Mumblecore, the genre, when articulated well takes care in expressing the importance of a shared understanding of language between individuals and it’s ability in shaping lives and relationships. Often what is taken on face value for an ‘um’ or an ‘ah’ is in fact the character searching for a way to understand and be understood.
In Aaron Katz’s latest offering Cold Weather, we are exposed to something like the maturing of the Mumblecore aesthetic and the grafting of its aesthetics onto another genre: the detective story.
Doug, recently returned home to his native Portland after dropping out of his forensic science course, has crashed at his sister Gail’s new apartment and is at something of a loose end. But optimistically something will come along: it does in the unlikely form of a working night’s at an ice factory and a chance meeting and shared experience at a bus stop leads to the forming a friendship with a colleague. At this time Doug’s ex hits town on a work placement and the mingling of the four sets the tone for a group drama piece.
Relationships and shared experiences start to form between all four characters where social tangents and the power of words are exposed. The first act of Cold Weather is by the book Mumblecore with some beautifully observed and shot scenes and a colour palate that soaks up autumn’s dampness.
The second act is where things change and the film takes a new a strange twist with the disappearance of Doug’s ex and so begins a code breaking investigation into what happened and the adoption of a slacker’s Sherlock Holmes pipe to boot. Revealing any more would spoil, but this is a fresh take on the detective story that stays true to its Mumblecore roots by dispensing with sharp, tough and witty dialogue from the Marlow school of detection. And the ending, well that will leave you guessing.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Water Get Enemy
What has been on many peoples’ lips but not often uttered is that Western nations are after control of Libya’s oil and gas reserves, which are considerable and thus create a blocking move to Chinese energy advances on the African continent: interest free loans and economic grants issues to various African nations in return for preferential oil exports. China already imports over 100 billion barrels from Africa annually. Europe, as a hungry consumer of oil and gas would jump at the chance to have vast stores of energy at its foot. So it may be inferred that the West plan to be rid of Gaddafi and take off with Libya’s natural resources.
Yet one issue has been left off the list of security intervention and ‘noble humanitarian aid’: Libya’s water resources. The Middle East has three percent of the world’s population yet, only one percent of the world’s fresh water reserves according to a World Bank Report from 1996. But this is in part due to the fact that the Nubian-Sandstone Aquifer, which covers an area of 2.2 million square km under northeastern Africa, not been exploited and extensively welled to date. Libya, which has constructed a £15.5 billion water network – The Great Manmade River (GMMR) – that supplies the nations major coastal settlements, taps into this huge natural resource in an area of fresh water scarcity and has the potential to ease the plight of drought in the area if managed right.
With a supply infrastructure already in place, when and if the spoils of the Pentagon coined Operation Odyssey Dawn and enforced no fly zone over Libya are cut up the contract for control of the water network invariably will be one of the jewels in the crown of the Western plunder.
The prospect of the Nubian-Sandstone Aquifer providing the Middle East with a water supply that alleviates its arid state is a real one. An infrastructure for extraction exists, all that would be needed for irrigation of many areas of the Middle East is control of Libya, privatisation contracts of the GMMR and international treaties.
A major actor in the rally to arms over Libya has been French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy championed the U.N. sanctioned no-fly zone and subsequent intervention, as a vehicle to boost his popularity in the private sector in France going into a reelection campaign, this ‘noble’ intervention, if successful, could well swing votes Sarkozy’s way. France after all is home to Veolia, one of the world’s largest water and waste management company whose scope is truly global. Look for who has the most to gain from the privatization of Libya’s water resources and the chances are that the spoils when dished out will be heading France’s direction.
Yet one issue has been left off the list of security intervention and ‘noble humanitarian aid’: Libya’s water resources. The Middle East has three percent of the world’s population yet, only one percent of the world’s fresh water reserves according to a World Bank Report from 1996. But this is in part due to the fact that the Nubian-Sandstone Aquifer, which covers an area of 2.2 million square km under northeastern Africa, not been exploited and extensively welled to date. Libya, which has constructed a £15.5 billion water network – The Great Manmade River (GMMR) – that supplies the nations major coastal settlements, taps into this huge natural resource in an area of fresh water scarcity and has the potential to ease the plight of drought in the area if managed right.
With a supply infrastructure already in place, when and if the spoils of the Pentagon coined Operation Odyssey Dawn and enforced no fly zone over Libya are cut up the contract for control of the water network invariably will be one of the jewels in the crown of the Western plunder.
The prospect of the Nubian-Sandstone Aquifer providing the Middle East with a water supply that alleviates its arid state is a real one. An infrastructure for extraction exists, all that would be needed for irrigation of many areas of the Middle East is control of Libya, privatisation contracts of the GMMR and international treaties.
A major actor in the rally to arms over Libya has been French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy championed the U.N. sanctioned no-fly zone and subsequent intervention, as a vehicle to boost his popularity in the private sector in France going into a reelection campaign, this ‘noble’ intervention, if successful, could well swing votes Sarkozy’s way. France after all is home to Veolia, one of the world’s largest water and waste management company whose scope is truly global. Look for who has the most to gain from the privatization of Libya’s water resources and the chances are that the spoils when dished out will be heading France’s direction.
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Dead Gaze
Dead Gaze have a few EP releases under their belt in the last years or so – a quick check on AllMusic reveals two releases yet no reviews and LastFm has little to nothing descript apart for a clutch of identity obscuring photos. A youtube search reveals a bunch of clips that revel a little, but not alot. It would appear that Dead Gaze the band lurk behind a moppish fringe like many an indie rocker is want to do. But if you like pop with hooks and with just a bit more of that lo-fi thing, then search Dead Gaze out.
The Dead Gaze asthetic comes through the filter of distortion, perhaps from six feet under or more likely the ennui of adolecence, yet each sound has enough space to have its own identity, doesn’t have to fight in the mix to be heard, is tight and with a definite tip of the hat to the synth swirl n’ distortion of Shoegaze Dead Gaze is for sure on the Chillwave break, albeit with a slight grunge edge with a nod towards My Bloody Valentine.
But what marks Dead Gaze from many in the pack looking to break out is the very apparent ability to strum out pop hooks with swooning melodies that tap into the emotions of sensitivity and longing for some interpersonal contact that can be classified as ‘real’ from an hipster/indie context.
Also the song craft is there, with most of the tracks that that Dead Gaze having released having classic pop song structures with an intro that throws out a hook and is followed with regular developments done well. Of which could see this band break out this year – much like Best Coast in 2010; would some of Dead Gaze’s charm, vocals that seem to be gurgled, be lost? Time may tell, but for now there is plenty to enjoy and hook laden pop that ultimately resists self-depreciation is a good summer sound.
The Dead Gaze asthetic comes through the filter of distortion, perhaps from six feet under or more likely the ennui of adolecence, yet each sound has enough space to have its own identity, doesn’t have to fight in the mix to be heard, is tight and with a definite tip of the hat to the synth swirl n’ distortion of Shoegaze Dead Gaze is for sure on the Chillwave break, albeit with a slight grunge edge with a nod towards My Bloody Valentine.
But what marks Dead Gaze from many in the pack looking to break out is the very apparent ability to strum out pop hooks with swooning melodies that tap into the emotions of sensitivity and longing for some interpersonal contact that can be classified as ‘real’ from an hipster/indie context.
Also the song craft is there, with most of the tracks that that Dead Gaze having released having classic pop song structures with an intro that throws out a hook and is followed with regular developments done well. Of which could see this band break out this year – much like Best Coast in 2010; would some of Dead Gaze’s charm, vocals that seem to be gurgled, be lost? Time may tell, but for now there is plenty to enjoy and hook laden pop that ultimately resists self-depreciation is a good summer sound.
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