Top 5 Records (May)

1: ST LUCIA - matter
2: LE CASSETTE - left to our own devices
3: MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER - the things we are made of
4: NEW ORDER - music complete
5: SCARLET SOHO - in cold blood

C Duncan - architect

Dreampop, classical music soundscapes... well there are many similarities and blending both is C Duncan. The music is beautiful, multi-layered and textured and full of interesting sounds. "She" for example wafts along with a shuffle that sounds a bit like a mangled hand-clap. The title track is wonderful, multi-layered melody including use of that very versatile instrument the human voice.

MV : "Only child" by Shearwater

Another fine track.

Plu

With their new album now out it was about time we reviewed the previous one by this Welsh alt-folk sibling trio. Its sublime, atmospheric (well they are from Snowdonia after all) and beautifully warm. Highlight is the wonderful "Tyrd yn ol" is melancholic, sweet harmonies and then a look back over the shoulder. Your heart melts.

"Hiraeth" is sparse, the backing cut back almost to nothing as the vocals cut through so clearly. "Glaw du" builds a compelling soundscape. "Yr ysfa" simple and warm, you might turn around when you listen to it because you'll feel like the band is right behind you.

Movie : Young and Dangerous (1996)

Well we reviewed the prequel a few weeks ago, what about the original? How is a film about a bunch of swaggering gangsters getting into criminal scrapes? Well its brilliant of course as well as being total tosh, but tosh thats so well made.

You can see why so many people, especially in HK, loved this film. The heroes are cool bad guys, criminals for sure but also with a code of honour. Thats unlike the other criminals who are pretty evil. Theres lots of fast cars, faster chicks and violence, lots and lots of violence.

The swagger is what makes this, and makes the main characters played by Ekin Cheng and Jordan Chan so likeable. They might be the bad guys, but you want to be in their gang.

MV : "Genius of crack" by Tsunami

Lets go back to a tune i loved back in the early 90s.

Movie : PTU Files : Death Trap (2005)

Firmly in the B movie camp, this HK action film is so poor in many ways. It looks like it was recorded on an ancient camera found in a skip and the sound recorded on a dictaphone. The plot and acting are also very suspect with many tangents and diversions into character relationships while the main crime plots are fairly incomprehensible. The dialogue also weirdly switches from cantonese to english at random.

The film's set piece is a hostage drama which is shown at the start then the film backtracks a couple of days to show the lead up to the drama before proceeding to the conclusion which involves a lot of shooting though not exactly the most amazing action scenes ever to be honest.

Despite all this negativity the film isn't that bad (but by no stretch of the imagination can it be called good), maybe its the awfulness that keeps you watching and there are some high points and even a bit of humour. You probably won't know whats going on though, even after its finished.

Shearwater - jet plane and oxbow

A fine album, music with a message. The message is one of protest, railing against the world and its so many problems. The music matches the message for power, so often atmospheric and mesmeric. Key track is "Quiet Americans" with its electric menace but "Only child" also wins. The sound is big but in an 80s style not noise for the sake of it. Big sound big ideas? Well its very enjoyable thats what it is.

MV : "I need you" by Leitbur

Well this is our current fave.

Movie : Future War (1997)

Aliens from the future have abducted creatures from Earth's past who now are battling in Earth's present. Well that all makes sense, or not. This is another cult classic which doesn't make any sense whatsoever and is a genuinely terrible film but also so compelling too - in the great tradition of cinematic rubbish of this type.

An escaped slave (who makes for a quite decent Jean Claude Van Damme lookalike) is chased by unconvincing cyborgs and even more unconvincing Tyrannosaurus Rexes (which seem to vary in size from shot to shot).

The worst SWAT team ever are defeated by the aliens so it all falls on our hero slave, a nun and LA gangs to save the world. Er yes.

MV : "World cup fever" by Air Miami

We've all got it.