Discovery #21

Four Tet - There Is Love In You (2010)

First you lay one down. Let it run. Then you drop another one on top. And another. And another. Then lay down a voice. Let it swell. Burst at the seams. Bloat like a sausage. Steam pushing out through a pinhole. The aroma intoxicating. Until it's everything that you know. Until it blossoms into a new awareness. Then you slow it down. Lift one layer off the other. Let it melt back into silence. Or drop it out like a flick of the switch. Quiet. Only the echo remains. That's the essence of Kieran Hebden's musical experience. It's a beautiful dream. It's a wonderful trip down the scenic route. Take some time to travel down that path and you'll most definitely be rewarded.


The Road - John Hillcoat (2009)

I've been reading Cormac McCarthy for a few years now and his style of writing is completely unique and unquestionably powerful. He's captured an image of America that is vivid, honest and raw. It's the gritty passion of the old west but viscerally harboring all of the horrible flaws of our human experience. It's a really incredible ride to dance on the flow of words, to trudge on the descriptive hell of his novels. Thanks to the Coen Brothers, his stuff has gone mainstream and now we get numerous adaptations of his books on the big screen. His latest novel and newest movie is The Road and it doesn't disappoint. This world, imagined by the terror of the future as we continue to destroy the environment and perpetuate a state of war, is portrayed with dark abandon. A sparse collection of humanity remains under clouds of torment, wretched and sick, struggling to survive. Some have debased themselves, feasting on their fellow travelers, quite literally. Others just want to keep moving forward, hoping for a moment of peace, which doesn't come very often. It's not a happy place, this nightmare tomorrow, but it is awesomely revealed by Hillcoat's deft touch. It's unflinching and real, but very very human. I can watch movies that are extremely depressing to a degree as long as their is some ounce of humanity within the people who are on the screen. It's difficult to spend time in this world but absolutely worth every minute, and if you think this is tough, just wait til they film Blood Meridian.