The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Trollheart]

I'm sure it's just coincidence, but for my first update after my return last week there was comparatively little to write about. Now suddenly, over this week we've had the return of several journals, new ones and even new outside-the-box ideas! If I've played any part in this revival then that's great, but if not who cares? Things are starting to move here again in Journaltown!

Mind you, all this work updating could make Trollheart something something...



Ah, who am I kidding? I can handle all this work, I'm used to it. What: did you think it would all be too much and I would suddenly...


Woops! Call Technical Support! You guys just go ahead and read the update while the techs make some vital repairs...

1blankmind has decided to start talking about his other passion, wrestling, in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-whatever.html, and fair play to him. Not of interest to me, but I bet he gets a lot of views, particularly with his top ten wrestlers article.

Batty's back! Hooray! This place has not been the same without him, and I'm only back a week and a bit. http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-oblivion.html and check out his hilarious review of Youngblood.

Innerspaceboy is talking (and possibly dancing to also, though I'm not quite sure that's something we all want to see!) about a rare song called “The Peanut Duck” while also enthusing about his time spent at the Vinyl Mania show in Buffalo and, um, “Electronic Love”. Read all about it in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nnerspace.html

Reaching the top ten in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...puc-scale.html, and I won't spoil it for you by telling you what's in her list, but rest assured there are some very good albums there.

Ki has a new and unique journal beginning this week. Share http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-ki-story.html with him, but be aware this is very personal stuff. For that reason I will almost certainly not feature any excepts from it, as I'm sure he would rather keep it private, at least, privately within the confines of his journal. So if he wins (as he surely will) an award for an entry I will not be using any excepts to display why he did. I'm sure you'll all understand once you read what he's writing in there.

Mondo began his journey through his own albums earlier this week, in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-saladica.html, where so far he's got through talking about six Trouble Salad albums including the demo, Rough Stuff, Battle of Worlds and We Are Animals, We Eat Meat. Also Maximumannihilation (I already know I don't want to review that!) and Space Mall. While over at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-my-life.html there's a look at Aphex Twin.

Continuing http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...c-odyssey.html, Mordor is checking out Sia, Regina Spektor, Magma, Prince, Moulettes and Clapton, and a whole lot more, while also revealing his top ten for this year. And when I say a whole lot more, well – Bowie, Stones, Terry Riley, Sufjan Stevens ... and that's not the half of it!

Paedantic Basterd has started up a new journal, so check out http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...e-gallery.html, where she's reviewing Colleen Green and the movie The Darjeeling Limited. Keep an eye on this one. For a sneak peek, see further on...

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ramblings.html checks out a rec from Batty, by Stamping Ground, two from Mondo including his own new album I Know It's The Trees, Volapuk and Ki's current crush, The Weeknd, and then we're back to me. No it is not narcissistic! I just have a lot of work to catch up on, okay? It's not my fault if I happen to like it!

The old, venerated original of my journals, http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html has by now been completely assimilated and taken over by the Great Discography Project, and we've moved on to Robbie Williams and Rush. The history of prog rock continues as we make our way through 1969 in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ive-metal.html with a short detour to explore the delights of Brainbox before getting back to it with The Beatles and Soft Machine. Speaking of history, yet another new journal makes its debut this week, as I trace the history of my home country in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-ireland.html. My other two new journals, http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...k-journal.html has reviews of albums by Willowglass, Elephants of Scotland and Evership (don't you just love these band names?) while in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...l-journal.html there's some Love and Hate ... I'm also resurrecting http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-showroom.html, where those of a musical bent can have their albums, EPs etc reviewed. One of Mondo's is up first, followed by Plankton, with more to come.
Praise the Lord! There sure is a whole lot of resurrection going on this week!


Violet has resurrected http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ancefloor.html with reviews of the first two Iron Maiden albums. Yeah! And in a two-for, he's also breathing new life into http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-endeavor.html. kicking off with a review of From Under the Cork Tree by Fall Out Boy.

A new journal (I think it may be his first one but don't quote me on that) from Xurtio, as he explores the mechanics and technical bones of music in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ds-timbre.html. Comparing Hendrix to Dylan and Gilmour to King (that's Albert, not Kerry!) already.

And now it's time for the return of


This week's slot goes to someone who has not posted here for a very long time, but when she did she wrote a fascinating journal. Now she's back, and this is an extract from Paedantic Basterd's
http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...e-gallery.html

Originally Posted by Paedantic Basterd

[CENTER]The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Director: Wes Anderson
Writer(s): Wes Anderson / Roman Coppola / Jason Schwartzman
Starring: Adrien Brody / Owen Wilson / Jason Schwartzman / Anjelica Huston
Comedy / Drama

[LEFT] The Darjeeling Limited is Wes Anderson’s least popular film. It was never critically panned. It’s not considered a directorial mistake. It’s enjoyed by fans for what it is, but it’s seldom identified amongst his best work. It is, for the most part, just there. It merely exists, an afterthought in his catalogue of classics. I believe this to be a terrible shame and a tremendous oversight, and I hope to convince you so in this overview of the film. You see, Darjeeling Ltd. is my favourite film, and not just from Anderson’s resume. From the first painstakingly intricate shot to the last, I fell in love with the characters and the world he designed. Like any Anderson film, the visual quality of the film is stunning. Each shot is meticulously crafted. The colour palettes are vivid and evocative. The set design is as carefully-considered and detailed as a beaded tapestry. The camera movements look like choreography. But these are our expectations for a Wes Anderson film. None of these qualities are the reason this film is criminally underrated. These trademarks are mere tools Anderson uses to convey this story of enlightenment, communication, and loss.

The film opens with Peter Whitman (Brody) sprinting and narrowly catching a departing train where he is to meet his brothers, Jack Whitman (Schwartzman) and Francis Whitman (Wilson). Peter finds Jack in their cabin, and they are joined in short order by Francis, who explains why we are all here on this train. It’s been a year since their father’s funeral, none of the three of them have spoken, and Francis is determined to haul his family back together, with or without their help. It is fitting that the film should open with Peter attempting to catch up to wherever his brothers are, for I believe his narrative to be central to the story, and it will be the focus of this analysis. The motif of Peter lagging behind Francis and Jack is repeated throughout the film and symbolizes where he is in relation to his brothers in the grief process.

In the first significant scene, the brothers converse over soup and whiskey highballs in the dining car. Francis outlines the major beats on the spiritual journey he has planned for the three of them, and Anderson quickly establishes exactly who these people are. Jack, the youngest, responds to Francis’s strategy for enlightenment with curiosity and openness. Peter, the middle child, reacts with suspiciousness and hesitance. This is important, because it shows us that Francis and Jack have both committed to moving forward by the time they reached the train. Peter hasn’t. The brothers talk idly in a conversation seemingly about nothing: casual opioid use, the dinner menu, what each of them has been up to in the past year. But the dialogue in this scene is deliberate and purposeful, and yields a tremendous amount of information about the characters and their relationships to one another.

I'm not going to reprint the whole thing, just give you a taste of it, so if you want to read the rest (and why wouldn't you?) head to her journal. Like, now-ish.

And that's it for this week. Getting closer to Christmas, so there'll only be two more updates before then, with the one after next week being posted on Christmas Eve, as even Trollheart takes a break on Christmas Day! It may be a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every 25th December, but it's a great excuse to switch off the PC and watch some crappy Christmas TV!

See ya next time!
Toodles!