Category: Music

As an avid producer and consumer of music, I made this.

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Music Music reviews

Reading Festival 2005: Day 2

We were incredibly tired this (Saturday) morning, and so we slept in a bit. I then wanted to fill the car up with petrol, so by the time we were on site, we had missed the start of the music. I wasn’t too fussed about the first band, but I do think that we missed a treat by only arriving for the last two minutes of Editors. The crowd was immense for such an early-billed act, and those two minutes that we heard sounded like something special. I shall have to do some sort of penance.

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Music Music reviews

Reading Festival 2005: Day 1

As we walked to the main entrance to the site, I discovered that my watch, our only timepiece, had stopped earlier in the morning. What a start. However, the timing of our arrival was impeccable – we arrived in the main arena at exactly the same time as Do Me Bad Things, the first band of the day, were taking to the main stage. They had a slightly shaky start, as a technical problem caused the sound to cut out after a few seconds of their first song, but they disappeared off stage for a few minutes and when they came back all was better. The lead singer made a lame deja vu joke, but nerves can do that to you, I suppose. I personally would have gone for the “Sorry, children, due to a technical hitch we’ve had to cancel Reading. Go home.” gag.

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Music

Burble

My power of speech has suffered greatly in the last two weeks. I wandered into Dixons and found a set of Harman Kardon Soundsticks II plugged into one of the demonstration computers. I switched them on and was instantly transported to heaven, that famous place which strips you of your ability to make interesting conversation. Here follows an actual, real, genuine hypothetical conversation:

“Hi, Pete. This is Abigail. She’s really fit and totally digs computer programmers who play the bass guitar.”

“Hi, Pete. I’m sooo hot for you.”

“Really? Have you ever heard of the Harman Kardon Soundsticks II? They sound absolutely awesome!”

“Uhm… I have to go. I think I left my cat under the microwave. I can hear him wailing now.”

“Well, shucks.”

Anyhow, I couldn’t buy them straight away, because it was only a few weeks to Christmas, and it’s just not worth the risk, as I have been expressing for some time that my existing computer speakers are old and muddy-sounding, and were basically the cheapest set of satellite speakers that I could get three years ago when I built my computer. It was possible that someone may take it upon themselves to get me a new set.

This year, I’ve been replacing bits of my computer, and have been moving from beige to black/silver. New keyboard and printer in summer. New tower case in autumn. Just the speakers and monitor to go.

When it turned out that I hadn’t been bought some new speakers for Christmas, I had a decision to make. Do I buy the fabulous sounding H/Ks, or do I get a nice pair of Logitechs that will match my black/silver colour scheme, cost half as much, but not sound quite as jaw-droppingly, pant-wettingly orgasmalicious? And LOUD.

Silly question. I think my neighbours may want to move out now.

*Originally posted here*

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In The News Music

Quoth the enemy

In the latest NME, they have compiled a list of the top 50 coolest people. There seems to be pretty much no restriction on your profession or nationality, but certainly there are no faces in there that haven’t been shoved down our throats by the NME for the last year. No surprises there. We are in absolutely no doubt as to what opinions we should have. Good good.

I am a tad upset by the inclusion of Pete Doherty of Libertines fame as joint number one with Carl Barat, also of Libertines fame. I am sick to the back teeth of the Libertines. The music would be just about acceptable, but the fact that the NME quite clearly want to wriggle up their arses and hop about until they squirt is just plain dull. I take solace in the fact that they are just a passing fad, the One True Voice of “credible” rock.

Okay, no disrespect to the Libertines. Though I doubt that my vitriol will trouble them, they don’t deserve it. I manage to make it through most days without losing my head and throwing a little fit at some band or another, but goddamn it the NME made me do it. They just won’t. Shut. Up. Much like me.

Anyway, my point.

The NME say “Pete Doherty is here *despite* his drug addiction.” The emphasis has not been added by myself. Still, I sense that regardless of how heartfelt or sincere such a remark is, it’s going to have the same effect as the disclaimer on the KaZaA website that says “You may not use KaZaA to transfer copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder.”

“Kids” will read this article. They will see that Pete Doherty, who has been mentioned in 52 issues of the NME in the last year, every single time with some reference to his crack habit in the article, is the coolest guy. The coolest guy in rock? The coolest guy in England? No. The coolest guy. No further qualification.

*Call me cynical…*

You’re cynical, Pete.

…but the only reason that the Libertines are so beloved by the NME is because of the tensions within the band that came about as a direct result of Pete Doherty’s chemical abuse. And that’s why they are the coolest guys. Crack habit leads to people falling out, leads to thrilling news stories, leads to recognition. After all, the NME couldn’t talk about them nonstop for the whole year and then not put them at the top of every poll, could they?

No. Because then they’d be seen as being fickle, having forgotten the Libertines already.

Well, to be honest, I can’t wait for January, when all of the end-of-year polls are out of the way, and the Libertines can discreetly fade from view. Because there has been too much glamorisation of drugs this year, accompanied by some 2pt Flyspeck saying “By the way, we don’t think drugs are cool, contrary to everything we’ve written above.”

*Originally posted here*

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Music

Richard

Yesterday I saw an advert in a music shop that had been put there by a guy looking for a bassist and guitarist to join his indie band. It looked cute, so I made a note of his number.

Today, I phoned him back, and very quickly decided that his band was not for me.

Reason 1: I asked him about how much feedback he’d had already from his advert, and he said that he had had a few replies but most people couldn’t commit enough. So I asked him what sort of commitment he was looking for. It was soon clear that we were not a good match in this respect. I think his words were “Obviously I wouldn’t expect you to give up your job straight away.” I work full time, and it would take a lot for me to consider giving my job up for music. I told him this. He’s got his heart set on world domination, and I can’t compete with that. I make music for fun, not for a living.

Reason 2: He was reluctant to define exactly what he meant by indie. I kept probing him, as I knew it was important. He eventually said Coldplay. Ugh.

I’ve given him my contact details so he can send me their demo, but without knowing the guy I don’t think that I could join his band, because I don’t want to waste his time by hanging around for ten minutes and then leaving.

We’ll see.

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Music

Minds as weapons

Pertaining to the previous post, it has all become clear.

There was a time when I used my mind as a weapon. It was an unpleasant time, because there were unpleasant wars to be waged, but it was also a good time, because I had something to fight for. I used my brain to produce the words and thoughts that I needed to fight with.

Now, I’ve successfully made things easy for myself. It took a lot of work, but I managed it. And I was pleased with myself. But now, years later, I miss the thrill of battle, the excitement of clashing intellect with opponents known or unknown.

I see only one thing for it. I need to invent an opponent. Even if they only exist in my head, at least I’ll have a nemesis — a reason to never grow complacent, a reason to strive to continually produce better and better output, a reason to always force myself to learn more.

Playing the guitar well is largely a matter of practice. The more I play, the better I get. But is songwriting the same? Should I write hundreds of songs, in the hope that there will be diamonds in the dungheap? Or should I allow myself a few weeks or months between each attempt, in the hope that I will have amassed enough original concepts in my brain in that time to produce one really really sterling piece?

One thing that I do know for sure – I need more feedback. I need to record these demos, put them up as MP3s, and get opinions back from those whom I can trust in such matters.

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Music

A concerned armpit

Where has it gone?

Once my life seemed to be awash with opportunities to write. I wrote letters, and songs, and even directionless rambles. When I sat down in front of my keyboard or with my guitar, I felt a need to talk, a need to share my thoughts with the world. I felt that things needed to be said, lest they be lost forever.

Nowadays, I don’t get that anymore, and I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Clearly I no longer have the same fear that the product of my creativity will be lost forever. Which is nice. But it is nice to have songs, letters, directionless rambles, which can immortalise these thoughts forever and provide me with an archive.

This thought tails away.

Categories
Displeasure Music

Amazonian

I wish Amazon would stop suggesting Groove Armada albums to me.

Currently, it thinks that I like Groove Armada enough that I should own every CD that they have ever released.

There is a reason that it thinks this. I told it that I own Lovebox and Vertigo, and I like both of them. Which is true. But that’s enough. No more Groove Armada thanks. Let’s try something else.

So I tried clicking on “Not interested” for the recommendation that was at the top of the list.

Oh, said Amazon, Well, perhaps you’d be interested in THIS Groove Armada album instead?

(click) Not interested.

Oh, said Amazon, Well, perhaps you’d be interested in THIS Groove Armada album instead?

Clearly a new tack is called for.

So I went back and changed a few things. Told it that I didn’t own Lovebox or Vertigo. Removed all traces of the trail. That’ll sort it, surely.

Oh, said Amazon, I see you don’t own any Groove Armada albums. What kind of a person do you think you are? EVERYONE should own some Groove Armada albums. Amazon (that’s me) recommends their entire back catalogue.

le sigh.

*Originally posted here*

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Music Original Music

Media Ogre

I mentioned this song last week. Though previously described as “quite good”, I have revised my opinion of it to somewhere between “adequate” and “mediocre”, hence the name for the song.

(mp3 no longer online – email me if you are interested)

It is a kind of admission of defeat. For many years I’ve dreamt of record contracts, world tours and half hour music shows on the BBC that are startlingly uncompulsive viewing.

But now I realise that my chance has passed. If something was going to happen, it would be happening by now. In 19 days it will have been one year since the last gig my band played in. Though there is talk of getting together to record a few songs (yes, you will hear them here first) in the near future, it’s plain that none of us have the ambition, commitment, or brass bollocks to give up everything and pursue this dream. Which is a slight shame, because it would have been a nice way to spend my time, in front of an adoring audience instead of a computer. Still, you can’t change the way that you are.

Usual disclaimer applies. You know, the one about being out of practise at… everything. Please redistribute, but don’t rip it off and get to number one with it, or I will have to sue you.