Mike76

Summer memories of '86, at the swimming course the speakers played this soft electronic music and that dreamy melody, with barely intelligible lyrics, was "Lei Verrà." I think that for Mango, the definition "dream pop" might fit in some way.

Although many of my favorite bands have drawn inspiration from Bowie, listening to his work, while not unpleasant, has always left me rather cold. So many beautiful ideas, some truly successful songs, but as an interpreter he just doesn't resonate with me, to the point that I prefer "China Girl," "Ziggy Stardust," and "The Man Who Sold The World" when performed and sung by others.

I understand the reviewer’s disorientation; in fact, the work is quite unique and does not seem at all predictable to today’s viewer despite having been made a century ago. However, if one examines a bit of the early cinema filmography, one can find several works that are surprisingly bizarre and creative even by current standards (for instance, check out the grotesque yet amusing animation of "The Cameramen's Revenge" from 1912). I attribute this wealth of creativity to the fact that cinema at the time had not yet become a mass phenomenon (most of the population then did not have money to spend on secondary needs) but was aimed at a wealthy and cultured audience. Furthermore, in the nascent cinema, established patterns had not yet emerged, existing in an era of transition that bore the influence inherited from theater. It is also likely that directors enjoyed greater freedom than they do today precisely because producers did not have to compete in a mass market. Understanding that context makes "Haxan" seem a bit less surprising. Narratively, it is somewhat confusing, indecisive between historical documentary and fantasy story. Additionally, after depicting throughout the film devils, sabbaths, magical ointments, and love potions, it arrives at the contradictory conclusion that witchcraft can be equated to hysteria and thus a mental disorder. Visually, however, it remains very valid, and the representations are quite evocative. The excellent condition of the film's preservation is also surprising (I saw the version on YouTube).

With 40 years of delay, I finally get to listen to this little gem. Essentially, it’s an album that still sounds very glam in both its music and lyrics, but it adopts some solutions from the "new music" of the era (think of certain "circular" arrangements inspired by Devo, or the initial part of "Car Trouble" where you can almost hear P.I.L.).
Inspired and enjoyable songwriting, lyrics that tell the story of a murderous woman possessed by aliens, portray Cleopatra as a hooker, narrate the assassination of JFK, and revive the echoes of Futurism.
The fact that this record didn’t have much success upon its release may be due to a sound that's still too tied to glam (the subsequent albums would have a decidedly more original and fresh sound) and its release date: by November 1979, all the new wave bands destined to become iconic had already released at least one album; Adam & The Ants arrived a bit late despite being active as a live act for some time. If "Dirk Wear White Sox" had come out a year earlier, it would have had a different impact.

Curious that an album generally underrated has as many as two reviews on Debaser. I came to it following a recommendation from Marc Prindle's site, a fan of theirs.
Certainly less creative and enjoyable than the previous "Unutterable" (even though Smith wanted to dismantle it by calling it too "clean," perhaps to justify the return to lo-fi and promote this one), rather monotonous in its compositional solutions (the formula "incessant circular arrangement + angry and/or disillusioned slurred vocals" becomes a bit overused), with rare sparks emerging from this somewhat standard situation, unless one considers such as the finds of the howler monkey and the disturbed frequencies of "Ibis-Afro Man" (a caricature of the worst para-racist stereotypes by Iggy Pop) or the stop and go of "Reprise: Jane - Prof Mick - Ey Bastardo," which becomes "bastaaro" in Smith's pronunciation. Yet despite the sloppiness, one can still perceive a compact, powerful, raw album, without frills, "sincere" and therefore effective.

Read. I found it interesting in several parts, but many analyses or facts presented can also be inferred by paying a bit of attention to the news. In short, it's a good book, but it doesn't really reveal anything groundbreaking. According to the author, the role of the hegemonic power in this century will be played out between the USA and China; we shall see.

That "Words Fail Me" is a very rockabilly track is true, and while there’s no trace of it elsewhere on the album, the reviewer hasn’t made a complete blunder. It’s a review that captures a teenager's impressions of a 40-year-old record, and that's what makes it interesting.

Well, I liked it. We have to consider that the film adaptation of Pinocchio will inevitably always target a family audience rather than intellectuals; nevertheless, it hasn’t turned out too sweetened or glossy.
The recreation of a nineteenth-century Italy (albeit imaginary) is remarkable—shabby, dirty, and miserable—and scenes like the hanging and the throwing of the donkey into the sea have not been cut. Fortunately, we are far from the Disney style. Overall, I even liked the performances of the actors (Benigni perhaps being the best). Nice viewing.

Excellent point, it's important for everyone (even more so today) to educate themselves on what fascism really was. The review is good, the only note I have is that I do not agree with the viewpoint of defining "fascist intellectual" as an oxymoron; Marinetti, Depero, Palazzeschi, Pirandello, D'Annunzio—whether more or less—were so, or at least they demonstrate that fascism was rather liberal towards art, quite distant from the "Degenerate Art" exhibitions and the exile of many artists and intellectuals that occurred in Nazi Germany.

I've never listened to the album, mainly because it doesn't exist... but "Jingle Bells Rock" in a "scrappy" version is incredibly enjoyable, and "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" (which I discovered is a cover of a rather old church piece) with those choir of nuns is astonishingly trashy. When I hear it, I imagine Mark E. Smith taking communion with a pill instead of the host...