A few months ago I wrote a little preview about the Autumns record. On this clear Sunday evening whilst avoiding whatever it is I’m supposed to be doing, I thought I would finally write something. I’ve sort of lost interest in writing, but the love of Music is still there. It’s there because of people like Christian/Autumns who make Music that means something. What it means specifically I do not know, only he can tell you that. I can only write as a fan, never as a “professional writer.” A fan has love, a person who takes it all too seriously looks for faults.
What I immediately saw in Christian’s music was what I saw in Alex’s/Dirty Beaches. I saw that one person can make a lot of noise in such an intense manner, that to turn away and to not be a fan would be incredibly stupid. The Mini LP that Christian has put out consists of tracks to zone out to on public transport or just siting around waiting for something to happen.
The LP (much to my appreciation) has Keep On Sinking on it, which I think was the first Autumns song I heard. How can someone so young make music so bloody good? Quite easily, because age shouldn’t be a factor.
There are a handful of bands/singers I love that make me wish I had even the slightest bit of musical talent, Christian is easily one of them. When you listen to his music, especially this LP, it really does make you want to pick up a beaten guitar and pour your heart out in the most raw and honest way possible. If someone can do this on their first LP, if they can leave you feeling inspired and whatever else, then you know you’ve found something truly special and something that will undoubtedly last.
I sincerely hope that some teenage misfit finds this record and is left knowing that it’s alright to make some noise that truly does mean something. I hope he/she finds a copy of this record and sticks two fingers up to what their friends and family want them to be. It’s a record that you can drown the world out to, it’s a record to find answers to. You won’t find a cure, just some clarity. I remember when I saw Dirty Beaches live last year, and suddenly his music made much more sense to me. Some things you just have to see for yourself to gain a different insight, and that’s one of the many things I get from Christian’s music. I firmly believe that when I finally see him live, I’ll have a different view on his music. What I mean is, that when you see a band or singer perform live you can pick up on what the songs mean to them. You can’t fake certain feelings- the feelings that come from music.
This is just a prime example of me being unable to write like a “Music Journalist.” I can only write as a fan, and as a fan of Autumns I can wholeheartedly say that this LP is one of the best things I’ve heard this year. It’s everything I look for in a record, and it is everything I love about music. And from a totally personal perspective, it makes me want to write about music.
I wouldn’t worry about writing “only” as a fan. Writing as a fan makes me want to check out Autumns (a Derry band – can’t go wrong with music from that city). Writing as a “serious music journo” means you’d churn out complete and utter crap like John Harris’ click-bait on why women are the future of rock (http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/20/warpaint-cate-le-bon-st-vincent-rocks-future-is-female) – you, young Olivia, could write a far more compelling article…
Thanks Steve!
Yeah I read that article, it was so bad. But then again I don’t really expect much from writers from The Guardian. I just wish there were more Music Writers who wrote with heart and a love for what they are writing about. I’m sick of reading aritcles about the gender of musicians, and I’m sure the musicians are tired of their gender being what gets written about the most!
I’ve written about Warpaint so many times ha. I’ve always said I wanted to put everything I wrote about them into a little ‘zine or something. Maybe I should bloody well do it! xx