Blogcritics Author: Snarkattack

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Book Review: The Truth Will Out: Unmasking the Real Shakespeare by Brenda James & William D. Rubinstein

Snarkattack — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 01:56:12 EDT

One doesn't generally associate the great hallmarks of English literature with hot, juicy gossip or tales of intrigue, deception and rebellion. It sounds more like the plot of a Shakespearian play. To my mind, one could view the Shakespearian authorship question in precisely these terms in order for the non-academic world to understand the relevance of this mystery (and its ongoing lack of resolution) to not just English literature and the language, but to other world literatures as well.It might be a fanciful idea, but try to imagine it from the following point of view. This requires that you are open to the notion that the man known as William Shakespeare was not the author of the plays we've come to identify him with.For all our knowledge and technological advancements, we still cannot confirm the true identity of one of the seminal figures in English literature. Indeed, we have a name, a body of work attached to that name, but there is a lot of doubt as to how the named person could have produced such work given his social standing in the Elizabethan reign. Does this strike you as odd? It should: normally one believes that it is beneficial to have one's name attached to one's work and to be identified as the rightful producer. William Shakespeare of Stratford was the son of an illiterate man, who was skilled in trades and rose to prosperity, as is evidenced by his being briefly active in his local council. Given that William's father was forced to relinquish this position, it is very unlikely that he could have ensured his son got the sort of education that would allow him to produce works of the valour that is currently attributed to him. It is possible that William attended the local grammar school, but very unlikely that he went on to further and necessary study. He eventually went to London and became an actor for the Lord Chamberlain's MenIt is at this point that the authorship plot thickens. What if the true author of the works we generally attribute to Shakespeare did not wish his or her identity to be known? What reasons would inspire an author to do this? Brenda James, enlisting the help of Professor W. D. Rubinstein, devoted time and energy to try and come up with definitive answers to these questions, even though in certain academic circles this was not always approved of. The fruit of her research is this book, in which she poses that the actual author of the works attributed to Shakespeare was in fact Sir Henry Neville, an English courtier and sometime diplomat.However, Sir Henry Neville is not the first person thought to have been the true author of Shakespeare's work. James and Rubinstein do address this and give a cursory glance as to why some of the more illustrious candidates (such as Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, and Sir Francis Bacon) should be ignored. In order to examine why Shakespeare's work should be rightfully attributed to Sir Neville, it is necessary to also examine Sir Neville's life and ancestry in great detail. The Truth Will Out most definitely does this, and in keeping with the highest academic standards. The research is thorough and presented in a manner that engages the reader's interest. There are, however, some issues with the arguments given in order that we accept Neville as the true Shakespeare. The main one is that there is a heavy reliance upon the correlation between the events of Neville's life and of the actual artistic output produced. To boil this down to its basest level, the authors at times suggest that when Neville's life is rosy, this corresponds roughly to the dates of the Shakespearian comedies being written and premiered.This is a work of academic research and criticism and may be heavy-going for the non-academic reader. It does presuppose a good amount of knowledge of Shakespearian literary history, but in fairness it is intended for an academic audience. The lay reader may need to bear that in mind, but should not at all be discouraged by this fact.I cannot honestly say whether I fully accept Neville as the author of Shakespeare's work because the book relies too much on the assumption that Neville's output was almost solely determined by his personal and professional circumstances. There is some excellent evidence presented that Neville had access to other literary sources quoted as well as possessing the degree of learning needed to write such work. But anyone with an interest in the Shakespearian authorship question is heartily encouraged to read this absorbing, informative book. No doubt, it has contributed to the debate by forcing the literary community to accept that there is now a new possible author to the Bard's work.

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

She is a former music school rebel who now wrestles with mental illness and various pathological obsessions including but not limited to cats, lipgloss, bath products, any decent literature, poetry, and music. You can catch her various ramblings on her blog. She passes as a published poet in some circles.

Music review: Goldfrapp - We Are Glitter

Snarkattack — Thu, 7 Dec 2006 09:47:53 EST

When Goldfrapp, the electro glam pop duo based in Bath, UK first released Felt Mountain (2000), I was mesmerised. Their work was unlike anything I’d ever heard before – at times, it was very classical with rich, sweeping orchestral snippets reminiscent of The Sound of Music. At other points, it was carnivalesque and sinister, as invoked by various synthesiser sounds: it warned you to not stay out after dark at the fairground. Six years later, the album still merits listening. However, vocalist Alison Goldfrapp and musical collaborator Will Gregory decided to take their music in a slightly different direction. Black Cherry, the follow-up to their debut, showed less musical breadth than its predecessor but it marked the development of the duo’s preferred aesthetic. Creatively and commercially, things continue to improve for Goldfrapp. With the release of Supernature in March 2006 in the US (in the UK, summer of 2005), they achieved platinum-selling status in England. The pair also claim that this work best reflects their ‘split personalities’ and continues to explore the ends of their creative spectrum. Goldfrapp herself remarks that “It sums up a lot of the things that inspire us… (we’re) driven by the idea of what nature is exactly, and concepts like human versus nature and human versus machine.” Gregory explains this theory in practice: “(it) beats you into submission with a really big chorus” (Smith Galtney, Time Out New York Mar 2-8 2006, 22). Though this comment is made about ‘Ooh La La’ (the first single on Supernature), it is a great way to sum up their what they are trying to achieve in their music.It makes perfect sense then that Goldfrapp, being at the top of their creative game should release a remix album. What better tracks to choose from than those from Supernature? Not that remixes are new territory for them. DJ-producer Marco Haas, better known as T. Raumschmiere had already remixed "Train" from Black Cherry, and he returns for another contribution for We Are Glitter (Oct 2006) – remixing "‘Lovely 2 C U".There are many familiar names on this remix effort. Mùm bring their melodic, ambient sound to "You Never Know" and "Number 1"; Benny Benassi continues T. Raumschmiere’s glitchy microhouse vibe with his version of "Ooh La La"; the producers DFA bring their playful, percussive hijinks (also responsible for art-rock outfit The Rapture’s signature sound) to "Slide In"; industry heavyweight Carl Craig takes us back to the 80s with a chiptune-riddled "Fly Me Away" under the moniker ‘C2’, and lastly François K (as Fk-Ek) treats us to a dancefloor filling hard techno version of "Ride A White Horse".The remaining artists provide equally memorable offerings. Ewan Pearson’s Disco Odyssey Part 1 mix of "Ride A White Horse" is erotic and makes the most of Alison’s siren-like voice – completely different to the Fk-Ek remix. Both remixes of "Satin Chic" (by The Shortwave Set, and Dimension 11 of the Flaming Lips) had haunting echoes of Felt Mountain which their unusual and ethereal instrumentation. However, everyone loves a thumping hard techno hit, and right in the middle of the compilation Alan Braxo and Fred Falke give us their remix of "Number 1". Goldfrapp do leave their audience with a special treat: to finish the mix, they include their very own remix of "Strict Machine" from Black Cherry which was also used on the film soundtrack to the recently released Miami Vice. Though I personally didn’t like Black Cherry, We Are Glitter is coaxing me into giving Goldfrapp’s Supernature some serious consideration. Fans of Goldfrapp would be mad to miss this remix album, and I suspect that it’s going to help them pick up lots of new followers.

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

The Bathroom: Microcosm for Fascism, Communism, and Capitalism

Snarkattack — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 16:00:08 EST

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their pets. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their subordinates. Personally speaking, you can also tell a lot about a person's nature if you pay particular attention to their bathroom etiquette. I don't mean hygiene habits, though god knows you can tell an awful lot about a person based upon those. I mean things like how considerate they are of others if the bathroom is shared, and so on. The bathroom has become a much-loved place over the last three years. I’ve discovered wonderful, relaxing, sensory pleasures. Bubble baths, fizzes, soaks, milks, powder, grains, soaps -- you name it. And oh! The delicious scents that emanate from a bathroom after such things are employed! Vanilla, jasmine, chamomile, lavender, honey, angelica, rose petals, milk powder -- they not only do things for the nose, but also for one's well-being.Before I started dabbling in bath luxuries, my use of the bathroom was strictly practical. Make sure those pigtails are symmetrical, and that school tie knotted properly. I often joked that my brother was plenty vain enough for the two of us. He’d spent a good deal of the last thirteen or so years preening in front of the mirror. One has to look good for one’s public, after all!In the golden age of our bathroom's fascist regime, coinciding with that damn nuisance called puberty, we could call my brother the dictator. He would completely lose it over important issues such as toilet paper, as one does. What the hell? He would accuse me of leaving only enough paper on the roll to avoid changing it for a new one. Or of forgetting to replace a used-up roll (which only happened when I was in a rush!) and -- my personal favourite -- going ballistic over the paper hanging down too low for when he was standing up.And I thought I was a nutjob.Thankfully, Il Duce’s reign chez moi passed quickly (thank you, end of teenagehood). Zip ten years forward, almost to the present day. A certain famous Marxist spectre began to haunt our bathroom.One might recall the previous mention of my brother making fun of my love for all things stereotypically girlie, and of my recent bathroom splurging habits as a recent development. One thing I would like to point out is that, while I might spend more than one should on these silly things, I am also willing to share them. My brother, who works full time, isn’t the most generous of folk. Well, unless you beg. Ironically, he was much more generous when he was unemployed. Perhaps now he feels the world owes him something because he's a working man (more like a chav in a business suit, says I). Not all of my indulgences are exclusively for females. I was pleased to note that upon visiting a male friend's bedsit a while back, said friend had a jar of Aesop body moisturiser. Ooh! Same brand as my night cream. It was this very night cream my brother and I were sharing. It ain't cheap, but it's bloody good stuff, so I fork out willingly. Naturally, the jar emptied at a considerably quicker rate than when I was the sole user. So I very tentatively suggested we go halves on the cost of the next jar:ME (very timidly): Uh, I was wondering...would you mind going halves on the next jar of the Aesop moisturiser? I mean, it's not cheap and, um, seeing as we're both using it...HIM (in grunt-like fashion): Oh well, I suppose I'll have to, won't I? (Which really sounded like: Uh-wol-ahs'pose-I-ah-to, wooo-I? Sorry, I don't understand 'grunt' all that fluently, I doubt many of you will either.)In classic passive-aggressive 'I-think-you're-a-selfish-bastard' mentality, I removed the products I'd been so willing to share and put them on my shelf space in the bathroom cupboard. You might be thinking "what an immature cow!" but please note I’d been choosing to ignore the fact he was consuming, at a somewhat colossal rate, one of my favourite shower gels. He used up more of my Lush 'Flying Fox' than I did! Sob. It’s not quite as dear as the facial moisturiser, so I hadn't minded as much. But the money wasn't the only issue here, it was more the distinct lack of consideration. A part of me feels he should be moved to contribute towards the cost of something jointly consumed, but apparently not. My mother suggested I order him to cough up, but that would be very mean-spirited, even for me.There are other things that really piss me off about his bathroom etiquette. The list is extensive, and I’ve confirmed with third parties that some of it is just plain disgusting. But I can happily ignore those as long as he doesn’t start using up my lovely stuff. Until he’s willing to chip in, my stuff stays on my shelf. So apparently, the bathroom is now in a 'user pays' zone. How wonderfully capitalist of us. Rather sad, but, alas, very much reflecting the state of the developed world.

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

PC Game Review: Glow Worm

Snarkattack — Thu, 2 Nov 2006 14:44:45 EST

I love puzzle games – they’re a great way of keeping the gray matter active without exhausting you mentally (like, say, reading Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake will). When you want to play a fun computer game but something a cut above the old shoot ‘em up, you might like to consider the following product in question.Enter Glow Worm, a game that is suitable for all ages and all minds. The concept is simple, but faultless – you’re a glow worm and you need to solve an almost never-ending array of puzzles to save your fellow captured glow worm pals. They’re counting on you for their freedom, so don’t let them down! There are three paths you can choose in order to save them – Classic, Puzzle, and Adventure.'Classic' is screen after screen of obstacles, which you must get through to proceed to the next level. You cannot save your progress when you choose this path – it merely continues 'til you are no longer able to progress forward, or have to quit the game. I tried as hard as I could to save all the worms in one sitting and this is definitely something I do not recommend doing – especially as there are 48 worms in total to save. You are told how many are left in multiples of four, as an incentive to continue, but remember to take regular breaks if you really want to pursue this mode of play.The 'Adventure' mode was probably my favourite: it’s very similar to the Classic mode, except that your progress is able to be saved. Again, you are ‘updated’ as to how many more glow worms you have to save when you have rescued four of them. The update screen is pretty cute – it has these little worms in steel-bar cages that then fly out of them to show you how many you’ve freed.Lastly, we have the 'Puzzle' mode, which doesn’t at all resemble the Classic or Adventure modes. Firstly, you can choose in what order you complete Puzzle screens, to a certain level. Once you have solved all the puzzles in a particular stage, then more Puzzle screens become available to you, as if ‘unlocked’. Your score for each Puzzle screen is recorded and some of them have a theme. I actually got stuck on a few of the last ones, but refused to give up! It’s very addictive; you've been warned!So what does one have to do to solve a puzzle, or free a glow worm? Each screen is made up of squares, and some of these have bushes. You are then given worms to arrange according to their colour so when you get four of them arranged adjacently, they disappear, and if placed next to bushes, they make the bush explode and thus clear that part of the screen. The bush is an example of one such obstacle; there are several others and you will be told which one(s) you need to get rid of to progress to the next screen. You also have a Glow Worm instructor who tells you the rules as you go along, or gives you tips and general encouragement. It might seem a bit silly for the older players, but children will find his character very appealing. I haven’t since played it again after completing it due to lack of time, but I enjoyed this game immensely and probably spent more grown-up time playing it than I should have. If anything, this is proof that this release from TriSynergy comes highly recommended.Glow Worm is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

Book Review: Beginning PHP and MySQL 5: From Novice to Professional (Second Edition) by W. Jason Gilmore

Snarkattack — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 14:23:27 EST

I’ve been blogging for a little over a year now and if someone had told me that I’d eventually want to learn or understand anything about open source technology, I would most likely have said “Open source what?” As far as I was concerned, blogging was just about getting one’s words up on a screen so others in cyberspace could read them. Sounded pretty simple to me! However, the more one wants to do, the more one needs to learn. It’s like real world publishing - if you want your book, or poster or pamphlet etc. to be more than black print on white paper, then obviously one needs to employ more sophisticated methods of publication. Apparently, I had reached that point with blogging and that meant embracing all sorts of things I’d previously associated with tech geeks.I knew that PHP had something to do with getting up the information we see on web pages, but that was it. The current book up for review seemed like an excellent starting point for someone as clueless as me. It’s a pretty hefty volume at over 900 pages but is very well set out. There are two distinct sections – one for PHP, and the other for MySQL. The first section is about PHP, an open source technology that is responsible for what appears on web pages, and in what manner. One need not go further than the Blogcritics homepage, for example - if you go to where ‘Blogcritic of the Day’ is displayed, you will notice that the name periodically changes because the page file (a PHP file) is written in such a manner to allow for this information to be variable.Gilmore spends twenty-one chapters thoroughly explaining how PHP can create dynamic web content, starting with a brief history of its development and installation instructions. It is a lot of information to go through, but the chapters are organised so that you can skip through to the sections that suit you, though the author suggests this is an option better suited to intermediate or advanced users of PHP. Before embarking upon the MySQL section, chapters 22 and 23 address some ‘bridging’ material. Chapter 22 discusses database servers and alternatives - specifically, a pared-down version of MySQL, referred to as SQLite, for the technologically timid. Chapter 23 briefly introduces the reader to database extraction layer software and options for those wishing to use database software other than those that are usually employed, so that they know there is some choice, albeit limited. At this point things were admittedly starting to get confusing for me, but a clear diagram explains how all these elements are connected to get your web page up and running. This helps to put everything in context. Finally, we can tackle MySQL, a relational database server. There is extensive discussion on why MySQL has become so popular; it should be easy for those who have used other databases, its availability in several platforms, emphasis on speed as opposed to lots of features that generally go ignored but best of all, it’s free and easily accessible by download.After this introduction, it is straight into installation and configuration, and licencing issues. Assuming that there have been no problems in this area, we are then introduced to some basic commands to get your fingers dirty in MySQL. From chapter 26, it begins to get complicated but still approachable for the novice – it covers local and remote connection to your server, clients and utilities that provide interfaces for the execution of server administration tasks, various connection options available. Chapter 27 discusses MySQL storage engines and datatypes – what ones exist and what relational database table (storage engine) one can use to store and organise information. It also highlights key tasks in database management and navigation. What follows is security when accessing MySQL. In chapter 29 there is an excellent five-part checklist of essential tasks to be performed after installing and configuring MySQL. Provided you read through this section carefully, this should present no trouble. Lastly, some useful things on PHP’s MySQL extension and suggestions on how to protect your information and connection. Most of this chapter is devoted to the various commands and processes one can choose to execute once a database is selected. For a beginner like myself, chapters 24 to 29 are essential reading for MySQL basics. A brief glance through the remaining chapters (30 through 37) yields proof that there is further instruction on building upon these basics. It is highly recommended that those wanting to progress further first master the basics, or progress from chapter 30 onwards could get confusing. From a non-technical point of view, I feel it necessary to mention a few things about the book generally. It is large, comprehensive, yet written in clear, concise English. It is well set out and there is an abundance of examples. When possible, the author always relates the technology discussed to its practical applications in the "real world" by giving examples of who uses what, and for what purpose. Undoubtedly the author is committed to ensuring that others benefit from his knowledge, without being patronising. To my mind, computer and technical manuals are notoriously dry but this one manages to avoid that. Each chapter has an introduction, and ends with a summary to further reinforce what topics were discussed. This book is excellent for the beginner, though those with more experience may find it more useful as a reference tool. This is most evident when one considers just how much time is devoted to the PHP section which is arguably more thorough than the MySQL section. The material isn’t always easy to grasp at first reading, but W. Jason Gilmore certainly does his best to make sure that understanding it will be possible for many of the concepts introduced. It remains up-to-date as the book is currently in its second edition printing, the author having written more material for this purpose. I have no qualms recommending it to those who may find themselves as technologically challenged as myself.

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

Book Review: Mi Revalueshanary Fren by Linton Kwesi Johnson

Snarkattack — Thu, 5 Oct 2006 08:03:39 EDT

It is probably less common today but it was once a part of one’s English classes to suffer through Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales. I say ‘suffer’ because in secondary school it was likely to have been perceived as boring and frustrating, but at university, when I first encountered it and was genuinely interested in learning something from it, it seemed far too difficult to even be considered boring. Thankfully, my knowledge of French helped me immensely: the grammatical structure of middle or Chaucerian English was fairly similar to that of modern French. Even the vocabulary looked more like French. One might ask at this point, why attempt to read or study anything so difficult? Why not just read it in translation? Why bother at all? Quite simply, the way in which someone says or writes something can give us, as the reader, a great deal of information – particularly about a world far removed from our own. To experience or consume any work of art is to attempt to see things from the point of view of the producer, or artist. The world as described in the poetry of Jamaican-born poet Linton Kwesi Johnson is not as far removed from my realm of experience as I would prefer, and yet I found myself in a similar position to the reading of Chaucer. Yet this time, I relied upon another language to jumpstart my comprehension of Johnson’s poetry – that of music, and rhythm.This is no coincidence: Johnson clearly states that “I didn’t discover music… I was born with music, from the time I heard my heart beating.” As a child in rural Jamaica, he could hear drums and music systems set up for dances – miles away from where he resided. He even admits that he has a bass line at the back of his mind when he writes. The language used in Mi Revalueshanary Fren which collects selected poems by Johnson spanning three decades is a mix of 17th-century colonial English, West African from the slaves, and a smattering of the indigenous Caribbean tribal dialects. It was not so long ago that varieties of English like this were considered inferior to the motherland’s English, but now people and academia are embracing such world varieties. Like all consummate artists, Johnson writes about what he knows best – the double-edged sword that is colonial invasion. He spent most of his life in Britain, and has an academic background in sociology, but it is his personal experiences that he draws upon in his poetry. Despite having the sort of education that the black community in Britain was not encouraged to pursue, he remains in touch with his fellow immigrants and descendants thereof. Through his work, he communicates for them. He gives them a voice that they did not realise they were entitled to and did not have, particularly in the 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s. Aside from the linguistic difficulties of his work, there is the emotional: this makes for disturbing reading most of the time. There are stories of calculated police brutality, violation of even the most basic of human rights and how the press sought to minimise coverage of the injustices suffered by the West Indian community centred in London. The images conjured are vivid to the point where the reader is forced to relive the experience.One such poem that struck me in this manner is ‘Sonny’s Lettah’. Written from the point of view of a black man who finds himself incarcerated after killing a policeman in defence of his friend – a target of the police for wrongful vagrancy. You can actually listen to Johnson reading it online. The sections of the poem that seem most driven by a very obvious rhythm are the ones detailing the brutality of the police, and the men defending themselves. One finds a similar thing in play in ‘New Crass Massakah’. Initially it starts off as being rhythmic because there is a party, which later on escalates into an act of unexpected atrocity:'New Crass Massakah'(to the memory of the fourteen dead) first di cominan di goinin an out af di pawtydi dubbinan di rubbinand di rackin to di riddimdi dancinan di scankinan di pawty really swinginden di crashan di bangan di flames staat fi trangdi heatan di smokean di people staat fi chokedi screamin and di cryinand di diein in di fyah…(LKJ, MRF, 52)What starts off as a celebration of a 16-year-old (black) girl’s party in Deptford, London becomes a racially motivated arson attack to be played down by the media and subsequent criminal investigation. These are just a couple of examples that demonstrate what makes Johnson’s work so historically and culturally significant – it records the experience of Jamaican-born British immigrants, speaking for them when others would silence them. It is hardly surprising therefore that he is the second living poet (as well as the first black poet) to be included in Penguin Books’ Modern Classics imprint in the UK. To coincide with the debut publication of Mi Revalueshanary Fren in the US, LKJ, as he is known to his fans, will be having a reading tour in selected cities throughout the States and anyone who is interested in this revolutionary man’s work is strongly encouraged to attend. For those of us not quite so fortunate, Mi Revalueshanary Fren comes with a companion compact disc of Johnson reciting his poetry unaccompanied – this is essential if one truly wants to understand his body of work. Russell Banks’ introduction in the book is extremely well-written and informative, giving background on the poet and his work.As mentioned in the beginning, the language isn’t always easy but the recording definitely helps, and enhances the reader’s experience and comprehension. Chaucer could tell a decent tale or two, but for now I’m inspired to discover more of LKJ’s work.

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

Music Review: Richard Dorfmeister vs. Madrid de los Austrias, Grand Slam

Snarkattack — Mon, 2 Oct 2006 13:26:40 EDT

I’ve been a fan of Herr Dorfmeister for quite some time now. Back in the day when life was attending uni and raucous parties graced by sophisticated, marijuana-obsessed Europeans, the masters of ‘stoner dub’ were introduced to me via a recording simply titled The K & D Sessions. It turned out that this was a DJ set spread over two compact discs put together by two Austrian fellows – Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister. From that point on, no summertime outdoor barbeque seemed complete without at least one of these tracks grooving on out from the stereo. Further exploration of these individuals’ work led to the discovery of Tosca, a project involving Dorfmeister, and Rupert Huber – not unknown to the Europe experimental electronic scene.A few years ago, Kruder and Dorfmeister made it out to Australia for a tour, and Tosca were slated to do the same earlier this year but unexpectedly cancelled soon after the tour had been announced. Who knew when they’d make it out here, if ever. Oh, to still live in Europe and catch them whenever I pleased. When the opportunity came to review this latest title, I leapt at the chance. Dorfmeister I knew, but the duo he’d teamed up with were not familiar to me. Madrid de los Austrias is a Viennese production duo comprising Sunshine Enterprises label front man Heinz Tronigger and multi-instrumentalist Michael Kreiner, affectionately nicknamed ‘Pogo’. So what exactly does the title Grand Slam have to do with three Austrian music producers? Not exactly Grand Slam season in their area of the world at the moment, is it? Apparently these fellows are quite the tennis enthusiasts. Also, this debut mix album is supposed to be a personal ‘grand slam’ of sorts – Dorfmeister vs. Madrid de los Austrias. Two against one hardly seems fair but it’s all in fun.Most of the tracks are put together from scratch (of existing material) by the trio but there are a few very well known remixes of other artists’ tracks on this compilation like Zero 7’s "In the Waiting Line" and Groove Armada’s "My Friend". The standout track on has to be the remix of Willie Bobo’s "Spanish Grease" with its Latin flavour (de los Austrias’ signature sound) which was the also the very first track on the debut recording in the Verve Remixed series. This is bound to be a favourite this summer (thankfully not too far away for us Southern Hemisphere dwellers). It has the right balance of Dorfmeister’s smooth, laidback grooves and Madrid de Los Austrias’ Latin jazz leanings. However it would have been nice if this compilation had’ve been longer – one can’t help but feel just as you’re getting into it, it finishes. Surely it would not have been a problem for the lads to serve up a two CD/ four LP release? Perhaps we’ll just have to wait for the next time these guys decide to put out the fruits of future collaborations. They’d better do it quickly.

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

Music Review: Faithless - Renaissance 3D

Snarkattack — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 01:45:42 EDT

The name Faithless needs little introduction. Back in my stupid teenage years, I snickered over earlier hits of theirs such as "Insomnia" and "God Is A DJ." It would be a while till I saw the error of my ways and realised that Faithless are seriously good musicians, after their album Outrospective was released.What better way to celebrate their contribution to mainstream dance music by being the next artist to follow Satoshi Tomiie's Renaissance 3D release with one of their own: a compilation of three compact discs, each disc devoted to a particular 'venue' -- we have 'Studio,' featuring the band's own remixes and productions, and therefore largely made up of their oeuvre in versions not familiar to many due to their rarity.It also highlights their British roots -- they name Tricky (alongside DJ and rapper-lyricist Maxi Jazz) as someone whose rapping style was 'distinctly' British. Film director Danny Boyle commissioned Faithless to write a track for his adaptation of (British novelist) Alex Garland's The Beach cementing their collaborative relationship (Boyle having used tracks from Faithless' album Reverence for his previous film A Life Less Ordinary).It's difficult to name standout tracks on this disc, as they seem to be chosen for their personal significance for the band. Such tracks include "Sister Bliss" and (fellow Faithless producer) Rollo's remix of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love;" a remix of "Crazy English Summer" featuring the haunting vocals of Zoë Johnston who first came to the public's attention when Bent released the single "Swollen;" a film soundtrack exclusive ("Addictive" for Cruel Intentions); the main single from 1 Giant Leap, and a song penned by Sister Bliss and Rollo for his sister Dido ("Worthless") who was only paid a curry (according to the sleeve notes) for her guest vocalist duties with Faithless and went on to better things.The second disc, "Club" is a total change of pace -- personally, I recommend putting this on with the volume cranked up while engaged in large bouts of domestic duties because the energy is just infectious. Sister Bliss is in charge of editing, arranging, and programming the nineteen tracks that appear here which she explains is no mean feat given that it is to roughly represent a typical two-hour set performed live, cut down to less than eighty minutes for a compact disc.She also notes that to personalise the mix, she overlays some original keyboard parts, samples, and beats. It definitely adds depth to the mix. Transition between tracks is seamless and there are no surprises in this set.Self-proclaimed Buddhist rapper and DJ, Maxi Jazz puts the third and last disc "Home" together. This is my personal favourite out of the three discs. It is probably because it is reminiscent of living in Britain in the late seventies, early eighties -- a time of major political instability and racial conflict (and some very groovy tunes and recreational drug use), for instance the race riots in Brixton. A lot of the tracks have that sound that has influenced UK garage and grime. They also pay homage to musical roots from Jamaica and the West Indies, Africa and reaches as far as the African-American gospel tradition.While a fellow Blogcritics colleague stated in his review that this compilation was somewhat disappointing, one has to remember that this is more of an anthology or document of Faithless' history, a deeply personal and emotional history. To a lesser extent it also presents a slice of social history, particularly of London in the 1980s and 1990s. It's not absolutely essential to one's collection but it sure is enjoying some frequent listening on this end.

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

Book Review: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Snarkattack — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 17:26:28 EDT

It appears that all this time everything we thought we knew about Wonderland and that girl called Alice is about to be completely flipped on its head. Curiouser and curiouser indeed! Frank Beddor, best known for producing films whose credits include There’s Something About Mary has begun a somewhat arduous task – to tell the world the truth about Wonderland. Doesn’t that sound odd?Apparently, the character that many have come to know as Alice Liddell, sometime muse of Lewis Carroll, is in fact Alyss Heart, eventual Queen of Wonderland. Yes, that’s correct: she comes from Wonderland even though Carroll’s works would have us believe otherwise – that she was a mortal girl who stumbled upon an entrance to aforementioned magical world. Most of us will be able to recall countless bits and pieces of Alice’s adventures – through books, films, cartoons, and other such media. So, we’ve determined that Alyss is not your ordinary girl, even for Wonderland. She is a princess, her parents being the current monarchs. At the beginning of Beddor’s account, a very spoilt queen-to-be is celebrating her seventh birthday and, with the help of her imagination, is conjuring all sorts of amusing things. Magic is an essential part of life in Wonderland, as is having an active but well-intentioned and disciplined imagination.Sadly, this glorious, festive occasion is to be thrown into chaos courtesy of Alyss’ evil aunt Redd, sister to her mother, Queen Genevieve. Redd, resentful of her sister’s position, has planned a coup, and Alyss' bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, protects her by whisking her off and throwing them both into the Pool of Tears. This pool takes Alyss to Victorian England, but she is separated from Madigan, who ends up elsewhere in the mortal world. Poor Alyss! Victorian England is not kind to her, and people seem to be constantly incensed at her claims to be from this other world. Imagination is not tolerated, and she is desperate to go home. Hope eventually comes along in the form of Reverend Charles Dodgson (whose pseudonym Lewis Carroll we are more acquainted with). He is fascinated by her tale and eager to write it down. Alyss is far from pleased with the final result (well, the beastly man does spell her name incorrectly after all! Hmph!) and it is then that she resigns herself to a ‘normal’ existence, turning her back on the realm of imagination.Wonderland is not faring well either. Redd has usurped the throne, and her subjects who previously enjoyed a life of happiness now live in fear and misery. They must deny their true queen, who would be hunted down should she return. Yet, there are those who remain staunchly loyal to their true queen and hope for her return. To accompany this book, there is also a CD soundtrack to add another level to the narrative experience. Beddor worked with Canadian music supervisor Androo Mitchell to select and collaborate with the artists for the soundtrack. His stipulation was that the album had to work independently of the novel and he issued the following directive to the musical artists: “This is what this character or this chapter means to me, but what I really want is for you to make it personal for you.” The result only adds to the concept of Beddor’s Wonderland, either by enriching the main narrative, or creating several retellings of Beddor’s idea. A lot of the tracks on the CD echo a sound that came into prominence in the mid to late 1990s but the effect – the emotional journey that Alyss experiences is vividly rendered.The Looking Glass Wars also makes use of various media for narration, some of which is not entirely traditional to Wonderland. Alyss even has her very own MySpace page, being the resourceful and modern girl that she is. There is also the official Looking Glass Wars website which has all sorts of interesting things such as storyboard artwork, selected tracks from the soundtrack to listen to online, information about the Hatter M. comic (about Alyss’ bodyguard), a trailer about the book, and many more delightful treats related to this mythic universe.Is the world ready for yet another Wonderland tale, you might ask? Absolutely! Though this is specifically aimed at children from the ages of 10 upwards, it should attract a much wider audience. It has themes that both adults and children will find enticing – the journey to find one’s way back home, find one’s true self, and having the courage to be oneself where others would have you conform. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the trilogy develops, and to learn more about the ‘truth’ of Wonderland. Beddor is currently working on the second novel in the series entitled Seeing Redd, and also a screenplay for a full-length feature film.

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.

Beauty and Sadness

Snarkattack — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:44:43 EDT

I wasn’t very happy with the last article I tried to write, hence a delay in this one’s appearance. Inspiration was at a bit of a low, due to my dismay over my previous article’s poor conception. Thank goodness for television. There I was, moping with my laptop, and Dr. 90210 comes on in the background. It’s a series, part reality show, part documentary (yes, there is a difference) and typically follows the day in a life of a cosmetics surgeon, as well as one of his patients -- the location being Beverly Hills, California, USA.So… what’s with the title then, you’re wondering? Cosmetic surgeons’ lives can’t be all that sad and no, according to this show, they don’t seem to be. They’re not perfect either. Sadness of the patients, perhaps? Closer. Actually, I just chose that title because it is also the name of a novel by former Japanese Nobel prize winning author Yasunari Kawabata. Thought it might impress you or trick you into thinking I’m smart. (It’s all bluff! Sadly, I’ve not yet read this novel of Kawabata’s). Seriously, now, I thought it a very fitting title because one can read that title in so many ways: beauty as a cause of sadness (because one does not possess it), beauty is sadness (because now it can be bought), or the notion of beauty obscuring what truly makes one sad – using one’s appearance to hide emotional pains and so forth.It does also apply more literally: I feel sad to learn of a teenager, who seems pretty bloody gorgeous to me, resorting to cosmetic surgery at the age of seventeen and her mother wholeheartedly approving. The mother, who deserves credit for supporting her daughter’s decision, explains that if it will make her daughter happier about herself, then why not have cosmetic surgery? Her daughter is visiting a cosmetic surgeon because she wants a breast augmentation. This is slightly worrying, to me at least. First of all, she’s seventeen. Her body will not yet have stopped growing, or developing. Also, her mother supporting the daughter’s decision – what kind of message is this giving her child? That good looks (of a stylised kind) are important and that it’s perfectly normal to fork out however much it is for a boob job? That her daughter could not be considered beautiful without the aid of what looks to be a fairly invasive procedure? I’ve witnessed a few nose jobs on this series and even that looks… violent.You probably think I’m overreacting, but let me explain. If these sorts of procedures become more culturally acceptable, then a particular definition of what is considered attractive becomes narrow, and even worse, tenacious. It becomes locked in to people’s minds that you need to look like blah blah blah in order to be considered attractive when in fact there are countless definitions of beauty, of attractiveness. At least in my mind. I’m hoping that I’m not alone in this view.Oh, and need I remind people that purely physical attributes do not completely help in this definition? For people like me, thank bloody god. You knew that though, didn’t you, canny reader? Let’s face it, if I were an absolute hottie, I’d probably be at some pub frequented by randy uni students and allowing them to sprinkle salt on risqué spots on my curvaceous form so that they can lick it off as part of the mandatory tequila slammers. I wouldn’t be here, admitting to you that I’ve even heard of the series Dr. 90210 let alone viewed it. I digress, again -- always making it about me. Enough jokes: this seventeen-year-old says she’s getting bigger boobs so she can go to the beach. What, so she can’t go to the beach with her current, natural breasts? She isn’t even flat-chested! Personally speaking, I think it may have something to do with cosmetic surgery being more culturally acceptable in the States, because of its popularity. The surgeon who will be operating on the girl says, and I paraphrase, that some kids want a new car when they graduate while some girls want a new rack. A new rack? She’s a person, not a piece of meat! He could have said ‘a new look’, or ‘a better/different body’, but the phrase ‘new rack’ implies that there was something wrong with the old one, or that it wasn’t all that good to begin with. The human reduced to an object that can be replaced, upgraded, modified, and so forth. I guess in ten years’ time, I’ll find out I’m really a Replicant, won’t I? Sheesh.Aside from the much-maligned media, a part of me wants to pin this generalised lack of self-esteem on the mother. Yes, I understand it’s a hard task raising a child, hence my vowing never to do it (mainly for medical reasons) but after nearly a decade of therapy, it’s become pretty clear to me that the mother-daughter relationship can be as constructive as it is destructive. It sounds painfully obvious, but it doesn’t seem to be, at least in my magical universe. Again, we return to the teenager. I find myself wondering why her mother hasn’t told her that there are more important things in life than having nice funbags to fill your bikini, or why she shouldn’t wait a few years till her body reaches full maturity. Or that her daughter is beautiful the way she is. Or that this could lead to a lifetime obsession with attaining the perfect physical appearance (the breast augmentation would be her second cosmetic procedure. She had already had a nose job) Perhaps the cameras didn’t capture any of that dialogue?Oh, but hang on, what about peer pressure? Surely this teen’s friends have something to do with her not being fully pleased with her own appearance. Of course. Apart from the media, who reinforces their ideas of what is beautiful or not? Their parents is my guess. I knew one morbidly obese girl in high school who delighted in reminding me just how far from perfect my physical appearance was – so as to deflect attention no doubt from her own issues. I just tried to block it out as much as possible. It didn’t really seem very different from my own mother’s ranting about what I should be wearing. Nobody likes to be told they’re ugly, but I sailed through high school thinking that surely there were more important things, and it turned out to be true. There must be some other ways to boost the self-esteem of people, and I know parents aren’t fully to blame, but they don’t take on as active a role in nurturing their children’s confidence as they could. When they do have any influence, we only remember the negative. It took my own mother a very long time to realise or admit that she was responsible for some of my self-esteem issues and despite how destructive it has been, it hasn’t actually made her stop. But hey, she’s probably treating me the only way she knows how – by passing on what she experienced from her own mother. It’s all rather sad. You’d think parents would cotton on and realise that boosting their childrens’ self-confidence is actually cheaper in the long run! Think about it: if you have healthy self-confidence, then you don’t need to fork out money for the boob job, or therapy later on down the line. Hmm, come to think of it, perhaps my folks would have been better to just get me ‘a new rack’ – it would have worked out cheaper than all that money spent on therapy. I’ve always wanted bigger breasts – these days, who doesn’t?

The author going by the name of Snarkattack was born in the UK, and moved to Australia at the age of eight.