Human Remains is a haunting documentary which illustrates the banality of evil by creating intimate portraits of five of this century’s most reviled dictators. The film unveils the personal lives of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Francisco Franco and Mao Tse Tung. We learn the private and mundane details of their everyday lives -- their favorite foods, films, habits and sexual preferences. There is no mention of their public lives or of their place in history. The intentional omission of the horrors for which these men were responsible hovers over the film.
Human Remains addresses this horror from a completely different angle. Irony and even occasional humor are sprinkled throughout the documentary. This darkly poetic film is based entirely on fact, creatively combining direct quotes and biographical research. Though based on historical figures, Human Remains is contemporary in its implications and ultimately invites the viewer to confront the nature of evil.
Drago - This Time Next Year ------- 2001, Alone Records ---------------------- To say that Drago sound inspired on this EP is like saying Extreme Noise Terror are “kinda fast”. Some really exciting stuff rolling out of Buffalo, New York lately, what with The Control and now these guys… 6 tracks of shredding combo platter hardcore; part-youth crew, part left-coast, and part Midwest angst-core, Drago barrels through all of em with the greatest of ease. From the onset, ‘Untitled’ sets the stage for some well-rounded Gorilla Biscuits energy, and Bloodpact ferocity. Though I get the impression this is band rooted in youth-crew, there is more than enough savvy and originality to suggest these guys have a fuck of a lot more floating in the influence barrel than the old Revelation Records catalogue. The vocals are exceptional to say the least; a perfect balance of angsty-aggression and uncompromising energy that infuses more energy into Drago than most entire bands. Props to Joel…he is simply fucking awesome. Musically, Drago are equally shredding…well-rounded melodies that steer clear of cheap dime-a-dozen breakdowns in favor of dynamic shifts in tempo. There is pure heart and effort here; real “songs” to get your blood pumping while keeping your mind equally stimulated. I would recommend a pulse check if you aren’t thoroughly satisfied with the ferocity of “Burning Bridges”; that song alone is worth the price of admission and a slot on your next 100 comp tapes. Shout alongs exist, but are minimized for impact (“Cheap Shots” rules)…And throughout ‘This Time Next Year’, it becomes abundantly clear that this band is fueled by purpose and not by formula. What sets Drago apart from the pack is an uncompromising ability to tread familiar ground while at the same time straying on their own path of exploration. This is a fucking great band to watch out for, as it becomes harder and harder to differentiate those who understand the difference between hardcore by the numbers, and hardcore on an individual level. With ‘This Time Next Year’, Drago has made quite a case that they are inspired by their predecessors, but are fueled by their own passion. Great lyrics, original and inspiring compositions, and furious vocal and instrumental energy make ‘This Time Next Year’ one of this years’ most memorable debuts. Don’t fuck around waiting for these guys to take it to the next level…they have already arrived. Get this and you will do the same. Awesome stuff.
About Saddam's Angels
Are you tired of the vegetable eating and soy milk drinking hippy so-called punk that the masses feed your head? Ready for some controversy, hate, UN-PC attitudes to make you feel alive again? We are here to destroy the path that recent "punks" have made today with all their lovey dovey emo crying music of total shit. We will sing what ever we want that is offensive and will make the majority of the pussy punk crowd pissed. Coming soon to a town near you...we declair JIHAD to you PC punk infidels... be warned. Oh yea...fuck you
1. Jack Russell - ?5@54 (2:55)
2. Jack Russell - /@G5 (2:32)
3. Jack Russell - 0:A8:0 (2:14)
4. Jack Russell - 0H0 A8AB5<0 (3:19)
5. Jack Russell - / ?LO=K9! (0:52)
6. Jack Russell - 5;09 =>2>5 A59G0A! (2:46)
and for the dummies that can't read text on Cyrillic
Jack Russell - Vpered! (2010) transliterated tags [MF]
1. Jack Russell - Vperjod (2:55)
2. Jack Russell - Jarche (2:32)
3. Jack Russell - Maksimum roka (2:14)
4. Jack Russell - Vasha sistema (3:19)
5. Jack Russell - Ja p'janyj (0:52)
6. Jack Russell - Delaj novoe sejchas! (2:45)
RPG-7 - ... Un Paso de un Largo Camino (2010) [MF]
1. RPG-7 - El Otro Bando (4:00)
2. RPG-7 - Guerrilleros (3:59)
3. RPG-7 - Lucha (2:34)
4. RPG-7 - Sin Bandera (1:59)
5. RPG-7 - Un Paso de un Largo Camino (3:11)
Seven letters to hint at what Chumbawamba have spent their adult lives doing: fashioning something weird, funny, eccentric and challenging from a seven-note Do-re-mi of possibilities. Or by another name, music.
This, the band’s 17th album, is another concept album (‘concept’ as in ‘idea’. Above all, ideas is what Chumbawamba thrive on), an album full of ideas specifically about music. Music both good and bad, music celebrated and music ridiculed.
Music. Since they’ve been banging away on biscuit tins and twanging bits of string attached to tea-chests for the best part of 25 years, it’s probably about time Chumbawamba turned their attention to this huge, sprawling, hydra-headed monster. Its history, its stories, its heroes and its villains. A sweep through several hundred years of what music means to people and what it means to the band.
ABCDEFG is musically eclectic and wide-ranging, from acapella to pop to folk to jazz, a mix-up of ideas to reflect its subject matter. That subject matter includes a gentle hymn to teenage under-the-pillow discovery of music heard on late-night transistor radio; a celebration of the marching songs written by soldiers in the First World War; the story of how people had to battle against State Communist ideology to play their music; a poke at the folk world’s obsession with collection and authenticity; the story of the concentration camp survivor who disrupted the first playing of Wagner in Israel by swinging a football rattle.
There’s a lot of stuff on this album - both literate (Chumbawamba love to use music to talk about history, politics and philosophy) and funny (Chumbawamba would be the first people to poke holes in the seriousness of this history, politics and philosophy). The stuff on this album is played on a battery of instruments (by the band) and augmented superbly by contributions on various songs from:
* Chopper of Oysterband on cello
* Jon Boden of Bellowhead on fiddle
* Belinda O’Hooley (ex-Unthanks) on piano
…and various others who don’t get mentioned in the press release because they’re not famous enough. It’s the music business, what do you expect? An industry built on the ideas of art and ego, entertainment and communication. Where else other than on ABCDEFG can you hear a song about Metallica’s sanctioning of their music being used as a Guantanamo torture method? About Stalin’s cultural war against Shostakovitch? About the ubiquitous iPod headphone tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk drowning out the birdsong? Music. It’s about time someone wrote an albumful of songs about music, if only to rescue the idea from the several MOR eulogies to ‘the power of music’ that spring to mind.
As a bonus, the album also features a song written and recorded by Chumbawamba in conjunction with the No Masters Collective, ‘Dance, Idiot, Dance’ - a response to the right wing British National Party’s decision to infiltrate English folk music and ‘reclaim it’ in the name of racist bigotry. A lovely opportunity to ridicule the neo-fascists while rhyming ‘cold lasagne’ with ‘Britannia’.
