Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Laterax Rotterdam
For anyone in the area this weekend, Laterax records is putting on a show this coming weekend in Rotterdam. Amsterdam's Sykosonics and Rotterdam's Politics will be performing in a little venue in the north of the city called the Little Cave. To be honest, I've never heard of the place before - my bad - but it's two very good bands and it's free.
:: Posted at 9:10 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Sunday, November 27, 2005
Serenity - Netherlands
Recently I've found myself writing a bunch about films rather than music. Not on this website obviously, but maybe I should change that. Anyway, I was a big fan of TV series Firefly and with it resurrected for the cinema recently, here is my rather defensive, pleading, not too original review of Serenity. It was published in last week's Amsterdam Weekly, and there is still time to catch the film in NL if you haven't already.
Space adventures are rarely box office hits these days. Sure, there was Star Wars, but does that even count anymore? While the original movies are immense fun and mean so much to so many people, the prequels are an embarrassment by comparison. Episode 3--Revenge of the Sith just about scraped by with passing marks--the stale script and wooden acting can only be forgiven because of the special effects and nostalgia factor--but it's definitely not a defining moment in the history of cinema. Surprisingly, high-speed but low-budget action adventure Serenity may well be the answer movie-goers and sci-fi fans deserve, though probably don't expect.
When you glance at its title or walk past the posters it's tough to grasp what the hell this movie actually is about. Throw in the premise of a space western and it's fair to say this is a tough product to market to the masses. US broadcaster Fox certainly struggled with the concept, strangling Serenity's predecessor, the TV show Firefly, by showing its episodes out of order and then canning it after only ten shows. That's hardly a recipe for success. Nonetheless, the magical piece of celluloid was lovingly resuscitated by creator Joss Whedon, a cast and an audience who believed the idea was too good to die.
Although this is his big-screen directorial debut, Whedon is no stranger to movies. His most successful screenplay was actually Toy Story, and his next major project will be Wonder Woman. But having thrown himself head first into the world of TV over the last eight years, he's best known for creating international cult hits Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. Sure, those shows were filled with kicks, punches and at times some really shoddy demon costumes, but at their heart was a series of relationships with smart writing as their driving force.
This space opera follows the same principles. Serenity is a beat-up cargo transporter owned by Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion). Imagine a Han Solo who never met up with Obi Wan and Luke Skywalker--a rogue character travelling the galaxy with his assembled crew of lovable misfits, thieving and smuggling goods, people and cattle just to put some protein on the dinner table. Everyone onboard has their own story to tell, but it's the human cargo of teenager River Tam (Summer Glau) and her brother Simon (Sean Maher) who are most vital to the plot of the movie.
The tense, fast-paced opening scenes, which act as a bridge between the TV show and film, show Simon rescuing River from a government who have been prodding her brain with needles and turning the sweet, elegant girl into a confused psychic weapon. Losing her is a major threat to galactic security, so a cold-hearted operative--performed wonderfully by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Four Brothers, Melinda and Melinda, Love Actually) and almost stealing the entire show--is in pursuit to stop River, and if that means killing everyone around her, then so be it.
But Serenity is no simple space chase. The rate of action is near-perfect, and for large chunks of its two hours it's exciting edge-of-the-seat stuff. However, where the movie stands apart is in its slick, quick-witted narrative between actors that director Whedon genuinely believes were born to play these roles. Few are big names yet, but the their chemistry and humour gives the film its real soul and charm.
Back in the very early rounds of promotion, Whedon would explain to fans, 'It's a movie about the human condition and big explosions. But if you need to tell someone about the movie, tell them about the big explosions because who really cares about the human condition?' It's certainly a fair assessment. The adventure is the big selling point for strangers to these characters and the story is capable of standing alone, but if you grew to love the people and the concept in the short-lived series, it's the emotional impact which resonates strongest, leaving you walking out the cinema with your mouth open.
Is the movie perfect? Not quite. Although the introduction to their universe is fairly efficient and quite necessary, the opening dialogues are briefly grating. And the comparatively low budget excluded seamless Industrial Light & Magic effects, although, to be fair, Oscar-nominated director of photography Jack Green (Unforgiven, The Bridges of Madison County) certainly squeezes out some great visuals for the price.
Perfection is subjective anyway, and whether Serenity reels in enough cash to spawn a dozen sequels, or drifts through space just being adored by a hardcore set of fans, it isn't going to vanish. It's a surprisingly classy movie and definitely has the potential to slow burn, and eventually attain the respect few sci-fi movies ever do.
:: Posted at 3:46 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Friday, November 25, 2005
Audiotransparent - Nevland
As in so much of what I write here these days, I've been incredibly slow to write about the new Audiotransparent album. If I thought the band actually cared, they'd probably be afraid I don't like it. Having enjoyed their debut so much and gone on and on about it, after half the band left last year, they may be scared I've gone off them. That isn't the case though. If anything I'm just lazy.
Nevland is another beautiful album which maintains the original atmosphere and tone of their debut. Continually slow, considerate, dark and immensely pretty, Audiotransparent deserve much more success. The textures are unavoidable, with a range of instruments creating layers of attractive noise. It shouldn't be a surprise because all the ingredients were there before, yet I did find myself amazed that they didn't lose much in the way of magic while shedding band members.
I can't even pick out favourites from this release because it is of high quality right across the board, but I must admit, whenever the strings appear I become completely lost in the music. Andreas Willemse's violin parts have always been exceptional, but with some additional help from a string section on this record, the arrangements have become epic. Not in a cheesy Hollywood style, but in an emotional, gripping sense. I still want to stand up and make the world listen to Audiotransparent. I'm not sure anyone actually listens to me but there are definitely moments of musical greatness on Nevland.
'The Friday Of Our Lives' is available to download from http://www.audiotransparent.com
:: Posted at 4:04 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Vladimir - The Notion Express
I've written about this Apeldoorn-based quartet in the past, and they've always appealed to me in much the same way as Groningen's Audiotransparent. With their slow methodical songs, they create stunning textured pieces of audio. I'm in no way driven only by slo-core sounds, but when these Dutch bands do it I'm always left hugely impressed.
Offering layers of guitars that build up methodically and ease themselves back down, their style of song presentation is fascinating. There's no requirement for bombast or fancy tricks. The melodies are right there and when you give them a chance, they slowly reel you into their atmospheric world. Peppering the sound with a distant, melancholic trumpet only adds to the spirit.
One thing I've never fully been able to shake is that Vladimir's vocals are reminiscent of Chris Martin. I'm in no way a fan of Coldplay, so when I write it, I hope to do so without it sounding like either an attack nor blessing. But there's a pleasing tonal quality to the vocals, and if anything, I wish Coldplay had the guts to make music like Vladmir rather than the rehashed works they keep pummeling us with through the media.
Vladimir definitely deserve a chance. If not only for their musical strengths, then also for packaging it all so beautifully. Bands like this should always sell all of their stock.
Audio is available online via their official website http://www.vladimir-web.com.
:: Posted at 3:57 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Persil - Glasgow - 14 November
The disappointment of not seeing Sleater-Kinney during my recent Glasgow trip still burns a little. Sure, they're due to tour Europe next spring instead, but every time I hear their new single 'Jumpers' on the radio or catch the video on TV I can't help thinking what could have been.
The one musical consolation of my 'holiday', however, was catching Persil live. I've no idea who booked their tour or why, because as choices of venue go, they were all 'out there'. Still, they found themselves in Glasgow, and having never seen them live before I wasn't going to miss out.
Two support acts kicked things off. I don't know who the first were and I couldn't actually see them onstage. Now I'm all for experimental sounds, but with a poor sound mix, no visual contact and only a collection of random notes to go with, I was left with the conclusion that either the people had never met before or the songs never existed until that moment. The Retrosexuals were a much needed improvement and seemed to fit perfectly beside Persil, with their pulsing electro backtrack, loud guitars and catchy melodies catching my attention. That's if we could actually hear melodies. You see, the soundman seemingly vanished for their entire set and their microphones could barely be heard at all. Even with David from Persil going over and trying to salvage the situation, nothing really helped. The band seemed intriguing, but yeah, technology was the enemy.
Thankfully at least one microphone was repaired for the Persil set, and ironically it almost ended up too loud for the rest of the music. But at least it gave the duo a fighting shot as Martine's vocals battled over their electro-noise. Can't say I heard much of David, but without a decent view of the stage I couldn't even see if he was singing most of the time.
Persil are great fun though, and for a duo they sure make a lot of noise. It was particular joy to hear them rip up 'Music' from Duotone. Unfortunately the set was cut rather short due to the landlord being determined to evict everyone from the crowded basement much sooner than required. That's the breaks sometimes, but despite the sound quality, lack of view, or even lack of comfort, I'm delighted to have caught Persil live.
:: Posted at 3:22 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Teenage Fanclub - Nighttown - November 7
The experience of seeing Teenage Fanclub onstage outside of Scotland was a strange one. Used to packed Barrowlands audiences and everyone knowing every song inside out, it was weird to be sitting on the steps in Nighttown amidst a half-empty room. But that doesn't mean my first Fanclub gig in almost four years wasn't special.
Firstly there was the unusual situation of being in the venue without an actual band. After the bottom apparently fell out of their van on the motorway going to the gig, it was left to the legendary Guitar George, their infamous guitar tech to fill in the prolonged gap. Forming a makeshift band with the guy who does monitors and a helper from the venue, he performed a sincere set of simple guitar pop. Perhaps too earnest and straight for my usual tastes, he's just such a charming man that it couldn't not put a smile on your face.
Eventually the band arrived, and without much of a chance to catch their breath they were onstage. Again, it was just so surreal to be down the front at a Fanclub gig and have the space to lie down if desired, but they were still great. By all rights the band should not have been so happy, yet there they were, still catching each other's eyes and smiling mid-song. As for Norman Blake, if you'd seen the way he grinned during 'Discolite' every time he rung out a massive distorted chord on a guitar reeled out especially for the song, you'd suspect it was his first time ever finding such a sweet sounding overdrive.
Song after song was rolled out covering every corner of their back catalogue. I confess it's the works from Songs From Northern Britain and earlier that get me going the most, but everything stood up well. Harmonies were falling perfectly in place and everyone relaxed into a fun time. After 90 minutes it was over and the crowd found its voice. Amazingly it didn't result in an encore, but after the greatest hits style close to the set and the late start, it was understandable.
It was something like nine years since Fanclub last performed on these shores. I don't know if they're feeling too old for touring these days but I hope not because there's still an audience for them in NL.
:: Posted at 2:58 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Fuck-Off Machete
Been meaning to say this recently and kept forgetting, Glasgow's Fuck-Off Machete have a new single out on a new record label. I was really into them last year, and you can read my review of their debut album here. I believe it did alright and got a decent reception, but they still never really took off in a massive way. Which is a shame, but they're back via Highpoint Lowlife Records and ready to go at it again.
The new single is titled 'If Gold Was Silver and Silver Was Gold' and comes across in that Sonic Youth meets Girls Vs Boys style that I like so much. Nice b-sides too. I'm not much of a singles person anymore - not like I was in my youth anyway - but this is a great taster of what's to come in their next album.
Plus the band will be performing in Den Haag on December 17 as part of the State-X / New Forms Festival, whose website is pretty useless right now. I'm excited for them to be here in NL and will undoubtedly be mentioning it again over the next few weeks.
:: Posted at 2:25 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Thursday, November 03, 2005
Cruel Fortunes
Next weekend I'll find myself in Scotland after travelling all day across land and water (thank you Easyjet for cancelling my route). The purpose of the trip is to see Sleater-Kinney, or was, as they cancelled the gig days after I bought my ticket and booked the travel arrangements. Apart from the unfortunate expenses incurred and this poor attempt at self pity, Glasgow isn't as rewarding with gigs as usual. Loads fall this week, and then more the week after I leave, but not so much while I'm there. I will have a football match at least, with Scotland promising an exciting nail-biting 0-0 draw against USA.
However, my real point is this. In my haste to follow Sleater-Kinney and chase what could have been the gig of the year, I have sacrificed the Music in My Head festival in Den Haag next weekend with my precious Sons and Daughters, and also The Gossip at Waterfront on Nov 16. A big fat wah! Please feel free to make up for my error by supporting both events.
:: Posted at 1:55 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Teenage Fanclub
Nine years ago next week I bought a cheap bass and officially joined my first band that day. The first song I had to learn and rehearse with them was Teenage Fanclub's 'Radio' off Thirteen.
I wasn't always a fan of the Fanclub. When I first saw them live at T in the Park in 1994 I thought they were crap, but Grand Prix changed my mind and over the years they became a band I cherished. Of course it was quite easy to feel that way living in Glasgow when there were endless opportunities to see them live.
Well next week they make their first proper return to the Netherlands in absolutely ages and it's quite exciting. Look out for them at Rotterdam's Nighttown (7/11), Tilburg's 013 (8/11), Groningen's Vera (9/11) and the Melkweg (10/11). Show them Holland still cares and they won't let you down.
:: Posted at 1:46 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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