These are the reviews and other projects I'm working on this month.
KUOW: Taping for an upcoming podcast.
Seattle Film Blog:In the Heat of the Night[Blu-ray].
Video Librarian:Julie Keeps Quiet, Eat the Night,The Cat and
the Canary: Special Edition[Blu-ray],Legend of the Eight Samurai
[Blu-ray], My Love Affair with Marriage[Blu-ray], The Sword
[Blu-ray], andThe Warriors[Blu-ray/UHD set].
Unassigned: Barbarella[Blu-ray set], The Bat[Blu-ray], Blood Money: $10,000 Blood Money, Find a Place to Die, Vengeance is Mine, and Matalo![Blu-ray set], Borsalino[Blu-ray], Fighting Back[Blu-ray], Full Body Massage[Blu-ray], The Iron-Fisted Monk
[Blu-ray], Last House on the Left[Blu-ray/UHD set],Mabuse Lives!: Dr. Mabuse at CCC: 1960-1964[Blu-ray set], New Fist of Fury
[Blu-ray], The Prodigal Son[Blu-ray], Savage Guns: Four Classic Westerns: El Puro, Four of the Apocalypse, I Want Him Dead,
Wrath of the Wind[Blu-ray set], Super Spies and Secret Lies:
The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists, and The Singing
Thief[Blu-ray set], and Waterworld [Blu-ray/UHD set].
As a music and film writer, I try to be forgiving.
We all have our off days, and expecting perfection from an artist--however you choose to define that term–isn't really fair. Growing and maturing also involves taking risks, and not all risks pay off, so I can forgive an artist for a film or music performance that isn't up to their usual standards. Or maybe it is, but it just isn't to my taste.
Nonetheless, despite their human frailties, and the ups and downs of their lives, some artists always deliver. In preparation for a 2022 Rock and Roll Globe piece about Jane Birkin, I listened to every album she released during her 43-year career (most all of them are on streaming).
I liked some more than others, and some songs didn't quite work for me, but to my surprise, she never released a bad studio recording, even as she mixed things up with different languages, collaborators, and the like. This is all subjective, of course, but I was impressed, since a lot of my favorite artists have released some real clunkers. It happens.
It's also true of Jane's daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Granted, I don't count 1984's Charlotte For Ever, the record she made as a child, because that was her father Serge Gainsbourg's doing; the songs, the arrangements–everything except for her tentative vocals. Since resuming her recording career as an adult, however, she hasn't set a foot wrong.
I would say the same of Kim Deal. I'm not counting the Pixies, not because she wasn't an integral part of the band, but because that always felt more like Frank Black's project, and towards the end of their initial run, she was more like a guest than a full-fledged member.
As a fan of her contributions as both writer and singer, I expected good things from the work to come, but the Breeders' 1990 debut, Pod, was better than I expected--better even than the Pixies at their best (your mileage may vary, but for me that means the pre-Elektra material).
To prepare for Kim's show at the Neptune last night, I revisited all five Breeders full-lengths, in addition to the 1992 Safari EP, and I enjoyed them all. If anything, 2002's Title TK and 2008's Mountain Battles sound better now than they did at the time. I can't be the only one who hoped they would sound more like Pod or 1993's Last Splash, but there was a lot going on at the time, with lineup changes, Kim in and out of the Pixies, and care duty after her mother's dementia diagnosis.
Nonetheless, the band sounded revitalized on 2018's All Nerve, and that's the last time I saw Kim in concert. The show was at a venue, Showbox Sodo, that leaves a lot to be desired, but it was really good. Not great, necessarily, and I don't recall any surprises, but I left happy.
Last fall, Kim released her first solo album, Nobody Loves You More, at the age of 63 (she turns 64 this June). There are only so many artists who wait that long to strike out on their own, and it isn't always worth the wait, but it's among the best things she's ever done–possibly the best–and she's been pulling out all the stops for her tour. In the Pixies, the Breeders, and the Amps, Kim was mostly playing with three other musicians. Last night, she was joined by nine. Maybe even 10.
I should backtrack, though, to mention the opening act. I wasn't familiar with Morgan Nagler, but my friend Tony and I made sure to get there in time for her set, and it was totally worth it. A former child actress with dozens of credits at the IMDb, Morgan is a charming presence with a voice and vibe that reminded me of Susannah Hoffs in her early Bangles days, though with less of Susannah's mod '60s style.
Though her name didn’t ring a bell, Morgan has played with or written for a number of acts with whom I have some familiarity, including Haim, Jenny Lewis and/or Rilo Kiley, and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. In 2014, she and Kim released the single "The Root," which they performed as part of the headliner's two encores. Their voices work beautifully together, and I like the way the song recalls the spirited sound of Holly Golightly with or without the Headcoatees.
Perhaps because Kim had such a sprawling ensemble, Morgan played as part of a drum-less trio, including her friend and producer Kyle Thomas of King Tuff–Tony and I saw him at the Neptune just a few weeks ago opening for Ty Segall– and author and musician Orenda Fink from Azure Ray. Beyond the guitars and bass, Orenda played melodica during one number and multi-instrumentalist Nick White, from Kim's band, added keyboards to another.
Like Kim, Morgan did her time in bands, mostly Whispertown, before striking out on her own. She turned 47 last night, and her Kyle Thomas-produced debut will be appearing sometime later this year. On the basis of the material she performed, it should be quite good.
Kim and company then proceeded to play every song off Nobody Loves You More, and everything sounded fantastic. I'm not certain whether she retained the sequence from the album, but I think she did.
Tony and I agreed that the title track recalled Love, circa 1967's baroque-rock masterpiece Forever Changes. I had expected a rock combo, but the horns, strings, and backup singers, including twin sister Kelley, made everything richer, fuller--more special--than it would've been otherwise. Due to the Neptune's fuzzy acoustics, I couldn't hear everything she said, but that had no effect on the sound of the music or her voice--which hasn't changed since her 20s.
The venue was packed, possibly even sold out, and there was a lot of yelling between songs, which Kim took in stride. Tony speculated that it's probably been happening at every show, and that seems likely. When she mentioned the Pixies, for instance, a woman yelled, "You were the Pixies!" (Well yes, and no.) Sometimes it was a bit much, but I understand the impulse. She just means that much to so many of us.
Towards the end of the evening, she acknowledged that her album only provided around 35 minutes of material, not enough for a full set, so she performed other songs from throughout her career, both solo singles and Breeders songs, like "Safari," which Tony and I were thrilled to hear. If anything, I prefer the Safari EP to Last Splash, the slightly more polished, platinum-selling album that followed.
At various times, Kim introduced members of her band, rather than all at once. I could make out some of her introductions, but not all. She introduced Kelley by saying she's from Dayton, Spencer by saying he's from Cincinnati, and "Allison is from Albini–she's from Chicago." It was the second Steve Albini reference of the night, and he really was one of the Breeders' best engineers–one of the Pixies' best engineers, too.
Though I took notes, I won't list every song she played--I counted around 20--because I'll probably get it wrong, but the last one was "Do You Love Me Now?" from Last Splash, and it's been stuck in my head ever since, especially the line, "C'mon c'mon come back to me right now," mostly because it's so catchy, but maybe, just maybe because the whole show was so good, I wouldn't mind doing it all over again as soon as possible. Kim Deal really is one of the all-timers.
Update: set list here (they count the first encore as a second set).
Morgan Nagler will be opening for Kim Deal's next four California engagements. Find more tour dates here. All photos by me.
A shorter list than usual. I heard a lot of good stuff this year, but I watched so many movies, it didn't leave a lot of time for music. It probably doesn't help that I'm still listening to podcasts in the mornings before work rather than new music, which was my method for years (blame the pandemic, which upended the ways I do some things). Also, I didn't compile a list of reissues, because I didn't listen to enough to make it worthwhile, though I included two, Broadcast and Margo Guryan, in my top 10. And much like last year, I only went to one concert: Air performing Moon Safari. Totally worth the exorbitant price, especially since they played other material during the three encores. That said, I'm sorry I missed Meshell Ndegeocello at Jazz Alley. No guarantees, but I'll try to do better next time.
This is the same top 10 I submitted to the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Rip-Off Poll and Uproxx polls, plus five songs (see below), two album covers: Broadcast and Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom, and three videos: Sade's "Young Lion" (Sophie Muller), Tierra Whack's "Shower Song" (Alex Da Corte), and Floating Points' "Key103" (Akiko Nakayama).
This year, for the first time, I served on the screening committee for Cucalorus, the independent film festival based in Wilmington, North Carolina, and caught 40 films I might not have seen otherwise, or even known about. A few of them, like the B&W Mexican film Dead Man's Switch, appear in the list below, even if they didn't play in Seattle, though most of the films I've listed did make it to area theaters.
Anna Kendrick's Woman of the Hour and Jeremy Saulnier's Rebel Ridge, which premiered on Netflix, are notable exceptions. Despite the streamer's minimal promotion, both appear to have reached a lot of viewers, and not just those previously familiar with their work. At the very least: Rebel Ridge made a breakout star out of Aaron Pierre.
Of the films I wrote about, Ethan Coen's Drive-Away Dolls was by far the most-read review. Nearly 900 people clicked the link, though I have no idea why. To date, my 2020 Pop Con paper on Charlotte Gainsbourg remains my most popular post with nearly 17,000 impressions.
Links lead to Letterboxd, Seattle Film Blog, Rock & Roll Globe, and Video Librarian.
The rest (alphabetical):7 Keys, All Happy Families, Anxious., Babygirl, Band on the Run, Banel & Adama, Bastion, Ben and Suzanne, a Reunion in 4 Parts, The Black Sea, Boca Chica, Bound, Brats, Breakup Season, The Brutalist, Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, Challengers, Chaperone, Christmas Eve in Miller's Point, Coma, Close Your Eyes,A Complete Unknown, The Dead Don't Hurt, Emilia Pérez, Faye, Fish War, Friend Divorce, Future Date, Heretic, The Heirloom, His Three Daughters, Hit Man, I Am: Celine Dion, It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This,Lisa Frankenstein, Longlegs, Lone Wolves, Maria, Mother, Couch, My Old Ass, Nosferatu, Not If I See You First, The People's Joker, Linda Perry: Let It Die Here, Not Not Jazz, The Piano Lesson, Problemista, Queer, Sebastian, Sometimes I Think About Dying, Thelma, Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light, The Veteran, Where in the Hell, and Will & Harper.
Missed or haven’t seen yet:Alien: Romulus, All We Imagine as Light, All You Need Is Death, Close Your Eyes, A Different Man, Dune: Part 2, The End, The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Green Border, I'm Still Here, In a Violent Nature, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, Kneecap, Look Into My Eyes, Memoir of a Snail, Oddity, The Outrun, The Room Next Door, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Wicked, and The Wild Robot.
2023 films:The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, Dream Scenario, Maestro, Nyad, Pamela, a Love Story, Radical Wolfe, The Sales Girl, Sisi & I, Slide, The Stones and Brian Jones, and Youth (Spring).
At least six of these films would've been contenders if they had counted for this year, but I saw most of them at Cucalorus before they had distribution, or before their deals had been announced--Familiar Touch was acquired by Music Box prior to its Cucalorus premiere. I was thrilled to moderate the Q&As for three of them, and I also got to chat with Color Book filmmaker David Fortune, who impressed me on every level. Here's hoping these films make it to town. I know for sure that one of the directors has submitted their film to SIFF for the 2025 festival. FWIW, I counted Scala!!! as a 2023 film last year, but 2024 would've made more sense if I was going by Seattle distribution dates.
Pre-2023 films:Another Country, The Blackcoat's Daughter, Blood Relatives, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, Broken Mirrors, Candy, Carlito's Way, Caveat, Cemetery Man, Cockfighter, The Comfort of Strangers, Condo Painting, Creepshow, D-Day: The Finished Film, The Day of the Locust, The Dead Mother, Demon Pond, Demon Seed, Demons, Despair, TheDesperate Hours, The Devil's Rain, The Devil's Sisters, Divine Intervention, Dragon Superman / Dragon Ghost Flying Knight, The Entity, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Eve's Bayou, Fanny: The Right to Rock, Frankenhooker, Frankenstein: The True Story, Glen and Randa, Green Fish, Gretel & Hansel, The Guest, Hawk Jones, Hester Street, The Hidden, High Crime, Hollywood 90028, Hugo, Human Desire, Hustle, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Impulse, In the Radiant City, July Rhapsody, Le Combat dans L'ile, The Last Island, The Last Picture Show, Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Looker, Lourdes, Loving, Messiah of Evil, Mortal Thoughts, Mud, Nam June Paik: The Moon Is the Oldest TV, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge, Nightmares Come at Night, Oasis, Paris, 13th District, La Piscine, Please Baby Please, Poetry, The Primevals, Querelle, Re-Animator, Red Sun, Saint Maud, Screamplay, Stage Fright, Stella Maris, Strange M. Victor, Stranger by the Lake, The Strangler, Sunday, The Swiss Conspiracy, Tchoupitoulas, Vampire Circus, The Velvet Vampire, Victims of Sin, The Wedding Party, Willy/Milly, You Are Not Alone, and Young Soul Rebels.
Short films:And I Will Rise, If Only To Hold You Down, Saint Frankenstein, and all 14 shorts on theScala!!! Blu-ray set.
TV:Babylon Berlin S4, The Bear S3, Brokenwood Mysteries S1-2, Call the Midwife S13, Cobra S3, The Crown S6, D.I. Ray S2, Feud: Capote and the Swans (mostly for Gus Van Sant), Funny Woman S1, George & Tammy, Grantchester S9, Guilt S3, The Good Place S3, Hotel Portofino S3, Law & Order S22, Law & Order: SVU S24, Miss Scarlet (and the Duke) S3-5, MaryLand, Moonflower Murders, Mr. Bates vs the Post Office, The New Look, Nolly, NYPD Blue S1-5, Professor T S3, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, Ridley Road, Sex Education S4,Slow Horses S4, Tokyo Vice S2, True Detective (S4): Night Country, Twin Peaks: The Return, Unforgotten S5, Us, and Van der Walk S4.
Books: Gillian Gaar's Queen & A Night at the Opera: 50 Years, Kathleen Hanna's Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk, David Milch's Life's Work, Keith Richards' Life (research for Anita Pallenberg documentary review), Julie Salamon's The Devil's Candy: The Anatomy of A Hollywood Fiasco, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (research for a Crypticon panel on Frankenstein adaptations), and Colson Whitehead's Nickel Boys (preparation for the new film).
Images from Variety (Demi Moore in The Substance), Indiewire (Julianne Nicholson in Janet Planet), Lab111 (The Beast poster), The Hollywood Reporter (Luther Vandross / Sony Music Archives / Photographer Guzman), Rotten Tomatoes (Barbara Hershey in The Entity), and NPR (Gary Oldman in Slow Horses).
I write about popular music and film and the relationship between the two. I'm Irish on one side, Italian on the other—British on both. I was born in Connecticut (Far From Heaven), raised in Alaska (Northern Exposure), and I've lived in Seattle, WA (Trouble in Mind) since 1988.
