Futons' Reviews

Hello, my name is supido-san, and welcome to Futons' Reviews. This is a blog for short reviews for music, film, and media that invigorates me and moves me in a meaningful way. Have a recommendation for something you would like to see? I'm open for business!

[futonsreviews]

聲の形 (Koe no Katachi, A Silent Voice, 2016)

---------

Recently I decided to pick up some new anime to watch, during my mid-year break from studying, and upon sharing a series recommendation via social media, a long-time friend brought this film to my attention. Asking me for a comparison, I exclaimed I hadn’t seen it, and quickly added it to my roster. I began to read a synopsis online, quickly to stop, in time to see the high praise this film has received, both in its’ native country and abroad.

Upon completing the film, I was left in a state I hadn’t been in for a long, long time, which kickstarted my urge to pick up film & music reviewing again.

---------

聲の形 (Koe no Katachi) is a heavy-handed take on physical disabilities, school bullying, and the long-term social and mental ramifications. This film hits you where it hurts most, and then beats you while you're down, but don’t get me wrong; that's not to say that it's without its' heartfelt moments. It does a fantastic job of pulling you into the world in which these characters inhabit, with you feeling as if you're occupying the same space as the characters, instead of merely just passing through. You don’t merely just sympathise and feel for the characters, but empathise with them, sharing with them the pain that they feel. I struggled to find anything negative or disagreeable with the film itself, instead only finding myself feeling negativity towards one particular character; this isn’t due to poor writing, but in fact the opposite, showing how well the writers and voice actress fleshed out, and embodied the particular character and their portrayal. This film was a joy to watch; a well-worthwhile journey, and definitely a storytelling highlight for me in terms of media I've absorbed in the past few years. Very few films have moved me in the way I felt when this film concluded, leaving me with an intense bittersweetness mixed with jubilation. Please, give this film an honest chance, both to entertain you, and to move you to the very core of your soul.

[futonsreviews]

Marina and the Diamonds - Froot [2015]

Having a friend that swears by Marina and her music, but having never listened to her myself, I decided to ask my friend on a whim for a gateway song. Originally presented with Oh No! (from her debut album, the Family Jewels), I thought the song was catchy, but ultimately it didn’t catch my attention. Skip forward a few months, and Froot finds its way into my possession, and I think, “why not? let’s give it a chance”.

And what a good decision is was. Froot is Marina’s 3rd album, and the first she wrote all the songs for herself. It blends indie rock styles with synth-pop and general pop music, culminating in 12 finely-crafted pieces. While personally I wasn’t feeling the first song, Happy, with each subsequent song I enjoyed myself more, finding a pleasent listening experience by the half-way point, with the polar-styled songs, Solitaire, and Better Than That. Marina has an interesting way of presenting her voice, using not only using her whole octave range, but also changing her accent and intonation within song passages, which helps to keep the listener circling the album, like the planets orbit the sun.

Lots of bands and musicians tend to take until their 3rd album to find their footing, their style, and musical identity, and Marina has definitely succeeded with Froot. If she builds on what she has created here, she will surely have a bright future ahead of her.

[futonsreviews]

The Tony Williams Lifetime - Emergency! [1969]

Jazz was beginning it's next biggest fluctuation in sound at the end of the 1960's, with the albums of Miles Davis during this era as the prominent, and most well-known to the general public. Jazz musicians were embracing a more "electric" sound, and moving away from the mostly-acoustic sound used for decades, using instruments such as electric guitars, whilst also beginning to fuse other genres into the mix. Thus, the beginning of jazz fusion was upon us.

If you're familiar with jazz music during this time, you've undoubtedly heard of musicians Tony Williams and John McLaughlin; and even if you don't know them by name, you're probably heard them play on something, especially if you're a Miles Davis fan; it was Tony that introduced Miles to John, which began the three playing together throughout the 1970s, and recording some of the most influential jazz records of all-time together. If you're a fan of any, or all, of the electric Miles albums, you're find some familiar common ground within this record.

The band on this album is essentially a jazz-rock power trio, with the notable exception being that there is no bass guitar, instead substituted by organ, played by Larry Young (another big Miles Davis collaborator). The ground weaves itself through many different styles of music, with equal parts jazz, psychedelic rock, and even blues, mixing them all into a neat little package; almost seemingly giving you a tour through all the musical styles prominent at the time in North America. The album my only contain three instrumentalists, but at times it feels like a lot more, which each of them having mastered their respective instruments. There's also some vocal performances by Tony, which give the songs a funk-bluesy tinge that fits in nicely amongst all that is already going on.

I've come across many people in my lifetime that completely denounce jazz music, but with albums and groups such as this, it's hard to see why they feel this way. Like rock music is extremely varied, with many different sub-genres and sub-styles, jazz is exactly the same. There's something for everyone, even if it might take you a while to find out what appeals most to you. But if you just open yourself to the mysteries of the musical world and its landscape, you'll find yourself enveloped in an oasis of sound unlike anything you could ever have imagined.

- - -

EXTRA: If you enjoy this album, and band setups such as this, why not give Elephant9 a go? An award-winning norwegian jazz trio that makes music that feels like the spiritual successor to groups such as this.

[futonsreviews]

Nisennenmondai - N [2013]

Three small Japanese ladies; creating sounds with guitar, bass, and drums that hails back to the sounds of early German krautrock music; with absolutely mesmerising precision. Anybody that's delved beneath the surface of the Japanese music scene, past the countless rock, pop, and visual kei groups, will know that there's also a countless amount of groups of varying musical styles, pushing the musical envelope, and expanding on the sounds laid down by their predecessors.

Nisennenmondai (named after the Y2K computer bug), have been around for nearly a decade now, and their sound has progressively changed, whilst still staying true to their roots. They started with more loud, long-form pieces, that fit into the "noise rock" category, and as time passed, have moved more towards a traditional rock-band setup taking on the sounds of the proto-techno masterpiece, E2-E4.

Nisennenmondai isn't the first group from Japan to smash varying styles and genres together at an alarming pace, mixing sounds one wouldn't usually expect to hear within the same songs or ensembles; but in their short lifespan, they've released a body of work that many groups would struggle to release in two, or maybe even three, decades.

And this, N, is their first masterpiece.

[futonsreviews]

Keiji Haino & Sitaar Tah! - Animamima [2006]

Keiji Haino is the master of Japanese underground avant-garde music, and has been since the late 1970s. He's released dozens of albums, containing a wide variety of styles and instruments, and has also collaborated with a great deal of musicians. This is one of his masterpieces (in my opinion), and one of his easier albums to swallow. It's a live show (two long tracks separated over two discs) where he's working with a 20-piece sitar orchestra and a throat singer by the name of Fuyuki Yamakawa.

Sitaar Tah! floods these discs and sounds like a large migration of wasps and bees, which might not sound very pleasant, but it most-definitely is. Yamakawa adds his low throbbing whistles to the pieces, and if you want to compare it to an animal, imagine he's the frog king they're all carrying.

Haino adds a few things to these discs, but doesn't overbear us with his sounds. The most noticeable is his flute, with pierces the swirling noise like a gentle summer breeze. He also plays hurdy gurdy, sruthi-box, and tanbur to the droning landscape, and near the end of the first disc he starts wailing with an other-worldly vide that only he could deliver.

When I think of drone music, I mostly think of peaceful or spiritual music, but this is neither. This is a chaotic journey across thousands of miles of landscape in a massing swirl of sound full of life, and it's angry. It won't overbear your senses, but it won't end leaving you relaxed either. If you're new to the mystical world of Keiji Haino, or the world of drone music, this is a fantastic pleace to start.

[futonsreviews]

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall [2005]

Originally this release was recorded on November 29th, 1957, as part of a benefit concert. It lay untouched in the Library of Congress until 2005, when it was discovered and restored with high-end equipment, which was overseen by T.S. Monk, Thelonious' son. It documents two sets, the latter of which is incomplete, but that doesn't matter, because the nine tracks included on this release are amazing.

What I like about this release is how flexible everything feels, yet also how concrete and structured, a true sign of masters at work. I've heard quite a few of Coltrane's albums, so I had some idea as to what he was going to deliver, but from what I've heard from Monk, his playing seems a lot more abstract, and perhaps even abrasive. This doesn't mean it's necessarily bad, it adds tension to the tracks which quickly resolves itself, and then comes back, and etc.

This album has a perfect "winter days" feel to it, but maybe it just connected with me and made more sense when I was outside looking at the sombre cold scenery around me. The rhythm section is tight, and the solos delivered from both Monk and Coltrane are accurate and precise. A lost gem from two jazz giants, a must-listen for any jazz fan.

[futonsreviews]

He 6 - 아름다운 인형 (Beautiful Doll) [1972]

Considering the amount of change Korea (by this time separated into North and South) had gone though around the time of this albums release, it's hard to believe something some beautiful came from a country so recently torn by war. It also adds its own flavour to the then-recent style of psychedelic rock, connecting East and West with a splendid musical bridge.

It's hard finding much information on this group (let alone this release), so I'll be going purely off what I have listened to. The album contains 7 tracks, the second one (and my favourite at the time of first listen) appears to be a cover, but I can't be sure about any of the others. The tracks have a very funky sound to them, contributed from the rhythm section, with the psychedelic elements being delivered by the horns (flute, trumpets, saxophone maybe?) and razor-sharp guitar noodling at just the right time. The 14-minute title track is the one "out there" piece that every psych-rock album must have, with the last 4-or-so minutes of it being a funky drum solo that seems hint at the afrobeat sound that was developed halfway across the world.

If you're a fan of hip-hop, you've probably heard this album before. DJ Shadow sampled it on his first album (probably the lengthy drum solo from the title track), which lead me to find this. Had he never of done so, perhaps this gem would have been lost to the ages. Either way, it's a little piece of music history from a land whose musical export at the moment comprises of boy bands and girl groups. Let us never forget our 6 musical heroes.

[futonsreviews]

Satoru Akahori - Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl [2006]

I can't quite remember how I came across this show, which is strange considering it was less than a week ago from now. I thought the official artwork was beautiful, and the first paragraph of the wikipedia page made me laugh, so I decided to check it out. I went in expecting a slice-of-life comedy, but got a lot more; like FEELINGS.

Kashimashi begins with Hazumu Osaragi climbing up a mountain in his town, after being rejected by his crush Yasuna Kamiizumi. Scenes show of his friends, including his childhood friend Tomari Kurusu, convincing him to admit his feelings to Yasuna, and afterwards them worried about him. All of a sudden, Hazumu is killed - by an alien spacecraft landing on him. The alien within the ship, Hitoshi Sora, then brings Hazumu back to life with his technology. But, in an error, he brings Hazumu back as a female, right down to the DNA level, in a process that is irreversible. This sets up the main part of the story, with both Yasuna and Tomari eventually revealing their feelings for Hazumu, which results in a same-sex love triangle between the three girls.

When reading through some comments when I was thinking of getting the show, one person was a bit disappointed that the show seemed to go from "lots of comedy with yuri-love" to "less comedy and more drama". The story does seem to change in tone throughout the run, but I don't find dramatically; things definitely get more serious by the end, but the comedic elements still remain and pop in at the right times to lighten things up.

The series ran for 12 episodes, with an extended ending presented on the DVD release (with a total of 13 episodes overall). The series was changed from the manga to make it easier to understand, and to contain a better flow, but it doesn't change the overall message of love without gender, which the show plays with delightfully. I'm surprised myself when such short-running shows can hit you with such a lasting impact, which a definite sign of good storytelling.

You'll like this if you like SoL's, drama, comedy anime, or a mix of them. It's a sweet show, with lots of nice aspects, and definitely worth checking out.

[futonsreviews]

Calm - Shadow of the Earth [2000]

A while back, I stumbled across a music thread where a guy was posting lots of instrumental hip-hop. I had never heard of most of these artists, but I snatched what I could because of how appealing it sounded; instrumental hip-hop with jazz-influences. This took me down the road and got me hooked to musical magicians such as Nujabes (R.I.P.), and ever since I've been building my collection of hip-hop on music I find aesthetically similar to his. Enter: Calm.

I can't really find much information on this guy, except for he's a Japanese DJ that makes instrumental, beat-orientated ambient and electronica music, which you could just easily say is "hip-hop". This is the earliest album I've found by him, and it's an amazing trip. You've got 13 tracks, rounding off to over 70 minutes, and it's a very relaxing collection. Personally it reminds me of a more hip-hop flavoured Moby, who I grew up listening to from his early-ambient albums right through his landmark album Play and onwards.

I'm not sure how easy or hard it would be to come across this release, but definitely give if it a shot if you like ambient music, hip-hop, or even jazz.

[futonsreviews]

Fritz Lang - M [1931]

Any fan of classic cinema, or the era that transitioned from silent films to talkies, will know or seen one of Fritz Lang's films. His influence is extremely widespread, with one notable example being from his 1927 film Metropolis (the most expensive silent film made at the time). Fritz had made dozens of movies before M, but with making his first one with sound, he was moving into new and exciting territory, being able to do stuff with his films that weren't possible without sound.

M is centered around a series of child murders, the public's reaction to no suspect being caught after such a long police investigation, and the eventual manhunt and capture orchestrated by the city's criminals. The film contains quite a lot of scenic shots, with and without actors, with voice-overs or key plot elements shown that previously wasn't possible, and done in a very fine manner. One thing that hit me quite hard about this film was some of the raw emotion portrayed by many of the actors, which eventually hits its climax when the murder is brought before a tribunal of underworld leaders (the ones that originally decided to hunt for the murderer themselves).

This scene contains a key speech from the murdered, named Hans Beckert, when he gets extremely emotional and speaks out saying he cannot contain his urges to kill, and that he cannot run from them. It's extremely hard-hitting, and feels as if it's not actually acting, but a real tribunal meeting instead. Another important part of the film revolves around the chase and his eventual capture, all because a blind man recognised his whistling. I was honestly surprised at small things like this, imagining one of the earliest sound films being rich with sound, opposed to it being used discreetly and more to drive the film than anything else.

One of the good things about this film, being as old as it is, is that it's in the public domain, and actually available to watch on YouTube. But despite being so old, it doesn't really feel dated, using simple storytelling and imagery which are fantastic aspects. Instead of going overboard, everything was used just right, and I can understand why this film will be set in the stone of film history for, well, "history".

[futonsreviews]

Fishmans - 空中キャンプ (Aerial Camp) [1996] 

The original incarnation with their vocalist Shinji Sato broke up in 1998. Four months later in 1999, Shinji died of heart problems he had suffered from birth. In 2007, Kawasaki Daisuke produced a list for Rolling Stone Japan of the Top 100 Japanese Rock Albums of All Time. This album came in at number 8.

Fishmans were a group that mixed elements of jazz, rock, and dub music into a nice calming blend, which combined with Shinji Sato's vocals, produced a beautiful mix of music. The band had produced 4 albums before the release of this one, but none stand up in the amount of power this one contains; and we're not talking about "heavy power". Aerial Camp contains 8 tracks, clocking in at nearly 50 minutes, and contains probably their most well-known song, ナイトクルージング (Night Cruising). But what really hooked me about this album was the opening track, ずっと前 (Long Before). It starts off with a guitar hook that instantly, well, "hooks" you, and surges into a beautiful dub rhythm section, with echo and reverb in considerate amounts.

Some tracks are more "dubby" than others, but the overall feel of the music is never lost throughout a listen. The band would go on to record two more albums after this, one being a 35-minute long piece entitled Long Season. The influence of this band in Japan is not hard to miss, and it's not hard to see why this album (and this band) is so highly regarded.

[futonsreviews]

Chu-Bra!! - Anime Series [2010]

When I was growing up, I was used to watching shows like Astro Boy, Dragon Ball, and Sailor Moon, which had lots of seasons and lots and lots of episodes. I've still never got the hang of shows with 12 episodes, then extended for another 12-episode season, then nothing. Or even just a 12-episode run then nothing. Depending on the story, the characters, plot devices, etc it can be hard to watch a show with such a short run because either you fall in love with it, and don't want it to end so soon, or you can't get into it because it doesn't develop certain points well enough. I'm still on the fence with this one; I loved it, but parts of it still fell short for me.

Chu-Bra!! is the story of Nayu Hayama, who embarrasses herself on the first day of middle school after falling at a school assembly and revealing very adult underwear (in context of the show, "panties" would be more correct, but I feel weird writing that, lol). She eventually makes friends with two other girls, Yako Jingūji and Haruka Shiraishi, and they find out she's an "underwear monitor", testing underwear products her step-brother designs. Due to Nayu being a monitor, she has great insight on how women should properly wear underwear, and helps the others who obviously have no clue.

Nayu then decides to start an underwear club to educate other girls at her school on underwear, but when things go pear-shaped she makes it an appreciation society instead. Two other members eventually join, quiet girl Kiyono Amahara and hilariously-serious boy Hiroki Komachi. Along with one of their teachers Tamaki Mizuno (who also happens to be a classmate of Nayu's stepbrother and still harbours a crush on him), they have some whacky adventures, and by the end of this short series, you learn how important proper underwear actually is for a woman.

Like I said earlier, I thought this show was great; it had simple yet effective relationships between the characters, great character designs and animation, and extremely catchy theme songs. The manga continued for another year after the anime series was made, and I don't know how much was taken or condensed from the manga (which started its run in 2007), but these girls and their underwear give you enough to sink your teeth into to have an enjoyable time which is well-worth the emotional ride.

Plus, I now have a PhD in Girls' Underwear.

[futonsreviews]

Django Reinhardt - Django's Blues [1947]

Another big name in jazz, in his prime long before Miles Davis became known, was Django Reinhardt. Django came from gypsy family, and at the age of 18, was injured in a fire he shared with his first wife. Due to this, he received first and second degree burns over more than half of his body, and had his left hand badly burnt. This resulted in his ring and pinky fingers becoming paralyzed, with doctor's believing he would never play guitar again. But, being the complete badass he was, he taught himself to play the guitar again, with completely amazing results. He could eventually play again, using only his pointer and middle fingers, and would sometimes use his paralyzed digits for chord work.

Considering the era he was from, including the fact he was a Jew living in Paris during the Nazi occupation, recordings are of somewhat varied quality, but this release is definitely a good one. It contains 15 tracks (it includes various takes of two tracks), and has that warm, fuzzy feeling from old recording equipment. The album also contains a wonderful version of the jazz standard Brazil, a personal favourite composition of mine, and gives us other versions of tracks from after a very bleak time in history, with a very upbeat and possible sound and feel.

For music historians, die-hard fans, or even just a casual jazz listener, Django's Blues is a must-have, and will make a great conversational piece when played at parties and gatherings.

[futonsreviews]

Miles Davis - Doo-Bop [1992]

Anybody familiar with the history of music will know the name Miles Davis when they hear it, and at least be able to name one of his compositions or albums. Since after the Second World War, Miles was at the forefront of every major change in jazz music, including modal jazz, jazz fusion, and even free-jazz. To deny his impact would be pure idiocracy.

But all things must come to an end, and in September of 1991, Miles passed away, leaving behind an impressive body of work that most would only dream of creating. This album, Doo-Bop, was his last. Being the innovator he was, he decided to try his hand at hip-hop music, a still relatively-young style back then. He got the idea after listening to the sound of the New York streets during summer, and hired the help of Easy Mo Bee to help him. Due to Davis dying before the album was complete, leaving only six completed tracks, Easy build tracks that Miles 'would have loved' around leftover recordings, and then rounding off the album with a reprise of the opening track.

Being a fan of hip-hop music myself, and hearing some Miles Davis samples in work by producers such as Nujabes, I was sort-of ready for the album, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's definitely not as acclaimed as some of his other groundbreaking releases, but it's another piece of the puzzle that needs to be seen (or heard) to believe.

[futonsreviews]

I'm back!

Hey all, sorry for the lack of updates for a while. Summer came around, and I got busy watching lots of television shows and movies, and reading lots of books I got for christmas. I'm going to be posting again, and at least queuing a bit of stuff in case I don't post for a while.

I hope you all had great holidays, and hope you're well!

[supidosan]

I…I’m actually swimming in my feelings and lost for words. I rarely think this way about any sort of movie or show, but this one is practically flawless. It has a great soundtrack (so much so, that a ridiculous amount of albums were released for it), fantastic art and animation, and an...

[futonsreviews]

Cat's Eyes - s/t [2011]

Cat's Eyes is the brain child of Faris Badwan (frontman of the band The Horrors) and multi-instrumental Rachel Zeffira. The band came into existence from shared love of 1960s pop music and producers Joe Meek and Phil Spector, which soon spawned a demo from Zeffira. Notably, the band has given a short performance at the Vatican, which has probably been the first performance by a rock group at such a venue.

The duo released their first EP in February after much positive press reviews, and their first album (their self-titled) in April. It contains 10 songs, and runs a little less than half-an-hour long; but in this case, it works. Although based around 1960s music, the album also has a very timeless feel to it, and has great replay value. I was quite eager to check this release out myself when I first heard of it, being an avid fan of the Horrors, although nothing of the band really comes through on this release (except Badwan's vocals).

A short review for a short release. Straight to the point, and never boring. Definitely worth checking out.