Deaf Havana – Old Souls

Merry Christmas all, while I’m waiting for Dr Who to come on I decided to write up a review. In case anyone is wondering I will actually be doing all my end of year lists in 2014… I’m weird like that.

If you had asked me which of the albums on my big list of those I want to review before the end of this year that I was most likely to dislike, I would have pointed towards Deaf Havana’s Old Souls. Somewhere down the line this band got filed away in my brain as being in with all the alternative kids with their tight green jeans and stupid hats. Now don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of bands those kids have adopted, but my sub-consciousness has at some point decided that Deaf Havana were not worth checking out. Therefore I know absolutely nothing about them, but Wikipedia informs me that Old Souls is their third album.

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25/12/2013 0

Devildriver – Winter Kills

Despite Dez Fafara’s return to the well that made him famous in the first place, with the reuniting of Coal Chamber, it hasn’t spelt the end of groove metal heavyweights Devildriver, who are back with their sixth album, Winter Kills. With previous release Beast having been received well, but not lasting long in the memory of most, this album came out without much fanfare, which may not have been helped by Dez’s continued dalliances with his old band mates. It also see’s Chris Towning take up bass duties on record for the first time, having been touring with the band since 2012.

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22/12/2013 0

Nebraska

Alexander Payne (The Descendants) is the director behind the dark comedy of Nebraska, which he chose to release in black and white. Starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte, it’s a film that has quickly found it’s way in the critics favourite category, with it having been nominated for the Palme D’Or at Cannes, where Bruce Dern also picked up best actor. As always this means there is a question mark hanging over it as to whether it will translate it’s success to the general public.

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21/12/2013 0

Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks

Nine Inch Nails return to our world was always going to happen, but that’s not a fact that made it any less sweet when it finally did. The return of Trent Reznor and co was always going to be a big event and because of that any album they released is destined to be picked over with a fine tooth comb. Thankfully, Mr Reznor is a man used to pressure and having done quite well for himself in his time off, even picking up an Oscar, he was obviously willing to take on the task and rebirth his baby with the release of Hesitation Marks.

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18/12/2013 1

Download Announcement 4

So Download are not going to get my money this year, apart from a possible day ticket if one day shapes up in a particularly pleasing way. Despite that, they are continuing as a festival! Who’d have thought it? Anyway the most recent announcement was actually quite an exciting one and I am, as usual, going to give you a quick round-up of my thoughts.

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18/12/2013 0

Some real ramblings about football

Derek Mcinnes: the man to change Aberdeen’s fortunes?

While – if my ode to John Terry didn’t make it clear – I am a Chelsea fan, the team closest to my heart when it comes to football is Aberdeen, it’s where I was born, raised and I’ve spent many a cold day huddled up at Pittodrie, miserable and bored as I watched a selection of awful Aberdeen players trudge around a football pitch. Therefore, this season has been a bit weird. Mainly because we seem to actually be quite good.

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18/12/2013 0

Sonisphere Announcement 2

So the final headliner is out and it’s another solid booking, that completes a good year for Sonisphere. This is a very short post as there is not much to say but the final act is rock/dance crossover legends The Prodigy. Now I personally don’t really do the whole electro, dance, whatever it is bands like The Prodigy are, thing but I’m happy with this one (as someone who has bought a ticket). They were at Download 2012 but I was watching Slash so this will actually be my first time seeing them and I have never heard of anyone failing to have a good time at a Prodigy show.

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17/12/2013 0

Frozen

Following last year’s Wreck it Ralph Disney have gone back to what they know best with their recent animation Frozen as it see’s them returning to the good old princess and prince story, but this time with a twist. Based, very loosely, off of Hans Christian Anderson’s Snow Queen the adaptation was directed by Chris Buck (Tarzan) and Jennifer Lee (who was a writer on Wreck it Ralph). It’s release has seen it break a collection of records in North America, all of which it has to be said are the kind of records that no one really cares about, but nevertheless has still made a nice sum of money and appears to be doing very well critically as well.

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16/12/2013 0

Carcass – Surgical Steel

Carcass, their very name screams pure bloody metal. The British grindcore legends were favourites of the brilliant John Peel and reigned supreme in their original run between 1985 and 1995. Their return in 2007 was therefore greeted with glee while the announcement they were to write and record an album, which was released earlier this year. induced full blown delirium. With Daniel Wildling (Trigger the Bloodshed) coming in on drums and Ben Ash (Pig Iron) on guitar to join original original members Jeff Walker and Bill Steer Surgical Steel was created.

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14/12/2013 1

Kill Your Darlings

Since the end of Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe has shown himself to be a man who can pick a role. Obviously desperate to avoid being typecast, his films since the teen wizard hung up his wand have included roles in the ongoing revival of Hammer Films, with The Woman in Black, and now the decision to portray the talented Alan Ginsberg. Kill Your Darlings is the debut feature film from director John Krokidas and portrays the formation of the Beat movement and the murder of David Kammerer. I should warn you before I get into this review that I do have a personal attachment to many of the characters. The Beats is a literature movement that I have a lot of love for and I actually wrote about On the Road and Naked Lunch for my dissertation. With the former standing as my standard answer to the ‘what’s your favourite book?’ question.

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14/12/2013 1