Plutonic Rainbows

Blade Runner 2049

October 10, 2017

I was extremely wary of this film when it was first announced. I thought the whole thing was a recipe for disaster - an unnecessary follow-up to a film that for me, is a sort of holy grail. I didn't like the casting. The thought that the studio would just make a mockery of the original.

I am more than happy to be proved completely wrong. This film was utterly stunning from beginning to end. The sets, visuals, design etc was incredible. The acting was superb - even Jared Leto wasn't too bad. Small screen time probably helped there. The technology was cool, the story was well-written, intelligent and thought-provoking. It didn't feel like nearly three hours, at least for me. A total immersive world brought to life on screen. Absolutely amazing. This is a film I will want to watch over and over again.

I think the reason I like it so much was simply this: The people who created this film totally understood what made the original so good.

I only really had two issues with the film. The first, really minor I guess. The world they envisioned in 2049 didn't seem 'lived in' compared to the original where there were really old, ruined buildings, piles of refuse etc. It made it all seem very believable. I'm thinking about the litter blowing along the streets, neon signs working intermittently, the grimy elevator in Deckard's building, Pris covering herself in newspapers while waiting for Sebastian and the closing section in the original where Roy is chasing Deckard through dilapidated, rotten buildings with water dripping everywhere.

In 2049, the world of Los Angeles seemed sleek, angular and clean in a CGI way that I didn't believe in. It felt like all the signs of human habitation had been brushed away. That's a sobering and frightening thought if the future does indeed play out that way. Where are all the people?

The second (more problematic issue) was the soundtrack. Within the confines of the movie, it was okay ( but as a stand-alone work that you would want to listen to in the same way fans still enjoy the Vangelis work from 1982), Hans Zimmer's score was lazy and unimaginative. When you look back at truly epic films from decades past, Ben Hur, Lawrence Of Arabia, Ryan's Daughter, E.T, Star Wars and many, many others; they had a film score that was so truly wonderful, it could survive without the film and exist on its own for decades.

A film as beautiful and memorable as Blade Runner 2049 deserved something far, far better, in my opinion.

Overall, Blade Runner 2049 is a stunning achievement.

Videodrones - Nattens Hævn

October 09, 2017

2nd album from Danish synth-improv duo Videodrones, dives deeper their brand of throbbing synth themes from the goriest movies that never were.

Boomkat:

"It’s easy to hear the starting point of Videodrones: From italian composers such as Fabio Frizzi, Marcello Giombini, Riz Ortolani - or even Morricone & Alessandroni at their most industrial. But Videodrones adds a touch of previously unheard madness to their Giallo-themed synth-gasms. Based largely on improvisation, Videodrones tosses and turns - it’s like the thing is ALIVE: leaving slimy trail of electronic musical styles in their wake: there’s toxic levels of italio disco, German kosmiche musik, new age, even some stabs at holy grails of 70’s and 80’s pop.

The record culminates in a Synth-proto-doom track - Nattens Hævn (Revenge of the Night): too weird to live, yet too rare to die. Videodrones improvisations are far from boring: chopped into smaller bits the album is of a suite-like nature - keeping the odd, jagged energy of improvisation, every part adds to a whole, larger narrative. The result is a suite-like walkthru, often changing pace, dropping notes or drifting in scale. The images Videodrones convey is collectedly strangely solemn - almost uplifting at times, in their maddening state of constant synth flux."

You can purchase the album here.

Trish Keenan

September 28, 2017

Happy Birthday, Trish. Gone but not forgotten.

Martial Canterel - Lost At Sea

September 25, 2017

This artist is fairly new to me. His work totally encapsulates the cold synths of early 1980s British electro-pop, made famous by bands such as Visage, The Human League, Soft Cell, OMD and countless others.

Dias Records.

Odd Nosdam - Level Live Wires

September 24, 2017

Great tenth anniversary reissue of an earlier work by this artist. There are some real gems in here if you like his work - such as the strange yet uplifting 'Fat Hooks' and the haunting vocals on 'Up In Flames'. All manner of instruments are there buried down in the mix of strange, distorted loops of decay.