Directed by Jonathan Glazer. Starring Scarlett Johansson.
Highly rated low budget sci-fi flick with ScarJo playing an alien seductress. Nothing really happens except for ScarJo luring unsuspecting horny Scots into her lair where their essence is drained from them, leaving their skin behind. Sure, you get ScarJo in the buff for your troubles and other eye candy in the form of bleak Scottish landscapes but more than that? Not much else to recommend itself in terms of story-telling, Under the Skin has a strong sense of the ‘arthouse film’ about it. You know, the kind that announces in every frame – “Look at me, I’m fuckin’ art!”. Not so much.
It’s 2014 but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be listening to music from 2013 we might have missed. Especially if said music has nothing whatsoever to do with hipster indie pop. That’s where Spotify comes in handy…
SOUND OF CONTACT – Dimensionaut
Fronted by Simon Collins (scion of Phil), Sound of Contact is first rate neo-prog that recalls post-Gabriel Genesis, for the most obvious reasons. Dimensionaut is an eminently listenable for prog rock fans who like a high quotient of pop elements in their diet.
Part two of our recommended 2013 listening list from music currently streaming at Spotify.
The Parson Red Heads – Orb Weaver
Probably one the bands that come closest to the spirit and vibe of 90s alt-country (viz. Son Volt, The Jayhawks, Wilco), The Parson Red Heads released one of the most 60s-evoking albums this year.
As promised, here is the first part of a list of recommended listening of 2013 releases that you have access to on Spotify! Enjoy…
Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, the Imperceptible UFO
Have been loving this Montreal band for a while now, and music fans should take them seriously as an alternative to fellow countrymen Arcade Fire. Their gorgeous mix of Pink Floyd meets mid-60s Beach Boys is enthralling. “Specter” is one of my songs of the year.
Was 2013 a good year for popular music? It all depends on your definition of a ‘good year’. I believe that since the end of the 90s, the decline in the quality of popular music being written and recorded has been alarming. Compared to the previous 40 years, it’s fair to say that much of the popular music that has come out of the new millennium has been – with some exceptions, of course – largely forgettable.
