This album is seriously very good. I shouldn’t like it, check the name So So Modern sounds post-ironically self-conscious enough to sink a thousand Dandy Warhols and any other Bohemians Like You within a massive radius. They wear hoods live in a 3 year out of date nu-rave way and a cold break down of influences tick the boxes of mathsy post-Foals, post-emo,afro,electro blah de blah. But on Crude Futures, the Wellington, New Zealand four piece’s debut transgresses all over familiar tropes to create an immersive, widescreen vision of euphoria.
What is so evident from listening to this album is that it is an album, an actually considered set of songs designed to fit an album format rather than a bunch of tunes slotted together. How old fashioned, how So So Not Modern. Contrariness is rife: on an album impressive for its multi-layered vocals, the single, Berlin, is instrumental. The title here could be a sly nod to Neu! Based around a locked rigid groove that lets the guitars fly around as silvery metallic as prime Kraut. Motion is key. Also, if you want vocals here, leave it a minute and a half for the lead guitar zing to kick in and try singing The Hotsteppa by Ini Kamoze over the top. It fits perfect.
Sometimes the emo pedal is slammed down, The Worst Is Yet To Come, a case in point with its torrent of multiple shouted vocals but the rocking dynamics mutate almost imperceptibly into panoramic electronica – an act of musical sorcery.
This album is seriously very good. I shouldn’t like it, discount the name So So Modern sounds post-ironically self-conscious enough to sink a thousand Dandy Warhols and any other Bohemians Like You within a massive radius. They wear hoods live in a 3 year out of date nu-rave way and a cold break down of influences tick the boxes of mathsy post-Foals, stomach post-emo,afro,electro blah de blah. But on Crude Futures, the Wellington, New Zealand four piece’s debut transgresses all over familiar tropes to create an immersive, widescreen vision of euphoria.
What is so evident from listening to this album is that it is an album, an actually considered set of songs designed to fit an album format rather than a bunch of tunes slotted together. How old fashioned, how So So Not Modern. Contrariness is rife: on an album impressive for its multi-layered vocals, the single, Berlin, is instrumental. The title here could be a sly nod to Neu! Based around a locked rigid groove that lets the guitars fly around as silvery metallic as prime Kraut. Motion is key. Also, if you want vocals here, leave it a minute and a half for the lead guitar zing to kick in and try singing Here Comes The Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze over the top. It fits perfectly.
Sometimes the emo pedal is slammed down, The Worst Is Yet To Come, a case in point with its torrent of multiple shouted vocals but the rocking dynamics mutate almost imperceptibly into panoramic electronica – an act of musical sorcery.
This album is seriously very good. I shouldn’t like it, viagra the name So So Modern sounds post-ironically self-conscious enough to sink a thousand Dandy Warhols and any other Bohemians Like You within a massive radius. They wear hoods live in a 3 year out of date nu-rave way and a cold break down of influences tick the boxes of mathsy post-Foals, order post-emo,afro,electro blah de blah. But on Crude Futures, the Wellington, New Zealand four piece’s debut transgresses all over familiar tropes to create an immersive, widescreen vision of euphoria.
What is so evident from listening to this album is that it is an album, an actually considered set of songs designed to fit an album format rather than a bunch of tunes slotted together. How old fashioned, how So So Not Modern. Contrariness is rife: on an album impressive for its multi-layered vocals, the single, Berlin, is instrumental. The title here could be a sly nod to Neu! Based around a locked rigid groove that lets the guitars fly around as silvery metallic as prime Kraut. Motion is key. Also, if you want vocals here, leave it a minute and a half for the lead guitar zing to kick in and try singing Here Comes The Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze over the top. It fits perfectly.
Sometimes the emo pedal is slammed down, The Worst Is Yet To Come, a case in point with its torrent of multiple shouted vocals but the rocking dynamics mutate almost imperceptibly into panoramic electronica – an act of musical sorcery.
This album is seriously very good. I shouldn’t like it, viagra 40mg the name So So Modern sounds post-ironically self-conscious enough to sink a thousand Dandy Warhols and any other Bohemians Like You within a massive radius. They wear hoods live in a 3 year out of date nu-rave way and a cold break down of influences tick the boxes of mathsy post-Foals, shop post-emo,afro,electro blah de blah. But on Crude Futures, the Wellington, New Zealand four piece’s debut transgresses all over familiar tropes to create an immersive, widescreen vision of euphoria.
What is so evident from listening to this album is that it is an album, an actually considered set of songs designed to fit an album format rather than a bunch of tunes slotted together. How old fashioned, how So So Not Modern. Contrariness is rife: on an album impressive for its multi-layered vocals, the single, Berlin, is instrumental. The title here could be a sly nod to Neu! Based around a locked rigid groove that lets the guitars fly around as silvery metallic as prime Kraut. Motion is key. Also, if you want vocals here, leave it a minute and a half for the lead guitar zing to kick in and try singing Here Comes The Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze over the top. It fits perfectly.
Sometimes the emo pedal is slammed down, The Worst Is Yet To Come, a case in point with its torrent of multiple shouted vocals but the rocking dynamics mutate almost imperceptibly into panoramic electronica – an act of musical sorcery.
Familiarity of 2005 riffs and 2007 afro-tinged’ness a plenty? The more I write about this record the less good it sounds: Yes it is post-emo, yes, you can imagine how the singer twists his head nonchalantly into the mic post- Foals as afro tinged start stoppery is precisely laid down. But the catch is that describing comparisons can be, and frequently is a generic act itself.
So So Modern have laid down a densely layered atmospheric animal of a record. An album built on atmosphere, an album that seems to carve sound out of cavernous spaces, pulling huge rhythmic pulses out of chunks of blistering ocean, recalling nothing short of prime Jane’s Addiction. Or if the machinic urges of Neu! were transported into a natural, jagged terrain over the urban dystopeia of mid 20th century West Germany.
Crude Futures shouts, but this is not Group therapy, this is not cathartic purging but the opposite: paganistic rejoicing. With hoods. This is global rock, a jungle of widescreen textures meshing with powered up rhythms. Brashness is immediate but warmth of texture leeks through over repeated listening. Not so much a set of songs as different tugs of motivation, surges of euphoria, Crude Futures bypasses all expectations and is one of the best crank up loud album albums in ages.
Arcola Theatre’s sutainability plans. Image courtesy of Arcola Theatre
Last Sunday I spent a wonderful afternoon at Arcola Theatre, thumb at one of their regular Green Sunday events. This one was focused on Well-being and Happiness, nurse very fitting for the end of winter blues.’ Initially though, I must admit I was a bit sceptical: I thought I was about to be lectured on all the unhealthy things I’m doing with my life. However, after 20 minutes of amazing free massage from ‘Hands Inc.’ and chilled ginger beer from Mighty Veg Delight, I started to understand the vibe of the day, which is about relaxing, meeting people and having a go a whatever you fancy.
All photos courtesy of Rosie Leach and Rosie Hervey.
After some very tasty Jamaican health food, I spent an enjoyable hour helping children to make soap and bath bombs with Fab Cat on Oats, whilst listening to Mindapples explain their work on ‘the five-a-day ways to mental health.’ They asked us all to come up with our own suggestions of things that make us feel good. Suggestions from the crowd included: good conversation, getting things done, getting up early…and beer!
After a while some of the tables were cleared for adults and children alike to play games with Fun Fed, a group whose aim is “Joy, Upliftment and Laughter for Adults (and we mean that in a non-religious, non-sexual, non-weird way. Just belly laughs and deep sighs of contentment at life)”. We played a variation on musical chairs led to much hilarity. This was followed by some beautiful (and insightful) songs from The Planetell as and a community singing workshop run by Maya Waldman, where all levels of ability were welcome and there was not a piece of sheet music in sight.
At first everyone was quite timid, but soon we began to feel the rhythm and found ourselves singing in harmony and moving in time (well, relatively!). After a short performance of the repertoire we’d managed to build up in an hour, I moved downstairs to take part in, of all things, a laughter workshop with Carrie Graham of ‘Laughing Matters.’ It was wonderful! Here we learnt about the many benefits of laughing regularly: an improved sense of humour; the opporunity to make the most of your mistakes and to burn more calories per minute than a session on a rowing machine! We laughed in a multitude of ways (hohoho, hehehe, hahaha, huhuhuh) and we laughed at each other’s laughter, demonstrating just how infectious a laugh can be.
The evening was rounded off with a discussion about Gross National Happiness with Michael Rutland, former tutor to the Fourth King of Bhutan and Juliet Michaelson from the New Economics Foundation. The speakers agreed that the best way to happiness is not money or ‘economic growth,’ but rather community connections and being active: which was well demonstrated by the whole afternoon! The speakers disagreed on whether or not we can, or should try to measure happiness, which led to a lively debate amongst the audience, and left us with an interesting question on which to ponder and end a great, truly uplifting day.
Amelia’s Magazine interviewed sustainability projects manager Anna Beech last June, read it here.
Last Sunday I spent a wonderful afternoon at Arcola Theatre, side effects at the Green Sunday on Well-being and Happiness.’ Initially I was a bit sceptical: I thought I was about to be lectured on all the unhealthy things I’m doing with my life, buy information pills but after 20 minutes of amazing free massage from ‘Hands Inc.’ and chilled ginger beer from Mighty Veg Delight, prescription I started to understand the vibe of the day, which is about relaxing, meeting people and having a go a whatever you fancy.
After some very tasty Jamaican health food, I spent an enjoyable hour helping children to make soap and bath bombs with Fab Cat on Oats, whilst listening to Mindapples explain their work on ‘the five ways to mental health.’ They asked us all to come up with our own suggestions of things that make us feel good: suggestions from the crown included: good conversation, getting things done, getting up early and, beer. After a while some of the tables were cleared for adults and children alike to play games with ‘Fun Fed:’ a variation on musical chairs led to much hilarity. This was followed by some beautiful (and insightful) songs from The Planetellas and a community singing workshop run by Maya Waldman, where all levels of ability were welcome and there was not a piece of sheet music in sight. At first everyone was quite timid, but soon we began to feel the rhythm and found ourselves singing in harmony and moving in time (well, relatively!). After a short performance of the repertoire we’d managed to build up in an hour, I moved downstairs to take part in a wonderful laughter workshop with Carrie Graham of ‘Laughing Matters.’ Here I learnt about the many benefits of laughing regularly: an improved sense of humour; the opporunity to make the most of your mistakes and to burn more calories per minute than a session on a rowing machine! We laughed in a multitude of ways (hohoho, hehehe, hahaha, huhuhuh) and we laughed at each other’s laughter, demonstrating just how infectious a laugh can be.
The evening was rounded off with a discussion about Gross National Happiness with Michael Rutland, former tutor to the Fourth King of Bhutan and Juliet Michaelson from the New Economics Foundation. The speakers agreed that the best way to happiness is not money or ‘economic growth,’ but rather community connections and being active: which was well demonstrated by the whole afternoon! The speakers disagreed on whether or not we can, or should try to measure happiness, which led to a lively debate amongst the audience, and left us with an interesting question on which to ponder.
Mikey filming in the beautiful Huancabamba Valley. (All photos: Mikey Watts)
Have you seen Laguna Negra yet? This short film by Mikey Watts has already won two awards, there and will be screened this evening (see listings), view so if you’re around in East London come along. The film explores the effect of a British mining company, Monterrico Metals, who illegally pushed forward a copper mine in Huancabamba (Piura, northern Peru) in 2003, despite strong opposition from the region’s farmers. The mining company has now been linked to torture allegations following a protest at the mine site. There’s some excellent background info in the Guardian. Mikey Watts was there in 2004 and 2009, to speak to the people who lived there and film what he saw and heard.
I caught up with him in Hootananny in Brixton, where he told me about where his film-making began, the ideas behind his work, and the inspiring plans he’s got lined up.
What happened in Huancabamba was pretty much ignored by the UK press. How did you find out about it and start filming in the first place?
I studied Latin American studies at Liverpool, having done a year of working and volunteering in Peru when I was 18. In the third year of my degree, I went to do research for my dissertation in Lima. I started reading about the social conflict that mining was causing in the north of Peru and decided to focus my dissertation on that. As luck would have it my best friend, [fellow filmmaker] David McNulty, came out to visit towards the end of my stay and brought a video camera with him – we then filmed all the research I was carrying out and a couple of years later when we were finally in the same place together we made our first film, Rio Blanco. I guess I became interested in these issues as the struggles these rural and indigenous communities go through to safeguard their livelihoods and lands really sum up for me the way our world works – money talks and the powerful will do anything and everything to get their way.
So after that visit in 2004, why did you decide to return to Piura in 2009?
Well, after making Rio Blanco with David [McNulty] I started really thinking about film and documentary as something that I could do well and also through that help in some way to publicise the way mining affects rural and indigenous communities. After I first left university I wasn’t too clear about what I want to do, but the filming experience in 2004, and then the process of trying to edit that all together over the next couple of years was something I really enjoyed doing. I guess it allows me to marry my need to be creative and my political convictions. I really felt I needed to learn more about how to make films though before going back to make another one in Piura. So that was why I decided to do the MA Documentary Film in the Royal Holloway University, to learn more about filmmaking and then put what I learned into practise.
Rio Blanco and Laguna Negra use very different styles and techniques. Laguna Negra seems much more personal and visual. Did you change your mind about how you wanted to portray these issues after studying for your MA?
Yes, my teachers really turned what I thought documentary was on its head – my perception of documentary before the course (when I made Rio Blanco) was of issue based films, factually told with a narrator or a presenter – a Channel 4 Dispatches kind of job. The focus of the course however pushed us towards portraiture – this change of style really interested me because I feel that as an audience it is far more engaging not to be told something by an all-knowing voice, but to work the story and issues out through the people that live them and ultimately really know them. So I definitely went into the filming of Laguna Negra with the desire to make a different film from Rio Blanco; I knew I didn’t want any narration, didn’t want to rely heavily on talking heads, but make a film that painted a portrait of the farming community around Huancabamba and the problems they face. Above all I wanted to make a film that would stand on its own for its aesthetic beauty and its story; it was important for me for it to not just to be a campaign film that put the issues above the need to actually make a good film.
How do you see the role of the documentary filmmaker and what do you hope to achieve?
Yes, I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot. Sometimes I wonder what good it does, whether it goes any way to actually changing the situation. I guess it is a hard one to gauge but all you can do is try to document what is happening in a creative and original way. I think film is a great medium to tell the story of what is happening in these communities as images often speak louder than words. I would be very happy if the films I make help to inform Peru’s urban population of the abuses suffered by the rural population. I guess documentaries are one part of the general campaign to make things better and fairer for these communities.
I guess on the role of the filmmaker I think it is important to go into a project with an open mind, a good deal of background research and the humility to listen to and give people a platform to speak about the issues that affect them. I also think it is important to make a film that stands on its own as a good story, and as a beautiful film. Campaiging films sometimes lose sight of this need and just focus on the issues. I think the danger here is that the films will only preach to the converted – a film that keeps the attention of someone who doesn’t know about the issues, or actively supports what the campaign is against, is what I think the goal should be.
What’s the most difficult part in your filmmaking so far?
Wow, many difficult things! I have so much to learn as I’m a relative newcomer to it all – while making Laguna Negra I made so many technical mistakes – a good example is that I forgot to turn the radio microphone on in the final scene by the lake (meaning that you can’t hear much as it is so windy). So on the technical side it has been quite difficult, but really I guess it is keeping my spirits up to keep that dedication to carry on making films when financially it is a pretty unsecure profession! It’s also difficult to keep trying to get funding for stuff while getting a lot of knockbacks and refusals. But there we go, I guess everything has its difficulties and benefits so it’s just a case of getting on with things at the end of the day.
And what have been the greatest rewards?
Well, it’s nice to get recognition, like I’ve started getting with Laguna Negra. However I think to make films just to get awards could lead you on the road of making films for your own ego and not because you care about the issues and people involved. In fantasy land the best reward would be for the film to actually help affect change in government policy. I guess this does and has happened, and of course would happen not just because of a film, but also the tireless campaigning and resistance from communities and organisations that look out for their rights. Without setting too many lofty goals, I think that if my films can add to the public’s general understanding of the problems afflicting our world then I would be very happy.
You’ve done a few other short films too. Are there any other subject matters you’d like to explore? What else inspires you creatively?
I guess a general subject that interests me is that of tradition vs. modernity – for example I made a short film about a series of letters written to me by an old friend in India. It got me thinking about the general shift from physical objects (such as letters) to the digital storing of data. Everyone takes photos digitally now, and perhaps don’t often print them out. What happens if this data is wiped? And with digital data you can’t for example be looking through an old box of stuff and come across photos you had totally forgotten about. There have been so many technological advancements, which often bring huge benefits, but also can mean the destruction of more ancient ways of doing things. I guess this has always happened throughout our history, but now perhaps more than ever.
You’re now planning a feature documentary on how different communities are affected by mining, focusing specifically on women, can you tell me a bit more about it?
Yes, so David McNulty and I want to make a film that explores the way communities across Latin America are suffering the same abuses, revealing the trend across the region of governments supporting multinational mining interests to the detriment of the local populations living near the projects. We are going to a conference called “WOMEN, MINING AND HUMAN RIGHTS: Beyond the Challenge” which takes place in Guatemala and El Salvador in March, and is being organised by LAMMP. We want to document the conference, and also visit and talk to different communities affected by mines.
The traditional societies that are rising up against mining projects across Latin America are fighting for the principle that we are part of the environment, and depend on it for our survival. I think capitalism, on the other hand, views the environment as a resource that exists for us to exploit. I hope to make this connection through the feature documentary that is planned.
Looking at these issues through the experiences of women affected will, for one, give the film added poignancy, as the struggles women specifically face reflect in many ways the way rural populations are undermined and ignored by the urban populations. I also think that these stories need to be told, that many times the female perspective in these areas is not given the voice that it needs.
Written by Zofia Walczak on Wednesday February 17th, 2010 5:19 pm
Categories ,Huancabamba, ,Laguna Negra, ,Lima, ,Michael Watts, ,Mikey Watts, ,Tambogrande, ,Tierra y Libertad, ,Vimeo
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