Metric‘s 2005 release Live It Out seems to have been conceived in a secret laboratory with the purpose of combining my favourite music fixations: Female vocals + attitude filled lyrics + quiet/loud guitars = lethal cocktail. Emily Haines oozes sexy immediacy as she delivers memorable soundbytes over a layer of jangly guitars and confident beats.
Momentarily dropping the more reflecting/spacey sound that the band is associated with from other releases, all worth pursuing, here Metric seem intent on delivering their manifesto in the most direct fashion without sacrificing the many soaring dynamics that characterise their sound.
The musical equivalent of racing a million dollar car down the wrong way of a one way street.
Gutted to hear Travis Barker was involved in a plane accident a few days ago. ‘Enema Of The State‘ was released the same year I moved to London and I had the chance to catch Blink -182 play quite a few times in that period. The ridiculous banter between Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus was often grating (and occasionally amusing) but I knew i could always space out and focus on the bands true highlight, their human drum machine.
His versatility makes even the most average track sound fresh. Though I’m not a drummer myself Travis represents the most exciting drumming I’ve seen since Dave Grohl moved to front of stage.
I picked some of my favourite Blink tracks to wish him and DJ-AM a quick recover. Deepest sympathy to the other victims of the crash.
Despite not touring in years the early 90s saw R.E.M. release their biggest albums in the shape of Out Of Time and Automatic For The People. Those albums will forever haunt my generation as tracks such as ‘Losing My Religion‘ and ‘Everybody Hurts‘ have seemingly been ever present.
the 1994′s Monster album and subsequent long awaited return to the stage couldn’t have come at a better time for me as I had never been to real a concert before. So when one of the older “cool” kids at school asked me if I was interested in coming along I jumped at the occasion. Thus begun my love affair with the live show, hallelujah!
2 years later after re-signing with Warners for a ridiculous $80 million the band released New Adventures in HI-FI, the first album to be considered a commercial flop by their standards (it only went platinum). Those who didnt buy it missed out on one of the best releases of the decade.
The album crammed every trick R.E.M had learnt over the years into just over an hour of beautiful music. In spite of the significant inclusion of gadgets and new technologies the result was a coherent set of songs showcasing the quartets incredible songwriting talent. I still find myself enchanted by tracks such as ‘Leave’ and ‘E-Bow The Letter‘ (featuring the legendary Patti Smith) no matter how many times I have played them over the years.
That New Adventures turned out to be the last album Bill Berry drummed on, before his unexpected retirement to dedicate himself to farm life, makes this album even more of a milestone marking the end of an era. The band would never sound the same again but dip into any of the 14 tracks on display and you will see a band who were not frightened by the weight of expectations.
Despite only showing up on my radar recently WHY? rapidly rose to being the band I have played more than any other so far this year. This doesn’t entirely surprise me as i have been on a mission to play them to everyone I’ve met since I got a feel for their standout track ‘The Hollows‘.
Their latest album Alopecia, from which the track is taken, is dotted with dramatic musical landscapes and melodic twists. Their indie rock execution is a perfect vehicle for Yoni Wolf’s trademark nasal half-rap half-sung reflections. It is fitting that he comes from a hip-hop background as his preferred story telling delivery is at times action packed and at time tongue-in-cheek but always instantly quotable.
Enjoy these superb tracks from Alopecia out now on Anticon Records.
Oasisleader Noel Gallagher was pushed over by a “fan” the other night whilst on stage in Toronto. The video doing the rounds on Youtube at the moment shows Noel completely unaware as he gets shoved to the ground whilst Liam Gallagher acts like he is ducking in and out of a playground fight. It would all have been a bit of a laugh had later reports not revealed that Noel may have fractured a rib.
So hoping for a quick recovery here are three songs dedicated to Noel:
September will forever be associated with returning for a new school year. Realistically it is not a big deal and turning into a grown working bee also means learning to measure your holidays for maximum impact. Yet despite the fact i finished my studies years back without fail on the 31st of August i mourn the end of Summer.
So what to do when you are staring outside at the rain through the window and would rather be sipping a cocktail by the beach? I have found a solution: close your eyes, remember your favourite holiday moments and imagine doing it all again next summer: bigger, better, harder, more! Its a bit new age I admit but it sure beats the September blues!
Here are some great songs which, surprise suprise, reference summer in some way, DAYDREAM AWAY!
MP3′s:
Lovin’ Spoonful – Summer In The City
For those of us that didn’t manage to get out of the city much this summer here is the original summer anthem from the 60s. Have always loved this song, especially since the Joe Cocker version featured prominently in the Bruce Willis‘ Die Hard With A Vengeance, got to love some McClane action: yippie-kay-yay motherfucker!
Emiliana Torrini – Unemployed In Summertime
Emiliana perfectly describes that lovely carefree feeling that can take you over in the summer. Bonus points for name-checking Primrose Hill
Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime
Before Will Smith decided to become a “serious” actor he was one half of late 80s/ early 90′s rap duo Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince. This lighthearted ode to summer is one of their enduring hits and proves that Will is more than just a flash in the pan.
Codeseven – The Boys Of Summer
Codeseven‘s storming take on Don Henley‘s ‘The Boys of Summer’ is shouty enough to appeal to the rocker in you whilst maintaining the original’s melodic drive. This must have summer song makes The Ataris effort years later seem tame.
Some of the greatest concert, album as well as movies (but that is for another blog) experiences come when the artist blows you away when you had no idea what to expect. I could name a few albums i picked out without hearing a single note which left me open mouthed when i finally played them at home. Likewise there have been a load of artists that were anonymous when they hit the stage and became heroes as they stepped off.
Elvis Perkins won me over exactly like this. With a sole spotlight shining bright he faced the audience and without saying a word began strumming the chords for ‘While You Were Sleeping‘. One by one the lights lit up as his band introduced drums, double bass and trumpet sowing the seeds to this wonderful song. What followed was a triumphant performance where brief joyous moments like ‘May Day!” were interjected by a reflective sadness producing mass goose bumps in the audience.
A simple online search will reveal that Elvis lost both parents in separate yet equally tragic circumstances and the occasional melancholy that creeps into his music must stem from these events. His debut album Ash Wednesday is wonderfully sparse and laced with subtle chord progressions and hazy musings. Combining a Leonard Cohen-esque lyrical dark side and a less-is-more Dylan structuring approach here is a man playing passionate folk-rock in the 21st century and making it sound very relevant. By the time he stepped off stage the merch stand had sold out of his CDs and an other audience was definitely won over.
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