tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50184490229591069282024-03-13T20:40:22.467+02:00IndieriderOne cult movie and one cult record per day...Sometimes more!!!Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.comBlogger448125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-54772036022267662332013-05-21T18:28:00.001+03:002013-05-21T18:28:24.776+03:00Beastie Boys:"Paul's Boutique" (1989)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1F_lngOEnuRZskFmNuzv2sMeJfHPH7lmKQ_eVrgLQaiocYeK3QgH8K7YfHK1UokI2p3S1eLgv64UjJDWJY3lgOTwAe4mIEsI8gtBigjXKUKyTpksVsBCCeK-WNC1wOy8PxMotRY5zTtk/s1600/beastie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1F_lngOEnuRZskFmNuzv2sMeJfHPH7lmKQ_eVrgLQaiocYeK3QgH8K7YfHK1UokI2p3S1eLgv64UjJDWJY3lgOTwAe4mIEsI8gtBigjXKUKyTpksVsBCCeK-WNC1wOy8PxMotRY5zTtk/s400/beastie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Such was the power of <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/licensed-to-ill-mw0000649870">Licensed to Ill</a> that everybody, from fans to critics, thought that not only could <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beastie-boys-mn0000038469">the Beastie Boys</a>
not top the record, but that they were destined to be a one-shot
wonder. These feelings were only amplified by their messy, litigious
departure from Def Jam and their flight from their beloved New York to
Los Angeles, since it appeared that <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beasties-mn0000038469">the Beasties</a> had completely lost the plot. Many critics in fact thought that <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/pauls-boutique-mw0000199269">Paul's Boutique</a>
was a muddled mess upon its summer release in 1989, but that's the
nature of the record -- it's so dense, it's bewildering at first,
revealing its considerable charms with each play. To put it mildly, it's
a considerable change from the hard rock of <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/licensed-to-ill-mw0000649870">Licensed to Ill</a>, shifting to layers of samples and beats so intertwined they move beyond psychedelic; it's a painting with sound. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/pauls-boutique-mw0000199269">Paul's Boutique</a> is a record that only could have been made in a specific time and place. Like <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-rolling-stones-mn0000894465">the Rolling Stones</a> in 1972, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beastie-boys-mn0000038469">the Beastie Boys</a>
were in exile and pining for their home, so they made a love letter to
downtown New York -- which they could not have done without <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-dust-brothers-mn0000141852">the Dust Brothers</a>, a Los Angeles-based production duo who helped redefine what sampling could be with this record. Sadly, after <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/pauls-boutique-mw0000199269">Paul's Boutique</a> sampling on the level of what's heard here would disappear; due to a series of lawsuits, most notably <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gilbert-osullivan-mn0000546735">Gilbert O'Sullivan</a>'s suit against <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/biz-markie-mn0000107294">Biz Markie</a>,
the entire enterprise too cost-prohibitive and risky to perform on such
a grand scale. Which is really a shame, because if ever a record could
be used as incontrovertible proof that sampling is its own art form,
it's <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/pauls-boutique-mw0000199269">Paul's Boutique</a>. Snatches of familiar music are scattered throughout the record -- anything from <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/curtis-mayfield-mn0000144458">Curtis Mayfield</a>'s "Superfly" and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sly-stone-mn0000751663">Sly Stone</a>'s "Loose Booty" to <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/loggins-messina-mn0000277351">Loggins & Messina</a>'s "Your Mama Don't Dance" and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-ramones-mn0000490004">the Ramones</a>' "Suzy Is a Headbanger" -- but never once are they presented in lazy, predictable ways. <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-dust-brothers-mn0000141852">the Dust Brothers</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/beasties-mn0000038469">Beasties</a>
weave a crazy-quilt of samples, beats, loops, and tricks, which creates
a hyper-surreal alternate reality -- a romanticized, funhouse
reflection of New York where all pop music and culture exist on the same
strata, feeding off each other, mocking each other, evolving into a
wholly unique record, unlike anything that came before or after. It very
well could be that its density is what alienated listeners and critics
at the time; there is so much information in the music and words that it
can seem impenetrable at first, but upon repeated spins it opens up
slowly, assuredly, revealing more every listen. Musically, few hip-hop
records have ever been so rich; it's not just the recontextulations of
familiar music via samples, it's the flow of each song and the album as a
whole, culminating in the widescreen suite that closes the record.
Lyrically, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beasties-mn0000038469">the Beasties</a>
have never been better -- not just because their jokes are razor-sharp,
but because they construct full-bodied narratives and evocative
portraits of characters and places. Few pop records offer this much to
savor, and if <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/pauls-boutique-mw0000199269">Paul's Boutique</a>
only made a modest impact upon its initial release, over time its
influence could be heard through pop and rap, yet no matter how its
influence was felt, it stands alone as a record of stunning vision,
maturity, and accomplishment. Plus, it's a hell of a lot of fun, no
matter how many times you've heard it.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-76934861571082214622013-05-21T18:23:00.000+03:002013-05-21T18:23:12.100+03:00Woody Allen:"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask" (1972)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnuSOip7FqiIO0ymxLnsLIF2o4f58A74c_bpEw7H2YwHSF5Tk5cIZA7bYe0wB7OxJJ7zUgtcbjp47oqQYXDZXaP_-onr9M8igfTEHqOJSe04pao6H14VFY1zR95NZYxHJtoD9_HU87CU/s1600/everything_you_always_wanted_to_know_about_sex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnuSOip7FqiIO0ymxLnsLIF2o4f58A74c_bpEw7H2YwHSF5Tk5cIZA7bYe0wB7OxJJ7zUgtcbjp47oqQYXDZXaP_-onr9M8igfTEHqOJSe04pao6H14VFY1zR95NZYxHJtoD9_HU87CU/s640/everything_you_always_wanted_to_know_about_sex.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/woody-allen-p79388">Woody Allen</a>'s
in-name-only adaptation of the once notorious sexual reference guide by
Dr. David Reuben contains seven episodes based on "helpful" questions
answered in the book. In "Do Aphrodisiacs Work?", <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/allen-p79388">Allen</a> appears as a court jester who uses a love potion to spark the erotic interests of the Queen (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/lynn-redgrave-p59204">Lynn Redgrave</a>). "What Is Sodomy?" stars <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/gene-wilder-p116771">Gene Wilder</a>
as a doctor who throws away his marriage, career, and position in the
community when he falls madly in love with an Armenian sheep named
Daisy. "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?" is a parody of
stylish Italian films of the '60s in which a slick playboy (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/woody-allen-p79388">Woody Allen</a>) discovers his wife (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/louise-lasser-p40680">Louise Lasser</a>) can climax only when they make love in public places. In "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?," Sam (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/lou-jacobi-p34896">Lou Jacobi</a>) has his little secret revealed at a most inopportune moment. "What Are Sex Researchers Actually Accomplishing?" features <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/john-carradine-p11228">John Carradine</a>
in a great parody of his mad-scientist roles as Dr. Bernardo, whose
research into human sexuality has led to a fearsome mutation -- a
50-foot tall female breast! "What Are Sexual Perversions?" takes us to a
broadcast of the popular game show What's My Perversion?, in which <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/jack-barry-p4261">Jack Barry</a> leads a panel of celebrities (including <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/regis-philbin-p56513">Regis Philbin</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/robert-q-lewis-p42250">Robert Q. Lewis</a>)
in guessing the erotic obsessions of their guests. And "What Happens
During Ejaculation?" takes the audience inside the body of a man in the
throes of passion; The Brain (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/tony-randall-p58720">Tony Randall</a>) guides the body's functions, with the help of his assistant (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/burt-reynolds-p108069">Burt Reynolds</a>), while <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/allen-p79388">Allen</a>
plays a nervous sperm cell not sure if he can make the big jump. While
the quality of the episodes is uneven, the best rank with the funniest
moments of <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/allen-p79388">Allen</a>'s career, especially <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/gene-wilder-p116771">Gene Wilder</a>'s
touching romance with the sheep ("I think we can make this work,
Daisy") and the final sequence inside the male body ("What if he's only
masturbating? I'll end up on the ceiling somewhere!").Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-15253954395818045282013-04-03T21:03:00.001+03:002013-04-03T21:03:16.551+03:00The Zombies:"Odessey and Oracle" (1968)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQ0llmjPico4Jy8n0hg1iFAa8uli9VdTJ8Eg7T-M91Wm1ZldhtXCKD7Nrip8LDFhErWQhFCuX3OeTPvkHATfg53L4KqCSiLZAMtPYClmm4OJz6Rb3pAPn0rHnv645FdM6iyj6Mlz9Hj4/s1600/Odessey-And-Oracle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Odessey and Oracle" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQ0llmjPico4Jy8n0hg1iFAa8uli9VdTJ8Eg7T-M91Wm1ZldhtXCKD7Nrip8LDFhErWQhFCuX3OeTPvkHATfg53L4KqCSiLZAMtPYClmm4OJz6Rb3pAPn0rHnv645FdM6iyj6Mlz9Hj4/s400/Odessey-And-Oracle.jpg" title="Odessey and Oracle" width="400" /></a></div>
<a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/odessey-and-oracle-mw0000192449">Odessey and Oracle</a>
was one of the flukiest (and best) albums of the 1960s, and one of the
most enduring long-players to come out of the entire British psychedelic
boom, mixing trippy melodies, ornate choruses, and lush Mellotron
sounds with a solid hard rock base. But it was overlooked completely in
England and barely got out in America (with a big push by <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-kooper-mn0000509524">Al Kooper</a>,
who was then a Columbia Records producer); and it was neglected in the
U.S. until the single "Time of the Season," culled from the album,
topped the charts nearly two years after it was recorded, by which time
the group was long disbanded. Ironically, at the time of its recording
in the summer of 1967, permanency was not much on the minds of the
bandmembers. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/odessey-and-oracle-mw0000192449">Odessey and Oracle</a>
was intended as a final statement, a bold last hurrah, having worked
hard for three years only to see the quality of their gigs decline as
the hits stopped coming. The results are consistently pleasing,
surprising, and challenging: "Hung Up on a Dream" and "Changes" are some
of the most powerful psychedelic pop/rock ever heard out of England,
with a solid rhythm section, a hot Mellotron sound, and chiming, hard
guitar, as well as highly melodic piano. "Changes" also benefits from
radiant singing. "This Will Be Our Year" makes use of trumpets (one of
the very few instances of real overdubbing) in a manner reminiscent of
"Penny Lane"; and then there's "Time of the Season," the most well-known
song in their output and a white soul classic. Not all of the album is
that inspired, but it's all consistently interesting and very good
listening, and superior to most other psychedelic albums this side of <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beatles-mn0000754032">the Beatles</a>' best and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pink-floyd-mn0000346336">Pink Floyd</a>'s
early work. Indeed, the only complaint one might have about the
original LP is its relatively short running time, barely over 30
minutes, but even that's refreshing in an era where most musicians took
their time making their point, and most of the CD reissues have bonus
tracks to fill out the space availableIndieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-3433032647953850782013-04-03T20:57:00.002+03:002013-04-03T20:57:46.051+03:00Martin Scorsese:"Raging Bull" (1980) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS3W-ZNIfaWj_uXzB6EGYRj78DkT_xNBEDvEgHXnaJdnGttvXYKcNV37EBfZYJShAvqugxYeiR_qbZHqUq28tYMp6toyqOG7ccg1UdY8bTVUvvi6aN_WH65TPAbnjtMqJ6dIUdQWMFTU/s1600/raging-bull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Raging Bull" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS3W-ZNIfaWj_uXzB6EGYRj78DkT_xNBEDvEgHXnaJdnGttvXYKcNV37EBfZYJShAvqugxYeiR_qbZHqUq28tYMp6toyqOG7ccg1UdY8bTVUvvi6aN_WH65TPAbnjtMqJ6dIUdQWMFTU/s400/raging-bull.jpg" title="Raging Bull" width="400" /></a></div>
<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/martin-scorsese-p110533">Martin Scorsese</a>'s brutal character study incisively portrays the true rise and fall and redemption of middleweight boxer <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/jake-la-motta-p366394">Jake La Motta</a>,
a violent man in and out of the ring who thrives on his ability (and
desire) to take a beating. Opening with the spectacle of the
over-the-hill La Motta (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/robert-de-niro-p17593">Robert De Niro</a>)
practicing his 1960s night-club act, the film flashes back to 1940s New
York, when Jake's career is on the rise. Despite pressure from the
local mobsters, Jake trusts his brother Joey (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/joe-pesci-p56237">Joe Pesci</a>) to help him make it to a title bout against <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/sugar-ray-robinson-p60746">Sugar Ray Robinson</a>
the honest way; the Mob, however, will not cave in. Jake gets the title
bout, and blonde teenage second wife Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), but
success does nothing to exorcise his demons, even as he channels his
rage into boxing. Alienating Vickie and Joey, and disastrously gaining
weight, Jake has destroyed his personal and professional lives by the
1950s. After he hits bottom, however, Jake emerges with a gleam of
self-awareness, as he sits rehearsing <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/marlon-brando-p8070">Marlon Brando</a>'s <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/on-the-waterfront-v36311">On the Waterfront</a> speech in his dressing room mirror: "I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody." Working with a script adapted by <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/mardik-martin-p46000">Mardik Martin</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/paul-schrader-p110362">Paul Schrader</a> from <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/la-motta-p366394">La Motta</a>'s memoirs, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/scorsese-p110533">Scorsese</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/de-niro-p17593">De Niro</a> sought to make an uncompromising portrait of an unlikable man and his ruthless profession. Eschewing uplifting <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/rocky-v108210">Rocky</a>-like
boxing movie conventions, their Jake is relentlessly cruel and
self-destructive; the only peace he can make is with himself. <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/michael-chapman-p84709">Michael Chapman</a>'s stark black-and-white photography creates a documentary/tabloid realism; the production famously shut down so that <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/de-niro-p17593">De Niro</a> could gain 50-plus pounds. <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/raging-bull-v40104">Raging Bull</a>
opened in late 1980 to raves for its artistry and revulsion for its
protagonist; despite eight Oscar nominations, it underperformed at the
box office, as audiences increasingly turned away from "difficult" films
in the late '70s and early '80s. The Academy concurred, passing over <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/scorsese-p110533">Scorsese</a>'s work for Best Director and Picture in favor of <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/robert-redford-p107758">Robert Redford</a> and <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/ordinary-people-v36600">Ordinary People</a>, although <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/de-niro-p17593">De Niro</a> won a much-deserved Oscar, as did the film's editor, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/thelma-schoonmaker-p110346">Thelma Schoonmaker</a>. Oscar or no Oscar, <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/raging-bull-v40104">Raging Bull</a> has often been cited as the best American film of the 1980s.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-86003821654619161972013-03-01T22:38:00.004+02:002013-03-01T22:44:54.246+02:00WILD IS THE WIND-One song 10 covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp84lmWl-Tg6admEXlD-V-BJ9tbN_4Mhy0vvRXN9QXD34FLr_koR8GIvtn6yUoW2zAvoz9htE_dqSDUrljlcKcnhlU8IBnI62pzzZF98qqh6fRuG9F67P3f1HP-DJhJ2WeL0XhNZbhaRI/s1600/Poster_of_the_movie_Wild_Is_the_Wind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp84lmWl-Tg6admEXlD-V-BJ9tbN_4Mhy0vvRXN9QXD34FLr_koR8GIvtn6yUoW2zAvoz9htE_dqSDUrljlcKcnhlU8IBnI62pzzZF98qqh6fRuG9F67P3f1HP-DJhJ2WeL0XhNZbhaRI/s640/Poster_of_the_movie_Wild_Is_the_Wind.jpg" width="419" /></a></div>
1.David Bowie<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/VbpMpRq6DV4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
2.Johnny Mathis<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fede33vouyc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
3.Nina Simone<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CiVDzTT4CbE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
4.George Michael<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zRJlu9BhX-w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
5.Billy MacKenzie<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/GAtCMpC0_f0/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GAtCMpC0_f0&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GAtCMpC0_f0&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
6.Randy Crawford<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/DfS1TnhO-kQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
7.Nancy Wilson<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MrRdCgck1Ow?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
8.Cat Power<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/uJE0GufdRvI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
9.Gloria Lynne<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/xZ9_ozQK6r8/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xZ9_ozQK6r8&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xZ9_ozQK6r8&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
10.Barbra Streisand<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/nZkw_BZSYU8/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZkw_BZSYU8&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZkw_BZSYU8&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h1 id="watch-headline-title">
<span class="watch-title long-title yt-uix-expander-head" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Wild Is The Wind - Billy MacKenzie and Steve Aungle">
</span></h1>
Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-14980872596290478942013-03-01T22:05:00.002+02:002013-03-01T22:05:54.655+02:00Tom Waits:"Small Change" (1976)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMsnrLplQjYNQG2cLHz9lmICDMb5q4UUepn-XYcFcUeFx1fORBG4IGmRO6mAIYGiV3gtRBIzLMkLdBEU5NWc_f_JHNGmx6Zo7fJeWZRDzXzohqmfOKrj8vvymsw9yhlwMyzmtm58nUsQ/s1600/small-change1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tom Waits Small Change" border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMsnrLplQjYNQG2cLHz9lmICDMb5q4UUepn-XYcFcUeFx1fORBG4IGmRO6mAIYGiV3gtRBIzLMkLdBEU5NWc_f_JHNGmx6Zo7fJeWZRDzXzohqmfOKrj8vvymsw9yhlwMyzmtm58nUsQ/s400/small-change1.jpg" title="Tom Waits Small Change" width="400" /></a></div>
The fourth release in <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-waits-mn0000615119">Tom Waits</a>' series of skid row travelogues, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/small-change-mw0000202505">Small Change</a> proves to be the archetypal album of his '70s work. A jazz trio comprising tenor sax player <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lew-tabackin-mn0000215652">Lew Tabackin</a>, bassist <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jim-hughart-mn0000849317">Jim Hughart</a>, and drummer <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/shelly-manne-mn0000019435">Shelly Manne</a>, plus an occasional string section, back <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/waits-mn0000615119">Waits</a>
and his piano on songs steeped in whiskey and atmosphere in which he
alternately sings in his broken-beaned drunk's voice (now deeper and
overtly influenced by <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/louis-armstrong-mn0000234518">Louis Armstrong</a>) and recites jazzy poetry. It's as if <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/waits-mn0000615119">Waits</a>
were determined to combine the Humphrey Bogart and Dooley Wilson
characters from Casablanca with a dash of On the Road's Dean Moriarty to
illuminate a dark world of bars and all-night diners. Of course, he'd
been in that world before, but in songs like "The Piano Has Been
Drinking" and "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart," <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/waits-mn0000615119">Waits</a> gives it its clearest expression. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/small-change-mw0000202505">Small Change</a> isn't his best album. Like most of the albums <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/waits-mn0000615119">Waits</a>
made in the '70s, it's uneven, probably because he was putting out one a
year and didn't have time to come up with enough first-rate material.
But it is the most obvious and characteristic of his albums for Asylum
Records. If you like it, you also will like the ones before and after;
otherwise, you're not <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-waits-mn0000615119">Tom Waits</a>' kind of listener. Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-87961490162955886672013-03-01T22:00:00.001+02:002013-03-01T22:00:16.628+02:00Federico Fellini:"La Dolce Vita" (1960)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIwvXhtlP8bfUPlF4kKYEzxfungD_b06eFjPHzxDoCaLEPR3bZ-05nWlLrBIlfLD2F1UbaQAuhE3o2GmS8lotDZSoXPwTXJZL1mtcw-FcuYt0Z763iJwusGf9DU5YB4gbxuDYZoiO38M/s1600/1960_DolceVita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="La Dolce Vita (1960)" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIwvXhtlP8bfUPlF4kKYEzxfungD_b06eFjPHzxDoCaLEPR3bZ-05nWlLrBIlfLD2F1UbaQAuhE3o2GmS8lotDZSoXPwTXJZL1mtcw-FcuYt0Z763iJwusGf9DU5YB4gbxuDYZoiO38M/s400/1960_DolceVita.jpg" title="La Dolce Vita (1960)" width="400" /></a></div>
In one of the most widely seen and acclaimed European movies of the 1960s, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/federico-fellini-p89547">Federico Fellini</a> featured <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/marcello-mastrioanni-p46339">Marcello Mastrioanni</a>
as gossip columnist Marcello Rubini. Having left his dreary provincial
existence behind, Marcello wanders through an ultra-modern,
ultra-sophisticated, ultra-decadent Rome. He yearns to write seriously,
but his inconsequential newspaper pieces bring in more money, and he's
too lazy to argue with this setup. He attaches himself to a bored
socialite (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/anouk-aim%C3%A9e-p534">Anouk Aimée</a>),
whose search for thrills brings them in contact with a bisexual
prostitute. The next day, Marcello juggles a personal tragedy (the
attempted suicide of his mistress (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/yvonne-furneaux-p25380">Yvonne Furneaux</a>)) with the demands of his profession (an interview with none-too-deep film star <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/anita-ekberg-p21423">Anita Ekberg</a>).
Throughout his adventures, Marcello's dreams, fantasies, and nightmares
are mirrored by the hedonism around him. With a shrug, he concludes
that, while his lifestyle is shallow and ultimately pointless, there's
nothing he can do to change it and so he might as well enjoy it. <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/fellini-p89547">Fellini</a>'s hallucinatory, circus-like depictions of modern life first earned the adjective "<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/felliniesque-p89547">Felliniesque</a>" in this celebrated movie, which also traded on the idea of Rome as a hotbed of sex and decadence. A huge worldwide success, <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/la-dolce-vita-v27906">La Dolce Vita</a>
won several awards, including a New York Film Critics CIrcle award for
Best Foreign Film and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-70613505281186283262013-02-25T03:04:00.001+02:002013-02-25T03:04:18.947+02:00John Huston:"The Maltese Falcon" (1941)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCw7fZxjypxdVZZJz5zrIKkjwAI81XbbyyV8cyW3NZ9JfSez01KBK8lanDnFhGtEHrGaZ4YjYmvaUOHU9cCp5KFxGd_bKtnST5h2VR5_kZ7_527DRJQoJ04x9bATvd9XwY3BEg3WOZbk/s1600/maltese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" The Maltese Falcon" border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCw7fZxjypxdVZZJz5zrIKkjwAI81XbbyyV8cyW3NZ9JfSez01KBK8lanDnFhGtEHrGaZ4YjYmvaUOHU9cCp5KFxGd_bKtnST5h2VR5_kZ7_527DRJQoJ04x9bATvd9XwY3BEg3WOZbk/s400/maltese.jpg" title=" The Maltese Falcon" width="400" /></a></div>
After two previous film versions of <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/dashiell-hammett-p187974">Dashiell Hammett</a>'s detective classic The Maltese Falcon, Warner Bros. finally got it right in 1941--or, rather, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/john-huston-p95260">John Huston</a>,
a long-established screenwriter making his directorial debut, got it
right, simply by adhering as closely as possible to the original. Taking
over from a recalcitrant <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/george-raft-p58473">George Raft</a>, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/humphrey-bogart-p7027">Humphrey Bogart</a>
achieved true stardom as Sam Spade, a hard-boiled San Francisco private
eye who can be as unscrupulous as the next guy but also adheres to his
own personal code of honor. Into the offices of the Spade & Archer
detective agency sweeps a Miss Wonderly (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/mary-astor-p2657">Mary Astor</a>), who offers a large retainer to Sam and his partner Miles Archer (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/jerome-cowan-p15425">Jerome Cowan</a>)
if they'll protect her from someone named Floyd Thursby. The detectives
believe neither Miss Wonderly nor her story, but they believe her
money. Since Archer saw her first, he takes the case -- and later that
evening he is shot to death, as is the mysterious Thursby. Miss
Wonderly's real name turns out to be Brigid O'Shaughnessey, and, as the
story continues, Sam is also introduced to the effeminate Joel Cairo (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/peter-lorre-p100174">Peter Lorre</a>)
and the fat, erudite Kasper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet, in his film
debut). It turns out that Brigid, Cairo and Gutman are all international
scoundrels, all involved in the search for a foot-high, jewel-encrusted
statuette in the shape of a falcon. Though both Cairo and Gutman offer
Spade small fortunes to find the "black bird," they are obviously
willing to commit mayhem and murder towards that goal: Gutman, for
example, drugs Spade and allows his "gunsel" Wilmer (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/elisha-cook-jr-p14692">Elisha Cook Jr.</a>) to kick and beat the unconscious detective. This classic <i>film noir</i> detective yarn gets better with each viewing, which is more than can be said for the first two <i>Maltese Falcons</i> and the ill-advised 1975 "sequel" <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-black-bird-v5828">The Black Bird</a>.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-4531924614455808972013-02-25T03:00:00.000+02:002013-02-25T03:00:06.115+02:00Thin Lizzy :"Jailbreak" (1976)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU12HGytsVzx79G_Y5aH2oPgb-a1LXuiE1V3LvKT-12WIYWBvPgtZJKxGT_Zw4wbYcOdnBJJ5GJXIToS0QAV7J8Lw3on0HHFYW0zjcHsqniOuyAUdcYQW4hGnPHxwffaikbizTr1lSPg4/s1600/cover-thin_lizzy-jailbreak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thin Lizzy Jailbreak" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU12HGytsVzx79G_Y5aH2oPgb-a1LXuiE1V3LvKT-12WIYWBvPgtZJKxGT_Zw4wbYcOdnBJJ5GJXIToS0QAV7J8Lw3on0HHFYW0zjcHsqniOuyAUdcYQW4hGnPHxwffaikbizTr1lSPg4/s400/cover-thin_lizzy-jailbreak.jpg" title="Thin Lizzy Jailbreak" width="400" /></a></div>
<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/thin-lizzy-mn0000590479">Thin Lizzy</a> found their trademark twin-guitar sound on 1975's <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/fighting-mw0000654909">Fighting</a>, but it was on its 1976 successor, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/jailbreak-mw0000204032">Jailbreak</a>, where the band truly took flight. Unlike the leap between <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/night-life-mw0000202880">Night Life</a> and <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/fighting-mw0000654909">Fighting</a>, there is not a great distance between <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/jailbreak-mw0000204032">Jailbreak</a> and its predecessor. If anything, the album was more of a culmination of everything that came before, as <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-lynott-mn0000284546">Phil Lynott</a> hit a peak as a songwriter just as guitarists <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/scott-gorham-mn0000837129">Scott Gorham</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-robertson-mn0000623494">Brian Robertson</a>
pioneered an intertwined, dual-lead guitar interplay that was one of
the most distinctive sounds of '70s rock, and one of the most
influential. <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lynott-mn0000284546">Lynott</a> no longer let <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gorham-mn0000837129">Gorham</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/robertson-mn0000623494">Robertson</a>
contribute individual songs -- they co-wrote, but had no individual
credits -- which helps tighten up the album, giving it a cohesive
personality, namely <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lynott-mn0000284546">Lynott</a>'s rough rebel with a heart of a poet. <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lynott-mn0000284546">Lynott</a>
loves turning the commonplace into legend -- or bringing myth into the
modern world, as he does on "Cowboy Song" or, to a lesser extent, "Romeo
and the Lonely Girl" -- and this myth-making is married to an
exceptional eye for details; when the boys are back in town, they don't
just come back to a local bar, they're down at Dino's, picking up girls
and driving the old men crazy. This gives his lovingly florid songs,
crammed with specifics and overflowing with life, a universality that's
hammered home by the vicious, primal, and precise attack of the band. <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/thin-lizzy-mn0000590479">Thin Lizzy</a> is tough as rhino skin and as brutal as bandits, but it's leavened by <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lynott-mn0000284546">Lynott</a>'s light touch as a singer, which is almost seductive in its croon. This gives <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/jailbreak-mw0000204032">Jailbreak</a>
a dimension of richness that sustains, but there's such kinetic energy
to the band that it still sounds immediate no matter how many times it's
played. Either one would make it a classic, but both qualities in one
record makes it a truly exceptional album.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-39100672517327939642013-01-30T16:31:00.003+02:002013-01-30T16:31:56.909+02:00Malik Bendjelloul:"Searching for Sugar Man" (2011) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1LRTAKKp6KMf5rtJlZD3YWQ2IoAwmHxtfHt8SyNCI3fZFGh-EvSdBt01wd1u1maTFs2zRzZztcmSIUgHj_pq7obuiihy2mLM83f1dBfWD2daH8wGbrK4Bpgo07VMwSnL91UOW65S_Uc/s1600/Searching-For-Sugarman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Searching for Sugar Man" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1LRTAKKp6KMf5rtJlZD3YWQ2IoAwmHxtfHt8SyNCI3fZFGh-EvSdBt01wd1u1maTFs2zRzZztcmSIUgHj_pq7obuiihy2mLM83f1dBfWD2daH8wGbrK4Bpgo07VMwSnL91UOW65S_Uc/s400/Searching-For-Sugarman.jpg" title="Searching for Sugar Man" width="400" /></a></div>
Two South African music lovers embark on a mission to uncover the fate
of an obscure, 1970s-era U.S. rocker whose debut album became a surprise
hit in their home country, and uncover a shocking secret along the way.
<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/sixto-diaz-rodriguez-p61035">Sixto Diaz Rodriguez</a>
had the kind of musical career that every aspiring rock star fears --
lauded by critics but ignored by the public, he released two albums
before unceremoniously disappearing from the spotlight. But while sales
of <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/rodriguez-p61035">Rodriguez</a>'s
debut CD Cold Fact fell flat in the U.S., overseas in Australia and
South Africa, the fans couldn't get enough. In apartheid-torn South
Africa in particular, Cold Fact became something of an
anti-establishment classic, eventually going platinum. Later, rumors
began to swirl that <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/rodriguez-p61035">Rodriguez</a> had suffered a horrible death. When <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/rodriguez-p61035">Rodriguez</a>'s
second album Coming From Reality makes it's belated debut in South
Africa, a pair of devoted fans take it upon themselves to uncover the
facts surrounding the mysterious musician, and get the surprise of a
lifetime while attempting to track the profits from his record sales.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-79887194655833116042013-01-30T16:25:00.002+02:002013-01-30T16:25:20.252+02:00Big Star:"Third/Sister Lovers" (1978)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlqjQGqvMiS9bHDO93AhvCbSyKnZT5G1RZdVmCM4tsGukW_D8kDthmyu5Fx5cC7jUrAebH7VwYyX0waFt_BEJC4TLsNrKaEC_pnzcBgImCHO8u6k9CwcPVFSEKC3TP2S3Vau8KuOnEMw/s1600/tumblr_lzswmoHRKX1qhvp83o1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Big Star Third/Sister Lovers" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlqjQGqvMiS9bHDO93AhvCbSyKnZT5G1RZdVmCM4tsGukW_D8kDthmyu5Fx5cC7jUrAebH7VwYyX0waFt_BEJC4TLsNrKaEC_pnzcBgImCHO8u6k9CwcPVFSEKC3TP2S3Vau8KuOnEMw/s400/tumblr_lzswmoHRKX1qhvp83o1_1280.jpg" title="Big Star Third/Sister Lovers" width="400" /></a></div>
A shambling wreck of an album, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/big-star-mn0000051992">Big Star</a>'s <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/third-sister-lovers-mw0000273581">Third/Sister Lovers</a>
ranks among the most harrowing experiences in pop music; impassioned,
erratic, and stark, it's the slow, sinking sound of a band falling
apart. Recorded with their label, Stax, poised on the verge of
bankruptcy, the album finds <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/alex-chilton-mn0000620155">Alex Chilton</a>
at the end of his rope, sabotaging his own music long before it can
ever reach the wrecking crew of poor distribution, indifferent
marketing, and disinterested pop radio. His songs are haphazardly
brilliant, a head-on collision between inspiration and frustration, and
the album is a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, each song smacking of
utter defeat and desperation. The result is either one of the most
vividly emotional experiences in pop music or a completely wasted
opportunity. While the truth probably lies somewhere in between, there's
no denying <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/third-mw0000273581">Third</a>'s magnetic pull -- it's like an undertow. Originally appearing under the name <em>3rd</em>
on PVC Records in 1978, Rykodisc's 1992 release is the initially
definitive edition of this unfinished masterpiece, its 19 tracks most
closely approximating the original planned running order while restoring
the music's intended impact. In addition to unearthing a blistering
cover of <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-kinks-mn0000100160">the Kinks</a>' "At the End of the Day" and a haunting rendition of <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nat-king-cole-mn0000317093">Nat King Cole</a>'s
"Nature Boy," it also appends the disturbing "Dream Lover," which
distills the album's messiest themes into less than four minutes of
psychic torment. Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-77486385451756460222013-01-15T16:11:00.000+02:002013-01-15T16:11:01.194+02:00Pavement:"Brighten the Corners" (1997)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmu-VzdSNBo1H67Ah-8e1Wzw9Sh4QarnAUlheysMenU13_ZTH0KVkCM-HbUoaTQ45Dka_0u-lhyiil7__tKyvSIRL2vvzFeKQHmnRBVo3uYeQDLLrbGHZlJO55OO_5nkPKjgj6M0whLZ8/s1600/ole-805-brighten-the-corners_nicene-creedence-ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pavement Brighten the Corners" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmu-VzdSNBo1H67Ah-8e1Wzw9Sh4QarnAUlheysMenU13_ZTH0KVkCM-HbUoaTQ45Dka_0u-lhyiil7__tKyvSIRL2vvzFeKQHmnRBVo3uYeQDLLrbGHZlJO55OO_5nkPKjgj6M0whLZ8/s400/ole-805-brighten-the-corners_nicene-creedence-ed.jpg" title="Pavement Brighten the Corners" width="400" /></a></div>
There's a difference between accessibility and focus, which <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pavement-mn0000752314">Pavement</a> illustrate with their fourth album, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/brighten-the-corners-mw0000616529">Brighten the Corners</a>. Arriving on the heels of the glorious mess of <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/wowee-zowee-mw0000126291">Wowee Zowee</a>, the cohesive sound and laid-back sarcasm of <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/brighten-the-corners-mw0000616529">Brighten the Corners</a> can give the record the illusion of being accessible, or at the very least a retreat toward the songcraft of <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/crooked-rain-crooked-rain-mw0000107665">Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain</a>.
And the record is calm, with none of the full-out blasts of noise that
marked all of their previous releases. It would be easy to dismiss the
absence of noise as mere maturity, or a move toward more accessible
songcraft, but neither statement is entirely true. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/brighten-the-corners-mw0000616529">Brighten the Corners</a>
is mature but wise-assed, melodic but complex -- it's a record that
reveals its gifts gradually, giving you enough information the first
time to make you want come back for more. At first, the dissonant
singsong verse of "Stereo" seems awkward, but it's all pulled into
perspective with the gleeful, addictive outburst of the chorus, and that
is a microcosm of the album's appeal. The first time around, the
winding melody of "Shady Lane," the psycho jangle pop of "Date With
Ikea," the epic grace of "Type Slowly," and the speedy rush of "Embassy
Row" make an impression, but repeated listens reveal sonic and lyrical
details that make them indelible. Similarly, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/stephen-malkmus-mn0000021492">Stephen Malkmus</a>'
hip-hop inflections on "Blue Hawaiian" and the quiet beauty of
"Transport Is Arranged" unfold over time. While the preponderance of
slow songs and laid-back production makes the album more focused than <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/wowee-zowee-mw0000126291">Wowee Zowee</a>,
it doesn't have the rich diversity of its predecessor -- "Type Slowly"
comes closest to the grand, melancholic beauty of "Grounded" -- but it
remains a thoroughly compelling listen. Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-89036860658957838402013-01-15T16:06:00.001+02:002013-01-15T16:06:28.977+02:00Jonas Åkerlund:"Spun" (2002)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QAPjN6X7hIdpKm744V1tgYMFjXaBXQQBXUFKjmSeubgDw6cdY8nykeuv5_320yzp4c9dTIZwWrs0SaDiaQ3fxopt_sVVcYGf0GsUPQmWm_4b9C1dTOK4tuAnDFl_r0XuIArPvaW5sq8/s1600/spun-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spun (2002) " border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QAPjN6X7hIdpKm744V1tgYMFjXaBXQQBXUFKjmSeubgDw6cdY8nykeuv5_320yzp4c9dTIZwWrs0SaDiaQ3fxopt_sVVcYGf0GsUPQmWm_4b9C1dTOK4tuAnDFl_r0XuIArPvaW5sq8/s640/spun-poster.jpg" title="Spun (2002) " width="440" /></a></div>
A crystal-meth addict struggles to get his next fix as he obsesses over a recent breakup in <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/spun-v266233">Spun</a>, a black-comic drug drama from music video director <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/jonas-akerlund-p323544">Jonas Akerlund</a>. <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/rushmore-v173502">Rushmore</a>'s <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/jason-schwartzman-p263441">Jason Schwartzman</a> stars as Ross, a young man who finds his maniacal world crumbling around him over the course of one long weekend. <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/spun-v266233">Spun</a> chronicles Ross' travails as he tries to score from his regular dealer, Spider Mike (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/john-leguizamo-p41614">John Leguizamo</a>),
who realizes during Ross' visit that he's misplaced his stash.
Indisposed by the frantic drug search, Spider Mike's girlfriend, Cookie (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/mena-suvari-p223626">Mena Suvari</a>), enlists Ross to pick up her stripper friend Nikki (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/brittany-murphy-p200519">Brittany Murphy</a>)
from work, and when he grudgingly agrees, he learns that Nikki might
have an inside line on some of her own speed, courtesy of The Cook (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/mickey-rourke-p61810">Mickey Rourke</a>).
Meanwhile, two bumbling cops are onto Spider Mike's trail, and in his
paranoid-delusional state, he sets out to find out who set him up. <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/spun-v266233">Spun</a>
premiered at the 2002 CineVegas Film Festival before securing berths at
the Sundance, Toronto, and South by Southwest festivals.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-67147443600401828332013-01-13T16:57:00.001+02:002013-01-13T16:57:35.802+02:00Gordon Parks:"Shaft" (1971)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GnsqRiSB704PMoERw4GSty6_6RPt48BLM_L3j5pthYIq3f6yL-02iACT8wd1NXt_zWl6UTgFylcnWesaHyO6-RlDpWAETwht-e10_xnt7jBNGYBzbt2VUDG_ypOZ3o-wF3qY8ErcVYc/s1600/shaft-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shaft (1971) " border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GnsqRiSB704PMoERw4GSty6_6RPt48BLM_L3j5pthYIq3f6yL-02iACT8wd1NXt_zWl6UTgFylcnWesaHyO6-RlDpWAETwht-e10_xnt7jBNGYBzbt2VUDG_ypOZ3o-wF3qY8ErcVYc/s640/shaft-poster.jpg" title="Shaft (1971) " width="428" /></a></div>
Richard Roundtree cuts a startlingly new and powerful heroic figure as
John Shaft, "the cat who won't cop out, when there's danger all about"
in Gordon Parks' seminal action film, Shaft. John Shaft is a black
private eye with a small office near Times Square. On his way there one
day, he gets pumped for information by Lt. Victor Androzzi (Charles
Cioffi), a friend of his on the police force, about something big going
down in Harlem involving black crime kingpin Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn).
Shaft can't help him and leaves, only to just miss being waylaid by two
of Bumpy's strong-arm men at his office, one of whom ends up dead on the
pavement eight floors or so below. Squeezed by the cops, who are
holding a potential manslaughter arrest over his head, Shaft contacts
Bumpy, who reveals that his teenage daughter, whom he's always kept away
from his business, has been kidnapped. There's been no ransom demand
and no clue as to who did it, and he wants Shaft to find the culprits,
insisting that he start with a group of Harlem-based black militants led
by Shaft's onetime friend Ben Buford (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/christopher-st-john-p112410">Christopher St. John</a>).
No sooner does he find Buford, holed up in a decaying part of Harlem,
however, than his friend's comrades are mowed down by submachine gun
fire, and Shaft and Buford barely escape. With Shaft angry and out for
blood, everyone is forced to come clean -- Bumpy knows that it's the
Mafia that kidnapped his daughter, as they want in on the Harlem drug
trade that he controls; they're holding her somewhere else outside of
Harlem, where his men are no good to him, which is why he wanted Shaft
to hook up with Buford. Androzzi tells Shaft that a dozen Mob trigger
men from out of town have been spotted in Greenwich Village. He doesn't
know why they're there, but he does know that if fighting breaks out
between Bumpy's men and the Mafia, it's going to look like a race war,
and the whole city could erupt. Shaft doesn't like the way he's been
manipulated, but he sees Androzzi's point -- he links the trigger men to
the kidnapping and finds the girl, but loses her again, getting shot in
the process. Even though he's wounded, Shaft heads for a final
confrontation with the kidnappers, supported by Ben's friends in an
armed assault on the building where they're holed up.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-51118586745576570042013-01-13T16:48:00.002+02:002013-01-13T16:48:15.352+02:00Isaac Hayes:"Hot Buttered Soul" (1969)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh5In5IWsK18_6VbgQ6Mxw2XFA8vphX5DCs8UzfnxGrQnNX1Gdvpdik3qdknDmhT2_06ozb6g7tgs0Jn74IW73rKrSBua1IXpvPyGZvOQql8o5zENyyQn_VlXQuCsMxXM6nYLwAhoMy8/s1600/1276343748_front-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh5In5IWsK18_6VbgQ6Mxw2XFA8vphX5DCs8UzfnxGrQnNX1Gdvpdik3qdknDmhT2_06ozb6g7tgs0Jn74IW73rKrSBua1IXpvPyGZvOQql8o5zENyyQn_VlXQuCsMxXM6nYLwAhoMy8/s400/1276343748_front-21.jpg" title="Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul" width="400" /></a></div>
Released at the tail end of the '60s, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-buttered-soul-mw0000651407">Hot Buttered Soul</a> set the precedent for how soul would evolve in the early '70s, simultaneously establishing <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/isaac-hayes-mn0000101946">Isaac Hayes</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-bar-kays-mn0000048300">the Bar-Kays</a> as major forces within black music. Though not quite as definitive as <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/black-moses-mw0000654514">Black Moses</a> or as well-known as <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/shaft-mw0000608481">Shaft</a>, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-buttered-soul-mw0000651407">Hot Buttered Soul</a>
remains an undeniably seminal record; it stretched its songs far beyond
the traditional three-to-four-minute industry norm, featured long
instrumental stretches where <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-bar-kays-mn0000048300">the Bar-Kays</a> stole the spotlight, and it introduced a new, iconic persona for soul with <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/hayes-mn0000101946">Hayes</a>' tough yet sensual image. With the release of this album, Motown suddenly seemed manufactured and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-brown-mn0000128099">James Brown</a>
a bit too theatrical. Surprising many, the album features only four
songs. The first, "Walk on By," is an epic 12-minute moment of true
perfection, its trademark string-laden intro just dripping with syrupy
sentiment, and the thumping mid-tempo drum beat and accompanying
bassline instilling a complementary sense of nasty funk to the song; if
that isn't enough to make it an amazing song, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/hayes-mn0000101946">Hayes</a>'
almost painful performance brings yet more feeling to the song, with
the guitar's heavy vibrato and the female background singers taking the
song to even further heights. The following three songs aren't quite as
stunning but are still no doubt impressive:
"Hyperbolicsyllabicsequedalymistic" trades in sappy sentiment for
straight-ahead funk, highlighted by a stomping piano halfway through the
song; "One Woman" is the least epic moment, clocking in at only five
minutes, but stands as a straightforward, well-executed love ballad; and
finally, there's the infamous 18-minute "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"
and its lengthy monologue which slowly eases you toward the climactic,
almost-orchestral finale, a beautiful way to end one of soul's timeless,
landmark albums, the album that transformed <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/hayes-mn0000101946">Hayes</a> into a lifelong icon. Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-62744131853045909092013-01-12T19:21:00.001+02:002013-01-12T19:21:30.849+02:00Girls Season 2 review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVXNA99bAfu1Pm4bZc08U2h5xXfY-YRoTpEOwwA3cUBQbi3OIZwesbhs8shxpGUtQlZ97uiHmnlosOmVZXqznKkYdqr7Py_NFxt5emickDrQ94HRJTvbMtapDGqT3ZPeUJDSaesvuKn8/s1600/girls-tv-show-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Girls" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVXNA99bAfu1Pm4bZc08U2h5xXfY-YRoTpEOwwA3cUBQbi3OIZwesbhs8shxpGUtQlZ97uiHmnlosOmVZXqznKkYdqr7Py_NFxt5emickDrQ94HRJTvbMtapDGqT3ZPeUJDSaesvuKn8/s400/girls-tv-show-image.jpg" title="Girls" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span>Hannah Horvath is getting her act together. If she can.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span>Hannah, the twentysomething heroine of <b>“<a class="autolink" href="http://www.hitfix.com/tv/girls">Girls</a>”</b> (played by the show’s creator, writer and director <a class="autolink" href="http://www.hitfix.com/categories/lena-dunham">Lena Dunham</a>)
spent much of the HBO comedy’s first season alienating every person in
her life — including many of the viewers who didn’t see the appeal of a
show built around a young narcissist fumbling her way through the world.
By the season’s end, she had chased away her best friend Marnie (<a class="autolink" href="http://www.hitfix.com/categories/allison-williams">Allison Williams</a>),
her boyfriend Adam (Adam Driver) and was alone on the beach at Coney
Island, with a piece of wedding cake her only companion. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span>As we enter the second season (it
debuts Sunday at 9), Hannah has gotten off the sand and attempted to
break with bad old patterns. She’s in a new relationship with Sandy
(Donald Glover from “Community”) and declares, "I'm going to make
logical and responsible decisions when it comes to you." With Marnie
moved out, Hannah is now living with gay ex-boyfriend Elijah (Andrew
Rannells from “The New Normal”) and taking on airs of maturity and
worldliness. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span>Of course, these airs tend to only
betray her ignorance. — when Elijah says he wants to turn their party
into a French salon, Hannah replies, "I've always felt I was secretly
really good at cutting hair” — because what fun would “Girls” be if
Hannah stopped being an epic screw-up? </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span>The new episodes occasionally nod to
some of last year’s criticism. Donald Glover seems there partially in
response to the complaints that this was a very lily-white cross-section
of Brooklyn — but also because Donald Glover is fantastic and fits
seamlessly into this world — and in a marvelously uncomfortable scene in
the second episode, he gets to give voice to the viewers who find
Hannah (and her world) vacuous and narcissistic. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span>But there’s a difference between a <i>character </i>who’s oblivious and spoiled, and a <i>show </i>that
is. And what continues to be clear about “Girls” is that it is
incredibly smart and knowing — and, even more than last season, funny
— in how it depicts the many ways that Hannah and friends inadvertently
wind up hurting each other. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span>Take Elijah, for instance. The
performance Rannells is giving here isn’t too far removed from what he’s
doing on “New Normal.” The difference is that “New Normal” doesn’t seem
to realize that his character comes across as an obnoxious brat, while
“Girls” not only knows it, but embraces it. The new season’s third
episode has Hannah agreeing to use cocaine for the first time for a
website writing assignment, with Elijah along for the ride. The episode
starts out as farce, and an illustration of how Elijah’s presence
encourages all of Hannah’s worst instincts, but like the best “Girls”
installments, it’s capable of turning on a dime and getting to a great
emotional truth about its characters. </span></div>
<div>
<span><br />
The second season digs deeper into the relationship between Hannah’s
fellow barista Ray (Alex Karpovsky) and her neurotic friend Shoshanna (<a class="autolink" href="http://www.hitfix.com/categories/zosia-mamet">Zosia Mamet</a>)
in a way that humanizes Shoshanna without taking away the raw comic
energy Mamet brings to the role. The most pleasant surprise of last
season was the role reversal between Adam and Hannah, where at first
their relationship made her look bad for wanting to be around this
disgusting oaf before our sympathies pivoted and we began to wonder why
he was with her. Season 2 brings with it another shift, and an
opportunity for Adam Driver to continue giving one of the more
memorable, strange performances in all of TV comedy. And though the
impulsive marriage of Hannah’s obnoxiously bohemian pal Jessa (<a class="autolink" href="http://www.hitfix.com/categories/jemima-kirke">Jemima Kirke</a>)
to a wealthy Wall Street type still feels slightly out of key with the
rest of the series, it inspires a great set piece where she gets to meet
her husband’s horrified parents, played by character actors Griffin
Dunne and Deborah Rush. </span></div>
<div>
<span><br />
But the drawing card remains Dunham, who’s only grown more confident as
both a writer and actress. She’s more aware of what she can get away
with having the characters say and do, but there’s even more
vulnerability and more bite to her performance, as well as a greater
willingness to go for physical comedy. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span>It takes an enormous amount of talent
to make a show about a character this annoying be this watchable, and
funny, and touching. Fortunately, Dunham has that kind of talent.
“Girls” was one of the best shows on television last year, and based on
the first four episodes, it has a good jump on the competition for 2013. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<span> </span>By Alan Sepinwall</div>
Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-33143829898628784042013-01-12T17:56:00.002+02:002013-01-12T17:56:41.237+02:00David Fincher:"Fight Club" (1999) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSrcMjBkDWDnwmwn9pEfUGahBNdTmkJEF05LJXhgQX45N28wMeFC3532FyvjNxBj_zNUCSkrwtV8A4F3d2uP20fIPX8wAo4QAqh6R9noQrJtAGoXVs8WPvNllbbJ7Vmh5sj1jgu96aiE/s1600/Tyler-fight-club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fight Club" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSrcMjBkDWDnwmwn9pEfUGahBNdTmkJEF05LJXhgQX45N28wMeFC3532FyvjNxBj_zNUCSkrwtV8A4F3d2uP20fIPX8wAo4QAqh6R9noQrJtAGoXVs8WPvNllbbJ7Vmh5sj1jgu96aiE/s400/Tyler-fight-club.jpg" title="Fight Club" width="400" /></a></div>
In this darkly comic drama, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/edward-norton-p215904">Edward Norton</a>
stars as a depressed young man (named in the credits only as
"Narrator") who has become a small cog in the world of big business. He
doesn't like his work and gets no sense of reward from it, attempting
instead to drown his sorrows by putting together the "perfect"
apartment. He can't sleep and feels alienated from the world at large;
he's become so desperate to relate to others that he's taken to visiting
support groups for patients with terminal diseases so that he'll have
people to talk to. One day on a business flight, he discovers Tyler
Durden (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/brad-pitt-p56988">Brad Pitt</a>),
a charming iconoclast who sells soap. Tyler doesn't put much stock in
the materialistic world, and he believes that one can learn a great deal
through pain, misfortune, and chaos. Tyler cheerfully challenges his
new friend to a fight. Our Narrator finds that bare-knuckle brawling
makes him feel more alive than he has in years, and soon the two become
friends and roommates, meeting informally to fight once a week. As more
men join in, the "fight club" becomes an underground sensation, even
though it's a closely guarded secret among the participants. (First
rule: Don't talk about fight club. Second rule: Don't talk about fight
club.) But as our Narrator and Tyler bond through violence, a strange
situation becomes more complicated when Tyler becomes involved with
Marla (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/helena-bonham-carter-p7266">Helena Bonham Carter</a>),
whom our Narrator became infatuated with when they were both crashing
the support-group circuit. Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/fight-club-v180767">Fight Club</a> was directed by <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/david-fincher-p89783">David Fincher</a>, who previously directed <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/pitt-p56988">Pitt</a> in the thriller <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/seven-v135792">Seven</a>.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-25905130895050740242013-01-12T17:43:00.001+02:002013-01-12T19:24:22.557+02:00The Slits:"Cut" (1979)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3tn6Z45B94IHF-f8ujPvtdZpuVujXR83JM7hpX23Q5QRVB9a_OpxRycKSlmrvQdtSpvNIDW0qX2xDVU2n4YTvLGCXm2WZGVugJ6RQARBvrXWzseCPpomwYvMiFB60NrCxsW89hpADYo/s1600/slits_cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Slits Cut" border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3tn6Z45B94IHF-f8ujPvtdZpuVujXR83JM7hpX23Q5QRVB9a_OpxRycKSlmrvQdtSpvNIDW0qX2xDVU2n4YTvLGCXm2WZGVugJ6RQARBvrXWzseCPpomwYvMiFB60NrCxsW89hpADYo/s400/slits_cut.jpg" title="The Slits Cut" width="400" /></a></div>
Almost as well-known for its cover (the three <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/slits-mn0000498691">Slits</a> are half-naked and covered in mud) as for its music, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/cut-mw0000354634">Cut</a> is an ebullient piece of post-punk mastery that finds <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-slits-mn0000498691">the Slits</a>' interest in Caribbean and African rhythms smoothly incorporated into their harsher punk rock stylings. <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ari-up-mn0000499322">Ari Up</a>'s wandering voice (a touch like <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/yoko-ono-mn0000521704">Yoko Ono</a>)
might be initially off-putting, but not so much so that it makes
listening to the record difficult. Six tracks are revamped from earlier <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/peel-mn0000812692">Peel</a>
Sessions and sound better for the extra effort (especially "New Town"
and "Love und Romance"). With its goofy charm, gleeful swing and sway,
and subtle yet compelling libertarian feminism, this is one of the best
records of the era.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-74615614045054580222013-01-08T17:14:00.001+02:002013-01-08T17:14:25.824+02:00Alfred Hitchcock:"North by Northwest" (1959)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCisayX3rAr2KsD1R3L843AFJRcNnGNtBXij_CKbTlvQm2eZv5oTnilaKuaFdcQUH7coa3RjMdMmwT54VD6nzi9YMpuCwZdaB951xQPCxWfK-PFi_bzk7inN9G9ihQ_nLyXLQ86o_Qmk/s1600/north-by-northwest-1959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="North by Northwest (1959) " border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCisayX3rAr2KsD1R3L843AFJRcNnGNtBXij_CKbTlvQm2eZv5oTnilaKuaFdcQUH7coa3RjMdMmwT54VD6nzi9YMpuCwZdaB951xQPCxWfK-PFi_bzk7inN9G9ihQ_nLyXLQ86o_Qmk/s640/north-by-northwest-1959.jpg" title="North by Northwest (1959) " width="640" /></a></div>
While having lunch at the Plaza Hotel, advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/cary-grant-p28204">Cary Grant</a>)
has the bad luck to stand up just as a "George Kaplan" is being paged.
From this point on, Thornhill's life is turned upside down. He is
abducted by three mysterious men and whisked away to the palatial home
of enemy spy Phillip Vandamm (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/james-mason-p101610">James Mason</a>).
Denying that his name is Kaplan, Thornhill is at a complete loss when
Vandamm begins grilling him for information. Finally, Thornhill is
forcibly intoxicated, tossed into a car, and sent careening down a
treacherous mountain road. He escapes this death trap only by attracting
the attention of a couple of cops in a squad car, but must bring the
car to a sudden halt, and is promptly rear-ended by the car and arrested
for drunk driving. Unable to persuade the law that his stories of
kidnappings and enemy agents is true -- he can't even convince his own
mother (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/jesse-royce-landis-p40294">Jesse Royce Landis</a>)
-- Thornhill takes the cops back to the mansion where he was held
prisoner, only to find that Vandamm and company have cleared out, and
that the house is really owned by United Nations ambassador Lester
Townsend (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/philip-ober-p53747">Philip Ober</a>).
Tracking down Townsend at the UN building, Thornhill tries to get the
man's attention -- whereupon Townsend is knifed to death, and the
nonplussed Thornhill left holding the weapon. Now a fugitive from
justice, Thornhill tries to escape via train. En route, he meets the
cooly beautiful Eve Kendall (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/eva-marie-saint-p62641">Eva Marie Saint</a>), who graciously hides him from the police. The apotheosis of <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/alfred-hitchcock-p94487">Alfred Hitchcock</a>'s Hollywood career, <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/north-by-northwest-v35655">North by Northwest</a>
is fast, funny, and exciting. The film contains far too many highlights
to detail in this limited space; standout bits include the crop-duster
dusting where there aren't any crops, the riotous auction scene, and, of
course, that nail-biting Mount Rushmore finale.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-50719056244661161642013-01-08T17:06:00.002+02:002013-01-08T17:06:30.170+02:00The Pogues:"Rum Sodomy & the Lash" (1985)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7Gyc2vzmUsuSD-nvMngDW8YGi46s1SVvCZ1FNLVeOAJ8MMd66BwonZ2py6humpgS6DGF2M25QE_4r89puza77k5MQvNkM9dSD0hTsX_RUVRG6oEPZu15AAI_Gsbl9Onoz4klgqG2ME0/s1600/Rum_sodomy_and_the_lash.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="The Pogues Rum Sodomy & the Lash" border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7Gyc2vzmUsuSD-nvMngDW8YGi46s1SVvCZ1FNLVeOAJ8MMd66BwonZ2py6humpgS6DGF2M25QE_4r89puza77k5MQvNkM9dSD0hTsX_RUVRG6oEPZu15AAI_Gsbl9Onoz4klgqG2ME0/s400/Rum_sodomy_and_the_lash.jpg" title="The Pogues Rum Sodomy & the Lash" width="400" /></a></div>
"I saw my task... was to capture them in their delapidated glory before some more professional producer f--ked them up," <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549">Elvis Costello</a> wrote of his role behind the controls for <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-pogues-mn0000489876">the Pogues</a>' second album, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/rum-sodomy-the-lash-mw0000471647">Rum Sodomy & the Lash</a>. One spin of the album proves that <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/costello-mn0000058549">Costello</a>
accomplished his mission; this album captures all the sweat, fire, and
angry joy that was lost in the thin, disembodied recording of the band's
debut, and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-pogues-mn0000489876">the Pogues</a> sound stronger and tighter without losing a bit of their edge in the process. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/rum-sodomy-the-lash-mw0000471647">Rum Sodomy & the Lash</a> also found <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/shane-macgowan-mn0000792831">Shane MacGowan</a>
growing steadily as a songwriter; while the debut had its moments, the
blazing and bitter roar of the opening track, "The Sick Bed Of
Cuchulainn," made it clear <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/macgowan-mn0000792831">MacGowan</a>
had fused the intelligent anger of punk and the sly storytelling of
Irish folk as no one had before, and the rent boys' serenade of "The Old
Main Drag" and the dazzling, drunken character sketch of "A Pair of
Brown Eyes" proved there were plenty of directions where he could take
his gifts. And like any good folk group, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-pogues-mn0000489876">the Pogues</a> also had a great ear for other people's songs. Bassist <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cait-oriordan-mn0000642987">Cait O'Riordan</a>'s haunting performance of "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day" is simply superb (it must have especially impressed <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/costello-mn0000058549">Costello</a>, who would later marry her), and while <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/shane-macgowan-mn0000792831">Shane MacGowan</a>
may not have written "Dirty Old Town" or "And the Band Played Waltzing
Matilda," his wrought, emotionally compelling vocals made them his from
then on. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/rum-sodomy-the-lash-mw0000471647">Rum Sodomy & the Lash</a> falls just a bit short of being <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-pogues-mn0000489876">the Pogues</a> best album, but was the first one to prove that they were a great band, and not just a great idea for a band. Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-80605891506693358672013-01-04T15:15:00.000+02:002013-01-04T15:15:21.254+02:00Quentin Tarantino:"Django Unchained" (2012) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ppo8zDYRrwVdkyzEF4ERDFSn1G9wvn6r8Kosvkh3U2boQTqLg0JR_T70H8Nq2gxQcLfuCFIK0Mi2cSAfHT_d520xvCErHc5EiY0VdGcH_HJkwsc65PNNLizNH6G_C2gezA-o6O3cNSw/s1600/Django-Unchained-Twitter-Header-Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Django Unchained (2012) " border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ppo8zDYRrwVdkyzEF4ERDFSn1G9wvn6r8Kosvkh3U2boQTqLg0JR_T70H8Nq2gxQcLfuCFIK0Mi2cSAfHT_d520xvCErHc5EiY0VdGcH_HJkwsc65PNNLizNH6G_C2gezA-o6O3cNSw/s400/Django-Unchained-Twitter-Header-Banner.jpg" title="Django Unchained (2012) " width="400" /></a></div>
A former slave and a German bounty hunter become unlikely allies in the
battle against a tyrannical plantation owner in this western from
visionary director <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/quentin-tarantino-p113658">Quentin Tarantino</a>.
Two years before the Civil War pits brother-against-brother,
German-born fugitive hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award-winner <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/christoph-waltz-p221135">Christoph Waltz</a>)
arrives in America determined to capture the outlaw Brittle brothers
dead or alive. In the midst of his search, Dr. Schultz crosses paths
with Django (Academy Award-winner <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/jamie-foxx-p24604">Jamie Foxx</a>), a freed slave and skilled tracker who seeks to rescue his beloved wife Broomhilda (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/kerry-washington-p281843">Kerry Washington</a>) from ruthless plantation owner Calvin Candie (Academy Award-nominee <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/leonardo-dicaprio-p18926">Leonardo DiCaprio</a>).
Once Django has aided Dr. Schultz in coralling the Brittle brothers,
the two team up to capture some of the most wanted men in the South.
Meanwhile, Django never loses sight of his mission to free Broomhilda
from the treacherous slave trade before it's too late. Upon arriving at
Candie's nefarious plantation, dubbed Candyland, Django and Dr. Schultz
discover that slaves are being groomed for gladiator-like competitions
by Candie's malevolent right-hand man Billy Crash (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/walton-goggins-p27395">Walton Goggins</a>),
and together they skillfully work their way onto the compound for a
closer look. But just as Django and his partner locate Broomhilda and
plot a daring escape, Candie's house slave Stephen (Academy
Award-nominee <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/samuel-l-jackson-p34866">Samuel L. Jackson</a>)
catches wind of their plan, and informs his master of the betrayal.
Now, as a clandestine organization attempts to back them into a corner,
Django and Dr. Schultz will have to come out with pistols blazing if
they ever hope to free Broomhilda from Candyland and the clutches of its
vile proprietor.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-50602790455676888602013-01-04T15:10:00.001+02:002013-01-04T15:10:11.581+02:00The xx :"Coexist" (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQV1I0GYVrksqg48hjVN9VC7Hu68OMukhPHoYWGA9njgt5W4mOdhlG6XGmRseD2AjTe6WIv_jssNbn94mYQ_htLgCD9BJVk6KwHgl3lMhOt8PD3uZhrT89DN1srV5KE2kQbzKeeHhaNA/s1600/The-xx-Coexist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The xx Coexist" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQV1I0GYVrksqg48hjVN9VC7Hu68OMukhPHoYWGA9njgt5W4mOdhlG6XGmRseD2AjTe6WIv_jssNbn94mYQ_htLgCD9BJVk6KwHgl3lMhOt8PD3uZhrT89DN1srV5KE2kQbzKeeHhaNA/s400/The-xx-Coexist.jpg" title="The xx Coexist" width="400" /></a></div>
In the years between their debut and <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/coexist-mw0002405657">Coexist</a>, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-xx-mn0002016312">the xx</a>'s sound took on a life of its own, thanks in large part to <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/drake-mn0001035294">Drake</a>'s hit duet with <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rihanna-mn0000367188">Rihanna</a>, "Take Care," which sampled <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jamie-smith-mn0002602648">Jamie Smith</a>'s collaboration with <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gil-scott-heron-mn0000658346">Gil Scott Heron</a>, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/were-new-here-mw0002095264">We're New Here</a>. That single embodied and popularized <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-xx-mn0002016312">the xx</a>'s aesthetic to such a degree that on first listen, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/coexist-mw0002405657">Coexist</a>
can sound like demos for a potential follow-up. In turn, these songs
lay the trio's R&B roots bare, with an extra emphasis on that last
word: while second albums are where bands usually add more elements to
their sound to keep things interesting, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-xx-mn0002016312">the xx</a>
go even darker and sparer than they were on their debut, which was
pretty sparse and dark to begin with. On the lovely album opener
"Angels," elegantly serpentine guitars -- which recalled <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-cure-mn0000137390">the Cure</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/durutti-column-mn0000129308">Durutti Column</a> on <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/xx-mw0000826745">xx</a>
but are now entirely their own -- echo into spectral shadows, and
fragments of beats and melodies hang unresolved in the air, surrounded
by vast expanses of nothingness. Any track here makes "Basic Space" or
"Crystalised" sound like an <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/arcade-fire-mn0000185591">Arcade Fire</a> song by comparison, but <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-xx-mn0002016312">the xx</a>
walk the fine line between minimalism and incomplete-sounding
confidently. All that silence throws the album's subtle sounds into
sharp relief, highlighting the luminous keyboards and percussion on
"Try" and "Tides"' undulating bassline more effectively than cranking up
the volume on them would have. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/coexist-mw0002405657">Coexist</a>'s barely-there arrangements mean that singers <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/oliver-sim-mn0002033542">Oliver Sim</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/romy-madley-croft-mn0002033147">Romy Madley Croft</a>
do most of the heavy lifting, but they're both more than capable of
carrying the album's intimacy and humanity. While their solo tracks show
how much both of them have grown as singers since <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/xx-mw0000826745">xx</a>, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sim-mn0002033542">Sim</a>
in particular has become more polished and emotive, sounding even
sadder and more seductive on "Fiction" when he sighs "last night the
world was beneath us." However, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/coexist-mw0002405657">Coexist</a>'s heart lies in <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sim-mn0002033542">Sim</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/madley-croft-mn0002033147">Madley Croft</a>'s duets. The pair sounds more entwined than ever, and whether they're close together in <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/coexist-mw0002405657">Coexist</a>'s
vast spaces, as on "Our Song"'s final glimmer of hope, or separated by
them, as on "Chained," they share an intimacy that makes listeners feel
like they're eavesdropping. But while there's no question that this
album is more accomplished than <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/xx-mw0000826745">xx</a>,
it's also less accessible; these songs just aren't as immediate as the
band's debut, and at times, these tales of love gone wrong or gone away
threaten to become repetitive. Still, there are so many moments of
spine-tingling beauty, such as the way "Reunion" blends almost
imperceptibly into "Sunset," or <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/madley-croft-mn0002033147">Madley Croft</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sim-mn0002033542">Sim</a>'s shared sigh on "Unfold," that they're worth a little patience from the listener. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/coexist-mw0002405657">Coexist</a>'s exploration of isolation and intimacy is demanding and rewarding in its bold subtlety and eloquent simplicity. Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-21409710654561803392012-12-24T19:08:00.002+02:002012-12-24T19:08:25.131+02:00The Black Keys :"El Camino" (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuP-GqxmZ4t9I25rLewz6IeWSc1-9Kbt3LVy0enTpDGnHJ1cpfswi_UdnCUSJmvTQ3mR9cRqQ0feK74FcyAYWlAyIqR9Nxh0fl1tnxqk8UrsME8iCMk21Lq_CebCKPnwgM5yBeo9h22I/s1600/The_Black_Keys_El_Camino_Album_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Black Keys El Camino" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuP-GqxmZ4t9I25rLewz6IeWSc1-9Kbt3LVy0enTpDGnHJ1cpfswi_UdnCUSJmvTQ3mR9cRqQ0feK74FcyAYWlAyIqR9Nxh0fl1tnxqk8UrsME8iCMk21Lq_CebCKPnwgM5yBeo9h22I/s400/The_Black_Keys_El_Camino_Album_Cover.jpg" title="The Black Keys El Camino" width="400" /></a></div>
Picking up on the ‘60s soul undercurrent of <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/brothers-mw0001983497">Brothers</a>, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-black-keys-mn0000755918">the Black Keys</a> smartly capitalize on their 2010 breakthrough by plunging headfirst into retro-soul on <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/el-camino-mw0002243314">El Camino</a>. Savvy operators that they are, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-black-keys-mn0000755918">the Black Keys</a> don’t opt for authenticity à la <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sharon-jones-mn0000993494">Sharon Jones</a> or <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/eli-paperboy-reed-mn0001550908">Eli “Paperboy” Reed</a>: they bring <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/danger-mouse-mn0000674440">Danger Mouse</a>
back into the fold, the producer adding texture and glitter to the
duo’s clean, lean songwriting. Apart from “Little Black Submarines,” an
acoustic number that crashes into <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/zeppelin-mn0000139026">Zeppelin</a>
heaviosity as it reaches its coda, every one of the 11 songs here
clocks in under four minutes, adding up to a lean 38-minute rock &
roll rush, an album that’s the polar opposite of the Black Keys’
previous collaboration with <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/danger-mouse-mn0000674440">Danger Mouse</a>, the hazy 2008 platter <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/attack-release-mw0000496227">Attack & Release</a>. That purposely drifted into detours, whereas <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/el-camino-mw0002243314">El Camino</a> never takes its eye off the main road: it barrels down the highway, a modern motor in its vintage body. <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/danger-mouse-mn0000674440">Danger Mouse</a>
adds glam flair that doesn’t distract from the songs, all so sturdily
built they easily accommodate the shellacked layers of cheap organs,
fuzz guitars, talk boxes, backing girls, tambourines, foot stomps, and
handclaps. Each element harks back to something from the past -- there
are Motown beats and glam rock guitars -- but everything is fractured
through a modern prism: the rhythms have swing, but they’re tight enough
to illustrate the duo’s allegiance to hip-hop; the gleaming surfaces
are postmodern collages, hinting at collective aural memories. All this
blurring of eras is in the service of having a hell of a good time. More
than any other <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/black-keys-mn0000755918">Black Keys</a> album, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/el-camino-mw0002243314">El Camino</a>
is an outright party, playing like a collection of 11 lost 45 singles,
each one having a bigger beat or dirtier hook than the previous side.
What’s being said doesn’t matter as much as how it’s said: <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/el-camino-mw0002243314">El Camino</a> is all trash and flash and it’s highly addictive. Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-53973547128404604322012-11-20T16:03:00.002+02:002012-11-20T16:03:33.771+02:00Rob Reiner:"Misery" (1990)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAvjzveaXK-o4PhwgazD-3ZtjxwjVpLcdMeQu1JlKG1POHDS-hfwK6fj_z0t_Eg2fcYJZSqDu0tVbVUH_Q1twjAwOtladoTZWF6bqBI1E2hgqmq72tQVsusbg0biEhSb0aKGpjjIVzZc/s1600/936full-misery-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Misery" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAvjzveaXK-o4PhwgazD-3ZtjxwjVpLcdMeQu1JlKG1POHDS-hfwK6fj_z0t_Eg2fcYJZSqDu0tVbVUH_Q1twjAwOtladoTZWF6bqBI1E2hgqmq72tQVsusbg0biEhSb0aKGpjjIVzZc/s400/936full-misery-poster.jpg" title="Misery" width="282" /></a></div>
Adapted from a <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/stephen-king-p97473">Stephen King</a> novel, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/rob-reiner-p107886">Rob Reiner</a>'s <a class="movie-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/movie/misery-v32861">Misery</a> cast <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/james-caan-p83766">James Caan</a> as a writer at a career crossroads. The film opens with Paul Sheldon (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/caan-p83766">Caan</a>)
completing work on his latest novel, a break from his popular series of
novels featuring the character Misery Chastain. He gets into a severe
car accident and is saved by Annie Wilkes (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/kathy-bates-p4516">Kathy Bates</a>),
a reclusive woman who nurses him back to health. Annie is a huge fan of
the Misery novels, and she finishes reading the new one while Paul is
convalescing. She becomes enraged when she discovers that Paul has
killed off Misery. Annie injures Paul's foot severely so that he is
unable to leave her house, and forces him to write a new Misery novel. A
local sheriff (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/richard-farnsworth-p22732">Richard Farnsworth</a>) and Paul's agent (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/lauren-bacall-p3116">Lauren Bacall</a>) both attempt to track down what happened to the missing author. Misery shot the relatively unknown <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmovie.com/artist/kathy-bates-p4516">Kathy Bates</a> to stardom, winning her one of the few Best Actress Oscars ever bestowed for portraying an evil character.Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018449022959106928.post-19839645693805512312012-11-20T15:59:00.001+02:002012-11-20T15:59:19.140+02:00Smashing Pumpkins:"Siamese Dream" (1993)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYxY_UODoemgrvfb6FzIU9GNpimpofD0NCOHioM-Ern9SnXf8OHfs_Ul3w8Rnm6Dl_AJdxOoZ1kWodgBhiN1w-Awjxzw2btoQfOIL5hOoISORMiwdLIzVfTogU3MVgG9SAp4iMUKGN6c/s1600/smashing-pumpkins-siamese-dream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYxY_UODoemgrvfb6FzIU9GNpimpofD0NCOHioM-Ern9SnXf8OHfs_Ul3w8Rnm6Dl_AJdxOoZ1kWodgBhiN1w-Awjxzw2btoQfOIL5hOoISORMiwdLIzVfTogU3MVgG9SAp4iMUKGN6c/s400/smashing-pumpkins-siamese-dream.jpg" title="Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream" width="400" /></a></div>
While <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/gish-mw0000265088">Gish</a> had placed <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-smashing-pumpkins-mn0000036521">the Smashing Pumpkins</a> on the "most promising artist" list for many, troubles were threatening to break the band apart. Singer/guitarist/leader <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-corgan-mn0000070026">Billy Corgan</a>
was battling a severe case of writer's block and was in a deep state of
depression brought on by a relationship in turmoil; drummer <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jimmy-chamberlin-mn0000787688">Jimmy Chamberlin</a> was addicted to hard drugs; and bassist <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/darcy-mn0000135814">D'Arcy</a> and guitarist <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-iha-mn0000146710">James Iha</a> severed their romantic relationship. The sessions for their sophomore effort, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/siamese-dream-mw0000099414">Siamese Dream</a>, were wrought with friction -- <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/corgan-mn0000070026">Corgan</a>
eventually played almost all the instruments himself (except for
percussion). Some say strife and tension produces the best music, and it
certainly helped make <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/siamese-dream-mw0000099414">Siamese Dream</a> one of the finest alt-rock albums of all time. Instead of following <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nirvana-mn0000357406">Nirvana</a>'s punk rock route, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/siamese-dream-mw0000099414">Siamese Dream</a> went in the opposite direction -- guitar solos galore, layered walls of sound courtesy of the album's producers (<a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/butch-vig-mn0000938464">Butch Vig</a> and <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/corgan-mn0000070026">Corgan</a>),
extended compositions that bordered on prog rock, plus often reflective
and heartfelt lyrics. The four tracks that were selected as singles
became alternative radio standards -- the anthems "Cherub Rock,"
"Today," and "Rocket," plus the symphonic ballad "Disarm" -- but as a
whole, <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/siamese-dream-mw0000099414">Siamese Dream</a>
proved to be an incredibly consistent album. Such compositions as the
red-hot rockers "Quiet" and "Geek U.S.A." were standouts, as were the
epics "Hummer," "Soma," and "Silverfuck," plus the soothing sounds of
"Mayonaise," "Spaceboy," and "Luna." After the difficult recording
sessions, <a class="name-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/corgan-mn0000070026">Corgan</a> stated publicly that if <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/siamese-dream-mw0000099414">Siamese Dream</a>
didn't achieve breakthrough success, he would end the band. He didn't
have to worry for long -- the album debuted in the Billboard Top Ten and
sold more than four million copies in three years. <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/siamese-dream-mw0000099414">Siamese Dream</a> stands alongside <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/nevermind-mw0000185616">Nevermind</a> and <a class="album-link" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/superunknown-mw0000107152">Superunknown</a> as one of the decade's finest (and most influential) rock albums. Indieriderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14899743789585518160noreply@blogger.com0