The Whistleblower Review

For some reason in recent history, everyone remembers Afghanistan and Iraq as the wars that were declared with mainly corrupt desires in mind. Yet, whenever the wars in the Balkans are mentioned all assume that due to supposed humanitarian intervention what occurred was in fact a moral war. Obviously, as a Serb, I find difficulties accepting this. There were various corrupt reasons behind the war that are unexplored by the majority of the mainstream press and the more you dig into the war the more you realize that corruption did not just exist within the Balkans but also and arguable mainly from outside influences.

Therefore, finding out about a film such as the Whistleblower was a welcome surprise. It is a film that surprisingly has a cast composed of actors with Hollywood experience regardless of its independent distributor. Based on a true story it is all located in Bosnia’s Sarajevo and follows the journey of Rachel Weisz’s ex police officer as a U.N peacekeeper. What unravels in her experience in Bosnia is the discovery of human trafficking within the country that stems so deep in corruption that even the U.N’s top bosses are involved in it.

Such truths about corruption seem to be little known in modern society and the revelation that it occurred and that it was supported by supposedly peaceful, western organizations should shock the core of any decent human being and reinvent their understanding not only of the Balkans but any society. Yet such shocking disclosures are never really exposed in the mainstream press regardless of their coverage of it or are much discussed by those who have heard about them.

This means that the people of the Balkans remain as the archetype of primitiveness and not many seem intent to change this. When Serbia or Bosnia or any of the other Balkan countries are mentioned, talk of genocide is never far away. When word is spoken about America or Britain should a journalist bring up previous historical atrocities such as slavery or more recent atrocities such as the MK Ultra experiments of the 50s? Perhaps this is the chip on the shoulder all of us from the Balkans must bear but here’s hoping more truths like this, not just about our war, but about all wars and corruption become revealed so that all may wake up from this comatose state in which evil is believed to be only in and the consequence of foreign countries.

Regardless, politics aside, the film itself is decent. As with any film that intends to be an exploitation or a representation of shocking truths the film mainly centers on the repulsive truth, which in this case means the disgusting treatment of the trafficked women and the inhuman reaction of those in charge. Plot twists are nothing too unexpected and characters are not much dwelt on. Rachel Weisz has a sub-plot that involves a daughter but not much is mentioned about it past the start. Her performance is, however, strong. Her role as a woman tormented by the authorities in charge trapped in a near impossible situation is well played with Weisz displaying the anguish with relative ease.

But there is not much to say unfortunately past this. The film is decent as a tense thriller but the power of the film lies in the fact that the events are real and sparsely covered, not great scriptwriting or innovative photography. If this film were not based on truth it would almost seem to be your typical, well-produced thriller stocked full of typically shocking twists and characters. The best way to react to the film is therefore to realize that the evils that you thought could only be imagined have actually in fact happened and that worst of all, not much is being done to stop it.

Pandovisia - The Last Man on the Net

Now, with the danger of perhaps divulging too much personal information, it is best to straight away reveal some issues in the writing of this article. First and foremost I have to announce that I am reviewing this Pandovisia album because I have a personal connection within the band. This does not, however, mean that this is a promotion of an album but, instead, the review the title promises. I have entered this review with an open mind and as much of a neutral perspective as possible.

Perhaps the best show of my attempted neutrality lies in what I will next admit: I don’t really like electronic music. It is possible I do not know much about electronic music and therefore judge it based on very little but I have always seen Kraftwerk as a symbol of the genre (which might tell you enough about my knowledge on the genre) and I feel I can safely say that I never really got Kraftwerk.

Why is this all relevant? Well the problem lies in that this album sounds a whole lot like Kraftwerk. The songs are sung with foreign accents. There are electronic keyboards, electronic guitars, there are even electronic whirling and whizzing noses. What The Last Man on the Net consists of is a whole barrage on your ears by computer inspired sonic waves.

So it is probably only natural to say that at first listen I wasn’t sure about the album. It was just not to my taste. But then I began to listen to it properly and with more frequent listens my opinion of it began to grow. I can safely say that now when I look at the album I truly appreciate it. What I had really begun to do whilst listening is to allow myself to enter into Pandovisia’s world in a Tron-like fashion.

There lies importance in calling the listening experience as an ‘entering into Pandovisia’s world’ as what we have with this album is a creation of a new realm, a realm where Pandovisia’s imagination runs riot. Where our world meets the computer world and they fuse together. It’s a symbiotic relationship and it is very self-aware.

Where this fusion is at its clearest is in the humor within the music. There are songs where certain lyrics are usually expected where we see instead Pandovisia using the opportunity to humorously display their own jargon. Simply look at “Backups Are Forever”, the band’s attempt at a love-song, where Pandovisia’s singer berates his ex-lover for trying to forget him. There is no talk of broken hearts or shattered illusions but instead we hear that the paramour intends to ‘erase’ her memory of the singer, like a computer file, but she will fails as he will be back as, logically, “Back-Ups are Forever.” Further examples lies in songs such as “Private Browsing” where we hear that the singer would now like “to spend some time by myself” only that it has to be “in Private Browsing.” All is, of course, tongue in cheek.

But this is not to devalue their album in making it seem to be a comic piece. There is thought and seriousness behind this. Pandovisia’s world, although half mechanical, has emotions behind it. They just have a unique way to present these emotions. Furthermore the songs themselves are very well constructed. It’s hard not to sing along to the well-structured “Let’s Kill Our Avatars Tonight” or move your hips to the rhythm in “Strange Attachment.”

Criticism perhaps lays in, funnily enough, the consistency of the album. Thematically and rhythmically the album is unfluctuating and keeps straight with the artistic vision. This does at times mean the album itself can sound slightly repetitive making slower songs such as Safe Mode more welcome in that it gives the album a slight break.

However, that is nitpicking. The Last Man on the Net is a fun album that stands out in the guitar band world with its retro, electronic style. There is consistency within the album and hopefully it can be built upon and expanded. Now all I need is that £50 my personal connection promised me for this review.

R.I.P White Stripes

With the title of my blog it seems most fitting that my first post would be about the split of one of the best bands to emerge in the past two decades of Western music.

White Stripes simply were one of the most exciting, passionate rock n roll bands around. Jack White, a man who was rightfully voted NME's most rock n roll musician of the noughties, had an astonishing ability in bringing out a raw, pure blues, guitar sound that feels all but extinct in the modern era. Meg White, his partner on the drums (who also gave a variety to the band at times by singing), provided a rhythmic backbone to a band that truly understood what rock n roll, at least sonically, meant.

The two were once married but insisted for a while that they were in fact brother and sister so that there was a greater concentration on their music as opposed to their relationship. Coming from Detroit and having a real DIY approach to their music (with Jack White producing all of their albums) they released their debut in 1999.

                 

And what a thunderous debut album it was! The White Stripes, which is probably still their best, consists of Jack blowing out screeching guitars on songs such as Screwdriver and Jimmy the Exploder ("Hoo hoo hoo hoo"). It was a shock to the musical scene, which at the time had a deficit of real creative talent, that this out-of-the-blue sound managed to mould together so many musical influences and deliver a gritty hubbub of blues, punk and garage rock. The album also marked the start of a trend of White Stripes records which were well received critically. Soon, with hits such as Dead Leaves and Dirty Ground, Hotel Yorba and Fell in Love with a Girl,  they started to gain the popularity they deserved.

It was Elephant, however, that really stood as their breakthrough into the mainstream. Seven Nation Army with its famous hypnotic video proving an iconic moment for the band also featured a riff children hummed for years to come. Yet, they never really let go of their roots and managed to evolve their sound and remain interesting. Get Behind Me Satan was again a powerful display of blues and rock, while Icky Thump had a more chaotic sound to it which showed that Jack was perhaps looking for new directions.

Why the White Stripes broke up has not yet really been properly explained. Jack claimed that it was to "preserve what is beautiful and special about the band," and Meg's acute anxiety problems that forced them to cancel 18 tour dates in 2007 might have been a contributing factor. It feels as if Jack is looking for other opportunities to channel his creativity, by recording and producing with other talented musicians, having taken White Stripes as far as he could. Recently, he released Sea of Cowards with his side-project the Dead Weather and it turned out to be an excellent return to form.

Still, I had always hoped that a new White Stripes album would arrive soon. Having seen them live as a 10 year old at Reading 2002, I guess I was lucky or spoiled or both, to see such a genuine, there-for-the-music, rock n roll band fronted by a real genius (possibly only challenged by Josh Homme and the Strokes). It’s hard to believe that we will no longer really have a band so naturally cool and indifferent to the idea of selling out, they were just here to play. Yet, fortunately, with a man as talented and musical as Jack, there is no fear that he won't come back to make bigger and greater things. There's simply no holding him back (something Jason Stollsteimer could testify to).

For that reason I’m not as worried by the break up of the band as I should be. Yes they will be sorely missed but they released six albums that probably took them as far as they needed to go and nobody is a better judge of what is necessary for the music than Jack. And what about the future of rock n roll? Well if Jacks still around I know that sooner or later I’ll be hearing some god damned blues guitar terrorizing our sound waves, and I can’t wait.