Writing critical reviews of the arts is an eye-opening challenge. I sort of knew it would be of course, it follows that once you can describe something, put it into words, make the intangible tangible, you are arming yourself with insight to understand it more thoroughly. Once you have command over words that describe either a feeling or some quality that is not easily described you begin to notice it's elements more.
I attempted to review a variety of different media to get a feel for different styles of review and descriptions. Even the most tangible forms such as films were a challenge however. Beyond an outline of the plot and saying whether you liked the film or not, what do you write about? I guess for film it's analysis of the qualities that made the film good or bad. Was the story a good story? The direction? The colours? Framing? Was there something about the editing? Did the apparent choice of film stock have some impact? The soundtrack? The general flow with in scenes? How did all of this come together?
A music review was difficult, one had to describe the qualities and feeling produced by the sound of the music. One could also describe the lyrical content (I didn't).
There was the musical performance and perhaps most difficult was interpreting art installations, something I'm not at all familiar with.
Last of all was the review of BCT itself. This became more of a vent about juggling study with everything else. I really only resorted to reviewing it because being a student has meant I haven't really had a chance to go to any events. It's almost a Catch-22.
Regardless of the type of event, practice at writing critically about them is key to getting learning to pick out details and being able to describe them. Turning what seemed to be abstract concepts into concert words. Using real words to communicate what at first seems like elusive ideas.
Explaining Aesthetics beyond measurements and perhaps proportions takes skill. It's sort of like describing what someone looks like. Anyone can say "Oh they are 5ft9, brown hair, blue eyes", it takes some skill to describe a persons appearance with metaphors that draw a picture in the minds eye. A skill I look forward to developing more as it in turn hones one's ability to actually see what at first appears to be almost invisible.
Are you Experienced? - William Sutcliffe
India is seen through his eyes and his view never really changes so it's always a horrible place to be endured. This is an amusing angle to be carried through out the entire book as the character does not decide to come to grips with his journey and learn to enjoy it - he probably misses an awful lot that the country has to offer.
Dave is somewhat pathetic in his motivations for the trip and his also his aspirations (packing 200 condoms into his luggage). He's closed off to possibilities but in his own mind makes perfect sense. The book is largely a collection of comedic encounters and they are often highly amusing. It's very easy to read and somewhat unchallenging. This is not a criticism, it's by no means a stupid book, it is just easy to unwind to and disengage yet still hold interest for it's genuinely funny, and easy to get into. It's relatively short at 230 pages of medium type and could be finished over the course of a day or a few hours, although I wound up taking about a week, squeezing it in here and there, I always looked forward to picking it up again.
It certainly not a book that you will feel intellectually richer for reading, but nor is it a book that will make you feel dumber either.
Bachelor of Creative Technologies Semester 1
Creative Technologies department at AUT is a multidisciplinary unit that has been going for 3 years, with the foundation students about to complete their degree. This review is not just about the course itself but also the transition back to student life.
The course covers a wide variety of content and borrows skills from several faculties. It could possibly align itself most with Art and Design, but also borrows heavily from Engineering, Science, Communications and Business school. This makes it a rather exciting course to study for those of us who have multiple interests that are both creative and technical but it can make the course difficult to describe to interested parties. I've found myself using the word multidisciplinary a lot. Another effective tactic was to describe the projects one was doing. They can sound more impressive than the actual result but I don't see a problem with wowing people, it's perhaps a skill one should learn, considering I'll have solid skills and understanding but will still have to compete for interest against people whose core skill is... selling. But to say that you built a robot that senses it's environment and draws, or a garment that is a wearable interface to a computer, or an interactive art installation where a participant interacts with a character, they sound quite impressive. Last of all I may tell people "It will get me a job that doesn't yet exist".
We were told from day one that the course was more like a post graduate course in that there is a large degree of self-direction and self-learning. I found this quite suitable as I've always been self-taught. Just point me to some good material and ideas I'll do the rest. The more traditional class tutorial situations, when they occasionally come are however sometimes a welcome relief, although one is quickly reminded that the pace is then dictated by the class as a whole which may be too slow or perhaps even to fast for an individual.
The course has possibly already had some positive impact on the way I may go about completing a task. Being a highly competent mac operator before becoming a student I was skilled with a range of software but more and more over the years this has narrowed to mostly one company: Adobe. Their software is great but one can unwittingly put themselves in a rut that they will never get out of as they define their skills by the offerings of one company. I was not likely to ever branch out of what I did which would have been a massive problem as I basically came to loath it. As an aside, in the workforce one can easily get pigeon-holed into a skill-set which is ridiculous. Give me something else to do and I'll do that effectively too, but all to often employers, and worse, recruitment agents define you by what you have done so far without looking at the bigger picture: Why is it I can do this stuff in the first place. But I started to pidgin-hole myself too and ran out of ideas on how to change that. BCT has already broadened my view of how to complete tasks without looking to the first tools that I know.
There are downsides, and it's hard to untangle them to work out which one to blame at any one time. I think they have all compounded to make my first semester rather difficult. Perhaps some of them are just life and my attitude needs to change to reflect that. The first is untangling former expenses from my present low-budget life. This can be overwhelming as companies with inept staff bill me for services I have cancelled (for example) and I have to waste my precious time sorting out the mess. Related is having to move and live with other people again, who aren't students themselves and have perhaps forgotten the lack of time a student has, wanting things that are just not that important. No I do not want to help you mount the TV to the wall, you may have noticed I never have time to even watch TV. Add to that the lack of time and money to get projects up to a standard that I'd be really proud of. So far my projects have looked a bit too high school / show & tell cardboard and sellotape standard for my liking.
The time factor of course winds up messing up sleeping patterns. I endeavour to just do tasks during normal hours and sleep at normal times, having pulled a number of all- nighters recently, I just don't think it's very effective. Any tasks that require cerebral input will suffer and motivation and interest also drop. But, it's hard to stop working.
Lack of of time and money has also resulted in a massive drop in exercise and a change in diet that I could never have predicted. I used to lead a very healthy lifestyle consisting of regular gym, running and high-protein healthy meals. That all seems to have gone out the window and the more distant a memory it gets the harder it will be to turn back. I think that hasn't helped with my energy levels either. During the next break I intend to change this situation. Last of all we tend to work in groups a lot which drives me absolutely nuts. I like to be responsible for my own work and my ideas to not be diluted to suit a committee. Of course team work is a skill we must learn, because there are plenty of teams in the real world you're likely to run into some idiot who bandies corporate jargon like "team player" who also happens to be in control of your employment.
All that said, I really enjoy the degree, I enjoy student lifestyle (despite the no money thing) and I feel like I am exercising my mind and going places. I've also made a number of friends which I wouldn't say surprised me but I did wonder how that would play out considering I'm an adult student and much of the class is considerably younger than me. It seemed odd and unsettling at first but now I am fairly comfortable with a few people and will get to know the others as time goes on.
The course covers a wide variety of content and borrows skills from several faculties. It could possibly align itself most with Art and Design, but also borrows heavily from Engineering, Science, Communications and Business school. This makes it a rather exciting course to study for those of us who have multiple interests that are both creative and technical but it can make the course difficult to describe to interested parties. I've found myself using the word multidisciplinary a lot. Another effective tactic was to describe the projects one was doing. They can sound more impressive than the actual result but I don't see a problem with wowing people, it's perhaps a skill one should learn, considering I'll have solid skills and understanding but will still have to compete for interest against people whose core skill is... selling. But to say that you built a robot that senses it's environment and draws, or a garment that is a wearable interface to a computer, or an interactive art installation where a participant interacts with a character, they sound quite impressive. Last of all I may tell people "It will get me a job that doesn't yet exist".
We were told from day one that the course was more like a post graduate course in that there is a large degree of self-direction and self-learning. I found this quite suitable as I've always been self-taught. Just point me to some good material and ideas I'll do the rest. The more traditional class tutorial situations, when they occasionally come are however sometimes a welcome relief, although one is quickly reminded that the pace is then dictated by the class as a whole which may be too slow or perhaps even to fast for an individual.
The course has possibly already had some positive impact on the way I may go about completing a task. Being a highly competent mac operator before becoming a student I was skilled with a range of software but more and more over the years this has narrowed to mostly one company: Adobe. Their software is great but one can unwittingly put themselves in a rut that they will never get out of as they define their skills by the offerings of one company. I was not likely to ever branch out of what I did which would have been a massive problem as I basically came to loath it. As an aside, in the workforce one can easily get pigeon-holed into a skill-set which is ridiculous. Give me something else to do and I'll do that effectively too, but all to often employers, and worse, recruitment agents define you by what you have done so far without looking at the bigger picture: Why is it I can do this stuff in the first place. But I started to pidgin-hole myself too and ran out of ideas on how to change that. BCT has already broadened my view of how to complete tasks without looking to the first tools that I know.
There are downsides, and it's hard to untangle them to work out which one to blame at any one time. I think they have all compounded to make my first semester rather difficult. Perhaps some of them are just life and my attitude needs to change to reflect that. The first is untangling former expenses from my present low-budget life. This can be overwhelming as companies with inept staff bill me for services I have cancelled (for example) and I have to waste my precious time sorting out the mess. Related is having to move and live with other people again, who aren't students themselves and have perhaps forgotten the lack of time a student has, wanting things that are just not that important. No I do not want to help you mount the TV to the wall, you may have noticed I never have time to even watch TV. Add to that the lack of time and money to get projects up to a standard that I'd be really proud of. So far my projects have looked a bit too high school / show & tell cardboard and sellotape standard for my liking.
The time factor of course winds up messing up sleeping patterns. I endeavour to just do tasks during normal hours and sleep at normal times, having pulled a number of all- nighters recently, I just don't think it's very effective. Any tasks that require cerebral input will suffer and motivation and interest also drop. But, it's hard to stop working.
Lack of of time and money has also resulted in a massive drop in exercise and a change in diet that I could never have predicted. I used to lead a very healthy lifestyle consisting of regular gym, running and high-protein healthy meals. That all seems to have gone out the window and the more distant a memory it gets the harder it will be to turn back. I think that hasn't helped with my energy levels either. During the next break I intend to change this situation. Last of all we tend to work in groups a lot which drives me absolutely nuts. I like to be responsible for my own work and my ideas to not be diluted to suit a committee. Of course team work is a skill we must learn, because there are plenty of teams in the real world you're likely to run into some idiot who bandies corporate jargon like "team player" who also happens to be in control of your employment.
All that said, I really enjoy the degree, I enjoy student lifestyle (despite the no money thing) and I feel like I am exercising my mind and going places. I've also made a number of friends which I wouldn't say surprised me but I did wonder how that would play out considering I'm an adult student and much of the class is considerably younger than me. It seemed odd and unsettling at first but now I am fairly comfortable with a few people and will get to know the others as time goes on.
The Science of Sleep
The movie incorporates stop-motion animation and other interesting visual techniques both in the dream sequences and also in the more mundane reality.
The film is unusual but also very interesting. Recommended.
Lego MindStorms NXT
Lego Mindstorms is a new generation of lego with robotic actuators and basic sensors including light (presumably an LDR), sound (a mic), touch (a simple button switch), and distance (ultrasonic) and later models also include a colour sensor. Also included is the "Intelligent Brick" computer that a user can download programs created on a home computer (Windows or OSX) via USB. The Brick has bluetooth capability, a small monochrome LCD display and a speaker to play sound files. The sound files are a proprietary format, so one has to convert .wav or .mp3 to this format first using downloadable software. The memory included to store programs and sound files is rather a paltry 32K given the costs of flash storage limiting anything too elaborate in the sound department or having too many programs loaded at once. I'm talking perhaps a few programs, one 2 second sound file (8bit) and no more. This memory also stores the brick's firmware.
But it's the software included I'm reviewing, a visual programming environment called NXT.
Tying in with the Lego bricks, the environment uses a brick metaphor the to construct programmes. It's very accessible to a beginner or a child wanting to control any robot he or she may build. Bricks fit together along a line that control's the program flow, and from the start point the programmer can branch out 3 concurrent programs. The toolbox of commands down the side are divided in one of three different ways according to a tab that the user selects. There is a common blocks tab, a complete set tab and a custom tab. The complete set has commands/blocks in groups according to function. The functions are controllers such as motor, display, sound and bluetooth send, sensing commands for the many different ways the robot can sense the environment, program flow such as wait, stop, loop and switch, which the software's conditional statement, data such as logic operations, number comparisons, math, random numbers and variables and an advanced set such as file access, number to text and calibration. The blocks that manipulate data also have control wires that once can pass data back and fourth. The code as far as I can tell cannot branch away to nother part of the program so one must resort to the switch command to make conditions that contain sub programs. While this could get wildly complex and convoluted, the software also allows the user to create entire programs and turn them into custom blocks effectively making subroutines more modular and able to be plugged in for different purposes, mirroring functions in other languages.
The programs are inevitably slower than if one was to attempt to code with a more native or low level language but NXT provides the perfect introduction to a beginner who just wants to get their robot to do something.
However not all is good with the environment. It can get slow to use with large programs and prone to crashing, losing all of your work. It's particularly bad on OSX, so if one has a choice it's a much better idea to use NXT on windows. The environment also lacks some basic user interface elements making the program frustrating to use for not just a power user, but an average user. There are no scrollbars, and the only way one can get around is using the hand tool, for which there is no keyboard shortcut. One has to alternate between the hand tool and the selection tool using the mouse, and that combined with the sometimes slow and crash-prone interface and if one was to have a particularly low resolution screen (and perhaps combined with a deadline for a student project for good measure) makes the experience very unsatisfactory.
Also, documentation is a little poor and it is difficult to debug programs that manipulate data as there is no real way to see what the program is doing. One can possibly get the program to display results onto the screen but aside from that being not as straightforward as it could be one would have to hope that their program's logic works enough to get that far.
NXT is a great way to get started with the Lego Mindstorms kit and programming in general, with more advanced users perhaps moving on to other environments like Java. Aside from lacking basic UI elements such as the mentioned scrollbars, perhaps one is not meant to be still using NXT by the time they encounter some of the issues raised.
But it's the software included I'm reviewing, a visual programming environment called NXT.
Tying in with the Lego bricks, the environment uses a brick metaphor the to construct programmes. It's very accessible to a beginner or a child wanting to control any robot he or she may build. Bricks fit together along a line that control's the program flow, and from the start point the programmer can branch out 3 concurrent programs. The toolbox of commands down the side are divided in one of three different ways according to a tab that the user selects. There is a common blocks tab, a complete set tab and a custom tab. The complete set has commands/blocks in groups according to function. The functions are controllers such as motor, display, sound and bluetooth send, sensing commands for the many different ways the robot can sense the environment, program flow such as wait, stop, loop and switch, which the software's conditional statement, data such as logic operations, number comparisons, math, random numbers and variables and an advanced set such as file access, number to text and calibration. The blocks that manipulate data also have control wires that once can pass data back and fourth. The code as far as I can tell cannot branch away to nother part of the program so one must resort to the switch command to make conditions that contain sub programs. While this could get wildly complex and convoluted, the software also allows the user to create entire programs and turn them into custom blocks effectively making subroutines more modular and able to be plugged in for different purposes, mirroring functions in other languages.
The programs are inevitably slower than if one was to attempt to code with a more native or low level language but NXT provides the perfect introduction to a beginner who just wants to get their robot to do something.
However not all is good with the environment. It can get slow to use with large programs and prone to crashing, losing all of your work. It's particularly bad on OSX, so if one has a choice it's a much better idea to use NXT on windows. The environment also lacks some basic user interface elements making the program frustrating to use for not just a power user, but an average user. There are no scrollbars, and the only way one can get around is using the hand tool, for which there is no keyboard shortcut. One has to alternate between the hand tool and the selection tool using the mouse, and that combined with the sometimes slow and crash-prone interface and if one was to have a particularly low resolution screen (and perhaps combined with a deadline for a student project for good measure) makes the experience very unsatisfactory.
Also, documentation is a little poor and it is difficult to debug programs that manipulate data as there is no real way to see what the program is doing. One can possibly get the program to display results onto the screen but aside from that being not as straightforward as it could be one would have to hope that their program's logic works enough to get that far.
NXT is a great way to get started with the Lego Mindstorms kit and programming in general, with more advanced users perhaps moving on to other environments like Java. Aside from lacking basic UI elements such as the mentioned scrollbars, perhaps one is not meant to be still using NXT by the time they encounter some of the issues raised.
The 4th Auckland Triennial - St Pauls
This exhibition spans 5 different locations, but I'm only reviewing the installations at St Pauls.
The gallery had 3 installations in the one space, one could be forgiven for missing at least 2 of them. My first impression as someone not attuned to such things is that it was completely incomprehensible, but in an attempt to broaden my horizons, I will do my best to interpret what I saw.
Walking into the space one is greeted with 3 delicately balanced part-of wooden chairs dangling from a beam that is attached to the ceiling. The piece Suspended fall challenges the observer to make sense of it. It's so sparse. From a craftsman-like perspective one wonders just how deliberate each sawn of piece of the chair and it's placement is, or does it not matter as long as the basic idea is communicated? And what is this basic idea? One has to explore how it makes one feel (aside from the usual bewilderment). It's hard to get past the "what on earth..." thoughts though. It makes no sense. Chairs. No, cut up chair pieces. Dangling from a ceiling. Perhaps a chair, an everyday object, sliced up and dangled, removed from any sensible context is the statement. What of the title, "Suspended Fall"? Does this provide any clues? Perhaps there is some commentary on our throwaway society. A moment in time, suspended, and the chair not so much falling but thrown away as junk. It served it's purpose, perhaps it could have served some more, but we throw things away so much that now we even throw away things before their time is up for a new one. And now the chair is an art installation. From something obviously worthless to something people come to see.
The second installation was above my head and I missed it the first time I visited the exhibition, I thought it just wasn't installed. The floor space is empty. Above providing the light for the room is Some Broken Morning, an arrangement of flouresent lights spun into what looks like a web. Or perhaps as the name suggests to me, a sunrise. My morning would certainly feel broken if my sunrise was in an office where one normally finds these lights. This is my personal interpretation, it reminds me of working long, long hours, into the night and over to the morning in some job, and as the sun rises, I'm still under the horrible artificial office light. Some research suggests that it's about taking objects out of their normal logical context. I like my interpretation much better actually. It speaks to me more.
The last installation also almost missed because it's so small on a large bare wall, and it looks like it's part of the wall, like it serves some purpose. Like a fire extinguisher or more like... a lamp with an odd lampshade attached. Eyes like Leaves perhaps resembles a mailbox, or a cutaway of some outdoor structure that has been displayed in the hallway of some architecture firm or school. It's painted steel and brass, the steel is perforated sheet metal. The name conjures up certain feelings and there is something perhaps organic about the piece, but beyond that I find it very hard to break this piece down further.
The installations were interesting in that they were incredibly challenging to an amateur art critic (to say the least) to interpret. One could easily write them off for not understanding them, but perhaps this is why they warrant further investigation. I actually found it amusing and later interesting that the gallery looked like nothing was really installed in the space. One questions how much the space that they were installed in played a part to the experience. The concrete floor, the white walls. Certainly they would not be the same piece if they were installed in your living room.
The gallery had 3 installations in the one space, one could be forgiven for missing at least 2 of them. My first impression as someone not attuned to such things is that it was completely incomprehensible, but in an attempt to broaden my horizons, I will do my best to interpret what I saw.
Walking into the space one is greeted with 3 delicately balanced part-of wooden chairs dangling from a beam that is attached to the ceiling. The piece Suspended fall challenges the observer to make sense of it. It's so sparse. From a craftsman-like perspective one wonders just how deliberate each sawn of piece of the chair and it's placement is, or does it not matter as long as the basic idea is communicated? And what is this basic idea? One has to explore how it makes one feel (aside from the usual bewilderment). It's hard to get past the "what on earth..." thoughts though. It makes no sense. Chairs. No, cut up chair pieces. Dangling from a ceiling. Perhaps a chair, an everyday object, sliced up and dangled, removed from any sensible context is the statement. What of the title, "Suspended Fall"? Does this provide any clues? Perhaps there is some commentary on our throwaway society. A moment in time, suspended, and the chair not so much falling but thrown away as junk. It served it's purpose, perhaps it could have served some more, but we throw things away so much that now we even throw away things before their time is up for a new one. And now the chair is an art installation. From something obviously worthless to something people come to see.
The second installation was above my head and I missed it the first time I visited the exhibition, I thought it just wasn't installed. The floor space is empty. Above providing the light for the room is Some Broken Morning, an arrangement of flouresent lights spun into what looks like a web. Or perhaps as the name suggests to me, a sunrise. My morning would certainly feel broken if my sunrise was in an office where one normally finds these lights. This is my personal interpretation, it reminds me of working long, long hours, into the night and over to the morning in some job, and as the sun rises, I'm still under the horrible artificial office light. Some research suggests that it's about taking objects out of their normal logical context. I like my interpretation much better actually. It speaks to me more.
The last installation also almost missed because it's so small on a large bare wall, and it looks like it's part of the wall, like it serves some purpose. Like a fire extinguisher or more like... a lamp with an odd lampshade attached. Eyes like Leaves perhaps resembles a mailbox, or a cutaway of some outdoor structure that has been displayed in the hallway of some architecture firm or school. It's painted steel and brass, the steel is perforated sheet metal. The name conjures up certain feelings and there is something perhaps organic about the piece, but beyond that I find it very hard to break this piece down further.
The installations were interesting in that they were incredibly challenging to an amateur art critic (to say the least) to interpret. One could easily write them off for not understanding them, but perhaps this is why they warrant further investigation. I actually found it amusing and later interesting that the gallery looked like nothing was really installed in the space. One questions how much the space that they were installed in played a part to the experience. The concrete floor, the white walls. Certainly they would not be the same piece if they were installed in your living room.
Little Miss Sunshine
It's a comedy/drama that centres on a road trip that a slightly dysfunctional family makes across 2 states in a volkswagan minivan to get Olive, the young daughter to the "Little Miss Sunshine" Beauty pageant that she has qualified for. The family also consists of Richard, the father who is an aspiring but rather annoying motivational speaker. Sheryl, the mother. Dwayne, a gawky teenage son (but aren't they all), who has taken a vow of silence until he achieves his dream of joining the Airforce. Frank, an uncle, Sheryl's brother, who is a scholar under supervision for having recently attempted suicide, and Richard's father, Edwin, a foul-mouthed WW2 vet who was kicked out of his retirement home for snorting heroin.
They take the road trip because they cannot afford to fly, and the whole family goes because they can't leave anyone behind. The trip has a series of setbacks starting with various mechanical faults in the vehicle that cannot be fixed in the short time that they have to get to the pageant. The way that everything goes wrong causing the family to have to employ ridiculous solutions just to keep going was both painful and amusing to watch and most of all very easy to relate to probably for all of us. When things go wrong, they all go wrong at once. I know I've felt just like that a few times this year in my transition from paid worker to poor student. Their situation is tragic yet it's also heart-warming as it pulls the family together as they have to rely on one another. Their problems don't stop there, each member has a personal setback and when they finally get to their destination they almost don't get in as they are five minutes late. I'm not going to spoil the story so I'll just say that it's a highly amusing movie and a guaranteed great night's viewing.
The Able Tasmans - Songs from the Departure Lounge
I digress. The Able Tasmans' Songs from the Departure Lounge is a "best of" compilation that I bought for 2 reasons: One is that it's really hard to find actual albums of theirs these days so finding anything was a score (unless you visit iTunes I have noticed, but I have quite distaste for actually paying for music in a compressed and lossy format - if they ever offer a lossless and DRM-free format with their new "LP" category I may re-evaluate my position), and two, I didn't do my research prior to wandering into Real Groovy on impulse one day on the way home from class. Compilation CDs I thought are the domain of bands who had moderate commercial success, and while Able Tasmans certainly deserved great success they existed before NZonAir and when there was a lot more cultural cringe in regards to NZ music and NZ produced film/television. Unless you were Split Enz or Th' Dudes.
I'm not expert on their music or the history of the band, but they formed in 1984 and broke up in 1996. My memories are from their very last years hearing songs of theirs on bFM. Like so many NZ bands, they can be described at times as having a jangly Dunedin-like Flying Nun sound. It's almost becoming a meaningless description with how often it's used yet it's quite a recognisable sound. Assuming that the tracks are in some sort of rough chronological order (I cannot enough information, though I could visit iTunes iSuppose....) the recording of the earlier tracks also gives away that sound. To me it simply sounds like low budget mastering and bad microphone placement and possibly a studio with not enough sound dampening, but the Dunedin sound is still endearing. However what makes the Able Tasmans really stand out is their keyboard and synth work. Especially in later tracks where I assume the recording equipment was better. I could be completely wrong with those assumptions, but it often seems that perhaps a lot of albums from the 80s and even 90s are mastered for vinyl and something is lost that is not able to be regained when digitally remastered. Yet even earlier music does not suffer this.
The music is very catchy and I've had songs like "Hold Me 1" on repeat in my head for weeks. Normally this would be torturous, especially as it's usually terrible music that one doesn't even like that gets stuck in one's head (and wondering "how is it that I even know this song?") but Able Tasman's music is simply beautiful. Hold Me 1 starts off with a piano the gradually gets more complex and then the rest of the band kick in with a certain dramatic and urgent nature, which is an example of what I love about the band. They sound like a classically trained rockband, their music sounds skilful and more complex than an average band yet they still play accessible music.
As we move further into the album I start to hear tracks that I recognise from when I discovered them like "The Shape of Dolls". The later tracks seem more punchy and louder (I hope I just didn't actually advocate compression - not the data mp3 kind, duh). However there is one glaring omission. I cannot tell you the name of it as I don't remember, and information on the internet is sparse. It seems utterly ridiculous and as one youTube comment said when I went looking for anything I could find of theirs, "bordering on criminal" that this band is so lost in time and has not been re-released.
The album is a great collection of work and certainly deserving of addition to anyone's collection who enjoys good, stimulating contemporary music. However with one omission that I remember and an uneasy feeling that there was more music of the Able Tasmans that I listened to on bFM (surely one of their main outlets, especially as one of the band members, Graeme Humphreys aka Graeme Hill was the morning host for several years, now on Radio Live on the weekends apparently) that did not make it onto the album, I'm not so sure how much of a best of it really is. Despite that it is certainly a worthy album to listen to.
Some tracks I have found on youTube that are also on the album:
Sour Queen, That's Why, Angry Martyr.
The Pixies Live at Vector Arena
This is not just a review of the Pixies performance but a review of the entire night, the support band, the crowd and of the venue.
We arrived at around 7:45, which was a good time get there if one wanted to avoid crowds. My companion and I were upstairs in the seated area, we'd have much preferred to be in the standing room closer to the stage but when the tickets went on sale at 9am - 5 months prior, it was a struggle to get a place in the online queue let alone get tickets that I actually wanted to get. I think there were pre-sales that took care of most of the standing area admission, which I find a little unfair.
Taken with the feeling of the venue and the occasion, and unspoilt by massive crowds yet, we ignored our student finances and walked up to the nearest bar. My friend wanted a Scotch & Dry. No Ginger Ale. So from the limited options we settled on Bicardi and Coke. A single shot was poured into an extra large plastic cup that wall filled with ice followed by the cola drink. The 2 drinks cost $18. This to my mind is nothing but a cynical and greedy cash-in on all patrons who can't really leave the venue to find a more reasonable price. I paid the for drinks, so my friend offered to pay for another round. I went back and this time asked for no ice and was told that it was a directive to add ice. What the hell? Moving on.
The opening band started at 8pm. Auckland 4-piece Collapsing Cities took the stage at a slightly uncomfortable volume. I did not recognise any of their music until the last 2 songs that they played, which I have heard on bfm playlists. I faintly suspected that their music was quite appealing except the imminent feeling of an ear bleed took away from that enjoyment somewhat. Their sound took queues from Flying Nun bands of the 80s such as The Clean and also bands such as Joy Division, but with more modern rhythmic dance vibes.
After a 50 minute set there was a short break before the Pixies took the stage. The arena had slowly filled up and people were taking their seats around us.
At around 9, to rapturous applause the Pixies took the stage and they busted out into-- a song and I have no idea what it was. It turns out that it was Dancing the Manta Ray, a B-side. 2 more b-sides were played before they swung into the album Dolittle. They played nearly a perfect rendition of the entire album, they sounded incredibly tight musically and the shrill noise through the sound system while the previous band played had disappeared for a warmer mix.
However, in the seated area so far from the stage, and possibly stone cold sober despite being collectively almost $40 poorer we felt a little detached from the concert. There are are number of factors that possibly contributed to this. The stage and set up was very minimalistic as was the lighting. While The Pixies are a cult band from another era, their approach did not work in a large arena such as Vector. Not for us anyway. The Powerstation gig that they had played one night previous might have worked with a similar set-up as it is a much more intimate venue and more befitting of the band, however that along with their song-for-song and almost chord-for-chord rendition of the album made it feel like I had come to watch a stereo play CDs. - Sorry, a DVD, as there was video projected onto what looked like a large bed sheet behind the band. I suspect that many reviews and much of the public will be uncritical because of the Pixies status, they can do little wrong. And the concert was good, but there was a lack of energy that they may have had in the past. The encore seemed to last an eternity and we were treated to 2 repeats at a slower tempo. Another encore followed and that also seemed to last a little too long and then the lights went up which started a boo reaction from the crowd. This was brief as the Pixies came back on and played their best performance for the night, and under full light. A lot more energy and songs from previous albums. After their high energy performance, the crowd was satisfied and people started leaving. We looked to the stage and people were clearing it. This was our cue to leave too, to the brisk night air, realising that summer was coming to an end.
This was a concert that we needed to attend, we were lucky to see the Pixies live, they broke up years ago. The Pixies had musical ideas that spawned an entire new genre - although it is a different sound, grunge, and bands such as Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins owe their soft/loud flow in their music to the Pixies who pioneered it.
It was a good concert marred slightly by the venue, it's service and to be honest, our complete sobriety through out.
Special mention to the evening's entertainment provided by the guys across from us unaware of their own dorky-looking air-guitaring throughout the show. They were obviously enjoying their night and more power to them. Nevertheless they sill looked dorky.
We arrived at around 7:45, which was a good time get there if one wanted to avoid crowds. My companion and I were upstairs in the seated area, we'd have much preferred to be in the standing room closer to the stage but when the tickets went on sale at 9am - 5 months prior, it was a struggle to get a place in the online queue let alone get tickets that I actually wanted to get. I think there were pre-sales that took care of most of the standing area admission, which I find a little unfair.
Taken with the feeling of the venue and the occasion, and unspoilt by massive crowds yet, we ignored our student finances and walked up to the nearest bar. My friend wanted a Scotch & Dry. No Ginger Ale. So from the limited options we settled on Bicardi and Coke. A single shot was poured into an extra large plastic cup that wall filled with ice followed by the cola drink. The 2 drinks cost $18. This to my mind is nothing but a cynical and greedy cash-in on all patrons who can't really leave the venue to find a more reasonable price. I paid the for drinks, so my friend offered to pay for another round. I went back and this time asked for no ice and was told that it was a directive to add ice. What the hell? Moving on.
The opening band started at 8pm. Auckland 4-piece Collapsing Cities took the stage at a slightly uncomfortable volume. I did not recognise any of their music until the last 2 songs that they played, which I have heard on bfm playlists. I faintly suspected that their music was quite appealing except the imminent feeling of an ear bleed took away from that enjoyment somewhat. Their sound took queues from Flying Nun bands of the 80s such as The Clean and also bands such as Joy Division, but with more modern rhythmic dance vibes.
After a 50 minute set there was a short break before the Pixies took the stage. The arena had slowly filled up and people were taking their seats around us.
At around 9, to rapturous applause the Pixies took the stage and they busted out into-- a song and I have no idea what it was. It turns out that it was Dancing the Manta Ray, a B-side. 2 more b-sides were played before they swung into the album Dolittle. They played nearly a perfect rendition of the entire album, they sounded incredibly tight musically and the shrill noise through the sound system while the previous band played had disappeared for a warmer mix.
However, in the seated area so far from the stage, and possibly stone cold sober despite being collectively almost $40 poorer we felt a little detached from the concert. There are are number of factors that possibly contributed to this. The stage and set up was very minimalistic as was the lighting. While The Pixies are a cult band from another era, their approach did not work in a large arena such as Vector. Not for us anyway. The Powerstation gig that they had played one night previous might have worked with a similar set-up as it is a much more intimate venue and more befitting of the band, however that along with their song-for-song and almost chord-for-chord rendition of the album made it feel like I had come to watch a stereo play CDs. - Sorry, a DVD, as there was video projected onto what looked like a large bed sheet behind the band. I suspect that many reviews and much of the public will be uncritical because of the Pixies status, they can do little wrong. And the concert was good, but there was a lack of energy that they may have had in the past. The encore seemed to last an eternity and we were treated to 2 repeats at a slower tempo. Another encore followed and that also seemed to last a little too long and then the lights went up which started a boo reaction from the crowd. This was brief as the Pixies came back on and played their best performance for the night, and under full light. A lot more energy and songs from previous albums. After their high energy performance, the crowd was satisfied and people started leaving. We looked to the stage and people were clearing it. This was our cue to leave too, to the brisk night air, realising that summer was coming to an end.
This was a concert that we needed to attend, we were lucky to see the Pixies live, they broke up years ago. The Pixies had musical ideas that spawned an entire new genre - although it is a different sound, grunge, and bands such as Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins owe their soft/loud flow in their music to the Pixies who pioneered it.
It was a good concert marred slightly by the venue, it's service and to be honest, our complete sobriety through out.
Special mention to the evening's entertainment provided by the guys across from us unaware of their own dorky-looking air-guitaring throughout the show. They were obviously enjoying their night and more power to them. Nevertheless they sill looked dorky.
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