Myxomatosis

just looked at my tumblr news feed for the first time, what a shame.

01/29/12

Everything In Its Right Place

(my favourite show)

Radiohead - Old Trafford Cricket Ground (June 29^th 08)

Although the hits were there, as was the stadium, it was the aesthetically pleasing numbers of ‘In Rainbows’ that fueled a blissful and spirited performance that night in Manchester.

As the lazy disco light spilled artificial constellations over the stage, Radiohead arrived in company of a dignified crowd totally unaware of the life-changing experience that awaited them.

I stared entranced, mesmerised In Radiohead’s new material; my brain was momentarily cleared of all those crustaceans of worries as I subsequently found myself in dream-mode. Thom slowly beat on his grand piano, as he sings, “I’m not here, this isn’t happening” in his trademark falsetto as strings melt and weep shifting the set into underwater mode.

Inevitably playing old tracks like the daunting ‘Airbag’ and the unsettling ‘Climbing Up Walls’, the crowd were pleasantly gifted an even older favourite ‘You’, soaking us fans in spine-shivering nostalgia.

Like thousands of others, I was sentimentally overwhelmed with an infinite of emotions as the human part of me was left to weep in awe.

01/4/12

The Greatest Album Ever… (in my opinion)

Radiohead – Kid A

For a first listener, I can personally admit the difficulty behind acknowledging such beauty surrounding your ears. But it wasn’t long before I found myself chiseling each diverse sound, whether it was the chiming electronics, the staccato piano loops or the soft pipe organs. Once deep inside this expansive, hypnotic world of Kid A, classifications are no longer a necessity.

Whether you like it or not, the fact they had the guts to challenge mainstream insipidness combined with such sparkling creativity was admirable. In context of that era, it was a thrilling experimental gamble for a band that could of easily re-made ‘Karma Police’ at least 50 times without damaging their reputation. Instead, Radiohead decided they’d drown out their intricate compositions in ambient washes, justifying the bands irrepressible originality and psychological, alien production making rock and roll seem childish.

As far as I’m concerned, this was Radiohead’s defining achievement. A unique departure from past conventional rock templates such as ‘Ok Computer’ and ‘The Bends’, Kid A contains far more obscure and abstract influences than its predecessors as it still remains a significant monument in experimental rock music.

01/4/12

(via iwalkedtheline)

12/11/11

Not usually an art lover but this…

12/10/11

Album Reviews

Trash Talk – Awake EP (4/5)

Following on from their third album Trash Talk are finding more ways to cram hooks and distinctive details into what, in the past, followed a more specific punk template. Here, the guys nail thrashing pop to their spastic hardcore without loosening the grip around your throat.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Self-Titled (2/5)

Noel Gallagher has only ever been familiar with stadium audiences. By reminiscing over widescreen aesthetic, Gallagher provides us with choirs, strings, horns, and big choruses all in an attempt to aim for the universal. Unfortunately, he merely seems to be biding time for the third act reunion rather than breaking from the well-trod path he created.

Tubelord – Romance (1/5)

Tubelord’s sophomore record is like a spew of trashy indie, MGMT synth-work and lively pop, thrown from pillar to post by front man Joseph Prendergast’s expressive whines and moans. The never-ending keyboard gymnastics, sprawling guitars and upfront vocals incorporated into the party-vibing production are all indications of the band’s desperation for commercial success.

Radiohead – TKOL Remix 1234567 (3/5)Radiohead have always had a reputation for studio perfectionism and have been known to tinker with their arrangements on tour, but they’ve never delivered an album as obsessive as TKOL. This remix album supplies a whole miniature kingdom of grooves, textures and sensations to be explored, that their more exotically-minded fans will devour with glee.

The Drums – Portamento (1/5)

Exploding onto the scene last year with their self-titled debut, people had high hopes for the Drums’ second outing. Unfortunately it’s difficult to appreciate much when each song is so startlingly similar to the last. Renowned for their sun-soaked guitars and driving bass – the Drums fail to add anything new to what is ultimately a landscape devoid of defining features.

Mariachi El Bronx 2 – The Bronx (5/5)

After acknowledging acoustic punk sounds dope, The Bronx - declaring this Mexican influenced side project as fuelling their “second soul”, simply aren’t messing around. This second record features snapping castanets alongside some incredibly intricate violin and trumpet interplay. Each track is a generously spirited, happy-sad lament producing an accomplished success. Viva El Bronx.

10/24/11

Since When Did It Become Okay For Posh to Rock

Historically, rock’s memorable names have been of solid working class stock. All of them intoxicated by the glamour of the street, the authenticity of the shop floor and the romance of poverty.

These working class musicians were often credited (by journalist’s who have never been skint) with having “nothing to lose”, of being wild and untamed, where the industry is cautious and careerist. In this present day, there aren’t many working class bands of negligible creativity and ambition that have managed to clamber aboard the music industry gravy train. The lucky few that do, for obvious reasons, cling on for dear life.

As a grumpy, left wing northerner, I grew up on the Smiths, Oasis and love the Arctic Monkeys. But I also like a lot of other music that evokes specific times, places and cultural experiences, which are completely, alien to me.

This brings me to The Vaccines. A group of middle-class boys from the heart of West London. Proclaimed by one journalist as “the band that will kick-start a new era” after releasing their debut album “What Did You Expect” in March earlier this year. They’ve now announced the release of their new double-A side single, which features a song produced by Albert Hammond Junior of The Strokes.

The Vaccines were actually signed after four gigs. How you ask? They had the money behind them to produce a product that made it extremely easy for the record label. Being friends with Marcus Mumford (another musician with a wealthy background) he rewarded them with their demo being placed in the palms of people’s hands. Consequently, this became a frustrating prospect for not just me, but many other musicians.

There seems to be such a love and hate factor behind the band, British Indie Marmite you might say. Like many, I fall into the hate category, despising their over simplified sound, dire lyrics and frankly irritating attitude. After suddenly discovering they’re all working class changelings they announced that they advocate lower VAT, higher taxes for high earners and an improved minimum wage. So they reckon that will change the quality of their music? It won’t.

Whether you like them or not, the reason people connected with bands like Oasis and Nirvana is because their music was them. It was an honest portal into their souls. This relates to privileged musicians as well such as Nick Drake and Thom Yorke. Those people didn’t choose genres in which their record labels told them they would be successful; they only have the ability to make the music that is true to them.

The genre Indie started out in the eighties as a musically progressive, underground movement that involved artists that were publishing genre boundaries right up until, ironically, Oasis. Now we have commercial, conservative, meaningless, rock created by and produced by ex-public school kids. They may have a tune but very little original content.

From Margaret on the guillotine to David Cameron’s IPod- now Tories not only listen to your music, they create it as well.

10/17/11

The Cry Factor (Uni work)

As I watched the latest X-Factor episode, anger and frustration gradually gave way to a sombre, resigned acceptance. It was like experiencing a slow and painful death.

What gets me is how the docile masses continue to lap up this contrived, manipulated shit. It follows the exact same template week in, week out, and yet no one bats an eyelid.

The show went beyond the boundaries of taste and decency long ago. In the past we have had a finalist sing about his recently-deceased wife, but the way it revels in wheeling out hopelessly deluded wannabes to be ridiculed reached a new nadir last Saturday.

Now don’t get me wrong, the show itself does contain some vocal talent. Talent that is somewhat wasted on self-pity after the inevitable disappointment for 99% of the contestants. I believe everyone needs to find a way to explore their potential to find his or her place in the world. With few exceptions, X-Factor is not the environment to do this. Yes, we can all point to people who have made a personal success out of being catapulted to instant celebrity status from reality TV shows. But, I would contend, the true success stories in this field are very isolated cases, and, very often, instant fame is a short lived thing which more often or not, has disastrous long-term consequences.

This is not entertainment. This is The Jeremy Kyle Show with a backing track, and for Cowell and his cronies to make out they actually care as this pre-scripted nonsense plays out is beyond contempt.

X-Factor is nothing more than a textbook lesson in how to brainwash the viewer through emotional glove puppetry. It is an exploitative, intelligence insulting marketing exercise, and to submit to it is to allow yourself to be intellectually raped.

10/4/11

anyone that says the beatles are shit are small minded.

12/29/10