FACS - Still Life in Decay

 

New album from Chicago trio FACS out 7th April via Trouble in Mind

When the world was on lockdown, there was the opportunity to catch up on cultural aspects you missed but also a chance for discovery. In this role as a mild-mannered music reviewer, you get sent links to all sorts of musical genres and it is very hard on occasion to weave out of your lane and yet the chance came to review a three-piece from Chicago that were definitely not on my radar. This band was FACS encompassing guitarist Brian Case, bassist Alianna Kalaba and drummer Noah Leger. 

The album from 2020 was Void Moments and for this writer, it was a touchstone and portal for those times in lockdown - an album of ferocity and anger that spoke to me as this writer dealt with the boredom of lockdown and not seeing friends. FACS' brand of intense and post-punk noise was a calling card to me and yet a band that cleverly spoke more to me than an acoustic guitar.

After Void Moments came 2021's Present Tense, a quick follow-up to that pandemic album that sustained their growth as a band with buzzy feedback aplenty and Cage's lyrics again struggling to make sense of the world.

The new album Still Life in Decay is possibly the final swansong for the threesome as Kalaba seeks pastures new, yet the rhythm and unity of the band is still paramount, their tightness again only growing to this resounding maelstrom of disquiet. FACS are a loud band but are capable of such quiet moments of reflection amidst the undoubted sensory overload.

Opening track 'Constellation' is indicative - Cage's vocals burst out of the gate and then quickly recede to the pulsating bass and drum dance that Kalaba and Leger create. 'When You Say' is a call to arms of making sense of the world. 'Slogan' is about watching someone change which is a theme running through the album. 

As Brain Case explains: 'change...how that's seen from different people's perspectives. 'Still Life In Decay' is about that kind of change, realizing that relationships exist in different ways for individuals in shared situations, and how you navigate that as a unit. We knew when we were making this record that Alianna was going to be stepping away from the band, which of course heavily informed the sessions. Filled with deep understanding and love, but still those insecurities and feelings of loss, or an end of something. Despite that, 'Still Life In Decay' feels more like a beginning, it's tense and vulnerable in a way we haven't presented ourselves before. I'm so proud of what the three of us did with this album.'

The album is akin to a ghostly presence with this aura of transformation abounding, drifting past you but maintaining a lingering presence throughout, there is something earthly and yet other-worldy about the album as a whole. A journey of anxiety and white noise and with a gripping energy throughout.

Still Life in Decay is out from Trouble in Mind on 7th April

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity

Lets Talk About...The Mandalorian

I don't want to say I am out on The Mandalorian. Yet. And yet I am very disappointed by the third series of the winning series so far. I feel the injection of Mando into The Book of Boba Fett was a mistake as it showed the producers of the live-action Star Wars series moving forward felt the only way to keep people interested was to keep giving people the man behind the mask and the creed and the way.

The new series shows Din seeking to bathe in the waters of Mandalore to be redeeming following his removal of the sacred helmet and revealing his Pedro Pascal face to Grogu. That sort of tale of redemption is one that could have been the basis of a series worth of stories, Din's journey to the waters, the obstacles along the way and yet he got there at the end of episode 2 and thus redeeming himself.

There, for this padawan, appears to be a confusion in the storytelling. In Episode 4, The Foundling we have now a tangent where we see Grogu being rescued from the Order 66 attack on Coruscant by the clone troopers by other jedi. This now paints the tale as Grogu being a very important foundling who demands constant attention and support - this made me ask the question is he really a clone of Yoda, did the Jedi use the technology to their own benefit in some way knowing that something bad was going to occur.

Like last week's episode 'The Convert' a tale that revolved around Dr. Pershing and his intrepid partner in supposed asylum crime on Coruscant, that diversion was interesting and heralded a tale where you where given time with periphery characters who were afforded time and a character made more whole. And yet that was bookended by some boring bits involving Din and Bo Katan being welcomed back into the group.

I think the problem they have with the Mandalorian is perhaps the man himself. He is now redeemed. He is no longer a bounty hunter. He is a surrogate father to Grogu. What is his journey now? Or is this series with four episodes remaining just a foreshadowing or warm up to the incoming Ashoka or Skeleton Crew series. What is Mando now if nothing more than a gatekeeper to more content from Star Wars universe. As a fan of that universe for so long I am not going to object to more content, yet you have to make it engaging and worthwhile. The tone of a lot of episodes currently is very plodding and playing with our attention that hopes for more to come, its just a matter of when will that be forthcoming.

Patience is a virtue and must be a part of the creed. This is the way.

Trailer Talk - Cairo Conspiracy

 

A winner at the Cannes Film Festival for Best Screenplay in 2022, the hotly anticipated conspiracy thriller CAIRO CONSPIRACY is finally gaining a UK release on 14th April 2023 from Picturehouse Entertainment

The trailer above puts in a succinct nutshell the basis of a plot to insert a new Grand Iman amongst the Sunni Islam. Adam (Tawfeek Barhom) is the son of a fisherman, who is posited in a position to infiltrate certain cliques in the religious seat of learning and a game of cat and mouse between he and Colonel Ibrahim (Fares Fares - The Nile Hilton Incident) ensues.

A thriller based upon the power struggle between Egypt's religious and political elites. As one onlooker observes, power is a double edged sword and you may cut yourself upon it.

Directed by Tarik Saleh, who came to global prominence with The Nile Hilton Incident, he also recently directed the Amazon Prime release The Contractor starring Chris Pine and Ben Foster, which was a decent thriller of its own standing. He has also directed episodes of Westworld and Ray Donovan.

Saleh reunites with Fares who has garnered acclaim for his work on both sides of the Atlantic. This promises to be one of the best thrillers of this year and may well make end-of-year lists due to the bold and gripping nature of it.

CAIRO CONSPIRACY is out on limited release from Picturehouse Entertainment on 14th April

My thanks to Em Foundation for the opportunity to (p)review

What The Shadows Hide - MJ Lee

 

Book 9 in the DI Ridpath series written by MJ Lee

Ridpath is back and this time, someone is attacking his work colleagues. The Ridpath series has been going for about 5 years, I started reading during before the pandemic and have continued reading the series in parallel with his publication buddies - Marion Todd and Sheila Bugler.

Lee writes and paints the story with such clairty and brilliance, it is amazing he can maintain the pace of the narrative. In this story, Ridpath is again towing the line between his work for the Coroner's office and the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Force, he is essentially doing the work of two men yet he does not lose any of his everyman status as a single father at home to a teenage daughter, but a rebel at heart when it comes to his work.

Ridpath is able to rub people up the wrong way quite easily (I know the feeling), perhaps because he is the one able to get results which endears him to those who work closely enough to him and makes him look like trouble to those who are now too long in the tooth.

The narrative of What The Shadows Hide revolves around a case christened Romeo and Juliet, as two young people (when they passed) who were discovered entombed behind a doorway in an abandoned building during works. With no identification in their possession, the problem is trying to identify the two souls and this leads to the use of DNA genealogy technology to help by a freelancer who was an ex-cop. The GMP want results and Ridpath wants to help his chief coroner Challinor in finding results - yet things take a turn when Challinor is attacked herself in a brutal assault. This attack happens early on in the book so that is not giving anything with the plot and it leaves Ridpath with his deputies - Parkinson to find the answers. They are against the clock to find the solution.

After so many books in any series, you worry that will the character lose its lustre yet the best instances of it not happening - Jack Reacher and Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible franchise - is because the care taken to the story being told. Tom Cruise got Christopher McQuarrie to write, and Lee Child always was able to adapt by taking his creation and dropping him in a new unfamiliar terrain. 

Lee restricts Ridpath to the Greater Manchester postcodes with only mentions of such far flung destinations as Cheshire and Derbyshire, yet Manchester is a vast bastion of differing class structures and like most cities has high rise buildings in its centre and the two up, two down households on the periphery a constant reminder to local governments that reality exists.

What The Shadows Hide is an outstanding read, it is rip-roaring, page-turning and full of vibrancy and zest that is so pleasing to enjoy. Written with reckless abandon and verve by a writer hitting his stride thanks to a great story. Highly recommended.

What The Shadows Hide is out on March 23rd from Canelo Crime

The author MJ Lee is on Twitter @WriterMJLee

Electric Malady - Review

Debut film that was nominated for Outstanding Debut British Film at recent BAFTA's out March 3rd in cinemas.

A fascinating documentary into a life in remote Norway of a man diagnosed with electrosensitivity, a condition that effects approximately 3% of the world's population according to statistics from World Health Organisation.

Director Marie Liden who shoots intimately and with humility towards her subject, William aged 40. William has been diagnosed with the condition in his adult life, so we find him amid the turmoil of adjusting to the everyday abnormality he finds himself in - having to be cut off from the family in a man-made cave to stave off the threat of electricity. 

In essence, this shows how to live off the grid but when the grid is everywhere, the melancholy felt by the lead character is paramount you really get a sense to the loss of interaction he is feeling, his being alone hits home and for us who had to endure lockdown for a number of months for a great number of people that sense of not belonging and being cut off is an everyday occurrence and one that is real and haunting.

As William dons a blanket, he appears as a nomadic folk ghost wandering around his makeshift home, listening to an ever-burgeoning CD collection of music. He sits in a parking lot while his mother shops and his use of a meter to show the levels of radiation makes clear the pressure and fear of radiation upon him is.

This documentary is a real winner, full of charm and craft but also a message that perhaps we do take our life for granted too often. Think of those others who are less fortunate be it less in terms of monetary value but also the missing out on the everyday interaction with people.

Electric Malady treats William nobly and without judgment, it is tactful in considering his situation.

Out in cinemas from 3rd March, seek this heartfelt documentary screening at ICA London and DocHouse

En Attendant Ana - Principia

 

The third album from Parisian five piece, En Attendant Ana, out now from Trouble in Mind Records

Pre-covid, remember those halycon days. En Attendant Ana released one of 2020's best albums in the January of that year, Juillet. While a ray of sunshine in the winter months before the world went indoors, the album was highly recommended and appeared on many a critic's list come the end of the year.

The quintet re-emerge from a period of hibernation with their third album released on Trouble in Mind records, Principia is a fine album and extension of their work as they grow themselves as a band and as people.

Starting off with the title track, Principia is a work of observation at a world changing as we stand still. The dynamics of relationships are explored and the individual's place within this society. Fronted by a female vocalist - Margaux Bouchaudon - whose voice is at times both haunting but harmonious; the album swoons with this permanent mood of French cote warmth washing over the album.

Best track is Wonder, a near six minute single that probably wears the motifs of the band most proudly - rhythmical and repetitive with a probing bassline that worms into your ears and stays with you. This is indicative of the album opener also -  yet the song speaks to the artist fearing themselves as an imposter and that person's place in the world.

The album feels cinematic, and while many references have been made to Stereolab, the band they remind me of most is Belle and Sebastian - a band that is culturally aware, self-reflexive and intelligent.

The album speaks to the personal but expressed through the universality of finding a reason for existing following the uncertainty of this post-Covid world, where the world got a bit smaller and yet we all seem a bit more distant from each other. There is a yearning in some of the songs for simpler times, perhaps that of 2019 when they wrote the music for Juillet, and yet they know the band must know that they must move forward unknowingly in this new world yet sounding defiant and true to themselves.

For fans of indie pop with a European too-cool-for-school shoegaze, this album is a must and already one of the best of this year. Expect it to be around at the end of year round ups come December, but for now bask in the glorious sunny delights from En Attendant Ana.

Principia is out now on all platforms via Trouble In Mind Records

My thanks to them and One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

CHARM CIRCLE

 

Appearing in cinemas from 24th February, Charm Circle is a labour of family love for New York based film-maker Nira Burstein.

Charm Circle offers an intimate glimpse into Burstein's family's eccentric lifestyle in the place called Charm Circle, a suburb of Queen's the lesser known or portrayed borough of New York City. 

Burstein offers us an unfiltered glimpse into her family, exploring the divisions and the emotional connections between her parents and her sister's upbringing by incorporating archive footage from decades-old home videos and contemporary footage. This paints a family portrait about the ties that bind and bond people together, and how the place you grow up in affects your upbringing. 

Burstein films with an affectionate but intriguing eye, as with documentaries the camera lingers longer on subjects than they would in narrative cinema. This allows us to see individuals naturally act with their defences down - this boldness and frankness in their depiction shows the parents' eccentricities front and centre and this is a credit to Nira the filmmaker who is able to maintain a closeness to her parents as the protagonists of the narrative and yet be able to be critical when required. 

Eye-opening and personal, making this universal for all who view it, Charm Circle is a film where there is something for everyone to take away from it - you learn about Jewishness and the daily battle of mental illness as suffered by one of Nira's sisters. In life, there is so much that is considered taboo that you cannot talk about seemingly, yet in a family nothing is taboo and this openness is refreshing to view.

The film is produced by Fred Armisen, a SNL veteran, who has form in morphing into very eccentric characters and you can imagine Armisen portraying him in a spin-off feature should that occur. Armisen's work in Documentary Now and Portlandia, marries to this offbeat portrayal of family life and has spoken of his love for how the depiction of the parents is so unexpected.

As for the director, Burstein has a long history of directing several narrative short films and music videos, Charm Circle is her feature documentary debut and it provides a unique look at family life by the family themselves. A film is a joy full of heart and one that will stay with you long after you leave the Burstein's small piece of New York utopia. At a breezy 79 minutes this film is sure worth your time.

Charm Circle is out on limited release on 24th February.

A list of screenings at DocHouse can be found here

My thanks to AR-PR for the review opportunity.