mercredi 20 février 2008
Six Kinds of Glow
Their new album Midnight Boom is a mix of pure dancey
and intense tracks and high-gliding ballads. Out 10 March on Domino records.
Tape song has an exploding chorus that'll make
you want to play guitar and remind you the best of The Pixies shout out loud times.
A Hit on you.
The Kills--Tape Song [Track removed - Label request]
mardi 19 février 2008
"Where do You Live?," he asks. "Next Door," she answers.
The Mystery Jets - "Girl Next Door"
lundi 18 février 2008
Mighty as a Sword
The first two batches are mainly journalistic works. Consequently, don't be surprised here, you'll be faced with the propensity that many rock critics, rock reviewers or rock fans display for exaggeration and myth at the expense of truth. However, all the biographies or musical movement studies consist in in-depth researches, buttressed with a cautious treatment of sources and are in consequence totally exhaustive. I am talking about reference books here,'right?
Of course, you can exclude Bangs' Gonzo-ish work from such a search for objectivity. Ok I spare you all the chitchat about Gonzo, but, yeah, just a few words. The quest for objectivity is doomed to failure; starting from the premise that as soon as you talk about something, no matter how hard you try to be detached from the initial subject, you're irremediably biased. However, by definition, subjectivity is indeniably fraught with reality. Gonzo's stumblig block is to acknowledge the validity and celebrate the pre-eminence of this inherent subjectiveness.
Nevertheless, no need to introduce Bangs; everyone knows is a dogmatic c***.
The last batch is made of more theoretical works. They are extremely valuable and helpful in order to conceptualise a musical object or a subculture and learn how to consider it. They provide really useful information for the layman, and a clear outlook upon the research made in their branch of learning for the scholar. However, be careful. Hall's and Hebdige's books are great, and gound-breaking, but not flawless. Indeed the two authors engage throughout their book in a plethora of contextual elements, while completely omitting any treatment of music as text. When music is referenced at all, you'll see, it is done only in passing. There is a total prioritisation of context over music as text. It is therefore necessary to complete the reading of these books with journalistic works that take the music into account.
That's all for now.
Bangs, Lester. Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung. New York: Albert A Knopf, 1987.
Bangs, Lester. Mainline, Blood Feasts and Bad Taste. London: Serpent’s Tail, 2003.
Gilbert, Pat. Passion is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash. London: Aurum Press Ltd, 2004.
Greil, Marcus. Lipstick Traces. Cambridge, Massassuchets: Harvard University Press, 1989.
Harris, John. The Last Party -Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock. London: Fourth Estate, 2003.
Haslam, Dave. Manchester England. London: Fourth Estate, 1999.
Lydon, John. No Irish. No Blacks. No Dogs. London: Plexus Publishing Limited, 2003.
Mathur, Paul. Take me there -Oasis the Story. New York: Overlook Press, 1997.
Reynolds, Simon. Rip it up and Start Again. London: Faber and Faber, 2005.
Robb, John. The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop. London: Random House, 2001.
Savage, Jon. England’s Dreaming. London: Faber and Faber, 1991.
Thornton, Anthony, and Roger Sargent. The Libertines: Bound Together. London: Time Warner Books, 2006.
Frith, Simon. The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Frith, Simon, and Andrew Goodwin. On Record. London: Routledge, 1990.
Hall, Stuart. Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Great Britain. London: Hutchinson & Co, 1976.
Hebdige, Dick. Subculture-The Meaning of Style. London: Methuen &Co. Ltd, 1979.
Longhurst, Brian. Popular Music& Society. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1995.
Roszak, Theodore. The Making of a Counter-Culture. New York: Double Days, 1969.
Madchestertransmission.
lundi 11 février 2008
A piece of heaven
Terror!
You scatterbrained indie freak, mujjahedin of breakbeat, ayatollah of pop songwriting, the world we live in is not safe. While you were busy searching for the best ever abstract hiphop hook, FoxNews tried to warn you about the hazardous course of the modern world on Monday, December 22, 2003 with its article "How to Reduce Chances of Being a Terror Victim"; of course you weren't listening.
In its great leniency, XX Teens has added a beat and a guitar to the 26 predications, so that it suits better to your ears. The lyrics are delivered in a slurred incantation à la Mark E. Smith, which turns out to be quite compelling.
You will thus find the song and the lyrics extracted from the FoxNews article below:
XX Teens - "How to Reduce Chances of Being a Terror Victim", Live from Brain Surgery on BBC 6 Music.
The single will be released through Mute Irregulars on the 25th of February. Apparently the band split, but it nonetheless might issue an album in May. I' ll let you know. Take Care. And watch your back.
Check the video if you cant download the track.Enjoy.
How to Reduce Chances of Being a Terror Victim
1. Use your instincts; if a situation appears suspicious, leave the scene.
2. Don't become complacent; never let your guard down, no matter where you travel.
3. Don't rely solely on the government to provide you with crisis or threat information -- do your own research, too.
4. Have a plan on where/when to meet family members in case of attack; map assorted evacuation routes from home/work.
5. Keep extra copies of your passport/birth certificate/ Social Security cards, other records. Keep copies in storage or with relatives, friends. Carry copy of passport when traveling overseas.
6. Never check luggage at curbside check-in at airports; carry luggage on board with you, if possible; carry as few bags as possible.
7. Spend as little time at the airport as possible; avoid heavily glassed areas.
8. When flying, wear comfortable clothing and shoes in case you need to quickly evacuate.
9. Try to fly on wide-body planes; terrorists often avoid hijacking them.
10. When traveling abroad, don't advertise your corporate affiliation or title on luggage or other items.
11. When traveling overseas, stay in an American chain hotel; security is usually more stringent.
12. When in a foreign country, don't advertise that you're American by speaking loudly, holding up maps, exchanging currency at airports, showing American flags, etc…
13. Try to avoid crowded areas, especially in large cities; avoid public transportation and major tunnels and bridges during heavy commuting times.
14. Never stay in a hotel with an underground parking garage and never park in such a garage -- terrorists love car bombs.
15. Stock "safe-haven" rooms in office and home with duct tape, plastic sheets, flashlight, food/water supply, first-aid kit, portable radio and cloth to fill gaps in doors so harmful agents don't seep in.
16. Store a decent amount of cash someplace in case ATMs malfunction.
17. Carefully inspect mail before opening; check for return address, postmark, excessive postage, etc… 18. Never take the first taxicab in line; hail a moving cab instead. 19. If ever a hostage on a plane, never make eye contact with captors, speak unless spoken to, or do anything to bring attention to yourself; familiarize yourself with typical airline hijackings. 20. Know what to do in case of a biological, chemical or nuclear attack in terms of symptoms, decontamination, etc… 21. Keep an eye out for unattended items when using mass transit or in airports. 22. Only carry essential money cards and identification. 23. When traveling abroad, read local newspapers to pinpoint dangers there; check the State Department's travel advisories. 24. Pay attention to: surroundings; someone paying an usual amount of attention to a prominent landmark; someone nervous or jumpy or trying to access off-limit areas; someone trying to hide something. 25. Make out a will and letter of instruction in case you die. Get fingerprinted, get your blood samples and obtain dental X-rays so your body can be identified in case you fall victim to attack. 26. Do not live or work in a highly urban area that most likely would be a terrorist's target, such as New York City, Washington, D.C., or San Francisco.
mercredi 6 février 2008
Stay Positive - The Death Set, ''Negative Thinking"
Well, that would be negative thinking. Fuck that.
This song is ace, infusing DIY vibes, 2.14 minutes of raw joyful intensity, no tricks, verse, chorus, instrumental break, verse, chorus, the end. Springtime in February my friend. And the polaroids are top too: blood, sweat, live music, beards and whiskers, lucha libre wrestler..
Contrary to its title, ''Negative Thinking" entails a thrive for renewal, spurring to get rid of the remnants of the past, to live by oneself, for oneself ( ''In hindsight I don't want to be like the people I've liked'').
Allright now get your guitar and form a band. Or get your dancing shoes and stamp on the dancefloor. No? Get a pen and write a pamphlet. Whatever. Good luck anyway.
Ninja Tunes offshoot Counter Records will release The Death Set's debut album, Worldwide, April 7 in the UK and April 22 in North America.
I'm not gonna teach black kids how to dance
What did yousay? It looks like a Topshop advert? Yep, you're right there..
Just listen to the song then, 'cause that's what it's all about, erm? The music. And the clothes. And the hairdo. And a genuine interest in the society you live in and in the lot of your contemporaries. And rightheousness. And subversion.
Ok, let's say ''I 'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You" is only a good, catchy 'look on the Pulp side of life' song.
Careful of the hype.
dimanche 3 février 2008
The Hanging Over Sunday Playlist
and it's musical
Radiohead--Nude (In Rainbows-2007)
Broadcast--Pendulum (Pendulum Ep-2003)
Beirut--Cliquot (The Flying Club Cup-2007)
Hercules and Love Affair--This is my love (2008)
Hot Chip--Touch too much(Made in the dark-2008)
Blur--Popscene (Single-1992)
The Concretes--You can't hurry love (The Concretes-2004)
Vampire Weekend--Walcott (Vampire Weekend-2008) (YSI)
Henning Specht--Daddy's gone (Les Agudes-2008)
A little video to end this post with a good laughter. Peter Hook from New Order doing... well im not sure of what he's doing actually... may be a 1980 drug gave its second kick 26 years after.
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