Ah now its time for that second entry of my blog, the "yeh I'll get round to doing that soon" next bit.
First things first, something annoyed the heck out of me today: "Foals" have got the Balloons single out today, so instead of buying it online pre-ordered I thought that I would just pick one up from HMV on my way home, the CD, 7 inch and ltd 12 inch, all in one go, I can just carry it home with me, yeh that'll be good - I was very badly mistaken though - very stupid of me to think that a major High Street music shop would stock all formats of a local bands first full blown single release. I should have known really, that it would be too much to ask, over the past year or so I have occasionally browsed the above store and have consistently been let down by what is on offer from the racks, serious lack of new music as well as back cat of many bands, then occasional finds are always well over priced. These shops have turned their back on music retail and are well on their way out. I got the Balloons single "bundle" online earlier.
On another musical note, yeh, see what I did there - oh whatever, I am a massive fan of Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone on 6music I listen sometimes live on Sunday night when he's on but mainly on listen again at work, bury myself into some heavyduty photoshop work and zone in on the freaky beautiful sounds Mr. Maconie regales his show with, last nights was a particular humdinger. As well as reading out my email (yeh I know 'nerd!', but I will do it again), he also played the almighty "Fuckbuttons" and whats more he also had a feature on Raymond Scott, the jazz and ground breaking electronic music composer/musician, who I have been checking out lately. This along with a great playlist was a marvelous show. Check it out here
also Fuckbuttons while you're clicking.
Yeh I am loving Fuckbuttons, big time, they were definately one of this years live music highlights when they played the Cellar back in the summer, that gig was nuts, Jimmy Evil had nailed the sound as ever, and I believe Andrew and Ben had played the night before at some dump where nobody got it, in Oxford they knew they were among friends and my goodness did they put on a show.
Fuckbuttons sound is a miasma, a pulsating fog that gets into you. I like that they can't really be described by genre but simultaneously bring to mind many musical memories from down the years and theres the thing it is simultaneously so making it tricky to tell one from another, so you just go with it. The rhythm is non generic no 4-4 here, well maybe sometimes but the timings change and fluctuate and the whole thing is very human and dirty in a very lovely way.
Everyone moves, they cant help it. So looking forward to the album. Street Horrrsing, is due for release on February 11
Last week I went to one of the fine evenings put on by Permanent Vacation this time with Coo Productions at he back of the Bully, PNAK, Please and Elapse-O, I arrived as PNAK were starting and settled in to a reverie of noise and beats, live drums and a guy manhandling a collection of effects pedals, a lovely sonic attack that kept me interested wondering where they were going with it all, as I got the hang of it it would change speed and intensity, I felt at times it could have gone further more intense and dark but thats just me. I was in a fine state and got it into my head that this was something I was seeing and hearing a bit more of lately so I coined the term "Effects-core" and promptly exclaimed this to Mr Lex, I made myself laugh as I had to check myself and my mad ramblings to Lex telling him not to tell anyone (I am a funny prat though). Anyway I googled it the next day and didn't really find anything music related except for another term "Pedal-core" to describe Envy which sort of could be the same I guess but not really what I am describing.
Last time Please played Oxford I missed them so I was interested to hear them, they did not disappoint at all. A 3 piece ,2 guitars and a drummer, now I ain't going headlong into a list of who they sound like, they have an approach to music that is very much of the same ilk as say crass or a constellation band, mad unlikely structures, punk rock, post this, post that, old new, islamic/sufi, blood and guts in high school, bastard, bastard... Please
Elapse-O the local guys were next and was pleased with the way they are moving their sound forwards, more structure (a little bit), and a fuck you up driven beat that ties together the monster bass noise, the guitar (sonic) attack and the Alan Vegaesque vocals. Keep it up chaps I am very interested in where this is going. Elapse-O
There you go: Mr Axl noted somewhere or other that I hadn't mentioned music yet - have now!! and I will again …
Oh and I know I said sonic assult twice.
Monday 10 December 2007
Wednesday 28 November 2007
That blog I was going to do
So here it finally is, that blog is was going to do, and about time too.
I have always been awful at keeping any kind of written record of my life
and simultaneously always wanted to do so. As a wise man once said, I think it was Confucius but not 100% sure on that, "the longest journey begins with a single step" (sic), so here is that step being taken. Steady as I go and many more to follow.
Right what culture have I partaken in this week? Its been a sparse week due to some cashflow problems but it was hard to pass up the offer of a free screening of a new Snowboard film called "Terminal Ferocity" from my very good friend Mon B at SS20 (Cowley Road Oxford). It was a Brit snowboard overview featuring some of the best riders from the British scene, now to many of you this may sound a tad dull, well those of you who couldn't give half a toss about sliding down a mountain on an overpriced tea-tray, I accept that but as your at my blog sorry but thats how I roll sometimes (the roll comment makes me sound even more of a wanker, ah good), however the point I wish to make is this; the "Terminal Ferocity" is funny as hell, its done in a docu style in "the making of" fashion, it rips the piss out of any pretension of cool hip snowboard types, all the pro boarders involved take a verbal pasting as do the film-makers involved in shooting the action. There is tons of great action and it is so refreshingly presented in a very British way, massive piss take.
Here is their myspak
A million thanks to Mon for the beers and the dudes from Unleash The Lens who got the chinese food in.
For much of the rest of the week so far I have stayed in and listened to 6 music, not really been listened to my own music that much this week I think I'm just enjoying the shared experience of a radio show, 6 does play mostly good stuff of course and that is very important as well as the fact other people are listening too.
Also been reading the latest issue of Stool Pigeon, Foals on the cover plus Yannis interview - as well as a Young Knives interview. Stool Pigeon seems to be one of the last bastions of good music journalism, wit, originality, intelligence and knowledge combine to always make it a worthwhile read and its free!! I feel quite strongly about good music writing, I grew up reading writers like Maconie, Collins, Quantick in the inky music press of the 80's and feel I may have taken their quality of writing for granted at the time but when faced with alot of the bad writing I see online and in some of the music press I realise I had it good.
The first step has landed and my journey has begun, hope you all come along to see where it takes me.
I have always been awful at keeping any kind of written record of my life
and simultaneously always wanted to do so. As a wise man once said, I think it was Confucius but not 100% sure on that, "the longest journey begins with a single step" (sic), so here is that step being taken. Steady as I go and many more to follow.
Right what culture have I partaken in this week? Its been a sparse week due to some cashflow problems but it was hard to pass up the offer of a free screening of a new Snowboard film called "Terminal Ferocity" from my very good friend Mon B at SS20 (Cowley Road Oxford). It was a Brit snowboard overview featuring some of the best riders from the British scene, now to many of you this may sound a tad dull, well those of you who couldn't give half a toss about sliding down a mountain on an overpriced tea-tray, I accept that but as your at my blog sorry but thats how I roll sometimes (the roll comment makes me sound even more of a wanker, ah good), however the point I wish to make is this; the "Terminal Ferocity" is funny as hell, its done in a docu style in "the making of" fashion, it rips the piss out of any pretension of cool hip snowboard types, all the pro boarders involved take a verbal pasting as do the film-makers involved in shooting the action. There is tons of great action and it is so refreshingly presented in a very British way, massive piss take.
Here is their myspak
A million thanks to Mon for the beers and the dudes from Unleash The Lens who got the chinese food in.
For much of the rest of the week so far I have stayed in and listened to 6 music, not really been listened to my own music that much this week I think I'm just enjoying the shared experience of a radio show, 6 does play mostly good stuff of course and that is very important as well as the fact other people are listening too.
Also been reading the latest issue of Stool Pigeon, Foals on the cover plus Yannis interview - as well as a Young Knives interview. Stool Pigeon seems to be one of the last bastions of good music journalism, wit, originality, intelligence and knowledge combine to always make it a worthwhile read and its free!! I feel quite strongly about good music writing, I grew up reading writers like Maconie, Collins, Quantick in the inky music press of the 80's and feel I may have taken their quality of writing for granted at the time but when faced with alot of the bad writing I see online and in some of the music press I realise I had it good.
The first step has landed and my journey has begun, hope you all come along to see where it takes me.
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