Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were

- Ben Howard is a folk artist.
- Think again.
- Ben Howard is a rock artist.
- OK, think a little harder.
- Ben Howard is an indie rock artist who actually loves electronics, not only acoustic guitars and drama.
- That's my boy!

I think the intro-dialogue, which played in my mind a few hours earlier, is simply the best way to explain my surprise, after having listened for the very first time to Ben Howard's new album, "I Forget Where We Were". It feels like Radiohead having produced a new Bon Iver album and yet, it's not that at all. He doesn't play safe, so that he can win another Brit Award or the Mercury Prize. He produced the album himself along with his drummer, Chris Bond, and he literally forgot where he has been in the past.

The first track, "Small Things", reminds me of another opening song - "Closer" by Kings Of Leon and their 2008 release, "Only By The Night". And that's the feeling of the whole album - it's dark, it's sexy and it's totally unpredictable, something that makes it even more interesting. Sometimes, you can listen to his strangle to be faithful to his new sound and at the same time not to forget his folk artistry. But, somehow, Howard manages to be a sophisticated rock artist ("Rivers In Your Mouth", "I Forget Where We Were") and a folk songwriter ("End Of The Affair") as well, without destroying the songs' cohesion.

"I Forget Where We Were" is one of the biggest music surprises of 2014, not only because it showcases another part of Ben Howard's talent, but also because it confirms that when an artist is not attached to his success, he can go beyond his control and thus create beautiful things.

AnArtCalled... 8,5/10

John Barry R.I.P. (1933-2011)

Έζησε για να μείνει στην ιστορία ως ο άνθρωπος που απογείωσε τη σειρά ταινιών James Bond με τις ιδιαίτερες μουσικές του, καθώς και ένας από τους λίγους συνθέτες στην ιστορία του κινηματογράφου που έχει κατάφερε να αποσπάσει πέντε βραβεία Oscar για τέσσερις διαφορετικές παραγωγές (κανένα James Bond όμως, ειρωνεία, ε;). Ο John Barry έντυσε μουσικά κατά τη διάρκεια της καριέρας του πάνω από 80 ταινίες και 20 τηλεοπτικές παραγωγές, ενώ το 1998 μπήκε στο Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ένα από τα τελευταία πράγματα που έκανε ήταν η συμμετοχή του στο comeback album της Shirley Bassey, “The Performance”, το 2009 μαζί με τον Don Black. Αυτή ήταν και η πρώτη φορά που το ντουέτο συνεργάστηκε πάλι με την ντίβα μετά το “Diamonds Are Forever” του 1971. Ο John Barry έφυγε από τη ζωή στις 30 Ιανουαρίου 2011 από καρδιακή προσβολή.

Μερικές από τις πιο σημαντικές ταινίες του (εκτός από τις 11 της σειράς James Bond):
• Born Free (1966)
• The Lion In Winter (1968)
• Midnight Cowboy (1969)
• Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
• King Kong (1976)
• Frances (1982)
• The Cotton Club (1984)
• Out Of Africa (1985)
• Dances with Wolves (1990)
• Chaplin (1992)