Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade, Parthenope, Where Dragons Live and Thunderbolts* reviewed by MICHAL BONCZA and MARIA DUARTE
Best of 2019: Albums
ADDRESSING THE NATION: Slowthai
CHRIS SEARLE wallows in an evening of high class improvised jazz, and recommends upcoming highlights in May
MARY CONWAY applauds the revival of a tense, and extremely funny, study of men, money and playing cards
MEHDI ACHOUCHE explores the constant fascination of cinema with Marxist alienation from Fritz Lang and Chaplin to Bong Joon Ho
FIONA O’CONNOR steps warily through a novel that skewers many of the exposed flanks of the over-privileged
MARY CONWAY applauds the study of a dysfunctional family set in an Ireland that could be anywhere
MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
OVERLOOKED by the mainstream music media in their end-of-year lists, Jeremy Dutcher’s extraordinary self-released Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa is like nothing else released this year.
Awarded the Polaris Prize, Canada’s top music honour, it’s a set of traditional songs from the 28-year-old’s First Nation community transformed into powerful piano-led ballads, backed by strings and electronics and sung in his native Wolastoqiyik language.
On the Americana front, Lambchop made a strong return with the woozy electronica of This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You), released on City Slang, while Silver Jews frontman David Berman, arguably one of the greatest lyricists of his generation, released his sublime swansong under his new moniker Purple Mountains (Drag City). Tragically Berman took his own life a couple of weeks after the album was released.
More from this author
Despite liberal whining that Trump threatens the ‘international rules-based order,’ the historical record shows Western nations have repeatedly overthrown democracies, backed genocides and violated sovereignty, writes IAN SINCLAIR
IAN SINCLAIR draws attention to the powerful role that literature plays in foreseeing the way humanity will deal with climate crisis
Detailing the deluge of delusion and dishonesty pushed by the pro-war camp, IAN SINCLAIR identifies four key tactics corporate journalists use to confuse audiences and suppress opposition to the proxy war in the east
New releases from Black Country, New Road, Anouar Brahem, and Jaywalkers
