Friday 29 January 2016

Oh, und während wir über das Fernsehen sprechen...

Oh, and while we're talking about television, if you're not already watching Deutschland '83 on Channel 4, you should be. It's the best thing I've seen on the small screen since the first series of Fargo. Don't worry if you've missed the start, you can catch up here. I don't know if it's the fine blend of light and dark that gets me, or the Eighties nostalgia, or both. Whatever, it's terrific.

P.S. Apologies for the German title. I don't speak German, evidently, but relied on Google Translate...

Dallas with balls - an iPlayer exclusive

If, like me, you grew up through the Eighties, there's a very good chance you watched a fair amount of snooker on TV. Maybe you were a Steve Davis fan. Maybe you preferred the more cavalier approach of Alex Higgins. Either way, I think you'll enjoy The Rack Pack, a one-off drama, currently exclusively available on iPlayer here. Luke Treadway and Will Merrick, as the yin and yang of the baize, inhabit their roles; there's comedy too, primarily from Kevin Bishop as Barry Hearn (imagine a Del-Boy who is actually as savvy as Del-Boy thinks he is), and tragedy, not least in the depiction of Higgins's marriage to Lynn (Nichola Burley, also excellent).

The BBC, your BBC made this, lovingly recreating the 70s and 80s with a forensic attention to detail, and breaking new ground technically with their recreation of famous snooker shots (notably Alex's hardly-ever-in-position break of 69 to level his 1982 world semi against Jimmy White). The result is an excellent 90 minutes or so of television, yet they've squirelled it away on the iPlayer, exclusively available there for the rest of 2016. Maybe it's a canny attempt to drive viewing online, I don't know. What I do know is that we should be cherishing the Beeb, and fighting any attempt to mess with it for political gain.

Enough point-making from me. Just go and watch The Rack Pack - you'll thank me for it.

Wednesday 27 January 2016

Getting real

It is often said, usually glibly, that perception is reality. If we assume that's true, at least from a perspective of personal truth if not empirical, then if I perceive something false to be true, the effect of that something on me is the same as it would be if that something was true, yes?

But if I recognise that this truth is only my perception and not substantiated, presumably that lessens the effect to some degree? So, not that it matters but...

effect(truth(perception(x))) <= effect(truth(empirical(x)))

Yes?

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." (Albert Einstein)

Thursday 21 January 2016

Clandestine Classic XLV - Sleep Alone

Holes In The Wall
The forty-fifth post in an occasional series that is intended to highlight songs that you might not have heard that I think are excellent - clandestine classics, if you will. Maybe they'll be by bands you've never heard of. Maybe they'll be by more familiar artists, but tracks that were squirelled away on b-sides, unpopular albums, radio sessions or music magazine cover-mounted CDs. Time will, undoubtedly, tell.

Wikipedia describes The Electric Soft Parade as an English psych pop band from Brighton. I don't really know what psych pop is supposed to be (for shame), so I'm glad to be able to find Brighton, at least. Lucky for us all that such definitions and genre pigeon-holing are irrelevant, in Clandestine Classic terms. All you need to know is that ESP formed around the turn of the century (yes, in Brighton), and that the nucleus of the band was/is/forever shall be brothers Alex and Thomas White. Brothers, eh? Might explain the excellent close vocal harmonies then.

Anyway, the band's first album, Holes In The Wall, was released in February 2002, to widespread critical acclaim. Not quite widespread enough though, as it only charted at #35. Still, I bought, and loved it. Today's Clandestine Classic, Sleep Alone, is the album highpoint for me, epitomising everything that is great about early ESP: those harmonies, a fragile melody, and lyrics, lyrics, lyrics...

This is what I say
When I can't say to you.
This is what I do
When I can't say to you.
Out of time, out of touch.
And on through the dark nights
We sleep alone,
As if all we know is true.

It's a fine, fine song to be alone to, to feel alone to, for whatever reason. It's a song I return to, often, and a song I always hope they will play live when I see them.

I don't want to say anything else really, am not in the right mood for it. You can pick up Holes In The Wall absurdly cheaply on Amazon. If you need convincing, here are a couple of embeds of today's classic, the album version and a live, acoustic recording on the beach. I know, I spoil you.

Thursday 14 January 2016

Quite possibly the coolest mugshot there has ever been

The full story behind the pic ...

... a moment of light Bowie relief, that you really must watch ...

... and Blackstar, that you really must listen to.

In which I try to predict the outcome of the Oscars

Here are the nominations for the 2016 Oscars, together with my tips for success in red. Disclaimer: if you're a betting man, I wouldn't follow my tips...

88th Academy Awards Nominations/Predictions
Best Picture
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
Room
Spotlight
The Big Short
The Martian
The Revenant
Actor in a Leading Role
Bryan Cranston - Trumbo
Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Matt Damon - The Martian
Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale - The Big Short
Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight
Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone - Creed
Tom Hardy - The Revenant
Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett - Carol
Brie Larson - Room
Jennifer Lawrence - Joy
Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn
Actress in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara - Carol
Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs
Directing
Adam McKay - The Big Short
George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro González Iñárritu - The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson - Room
Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marie Was There
Costume Design
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Mad: Fury Road
The Revenant
Documentary Feature
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire
Documentary Short
Body Team
Chau, Beyong the Lines
Flaude Lanzmann
A Girl in the River
Last Day of Freedom
Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant
Original Song
Earned It - Fifty Shades of Grey
Simple Song #3 - Youth
Til It Happens to You - The Hunting Ground
Writing’s on the Wall - Spectre
Manta Ray - Racing Extinction
Animated Short
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Leave Without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow
Sound Editing
Mad Mad: Fury Road
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
The Revenant
Cinematography
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
The Hateful Eight
The Revenant
Film Editing
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Big Short
The Revenant
Foreign Language
A War
Embrace of the Serpent
Mustang
Son of Saul
Theeb
Music - Original Score
Bridge of Spies
Carol
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Hateful Eight
Production Design
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Danish Girl
The Martian
The Revenant
Live Action Short
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay
Shok
Stutterer
Sound Mixing
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
The Revenant
Visual Effects
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
The Revenant
Writing - Adapted Screenplay
Brooklyn
Carol
Room
The Big Short
The Martian
Writing - Original Screenplay
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
Come back after the 28th of February to see how many I got wrong. Most of them, I'm guessing.

Tuesday 12 January 2016

Sometimes ...

... when I go quiet, it's because there is acid in the past.

However neutral, or even alkaline, the present may be, the past can be caustic, and still has the power to burn.

Tuesday 5 January 2016

Audiophile opinions please...

After a year of being goodish, I got a FiiO X1 high definition audio player for Christmas. Lucky me, because it is outstanding.

I listen to it through a pair of Sony AS41EX headphones, which are a bit of a compromise because I need my cans to be discrete, to stay on whilst running and to have excellent sound quality. These from Sony are the best blend of those three that I could find without spending silly money.

The Fiio X1 doesn't have a hard drive, so I've fitted a 128Gb micro SD card to it, and am busy digitising my CD collection at the compromise bit-rate of 256kbps. I'd like to do 320, but I've got a hell of a lot of CDs to fit into 128Gb.

All in all, I'm very pleased with how my new rig sounds. There's just one gap though - I'm in the market for a portable speaker. Now the X1 doesn't support Bluetooth or wi-fi, so it'll be a wired connection via a standard 3.5mm stereo jack, from headphone socket to line in. Bluetooth would be nice, as it would allow me to use my phone as a secondary device, but it's not a deal breaker. What I'm looking for really is rechargeability, a good battery life, excellent sound quality and a non-ridiculous price. And since I know a good proportion of this blog's readers are only really interested in the music-related posts, I wondered if you lot had any ideas or recommendations? Don't all shout at once ...

Monday 4 January 2016

_ _ _ _ _ new year

Sorry for the lazy blog post but, just to get something on the board for 2016, you can't beat this from Uncle Bill. Neat video too.