Friday, 21 May 2010
Friday, 28 August 2009
A Little Leeds Fest.. 1
Just to continue this spate of commercially based stuff I seem to have been doing this month...
Kings of Leon
Just finished watching Kings of Leon's set at Reading on BBC 3... They obviously weren't very happy with it but it was sounding pretty good. Too much of the new album for my liking but what can you expect from a festival headline slot; they still rocked. It kinda sucked that, as they played Sex on Fire, they lost all their enthusiasm and looked as though they despised what they were playing. I imagine a famously over-played song does that to a band but still... They picked it up for Slow Night, So Long and looked to be getting back into it. They seemed genuinely humbled by the huge crowd which is always amazing to see from a band. A great headline.
Placebo
I'm now watching Placebo with their support slot on the main stage. There's an unbelievable amount of energy coming from the band rocking the hell out of The Bitter End. Brian Molko's androgynous figure cuts a strange sight in this band of misfits but they're obviously loving every minute of it. Can't wait to see these guys tour with Silversun Pickups.
Kaiser Chiefs
Pretty impressive performance; Ricky Wilson is climbing up the rigging, jumping into the crowd and sweating like a mentalist. Unfortunately the songs are still just a bit shit... That won't change no matter how big it says 'Kaiser Chiefs' behind you.
Funeral For A Friend
Freakin' love this band. Never really reclaimed the glory of Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation but still amazing to watch as the rain poured down during their set. It was almost like pathetic fallacy as the whole mainstage crowd screamed 'I am nothing more.. than a line in your book!' during Juneau. BBC footage ends with Escape Artists Never Die. Really took me back to being 14 again - when screamo started to get cool! I say cool... Actually the second guitarist does look like he still thinks emo is cool...
RADIOHEAD TOMORROW!!
Kings of Leon
Just finished watching Kings of Leon's set at Reading on BBC 3... They obviously weren't very happy with it but it was sounding pretty good. Too much of the new album for my liking but what can you expect from a festival headline slot; they still rocked. It kinda sucked that, as they played Sex on Fire, they lost all their enthusiasm and looked as though they despised what they were playing. I imagine a famously over-played song does that to a band but still... They picked it up for Slow Night, So Long and looked to be getting back into it. They seemed genuinely humbled by the huge crowd which is always amazing to see from a band. A great headline.
Placebo
I'm now watching Placebo with their support slot on the main stage. There's an unbelievable amount of energy coming from the band rocking the hell out of The Bitter End. Brian Molko's androgynous figure cuts a strange sight in this band of misfits but they're obviously loving every minute of it. Can't wait to see these guys tour with Silversun Pickups.
Kaiser Chiefs
Pretty impressive performance; Ricky Wilson is climbing up the rigging, jumping into the crowd and sweating like a mentalist. Unfortunately the songs are still just a bit shit... That won't change no matter how big it says 'Kaiser Chiefs' behind you.
Funeral For A Friend
Freakin' love this band. Never really reclaimed the glory of Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation but still amazing to watch as the rain poured down during their set. It was almost like pathetic fallacy as the whole mainstage crowd screamed 'I am nothing more.. than a line in your book!' during Juneau. BBC footage ends with Escape Artists Never Die. Really took me back to being 14 again - when screamo started to get cool! I say cool... Actually the second guitarist does look like he still thinks emo is cool...
RADIOHEAD TOMORROW!!
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Owl City - Fireflies
This guy is AWESOME! I found Owl City (Adam Young) about a year ago on a Postal Service forum. I happened to check the myspace today for a quick listen and notice that he's signed a huge record contract and doing a massive tour! I'm genuinely pleased for the guy who has managed to create such a large fan base simply using myspace. His music is very similar to Postal Service (Death Cab vocalist Ben Gibbard's side project) yet in many ways it's better. It has a more child-like quality to it and can't help but chill you out. His insatiable need to hook you with his catchy rhythms and quirky electro-pop jingles lead me to listening over and over. Fireflies is the first single from his first LP, Ocean Eyes.
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Athlete - Superhuman Touch
Released 17 August 2009
Athlete go all catchy pop and they might just get the recognition they deserve with this track. Having suffered in the past from selective radio play, (while Wires enjoyed plenty, Tourist from the same album received hardly any) Superhuman Touch has been played all over the place. This selective play has troubled Athlete to the extent that their last album, Beyond the Neighbourhood, completely passed me by. Athlete have returned to using the quirky electronic samples that made Vehicles and Animals so awesome... and the lack-of made Tourist a bit lame... but harnessed it in a way that can be digested by your average radio 1 listener.
If you're a fan of this then get on Spotify and check out Athlete's first album, Vehicles and Animals. It is a beauty of an album. Westside, El Salvador, Out of Nowhere and One Million are highlights.
Athlete go all catchy pop and they might just get the recognition they deserve with this track. Having suffered in the past from selective radio play, (while Wires enjoyed plenty, Tourist from the same album received hardly any) Superhuman Touch has been played all over the place. This selective play has troubled Athlete to the extent that their last album, Beyond the Neighbourhood, completely passed me by. Athlete have returned to using the quirky electronic samples that made Vehicles and Animals so awesome... and the lack-of made Tourist a bit lame... but harnessed it in a way that can be digested by your average radio 1 listener.
If you're a fan of this then get on Spotify and check out Athlete's first album, Vehicles and Animals. It is a beauty of an album. Westside, El Salvador, Out of Nowhere and One Million are highlights.
Sunday, 16 August 2009
Radiohead - Harry Patch (In memory of)
Not a new release, just a really important piece of music commemorating the death of the last surviving WWI survivor.
I don't think I even need to write anything. Just listen.
I don't think I even need to write anything. Just listen.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Jack White - Fly Farm Blues
Released 11th August 2009 (US only)
Raw, raw blues passion in a 3 minute noise explosion. Jack White's contribution to the upcoming documentary 'It Might Get Loud' is an edgy, back-to-basics blues tune which, as the rumour goes, was written and recorded in 10 minutes. This is symptomatic of his approach to the industry at the moment, with a work ethic inspired by a true passion for music.
Jack calls on the simple structure that has worked so well for the White Stripes and mentions of similarities to Ball and Biscuit are flying all over the forums and video comments. And in a sense this is not far wrong but there's a bit more to it than that. Jack White, through Fly Farm Blues demonstrates that there is more to a good song than excessive production, ridiculous reverb and endless overdubs. There is more, even, to a song than a catchy melody (of which Fly Farm Blues has none). Sometimes music is just about bashing the shit out of your guitar and shouting whatever words come into your head. Spontaneous, passionate, raw.... Or it's an awful racket. You decide.
I think it's genius... it's old school blues, full of feeling and energy and it's a kick in the face to all the over-produced crap that infests my radio.
Raw, raw blues passion in a 3 minute noise explosion. Jack White's contribution to the upcoming documentary 'It Might Get Loud' is an edgy, back-to-basics blues tune which, as the rumour goes, was written and recorded in 10 minutes. This is symptomatic of his approach to the industry at the moment, with a work ethic inspired by a true passion for music.
Jack calls on the simple structure that has worked so well for the White Stripes and mentions of similarities to Ball and Biscuit are flying all over the forums and video comments. And in a sense this is not far wrong but there's a bit more to it than that. Jack White, through Fly Farm Blues demonstrates that there is more to a good song than excessive production, ridiculous reverb and endless overdubs. There is more, even, to a song than a catchy melody (of which Fly Farm Blues has none). Sometimes music is just about bashing the shit out of your guitar and shouting whatever words come into your head. Spontaneous, passionate, raw.... Or it's an awful racket. You decide.
I think it's genius... it's old school blues, full of feeling and energy and it's a kick in the face to all the over-produced crap that infests my radio.
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Bloc Party - One More Chance
Released August 10th 2009
Bloc Party continue in their experimental dance style that they eluded to with the release of Flux in 2007 but, in a departure from the rest of the Intimacy album, the song is an altogether more listenable experience. One More Chance is part of a remix of their most recent album and does not appear on the original. Intimacy was the product of the huge success of Bloc Party's first two (amazing) albums yet, as with many bands enjoying such acclaim, they pushed the boundaries, safe in the knowledge that people would still buy the album and come to their gigs. As a result, Intimacy is a mess of unstructured tracks, weak melodies and over-used electric drum samples. There are the occasional tracks that hold the album together (Talons, Trojan Horse and Mercury,) but they are a long way from Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City.
The song begins with a piano piece that would not be out of place in a 90's Dance classic before bursting into a typical Bloc Party bridge and breakdown reminiscent of Silent Alarm. Only Kele's vocals give it that 'grown-up' Bloc Party sound. His echoed vocals dance back and forth through the speaker as he sings 'Give me one more chance.' Worryingly the lyrics lack the poetic depth I'd come to admire in much of Bloc Party's output. The frank comments on British society are neglected here for cliches and simple repeated refrains.
One More Chance is a positive step forward for Bloc Party to move away from the awkwardness of Intimacy, but, if I were Bloc Party, I'd have a quick glance back before wandering aimlessly into experimentation again.
Bloc Party continue in their experimental dance style that they eluded to with the release of Flux in 2007 but, in a departure from the rest of the Intimacy album, the song is an altogether more listenable experience. One More Chance is part of a remix of their most recent album and does not appear on the original. Intimacy was the product of the huge success of Bloc Party's first two (amazing) albums yet, as with many bands enjoying such acclaim, they pushed the boundaries, safe in the knowledge that people would still buy the album and come to their gigs. As a result, Intimacy is a mess of unstructured tracks, weak melodies and over-used electric drum samples. There are the occasional tracks that hold the album together (Talons, Trojan Horse and Mercury,) but they are a long way from Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City.
The song begins with a piano piece that would not be out of place in a 90's Dance classic before bursting into a typical Bloc Party bridge and breakdown reminiscent of Silent Alarm. Only Kele's vocals give it that 'grown-up' Bloc Party sound. His echoed vocals dance back and forth through the speaker as he sings 'Give me one more chance.' Worryingly the lyrics lack the poetic depth I'd come to admire in much of Bloc Party's output. The frank comments on British society are neglected here for cliches and simple repeated refrains.
One More Chance is a positive step forward for Bloc Party to move away from the awkwardness of Intimacy, but, if I were Bloc Party, I'd have a quick glance back before wandering aimlessly into experimentation again.
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