Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, Frankenstein and Technology

In the past year, I’ve found myself listening to more and more in the way of electronic music. I’ve had an affinity for that sort of thing before then, but it’s come to fruition rather recently. I’ve really been enjoying Daft Punk; there’s something rather compelling and motivational about everything they do. Whilst I enjoy the thumping beats of their early ‘Homework’ stuff, I do enjoy the synthpop-orientated feel of ‘Discovery’, the experimental and gritty feel of ‘Human After All’, and, despite mixed opinions on it, the disco riffs of ‘Random Access Memories’. Of course, all of this is without mentioning the genius in their two live ‘Alive’ albums. I particularly like the latter of the two, the powerful 2007 performance, in which rather different songs are blended together so well it’s impossible to tell that there is a drastic difference. I've also really grown to appreciate the progressive-house power of deadmau5’s extensive discography as well as the innovative work of Justice, who are also very gifted at live performances.

Gollum, Sin, Desire, and The Ring

Recently I was watching clips on YouTube relating to Lord of the Rings. I found myself on an interview streak, and I watched one particular interview in which the actor Andy Serkis (Gollum) discussed the character of Gollum and Gollum's portrayal in the films. Serkis referred to how he hoped to portray Gollum's pitiful persona through his voice. It just so happened that it was Gollum's pathetic nature which led to the series of events which ultimately led to the Ring's end. Although Serkis didn't necessarily refer to this, he did refer to how he attempted to reflect this nature in the voice of Gollum, something he certainly succeeded at. This led me to consider the Gollum of the books and some of the things the character represents within them.