Throw your fist in the air
February 26th, 2011
This was going to be a bit of a random post. Just three songs plucked from my iTunes with no prior thought or agenda. Yetlooking at them now, I see a couple of random links between them. Maybe coincidences is a better word. Either way, it kind of seems like my subconscious brain knows what it’s doing. Maybe I’m not so random after all. Coincidence one, they all have someone’s name in the title. From the alluring sister of Beck‘s soul pastiche, to Arrested Development‘s wordly wise hobo, to Ozomatli‘s very own turn table mastermind, each song is built around a character, whether real or imaginary. Coincidence two is the musical style. Each song, in it’s own inimitable way, brings the funk. So if you’re in the mood for getting your groove on, this is the post for you.
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In the stands the home crowd scatters
February 23rd, 2011
Another day, another cover. I’ll try not to make a habit of posting too many covers but I hope you’ll forgive me. Especially when it’s as good as this laidback gem from Yo La Tengo. Now I know this may sound like sacriledge to some people but I think I might just prefer this version to Neil Young‘s original. Should I duck for cover now?
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All the people give a happy sigh
February 21st, 2011
I’m not sure Elbow have ever rocked as hard as they do on this cover of Black Sabbath‘s ‘The Wizard’. I mean, yes the end of ‘Newborn’ gets pretty intense and ‘Grounds For Divorce’ has a certain swagger to it but neither they, nor much else in Elbow’s cannon can really be described as rocking. You’re more likely to find them serenading a gorgeous melody than whipping up a frenzied moshpit, yet they don’t exactly shy away from the big riff of this track. Guy Garvey may not have the unhinged menace of Ozzy but he still manages to bring a certain amount of force and power to the track. Not to mention some pretty nifty harmonica. The problem I’ve got is that, despite being a Midlander myself, I’ve never heard the original version so can’t really offer any kind of informed critique on whether or not they do the track any justice. All I know is that it sounds pretty good to these ears.
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Hardcore will never die but you will
February 17th, 2011
You really don’t want to know how much I want to talk about the new Radiohead album. Excited doesn’t even began to describe it. The only thing is, at this stage I don’t have anything to say about it. Well no more than anyone else and I don’t really think there needs to be another blog repeating the same few facts that everyone already knows. Lord knows the amount of frenzied speculation over the last few days has been utterly ridiculous. People latching onto the flimsiest of things and reporting them as though they were Gospel. Which spreads like wild fire until there’s more fiction than fact being discussed. The only real thing we know is that Radiohead will be launching a new album on Saturday and it is the closest thing to a musical event as you can get in the modern age. Well, if you’re a fan of Radiohead that is.
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Statues will not cry
February 16th, 2011
Just another quick post but one for a worthwhile reason. In four weeks, two friends of mine are heading off to trek across the Sahara for charity and they’re looking to raise as much money as they possibly can. So far they’ve raised nearly £2,500 and are looking to spend these last few weeks giving the fundraising a big final push. Which is where this post comes in as they’re auctioning off a one of a kind piece of music memorabilia in the shape of a storyboard for Franz Ferdinand‘s ‘Walk Away’ video signed by the band. Which I think you’ll agree is pretty special. All the money raised from the auction will go to the Cash For Kids charity, so if you’re a fan of Franz Ferdinand and want to own a unique piece of memorabilia while doing something altruistic, get bidding.
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