Last week I was mostly listening to…
August 29th, 2011
So not only is it Monday today but it’s also the last Bank Holiday of 2011. Which means that while I am going to post my usual list of what I was listening to last week, I’m going to do it in a lazy holiday style and say no more than this. So there you go. The list is up there and the music is down there.
Filed Under Music | Show Comments Add a Comment
Know that it won’t go
August 28th, 2011
Seeing as I’ve mentioned them in the last two posts, I reckon I ought to at least say a few more words about Male Bonding and their new album ‘Endless Now‘. Especially as it’s been on fairly high rotation since I got it. So here we go. Clocking in at just 36 minutes, ‘Endless Now’ is a zippy blast of fuzzy, scuzzy rock that’s owes as much to the early 90s alt rock sound as it does to the punks of the late 70s. Yet while their page on Sub-Pop’s site describes them as noise rock, I think that’s some way off the truth. To me, that suggests an impenetrable racket where in truth, beneath the buzzsaw guitar and lo-fi production, there are some great melodies and pop hooks at play. Not to mention the fact that the vocals have a dreamlike shoe-gaze haze to them which just makes the whole thing far more palatable than anything you could describe as noise rock.
Filed Under Album Reviews, Music | No Comments Add a Comment
Last week I was mostly listening to…
August 22nd, 2011
Not much blogging done last week as you may have noticed. I was a little busy with work and planning a 30th birthday so time got away from me I’m afraid. Still, as you can see by the above, there was plenty of time for listening to music. Once again, it’s quite an even spread of artists with no-one really dominating my ears. Quite a varied selection as well I think. A good bit of Florence, Otis and Sparklehorse, not to mention Male Bonding whose album continues to impress. Also fast becoming one of my new favourite discoveries are Veronica Falls, who I urge you to go listen to, especially if you like British indie with post punk leanings. So yeah, that was last week and as ever, if you make the jump, you’ll find a few live session tracks from some of those bands.
Filed Under Music | No Comments Add a Comment
Last week I was mostly listening to…
August 15th, 2011
So that was last week. Not exactly music to riot to. More like music to observe a riot to. After all, I can’t exactly see Low being a band capable of inciting social unrest. Far too gentle and reserved for those sorts of shenanigans. Anyway, in terms of new music, last week saw a rather great new record from Male Bonding which I can see getting more listens over the coming weeks. Initial thoughts are that it’s a kind of shoe-gaze meets baggy meets alt-rock kind of vibe going on. While I’m sure further listening will enable me to give a better description of it than that, let’s just say that it’s definitely an album worth checking out. In the meantime, if you make the jump, you’ll find a few session tracks from some of last weeks most listened to artists. Enjoy!
Filed Under Music | Show Comments Add a Comment
Walk ’till it gets light
August 14th, 2011
So I guess it would be somewhat remiss of me not to mention the events of the last week. After all, it’s not every week that you get riots in your hometown. Before I begin however, I should point out that the words I’m about to write are purely about the events in Birmingham and Wolverhampton and not London. I think the distinction needs to be made because I think there is an argument to be made that could justify the events in London. Or at least the initial breakout of trouble there. Undoubtedly, the shooting of Mark Duggen was the catalyst for the unrest in London. It was the spark that finally ignited the trouble that broke out and while I’m not going to condone anyone’s actions, I think it would be ridiculous not to acknowledge that there was a definite cause to the problems. What I am not going to do however is suggest that the trouble in Birmingham and Wolverhampton had anything to do with that. I’m loathed to actually label the events in the Midlands as riots because to me, riots generally have a purpose. Riots are a form of protest. Riots are fuelled by frustration, oppression and anger at systems and regimes that seek to hold people back. Let’s make one thing clear, what happened in Birmingham and Wolverhampton was not rioting. It was opportunist looting and trouble making. Simple as that. It was people who had seen the looting in London and wanted in on it. There was no purpose, no protesting and no justification for it.
Filed Under Music | No Comments Add a Comment