Author: Joseph James

Film Review: Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6
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Big Hero 6 commences with a scene involving underground robot fights, like in the movie Real Steel. Our protagonist Hiro is a child genius with no direction in life who spends his time hustling at these robot fight events. A push from his big brother, Tadashi inspires Hiro to pursue further study at “nerd school” to make something of himself.

But just when Hiro begins to realise his potential he suffers a personal loss and starts to question himself again.

The typical tragedy trope is employed to spur Hiro into action. Clichéd as it may be, this loads the film with some powerful emotional scenes that explores the humanity of characters, instead of just depicting them as the usual “good”, “bad” or “super”. The heroes have flaws and the villains aren’t entirely evil.

Of course there’s an assortment of colourful characters to flesh out the cast, from the speed obsessed feminist, Go Go, to the dopey college mascot, Fred, to the oblivious Aunty Cass.

The star of the film though, is Baymax, a large mechanised marshmallow designed as a futuristic nurse. Tadashi had created Baymax as a robotic health practitioner. Hiro has other ideas though, so he upgrades Baymax by teaching him karate and creating body armour for him, making Baymax the ultimate hero sidekick.

Hiro and Baymax make a loveable mismatched duo. As much as Hiro needs Baymax to aid him with his hijinks, Baymax is restricted by his programming and robotic abilities. This leads to some hilarious scenes that depicts Baymax trying to help Hiro, but missing the point of what Hiro truly wants.

I love how the film is set in San Fransokyo, a hybrid of Tokyo and San Francisco. The small Shinjuku alleyways lead onto steep San Francisco streets. There are recognisable icons from each city, like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Ginza Shiodome. This amalgamation of cultures will surely create cross appeal for movie-goers the world over, regardless of where they are from.

Big Hero 6 ticks all the boxes for a family friendly film. There are a lot of laugh out loud moments that will appeal to adults and children alike. There are also more serious underlying themes of grieving and loss that add to the seriousness of the film and keep it grounded.

This story is deep enough to allow for character development and a decent plot, but still remains accessible for children. It’s the age-old underdog superhero story, but with a modern spin.

It may not have the musical soundtrack to match Frozen, but Big Hero 6 safely sits in with recent high calibre 3D animated Disney films like Frozen and Wreck It Ralph.

If you want to take a child to the movies any time soon, I recommend Big Hero 6. It’s a lot of fun, and entertaining enough for everyone watching, regardless of age.

(If you go, be sure to stick around  for a marvel-ous post credit scene)

 

Joseph James

Live Review: Sage Francis at San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington

Sage Francis Wellington poster San Fran Wellington
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Sage Francis

w/ Alphabethead

San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington

Thursday 11 December 2014

 

On his first world tour in four years, Sage Francis has come on a “Middle-earth excursion”, headed back to New Zealand to promote his latest album, Copper Gone.

I arrived late to the gig with hope of missing Andrew WK lookalike Alphabethead. Not late enough, it seems. I had to sit through almost an hour of his set. My friend pointed out that I looked miserable, staring at the floor. It was an accurate assessment. I would go out of my way to avoid seeing Alphabethead again.

Sage Francis arrived on stage wearing a large black habit, a white hood and a cape a made from a Strange Famous banner. The cape helped turn Francis into a wizard, a master magician who casts a spell over the audience, as suggested in his opening song, “Escape Artist”.

The reason Francis is so captivating is because he pours so much of himself into his performance. And it is a performance, not just some bearded white guy talking fast into a microphone. He sings, he dances, he pretends to play harmonica. There is a projector displaying some pictures and animations in the background, but they aren’t a focal point. Francis projects a persona that’s larger than life (you could say “EXTRA, EXTRA LAARGE!“)

There’s also a wide variety within the music. Some backing tracks are stereotypical hip-hop beats, but most are musical, and some songs are even a capella. He raps over the Nine Inch Nails song “Closer”, and an 8-bit adaptation of the Pixies song “Where is My Mind?”. The funniest is the theme song from the movie Team America: World Police, that he uses to introduce “Makeshift Patriot”, his critique of American patriotism in response to terrorist propaganda.

When I saw Immortal Technique at the same venue a few years ago the mix was too muddy and a lot vocals were hard to make out. Thankfully, this time the acoustics were good and I could actually tell what Francis was saying.

And this is important, especially with a rap music, where it all rides on what you say and how you deliver it. Francis injects so much feeling into his music. He shouts and he whispers. Songs like “Make Em Purr”, “Thank You” and “Best Of Times” expose him as open and vulnerable, offering up his secrets for show. He portrays real emotion, something that is vital for creating a true connection with the audience.

Francis ended his set with a group hug, before selling merch out of his backpack just in front of the stage, like a true an independent artist.

Sage Francis is 55 years old. He has a wealth of experience to draw from, both on stage and in real life. He may not be the best singer or have the flashiest setup, but he commands the stage like the veteran he is, armed with sharp rhymes and a microphone. His fans love him for his talent, his wit, his realness and enthusiasm. And last night in Wellington that’s exactly what they got.

 

Joseph James

EP Review: Solemn Sun – §

Solemn Sun EP Cover
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Don’t ask me how to pronounce this EP title (§). I don’t know if the symbol even makes a sound. It is clever though, two S’s arranged like the new band logo.

A new logo for a new sound. Solemn Sun have previously been known as Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun. Jim hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s just that the band have chosen to undergo a full transformation.

Their two previous albums, Atlases (2010) and Death (2012) channeled a folk-punk vibe that would feature intricate acoustic guitar picking one minute and galloping punk beats the next. § is a departure, stylistically. Gone are the fiddly little break-downs, this is more of a distorted grungy affair.

Opening track “Josef” sends that message straight from the get-go. The drums sound thunderous with washy cymbals and the guitars undulate with intensity. The verses simmer violently to make the choruses sound comparatively more explosive. “Josef” delivers a punch with a message that something new is afoot.

“30:10” is quieter, but it still sounds full and moody. The time signature seems to segue between 4/4 and 6/8 to add an interesting poly rhythmic feel. “Children” and “Ruin” take the EP to its climax with more hard-hitting rock anthems.

Triumphant final track “I Saw” seems like a throwback to the band’s former sound. The drumming alternates between syncopated tribal sounding tom beats and 16th note hi-hat playing.This pulls the momentum back and allows the individual instruments to shine through in different sections. There is a lot of treble in this song, but it ends in plenty of unnecessary squealing feedback.

There are still recognisable nods to the past, and rightly so. The band has a back-catalogue to be proud of, and they can’t dismiss it completely. Although his name is no longer visible, Jim Lockey’s voice is still there to stir up memories. Just as Black Pacific always sounded like Pennywise 2.0 and OFF! sounds just like a fresher Black Flag, singers will always remind you of their most prominent band.

§ is a direct alt-rock assault. The band has adopted the grungy loud/quiet approach and coupled it with ambient post-rock. The songs sound driven because of the no-nonsense drums and bass churning out a steady throbbing beat. And although they are distorted, the layered guitars soar and complement each other well, whilst still retaining a chugging drive. The instruments are all unified to push the song forward.

Ringing in at just under 22 minutes, § provides a short but promising taste of things to come. The old adage goes “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but I disagree. This is a case of when a band has reinvented themselves and it has paid off.

The EP is available for pay-what-you-want download and streaming on the Solemn Sun Bandcamp page.

EP Review: Paint The Sand – Embers

Paint the Sand Embers EP Cover
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I’m writing this up on a Friday evening after a long week and I can’t think of anything right now that I’d prefer to listen to.

It has been two years since Ben Maurice released his début Where I’ve Been EP under the moniker of Paint The Sand. This third EP, entitled Embers, showcases just how much he has improved over that period.

Paint the Sand stands for all things surfing, summer, beaches and barbecues. I would have been surprised if the album art didn’t relate to a beach or road trip in some way. Sure enough, the cover is a shot of ripples on the sea. It reminds me of Signs of Life, from the church Edge Kingsland

Embers evokes the feeling of huddling round the fire on a cold night. Opener “Flicker” offers the sounds of a match being struck and flames crackling, followed by a sparse reverberating intro.

“Flicker” is in itself an indicator of how far Ben has come. I listened to “Flicker”, and then to “Intro” from his 2012 release. Both are similar: instrumental interludes played on guitar. But the new recording is crisper and Ben has advanced from relying on his prized Baby Taylor acoustic guitar to using an electric guitar with effects that offer new possibilities.

“Embers” is a slow burning track that slowly ebbs and swells. The drumming is basic but does enough to add plenty of depth to the song.

“Stop, Wait, Feel” is the highlight of the EP. It sounds like it has had the most effort put into it. There is some great layering, with backing vocals and guitar harmonizing and piano. Ben has become more confident with his guitar playing and singing to the extent that he even includes a guitar solo

The untitled final track sounds raw and grungy at first, but it pulls back to leave a cappella vocals lingering in the air.

The production sounds good. The extra instruments have added new elements to the music. Using electric guitar has allowed Ben to play with his sound and inject new dynamics into his songwriting. It’s nice to see how far he has progressed over the past two years.

Embers is short , as one would expect from an EP. The three songs and an intro only take 11 minutes to listen to. But after a long week those 11 minutes have done wonders to help me unwind.

Joseph James

Live Review: Ur Boy Bangs at Zeal Welly

Bangs Wellington Zeal
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Ur Boy Bangs (Melbourne)

w/ Declaration AD (Wellington) and FLYBZ (Melbourne)
Zeal Welly
Thursday 27 November 2014

Sudanese born Ajak Chol, best known by his stage name Bangs, moved to Australia in 2003 and took to building his rap career with great gusto.

Bangs achieved internet notoriety in 2009 with his viral hit “Take U To Da Movies”. At the time of writing the YouTube clip has had 9.7 million views. Honda even commissioned Bangs to help them promote their Jazz range of cars. Bangs was also prolific on the social media. He had so many followers on Facebook that he reached the limit and had to create a secondary account.

The reason for this is because his music was so bad. The lyrics didn’t flow, the beats weren’t catchy. His music videos contained plenty of badly green-screened backgrounds like maps of Sudan and Australia, and pictures of cash and sports cars. His attempts at wooing girls by calling them “Shawty” and offering to take them “to da movies”, or chat to them on “the Facebook” were hilarious. So people showed the funny videos to their friends, who in turn show the video to their other friends, and so on.

A rapper who gains worldwide publicity and fame from one song because of how bad it is. Welcome to the internet age.

Since then this has become common practice, things that are bad or unusual going viral. Take Sharknado or Gangnam Style, for instance.

Last time Bangs played in Wellington I decided it wasn’t worth attending. This was mainly because the show started at 10pm, plus there were a number of opening acts, meaning that Bangs probably wouldn’t have even come on until close to midnight. I wasn’t willing to pay $20 and stay up so late on a school night just to see an internet joke in the flesh.

But this time Bangs has announced a last-minute all ages show, two days before playing. This suits me fine because it means I won’t have to stay up so late to watch him.

The joke gets even funnier with the announcement of the opening act: local hardcore band Declaration AD. I was living with Declaration guitarist Kirk Hogson in 2010 and I’m pretty sure it was he who showed me Bang’s video in the first place. Original Declaration bass player Tom White spent a lot of time pestering Bangs over Facebook. I bet he still has a screenshot saved on his computer saying “BStar Bangs likes Declaration AD”. They joked about it at the time, but I don’t think anyone actually expected that they would get to share a stage with Bangs.

Declaration AD were on form, even with their former bass player filling in at last minute’s notice. They’ve just been in the studio putting the finishing touches on their fourth release, so not doubt performing live would be a pleasure after recording in a sterile studio environment. They’re well-known at Zeal so enough of the audience knew what to expect, but it was pretty amusing seeing the shock on the faces of the others present. Imagine young kids showing up to the show expecting to see an internet sensation from five years ago, and instead having four hairy men playing loud hardcore music and shouting at them.

Declaration AD

I would have loved to seen Declaration AD collaborate with one of the rappers, something along the lines of a rap/rock crossover like Aerosmith and Run DMC doing “Walk This Way”.

The turn out was fairly small. Most people present were Zeal volunteers or friends with the boys from Declaration AD. But there were 20 or so others who had shown up to just to see Bangs. I’m surprised at how many young teenagers even remember who Bangs is. If most of the people in the audience are underage, it means they would have been roughly 12 when Bangs was at the peak of his hype.

The second act was another Melbourne based rapper named FLYBZ. FLYBZ was a former child soldier from the African nation of Burundi. He surprised us by being quite good. He worked the crowd and got us dancing and singing along. He even asked one boy from the audience to come onstage and help him by sing the chorus for a song about equality. It was funny how when he decided that a song was finished, FLYBZ would reach over to his laptop and stop the music abruptly, instead of having an outro.

FLYBZ also took over DJ duties and backing vocals for the star of the night, Ur Boi Bangs.

Bangs’ set almost had a linear narrative. He rapped about how his life is hard because he comes from the ghetto. But no matter what you have to keep your mind right. He had a song ready for each point he made. Then he taught us the process for courting a woman. “First you need to meet her somewhere” he told us, before playing “Meet Me On Facebook”. Once you’ve met her you take her shopping. Then you take her “for a deena!” [Dinner]. There was a song about Christmas that interrupted the musical date that Bang’s was taking us on. And of course, he finished with the obligatory “Take U To Da Movies”.

Just like Adam reaching out to the Creator in Michelangelo's famous painting at the Sistine Chapel

Just like Adam reaching out to the Creator in Michelangelo’s famous painting at the Sistine Chapel

Was it worth going? I’ve seen bands that I expected to be bad before for the sake of a joke. Guitar Wolf can barely be classed as musicians, yet I’ve seen them play twice and both times the performances were amazing.

Bangs doesn’t seem to mind the haters. He gave us a speech about it before performing his song “Hi Haters”

“Haters make you famous. If you can’t love your haters you can’t love yourself”

– Ur Boi Bangs

He’s like Tommy Wiseau, the man behind The Room (widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made). His product may be terrible, but it has earned him fame and a cult following so why fight it?

I expected Bangs to suck. I went for one famous song that seemed like a joke. I went to see how everyone would react. I went to see Declaration AD scare children. I went for the nostalgia, because we all thought it would be so exciting to see Bangs when he was all the rage back in 2010.

Bangs surpassed my expectations. It was actually an amazing night. Everybody was having so much fun singing and dancing along and waving their hands in the air. There was crowd surfing and stage diving. I think the Snapchat and Instagram headquarters much have been under extra stress based on the sheer volume of selfies that people in the crowd were taking.

I’m glad the show was cheap. I’m glad that it didn’t run late. And I’m especially glad that I went.

Ahaa!

Joseph James