Appealing to Old and New?

With the release of Death Magnetic only a couple of weeks away, the first couple of new Metallica tracks have hit YouTube.

First, The Day That never Comes:


Seeing as this was the first track to be released to the press, it's probably going to make some people nervous, especially if they give up after the first chorus as, up until that point, it is very remniscent of their 'Black Album' and Load/Reload days, but as the track moves on, it becomes increasingly louder and thrashier and builds to a dizzying climax. I like it!

Secondly, My Apocalypse:


An IGN review of this is what first made me aware the tracks were now out there in the ethos. In it, the reviewer defended the criticism he laid upon The Day That Never Comes;

"But all the extra verbiage in there about not being able to go back again – yeah, that part is wrong. I was wrong. I am here to admit that. James, Kirk, Lars, Robert, and even Rick – if you are reading this, all I can say is: I AM SORRY. I am coming to you as a man humbled."

He then goes on to claim that My Apocalypse is possibly the band's best song since Master of Puppets.

Now, this may be a result of my only coming into the band in the days of Load and Reload (I was an ignorant youth; what can I say?), but I personally prefer the former to the latter. It might have a very subdued opening, but the thrash-like ending puts me in mind of the band's progression from then to now, making me think the soft introduction was probably purposeful.

My first reaction to My Apocaplypse, however, was, Messy. Very messy. It kinda reminds me of first hearing Frantic on St. Anger; that almost desperate need to sound as thrash as possible in order to put the the '90s behind them.

That said, the track sounds a lot better on a second listen.

My Brain is Hanging Upside Down

Not only a great song, but quite possibly the best song title in the world, ever. This is The Ramones with My brain is hanging upside down (Bonzo goes to Bitburg).

Time To Sharpen Those Claws

Yes, I know; the quality sucks and the cheering is annoying, but this looks no less cool:

Late Delivery

Frustrating news in this month's edition of Discworld Monthly:

"The bad news is that it looks as if, for various reasons, Going Postal The Movie will be delayed and shooting will not begin until the start of next year."

The good and, to my mind, more important news is, they're making a movie of Going Postal!

Moist Von Lipwig is an absolutely brilliant character, but they're going to need someone of immense charisma - who can, in turn, play it down to a whisper - to pull it off.

Also, has anyone out there seen the adaptation of The Colour of Magic? I’d be particularly curious to know how Jeremy Irons measured up as Lord Vetinari, because the role is a significant one in Going Postal.

***EDIT***

A quick browse of Wiki has revealed a little more interesting news. With Nation due out next month, Pratchett has stated that his next novel is likely to be I Shall Wear Midnight; the fourth Tiffany Aching/Nac Mac Feegle novel. I love those books!

And:

"Pratchett hinted when questioned during his Wintersmith tour that Esk, the female wizard featured in Equal Rites, may reappear for the first time in this book if it is written."

Baton Idol

Recently, to celebrate the Proms (big classical music event held annually by the BBC), yet another TV 'talent' show hit our screens, this time challenging a group of C-and-below-list celebrities to become orchestral conductors.

From the off, this struck me as an interesting prospect. Before watching this show, I knew absolutely nothing about the nutters with batons who stand in front of an orchestra and flail their arms around like they're being attacked by a hive of wasps, so I was intrigued to find out exactly what was going on.

Of course, it turned out to be far more complicated than I expected, which is why I actually find myself admiring the people taking part. As is ever the case, a couple of them struggled to get a handle on what was going on, or failed to take it seriously, and were soon eliminated. Others are making steady progress and two in particular (comedian Sue Perkins and Drum&Bass vet Glodie) are proving to be naturals at it.

Another appeal of the show is the music. They're all conducting very familiar pieces, but I'm learning the names of things I've known all my life, but could never put a name to, and also seeing just how complex a lot of these pieces are. Case in point:



The biggest surprise of the show, however, is Goldie. For my American chums, he was a henchman in The World is Not Enough and British soap fans might recognise him from Eastenders, but he's mainly known as a Drum & Bass producer: Not the sort you'd expect to have a natural gift for conducting classical music - especially as he has no idea how to read sheet music - but his sense of rhythm and ability to break down compositions into a manageable form for himself have him riding high and consistanly impressing:



Alas, the most entertaining of the group - former Blur bassist Alex James - is also a consistent low-scorer, so might not be around much longer:



My one complaint about the show so far is, yesterday's episode had the contestants doing choral music, yet none of them was given Beethoven's 9th. Talk about missing a trick.

Hair-Metal: The Revenge

Last week saw the return of the Kerrang awards, with the usual shocks, surprises, drunkenness and Metallica.

One of the biggest shocks and surprises of the night was the lack of a single nomination for Muse, but maybe the magazine decided someone else should have a go at dominating.

Bizarrely, considering the attitude of many of their contemporaries towards them, 30 Seconds to Mars technically dominated with an award haul of two - double their closest competition - including best single:



Awards were also picked up by the more familiar faces of:

Slipknot


and Avenged Sevenfold


New boys like:

Black Tides


And a couple of oldies in the form of:

Def Leppard


Rage Against the Machine


and, of course, Metallica


An honourable mention must also go to the band with the single stupidest name of the night and, possibly, all metal history.

“Errr…we need something stark and, like, depressing and hard…”

“Like cancer?”

“Yeah, like cancer…”

“How about cancer?”

“Perfect! Right, we also need something like dark and black and evil and that…”

“Bats?”

“Genius! Cancer Bats!”

Proof, if proof be needed:

Well, it looks better than prior sequels...

...but then, that's not saying much:

Was Surprised to See This

Who'd have thunk?

Death and All His Friends

Yesterday's little tipsy post from our beloved Cherry has reminded me of a latest song fixation. Here be Coldplay with Viva La Vida:

Major Disappointment

For those who avoided my Disappointment post for it's warning of a spoiler, the crux was there is a major event in Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife that was dealt with very poorly.

I've just read the following section of that chapter, only to find that it is, in fact, the end of the novel!

I'm all for a cliff-hanger ending, and there's no doubt that is exactly what Pullman was aiming for here, but he is so far of the mark I could weep. A cliff-hanger is supposed to make you think, Oh shit! What’s next? What’s next?!

My only thought at the end of The Subtle Knife is, That’s it?!

Don’t get me wrong, the events at the end of the novel should certainly add up to being a cliff-hanger, but they are down-played so much, it’s as if Pullman ran out of steam and decided to call it a day. Northern Lights/The Golden Compass has a brilliant ending, which not only rounds off the story perfectly, but leaves you gasping for more. In comparison, The Subtle Knife reads almost like a necessary evil that Pullman had to get through to bring up some plot-points and move the story on. It has its moments, but in the end I’m just grateful it’s only the middle of the story.

From Bad to Worse

Okay, it was understandable that the car chosen to represent KITT in the TV-Movie reboot of Knight Rider...



...was met with a frosty reception by the old-school fans, but what, in the name of all that is good and holy, possessed them to do this?!



I've more convincing vehicles on Power Rangers...

Disappointment

For those who haven’t read Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, and at some point intend to, look away now. A major spoiler follows (as well as a long rant).

I’m currently reading The Subtle Knife, and while it so far isn’t a patch on Northern Lights/The Golden Compass, I am enjoying the story as a whole.

However, I’ve just read the scene where Will finally meets his father, only to see him die after all those years of searching, and it is one of the most shoddily written scenes I have ever read. After building up the meeting throughout the first half of the novel, it comes and goes in the blink of an eye and in the coldest and least emotional way possible.

Feeling desperate, tired and utterly alone, Will wanders up a mountain on his own. A deep darkness descends and he’s suddenly accosted by some strange man, whom he fights and knocks the wind out of. Why this supposedly spiritual man would come across this kid on a mountain and decide to grab him and crack him across the back of the head when the kid tries to get free is beyond me.

When Will does free himself, does he call for help from the witches? Does he escape back to the camp to warn the others he’s just been attacked? No. He sits quite calmly and has a conversation with the man, going so far as to proffer him his wounded hand.

In darkness still too deep to see each other’s faces, the man applies a healing ointment to Will’s wounded hand, dresses it, then decides to light the lamp he’s carrying so he can see the boy’s face.

A brief flicker of recognition from them both, and the man’s shot and killed by the witch whose love he spurned many years previous (a plot point fleetingly referred to way back in the early part of the novel).

If it had been a cinematic scene, the moment between father and son, when the realisation dawns, would’ve been drawn out a little to show some kind of emotion between the two - confusion; relief; joy - and to allow the audience to connect with what’s happening. Obviously this is a bit trickier in a novel as simply stating, “The two experienced confusion; relief; joy,” is very dry and in no way conveys the intended emotions, but there are options. You could back-reference some of things each character has gone through to bring them to this moment; the trials they’ve overcome so they could finally find each other. You could delve into the characters’ memories of all the things they’d missed while they were apart. You could even have each character looking forward to all of the good things that will come now that they’re together again.

“But in that moment, as the lantern light flickered over John Parry’s face, something shot down from the turbid sky, and he fell back dead before he could say a word, an arrow in his failing heart.”

That’s it? They recognise each other, he’s shot with an arrow and dies?!

The confrontation between Will and the witch was well handled, but after she’s topped herself and Will has said an emotional farewell to his father, there immediately follows a bizarrely cold description of Will taking ‘the dead man’s’ things and spying his feather-trimmed cloak. “His father had no more use for it, and Will was shaking with cold.” I wonder if anyone could come up with anything more emotionally detached than ‘His father had no more use for it…’.

I know it’s only a small scene in the grand scheme of the trilogy, but that in itself is part of the problem. It should be one of the most emotionally powerful scenes in the novel and is instead dealt with as if it’s just another little obstacle along the way; as if Pullman wanted to get it out of the way so he could get to the ‘juicier’ stuff.

I such a huge and intricate story, crammed with such high quality writing, the whole scene is a massive let-down; a bizarre and confusing disappointment.

And How Do You Fight Your Demons?

I like it 'cause it's silly :D

The Wearable Motorcycle

Want one!



Check out the details.

Bit of a Dull Week

I got me new passport today. For the first time in the entire history of my photgraphic ID, I don't look like a complete tool.

The fact that this is one of the highlights of my week so far pretty much says it all.

It started on Saturday when I spent the whole day feeling frustrated, tired and boooored...

Sunday I visited my cousin and we put in a long spell of gaming (Crackdown on the 360; great fun), and watched some classic Family Guy.

Monday I finished Heavenly Sword on the PS3. I'd have probably appreciated the climax of the great story a lot more if the whole thing hadn't been such a pain in the arse, not because of the difficulty of bad-guys, but because of the crap camera and stupid design ideas.

Yesterday I watched the Olympics and played some World of Warcraft.

Today I've watched the Olympics and played some World of Warcraft.

Tomorrow I've got to sign on, after which I'll probably watch the Olympics and play some World of Warcraft.

Arrgh!!

There's another three and a half weeks to go before I can finally get out of here and get to university.

I think I need help...

Baldness, Beer-guts and Belting Riffs

After two and half decades, it's understandable that Metallica would be getting a little thin on top and wide down below. In fact, it's kinda sad to see Kirk Hammett - who's always sported long, curly locks (except for his thick-mane period of the early 90s) - developing a bald spot, which just barely distracts from the girth of his gut being shown off by an ill-advised vest.

Then again, when have Metallica ever been admired for their aesthetic appeal?

I'm presently in the middle watching the fly-on-the-wall footage of the recording of their new album. It's interesting seeing how it all comes together. I've watched rockumentaries before, but they tend to mostly consist of interview footage, with only minimal recording footage. Mission Metallica features regularly-updated studio footage, which makes for an interesting watch for someone who's always been fascinated by the process.

Of course, it also gives a sample of what's to come on The Death Magnetic and, so far, I'm liking what I'm hearing: Loud, fast and heavy :D

Unforgiven

This probably won't be big news to many of you (I know Twisty won't care one jot...whatever a jot is), but I've just heard that Metallica's new album is going to feature Unforgiven III, which I personally see as cause to post two of my favourite Metallica songs:

Believe

This was perhaps the most haunting and original of the many Halo 3 trailers around just prior to its release:



With the coming of yet another epic to the 360, the idea has been somewhat borrowed to admirable affect:

Immortel

Earth, 2095. A pyramid appears above New York and, from it, emerges Horus, Egyptian god of the sky, released from an eternal slumber to walk the Earth for seven days; time aims to use to mate with a rare woman who can bare a god's child.

Where to begin...?

This film is weird. The setting reminds me a lot of The Fifth Element with a starker colour palette. Cars float around the city, or ride around on rails. The high-rise streets are populated with a mix of humans, aliens and mutants. A lot of the designs for both vehicles and buildings have an art-deco look. It's certainly a feast for the eyes.

As is the lead, Jill; a tall, slim, white-skinned, blue 'haired' woman who can read minds, shoot people with the palm of her hand and permanently dye human skin blue with her tears.

With the exception of Jill - played by French actress Linda Hardy adopting a very convincing non-European accent - and one or two others in elaborate costume, the whole non-human cast is rendered in CGI. It seems very strange at first, given these characters are all humanoid and look as close to human as it was possible to get with CGI four years ago, but it fits with the overall odd look of the film. Because everything is coloured so starkly, and the whole thing looks so surreal anyway, the CGI characters don't look as out of place as they might've done in a more straight-forward or colourful sci-fi.

Immortel is a strange film with a convoluted plot and bizarre aesthetic, but it's captivating, atmospheric and immensely original.

From the Heart

Over in the Inferno, Dante reminded me of a little something special from our dearly departed lord and saviour, Mr. Bill Hicks (you might want to turn your speakers down just a smidge):

Early Morning Pick-Me-Up

Yet More Moozack!

Every now and then my randomised playlist lands on a forgotten gem that I love when I hear it, but immediately forget about when it's finished.

So I wrote today's on my hand with the specific intent on posting it right here for you all to enjoy:



Also, Shirley Manson really does it for me, and not just because of her antics with the blow-up doll...

Doing It With A Touch of Class

I hate perfume ads; they're so gut-wrenchingly pointless and stupid. A pair of ridiculous-looking, scrwany models in ripped jeans, whispering vapid little lines at each other that hold all the passion and romance of a cat-shit kebab, rendered in black & white in a desperate attempt to make the whole thing look artistic.

Ironic, then, that the one time they get it right, the ad is banned. Thank god for the internet :D

Yes, she's talking bollocks, and yes, it's rendered in black & white to try to make it look more artistic and less pornographic, but let's face it, it's Eva Mendes.

Who Watches the Watchmen?

On the strength of the novel, I'm going to hazard a guess at 'lots of people'.

Having finally finished the book, I can see from the trailer that many key scenes have been faithfully reconstructed, but I still wonder at how certain elements will be handled by Zak Snyder. For example, big chunks of back-story and characterisation are handled by long prose pieces - taking the form of official reports, newspaper columns, novel extracts and press interviews - interspersed throughout the novel. The story can probably be told without them, but if the writers and director are keen to remain faithful to source, then they will have to be at least alluded to in some way.

There is also something quite radical - dare I say, silly - about the maniacal scheme behind the main plot-arch. How that will translate on screen, and how audiences will react to it - especially those who haven’t read the novel - I don’t know.

Snyder and co. certainly have some tough decisions to make. However, he did bring us the excellent 300 so, whatever the result, I’ve no doubt it will be entertaining…