Alex Turner's Submarine.

(A half-music-half-film review hybrid)

It's no secret that i love The Arctic Monkeys, so when i heard that there was a British film for which front man Alex Turner wrote a soundtrack, you can only imagine how excited i was to check it out.
If, like me, you don't quite get why, or indeed how Turner made the transition from catchy chart tunes to tedious , lazy sounding tracks, then "Submarine" is THE most important key. You may think i'm letting my imagination run away with itself, but after watching this film and hearing the music that Turner created, i just suddenly GET "Humbug" and "Suck It And See"...

First of all, allow me to introduce 15 year old Oliver Tate (who does look remarkably like Alex Turner). He reminds me a little of Adrian Mole, if you're familiar with him. He juggles his pyromaniac girlfriend whilst also trying to piece his parent's failing marriage back together. His seductively dark and cool Jordanna describes their relationship perfectly: "No emotions (gay)" The innocence of their childish romance runs alongside alternate adult themes throughout the film exemplified perfectly by Oliver: "Jordanna and I enjoyed a a glorious activistic fortnight of  love-making, intimidating teachers and bullying the weak."

The cinematic techniques are breathtaking. I'm no director, but I'm a huge fan of anything remotely vintage. (I stole a box of matches from a cantine once because it was exquisitely old-looking.) The scene "Two Weeks Of Love Making" is filmed using Lomography. Its kind of like the difference between a printing your pictures off a digi-cam, and processing film in a dark room. It it has just the right effect; when the grainy frames of film flicker and stutter on the screen, my heart melts through my ribs. I believe that this feeling that i get from the visual, is what Alex Turner is trying to achieve with audio.
This is Turner's first attept at a solo-career two years after a successful stint in his side-project The Last Shadow Puppets. You can understand why this attempt only reached 35 in the charts. On it's own, the soundtrack is somewhat soporific and not at all enthusing or catchy. However when you couple it with the meltingly romantic scenes of Submarine, it transforms into something achingly beautiful

 

I truly believe that this film had a huge influence on steering the direction of Turner and The Arctic Monkeys, and that he spent the last two years imitating this style. If you think humbug or suck it and see are a little boring, then that may be because Turner has these images in his mind when writing them, without the benefit of which, many listeners would interpret as lazy and slow paces rather than nostalgic and traditionally romantic.

----------------------If you're into motifs, symbolism, analyzing films and don't mind the odd spoiler, then feel free to keep reading. If not, then I'd advise you stop here because i wouldn't want to ruin such a brilliant film for you---------------------

It's not just a great film for it's soundtrack. It's also drenched in motifs. The reoccuring references to water suggest it is symbolic for oppression. Oliver's heartbreaking dreams of drowning in a bath when his romance hits tragedy. His alternate universe falls naturally to Oliver's father, who is rather by construction than coincidence, a marine biologist. He makes several references to the ocean being 6 feet deep, suggesting that the water symbolises the opression of his marriage. I also noticed small details such as Jordanna and Oliver sitting in an empty bath together, and that she makes him walk into the ocean in his school trousers. You cannot fail to notice the poster depicting Oliver struggling to keep his head above water, and the title suggests that he is learning to adapt to being submerged. Alternately, the presence of light suggests the introduction of happiness. This appears in the film subtely, such as the light flickering at Jordana's mom's last Christmas dinner. Other times, it is blaringly obvious, such as the fact that Jordanna is intregued by fire, and therefore many of her scenes involve fireworks or setting something alight. During intimate moments with Oliver, she even sets his leg hair on fire, a sweet and finely placed touch. The promise of renewed happiness appeals to his mother, whose former flame, Graham claims he can see light and colours around people. Oliver says that is his dad had an aurua, it would be the colour of egg shell, putting the context of his parent's marriage nicely. Oliver says that the light in his parent's bedroom is vital in his 'investigation' as the dimmer switch indicates that they had slept together. All this neatly ties together the intense motifs that make the film so interesting to watch.
 Finally, it's a British comedy, so it's side splittingly funny whilst still maintaining it's moments of drama and solemnity. Submarine is my new favourite film, so it pleases to me give it a rating of;

10/10

VelocirapTUH!

Kasabian claimed that this is the album to "change your life". I took this statement to suggest that Velociraptor! is just going to ride the afterwaves of last year's success, and you'd be forgiven that thinking all these song were going to be half-written, rushed tracks that weren't quite good enough to put in "West Ryder..." 

However, this really deserves that exclamation point in it's name, it's an angry album that sometimes doesn't quite make for easy listening. It's a good compilation that i deffinatley enjoy and has convinced me that i want to see them live, but don't altogether adore, and I can't quite decide why. Ordinarily, i would say that i LOVE Kasabian, and I admire their experimentation with synth and dance-beats, but i think a couple of tracks such as I Hear Voices are carried on the back of others, such as Velociraptor! and These Days... The songs i like by Kasabian i adore, but there are some that i can be completely indifferent to and, as i'm analysing the album as a whole, i don't think that's a characteristic of a "Life changing" album. Anyway, here's the breakdown:

BUY IT HERE!

I'll start with the song Velociraptor! This is track that the album will be remembered for, and not just because of the name. Rather than saying "Velociraptor is on that great album," they will say "That's the album that great song Velociraptor is on." That's not necessarily a bad thing either. It's a fearless song, it goes on the attack right from the word go. There's no gentle introduction, it boldly shouts "Blast Off!"over the heavy musical support of the band and charges straight into the chorus: "Velociraptor, he's gonna get ya" is sang quite melodically, followed by more yells of "Velocirap-TUH!  (A cool touch if ever i saw one, and there are none more swaggeringly-cool than rock artists Kasabian.) 

Stepping back from the critically acclaimed, i want to mention my favourite of the album, Switchblade Smiles, which was released as the taster back in June. It does sound a little like the last dreggs of 'West Ryder's Asylum', but is altogether a brilliant song. The intro seemed a little Muse-like, with the pulsating bass/synth, which we have former hip-hop producer Dan 'the Automator' to thank for. The introduction of the dubstep-influenced drum beat at around 1 minute is bulked up yet more by the guitar and the perfectly timed lyrics lyrics "Can you feel it coming? -Boom." This part is so catchy you itch to tap your hands along to it. (A note on dubstep infiltrating the rock world, take a listen to Korn's new song) 

"Let's Roll Just Like We Used To" is frankly, a frightening song. I hate the disembodied groans you hear in the introduction. I'm quite a jumpy person anyway, but when the trumpets and what sounds to me like marching soldiers come in, i just get too freaked out. This may make me weird, but i don't care, it's just not pleasant listening. (However i will say that Tom's voice sounds a lot like Alex Turner's in this.) Thankfully, it is followed by the brilliant These Days Are Forgotten. It's all in the intro; the clunky guitar riff with that drum beat clicks across your brain. Unlike the impenetrable wall of noise that many bands seem to favour, Kasabian appreciate the importance of a catchy chorus, and time and time again, there's those few lines that you just cannot get out of your head.

A quick mention for La Fee Verte. I like songs with clever references that make the listener feel 'in' on the joke. This appeals to this geek-lobe in my brain and i piece together that they are referring to Absinthe, the potent French drink. There is even an accordion around 2.20 that adds another hint of Je Ne Sais Pas to the song. The sliding notes that are sung creates the 'off-your-face' mood; although in truth, although i like this track, i tend to flick to the next one before this is finished.

I Hear Voices and Re-wired sound like throwbacks from the 80s, which i admit i don't fully get. But then, i guess that's a matter of taste. Personally i think it's a little annoying and out of place, but not altogether crap.

The dark, creepy, but yet delightful A Man Of Simple Pleasures sounds a little Arctic Monkeys-ish, pre-'Humbug.' Which can only be a bloody good thing. I know i've mentioned this already, but are Kasabian jumping into the grave that the Monkeys lads have left vacant since their dissapointing album "Suck it and see" ? If this song is anything to go by then maybe. Some say Kasabian can't outrun the shadow of Oasis. Waffle, it's Arctic Monkeys they can't seem to out-grow. 

If there are songs that i haven't mentioned then it's because they are neither great nor awful- referring back to what i said about being indifferent to the odd Kasabian song. On the other hand, the songs that are good, are mind-blowing, which makes rating this album very difficult....

7/10 

It's a must-buy, and i really want tickets to see these guys it's just a shame that the album dips somewhat in the middle.

Track list:

Let's Roll Just Like We Used To

Days Are Forgotten

Goodbye Kiss

La Fee Verte

Velociraptor!

Acid Turkish Bath

I Hear Voices

Re-wired

Man Of Simple Pleasures

Swichblade Smiles

Neon noon

You, Me At Six - Live At Kerrang Studios.

The wonderful people at Kerrang!Radio kindly invited me to see YM@6 perform a select few of their songs, new and old, in their live studio. 
The queue snaked around the corner of Lionel street, and once inside, the atmosphere was one of intense excitement. Ironically, the more fans they accumulate, the more a band has to prove their worth. However, any reservations i had about this band being all hype vanished as soon as they started playing. Josh Franceschi's voice was in fine form, his vocals sounding a little more battered in a roughened-up acousitic version of "loverboy" (a vast improvement on the boy-band like theme of earlier albums.) A song that already sounds great, benefitted all the more once it was stripped down to the bones. The intimate setting of the gig meant that you could really focus on the rawness of the songs; no flashy lights or on-stage tassels, just music in it's pure form. What did such a small-scale gig reveal? Yes, that YM@6 are amazing musicians, but also that they are mortal. They joked between songs and connected with their fans with a meet-and-greet signing afterwards. It's good to see a rock band that aren't -well- up their own arses.
I'm not a hardcore YM@6 fan, but the songs that i do have on my iPod i love. They played "Underdog" in the same acoustic, slightly dark manner, which i think totally suits them. I read in Kerrang! magazine that they are re-inventing themselves and their new album "Sinners never sleep" is going slightly more rocky, which i'm pleased about and think is having a positive effect on the quality of music they produce.

Buy it here:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sinners-never-sleep-deluxe/id463531808
Photographs by Kate Monroe.

Small-scale gig.

 

The tiny audience. (I'm on the left, two from the front row. You can just see my eye lol)