Jun 27, 2014

Pink Mountaintops - "The Second Summer of Love"


Death of a Killer (Robert Hossein, 1964)

hen Massa is released from prison, he's sure that Luciano, an old friend, is responsible for his incarceration. Massa proceeds to keep watch on Luciano, who has been living with Massa's beloved sister Maria. Feeling doubly betrayed because of his unhealthy adoration for Maria, Massa is determined to get back at Luciano..

Jun 24, 2014

Sharon Van Etten - "Every Time the Sun Comes Up" (Live at St. Pancras Old Church, London)


Principe Valiente – Choirs of Blessed Youth (2014)

Sweden’s Post-Punk and Dreampop masters, Principe Valiente (Prince Valiant) have surpased their debut album with a phenomenal sophore work, “Choirs Of Blessed Youth”.
The album’s opener, The Son I’ll Never Be, carries you in with pastoral synths garnered with uplifting resolve from classic Post-Punk guitar riffs and basslines remiscent of the desperation of Joy Division’s Dead Souls and Atmosphere.
Take Me With You brings the band’s sound in new directions that evoke the raw passion of a lover’s plea while She Never Returned laments the unanswered call with classic Phil Spector drums.

Jun 17, 2014

The Felice Brothers – Favorite Waitress (2014)

... Album of the month ...

In the world of alt-country there are those artists who stick to traditional storytelling, instrumentation and playing, mixing that hybrid of country, rock and folk, often with stunning results from tried and tested ingredients. Others, like The Felice Brothers, are prepared to test out new musical waters, evolve and expand their sound. From their early days as very much an authentic sounding Catskill Mountains band they’ve constantly pushed and prodded the genre, trying to find ways to breath new life into old sounds.
Their last official album, 2011’s Celebration, Florida, was their biggest deviation from the country/folk template and it seems that it reinvigorated the band, lightened their mood and encouraged them to chase their muse and…deliver Favorite Waitress, one of their finest all-round efforts.

Jun 14, 2014

The Trouble with Templeton – Rookie (2013)

From the moment this album opens up it is obvious that this isn’t a cookie-cutter band. It is also very clear that they have improved out of sight since their debut mini-album Bleeders (basically a solo project by lead singer Thomas Calder), which while being a very good release in its own right didn’t have nearly the depth of Rookie. The addition of Hugh Middleton, Betty Yeowart, Sam Pankhurst and Ritchie Daniell to Calder’s already proven songwriting ability has made for an album that is very special. From the very first track, Whimpering Child, this album promises something special – and it delivers. From the anthemic Like a Kid to the first single Six Months In a Cast and the bizarre album finale, Lint, this album is filled with songs that show a depth and maturity in their composition that promises big things to come.

Jun 13, 2014

Tom Vek – Luck (2014)

William Ryan Fritch – Leave Me Like You Found Me (2014)

William Ryan Fritch – Emptied Animal EP (2014)

Veronika Voss (1982) , Rainer Werner Fassbinder


Lola (1981), Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Part of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's The Entire History of the German Federal Republic trilogy, Lola stars Barbara Sukowa in the title role, a seductive cabaret singer and dancer in the 1950s who is romantically involved with Von Bohm (Armin Mueller-Stahl), a straight-as-an-arrow building inspector. Recently appointed Building Commissioner, Von Bohm is committed to eradicating corruption. Consequently, he's given quite a shock when he is called into inspect the brothel where Lola works and discovers her dancing there. With that, Von Bohm is left to question whether he is more loyal to the woman he loves so passionately or the career he believes in so strongly. The other entries in the trilogy are Veronika Voss and The Marriage of Maria Braun.


Jun 11, 2014

Lee Fields – Emma Jean (2014)

 ... Life's Sweet ...

Press play on any of the songs from Lee Fields‘ new album, Emma Jean. It’ll take just a few moments for you to connect his sound to that of decades past — but in all fairness, he’s lived through it. Now 63 years old, Fields has been pumping out soul, funk and Southern blues since he was a teenager. With more than 15 albums and 45 years of experience under his belt, it only makes sense that Fields’ appeal hinges on a sound he first began tooling as an ardent young fan of the late, great James Brown. Add that comparison with the vocalist’s complete title — Lee Fields & the Expressions, his backing band — and it’s even easier to tie Fields to the popular Black acts of the mid-to-late 20th century, from The Stylistics to The Isley Brothers to Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

The Rocket (Kim Mordaunt, 2013)

A boy who is believed to bring bad luck to everyone around him leads his family and two new friends through Laos to find a new home. After a calamity-filled journey through a land scarred by the legacy of war, to prove he's not bad luck he builds a giant rocket to enter the most exciting and dangerous competition of the year: the Rocket Festival.

Jun 7, 2014

Miss Violence (Alexandros Avranas, 2013)

During her eleventh birthday celebration, Angeliki commits suicide by jumping off her balcony with a smile on her face. Her family – her mother, grandfather, grandmother, brother and sister – try to show the world a picture of a dignified loss. They claim that this was an accident. Social services get involved in the investigation.
Using a precisely organized narrative, the director gradually reveals a balance of power and family history, creating an anxious world in which nothing is the way it seems. Using cinematographic means, Avranas is trying to reveal the true nature of violence and a relationship between a victim and an abuser.

Toy Boats – Wedding Town ( 2014)

The brainchild of Byron-born prodigy Hugo Costin-Neilsen, Toy Boats sprang to life in 2009 as an acoustic-based solo deal but has blossomed into something much greater. Evidence of this can be heard on Toy Boats’ forthcoming full-length debut, Wedding Town.Recorded in eight days at Melbourne’s Three Phase Studios with engineer / producer Sam Johnson (A Death In The Family), Wedding Town is imbued with a rich, full-band sound that wraps the listener in warm phonics and tranquil tones.

Jun 2, 2014

Nick Mulvey – First Mind (2014)

Anyone who has been following the former member of Mercury nominated outfit Portico Quartet will attest that his solo material has consistently proven his poetic prowess and instrumental proficiency. The storytelling ‘Cucurucu’, a rework of ‘Piano’ by DH Lawrence, is an enchantingly pensive piece with layered staccato strings while ‘April’ has finger-picked guitar akin to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Stranger Song’, lending a more broody delicate undertone.Tinges of Nick Drake and John Martyn on the musical palette entwined with Afro and well-travelled vibes provide a collection of crests and troughs.