This is a follow-up to my previous introduction to Janelle Monae... This is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time.

Making it sound like the record in the best way, and that band is so so good.

Musicians are twats, pt. 2

This evening I found some new evidence for my Musicians are Twats thesis. Relaxing after dinner, I was flicking through Friday's The Guide. There was a feature on a new documentary about Exile on Main Street, the Rolling Stones album. I honestly don't know how the Rolling Stones get out of bed in the morning - they are truly the living embodiment of becoming a parody of yourself, it's absolutely nauseating... Do they really need the money from a re-released album, (almost certainly shite) documentary and probably another world tour whose audience will be 90% wankers and 10% people who have wanted to see the Stones their whole life, finally scraped together the extortionate ticket price and left feeling embarrassed by a bunch of old blokes who don't know when to give it up? The answer is NO. They don't need it. We get it, you soundtracked the formative years of the people who now write for Q Magazine, Mojo Magazine and Word Magazine. Isn't that enough for you, "Mick 'n' Keef"?

The most offensive thing about the Guide piece was actually a quote from Mick Jones, Stones guitarist in the late 1960s and early 1970s:

""It's got a raw sound quality, and the reason for that is that the basement was very dingy and very damp," says Mick Taylor, Stones lead guitarist for the five years between 1969 and 1974. "The roof leaked and there were power failures. We had to deal with all that, and go with the flow.""

I once had the misfortune of seeing Mick Jones play live, and it really was remarkably boring. He was playing alongside John Mayall (of Bluesbreakers fame) who was literally just a chubby old man in an unpleasant white vest who had his best days behind him.

Anyway, I wish I could eloquently describe what irritates me so much about this nugget from Mick Jones but I don't know if I can. It's partly the mythologising of something so totally banal, and the belief that it's some kind of impressive feat. I can just imagine him leaning back recounting the story - "it was hard, but we went with the flow man." Musicians (and others in the public eye) are asked for their thoughts on everything, no matter how insignificant. I'm not saying that musicians shouldn't have opinions, but the above quote comes from someone who has passed a lifetime being told they are more important than you actually are. Partly it's the idea that because the recording happened in a basement it sounds 'raw.' It's just total garbage. Things sound raw when bands don't have much money, or when the production is meant to sound raw. Not just because you're recording in the basement of a French chateau.

Keep your feet on the floor guys.

Skannndiii

A little heads up for something really cool...

Robyn is bringing lush synths (and slightly clubby piano?) to us in THREE new albums this year - that's good going. Above is the first official single.

Why musicians are twats

I really like music, but I don't like musicians. I idolise them, but I don't like them - I don't want to be friends with them, particularly the ones I actually do like a little bit. Sometimes I have been a musician, and I've probably been totally dislikable too. What does this mean? Well, when you make music, you're doing something that lots of other people are doing too. What makes you different? You might be quite good, or even really good. You probably look quite cool, or at least you think you do, and you definitely act like you do. Maybe you know someone who's going to get you that big gig. I know what you definitely do, though - you talk about all of this, all of the time. It's totally self indulgent, and because people constantly ask you about it, sometimes with some reverence, you begin to think that it actually means something. This isn't an original though, but you shouldn't meet your heroes - they will probably let you down. Honestly, I don't think I'd want to - maybe it's a weird, but I don't want to transgress the fan-idol relationship, I don't want to reach onto the stage and touch.

Where's all this going? James Murphy is the heart and soul of New York band LCD Soundsystem, and Mr Murphy has been all over the press recently - the band are currently touring, and releasing their third album shortly. I can't help but like James Murphy, because a lot of the things he says are true. He is obsessed with the idea of being cool, which I like because if they're honest, most people start bands because they think it's a cool thing to do. At the same time, Murphy speaks with the authority of someone who knows that other people are listening. Not just listening - hanging on his every word; LCD are probably the coolest band in the world at the moment. See, there it is, I'm conflicted. The stroke of luck in this situation is that LCD Soundsystem are brilliant. An interview in the Guardian at the weekend quoted Murphy saying that "I see this band as pure evidence that having a decent idea is more important than being talented." Why are musicians so disingenuous? When they're not telling you how good they are, they're telling you how bad they are. Because, of course, it's not true - LCD Soundsystem are fantastic. So far I've been writing about music which comes out of speakers in my room, but last Friday I had the pleasure of seeing Murphy and co. live, in the flesh, at Brixton Academy with my pals Harry (who keeps a regularly updated blog at http://forgedinsheffield.blogspot.com/) and Terry (off the telly). Arriving on stage just about on time, the band launched into US V Them, from second album Sound of Silver. Murphy walked on swigging a bottle of champagne, at which point the band were well into their stride. Unfortunately, the keyboard wasn't working, which was announced to the audience at the end of the song. What to do? Play it again! See, what did I say about musicians? I can forgive this indulgence when it's this good though. With the introduction of the thundering bass, spotlights focused on the glitter ball hanging half over the stage and half over the audience - bang! The room was spinning, and we were away. A personal highlight (probably so for much of the crowd) was hearing All My Friends, an epic narration or wanting and losing, also from Sound of Silver. I have loved it long time, and to hear it coming organically from the musicians on stage was a huge thrill.

Enough.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

For once that's not some stupid title I've dreamt up, it's the name of the artist I'm writing about.




There isn't much information floating around about Ariel Pink, but I gather that he's been releasing very low-fi music on cassette tapes for over ten years, mostly made on a four-track recorder. The project is articulated around Ariel Pink himself (real name... jokes.) with the Haunted Graffiti providing a band element. The above single Round and Round will be appearing on an 'official' debut album, Before Today, sometime later this year on 4AD. In contrast to the previous releases, the production is very smooth, and there's a real 80s American FM-friendly sheen to it.


"Na na na naaaaaaaaaa...."


The chanted refrain and reverby guitar sounds very California - think the Mamas and the Papas - and ringing telephone in the middle is pretty psychedelic. Basically it all sounds BIG.


I bought one-time-massive-indie-crush Laura Marling's second album on Monday which I will probably write about in a week or two when I've read enough reviews to copy someone else's opinion.

Hardwired

I don't know much about Janelle Monáe, but she's been releasing music since 2003; since then she's made three EPs, with a debut album out this year. She released Tightrope in February, but I only heard it earlier this week:







I really like the playing on this; it sounds "vintage," but not gratuitously, more like it was actually recorded with real instruments. The strings are subtle and the horns towards the end are really smooth, with a real 'cool' '60s sound. Vocal delivery in the verse is really tight and good marks for general sassiness.


I also apologise for my shocking inconsistency re. fonts and sizes... woops.

Weak

I'm really weak. I couldn't resist buying Sufjan Stevens' The B.Q.E. any longer. I know what I said before, that I would wait until it came down in price... but over a month later and it was still rip-off priced. What can you do?

It IS bomb though. It came with a poncy DVD and a little plastic disc with a cartoon on it which you can view with a View Master.

I love you long time

I'm sitting in the peaceful periodicals room of the geography life. Even Downing College looks dreary in this weather. I know what you're thinking - where is this going?

Nowhere.

The real point of this post was to say that, yes indeed, "I love you long time" and that literal people have been literally asking me to get back on the blogging express. FIRST STOP!

http://www.swift.fm/questlove/song/22383/

Aha, I know what you're thinking again! "George Michael singing Careless Whisper - so fucking what?" That's a fair question, no doubt, but just give it a listen... mmmm. This was recorded in the sleepy Alabama town of Muscle Shoals, the nowhere-ville which just happens to be one of the epicentres of American rhythm & blues and popular music - the cream of the session musician crop will undoubtedly be playing on this. It has less of the shine of the standard recording, but the sound is lush (check that organ) and the last minute is fabulous.

More to come soon(ish).

15012010

That's today's date, unless you live in Fiji, Tonga or some other island paradise, where it is in fact already tomorrow. Isn't time amazing? I always like to imagine what it would be like if the Pacific Date Line hadn't been invented.

2010 had some good sheeeeeeeeit in store, including new albums from LCD Soundsystem, Yeasayer and everyone's favourite creepy-voiced harpist, Joanna Newsom. Also to look forward to is a collaboration between Danger Mouse, producer and artist probably most famous for being one half of Gnarls Barkley, and the Shins' James Mercer which they have names Broken Bells. I have been into the Shins for quite a while so it's interesting to hear something from Mr Mercer out of his usual context. The slightly hip-hop beat of The High Road is not a stranger to the Shins, who used one on Sea Legs, from 2007's Wincing the Night Away, but the whole feeling of the track is quite different. It's not ambient, but has a real lightness. There are chanted background vocals and weird high-pitched noises and it all sounds very American indie, not a bad thing at all.

The High Road by Broken Bells

I will write something more substantial soon.