You can't fool me, Magic.
You can't fool me, Magic.
Just bought Yeah Yeah Yeah The Story of Modern Pop by Bob Stanley. Very highly rated book about pop music history.
"Bob Stanley's Yeah Yeah Yeah tells the chronological story of the modern pop era, from its beginnings in the fifties with the dawn of the charts, vinyl, and the music press, to pop's digital switchover in the year 2000, from Rock Around the Clock to Crazy In Love. It was more than just music - it could be your whole life.
Yeah Yeah Yeah covers the birth of rock, soul, punk, disco, hip hop, indie, house and techno. It also includes the rise and fall of the home stereo, Top Of The Pops, Smash Hits and "this week's highest new entry". Yeah Yeah Yeah is the first book to look back at the entire era: what we gained, what we lost, and the foundations we laid for future generations.
There have been many books on pop but none have attempted to bring the whole story to life, from Billy Fury and Roxy Music to TLC and Britney via Led Zeppelin and Donna Summer. Audacious and addictive, Yeah Yeah Yeah is essential reading for all music lovers. It will remind you why you fell in love with pop music in the first place."
Sounds pretty great.
Listening to the Marshall Mathers LP.
Don't go getting any ideas now.
You don't...wanna fuck with Magic...coz Magic...will fucking get you banned.
Just reading the intro to that book, didn't realise it was by one of the blokes outta Saint Etienne.
I've just downloaded a cuntload of albums:
Bjork - Debut
Bob Marley - Legend
Fleetwood Mac- Rumours
Iggy - Raw Power
Jamie XX - In Colour
Joy Division - Closer
LCD Soundsystem - Self Titled
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
REM - Automatic for the People
Radiohead - OK Computer
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
The Strokes - Is This It?
Stone Roses - Self Titled
Portishead - Dummy
Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
De La Soul - 3 Feet High
Roxy Music - Stranded
As Meatloaf might say, two out of nineteen ain't bad.
First time I heard the original on the radio the other day. Absolutely mesmerising. Stunning.
Bands I saw this week:
Goat - Exactly as they sound on record, but you get to watch weirdo Swedes prance about in funny outfits. 6/10
Stara Rzeka - Polish multi-instrumentalist who made a lot of noise. 7/10
Beak> - Seemed pretty up for it and so were the crowd, a pleasing gig. 8/10
A.R. Kane - One of the bands I was most excited for, but they were crap. Reunited by one of the original duo, with his sister and some child making up the band. Presumably he can't sing the songs any more so he's slowed everything down and made every song a shoegaze song. 3/10*
Floating Points - Killed it. I'm not really arsed about his stuff on record but the live show is fucking rad.*9/10
LCD Soundsystem - Watched most of it from about a mile back but it looked pretty good. Will need to get a proper seat at Glastonbury. 8/10
Moses Sumney - One of those things I have no interest in listening to on a day to day basis but is very enjoyable to watch. Mad vocal range and cool loop stuff. 8/10
Radiohead - I thought some of it fell a bit flat (Burn the Witch, Idioteque), but mostly it was fucking incredible. Could hear a pin drop during Nude, and you can't really beat a Karma Police singalong. 9/10
Holly Herndon - It's obviously quite hard to make her stuff interesting in a live setting as all she can do is press play, but she made an effort with some vocal tricks/cool visuals/a transvestite dancer. I like the album loads so*it didn't really matter tbh. 8/10
The Avalances - Feel like I could have heard this down any half decent nightclub on a Friday night. 4/10
Boredoms - Japanese bands are always good. 7/10
US Girls - Presumably they couldn't afford a band so just played to a backing track. They shouldn't have bothered. 2/10
Brian Wilson - Wasn't really that bothered about seeing him, but it was pretty good. Can't really go wrong when he brings about 10 people along and everyone knows all the songs. 7/10
Drive Like Jehu - Big highlight. Can't believe how good they were*for a reformed 90s band. So tight. 9/10
PJ Harvey - She dresses like a 20 year old at Glastonbury, but I'll let her off. New stuff sounded great, old stuff did too. 8/10
Julia Holter - She's so perfect. Better than when I saw her in Glasgow this year. Horns Surrounding Me is so good live. 8/10
Neil Young - Half way through (after Alabama, Words, Down by the River) I was thinking it was the best thing I'd ever seen, but I think he got a bit bored after that and started making songs 20 minutes long for no reason. He still sounds incredible though, probably the closest thing to a "rock god" i've ever seen. 9/10
RM Hubbert's back in Newcastle next week. I'm considering going again because he's always a mint gig.
Magic's list is so hit and miss. Jamie XX though.
Bjork - Debut
Wow. As a debut(ish) it's bloody sublime. How refreshing it must have been when it appeared. Such powerful vocals, great lyrics and a driving Matrix-like soundtrack pushing everything along wonderfully. Definitely one of my favourites now, could listen to it all day.
Fleetwood Mac- Rumours
No journey of discovery here. I knew already what a sublime album this was, with all it's love and beauty there's pain and fear intertwined around every crotchet. Christine McVie's dulcet tones are the surprise here. The absolute opposite of Nicks' sharp, raw, screamy voice. Fantastic.
Jamie XX - In Colour
I said in another thread, maybe the Mercury one, that I didn't quite get why this was nominated. It was supposed to be an award for something totally different and out of the box. In Colour, to me at least, the first time round sounded like something you'd hear on Radio 1 and instantly forget about. However, the second time, the third time, the fourth time, there was something different. Another path that you were lead down, or indeed up, into space. It had an intergalactic feel to it, of wonder, of exploration. Whether or not this was the intention I don't know, but it's so open to interpretation I'm having it. So fuck off.
Joy Division - Closer
What a pile of shit. For the record I actually don't mind New Order at all, however I just could not get to grips with Joy Division. Thank fuck the singer offed himself.
LCD Soundsystem - Self Titled
Great. Really cool little album and a very easy listener. It's my go to album when it's sunny outside and I'm driving.
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Mmm. Another one I just couldn't get in to. Seemed a noisy, disjointed early 90s black album. Big pile of meh.
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
I don't think I need to review this, really. Is Kind of Blue a Best Of? It sounds like it. I listened to it all on the way up to Inverness and it was the perfect back drop for this wonderful jazz compilation.
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Yeah I do like PJ, this album annoyed me though, maybe it was the quality but I really, REALLY struggle to make out the lyrics. Given that's kind of like THE WHOLE POINT of PJH it's a bit self defeating. You shouldn't have to Google every fucking song to find out what she's saying. And it's disappointing because they are actually really good.
REM - Automatic for the People
Oh just stunning. Absolutely stunning. What a revelation. Every single track is beautiful, poignant and grabs your attention right the way through.I adore this album, it was a big part of my childhood anyway but I definitely didn't appreciate it. One of the best of all time. GREAT.
Radiohead - OK Computer
Miles better than the current stuff. It's very band driven, as opposed to electronic wankiness. Some tracks on it are a bit...erm. However overall it's a very listenable early noughties album. The talent on show is evident. Wish they'd go back to their roots.
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
I like this a lot. If you look past the fact that Morrisey is an absolute tosspot they were a brilliant band. Marr's guitar is something else. Not something I can just turn on and listen to though, have to be in the mood. Possibly a bit disenfranchised? Yeah. That's the one for me.
The Strokes - Is This It?
Simply to die for. Again big part of my early to late teens. Last Night was one of the first songs we did as a cover in the band. I had no idea about the rest of the album though. It is amazimg. Hugely catchy, dirty, grungy but also packs an indie rock punch.
Stone Roses - Self Titled
Great album, ahead of it's time really and it's amazing it came from such a bunch of cunts. First heard Fools Gold on FIFA. Sad. I think they're under-rated in an over-rated type way, as in a huge bunch of morons like them but not for the right reasons.
Roxy Music - Stranded
I'm getting there. Has some good offerings and others a bit meh. Not managed to listen to it right the way through yet, might make that my mission tomorrow. I really want to get in to 80s pop as there's loads of great stuff kicking about there, just need to know where to look.
Kind of Blue isn't a compilation, it's just awesome.
Wasn't a lot of it improvised?
Closer is the best album on your gay little list.
Probably, most jazz is. But not as wild or on the spot as stuff like Bitches Brew.
I think there's a collection of Kind of Blue stuff where you can listen to all the takes for each track. So they chose the best improvisations etc I guess.
So I was watching my old videos of the band back, sounds pretty good mane.
6-7-8-900 views, pretty good right. Until I realised my most watched video was:
Clio DCi Injector popped offwith 19,234 views.
I tried Joy Division AGAIN, I just don't get it. Coming off when I can be bothered.
Really in to Tom Waits though, and I've got Nick Cave's discography too.
Also Velvet Underground's '67 album.
Really got into Supertramp again recently. I went mad for them a while back but only really listened to the best of and didn't get anything else for some reason. They're fucking great.
I'm not really a huge fan of either. I do prefer Joy Division though, but that's just because I love the song "Disorder".
I really like Paul Simons new stuff and Jeff Lynne's ELO most recent album.
I also really don't like Massive Attack.
If someone could please explain Animal Collective to me that would be brilliant.
Listen to Merriweather Post Pavillion. If you don't like that, you won't like any of it.
On a major PJ Harvey binge at the moment after seeing her live. Working my way backwards through albums but I don't see myself favouring any of them over the two most recent ones. Don't think I know of any other artists whose tenth and eleventh albums are their best.
I've been listening to Dark Horses (very BRMC), The Low Anthem's new one (good but a bit too lo-fi), I Am Kloot and the new Bat For Lashes one, which is pretty good. Will Butler (brother of the main guy from Arcade Fire) is good scuzzy rock too.
Some new vinyl's -
Crows An Wra - Kakotopia
https://crows-an-wra.bandcamp.com/
Batshit crazy prog punk. Feels very different to their live sound when I last saw them a year ago, which was a had more of a hardcore feel. This is pitched somewhere between Cave-In's acid soaked alt rock grooves and Sonic Youth's more urgent moments. Very good, 4/5.
Shit Present - Shit Present
https://specialistsubject.bandcamp.c...m/shit-present
Basically a UK intelligent Pop Punk super-group and fronted by Iona Cairns, this is right up there with anything she's put out with Great Cynics, which is high praise for tunesmanship, but ultimately is also what's just a tad disappointing about this debut. Lo fi lullaby 'Melbourne' is a standout and opener 'Anxious Type' is as bouncy and energetic as you could hope for. Solid, but expecting more in the long run if these guys stick around, particularly as their live show is a standout on the circuit right now. 3/5
Giants - Break The Cycle
https://giants.bandcamp.com/album/break-the-cycle-album
Abrasive and unrelenting. Equally reminiscent of The Offspring circa Ixnay and the UK Swells period of many of their Holy Roar stablemates. There's a couple of real bangers here and there's never a moment of respite to be had. 3.5/5
DJ Shadow's never going to top Endtroducing and The Private Press, is he? The last one's decent but he's clearly in that stage where he's going on so many tangents.
Came to the realisation that Rod Stewart is actually good the other day, having really enjoyed this fairly throwaway single I saw on one of the old TOTPs on BBC4:
Skip his showtunes albums and it's almost all good stuff.
Pixies UK Tour in December. Hovering around tomorrow's pre-sale like a teenage girl, I am.
This lot are my jam for the past few days:
Have been listening to Fela Kuti a lot this year. Perfect music in this weather.
English Settlement by XTC is a sensationally good album. Listened to Trompe Le Monde again a few times recently, and I still think it is quality and definitely my favourite Pixies album.
Yeah that was pretty cool. (Song not matched by the video. )
Hopefully Kim's touring with them and not the other bassist I don't know the name of.
River Euphrates.
Tickets on sale for Pixies tommorow, playing Leeds in November. Already wanking myself to death at the thought of it. Second time I will of seen em.
They've fucked this up. They put every sale down as 2 tickets by default so they're all tied up immediately. General sale it is, then.
I just got 3 in Leeds with ease.
You selling the other two for smack? Newcastle's sold out.
I got tickets for Jamie T as well. Pretty productive morning.
Pixies sold out.