November 2006

Anna Wood investigates the very different worlds of Leonard Cohen and British government public information films.

Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man
Dir: Lian Lunson
Cert PG

Somewhere between Johnny Cash and Neil Young sits Leonard Cohen, nudging his way up the league of maudlin, troubled 1970s greats who we forgot about for a while in the ‘80s. It’s a shame that this film won’t do much to bring anyone new to Cohen; if you’re not already a fan, listening to Nick Cave sing ‘I’m Your Man’ in a big-band, leg-kicking style that’s more Puppini Sisters that Zen brother will not make you want to buy Cohen’s Greatest Hits. (more…)

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November 2006

Beatmag Games guru thrashes Husky Rescue at cyber-golf, chops up a Lego Jawa and tells the truth, even when he lies.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘07
(PC / PS2 / PSP / Xbox360 / Xbox)

Oh man, this game is embarrassing! Not for me, of course, but for all the chumps that dare step to me with all that “I know how to play golf a little bit” shit! Yeah, they get served in this game like the bitches they are! My first victim, who shall remain nameless (it was my brother Amr Mallassi – two As, two, Ss and two Ls) got beat down HARD! Two rounds of humiliation and brutal defeat, all set to some wack tunes and beautiful picturesque golf course. He went off cryin’ like a pussy! (more…)

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The Bestival
Isle Of Wight, September 2006

It doesn’t get much better than wandering through the fancy-dressed Saturday night Bestival crowd, bumping into Altern-8 in the portaloos, ordering a drink next to a five-man Viking ship, and dancing with Bill & Ben, the flowerpot men. With the bloodstream a cocktail of this, that and the other, every wannabe fairy’s wing sparkles extra bright, every hint of the setting sun glows extra orange, behind the increasingly thick cloud cover, and we Beatmaggers cannot think of any festival we’ve enjoyed so much in recent years. (more…)

Filed under: Reviews - Live by Flexmaster Nylon
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Fairport’s Cropredy Convention 2006

By Guy Oddy

Let me put my cards on the table from the outset. I have never been a big fan of folk music or folk-rock. Sure, I had a brief flirtation with Nick Drake when I was a student. But didn’t everyone? So, that doesn’t count. However, with the present media fixation on the likes of Devendra Banhart, Seth Lakeman, Eliza Carthy and the nu-folk scene, and ever increasing numbers of my contemporaries telling me that “Richard Thompson is quite good actually”, my attention was recently drawn to something that I had always considered the very antithesis of rock ‘n’ roll. I found myself wondering if there was actually anything new and interesting happening here, or if the media had just zeroed in on this scene in the absence of anything else of any interest happening. (more…)

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Maverick scribbler Tim Wild reviews… things.

This month – the top five people I’ve always wanted to bump into but would probably make such a twat of myself if I did that I’d regret the experience for ages.

Stephen Fry

Not just because he’s really clever, and quite famous, and funny, but because he seems like a really nice man, doesn’t he? The kind of man that would put up with my fame-addled prattling for a good deal longer than most celebs and be polite about it too. In my head, when we meet, he’s quietly impressed with my erudition, with perhaps a wry chuckle at the obvious gaps in my reading and education, and foots the bill for an impressively expensive bottle of wine in J.Sheeky after an enjoyable evening of repartee and indiscreet celebrity anecdotes. I, having wowed the table with one last memorable zinger, finally have to make my excuses and leave.
Bye Stephen! (more…)

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Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Repo Man (MCA, 1984)

The freshest forgotten albums of yesteryear. Not the usual fawned over suspects but albums that ‘net-trawlers and second hand record shop aficionados may come across and should snap up now.

“Ordinary person spends his life avoiding tense situations. Repo man spends his time getting into ‘em.”

‘Repo Man’ was the first commercially realised film to be directed by Alex Cox and is one of a slew of highly entertaining punk-rock flicks that were released in the mid-eighties. It is also one of those films that have reward numerous viewings to appreciate all the in-jokes and one-liners. However, when it was first let loose on an unsuspecting public, I was a suburban teenager with punk-rock leanings, so that was fine by me and it soon became required viewing, at some point, during most weekends. (more…)

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November 2006

Beatmag’s rundown of the best to throw your hard-earned money at.

Sound 10
(11 this issue for no good reason)

Beatmag Album of the Month

1. Amy Winehouse
Back To Black (Island) (more…)

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November 2006

SINGLE OF THE MONTH

Backini feat. Dr Oop Capone
Radio (Lumenessence) (more…)

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Beatmag interviews…

Glasgow is a city renowned for many things – fighting, deep fried pizza, and string vests being among the best known – but scratch beneath the stereotypes and you’ll find arguably one of the most thriving music scenes in the UK. Foremost among these (for lovers of all things electronic, at any rate), is the mighty Soma label, long time purveyors of high-quality house, techno and electronica, and home to one the many jewels in their crown, Silicone Soul. (more…)

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Filed under: Old Friends Electric by Flexmaster Nylon
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