Sound men at music venues have to listen to so much shit that alongside my sympathy for them I always wonder how aural torture affects their tastes. I’d say they either: Detune their standards until Jedward sound like Marvin Gaye reincarnate. Can pick a cherry from a turdy fog but are so useless at admin [...]
Portland experimental rockers Menomena have released their new album Mines. It’s absolutely spell-binding. I don’t have much to add over the excellent MusicOMH review of Mines other than this is one of my albums of the year so far. I’m a big fan of experimentalism within pop aesthetics, rather like Yeasayer’s great album Odd Blood. What Menomena [...]
One of my best friends called me whilst I was on a date to tell me Dead Confederate were playing a gig, that night in London. He knew I couldn’t go. He knew how much I love them. He also knew how pissed I would get for missing them on my doorstep. He laughed mockingly when [...]
Going to Seattle? Don’t go to the music museum. It’s shite. Do eat seafood, rent a boat with fishing rods or take a short drive past evergreen forests for a trip to Microsoft town. Other than the museum I struggle to come up with a reason why you wouldn’t visit Seattle – it’s lovely and also where Nate [...]
Student debt sucks. I finished attempting to increase my brain capacity over four years ago and am still about as close as world peace to paying it off. To avoid paying it back I may soon take the approach of the members of DOM and remove my surname from the face of the earth. Erik, [...]
Denmark is home to the worst band on the planet – Alphabeat. Maybe thats why it took me longer than usual to open Veto‘s album Crushing Digits. Damn Alphabeat. The Copenhagen 5-piece, Veto, create electronic rock driven by massive hooks, synths, bleeps and pounding beats. With Troels Abrahamsen‘s soaring vocals lushly complimenting the textured landscapes. [...]
Remember when you listened to the album that changed your life for the first time? It give you goosebumps and made you shiver like you’ve just been possessed – you maybe even wanted to cry? I haven’t had that feeling since listening to OK Computer, but Wrecking Ball by Dead Confederate certainly came close. Since [...]
My colleagues think I lie. They don’t believe I was in Casino Royale. Maybe it shows I have a problem – that despite my recent 25th I’m still just a kid. I’d hope so anyway. Kids Love Lies – and these kids also love to fuzzy guitar your ears to heaven. Praise the lord for [...]
Building the website for my opera group, operatique, was supposed to be a nice little project – but no. It took over my life. It’s not even properly finished yet. I’ve been sleeping with my html and css book for the last month. I know how to do it now, so I’ll never have to [...]
Spontaneity rocks. I read a blog post, featuring a shop, featuring a band, went to the shop, watched the band then wasted money on CDs. Damn! It costs too. At least it doesn’t waste my time. The Brute Chorus were worth it. Well worth it. These East London blues punk rockers are on the verge [...]
“Reminds me of gap year students smacking bongos trying to save the planet” was my friend’s reaction to world music. Sadly, a view echoed by many. But the world is big and music doesn’t only come from the US and the 51st State. Not even rock. BLK JKS are from Johannesburg. They rock. South African [...]
August 2007 was a long time ago, but I still have vivid memories watching Revere at the now defunct Spitz. Severely impressed, I departed expecting Revere to make it big in 2008. But, despite being lauded by the Guardian as ‘one of the best bands you’ve never heard of’, they’re still largely unknown. Despite featuring [...]
