Bellamy's Blog

Ed Banger Birthday - 10.07.09

2009-07-15T18:27:00.004+01:00

It has been a while since the last post, what seems like an age has passed since I last clicked the link of 'New Post' however this last Friday created a brilliant opportunity to revive this stagnant space of the Internet. More specifically the event that unfurled from evening 'til dawn is what made me consider a new post.

As previous readers of this blog will be aware, I have made my love of music well known, with reviews and opinions being posted here. Those who know me to a greater extent will know of my love of the French duo "Justice" (Their album being the them of the second post on here) as well as other artists on the Ed Banger Label such as Busy P (Pedro Winter, Label Founder) Sebastian and DJ Mehdi. This weekend saw a gripping rendition of the talents housed in the small yet highly influential record label in the form of Ed Banger's 6 1/2 Birthday Party culminating in South London's Coronet Theatre.

As soon as I first learnt of the gig, my tickets were booked without hesitance - why would a fan such as myself pass up on such a rare yet affordable (£15pp) opportunity. The press release listed pretty much every Ed Banger artist under the sun as well as DJ sets from other artists such as Friendly Fires and Mystery Jets. The poster also made the bold claim of 'And Special Guests' - this was when the angelic chorus began to resound in my head, this was potentially going to be Ed Banger's best worst kept secret.

- Jump Forward 3 Months -
- 10.07.09 -

Worst. Gig. Day. Ever...
It began with a drive to Gatwick at 6am, followed by a 7-hour Sainsbury’s shift. Finish shift and tickets are lost plus co-giggers have dropped out of the adventure. Nobody else can afford to come on such short notice and time is running out: the gig starts at 9pm and it this rate I can forget about being fashionably late, the catwalk is long gone. Get on the train. Take the two-hour journey and get to Earls Court at 9.15. Change shirt. Go to Elephant & Castle, which neighbours the theatre. Meet girls without tickets. Sell spare tickets to them. Done. The night can begin. Let's Go. I may be alone but there is a gig to enjoy.

The evening started with a strong set by Krazy Baldhead - I've never really looked into any of his music before and what I was introduced to I found impressive, not ground breaking or entirely unique but great nonetheless. The audience present throughout the night and into the early (then middle) hours of the morning was perfect, a mix of excitement and restraint - no awkward cheers and no fighting. So-Me followed, an artist that uses good use of visual elements within his set list as well as creating some brilliant remixes. (He also used some well-placed Michael Jackson tributes within the set.

It was after this point that things started to really heat up. Halfway through DJ Mehdi's set, a very familiar character graced the stage - one Xavier De Rosnay, half of the Justice duo. His presence was noticed instantly, the audience exploding with excitement as the two DJ's mixed new and unheard melodies and effects into the set. Pedro Winter then takes to the mic, introduces Gaspard Auge thus whipping the audience up into a frenzy. Justice then begin to mix fan favourites such as the popular and chart-featured 'We Are Your Friends', album favourite 'Stress' and considerably new track 'NY Excuse' - a track taken from the band's debut live album.

However, despite their popularity Justice was never the primary cause for the gig. It was a celebration of the accomplishments made in a relatively short time within such a difficult industry. For this reason, the key time slot was allocated to Pedro Winter as Busy P. He deserved it and there was no question about it, it was his evening. Through the night he had been crossing the stage, pouring champagne from the stage into the outstretched cups of his fans, throwing out sealed vinyls to screaming fans and at one point, passing lit sparklers into the crowd. At one point I looked over to the stage manager who with this sort of audience interaction, as well as the copious amounts of cigarettes being smoked by De Rosnay on-stage, looked thoroughly ill - he was imagining the health and safety forms that would follow.

Capped off by artist SebastiAn (whose set I must admit went on forever), the night was a success for all involved - fans and artists alike. It showed how alive the record label industry is despite all the talks of doom and gloom surrounding it. A gripping gig with gripping music - I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only element of it that wore thin was the duration, I saw many people leaving early or at least leave looking brain-dead after the 8-hour epic, some sets could have been shorter.

Rating
The appearance of Justice makes it a 9.6/10.

Best Moments
Hugging Gaspard and the SebastiAn remix of 'Killing In The Name Of' - digitised vocals work so well!

Oh dear Christian Bale...

2009-02-03T21:15:00.003Z

So we have all heard about Christian Bale's quite recent media coverage concerning his possible family beating. It was a shame to hear about such a quality actor's possible issues with temper and emotion. I personally love Bale's work, Batman - Brilliant, American Psycho - Likewise however another example of Bale's nasty side has been going around the net.

This link is of an audio recording which were taken from a recent film shoot Bale was on. It turns out that a crew member was interrupting takes due to queries over lighting and Bale kind of flew off the handlebars - the footage has a lot of bad language so i'm saying NSFW. Wow, a first on this blog...

Sorry for lack of updates - coming soon!

Josh. x

UPDATE: This footage has been on delayed release it would seem and was actually recorded during filming of Terminator Salvation mid last summer, a couple of days after his arrest. Understandable.

Mirrors Edge: Leap of Faith or Stumbling into the Dark?

2008-11-24T18:30:00.007Z

A game that has been on the horizon of my game radar is Electronic Arts creation 'Mirrors Edge' which was released earlier this month. Being the poor Sainsbury's employee that I am, I waited fr my good friend Josh to purchase it. Sneaky sneaky...

The game follows Faith, a 'runner' in an unnamed totalitarian metropolis where everymove is under surveillance and every point of contact recorded. A runners job is to take messages under the radar. Basically, you're a rebellious freerunner who will get shot. A lot. As the game progresses the player delves deeper into the corruption filling the city. Chapters begin on rooftops where Faith must use pipes, ledges and walls to scale skyscrapers and other landmarks. From here Faith will usually have to make her way into these surveillance strongholds to deliver messages.

Faith is equipped with nothing but her hands, feet and what EA have dbbed 'Runner's Vision', a colour coded trail directing you towards your objectives. with red being the easiest.

So, I borrowed the game, loaded it and got ready for what I was sure would be an exhillerating experience. And it was! Until... well, the end of the tutorial. Now I am not a complex gamer who depends on realisim (to an extent) though one aspect of gaming which really annoys me is the use of linear gameplay. When I turn something on I like for their to be a certain level of freedom seen in titles such as Fable 1/2 and the Grand Theft Auto series. I don't play these games so much for the action or violence and on occasion I have been known to skip any cutscenes (*ahem* GTA) - I just like the feeling of freedom and exploration yet this game has so little. The freerunning in first-person works so well yet paths are limited and you're lead to each objective in what can only be described as a clumsy fashion with your 'runners vision' pointing in vaguely the right direction. In fact at times the player is surrounded by a variety of coloured buildings but with no way of getting to them.

During development, chief producer Owen O'Brien described ME in the following way: "this is an action adventure. We're not positioning this as a shooter - the focus isn't on the gun, it's on the person." This comment is very, very true of the final product. The combat engine in this game although clever (Limited to one round, weapons slow player down) is also infuriating with A.I being 'clicky' - at some times heading for cover and then at others just staring blankly. The realism to the game works well with only a dfew bullets taking down Faith though after countless deaths from either opponent or obstacle this gets tidious.

As far as gameplay goes, I have had about 5 hours gameplay and am on chapter 7 of 9 - why so short? Each chapter lasts less than that of a single Halo level - just 1! And this is on 'Normal'! 'Hard' is unlocked once the game has been completed though this means that "Runners Vision' is turned off and enemies are increased: can I be bothered?

I hate to moan about this game - really I do! Visually this game is stunning, beautiful. The way in which the city is produced is amazing and the use of minimal colour works well as, when colour is found it generally is greatly welcomed. As well as visually, the team have created a story and world which is ready for unlimited exapansion without feeling like an 'add-on'. Runner's Vision works well most of the time and is an interesting aspect which can be greatly played upon in the future. It seems like the programmers made an amazing concept, amazing visuals and an amazing basic experience though tried squeezing it in a two tighter place - why? It is compelling yet tiresome at the same time.

Overall, how do I rate this game? It really is beauty versus beast: brilliant visuals against abrupt endings and poor level creation. I would advise anyone to play this game but perhaps not spend £40 on it, go in with an open mind and ready to enjoy. It seems more like a prolonged Beta or something similar. And what a shame it is too, maybe with a little more time and patience it could have been the Fable of the First-person world. Alas not.

Rating - 7/10

Days With My Father

2008-11-06T17:55:00.003Z

I was recently looking through a back catolouge of posts from friend and youth leader Simon Parkin's blog and discovered what I have to say, must be the most passionate and hard-hitting of photographic portfolios ever. I'm not going to go into detail as I feel like the portfolio is a real experience having no prior knowledge.

www.dayswithmyfather.com

Josh. x

P.S - Short post, more to come later.

Changes and crossroads

2008-11-03T22:44:00.005Z

So there hasn't been an update in a while: busy times are with us.

College.
Work.
Driving.
Work.

Not a lot has happened apart from that to be perfectly honest. Money has been made then swiftly spent on such things as petrol and music. I would say that Latitude has now been sufficiently processed - 3 months is enough I would imagine.

I'll start with Latitude: what an experience. I witnessed some truly brilliant music over the few days I was there - some new (The Gramatics, Howling Bells, The Mars Volta) and some not (Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Rös). I met people whom already I have come to now see as good friends and others who will just drift on by.

Musically looking forwards now, I have a few reviews waiting in the wings of musicians making an impression on my taste. There are few albums I have gotten hold of recently which though maybe not placing groundbreaking input into the twist but are remaining nontheless memorable.

The main change in life however is future. Without using cheesey quotes from time-travel movies, I believe my future is changing. I've always seen media as a heavy element for my life, especially that of television and film though over the last few months this has been changing. Where once I went on about movies and the alike nonstop I now feel differently. The part me which once enjoyed making short films has moved on - not died nor made dorment: just moved on. I still enjoy the idea of creating these pieces but as a career? No.

So where to now? Well, in an interesting and yet-ever-present-throughout-life turn, I will be setting my sights towards the Police Force. The prospect has always been ther: from being young and pretending to be a policeman then through primary and secondary education pondering and wondering what a life of policing would be like to the present.

I think the main reason for this random change in aspects is just growing up. People saying "Oh you'd be good at this or that" is helpful but only to certain levels - where I went wrong was by going too far along with suggestions, which is perfectly understandable and easy to do. I am not sure how others practically can relate to this: others suggesting career paths, colleges and universities clammering for your attendance and then just general everyday events. Being a young person today isn't easy though to be honest I don't think anyone has ever found it easy.

The final plan then? I plan on finishing college this year, dropping university applications early on. If things do all change (again) then I can always reapply. January is the time for police applications with more again every 6 months if I am not at first successful. It's a rough yet structured view on my next 12 months.

Thanks for the visit and fair winds,
Josh. x

P.S - Prayer is something that would be greatly appreciated whether direct/in-direct.

P.P.S - "Where we're going, we don't need 'roads' " - Doc. Emmitt Brown, Back To The Future I/II (Sorry couldn't resist.)

Latitude Festval...

2008-07-16T14:31:00.003+01:00

Well tomorrow I embark on the journey towards my first ever cecular music festival. I've got high hopes for this weekend: some great bands including Interpol, Metronamy, Death Cab and of course Sigur Rös!

I'll be giving a de-brief one Tuesday of great acts, good acts and potentially unmissable acts as well as my look at the future of our music.

x

BREAKING NEWS!

2008-07-11T16:02:00.001+01:00

Exciting News here!

Best... Gift... Ever... (so far this month.)

2008-07-05T19:48:00.008+01:00

I am going to start today's post by explaining the context.

My birthday was on the 22nd of April and was a pretty good time all round. Now my friend Phil, who has been mentioned in this post several times over the last few posts, knows all to well of my interest in SamBakZa. Phil has been trying to give a good enough present for the last 3 months and i believe that he has made this wish come to pass.

On Saturday i received the following from the postman:

Wow - what a great present :D. One of a kind and just generally quite nice. As you can see from the contents, I am making full use of it's coffee holding capabilities. It's great. I love it. The two characters on it are the two main characters of SamBakZa - Doki and Nabi.

Good times and good coffee.

Secret Sambakza

2008-06-30T11:38:00.003+01:00

Those of you who've read past posts may remember me talking out the online animations created by korean group Sambakza. The Sambakza story developed again last night.

So just before logging off last night I got a message from my good friend Phil Robinson saying that he'd found something else made by the group. Phil, knowing my interest in Sambakza had been looking to see if there were any more to the current story that is being told on the site. Well, what he actually found was, as we concluded, kind of like a "Step 0", a concept piece which seems to have been a test of the ideas though we then found the official name was "Hot Fish - The Same But Different".

I watched it through and yes, it does seem a bit cheesey and a dated when you think about it; it's also very Korean in it's style and ideas though, at the end of the day, it is still Sambakza. The artwork is different to that though you still get tastes of the current styling trying to break through. A good little animation to look back on...

You can watch "Step 0" / "Hot Fish - The Same But Different" here.

Josh. x

An Update...

2008-06-27T21:55:00.005+01:00

Hi all,

So I haven’t updated in a while – not due to any thing such as not being bothered: oh no. I haven’t reverted to my old ways of thinking blogs are great for a few days and then abandoning them.

I just wanted to, as the title suggests, give an update on things in my life at the moment – quite a lot has been going on so you know, read if you want.

College
I broke up from college for the year last week which feels great – not having to go back for the next 2 months feels nice though, as a poor student who has things to pay for (most notably an annoyingly expensive insurance rate every month) I will be spending most, if not all of my holidays working. I don’t mind work too much to be honest: it’s just not ideal you know! I’ve got a few things to do for college over the holidays that no doubt I will at least attempt, panic about and then rush.

Work
As before, I don’t really mind work at the moment. I’m at Sainsburys all weekend which is becoming to be an annoyance mainly due to lack of hours available for socialising - I thought it wouldn’t be too harsh but it is really starting to take control. This week I have been working in the “historic market town” of Diss in Norfolk doing some editing stuff for Exposure4 – a video production company. It’s been quite cool, a friend of mine called Matt Hopkins got me the job there for two weeks: so for the last week I have been using equipment that I never have, and at the rate I am going, never will be able to afford. Lovely. It really has been good, I just got in after my 4 hour train journey only to realise I have the am shift tomorrow which is great example of over-working: I want to sleep all weekend but nope, people to serve and stock to control. I’ve got another week up in Diss then back to work for a friend doing some landscape gardening, which will be different to the usual work I do. (Counting peas, pasta and condoms… not together.).

Church
I’m afraid to say I have been lacking recently which is bad. I went last Sunday along to Parkside during which I realised that the tech work “I could and would definitely be around for no matter what.” was this week and in true sods-law style, I couldn’t and wouldn’t be available to due to Diss. Woops.
Recently I have started going along to a young adult cell group run by my home church Arun Community Church which has been great: seeing people I never se and learning things that I have never really thought about in faith. I’ve also found it easer to praise in the environment, which feels like a real release from the rest of life. I’d recommend anyone come, not just for the Christian aspects but also just for the social side of it all. No cliques, no grudges or conflict it’s great. If you do want to come along give me a shout and I’d be more than happy to take you along!

Music
On Saturday of last week I met up with a good friend of mine Callum Stannard, a guy I met at the beginning of the college year who really knows his music, no matter what genres. He gave me some music by artist whom I’d never really listened to before such as Tokyo Police Club, Metronamy and Does It Offend You, Yeah? All three of these artists I have really warmed to. “Heart Rate Rapid” by Metronamy is a brilliant track that really emphasises the use of numerous voices singing the same lyrics. As for Does It Offend You, Yeah?, their track “We Are Rockstars” literally made me jump from where I was standing though this may have been due to me being practically asleep on the circle line. But seriously, great tracks… I’ll get a review up come payday so be on the look out. Check out Cal’s (Callum) blog: it’s a really good read for music reviews. Either follow this link or find him in my “Blogs I Read” bit to the right.

So yeah; work, work, music, God, work, music.
And people miss being a student?!

Josh. X

P.S – Really liking Moby “Play” at the moment – good strong album though gets a bit samey towards the end. I’d still recommend it just for some of his well-known and loved tracks like “Porcelain” and “Why Does My Heart Feel This Way?”

P.P.S – Matt (Hopkins) got bitten out in Cuba on a shoot and the boss and I think that it is one of these.

Becoming Blameless...

2008-06-09T17:00:00.007+01:00

I just spent this last weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland working for Furious Records and Fierce Distribution at the Christian festival Frenzy. I drove up on Friday with Thomas, a great guy who is very new to the company and in fact he hasn't even technically started. The drive to Scotland is, as you can imagine, a very long one - 9 hours and 40 minutes to be exact so we had quite a while to spend together. Over the course of the journey a range of subjects were discussed: Films (Dumb and Dumber), Hobbies (Triathlons - not mine) and Music (Thomas had never listened to Christian music even though his new career is all about marketing it.). The biggest subject we discussed however, was that of Christianity and faith. We took quite a theological approach to the conversation; exploring views on life after death, Catholicism and evolution. The subject I most took not on, which was new to me, was the aspect of Christianity of being blameless.

I've been a Christian for my whole life, gone to church as often as possible whether with or without family, however I've never really explored the Bible. This has been something I keep meaning to do though, like most things, it has been pushed to the back of my mind. Thomas suggested I look into the book and life of Job, a man who in the Bible is described as being

"Blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." (Job 1:1).

Now this alone is quite an accolade - in the Bible there are only 3 people whom are described as being "Blameless" - the aspect of faith where belief is so strong that no matter what events occur in life, God is still praised.

The book begins with an event between God and Satan - Satan wishes to test man on the earth and is directed towards Job. God himself describes him, saying

"There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8).

Satan continues to question the Lord asking:

"Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied. ¹⁰ Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." ¹² The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.

Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD."
(Job 1:9-11).

To cut a long story short for the sakes of the blog, Satan carries out his actions, taking everything Job has - his "seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys" as well as his 10 children. His servants told the news of his loss; of nearly everything he had. Job, a man who had been wealthy and prosperous had now been robbed and left with nothing. When informed of this, the Bible says that:

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
(Job 1:20-22)

So, even after losing everything he owns and the children whom he loved did Job curse God, or even as verse 22 says, by blaming it on the Lord.

However, Job's problems were far from over - Satan, after killing and robbing him, still tries to break his faith. " ⁴ "Skin for skin!" Satan replied.

"A man will give all he has for his own life. ⁵ But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."
⁶ The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."
(Job 2: 4-6)
⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. ⁸ Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.""
(Job 2:7-8)

So now Job has unbearable physical pain as well as emotional - you'd think those left around him would show support towards him but no: his wife even says:

"Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
(Job 2:9)

This seems like a crazy thing to be said though when actually thought about; is it? How many times can you think of when, not necessarily in a spiritual situation, has somebody suggested that you give up? This is really what Job's wife, and then later his friends, are trying to say. Not many of us go through what Job had to by losing everything though if you did - can you convince yourself that like Job you would drop to your knees and praise the Lord?

Spiritually, i think that getting to a stage in my faith where I am blameless, where even in the worst of times I drop to my knees in praise, is an interesting point to get to - I don't think I am at that place yet - though by all means want to be.

In the next week I'd express you to think about the Lord in tough times - and to express faith. Not just that but also praise - know and love the Lord your God so that in those times where you're not at your top form you can find God.

Job is a book which I have yet to fully read so thats why I have only put a small excerpt in - I would suggest reading it as it really depicts a life really living for God.

Josh.

"There She Is!!" - Step 3

2008-06-02T15:20:00.007+01:00

For the last 3 years I have been very patient. Not in all walks of life, hell no, but nonetheless patient. What have I been waiting for? Well: Just over 3 years ago a friend of mine Phil sent me a link to a nice little animation called "There She Is!!", along with it's sequel "There She Is!! - Step 2." These animations (created by Korean animator Amalloc) are quirky and light-hearted with great artwork in and a nice little storyline.

Amalloc blogged in late 2005 that there would be a step 3, 4 and a final step which would be produced in 2006 at some point though this was not the case. On a regular basis I would check Amalloc's website, checking whether there was a new step in the story or at least blog post though there was nothing. I would make the visit to the website once a week or so and did this pretty much for the last 3 years, only really stopping about 3 months ago when it seemed like there was no hope.

However, last night at some stupid hour I thought I would check the website: mainly out of habit and with no expectations of anything new. My browser opened, I clicked the link (which has been a prominant feature of my toolbar for too long.) and sat there. The page opened and... well... um... okay. There seems to be a new link - could this mean? Nahhhhhh...

It was.

"There She Is!! - Step 3" was released on the 29th of May, 2 days before I checked the website. I watched it and then watched it again. Though different from the others in style, seeing a fresh copy of the great animation I had grown to love was satisfying. I was also happy with myself: I had spent the last 3 years waiting for something which, towards the end, looked like I was never going to see.

Patience has become a very infuriating aspect of modern life. We all have to deal with it, no matter who we are. Sure there are those who, because of wealth and other such things rarely have to wait for things - we still all are challenged with it at some point within our lives. Whether it's waiting for something minor such as a bus to arrive or a parcel to be delivered; or something major like awaiting medical results or news on a life-changing event - we must all deal with patience. I'm sure I'm not the only person who after watching their favourite TV show (Mine at the moment being "Pushing Daisies" - Check it out.) thinks but I CAN'T wait until then. Though when that week has passed and that next episode is on how many of us have gone without food or sleep since the last episode? How many of us have not been able to function with that drug-like fix of Pushing Daisies? Very, very few and If that is you then I would suggest therapy...

Even in a spiritual sense we are challenged with times of waiting. When we look towards the holy spirit to move in certain ways it can become really infuriating when nothing seems to happen. Like that test result, parcel or online animation; the only thing we can do is be patient. In nearly all situations, kicking up a fuss won't get you what you need any quicker. If i were to call Amalloc and tell him to move his ass I can guarantee that I'd have to wait just as long if not longer. I believe that God challenges us with patience for a reason, not only to test us personally but in a spiritual sense to show faith. It's something that whether a believer in Christ or not, you shall encounter it.

I'm off to watch Step 3 again - catch you all later,
Josh.

Review: The Assasination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford.

2008-05-29T19:56:00.012+01:00

First off: If you've never heard of this film then I am not surprised. It's got some great actors (Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck) and a successful director (Ridley Scott). This film was released with very little advertisement both in and out of theatres. Even when it was released it was only shown in a select few cinemas. This treatment towards a film can either be a good thing or bad thing towards the industry. On the one hand, you don't have cinemas being forced to spend money on films which just won't give them revenue though on the other hand, the small indie films/small budget movies find it hard to get a shoe in.

The movie follows the story of wild west outlaw Jesse James (Pitt) and the few days before his assassination by fellow gang member Robert Ford (Affleck). The movie spans several heists, in which the audience observes the development of Robert Ford's criminal mind - A character who from the beginning is portrayed as a simple, child-like 19 year old is transformed into a cold-hearted yet still naïve killer. As for Jesse James, the audience really is shown how fear can affect a man.

In all honesty wild west films generally bore the crap out of me, no doubt about that though this film was different. The only westerns I've watched were the ones that regularly play on BBC 2 and last for about 3 years each. The Assassination runs smoothly thanks to a brilliant narrative which keeps the viewer interested and the story clear.

Technically, this film is also a treat. For those who enjoy interesting shots and such, this movie can really provide and suffice. There are many though one shot I really like was an establishing shot which occurs near the beginning of the film where Jesse and the gang are embarking on a train heist. Shots like these help compliment the setting and environment the film is based upon.

The only aspect which detracts appeal from the film is the running time. The film lasts a hefty 2 hours 40 which in anybodys book is a large amount of time to be sitting in front of the screen. Having said that, due to the ease of the storyline and continuous quality of acting and production it feels as though nothing has been left out nor too dragged out.

A definite watch... go now... run!

Josh.

A Time for Justice

2008-05-28T14:25:00.002+01:00

First off - this post is not going to be about the subject of Justice: sorry to let you down folks. No, it is in face about the french DJ duo Justice. They have just recently released their 2nd single "DVNO" so you may have heard of them. They'd released one mid-last year called "D.A.N.C.E" which was quite underplayed.

I picked up their album "Cross" a couple of weeks ago just out of interest: a friend had played me a couple of tracks which at first I wasn't crazy about but possessed enough interest to want to hear a bit more. What with iTunes and other mp3 gubbins it has never been easier to select specific tracks with out having to skip through teams of tracks in between the ones you've heard and like. Usually this would be what I would do with albums though I decided to give this one a chance. This was definitely the right move I must point out: the album flows incredibly well and i thoroughly enjoyed 11 out of the 12 tracks provided. They're very Daft Punk (So much so that there have been allegations made by fans that it is actually Daft Punk using others as front-men.) but not so much so that it feels like a copy: really defining sounds. It's a club-esque disco sound with techno kicking around as well but not so much that you feel like you're in a trashy club in Ibiza or listening to that Castles in the Sky track. Maybe if Reading did Ibiza, not DJ Scooter.

Another aspect of Justice which inspired me is both the band name and title/content of the album. With a name like Justice and an album entitled Cross I've had a few people ask whether they're Christians. There is nothing to say that they're not though the signs point closer to yes. It could be some big ruse to try and get many people on-board as possible but hey, if it is then thats on their own backs: if they are then we can jam together in heaven, if not then that's their lookout.

My Album of the year? Yes I would definitely think so! I'd recommend it to anyone. The music blends of simple yet strong drum beats and the epic synthesizers is a treat to the ears: get it!