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.