News
Reviews
Articles
Surveillance
Film School
Hideout
Beggars
San Francisco's Film School are a band built around frontman Greg Bertens. Formed in the late 1990's, Bertens has recruited members and slowly put out albums and EPs before signing to Beggars and becoming a more permanent band. This album sees a few line up changes - most notably the addition of female bassist/vocalist Lorelei Plotczyk who answered a Pixies-aping personal for "Someone into Husker Du and Peter, Paul and Mary".
Swirlies, Seefeel and Bardo Pond are the name checks on this album though, and while Film School's live show and previous album had me thinking of The Cure, Hideout owes more that a passing nod to the brilliance/pretentiousness of My Bloody Valentine. Hardly surprising due to the fact that MBV's Colm O'Ciosoig appears on the album.
Opener Dear Me and follow-up Lectric set the scene perfectly, with a wall of sound that builds and builds with pounding drums. Produced by frontman Bertens and Mixed by Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Stephen Malkmus, The Shins) the album is a huge leap forward from 2006's self-title album, which confusingly was their second. Rich and textured, the records feels like a lot of time, love and attention has been put into it. The effects are set to stun and while on several occasions things look like they are going to drift away, the sonic theatrics are kept in manageable chunks and the album remains strong and focused without the directionless ramblings that MBV had a taste for. While the admittedly Cure sounding Two Kinds, with it's bass and 80's John Hughes keyboard sound starts promisingly, it's doesn't quite deliver but tracks like the juggernaut sound of Sick Hipster Nursed By Suicide Girl swirl up a pummeling sound that builds up to a crashing drum finale.
All music has a nod in one direction or another, and shoegazing is a direction that gets little attention in these skinny jeans obsessed days. In my book it would be more than welcome to mooch back into the limelight.
5th Nov 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3 star reviewsHong Kong Phooey
The stinky waters of Hong Kong are proving too much for the caped crusader. Plans to film a scene for The Dark Night there have been shelved due to the health risks of being in the waters of Victoria Harbour.
5th Nov 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Search
Morepranos
Starting Monday at midnight, More 4 are showing the Sopranos - from Season 1 Episode 1 right through to the grand finale. Set VCR to stun.
2nd Nov 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Analogue Amnesty
Tatty Devine's next show is ‘Analogue Amnesty,’ where artist Rachael Matthews will spin old VHS and audio cassette tapes into "lovely new wool". Not sure that I'd want a jumper made out of that, but sounds like a great idea.
You can drop of your Die Hard 2 / St. Elmo's Fire double bills at the gallery in advance.
Runs 7th November 2007 to 17th January at Tatty Devine, 236 Brick Lane.
Here's a poem to set the scene:
Oh TDK, how we loved you…..
You were played in the car on the way to raves,
Helping me pull boyfriends.
At school you saved snippets of John peel,
Which I played after lights out, on low batteries.
Sometimes you broke and I was gutted.
And VHS,
You wanted Mr Darcy like I did,
I know, because you wobbled when he emerged from that lake.
Thank you for playing the Beatles,
When my mind was blank.
These day, I only dust you,
But you remember everything,
You knew me before I was born.
You won’t rot for 1000 years,
Which is longer than I could sleep.
Let me spin your magnetic thread one last time.
Rewind and ply your yarns,
With a twist that’s really classical,
Then I’ll give it back to you,
To wear well when it rains.
2nd Nov 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
STOP MAKING SENSE
New Cross locals STOP MAKING SENSE are back in NX this weekend, at the re-vamped Amersham Arms:
STOP MAKING SENSE present:
CHROME HOOF live,
CEEPHAX ACID CREW live,
SOULJAZZ SOUNDSYSTEM (djs + mc)
BINARY CHAFFINCH/KRUTON (dj)
Plus Resident DJS:
Leaf Troup + Nasty McQuaid (live via ISDN link from his honeymoon suite in Cuba)
£6 / £5 advance
11pm - 4am
The Amersham Arms
388 New Cross Rd
London SE14 6TY
1st Nov 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Movember
If only it didn't involve starting the month clean shaven I think most of the chimps would have an eye on the prize from the Movember initiative.
1st Nov 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Terrence Malick
Apparently Terence Malick is gearing up make a new film - Tree Of Life - with Heath Ledger and Sean Penn set to star.
31st Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Slash's Memoirs
BW doesn't know it yet, but she'll be getting a copy of Slash's autobiography for Christmas. I only mention it again as an excuse to drop in London Lite's great description of Axl Rose as "the Colonel Kurtz of rock". Apparently Chinese Democracy is out soon.
30th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Late Night Tonight Show With Conon O'Leno
I didn't realise that US network TV operated such a squad system, but it seems NBC have agreed to keep Jay Leno up front for the Tonight Show until 2009, when Late Night With Conan O'Brian's Conan O'Brian will move over to the Tonight Show, leaving room for Late Night With Conan O'Brian to possibly become Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. David Letterman was unavailable for comment.
Apparently the move is all part of deal that NBC would give O'Brian the Tonight Show slot by 2009, or be forced to pay out $40 million +. A figure that even Jonathan Ross might gulp at.
30th Oct 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Futini!!!
Checked out Doris Salcedo's massive installation Shibboleth at Tate Modern at the weekend. Totally packed, totally mystifying, totally engaging. It's a great playground for Jawas and Tuskan Raiders - wish I'd taken some with me to leave hiding in nooks and crannies.
29th Oct 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
TXTUALHEALING
Some great interactive artwork going on with the people at txtualhealing.com Check out the TXT of the Living Dead, and read up about the group on Wired.
29th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Failure To Launch
(dir. Tom Dey)
A confusing blend of your typical Matthew McRomcomaughey movie mixed in with a bit of Dr Dolittle and even the Truman Show. Not as bad as Death Proof of course - but obviously a long way from Wooderson, man.
29th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 2 star reviews
Best Wes
Wes Anderson will be at the Regent Street Apple Store for a Q&A on November 2nd at 7pm. There will also be a screening of his short film Hotel Chevalier - the prequel to his new feature The Darjeeling Limited.
25th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
24
There's a trailer up for 24 Season 7 here .....but I suggest you don't watch it as it gives way too much away.... which suggests episode one is going to have a few immediate surprises.
25th Oct 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
The Mothership Is Landing
Led Zepplelin's Mothership Best Of is available for pre-order on iTunes, as well as a £60/165 track "digital box-set" (?!) The Complete Led Zeppelin - featuring all the albums, including the BBC Sessions and some live bits. Best of all, any pre-order is entered intro a prize draw for:
Two tickets to the concert at the O2 AND two tickets to a "private dress rehearsal". Boom. Although I somehow doubt it will be that private once O2's loyal pay-as-you-go prize winners turn up. Plus travel, hotel and £400 of Led Zep food stamps.
Glad they've settled on the classic 70's iconography for all this reunion stuff, rather than the mid-90's crop-circle cliches of the last box set...
24th Oct 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Dead Children Playing
In between making the non-existent digital artwork for Radiohead's In Rainbows release, Stanley Donwood has found time to put together a book of work trailing back over the last ten years. You'll no doubt recognise a lot of it, but there's plenty of unseen stuff too. Out this week from Verso. £9.99.
Links
Tags
23rd Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
I Would Like To Give You $93 Million
Those Nigerian spammers have been putting their tax-surplus to good use, contributing to Nigeria's own Space Program. Wired has a good article about the whole thing, with Wikipedia filling in the blanks. The NASRDA have their own website too, but that appears to be down. What's that anecdote about how you only need a computer as powerful as a ZX Spectrum to land on the moon....
22nd Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ween
La Cucaracha
Schnitzel
Long standing cult favourites Ween have taken an unusually long four years between albums, and following 2003's Quebec - which featured some of their best music so far - La Cucaracha had become highly anticipated. As a taster, Ween delivered the five track Friends EP, which marked a low-tide mark for the adventurous band. Seemingly having run out of styles to be inspired by, they dredged the world of eurodisco for inspiration - with little success. Thankfully La Cucaracha gets the band firmly back in the land of the living.
The title tells all, and the light hearted opener Fiesta sets the scene for a party record before Blue Balloon gets things moving along in jovial style. It's a great song, but it's left-field vocal delivery has the effect of making you feel like the band will be laughing at you later. The hideous Friends has been totally re-recorded since the EP making it far more palatable - and with tracks like Object and Spirit Walker we get Ween at their mildly more serious best.
Woman and Man is the most successful track, doing classic rock like only Ween can. And Santana or course - to whom the track owes it's heaviest debt. Again, lyrically their tongue is deep in cheek - with the Adam and Eve lyrics taking themselves far less seriously that other retro rockers like Wolfmother. Lyrics are soon a thing of the past however, as the song stretches out into a fantastic ten minute twin guitar epic.
Your Party wraps things up with some atmospherics and sound effects making a brief suggestion that there was some sort of concept going on here. It may be one of the bands more cohesive records, with a far less wandering style between tracks - but while I would love an album compiled exclusively of their classic rock variety it seems that maybe the up and down roller coaster is what's needed in order to take the band up to the higher peaks that the best moments of albums Chocolate & Cheese or White Pepper reached.
22nd Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Wilhelm Scream
I've been reading up on the Wilhelm Scream after seeing this article on Aint It Cool. It's a stock sound effect from the 1950's that was revived by Star Wars sound maestro Ben Burtt for Episode IV in the late 70's. It's commonly used by the boffins at Skywalker Sound, but check out the video clips below and I think you'll recognise it...
Links
Tags
19th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume IV
It's got to be Radiohead's Weird Fishes/Arpeggi today, from landmark album In Rainbows. The dust has settled and the chimps have spoken. Very slowly.
Links
Tags
19th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Twisted Fate
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy is among the artists contibuting to the soundtrack for the upcoming Dylan biopic I'm Not There. Check out the Myspace page for his cover of Simple Twist Of Fate and a couple of others.
Eddie Vedder, Yo La Tengo, Black Keys, Jim James with Calexico (!), Stephen Malkmus and a host of other chimp favourites have also contributed. New trailer up too. Early word from operatives suggest it's more a good idea well executed than a great film - and that Cate Blanchett is the best Dylan.
But, as if that isn't enough, check out the line-up of collaborators on board for the live 'tribute' show.
19th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Nano Nano
With OSX 10.5 ready to drop next week, I was readying my wallet to get a Mac Mini to sit under my TV for the perfect home media server experience via Front Row. Then the rumours. start. flooding in. of a new "Mac Nano" being readied for launch. It seems to be a cross between the Mini and the Apple TV, which will hopefully allow it to serve as a downloading station, capable of playing Div X etc, but as a downside it looks like the DVD drive might be getting dropped. That seems to be a potential move that Apple is planning across it's product line, which frankly seems a little rash. I don't think anyone is rocking a download-only world at the moment, but then again they did drop the old floppy disc when the original iMac came out, and everyone else quickly followed suit.
With Apple's very shaky quality control on new products, I may have to put up or shut up and plump down for the tried and tested mini or wait for ever for that elusive holy grail.
18th Oct 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
iTunes Plus For Less
Seemingly rattled by Amazon's entry into the DRM-free music market, iTunes have reduced the price of their iTunes Plus tracks from 99p to 79p - in line with the DRM price, but still encoded at 256kbps in DRM-free AAC. They've also brought a bunch of indie labels on board - including Beggars and Sub Pop, so newer releases like Cease To Begin and the entire Oxford Collapse catalogue are available in the improved format.
17th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Embarrasing Guitar Moments #5
See Jake E. Lee make a rare mis-step on the guitar - while a demented Ozzy claps along in the background. Or watch Eddie Van Halen loose the plot after one too many groupies.
Not to worry, they're just clever edits by Santeri Ojala - aka StSanders.
Wired has the details.
17th Oct 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Cinderella Man
(dir. Ron Howard)
Washed up fighter James W. Braddock is struggling to keep his family together during the Great Depression, but gets an unlikely shot at the World Title.
Seemingly unsure of whether it wants to be Raging Bull or Rocky, the film's aesthetic lifts heavily, but lacks the punch of the former - while the predictable underdog tale lacks the heart of the latter. Russell Crowe's performance as a hard working honest guy might technically be on the money, but the character is lacking in motivation or passion, making for a pretty flat film.
It seems like everybody involved felt like they were in sure-fire Oscar country here, and Paul Giacametti's performance in particular feels like it was sent in by telegram. He's badly cast as a young-looking training 'veteran' and there's no depth to his character - especially for a role that's usually set to 'powerhouse' (Clint and Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby, Burgess Meredith in Rocky, Joe Pesci in Raging Bull). The script holds few surprises too - the bell rings in the nick of time a couple of times, the dishonest opponent gets the odd punch in after the bell, but unlike the aforementioned Million Dollar Baby, there's little doubt how it's going to end.
The production values and art direction are big and expensive, but when the dust settles all we are left with is a long solid, hard working dust bowl of a movie, not dissimilar to that other dull, depression sports drama - Sea Biscuit.
The old Halliwell's Guide would probably say *.
17th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 2.5 star reviews
More Cat Power To You
Cat Power has wrapped up a new record of (mostly) covers - Jukebox. Due on January 22nd.
1. Theme From ‘New York, New York’
Written by Fred Ebb/John Kander
2. Metal Heart
Written by Chan Marshall
3. Ramblin’ (Wo)man
Written by Hank Williams
4. Song To Bobby
Written by Chan Marshall
5. Aretha, Sing One For Me
Written by J Harris/Eugene William
6. Lost Someone
Written by James Brown/Bobby Byrd/Lloyd Stallworth,
7. I Believe In You
Written by Bob Dylan
8. Fortunate Son
Written by John Fogerty
9. Silver Stallion
Written by Lee Clayton
10. Dark End of the Street
Written by Chips Moman/Dan Penn
11. Don’t Explain
Written by Arthur Herzog, Jr./Billie Holiday
12. Woman Left Lonely
Written by Spooner Oldham/Dan Penn
Links
Tags
17th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Amersham Arms NX
New Cross's mighty Amersham Arms has had a make over, after the people behind Camden's Lock Tavern took over. The Irish memorabilia and resident band the Repertoire Dogs seem to sadly be a thing of the past - which is a shame as it all added up to one of the top two pubs in the area.
Things could be worse of course, plus the sympathetic make-over and major overhaul that their events calendar has seen almost make up for it. Hot Chip and Rob Da Bank last week, DJ Format and The Monks Kitchen this week and the mighty Early Years on the 24th.
16th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Back On The Wire
The Wire season 5 kicks off in the US in January, this time dealing with lay-offs from the local paper. I'm sure plenty of the usual suspects will be cropping up again though - unless Omar has re-modelled himself as Clark Kent.
AP have the story, also discussing creator Neil Simon's next project - about musicians in New Orleans.
15th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Left vs Right
I'm hoping most readers of Chimpomatic hit the right brain more regularly...
13th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Underworld
Underworld are back with a new single, album and tour - the latter of which takes in three nights at the Roundhouse. Simon Taylor from graphical collaborators Tomato is directing the shows, which will be broadcast live at the aptly named website - www.underwolrdlive.com - from 8pm on October 17th, 18th and 19th.
13th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
East Beirut
Beirut are playing a free in-store at the Rough Trade East megastore on Brick Lane on November 5th..... for anyone who isn't seeing Wilco (again) that night. Email instores(at)roughtrade.com for guestlist.
12th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
World Traveller Program
The Chimpomatic World Traveller Program has been under a heavy load this month, with agents dispatched to literally all corners of the globe. C71 took in the sights of Hong Kong, while BW was cracking the whip deep in one of Henry Jones Jr's favourites - Egypt. BC and I did Paris, while Harris Pilton has taken in NYC and Seattle. Marmot is in LA, but as usual he's not pulling his weight.
Meanwhile, Locochimpo's not far behind - with a scheduled South American tour lined up for November.
Surveillance is seeing the most action it has had in a long time, and might finally be due a 2.0 update.
12th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Sons & Daughters
No, not the classic mid 80's TV show - the brazen Scottish band on Domino. Video on You Tube.
12th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Monks Kitchen
The Wind May Howl
1965 Records
While The Wind May Howl might be an appropriate title for some of the lyrics featured in this debut EP from The Monks Kitchen, it couldn't be more inappropriate for describing the mood of the record. Laid back guitars and pianos send you automatically into a reclining position as the sun comes up and a pint of cold beer magically appears in your hand.
There's a distant echo of both Liverpool (from The Beatles to The Coral) and the 1960's - while the former is based on no evidence (the band are based in London) the latter is hardly surprising considering that they have found a home on James Endeacott's 1965 Records.
The crisp sounding lounge pace rolls through the opening tracks, through lost love song Annabel and doesn't stop until Snake Charmer - where things begin to take a turn towards the darker side of the 60's peddled by the likes of The Doors or Jefferson Airplane. I'd definitely smoke a bowl with Charlie Sheen in a sand bagged bunker while listening to this little number - which uses an orchestra of guitars and plenty of swirling cymbals to conjure up an aptly titled mystical high point.
Cold Dawn goes on to combine the best of both styles into a slow-burning track that builds up the atmosphere, with it's minimal moody lyrics making for the album highlight, before the again mis-leading Bringing Hurricanes brings the EP to a close.
Rich and textured, this is a sophisticated record from a band with a lot of potential.
10th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3 star reviewsDamn It!!!
Jack Bauer hasn't received the same lenient sentencing doshed out to the likes of Paris Hilton or Pete Doherty. He's been condemned to 48 days for drunk driving ...although they will allow him to serve the sentence while he is on a break from saving the world.
10th Oct 2007 - 5 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Former Royal
Former Grand Royal.com honcho Ian C Rogers now works over at Yahoo, and has written a pretty interesting piece on the whole DRM saga. Bottom line, eight years of musical opportunity has gone down the toilet.
10th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Jumper
Trailer up for Jumper - the new movie from Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity/Mr & Mrs Smith). Looks pretty kerayzee.
10th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
McInternet
As if you needed an excuse to chow down on a Big Mac, McDonald's are now planning to offer free WIFI in all of their 1200 UK locations. No details yet on whether you can supersize to an 8MB connection.
9th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ween vs Atp vs Pitchfork
Chimp favourites Ween are bringing their mayhem to the UK in March for the ATP Festival. ATP vs Pitchfork is the theme. Sebadoh, Dirty Projectors and Pissed Jeans are amongst the other acts.
Ween's new album La Cucaracha lands on October 22nd.
8th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Les Voitures 'Smart
Me and BC have been deep undercover at Paris Fashion Week, and can bring you the following fashion report: Fur lined ankle boots high, silver sneakers fair to middling.
They certainly know how to park over here though.
7th Oct 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Captcha the moment
University researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are putting those annoying spam protectors that require you to type a word (see our comments section) to good use. By serving up scanned images from books, the words that you type are helping to digitize a vast library of older texts. Confused? Maybe the BBC can describe what's happening more eLOqUently.
5th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Play-doh Rabbits
Agency of the moment Fallon has delivered the goods again. Not singing gorillas this time, but stop-frame animated play-doh rabbits boucing through NYC. See it here. Great website too.
Creative Review have a write up on how they made it...
4th Oct 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Hawkes Eye View
Creative Review have a nice set of aerial photos up from photographer Jason Hawkes, taking in London at night.
4th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Bonnie Prince Scout Niblett
Cool video up for Scout Niblett single Kiss - featuring Will Oldham. Always liked those Karate Kid skeleton suits.
Links
Tags
4th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Live Horses
As some helpful commentator has pointed out, Band of Horses are playing the ever hospitable Bush Hall on November 29th. Great live band, book up now.
2nd Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Get Ari on the phone!
In a move that would have Ari Gold busting Lloyd's ass, the Yari Film Group is fast-tracking it's Pablo Escobar biopic Killing Pablo into production, with Narc/Smokin Aces helmer Joe Carnahan directing Christian Bale and Javier Bardem. No word on a Johnny Drama cameo.
Links
Didn't you read Variety this morning?
Tags
2nd Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
KK4
Perth is 8 hours ahead of the UK, and Sydney is 10 - but when it comes to Kath & Kim Australia is some 2.5 series ahead. Season 4 is 6 episodes deep over there, while we are still languishing in the pre-Kath & Kim Code doldrums.
If only there was a way to find these programs online or something.
29th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Google
Google's continuing plans for world domination seem to be taking another step forward.
28th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Eddie Vedder
Into The Wild
Columbia
For a band eight albums deep in their career it might seem like a long time coming for Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder's solo record, but the pseudo-soundtrack cover provided by Sean Penn's film Into The Wild seems like a good place to start.
While there is occasional of evidence of it being a soundtrack (it seems a bit tied to a narrative in places and the songs barely stretch beyond three minutes) it is a far cry from the typical soundtrack - comprising of 60 second incidental atmospherics, a constant recycling of themes and one or two centre-pieces.
Sleater Kinney's Corin Tucker provides back up on the Indio cover Hard Sun which is the obvious single, but actually not one of the better songs on the record. It also serves to provide a dangerous warning that Pearl Jam have begun to occasionally sound like the band the haters think they are. Luckily, it stays on the Bruce Springsteen side of Bon Jovi and it is surrounded by far more individual works, such as Rise or the album highlight Long Nights. Instrumental The Wolf makes great use of a Neil Young style pipe organ, but unfortunately does not live up to the great opening. Things tail off slightly here and there, but Society (penned by Sean Penn's other musical penpal Jerry Hannan) is a great later track and Eddie's ukulele is back in action for Guaranteed.
While it my be a couple of songs short of a truly bonafide solo album, it is a pretty solid record - and will no doubt work well with Sean Penn's apparently excellent film. It's low key, but well in-tune with the movie's themes of nature and wilderness, providing a few glimpses of Eddie Vedder's intimate solo style at it's best.
28th Sep 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 4 star reviews