Search

Search only in certain items:

Ex-Futur Album by Veronique Vincent and Aksak Maboul
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is a fascinating record and it has such an amazing story. Marc Hollander was Aksak Maboul, they were his crew in the 80s, and he started Crammed Discs in Belgium. He was married (still is) to Veronique Vincent [of the Honeymoon Killers]and they were recording an album in I think about 1983, and then a baby arrived, so that took over. So they left the record practically finished but not quite finished, in the drawer. And then another baby arrived, so that record got even further and deeper into its drawer! It got forgotten. And then some years ago they discovered it, and played it and thought okay, this is good stuff. Obviously Marc had the label, so they mixed it and released it, and there it was: the Ex-Futur Album. My personal connection to this record is that people kept saying oh, it sounds like Stereolab, except they did it ten years before we did! They're sort of our parents, and that's really amazing to me. We've been separated and found again later on; it's a really lovely experience, and it also makes so much sense with the kind of label that Marc is running. It's very open, and they're very open-minded people, accepting the differences, and it's what I find most attractive: the fusion, when you go get some DNA from here and there and over here and then cram it all into a song."

Source
  
Lost & Found by Polar Youth
Lost & Found by Polar Youth
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Polar Youth is a 24-year-old producer from Ghent, Belgium. Not too long ago, she released a lovely electro-R&B duet, entitled, “Call Out”, featuring WAYI & Lani Rose.

“In a way, you told me lies, in a way you let me go. In a way, you said goodbye, my heart jumped on the floor. Felt it all the way outside the door when you said you didn’t need me anymore. Felt the pain in my heart when you said, ‘let me go’.” – lyrics

‘Call Out’ tells a bittersweet tale of a once budding couple who experience an emotional breakup.

Apparently, the guy is the one who broke off the problematic relationship, and now the woman feels like falling.


The likable tune contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and mellow instrumentation flavored with atmospheric pop synths and ethereal electronic sounds.

“The main inspiration behind ‘Call Out’ is something everyone has felt at some point in their life. Loving someone so hard but being pushed away, leaving you desperate and heartbroken.” – Polar Youth

Polar Youth prides herself in adding heart & pop melodies in electronic music.

Her recipe has earned her Red Bull Elektropedia’s Most Promising Artist Award, a remix released under Majestic Casual, and a collaboration with DJ Fresh.

For this release, she put the spotlight on WAYI, who is endorsed by BBC 1Xtra and Elton John, and 21-year-old St. Louis-based singer Lani Rose.

‘Call Out’ is featured on her debut EP, entitled, “Lost & Found”. The 6-track project also features Fortress, Trent the HOOLiGAN, Sangstaa, and ËMIA.
  
Size of Relief by Young & Sick
Size of Relief by Young & Sick
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Polar Youth is a 24-year-old producer from Ghent, Belgium. Not too long ago, she released a lovely electro-R&B duet, entitled, “Call Out”, featuring WAYI & Lani Rose.

“In a way, you told me lies, in a way you let me go. In a way, you said goodbye, my heart jumped on the floor. Felt it all the way outside the door when you said you didn’t need me anymore. Felt the pain in my heart when you said, ‘let me go’.” – lyrics

‘Call Out’ tells a bittersweet tale of a once budding couple who experience an emotional breakup.

Apparently, the guy is the one who broke off the problematic relationship, and now the woman feels like falling.

The likable tune contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and mellow instrumentation flavored with atmospheric pop synths and ethereal electronic sounds.

“The main inspiration behind ‘Call Out’ is something everyone has felt at some point in their life. Loving someone so hard but being pushed away, leaving you desperate and heartbroken.” – Polar Youth

Polar Youth prides herself in adding heart & pop melodies in electronic music.

Her recipe has earned her Red Bull Elektropedia’s Most Promising Artist Award, a remix released under Majestic Casual, and a collaboration with DJ Fresh.

For this release, she put the spotlight on WAYI, who is endorsed by BBC 1Xtra and Elton John, and 21-year-old St. Louis-based singer Lani Rose.

‘Call Out’ is featured on her debut EP, entitled, “Lost & Found”. The 6-track project also features Fortress, Trent the HOOLiGAN, Sangstaa, and ËMIA.
  
Roseanna's books continue to completely blow my mind! Filled with so much heart-wrenching, heart-stopping, heart-melting events that it literally takes DAYS to recover. My poor heart can't handle any more at the moment. That being said...YOU NEED TO READ THIS SERIES!!! (Start with Book One, A Name Unknown) Set during the beginning of World War I we see a different side of the war than what we may be used to. The Belgium Orchestra Relief Fund...Based in Wales. So.Much.Music! I LOVE it!!!

One of the aspects of this story that struck me in the heart, is the fact that God KNOWS us. And He will speak to us in a unique and individual way that will grip our heart and MEAN SOMETHING to us. For me personally, God uses books, songs, art, and dance...pretty much anything in the 'arts'...to speak life and truth into my life. For Willa...well...you will have to wait and see.

Lukas and Willa create the perfect romantic tension and reminds us that no one is beyond saving. I absolutely adore Margot (Lukas's sister) and am so glad that we also get to see this story from her perspective in Brussels. Her brilliant mind and unique gift for "puzzles" adds a whole different layer to the story. It just goes to show, that when God has given us a gift, there are numerous ways that we can use it to help others and glorify Him.

If you love romance, mystery, history, and have a soft spot for music...You will fall in love with Lukas, Margot, and Willa and her "family" in a heartbeat.

I received a complimentary copy of A Song Unheard from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
40x40

Adam Ant recommended Man-Machine by Kraftwerk in Music (curated)

 
Man-Machine by Kraftwerk
Man-Machine by Kraftwerk
1978 | Dance
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"We used to do loads of gigs in Western Europe during the punk days because nobody really wanted us in London. But we were getting invites to go to Belgium and West Germany and Berlin. We went on the Trans Europe Express to go to Berlin once and this was the perfect record to listen to doing that. The way they sing and the whole Man Machine idea – they totally pulled it off. They were so ahead of the game. And when you listen to very early Human League – 'Being Boiled' and all that – you can hear the influence it had on them. I was never really interested in that synth sound for the Ants. I was more into their graphics. I used to design handbills and A4s and there was a couple of robotic themes on that. Musically that was being catered for by the Human League, who I thought were great right at the start. It was the mystery that surrounded Kraftwerk that I was into. We were in Dusseldorf once and we went looking for the Kling Klang studio, but we couldn't find it. Apparently it was just an office anyway. I loved that phonetically pronounced European vocal. It was almost like he read it off of one of those machines that tell you how to pronounce things. But it always had a really human feel. I think people often overlook their sense of humour. When we were in Australia in '81, they were touring too. And we were stood outside our hotel and they were all there – I seem to remember they were wearing white coats and they were all going cycling together. There was a real personality behind them. Kraftwerk were trying to break away from that whole post-war vibe in Germany and Dusseldorf was quite a modern city. Visiting the places where the music came from has made the records even more precious to me because it reminds me of the time."

Source
  
The Bookbinder of Jericho
The Bookbinder of Jericho
Pip Williams | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Bookbinder of Jericho follows the lives of Peggy, Maude and their friends during the years of the First World War. Peggy and Maude work in the bindery of the Oxford university press. Peggy has promised their now dead mother to always care for the vulnerable Maude (she has a learning disability) and isn’t capable of taking care of herself. She does work in the bindery with Peggy though, and is able to do repetitive tasks. Peggy, on the other hand, is ambitious. She has always loved reading and learning from what she reads, and she is desperate to do more with her life.

As the First World War begins, and refugees from a stricken Belgium start to arrive in Oxford, life begins to change for Peggy, and possibilities start to open up for her. She meets two people in particular: she falls in love with a wounded Belgian soldier, and she meets Gwen, a woman studying at Oxford, whilst they’re both volunteering. Life seems to be on the up for Peggy, but at the same time it becomes more complicated.

This book has a lot to say about the women’s suffrage movement, and how the war opened up more possibilities to women generally - although it certainly helped if you were in the upper classes. Maude and Peggy live on a canal boat (the Calliope), and whilst this may seem idyllic, its far from easy. It does give insight into the different ways that people lived and how people helped one another (Peggy’s boat neighbours often help out with Maude, as she can’t be left on her own).

I really liked how Peggy wasn’t prepared to give up on her dream of being accepted in the women’s college. Somerville, at Oxford. She perseveres, even if she does lose her way and has to decide what is most important to her.

This was such an enjoyable book, and I’d recommend it.
  
40x40

ClareR (5589 KP) rated Happy Family in Books

Oct 29, 2019  
HF
Happy Family
James Ellis | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
One to look out for next year!
Happy Family is set in the near future, where people game via glasses and one augmented reality game in particular is very popular: Happy Family. This game was invented by Tom Hannah, also an artist, who has hidden himself away with his suicidal thoughts in Spain in the middle of nowhere, after the death of his mother. Germaine Kiecke, an art academic, is a huge fan of Tom’s and wants to interview him for her new book. But Tom is guarded by a strange girl and three huge dogs who are named after the Marx brothers. Germaine has had a traumatic upbringing as an orphan in Belgium in a notorious orphanage called ‘Motherhood’. Thus she finds it impossible to express her feelings except through Tom’s game Happy Family. So when she finds out that something threatens this game for her and millions of others, she’s forced to take a look at how she lives her life.

Germaine was a difficult character to get an understanding of, but I think in view of her childhood that was reasonable. The other characters who also relied on Tom Hannah in some way were actually very amusing - whether they were supposed to be or not, I don’t know, but towards the end of the novel, their antics descended (or ascended!) into slapstick. For various reasons that I won’t go into (I don’t want to spoil it!), this was both sad and funny - there was a healthy dose of black humour throughout really.

I read this on The Pigeonhole, and the other readers had a real mix of opinions: it seems to have been a real ‘marmite’ book. Personally, I loved it. It ticked a lot of boxes for me, first and foremost being it’s quirkiness. There was some gaming talk, but it was relevant to the story and the characters, and I don’t actually think there was that much considering that it was set against the backdrop of the game (and lets face it, I have two teenage sons who are obsessed with the Xbox 🙄).

I really enjoyed this book, and thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising it.
  
40x40

Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated JCVD (Van Dammage) (2008) in Movies

Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 22, 2019)  
JCVD (Van Dammage) (2008)
JCVD (Van Dammage) (2008)
2008 | Action, Comedy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Jean-Claude Van Damme has pretty much always been known as a cliche action movie star. He's known for his skills in various different types of martial arts and if you haven't seen any of his films, you can pretty much figure out what they're heavy on (and more than likely light on) considering his talents. Along comes JCVD, a film that tells the story of what it's like to be a washed up action star. Between his money problems and his ongoing custody battle for his daughter with his ex-wife, Van Damme has a full plate. So he decides to travel to Belgium, his homeland, to reconnect with his parents and hopefully just get away from all the headaches that come with living a Hollywood lifestyle. Then, a simple trip to the post office turns into a nightmare as Van Damme realizes he may not be walking out of there alive.

JCVD shows a side of Van Damme that nobody has really seen before. His acting chops take center stage this time around and it's incredible how much range he actually has. He's able to showcase the fact that he has a lot more talent than fans or the moviegoing audience actually gave him credit for. There's a six minute monologue that might just be the best scene in the film. You can hear the pain in Van Damme's voice as the anguish he's going through bleeds through the words spilling from his mouth. Tears stream down his face as his face wrenches in torment. And then as quickly as the monologue begins, it ends. The scene itself, along with the way it was pulled off, is really the most memorable part of the film for me.

JCVD highlights all of the potential Jean-Claude Van Damme has as an actor. Not as an action movie star, but as a legitimate actor. Don't go into this expecting the usual bone breaking or face bashing someone may find in a film that Van Damme is usually found in. This film has a kick to it and not in the literal sense. It's an unexpected surprise that could put Van Damme back on top of his game, if played right. It could certainly do for him what The Wrestler did for Mickey Rourke. People who aren't fans of Van Damme's work will more than likely still enjoy this if they're willing to give it a chance.
  
The Marriage of Innis Wilkinson
The Marriage of Innis Wilkinson
Lauren H Brandenburg | 2020 | Mystery, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonists of this story would be Margarette and Roy, but this novel is told from multiple perspectives, including Innis herself. Margarette and Roy belong to the families, that hate each other. Both of the families trying to outdo each other with better events and showing off, and Margarette has to endure all that competing behaviour. Innis is a character, who’s story is running in the background. Innis is an incredibly strange woman. Her story is revealed little by little, but it is very sweet and heartbreaking. I really liked all the main characters, they are very kind, sensitive and pleasant people. Margarette has patience made of steel, she does so much for both of the families, scared to offend them, I know I would have lost my patience in no time. 😀 😀

The book is set in a very small town called Coraloo, during a festival, and the whole vibe feels like Bruge (Belgium) for some reason. I imagine little shops down the little alleys, cobblestone everywhere… It just seems cosy, small and inviting. The narrative is quite slow and steady, the characters are sharing their thoughts about family, love, relationships, but it is quite funny at times when crazy family members join in. The topics discussed in this novel are family relationships, marriage preparations and stress, abandoned dreams, wish to be accepted and many more. This novel has some mystery elements, but the whole novel is more oriented towards romance and wedding.

I really liked the writing style of this book. It was very creative, and even though some of the things kept repeating, I could feel the love for everything through the characters. I am very happy that the author used her experience as a teacher in this novel, I think it was very well utilised. The chapters are medium length, and some of the information was a little repetitive, but I was quite curious to find out more about Innis, so the chapters didn’t feel draggy to me. The ending was very unexpected but left me very satisfied with the outcome.

So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this funny, heart-warming book, that is filled with unique and entertaining characters, as well as very soothing and “cuddly” plot. I think this book is perfect for these long and cold evenings, it feels like a hug.
  
President Under Siege (2016)
President Under Siege (2016)
2016 |
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Michael is the Prime Minister of Belgium, he is about the close one of the biggest deals of his career with a meeting with the President of United States of America, but he must show his levels of commitment to his cause and his family, when he gets blackmailed into killer the President. We get from this character a man that is pushed to his limits to do the right thing and protect his family. Christine is Michael’s wife, captured and forced to wait for her husband to complete his tasks while caring for their children. Eva is the assistant that has a secret with Michael and forced into playing into the games that are being played.

Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.

Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.

Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.

Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.


Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.

Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.

 

Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.