Lost in...

Well. I dunno. I don't really watch films, at all. But the other night I was flicking through the TV channels, highly uninspired, then found Film 4. I have always wanted to get into Film 4, as it always tends to be showing some cult picture-house movie that I really should see! Drawn in by nothing else, I backtracked, and broke my self-imposed movie embargo - catching a good 40 minutes of 'Lost in Translation'. At the very least I could just fall asleep to it, as so often is the verdict!

The freeview blurb bought to my attention it's award winning credentials, which I felt it was more than decent for! The gist of what had gone on for the hour before came to me quite quickly, leaving what time was left to absorb the tenderness and fragility that both Murray and Johansson delicately dance with, playfully and cutely. What was most touching was that feeling of familiarity. You meet someone for only a short time, but they can be in your life for an short, but intense period, then flit off.

Intended or not, my understanding was such, that Sofia Coppola wanted to show how people can come together, briefly, yet form a bond that makes them question everything in their life. It can bring a shattering end to what has always felt like the 'right thing', i.e. job, family, lifestyle etc. It takes these real lonely moments for this reassessment. The confiding that Murray and Johansson show seems beautifully genuine, which makes the heartache at the end a real tearjerker - although myself I did not pass a tear, honest!!

Caribou

Caribou - Swim has rightfully been adorably-critiqued into the ground over the past month. Here is my turn. This album is bloody Summery. The drums are understated, with percussion adding the most intrusive punches on tracks like Kaili. An ambient/trance-like haziness prevails throughout your... Urr... Swim - a nice one! Like having a dip here!

Each track exudes a different euphoric experience. Sun is surprisingly dark, with a flat beat, and earrings of the tones of minimal-house guru, Claude VonStroke. This, the third effort from Dan Snaith, is certainly his most triumphant 'stab at it'. The mixture of sounds sourced and experimental layering on tracks like Found Out, featuring prominent plinky-plonky guitar tweaks help keep the music vivid.

The champion track has to be Odessa. It's ethereal welching complemented by shallow dub and harmonious vocals make it a song for festivals, at dusk, with the intoxication of your choice! End of.

The poker of politics.

Well, isn't this perfectly hilarious. The build up to this vastly hyped, and fiercely fought election battle has concluded in a truly English whimpering style - probably like our exit from the World Cup in the coming months! MPs, bless them, are now sleeping, and now, after exercising our democratic right, surprise, we are no further ahead! Ironically, we are now in a state of 'poker politics' with Clegg seeming to be honourable and gracious in defeat, Brown scrabbling around whining for support from the Liberals, whilst Cameron is remaining coy for the time being at least!

It seems that the three main parties are all putting the shades on. However, the real failure here, an obvious point I know, is that of the disproportionate British electoral system! The Tories should, hands down, be allowed to form a majority government after achieving a bigger wing than Thatcher achieved. The reason Labour hold such strong support in built up areas around Manchester, Glasgow etc. is because they have re-drawn so many constituency boundaries as to widen their grasp over a dedicated/deluded?! electorate! Nice.

Recent pictures.

From Philip Larkin.

Days

What are days for?

Days are where we live.

They come, they wake us

Time and time over.

They are to be happy in:

Where can we live but days?

Ah, solving that question

Brings the priest and the doctor

In their long coats

Running over the fields.

- Philip Larkin

About time...

A bit old hat I know, as Swatch's (still fairly new) color codes range has had a good couple of months to sell out of every variety by now, since being heavily plastered across the ad pages of Dazed & Confused... However, somewhat luckily I managed to track down a stockist, and subsequently have taken possession of my second one today, a lovely cherry berry, and I stand by just how essential these watches at the moment! They are a decent price, pretty well made, tell the time (shock horror!), and... they just seem to offer something a bit different!

Swatch needed to re-ignite their hallmarked quality with something... From this it's clear that they decided some adrenaline and jelly babies should do the job - an injection of youthful spontaneity! Finding their playful side, the (boring!?) Swiss have reacted, and successfully so! With this range, the choice is yours. Whether you go for a shiny, gleaming time piece, or one of the more subtle matt options available, one thing is sure, it's good to keep with the times!

Forever.

It seems sad that the selfishness of Brian - all bedded up - left his (more hardy/rugged, but at the same time very vulnerable) younger brother Dennis to flounder about. He led a life of ups and downs, which was ultimately later dictated by the the overuse of substances. 5 broken marriages later, and a realisation that there was no money left - it's teary that such a character had little choice but drink himself into a coma each day - with not even his closest friends being able to straighten him out?! A tragic loss, but at least this song written and sung by Dennis affirms some of the beauty that is in life... Just a thought!