ALBUM #1 Artist The Weeknd Album Starboy Reviewer Alasdair McClintock Rating I am inclined to respect a man who apparently cuts his hair with a blowtorch, but I think that’s as rugged as The Weeknd gets. After a decent start with the titular ‘Starboy’, each song thereafter gave me more and more of a sugar headache. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good ones, they’re just better served in small doses. It’s also hard to take a guy seriously when he sings of people ripping off his style, while he’s just joined the litany of artists trying to sound like Drake. Well, Mr. Weeknd, Drake is massively overrated, and I suspect you might be too.
ALBUM #2 Artist A.B. Original Album Reclaim Australia Reviewer Alasdair McClintock Rating
MOVIE REVIEW TITLE Paterson GENRE Drama REVIEWER Linda Heller-Salvador If you were to read a synopsis of the film Paterson you would probably consider it to be bland and uninteresting, but in the hands of innovative writer/director Jim Jarmusch (Coffee And Cigarettes, Broken Flowers), it is anything but - slow and meandering maybe, but never uninteresting. It takes us into the lives of a laidback New Jersey bus driver called Paterson (Adam Driver), his quirky wife Laura (Golshifteh Farahani), and their mischievous dog Marvin. Paterson chooses to under-share his life and allows it to simply unfold around him. He has a passion for writing poetry and draws inspiration from casual conversations he overhears, as well as quiet observations of the life that swirls around him. Every day for Paterson is much like the previous one: up early, work, home, dinner, walk dog, stop at bar for a beer, home, repeat, repeat, repeat. As mundane as his life may appear, Paterson is content. That is until an unfortunate incident occurs that temporarily unsettles him. This is an intimate, soulful and amusing film that draws you in with its charming characters and engaging music score, and much like some of his previous films, Jarmusch has focused on the everyday moments of ordinary lives and allowed them to be something extraordinarily beautiful in their normality. 72 The Beast | January 2017
It’s near impossible to write a review for this album without being a little political, so I’m sorry in advance. But not really. These guys are furious and have good reason for it. If there is a silver lining to their anger, it is that they’ve released one of the great Australian albums, abrasively tackling some pretty big issues with well-produced, catchy as hell songs, and some great one-liners. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at some points, which is probably how they feel all the time. Nothing would make me happier than ‘January 26’ getting number one in the Hottest 100. The symbolism would be delicious.
ALBUM #3 Artist Childish Gambino Album Awaken, My Love! Reviewer Alasdair McClintock Rating I really want to like Childish Gambino’s music, because I like him as a dude, but so far I just haven’t been able to get into it. He has completely reinvented his sound for this album as well and, sadly, I like it even less. I found the whole thing boring as hell. I suppose you would categorise it as funk, but it doesn’t feel all that funky. There’s no slow, rhythmic thrusts of the hips here (that’s how you dance to funk, isn’t it?), just a few frustrated yawns and the realisation that Gambino should focus on his acting and screenwriting, because he is much better at it.