Category Archive for ‘Culture’ at Jeremy’s Little Corner Of The Web…

Archive for the 'Culture' Category

Jamiroquai - Dynamite

Published

on June 16, 2005

. 1 Comment

I… uh… managed to 'acquire' a copy of Jamiroquai's new CD (out June 20th) a week or two ago, and have been mulling over it since then (yes, iTunes and my iPod have been on 'repeat'). And yes, I will be buying the album, come Monday.

I've read many people's (unfavourable) opinions on the previous two albums: "Synkronised" and "A Funk Odyssey", but I quite like them. This album is a bit of a departure from that. There's still electronic sounds, but I think there's a much better vibe to the whole album.

When I first listened to it, I wasn't sure about a few of the songs, but the album as a whole has really, really grown on me. I'm not too fond of "Feels Just Like It Should" (henceforth known as FJLIS!), as it sounds too over-synthesised, but the rest of the songs are just… WOW.

There's a difference in the 'tone' of the album as a whole, I think. While AFO was quite fun and dancy, this has some depth to it (despite the funky exterior). e.g. "Hot Tequila Brown", which describes Jay Kay's cocaine addiction.

Then again, you've also got some 'other' songs, such as "Black Devil Car", which, I believe, is all about Jay Kay's Ferrari Enzo (lucky bastard).

My favourites (at the moment - subject to seasonal variations):

Dynamite - Didn't like this at first, but it's grown on me!
Seven Days in Sunny June - A totally different beat, but has the same vibe as "Picture of my Life" from AFO
Starchild
Talulah - See "Seven Days in Sunny June"
Hot Tequila Brown

That's not the say the others aren't great, but those are the standouts for me.

Napola

Published

Jeremy Higgs

on April 25, 2005

in Movies

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A group of us saw Napola last Thursday at the Valhalla cinema in Glebe, as part of the 2005 German Film Festival. I had not heard anything about this movie, prior to seeing it, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The man that introduced the movie described it as "The Dead Poet's Society" in Nazi Germany, and I'd have to agree. The move is about a teenager (Friedrich) with a gift for boxing, who is asked to join one of the elite schools (the "Napolas"). Here, the students are subjected to Nazism in all its glory, and are slowly but surely indoctrinated into it. Throughout the movie, Friedrich struggles to maintain his 'humanity' (most notably in the boxing scenes, where he has to make the choice to knock out his opponent, already stunned and lying on the floor), and I think it's done very, very well.

It's a great movie, anyway. I'm not sure if it's in cinemas, but I'd highly recommend seeing it.

The Cat Empire at the Enmore Theatre

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Jeremy Higgs

on April 23, 2005

in Concerts

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I saw The Cat Empire at the Enmore Theatre last night (yes, that's four times now), and it was fabulous! The band never ceases to amaze me. I've had people ask why I (and others) have been to so many concerts, and it's because no concert is ever the same. The vibe is always different, and the songs are always different.

Last night was no exception - lots of songs from the new album, "Hello", "The Chariot" and a couple of covers thrown in for good measure ("Superstition", "Respect" and "Dumb Things").

I can't say much more than that, as I am really, really tired! (Could be due to the fact that Lucy and I went to Candy's Apartment after the concert and danced until 2… just maybe…)

There's something about The Cat Empire that just can't be captured on a CD… you really have to see them live to enjoy their music to the fullest!

Ben Folds Live at the Enmore Theatre

Published

Jeremy Higgs

on April 3, 2005

in Concerts and Music

. 5 Comments

So… what did I think of the Ben Folds concert last night? It was great!!!

The support band (Gelbison) was alright. Very laidback, cruisy music. I'll have to look out for them in the future.

As for Ben Folds… WOW. The man is insane. Mat said to me after the concert that in under 2 hours, Ben Folds (and the band) played over 25 songs! These weren't short songs, either, but just played in quick succession.

He played a lot of old favourites (but no "Underground"!), as well as quite a few songs from "Rockin' The Suburbs" and the new album (out April 10), "Songs for Silverman". I had heard the first single, "Landed", before, but the other new songs sounded great, too!

He also played a B-side from the "Landed" single, "Bitches Ain't Shit", which is an old Dr. Dre song, I believe. You had this nerdy guy wearing glasses, singing about hoes and tricks… Funny stuff!

A couple of us bought some t-shirts after the concert, and found out he was at the HUM store down the road… so off we went. Turns out that in order to see Ben and get something signed, you had to pre-order the album. I guess that's an easy way for the HUM store to rake in thousands of dollars of revenue in an hour or so. Needless to say, Jane & I caved in, ordered the DVD+CD combo, and got our "limited edition cd covers" signed. We also got the t-shirts we bought signed, too!

Some of my favourite photos:

Conducting the audience:

My photos are up on Flickr.

Ben Folds concert tonight!

Published

Jeremy Higgs

on April 2, 2005

in Concerts and Music

. 0 Comments

The Ben Folds concert is tonight! I'm SO looking forward to it…!!! Hopefully I'll be able to snap a couple of good photos, too.

“The Sly” Video Clip

Published

Jeremy Higgs

on March 19, 2005

in Music

. 0 Comments

The Cat Empire are releasing a new single, "The Sly", on Monday, and they've been nice enough to put the video clip up on the website, here. (Direct link.)

It's quite cool… Listening to the song, I can't help but jump around the room a bit!

Bride & Prejudice

Published

Jeremy Higgs

on February 24, 2005

in Movies

. 0 Comments

Lucy and I saw this wonderful movie tonight. Normally, I'm not such a fan of soppy, romantic movies, but this was different.
Continue reading 'Bride & Prejudice'

Ben Folds Australian Tour

Published

Jeremy Higgs

on February 17, 2005

in Asides and Music

. 4 Comments

Lucy alerted me to the fact that Ben Folds has a couple of concerts in Australia in April… Woo! (Now to just wait for ticketing information…)

Just My Luck…

Published

Jeremy Higgs

on February 11, 2005

in Music

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I came home early from work today (Lucy and I are doing some shopping before going away for the weekend), happened to turn on the Music Max channel, which was having a "Lunch with… Jamiroquai." Woo!

So far they've shown "Blow Your Mind" (hadn't seen before), "Space Cowboy", "Emergency On Planet Earth" (hadn't seen that, either), and "Virtual Insanity" is currently playing.

It's weird to see how much Jay Kay (and the rest of the group) have changed over the years…

The Avalanches - BRAINS Nightclub On Tour

Published

Jeremy Higgs

on February 7, 2005

in Music

. 0 Comments

On Friday night, Lucy and I (and a couple of her friends) had the pleasure of seeing The Avalanches at the Civic Theatre. Their 'live act' is called the "BRAINS Nightclub on Tour", and basically consisted of a couple of guys from the Avalanches DJing and playing funky/latin music and a bunch of African percussionists doing their thing on stage.

It was certainly a bit weird… but it worked really well. The atmosphere was great - everyone was there to dance and enjoy the music, and people even got up on stage to dance and play the instruments! Some of the percussionists returned the favour, by coming down from the stage and playing the drums among the crowd… Crazy.

The best part(s) of the night? Dancing to Basement Jaxx's "Jump 'N Shout" and Underworld's "Two Months Off" with the drums layered on top… Simply amazing..