The Return of Scritti Politti: "White Bread, Black Beer"

Ever since the release of 1999's Anomie & Bonhomie, things had been a mite quiet on the Scritti front, but then things started to happen. Green Gartside played a couple of gigs under the name Double G and The Traitorous 3 (the first time he'd ventured on stage in about 25 years), and rumours were flying around about a new album, due to be released in April on Rough Trade, the label they'd started off on, back in 1982.

And on May 29th, White Bread, Black Beer was released to the world, and to outstanding critical acclaim. A much more stripped-down affair, the album was written, produced and recorded by Green in his own home in Peckham. Gone were the hip-hop influences (intrusions?) of Anhomie & Bonhomie, to be replaced by a more acoustic (guitars!), more laid-back feel. Songs with titles like "The Boom Boom Bap" feel like they should have the verve and boisterousness of Provision's "Boom! There She Was", but it's actually a beautiful, mellow song - albeit with a trademark Scritti booming bassline.

The album has a stealth-like quality, sneaking up on you. At first listen, fans of Cupid and Psyche '85 (Best Album in the World, Ever) may not like it's subdued quality, but then the sheer beauty of Green's androgynous vocals, looped and harmonized will take hold of you, seducing you and drawing you in. Green's trademark turn of phrase is still present: "Coming with the force of an illocution", "small paper packages washed down with gin" and "You bet your Petrococadollar"

It's been a long time coming, but it was worth it. Better than Cupid and Psyche '85? Not quite, but it comes a definite second - as another reviewer said, this is the album Provision should have been, after its heralding single "Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry For Loverboy)". In short, this is a truly beautiful album, and well worth a listen. Get it here now!

Review: Superman Returns

And so, after an eternity in Development Hell, the Man of Steel finally flies back onto the big screen. Nineteen years after the execrable Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, Bryan Singer manages to restore the reputation of the Last Son of Krypton in much the same way as Christopher Nolan did for Batman last year.

Singer sticks closely to Richard Donner's highly iconic and influential original movie, keeping much of John Williams' emotive score and even the style of the opening credits (also nicked for the credits for the new Doctor Who series...). The film, intended as a direct sequel to the first two movies, takes place some five years after Superman leaves Earth to search for the shattered remains of his home world. He returns (see where they got the name from?) to find that the world has moved on. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a new fiancé and a son and is about to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for an story about why humanity no loger needs a Superman.

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (played by a wonderfully scene-stealing Kevin Spacey) has evaded prison because Superman didn't turn up for a parole hearing and has swindled a dying woman out of her estate so that he can discover the source of the Man of Steel's power and knowledge.

Brandon Routh proves to be an excellent choice in the twin roles of Superman/Clark Kent. He echoes Christopher Reeve's bumbling Clark persona, but also manages to make Superman his own. He's friendly but slightly aloof, charming and yet distant - almost alien. Much of the film's emotional core comes from his feelings of loneliness, and his feelings for Lois.

If Donner's film showed us that we could believe a man could fly, this time we believe he can fly, catch falling jet aircraft and stop gas explosions with his icy breath. The effects are excellent, and in some ways very subtle - the haze surrounding Superman's heat vision, the flames of re-entry into atmosphere, the sonic boom as he flies off at top speed. Mainly we revel in the pure joy of seeing someone fly, much in the same way we enjoy the sight of Spidey swinging through New York.

Unfortunately, it's also Singer's insistence on sticking closely to the original movie that lets it down in some ways. twenty-eight years on(!) we demand more pace from our superhero movies, with a bar of quality set by two Spider-Man films, at least three Batmans and even Singer's own pair of X-Men. Those films show that you can have emotion, have slow moments and still deliver a cracking, well-paced action movie. Superman Returns seems to have its beats in the wrong places and the story seems to fizzle out, ending not with a bang, but a whimper. There's no rousing emotional climax, no real sense of threat to the world from which only Superman can save us.

Hopefully, this won't be the last we'll see of Superman on the big screen, but any further films will have to stand on their own, rather than riding the nostalgic coat-tails of the 1978 epic. Does the world need a Superman? Probably not, but its still rather wonderful to have him around.

Superman Returns UK Website

New Star Trek Movie Teaser Poster

Big screen retro-Trek, anyone? Anyone? Hello, is there anyone there? Oh, come on, it's not like it's big screen Voyager, or anything.... Hello?

StarTrek.com

Oh lordy: "Is the new Superman meant to be Jesus?"

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Is the new Superman meant to be Jesus?: "Is the Superman Returns movie meant to remind us of the Bible? And if so, is it blasphemy?
Well here's the story.

An all-powerful father sends his son to Earth to save mankind by showing them the 'light'. The son is able to perform miracles. He 'dies' and is born again.
Sound familiar? It might do, it's the plot of the new movie Superman Returns. And in the blogs and internet forums there has been a maelstrom of debate on the parallels between Superman and Jesus Christ.

Superman has a long history of Judaeo-Christian symbols, but this time the film's makers have taken it to a new level.

- At one point Superman falls towards the Earth in a pose that vaguely echoes the Crucifixion.
- He is stabbed in his side with Kryptonite in an echo of the stabbing of Jesus by a Roman soldier.
- A female nurse rushes into the hospital room to find it empty just as Jesus tomb was found to be empty by female followers.

And there are Christians in the US who believe that the symbolism is now sufficiently obvious that the film can be incorporated into religious teaching."

Well, I suppose you could read it in that way, but hey, it's just a story.... Stretching it all a bit far, methinks!

Scritti Politti in Mercury Music Prize shock!

D'oh! I missed this last week, and only found out about it when I went into HMV and saw their nominee display. Should help Green shift a few more copies, even if he doesn't win - and there's some stiff competition. The Arctic Monkeys are obviously favourites, but with Muse and Thom Yorke in the mix anything could happen.

"BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arctic Monkeys lead Mercury list: "The Arctic Monkeys are favourites to win the 2006 Mercury Music Prize after the shortlist was revealed in London.
Albums by Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and rock bands Muse and Editors are also up for the award for the best UK or Irish album of the past year.
The other nominated albums are by Guillemots, Sway, Richard Hawley, Hot Chip, Isobel Campbell, Scritti Politti, Zoe Rahman and Lou Rhodes.
The winner will receive a �20,000 cheque at a ceremony on 5 September."

'Right time' for Cerys' comeback

She's back! Ah, the lovely Cerys Matthews (formerly of Catatonia) is back in the UK for a new tour and to promote her new album, Never Said Goodbye. If you missed her last album, Cockahoop, then I seriously recommend you find a copy, 'cos it's really rather good.

BBC NEWS | Wales | 'Right time' for Cerys' comeback

The Official Cerys Matthews Website

Adam Ant: Extra Wonderful!

Unlike me to let something like this pass me by, but then I only seem to have missed it by a few days. Yes, there is new Ant material ont' web. The digital album Extra Wonderful has been released to an Ant-hungry world. So, here's the story....

In the early 1990s, Mr Ant and Mr Pirroni hoiked themselves off to Capitol Records and recorded an album called Wonderful, which, although a very good album, failed to reignite their careers. The title track was a minor hit both sides of the Atlantic, and then two further singles failed to do any significant business. And so, that was that, Aside from umpteen collections and the excellent Remasters project, there has been no new Antmusic to speak of, despite rumours and pipe-dreams. And so, we now have Extra Wonderful.

Essentially a collection of B-sides and remixes, there are a few hidden gems here. There are the B-sides to the three singles ("Wonderful", "Beautiful Dream" and "Gotta Be A Sin"), the highlight of which has to be "Phoenix". The remixes are essentially unremarkable, but there is a decent new spin on "Beautiful Dream" (though the two versions seem to be very similar).

You also get an excellent set of live tracks, ranging from "Cleopatra" to "Desparate But Not Serious" which are really rather good. I especially like their cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Physical (You're So)" (!).

So, another set of tracks for the Ant-completist. The whole lot comes in at a hefty £13.99, but you do get 22 tracks. Worth it? Yeah, probably. Wonder if the "missing" MCA album (recorded after Manners & Physique) will ever turn up?

Download it here: