a light that never goes out

Streets of Your Town (Sunday, June 29, 2008)

wtf!!?? I handled Kurt Cobain's and Michael Hutchins deaths ok, but I'm still not fully over Grants!

That just shows the esteem I hold him in. The Go-Betweens contained quite possibly the best song-writing duo ever! And most definitely the most underrated.. no change that to most 'unrewarded' band ever. Cuz they had the acclaim of anyone who took the time to listen. Yep that's right, I put them on a par with Lennon and McCartney..YES THEY'RE THAT GOOD!!

Amongst various band T-shirts in my possession was a Go-Betweens one. It died from overuse, but I can still recall the acknowledgments from random strangers who also knew the secret that is 'The Go-Betweens'. As we passed in the street - 'G.B's rock man'...we knew we shared a secret, and one that was criminal not to be more widely known. But we could take solace in the knowledge that at least we had experienced the best that music has to offer.

To choose a fav song to review is nigh impossible cuz they have so many that work at varying levels, but 'Streets of Your Town' encapsulates their style the best. Their music has been described as a 'that striped sunlight sound' comparing them with the rays of light you find streaming thru the blinds on a summers day. An unclassifiable sort of melodic pop that's as close to manufactured sunshine as you can get. When I play a CD of theirs.. I swear, my body starts producing vitamin D!!

So no, it wouldn't do them justice to hold it to one song...and I refuse to. Go out and listen to an album.. do it! If I had to choose between the Go-Betweens back catalog or every other song known to man, I'd have to think long n hard about the answer.....yes..they are that good.

'pre-blog' or is it 'post-blog' ??

whatever it is :P

I just found the full review that I had aluded to in the previous blog, here it is in its entirety for what it's worth..

The Killers write a killer song.. Mr Brightside (Thursday, July 26, 2007)

Wow.. blown away by this one, not a single lyric has been wasted and if you can make the first verse so profound.. why not repeat it for the second?! Full of metaphor, nails the sentiment exactly.. who is this guy and how did he get in my head??  I bet there's millions of people out there who think he's telling their own story and if your one of them.. my heart goes out to ya.

I can just put this song on repeat and I know I'll never get sick of it.

No 1. all time greatest song for me and I doubt it'll ever get knocked from that spot.. nice one guys !!!

music 2008 - a2m

Run The Red Light - British India (Tuesday, March 11, 2008)


Alright, the best song in my book from the past year is 'Run the Red Light' by British India. It's one that flew under the radar for most, but definitely worth checking out. Not quite as good as my choice last year 'Mr Brightside' by the Killers. Tho it's melody is arguably comparable, it just can't match it in the lyrics department for mine.. but having said that, I dunno if anything will ever match the sentiment of 'Mr Brightside' ;)

Where RTRL gains ground is in it's raw emotion, sincerity and determination to deliver its message.

What is it that makes tragedy so captivating? especially when coupled with an uplifting melody. Must be sumthing to do with the conflicting emotions that result. The yin yang in this tune may not be as distinct as with say The Smiths ala 'Girlfriend in a Coma', but it rolls along with a merry tone none-the-less and taunts the listener to almost want her to run that damn red light by its end~~!!

Buy it!...hell, buy the whole album another track 'Tie up my hands' has had wider and well deserved recognition in its own right (it also delivers in the emotion stakes) but for mine, RTRL falls over the line just ahead.....just.

and the best lyric by by the way for the year.. 'She's a bitch you know, all she's got is blondness' by Soko. haha.. gold!

    














and in parting, whats with the influx of banjo riffs everywhere~~??

music

Music has always been a big part of my life. I started young, listening to what I now call ‘top 40’ music and then moved on, finding this ‘top 40’ to be insulting in that it was so non-offensive that it became offensive!

Then it changed, but in a very manipulative way..

Lets face it, the music always has and always will be aimed at the kids. So it's interesting how the music industry has positioned itself as a kind of unofficial authority through the music/media it produces. A sort of systematic rebelliousness undertone resides at the core of many of  their products which are pitched at these kids. It's reflected in a rock video and advertising world view that your parents are creeps, teachers are nerds and idiots and authority figures are laughable—i.e. nobody can really understand kids except the corporate sponsor. These huge authorities such as MTV and the like have alarmingly therefore emerged as the unspoken super heroes of consumer culture :(

So anyway, my first progression led me to heavy (pub) rock. Unfortunately this was before I was old enough to go to these pubs to see them. And when I was old enough, my tastes had matured. I researched various rock magazines and books, sampled their suggestions and ultimately pieced together more diverse tastes. I found that I tend to like the best songs of each genre, taking exception only to grass roots styles such as blues, jazz and R’n’B as they each tend to come across to me as self-indulgent. American country almost makes me physically sick while the jury is still out on opera and classical music—maybe when I’m older.

Since the mid 90’s, I’ve found that music has shifted to a more visual medium with the marketing arm taking over and in turn stifling artists creativity. Only a few talented musicians have managed to break through despite this, so I guess they’re all we can hold on to until the musical revolution occurs—and it will—those of us who want more than bubble gum pop are growing in number and in turn creating a market for musicians who are hungered by desire creatively and not commercially. Lets allow them to once again take the stage both metaphorically and literally!

..next we'll have a look at a couple of random older posts of mine from different sources which can bring us up to date a little with the music scene as it stands today.

Music is proof of the existence of God - One Giant Leap DVD