Music Video//3rdEyeGirl & Prince - Fix Ur Life Up

Anybody who says Prince has lost it is wrong – and as fans of the Purple One, the Zine is firmly of the opinion he’s onto something good with his recent collaborations with the excellent Andy Allo and now 3rdEyeGirl. With a tour currently running around small venues in the United States and rumors of a similar tour for the UK this video for the band’s latest single Fix Ur Life Up is doing the rounds on the internet. 

With the quartet on one stage and the traditional female band that’s always been a part of the setup, (What does it matter anyway? As long as they rock the house – then all is cool we say!) Prince brings it down low with the message of Fix Ur Life Up – and in the course of the three and a half minutes we get just why this band is getting rave reviews for their tour. If these guys are coming  to the UK – the count us in!

Album Flashback #2: Shiina Ringo - Shouso Strip

“That tricky second album” is a quote rarely heard. But when you consider just how different Shousou Strip is from its predecessor Muzai Moratorium you could very coin such a phrase.

It begins with a bass fueled bang – literally – and an invisible orchestral flourish and it’s a start that’s hard to better. Quite how ear catching it is, is hard to explain unless you hear it. But rest assured for those new to this album that it’s a good beginning. The sound for Shouso Strip is somewhat more even, with a turn the mix right up and throw it at them attitude prevalent on every track including the things this reviewer dreads the most – ballads. Yes, the classic album mood killer and they don’t even mean to half the time. But in the early albums the ballads are actually very listenable; resembling screaming guitar infused emotional paintings than anything else.

A definite highlight is Yami ni Furu Ame (trans. A Driving Rain in Darkness) with the out of tune violin and strings competing with the rock elements in manner that conspires to visualise rain and utter darkness, with the promotional video being well worth a look. Another highlight, one of the artists most famous and self-covered songs, is Youkushitsu (trans. Bathroom), and in it’ original form it’s a spellbinding dark fairy tale, where the singer urges the listener to drown her in a very dark form of love wondering out loud “how we ever came to meet” .

It also contains the striking Tsumi to Batsu (trans. Crime and Punishment) notable for its soul inspired yet out and out rock inspired arrangement. It also contains one of the artist’s best vocal performances in this particular style, matched closely with the aforementioned Honnou (trans. Instinct) that comes with one of her most dramatic videos. If you’ve seen it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

As a whole, it has to be said, the album is a production tour de force in keeping it loud, in your face and above all interesting. As much as I love this album, it’s not one for every occasion, the deafening volume sometimes eliminating from quieter moments by it’s sheer sonic disposition. (But saying this even the follow up Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana is a long-game listen despite its quieter production.) But if you like music that is experimental, daring and above all not afraid to lash out at you uncontrollably than Shouso Strip is an album you must listen to.

The Title: Shouso Strip – Roughly translated it means ‘Lawsuit Winning Strip’

Highlights: Yami ni Furu ame, Youkushitsu.

Written by Seba Gahan.

The Comix Column #4: The Best Comics You Need to Read!

DISCLAIMER: The below opinions are not facts but simply very one sided, biased views from a cynical and seen it all aging comics fan whose really trying to look on the bright side of things. That the opinions expressed below happen to be true as well is merely coincidental.

Wow, a week disappears so fast but not quite as fast as my patience with certain comics. Can you hear that sound: is it thunder?; the sound of jaws hitting the floor with disbelief over the awesomeness of the new ‘Man of Steel’ trailer?; the bang for your buck you get with this week’s Batman Inc? No, its me dropping a number of comics from my reading list as my patience is tested further than the last time I stood in a queue for a Marvel movie on opening night. Not to poop in the middle of the floor at anyone’s party (what an image) but enough is enough. 

As main titles at DC such as Justice League and Justice League of America move towards this summer’s crossover event titled ‘the Trinity War’ I’m afraid I’m moving the opposite way – quickly. As a long time reader I’m beginning to find the (supposedly) epic stories that take in many of a company’s titles at once, to be tedious and pointless, only made worse by the fact that they are always promoted as ‘nothing will ever be the same again’ or ‘you won’t believe what happens next’ or ‘blah blah blah’ ( I made up the last one myself but you probably didn’t notice). So in the words of The Who I ‘won’t get fooled again.’ My only worry is how Marvel’s upcoming ‘Infinity’ saga will effect Hickman’s Avengers as he is writing it and using his Avengers title as a point of call for the story. I suppose only time will tell.

But as is the way of this column I want to breed and feed positivity when it comes to comics, so what IS the good and the great out there in comic shops around the country this week?

Well, after nearly ten years on reinvigorating the character of GREEN LANTERN (main picture) and creating it into a viable franchise for DC, Geoff Johns writes his swan song on the title in the form of issue 20. A suitably satisfying conclusion and a rather emotional one taking in the prerequisite supporting cast as well as the various coloured lantern spectrum Green, Red, Blue, Indigo etc. It’s been a long yet thoroughly enjoyable ride and is arguably his best work in comics to date. His ‘Blackest Night’ event story is still one of the few crossovers I actually enjoyed and seemed to have a wider point to it than just getting to certain story beats without a thought to the bigger picture. If you’ve not read it then why not get to your local comic store or book shop and buy the collected edition?

DAREDEVIL (pictured) is another title from the big two which is really hitting the mark (that joke will be a lot funnier after you’ve read the issue- hopefully). Mark Waid is doing some really interesting work that’s not really been seen since Brian Michael Bendis was on the title in the noughties; finally the horned hero feels like he is in grave peril once again. I won’t spoil this issue but to say there’s a great reveal in this week’s issue.

FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY is certainly an intriguing premise: the book’s main protagonist is possessed by the spirits of Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Merlin, Robin Hood and Miyamoto Musashi. Now in all honesty this could’ve been fantabulosa (yeah, I’m bringing that word back) or an almighty car crash; its great say it works superbly. The book has a real thirties pulp feel to it and the concept is executed brilliantly, helped no end by Chris Mooneyham’s old fashioned (in a very good way) art style. It’s only on its third issue, so you can jump right in or wait for the collected edition that should be on its way soon as the series has been a big hit. 

Web comics are a strange breed to me. I’m sure many people have said it before but I prefer a physical object in my hands made of paper that I can manipulate as I want, continuously turning forwards and backwards, if and when I feel the story dictates it. However there is many a comic or cartoon strip that is only available online and they are just too good to pass up.

Saga from Image is my favourite comic published today and whilst it’s on a temporary hiatus it’s time to read (Saga writer) Brian K. Vaughans’s THE PRIVATE EYE from www.panelsyndicate.com. Set in the future where everyone has a secret identity and there is no internet anymore because of a ‘happening’ (that’s briefly mentioned) it already feels like a new world has been constructed before the reader’s eyes; it’s only two issues in and I’m already hooked. 

Marcos Martin (who illustrated several issues of Daredevil mentioned above) art is superbly stylised in an accessibly cartoony way with Muntsa Vicente’s colours making it really pop off the computer screen. But the most interesting thing about the comic is the price: it’s up to you how much you pay- from nothing to the sky’s the limit- all monies going to the creators one hundred per cent. However if we want more endeavors like this then, I believe, it’s best to cough up the cash to show our support to creators trying new and innovative ideas. Both issues are available as we speak, so get over to the website and start downloading- it’s the future baby!

Another gem hiding in the black hole we call the web is CORPORATE SKULL by cartoonist Jamie Smart. It’s a strip that updates every Monday and is wonderfully original. It’s been going a couple of years now but you can catch up from the beginning at www.corporateskull.com. I won’t say too much about as it will spoil the many surprises the strip wields but the story begins with an office employee having his face ripped off by a photo copier and THEN it gets weirder.

That’s me done for this week. Next week I’ll hopefully be reviewing what’s (please God, please, please, please, let there be something) good to read and I’ll also be looking at the best translated foreign language comics available. Until then: ciao and happy reading.

The Comics Column is written by Martin Shepley. Look out for more next week! Want to have you say on the comics we've featured? Get in contact! 

Music Review//Polysics - Weeeeeeeeee!!!

Have you ever mixed a completely random cocktail – either as an adult or a child? Did it consist of random elements of whatever you had to hand at the time, mixed to perfection by your curious hands? Japanese band Polysics describes their music as “technicolor pogo punk” and it’s hard not to picture the band pogoing around in a technicolor landscape to this completely absorbing but perfectly silly music.

With a fifteen year career behind them it’s clear that they’ve become experts at this kind of thing and it shows in the effortless grooves they carve out using their trademark videogame melodies and rock effects. It’s like an electro-disco night out in Akihabara only much cooler than anything electric town can offer. There is doubtless an element of the oft seen geek chic element prevalent in Japanese culture and that is no bad thing when you consider just what it’s spawned in the minds of millions who count themselves as part of that club.

Yet this is not just a video game soundtrack (something very popular in Japan) this is music for those with a very open mind. There’s a freshness you’re unlikely to find anywhere else on these shores to this music and this is just why any scepticism is washed away after the first listen. Indeed, if you’ve ever been to Tokyo you can just picture those bright city lights as you listen!

There is much to enjoy, from the album highlight Everybody Say No to the infectious Lucky Star (not a Madonna cover – although that would be interesting to hear!) and it’s fair to say that if you don’t have any reaction to the music contained on ‘Weeeeeeeeee!!!’ that you possibly have no soul . After all, the listening experience here is akin to discovering a great new toy as a child and exploring just how many types of games you can play with it.

From the out of control plinky-plonky grooves of the title track to the perfectly nonsensical song titles that draw you instantly (‘Ice, Tights, Mike’, ‘Kitchen Ban Ban’ and ‘Quiet Smith’ anyone?) its musical experience the like of which is rarely found. You’re almost invited not to take it seriously and that is something unique in an industry that is getting ever more serious. Put it this way, if you’re looking for serious statements of intent here, you’re not getting any – but you are getting a seriously good listening experience bound to put a great big smile on your face even bigger than the Cat Bus in Studio Ghibli’s Totoro!

Review by Sebastian Gahan

Music Video//Terry Emm - Loved and Never Lost

Released 3^rd June on Azez Records is the latest single from Terry Emm. Loved and never Lost is extracted from his upcoming third album and features an atmospheric video shot at Brighton’s Old Pier. Watch the video below:

With the scenery to match the contemplative nature of the song, Terry Emm follows up his seasonal song Gently with another excellent listen. As Emm muses on the changes in his life the orchestral arrangements bring an epic, life affirming quality to the music, the waves behind him encapsulating perfectly the cycle of a life lapping on and off the shore of existence with a graceful force that can never stop or be guided

The video is directed by Mark Charlton of Bluestar Animation, who also produced the video for Emm’s previous single Gently.

Music Review//Silent Cities - E-I-G-E-N-L-I-C-H-T E.P

E.P.'s are an increasing fascination with us. We get a lot of them sent to us and so often we listen but want more from them. In most cases that's a good thing - an artist can't be judged by three tracks when the power of creativity is capable of so much more but the music scene recently favors small bites rather than giant portions and if it's good for the fan then the artist will surely benefit. In the case of Silent Cities this is most definitely the case. 

We've witnessed Silent Cities on many occasions previous silence a room with his at once powerfully subtle yet incredibly loud music and this E.P., the typist friendly E-I-G-E-N-L-I-C-H-T, this is the case. It's the expansive sounds that make this music work and with a voice as expressive as Mr Maddison's the accompanying instrumentation is minimal but the tension is comparable to the best Gothic horror soundtrack. The strings and guitar make a perfect combination and when you consider the dramatic power they hold on the listener it's such a pity that the E.P is a limited edition of 100. But that's where the silent cities hide I guess...

The songs themselves move along at an arctic pace, simultaneously beautiful but chilling you to the bone. Opener Global Aerobics floats along on an experimental song structure with the lyrics something to treasure and think about in those moments when life won't budge out of stubborn mode. The hazy, dream like  production from Mario Leal on this E.P is evident from the off and by the time we reach the closing track D & H, with ethereal chantings of letting everything go accompanying the psychedelic musings of the artist, you have to conclude that this E.P is not one for listening to on the hoof. 

This is the type of music that grows seeds in your mind, flowering a little on each listen until you remember just how beautiful it is. But the seeds grow best in nocturnal solitude and that's why E-I-G-E-N-L-I-C-H-T is a dark treasure. 

Reviewed by Sebastian Gahan.

Album Flashback #1: Shiina Ringo - Muzai Moratorium

On the 27th May 2013 the anniversary single to celebrate 15 years since Shiina Ringo released her debut single is out. In the run up we'll be looking at each of her studio albums. We'll start at the beginning, with her debut album Muzai Moratorium...

Debut albums can never be taken as a bench mark of an artist’s career - and so it is that Shiina Ringo's debut sounds somewhat tame in comparison to her later releases. But note the words 'in comparison' - this is still no ordinary, manufactured J-Pop singer we're talking about. There are flashes of brilliance on the album in among the vast array of influences. But if you heard her later work before this album you'd be forgiven for being a little underwhelmed.

There's a more standard song structure in play and much more in the line of traditional instrumentation to be found. The songs too are completely different in style to later material and although the playful sounds and lyrics are still there they're not yet fully developed on record. The clever debut single, represented here by a rockier version, of Koufukuron (trans. A View of Happiness) is still a fun listen and other highlights include Kabukichou no Jyou (trans. Queen of Kabukichou), the fixation with the darker aspects of Tokyo life firmly in place by the second track. (Kabukichou, for those not in the know, is famous for its prostitutes and sex clubs - and is oft said to be somewhere a tourist is not advised to take pictures for fear of having your camera smashed by a member of the Yakuza.) 

Elsewhere there are highlights aplenty despite the disjointed nature of the album. Tsumiki Asobi (trans. Playing with Bricks) is much more akin to later songs, with a unique production fusing koto and beats with a maniacal ease.  There are also though some songs that still don’t gel with this reviewer, Koko de Kiss Shite (trans. Kiss Me Here) still sounds too normal and Onaji Yoru (trans. The Same Night) lacks something to make the chanson inspired vocals jump out at you. 

More so than any Shiina Ringo album it works better listened too track by track than as a whole but that doesn't mean to say it's not a rewarding listen - it's merely the weakest album of an excellent catalog.

Highlights: Kabukichou no Jyou; Tsumiki Asobi

Cover Art: Can you spot Shiina Ringo? A clever reverse CD jacket makes for a curiosity inducing listen. 

Meaning: (無罪)Muzai = Innocence and Moratorium = the end of something. That makes the album title the very succinct 'The End of Innocence' 

Reviewed by Sebastian Gahan.

Music Review//Texas - The Conversation

A new Texas album has been a long time coming and now, on a new label and sounding refreshed after the long break, they’re back with album The Conversation. The title track signals a return to the simpler production of earlier albums whilst retaining the modern edge of their later releases. And it’s also quite an ear catcher as well – a good start. But does it all hold up? 

But like any Texas album there’s some filler to be had and the majority is unfortunately towards the beginning. But once you get past that there are some excellent sounds here. Detroit City brings some welcome life to the proceedings and with it’s up tempo soul beat and synth melodies it’s a definite highlight. In fact, the more energetic moments on The Conversation are the ones that engender the most nods of approval. Whilst in the past there’s been a tendency to smother some excellent music under excessive production its suppressed here and the results are spectacular.

Talk About Love is one example – it’s guitar lines are out and proud as on their debut album way back in 1989 and it’s a revelation, just as the opening chords of the title track catch the ear for the same reason. If the natural beauty revolution can apply to music, then it’s certainly relevant here. Even the down tempo, Americana tinged songs have a charm about them that brings the record close but not equal to their career high point of White On Blonde.

The European, almost Parisian sophistication of previous records isn’t quite here but that’s no bad thing. There’s a mix of the out and out Americana of the bands underrated third album Ricks Road and the modern, clean edge of their more recent releases and it works very well. The band hasn’t sounded this fresh in a long time and their return is welcomed by this reviewer.

Reviewed by Sebastian Gahan.