Give me a sign and I’d come running
November 30th, 2010
I woke up this morning to two seperate emails telling me that PJ Harvey‘s new album would be streaming on her website today. So I thought I’d do a quick update to tell you about it. However, unless I’m being particularly dim witted, I can’t find it anywhere on the site at the moment, so I therefore can’t make any comment on it. However as one of the emails came from someone at Vagrant Records, I’m pretty sure it’ll be up be up at some point today, so it’ll be worth checking back regularly.
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You were better to me than I’ve been to myself
November 28th, 2010
I’d never say I was the greatest Paul Weller fan in the world. In fact if I were to sit down and go through his back catalogue, there’d be more songs I’d hate than love. The fact is though, that as hit and miss as I find him, there’s no denying that he has knocked out more than a fair few great songs. Not to mention the fact that he’s actually far more versatile than he ever really gets credit for. There seems to be this unfair cliche that he’s a stuck in the mud exponent of ‘dad rock’. While it’s true that, for a good few years, he was the figurehead for that particular wave of lad endorsed, no frills, serious guitar music, it’s doesn’t fully ring true. For one thing, Weller’s music was always one step above the mostly forgettable bands that looked up to him. For another, that particular period of music was just one amongst a few different incarnations.
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I’m taking over
November 26th, 2010
Today’s post was going to be about yet another album that I’ve so far failed to mention this year. The plan, such as it was, was to write a little bit about Kele Okereke‘s debut solo album and tell you that my expectations for it weren’t particularly high. That the lead single ‘Tenderoni’ sounded far too much another song that I couldn’t stand and how that first impression had put me off wanting to listen to the album. I’d also planned to say something about how his interviews and press around the release hadn’t exactly endeared him to me so hadn’t bothered to listen to it. Then I was going to turn the whole thing on it’s head and tell you how, after being given a copy, I surprised myself by not only giving it a chance, but then actually really enjoying the album. That, despite a few dodgy autotune and gimmicky phone message moments, it’s grimey dance meets indie beats and bass had won me over. Chances are I’d have high highted ‘Unholy Thoughts’ and ‘Everything You Wanted’ as my standout tracks, maybe even saying that ‘Tenderoni’ had grown on me a little. I’d have probably mentioned something about the absence of any cringingly awkward lyrics that tend to blight Bloc Party albums and finished off with some smart comment about how Kele’s solo record isn’t actually that big a departure from the direction his band’s last album was taking as you might imagine. That’s what I’d planned on writing.
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What’s your new policy?
November 20th, 2010
I don’t think I’d ever really listened to No Age before this year’s ‘Everything In Between’. At most I’d heard 2, maybe 3 songs by them. And while I liked them, I can’t say it was enough to come to any major conclusions about the band. Nor does it really help me know how their latest album fits in amongst their previous output. If I were to rack my brains for any press I’d read about them previoulsy I think the most I can remember would be something about being noisy and punk. Which I guess they kind of are, depending on your definition of ‘punk’.
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No cause for alarm
November 14th, 2010
I know I’m a bit late on this one but I’m trying to catch up on a few records that I’ve listened to but not written about. So where better to start, than with Brandon Flowers and his solo record, ‘Flamingo’. Well in all honesty, I think anywhere would have been better. The problem is that I’ve not got a great deal to say about it because it’s neither particularly great, nor particularly awful. It’s merely alright. Adequate. If I were being lazy, I’d say it sounds a bit like The Killers but not quite as interesting. Or exciting.
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