So, now I've changed this blog's name as well, maybe it's a symptom of my restlessness, of maybe I was just listening to Little Baby Nothing and though that was my favourite line in any song ever.
I think it all refers to something in here:
Culture: All the music and film reviews.
Alienation: ... I'll have to think about this one
Boredom: What most of my blogging comes from.
Despair: At the Daily Mail mostly.
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Album 12 - Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
It's so damn repetitive, the banjos, the quiet building up to loud, the singer's awful voice. 'Sigh No More' is a stock example of all of this, and it just starts to grate so quickly. 'The Cave' does have a decent melody and does the quiet to loud trick better, but the lyrics are as earnest and just so fucking glib. I mean, does "And I'll find strength in pain, And I will change my ways, I'll know my name as it's called again" count as original lyrics. When I listen to music I'd actually like to occasionally hear lyrics I couldn't have written.
Parts of the album just about get away with the fact that they have decent melodies. But the fact that it's all so damn overblown and earnest just annoys me too much. Again, 'Roll Away Your Stone' isn't particularly offensive... until he starts singing and the banjos chime in. It continues, I've still only got through 5 tracks and even though they haven't all been awful, I can't help but hating this awful album.
'Thistle & Weeds' is the only song in the album that manages that atmosphere that it needs to make it's cries of 'I will hold on' not seem hollow. Yet that is followed up by the utterly anonymous 'Awake My Soul' then the laughable 'Dust Bowl Dance' which is the stupidest song I've ever heard on a record purporting to be folk.
Parts of the album just about get away with the fact that they have decent melodies. But the fact that it's all so damn overblown and earnest just annoys me too much. Again, 'Roll Away Your Stone' isn't particularly offensive... until he starts singing and the banjos chime in. It continues, I've still only got through 5 tracks and even though they haven't all been awful, I can't help but hating this awful album.
'Thistle & Weeds' is the only song in the album that manages that atmosphere that it needs to make it's cries of 'I will hold on' not seem hollow. Yet that is followed up by the utterly anonymous 'Awake My Soul' then the laughable 'Dust Bowl Dance' which is the stupidest song I've ever heard on a record purporting to be folk.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Album 11 - Deep Purple - Shades of Deep Purple
So much of this album is so interesting, because although it never quite fits together like it should, there are some amazing melodies that weave in and out of the dense fog that the band creates.
The most well known song on the album is probably 'Hush' which is probably the most radio/chart friendly song on the album, but some of the longer songs on the albums are the most rewarding.
One of those albums which you just know will improve on a second listen.
The most well known song on the album is probably 'Hush' which is probably the most radio/chart friendly song on the album, but some of the longer songs on the albums are the most rewarding.
One of those albums which you just know will improve on a second listen.
Album 10 - Zoey Van Goey - The Cage Was Unlocked All Along
An indie pop masterpiece, songs full of wonderful melodies and harmonies. The first couple of songs are the best, a run culminating in 'We All Hid In The Basements' which does crescendo like few other songs, rising to a peak before slowly falling away, almost before you noticed.
Lyrically the band are like a slightly more literal Neutral Milk Hotel, and musically there are some similarities as well. But what for me elevates it above 'In An Aeroplane Over The Sea' is the voice of the lead singer who and the harmonies between her and the other vocalist.
Lyrically the band are like a slightly more literal Neutral Milk Hotel, and musically there are some similarities as well. But what for me elevates it above 'In An Aeroplane Over The Sea' is the voice of the lead singer who and the harmonies between her and the other vocalist.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Album 9 - James Blake - James Blake
A strange mix of traditional singer songwriter stuff, and very big hints of dubstep. The songs 'Limit To My Love' and 'Give Me My Mouth' are almost completely singer songwritery, but the rest of the album starts to feel like Frank Sinatra put through a blender.
Blake plays around with his voice so much, with reverb, delay, what seems like multi-tracking and various other kinds of distortion so most of the time the listener has no idea really what's going on. He even manages to throw in a bit of gospel sounding vocals on the last track.
There aren't that many true inventors of new genres around, and it seems Blake might be in that rare club, the inventor of dub-pop.
Blake plays around with his voice so much, with reverb, delay, what seems like multi-tracking and various other kinds of distortion so most of the time the listener has no idea really what's going on. He even manages to throw in a bit of gospel sounding vocals on the last track.
There aren't that many true inventors of new genres around, and it seems Blake might be in that rare club, the inventor of dub-pop.
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
The very definition of irony
I don't know why this deserves a full blog-post, it probably shouldn't but I'm bored and there's nothing better to blog about. So, a comment from some website's article about Fox news not knowing where Egypt is. During the inevitable right left debate that follows 'Max' included in his comment the least self-aware thing I've ever seen said seriously...
"Liberals resort to name calling and insults rather than doing their homework to figure out their ideas are fucking retarded."
Wow, just wow.
As an aside it seems that the picture involved originally came from the Huffington Post back in July 2009 and was used in a recent Political Scrapbook post about Glenn Beck as the punchline about the Fox news team's 'embarrassingly poor grasp of foreign affairs.' Political Scrapbook didn't say that the picture was a new one, but obviously 'Some Ecards' seemed to think that it was new, basically a lot of fuss over nothing.
"Liberals resort to name calling and insults rather than doing their homework to figure out their ideas are fucking retarded."
Wow, just wow.
As an aside it seems that the picture involved originally came from the Huffington Post back in July 2009 and was used in a recent Political Scrapbook post about Glenn Beck as the punchline about the Fox news team's 'embarrassingly poor grasp of foreign affairs.' Political Scrapbook didn't say that the picture was a new one, but obviously 'Some Ecards' seemed to think that it was new, basically a lot of fuss over nothing.
Album 8 - Jay Reatard - Blood Visions
As the name suggests, this is hyper-active, on a knife edge, no songs over four minutes punk. The album, even though it is 15 tracks long is under 30 minutes long which is quite an achievement.
Because of this, over half of the songs on the album are under two minutes, and subsequently over before you have a chance to be bored by them.
Of these little sketches of songs, 'Greed, Money, Useless Children' stands out for the sheer simplicity and pointlessness of the 54 seconds, and 'My Family' squeezes a 3 minute pop song into 1 and a half, with a bit of extra attitude as well.
Only on maybe 'Oh It's Such A Shame' does Reatard slow down a little, from blistering to just quick, but then he picks up again on the barely over a minute 'Not A Substitute' which is over barely before I finished this sentence.
But the stand out song on the record is the stop start juggernaut 'I See You Standing There' which is simply everything a sub two minute punk song can hope to be, witty, tuneful below the layers of fuzz and so, so, so catchy.
Because of this, over half of the songs on the album are under two minutes, and subsequently over before you have a chance to be bored by them.
Of these little sketches of songs, 'Greed, Money, Useless Children' stands out for the sheer simplicity and pointlessness of the 54 seconds, and 'My Family' squeezes a 3 minute pop song into 1 and a half, with a bit of extra attitude as well.
Only on maybe 'Oh It's Such A Shame' does Reatard slow down a little, from blistering to just quick, but then he picks up again on the barely over a minute 'Not A Substitute' which is over barely before I finished this sentence.
But the stand out song on the record is the stop start juggernaut 'I See You Standing There' which is simply everything a sub two minute punk song can hope to be, witty, tuneful below the layers of fuzz and so, so, so catchy.
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