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Our Culture Recommends: Films for Quarantine

Our Culture
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Our Culture Recommends: Films for Quarantine

As the world adjusts to the ongoing impact of Covid-19, Our Culture hopes it can distract you for a little while with a selection of film recommendations from our writers and contributors. We’ve pulled from film’s long history to give you some remarkable choices. We hope this eclectic range excites, inspires, and engages you. Let’s begin!

The Raid (2011) – as selected by Elias Michael

Gareth Evans’ Indonesian martial arts action crime thriller offers up one hell of a ride. The Raid follows an elite squad and a rookie as they attempt to navigate a high rise building controlled by a ruthless drug lord. Featuring some of the best scenes of martial arts, violence, and action you’ll ever see on screen, The Raid offers a fast paced, simple but edge of your seat viewing that will have you entertained for its entirety. If you’re looking for carnage, look no further. The Raid can currently be seen on Netflix. 

Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian in The Raid.

Spirited Away (2001) – as selected by Eric Ng

Spirited Away is a Japanese fantasy animation following a 10-year old girl Chihiro and her parents who’ve stumbled upon a mysterious spirit realm. In an unfortunate event, Chihiro’s parents are turned into massive pigs. Trapped in this bizarre and supernatural place, she will need to find the courage to free her parents and return to the normal world.

As we are all now trapped in this not-so-uplifting situation, Spirited Away provides you with 2 hours of fantastic cinema that allow us to escape our current reality and dive straight into the film’s magical world. From Hayao Miyazaki’s masterful animation and character design that still look top notch to this day, to Joe Hisaishi’s mellow yet beautiful score that will stay in your head, Spirited Away is a great introduction for those unfamiliar with Japanese animation and Studio Ghibli. Spirited Away can currently be seen on Netflix.

Chihiro and Kaonashi.

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966) – as selected by Christopher Stewardson

Jun Fukuda’s Godzilla entries are some of the most bold and colourful of the Showa era (1954-1975), and Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster is no exception. With his brother lost at sea, Ryota (Toru Watanabe) steals a yacht to find him. His unwitting companions include two friends who lost a dance competition to win their own yacht (a competition which Ryota was too late to enter), and Yoshimura (Akira Takarada), a petty criminal who stole the yacht in the first place. After this unlikely band are attacked at sea by a giant claw, they drift ashore on Letchi Island. This is no ordinary island however, and is in fact the base of operations for the Red Bamboo; a terrorist organisation with their own giant monster, Ebirah.

Shinichi Sekizawa’s script makes for exciting and witty entertainment. Takarada in particular takes Sekizawa’s comedy touches and crafts a character who steals every scene he’s in. The pace is tight and rarely lets up, with human and monster scenes intertwining for a thrilling climax. Often overlooked by fans and critics, Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster deserves a second look. Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster can be seen in the Criterion Collection’s Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films 1954-1975 box set.

Godzilla battles the shrimp-like Ebirah.

Nightcrawler (2014) – as selected by Modestas Mankus

Set in Los Angeles, Nightcrawler follows Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a psychopathic thief who realises he can start a business by capturing videos of horrendous criminal activities and accidents. When he realises that he can make more money by finding exclusive footage, he resorts to creating his scenes rather than discovering them.

Dan Gilroy, the writer and director of the film, has delivered a taught thriller here. It is well-paced and questions the ethics and motivations of modern media. If you are looking for something tense, and refreshing, you will love Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler can currently be seen on Netflix.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed in Nightcrawler.

Ran (1985) – as selected by Elias Michael

Akira Kurosawa’s unforgettable masterpiece draws from Shakespeare’s King Lear in this epic blood-soaked drama. An aging warlord decides to abdicate and gives his rule to his three sons. However, greed and betrayal grow as bloodshed and violence takes centre stage in a spectacle that delivers incredible set pieces, story, music, and direction. Kurosawa’s film examines the reality of war and the collapse of family. As of the 15th of May 2020, Ran has 11 days left on Mubi, but the film is very much worth the purchase on Blu-ray or Criterion. If you’re looking for a film widely regarded as one of the best of all time, Kurosawa gives you Ran.

Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece.

The Guilty (2018) – as selected by Eric Ng

The Guilty is an intense Danish crime thriller that follows Asger Holm (Jakob Cedegren), a temporarily demoted police officer working as an emergency phone dispatcher. Asger takes up a call from Iben (Jessica Dinnage), a woman who tells Asger that she’s been kidnapped. When the call suddenly disconnects, Asger tries to do everything he can to find her. 

With a solid 88 minute runtime, The Guilty is a bumpy and intense ride that keeps you hooked from the first ring of the phone. As this film is set in a single location, the set up really helps to put audiences into Asger’s perspective. As events unfold, you cannot help but gasp at the shocking truth of the story’s nature. While the events of the search are at the forefront, the film also gradually reveals Asger’s backstory; creating layers to our polarising protagonist.

If you are fan of intense thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, The Guilty is a film you need to check out! The Guilty can currently be seen on Netflix.  

Jakob Cedergren as Asger Holm.

Stay tuned for more recommendations from Our Culture in the coming weeks. Let us know your thoughts on our choices!

At the Turquoise Lake​​ by Gabor Nagy

Modestas Mankus
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At the Turquoise Lake​​ by Gabor Nagy

Gabor Nagy, a photographer known for some brilliant series that explore landscapes from above, has delivered once again with a new series named At the Turquoise Lake.

Writing about the experience and the process it took to get these photos Nagy stated: “I’ve found these vivid phenomenons while I scanned through the Highlands of Iceland for river patterns and new photo locations on Google Earth. To reach this location we had to drive 5 hours on extremely tough terrain, and we even had to cross River Tungnaá by foot – so we timed our arrival to be at the riverbed in the morning so we could “easily” walk through the running water.”

Find more work by Gabor Nagy here.

Sound Selection 099: Thomas Azier Releases ‘Hold On Tight’

Modestas Mankus
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Sound Selection 099: Thomas Azier Releases ‘Hold On Tight’

Rhye Beautiful

Rhye, the artist behind the 2013 album Woman, has released his latest single Beautiful. With Beautiful, Rhye illustrates sensitive, heavenly-like vocals with a mellifluous production, something we have come to love from Rhye over the years. If you’re looking or something pure, you’ll love this song.

LOVVS King City, Pt. 1

King City, Pt. 1 by LOVVS thrives on an energetic beat and exquisite synths. Talking about the lyrics of the song LOVVS stated: “Lyrically, it’s a timely, pointed critique of the promise of capitalism, and how the institutions of big business, tech, politics, etc. have impacted society and culture.”

The song itself is a superb exhibition of the raw-sound that LOVVS presented in their previous single So, How Do U Feel? It takes us back in time to the 80s with the raw synths and elevating energy.

Nike Vendela Pull Me In

Switching up our frequencies, we have Pull Me In by Nike Vendela, a Swedish singer-songwriter. Pull Me In is a beautiful piece that showcases the stunning euphonious haunting-like vocals of Nike Vendela. The song thrives on ambient, floating elements that never settle and elevate the presence of Vendela’s vocals. Pull Me In is for the playlists.

Thomas Azier Hold On Tight

When I hear the name Thomas Azier I know I won’t be disappointed. Before the release of his upcoming album, we are presented with a tender new single Hold On Tight. As a song, it takes a different mood to the listener; it’s a little unexpected from Azier who brings in a more filmic-like approach in the production of the song. While it still brings out a sense of tension and dramatic-like energy, it shifts from his last song Entertainment.

Alongside, the song we are granted with a beautiful music video which explores Myanmar and its people on their everyday commute. Ayoto Ataraxia directed the video.

Albums Out Today: Charli XCX, Perfume Genius, Magnetic Fields, Moses Sumney

Konstantinos Pappis
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Albums Out Today: Charli XCX, Perfume Genius, Magnetic Fields, Moses Sumney

In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on May 15th, 2020:

Charli XCX, how i’m feeling now

ImageCharli XCX is back with her fourth studio album titled how i’m feeling now, out via Atlantic/ Asylym. The album was written and recorded entirely during lockdown, reflecting on the current situation around COVID-19. Executive produced by by PC Music’s A. G. Cook and BJ Burton, how i’m feeling now took a DIY collaborative approach involving the artist’s fans, who contributed to the writing process via weekly Zoom conferences. “The nature of this album is going to be very indicative of the times just because I’m only going to be able to use the tools I have at my fingertips to create all music, artwork, videos everything – in that sense, it’ll be very DIY,” Charli explained when announcing the album. how i’m feeling now features the singles ‘forever’ and ‘claws’.

Perfume Genius, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately

Perfume Genius 'Set My Heart On Fire Immediately' Review - StereogumMike Hadreas aka Perfume has released his new album, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, out now via Matador. The follow-up to 2017’s No Shape was recorded alongside longtime collaborator Alan Wyffels and finds the singer working once again with producer Blake Mills. It also features musicians Jim Keltner, Pino Palladino, Matt Chamberlin, and Rob Moose. “I wanted to feel more open, more free and spiritually wild, and I’m in a place now where those feelings are very close—but it can border on being unhinged,” Hadreas explained in a statement. “I wrote these songs as a way to be more patient, more considered—to pull at all these chaotic threads hovering around me and weave them in to something warm, thoughtful and comforting.”

The Magnetic Fields, Quickies 

The Magnetic Fields Announce New Quintuple EP 'Quickies', Share ...The Magnetic Fields have come through with a new collection of tracks titled Quickies, out now via Nonesuch. The collection features 28 new short songs under 3 minutes long, which will be spread across five vinyl EPs, as well as being available as a single CD and on digital platforms. Describing the album’s concept, songwriter Stephin Merrit said in a statement: “I’ve been reading a lot of very short fiction, and I enjoyed writing 101 Two-Letter Words, the poetry book about the shortest words you can use in Scrabble. And I’ve been listening to a lot of French baroque harpsichord music. Harpsichord doesn’t lend itself to languor. So I’ve been thinking about one instrument at a time, playing for about a minute or so and then stopping, and I’ve been thinking of narratives that are only a few lines long.”

Moses Sumney, græ

Moses Sumney Announces New Double Album græ, Shares New Song ...After releasing græ: Part 1 back in February, Ghana-born, L.A.-based musician Moses Sumney has now put out the full double album via Jagjaguwar. græ is the follow-up to Sumney’s critically acclaimed debut album Aromanticism, released in 2017, and is described by a press release as “conceptual patchwork about grayness”. While the first part was pressed on black and grey vinyl, the second part is pressed on white and grey.

 

Other albums out today:

Future, High Off Life; Moby, All Visible Objects; Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Reunions; Asking Alexandria, Like A House On Fire; Bon Jovi, Bon Jovi: 2020.

Album Review: Blake Mills, ‘Mutable Set’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Album Review: Blake Mills, ‘Mutable Set’

Despite his attention-grabbing virtuosity, Blake Mills was always comfortable not being in the spotlight. Having begun his musical career as one half of Simon Dawes, he went on to become a touring guitarist for Jenny Lewis, before making a name for himself as a session musician, collaborating with a wide range of artists from Conor Oberst and Jesca Hoop to Lana Del Rey and Dangermouse. Even his debut solo LP, 2010’s Break Mirror, was made with the intention of securing more session work. As a producer, he continued showcasing his artistic versatility, most notably on Alabama Shakes’ Grammy-nominated 2015 album Sound & Color and Perfume Genius’ expansive No Shape, both of which broadened and recalibrated the artists’ approach – which is exactly what Mutable Set sets out to do for his own sound.

The fact that Mills’ latest solo effort finds him coming into his own as a songwriter almost goes without saying. As solid and occasionally brilliant as some of his prior solo work has been, Mutable Set immediately stands out for presenting a more refined, coherent vision that’s both wondrously amiable and disquietingly compelling. Any number of these songs could easily find themselves on some kind of ‘chill folk’ Spotify playlist, to be enjoyed as nothing but a soothing background presence; but the album also rewards more attentive listeners by offering multiple layers of nuance within its impeccable compositions and poetic lyricism.

Yet it’s the album’s understated nature, that sense of earnest unpretentiousness, that makes it such an inviting listen. In a genre that’s often centered around the persona of the artist rather than the music itself, Mills has crafted a defining body of work that captivates with the sheer beauty and warmth of its recordings. From the Elliot Smith-like waltz of ‘May Later’ to the late-night romanticism of ‘Window Facing a Window’, Mutable Set has you floating along mellifluous, delicately-drawn arrangements, like tender waves on a quite shore. That’s not to say that Mills’ voice lacks presence; but it’s exactly that unimposing, intimate quality that makes for the perfect companion on this idyllic musical journey.

But there also clouds looming over the album’s subtly pristine soundscapes, which makes Mutable Set so much more than an escapist folk record. One tide rises higher than the rest – album centrepiece ‘Money is the One True God’ builds slowly, as if ascending to the heavens, as Mills delivers a darkly sour commentary on capitalism and religion. Discordant keys and ominous synths gradually enter the mix, culminating in a hair-raising crescendo that triggers something vile and disgusting in you, like a moment from Mark Koven’s soundtrack for The Lighthouse. Follow-up ‘Summer All Over Again’ covers itself in a more gentle exterior, but there’s still a sense of dread boiling underneath – which is fitting, considering that it is, in fact, a song about global warming (“No movement/ No future/ No past”).

Credit must also go to Cass McCombs, who helped write a big chunk of the songs on Mutable Set, giving them that darker edge. Another Mills/McCombs collaboration, ‘My Dear One’ might first come off as a simple love song, but there’s an undercurrent of uncertainty running throughout: “Whistle in the dark with me,” he sings in a near whisper, as if addressing you, the listener. The same sentiment drives opener ‘Never Forever’, which starts as an almost ambient piece left over from Mills’ 2018 EP Look before a fingerpicked guitar emerges, Mills searching for “some place we could go/ where forever waters flow” to escape the mundanity of modern life. But even as sublime cuts like the instrumental ‘Mirror Box’ seem to offer exactly that, there’s always a sense that we’re still trapped in that grim reality.

It’s hard not to relate that feeling to the current state of things, especially with songs like ‘Farsickness’ and ‘Window Facing a Window’. The former is a glistening piano ballad about yearning to go somewhere far away, to break out of the confines of the home, conjuring up images and memories as tangible as they are endless. ‘Window Facing a Window’, on the other hand, evokes a more direct kind of emptiness: “A bedroom with a bed that isn’t there anymore/ The air that holds, the breath, the sun across the floor/ A catch of crumbs that you can’t do without anymore/ The orange peel, the apple core,” he sings amidst soulful, unearthly melodies. As bleak as it may sound, there’s a strange kind of comfort to be found on Mutable Set; it’s an album that acknowledges the direness of things even as it does everything in its power to create something more than just a pleasant distraction, a place to bask in, even if only for a while.

Liza by Bastien Dupriez

Modestas Mankus
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Liza by Bastien Dupriez

Liza is a short abstract film takes its name from a composition by George Gershwin. The animation for the film is done by Bastien Dupriez with 35mm film.

Sustainable Fashion: What is Organic Cotton?

Modestas Mankus
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Sustainable Fashion: What is Organic Cotton?

A key material that pops up in the discussions about sustainable fashion is organic cotton. The material unlike other types of cotton is organically grown in subtropical countries like India or Turkey, even some parts of the United States.

Organic cotton does not use any fertilizers, pesticides, and other synthetic agro-chemicals that are dangerous to the land it’s grown on. Organic cotton uses 88% less water and 62% less energy, whilst conventional cotton uses about 16% of all world’s insecticides and 7% of pesticides.

Shopping organic cotton products does not just help finance the companies that believe in the impact it has and their net profits, but also invests into water conservation and cleaner air.

It is essential to take notice when shopping, that our choices have larger impacts. Whilst there is a lack of organic cotton products in the mainstream shops, we must decide as consumers what is better long term not just for us but also for everyone around us and our planet.

From Womb, To World by Andrea Wan

Modestas Mankus
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From Womb, To World by Andrea Wan

Andrea Wan’s solo exhibition From Womb, To World explores and celebrates the divine feminine. The exhibition was presented at Art By Friends in 2019 in Annecy, France.

Find more work by Andrea Wan here.

Americans Are Listening to More New Music During Coronavirus Pandemic, New Study Finds

Konstantinos Pappis
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Americans Are Listening to More New Music During Coronavirus Pandemic, New Study Finds

A new study has found that over 40% of people in the US are listening to new music during the coronavirus pandemic.

The figure comes from the third installment of Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data’s survey series, “COVID-19: Tracking the Impact on the Entertainment Landscape.” MRC Data has been conducting surveys at two-week intervals, using a sample of 1,010 people ages 13+, which is considered representative of the U.S.’s census population.

More specifically, the latest iteration found that, while 84% of people were listening to the music they usually listen to, there was a four percent increase in the percentage of people who reported they were listening to new music from artists they had never listened to before, from 39% to 43%.

As families spend more time at home, family-friendly genres such as children’s, country, and classical are the only genres that haven’t seen a downturn since the economic shutdown began, the study found.

People are also consuming more music videos than they used to – an 10% increase compared to the baseline period of Feb. 21 to March 12. Though some respondents cancelled their streaming service subscriptions during this period, 27% became first time subscribers, with 73% of those reporting that they were likely to continue it after the pandemic ends.

Finally, the study reported that people are enthusiastic about music venues reopening, but want to see health concerns addressed. Specifically, the study found that 61% of participants would want hand sanitizer stations throughout the venue, while 51% would have a preference for outdoor events. Half of respondents would want to see social distancing guidelines enforced, while 35% would want attendees’ temperatures to be taken before entering the venue.

The full study can be accessed behind Billboard’s paywall.

Album Review: Hayley Williams, ‘Petals for Armor’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Album Review: Hayley Williams, ‘Petals for Armor’

As much as Hayley Williams showcases the strength and versatility of her singing voice on her debut solo album Petals For Armor, one of its most memorable moments comes in the form of a voice memo at the beginning of the song ‘Dead Horse’. “Alright, it took me three days to send you this, but… Uh, sorry, I was in a depression,” the Paramore singer confesses as a jaunty melody rises to the surface, her dog barking in the background. “But I’m trying to come out of it now,” she adds before the drums kick in, and the song unfolds into an upbeat, funky tune that wouldn’t have felt out of place on Paramore’s 2017 record, After Laughter, which juxtaposed the bright, bubbly sounds of 80s synth-pop with lyrics that confronted Williams’ struggle with mental illness.

But if After Laughter was playful enough to tackle those hardships with a slight smirk – on the lead single ‘Hard Times’, Williams signs off with the line “And I gotta get to rock bottom” – Petals for Armor is more candid though still triumphant in its exploration of the interminable lows that come with battling depression. That voice memo perfectly encapsulates the emotional arc of the record – first, there’s the intimacy of opening up to a friend, then the vulnerability of admitting you’ve been in a bad place, and finally, the confidence that it might just get better. Originally released as a three-part EP, Petals for Armor affords Williams the necessary space to make a truly personal record that dives into and mirrors the complexities of recovery in a way that a Paramore record couldn’t – despite the fact that her fellow band members contributed to the making of the album, most notably guitarist Taylor York, who serves as the producer, it’s Williams’ personality that always remains at the center.

Rather than exploring depression, though, ‘Dead Horse’ actually turns out to be a song addressing the other big cloud hanging over Petals for Armor – that of divorce. The result of a tumultuous 10-year-relationship that left Williams feeling both shame and betrayal, it’s a subject the singer had previously shied away from discussing, and her voice is barbed with an almost liberating sense of indignation as she sings: “When I said goodbye, I hope you cried.” It’s clear her attitude has changed since the beginning of the record – on the second verse of opener ‘Simmer’, whose title very much fits the mood the track, Williams opens up about how her insecurities affected the relationship, implying that even now, she has the tendency to blame herself for the way things ended. If she had seen herself as “something more precious”, she sings, “He would’ve never.”

As the album progresses, though, Williams reaches the realization that seeing herself as worthy is something she owes no one but herself. This is most evident on the cleverly poetic ‘Roses/ Lotus/ Violet/ Iris’, a feminist ode to individuality that upturns the familiar “roses are red” structure into a chorus that repeats the word “roses”  to insinuate that a flower can grow independently of other flowers. “And I will not compare/ Other beauty to mine/ And I will not become/ A thorn in my own side,” she proclaims on the bridge. The fact that the track features boygenius, aka Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, only renders the message of claiming one’s individuality all the more potent, especially as these artists are often lumped into the same category of “female indie songwriters”.

As Williams acknowledges the complexities of her own self, Petals for Armor blossoms into its own multi-faceted flower. While there is a sense that sonically, the album picks up where After Laughter left off – it is a pop album, after all, much to some fans’ dismay – there’s also more variety than one might initially expect. The restrained guitar line on ‘Leave it Alone’ has a Radiohead circa In Rainbows vibe to it, while ‘Sudden Desire’, which finds Williams getting more in touch with her sexuality, is reminiscent of Post-era Björk. She sounds even more like Björk on the ecstatic ‘Watch Me While I Bloom’, where she shows off the dynamism of her voice before the track blooms into another synthpop jam. And if that weren’t enough, there’s even a hint of jazz on the song ‘Taken’.

But perhaps the most successful experiment here is the one where Williams has the most fun, which is undeniably the track ‘Cinnamon’ – an infectious tune about living alone after moving to a new house that, as you can imagine, hits especially hard during this period. But Williams manages to find comfort, even pleasure in being alone. “Home is where I’m feminine,” she coos atop layers of processed vocals, different versions of herself. But as a woman in a male-dominated scene, it’s the feminine side that has been repressed the most, and here, she allows herself to embrace it fully.

Unfortunately, not all songs feel as revelatory or exciting. ‘Over Yet’ tries to be an uplifting pop punk anthem but ends up being too generic in its portrayal of mental illness, especially compared to the rest of the tracklist, while the third part of the LP is overall not as strong as the first two. Had it been cut down to its most essential songs, the nearly hour-long Petals for Armour would feel a bit less meandering and more focused, even if perhaps it wouldn’t be as true in its depiction of self-growth. But the album certainly succeeds in setting out the stage for Williams as a compelling solo artist, one whose dynamic range and multidimensional personality can no longer be ignored.

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