Film Review: Aisha (2022)
Stunning work from Letitia Wright
Letitia Wright excels as the title character in this sobering Irish refugee drama Aisha
“Try and put them in the room…”
Frank Barry’s film takes no prisoners in its unflinching look at the grim realities of trying to seek asylum in the Western world. Aisha may be set in Dublin but it could be set in too many different countries, where the process of seeking leave to remain is utterly…
Great Guitarists 100 - Graham Coxon, Jonny Greenwood, Stuart Braithwaite, and Wes Borland [CROSSBEAT (November 2009)]
Graham Coxon
The reason why Blur, who have never announced their break-up, have been said to have 'reunited' is that his presence in Blur and in the UK in the 1990s was too great. He was a maniacal noise-obsessive himself, even using an electric drill when recording "Modern Life Is Rubbish", but the resulting riffs were terrifyingly poppy. The revolution of the 90s was that guitar heroes were no longer required to have technique, and Graham Coxon's ability to turn everything upside down with his unique sense of time and phrasing was one of the centrepieces of the Britpop era. As a visibly literate and nerdy guitar hero, he may well be one of the first. This year, he continues to be active with his latest solo album and touring with the original members of Blur. -Hitoshi Sugiyama
Selected Albums
"Modern Life Is Rubbish" (1993, photo) Blur
"Parklife" (1994)
Jonny Greenwood
A child prodigy who learned to play the cello and viola from an early age and was once awarded a prize for 'contribution to the development of music at our school' when he was at the prestigious Abingdon School. He has been a key member of Radiohead's predecessor band On A Friday from the time of the band to the present day, playing a central role in the band's sound. In his early work, his guitar playing was rather straightforward, with a strong influence from grunge/alternate rock bands such as Sonic Youth, Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr, but from "OK Computer" onwards, he actively introduced all styles of music, including classical, avant-garde and dance music. He began to play experimental sounds using various effectors, such as whammy, which makes the pitch of the guitar rise and fall to extreme levels. He has always regarded the guitar as a means of expression, which is why he is able to create unique and original sounds. -Takanori Kuroda
Representative albums
"The Bends" (1995) Radiohead
"OK Computer" (1997, photo)
Stuart Braithwaite
From flowing arpeggios to raging feedback. Mogwai's dynamic soundscapes, which move back and forth between "stillness" and "movement", are the product of a flawless ensemble. The band is built on a perfect balance that cannot be created by any one person being left out, but what really stands out (including their looks) is the guitar playing of Stuart Braithwaite, who is also the leader of the band. His sound, influenced by My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, hardcore, and heavy metal, is the cornerstone of the band. He mainly uses a Fender Telecaster and a Gibson SG, with a very conventional amp. However, there are more than a dozen different types of effectors, from distortion to spatial systems, and he switches between them (and sometimes steps on them all!), creating that high-density guitar noise. -Takanori Kuroda
Representative albums
"Mogwai Young Team" (1997, photo) Mogwai
"Come On Die Young" (1999)
Wes Borland
The 90s saw the crossover between rock and hip-hop go from strength to strength. Guitarists had their work cut out for them. How on earth do you bridge the gap between the two? Wes Borland's answer to that question was to stick to riffs. The riff, a traditional rock technique, is treated like a sampling loop in hip-hop. In doing so, he arrived at a method that blends the two well. But for this to happen, every riff had to be catchy. He used every means possible to achieve this. The techniques are diverse, including heavy riffs with drop tuning, arpeggio riffs utilising delays, and simple riffs with only two notes. Although his eccentric looks tend to attract attention, he is in fact one of the leading riff masters of our time. -Junya Shimofusa
Representative albums
"Significant Other" (1999, photo), Limp Bizkit
"Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" (2000)