Mike76

Silence is taken, a foggy low-end and drum machine are created, shadowy touches of synth are added, a romantic violin and a sprinkle of electric guitar here and there, a lazy voice, all in small doses though, minimal... and thus you get a half-silent record.

"some certainly alluring ideas (I'm thinking of "Indus")" which is indeed openly inspired by "Within You Without You" by the Beatles. In any case, I've never been too fond of this album either, perhaps because "ethnic" music (what an ugly term) has never been among my preferences, or maybe just because I expected something different from the DCD. Still, it can't be said that it's a bad record.

Recovered and listened to. I confirm what I wrote in my previous post. The harshness of the Raincoats rarely bears traces of youthful malice and anger (perhaps because they weren't as immature as the Slits but were already in their thirties), replaced instead by a somewhat Dadaist and childish improvisation (see cover) even if feelings of disorientation and anguish are not lacking (see The Void or Adventures Close to Home). The only band I feel I can compare them to is the American group Y Pants.

Perhaps the aura of legend surrounding the making of this film surpasses the artistic result achieved, which is still more than decent.

A bland little film made specifically to rake in some money at the box office with pseudo-eroticism and pseudo-nightlife, Allen must have written the script inspired by the Lonely Planet guides.

Thanks to Allen, I now know that it’s enough to paint a few crusts in Barcelona to have a private jet, drive a different car every day, and sleep with a bimbo (for free, obviously): Long live Zapatero! The film may be smooth, but it's definitely not pleasant; the moral of the story, "no matter what path you choose, you will remain unsatisfied," is not just trivial, it's downright cliché.

A pop that’s too hysterical and experimental to aspire to mass success and too sumptuous and "commercial" to become a cult record. McKenzie is for me both the strength and the weakness of the project; sometimes he seems like a gratuitous Al Bano Carrisi of the New Wave, while at other times he truly knows how to evoke feelings like few others. Despite the somewhat "camp" taste (or perhaps because of it), the album deserves at least four stars; "Nude Spoons," "Bap De La Bap," "It's Better This Way," "Club Country," and "Party Fears Two" (ah, that piano riff sounds like a cartoon theme...) are small-great pop masterpieces, and at least a couple more can be found among the 7 bonus tracks of the CD reissue. Curiosity: Martha Ladly (formerly of Martha & the Muffins) lends her voice and plays keyboards on two tracks while Michael Dempsey (formerly of The Cure) co-writes the lovely "Skipping."

@MAURINOK60: Your opinion is very respectable, especially since you’ve listened to them "live," but I think you start from some wrong assumptions. For me, ACR couldn't have cared less about being more or less "funky"; they used only some elements to create a proposal that, whether you like it or not, was very original. The bass in "To Each" is "woody" because that's how they wanted it (or at least how Martin Hannett wanted it), and the three notes of trumpet-blare as well. Their originality was in emptying funk of its lightness, making it mantric, introverted, dark: "one foot in the dance floor and one in the grave." They stripped away the playful side of dance music without entirely sacrificing its energy. If they had simply wanted to play funk, they would have looped "Do the Du" endlessly. Regarding Topping's voice, many take it for granted that he copied Curtis's style. Obviously, I can't argue the opposite, but I have my doubts: "An Ideal For Living" (June '78) was released eleven months before "All Night Party/The Thin Boys" (May '79) by ACR, but in that EP, Curtis didn't yet sound like Curtis; in fact, he sounded like any punk kid. What or who changed his singing style in such a short time, I don't know, but JD and ACR shared the stage and recording studios for quite a while, and it’s not so easy to understand who influenced whom. One explanation might be that the singers' styles were guided by the common producer: Martin "Zero" Hannett.

But why? Wasn't there anyone better than Oasis in the 90s?

Regarding the Cure, I partially share both the "accusations" of adolescent traits (or perhaps Peter Pan syndrome) from Popoloitaliano and the praises for their openness and cross-genre appeal from Core-a-core. They were my favorite band in my youth and I still appreciate them even if they're no longer at the top of my list (at least Faith and Disintegration remain my all-time classics). This live performance is excellent, although, given the setlist, it’s limiting to label it as "dark."