CDs/DVDs
graham.rickson
Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nick van Bloss, English Chamber Orchestra/David Parry (Nimbus)Nick Van Bloss’s Goldberg Variations receive deserved acclaim when they appeared last year; the pianist’s fascinating backstory eclipsed by brilliant playing and interpretation. As with the Goldbergs, there’s a lot of competition in this repertoire. Van Bloss’s big-boned playing style is attractive and charismatic, and he delights in the opportunities offered by a modern concert grand. Bass lines are discreetly doubled, and the sustain pedal is used sparingly but effectively. He’s not as swift as Read more ...
Mark Kidel
The Hourglass Sanatorium tells the surreal story of a man’s visit to a dilapidated medical institution where his ageing father is being held in suspense between life and death. From start to finish, the film portrays a dream world in which time is constantly subverted, as if the hero were freely wandering between parallel universes.Made in 1973, this bewitching film was directed by Wojciech Has, whose other great work The Saragossa Manuscript is also being released in a restored version. The script of The Hourglass Sanatorium is based on The Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass by Bruno Read more ...
peter.quinn
Following last year's remarkable Grammy win for Best New Artist, the first time a jazz musician has won the award, the bassist, singer and composer returns with a companion piece to her previous disc, the intimate Chamber Music Society. And within a few bars of the scene-setting lead-off track, “Radio Song”, you're completely hooked. Brilliantly imitating the experience of searching through the radio frequencies until a killer hook suddenly leaps out at you, this vibrantly coloured musical collage is quite unlike anything else you've heard from Esperanza Spalding.On tracks such as “ Read more ...
graeme.thomson
There are times when Paul Weller seems little more than a strutting anachronism, his gear-box jammed permanently in reverse. His appearance – a toasted walnut with a tinsel trim; or, if you prefer, Ian McLagan in aspic – is a pitch-perfect rendition of a clapped-out Seventies rock star. More than once in his long career his music has sounded similarly out-dated, all earnest huff'n'puff and stodgy “authenticity”. Sonik Kicks – thank heavens – is emphatically not one of those occasions. Instead it sparkles with psychedelic mischief and brims with youthful vigour. So much for appearances.The Read more ...
Veronica Lee
It's probably no coincidence that non-American reviewers have been less exalted in their praise for this film than US ones, as it's sort of in a foreign language for them – that of baseball, a sport in love with nerdy statistics and clichés, even more than American football is, which is saying something. And it's true to say that if you don't have a passing acquaintance with baseball there will be large stretches of this film, and much of its narrative, that you will have not a clue about. But them's the parts where you just drool over Brad Pitt.In Bennett Miller's slow-moving but engaging Read more ...
Russ Coffey
From Amy to Adele there’s been so much retro of late, frankly it’s becoming old hat. Literally. But if you’re tempted to consign all your wannabe Seventies albums to the bin, hold your horses. Michael Kiwanuka’s much-anticipated Home Again may be living in the past, but unlike most of the other nu-soul chart botherers it feels genuinely hip. Chez Kiwanuka is also a truly cosy place to be: his rich, analogue soul sound conjures up images of Harlem, sideburns, and valve amplifiers. The fact that he’s a softly-spoken 24-year-old from Muswell Hill shouldn’t put you off.Many critics have accused Read more ...
Kieron Tyler
This particular King Charles should watch out. Although he’s assumed the trappings of a Georgian fop, he’d be well minded to pay heed to his predecessors King Charles I - beheaded in 1649 - and King Charles II – dogged by plague and the Great Fire of London. On the evidence of the thin gruel that is LoveBlood, his debut album, our latter-day King Charles’s place in history is far from assured.LoveBlood slots neatly into the gaps between Noah and the Whale, Mumford & Sons, Jamie T, Lily Allen and Jack Peñate, via a layby stop-off with Mika and Olly Murs. The only thing separating the man Read more ...
graham.rickson
Miserere: Choral Music by James MacMillan The Sixteen/Christophers (Choro)Scots composer James MacMillan’s orchestral music has never convinced me, but this collection of a capella choral music is astonishingly accomplished. You can’t help agreeing with The Sixteen’s director Harry Christophers in his opinion that MacMillan’s sacred music can stand comparism with that by Victoria and Poulenc. The brief Miserere, premiered in 2009, opens the disc: its Stygian opening gradually unfolding into music of unbelievable tenderness and cool beauty. It sounds both boldly contemporary and archaic Read more ...
howard.male
All Of Me is an album of cast shadows rather than substance, which is a little baffling given that it’s taken four years to materialise. Recent single “Thank You” has echoes of fellow Brit Sade in her sultry Eighties prime. “Back to Love” aims for the thumping disco euphoria of “When Love Takes Over” by Kelly Rowland & David Guetta but falls somewhat short, and “Speak Your Mind” tries to channel Lauryn Hill while also throwing in the melody of Adina Howard’s “Freak Like Me” for good measure.And please, spare us the vocal interludes between tracks – this isn’t 1990. They are intensely Read more ...
Adam Sweeting
In many respects it's hard to fault director Cary Fukunaga's take on the Charlotte Brontë classic. Fast-rising Australian actress Mia Wasikowska brings appropriate strength and moral clarity to the title role, while Michael Fassbender makes a mocking, sardonic Mr Rochester (albeit a rather too photogenic one). The lovelessness of Jane's early years with her unfeeling aunt, Mrs Reed (Sally Hawkins), is wincingly drawn, and her time at the grim Lowood school leaves the viewer feeling as beaten and abused as the heroine herself.Chuck in a quietly sparkling turn by Judi Dench as Mrs Fairfax Read more ...
Lisa-Marie Ferla
Do you remember a couple of summers ago, when it seemed like you couldn’t turn on the radio without catching a clip of yet another quirky young female songwriter with a clever hook and a regional accent? The artwork to Wallis Bird’s new album reminded me of one of those singers, from the messy pigtails and dreamy expression to the labret piercing. So far, so pigeonholed... until I pressed play and discovered an artist who could be anything but. It’s not uncommon to see the eponymous release early in an artist’s career, the self-title a bold manifesto; but that the Irish singer has chosen Read more ...
Russ Coffey
When an artist releases an album of new readings of old material, there’s usually cause for concern. But not with Lionel Richie’s new release, a foray into light country. In fact, given Richie’s recent efforts to stay down with the kids, maybe he should have tapped his archive before. Here he’s teamed up with (mainly) young country stars to rework his greatest hits with an Alabama radio pulse. The arrangements may sound crisp and contemporary, but the real fun comes from wallowing in the past and remembering Lionel’s evergreen Eighties.There are a couple of hiccups. But just that. One of Read more ...