Surfing the Void - Klaxons - Album Review
Apperances can be deceiving. As I said not so long ago in this blog (when I was complaing about The Strokes being over-rated), the last decade saw the emergence of shite indie, made by scruffy looking sorts who play boring music and need a good scrub. One such band, on appearance, was Klaxons, who the NME started wanking furiously over when they burst on to the scene in 2007. Klaxons went slightly beyond the boring blueprint that was circulating at that time, adding an edgier electronic sound to their music, labelled by many as "New Rave." This difference in what they got described as somehow managed to give them less credability however, and it seems to be to their benefit that they no longer use it as an adjective for their music. Certainly, the fact that they've grown out of sounding like music made by 14 year olds that think they're cool because they watch Skins helps this.
While the aforementioned NME jizzfest certainly included elements of Rave, the follow-up holds back on them slightly.There's an edgier sound present, which isn't in fact what they had originally created. They were made to re-record parts of it, as their label deemed it "too experimental." When you consider one such song was called "Marble Fields and the Hydrolight Head of Delusion," you can see why. You can be thankful for it as well, as rather than do what MGMT did earlier this year and create something that sounds like Stonehenge by Spinal Tap, Klaxons have produced an album that you can actually listen to without being stoned out of your tits.
It's a fairly short album at 38 minutes, and it does suffer from this as you're listening to it. It creates a certain feel of the album being rushed, as if the band want it to be over and done with before it even gets into any sort of rhythm. As a result of this, while there are very good songs present, when you go from the slower Twin Flames to the utterly deranged yet brilliant Flashover, you get no feeling of continuity. It doesn't feel like an album, and for that it's poorer. The only saving grace for it is that the songs are very good, so you'll want to play it over and over to actually get a feel for them. At least it doesn't suffer from the same problem as Myths of the Near Future, where you had the best song by a mile opening then have a closer that had a hidden track present after a full 15 minutes of silence.
All in all, Surfing the Void is better than I thought it'd be. And aside from the moments of brilliance that are present in the likes of Echoes, Flashover and Valley of the Calm Trees, Surfing the Void is definately in the running for album art of the year. That and i'm hating their image less and less each time, so it can't be that bad.
====================
Tomorrow, you'll get The Illusion of Safety by The Hoosiers
Monday, 30 August 2010
Sunday, 29 August 2010
No Need to Be Frightened Any More
The Winter of Mixed Drinks - Frightened Rabbit - Album Review
A band which up until July had completely escaped by knowledge, Frightened Rabbit have apparently been going for a while. Even more irritating is the fact that they're Scottish, and really good, a type of band I usually champion. Still, you always have to start somewhere, and my introduction to them was at T in the Park, where I caught a glimpse of them whilst waiting for We Are Scientists. I was taken aback by the reception they got (ironically, I had the same feeling when We Are Scientists came on), and as such left, as I felt too weird in amongst people who were quite clearly mad about the band on stage (who were very good, if I remember right).
Since then, I quite annoyingly started at the end buying their most recent album, March's The Winter of Mixed Drinks. I'm quite glad I did, as it's a contender for AOTY, a voyage of self-discovery and recovery from a bad bad woman. It's quite heartwarming to see a subject like that written about properly in this age of five-pieces composed of scrawny teenagers with identical haircuts (coughyoumeatsixcough). For every song that explores the depressing bottom of human emotion (Things, The Loneliness and the Scream) there's a counterpart going in the opposite direction (Nothing Like You, Not Miserable). When you lace the kind of outpourings present here with beautifully crafted melodies and exquiste songcraft, you get 10 tracks that all have a certain quality about them, coming across as both polished yet still harnessing the raw emotion that's been put into creating them. It doesn't do any harm either when you consider that each song is extremely catchy and sticks in your head for days on end.
As this is the first album by Frightened Rabbit i've heard, I can't comment on how they've progressed since previous work. Whatever they've been through in their previous efforts, they've certainly reached a comfortable and accomplished point with TWOMN, their 3rd. Hopefully, it'll serve as a platform to get them the greater recognition and praise that they certainly deserve.
======================================
This was too short, but there'll be another review tomorrow, of Surfing the Void by Klaxons.
A band which up until July had completely escaped by knowledge, Frightened Rabbit have apparently been going for a while. Even more irritating is the fact that they're Scottish, and really good, a type of band I usually champion. Still, you always have to start somewhere, and my introduction to them was at T in the Park, where I caught a glimpse of them whilst waiting for We Are Scientists. I was taken aback by the reception they got (ironically, I had the same feeling when We Are Scientists came on), and as such left, as I felt too weird in amongst people who were quite clearly mad about the band on stage (who were very good, if I remember right).
Since then, I quite annoyingly started at the end buying their most recent album, March's The Winter of Mixed Drinks. I'm quite glad I did, as it's a contender for AOTY, a voyage of self-discovery and recovery from a bad bad woman. It's quite heartwarming to see a subject like that written about properly in this age of five-pieces composed of scrawny teenagers with identical haircuts (coughyoumeatsixcough). For every song that explores the depressing bottom of human emotion (Things, The Loneliness and the Scream) there's a counterpart going in the opposite direction (Nothing Like You, Not Miserable). When you lace the kind of outpourings present here with beautifully crafted melodies and exquiste songcraft, you get 10 tracks that all have a certain quality about them, coming across as both polished yet still harnessing the raw emotion that's been put into creating them. It doesn't do any harm either when you consider that each song is extremely catchy and sticks in your head for days on end.
As this is the first album by Frightened Rabbit i've heard, I can't comment on how they've progressed since previous work. Whatever they've been through in their previous efforts, they've certainly reached a comfortable and accomplished point with TWOMN, their 3rd. Hopefully, it'll serve as a platform to get them the greater recognition and praise that they certainly deserve.
======================================
This was too short, but there'll be another review tomorrow, of Surfing the Void by Klaxons.
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Is This It?
Is This It - The Strokes - Album Review
Released in 2001, Is This It heralded the arrival of one of the most important bands of the decade, The Strokes. An album met with fawning from all quarters of the media, even being named album of the decade by the NME (it wasn't). Everyone else loved it too, it was named by many as the best album of the year (it wasn't), and described as one of the most important guitar band albums in years.
Despite this, The Strokes have never been a band that ever struck me as anything special. Boring music, boring singing and not the most unique band in the world, although to be fair to them, they did influence all of the tuneless indie that followed it in the last decade (and which saturated the market to such a point it all became completely identical and worthless). But, as there's nothing out this week, and since I told Harry i'd do it two months ago, i've thrown together what I feel about their debut album that spawned a decade of clones.
Remember last week's review of The Suburbs by Arcade Fire, and how I mentioned that despite it being over an hour long, you would never know this whilst listening to it? Is This It manages to go in completely the opposite direction, by being very short (11 songs, ranging from 2 and a half minutes to 3 minutes 58) and feeling like it'll never end. This is facilitated mainly by the fact that each songs sounds exactly the same, which is hardly surprising when you consider the genre it belongs to. I wanted to hate this album when I first listened to it and at first, I didn't. The second track, The Modern Age, is probably the best thing here, even if it only managed to achieve this by outshining other songs which aren't exactly the greatest pieces of musical composition ever.
If you've never heard The Strokes barring the riff for Reptilia in a telly show somewhere, or the intro to Last Nite which has been subsequently ripped off more times than anyone who travels by First Bus, then Is This It (and probably anything else they've ever done) can be summarised in three words:
1. Jangling. The guitar sounds like it's being played by Muhammad Ali in an earthquake, and this offers nothing to make the record memorable.
2. Drawling. Before I heard this, I thought the chap singing had an unintelligble voice. Now however, I realise that this cannot actually be the case, because for someone to have a voice that sounds like he's got a doormat clamped over his face requires either a deranged gibbon at the mixing desk, or him to have smoked a pile of Marlboro's that would put both the Cigarette Smoking Man from The X Files and the smokers from Chewin the Fat to shame. While there are a select few vocalists who can sing words you can't make out and remain palatable, Julian (i'm not trying to spell his surname) just bores you to tears, and makes you wish you could at least see him singing in person to see if this voice is real.
3. What? Beautifully applicable because i've had this album on a good few times this week to try and make any of it stand out for praise, and I can't. The only thing I can remember is the song already mentioned. The rest of the album is a complete blur, passing by in the manner of a condescending flick of the head, from someone with a woman's hair cut, a coat with an upturned collar and woman's jeans. The album reeks of the horrible indie subculture which arose in the 00's, and which I once considered myself to be a part of.
Is This It was released in 2001. Now, from 2001 to 2005 (the year I started buying music) I have 31 albums that fall into that timespace, so i'm not the most qualified to comment on how this album influenced music in that timescale, but after that, there are countless bands who fit the same cookie cutter mould that The Strokes seem to have pioneered, and the one that seems to have come closest to them and had the most prominence are Arctic Monkeys. Is that an achievement? That this album spawned a decade of utter shite from little jumped up twerps with hairstyles and regional singing voices? That's probably why I hate this album and band. That they were responsible for the only decent thing the music buying (moving in to ripping-off) public listened to, which could only be called decent because of the manufactured tripe it was up against. What a shame. Even with Is This It's legacy (which it doesn't deserve), I can't see what all the fuss is about.
========================
Next week.... christ knows. If you want anything, give me a shout. And I started to ramble this week, my apologies.
Released in 2001, Is This It heralded the arrival of one of the most important bands of the decade, The Strokes. An album met with fawning from all quarters of the media, even being named album of the decade by the NME (it wasn't). Everyone else loved it too, it was named by many as the best album of the year (it wasn't), and described as one of the most important guitar band albums in years.
Despite this, The Strokes have never been a band that ever struck me as anything special. Boring music, boring singing and not the most unique band in the world, although to be fair to them, they did influence all of the tuneless indie that followed it in the last decade (and which saturated the market to such a point it all became completely identical and worthless). But, as there's nothing out this week, and since I told Harry i'd do it two months ago, i've thrown together what I feel about their debut album that spawned a decade of clones.
Remember last week's review of The Suburbs by Arcade Fire, and how I mentioned that despite it being over an hour long, you would never know this whilst listening to it? Is This It manages to go in completely the opposite direction, by being very short (11 songs, ranging from 2 and a half minutes to 3 minutes 58) and feeling like it'll never end. This is facilitated mainly by the fact that each songs sounds exactly the same, which is hardly surprising when you consider the genre it belongs to. I wanted to hate this album when I first listened to it and at first, I didn't. The second track, The Modern Age, is probably the best thing here, even if it only managed to achieve this by outshining other songs which aren't exactly the greatest pieces of musical composition ever.
If you've never heard The Strokes barring the riff for Reptilia in a telly show somewhere, or the intro to Last Nite which has been subsequently ripped off more times than anyone who travels by First Bus, then Is This It (and probably anything else they've ever done) can be summarised in three words:
1. Jangling. The guitar sounds like it's being played by Muhammad Ali in an earthquake, and this offers nothing to make the record memorable.
2. Drawling. Before I heard this, I thought the chap singing had an unintelligble voice. Now however, I realise that this cannot actually be the case, because for someone to have a voice that sounds like he's got a doormat clamped over his face requires either a deranged gibbon at the mixing desk, or him to have smoked a pile of Marlboro's that would put both the Cigarette Smoking Man from The X Files and the smokers from Chewin the Fat to shame. While there are a select few vocalists who can sing words you can't make out and remain palatable, Julian (i'm not trying to spell his surname) just bores you to tears, and makes you wish you could at least see him singing in person to see if this voice is real.
3. What? Beautifully applicable because i've had this album on a good few times this week to try and make any of it stand out for praise, and I can't. The only thing I can remember is the song already mentioned. The rest of the album is a complete blur, passing by in the manner of a condescending flick of the head, from someone with a woman's hair cut, a coat with an upturned collar and woman's jeans. The album reeks of the horrible indie subculture which arose in the 00's, and which I once considered myself to be a part of.
Is This It was released in 2001. Now, from 2001 to 2005 (the year I started buying music) I have 31 albums that fall into that timespace, so i'm not the most qualified to comment on how this album influenced music in that timescale, but after that, there are countless bands who fit the same cookie cutter mould that The Strokes seem to have pioneered, and the one that seems to have come closest to them and had the most prominence are Arctic Monkeys. Is that an achievement? That this album spawned a decade of utter shite from little jumped up twerps with hairstyles and regional singing voices? That's probably why I hate this album and band. That they were responsible for the only decent thing the music buying (moving in to ripping-off) public listened to, which could only be called decent because of the manufactured tripe it was up against. What a shame. Even with Is This It's legacy (which it doesn't deserve), I can't see what all the fuss is about.
========================
Next week.... christ knows. If you want anything, give me a shout. And I started to ramble this week, my apologies.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
For French-Canadians, It's Not That Bad
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire - Album Review
Few records that i've ever bought have ever been put on and immediately left me thinking "that meant something." You know what I mean, the kind of music that makes you sit up (if you weren't sitting up already) and take note of what you're listening to, the message being put across by the artist. Even as time goes on and music evolves (or goes backwards on the evolutionary scale, depending on how you look at it), there are few bands left that can actually do this. As it turns out, Arcade Fire are one of them. Although i've still not heard Funeral, by all accounts it's fantastic and showed a glimpse of what they could be capable of. Neon Bible came next, and while there were flashes of brilliance, plodding stuff like the title track and anything that had French in it completely ruined any hope of it being the complete record many made it out to be. So, what was to be the case with album #3?
As I have matured since I first started listening to music (seriously, never do critical evaluations of albums, it ruins your ability to enjoy music), I can put an album on and generally, take everything in after about 3 listens. I make a conscious effort to know what i'm listening to and enjoy it, and after that, I go deeper. I listen to the words, to the way the album is structured and the music that's being used to create the sound that eventually gets out to the buying public. With The Suburbs, each of these steps takes longer. Aside from the fact that it's over an hour long and has 15 (real) tracks, each of these is so dense, so perfectly crafted that you have to take longer to fully appreciate it. Each song is a work of perfection, and each song actually feels like the band cared about it, and put all their efforts into making it the best piece of work possible from them, which is rare in music today.
The real ace up the sleeve for The Suburbs is how you don't realise where time goes whilst it's on. Coming in at over 64 minutes long, you would be forgiven for thinking you're in for a slog when you first put it on. Fortunately you're not however, as from the fairly low-key opening title track rolling into Ready to Start, the best song on the album, it never lets up. The two part songs, Half Light and Sprawl add some beautiful structure to the full record, and help to keep the lull in the middle from Deep Blue (a song about the chess playing computer of the same name) and current single (why?) We Used to Wait from causing the record to stop. It's in these two parters where the comments of frontman Win Butler were explained, when he said The Suburbs sounded "like Depeche Mode meets Neil Young." It's a marriage that sould have been made sooner, judging from the results. Empty Room and Month of May especially however sound like they're channeling The Clash, and this is just another sound that Arcade Fire pull off like they've been doing it their whole life.
As far as lyrics go, The Suburbs is mainly a criticism of the way the world is now. 3 years have passed since Neon Bible's release in 2007, and the world has turned to pot. Win Butler (and his wife/daughter/nieces/whichever burds do backing vocals) muses about the problems in the world throughout, and while there are times when it can sound a bit too bitter, and a bit too whiny, it all hits home perfectly. The Suburbs has fulfilled the vision that Neon Bible set out to start, something that completely reflects the environment it was born in and combines biting critcism with expert song writing. Just about every song is about some topic of the harshness of the world as it is today, and it could be argued that The Suburbs is the first observant record since This is a Fix by The Automatic, or Glasvegas' eponymous drbut effort. Certainly, it's the most important record you're likely to buy this year, and could well be the best.
============================
Next week: Harry Gover's moaning shall subside, as I listen to what the NME thinks is the best album of the last decade. That should be fun.
Few records that i've ever bought have ever been put on and immediately left me thinking "that meant something." You know what I mean, the kind of music that makes you sit up (if you weren't sitting up already) and take note of what you're listening to, the message being put across by the artist. Even as time goes on and music evolves (or goes backwards on the evolutionary scale, depending on how you look at it), there are few bands left that can actually do this. As it turns out, Arcade Fire are one of them. Although i've still not heard Funeral, by all accounts it's fantastic and showed a glimpse of what they could be capable of. Neon Bible came next, and while there were flashes of brilliance, plodding stuff like the title track and anything that had French in it completely ruined any hope of it being the complete record many made it out to be. So, what was to be the case with album #3?
As I have matured since I first started listening to music (seriously, never do critical evaluations of albums, it ruins your ability to enjoy music), I can put an album on and generally, take everything in after about 3 listens. I make a conscious effort to know what i'm listening to and enjoy it, and after that, I go deeper. I listen to the words, to the way the album is structured and the music that's being used to create the sound that eventually gets out to the buying public. With The Suburbs, each of these steps takes longer. Aside from the fact that it's over an hour long and has 15 (real) tracks, each of these is so dense, so perfectly crafted that you have to take longer to fully appreciate it. Each song is a work of perfection, and each song actually feels like the band cared about it, and put all their efforts into making it the best piece of work possible from them, which is rare in music today.
The real ace up the sleeve for The Suburbs is how you don't realise where time goes whilst it's on. Coming in at over 64 minutes long, you would be forgiven for thinking you're in for a slog when you first put it on. Fortunately you're not however, as from the fairly low-key opening title track rolling into Ready to Start, the best song on the album, it never lets up. The two part songs, Half Light and Sprawl add some beautiful structure to the full record, and help to keep the lull in the middle from Deep Blue (a song about the chess playing computer of the same name) and current single (why?) We Used to Wait from causing the record to stop. It's in these two parters where the comments of frontman Win Butler were explained, when he said The Suburbs sounded "like Depeche Mode meets Neil Young." It's a marriage that sould have been made sooner, judging from the results. Empty Room and Month of May especially however sound like they're channeling The Clash, and this is just another sound that Arcade Fire pull off like they've been doing it their whole life.
As far as lyrics go, The Suburbs is mainly a criticism of the way the world is now. 3 years have passed since Neon Bible's release in 2007, and the world has turned to pot. Win Butler (and his wife/daughter/nieces/whichever burds do backing vocals) muses about the problems in the world throughout, and while there are times when it can sound a bit too bitter, and a bit too whiny, it all hits home perfectly. The Suburbs has fulfilled the vision that Neon Bible set out to start, something that completely reflects the environment it was born in and combines biting critcism with expert song writing. Just about every song is about some topic of the harshness of the world as it is today, and it could be argued that The Suburbs is the first observant record since This is a Fix by The Automatic, or Glasvegas' eponymous drbut effort. Certainly, it's the most important record you're likely to buy this year, and could well be the best.
============================
Next week: Harry Gover's moaning shall subside, as I listen to what the NME thinks is the best album of the last decade. That should be fun.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
I'd Quite Like to Runaway...
The Runaway - The Magic Numbers - Album Review
I remember when I first played The Magic Numbers (by that I mean their first album). I remember where I bought it as well, and I can remember times afterwards when I had it on or had certain songs on. Not least because Forever Lost is in an episode of Scrubs, but aside from that, it was a really good album, under-rated when it came out and still to this day. When next album Those the Brokes was released just a year later and managed to be better and catchier, you knew that this band was on to something.
So, where to with album #3? TTB implied that the band were going for a more mainstream yet still palatable sound, one which would get them the recognition that they deserved but whilst still retaining the base of their sound, charming guitar melodies with two singing voices which compliment each other perfectly, which isn't bad considering they're of opposite gender. Both Romeo Stodart and Angela Gannon's voices manage to take some of the darkest material that can go into songs (especially on The Runaway) and make it sound beautiful. The Runaway utilises both of their voices to perfection and to be frank, it has to. That they both seem to believe what they're singing about feels like the only reason to carry on listening to most of this album, which is a real shame, given what they've shown they were capable of. Some of the songs seem to be better suited to read as poems, the emotions you can feel from reading them don't seem to come across when you hear them played.
From lead single and lead song The Pulse, you knew that this album was going to be more low-tempo than the others were. What you didn't know was just how drastic a departure it would be, as after listening to this album, I honestly can't pick out any great moments. There are brief flashes of brilliance, The Pulse is probably the best example of the albums work, and Throwing My Heart Away provides a pretty strong reason for Angela Gannon to take lead vocals, but that's about it. It's all very lovely to listen to, but unless you're the kind of person who live in a constant state of serenity, then I can't think of a reason to keep listening to this. It sounds like the kind of bland, innocuous songs you get as hold music when you phone up some obscure government office. That or the kind of thing that gets played in dentists room's where you still sit in a wooden chair (I don't have to worry about this, my dentist's a child of the 80's, he had INXS on
the last time I was there).
The Magic Numbers are a band I have always championed. Despite never having any huge popularity, they still have a strong fanbase, mainly comprised of people who can listen to albums in full and appreciate the fact that all members of bands should play an instrument, apart from a lead singer. I always thought that if they kept building on the material that was in their first two albums, they could eventually get the success that they seemed to warrant. With The Runaway however, i'm unsure. Is this just a difficult third album, or is it the beginning of a fade into an obscurity that Snow Patrol circa 2002 would be ashamed of? I hope that there's another album in 2011, which gets back to showcasing what The Magic Numbers are really able to do.
Oh, and there's a bonus track from the soundtrack to one of those gay Twilight films. For shame, I sincerely hope that the record company made them do that, and it wasn't their choice.
=========================
Next Week, The Suburbs, by Arcade Fire. I really feel I should listen to Funeral before that, but we'll see what happens
I remember when I first played The Magic Numbers (by that I mean their first album). I remember where I bought it as well, and I can remember times afterwards when I had it on or had certain songs on. Not least because Forever Lost is in an episode of Scrubs, but aside from that, it was a really good album, under-rated when it came out and still to this day. When next album Those the Brokes was released just a year later and managed to be better and catchier, you knew that this band was on to something.
So, where to with album #3? TTB implied that the band were going for a more mainstream yet still palatable sound, one which would get them the recognition that they deserved but whilst still retaining the base of their sound, charming guitar melodies with two singing voices which compliment each other perfectly, which isn't bad considering they're of opposite gender. Both Romeo Stodart and Angela Gannon's voices manage to take some of the darkest material that can go into songs (especially on The Runaway) and make it sound beautiful. The Runaway utilises both of their voices to perfection and to be frank, it has to. That they both seem to believe what they're singing about feels like the only reason to carry on listening to most of this album, which is a real shame, given what they've shown they were capable of. Some of the songs seem to be better suited to read as poems, the emotions you can feel from reading them don't seem to come across when you hear them played.
From lead single and lead song The Pulse, you knew that this album was going to be more low-tempo than the others were. What you didn't know was just how drastic a departure it would be, as after listening to this album, I honestly can't pick out any great moments. There are brief flashes of brilliance, The Pulse is probably the best example of the albums work, and Throwing My Heart Away provides a pretty strong reason for Angela Gannon to take lead vocals, but that's about it. It's all very lovely to listen to, but unless you're the kind of person who live in a constant state of serenity, then I can't think of a reason to keep listening to this. It sounds like the kind of bland, innocuous songs you get as hold music when you phone up some obscure government office. That or the kind of thing that gets played in dentists room's where you still sit in a wooden chair (I don't have to worry about this, my dentist's a child of the 80's, he had INXS on
the last time I was there).
The Magic Numbers are a band I have always championed. Despite never having any huge popularity, they still have a strong fanbase, mainly comprised of people who can listen to albums in full and appreciate the fact that all members of bands should play an instrument, apart from a lead singer. I always thought that if they kept building on the material that was in their first two albums, they could eventually get the success that they seemed to warrant. With The Runaway however, i'm unsure. Is this just a difficult third album, or is it the beginning of a fade into an obscurity that Snow Patrol circa 2002 would be ashamed of? I hope that there's another album in 2011, which gets back to showcasing what The Magic Numbers are really able to do.
Oh, and there's a bonus track from the soundtrack to one of those gay Twilight films. For shame, I sincerely hope that the record company made them do that, and it wasn't their choice.
=========================
Next Week, The Suburbs, by Arcade Fire. I really feel I should listen to Funeral before that, but we'll see what happens
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Things I Have an Opinion On #23
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.
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.
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.
====================================
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
Sunday, 27 June 2010
If Only We Could've Been Closer
Closer - Joy Division - Album Review
Thirty years is a long time in music, and it can be an important stretch of time for not just bands, but whole genres. Given the amount of music that has come and gone since 1980, it's remarkable that 4 blokes from Manchester whose highest charting single was #13, and who only produced two albums can be still considered one of the most important bands in history. Joy Division are of course, and its why their music, fronted by the hurting lyrics of the late Ian Curtis, is still listened to today, and held in such high regard.
Joy Divisions strength never was in their individual musical ability. Bernard Sumner only took up guitar because he didn't want a 'real job,' and his playing style hasn't altered since. Steve Morris is vastly more talented on drums, and Peter Hook saw the lack of a bonified lead guitarist as his cue to leave teeth-rattling basslines at the forefront of the bands music, so why are they still so highly regarded? It couldn't have just been Ian Curtis, when he committed suicide, New Order then went on to be one of the biggest bands in the world, arguably outstripping Joy Division. What Joy Division were able to do however (for these purposes, Joy Division = with Ian Curtis, New Order = without) was combine the sparse guitar, metronomic, endless drumming and bone-rattling bass with a wonderfully awkward singer of someone who clearly had more on his mind.
While debut album Unknown Pleasures had this in spades, Closer's message couldn't have been more clear (with hindsight) than if he'd pulled out a razorblade in front of the rest of the band and went to town on his wrists. Written at a time when things in Curtis' life were reaching a point so intense no-one should ever have to deal with, the words completely mirror his feelings, and offer a frightening insight into his mind. There's not a song which doesn't touch on his life and the problems in it, and only Joy Division could provide the musical backdrop which made the album so powerful and hard-hitting. Opener Atrocity Exhibition starts with a haunting view of what the pressure of fame can do to you, and from there Closer covers all the bases. You have depression, the issues with him cheating on his wife, battles with epilepsy and a generally bleak view on life. And despite the dark subject matter, Closer manages to be something close to a perfect album, and one of the most beautiful pieces of art ever commited to record.
In terms of a progression for the band, Closer is immense. It sounds more grown-up than Unknown Pleasures. the addition of synths give the band an extra dimension and help the songs sound more haunting. That they could go from UP to Closer in a year is astounding, most bands today take 5 years to come close to such a leap forward. The most prevalent example of the synths is in closing track Decades, which is possibly the darkest song on the album, but still has an outro that you could listen to endlessly. Other songs like Colony and Twenty Four Hours however hark back to the days where Joy Division sounded like they were playing as if their lives depended on it, and these tracks don't sound out of place at all.
Closer is an album that is over 30 years old. Joy Division is a band that ended over 30 years ago. Ian Curtis is a musical genius who died over 30 years ago. Let not the amount of time or the automatic hero-worship points that suicide committing musicians get attributed, Joy Division are one of the 5 most important bands in musical history, and Close is the perfect example why.
==================================
Next week, Night Work by Scissor Sisters
Thirty years is a long time in music, and it can be an important stretch of time for not just bands, but whole genres. Given the amount of music that has come and gone since 1980, it's remarkable that 4 blokes from Manchester whose highest charting single was #13, and who only produced two albums can be still considered one of the most important bands in history. Joy Division are of course, and its why their music, fronted by the hurting lyrics of the late Ian Curtis, is still listened to today, and held in such high regard.
Joy Divisions strength never was in their individual musical ability. Bernard Sumner only took up guitar because he didn't want a 'real job,' and his playing style hasn't altered since. Steve Morris is vastly more talented on drums, and Peter Hook saw the lack of a bonified lead guitarist as his cue to leave teeth-rattling basslines at the forefront of the bands music, so why are they still so highly regarded? It couldn't have just been Ian Curtis, when he committed suicide, New Order then went on to be one of the biggest bands in the world, arguably outstripping Joy Division. What Joy Division were able to do however (for these purposes, Joy Division = with Ian Curtis, New Order = without) was combine the sparse guitar, metronomic, endless drumming and bone-rattling bass with a wonderfully awkward singer of someone who clearly had more on his mind.
While debut album Unknown Pleasures had this in spades, Closer's message couldn't have been more clear (with hindsight) than if he'd pulled out a razorblade in front of the rest of the band and went to town on his wrists. Written at a time when things in Curtis' life were reaching a point so intense no-one should ever have to deal with, the words completely mirror his feelings, and offer a frightening insight into his mind. There's not a song which doesn't touch on his life and the problems in it, and only Joy Division could provide the musical backdrop which made the album so powerful and hard-hitting. Opener Atrocity Exhibition starts with a haunting view of what the pressure of fame can do to you, and from there Closer covers all the bases. You have depression, the issues with him cheating on his wife, battles with epilepsy and a generally bleak view on life. And despite the dark subject matter, Closer manages to be something close to a perfect album, and one of the most beautiful pieces of art ever commited to record.
In terms of a progression for the band, Closer is immense. It sounds more grown-up than Unknown Pleasures. the addition of synths give the band an extra dimension and help the songs sound more haunting. That they could go from UP to Closer in a year is astounding, most bands today take 5 years to come close to such a leap forward. The most prevalent example of the synths is in closing track Decades, which is possibly the darkest song on the album, but still has an outro that you could listen to endlessly. Other songs like Colony and Twenty Four Hours however hark back to the days where Joy Division sounded like they were playing as if their lives depended on it, and these tracks don't sound out of place at all.
Closer is an album that is over 30 years old. Joy Division is a band that ended over 30 years ago. Ian Curtis is a musical genius who died over 30 years ago. Let not the amount of time or the automatic hero-worship points that suicide committing musicians get attributed, Joy Division are one of the 5 most important bands in musical history, and Close is the perfect example why.
==================================
Next week, Night Work by Scissor Sisters
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