The Bright, third win by knock-out!

The Bright. Music Hall, Barcelona, March 3rd

The Bright at Music Hall.
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Being this the third review of a concert from The Bright you should know by now this blog loves them. Saw them twice on 2011, first in the intimacy of a FNAC store, having just discovered their album (I insist, check "Soundtrack for a Winter's Tale", you won't regret it), and left me longing for more. A naturally charming couple, with disarmingly honest and powerful folk-rock. The second show arrived in November, at Sidecar. Despite repeating the duo format, this was a proper gig, proving that besides songs, Myriam and Aníbal have the needed live presence.

Myriam at Music Hall
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

So, after two concerts, was there anything new to offer? Yes sir, a lot more than I could imagine. Finally the duo arrived to Barcelona with a full-band format. The place, Music Hall, proved to be a pretty venue with a good sounding, and the promise of new songs were incentives enough to be excited for. But the start wasn't easy.

You can have a small audience but succeed. But having a small, very cold and distant audience seems too big adversities against any band. And, at least during the first songs, The Bright struggled to battle that sort of apathy among the public. Which is frustrating, because "Rocking Chair" or "Losing Your Way" were amazing in their electric versions, and the new tune "Rotten Crops" is among their best so far.

Playing the haunting "Eyes"
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

But this couple from León have "that something" and they were relentless in their effort to connect the hesitant public, using "Private Garden", "Coffee and Wine", "Waving Flag" and "Soundtrack", that is, heavy-fire, to reach the halfway point of the gig. And to round off this turning point of the gig, they offered a wonderful rendition of a Bob Dylan's song. The audience finally showed up. The Bright "rescued" them.

The setlist of the gig
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

From there on, the concert vibe changed and the Bright offered gem after gem, showing us their diverse but equally brilliant music. From the stunning rendition of Neil Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand" (it might sound like an heresy to many, but what a difference is hearing it from Myriam's' voice), to the playful versions of Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin, the rockiers "Dirty Town" and "They'll Go Away" or the mesmerizing "Eyes", taking benefit of the silence on the venue, to create a moment of haunting beauty.

So, third time, third knock-out win by The Bright!

"As Themselves", absurdly funny celebrities

As Themselves (Ellos Mismos, Spanish original title)- Joaquín Reyes

Making people laugh is a very difficult to achieve. Besides, humour is a very personal thing, so there are (almost) as many opinions on what's funny and what's not as humans on the planet. In Spain, there's a crude, prudish humour, rancid, that has to do more with the ancient regime and those who would not want to move from it. I could name some TV channels or programs, but if you live here, you know which ones I'm referring. But there's also another type of humour, way more recommendable and for the one that is writing, of course, amusing.

One of his most notable exponents of this humour is Joaquín Reyes, author of "As Themselves", that together with his troupe of buddies has offered us refreshing comical TV shows like "La Hora Chanante" or "Muchachada Nui (¡Nui!)", or more recently (and less remarkably) "Museo Coconut". These very recommendable shows (the first two mentioned) had a unique style of humour mixing the absurd (frequently delirious) with childish jokes (those costumes) and demanding a lot of complicity with the audience. To achieve that connection, they created several characters the public easily recognized/sympathised with, and used the imitation of celebrities as a common resource, with hilarious, sometimes unforgettable results. What Joaquín Reyes offers in "As Themselves" is the translation of that celebrity parodies to a cartoon.

This book is a compilation of these cartoons, previously published on nation-wide newspapers El Periódico and El País, creating some new ones as links to give some coherency to the whole product. The structure is pretty simple, the caricatured celebrity introduces himself/herself, and with a disarming and surreal sincerity, show us a mundane, zero-glamour revelation. This sort of "public scrutiny" brings some screamingly funny and completely unexpected situations, with shocking one-liners and/or side notes by the "Cactus" (yes I said Cactus) or the author himself. It's quite amazing to see how Reyes is capable of making the celebrity confess his/her exaggerated defect/current situation, one that easily connects with the reader (as we already knew it, or at least suspected), in such a condensed space. Even the same cartoonist doesn't escape from this scrutiny (so we can empathise with him). 

Some might say not every celebrity is equally accomplished, or, in my opinion, the monkey character that connects the cartoons is not as entertaining as the stories itself. But cartoons like Giménez Losantos, Sánchez-Drago, Lenny Kravitz, Nicolas Cage, David Hasselhoff, Fernando Alonso, Pitita Ridruejo, Matthew McConaughey, Bono, Manu Chao, and a long etc, are reason enough to justify checking "As Themselves". Laughs are granted.

SCORE: 7/10 

"A Dangerous Method", let's talk about sex, doctor

A Dangerous Method

It's probably me, sure. Because with the exception of "Spider", the cinema of David Cronenberg has been pretty insufferable. Sometimes morbid ("Crash"), others just (sorry) stupid ("Eastern Promises", "A History of Violence"), with "A Dangerous Method", I have to use another adjective. I found this movie interesting, with great potential, but the final result is disappointingly flat.

The premise was intriguing. An insight on psychoanalysis, from the perspective of their fathers, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, with Sabina Spielrein completing the triangle. An intellectual and emotional, sentimental conflict that gave shape to their theories but also determined their lives. On paper, this could be original and absorbing matters to deal with. Even the fact Cronenberg was directing it was intriguing, due to his personal record as the body horror or venereal horror genre master's, considering sex was supposed to be a major factor on the discussions of both psychoanalysts. But the film doesn't live to its expectations.

In my opinion, what makes the movie shallow is the lack of character development. Contrary to the usual pattern in cinema, I believe "A Dangerous Method" would need a longer length to engage the spectator, to make the film compelling or to introduce real depth on it. As it has been edited, the film starts with a a quite vibrant pace, but once the (potentially absorbing) conflicts are exposed, it becomes clearly unbalanced towards the turbulent relation between Spielrein and Jung, leaving an insufficient amount of scenes for the development of the relationship, then clash between Freud and Jung, and skimming over events that should matter for the development of the film, which is a bit frustrating (the near-the-end reading letters part it is indeed very annoying). Maybe Cronenberg wanted to explain the ideas of the two psychologists/psychoanalysts with the physical relationship between Spielrein and Jung, but if that what's the purpose, the result is a big failure.

With that structure, the film acquires an unexpected inertia, even apathy. I do think Michael Fassbender makes the film worth watching as he creates a powerful, troubled Carl Jung, while Vincent Cassel is also exciting as relevant secondary character Otto Gross. But on the other hand, Viggo Mortensen portrays a caricature of a very affected Freud. His character demanded more scenes to be developed and confronted to Jung. Finally Keira Knightley is a disturbing, controversial Spielrein. Her extreme shifts from hysteria to be the one capable of confronting such a personal drama is hard to believe, at least to me. As I said, an unbalanced, quite lifeless film.

SCORE: 5/10

"End of the Century", punk, miseries & The Ramones

End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones

Almost two days after, I'm still shocked by this rockumentary. Honestly, it is hard to see a band so exposed, even more considering half of the band and core members (Joey and Dee Dee Ramone) died during the making of the film. But there's no hagiography here. On the contrary, what it shows, is a raw, very unpleasant picture of a mythical, very influential band.

"End of the Century" is a twisted story, helped by the an excellent work from directors Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia, tracing the punk-rockers evolution with a mix between priceless archive footage and insight interviews with the band members and more occasional opinions of their contemporaries (Blondie, Joe Strummer) and later in time, fan musicians (John Frusciante, Rob Zombie, Kirk Hammett, to name a few). That could work for a very interesting yet conventional music documentary. But this film is much more. Precisely, what confirms is that The Ramones were not a conventional band at all.

"End of the Century" charts the course of The Ramones career. And it doesn't take a lot of time for the viewer to see the members of the band were very young kids when they formed The Ramones... and they never grew up. We start on the early '70s in the uncool Queens, moving quickly to the rise of the New York City music scene. They seem to be leading that rise, and that success is just around the corner, but here's the first clash. For a band of unpretentious bad musicians (as they openly admit), with a strong punk ethic, the lack of chart success deeply frustrates them. There are two poisoned remarks from Johnny Ramone, one against Blondie, the other on The Clash first album that reflects the inner pain. Their triumphs in South-America and London (where punk, that they arguably invented, collapsed the music scene) only make their return to the States harder.

As records go and cult status is solidly built but never reaching the desired commercial breakthrough, the problems arise. "End of the Century" doesn't hide them a bit. While the issue with legendary producer Phil Spector is bound to make you laugh (a great tale of rock's wild times) the internal conflicts are gripping, painful yet at the same time absorbing to watch. The personal interviews reveals each Ramone as a very complex character, and one wonders how it was possible the band did not explode much earlier. Ideological and personal confrontations, drug abuse, roles and powers within the band... One wonders why they decided to keep going for so long with so much s**t on them. How the hell they could maintain the interest on playing together while they hated each other so much? It's puzzling to me to wonder how Joey and Johnny (scary person) could get along for so long. Did it become a daily work, or a (obviously dysfunctional) family? Secondary/temporary members of the band like Tommy, Marky or C.J only add more pain to the whole picture. The Ramones, as a band were obviously greater than the very flawed (in some case disastrous) individuals. As the end of the documentary approaches (there's an obvious unbalance on the amount of film length the latter years of the band have, one of the few complaints I have on the film) even when the deserved world recognition finally arrives (Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame induction) there's a unavoidable feeling of sadness. Did they, at least, enjoyed their careers? I doubt it.

Any fan of the band must see "End of the Century". Any music fan too. And any cinema lover, interested in human stories, with their conflicts and contradictions, should know they have an unmissable film to watch here.

SCORE: 8/10

"The Help", Oscars bound Disney's tale on racism

The Help

The problem with movies like "The Help" is that time has taken a toll on them. Luckily. Thanks mainly to the actors performances, its a recommendable film to watch, wtih a few elements worth to highlight. But it wants to please everyone so desperately it almost looses the point, that is, the story. Which was, as we all know, very far from this Hollywoodesque tale.

"The Help" is a curious mixture of tones and styles. It tries to add a new take on a subject already seen, but some combinations seems odd and too forced. Visually, and initially shocking, it all looks like a 50's Douglas Sirk movie. Very soon we realize, its not a matter of aesthetics, director Tate Taylor is not only trying to recreate a very particular Jackson, Mississipi, but uses the same treatment for characters. At least for "white" characters. An army of barbie-dolls, with the extreme caricature of Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly. The evil witch of Disney's movies, materialised into the self-proclaimed leader of a flesh and blood bunch of housewives. This might be an original perspective for a very sensitive material, but I'm afraid Taylor uses only to approach racism in a very lightweight way. Something that seriously harms the film.

Because the mixture between comedy and social drama doesn't always work. I know, not every film has to be as plaintive and sharp (and absorbing) as Spike Lee's "Bamboozled", or violence doesn't have the main issue, as "Mississipi Burning", but "The Help" decides to hide almost hide it, and when the threat, in the sense of a domestic threat between housewife and maid has to explode, it is done in a comic way. Wasting an actress like Sissy Spacek for a couple of fun scenes is a shame. It also doesn't help this is a female movie. Male characters are just sketches (some of them are not even on screen), which is an ok decision... except for the fact this film intends to portray Southern societies in a time of changes, so it is an obviously incomplete picture.

  

Fortunately, as I said, there are elements to enjoy and praise on "The Help". Acting gives the film a much needed impulse in order to not become an indigestible TVMovie. Viola Davis is strikingly good in her role as Aibileen Clark. She is almost the only depth character in the film, and she does wonders with it, sometimes condensed in just a facial expression. She represents the difficult, slow change/then rebellion against an unacceptable system. Linked to her is of course Skeeter's character, also convincingly portrayed by Emma Stone. I praise director Taylor for shifting the focus from the usual white, compassionate, heroic "WASP"  it seemed to be, replacing it for a credible, confused young woman unhappy with her Southern environment, becoming the vehicle of expression of the real, meaning character. The awakening of a collective, finally making their voice heard. Of course, a worthy mention has to be made about also to Oscar winner's Octavia Spencer in her role as Minny, funny counterpoint, that shines every second she's on screen. Allison Janney and Jessica Chastain ("The Tree of Life"), as Skeeter's mother (although in my opinion she's grossly "saved" to line up along the "good ones") and Celia Foote, deserves some recognition for their work. 

"The Help" has too many issues to be even considered an unforgettable movie. On purpose, everything is settled to remain in the mild margins of the real story. It's entertaining, and thanks to the acting, mostly enjoyable (luckily there's no Whoopi Goldberg here), but tries too hard not to offend anybody, finally becoming inoffensive.

SCORE: 6/10

Playlisting: cover suggestions for The Very Most

Our dear friends from The Very Most were asking for song proposals to cover in their facebook on Tuesday. It took me a little while, 'cause I can imagine many tunes Jeremy and Co. could do wonders with, but here's a little playlist with my ideas. The band has already decided for a song from The Feelings (good choice as always) but anyway, is a good excuse for hearing great music!

1. Throw Aggi Off the Bride- Black Tambourine
2. Times Table- The Hi-Life Companion (wouldn't be great a cover between blog favourites?)
3. Suspended From Class- Camera Obscura
4. Me and the Farmer- The Housemartins
5. My Wandering Days Are Over- Belle and Sebastian
6. Catapult- R.E.M. (would die to hear TVM doing an early R.E.M. song, hard to choose one)
7. Ain't That Enough- Teenage Fanclub (or "Sparky's Dream", or "I Need Direction")
8. Black Cab- Jens Lekman
9. Let Mother Nature Be Your Guide- BMX Bandits
10. Sing Me Spanish Techno- The New Pornographers
11. If It's Not You- Language of Flowers
12. Some Kind of Angel- Mojave 3

The Indie Anthology 6: essential songs

For our sixth anthologic song, one of my favourite voices in music.

Song: Sweep Down Early
Artist: The Innocence Mission
Year: 2003

Some music has a healing, curative power. The sort of music you don't hear on a daily basis, but you know its there for you, waiting to comfort you when you need it. I discovered The Innocence Mission around 2004, thanks to an indie magazine saluting "Befriended", as another fine example of the gorgeous folk-pop of the band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I was haunted immediately for the combination of vibrating guitars, delicate strings and pianos, the space created in every chord, the jazzy and breezy melodies and of course, the incredible voice of Karen Peris. I could name a dozen songs that could fit here. They are synonym of evocative, moving, disarmingly beautiful music.