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Day: 25 September 2017

Album: Mount Kimbie – Love What Survives

Written by Lowell Clarke on . Posted in Music.

There’s a brief but beautiful moment in the opening track, ‘Four Years and One Day’, where after building for most of the track, the synths break off from the kraut-rock inspired guitar crescendo, only for the guitars to smash back in with a resemblance to Joy Division’s ‘Shadowplay’.

Gone are the stripped back and precise sounds of old; this is the messy, raw sound of Mount Kimbie injecting their music with the joy of playing instruments without the pretence of making a dance record.

The first guest vocalist, King Krule, arrives on the next track.  ‘Blue Train Lines’ is, unsurprisingly, a very Krule-esque track. Like most of the other guest vocalists on the album, the real surprise is that Mount Kimbie sound like the featured artists in their own songs. Most of the album comes across as two musicians who have compromised between being background producers or a band led by the instrumentation.

But of course they still have an incredible attention to details that bring sections of the album to life. There’s something oddly hypnotic about the sounds of Audition, like Joy Division covering the cold, robotic sounds of Warp label heavyweights Autechre.

It contrasts with the love drunk rhythms of the next track, ‘Marilyn ft. Micachu’, which strikes the emotional high point of the album. This one will be streaming from many a late night crooning playlists for years to come.

At so many times and in so many ways the album sounds like a pale homage to something else. ‘T.A.M.E.D’ was described by the band as “Our version of a pop song; a really deranged pop song”, which must be code for ripping off Metronomy and hoping no one notices.

It’s moments like these when the influences are so boldly obvious, comparable to Errol Alkan’s psych inspired side project, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve, which never feels bored of the music it brilliantly pastiches. It leaves you wondering what Mount Kimbie would achieve if they tuned out everything else and focused on the music inside their own clearly brilliant minds.

Fortunately they’re sure to be around experimenting for a while yet.

6/10

The Red Devils go joint top after a 4-0 win at Everton

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Sport.

Ronald Koeman is something of a bogey manager for Mourinho. Throughout his career, he is the only manager Mourinho has played five times and not beaten. This looks destined to change though as Everton are winless in ten consecutive games and have failed to score in their last three.

United are flying high coming off the back of a comfortable 3-0 victory against Basel and make five changes from the team that played on Wednesday. Bailly and Jones return at centre-back, having not played during the week due to European suspension. Valencia comes in for Blind, Fellaini for the injured Pogba and Rashford for Martial. De Gea, Young, Matic, Mata, Mkhitaryan and Lukaku all start too. The Red Devils need to score five to go clear of Manchester City at the top of the table on goal difference.

Andre Marriner blows his whistle to start the game on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Old Trafford. Everton sit deep from the start playing five at the back with a row of four midfielders sitting just in front. Former red Wayne Rooney plays as a lone, isolated striker. Despite this defensive approach they start brightly, pressing quickly to try and force errors. United are unfazed by this and hold possession well.

The first chance comes in the 3rd minute as Matic takes control of the ball on the left-hand side of the pitch. There are three red shirts waiting in the box but instead, he crosses to Valencia on the edge of the 16-yard box. To the surprise of Everton’s keeper Pickford, his teammates and everybody watching the game, Valencia strikes the ball first time on the volley. Like an Oasis reunion, some things are just meant to be and the ball goes right into the top corner of the net. 1-0.

Rather than sit back and defend for the following 87 minutes like last season, United continue to have the lion’s share of possession. Mkhitaryan has a free role and keeps finding pockets of space in between the two rigid defensive lines with the Toffee’s looking unable to cope with the fluidity of play.

After 20 minutes Everton begin to settle and thread some passes together. Sadly they are a few stitches short of a quilt and their final third passing leaves a lot to be desired. Aside from a driven shot by Rooney that goes well wide, they have been unable to get into shooting areas.

United look content to play without the ball, letting the visitor’s push forward, creating large gaps on the pitch in the process. The pace of the forwards combined with their superiority in one on one situations leaves them incredibly dangerous even without the ball.

In a lapse of concentration, Leighton Baines passes it wide of Schneiderlin to Mata who puts Lukaku in on goal. Unlike the Valencia chance, everybody in the stadium would have thought this was a simple finish for the Belgian but he chips it just wide. A clear opportunity to put daylight between the two teams.

Soon after Martina breaks down the right-hand side for Everton and crosses in to Davies who, a couple of yards short of the ball, tries an audacious diving header. The header goes straight at De Gea and he came from an offside position but he deserves credit for his outside-the-box-while-inside-the-box thinking.

At half time United are deservedly ahead, although it should perhaps be two goals up rather than one. Mourinho will be very happy with his team’s performance even though Everton came out of their shell for the last 20 minutes of the half as their possession didn’t translate into concrete chances.

Koeman must have given quite the team talk as Everton storm out of the gates in the second half. They get rewarded for their effort too as a neat one-two by Rooney allows him to fire a shot away and forces a good save by De Gea.

As time progresses the United fans are becoming increasingly frustrated, their team deep sitting deeper and deeper. Thoughts of wasted leads and points last year are still fresh in their minds and having tasted the sweet nectar of 4-0 victories they don’t want to go back.

The players sensing this frustration kick it up a notch and play with a higher intensity. Mata whips a cross into Lukaku but a poor chest down leaves the ball just out of reach for him. Another wasted chance by Lukaku. Fellaini, or as some might call him the ‘Belgian Liam Neeson’ with his very particular set of skills, has a far better chest touch and probably would have converted it. Lukaku then changes his boots on the touchline, surely now he will convert his opportunities.

The first substitution comes in the 60th minute, Rashford off for Lingard. Rashford has been threatening with his pace but often lacked the final pass. He would suit a central role far better but will struggle to dislodge Lukaku for the places.

Pickford clears the ball appallingly, giving the ball straight to Mata. Williams fouls him just on the edge of the box to prevent a goalscoring opportunity and picking up the first yellow of the game. The free kick results in a Mata shot hitting the post. United pick up the pace now with Lingard and Matic both coming close with shots but ultimately not causing too much trouble.

Herrera comes on for Mata in the second substitute of the game. The Spaniard struggled with the physicality of the game, being easily barged off the ball.

Having already picked up a yellow card Williams makes a desperate challenge on Lingard inside the box, taking none of the ball but all of the man. Marriner gives no penalty but a second viewing shows it to be a clear foul and Williams should be becoming acquainted with the changing room showers. Following this Bailly gets a yellow card for sweeping the leg of Calvert-Lewin.

Williams’ game goes from bad to worse making yet another mistake giving the ball away to Fellaini. Lukaku receives the ball opts not to shoot but instead pass to Mkhitaryan who is in acres of space. The assister becomes the assisted and in pure FIFA style he finesses the ball past Pickford to make it 2-0 in the 83rd minute killing the game. Mkhitaryan then comes off for Martial.

Smelling blood, United pile on the pressure and Lingard is fouled by Baines on the edge of the box. Lukaku picks up the ball, fancying his chances. Immediately a roar of boos and whistles come from the away end — a disappointing sight to see. The free kick hits the wall and is deflected out wide to Matic. He controls the ball before crossing it in and like a Valencia shot from 25 yards out some things are just meant to be. Lukaku taps it in from three yards. As he celebrates he runs to the away end holding his hand to his ear, mirroring the disrespect. He has scored in five consecutive Premier League games now, equalling the record of Robin Van Persie and Louis Saha.

In the first of three minutes of injury time, Everton get a corner and commit all but two players forward, trying to at least stop the clean sheet for De Gea. Instead, they get caught on the break by the fresh legs of Lingard and Martial. Lingard takes on two, and then a third who slides in and uses his hand to stop the ball. The referee takes a moment before blowing his whistle, penalty to united.

Up steps Anthony Martial, with a perfect five from five penalty record. He sends Pickford the wrong way to make it 4-0. Everton have completely capitulated in the last 10 minutes of the game. A third goal this season for Martial, all as substitutes.

4-0 the games ends and United go joint top of the table. Fun fact time, if the season ended here there would have to be an additional playoff game between United and City to determine the winner of the league as the points total, goals for, goals against and goal difference are all equal.

Review: Wind River

Written by Jamie McEvoy on . Posted in Film.

Crime in sub-zero territory has been well-represented on-screen throughout the years.  Notable examples include classics such as the Coens’ Fargo (1996), and more recent hits, such as Jennifer Lawrence’s breakthrough film Winter’s Bone (2010) and Sky Atlantic’s Fortitude.  There is something about the bleak and monotonic landscape of tundra, or frozen expanses, that injects into audiences a chill which is difficult to recreate in other settings.

Wind River is no exception.  Right from the film’s opening scene, in which we see a terrified girl run barefoot through vast stretches of snow, the unforgiving nature of the environment is evident.  Do not let the inclusion of Avengers duo Renner and Olsen fool you — this film could not be any further from the glossy superhero romps Marvel continue to churn out.

After 18 year old Natalie Hanson’s body is found frozen in the Wind River Indian Reservation, FBI agent Jane Banner (Olsen) arrives to assess whether the death was a homicide.  With help from Renner’s Cory Lambert — a predator hunter for the reservation — she follows an ominous trail of leads to track down the culprit, only to uncover a truth much darker and sinister than first suspected.

All in all, it is a highly impressive directorial debut from Taylor Sheridan (ignoring his 2011 gore-porn flick Vile).  He is known for his superb screenplays in Sicario (2015) and Hell or High Water (2016), and the dialogue and tone of these two films is very much present in Wind River. However, he has avoided merely mimicking the techniques he undoubtedly observed from directors Denis Villeneuve and David McKenzie while working on these films; with immensely powerful and atmospheric cinematography from the relatively inexperienced Ben Richardson, Sheridan has made the film his own, and could be looking at a very prosperous directorial career ahead of him.

The major shortcoming of the film, however, is its initial pace.  The audience warms to Renner’s Lambert immediately, through expositional scenes of the hunter with his son and ex-wife.  Yet it is the scenes in which Sheridan introduces us to the mourning parents of victim Natalie, and in which Lambert berates the junkie Hanson brother Chip, that dilute the tension and suspense, causing the opening act drag somewhat.

Nevertheless, this is a minor pitfall which is quickly forgotten as the tried-and-tested chemistry between Renner and Olsen blossoms further, and the plot thickens.  There is an ingenious flashback scene which completely changes the complexion of the act it interrupts (starring a Jon Bernthal very different to the characters he is renowned for playing in The Walking Dead and this year’s Baby Driver), and at the film’s climax there is an exhilarating stand-off scene which more than makes up for the film’s slow start.

Sheridan’s next film project is Villeneuve’s Sicario sequel, Soldado, for which he has written the screenplay.  Wind River is an excellent first run-out as director for the writer, and already enjoying vast critical and commercial success, could prove to be Sheridan’s gateway to a successful directorial career.

4/5

Review: Mother!

Written by Jamie McEvoy on . Posted in Film.

Darren Aronofsky has an interesting back catalogue. Artistic and dark features such as Requiem for a Dream (2000) and Black Swan (2010) are the front-runners, whilst more mainstream hits in The Wrestler (2008) and Noah (2014) are entertaining, yet less inventive works by the American auteur. Expectations were high for Mother!, with such a tremendous cast and premise.

Jennifer Lawrence stars as the wife of struggling writer Javier Bardem, and they live together in an isolated, picturesque house surrounded by fields and woodland.  Lawrence’s ‘Mother’ (the characters are nameless, and are credited simply with descriptors such as ‘Him’ or ‘Fool’) describes her home as a “paradise”, yet this self-made utopia is disrupted when ‘Man’ (Ed Harris) appears at their door, claiming to mistake the house for a bed and breakfast. Shortly after, ‘Woman’ (Michelle Pfeiffer) turns up — Man’s glamorous and femme fatale-esque spouse.

What follows is a tale of paranoia, deceit, and horror as ‘Mother’ faces a struggle to maintain her sanity, whilst attempting to prove to her naïve husband that something is not quite right about the polite yet sinister guests who have arrived at their home.

Having watched the trailer and heard tales of audiences walking out of screenings in disgust, going into Mother! I felt I was prepared for whatever Aronofsky was going to throw at me. The film starts slowly, yet the intrigue the director induces in the audience is almost tangible. The first hour or so is reminiscent of an eerie, tension-ridden silence before a jump-scare in a horror film, and just as Lawrence’s protagonist does, the audience scrutinises every detail on the screen, ears pricked for the quietest of noises.

The relationship between Lawrence and Bardem is akin to that of Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes in Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968) — a wife who can sense malignant conspiracy but whose suspicions are constantly rebuked and laughed away by her starry-eyed and narcissistic husband.

Once the tension rises to boiling level and inevitably explodes, the film descends into chaos.  Without meaning to include any spoilers, it is possibly the most uncomfortable and oppressive stretch of on-screen action I have watched in my life. One scene in particular is horrifying, and similar to reviews I had read beforehand, certain members of the audience evidently found it too much and left the auditorium.

Despite all the religious connotations and allegories to Genesis (in short, Jennifer Lawrence’s character is a metaphor for ‘Mother Earth’ and Bardem’s ‘Him’ is representative of God), Mother! is a nightmarish whirlwind which ultimately somewhat loses direction.  The intrigue and tension, with which the film’s first act is ripe, is seemingly tossed aside by Aronofsky in the film’s later two acts.  I could not help but feel that this was arguably a gratuitous attempt to merely shock the audience to an extent which surpasses the boundaries of ‘mainstream cinema’.

However, Mother! is undoubtedly an impressive artistic feat. Visually it is masterful, and regular Denis Villeneuve collaborator Jóhan Jóhansson has produced a chilling and understated score which perfectly encapsulates the mental torment of Lawrence’s ‘Mother’.  The star-studded cast is equally fantastic, with Lawrence demonstrating her acting prowess by portraying a character that is very different from those that she’s best known for in The Hunger Games and X-Men series.

A shocking and traumatic film which feels more like artwork than a movie, Mother! is an oppressive, hellish ordeal which just about retains enough structure to avoid descending into pure havoc and terror.  Definitely not for the faint-hearted, and even for those who deem themselves confident in the face of boundary-pushing cinema, take a deep breath before viewing.

3/5

12 Manchester dining deals that will get you through September

Written by Anokhi Shah on . Posted in News.

It’s the start of a new academic year. The student loan has arrived. The temptation to hear about your friend’s summer escapades over a yummy dinner is high. Here are some dining deals in Manchester that will allow you to indulge without causing injury to the precious student loan too early on in the term.

Rosso — 3 Courses for £25 and a bottle of wine for £9.95  Available Mon-Sat — book online: 43 Spring Gardens, M2 2BG

Blackhouse — Sunday Roast for £12.95 Available Sundays — book Online: New York Sreet, M1 4BD

Insolito — Lunch and soft drink or coffee Available daily — no need to book: 72 Mosley Street, M23LW

Teppanyaki Chinatown — 3 Courses for £9.95 Available weekdays — no need to book: 58/60 George Street, Chinatown, M1 4HF

Harvey Nichols — 3 Courses and cocktail for £22 Available Mon-Sat — book online: Second Floor Brasserie, 21 New Cathedral Street, M1 1AD

Chilli Banana Didsbury — 1 small plate/2 small plates and noodle, rice, or special for £9.95/£11.95 Available daily — no need to book: 105-107 Lapwing Lane, Didsbury, M20 6UR

Gusto — 2 Courses for £12.95 or 3 for £14.95 Available weekdays — book online: 4 Lloyd Street, M2 5AB

The Deaf Institute — Buy-one-get-one-free on main meals Available Wednesdays — no need to book: 135 Grosvenor Street, M17HE

Byron — Special Burger and beer for £13 Available daily — book online: Corn Exchange, M4 3TR

The Alchemist — 2 for 1 breakfast and brunch Available weekdays — book online: various locations

Dive — 55 per cent off food Available Mondays — no need to book: Tib Street Northern Quarter, M4 1SH

Don Giovanni — 50 per cent off À la Carte (including lobster!) Available daily — book online: Peter House, 1-2 Oxford Street, M1 5AN

 

Easy peasy tikka masala marinade

Written by Anokhi Shah on . Posted in Food & Drink.

This tikka masala recipe has been passed on to me by my mum. It was always my first request when I went home but I didn’t realise how easy it is to make myself. The marinade takes around five minutes to make and can spice up anything from big chunks of veg to pieces of lamb, chicken, and my favourite, salmon.

Ingredients for tikka masala marinade:

Tablespoon of coriander seeds
Tablespoon of cumin seeds
Tablespoon of caraway seeds
Tablespoon of tandoori masala
2/3 Tablespoons of thick plain yoghurt
Tablespoon of oil
Teaspoon of crushed garlic
Tablespoon of crushed ginger

Method:

  1. Grind up the coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds (I would recommend grinding up more than you need so next time you can skip this step).
  2. Add all ingredients to the yoghurt.
  3. Coat the meat or veg with the marinade.
  4. Leave for a couple of hours for the flavours to infuse.
  5. Cook in the oven at around 175 degrees, or for however long the meat or veg needs to go golden. Alternatively, this dish works brilliantly skewered on the barbecue.
  6. I usually serve with a mixed leaf crunchy salad and some crispy, oven baked new potatoes.

 

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3: Leave to Marinade

 

 

DELICIOUS!

The most outrageous guacamole

Written by Anokhi Shah on . Posted in Food & Drink.

This guacamole has oodles of flavour and can excite any dish.

I personally have this guacamole with nearly everything! From Mexican food as its traditional partner, to adding some attitude to your eggs on toast, or simply as a dip with some carrot sticks or nachos. It will last up to a week in the fridge giving you plenty of time to try it with many meals.

Ingredients:

4/5 Ripe avocados

Juice from a lime

Handful of fresh coriander

2 Tomatoes

Half a red onion

Half a fresh chilli (add the whole one if you like it hot)

One/two cloves of fresh garlic (depending on your taste)

Teaspoon of salt

Fresh black pepper

Method:

Depending on desired consistency either blend all ingredients together for a nice spread to add character to sandwiches

OR

Roughly mash the avocado and add all the ingredients finely chopped for a more chunky consistency, perfect as a side to chicken or eggs.