Been thinking a lot recently. Not about anything in particular, just life and all the little absurdities that come along with it. Why people are the way they are, what makes someone a good person, or indeed a good friend, to what extent does one 'bring it on themselves', that kind of stuff. Having only watched 'High Fidelity' the other day (great film, and book, would recommend both to anyone with an interest in music, and relationships, that kind of stuff) it could be said that im in one of those 'what does it all mean' sort of moods, but still, the thoughts are there all the same.
It is difficult to determine why life is the way that it is, why it all pans out the way it does, whether or not there is some omniscient being watching over it all. Would be good to know what people are thinking when they look at you, when they joke with you, or about you. If they're laughing with you, or at you. But then, alas, we weren't created that way. How were we destined to be though? Was it ever intended for us to become 'rulers' of the world? Were we meant to thrive and adapt and evolve? None of this is really relevant to the feelings and thoughts that I am having, but still are worth questioning.....to an extent.
Basically, i guess, it all boils down to the way that someone can have friends, and have a fairly active social life, but still feel alone. Someone can be on top of the world, then brought back down to the lower ends of life in an instant. Maybe its the way that society has indoctrinated us to feel a necessity to be liked, a necessity to have all the latest gadgets, trends, fashions, all that malarky (irony is beginning to creep in, from the guy with the iPod, fcuk jacket, Levi jeans, and Vans shoes, but still...) a necessity to be out on the weekend, 'on the pull' as it were. But what happens when that doesnt all work out? When you dont have the coolest clothes, when you dont have the girl, when you dont seem to 'fit in' with society's 'norms', what then? Are we destined to be outcast? Left alone to sit in front of your computer writing your feelings on a blog site that only your dad will read, because only he knows about, or cares about it? Seems that way. But then who am I to complain, 'you bring it on yourself'.
Ah well, c'est la vie.
Don't worry dad, i'll be fine! ;-)
Thursday 20 March 2008
Monday 3 March 2008
Be Here Now? Doesnt appear to be!
When the band Oasis comes to mind, the primary albums that people immediately spring to, and indeed the band themselves class as their biggest successes would be, somewhat obviously, ‘Definitely Maybe’, ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ and possibly even b-side collection ‘The Masterplan’ (perhaps THE best b-side compilation ever!). While it can be said that there was a blip around the middle of their decade spanning existence, with the relative flop of albums ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’, and more so ‘Heathen Chemistry’, the band still recognise the partial success of both of these, with recent best-of ‘Stop the Clocks’ including a solitary song from each album. However, the band’s 3rd studio album, ‘Be Here Now’ appears to have been completely forgotten about, which to me begs the 
question of why?
When the album was released in 1997, just over 10 years ago, it was a success, much like, if not more so, than the previous 2 albums, with two of the three singles taken from it reaching number one in the charts, and the other single peaking at number 2. This does therefore not seem to suggest an album that is lacking in quality, and although there are not as many stand out classics as there were from ‘Definitely Maybe’ or ‘What’s the Story…’ the three singles, (‘D’you Know What I Mean’, ‘Stand By Me’ and ‘All Around the World’) are fantastic, and indeed the rest of the songs do not seem to be merely filler songs. So why then does the band seem to ignore it? With the sell-out ‘Familiar to Millions’ gig at the old Wembley Stadium only containing one song from the album with just one album released in between it and the tour. It can be seen from listening to it that there has been a development or progression from the sound that made the first two albums so successful, with it sounding rockier than the brit-pop sound that made them so famous. But even this could surely not be a sign for it to be cast away and forgotten about? Because even in sounding slightly different to the aforementioned successes, the signature vocals of Liam Gallagher, and the awesome guitar of elder brother Noel are still ever present.
Even though I am sitting here saying how the band do not seem to appreciate the album much at all, it does still gain recognition from other areas, as last year Q Magazine wrote a special report on the making of it, being the 10 year anniversary, and a collaboration of photographs taken whilst the album was being recorded and on the world tour that followed it being published in the book ‘Was There Then’, by Jill Furmanovsky. Which still begs question as to why the album that, of the 3 singles, 2 went to number one, when the only other single to do so beforehand was ‘Some Might Say’, is still not appreciated or recognised by the band themselves?
However, it could be argued that, while it did bring them more success, it was perhaps too much success. As beforehand, the band was still very much from the working class lifestyle of Manchester, and after the success of the first two albums, this hugely changed. Perhaps shown by the ironic artwork of the band all standing outside a rather large country house (an attack on the single of then rivals Blur?) with such frivolous items as an old gramophone, and a fancy car in a swimming pool, shows that maybe the band were reaping the benefits of fame, and maybe had the feeling, as many do now, that they no longer have many real issues to write about. Perhaps this can be why the band disregards it, as a way of trying to forget their own luxury?
Though on the other hand, one has to remember that, as it was the first album that I ever bought (the original copy I still own, and play, after 11 years, which don’t half make me feel old!) and I am prone to a certain degree of bias towards it! But that is beside the point; the main point of this argument is that, in my opinion, the band should still recognise and appreciate one of, although not quite the, better albums they have recorded.
question of why?When the album was released in 1997, just over 10 years ago, it was a success, much like, if not more so, than the previous 2 albums, with two of the three singles taken from it reaching number one in the charts, and the other single peaking at number 2. This does therefore not seem to suggest an album that is lacking in quality, and although there are not as many stand out classics as there were from ‘Definitely Maybe’ or ‘What’s the Story…’ the three singles, (‘D’you Know What I Mean’, ‘Stand By Me’ and ‘All Around the World’) are fantastic, and indeed the rest of the songs do not seem to be merely filler songs. So why then does the band seem to ignore it? With the sell-out ‘Familiar to Millions’ gig at the old Wembley Stadium only containing one song from the album with just one album released in between it and the tour. It can be seen from listening to it that there has been a development or progression from the sound that made the first two albums so successful, with it sounding rockier than the brit-pop sound that made them so famous. But even this could surely not be a sign for it to be cast away and forgotten about? Because even in sounding slightly different to the aforementioned successes, the signature vocals of Liam Gallagher, and the awesome guitar of elder brother Noel are still ever present.
Even though I am sitting here saying how the band do not seem to appreciate the album much at all, it does still gain recognition from other areas, as last year Q Magazine wrote a special report on the making of it, being the 10 year anniversary, and a collaboration of photographs taken whilst the album was being recorded and on the world tour that followed it being published in the book ‘Was There Then’, by Jill Furmanovsky. Which still begs question as to why the album that, of the 3 singles, 2 went to number one, when the only other single to do so beforehand was ‘Some Might Say’, is still not appreciated or recognised by the band themselves?
However, it could be argued that, while it did bring them more success, it was perhaps too much success. As beforehand, the band was still very much from the working class lifestyle of Manchester, and after the success of the first two albums, this hugely changed. Perhaps shown by the ironic artwork of the band all standing outside a rather large country house (an attack on the single of then rivals Blur?) with such frivolous items as an old gramophone, and a fancy car in a swimming pool, shows that maybe the band were reaping the benefits of fame, and maybe had the feeling, as many do now, that they no longer have many real issues to write about. Perhaps this can be why the band disregards it, as a way of trying to forget their own luxury?
Though on the other hand, one has to remember that, as it was the first album that I ever bought (the original copy I still own, and play, after 11 years, which don’t half make me feel old!) and I am prone to a certain degree of bias towards it! But that is beside the point; the main point of this argument is that, in my opinion, the band should still recognise and appreciate one of, although not quite the, better albums they have recorded.
Better to burn out than to fade away
Just to rid you of any suspicion, no, this is not about Neil Young, or indeed about the suicide note of Kurt Cobain, but more about the way that a lot of songs end. Perhaps one of the most annoying things about music, apart from some of the mindless rubbish in the form of X Factor, Razorlight, various 'R & B' artists, etc, is the way that a large amount of songs fade out at the end. My question is why?! Why must a song, that in some cases has been particularly fantastic all the way through, end on such an anti-climax?? It almost makes me think that they just could not be bothered to think of a way for the song to end, so thought 'I know, we'll play the main riff over and over rather than properly finish it!', which to me is rather a shame, not least because 2 of my favourite songs of all time, (New Order's 'Blue Monday' and 'Slide Away' by Oasis) both fade out at the end. Yeah fair enough they might say that, as said in the humourous 'Montage' song in Team America, 'if you fade out it seems like more time has passed', but thats not what I look for in a song, I would much rather have it end on a held note after the main chord progression has been played a couple of times than have it fade out with said progression continuously playing, that way it would at least be like the song has actually finished. I think the line, which I have used as the title of this particular thought process, sums it up best, so in the words of Neil Young, yes kids, Neil Young, listen to 'Hey Hey, My My'...or 'My My, Hey Hey' (there is a difference!) and you will see, I feel that, when it comes to a decent song, of any genre, be it pop, dance, rock, punk, anything, it really is better to burn out than to fade away.
Sunday 2 March 2008
The Libertines - really that good?
In 2002, we saw the arrival of a small band by the name of The Libertines that apparently changed the face of modern music, according to some people. While they may have been one of the first of the new rise in ‘indie’ music, some claims that they were the ‘band of a generation’, to me, seem a bit farfetched.
Although when listening to their music there is, on some songs, a certain likeability to it, there does not seem quite enough to cement them as one of the defining bands of an era. Some have claimed that many of the new bands to emerge into this ever growing ‘indie’ scene are merely copycat bands of The Libertines, and while one can see some similarities between them and some other bands, it seems far too general to claim that they are all just copying them. But then when you consider that The Libertines were perhaps one of the first bands from this new era, the new bands coming out of it are bound to have some influences, and after all, what are influences if not something to base what you are doing on?
Perhaps one of the main reasons as to why this band are idolised by so many people within the music, and indeed entertainment industry in general, may be because of the high profile relationship of the two songwriters, Pete Doherty and Carl Bârat, and of Pete's addictions to heroin. In a similar sense to Nirvana and Kurt Cobain in the mid-90’s, The Libertines may have become martyrs in their work as they ‘struggled to cope with addiction’ yet still managed to produce an album, some would say, of great quality. Admittedly ‘Cant Stand Me Now’ does act as a telling tribute to the demise of such a strong relationship between the pair.
However, to say that this was a relationship as strong in its song-writing ability as say, Lennon and McCartney, Page and Plant, or Morrisey and Marr would be a bit false in my opinion, as in the sum total of 2 full length albums and 4 or 5 EP’s, there only exists about 4 or 5 genuinely top quality songs. While the remainder is not particularly bad, there is little there, in my opinion, to suggest that this band is as important as some seem to make out. Just to look at both the infamous pairs new bands (Babyshambles for Doherty, Dirty Pretty Things for Bârat) and their failure to reach as similar heights as The Libertines would back this up Although it is undeniable the influence that this band have had on the music industry, to say the rise in indie bands following their split was solely down to them would be quite over exaggerated.
The talent that this band possesses may also be put into question, as even Doherty admitted that when he met his soon to be band mate, he couldn’t even play the guitar. At the risk of sounding harsh, this shows in the music. The guitars sound, particularly in the solos, awkward and flimsy. However, to criticise this band based purely on their slightly below par playing would be unfair, as in my view, one of the defining guitarists of the 90’s in Kurt Cobain possessed very little talent in his guitar playing ability, but was able to write some of the best songs of the era.
When listening to The Libertines, one has to question what it is that makes so many people worship this band and its frontmen so much, as, on a strictly musical level, there is not that much there to inspire. I can only assume that, in an unfortunately similar sense to the aforementioned ‘grunge’ band from Seattle, this band gained largely in fame after their unfortunate demise, and that, instead of focussing on the music, people, such as those at the offices of NME, continue to worship the ground on which Mr Doherty walks, simply because he was in a partially successful band, that came to a controversial end, with strong links to drugs. Although the fact that he is even still living may be some explanation! So while we can draw obvious signs from one of their few decent songs in the form of ‘Time for Heroes’, this music fan does not believe that these ‘Heroes’ came in the form of the ‘Likely Lads’ otherwise known as The Libertines
Although when listening to their music there is, on some songs, a certain likeability to it, there does not seem quite enough to cement them as one of the defining bands of an era. Some have claimed that many of the new bands to emerge into this ever growing ‘indie’ scene are merely copycat bands of The Libertines, and while one can see some similarities between them and some other bands, it seems far too general to claim that they are all just copying them. But then when you consider that The Libertines were perhaps one of the first bands from this new era, the new bands coming out of it are bound to have some influences, and after all, what are influences if not something to base what you are doing on?
Perhaps one of the main reasons as to why this band are idolised by so many people within the music, and indeed entertainment industry in general, may be because of the high profile relationship of the two songwriters, Pete Doherty and Carl Bârat, and of Pete's addictions to heroin. In a similar sense to Nirvana and Kurt Cobain in the mid-90’s, The Libertines may have become martyrs in their work as they ‘struggled to cope with addiction’ yet still managed to produce an album, some would say, of great quality. Admittedly ‘Cant Stand Me Now’ does act as a telling tribute to the demise of such a strong relationship between the pair.
However, to say that this was a relationship as strong in its song-writing ability as say, Lennon and McCartney, Page and Plant, or Morrisey and Marr would be a bit false in my opinion, as in the sum total of 2 full length albums and 4 or 5 EP’s, there only exists about 4 or 5 genuinely top quality songs. While the remainder is not particularly bad, there is little there, in my opinion, to suggest that this band is as important as some seem to make out. Just to look at both the infamous pairs new bands (Babyshambles for Doherty, Dirty Pretty Things for Bârat) and their failure to reach as similar heights as The Libertines would back this up Although it is undeniable the influence that this band have had on the music industry, to say the rise in indie bands following their split was solely down to them would be quite over exaggerated.
The talent that this band possesses may also be put into question, as even Doherty admitted that when he met his soon to be band mate, he couldn’t even play the guitar. At the risk of sounding harsh, this shows in the music. The guitars sound, particularly in the solos, awkward and flimsy. However, to criticise this band based purely on their slightly below par playing would be unfair, as in my view, one of the defining guitarists of the 90’s in Kurt Cobain possessed very little talent in his guitar playing ability, but was able to write some of the best songs of the era.
When listening to The Libertines, one has to question what it is that makes so many people worship this band and its frontmen so much, as, on a strictly musical level, there is not that much there to inspire. I can only assume that, in an unfortunately similar sense to the aforementioned ‘grunge’ band from Seattle, this band gained largely in fame after their unfortunate demise, and that, instead of focussing on the music, people, such as those at the offices of NME, continue to worship the ground on which Mr Doherty walks, simply because he was in a partially successful band, that came to a controversial end, with strong links to drugs. Although the fact that he is even still living may be some explanation! So while we can draw obvious signs from one of their few decent songs in the form of ‘Time for Heroes’, this music fan does not believe that these ‘Heroes’ came in the form of the ‘Likely Lads’ otherwise known as The Libertines
Who the Fuck are the Arctic Monkeys
The somewhat ironically titled new EP by Sheffield’s finest can be classed as a great follow up to their debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am…’, and although it is not quite as good as that album, it does show signs of some great things to come.
At first, you could be lead to believe that this is just a new single from the album, as it opens with the fantastic ‘A View from the Afternoon’. This probably only just edges it as the best song on this 5 track record. And with the re-recorded version of original demo ‘Cigarette Smoke’ (entitled ‘Cigarette Smoker Fiona’) following it up, this idea might still be sticking around. However, the sheer quality of this song makes you think again. As its raw aggression would make innocent young children wet themselves! The lyrics remain passionate as ever, although the veteran fans (if there can be such a thing due to the speed in which this band has risen to fame) might be a bit confused with the change of lyrics, the new ones are by far better, and slightly, if not by much, toned down. Nonetheless, it is still a fantastic song and one which will no doubt be loved by audiences over the world.
The third song on the EP, ‘Despair in the Departure Lounge’ is a solo effort by the lyrical genius that is Alex Turner, and although the opening lines (‘He’s pining for her in a people carrier’) might raise a few eyebrows, that’s what made us love them in the first place! This is one of those songs that you can imagine them playing in front of thousands of lighters in one of their world stadium tours. It also shows a more mature, grown up side to this band which, lest we forget, the members are still in the bottom end of their twenties. It’s the sort of song that you could imagine people with the calibre of Noel Gallagher playing. And it shows signs of what might be to come from this band.
As you listen to 4th song ‘No Buses’ there appears to be a sort of 60’s, Beatles vibe about it. Which isn’t a bad thing if you like that! It could be one for the older fans of the band, and although it isn’t the best song on this EP, it is still very good, and will no doubt end up being played on radios all over the world.
The final song, which shares its name with the EP, is magnificent. It is catchy and toe-tapping, however, there seems to be a darker side to it as the lyrics wonder what will become of the band (‘In five years time will it be ‘who the fuck’s Arctic Monkeys?’’). And halfway through the song, it takes a turn to the heavier side, combining two of their best attributes for this song, the melodious, catchy side, and the more aggressive side.
Although some people will be questioning their decision to release a new EP of songs so soon after the success of their debut album, this features some quality songs that will no doubt become classics. And while some people will be saying that this four-piece will be getting to big for their breeches, the quality of their music still remains, and will for quite a while yet! So in five years time will it be ‘Who the fuck’s Arctic Monkeys?’…..no chance!
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