Now.
I get annoyed when people listen to a song and at the end they say:
"It just sounds like..." and then pick an arbitrary song that mildly sounds the same.
That annoys me because everything has been done before. Everyone is re-using the same sounds. Fundamentally because that is what we have become conditioned to like.
I illustrate my point with a video I have probably posted before:
But last night I went to a gig and I became the very thing that annoys me.
Headlining the gig was Welsh band Attack! Attack! famous for their (and I use the term extremely loosely) "hit" 'Not Afraid'.
We'll get to them in a minute.
I was there to see Verses. The band with my close compadre Joe on the lead guitar.
But the first band was City Stereo.
I quite liked them. They aren't really my style. But they had a song called 'Lothario'. As I listened, I thought to myself "this sounds like 'Use Somebody' by Kings of Leon".
When I got home and listened to it, I changed my mind.
It is a complete rip-off of it.
Not so much the verse. But the chorus manages to similtaneously plaguerise both the verse AND the chorus of 'Use Somebody'.
Take a listen:
I don't think it's a bad song. Just a rip-off. I don't know if the two things are mutually exclusive.
Verses were awesome as usual. Highly recommended. But I guess if you read this blog, the chances are you have already heard of Verses and made up your own mind.
Nevertheless, their songs are good, and much more interesting than Attack! Attack! or City Stereo's and don't rip anyone off.
Attack! Attack!'s set was anticlimactic. Their performance was energetic, but the singer was a bit average, and so were the songs, really.
The other support band Freeze The Atlantic were good too.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
St Vincent and the Grenadines.
St Vincent and the Grenadines sounds like it should be a 70's mixolydian funk band famous for their summer hit "I Love The Sunshine". I imagine St Vincent as being tall and very slim, with slick dance moves and innumerable ladies constantly girating around his hips.
A kind of ruthless charisma, he'd have too, like, you wouldn't really like him if you met him in person, probably due to his enormous ego, but you couldn't help being drawn into his mysterious and aggressive personality, and he'd always make you laugh.
Like many musicians, drugs would have ended an otherwise promising career, and three years after the release of their phonomenally successful self-titled second album, St Vincent was arrested on drug trafficking charges in Chicago.
That krooked smile he had on his face as the police drugged him away, he knew he was guilty. It took three officers to drag him away; he was slim, yes, but deceptively powerful. He'd get off on a misdemeanor charge, but only four days after his release he'd be found dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
The report said that evidence to whether it was self-inflicted or not remained inconclusive. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and their son George.
In reality, of course, St Vincent and the Grenadines is a country not a funk band. But I think this makes a much more interesting story than the country guide I'm going to write for the next couple of hours.
A kind of ruthless charisma, he'd have too, like, you wouldn't really like him if you met him in person, probably due to his enormous ego, but you couldn't help being drawn into his mysterious and aggressive personality, and he'd always make you laugh.
Like many musicians, drugs would have ended an otherwise promising career, and three years after the release of their phonomenally successful self-titled second album, St Vincent was arrested on drug trafficking charges in Chicago.
That krooked smile he had on his face as the police drugged him away, he knew he was guilty. It took three officers to drag him away; he was slim, yes, but deceptively powerful. He'd get off on a misdemeanor charge, but only four days after his release he'd be found dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
The report said that evidence to whether it was self-inflicted or not remained inconclusive. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and their son George.
In reality, of course, St Vincent and the Grenadines is a country not a funk band. But I think this makes a much more interesting story than the country guide I'm going to write for the next couple of hours.
Monday, 18 October 2010
The Christmas Number One.
As we head towards the winter, I brace myself for the inevitable spate of Facebook groups with the idea: "Lets get "blah" to number Christmas 1 and beat the XFactor".
The X-Factor was already beaten. There's no need to imitate it. Let's do something more interesting.
The X-Factor was already beaten. There's no need to imitate it. Let's do something more interesting.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Noise, and how lots of people are wrong.
Few things annoy me more than Strictly Come Dancing.
But one of those things is when people, invariably stupid or old people, describe the music I listen to as "noise".
"It's just noise".
It's another example of a cliche that is true. I experience it most times distant family members ask me what kind of music I like.
I can give a specific example that happened last Christmas. You remember, when Rage Against The Machine defeated some X-Factor rubbish to be the Christmas no.1.
As a little side point, can I add: a number of newspapers picked up on the fact that when the campaign started to get Killing In The Name to the top-spot, RATM where on Sony, the same record label as Joe McElderry (I had to look up his name, as I really did not have the slightest clue).
The newspapers said that it was just a cynical campaign that would make no difference because the same people would make the profit out of it eventually. Some even suggested that the whole campaign was orchestrated, or at least supported by Sony.
But they were completely missing the point. People didn't buy that single to shun the major labels, or strike back at the corporate money making.
We bought it to show we supported real music, not commercialised crap. I didn't/don't even like RATM that much.
But I like it infinitely more than I like Joe McElderry.
We'll come back to this in a minute.
So anyway.
It was Christmas time. Christmas, of course, is a fantastic example of when I always find myself agreeing with stupid/disgusting world-views purely out of politeness (note, I have semi-plagiarised this thought from Stewart Lee).
This Christmas RATM was no.1.
This topic of conversation hadn't been brought up.
So I considered it my duty.
These paraphrased replies basically give you an idea:
"What a load of rubbish"
"Just a lot of screaming and swearing"
"It's not real music"
"It's just noise"
No.
There's a lot of music I don't like, but I still respect, because it is good for what it is. It's artistic. There's good types of all music. Or at least most.
To me, noise is something that has no artistic talent. It's just a regurgitated pop song no with no discernable unique or interesting elements.
Joe McElderry's attempt at Christmas no.1 was a cover of a Hannah Montana song.
That is noise.
But one of those things is when people, invariably stupid or old people, describe the music I listen to as "noise".
"It's just noise".
It's another example of a cliche that is true. I experience it most times distant family members ask me what kind of music I like.
I can give a specific example that happened last Christmas. You remember, when Rage Against The Machine defeated some X-Factor rubbish to be the Christmas no.1.
As a little side point, can I add: a number of newspapers picked up on the fact that when the campaign started to get Killing In The Name to the top-spot, RATM where on Sony, the same record label as Joe McElderry (I had to look up his name, as I really did not have the slightest clue).
The newspapers said that it was just a cynical campaign that would make no difference because the same people would make the profit out of it eventually. Some even suggested that the whole campaign was orchestrated, or at least supported by Sony.
But they were completely missing the point. People didn't buy that single to shun the major labels, or strike back at the corporate money making.
We bought it to show we supported real music, not commercialised crap. I didn't/don't even like RATM that much.
But I like it infinitely more than I like Joe McElderry.
We'll come back to this in a minute.
So anyway.
It was Christmas time. Christmas, of course, is a fantastic example of when I always find myself agreeing with stupid/disgusting world-views purely out of politeness (note, I have semi-plagiarised this thought from Stewart Lee).
This Christmas RATM was no.1.
This topic of conversation hadn't been brought up.
So I considered it my duty.
These paraphrased replies basically give you an idea:
"What a load of rubbish"
"Just a lot of screaming and swearing"
"It's not real music"
"It's just noise"
No.
There's a lot of music I don't like, but I still respect, because it is good for what it is. It's artistic. There's good types of all music. Or at least most.
To me, noise is something that has no artistic talent. It's just a regurgitated pop song no with no discernable unique or interesting elements.
Joe McElderry's attempt at Christmas no.1 was a cover of a Hannah Montana song.
That is noise.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Lyrics, and reasons you shouldn't judge me for putting them on my blog.
Jimmy Eat World. I feel a lot of the time that Jimmy Eat World have a song that describes how I'm feeling. Like the song I'm gonna put up. I don't think you should assume it describes how I feel at the moment, 'cos that would be revealing stuff about my personal life, and that would just leave me looking stupid/embarrased and you feeling bored.
Just accept that whether or not it's how I feel at the moment, I have felt like it at some point in my life, maybe when I was a little less mature, and understood a little bit less about how I percieve the world, and how I am percieved.
I mean, I don't empathise with all of it. I don't know who Heatmiser are, for example, and it's a little bit melodramatic for how I have felt in the past. Some of it is relevant though, I think. But I dunno, I think the music actually makes it better. It's a great song, and if you don't like/know it, then you should.
It's called "Kill":
You're just across the street
Looks a mile to my feet
I want to go to you
Funny how I'm nervous still
I've always been the easy kill
I guess I always will
Could it be that everything goes around by chance
Or only one way that it was always meant to be
You kill me
You always know the perfect thing to say
I know what I should do but I just can't walk away
I can picture your face well
From the bar in my hotel
I wish I'd go to you
I pick up, put down the phone
Like your favorite Heatmiser song goes:
'It's just like being alone...'
Oh God, please don't tell me this has been in vain
I need answers for what all the waiting I've done means
You kill me
You've got some nerve but can't face your mistakes
I know what I should do but I just can't turn away
So go on, love
Leave while there's still hope for escape
Got to take what you can these days
There's so much ahead
And so much regret
I know what you want to say
I know it but can't help feeling differently
I loved you
And I should have said it
But tell me
Just what has it ever meant
I can't help it baby
This is who I am
Sorry but I can't just go turn off how I feel
You kill me
You build me up but just to watch me break
I know what I should do but I just can't walk away
Just accept that whether or not it's how I feel at the moment, I have felt like it at some point in my life, maybe when I was a little less mature, and understood a little bit less about how I percieve the world, and how I am percieved.
I mean, I don't empathise with all of it. I don't know who Heatmiser are, for example, and it's a little bit melodramatic for how I have felt in the past. Some of it is relevant though, I think. But I dunno, I think the music actually makes it better. It's a great song, and if you don't like/know it, then you should.
It's called "Kill":
You're just across the street
Looks a mile to my feet
I want to go to you
Funny how I'm nervous still
I've always been the easy kill
I guess I always will
Could it be that everything goes around by chance
Or only one way that it was always meant to be
You kill me
You always know the perfect thing to say
I know what I should do but I just can't walk away
I can picture your face well
From the bar in my hotel
I wish I'd go to you
I pick up, put down the phone
Like your favorite Heatmiser song goes:
'It's just like being alone...'
Oh God, please don't tell me this has been in vain
I need answers for what all the waiting I've done means
You kill me
You've got some nerve but can't face your mistakes
I know what I should do but I just can't turn away
So go on, love
Leave while there's still hope for escape
Got to take what you can these days
There's so much ahead
And so much regret
I know what you want to say
I know it but can't help feeling differently
I loved you
And I should have said it
But tell me
Just what has it ever meant
I can't help it baby
This is who I am
Sorry but I can't just go turn off how I feel
You kill me
You build me up but just to watch me break
I know what I should do but I just can't walk away
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Fame, and the story of celebrity.
Isn't it interesting how popular music artists go through different chapters in their careers. Michael Jackson, for example:
The Chapter 1 stage consisted of being a talented little kid with dark skin and a great voice. Chapter 2 was the phase of slighty plastic appearance but still perhaps the world's greatest entertainer with incredable dance moves, churning out pop hits like it was easy. In Chapter 3 he became a talentless white guy living off past glories. Then came Chapter 4, the controversial "paedophile" stage. I'll be the first to admit I wasn't a fan of Michael Jackson as a paedophile, so I was very pleased to see him move onto Chapter 5, where he made the excellent career move of dying and reminding us how great he was.
It's like this for many contemporary artists, they go through Chapter in their careers too, except that these days there are several easily defined career paths for the modern music maker.
For a female:
1) Write a popular and succesful album, instilling the virtues that you don't need to get naked to sell records.
1a) Optional: Hint that you could well be A) a lesbian or B) a man
2) Release a mediocre record, but achieve decent sales figures because your music videos have virtually constant shots of your tits, arse or other bare body parts.
3) Become an overweight alcoholic whose career will eventually be saved by the book deal you recieve for writing about your experiences as a single mother bringing up your kids whilst addicted to the sauce.
4) Fund your retirement by sparodically selling pictures from your wedding/holiday/funeral to HEAT magazine.
Easy.
The Chapter 1 stage consisted of being a talented little kid with dark skin and a great voice. Chapter 2 was the phase of slighty plastic appearance but still perhaps the world's greatest entertainer with incredable dance moves, churning out pop hits like it was easy. In Chapter 3 he became a talentless white guy living off past glories. Then came Chapter 4, the controversial "paedophile" stage. I'll be the first to admit I wasn't a fan of Michael Jackson as a paedophile, so I was very pleased to see him move onto Chapter 5, where he made the excellent career move of dying and reminding us how great he was.
It's like this for many contemporary artists, they go through Chapter in their careers too, except that these days there are several easily defined career paths for the modern music maker.
For a female:
1) Write a popular and succesful album, instilling the virtues that you don't need to get naked to sell records.
1a) Optional: Hint that you could well be A) a lesbian or B) a man
2) Release a mediocre record, but achieve decent sales figures because your music videos have virtually constant shots of your tits, arse or other bare body parts.
3) Become an overweight alcoholic whose career will eventually be saved by the book deal you recieve for writing about your experiences as a single mother bringing up your kids whilst addicted to the sauce.
4) Fund your retirement by sparodically selling pictures from your wedding/holiday/funeral to HEAT magazine.
Easy.
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