Music: The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

The Decemberists
The Crane Wife
[Chamber Pop / Indie]






Everyone's favourite Dickensian indie urchins return with a typically strong set of songs. Whilst all their staples (antiquated crime, exotic locales, wordy lyrics) remain in force, right from the opening they seem to be operating in a more epic, muscular mode than you may be used to. Opener The Crane Wife Part 3 may be chronologically out of order with parts 1 and 2 (found as a single track later on the record; a deceptively short-looking 10 tracks is actually 13 if we count the two three-parters on the album seperately) but it forms an appropriate opener with it's epic fairytale feel. A spin on an old Japanese tale, it's the story of a poor man rewarded for saving a bird with a bride; and then rebuked for working her hard out of greed.

But if The Crane Wife 3 is a good introduction, it's The Island which really opens the record out. The three part epic moves from the commanding, slightly funky Come and See to the bitter You Won't Feel The Drowning; "Go to sleep now, little ugly, / Go to sleep now, you little fool" with ease and style. Yankee Bayonet and O Valencia! feel more like the Decemberists we've been used to in the past, but neither have immediate appeal of something like 16 Military Wives. O Valencia! is good single fodder, but it doesn't quite have the bouncy drive or satiric immediacy necessary to really engage like Military Wives. It's only when we get to the forcefully rhythmic Perfect Crime #2 that the listener is reassured of this album's progression. The material is tried and true Decemberists pulp but the song's musical qualities are what set it apart from their back catalogue.

When The War Came is possibly the album's weakest song, but it's abrasive, slightly queasy sounds suit the lyrics, and it can be argued that it's inclusion was to the advantage of the album as a whole. Following it are Shankhill Butchers and Summersong, two very typically Decemberists songs, but offerings set in sharp contrast; from the menacing minimalism of Butchers to Summersong's breezy pop; "My girl, linen and curls / Lips parting like a flag all unfurled / She's grand, the bend of her hand / Digging deep into the sweep of the sand".

But the mark of how good an album is as a whole lies, for me, in it's finale. The Crane Wife delivers a one-two punch with the beginning parts of it's title song, a quite, introspective, beautiful song that most bands would be proud to have as a finale; it's here the wisdom of the ordering of the tracks becomes apparent. Not content to rest on this, the band pulls out a last ace with Sons and Daughters, a rousingly optimistic glob of pop honey that manages to make nonsensical lyrics like "We'll build our walls of aluminum / We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon" sound inspiring.

The Crane Wife is an unusually hard album to grade. Whilst it works extremley well as a coherent whole, a few of the tracks, whilst pleasing, seem like treading water for the band. The lack of a single as strong as 16 Military Wives is also somewhat of a dissappointment, but an album this epic and consistent can't, in the end, fail to impress. A strong offering then, but from a band that needs to evolve a little more from their past albums. 80

Music: Brit Awards 2007 (Part 1)

One of a number of music awards shows believing itself to be the industry standard, the much-maligned Brit Awards are apparently undergoing a resurgence. At least that's what we're being told; to trained ears, it simply means that more money is being poured in to promote a show that, devoid of any particular identity in the post-Britpop era, has really struggled to attract a decent share of viewers in the noughties.

Last year's show was a minor improvement (mainly due to Chris Evans' short-lived comeback) and, with the return to a live setting in 2007, the organisers are clearly aiming to revisit the show's more controversial years. In other words, they'll get Russell Brand to call someone a cunt just after nine and try to break the viewer complaints record. Cynical it may well be, but it's about time we had something to talk about.

This year's list of nominations is about as interesting as can be expected, although the dreaded MOR curse could strike and, if potent enough, has the potential to engulf every category. Here's hoping Lightbody and co. have a quiet one...

In typically investigative fashion I've decided to offer some predictions: who should win in every category and who will win in every category. Hopefully I'll be able to report back in Part 2 with the smug conviction that I'm one step ahead of the British music industry. If I get them all wrong, mind, I'll chew up this article, spit it out and duly commit it to burn for all eternity in Musically Sound's long-forgotten archives. The horror! The horror!

British Male Solo Artist
Winner: James Morrison
Shoulda: Thom Yorke

British Female Solo Artist
Winner: Lily Allen
Shoulda: Nerina Pallot

British Group
Winner: Arctic Monkeys
Shoulda: Arctic Monkeys*

British Album
Winner: Arctic Monkeys
Shoulda: Amy Winehouse

British Single
Winner: Take That
Shoulda: Lily Allen*

British Live Act
Winner: Muse
Shoulda: Guillemots

British Breakthrough
Winner: James Morrison
Shoulda: Lily Allen*

International Male
Winner: Jack Johnson**
Shoulda: Justin

International Female
Winner: Beyonce
Shoulda: Christina

International Group
Winner: Scissor Sisters**
Shoulda: Flaming Lips

International Album
Winner: Gnarls Barkley
Shoulda: Gnarls Barkley*

International Breakthrough
Winner: Gnarls Barkley
Shoulda: Gnarls Barkley*

It must be noted that some of these have been made under duress due to the limited selection. For example, other than Arctic Monkeys the choices for best British group are Kasabian, Snow Patrol, Muse and Razorlight.

A special mention should go to Oasis who will be getting a lifetime achievement award for an album they released thirteen years ago. There's nothing like a bit of superstition is there chaps?

* indicates a reluctant choice
** indicates a win by default (only one to give a shit)

Film / Games / Music: Harry's Review of 2006

2006 was, as always with the arts, an interesting year.

In music there were highly-publicised releases from the likes of The Beatles, The Killers, Bob Dylan, Nas, Beyonce, Justin, Christina, My Chemical Romance and Tom Waits, as well as fervent championing of a number of lesser-known acts such as Belle & Sebastian, Liars, The Knife, Joanna Newsom, Ghostface, TV on the Radio (proving the old adage that one single does not a good album make) and more. We saw Hope of the States split up after disastrous sales of their sophomore album, Left, and the effective demise of The Futureheads as they too experienced second album difficulties - News & Tributes shifted a measly 32,000 copies and the band were subsequently dropped from their label, 679 Recordings.

Movie-wise, we witnessed "the end of Western civilisation as we know it" (Mark Kermode) as Gore Verbinski's bloated Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest became one of the highest grossing movies ever made, while a number of foreign language films broke through into the mainstream, most notably Requiem and Pan's Labyrinth. We had a new Bond (yay), Borat's debut (nay) and everyone's favourite slightly disturbing celebrity (no, not Michael Jackson) return in Mission Impossible: III (hmm). Just when you thought it wasn't possible to continue raping the cash cow that is 1970s horror movies, along came Jonathan Liebesman's horrific (in a bad way) prequel to the remake The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. At least we had Saw 3, eh?

2006 brought a sad end to the decade-old era of gameplay with the arrival of next-gen tomfoolery; Gears of War scooping countless awards for being shiny, despite lacking original narrative, setting, characters or gameplay comes to mind. At least Monsieur Sea Bass Takatsuka finally perfected his world-beating footie franchise with the colossal Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (this time it can't get any better, it just can't damn it!) and we saw a slight return to story-based gaming on the PC with Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, Broken Sword: The Angel of Death and the welcome return of Sam & Max. Artsy gaming continued to suffer as the big names trumped the independent studios, culminating in the lamentable demise of Clover Studios, creators of the (apparently) masterful Okami. The Nintendo DS outfought the PSP, though as long as portable games remain laughably overpriced that fails to be of particular concern.

And, without further ado, here is my rundown of the best of this year's releases in music, movies and games.

Top 10 Singles:

01. The Spinto Band - "Oh Mandy"
02. The Wombats - "Moving to New York"
03. The Pipettes - "Pull Shapes"
04. CSS - "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above"
05. Justice vs. Simian - "We Are Your Friends"
06. Christina Aguilera - "Ain't No Other Man"
07. Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
08. TV on the Radio - "Wolf Like Me"
09. Peter Bjorn & John - "Young Folks"
10. Belle & Sebastian - "Funny Little Frog"

Top 10 Album Tracks:

01. Belle & Sebastian - "Another Sunny Day"
02. Liars - "Let's Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack"
03. Squarepusher - "The Modern Bass Guitar"
04. Hope of the States - "This is A Question"
05. Clipse - Dirty Money
06. The Long Blondes - "Swallow Tattoo"
07. The Pipettes - "It Hurts to See You Dance So Well"
08. The Knife - "Silent Shout"
09. Thom Yorke - "Cymbal Rush"
10. Guillemots -"Sao Paulo"

Top 10 Albums:

01. Liars - Drum's Not Dead*
02. Joanna Newsom - Ys*
03. Guillemots - Through the Window Pane*
04. The Knife - Silent Shout
05. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
06. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
07. Squarepusher - Hello Everything
08. Ghostface - Fishscale
09. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
10. Howling Bells - Howling Bells

Top 5 Movies:

01. Pan's Labyrinth (del Toro)*
02. Grbavica (Zbanic)
03. The Departed (Scorsese)
04. Inside Man (Lee)
05. Requiem (Schmid)

Top 5 Games:

01. Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (KCET)*
02. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda)*
03. Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (Funcom)
04. Medieval 2: Total War (Sega)
05. Half-Life 2: Episode One (Valve)

* denotes 90+ rating

Music: Adrian's Review of 2006

Best Albums:

1) Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say...
Hyped to death, overplayed by radio and embarassingly clung to by politicians wanting to be down with the kids, but still by far the best thing 2006 gave us. In blending the two most important British acts of the noughties - the Streets and the Libertines - Arctic Monkeys produced an album that is both a pop classic and a lyrical masterpiece. The highlight of an album of highlights comes at the end, with "A Certain Romance" offering as vivid a representation as you'll find of what it's like to be a young person growing up in Britain today.

2) Long Blondes - Someone To Drive You Home
The success of the aforementioned Monkeys brought about a plethora of very similar sounding (and frankly generally crap) bands from Sheffield passing observation on increasingly mundane parts of life. With their distinctive appearance and a female vocalist, The Long Blondes were bound to stand out from this cloud of mediocrity emerging from the Steel City. If not exactly original, Someone to Drive You Home stood out in a year of increasing blandness in British indie. The dark yet intelligent lyrics of lost female autonomy combined with wonderful pop songs create an album that's both packed with killer tunes and highly intelligent.

3) Brakes - Beatific Visions
Pithiness defined Brakes' excellent 2005 debut Give Blood, and rare is it to see musicians express a political view as succinctly as Brakes do in the first verse of opening track "Hold Me In The River": 'I woke up late and found my liberty lost / It had been written down in law as a security cost'. If only Sting knew such brevity. Beatific Visions' triumph is its electicness, with it never leaving the listener on one musical strand long enough to induce boredom. One moment vocalist Eamon Hamilton is pontificating animatedly about who would win in a battle between a porcupine or a pineapple (continuing, however eccentricly, the anti-war theme), the next he's moved onto the surprsingly touching "Mobile Communication". More consistent than British Sea Power, less stodgy than Electric Soft Parade, what was once a side-project has become a far more exciting prospect than the bands that originally formed it.

4) Ben Kweller - Ben Kweller
2006 was not a good year for the singer-songwriter, with the genre suffering from the critical derision brought onto it by a certain Mr. Blunt, and Damien Rice's highly anticipated second album proving disappointing. Ben Kweller's eponymous third album represented a bridging of the gap between the delicacy of Coner Oberst and the summer pop of Ben Folds. Displaying a great sense of melody, maturity and consistency, this was one of the year's hidden gems.

5) My Latest Novel - Wolves
My Latest Novel have been described as the Scottish Arcade Fire; undoubtedly a flattering comparison, but one which does not entirely do justice to the originality of the band. They build up layers of sound, steadily increasing an impressive array of instruments before reaching a triumphant climax. This lacks the wrist-slitting inducing frustration of similarly whimsical bands such as Explosions In The Sky, with the songs always going somewhere and possessing enough hooks to make them stick in the listener's head. Subtle, but very sophisticated.

Top 5 Singles:
1) Flaming Lips - "The Yeah Yeah Song"
2) Divine Comedy - "A Lady of a Certain Age"
3) Dustins Bar Mitzvah - "To The Ramones"
4) Guillemots - "Trains To Brazil"
5) Jarvis Cocker - "Running The World"

Top 5 Gigs:
1) Divine Comedy - Newcastle - October
2) Art Brut - London - April
3) Arctic Monkeys - Sheffield - January
4) Dustins Bar Mitzvah - Newcastle - May
5) Captain Dangerous - Nottingham - December

Best Video:
Jim Noir - My Patch

Biggest Disappointments:
The Futureheads - News And Tributes
Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
Razorlight - Razorlight
The Holloways - So This Is Great Britain

Tips for 2007:
Jamie T
Hot Club De Paris
The Maccabees
The Rumble Strips
Foals
Captain Dangerous

Film: Dir. Jasmila Zbanic - Grbavica

Dir. Jasmila Zbanic
Grbavica
[ Drama ]









Much as I'd love to consider myself a connoisseur of the big screen, I have to confess that my experiences with Bosnia-Herzegovinan cinema are few and far between (read: non-existent). In fact, my knowledge of the area's politics was embarrassingly limited until a quick scan of Wikipedia revealed all: Serbs and Bosnians hate each other and a guy with a funny name killed a load of folks.

Perhaps this detailed historical insight can go some way to explaining why Jasmila Zbanic's Grbavica has yet to see a release in areas with a high concentration of Serbs, or perhaps the film is just so charmingly low-budget that the film makers can barely distribute it outside their own back yard. After all, I saw a "premiere" of Grbavica (a.k.a. Esma's Secret in Britain) nearly ten months after its original release date.

As those of you with access to exclusive screenings at certain film festivals may recall, the film scooped Berlin's Golden Bear - perhaps the most prestigious award in independent cinema - back in February. For those of us mere mortals, however, Grbavica seems to have slipped under the radar. On mentioning the film to my peers I rightly anticipated the blank looks and puzzled expressions; indeed, I only saw the film on impulse after happening upon a conveniently placed poster that advertised the film's critical success.

Though the point of Grbavica is to reflect on the horrors of the area's history (large parts focus on a rape victims' support group), there is an underlying plot which drives the movie. Sara (Luna Mijovic) is preparing to go on a school trip under the assumption that, because she has been told her father is a war hero, she will be able to go free of charge under a special scheme that rewards sacrifices made in the Balkan War. All she needs to do is produce a certificate to the school that proves her father's martyrdom and all will be well. However, her mother Esma (the one with the secret, remember?), played by veteran Mirjana Kiranovic, insists on paying full price for the trip and claims she has "lost" said certificate.

While the plot may seem a little simplistic (and the twist more than a little obvious), the narrative drive in Grbavica is only intended to keep the story focussed while the relationships between the different characters are explored. Mijovic and Kiranovic effectively portray the complex relationship between a parent and an adolescent, seamlessly juxtaposing blistering rows with quieter, more heart-warming moments. In the opening scene, for example, a playful wrestle turns sour when Sara refuses to relinquish a grip on her mother.

Although the relationship between mother and daughter is dwelt upon the most, the interaction between the two females and their male companions is equally compelling. After an initial scrap during a playground football game, we see Sara become increasingly fond of class rebel Samir (Kenan Catic) with the pair eventually skipping school and getting up to other assorted mischief. Given the volatility of her domestic relationship, it is easy to empathise with Sara as she is drawn deeper and deeper into her friend's world. Similarly, Esma is cautiously smitten by a work colleague who is made to appear extremely menacing. As these two relationships continue to develop, it is clear that Esma and Sara disapprove of each other's companion - Sara furious that her father's reputation is being undermined while Esma is understandably concerned for her twelve-year-old's safety.

What makes Grbavica such an enthralling presentment of post-war life in Sarajevo is hard to say, though there are a few possible explanations. Newcomer Mijovic is stunning in the supporting role, bringing believable equivocacy and complexity to Sara's character. While at times unbelievably bratty and seemingly unlovable, Mijovic's mournful countenance and erratic behaviour conceal a fractured, confused and tender-hearted innocent. Though Catic and Karanovic perform well, Mijovic owns every scene and has arguably produced the best troubled teen portrayal since Angelina Jolie's Oscar-winning sociopath in Girl, Interrupted.

The cinematography is suitably grey, urban and destitute, ranging from crumbling tower blocks to empty car parks and contributes to the downtrodden feel. Deserted streets and abandoned buildings subtly hint at previous horrors but even without considering the past it's hard not to feel sorry for people living in such a dismal setting.

Zbanic's direction is deliberately understated and the pacing slow, though it's hard to imagine any other way of shooting Grbavica; only someone of Michael Bay-esque proportions could have messed up a movie in which the performances take centre-stage.

So, despite the lack of a strong narrative and the really, really, really depressing nature of Grbavica (it's like watching Eastenders for ninety minutes, only with real actors, a real story and helpings of genocide, rape, war and isolation), there's no doubting that it is a significant achievement. Though not quite a masterpiece, Grbavica is a powerful and important reminder of the consequences of what may initially appear to be a harmless detestation. 86

Film: Dir. Paul Andrew Williams - London to Brighton

Dir. Paul Andrew Williams
London to Brighton
[ Drama ]





Recent British gangster films have left a lot to be desired, offering up an increasingly sleek, clean and day-glo depiction of London's criminal underworld as seen by executive producers in swanky apartments. Famous examples Snatch and Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels really do take the crafty Cockney stereotype to appalling extremes and, as if to compound the misery, I recently learned that Guy Ritchie actually does take himself seriously as a filmmaker. Yes, despite missing the obvious irony of casting wannabe tough guy Vinnie Jones, recent interviews with Ritchie about his latest film Revolver see him explaining how the colours of the spectrum represent different characters and other equally fascinating reasons why critics don't get him. On the non-Ritchie front, things look pretty bleak too; Layer Cake, and Green Street both envision London the way that Richard Curtis and Cameron Diaz might if they sat down for a midday moccha on Oxford Street.

It comes as a pleasant surprise, then, that London to Brighton almost manages to capture the blood-soaked, sweat-sodden underworld of our glorious capital without slipping into unintentional self-parody. Of course, there's excessive facking to be heard, and some scenes do fall narrowly short of the intended toughness. That said, with themes of prostitution, paedophilia, rape and drug abuse, could it really fail?

Paul Andrew Williams tells his story with a compelling mix of real-time action and flashback sequences running in a non-chronological, sometimes random order. I personally don't mind this technique (I even enjoyed the almost farcical time sequencing in The Grudge), though I can appreciate that some viewers may not find it to their taste. Worry not, however, because the story is a relatively simple tale of deals gone wrong and victims on the run, told through the eyes of abused prostitute Kelly (Lorraine Stanley) and her doey-eyed comrade Joanne (Georgia Groome).

In a nutshell, Kelly's boss's boss has something of an alternative sexual appetite and is in need of a younger girl to satisfy his needs. Kelly dutifully tricks twelve-year-old Joanne into being that girl and, as the opening scene suggests, the meeting might not have gone quite as planned. We encounter Kelly and Joanne in a public lavatory, panicking and shouting and conspiring to escape London as quickly as possible. Kelly leaves a horrified Joanne alone in a toilet while she heads off to acquire money for a train to Brighton and, before you know it, the pair are in the station and heading for apparent safety.

What makes this opening five minutes so outstanding is its complete, unabashed realism. The cubicle is a visible haven of filth, emphasised by the shaky handheld camera now typical of the European indie flick. Stanley actually looks like a prostitute and Groome is similarly convincing as the traumatised kid. The pair even enjoy a tray of chips that look revolting in the way that only lukewarm, under-cooked takeaway food can. Though Stanley and Groome's anonymity in the acting world certainly lends the scene added weight it is, regardless, an exceptional piece of film-making.

Kelly and Laura share traumas, memories and cigarettes aplenty throughout the rest of the film, but London to Brighton struggles to recapture the frantic mood of that potentially iconic opening scene. That said, Williams injects satisfying levels of additional violence and horror to ensure the momentum of the film remains pretty brutal.

During more reflective, dialogue-heavy moments (almost exclusively between the two women), the acting is just about restrained enough to be believable. Stanley occasionally results to unnecessary melodrama as she wrestles with her conscience and muses tearfully on the chaos unfolding around her, however these instances are rare and only feature in circumstances where overacting could be considered forgivable.

Another minor complaint regards the ending which, while depressingly real for certain characters is dreadfully predictable and completely unsatisfying for others.

On the whole, London to Brighton is a rough, tough and often thought-provoking contemporary drama. It is one of the most impressive documents of twenty-first century London (on a par with Kidulthood) and will hopefully serve as useful point of reference in the same way that Scum managed for borstals in the 1970s. Though occasionally prone to the odd stereotype - Kelly's pimp Derek (Johnny Harris) is the typically soft-on-the-inside Mockney rogue - the acting performances are commendable and bring Williams' unsettling vision into fruition. Never easy, occasionally shallow and often harrowing, London to Brighton is a step in the right direction for the British gangster movie. 75

Film: Dir. Hans-Christian Schmid - Requiem

Dir. Hans-Christian Schmid
Requiem
[Horror / Drama]





Before anything is said about this movie I ought to make one thing clear: Requiem is not The Exorcist. While the film does focus on the idea of demonic possession, no-one sucks anything in hell, crucifixes are only used for religious ecstasy and, as far as I can tell, nothing juicy goes up anyone's ass. That is not to say Requiem isn't creepy - it most definitely is - but in a markedly different way to its forebear. Thankfully, it opts not to pursue the needlessly shlocky route popularised by recent teen slashers either, preferring to spook the audience with a brooding, sophisticated horror.

Those who remember 2005's The Exorcism of Emily Rose will be familiar will the premise, as both movies are loosely based on the life of Annaliese Michel - a girl who underwent a much-publicised, real-life exorcism in 1975. However, whereas ...Emily Rose chose to glorify the frights and was "based on real events" in the traditional American sense (i.e. not at all), Requiem is a relatively subdued and slow-burning affair.

It has that familiar European indie feel whereby people talk, talk some more and occasionally shout at each other. Every upbeat moment is short-lived; immediately followed with a depressing revelation. Extended silences allow the viewer time for philosophical reflection. Fortunately, though, the strength of the acting performances is such that Schmid just about pulls it off. Most of the main cast manage that laid-back, everyday mood that, ironically, requires a great deal of effort to portray convincingly.

Notable, too, are the scenes in which Michaela appears to be possessed, which achieve an equally mundane yet compellingly voyeuristic atmosphere. Sandra Huller throws herself about, wailing miserably and covering her ears, but the audience sees nothing. Is the possession real, or just a figment of the girl's imagination? That, thankfully, is never explained, leaving open a teasing ambiguity to ensure Requiem creates a lasting impression.

While the film's sense of style and setting is commendable, clumsy characterisations are commonplace and undermine much of the artistic complexity. A cinema brochure boasted that Requiem "avoids any of the easy clichés about religion", but the strict/liberal parent archetype is one among many instances that suggest otherwise. Michaela's mother (Imogen Kogge) is the stereotypically dogmatic parent while her father (Burghart Klaussner) is prepared to reconcile his daughter's hedonistic lifestyle. Marriage difficulties and dramatic tension predictably ensue, though Kogge's stony glares and heartless indignations are uncompromisingly mean. Likewise, the idea of a streetwise friend liberating the sheltered central character is nothing new. Is it even worth mentioning the creepily sincere yet slightly sinister vicar that ticks all the usual boxes? Only Michaela's boyfriend Stefan (Nicholas Reinke) is a believable portrait, echoing our incredulity as the madness unfolds around him.

All in all, Requiem convincingly portrays the chain of events which perpetuate Michaela's decision to pursue exorcism. While its social commentary is perhaps a little weak (blind faith is bad, people!), it effectively combines carefully plotted, believable settings with an deliberately lo-fi feel. Credit is due, then, for displaying such extraordinary events so convincingly. Where ...Emily Rose went for shocks, this will make you shudder. 77