Review
-
Napoleon: A Disappointing Biopic
Biopics have been a cornerstone of Hollywood success for over 100 years. Nothing draws a crowd like the depiction of a known character, and nothing draws an Oscar-aspiring actor like the challenge of playing said character. There’s something existentially comforting… Continue reading
-
Athena
This article contains spoilers The opening scene of Romain Gavras’ Athena is one of the most thrilling single-shot set pieces of recent years. Those familiar with the French filmmaker’s music video oeuvre will recognize his hallmarks: Molotov cocktails and police… Continue reading
-
The Worst Person in the World
(This article contains spoilers) How do we determine our priorities in life? Is purpose granted to us, or are we responsible for its creation? The angst that accompanies questions of personal meaning can leave us feeling particularly isolated. With the… Continue reading
-
Aftersun
(This review contains spoilers) In Charlotte Wells’ debut feature Aftersun, the father-daughter chemistry between Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio is utterly convincing, astonishingly natural. Mescal is peak young dad; caring, embarrassing, at times overbearing. He teaches his daughter self-defence tactics… Continue reading
-
Farrah Abraham – My Teenage Dream Ended
In the decade since its release, former Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham’s first and only album My Teenage Dream Ended has grown from a seemingly laughable cash-grab to a respected curioso in the landscape of contemporary pop. Labelled a precursor… Continue reading
-
Sulka – Take Care (Review)
Sulka is the solo project of Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Lukas Clasen, who over the past four years has released a string of EPs and proved himself a stalwart of the Glasgow live scene. Take Care, his latest release on Pictish Trail’s… Continue reading
-
Deniz Cuylan – No Such Thing As Free Will (Review)
Turkish-born, LA-based musician Deniz Cuylan conjures imagistic sounds that combine abstract notions of the sublime with highly resonant emotional affects. His career has seen him work across various genres and setups, scoring for film and television series and even composing… Continue reading
-
Arab Strap – As Days Get Dark (Review)
“I don’t give a fuck about the past / Our glory days gone by,” growls Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat on ‘The Turning of Our Bones’, opener to the Falkirk duo’s first album in sixteen years. It’s a proclamatory statement, a… Continue reading
-
Oliver Coates – skins n slime (Review)
Warning: This review references sexual assault and explores themes some readers may find unsettling. When celluloid film gets jammed inside a malfunctioning projector, the intense light required to project images onto a screen causes the film to burn up. The… Continue reading
-
Slowthai – TYRON (Review)
There is a subtle shift that takes place in an artist’s career between the release of a widely successful album and its highly anticipated follow-up, a shift in the relationship between the artist and their listeners. In the beginning, this… Continue reading
-
Sufjan Stevens: Where Has My America Gone?
During the early years of the twenty-first century, commentators on American cultural life had begun to notice a certain social wide attitudinal shift. In the latter decades of the second millennium, a smirking, cynical stance had come to infect everything… Continue reading
-
Listening To… Louke Man
I first came across the music of Louke Man while listening to the Harsh Riddims Vol. 4 compilation from Atlanta’s Harsh Riddims Blood Sucking Cassette Co. label. The Toronto producer’s track ‘Differently_’ stood out from the others for its smoothness… Continue reading
Dead Academic 