Wednesday 23 March 2011

The Strokes - 'Angles' Album Review


It is inevitable that The Strokes' latest offering, Angles, will be picked apart by critics and fans alike who can't accept that the band's sound has evolved since Is This It. Which is a shame because Angles is a fantastic record.

Sunday 20 March 2011

An Adventure Worth Taking - 'Adventure' - Television Review


Television's second album, Adventure, was released just one year after the critical success of their debut, Marquee Moon, and marks a notable change in musical direction for the four-piece. The New Yorkers were at the forefront of the 'New Wave' musical movement prominent in the late 70s and much anticipation surrounded the release of their second album.

The Flint Street Nativity Review


Christmas: capable of conjuring nostalgic memories dating as far back as first school. We all remember the school nativity where seemingly strong friendships were destroyed over who would be cast as Joseph and Mary and who would be sentenced to play the donkey. The nerve-shattering anticipation of appearing on stage could reduce even the most confident child to a jelly-kneed pant wetter and the less said about the crushing disappointment of being rebuffed beneath the mistletoe the better. Ah Christmas, such a time of joy.

The Coral Live at the o2 Academy, Leeds (14/10/2010)


The Coral are back in Leeds and they're stripped to their bare bones in terms of line-up. At 5 members, they are visually a far cry away from the days when their group consisted of multiple percussionists and Bill Ryder Jones (the band's original guitarist who left in 2008). The same can't be said for the music. The Coral sound as strong and as band member-heavy as ever.

Wide Awake For The Big Sleep - 'The Big Sleep' - Raymond Chandler Book Review


A mystery novel with more twists and turns than a side winder snake slithering through the desert, Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep not only introduced the world to the iconic private investigator Philip Marlowe, but to the author himself whose influence still resonates and grows today.

See The Ghost - 'The Ghost' Review


Watching Roman Polanski's The Ghost, I had a mild feeling of déjà vu. I felt as though I had already seen some of the film's themes explored elsewhere. Polanski's1976 psychological thriller The Tenant darkly explored what it would be like to fill someone else's shoes, to such an extent that you eventually become them.

Networking Its Magic - 'Social Network' Review


It must be an odd sensation to see yourself played on the big screen. In the wrong hands you could appear to be pompous, arrogant, and nasty. But the right actor or actress could elevate your status to near-saintly levels of adulation.

Hard To Hate: 'Viva Hate' - Morrissey Review


Morrissey's debut solo album, Viva Hate, opens with the former Smiths frontman begging his listeners "were you and he lovers?" over a murky soundscape of snaking guitar, moody bass and industrial drum rolls.

Mad Men Season 1 (DVD Review)


"Who is in there?" When Betty Draper poses this question to her sleeping husband she is echoing the thoughts of every person watching the first season of AMC's Mad Men. ...Just who is Donald Draper?

'Aguirre: The Wrath Of God' Review


Based loosely on historical fact, Werner Herzog's Aguirre: the Wrath of God is a very special piece of cinema. As the credits roll you'll be left feeling like you've just watched something quite spectacular.