Music & Measure
I think this blog is going to include a great deal of me reviewing stuff. Films, music, theatre, books... I suppose this is an inevitable consequence of me not actually having a life of my own but wanting to talk about something regardless. My website used to have a couple of pages dedicated to my book and film reviews, but the lo-tech quality of the site (which I usually like to pretend is a positive feature) was getting to me and I just couldn't be arsed updating it any more. But I simply can't resist imposing my opinions on people so it looks like it'll find a new venue here.
Today seemed like a good time to start since I went to the theatre last night. For a few years now my Mum and I have been trying to see as many different Shakespeare plays at the theatre as possible, and our latest trip was to see Complicite's production of Measure for Measure at the National. It's a really hectic production - just over two hours with no interval - and really works well. Measure for Measure isn't exactly straightforward; it's technically classed as a comedy but more accurately is one of the "Problem Plays." It's a pretty vicious satire on hypocrisy and the corruption of those in power, with a real mean-spirited side and a cruel twist on the happy ending convention. Complicite combine very simple physical theatre with the elaborate resources available at the National to great effect. We both loved it.
A couple of weeks ago I bought three CDs from the sale at HMV. From past experience I knew better than to listen to all three albums at once, instead getting used to one at a time. At the moment I'm listening to the Magic Numbers' self-titled debut. I like to listen to an album several times before making my mind up, because the first couple of listens the songs rarely get to me, all blending into on amorphous mass, which after a few more goes start to define themselves and I find my favourites among the tracks. But after four or five listens I'm still disappointed by this one. The first track, "Mornings Eleven" is a fun toe-tapper but it just goes on too long, and that seems to be the model for the rest of the album. It's got a sunny, fun sound which is what I bought it for, but outside of the singles "Forever Lost" and "Love Me Like You" I'm having trouble warming to the tracks, or even finding much distinction between them. I'll probably put it aside and try it again in a couple of weeks' time and it may grow on me, but for the time being I'm disappointed.
By contrast I'm very happy with the first of the three I listened to, the Ordinary Boys' second album, Brassbound. I'll admit that though I liked one of their singles from it, "Life Will Be The Death of Me," I was never that bothered by what's become their signature tune, "Boys Will Be Boys," and my giving this a go was largely down to lead singer Preston's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. I'm glad I did though; after a couple of listens I had definite favourites, and the songs got stuck in my head pretty quickly. As well as the well-publicised Ska elements, I also find a lot of Life Trilogy era Blur influence in their music, and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. My favourite tracks are probably "A Few Home Truths" and "Call to Arms," while the singles are, as sometimes happens, among the weaker tracks IMHO.
Ironic really, that the album I bought entirely based on music and the band's reputation turned out to impess me less than the one I got on the strength of Preston being really sexy and seeming like a sweet bloke on telly. It just goes to show: I should always be shallow, trying to actually think things through properly just never works!
To continue the theme of me giving out basic info about myself right at the end of these things: I'm a 31-year-old gayer living in Greenwich, South London. That's in England, for those readers of an international persuasion.
Today seemed like a good time to start since I went to the theatre last night. For a few years now my Mum and I have been trying to see as many different Shakespeare plays at the theatre as possible, and our latest trip was to see Complicite's production of Measure for Measure at the National. It's a really hectic production - just over two hours with no interval - and really works well. Measure for Measure isn't exactly straightforward; it's technically classed as a comedy but more accurately is one of the "Problem Plays." It's a pretty vicious satire on hypocrisy and the corruption of those in power, with a real mean-spirited side and a cruel twist on the happy ending convention. Complicite combine very simple physical theatre with the elaborate resources available at the National to great effect. We both loved it.
A couple of weeks ago I bought three CDs from the sale at HMV. From past experience I knew better than to listen to all three albums at once, instead getting used to one at a time. At the moment I'm listening to the Magic Numbers' self-titled debut. I like to listen to an album several times before making my mind up, because the first couple of listens the songs rarely get to me, all blending into on amorphous mass, which after a few more goes start to define themselves and I find my favourites among the tracks. But after four or five listens I'm still disappointed by this one. The first track, "Mornings Eleven" is a fun toe-tapper but it just goes on too long, and that seems to be the model for the rest of the album. It's got a sunny, fun sound which is what I bought it for, but outside of the singles "Forever Lost" and "Love Me Like You" I'm having trouble warming to the tracks, or even finding much distinction between them. I'll probably put it aside and try it again in a couple of weeks' time and it may grow on me, but for the time being I'm disappointed.
By contrast I'm very happy with the first of the three I listened to, the Ordinary Boys' second album, Brassbound. I'll admit that though I liked one of their singles from it, "Life Will Be The Death of Me," I was never that bothered by what's become their signature tune, "Boys Will Be Boys," and my giving this a go was largely down to lead singer Preston's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. I'm glad I did though; after a couple of listens I had definite favourites, and the songs got stuck in my head pretty quickly. As well as the well-publicised Ska elements, I also find a lot of Life Trilogy era Blur influence in their music, and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. My favourite tracks are probably "A Few Home Truths" and "Call to Arms," while the singles are, as sometimes happens, among the weaker tracks IMHO.
Ironic really, that the album I bought entirely based on music and the band's reputation turned out to impess me less than the one I got on the strength of Preston being really sexy and seeming like a sweet bloke on telly. It just goes to show: I should always be shallow, trying to actually think things through properly just never works!
To continue the theme of me giving out basic info about myself right at the end of these things: I'm a 31-year-old gayer living in Greenwich, South London. That's in England, for those readers of an international persuasion.