Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Latest Shook Ones rekkid
God, it's been such a long time since I felt like this about music. Not just because of the Shook Ones record, but just a lot of the stuff I've been listening to has been somewhat renovating my gradually diminishing interest in anything critically good. I suddenly feel like there's about 500 hundred records I need to listen to, right now. It's a good feeling.
Shook Ones are from the same place as Death Cab, but are about a thousand times more rocking, proving a band's birthplace makes about as much difference to their sound as my birthplace does to my intelligence (I love you really Essex). To be honest, Sixteen was an extremely passable record, but I thought there was something kinda lacking. Far from rejecting this band because of their more than slight resemblance to Kid Dynamite, I fucking embrace it, Kid Dynamite are over, AND I WASN'T READY. Anything that sounds like them is fine by me, as long as it's done well.
So, The Unquotable A.M.H is, in short, fucking colossal. I think it's precisely 10.5 times better than Sixteen AND Facetious Folly Feat. There's nothing wrong with an incremental rise in a band's awesomeness in my books, it makes total sense. The highlights of the record are probably 'Equal Opportunity Insults' and 'For Flannel'. The former has a fucking wicked riff towards the end, the latter is just catchy as hell vocals wise.
I have to admit, one of the highest things on my agenda for a record is almost always catchiness, which, admittedly seems to go hand in hand with poppiness. I can't deal with records you have to work hard to appreciate. On the first listen, I was already in love with this album, and yep, it's their poppiest yet. Whatever, shoot me. I'll die happy, because I've listened to this.
That's all I have time for tonight because I'm bloody knackered.
Saturday, 18 July 2009
This Will Be the Death of Us + Gone Baby Gone
Decided to expand this blog to include pint-sized reviews of record and films, simply because, let's be honest, they are on my mind quite a lot more than Philosophy is.
It's official; Summer has started. I don't care about the piss-poor weather, the distinct lack of beer on beaches and actually being in the vicinity of any of my friends: Set Your Goals' new record has leaked a few weeks before its release, and it's a fucking keeper. Without sounding too fan girl esque, I love every track, especially 'Equals', which is now my ringtone. Obnoxious as fuuuuuck. I'll be honest, I would rather they hadn't given
Hayley Williams of Paramore a 'guest spot' on 'The Few That Remain', seeing as the intrusive, nasal noise she produces on the track can only be described as a rap, but even that monstrosity is growing on me and I can safely say it hasn't lessened the enjoyment of this diamond for me. Frankly, I am sick of hearing (I use 'hearing' loosely as I really mean 'reading' on the internet) that they've 'sold out'. Were they ever a hardcore band? No. Did they have to create a new record that sounded exactly like Mutiny? No. Are they still a hell of a lot of fun to listen to? Yes. Haterz to the left. I'm actually really liking the artwork as well, so much so in fact that I ordered the shirt and cd bundle. Can't wait for them to tour here off the back of this beaut and get my ass to a show.
Also on my mind today, Gone Baby Gone. Bought it from Sainsbury's earlier for £3.99. Essentially, I'm impressed with the brothers Affleck. Casey shows he can act about a thousand times better than Ben in this movie, and Ben shows he's a dab hand at directing. It's all good. Morgan Freeman's alright in it, nothing special, and he isn't a main character for once. Basically my (very subjective) criteria for the constitution of a good film is that a) I don't get bored, and b) I forget I am watching a film for most of the time, and c) I can't predict the entire plot from the fucking start. This film delivered that. Unexpected, bleak but effective ending.
It's official; Summer has started. I don't care about the piss-poor weather, the distinct lack of beer on beaches and actually being in the vicinity of any of my friends: Set Your Goals' new record has leaked a few weeks before its release, and it's a fucking keeper. Without sounding too fan girl esque, I love every track, especially 'Equals', which is now my ringtone. Obnoxious as fuuuuuck. I'll be honest, I would rather they hadn't given
Hayley Williams of Paramore a 'guest spot' on 'The Few That Remain', seeing as the intrusive, nasal noise she produces on the track can only be described as a rap, but even that monstrosity is growing on me and I can safely say it hasn't lessened the enjoyment of this diamond for me. Frankly, I am sick of hearing (I use 'hearing' loosely as I really mean 'reading' on the internet) that they've 'sold out'. Were they ever a hardcore band? No. Did they have to create a new record that sounded exactly like Mutiny? No. Are they still a hell of a lot of fun to listen to? Yes. Haterz to the left. I'm actually really liking the artwork as well, so much so in fact that I ordered the shirt and cd bundle. Can't wait for them to tour here off the back of this beaut and get my ass to a show.
Also on my mind today, Gone Baby Gone. Bought it from Sainsbury's earlier for £3.99. Essentially, I'm impressed with the brothers Affleck. Casey shows he can act about a thousand times better than Ben in this movie, and Ben shows he's a dab hand at directing. It's all good. Morgan Freeman's alright in it, nothing special, and he isn't a main character for once. Basically my (very subjective) criteria for the constitution of a good film is that a) I don't get bored, and b) I forget I am watching a film for most of the time, and c) I can't predict the entire plot from the fucking start. This film delivered that. Unexpected, bleak but effective ending.
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