'Cold Souls'

Cold Souls is writer/director, Sophie Barthes, debut feature film, starring Paul Giamatti, of Sideways fame. The film follows Giamatti, playing himself as a neurotic actor who is carrying a heavy burden; an unhappy soul. Whilst preparing for a difficult role he finds hard to interpret, he stumbles upon an article in the New Yorker about a new, high-tech method of storing peoples’ souls as a solution to alleviate the suffering of complicated lives.

After having his soul- which resembles a chickpea- removed and stored for the duration of the play, he realises that being soulless isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. However, before he has the chance to have his soul returned, he discovers that it has been stolen by a mule and taken to Russia to aid a failing Russian soap-opera actress, leaving his only option to travel to Moscow and save his soul.

The film, dubbed as a comedy-thriller, is a truly original concept that has been beautifully shot, flickering between real life and visions of the unconscious. And whilst it has been compared to the likes of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich, it proves disappointingly dreary with the odd comedic moments being few and far apart.

At only 101 minutes, the film is extremely tedious, with a slow and at times non-existent plot, leaving you wondering when it will end. Ultimately, the film is an artistic letdown that lets you peek into the dark comedy of the soul only to leave pre-anticipated and the audience rather unexcited.

Score: 3 out of 10

'This It It'

Whilst Michael Jackson’s untimely death still dominates the news, ‘This Is It’ allows us to glimpse into the rehearsals of what would have been, single-handily, the greatest tour the world would have seen.

Shot between March and June of this year, we follow the tour preparations from the dancer auditions to the last few ill-fated days of rehearsals at the Nokia Theatre, LA, before the whole tour was meant to be transported to the O2 in London for the final dress rehearsals, and the 50 tour dates themselves.

As the footage was only meant to be used for Michael’s “personal library’’ and not for public viewing, it is extremely grainy and at some points not very clear. However, this adds a sense of reality to the footage, and you can’t help but to watch in awe. The different footage is artistically stitched together in order to show complete song sequences, as well as the whole tour itself, but still allowing us to learn more about the legend he was. Although at times Michael looks slightly frail, and forgetful, he makes up with the effort and class he puts into his dancing and overall performance, as well as demonstrating his hands-on approach to the tour process, overseeing everything for the musical interludes, to the dance sequences.

The film is in no way being offered as a substitute to his shows, but is a tribute to the man, the legend, and what would have been a thrilling stage show, cementing his status as the King of Pop for good. It’s a must-see for fans and critics alike.

The Queen's Royal Visit

Two Cardiff University students were recently given the opportunity to play a major role in the Queen’s visit to the city of Gloucester. The two third year students are part of the University of Wales Royal Naval Unit, based in Penarth, who were given the responsibility to transport the Queen, down the Gloucester Canal, into the historic docks and the city itself. Aboard their ship, HMS Express, they were able to demonstrate ceremonial duties, like parading their dress uniform on the flying deck and hoisting the Queen’s Pennant, as well as securing the boat once they reached the docks, all of which were conducted in front of the Queen and the thousands of spectators who lined the banks of the canal.

Senior Midshipman Aaron Corp commented that “It was an absolute thrill to have Her Majesty on Board HMS Express”, whilst Divisional Midshipman Andrew Barley said “Being able to say that the Queen was aboard and to be part of that was a fantastic opportunity for me. I think we were all feeling very proud that we’d been chosen to do this”. Neither knew until a few weeks before that they would be a part of this great experience.

The University of Wales Royal Naval Unit is made up of 60 dedicated students from a variety of Universities across South Wales, who are carefully selected, and frequently spend weekends training around the South West, as well as weeks away, deployed around Europe, during the Easter and Summer Holidays.

Snow Patrol- ‘Just Say Yes’

Snow Patrol’s latest single, ‘Just Say Yes’ is one of the three new songs taken from the bands greatest hits album, ‘Up To Now’. Written by lead singer, Gary Lightbody, the track has an 80’s feel to it, with the use of keyboard that resembles early ‘Simple Minds’ tracks. However, the song feels very much like a trademark Snow Patrol song, very similar to that of ‘Chasing Cars’, with catchy lyrics, that you can’t help but to sing along to.

Score: 7 out of 10

La Roux- ‘Quicksand’

‘Quicksand’ was originally released by La Roux in 2008, but has been re-released after their quick rise to fame. The song resembles their previous singles, but however lacks the same ‘wow’ factor that they all had. Whilst the other singles left you wanting for more, this single leaves you slightly bored and is easily forgettable, with a lack of catchy lyrics and overly repetitive tune.

Score: 4 out of 10

Little Boots- Earthquake

‘Earthquake’ by Blackpool’s Little Boots is the latest single from her debut album, ‘Hands’. The single follows the same style as her hit single ‘Remedy’, with a pure trance-pop feel and catchy lyrics that you can’t help but to sing along with. The song received great reception at the 33 festival dates she played this summer, and is destined to be a big hit, and help secure Little Boots’ status in the pop world.

Score: 7 out of 10 stars

Kurt Vile- Childish Prodigy

‘Childish Prodigy’ is Philadelphian Born Kurt Vile’s third album release in the last three years. The label debut on Matador is a mixture of American folk with classic rock, producing a truly unique sound.

Opening track ‘Hunchback’ provides a promising start with a modern Rock style that resembles an early Kings Of Leon, whilst still holding onto Vile’s Bluegrass roots. However, by the second track ‘Dead Alive’, the whole sound changes and begins to resemble an early Bob Dylan.

The Next few tracks sound similar to Coldplay’s dreary sound with tracks like ‘Overnight Religion’ dragging on for an agonising five minutes. ‘Freak Train’ tries to bring the album back from its hideous grave with a good beat and distinctive tune, but once the screechy guitar appears, you’re quite ready for the song to end.

By the time you’ve reached the two bonus tracks, you’re not surprised when Vile breaks into another style of music, this time imitating the sounds of R.E.M but without the crazy blue stripped face. The final track, a three minute instrumental, defiantly has you reaching for the stop button.

The lengths of the songs, along with the change of styles mid song remind me a lot of Green Days more recent releases, without the catchy lyrics and memorisable tunes. It really feels as though Vile is trying too hard to be his idols, but without the some success that they had.

All in all the album, along with the artist himself, does hold some promise, but it is overshadowed by the large collaboration of the many genres that are features, which leaves the listener feeling bombarded by style.


Score: 4 out of 10 stars

BONDAI BREAKFAST

The Sydney Harbour Bridge played host to a giant picnic last week, for the first time in the structures history. The iconic landmark, which usually sees 100,000 cars a day, was closed to all traffic and instead, its eight lanes of road were carpeted with grass, allowing 6,000 locals to enjoy an early morning breakfast, suspended 134 meters from the ground.

The two hour event, which began at 6.30am, was a scheme to showcase the best of Sydney’s local food and outdoor lifestyles, as part of the cities month long food festival.

Local musicians provided background music whilst the lucky guests, chosen by a random lottery from the 45,000 people who applied, enjoyed their home packed breakfasts, as well as having the opportunity to sample some of the state’s best produce.

"I don't think we were ever doubtful of the success of this event today," a government spokesman said. "It was a unique world first for this iconic attraction. This type of event typifies the Australian personality."

The guests themselves were just as impressed by the event. “It’s amazing to see the bridge in this perspective’’ comments Don Fuchs, “Usually you sit in the car, you cross it, and that’s it.” Linda Curnow, who attended the picnic with her family, said “The grass was so thick it was like being in your back yard”.

The popularity of the event has caused the organisers of the cities food festival to consider making the event an annual feature.

Ecuador- The Most Dynamic of South America's Cultures

South America is famous for is range of diverse cultures, and Ecuador is one of its more extraordinary ones. Located on the west coast of the continent, between Columbia and Peru, Ecuador, the second smallest country in the region, has a large mixture of modern cities, beautiful landscapes and traditional ways of life; a large amount packed into its tiny space.

Within the many cities you can experience normal day to day life, mixed with the historical past of the country. Both the capital Quito in the centre and Cuenca in the south are recognised as World Heritage Sites with an assorted mix of modern living within unchanged, historical buildings, whilst cities like Loja and Guayaquil embrace the modern, western way of life, making travellers feel very much at home.

However, once you get out of the cities, you begin to experience what Ecuador is really famous for; its breathless scenery. For the more adventurous travellers, the country is home to many remarkable but challenging mountains, including the two closest places on earth to the sun, Mount Chimborazo and Mount Cotopaxi. For the less experienced climber there are also many lower, easier mountains, like Rumiñahui or Pasochoa, which offer a gentile trek and amazing views throughout, whilst some offer the opportunity to go in search of rare, exotic animals.

If mountain climbing is not your cup of tea, you can also visit many of the small cities located within the Amazon basin, from which you can trek through the country’s vast amount of rainforest, experiencing the many local tribes traditional way of life. If you fancy a more leisurely trip, there are many historical locations for tourists to marvel at, from the Mitad Del Mundo monument, the middle of the world to you and I, located slightly north of the capital to Ingapirca, the largest Inca ruins in Ecuador, situated in the south. Wherever you travel within Ecuador you will come across something that will leave you amazed.

The country is also home to some of the world’s most amazing but unique creatures, most of which can only be found within Ecuador. One key location is the world famous Galapagos Islands, located off the western shore of the country. Here you can marvel at the many rare but unique animals that will wander pass you without fear. It is defiantly one place that will leave you speechless. However, if you are travelling on a budget, you can always visit the Isla de la Plata dubbed the Poor Man’s Galapagos Island, home to many of the animals located on the Galapagos Islands, just slightly closer to the coast.

Ecuador is one place that needs to be visited to be believed and with the many different places you can visit, you can change where you are quick enough to suit you moods.

Students Ask: 'Is It Worth It'

With the cost of higher education rising and student debt spiralling, many students are beginning to question whether university is worth it. A recent Government survey has found over half of all students believe their academic performance was affected by increasing money worries, with one in twelve full-time students considering dropping out because of it. It is also affecting those entering high education, with a third of students basing their decisions on which university or which course, around the amount of financial support they can receive.

The research, conducted by the Institute of Employment Studies and the National Centre for Student Income and Expenditure Survey, found that in 2008, students had an average debt of £3,500 after their first year, compared with £2,400 three years earlier, with students more becoming dependent on their student loans, instead of their families, for support.

Many students are also turning to paid work to help them survive, with it representing 20 per cent of their total income. Half of part-time students and one third of full-time students believed that paid work affected their education, with three quarters saying they had less time to study.

However, David Lammy, the Minister for High Education, believes ‘‘finance should never be a barrier to good education. This is why we continue to make generous loans and grants available to students.’’

(Published in the Ghair Rhydd- 4th May 2009)

St Davids Hall Changes

The new, but unpopular plans to revamp St David’s Hall, situated in the town centre, have eventually been approved after months of negotiating. The original plans for the hall, situated behind the St David’s Centre, were blocked by the council last year, but the owners, fearing that the Hall will be overshadowed when the new St David’s 2 centre is completed, reapplied for permission for the changes to the 1980s landmark.

Originally, the designers wanted glass fins to be fitted to the front of the building, lighted by LED lights at night, but the council have tweaked the £250,000 plans to include the logo on the front and ‘‘a mirrored finish’’ to complement the big screen that is currently there.

However, the plans have come under scrutiny from many people who believe them to be irrelevant. Llanishen councillor Richard Foley, who has been fighting the plans since they were originally submitted believes that they will turn the classic hall into a ‘‘monstrosity with flashing lights’’ and considers that the plans ‘‘tacky and inappropriate’’.

Elaine Davy, from the Cardiff Civic Society, who aim to protect the city’s heritage, calls the plans ‘‘ghastly’’ and ‘‘a waste of £250,000’’. She said ‘‘dressing up something like St David’s Hall is daft. It’s a perfectly good example of 1980s architecture, and it’s a good neighbour to the listed buildings that surround it. The new St David’s 2 project doesn’t need to be liked with the hall in this naive way.’’

Sway Review

I really didn’t know what to expect when I ventured into Cardiff’s Barfly on the 19th February. I had heard stories from people who had been to rap gigs, and none of them were pretty. Because of this, I was extremely weary whilst I was walking down the stairs. Luckily my fears didn’t come true. The place looked rather empty with the ‘crowd’ (the term used loosely) being a lot older than expected and seemed more interested in the bar than the stage. However, over the next fifteen minutes the place began to fill up with a mixture of ages and styles; no-one seemed your stereotypical ‘rap’ fan.

The first act, Caskade, graced the stage to an overexcited audience who began to swamp the front of the stage. With a voice that reminded me of a mixture between Run DMC and the Beastie Boys over the top of very heavy beats, he seemed to warm the crowd up well. However, towards the end of his set, his songs were becoming very similar and the crowd began to find the bar a lot more interesting.

The second act, Dead Residents, had more of a rockier style about them. Instead of just using samples and beats as a base for their lyrics, they used instruments, with a live guitar on stage. Their style had a larger variety to it with them sounding very R’n’B one moment, and then a little bit death metal the next. This really seemed to please the crowd who seemed more engaged with them and looked like they were completely ready for the main act to grace the stage. Dead Residents had done their bit and warmed up the crowd and fair play to them.

After a short break, DJ Turkish got the crowd going with a remix of ‘Sway’ by Michael Bublé before Sway himself jumped on stage, much to the excitement of the crowd. After a quick burst of crowd participation, Sway leapt into a short acoustic version of ‘Up Your Speed’ before performing the full track, which sent the crowd crazy. After a small but gracious speech about everyone buying his album, allowing for the crowd to get their breathe back, he began a slow but beautiful reprisal of the lyrics from ‘Flo Fashion’, with the crowd knowing every word, before, launching into the song itself. This seemed to be the structure of the show. A small, a cappella version of the song or explanation of the lyrics, before performing the song; unique but the crowd seemed to love it.

His set was filled with some of his biggest hits like ‘Saturday Hustle’ Featuring Lemar, ‘Little Derek’ and ‘Silver and Gold’ featuring Akon, with the over excited crowd knowing every word. A short burst of Blur’s ‘Parklife’ in the middle of the set made the crowd go wild, much to the surprise of Sway himself, who seemed slightly taken aback by their excitement. His songs seemed to be very different from the typical format of a rap song, with the lack of guns and girls, being replaced by humorous but intelligent raps about his life. You can see why Akon signed him to his record label, Convict Music; the boy has talent.

Sway has definitely impressed tonight and by the looks of the hard core fans that descended on the Barfly, he has been for a long time and I can see him continuing his success into the future. It was exciting and dynamic from start to finish and the audience loved every moment.


[Taken from: http://www.bangingdrum.com/pages/review/details.php?review_id=34 ]

Take That- Beautiful World

When Take That broke up in 1996, many of their fans became so distraught that a Samaritans helpline had to be set up to council all the broken hearts. Fast forward 10 years, and Take That are back, fresh from a reunion tour and releasing a brand new album for the first time without the infamous Robbie Williams. Many people doubted that they would be successful, believing that they belonged in the 90’s along with their various, unsuccessful solo careers. They were just there for the money right? The fans would have moved on for sure? There’s no interest left. Wrong. The fans were there, ready and waiting, excited at the prospect to see the band that they had loved back again making more amazing music. How right they were.

From the beginning of the album you can tell that this is a typical pop album that Take That are renowned for. There is the catchy chorus that you just can’t help singing along to, beautifully written lyrics about love and life, the consistent rhythmic music that you can imagine swaying and dancing to. Yes it has it all. But what Take That do better than all the rest is the fact that they have done it for years. They are the masters of the genre. They know what works and what doesn’t, and you can tell by the fact there’s not one weak song on the album.

The songs, written and sung by all the bandmembers, shows their new mature but contemporary style whilst still holding on to that classic, Take That sound that was loved in the 90’s. There is a song on there for everyone; the typical ballads like ‘Hold On’ and ‘I’d Wait For Life’ alongside the more up-beat songs like ‘Reach Out and title track, ‘Beautiful World’. The lead single, ‘Patience’, sung by Gary Barlow, is a slow but powerful song, whilst their second single, ‘Shine’, sung by Mark Owen, is more rockier and breaks the mould of a traditional pop song, showing the difference between the 90’s and 00’s Take That. The end track ‘Wooden Boat’ demonstrates the bands comedic side and allows for Jason Orange to sing lead for the first time.

The album is defiantly worthy of its number one status, and the fact it has sold over 2.5 million shows that there is one or two people out there who thought so too. With stacks of awards given to it, the band have defiantly shown that they are Back For Good.

Spotify- The new music revolution!!!

There I was, sat on a train, 2 hours into my 4 hour journey, reading my beloved copy of NME. It was there where I came across an article about a new music system called SPOTIFY-a free, internet-based, jukebox, which has almost every song and album ever released (well except from the odd artist here and there) available to you at the touch of a button.

The basic principle behind it is that you download the programme from their website (www.spotify.com/en/get-started), create an account, enter in the artist you want to listen to and hit play. As easy as one, two, three really. Amazing really.

Now you're probably thinking, 'How is this different from other programmes like this?'. Well Spotify has one of the largest libraries of music so there is more choice and, unlike places like Limewire, you won't get any of the bad quality, recorded from the radio, types of songs. You get the official ones. For free. Also the layout is a lot like that of Itunes, which means that for a lot of society, it is easy to get used to, with a lot of its features being very familiar. You can also create saved playlists, to allow for ease of access for your favourite songs. There is also a 'radio' feature where you can choose from different genre's and decades and they will play recommended music. Perfect if you are looking for some new music to listen to.

However, like most things, it does come with some flaws. Firstly, none of the music can be downloaded, meaning that you can only listen to it from you computer. Not the greatest if you're life-source for all your music is your MP3 player. Secondly, in order for it to be free, it is funded by adverts and, as well as the odd advert around the programme, there is also an advert played every 7 songs or so. Now this can become annoying when you're listening to your favourite album, but it does make it sound a lot like you're listening to the radio. Also, the adverts do become very repetative, with only a few adverts being played. By the end of a day, you are able to memerise them in entirity, which although annoying, can be an amazing party piece. But these adverts are needed so that the creaters can pay the record companies for the access to the music.

If adverts are not your thing, you can always pay for them to removed. The lovely makers of Spotify have come up with two different payment stages to remove those pesky ads. The first is the 'Day Pass' option which costs 99p. This allows you 24 hours of advert free access to the library. This is perfect for parties and general days of music endulging. Then there is the 'Premium' option which costs £9.99 a month. This allows you to have absolute no adverts, ever. However, I must say that these two options take the fun out of the fact that it is completely free.

Spotify is defiantly the music programme that everyone should use, and I can see it taking over from other programmes in the near future, especially if/when they create a MP3 player to transport all the music around on. Itunes, beware.