Dare to Dream

Inception. What a fantastic idea. The ability to plant an idea in the mind of a subject and let it manifest. Nolan has created a film that in theory has no boundaries. Dare to dream, he literally allowed imagination to take control and run riot on a cinema screen with some cracking actors. Epic!

The nagging question once you’ve watched this film is surely enough to drive even the most intelligent minds at MENSA insane. Asleep, or awake?

It would be pretty damn annoying, the wiles of the film drawing you in, making you believe you’re gunning for a man who has tragically lost his wife, fighting desperately just to go home and see his children. He finally gets his true dream of returning home, and ohhh and it was all a big fat lie to begin with, it would almost be as irritating as Cillian Murphy’s jaw line.

I must say that the number arguments for Cobb being asleep at the end of the film are mounting thick and fast; his children haven’t aged, the totem is still spinning and I’m sure the list goes on and on with endless speculation and relentless theories as to the true ending of Inception.

There are several occasions throughout the film where by Cobb spins the totem and it topples, thus giving us the interpretation that he is awake. However as it is Mal’s totem, surely it doesn’t matter if he spins it, he has no control over it therefore it will topple. But where is Cobb’s totem?

Another irksome niggle is that Mal manages to penetrate his dreams throughout the film, popping up at the most inconvenient times and proving slightly troublesome to say the least, this doesn’t happen when he is supposedly awake. She is absent from one of his obvious dreams, and this is clearly pointed out by Ariadne, Cobb replies that she is already gone at this point, so it could be argued that he is unknowingly repressing her and that is why she isn’t penetrating his life “up top”.

In reality when they are in the house and Cobb is looking at his children in the garden, it isn’t a dream it’s a memory he is reliving. As Mal wasn’t part of that memory she isn’t included, but that doesn’t mean that she can’t appear at any moment. As Cobb is having difficulties controlling his dreams throughout the film, surely his subconscious should take over and thrust Mal’s projection into his ‘reality’?

Throughout the dream sequences Cobb is shown wearing his wedding ring, however when he is supposedly ‘awake’ he isn’t wearing his ring (this includes the closing scene in the film). As the story is fundamentally about catharsis, a sense of having to redeem yourself and right the wrongs that were made, it seems that it is possible to argue that the wedding ring was on Cobb’s finger to remind him of the guilt he feels. As the ring is missing in the final scene it could be interpreted as he is indeed awake, or it could be because he has relinquished the immense guilt surrounding Mal’s suicide and therefore the need for his wedding ring died along with the projection of his wife.

Also, if Mal did indeed wake up when she jumped off the side of the building, why did she not then give Cobb the kick he needed to wake up and join her in reality?

Another irksome niggle was Cobb’s children, this is a tricky one as many people have pointed out. Seemingly they haven’t aged, they are wearing the same clothes as they were in Cobb’s projections, and they are in the same place in the garden when he arrives home, coincidence? This theory is easily clarified by looking at the cast list. Two actors play the children at ages 20 months and three years, two more play them later on at ages three and five years, therefore they have aged.

However, there is one very distinctive concept in the film that solidified my belief that Cobb was indeed awake, the idea planted very early on in the film. You are in a dream, it feels real, but how did you get there? “We came from the uummm…”

But we see the characters board the plane in Paris, heading for LA. We know where they’ve been, how they got there and exactly where they are heading. Proof they are awake? Possibly.

The film is very much open to interpretation, and it just goes to show how people’s thought process takes hold and goes into overdrive. At the end of the day, we’re all talking about it, was he awake, was he asleep. You wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t interested in the concept, taken in by the experience and wanting to know other people thought.

The real irony of the film lies in the fact that the audiences are in a metaphorical dream state whereby they’re watching the film. When the lights come on, and the final coda plays everybody in the room wakes up. But the idea has been planted in your mind; what you just saw wasn’t real, Cobb was indeed asleep. Or was he?

Nine years on from The Matrix, arguably the greatest movies of our generation, both in narrative and visual effects. Inception is definitely a worthy adversary for the title. And I mean, come on… how suave is Arthur?

Wakey!Wakey!

Hiding in a dark Brooklyn club, you’re bound to find lead singer and songwriter of New York band, Wakey!Wakey! Although Mike Grubbs may look like he’s in dire need of a warm meal and a haircut, this man can belt out an earth-shaking tune better than most.

With their first studio album, Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You, released last month the five-piece are on a high.

They produce a dynamic sound stemming from violins to guitars and drums, but it’s clear that the bands mojo lies with piano player Mike Grubbs. The distinctive sound they generate oozes with cool and never fails to pull at your heartstrings.

Mike’s definitely got that “tortured musician” thing going on, reminiscent of Athlete’s Joel Pott, his deep emotional lyrics could touch even the coldest of souls. With that being said, there is something insanely refreshing when Mike sits down at the piano and successfully merges indie-pop with his classical background.

Jumping in head first, Wakey!Wakey! are currently following up the album release with a series of live streaming events on Facebook every Monday.

In an exclusive interview Wesley Verhoeve, Family Records label president, let us grill him about working with the band and where the idea for a live stream came from. We also got to chat with Mike, getting his thoughts on One Tree Hill, and plans for 2010.

First of all Wesley, I’d love to know what attracted you to Wakey!Wakey!?

“The quality of song writing, Mike’s work ethic, kindness and commitment to his craft. The golden rule at Family Records is that I have to love both the music and the person behind it. It’s a very intensive business with a lot of possibilities for stress, it’s key that you connect well with the artist on a personal level.”

Let’s talk about live streams; they’re obviously a great way to allow the band and fans to connect. What sparked the idea of a weekly online gig?

Wesley: “To do a live stream was originally the idea of Robbie Mackey who is part of Team Wakey! and works for our distributor. We brainstormed and thought it’d be really cool to do the first one on a Monday right after that week’s One Tree Hill episode. Since OTH has gone on hiatus we’re going to jump into that time slot so that the fans have something to carry them over and give them their OTH and Wakey!Wakey! fix for the week.”

And what kind of feedback have you received from people?

Wesley: “The response has been phenomenal from fans and peers alike. Mike also really enjoyed it. It’s really great to connect so directly with fans and be enabled to take requests from all over the world. It’s really quite amazing. Another exciting thing that we could see happen live in the moment was that fans started talking together and forming a community around their mutual love for Wakey!Wakey!’s music, that warmed our hearts.”

Mike, One Tree Hill must have been a massive commitment; do you feel like you’ve gained anything from the experience?

“It has definitely shown me a whole new level of professionalism. When you see the crew working together so well, it’s inspiring. Also it’s made me much more comfortable with cameras which is handy in this profession.”

We’ve heard a few mixes of Wakey!Wakey! songs recently, but if you could collaborate with one artist, who would it be?

Mike: “I’m obsessed with the idea of collaborating with electronic artists right now. I’d love to lock myself in a room with Dan Deacon and Dave Sitek and see what happened. They’d probably start beating me up, but if I lived, I bet the music would be awesome.”

Wesley, if you were going to take a road trip anywhere where would it be and how would you get there?

“Haha great question. For the longest time I’ve wanted to take a two part road trip. The first would be taking the train from NYC across the country to San Francisco. The second part would be driving from SF up to Portland, then Seattle then Vancouver.

So, what would be playing on the stereo during this trip?

“I like traveling while listening to pop music. Some Phoenix, Jack’s Mannequin, some Timbaland produced pop hits from the early 2000’s. Depending on who I’m with I’ll attempt to put on an East Coast Hip Hop mix tape with some mid 90’s rap and cruise to that for a while. If there are long stretches of deserted parts of the country I will also bring some Sigur Ros.”

And for snacks?

“Snack wise I’d have to go with beef jerky, which I never usually eat except for the rare occasions I have to take a car trip that’s over 30 minutes long. It’s a staple in the Verhoeve travel kit.”

So, any plans to get over to the UK and Europe anytime soon?

Mike: “Hopefully by the fall. We always dream big, and setting up a tour is a huge undertaking, but I need to know what the other side of the pond looks like. Our bass player, Anne Lieberwirth is German, and she’s dying to show us her home. Also my costar India De Beaufort promises to show me the best spots in London. Who could say no to that?”

Shooting straight from a four-hour rehearsal to the Gibson Studio’s in New York, Mike sat down at the piano and belted out the latest single ‘Twenty Two’. Taking requests, old and new. ‘Blame You’ and ‘War Sweater’ were two that popped up repeatedly on the Facebook live chat from adoring fans across the world. Although the sound was slightly misty for the duration of the set, his powerful voice more than made up for it.

Wesley admitted there was room for improvement: “As far as changes go, we’re going to work on improving the quality of the sound and image.”

Mike took to the stage again performing at The Soapbox in Wilmington, NC this Monday, crystal clear sound proved any issues from the Gibson gig had been ironed out and left the crowd astounded in the little downtown club.

Under Great White Northern Lights

The seventh installment from Detroit rock duo, The White Stripes, comes to us in the form of a live album recorded on their 2009 Canadian tour. Entitled Under Great White Northern Lights, the album is everything you would expect from this well established band.

This album is ideal for a first time listener to the alternative rock sensation. If you haven't already heard of the band, you've obviously been hibernating under a rock since their 2003 breakthrough hit, Seven Nation Army.

This album is, for all intense purposes a greatest hits collection from The White Stripes. This is 17 tracks of everything a diehard fan of the band, or anybody looking for a taster of one of the most talented recording artists to date.

It's fronted by Jack White, who often carries "drummer" Meg White along like a hefty rucksack during this selection of songs. His guitar hero riffs and stylish distortion truly are the things rock and roll legends are made of.

The interchange between songs is seamless, making it hard to believe that the album was actually cut back in Tennessee, rather than just being a recording from one amazing night on a cold Canadian road.

Jack's powerful and emotional voice cuts through you with every verse. There are a few minor sound hiccups and playing about with his effects pedal, which can only be expected from any live gig.

This is by far one of the best albums the band has come out with in their 13 years together. The audience can be heard throughout the album, and in some cases this can ruin the feel of the music. This record is produced to perfection by Jack White himself, so although there is background noise present, you almost feel like part of the raging crowd.

There is a definite feel of being drawn into the venue, particularly when I'm slowly turning into you begins, it's hard to resist the urge to start clapping and singing with the gaggle of fans.

There's nothing particularly different about the music, but why should they change something that works so well? It is just what you would expect from The White Stripes, with massive amounts of feedback, distortion and overdrive that they have become renowned for. In any case you could (if you were being cynical) describe it as a rather mundane album from the multi-platinum selling artists. However, this is only because fans have come to expect so much from these two rock stars.

One thing that does stick out on the album is a cover of Dolly Parton's song Jolene. This is a classic song with a White Stripes sticker planted firmly on it. With Jack White's raw emotion and passion for the music that he's playing, and the lyrics that he's singing, it is easy to forget this song was written for a female vocalist.

I challenge even those who detest The White Stripes not to have spine tingling shivers when listening to this song.

Although it is slightly irritating, knowing that there is a distinct lack of new material from the band in recent years, there is a sense of fulfillment when you listen to the final song, the illustrious Seven Nation Army, and realise that this is a rare collection of truly great music by a truly great band.

Even with Meg White moronically beating on a drum kit in the background, like a child with a new toy, this is an album that can be played over and over again being enjoyed for exactly what it is... a brilliant piece of rock and roll.