No, Thanks Mate!

"Recent" words

2012-02-08T00:37:00.004Z

Realised I haven't been updating this with actual words, so here are a few links to some writing I've done:

Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour
City and Colour - Little Hell
Saves the Day - Daybreak

I've been co-hosting a weekly technology news show since October; you can catch up with the podcast if you are so inclined.

In terms of gigs, February is looking pretty good. Tomorrow, I'm seeing Brand New, which should be amazing and wonderful. Then next week I've got Errors and Pulled Apart By Horses lined up...and it's not just music as I'm seeing Chris Addison on Friday!

Oh yes, photos have been happening as well, so I'll post some longer entries soon with some pictures, or you can check out my Flickr in the meantime.

Mail-order "music"

2012-01-13T12:07:00.004Z

See the title of this blog? Yeah, that's what my answer to the following question is going to be from now on:

Would you like to listen to some post-dubstep?

Right, this morning I noticed the phrase "post-dubstep" crop up in the list of eligible albums for XFM'x New Music Award 2012. Intrigued, I sought out some to find out what on earth justified the ridiculous moniker.

First up, a James Blake track entitled Limit To Your Love. This rather stripped-down song starts off with jaunty piano reminiscent of Aretha Franklin backing soulful pop vocals. Then the piano disappears, replaced by some lazy percussion. Then the percussion vanishes and piano comes back. THEN THERE'S PERCUSSION AND PIANO AT THE SAME TIME. Wait, no, that was just one chord. Got my hopes up there.

At this point I was thinking, "perhaps I've simply selected the wrong song as this has no elements of dubstep whatsoever", so I tried another: The Wilhelm Scream, also by James Blake. This was just as devoid of dubstep elements, and quite frankly, very dull indeed. As far as instrumentation goes, jazzing up the sound of a metronome doesn't really work.

Still unconvinced, I went for a different artist associated with the "genre", SBTRKT. Having suffered from a debilating impediment which causes suffers to ignore the existence of vowels, I expected Aaron Jones to plague my soul with winsome, melancholy music full of atmosphere and feelings.

(No, not really.)

Wildfire turned out to be significantly more dubsteppy than either of the James Blake tracks, yet also very lacking of...well, music. Some basic percussion accompanied with the wob-wobbing of electronics made a very dull background for some decent vocals provided by Little Dragon (apparently they're a Swedish electronic band). Not impressed, really.

I'm not one to judge something without adequate evidence, so I figured I'd check out one last track. SBTRKT again, with Pharaohs. Right, this is more like it. It's also what I'd call "electro-pop".

Perhaps there is a reason for connecting the "dubstep" genre to certain musicians, but a silly genre name is not the way to do it.

Conclusion: post-dubstep, if it even exists, is definitely not my thing. If you enjoy it, well...make yourself a nice cup of tea and have a civilized rave to it. On the other hand, post-hardcore makes my ears happy.

Google +1, competition 0

2011-07-03T17:07:00.001+01:00

Earlier this week, Google's new social networking project, Google+, launched in a limited public beta. With the intention of making it easier for users to share content on the web, Google has made a small number of Google+ features available to testers. As expected, the main focus is a stream of content shared by people you have added to your network. Posts are ordered in terms of recent activity, so if someone makes a new comment on a post you made last Tuesday, it'll go to the top of the stream. This is handy, yet it could lead to newer posts without replies simply getting buried and going entirely unnoticed.

Google+ is built around Circles, which are lists of contacts. You can choose to share content with specific people, one or more of your circles, or just make it totally public. A lot of praise has been heaped upon this feature, yet many have overlooked the fact that customisable friend lists have been a part of Facebook for a good few years. Nevertheless, the transparency of privacy controls that the Circles concept perpetuates is likely to garner a lot of support for Google+.

Instead of being able to "Like" posts, you can "+1" them. This feature is available for content on both Google+ and other websites. While Google's interesting grammatical choices may upset some people, the feature in its current form is hardly groundbreaking. As well as this, the search giant has managed to incorporate a glorified search engine into Google+, Sparks, which allows users to look for things they are interested in and returns a chronologically ordered collection of results.

One of the more novel features is the ability to create a Hangout. This is Google's term for video conference calling, which can be limited to specific Circles. Multiple people can participate in a video call, a clear advantage over Skype, which only provides one-to-one video chat for free. Text-based conversations via Google Chat are integrated into the Hangout. Text chat is also available on its own, but is nowhere near as exciting. In addition, Youtube integration allowing users to select a video to be played to everyone in the hangout has been implemented. On the surface, this may seem somewhat frivolous, yet it adds a more natural dimension to conversations and really does make it seem like you're just hanging out with your friends, despite not being in the same geographical location. While testing out a Hangout, we did experience a few technical issues, but even those with slower Internet connections were able to participate without too much disruption. Refinements such as allowing a queue of videos to be made and providing an option for voice to be transmitted continuously while watching videos ought to be put into place, but there is still a strong case for people moving over to Google+ simply for the group video chat.

Hanging out like a pro

At this stage, it is difficult to say whether or not Google has a chance of overtaking its rivals in the social networking market; Google+ currently lacks a number of features and it is not clear if these will be accounted for in later releases. For a beta, this is a compelling service and the potential for integration with other Google services will probably give Google an edge over the competition.

Try it out, if you have a Google account.

Eclecticity

2011-05-10T11:34:00.004+01:00

Lack of updates is due to coursework deadlines, gotta love being a CS student. More fun stuff will appear here in the near future. For now:
- Check out my review of Young Knives' new album on Intuition
- I went to see Saves The Day in London and I have a couple of phone photos that weren't too bad, so I'll fix them up and put them online soon.
- ...and finally, here is a silly last.fm thing I found.

Take your top 50 artists. For each of these artists, collect the top 20 similar artists (where the artist itself is the #1 most similar). The resulting number of unique artists is your super-eclectic score. You can compute your own score at http://anthony.liekens.net/pub/scripts/last.fm/supereclectic.php

My super-eclectic score is currently

708/1000

The most similar artists for my profile are Funeral for a Friend (7), Finch (6), Kasabian (6), Yourcodenameis:milo (5), The Early November (5), The Futureheads (5), Taking Back Sunday (5), The Starting Line (5), Glassjaw (5), Franz Ferdinand (4)

I don't actually listen to about four of those bands, so it's interesting that I have multiple artists that are similar to them!

Ragfest 2011

2011-04-04T16:20:00.011+01:00

On 26th March, Bristol LiveSoc and Bristol RAG co-hosted the second annual Ragfest, a night of live music in aid of charity. I was there with UBU Photosoc Events Team getting the whole thing captured on camera. There were two stages across the main Anson Room and Ar2 in the University of Bristol Students' Union, so I was flitting back and forth trying to make sure I got enough pictures of each act. Rather than rambling on, I'll cut straight to the pictures! Many more here.

LAD NTL

The End Effect

Pieman

Max Parker

Kill Cassidy

Jim Horne, Publicity Stunt

Greg Walton, Publicity Stunt

Calm Down Caesar

The Goodness

The Lasting Days

The Phoenix and the Turtle

Mary Spender

Indigo Lights

Publicity Stunt

2011-03-29T12:59:00.005+01:00

It's been a while since my last photo post, mostly because I haven't uploaded anything to Flickr for some time. So here, have a massive update!

Some friends of mine are in a ska band, Publicity Stunt. They played their first couple of shows at The Hill recently and I was there taking photos.

I took more on both nights. Publicity Stunt will be playing more gigs in the near future, so I'll keep you updated on that.

Coming up in the next week or so, photos from Ragfest!

Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You

2011-03-07T12:15:00.000Z

The second album from electronic quintet Does It Offend You, Yeah? is a bizarre experimental affair that doesn’t quite hit the mark. Lead single ‘We are the Dead’ is promising, yet the abstract tribal vocals don’t add anything to the pulsing synth melody. The acoustic intro feels forced, completely at odds to the rest of the song. The chaotic ‘John Hurt’ includes an entirely out of place sample, which is a real shame as the song is otherwise one of the best tracks on the album.

It becomes increasingly clear throughout the record that DIOYY have simply tried to do too much; instead of subtly pushing boundaries, the band have run riot and caused a fair amount of musical destruction. ‘Yeah!’ is an incredibly out-of-tune sounding Pendulum-esque mess. There are a couple of more alt-rock tracks, ‘Pull Out My Insides’ and ‘Wrong Time Wrong Planet’ which aren’t bad at all, but just fail to fit in with the rest of the album. ‘Wrestler’ is a slap in the face vocally and would have worked much better as an instrumental track.

A guest appearance from Trip on ‘Wondering’ is very different to what one would expect from DIOYY but works well with the blistering electronic bass. The chorus is a bit of a let-down due to the cutesy vocals though. The album closes with ‘Broken Arms’, a curious melange of acoustic and electronic that doesn’t meld well, leaving the listener with a distinctly unsettled impression. ‘Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You’ is a mash-up of too many genres; the variety is simply strained rather than welcoming. This is just too weird to get into even after multiple listens, but it has some interesting moments.

Lady Gaga, Everything Everything, Panic! at the Disco singles

2011-03-07T12:14:00.003Z

A few single reviews for you this week...

Lady Gaga – Born This Way
Lady Gaga is back with a classic pop track that is a more generic outing, lacking the quirky shimmer of previous singles. However, ‘Born This Way’ is sure to be a massive hit and an instant floor-filler, deservedly so.

Everything Everything – Final Form
This low key single is well-composed, with delicate layers of vocals and subtle electronic melody. ‘Final Form’ isn’t the most accessible of songs, yet it shows off Everything Everything at their best.

Panic! At The Disco – The Ballad of Mona Lisa
Following the departure of half the band members, Panic! At The Disco have finally regrouped and return with an excellent new track. The folky Beatles sound of previous album ‘Pretty. Odd.’ has fortunately vanished and the loss of primary lyricist Ryan Ross hasn’t impacted the band’s ability to come up with original, memorable music at all. ‘The Ballad of Mona Lisa’ matches the creepy cabaret atmosphere of first album ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’ with Fall Out Boy style pop rock to make a track that has definitely been worth the wait.

Dinosaur Pile-Up – My Rock ‘n’ Roll

2011-03-04T16:17:00.002Z

Dinosaur Pile-Up – My Rock ‘n’ Roll

This grunge-tinged track is a winner, matching a chaotic breakdown with fun vocal harmonies. This has all the ingredients to do well in the mainstream, yet is still undeniably rock music.

I interviewed the band ahead of their show at Bristol O2 Academy last week and I will be playing the interview on my radio show on Monday at 3pm, so make sure you listen online!

Twin Atlantic – Edit Me

2011-03-04T16:16:00.001Z

Twin Atlantic – Edit Me

The storming new single from Scottish rockers Twin Atlantic is a high-powered affair, more hard-hitting than their previous singles. Definitely a sign that the new album is likely to be just as good.

Call the Doctor – Take It Out

2011-03-04T16:15:00.000Z

Call the Doctor – Take It Out

Featuring understated sultry vocals, this post-punk single could do with a bit more vitality to give it that extra kick. The instrumental parts are more infused with energy, which doesn’t match up with the vocals. Worth listening to, but definitely leaves you wanting a bit more. B-side ‘Gregory, You’re a Star’ has the punk edge that ‘Take It Out’ lacks, and would work well in a live setting.

Studio Time

2011-02-28T01:00:00.004Z

Alex gave a group of us a tutorial on studio lighting last week.

Jamie with an umbrella. Since some of the studio kit is a bit dodgy, we didn't have a stand for this umbrella and used it as a prop instead.

Tom poses with his beloved headphones.

Photosoc's Film Guru Ben loads some film.

Tom lit from the side. I'd quite like to have a play with different lighting setups minus a studio backdrop, more similar to this shot.

Ben checks some negatives after returning from a darkroom session. Unfortunately we only had one working trigger, so with four of us trying to take photos against the backdrop I decided to take some from other angles.

With about ten minutes to go before the end of the room booking, Mikey appeared with some props for band photos. I took a few of him and Jamie for their electronic project, Lad Neutral. This one is for Mikey's solo act, asinglebiteofcherry.

There are many more (including some with a ladder that had been abandoned in the room we were using) here.

You Me at Six ft Chiddy - Rescue Me

2011-02-19T18:10:00.000Z

You Me at Six ft Chiddy - Rescue Me

This single sees the Surrey five-piece lose a little of the punk attitude and energy that made their debut album stand out, but shows they definitely have the talent to compose unique pop songs. The unexpected collaboration with Chiddy shows that You Me at Six aren’t one trick ponies, yet this Airplanes-esque track certainly isn’t groundbreaking.

Roma, January 2011: Part 2

2011-02-18T16:47:00.003Z

I've uploaded all my photos from Rome now!

Here are a few pictures:

Light trails!

A rather grand building which we stumbled across.

A wall in the Roman Forum.

A flock of starlings.

Belle and Sebastian – I Want the World to Stop

2011-02-06T19:33:00.000Z

Belle and Sebastian – I Want the World to Stop

The breezily melancholy new single from indie titans Belle and Sebastian is lifted from the band’s eighth studio album. Catchy as ever, the strong vocal line is supported by gentle backing singing. The band maintain their high standards of musicianship with the inclusion of a variety of instruments, pushing the boundaries of pop in their own understated way.

Release date: 28th February 2011

Roma, January 2011: Part 1

2011-01-30T23:19:00.003Z

Bonsoir, all! I recently visited Rome with UOB Photosoc, where we spent four glorious days in the sunnier climes of Italy, traipsing around the capital with too many cameras about our personage (there is a curious law which states that only a maximum of two cameras can be brought into the country, yet this was flouted by various members of our group to no ill outcome).

With a wonderful 3am start - yes, I do mean that in the most sarcastic manner possible - we left a rather chilly Bristol and arrived in Rome in great need of sleep. Unfortunately we were instead treated to an hour's wait as poor Ceilidh's luggage managed to get trapped in the depths of the conveyor belt system. The remainder of the first day was spent sourcing lunch, coffee and dinner, leaving very little time for photo opportunities.

On the second day, we went on a walk around areas including Piazza di Spagna, led by the only non-Photosoc member on the trip, the brilliant Keith - without him, we would doubtless have been utterly lost and you'd only be looking at photographs of the inside of a hostel.

View from the Spanish Steps.

Building patterns.

More here. I will be updating the set over the next couple of weeks, so do check back.

Architects - The Here and Now

2011-01-26T19:39:00.002Z

Architects - The Here and Now
A version of this review appeared in Epigram's 24th January issue

Brighton metallers Architects kick off 2011 with an incendiary fourth album, ‘The Here And Now’. The band have pushed boundaries even further than on 2009’s ‘Hollow Crown’, with first single ‘Day In Day Out’ leading the charge. Right from the start, it is clear that vocalist Sam Carter has developed his technique admirably, effortlessly switching between brutal growls and clean vocals. Album highlight ‘BTN’ opens with a relentless guitar intro and features a stunning level of talent from drummer Dan Searle. Guest spots from Comeback Kid’s Andrew Neufeld and The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato add an extra kick to two of the heavier tracks.

Carter noted that this was the first time the lyrics were completed before the band went into the studio and this is especially evident from the sincerity of ‘An Open Letter To Myself’. The atmospheric distorted guitar lines of ‘Red Eyes’ are reminiscent of Thrice and the vocals on this song are particularly outstanding.

The heavy metal sensibilities of Architects’ previous albums are still very much a focal point of their music and the abundance of milder moments on this record should only be seen as a step to the band becoming an established name in rock. ‘The Here And Now’ far surpasses anything Architects have done before.

Check them out here.

Albums of 2010

2011-01-15T13:50:00.006Z

Album of the year review is up on Intuition! (Vampire Weekend's Contra)

I did intend to do a proper write up of 2010, but I think I should probably just leave you with my top 10 artists of last year, as told by last.fm:

1 Brand New - Didn't release anything new last year...stunning band though.

2 Funeral for a Friend - The Young and Defenceless EP was out in September. Their new album should be released this side of 2011, go and pledge for it!

3 Lostprophets - Fourth album The Betrayed was released in 2010 and wasn't bad at all. My personal Lostprophets highlight of the year had to be seeing them live - something I had been waiting for since first hearing Shinobi vs Dragon Ninja back in 2002.

4 Reuben - They broke up ages ago, but I purchased the rarities collection, We Should Have Gone To University, since Banquet Records were out of Glassjaw albums.

5 Saves the Day - No new material released in 2010, but the new album is set for a 2011 release. Very much looking forward to this.

6 Alexisonfire - The Dog's Blood EP was a cracking return to the scene for Alexisonfire, pushing the boundaries of their previous material.

7 Britney Spears - Another Britney Greatest Hits compilation was produced, with a brand new track, 3, released as a single. That was a strange one, not quite up to the standard of Circus. The reason for her appearing high on my list is probably nothing to do with 3, and more to do with repeated listening of this playlist.

8 Senses Fail - Their new album was out towards the end of 2010 and I still haven't heard it. Nevertheless, I had their old material on a lot last year.

9 Thrice - Amazing band, nothing new released in 2010 but I had Deadbolt on repeat. That little piano outro just offsets the chaos wonderfully.

10 Gallows - Nobody knows if there will be any new Gallows material in the near future, but we can keep our fingers crossed. I managed to miss out on seeing this lot at The Peel once again, as poor Steph was unwell and the show had to be postponed...and of course I was back in Bristol by that time!

Clearly my 2010 was a little stuck in the past...

Musical Instruments

2010-12-30T00:40:00.003Z

Took some photos of our piano and my sister's flute:

More on Flickr.

Despite Christmas barely being out of sight, I have actually spent a lot of time attempting to get on with some coursework, since I'm 'losing' a few days next week by spending them in Rome taking more photos with Photosoc. I say 'attempting' as I spent the majority of today fiddling about with that piano in the photos above, arranging a couple of songs by Fightstar and Alexisonfire. Perhaps you may hear something new from me on piano soon...

Gallows cover

2010-12-25T18:48:00.002Z

I arranged Abandon Ship by Gallows for piano a while ago, finally made a decent recording of it. Check it out.

Westonbirt Arboretum

2010-12-22T22:42:00.002Z

Back in October, I went on a trip to Westonbirt with UBU Photosoc. Autumn is pretty much the perfect time to visit somewhere that's full of trees! Despite it being a gloomy day, we all managed to capture some great photos. As is typical, the sun decided to appear just before we left, sparking a last minute rush to get some shots of rays of light poking through the maples. As well as wandering around taking photos of leaves, Alex and I ran a couple of SLR basics workshops for members. Here are some photos:

Click here for more!

Livesoc Gig Night

2010-12-09T17:36:00.002Z

Last week, Bristol LiveSoc held a gig in the University of Bristol Students' Union. Here's some photos:

asinglebiteofcherry (this time with a backing band)

Max Parker

Studio Arcade

Scout Killers

More here!

Balloons

2010-11-29T17:11:00.004Z

For Joe's birthday, Josh had the idea of filling up his room with lots of balloons...and so a packet of 100 balloons was obtained. The valiant efforts of Jamie, Josh and Tom (I had to stop helping because I ran out of breath) were rewarded with a room full of floating orbs, which were transported down the corridor into Joe's room.

Joe surrounded by balloons.

Later, the balloons started randomly bursting in the middle of the night so they were moved into the corridor.

A veritable sea of balloons!

More here.

Bristol Student Protest

2010-11-26T21:15:00.003Z

On Wednesday students from the University of Bristol, the University of the West of England and various 6th forms came together to protest against the rise in tuition fees.

I was at the protest for a couple of hours, so here's some shots. As per usual, more on Flickr.

Protestors making their way up Park Street.

Joe and Josh watching the protest.

A protestor being arrested on Park Street.

Alexisonfire – Dog’s Blood

2010-11-20T22:13:00.000Z

Alexisonfire – Dog’s Blood
Following the more atmospheric Old Crows/Young Cardinals album, the Dog’s Blood EP sees Alexisonfire head to heavier, more experimental territory. The title track kicks off with a fast punk guitar intro, complementing George Pettit and Wade MacNeil’s brutal vocals. Dallas Green’s melodious singing cuts through the frenzy, providing the perfect contrast to the turmoil and adding more emotion to the outro. ‘Grey’ features a laid back guitar solo that builds to an epic conclusion, with a clear post-rock influence in the guitar line throughout.

The explosions of noise continue in ‘Black As Jet’, which has intense instrumental sections that are just as frantic as those with screamed vocals. EP closer ‘Vex’ is a six minute journey into sonic fury and is entirely instrumental. Although it is great to hear the band trying something different, this record would be much better if Green had a more prominent role in the vocals. His style would fit the intense instrumentation perfectly. Dog’s Blood is a record borne of immense skill and Alexisonfire have seriously upped their game since the last album. Far from alienating fans, as Pettit feared, this EP will surely gain the band a slew of new ones as well as providing old fans with a glimpse into a more evolved sound.

Listen to them here.

The Bees - Winter Rose

2010-11-20T20:43:00.000Z

The Bees - Winter Rose

From The Bees’ recently released fourth album, ‘Every Step’s A Yes’, ‘Winter Rose’ is a relaxing indie track with a reggae feel. The bluesy guitar riff goes well with the syncopated rhythms. The range of influences shows off the strong songwriting skills of a band that have developed their sound over the years.

Listen to them here.

School of Seven Bells – I L U

2010-11-20T20:32:00.002Z

School of Seven Bells – I L U
This dreamy track from two-piece School of Seven Bells is a fairly standard female-fronted alt pop affair. ‘I L U’ lingers halfway between ethereal and edgy, failing to immediately grab the listener’s attention, yet the song is definitely a grower. Alejandra Deheza’s delicate vocals and Benjamin Curtis’ electro-influenced instrumentation work well together.

Check them out here.

Melissa Auf der Maur - Meet Me On The Dark Side

2010-11-20T19:56:00.000Z

Melissa Auf der Maur - Meet Me On The Dark Side

Layered vocals lend an eerie air to the latest single from Melissa Auf der Maur’s second solo album. This ethereal rock track is well worth a listen and typical of Auf der Maur’s mature take on the genre. If you enjoy this, the rest of the album is definitely one to check out.

Listen here.

The Phoenix Foundation - Pot

2010-11-20T19:54:00.001Z

The Phoenix Foundation - Pot

New Zealand band The Phoenix Foundation return with a new song from their forthcoming album, ‘Buffalo’. ‘Pot’ is a seemingly ordinary slice of folk pop along the lines of Mumford & Sons, with added handclaps. Halfway through, some interesting electronic bleeps kick in, elevating the song from an indie standard to something more innovative.

Check them out here.

The Concretes - WYWH

2010-11-14T20:40:00.001Z

The Concretes - WYWH

The new album from The Concretes is a dreamy alt-pop affair, which slides into electronic territory at times. Although the press release describes this record as having “added disco shizzle”, that isn’t quite the case, as is evident from the first track. ‘Good Evening’ is a sumptuously spacey song, with delicate vocals. Disco really doesn’t show up at all, though there is a nice electro beat that makes an all-too fleeting appearance. The vocals may not be to everyone’s taste, remaining fairly monotonous throughout the album.

It is difficult to see how an eight-piece can produce quite pedestrian music. There are interesting ideas explored on WYWH, but the band members simply don’t push the boundaries enough. Tracks like ‘All Day’ are relaxingly pleasant pop songs but need an extra edginess to make them worth listening to. ‘What We’ve Become’ does this successfully, the funk-esque guitar chords contrasting perfectly with the bass line. Overall, WYWH is a fairly average record.

Check them out here.

My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na

2010-11-14T20:38:00.001Z

My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na

The first single from My Chemical Romance’s fourth album is a complete change in direction, taking the relentlessly upbeat mood of songs such as ‘Dead’ and ‘Give ‘Em Hell Kid’ to the next level altogether. The catchy refrain repeated throughout the song makes this a perfect live anthem. Despite being a clear departure from the more pensive ‘The Black Parade’, this song already shows that My Chemical Romance are back on form and set to make an explosive return to the music scene.

Check them out here.

UBU Photosoc Scavenger Hunt

2010-10-23T20:36:00.002+01:00

As a member of the UBU Photosoc committee, I had to take a group of members around Bristol to take pictures for 15 different categories, including "What is this?" and "Caught in the act". Here's a few shots I got of my team in action:

I photographed a Mooting Launch for Bristol Law Club earlier this week so I'll put some photos from that up soon. I am currently working on a roll of black and white which I hope to process myself, but that may take a while to appear. I've got a roll of Reala to develop. Goodness only knows what I took pictures of with that, since I started it back in the summer!

Orbital Comedy Night

2010-10-20T14:45:00.003+01:00

Back at uni now, in terms of photography I have been rather busy with the UBU Photosoc Events Team, which I jointly manage along with Alex. Here's a couple of shots from a comedy night that Bristol Orbital hosted:

Event Compere Mark Olver

Rob Broderick of hip-hop stand up duo Abandoman

I have also been trying to improve my people photography, which is aided by some willing (and some not so willing...) subjects:

Joe

Jamie - I was trying out a Yashica flash (which came with my film camera) on my Canon. You can't adjust the intensity. This results in manically overexposed photos!

UBU Photosoc hosted a scavenger hunt last night, despite it being incredibly cold we had a good time and managed to get some interesting photos. Some of the themes we had to fit were "FLASH!", "The Most Permanent Thing In Bristol" (our submission was a photo of the old classic, Jason Donnervan) and "What Is This?" which resulted in some rather bizarre interpretations.

Paris

2010-09-13T00:12:00.002+01:00

I've finally got round to sorting through my photographs from a family trip to Paris last month! I've still got a lot to go through, but I have started uploading them to Flickr. I didn't bother taking the 40D along, so they're all from Little Canon (Powershot A700) and unedited (mainly because that would take time, and they look fine as they are I reckon).

The sun was just about to set as we got to the Eiffel Tower. By the time we'd ascended to the top, the sun was setting and the views were amazing.

Some lights in a building at Disneyland Paris.

More here.

Funeral for a Friend - The Young and Defenceless EP

2010-09-10T15:49:00.002+01:00

Review is up on Hype City.

Welsh rockers Funeral for a Friend return with an incendiary new EP, ‘The Young and Defenceless’, funded by fan contributions via PledgeMusic, a website which describes itself as “a collaboration between modern online marketing and old school music biz know how”. Fans were given the opportunity to ‘pledge’ for various Funeral for a Friend related delights, from a download of the new EP to the opportunity of recording gang vocals on an EP track. The limited edition EP is not going to be available in shops, so those who have not pledged have missed out. This is an incredible shame as these four songs build on the more mature sound of previous album ‘Memory and Humanity’, reintroducing the brutal edge that was present on debut ‘Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation’.

The ethereal electro-infused introduction of ‘Serpents in Solitude’ quickly builds to an explosion of classic Funeral for a Friend riffage, the guitar line interweaving neatly with the vocals. Right from the first track it is evident that Matt Davies is at his best; an incredibly talented vocalist who has the capability to switch between styles while conveying just the right amount of emotion. ‘Vultures’ features a moody bassline and brutal drums, marking a contrast with the soaring chorus of this ode to the futility of life.

Stepping up the pace, ‘Damned If You Do, Dead If You Don’t’ hits the listener with more insane guitar-playing, reminiscent of B-side ‘Lazarus’, from the ‘Hours’ era, coupled with relentless drumming. Final track ‘Sixteen’ rounds off the EP nicely, with beautiful vocals that are supported by a melodious guitar line.

‘The Young and Defenceless’ is classic Funeral for a Friend; maintaining the band’s established sound and managing to be as fresh as breakthrough single ‘Juneau’ was back in 2003. It is a testament to the band members’ songwriting skills that they can come up with new music that is more or less guaranteed to appeal to existing fans. A new album is currently being recorded and if this EP is anything to go by, it will be another storming record worthy of a place in any rock fan’s collection.

Bournemouth Air Festival and !!!

2010-09-03T00:31:00.003+01:00

Mikey's started a new online 'zine and my first review for it, of !!!'s Strange Weather, Isn't It?, is up here. Enjoy.

In photography news, I went to the Bournemouth Air Festival last month, with Alex, who had a lens that was way more appropriate for taking pictures of planes with than my 50mm! It was a fairly miserable day and we got rained on constantly. Some of the planes weren't able to fly due to the weather, which was a shame, but we did see some fantastic stuff. Here's a picture of a Breitling Wingwalker:

I had to borrow Alex's ridiculens to get decent photos. If you ever plan to take photos of planes, make sure you have a lens that goes to 100mm at the very least!

I still haven't got round to looking through my photos from Paris yet, which is rather lazy of me. I shall eventually!

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta and Grammatics

2010-08-20T21:41:00.002+01:00

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
Last week I was in Bristol for the Balloon Fiesta. We walked up to Ashton Court Estate on Thursday to see the Night Glow, which was pretty fantastic. I have to say that I think my photos taken during the walk up were more inspiring, though. We found a skip with an assortment of oddments in and Josh got out a pair of scales. Alex and I spotted a photo opportunity!

Here's a balloon picture:

More here.

Unfortunately the balloon flights were cancelled on a few occassions, but we didn't actually intend to head up to Ashton Court again since it was an hour long walk as Clifton Suspension Bridge is closed during at certain times during the festival.

Grammatics + The Heartbreaks + Kill Cassidy
On Saturday we headed to Start the Bus as Lis wanted to see Grammatics, since it was their farewell tour. I hadn't really listened to Grammatics before so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Kill Cassidy were really excellent; the whole band had a cohesive energy that was infectious. The violent nature of their music worked well in the small venue. Definitely a band to check out live.

As I was expecting more heavy punk-pop, The Heartbreaks were fairly disappointing. Generic, hipster indie rockers, The Heartbreaks' performance was mediocre at best. The drummer was incredibly over the top; it was as if he'd sucked all the energy out of the other band members, as they limply plodded through some uninspiring tracks. At one point the guitarist remarked it was a "tough crowd", which didn't help the atmosphere.

Finally, Grammatics took to the stage with a large dose of disillusionment. The bassist often made pessimistic comments, a detriment to those trying to enjoy the music. Some of the songs were phenomenal, while others weren't nearly as enjoyable. The cello seemed superfluous on a few tracks, but really added a lot to the performance on some of the songs. Vocalist Owen Brinley's somewhat theatrical demeanour added extra zeal to his delivery, which was hampered by the fact the band were crammed onto a tiny stage while the support acts had performed on the dance floor. Grammatics were really quite phenomenal at times, and a more discerning view when choosing the set list would have helped.

Overall ratings:
Kill Cassidy - 7/10
The Heartbreaks - 4/10
Grammatics - 7/10

London & New Lens Photos

2010-08-17T19:18:00.003+01:00

Hallo again, I've just got round to processing the photos from the London photowalk I did last month with Sarah, her sister Anna and Lara.

Here's a generic taster:

We did an awful lot more walking than picture taking, but you can see more pictures I've taken in London here.

This next one is some roses in my garden, taken with my 50mm f/1.8. It's a nice lens, especially in low light, and does bokeh magic. Erm.

I was back in Bristol for a (long) weekend and we headed up to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta so I'm going to hurry up and process those soon!

A New Mission Review: 3 Colours Red - Revolt

2010-08-10T20:07:00.000+01:00

3 Colours Red - Revolt
Revolt was the second album from UK rock trio 3 Colours Red. It was released over ten years ago and takes the frame of a standard rock record and raises it a level; a number of tracks are tempered with beautiful strings. "This Is My Time" is a modern classic, commencing with a quiet verse, swelling in volume to the epic chorus. It is a shame that the band broke up at their peak, but they created this excellent record and it is worth a listen.

Final verdict: 7/10, not something essential to a record collection, but well worth checking out.

Listen to them here.

More about A New Mission.

Something Exciting - Film!

2010-08-10T18:20:00.003+01:00

I had a roll of Fujicolor C200 developed, yay! Unfortunately the double exposures Sarah and I attempted did not work; for some unknown reason none of my pictures appeared. You can see what Sarah took here.

Here are a couple of shots:

This one was taken at the YMCA Hawker Centre in Kingston; there was some sort of event to promote sporting activities for kids and Glo performed.

More from the roll here.

Later this week I'm heading up to Bristol Balloon Fiesta so I'll hopefully get some interesting pictures!

Sky Larkin - Kaleide

2010-07-26T23:51:00.004+01:00

Sky Larkin – Kaleide

The second album from Leeds three-piece Sky Larkin is a neat progression from last year’s The Golden Spike, with a vibrantly eerie atmosphere. Album opener ‘Still Windmills’ sets the scene, with Katie Harkin’s strong melodic vocals complementing the rough meandering guitar lines well. Title track ‘Kaleide’ is a pretty pop song with distorted guitars and clashing cymbals adding enough punch to grab the listener’s attention, while ‘Tiny Heist’ builds to a fierce conclusion tempered with creaking chords. The sparkling guitar parts of ‘Landlocked’ herald the transition into a more sinister set of songs. ‘Anjelica Huston’ is appropriately spine-chilling, with soaring vocals that are elevated by the use of piano. This is followed by the similarly atmospheric ‘Spooktacular’, an incredibly catchy track that is a definite highlight of the album.

Synths come to the fore in ‘Year Dot’, a more dance-punk flavoured song which has wonderful moments of gang vocals and percussion in the form of clapping that add a more frenzied air to the music. This contrasts with ‘Coffee Drinker’, a more laid back track that incorporates interesting jagged guitar fills. ‘ATM’, ‘Shade by Shade’ and ‘Guitar and Antarctica’ are also low-key, sharp-edged pop songs that greatly benefit from Harkin’s variation in vocals. Final track ‘Smarts’ is a pleasantly moody exercise in pop music, which sums up this record perfectly.

Check them out here.

New Lens!

2010-07-19T16:39:00.004+01:00

My new lens (Canon 50mm f/1.8) arrived today! I tried it out, seems to be working fine. I went on a photowalk with Lara, Sarah and Sarah's sister Anna in London last week. A lot of walking was done, but very little photo taking was completed.

As I no longer have access to the Lightroom beta, I'm currently using Photoshop Elements to play around with RAW files and it takes a lot longer, so here are some pictures I took not so long ago:

Enjoy.

Shameless Self Promotion...

2010-07-08T20:16:00.004+01:00

I decided to upload the song I recorded to my old Myspace musician page but was disgusted to find they brought in a feature that automatically approved all friend requests, meaning I had 200 new besties in the form of spam accounts. Wonderful. After resetting this, deleting the spam friends and uploading my new song, I set about trying to modify the profile layout. I couldn't figure it out. There was a jumble of CSS in the Artist Bio section so I changed the background colour and then the songs vanished. So, I decided to make a page on Facebook instead:

Click to hear my lovely music.

Originally, the "band" was called AndSoDexterFell because this amusingly - or so I thought - abbreviated to ASDF. When I realised this was nuts, I changed it to Angus and his Rats, which was also fairly silly. The new moniker is January Nights, taken from Takeoffs and Landings by The Ataris.

More A New Mission reviews coming up soonish. I've also got to figure out what has recently been released to review for Intuition, hm.

A New Mission Review: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Source Tags & Codes

2010-07-02T23:49:00.006+01:00

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Source Tags and Codes
Source Tags and Codes is the Texan band's major label debut. Despite opening with a delicate piano introduction, this songs are generally a combination of vicious music and jagged vocals. The addition of sparkling piano lines to the fierce rock is a wonderful touch, further charging the songs with emotion. Although the music isn't always entirely obscure, the band have an edge that sets them apart from typical radio rock fare.

Final verdict: 7/10, personally wouldn't listen to this much but it's a solid record.

Check them out here.

More about A New Mission.

A New Mission Review: And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar

2010-07-02T23:11:00.004+01:00

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar
From start to finish, this record is packed with intricate guitarwork of an exceedingly high quality, contrasted with heavier chordal attacks. The general absence of vocals is not a detriment to the music at all; And So I Watch You From Afar have merely stepped up the game in terms of musicianship in order to draw the listener in. This is epic, (mostly) instrumental rock that is incredibly enthralling.

Final verdict: 9/10, must buy.

Check them out here.

More about A New Mission.

A New Mission Part 1: !!! to And So I Watch You From Afar

2010-07-02T22:17:00.003+01:00

I have a ridiculous number of artists in my music collection, 1191 according to iTunes. This is basically because I end up with a lot of solitary tracks from compilations, so I don't actually own full albums by all of these artists and in many cases have never listened to one of their records in its entirety.

This is going to change. I'm going through my music library and seeking out albums to listen to. To begin with I'll be using Spotify, and once I get through everything I can I may turn to purchasing music.

First up, !!! - yes, that is their name and it is pronounced "chk chk chk". I've only got one song by them, and they're not on Spotify.

Next, :( - again I've got one song and they're not on Spotify.

This is going to be a bit of an issue as a lot of these artists aren't exactly mainstream!

And So I Watch You From Afar - bingo! Self titled album is available, finger is poised over the play button. I'll let you know how it goes. I own the first two tracks from this album, "Set Guitars To Kill" and "A Little Bit Of Solidarity Goes A Long Way".

More mini reviews!

2010-07-01T16:54:00.003+01:00

More stuff I thought looked interesting in Rock Sound...
Apologies, I Have None: These Londoners play punchy alt-rock that is catchy and instantly likeable. While these songs aren't groundbreaking, Apologies, I Have None are definitely capable of penning something as epic as the Get Up Kids' Holiday.
Basement: This is hardcore punk with a tender edge; while the vocals are typically rough, the music conveys more emotion than the average hardcore band.
fun.: Featuing Nate Reuss of The Format, fun. express themselves with avant-garde pop music that incorporates a variety of instruments.
Boy Jumps Ship: An energetic burst of pop punk; really refreshing.
William English: It sort of feels like the vocalist is in a different band...the scratchy growls jar a little with the polished riffs. Altogether William English play very, very heavy music that isn't particularly innovative.
Verses: Epic, hard-hitting rock.
Blacklist Royals: Classic no-nonsense punk, skilfully executed.

There's a few more but I'll check them out later. My sister is practising piano; she has her Grade 3 exam in a couple of weeks.

I'm still uploading to Flickr, here's a couple more tasters:

View many more here.

I've also been trying out various ways of coding an online portfolio; I think I've finally hit on what I've been looking for. I'll stick a link up when it's complete; you really don't want to see the atrociousness of my first two attempts.

New (rather whiny) Dashboard Confessional cover...

2010-06-27T19:52:00.002+01:00

I learned this song at the start of uni, it's pretty fun to sing but I'm suffering from an unknown illness (which is refusing to be cured by antibiotics) so the vocals are kinda whiny. Oh well. Have a listen here.

Some (very brief) mini reviews...

2010-06-26T15:29:00.006+01:00

I've been catching up on reading Rock Sound, scoured the new music section for some likely looking artists; here's the verdict:

On Off Switch: female-fronted synth-rock. This is edgy pop, reminiscent of Cobra Starship.

Goodtime Boys: high-energy visceral hardcore punk, with some insane guitarwork and equally epic drumming. This is absolutely wonderful stuff, if you're a fan of Gallows, The Ghost of a Thousand or anything like that then this is definitely one to check out.

Wounds: Interesting, heavy sounds, but the vocals on one track are a bit too droney and don't really tie in well with the music. The vocals on the other track are more expressive and work really well.

(I need to stop using hyphenated words quite so much...)

In terms of photos, I've finished processing all the night walk photos and gradually adding these to Flickr. Here's a couple:

More here.

A Selection of Recent Work

2010-06-23T23:15:00.004+01:00

Quick update: Not been doing much on the music review front, due to exams (which I got the results for last week, ended my first year of uni with a 1st, somehow!)

Music
I've been on a bit of a Britney/Alexisonfire splurge. Curious mix, but Britney's self-titled album is packed with excellent pop tunes. Alexisonfire are an incredibly skilled band, it's quite enlightening to see how their sound has developed over the years. I've just ordered a copy of vocalist Dallas Green's album, under the name City and Colour. It should be good. I've had the City and Colour track "Confessions" on repeat a lot too, beautiful stuff.

Photos
I have been processing piles of photos in the past week; I've still got a couple of hundred to finish off, but here are a few shots from the last three months or so...

Night Walk with Alex

This is back from the start of summer term; I wanted a light painted shot of the word "PLAY" for Helicon, the uni arts magazine (the theme for the issue was 'play') so Alex and I went on a wander around Bristol. I was pleased with this shot in particular since it's got all three of the lights on, achieved with a long exposure.

Photosoc Tea Social

I was just sitting and musing with a cup of tea when I caught a glimpse of Matt through Alex's glasses. Not very well executed; perhaps I'll follow it up with something properly staged at some point.

Visit to Bath

Visited Bath for half a day. It rained on us. Luckily we were able to seek refuge in a coffee shop, but we had a look around the Abbey and it was phenomenal.

Durdhambury

A lot of my coursemates were at Durdham Hall and they had a festival a couple of weeks ago. This is a shot of Jon from Null Pointer Exception. If I'm honest I think it's just his awesome hairstyle that makes the shot.

Photo Walk featuring Tom Sturdy

Alex and I organised another night walk, which was unfortunately poorly attended. We took Tom (a non-photographer) along with us and played around with lighting arrangements. This particular shot was Alex's idea. Tom held a flash, providing the light on his face. To be fair, a torch would have been more ideal; this way we had to take a whole bunch of shots and hope one of them captured the moment the flash went off. Unfortunately Alex's shot vanished from his CF card and was unrecoverable, but I've still got mine, and here it is.

As always, many, many more photos up here

Ash at O2 Academy Bristol 30.04.10

2010-05-14T19:59:00.005+01:00

I was intending to write a review of this gig, but unfortunately I have been fairly ill and had to get coursework extensions so I never got round to it. I was actually meant to be interviewing the band for Burst, but I had a huge pile of work to finish and was barely able to stand for a week, so I unfortunately was unable to do so. ):

Ash played a phenomenal amount of songs and the new tracks sound excellent live.
Here are some photos:

More: click.

I'm currently on a Reuben kick...just got through 'Very Fast Very Dangerous' and I've put 'In Nothing We Trust' (which for some reason isn't on Spotify) on now. I learnt 'Moving to Blackwater' on guitar, pretty fun to play. No idea how Jamie Lenman manages it singing at the same time though. Skills.

Four Year Strong - Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)

2010-04-22T22:31:00.001+01:00

Four Year Strong – Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)

While it isn’t as heavy as some of the other songs on the latest Four Year Strong album, ‘Wasting Time’ is a momentum-filled pop punk anthem that has a strong melodic line. This incredibly catchy track is an excellent song for the summer.

Cancer Bats - Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones

2010-04-22T20:22:00.002+01:00

Review is up on Intuition:
http://www.intuition-online.co.uk/article.php?id=1238

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis

2010-04-01T14:19:00.002+01:00

Review is up on Intuition: Clicky click.

Foals - Spanish Sahara

2010-03-29T18:10:00.001+01:00

Foals – Spanish Sahara

‘Spanish Saraha’ is a crescendoing whirl of abstract music, with a fresh atmosphere. Foals have paired beautiful electronic sounds with a gentle vocal line, which melts into a rougher guitar riff. While this may not be single material, it is a superb piece of music that has many layers of instrumentation.

I have also edited my photos from Lostprophets:

(Single decent shot of Sharks...sadly Kids In Glass Houses had mental lighting that my camera could not cope with, no pictures of them.)

More here!

LA Shark - A Weapon

2010-03-13T15:01:00.000Z

LA Shark – A Weapon

‘A Weapon’ is a decent indie-pop single. Whilst the vocal technique isn’t brilliant, the group vocals meld with the 80s beats and throwback bass riff. The structure of the song is a bit random, with sudden loud sections, but this works quite well.

The B-side isn’t as enjoyable, featuring a strange accompaniment that sounds rather like and electronic harpsichord, which jars with the standard rock drumming. The vocals are a bit tuneless in places, which detracts from the fairly catchy refrain.

We Are Scientists, Ash and more...

2010-03-08T12:45:00.005Z

Some new reviews...I do write these every week, so I'm going to make more effort to get links/text up on here.

Ash - War With Me
The keyboard introduction to this song is rather difficult to listen to,
sounding somewhat like an eight year old's attempt to play the
piano. The vocals seem a bit too languid and don't fit well with the
deep tones of the piano. The chorus is slightly more listenable that the
verse, with a laid back guitar riff that melds well with the vocals. It
seems that Ash would probably have been better off creating an album in
the conventional style, rather than rushing to record a collection of
sub-standard singles.

We Are Scientists - Rules Don't Stop
This is a funky, catchy track that shows the New York band haven't
dropped their game. It maintains the more relaxed atmosphere present on
second album Brain Thrust Mastery, but is as catchy as debut single Nobody
Move Nobody Get Hurt. Even after five years, We Are Scientists are
continuing to produce quality material.

And now some links to reviews I've written online in the past few weeks:
Straight Lines - Persistence In This Game
Owl City - Ocean Eyes

I went to see Errors on Saturday, they were absolutely phenomenal. The venue was a bit strange; the "stage" was absolutely tiny. It's one thing listening to their records at home, but they really excelled themselves live and it was great fun to watch.

I also (finally) saw Lostprophets last weekend, that was epic and wonderful, which is all I have to say about it. (:

Band Of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey

2010-02-07T19:47:00.001Z

Band Of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey

Baby Darling Doll Face Honey is a laid back, retro-esque album which is a strong debut. Guitars are used well melodically, especially on the first track, ‘Light Of The Morning’, where the guitar line runs in parallel with the vocals. The jagged, bluesy timbre of the instrumentation adds character to the songs, turning them from folk music tunes into more expressive pop masterpieces. Highlights include ‘Patterns’ and ‘Blood’, which are both full of attitude. The combination of male and female vocals is something that makes this album stand out, especially on ‘I Know What I Am’, which is incredible catchy. While a few of the tracks are just pleasant background music, overall, this is a record that really captures the spirit of alternative rock music in an accessible way.

Hadouken! - For The Masses

2010-02-01T21:53:00.003Z

I know it has been a while, but I have actually been writing all this time! Here is a review of the new Hadouken! album:

Hadouken – For The Masses
The latest offering from crossover band Hadouken! is quite simply not up to the same standard as debut Music For An Accelerated Culture. Album opener ‘Rebirth’ displays the band’s attempt to step up their game, including a choir and Prodigy-esque electronic tones. Unfortunately, this falls flat and sounds fairly hyperbolic. Having set the tone for the rest of the album, the songs that follow are incredibly repetitive and the lyrics lack any of the social cynicism that made Hadouken!’s debut stand out. The pedestrian nature of lyricist James Smith’s words meets the turgid instrumentation in an entirely underwhelming amalgamation.

While some of the tracks could pass for club music, when compared to older material such as first single ‘That Boy That Girl, they pale in comparison. The intelligence and social commentary that was a major part of the band’s older songs is clearly missing, with tracks like ‘Evil’ and ‘Mic Check’ merely sounding like attempts to emulate Dizzee Rascal. The youthful energy of the band is still there, with a darker, more atmospheric edge to many of the songs. Despite the lack of direction in the lyrics, the band members display technical competence and their effort should be admired. They may have improved as musicians, but is remains a shame that there is nothing with the same wit and tenacity of songs like ‘Liquid Lives’ to make For The Masses a record worth buying.

I also did a spot of gig photography last week:

Lots more here:
Clicky!

Bozeman leading a new trend?

2009-07-29T12:49:00.000+01:00

http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/07/cheerleader-sues-school-coach-after-illicit-facebook-log-in.ars

You may recall my post about the government of Bozeman, Montana demanding job applicants hand over their usernames and passwords for all websites they use (including Facebook).

This appears to be a similar case, in which a school has asked students to hand over their Facebook credentials. Apparently a number of students went on their phones and deleted their accounts, but one particular student did provide the school with her login information and they discovered she had been discussing the cheerleading squad's policies.

"The student was allegedly forced to sit out of various school activities and had difficulties arranging her academic schedule to avoid taking classes from any of the individuals who were both coaches and teachers. Her parents claim that attempts to discuss the problem with school administrators brought them no relief."

Once again, providing your login credentials is against Facebook's Terms of Service: "You will not share your password, let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account."

There are people who think this sudden need to demand people's credentials is due to a lack of understanding of websites such as Facebook. For example, Bozeman's attorney did not appear to have considered creating an account for Bozeman in order to view people's profiles when this was suggested in an interview.

I personally hope that if the facts are as Ars reported (i.e. the school demanded students' credentials and actually logged in to their accounts to snoop on them) the district is forced to pay out. This erosion of privacy facilitated by websites such as Facebook cannot continue. It may be that this school and Bozeman are exceptions, but if more situations like this arise then the websites will have to do something about it. All the terms of service say is "If you violate the letter or spirit of this Statement, or otherwise create possible legal exposure for us, we can stop providing all or part of Facebook to you. We will generally try to notify you, but have no obligation to do so." This would not help in cases similar to Bozeman, or the Mississippi school.

iTunes Festival London 2009: Fightstar + Young Guns

2009-07-08T18:59:00.007+01:00

iTunes Festival London
Fightstar + Young Guns at the Camden Roundhouse
2nd July 2009

Stepping in at the last minute for In Case Of Fire, whose singer was under doctor’s orders not to perform, Young Guns were ridiculously energetic and frontman Gustav Wood exuded confidence, dashing from one side of the stage to the other, energizing the crowd. Despite not being familiar with their music, it was highly enjoyable and everyone seemed to be having fun. Young Guns’ vibrant live set definitely hails them worthy of their Kerrang! award nomination.

Fightstar played a set filled with fan favourites and singles. Although the band members were definitely on form, the spectators seemed fairly lukewarm and restive, until about halfway through the set when thrashing out the immense Palahniuk’s Laughter and Grand Unification (Part I) seemed to rejuvenate most people. The highly addictive Mercury Summer was well received and it was excellent to see Lost Like Tears In Rain rounding out the set. Vocalist Charlie Simpson and guitarist Alex Westaway returned armed with acoustic guitars for the encore, Amethyst, which was simply beautiful. Following this, the rest of the band returned to perform Deathcar, arguably one of the band’s best tracks and the perfect end to the night.

More pictures here.

I also saw Jack Penate with Golden Silvers but I haven't written a proper review of that. It was pretty fun though!

Privacy invasion, much?

2009-06-26T12:22:00.001+01:00

I refer you to the following article:
http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/06/city-to-job-applicants-facebook-myspace-log-ins-please.ars?utm_source=Ars+Technica+Newsletter&utm_campaign=02b200dd05-June_26_2009_Newsletter&utm_medium=email

Basically the government of Bozeman, Montana is demanding people provide their usernames and passwords for websites such as Myspace and Facebook in their job applications.

I am amused at the amount of swear words littering the comments on that article. Ars Technica people are usually so much more civilised, just goes to show how pathetic Bozeman's government is!

Someone else has pointed out that this violates Facebook's Terms of Service:

4. Registration and Account Security

Facebook users provide their real names and information, and we need your help to keep it that way. Here are some commitments you make to us relating to registering and maintaining the security of your account:
...
6. You will not share your password, let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account.

It is likely that other sites have similar clauses.

I am wondering if someone has just misinterpreted something here...surely they can't be asking for people's passwords? Why not ask for your house keys and have a look in there! Fair enough if they want to search for prospective employees on the Internet, since anything they do find and access is in the public domain, but this is just a step too far.

People are wondering if it's a trick question - if you do provide your passwords then you're an idiot so you don't get hired. Seems a bit strange to me.

Yet another person is saying that providing your Social Security number (which I assume is the equivalent of Britain's National Insurance number) to a prospective employee is surely even more dangerous than giving out a Twitter password, but I think they've missed the point. The number is to help prove you're eligible to work in the country. Nicking passwords off people is just not in the same league.

The interviewer [from a local news station] was wise enough to point out that there were far less invasive ways of obtaining access to some of this information, such as having Bozeman open its own Facebook account, at which point Sullivan [Bozeman's attorney] apparently said that might be worth looking into.

No, REALLY? Bunch of prats if you ask me.

Utterly stupid.

2009-06-22T17:42:00.001+01:00

Kate Moss has destroyed the only copies of a new batch of songs by boyfriend Jamie Hince's band The Kills.

An argument between the duo resulted in the model throwing her man's bag into a nearby swimming pool, not realising that it contained a laptop holding the only copies of six new Kills tracks. A devastated Hince apparently dived into the pool to try and salvage the equipment, through his efforts proved fruitless (Daily Mirror).

Either this is some ridiculous publicity stunt, or like a similar tale from Calvin Harris (who blamed Heathrow's Terminal 5 for losing the "only copy" of his new album), an excuse to get more time to write the album OR....Hince is a complete and utter idiot. If something is that important you BACK IT UP. For goodness' sake.

In other news...A-Level History students do not know what the words "despotic" means when used in conjuction with "Hitler". Seriously. WHY are you even bothering taking the exam? Surely they must have come across the word when learning about Hitler? Once mistook it for "weak" and wrote their entire essay based on what they believed the word to mean. Apparently they are going to protest about this. If anything, anyone who took M3 with Edexcel this session should be protesting due to the unfair inclusion of the trapezium rule, a C2 concept which people would have normally have studied a year before taking M3 or even two years, as we did. Especially given that the examiners failed to test candidates' knowledge of Newton's law of gravitation - why not ask a question about that instead of something already covered in AS Level Maths? Going back to the History paper, perhaps this is just a sign of the narrow range of students' vocabulary. Forget trying to introduce compulsory foreign languages at GCSE Level, we need to be educated more about the richness of the English language.

Exams...

2009-06-11T20:13:00.004+01:00

...also known as a time for me to pretend to revise and sit at the PC all day!

Everyone's been talking about Spotify (and if you're thinking "No, I jolly well haven't!" then you a) are just as barmy as me for using the phrase "jolly well" and b) haven't been paying attention to recent announcements about the growth of Spotify's catalogue) and so I figured I may as well try it out.

For the uninitiated, a less busy blogger than I would outline what Spotify is in three chunky paragraphs, but I don't have the time so I'll keep it short: Spotify is a free, legal music streaming service, made available to the public through the use of short adverts every 20 minutes or so.

Now I'm fairly impressed by the range of music on there, and it's a great way to sample an album before buying it. While I may have used last.fm for this purpose in the past, there's no denying that Spotify's catalogue is just a hell of a lot more extensive.

So, on to the music:

Jimmy Eat World - Futures: Listening to "Pain" was a right nostalgia trip back to 2004! I haven't heard this song for five years. The rest of the album is fairly good too.

The Bronx - The Bronx: People who are acquainted with The Bronx will be wondering "WHICH ALBUM?!" - I checked out the third one. The thing I find with The Bronx's music is that it's good, but it all blends together. Maybe I need to listen more carefully but I find it hard to distinguish between tracks.

Refused - This Just Might Be The Truth: A stonking great hardcore album. Excellent.

Esser - Braveface: If you like the singles then this record is a must. I know people go around saying this all the time, but I genuinely believe this is one of the better pop records released this year.

Lady Gaga - The Fame: Sadly the same can't be said for this album. Four or five songs in, my brain gave up and I stopped listening. That said, "Poker Face" is one heck of a great pop song.

---------------------------------------

As for the aforementioned exams...
M3: The worst exam I have ever done. Ever.
LTA4: Hamlet question wasn't very nice, John Clare one was excellent.
LTA6: A really nasty desensitised extract from a former nurse, but otherwise not too bad. (Which translates as: could have been a lot, lot worse.)
CPT4 and CPT5: Er. These papers were really short. Gotta be honest - I seriously lacked motivation since I don't need high marks in these two papers. That said, the fact I don't even have to pass English to get into uni was even more demotivating!!

---------------------------------------

....finally, go and vote:
http://awards.kerrang.com

My suggestions: Gallows, The Ghost of a Thousand, Gallows, Gallows. Er. Just please don't vote for a band that hasn't done anything this year (ahem, Lostprophets, as much as I love them!)

Currently listening to: Yourcodenameis:milo - They Came From The Sun. Checkitout.

Wimbledon's New Roof

2009-05-17T15:35:00.002+01:00

There's poetic justice in the fact it's very gloomy in Wimbledon today, and it certainly looks like it's going to rain!

Here's a game for you guys - spot the difference!

Waffle:

Dress:

Er...

V Festival!

2009-04-28T21:41:00.001+01:00

Gallows: Grey Britain

2009-04-27T20:41:00.003+01:00

Gallows

Grey Britain Release date: 4^th May 2009

Grey Britain opens with the bleak sounds of the River Thames; a rising crescendo of strings unfolds and subsides into powerful guitars. Gallows are back, with a vengeance. London is the Reason is classic Gallows, matching the vibrant energy of debut Orchestra of Wolves with a darker timbre. The end of this song is spectacular, a frenzied mix of frenetic guitars and gang vocals. Leeches and Black Eyes are similar bursts of hardcore.

Next up is an anthem, definitely a stand out track on the album: I Dread the Night. A chaotic riff-laden concoction with pounding drums, this track certainly is “serious as a heart attack”. Carrying on in a similar vein, Death Voices gives way to a haunting piano and strings section. This leads well into Act I of The Vulture, an acoustic track where vocalist Frank Carter makes a temporary departure from his harsh-throated yells, singing tenderly instead. Following this tranquil interlude, Act II, a more intense, rockier version of the song, has a greater impact on the listener.

A wail of sirens signals the start of The Riverbed, one of the heavier songs on the album. This continues with The Great Forgiver, a severe detonation of hardcore. Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil makes an effective appearance on Graves, his ethereal vocals augmenting the overall timbre of the track. Chugging guitars on Queensberry Rules culminate in a evocatively grand ending. The forbidding strains of a string section paired with piano set the scene for Misery, offset by more gang vocals and heavy bass. Some excellent guitarwork on Crucif**ks is followed by a phenomenally beautiful orchestral section. This is an appropriately epic ending for one of the best rock albums of the decade; Grey Britain definitely lives up to the hype.

Quick Reviews

2009-04-26T20:21:00.001+01:00

/iheartcc - Computer Club - Like Editors, but even duller.
/callingmayday - calling MAYDAY - My ears are yelling "Mayday", this is boring!
/fakeproblems - Fake Problems - Laid back ska-style rock music, not bad at all.
/vaughanking - Vaughan King - The music is beautiful but his voice grates.
/boysinaband - Boys in a Band - As rubbish as their name is, their music is pretty fun to listen to.
/theseasounds - The Sea - I just don't like this. Yuck.
/thisissharks - Sharks - Please, let nobody ever think to put "punk" and "soul" together in this way again.
/666hellmouth - Hellmouth - Just another metal band.
/remedyrocks - Remedy - Run of the mill classic rock, but a lot better than anything else on this list so far!
/copyhaho - Copy Haho - They have a song called "You Are My Coal Mine". That should tell you all you need to know about this lot. Actually I'm not being fair, I ought to say something about the music, so here goes: ordinary indie rock.
/holystate - Holy State - You can certainly hear the post-hardcore influences in this band's sound, pretty good.
/saveyourbreathband - Save Your Breath - Pretty decent pop rock!
/bridesmusic - Bridges - Excellent melodic hardcore.
/chewlips - Chew Lips - Solo is an excellent single.
/caloriesband - Calories - Foals-esque indie rock, quite good.
/defeater - Defeater - Regular hardcore, nothing special.
/titusandronicus - Titus Andronicus - What a horrid noise. My poor speakers.
/thejoyformidable - The Joy Formidable - Their 8 track album can be downloaded for free. Judging by the tracks I checked out, it's probably NOT worth it.
/goldkids - Gold Kids - Pretty decent. Being hyped a lot, not quite sure it's worth it but the music is more enjoyable than the rest of this list.
/shotgunriot - Shotgun Riot - Very good, nice and energetic.

I'm not in a bad mood or anything, I swear I've just heard it all before.

Abandonment

2009-04-12T20:23:00.004+01:00

I have not abandoned this journal...merely taken a rest from writing. And so, on to the real subject matter.

A: I am never speaking to you again!
B: Oh good, less earache for me!

Uniqlo have brought out a range of jeans in 16 different colours! Wow! And guess what, you can look like a prat in 15 of them for the low low price of £24.99!

Check out these great bands!

2008-10-10T20:03:00.000+01:00

http://www.myspace.com/thedatsuns

http://www.myspace.com/thevines

The Automatic Are Back!

2008-07-17T22:23:00.000+01:00

Buy the new single!

And here's their brilliant new video:

(:

The Art Of Improvisation

2008-07-12T10:05:00.001+01:00

A jolly video featuring some art which you can interpret how you wish.

Free Music?

2008-06-01T20:06:00.007+01:00

Forget The Charlatans free album, and that terrible Violet-copy-of-everything-else-they've-ever-done-Hill song that Coldplay recently gave away, good quality free music has been sitting around on the Internet for ages. I remember when "download single" meant you could head over to Ash's website and pick up Clones for free...or Slipknot's to download Pulse Of The Maggots, if you're into wearing scary masks and all that. Despite the "digital revolution" (CDs are digital anyway -gasp-, so goodness knows why this term seems to be used exclusively to refer to mp3s), bands are still making their music available to download for free, even though "download single" no longer makes a gleam of triumph appear in the eyes of cheapskates (read: me). Never mind about the one sad little song that iTunes gives away each week (two if you count the promotion with Bebo, which doesn't seem to work half the time anyway and not having a Bebo account I can't really do much about that), there's a lot more than that out there.

Label Samplers:
I was just looking up a band that I only have one track by, Allister (currently on hiatus), to try and get more songs by them, and I came across their label site, Drive-Thru Records. Unfortunately for Little Miss Out Of Pocket, there weren't any more tracks available by Allister, but the label did have a free sampler available for download with a bunch of tracks by their current roster, so I figured it was worth a look at. Click on the featured download box. You may have to download something called Echospin, but this only takes a minute and then you'll be able to get all the mp3s.
Click. Includes tracks by Halifax (no, nothing to do with those irritating bank adverts with the walking purses and suchlike), An Angle and Socratic.
http://www.drivethrurecords.com/home.htm

Being a rather bored bean indeed, I decided to type "download label sampler" into Google, in the hope that something would turn up. This was a good decision, as I immediately found a few more bundles of tracks. I clicked on something called Bridge 9, thinking that I had heard that name before. You type your name and e-mail in (if you don't want to part with your personal data then it doesn't matter if it's complete rubbish) and you can download the sampler.
Click. Includes tracks by New Found Glory, Ruiner and Have Heart.
http://www.bridge9.com/

The next thing that caught my eye was Matador Records. Apparently this is an annual sampler, so do check back in about a year's time for more musical goodness. They also have various other mp3s up on their website, so have a look around.
Click. Includes tracks by Cat Power and Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks.
http://www.matadorrecords.com/

There are various other label samplers wandering around the web, so go and check it out for yourself. Label samplers are also given away free in music magazines such as Rocksound and at indie record stores like Banquet Records, so keep an eye out.

Label Sites:
Although Wikipedia is what some might call the font of all knowledge, label sites are an excellent place to start with when you want to find out about a band. They usually have songs available to listen to and some tracks may be up for download as well. Downloadable tracks are more commonly found on indie label sites. Major labels aren't that keen on giving away free music. It is worth looking up a band on Wikipedia to see what labels they previously released records with even if they are with a major label now, as some labels have songs from alumni as well as previews for their current roster. Here's a list of some label sites that I have found particularly useful:

Epitaph/Burning Heart
http://www.epitaph.com/
http://www.burningheart.com/
Oddly enough, although the same bands appear on both sites (Epitaph has the rights to distribute Swedish record label Burning Heart Records' output in North America), they don't have the same tracks up for download, so you can collect a few more than usual to try out before picking up a record if you're into bands like The Hives, Refused, Millencolin, Matchbook Romance and The Offspring.

Sub Pop
http://www.subpop.com/
How my heart crumbled when I discovered that my local HMV no longer sells ex-chart CD singles. Oh well, I was still able to get Balloons by Foals off the label site, so that'll be enough to tide me over until I can get their album. Other artists you may want to check out include Sleater-Kinney and CSS.

Purepainsugar
http://www.purepainsugar.com/
This is a French record label, and they have a very good collection of songs for those wishing to find out more about euro-screamo/European skramz/EU hardcore/whatever else you feel like calling some people from Europe screaming while accompanied by delectable guitar parts and raging percussion. A sudden yearning on my part for more bands like Amanda Woodward was dispelled upon discovering this website, which has music by Mihai Edrisch, Raein and many others.

Level Plane
http://www.level-plane.com/
Set up by Greg Drudy (Saetia, Hot Cross), this was one of the first places I went to when I was trying to find more music that could be called "people screaming while accompanied by delectable guitar parts and raging percussion", or hardcore (but depending on who you are speaking to that could be asking for trouble as people do not always seem to agree on what is "real" hardcore). Aside from this, bands such as the aforementioned Amanda Woodward, City of Caterpillar and Transistor Transistor have released records with Level Plane, so you can check them out here.

Jade Tree
http://www.jadetree.com/
There's some great alt rock bands to be found here, such as Jets To Brazil, onelinedrawing, Pedro The Lion and The Promise Ring. Just go and download some stuff now, you'll probably love it.

...In Conclusion:
Yes, it may be possible to just live off free songs, but the point of all this is to introduce you to new acts and encourage you to buy their records. Labels don't give away music for the fun of it. Free music is a good way to find bands you wouldn't have heard on the radio, so go out and support indie acts by purchasing their records if you like what you hear.

Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things

2008-05-12T18:07:00.000+01:00

Jason Mraz
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
Release date: 9th June 2008 (CD)
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things is a bright, breezy pop album perfect for the summer. In terms of influences, Jason Mraz has drawn on various genres, including hip hop, reggae and even opera, which is features on what has to be one of the most ambitious songs on the album, Coyotes. As brilliant as the song is, I can’t help but feel that the ending (which has a curious chorus of children joining in the song) is a bit naff, to be frank. Aside from this, there is an outstanding duet, Lucky, featuring little-known female singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat, whose melodious voice integrates perfectly with Mraz’s vocals. Mraz has also roped in English soul-pop artist James Morrison for a collaboration on Details In The Fabric, which is a beautifully constructed song, showcasing the vocal talent of both artists extremely well.

Being familiar with Mraz’s previous work, it is interesting to see that there are no tracks with quite the same punchiness of previous singles Wordplay and Geek In The Pink. Comparing this album to Mr. A-Z, it is difficult to say that We Sing… is a great improvement. There are plenty of perfectly pleasant songs, yet these lack any kind of real direction to make them chart hits. Despite these shortcomings, Mraz’s latest album is a relaxing listen, a must for any pop fans. Other standout tracks include The Dynamo of Volition and Only Human.

Current Events

2008-05-04T16:12:00.002+01:00

This did actually start out as something about current events &c, so I'm just posting to say that I am rather glad indeed that Boris Johnson is London Mayor. Thank goodness Mr Livingstone is no longer in power. It is also rather amusing that Labour only got 24% of votes for local councils and the LibDems got 25%. Ha.

In other news, exams begin in a week's time, so that will be fun. Or not.

This frightful weather is set to continue. How awful. I'm perfectly happy when it is sunny, but the great looming clouds overhead always seem to be present. It's terrible.

As for music reviews, I have been rather lazy on that front. Besides, I couldn't find anything legally accessible online that I wished to review, except for half pof Hadouken!'s album, but what good is half of it? Instead I shall recommend the new Darren Shan book, called Death's Shadow. I got my copy signed yesterday, but it will be a while before I can begin reading it since I am currently supposed to be reading the following:

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, which must be finished by Thursday for the school Book Club meeting - er.
My Friend Maigret by Georges Simenon, which I must admit I have given up on now.
Spies by Michael Frayn, which is being re-read on account of having to write an essay on the book for an exam, without the book for reference. This is worth 30% of my English Lit AS, I think I should be worried. Regarding Spies, we went to see it peformed as a play on Wednesday, and it was quite excellent. Certainly put the book to shame.
The Swap by Antony Moore, which I also seem to have given up on, hm.
Not to mention a couple of other books which I haven't even begun yet but must return to the library soon. I don't want to be fined.

2008-03-18T19:35:00.002Z

I Was A Cub Scout

2008-02-25T19:04:00.000Z

Here is my latest review, enjoy.

I Was A Cub Scout
I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope
18th February 2008
Originally a one-man band with a drum machine, I Was A Cub Scout is now a synth-pop duo consisting of Todd Marriott and William Bowerman. Having released four singles since 2006, the album is finally out this year and the band looks set to make it big.

I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope showcases Bowerman’s drumming effectively in tracks such as Echoes and Lucean, which makes a refreshing change from similar acts that do not necessarily accomplish this well. Echoes was recently released as a double A-side along with Pink Squares. A special version of the latter was recorded at the New Slang club night in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. It features, among others, Dartz! and Sam Duckworth of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. fame. This version can be downloaded from www.banquetdigital.com.

Although not all the tracks on the album are up to par, highlights on the album include Part 3, an eerie track that has quite a different atmosphere to most of the other songs, We Were Made To Love and The Hunter’s Daughter. These tracks certainly make the album worth purchasing, and on the whole, it is a beautifully crafted success.

It also lives here: http://www.xtaster.co.uk/mycontent_Article.aspx?id=2586

Bits and pieces

2007-12-27T16:23:00.000Z

Firstly, I have decided to do away with the (rather garish) green layout and went for this instead.

A couple of my reviews are now up on the Xtaster website, with more to come (as soon as someone releases something worth checking out).

http://xtaster.co.uk/public/content_article.aspx?id=1775 (9 Black Alps)

http://xtaster.co.uk/public/content_article.aspx?id=1771 (Idiot Pilot)

Christmas was rather nice, although I got lots of pairs of socks. My sister got a remote controlled plane which is refusing to take off, and neither of us are sure what "trim" is (nothing appears to happen when either trim button is pressed) so I shall have to seek help regarding that.

Sadly, I have a Mechanics exam the first week back, and attempted a past paper today. How depressing that I have to revise over the Christmas holiday!

And finally, The Share Exchange is in existence. So clicky click and get Estilo some hits.

Argh, just remembered I have to write a presentation about a work of art for General Studies. How rubbish.

Estilo!

2007-12-13T22:00:00.000Z

www.estiloonline.co.uk is the website of the Young Enterprise company Estilo. We are in the process of creating a site that will help young people aged 14 - 18 learn more about finance, in particular the stock market. So check out our company site :)

2007 is nearly over...

2007-11-17T20:49:00.000Z

2007 is nearly over…
…and a ton of bands have broken up! British alt rockers yourcodenameis:milo went on an indefinite hiatus back in August. Vocalist Paul Mullen was reported as having joined The Automatic in October, following the departure of keyboardist/vocalist Alex Pennie. Although it is a disappointment that ycni:m won’t be making any more music for now, Mullen joining The Automatic will most likely result in a fantastic sophomore album from the band.

Experimental band The Blood Brothers announced their break up in November, after 10 years of making music together, which resulted in five albums being released, among various singles and EPs. Their individual style will be a hard gap to fill. Philadelphians Hot Cross, soon after releasing the fantastic Risk Revival decided to cancel their US tour and quit making music together. This happened in July, less than a month after their second album was released.

The list of bands that broke up, or went on hiatus this year is rather long, but 2007 also had some great albums released. January saw the release of the Mercury Music Prize winning debut album by Klaxons, Myths of the Near Future. An innovative record fuelling the “nu-rave” scene (although the band claim that this is simply “a joke that’s got out of hand”), this is an album you really ought to check out if you enjoy the singles.

Fall Out Boy returned in February with Infinity on High, an album that spawned the hit singles This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race and (the bizarrely titled) Thnks fr the Mmrs. Although not to everyone’s taste, it must be said that the band have a brilliant ability to create great pop songs. This ability is shared by Kaiser Chiefs, who released Yours Truly, Angry Mob in the same month, which was an excellent follow up to their debut album.

In March, former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, a new “rockier” Idlewild, and the crazy Enter Shikari, who seem to have fused hardcore with dance music, all released albums. Not many people seem to pay Charlotte much attention these days, but The Deep Blue showcases her song writing talents very well. Make Another World resulted in a fair amount of criticism for Idlewild, but the album is not necessarily deserving of this. The band has written some excellent songs. After generating a lot of press attention, possibly because they appeared to be hardcore’s answer to nu-rave, Enter Shikari’s Take To The Skies lived up to expectations and is…mind-blowing, whether or not you’re a fan of the music.

The second album from Arctic Monkeys was also released in April, entitled Favourite Worst Nightmare. Quirkier than their debut record, there are some truly outstanding songs on this album, including Teddy Picker (released as a single on the 3rd December). In May, Welsh rockers Funeral for a Friend released their third album, Tales Don’t Tell Themselves, a concept album about a fisherman.

June saw the release of Puzzle by Biffy Clyro, who have suddenly shot to popularity after remaining relatively unknown for the past few years. Fans of this band should check out Reuben, whose third album, In Nothing We Trust was released in the same month. The recent single Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin features ex-Million Dead frontman Frank Turner, whose first solo album was released all the way back in January, and titled Sleep Is For The Week.

Ash shocked everyone by releasing their last album in July. Twilight of the Innocents is going to be the last complete album that the band members will record, as they have decided to embrace the digital age and release more singles more often, rather than a few albums over a long period of time.

August…High School Musical 2: The Soundtrack, anyone? Didn’t think so. Moving on swiftly, Foo Fighters latest album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, came out in September. In addition, Wolves by Idiot Pilot was also released. Dashboard Confessional, made famous by Vindicated, showed a folkier edge in latest album The Shade of Poison Trees, released in October, and definitely worth checking out. This month also saw Jack Peñate’s first album, Matinee appear (finally!). Let’s hope that next year is as full of great music as this year was.

Songs to check out:
yourcodenameis:milo ft. The Automatic - The Trapeze Artist
The Blood Brothers – Camouflage, Camouflage
Hot Cross – Turncoat Revolution
Klaxons – Isle of Her
Fall Out Boy – The Take Over, the Breaks Over
Kaiser Chiefs – Highroyds
Charlotte Hatherley – Behave
Idlewild – If It Takes Your Home
Enter Shikari – Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour…
Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm
Funeral for a Friend – Out Of Reach
Biffy Clyro – Who’s Got A Match?
Reuben – We’re All Going Home In An Ambulance
Frank Turner – Back In The Day
Ash – Twilight of the Innocents
Foo Fighters – The Pretender
Idiot Pilot – Planted In The Dark
Dashboard Confessional – These Bones
Jack Peñate – Second, Minute or Hour

Thrice and Saves the Day

2007-10-24T20:20:00.000+01:00

I figured I may as well stick my reviews up here. You can check out older ones here.

Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Vol I & II

The Alchemy Index is a four-disc concept album, with each disc representing Fire, Water, Earth or Air. There are only six tracks on each disc, but the album is being released in two sets, each containing two of the volumes. The first set, containing Fire and Water was released in October 2007, while the second set will be released in April 2008. The band members have said that Fire will be the most familiar to fans of the band. It is certainly a lot heavier than Water, and certainly an epic collection of songs. Water is far more ambient, featuring calmer tracks that are quiet and more melodic. The first collection is certainly a must for anyone who is a fan of band, and well worth buying if you’re looking for an introduction to Thrice. While the songs may not be catchy, radio-friendly tunes, they have been constructed with great skill and are definitely worth checking out.

Saves the Day - Under the Boards

Under the Boards struck me as being quite a melancholy record. There are poppier moments, such as the tracks Radio and Can’t Stay the Same, yet these have a poignant undertone to them. Frontman Chris Conley stated that the album “is an expression of…reflection and remorse”, which can certainly be heard on all 13 of the tracks. The album is composed excellently, with energetic tracks such as Bye Bye Baby and slower moments such as Turning Over in My Tomb fitting together perfectly. It is difficult to choose a stand out track as all the songs are brilliant. A superb follow up to Sound The Alarm, checking this out is a must if your tastes fall into the categories of rock, pop and punk.

What is wrong with people

2007-10-21T17:36:00.001+01:00

Plastic bags:
Don't you just hate when people in stores say "would you like a bag for that?" all smiley, and when you say "yes", they suddenly glare at you? If it annoys them so much that I'm not environmentally conscious, then they shouldn't have offered a bag in the first place! Do they expect me to carry my gigantic Dykeenies <3 You shopping bag everywhere or something? And those paper bags they have in Primark, they break all the time. If you're going to switch to a more "environmentally conscious" method of transporting goods, then at least make sure it's up to the job.

The Simpsons:
I was just watching that delightful episode on C4 about Apu's arranged marriage. You know, the one where Homer storms in to sabotage the wedding dressed up as Ganesh, in the belief that Apu wants the wedding stopped. Except...he did storm in, but it then suddenly cut to something else. Did they cut out his speech about being Lord Ganesh on the grounds of it being religiously offensive or something? Or was it just a mistake? In addition, why are the episodes being shown ten years old? I can remember watching them the first time round on BBC2 back in the day. (Actually those were probably repeats too since I don't think I was even in Britain in 1997.)

Now there was something else that ridiculously annoyed me which I wanted to write about, but sadly I have forgotten it.

Music recommendation: Blackhole - a band featuring Frank Carter's (of Gallows) brother on vocals!

Episode 03

2007-06-11T14:43:00.000+01:00

Here's the third episode, in which I show my disgust for the 2012 Olympics logo, celebrities getting special treatment from the prison system and exams.

No Thanks Episode Three.mp3

Sites that may or may not be useful for this episode:

The frightful logo can be seen in all its glory here.
The Ting Tings are located here.

Episode 02

2007-06-03T17:53:00.000+01:00

Here's the second episode, in which children's books, Welsh music and exams are mentioned.

No Thanks Episode Two.mp3

I'm going to start linking to "useful sites", so here goes:

The website for Joshua Wright, author of Plotless, Pointless, Pathetic can be found here.
The graffiti artist Bansky can be found here.
And finally, Hell Is For Heroes live here.

Episode 01

2007-05-27T19:07:00.000+01:00

Here's the first episode, in which I talk about neon, yobs and American Idol, among other things.

No Thanks Episode One.mp3

No, Thanks Mate! The Not So Insane Ramblings Of Me

2007-05-27T18:44:00.000+01:00

This is my new podcast. My old one is the Burn Your Youth podcast. You can check out the four episodes I created here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/burnyouryouth

First episode coming up!