Demob Happy

The Black arts 7/10 Susan Hill’s ‘Woman in Black‘ is a spine-chilling, if fairly conventional ghost story. While reading it I was reminded of the brooding atmosphere of Daphne Du Maurier’s somewhat subtler ‘Rebecca‘; by coincidence Hill wrote one of several sequals to that novel, entitled ‘Mrs De Winter‘. Unlike in Du Maurier’s eponymous classic [...]

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If it ain’t broke… 6/10 The trend of the director’s cut has long become a dubious exercise in profit-making. Hilariously, a quick Amazon search of ‘director’s cut’ reveals extended edits of such dizzying filmmaking classics as Troy, The Chronicles of Riddick, Daredevil and Welcome to the Jungle! And for the few good examples that I [...]

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Remains of Old Europe 9/10 ‘Remains of the Day‘ is a subtle, thought-provoking work, and perhaps Anthony Hopkins’ all-time best performance. He plays Stevens, a career butler at the service of Lord Darlington, a Nazi appeaser who uses his diplomatic influences to promote cross-cultural ties with Germany in the early 1930s. Stevens is a dutiful [...]

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Without Walls 8/10 Despite his reputation as arch studio boffin, producer Sascha Ring – aka Apparat – makes unapologetically beautiful music. Unlike some of his IDM peers, Ring is not interested so much in abrasion or near-mathematical deconstruction, but with music that swells and soars with classical grandeur. Among current producers, he bears a resemblance [...]

Apparat - Headup [ 5:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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‘Roll River Roll’ 8/10 Richard Hawley’s latest album is embued with the same romantic retro ambience as his previous ventures. The former Pulp guitarist turned baritone crooner gives a masterclass in classic pop nostalgia, pitting his melancholy Roy Orbison-cum-Scott Walker vocals against beautifully arranged compositions. Whereas he has garnered some criticism for playing it too [...]

Richard Hawley - Lady Solitude [ 5:32 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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