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Soul (2020)
Soul (2020)
2020 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
The second Pixar effort of 2020 is nothing short of excellent. Soul is a wonderful experience from start to finish, dealing with abstract ideas in a touching way, and boasting some of the finest animation out there.
When compared to older Pixar efforts, it's easy to see just how far this sort of thing has come. Soul manages to look photo realistic, despite the cartoony designs of the human characters. It has matured in other ways too - where these films used to be kid friendly adventures with a message lurking within, that's not quite the case anymore. The themes in Soul are very much for an older audience, and sure, there are talking cats and colourful visuals in The Great Before to keep younger viewers involved, but the narrative here focuses on how one can feel like their life is wasted sometimes, how it's easy to feel lost in such a big world, and the acceptance of death. With heavy subject matters at the forefront, the frequently heart-warming and funny screenplay results in an story that is expertly crafted to hit all the right emotional buttons, whilst still being fun, and full of awesome jazz.

Director Pete Docter is of course the man behind Up, Inside Out and Monsters Inc. so it's no surprise that his fourth Pixar feature is one that can stand tall next to those greats. A fantastic voice cast including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Richard Ayoade, Anglea Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, and Rachel House among others, adds the remaining ingredients to ensure that Soul is another magnificent string in Pixar's bow, and is an essential watch.
  
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Bobby Gillespie recommended On the Corner by Miles Davis in Music (curated)

 
On the Corner by Miles Davis
On the Corner by Miles Davis
1972 | Rock
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is very similar to the Sly record in terms of concrete, abstract funk. When you hear it, it sounds really dense and dark. It doesn't sound organic, it sounds like it's from a concrete jungle. It never goes anywhere; it's in perpetual stasis, almost meditative. A few years ago, they released the sessions and takes, which is a bad thing to do because Miles would jam with his band and then carry on, sit and cut them up, mix them and turn it into Miles albums. It was very well arranged, and that was part of the fucking part of the aesthetic. Then to release the jam sessions for me was a bad idea because it's like releasing the out-takes of somebody's film. Whereas what Miles achieved with On The Corner was incredible. It's a big favourite of Primal Scream, we always used to play it on the tour bus. Miles was never about high energy, he's always cool and there's always a distance with him. All funk records are visceral and in-your-fucking-face, but On The Corner is quite cold too. It's an art funk record. He knew jazz music was old and didn't want to be stuck in the past. Miles was interested in young people and wanted to evolve with what young people were listening to. He was an open and receptive artist – that's the only way you can move forward with new energies and new ideas. We've learned from Miles Davis as a band, too: when you make music, you've got to make it for the future, even if you're not aware that you are."

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Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
1991 | Hip-hop, Rock
8.6 (5 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"When I was a teenager, I was an avid Smash Hits reader - all through the 80s, that's what I read. So when the Beastie Boys and Run DMC came along, I was all over it. We were nicking VW signs from cars, skateboarding. That was a really big thing for ages. I was into that stuff for a while but the one hip hop album I listened to the most was this one. It's another one that doesn't ever fade. It's got this depth to it, and it's easy. But it's also serious and it's bumping. Obviously there are loads of other really important hip hop albums for me: Notorious B.I.G, Dr Dre, Jay-Z. I get a similar feeling from listening to really good hip hop that I get listening to Nubian music. The whole way of writing with loops really appeals to me. It was weird because I was listening to a lot of this kind of music, and playing and listening to a lot of jazz but they were two separate worlds. I was really into guitar music as well. When I was a kid I was really into Van Halen, heavy metal and all that stuff. Those two worlds never quite joined together. It wasn't until A Tribe Called Quest, and Galliano, Joyful Noise of the Creator. That Tribe Called Quest album, for me, joined those worlds. They mined a lot of old Lou Donaldson records, and other things, but it sounded really current as well. It pulled a lot of things together. And obviously, it branched out to lots of classic 90s hip hop: Guru, Jazzmatazz, Nas. It was a really amazing time."

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