Thursday 21 October 2010

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.

Friday 8 October 2010

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...


Tuesday 5 October 2010

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.

Sunday 20 June 2010

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.

Thursday 18 March 2010

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.

Tuesday 2 March 2010

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.

Thursday 11 February 2010

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:



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

  • MasterCard British Album
    Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

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

BRITs Album of 30 Years

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



  • International Album
  • Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

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