Chimpomatic

Ben Weaver

The Ax In The Oak

Bloodshot

Modest Mouse and Iron & Wine producer Brian Deck joins Ben Weaver once again on his sixth studio album and the result is a more experimental sound that lifts this record from the sometimes slow grind of his previous efforts. The partnership here between these two artists is more of a collaboration as Deck does way more than produce this piece of work. The Ax In The Oak sounds more like a question and answer exercise as one artist uses what the other has given as a launching pad for multiple departures.

All the regular trappings are here, with Weaver's gruff delivery dominating every second, his lyrics as bare and exposed as ever but the addition of beautifully subtle electronic texture seems to go some way to providing much needed warmth and support to these exposed vocals. But ultimately it's the vocals that makes Ben Weaver so unique. Like Silver Jews' David Berman, Weaver has an ability to see the world in all its day-to-day minutia and uses this attention to detail to describe the larger concepts we all struggle to understand. Opening song White Snow declares "You get one wish for each dot on a junebug's wing / And there's only one dot on the one I'm holding...I'm not going to waste it on you." Likewise, Anything With Words states "The truth is no rounder than a tired horse's eyes."

The themes in Weaver's songs are as earthy as his voice. Nature features strongly with foxes, hawks, alligators and crows all drifting by the desolate Weaver landscape. This is very real music as every hum-drum experience contributes to Weavers creative tapestry. But reality isn't always pretty and Weaver doesn't shy away from this. His tales of monotony, loneliness and dead birds can sometimes sound awkward but it's in this awkwardness that the captivation lies.

Such wisdom appears quite startling from someone in his late twenties and the manner by which this wisdom is administered is also staggeringly mature. For an artist like this to be so often compared to Tom Waits the mind boggles at what he'll be sounding like in 20 years time. But great music will often disguise both its origins and the direction it intends to go and throughout all six of this guys records both these elements remain unclear. The standout track here is Hey Ray and if this is any kind of hint at the road that lies ahead for Weaver's music then it is more than encouraging. The lonely strums of the acoustic guitar are so shrouded in loneliness that when they are eventually enveloped by Deck's warm bass and delicate beat it's hard not to feel a shiver. At over six minutes long Hey Ray is the most subtly ambitious song to date. It shows Weaver's ability to sing about desolation so convincingly and yet shroud his words with such intimacy. He's left "the ax in the oak and the pot on the stove" but assures us he'll "be back in a while." Mr. Weaver, we await your return with baited breath.

Links

Ben Weaver
Myspace
Last FM

Tags

#BC
#Music

10th Sep 2008 - Tweet - Tumblr

The Ghost

Clumsy, inefficient thriller. Was going to say wannabee-Polanski, then I noticed Polanski directed it.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

1st Feb 2012

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

More mindless big budget tentpole antics. Nothing new to report, Cap'n.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

30th Jan 2012

Ironclad

Shapeless medieval actioner. The medium calibre cast is let down by the shoddy production quality & script.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

28th Jan 2012

Paul

Turgid alien bromance comedy. Disappointing turns from Rogan/Frost/Pegg/Mottola.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

26th Jan 2012

True Grit

Sumptuous, beautifully shot, stylish western. Its slowness is saved by a couple of great set pieces.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

23rd Jan 2012

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Improved op, Simon Pegg lightens Cruise control. Overlong, vertigo stunts IMAX-ready.

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

23rd Jan 2012

127 Hours

Bold, confident filmmaking from @DannyBoyleFilm. 57 Hours might have worked better.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

23rd Jan 2012

The Adjustment Bureau

Unsteady retro sci-fi with religious undertones - that once might have starred Jimmy Stewart.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

21st Jan 2012

True Grit

Jeff Bridges saddles up for a manhunt w Matt Damon & Hailee Steinfeld. Nobody does ornery better: true great.

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

21st Jan 2012

Reds

Portentous historical epic from Warren Beatty. Ambitious in scale and production, it sadly fails to get going.

Halliwell says: Interminably long but full of quality, this immensely detailed work was a most unlikely project to succeed in the eighties, but its very strangeness enabled it to break even.**

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF
#Halliwell

21st Jan 2012

The Good The Bad And The Ugly

Newly extended scenes only highlight how good every scene is in this masterful western.

Halliwell says: Intermittently lively, very violent and interminably drawn out western with a number of rather hilarious stylistic touches.*

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF
#Halliwell

19th Jan 2012

Midnight Run

Note perfect action comedy from Martin Brest. Movies don't get much better than this.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

18th Jan 2012

Limitless

Expensive, psychedelic student film exploring sci-fi drug dependency.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

16th Jan 2012

Limitless

Well-shot, pacy NYC fantasy about a wonder drug that gives you ultra clarity/turns everything into fisheye.

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

15th Jan 2012

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Disappointing blend of Cuckoo's Nest and 500 Days. @Galifianakisz saves the day again.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

14th Jan 2012

Leon

It seemed derivative at the time, but Luc Besson's hit man flick brought some edgy originality to Hollywood.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

13th Jan 2012

Sinoia Caves

The Enchanter Persuaded

Moody synth soundscapes from @_blackmountain_ 's Jeremy Schmidt.

#OnRotation
#Music
#CSF

12th Jan 2012

Fallen Angels

WKW's Chungking Express follow-up sacrifices charm for extremist style that has rarely been equalled.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

11th Jan 2012

Hereafter

Bizarre exploration of the afterlife from Clint. Hot on the heels of What Dreams May Come and Lovely Bones.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

7th Jan 2012

The Green Hornet

Dull big screen outing for a second rate superhero - wasting considerable talent and money.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

7th Jan 2012

Mesrine Part 2: Public Enemy No 1

More expensive, directionless French gangster antics. With added Almaric.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

4th Jan 2012

Betrayed

Detailed, absorbing thriller from Costas Garvas, as Debra Winger goes undercover with the KKK.

Halliwell says: Heavygoing piece with Something to Say, but not much to watch.*

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF
#Halliwell

3rd Jan 2012

Ratatouille

There's a rat in the kitchen, what can Pixar do? Serve up a MasterRat toon. Hard sell, but it works.

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

3rd Jan 2012

Tootsie

Still great 80s drag comedy w Dustin Hoffman scoring a soap job in heels. Bonus: Bill Murray as his flatmate.

Halliwell says: As with Genevieve and Whisky Galore, an unlikely comedy subject makes an instant classic. It's all in the handling.**

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71
#Halliwell

3rd Jan 2012

What Just Happened

Dark, stylish, humorous dissection of the movie biz ...that only makes me want to live in LA.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

2nd Jan 2012

Gulliver's Travels

Unambitious, child friendly update to the classic tale.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

2nd Jan 2012

Drive

Still derivative. Still borderline pretentious. Still enjoyable.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

1st Jan 2012

Cool World

Early 90's car crash, as Ralph Bakshi's kaleidoscopic fountain of ideas collides with the mainstream.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

30th Dec 2011

Beginners

Assured, personal, touching, refreshing exploration of love and relationships from Mike Mills.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

29th Dec 2011

Megamind

The superior rock OST is virtually all that distinguishes this from 'Despicible Me'.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

27th Dec 2011

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Super fast paced, thoughtful action movie - that stretches things a little too far.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

27th Dec 2011

Breaking Bad Season 4

This show just gets better and better, with S4 providing the tightest, most rivetting twists yet.

#TV
#CSF

26th Dec 2011

The King's Speech

A touching, powerful story. Well acted and adequately told.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

26th Dec 2011

She & Him

A Very She & Him Christmas

Zooey and M. Ward croon through the classics. There's one day this is good for.

#OnRotation
#Music

25th Dec 2011

Bird On A Wire

Misc alleyways were full of way more stuff to crash into in the 80s. Gets an extra star for the random chimp denouement.

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

24th Dec 2011

Tamara Drewe

Middle class village life literary shagathon. Like a decent posh pub lunch.

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

24th Dec 2011

ET: The Extra Terrestrial

Spielberg's flawless classic still hits hard, even if my bike still can't fly.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

24th Dec 2011

Finding Nemo

Charming animated aquatics from Pixar. Lacking the emotional sucker punch of their other efforts.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

23rd Dec 2011

Thelma and Louise

Stylish feminist road movie that saw a return to form for Ridley Scott. Feminists might disagree.

Halliwell says: Timely, exuberant and off-beat feminist road movie that manages to say something interesting about the relationship between the sexes.***

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF
#Halliwell

18th Dec 2011

Wassail

Poole Lighthouse

This concert included some of Dorset’s finest musicians - The New Scorpion Band, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Purbeck Village Quire and the St. Osmund Singers. They blended magnificently to produce a great evening of everything that is traditional about Christmas.

The Scorpions are a group of musician/composers – several of whom regularly perform at the Globe Theatre - who sing and play unamplified music using a wide variety of historical instruments. However, amplification was hardly necessary with the full BSO behind them and they produced a varied and very enjoyable selection of music and verse. Highlights were Sans Day Carol and the Dorset Mummers’ Play whilst the BSO excelled with Warlock’s Bethlehem Down and Vaughan Williams’ English Folksong Suite.

This conceptual concert started at the Lighthouse in 2010 and returned by popular request, whilst now also expanding to a tour with new venues in Bristol and Portsmouth. Look out for further expansion in the years ahead.

#Music
#Gig
#Puskas

18th Dec 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Irreversible

Brutal, context-free trawl through a seedy underworld as reverse trauma unfolds. Get your sea legs on.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

17th Dec 2011

Good Will Hunting

Gus Van Zandt's absorbing drama still holds up. Beautifully written, acted, shot and directed.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

17th Dec 2011

Speed

Pop quiz asshole! Keanu's 90's runaway bus classic has not matured with age.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

16th Dec 2011

This Is England '88

Another classy, confident, gut-wrenching slice of foreboding urban drama from Shane Meadows.

#TV
#CSF

16th Dec 2011

The Russian Ark

An ambitious amble through Russian history - with a single tracking shot and a cast of thousands.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

15th Dec 2011

Norwegian Wood

Disappointingly dull and lifeless Murakami adaptation, despite the high calibre of talent involved.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

15th Dec 2011

Off!

- First Four EPs. Keith Morris' punk supergroup provide a welcome punch in the face for tired music.

#OnRotation
#Music
#CSF

14th Dec 2011

The Bicycle Thief

Italian neo-realist classic, as area man struggles to find work and the necessary tools to do it.

Halliwell says: The epitome of Italian neo-realism, the slight human drama is developed so that it has all the force of King Lear, and both the acting and the backgrounds are vividly compelling.***

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF
#Halliwell

14th Dec 2011

Despicable Me

Decent enough sub-Pixar evil genius adventure. Shrink ray included.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

12th Dec 2011

The Driver

Moody, but flat and dull original car chase movie with Ryan O'Neal. More influential than it is good.

Halliwell says: Noisy melodrama, very proficient in the screeching tyro department but extremely empty as a character.*

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF
#Halliwell

11th Dec 2011