JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
VOLKSMUSIK
54M 07S

Late 70's & early 80's German New Wave and other oddities in between.

01 Die Dominas - Herr Ralfi und Herr Karl
02 Joachim Witt - Kuwait
03 Neon Babies - Junge Männer
04 Thomas Voburka - Black Box
05 DMX Krew - The Glass Room
06 Grauzone - Wütendes Glas
07 D.A.F. - Alles ist Gut
08 Die Doraus - Nordsee
09 Die Doraus - Arrivederci
10 N.U. Unruh - Gott Sei's Getrommelt
11 Tuxedomoon - Driving to Verdun
12 Un Departement - A3
13 Classix Nouveaux - 623
14 1000 Ohm - AGNES
15 New Musik - Areas

Volksmusik Mix
192 KBPS | 74.0 MB
(right click save as)

JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
REGGAE MIX II
54M 36S

Why not?

01 Gladdy Anderson - Freebase
02 Freddie McGregor - Bobby Bobylon
03 The Jamaicans - Ba Ba Boom
04 Andy & Joey - You're Wandering Now
05 Prince Buster - Girl, Why Don't You Answer?
06 Delroy Wilson - Won't You Come Home?
07 Soul Vendors - Swing Easy
08 Don Drummond & The Skatelites - Cleopatra
09 Don Drummond - Surplus
10 The Itals - Dawn Patrol
11 Glen Brown - Tel Aviv Drums
12 The Techniques - Purify Dub
13 Keith Hudson - Darkest Night On A Wet Looking Road
14 Johnny Osborn - Right Right Time
15 Culture - Behold
16 Cedric 'IM' Brooks - Put It On
17 Tommy McCook - Jamaican Bolero

Reggae Mix II
192 KBPS | 74.7 MB
(right click save as)

Ah, the art film. It takes a confrontational, yet charming, attitude to pull it off. Fortunately, Eat, For This Is My Body's director, Michelange Quay, has these qualities in spades. The opening sequence of this stunning film from Haiti will leave no doubt that this is what what he was meant to do.

The film starts off as a post-Koyaanisqatsi-slash-Michel-Gondry-Joga-music-video mélange as it sweeps into Haitian shores, over seemingly endless shantytowns, and finally through mountainous terrain; all while morphing-ethno-ballad-free-pop-jazz collides with the images. Calling this sequence a show-stopper does it injustice, as does all the descriptions I have used to explain it; for the real film has yet to even start.

Once we get the hang of things, we slowly become aware that we are being brought closer and closer to the people and culture of the country. After that incredible ride into the heart of Haiti, Quay progresses the film through a free-association style montage of moving water that constantly reminds the us of the effects of human culture and the incomparable power of nature. Ethnographic documentary footage of voodoo chanting and dancing follows. From this emerges another spellbinding image (a redundancy in this film): an older man in a trance-like state, dancing with a log lit on one end. He then proceeds to eat from the burning embers while he dances with an unforgettable piercing expression in his eyes.

This is a good time to point out that, no, the film really hasn't started yet.

Day breaks and we loosely follow a group of boys through beautiful Haitian terrain, into a colonial mansion, and finally into a room straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey --yes, that room. And just like that, we are brought into another world --or rather, Quay's head. The real film begins here, some 30 minutes into it, and what we are presented is a mixture of the works of Matthew Barney and David Lynch.

If you are still reading this, then I guess neither name gets to you. Chances are there are more Lynch fans than Barney fans (including myself), and to me, this is the saving grace of the film. What follows are elaborate scenes that are reminiscent of those in Barney's Cremaster Cycle: completely elaborate conceptual scenes (read pretentious to some) that are loosely related and seem to allude to colonialization and race relations in Haiti. I am vague about this because Quay will never allow you to read anything definitive from this film (read pretentious to some) other than that the it deals with differences in the balance of power --his words. Scenes include those with an elderly woman confined to bed who recites a poem about her role as nature and the destruction caused by the hungry yearning for food. "...Eat, for this is my body," then, serves as a significant theme. Others include the group of boys and their white female headmaster. Again, themes of hunger and power are constantly reinforced. She is played by the gorgeous Sylvie Testud, who is on track to setting a remarkable career for herself. American audiences can recognize her in a supporting role in the automatically more straightforward La Vie en Rose.

Again, the Lynch-ian aspects of these scenes, direct focus on foreboding qualities objects and sound, save them and make them better than Barney's work (read pretentious to some). The most Barney-esque sequence of the film, one of grannies dj-ing while non-diagetic ethnic music that has been modernized with beats plays, fails miserably because, frankly, it is a lousy and pretentious idea. First of all, the point of the scene is too obvious; and second, even though it plays as good as it possibly can, an idea like that is nothing short of terrible. This is the kind of work done with good intentions, but with bad taste: the make or break of outsider art.

You should, however, ignore the fact that the film can be merely pretentious at times. I only pointed out that instance to be fair. This is, after all, Michelange Quay's first feature film, and the many overwhelmingly brilliant images that you will see completely warrant viewing and, more importantly, make you think; for you have no choice when narrative is this vague. Once Quay matures and has more control of his ego, he will surely do significant work in the cinematic arts. Remember his name.

From the city that wrote the book on love comes a musical about sex, love, and, um, sex.

It is best that I get this out of the way quickly, (trust me it won't hurt too much) so here goes: This film is completely flimsy and flaky. However, it knows this and does not care; and will spend every second of its running time trying to seduce you. If it were anything but French, it's persistence would seem awkward; but the film's joie de vivre can be contagious.

Love Songs is proud to show off how French it is. You can't blame it, Paris is like no other city in the world. This works exceedingly well in the cinematography: without even attempting to show-off any of the city's well known sights, Christophe Honoré keeps his scenes strictly in the neighborhood streets. When was the last time you saw a Parisian love story without seeing the Eiffel Tower? The end result is still more beautiful than the unlikely miracle Woody Allen was able to do with Manhattan; which in all fairness is a dump.

Just how French is this film? Well, every character is essentially a Ph.D. in literature and proud to show-off what they are reading. Having visited centers of culture such as the Musee D'Orsay and the Centre Pompidou, I have no problems forcing myself to believe it. As far as I am concerned, there are Parisians and then there are the uncultured. Unfortunately, this is where things start to go awry. Love Songs treats love the same way it treats its depicted literature: you only see the cover.

Granted, Love Songs is a musical, so we can't expect something with the depth of Kundera. However, there is such a thing as Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The filmmakers should know that the musical genre really has to tighten its focus on its characters in order to depict a realistic portrait of love. I can't imagine anybody really buying it in Love Songs despite the fact that the characters constantly sing about it. There are just too many people in the film and many get marginalized. Is Alice, who according to the trailer is a main character, really needed for any other reason than to pout her lips (ahem, her gorgeous lips), put her hands on her hips, and give approving "oh, you guys!" throughout the film? This treatment of characters (and believe me it gets absurd early on) is what makes the film seem shallow.

In addition, the seemingly main theme of bisexuality gets marginalized, as well, by the film's overzealous treatment of the characters and love. Maybe it is because I am heterosexual, but I believe that the film would be stronger if it had a clearer stance and meaning. If, perhaps, it is worried about coming off as too taboo, (which would explain the trailer's focus on the "hot threesome action" --but then that could be the Americanization of it) it shouldn't worry about it: if you are watching a French musical about love, I am going to take a wager that you are comfortable with your sexuality.

In all, I guess Love Songs follows its characters' mantra: breadth is more important than depth. Still, despite all of this, it is hard to hate gay Paris.

As expected, the reactions to Micheal Haneke's remake of his own Funny Games have been as entertaining and frustrating as they have been revealing. Wasn't that part of the deal, seeing that this was always a film to polarize and be discussed?

For a film that has had its acting and technical craft work applauded it sure is hated. Does anyone remember so many prominent film critics getting so angry at a film in recent memory? Not even Norbit got reviews so scathing and full of hate. It is pretty funny actually, and I am hoping Haneke is laughing at the critics as much as they think he is laughing at American film goers. Just read Rex Reed's review. Pathetic. It reveals just how out of touch reviewers are. The existence of this remake is justified in this alone.

To sum up, the reviews have pretty stated, "How dare he judge the great people of this great country?" and "Doesn't he realize how much has changed since 9/11? "

Critics seem to be taking Funny Games as a personal affront since the film stares back at viewer more than the first time around. How can it not? I am going to go out on a limb and say that the self-consciousness that was around a decade ago is indeed still self-consciously self-conscious seeing that this is a fucking REMAKE.

Was it truly necessary to make this film to begin with? Well no. (what American isolationism?) And, perhaps, yes. Why can't Americans understand that there are people in other countries who may hold some sort of resentment towards the United States. I believe that the Bush reelection might have soured some people, but that's just me. It is amusing watching American liberals clench their assholes once someone makes any kind of judgment about something that relates to them in some way. How dare they! Only American liberals can judge.

Truth be told, I share a lot of the anger that Haneke might have. I say might have because he made it pretty clear that it was never his idea to remake this movie and that the only reason he did it was to work with the great actors he has so much respect for. (Naomi Watts is the best thing to happen to Hollywood in a decade.) Isabelle Huppert's mesmerizing performance in the Piano Teacher offers enough proof to say that, despite appearances, Haneke is not a mere masochist and that he loves his actors and just wants to lead them through difficult, yet extraordinary, and important, journeys. Why can't it be said that he does this to his viewers as well. Code Unknown is one of my favorite films because of the amount of respect it gives me.

So is this one respectful? The question is interesting since my answer relates more to my viewing of the original film. It was a rough experience and it felt like a slap in the face. But since when is that a bad thing? I don't think that anyone can argue that the film was spot on the first time around. I just think that the cowboy administration that we elected to represent us is enough reason for us to have to just shut the fuck up and take any criticism we currently get. We ARE violent (Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, withdrawal from the Geneva Conventions, and legalized torture anyone?) and we indeed fucked up, so let's own up to it. Getting back to the point: in the introduction to Code Unknown in the R2 dvd, Haneke, in discussing themes in his films, talks briefly about informing the viewer of any sort of manipulation within his films. He feels that this is important because of his general overriding theme of the search for reality. Though we are clearly manipulated in Funny Games, the acknowledgment of the viewer in it is some way a sort of respect (this is, after all, one of the ways this movie can be separated from the Saw films). You can compare this to something by Lars Von Trier--say Dancer in the Dark--in which the viewer is emotionally put through the wringer for the sake of just that.

I don't buy the smugness attacks, or rather, smugness in film has never bothered me, and I would never take it as an insult. Frankly, I think we need more of it. Art is about observation after all, and one cannot necessarily control what one sees, and therefore, one's reactions to it. I am proud to say that I prefer art house cinema to entertainment cinema, and yes, I do judge those who don't somewhat. Always have; always will.

This perhaps sums up the attitudes toward Funny Games. You were either already with it or you aren't. The critics really don't know what to say because It is beyond a film and is more of a theoretical social experiment. What the hell is wrong with that? I sure in hell have more trust in Michael Haneke than I do in Michael Moore. Chris Coen, the producer, is a man will balls and I sure as hell hope there are more out there like him. If not, we are doomed.

No matter the massive repercussions this film will surely bring, Haneke remains one of my favorite directors. He has done what he set out to do: light a fire under people's asses. Again. Now that's entertainment!

• THOMAS BRINKMANN - When Horses Die
  Thomas Brinkmann returns after two missteps with a slow-burning stunner. Last year, I mistakenly declared techno dead, and one of the greats immediately proves me dead wrong. This time around, Brinkmann channels his inner Michael Gira and offers a dark, sinister, and more musical, album. The title alone screams 1980s industrial music. The album starts with brooding, atmospheric, yet traditional, piano songs. It is gloomy yet solid stuff. Soon enough, the best techno music in years envelops the listener. Everything is there: the syncopated shuffle beats; glitch; solid breakbeats; only all with singing. This is the kind of music electronic album Matthew Dear should have done last year. By this I mean a song based record that does not take commercial aspirations more serious than craft. Asa Breed was too dumbed down for the masses and it ultimately bored them. This record is just as "musically simple," however, the obvious musical inspirations are taken into consideration quite seriously and will only delight the listener instead of putting them to sleep.
• Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling
  The king of disco finally returns to follow up his wonderful and straight out of nowhere classic, Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens, which, as we remember, was the album that immediately let us know that Environ was the official dance label of NYC, not DFA. Kelley Polar and the venerable Morgan Geist return with a popier affair. The vocals are a bit more masculine this time around and he seems to have listened to Max Tundra's Mastered By Guy at Exchange--one of the greatest and most neglected albums in history. Though not as solid as the last one (some moments feel forced), when this album soars, it fucking soars. Last year's wonderful Chrysanthemum (featured in my year end comp), is included in this album, though it stands out from the rest of the album, which is much more dense and full of overlapping vocal harmonies and Max Tundra analogue "bloops and bleeps" (technical term). I want to remind you to remember that the last time disco was important was when another classically trained violin player was creating his own unique sound.
• PORTISHEAD - Third
  I guess I am not as with it as I used to be since I had no idea this was coming out. The last time a Portishead record came out was when I was in high school. This sounds exactly as it should: a) fucking great; b) like they have been listening to the same records we have since then (a lot of German and Italian psychedelic and progressive rock music from the 70s, the Silver Apples, etc.); and c) fucking great. They seem to be having fun: the songs emote the love of their influences in a crate digging sort of way and there is even a little Velvet Underground inspired ditty thrown in. No doubt the coolest band of the 90s (do you still listen to that U.N.K.L.E. record?) is still the coolest band today.

  Remember that Yo La Tengo video which asked the important question: "do you like trip-hop?" The answer was yes. Oh, and I will give a buck to anyone who can tell me where I have heard the riff on The Rip . It's killing me. Mogwai?

Other noteworthy albums:

Various - An England Story - From Dancehall to Grime: 25 Years of the MC in the UK

Various - Wayfaring Strangers: Guitar Soli

Autechre - Quaristice

Chris Corsano - The Young Cricketeer (now available in vinyl instead of cdr!)

Despite the usual omission of more deserving nominations, it was an all in all good night for the Oscars as far as winners: there was nothing too unreasonable compared to the last few years. Though you could tell that the writer's strike hurt Jon Stewart's stint as host. I am glad I didn't skip it.

It's a terrific film. And believe me, hearing sappy singer songwriter ballads for an hour and a half did not sound like a good time to me, but I was completely won over after about a minute.

Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Eclisse is as much a continuation of L’Avventura as it is an evolution of it. I will argue that it is its sequel, of sorts, much in the same way that Wong Kar-wai’s 2046 is to his In the Mood for Love; meaning that though the film’s narratives have no straightforward connections, the sequels are the progression of the first film’s main character’s archetype in a tangent journey.

The most obvious connection between the two films is Monica Vitti, arguably the protagonist of both. She plays women suffering from a malaise brought upon by the inability to connect to their modern social class and country. She does not play as prominent a role in La Notte as in the films that bookend it, so it is safe to ignore it in this context; though one interesting point is that her hair in it is different, in style and color, from the one she shares in the other two. Vitti is made up as the same person in them; Antonioni makes no effort to create a visually different person. Her use of expressions, which move from sullen blankness and distance to quick, occasional outbursts of joy, are also the same.

The films play like a continuing story. L’Avventura ends with Claudia coming to terms with who she and Sandro are. It is implied that she will be leaving him with her gesture of pity. L’Eclisse begins with the actual breakup of Vittoria and her boyfriend, Riccardo. Causes for this are not explicit, but we can make out that he shares a quality of neediness with Sandro. In the first scene they are placed in the same configuration Claudia and Sandro are in at the end of L’Avventura: she standing and he sitting. The balance of power remains intact as the scenes flow in a logical progression.

Vitti’s characters spend their time with similar men. In addition to similar personality traits, Riccardo looks suspiciously like Sandro. Even Piero is the equivalent of what Sandro must have been like in his youth: a rich, confident, playboy in an elite field of work in which his heart is not fully immersed. Piero is connected to the upper class through birthright and his work, but his clients are housewives that gamble with their extra income, not important financial giants. Like Sandro, he is not great at what he does and never will be. It is no surprise that Vittoria hesitates to, and ultimately does not, connect with him.

The spirit of Sandro permeates physically through L’Eclisse. The location of the Esposizione Universale Roma (EUR) is exactly the modern Italy men like him built. Throughout L’Avventura, Sandro is overwhelmed by rich and complex ancient architecture. The simple and uninspired EUR is the opposite of that older tradition and it reflects the type of architecture he is capable of creating. This has an adverse affect on the setting. “The whole layout of a city can thwart communication and connectivity…It is not only a place where a representative couple fail to meet but a culprit for that failure.” (Chatman, 108) The EUR is a psychodynamic space that is an important element through which Antonioni, with his form of subtle, realistic expressionism, conveys the emotion, or lack thereof, that haunts Vittoria. Since she, in essence, is a continuation of Claudia, who previously gave up on that world, it makes sense that no explanations are explicitly given within L’Eclisse as to why she wanders through EUR unable to relate to it.

Through the use of architecture, Antonioni marks a progression from the natural to the man-made. The final shot in L’Avventura sets this theme up for us by splitting the frame between Claudia’ emotive and natural half and Sandro’s barren and man-made half; visually portrayed through Mt. Etna and a wall, respectively. Because of an increasing absence of nature in urbanizing Italy, it becomes a refuge. Vittoria is most emotive when she is in the presence of it: whether it is materialized by wind that moves flag poles or clouds she flies by. Vittoria does not find solace in the man-made objects which begin to take over the roles of the natural; items which, in addition to the buildings being constructed throughout the EUR, include fans and street lights.

In addition to portraying Claudia and Vittoria rejecting a relationship, both films’ endings project the same relationship between them and their malaise. Since the films have progressed away from the natural toward the man-made, the metaphor made by the volcano in L’Avventura is made with nuclear weapons in L’Eclisse. This is the only man-made object that has the equivalent power of a volcano. The film moves between the worlds of Vittoria and Piero: hers open and desolate and his compact and manic. Therefore, it can be assumed that the ending and reference, which take place in the EUR, project feelings that belong to Vittoria. Both objects reference the respective women’s malaise because they are objects which, once erupted, are beyond the control of them. Not only that, the power represented by them is dormant. The objects are also at a distance from the women. Mt. Etna is much further away from Claudia than the wall is from Sandro, despite the flatness created by the camera lens, and the nuclear weapons are presented theoretically through a newspaper. These characteristics clearly describe Vitti’s characters’ malaise. The progression from the natural to man-made can also be explained through the relationship of the women to it. Claudia is a victim and thus her problems are external, and conversely, Vittoria is conscious of her problems from the beginning, and therefore, they are internal.

So I finally saw There Will Be Blood and learned the origins of the infamous "I drink your milkshake!" line --which I am happy wasn't ruined for me. It was a highly enjoyable film but, unfortunately, one that was a bit too hyped. Could the film have been better? I am not so sure. It most certainly needed to be tightened up, but I think that nothing could saved it based upon the thinking behind the disappointing ending.

Unfortunately P.T. Anderson provided the biggest argument against the film when he let everyone know that it was influenced by The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. There Will Be Blood simply does not compare, especially in the important moments. First of all, there really is no payoff in Blood like there is in Treasure. I left the theater thinking about the characters instead of thinking about humanity, as I did after Treasure. What you get is a rather cold and awkward last minute Stanley Kubrick moment. I simply do not understand this Clockwork Orange vibe given the 2.5 hours that came before it. Even more awkward was the scene before it, where the film threatens to turn into a sappy Howard Hughes story. I do not believe that there was enough incentive provided to us to reflect on anything that happened. Also, the son and brother "exchange" was not firmly established. I know I sound way too much like Robert McKee, but was there something more to this than just an archetype replacement? It really wasn't one anyway. In the end, Treasure is more humane, the appropriate characters in it are more sympathetic, yet it is just as vicious. Together, and only together, this makes it a more powerful film.

Since I am playing devil's advocate, I have to admit to having some problems with the music as well. The soundtrack was terrific at points but at others it was just simple man's avant guard, something which the worst of Radiohead suffers from as well. In the film, these moments stuck out like a sore thumb --the syncopated drum scene in particular. The only reason I feel as though I can comment on this is because it doesn't make sense to use avant music when you take into consideration that Anderson went as far as using vintage camera lenses--that from what I can tell narrow shot's focus (to the detriment of the film)--in order to give the film a vintage look.

For those who have seen it, perhaps you can help me out. I didn't understand Daniel Plainview's progression in the film. Did he just explode, like the burning oil derrick he stares at; or was he always like that? If its the former, it felt a bit to mythical and far removed for me --especially compared to Bogart's progression; if its the latter, then a) the Kubrick-ish ending makes a bit more sense, and b) eww.

On the plus side, the performances were terrific. Daniel Day-Lewis surprised me with his unexpectedly (and relatively) restrained performance. I must admit that I was expecting another outlandish Gangs of New York performance that would typecast him in an Al Pacino way, but he continues to dazzle. The baptism scene made the 12 bucks worth it.

Though I should be writing my film class papers instead of this, I have to say that I saw The Death of Mr. Lazarescu last night. It was spellbinding. It's similar to 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, so you can take what I said about that film and apply it to Lazarescu. I am excited to know that we are only at #2 in Cristi Puiu's 6 film series about modern life in Romania. I expect them all to be pretty much the same, but if Eric Rohmer can get me to watch 9 of his films (and counting), then I have no problem with this. Cannes obviously pulled an Academy Awards and gave Puiu the Palm D'Or last year for this film, which came out 2 years earlier. I have no problem with that. Unlike Blood, this is a film we will be discussing in 10 years.

Needless to say, I hope you put The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, an eternal classic and new one, on your netflix queue.

PRO-LIFE? PRO-CHOICE?

Much to Cristian Mungiu's credit, the question does not matter so much as the situation which raises it in 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, a film about unlawful abortion set in the end of socialist Romania. The only choice that is certain is the judges' at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival: the film was the recipient of the Palm D'Or, the highest accolade in cinema, beating out the more life-affirming The Diving Bell and Butterfly. If you pardon the awful pun, it can be said that this makes sense seeing that the film is a lovechild of the Dardennes Brothers and Michelangelo Antonioni, directors traditionally beloved by Cannes.

Mungiu uses extremely intimate and minimal aesthetic (Dardennes) to stylistically capture the transferred plight and individual incidents (Antonioni) of Otilia, who goes beyond the call of duty to help her university roommate, Gabita, set up an abortion. On a technical level, the film is a showcase in cinematic professionalism; Dardennes and Antonioni are not names to be thrown out lightly. Little flourishes of suspense throughout further demonstrate just how much in control Mungiu is of his world. The acting is also up to par; Anamaria Marinca presents a devastatingly complex character that on the surface truly is a regular, modern, student and woman.

The film manages to do something remarkable with its narrative: it presents abortion in a way that makes most pro-life and pro-choice advocates seem childish. There is no doubt that both sides will see strong arguments for their case. The government and persons involved are deeply flawed, however, what is important in the film is the complexity of the situation that extends beyond anything we can specifically point a finger to, or vote on. True morality and the social and cultural components that help shape it are what is questioned. These abstract ideas --ignore any governmental propaganda, Democratic or Communist, calling them anything else-- are brought together in the hopes of, perhaps one day, finding a tangible way for us to deal with the consequences of being human. In the mean time, we have to survive until we can.

Pan’s Labyrinth
The Host
Lust, Caution
No Country for Old Men

Warning: Major spoilers are involved so I would recommend renting these films and having an intense, despair-ridden weekend at home with your loved ones, before reading.

It felt like a mere coincidence that the young, brave, and beautiful protagonists of Pan’s Labyrinth and The Host (Mexico/Spain and Korea) were butchered at the end of their respective films last year. Now, after watching Lust, Caution and No Country for Old Men, (U.S.) I can see that this is no longer a coincidence but a reaction to the zeitgeist of current times as well as to the history of it.

In these films, we watch male filmmakers committing the ultimate patriot act: sacrificing their most beloved characters in both protest to, and warning of, the direction we headed into the last decade. It is not surprising that films from all over the world, not just the U.S., portray a similar response to a global failure of democracy and a war already longer than Vietnam. All four films have connections to war—or at least major governmental offensive attacks—and portray worlds of human darkness. We are presented various representations of these ranging from the fantastical (Pan’s Labyrinth) to the desolate (No Country for Old Men). Within them lie powerful men/monsters who are responsible for the depicted atrocities. However, it is in the portrayal of the seemingly weak and powerless young women, who get lost in a world not their own, that any source of humanity exists. That they are so lovingly filmed, yet ultimately crushed, might seem nihilistic, but we must realize that this is martyrdom. The directors believe this jolt is necessary; after all, these are the topics they have chosen present us. This is bad tasting medicine.

War has yielded similar responses time and time again during the relatively short history of film. It can be argued that it is the single biggest influence on motion pictures in historical, production, and artistic contexts. Film stock embargoes, censorship, and governmental intervention have all had significant influences on the development of filmmaking. Adding to this, WWII had an enormous role in the development of the modernist movement because it forced people to question everything that they took in. The effects of propaganda and montage became obvious, and this, in conjunction with the failure of modernity (the first phase of it) to bring the best out of humanity, led to a reevaluation of everything, including the "real". Soviet and German cinema swiftly became too effective for their own good and lost favor. Elsewhere, European cinema found itself distancing away from conventional narrative storytelling (Classical Hollywood filmmaking) because fluid editing in films came into question. Ambiguity found itself welcome because it afforded people the ability to come up with their own conclusions and think for themselves. These departures led to numerous artistic movements like Italian Neorealism. Even this went on to evolve to modernist European art which includes the French New Wave as well as Italian and Eastern European modernist cinema. The Cold War made it seem as though no lesson was learned from WWII, so a third wave of modernist restructuring followed. Other art forms, including literature, followed; with an example being Roman Neuveau writing, which in turn was cinematically personified by Alain Resnais.

The current Iraqi War has produced films in many styles and genres: the documentary (Fahrenheit 911), traditional modern Hollywood, (In the Valley of Elijah), and the absurd, (The Kingdom). The films I am discussing represent another method, one that gives a visible nod to its post WWII origins and uses both realist and modernist elements. Its hybrid qualities could fall under the postmodernist umbrella. They are modernist through their distinct settings and rules, and realist with their characters; especially the ones viewers most empathize with that meet a gruesome, heartbreaking, and logical end.

Due in part to mainstream Hollywood cinema, most of us are not prepared watch films end as bleakly as these do. Both audiences I sat with during No Country for Old Men were appalled and vocal about it, at the end, when it casually faded into black. The prevailing mood was one of being left cold and insulted; which is interesting to me because I thought that it was a film of great sadness and heart. It bothers me that people expect and demand happily resolved endings. Fairness is not guaranteed in real life; so why should it be in film? This was the dogma of the neo-realists and it is interesting to see the same reactions 60 years later. Only those suffering deserve to ask for a happy ending, not those on the privileged side of the tracks. There is a wonderful scene in No Country for Old Men that depicts the collision of the two worlds beautifully. Sherriff Tom Bell is outside the motel room door where he suspects Chigurh is hiding. He hesitates to go in, knowing full-well that his chances of coming back alive are not in his favor. The Coens hold this moment: both Bell and Chigurh stare at the same key hole contemplating what actions they are supposed to take. This reminds me of what a young John Barth once wrote in second-person narrative in his American modernist The Floating Opera,

“Come along with me, reader, and don’t fear for your weak heart; I’ve one myself, and know the value of inserting first a toe, then a foot, next a leg, very slowly your hips and stomach, and finally your whole self into my story, and taking a good long time to do it. This is, after all, a pleasure dip I’m inviting you to, not a baptism.”

Well, this is no pleasure dip. Bell represents the viewer at the edge the world overlooking the abyss of its darkest core. He knows early on that he cannot handle what has been presented to him; he is barely able to eat breakfast after merely discussing the horrific events that have transpired. Bell once executed a psychopathic young man and the fact that he had no remorse haunted him enough to mention it in voice over, another form of audience acknowledgment. This situation is far more serious. However, Bell has the sense of duty brought upon him from his badge and he goes in only to find Chigurh gone; we do not have the benefit of duty and watch because it is the new Coen Brothers movie. We have heard that it is a dark film but we have to see it for ourselves; it is escapism to us. Bell knows and we have to learn, which is why more is in store for us. The baptism will soon follow, and that is the point of the film.

“Ain’t anything new here –can’t stop what is coming” is the advice Bell’s mentor tells him near the film’s end. It is sage advice followed by Western lawmen for many generations, yet this way of thinking allows monsters such as Chigurh to co-exist with them. I am not saying that it is the cause of such problems since Chigurh is a psychopath and there is nothing, not even homeland security, that can prevent it from happening again. Humans are susceptible to damage, after all. Despite this, there is something poetic in what many of the victims, including Carla, say at the end of their lives, “It doesn’t have to be this way.” Carla refuses to give in and dies while Bell limps away knowing that the progressively civilized and illuminated terrain—that was beautifully shot this way at the beginning of the film—will continue to bring forth more monsters from its shadows. A theme of re-occurrence emerges.

Fear can also have the same consequences as the actions of the villains, and in turn, make them merely a proxy. It is not clear as to what exactly kills Hyun-seo in The Host. The question looms as to whether it was agent yellow exposure or trauma from the other man made monster that was responsible. It is ironic that agent yellow, created to combat a virus that does not exist, has no effect on the monster clearly visible to all. This, along with the formaldehyde bottles, creates a theme of perverted prevention and preemptive strikes. The color yellow is of significance because of its relation to contamination. Antonioni's Red Desert, a film in which color is of paramount importance, uses yellow in the same context. A yellow flag is used to warn others to stay away from a quarantined ship, and also, yellow smoke, explained to be toxic, rises out of the steam vents of factories plaguing Monica Vitti, who is dressed in green. It is a film in which a traumatized woman wanders through an industrial wasteland, the end result of human modernity, unable to connect to, or understand, that world or those of it. The Host undoubtedly works with these themes.

In the more traditional Lust, Caution, we bear witness to a woman completely destroyed by her country and fellow man. She is stripped to and forced to defend herself with the bare essence of her femininity, which ultimately proves stronger than the masculinity surrounding it. In all four films, the women make the final decision regarding their fate; this is the gift that the filmmakers give to them. This theme is amplified through the girl's youth in body and spirit. All are young in the film’s beginnings and grow up fast. Two are children, Wang is an adolescent, and Carla Jean Moss is most certainly child like. “You keep on talking and I am going to take you out back and screw you” cloyingly threatens her husband, yet nothing happens as if she is a sexual joke. Only Wang Jiazhi is portrayed as a sexually developed female, but only after half the film spends a considerable amount of time explaining what a true loss of innocence she goes through. Not a single one of these females belong to the world they are thrown into. Ultimately they all choose in one form or another to leave their pathetic world under their own volition. They each prove stronger and more alive than everyone who has accepted the world dictated by the dark nature of humanity. A cowardly existence like Bells (or ours) is no option. Their pathetically broken counterparts manage to control everyone in their lives except them.

The elements that create this mini movement can be seen in both modernist and realist cinema but let’s go one step further and acknowledge the film that all four films are indebted to. The collective messages of these films are seen in Victor Erice’s 1973 masterpiece, The Spirit of the Beehive, an intoxicatingly subtle film about the loss of innocence of two girls at the end of the Spanish Civil War. Pan’s Labyrinth can be seen as a loose reworking of this film: both bookend the same war and have young girl protagonists who learn lessons about man’s brutality from mythic monsters. It is one of the greatest of film experiences and should be considered the cinematic standard of these themes I write about. I in no way mean to take anything from these fine films, after all, a good lesson should be the foundation of a curriculum. This is after all, the purpose of history; and some of us didn’t learn anything from recent wars. Yet there is hope, the underlying sentiment behind all of these films is, “it [still] doesn’t have to be this way.”

JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
THE STATE OF THE UNION 2007
66M 57S

Happy holidays!
It is now a tradition for me to compile a pop music compilation to cap the ending year; so without further ado:

01 Bill Callahan - Diamond Dancer
02 Sharon Jones - Let Them Knock
03 Robert Wyatt - Stay Tuned
04 Panda Bear - Take Pills
05 Mus-ok - All Right
06 Deerhoof - +81
07 Times New Viking - Devo & Wine
08 Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
09 Super Furry Animals - Into The Night
10 Grinderman - No Pussy Blues
11 Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
12 Kelly Polar - Chrysanthemum
13 Air - Mer Du Japon
14 Matthew Dear - Fleece on Brain
15 M.I.A. - Jimmy
16 Von Südenfed - Flooded
17 Cotti (feat. Kingpin) - Let Go Mi Shirt

State Of The Union 2007
192 KBPS | 91.6 MB
(right click save as)

A blurb or two coming soon.

THE HEATWAVE - An England Story
It is no surprise that, these days, blog mixes offer world class music and education at an instant and for free. The Heatwave, a group of DJs from the London area, gave their great love the greatest gift imaginable: a chance to shine. This compilation chronicles England-based MCing from its Caribbean roots in the 70s and 80s to its present day evolutions. We Americans have never taken British hip-hop seriously, but this is about to change. An England Story offers music as diverse and solid, minute for minute, as anything anyone in this country has ever done. A flag has been planted in our soil and it waves proudly. Essential, essential, essential, essential! You can listen to it on their blog: http://www.theheatwave.co.uk/music/item/anenglandstory and I am happy to report that the tracks will be compiled and distributed by Soul Jazz Records in 2008.

THE KNIFE - Silent Shout
It serves me right to have missed this solely because of my disdain for Pitchfork; it would have easily made my top 5 had I even given it half a chance. Silent Shout is one of the most original records I have heard in a long time. Somehow, The Knife are able to create fresh, imaginative melodies out thin air. Seriously, it is kind of scary how good they are. This album contains major elements of electro, which I have always hated; but in reality this is another thing altogether because it has the warmth of life all over it (or should I say buried beneath its frozen tundra.) Who could ever have imagined Tom Waits grunts over such icy beats?

MOONDOG - The Viking of Sixth Avenue
It took a trip to London to learn about a man that played spent most of his time playing for free in the streets of my very own city. I have always wanted to listen to his quirky classical music jazz fusion but every time I reached out for it, something shinier flashed before my eyes. Now I am hooked for life; all it took was this hodge-podge collection of musical fragments and half ideas.

EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING - Eddie Current Suppression Ring
I always hated stupid punk rock; and believe me, this is stupid punk rock. So what the fuck is going on here? Eddy Current Suppression Ring, who hail from Austrailia, released this little gem last year completely under the radar (in the States, anyways.) The lyrics seem half hearted and brash yet are smart in their context, somehow. Song topics range from ice cream, girls, to boners; all with the same sense of importance. The music incorporates punk rock that ranges from the Sex Pistols to Rocket from the Crypt in order to create demented fun.

And now to present day:

Something interesting in the following list is the number of musicians with multiple releases. Circle takes the cake with 6(!), but what is important is that they share a nomadic kinship with some of the others, like Sir Richard Bishop, who comes in with 2 albums (not mentioning various tour CD-Rs.) It is refreshing to see musicianship as a lifestyle in this day where anyone can make a brief career for themselves by putting up a single on itunes. These people have to work harder than ever to live off their craft, but then, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

20: BLUES CONTROL - Blues Control / Puff
Brooklyn's Blues Control has taken the hip art music scene by storm in what seems like a matter of minutes with these two recordings. Lo fi art rock would be a decent description of their work. Simple elements of classical and blues structure are apparent in their keyboard playing, which combine with drone and free improvisation. They will try it all and seem to have the record collection to back it up. Their live show is fun as the duo plays worn out cassette recordings of what seems to be live kraut rock breaks through a walkman and play along them.

19: MUS-OK - The Refuge of Shallow Souls
It is unfortunate that you probably have not heard one of the best pop albums released this year. This ex-East Coast now West Coast electronic band has decided to go all out pop on their newest release; well almost. You might be able to call this break pop if you feel like creating a catchy new musical style moniker. It incorporates elements ranging from Radiohead-ish prog atmospherics, Anticon inspired use of breaks, and pretty much the encapsulation of all of today's indie rock. The fact that they are professional musicians helps a lot in making this stew taste mighty nice. Oh, and the Jaki Liebezeit drum samples throughout it absolutely slay.

18: CIRCLE - Tyrant / Miljard / Sunburned Circle / Panic / Katapult /Tower
The Finish metal masters bombarded the states with 6, count them 6, releases this year. The quality obviously ranges, but as a whole it is an awe-inspiring package. I do not regret obtaining them all and would say that only one should be avoided: Tower, which does not rise to the challenge it set upon itself. Unfortunately, the devastating Tyrant, which stands out even in their spectacular discography, is the most limited of these and likely sold out by now. It us a live recording that expands upon the dark, murky and visceral portions of the set they slew American audiences with the last couple of years. Circle continues to prove that it is arguably the single most important rock band in the world, if not the only one.

17: PANTHA DU PRINCE - This Bliss
Techno has been dying a slow death the past few years, but every now and then a record like this reminds me of the inspiration now seemingly lost (encapsulated by The Field's From Here We Go Sublime, which with its smug attitude fails to realize it came out 6 years too late.) Mood is the most important element of this record. At times lush strings swell to create the sensation of ecstasy and at others off-beat percussion creates disorientation; though always managing to captivate.

16: WOODEN SHJIPS - Wooden Shjips / Loose Lips EP
Finely-aged drone psych rock from San Francisco that you can boogie to! It must be noted that the three EPs are the real stars of the show. The album is recommended because it comes with a CD version of the first two, which were barely ever in print. Make sure to grab the new one on Sub Pop while it lasts. All three are nearly perfect psychedelia and confirm my beliefs that most bands should release only EPs.

15: SIR RICHARD BISHOP - Polytheistic Fragments / While My Guitar Gently Bleeds
We can take comfort that, even though the Sun City Girls have passed on, the eternal adventures of that gypsy, Sir Richard Bishop continue. The blossoming guitar acustica genre might just have its new king in SRB. This time around, he goes for broke, and offers releases incorporating all of the guitar playing styles he has experimented with during the years. Polytheistic Fragments follows his Django and Ragga inclinations while WMGGB showcases more of his electric and fucked up guitar work.

14: RAMSES III - Honey Rose EP
A beautiful little soundtrack for a film released last year. Honey Rose is, for the most part, shimmering reverb laden guitar soundscapes which at times incorporate field recordings or soft vocals as movements weave in and out. From here we go sublime.

13: POLE - Steingarten
A surprisingly playful turn for Stefan Betke, who is known for his ultra minimalistic dub soundscapes. It would not be a Pole record without the inhuman attention to detail which requires several good listening sessions to appreciate. This could be considered a hip hop record though it is not as obvious as his last long player. It is an inspired, yet relaxed, affair; offering a whole world of blips, bubbly beats and plenty of in-jokes for those that pay attention.

12: STARS OF THE LID – And Their Refinement of the Decline
The title pretty much says it all. Stars of the Lid do further field analysis of the temporal nature of sound. The strings that are now incorporated into their music are a natural progression because of the theoretical similarities it shares the concepts of notes, attack, and decay. It is a match made in heaven.

11: SKULL DISCO - Soundboy Punishments
Middle Eastern tribal percussion infused dubstep from London. This compilation of their 12"s from last year features modern techno with ancient foundations that could be described as an offshoot of Roni Size's oblique drum and bass sound.

10: TIMES NEW VIKING – Present the Paisley Reich
Remember when "indie rock" was fresh and exciting? Well this album might bring back some old feelings and remind you of the days where people made music for completely for themselves, without worry of a "scene" or its conventions. Equal parts Guided By Voices and Dead C, it reminds me of that Slanted and Enchanted review that said that it was a "crust that sparkles." The kids are alright.

09: VON SUDENFED – Tromatic Reflexxions
If there is one thing we should know by now it is that nothing can keep Mark E. Smith down for too long. He has survived his most recent escapades with the Fall and has returned inspired for what seems like the 100th time. Smith teams up with one of electronic music's finest, the severely underrated Mouse On Mars, and delivers a dancehall flavoured monster. The first half of the record is an expertly crafted, deep bass, dance oriented affair complete with chopped up Smith snarls. This should not be too surprising since you can dance to a lot of The Fall's Beggars Banquet era stuff (Cruisers Creek, C.R.E.E.P., ect.) The second half returns to Mouse On Mar's recent sonic experiments. Things ends unexpectedly with one of the sweetest songs Smith has ever penned.

08: SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS – 100 Days 100 Nights
The Dap-Kings are clearly mining the vaults of Stax in order to assist the amazing Sharon Jones, unquestionably the star of this show. These days, it seems like she is carrying soul music on her shoulders. Soul aficionados will be quick to sniff out many musical moments that comprise the album; but it does no harm; not with singing like that in front of it. I am glad they are going for a more charged soul sound as I thought she was holding back a bit on her last one. Tina Turner is the most obvious influence on this one. For years, Sharon has been a well kept secret for the hip and in the know, but now that secret seems out. There is buzz following this album that, hopefully, will turn to something good for Ms. Jones; she is someone that should be shared. Humble Me sets the bar that marks whether any person from now on can be called a soul singer. Amy who? Why have a girl when I can have a woman instead?

07: CHERRY BLOSSOMS: Cherry Blossoms
Freak folk is still alive and well these days. After seeing the children purveyors of this resurgent genre move on and either reach majestic new heights: Joanna Newsom made Ys, one of the greatest albums I have ever heard; or reach new lows: Devendra Banhart seems to no longer be trying; we unearth the Cherry Blossoms, who seem like a long lost, yet perfectly preserved fossil. Roland Woodbe, the prognosticators of prognosticators, called it moonshine music and I agree. The Cherry Blossoms is light hearted and earnest; it is as true American music as we will find. Six small record labels scrounged up to put out a few copies of this record; and I, being the idiot that I am, ruin side B while transferring it to digital format. A terrible shame; (believe me I am hating myself right now) but fortunately pops and scratches will never hurt this music; this is definitive proof that life is analogue.

06: PAN SONIC - Katodivaihe
Pan Sonic somehow manage to progress from their massive 4cd experiment Kesto with this, an absolute, pure adventure in sound. They are taking it upon themselves to take on the endless possibilities of modern day electronics. Katodivaihe encapsulates the gamut of experimental music: musique concrète (Luc Ferrari), early industrial (Throbbing Gristle), idm (Autechre), and power electronics (Wolf Eyes). It encapsulates the present as middle ground between past and future; highly recommended.

05: ROBERT WYATT - Comicopera
I am always happy when I learn that Robert Wyatt has a new album coming out. It feels like a special present from one of the most wonderful characters in music. I won't get into his frequently recanted story, but I still can't take for granted the effort put into his albums. His streak of consecutive pop gems is going strong. That they are so good is more impressive when you realize master musicians rarely seem to be able to create songs that are well crafted and retain a sense of sincerity. A couple of things stand out in Comicopera: it seems that Robert has been listening to Tortoise (the kids) recently and things turn uncharacteristically dark toward the end. I will follow his voice anywhere and am happy to go down new paths.

04: PANDA BEAR – Person Pitch / WOEBOT – Go Panda! Mix
Panda Bear brought back sample-based music to the masses while still retaining the offbeat skewed-ness that you expect from him. Take Pills, a sweet love note concerning abandoning antidepressants, begins with an apropos recreation of Scott Walker’s Always Coming Back To You before dissolving into pure, chorus laden beauty with the bass line from the Tornadoes' Popeye Twist. To make things even better, Matt Ingram created a companion piece to the record with his Go Panda! Mix. Panda Bear lists his influences in the record booklet but Matt takes things further by putting together the influences he himself sees. Considering Ingram is proving to be one of the finest commentators on modern music, the results are spellbinding and go further than Panda Bear’s discography. We get calypso, ethno jazz, 80s synth pop, and late 90s IDM and everything in between. It is available here: http://www.woebot.com/2007/05/go_panda_1.html.

03: BORIS & MICHI KURIHARA - Rainbow
They really reached for the stars on this one. Boris teamed up Japanese psych master Michi Kurihara, of Ghost fame, to create heavy guitar majesty. The power of Sigur Ros is evident in the opener, while some of Boris’ earlier sustained ambient guitar creeps up in other places.

02: ALESSANDRO STEFANA- Poste E Telegrafi
Some words coming soon.

01: BILL CALLAHAN – Woke on a Whaleheart
An interesting continuation to the story of my favorite record from last year. Bill Callahan has not made such uplifting work since Knock, Knock; the album made when he was dating the other princess of American independent music. (See its cover for a visual gag.) Bill has moved on from his Smog moniker and created one of the best albums in his already praiseworthy canon. He is my favorite singer-songwriter because he is the most adventurous with his music. Each one of his records has a different set of rules; though his lyrics are always top priority. His choice of arrangements is as varied as ever, and his affair with country is more contemporary and pop oriented than his last one. (Some nods to Fleetwood Mac are even heard.) It should be noted that Neil Michael Haggerty does a terrific job producing this record with lean, mean efficiency.

FAVORITE COMPILATIONS OR REISSUES FROM 2007

01: BULLWACKIES ALLSTARS - Free For All

02: VARIOUS - Hyphy Hitz

03: DON CHERRY - Live at Cafe Montmartre, 1966

04: NOAH HOWARD - Black Ark

05: VARIOUS - Box of Dub: Dub Step and Future Dub

06: VARIOUS - Now We Are Ten: Trunk Records 10 Year Anniversary Compilation

07: CHRISTINA KUBISCH - Night Flights

08: BOBB TRIMBLE - Harvest of Dreams

09: VARIOUS - Summer Records Anthology (1974-1988)

10: CHARLES MINGUS SEXTET WITH ERIC DOLPHY - Cornell 1964

11: VARIOUS - Brasil 70

12: HENRY FLYNT - Nova' Billy