So I finally find my way into the Shoreditch venue and immediately feel the intimidatingly hipster air of the place. I buy myself a drink, scuttle off to the corner of the room and pretend to be interested in the gig leaflets on the side. Luckily, I realise the support band, Kontakte, are about to begin so I hurriedly make my way in to see the band getting ready. I'm greeted by glorious, cacophonous, deafening noise. NOISE. The London band meld shoegaze and post rock effortlessly, their slow ebb of feedback rising and rising, then galloping on into a wall of lush noise, backed by fuzzy JAMC-style beats. Perhaps a reasonable comparison could be made with A Place To Bury Strangers, but with Kontakte there is obviously the post rock influence. Anyway, it was a great set that left me smiling in awe and I'll definitely be following them up.
London audiences are often accused of being hard work and disinterested, but tonight for M83 there was an extraordinary enthusiasm rippling through the crowd. Gonzalez and co.'s entrance on stage was welcomed with mass whooping and hollering, and by the end of the set the crowd were demanding a second encore, the majority staying for several minutes in vain. It reaffirms your love for live music when you see such enthusiasm for the performer. To begin with I felt a little unimpressed with the two guitarists on stage (Gonzalez and someone unknown to me); they seemed a little too pleased with themselves, like snotty teenagers. The drummer was on good form, giving more muscle to what is essentially electronica, and on keyboard there was a lovely spectacle wearing chanteuse, purring out sweet sounds with Gonzalez. On one occasion the drums unfortunately overpowered the keyboards, rendering the melody of the song void, but for the most part they were an important part of the energy of the performance. As the show went on the two guitarists seemed less like snotty teenagers and more like rock guitarists- their slashing guitars producing waves of gorgeous fuzz. Particular standouts were Don't save us from the flames and recent singles like Graveyard Girl and Kim and Jessie. The newer stuff sounded especially great in the live arena. A really enjoyable gig altogether.
Monday 28 April 2008
Saturday 26 April 2008
Ash-1977
Ash are often derided as some kind of sickly pop rock group, the kind you sneer at while you stick on your Venezualan post funk slowcore from the the 1970's on your record player. But I love Ash. I'll listen to any record they'll put out. And I'll more than likely enjoy it.
'1977' is the peak of Ash's existence, when they broke through to the mainstream as teenagers and were well recieved by the public and the critics. It is one of my favourite albums (top three), and takes a special place in my heart. If there was ever a book of great hooks and guitar riffs then the Rolling Stones would be given a chapter and Ash would be given a few pages at the least. It is Ash's fuzziest, most exuberant, catchiest album full of great grungy pop songs that may surprise people who have only heard later work from the band. Tim Wheeler's voice has been criticised for being flat, but to me it sounds like the defining voice of youth, that imperfect, longing voice that is none more apt than on 1977. Lose Control is a fantastic start to the album; a screeching, noisy roar speeding into a super fast, punchy, punky tune. Goldfinger is propelled by some great drumming from McMurray and Girl from mars has Wheeler's breathless voice reminisce over his elusive lost love. Kung Fu is a riotous, noisy track featuring excerpts from Kung fu movies and lyrics about Jackie Chan. Oh Yeah, perhaps the most famous song from the album, and also my favourite, features an extremely catchy hook and strings combining with guitar to great effect. For me, it evokes images of an isolated house in the countryside, down a country lane, where a white house stands silently in the moonlight. The curtains billow, and youthful lovers become entwined in the dark night. It really is brilliant. Those are just some of the standouts for me, but really the whole album is fantastic, not one bad song. It feels kinda weird having to justify my love for Ash, when there's an album like '1977' in their discography.
'1977' is the peak of Ash's existence, when they broke through to the mainstream as teenagers and were well recieved by the public and the critics. It is one of my favourite albums (top three), and takes a special place in my heart. If there was ever a book of great hooks and guitar riffs then the Rolling Stones would be given a chapter and Ash would be given a few pages at the least. It is Ash's fuzziest, most exuberant, catchiest album full of great grungy pop songs that may surprise people who have only heard later work from the band. Tim Wheeler's voice has been criticised for being flat, but to me it sounds like the defining voice of youth, that imperfect, longing voice that is none more apt than on 1977. Lose Control is a fantastic start to the album; a screeching, noisy roar speeding into a super fast, punchy, punky tune. Goldfinger is propelled by some great drumming from McMurray and Girl from mars has Wheeler's breathless voice reminisce over his elusive lost love. Kung Fu is a riotous, noisy track featuring excerpts from Kung fu movies and lyrics about Jackie Chan. Oh Yeah, perhaps the most famous song from the album, and also my favourite, features an extremely catchy hook and strings combining with guitar to great effect. For me, it evokes images of an isolated house in the countryside, down a country lane, where a white house stands silently in the moonlight. The curtains billow, and youthful lovers become entwined in the dark night. It really is brilliant. Those are just some of the standouts for me, but really the whole album is fantastic, not one bad song. It feels kinda weird having to justify my love for Ash, when there's an album like '1977' in their discography.
Sunday 20 April 2008
Red House Painters
How come I hadn't found you earlier?
I think I had pre-judged Red House Painters before I'd listened to them. Not really a fan of earnest acoustic singer/songwriter types, I had them pegged down as one of 'them'. How wrong. How very, very wrong. Listening to Down Colourful Hill, for the first time, I realised I'd come across an album I'd cherish. To me, it sounded like a mix of Low, Nirvana and Jeff Buckley. It was soulful, heartfelt music pieced together by Mark Kozelek's gorgeous voice and the lush, doleful guitar reminiscent of Low. Some have cited the band and Kozelek as being miserabilists, but the same accusations have been levelled at Interpol and Radiohead, so I'm not complaining. Their self titled debut is equally good, featuring the same debt to 'slow core' as DCH. The rest of the band's work errs more on the acoustic side, and to my ears less interesting, however there are some great songs to be found on albums like Ocean Beach and Old Ramon.I am just starting to get into Kozelek's current band Sun Kil Moon- this interest is buoyed by the promise of another 'Carry me to Ohio'.
I think I had pre-judged Red House Painters before I'd listened to them. Not really a fan of earnest acoustic singer/songwriter types, I had them pegged down as one of 'them'. How wrong. How very, very wrong. Listening to Down Colourful Hill, for the first time, I realised I'd come across an album I'd cherish. To me, it sounded like a mix of Low, Nirvana and Jeff Buckley. It was soulful, heartfelt music pieced together by Mark Kozelek's gorgeous voice and the lush, doleful guitar reminiscent of Low. Some have cited the band and Kozelek as being miserabilists, but the same accusations have been levelled at Interpol and Radiohead, so I'm not complaining. Their self titled debut is equally good, featuring the same debt to 'slow core' as DCH. The rest of the band's work errs more on the acoustic side, and to my ears less interesting, however there are some great songs to be found on albums like Ocean Beach and Old Ramon.I am just starting to get into Kozelek's current band Sun Kil Moon- this interest is buoyed by the promise of another 'Carry me to Ohio'.
Zabriskie Point
A foray into the Barbican Centre in London today was rewarded with a screening of Michelangelo Antonioni's rarely seen 'Zabriskie Point'. Before I delve into the film, I'd like to mention the Barbican- what an odd place. It seems like a place I would have been to before, I recognised the name n'all- but it was such a surprise to look upon this insular space, centred around a large lake-ish thing complete with stylish water features and fountains. The Barbican hosts flats, schools, a church (!) and of course the arts centre it self. What is perhaps most surprising is that it's almost a ghost town.
Anyway onto Zabriskie. I've been studying Antonioni recently so was relatively up to speed with his work. L' Avventura I found quite tedious and repetitive, Blow Up was stylish and worthwhile for showing 60's London and The Passenger was the strongest of the three for me, with an excellent performance from Jack Nicholson, an engaging premise of stolen identities and good use of location and camera shots. Antonioni is well known for drawing attention to the camera to remind the audience of it's presence, and his dissection of the modern life. Although seemingly mundane on the surface, looking closer at his films shows revealing aspects of the characters personality and feelings through subtle nuances. This is perhaps why I need a second viewing of L'Avventura.
Zabriskie Point seems distinctly odd compared to L'Avventura. Whereas the earlier film seems measured, limited in it's focus on the miscommunication of bourgois couples and muted in colour and tone, Zabriskie is a hippyish, highly experimental film that I enjoyed a lot. Starting off with an almost documentary style debate in an American uni, the film rails against capitalism and the authorities of that period. It is a film of it's time most certainly. Following two lovers as they encounter police brutality, riots and then continue onto a trek across the desert, Zabriskie features much more 'action' than a film like L'Avventura. The film features some startling sequences such as a plane soaring over the desert landscape, an orgy on rocky slopes and the explosion of a hilltop base repeated over and over to great effect. Antonioni uses music to propel the film along, with the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and John Fahey contributing to the soundtrack. Even if you don't understand or agree with the politics and ideologies on show then the spectacle is certainly enough.
Anyway onto Zabriskie. I've been studying Antonioni recently so was relatively up to speed with his work. L' Avventura I found quite tedious and repetitive, Blow Up was stylish and worthwhile for showing 60's London and The Passenger was the strongest of the three for me, with an excellent performance from Jack Nicholson, an engaging premise of stolen identities and good use of location and camera shots. Antonioni is well known for drawing attention to the camera to remind the audience of it's presence, and his dissection of the modern life. Although seemingly mundane on the surface, looking closer at his films shows revealing aspects of the characters personality and feelings through subtle nuances. This is perhaps why I need a second viewing of L'Avventura.
Zabriskie Point seems distinctly odd compared to L'Avventura. Whereas the earlier film seems measured, limited in it's focus on the miscommunication of bourgois couples and muted in colour and tone, Zabriskie is a hippyish, highly experimental film that I enjoyed a lot. Starting off with an almost documentary style debate in an American uni, the film rails against capitalism and the authorities of that period. It is a film of it's time most certainly. Following two lovers as they encounter police brutality, riots and then continue onto a trek across the desert, Zabriskie features much more 'action' than a film like L'Avventura. The film features some startling sequences such as a plane soaring over the desert landscape, an orgy on rocky slopes and the explosion of a hilltop base repeated over and over to great effect. Antonioni uses music to propel the film along, with the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and John Fahey contributing to the soundtrack. Even if you don't understand or agree with the politics and ideologies on show then the spectacle is certainly enough.
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