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    Rake

    Rake

    Matthew Caley

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    Book

    Throughout Rake, Matthew Caley's fifth collection, it can appear as if we are glimpsing into the...

    One of Us

    One of Us

    Hugo Young

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    Book

    In this acclaimed political biography, Hugo Young traces Thatcher's journey from her apprenticeship...

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Andy Bell recommended Amnesia by Mr. Fingers in Music (curated)

 
Amnesia by Mr. Fingers
Amnesia by Mr. Fingers
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is a record I discovered long after the fact, but it’s become one of my favorite albums of all time. I love it even more because it comes from that magical late ‘80s period when there was so much amazing music being made. It’s like other records I’ve chosen because it has its own sound that permeates every track on the record. A while back, I treated myself to an original pressing of this. It was one of the few times in my life I have actually bought one of the albums that hang on the wall of a record store rather than in the racks! It was expensive at the time, I think around £30, but when I think about how many rounds of drinks I bought that cost more than that, it feels like money well spent. This is Larry Heard, the bedroom genius; it’s such a distilled version of his talents. And as such, I found it really inspirational when I started to want to make my own electronic music. I record under the name GLOK and Mr. Fingers is one of my main influences. My favorites are ‘Can You Feel It’ and ‘Washing Machine,’ but it’s all excellent."

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Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich
Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich
1998 | Classical
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I think this is Steve's masterpiece. On my first day on foundation in Winchester, the tutor played everybody 'Piano Phase' and it was the first time I'd heard music like that. It completely blew my mind. The repetition; the shifting; the way those two pianos phased in and out with each other; it's an extraordinary piece of work. And he resolved that through a number of pieces and he came up with Music For 18 Musicians, which was the first large scored piece he'd done. I went to India in the early 80s and I had a very small number of cassettes with me that I could listen to, and that was one of them. I remember sitting on a roof somewhere listening to that and looking up at the sky. It is a kind of cosmic record in a way. I don't know if you have to like Steve Reich to know what that is, in a way. If someone was coming to it and they didn't know that music I don't know what they'd make of it. If you're used to listening to tunes would you just wonder where the tune is? It's all about harmony and rhythm, but it's intensely beautiful."

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Suspiria (1977)
Suspiria (1977)
1977 | Horror
Dario Argento's body of work throughout the 70s and 80s is pretty damn solid, and Suspiria is arguably his strongest entry. It's a damn masterpiece.

The lighting, colours, and camerawork are all phenomenal. Throw them together, and you get one of the most visually striking horrors ever made.
It has excellent pacing - the opening ten minutes are incredibly intense, and culminate in a truly iconic horror cinema kill. The vast majority of what follows is a slower build up of plot, but in true Giallo fashion, keeps a sturdy mystery going for the whole time. The climax of the film ramps everything up again, as things take a supernatural turn, providing the audience with a solid reveal, disturbing imagery, and a decent helping of blood, all the while being backed by an absurd soundtrack courtesy of Italian prog band Goblin. The music goes from being enchanting, to downright jarring at the click of a finger, and just adds to Suspria's otherworldliness in spades.
Some memorable performances from the likes of Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Alida Valli and Joan Bennett also help in elevating this movie to horror greatness.

Suspiria is one of those films that you must see before you die. Horror at its weird, sense-assaulting best!
  
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
1991 | Animation, Family, Musical
Beauty and the Beast is an example of animated Disney at the top of their game, and stands proudly amongst the string of high quality outputs from Disney during the tail end of the 80s and through the 90s.

The aesthetic is quintessential Disney fairytale material, alternating between the bright and colourful un-named village that Belle lives in, to the dark and gothic castle where The Beast resides. The animation is wonderful, especially when it comes to characters. Characters such as Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts are bought to life in such a vibrant manner, it's another argument for why the live action adaptions will never quite capture the same magic, and the likes of Belle, The Beast, and Gaston are memorable and visually iconic Disney inhabitants.

The story is straight down the middle for this kind of thing, but it's crowd pleasing, heart warming, with a perfect helping of melancholy, a formula that has always been Disney's bread and butter along with catchy songs. I struggle to get on board with musicals for the most part but some of the music demonstrated here is superbly written and occasionally beautiful.

Beauty & The Beast is classic Disney through and through. It's truly timeless and will be enjoyed for generations to come.