Issue 592

Rihanna

13 Dec 2007

Girls Aloud know it, Leona Lewis knows it, and even Franz Ferdinand know it – great pop is hard to beat. America’s most recent answer to our successful crop has to be Rihanna, whose infectious ‘Umbrella’ dominated the UK charts and playlists for months…

Extras

13 Dec 2007

For all his faults (and his stand-up and radio work make them plentiful), Ricky Gervais at least knows when a TV comedy should bow out. Having clocked off at The Office with 12 episodes and a Christmas special, he has opted for the same strategy with…

Hogmanay in Glasgow and Edinburgh 2008

13 Dec 2007

Kirstin Innes looks at the options for celebrating Hogmanay in Glasgow this year while Allan Radcliffe discovers the traditional meeting the contemporary in a diverse programme of events for the capital’s Hogmanay.

Hot 100 - 2007's hottest talent

13 Dec 2007

Scottish culture has shone in 2007, and so have Scottish stars. Throughout the year we have been working tirelessly to spot the hottest talent out there. We also invited you to nominate the people, places and events you think have made the greatest…

I'm Not There - interview with Todd Haynes

13 Dec 2007

Todd Haynes is an artist who knows about shedding skins. The director originally came to prominence as part of the New Queer Cinema movement, a group that reacted to the arrival of AIDS by making films that investigated its impact on gay America. Now…

Review of the year - music

13 Dec 2007

The year kicked off in vitriolic style with The Hold Steady at the Cathouse. Now the paunchy book and vinyl nerds have a god to worship. Bow down people, here’s Craig Finn. Similar idolatry occurred at Barrowland for LCD Soundsystem ’s umpteenth show in…

Review of the year - clubs

13 Dec 2007

We can’t look back on 2007 without mentioning two of the biggest (but very different) clubs in Scotland reaching their tenth birthday. Optimo (pictured) have continued to plough their own furrow of weird goodness as Twitch and Wilkes forge ahead with…

Review of the year - songs

13 Dec 2007

The List’s crack team of music critics pick the songs that floated their boat in 2007 Ida Maria ‘Oh My God’ Iggy Pop meets Björk meets Janis Joplin from this feisty Norwegian. The Horrors ‘ Little Victories’ Inspired, bellowing from under the…

It's a Wonderful Life

(U) 130min

13 Dec 2007

You know Christmas has arrived when Frank Capra’s perennial festive season favourite receives its annual reissue. The 1947 classic is one of the most inspirational films of all time, as well as being a fine romance, a terrific comedy and genuine…

Les Chansons d’Amour - review

Musical/comedy

13 Dec 2007

MUSICAL/ROMANCE LES CHANSONS D’AMOUR (LOVE SONGS) (15) 100min In Les Chansons d’amour Christophe Honoré uses the great French filmmaker Jacques Demy’s 1964 film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as a template, splitting his musical romance into three…

Sigur Rós - Hvarf-Heim

13 Dec 2007

ROCK (EMI) Released to loosely accompany the Icelandic outfit’s superb recent film, Heima, this two-CD album is a revelation. The Hvarf half contains outtakes and rarities from 12 years of full-band studio sessions and is full of the sumptuous epic…

The Kite Runner

(12A) 127min

13 Dec 2007

This adaptation of Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini’s popular novel arrives in cinemas trailed by the news that its two young stars have been evacuated out of Afghanistan by the film’s producers, for fear of reprisals from still active Sunni…

Glasvegas - preview

13 Dec 2007

Alan McGee calls these boys and girls: ‘the best Glasgow band since The Jesus and Mary Chain.’ and he should know given his track record. The retrophiles released their debut single ‘Daddy’s Gone’ last month so time for a bit of a celebration at regular…

Review of the year - comedy

13 Dec 2007

Stewart Lee Becoming a father should be a big enough deal in anyone’s year, but British comedy’s bossman also scooped the number 41 slot in Channel 4’s stand-up comic poll. And boy, did he make hay from that, conjuring the Fringe’s comedy highlight in…

Princesses (Princesas)

(18) 113min

13 Dec 2007

Madrid-born and bred filmmaker Fernando León Aranoa confirms himself as Spain’s answer to Ken Loach with this affecting but unsentimental, gritty but humorous drama about a pair of prostitutes eking out a living in the Spanish capital. Just as Aranoa’s…

Stockholm and Reykjavik

13 Dec 2007

Let there be light As the largest metropolis in the biggest of the Nordic countries Stockholm proudly lays claim to be the capital of Scandinavia. Yet, the city – essentially a collection of small islands which collide at the point where the Baltic in…

Comedy DVDs

13 Dec 2007

DVD Marcus Brigstocke: Planet Corduroy The Show The erudite satirist rails against the injustices of the world in London’s Shaw Theatre, analysing how tough it must be to live life as a corduroy-loving middle-class white chap. The Extras A stirring…

Review of the year - visual art

13 Dec 2007

In a year that’s brought the best work by Picasso and Warhol to our doors, this has otherwise been a relatively quiet one for Scottish visual art. Everybody got on with what they did best. In the capital the first Edinburgh Art Festival took place under…

Review of the year - TV

13 Dec 2007

The Sopranos David Chase’s cryptic diner finale wasn’t to all tastes, but the doubters were, obviously, just plain wrong. TV won’t ever be the same with Tony’s passing. Life on Mars Seems that some weren’t that keen on how the curtain was brought…

Big Country - 5 reasons to go see

13 Dec 2007

1 It’s been a long time since they rock’n’rolled In actual fact, it’s been seven years since the band hit a stage, and a full 25 years since the Dunfermline outfit formed from the ashes of The Skids. Based around singer and guitarist Stuart Adamson, the…

Wedgwood the Restaurant - review

13 Dec 2007

Edinburgh is a tourist city, and for restaurants that’s both a blessing and a curse. Tourists are hundreds of thousands of extra diners appearing at their collective door each year; look too closely to them, however, and you’ll be disparaged for…

Review of the year - video games

13 Dec 2007

What promised to be a rather mundane year in gaming turned out to be a surprising 12 months. Two lessons were learned in 2007: firstly, discount Nintendo’s infectious innovation at your peril. And secondly, punters can’t get enough of imaginative…

Elaine C Smith - 5 things you might not know about her

13 Dec 2007

1 In 1987, the Baillieston-born actress appeared in the kids show Dramarama in an episode entitled ‘My Mum’s a Courgette.’ 2 Her most recent Beeb appearance was in Jennifer Saunders’ ill-fated Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle. Fortunately, Smith…

Christmas turkeys

13 Dec 2007

Jamie at Home Christmas Special He may be trying to save us from rearing a nation of porkers, but that doesn’t mean he deserves to keep plaguing our screens. Out Oliver! Channel 4, Fri 21 Dec, 9pm. Parkinson It’s the final show ever! What took him…

Alex Smoke

13 Dec 2007

The master of intelligent techno and diverse electronica Alex Smoke is putting in a live set as he joins forces with Jim Hutchinson (putting in a DJ set) to launch their Hum + Haw record label. Smoke’s monster techno beast ‘Vaporub’ will be the…

Jazzanova

13 Dec 2007

By now, German production sextet Jazzanova and their wider banner and label Sonar Kollektiv surely need little introduction as sophisticated producer-remixers extraordinaire and exponents of top draw pan-genre releases. But where exactly does Jazzanova…

David Starkey’s Monarchy: The Windsors

13 Dec 2007

With a ‘measured voice of the historian’ and the occasional surreal hand gesture, Dr David Starkey gives us a potted dissection of 130 years of the British regal profession. Scantily digging over the landmarks, quarrels and scandals of UK monarchy from…

Weirding and the Uncanny

13 Dec 2007

Curated by Glasgow School of Art MFA student Levi Haines, and featuring contributors from GSA, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh’s Embassy Gallery and Haines’ native Portland, Oregon, the show is tightly-packed and busy. It’s impossible to retain some…

Sleeping Beauty (King's Theatre, Glasgow)

13 Dec 2007

The pitch It’s time for Princess Beauty to put away childish things, say goodbye to her childhood friend Chester the Jester (aaawwww!) and get ready for some right royal action. Carrion the witch and Norval her son (or is he?) have other ideas, however…

Weird Websites - book review

John Blake

13 Dec 2007

WEB GUIDE JESSICA ASHBY Weird Websites (John Blake) A good few years back, when the web was in its infancy there were tons of books, magazines and guides to the internet. But these seem to have slipped into the shadows of late. Split into topics…

Remote Control: Documentary Reviews

13 Dec 2007

Brian Donaldson uncovers some fine documentaries about daredevils, dancers and daggers There’s a special poignancy about Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel (BBC2, Sun 23 Dec, 9pm) now that we know the subject of the show has since died. The Top Gear…

Alternative Christmas

13 Dec 2007

With both Edinburgh and Glasgow running dedicated Christmas festivals this year, tapping into the festive spirit has never been so easy. The city centres are hoaching with fake snow-capped German market stalls punting mulled wine, and suddenly there’s a…

Derrick Carter - profile

13 Dec 2007

Name: Derrick Carter Occupation Original innovator from the late 80s Chicago House era, still going strong two decades later. Where did it all begin? At the age of nine, so the story goes, at family parties. It was there that Carter would spin…

Open

13 Dec 2007

Inviting 35 international MFA students from Edinburgh College of Art to contribute to this group show, on the proviso that their work is no more than 30cm in width by 200cm in height might be more to do with the limited space available in the Corn…

Letters to eBay - book review

Hodder

13 Dec 2007

Subtitled ‘antics of a virtual prankster’, Letters to eBay is a prime example of a man with way too much time on his hands and ‘obsessive-compulsive tendencies’. A school teacher by day and internet time waster Art Farkas by night, the author scours…

Eeting Beauty

13 Dec 2007

The pitch In the self-referential world of the Pantosphere, baby Bess is the daughter and niece of a celebrated Ugly Sisters double act, while her mother has been asleep for 100 years. Set to suffer the same fate on her own 18th birthday, she is cursed…

Middleton makes moves on Christmas number 1 spot

13 Dec 2007

In a chart awash with X Factor pap and Cliff Richard cast offs, a small unassuming ginger chap from Falkirk has given us a reason to watch Top of the Pops on Christmas Day again. Malcolm Middleton’s festive musical foray, the senstively titled ‘We’re…

Thomas Houseago, A Million Miles Away

13 Dec 2007

It's always suspect to examine the forgotten ‘primitive’ memory of the figurative in Modernism – to return to Modernism's repressed, barely formed ‘wild urges’. When such an attempt is filtered through an ironic, neo-expressionist approach, it’s even…

DJ Funk

13 Dec 2007

Following his riotous performance at the Sub Club in June, Numbers, Monox and Kaput! have invited booty bass bampot DJ Funk back to Glasgow to headline their Hogmanay party. For the uninitiated, Numbers has been operating since 2003 under the mantra…

Old Town Adventure Pack

13 Dec 2007

HISTORIC TRAIL With the Castle at one end and Holyrood Palace at the other, Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is one of the most famous streets in the world. But although the entire Old Town is steeped in history, knowing what to look for inbetween those two…

The Wizard of Oz

13 Dec 2007

The Pitch If we aren’t in Kansas, Toto, Edinburgh makes for a pretty convincing substitute. Dorothy (Denise Hoey) moves from twister to twisted into the surreal world of Oz, where that absolute shoeligan the Wicked Witch of the West (Julie Austin) is…

Cinderella (Pavilion Theatre)

13 Dec 2007

The pitch Poor Cinders: Her life sucks — for one thing, her old boy has married the worst thing since C Difficile. Can she break away from her domestic bondage? Only with help from her friend Buttons and some heathen magic from her fairy godmother. Will…

Riverside development gets underway in Glasgow

13 Dec 2007

The first blocks will be put in place for Glasgow’s much anticipated Riverside Museum this month. The new £74m Museum of Transport on the Clyde will be designed by internationally-renowned architect Zaha Hadid to house the city’s transport and…

Edge presents: The 100 Best Videogames - book review

13 Dec 2007

If you really appreciate the art of videogames there’s only one magazine that matters: Edge, the serious gamer’s magazine that takes a genuinely adult and considered look at gaming culture. So when they produce a top 100 you know it’s likely to be an…

Moves

13 Dec 2007

This exhibition by the New York-based Openended Group, whose members are Marc Downie, Shelley Eshkar and Paul Kaiser, explores the moving image. It includes three major works: ‘Pedestrian’, a five screen premiere of ‘Forest’ and new commission from…

Carol Rhodes

13 Dec 2007

The largest survey of Rhodes’ paintings to date, this exhibition covers the past 15 years of her career, exploring the artist’s distinctive approach to landscape and intense investigation into her medium. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art…

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

13 Dec 2007

Much as there’s grumbling about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals across the theatre world, it’s hard to deny their bankability. As the years pass, there might also be a certain nostalgia for such monolithic star vehicles as Joseph and the Amazing…

SL Records Christmas Shindig

13 Dec 2007

Except for booze, baked beans and the occasional book, can you remember what you spent your student loan on? Probably not. Ed Pybus is hardly likely to forget however: his spirited indie label SL Records was launched using funds from a student loan…

Remote Control: Drama & Comedy Reviews

13 Dec 2007

There’s a moment in the Extras finale when Andy Millman shows his disgust that George Michael is appearing in a certain other Christmas comedy. It initially sounds like a joke for its own sake, but you’ll discover it’s based on hard fact when you tune…

Clubbing on Christmas and Boxing Day

13 Dec 2007

Recents discussions here at List Towers brought forth the interesting fact that there isn’t enough hangar space to ground every commercial flight in the world at once, so a certain amount of planes have to keep flying around the clock, even over the…

Múm

13 Dec 2007

'Wait a moment, I have to spit,’ mumbles Örvar Póreyjarson Smárason down the phone, followed by a watery sound. ‘Sorry, I was brushing my teeth.’ It seems that no matter how strange and other-worldly your music sounds, there are always mundane…

Group show: Re-make/Re-model

13 Dec 2007

Contemporary art curators and gallery owners no longer merely show work because it’s good but because it somehow justifies itself through weighty themes and explication. This is art’s loss. The exhibition of work by Linder, Sophie MacPherson, Babette…

Review of the year - theatre

13 Dec 2007

The year began well at the Lyceum, with John Dove’s superb All My Sons setting the picket-fence lawns of postwar USA afire in a manner that reminded us that Miller’s message about the personal and political costs of capitalism is as inescapable today as…

Review of the year - theatre

13 Dec 2007

The year began well at the Lyceum, with John Dove’s superb All My Sons setting the picket-fence lawns of postwar USA afire in a manner that reminded us that Miller’s message about the personal and political costs of capitalism is as inescapable today as…

Scottish documentary bound for prestigious Sundance Film Festival

13 Dec 2007

A short Scottish documentary film is set to be screened at the world renowned Sundance festival. The independent film festival, helmed by Hollywood star Robert Redford, will premiere Yasmin Fedda’s Breadmakers, a 12-minute film about a community of…

Christmas Clubbing

13 Dec 2007

Various venues, Glasgow and Edinburgh ROUND-UP It’s a sad and oft-remarked fact that the original meaning of Christmas is often eschewed in favour of rampant consumerism and institutionalised gluttony. We at The List feel it’s time to redress…

Paranoid Park

(12A) 85min

13 Dec 2007

With this freewheeling adaptation of Blake Nelson’s young adult novel, Gus Van Sant returns to the territory he mined successfully in 2003’s Elephant. Where that film examined teenage behaviour through the extreme event of high school shootings…

Les Chansons d’Amour - profile of Christophe Honoré

13 Dec 2007

PROFILE Name Christophe Honoré Born 10 April 1970, Cahaix, France. Background Having grown up in Brittany, Honoré studied literature and cinema at Rennes university, before moving to Paris in his mid-20s, where he contributed to Cahiers du…

Met Opera at the Cameo

13 Dec 2007

Usually, a visit to a cinema is for film and a trip to an opera house is for, well, opera. Ripping apart the straitjacket of all of that is a relatively new venture that brings live opera direct from stage to the big screen. The stage is the New York…

Youth Without Youth

(15) 124min

13 Dec 2007

Francis Ford Coppola was arguably the greatest of the New Hollywood directors, before losing his way in the 1990s with Jack and The Rainmaker. A decade on and Coppola has returned to the director’s chair with an experimental musing on what it means to…

Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium

(U) 94min lllll

13 Dec 2007

Written and directed by Zach Helm (who wrote last year’s underrated Stranger Than Fiction), Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium tells the tale of a 243-year-old toyshop proprietor (Dustin Hoffman) and his faithful store manager Molly (Natalie Portman). When…

Bee Movie

Animation/comedy

13 Dec 2007

The buzz about Bee Movie is that it’s a cute animated fable for children that also showcases popular comic Jerry Seinfeld, who developed the project with the writers from his titular sitcom. The sting in the tale is that, while vaguely palatable to both…

Balls of Fury

Comedy

13 Dec 2007

The prospect of a comedy about table tennis isn’t a particularly exciting one; somewhere over the course of Dodgeball, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory and Hot Rod, the comedic possibilities of idiot sportsmen ran out of puff some time ago. Randy…

Winter's Love

13 Dec 2007

‘The idea for the Winter’s Love festival was primarily inspired by the Fence Homegame,’ says curator Adam Stafford. ‘I’ve never been to it but have always admired the way they bring together all these local, and international bands together and have…

Talk to Me

(15) 118min

13 Dec 2007

African-American filmmaker Kasi Eve’s Bayou Lemmons brings the story of Washington DC radio personality Ralph Petey Greene to the big screen. Petey (Don Cheadle) was a former convict who made his mark as a radio DJ and community activist in the 1960s as…

Enchanted

(PG) 107min(PG) 107min

13 Dec 2007

Like all large conurbations New York City can be a frightening place. Especially if you have just fallen out of an animated Disney fairytale world that resembles every cartoon feature made by the dream factory since 1937’s Snow White and the Seven…

Closing the Ring

(12A) 117min

13 Dec 2007

God bless Sir Richard Attenborough. Bless him for all his charity work and his renowned philanthropic spirit in an industry of Brutuses. Bless him for his long and varied acting career which includes unforgettable performances in Brighton Rock, The…

We Own the Night

(15) 117min

13 Dec 2007

Despite sounding like a 1980s power rock anthem, writer/director James Little Odessa Gray’s tough cop melodrama owes its title to the motto emblazoned on the badges of New York’s lawmen. Entrepreneur Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix) and straight-laced policeman…

Jock and the Beanstalk

13 Dec 2007

The Pitch Somewhere in rural Scotland in days of yore, Jock (Iain Johnstone) has some issues. Perhaps the greatest of these is his flatulence, which takes no prisoners, regardless of his circumstances. But moreover he wouldn’t work in a barrel of yeast…

Goldilocks and the Three Bears (King's Theatre, Edinburgh)

13 Dec 2007

The Pitch Gertie’s (Allan Strewart) circus is in a soapy bubble, unable to draw audiences or pay its rent. Never mind, though, for daughter Goldilocks (Claire Dargo) adopts three bears who prove to be a hit. But Goldilocks has troubles of the heart with…

Damn Shames

13 Dec 2007

We all met at school. Me and Matthew (Deary, guitar and vocals) have been in various different outfits before, but we’re not very proud of any of them. Jacob (Burns, bass) has also had a bit of a shady rock’n’roll past, but it’s all come together to…

Classical hitlist - the best classical music

13 Dec 2007

Scottish Ensemble: Darkness and Light Always a highlight of the festive season, the Scottish Ensemble’s candlelight concert this year features the pairing of John Woolrich’s Ulysses Awakes from 1989 with two madrigals by the much earlier composer who…

Vampire Weekend and Chutes

13 Dec 2007

Hobo at the Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Sun 11 Nov The unexpectedly large Sunday night turnout here was no doubt down to the appearance of New York’s Vampire Weekend, a band much-touted by Radio One in recent weeks. Edinburgh’s Chutes weren’t just here to…

Jack and the Beanstalk (Cumbernauld Theatre)

13 Dec 2007

The Pitch Poor Jack (David Ashwood) spends his time milking the curiously udderless Buttercup in an effort to help his mother (Calum Beaton) stave off the bailiffs. Forced to get rid of the old cow, Jack comes across circus entrepreneur Monbodo (Andy…

Jack and the Beanstalk (Cumbernauld Theatre)

13 Dec 2007

The Pitch Poor Jack (David Ashwood) spends his time milking the curiously udderless Buttercup in an effort to help his mother (Calum Beaton) stave off the bailiffs. Forced to get rid of the old cow, Jack comes across circus entrepreneur Monbodo (Andy…

Trianglehead

13 Dec 2007

The Lot, Edinburgh, Wed 14 Nov ‘Fucking technology, eh?’ spits drummer Stu Ritchie by way of an abrupt end to a mid-set melodica-led number, shattering the chummy mood of this launch gig for Trianglehead’s just-released second album, Exit Strategy.

The Sandals of Majesty

13 Dec 2007

Henry’s Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, Tue 15 Nov The name is misleading. Rather than some mellowed out, magic-carpet-riding, back-packer-eyed mystics as may be implied, this bi-aural, bi-lingual, buy-now-while-stocks-last quartet are up-tight, in-tense and…

Cinderella (Brunton Theatre)

13 Dec 2007

The Pitch With an utterly Hondless dad, two suspiciously virile sisters and buttons the besotted servant to contend with, Cinders has her hands full. The sisters, who already have access to more balls than you’d think, are determined to keep her away…

The Fangs - gig review

13 Dec 2007

The Hold, Glasgow, Thu 8 Nov Fife electro duo Motormark have done a Bis, splitting up then reconvening under so many new guises it’s hard to keep track. First they were Fake Fang, with the garage-horror sound such a name permits, and now they’re back…

Trent's Last Case - DVD review

(U) 90min

13 Dec 2007

Following the 1920 original and Howard Hawks’ 1929 remake, this third version of the archetypal English country house murder mystery, based on EC Bentley’s novel and made in 1952, is a workmanlike whodunnit directed by Irish journeyman Herbert Wilcox.

Society - DVD review

(18) 99min

13 Dec 2007

Fifteen years after its release (which wasn’t until some years after its making) Brian Yuzna’s unheralded genre film still shows the capacity to both appall and challenge, standing beside John Carpenter’s They Live as one of the most explicit attacks on…

Elizabeth - Special Edition DVD review

(15) 118min

13 Dec 2007

Given the recent, and rather belated, cinematic release of a sequel to Elizabeth: The Golden Age, a renewed interest in 1998’s original historical drama based on the life of Queen Elizabeth I was inevitable. It may not have started the public’s liking…

Peter Pan

13 Dec 2007

The Pitch It’s not only posh kids from Bloomsbury who get to go flying with the boy who never grows old, now it’s regular kids from Glasgow who hear the tap on their fifth floor window and set off for an awfully big adventure. While the parents go to an…

Breaking News - DVD review

(15) 90min

13 Dec 2007

Despite its rather extensive, one-note commentary on the media, this 2004 Hong Kong-set thriller from director Johnnie Fulltime Killer To doesn’t forget its main purpose – to thrill. When resourceful, ruthless heist planner Yuen (Richie Jen) and his…

Wu Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams

13 Dec 2007

HIP HOP (Bodog Music) The prevalence of solo efforts from the numerous members of the Wu-Tang Clan makes their joint efforts less of an event than they should be. The band’s last two outings have been worryingly inconsistent affairs and this, the…

Jack and the Beanstalk (Dundee Rep)

13 Dec 2007

The Pitch Plucky young Jack (Kevin Lennon) and his yummy mum Alice (John Buick) are facing eviction, so Jack is dispatched to Dunbletherin’ market to sell prize cow Susannah. When the unfortunate bovine ends up in the grubby mitts of rogue debt…

Flevans - Unfabulous & Diesler - The Rhythm Station

13 Dec 2007

FUTURE SOUL JAZZ (Jack to Phono) (Freestyle) Flevans’ debut album, Make New Friends, was an assemblage of two EPs and rode an instant, playful appeal that forgave the sensation that many tunes remained unfinished. Here, though still exhibiting…

Trianglehead - Exit Strategy

13 Dec 2007

JAZZ (Trianglehead) The Edinburgh-based Trianglehead are one of the most adventurous jazz units to have emerged on the Scottish scene in recent times, and their second CD confirms that they have lost none of that exploratory spirit. The core…

A Silent Duel - DVD review

(12) 94min

13 Dec 2007

Akira Kurosawa was, more than most, a director who worked both in miniature and epic form. Where Ikiru, Dodesukaden and Madadayo cover the intimate, there are also the many epics, from Seven Samurai to Yojimbo, Kagemusha to Ran offering something more…

E.S.T. - Live in Hamburg

13 Dec 2007

JAZZ (ACT) This double CD from an ecstatically received set in Hamburg on the Tuesday Wonderland tour in 2006 provides an authentic record of the band on a good night. When they are on song, E.S.T. (the Esbjörn Svensson Trio) are arguably the most…

Kevin Tuffy - To Be To Begin

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (Dcypha) With an entire generation of new songwriters uncaring about traditional musical pigeon holes, we have music that proudly swings from mosh pit to dancefloor to backroom of folkie pub and still sounds mighty fine. Here aspirant…

Crash My Model Car - Ghosts and Heights

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (My Dad Recordings) After two critically acclaimed, sold out EPs and a fast growing legion of devotees, it would be fair to say that Crash My Model Car are under a considerable amount of pressure for their debut long player to deliver the…

The Vernon Elliot Ensemble - Ivor the Engine and Pogle’s Wood

13 Dec 2007

SOUNDTRACK Ivor the Engine and Pogle’s Wood (Trunk) Smallfilms (a partnership between writer and narrator Oliver Postgate and animator Peter Firmin) made some of the most endearing children’s television shows from the 50s through to the 70s…

Various - The Cake Sale

13 Dec 2007

CHARITY COMPILATION (Oxfam Ireland) It is, of course, the very nature of compilation CDs that they are a mix of the good, the bad and the pointless. While The Cake Sale is a perfectly laudable charity collection, that doesn’t make it exempt from…

Various - Now That’s what We Call Music Vol 1

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (Fantastic Plastic) To celebrate their 100th release the music bods at Fantastic Plastic have cast a nostalgic ear over their back catalogue and corralled a bunch of past rarities and new offerings. It’s a sampler of accessibly alternative…

Abba - The Album

13 Dec 2007

POP (Polydor) If you’re tired of Abba, you’re tired of life, basically, so this deluxe re-issue of their most ambitious album is extremely welcome. Originally released in 1978 when the band were at their creative and commercial peak, The Album…

The Good Life - Help Wanted Nights

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (Saddle Creek) Frontman Tim Kasher is a central figure of the Saddle Creek scene, and this established side project is an outlet for a more mainstream sound, contrasting his day job with the explosive Cursive. Unfortunately, while much of Help…

Various - FabricLive 37: Caspa and Rusko

13 Dec 2007

DUBSTEP (Fabric) This instalment of the FabricLive series sees cheeky young upstarts of the Dubstep scene Caspa and Rusko at the helm. Representing the more playful side to Dubstep, their choices on this album – including much of their own work…

Various - Boxwars: The Album

13 Dec 2007

CARDBOARD BASHING PUNK ROCK (Boxwars UK) Boxwars combines punk and well-behaved fighting. ‘Warriors’ make cardboard armour then launch themselves into a mauling mosh pit until a winner’s declared. The gladiatorial combat is powered by energetic…

The Clientele - God Save The Clientele

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (Track and Field) This London-based indie outfit are more popular across the pond, and you can see why, with the West Coast jangle of The Byrds and their ilk an obvious influence. The Clientele combine a love of simple guitar pop with a…