If Nick Cave ever went completely folk-based or embraced country music in an insane way, he’d probably join a band from Denmark called The Boombox Hearts.
If you want creepy and dark folk music, then this is the band for you. If you want to feel like you have sinisterly taken up residence in a desolate cabin, then The Boombox Heart are destined to be yours. I dislike contemporary folk bands. I use the term folk loosely. You know the artists I mean, from Mumford & Sons to Laura Marling. It doesn’t do anything to me, but I know it does for others. I don’t get the appeal at all. Every song has left me bored, I don’t want that. I like the true essence of folk ie: Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie. Give me that, I’ll be alright. I wouldn’t call The Boombox Hearts a folk band. I’d just call them a band. A band in the truest sense of the word. A band that evidently love what they are doing, and the motivation they have in doing so is the music. Simple as. That’s just how it should be. If you’re not going to believe in your own art, then who will.
I’m not up on Danish bands. The only Danish thing I am familiar with, is the (second best programme ever, The Wire beats all) Danish programme, The Killing. So I can say that The Boombox Hearts are now my favourite Danish band, but this is motivation to listen to more Danish bands; especially if they sound like this.
The Boombox Hearts are currently working on their debut record, which I hope is out this year. There are a wealth of new bands I could have chosen to write about as my first pick of new bands for 2013. I didn’t just go with these guys because Ivan sent me a lovely email, but because although they have some eerie songs; they also have some truly gorgeous and gentle songs. With it being a new year, I suppose we should start gently. Maybe come March and I’ll be really into Thrash Metal. Who knows.
The band have a stunning EP up on bandcamp called Monte Carlo, which could possibly be an indicator to how the debut record will sound. I have no idea, but I do know that this band deserve to go far and claim a place in your heart.
With this being my 1000 post, I thought I should try write something of worth. Whether or not it is, well that’s a different subject entirely. It may make sense, it may just wind up being another nonsensical rant, which is usually is. I don’t need telling, I already know. As the end of 2012 approaches (or it may already have depending on your location) you see a lot of people taking to social networking sites declaring how the next year will be THEIR year or they are going to change. It irks me because, you can make whatever change you wish at any point. You announce these things but by the second week of January you hate yourself more than you ever did. Make life easier on yourself, and just carry on as normal. I say this, but I make life hard work for myself at times. It’s a fault, one of many.
I don’t like discussing my weight/how chubby I am because I’m not exactly a fan of myself. I could have easily been like most and said START OF THE YEAR I AM GETTING FIT. Over the past year and a half, I have been working on losing weight. It’s not easy. Fortunately, I really do enjoy going to the gym for a few hours and listening to music. I’d take a book with me but whilst on the treadmill I do look like a panic-stricken bear. When I go there, it doesn’t just get rid of my horrendous fat, but it clears the mind. I currently work at HMV, but it’s only a Christmas job. I love it. I bloody love it. For every grumpy customer, there is one that just makes your day. I’ve held up queues talking to people about bands, I’ve been hugged by customers because I helped them, I’ve had people sing to me then ask “do you have that one?” and the old favourite, “Excuse me..do you work here?” It is a brilliant job and those I’ve worked with are equally as brilliant. It was my third year there, and I think this year was my favourite. It just gives you a sense of pride and self-worth knowing you’ve helped someone. I must add, it is usually the older generation (60+) that are much kinder. Kids today are just rude really. Or maybe it’s the kids over here. I have no idea. Put down your iPads kids, and go take a walk. Use your mind. Come 5th January and I’ll be out of work, and on the Monday I’ll be taking that awful trip to the job centre to sign on. If you’ve never had your soul crushed and your dreams shat on; I suggest you go on the dole. If you want to be treated like dirt and have a wealth of self-hate upon you; go on the dole. My degree is useless, but I have no means of going back to uni. Of course in an ideal world I would have my own record shop, with a healthy selection of books. Later on I’d have my own publishing company. And finally, I’d be able to get a dog. These are hopes and dreams that maybe I’ll one day achieve.
We treat this time of year as a time of reflection. I don’t like thinking about the past, because it can sometimes make you debate what you want your future and present to be. Although, we cannot control the future. I firmly believe if something is going to happen, it will happen. I can relate this to the one I love. Many years ago, maybe something should have happened. Go forward five years and seeing her whilst in London during Pride (oh I know, but this one was alright so…) this year was truly the best thing to have happened. Part of my brain thought, “This could happen..somehow.” Every day since we have been talking, and FINALLY after waiting 5 years, this beautiful and perfect being is my girlfriend. I’m not a happy person naturally, but who is. But I finally know what sincere happiness and what true love is, thanks to her. It was always going to be her- and now it finally is. I’m working on trying to make her buy me a dog. Baby steps, I know. I know. It’s just lovely to be with someone who is full of love and kindness, and wants to change no part of me. Also means I get to spend more time in London too.
This year I have learnt that patience prevails. If you wait, it will happen. With reference to above, I can also link this in to music. Since 2009, I have been a huge fan of Crocodiles. They dragged me through a break-up, showed me a different (and better) world with their music and their lyrics claimed a part of my heart that needed claiming. I missed out on several tours, cue heartbreak and loathing wherever I was living at the time. 4th September they did a free gig at Rough Trade. Oh fate, how I love thee. I was already in London. I think I was staying for a week. I walked past Brandon and Charlie just outside Rough Trade. My stomach flipped. If I was 14 and mental, I may have chased them. Instead, I am a 26-year-old who gets tongue-tied most of the time. Their free gig at Rough Trade was a special moment for me. I paid no attention to anyone in the crowd. I don’t even think 100 hundred people were there. I sang to every song, I swayed and shut my eyes. I opened them, in awe and in shock of being right in front of the band that did more for me than they will ever know. Sadly, I was too much of a wuss to go up to them at the end and talk to them. Next time, I will. I vow to talk to them. About something, or nothing in particular.
My favourite music moment of this year has to be Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls covering Just Like Honey by The Jesus And Mary Chain, just for me. Just for me. A nobody from nowhere. It started as a sweeping statement from myself on Twitter one evening. I was listening to Psychocandy, and just wrote on Twitter something like “Imagine if Dum Dum Girls covered Just Like Honey.” The next day I woke to a reply from Dee Dee telling me to email her. So I did. She replied telling me she would try to do a cover for me. A few months later, she emailed me the cover and wrote “For your ears only xx.” I do not think anyone in this world can understand what this meant to me, and still does. And yes, I did cry. I’ve been a fan for many years of Dum Dum Girls, and for this to happen just blew my mind. If I see them when they come to the UK, I just need to thank Dee Dee face to face for it. That’s all I can do. Their music has made certain events less shite, you know how it is. Coming Down is my go-to song. Rest Of Our Lives describes my love for the one I love. Season In Hell gives me hope and Catholicked brings me back to life.
This has gone on long. I think I’ve said too much, but I have more to say.
I’ve been freelancing for close to 7 years now, and I started this blog in 2008 as part of an Online Journalism module whilst at Uni. I think I was the only one in that class to keep up their blog. There have been times where I thought there was no point in writing. No point at all. There have been times where if, Writer’s Block was a person I would gladly thump it in the gut. But then I hear a song or find a new band, and my love is restarted and I cannot imagine me not writing. I just HAVE to do it. It keeps me going. I have never been paid to write. Never. No one has offered to do so. I’m not about money. I own nothing of worth. Material things mean nothing to me. My Docs have holes in them and I rip jeans more often than I should. I look like a 70s reject. I look like the lovechild of Joey Ramone and Patti Smith; if they ever had a child. I have had more job rejections than I can count, and each one is a kick in the gut. But a motivation to try harder. Although, I don’t know if I can try harder than I do. I’d love to write a book, but god knows what it would be about. Obviously music. I’ve always wanted to follow a band around and write a book about it (Royal Chant I am looking at you, and Warpaint.) The film, Almost Famous is to blame for that goal.
This year (and last) I’ve had many kind words said to me from bands, PR companies and record labels with regard to what I have written about them and their work. You cannot put a price on that. Of course I believe still, that the only person who reads this is my mum but hey. If you’ve got this far, then I’ll buy you a cup of tea one day. I’m easy to find, but please don’t look as you will be disappointed. This part is a thank you to all the bands that have got in touch with me, all the PR companies and record labels. You’ve made writing even more enjoyable. There are stand-out bands and labels I’d mention, but that wouldn’t be fair. You are all brilliant, so thank you.
I will always ALWAYS welcome new music from any genre, so please get in touch (olivia_cellamare@hotmail.co.uk) I don’t care if no one bar your mum knows you exist or if you’ve supported some household name on a lengthy tour. Music is music. Send it.
Don’t forget who you are, and do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do something. Or that your goals are stupid ideas. Freedom comes from the heart, goes up into the mind then is unleashed. Don’t make a prisoner out of yourself. It’s all okay. It’s going to be alright.
It isn’t a common thing to find a record label that have such consistency with the quality of music they put out. All too often many labels put out music in the hopes to make a filthy amount of money with no passion or drive behind them. It seems so very rare to find a label that have a vision of what they want to do, and have the passion to do so. Money isn’t the motive, it’s the love for music.
My love (or obsession) for Sacred Bones Records came about in 2009 when they released The Spoils by Zola Jesus. At first I wasn’t aware of the label, but within a few months I was falling in love with all the bands and artists they had on their label. This year, there is no denying that they have easily been responsible for most of the best record of the year from Pop.1280 to The Men. Everything they’ve put out this year whether it be a full length record to a 7″ single has been perfect. I say this year, but it’s clear I mean everything they’ve ever put out.
Sacred Bones Records is the home to brilliantly odd and noisy bands. The creepy vibes of Pop.1280 to the painful (I mean in a good way) tones of the genius that is, Wymond Miles. There is something for everyone on this label. They have ethereal gems, eerie atmospheric sounds and brutal spurts of energy that send you into a frenzy- from the inside out. Everything about this label is everything I love about music. It’s a home for musicians that really care about music. Musicians that make music because they love music. And with this love, you find yourself being equally as passionate to it. If I was in a band (I am musically ungifted) Sacred Bones is, hand on heart, the label I would trust to release any music I had.
A fair amount of the bands on Sacred Bones do sound quite menacing. I think that’s what appealed to me the most. I think it is obvious that Pop.1280 may be one of my favourites. They have that dark Nick Cave feel going on. Every song feels like you are being hunted down by something or someone in a desolate forest. I adore Zola Jesus to bits. I remember playing Stridulum II the day it came out, and cooking my dinner. I nearly set myself and the house on fire because I was in awe of what I was listening to. My attention was elsewhere, somewhere better. That’s always the case. I cannot listen to music and do something else at the same time, my concentration goes somewhere else. I’m not sorry about that. The world Sacred Bones has opened me up to is a world I always want to be part of. Always.
In the space of five years, Sacred Bones have gone from being an unknown indie label to being responsible for putting out mind-blowing music that so many (with exquisite taste) love.
I know many would regard Rough Trade as the most influential record label ever, and to an extent that is so true because without them, we wouldn’t have so many indie labels giving us amazing music. Sacred Bones are a platform for the weird and wonderful.
Next year, I am mainly excited about the new Psychic Ills record. I have a lot of love for them, and if I’m not mistaken the record will be called One Track Mind. Pretty cool name don’t you think. There is no doubt in my mind that Sacred Bones will have another incredible year putting out mind-blowing music that just catapults you into an insane and intense world. They give us music that must be heard through headphones with no one else around. Most of the songs sound like they should be in the scariest film imaginable. But every feeling you get from listening to the music they put out is so intense, you must simply be alone. I’m not saying you must cut people out, but it’s a rare thing to find someone who will love this label as much as you do. If they get it, you’ve probably found a friend for life. Unless they’re a total shit. If that’s the case, carry on listening on your own.
I’ve finally got round to having a fully functioning record player(the one I had for the past 10 years has died, we had a good run), and I vow to next year get as much 7″s from Sacred Bones as my bank account will let me. Which may not be a lot. I am okay with trying.
Sacred Bones are beyond just being a record label. Once you become a fan of one band, you become a fan of every band they have on their label. That’s exactly how it should be. So thank you Sacred Bones, for giving music some meaning and heart.
When I look into your big brown eyes, and I feel like I’m in paradise. I want you by my side.”
My love for the Ramones isn’t just love. It’s an obsession. A way of life. If I was male, I’d want to be as tall as Joey Ramone. I’d have the hair too. Instead I am short, chubby and I have the same wild hair. I make do with what I have; I have to. It’s alright. I wear my Ramones hoodie with pride, but at the same time loath the thought that someone may assume I know nothing about them and are just wearing it to look “cool.” Please note that the term “cool” is bloody awful and nobody is cool. It’s a redundant word to make people into all they aren’t. Ramones are probably my favourite band ever. Closely followed by The Jesus And Mary Chain. This is all my uncle’s doing, and for that I am eternally grateful.
I always thought I could never pick a favourite record by Ramones because they have done so many. I think it’s around 14 or 15. I’ve always had a place firmly reserved for End Of The Century. I think if it wasn’t produced by (my favourite producer of all time) Phil Spector, my love for the record may not be as deep as this. Merging Punk and the Wall Of Sound together showed the genius of both Phil Spector and the Ramones. I’ve read many stories about the difficulties that occurred when recording End Of The Century. From Phil apparently holding the band hostage (with a gun) to recording the record in several studios; it is still one of the best records ever made.
My personal highlight of the record will always be their cover of the Ronettes song, Baby I Love You. I love this song more than I can put into words, and to hear my favourite band cover it in a way that still keeps hold of the vulnerability in the song is just incredible. Joey’s voice on this song is just stunning. To the point where you find yourself singing along with him and yelling “I LOVE YOU TOO JOEY” at the end of the song. Is that just me? I think it could be. It’s alright.
I know that it is a record that many fans of the band may not like, but for me it isn’t about the songs. It is about the fact that Phil Spector (in all his madness but genius) and the Ramones made a record together. Through all the madness and whatever else happened, a record came from it. It may or may not be “true” to the sound of the Ramones but no band ever stays the same. You cannot ever expect a band to keep making the same record over and over. What would be the point?
I own a few Ramones records on vinyl, but not many on CD. For me, I enjoy them more hearing the crackling in the background on vinyl. Sure you can hear the production more clear on a CD but I want the background noise. Ramones were raw. Regardless of who produced the records, they always stayed true to that. That easily makes them the best band ever. There will never be another band like them. Just like there will never be a producer like Phil Spector. So to have a record like End Of The Century, regardless on your view of it, was a truly great thing to happen to music.
I’ve got seven ways of going, seven wheres to be.”
Of course she will never see this. No one will. I don’t write to be known, I write because it is all I know. Five people gave me a love of words and music. One of them has a birthday today. 66 years old today. This is my open letter to Patti Smith.
Dear Patti,
I have read Just Kids more times than I have read any other book. To me, it isn’t a book. It is a guide for life. It teaches you how to love freely but with caution. How to follow your heart, but keep the one who owns firmly next to you. How to never let go of them, but become the person you want to become. The person you need to become. Your music taught me how to write from the heart and to not let anyone ever sway me. It’s easy to do what others expect of you; but you feel much better when you do what you want to do. The sense of freedom that comes over you is beyond words.
The outcast eventually gets what they want. You taught me that struggling for your art isn’t a bad thing. I know I may never have anything I write published in a book. I know the goals I set for myself in my mind may never ever happen; but the courage to try is there. It is there because of your art. Your words. Your music. You. Self-belief is a thing I may never grasp, but self-doubt keeps me going because when the one thing I want to happen, happens- I will know not to abandon it. I will know how to keep hold of it and let no one take it from me. People are keen to take so much from others because they no longer know how to work for their own and make something for themselves. Society is becoming more closed off and the art of conversation and the intimacy of eye contact is slowly fading. This breaks my heart.
People like you are rare. Rare people like you influence others greatly to follow their heart. It’s all well and good listening to your head, but where does that get you? Nothing good comes from taking the safe option. I’ve fucked up many a time from following my heart, but I don’t believe in regrets. Everything toughens you up, eventually. Words. Words hold more power than anything else in the world. You can say “I love you” so many times, but it only has meaning when you say it with feeling. The actions help too. Art creates love. Through love comes tenderness. I admire you because of your gentle words and your attitude on stage. When you can merge the two so well, you become a person that another can believe in. Don’t stand in their shadows, just use it as a way to carry on.
There is a line from Dancing Barefoot that sums up the first time I heard your music, “Some strange music draws me in.”Truth be told, it wasn’t strange. It was like finding a home. I was young when first heard your words, very young. Your music just stuck with me. I’d see videos of you acting tough on stage wishing I could be as tough as that. I was the opposite. I was gentle and sensitive, like your words. That’s how I’ll always be. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that being as strong as most just isn’t my thing. If I was, I’d never write again. I love words and the feelings they create too much to ever give up on them. To ever not be who I am. For to stop that, I’d be going against all I believe in.
I made an enemy out of myself in my own reflection. Then I listen to your record, Wave and all makes sense again. Frederick is the best love song ever written. I love the innocence within it. The devotion and love within that song is exactly how I feel about the one I love; it’s good to know that she feels the same. These things are rare. Rare things are easier to adore. I will hold onto her.
Guidance is found in strange and familiar places. What we know fades, and we replace it with other things to lead the way. I’ll always stay true to the power of music and words. Rapture takes over when you find something to connect with. For me, Punk was the only genre of music that ever captured my heart. It unleashed the frustrations and any form of love inside me. Who wrote of love better than you, Patti? Nobody. You. Just you, for always. There is no such thing as fear when I listen to your music or read your poetry.
I must go back to Just Kids one more time. I read Just Kids when I feel at a loss, or just need something I cannot put into words. I read it, and hope takes over. I’ve laughed and cried whilst reading Just Kids. I’ve cried from the sadness and from the love within. Everything about this book is everything I want from literature. I’ve watched Dream Of Life more times than I can can recall. I’ve seen fear ruin people, and I’ve seen love make people. I’ll always back the latter. Your words and music; your art have always projected such purity. A way of creation that is lacking now, but it is obvious it is still in some. Face the sins we have apparently made. Make them again and again. And just say you lived.
If I ever get tough, I’ll hold you responsible. If I ever lose my way, I have your art.
Every word you have written, spoken and sung has influenced this 26-year-old from the middle of nowhere- heading nowhere, aiming for somewhere with no possessions. Dream of life in the hope the dreams become life. Real life.
I wish to thank you for all you’ve done for music and literature. I wish to thank you for creating something that this lost soul found a home in.
All the love in the world.
Happy Birthday Patti.
Oliva xx
“What is it that calls to us? Why must we pray screaming? Why must not death be redefined? We shut our eyes we stretch out our arms And whirl on a pane of glass An afixiation a fix on anything the line of life the limb of a tree.”
When all is exhausting, and borderline dull we must find something to ease it all. Something to give us something that nothing else can. You can find it in a person, you can find it in a sound. Anywhere, everywhere. You just need to put effort into it; it isn’t hard.
The Bedroom Hour by rights, should be one of your favourite new bands. If you buy into hype from certain radio stations and publications, then this will cause you to miss out on them. So, ignore it. Ignore it all. The Bedroom Hour make music that is evidently from the heart. When I first heard their song, Submarine I thought I was listening to a mellowed out version of Spiritualized. The hazy intro to Submarine reminds me of one of the best songs ever written, Fade Into You by Mazzy Star. Trust no one who doesn’t hear the beauty in that song. After I’ve written this, I’ll probably spend the rest of the evening listening to it on repeat. It happens a lot.
The Bedroom Hour are from Hillingdon. I’ve tried to find interesting folk from there, but nobody notable stands out- aside from The Bedroom Hour. One thing that really stuck out for me when reading their bio was this, “with every end is a new beginning.” If more people took notice of that, then I think we’d get along better. We’d be more acceptable and loving. It’s such a brilliant way to look at life and all around you. When one thing fucks up, another thing works out. That’s just how it is, and clinging onto that will always work in your favour.
They make music that is good for the soul. Music that just makes you feel like there is more to you than your beating heart. That all those cells you are made up of are actually of worth. These five talented musicians really the capability to make new music less mundane and manufactured. They have songs that ooze sheer devotion (X Marks The Spot- play this one to the one you adore, everything will be fine forever.) The Bedroom Hour are the kind of band that you’ve been longing for, they’ve been longing for you too.
Their songs are delicate and utterly vulnerable. Stuart’s voice makes you relate to every single word; there’s something deeply passionate about this band that goes beyond what you have ever heard before. This is why they remind me of Spiritualized. Their songs are big but gentle. Heal yourself, and comfort the ones you love. The Bedroom Hour are a band you simply must treasure because bands like this do not come around often.
They are currently writing an EP in their own studio which should be out the start of 2013. For now, you can listen to their music here : https://soundcloud.com/#thebedroomhour Play it through headphones, as loud as you like and pay attention to the lyrics.
“The answer lies in your eyes,it lies in our wounds.”
My favourite singer is someone who deserves to be as big as Patti Smith. She has the heart and passion like my idol (I know that you shouldn’t have idols but sometimes, you must make an exception.) I love Brandy’s voice because, she has the power to break and mend the heart at the same time. When I saw she’d put a new song up, I just knew it’d be something truly special. I just knew I’d have to write about it. She’s one of the very few singers that make me do this. My love for music is there, but my motivation to write comes and goes. It’s a fading dream.
The Violence of Man is again, pure and ethereal. Sadness shines brightly in Brandy’s voice; but not in a way that leaves you crying on the floor in a ball wishing the end would come. She makes you feel less alone. She makes you feel less ashamed and tormented. Her words and her voice are one of the most sincere forms of comfort I have ever known. I know we seek refuge in the arms of the one we love; but sometimes we need a sound. A sound from someone who doesn’t know us, and someone we don’t know. Strangers create a world for us that becomes familiar and less daunting than what we face on a daily basis.
I simply cannot review a song in a simple way, especially when you can tell instantly that so much has gone into the song. I could easily sit here and just throw out words in a clichéd way to describe The Violence of Man, but that is no use to anyone. And I believe if you are a Music Writer, you should put the same amount of passion into your writing that the singer puts into their song. I don’t know if I’m successfully putting this across, so all I can do is hope you listen to The Long Wives and listen to her with intense and welcoming ears. That’s the only way.
Her voice echoes over the haunting strumming of the guitar. You feel the insecurities fall out of you. If you cannot be open with your love (as in the one you love) then you will be closed off forever more. Her voice and her lyrics are truly gorgeous. I know I have said this every single time I have written about The Long Wives; but I am truly in awe of her. The way she conveys religious images and such in her lyrics I believe to have only ever been found in one other; Nick Cave. I’d say she is the female Nick Cave, but really she is just her. Unique and mind-blowing. There is no other singer around, regardless of gender, like her. That alone makes you treasure her even more.
I think the line, “Did you learn to make a fist before you learned to speak?”sums up society perfectly. We are becoming more and more violent by the day. We channel our hate into things that do not matter and we create monsters out of ourselves. The Violence of Man makes you feel sorry for humanity because we are no longer accepting. Instead we just fight. We fight for nothing, we just harm others for no reason at all.
As I listen to her voice caress my eardrums, I can only hope you allow it to do the same. Brandy St.John easily has the best voice I’ve heard since Patti Smith. I simply cannot understand why songs like this aren’t taking over our airwaves. Then again, when you find something so precious of it, you think no one else will get it. But I truly hope you listen, and fully understand.
Sometimes you find a band/song that just takes over you. This year, the person who did that for me was The Long Wives; I play her music every day. It becomes like a ritual. I have to hear Judas Hex a few times a day, for no reason other than it being one of the best songs ever written.
Most probably regard bands from the West Coast of America as being some kind of lo-fi/surfer-pop thing. Making you feel as if you’re going to go to the beach and just stay there for the rest of time. There’s a darker side. A side that doesn’t get as much love and recognition as it deserves. It is a side that is dark and haunting. A side that for some reason, is more uplifting that some jaunty lo-fi band. Not that I don’t enjoy that, but I have a place reserved mainly for the darker side of music. The Long Wives stirred all this up for me earlier this year, and now a band from Los Angeles called L.A. Witch have gone and done the same.
L.A.Witch are brilliant. I know duos own my heart, but this three-piece band are just out of this world. If a band can make you feel this way by only having one song out, then you know you have found something truly remarkable and sacred. I love them for many reasons. One being that they remind me of a darker version of Warpaint. It doesn’t take a genius to realise how much I love Warpaint (I have a tattoo, pretty sure that explains it..for no.) Warpaint make you feel as if you are drifting in and out of sleep. L.A.Witch are that feeling right before you fall asleep. A few times you feel your head drop as you nod off, then you just go. You go so far down; nothing and no one can disturb you. L.A. Witch take you on a journey that you don’t ever want to come back from. Why would you want to?! The places a song can create for you in your mind are much better than the world you see outside with your own eyes. Live in your head, because no one can bother you that way.
I know when you find new bands you automatically try to find a way to label them as something or just throw them into some disastrous sub-genre that appeals to the pretentious kind. I despise that. Music is music. Some you may like, some you may enjoy; regardless of what it is. Whatever you want to listen to, go with it. When you seek out bands that are from one genre, you miss out on so much. But when you cannot sleep at 3am, you find a lot. That’s how I find most of the music I listen to. That and putting off what I should be doing in order to find new music instead. Music is much more appealing.
Sorrow fills you as you hear the last-minute of Your Ways. As the guitar spirals down, you fall with it. They remind me of a slowed-down version of The Kills. They have the same road-trip vibe going on like The Kills do. You get some real Blues influence coming through also. I have no idea if they are influenced by the Blues or not (but aren’t we all to an extent.) This is the kind of band Jack White would love to get his hands on and make the world pay attention. Not that they can’t do it on their own, that’s not what I mean. What I mean is, you listen to them and you think that this is a band you know he would love. Everyone should love them because they sound different and honest.
Not all music lacks passion and heart. You’ve got to keep searching, but when you find it; do you stop? No, you don’t. You can’t. You can never stop. Neither will bands such as L.A. Witch because we truly need them.
As if thinking of my favourite songs of the year didn’t hurt my head enough, I’m going through albums. This year I listened to less new music, mainly because my obsession for certain bands (that are either dead or split up) just came back. I may have missed out, I may not have. Who knows, why should you care. I do stand-by that EPs were better than full length records this year, but again; just my opinion. I found some obscure bands at 2am due to not being able to sleep, I also couldn’t get enough of Girls Aloud’s greatest hits (Something New is the best pop song of the year easily.) Some amazing debut albums came out this year from Emeli Sande to 2:54 to Willis Earl Beal. This year, in every sense has been alright. For me personally it picked up in July. Oh and when I saw Crocodiles FINALLY in September. Anyway. I’ve given myself a headache trying to think of my favourite albums of the year. My top 5 is a solid decision, but those before? I cannot put them in order. So what I’m going to do is be a boring twit and list the first 5 in no order. Then the 5 after will be in order. I’m making life hard for myself again, I know. It’s what I do. It is the only way I know how to function it seems.
Ellie Goulding-Halcyon.
The XX-Coexist.
Beach House-Bloom.
Cat Power-Sun.
Garbage-Not Your Kind Of People.
Spiritualized-Sweet Heart Sweet Light.
Willis Earl Beal-Acousmatic Sorcery.
Toy-Toy.
The Creeping Ivies-Stay Wild.
Bowl Cut-Anti-Everything EP.
Okay, I’ll stop listing records and write about my top 5.
5. Pop.1280- The Horror.Probably the most intense record released this year. It is dark, it is creepy and best of all; it is sinister. Everything cryptic you could feel is conjured up in this record. It’s not a record you play in the background whilst doing mundane tasks. No way. This is a record you play when you are alone. Do not listen to this when surrounded by anyone because they will just distract you from the music. The basslines and aggressive drums blow-up your eardrums and just freak you out. If this doesn’t move you in a menacing manner, then you’ve listened to it wrong. Simple as. I love The Horror because for me, it just has everything I love about music. I’m not a morbid person, I probably give off that vibe because I am prone to being grumpy (people need to stop being arses, that’s why. But I’m a bit shit so it all works out I guess) but this record takes you to a dark place in such a poetic manner. It’ll haunt you, but you don’t want it to leave you alone. Go with it.
4. Tamaryn-Tender New Signs.Every year a record comes out that makes you feel like you are living in a dream. It grabs your soul, and sways you. It is the much-needed hug at 3am when you cannot sleep and you miss the one you love because of distance. It is the comfort that you need when you feel hopeless. It is music for the soul, and it warms your bones. It owns a piece of your heart, and the ethereal vocals do something that just soothes you like no other. Tender New Signs was that record, for me. It is much like what The Fool by Warpaint was to me in 2010. It is on that level. So pure, and so divine. Tender New Signs is a dream that you cannot bring yourself to wake up from. Not many things in life are perfect, but this record is.
3. 2:54-2:54.The next three records are as follows: debut record of the year, EP of the year, favourite record of the year. 2:54 put out the best debut record of the year. Everything about it had that mind-blowing eerie vibe to it. Like you are being hunted down in a forest. Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t mind Colette or Hannah hunting you down would you. No, you wouldn’t. I just think they’re the best UK band around because they have something different to other bands. You can tell they are serious about the music, and play with such passion. I remember hearing the demo to Creeping in 2010 and just being hooked. I wanted more, but there wasn’t much around. I played it to death, and I’ve pretty much done the same with their record. Every song sends you into a trance that you never want to be shaken out of. I know I compare everything to Seventeen Seconds by The Cure, but I truly felt the same way listening to 2:54’s debut as I did when I first heard Seventeen Seconds years ago. Some people get excited about Christmas and such, I get excited over bands that make raw music like 2:54. If Sugar didn’t make you jolt your body, then something was up with you.
2. Dum Dum Girls-End Of Daze.EP OF THE YEAR. Anything DDG do just amazes me. Dee Dee’s songwriting on this EP just left me in awe. Season In Hell gave me hope, Mine Tonight broke my heart, I Got Nothing made me feel less alone and Lord Knows made me feel less shit about the bad in me. The cover of Trees And Flowers reduced me to tears (doesn’t take much, shut up.) End Of Daze feels like starting over. When you listen to End Of Daze, you feel as if you are being cleansed of all the bad that has gone on. Any bad you have done or any bad you have had done to you; it all fades as you listen to the glorious EP. I’ve taken walks listening to Dum Dum Girls, I’ve nearly broken gym equipment listening to them. I’ve found peace listening to them, in Dee Dee’s words. It is like finding a safety net, a cure for all. If you want hope and love, you will find it in a Dum Dum Girls song. Season In Hell is one of my favourite songs of the year because it just makes you feel like everything is worth it. When she sings, “Doesn’t the dawn look divine” it just lifts you up. End Of Daze is the purest healing process you will ever be exposed to. Be vulnerable, and take the words in.
1. Crocodiles-Endless Flowers.To hell with what anyone thinks, this is the best record of the year. You shouldn’t need telling why, but whatever. Maybe you do. Everything about Endless Flowers is wonderful. Summer Of Hate and Sleep Forever were quite brutal and raw. Endless Flowers is a gentle caress. No Black Clouds For Dee Dee is a gorgeous ode to Brandon’s wife (Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls) and I think anyone who is in love will fully relate to the song. Everything about it is innocent and beautiful. Dark Alleys is my favourite. It’s over 5 minutes of euphoria. Seeing some of the songs from Endless Flowers, Summer Of Hate and Sleep Forever was truly one of the best things I experienced this year. Maybe it was because I had waited over 3 years for it. I guess I could class 2012 as just waiting things out, because the good finally happened. My girlfriend gave me a copy of Endless Flowers on vinyl as a Christmas present, and part of me doesn’t want to ever play it because I want it to stay as perfect as it is. Then the other part of me wants to hear it in all its fuzzy glory. I obviously will play it. Maybe I love the record even more now she bought me that, and it just reminds me of her. But it is truly my favourite record of the year because well, I just love Crocodiles. They’ve been a crutch over the past 3 and a bit years; Endless Flowers just reinforced my love for them. Not that it needed doing, but you get my point. I could go on forever about this record, but I’ve said enough. It’s my favourite, simple as.
Friday evening I left my friends to go to my girlfriends. Before I even get to the core of this, I think I deserve some form of gift for being able to use the tube all by myself and not losing my Oyster card (yet!) I think this is one of my greatest achievements of this year. Anyway, as my friends and I parted at the station (I don’t want to name any of the stations out of respect, and such) one of the women that worked at this station came up to use and asked where we were going. As I told her where I was going, she told me that I couldn’t go as there had been a disruption to the service. As she said this, a man behind her was putting an information board up informing those travelling that someone had taken their life, thus causing a disruption to certain routes. Now, I’ve travelled on trains before where this has happened. Usually an hour or so when everything has been dealt with but with minor delays. But this time, it had just happened. For some reason, it just really got to me.
As I made my way to my girlfriend’s, all I could think about was this person. I don’t know who they were, their gender, name; nothing. I don’t know if things like this are reported. But the unknown just really saddened me. What if this is someone who no one ever knew, and they died unhappy and alone? What if they had a really shitty day, and all they wanted was for someone to listen? What if normally, they are alright but something awful happened and the thought of carrying on just was too much?
What if it was someone you knew? A loved one? A neighbour? You just have no idea what a person is going through; what is going on in their head. The biggest killer (aside from the media) is the mind. Your mind can sometimes overrule the heart, and you act out of character. We try to act tough, but I think most of us are just vulnerable. I have no problems with admitting I’m sensitive. I will cry at adverts on TV about animals needing help or certain songs causing me to have a mini breakdown. It doesn’t bother me at all. I’d rather be this way than have no emotions at all. I’m not saying I’m unstable; I just know how I feel, simple as really.
Yet some don’t. Some are overwhelmed by certain events or things being said to them that they just cannot carry on no more. The world can be loving, but it can also be the most cruel place. It can welcome you and shun you within a matter of seconds. For every beautiful moment, there’s a nightmare right around the corner.
No one should ever feel like they aren’t good enough or that their problems are insignificant. I don’t see how you can turn your back on someone who just needs someone to listen. You may not be able to cure all, but sometimes a person just wants another person to listen. Free of judgement, full of time.
Of course life is precious, and time can be a drag. But a person’s well-being and their heart are so delicate and need protecting at time. Yes we are all going to face some harsh times in life, but there is good also. I’ve been thinking about this unknown person since Friday, and I don’t know why. Maybe it is because of the time of year, I have no idea. I know how tough and how awful Christmas can be. I hate Christmas for many personal reasons. I understand to some degree.
One thing that bothered me a lot was, as were about to pass through the station where this sad sad event took place, the train driver told us to not look out of the window as we may see something upsetting. I kept my headphones in and looked at the floor. I looked up for a second, and I saw people look out of the window. At this point I started to dislike humanity. Out of respect, they should have just carried on with reading their books or looking at their phones. Anything but look outside. I have no idea if anything was there, nor did I want to know. My thoughts have been with this unknown person ever since this happened.
People do not need a lot to get by. Just a hug with a reassuring gaze can stop someone from feeling worthless and taking their own life. Things take time.
I truly hope that this person is at peace, wherever they may be now. Normally I’d just end this with a few songs but with this, I’ll settle with just the one.
Beat In My Bones. 