Jesus was a black man, wait, I thought he was bat man.. no..

..that was Bruce Waaaaaaaaaaaayne.

Not actually hear to talk about Black Grape (but them and Dreadzone are all I remember of my youth in music) but thinking of guilty pleasures; totally retracting all previous statements about Bloc Party.  Properly listening to Intimacy after nearly a year of sulking/mourning the ‘Silent Alarm’ days and fuck! me, when you approach it as an album and not a Bloc Party album its actually doing a rather fine service to the tech-oriented side of alternative music.  ‘Ares’ and ‘One Month Off’ are as ballsy as ‘Helicopter’ and ‘Signs’ was practically a tear jerker – but I’m blaming my now overthrown conjunctivitis for that slip of emotion.   I’d recommend checking out the Armand Van Helden remix, it’s radical in comparison; but perhaps fits with the album better…

 Bloc Party – Signs (AVH remix)

Anyway, you’ve all heard of Bloc Party, you might not know much about Animal Collective and you really fucking should.  Latest release ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ is the best 2009 album I’ve heard so far, and should I spend my summer lying in grass, looking at clouds and.. drinking.. (fingers-crossed) it will be this album I’m at the very least singing to myself.  But it’s making me contemplate purchasing a boombox for such situations.  I’ve been annoying everyone in Hull with the chorus for ‘My Girls’ (which Ruby Isle do a great remix of..) but it’s really all about the summery bliss of opener ‘In The Flowers’ and total favourite ‘Summertime Clothes’ which both benefit magnificently from beautifully romantic lyrics, one of distant love, one of new love, but love none the less.

Tomorrow Japandroids release Post-Nothing on 12″ only – buy it whether you have a record player or not.  It’s easy to say it because there a twosome but there like what Death From Above 1979 would sound like had Sebastian Grainger not gone and joined a country-rock band. 

Japandroids – Heart Sweats

In totally none important to the rest of you news it’s two of my best friends birthdays today:  Kashif ‘Missing in action’ Nazir is gonna be the big 2-0, *claps* and Gareth ‘Satsumas and pears’ Thomas is 21 and soon to be violently drunk.  Congrats to both of you, so much love is in my heart for the pair of you that I may well vomit up some of it.

Sorry about that, au revoir..

Alex.

Passover.

Born in December, died in April; a more generous saviour would of timed his existence better to compliment British summertime.  But anyway, merry chocolate everyone..

As previously mentioned, new locations have brought about a lacklustre amount of musical opportunities, so much so that in the entirety of 2009 I’ve been to one gig, in three fucking months! The one-and-only accolade falls on the shoulders of The Thermals, Oregon’s favourite lo-fi punk mastergeniuses. I was reliably informed the trio will return to these shores come summer, after touring the states to push the recently released ‘Now We Can See’ – the video for titletrack is just below and the Ruby Isle remix vid is in the blog below…

The easter holidays, like all holidays prior, have mostly seen me sitting on my moms sofa, watching daytime tv, eating pringles and wishing i had friends who wanted to go to the park. In between such monotonous moments I’ve been spending better time dwelling on of Montreal’s most recent, though almost a year old, ‘Skeletal Lampings’ and admiring it’s drift down story lane: kicking in with the joys of young love; seeing in some bad times; then some sad and confusing times; but capitulating with the epic ‘Id Engager’ – a celebration of singledom so chirpy I feel I’ve been duped.  They’ll be in London town this summer.   Here’s a fanvideo for my current favourite ‘Gallery Piece’, reference!..

Sadly in search of a better of Montreal video I’ve discovered that the awesome fabchannel.com has shut down, as far as I was aware this was the only point the dutch were allowed internet access, a great place to procrastinate the hours away.  Sorely missed (but not so sore that I didn’t notice 4 weeks ago when the closure was announced.. oops.)

Another reportable distraction from essays is the entirely more downbeat Crystal Stilts, who ring out like all my favourite goth bands cold turkey attempts (..if they were to have/need them) mistreated and empty, but still remarkable in its beauty and talent.   Their debut ‘Alight of Night’ teamed with poverty is my motive for downloading spotify.  If your lucky enough to be attending this years dot-to-dot festival, or are a Londoner, then check them out next month, for me, please.. if not; listen to this.

Crystal Stilts – Crystal Stilts

Tschus.

A return to arms…

..as for so long; mine were lost.  It wasn’t idleness. 

Now maybe it’s cupid and fate haunting me but I’m finding it hard to dodge lovers right now (not lovvers - don’t try and dodge them…)  and married ones at that, so conservatively compliant the music world has become since my last entry, maybe.  There’s Mates of State, who have been legit for 4 albums now – great stuff for polyvinyl records but rubbish for rock’n'roll, covering the married with kids angle; Handsome Furs tackling the newlyweds look – and more then handsomely might I add …

phwoar abit – and there not just visually attractive, the guitar hook of ‘I’m Confused’ screams sleaze alone (download:  Handsome Furs – I’m Confused ); not half as sexy but more recently I’ve been lulled by the Paper Cranes, who are kitscher then a box of kittens eating cupcakes with titles like ‘I’ll love you till my veins explode’ and just the general feel-good-factor of everything they do (download: The Paper Cranes – Telephone )

Anyhoo..

If you’ve never seen Art Brut, or if you have, actually even if you don’t like Art Brut now is the time to go and see them.  Not so much because new single Alcoholics Unanimous maintains there form, nor because there now taking on satan, but because there April/May tour will be avec’d by the Robocop Kraus, the only krauts that could ever make me travel to York (those bastards are making me travel to York!).  I’d of never denied 2005’s ‘They Think They Are The Robocop Kraus’ is a beast of an album, I dug it out earlier when I heard the news and I figured out where my occasional lust for curiously shaped disco started.  This is the first tour of the UK they’ve done since Tom Vek was popular, I more then advise, I command you go!

 

Roight.. covering up for the lack of recommendations for so long.. have some videos – call it my top3 of 2009 so far..

3.  Chairlift – Evident Utensil
// beautiful voice, crazy video – Kanye tried to rip it off y’know

2.  Ruby Isle – Now We Can See (Thermals cover)
// the Thermals belting new single, gone fucking nuts.. and a gorilla

1.  Handsome Furs – I’m Confused
// already mentioned, bloody sexy, no more needs saying

See you again in 6 months…

 Alex.

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Shit – like a month since I last posted on here.  It’s the Hull around me.  Innebriation and sleaze is most accessible, but interesting music is a non-entity here.  I spent an hour walking around the haphazard city centre trying to find a record store, wanted to invest in some Of Montreal, but HMV is the best choice for Hull. 

I did, at HMV, manage to pick up the new TV on The Radio album; “Dear Science”.  So far, so grandiose in the wonderful indie-soul-dance-conundrum that the band have come to be known for.  Family Tree is especially moving, and I love how it slowly fades away; immediately to be kicked in the head by the funk-fuelled Red Dress, starting:

Hey Jackboot!!!
Fuck your WAR!!
Cause I’m fat and in love
And no bombs are fallin’ on me for sure.

There playing in Manchester on November 17th, so to see them would cost me the ticket price just to get there.  I took Birmingham for granted, the big deal in hull is that the View are playing at the end of the month – the View?! 

Anyway, this was merely meant to be an apology to anyone who reads this thing that I shall probably delete the blog – due to having nothing to write about.  Shall give it a month or so, yet though.

Oh, it was also meant to be a message to James saying “ha – your 19 – what a loser!”

xx

Alex.

Scars On Broadway @ Birmingham Academy 2 – 17th Sept

The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster are undoubtedly the best live band in Britain today, provided the crowd are up for some hilariously good punk rock with some psychobilly eccentricities from front man Guy McKnight. Esther is fantastic Unfortunately as a support band the crowd weren’t at all up for Brighton’s brightest; impatient for the main act, the side project of System Of A Down’s guitarist Daron Malakian. Also as a support band; the Matchbox weren’t subject to the finest production get up and so, though playing with their customary energy and vivaciousness, were distorted and couldn’t convey fully their bizarre acid-fuelled rawwk.

Delivering classics from their debut ‘Horse Of The Dog’ like famous singles ‘Psychosis Safari’ & ‘Celebrate Your Mother’, some aces off their mostly criticisable ‘Royal Society’ including the reputable ‘Mister Mental’ and personal favourite ‘Freud’s Black Muck’ all interspersed with newer songs that have moved away from the vicious attack of their debut, edging closer to being classified as ‘Surf-punk’.  Undoubtedly this performance would have been better had the show been 80’s Matchbox’s own, but the band still thrill me like few other bands could and will forever remain solidly in my heart as one of the biggest musical influences in my life, and the loudest bands in Britain.

I didn’t actually stay for Scars On Broadway, I only went for the support and had no interest in watching a System Of A Down side-project.

 

 

 

Alex.