CHAMPION - Blu-ray review

 

One of the greatest boxing films of all time released by Eureka Entertainment now.

Made in 1949, directed by journeyman Mark Robson, Champion features an Oscar nominated performance (his first) by Kirk Douglas for his portrayal of Michael 'Midge' Kelly a boxer whose rise to the top makes him popular with fans, yet behind the scenes he is an egomaniac who will not let anything stand in his way - not even his best friend portrayed by Arthur Kennedy.

After winning a fight he was meant to throw and threatened by the mob, Midge is saved by the love of a woman and he ventures back into the ring one more time but face his fiercest opponent, himself.

Shot in gorgeous black and white photography by famed cinematographer Franz Planer; this film is one of those sporting films that is forgotten about all too easily but deserves re-discovery and thanks to the Blu-ray presentation here it surely will do.

Champion is up there with Raging Bull and Rocky for best boxing films in the long distinguished relationship between cinema and pugilism.

The new disc features an audio commentary by film scholar Jason A. Ney; collector's booklet by critic Richard Combs.

Champion is available via the Eureka Store

The Dark Hours - Michael Connelly

 

Brand new LA set crime thriller from master storyteller Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly is most famous for creating the indelible detective Harry Bosch, rendered in the Amazon production Bosch starring Titus Welliver. Bosch is a hard-bitten, hard-working policeman who knows what is right and wrong, while the forces that be conspire to restrict his brand of policing in these more politically correct times.

As Bosch has grown up and in the narrative of his books, retired from the police force to become a private detective, we now follow Renee Ballard, a female police officer who works the same beat as Bosch used to do and is also facing the same troubles Bosch used to notice - colleagues who do not work as hard, no empathy for victims and hands tied by paperwork.

This new tale starts on New Years Eve, Ballard has to work the beat as all police officers must do on a busy night of the year in Los Angeles. In a pique of revelry, angelinos shoot bullets into the air amidst this unusual tradition a bullet goes astray leading to a murder investigation. The bullet leads to the reopening of a cold case led by Bosch.

The predatory Midnight Men are on the prowl, a duo of sex predators who attack women on major holidays - single women in their own home attacked and victimised. Ballard takes these attacks personally and chooses to hunt them down. Connelly has always had a great eye for detail in police work, as Bosch says 'get off your ass and knock on some doors' and Ballard's detective work in noticing the streetlights in terms of giving the perpetrators extra darkness is a wonderfully painted narrative detail.

As ever, there is a crispness to the dialogue spoken with real world dialogue apparent amidst a global pandemic and the swiftness of the narrative as Ballard spins numerous plates in the air while combining with Bosch to great effect. 

This makes for a winning combination and this is another winner from the desk of Connelly, a master of the crime genre.

The Dark Hours is out now from Orion Publishing on all formats 

In Plain Sight - Neal Francis

 

Second album from Chicago based singer-songwriter Neal Francis from ATO Records out 5th November

Encompassing a changing of personal momentum and relocating back to his hometown after a break-up, Neal Francis' second album In Plain Sight is an honest collection of new songs about resilience and overcoming adversity soaking up influence of rock and soul into a dreamlike state that is both absorbing and gratifying.

Produced by Grammy winning producer, Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT), who has experience of working with off the wall production; Francis takes the basis for the second album his debut Changes which was a New Orleans RnB effort that drew comparisons with Allen Touissant. High praise indeed, yet the music of this album is more rockier drawing inspiration from the Chicago jazz and rock scenes and for this listener you cannot ignore the influence of early Elton John when he was in true trubadour honky cat days or that of Leon Russell; that joie de vivre of piano performance.

The opening track of the album 'Alameda Apartments' kicks off as more a statement of intent than anything else; full of untethered melodies, luminous grooves and lyrics that find the protagonist drifting from despair to craziness as it tells the story of moving into a haunted apartment following another break-up.

Lead single 'Can't Stop the Rain' is perhaps the standout track of the album, a real tour de force combining the power of unabashed piano with anthemic guitar riffs, written with a friend David Shaw who came up with the refrain and incorporates a message of hope despite the prospect of rain, "You can't stop the rain/It's always coming down/It's always going to fall/But you're not gonna drown"

The album was recorded by Francis and his band in a defunct church (St. Peter's UCC) setting and on tape, to help grab the power of live music performance and a band in sync; such as the guitar-heavy 'Prometheus' which features Francis on St. Peter's pipe organ in combat with an electric synth. 

The surreal and odd nature of living and performing in a church infuses the album with this religious and spiritual context; you do not have to have faith to get the power of this album as the piano Francis plays is able to connect many a listener but the piano is Francis' tool for redemption and ultimately transformation for a person who has overcome addiction problems and is now happily sober in 2021.

The album is a pleasing and rocking joy to finish this most tumultuous of years, through it all we shall always have rock and roll.

In Plain Sight is out from ATO Records on 5th November 

Neal Francis is on tour in the UK headlining O2 Academy Islington on January 23rd 2022

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Agent in Berlin - Alex Gerlis

 

New spy thriller by Alex Gerlis from Canelo out 4th November

Alex Gerlis is a writer of spy thrillers, following in the great heritage of British spy authors such as John Le Carre and Frederick Forsyth, he bases his tales in the past in and around the second world war primarily, looking back at the past and finding tales to create historical fiction with a huge dose of influence by accurate depictions of figures who were in and around the actual turning of history.

His most recent book, Agent in Berlin, is set around the spymaster ring set up by British intelligence in the German capital as a reaction to the worrying trend of fascism and Nazism rising in profile from 1933 with the abhorrent attack on the Jewish people. Gerlis tells the story of spymaster, Barnaby Allen who recruits a network of allies from all sides to forge a bond against the Third Reich as they begin to gain power. He recruits a German homosexual, an American journalist and the wife of a Nazi commander amongst others, despite constant danger the ring discover plans for a new German fighter plane better than the illustrious Spitfires and Hurricanes.

The tension wracked up by the author in his numerous scenes are so well handled; depicting a time of terror and worry in a prominent city that slowly becomes more and more like a prison, the colour evaporating from the buildings and its inhabitants as Germany go on a course of cleansing of those they believe to be inferior to the supposed superior Aryan race.

The key character or agent Allen endorses is that of a spy in the Japanese embassy, who finds intelligence that Japan in an alliance with Germany are to attack the United States and bring them into the war. The action runs from 1933 when the seed is sown and up to early 1942 after Pearl Harbor has taken place with USA now making it a second world war.

There is a lot of pleasure to be taken from the reading of this novel, from Gerlis' well researched on life in Berlin to the touching points of the 1936 Berlin Olympics when in the character of Jack Miller he has a conduit of a fish out of water but also a spectator at something truly ground-breaking such as Jesse Owens' miraculous achievements under the hateful eyes of Der Fuhrer. 

The character, Miller also side bars into football commentary travelling around to see Schalke and Hamburg those heralded footballing hotbeds of Germany during the war and it allows Gerlis - a life-long Grimsby Town supporter - to use his love of football as a plot device, which for this reader was greeted with great relish. Some of the games mentioned are factually correct in the Bundesliga as well as the Olympic ties

In conclusion, this is my second Gerlis read. I read Prince of Spies last year and while that was a continuing story in a series. This stand alone novel is full of tension and drama, handling the arcs of all characters expertly with an end result bringing a neat resolution to proceedings.

Agent In Berlin is released from Canelo on Thursday 4th November 

Under the Glass - Anna Vincent

New album from Anna Vincent via Ultimate Blends released 29th October 

This sumptuous new release is from much heralded singer-songwriter Anna Vincent; the album is a late taste of summer full of sweeping harmonies and melodic production that whisks you along on a fever dream of a getaway trip.

Flush with Laurel Canyon influences ranging from Crosby, Stills and Nash to the incomparable Joni Mitchell; Vincent's soft vocal delivery makes her sound from some faraway place when she originally heralds from New Cross, South London.

Having made music for twenty years including work with two groups - My Tiger My Timing and Heavy Heart - she is slowly beginning to understand the passing of time and in her own words, 'the limitations that entails'

Embracing such weakness if you want to call it that is a running theme throughout Under The Glass an album that was recorded during lockdown with her boyfriend Max Bloom (formerly of band, Yuck). Tracks in regard to this vulnerability range from 'Thin Skin' which shows defiance to the more tender 'Love You Twice'; this is such an emotional record of indelible resonance in common with her name sake Anna Burch

Vincent grew up in South London and was raised on guitar records ranging from The Beatles to Iggy Pop, and she gravitated towards the guitar after learning piano and clarinet, teaching herself at the age of 14. When Covid hit in early 2019, Vincent overcame the fear of the new by sorting through old lyrics or 'loose poetry' that was written when falling in love with Max. 

The album shows Vincent to be a good listener and her tastes range from CSN to Simon and Garfunkel to the more up to date Wilco and Elliott Smith. This Americana feel comes through on album opener 'Naxos' which imagines a sun kissed road trip along the Pacific Highway and coupled with the halycon tinge of recent single 'Nothing Wrong' this wonderful marriage of piano and guitar, reminiscent of Australian group Still Corners and Angus and Julia Stone to a keen listener.

The album overall is a real joy and deserves more listens to garner the full appreciation of the work involved and the maturity of what is on display - the full gamut of human emotion is on display here from love and loss to hope and panic.

Under the Glass is out now from Ultimate Blends.

Anna Vincent is having an album launch at The Waiting Room on Monday 1st November. Purchase tickets here

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Marion Todd Interview

On the day of publication, of her fifth book in the DI Clare Mackay series from Canelo. I was afforded the opportunity to interview the prolific author Marion Todd to talk about the gestation of her lead protagonist and her growth as one of the best authors to appear on the scene in recent years and just what is it like to write during a pandemic

• How did Clare Mackay come into your life? – ‘See Them Run’ was my first published novel but it wasn’t the first book I had written. A year earlier I wrote a novel set in St Andrews in which a murder took place. The focus was very much on the relationship between the killer and the victim. When I’d finished it I realised I’d learned a lot during the writing process and that it had flaws which might be too great to fix. But what it had given me was a feel for the setting and a ready-made cast of police characters I could use in the future, including my protagonist, Detective Inspector Clare Mackay. So I set about writing another novel and that became ‘See Them Run.’ I had chosen a female detective because I’m female and it felt easier to try and get inside her head than a man’s.

 

• What got you into writing? – In common with most writers, I’ve written since my schooldays. I have a 6-chapter mystery story I wrote when I was nine and I just carried on from there, writing children’s stories, short articles for my local newspaper, short stories for magazines etc. I love the idea of creating worlds and characters that haven’t previously existed

 

• Why base the action in your hometown of St. Andrews? – Actually I grew up in Dundee, eleven miles from St Andrews, although I moved closer to St Andrews when I married. I also lived in the town for a year and my children went to school there so I know it very well. It’s steeped in history with its ancient buildings and university. But it also has an eclectic mix of people, the population swelled each year by thousands of students and tourists from all over the world. It has a ruined castle, two beaches and is surrounded by rich countryside – it’s a gorgeous place to live. The only downside is it’s quite small (fewer than 17,000 people) so, six books in, I’m having to branch out of the town to avoid repetition.

 

• How have you coped during the pandemic, while releasing three new books? – I was one of the lucky ones. I found it easy to write during lockdown. I love company but I’m also good at being solitary. So I swapped the time I would have spent socialising for writing. I did miss seeing friends and family so much but, workwise, I was quite productive. I felt so sorry for those with young children, though, trying to home-school, work from home and stay sane – it wasn’t easy for lots of folk.

 

• Do you feel DI Mackay is a fair representation of current policing in Scotland? – Yes and no (hedging my bets, here!) She is careful, and mindful of regulations, rights and ultimately the law. She knows that evidence obtained without authority can be disallowed and even weaken the prosecution’s case. So she tries to stick to the rules. But, in terms of how she runs an investigation, the reality is quite different. St Andrews doesn’t even have its own Inspector, and murder investigations would be run by a Major Investigations Team which could include officers from across Scotland (we have a unified force). So I give Clare power and authority which wouldn’t exist in all these cases. But it’s fiction so I feel entitled to take some liberties. I have had positive feedback from serving officers which is the highest praise I could ask for.

 

• What is your opinion on current guidance for women to safely walk the streets at night? Do you feel safe yourself or is that not the problem? – That’s a difficult and complex question. Feelings run very high at the moment and a response is needed but it has to be considered, with input from all concerned, rather than a knee-jerk reaction. As a parent with children of both genders I’m concerned for them when they’re out and about. I want every single person to be safe but the reality is there are people out there who seek to harm others. In an ideal world we would spot these behaviours at an early age and intervene but I don’t feel qualified to say how that could be managed. I was married for many years to a police officer and, as a result, I became highly risk-averse so I am watchful when out at night, very aware of who is around me. I’ll go the long way round rather than down a poorly-lit street. I wish it wasn’t so but I do what’s necessary to feel safe.

 

• Do you write every day? – when I’m in the middle of a novel I try to write every day to avoid losing track. But I don’t have a routine. I tend to be more productive in the evenings so I’ll often work from 8 pm to midnight (or beyond, if it’s going well). But I’ll happily take a break when I’m between books. For me, thinking time is as important as writing time so I’ll dig the garden, walk the dog, all the while muttering to myself about plots and characters. And then there are other things to do – talks to prepare, social networking, answering emails from readers etc – great excuses for putting off writing!

 

• Do you read, I see so many similarities between stable mates MJ Lee/Sheila Bugler and yourself – That’s a lovely compliment. Thank you! Sheila and Martin (Lee) are wonderful writers and I’m thrilled to be compared with them. I suppose the three of us being Canelo Crime authors means there are certain similarities in how our books are edited and marketed but I love that I can dip into their books and enjoy a thoroughly good read. I do try to read as many different crime authors as I can so I always have a book on the go. At the moment I have an advance copy of Jane Shemilt’s new book, ‘The Patient’ and it’s a thrilling read.

 

• What is in store for Mackay, will she be happy with DCI Gibson? – now there’s a question! At the moment they are rubbing along together but it’s always in my mind that I might throw some rocks in to upset things. I’m still playing about with how to end book 6 (published in July next year) – I might just upset things. Watch this space!

 

• Any tips for new writers starting out, you started later in life, so is it never too late? – I don’t think age is a factor. It’s time and head space that matter. To write well you need to find time when you’re not distracted by the rest of life – not easy for lots of folk. Writing is like exercising a muscle. The more you do the more naturally it comes. A novel is a big commitment though – months of work – so start with smaller things. Look for opportunities online. FutureLearn offer free courses. The Scottish Book Trust is a great source of ideas for writers in Scotland. Look at The BBC Writers Room online. Immerse yourself in the writing world and become a writer. Join a book group and, as well as reading, listen to what the others in the group are saying about the books. What they like/ dislike, what works/doesn’t work. Attend author talks and listen to what they say about their process. Above all, read. Read widely, particularly in the genre you’d like to write in. Good quality prose will seep into you almost by osmosis and it will help your own writing. Start now and good luck!

My thanks to Marion for her time in answering my questions.

Please download, buy and read the DI Clare Mackay available from all good retailers.

Next In Line is out from Canelo on 21st October 

Oscar and the Wolf - The Shimmer

New album from Belgian artist Oscar and the Wolf out on 22nd October

The alter ego of Max Colombie returns in a new work with his contemporary influences of electronica and soulful RnB delivery colliding with the heritage of European electro-pop and beats.

Hailing from Belgium, his debut album Entity (2014) went platinum in his homeland selling out arenas in the lowlands. 2017 saw the release of Infinity that went gold and has helped garner him a huge fanbase in Turkey and beyond into the Middle East - Israel, Egypt and Iran.

The new album 'The Shimmer' is a culmination of his sound and vision crystallizing into a record of transformation and lo-fi perfection with bold and rich production entwined as he becomes a more mature artist.

Lead single and album opener, 'James' sounds like a dream in its structure and to Colombie it came in a dream, 'the complete structure, with the chords and a beat, a vocal melody, even lyrics - is multi-faceted all on its own', and this dream-like quality to his work can be appreciated as not only coffee-shop chic but desirable magic music.

Going from lamenting love songs such as 'Ghost of You' to the instrumental 'PIC' you are never far from a track that can be relatable and holds universal appeal to any listener, even the summery 'Live Stream' about falling for a movie star has this sense of unrequited love and is a well told short story in the lyrics

This album is not merely a work of music, but an experience that can help the listener and performer become one as they gravitate towards each other to seek understanding in this confusing day and age.

Reminiscent of Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, for Colombie this is revered company to be mentioned in the same breathe as but a work of this maturity and dynamism deserves such platitudes.

The Shimmer is out from [PIAS] Recordings on October 22nd

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

S. Raekwon 'Where I'm At Now'

 

Debut album by S. Raekwon, NY based artist out via Father/Daughter Records on 8th October

S. Raekwon, born Steven Raekwon Reynolds in 1995 is a singer/songwriter/producer from New York by way of Buffalo - the pseudonym of S. Raekwon embodies Reynolds upbringing in the Big Apple and the various genres that he would grow up around from a mother who adored musicl theatre and the sound of piano in the house.

Recorded over a six-month stint during the pandemic at his girlfriend's parents home in Illinois, extracting him out of his New York City lifestyle - Raekwon wrote a feverish demo of tracks in his studio apartment which gave him a purpose to write and finish with the sounds around him.

Snippets of the album cut in and out with amazing frequency of influence ranging from Frank Ocean and D'Angelo to the sound of rap troupes yet there are flourishes of rock, pop and folk popping up throughout the ten track album.

You need only listen to album opener 'Darling' and not be hit by the similarity in beauty of the track with that of Bon Iver's sophomore self-titled album from 2011. The pacing and momentum of the album is a joy to experience, moving through all manner of emotions ranging from turmoil to love as from 'Do You Feel the Same?' to the social message of 'T.D.T.K.A'

The end result is an album by an artist who refuses to be pigeonholed by a specific genre either as a musician or a person; an album full of sweeping moments that will be embraced by those far and wide from New York to old York.

Where I'm at Now is out from Father/Daughter records now.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Papur Wal - Amser Mynd Adra

 

Debut album from highly touted Welsh trio, Papur Wal, out via Libertino Records on October 8th

Papur Wal have been on the cusp of stardom for some time, going the devout route of releasing the odd single and live shows with the eventual culmination in an album release, this has become protracted due to the global pandemic and inability to record. 

Now the trio comprising of Ianto (vocals/guitar), Gwion (vocals/bass) and Guto (vocals/drums) who formed in Cardiff in 2017 after stowing away from North Wales; this slacker mentality feeds into the infectious pop we have in the new album Amser Mynd Adra; a devil may care mosaic of melody and power.

The band where there heart on their sleeve, and they are not afraid to show emotion either through the natural storytelling or the rich harmonies combined with the unflinching fuzz. Working with long-time producer who worked with Super Furry Animals, the album is a coming of age album in the mould of early Neil Young perhaps - that mixture of mature beyond their years and golden pop sound.

'Rhwng Dau Feddwl' opens the album with a glorious guitar sound follwed hot on the heels of 'Arthur'; but from strong guitar play you also have the contrast of 'Llyn Llawenydd' sounds like a lost Crosby, Stills and Nash harmony with the Hollies beat - but it is a song about reminiscing and getting away from it all.

 

Amser Mynd Adra offers the listener a mixture of melancholy as the three men come to terms of moving into their mid-20s and adulthood but married with catchy upbeat sounds that will leave you humming. There is something for everyone on this album and for novices to Welsh-language music do not be put off and enjoy, there is much value to listening to something from a different point of view.

Hot on the heels of The Lathums debut album going to Number 1 on the album charts; guitar music may be coming back to rule the roost from all four corners of the United Kingdom no less with other works from Mt. Misery also gaining traction.

Amser Mynd Adra is out now from Libertino Records.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Bloody Orkney - Ken Lussey

 

A new Bob Sutherland story set during WW2

Ken Lussey is an author based in Scotland, and he has come to prominence in recent years by writing an entertaining series of novels helmed by the charming protagonist Bob Sutherland, an Air Force captain who becomes a member of Military Intelligence 11 (MI-11), think of it as a forerunner for that guy with a licence to kill.

Sutherland with his partner, in more ways than one, Monique Dubois, investigate nefarious going-ons amongst bases up and down the Scottish Highlands.

An unidentified body has been found, and people are staying quiet about how the body got there and why. Sutherland and Dubois travel to Orkney one of the most heavily defended anchorages in the world especially during 1942 at the height of the second global conflict.

Men are in danger and the safety of the homeland could be compromised, it is down to Bob and Monique to solve the case as quickly as possible before more lives are at risk.

With these military espionage thrillers, there is always a certain amount of exposition with context having to be explained due to the situation the world and the characters find themselves in and when reading you have to allow the auther some leeway in this regard, and for the first third of this novel this reader struggled to maintain concentration and flow, however, by the second half of the novel Lussey is able to create another rip-roaring page-turner that is exhilarating and memorable - an author like perhaps Fleming, not afraid to put his hero in jeopardy and make the reader wonder if it may happen.

The climatic shootout amidst a church layout is brilliantly handled and he gives scope for more action to come from the intrepid duo with three years left of the war, this course is most certainly not run yet.

This reader for one cannot wait for more from Bob Sutherland via the pen of Ken Lussey.

Bloody Orkney is out now from Arachnid Press

Next In Line - Marion Todd

 

Fifth book in the DI Clare Mackay series, Marion Todd does it again

Marion Todd is an author this reviewer has followed since the inception of her lead protagonist in the debut novel See Them Run which was released back in late 2019. A lot has happened to not just Mackay but the rest of the world and to the DI also; from losing a fiance to her re-locating away from Glasgow to the more sedate but just as murderous St. Andrews, to then losing a new boyfriend to a job relocation in Boston, USA. Clare Mackay remains as a resolute and durable character who has much to overcome in her own life as well as solving the swath of murders that ruin the picture postcard quaintness of the university town; the influence of Marple and Midsomer resonate through the five book series thus far.

This new novel NEXT IN LINE tells the story of a murder by shooting at a remote holiday cottage of a business entrepreneur celebrating his 40th birthday, at the same time Clare is overcoming a personal obstacle by attending the wedding of her ex-fiance Tom when the call comes in of the new case. Clare has started a new burgeoning relationship with DCI Alastair Gibson who seems charming and perfect for the DI.

As the case grows, it becomes known that the victim Russell Fox, is related to a TV presenter Gaby (imagine Holly Willoughby), who was at the same wedding as Clare that a brief prologue allows us to introduce each other. The title refers to the idea of family and hereditary traits - Gaby is the next in line, yet there is a dead brother from the 2004 Christmas Tsunami with no body ever recovered; and cleverly, the title also extrapolates Clare's current relationship status with Gibson next in line to her heart while she still vulnerable from the leaving of Geoffrey previously.

Throughout the novel, the compassion between Clare and Gaby is key to show that women can be safe around police forces and the empathy of a victim's family is key to any investigation - the recent unseemly details of the last hours of Sarah Everard's life in the case against Wayne Couzens brought the conduct of police to light.

The camaraderie continues between Clare and partner, Chris, a tenacious soul who always has Clare's back and will fight her corner no matter the situation - the loyalty of the siblings in blue is paramount to a good case and story.

As ever, with familiar Canelo Crime publications, there is an editorial richness to the swiftness of narrative pacing as we go from suspect to suspect amongst the cases. Coupled with the work of MJ Lee, these two authors should be read side-by-side of how to write tightly constructed detective stories - you never lose sight of the fact thanks to the week long structure that time is of the essence and the need for resolution is not faraway.

Gripping, enticing and pleasing in equal portions, this book much like Todd's other tomes was devoured in short order and this reader looks forward to the next crime thriller starring DI Clare Mackay.

Next In Line is out from Canelo on 21st October

When The Guilty Cry - MJ Lee

 

The Seventh book in the DI Ridpath series is out now on Canelo 

MJ Lee returns with another entry into the DI Ridpath series, another tale of crime and conspiracy in the Greater Manchester area while overcoming personal difficulties.

Fans of my blog will know that I have followed the genesis, birth and growth of DI Ridpath ('just Ridpath') from the beginning under the penmanship of Mancunian author, MJ Lee. This series is a thrilling clash of thrills, spills and chills - combining the thumb turning efficiency of Lee Child with the prolific nature of James Patterson. Lee is able to weave a wonderful world of police work, the pressures they are under to get results whilst there being changes in the world as computer analysis and data seemingly attempts to alter the hunches a policeman would have had in the past.

This tale set amidst the still ongoing global pandemic makes the book feel current and now with its heart on the pulse of current affairs much like the work of pulp and dime novels would have been in a by-gone era; and there is a by-gone quality to our lead character. He seemingly is a maverick who works with the coroner but also has a foot in the police camp - this makes him a rogue in some people's eyes but also respected by others, and not adverse to putting some people's noses out of joint.

This case starts with the discovery of human hands in a backpack by a team of YouTube ghost hunters in an old abandoned children's home. The case then collides with that of an 11 year disappearance of a 16 year old in 2009 and the requirement for a death certificate to be approved to the family of that young girl. Ridpath uncovers the connection between the two cases thanks to a missing social worker who looked the other way when sexual abuse occurred at the children's home with shady callbacks to one Jimmy Saville.

The book does take a while to come together, but the timeline of one week for everything to unravel helps propel the second half of the book to something that is all consuming and impressive.

Lee writes again with such panache that it does surprise this reader that the book is not read by a larger more deserving audience. Go read this book and you shall not be disappointed.

WHEN THE GUILTY CRY is out now on all book formats

Catch Me If You Can - Spielberg Review

 

The Sins of Our Fathers

Catch Me If You Can is a film directed by Steven Spielberg and was made in 2002 starring at that point two of the most bankable stars of that era - Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. It tells the story of Frank Abagnale Jr. (DiCaprio) who before the age of 19 achieved a level of cheque fraud unseen before or since, he stole millions of dollars from the government by posing as a pilot, doctor and lawyer while being chased by Carl Hanratty (Hanks) of the FBI, all the while hoping to rekindle the marriage of his father, Frank Snr (Christopher Walken) and his mom, Paula (Nathalie Baye).

Spielberg's tact at this point of his career was to make films that were entertaining, illuminating and as always married with a rich composition and combination of efficiency and economy thanks to his directorial flourishes and the script by Jeff Nathanson.

Bookended by a flashback sequence, with Hanratty finding Frank in a foreign cell and extraditing him to the United States to face trial, we then start in 1963 where Frank attends his father's life achievement at his lodge ceremony but already the seeds of discontent are being sown by an ongoing inland revenue audit against Frank Snr's stationary shop forcing an estrangement of the marriage culminating in a legal divorce extrapolated by Paula's affair with Jack Barnes (James Brolin), her eventual second husband.

From the outset as Snr talks about seducing Paula, a French native while he was deployed in her town of Montrichard during World War II, it is clear that both Abagnale's are capable of weaving stories and tales to manipulate women (mostly) to obtain financial benefits and suits on hire.

In a pique of rage, following the divorce Frank goes on the run heading for New York City to start a life of independence all while still technically a minor. His first escapade as a pilot leads him to fly the country for free and his first sexual conquests. Hanratty is on the trail and it leads him to a hotel where unknowingly, he comes face to face with Frank who poses as a Secret Service Agent - Barry Allen, and able to evade capture while keeping hold of his machine to forge cheques still. Hanratty is behind the eight ball as he thought he was attempting to capture an adult yet the fact that Frank is a minor is a positive for him as he has no record or fingerprints for the FBI to work off of.

The scene where Hanratty meets Barry Allen is quite brilliant, it shows two actors going head to head but with the junior in a superior position but it is also the power of language in terms of that spoken and body language - the looks and tells that people give away but also the confidence of speaking to strangers gives off great power of authority when used effectively. Hanks is the elder, he has the gun and yet he is quickly into a position of submission with egg on his face. And he still gives his colleagues their ice cream.

Throughout the film, the characters are set up and brought down by the behaviour of their fathers most notably Frank and Carl himself has become an absent father to his daughter; like much of Spielberg's oeuvre this film reflects or looks upon male protagonists from broken homes and troubled childhoods. 

Spielberg's parents divorced when he was in his teens like Frank himself, and it would have been around the same timeline as Frank getting his wings so to speak, so this in a way is Spielberg's nostalgic look at a time of innocence and shot with a fondness such as the scenes at exotic getaways such as Miami, yet the scenes shot with the two Franks together are more claustrophobic and darker in terms of their setting and context. Frank keeps returning to his father in the hope of making him proud, yet Senior is too concerned with suing the government than to praise his son with the blessings he so desperately requires.

What remains on the film is a triumphant light tale that is entertaining and from a look back of Spielberg's filmography perhaps his last light fun film before he got bogged down by a darker palette and cinematography - see Munich, War of the Worlds, Lincoln and War Horse. That is not to discern the quality of those films yet they are shot with less of a rose tinted lens as previously and with a more downbeat perspective.

This film comes when Spielberg is nearly 30 years into his career, and he is a director very much at a crossroads of his filmography. Moving from the popcorn, light fare to the more discerning, thought-provoking adult maturity he is now more renowned for; this is also the last time Spielberg identified with a kid in one of his movies, much like Elliott in ET or the Goonies - from here on in it is adults who are broken or coming from broken homes for future projects. Abraham Lincoln has to overcome the death of a young child, Tom Cruise's Ray in War of the Worlds is a single father while combatting an alien invasion and the children in Jurassic Park have no parents present when running away from dinosaurs seeking solace in the arms of surrogate parental figures who are strangers but yet idols in their eyes.

Supermilk - Four by Three

 

Debut album by ex-Doe drummer Jake Popyrua, Four by Three is released by Specialist Subject on 2nd July

Stated as a studio-only project, an abundance of writing and the restrictions placed on individuals by the coronavirus pandemic, Popyura started writing and demoing songs on a regular basis and soon accumulated enough material for a new LP following the release of two EPs in 2017 and 2019 and the debut LP 'Death is the Best Thing for you Now'.

Utilising the social distancing restrictions, Popyura teamed up with producer friend Rich Mandell to record the album at Marketstall Recordings in East London over the course of only six days.

This slapdash breakneck pace of recording comes across in the finished article, a work of sheer drive and urgency with unbridled enthusiasm like a driver staying in the fast lane doing 75mph overtaking cars but not changing lanes. The fuzziness and power of the project streams out over the airwaves and harkens back to the final Doe album which was very much a joie de vivre of infectious punk rock. 

To this listener, this is a relative of the early albums from The Young Knives melodically sharp with biting lyrics of the now with an earnest vocal delivery by Popyura.

The punk rock DNA is there to see from track three 'Cease to Exist' to the poppy 'Mouth' to the infectious 'Fears' - this is a songwriter who is in the midst of a purple patch and enjoying himself clearly working with the crippling restrictions of individuality to make the most of the situation.

"One upside of 2020 for me was being forced to sit with uncertainty and learning to accept that some things can’t be resolved as neatly as we’d like, if at all, especially when it comes to interpersonal matters, but maybe that’s ok,"

As he goes on to state, not everything has a neat ending. His lyrics are drawn from personal relationships but the accessibility of the music invites the listener to take it as their own. Take a song like 'Lifesaver' the vocals cleverly show a man almost calling desperately for help but clinging to his instruments for dear life just as much. 

Or 'Swim' a real cacophony of drums v guitars. For me personally, to hear this music live would be a wonder reminded this listener of the forgotten Somos album from 2019 - it is not merely making noise for the sake of it, this is at the junction of rock and pop and being heard loud and clear.

Four By Three is out from Specialist Subject on 2nd July.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Mt Misery 'Once Home, No Longer'

Debut album from highly touted North East trio, Once Home, No Longer via Prefect Records

Mt. Misery became a band in 2019, initially a solo project of Andrew Smith they quickly established themselves on the live scene in the popular North East fraternity by touring constantly until the Covid-19 pandemic took hold of the world.

This album is a marker of intent for a young trio of male musicians, incorporating the best of west coast Americana but with a Northern England sensibility with daydreams and soundscapes of halcyon days in the sunshine. As I write this review, the South of England is being bombarded by a deluge of rainfall in stark contrast to the blistering mini-heatwave of a few days prior. So putting on this album helped overcome the sadness of the never-ending rain and helped dream about days by the foreign shore which remain a long way away personally.

Full of the time capsule capabilities reminiscent in contemporaries from across the pond such as Whitney with that magnificent eye to the tradition of Laurel Canyon song-writing but also recalling that mainstream busting album by Irish band The Thrills which was the archetypal love letter to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys.

Opening with 'The Dreaming Days Are Over' which exudes romantic realism with trembling guitars and gentle percussion; yet for all the sunshine on the exterior of the songs there is an underlying internality such as 'In The Blink of an Eye' which is about Andrew's unemployment and feelings of directionless.

This personality of the record speaks volumes as it helps the album become both universal and welcoming to a listener to take the song on as their own: 

“We tend to labour over songs for a long time before committing to them, but with ‘The Thought of Losing You’, being a bit more spontaneous led to one of our favourites on the album. In this instance, I’d been tinkering with the piano part since before we formed the band. With an hour to spare at the end of a long day tracking drums, we came up with a loose structure and built the song around that.”

The record incorporates the geography of the band themselves hailing from Hartlepool; but the restrictions of working as a band during lockdown does lead to happy accidents such as the album being unexpectedly mixed by Kenny Gilmore in Los Angeles, a far cry from the North Sea coast. This helps a track such as 'Taken by the Tide' become something more akin to Denis Wilson and Neil Young.

The album is a perfect antidote to the gnawing antagonism and angst of the pandemic coming to an end; while the sun may be shining here is an album that is the perfect partner to it with warm weather goodness running through its veins and through the airwaves.

Once Home No Longer is out now from Prefect Records

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Red Ribbon 'Planet X'

 

New album by multi-instrumentalist Red Ribbon released by Danger Collective

Singer-songwriter Emma Danner has navigated the difficulty of leaving a bustling up and coming band and sailing alone to produce her second album under the moniker of Red Ribbon in the release of Planet X.

Working with Randall Dunn (renowned for his collaborations with Sunn O))), he has pushed Danner to create a piece of work that is both full of personal discovery away from the comfort zone of keys and electronica.

Starting with the inward looking 'The Weight of Man', Red Ribbon is talking about her place in the world that has gone through a seismic change in the last 18 months owing to the global pandemic - melodic and full of internality; the music grows into the second track 'Way' which is full of swooning ooh's and aah's. There is no mistaking the vision on display here by Danner who creates a foreboding atmosphere with her meditative lyrics.

Embracing a plethora of musical influences ranging from folk and Laurel Canyon to the songstresses of Billie Holiday, Red Ribbon is a vehicle for Danner to embrace a sonic change in her experimentation and the end result allows her to be spoken of in the same breathe as her contemporaries Laura Marling, Margaret Glaspy and Anna Burch.

Hailing from Seattle but residing in Los Angeles; there is this collision of those two different American worlds the influence of nature upon any settler in North West America as well as the enigmatic glamour of Los Angeles - two psyches collide here in this album. In the case of the title track, 'Planet X' is a response to the forest fires that ripped apart California (not for the first time) in November 2018 so this clash of the personal with something you cannot control shows the fragility of the individual in this big world.

Full of the joys and tragedies which life can throw at you in this brittle and fragile world, Planet X is a treasure trove of transformation for both the artist and the listener. The external forces are there to be utilised and is ripe for inspiration for an artist.

From the strings of 'Hold' to the anxiety on display in 'Renegade' there is a real sense of personal in this album that is full of personality.  If this can be done in solo isolation, the future bodes well once the gates of collaboration open up again.

Planet X is out from Danger Collective Records on 11th June

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Fightmilk - Contender

 

New album from indie pretenders out via Reckless Yes on Friday 14th May

The second album from the South London four-piece is breaking out in May, following on from the 2018 debut Not With That Attitude.

Formed in a beer garden in 2015, Lily and Alex used the energy of post-break-ups into an indie pop soundtrack indebted more to the Britpop era culminating in the 2018 release on the Fierce Panda label after two EPs. The DNA of the band is alt-rock with power pop riffs about the embrace of failing relationships but with a sunny disposition.

In response to the pandemic which put everybody on hold, vocalist/guitarist Lily speaks about her writing process; 'I was inspired to write ‘...Space’ by watching someone who keeps loudly proclaiming they’re going to save humanity and change the world constantly make excuses for why they haven’t got round to it. It’s largely about emotional labour and rockets and I’m dead proud of it.”

Heavier material abounds from 'Cool Cool Girl' and 'Banger #4' to the more vulnerable 'If You Had A Sister'; a trend this reviewer is noticing in recent releases is that many bands are putting on tracks that may well run less than 90 seconds. 

In the past such tracks would be deemed surplus or merely unnecessary filler but now following the pandemic - it is more evidence of a band or performer making up for lost time by issuing an idea or riff as a matter of pride on the sequencing of an album as more of a bridge to the next track rather than an afterthought.

From the handclap feel good of 'Hey Annabelle' to the 'The Absolute State of Me' with its personal subject matter there is a lot of accessibility and engagement within this album.

Full of synths, guitars and group vocals, Fightmilk have created an infectious album of pop and indie vibes incorporating the surfer vibe of California and goes hand in hand with this newest of new wave of indie bands along with Pillow Queens and Sonder Bombs; bands led by female vocalists who infuse their music with an energy and power that is refreshing.

Contender is out from Reckless Yes and is available here

Thanks to Wall of Sound for the review opportunity.

For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her - McKinley Dixon

 

Debut album from Virginia rapper, McKinley Dixon on Spacebomb

As a white Anglo-Saxon music lover, you are always tentative to review black rap music. I was born a stones throw from the breeding ground of Chas and Dave and the old architectural haunts of Flanagan and Allen, that is my musical heritage. Yet to listen to black music is always an eye opening occasion, it brings you into new grounds of language, composition and social exploration.

Unlike the gangsta rap so prevalent in my formative university years such as 50 Cent, my ears have always been more keen to listen to the socially conscious rappers - those who use their platform as a means to get a message across of what it means to be a young black person in the United States of America.

The first artist who piqued my interest was Lupe Fiasco - his double hit of The Cool - was seminal and is somewhat overshadowed by the monster that was the early career of Kanye West and then you have the works of Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean.

This new album by Richmond based artist, McKinley Dixon is more in the part of socially aware rap but also uses the music as a way of exploring his own social form but showcases the power of communication and connection

Tracks such as brown shoulders is so soulful yet has the message underlying of processing grief, yet you still have those chart hits such as Never Will Know a collaboration with Micah James and Gold Midas a feelgood jam which goes hand in hand with the soulful protective styles (feat Abby T).

Dixon is a well read artist indebted to the recently departed Toni Morrision on his track 'B.B.N.E' using her words to time travel to a different time.

'Bless the Child' has three beat switches but shows Dixon tracing patterns through time, it is as if Dixon is challenging black people to revisit more than one timeline and question everything about their place in society.

The huge array of influences across the musical spectrum running from jazz, rap, soul and blues means this will be a ripe live show once we get to that sense of normality. Dixon thinks of himself as a time traveller and in his words, 'Storytelling is time travel, it's taking the listener to that place. Quick time travel. Magic. These raps I’m making are no different than stories told around the campfire. They elongate the culture'.

This album marks Dixon out as a force to be reckoned with as a solo artist and collaborator across the music diaspora, a genuine talent of intellect and artistic integrity.

Follow McKinley Dixon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her is out from Spacebomb or bandcamp

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review op

Buffet Lunch - The Power of Rocks

 

Eclectic debut album from Scottish four piece out 7th May via Upset the Rhythm

Buffet Lunch are a four man band from Scotland, who are on a mission to serve up imperfect pop songs with humour and energy, this has been formed into the kaleidoscopic debut album that is The Power of Rocks out on 7th May from Upset the Rhythm.

The parts of the band consist of Perry O'Bray (vocals/keys/guitars), Neil Robinson (bass), John Muir (lead guitar) and Luke Moran (drums), who came together through a love of all things pop and indie and everything in between the two cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Together the foursome of constructed a wonky DIY feel to their cacophony of sound which runs the gamut of emotions from loneliness and downbeat to the upper echelons of breezy melody.

Recorded on the banks of Upper Loch Fyne in Argyll over four nights and five days at the beginning of March 2020 before the world pandemic took hold, there is a sense of living in the moment when listening back to the album's eleven track sequence.

A blend of production and musicianship take hold as the run times of songs differ throughout from the sub two minute shouts of 'Pebbledash' and 'Bladderwrack' combine against the longer more traditional 'Looking at Liz Talent's Chair' and 'Ashley's New Haircut'.

This encompasses everything with a seemingly brief 38 minutes total run time yet the melodies and compositions stay with you throughout and after the fact - from the bop and riffiness of 'He Wore Two Hats' to the anthemic title track which embraces the feeling of climate and location of recording that took place.

An album of time and place at once, this is a work that may be difficult to access for many but you are certain people said this of Black Country, New Road at the beginning - when the ear worm worthiness of songs take hold it cannot be denied.

For fans of such obscure artists as Sweet Baboo (do check out Wild Imagination from 2017) and those other eclectic bands of the last few years such as BCNR and Pet Shimmers; this is an album that is both mesmerising and engaging.

The Power of Rocks is released on 7th May via Upset the Rhythm

Follow the band on Twitter and Instagram

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity

The End of Men - Christina Sweeney-Bird

Debut novel from Christina Sweeney-Bird out from Harper Collins in April 2021.

This debut novel by Ms. Sweeney-Bird is due for release in April of 2021, a full year since lockdown took a hold of the UK following the gradual rising and growth of Covid-19 across the globe having started in Wuhan, China in January 2020 moving westward around the globe landing fully in Italy mostly in mainland Europe before hitting our shores in the United Kingdom in late February and early March culminating in the life-changing decision to go into lockdown and all the societal changes that came with it.

Now, S-B (a freelance writer from London who has appeared in the Independent/Huffington Post who started writing her book in March 2018) has done a neat twist on the virus thriller and while the Covid-19 pandemic has had no discrimination against who it kills, S-B takes the premise of a plague that only attacks the male, this means losing half the population in the world - and what are the effects of this upon the world in due course.

Author of The End of Men - Christina Sweeney-Bird

S-B goes to lengths to consider what will happen, 90% of the world's male population vanishes (much like The Leftovers or Thanos' snap) and it is left to the women of the world from not only finding a vaccine to save the planet, but how to shepherd the world back to normality - women have to take up all the labour jobs left by no men (rubbish collection, lorry driving, electricians) as well as taking up high positions in government and legislation.

The breakneck pace of the book (and I devoured this book in 4 days) starts in Glasgow, as a young and fit man comes into Glasgow with supposed flu symptoms - yet no matter how much A&E doctor Amanda Maclean does to stem his temperature, inject him with steroids he dies within a matter of hours. The fear grips the ward and Maclean attempts to reach out to her medical community to raise the alarm of a possible pandemic, she is shunned due to past indiscretions and ignored. Ultimately, S-B makes the case that it would not be avoided and the plague would have happened.

As a piece of science fiction, which as a genre always makes us more aware of our own world than we realise, it shows how the human race must adapt to make the world viable and liveable again; the writer also cleverly shows females of all ages, races and classes to show the extent of the pressure of all that happens - from losing loved ones and the grief that is overcoming to all yet the need to carry on is paramount yet each women gets her moment to shine. 

What is most pleasing about this book is that following some recent reading of books to review which were nothing but underwhelming this was a book that made this reader glad to be reading for pleasure, getting great joy from the experience and as a male reader a unique insight into the female psyche when it comes to fight or flee and strive to survive.

I first wrote this review in January of this year, early into the second lockdown of our nation. The most surprising and pleasant thing of re-reading my review ahead of the release this Thursday 29th April, is that this remains the best book I read during that lockdown period - ironically, looking into the possible threats of a true global killer where nearly half the population is gone. 

This is a book about the endurance of the human spirit and the resilience of the human heart in adapting to a major change in the social structure of our everyday life - it is a book that resonates with this reader still and it surely will be one of the book's of the years. It was a privilege to review this title and to share the word of mouth of this topic work.

The End of Men is published by HarperCollins/Borough Press on Thursday 29th April,