Come Around Sundown

For me, 'Come Around Sundown' was a huge chance for Kings of Leon to push themselves back into the heart of their die-hard fans, the ones that have been there from the start. So let's start off simple. I don't really like this album. It's not awful by any stretch of the imagination, and I could probably listen to it in full again, but it's not "Kings of Leon" good. Tracks like Beach Side and The End are decent tracks when all's said and done, but there's not much soul there anymore. They seem to have given in to this "stadium rock" image that they were branded with on their last album, despite the fact that they obviously hate the idea of it! Ever since 'Only By The Night' was released, and Sex On Fire & Use Somebody got the musically-challenged strains of society gawping along like idiotic fishes in a bowl, the Followills have openly been trying to push themselves away from the scene, claiming that the next album would be different and edgier, openly annoyed by how fickle their new audience was.

But 'Come Around Sundown' is neither different, nor edgy. Radioactive, the lead single, hums with gospel-backed mediocrity, and this tends to be the situation for most of the following songs. The 4-piece seem to have lost the raw, rock ethics that spawned their first 3 albums, and have stuck with the ethereal production that turned a lot of their fans away from them on the 4th. Caleb claims that 'Only By The Night' was the "party album", fuelled by drink, drugs and sex... And if that's the case, then 'Come Around Sundown' sounds like a full-on orgy! But in reality, the only image I get from it is 4 guys who don't really party as hard as they used to, but like to tell everyone they do.

Verdict: Bland stars out of potentially awesome.

Are you laughing yet?

You know those moments, where you turn off the TV and think "I've just wasted half an hour of my life"? Well I've just had one. And surprisingly, it isn't because of anything to do with Big Brother or the X Factor. No, today's obscenity comes courtesy of E4.

I can't find a single good thing to say about the 30 minute train-wreck that is Phone Shop. From it's hilarious opening gag (turns out that... wait for it... main character Chris (Tom Bennett) can't open the door to get in the room!!!) to it's amazingly charismatic ending (Chris is totally embarrassed in front of all his colleagues... CRINGE!) Phone Shop is a never-ending cycle of rubbish gags and inane dialogue, being slowly torn apart by the fact that all but 3 characters seem to have exactly the same voice - which is basically a "comedic" interpretation of a London "gangsta". Because, apparently, if your character talks like that, then they don't have to say ANYTHING funny at all.

This show is idiotic humour at it's worst. It's not even stupidly funny. It's not even one of those "so crap, it's funny" shows. It's just. Not. Funny.

I will, however, be watching next week, as I can't wait to see where the writers actually go with this script. Maybe someone will make a jovial statement about the state of Afghanistan, but in a South-London gangsta accent!! Ohhh just imagine the hilarity that could ensue. Or perhaps someone will try and make a satirical comment about the Tory-Lib Dem leadership, but in a South-London gangsta accent!! Ohhh just imagine... You see where I'm going with this?

Possibly the worst show I've seen all year. And the Inbetweeners is still on...

Intelligent Debate

This is the entity of brilliance that is Mr. Stephen Fry debating the idea that the Catholic Church is not a force for good in the world.

I urge you to watch the rest of this debate (also featuring Christopher Hitchens on the side of Fry, with John Onaiyekan and Ann Widdecombe arguing for the other side), as it really does raise a number of important issues that we have similarly faced over the past few weeks with the visit of The Pope. The passion that flows behind Fry's eloquent portrayal of an anti-patriarchal viewpoint is plain to see, while the opposing side offer an insight into their world, which I must admit, doesn't get enough exposure.

World Cup post #1 - France

Couldn't put it off any more, I need to write about it.

Obviously one of (if not the) biggest stories to come out of the WC this year is the continuing soap-opera that is the French squad. They've only got one point, the players and staff are at each other's throats, and star striker Nicolas Anelka has been sent home in disgrace. This is, of course, highly entertaining to pretty much everyone, but for me there's a slight hint of disgust.

If you know me, you'll know that I love Ireland, and I embrace my roots in the culture to a slightly deluded degree. So clearly I wasn't happy that France went to the tournament in the first place, and you'd think I'd be loving all of this drama and failure in the French camp. However, rather than watch their captain and fitness coach throw hissy fits on the training pitch, I think I would rather see France lift the trophy this year.

I can't help but find the French attitude to this World Cup disgusting. They cheated to get there, and now it seems they can't actually be bothered to make an effort to win the bloody thing. It's basically a huge middle finger to the Irish team that deserved to go to South Africa and, I guarantee you, would have played with 10x more heart than the French are playing with now. Why take the place of a team by cheating, only to make absolutely no impact on the tournament whatsoever?

That being said. It's bloody funny to watch them fail.

Why Radio 1 is shit.

RahRahRah! Damn BBC cutters! With their cutty ways. Sitting in their little cutty cut-rooms, cutting all our favourite things. 6 Music, Asian Network, my grandma's life support chord, the rope that holds a 1,000 lb anvil above a hutch full of little bunnies just sitting, muching on carrots, waiting for their lives to burst into fruition. The cutting bastards!

YES we all know that 6 Music is a fantastic station but NO you did not listen to it regularly did you Mr. "I'm going to sign a petition and voice my outrage"? You listened maybe once or twice, maybe not even at all! But you'll sit on your facebook page, clicking "Become a fan" on every single group or page you see dedicated to saving a station that, somehow, no-one and everyone listens to. Doesn't it strike anyone else as odd, that a station that is supposedly listened to by over 160,000 people (according to the facebook group) on a regular basis, was even thought about as a possible section of the BBC network that qualified to be cut? I'm sorry, but this is just "Sachsgate" all over again. A bunch of people who just want to complain, come out of the woodwork and claim to be avid fans of 6 Music, then harangue the Beeb for ever considering cutting their favourite station. I realised this, of course, after I signed the petition. But that's not the point.

My point is, that the BBC should take a long hard look at what they have on their network. 6 Music, while being a great station, doesn't get many listeners. While Radio 1, which is a shit station, gets thousands each day, because it has an FM frequency. Give 6 a frequency spot and I guarantee the numbers will go up! Better yet, give 6 Music Radio 1's slot! Everyone needs to realise that Radio 1 is just a playlist, repeated over and over again until the clock hits midnight and someone with a shred of musical integrity gets a turn at the decks once a week.

I would rather listen to the sound of a hutch full of little bunnies being crushed underneath a 1,000 lb anvil than listen to Fearne Cotton talk about how she "loves" the new tune by N-Dubz or Owl City or just about bloody anyone she plays on her mind-numbingly boring show. And I would roll around in the bloody, stinking remains of those crushed bunny rabbits before I wilfully listened to Greg James spout his usual mouth-excretions about "how cool" his week's been or the time that he met Howard out of Take That. I DON'T CARE. I want to listen to music that I haven't heard before, not the same song that the last 5 DJ's have played previous to this bloody show.

Cut Radio 1 BBC cutters. Leave us with 2 for the oldies, 3 for whatever they do, 4 for the old people, 5 for the sport and 6 for the MUSIC. And stick Zane Lowe on there too, he's starting to turn into a commercial prick but he still plays some good tunes. And please let me tell Fearne Cotton she's out of a job, I'd love to see how cheerfully she reacts to that. Knowing her she'd probably hug me and skip down the street before hurling herself of a bridge, smiling like a twat and going "gurrrrrrrrrrrrrr" before she hit the water, face first, never to return again.

Bit of a stretch for charity

Shane MacGowan is one of my all-time favourite singers/songwriters. Yes, I know he's a little bit odd, and not a great singer, but it's his persona that gets me, and he (and his friends) have just released a version of Screamin Jay Hawkins' hit 'I Put A Spell On You' in aid of the Haiti cause.

This is, obviously, good news. Great song, and hopefully some great names and voices to sing it, and raise some money for the cause. Here's a link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf69vIQL_u8

However, when I listen to that song, I can't help but think... I don't like this. Shane does his bit as you'd expect, but then Paloma Faith enters and the song goes steadily downhill for the next few minutes. On her part, Paloma can't handle the style she's trying to go for. You can't do what Jay Hawkins did, which is the mistake that almost everyone in this video makes. Nick Cave for example sounds pretty disappointing, as does the guy after him. They all seem obsessed with making screaming sounds like Hawkins, and as such they don't concentrate on being in tune. On a lighter note, Johnny Depp's guitar solo is pretty damn good.

So I'm going to buy the song for charity, but I doubt I'll be listening to it.

Brit Nominations

Album of the last 30 years:

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head

Dido - No Angel

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

Duffy - Rockferry

Keane - Hopes & Fears

Oasis - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

Phil Collins - No Jacket Required

Sade - Diamond Life

The Verve - Urban Hymns

Travis - The Man Who

DUFFY?? KEANE?? TRAVIS??

I'm sorry. Did my mind play a trick on me or were Queen not actually making albums in the 1980's? When did Hopes & Fears become a better album than The Game or The Works?? And no Radiohead? Or The Smiths? Even Dido got a mention! Am I crazy or is half this list just ideas pitched by a bunch of people who just couldn't be bothered anymore?

Why nominate Travis when you've got Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party and so many more forward-thinking modern bands? Why give the nod to mediocrity? Who are Sade?! There are 5 songs on that list that, in my mind, have a reason to be there. But the others make no sense whatsoever.

And as for the 'Critics' Choice'?

Ellie Goulding
Delphic
Marina and the Diamonds

Congratulations BRITS judges! You've picked the 3 most obvious choices in the world! How about you do your own research and not just pick who the NME tell you to pick? Hmmm? To be honest, I'm not going to watch the Brits. I can't be bothered watching some has-been 'rock-star' hand over a pointless trophy to yet another pointless artist. So I'll pick my favourites and then read about someone else winning the day after:

• British Female Solo Artist
  Florence & the Machine

• British Male Solo Artist
  Paolo Nutini

• British Breakthrough Act
  Florence & the Machine

How Mumford and Sons aren't in here I'll never know.

• British Group
  Muse/Kasabian

• MasterCard British Album
  Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

• British Single
  Alesha Dixon - Breathe Slow
  Alexandra Burke Ft Flo Rida - Bad Boys
  Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love

  Joe McElderry - The Climb

  JLS - Beat Again

  La Roux - In For The Kill

  Lily Allen - The Fear

  Pixie Lott - Mama Do

  Taio Cruz - Break Your Heart

  Tinchy Stryder Ft N-Dubz - Number 1

I couldn't care LESS who wins this. They're all terrible.

• Critics' Choice
  Delphic
  
  

BRITs Album of 30 Years

Oasis - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

• International Female Solo Artist
  Norah Jones

• International Male Solo Artist
  Bruce Springsteen

• International Album
• Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

• International Breakthrough Act
  Animal Collective

Go look at the other nominations if you wish to feel as depressed as I do about music today :)

Waltz No.2

I like this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8503117.stm

"A Dutch violinist has made pop history with the highest charting classical album this century.

Andre Rieu's collection of Strauss waltzes, Forever Vienna, rose two places to number two - one place behind Alicia Keys's The Element of Freedom."

The fact that a classical album has made it to number 2 in the charts has brightened my day to be honest. Classical is somewhat of a lost art, but it's nice to know that people still appreciate its values out there, what with the singles chart looking like it does at the moment. Hope for real music after all? Perhaps... Although Jedward seem hell-bent on destroying its cause. But hey, they'll be coke addicts living off the royalties of X-factor repeats in 6 months anyway, so what do I care?

Most played songs this week (01/02/10)

Get Back/Run For Your Life - The Beatles

&

Big Wiggly Style/Danger:Wildman - The Devil Wears Prada

4am musings on life

Karma's been a real bitch to me today.

On the plus side, I spent last night with Lyd on our 2-year anniversary (happy days) and today played possibly the best gig of my life so far with Sterling.

However.

Today I nearly died of stress after spending 2 hours looking for a bag of keyboard cables that turned up on my bed. After the gig I developed a huge eye infection that has made it water uncontrollably in pain since. I have also burned myself several times, pierced my finger on both a nail and a McDonalds cup and have no phone because I left my charger at uni.

This seems to me to be unfairly disproportionate. Add to this the fact I still don't have a job and you get a set of life-scales balanced very heavily on the side of "Oh for fuck's sake!"

So, Karma, tomorrow I expect good things, and only good things. Because today overall has been fairly shitty. You bloody cosmic reconcilliation device you.

Anything Ross can do

This is in direct response to the post Mr. Ross Dryden just posted on his blog (look in my followers to find it). He decided to list his top 5 favourite songs of all time, and now I will be doing the same! Please keep in mind that my music taste changes with the wind so these are merely my favourite songs at this current time, it usually changes every couple of months!

In no particular order...

Hoppipolla - Sigur Rós

This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. No other song showcases Sigur Ros' astonishing music in quite this way, despite the numerous other pieces of art they have created with their instruments. I still remember the day I first listened to this song all the way through, walking home with my headphones in, through the woods on a gorgeously sunny day. I honestly nearly cried at the crescendo at about 2:30 in. The emotions that this song bring up will stay with me for the rest of my life. (Also see - Ara Batur from með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, the moment when the gong is smashed along with the choir is just unbelievable)

Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan

This is just Dylan at his best. I won't lie and pretend to be a huge Dylan fan, but you can't argue with this song. Unlike some other songs from the man, SHB manages to be fairly catchy and easy to listen to, along with it's insanely witty and biting lyrics. This is why, lyrically, Dylan is such a massive influence on me. Why write a song with no meaning? Why waste your time? This is a perfect protest song in the sense that it's subtle, but so clear. I'll show anyone who says they don't like Dylan this song to try and persuade them otherwise. Crowning glory - Lennon said that he didn't think he could write a song to contend with this.

The Beatles

Okay, now this was a hard decision. Obviously a Beatles song is going to be in here, but which one?? With so many to choose from I honestly have no idea where to go. We Can Work It Out jumps at me, because for me it shows the transition from a catchy rock band into a more psychedelic and adventurous group. But then there's Taxman, Drive My Car, A Day In The Life, Across The Universe and SO MANY MORE!! So I'm going to go a little left-field and choose one that has meant a lot to me recently...

The End

Obviously not the greatest Beatles song ever written, but The End really was the end. It is technically the last Beatles song on record. Coming at the end of Abbey Road (an amazing album) it gives you everything. The beginning - with the sharp guitars and "Oh Yeah's!" of John and George, the middle - with Ringo's sudden burst of a drum solo(?!?!?!?!) and finally, descending into Paul's trademark staccato piano break. And what better way to end The Beatles than with that line - "And, in the end, the love you take/ Is equal to the love you make"? Finally spiralling into that beautiful orchestration courtesy of Mr Martin. They took a hell of a lot of love, and they gave a shed-load of it back to us all. Perfection.

New Born - Muse

New Born encapsulates Muse. It's not the prettiest song they've written, or the most complex, but it gives the listener everything they need. The piano intro, that riff (Oh God... that riff!) the HUGE chorus and insane guitar solo(s). This song also illustrates Muse's desire not to conform - being the first track on an album they were told to make "radio-friendly" to take the American market. Immediately we get Matt's falsetto piercing the gorgeous piano-tinkling (his voice being just one of the things their previous record label had asked them to tone down) and then we get the bass blown out of our speakers by the sheer savagery of the riff that kicks the song into life. Tone down? Can you imagine what Muse would be like if they weren't larger than life? I shudder to think.

And finally...

You Keep It All In - The Beautiful South

Yes, I know it's not a cool song. Neither is it a cool band. But The Beautiful South were a huge part of my childhood, being pretty much the only band that my parents ever listened to. I could have chosen any song from their back catalogue but You Keep It All In just jumps out at me as being one of my favourites, and it's a great tune too. The witty interchanges between Briana Corrigan and Dave Hemingway gave the song that perfect Beautiful South style that made so many of their songs great to listen to. The idea that the two lead singers were conversing through the song was amazing to me in my younger years. I think I need to thank both The Beautiful South and Queen for at least making me aware of music during my first 15 years on earth. Without them I don't know how I would have ever experienced the joy that I feel now when I hear a new band/an old band that I love.

That was fun! There's so many more I want to talk about though...

Cherie Blair

Okay, I know I usually blog about music, but this has really annoyed me.

In her infinite wisdom, Ms. Blair is letting a man who broke another man's jaw over a place in a queue in a bank off without a sentence, because he's religious. Surely I'm not the only one who thinks this is ridiculous?

If I broke someone's jaw because they stood in front of me at the bank would I be let off for not being religious but knowing what I did was wrong? Do those of us who choose not to believe in a higher power not understand the difference between right and wrong? In Cherie Blair's eyes are we all violent thugs who will go around raping and pillaging until one day we're left behind when God takes the righteous up to heaven (even the ones who punch another man over a spot in a queue) and leave the rest to be punished on earth for an eternity?

Cherie Blair's job, as a judge, is to look past the superficial aspects of a man's life (such as religion or wealth) and focus on the facts. She knows that this man caused ABH to another, and yet she is willing to let him off because he knows what he did was wrong. Personally, I think a lot of criminals know what they did was wrong, but I don't see any mass murderers walking around at the minute, or convicted thieves pushing a trolly around Tesco.

That decision needs to be overturned and Cherie Blair should come out and explain herself. It honestly mystifies me that she could possibly think that an excuse like that would be seen as acceptable by today's standards. 1510, maybe.

FOB

Yesterday, Pete Wentz comes out and releases a story saying he "doesn't know if he'll play in Fall Out Boy ever again" which can be read here:

http://www.nme.com/news/fall-out-boy/49567

As a big Fall Out Boy fan, this of course saddens me. It's almost as if FOB might not come back, which I maintain would be a shame. They're a good band, with two VERY talented members in Patrick Stump (working on a solo album which I can't wait to hear) and Andy Hurley (now drumming in The Damned Things - a metal super-group) who wrote some very catchy tunes, as well as pushing the boundaries of their own musical prowess (on Infinity On High in particular).

But this has got me thinking... Would FOB be any worse without Pete? I mean, don't get me wrong, as a publicist there is no better. Look what he's done with Cobra Starship recently, capitolising on Gabe Saporta's "geek-chic" good looks to push them right into the limelight, and into the path of 15 year-old emo girls. But Wentz is NOT a great musician. He can talk the talk, but only toddle the walk.

His bass lines in FOB were dirt simple, his "screaming" was sub-par on record and even worse live, and his lyrics (while held in high regard amongst some) are nothing but regurgitated phrases, changed round slightly to match his songs or nonsensical drawling that documents his "depression" - probably because of all his money and success and gorgeous wife. So, yes, as a means of becoming famous, Wentz would be missed, but FOB are already famous! If they re-formed without him, it wouldn't make a shred of difference in my mind. Stump writes the songs, Wentz takes the credit, and that's the way it's always been. They find a better bassist (and a better lead guitarist while they're at it) and you've got yourself a much better band, capable of writing and performing better songs than they have now. And hopefully, Patrick Stump will start getting the credit he deserves.

I feel better about the whole hiatus thing now. Don't you?

Sophomore Slump? Or Comeback of the Year?

Okay, so first post of the new year (at the end of January - LAZY) and I'm going to focus on an issue that this past year has given us in multitudes. Following on from the success of a debut album.

As is understood in the "biz", a band/artist's second album is undeniably their hardest. If everyone loves your debut, then they'll be expecting your sophomore attempt to be even better! However, countless bands have fallen short of the mark they set themselves, and in today's world of 15-second popularity, there aren't many producers who are going to forgive a second-rate follow-on from a smash hit debut. And just look at the amount of huge debuts that have come through 2009.

Florence and the Machine, Lady Gaga, La Roux, Mumford and Sons, and the list goes on. People went so nuts for these albums that it's going to be damn near impossible to make any kind of impact with the second offering. Of the 12 nominations for the Mercury music prize 2009, 7 were debuts, and 4 of those were incredibly successful (namely - Florence, La Roux, Glasvegas and Friendly Fires) throughout the year.

So the question remains; How are they going to do better??

Even Florence Welch has come out and admitted she now fears for her career after the success of her debut album Lungs, and with very good reason. The modern music fan is a fickle, unfocused leech, with the attention span of a gnat. One minute they love La Roux, the next it's the XX, and ol' big-quiff is sent a-packin' to the shelves along with Wheatus and the Dandy Warhols!

But. It can be done. Arctic Monkeys gave us Favourite Worst Nightmare and Kasabian gave us Empire. Proof that you can out-do yourself the second time around. And I really do hope that the bands under pressure this year pull it off, because it's never nice to see an artist fade away. Unless it's N-Dubz... In which case... I'd rather they faded away. Painfully.

Na Na Niiiiiiiiiii...

Let's try this again.

Okay. I'm going to try this again, because let's be fair I need the practis.

Get it? I spelt practice wrong. HA...

First new blog tomorrow :)