Posts
So my writer's block has mostly passed and to celebrate you can all have some reviews:
Live Review! Dinosaur Pile-Up at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen http://www.musosguide.com/?p=3302 (the most negative review I've written so far, but well deserved)
Crystal Antlers - EP http://www.audioscribbler.co.uk/reviews/9693
Japanther - Bumpin' Rap Tapes http://www.musosguide.com/?p=3164
Will tell the epic tale of my inability to get in to see The Irrepressibles soon, but that's your lot for now.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
The excellent Muso's Guide, who are lucky enough to count yours truly among their contributors, are apparently doing a feature on their favourite ever albums. This, naturally, got me thinking so I thought I'd compile a loose list of my favourite albums, as I've been meaning to do this for a while.
Just to be awkward, though, I decided to divide them up into three categories (yes I am that indecisive): definite favourites, probable favourites, and possible favourites. Think of it like this - if I was asked to name my 100 favourite albums the first group would be make up the albums from 1-33, the second 34-66, and the third 67-100, or something like that. It made sense to me, ok?
Anyway, enough of my tiresome rambling. Let's get this show on the road (until I comment, with albums I've forgotten about).
The Definites
At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command (possibly my favourite album ever)
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour/This Nation's Saving Grace
The Brian Eno-produced Talking Heads albums (More Songs About Buildings & Food, Fear of Music, Remain in Light)
Brian Eno & David Byrne - My Life In The Bush of Ghosts
Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians (assuming this counts)
Trans Am - Red Line
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Madonna
The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
The Probables
Oneida - The Wedding
Melvins - Houdini
Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth
The Fall - Perverted By Language (I really do love The Fall)
Life Without Buildings - Any Other City
Killing Joke - Killing Joke
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Animal Collective - Feels
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
The Hidden Cameras - The Smell of Our Own
Fugazi - The Argument
The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
Kyuss - Welcome To Sky Valley
Weezer - The Blue Album/Pinkerton
The Possibles
OMD - Architecture and Morality
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (standard hipster choice)
The Futureheads - The Futureheads
Mastodon - Leviathan
Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Wire - Pink Flag
Broadcast - Tender Buttons
The Mountain Goats - Tallahassee
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Parts & Labor - Mapmaker
Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Phew! I think that's everything. What does it say about me that I can think of roughly 40 albums more or less off the top of my head that I would consider my "favourites"?
Just to be awkward, though, I decided to divide them up into three categories (yes I am that indecisive): definite favourites, probable favourites, and possible favourites. Think of it like this - if I was asked to name my 100 favourite albums the first group would be make up the albums from 1-33, the second 34-66, and the third 67-100, or something like that. It made sense to me, ok?
Anyway, enough of my tiresome rambling. Let's get this show on the road (until I comment, with albums I've forgotten about).
The Definites
At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command (possibly my favourite album ever)
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour/This Nation's Saving Grace
The Brian Eno-produced Talking Heads albums (More Songs About Buildings & Food, Fear of Music, Remain in Light)
Brian Eno & David Byrne - My Life In The Bush of Ghosts
Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians (assuming this counts)
Trans Am - Red Line
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Madonna
The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
The Probables
Oneida - The Wedding
Melvins - Houdini
Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth
The Fall - Perverted By Language (I really do love The Fall)
Life Without Buildings - Any Other City
Killing Joke - Killing Joke
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Animal Collective - Feels
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
The Hidden Cameras - The Smell of Our Own
Fugazi - The Argument
The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
Kyuss - Welcome To Sky Valley
Weezer - The Blue Album/Pinkerton
The Possibles
OMD - Architecture and Morality
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (standard hipster choice)
The Futureheads - The Futureheads
Mastodon - Leviathan
Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Wire - Pink Flag
Broadcast - Tender Buttons
The Mountain Goats - Tallahassee
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Parts & Labor - Mapmaker
Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Phew! I think that's everything. What does it say about me that I can think of roughly 40 albums more or less off the top of my head that I would consider my "favourites"?
Friday, 13 March 2009
Reviews, News, Stews and Montagues.
I've not being doing a whole load of reviewing lately, due to being in a bit of a grump, but a couple of things have been uploaded of late.
Borderville - Short Sharp Shock http://www.musosguide.com/?p=2826
Love Is All - A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night http://www.musosguide.com/?p=2401 (First one on the page. I wrote this ages ago and didn't think it would get published but I'm quite pleased with it).
Excellently, the guy from Borderville found the review and contacted me to say thanks, ask if they could use it, and if I would like to review the album when it came out. This pleased me muchly, as he said I got what the band were all about, and I feel like I'm doing something good for Oxford music, albeit from afar.
In other news I am going to alternative music festival ATP, which has an excellent line-up (here). I also get 5 choice for another band to play, and I am fretting about not wasting my votes.
Aah, ATP is best fesitval. There's nothing quite like seeing an experimental noise band in a bingo hall at a holiday camp.
Borderville - Short Sharp Shock http://www.musosguide.com/?p=2826
Love Is All - A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night http://www.musosguide.com/?p=2401 (First one on the page. I wrote this ages ago and didn't think it would get published but I'm quite pleased with it).
Excellently, the guy from Borderville found the review and contacted me to say thanks, ask if they could use it, and if I would like to review the album when it came out. This pleased me muchly, as he said I got what the band were all about, and I feel like I'm doing something good for Oxford music, albeit from afar.
In other news I am going to alternative music festival ATP, which has an excellent line-up (here). I also get 5 choice for another band to play, and I am fretting about not wasting my votes.
Aah, ATP is best fesitval. There's nothing quite like seeing an experimental noise band in a bingo hall at a holiday camp.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Another Recent Purchases!
I felt I had not bought enough CDs recently so I splurged out (stop laughing at the back) over the last few days, buying of 5 CDs for a shade under £30. Not too shabby, eh?
From Fopp on Friday
Various Artists - Dark Was The Night. AIDS-charity benefit compilation, starring pretty much all the brightest stars of North American Indie. Has some exclusive new tracks from Arcade Fire, Decemberists etc. and also features that David Byrne/Dirty Projectors collaboration I was honking on about earlier.
The Fall - I Am Kurious, Oranj. My 10th Fall studio album. Not a classic of theirs, but it was only a £5, and I am weak. Still seems a decent enough album - like the vaguely ska title track, the muscular "Wrong Place, Right Time", and the springy "Cab It Up!".
Melvins - Stag. I'm a big fan of Melvins, and this is the third of their albums on Atlantic Records (after Houdini and Stoner Witch). Again, not one of their best but has some excellent riffing all the same.
From Oxfam Music, Today.
Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse. My 10th Sonic Youth album, no less. It's a pretty good one, with long and jam-y songs (which I can get behind).
Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse. Almost certainly won't be as good as the magnificent "Emperor Tomato Ketchup", but seems decent enough all the same. Wanted to own something by them, and it's all for charity, right?
I suspect the number of people who read this will be less than the total number of CDs I bought. Prove me wrong.
From Fopp on Friday
Various Artists - Dark Was The Night. AIDS-charity benefit compilation, starring pretty much all the brightest stars of North American Indie. Has some exclusive new tracks from Arcade Fire, Decemberists etc. and also features that David Byrne/Dirty Projectors collaboration I was honking on about earlier.
The Fall - I Am Kurious, Oranj. My 10th Fall studio album. Not a classic of theirs, but it was only a £5, and I am weak. Still seems a decent enough album - like the vaguely ska title track, the muscular "Wrong Place, Right Time", and the springy "Cab It Up!".
Melvins - Stag. I'm a big fan of Melvins, and this is the third of their albums on Atlantic Records (after Houdini and Stoner Witch). Again, not one of their best but has some excellent riffing all the same.
From Oxfam Music, Today.
Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse. My 10th Sonic Youth album, no less. It's a pretty good one, with long and jam-y songs (which I can get behind).
Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse. Almost certainly won't be as good as the magnificent "Emperor Tomato Ketchup", but seems decent enough all the same. Wanted to own something by them, and it's all for charity, right?
I suspect the number of people who read this will be less than the total number of CDs I bought. Prove me wrong.
Saturday, 7 March 2009
New Band Smell
Soooo I had my second practice/jam thing with the guy from Reading last night (Thursday).
All in all, I'd say it went very well. We were mainly working on two particular songs that he had sent me and by the end we'd got both of them pretty much worked out, and I think I came up with some pretty good ideas. He even said that I sounded more confident this time and seemed genuinely pleased with what I was playing. Best of all, it was actually fun playing, and I got to that excellent point where you feel the music, rather than consciously think about it.
On the way back to Reading station he told me that he had met about 10-15 potential bassists, but had only jammed with 3 people (myself included). He said (and I appreciated his honesty) that we were all good bassists and nice people, and that he genuinely had no idea who he would pick for the band. He did promise we'd have another practice at some point, though.
In a way I wouldn't mind too much if I don't get picked. To know that I was one of the most promising people he'd met is very pleasing, and the whole thing has been pretty confidence-boosting. I'd also feel reasonably content that I could get a pretty good project of my own going. Having said that, I think I would definitely enjoy being in the band a lot. We shall see.
All in all, I'd say it went very well. We were mainly working on two particular songs that he had sent me and by the end we'd got both of them pretty much worked out, and I think I came up with some pretty good ideas. He even said that I sounded more confident this time and seemed genuinely pleased with what I was playing. Best of all, it was actually fun playing, and I got to that excellent point where you feel the music, rather than consciously think about it.
On the way back to Reading station he told me that he had met about 10-15 potential bassists, but had only jammed with 3 people (myself included). He said (and I appreciated his honesty) that we were all good bassists and nice people, and that he genuinely had no idea who he would pick for the band. He did promise we'd have another practice at some point, though.
In a way I wouldn't mind too much if I don't get picked. To know that I was one of the most promising people he'd met is very pleasing, and the whole thing has been pretty confidence-boosting. I'd also feel reasonably content that I could get a pretty good project of my own going. Having said that, I think I would definitely enjoy being in the band a lot. We shall see.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Business As Usual
Oh wow, that last post was my 50th one. Hooray?
In other news, I have another band practice tonight. I say "band practice", it'll just be me jamming with the lead singer/guitarist again. But, I'm feeling more positive about this one, and I'm determined to throw myself into it more. It doesn't hurt that I seem to be drowning in band-joining opportunities and so should be able to play music a few times a week. I'm also, hopefully for real this time, going to try and practise every day, and actually structure the practising usefully. I do want to get my guitar skillz back to the days when I was playing nothing but Metallica songs (and hopefully a fair bit better than that, too).
Also, have another glut of reviews:
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Century of Self http://www.musosguide.com/?p=2842
Magik Markers - Balf Quarry http://www.musosguide.com/?p=2974
Mi Ami - Watersports http://www.audioscribbler.co.uk/reviews/8902
In other news, I have another band practice tonight. I say "band practice", it'll just be me jamming with the lead singer/guitarist again. But, I'm feeling more positive about this one, and I'm determined to throw myself into it more. It doesn't hurt that I seem to be drowning in band-joining opportunities and so should be able to play music a few times a week. I'm also, hopefully for real this time, going to try and practise every day, and actually structure the practising usefully. I do want to get my guitar skillz back to the days when I was playing nothing but Metallica songs (and hopefully a fair bit better than that, too).
Also, have another glut of reviews:
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Century of Self http://www.musosguide.com/?p=2842
Magik Markers - Balf Quarry http://www.musosguide.com/?p=2974
Mi Ami - Watersports http://www.audioscribbler.co.uk/reviews/8902
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Run Run Run
In other news, I have started going to the gym, so I can feel virtuous. Well done me, etc.
More interestingly, I have been asked to make a Mix CD to put on while everyone works out, as an alternative to all the terrible trance they have on usually. Now, while I love making Mix CDs, I may need some help with this one, as there are a number of restrictions. Firstly, it has to have a good beat (obviously). Secondly, it has to err very much on the side of accessible. Thirdly, and I really cannot stress this enough, the songs have to be good. I can be a bit of an opinionated prick at times, but I will try not to send too much opinionated prickery your way when you suggest things.
I've only got a couple of ideas so far ("Tiny Sticks" by ESG and "Why Are People Grudgeful?" by The Fall), but apart from those, and a vague temptation to stick some Slayer in, I'm struggling. So people of the internet, I need YOU! Help me get fitter and stronger* whilst also listening to good songs.
*Ooh Daft Punk might be a good idea.
More interestingly, I have been asked to make a Mix CD to put on while everyone works out, as an alternative to all the terrible trance they have on usually. Now, while I love making Mix CDs, I may need some help with this one, as there are a number of restrictions. Firstly, it has to have a good beat (obviously). Secondly, it has to err very much on the side of accessible. Thirdly, and I really cannot stress this enough, the songs have to be good. I can be a bit of an opinionated prick at times, but I will try not to send too much opinionated prickery your way when you suggest things.
I've only got a couple of ideas so far ("Tiny Sticks" by ESG and "Why Are People Grudgeful?" by The Fall), but apart from those, and a vague temptation to stick some Slayer in, I'm struggling. So people of the internet, I need YOU! Help me get fitter and stronger* whilst also listening to good songs.
*Ooh Daft Punk might be a good idea.
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