Every so often something happens in the World that just fills me with rage and disgust towards people. Not all people- just a certain kind. The kind I’m usually disgusted at are called, Politicians. I’m not going to word this in a way that doesn’t offend; I don’t care. I’m past that. Because what the UK government could possibly do is WAY more offensive than anything I could ever write down.
Whether you know it or not- we all know someone who is a victim of domestic violence. You may not know it because they have taught themselves to hide it so well, or they just deny anything is going on. However, for most they seek refuge in Safe Houses across the country.
Well, it seems so motherfucking bright spark wants to cut funding for domestic violence resources. Now, it really doesn’t take a genius to work out that this is beyond wrong and utterly utterly vile. This simply cannot happen. And I want YOU to click on the link that a very good friend of mine has set up for a petition to stop this from happening. Please don’t think “Oh my signature won’t make a difference.” DON’T BE SUCH A TWAT. Sign it. It will take you a couple of minutes, and doing so could stop this from happening. So please, do it.
What makes me sad is that, all too often victims of rape, domestic violence are ALWAYS seen as deserving it. Who the FUCK asks to be raped? Who the FUCK asks to be beaten up on a daily basis, and being made to feel so worthless because of abusive words and actions? NOBODY. NOBODY AT ALL.
We all have the right to feel safe- on the streets and in our own home. To cut this funding would just ruin so many people’s lives. It would take away a safety net for so many. So please please- sign the petition. Thing is- you shouldn’t have to read anything I’ve written- you should’ve just scrolled down to find the link so you could sign the petition. If you read this and think, “Nah..I won’t bother.” Then please, go fuck yourself. Imagine if it happened to you or someone you loved- how would you feel?
The Government seem to want to only do things that bring in money and ignore helping others. It doesn’t take a lot to realise that keeping the funds for these resources is FAR more important that the fucking Olympics. People running about for half an hour on a brand new track or saving a person’s life by giving them a place to go? It’s obvious what is important.
Trying to find anything about this band just leads me to some stuff about sharks. I don’t mind because I do love sharks a hell of a lot. Probably more than I actually should. The conversations I’ve had about sharks with my 8 year old nephew are quite intense- on both our parts. Both old souls with a solid view on the world. We both COULD be superheroes. Anyway.
Shark? the band come from Brooklyn, which makes them another fantastic East Coast band. If Interpol were less dark but more aggressive- they’d be like this. It’s a good thing because I LOVE Interpol, and I love Shark?
So, why do I love this band? Well, they are from one of the best places in the world (okay, I’ve never been there but you know) and they are influenced by some bands that I adore, and hold very dear to me such as the Pixies and Sonic Youth. This shines through in their music- but by no means are they ripping any of these bands off at all.
Shark? are creating Garage Rock at its finest and I really do hope that you and the rest of the universe take notice of this band. Yeah, a lot of bands have so much to offer but there’s something I’ve found in Shark? that….I guess I can’t put it into words that will make any sense to you. So what I’m saying is- just go listen to the music and let it control you for a bit. It’s always okay to lose self control and throw yourself into something- especially if it is a form of art.
I can list you the bands that make me feel like I am having an outer-body experience. I know you don’t want to hear it- but I’m going to give you a band that have been around for some time now, that make me feel like…man..they just make me fucking FEEL you know? This is the kind of band I could listen to if I felt like everything around me was fucked up and wrong, but they’d make me feel good again.
Baby Woodrose are funky as fuck. This is the “my god I am feeling this in my bones” kind of music. If you’d never heard of them before, and if you didn’t know any better- you’d assume they were another astounding Psychedellic band from L.A. They just have that chilled out and lucid vibe. They’re from Denmark. I don’t know much about music from Denmark, feel free to wing some bands my way if you want. I’ll check them out. If they sound like Baby Woodrose, I’ll buy you a drink. Or you can pretend I have. That’d be easier.
Readers, I cannot believe what I am hearing right now. How can something like this have been created over the past decade? This makes me feel like I’m losing myself in the 1960s, some place hot. You know exactly where. This is the kind of music that makes me want to hug someone out of sheer joy because I am so happy to be alive. This gnarly, passionate and trippy music is what keeps me going. You know, if Lester Bangs was still alive- I think that Baby Woodrose would be a band he adored. Man…if Lester was still alive, I would’ve already found a way to get to the States to find him and tell him he is my favourite Music Writer of all time. I’ll let you into a little secret- I aspire to be as amazing as him. I probably don’t have it in me, but I try. Everything I write is me trying to get closer to being a semi decent writer. Got to keep going. Music and writing- they are all I have. I don’t need much. Music like this makes me happy. Music like this makes me glad that my only love is music. This is some serious stuff right here.
I just want to know, why aren’t Baby Woodrose huge? Is it because nobody “gets” it? There’s nothing to GET about this music. It’s incredible, simple as. Is it because their name comes from a trippy based drug? I don’t know. All I know is that they are going up in my list of favourite bands, easily.
Baby Woodrose have a new album dropping in April. It’s called Third Eye Surgery. If you know what’s good for you, you will buy it. Also, check out all their records. Their first one, Blows Your Mind (which it will) is my favourite. And all you shallow fucks are wrong if you think I only like it for the front cover. As glorious as the naked woman is, I love it for the music.
I know I’ve just written about a band that make you want to fuck shit up in such a passionate manner, but I need to give you something that will balance it out. I’d make some generic reference, but I don’t think I’m at that place right now. Or if I’ve ever been there. Who knows. Who cares. No one, kid. No one.
Heartless Bastards. What a bloody good name for a band. Their music (and I’m sure them personally) is not heartless at all. Think Beach House. You like Beach House? So do I. Aren’t they beautiful. So are Heartless Bastards.
I love the name, so I’ll keep typing it when referring to them (if I can remember.) Heartless Bastards are a band you need to play when you just want to get in your car and drive off somewhere. To escape those annoying fucks you know, or to just briefly get out of your head for a while. Again, this is another band I cannot give you the genre of. It always spoils it when a person does that. Like, say if a really good Pop singer came out- and a friend said to you, “You need to check out this new Pop singer!” You’d turn your nose up at it wouldn’t you? I don’t understand music snobs. Fuck off man, you’re not the one on stage getting paid to do something you love. You’re probably working in a bank and your boss smells of shit, and the people are shit. And the money is shit. To hell with your negative energy. I’ll never write about something I don’t like just to seem outrageous. I once had cheerios for dinner- that’s how crazy I am. Yeah, I know. Calm down ladies, I’m fucking wild…about as wild as a dead dog.
What was my point?
I don’t have one.
Heartless Bastards are band that make you want to get some wooden platform, stand on a porch and sing the songs to your neighbours and passers by. A real Southern feeling to this band (American not English, silly!) They make you feel warm and proud. I don’t know what you’re proud of, but they make you feel it. They just make you feel so good.
Their new record, Arrow is out soon. I’m not one for giving out advice, but I’m telling you now- to buy the record. If T-Rex ever made a country record, it’d sound like Heartless Bastards music. Not that they’re country, but they have a slight hint of it. I cannot describe it. Just go find out for yourself. You need them.
Chicks Who Love Guns are the best band in Australia. I don’t know much about bands from there, all I know is that Silverchair were one of the best bands ever and they too, came from Australia. So, what we can take from this is that Australia produces some good fucking music.
If you like gentle music that makes you feel like you’re being held. Maybe you’re a sadcase who cries themselves to sleep every single night because the likes of Adele express how you feel. Yeah, get in line with the rest of those who read Closer and drink Diet Coke because they want to spend their evening with their best friends Ben & Jerry after work, just to balance it out. It’s cool if that works for you, I mean- for every together person in the universe, there’s about 50 listening to Someone Like You thinking about a lover from 10 years ago.
Chicks Who Love Guns are brutal. If Test Icicles were still around (I love you Dev, this is where it started man) Chicks Who Love Guns would be an AMAZING support on some world tour, where their stage antics made them the new Iggy & The Stooges. But hey, it’s never going to happen. But being the new Iggy & The Stooges just might.
Forget trying to find a genre to throw them into- it’s not about that at all. They are creating this insane tension filled music that makes me glad I am still breathing. This is my favourite band right now, for sure. I love how aggressive it sounds. I know I’m partial to the relaxed sounds of The xx and Warpaint but sometimes, I need something so fucking loud. Something so grand and loud. Vomit On The Dancefloor makes me want to go to some rundown gig venue, throw my limbs about and shake my head until I pass out. The night would end with my Docs covered in cheap whiskey and clothes being a bit ripped. My jacket would be safe though. That’s always a given. The jacket must always be safe.
Hand on heart, I honestly do not expect any of my friends to dig this band nor do I even expect them to read any of this. I won’t say to any of them to check out Chicks Who Love Guns because I know they want. So, I’m giving it to YOU instead. A complete stranger who I am placing some faith in that you will actually go listen to these guys, and fall in love like I have. Fall in love hard. Be covered in bruises and cuts. Leave yourself black and blue. Bleed a little. Let out your crazy and violent side to this. Just..I don’t know- fuck shit up if you must. I don’t know.
Chicks Who Love Guns are noisy and raw. It has undertones of Garage Rock, Punk and a wee bit of Shoegaze. It’s no surprise that I love them. It’s a lo-fi riot that I never want to stop.
This is the real deal. This is what we all need. This is music to zone out to, it is music to go wonderfully insane to. So do it.
It all started by accident. It was 2001. I was a lost cause. That’s how I felt from my first day of high school until that day in 2006 when I started University. Some things just stay with you. Luckily, I destroyed it. Its ghost likes to haunt me sometimes, but I ignore it. My love for Brand New was by accident. I was listening to Morrissey, as usual and I saw something that said “bands influenced by Morrissey.” So my curious mind went with it. Some of the bands were truly awful. I have no idea what influenced them, but it sure as hell wasn’t Morrissey.
I clicked on a song to listen to. The title intrigued me because it just seemed a bit depressing. The No Seatbelt Song. The song broke my teenage heart. The song became a borderline obsession. I managed to drag myself away from it. Then I heard Seventy Times Seven. Every ounce of angst and rage I ever felt was being summed up in this song. Feeling so useless and disgusting never felt so fucking good. I’d play it all the time. It was like a prayer. It was everything I wanted to say but couldn’t say. Brand New say the things I could never say. Right now, I can relate to more of their songs than I could imagine. It just proves that they instantly became a highly influential band. Maybe not for you to start your own band, but for you to realise how you feel- and why you feel that way.
Your Favourite Weapon is poetic fury and pissed off feelings- your standard batch of teenage angst at its finest.
Then along came Déjà Entendu. This album is one of the few albums that I will always struggle to put into words, to just describe how it makes me feel. What it did for me, and what it still does. Jesse’s lyrics on this record are enough to make the strongest person in the world have a minor breakdown. I remember when I first heard The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot and just cried. If you’ve ever felt like you’re in the way of a person, a burden or just a waste of a person- you will feel this song. If someone has ever meant so much to you, but the words are forever lingering on your tongue- this song is for you. The last verse is love at its poetic best. The last line always gets to me, “You are the smell before rain. You are the blood in my veins.” If you’ve ever loved, you will understand this line more than you wish to. This record is so pure and honest; if you don’t have it in you to love it- then you’ve probably never felt real human emotion. The first record just reeked of heartbreak and anger, but with Déjà Entendu it just pours out so much wisdom, and in a way-patience. Jesse’s lyrics on this album are vulnerable, and this vulnerability makes it so easy to relate to. When someone is that open with their music, you honestly cannot help but feel every single word. I bet you still play this record and scream along to every single word now as if it was written for you. There’s a part on this album, in a song that, for me always ALWAYS makes me want to weep out of sheer joy. Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don’t is one of my favourite Brand New tracks, and it is one I have been listening to a lot at the moment. Recently I paid extremely close attention to when Jesse screams “This is the reason you fall.” The way he screams this line has lately made me really feel the song. Lyrically, it is one of my favourites. It is made up of lines that make you understand just how much Morrissey was and is an influence to him. As a huge Morrissey fan, I’ll admit I was reluctant those years ago to listen to Brand New. I just thought they’d be another rip off. Far from it. So far from it. You can see how they are influenced but by no means are they a carbon copy. I think this song also has one of my favourite lines ever in a song. A line that I have firmly related to since the very first time I heard it. You think when you hear something so long ago; it will gradually lose its meaning. Not always. If anything, the line means more to me now than it did when I first heard it. The specific line I am talking about is, of course “My tongue’s the only muscle in my body that works harder than my heart.” One simple line just evokes so much truth. Last year saw Guernica be far more apt to my life than I ever wanted it to. The line, “….remove whatever makes you hurt, but I am too weak to be your cure.” Just summed up everything. If someone so close to you becomes sick, you’ll fully understand. There was a time where listening to it became too much, I just couldn’t. But it gradually became my safety net, and comfort blanket. I could write about this album until my hands become numb from typing, but I’ve got to move on before I rant like I’ve never ranted before.
The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me; aside from being my favourite album title of all time, it is also my favourite Brand New record. This record came out when I was figuring out who and what I was- and more than likely, hating it. This record along with a few others eased the process of me becoming okay with who I was. I gave up trying to this record. I gave up trying to be what was expected of me to this record. I see this as a positive; I don’t know if others will. However, I’ve learnt to never care again what they or anyone thinks.
What I love about the third record is how painfully deep the lyrics are. Lyrics are a big deal for me. I can’t connect over a key change. I connect over a phrase- and how it is said. Every single song on The Devil And God…is so heartbreakingly easy to relate to. I don’t want to get too personal because you don’t need to hear it- and I honestly don’t know how I’d word it.
There’s certain lyrics on this record that just make me think, “Have you been living in my head?” As a 25 year old who is still trying to take in the universe, I can relate more to this record as I get older. I’ll never know enough, I will never learn enough- I may never be sure of many things. Records like this make being an adult less hard. They say being a teenager is chore- adulthood isn’t exactly a stroll in the park now is it. I’m not saying I hate it, far from it. I love getting older. You appreciate things more- twinges of understanding come through more. The song that I brutally identify with is Milestone. To be honest, I don’t get how you can listen to that song and not see yourself in it. There’s just certain lines that make me freeze with how in awe I am of the way Jesse writes, and how he can get to the very bone of how YOU feel- because it is how he feels. I find a lot of comfort in this record now, more than when I first heard it because I’m older- and he was of course older when he wrote it. It just goes back to the constant growing pains we face all the time. The line I think that really gets to me is “I used to pray like God was listening. I used to make my parents proud. I was the glue that kept my friends together. Now they don’t talk, and we don’t go out.” If a person was to ask me what line from a song sums up anything and everything I feel, and have ever felt- it’d be that. Then you have a line from Degausser, “I can’t shake this little feeling. I never get anything right.” You can shake off the self doubt you carry, but it has a tendency to leave an unwanted trace sometimes.
The songs are delicate, and as Jesse screams the words it is almost like he is screaming out your frustrations. He is your voice.
I’ll admit, I’ve not heard Daisy. I’m still stuck in awe with The Devil And God….I don’t think I am ready to hear it just yet. I know it’s been a while, but I don’t think I can listen to it just yet. Maybe it makes me a shit fan; I don’t know. I really don’t.
There is so much I could say about Brand New, but my love for them is private. I have a few bands that I hold like this. I have a few bands that I tend not to let me love for them shine out. Of course I have no problem with pouring out my love for Warpaint or Morrissey onto a page- but there is something about Brand New that I hold very dear to me. Maybe it’s because it is emotionally exhausting to write this way- but it is the only way I know how. I try hard to avoid being personal, and I know it is a horrific and shit way to write. I keep trying to stop, but I can’t. If you have no feeling about something, ignore it- I suppose. Brand New are the light at the end of that fucking tunnel that has fast become the bane of your life. Brand New are a crutch. They are the God to your Devil. They exorcise all the badness inside and make you feel human for feeling that way. Like I said before, they say the things you wish you could say. It makes you feel okay with it, because at least someone can get the words out. They get the words out better than you could’ve hoped for or ever imagined.
The Jesus And Mary Chain are my favourite band of all time- that will never change. However, when I hear about someone covering them, it causes me to get a bit angry and sad. They never seem to get it right. Why? Because they’re not The Jesus And Mary Chain. I can let it go when it is for a good cause though.
I was just reading something on a site, and I saw Seapony had covered Just Like Honey. It turns out 11 bands have all covered this song for charity. I read up about it, and I honestly think it is one of the most beautiful ideas I’ve seen in a long time.
I’m running the London Marathon for Breast Cancer Care (www.breastcancercare.org.uk). I asked 11 bands I featured on my podcast (www.JustLikeHoney.co.uk) to cover the same song: Just Like Honey (original by The Jesus & Mary Chain). The compilation costs minimum £8 (about $12) but you can give more to support more people affected by breast cancer.
This is a wonderful idea, and one I will contribute to for sure. I’m not going to say anything about the artists that are featured on the compilation at all. It wouldn’t be right, but I can tell you that every single version is brilliant. No version ruins the original. Each version is done in such a perfect way. Some have take onboard the distorted sound, others have made it sound more vulnerable. This is a charity that is so very dear to my heart, as you know- so please support it.
I know they say you should never judge a book by its cover, and I guess you should never judge a record by its artwork? When Feast Of Hammers arrived in the post this morning (thank you Mishkin!) I instantly fell in love with the artwork. It has an anchor on it; this is why I love it. Aside from the artwork, the album is really bloody good.
I’ve already said before why I love Birdeatsbaby, but listening to this record I am finding more reasons as to why I love them. They’re just so fucking mental. I love mental music. The kind that just makes you think, “Did they just say that?!” Or just the general feeling the music gives you. Take their lastest single, Incitatus- if this song doesn’t creep you out or feel like something is chasing you, then you’re not listening to it properly. Watch the video to it. It is so fucked up and beautiful. I’d stop watching it, but I like how much it scares me. It’s so damn eerie. If Kate Bush went extremely weird- this is what she would’ve sounded like for sure.
I have only one problem with this record, and I’m going to mention it now before I carry on- it isn’t long enough. I know there’s 12 tracks, but I want more. I want a double album or something. I know the only solution is to just play the record over and over- which is what I intend on doing. I know I banged on about Lana’s album, and how dark it was. And how much I love it. But, Lana my dear- this is your competition. Having said that, as soon as Garbage put their new album out- I won’t care about anything really. I’ve been waiting since 2005 for a new record, and it’s coming. However, I will still be playing Feast Of Hammers. It’s a record that you just cannot ignore, and if you’re dumb enough to ignore it. Then I’m going to assume you love really awful folk music.
Feast Of Hammers is not for people who like pretentious arty music or who think wearing a dead person’s jacket is cool. Nothing is cool. Cool doesn’t exist. Unless you’re name is Lou Reed. Feast Of Hammers is so damn raw and brutal. I could listen to Mishkin’s voice all day (again, I plan on doing so.) I don’t need to really tell you how good this record is, you should already know by now just how brilliant Birdeatsbaby are. If you’re someone who is partial to listening to music based on how strange the band name sounds; then Birdeatsbaby are for YOU.
I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that Birdeatsbaby get the recognistion they truly deserve with this record. I know a lot of bands throw tracks on a record just to fill space, but that doesn’t happen on Feast Of Hammers at all. Even the Interlude fits perfectly. It belongs there, even though it only lasts just over 50 seconds.
Feast Of Hammers makes me feel like I am sailing on a haunted boat in the dark. Ghouls and demons are preparing to launch themselves upon me, and evil spirits are lurking to take over my body. Bring it. It sounds like a bloody good time to be honest. So, if like me and you’re sick of every wanker announcing that it is snowing all over social networking sites- fuck them off, and go watch the new video to Incitatus. It’s just weather- no big deal. Go enjoy some fucking eerie music that makes you feel like Edgar Allan Poe has possessed you with his twisted and glorious words. This album is just awesome.
Play it loud, play it all the time. Treausre it FOREVER. This is a beautiful record that just really, deserves your attention. It’s out real soon and your can purchase it from : http://www.birdeatsbaby.co.uk/shop
I know I could’ve written more about this record, and probably wrote down better things- but just go get the record. Then you’ll see how remarkable it truly is.
After what seems like forever with teasing us with a snippet of their new video; Birdeatsbaby have unleashed their brilliant new video for Incitatus.
The video is so fucked up and dark- I love it. It’s just a ridiculously creepy video. It’s mental and truly worth the wait. It’s beautifully and wonderfully deranged. When I saw bits of it, I thought..”Have they gone Human Centipede with this?!” They haven’t. Don’t worry. That doesn’t happen. Just watch it. It’s twisted and delightful.
Don’t forget, the album Feast Of Hammers drops 20th February.
They say you never forget the first time you get your heart broken, don’t they? Do they? Have I made that up? Whatever. You probably don’t. Mine was 20th October 2008. The day that The Long Blondes announced they split up. I remember feeling like shit, and realising that the world was a BITCH. A massive bitch. Since then, all I’ve wanted is for them to re-form. There’s two bands I care about re-forming. The Long Blondes and The Jesus And Mary Chain. I know I’ve got to stop clinging onto false hope. I think now? Now I’m ready to do so. How come? Because Dorian Cox has a new band, and Kate Jackson’s solo stuff is brilliant. So, rant out of the way as per…
Former Lover come from one of the best places in England; Sheffield. I’m not just saying this because my mother is from Yorkshire. I just firmly believe that Sheffield produces some incredible music. Former Lover are just reinforcing this notion.
Former Lover are made up of Dorian Cox, Dan Dylan Wray and Myrtle; and I think I love them all more than I probably should. The music is the kind you will play when you can’t sleep because you know that they will sum up how you feel. They’ll be the band you cradle when nobody else is around at 3am when you’ve had too much wine, and you’re feeling too emotional. As it says on their bio :
“…to create quiet music to soundtrack insomnia and 3 am breakdowns.”
Please do NOT compare them to The Long Blondes. Just don’t. This is new, and different. I understand why you’d feel the need to do so- but please don’t. When you close one chapter of life, you’ve got to write a new one- consider this the new one.
Beat In My Bones. 