What did I just listen to? It’s not too often I spend an hour trying to engross myself in a record and walk away from it feeling completely blank and scratching my head about what I’d just put myself through. Tunnel Blanket by This Will Destroy You can only be summed up in one word: Non-descript. Tunnel Blanket will neither destroy you nor reinvigorate you, it will only leave you frustrated that such a talented band could produce such a bland piece of work. It shouldn’t have been this way. TWDY have long since been regarded as heavyweights of the post-rock genre with one superb debut record, Young Mountain, and a worthy self titled follow up. What made those records so good was the scope and emotional depth that was harvested from atmospheric and morose guitars that were spliced with ambience and distortion. The problem with Tunnel Blanket is that the balance...
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January 10th 2012- The day rock and roll mattered once again for the first time in a long time. The pleas have been heard. Prayers have been answered. Forlorn and desperate dreams have become reality. The gods of rock have smiled upon us. El Paso’s At the Drive In and Sweden’s Refused, two of the most influential rock bands of the last fifteen years, have announced their respective reformations. On the same day. In the early days of a new year. On the same day that the legendary Thierry Henry made his triumphant comeback for Arsenal and singlehandedly shot the Gunners through to the next round of the FA Cup. The symmetry is almost too perfect for words. You could almost say it was fate. Two bands that have done more to shape modern rock than most but were cut down in their primes by internal bickering. Take a look at the footage of At...
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The lockout is over. The NBA season for 2011/12 has been saved and come Christmas Day we can look forward to a condensed 66 game sprint to the finish line. How will the teams cope with a rushed training camp and free agency period not to mention a shortened season that contains more back to back games than ever before? The Marshalltown casts its eye over the forthcoming season and tells you who will be challenging, who will slip and who has no prayer. In this second installment The Marshalltown breaks down the Eastern Conference. To read the Marshalltown's preview of the Western Conference in Part 1 click here The Contenders Boston Does anyone know what’s happening in Boston? A team with an ageing squad that was run ragged by an athletic Miami Heat decides to put its most exciting young player and future team leader on the trading block? You read that right. Boston put...
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The lockout is over. The NBA season for 2011/12 has been saved and come Christmas Day we can look forward to a condensed 66 game sprint to the finish line. How will the teams cope with a rushed training camp and free agency period not to mention a shortened season that contains more back to back games than ever before? The Marshalltown casts its eye over the forthcoming season and tells you who will be challenging, who will slip and who has no prayer. In this first installment The Marshalltown breaks down the Western Conference. The Contenders Los Angeles Lakers Last season was a humbling experience for the Lakers. Legendary coach Phil Jackson retired after seeing his Lakers swept in the second round of the playoffs by eventual champions, Dallas, while the growing knee problems of Kobe Bryant compounded the feeling that the curtain was closing on this current Lakers squad. Sadly for Lakers fans...
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Melancholia represents notorious director Lars Von Trier’s latest attempt at messing with his audience’s minds. Von Trier; equally adored and loathed across the globe has a knack for getting under peoples skin. His films, like 2009’s confronting Antichrist and the divisive Dogville, are as loved and praised as they are hated and criticized. I struggle to think of a current filmmaker who polarizes moviegoers as much as the controversial Danish director. Melancholia however is Von Trier’s most accessible film to date, beautifully shot, superbly acted and containing some of the most powerful scenes and images this year. It is the perfect film for Von Trier skeptics to revisit his work. Even so, it just might be a little too dumbed down for his supporters while still not accessible enough for detractors. The opening minutes of Melancholia are some of the most memorable of 2011 and are almost gripping enough to sustain its audience for the remaining two hours. Visceral,...
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The Marshalltown continues its retrospective series looking back at the year that was 2011. In this edition we count down the Top 5 stories in the wide world of sport.
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The Marshalltown reviews the year that was in movies and picks out the five best films of 2011.
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We Need to Talk About Kevin will resonate differently with each individual. It is a story as much about childbirth and the bond or lack thereof between mother and child as it is about the concept of nature versus nurture and trying to understand what makes people bad. One thing that will be agreed upon by all viewers however is the troubling nature of the film, not only the destructive behavior of its titular character but also the prospect of parenthood in all its uncelebrated warts and all glory. We Need to Talk About Kevin might just be the most unsettling movie of 2011 and is so without any of the violence or gore we have come to identify the word with in film. As soon as the title screen fades to black director Lynne Ramsay’s film based on the Lionel Shriver novel of the same name begins an unrelenting and...
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The Marshalltown looks at the legacy of Greg Ginn- a pioneer of alternative music who paved the way for future musicians but who also became an outcast over the last twenty years.
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I have never played football. I never attended Penn State, nor am I a fan. I do not have children or young siblings. Yet from the moment I found out about former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky's alleged sexual abuse of multiple young boys, it has affected me more than I ever thought possible. Did head coach Joe Paterno cover the scandal up? How far does the corruption extend? Where does the blame lie? I just can't look away. I turn on ESPN to watch former players emotionally backing not only their coach, but their father of sorts, their mentor. I read articles from sports bloggers screaming for an indictment of Paterno and company. I see footage of students marching next to the increasingly frail Paterno, yelling into reporters' cameras, trying to defend their school, their program and their identity. Despite having to pause and gather myself a couple times, I have...
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