Chimpomatic

Twin Peaks Season One

(dir.David Lynch and others)

What's up, doc? I have just raced through all of season 1 of Twin Peaks in a couple of days. This is the first time that I've revisited it since it aired on TV in 1990. It's still great, and Cooper is still one of the greatest characters ever to appear upon our screens, but it was *very* odd to watch it in such a condensed time period. What I remember about watching it first time around is weekly mass viewings in halls of residence that took up almost all of a term. (Chimp71 might even remember the occasion on which we had to bribe people to join the Twin Peaks gang, just so that we outnumbered the people who wanted to watch something on the other channel in the TV room. And then there was the night on which we really couldn't make up the numbers, which led to far too many people piling into my room to watch the show on my ancient, unreliable B&W portable TV). Stretching the viewing experience out over a couple of months clearly made season 1 feel more epic than it actually is - I really felt this time around that it was a small, perfectly-formed, tightly-plotted gem. And my memory clearly can't be trusted: I remember lots of visits to 'the red room', but there's just *one* in the whole series. I'm assuming that the scenes I've remembered are from season 2, so we'll just have to wait for that to appear on DVD.

#Film
#Dr.Chimp

27th Feb 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet

CocoRosie

Scala, London

After the tragic let down (and probably the best sleep I’ve had in a long time) of the recent Bob Dylan concert I really needed Coco Rosie to restore my faith in live music. I was not disappointed. This was one of the most creative live performances I have ever seen. Sneaking on quietly amid a barrage of French rappers in tutu’s, the sisters captivated the audience from the first note. The music was totally live with classical piano and harp accompanying human beatbox, animal noises, delicate acoustic guitar and strange childlike vocals that sounded like a cross between Billie Holliday, Bjork and that freaky exorcist in Poltergeist. One of the sisters (Sierra) is a trained opera singer and it sure made for a refreshing contrast to hear such an enchantingly powerful voice booming out of a girl dressed in baseball cap and general hip hop gear, while her sister looked like she had just got out of bed and threw on her boyfriends oversized Tupac t-shirt. The stage seemed packed with lots of strangely dressed people doing their own thing around these utterly engaging sisters while a huge back projection played lo-fi images of Care Bears, Unicorns, Rainbows and all the other regulars from your average dream/nightmare scenario.

Their energy was electrifying. You really felt like you were witnessing something totally live and that anything could happen. When someone called out a request from the crowd they just said ‘OK’ and played it. During the encore people were pulled up on stage from the crowd and encouraged to join the free-for-all-sing-along finale that never seemed to end.

Despite the opinion of one guy in the crowd who shouted out ‘you’re a fucking sham’ this was a refreshing, unpretentious and totally unique display of creativity that respectfully nodded to it’s various influences but took the music and performance to places I have never seen before.

The following review of the new album Noah’s Ark on Spin.com just about sums it up: “Sierra and Bianca sound like humping unicorns spewing rainbows in a muddled watercolor field: fantastical and childlike and strangely pretty all at once.”

#Music
#Gig
#BC

2nd Dec 2005 - Add Comment - Tweet

My Morning Jacket

Z

This was probably the first album since Radiohead that I've been actively waiting for, so right off the bat this is likely to be a one sided review. We'd been previewing a few of the tracks at chimp HQ, so I was slightly nervous that I might have blown it's chance of holding together, but straight away the official sequence of the tracks works a lot better than what I'd been listening to... as well as adding several more standout tracks.

Things start off well with Worldless Chorus, a fairly catchy opener using the keyboard sound that was apparant at the recent Jim James solo gig. Although the sound is new for the band, it's with It Beats 4U however, that things really take a more unusual turn. Using shuffling drums and a more disco sound this really does sound like a move forward for the band. Radiohead producer John Leckie (The Bends) seems to have taken their ideas and really distilled them down into a sound that is both classic and contemporary (send insults to headchimp@chimpomatic.com).

Into the Woods uses effects and sounds of fairgrounds to create a haunting atmosphere, which after several listens has become a standout track on the album. Anytime rocks. Knot Comes Loose is classic At Dawn era MMJ, and Dondante is a powerful, emotional finale.... working from quiet and simple up to soaring and loud, showcasing all aspects of this great band.

At 47 minutes it's relatively short and sweet, but definitely unmissable.

UPDATE: I exercised a vague note of caution with my initial 4.5 rating, but I'm now confident this is a bonifide keeper at 5.

#Music
#CSF

24th Oct 2005 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Jim James Solo Acoustic

The Enterprise, Camden

After September's DJ/My Morning Jacket/Jim James triple cancellation it was a pleasant surprise to see this re-scheduled solo gig pop up on the MMJ website, particularly as they were about to start a big US tour. Things only got weirder when the chimp contingent got to the venue - above The Enterprise pub in Camden. The room was tiny (around 100-150 max) and totally empty. Doors opened at 7 and we got seats at a Goodfellas-style table, literally right in front of the six inch high stage. The venue was totally empty for ages, and the rumour was that the record label had block booked most of the tickets - presumably for press purposes. That kind of sucked for all the people who kept coming up looking for tickets, but to be fair it did fill right up at nine on the dot, and a couple of desperate fans were invited in for free...

Jim James shuffled on with a keyboard/sample/drum machine type thing (apparantly called an Omnichord), and took off one shoe (making fists with his toes after a long haul flight?). The crowd was hushed instantly as he started off playing only the omnichord, building it up into a layered rhythm before unleashing his amazing voice. The small size of the room and the closeness of the stage meant that half the time he could be heard louder off the mic as he soared and reached all the high notes... always sounding like he should crack, but never even coming close. While the 90-odd minute set was made up of both old classics and a lot of songs from the forthcoming My Morning Jacket album Z there was never a moment when the crowd was less than mesmerised. Seeing one person create such a delicate sound, but still whip up a storming finale for tracks like The Bear, was unforgetable and the sound is still ringing through my mind several days later.

New track Dondante was a particular highlight, given extra poignancy by Jim's introductary explanation of waking from a dream with this song for a dead friend in his mind. The Bear and Bermuda Highway were awesome, as well as newer tracks like Anytime and Off The Record. Covers of Eels' 3 Speed, All The Best by John Prine and Dylan's You're A Big Girl Now finished things off.

After seeing a lot of gigs recently, this was far and a way one of the best. If you don't own any MMJ, please get some. If you do, keep an eye out for this gig as there were rumours of it being taped....

#Music
#Gig
#CSF

2nd Oct 2005 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Patti Smith @ Meltdown 2005

Royal Festival Hall

patti smith totally rocked during her track-by-track 30th anniversary performance of Horses, from the stunning opening line "jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine…" to the blow-out ending. flea on bass and trumpet for some of the songs, tom verlaine sitting on an amp at the side (possibly making up for the shoddy television performance on monday), and lenny kaye showing how it's really done. she was totally commanding, had real presence, dealt with all the hecklers "whatever you say, you're not going to impress me…" and proved that she's really the iconic figure you always read she is.

and it's the first time i've ever seen a standing ovation from the first song onwards… not surprising when it's her stunning version of gloria (wonder what van thinks?), but still pretty impressive.

oh and she had 2 pieces of advice: look after your teeth, and never wear new shoes to an important job. so she ended up dancing barefoot…

john cale's opening set, also w flea on bass, was pretty good too, even if neither dr chimp or i recognised any of the songs (ie no velvets nostalgia this time)

#Music
#Gig
#chimp71

26th Jun 2005 - Add Comment - Tweet

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

(dir. Michel Gondry)

After realising that the love of his life has had him surically erased from her memory, Joel Barrish sets out to have his memories erased - before changing his mind and desperately racing to hold on them.

Finally, a film that lives up to it's hype. After the relative disappointment of Human Nature it was looking like this might be a hit or miss movie, but Gondry has managed to restrain the clever tricks to just the right level so they don't overpower the movie, while Jim Carrey in particular was excellent - swapping his typical role with Kate Winslet. Photography and editing were also superb, all adding up to one of the most engrossing and entertaining movies I have seen for a very long time.

Surely anyone who has been in any kind of relationship will relate to this movie. Even a stalker.

NOTE: I've found myself watching this film every month or so, so I'm upgrading it to 5 stars.

#Film
#CSF

11th Oct 2004 - Add Comment - Tweet

Ian Brown

Live at Claremont House

Thanks to the National Trust's push to update themselves, Ian Brown played this outdoor gig in the spectacular setting of a turf ampitheatre in the grounds of a stately home in Esher, Surrey. I like Ian Brown's solo stuff, so was happy to see him live. We'd discussed on the way down whether there would be any Stone Roses songs - as he has been so far reluctant to dwell on that particular back catalogue.

However, once permanently bitter and twisted support act Aziz Ibrahim was finished "Your parents saw Hendrix, you can tell your kids you saw me" it was a nice surprise to hear Ian Brown kick off with I Wanna Be Adored. Then Sally Cinnamon. Then about another hour of Stones Roses classics. "This is what you were expecting, yeah?" he said, as I upgraded my picnic position to front row. Thanks to a brief punch up, the crowd parted like the Red Sea and I cruised straight down to the front in time for I Am The Resurrection. The nostalgia set finished with Fool's Gold before he thanked the band (a tribute act called Fool's Gold apparently) and continued with a brief blast of his solo material - much of which has become classic in it's own right.

Great gig. Tick another one off the list.

#Music
#Gig
#CSF

27th Jul 2004 - Add Comment - Tweet

Goodfellas

(dir. Martin Scorsese)

Following the day-to-day lives of three gangsters from the 1960's through to the 1980's and their steady decline. Goodfellas is based on the real life memoirs of Irish-American mafioso Henry Hill, who eventually turned snitch and joined the witness protection programme.

One of several peaks in Scorsese's career, Goodfellas is a bonafide masterpiece and a regular in this chimp's top 5. Superb performances from Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci and De Niro amongst others, fantastic music and flawless camerawork and direction make this utterly watchable. Even though I have the DVD, I caught two minutes on TV the other night and ended up watching the whole thing. Again.

#Film
#CSF

20th Jun 2004 - Add Comment - Tweet

Guided By Voices

Human Amusements At Hourly Rates: The Best Of Guided By Voices

Matador Records

If you remain unconvinced by Guided By Voices:

1) You are wrong
2) This is the album to convince you

Putting together the best Greatest Hits album since Decade is no mean feat, and I don't make the comparison lightly. Hitting the rare mark of a Greatest Hits record that functions on it's own level, Human Amusements At Hourly Rates collates one or two tracks off nearly every official Guided By Voices release into one easy-to-use package, without losing a second of GBV's charm. It doesn't get much better than this.

I Am A Tree, Shocker In Gloomtown, Watch Me Jumpstart, Game Of Pricks, My Valuable Hunting Knife, Teenage FBI ...don't make me spell it out for you.

5 stars. All time top ten.

#Music
#CSF

17th Oct 2003 - Add Comment - Tweet

Love

Forever Changes

No review, just 5 stars. All time top 10.

#Music
#CSF

29th Sep 2003 - Add Comment - Tweet

Neil Young

On The Beach

No review, just 5 stars. All time top 10.

#Music
#CSF

29th Sep 2003 - Add Comment - Tweet

Minutemen

3 Way Tie (For Last)

No review, just 5 stars. All time top 10.

#Music
#CSF

29th Sep 2003 - Add Comment - Tweet

Kazik

Piosenki Toma Waitsa

Kazik is one of my favorite artists - I buy all cds he releases. It was the same with this one. Before the purchase I didn't even know who Tom Waits was,which is a bit shame. All the songs were translated to Polish and of course there are inaccuracies, but I think that some of them were made on purpose. It was a real challenge to translate the specific language used by Tom Waits.

Poland's finest musicians gathered to record this album. This album is worth listening if you'd like to look at Tom Waits' music from a different point of view. It's good if you know Polish but it's not essential.

The best thing is that this cd encouraged me to get and listen to Tom Waits' music - it was a great discovery for me.

#Music
#Kamil

29th Sep 2003 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Band

The Band

No review, just 5 stars. All time top 10.

#Music
#CSF

29th Sep 2003 - Add Comment - Tweet

Beastie Boys

Paul's Boutique

No review, just 5 stars. All time top 10.

#Music
#CSF

29th Sep 2003 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet