Earlier this week, I decided to swing by Halou‘s website on a bit of a lark.  And to my surprise, I saw that they had released something else since 2001’s Wiser—the Wholeness EP, which came out in, um, 2003.  Okay, so I’m a little behind the times on that one, but I quickly made up for my oversight by downloading the EP from the iTunes Music Store (click here to do the same).

The EP is well worth the $5.94, full of the same lovely female vocals, gorgeous 4AD-inspired atmospherics, and harsh beats that made Wiser and We Only Love You such solid electronic/downtempo albums.  “Ingenue” is a particularly nice track, and the EP’s remix of “Wiser” is also a pleasant surprise.

The group is also working on a new album titled Wholeness And Separation that should be out sometime this year.  For more info on the new album, including tracklisting and studio photos (is that an Apple flatscreen monitor I see?!?), click here.

I get my monthly webstats on the 15th of every month.  Although I’m not as obsessed with the numbers as I once was, I do admit to getting a little service whenever I log in and go to the stats page.  And this month, I just sort of stared at numbers with my jaw on the ground.

Last month saw one of the biggest spikes ever in the number of unique visitors to the site.  In fact, the spike was so big that I’m almost tempted to go over to my sysadmin and ask him to make sure there’s not hiccup in one of the algorithms, or that someone didn’t spill some coffee on the server and screw things up.

As cool as it is to see the amount of people who stop by this little ol’ site every month, it is also very humbling and intimidating.  It also means that, with the site hitting these sorts of numbers consistently, some things are going to have to change around here.

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A film as brutal and unflinching as OldBoy isn’t really the type to leave behind a wide range of opinions.  Most folks seem to either love it or hate it.  However, Rex Reed really hates it, and he’s not too subtle with his dislike.  In fact, his review is so vitriolic that he implies that all of South Korea is responsible for this “noxious helping of Korean Grand Guignol”.  In his review (Warning: Contains potential spoilers), he asks:

What else can you expect from a nation weaned on kimchi, a mixture of raw garlic and cabbage buried underground until it rots, dug up from the grave and then served in earthenware pots sold at the Seoul airport as souvenirs?

I sincerely doubt he meant those words in any sort of racist or prejudiced manner - he probably thought he was just being witty - but I wonder if he would be willing to make such sweeping ethnic generalizations for a film made by an African-American or Jewish filmmaker?

Elsewhere, he continues his South Korean slam, labelling it a “nation of emerging cinematic schlock”.  Hmmm… has he seen Musa?  Or JSA?  Or Friend?  Or Failan?

This isn’t the first time that Reed has been something of a curmudgeon.  Remember when he slammed David O. Russell, Wes Anderson, et al as a bunch of hacks?  As was the case with that rant, his OldBoy screed becomes so vitriolic at times that it’s difficult to take seriously.

And here’s the real clincher: Reed admits that he didn’t even see the entire film, but left before the film’s final act (and if I was really nitpicky, I’d point out that he got several of the film’s details wrong).  Granted, it’s doubtful he’d have a different opinion had he sat through the entire film, but the fact that he didn’t watch the entire film does hurt his review’s credibility a bit in my book.

It’s not that I’m so pro-OldBoy that I think it’s an absolutely perfect film.  I’ve read some very thoughtful criticisms of the film, and I can definitely see where they are coming from.  It’s a powerful and accomplished film, but definitely not a perfect one.  However, Reed’s little rant is so over-the-top, so incensed and outraged, that it would be amusing if not for the rather troubling, shortsighted comments he makes about Korean culture.

Thanks to Twitch for the 411.

I don’t know how many London folks read Opus, but if there are any of you out there, and you want to earn boatloads of good karma, then I wouldn’t mind a recording of the Piano Magic/July Skies/Epic 45/Dreamend show that will be taking place at the date and location in the title line.  Heck, even some photos would suffice.  Click here for more info.

For more cool shows that won’t come anywhere close to Lincoln, check out The Brain.

One thing I’ve noticed during this entire engagement process (in case you missed it, I am indeed getting married) is that, as the groom-to-be, I figure very little into the overall picture.  That’s not to say that Renae is excluding me by any means, but rather, nearly every aspect of being engaged always seems to relate the most with the bride.  This has been made evidently clear whenever we’ve gone to register for gifts.  Looking through the paperwork and pamphlets, I was surprised to see that the word “groom” is rarely mentioned (if at all), whereas everything is “bridal” this and “bridal” that.

Now, this blog entry is not intended to be a screed against the wedding gift registration process (though I do have some bones to pick with the interfaces on some of those registries - but I’ll save that for another time).  Nor is it meant to dish out all sorts of dirt on my engagement. (First of all, Renae would kill me, and second, being engaged is actually pretty cool.)  Rather, what I’ve really found most interesting are the responses I get whenever I relate to someone the thoughts contained in the paragraph above.

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Ah, the angst-ridden teenager inside of me is currently rejoicing.  I just saw a note on Pitchfork saying that The Cure is set to re-release three of their greatest albums—Seventeen Seconds, Faith, and Pornography—on April 26, all digitally remastered and chock full of b-sides and goodies.

Now I suppose the really cynical side of me could go on and on about how Robert Smith is merely prostituting his band’s 30 year legacy and trying to milk fans as much as possible, but come on… did you not see that the Faith reissue is going to include the previously cassette-only “Carnage Visors”!  I’m already breaking out my black mascara in anticipation!

But in all seriousness, I’ve always loved the early Cure recordings, and have a very special place for Faith (my personal fave Cure recording).  I heard it at the absolutely perfect time in my life (I was an angst-ridden college student probably bummed out over some girl), and it left a huge mark on me as I listened to that battered cassette while lying on my bedroom floor.  Which is probably how every Cure album should be listened to.  Well, except for Wild Mood Swings, but the less said about that one, the better.

Songs like “All Cats Are Grey”, “The Funeral Party”, and the title track have stuck with me to this day.  So much so that, should I ever play in another band, I’d probably give almost anything to write songs half as good.

For more info, check out The Cure’s official website.

Nebraska folks take note… the next couple of months are going to be a real treat for us cinephiles, courtesy of The Ross.

March 18 - The Woodsman - I’ve heard a number of things about this film, most of which have to deal with the film’s protagonist being a pedophile who has been recently released from prison, and is trying to put his life back together again.  I’m not a huge Kevin Bacon fan (he’s been in some real crap movies), but I’ve been hearing many good things about his performance in this one.

April 1 - Moolaadé - I talked to several people who caught this film in Toronto, and they all said it was wonderful.  I know the subject matter, the traditional African practice of female circumcision, might cause some to shy away (I know it certainly makes me a little queasy), but from all accounts, this film is not some graphic expose, but rather something much more, um, upbeat.

April 15 - Born Into Brothels - This film recently won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and from all indications, it has deserved the accolades.  The film follows the children of Calcutta’s prostitutes as they learn to express themselves through photography.

April 29 - Nobody Knows - I had hoped to see this when I was in Toronto last year, but alas, it didn’t work out.  The film’s lead, 12-year-old Yuya Yagira, won Best Actor at last year’s Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of a boy forced to take care of his young siblings when their mother abandons them in their apartment.

One of the bad things about running Opus for as long as I have is that, while I’ve discovered tons of great new bands to write about, others have inevitably drifted off my radar for one reason or another. Unfortunately, such was the case with Brett Smith, who records his dark, haunting soundscapes under the Caul moniker. I discovered Smith’s music several years ago, greatly enjoyed his CDs, and then just lost track of what he was doing. However, I’ve recently re-discovered his music and he was gracious enough to answer the following questions via e-mail about his music.

Click here to read the interview…