CDs/DVDs
DVD: Spring in a Small TownTuesday, 03 March 2015
The release of pent-up desire in a movie drains it of interest. Its withholding keeps the plot boiling, especially if moral considerations come into play. In Fei Mu’s Spring in a Small Town, the passion of former teenage sweethearts Zhou Yuwen (Wei... Read more... |
CD: Emily Saunders - Outsiders InsidersMonday, 02 March 2015
Emily Saunders has crafted a reputation for cool, sophisticated songs blending Brazilian themes and rhythms with a clean, precise, almost Scandinavian delivery. On this, her second album, she includes electronic sounds and distorted vocals, moulding... Read more... |
CD: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – Chasing YesterdaySunday, 01 March 2015
The enduring appeal of Noel Gallagher isn't hard to fathom. His music is brimming with resolution and resolve; it does what we expect it to with a rewarding honesty and an often admirable lack of pretence. This meant that, on 2011’s Noel Gallagher’s... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Bridget St. JohnSunday, 01 March 2015
Bridget St. John: Dandelion Albums & BBC CollectionPigeonholing Bridget St. John is gratifyingly difficult. Although generally categorised as folk, her early albums actually posited her as a singer-songwriter following her own path. Like... Read more... |
DVD: Mr TurnerFriday, 27 February 2015
Nothing pinpoints the Oscars' absurdity more than the absences of Mike Leigh’s masterpiece as Best Film candidate, of Timothy Spall from the Best Actor list - New York and London critics as well as Cannes made some amends – and even of Marion Bailey... Read more... |
CD: Katzenjammer – RocklandWednesday, 25 February 2015
Norwegian alt-folkies Katzenjammer may have gained some attention with their distinctive versions of Genesis’ “Land of Confusion” and Nick Cave’s “Henry Lee”, as well as the multi-instrument approach on their previous albums, Le Pop and A Kiss... Read more... |
CD: Tuxedo - TuxedoWednesday, 25 February 2015
I work in an office where music is generally played in the background. Picking the soundtrack for a Friday afternoon can be a particularly fraught moment: one person's idea of a wind-down from work and a promise of leisure to come can be too cheesy... Read more... |
DVD: The NightcomersTuesday, 24 February 2015
“We have been doing sex” is Flora and Miles’s answer when housekeeper Miss Jessel asks what they are up to. The brother and sister have seemingly been violently attacking each other on a bed. The inspiration is gardener Peter Quint’s interactions... Read more... |
CD: Altan - The Widening GyreMonday, 23 February 2015
Taking its title from the opening line of WB Yeats's The Second Coming, this new album from legendary traditional Irish band Altan sees them decamp to Nashville for an imaginative, celebratory exploration of the links between traditional Irish and... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The Zakary ThaksSunday, 22 February 2015
The Zakary Thaks: It’s the End – The Definitive CollectionGalloping with the urgency of a sweat-flecked horse running a steeplechase, the choppy guitar riff takes early Kinks raunch and filters it through a testosterone-driven sensibility that... Read more... |
CD: Songhoy Blues - Music in ExileSunday, 22 February 2015
Songhoy Blues, a punchy guitar band with roots on the edge of the desert, take the downhome country sounds of Ali Farka Toure, Afel Bocoum and Sidi Toure and give them a high-octane dose of urban urgency. They don’t just play those mesmerising Sahel... Read more... |
CD: Scorpions - Return to ForeverSaturday, 21 February 2015
The past few years have seen a glut of successful rock comebacks – in fact, acts like Judas Priest, Kiss and Saxon are rocking as hard now as they ever did. Unfortunately, for every group that has defied the years, there’s another who should have... Read more... |
