Reviews

Swoony Californian dreamscapes in the vein of Mazzy Star

A return to traditional song, exquisitely sung, in a perfect setting

All-female tribute to country's First Lady features her own reworking of title track

Nashville legend's formative years unearthed

After the voracious onslaught of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's debut, Are You Experienced, Hendrix throttled back a little. For the band's second album, Axis: Bold As Love, the sound was lither and more fluid, indicating that there was more to him than the faintly racist caricature of the sex-hungry, gimmick-happy Wild Man Of Rock. Rough glimpses of his burgeoning versatility and easy self-confidence are in evidence on this two-disc collection—though such is the quality of these outtakes that the emphasis is generally on rough.

Those folky solo years of the late Face

Two nautical novels brought brilliantly to life in one action stunner

John Cassavetes' last movie looks like 'one for the studio' compared to the ragged glories of his greatest independent films; in fact, Cassavetes claimed he was the film's director in name only. Though bland, it's still a bizarrely watchable spoof thriller, riffing on Double Indemnity, with Alan Arkin as the harassed insurance man who becomes involved in a scheme to bump off Beverly D'Angelo's husband, Cassavetes regular Peter Falk, so he can then afford to send his a cappella-singing musical prodigy triplets to university. Nuts, lightly salted.

In 1999, Beavis & Butthead creator Mike Judge made his first foray into live action with this good-natured satire on the mind-numbing life of the white-collar worker. Ron Livingstone is the drone desperate to escape his corporate existence, whose attempts to get sacked leave a team of troubleshooters convinced he's management material. Jennifer Aniston co-stars. Over-looked, but often screamingly funny.

Gorgeous fourth album from the subtlest band in Britain