C'mon now and give them all shhhhh

I usually take to dislike band reunions, as I firmly believe that something that was once glorious was a product of the circumstances in that very moment. To be more exact, I think its important to let things go when it's time to let them go and not try to milk them until they are dry and saggy. It's a matter of accepting the cycle of life. In the case of Death From Above 1979 I have to make an exception to my snobby views as this is truly a band that, I believe, had quite a lot more to give.

I was fortunate enough to stumble across them back in 2004-05 when "You're a Woman, I'm a Machine" was released and I immediately understood that this band was something else in terms of basically everything. The brilliant elephant trunks logo on the pink background was one of the best album covers I had ever seen and the songs where all simply brutally amazing, the lyrics smart and quirky as fuck and the lads looked boss in all of their pictures. I was lucky to see them live on a small show in the Mercury Lounge during that time:


They were bound to be massive, and it came to a point when everyone started to know the name. During this transition into mas popularity, as the snobby cunt i am, I started to follow them less, although I understood this was a band that was destined for glory: they were fuckin savage. Then one day in the blog in their website that Jesse use to update that they were disbanding and though i thought it was a shame I did respect the fact that they call it quits before it all became too shabby.
A few weeks ago I read that they almost caused a riot on SXSW and I immediately relived the excitement and curiosity that they had produced in me when I was a little 20 year old little bitch. Death From Above 1979 is back. Death From Above 1979 is back. Death From Above 1979 is fucking back!!!

The Country Gentleman

Upon a recent visit to London, I was lucky enough to stumble across an essential piece of clothing that seemed to be missing in my wardrobe: the Tweed Jacket. Now any sensible man with some taste knows that Harris Tweed is the best tweed you can get and to find a perfect fit for £29 is like getting a hand-job from Jane Fonda (circa Barbarella times). On top of that, your man who was selling it threw in a free neck scarf to complete that country gentleman look. Now I must hunt for a proper pair of brogues before the spring arrives, but this can become something rather difficult in German soil, but alas one never knows. All suggestions are welcome. Oh yeah, i know i should have lost the casio watch for the photo, don't hate I realized to late.

O'Donoghue's Opera

I've stumbled across this piece of Black & White gold whilst I was on vacation in Buenos Aires of all places. Regardless, this is a mock opera-film, based on the ballad "The Night That Larry Was Stretched" , made in 1965 starring Ronnie Drew and the Dubliners.
Apparently due to budget issues, the film was never completed and was kinda left to rest, till somewhere around 1996 yer man Sé Merry Doyle kinda restored it back to life.



Ronnie Drew, plays Larry, a cheeky troubadour-burglar who is up to no-good and a bit blinded by the Beaver. This leads him to get caught by the popo(oohh sheeet)who are energetically pursuing Larry's trail of kleptomania.
I'm not going to give away the film, though i hate being a teasing whore.
On the technical aspect the film is precious. The editing is pure class, handmade beauty, man. The opening credits are a lesson in witty and charming artistry.
The rhythm of the film is spot on, especially if your into Ronnie Drew breaking into a song quite often.
You can watch the film on youtube, and leave a thumbs up to the person who uploaded it. My sincere thanks, this film is pure class.

TERRACE FASHIONISTA KNACKER-LAUREL-RATING SYSTEM:

OKUPAS

OKUPAS is one of the best things to ever come out of Argentinian telly. A mini-series that consisted of 11 episodes written and directed by Bruno Stagnaro, who also made the mythical "Pizza, Birra, Faso".
The series explored in quite a realistic manner the marginal life style in Buenos Aires telling the story of Ricardo a middle class lad in his 20's, basically a college drop-out and his 3 friends Pollo, Walter and Chiqui, who are all living in this sort of squatted house which eventually will lead them through extreme situations. Drugs, abuse, crime, sex, and overall friendship are de-constructed in a very matter-of-fact style that leaves one's face aching from a reality bitch slap.


The episodes develop in a very curious way, going from funny to intensely scary and uncomfortable to terribly sad. The relationships between the characters deserves an analysis of its own, but that would also enable to give away too much too soon.
It is, in my opinion, very important to point out that the somewhat independent style of the series make it unpretentious and casual yet immensely realistic. Many of the actors used where actually from the slums of Buenos Aires giving it a real edge that would have never been achieved with conventional actors playing thugs.
There hasn't been any official DVD release as of now. You can watch the episodes on youtube and other sources, although I do have a project of making subtitles in English and uploading them soon.

Coming soon: IGentrify.com , tracking gentrification throughout the modern world.

If you live in a big city, you are quite possibly a component of gentrification. Then again, maybe you're not but it is almost a fact that at least half of your mates and/or acquaintances are so. So, whether you like it or not, gentrification is something that is happening and will continue in the following years unless 2012 really is the end of the world or WW3 comes soon enough. Either way, if you are not aware with the term just clock on the link and get your learning on for this is one of the most relevant matters of modern times. Igentrify.com will be a site that tracks the development of gentrification in different capitals of the world. It will be mostly an account of the development of such and hopefully it will remain impartial as there is nothing worse than a pussy bitching about other pussies, so yeah. Let's see what happens, baby.

They'll carve upon your brain like a prison tattoo

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The Ballad of Owain Glyndwr

Somewhere near Cardiff, three young men with a passion for Welsh History and music crossed paths to give birth to one of the most relevant and emotive songs about the last Welsh Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr. A call to arms for independence and a tribute to the revolt of Glyndwr, soon these young men where singing their song to the masses. But a rather large budget and experimentation with drugs soon led to the downfall of this promising warrior poets. This film explores their career in a documentary style, directed by Myrddin Jones goes deep into the skin of Trouser Snake and their brief but tumultuous career.
Watch the trailer here