Growing up in the decade of yo-yo’s and rollerblades, I was always under the impression that Kanye West was the bee’s-knees. He was an everyman’s access to the somewhat underworld of hip hop. Jay-Z was never one to grace my speakers, until fairly recently when he made it more mainstream. I hate to admit that I’m mainstream, but I just can’t pull off the gangster image. When I heard that Kanye West and Jay-Z were then collaborating under the stage name of ‘The Throne’ to record an album together, it was a great day for music fans everywhere. Following less than a year after Kayne West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and not long since The Blueprint 3, it was set to provide double the joy. Upon listening to the first buzz single “H.A.M.” (which didn’t make the standard album cut), the tone was somewhat set. A ferocious rap spewed out over...
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Controversy thy name is Barton
The Marshalltown wraps up the first week of the new Premier League season- Man United scrape an undeserving victory, Joey Barton acts like a right moron, Liverpool throw away points at home and a new star announces his arrival on the big stage. It's like it never left us.
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The Marshalltown was on hand to witness the Mars Volta showcase a large selection of tracks from their forthcoming album at a recent gig in Melbourne. Judging by this set, Volta fans have a lot to be excited about.
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Northern Ireland is coming on in leaps and bounds. New building complexes, new apartment blocks and the first complete term of a new devolved power-sharing Government (since power was first devolved in 1998) have all appeared, as if over-night, in Belfast. However, we are in some ways the same as we always were. We are not still searched when we go into shops in the city center, but nor are the days of violence behind us. We are better, we’re just not quite there yet. The threat of violence in Northern Ireland is still a reality, as the pictures conveyed around the world of the rioting in the Short Strand this year show. However, rioting in Northern Ireland is different to other places. The old joke runs that we have 5 seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and marching season. Northern Ireland is a nation of people determined to march their ‘traditional...
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The Marshalltown gives you the lowdown on the forthcoming 2011/12 edition of the English Premier League. After a short post-season that barely allows you to swallow that last drop of celebratory champagne or, in most cases, wipe away the tears of pain and anguish from another year of disappointment, the English Premier League swings back into action this weekend to kick off the new season. The 2011/12 season shapes up to be one of the most interesting installments in some time with a myriad of fascinating plot lines set to unfold over the next nine months. Three teams can claim legitimate title ambitions, meanwhile new powers are rising, some old superpowers are in decline and we haven’t even got to all the transfers, mind games, refereeing blunders, manager sackings or amusing crowd chants yet. To help you make sense of what is sure to be a turbulent season, The Marshalltown has investigated the...
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Hanna is the most distinct and refreshing film to hit the multiplexes this year. Known for his period dramas like Atonement, director Joe Wright has created something very ambitious; a breathtaking art-house action film with enough Bourne, Bond and Nikita to please the masses. Hanna, an average looking young adolescent, played by a mesmerising Saoirse Ronan has been secluded from the world her entire life. Her father Erik (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA operative, has kept her in isolation, training her as a cold killer in preparation for the real world. A world where her father knows Hanna will be hunted and imprisoned as an asset by the CIA and specifically one callous agent Marissa Weigler (Cate Blanchett). Not only is it clear that Marissa has a special interest in Hanna but it is also apparent that Hanna is not your average young girl nor Hanna your average action movie. Set across breathtaking...
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Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Marshalltown's armchair analysis on the stories making the rounds in the world of sports. Words by Billy Maulana and Brad Abraham. Randy Moss: Almost The Greatest That Ever Was For a man who once famously said, “I play when I want to play”, there is no doubting that Randy Moss will always be one of the most mercurial talents the NFL ever saw. While his “retirement” is something his former teammate Robert Smith says is a “ploy” for leverage, we won’t know for sure until we get (the expected) news that Moss has “come out of retirement” to play this season. Because let’s face it, at 34 and still in great physical condition, we all feel as if his career is missing that one brightest light that will put at ease his unfortunate shortcomings. His troubles off the field would always be a crutch, hobbling his...
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The Marshalltown turns the spotlight on Pianos Become The Teeth- a five piece from Baltimore that are producing some of the most exciting and vibrant post-hardcore tunes in years.
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It's a little unfortunate, but I find the race for the U.S. presidency endlessly more fascinating than anything Australian politics can throw up. Sure, we have the Mad Monk, but the reality is that our candidates have nothing on the freak shows on display in the States. The Republican primaries are coming up in which the opposition to Barack Obama will eventually be decided after a cut-throat series of televised debates and swimsuit competitions. Here's a brief run down on some of the contenders. 1. Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey "AS PRESIDENT, TERRORISTS AND CRIMINALS WILL FEAR ME! 'CAUSE I WILL IMPALE THEM!!!!! THE AMERICAN VAMPYRE FROM JERSEY, IS OUT FOR BLOOD! THE BLOOD OF OUR ENEMIES!!!" Jonathon 'The Impaler' Sharkey (or if you'd prefer to call him by his 'Magikal Path' name, Lord Ares) is a vampire, and clearly a creature you do not want to fuck with. The archetypal right wing candidate,...
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Captain America is an unashamedly old-fashioned film. Marvel’s latest effort is a charming but at times gut-wrenchingly cheesy reminder of the All-American patriotic war films of the past, but something befitting a relic of the era like Captain America himself. Cap’s director Joe Johnston is no stranger to the gents and dames of a World War 2 period setting having adapted The Rocketeer in the early 90’s. Johnston’s experience proves to be the perfect fit for capturing the All American Steve Rogers, a great Chris Evans as he journeys from never back down pipsqueak to super soldier in a 40’s New York. Johnston and his main man shine in the early parts of the film. Johnston recreates the wartime patriotism and sense of duty on the streets of New York while Evans, after being knocked back from duty does his gosh-darndest to join his friends and countrymen on the front lines. The...
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