dirty Sanchez and a Dirty Sanchez movie, and I felt most of the great material in this genre had been used. And certainly our tolerance for this kind of thing may have greatly increased over the years.

I am happy to say I had greatly underestimated Jackass’ ability to be original. Each scene gives you a fresh approach to an old Jackass trick.

Fans of Jackass will know Dave England likes to crap a lot, no change here, but the set-up means you are surprised and horrified when it happens. Whilst we have watched Preston Lacy chase Wee-Man through the streets in the past, here the fat man-midget combo is worked from a different angle. Watching documentarian Lance Bangs vomit again and again shows how hard it is to build a tolerance to the Jackass experience. For us, its laugh or vomit (laughing usually holding the vomit back), but we don’t have to see or smell first hand the by-products of their pranks. For us the line between laugh and vomit is much greater. So the biggest compliment I can give is that they still surprise each other.

I also think Jackass is very good at merking the public, capturing a look of shock on Joe Blog’s face as they perpetrate some shockingly offensive act on the streets or in a restaurant, but sometimes these scenes don’t stand out amongst their more daring and nail biting neighbours. Scenes like the Roller Buffalo or the Rainbow River jump make you sit forward because you get a palpable sense of danger, but scenes like Wee-Mans bar brawl give you a welcome and equally hilarious relief because you wonder what you would have done if you were there watching. Ditto the Dirty

Grandpa. But if I had to pick a stand-out moment it would be picked upon Danger Ehren walking blindfolded, with only a cup guarding his tackle, towards the back end of an ass (of the equine kind).

From the tentativeness of Ehren’s walk to the giddy anticipation of the knoxville & co. egging him on, as a man I really appreciated how daunting a challenge this must have been and the relief of how funny it was watching him crumple after a well placed kick.

And now the 3D. Out of the major films in 3D this year,(Toy Story 3D, Saw 3D and Jackass 3D) it is clear that the most suited to the 3D experience is Jackass.

How can 3D can add anything to a movie that is relying on a plot to drive it forward? It did nothing for Toy Story , that was a great enough film in its own right. Saw is Saw, you either love it or hate it and 3D wont make any difference to that. But as Jackass is all about the visual experience it is perfectly suited to this film. What better way to see Pontius’ penis or Dave England’s faeces could there be than to believe its coming out of the screen right at you.

I may have been slightly unfair to Jackass at the start.

Its not a conventional movie but they have movie men working on the film. Knoxville is a film star in his own right now, and I think he has potential to be much more. But more importantly they have Spike Jonze, a good actor and a great director and a bit of a visionary, whether it be TV, film or music video.

As producer he will have known how to maximise the potential from such a small budget. The second Jackass movie had a blockbuster style opening and musical number ending and the third film has went for something similar. The opening goes straight for the jugular with its explosive 3D effects and extremely slow motion shots of the damage you don’t see inflicted in real time. They are trying to give you a movie experience on the big screen, if only for a moment. It’s possible that most of their budgets are blown (literally) during the intros and endings, as each stunt has the same simplistic feel it had during the series.

The ending of Jackass 3D is particularly touching, which seems quite out of place for these fellows. We know this is the last time they will suit up together for this, and they use the end to show us photos of the cast as children while the grown up versions sing a particularly poor Weezer song. You know that each of them will have dreamed about being rich, being famous, being important at least once in their young lives. None of them would have thought they would have achieved this having so much fun, doing it their own way and with such camaraderie.

Words: Eddie Arthurs

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film review

Unstoppable

Directed by: Tony Scott Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Jessy Schram

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oosely based on true events, Tony Scott teams up again with Denzel Washinton and newbie Chris Pine to tell a rip roaring tale of blue collar heroism in the rail yards and main lines of rural Pennsylvania.

Speed on a train if you will, this train is carrying toxic material and rushing unchecked towards Stanton, making it “A missile the size of the Chrysler Building”.

As V.P’s and executives go over the financial implications of the dangerous load exploding in an urban conurbation, never mind the loss of life, a Ripleyesque local controller (Rosario Dawson) reluctantly goes along with Frank and Will’s plan to hook their train up to the back of the behemoth and apply reverse power to stop it (hopefully). Frank’s got nothing to lose, he’s counting down the remaining days to enforced lay off. Will’s family are in Stanton.

Scott starts off slowly, revelling in the giant freight trains and the industrial landscape. He introduces us to Pine as Will Colson, a Conductor not long out of training, who old timers resent for his union connections. He’s paired with veteran driver Frank Barnes (Washington). Naturally as the threat develops they bond (did I mention the toxic material on the train was glue?).

All the while media choppers are buzzing around and the story has taken on the momentum of a runaway train itself. Scott fills the screen with loud, thunderous action, seemingly free of conspicuous CGI and easing up on his trademark undercranking and colour bleeding. Personnel try to jump the train, be lowered onto it, Denzel and Pine even get to hop cars in their attempt to stop it before it careers off the elevated bend in Stanton.

A careless error by another engineer lets the massive train roll off without any air brakes and the throttle slipping back on, gathering speed up to 70 mph. An early incident with a train full of kids on a trip to the main control hub is very tense – and we haven’t even got to the attempts to stop the damn thing yet.

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Do they make it? Hop onboard to find out.

Words: Tim Pelan

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The best of 2010 In terms of gaming, 2010 has been a pretty damn good year. With lots of big titles, ranging from new game franchises to long awaited sequels, there seemed to be something for everyone.

Looking back, I feel as though I have been robbed of time. There are so many games that are still on my “to play” list, so many games that I wish I’d made time for. How can it be the end of the year and I’ve still not opened No More Heroes 2 or Red Steel 2. I still haven’t purchased Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker or God of War 3. What the hell is wrong with me?! *Takes a deep breath* Ok, so now the mini meltdown is out of my system, here is the Culturedeluxe selection of games that made 2010.

Mass Effect 2

Everything from the way you look to the way you act.

The graphics are fantastic, the character and level designs are extremely detailed and the action is almost endless.

Mass Effect 2, much like it’s predecessor presents a galaxy that is open to be explored. And if you have played Mass Effect you can even import your game save, so the decisions made in original game affect the options available in this game.

For anyone who decided to buy a PS3 over an XBOX 360, don’t worry, ME2 is heading your way in the new year. Make sure you buy it!

Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions Mankind’s future is at stake. A mysterious alien breed are attacking human colonies. Commander Shepard has been brought in by an extremist pro-human organisation known as Cerberous. Will he be able to prevent the extinction of humanity?

Mass Effect 2 was released right at the start of the year and to this day remains one of the best games of 2010.

As an action role-playing game, it raises the bar of gameplay to an extremely high level.

Everything is based around the decisions you make; Commander Shepard is the person you choose to be.

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During an encounter between Mysterio and our friendly neighbourhood Spidey, an artifact named the “Tablet of Order and Chaos” is shattered into multiple pieces which spread across the different parallel dimensions.

Madame Webb calls for the help of different versions of Spider-man, each from their own dimension, in order to prevent Mysterio from becoming all powerful and causing chaos.

In the past, Spider-man games have been fun for five minutes then extremely repetitive. What grabs the attention with this game is the idea of different dimensions each with their own unique settings and gameplay styles.

The game also featured unlockable moves, videos and artwork to give the game good replay value, making it one of the best Spider-man games since Spider-man Vs The Kingpin on the Sega Master System.

Red Dead Redemption

The era of the cowboy is coming to an end. The wild west is changing with the government ever expanding and the beginning of the Industrial Age upon us.

There is but time for one more story...the story of John Marston.

This wasn’t a game, finally you were a cowboy and could roam the old west doing whatever you wanted.

You can try to stick with the story of the game, but like most sandbox games, there would always be times where you would just go on a massive spree of terror.

So many hours to be spent lassoing both innocent people and bandits, then dragging them across the beautiful landscapes of 1911 America.

Hunting animals, racing horses and stopping trains that had been hijacked all added to the fun, however where Red Dead shone the most was through the online multiplayer mode.

Everything about Red Dead is entertaining. Whether you stick to the story, play online, or just ride around looking for trouble, there is always fun to be had. And with the recent release of the Undead Nightmare addon there are plenty more hours of gameplay yet to be experienced.

Heavy Rain

In a rainy city in America, young boys are mysteriously being abducted. Days later, the bodies are discovered

with an origami figure in their hands and an orchid on their chest. The cause of death, being drowned in rain water...this is the work of the Origami Killer!

This is without doubt one of the most impressive games I have ever played. These days it is rare to find a game where you can become so engrossed in the plot and feel so connected to the characters.

Heavy Rain was a game that everyone played differently. Although everyone wanted to share stories of how they played the game, nobody wanted to ruin it for anyone else. It became a game that you couldn’t talk about until it had been completed.

Then even after you had completed it and knew the story, you wanted to play it again to see how changing the decisions you made would affect the finale.

Some of the scenes from this game will stay in my mind forever. It is something that all gamers should experience.

The game is quite simply a masterpiece.

Transformers: War for Cybertron

Civil War has erupted on Cyberton. Led by the ruthless power obsessed Megatron, a faction of transformers known as the Decepticons have begun their quest to conquer Cybertron.

The developer, High Noon Studios, has been given creative freedom to make a game which is not based on any of the all action Michael Bay films. As the game is detached from the rigid guidelines of a story that has already been told, it had created a game which combines both style and substance.

War for Cybertron allows you to play through two different campaigns, one as the Decepticons and the other as the Autobots. In every mission you have the choice of three characters to play as, so you are not just stuck as Megatron or Optimus.

To add to the campaign mode there is also an Escalation mode (which is much like the Horde mode from Gears of War 2), where waves of enemies will attack you and each round they become harder to kill, and there is a muliplayer mode where you obtain skill points to rank up and customise your character.

For anyone who grew up as a Transformers fan and likes a good action game, I recommend this title highly.

Words: Richard Allen

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2011 gaming picks

Now as the year rapidly reaches it’s climax, it’s the perfect time to see what we should look out for in 2011.

Little Big Planet 2

Gears of War 3

Following the huge success of Little Big Planet, LBP2 promises to be one of the biggest games of the year.

Not only can you design your sackboys and levels, but you can now also create your own style of game.

So anything from platformers to puzzles, racing games to RPGs, the options are endless.

The finale of Marcus Fenix and the Gears of War story. GoW has inspired so many developers. So many games now try to copy the same physics and gameplay of the GoW series.

The main game will no doubt be just as fun as ever, but the most exciting prospect is to see what kind of games people create and publish online.

Dead Space 2

Ok first off I have to confess, I still haven’t completed the original. Not because of how bad I am at games or how difficult it is. I haven’t completed it, because it scares the shit out of me. No lies!

Having tried to play Dead Space with my curtains closed and surround sound on full blast, I can only manage to play a chapter of the game every few months. The rest of the time I am trying to grow some balls so I can face it again.

DS2 looks like it will be even more scary and even more fucked up. Apologies for the swearing, but this is what fear brings out of me!

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With a new co-op mode added to the mix and no doubt more action and more online options than ever before Gears of War 3 promises to be one for all XBOX 360 owners.

Killzone 3

Having already been lucky enough to have played a sample of this game, I know it’s gonna be big.

Graphically it is amazing. In terms of action, there is nothing more you could ask for! There are new weapons to use, different melee actions depending on what situation you are in and you can even fly using jetpacks. This is a game that will make you want to buy a PlayStation 3 and a 3DTV at the same time.

Happy shopping!

Metal Gear Solid: Rising

Deus Ex 3: Human Revolution

Finally Hideo Kojima has decided to release a Metal Gear Solid title for both the PS3 and XBOX 360.

However this is not going to be the usual breed of MGS. Rising, will follow the story of Raiden and will hopefully fill the gaps from how he was a total pussy in MGS2, to how he became the ultimate bad-ass in MGS4.

Words cannot describe how exceptional this game looks. The Deus Ex series have always been known creating the perfect combination of RPG with FPS. The original game was once dubbed “Best PC game of all time” due to the depth of both storyline and gameplay. Human Revolution seems to have taken inspiration from such Sci-Fi greats as Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell. Without trying to oversell it too much, this could be the title that defines how good our current consoles and PCs truely are.

The idea of Tactical Espionage Action has now been replaced by Lightning Bolt Action.Having seen the teaser trailers for this game, it looks as impressive as ever. The worry is that it may be too much of a hack and slash game and not enough of the old MGS stealth. Knowing how dedicated to perfection Kojima is, it surely it won’t disappoint in the end. And with rumours that it may even support motion control, it may even make the PlayStation Move worth owning.

Words: Richard Allen

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Microsoft Kinect

Finally it has arrived. After much speculation, a name chan attempt to cash in on the ever so lucrative casual gaming

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or the uninitiated, Kinect is a motion tracking peripheral for your existing Xbox 360.

Speak to any cynic and they’ll tell you it’s Microsoft’s version of the Nintendo Wii. Speak to a slightly older cynic and they’ll tell you it’s a modern version of Playstation’s EyeToy. What makes Kinect different from these two obvious comparison points is the technology itself. Unlike the Wii there are no controllers. To coin Microsoft’s own marketing spiel “you are the controller.” The Kinect is capable of tracking two players’ body movements simultaneously — with each body tracked in 20 different places.

The motion tracking, the bread and butter of Kinect, really is quite remarkable; if you body-pop then your on screen avatar will body-pop — as badly as you, probably. The unit also has both voice recognition and facial recognition.

For your £130 you get yourself a rather sleek looking Kinext sensor, all the relevant leads to connect it

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to your Xbox and a copy of the Kinect Adventures game. Plug everything in, fire up your machine and you’re instantly presented with the relevant menus to get your new bit of kit calibrated. And this is where I hit a snag.

If you’re planning on buying a Kinect it might be worth getting a tape measure out first — or selling some furniture. For the sensor to, well, sense you, the optimum distance you’ll need to be from it is 6 to 8 ft.

Now, from where you’re standing, draw a 3 to 4ft box around you. To play Kinect at all, that’s the space you need. Less than 6ft away from the sensor? Sorry, it can’t see all enough of you. My living room is no shoe box but to play Kinect I have to move the sofa in to the next room and clear a large space. This really is a massive thorn in Kinect’s side and could prove to be a big hindrance on the ‘casual’ market it’s aimed at. The moment you have to shift furniture things certainly become a lot less casual.

nge and a whole bunch of pre-release hype, Microsoft’s market opened up by Nintendo has arrived: Kinect.

Another of the exciting promises which we were teased with was the ability to flick your way about the Xbox Dashboard by merely waving your hand to push the menus around. We were all excited about pooh poohing controller-based navigation and spouting the missives of Hill Valley youngsters, circa 2015. This has only become half a reality, which is a shame. A new Kinect Hub is added to your dash board which allows you to launch the inserted disc or access Kinect-centric features. Perhaps we’ll see this functionality expanded in the future. The same could be said of the voice recognition which, although impressively accurate, is so far limited to a call of ‘Xbox’ followed by ‘Kinect’ to launch the Kinect Hub. Although this will no doubt expand — and be utilised to greater effect in games — it could be a little more developed for launch.

While this may seem like a largely negative evaluation of the Kinect don’t lose sight that the points touched on have little to do with its overall appeal. The key

to the device is its motion tracking ability, which is seriously impressive. With 20-point tracking per player you’ll find yourself moonwalking, body popping and doing the caterpillar just to see if it can keep up. And it can. The scope this gives for games developers is tremendous, and that is surely where the success or failure of the Kinect hangs: the software.

As Christmas looms it’s telling that Wii is still marketing its console with adverts featuring playing mums, dads, kids and grandparents (and of course the Redknaps) playing titles like Wii Sports — a launch title. While the Kinect may never completely win over the hardcore gamers who can spend hours discussing the merits of FPS thumb-stick sensitivity, it’s perfectly poised to take steps that the Wii couldn’t. Although it has its has some flaws in its dependence on space and the fairly lack-lustre interactivity it gives you with the Xbox dashboard, with Kinect Microsoft has delivered a seriously impressive bit of kit. Now it’s up to the games developers to take advantage of it.

Words: Mathew Parri Thomas

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Rock Band 3

Developer: Harmonix Publisher: MTV Games Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii

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side from beer & doughnuts the two things that bring most pleasure to the residents of Foster Towers are loud rock music and video games.

So imagine the glee (n. 1. Jubilant delight; joy. – not a hit US TV show) when these two wondrous inventions of the 20th century were finally brought together in the shape of Harmonix’s Guitar Hero, where you could actually play along to some of your favourite rock tunes, using the guitar shaped controller, whilst pulling all your best guitar hero poses, possibly in just your underpants and socks. Excellent!

Due to the success of the first game, more titles were rolled out, until MTV Games released its first major competitor in Rock Band. Now the whole family could join in with mother/sister on vocals, dad on drums whilst son kept the licks coming via his plastic guitar.

Genius!

Real musicians were aghast at this wizardry: “It’s not like playing a real guitar.” Admittedly it’s not; the reality is it’s just a button basher, no real musical skill involved. “It will turn kids off from learning real instruments!” Even though my eleven year went on from expert on Guitar Hero to becoming quite accomplished on the real thing, this negativity still couldn’t halt the success of these musical brands.

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Game review So what has Rock Band 3 got to offer us that we haven’t seen/heard before? Well apart from eighty new tracks from the cream of the rock genre (everything is covered from Queen to Slipknot), better graphics (although it has always been a case of game play over prettiness with these games) and a slightly more intuitive interface (if you pause during a game, it will handily rewind a little to give you change to find yourself) well not a great deal really. Sure you can now do three part harmonies or let your Aunt Nooney join in on keyboards (keyboard peripheral needed) but it’s still, pretty much, business as usual.

The only real unique selling point for me, say, over the new guitar hero title, is the all new ‘Rock Band Pro’ which if you buy the correct controller (which has a string set up as opposed to using mere buttons) helps you get nearer to playing the real thing, so is a real challenge.

So more of the same thing then, with a bit of added polish and a few new add-ons... but like old strings on a guitar, if they ain’t broke, why replace ‘em.

Words: Nick Foster

Kinect Adventures Developer: Good Science Studio Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Platform: Xbox 360

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inect Adventures has a lot to do as a launch title.

Bundled with Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral as standard, its need to showcase your new toy’s abilities whilst appealing to a wide audience is paramount. Thankfully, it manages to do both of those things quite nicely.

As part of some sort of over enthusiastic Cub Scouts / Girls Guides (delete as gender dictates) adventure group, your task is to travel the world on adventures (hence the name), completing tasks to get some rather smashing badges to sew onto your uniform or sash. Fear not though, the Kinect isn’t here to delicately map your fingers as you tie an increasingly intricate array of knots or track your ability to help frail old ladies across the road, your challenges are a lot more physical than that.

A lot more.

Split out over five game types, Kinect Adventures will test your ability to leap, jump and slide around your living room — working up quite the sweat as you go. In ‘20,000 Leaks’ your reflexes are tested as you reach to plug cracks in your underwater glass cube as fast as possible; ‘River Rush’ has you steering a raft down some treacherous rapids collecting as many tokens as you can; ‘Rally Ball’ is akin to the old classic breakout — except it’s played in cricket nets with you as the paddle; ‘Reflex Ridge’ is a strange hybrid of Hole in the Wall and Total Wipeout; and ‘Space Pop’ pays homage to the Fizzy Lifting Drink scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

This selection of game modes impressively showcases the abilities of the Kinect. Subtle steering of your river raft is handled by simply leaning to one side, rather

than throwing yourself around the room; positioning yourself into various Hole In The Wall-style positions to collect the maximum amount of tokens on Reflex Ridge really does work; 20,000 Leaks can even track subtle movements of your feet to plug holes that appear on the floor. When it comes to demonstrating the hardware, Kinect Adventures is a triumph.

But what of the game play? Some game modes are certainly more fun than others. Although the steering on River Rush is nuanced, it is still tricky to master, whereas Rally Ball requires little to no skill at all — just a lot of flailing. The other three game modes on offer are instantly appealing and will have you literally jumping, sliding and ducking all over your living room. Most important of all: they’re simple to play.

Even with a single player Adventure Mode to work through, Kinect Adventures does have a limited shelf life. With the five game types essentially repeating themselves over and again things can grow quite tired quite quickly (that’s the game and you as a player). As you progress through your adventure challenges become more taxing, but it would have been nice to see more variation in the game modes to keep things interesting.

Although a multiplayer mode will keep the disc from gathering too dust initially, you’ll soon be requiring a title with a little more substance, depth and longevity. For a game bundled with the hardware, Kinect Adventures does everything it needs to but is far too quick a fix. On similar titles you’d more than likely find this offer filed under menu titled ‘Mini games’.

Words: Mathew Parri Thomas

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Game review

Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition Developer: Gearbox Software Publisher: 2K Games Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Windows, Mac OS X

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bright, bold art style that mixed cel-shading with comic book styling separated Borderlands from the pack. When this title was released in October, it was branded as being ‘sent to die’ by industry analysts, who saw its direct competition (Modern Warfare 2, released the following week) casting a large enough shadow to completely blot out Borderlands’ brief moment in the sun. The game went on to sell two million copies by the end of the year.

Branded a ‘role-playing-shooter’ by its developers, it blends the two genres together to create a game where FPS aptitude is just as important as your player and weapon stats, where skill-point allocation is as imperative as the size of the gun you’re bringing to the party.

Right at the start the game establishes its role-playing roots, having you pick a character class of which there are four: Hunter, with expertise in sniper rifles and pistols; Siren, who favours sub-machineguns and elemental attacks; Soldier who opts for the more traditional assault rifles and shotguns; and the Berserker favouring explosives and melee combat.

Borderlands’ combat is standard FPS fare, with R2 firing, L2 bringing up the iron-sights (or scope) and R1 throwing whatever type of grenade you have equipped. L1 is mapped to the ‘Action Skill’, which differs for each character. The Hunter summons an eagle to swoop down on enemies in cover. The Siren can ‘phasewalk’, turning invisible and moving at lightning-quick speeds.

The Soldier brings up an automated turret/shield combo (which provided handy on-the-fly cover in sticky situations) and the Berserker…well… goes berserk, flying into a bloody rage and pulverising everything to a pulp.

When it was first announced,

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Borderlands’ biggest selling point was that it featured “17 bazillion guns”. Much like Diablo II, Borderlands features a procedural weapon creation system as part of its engine. In non-geek speak it means that guns aren’t premade, but are generated by the game randomly. Everything from rate of fire, projectile type, damage, clip size, colour, accuracy, scope etc. are all factored in, and as a result you can end up with some truly unique creations.

Stand-outs include a shotgun that fires rockets, a submachine gun that sprayed acid, a missile launcher that fired in a spiral, and an insanely powerful scoped magnum pistol that had to be reloaded after two shots.

As you collect more guns and weigh them against each other, you will find yourself picking favourites and eventually growing attached, knowing that your weapons are unique to you.

In true RPG fashion, completing quests and gunning down foes will net you experience points and stats as you level up. These stats can be used to boost your character, your weapons or your action skill.

Borderlands is fine to play solo, but you’ll ideally want to jump into co-op. This is by far the better experience, and Borderlands offers two-player split-screen or four-player online co-op, as well as any variation of the two. Your XP is boosted in multiplayer, encouraging people to get online and play together for greater rewards. You can also engage in PvP and four-man arena tournaments to show off who’s packing the best hardware.

The main quest will run you approximately 2030 hours on your first playthrough, depending on how many sidequests you fulfil, areas you explore and dungeons you raid. After completing the main game, you get the option of Playthrough 2, where the enemies have been replaced with ‘super badass’ equivalents, earning you even better loot drops and XP rewards. You’ll be on the constant search for new bosses to slay and new caverns to explore. Once you’ve maxed out your character and are done with the main game, it’s time to check out the DLC packs.

The first pack, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, tasks you with discovering the fate of the coastal town of Jakob’s Cove following a zombie apocalypse, and then

finding out the cause behind it. Typical horror themes are prevalent throughout, with “Tankensteins”, morphing WereSkags, skeletal flying Rakks and more. The plot and setting are completely separate from the main-game which gives it a nice sense of variety and you can shoot the brains directly out of zombies’ heads, pick them up and redeem them for prizes, which is always a selling point.

The second pack is more of a features add-on. Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot introduces a Gears Of War 2 Horde-style mode. There are five waves to a round, and a whopping twenty (!) rounds to a tournament.

These last about 3 hours each and you cannot save during them. They are also mind-numbingly repetitive.

The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx received high praise when it first released, and for good reason, adding new vehicle types, new enemies, new bosses and a greater focus on vehicular combat. Further to the events of the main game, you find yourself being hunted by one of the corporations that have claimed Pandora. With a bounty on your head, you decide to take the fight to them with the only logical conclusion.

Break into their armoury, steal everything that isn’t nailed down, blow the rest up and kill anyone who tries to stop you. Co-op addicts will appreciate the new 4-man vehicles, while loot-fiends will find the rewards greatly to their liking. It also adds something that should’ve been there from the start; an ultra-hard hidden boss who requires at least two people to take down.

The final piece of additional content is Claptrap’s New Robot Robolution, which acts as an epilogue to the main game’s ending. As Borderlands’ swansong, Robolution is a trip down memory lane which culminates in a hefty dose of nostalgic fan-service, revisiting past locales and bosses with a healthy amount of added humour.

All four packs are included as standard on this GOTY edition. Each of these add an additional 5-7 hours of gameplay, which when added up provide insane value for money, especially when considering they each came out at £6.99 each on PSN. Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition provides something for everyone, provided that ‘everyone’ has the smallest inclination towards shooters or RPG’s.

Ultimately it’s the balance struck between the FPS and RPG genres that separates Borderlands from the rest. With its striking art style, four-player co-op, overwhelming amount of content and nearinfinite (and near-infinitely addicting) loot system, Borderlands: Game of the Year edition is without a doubt one of the best examples of its genre in 2010.

Words: Adam Taylor

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Game review Call Of Duty: Black Ops Developer: Treyarch Publisher: Activision Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Windows, Wii

“I’m Andy McNab. I’m Andy McNab... I’m Andy MacDowell.”

Last year Infinity Ward gave us Modern Warfare 2, arguably the biggest release of 2009. Now Call Of Duty: Black Ops, MW2’s brother from another mother, is along to try and steal the jewel in 2010’s crown. With Treyarch in control this time around the clocks are turned back once again, but this time the developer has stepped out of its World War comfort zone into to the dizzying landscape of the Cold War. Queue the helicopters and the Buffalo Springfield.

A quick glace at the box states Treyarch’s priority with Black Ops — it doesn’t have one, it has three.

With “three modes for the ultimate entertainment package” the developer has reacted to a community that’s purchased countless copies of previous titles in the series, racking up a cumulative online gaming time which is probably best rounded up to the nearest ‘fuckload’, and given everyone everything they want: kick-ass campaign, immersing and in-depth multiplayer and, of course, zombies.

A friend of mine once told me that he didn’t like the Call of Duty games as he felt that all the NPCs were shouting at him all the time. Too much pressure! Too much urgency! Shoot! Run! Don’t die! Well, things haven’t changed for Black Ops. The campaign never lets up. It doesn’t even pause for a few minutes of delicate character building cut sequences; apart from the brief cuts back to your time strapped into an interrogation chair, all the narrative unfolds in game.

This is what makes it so immersing. It’s balls-tothe-wall, edge of your seat stuff all the way. Every mission has you dropped right into the thick of the action from the word go. Clocking in at seven to ten (very tough) hours when played through on Hardened, Treyarch have created one of the best Call of Duty campaigns to date. An accolade which doesn’t quite hold true for the game’s multiplayer quotient.

If there’s one console FPS with a heritage for its

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multiplayer it’s the Call Of Duty series. With Black Ops, Treyarch has admitted that it had it easy. With a huge community of players more than happy to air their grievances on the web, Treyarch have not only been able to give the people what they want, but also a few bits they didn’t realise they wanted. Gone are unfair playing quirks like adding quick ADS on a sniper, or the ability to add to your killstreak via your killstreak rewards, in are Create A Class 2.0, CoD Currency, Contracts and Wager matches. However, the ball pitched up by Infinity Ward in MW2 has been dropped on a number of occasions. The map designs in Black Ops, while still excellently designed, encourage a lot of camping which can become very frustrating. Also, the delightfully monikered ‘spawn raping’ is back which, with any luck, is something which Treyarch can fix via an update patch.

Whereas in previous incarnations of CoD a number of weapon-based challenges had to be completed to unlock attachments, now it’s just a case of cash. If you can afford it, you can have it. New weapons are still unlocked on reaching new player ranks but, the moment you unlock any given weapon, if you want to add a Red Dot Sight and an under-barrel shot gun then you just have to buy it. The thing that this most noticeably does is level the playing field a little. No longer is it only those with countless gaming hours behind them that can dominate with the best loadout.

Plan ahead and save the pennies and you can be locking and loading your favourite equipment in no time.

How do you earn these precious pennies? Well, just playing a whole bunch of multiplayer seems to be enough really. You’re never a game or two away from having enough cash to buy what you need — which does water-down the system a little. If you really are keen to keep the dough rolling in you can purchase a time-based contract to complete (75 kills with weapon x in an hour, earn a killstreak of 5 in 40min etc).

Contracts are a nice touch and help to replace the box ticking fun which has been removed from the weapons challenges.

Yet another way to rake in reddies is to partake in one of the many Wager matches. The best of the best (that’s you) throw down some cash and compete in a number of game types which level the playing field to really see who’s the best. Finish in the top half and you win your money back with interest. Finish in the bottom half and you go home hanging your head empty pocketed. It’s an inventive and refreshing addition to a continually tread formula which will keep stalwarts of the series very happy indeed.

The last notable addition (there are many many smaller tweaks too) is the addition of Combat Training. For many, the online gaming world is a scary death-filled place. To encourage new players into the online fray Combat Training lets you cut your chops by practicing against a team of computercontrolled bots which, in a nice touch, take the names of your Xbox Live friends. All maps are available as is leveling up and create a class. Apart from the wealth of game types available, if it’s in Multiplayer, it’s in Combat Training. Even if you’re a seasoned pro the mode is a great way to learn maps and test out different weapon combos without denting your precious stats.

The third string to the Black Ops bow is Zombies. Back by popular demand from Call of Duty: World At War, Zombies sees you taking on waves of the undead as you furiously reload your archaic weaponry to try and temper a serious brain-thirst.

While not the deepest mode in the world it’s a welcome addition to an already bumper package.

In a nice — and comical — touch finishing the campaign unlocks a new Zombies map, The Pentagon, with a very special cast of characters. You want more? There’s a secret top-down arcade zombie shooter hidden in the main menu too.

So, in Black Ops, Treyarch have created quite the package: one of the best solo FPS campaigns yet; a deep, refreshed and worryingly addictive online shooter; and yet another way to kill zombies. Although there are some niggles which may annoy online veterans of the series, Black Ops is perfectly pitched to keep those awaiting its release more than happy and also usher in a few new faces to the series.

Words: Mathew Parri Thomas

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Game review

Deadly Premonition Developer: Access Games Publisher: Ignition Entertainment Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3

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f you like playing an enjoyable, polished and cinematic game then turn away now. That may sound a bit harsh but this game will only appeal to the achievement hunters out there as it feels like this was made for the last generation of consoles (or even the one before).

The game starts with a cut scene of twins finding a murdered body hanging from a tree. Then it’s up to you, Agent York, FBI, who has to come from the city to the small town of Greenvale to investigate this horrible crime.

The action really begins when Agent York is in a strange clearing in the forest where he sees the two mysterious twins sitting in chairs with halos made out of wreaths and wings made of branches. You quickly find out that Agent York is possibly not all the ticket as he has an imaginary friend called Zach, who he consults a lot, and that whole weird theme continues throughout. You then fight your way through a few ghostly, zombies doing the

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limbo, activating generators to unlock doors etc... After that you find yourself on the road into Greenvale where you’re introduced to the small town by the local police force, aiding you in your search for clues.

Now Greenvale is supposed to be a living, breathing town with diverse weather systems, interactive people going about their everyday business but the reality is that it looks drab and really lacks character or feeling. Minigames can be found around and about the town like card trading, darts or car racing – but you’ll find these ‘fun’ activities frustrating and pointless, the handling of the cars is terrible, even making it harder for you to drive when it’s raining.

It is not only the handling of the cars which is bad either... really, it is everything. The controls make playing the game really tedious, there is a fixed camera and you have to remain still whilst shooting. Even entering rooms, interacting with objects and people

become laborious as the animations involved are repetitive and lack any sort of personality.

Now you may think that despite all of that it may make up for it in its intriguing and mysterious storyline, but unfortunately it also fails to deliver. Deadly Premonition seems to be a bit confused on what it wants to be; there seems to be moments of comedy which may crack a smile for some, but the majority of the voice acting is terrible. Characters in the town are about as in depth as the ones you would find in Pokémon and the whole game plays like a gameboy RPG, converted into a nextgen console game, combined with action elements. The combat mechanics are stiff, slow and repetitive and the boss fights seems to be more or less identical – using the very tried and tested quicktime to enhance to an already terrible experience.

Saying all this I know that this game will appeal to a niché market, those gamers who enjoy looking for that

key with the squirrel keyring thing or having to clean your suite to make sure you’re presentable. It even pays homage to some things retro, such as cult classic movie Bad Taste (directed by Peter Jackson – fact fans) and you can check up on the weather on any T.V you see just like Harvest Moon. It’s a shame because the premise of the game is good and it has some great ideas but unfortunately they all have been executed so poorly.

The graphics are just rubbish, it looks like a Playstation 1 game and although you could argue that it has a retro charm, the reality is that low rent visuals are not that enjoyable in this age of gaming. The sound is awful with annoying whistling and chirpy small town musak – and voice acting which could definitely be missed. Deadly Premonition is a budget priced game although if I were you I would save my money and buy something more enjoyable.

Words: John McCreddie

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Game review

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Publisher: Ubisoft Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

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n 1997, I was excited. I was an assassin, running across rooftops, freefalling onto soldiers, blending into crowds, and generally being cool.

In 2009, I was mildly interested. I was an assassin, running across rooftops, freefalling onto soldiers, blending into crowds, spending money, and being slightly cool.

It’s 2010. I am not happy.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is the ‘lucky charms’ of gaming. We aren’t buying it for the single player campaign; we want the frosted, sugary goodness of the multiplayer experience. So naturally, when you take the multiplayer away, you are left with a bland taste and a feeling of disappointment. It’s a real shame that Ubisoft haven’t stepped up to the mark. Even the deluxe Codex edition (rrp £69.99), with all its artwork, DVD material, character cards and downloadable content just didn’t make it worthwhile.

Remember Desmond / Ezio / Altair? When he first hit the gaming scene back in ‘97 people were ecstatic. The prodigal son of Sam fisher (Splinter Cell), The Prince of Persia, Lara Croft, and a couple of Jedi, our hero was everything people wanted in a lead character. Now we can’t help but wonder when they are going to have mercy and kill him off. He’s just one of many annoying and badly dubbed characters in the game, and this is where they choose to start us off.

Everything looks great, truly beautiful. The rendering of the landscapes is impeccable, and the transition between Animus and Rome is still the high-tech smoky wonderland it was, but ,unfortunately, when the characters start talking they lose that pristine craftsmanship, and start to look more like the Dolmio puppet adverts (the cheesy accents don’t help much either). This is a real shame, because the mannerisms of each character really bring them to life; it’s just that

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one flaw that makes them feel unpolished and rushed.

The game play is consistent, but it’s nothing new and although they have thrown a whole wealth of characters into multiplayer, it would have been nice to switch roles in the solo campaign somehow, to experience different aspects of assassination. There was so much scope to improve on the original formula; but the real issue here is the love that Ubisoft feel for the story. There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the game that proudly states how the game was crafted by people of different races and faiths, yet Ubisoft have neglected the faith of their loyal fans by churning out a clone of the first two games. There are some nifty little features that try and grab you. The idea of leveling up an army of assassins is the stuff of fan-boy dreams, and the quests for strange exotic weaponry can sometimes offer up a joyfully fun murder weapon.

But it’s really not enough.

Of course, not everything is disappointing, and this is where we get to the real marshmallow goodness that is the multiplayer mode. Clearly, the programmers put their hearts and souls into this little gem. AC: B multiplayer takes the concept of ‘Uno’, gives it a knife and throws it into a pit of electrical zombie lions; intense stuff.

The mechanics work like so: you are given a target, and you are somebody else’s target. The better you perform the more of a target you become. If you kill an innocent instead of your prey, you get assigned a different target, and don’t score anything. The stealthier the kill, the more points you earn. Yes, you get the odd idiot who spends his whole time running around trying to shank as many players as he can, but for every ten kills he makes a genuinely skilled player only needs one swift and silent execution.

This is no easy task either; every arena is on a much larger scale than one might have expected, and you have to sift through crowds of ‘innocents’. These bots are a key element in making or breaking a match. Every character selected by the competitors is cloned several dozen times, with some kind of subtle difference for you to spot. You have to rely on the compass, your own instincts, and basic human error.

If a character does anything that stands out as odd, it’s a safe bet they aren’t part of the computer crowd.

But even this becomes difficult to spot, as players still have the options of hiding in carts, climbing rooftops, even sitting comfortably on a plush couch next to a doppelganger.

However, what really makes multiplayer the shining jewel in the AC series so far is the cast. Every character here is a thing of beauty; the creepy doctor and his quarantine mask, the courtesan and her alluring fan dancing, (my personal favourite being the ‘Barber’, master of the rusty Gillette). These characters may be the reason behind Ubisoft’s rush to release this game, however it doesn’t excuse the fact that they have been released alongside what can only be described as a half-hearted attempt at another AC game.

In the end, we’ll keep buying it.

Of course we will.

Why? Because there’s a big story unfolding, and we all want to know how it will end; but every story has a shelf life, and Ubisoft need to wise up and take the franchise in a new direction. Otherwise, our favourite assassin could end up boring us all to death.

Words: Daniel McKay

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Game review Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Developer: Ninja Theory Publisher: Namco Bandai Games Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

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nslaved is both an engrossing, cinematic action/adventure title and loose sci-fi retelling of the 400 year old Chinese Classic, ‘Journey to the West’. Set 150 years in the future, humans are all but extinct and mechs roam freely in the remnants of New York. The surviving buildings are cracked and crumbling, covered by colourful, overgrown vegetation which provides a breath of fresh air from the bleak brown/grey landscapes of Fallout’s post-apocalyptic America. Sailing high above this beautiful wasteland is a slave ship containing two unlikely allies.

As our female lead -- the red-haired, tech savvy Trip -- manages to free herself and begin her escape, she inadvertently triggers an explosion which alters the trajectory of the ship to a plummeting free fall to Earth. Enter Monkey, the brutish, spiky-haired protagonist, who also manages to break out in the confusion. The opening area, an adrenaline fuelled race to the escape pods through a burning ship, allows the player to quickly adjust to the game’s polished, easy-to-grasp controls. As the second slave to reach the last escape pod, Monkey can only cling on for dear life as it launches. While he slowly regains consciousness following the crash, Trip informs Monkey of his newest headgear; a slave headband, which in addition to putting Monkey in a world of pain if he fails to follow her orders, will release a ‘fatal dose’ if her heartbeat stops. She explains she needs his help to reach her home, a small community 300 miles from the crash site and across the treacherous, mech-infested wastelands. After a brief argument, a demonstration that the headband does indeed work and an understandable death threat, the two begin their odyssey.

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Monkey, voiced and motion captured by Andy Serkis, has fluidly rendered and perfectly fitting animalistic movement which looks great as he sprints, leaps and smashes his way through the platform and combat aspects of the game. Trip provides the brains to Monkey’s brawn and is able to hack security doors, summon a digital decoy to absorb enemy fire and upgrade Monkey’s equipment using the glowing tech orbs found in each area. Although each aspect is not individually strong, the combination and pacing of the game blends them together well. Despite its clear animation and frantic pace, the combat is simplified early on, with two strikes and basic block and dodge actions. As you obtain the upgrades later on it develops more depth which leads to a slight altering of your tactics as the enemies become more numerous though unfortunately lacking any real variety. The rhythm of the combat is excellent and the tight camera allows you to see the powerful, mech shattering blows with the odd slow-mo finish as Monkey cleaves them in half.

Monkey’s staff also doubles up as a long range weapon, allowing you to assault mechs with plasma, the damage dealing projectile, and stun, for disabling shields and crowd control. Capitalising on long range combat and Monkey’s preternatural agility, the boss fights break up the pacing well and add some much needed variety to the enemies. As a further humorous tie in to ‘Journey to the West’ Monkey gains access to his ‘cloud’ – a glowing blue hover

disc used in most boss battles and enjoyable, if slightly frustrating, chase sequences.

Platforming is exceptionally fluid, with Monkey leaping from jutting pipes to ledges with practised ease. Incredibly fun, these parts are however linear as there is only one path through each area marked with convenient, faintly glowing handholds. These parts provide no real challenge as Monkey will only jump if there is something to grab onto – a lesson arguably learnt by other platforming acrobats echoing the frustrated cries of AC2 junkies following Ezio’s latest dive from a watchtower to unforgiving Florentine brickwork.

Teamwork is critical for the pair’s continued survival and although Monkey largely plays guardian for the physically meek Trip, you will utilise both their skill sets throughout the platforming and puzzle areas. Although unlikely to have you break a mental sweat, these parts are enjoyable and usually involve Monkey leaping to a hard to reach spot while Trip pulls switches or fiddles with surviving machinery. These areas work well to develop the growing bond between

the two and you frequently forget the ever looming threat of the headband until you wander too far in one direction and inadvertently set it off.

Superb facial expressions add depth to the characters; whether it’s a subtle downturn of Trip’s mouth following a wounding comment or the softening of Monkey’s hardened, feral demeanour, Ninja Theory obviously invested a lot of time to fully develop these characters’ personalities. In the final quarter of the game the mismatched pair meets Piggsy – a warmhearted, hog of a man set to appear in his own DLC towards the end of this year. Piggsy is clearly jealous of the growing relationship between the two and his obvious crush on the boob tube and torn low cut trouser laden Trip leads to hilarious banter, increasing the depth of character development and interaction to a standard rarely seen out of a bioware title.

The continuous variety of the gameplay and expert pacing prevent the game from ever becoming tedious. Whether leaping from handhold to precarious handhold, cloud riding, or decapitating giant mechanical dogs, Enslaved is a genuinely fun experience. The exceptional character dialogue and interaction make it memorable title and it is a shame low key marketing and lack of real depth in any of the games many areas prevent it from becoming a recognised classic.

Words: Paul Sharp

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