An independent Iranian film about Tehran's underground forbidden pop-rock scene directed by Bahman Ghobadi. The movie follows young indie-rock artists Ashklan & Negar (played by Ashkan Kooshanejad and Negar Saghaghi respectively) in their quest to get passports, visas and the band members necessary to travel overseas and perform in Nice, and the work of their passionate cheeky "agent" Nader (played by Hamed Behdad).
The film showcases the musical talent and variety of styles of the pop-rock scene in Iran, and their struggle to create, practice, and perform in a country that considers that sort of music an anti-Islamic anti-Iranian activity. The movie is fresh and shows how Music has no boundaries, has an international language, serves to free the spirit and mind, catalyses discontent and express individualism - Music as a subversive peaceful movement. The bands and performers featured in the film, beyond the leading couple, are: Take It Easy Hospital, Rana Farhan, Hichkas, The Yellow Dogs Band, Shervin Najafian, Ash Koosha, Mirza, The Free Keys, Mahdyar Aghajani, Darkoob, Hamed Seyed Javadi, and Nik Aein Band.
The performance of each song is accompanied by a selection of randomly filmed shots of the streets of Tehran, which provide the viewer with a real view of the country - one that is not complacent or hedonistic, but warm and hard at the same time. Four moments deserve a special mention. The first one is the performance of a heavy-metal band in a cow shed, with the cows attending the performance, which I found very funny. The second moment is truly special, and revolves about the lessons that a volunteer musician gives to a group of foreign immigrant children; thy seem enthralled and moved by what they are hearing and their faces show that. The most daring and authentically revolutionary performance comes from rapper Rap Khon, with offers a great performance with raw and heartfelt lyrics. Finally, the performance of jazz-blues soloist Rana Farhan, who has an exquisite voice and world-class talent.
Among the acting moments, I found Hamed's discussion with the police officer after his detention hilarious!
The main problem with the movie is the poor acting abilities of the musicians playing actors, which could have been excused if the script was less simplistic and the story had contextualised its characters. For example, we don't know if they are posh rich kids or middle class kids, we don't know if they are students, workers, live with their parents, are married or engaged, what are the feelings of their family and friends about their music. They are left to scattered comments that, nevertheless, don't show the reality of the musicians in Iran when they are not composing of playing. In fact, the relationship between the leading couple is not even clearly established; they seem to be engaged, but we are not told. The musicians in the movie seem to live in a world where nothing but music matters, which can be true for musicians, but this type of music is forbidden in Iran,and society is very oppressive, so we just want to know more about their situation and real lives so we can understand the musicians better. Moreover, the girls wear a head scarf all the time, even in secret alternative concerts and parties where they drink and smoke. How does a woman fit in the underground musical scene in Iran is never explained. Nagar seems to be accessory to Ashkan and her relations with the other musicians are always through Ashkan, never direct or even warm.
The second problem, to me, is that the movie, despite its freshness and charm, feels more like a documentary, but it is not. I would have preferred the latter, as we would have seem mostly the same people and the same performances and avoid the weaknesses of the script. We love the characters since we meet them for what they are, so why force them to act when they can't?
By the way, I couldn't see this movie without remembering the music-black market in the animation movie Persepolis, which puts into a context how things got so far in Iran regarding music. The context that was missing from this movie.
A charming fresh and interesting film with great musical performances but with a poor script.
James Blake
Universal, 2011
http://jamesblakemusic.com/
"James Blake" is the acclaimed debut album by English electronic musician and song-writer James Blake. The album has been listed in most compilations of album of the year for 2011, and has excellent reviews. That was, precisely, what made me get it.
If I had to define the album in three words I would say: Chaos is beautiful. Indeed, the sound that Blake has created is a blissful retro-futuristic chaos, like a cohesive mix of the electronic experimentation of the 1980s, modern jazz improvisation, classic blues, and contemporary Indie sounds. Blake's sound sounds like the music of the humans of the 22nd century or the sound that mermaids and mermen listen to when dancing in their oceanic realms - enveloping, intimate, and wonderfully odd. It is not just the music. Blake's voice is very colourful and textured, very intimate, broken and masculine. An explosive mix.
Unfortunately, ignoring the lyrics of the album would be unfair in a review, as a song is, well, both music and lyrics. Simple, no? Read or listen to the lyrics of "Unlock", "The Wilhelms Scream", or "I Never Learnt To Share" (lyrics: "My brother and my sister don't speak to me, But I don't blame them" that is all), just to give you three examples. Can you ignore them when hearing the album? I cannot. In a way they help you to keep in trance. Blake has turned himself into a modern chanteur for disco-dance dervishes that need little wordiness and the melody to keep them dancing around entranced. He could have brought us there by just using his music and voice and emitting guttural lah-lah-lahs or oh-oh-ohs. It is the sound and colour of his voice what will captivate you, not his lyrics, as they lack not just in words, but also in emotion. In other words, Blake's wonderful sound doesn't transcend itself. In a way, it is a bit
narcissistic and even onanistic (with all my respects!), deeply beautiful, empty at times, with glimpses of a depth and lyricism that I would have liked developed and dug in.
Still this is a very good album that sets a foundation-stone for modern musicians and sound-makers. The sort of music that the future is waiting for.
Ceremonials is an album that gets slowly into your skin and gets more addictive the more you listen to it. I have to confess that the first time I heard it, I found it very different from Lungs in conception, tones, feeling, musical influences and lyrics.
The lyrics are quite intriguing and ambiguous, what makes them enthralling. I think they are an improvement with regards to Lungs. The mix of rhythms is also very interesting, and transmits a great energy that goes from peaceful to roaring. At the same time, some of the rhythms and melodies remind me of other groups and eras too.
I miss the presence of some acoustic songs in the album, although some acoustic pieces are in the deluxe version of the album and they show Florence's great talent. I don't know why some of them weren't included as such in the standard CD.
The album comes to down to what makes you feel and think. To me, it gives me the energy of a world full of mystery and depth, but shiny and brilliant that opens if you let it be, if that makes any sense to you. It also makes me feel a million dollar babe when I hear it. Why? I don't know. I guess because it express many things that are inside me, or brings the best out of me. Go and figure out.
Four Stars
Down the Way it is one of those albums that seem to be composed and played just for you, alone, as if Angus and Julia were at your place, in an improvised gathering singing some songs for you, in front of a bonfire at night time. That sort of intimacy.
The intimate feeling of the album, and the complementary voices of the Stones, is what makes it so special. Most importantly, the lyrics go from the extremely poetic, especially the magnificent For You, to those really fun and cheeky, like Big Jet Plane, just to mention two completely different songs.
The album gets down into your skin, slowly, and puts you in a special blissful trance mood. I especially like playing it at night, when the silence of the streets and the darkness of the sky are the perfect canvas for the lyric sparks of this album.
A little jewel for your ears.
