What I’ve been
listening to: Bit of an odd one for me, and not my usual cup of tea (I’m a
coffee drinker, y’see), but over the past two months, I’ve really enjoy the
tracks released by American DJ and producer
Baauer. The Brooklyn based twenty-two year old has a true gift when it
comes to mixing; a keen eye, or ear, for amenity. Forever playing shows and
club nights, he still finds time to remain sincerely humble and socialise
through his Facebook, play radio shows and come out with anthem after anthem. He’s
probably most known and recognised for creating ‘Harlem Shake’, or at least
that is his top played track on Last.FM, a track where you find yourself
involuntarily swaying your shoulders and bopping your head along to.
I came across this refreshing and new chap via. Cody B.
Ware’s Instagram feed where he recently attended a show in the UK whilst they
were both blessing British shores, and from behind the decks the crowd looked
immense and I thought to myself ‘Who is this guy? Time to investigate’, and I’m
so very glad I did. All these little mixes he produces, like in his Day of the
Dead drop, just make my head scream “Oh God, this is so good”!
As an idea, I would love to see a collaboration with someone
like Cage; it’d be very good for both careers (and easy due to location),
bridging the gap as Nas would say; they seem to cover similar themes within
their songs, take ‘My Nose’ for example, or at least see a remix made.
Especially if there was more works like ‘The Void’ to be played around with.
However, I did read a few months back that Cage stated that he more than likely
wouldn’t be making another track like that again (as it was very dubstep based
– probably created for club use and to help get his name out there), but also
there was no track like it on his new scheduled releases (two upcoming EPs),
and despite there’s only about four or five degrees of separation, it’ll
probably never happen.
The other night I was in charge of the playlist as my house
was hosting a small party, and I found plugging a bit of Baauer certainly
spiced things up a lot better than previous parties where Watch the Throne is
just played on repeat (sorry Ye). So, if you are in that party mood, play some
Baauer, and get the attention of everyone around you (including all the pretty
girls that otherwise wouldn’t give you the time of day – win/win), he’s
definitely worth checking out.
-
Acres have done
it again. Those clever lil’ Portsmouth spitfires have conjured up a cracker,
spitting out small sparks of amber, to a shower of light, kindling and catching
on to the bridges that align them with any competition, hissing and sizzling as
it sets ablaze and leaves, incredibly, everyone else to perish… Ultimately in
the dust. Left standing: six minute long ‘The Tallest of Mountains’. Vivid, I
know, but the new release, a half-single, half-demo (just a new song they put
out), is incredible; building on the imagery before mentioned, it’s like
Sagat’s Tiger Uppercut from Street Fight II.
To indicate how good this new track is, I was eager to
vacuum my bedroom, yet could not start until I had listened to this song three
times. Okay, I realise how bad that sounds, but it is true – I had to listen to
it, and I had to listen to it again, and again. ‘The Tallest of Mountains’
compiles an enriched Devil Sold His Soul sound, whom they are often compared
too, along with hints of a more advanced Rinoa, and even reminiscent of
Rosetta, but less eerier and experimental – they use solid instruments to
create a more subtle, ambient product; it works better, and it is nicer to the
ears; it’d be easier and wider received.
The track is a mellower and controlled early Burn Down Rome
(if you remember them), infused with stronger vocals now, less nasal, more
aggressive, not distorted; so they will be fantastically audible live, vocalist
Morgan has upped his game tenfold.
 |
| Copyright of Animal Defence Records, 2012. |
Acres posted that they were all set for world domination in
2013, and I hope that is the case. Let’s hope they cover acres of land… Ha. Go
send them some love.
-
My buddy Alex (of before mentioned Acres) went off on one
(in a good way, obviously) recently about a band called Kerouac. My curiosity had already got the best of me through the
name alone (surname to my second favourite writer, Jack Kerouac – there’s a
sweet, little photo of him on my desk at work), so I felt it vital to
investigate, and listen to them, unsure of what to expect. With a southern rock
twang, for example the bending of the strings at the start of ‘Fiends’ that suddenly erupts into throat-lacerating, chaotic
hardcore, Kerouac are damn heavy, and I like it a lot. They seemed to have
achieved a sound I know several Peterborough bands strived for but could never
attain.
Sadly having split mid-2012, there will be no more releases
to accompany their well-written reckless and thunderous debut and two dangerous
split EPs (with Pariso, and The Long Haul), but you shouldn’t let that put you
off listening to the riff Armageddon hailing from the south of England. Young
and angry, their lyrics portray a generation’s mindset perfectly and capture
passion amidst bile and rage from an already bitter band. Take ‘Fiends’ again
from the split with Pariso: “You let yourself get f***ed by any compliment”.
Holy Roar Records proudly claimed Kerouac as “One of the
most brutal and unforgiving bands to have emerged in recent memory. […] Visceral,
[…] and memorable”. Spot on.
Similarly aggressive, and having recently played several
shows in Europe, Jackals burst
through with a new release, Everyday
Fabric, compiled of six fast and furious songs with new hints of sludge and
Swedish hardcore influences. For any fan of hardcore, I would suggest giving
Jackals a good listen and learning a new (yet old school) thing or two.
Looking back, it’s nice to see that Jackals have travelled
many emotional miles since their first show; I remember it, for I was there! A
chilly January 2010 night saw Cambridge’s Man on the Moon venue somewhat packed
(which makes a nice change), as my friend Jez hired the venue out for his first
and only (to date) show. Hey, I designed the poster for the night… Free entry,
baby. A night that saw an explosion within such a small pub. I have some good
ties with the Cambridge x Norwich dual vocal extreme punk surge. Having lived
in Cambridge for two years, I became friends with guitarist Parker and bassist
Palmer pretty much as soon as I arrived, spending several nights sleeping on
their floor and also found high respect for drummer Uden for his Lonewolves
backlog, and being an avid Norwich City supporter like myself.
I was able to grab a copy of their blistering self-titled EP
on gold vinyl, which I still cherish, back when they started out, but this
latest release has taken them a step further into a heavier, crustier,
gloomier, sludgier, darker, et ceteraer sound, and is worth picking up also.
You can have a ganders, download a fair bit for free (including Everyday
Fabric), along check out a couple of other bits and bobs of theirs over at
their Bandcamp: click here.
-
Obsessed: past participle, past tense of ob-sess. Verb. To
preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling
extent: "he was obsessed with thoughts of her".
With regards to Decade,
I am obsessed. The other month on payday, I headed over to iTunes and purchased
the latest release from Decade, which has been circulating over the last few
months; a great buzz, their self-titled debut EP. Previously, they’ve only
released a demo and a single (which was not included on the record), so I like
to see this as their first official main release. Decade, the record, is a
pop-punk-rock killer; seeping with future talent, the catchy hooks and neatly
written riffs concocted by the Bath five piece, it is their most stellar
release to date.
Lyrically, I don’t think they’re as strong as they could be
at this stage of their existence, but they are incredibly intriguing, and I
wish to discuss the good points. The self-titled record feels like a
(successful) experiment from the guys, rearranging their own style in attempt
to find a new voice; it works well for me, I like it. It’s short and sharp, and
scrappy. Take ‘Low’ for example, lines like “She wouldn’t want that, she’d
probably tell me to sort it out”, and “Forget about your friends, they’ll ditch
you in the end” really ooze that blunt punch. It’s the word choice, and perhaps
Sears’ lexis that convey a great uniqueness about the writing; ‘sort it out’
and ‘ditch’ portray a very British way of life - very Lower than Atlantisy
rather than Americanised ideals like most bands attempt, often aiming for
without even realising as they simply fit the mould and don’t deconstruct what
music they are producing, which in turn gives us the generic responses and the
band a lack of real success and credibility, more a “Oh yeah, them… They’re
alright, I guess”.
With all of the world’s apathy behind “I'm bored of being
bored, of being ignored” (‘Low’, Decade, 2012), and “I'm so bored I think I
might die” (‘Home Alone’, Decade, 2012), (a phrase I’m sure we’ve all said.
Hell, I said it today at work, or perhaps just sang the song without
realising), the content appears a lot different from their original in Lost at
Sea record/demo that was released a year prior.
Short tracks containing odd lyrics that (unless they were
very personal and glinting with subtle references) seemed very (again, I hate
this word, so sorry) generic: “It’s like Broadway all over again” (‘Lights
Out’, Lost at Sea, 2011), “Man down, man down, what are you gonna’ lie about
this time?” (‘Lights Out’, Lost at Sea, 2011), “What’re you gonna’ do when I turn
the lights out?” (‘Lights Out’, Lost at Sea, 2011). These very common ideas
have now been transformed and moulded into obscure and eerily beautiful lines: “Rest
your bones, before they fall apart again” (‘Never Enough’, Decade, 2012), “God
only knows I try to keep my head above the water, but sometimes things get the
best of me and I can't breathe” (‘Down and Out’, Decade, 2012), and “There's
nothing left of what we had, in this hospital bed” (‘Never Enough’, Decade, 2012),
where the songs themselves now seem to carry a story. I only hope that it is
with these later songs, they get recognition for.
With the main box ticked, in the form of being able to work
together and produce something, the gimmicks and excitement has left them to
truly work on who Decade are. As great as ‘It’s Good to be a Vampire’ is, it
only held good as a result of referencing iconic film The Lost Boys –
thankfully, albeit being a great little banger, it didn’t stick as their ‘main’
song and become a burden, especially if they intended on becoming serious. In
turn you can see songs like ‘Mic Skillz’ by Blessed by a Broken Heart end up
leaving them a gimmick based band, based on parody and lacking merit,
solidified by a sequel, ‘Mic Skillz II’*, anyway, I digress!
A creative ability in the song writing comes from turning
assumptions on their heads, which Sears has conquered in ‘Down and Out’. After
beautiful word work, he ends with "Let these words guide you home",
which at first is a little disappointing and lacklustre, but it is then
repeated again, brought back to their own house style with a harsh (shouting,
not screaming – lovely touch), unpredictable ending; not straying entirely from
the market.
Despite creating a band that work ‘it’ in such a great,
stylish and unique way, it worries me they won’t be as critically accepted as I
know they deserve, and in general not as popular as they could be (as in, the
attention they already receive) because they don’t fall under that same old
America criteria. But with full bodied fantastic guitar tones (that sometimes
overpower the vocals – it feels as if the music was wrote first unlike the
demo, which seemed the opposite), striking vocals, and an intense live show,
they’ve came a long way since Ready Set Low (original name: which I wonder if
it ties any reference to their song ‘Low’) and will continue to make waves.
* Besides, Blessed by a Broken Heart were still a great
band, and once they lost that glam-metalcore gimmick, they had a firm sound and
were a great addition to my iTunes library (even if I did personally prefer the
more aggressive, screamo demo version of ‘Don’t Stop’ with their original
vocalist), and oddly massive in Japan (YouTube it). I caught them live, and
they truly impressed me – so yes, nothing against the band really.
-
Thought of the fortnight:
More like thoughtnight, am I right? Just a quick one this time. The Christmas
number one race is always a bit of a bore to me, and an excuse for news readers
to fill up time and make it into something exciting, when really, it shouldn’t
be regarded as something higher, and no more important than every other week of
the year – the glory of having a number one alone should be enough.
Radio stations tarnished with terrible love ballads that
don’t incite us with Christmas, cheap covers, horrible rip-offs, or general
terrible songs with bells jingling away in the background, accompanied by a
low-budget snowy music video – it’s all wrong!
Single sales seem to shoot through the roof, but simply
disregarded as stocking fillers; there’s money in it, but no merit; it’s
probably why the likes of the X-Factor contestants see it as an easy way to
cash in rather than claim they have a passion for music, much rather the fame.
I believe that’s why Rage Against the Machine actually secured that number one
slot a few years back – people downloaded the single because they actually
wanted it, they didn’t have their uncle buy it for them on a last minute whim
whilst queuing up in ASDA for his milk and bread.
Within the rock scene, somewhat underground but digging up,
seeing the light (poor metaphor for bands that are breaking into the
mainstream, receiving radio play, etc.), Lower than Atlantis came out with
‘Merry Christmas (Wherever You Are)’. I don’t want to have a dig at the guys,
but the track feels a little rushed, despite not really having a lot to work
with – I suppose you never really do when dealing with Christmas songs. A slow
verse, a bridge that builds up and an epic chorus, full of little Christmas
lines and, as before mentioned, a lot of jingle bells. Still, it’s nice,
pleasant, and was good enough to get on Soccer AM the other week, so it can’t
be all bad; it is a grower.
Likewise, Kids in Glass Houses have just released one too:
‘Secret Santa’, playing on modern tradition. Again, a little heavy on the
jingle bells, and a style that is incredibly similar to the Lower than Atlantis
track, but I do prefer this one. Despite the recording/mixing seems a little
harsh and thrown together, the chorus is very KIGH style; Phillips’ voice
excels and the lyrics are a lot more up-to-date and tongue in cheek. I’ll be
buying that when I get paid, that’s for sure, because at the end of the day,
it’s fun, and that’s its purpose.
Both are now available on iTunes now to purchase, or you can
YouTube the songs to check out their respected music videos for a little
chuckle and Christmas cheer. These tracks may even just scrape into the charts.
Nonetheless, music aside, I wish you all a merry Christmas.
-
Slam Dunk festival made its first announcement in relation
to its 2013 experience this week (the festival appears to be a column regular),
but I’m not as excited this year round about the initial line up, so I’m unsure
if I’ll go. It’s a good mix, but not the mix for me. What did grab my attention
was the confirmation of The Early November having a high slot up on the bill –
which did really entice me and make me smile. It’s so pleasing to see them
really getting back on the horse and with that new, fantastic record behind
them, playing out old classics too; they’ll really hit the spot and be one of
the best bands to see.
It looks as if the headliners next year will be All Time Low
– still going strong after all these years, which is a truly impressive feet,
still producing catchy pop-punk sing-alongs and touring like mad. I’m sure many
will be happy with that. I do like the band, but they’re not a band I would go
out of my way to see – I was able to catch them at Give it a Name one year and
wasn’t disappointed, but their music has never stood out to me. The same
sort-of goes for Four Year Strong, also on the bill. I like them, but not much
more. Their latest record seemed to receive mixed reviews, so this performance
could make or break their new sound in the UK and be a different experience to
see live.
Nice surprises in Pierce the Veil performing, whom I was big
on a few years back following the release of their debut album; and then it
went a little bit downhill thereafter, I liked the second album a little less
and I’m yet to give their latest a real listen… But I am certain they would be a
very lively, energetic band, and awfully entertaining – especially to those who
know little of the band.
It’s nice to see, due to phenomenal success and it’s all
around coolness, that the travelling circus has added an additional date, a
bank holiday Monday show in Wolverhampton prolonging the fun and allowing more
fans to enjoy the sell out show.
-
What I’ve been up to:
The only band ever is now no more. After announcing their intent to break
up on 5th August last year through a statement published on their
official website (click here to read), Alexisonfire frontman, George Pettit, cited Dallas Green's departure from the band to focus
solely on City and Colour, Wade MacNeil's departure to join another band (later
revealed to be as the new vocalist for Gallows), and other personal issues
among the remaining members as reasons for breaking up. Pettit also described
the break up as not being amicable (emotions running high), with the hope to complete
a farewell tour before parting ways. In reply, Green said to Spinner in an
interview that splitting his time to dedicate himself to two major projects was
“killing him”. Perhaps it was a reality they simply did not want to face.
In July however, Green stated he had been in contact with
other ex-Alexisonfire members, and that he and MacNeil had been "starting
to talk about doing some final shows, because when we did play our last show nobody
knew it was our last show". And so, fifteen months after the band's
breakup announcement, Alexisonfire embarked on their international farewell
tour with stops in Canada, UK, Australia, and Brazil; originally announced to
be a nine-date tour, but due to demand, the tour was later extended to fifteen
dates, a somewhat fitting number.
My first memory of Alexisonfire had nothing to do with their
music at all. As silly as it sounds now, I used to run a (moderately successful)
Jeff Hardy website; yes, the “high-flying”, ten-botches-a-match,
pain-killer-addicted, ex-WWE wrestler, and this was hosted by a website called
Internal Disaster, which was a personal blog of some girl who happened to take
a liking to the Charismatic Enigma. Anyway, one layout that Internal Disaster
had saw an ambulance grace the entire screen, and across the front of it read
‘Alexisonfire’ backwards, which seriously confused me. I realise now it was
more than likely in conjunction with the release of ‘Accidents’.
Musically, with thanks to the MySpace music player on
everyone’s profile, I took it upon myself to cheekily get hold of a copy of
Watch Out!, and have a listen to see why everyone had their songs blaring out
on their personal page. I remember being shocked. Absolutely shocked. Back
then, I wasn’t used to screamo, and I couldn’t class myself as a fan (to genre
I would slowly see becoming a firm favourite). I could bear ‘Happiness by the
Kilowatt’, which saw me play the album continuously, over and over, as the
remaining songs grew on me through my iPod and cheaply bought speakers for
Christmas – where I had to blu-tack its wire into the port, and prop the end of
it against the wall so it wouldn’t fall out. It’s the only album I remember playing
through those speakers.
This appreciation of the band slowly transgressed over to
the self-titled debut, and then subsequent releases to where we are today.
Thus, Monday 13th August saw me, along with
hundreds of others, flood TicketWeb in attempt to get pre-sale tickets to their
sole UK show. I was at work, and had two web browsers up, along with trying to
purchase some on my mobile, but I lost out, and spent the rest of the day
ranting on Twitter along with the majority of my friends. They had sold out
within five minutes and crashed the website in the process. As a result, the
band announced that they added another London date at the same venue, a day
before, on Sunday 2nd December.
Alexisonfire have always has a fantastic relation with the
UK. For example, they released three live albums along with the release of third
album Crisis as they toured the UK, and held a show on a boat for the album’s
release along the River Thames in 2006, along with many tours and festival
appearances. It was if one show would not suffice the hunger of the UK crowd.
“So we talked a long time ago about maybe doing just a couple shows to celebrate what Alexis was as opposed to have it fizzle out like it did […] It would be more about celebrating what we had and what we did and what we accomplished"
- Dallas Green
Enough with the facts, and on with the show. I acquired
tickets to the Monday date, and after seeing the incredible set let and hear
such tales of wonder about the previous night, I was beyond delirious with
butterflies in my stomach. Final shows are such fun, the band seem to perform
better than ever, but it is always a sad affair, where you feel your heart
being ripped out from beneath you, as it sinks to the floor, and there is
nothing you can do about it. I’ve been to several from small time Peterborough
bands such as Between Broken Ashes, to mid-card UK acts, such as Londoners From
Grace to one of the final festival appearances from chart toppers The Streets.
Having missed The Ghost of a Thousand due to travelling
issues, I arrived amidst the buzz and murmur of the O2 Brixton Academy, anxious
and sober, as the crowd waded forward to the barriers. The lights dropped and I
didn’t know what to do with myself. My back did not ache for once, as I peered
over to witness these fantastic entertainers, performing at truly their peak –
highlighting their significance. It was, without a doubt, one of the best gigs
I’ve been too – visually, they were superb (even the reused backdrop and light
show pleased me), and musically, even better. The mixing was the best I have
ever heard, especially for the size of the venue, and perhaps how rusty the
band themselves may be.
 |
| Copyright of Laurent "Lags" Barnard, 2012: Source. |
This was just not the case: Alexisonfire were superior in
every field than what they were back in 2009 when I saw them last: just
mesmerizing. A twenty song set featuring songs from all major records,
appeasing all fans, followed by three song encore, totalling two hours on the
clock was a glorious way to leave the UK, a truly respected farewell show. A
highly passionate and energetic performance, with a great atmosphere (much like
the hound dog gang, leather cladded band I saw earlier that day at the Winter
Wonderland in Hyde Park; rockabilly at its best!). They still remained intact
after the full throttle of ‘.44 Caliber Love Letter’ late in the set, and the
gang vocals throughout ‘We Are the Sound’ will haunt the corners of the academy
for years to come; still echoing, still ringing out.
Running wild; riding high on the wave of marvellous with
lyrical ecstasy helping them harness more aggression, release more emotion, and
fine-tune all the tracks, the encore consisted of one of the latest singles,
the aggressive and rough ‘The Northern’, waving goodbye to what the band had
become, followed by the latest release ‘Dog’s Blood’, where the crowd were
silent, left with chills tingling down their spines as Green stood in a single
spotlight to the left of the stage, quietly and perfectly whispered out “Howls
heard for miles around. In dog's blood we will all drown. No escape, no mercy,
through the ruined town. We will all bathe in the blood of hounds”.
Dynamic and intense, the set ended with an emotional,
heartfelt and teary ‘Happiness by the Kilowatt’, before an electric standing
ovation that seemed to last hours. I was almost in a daze the whole time,
filled with an exhilarating rush from start to finish. I’m glad I had two beers
by my side so I did not have to take my eyes of the spectacle for a second.
My friend Ryan told me he spoke to someone who came all the
way down from Scotland on his own to attend, which shows the impact this band
truly has had on the lives of people all across the world.
Green said to Spinner to finally and solemnly conclude the
Alexisonfire story: “I'd like to say that we're still all pals”.
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