Friday, August 21, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Go Go Golf Review, with apologies
As promised, here's my review for PS2 seminal classic Go Go Golf. The video quality has hit an all time low, but it's the thought that counts.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Top 10 Albums of the Year (thus far)
Obviously taste is subjective, but that doesn't mean that I can't ram my opinions down other people's throats...
2009 has been a pretty good year for music so far and will hopefully continue this trend. As we're, essentially, at the half way point of the year, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and actually update this blog (I've been meaning to for a while) as well as fill you in with what I've found enjoyable so far in this year of music. Maybe one day I'll do a blog post that isn't centred around music...
10. Faust - C'est Com... Com... Compliqué
This was my first venture into German band Faust's distinctive Kraut-rock style and I was impressed. These guys have been around for a long time and it's good to see they've still got some creative juices flowing. C'est Com... Com... Compliqué is a minimalistic, percussion heavy album that the listener will no doubt find unique. Well worth a listen
9. Moderat - Moderat
Another album recommeded to me by Scott (who, no doubt will be feeling a little smug right now). Moderat is, pretty much, the only electronica/IDM album I've picked up from this year and has certainly set a high benchmark for any others that I look into. Quite similar to Burial, but I think they're a little better. This album has some definite highlights and one of the best closer tracks of the year. Great stuff.
8. Church of Misery - Houses of the Unholy
For a long time, I didn't think Japanese music was much more than J-Pop and Visual Kei. Oh, how wrong I was. This year, I've become hooked on such bands as Boris, Mono and maybe even Merzbow. Church of Misery is an excellent example on how a Japanese band can hold its own in a genre that one wouldn't expect it to be able to. Church of Misery is a doom/stoner metal band (you wouldn't pick it from the album cover) and, whilst my doom expertise is very much minimal, I can tell you they've done a good job with this album. The idea of basing most of their songs on famous serial killers is a little off-putting and maybe a little gimmicky, but there's definite substance behind the premise. To put it simply, it rocks.
7. Mokira - Persona
A late addition to my list (I, quite literally, only got this album yesterday), but a welcome one. Okay, so I lied when I said Moderat was my only IDM excursion of the year, but Moderat and Persona are very different albums. Persona is very much a more ambient album that may even border on drone at times. While I can't give you a full retrospective review of this album due to its recent arrival, I can say that it looks very promising and I'm sure I'll get more enjoyment out of it yet.
6. Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs
Probably the strangest and most sporadic album that is going to come out this year. Amesoeurs is an album that changes its style from track to track. And I don't mean subtle changes in style or similar, I literally mean that one track will be a soft shoegaze type of track, with the next being full on black metal. I'm still not sure how to define this album, though it's main 3 genres it sticks to are shoegaze, post-punk and black metal. It's not surprising that the band broke up after only making this one full LP, they just didn't know what direction they should go in. Don't let the continual mood shift deter you though, all styles are done very well and this album serves as an excellent homage to this versatile, if short lived, band.
5. Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
This could have so easily have been my #4, but, for whatever reason, it stays at 5. Sunn (as well as drone in general) are something that I've only gotten into very recently and I'm still in the high of discovering this new territory. Monoliths & Dimensions is, arguably, Sunn's most varied and intricate work yet. Agartha, the album's opener, punches you in the face and then slowly descends into a very brooding chant. Big Church and Hunting & Gathering expand on this and, finally, Alice wraps up the piece in, what is quite possibly for the first time in Sunn's career, a quite beautiful trombone solo. More than 20 people made guest appearances on this record and the variety comes through. In a time of fast paced consumerism and economic uncertainty, it's refreshing to listen to an album that takes its time and makes you listen to everything that's going on. This is an album from a duo that clearly know what they're doing and have refined their art down to a science, highly recommended.
4. ISIS - Wavering Radiant
Isis are one of my favourite bands and their latest offering doesn't disappoint. I don't have In the Absense of Truth, the predecessor to this (the consensus being it's their worst), but apparently Wavering Radiant expands upon new sounds explored in ITAOT. What this meant was that, upon first listen, Wavering Radiant sounded quite different to the Isis that I knew and loved from Oceanic, Panopticon etc. But, in many ways, it was a joy to explore this new territory with a band who I can trust and, as expected, it payed off. If you're new to Isis, I'd probably suggest to start with this record, it's easy to get into and gives the listener an excellent taste of the grand soundscapes Isis are capable of.
3. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
I've just discussed how Wavering Radiant took Isis into a different place musically, Crack the Skye takes Mastodon to another musical dimension. As Mastodon have matured, their albums have slowly departed from the sludge/extreme sound that encompassed Remission, taking their music to a more progressive metal territory. Crack the Skye is the peak of this; it's practically a prog rock album. The whole band is on top form, delivering great riffs/drums/base lines and even good singing. While Blood Mountain was a great record, this blows it out of the water. With an underlying story of astral projection and, for whatever reason, famous Russian Rasputin, Crack the Skye takes you on a erethreal and hallucinogenic ride, one that you'll definitely want to be a part of.
2. MONO - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
As I explained while discussing Church of Misery, Mono are a Japanese band who I'm very glad exist. Their 2006 album You Are There was an amazing record and Mono's 2009 offering expands on this, amping it up ten-fold. Some may find the departure from You Are There's minimalism a little overbearing (I did initially), this is a fully fledged orchestral soundtrack. While previous Mono work felt like each song was telling a story, Hymn to the Immortal Wind tells a story spread out over the entire album, and it is indeed a very epic story. This would have been further down my list (though definitely still in my top 10) if something didn't happen in my life a few weeks ago. Someone I knew (admittedly not well, but well enough) comitted suicide, something that shocked me quite hard; as the cliche goes, it's always those who you don't expect. Anyway, upon learning of this, the first album I listened to was this record by Mono. It was the perfect thing to listen to as it lead me through emotions of sadness, beauty, but finally: hope. I'm indebted to Mono for helping me through such a tough time, which really shows what the power of music can be capable of in this world.
1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
If you told me that this would be my pick for album of the year 5 or 6 months ago, I would have kindly slapped you across the face and probably insulted your mother. When this album was released all the way back in January, everyone was saying how brilliant it was (by everyone I mean the hipster community lead by their hipster overlord, Pitchfork, who, for the record, I usually ignore), so I decided to give it a shot. First listens were bad, very bad. It was unlike anything I'd heard or even considered as music before, but not in a good way. After 3 or 4 listens I pretty much labelled this album as 'disappointing' and moved on. Fast forward a good 2 or so months down the track, when, whilst watching late night Rage (an Australian music video show), the video for My Girls comes on. I immediately make a few comments about how not very good this song or the album it comes from is; but, as the song progresses, so does my attitude. All of the sudden, it actually starts to sound...good, very good. I'm a little perplexed by this and decide to go back to Merriweather and give it another listen, and holy shit, it's amazing! Okay, I admit it took more than just one listen to change my view so rapidly, but my opinion did a complete 180. What this album is, to me, is a celebration of sound, all the nuances and undertones in each track come together to create music that's a joy to listen to. It also helps that Merriweather Post Pavillion has the greatest opening track, if not best song, of the year In the Flowers. Animal Collective, I am your fan.
Yes, in a list that's dominated by metal, it's a little strange to have an experimental pop record top my list, but I've yet to find a record that has come close to challenging its crown (not to say no's 2-10 aren't great, but MPP is really in a tier of its own right now). But the year is not over yet and there's still plenty of promising releases to come. Stay tuned for my top 10 of the whole year post when the time comes.
Albums that, with regrets, didn't quite make the list:
Minsk - With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone
Sylvian Chauveau - Touching Down Lightly
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
I can do a v-review too, you know...
Inspired by Green Gravy (i.e. playjurised) I've decided to give vlogging a go. You'll need to turn up your volume to hear me due to my crappy laptop microphone. Anyhoo, this is my attempt at a review of the album Rock Dream by Bors with Merzbow.
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Metal 'Stigma'
I've been meaning to post something here for a while now, but haven't thought of any decent subjects to talk about. But, this one just came to me so I think I'll roll with it.
I have a friend (who, for the purpose of this blog, will remain unnamed) who has a pretty annoying habit of labelling my taste in music as 'heavy metal' or 'metal' in general, dismissing it as, essentially, crap due to the fact that it's all loud noises and screaming. Now, I can at least empathise with this viewpoint as that's what I think we're all like when we get exposed to the heavier side of music for the first time. But, what I want to put forward today is, firstly, that yes, a lot of metal is bad, very bad in fact, but just because something sounds unfamiliar initially, doesn't mean you should dismiss it entirely.
The term 'metal' is usually associated with bands like Metallica, Deep Purple, Led Zepplin as well men who drink copious amounts of beer, wear lots of denim and have long hair. This associated image makes me quite hesitatnt to tell people that I like bands like Neurosis, ISIS and Sunn O))) as people instantly think that this must be head-banging, binge-drinking, spouse-beating music and that I, clearly, am some sort of lesser person due to my affiliation with these bands. I know I'm not going to change the image of metal, but what you may not know is the immense scope that the word metal encaptulates. Just one glance at the Wikipedia page for heavy metal sub-genres show, most likely, much more variety than most people associate with the metal catch-all term. Led Zepplin, AC/DC and the like represent only a very small percentage of metal's total scope and, to be frank, they suck.
Which brings me nicely to my next point, and by point I mean concession - most metal is awful and is the reason that such a negative image is attached to metal. The vast majority of music written since the about mid 19th Century has been about expressing emotions. Metal, at its core, should be expressing emotions that don't fit into the context of softer music, things like desperation, anger, melancholy and nihilism. What metal should not be about is playing guitars as fast as possible, tight pants and alcohol. Unfortunately, far too many bands fall down the latter path, delivering, at best, uninspired efforts and, at worst, shit. What really gets on my nerves is that the most well known metal bands (Dragonforce, Machine Head etc) fit well and truly into this category. So, to summarise my general point, yes, a lot of metal sucks, so does a lot of other music genres, but just because the metal you've heard is bad, doesn't mean that all other metal bands sound anything remotely like them. The metal I listen to is about creating atmosphere, not extending my index and little finger.
Well, as per usual, I've probably gone on for much longer than I should have, if my aforementioned friend is reading this, I hope you understand what I'm saying; for one to say that all metal is the same screaming crap is the same as one saying that all alternative rock is the same as Nickelback, a hypothetical scenario that makes my spine shudder. Oh, and for the record, metal only makes up about 30% of my music library, it's still vastly dominated by alternative, industrial and electronica.
Before I go though, I'd like to present a quick list of bands that I consider to encapsulate the good side of metal. If you're at all interested, I'd very much encourage to check them out.
Atheist:
Creates a quite remarkable fusion of traditional death metal with jazz-style drums and rarely seen time signatures - check out Unquestionable Presence.
Boris:
Japanese music isn't all J-Pop and Dir en grey...
Callisto:
Post-metal bordering on 'art core', well worth a look.
Cult of Luna:
Right up there with ISIS and Neurosis in leading the atmospheric sludge genre.
Gojira:
An excellent band that shows that metal can have things like guitar solos and the like, but still have lyrical and atmospheric substance to back it up.
ISIS:
One of the pioneers of the post-metal/sludge genre. Features intricate guitar riffs that establish an excellent mood.
Mastodon:
A very important figure in the, if you'll forgive the cliche, new wave of metal that is spreading across the US and the world. Check out Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye.
Minsk:
Psychadelic sludge, which was the initial spark that got me into the sludge genre.
Neurosis:
Initially an 80's hardcore band, have since become one of the most important atmospheric sludge bands. Truly an amazing outfit.
Painkiller:
Many wouldn't even say this band is even metal, but what they are is a mixture of free jazz and death-metal style drumming.
Steak Number Eight:
Comprised of a group of Belgian teenagers, Steak Number Eight have already released one amazing album and, hopefully, have a long life ahead of them.
Sunn O))):
Possibly metal at it's most hardcore. Sunn (along with Boris and Earth) have taken drone to the almost mainstream. With live shows that may feature a single guitar chord lasting for over an hour, these guys are completely uncompromising with what they do and provide one of the most atmospheric musical experiences you could have, if you're willing to go along, that is.
Tool:
I freely admit my list has been a little devoid of progressive metal, so it only seemed right to include these guys. Create both a great aural and, including their album packaging and videos, visual experience.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Stream of Consciousness
Okay, I've found myself to be incredibly bored and feel that posting here might be some sort of remedy to fix the problem. Unfortunately, I don't really know what I want to write about - just so long as it burns some time. Hence, what I want to try is to just start writing something and see where it takes me; some may call this a writing excercise of some sort but it's really just a flimsy excuse for incoherency and poor grammar.
One thing that I thought I might be able to do is listen to some music of some sort and write down my opinions as it plays, but I haven't really got anything that new apart from Times of Grace by Neurosis (which is probably too long to make such a post about). Right now I'm listening to Start/Whispers by Trent Reznor, a song off the original Quake soundtrack. I don't actually have (or intend to own) Quake, but am a decent fan of T Rez's work. This particular track, like the whole soundtrack really, is, I guess, a sort of drone/industrial/minimal sounding piece. Obviously the music can't take centre stage in an FPS so it needs to be subtle, but I think it still manages to keep a foreboding and tense atmosphere. At the very least, if you're interested in listening to some industrial and don't want to bother with the 'wah-wah' of NIN, it's not a bad CD really. Well, that's all I really wanted to say about it but it's still got 1-2 minutes left (it's 8 minutes long) so I'm left with a new topic to find in the meantime.
I guess something I can do, while we're on the subject of Quake, is talk about the FPS genre and, more precisely, my lack of satisfaction with it. We live in a society where the vast majority of the top selling games are shooters and I can't help but wonder why. The story's are nearly always pathetic, with every game saying the same thing but with a slightly different looking muscular, grizzled, brown haired American guy. The same can be said for the gameplay, with shooter after shooter just trying to stick to the 'Halo format' or, as I like to call it, the 'meh format' with 5 or so different guns total, regenerative health and stupid AI. I'm not expecting a revolution for every game that gets released, but I'd really wish that developers would at least try to differentiate themselves with the hundreds of other titles sitting next to it. But no, that won't happen as any game that tries something new will mean poor sales, with so much as a use of the phrase "why am I killing these enemies" enough to cause most players to enter a state of psychotic remission (I'm not sure if that actually makes sense, but it sounds cool).
For the record, Charlotte by Slint was being played whilst the above paragraph was being written - good song.
But, I am being harsh here, after all I have gotten enjoyment out of playing shooters. More than once have I engaged in a LAN game of Counter Strike and had a good time doing so. But that's Valve, a company whom I have nothing but the upmost respect for despite my general opinion of shooting games. Shine on you crazy diamond.
Hmm, it seems that I've failed to come so some sort of point with the above two or so paragraphs of waffle. All I guess I want to say is that it would be nice to see something other than FPS on the shelves of EB, especially in the next gen section. Just because you have a new console doesn't mean you have to make the game look as realistic as possible (which is why, I think, a lot of developers are making shooters for the PS3 and 360), perhaps use the new technology to create a new gameplay mechanic of some sort or perhaps a new gaming experience altogether. But, if you are to make a shooter, how about at least having a sense of humour? Remember Duke Nukem? Good shooters can also be funny and it will allow you to be a little different without having to scare off your target market.
Music listened to while writing the above: Away by Neurosis, currently listening to The Eraser by Thom Yorke - also good songs.
Well that chewed up a few paragraphs, more than I was expecting to write, though probably not very understandable. Oh well, it's not as if people read this blog anyway...Anyway, is it worth starting a new topic or just finishing the entry here? I got a haircut today. I don't know why I wrote that but it suddenly popped into my head; either way it's staying there now. I guess it's a big event as I only get it cut every 8 or so months (I'm a pretty tight sometimes). I'm fairly pleased with the result, though I think it looked better last I got it cut. Maybe I'll post a picture if people are interested.
By the way, Lost Woods from the Zelda OoT OST just played, which, coincidentally, is my ringtone.
Once again I've found myself without a topic to write about. Currently listening to Human After All by Daft Punk, a confusingly good song. I call it confusingly good as it is, really, an extremely simple song, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Though I suppose if people (not me, mind you) can get joy out of Achy Breaky Heart, a song with only 2 (maybe 3) chords in it, maybe simplicity can be a good thing.
Aha, topic. Achy Breaky Heart was written by Billy Ray Cyrus, father of Miley Cyrus. Today I read that Miley Cyrus has said something along the lines of that she intends to 'bring Radiohead down' after they snubbed her at the Grammys. I find this quite hilarious both due to Miley being snubbed and that she thinks she has the power to bring down Radiohead, one of my favourite bands. Disney may be big, honey, but the Jonas Brothers and the like are still being outsold by a hell of a lot of bands, of which Radiohead would be one. Long story short, shutup and dream on.
Well, I think that's definitely enough now. No attempts will be made to proofread this or correct it as I think that's missing the point and, to be honest, I don't really want to read the probably train wreck that is the above chain of thought. If you've made it this far, well done and have a cookie.
Listening to: Shevanel Cut a Flip by Between the Buried and Me
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)