The series of PS2 Collections for the PS3 system
Released in April to a fanfare that normally accompanies a French military victory, the God of War Collection for the PlayStation 3 was a single blu-ray disc which comprised the two PlayStation 2 games, God of War and God of War 2. While this may be seen as simply a way for Sony and the respective developers to make in money whilst putting out no new content, the idea is absolute genius. I came up with it years ago, and it amazes me that no-one at developers who had popular PS2 games did either. I have never played a GoW game, but i'll be picking the Collection up when I can find a copy of it, and enjoying it. That's what makes this very simple idea so brilliant. Not only does it allow people who had these games to experience them again in HD (and 3D, if you're the kind of person who loses thread of a conversation when as bird flies past), but it allows people like me to experience what's constantly described as one of the best series in gaming. Lord knows it's been ripped off by enough other games to warrant that tag.
Gamers like me have jumped at this idea, and the mounds of suggestions from the PS2's substantial (and still growing) back catalogue have bombarded gaming sites all over the internet. Happily, the Sly Cooper collection will be coming to us in November. One of the lesser-known brilliant games from the 6th generation, this Collection will allow the few geeks like me who know what it is to re-live their childhood, and allow others to hopefully be captivated by its magic.
What follows is a list of the series I deem worthy of getting the PS3 gloss:
Jak and Daxter trilogy
And the trilogy only. None of the Crash Bandicoot ripping off where you put the chracters in go-karts, although if Daxter and The Lost Frontier are included as well, I wont mind too much. One of the top 3 series that Sony posesses, i'm amazed that these games haven't been made already. Regular readers (if they exist) will remember that Jak II was my 3rd best game of the last decade, and the lowest any placed was the original in 13th. The series has had plaudits thrown at it from all angles, and it certainly sold enough copies on the PS2 to be worthy of a re-make. It will also allow me to use my Jak II strategy guide again!
Team Ico (Ico/Shadow of the Colossus)
While The Last Guardian is coming to us.... soon, the games which Team Ico has given us are cult classics already. I never played either of them, so that's why I want them back. Both are considered brilliant if unconventional, and they seem to be the most requested games to get the shiny put over them.
Grand Theft Auto
I never played any of the old ones, and I want to.
I'm done now. I realise that the substantial....-ness of this post has rather vanished, but all I really wanted to do was applaud Sony (shock!) for what they're doing with the Collections, even if it is essentially proving that creativity int he gaming industry seems to be banned. Keep it up, and let me play Jak and Daxter again.
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Things I Have an Opinion On #22
T in the Park 2010 (now that i've been)
Before I left for an old field in Kinross the other day, I posted the bands I wanted to see, and what songs I wanted to play. Out of all the bands I posted. I saw all but two, and I saw some I never had listed. Not all of the songs I posted were played unfortunately, but there were certainly plenty of others to make up for it.
Friday
Everything Everything
A band we went to see because nobody else was on, described in the programme as " a mix between the Beach Boys and the Futureheads." Neither of these were apparent, and the band weren't wonderful. The drummer carried them, and when you hear lines like "who's going to sit on your face when i'm gone?" you know that things can only get better. I'd still listen to them more though, they weren't that awful.
Chapel Club
A band the programme described as "Editors crossed with White Lies," Chapel Club were a pleasant surprise. The comparions to other post punk revival bands were very clear, and they were quite surprising. The drummer looked petrified however.
Delphic
A ten minute delay coming out didn't stop Delphic from fulfilling my prediction of them being one of the best bands there. The Red Bull Futures tent was just about full, and justafiably so given the atmosphere. The only complaint i'd have is the delay which probably stopped them from playing Submission, but the rest of the performance made up for it. Opening with Doubt and following up with Red Lights, Halcyon, This Momentary, Counterpoint and Acolyte, Delphic made me lose about 5 pounds of body weight in sweat alone. Being right up the front for it helped rather a bit too.
Muse
I was in the golden circle for Muse. I was pushing to the front, and probably got to about 8 people back from the front. Despite this, I left halfway through their set, when the utterly terrible Unnatural Selection was on. By all accounts (Harry Gover's, so its validity could be best described as "cloudy") the atmosphere was better further back, but I couldn't have lasted. I was ready to pass out, and the performance wasn't worth staying for. There were no surprises, no Citizen Erased or Showbiz, just stuff that'll be on the greatest hits album in a few years. There were no surprises, and no real effort made to get the crowd on board with the band. A huge disappointment in my eyes.
Saturday
Twisted Wheel
Shite
Local Natives
"Catch them this weekend before they're massive and remember where you saw them first" boasted the programme, and they were pretty good. Nothing particularly special, but i've a feeling that if i'd known some of their stuff, it would've been more enjoyable.
Newton Faulkner
Despite all of the neds turning up for Dream Catch Me, one of the best atmospheres of the weekend was present at the main stage on Saturday. I spent most of Newtons performance staring at his hands, trying to figure out how he was making the sounds he was. Even though it was one man with an acoustic guitar sitting on a chair, he got right in with the crowd, and comes across as a really nice, genuine guy. Special mention has to be made to the end of Gone in the Morning though, and how he got the crowd going for the last chorus:
"I'm going to give you your motivation. You are pirates.... with rabies. You are 50 feet from shore, where you will meet the barbarian hordes. They are your sworn enemy, and you are hungry for blood. Why? They kissed your mother (cue picture of 50's housewife on-screen with YOUR MUM written above it) That's right, they are a bunch of mother kissers. 40 feet from shore. 30 feet from shore. When you get to the shore, you're going to go absolutely nuts. 20 feet from shore. 10 feet..... 8 FEET...... 6 FEET...... 4 FEET...... 2 FEET........ GO! Crowd: "GONE IN THE MORNING......" and so on. Haunting. And look for the video of him playing Bohemian Rhapsody to close, utterly sublime. All done on acoustic guitar, remember.
The Proclaimers
A band Craig made me go see so he'd go and see Hurts on Sunday (I was right in this, however), they were accomplished, if uninspiring. No real stage presence.
We Are Scientists
The kind of band that tents seem to be made for, We Are Scientists nearly brought it down. Hits such as Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt, It's a Hit and Inaction had the crowd going mental, but The Great Escape topped all of them. After playing the opening chord, everybody goes mad. Once further chords are played, a mosh pit subsequently forms. Fantastic.
Stereophonics
A performance slightly marred by the idiots in the crowd who all turned up to bob one hand in the air for Eminem, this was still a good set. They never played Hurry Up and Wait or Show Me How, but Could You Be The One was there, and all of the other big songs were well recieved. Nothing topped Kelly Jones' signing off however:
"Thanks very much, enjoy Eminem."
*scattered booing from those there with ears*
"Well, if he doesn't turn up, give us a shout and we'll come back out."
Oustanding. My one regret from the weekend (aside from not seeing Biffy play Justboy) was not taking a flag that had "Stereophonics > Eminem" written on it.
Rodrigo Y Gabriella
I only got to catch the end of their set, but when two people with two acoustic guitars and no microphones look like one of the best acts on, you know they've done well. See them if you get the chance.
Kassidy
A band I only went to see because no-one wanted to see Billy Talent, my initial description of "emulsion" was proven accurate. Four talented guys no doubt, but they often seemed to cancel each other out, and were trying way too hard to sound like The Eagles.
Hurts
Despite me actually knowing about them, Hurts were the biggest surprise of the weekend. Looking vaguely like Depeche Mode and sounding like the 80's in a blender, I felt wonderfully smug watching this mob, knowing I was one of the few people at the entire festival who knew anything by them. Composed of a singer who looked like Sheldon out the Big Bang Theory, a guy on drums, a guy on keyboards, a guy on piano and one backing singer, Hurts' live show was captivationg, although mainly for the one guy standing at the back. He looked like he was lost, standing stock still with hands in fists dressed in a tuxedo, not blinking and not moving. The stand out moment of the whole performance was a song which I think was Happiness, where he burst in to full voice and got the loudest cheer of the whole gig. At least, until he bowed when the band were done, I think everyone was just happy he wasn't looking at them any more.
Rise Against
Energetic, but I never knew enough of their stuff to really enjoy. They were still probably better than The View, though.
Jay-Zed
I suffered through him to get a good spot for Kasabian, and he was quite good at what he was doing. I would never value the medium he pedals, but he at least has my respect for being good with the crowd, which he really, really was.
Kasabian
Delayed slightly by Jay-Zed over-running, they certainly made up for it. There was a slight down patch in the middle where they played either a new song or cover that no-one had heard of and some slower songs, but songs like The Doberman, Reason is Treason and Cutt Off certainly made up for it. The encore of Fire, Vlad the Impaler and L.S.F. was also the perfect way to close the night. If you watch the video of Fire, right around the time the first chorus starts is where I get an elbow to the face and lose my glasses. I was a bit pissed, but thankful and surprised that it had taken that long over the weekend. I also never thought I would enjoy getting "I love you fucking Jocks" shouted at me, but Tom Meighan in all his arse-hole-ness pulled it off. Outstanding.
And that was the end. There is patter that will never die, such as "Peter, you're fucking wrecked," calling people a "crank," d'you want a game of basketball ya prick?" and the immortal "RIDDLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" Fantastic, and the wristband i'm never taking off will be a lasting reminder. All that's left to do is catch up on the telly I missed...
Before I left for an old field in Kinross the other day, I posted the bands I wanted to see, and what songs I wanted to play. Out of all the bands I posted. I saw all but two, and I saw some I never had listed. Not all of the songs I posted were played unfortunately, but there were certainly plenty of others to make up for it.
Friday
Everything Everything
A band we went to see because nobody else was on, described in the programme as " a mix between the Beach Boys and the Futureheads." Neither of these were apparent, and the band weren't wonderful. The drummer carried them, and when you hear lines like "who's going to sit on your face when i'm gone?" you know that things can only get better. I'd still listen to them more though, they weren't that awful.
Chapel Club
A band the programme described as "Editors crossed with White Lies," Chapel Club were a pleasant surprise. The comparions to other post punk revival bands were very clear, and they were quite surprising. The drummer looked petrified however.
Delphic
A ten minute delay coming out didn't stop Delphic from fulfilling my prediction of them being one of the best bands there. The Red Bull Futures tent was just about full, and justafiably so given the atmosphere. The only complaint i'd have is the delay which probably stopped them from playing Submission, but the rest of the performance made up for it. Opening with Doubt and following up with Red Lights, Halcyon, This Momentary, Counterpoint and Acolyte, Delphic made me lose about 5 pounds of body weight in sweat alone. Being right up the front for it helped rather a bit too.
Muse
I was in the golden circle for Muse. I was pushing to the front, and probably got to about 8 people back from the front. Despite this, I left halfway through their set, when the utterly terrible Unnatural Selection was on. By all accounts (Harry Gover's, so its validity could be best described as "cloudy") the atmosphere was better further back, but I couldn't have lasted. I was ready to pass out, and the performance wasn't worth staying for. There were no surprises, no Citizen Erased or Showbiz, just stuff that'll be on the greatest hits album in a few years. There were no surprises, and no real effort made to get the crowd on board with the band. A huge disappointment in my eyes.
Saturday
Twisted Wheel
Shite
Local Natives
"Catch them this weekend before they're massive and remember where you saw them first" boasted the programme, and they were pretty good. Nothing particularly special, but i've a feeling that if i'd known some of their stuff, it would've been more enjoyable.
Newton Faulkner
Despite all of the neds turning up for Dream Catch Me, one of the best atmospheres of the weekend was present at the main stage on Saturday. I spent most of Newtons performance staring at his hands, trying to figure out how he was making the sounds he was. Even though it was one man with an acoustic guitar sitting on a chair, he got right in with the crowd, and comes across as a really nice, genuine guy. Special mention has to be made to the end of Gone in the Morning though, and how he got the crowd going for the last chorus:
"I'm going to give you your motivation. You are pirates.... with rabies. You are 50 feet from shore, where you will meet the barbarian hordes. They are your sworn enemy, and you are hungry for blood. Why? They kissed your mother (cue picture of 50's housewife on-screen with YOUR MUM written above it) That's right, they are a bunch of mother kissers. 40 feet from shore. 30 feet from shore. When you get to the shore, you're going to go absolutely nuts. 20 feet from shore. 10 feet..... 8 FEET...... 6 FEET...... 4 FEET...... 2 FEET........ GO! Crowd: "GONE IN THE MORNING......" and so on. Haunting. And look for the video of him playing Bohemian Rhapsody to close, utterly sublime. All done on acoustic guitar, remember.
The Proclaimers
A band Craig made me go see so he'd go and see Hurts on Sunday (I was right in this, however), they were accomplished, if uninspiring. No real stage presence.
We Are Scientists
The kind of band that tents seem to be made for, We Are Scientists nearly brought it down. Hits such as Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt, It's a Hit and Inaction had the crowd going mental, but The Great Escape topped all of them. After playing the opening chord, everybody goes mad. Once further chords are played, a mosh pit subsequently forms. Fantastic.
Stereophonics
A performance slightly marred by the idiots in the crowd who all turned up to bob one hand in the air for Eminem, this was still a good set. They never played Hurry Up and Wait or Show Me How, but Could You Be The One was there, and all of the other big songs were well recieved. Nothing topped Kelly Jones' signing off however:
"Thanks very much, enjoy Eminem."
*scattered booing from those there with ears*
"Well, if he doesn't turn up, give us a shout and we'll come back out."
Oustanding. My one regret from the weekend (aside from not seeing Biffy play Justboy) was not taking a flag that had "Stereophonics > Eminem" written on it.
Rodrigo Y Gabriella
I only got to catch the end of their set, but when two people with two acoustic guitars and no microphones look like one of the best acts on, you know they've done well. See them if you get the chance.
Kassidy
A band I only went to see because no-one wanted to see Billy Talent, my initial description of "emulsion" was proven accurate. Four talented guys no doubt, but they often seemed to cancel each other out, and were trying way too hard to sound like The Eagles.
Hurts
Despite me actually knowing about them, Hurts were the biggest surprise of the weekend. Looking vaguely like Depeche Mode and sounding like the 80's in a blender, I felt wonderfully smug watching this mob, knowing I was one of the few people at the entire festival who knew anything by them. Composed of a singer who looked like Sheldon out the Big Bang Theory, a guy on drums, a guy on keyboards, a guy on piano and one backing singer, Hurts' live show was captivationg, although mainly for the one guy standing at the back. He looked like he was lost, standing stock still with hands in fists dressed in a tuxedo, not blinking and not moving. The stand out moment of the whole performance was a song which I think was Happiness, where he burst in to full voice and got the loudest cheer of the whole gig. At least, until he bowed when the band were done, I think everyone was just happy he wasn't looking at them any more.
Rise Against
Energetic, but I never knew enough of their stuff to really enjoy. They were still probably better than The View, though.
Jay-Zed
I suffered through him to get a good spot for Kasabian, and he was quite good at what he was doing. I would never value the medium he pedals, but he at least has my respect for being good with the crowd, which he really, really was.
Kasabian
Delayed slightly by Jay-Zed over-running, they certainly made up for it. There was a slight down patch in the middle where they played either a new song or cover that no-one had heard of and some slower songs, but songs like The Doberman, Reason is Treason and Cutt Off certainly made up for it. The encore of Fire, Vlad the Impaler and L.S.F. was also the perfect way to close the night. If you watch the video of Fire, right around the time the first chorus starts is where I get an elbow to the face and lose my glasses. I was a bit pissed, but thankful and surprised that it had taken that long over the weekend. I also never thought I would enjoy getting "I love you fucking Jocks" shouted at me, but Tom Meighan in all his arse-hole-ness pulled it off. Outstanding.
And that was the end. There is patter that will never die, such as "Peter, you're fucking wrecked," calling people a "crank," d'you want a game of basketball ya prick?" and the immortal "RIDDLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" Fantastic, and the wristband i'm never taking off will be a lasting reminder. All that's left to do is catch up on the telly I missed...
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Things I Have an Opinion On #21
T in the Park 2010
Now that I have everything that I need for 4 days in a field, I can start looking towards what music i'll be going to see over the weekend. While this years line-up has far too many black people and X Factor rejects playing, there are some hidden diamonds behind the Friday and Sunday headliners. The following list is who I will be going to see, as well as songs I dearly hope they play.
Delphic
Fresh from this years AOTY so far in January, Delphic will be playing the Red Bull blah blah blah stage on Friday. There's a review of Acolyte on this blog somewhere, and Counterpoint will be one of the top moments of the weekend (should they play it).
Editors
Going by what the current line-up sheet says, I will now be able to see Editors! They were originally playing the Main Stage whilst Delphic were up, but it seems to have changed now. An extremely irritating spectacle live, Editors will at least be entertaining, and one of the more talented bands playing this weekend should provide plenty of enjoyment. Material from last album In This Light And On This Evening should be given a good airing, which is handy as it's their best to date.
Muse
The biggest headliner at the festival, Muse will undoubtedly be the biggest draw over the weekend. Their live show, by all accounts, has become slightly stale since HAARP was released, but then that wasn't exactly a bad performance. We'll all just be hoping for some of the following to compensate for that.
We Are Scientists
A talented if unremarkable band, We Are Scientists are a talented bunch when playing live. Fantastically under-rated since they first broke on to the scene, hopefully there wont be too many morons at their slot in the King Tut's tent on Saturday, and people who know songs outwith Nobody Move can enjoy them (I have a cheek, the only album of theirs I have is With Love and Squalor).
Rodrigo Y Gabriella
Here is the first instance that the person doing the slots for bands hates me, as there's 3 bands on at once I want to see on Saturday. RYG are two people (brother and sister) from Mexico, who may be among the most remarkable and talented guitarists on the planet currently. You're not going to get huge rock performances, but you will get a talented performance of songs that everyone loves. See them being lazy when doing a Pink Floyd cover and letting the crowd do all the work.
Newton Faulkner
While I honestly can't say why I haven't yet bought his 2nd album, the man with the ginger dreadlocks follows in the Rodrigo Y Gabriella mould, only combining talented guitar play with a fantastic voice. He's on the main stage where he deserves, all that's left will be to battle the people who just know Dream Catch Me....
Stereophonics
The band that will probably win out over Rodrigo Y Gabriella, festival mainstays playing the main stage on Saturday will definately be one of the highlights of the weekend. If the rumours of Eminem pulling out are true (dear god please), then these guys headlining on the Saturday wouldn't be too bad. Just as long as they play Hurry Up and Wait, i'll be perfectly happy. I'll even be happy enough to put up with the Dakota fans.
Hurts
Sunday sees the largest amount of bands I want to see that no-one i'm going with does, and Hurts probably come at the top of that pile. A Manchester band whose debut album isn't released til October, they combine what made the 80's great with some newer sounds and come off as one of the hottest bands on the scene right now. You wont even have to worry about not knowing lyrics to most of their songs, seeing as they're just new.
Billy Talent
Probably proof that Canada really shouldn't do music, Billy Talent will bring their... energy to the NME stage on Sunday. A band i'll definately be seeing on my own should I get there, you know you're least going to get to jump about a lot and get very injured whilst getting shouted at. Plus, most folk who go to T in the Park wont have the faintest idea who they are. Just don't play anything off of album number 3.
Rise Against
A band I definately feel ashamed of putting on here, as my sole knowledge of their work is the songs that have been on Guitar Hero games, that is Prayer of the Refugee and Re-Education Through Labour. They still come under the Billy Talent label however, of being a fantastic live band that not many folk going to T in the Park will know, so you'll at least get a good place to see them from.
Biffy Clyro
A band who i'm quite sure don't leave Balado after each fesitval but just stay there so they're ready for next year, Biffy will undoubtedly be the band that everyone who likes Many of Horror will go and see. Such morons will of course ruin it for decent people like me who are aware that they have 5 albums and not two, and would rather listen to Justboy and 57 than Bubbles and Who's Gotta Match. Puzzle and Only Revolutions are both fantastic albums with fantastic songs, but Biffy really need to stop being ashamed of their past work. It's not that bad, as this video will demonstrate.
Kasabian
I'm on fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire doo doo doooo doodoodooo dooo doo doo doodoo.
Fuck off. Get Test Transmission/LSF/Reason is Treason/Club Foot to close and you have one of the best ends to a festival ever.
And, that's everyone. All that's left to do now is mourn the fact that Pearl Jam are somewhere in Iberia for the next weekend, and that shite like Eminem is headlining the main stage. Hopefully the rumours about him pulling out are true, and Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood can pop up and save the day again. That would be worth the total money i'm spending on this alone:
See you there, and hope it's dry.
Now that I have everything that I need for 4 days in a field, I can start looking towards what music i'll be going to see over the weekend. While this years line-up has far too many black people and X Factor rejects playing, there are some hidden diamonds behind the Friday and Sunday headliners. The following list is who I will be going to see, as well as songs I dearly hope they play.
Delphic
Fresh from this years AOTY so far in January, Delphic will be playing the Red Bull blah blah blah stage on Friday. There's a review of Acolyte on this blog somewhere, and Counterpoint will be one of the top moments of the weekend (should they play it).
Editors
Going by what the current line-up sheet says, I will now be able to see Editors! They were originally playing the Main Stage whilst Delphic were up, but it seems to have changed now. An extremely irritating spectacle live, Editors will at least be entertaining, and one of the more talented bands playing this weekend should provide plenty of enjoyment. Material from last album In This Light And On This Evening should be given a good airing, which is handy as it's their best to date.
Muse
The biggest headliner at the festival, Muse will undoubtedly be the biggest draw over the weekend. Their live show, by all accounts, has become slightly stale since HAARP was released, but then that wasn't exactly a bad performance. We'll all just be hoping for some of the following to compensate for that.
We Are Scientists
A talented if unremarkable band, We Are Scientists are a talented bunch when playing live. Fantastically under-rated since they first broke on to the scene, hopefully there wont be too many morons at their slot in the King Tut's tent on Saturday, and people who know songs outwith Nobody Move can enjoy them (I have a cheek, the only album of theirs I have is With Love and Squalor).
Rodrigo Y Gabriella
Here is the first instance that the person doing the slots for bands hates me, as there's 3 bands on at once I want to see on Saturday. RYG are two people (brother and sister) from Mexico, who may be among the most remarkable and talented guitarists on the planet currently. You're not going to get huge rock performances, but you will get a talented performance of songs that everyone loves. See them being lazy when doing a Pink Floyd cover and letting the crowd do all the work.
Newton Faulkner
While I honestly can't say why I haven't yet bought his 2nd album, the man with the ginger dreadlocks follows in the Rodrigo Y Gabriella mould, only combining talented guitar play with a fantastic voice. He's on the main stage where he deserves, all that's left will be to battle the people who just know Dream Catch Me....
Stereophonics
The band that will probably win out over Rodrigo Y Gabriella, festival mainstays playing the main stage on Saturday will definately be one of the highlights of the weekend. If the rumours of Eminem pulling out are true (dear god please), then these guys headlining on the Saturday wouldn't be too bad. Just as long as they play Hurry Up and Wait, i'll be perfectly happy. I'll even be happy enough to put up with the Dakota fans.
Hurts
Sunday sees the largest amount of bands I want to see that no-one i'm going with does, and Hurts probably come at the top of that pile. A Manchester band whose debut album isn't released til October, they combine what made the 80's great with some newer sounds and come off as one of the hottest bands on the scene right now. You wont even have to worry about not knowing lyrics to most of their songs, seeing as they're just new.
Billy Talent
Probably proof that Canada really shouldn't do music, Billy Talent will bring their... energy to the NME stage on Sunday. A band i'll definately be seeing on my own should I get there, you know you're least going to get to jump about a lot and get very injured whilst getting shouted at. Plus, most folk who go to T in the Park wont have the faintest idea who they are. Just don't play anything off of album number 3.
Rise Against
A band I definately feel ashamed of putting on here, as my sole knowledge of their work is the songs that have been on Guitar Hero games, that is Prayer of the Refugee and Re-Education Through Labour. They still come under the Billy Talent label however, of being a fantastic live band that not many folk going to T in the Park will know, so you'll at least get a good place to see them from.
Biffy Clyro
A band who i'm quite sure don't leave Balado after each fesitval but just stay there so they're ready for next year, Biffy will undoubtedly be the band that everyone who likes Many of Horror will go and see. Such morons will of course ruin it for decent people like me who are aware that they have 5 albums and not two, and would rather listen to Justboy and 57 than Bubbles and Who's Gotta Match. Puzzle and Only Revolutions are both fantastic albums with fantastic songs, but Biffy really need to stop being ashamed of their past work. It's not that bad, as this video will demonstrate.
Kasabian
I'm on fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire doo doo doooo doodoodooo dooo doo doo doodoo.
Fuck off. Get Test Transmission/LSF/Reason is Treason/Club Foot to close and you have one of the best ends to a festival ever.
And, that's everyone. All that's left to do now is mourn the fact that Pearl Jam are somewhere in Iberia for the next weekend, and that shite like Eminem is headlining the main stage. Hopefully the rumours about him pulling out are true, and Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood can pop up and save the day again. That would be worth the total money i'm spending on this alone:
See you there, and hope it's dry.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
This Band Like to Flaunt Their Sexuality You Know...
Night Work - Scissor Sisters - Album Review
Fresh from a break in recording, Scissor Sisters this week came out with their third album, Night Work. Following on from the success of second album Ta-Dah which was darker than its title and the opening track, the ultimate in oxymoron song titles, suggested. Ta-Dah was a fabulous progression from the band, as their eponymous debut saw slightly un-tamed talent at times going wild, sandwiched between Pink Floyd covers and knock-offs, and the piano ballad which they can pull out. After these two albums, the band had two choices. Either go back to their origins and focus on sheer energy to create good songs, or carry on from the second album using stuff that most "rockier" bands wouldn't turn their nose up.
Two goes at writing the album subsequently produced neither of these, as Night Work posesses very little in common with the bands preious efforts. Night Work has been an album which is something of a grower, starting out as horribly repetitive but becoming distinguishable the more you listen to it. Whether or not this is a good thing remains to be seen however, as the work does seem fairly sub-par once you get into it all. The opening title track is a hidden gem, one song which fulfills the promise put out in all the various launch publicity: that it will get you dancing. Lead single Fire With Fire is by far the best song present, ranking up with the best of the bands material. The only problem with using a song like this as a lead single is that it draws attention to it, thus making you focus on how badly the rest of the songs stack up against it. Sex and Violence seems to be the only song that acknowledges that Ta-Dah even happened, combining the edgier sound of that album with the new club feel, and it works. Sadly, it's one of the few instances where it does.
Despite the rather apparent message put out by a band whose name is derived from a lesbian sex act, Night Work seems very confused in many ways. Bear in mind, I don't mean lyrics-wise. There's stuff in here that would make Jarvis Cocker cringe, even when he was in the middle of writing His 'n' Hers. The influences however have came a long way from hazy images of Syd Barrett floating around 20 feet off a stage. They have gone back in time however, as all of the songs are heavily influenced by the New York club scene of the 80's. There's everything here, Erasure, Eurythmics, and any 2 piece synth pop group that ever appeared on Top of the Pops. Closing track Invisible Light had better have seen some royalties go to whoever composed the backing beat for Confusion by New Order (presumably Steve Morris, though i've no idea). There's nothing wrong with being influenced by the best artists of a genre, but the main problem here is that for most of the songs, the band never seem to know which way they want to pull, and the songs end up seeming very thinly-spread, with no big tasty mouthfuls for you to really get stuck into. It gets even worse on a track like Harder You Get, which seems to have taken a wrong turn at around 1983 and started channeling Journey, going by the guitar work. This, much like a lot of the rest of the album, seems over the top and out of place. And you know that if you can describe the Scissor Sisters as too over the top, then something has gone badly wrong.
To sum up, this album is a disappointment. Like so many albums that can be classed as such, it's the stand-out moments that leave you feeling deflated, because you know what the band are actually capable of. Let's hope that they can properly channel the potential here for the next album.
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Next week: No idea when it first came out, but as a favour for a friend, i'll be doing Is This It, This Is It or Whatever It Is Called by The Strokes
Fresh from a break in recording, Scissor Sisters this week came out with their third album, Night Work. Following on from the success of second album Ta-Dah which was darker than its title and the opening track, the ultimate in oxymoron song titles, suggested. Ta-Dah was a fabulous progression from the band, as their eponymous debut saw slightly un-tamed talent at times going wild, sandwiched between Pink Floyd covers and knock-offs, and the piano ballad which they can pull out. After these two albums, the band had two choices. Either go back to their origins and focus on sheer energy to create good songs, or carry on from the second album using stuff that most "rockier" bands wouldn't turn their nose up.
Two goes at writing the album subsequently produced neither of these, as Night Work posesses very little in common with the bands preious efforts. Night Work has been an album which is something of a grower, starting out as horribly repetitive but becoming distinguishable the more you listen to it. Whether or not this is a good thing remains to be seen however, as the work does seem fairly sub-par once you get into it all. The opening title track is a hidden gem, one song which fulfills the promise put out in all the various launch publicity: that it will get you dancing. Lead single Fire With Fire is by far the best song present, ranking up with the best of the bands material. The only problem with using a song like this as a lead single is that it draws attention to it, thus making you focus on how badly the rest of the songs stack up against it. Sex and Violence seems to be the only song that acknowledges that Ta-Dah even happened, combining the edgier sound of that album with the new club feel, and it works. Sadly, it's one of the few instances where it does.
Despite the rather apparent message put out by a band whose name is derived from a lesbian sex act, Night Work seems very confused in many ways. Bear in mind, I don't mean lyrics-wise. There's stuff in here that would make Jarvis Cocker cringe, even when he was in the middle of writing His 'n' Hers. The influences however have came a long way from hazy images of Syd Barrett floating around 20 feet off a stage. They have gone back in time however, as all of the songs are heavily influenced by the New York club scene of the 80's. There's everything here, Erasure, Eurythmics, and any 2 piece synth pop group that ever appeared on Top of the Pops. Closing track Invisible Light had better have seen some royalties go to whoever composed the backing beat for Confusion by New Order (presumably Steve Morris, though i've no idea). There's nothing wrong with being influenced by the best artists of a genre, but the main problem here is that for most of the songs, the band never seem to know which way they want to pull, and the songs end up seeming very thinly-spread, with no big tasty mouthfuls for you to really get stuck into. It gets even worse on a track like Harder You Get, which seems to have taken a wrong turn at around 1983 and started channeling Journey, going by the guitar work. This, much like a lot of the rest of the album, seems over the top and out of place. And you know that if you can describe the Scissor Sisters as too over the top, then something has gone badly wrong.
To sum up, this album is a disappointment. Like so many albums that can be classed as such, it's the stand-out moments that leave you feeling deflated, because you know what the band are actually capable of. Let's hope that they can properly channel the potential here for the next album.
====================================
Next week: No idea when it first came out, but as a favour for a friend, i'll be doing Is This It, This Is It or Whatever It Is Called by The Strokes
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