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(fly away) Moving [01 Mar 2005|04:41pm] [ mood | artistic ] [ music | Hell is for Heroes- Quiet Riot ] As of today I am relocating! For future updates, please go Here! Thank you very much!

(2 falling feathers | fly away) I ARE PUBLISH'D [28 Feb 2005|04:01am] [ mood | chipper ] [ music | Ted Leo + Pharmacists - Me and Mia ] To showcase it for posterity, here's the single reviews I'm submitting for the Leeds Student paper tonight: Another product of the burgeoning Northern post-punk scene, The KBC come from the school that Gang of Four helped build back in the 70's. Sadly, debut 'Trippin' (High Voltage Sounds) wears its influences a little too obviously and fails to pack the punch of comrades Maximo Park. Danceable, but unspectacular. 'Foolish' (Wild) is the second cut from Tyler James' debut album, presenting another slice of R&B from this hotly-tipped singer. Drawing influences from jazz and salsa to create a real groove through which Tyler's soulful voice threads to great effect, this is a fun and undeniably populist track that showcases a strong talent. K-os is back again to inject a bit of laid-back cheer into hip-hop. Single 'Crabbuckit' (Virgin) incorporates a classic combination of bass stabs and piano with gospel hand claps and the occasional horn solo to propel the laid-back rhymes into your brain. Refreshingly joyous and relaxed, this guy makes it sound easy. Entitled 'The Day It All Went Wrong (EMI), one might expect the song to be something of a downer. However, Gisli crafts a bouncing, rollicking blend of acoustic guitar and pop choruses that treats the end of a relationship with humour and versatility, sidestepping cliché and delivering an insidiously catchy track. 'Club Foot' is the third single lifted from Kasabian's (?) eponymous debut album, and if you aren't convinced in their favour by now, this won't change anything. Another loose-limbed floor-filler firmly in the mode of previous releases, their Stone Roses-flavoured beats push them ever onwards. --- Thoughts? Thanks to Kaz ME GO SLEEP NOW!

(fly away) HEPY BURTHDAE!!!1!ELEVEN [27 Feb 2005|04:18pm] [ mood | happy ] [ music | Animal Collective - Sweet Road ] Today Miss Lizie Robinson is 20! Happy Birthday Miss Lizie Robinson! She is my awesomest, and deserves loveliness!

(fly away) Catching Up [26 Feb 2005|06:17pm] [ mood | calm ] [ music | Hem - Betting On Trains ] Just a few short 'n' sweet (in theory) gig reviews from the past few weeks... ----- From way back on February 1st: Tonight is all about the underground. 4 bands of little repute playing on a small stage at one end of a bar crowded primarily with friends rather than fans. Local lads The Forge are obviously just starting out, not even yet out of school. They play a mix of covers and their own songs, including The Used's 'Taste of Ink' and lostprophet's 'Start Something'. Not that I expected much but they were pretty terrible, the massacre of my favourite 'prophets's song being a particular torment. Whether they'll make it past a few more shows will be unlikely, but I doubt I'll ever find out. Second band on are The Ending Of... from Manchester, and their jangly indie pop, while generally average, is like a breath of fresh air. The clarity especially is vastly improved, allowing the crowd to *gasp* distinguish notes! Evidently another small band but with a slightly more together air, they seem like they're doing this because they really want to and good luck to them. Next up are Sparks Lights and Flames who I last saw support Jeniferever. The band are little changed, spouting random banter and pummeling the awkward crowd with slabs of technical hardcore. While they fail to impress me as much as before they still put on a solid set that the crowd eventually come round to. The crowd has sadly thinned somewhat by the time headliners Three Movements take to the stage. The 6 or so members and their manifold equipment seem so quiet, so apart from the rest of the room that I can't help but look forward to their set. I'd listened to their debut release and it's epic post-rock work impressed me mightily, especially the singer's voice. I was not let down in the least, rolling waves of sound crashing down on the room underpinned by electronic samples and overlaid with that voice. It's even more beautiful live, his delivery enhanced by his body's un-self-conscious shifting in time with the music. Simply put I'm blown away. The band air a new song featuring more prevalent electronic drums and co-vocal duties in a more hardcore style which, incongruous as it might seem, worked quite well. Whether this signals a whole new sound or simply a refinement remains to be seen. Hopefully, they'll come around again soon... please? ---- From a week ago: Tonight's lavish setting is the Leeds City Varieties, an old-time music hall style establishment. As one may guess, this is not gonna be about the mosh. No, tonight sees three acts united under the banner of 'Twisted Folk'. Opener Jackie Leven represents a traditional, albeit English, take on the genre. He sings about life in England, heartache and loss, just a man and his guitar. His superb vocal control and skill with his instrument make what would otherwise be fairly cliche music utterly compelling. He is a genial entertainer and gets a good reception. Of particular note was the way he often included short tapped sections on the body of his acoustic using his knuckles that added a neat twist to what would otherwise be unrelieved strumming. While I might never buy a CD of his, he proved how spellbinding simplicity can be. The next support band were the reason for my attendance. Called Hem, they have been described as 'chamber folk' by some critics in the sense that they are a larger-than usual group of musicians (about six or so) who play music to entertain themselves. In no way is the indulgent though as their folk songs are constructs of beautiful melodies and a wide array of instrumentation. Key to their sound and appeal is the singer Sally Ellyson whose voice, as I've mentioned before, possesses the kind of sweetness and grace that one could imagine her singing children into a slumber. Indeed, tonight's set opens with her singing along an old American lullaby that drifts seamlessly into their first song. Against a backdrop of star-lights they unfold a selection of songs from new album 'Eveningland' which demonstrate a wonderful progression from their first album 'Rabbit Songs'. Nonetheless, the highlights are the early works, achingly sweet songs like 'Half Acre' and 'Stupid Mouth Shut' that conjure images of rolling prairies and days gone by. The band are on fine form, switching instruments occasionally to keep things fresh and plainly loving what they do (this commitment was echoed in their formation, the main members of the band actually selling off their own possessions to finance the recording of 'Rabbit Songs'). They receive deservedly rapturous applause and we are all left wanting more, so fingers crossed our wishes will be fulfilled soon. Headliners The Earlies are in all honestly not really folk... well, not entirely. Their folk is truly twisted, this band of 10 men and women having introduced elements of samples, electronics, post-rock, prog and rock. Indeed each song is epic, spanning well over the norm of 3 or 4 minutes, and embracing a variety of musical styles. While generally downbeat, songs like 'Wayward Song' are by no means slouches. The band deliver an entertaining and enlightening set, soaked with good humour. Playing to an evidently friendly crowd they respond in kind, jovial and relaxed. I am left intrigued and hopefully this will not be the last I hear of them. ----- One more to go, but I've got another gig to go to now. See y'all later...

(2 falling feathers | fly away) Resolutions Revisited [21 Feb 2005|05:28pm] [ mood | accomplished ] [ music | The Arcade Fire - Wake Up ] Following a wonderful chat with my parents during my trip home the other week, I have resolved to retake control of my life and actually do all the things I intend and so get out of my rut. That's the theory, and the only way to prove it is to experiment, so let's take stock. - Learn to drive: Mum is booking me into an intensive week-long session which should hopefully see me done and dusted in the first few weeks of the summer holiday. - Start going to the gym again regularly: Calling Dan tonight and gonna fix a couple of set times each week we can be sure of going for an hour or two. - Do Uni work on time and in advance: I have a tutorial tomorrow. Gonna pick up a book tonight and read up for it, as well as note all key dates for this semester and post them on my wall. - Get a job you lazy bastard: When in Uni tomorrow I will head down to the job shop and take a gander at what is on offer. - Take up Aikido: Session tomorrow, 6-8. Gonna go and take a look at this too. - Join the Indie and Chinese Societies and go out to society meetings more: Not much progress here, will see how it fits in with the rest of my schedule. - Do my job as part of the Rock Society: First, find out what I have to do. That's the first step. - Learn to play guitar (that I've had for a year): Setting aside one hour a day to work on it, and keep it by my desk so I can play around whenever I have free time. - Read more a.k.a. Get some culture you heathen pleb!: In progress, running through Lizie's books that she lent me. - Stop watching the floor, it's not going anywhere: Trying... this one is really hard... - Become aware so that when talking to girls one doesn't HURL oneself down the path of platonic friendship: Need advice in this regard, I reckon :) - Furthermore, get into a stable, plausible, long-term romantic relationship: I'm not gonna plan this, I'll just let things happen. - Talk to old friends more: Been doing this. - Stop sitting in front of the computer all the time: Again, tricky. The fulfillment of other tasks should automatically address this. - Realise that food IS more important than gig tickets a.k.a. learn to prioritise when it comes to spending: I am budgeting better now, yes. - Learn self-control and discipline: Tied in to all the above, and mainly with daily exercise which I have been doing. So yes, PLAN FOR ACTION! Woo! And in 30 minutes I'm going to the meeting for the student paper about writing gig reports and CD reviews, so that's another step. Woohoo!

(1 falling feather | fly away) Sock-rockin' Beats [18 Feb 2005|11:42pm] [ mood | happy ] [ music | Mindy Smith - Come to Jesus ] A short summary of my evening: Hello! Polka-dots. Synchronised arm movements. Gameboys. Scotch eggs. Bouncing. Ukulele. Bubbles. Goodnight! Need I say more? Oh, I do? Ok then... The first act of the evening are The Pipettes. As you can perhaps extrapolate from their name, they're retro. Waaaaaay retro. Think back, back in the mists of time... Middle Ages!? No! Too far! That's right, the 50's! A wallpaper backing band introduce three lovely ladies in colour coordinated polka-dot dresses. Each is cute, yet distinct. They do hand movements, they sing conversations about boys and love and school and sometimes all 3. They bop, and dance, and clap, and smile. They're lovely. Utterly inane pop music from another age, but perfectly enjoyable and sugary sweet. Delicious. Also must have some backing of some kind, because two ma-hoosive camera's were set-up and apparently it was being broadcast live on the 'inter-web'! Fancy! Retro! Whoulda thunk? After an interminable sound-check and set-up process, we await the Go! Team's entrance... but first, an oriental guy in a cap and hoody (with a stuffed toy duck sticking out the top) is coming on stage, he plugs in a gameboy... 'Ba-ding!' that sound familiar to young adults everywhere resounds and a mighty cheer rises up. He fiddles a bit and a thumping beat kicks in. He asks us 'Louder?', we shout 'Yeah'! He asks us "Do you want it louder?', we yell 'YES'!. And the beat climbs and pounds in to our ears like a jackhammer. People laugh, and smile, and nod along to the thudding bass. And then... he goes apeshit. He's screaming words, barely intelligible, into his mike and dancing across the stage like we're not even here. He rants and snarls and shouts, sometimes switching to a small megaphone or hurling abuse at his cuddly toy companion. He even force-feeds it beer. Meanwhile, the crowd has been struck dumb. Some people laugh, some stand amazed and some just dance like mo-fos. I'm definitely part of the first and last crowds, a shot of pure adrenaline having accompanied the beginning of his tirade. After a while he pauses and begins the next track through some fiddling on his gameboys. He looks at us all again and says 'Do you like KFC? KFC? KFC? YOU LIKE KFC?' And again he slams into full flow, the song seemingly solely to consist of vitriol against, well... KFC. As the song builds to it's peak, he ducks behind his beer crate platform and rises... He's got Scotch Eggs! He scowls and yells 'YOU WANT A FUCKING SCOTCH EGG? HOW ABOUT YOU? AND YOU!', at the same time hurling handfuls of them into the crowd at random while the computer-noise mash-up shakes the stage. People duck and dive before he runs out of ammo and simply walks off stage. All in all, he was on for 10 minutes, and his barrage of Noise left me stunned. Absolutely mental, and brilliant with it. Later found out that his name is, funnily enough, DJ Scotch Egg a.k.a. The Artist formerly known as DJ KFC. Sweet. Oooh, album coming soon... Moments later, our headline heroes The Go! Team enter stage right, sans singer. They slip into opener 'Junior Kickstart' and, despite a bit of technical difficulty with the drums, they get the crowd moving and grooving from the off. Second song sees singer 'Swinging Ninja' burst on in full MC mode, getting the crowd hyped with a bit of banter and sass. After this they run through a fine, fine selection of cuts from their debut album 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike'. Even slow number 'Everyone is a VIP to Someone' get's an airing, with it's sexy ukulele intro. The set is constructed perfectly, flowing and building through their hit songs like 'Panther Dash', 'The Power Is On', 'Bottle Rocket' and the sublime 'Huddle Formation'. The songs become beautifully lively live, upping the energy that was already excellent on record. The vocals are more common thankfully, albeit the venue results in their getting lost in the mix at times. But when the grooves are as clear and energetic as this, that doesn't matter. People sing along, wave their hands in time, dance and generally have a freakin' awesome time. Set closer 'Ladytron' blows the crowd away, masses of people beginning to bounce and throw away all sense of decorum. As our hosts unleash a wave of bubbles from a pistol over our heads, it feels like you're 5 again, dancing to simple tunes with a big dumb grin on your face. It's beautiful. A moment's rest and the band return to the stage for a new song that is, as yet, untitled. It's a belter, easily the best thing they've done so far, and suggests a bright future for this Brighton band. As the booty-shakin' and groove-makin' comes to a close, the audience are left tired but happy. And that's what counts, no? Basically, best £7 I've ever spent. Amazing gig and would love to see them again soon. Now if they could support !!! and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's... that would be awesome. GO! NOW!

(1 falling feather | fly away) Suckitude [13 Feb 2005|03:31pm] [ mood | sick ] [ music | None ] This sucks... I came home this weekend, and it's been nice to see everyone and all, but now it seems I won't be going back to Leeds for a couple more days as I've come down with Mumps... My glands are swollen, headaches, backache, pain when chewing, dehydration, fever, disorientation... It's all here folks. Worst thing is I'm gonna miss tonight's LCD Soundsystem gig, something I'd really been looking forward to. Guess I'll have to try and wangle it to see them another time... Ah well, at least I can play World of Warcraft while I recover. Blech

(fly away) Ha. Ha. Ha. [10 Feb 2005|05:55am] [ mood | tired ] [ music | A Silver Mount Zion - Built Then Burnt (Hurrah! Hurrah!) ] ( Story of my Life )

(3 falling feathers | fly away) ... [10 Feb 2005|04:31am] [ mood | frustrated ] [ music | Marvin Gaye - If I Should Die Tonight ] Gnahhh... That is the sound of my sleeping patterns dying after the hell they've put up with over the past month or so (damn, have I only been back a month?). Hopefully, I can resuscitate them sometime soon, possibly aided by a few days at home sans computer. As I have to get up in... 6 hours, it may be a bit late to hope for coherency tomorrow. I like sleeping, I just don't like going to sleep. So many things I could be doing, even if I never actually do them anyway... Things to do: Look for a job Do reading for my tutorial Order posters Order that other thing Burn CDs Make a mix CD Exercise - 30 push-ups, 30 sit-ups/crunches every day Shave Do laundry GO OUTSIDE Sleep Wake up Eat Buy Kerrang (if it's worth it) Start thinking again. Today I wrote 'More Stupid'. This is not a good sign. Continue reading 1984 Take vitamins Take Benylin (ahh, the joys of having THE PLAGUE) Buy birthday card for my niece Get film developed Get out of my rut Be happy Largely accomplishable goals I feel. Will be nice to go home on Friday, have a nice shower and some very good food (we're going out for Chinese on Saturday night). And of course, seeing my immediate family and seeing my niece as she will be 2 years and 2 days old. In other news, I have sworn off all illicit substances, including Mary-Jane, because it isn't actually worth it. Alcohol will be my concession, and even then I will not over-indulge. I have to start shaping myself into the person I want to be, the person she deserves. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. ... Oh wait, no. TODAY is the first day of the rest of my life. Damn nocturnal behaviour...

(fly away) Truth [09 Feb 2005|05:15pm] [ mood | awake ] [ music | Jimmy Eat World - Get It Faster ]

(3 falling feathers | fly away) Gig Posters of Fantabulous Beauty [08 Feb 2005|09:46pm] [ mood | accomplished ] [ music | Enon - Shoulder ] Folks, I need your help. Help me decide on which of these fine posters to secure, as there are rather a lot and my bank budget is tight enough as it is... Just give an opinion on each one, and I'll take it on board when I decide. I may get some at a later date, if I can... Retro simplicity in the name of Enon This one I am buying no matter what, for it is The Arcade Fire Visual wordplay in this twin-set for The Hives Classic necro-imagery with an indie/emo twist in this offering from Death Cab For Cutie Another must-buy, psychadelic intensity from original garage-rockers MC5 Appropriately whimsical madness from Animal Collective It's a Hitchcock moment with The Blood Brothers A stunning German offering in the name of electronica merchants Air And another must-have, oddly oriental-toned riverside beauty for Iron & Wine Modern cartoon style for yelping rockers Kings of Leon Mind-blowing excellence by the same artist, this time for My Morning Jacket Domestic elegance in the name of post-rock heroes Mogwai *UPDATE* Ominous-ness for alt-country indie kids Wilco *UPDATE* Emo, yet lovely, from Jimmy Eat World So yes, finally a source for good quality posters for bands I really like! And they look cool too. Comments, if you please... *UPDATE* Getting close to a decision based on funds (although I'm still spending money I don't actually have, but offset against potential earnings and based on their future worth...) and personal appeal. Here's the current shortlist (with others to be purchased another time if possible). - The Arcade Fire - MC5 - Iron & Wine Then either Kings of Leon or Jimmy Eat World... Love both, but edging for the former as it's a bit different stylistically and, from the comments left, looks really nice in reality. ARGH! DAMN YOU INTERNET!

(fly away) More lyrics... [07 Feb 2005|11:18pm] [ mood | amused ] [ music | Death From Above 1979 - Black History Month ] ( Blood On Our Hands by Death From Above 1979 )

(2 falling feathers | fly away) For your perusal... [07 Feb 2005|01:51am] [ mood | cheerful ] [ music | Sketchie - Loner Lay Blue ] Here are a wide range of T-shirts I am looking into getting. Comment, if you will... Pixilated goodness in the form of 'iPod' and 'Rocker' shirts... ...or in 'Emo/Emoticon' and 'Mix Tape' flavours Waaaaay down the bottom, the sexy airplane shirt from my favourite webcomic Again down below, the classic black '...cold dead earth' T-shirt Skull Panda loves Kitties. Yes, he does. Look! Taxi Drivers! Run Sumo run! Awww.... So emo SARS chic? I liked him before he was famous If it ain't red, it ain't worth it I so wish this was a girly-fit tee, so Lizie could wear it... I loves me my T-shirts. Yes. Also want to get some form of customised Neighbourhoodies zip-up hoody, but that will wait while I conceptualise, y'know?

(fly away) Drum 'n' Bass [04 Feb 2005|11:30pm] [ mood | satisfied ] [ music | The Fever - Bridge & Tunnel ] Tonight was gig night, again. Come with me, weary reader, as we gown the rabbit hole... Openers Controller.Controller kicked things off, draped in red light and (in the drummer's case) a red rubber wrestling mask. They impressed me mightily, getting my foot a-tapping and my head a-nodding with a bevy of rock songs with a spooky twist that inexplicably put me in mind of the B-52's. They had stomp, they had thump and they rocked. If I were a journo I'd call them spook-rock, but that sounds retarded. Let's just say they mixed powerful, insistent bass lines with twisted guitar and delicious vocals. An awesome way to kick off the night. Go here for sexy samples and blinding redness! Follow up were The Fever, a band in a very similar vein but slightly more... varied? They didn't leave as much of an impact on me, although they were also good. Their singer was higher, more yelping, while they mixed in some keyboards and such. Not much else to say really... Quirky designs ahoy! And lastly, Toronto duo Death From Above 1979. A drummer and a bassist, they strip rock down to it's bare bones and tonight's sold-out room was an indication of their popularity, even though their record isn't out for nearly 4 weeks! The drumkit's an inch from the stage front, the bassist has a keyboard next to him, and off they go... By the second song the front rows are going wild, people (myself included) hurling themselves around with blind abandon. It's like the films one sees of the early rock shows, where people just went with the rhythm and didn't care how they looked. My foot's stomping in time and my head is shipping back and forth like I'm possessed, and it's great. They plough through song after song at a blistering pace, pausing only to say a few words here and there, mentioning that we're the biggest crowd they've ever had for a first-time-in-town show. Woohoo! Then they rip up 'Pull Out' at what I swear is twice the original speed and leave me rockin' and reelin'. By the end I'm drenched in sweat and my balance is haphazard at best, the veterans from the front-lines insensible and dazed, but God were they good! And, so they say, they'll be back in May! Rock rock on! Pink Elephants?

(fly away) CURSES! [03 Feb 2005|01:06am] [ mood | aggravated ] [ music | Gang of Four - Ether ] WHY GOD WHY!? Oh The Arcade Fire, with your heartfelt songs of sublime beauty, why must you taunt me so!? Playing London March 8th, now sold out. Playing London March 17th... But it's a Thursday! And I have a gig in Leeds on the 18th! And Uni doesn't finish till the following day! ARGGGHHHHH! Do a national tour, pleeeeeeease! And make sure I get a ticket, wherever it may be! Pleeeeeeeease! They're really very good.

(fly away) Where the stars don't mean anything [02 Feb 2005|04:51am] [ mood | happy ] [ music | My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow ] God, there is gold hidden deep in the ground God, there's a hangman that wants to come around How we rise when we're born Like the ravens in the corn On their wings, on our knees Crawling careless from the sea God give us love in the time that we have God, there're guns growing out of our bones God, every road takes us farther from home All these men that you made How we wither in the shade Of your trees, on your wings We are carried to the sea God give us love in the time that we have Iron & Wine - On Your Wings

(1 falling feather | fly away) Dear Autumn [26 Jan 2005|12:41pm] [ mood | listless ] [ music | 65daysofstatic - Default This ] My return to University heralds a return to rampant gig-going, and so I present the 2nd gig report of the year. It all took place 3 days ago when Hannah and I went to the Cockpit... Judging by the fact that they're all carrying instruments and staring at the stage, best guess is that support band The Autumns have arrived in the building. Scrambling onto the stage they precede to unpack and assemble the various bits and pieces that make up their gear, delayed slightly by monitor troubles. As the almost empty room begins to fill steadily (throughout the night, as it would turn out), they gently let loose the first chords of the night... Actually, that's a bit misleading. What actually happens is that they lure us in with a gentle intro and then bludgeon us over the head with a mass of rolling chords reminiscent of Antenna-era Cave In before seducing us further with their secret weapon, the big-haired vocalist. His voice soars high into our ears, his control in threading emotion into his words compelling. For lazy reference and in lieu of actual audio samples, imagine the offspring of a union betwixt departed soloist Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Melodic by virtue of clarity and heavy by virtue of volume, they were a definite pleaser and a refreshingly different opener in comparison to the other residents of the bill tonight. Visit The Autumns for some samples Next up were New Yorkers Ambulance Ltd. Their shtick was a far more laid back affair than their predecessors, demonstrating a quite nice brand of indie-pop with a bit of rock thrown in. The key word here is 'nice', the kind of band that could slot in harmlessly next to a collection containing Snow patrol, Interpol, Travis, Coldplay or any of the more recent crop of Indie bands. However it was certainly listenable and got some heads nodding, although sadly their best song, an instrumental progressive (almost post-rock-esque) number was not representative of their set. Good show, nonetheless Visit Ambulance Ltd at their site of beauty And so we come, as always, to our headliners The Dears. After much fiddling with keyboards and leads and other technical paraphernalia we are blessed with the sight of six plucky Canucks, four men and two women. They trade glances and lead into their opener, a strange and wandering, almost jam-like piece without vocals that I'd never heard before. It seems to confuse the crowd, drenched as it is in feedback and howling guitars, a far cry from the usual. However, any camaraderie lost between them and the crowd is soon restored as they proceed to unleash numerous songs from their recent LP 'No Cities Left'. Highlights are personal faves 'We Can Have It' with it's closing, growing chorus and 'Who Are You, Defenders of the Universe?''s plaintive expression of hope and loss. The songs are more vibrant and fluid live, the members (particularly the vocalist) getting absorbed in their performances and wringing every note from their instruments. The sound is reminiscent of the Smiths, but at the same time unique, Lightburn's voice melodic and strangely British-accented. The band play sublimely and the reception from the crowd is grateful if not active. Single 'Lost in the Plot' receives resounding approval and before we know it the set is over and the members are making their goodbyes. Hopefully this Canadian crew will receive the attention they deserve and return soon for a longer set! Visit The Dears for an exercise in bleak minimalism HTML-style All-in-all, another pleasant evening of music with one excellent band, one very good and one rather average. Next up, 65daysofstatic! ----- What's that you say? Tim Burton doing another animated movie in the vein of Nightmare Before Christmas? With the trailer available here? It's truly true!

(fly away) More lyrics [23 Jan 2005|02:58am] Blood Brothers - Ambulance vs. Ambulance ( Read more... )

(fly away) The Commodification of Emotion [23 Jan 2005|02:39am] [ mood | contemplative ] [ music | The Arcade Fire - In the Back Seat ] One of the more pervasive of recent teenage phenomena over the last few years has been the massive popularity of Emo. Or at least, what falls under the label of Emo these days. Screamo, emotional hardcore, there are numerous names for the genre and what may well be it's subdivisions. From hardcore-inspired breakdowns and pseudo-metal all the way to acoustic or folk groups like Dashboard Confessional, the genre seems to unite under a single idea, the rampant expression of emotion. Furthermore, the magnification and analysis of every event for the feelings they inspire. Breakdowns, break-ups, politics, loneliness, depression, death... typically the negative aspects of emotion. This rant isn't about the musical value or worth of the output under the genre's name or a rant about the styles adopted in clothes and suchlike. This about presentation I guess, about... vocals. I've seen a lot of bands live, and something that music is all about is emotion. Music is a means of expressing our feelings, of creating mood and meaning through note and word. But the glut of Emo or Screamo bands has caused the hardcore style of delivery to become widespread. By this I mean harsh roars, guttural screams and vocal cords pushed to their limits until they are raw and scoured. Of course this again is display of emotion, putting the pain they feel into the form closest to it, weeping and crying out for justice, or pity, or sympathy, or just from the pain. But now, now it is so common to see a person on a stage pouring out their soul that it has no impact. One can make a connection through the lyrics or whether the song appeals, but no comment is made upon the way they sing unless it's to assume it's an act. It makes no statement to scream, not when everyone else is screaming too. It must have been really shocking to have heard music for the first time that contained this extreme a form of expression. I must have experienced it once, but I can't remember. It's become unremarkable by it's common-place nature. It's a bizarre situation really. The rampant embracement of emotions has meant that it's now preferable in many ways to reject them. They've been magnified too much, every negative event no matter how small a source of pain and sadness. This has led to the prevalence of this musical style, and now people ignore it. We've devalued human emotion, as now it's hard for you to really feel the impact of anyone's scream. If a person scream's on-stage, so what? But for all you know their pain could be tearing them up inside, borne of experiences that would bring anyone down. Of course, this level of expression is difficult to maintain in any kind of well-adjusted life, especially in a situation like a band on tour... ----- This (^) isn't really finished. I'm trying to get something across but not sure if I'm succeeding. Might return to this after some thinking and planning. Not focused enough. ----- I love The Arcade Fire. The Arcade Fire - Rebellion (lies) Sleeping is giving in, no matter what the time is. Sleeping is giving in, so lift those heavy eyelids. People say that you'll die faster than without water. But we know it's just a lie, scare your son, scare your daughter. People say that your dreams are the only things that save ya. Come on baby in our dreams, we can live our misbehavior. Every time you close your eyes Lies, Lies! People try and hide the night underneath the covers. People try and hide the light underneath the covers. Come on hide your lovers underneath the covers, come on hide your lovers underneath the covers. Hidin' from your brothers underneath the covers, come on hide your lovers underneath the covers. People say that you'll die faster than without water, but we know it's just a lie, scare your son, scare your daughter, Scare your son, scare your daughter. Now here's the sun, it's all right! (Lies!) Now here's the moon, it's all right! (Lies!) Now here's the sun, it's all right! (Lies!) Now here's the moon it's all right (Lies!) But every time you close your eyes. (Lies!)

(1 falling feather | fly away) Cream - Sunshine of your love [21 Jan 2005|02:35am] [ mood | amused ] [ music | Cream - Strange Brew ] It's getting near dawn, When lights close their tired eyes. I'll soon be with you my love, To give you my dawn surprise. I'll be with you darling soon, I'll be with you when the stars start falling. I've been waiting so long To be where I'm going In the sunshine of your love. I'm with you my love, The light's shining through on you. Yes, I'm with you my love, It's the morning and just we two. I'll stay with you darling now, I'll stay with you till my seas are dried up. I've been waiting so long To be where I'm going In the sunshine of your love. I'm with you my love, The light's shining through on you. Yes, I'm with you my love, It's the morning and just we two. I'll stay with you darling now, I'll stay with you till my seas are dried up. I've been waiting so long I've been waiting so long I've been waiting so long To be where I'm going In the sunshine of your love.

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