WORDS: ANDREW LOWRY, MATT HILL, BEN MYERS, ADAM KENNEDY PHOTOGRAPHS: KOBAL, ALLSTAR, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
SHORTLIST REVIEWS
The
PlayList
Conversation’s for wimps – keep quiet
and fill the silence with these gems
BOOK
I WOULDN’T START FROM HERE
BY ANDREW MUELLER
A true journalist not only observes their subject but
also immerses themselves in their surroundings – a
tactic fully appreciated by Brit-based Australian music
and travel writer Mueller. This energised travelogue
takes in political and religious hotspots like Basra
and Kabul, arrests, Hezbollah, rock stars and
revolutionaries, with Mueller as hilarious and sardonic
a host as this ridiculous world of ours demands.
ALBUM
CONOR OBERST
The man usually known as Bright Eyes releases
his first birth-name solo album in over a decade.
Recorded in a Mexican mountain villa, the
resulting pared-down take on his impassioned
Americana reflects liberating isolation, with the
relaxed demeanour of a road-trip record. There
are numerous campfire paeans and a curveball of
cabin-fever humour, I Don’t Want To Die (In The Hospital), before Oberst
twists the LP’s mortality predilection into beautiful sing-along shapes.
Online this week at ShortList.com
Cinema’s greatest
sex symbols
12 / WWW.SHORTLIST.COM
DVD
In Bruges
“Bruges is the best-preserved medieval city in Belgium” as Ken (Brendan Gleeson) keeps
informing us. Useful information, sure, but it matters little to Ray (a never-better Colin Farrell)
as all he’s interested in is scoring cocaine off the attractive drug dealer he’s met. They’re
both Irish hitmen hiding out in the ‘Venice of the north’ after the younger of the two shoots a
child on a job accidentally, and from this simple set-up emerges the funniest film of the year
so far. Playwright Martin McDonagh (who picked up an Oscar for his short film Six Shooter,
here directing his own script) weaves a fantastically absurd romp as the professional killers find themselves stuck in
tourist territory, with Ralph Fiennes’ mob boss arriving to darken the mood. But what sticks in the mind – aside from
wondering why Farrell can’t always be this good – is the oddly profound conclusion. Oh, OK, and the terrific swearing.
DOWNLOAD
BLOC PARTY: MERCURY
The title of this indie outfit’s last single,
Flux, perfectly described their current
state, casting off guitars for a more
dance-orientated flavour. The new
direction continues on this guitar-less,
beat-heavy preview of their upcoming
album that’s closer to the Wu Tang
Clan than anything in the indie
charts. Which, of course, is good.
Future war: ar:
space-age gee
military
machines s
DVD
The T TThe
T Long Long Goud Gouda
Friday, F FFriday
F FFrid
Edambusters
and a other cheesy
films f – best
reader r
suggestion
wins w £100
STEWART LEE:
41ST BEST STAND-UP EVER
We’re very keen on lists at ShortList and were were
a tad miffed at Channel 4’s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups
ranking Stewart Lee a poor 41st (behind Jim
Davidson and Bernard Manning). His DVD offering
is a triumphant retort, continuing to poke fun at
his favourite topic: fame. Delivered with his usual
conversational style, keep your ear out for his
stomach-tickling musings on insects. Trust us.
Win! WWiiiinnnn n!
A big night in:
Nintendo Ni
Wii
+ Tiger Woods
’08 ’0 + table
football fo f
+ beer
PLUS: BLOGS, LISTS,
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