Week #11 - A Sixpenny Song ¦ Transitions EP

I am getting really sick of this. Another waste of my time. Is it just me? Am I been too critical? Reviews of A Sixpenny Song by the Guardian and Independent are positive reviews, the Daily Mail (I know) review by Victoria Moore is more in line with what I think "I had to start it six times because its mundane personalities and writing style kept dropping straight out of my head. Not recommended."

Things like "She turned and walked bravely towards the staircase." or "She felt cold. Nothing to do with the weather; it was the story that had frozen her." I mean, come on.

There is also about four pages of dialogue quoted from a conversation made years ago between Kevin and Jude. Word for word. It's ridiculous and so utterly corny.

If the blurb at the back is to be believed "Roddy Doyle called (Jennifer) Johnston the best writer in Ireland", then Irish literature is in a world of shit. But we know that back-cover blurbs are not meant to be believed.
0.5/5

Transitions takes me back, all the way to the late eighties, acid house, techno, 808 State and the Second Summer of Love.

There may be nothing new here but as a homage to that time and the artists this is great. I have heard of SBTRKT before but not too much. If what he/they do is all like this I might become a fan.

For it's nostalgic value (if you are old enough to feel nostalgic) then give it a listen.
3/5

Week #10 - Opposed Positions ¦ Food

For me Opposed Positions is two short stories in the one. The first deals with Aislinn Kelly's family relationship, mostly Aislinn's interaction with her father. He is an abusive man, physically with Aislinn's mother and mentally with Aislinn and her brother. Although bereft of detail the psychological harassment of the siblings by the father is spellbinding and scary and beautifully mastered by Gwendoline Riley.

The second 'story' deals with Aislinn's other relationships, her mother, her friends and her 'boyfriends'. This part of the book has little or nothing going for it. Oh, the prose might be wonderful but all you really get from this part of the book is pain having to look up words in the dictionary to find their meaning. Its pompous and pointless. A shame, the book promised so much.

This is the first and last book by Riley I will read. Most of what I can gather online about her is that the second half of this book is a true reflection on what she has written before and that should be avoided. Also she whines a lot.
2/5

Food by Kelis is her first album since Flesh Tone in 2010. An album I missed at the time and haven't caught up. Like most my first introduction to Kelis was her single Caught Out There with the memorable and powerful scream "I hate you so much right now. I hate you so much right now". Still as brutal today as it was back in 1999.

Food on the other hand doesn't have the screams but has a lot of other great stuff going for it. Its part a throw back to the seventies, part soul and part R&B. All this combined along with Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio producing and co-writing and you have a very strong and lingering album. There are many highlights but from the first few listens you just cannot go past, Cobbler, Friday Fish Fry and the outstanding Hooch.

Give it a listen. You will be justly rewarded. Food is set to be released on 18 April 2014 and can be pre-ordered.
4/5

Week #09 - A Meal In Winter ¦ Broods

A Meal In Winter is a very brief crisp book. I understand that this is the first of  Hubert Mingarelli's novel to be translated into English. I pray it is not the last.

Three soldiers Emmerich, Bauer and the narrator wrangle there way off base for the day under the guise of hunting down jews in the frozen wasteland around where they are stationed. The writing is so astute we feel the cold as we walk with these three, looking but not too hard for anything in the bleakness.

In the bitter Polish they find a jewish man in a hole in the frozen forest and as they march him back to camp, to be shot, they happen upon an old abandoned home. It is hear that they make soup, their meal. While the soup is slowly cooking a Polish man enters the house and the tensions between the five men builds. The three soldiers have no lust or will for the killing of the jewish man and only choose this mission to get away from the base where the killings take place.

As I said it is short book but that does not distract from the vivid pictures and tension that is built in the pages. It is so staggering in its simplicity, so beautiful its prose I welcome all to read it.

4.5/5

Broods are a sister-brother duo from Auckland, New Zealand. Broods is their debut release and its very strong. In fact all six songs are good. Very good. Bridges, their first single, is probably the weakest song on the EP and Bridges is a great song.

There of course will be comparisons with Lorde as these are a new NZ band, I guess very young as well as having the same co-writer in Joel Little. I cannot give an opinion on Lorde as I only heard Royals which hasn't inspired me to hear her voice for awhile again.

Broods are good and could be big if the Lorde comparisons don't overshadow what great music they make.

4/5