Faith No More - "Superhero" // Track Review

Faith No More are no-doubt one of the most important bands in 90s rock music. Their albums with Mike Patton remain classics to this day. From the cheesy rap rock of The Real Thing to the more dark and progressive Angel Dust to the twisted King For A Day... and Album Of The Year, the band has never failed to surprise fans.
What did come as a big surprise was when the band announced they would be releasing a new album in 2015, in the middle of last year. After much speculation and hope from fans, the band finally gave the fans the news they were hoping for.

Sol Invictus comes out on 18th May (UK) and the 19th May (US), and the first official single of the record was given to us mere weeks ago on the Marvel website. That song was "Superhero"

The track opens with a monstrous that we'd come to expect from the band and the classic piano melodies of Roddy Bottum. The brooding intro kicks into the pounding drums of Mike Bordin and the infectious call-and-response verse grabs you by your ears and refuses to let go. As the song progresses we come across the schizophrenic vocal patterns of Mike Patton, and the slap-bass of Billy Gould and the clean-cut distortion of Jim Martin.
When you look at the song as a Faith No More song, it is still fairly straight-forward. You don't see the experimentation you'd find on other Patton projects (Mr. Bungle, Peeping Tom, Fantomas etc.) and you don't hear the wretched screams from King For A Day as often as you might like to. But middle of the road for a band like Faith No More, is still way left-field for most of their peers. If you were to examine other 90s rock bands from the US and look at where their careers are, with the exception of Deftones, very few are continuing to push the boundaries. It's refreshing to see a quality band doing just that, 30 years into their career.

My Favourite Films

As an avid-film fan, I thought it was best I discussed it on the blog. And what better way to discuss it then talking about my absolute favourites.

Favourite horror: The Shining
Horror is possibly my favourite genre within the realm of cinema, and selecting my personal pick as it's crowning achievement was incredibly difficult. I could have picked Alien, Eraserhead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Night Of The Living Dead, Suspiria, Night Of The Hunter among others. But in my opinion, The Shining is an absolute masterwork. Kubrick's lent his hand to many a genre and succeeds every time, making each film entirely unique among it's peers. The Shining is at the heart of it a paranoid-slasher flick, but it's shrouded in so much suspense and artistry that it's almost unrecognizable.

Favourite satire: Airplane!
Satire is seen by many as a dying art. After the success of Monty Python and the Zucker brothers' films, people saw easy money. With the rise of films like Scary Movie, Epic Movie, Stan Helsing and countless other lazy punchlines, the artform is collectively seen as stupid .While there are a fair few people still doing their best to keep the flame alive (this spot nearly went to Shaun Of The Dead), no one has matched the genius of Airplane!
Packed with countless jokes, deadpan humour and hilarious references and wordplay, Airplane! shines a true masterpiece of alternative comedy. The acting may not be perfect, the art direction might be incredibly cheesy and some jokes may completely miss the target, but overall the film is wildly enjoyable.

Favourite rom-com: Annie Hall
There was only one film that was ever going to even have a chance of matching this category. I can't stand the genre as a whole, but Annie Hall is a very intelligent piece of cinema. Woody Allen's humour is so awkward at times it's difficult not to enjoy it.

Favourite drama: Taxi Driver
Well here it is. My favourite film of all time.
Scorsese is a director I only got a real appreciation for when I saw The Wolf Of Wall Street. I'd heard his name thrown about as one of the greatest directors of all time, but I'd yet to truly understand his work. Taxi Driver is a crowning achievement. Following one man's descent into madness and letting us experience the twisted and repulsive world that surrounds him is as fascinating as it is disgusting.

Favourite sci-fi: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Many science-fiction fans will point to films like The Day The Earth Stood Still (1958 version of course) or even the original Star Wars trilogy (don't get me wrong, The Empire Strikes Back was nearly in this very spot). But 2001 is quite simply, life-changing. A quest for the infinite that will stay with you forever. It'll test the patience of a casual film-viewer, but for those who lend themselves to it, they'll find something spectacular.

Favourite crime film: Pulp Fiction
Alright I'm going to keep this one brief has to not spoil anything. Quention Tarantino is at his best in this neo-noir crime thriller in which multiple stories are woven together and the concept of a constant timeline is discarded. I urge you to discover the film for yourself.

Favourite art-house film: Eraserhead
David Lynch is one of my absolute favourite directors. His surreal pieces have always struck a chord with me, and never more so than his 1978 art-body-horror flick Eraserhead. The twisted images, the obscure storyline and the horrifying dream sequences all add up to a cinematic experience unlike any other.

Favourite silent film: Nosferatu
The first adaptation of Dracula is no doubt the best one yet. Easily the most intense adaptation of the novel, and the character of Nosferatu is purely testament to that. One of the most iconic films in German expressionism, especially in the 1920s. The controversy surrounding it makes this magnificent picture all the more intriguing.