“A mind meltingly great night out
that hopefully leaves you on a good come down,” were the words of Jon Hopkins, when reflecting on his 2013 album, Immunity.
We find Hopkins treading similar
territory on his latest release, Singularity. Combining the introspect with the
retrospect, this time pushing the parameters a little further. “Desert treks,
controlled breathing and freezing baths,” is how he best described it.
We will delve into all of the above, more deeply, in a
bit; but firstly I would like to provide some background into what inspired this review; with a little more about the man himself.
I have vivid memories of where I
heard Jon Hopkins for the first time. It was arriving home at 4am on a hot midsummers' evening
back in 2015 after a friend’s birthday party in East London. Still on a high
from the events that occurred that night, I started exploring
the Internet for new music. I stumbled upon this rather curious but
captivating piece of imagery: that I would quickly learn was the front cover of Hopkins' 2013 (Mercury Prize Nominated) album, Immunity. I clicked on the first track my
fingers gravitated towards, which was a piece called “Abandon Window.” I
remember a very melancholic and meditative piano loop that was so simplistic in
its delivery, but simultaneouslyhad such purity and depth to it. The
experience had a spiritual and profound effect on me; it stopped me in my tracks, and was the perfect piece of music to end my evening with.
From then on I decided
to put Jon Hopkins under my microscope. It turns out he has done quite a lot…
Before Hopkins' major breakthrough
with Immunity he had embarked on some rather impressive collaborations, starting
his career as a touring keyboard player for electronic artist, Imogen Heap. He was then invited into the studio by long term friend Brian Eno, to
co-produce and write additional ideas on Coldplay’s 2008 album, Viva La Vida. Alongside
this he had also produced King Creosote's 2011 album, Diamond Mine; and conducted
remixes for Berlin based electronic artist, Apparat. He had previously focused his attention more
on mastering the art of being a production chameleon. This wealth of studio experience provided him with the confidence and tools necessary to forge his own path
as a solo artist.
This is clearly illustrated on
Hopkins latest release, Singularity: an immersive and intelligent piece of art.
Pitched somewhere between a space continuum and a world of nature, the album leads you on a continual voyage of discovery. The scope and ambition of the
9 track album is undeniable, all of which is on display in the opening title track, "Singularity." The track begins with one singular note, on a synthesizer, that
swiftly morphs into orchestral strings and distorted guitars: spinning you
into a sonic landscape like no other. "Singularity" is followed by the album’s
lead single “Emerald Rush,” a euphoric and deeply imaginative exploration of
the human mind and soul. Its slightly distorted, retro-synth-driven arpeggio
gives you a celestial thrill as it gradually builds and takes hold of you.
My personal favouritesare the beat-driven, “Neon Drum Pattern,” which suggests inspiration through Hopkins' past collaboration with electronic artist, Bonobo. The track has a very hypnotic, almost
trip-hop vibe, with a pulsating kick drum rhythm that Hopkins explains to be, “made up of 5 different kick drum sounds."
The halfway point of the album
brings you to the dream-like piano ballad, “Feel First Life.” A beautiful,
shimmering, meditative trip that sparks your visual cortex as the piece unfolds. The influence of Brian Eno is predominant here: with its minimalistic,
introspective approach that slowly creeps up on you, inevitably forcing you to
surrender and lose all your inhibitions.
Singularity is an electronic beat
music odyssey that is designed asa slow burner for its listener. On first listen it roots so deeply in
your consciousness that you just have to repeat the process all over again. It
is through this experience that you realise what is so incredible about Singularity.
Some of you readers out there may not know this, but it's been a long road for the LA based rock trio. After their first self-titled debut slipped under the radar back in 2002, they now find themselves on this record 30 million dollars in debt by their Record Label EMI. Thirty Seconds To Mars are a band that have found themselves on a cathartic journey to claim back what is rightfully theirs. A band truly worthy of the stadium rock venues they are now selling out by the hour.
"Don't you want to make something thats phenomenal? Something thats undeniably good and that touches the core of everybody that hears it?" - Jared Leto
Well Jared, I think you might of just achieved that very thing. They say the best art is made when you are at your lowest and most vulnerable. I think This Is War supports that theory rather well.
The album kicks off with the colossal and snappy anthem "Escape". This introduces the first of many contributions by Thirty Seconds to Mars followers, The Echelon, who joined the band to record all their parts at various Summits around the globe. A rather ambitious task to say the least.
"The bottom line is, its time to pay, you know you've got it coming... THIS IS WAR". The opening line of the track clearly conveys a declaration of war against their label over the lawsuit they were battling at the time.
The opening track then swiftly transcends into "Night of The Hunter". A pulsating anthem, sprinkled with electronic flourishes and a vocal melody delivered by Leto which is drenched in a pool of blood and sweat. "honest to god I will break your heart. Tear you to pieces and rip you apart." It is another example that demonstrates the emotional struggle the band went through to make this record.
Other highlights include the hugely infectious "Closer To The Edge", piano ballad "Alibi" and "Hurricane" (one of my personal favourites). Hurricane is a song that could be interpreted in a number of ways. Although, to me suggests is a song essentially about lust and seduction.
This Is War is a beautifully executed rock record. Its use of dynamics is also impressive and pulls from many genres from electronica, classical orchestra to traces of latin.
If your into rock music built for stadiums, this is the album for you.
A new song of mine for my current solo project Secret Crowds will be surfacing on the internet within the next few weeks. The song titled Astronaut, was born from listening to a lot of the latest Coldplay album Mylo Xyloto and has a very dark, spacious feel to it.
The atmospheric piece was also in a direct response to a mood I keep finding myself in these days... loneliness. They say the best music one can ever write comes from a place when you are at your most vulnerable. To see if my new material supports this theory. Stay tuned to find out...
This is the teaser trailer for the feature film Neville Rumble in collaboration with myself (Tripwire) and A Body In The Box Productions. Official Trailer coming soon, have a ganders...
Its currently 23:45 on a Thursday evening as I write into my blog. I have Motion City Soundtracks new album Go pumping through my big cans whilst I sit and look back on this past months chain of events...
Things have been really good around here lately. They have been good for quite sometime now. It is a nice feeling. This evening I realised how lucky I am. I have great friends, great family, London is going well and most important of all so is my music. The past few weeks have been very busy with that due to the fact I have been fortunate enough to get signed to a new feature film. This is going really well and I am extremely excited about the progress of it all. I have been working with a good friend of mine on the score, who sent over some fresh ideas earlier. They are very cool. I am extremely excited to watch the film back in a few months and see all the hard work unfold in front of my eyes, which hopefully, if all goes to plan, in a cinema near you!
I also finished reading my latest book yesterday evening titled "Charlotte Street", by Danny Wallace. It's a lovely book that tells the story of one man, Jason Priestley, and explores the concept of life as a young adult, love, friendship, hope and moving on. This was an important book for me, because it made me realise a lot of great things about my life. So for that, mr Wallace, I am eternally grateful.
After having a very long weekend of work, I am having a "do nothing" day today and thought it might be fun to take the time to hand pick from my DVD collection some cool films that you should all go out and buy, (or shall I say download and rip from pirate bay) as some of you little rebels might prefer to do!
So we will start with,
The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont.
My dad absolutely loves this film and he made me sit inn and watch it with him one evening after school when I was about 14, I think? At that point I was really not interested in films with this much substance and I would of much rather opted for something like Hey Arnold at that time, but I sat and watched it anyway and am really glad I did. It tells such a great story and has such an amazing philosophy on life. Its a classic and it never gets old! Im sure you have all seen it anyways, but if not, I suggest you seriously go get it!
2.) Jaws, directed by Stephen Spielberg
Do you remember how scared you were and how long it took before you were able to go back in the water after seeing this film? I think it took me years before I could do it!
This film is timeless. I must of seen it about 30 times now and it never gets old! Everybody must see this at least once in there life time, so you know what to do!
3.) The Wedding Singer, directed by Frank Coraci
I revisited this film just the other night and it is still today one of my favourite films! Its the funniest shit ive ever seen! I was in tears with laughter, snot running down my face, it was amazing! Its a light comedy set back in the 80's, so straight away it has my vote. The 80's was such a great time, especially for music and I always hear such great stories from my parents about what it was like back then. I wish I could go and revisit that decade and be 18 years old or something, it would be such jokes! anyways check out this funny scene below and tell me your not not laughing hard the whole way through...
4.) Home Alone, directed by John Hughes
I'll start off by saying, John Hughes you are my hero!
John Hughes was such a great director and was responsible for so many great cult films sparked from the mid 80's to early 90's. He had such a way of telling a story of what it was like for kids growing up in surbaban life and I think he was so well loved by a lot of kids of our generation growing up. Home Alone was the first film I saw of his work and I fell in love with it instantly. I remember going to school the next day after watching it, wanting to be Macaulay Culkin. I went to school dressed up as him thinking I was so cool. Kids would laugh at me, but I know they were just jealous!
Other films you MUST watch by him are The Breakfast Club, Home Alone 2, Uncle Buck and Sixteen Candles. They are all amazing!
5.) Heat, directed by Michael Mann.
This one has come up a few times on my blog, as im sure some of you may have noticed.. But I thought id throw it in here anyway! A great story of two men working for different sides of the law and are addicted to their jobs. It has an epic shoot out scene during the middle of the film and the film score is amazing. Its a classic and if you are yet to watch it, then this is the film for you. Has a great vibe to to it and also stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.. say no more!
6.) Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle
The film has such an incredible vibe to it. The minute you put this film on, you are instantly transported somewhere else. The cinematography in this is amazing and I also love the music. Im a massive fan of Danny Boyle, especially after 28 days later and the fact that it has Cillian Murphy in it, just makes it even better. So, I guess it was inevitable I was going to watch it! Anyways Check out the trailer below yo!
7.) Wedding Crashers, directed by David Dobkin
This is such a lads film! Crashing a strangers wedding and sleeping with an endless string of hot girls is basically every boys dream! I love this film and I usually watch this with a beer when I am getting ready to go out to a club or something. Such a great vibe film and I have made a packed with a friend to make sure that one day we go and do this at least once!
Check it out...
8.) Rain Man, directed by Barry Levinson
Rain Man has such a touching story. The relationship that you see develop between Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman's character on screen really comes across well. I would recommend anybody to watch this. They dont make films like this anymore! It sucks!
9.) Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan
I'll keep this short, because otherwise I wont stop! Christopher Nolan is a life saver for taking on the challenge of rebooting the Batman franchise after it was turned into such a joke by previous directors that thought it would be a good idea to cast people like George Clooney to put on the bat suit! I mean, seriously? anyways, this film is not only a great action film, its extremely inspiring and takes you on an epic journey. its also just fucking awesome!
The following up being The Dark Knight is just as epic, so make sure you get on that as well, you wont regret it!
10.) 48 hours, directed by Walter Hill
Any film starring Eddie Murphy during the 80's is without doubt worth checking out! The guy is a fucking legend! I love how he has no shame in making a joke of himself and others around him. He is so clever how he can manage to turn any scenario in life into a joke and he does this on screen in every film hes ever been in, its just amazing. I thought id put this one out there, as a tribute to his work. This was also his first film. The sheer stupidness of it and the one liners will no doubt have you on the floor, laughing. Id also recommend Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2, Trading Places, Coming To America and Another 48 hours. Get on it yo!
11.) Whats Eating Gilbert Grape, directed by Lasse Hallstrom
I watched this a few years back and remember thinking I had struck gold when I saw both Johnny Depp and DiCaprio were starring in the same film together. I am massive fans of both those dudes and it just had such a great story attached to it. I don't think there is one person that would not enjoy this film, so definatily watch it, its awesome!
12.) Disclosure, directed by Barry Levinson
This was always going to be a winner for me, simply because it has Demi Moore in the film playing somebody that seduces the fuck out of somebody. All I will say is Michael Douglas mate, you lucky son of a bitch! But more importantly, are you mad?! Just be a man and do it!! Seriously! I would honestly kill for a night with this girl!
The film is based on Michael Critchons novel of the same title. It deals with the themes of how easily sexual harassment can be used in politics and business in an attempt to destroy a persons career. its a popular issue that has been used so many times, especially in the office/corporate world. I would just like to pay tribute to Barry Levinson for bring my dreams to life! I salute you!
12.) Catch Me If You Can, directed by Stephen Spielberg
You will see DiCaprios name appear a lot within my film collection. He's sort of hero of mine shall we say... I think in this film he is at his best. In Catch Me If You Can, you see him play a young man who is a forger, mainly with cheques, but you quickly discover that he doesnt just do it with cheques, he is a forger in everything that he does and it begins to work out incredibly well for him! He ends up making millions of pounds from constantly impersonating somebody else. Its based on a true story and character, Frank Abagnale, who actually did all this during the 60's and then later on went to work within the FBI unit to track down people just like him. How cool is that??
This film taught me a lot about the human condition as well and how really, if you have the confidence, you can fool anybody and get what you want in life. Id also recommend this film for any guy out there who is struggling with the ladies.. it has some great tips on how to pick up girls!
13.) Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese
I'll end on this, because I literally just watched it for the second time with a mate late last night and discovered a new love for it.. It funnily enough also has Mr DiCaprio in it!
This film didn't really grab me the first time, I thought it was too obvious, but I must admit watching it the second time I realised that its actually the complete antithesis of that. I completely got it this time. For any of you out there that like your psychological thrillers, this ones for you. Its a real mind fuck. Which is probably why I like it so much to be honest. I also like the emotional journey it takes you on as a viewer. Its so messed up and is extremely tragic. I like how DiCaprio and Scorsese really take you through that. DiCaprio has a great way of letting you inn as an actor and he is a real artist for that. This film is also a great testament to Scorsese's work, as its really not often that the commercial film industry would finance a film like this!
Other Scorsese films you should watch are Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York (Daniel Day Lewis looks scary as fuck in this), The Aviator and The Departed.
That ended up taking me a lot longer then I thought, but I enjoyed every second of it! I hope you were all digging it, too and are heading out to buy some of them yo.
