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petroniaIt looks like I'm going to be relatively free for the next month, so I'll try to check in once a day, just like old times. That means music, photos, book reviews, concert reviews, unfilled requests, some writing on carnet to keep my hand in, what have you - not doing the latest book list meme though, those things are starting to get on my nerves. :P To be frank they're always full of books I have no desire to read.
First up:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
silvermuse89 requested a Nobuta FST, in the holiday mix CD request from uhh last October. It was clear from the get-go that this was going to be single format à la Balthier/Fran, not a full mix, but it took this long to get it right anyway.
NOBUTA WO PRODUCE SINGLE
A) Au Revoir Simone - The Lucky One
B) Arctic Monkeys feat. The 747s - Baby I'm Yours
Setting aside Alex Turner's (probably) subconscious auditioning for another indieboi to sing duets with him... I'm starting to think a full FST might be manageable, keeping to this 60's pop style. But it'd take another year's work, so. ^_^;
Next - condensed versions of reviews I started composing in my head months ago when the albums in question actually came out ahaha. orz At least this way I'm sure of what I think.
The Charlatans, You Cross My Path: truth be told I can't see this band mentioned without being reminded ofmotorbike's pithy writeup. XD; Sometime during the past few months they put out an album that sounds nothing like the one Nat was reccing from, in accordance with the school of thought that if New Order was going to be a collective bitch about it again, well... It came free on teh internets for starters, too, which is always appreciated.
The Charlatans - The Misbegotten: like this, which I actually had to play through a few times before I realized what a masterpiece of understated comedy it was. OMG guyz stop making fun of Barney Sumner, it's not like he can help it. XD;;;
The Charlatans - Mis-takes: or this, which is the non-pisstaking version.serendip and I have a longstanding disagreement re: the merits of New Order's 21st-century albums that basically hinges on the fact that I didn't start listening to them until 2001, and - this is key - I don't think I'm the only one. Indie-ists that fly the New Order flag these days don't sound like JD circa "Love Will...", nor do they sound like NO circa "Blue Monday" (the decade from Power, Corruption and Lies to Republic assimilated into dance, not indie - see Gui Boratto etc. etc.); they sound like Get Ready, squeaky-clean guitars and all. That being said Tim Burgess has been listening to New Order since the 80s, so this is more like a level of dedication lying somewhere between method acting and Pierre Menard-ism... uh, there's a couple of bits that sound like Garbage circa Version 2.0 as well. Basically I really am that cheap.
Client, City: which, okay, came out in 2004 - at which point I was getting tired of the ironically expressionless Eurotrash dominatrix end of the electroclash scene, not that Client could hold a match to Kittin or Peaches or even Chicks On Speed. Having finally played the entire record through one finds that the non-single instrumentals are lush and gorgeous synthpop - fair enough, this came out on Andy Depeche Mode's label - making one wish the girls' vocals could match them in emotiveness. Which they don't. XD; Sometimes you can't win. Basically it has the same problem as Sweetback's albums, namely that when it's good you wonder how much better it would have been if it had been actualSade Dave Gahan singing.
Client - Everything Must End: this is probably the prettiest song (sad ballad alert) on the album, discounting the guest vocalist stints from the principal Libertines and, uh... Martin Gore. Sweet, sweet nepotism - or asdipping_sauce put it, "It's an ice cream cone with all your favorite flavours!"
Client feat. Carl Barât - Pornography (The Zip Mix): I did remember this, though oddly enough only retained the B-side on my hard drive (a live cover of "White Wedding"). Remembered the video, too, which I deconstructed at great length on the Libs meta comm; might edit down and repost at some point... or I'll do one for the Pete Doherty + Mike Skinner collab, so as to have a matched set. Even at the time I thought it was better than the actual Libertines PMVs. ^_^; Once I got tired of playing the video I went looking for the album to download, and found a remix compilation besides. Hence this track, which was put together by the dude from the Sneaker Pimps who produced City, for a 12" release that never materialized (also excellent cuts by the likes of Cicada and Rex The Dog; hit me up if you want). Think Grace Jones bassline + the funk guitar lick from "Get Down Saturday Night" = ALL DISCO BALL STRIP CLUB, ALL THE TIME. I'd find Carl Barât singing over it to be neverending hilarity if I hadn't been reading fanfic, as it is...... it's still pretty funny. And sexy. But mostly funny.
Ladytron, Velocifero: almost the Platonic ideal/stereotype of a fourth album, in that it reinforces the "new direction" taken by the third album at the same time as it goes "back to basics" on certain tracks - in Ladytron's case, 604's minor-key East European melodies and primitive analog clatter-burble. Not that they haven't always kept the dark lullaby feel to some extent (see: "Beauty*2"). Still, I'm happy Mira's Soviet-bloc deadpan is back ("Black Cat"), even if the drums are now real. XD The single is one of two tracks I can't be bothered with (why schaffel? why now?), the rest are ace. The compression is pretty bad, though; I wish bands would stop doing that.
Ladytron - Runaway: reviewers namecheck the PSB, I don't hear it. However this was the standout pop number on first listen, out of the tracks that belong to Witching Hour's electro-noize-rock school (and I enjoyed the evolution in their sound as much as the next'un). Out of 604's school, "Season of Illusions" is the clear frontrunner.
Ladytron - Versus: WALL OF SOUND SHOEGAZE CINEMATICS. Swirls of synthesized keyboards and distorted organ and army-choir backing vocals (those Eastern Europe signifiers again). Great lyrics, for once. Melody is sort of like "The Sound of Silence". XD; I keep saying this but Helen Marnie is completely underrated as a lead vocalist. She's not "icy", she's the reason there's any emotional charge in these songs to speak of! As far as I can figure, the other half of the duet is Daniel, which raises the inevitable question of WHY DIDN'T THEY THINK OF THIS BEFORE.
Ladytron are playing the Jazz Fest, and my friend A is holding a ticket with my name on it. Due to scheduling incompetence this'll be the first time I'm seeing them in concert since the Light & Magic tour in... 2003? With Simian opening. It sounds a lot longer ago if you say it was back when James Ford was drumming in indie bands not producing them.
First up:
silvermuse89 requested a Nobuta FST, in the holiday mix CD request from uhh last October. It was clear from the get-go that this was going to be single format à la Balthier/Fran, not a full mix, but it took this long to get it right anyway.NOBUTA WO PRODUCE SINGLE
A) Au Revoir Simone - The Lucky One
B) Arctic Monkeys feat. The 747s - Baby I'm Yours
Setting aside Alex Turner's (probably) subconscious auditioning for another indieboi to sing duets with him... I'm starting to think a full FST might be manageable, keeping to this 60's pop style. But it'd take another year's work, so. ^_^;
Next - condensed versions of reviews I started composing in my head months ago when the albums in question actually came out ahaha. orz At least this way I'm sure of what I think.
The Charlatans, You Cross My Path: truth be told I can't see this band mentioned without being reminded of
motorbike's pithy writeup. XD; Sometime during the past few months they put out an album that sounds nothing like the one Nat was reccing from, in accordance with the school of thought that if New Order was going to be a collective bitch about it again, well... It came free on teh internets for starters, too, which is always appreciated.The Charlatans - The Misbegotten: like this, which I actually had to play through a few times before I realized what a masterpiece of understated comedy it was. OMG guyz stop making fun of Barney Sumner, it's not like he can help it. XD;;;
The Charlatans - Mis-takes: or this, which is the non-pisstaking version.
serendip and I have a longstanding disagreement re: the merits of New Order's 21st-century albums that basically hinges on the fact that I didn't start listening to them until 2001, and - this is key - I don't think I'm the only one. Indie-ists that fly the New Order flag these days don't sound like JD circa "Love Will...", nor do they sound like NO circa "Blue Monday" (the decade from Power, Corruption and Lies to Republic assimilated into dance, not indie - see Gui Boratto etc. etc.); they sound like Get Ready, squeaky-clean guitars and all. That being said Tim Burgess has been listening to New Order since the 80s, so this is more like a level of dedication lying somewhere between method acting and Pierre Menard-ism... uh, there's a couple of bits that sound like Garbage circa Version 2.0 as well. Basically I really am that cheap.Client, City: which, okay, came out in 2004 - at which point I was getting tired of the ironically expressionless Eurotrash dominatrix end of the electroclash scene, not that Client could hold a match to Kittin or Peaches or even Chicks On Speed. Having finally played the entire record through one finds that the non-single instrumentals are lush and gorgeous synthpop - fair enough, this came out on Andy Depeche Mode's label - making one wish the girls' vocals could match them in emotiveness. Which they don't. XD; Sometimes you can't win. Basically it has the same problem as Sweetback's albums, namely that when it's good you wonder how much better it would have been if it had been actual
Client - Everything Must End: this is probably the prettiest song (sad ballad alert) on the album, discounting the guest vocalist stints from the principal Libertines and, uh... Martin Gore. Sweet, sweet nepotism - or as
dipping_sauce put it, "It's an ice cream cone with all your favorite flavours!"Client feat. Carl Barât - Pornography (The Zip Mix): I did remember this, though oddly enough only retained the B-side on my hard drive (a live cover of "White Wedding"). Remembered the video, too, which I deconstructed at great length on the Libs meta comm; might edit down and repost at some point... or I'll do one for the Pete Doherty + Mike Skinner collab, so as to have a matched set. Even at the time I thought it was better than the actual Libertines PMVs. ^_^; Once I got tired of playing the video I went looking for the album to download, and found a remix compilation besides. Hence this track, which was put together by the dude from the Sneaker Pimps who produced City, for a 12" release that never materialized (also excellent cuts by the likes of Cicada and Rex The Dog; hit me up if you want). Think Grace Jones bassline + the funk guitar lick from "Get Down Saturday Night" = ALL DISCO BALL STRIP CLUB, ALL THE TIME. I'd find Carl Barât singing over it to be neverending hilarity if I hadn't been reading fanfic, as it is...... it's still pretty funny. And sexy. But mostly funny.
Ladytron, Velocifero: almost the Platonic ideal/stereotype of a fourth album, in that it reinforces the "new direction" taken by the third album at the same time as it goes "back to basics" on certain tracks - in Ladytron's case, 604's minor-key East European melodies and primitive analog clatter-burble. Not that they haven't always kept the dark lullaby feel to some extent (see: "Beauty*2"). Still, I'm happy Mira's Soviet-bloc deadpan is back ("Black Cat"), even if the drums are now real. XD The single is one of two tracks I can't be bothered with (why schaffel? why now?), the rest are ace. The compression is pretty bad, though; I wish bands would stop doing that.
Ladytron - Runaway: reviewers namecheck the PSB, I don't hear it. However this was the standout pop number on first listen, out of the tracks that belong to Witching Hour's electro-noize-rock school (and I enjoyed the evolution in their sound as much as the next'un). Out of 604's school, "Season of Illusions" is the clear frontrunner.
Ladytron - Versus: WALL OF SOUND SHOEGAZE CINEMATICS. Swirls of synthesized keyboards and distorted organ and army-choir backing vocals (those Eastern Europe signifiers again). Great lyrics, for once. Melody is sort of like "The Sound of Silence". XD; I keep saying this but Helen Marnie is completely underrated as a lead vocalist. She's not "icy", she's the reason there's any emotional charge in these songs to speak of! As far as I can figure, the other half of the duet is Daniel, which raises the inevitable question of WHY DIDN'T THEY THINK OF THIS BEFORE.
Ladytron are playing the Jazz Fest, and my friend A is holding a ticket with my name on it. Due to scheduling incompetence this'll be the first time I'm seeing them in concert since the Light & Magic tour in... 2003? With Simian opening. It sounds a lot longer ago if you say it was back when James Ford was drumming in indie bands not producing them.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 04:32 am (UTC)Thank goodness more people are standing up to this insidious MTD! (memetically transmitted disease)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 04:35 am (UTC)IT IS ALL ABOUT JETSTREAM
Date: 2008-06-29 06:17 am (UTC)I think I like the old, Piano Bar and Sincere Solo Charlatans better; this new record fronts too much. (Granted my extensive knowledge base rests entirely on the Best Of album. LOL so high handed!) YCMP has nevertheless been on playlist for some time now, aha.
Anyway, with all this NO talk I imagine you probably enjoy Supergrass!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 09:02 am (UTC)!!! I will say YS PLS. Almost said "already have the Cicada, though", but on closer consideration that one was of Radio, heh. (Really need to get off my ass re: getting City, myself; they have a new one out just now, and I don't even have the previous yet! Has me well shamed, that does.)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 01:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 04:10 pm (UTC)I-I did?
no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 04:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 04:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 04:48 pm (UTC)I have to admit I'm not a fan of that cut :/
Date: 2008-06-29 04:59 pm (UTC)My take on the Charlatans album is that someone said, "You know what would be awesome? Let's make a fake New Order record AND PUT IT ON THE INTERNET FOR FREE." And the other dudes were like, "LOL, pass the joint." Anyhow I've heard the best-of is the way to go insofar as this band is concerned.
I don't think I've ever knowingly heard Supergrass! One of those names that are kind of there.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 07:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-30 12:07 am (UTC)what. WHAT
Date: 2008-06-30 03:52 pm (UTC)All the same IAWYC. Classic. CLASSIC.
Uh Supergrass did that "Pumping* On Your Stereo" song about Life beling a Cigarette You Smoke Till It Ends (XD), and also that song about being young, running free, and keeping your teeth nice and clean. In other words, this band is the level kids born in the 80's must beat circa high school in order to discover that a) "BritPop" in its widest sense was ooooooouver by 1998, and b) Guitars are Cool even while Supergrass is Not.
SUPERGRASS - Pumping On Your Stereo (http://www.tiger-tiger.org/jetstream/09 - Pumping* On Your Stereo.mp3)
SUPERGRASS - Rush Hour Soul (http://www.tiger-tiger.org/jetstream/02 - Rush Hour Soul.mp3)
SUPERGRASS - What Went Wrong (In Your Head) (http://www.tiger-tiger.org/jetstream/03 - What Went Wrong (In Your Head).mp3) (actually good)
* Clearly "humping" though, come on.
You really don't want me to get started on the NME
Date: 2008-07-02 06:55 pm (UTC)ok now I kind of do
Date: 2008-07-02 07:00 pm (UTC)