The Burning Hell — Baby (Weewerk)
Matthias Korn, mastermind of The Burning Hell, has always been clever, and his music perfectly capable of catchiness, too. Even so, Baby is a surprise. Korn’s previous album, Happy Birthday, drowned its potential in one too many mournful ballads — fans of the ukulele maestro’s live show were confused to discover how little of his … Continue reading
Solomon Nagler interview
The phrase “low-budget experimental film” is enough to send shivers down even the most dedicated cinephile’s spine. It conjures visions of baffling Dadaism and interpretive dance — an incomprehensible language accessible only to those who spend a lifetime studying its subtleties. The fact is, though, there are no prerequisites — understanding experimental film is child’s … Continue reading
Various Artists – War Child Presents Heroes & Dark Was the Night
Whatever goodwill most benefit albums acquire through their altruism, they tend to blow on inappropriate covers, hookless B-sides and other inessential tunes. Music fans looking to get charitable would be better off donating directly to their pet cause and getting on with their day. At least War Child Presents Heroes has a decent concept. Rather … Continue reading
Welcome to the Sticks (review)
From an outsider’s perspective, Welcome to the Sticks is a straightforward fish-out-of-water comedy — French post office worker Phillipe (Kad Merad) is forced to transfer to a small town in the north of France, a punishment worse than being fired. Will he discover that the northern region is not as backwards as he once thought? … Continue reading
Listening to Who (Murray Lerner intervew)
Some musicians go a long way for spectacle — lasers, makeup and inflatable pigs have all been par for the course. The Who didn’t need any of that. By 1970, they had already perfected and moved beyond mod rock, well on their way to becoming hard rock’s greatest act. When they played at the Isle … Continue reading
Bibio — Vignetting the Compost
Bibio’s sound is at once unique and instantly welcoming. Delicate acoustic guitar lines are looped, phased and bent, layered forwards and in reverse, sculpted into fragile symphonies in miniature. It’s a formula that’s served the British artist well over his past two albums, and earned him accolades from influential friends like electronic outfit Boards of … Continue reading
Listening to Who (Murray Lerner intervew)
Some musicians go a long way for spectacle — lasers, makeup and inflatable pigs have all been par for the course. The Who didn’t need any of that. By 1970, they had already perfected and moved beyond mod rock, well on their way to becoming hard rock’s greatest act. When they played at the Isle … Continue reading
Inkheart – review
The latest attempt to turn kid-lit hits into box office gold, Inkheart occupies a comfortable middle ground onscreen. Based on the first in a trilogy of novels by Cornelia Funke, it is less epic than The Chronicles of Narnia, less sprawling than Harry Potter and has significantly fewer lovelorn vampires than Twilight. Still, what Inkheart’s … Continue reading
Inkheart interview (Brendan Fraser)
Making a movie about the power of books puts a filmmaker in a very peculiar place. Now, more than ever, technology allows writers and directors to realize any landscape, monster or spaceship that crosses their mind in vivid detail, even in modestly budgeted films. At the same time, some parents are concerned that the instant … Continue reading
Flicker – review
In 1959, painter and poet Brion Gysin and scientist Ian Sommerville invented what they called the dreamachine — a rotating cylinder with slits on the sides and a light bulb in the middle. It looks like a novelty decoration, like a disco ball or lava lamp, but to its creators, it is something far more … Continue reading
The Consumption 