Little certain moments. You feel relief, you know it was the right call. You made it – because you had to. Needed it, for your sanity. Walked away in just the right way, at just the right time. A moment, although little, and you were certain. You were right to do it, it was right […]
I had a typewriter and a box of tapes and that was enough to get me started. Every night, in my room, after school, after sport, I’d write what I could. Not much has changed. I’ve blazed through formats – to CDs, and records, streaming, back to CDs and records, and so many computers. I […]
Nicholas Britell Don’t Look Up (Soundtrack From The Netflix Film) Maisie Music Publishing, LLC, under exclusive license to Republic Records, a division of UMG Recording, Inc. First off, I loved the film – good fun, sharp, cruel, cutting and above-all, disturbingly accurate. But this is a review of the film’s score. Something I can’t say […]
After interviewing Damon Albarn I knew I had to go to the Gorillaz concert. Before that I wanted to, sure. But Albarn’s interest in music – his dedication to recreating so much of the Plastic Beach album – made it impossible not to get caught up in the need to be there. So it was off on the plane to Auckland, overnight, for Gorillaz. I […]
Rest is what’s happening when you’re not being who you want to be – but you’re preparing for that role. Rest is that tension, that exhalation. Rest is a conversation between what you love to do and how you love to be. The rest is history.
Orrin Evans The Magic of Now Smoke Sessions Records Orrin Evans has released a bunch of albums as a leader – mostly of small combos but he’s also collaborated with big bands too, and there was a recent stint as the replacement for Ethan Iverson in The Bad Plus. An adaptable, charismatic pianist, Evans is […]
There’s a guy in a documentary about movie fanatics. He collects the soundtracks on vinyl. Has hundreds. When asked, on camera, about his favourite – he points out that he doesn’t have one. Because he doesn’t have a turntable. When I saw that film, in a crowded cinema, everyone laughing, I thought he was a […]
Scream Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett Spyglass Media Group / Project X Entertainment / Paramount Pictures Scream (aka Scream 5) is both sequel and reboot – a “requel” as the very knowing and cracking-good script tells us. It features the big names from the original – back as second-generation helpers. And of course a […]
Michael Andrews’ score for the film Donnie Darko was a huge disappointment to many. Not, the music as such – but the product. People weren’t hopeful for a release of the score, what they wanted was the soundtrack. They wanted Tears For Fears and Joy Division and Oingo Boingo and The Church and Duran Duran. […]
Just back from the overthinking conference which took even longer than expected
Harold Mabern Mabern Plays Coltrane Smoke Sessions Records The great post-bop pianist Harold Mabern died, aged 83, in 2019. His final recordings continue to arrive – Leon Lee Dorsey released Mabern’s last ever studio session just last year and here we have a live date from around 2017, released just now brand new. And if […]
The dance floor is a dangerous place. You have to watch out for untrained but enthusiastic fly-by-nighters. Professionals can get thrown off their game by the unorthodox moves of a keen-bean. I figure there must be so many stories out there of dance floor injuries. And, well, here’s mine… I’ve been known to cut a […]