Closing shop for summer holidays

Picture copyright of Luismi Rios

This will be possibly the last post in this blog until late August or September. As every year, I will be most of August offline, enjoying summer holidays with my family and friends. So I hope you guys enjoy summer too, with or without holidays, and will get back in touch in a few weeks, presumably with many more hours of sleep than usual, and with a few more kilos than required. But hey, that's life!

Shutter Island, great Scorsese

Yesterday we had the pleasure of watching the last movie from Scorsese, Shutter Island, in a summer cinema in Córdoba; it means a cinema in an open space, in the middle of the old town in Córdoba. This is an old tradition here, particularly nice because after the very hot days we are having lately, it is a real pleasure to watch cinema in a large, open space with fresh wind around you. In this particular case, we were at the cinema Coliseo San Andrés, which is celebrating in 2010 its 75th anniversary.

I had read good critics of Shutter Island, and they were confirmed yesterday; it is a very solid story, filmed with the classical firm hand of Scorsese, where key scenes are perfectly rounded and the overall vibe reminds you of the good old days when movies with meat were the rule, rather than the exception they are today. Di Caprio makes a very good, if not excellent, interpretation, and the plot drives you exactly where Scorsese wants you to be, before the final surprise. It was a pure delight to watch all pieces getting together and showcasing, once more, that good cinema remains among the best entertaining, in spite of the current, catastrophic state of Hollywood productions, whose thrillers only are often enough to make you ashamed.

Las Casas del Rey de Baeza, a beautiful hotel in Sevilla

Recently, my wife and me spent a night in a very charming hotel in Sevilla, due to some private celebrations. I liked it a lot, as it is a recovered, old traditional house in Sevilla, transformed into a modern hotel. Here you have some pictures.

Diego A. Manrique, "the Spanish John Peel", is fired from Radio 3

I just learn in El País that legendary Spanish music critic Diego A. Manrique has been fired from Radio 3, where he has been doing the show "El Ambigú" during the last 18 years. Someone said that he was the "Spanish John Peel", due to his influence and his prestige in the field of modern music.

Now I understand perfectly what he posted on July 21st, which was the day before he was fired:

Does the music cure? No, but it provides energy. Faced to a combination of ire, frustration, sadness, indignation and other explosive feelings, we come back to music. Many names: Ray Bryant, Puppini Sisters, Bar Kays, King Curtis, the Capitols, Human Beinz, the Beach Boys, Spencer Davis Group, Sam the Sham, Al Green, Brigitte Bardot, Black Stroke, Link Wray, the Sonics and Laibach! Don't stop the music, even if it is without words.

And these were his final words during the last "El Ambigú" show, broadcasted yesterday, July 28th 2010:

Today "El Ambigú" keeps on sounding, or whatever it is what is broadcasted now, although I was fired last July 22nd. How is this possible? Mysteryes of Radio Nacional.

I am shocked to say the least. This guy is possibly the most respected music critic in Spain, and his radio show was one of the very few remaining ones where you could listen all kinds of good music, new & old, without prejudices. I have listened many times his shows, and his signature in any article dealing with music was a guarantee of interest. Everytime I saw one of his pieces, be it in newspapers like El País or in specialized music magazines like Rockdelux, it was the first thing I was reading. Hopefully he will continue contributing in these publications, and maybe also in another radio with more respect to its public.

Shame on the current responsibles of Radio 3, which was once a reference of quality music. The current management is killing this radio, which was in my young years THE place to listen independent, creative music without interference or pressures from record companies (or at least, without the classic payola of other radio formulas).

This is possibly the worst hint avant summer: let the Lady Gagas of the world rule, and the listeners become sheeps without criteria.

Further information, in Spanish, here.

LNM, Le New Morning full show, from Free Boots Generation

Well, the set I hinted recently is already available: it is called LNM, released by Free Boots Generation. Thanks a lot to the Dynamic Duo, FBG and Reverend for releasing a set like this, so quickly. It contains the full show performed by Prince and his band last Friday, July 23rd 2010, in the Le New Morning club (Paris). And mind you: it has been released, with fully professional artwork, in less than a week. This is what I call a fantastic job from all the people involved.

We lack perspective to evaluate stuff, as all goes very quickly. But I'm convinced we are being the privileged witness of a golden eran for fan releases of Prince music. During the last year or so, IIRC, we have seen the releases of 26, Box O Chocolates and now LNM. Those of you who have heard these sets will possibly agree with me: they are landmarks, the kind of stuff that is more than enough to explain to your friends why you are crazy about purple music.


Now, if only Prince heard beauties like this and changed his view about fan releases, and about live releases... that would be something.

Another landmark release for fans of Prince live shows is coming

Recently I spoke here about a legendary show performed a few days ago by Prince in the Le New Morning club, in Paris.

Well, after a legendary show like this, we can only expect another legendary recording of this show, released by fans, for fans, no money involved. So those interested in stunning Prince live shows, stay tuned.

Wikileaks putting a new light on the recent US politics in Afghanistan

There are countless headlines speaking of this during the last days, so I am posting this to remind the possible readers of this blog that the official truth of the US regarding the way things are goin in the Middle East are far from being the actual truth.

A certain Mr. G.W. Bush should, maybe, give a few apologies. And those believing blindly the news reported by big media on this war, maybe, should reconsider what can be believed and what not.

Le New Morning 2010, another legendary show from Prince

It's too early to say, but from the reports I've read, it seems that yesterday, July 22 2010, Prince did a gig in Le New Morning (Paris) which will go directly to the list of legendary shows from the purple guy. Hopefully there will be recordings of such a wonder to remember the event. But only by reading the descriptions in awe of fans attending this show, is enough to put you in full drooling mode.

Viage aftershow from Free Boots Generation

No further comments needed; remember: from fans, for fans, no money involved.

Disclaimer: this blog does not post Prince fan releases, so please do NOT send requests as they will be ignored.

20Ten Wembley tour???

Whether this tweet is for real or not, we will see:

Slingshot is happy to announce new client #Prince for his upcoming #20Ten Wembley tour. Make sure to follow us for all the info!

Sharktopus trailer

Strictly for the sake of fun, after the many ridiculous movies on supermonsters, here you have the last & best:

Sharktopus.

LX5 specs leaked... and new "system camera" from Panasonic to be introduced in Photokina

More information about hot, forthcoming cameras:

The much awaited new Panasonic LX5, inheritor of the legendary LX3, has been leaked from Panasonic itself:

DMC-LX5K

New! 10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

•F2.0 Leica DC Summicron Lens

For all camera user who loves photography and pursuing image quality

•1/1.63" High Sensitivity 10 megapixel CCD with evolved sensor technology

Realized industry top level image quality in compact digital camera

•Creative photography

My color mode, Manual exposure even in movie mode.

•HD Movie Recording - AVCHD Lite

Features high quality movie in AVCHD Lite with Dolby Digital Creator and SD Link compatibility

•Black

Besides, Valentín Sama made a comment (posted as one of the replies to this entry in his blog) on the fly that might have significant impact: according to him, Panasonic WILL introduce the new "system camera" in Photokina. Although no further information is provided, I infer he means the rumoured micro4/3 "system camera" that has made loads of rounds recently in internet. Supposedly, it would be an additional step over the system from Ricoh, which provides different lens/sensor modules for a basic camera skeleton.

Quesabesde.com announces the release of two new dSLR Pentax models for Photokina

According to the Spanish site Quesabesde.com, Pentax will introduce two new dSLR models in Photokina; both will be APS-C (no full frame), one will be intermediate between the K-x and K-7, and the second will be above the K-7. In principle both will be complementary (rather than replacements) of the current range of models. They also mention that this information fits with recent rumours speaking about the names "K-5" and "K-7 Super". Hence one could infer that the K-7 super will be an improved version of the current K-7, with some specific changes but based on the same body; while the K-5 would be a model different from the K-x.

Good news for Pentaxians, as they will strengthen the introduction of the medium format Pentax 645D in Europe and the USA.

Review of 20TEN: fully inspired, classic Prince

Since I first heard the new album from Prince, 20TEN, I have been taking my time to fully appreciate it (either for good or bad), before writing a proper review. I know from experience that the first impression is important, but not definitive, and often songs that escape your radar at the begining, can become more enjoyable when you give them the required attention. So here you have my opinions on the new album.

First of all I have to say that the quality of the album was a big surprise to me. After initial expectations (or should I say daydreamings??) of an album for hardcores, later song released in 2010 (Purple & Gold, Cause & effect, Hot summer) lowered my hopes and at some point, I was honestly ready for the worst (in particular, Hot summer, initially supposed to be part of 20TEN, was as low a hint as it can be). Hence when I completed my first listening session, I was amazed to realize that 20TEN was not another Rave into the joy fantastic (meaning a pastiche of Prince classic sound without any inspiration).

Compassion is one of the low points in the album (together with Everybody loves me, but I'll go there later). I had that feeling on first listen from the samples posted at the website of The Mirror, and repeated listen only confirmed the feeling: this is a cliche pop song, an unremarkable one for that matter, and it adds nothing to music in general or to Prince catalogue in particular. It reminded me of The one U wanna c, another song written with an obvious pattern in mind (let's make a catchy pop song). Prince certainly can do much better, and this is the kind of song that someone with authority in his team should forbid from release. But the bunch of yessayers that constitutes the Prince's team for many years is obviously not qualified for this role.

Fortunately, Beginning endlessly means a big change of affairs in the album: a bold keyboards motif appears immediately in the song, a brilliant one in my opinion, and then a syncopated rhythm pattern let Prince vocals to build a catchy and interesting song (unlike Compassion, which is catchy but boring). I like this song for its free vibe and the full exploitation of the keyboards potential. The rhythm guitar, as in the whole album, shines at some points. The arrangements are not too complicated by Prince standards and contribute to the charm of the song, and at the end he manages to get a brilliant song from apparently uncomplicated pieces.

Future soul song is the first slow jam in this album, and a good one in my opinion. The sound reminds of countless previous songs, from Prince and others, but the melody gets you immediately and, in a very short time, you find yourself singing "uuhuuuhuuuuu aawwwww shalalalala this is the future soul song". The vocal performance of Prince (in low registers, while one could have expected one of his landmark falsetto interpretations) fits perfectly to the melody. A small part on guitar repeating the main theme of the melody opens the last section, and the repetitive end of the song does not detract from the very nice flow. This song is not going to replace Adore in the heart of any Prince fan, but still I think it is a very valuable effort.

Sticky like glue is one of the best numbers in 20TEN: simplistic arrangement, the Linn drums making a bold skeleton, and Prince's falsetto this time going up and down in a truly stunning composition which manages to use all classic Prince's elements in an inventive way (evidencing, against many hardcore claims, that yes, that is still possible). The sound is sticky at force of being catchy, and I'm sure it will become a favourite for many fans of the classic Prince sound. I am expecting in awe to listen a live take of this wonder. The final part, with the back singers reinforcing Prince and the playful guitar on background, is truly an icing on a delicious cake. Mark this as classic Prince in 2010.

Act of God is possibly the most uplifting surprise to me in the new album: Prince performed this song mixed with Forever in my life, recently, in Berlin, and the linking in the rhythms of both songs made Act of God lose its personality. So I was somehow prepared for a forgettable song (possibly because Forever in my life is one of those songs I'll never forget). But contrary to my expectations, Act of God (the second worse title in this collection of songs, next to Future soul song)  is a very pleasant song: we have again a full gymnastic Prince performance, backed by powerful combination rhythm and keyboards. There are pieces of this song that remind of many past ones, but the conviction, the power and the natural flow of the whole thing save it from mediocrity or from being just another example of Prince copying himself.

Levaux is pure purple joy, in spite of the similarities to Automatic (from the Pointer Sisters) noticed by some fans: we have again one of those uberclassic keyboard motifs being the core of the song, with an ellaborated yet seemingly inexpensive vocal melody, and a chorus which is among the very best I have heard from Prince in recent years. This song puts you instantly in dancing mood, and it truly shows that Prince keeps on having encounters with mojo with higher frequence than widely supposed. It's simple, it does not discover the wheel, yet it works and it works fantastic!

Walk in sand is the second ballad of the album, and one has again that feeling of "this ballad reminds me of this one and that one" due to the utilization of all the paramount elements required to make a classic Prince ballad: falsetto, piano, real drums, a beautiful melody progressively enriched by a Prince which is obviously enjoying his performance... all is there, and the feeling of deja vu can not prevent the final impression: this is pure Prince, the guy is in full shape. Get it or leave it, the purple guy is clearly having a great time and I can't avoid feeling the same.

Sea of everything comes next, and it exploits the nice vibe provided by Walk in sand to continue along similar lines: we switch to Linn drums again, but we have another paramount example of Prince enabled to invent new, enjoyable, beautiful and worthwile songs from the exact same tools utilized an incountable amount of times before, by him and others. You don't need to go into new ground when inspiration and professionality mix in a perfect manner, like here. Props to Prince the Musician with all skills, when muses are around him.

Unfortunately, after the mostly joyful album delivered thus far, we have a horror in the track 9: some people say this is just a joke, but frankly I can't stand it even considering it just an attempt to be funny. Everybody loves me is exactly the opposite example to several songs in the rest of the album: it reminds you of many songs, but it is made from an awful melody, full of the worst cliches in the world of pop. If someone intended to make fun of Prince sound, he would have made a song this horrible, and possibly it will replace previous examples of the worst Prince at the very low position in the huge Prince catalogue of songs.

Then we arrive to the end of the album, one of those "hidden" tracks, located at position 77 (does this have any meaning, in 2010??). Laydown has been disqualified by some people as an attempt of Prince to sound current, by getting some signature sounds from the likes of Timbaland; I don't really know if that was the actual purpose of Prince, and besides I admit I know little-to-nothing about the likes of Timbaland. But one thing I can write: in spite of atrocities like "purple yoda" in the lyrics (and please, allow me this to be the only mention to lyrics I will make here), the song fits perfectly the role of "weird Prince song" in this album, just like Planet Earth did in the album Planet Earth. Prince obviously wants it to sound strange, maybe out of place in this otherwise classic Prince album, and he succeeds at it: distorted guitars, a repetitive little keyboard behind, attempts of rapping, loads of background chants: the contrast to the rest of the album is nothing short of huge. But regardless of all analysis, fact is that Laydown works, and it works great: it's a great way of closing the album, of showing to critics that no, Prince is not only restricted to inspired reinterpretations of his classic sound, and that he can get close to new ground (or actually into new ground, depending on how you look at it).

From a general sound point of view, 20TEN is very keyboard-focused, and marked by the almost ubiquitous use of Linn drums; lovers of hard guitars will be possibly disappointed. Production-wise, it is complex in some cases, but not to the points Prince has reached in the past. Here it seems he wanted the complexity to be hidden, allowing the melodies to breath openly.

Now, if one takes some perspective when looking at this album in the context of Prince albums released in this decade, the balance is somehow mixed:

On the one hand, this albums seems a coherent set of songs, possibly recorded closely in time, and certainly with a very specific mindset when writing/performing/recording them. The album is tight and, for the first time since The Rainbow Children, you have the feeling that this is actually an album conceived as such, instead of a scattered bunch of songs from the vault. Whether this is good or bad, I don't know, but it does mark a change in the series Musicology/3121/Planet Earth/Lotusflow3r.

On the other hand, 20TEN lacks the masterpiece songs that were included in those previous albums, post-The Rainbow Children: this category included, in my opinion, Illusion, coma, pimp & circumstance in Musicology, The Dance in 3121, Somewhere here on Earth in Planet Earth, and Colonized mind in Lotusflow3r. Sticky like glue or Levaux are the closer attempts to masterpiece here, in my opinion of course, but they do not reach the category of the other songs I mention. But given that all those albums (with the exception of the excellent 3121) are rather irregular in quality, in the end, I think that 20TEN is more balanced and taken together, it is possibly the finest Prince effort since the astonishing 3121. And of course, it is much better than the acclaimed by hardcores (certainly not by me) The Rainbow Children.

Some reflections before the review of 20TEN

As in all recent Prince albums, the previous Prince music (and how you let it influence your expectations) plays a big role here. If you keep in mind SOTT when listening to any new Prince album, it will never grow on you, no matter how good. For many of us, SOTT was realeased in the mid of our 20s, in a time of personal awakening that is only further mystified by the years. We have many fond memories of those times, musical & personal, and therefore I think there is no way that we can pretend a new album to blow us away in the same way; mainly because our lives, 23 years later, are navigating in much quieter waters.

This is why I (and many others) try to keep a strict blank page in my mind when listening to a new Prince album in 2010. Then let the album make its job while removing as much prejudices as possible from my mind. And besides, I try to forget about the lyrics to let the music (and only the music) the lead role. If I succeed, then my guts are the only responsible of my reaction to the new album. And you know what? On Friday morning, while I was doing my first listen, my guts started moving, when I was listening to Future soul song (even with the unbelievably ridiculous title and all!). And this is an unmistikable symptom that the music works for me, independently of my rational reaction to it.


If someone asked me about great bands which impressed me in the last years, I would immediately mention Antony and the Johnsons, whose second album truly blew me away some years ago.
Something similar happened with Sufjan Stevens.

I consider their music absolutely excellent, but their impact on me was nowhere near the impact I had with SOTT; and it is not due to lack of music quality: simply, my music background is already filled with loads of good stuff, and besides, in 1987 I was almost a child with plenty of stuff to explore. If I had heard Antony in 1987, I bet his impact would have been comparable to Prince with SOTT. But not now. And that says nothing about Prince vs Antony, but it says a lot about me.

Campeones

It was an ugly match, with way too much hard game, a lousy referee, and little beautiful football, the speciality of our team. But in the end, the best team won; may this little comment pay homage to the Spanish team who worked and fighted hard and long to get this prize, and to the trainer, Del Bosque, el hombre tranquilo, the guy who was able to use both the heart and the brain to get to this point. Congratulations to all of them: you guys deserved it!

The final match

I have rarely seen such expectation and such a vibe from the whole country, as today waiting for the final match of the world football cup 2010. Even people not interested in sports are getting ready for the party, and there will be meetings of friends & families everywhere to watch the match and make the celebration together. It feels weird to see how a sport can provoke such an unanymous reaction.

Hopefully we will win, I think it is well deserved and the victory, if it comes, will arrive at a perfect timing.

So cheers everybody, enjoy the match, and let's discuss it once it's over!

Discovering a new Prince album

For those of us who try to keep a balanced attitude in front of new Prince music (neither an automatic bashing, nor a crazy, unfounded adoration), the experience of discovering a new Prince album is always a pleasure, regardless of the final opinion on the new songs.

Today, the album finally leaked, with just a couple of days in advance of its official release through newspapers, which is quite an accomplishment. So here I am, listening to the new songs for the very first time (with the exception of the few samples posted earlier this week by The Mirror.

I will be posting my opinions here as long as I have clear ideas on the new songs; and as usual, the first impression is very important to me, as music affects my guts (or does not affect me at all). Thus far, Future soul song and Sticky like glue were both positive surprises, and Compassion and Beginning endlessly confirmed my initial sensation: Compassion is boring due to its intended effect of being a "single". Beginning endlessly's keyboards are very strong and I like the melody overall.

Prince announces stay in Paris at Le Parisien?

Maybe I am jumping too quickly to this conclusion, but given the previous hints, this comment from Prince in a short interview posted today by Le Parisien seems to confirm a purple stay at the end of the summer:

Short interview at Le Parisien

Vous revoilà en Europe et bientôt en France. C’est toujours un plaisir pour vous ?
PRINCE. Oui j’adore jouer chez vous, je donne deux concerts cet été, mais je vais revenir à la rentrée. J’ai même l’intention de chanter dans toutes les salles de Paris.


Translation:


You come back to Europe and soon in France. Is it always a pleasure for you?
PRINCE. Yes, I love playing in your country, I give two shows this summer, but I will come back after summer. I have even the intention of singing in all Paris venues.

The Wii arrived home yesterday

After long controversies/requests/changes of opinion at home, finally we went yesterday to purchase a Wii game system. Our kids spent their first evening playing with it (and I admit I was blown away by the control they have already, only from playing at other kids' homes).

I have always been an opponent of the game consoles, as in my view they are a way of spending way too much time for kids who could be actually playing on the streets, or at home, with other people, or reading, or doing many other entertaining activities. Yet after a series of discussions, I agreed in getting one of those, and the Wii is, in my view, the system allowing more interaction to other people; and this is most important, since I have the feeling that game consoles can derive into a dangerous way of getting isolated from other people.

Anyway, I hope this will be something good, although honestly, I am not too sure.

Snippets of Prince's new album 20TEN available at The Mirror website

This morning, the UK newspaper The Mirror has posted at its website snippets of three songs from the new Prince album, 20TEN; the songs are Compassion, Begining endlessly and Lavaux.


"Compassion" sounds more than a bit automatic to me; anyway this is just a snippet, it might get better in full. But after listening a few times to this snippet, I'm afraid this might be a "The one U wanna c" part 2 (and this is a very bad comment, coming from me).

"Beginning endlessly" is the same snippet we heard before on another preview video, and I must say it sounds very nice to me, inspired and fresh. Nothing groundbreaking in Princeland, but at least it feels easy flowing and reminds of the good old Prince.

But the best is for last: Lavaux sounds tight and the melody got me on first listen. Again Prince is not inventing the wheel, and if the full song retains the same vibe, maybe Prince had a close encounter with Mojo recently.

All in all, this is way too early to say, but I am positively surprised (possibly because of the previous mediocrities released by the guy).