Shut Up You Fucking Babies!!!

A bunch of cretins have taken to the streets of central London over the last few days to address some issues man! What the fucking retards have failed to realise is that

a) Nobody likes them
b) We all know about these fucking problems, and still don't care
c) They're hardly helping the economic situation by forcing many who work in the square mile to take a fucking day off
d) Where's the fucking organization and forethought??

I mean you had fucking Palestinian flags being waved outside the Bank of England....what the fuck are they going to do about it??? And you had Haitians asking for liberation in Trafalgar Square alongside fucking idiotic, pseudo-goth hippies spinning those juggling ball pieces of crap from side-to-side in order to help "change the world".

When will people learn! The way things are going, real change is to be gotten through official political action, not NVDA....fucking voting is the key, not moaning like a fucking rabble of ignorant trust-fund children who didn't get their lollipops.

Tales of the Black Freighter

The one thing missing from the Watchmen movie?

Tales from the Black Freighter was the story-within-a-story that broke up the original Watchmen book, alluding somewhat to the plight of the main characters'. Apparently the Black Freighter alludes to the song "Seeräuberjenny" ("Pirate Jenny") from Brecht's Threepenny Opera, of which Alan Moore is a big fan.

This 20-minute animated version of the Black Freighter was commissioned for a DVD release this month to coincide with the Watchmen's cinematic release, and stars Gerard Butler of 300 fame in the lead role of the nameless mariner....enjoy it - it's awesome.



BlackFreighter from Tristan Bath on Vimeo.

Mise-en-scène

Watchmen

Saw Watchmen last night, and all I can say is AWESOME!! Zack Snyder did nothing but justice to the far inferior 300 from that talented dickhole Frank Miller, and has not only managed to finally succeed with the oft-failed project of a Watchmen movie, but has created one of the best superhero movies ever made!

The only reason I would refrain from saying it is the best superhero movie ever made, is that it isn't really a superhero film at all. Set-up like a suitably dystopic science-fiction thriller, this has more in common aesthetically with the likes of Terry Gilliam's Brazil (below, 1985) than with X-Men.

While the characters and story - having been so richly crafted in both a visual and contextual sense in the original novel - hold more in common with the fall-from-grace of The Magnificent Ambersons than with simple Spiderman vigilanteism. The film feels like it was made by people who truly loved the cult graphic novel, for people who truly loved the cult graphic novel. Most of the story is easy to discern from the film, but largely, it is a collection of the iconic moments, lovingly put to film. The soundtrack uses many songs mentioned in the novel, including The Sound of Silence, All Along the Watchtower and most memorably, The Times They are a-Changin' during the incendiary opening credits sequence. Another cinematic highlight is the sex scene between Nite Owl II and Silk SpectreII.

As Nite Owl's flying vehicle, Archie, floats above the city, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre fuck inside to the sounds of Leonard Cohen's 1984 original recording of Hallelujah which, for anyone who's heard it, is a true oddity. The song sounds like a terrible 80s ballad, but ultimately holds more emotion than the sum of its parts could muster. Additionally, Nite Owl's orgasm is met with a comic shot of fire in to the sky from Archie as his hand slips on to the button after he comes. All in all, I found this scene of note as it shows all that is good about this film - it's serious without being cheesey, can make the hairs on the back of your neck standup while you laugh at the same time, it faithfully translates many of the iconic images from the novel to the screen, and also uses the language of modern cinema to its advantage where other similar films have shot themselves in the foot somewhat. Spiderman 3 was a filled with failed jokes, and the X-Men films travelled too far too quickly with too little focus. Watchmen abridges the novel perfectly, and even - dare I say it - holds its own as a brilliant piece of filmmaking.

If nothing else - the fight scenes are bone-crunchingly awesome, it has tits, the soundtrack's amazing, there are husky voices galore, and Rorschach's been portrayed as the badass absolutist we all loved.

Good Song is Good

How can someone so closely associated with the mediocrity-machine that is Tim Burton have written such a fantastically good song?....

What's in my ears...(Japanese guys with sunglasses)

Keiji Haino - Koko (2003)

Tracklist:
1) Koko (31:25)

Keiji Haino - electric guitar, voice, loops
Recorded live on September 21, 2003 at Jerry Jeff in Nishi-Waseda, Tokyo.

First up, the illustrious madman who's legend traverses 40 years of the seediest recesses of Japanese underground - Keiji Haino. Having built up a miniscule following during the 70s as frontman for free-jazz outfit Lost Aaraaff, Haino went on to form the now-legendary outfit, Fushitsusha. The band's untitled, double-disc debut didn't come until 1989 (leaving some 10 years or so in Haino's story up to our imaginations) as the 3rd releases for PSF Records. After this album of beautiful, noisy rock featuring wild vocal and guitar improvisations from Haino, Fushitsusha morphed and evolved alarmingly quickly into the ultimate power trio of free-noise-rock-fusion insanity Haino has championed. Haino has also built up a reputation for wild solo LPs, including 1997's infamous So, Black is Myself on Alien8 Recordings (an album that consisted of little more than 60 minutes of a single tone) and several wild improvisations for Hurdy Gurdy,

However, this particular record has to be one of my personal favourites. One single 30-minute track consisting of some of Haino's softest guitar lines looping nihilistically, while he weaves in his beautiful vocals. The song - "Koko" which is Japanese for "here" - has been recorded several times before, most notably on Keep on Breathing - a minimal songwriting showcase from 1997 - and on the aforementioned Fushitsusha debut.

Highly recommended sleep music...

For fans of - Sunn O))), Pharoah Sanders, Stars of the Lid and Kawabata Makoto
Download it HERE




Les Rallizes Dénudés - Mizutani (1993)

Tracklist:
1) 記憶は遠い (6:01)
2) 朝の光 L'aube (1:43)
3) 断章I (3:51)
4) 断章Ii (1:53)
5) 亀裂 (4:39)
6) The Last One (22:22)
7) 黒い悲しみのロマンセ Otherwise Fallen in Love With (8:06)

Mizutani Takashi - guitars, voice
Makino Tadanaka/Shodo Shunichiro - percussion
Kubota Makoto/Nakamura Takeshi - rhythm guitars, bass guitars

Tracks 1-5 recorded ina studio in Kyoto 1970, Track 6 is live in Kyoto 1970, Track 7 is live in Tokyo 1973

Next up, the founding fathers of heavy, noisy, guitar-improv-led Japanese rock: Les Rallizes Dénudés. These guys are pretty awesome; basically the brainchild of guitarist/songwritervocalist, Mizutani Takashi, Dénudés play a simplistic sort of music that never fails to invoke European Son era Velvet Underground when Moe Tucker would simply bash away a simple rhythm while Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison laid down fuzzed-out guitar beauty almost endlessly. Dénudés also have a lighter side, many of their songs - or at least the bookends for Mizutani's solos - follow an almost doo-wop-esque style of simple chord movements, but with somewhat more beautifully pained vocals. This album which emerged in 1993 exemplifies most of Dénudés' genius. There are several shorter tracks of acoustic-led poppy 60s numbers, the 22-minute "The Last One" - which would become a live standard for the group - and the beautiful closing live number from 1973.

It's probably best to let the music speak for itself, but this is one of Dénudés' more consistently listenable, and most coherent releases to date. As a band who incredibly rarely released anything in an official capacity, Dénudés' catalogue is made up almost exclusively of bootleg recordings. There are dozens of Les Rallizes Dénudés recordings available online now, but this one remains the most unique.

Get ready to space out halfway through "The Last One"...

For fans of - Up-Tight, Wooden Shjips and The Velvet Underground
Download it HERE


...here's a bonus video of some more light-hearted Japanese rock to watch while you wait for your downloads...

Acknowledging the Triumphant Return of Stewart Lee

He's been called a genius, a heretic, and the world's 41st best stand-up comedian, but most importantly, he's back on our TVs! Stewart Lee' Comedy Vehicle is gracing the screens of the UK via BBC Two on Monday nights, and Lee's certainly perfected the deadpan onstage persona he's been working on for the last 10 years. The first show - Toilet Books - found Lee attacking celebrity literature (namely the autobiographies of Chris Moyles and So-Solid Crew's Asher D). The Guardian Guide already described the show as "a refreshing change from the perky, ambitious tones of the Mock the Week brigade".

The Comedy Vehicle is the first truly intelligent, laugh-out-loud piece of comedy to come on the beeb in quite some time, and this may be due in part to the input of Armando Ianucci and Chris Morris as executive producer and script editor. Although the material would be nothing without the insatiably professional delivery by Lee - a man you can't help but love.

The only people who won't laugh at this are Chris Moyles, Asher D and possibly Richard Herring - but only out of jealousy. If you watch one thing this week, make it Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle.

Watch it on BBC's iPlayer here

.....and here's the series' trailer...

Mise-en-scène

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Inglorious Basterds

I recently rediscovered the magic of Russ Meyer, and finally got around to watching what must be his most revered film. Faster Pussycat unfortunately has none of the usual Meyer nudity, but must have the funniest script Meyer ever handled. The hilarious and raunchy script - combined
with the lack of nudity - sees Meyer compose a thick atmosphere of sexual tension he rarely matched again. Tura Satana is superb as the sultry, bitchy leader of the Go-Go trio, Varla ("I never try anything. I just do it. And I don't beat clocks, just people! Wanna try me?") and spends most of the film ready to burst out of what little clothing she has on. There are rumours of a Tarantino-endorsed remake starring Tera Patrick as Varla - all we can hope is that this never happens. The up-and-coming Inglorious Basterds sounds more and more as if it may end up Tarantino's opus: a Sam Jackson-narrated, spaghetti-western-styled, World War II movie based on a little-known 1978 Italian original, whose title - when literally translated - meant That Damned Armored Train! Additionally, Brad Pitt and Eli Roth are on board to star as the US platoon's lieutenant and sargeant respectively.

Luckily this means we're probably going to remain in a world where Quentin Tarantino and Russ Meyer are still comfortably distant from one and other, and haven't succomb to the endless remake-and-repackage culture currently destroying the movie industry. Long live the midnight movie!



Check out the Inglorious Basterds trailer here.
and
Download the Torrent file for Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! here

What's in my ears...

Brightblack Morning Light - self-titled (2006)

Tracklist:
1) Everybody Daylight (6:01)
2) Friend of Time (6:30)
3) Fry Bread (1:46)
4) Star Blanket River Child (10:29)
5) All We Have Broken Shines (5:06)
6) A River Could Be Loved (4:03)
7) Amber Canyon Magik (4:54)
8) Black Feather Wishes Rise (5:05)
9) Come Another Rain Down (3:16)
10) We Share Our Blanket with the Owl (5:39)

Nathan Shineywater - guitars, vocals
Rachael Hughes - keyboards, vocals
+
Ray Agee - trombone
Robbie Lee - flute
Paz Lenchantin - bass guitar, piano
Magic Andy MacLeon & Elias Reitz - percussion
Aaron Novak - clarinet
Gail West & Ann McCrary - harmonies

The second album from Rachael Hughes and Nathan Shineywater melts over you like a warm summer breeze. Reverb-soaked vocals float over some wonderfully phrased wurly piano and comfortably subtle percussion. The lyrics may be abstract hippie gibberish ("With silver cloud came a rainfall, with rain made a river come all for you"), but this doesn't mar the record's beauty. The definite highlight is the ten-and-a-half minute "Star Blanket River Child" wherein the band find a chilled out, dynamic groove, reminiscent of 1968's Super Session featuring Al Kooper with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills - but somewhat more subdued.

Get ready to spin it all summer long!

For Fans of - Grouper, John Fahey, MV & EE and Charalambides
Download it HERE