Little And Lion

I can't believe that I've never seen this before, because it ranks with the finest in Japanese cinema. The ensemble cast of crazy, frequently snaggle-toothed actors is superb. These people steal scenes from Mifune Toshiro! That takes talent. Mifune is stellar as always, but the sassy pie-faced hooker, the oily existentialist assassin and the smarmy anxious deputy are amazing as well. Although the film is mostly played for comedy, the ending is as moving as anything that cinema has to offer. A film about very particular people in a claustrophobic little village suddenly becomes an epic metaphor for sweeping political and economic change in Japan. Oh, and I'll be singing that song for a month. The DVD is also stellar. The subtitles are color coded by character to keep you from getting confused, and you have a choice between full titles and stripped down ones. The liner notes even include a bibliography! Plus the animeigo website has additional liner notes for the film. That's love.

Lee Konitz - Jazz At Storyville (1954) {Black Lion BLCD 760901, W.Germany rel 1988}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 271 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 114 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 127 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1954, 1988 Black Lion | BLCD 760901
Jazz / Cool / Alto Saxophone

This excellent set gives one a definitive look at altoist Lee Konitz at a period of time when he was breaking away from being a sideman and a student of Lennie Tristano and asserting himself as a leader. With pianist Ronnie Ball, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Alan Levitt, Konitz explores a variety of his favorite chord changes, some of which were disguised by newer melodies such as "Hi Beck," "Subconscious Lee," and "Sound Lee." Among the other high points of this well-recorded set are "Foolin' Myself" and a lengthy exploration of "If I Had You."

Sinéad O'Connor's debut, The Lion and the Cobra, was a sensation upon its 1987 release, and it remains a distinctive record, finding a major talent striving to achieve her own voice. Like many debuts, it's entirely possible to hear her influences, from Peter Gabriel to Prince and contemporary rap, but what's striking about the record is how she synthesizes these into her own sound – an eerie, expansive sound heavy on atmosphere and tortured passion. If the album occasionally sinks into its own atmospheric murk a little too often, she pulls everything back into focus with songs as bracing as the hard-rocking "Mandinka" or the sexy hip-hop of "I Want Your (Hands on Me)." Still, those ethereal soundscapes are every bit as enticing as the direct material, since "Troy," "Jackie," and "Jerusalem" are compelling because of their hushed, quiet intensity. It's not a perfect album, since it can succumb to uneven pacing, but it's a thoroughly impressive debut – and it's all the more impressive when you realize she only topped it with its immediate successor, before losing all focus.