La ressortie, ce mercredi 25 novembre, de Klute est l’occasion de s’intéresser à ce film méconnu de la décennie considérée comme le dernier âge d’or, les années 70, comme de la filmographie de son réalisateur Alan J. Pakula. Il est vrai que cette œuvre accuse un déficit de considération comparé aux deux autres opus composant sa trilogie dite du complot, les grandioses À cause d’un assassinat et Les Hommes du Président, du fait de son rythme atypique et de sa rapide bifurcation d’une enquête policière classique vers un récit intimiste, la découverte du coupable important finalement moins que la construction identitaire de son héroïne, remarquable Jane Fonda.
Un notable d’une bourgade de Pennsylvanie, Tom Gruneman, disparaît inexplicablement. John Klute (Donald Sutherland), ami et détective privé mène l’enquête avec pour seuls indices les lettres obscènes que Gruneman aurait écrites à une call-girl de New-York, Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda). Klute se rend sur place, s’installe au rez-de-chaussée de l’immeuble de Daniels et enregistre ses conversations téléphoniques. Il prend finalement contact avec elle et noue une relation d’attirance/répulsion qui parasitera ses recherches de la vérité.

Klute vaut vraiment la peine d’être découvert car il expose tous les attributs et motifs des fictions paranoïaques à venir, et repris par Pakula lui-même, mais se restreint à des sphères dont les ramifications sont encore identifiables. En 1971, année de sortie du film, l’Amérique, si elle a été éclaboussée par le sang de Kennedy ne l’est pas encore par le scandale du Watergate qui éclatera un an plus tard en 1972. Traumatisée, elle n’a pas encore perdu confiance en ses institutions bien que quelques révélations sur la surveillance étroite des citoyens exercée par les agences gouvernementales (C.I.A, F.B.I) commencent à poindre dès le début des seventies. Klute se montre ainsi parfaitement raccord avec ce contexte et plutôt que de montrer des êtres se confronter aux conséquences d’une machination impossible à révéler au grand jour (comme l’expérimenteront Warren Beatty et le duo Redford/Hoffmann), échafaude un climat oppressant s’immisçant progressivement dans la vie de chacun. Cloisonnement de plus en plus insistant (cadres, surcadres, cloison du bureau de Cable se refermant) jusque dans l’appartement de Bree Daniels et qui confine à l’isolement malgré l’activité de la ville (nombreux espaces vides composant l’arrière plan), on dénote également d’importantes zones d’ombre (formidable travail sur la photographie de Gordon Willis) comme une multiplication de plans subjectifs insinuant une surveillance ou de plans à la durée inhabituellement longue augmentant l’expectative.

Klute, sans y faire clairement référence, est un film hanté par l’assassinat de Kennedy, Tom Gruneman, que l’on verra en tout début de métrage et assez furtivement lors du repas, joue ce rôle d’une présence fantomatique que l’on évoquera au détour de dialogues ou par l’entremise d’une photo souriante de son visage. Une absence qui agira sur la vie des protagonistes, ceux-ci cherchant aussi bien à mettre à jour le mystère l’entourant (est-il mort ? Si oui, tué par qui, pourquoi ?) qu’à s’en défaire pour recommencer à vivre.
Mais le film se montre vraiment intéressant dans sa peinture du personnage féminin principal, Bree Daniels, qui semble ne s’épanouir que dans la domination exercée sur la gent masculine. C’est elle qui mène les débats et les ébats. Pourtant, elle expose certaines faiblesses et états d’âme à sa psy, la call-girl ayant du mal à réfréner les désirs d’amour et d’équilibre de la femme. Tout son petit monde sera encore plus chamboulé par l’entrée en scène du détective John Klute qui sera plutôt un élément perturbateur que véritable héros du film, contrairement à ce que l’on pouvait attendre d’un titre reprenant son patronyme. Il incarnera l’autre versant de la masculinité, celle offrant sécurité et stabilité par opposition au maquereau interprété par Roy Sheider. Un personnage féminin à fort caractère dont les attitudes de défiance cachent une fragilité à fleur de peau. Pakula joue extrêmement bien avec les attentes qu’il aura suscitées, Klute a finalement du mal à imposer sa présence à l’écran (souvent littéralement dans l’ombre en train d’épier, transparent lorsque le réalisateur ne cadre que son reflet dans une vitre) et Bree Daniels se montre vraiment détonante alors qu’elle nous a été présentée de manière indifférenciée au milieu d’un casting de jeunes femmes (la caméra passe sans s’arrêter en gros plan sur son visage).

Enfin, Klute se révèle un grand film dans son utilisation de la bande-son. Une importance marquée d’emblée par le premier plan montrant un magnétophone que l’on actionne. Ainsi, les enregistrements des conversations de Bree seront autant de révélations factuelles sur ses méthodes de travail, sa manière de jouer face à son client, qu’elles sembleront illustrer les pensées de Cable, le commanditaire de Klute, en pleine réflexion ou introspection et seront utilisées pour provoquer l’effroi lorsque Bree entendra sa propre voix en décrochant le téléphone. De même les confessions faites à sa psy déborderont le cadre de son cabinet pour éclairer de manière contradictoire ce que les images de l’intimité du couple Klute/Daniels laissent entrevoir. Une intimité caractérisée par l’absence de paroles, les sentiments s’exprimant par les gestes, les regards, les postures. Les quelques mots proférés s’avèreront blessant ou générateurs de peur ou de tension. Les relations sincères sont donc celles où l’économie de mots prédomine puisque lorsqu’ils affluent (pendant des passes ou des entretiens avec la psy) c’est sous couvert d’une certaine somme d’argent. Un environnement sonore dont l’importance est redoublée par la musique de Michael Small dont les compositions ajoutent aux troubles de la relation et de l’ambiance paranoïaque.

Klute, sans être un chef-d’œuvre du genre est indéniablement à découvrir pour son portrait de femme dont la libération sexuelle et morale dérègle l’introversion imposée et puis parce qu’il détourne avec brio les codes du film noir et plus généralement du classicisme hollywoodien alors en vigueur (illustrant en cela ce que sera le Nouvel Hollywood). Alors que le film, à l’image de son héros désabusé, semble s’articuler sur la désillusion à l’œuvre, il s’achemine vers la possibilité de se reconstruire. Une éventualité contrecarrée quelques années plus tard par les deux authentiques chefs-d’œuvre de Pakula, À cause d’un assassinat et Les Hommes du Président.

Nicolas Zugasti

> Film repris en salles le 25 novembre 2009

> Lire aussi l’article consacré au “cinéma politique” et à la musique de Michael Small dans VERSUS n° 9.

Extrait de Klute en VOSTFR

Ecchi scenes

Other screenshots

QotD: “I have no pity.”

I watched Red Dragon earlier in the day rather than tonight and I did go out with friends. I have some money left but not a lot. Not as much as I’d like. But, I made sure to trade it well, for precious liquids.

So, I’m typing this in Word so that I can fix spelling mistakes, for once. Liquids and spelling do not go together all that well. Tomorrow night promises to be even more damp, but that isn’t costly. It also promises to be smokey, considering the crowd, not my usual conspirators, but friends of friends who I approve of, some of them. Not all.

At the moment it is late into the dark and I am enjoying Lou Reed’s relaxing songs of violence and menace, sitting in the darkness of my room with the light coming from my screen and from the window, which, for once, isn’t creating an “artificial night”, but letting in the real one. Melbourne nights are bright, which I like. I enjoy slow walks home, relaxed by drink, a cool breeze, light enough to see everything but dim enough to not need sunglasses. But you still wear them, of course.

Someone has taken my lovely headphones, so I’m using my speakers. I don’t usually do that at this time of night, as I’d prefer to have it louder, but my housemates aren’t about like me tonight. The moon is away so most of the monsters are away. I can barely hear this, fuck it, it’s going up.

I feel like sitting outside, I might go do that now.

(break)

It’s nice outside tonight; I wish someone else was awake. The sun is around the other side and there’s a breeze. No stars, but the sky is always nice to look at. Cicadas can fuck off elsewhere though. Or I’ll go where they aren’t, I’m not a fan.

I’ll write more on Red Dragon another time.

I met some alright people tonight, some I knew already. Not everyone impressed me, but nobody was too bad, it was a comfortable crowd.

I want another drink, but I don’t know if I need one.

(break)

I got one.

The problem with nights like these, they have the potential for being great, long nights with friends, but there are no friends around. I’m often fine with solitude, but when I’ve been with people and I’m still in a people mood, then they’re not there. I’m just here, by myself, making incomplete sentences in the dark.

Tomorrow will be better, the words that get you through today,

Goodnight cow, goodnight moon, goodnight cow jumping over the moon,

Your damp, smoked song of violence and menace,

TDE

Le propriétaire des salles “arts et essais” CNP lyonnaise adresse un ultimatum à la municipalité et à la région pour obtenir des subventions, sinon après l’Odéon, c’est un des deux autres cinéma restant qui pourrait fermer. Vu la préférence des collectivités locales pour les événements en mode esbrouffe plutôt que pour une action de fond, on peut douter qu’un nouveau projet prenne le relais pour continuer de diffuser en plein centre un cinéma rare, pointu, exigeant, novateur, précurseur ou marginal… Bon, il restera le téléchargement et le streaming pour voir des films qui auraient en priorité besoin de rentrées d’argent…

Here’s another quick review on a Queen’s Blade trading figure from Medicos Entertainment. This time is the “majestic-na body” Menace!

Menace, Ancient Princess

Figure Information

Original Design: F.S
Sculptor: PROGRESS
Source: Queen’s Blade (Visual Combat Book) [cover]
Scale: Non-scale (Aprox. 10 cm)
Material: PVC, ABS
Release Date: November/2008
Production: Medicos Entertainment [link]

Character Introduction

Menace is a character from the Queen’s Blade series of “Visual Combat Book” (gamebook). Her book was released on September 2006. Here’s the information about her background, published at Queen’s Blade Official Homepage [link]:

Menace is the Princess of the Amara Kingdom that was destroyed many thousands of years ago. She was supposed to become the Queen, but her kingdom was betrayed by its senior statesmen and fell into ruins, subjugated by an enemy country. History says that Princess Menace shared the same fate of her crumbling palace. And at the present time, the “Marshland Witch” who plans to conquer the Continent, using great powers was able to resurrect Menace to lead her army. However, Menace being of royal birth and unable to take orders from others, ran away. During her travels, she was encouraged by a suspicious merchant to participate in Queen’s Blade to become the new Queen. To restore Amara Kingdom! But not only she’s naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world, there’s also a culture gap that envelops her into a mysterious atmosphere. Despite her well-bred personality, she an user of murderous hand-to-hand fighting techniques passed down through the royal family. Her fist surrounded by the cursed aura can drain the life of her opponents with a touch.

The weapon with a cat head she holds is a treasure, the living royal scepter Setra. Setra who likes to talk and play pranks, is Menace’s partner and a friend on equal terms.

Review

For a bit more of information on the Chouzou Queen’s Blade Collection Figure Vol.2, take a look at my previous review about Echidna [link]. From the second box I opened, I got the regular color version of Menace! Like all trading figures of this series, it comes disassembled and in small plastic bags.

Menace’s head came in a small plastic blister.

Even though Menace has little clothing, the sculpture of this trading figure is far from being minimalistic. The base emulating a cursed aura and her loincloth are translucent. The sharp details on the crown and the jewels over her body can put any bigger scaled figure to shame.

The painting is surprisingly well done with great colors, carefully painted even in the fingernails polish. The skin is shaded giving it a more natural feel.

Menace’s pose accentuates her body curves and is very sexy overall. Unlike the other figures of this series, it doesn’t look like she’s taking damage.

Even Setra is nicely done!

Even though some seams are visible and one flaw or another can be detected on closer inspection, for its small price, Menace fans can’t get disappointed with this figure from Medicos Entertainment.

Now I need to get Tomoe! And maybe find out what the secret figure of this volume is about!

Cya!

Menace by F.S

Here is the album review I promised on my twitter yesterday!  Before I start, once again I want to thank you all for supporting my blog, both my music reviews and my personal entries.  I really appreciate all the views and I hope that you’ll keep it locked here because I ain’t stoppin’! Thankyou.

You already know what I think of Russian Roulette, and the other 3 songs we’ve heard already from Rated R.  Generally, they portray a darker, edgier side to Rihanna, both in the production (deeper, more menacing beats) and lyrical content that includes a bit of cursing, a lot of swagger and references to pain, trials and tribulations.  ”Russian Roulette”, “Wait Your Turn” and “Hard” are more or less indicative of the album as a whole.  In contrast to her previous smash Good Girl Gone Bad, it’s a lot less uptempo.  The songs are mainly midtempos and ballads, which may alienate a lot of fans who want her faster, danceable material (though “Hard” and “Rude Boy” cater to these needs, and do so well with swagger lyrics – the latter seeing Rihanna come on to a ‘rude boy’ as if she were the guy who is gonna “put it on you”).  However, the slower material allows for two major things: one, to prove that Rihanna can actually sing.  Okay, she’s no Beyoncé, but she holds her own a lot better than many people might expect.  ”Russian Roulette” and closing standout “The Last Song” don’t employ lots of vocal runs, but they emphasise strong, clear vocals that prove Rihanna’s got a voice as well as a body – btw. the artwork for this era is immense! – and also go well with the more emotionally searching and vulnerable material.  Two, it allows for Rihanna to delve into her pain, and although it’s never made explicit that she’s referencing her love, abuse and love lost with Chris Brown, songs such as “Stupid In Love” and the epic “Cold Case Love” immediately bring that whole affair to mind.

Not every song is concerned with love lost.  ”Te Amo” is about a girl who’s infatuated with Rihanna, and its undulating beats have been beefed up slightly on the album version to make it more hypnotic and possibly (along with “Rude Boy”) the song that would have slotted in nicely on Good Girl Gone Bad.  ”Rockstar 101″ is backed up by Slash’s guitar work and like “Hard” and “Wait Your Turn”, it demonstrates Rihanna’s confidence in herself – something she perhaps wants to emphasise.  She is fierce!  However, compared to some of the other tracks, “Rockstar 101″ falls somewhat flat, as it doesn’t have as much depth as the emotionally-charged midtempos, nor does it ring as true as the harder-knocking songs.  It does demonstrate that Rihanna is not an urban artist – she’s a pop singer who encompasses a range of music. On this album, she combines elements of rock, pop, R&B and melds them together to create a dark album that works for the most part.  And credit goes to her for trying to improve on each album – like Good Girl Gone Bad, the amount of filler on the disc is fairly minimal (in contrast to her first two records) and she’s tried to do something different that has evolved as she has as a person.  So I must applaud that.

A couple of the ballads such as “Stupid In Love” and “Photographs” (which benefits from will.i.am’s synthed beats that kick in midway) are perfectly solid, but pale in comparison to the best tracks.  These are, in a nutshell, first single “Russian Roulette”, “Fire Bomb”, “G4L”, “Cold Case Love” and “The Last Song”.  These all work because Rihanna is putting herself out there vocally and emotionally.  The producers do a fantastic job (praise must go in particular to Justin Timberlake and The Ys’ work on “Cold Case Love”, which shows a gradual building of beatboxing, standard beats, guitars and strings to an epic climax that fades out by itself and underline Rihanna’s pain at a love misfired – “Release me now ’cause I did my time”) more or less throughout, but Rihanna herself carries the songs.  ”Fire Bomb” has been compared to something by Kelly Clarkson, but in my opinion it knocks much harder and is a compelling contrast to expectations – most people would expect a club banger from the title, when in fact it’s a slow pop/rock ballad which essentially says “if I’m going down in flames, you’re coming with me”.  ”G4L” is one of the darkest songs which shows Rihanna pledging to be “down 4 life”, ride or die until the end.  The off-key tweaks at the beginning signal something mysterious, and the lyric “I lick the gun when I’m done ’cause I know that revenge is sweet” is one of the best opening salvos I can remember.  The track brings to mind the tiny gun tattoos on the sides of Rihanna’s breasts, demonstrating that even if she may be a sweet person on the surface, she’s also a strong and determined one – her attitude is reflected in her music as much as her body art.

“The Last Song” was the track that stood out to me most from listening to the 30-second snippets, and it doesn’t disappoint – it’s a perfect closer to the album, not only in name but in texture also.  It employs a soaring guitar and heartwrenching lyrics, chronicling the realisation of a breakup.  ”The sad song ends up being the last song you’ll ever hear.”  Rihanna’s spare vocals almost seem to cry the lyrics throughout the track, and the buildup throughout the song until near the end where all the instruments fade out is done perfectly.  Rihanna said that she wanted Lil’ Wayne and Kings Of Leon to like her album, demonstrating her desired blend of urban and rock. The album is definitely a mélange of styles, but apart from “Hard”, I don’t see enough hip-hop for Weezy to connect with, and the rock elements are nowhere near as indie-pop as Kings Of Leon.  However, the soaring guitars provide something edgier and deeper within the context of a pop album, and the hard-hitting beats and synths knock plenty – the combination of which provide something quite extraordinary and special within itself.  Rihanna should be proud of this record.

Rated R has a focused aggression to it that rings truer than it did on Good Girl Gone Bad. Despite the lack of uptempo smashes, it’s a fantastic record that hopefully will have as much repeat-play value as her previous record.  Whether it’s because of her personal struggles, maturity as a young woman or desire to experiment musically (probably a combination of all three), Rated R shows growth.  I pray that her label doesn’t re-release the album, since it’s perfect as it is and comes across as something sincere, rather than designed to make money as a light pop confection.  Why I’m impressed with Rated R, beyond the simple fact that most of the songs are solid or better, is because it’s cohesive.  All the songs work together to make the album more than the sum of its parts.  It has a big emotional impact, and it sets a musical mood (dark, edgy and yet heartfelt) that doesn’t let up throughout – in her own words, from “Hard”, “that Rihanna rain/reign”.  I didn’t know if she had it in her to best Good Girl Gone Bad, but even if it doesn’t have as many number 1 smashes and addictive beats, Rated R is a musical step forward that I personally value that little bit more.

Ecchi scenes

Other screenshots

-Nigga, I’ve heard ya leavin’

-Yeah

-Nigga, be well and don’t be a menace to the South-central while drinking your juice in the hood

Αυτή είναι η συμβουλή όταν ένας νεαρός μαύρος φεύγει από το γκέττο, στο “Don’t be a menace to the south central while drinking your juice in the hood” τουλάχιστον. Η οποία είναι μία κάφρικη αμερικάνικη ταινία scαry-movie-κού χιούμορ που σατιρίζει τις ταινίες που ασχολούνται με τα γκέττο όπως οι “Boyz N the Hood”, “South Central”, “Menace II Society”, “Higher Learning” και “Juice”, και προφανώς ο τίτλος της ταινίας αποτελεί ένα σουρεάλ κολάζ των παραπάνω τίτλων.

Πρωταγωνιστές είναι ο Shawn Wayans και ο αδερφός του Marlon Wayans, γνωστοί στους περισσότερους από το Scary Movie 1, όπου έπαιζαν τον gay και τον μπαφικλή αντίστοιχα. Οι ερμηνείες δεν λένε και πολλά αλλά οι ατάκες προκαλούν γέλιο. Το σενάριο όπως συμβαίνει σε όλες τις ταινίες αυτού του είδους είναι ανύπαρκτο, το ίδιο και η σκηνοθεσία, για φωτογραφία δε ας μην μιλήσω καλύτερα. Αλλά όλα αυτά δεν έχουν καμία σημασία, καθώς τέτοιες παραγωγές δεν θέλουν να δείξουν την art πλευρά τους ούτε να θέσουν υποψηφιότητα για τα oscar, θέλουν να σε κάνουν να γελάς μέσα από το πιο άκυρο χιούμορ  που υπήρξε ποτέ, το οποίο παραμένει επίκαιρο ακόμα και 13 χρόνια μετά το έτος παραγωγής της ταινίας.

Μεγάλο κεφάλαιο σε αυτή την ταινία αποτελεί το soundtrack το οποίο περιέχει μόνο αράπικες rap-εριές (yar in da hood, rememba?) σε style “wu tang clan” και “snoop dogg”, μουσική άκρως ενοχλητική (τις ώρες που δεν βλέπω την ταινία) που όμως σε τέτοια ταινία δεν θα μπορούσε να είναι διαφορετική.

(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)

Here’s part 3 of the track walkthrough for my new album Quiet Storm.  Enjoy, download the album if you haven’t heard it (at the link above or the one at the foot of the page) and find parts 1 & 2 of the track walkthrough too, if you haven’t read those.

12. Rain (Interlude)

This was nothing more than a simple segue between “Quiet Storm”, and the literal idea of a storm, and the next track, “Jump Off (Part II)” which has a very dark, sad feel.  I thought that the rain was effective, atmospheric, and also reminds me of the interludes on Janet Jackson’s janet. album where there would be short, simple interludes of rain and wind which would keep the mood flowing.

13.  Jump Off (Part II)

This song is another of my favourite songs on the album, and is one of the more personal tracks also.  Lyrically, it discusses feeling like even when you fall for people, they can tell you the nicest things but by next week, you’re old news and they’re onto the next.  It’s about feeling used, even if you were down for it at the time, but realising that just because someone tells you that you’re beautiful or that they love you, doesn’t mean they mean it.  So in the song, I’m wondering whether even in all my dalliances over the past couple of years, I’ve let my heart get hurt all the time when it was just about sex and I should have just focused on the fun.  Musically, I like the combination of the deep beats and the music box / piano over the top, which gives it a combination of darkness and fragility.  Originally, the song was going to be a straightforward R&B ballad (and you can hear a snippet of the original version on my High Fashion mixtape), but having heard The-Dream’s original version of Mariah Carey’s “H.A.T.E.U.” (as well as the snippet of her version, on the fantastic Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel) I was inspired to totally revamp the track, restructuring the lyrics somewhat as well as making the music much more R&B and much more emotional and sensitive.  I think it worked, and I was so pleased with the way that this track turned out.

14. Devastate Me

This song is based on a track that is allegedly an instrumental from Britney Spears’ Blackout sessions (IMO, her best album along with In The Zone), since I found it on a mixtape with lots of other songs.  If you listen closely in the background, then you can hear what sounds like tiny snatches of Britney’s voice once or twice.  Anyway, I liked the dark, intense feel of the track, along with its pulsing beats and menacing strings, so I just decided to write some lyrics over the top of it.  The idea of feeling devastated seemed to go with the dramatic nature of the music, and lyrically the song speaks about somebody having you wrapped around their finger, and even though you might be in love with them or have formed some attachment to that person, you still know that they’re not necessarily good for you, and at any moment they could let you down or leave you in the dust, and you’ve put so much effort into loving them that you’re left with nothing – devastated.  The idea of knowing this is where the line “you done tricked me twice so the shame is not on you” comes in – you know exactly what you’re letting yourself in for, you just can’t make yourself resist, however hard you try.  It’s a tricky and intense situation!

15. Kissing You

This song was a really happy accident!  Some of the tracks on here took months of planning and development to come to fruition production-wise, whereas this took maybe a day or so.  I remember waking up in the morning and just having the refrain “Kissing you…. all I can think of is” going round and round in my brain.  One of the songs that inspired the whole nocturnal, R&B/dark concept of the album (when I was deciding what kind of feel I wanted to explore for my next project) was the track “When We Kiss (Missing You)” by an old girl group, Solid Harmonie, which I used to listen to when I was about 13 or 14!  So I doubt many people will recognise the sample of that song, which is what this track is based upon.  The deep, sparse bass and Japanese martial-arts type yell are from that song, as well as the bridge (which sneakily uses the girls’ vocals as backing, while I sing over the top).  I accentuated the oriental aspect of the production by adding some piano and shamisen to the mix, as well as extra beats towards the end.  I wanted the song to be mysterious, as its about an obsession that you can’t explain or logically untangle, but something that you can’t resist and just have to follow.  It’s where your heart rules your head, be it through lust or love.  The song is focused on the physical (a kiss) but also the emotional, of a love arriving when you least expect it and taking over your world.  The negative (as explored in “Jump Off (Part II)” and “Devastate Me”) ceding to the positive (this song and the next).  Love triumphing.  This song is one of the sexier songs on the record, even though it’s not really about sex.  It’s one of my favourites too, as it really has that mysterious, nocturnal feel that I wanted to be the overarching theme of the album.  It’s subtle, yet intense.

16. In Love

Like the last track, this song is largely built upon a girl-group sample.  In this case, it’s Mis-Teeq’s “It’s Beginning To Feel Like Love”, which was an album track from Eye Candy.  I liked the spacey feel of the song (a track that didn’t make it into the album or the mixtape was actually called “Space”), and I wanted to write a ballad that was very chilled, that you could relax to.  I said that I thought “Secret” was possibly the most romantic track on Quiet Storm, but perhaps this gives it a run for its money.  It’s just about how happy love can make you feel, and how unexpected the intensity of that happiness can be.  It’s about feeling untouchable in the midst of love, and about all your pain being healed by your feelings for that other person, and their reciprocation of those feelings towards you.  It’s a very optimistic, healing track lyrically, and the calmness of the production adds to that.  I added in some piano (again!) in the bridge to give it a little extra kick towards the end.

17. Come Home To Me

For me, this track is definitely going to be a single from Quiet Storm.  It’s very short and sweet, very immediate, and the beat is quite reggae-inspired, despite the overall feel of the production being straightforward R&B/pop.  The thunder rumbling at the very start of the song fits in with the overarching idea of a “Quiet Storm”, but it also represents the lyrical motif of the song, saying that although we had storms in the past, it’s time to get over it.  It’s about a lover who may have been unfaithful or made mistakes, so you had a bust-up, but now you’re ready to forgive them and give things another try.  It’s about recognising that sometimes, even though we may try to be strong and independent, ultimately we have to forgive someone’s transgressions and not cut our nose off to spite our face.  That’s not always the right message, and sometimes someone may do something too serious to be able to let them back in.  But when it’s the little things that cause a breakup, with time you can see whether it’s really worth being alone or whether it’s better to forgive and make up.  The song steals from Rihanna’s “Umbrella” towards the end, with the “forever ever ever eh eh eh” at the end – that was just a little bit of fun!  The backing vocals in the second verse are also inspired from a nu-classic Janet Jackson track, “Take Care”, from her 20 Y.O. album, which IMO is one of her best works and seriously underrated – another track which infused the concept and production within my album.

The final part, iv, coming soon!  Keep it locked, and thankyou all for the support once again.

(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)

Libnanews – Myrna Naoum – Ghazieff

Peut-on tenir le pays des cèdres à l’écart, le soustraire à son environnement?

Même si nous le voulions, nous ne pouvons arracher le Liban à son appartenance régionale sans risquer d’en altérer les racines voire les endommager irrémédiablement.

Avant la défaite de l’ « homme malade » qu’était l’empire Ottoman et la création « du Grand Liban », nos villes faisaient partie des provinces de l’empire en question, au même titre que les villes syriennes et palestiniennes entre autres. Il n’est pas étonnant donc de retrouver, hors des frontières libanaises aujourd’hui, en Syrie, en Palestine, en Jordanie ou en Irak des personnes portant le même nom. A l’époque un commerçant beyrouthin père de six ou sept enfants et pour le développement de son entreprise envoyait ses fils s’établir à Haïfa, à Damas… Cet exemple, à priori anodin, prouve à lui seul l’existence d’un lien qu’on ne peut défaire, le lien de sang.

Advint ensuite l’époque glorieuse de la colonisation -que l’Europe associe trop au progrès civilisateur pour que l’on trouve quelque chose de répréhensible dans le fait d’aller coloniser  des provinces ottomanes- où les anglais et les français se partagèrent le gâteau, certains ont même été jusqu’à prétendre que la création du grand Liban dans ses frontières actuelles, la proclamation de son indépendance, avaient un but bien précis, celui de paver la route pour ce qui allait devenir quelques années plus tard Israël*. Malgré la partition de ce qui fut « la grande Syrie » subsistent aujourd’hui encore, des similitudes sociologiques, des intérêts politiques et vitaux communs aux anciennes provinces ottomanes. Le communautarisme et le confessionnalisme figurent en bonne place au « hit parade », au grand jour au Liban, tapis dans l’ombre en Syrie et en Irak par la force des régimes au pouvoir. (Suite à la chute du régime en Irak, nous assistons à l’émergence du confessionnalisme et à la guerre fratricide qui en découle. Les communautés palestiniennes sont elles, restées à l’abri, unies dans leur lutte, ne connaissant qu’un éclatement d’ordre politique pour l’instant).

Quelles sont les menaces réelles qui pèsent sur le Liban?

La première menace qui attend le Liban au tournant est bien une menace qui vient de l’intérieur. Dès la naissance, ce Liban indépendant a déjà développé un cancer congénital qui finira par l’anéantir ou à défaut le maintenir dans un statu quo qui le fragilise et l’empêche de s’élever au rang d’une nation. Le communautarisme ou plus spécifiquement le confessionnalisme joue un rôle néfaste quant à la fragile cohésion nationale et il est certes très étonnant que le pays n’ait pas sombré dans le chaos même s’il frise cela de très près à tout moment.

L’incapacité d’une réelle entente nationale, les déchirements que le Liban a connus et connaît encore depuis son accession à l’indépendance (les évènements de 1958 et de 1975 à nos jours avec leurs rebondissements à titre d’exemple), le regard de ses communautés vers un extérieur salvateur chaque fois que le pays traverse une crise interne sont autant de preuves du non fonctionnement du Liban en tant qu’Etat – Nation et qui l’exposent encore plus, indubitablement, à une autre menace qui vient de l’extérieur cette fois, la menace israélienne.

La menace israélienne

Les visées israéliennes sur le Liban sont bien antérieures à l’existence de l’OLP ou du Hezbollah. A une époque où aucun diplomate israélien n’était attaqué, où aucun « terrorisme » ne menaçait la Galilée, l’invasion du Liban était depuis longtemps programmée dans le calendrier des annexions sionistes (1). David Ben Gourion dit très clairement : « Il ne s’agit pas de maintenir le statu quo. Nous avons à créer un Etat dynamique, orienté vers l’expansion » (2). Moins de six ans après la fondation de l’Etat d’Israël en 1948 et comme pour confirmer les griefs arabes dénonçant un « expansionnisme congénital » du jeune état, apparut parmi les dirigeants israéliens une volonté farouche d’envahir le Liban pour y faire régner un « ordre nouveau » (cette démarche ressemble étrangement à la volonté de créer « un nouveau Moyen-Orient » planifié depuis longtemps par les Etats-Unis d’Amérique et proposé en 2006) et s’approprier les territoires situés au Sud du Litani. En 1937 déjà, Ben Gourion traçait les frontières d’Israël à coup de références bibliques. Selon lui la terre d’Israël devait regrouper cinq régions. Le Sud du Liban jusqu’au fleuve Litani, qu’il appelle « la partie Nord de l’Israël Occidental », le Sud de la Syrie, la Transjordanie (la Jordanie actuelle), la Palestine, qu’il appelle « le territoire du Mandat Britannique » et le Sinaï; la frontière Nord devait passer à la latitude de Homs en Syrie parce qu’il l’identifiait à la ville de Hama (toujours en Syrie), qui marque, dans les nombres (XXXIV, 1-2-8) la frontière Nord de Canaan (3).

Fait surprenant, survenu après la mort de Ben Gourion, c’est l’étrange « coïncidence » entre les révélations de Moshé Sharett (1) sur l’implication de Ben Gourion en 1954-1955 dans le « projet de l’invasion du Liban » et l’invasion effective de celui-ci en juin 1982, l’opération « Paix en Galilée », suivie la même année par le tristement célèbre massacre de Sabra et Chatila commis par les Forces Libanaises à l’instigation des forces israéliennes sur place et sous leur supervision. Sans oublier l’invasion du Sud Liban le 14 Mars 1978, nom de code « opération Litani », 1993, les bombardements intensifs durant sept jours de l’armée israélienne au Liban sud. 1996, l’opération « Raisins de la colère » contre le Liban, bilan : 98 civils réfugiés dans le camp de l’ONU de Cana sont tués et enfin l’agression du Liban de juillet 2006. Cette menace ne cesse de planer. Israël use de tous les stratagèmes afin de la mettre à exécution. Un réseau d’espionnage est maintenu au sein des terres libanaises et revendiqué avec fierté par les autorités israéliennes, des tirs d’obus disparates ne faisant jamais de victimes et que personne ne revendique, depuis le sud Liban visant des villages du Nord d’Israël, des accusations contre la résistance libanaise et une vaste campagne de propagande dans le but de lui ôter toute crédibilité et accélérer son effritement, et le plus spectaculaire est le tout récent acte de piraterie israélien dans les eaux internationales. Au regard de ces indicateurs, une nouvelle agression du Liban semble tout à fait probable et imminente. Une attaque éclair qui, malgré son impact, (elle ne manquera pas encore une fois d’être désastreuse pour le pays des cèdres) arrangerait « tout le monde ». La reprise des négociations pour la paix entre israéliens et palestiniens est au point mort. Les Etats-Unis et Israël semblent tergiverser quant à une éventuelle attaque contre  l’Iran. Un « exutoire libanais » viendrait à point pour les sortir de l’impasse.

Les menaces syrienne et iranienne ?

Au lendemain de l’attentat contre l’ancien premier ministre libanais, Rafik Hariri, la Syrie fut immédiatement pointée du doigt à l’intérieur du pays comme au niveau international, avant même que des preuves matérielles ne viennent étayer ces accusations, l’affaire étant toujours en cours d’étude. Diabolisée et mise au ban des nations, la Syrie fut contrainte de retirer ses troupes du Liban.  Les autorités syriennes sont actuellement fort occupées à se « refaire une image » sur le plan international et rien ne laisse entrevoir une volonté d’implication dans le bourbier libanais pour l’instant, si ce n’est la crainte de certaines parties libanaises exaspérées par le comportement des troupes syriennes pendant les vingt neuf dernières années de leur présence « intra muros » avant leur retrait.

Il n’existe pas de  précédent  annonciateur d’une quelconque volonté d’agression du Liban par l’Iran. La menace de ce dernier est perçue cependant  par les pays arabes, hormis la Syrie qui s’en est fait un allié ponctuel, comme prenant une envergure régionale. Les pays arabes dont le « rayonnement » est tragiquement en veilleuse, craignent en effet de voir leur rival perse devenir le seul défenseur de leurs causes.  Les autorités iraniennes ont actuellement « d’autres chats à fouetter » et sont aux prises avec la communauté internationale concernant le dossier nucléaire qui suscite une grande polémique mondiale.

Au regard de ce qui précède, il incombe au Liban la responsabilité de procéder dans l’urgence à la formation d’un gouvernement d’union nationale, de pacifier les esprits et les débats, la menace qui rôde est à prendre au sérieux.

Rest in peace, Shizuka – I’ll always remember your tits.

Let’s do some warming-ups first

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EDIT: peep the full Rated R album review HERE!

Thankyou to everyone for reading my review of Rihanna’s first single “Russian Roulette”, from her forthcoming album Rated R. Together, you guys have made it the most popular post out of all of the posts on my blog!  So I really appreciate that.  If you get a moment, please also take a look and a listen to my new album, Quiet Storm, available on this post here.

So since my review of “Russian Roulette” seems to have gone down well, I thought that I would review the other songs that we now have from Rated R, which are: “Wait Your Turn”, “Te Amo” and the recently-leaked “Hard”.

Wait Your Turn

Before “Russian Roulette” was officially released on Rihanna’s website, there was a metallic “R” (her new logo, as you can see in her album cover above) and a countdown timer bearing the message “The Wait Is Ova”; that message is this song’s main refrain.  Although the production of the song is suitably dark and the lyrics are tough, the song takes a while to stick in the listener’s mind, especially as the chorus seems somewhat weak.  Out of all the songs we’ve heard from Rated R so far, this is the weakest track, despite the fact it is the first one we have a video for:

The plus sides to this song: Rihanna embodies swagger, which comes across in both the dark, grainy video with her strutting through various shadowy landscapes in fashionable outfits, and in the thick island accent she employs on the verses: “I pitch wit a grenaaayaaaade”! The electric guitar in the background amplifies the song’s confidence.  Overall, it’s not awful, but still far from Rihanna’s best, and falls short as a declaration that she is ‘back’ – if anything, it plays more like a buzz single than a confident statement of intent.

Te Amo

This song was the first track to be leaked from Rated R, though nobody knew this at the time; it only became apparent when the album’s tracklisting included this title.  Of course, it’s possible that the song may have been remixed or improved with additional production / vocals, but the song as we have it currently is an undulating, mid-tempo ballad (if there can be such a thing).  Rihanna sings about a female friend who tries to express her love for her while they dance together; however, Rihanna is happy to have a friendship but wants nothing more.  Nevertheless, their dance is depicted with a sense of romance and longing, and the sadness in her voice when she sings “‘Te amo’, somebody tell me what she said, don’t it mean ‘I love you’?” is palpable.

The setting of a dancefloor “underneath the candelabra”, followed by seemingly walking along the beach gives the song an exotic setting to match with its use of Spanish phrasing.  Production wise, this track could have easily fit within Good Girl Gone Bad, but nevertheless it carries itself well and along with “Russian Roulette”, displays Rihanna’s more vulnerable side, which contrasts with…

Hard

The most recently-leaked of the Rated R tracks, this song really does go hard!  The most urban of the Rated R tracks (and it features a rap from Young Jeezy), it once again embodies swagger and non-stick confidence.  ”Meet me at the top top top, it’s gettin’ lonely”… Rihanna sees herself as a “lion”, a fierce defender of her crown as a survivor (hmm, of what? Chris Brown and domestic violence? Bloggers and haters (who are picked up on in the lyrics)? General negativity and envy?) and as a superstar.  The clashing drums and sinister trumpets give the song a menacing, dense backbeat over which Rihanna yells what sounds like a call to arms.  It’s a very confrontational song in its production, vocal delivery (none of the light fluff of “Shut Up And Drive” here!) and lyrics: the opening lyric in one way says it all: “They can say whatever, I can do whatever, no pain is forever, yep, you know this”.

Out of the three songs, “Hard” is probably the best of the bunch, and I’ve heard some people saying that it should have been the first single.  I think that a video for this track has to happen, as Rihanna’s dark fashionista style and haughty pout would suit the message of the song perfectly; it’s easy for me to imagine the video for “Wait Your Turn” suiting this track much better.

Nevertheless, both “Hard” and “Te Amo”, like “Russian Roulette”, are promising indicators of an album which shows not only a growing maturity but also a hardening and darkening of Rihanna’s persona and style (only “Wait Your Turn” is a bit of a disappointment). Whether this is a result of just being older and more experienced in the music industry, having survived her turbulent relationship and subsequent media hoopla in the past year, or worshipping Satan (!!!!!!!!!!! I had to LOL when I read that story!  But you never know…), it seems like Rated R will be a cohesive work and an evolution from Good Girl Gone Bad.  Whether the new album has the hit factor that its predecessor contained is debatable – Good Girl Gone Bad was an album chock full of production-savvy uptempos and attitude-laced bangers that might prove hard to top – but what’s evident is that Rihanna’s not afraid to do something different from the other big females in the game, and she’s not afraid to take it to a darker place, as evidenced by the “Wait Your Turn” video.  I eagerly await the album, and when it leaks, you know that you’ll be able to catch my review of it right here soon after!  Thanks for your support, keep it locked kids

MENACE, the Matchbox Educable Noughts And Crosses Engine, is a fancy name for a machine that plays Tic-Tac-Toe. The concept is a product of Professor [Donald Mitchie]’s work in the 1960’s and was featured as an example in the “A New THEORY of AWESOMENESS and MIRACLES” talk given at this year’s UK games conference.

[James Bridle] built this fascinating example of how a computational system can learn from its successes and failures. Each box corresponds to one of 304 different board layouts. The operator uses an index sheet to locate the box that corresponds to the current state, shakes the box, then looks to see which bean has randomly fallen into a partition in the box. The color/type of bean corresponds to a space that the machine has “chosen” for that move. If MENACE won the game a bead matching the move that was played would be added to each box used. If MENACE lost, a bead would be removed from each box used. This way the machine cannot make the exact same mistakes twice, and is more likely to repeat successful solutions.

[James] notes that he couldn’t find any evidence of this machine actually being built before. It is possible that this was always a theoretical device but now we’ve seen an actual build. We consider this to be a computer because it is calculating moves based on probability of success but what do you think? If you’re thirsting for more pictures there’s plenty to see in the Flickr set he’s posted.

[via BoingBoing]

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Hi there everyone! Thanks for the love you’ve shown my new album Quiet Storm.  I really appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart. ♥ If you have yet to download it, then you can get it here… -

(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)

This is gonna be the first instalment of a track-by-track rundown, so you can learn a little bit about each of the songs!  I’ll cover the first ‘arc’ of the album today, which are tracks 1-6!

1. Open

This is the album intro!  I wanted the title to have two meanings, one which was obviously the album intro being the ‘opening’ of the story / journey, but also for it to encourage listeners to enter the album with an open mind, open attitude and open heart.  The idea of “open your body / open your mind” was to combine the physical and mental, as some of the album songs are very much about physical sentiments such as sex, money and fashion; others are more to do with thoughts, emotions and relationships and our feelings and beliefs surrounding those situations.  It was also meant to have a somewhat mysterious feel, which is why my voice stutters and distorts at various parts. “I’m coming in” is your sign to get ready!…

2. All Night Long

…as I ask at the beginning of this song, “Are you ready?” The journey is beginning!  I wanted the album’s opening track (i.e. this is the first song proper) to be a slow, sexy song for two reasons: I thought it would be striking to open the album with a slower song, as all too often the temptation is to go in boom! bang! bang! with your uptempo.  I wanted the album to rise and fall in a more genuine way, and not to be front-loaded with club numbers.  I think that interspersing the album with uptempos, midtempos and slower songs throughout makes it more genuine and ultimately more engaging and cohesive.  This song was inspired by two songs: “Discipline” by Janet Jackson – but I hadn’t actually heard the song at this point! I’d read that there was an S&M theme, that it was a dark, slow song and I was inspired by those thoughts to make a song that I thought sounded like the essence of ‘discipline’ (hence its namecheck in the lyrics – “I exhibit discipline”); and “Mary Jane” by Mary J. Blige, from her seminal My Life album.  The hook of the song is a resung version of that song’s hook (which I’m aware is not the original use of that hook anyway, but it’s the version I’m most familiar with), but I slowed down the tempo and tried to do something a little bit different with it.  I also was tempted by the idea of putting this song first as it’s the most explicit, sexual song on the album – it’s the perfect start to the night-time, as Quiet Storm was largely inspired by the nocturnal, both in its soundscape and artwork.  And by getting the sex out of the way, we can focus on deeper things!  This actually being one of the very first songs I completed for the album, I don’t 100% remember how the beat breakdown came about now, but I love it and I felt that it was a really striking way to end the song… The breakdown is picked up by one of the songs at the album’s close, which also makes the album come full circle.

3. If I

Another one of the first songs I wrote for the album, this is probably the most dance-based song on the record, and it has a very nocturnal, dark feel again, as emphasised by the harmonies at the beginning which are nearly-but-not-quite off-key! It gives the song a mysterious introduction, which combined with the dance beat, makes it sound almost menacing.  The subject matter explores the fact that we all go to such lengths to please other people, and what would happen if we were just who we naturally are, rather than striving to meet others’ expectations?  At the end of the day, I’m just a young guy who wants to have fun and be happy and enjoy life!  Isn’t that what everyone wants?  Why should I put myself out for you?  What would happen if I did to you the things you do to me?  How would you feel about that?  That’s the main thematic of the song, and it’s one of the songs main uptempos.  The repetitive hook is actually quite en vogue now, but at the time of writing it, I really thought I was onto something and I felt that it was a little bit fun and kooky (as well as quite hot)!  But I generally liked the combination of the pulsing beats and the quite revealing lyrics: we all feel like a prisoner of other people’s “unrealistic expectations” and pressures at times, and although by living up to them we keep the peace and excel, to what extent do we sacrifice ourselves?  We all need to cut loose sometimes.

4. Hook Boy

I love this song!  It was a song I wrote lyrics to quite early on, but I just could not get right for ages!!!!! Ultimately, it was one of the last songs I completed for the album, as it was in work-in-progress stage for possibly a year!  This song is about swag, and also about songwriting prowess – I am still learning and honing my craft when it comes to singing, writing and producing, and I appreciate that on Garageband there’s only so much I can do. But at least I have total control of my music, and I’m pretty pleased with what I produce at this stage.  I can say, hand on heart, that this album is something I am very proud of!  And to be in charge of all these aspects of my music is very important to me, as it pisses me off to see certain stars who’ve made it big without much talent to speak of.  So I’m bigging myself up on this song, and although you could read it in terms of sexual prowess or swagger, to me, it’s really about being the best singer and songwriter I can be, and trying to offer something fresh.  Being a “hook boy” refers to being able to write a decent, catchy hook!  But as the coda of the song says (where the beat changes and becomes a little more complex – another end-of-song development I love!), sometimes people take your ability for granted, and at the same time as we may be skilled and have swag and talent, we have to make sure that people don’t take us for a ride without appreciating who we are and what we do.  We need to be proud and confident in ourselves, and it’s nice for others to recognise that, but we also need to make sure that people don’t take advantage of us.  So there’s an extra layer in there.

5. Focused (Interlude)

This interlude is thrilling to me because I finally got some harmonies exactly how I wanted them – there are about six layers of vocals in this!  It’s short and sweet, and essentially segues between the three beat-driven songs we’ve had so far (slow, deep sexual beat; mysterious, menacing dance beat; midtempo, stuttering beat) and the next song which will be the album’s first proper ballad.  ”I’m too focused on the beat, gotta focus on the melody!”

6. Secret

This song is one where I wanted my voice to stand out, and that’s why it starts off acapella – I wanted it to be a stark contrast to the songs which came before, and to really be melody- and vocal-focused.  A good melody can make or break a song, and I wanted the heartfelt nature of this song, the album’s first romantic track, to really come through in the melody.  I also wanted a song which was vocally-driven, as I want to reinforce that I am a singer and confident vocalist first and foremost.  I was inspired by Delta Goodrem’s “Believe Again” – although that song has a more electronic, dance undertone than this track, I loved how the beats and effects built up through the song, so that was something I sought to replicate here.  After the second verse, the beat chips in, and it’s sorta off-kilter (not a straightforward 2/4 or 4/4).  It drops out again completely for the bridge, leaving my voice to carry the song to its finale.  I wanted to emphasise the vocals and the vocal melody line as the spine of the song, especially as the lyrics are so romantic and heartfelt.  It’s quite possibly the most purely optimistic song on the record – it’s a very positively romantic song not coloured by heartache, and brings the first arc of the album to a satisfying close, while seguing into the next songs…

… which I’ll cover in part 2!  Enjoy and keep it locked, and download Quiet Storm if you haven’t already! Thankyou xxx

(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)

Link is in her butt . mp4. Raw (no subs). Credits to Leopard raws. Dedicated to all the milf freaks out there .

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