Neil Young - After The Goldrush
Velvet Underground - Peel Slowly and See
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Bruce Springsteen...
Great stuff. Really enjoying these at the moment. I've always regarded Springsteen with an air of suspicion. I don't know. I think it must be something to do with all the punk I bothered my ears with when I was younger - he always seemed too bloated, too mainstream. The realisation that the reason some things are mainstream just because they're awesome is both humbling and liberating.
Anyway, it turns out that pretty much every great rock band of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries owes a huge debt to The Boss.
It's kind of hard to type while punching the air with one hand.
21.11.10
5.8.10
What kind of music do you like?
Someone once said you know you're getting older when you're asked what kind of music you like, and you reply "all kinds".
It's with some embarrassment that I look back on the oldest bits of my CD collection and realise that the most diverse albums are those that weren't on Epitaph records. It had to be punk rock. It had to scream about social injustice. It had to do it all at around Mach 4. I was picky though - I couldn't abide Blink 182, Nerf Herder, Less Than Jake et al. The 'big three' for me were NOFX, Bad Religion and Rancid. I remember making a near 500 mile round trip from Aberystwyth to London to watch Bad Religion. They blew up the PA, turned up the backline and carried on. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.
SoCal punk can only take you so far. No self-respecting young punk would ever admit to preferring the new stuff, so I had to dig into the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and so on. I established a reasonable amount of old British stuff to look cool alongside my new American stuff.
This didn't last. Not long after finishing university, I was exposed to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, discovered Tom Waits pretty much for myself, acquired my Dad's collection of Dylan vinyl records (pretty much complete from his début until Saved). It went from there - the punk rock occupied the lower shelves, and a myriad of troubled singer-songwriters took priority. I played a lot of gigs myself, and listened to a lot of the bands that the bands we played with sounded like.
It all goes full circle. I'm listening to Peace and Love by The Pogues, and I suppose they have a lot of things that I really love about music rolled together in one band. I got into them because they had punky bits, and now I think they probably write as good a pop song as it's possible to write. Having said that, I was listening to Choking Victim earlier today (now there's a band that normally live on the bottom shelves...), and I think they do too.
It's good, this music thing. The genre I've started to explore most recently is hip hop. It's like listening to music for the first time again, because I'm constantly being surprised by the different styles and subgenres I'm finding. If I ever stop liking new stuff, shoot me.
It's with some embarrassment that I look back on the oldest bits of my CD collection and realise that the most diverse albums are those that weren't on Epitaph records. It had to be punk rock. It had to scream about social injustice. It had to do it all at around Mach 4. I was picky though - I couldn't abide Blink 182, Nerf Herder, Less Than Jake et al. The 'big three' for me were NOFX, Bad Religion and Rancid. I remember making a near 500 mile round trip from Aberystwyth to London to watch Bad Religion. They blew up the PA, turned up the backline and carried on. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.
SoCal punk can only take you so far. No self-respecting young punk would ever admit to preferring the new stuff, so I had to dig into the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and so on. I established a reasonable amount of old British stuff to look cool alongside my new American stuff.
This didn't last. Not long after finishing university, I was exposed to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, discovered Tom Waits pretty much for myself, acquired my Dad's collection of Dylan vinyl records (pretty much complete from his début until Saved). It went from there - the punk rock occupied the lower shelves, and a myriad of troubled singer-songwriters took priority. I played a lot of gigs myself, and listened to a lot of the bands that the bands we played with sounded like.
It all goes full circle. I'm listening to Peace and Love by The Pogues, and I suppose they have a lot of things that I really love about music rolled together in one band. I got into them because they had punky bits, and now I think they probably write as good a pop song as it's possible to write. Having said that, I was listening to Choking Victim earlier today (now there's a band that normally live on the bottom shelves...), and I think they do too.
It's good, this music thing. The genre I've started to explore most recently is hip hop. It's like listening to music for the first time again, because I'm constantly being surprised by the different styles and subgenres I'm finding. If I ever stop liking new stuff, shoot me.
31.7.10
LakeView - Songs 1-4/Songs 5-7
This was a surprise. I'd previously had the honour of sharing a stage with Steve Whittle (frontman of LakeView) in an incarnation of Heavy Fluid Addicts, and have long been an admirer of his sometimes screeching, sometimes melodious guitarwork. I'd been a big fan of Modus, and really enjoyed the garage punk of his post-HFA band, The Cities (lack of links for these and the former due to Steve being in bands that are effectively unGoogleable) and was expecting this band, combining members of both of these as well as hardcore high-fliers Elias Last Day, to be something loud.
Not that it isn't at times, but this is far, far more subtle than I imagined. Lots of arpeggios, basslines that really lead the song, and very driving drumbeats that lead into very, very tuneful slower sections.
Song 1 is called 'Flags'. I first listened to this when walking from Hi-Q on Blackpool Road to Haslam Park, and now on my sofa with a beer, but what it really wants is to be played when driving on a really good road. I recommend taking the A59 from Preston to Skipton, for example.
Song 2 is called 'Habit'. A much slower affair, and one that references driving around Lane Ends in Preston. This made me smile as I was walking past the Lane Ends pub as I heard this (it takes a while to fit two tyres if you want it doing cheap). Lots of lovely reverb on the guitar, which is almost Pink Floydy at times, and I think I can hear that Echo Park guitar pedal that was a feature of our time in HFA.
I'm going to stop numbering them now. 'Live Wires' is different. It's a funkier track. The bass steals it for me, again. Credit must be given to whoever recorded this - the separation of bottom and top ends is truly brilliant - it makes for a snappy listen, as opposed to a middley mess.
'Right On, Yeah!' is a cool name for a song, and this is the first really noisy one. The melodies are this time backed up by a frankly dirty rhythm guitar. All this stops for yet another fantastic bassline. Make no mistake - this is definitely 'last song' stuff. Would really benefit from being played at neighbour bothering volume.
Songs 5-7 pick up where 4 left off. 'A Day Out' has a nastier, distorted bass riff that underpins a more warped tune than previous. I'm guessing these were recorded at different points - there seems to have been some kind of consensus that the less straightforward stuff is the way to go.
'Trains' has some big drums. Very big drums. However, the main feature of this is that Steve is really finding his vocal feet. The Cities were a very loud band, and it was easy to shout along. Here, singing is the order of the day and there's a far greater sense of coherence and cohesion between music and lyrics.
The last song is 'Breaking Glass'. It's more of a grower than previous songs. It changes several times, and returns to the driving imagery of 'Habit'. Some soaring guitarwork towards the end, and then it stops. Almost abruptly.
So, LakeView. A rock band, certainly, but what sort of rock band? A good one, one that is hard to categorise, and one that's produced seven songs (there may be more, I just hoiked these off bandcamp) that are simultaneously diverse and accessible.
Not that it isn't at times, but this is far, far more subtle than I imagined. Lots of arpeggios, basslines that really lead the song, and very driving drumbeats that lead into very, very tuneful slower sections.
Song 1 is called 'Flags'. I first listened to this when walking from Hi-Q on Blackpool Road to Haslam Park, and now on my sofa with a beer, but what it really wants is to be played when driving on a really good road. I recommend taking the A59 from Preston to Skipton, for example.
Song 2 is called 'Habit'. A much slower affair, and one that references driving around Lane Ends in Preston. This made me smile as I was walking past the Lane Ends pub as I heard this (it takes a while to fit two tyres if you want it doing cheap). Lots of lovely reverb on the guitar, which is almost Pink Floydy at times, and I think I can hear that Echo Park guitar pedal that was a feature of our time in HFA.
I'm going to stop numbering them now. 'Live Wires' is different. It's a funkier track. The bass steals it for me, again. Credit must be given to whoever recorded this - the separation of bottom and top ends is truly brilliant - it makes for a snappy listen, as opposed to a middley mess.
'Right On, Yeah!' is a cool name for a song, and this is the first really noisy one. The melodies are this time backed up by a frankly dirty rhythm guitar. All this stops for yet another fantastic bassline. Make no mistake - this is definitely 'last song' stuff. Would really benefit from being played at neighbour bothering volume.
Songs 5-7 pick up where 4 left off. 'A Day Out' has a nastier, distorted bass riff that underpins a more warped tune than previous. I'm guessing these were recorded at different points - there seems to have been some kind of consensus that the less straightforward stuff is the way to go.
'Trains' has some big drums. Very big drums. However, the main feature of this is that Steve is really finding his vocal feet. The Cities were a very loud band, and it was easy to shout along. Here, singing is the order of the day and there's a far greater sense of coherence and cohesion between music and lyrics.
The last song is 'Breaking Glass'. It's more of a grower than previous songs. It changes several times, and returns to the driving imagery of 'Habit'. Some soaring guitarwork towards the end, and then it stops. Almost abruptly.
So, LakeView. A rock band, certainly, but what sort of rock band? A good one, one that is hard to categorise, and one that's produced seven songs (there may be more, I just hoiked these off bandcamp) that are simultaneously diverse and accessible.
Stephen James Buckley & The Feverdreamers Have Left The Building
OK, first proper post since my re-purposing of this blog.
Stephen James Buckley is one of the men behind Hello Bamboo, which would lead you to believe that he's some kind of barely-functioning sexual sadist that spends his spare time (of which he has lots) inventing new, innovative and despicable methods of pleasuring himself. As it happens, that's the drummer, but I wager Stephen isn't far behind on the sly. Anyway, this is his other band. Here, the in-jokes and knob gags are exchanged for a rather inward-looking sincerity. The humour is there, but it's very self-deprecating. Onwards.
(I should point out that, as I am listening to the e.p. and writing this review, someone on my street is sobbing uncontrollably. I hope that these events aren't connected. It's making me feel rather uncomfortable.)
... Have Left The Building kicks off with 'Behind The Moon'. A synthesized intro leads us towards a voice reminiscent of Benjamin Smoke. It's a sad song, granted, but there's something about the bells and 'ahhhh' backing vocals that are uplifting. Bittersweet.
'Fabulous Club' is a far rockier affair. Stabby rhythms and a wandering, walking bassline, tied together with a tremolo-picked lead guitar accompany a fairly vitriolic assault on the concept of cool. It's a straight-up rock and roll song; something that is nice to hear when many bands are keen to pigeonhole themselves as anything but.
'Cover Of The Rolling Stone' is a song by Dr Hook And The Medicine Show that I haven't heard, so I have to judge this on its own merits, and not as an interpretation of someone else's work. The verse is neotraditional country, in the vein of Hank III or maybe the Drive-By Truckers in their less raucous moments. There's a wonderfully atonal guitar solo, and the ending of the song is chaotic, seemingly aiming to capture a slice of studio life. Maybe. They sound like they're having fun, which is infectious.
'Behind The Moon (Reprise)' actually tops the opening track, in my opinion. Good as the vocals are, taking them away allows us to hear the fairly intricate layering of sounds. I can't quite put my finger on of what it reminds me, but it sounds a bit wintery. Which, in a crappy July, is something to look forward to.
An interesting collection of songs, possibly over-diverse for one short e.p., but is that a bad thing? It's a lot better than every song sounding like it's come from a formulaic toolkit of potential music, that's for sure. Regardless of this possible criticism, a nod has to be given to the actual sound of the record. Stephen has said that this was "[n]ot an exercise in production ProTools", and it's all the better for it. A creaky, juddering collection of songs, best-suited to being listened to while a stranger weeps in the background.
Stephen James Buckley is one of the men behind Hello Bamboo, which would lead you to believe that he's some kind of barely-functioning sexual sadist that spends his spare time (of which he has lots) inventing new, innovative and despicable methods of pleasuring himself. As it happens, that's the drummer, but I wager Stephen isn't far behind on the sly. Anyway, this is his other band. Here, the in-jokes and knob gags are exchanged for a rather inward-looking sincerity. The humour is there, but it's very self-deprecating. Onwards.
(I should point out that, as I am listening to the e.p. and writing this review, someone on my street is sobbing uncontrollably. I hope that these events aren't connected. It's making me feel rather uncomfortable.)
... Have Left The Building kicks off with 'Behind The Moon'. A synthesized intro leads us towards a voice reminiscent of Benjamin Smoke. It's a sad song, granted, but there's something about the bells and 'ahhhh' backing vocals that are uplifting. Bittersweet.
'Fabulous Club' is a far rockier affair. Stabby rhythms and a wandering, walking bassline, tied together with a tremolo-picked lead guitar accompany a fairly vitriolic assault on the concept of cool. It's a straight-up rock and roll song; something that is nice to hear when many bands are keen to pigeonhole themselves as anything but.
'Cover Of The Rolling Stone' is a song by Dr Hook And The Medicine Show that I haven't heard, so I have to judge this on its own merits, and not as an interpretation of someone else's work. The verse is neotraditional country, in the vein of Hank III or maybe the Drive-By Truckers in their less raucous moments. There's a wonderfully atonal guitar solo, and the ending of the song is chaotic, seemingly aiming to capture a slice of studio life. Maybe. They sound like they're having fun, which is infectious.
'Behind The Moon (Reprise)' actually tops the opening track, in my opinion. Good as the vocals are, taking them away allows us to hear the fairly intricate layering of sounds. I can't quite put my finger on of what it reminds me, but it sounds a bit wintery. Which, in a crappy July, is something to look forward to.
An interesting collection of songs, possibly over-diverse for one short e.p., but is that a bad thing? It's a lot better than every song sounding like it's come from a formulaic toolkit of potential music, that's for sure. Regardless of this possible criticism, a nod has to be given to the actual sound of the record. Stephen has said that this was "[n]ot an exercise in production ProTools", and it's all the better for it. A creaky, juddering collection of songs, best-suited to being listened to while a stranger weeps in the background.
30.7.10
A relaunch
I couldn't be bothered starting a new blog, so I decided to remove everything that wasn't me speaking about music, and retitle accordingly.
With a sense of purpose, I might even keep on top of this. Appearing here soon will be a review of some bits of local music I've downloaded from Bandcamp.
See you soon.
With a sense of purpose, I might even keep on top of this. Appearing here soon will be a review of some bits of local music I've downloaded from Bandcamp.
See you soon.
11.4.10
Hello Bamboo - True Bromance
I haven't listened to any local music in far, far too long. So, when my good friend Stephen asked me to listen to his "moustache rock" band's new EP, I obliged. Here's what I think. Click the link, then read what I put.
Go here and listen
OK, track by track real-time review.
'Lumberfusch' - The Bloodhound Gang are stood in the corner, trying to shake their heads disapprovingly at the lyrics, whilst crying on the inside because they've been outrocked and outcrassed.
'Brine Spine' has the best awful guitar/synth solo I've ever heard. The bits that aren't loud sound like a paedophile's mixtape.
'Olive Reed (New Year's Eve)'. If someone made Ian McKaye take loads of drugs before a Fugazi rehearsal, this would be what the music sounded like before the band kicked him out for taking drugs.
'Poop Mouth'. I'm trying not to listen to the lyrics, because the music sounds like the song should be really serious.
'Who's That Man?' My favourite bit is Micky Rourke.
Seriously though, this is actually a really awesome sounding slice of rock pie. The production is excellent, and it made me smile all the way through. Two thumbs fresh.
Go here and listen
OK, track by track real-time review.
'Lumberfusch' - The Bloodhound Gang are stood in the corner, trying to shake their heads disapprovingly at the lyrics, whilst crying on the inside because they've been outrocked and outcrassed.
'Brine Spine' has the best awful guitar/synth solo I've ever heard. The bits that aren't loud sound like a paedophile's mixtape.
'Olive Reed (New Year's Eve)'. If someone made Ian McKaye take loads of drugs before a Fugazi rehearsal, this would be what the music sounded like before the band kicked him out for taking drugs.
'Poop Mouth'. I'm trying not to listen to the lyrics, because the music sounds like the song should be really serious.
'Who's That Man?' My favourite bit is Micky Rourke.
Seriously though, this is actually a really awesome sounding slice of rock pie. The production is excellent, and it made me smile all the way through. Two thumbs fresh.
9.4.10
The Last Band Before The Internet
No excuses. I just haven't done it in a while.
That's not to say I haven't had anything to write about, because that's not true. I don't really go for the whole internet confessional/general dump of personal stuff on here, but I'm v. happy about the fact that Charlene and I got engaged. If you're of that persuasion, we'd like a set of shelves that fit in our cupboard, a winning lottery ticket and a kitten. Thanks.
Back on topic.
I said I'd write about the Lifter Puller reissues. I got hold of them a bit back, and they're really amazing, but I find it hard to say anything about them that I haven't previously said. Fact is that I owned (legally) the Soft Rock compilation and also (less legally) Fiestas + Fiascos and in those, you have just about everything you need. Their self-titled début LP is probably a place to start reviewing (or babbling like a stupid fanboy, you decide) and it's kind of not as good as their later stuff. If nothing else, it's a relief to say that instead of "it's not as good as their earlier stuff". Craig Finn's drawly vocals show little of the bitter rants and lament-filled witticisms that appear later in his lyrics, and the music leans ever so slightly towards far more stereotypical American indie, and not quite far enough towards the beautifully dystopic choppiness of their later works. The notable exception to this is the fantastic 'Star Wars Hips' and the slightly reminiscent of Sonic Youth 'Mission Veijo'. Better was to come. I'm listening to this album right now, and this reads like I'm being unfair - it's a GREAT album, but then so was Nirvana's Bleach, right?
Half Dead and Dynamite is a great name for an album, and for me this is were Lifter Puller really get going. Choppy and more bitter than bittersweet. 'Sherman City' contains my favourite rhyming couplet of all time (see previous post title), and 'Nassau Coliseum' is insidious and nasty and sounds like a hangover. As stated, I prefer this (and all their other releases) to their début and yet I can't think of that much to say about it.
The Entertainment and Arts mini-album came next, and much should be made of Tad Kubler's (later lead guitarist in The Hold Steady) taking over bass duties. Things started to growl at this point. From the 49 second opening blast of 'Plymouth Rock' to the 5-minute closer 'Let's Get Incredible', this is clearly the sound of a band hitting their collective stride. There's also a slower, creepier 'Star Wars Hips', which shows the band's new-found mastery of their sound - they don't have to go "up" to have more impact.
Fiestas + Fiascos. Definitely the end of something. Not only does fictional nightclub The Nice Nice burn down, but so does the Lifter Puller sound, in the best possible way. This completely brilliant record has their lightest, most accessible music, their choppiest, angriest stuff, and the weirdest bits. It also contains some bits of straight-up rock and roll that can't possibly have been a precursor to The Hold Steady, can they? If you only own one Lifter Puller release, please make it this one.
And that was that. There's the rarities compilation Slips Backwards which is also great. But yeah, a band that lived and died before I even heard of them. Someone once told Craig Finn that Lifter Puller was "the last band before the internet", and that's probably why they're probably way more popular now, thanks in no small measure to the continuing successes of The Hold Steady.
Speaking of whom, Heaven is Whenever is out on May 3rd. First time I've been excited about an album since Stay Positive. I'm off to see them in Manchester on June 26th. There is so much joy in what we do.
That's not to say I haven't had anything to write about, because that's not true. I don't really go for the whole internet confessional/general dump of personal stuff on here, but I'm v. happy about the fact that Charlene and I got engaged. If you're of that persuasion, we'd like a set of shelves that fit in our cupboard, a winning lottery ticket and a kitten. Thanks.
Back on topic.
I said I'd write about the Lifter Puller reissues. I got hold of them a bit back, and they're really amazing, but I find it hard to say anything about them that I haven't previously said. Fact is that I owned (legally) the Soft Rock compilation and also (less legally) Fiestas + Fiascos and in those, you have just about everything you need. Their self-titled début LP is probably a place to start reviewing (or babbling like a stupid fanboy, you decide) and it's kind of not as good as their later stuff. If nothing else, it's a relief to say that instead of "it's not as good as their earlier stuff". Craig Finn's drawly vocals show little of the bitter rants and lament-filled witticisms that appear later in his lyrics, and the music leans ever so slightly towards far more stereotypical American indie, and not quite far enough towards the beautifully dystopic choppiness of their later works. The notable exception to this is the fantastic 'Star Wars Hips' and the slightly reminiscent of Sonic Youth 'Mission Veijo'. Better was to come. I'm listening to this album right now, and this reads like I'm being unfair - it's a GREAT album, but then so was Nirvana's Bleach, right?
Half Dead and Dynamite is a great name for an album, and for me this is were Lifter Puller really get going. Choppy and more bitter than bittersweet. 'Sherman City' contains my favourite rhyming couplet of all time (see previous post title), and 'Nassau Coliseum' is insidious and nasty and sounds like a hangover. As stated, I prefer this (and all their other releases) to their début and yet I can't think of that much to say about it.
The Entertainment and Arts mini-album came next, and much should be made of Tad Kubler's (later lead guitarist in The Hold Steady) taking over bass duties. Things started to growl at this point. From the 49 second opening blast of 'Plymouth Rock' to the 5-minute closer 'Let's Get Incredible', this is clearly the sound of a band hitting their collective stride. There's also a slower, creepier 'Star Wars Hips', which shows the band's new-found mastery of their sound - they don't have to go "up" to have more impact.
Fiestas + Fiascos. Definitely the end of something. Not only does fictional nightclub The Nice Nice burn down, but so does the Lifter Puller sound, in the best possible way. This completely brilliant record has their lightest, most accessible music, their choppiest, angriest stuff, and the weirdest bits. It also contains some bits of straight-up rock and roll that can't possibly have been a precursor to The Hold Steady, can they? If you only own one Lifter Puller release, please make it this one.
And that was that. There's the rarities compilation Slips Backwards which is also great. But yeah, a band that lived and died before I even heard of them. Someone once told Craig Finn that Lifter Puller was "the last band before the internet", and that's probably why they're probably way more popular now, thanks in no small measure to the continuing successes of The Hold Steady.
Speaking of whom, Heaven is Whenever is out on May 3rd. First time I've been excited about an album since Stay Positive. I'm off to see them in Manchester on June 26th. There is so much joy in what we do.
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