the marquee

2010-09-04T14:19:00.000+02:00

new blog at naturalisnotinit.tumblr.com

random insights

2010-04-29T16:23:00.001+02:00

blue boy

2009-08-29T22:35:00.001+02:00

Mayer Hawthorne - Maybe So, Maybe No from Stones Throw on Vimeo.

Revivalist? Retro? Who gives a fuck...

deerhunter @ 59:1, munich, 18.08.2009

2009-08-20T22:38:00.003+02:00

Deerhunter is undoubtedly one of the most influential band in the world right now. Calling their music "Ambient Punk", they made records, which heard as a whole, makes you feel like being in a dream. I expected their show to be good. But not this good.
They were loud. So loud that you're numbed to the bone. It was so loud I thought I heard melodies within melodies. It was so loud you were practically in another world, transfixed and hypnotized by the sheer NOISE of it all. That the band played with an almost telepathic understanding certainly helped their cause further. The songs, which we all know are fantastic, were even more powerful played live in that kind of volume (12 by the sound of it, one further than even Spinal Tap). They generally went for the crowd pleasers : Cryptograms, Never Stops, Nothing Ever Happened, Agoraphobia et al, though they decided to skip Strange Light for some reason. A quiet spell in the middle where they could've played their slower, sparse songs, would've been welcomed, but hey, why am I complaining??
Unfortunately not all went without a hitch. Bradford, who celebrated the birthday that night, was constantly unsatisfied with the sound at the start, and just as he was starting to enjoy himself, found out that one of his pedals isn't functioning as it should. This inevitably annoyed him further, though he stopped short of having a tantrum. This aside Bradford talked quite a bit with the audience, cracked a few joke and was generally amusing (favourite quote of the night : "I only let you fuck my mother, cos you're my father!").
All in all definitely one of the best concert I've been to. My only regret is that I didn't talk to Bradford after the show...

a short conversation

2009-08-18T23:00:00.000+02:00

Me: Dude, seeing Deerhunter 2nite. You in Spain yet?

Ffonz: Yo man, any good? Yeah in Madrid already!

Me: Fucking brilliant! Definitely doing a post on it. Dare I say best show I've ever been to? YES I DARE GODDAMNIT! Fucking A! Sure the **** might've helped. Still....

Review coming up.....

deja vu

2009-07-22T22:19:00.001+02:00

reminds me a lot of

The Replacements - New Music - More Music Videos

money money money

2009-07-17T19:16:00.004+02:00

This whole tribute to Michael Jackson thing is robbing me of my last nerves. I mean, it's legitimate to pay respect to a man who for what seems like eternity ruled the pop world, who had his highs and lows (and god knows what to what level he's sunken to) in both his career and personal life monitored and dissected by practically the whole world. And just to cash in on his legacy now a live CD! Granted, he wrote good songs, but a CD with his live performances on it may just pushing it. For me he will always be someone who perform on stage, as opposed to play music. A DVD might have been sufficient. I have the suspicion though, that a double DVD containing both his live performance AND his videos might not see the light. Why sell one DVD if you can sell two?

fairytale in the supermarket

2009-05-22T08:02:00.002+02:00

Can you say The Raincoats?

lust for life

2009-03-03T22:09:00.001+01:00

The one song that's keeping me afloat right now :

twee as fuck

2009-02-07T03:26:00.002+01:00

Twee pop, while never really disappeared, have largely gone under the radar this few years. The Pains of Being Pure at Hearts though, may kickstart a new interest in a genre which has often been an object of ridicule. Their eponymous debut album even features on Pitchfork's Best New Music. And judging by their first single, Everything With You, they might just pull it off.

hakuna matata?

2009-02-04T00:14:00.002+01:00

African music looks well on its way to become one of the defining force in the next few years. After the interest generated by Amadou and Mariam, and a bunch of indie bands openly citing african music as an influence, the stage is set for the cheekily name The Very Best. The Very Best is the project of Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit, and brings the integration of african music in the noughties up a notch. They mix hip-hop, pop, electronic and, of course, african music, whilst sampling M.I.A, Vampire Weekend and even the Beatles! Their first collection of songs have been released, and is available for free here.

merryweather post pavillion

2009-01-20T03:02:00.003+01:00

A lot of people are tripping over themselves to praise the latest Animal Collective album, so much that my first instinct was actually to be extremely critical of the new album. But after hearing Merryweather Post Pavillion, it's easy to see why everybody loves it. It is quite simply one of the best album we'll be hearing this year. Gorgeous melodies, haunting harmonies, I suppose this is something Brian Wilson would do were he born in our post-rock world. The thing I like most about the Collective is their willingness to let a song, or a melody find its own course, and this method of songwriting has reached its peak in this album. Every song in this album has its own charm. Even songs which don't start promising will reveal a beautiful melody, or in some case, melodies, before the songs reach their end. If another album can top Merryweather this year, which frankly, I really can't see happening, 2009 will be consigned to history as one of music's best year.

cruel, cruel fate

2009-01-18T12:06:00.003+01:00

Animal Collective is playing tonight in Berlin, and I'm missing the chance to see the one band I've longed to see most in the last one and a half year. Munich really is a provincial city. Just got a listen of their new album though, which is brilliant. More of that later.

'Cause it's getting kind of quiet in my city's head

2009-01-15T18:38:00.004+01:00

Sonic Youth will be doing an art exhibition related performance here in Munich! Apparently it focuses on the multidisciplinary activities of Sonic Youth since the band's formation in 1981. Art? Check. Music? Check! Let's just hope I can afford the entry fee.

DETROIT MIX CITY & HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY, MOTOWN

2009-01-12T14:25:00.000+01:00

Good God! The first Mixtape of 2009.... First of many more I hope. Our little tribute to Detroit, which coincidentally is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the legendary Motown Records. A small anecdote: in the U-Bahn stations (that's subway stations) in Munich have this screen, where they show you snippets of today's news. The anniversary was apparently deemed important enough to pass as news, like it should be, and was showed on the said screen. Ironically, they managed to fuck up by describing Motown as a JAZZ LABEL! Jesus. They should be hanged for that. Anyway, without further ado: the link to the mixtape. And just because we're smartasses, Ffonz and I commented on every track we mixed! Peace out!

1. MC 5 - Borderline

MC5 stands for Motor City Five, and they were only one of a long line of notorious bands to come out of Detroit. They openly admitted to taking LSD and Marijuana, dabbled in radical left-wing politics and was even affiliated with the White Panther, which, though it sounds like it, not a white supremacy organization, but a radical organization aiming to help the Black Panthers. Their music isn’t less bizarre, combining rock n’roll, r n’b and free jazz just to name a few. This track was taken from their first album, Kick Out the Jams.

2. Amboy Dukes - Journey to the Centre of the Mind

Sure this band was the band where the notorious conservative, red neck and all-round primitive Ted Nugent made his name. But this tune was so good; it made the CD reissue of the legendary Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968. It was also on their eponymous second album on Mainstream Records. The cover depicted 50 different kinds of marijuana smoking devices!

3. Iggy and the Stooges - Gimme Danger

This song is one of the highlight of Raw Power, an album that Iggy had remastered so loud, I swear my ears almost bled when I accidentally listened to it on my headphone.

4. David Bowie - Panic in Detroit

From the album Aladdin Sane, I suspect Bowie modelled the tune after the Motown sound. Just check out the backing vocals.

5. Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It through the Grapevine

I Heard it Through the Grapevine was covered many, many times. Gladys Knight and the Pips released it first, then Marvin Gaye came and made it his. Other notable covers of this song include the Slits, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The Creedence Clearwater Revival version is originally 11 minutes long and allegedly, Steve Cropper of Booker T and the MGs played the fiery solo, of which I had to cut half of it just in case you lose interest.

6. Kenny Burrel - Midnight Blue

The Detroit native recorded his signature tune on the legendary Blue Note Records. From the 1963 album with the same name, if you just want to buy one Kenny Burrell album, this is probably it.

7. Donald Byrd - Christo Redentor

You can find this piece on A New Perspective, on Blue Note Records. Christo Redentor means Christ the redeemer, and this song fits its title perfectly. Originally released in 1963, the list of musicians playing on the record includes Herbie Hancock on piano and Kenny Burrell on guitar.

8. Gil-Scott Heron - We Almost Lost Detroit

Though not as popular as The Revolution will not be Televised, this number will remain one of the highlight of Heron’s career. The song tells the tale of the 1966 nuclear meltdown in Michigan, and shows Heron’s worth as a lyricist. Originally on the album Bridges, released December 1977 on Arista.

9. Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools

Raised in Detroit, she's always been associated with the soul tradition of the city. Chain of Fools was recorded for her album Lady Soul, and this particular version is the unedited version available as a bonus track on the Rhino reissue.

10. Stevie Wonder – Jesus Children of America

One of the greatest exponents of Motown, Wonder started his career on the label since being a child star and never left the label since. This track originates from the album Innervisions (1972) which was one of the first Stevie Wonder albums written entirely by the man himself (as opposed to the Motown hit factory songwriters)

11. Soul President - Got to Have It

I got introduced to this groovy track by the 4^th installation of the Eccentric Soul compilations: The Big Mack Label, a 1960s Detroit based indie soul record label.

12. The Cool Kids – 88

The Detroit based Cool Kids released their second EP: The Bake Sale in 2008 to much fan fare which is clearly a nod to the golden age of hip-hop (87-94).

13. J Dilla a.k.a Jay Dee – Lightworks

Taken from the album Donuts, the last and good-bye album of legendary underground hip-hop producer, MC and Detroi native J Dilla before he lost his battle with Lupus in 2006, this track has been sampled and circled plenty a time amongst the next generation of left-field underground hip-hop producers ranging from Madlib and MF DOOM to Flying Lotus and Four Tet.

14. Erykah Badu - Amerykhan Promise

Badu’s latest album released in mid 2008 on Universal Motown has been arguably her best. Not only does she expand her familiar nu-soul sound, she also delves into 1970s p-funk, hip-hop and jazz amongst others.

15. Mae Young – Let’s Give Our Love a Try

Yet another of the irresistibly funky grooves served up by the good people at Numero Group who were responsible of the Eccentric Soul IV: Big Mack Label mentioned earlier above.

16. J Dilla a.k.a Jay Dee – Workinonit

Another track taken from the highly experimental Donuts, this album was conceived during J Dilla’s last days before his death in 2006. This particular track opens the album and is the longest of 31 tracks which clocks in at 2:57.

17. Ms. Tyree “Sugar” Jones – If You Feel It

This instrumental track is yet another gem on the Eccentric Soul IV: Big Mack Label series.

18. Stevie Wonder – Contusion

Sticking with instrumentals, this jazz-rock track is taken from Stevie’s 1976 Songs on The Key of Life, arguably his most well known album alongside Talking Book. For greater effect, follow up this track with Sir Duke which naturally follows Contusion on the album.

19. Soul President – Get it Right

By now you must be convinced that I’m a sucker for the Eccentric Soul IV: Big Mack Label compilation and you’d be right. If this wasn’t a mixed track list about Detroit, I’d include many other tracks from the 9 other Eccentric Soul series.

20. The Isley Brothers – Get Into Something

Also known as the band that discovered Jimi Hendrix, The Isely Bros let the funk rip on this 70s funk bonanza on Tamla-Motown. The track later became a staple for breaks in the early hip hop block parties in 1980s New York.

21. Stevie Wonder –Boogie On Reggae Woman

That old Stevie Wonder has been used 3 times already should come as no surprise as not only is he a Motown legend, he is also born and bred in Detroit Michigan making it a must for any mix tape proclaiming to represent the music of Detroit. This track also happens to be on 1974’s Fulfillingness’ First Finale on Tamle-Motown.

22. Q-Tip – Manwomanboogie (Feat. Amanda Diva)

A Tribe Called Quest’s main rhyme flower Q-Tip is back from the dead after an 8 year absence from releasing a full album since 2000’s Amplified. The Renaissance is often claimed by critics as one of the few good quality hip hop albums to come out in 2008. That is of course debatable, but the album on the whole is definitely back to Tip at his best and is a must have for this ridiculously catchy track and its funky bass line alone.

23. Eminem – Any Man

Any mention of rap and Detroit often conjures the image of Eminem. Yet rather than pick a track from his better known albums on Interscope, this track back from ’99 on seminal underground hip-hop label Rawkus Records features Eminem at his best: trash talking and tight rhyming over raw hip-hop beats courtesy of The World Famous Beat Junkies®.

24. J Dilla a.k.a Jay Dee – Body Movin' (Featuring J. Rocc & Karriem Riggins)

A straight forward heavy beat with fuzzy electro synthesized bass line featuring Stones Throw records’ J Rocc & Kariem Riggins on The Shining, released after Dilla’s death.

25. J Dilla a.k.a Jay Dee – Wild (Instrumental)

This track is just damn weird and wildly raw which shows the range of producing skills Dilla is capable of, showing why he’s just waaaaaay ahead of his time.

26. The Jackson Five – Hum Along and Dance

The Jackson Five quickly became Motown’s house band shortly after they relocated to Los Angeles from their Detroit hometown, replacing The Funk Brothers. Besides being the platform to which Michael Jackson would go on and conquer the pop world, they also released this track which also became a favourite amongst dee-jays in early 80s block parties.

27 & 28. J Dilla a.k.a Jay Dee – Time: Donuts of the Heart & Geek Down

Another 2 tracks from Donuts where the former was sampled and used by The Roots in their 2006 Game Theory LP as a tribute track to the Detroit producer.

29. Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make me wanna holler)

Not including a track from perhaps Motown’s best known albums What’s Going On would be quite mad.

looking back : 2008

2009-01-02T02:08:00.004+01:00

2008 has consigned itself to the past, and music-wise, it has been another year of discovery of old and new music. A quick glance at my lastfm most played artist of the last 12 months gives an indication of my leanings this year, though it is not in any way the final word in my music consumption since I do like using my stereo to listen to CD's as well. I've been hearing a lot of The Jam since I discovered how well versed they are in the Northern Soul tradition, which is actually only logical, since they were inspired by the Mods movement, a movement which adopted 60s soul as their music of choice. Soul, along with funk, has featured heavily this year too, Kashmere Stage Band being one of few bands to really made it's mark on my life. The occasional soul and funk compilations also regularly found their way to my stereo. I haven't heard as much hip-hop as I'd actually like, but a few highlights this year are Flying Lotus's Los Angeles, Main Source's Breaking Atoms, Gang Starr's Daily Operation and Eric B and Rakim's Paid in Full. African Music made it's first mark this year, the catalyst being the magnificent Amadou & Mariam, and Nigeria 70, an African Funk compilation (all my thanks to Ffonz from the Ludovico here). Indie will never break it's hold of me, and I'm not complaining. 2008 has seen great records like Microcastle from Deerhunter, and Times New Viking's Rip It Off. Fleet Foxes has been greeted by the press with an enthusiasm that surprised me, though it is really well deserved, and Ice Cream Spiritual by Ponytail has been pretty much ignored all year long, despite it being better than the likes of No Age, who despite being good, somehow sounded too much like a few other bands that made their mark this year. TV on the Radio's Dear Science was good, although not as good as some people would like you to think, a bit like Vampire Weekend then. I also actually discovered how good The Kinks and The Byrds are this year. How I didn't discover them before is a mistery.

nostalgia!

2008-12-10T23:36:00.003+01:00

Blur's reuniting for a show next year! Well, well, well... This certainly has capped this end of year atmosphere. After looking back to my formative years in light of the declaration of Richey Edwards' death, and reading loads of old Donald Duck comics, it's nostalgia time again. A band reuniting isn't something new, and generally not something I look forward to. I didn't even want to see Led Zeppelin when they played THAT show this year. I must say though, I've always had time for Blur. Whereas Oasis marched on and on churning out the same old song, they did the decent thing and broke up. After a bunch of album, in which they never really stuck to a formula. Well, maybe a bit during their britpop years. Damon Albarn's certainly a guy I really admire. What he's done after Blur has really exceeded everyone's expectation. I would've banked on Jarvis Cocker to have the most interesting solo carreer. And as for Graham Coxon. He was and is and always will be a role model for me as a guitarist. Cool specs and impeccable sense of fashion too. The other two members, though not as interesting as Coxon and Albarn has certainly done something with their lives too. Anyone knows the whereabouts of those two Oasis stalwarts, that Bonehead dude and that bassist (Guiggsy, or something like that)???? No? Didn't think so.

mosaic

2008-12-06T18:24:00.002+01:00

Ahhhh.... The Joy of YouTube.... Another gem uploaded by a generous soul. This time Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers' performance in San Remo 1963 playing Mosaic, definitely one of my favorite Jazz number ever. Jazz is, of course, dead. Probably dead-er than rock. No matter. Why look to the future if the past is this glorious.

will ageing ever be their friend?

2008-12-02T23:51:00.003+01:00

A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night, Love Is All's sophomore effort is exactly what it is. A sophomore album. The classic sophomore album. A slight expansion of the themes first explored in the first album. The five-piece from Gotheburg, Sweden, specializes in high octane, frenzied, reverb laden, melodic noise fest, their secret weapon being the saxophone, which gives their more energetic songs that extra kick. And whilst their second offering contains many songs in the same vein, they are taking their time now to let the songs breath and find its own natural groove.
The dance funk punk of Franz Ferdinand they rode on has burst long ago, let's see if they'll evolve enough to be remembered.

naked city covers funkadelics' super stupid

2008-11-29T21:30:00.001+01:00

I'm in love.

obituaries

2008-11-26T23:50:00.004+01:00

Richey James Edwards, who was pronounced dead yesterday after missing for 13 years wasn't a great musician. But he was one hell of a lyricist. I remember taking a shine to Manic Street Preachers' music back when I was 15 or 16. But then I didn't know that the band has long since changed. It was about a year or two after that, after I bought their second album The Holy Bible in Milan that I learn who Richey Edwards was. His opus magnum, I was shocked the first time I listened to it. Here is a kind of music that's far away from the melodic britpop songs that the Manics dish now. This is pure, naked emotion. Raw rage. Real pain. You felt the despair, the loneliness. The Holy Bible remains one of my favorite album to hear when I'm feeling angry and frustrated. It also marked the first time I realized that you could be political musically too. Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart isn't the best title for a song. But the song itself, it was pure verbal diarrhea about, well, the failings and crimes of white america. Revol crammed political figures in my head for the first time in my life in a context i never realized exist. Faster actually quotes some lines from 1984, for which I am eternally thankful, since without the song I would never have read it. All in all, I guess The Holy Bible is the album that woke me up to the reality that is this world. You'll be missed even more, Richey.
Mitch Mitchell, the drummer best known for his work with The Jimi Hendrix Experience has left us as well. On the 12th November he made his way to the drum stool of one of Hendrix's heavenly jam session. Peace out, Mitch. Thanks for the ride.

upwards and onwards

2008-11-21T15:21:00.005+01:00

Congratulations to the talented Dinda for winning the Bloc Party australian tour poster competition (click the above picture to see the poster in all it's glory). For those not in the know, the 25 year old is also responsible for the nifty header this blog currently sport. Cheers! You're destined for bigger things.

thank you for the music

2008-11-12T20:24:00.006+01:00

In the jungle of post-modern rock, it is hard, if not impossible, to explore new territory. I remember talking with Ffonz about the stagnating condition of indie music. A condition which prompted us the search for pastures greener. But then again, once in a while there comes an artist to revive your hope in rock 'n roll, however briefly. Teasing us with the possibility of experiencing a second music revolution, which however you see it will never come again. Deerhunter falls into this category. They sound like the logical continuation of bands like Pavement and Radiohead. But something nags at the back of my head. Something isn't right.
Microcastle, their third lp to date, starts with Cover Me Slowly, which segues into Agoraphobia, both tracks effectively one song, evoking Pavement and Thom Yorke and with it sets the tone for the rest of the album. Despite the lackluster Never Stops which sounds a little bit too much like early Interpol, the band set their course straight again with Little Kids, a dream inducing number from which you'll be slightly disappointed to be waken from. The thought that the album has reached its climax in the course of three songs did cross my mind. Luckily the rest of the album is almost perfection itself. Now, I'm pretty sure the songs weren't created in the order they appear on the album, but it certainly sounds like it. The cohesion of the album is surpassed maybe only by OK Computer or Loveless and this is for me is the biggest strength of post modern rock. This is why Sgt. Pepper is one of the touchstone of popular music. The way that the sum is bigger than its parts. It's hard to imagine the songs standing on it's own, although the likes of Agoraphobia and Nothing Ever Happened certainly could hold out on their own. This simultaneously encapsulates the problem of modern music though. Who would want to experience albums as a whole entity in this age of iPods and music downloads?
And there it was. The dawning realization that rock truly is dead. In its golden age rock music truly encapsulates the zeitgeist of the time. It was both revolutionary and commercial. It was food for the soul and opium for the masses at the same time. Deerhunter may have released a beautiful album, but it is also their destiny to be keepsakes for only a select group of people, and for it is also for these group of people they've ultimately created this album. Rock is dead. Long live rock 'n roll.

a day in the life

2008-06-21T16:52:00.006+02:00

Phew! Long time since I've posted. But I take it no one was too concerned by my absence, though it may just be my own fault since I've never really bothered too build up a readership. And now I'm feeling talkative, which may have to do with the fact that I just woke up, and a certain girl wasn't available for idle chit-chat.

Saw a dead body yesterday at 7.30 in the morning. MUCH much much too early for stuff like that really. Unfortunately it is uni related, so no escaping that. Got very little sleep last night too, after an epic billiard battle which involved 4 deuces. We won with me sinking the last shot, which was a surprise because I am actually quite the bottler. Wasn't an easy one either, with the angle of the shot usually giving room to big mistake margins. Anyway, waking up I hastily made my way to the Hospital to find the patient I was supposed to meet was gone! Got herself an one day vacation the nurse said (there's no real English word for male nurses are there? In German, it's Krankenpfleger for male nurse and Krankenschwester for the female ones). And little annoyed me left the hospital in a slightly bad mood, though it soon changed after I had a luxurious 2 hour long breakfast, after which I slumped into the bed again. Gorillaz was pretty annoying to hear when you're floating in half sleep, but I managed nevertheless.

Music-wise it's been back to basic to me these last 3 days or so. The last month was, ummm, eclectic, to say the least. Released 2 new mix tapes with ole' F-man from the Lud, and that was quite an achievement. Never thought we'd get past the first one to be honest. As to what I've listened, well, there's always the lastfm thingie below right of this blog, but to put it in words, strange weird wonderful music. Which is basically what I like to hear, really. But the discovery of Kapitän Rindherz, or Captain Beefheart as he is more commonly known, or Don van Vleet, if you insist on being pedantic and hate those stupid names artists hide themselves behind. Really really weird stuff on Trout Mask Replica, and cool bluesy less avant-garde but avant-garde nonetheless stuff on Clear Spot. On the last mix tape my segment begins with someone talking about a blimp. That's his work right there. El Guincho is the other interesting discovery these last weeks. Probably Panda Bear's long lost brother or something. More or less the same concept, loops upon loops recorded anchoring a gorgeous melody in a bathroom, though Guincho mostly favors, I dunno, I suppose tropicalia flavored samples. No word of an official release here in Germany, and no appearance either, but you can bet I'm looking forward to those.

I talked earlier about my back to basic taste in music these last 3 days, and that is thanks too Times New Viking (no German release for them either! I mean JESUS!). I do wonder why I keep going back to lo-fi, amateurish sounds. To be fair, all those lo-fi bands I like do tend to produce impossibly pretty melodies, but as in the case of Times New Viking, aren't they actually ruining those said melodies by using white noise as background? And it's not really My Bloody Valentine either with their ability to produce textural backdrops. Anyway they're this lo-fi amateurish sounding band with a knack of making catchy melodies. Television Personalities is also a pretty similar case. Figuring quite high these days in my top artist list, they're not only amateurish and good at writing good songs, they also make LOAAAAAAAAADS of pop culture references. They wrote a pretty good song called I Know Where Syd Barret Lives, and when Pink Floyd brought them along on a tour as opening act, no doubt to boost their profile in the eyes of those dinosaur rock hating punks of '77, they actually revealed Syd's address after the song, which really freaked Pink Floyd out. I'm sure it wasn't done out of malice or anything. Just youthful hero worship mixed with a healthy dose of youth daftness.

Marquevicolicous

And Say Children, What Does Marquevico means?

Click on the 2 links above for the rapidshare download.

it's alive!

2008-05-11T00:51:00.002+02:00

The Marquee, in cooperation with The Ludovico, hereby present to you: Sounds from the Marquevico. Basically a one hour worth of music, mixed really badly for your enjoyment. Cheers!

if you're feeling sinister

2008-04-27T23:40:00.006+02:00

Nick's first career choice left a lot to be desired

Yes, I am quoting Belle & Sebastian's first album's name. Because if there's ever need for proof, that the Glaswegians belong to the long list of people who admire Nick Drake, it's in this album. I've been listening to Bryter Layter again. This time without pause. Over and over again. This last 3 days. And it became apparent, how similiar the album felt, like the aforementioned B&S album. Bryter Layter was always regarded as Nick Drake's "pop" album. And in contrast to the low key first album, and the utterly melancholic Pink Moon, it's understandable. For me Bryter Layter is his best album. Not just because I'm a pop fan, but also because of it's understated beauty, elegant songs, it's poetic, if slightly naive, lyrics, and because for me, this is Nick Drake at his most focused. The intimacy of Drake's songs has always fascinated me too. I remember a few years ago, when I found out, that an acquaintance of mine liked Nick Drake too. And frankly it annoyed me to no end because it felt like I've been robbed of my privacy, and I had to share my love for his songs with someone else.

that's entertainment

2008-04-05T16:59:00.005+02:00

I didn't especially liked The Jam. I liked a few of their songs, but i thought their most popular album (All Mod Cons) is massively overrated. And they influenced Oasis, for Christ's sake. But after listening to a compilation of their singles and b-sides I had to change my mind. Paul Weller wrote songs in the classic british invasion style, soul, psychedelia, basically all form of pop music to ever dominate Britain. And it's not just the melodies. A closer look at his lyrics reveals an incredibly poetic side. He's the first musician I've ever heard, to compare himself to a paper in the wind, gliding upstream and downstream (on Boy About Town). Or That's Entertainment, a sardonic take on Thatcher-era Britain. Who cares if he uses the same song structure over and over again, or that most of his songs is built around C, D and G?

------->The Jam - I Got You a mp3!!! only for something only, i'm not responsible, will take it down after few days, bllablablablbalbla.....

exit music (for a film)

2008-04-04T00:17:00.004+02:00

Film soundtracks are funny things... In the context of a movie they can mean everything. Removed from the film, however they can mean nothing at all. Admittedly, music taste plays a big role as well. For someone more or less well versed in modern music's history, like me, i tend to be drawn to soundtracks featuring pop songs like those found in Quentin Tarantino's and Wes Anderson's. John Williams, on the other hand, just doesn't seem to click for me. The themes to, say, Jurassic Park or Star Wars, are powerful pieces of music. But their link to the films they're found in is just too strong. They're just too connected with each other. It's a bit like brainwash I suppose. Those specific melodies and it's variations are placed strategically so that everytime you hear it you're immediately transported back to your movie theater seat, replaying those specific scenes over and over and over again. Ennio Morricone is also one to use the effect of a recurring theme to great effect. In the few last years though, I've been admiring Wes Anderson's use of pop music to catch a certain mood. The scene in The Darjeeling Limited where the Whitmans run to catch their train and in the process drop their baggage, mental and physical, to the absolutely powerful opening chords to The Kinks' Powerman just blew me. It's an unquestionably good song, and though the lyrics has absolutely nothing to do with the scene, it will be burned in my mind thanks to the intensity of the scene.

black kids

2008-03-10T14:02:00.002+01:00

Another day, another hyped band. Quite like the music though. Reminds me of The Cure, New Order, and a bunch of other 80's Indie bands. Basically like every band trying to get attention these days. These young Floridans have written some nice tunes on their EP though.

too late is better than never

2008-03-09T19:53:00.002+01:00

Another belatedly found music. Their critically acclaimed album, Dimanche à Bamako, was released 2005, I think. I remember reading about it in a magazine, but never really saw the CD in the local record stores. Got round to discover them last week though...

gold soundz

2008-03-06T22:07:00.003+01:00

Reading Tom Campesino's obsession with Pavement made me dig out my Pavement CD....

atomic sucks

2008-03-03T21:47:00.002+01:00

After hearing about them over and over and over again, I finally managed to check out Los Campesinos!, who kinda sounds like UK's answer to Broken Social Scene and Architecture in Helsinski rolled into one, during which I found out that they played at Atomic last friday. Fuck... Oh well, Atomic's shit anyway.

make out, fall out, make up

2008-02-29T07:12:00.002+01:00

Lo-fi, saxophone, danceable beats, anthemic chants, girl vocal... Everything I currently like in one bucket.

fairytale in the supermarket

2008-02-28T07:11:00.002+01:00

Somehow, I've only been posting videos of woman fronted punk bands this week. This one's pretty freaky. Great song, though.

instant hit

2008-02-27T06:43:00.002+01:00

The opening track from their superb album, Cut. I hate it when people only associate punk with safety pins, leather jacket, power chords, fast songs and Sid Vicious. He's dead and was even more useless when he was alive.

the day the world turned day glo

2008-02-25T21:16:00.002+01:00

Great song... There's not enough songs with saxophone in it. Providing, of course, they don't turn into one of those schmalzy 80s ballads. And X Ray Spex is massively underrated.

jens lekman; atomic cafe, 23.02.2008

2008-02-24T00:50:00.002+01:00

I suppose it's inevitable that Jens Lekman is a warm and funny guy. It shows in his records, shows in his melodies, shows in his lyrics, and most of all, it shows in his live shows. The set list comprised mostly of songs from his latest album, with few old hits like Black Cab and You Are The Light thrown in for good measure. Seeing how Jens used samples for his song structure, it was interesting to see how he is to approach live shows. There was a time when he did a gig armed with only a guitar and an ipod, but now he's backed by 4 girls who play drums, bass, the violin and cello, and a guy who does the "funny stuff", according to Jens. Unfortunately, being pretty small, I wasn't able to assess the performance of the rest of the cast more closely. They did sound quite tight, and I thought the bassist was pretty hot, but I'm digressing... The songs itself, obviously, didn't change that much, though they did, I think, use different samples on few songs. I remember reading somewhere that Jens was disappointed with myspace, since it fails to offer and intimate platform for him to interact with fans. And judging on his performance today, I'm not surprised. He joked a lot, told a few anecdotes ( one of them was about the day before, when he played in Florence and got told off by a promoter because he keeps telling the audience how beautiful he thought Florence was, an opinion the promoter evidently doesn't share), and elaborated on how certain songs came to be. He also indulged in zany antics like during Sipping On The Sweet Nectar, when he mimicked an airplane, a nod, no doubt, to the video of the song, in which Jens piloted an, you guessed it, airplane. In the end he even came back on stage twice, the first time singing crowdpleasers Summer Night On Hammer Hill and Friday Night At The Drive In Bingo and the second time singing the Arthur Russel cover, A Little Lost. All in all, it was a good performance by Jens. His warmth enveloped the room and you quickly get lost in his deep voice. The acoustic of the place also helps, I guess. I can't imagine Jens playing in a big venue, really. And I don't think he will, for he is someone who lives and feeds off interactions and intimacies with audience.

if looks could kill

2008-02-21T07:00:00.002+01:00

I really love this Camera Obscura single from last year. Probably the whole 60s soul aesthetic, you know, horn part, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound-y production etcetcetc...

in my room

2008-02-19T06:41:00.001+01:00

My favorite Martha Reeves & The Vandellas song. Shame they don't make it like this anymore.

don't you just love old skool hip-hop??

2008-02-03T21:02:00.001+01:00

vampire weekend, jens lekman

2008-01-28T17:54:00.000+01:00

Shouting out from the darkness as my love for good pop tunes recovered its soul. Vampire Weekend is one of the most talked about band in the net, and after finally bringing out an album, it looks like its well earned as well. The eponymous album has, without a doubt a few misses. But the strength of the excellent Mansard Roof and Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, aided and abetted by the new wave punk meets string orchestra Boston, the sunny Campus and the unforgettable One. Lyrically it also shows what a creative text can bring to a song. A morbid streak runs in my family, but for you i could put it to rest, the singer sang in one song, or the chant 'Blake's got a new face', shouted with glee, is just a few highlights. Whether they will be remembered is another question, but for now I'm just grateful someone's writing pretty songs.

Another one who also writes pretty songs, if not prettyER, is Jens Lekman. Like his german namesake, he's also quite gaga. After slowly getting recognition for his immaculate songwriting, he almost threw it away to become a bingomaster (the inspiration for one of the track here as well, or at least i think so). Luckily, he changed his mind and stayed on course to bring out one of the best album of last year Night Falls Over Kortedala. The lyrics are witty, and despite the undoubted melancholy of the songs, they're also very uplifting and cheerful. Reminds me a bit of old Moz at some places, but then again, that's never a bad thing.

I picked up a seashell
To illustrate my homelessness
But a crab crawled out of it
Making it useless

or

Well sometimes I almost regret it
like I regret my regrets.
I see myself on my deathbed saying
"I wish I would have loved less"

or

People seem to think a shy personality equals gifted
But if they would get to know one I'm sure that idea would have shifted
Most shy people I know are extremely boring
Either that or they are miserable from all the shit they've been storing

These are just few of the gems Jens wrote, and if they don't bring Morrissey to mind, then you probably haven't heard a thing Morrissey sang. And all this covered in melody so sweet I thought I'm getting diabetes.

revolution number nine

2007-07-08T22:22:00.000+02:00

Live Earth is probably the epitome of the state of music today. It is basically this bloated overrated parade of overrated artists for a cause that is, without a doubt, noble, but in the end, who cares about the reason this juggernaut of a political, ecological and economical menage a trois was being held in the first place? The concept itself is, of course, familiar. In 1969 Woodstock basically became the blueprint of all bloated music festivals to come, in the sense that it's probably the first music festival to be bestowed with media attention of ridiculous proportion, and that it purports to having an ulterior motive. The artists who performed there were without question better than those performing on Live Earth. I suppose it's a matter of taste, but for fuck's sake, why James Blunt? The thing with Live Earth is, that they had this theory that to get people's attention, they needed the world's best SELLING acts, as opposed to BEST acts. Which is admittedly logical. Because your average Joe can't differentiate good music from bad anyway. Which brings me to the state of music today.

True there are many who complain that today's music is very influenced by corporate machineries. After all, they want to make money, which in turn will boost the spectrum in which artists can express themselves. In my opinion this is a never ending cycle, that started a long long time ago. I mean, even classical composers are oft sponsored by some rich aristocrats who wants to hear good music. They pay money to get music made, music which they enjoy, so they are to an extent, blueprinting the method with which the music industry operate today. Every artist or even musical movement started out small, until someone takes notice, at which point the said artist starts getting the attention and his music reaches a wider audience. And in the end what the majority wants, the majority gets (note : not always the case, but almost always). Another oft heard complaint, is that artist today tend to be lifeless robots, carrying out biddings from record companies. Well Motown, was a ruthless hit-making machine, who had a team of songwriters, who write music for the artists to interpret. Much like today actually. Again, nothing new. They just need someone with enough charisma to bring the music alive.

Ditto musical trends. A pretty good example is of course the state of indie music of today. Much like it's father, punk, they're being milked out for what it's worth. Seeing pathetic "indie" bands like Snow Patrol or The Killers dominating the charts is like seeing 2nd rate britpop bands like Dodgy ruling the charts in the mid 90s. They have a few good songs, that I won't deny, but not much musical substance. When britpop fizzled out after 1 year (or maybe more, depending on your personal taste), indie music was for 5 years or so indie again. And then out of nowhere, here they are again. I think this current fad for all thing "indie" will pass in the next 6 months. But I won't be surprised if in 5 or 6 years, " indie" is hot again.

In the end, there's no good or bad music taste. It's a matter of interest. It's like drugs I suppose. I mean, you start out little, then, if you like it you want more or eventually something harder. If you don't, you just don't do it. I mean, it is possible to start out with say, Coldplay, at which point you wonder why people keep mentioning this Radiohead band they were always compared to. And in no time, you'll find out that they took their name from a Talking Heads song. "What's Talking Heads?", you start to wonder. And in no time you'll find the joys of the post punk movement. Which, in no time, leads you into a journey, from which you might never come back.

(Footnote: I actually wanted to bitch about a)Live Earth and b)indie music nowadays. But Guardian Unlimited beat me to it, so I'll just link the article here)

Ted Leo, Feierwerk, 12.05.2007

2007-06-13T01:45:00.000+02:00

Ted Leo is one of those artists who I reckon won't create anything new. But who cares?? Everything he's done he did with such energy and dedication you can't feel anything but admiration for him.
The Flesh opened for him. This band is one to watch for the future in my humble opinion. Imagine The Specials' Ghost Town, cross it with a dose if Block Party and you won't be too far away from the reality. It doesn't help either that the singer reminded me of someone I'm quite fond of. Check them out here.
Anyway, Ted Leo and his Pharmacists appeared after about half an hour. Opening with a cut from his latest Album, he wasted no time in winning the attention of his audience. Throw in 2 songs from The Tiranny of Distance for good measure and he was in the zone. At this point I must concede, that I was much too drunk to remember clearly how it really was. But it is with no exaggeration whatsoever that I say, that all I can remember thinking during the gig was, FUCK MY LIFE! I'M GONNA START A ROCK N ROLL BAND AND CHANGE THOUSANDS AND MILLIONS OF LIVES! I'M GONNA CHANGE THE WORLD! And in the end, this feeling I had, counted more than all that what I could've written here. Peace out... I need some sleep...

she's a model and she's looking good

2007-05-22T22:17:00.000+02:00

Kraftwerk has got to be the only German band to really leave a mark in modern music's short history. With David Bowie and Afrika Bambataa being two of many artists who admired them, culminating in Bowie's Berlin era albums and Bambataa's Planet Rock. Their approach to music is as german as you like, with intelligence, wit and, dare I say, coldness, seeping through the textures of their music. Trans-Euro Express, which was sampled by Bambataa for Planet Rock is typical Kraftwerk. Electronic sounds mimicking the sound of train, coupled with haunting melody, it is evocative. You can just picture yourself sitting on a train, travelling through Europe in the cold night.

For me though, their most important song is The Model. It is practically the blueprint on which all synth pop, and with it much of 80's pop, was based. With emotional detachment, they delivered a perfect pop tune about a model, whose lifestyle the narrator, despite lusting for her, commented about cynically. Although not the definitive Kraftwerk tune, this song definitely brought them a larger audience.

Like any good band, they also had the appearance to go with their music. Live they stand emotionless on the stage in uniform, perfecting the cold ambience of their music. And on photos they appear almost lifeless, as if they're only human shells for some intergalactic robots who make music.

greetings from hong kong

2007-03-10T15:56:00.000+01:00

I'm writing this post from Hong Kong, where the internet connection is about thousand times quicker than in Indonesia. Though I'm knackered from exploring the city, I thought I'd post as long I have the chance. This trip itself has brought me the possibility to acquire a few CDs I probably get in Indonesia nor Germany (or at least not as cheap). So far I've bought Arethra's I've Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You, Bowie's Low, Talking Heads' Fear of Music, and last but not least, the latest Arcade Fire album, Neon Bible. So far Low has impressed me very much as has Neon Bible. I've heard too many songs from the Arethra album, and hearing Fear of Music, I must once again concede, that the versions heard on The Name of The Band is Talking Heads are far more superior and exciting.

Hong Kong itself is a fascinating city. Bustling with life, bright, loud. If I ever get the chance, I wouldn't say no to living here. The city itself has many faces, ranging from skyscrapers, colonial leftovers, chinese shops, crumbling old buildings, shiny new buildings. And the people! It's almost surreal seeing how full the city was, although to be fair, it's a weekend, and there are probably quite a few just wanting to spend their weekend here. Well, I've only been here for 2 days, and still got 6 days to go, so I should have a more definitive impression by the end of my trip. In the meantime I think I'll try to post every night. Welcome to my travel(b)log!

The Mozzer won't like this view!

Hong Kong by night

And here's a song by the incompareable Gorillaz, titled, wouldn't you know it, Hong Kong:

the decemberists, muffathalle,18.02.2007

2007-02-19T00:23:00.000+01:00

The Decemberists have a penchant for theatrics. That's apparent enough from their albums, which contain songs about doomed lovers, pirates and other themes you normally find in fairy tales. Their performance earlier tonight didn't prove otherwise either.

Lavender Diamond was an appropriate opener for the main event, with their dreamy lullabylike songs. The singer was either really ditzy, or smoked one joint too many before coming on stage, or were raised by hippies. She can't seem to stand still more than one minute or shut her mouth more than 30 seconds, bounding left and right and doing some kind of dance not unlike that of ballerinas warm up routines. Her voice is pleasant enough though, and rang clear through the smokefree hall (it's something the Decemberists insisted on, apparently). It didn't really strike a chord with most of the public, who found the music a bit dull, from what I gathered when I overheard a few people left and right of me complaining.

Finally, after hearing Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf (that's right, a children's story to open a concert!) from start to end, the band finally arrived. Almost. Before they played a recording of a voice insisting us of doing 3 important things before. The first one was to introduce ourselves to the person standing next to us and telling them random facts about ourselves. The second was to take a closer look of the hall we're in and to contemplate the architectural significance of the building. And to spare a thought to the eunuchs(!) who helped built it. And for the final one, we were to close our eyes and imagine ourselves standing in a canyon, smell the lavenders (at which point there was a light breeze that smelled like lavender), and to see the 6 figures standing on the edge. Cue the band.

They started with the first 2 tracks of their newest album, the Crane Wife and I was surprised to see how tight the band is. I always thoughtColin Melloy a bit arrogant, but he is certainly a charismatic frontman. He was cracking jokes about how the german carnival (Fasching) looked like a frat party and how he felt ripped off when he learned that the ancient looking townhall was built in 1908. The setlist was mainly songs from The Crane Wife, though they did play Billy Liar and The Engine Driver in the first half of the concert. Then came something I certainly never would've though I'd experience at a concert. They did something they called mid concert calesthenics, which involved the band playing and Colin showing the public which gymnastic moves they have to do. Brings me back to my schooldays. Needless to say the public duly obliged, and it was a laugh. Fast forward to Yankee Bayonets and O Valencia. Soon after they played 16 Military Wives. No doubt their most famous song. Here they again showed that they like to integrate the concert goers in the show. During the chorus which ended with him singing 'la dee da dee da' he divided the hall into 2 halves and got them to sing the line alternately. A contest as he put it. It lasted about 10 minutes I think. Great fun. They closed with Sons and Daughters which again involved the public singing along, egged once again by Colin.

The encore was a bit flat to my liking though, since they played Red Light Ankle and Clementine, whiche aren't really my favorite Decemberist song, truth be told. Another priceless moment ensued during Clementine though, with the drummer and the keybordist walzing on stage and Colin trying to get a few people to walz too, this time with no success.

It was certainly one of the most memorable concert I've been to. Shame they didn't play This Sporting Life or The Perfect Crime, two of the best song they've ever written. They didn't even play Eli The Barrel Boy, despite some girl screaming for that song everytime there's an extended pause. But despite this being only the second time I've been to a concert alone, I really enjoyed it and that's saying a lot since I was quite annoyed that not only I came much too early, I couldn't even have a cigarette to go with my beer. Who would've tought that they were that much fun!

2007-02-14T17:28:00.000+01:00

This for all of you who doesn't have anybody. This is why we're better off alone...

And yes, I'm degrading myself by acknowledging Valentine's Day

cruel fate

2007-02-05T23:35:00.000+01:00

Regrettably, I'll be missing Arcade Fire AGAIN, since their Munich gig coincide with my staying in Indonesia. Just like two years ago. Have bought the plane ticket though, so no getting out of that. Oh well, at least there's the Decemberists concert to look forward too in 2 weeks.

mother's little helper

2007-01-31T13:50:00.000+01:00

If there's a tune I can't get out of my mind today, it's Rolling Stones' Mother's Little Helper. For no other reason than the twist of fate, which has forced me to make a presentation about diazepam, or better known as Valium (wanted to put the little R thing here, but can't be arsed to find out how. Anyway, don't sue me). Yes, that song is about valium. A nice little tune, released as a single in 1966. This song really emphasizes the side of the Rolling Stones that I like. Nice poppy tune, folky chord progression, witty lyrics, and Brian Jones. None of those self glorifying country/blues numbers. If there's something more overrated than Exile on Main Street, I'd like to see it. (Well okay, anything by U2 or Bruce "THE BOSS" Springsteen naturally, but that's not the main point.)

Not surprisingly Valium was quite popular with the musician, seeing that it's also often used to help to lessen the after effects from other drugs such as LSD. Other notable song is Walk On The Wild Side by Lou Reed. Or so Wikipedia said. Other prominent artists to have written a song about this little yellow pill is Belle & Sebastian and Franz Ferdinand.

Apropos Franz Ferdinand, I met Mr. Nick McCarthy not long after Christmas. In the tube. We even went to the same concert. That's not too surprising though, since the band, Kamerakino, is a good friend of Franz. I think Nick played there for a short period of time as well. Nick's wife tagged along too. Stylish lady. Didn't have the guts to say hi to him though I almost did when we met in the loo! Well Nick, if you're reading this, I'm the only Asian that night. If there were more, then I was the one always giving you the knowing look. Knowing or dodgy. It's a matter of interpretation.

Another musician I've bumped into is the guitarist from the Futureheads. Don't really remember his name. I think it's Ross Mallard or something like that. That guy was HUGE and had a Man Utd Magazine in his hands. We were on the same train from Vienna to Munich. (There's some kind of pattern here...) Didn't say hi either. But we exchanged knowing looks. I think.

imagine

2007-01-28T16:06:00.000+01:00

Halfway refreshed and almost back in the land of the living. The last 2 nights have been excessiv drinking and smoking. And now that my brain can function normally again I'm going to write something I've been thinking the past few days. Anyway, one of the exam I wrote was history of medicine (there's got to be a better way to translate it, but I can't be bothered). It was fascinating. I've always been a sucker for history. Never bothered to memorize the dates, but the stuff you read there are almost always good. To cut a long story short, I started wondering how it is, if there were a subject called history of modern music. I, for one, would've emphasised 4 major changes. Namely to transition from african music, brought by the slaves to the USA and of course the eurpoean music brought to the USA by the whites, to rock n roll. The second major change would be the birth of electric music, popularized in the 60's before that one lost its momentum. Cue punk. It was a major breakthrough in terms of how we interprete music. No longer do you have to master the instrument of your choice. You want to make music? Then just play! In the same time the african american in new york started something called hip hop. Punk created the indie/underground movement, and at the same time hip hop caught the imagination of people all over the world and became a music genre of its own right. Sounds pretty good eh? I mean, I'm probably not the only one with this opinion, but imagine how fun it would be to teach this stuff to hungry young minds in, say, 20 years or so....

i'm so tired

2007-01-26T21:25:00.000+01:00

WHAT A WEEK! 6 exams, one for each day and 2 for today. Got myself Bowie's Heroes directly after writing the last of my exams. And I have to say, I'm mighty impressed. Too lazy to go into details right now though. White russian and Big Lebowsky with friends beckons. Cheers!

joghurt death will make your ears bleed

2007-01-19T17:43:00.000+01:00

Just took a quick nap to compensate for the lack of sleep I've accumulated during the past few days. And as usual, I dreamed up pretty strange stuff. This time my dream ended with the vivid words : Joghurt Death. No idea what that's supposed to mean. It's a cool band name though. An experimental sideband to contrast with the topsy turvy rock n roll stardom of The Tots maybe? LOL. Anyway, I've got a bunch of exams right now, and this blog is certainly a good reason for me to take another pause from the tumours I have to read about. In the meantime check this one out: http://www.myspace.com/rappersdelightclub.

first post of the year

2007-01-18T12:28:00.000+01:00

So, finally, a new post. Since I have the privilege to write 6 exams next week, I'll just keep it short. Been hearing Camera Obscura's new album right now. It's brilliant, especially for those of you who enjoy Belle & Sebastian. Despite my new found fondness of hip-hop, I still have a soft spot for some good old fashioned indie pop. Velvet Underground has also made a comeback. Been playing their songs on guitar for the last 2 weeks. And Mo Tucker is a great drummer. Ain't half bad at singing either. My fantasy girlband would have to be Mo Tucker on drums, Tina Weymouth on bass, and Chan Marshall as vocalist slash guitarist. Rock on!

happy new year

2006-12-31T21:36:00.000+01:00

So, 2006 dawns to its end. It's been a year of disappointment, heartbreak, and occasionally, good luck. Musicwise, I've discovered a bunch of new music I'm bound to love for the forseeable future. Let's see what 2007 brings. In the meantime, I'm going to drink myself into stupor and hope that I'll forget all the bad things I've experienced this year. Cheers

james brown 1933-2006

2006-12-25T23:43:00.000+01:00

One of the greatest artist in the history of modern music has left us. Let's take a minute of silence for James Brown

Funk-a-delic

2006-12-23T18:28:00.000+01:00

Yet another pathetic showing of my weak willpower. But I won't dwell on it and just carry on. Another fixture of my 2006 was Funkadelic. Their music sounded like something Jimi Hendrix might have conjure later in his carreer had he been alive longer (Well, I suppose Band of Gypsies did make something in the vein of Funkadelic, but no band has made albums like Funkadelic has made). They first attracted me with Maggot Brain. I downloaded it together with One Nation Under A Groove but didn't listened to it till a year later. And how mind blowing the experience was, cannot be put on paper (or in this case blog). Those two album, though was more structured. The real soul of Funkadelic is for me the first two album, Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow and Funcadelic. It's two long jam sessions with many twists and turns. Not to mention interesting speeches and sounds.

bootlegs

2006-12-19T22:32:00.000+01:00

The internet is a wonderful thing. Not only you can download music (purely for testing it before buying it of course *cough*), but you can also here UNAUTHORIZED copy of artists recordings. Yes, I'm talking about bootlegs. And this year has been quite good to me in terms of bootlegs. Belle & Sebastian has lots and lots of bootlegs circulating in the internet. Rare tracks, performances, obscure covers, you name it, and some Belle & Sebastian maniac has got it and, if you're lucky, put it on the net. Other than that, I've also acquired 2 Clash concerts, a Talking Heads concert, a Stevie Wonder concert and a bunch of other things I haven't got the time to name right now. Anyway, for you people out there who's looking for bootlegs from your fave artists, any torrent site isn't a bad place to start. Even better yet, go to the forums from the fan community of the artist whose bootleg you're looking for. Happy hunting!

man man - van helsing boom box

2006-12-18T19:09:00.000+01:00

What Van Helsing Boom Box is, I have no idea, but the incredible atmosphere achieved through the whistling, glockenspiel and plonking piano is one that gave me one of the most vivid image of 2006. True that image includes wierd americans playing in underwear, sporting dodgy indian face painting, but hey, it's fun!

another post after just 2 days

2006-12-18T18:39:00.000+01:00

Although something of a rare occurence, I do like to post on my own blog. After all, I wouldn't have started this whole thing if it wasn't for me liking to write about my opinion (and reading it myself afterwards... It's ego boosting. If I didn't know better, I'd add a comment myself too. But self-respect, though there was a time when I thought I don't have it, have prevented me of doing that).

Enough of my ramblings though. With the end of the year looming before us, EVERYONE who thinks they know something about music is writing their end of year music list. A report card for all those poor bastards who tried to please them 365 days a year. Well, not willing to be outdone, I'll be mentioning a few records/ tracks that has made this year more enjoyable than it should be. One for every day till the clock strucks midnight on the 31th of December. Starting today.

(If I'm honest, I'd admit that this is just one way to force myself to be disciplined. But my newly (re)found self respect is trying to keep it quiet.)

Winterschweden

2006-12-16T16:39:00.000+01:00

Back from the dead with winter depression taking its toll on me. Lethargy, general feeling of nothingness... No winter is complete without them. The weather has been good lately though, less black clouds than the previous 4 winters I've experienced her in Munich. I think I'll support global warming from now on. Lack of sedatives forces me to count on music to keep me through this wretched time of year. And lately I've been considering the theory, that Christmas is created to keep people from developing a case of winter blues.

Jakov Goodnight played for the last time yesterday. It was in Glockenbach Werkstatt, and the atmosphere was charged with nostalgia, although not in a sad kind of way. More celebratory in fact. I was quite tipsy as I stepped on a stage, and wasn't really able to feel nervous. Mishit chords quite a few time, though the fact that I only went to practice once didn't really help. Oh well, time to look for a new band I suppose. So for you Münchner out there, looking for a moody guitarist who doesn't really now what kind of music he'd like t pursuit, I'm your man!

Spent quite a lot of money on LP's and CD's last week when my man Fonz came to visit. Not to mention all the music I got from him! Went to the Roots concert with him too. Needless to say it was brilliant, forcing me to completely rethink my attitude to hip-hop as a culture in general. And I'm not talking about shitty mainstream hip-hop, but rather the original concept of hip-hopculture, which was laden with counter culture message and the bleak realism of life. None of those ghetto and utopian urban culture for me, thank you very much. The innocence of old skool hip-hop fascinates me to no end too. I'd kill to be able to experience those block partys they had in the 80's. A taste of it though, (I think) I've experienced, when ?uestlove DJed at the Registratur after the Roots concert. Brilliant.

Here's a list of music I'm currently hearing:
De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
Funkadelic -One Nation Under A Groove
Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
The Replacements - Tim and Let It Be
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
Afrika Bambaataa - Planet Rock

Despite hearing more black music (I find this term actually incrediblyderogatoryy) than ever, I can't seem to let go of my rock roots. Teenage Fanclub is a band any Beatles fan should heard. Their melodies are so sweet I think I'll get Diabetes. And the Replacements are just a punk band. But a very good one.

nostalgia

2006-10-04T23:29:00.000+02:00

When my flatmate decided to copy some of my CDs, he stumbled upon an album I haven't heard for a really long time. It was Bran Van 3000's Discosis. The second CD I ever bought in Germany (the first being Pulp's This is Life and the third was The Strokes' Is This It and the fourth was Led Zeppelin II. What came after those four I haven't got the slightest clue). It's been almost 5 years since I heard it, and hearing it now, I was surprised I didn't hear it more often*. Hearing it now, not only does it bring back memories of Berlin, where I lived back then, but also my last few months in Indonesia where I heard the (I think) lead-off single Astounded non-stop, which is also the opening gambit of this underappreciated album. Astounded sampled a Curtis Mayfield song and drenched it in some wicked beats and string arrangement. A brilliant song. But just an appetizer for the things to come. What followed it was 16 genre hopping songs that not only have georgeous melodies but also great, not to mention funny lyrics, that covered electronica, rock, rap, world and latin music to name but just a few, that aren't afraid to surprise listeners with interesting twists and turns. My pick of the bunch have to be the aforementioned Astounded, both of the Yussou N'dour featured tracks : Montreal and Senegal, the rock pastiche sing-a-long Love Cliche, Loaded, a song which started as a standard rock song before dissolving into a flurry of saxophone and samples with Big Daddy Kane rapping over it, and.... Fuck this. The album is brilliant. Get it.

*Actually, my classic rock phase kicked in after that. Cue more Led Zep, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple et al. What didn't feature a guitar wasn't a real song back then. How young and naive I was back then.

vacation recap

2006-10-01T20:42:00.000+02:00

20 days without posting. Not exactly a new low, but not what I had in mind when my vacation started. Well, that's not entirely accurate, since I'm currently doing an errr, internship... It is probably not the right word, but in any case I'm doing something like that right now. For a month (got 1 and a half week left). And that's the main reason for my prolonged absence actually, beside internet porn, binge drinking, dope smoking and pure laziness. Though it's safe to say nothing much has changed in my life lately. Been hearing The Roots' Things Fall Apart though, and am currently overworking my brain trying to decide if I should go to their concert. The fact that I haven't heard the new album rather worries me, though the few song I did heard was quite good.

But it's not all bad though. Things are going well for The Arsenal, which always cheers me up. Van Persie's goal yesterday was just brilliant. I'd like to see Wazza do that (In all fairness he probably can, but he ain't exactly on form right now, is he?). And it's not like I'm holed in my room the whole time. Spent 6 days in Vienna, which was brilliant. The visit was supposed to last 3 days, but in the end Vienna proved too big to explore in 3 days, so I stayed. Had loads of fun and got pretty wasted a few times. If you're ever there go to a bar named Chelsea. Despite it's name and the disgusting fact that they show Chelsea's matches, it's a pretty cool place to go. Spacy, mixed crowd, and good music. Beer isn't bad either. Funny thing happened on the way back. Me and a friend of mine didn't have any ticket for the public transportations, and it was no different the night we went to chelsea. We took the bus home, and, about 3 minutes after sitting down, came, predictably, a ticket controller. My friend begged him to let us go, and after a while he agreed to let us ride until the next underground station. I was pretty drunk at this point and didn't really care. But my friend panicked, and at the first underground station bolted out of the bus as if she's being chased by a rabid mutated zombie watchdog. I thought the controller seemed nice enough and couldn't be arsed to run after her. After I catched up with her we decided to walk all the way home. After about 20 minutes on foot, a car pulled up beside us and the driver, who had a wide grin plastered on his face, asked if we really intend to walk all the way home. We just smiled back and nodded and went our way. 30 seconds later it dawned on us that we've seen the driver before. He was the controller from the bus!

p.s. Guess what the title story of this month's Q magazine is? Go on, take a wild guess. Yes my dear friends. The 100 greatest songs ever. But wait! This one's different. Underneath those words was "as voted by you". Fuck off.

the real 50th post

2006-09-10T13:13:00.000+02:00

I'm sure none of you have done this, but it turns out that if you count the posts I've published, it'll only add to 49 instead of 50. Hmm... embarassing, though 49 isn't really a bad number for me. The 49 games unbeaten run that Arsenal achieved about 2 years ago comes to mind. Oh well. The actual reason for this mix up was actually because of a draft I wanted to post 2 days before the 49th post. I decided against it in the end, but didn't delete the damn draft. It was a long piece that took long to write, but comes out as too scholarly. Might attempt to edit it someday though, cos' the video I had in mind to go with the post is bloody brilliant.

I've been hearing soul like a maniac lately. It started out with all those Motown hits, but now I'm completely obsessed. Otis Redding has to be my current favorite artist, but my favorite song is definitely I Can't Help Myself by The Four Tops (who Orange Juice name-checked in their Motown tribute song I Can't Help Myself (see the connection here?) on their Rip It Up album). Northern soul is also something that interest me. It's basically soul, but obscure soul. Songs that didn't really become famous, but popular in Britain thanks to the mod movement (hear out the song Tainted Love by Gloria jones, the Soft Cell version is quite good, the Maryln Manson version down straight cringe worthy, but the original packs a lot of punch. It will change your life). There's one thing that annoys me though. Singles were the medium of those golden Motown and Stax days, and to delve deeper into this as of yet uncharted territories, I'm forced to do something against my principle, namely to buy compilations. Best Of Albums. The name sends shivers down my spine. But I don't really have much choice do I?

hooray!

2006-09-04T19:01:00.000+02:00

My 50th post! Not bad for a quitter... To commemorate this day, there's a special link no one could fail to find amusing. Check it out. I mean it.

who loves the sun?

2006-09-01T11:57:00.000+02:00

Well, well. Some night it was yesterday. With Arsenal signing Gallas and Baptista, and offloading Cole, Reyes and Cygan. Now I won't have to watch Cygan play again. By God was he awful. He seems like a nice bloke though. On a lighter note, I had to endure hearing my flatmate having sex with his pretty girlfriend, who would've been down my alley. Couple that with the fact that I haven't had a girlfriend for ages and that internet porn can only do so much and voila! An even more sexually frustated guy. At least the sun is shining. Think I'll go out and let my pheromones do their work.

Ohyeah, since this IS a music blog, I suppose I should add something that has something to do with music... hmm... Been hearing Lily Allen lately, so check that out. She's a funny one, that girl.

R.I.P 2002-2006

2006-08-22T23:15:00.000+02:00

filthy lucre

2006-08-22T21:32:00.000+02:00

After about 4 and a half years buying and reading various music magazines AND keeping them all, something inside me finally snapped. Maybe it's the sight of staples and staples of magazines blocking the way to my bed. Maybe it's the knowledge that, in this consumer-era, where everything is recycled only to be sold again, there's no use in keeping the magazines, hell, almost all of the articles you can probably find in the net, or in the next "special issues". So why bother?? Keeping this in mind, I started a few days ago, sorting out the stuff I don't ever want to see again. But not before I scour the content for pictures I can use for my collage. But I digress. What really annoyed me, looking back at all the magazines I've ever bought, is that, every 3 or 4 mags that I bought, there's always a best of list. It's funny how humans always look for approval. I used to get goosebumps when I see one of my favorite album perching on the top of a list. The feeling of being better than the losers out there who've never heard of the Velvet Underground. But in the end, what's the point of it all? In the end it's all product placement. Who are they to tell us what to hear? Who are they to tell us what to buy? It's always Sgt Pepper, Velvet Underground & Nico, Pet Sounds, Revolver, Rubber Soul, What's Going On, Marquee Moon, Nevermind, AT LEAST one album from shitty U2 and the criminally overrated Bruce Springsteen, London Calling, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde On Blonde, well, you get the idea. It's not that they're bad music. Of course they're not. But this repetition, this mantra like monotony, that tries to hammer this notion that a particular music is the better than other music. Isn't it just sickening? It's one thing to recommend an album, but this is almost blind worship. Honestly, all this is making all those beautiful music seem overrated. Write more about new music, fer Christ's sake. What really ires me too, is that those magazines tend to wait until there's something to write about, instead of discovering new music. It IS all about the money after all.

hang the dj

2006-08-07T16:20:00.000+02:00

What a summer it has been. Unbearable heat interchanges with hard rain in a matter of hours, whilst I'm trapped in my room, tortured by indecisiveness. Should I go out? Should I stay home? Should I buy my weekly tube ticket? Or should I just save the money and work up some sweat by riding the bike to wherever I must go, even when it rains? Most often than not I ended up staying home, listening to music and playing my trusty telecaster. Like today. Got a nice view of the grey clouds from my window. Anyway, thanks to this I've almost figured out how to play all songs from Marquee Moon, one of my favorite album ever. And Sweet Child O'Mine. The main riff to Sweet Child O'Mine is almost new-waveish, it's almost a pity it's a Guns N'Roses Song instead of a Television song. Or Orange Juice song. I can see it work. Oh well, despite being an overrated, misogynistic, bunch of no good, dumb junkies, Guns N'Roses did have a few tunes up their sleeves. And Slash is a guitarist no one could fail to admire. (And incidentally, the last "classic" guitar hero, in the sense of epic riffs, epic solo, epic posturing, epic hat, epic hair, epic bare chest, epic alcohol and drug consumption, epic cigarette-in-mouth-while-playing cool, and last but definitely not least, epic soloing location: on the edge of a cliff, front of the church, on a piano, and my favorite one, on water! This guy made Jesus look ordinary.)

I've been asked to DJ for a birthday party tonight. Well, not exactly DJing, since all I actually do is compile a setlist that's more or less party friendly, preferably in 4 genres, each about one hour long or however long the party's gonna last, burn them as mp3 on one cd, and let them annoy the people looking to hear cheesy party music to dance to or to fuck-me-if-I-know-what to. It'd be cool to actually DJ though. To gauge the reaction of the people, deciding what to play next, how to achieve the desired mood. All part of a DJ's work. One of those shiny iPod mixer wouldn't be too bad. My problem though, as you can probably tell from the 2nd sentence of this paragraph, is that I'm so fed up with the usual things you hear at the party that I tend to choose songs that aren't really popular, thus alienating people who want to get drunk to the songs they know. It's not really my problem, but I do feel a pang of guilt everytime someone ask me with confused eyes, what kind of music I picked for the night. BUT since today is the birthday of a good friend of mine, I've decided to go soft. The most obscure artist here is probably The Crimea. Or maybe Mocky? Hmm.... Although it is safe to assume that not many people will even recognize Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come tonight. Oh well. It's not easy being a music snob, which unfortunately I am. A friend of mine even called me a music nazi once.
Cheers. Gonna get drunk and stoned tonight. Like yesterday and the day before yesterday and the day before that and the week before that. Hopefully when I open my eyes, the sun'll shine and I can finally go out and stay out.

scooter of the day 5

2006-07-13T22:27:00.000+02:00

Another Super Furry Animal

what if?

2006-07-13T21:48:00.000+02:00

What would happen if the Beatles still exist today? A mind boggling question, is it not? They'd probably end up like The Rolling Stones, cashing in on farewell tours every 2 years or so. But somehow I think they'd still have released albums worth hearing to. This thought occurred to me after listening to the first Super Furry Animals album I've ever bought, namely Rings Around The World, released in 2001. This comparison isn't really something new, since there's quite a lot of other bands whose music has been likened to those from the Beatles (if Oasis were in anyway self respecting, they would've made this album). What really strikes me though, is how they eschewed the traditional arrangement, seamlessly mixing gorgeous melody with burst of experimentation. Take Receptacle for the Respectable (great title for a song by the way) for instance. What started as Beatles-esque sing-a-long with ended with a death metal rave up. Or No Sympathy, with its trance inducing electronica ending.
Another aspect of the Beatles was of course the wit, which they also displayed here in songs such as Shoot Doris Day or Presidential Suite. Interestingly, Paul McCartney did make a cameo in this album, which only goes to suggest that Sir Paul won't feel too out of place had his old band made this album. I suppose if this were a Beatles album, it wouldn't get much attention, but hey, they've done things so brilliant, people would've expected much better things from them. I for one, would've been satisfied with this album.

By the way, the day Germany lost to Italy I went to a free concert, namely the Adam Green concert in the Muffatthalle. It's not bad, but it wasn't exactly the best concert of my life either. What I enjoyed though, was the fact that the Germans were too upset about the defeat to watch him. It was by far the most relaxed concert I've been to. No pushing around, no sweating. It was almost surreal. He covered Velvet Underground's After Hours, which I enjoyed. And besides Jessica, I didn't think much of the other songs. I think I'll do a post about the German obsession with Adam Green. Why do they like the bloke so much anyway? Is it his Dada-esque approach to writing sings?

scooter of the day 4

2006-06-23T18:56:00.000+02:00

apologies accepted

2006-06-23T14:31:00.000+02:00

More than two weeks has passed since I last posted, but looks like no one noticed. No riot, no mass panic, although it is quite understandable considering what's taking place in Germany right now. Yes dear faithful readers of mine. I have forgiven you for not losing sleep over my abscence since I too have fell under the spell of this most magnificent of all sporting events. The Olympics can pack its bag back to ancient Greece. Anyway, to alleviate the boreness when there's no match to watch here's the 100 Awesome Music Videos, as compiled by the houlier-than-thou people at Pitchfork.

scooter of the day 3

2006-06-04T18:06:00.000+02:00

babyshambles, atomic cafe, 3.6.2006

2006-06-04T16:59:00.000+02:00

What do you do, when you're bored out of your wits? Not much of a question, and one that can have answers that vary in different degrees. Yesterday though I decided to take up an offer from friend of mine to go to a concert. Super 700 they're called, and whilst not bad I ended up spending most of my time looking at the pretty girl in front of me with a star tattoo on her shoulder (Wenn du zufällige Weise diese Person bist, schickt mir bitte ne e-mail oder so, denn Ich glaube Ich bin in dich verknallt). But they're not bad I swear. Anyway, endless cigarettes and 2 bottles of beer later I was ready to go when I heard from my friend that Babyshambles are supposed to play a secret gig in atomic tonight. It was 11.30, nothing to do at home, so why not?

When I arrived there, it didn't look like there was anything going on and after 10 minutes of indecision I met two girls going out saying that the entrance fee is 18 euros because some band they've never heard of is playing tonight. When I asked if the band was called Babyshambles they nodded and went their way. After this confirmation I knocked, paid the 18 euros and went in after the woman at the door said that they've only just appeared onstage.

Pete Doherty in the flesh. Didn't look too shabby actually, but it may have been the lighting. The first half hour of the concert was quite frustating, thanks to Pete's habit of starting and stopping songs at whim. Did play a cover of Clash's Janie Jones though, which I thought was good. Libertines songs What Katie Did and Time For Heroes were performed, the rest thought are songs from the Babyshambles record. With Sticks and Stones though, the 6th songs or so, the gig really started to heat up. A rendition of Albion especially really got the crowd going and the closing anthem Fuck Forever closed the night with a bang. Then he disappeared quickly through the emergency exit not to be seen again, though I did had the urge to follow him and to talk to him.

Sad as it is though Pete is definitely wasting his talents. I'd be the first to concede that the has created a persona that's polarising in the way that most of the influental artists in music history have done. But I just can't see this working out for him. If only he could harness his talent, he may well be one of the most influental artist of this decade. But all this circus surrounding him is starting to get unbearable. And the most pathethic aspect is that he actually enjoys it. He has charisma, that I saw first hand yesterday, but at the same time you never get the feeling that he's in control. Poor lost boy, that's what he is.

like dylan in the movie

2006-05-31T22:06:00.000+02:00

So... Bob's birthday was last week... not sure how old he's now, but saw the Scorsese documentary about him on tv the other day. Which promted me to listen to his legendary concert at Manchester Trade Hall, the one often mistaken for the Royal Albert Hall concert. The 1st cd consisted of his acoustic performance, and it was a good performance too. But it won't prepare you for the 2nd cd. His electric performance, which has since achieved mythical status, not least because of a guy screaming "Judas" at him, upon which he answered, " I don't believe you, you're a liar". After that he turned around, told his band to "Play Fucking Loud", and launched into Like A Rolling Stone.

That incident aside, it was an incredible perfromance from Dylan. The hard rocking Tell Me Momma has got to be one of the most brilliant rock song never released officially as an album track. Robbie Robertson's fiery lead complimented Bob's vocal delivery on every track, he particularly impressed me on I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Have Never Met) and Baby, Let Me Follow You Down, both early acoustic songs from Dylan, now electrified. The highlight was naturally Like A Rolling Stone, one of the best Rock & Roll Song ever. Pop and poetry rolled into one, it was the perfect climatic end to a concert.

Here's another famous version of the song:

Anyway, do yourseleves a favour. Hear this one out.

belle & sebastian, 23.05.2006, tonhalle, munich

2006-05-25T18:32:00.000+02:00

Tonhalle is a horrible place to go to. Saw Franz Ferdinand there once, and to say it was horrible is a gross understatement. And then there was The Life Pursuit, their latest effort which as you all may now I don't rate as highly as their earlier works. I really didn't know what to expect from this gig. But now I'm a full fledged Belle & Sebastian fan again thanks to what I rate as one of the best concert I've been too.
The opening band was a trio called Gravenhurst and it was a good thing that they were so bad, because that gave me extra incentive to go to the bathroom. After another half an hour they finally showed up. Stuart, in his Smiths t-shirt, which has obviously seen better days, greeted the audience cordially, before launching into The State I'm In. What followed then really blew my mind. Yes, this is my first Belle & Sebastian concert, but I'm still amazed with how dynamic they were. Every song played with precision, although it's quite obvious they're having fun, and between song banters that makes you feel as though you know them personally. Here is a band who wrote songs for boys who were to shy to talk to the girl they fancy and girls who rather stay at home and read their books. They were famous early on not just because of their melancholic songs but also their shambolic live performance. Needless too say they've come a long way. And the new album is without a doubt a mirror of how far they've come. Less melancholy, more sunny, upbeat songs.
The concert was a good mix of old and new songs, although I felt that they could've slipped more of their old stuff. Electronic Renaissance really surprised me, since it didn't really struck me as something they'd do live, and I've never heard a live rendition of the song in the bootlegs I've heard. During I'm A Cuckoo Stuart jumped into the pit separating the stage and the audience and proceeded to stand on the rails whilst singing and keeping his balance. I think he may have hurt himself, but he certainly seemed to enjoy doing it. Jonathan David was my personal highlight since I'm such a Stevie fan, and his antics certainly endeared him to the crowd too. A shame though that they only played 2 song as encore, but since they played If You're Feeling Sinister and Le Pastie, I suppose I shouldn't complain. Here's the full setlist:

1. The State I Am In
2. Another Sunny Day
3. Funny Little Frog
4. My Wandering Days Are Over
5. Sukie In The Graveyard
6. Electronic Renaissance
7. Song For Sunshine
8. We Are The Sleepyheads
9. Dress Up In You
10. Act Of The Apostle Part 1
11. Act Of The Apostle Part 2
12. She's Losing It
13. The Boy With The Arab Strap
14. A Summer Wasting
15. For The Price Of A Cup Of Tea
16. I'm A Cuckoo
17. Jonathan David
18. White Collar Boy
19. Judy And The Dream Of Horses
---
21. If You're Feeling Sinister
22. Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie

Like I said, a mix between old and new stuff. The newer materials seem to suit their new persona as a full fledged entertaining band better though. I suppose this is artistic growth and I swear I won't complain about how they've changed ever again.

speechless

2006-05-24T00:23:00.000+02:00

Just came back from the Belle & Sebastian concert. Fucking amazing. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow

gooner pride

2006-05-19T18:45:00.000+02:00

It was inevitable I suppose. We fought bravely and even managed to steal the lead, but alas, it was not to be. Great work in making the likes of Ronaldinho look ordinary though. And what a committed performance from Henry. To top it all, it looks like he's going to stay with us! What can I say beside that I'm proud to be a gooner.

scooter of the day 2

2006-05-16T19:45:00.000+02:00

destiny beckons

2006-05-16T19:33:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow will be the day I will remember for the rest of my life. Arsenal's first ever appearance in the European Cup Final. If things go right Ronaldinho will have an off day for 80 minutes, before bursting into life with 2 goals. But Arsenal, having scored 3, will win. I hope.... Fuck it, I don't really know and can't really predict anything. Barcelona has got a great team, and beating them isn't the easiest task in the world, and personally, I'm happy enough seeing Arsenal in the final. If they lose, it'll still hurt like hell though. But we're certainly a team that can rise to occasions, so that, if anything, gives me a little hope. Here's one of those beautiful Arsenal moments.

scooter of the day 1

2006-05-12T18:19:00.000+02:00

what ho!

2006-05-09T22:41:00.000+02:00

So, my first post since plunging into life as student again. I almost felt bad i passed my exams last semester. I'll be trying to post as oftem as humanly possible of course, but can't really promise anything.

Anyway, I'll be going to the Belle & Sebastian concert in two weeks, and, because of that, started hearing Belle & Sebastian stuff again. I must say I'm not too impressed by their latest effort, which is why I'm hoping they'll play more of their back catalogue. What struck me during this latest Belle & Sebastian binge, is that they're music geeks. They're music fan doing music in hoping to emulate the joy their heroes brought to them through music. Hearing songs as diverse as Legal Man or Jonathan David or Lazy Line Painter Jane, you can't miss their glee at being able to record those pieces of music. They're music obsessed, too-shy-to-look-in-your-eyes kids having fun. I can't understand people who hate them because they're too "twee" or "cute" or "sugary" or whatever. Because this is music from underdogs for underdogs. Underdogs whose life revolves around music and just wanted to do their thing without any agenda. This innocence is exactly what I feel they've lost on their latest record.

I've also bought Talking Heads fourth, and arguably most important album Remain in Light. It's good, definetely worth a listen. But having heard the live versions on The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads, I'm a bit disappointed. Whereas, logically, the live version sounded organic, the album tracks struck me as a bit stiff and cold. It is the idea I suppose, this head on collision between the warmth of the instruments and vocals with the cold feeling of the production and the electronic beeps they occasionally mixed in. I would've definitely been more impressed had I not bought and heard The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads. Saw the Talking Heads film Stop Making Sense too. They were quite amazing live, though I wasn't too impressed by their horrible 80s fashion. David Byrne's big suit is hillarious though!

wtf?

2006-04-26T11:59:00.000+02:00

Looks like Arsenal got through to the final. But what a game. One of the worst game ever for me. I suppose I shouldn't complain since we're through, but still.... Add to that the fact that Arsene Wenger likes to boast about our predilection for playing beautiful football (if he were manager of Chelsea or Man utd or Spurs, I'd fucking hate him with a passion), and it's one of the biggest farce I've seen during 10 years of supporting Arsenal. I fell in love with the way they play, and deep down I suspect I fell in loved with the way they donned the underdog mantle when I first started supporting them. So yeah, it's a bit hard to accept the fact they're now a big team, cynically defending for 45 minutes to get to the final. But then again, I'd love it if they were to win the cup. I suppose it's called progress.

1-0 to the arsenal

2006-04-25T13:05:00.000+02:00

That's what I hope the scoreline will be tonight. Facing Villareal is not an easy task, but hey, who knows? Maybe Riquelme will have an off day. That guy is fucking frightening. So much, that I've been drinking coffee and smoking all day. And hearing Pink Flag again. Well all I can say is if they make it to the final, I'm going to persuade my band to play one of my songs. Come on you Gunners!

the importance of being sober

2006-04-25T12:49:00.000+02:00

There may not be a single soul who noticed that I've changed my previous post about 4 times since there aren't that many people who read my blog anyway, but it did happen. Creating a post while in intoxicated state isn't really the most enjoyable thing to do. You tend to lose the plot a bit, not to mention the various misspelling that comes with it. But what the hey, being intoxicated does help me to be a little more creative, albeit unfocused. And here's one musician who's had the same problem.

fate

2006-04-24T16:36:00.000+02:00

I've always felt like I'm destined to do great things. Whether it's delusional or self fulfilling is remain to be seen, fact is, now and then, something happens which continues to support my thinking. One good example of this happened just a few days ago, when I, in pursue of my continuing interest in Talking Heads, decided to shell 26 euros for the Rhino reissue of The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads. A lot of money for me, but somehow, for unknown reason (boredom), I bought it. What I heard in this album continues to fuel my interest in Talking Heads. In a time where I'm beginning to develop an interest in funk, I found a band which incorporated funk with DIY music. Talking Heads is like a mix between Velvet Underground and Funkadelic, which is in fact half right since member Jerry Harrison was keyboardist with The Modern Lovers, whose singer, Jonathan Richman, besides being a big fan of the Velvets, slept on the Velvet's manager's couch upon arriving in New York and Bernie Worrel, who's played with Parliament/Funkadelic, was the additional bassist for Talking Heads during tours. The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads may be a live album, but with the reissue expanded in two discs boasting 33 tracks, it might as well be a collection of their best work between 1977 until 1981. The first cd anthologise their early sparse minimalist sound, whereas the second cd captures them at the height of their power, which sees them perform with up to 10 additional musician. Whereas the earlier cuts were raw, jerky, nervy, or whatever you may call it, the later tracks were considerably beefed up. The songs became muscular, powerful and colorful as can be heard on the 2nd cd, where the version of Psycho Killer found here differ from the one on the first cd. This cd, ultimately, isn't just a live album. It's a document of a the band's growth and one that only justify their place in the annals of music history. That being said, me discovering their music is surely a sign from the music gods to continue my pursue of a form of music which in the end I can call my own. Another step in defining my musical identity by distilling all the band I've heard. Maybe. Hopefully. Only time will tell.

beginning of a new obsession?

2006-04-14T23:39:00.000+02:00

I made another step into the unknown by buying Talking Heads's first album 77. It lives up to its reputation I must say, with Byrne's vocals undoubtedly their most potent weapon besides their imaginative songwriting. Not to mention Byrne's occasionally obscure/surreal lyrics. The cream of the crop is, for me, undoubtedly Psycho Killer. A killer track like nothing I've heard before, with Tina Weymouth's menacing bass lines keeping you on your toes and lyrics conveying what's in a psycho killer's mind. I'm definitely getting their other albums!

I've found a video of their performance at the Old Grey's Whistle Test from 1978 at You Tube. Enjoy!

the obsession continues

2006-04-11T23:51:00.000+02:00

Just as I thought I'm past my obsession with Orange Juice, I found videos of them at You Tube! Falling And Laughing, Blue Boy and Rip It Up. Incidentally I looked up and found some videos by the equally magnificent Josef K too.

the lost weekend

2006-04-09T23:57:00.000+02:00

So, I'm back again after an extended break from my everyday life. In between, I saw Arsenal go through for the first time in their history to the semi-finals of the Champions League, before getting their bubble burst - somehow fittingly - by Man Ure. This time though, I'm not at all bitter. We may be playing for 4th place, but Tottenham are still due to play Man Utd, and I'm expecting the same treatment. Besides, in the scheme of bigger things, an United win may yet stop Chelski from retaining their premiership crown.

Moving on to non-footie related themes. I went to the Netherlands last week, and it was a blast. The plan was to catch London Calling, a 2 day showcase of British indie bands in Amsterdam. But fate conspired against me and made sure that the tickets were sold out before I had a chance to get one. Oh well... I did went to a concert though. The Infadels they were called, and they sound like a bad Franz Ferdinand clone, banging dance-rock/punk like it was 2004 without the wit and sophistication of messr. Kapranos, Thompson, McCarthy and Hardy. The songs were interchangeable and the singer's antics gets on your nerves after 15 minutes. Went to a museum too. The Gemeente Museum in The Hague is famous for its Mondriaan collection. Besides Mondriaan's masterpieces, I saw a few interesting works from Rodin, Schiele, and a few other artists whose name I can't really remember. All in all an enjoyable trip. (Special thanks to Fonz and Yuli for putting up with me!)

Just read an interesting interview over at Pitchfork. For you seeking clarity in the matter of music copyright and so on, click here!

hmm, should i start an arsenal blog?

2006-03-26T01:59:00.000+01:00

Aaargh... The Portsmouth game was postponed.... Oh well, at least that'll give us more time to recover for the Juventus game.

pink flag

2006-03-25T14:08:00.000+01:00

Feeling rather nervous right now. In a few hours Arsenal will play Portsmouth, and on Tuesday it's Juventus at Highbury. In truth I'm rather skeptical of our chances in the Champions League, despite people raving about our European showings. It may be true that in Europe we're given a lot of more space to play, but the fact is, and this is a fact I'm ashamed of, I've sacrificed our progress to the semis for passing an exam I had about two weeks ago. I'm incredibly superstitious/irrational/stupid when it comes to these things. Hence me feeling incredibly nervous because if Arsenal were to lose on Tuesday it'll be my fault.

Anyway, this nervousness led me to play Pink Flag by Wire non stop for the last 3 hours. The sheer aggressiveness just overloads my senses, and thus renders me unable to mull over Arsenal. What really gets me though, is, despite the undeniably punk feel of the records, you can't help marveling at how different they all sound. The record itself was released in 1977, the year zero of indie music if you will, but they sound nothing like the Sex Pistolses or the Clasheses that made up the punk scene at that time ( not that I don't like them, mind you). I honestly thought Pink Wire was a eighties post punk album. As it turns out they started hardcore punk before the term was even coined!

The cohesiveness of Pink Flag is just amazing. The songs are short and straight to the point, with the longest one clocking at 3:47 and the shortest at 28 seconds. Boasting 21 tracks, they never lost their focus, and never bothered to repeat themselves. Every track is memorable, highlights includes Reuters, Three Girl Rumba, and my personal favorite, Champs. It's music stripped down to their very core. Awe inspiring and baffling in its simplicity. Definitely one of my favorite album ever. And one to help me get over yet another crisis in my short life.

a love letter to cat power

2006-03-23T13:08:00.000+01:00

Dear Cat Power, (may I call you Chan?)

I'm in love with you. Despite the fact that the likes of Katie Melua or KT Tunstall being more popular than you by a mile, I consider you supreme to them in the one category that matter : Music. And you're so much prettier than them.

Your warm, sultry voice, your erratic stage performance, this mystique that surrounds you, are all factors which attract and repel people from you. And your songs. They're like rivers, supported by your words , meandering, moving, ever changing until it reaches the sea and stop. Note that by reaching the sea I don't mean some kind of conclusion or climax. It just stops. Which explains why you're not as famous as you really should be. As we all know, artistic freedom counts for fuck all in music business these days. Yes you can call me a music snob, but hey, what's the point of making music when you're not going to express yourself?

Admittedly I've only recently discovered you. Your new album The Greatest is a work of art, despite not being representative of your earlier work. From the elegant melancholy of the title track to the slow burning Love and Communication, they're superbly written and ably supported by veterans of the Memphis soul scene. Hungry for more I dug out What Would The Community Think. Upon hearing it I was surprised by its rawness. Unlike the lush musical palette of The Greatest, this one is decidedly minimalist. But again it's a powerful work you've delivered. I particularly liked the visceral Nude as The News.

The stark contrast apparent in those two albums, I've read, owes no small part in your growth as a musician. I can't wait to get your other albums. Rewarded is he, who gives your work a chance, because it's not something you can like instantly. But ultimately the beauty will shine through and then you can not live without it.

Thus ends this insignificant paean to one of the most talented musician of her generation. If you were to read this, please leave a comment. Or better yet, marry me.

Yours truly,

J K

p.s. I've found videos of you at youtube, just click here, and here, and here. (Not sure if that's you on the last video, please let me know)

the ludovico

2006-03-23T11:39:00.000+01:00

Check out The Ludovico by the one and only Ffonz.

maggot brain at you tube

2006-03-19T16:29:00.000+01:00

Click here to see a clip of Michael Hampton playing Maggot Brain live.

updates galore

2006-03-12T01:11:00.000+01:00

Soooo, new swanky template (someday I swear I'm going to create my own template) and links!!! Nothing terribly interesting though. Just the standard blogs and music sites. No Rock And Roll Fun is first on the list and rightly so! Contains the latest music news. One of the first sites I look up when I wake up. OLGA - The On-Line Guitar Archive is for me the best place to find guitar tabs. No pop ups, just a nice simple page that will lead you on your way to be a Guitar Wielding Rock God. Said The Gramophone is my favorite mp3 blog. I will say no more. The Perfumed Garden is something really special. Here you can download Peel Sessions from a plethora of different bands. If that's not special, I don't know what is. Indie MP3 - Keeping C86 Alive! You get the picture. And the last link for now is M94.5, my favorite radio station here in Munich, which you can also hear from the net.

i'm ecstatic cos arsenal just got past real madrid and booked themselves a place in the quarter-finals... just thought the world should know...

2006-03-09T01:00:00.000+01:00

rebel rock

2006-03-07T01:20:00.000+01:00

I tried to upload the first Roxy Music album to my ipod shuffle today, but to no avail. Why? Because of the brilliant stupidity of the good people at EMI. I really don't see the point bringing out cds with copy control. Give it up! Someone's bound to find a way to crack it. After wasting 5 minutes cursing EMI, I just downloaded the whole album from the net, and voila, the glory of glam rock in my ipod. I've also taken up the habit of downloading album I own on vinyl. Cos obviously, they're not easy to convert into digital files. And downloading unreleased albums... heh heh.... Of course if I like it I buy it. After all it's not fair to the artist who sweated blood and tears making these glorious piece of music... But really... Why can't you corporate pigs just see file sharing as another way of promoting music? Don't try to defeat us... Instead, try to CONVINCE us to buy the records...

gnawing thoughts

2006-03-05T19:15:00.000+01:00

Well fuck this... I've got too much on my mind to stop me from blogging. So, I've decided to resume blogging now instead of sometime in April like I've planned.

First thing first though, I did my first gig for Jakov Goodnight. It was quite an experience. A minute into the second song I realized that my knees were actually trembling. Never thought that knees like jelly were that literal. We played 8 songs. And I completely fucked up the 6th one. Never liked the bloody song anyway, too much chord, little structure, isn't even catchy. Didn't bother to practice that one at home. But other than that one I quite like our songs. Our bassist said that it's the audience's common opinion that I've given the band an extra punch. His comments are usually to be taken with a pinch of salt, but that one I'll happily believe! I would've liked to put some pics or vids online, but unfortunately an idiot forgot to bring her camera and the other idiot didn't know that you can record videoclips up to 1 hour with his mobile phone. (But I still love you guys for coming!)

On to a less personal theme. I've just discovered Funkadelic recently, and why the fuck Maggot Brain isn't ofter referred to one of the greatest guitar solo EVER is mind boggling.
Eddie Hazel is criminally underrated. I suggest anyone who reads this to buy Maggot Brain if they haven't got it already. (Alternatively you can download a torrent with all of Funkadelic's album - JUST for a sneak preview- saw it in a torrent site while trying to find out more about them.) Anyway, Maggot Brain is the must have album for all you guitarists out there, while for the less guitar fixated One Nation Under A Groove is probably a better choice. Haven't heard the other albums yet, but you'll probably read about it here if it's good.

Another album which has got my attention lately is Bob Dylan's legendary, if not a bit overrated Highway 61 revisited. I've completely fallen in love again with this album. Maybe the problem for us living in the new millennium, is that the things that made classic album so, umm.... classic, isn't really that groundbreaking anymore. It has become the norm. That was my problem with Dylan. But as my perception and understanding of the history of (modern) music widened, I've changed the way I listen to a song. And that, ultimately, helped me understandDylan. (Enjoying Highway 61 Revisited isn't hard though. Song like Tombstone Blues or Like a Rolling Stone is just flat out brilliant. This album is for me the most accessible Dylan album, hence my favorite Dylan album.)

Moving on to the 80s, I'd recommend getting Left Of The Dial Dispatches From The '80s Underground for your loved ones who can't seem to appreciate the wonders of 80s indie. This 4 cd boxset boasts a sprawling 82 tracks. Many of the tracks are quite ubiquitous for those well versed in the indie school of music, but that's what make it a good stepping stone. Go on, spread the message, let people be converted.

That's all for now.... I have to continue with my studies.... Cheers.

hiatus interruptus

2006-02-20T18:49:00.000+01:00

I will now interrupt my hiatus for a little propaganda. BUY ORANGE JUICE - THE GLASGOW SCHOOL NOW! It's fucking brilliant............

parting is such sweet sorrow

2006-01-21T23:06:00.000+01:00

Due to problems with school I will have to suspend this blog for quite a while. I've got tons of rants planned, so I'm pretty gutted to do this. Ah why do I bother anyway, the internet has enough great blogs and I'm not sure I've garnered enough audience for anyone to care either. Ah, BTW, the band I'm in Jakov Goodnight will be playing at Rote Sonne on the 28th of February. And it's the first time in 6 years I'll be playing with a band on stage, so lets see how that one goes. The band itself is quite famous in the indie scene here in Munich, having been founded in 1998, and joining them has been nothing but educational so far.

two mp3s for self-promotion:
La Cueva
Majesty

see you in March!

correction: Jakov Goodnight will be playing at Sunny Red, NOT Rote Sonne.