A couple of weeks ago, myself and a good friend had our night at Aces & Eights. This is about one of the bands I asked to play after hearing a clip on their soundcloud page. A live recording that was enough for me to know I had to ask them before someone else got in there first and took them from my reach. Obviously, they could have said no after I asked but fortunately they didn’t. One song was all it took for me to know they’d fast become my favourite new band, and I hoped anyone who came to our night knew that they had witnessed a band that are most definitely going to do special things. Let’s not class the singer chipping her tooth on the mic at our night, mind!
The Cold Bones are everything my mind, body and soul looks for in music. It’s always a sold that I love listening to music that’s a bit dark and close to the knife edge of emotion. I need something that’s unapologetically brutal, loud and raw. Something that does something to the heart which makes the mind cloud its judgment. I got all this from one song, and now we have a couple more to go on. You see, it really does take a lot of me to truly love a piece of music or a band. I need to find something. This “something” leaves me stumped, and I can’t think of the words yet I still know I have to write about them. This is what The Cold Bones have done.
Their songs make you feel as if you’re walking through a misty street, you can’t see anything around you and the sheer romanticism of this is elevated in these songs. Their sound is truly unlike anything I’ve heard in a long, long time. For a band to have this grip on what they’re about with just a handful of songs for us to listen to is nothing short of commendable. I remember them playing How You Spend Your Time at our night, and I was transfixed. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the stage. If they just played that song over and over for half an hour, I’d probably have been the happiest person in the room. I absolutely adore how sinister it sounds and how you cannot tear yourself away from what you’re hearing. It’s so passionately eerie, and you feel like someone is creeping up on you- telling you that they know what you’ve been up to. You can’t fight it off this time.
I love when a band or a song can make you feel as if you’re anywhere but where you are. I could be in the murky depths of 1984 wandering through a grey street in Berlin or I could be here, now. I could be anywhere listening to The Cold Bones. I could be in those places I mentioned. Anywhere is possible, and when a band give you that feeling, I think that’s when you’ve found something that you cannot help but treasure. I know I constantly mention that if I was in a band I’d want to sound like…. but when I listen to The Cold Bones, I really do hear something truly magnificent and I hope that they one day become a band that influence others to make music. I, hand on heart, cannot praise them enough. Their live shows are incredible and they posses a sound many take decades to figure out. They’re a pleasure to listen to and to watch, and are easily one of the best new bands around.
They are playing the Dublin Castle on 16th June. Let’s all go and drink whisky & ginger together!
The right kind of noise can leave etchings of bite marks on your brain and slowly trickle to the outside. These are the kind of song that sweat out of you at 3am when you’ve vowed to sleep or when you need something beyond what you have. The songs fall out of your headphones and into you. It doesn’t matter how you take something in but how you let it out.
I saw Phil/Gross Net this year whilst he was on tour with his other band, Girls Names. Completely different sounds but equally brilliant sounds. Gross Net have this possessive and dark sound that makes you feel as if you’ve gone somewhere you shouldn’t. Like a sordid dark alley in Berlin. If you can’t have fun there, then where can you? The songs on Outstanding Debt are that vicious noise in your head keeping you up at night. But it’s also the one that you can’t help but turn to. The sounds will torment you and instill something inside you. There’s this loudness to the songs that would be overbearing in others, but Phil does it in a way that grabs you passionately by the throat. And my god you don’t want it to ever soften its grip.
Outstanding Debt has the rage of Psychocandy with the underlying feeling of Seventeen Seconds. A rare, raw darkness spills out in each song which leaves you being utterly faithful to the repeat button. I always seem to dive into songs I can listen to on the night bus when all is quite- a little chaos blasting in between my ears. The songs are the result of releases that never saw the light of day, until now. The time is now right for them. The instant fury, the disdain and distance of modern life is felt in every song. This is something I really connected with when I saw Phil perform as Gross Net. There is something in this body of work that HAS to be heard.
Adverts 4 Suicide is probably the one I’m going to call as my favourite, but that could change after several more listens. Like all great records, you notice different things to love about this record with each listen. The pleading in the vocals on How Can I are really gut-wrenching, you really do feel the song in the core of you. There is inner torment in these songs that aren’t for those with weak hearts. Or maybe they are, and will make them tougher. It’s a tough collection of songs to digest if you go deep into it, and I really think that’s the only way to approach them. This isn’t the kind of record you stick on and relax to. It’s the kind that smacks you in the face with solutions and truths.
As someone who really really loves music that’s a bit twisted, messed up and not about how the world is all sunshine and rainbows, Outstanding Debt is one of those releases that explores and expresses every niggling feeling possible. Sometimes music just takes you where you need to go. There’s a wealth of passion in these songs that just steadily blows your mind, and when it’s all over you find yourself crawling back for more. It has you fixated on daily dread, your own demons, lust, despair and everything else that seeps into you. It’s a fascinating listen that grips you every single time.
Writing as a fan, this record delves into everything I look for in music. The atmosphere created in each song is something that isn’t always easy to find. Phil makes it sound so so easy. It’s a stunning collection of songs, and you can buy the limited cassette/stream it here: https://austeritydrive.bandcamp.com/album/outstanding-debt
In just over a week everything will be just fine with the world as Ash & Ice by The Kills will finally be released. I plan on spending the rest of the year in the safety of my bedroom playing it on repeat, all the time. Obviously I’ll go to work. It seems that each record by The Kills comes out at such a vital time. Certain songs mean more at certain points. I can still carry the weight of the meaning in their older songs throughout daily life, and I do. It helps. Some of their songs make me feel alright with whatever I’ve done or said. Life is too short to be careful, or too careful.
The video to Siberian Nights was released yesterday, and I genuinely thought Heart Of A Dog was the song I’d be clinging to and devouring the meaning of it- completely and utterly. As someone who is rarely right, I was wrong in assuming I could cling. Now it’s over to Siberian Nights. The words are bold and to the point. There’s no cover up in the words- it’s direct and the right kind of creepy. For me, it touches on beautifully getting inside a person, having a massive hold on them. But in the same respect, needing that person but as soon as you have them, you’re halfway out the door. Or maybe you realise you need them a whole lot and nothing will make you turn away from them. You’ll posses them with your love, a look and by always being there. In their head.
The intro to the song sounds like a chase, maybe you’d find it being played in a dodgy Spy film. It’s the sinister feel in Alison’s voice in the first verse that really gets you. “I can whip you up like cream. I can drink your sudden tease. Is it too close for comfort? I can make you come in threes.” If I could ever put something like that together, then I’d probably burn all my notebooks. It’s such a powerful line. It’ll make you think of someone, and when you do- you’ll hope they hear. Back of their head, moving to the front. They are yours in all ways imaginable.
There’s a coldness and a comforting cruel tone to it, Jamie makes the guitar sound menacing but Alison’s voice becomes gentle in certain places which eases you. You feel like you’re chasing someone or something. Hunting them down until they admit defeat. Until they fall into a devoted admission towards you. It’s that type of passion and urgency that you find in The Kills all throughout Siberian Nights. It’s got the urgency of Cat Claw and the impending seduction of Last Day Of Magic, and so much more. I think I’m understanding the words more because my sleep pattern is so far from ideal, everything is borderline heightened. I’m so excited for Ash & Ice, and if the three songs we’ve heard so far are anything to go by- then it’s going to be nothing short of genius. However, we all know that Jamie and Alison create nothing less than perfect.
Their chemistry is envied by so many, and not many ever feel anything like that in their lifetime. It’s a mutual understanding that doesn’t require too many words. We all look for that, and when it hits you- you know. Maybe you can relate Siberian Nights to that. It makes you want to torment someone, just to let them know how close to their bones you are. Chances are, they probably won’t mind- it’s just easier to say no to the feeling than it is to go with it.
Siberian Nights is like that transition from lust to love. It’s under 5 minutes of burning, throbbing passion in song form. It’s everything I love about The Kills, plus so much more.
“It’s life or death why I chew through the chain. It don’t matter my love’s the same. Go so far but never long.”
I tried to get out the words out when Heart Of A Dog came out under a month or so ago. I wrote, re-wrote, got annoyed, probably took a nap and left it alone. I think that’s my approach to most things. Good and bad. Go to sleep and hope it’s better/gone by morning. Or just have another nap. Now is the time where I think I can get the words out.
In 2 weeks, I have to let go everything Blood Pressures means to me in order to make room for Ash & Ice. It’s pretty obvious how much Blood Pressures means to me, one or 2 know more than others. It was a record that was a solid crutch during a time where nothing was working out. You know how it is. Songs like The Last Goodbye, Pots and Pans, Wild Charms- they got me out of bed. Baby Says and Future Starts Slow became the songs I lived by. Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow and Midnight Boom played vital roles in my life at certain times. Their first record is everything to me, but Blood Pressures did something to me that goes beyond words. I wasn’t sure I could let that all go. But then, Doing It To Death happened, and I had this feeling that the new record was going to do something special. However, Heart Of A Dog happened and it was like Alison and Jamie yet again got in my head and unleashed it all. Lazy emotions brought to life by two strangers. What else can you do but let them suck you in.
I love how Jamie again gives us that machine gun sound. He’s aiming for you and Alison’s words are the bullets. They fire out these phrases that smack you right in the gut, and you start to question where you’ve been placing your thoughts. You really thought nobody had heard a peep. But they did. For me, there are a couple of lines that truly mean a hell of a lot to me for their own reasons. I don’t need to get really into it, and the words do speak for themselves. “I need you. Don’t ask me why it is. I want strings – attached. Unnatural as it feels.” Hand on heart, I wish I wrote that line. I wish I had it in me to write something as brutally honest and as raw as that. We’ve all felt that way at least once. It’s a strange feeling to posses, especially when “needing” something or someone stumps you. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does it truly stays with you. It goes from the back of your head to the front. Who knows what will happen.
If anything, I can fully relate to having the loyalty and heart of a dog. I’m probably as daft as one too. I always have this urge to wander off, but I know where home is. I think? If you feel something in your heart, then I always think you should go with it. That’s what I get from Heart Of A Dog, and it’s been one of the few songs I’ve had on repeat constantly recently. There’s something about the aggression in Jamie’s guitar and the delicate fury in Alison’s voice that makes me relate.
Another part of the song that really hits home is: “I get lost. But I always come around. It’s a strange fear, allows me to be found.” The wanderer will always return, and even amidst the fuck ups, honesty comes out. It has to. Sometimes you need someone to know what you’ve done, even if you’re cowering in shame. It happens to us all. Even if you’re not loyal to something or someone, you’ve probably got yourself into that kind of state. You’re always there even if you’re hiding yourself away. All it takes is one person to see through that. You’ll get there.
Although the song does sound aggressive, the lyrics are pretty vulnerable. The admission of feeling a certain way and letting the person know. Fuck..that can be massively scary and we all feel it. But it takes one person to pull out an honesty within us that other people have tried and do try to push down in us. Don’t let them win, I guess. Heart Of A Dog takes everything I love about Jamie and Alison, and out comes this 3 minute and 46 seconds worth of brutal honesty.
I’m completely and utterly ready for 3rd June. I’m ready for Ace & Ice to take over my life, to become some recluse that only wants to listen to this record and nothing else. We all need a band that has a hold on us. A band that gives us our own reality because nothing else will do.
Music is a highly personable thing, and how it can make a person think and feel is solely on them. Music can be that friend at 3am when you cannot sleep- at the moment, that’s what I’ve been leaning towards. Sleep doesn’t hang around anymore, and I don’t blame it. So with that, it means I can write about a record that I have been SO excited to hear. I did want to wait until next Friday to do so, but I’m inpatient at times and gave in to the preview. From first seeing play drums in Grand Ole Party to hearing Catholicked for the first time to being awe of the beauty in Coming Down; Kristin has been nothing short of a musical heroine of mine. Her way with words to how she creates songs is mind blowing, and as Kristin Kontrol, she has gone and done it again.
The record starts with the easy grooves of Show Me. A song that requires a person wanting more from another and wanting to give said person more of you. With its slick Sade tones, this song is the perfect opener to this gorgeous record. It’s a song full of reassurance and beauty. The repeating of “There’s no need to change yourself” is just gorgeous. We all need to hear that from time to time.
Next up is White Street. This would sound perfect on the New Jack City soundtrack. It’s got a real 80s New York feel to it, and where some use the 80s an influence and clearly do it wrong- Kristin does it in a way that makes you feel like you are with her in the song. She makes you feel like you’re with her on White Street. The production on this is so so great and makes you feel like you’re in some 80s NYC cop film. This is one of those songs that fill you with an untouchable attitude, you slip into the song and it becomes you.
(Don’t) Wannabe and X-Communicate follow up. I think my feelings towards X-Communicate are pretty clear. I played it 3 times when I had my gig night the other week, I’m ALWAYS listening to it and the words are so brilliant. You can take whatever you want from it. Give up or don’t. But always ALWAYS stick to your decision. The line, “Do I still posses you? Forever and ever. Amen” is up there with the best I’ve heard this year. Sometimes you just want to drape that thought across someone. In either a curious or power-tripping kind of way. Both are fine, and I guess one will always lead to the other.
Many treat “Pop” as a dirty word, as if it isn’t “cool” to make Pop music. That kind of attitude causes minds to be small and record collections to be even smaller. I honestly have no idea what category to put X-Communicate in nor do I want to, it’s one of those records that takes pieces from all over and the end result is a body of sheer joy and genius. Prior to listening to Kristin’s record, I spent a few days listening to nothing but Dum Dum Girls to really understand what she was doing any why she had to do it. It’s pretty obvious why. If you keep doing the same thing over and over, you feel trapped- as if your mind is restricted. I absolutely adore the bones of what she did with Dum Dum Girls, and when I need certain songs they will be there. But on X-Communicate you see/hear another side. This side sounds braver and bigger. X-Communicate is such a powerful record from start to finish, and if you’re going to take anything from it- let it be the fact that you don’t have to keep at something in order to be heard. Change. Change as much as you can, be scared, be a mess but whatever happens- take it.
There are songs on the record that will break your heart such as (Don’t) Wannabe and What Is Love. What Is Love will break you. Or maybe that’s just me being overly sensitive. If it doesn’t cut through you in anyway, then you’re tougher than me. And let’s be honest, it really doesn’t take much. The words are so beautiful, so honest and there’s no way I’ll ever be able to listen to this without bawling like a baby anytime soon. We slide gently into Face 2 Face which is such a prolific track, and easily one of the many stand out points on the record. Something I’ve always loved about Kristin’s voice is that is sounds nothing like anything else I’ve ever heard, but you always know it is her. She’s got this ability to take you to crazy places with her vocal range. The way she sings the hook on X-Communicate to the gentle tones on What Is Love just leave you in awe. I think because her voice is so gentle and so soothing, you truly connect with the lyrics more compared to if she had a gruff voice. The gentleness and the openness is what lures you in, and keeps you there.
Going Thru The Motions is probably one of my favourites, lyrically. I do try my best to distance myself from music when I write about it compared to when I listen to it. It’s pretty tough, especially being a fan so I just stopped trying and stayed being a fan. Going Thru The Motions is one of those songs that just resonate with you, regardless of how you feel. You can be completely tough but there are songs on this record that will break you down more than any person could.
The record comes to an end with the euphoric Smoke Rings which reminds me a little of Tamaryn.Every song on this record fits perfectly into each other. The order of songs is just gorgeous and Smoke Rings is the perfect song to end this record on. It leaves you pressing repeat on Smoke Rings one more time, then you go right back to the start. There are moments on this record where you will have a cry but there are moments where you’ll want to flail your limbs about in time to the music. Maybe you’ll do it all at once. This is a record to fall out and in love to. It’ll heal you, even if you thought you didn’t need it.
What I love about X-Communicate is how much heart, soul and passion is in it. You can easily sense how much work and devotion has gone into this record, but at the same time Kristin just makes it seem so easy. Her words are pure poetry for the soul, and people with this kind of talent aren’t everywhere. I do still stand by she’s my generation’s Patti Smith. Her way with words is careful but not precious. Honest but not brutal.
If you’re looking for a record that’s going to take you somewhere sacred and make you feel things you didn’t know you could, then you know what you need to do this Friday (27th May.) Even in my non-biased opinion, this is truly one of the best records of the year. It’s in my top 2. My number 1? Wait for September/October and I’ll tell you.
There are some things in life that cause emotional trauma to your heart and you question if you can ever move on. Even though I am probably far too sensitive, I can only recall a couple of times where I’ve felt “eternal sadness.” I was devastated when The Long Blondes split up. Prior to this, I saw them at a signing at Virgin Megastore in Manchester where all but Kate were there. Wounded. We move on. Or try. My latest bout of “eternal sadness” hit me yesterday. I changed the stylus on my record player only to discover- it’s actually fully broken. It’s beyond repair, much like my heart. Obviously. I’m currently trying to find a new one. Last night, all I wanted to do was lay down and listen to some Nick Cave. It didn’t happen. And now we are here. A whole week before a record comes out that I’ve been bursting to write about. A record that makes you forget certain heartaches but reminds you of some people. Just because something ends doesn’t mean something great can’t start, and that’s how I feel towards Kate Jackson’s debut record, British Road Movies.
The record starts with The End Of Reason. A 5 minute and 50 second ethereal gem of a song. The song feels like you’re on the run. I think what’s always made me connect with Kate’s lyrics is her open love for service stations and motorways. I grew up without these two things (the Isle of Man has NOTHING!) and the feeling I get when I see vast amount of space whilst in a confined space makes me feel at ease. People watching in service stations is always time well spent. The End Of Reason makes me wish I could drive so I could get in a car right now and drive. I don’t care where to, but just far. Her vocals on this song are really captivating and it’s like she’s echoing everything that’s dragging you down, so you get up and out of whatever hell you’ve fallen into.
Next up we gently glide into Homeward Bound. Where the record opener made us feel like we were leaving, Homeward Bounds makes you feel like you’ve arrived to wherever you were supposed to be. The air of nostalgia that fills this record is gorgeous. In some aspects this feeling can be a drag, but Kate does it in a way that makes you feel as if you’re going through it and she’s telling you’re story. Her way with words is on a par (for me) with the likes of Morrissey. So very true to life, so very honest but she doesn’t need to be pretentious in order for you to feel it.
Metropolis is in my top 3 songs of the year. The lyrics are so easy to relate to. I remember hearing it a few months ago, and what stuck with me is the line “This city pulls me to pieces.”I’ve felt that way towards everywhere I lived, and I think it’s why I feel that settling in one place fills me with dread and nausea. If there was a way of finding out how many times this song has been played, I’m probably responsible for most of it. I love how the drums sound like a cross between Primal Scream’s Rocks Off and McAlmont & Butler’s Yes. That signature Bernard Butler sound makes its way subtly throughout the record and I can’t think of anyone else better for Kate to work with on this record.
Wonder Feeling is another one of my favourites. Like most songs on the record, this one makes you feel like you’re on the road. All of the songs feel like short films. Think Andy Warhol on the run, and maybe you’ll get what I mean. This is the song you play on a Monday before work to build yourself up for leaving the house to. Personally, I love my job but I just hate having to get up early. I like being asleep. I’m sure there are going to be some who will try slide in comparisons to The Long Blondes wherever they can, but seriously just listen to the record as if you know nothing about Kate and you’ll get the record.
If you’re looking to have your heart broken, then 16 Years is the one that’s going to ruin you. I love the sad songs because the honesty is just so easy to relate to. Lyrics are a MASSIVE thing for me, and lyrically this is the best on the record. “You were my release” is such a vulnerable line, and you can take it however you want. It’s just so beautiful and it keeps me coming back to the song. I love the sense of loss and wonder on this song, and from about 2:50 it gets really really sad. Just listen to the words.
Following on with the sadness is Lie To Me. The abandonment you feel when someone turns away can be really overwhelming at times, and when a person just disappears it’s even worse. You would rather they lie to you. The way Kate sings this song doesn’t make her sound desperate or needy. It makes her seem sure of how she feels, and unafraid of being so brutally honest. Songs like this can go either way, and fortunately Kate does it in a way that makes you realise you can tough it out. In the end that’s all you can do, right? It almost sounds like it could be on a Bond film soundtrack. I’d take truth over a lie, but Kate makes it so appealing.
Stranded is most definitely one of my favourites for sure. Sometimes you see something or someone, and you’re just overwhelmed with a feeling. It takes you over and although things are around you- you feel totally alone. A familiar face can usually be the cause of this. Again this is another song on the record that shows how fearless Kate is with her words. If only more of us, including myself were this brave. Where some of the other songs feel like going home, this one feels like leaving everything. I love the line, “In another dimension, you’re here with me.” Speaks for itself really.
All of the songs on the record feel like being in a car, but The Atlantic feels like a bolder step in escaping- by plane. Going far, far away. I love the slight hint of 60s Girl Groups to it. There’s something about this song that shows us just how powerful and how diverse her vocals are. It is definitely a reminder as to why I love the music she makes. This is the kind of song you’d want to hear in a workingmens’ club in the North. You can imagine people supping on their pints whilst nodding in time to the beat. Everyone plotting their escape via going home just after closing time.
Last Of The Dreamers has a stunning air of sadness about it. It feels like you’re listening to someone tell their life story to themselves whilst looking in a mirror at the end of the night where certain feelings are heightened. The kind of feelings you don’t really speak about until you’re alone. It’s got a sadness to it that makes you hear the openess in the lyrics so so clearly. “Yves Saint Laurent scented photographs.” This makes me think of a socialite who has come home from a night out, alone. With their thoughts. When those kind of parties ends, so do the friendships.
The record ends on Velvet Sofa From No.26. When I first played the record, I really thought that the above song should have closed the record, but there’s something about Velvet Sofa From No.26 that just sounds so soothing and eases you into the end but also builds you up to hit play all over again. The song is heavy with reminiscence and wonder of another, and we all get that. The former lover making the person know what they didn’t do. What they should have done. It sounds like a lullaby, but when you listen to the words something really hits you in the gut. . That’s the record all over. The lyrics are perfect. The songs are perfect.
Everything about British Road Movies will make you want to take a road trip into the unknown. You’ll get sentimental over certain songs. You’ll go back in time, but you’ll also see a way to carry on. It is just a beautiful and flawless record. The production is nothing short of perfect. Kate and Bernard are a musical dream team, that’s for sure. It’s an elegant record from start to finish, and you won’t want it to ever end. You connect with the heartbreak and the desire to be on a motorway. Fill up the tank and drive.
British Road Movies is FINALLY out next Friday (20th May) via Hoo Ha Record. Check Kate’s site for details about tour dates: http://www.katejackson.co.uk
With it getting really hot out, I should probably be listening to something gentle or something that makes me feel like I’m drinking a Whisky Sour on the beach somewhere. I’m not that kind of person really so I’m obviously going to write about someone who makes beautifully dark and twisted music. The best kind.
Bristol is home of some excellent bands 2:54 grew up there, Candy Darling, Spectres and Oh,The Guilt to name a few. I’ve named ones I’m a huge fan of, and to add to that list is Many Monika. Within the first minute of listening to Many Monika I thought of one band-Sparks. Sparks were a band that were a massive part of my childhood, so to hear someone sound just a little like them is always going to win me over. Despite how it comes across, I’m not completely fickle or easily swayed. Too stubborn, but I always listen. Even if I’m looking the other way. Anyway, we move on.
As I’m somewhat hit and miss with how I describe music, here are Sean’s words on what Many Monika is about: “I play music influenced by Velvet Underground and Placebo but there’s a slight twist in that I’m actually a guy but I make the music as a woman and it actually sounds a lot like a woman too.” When Sean hits those high notes over this divine lo-fi sound, it just sounds like a clash of everything I love. Part of me thinks that this is what Kate Bush would sound like if she made a Garage Rock record.
The songs are heavy, dark and they make you feel as if you’re strutting around alleyways when you really shouldn’t. You’re Too Humble reminds me so much of Sally Can’t Dance and I’m Waiting For The Man by Velvet Underground. It’s got this feel of classy smuttiness throughout, and let’s be honest-some of the best songs ever written have that feel. It feels like a Marquis De Sade tale, and that’s perfectly fine by me. The core of all things I love are partially twisted and a bit strange, and I think Many Monika sum this up brilliantly. Casting gender aside, I’m in awe of the high notes. Man, woman and all in between- I’m in awe of how high they are and it isn’t done in an overbearing way. It’s so so cool, and I’m again annoyed I have no musical talent.
There’s this underlying attitude in the songs that make you feel as if you’re walking down the street with Holly Woodlawn on one side of you, and Lou Reed on the other circa 1972 on a hot summer day in New York City. You’re anywhere but where you are when you listen to Many Monika, and that’s all part of the charm. Many Monika are really unlike anything else I’ve heard in a long time. There’s something so appealing about their music that just keeps you hooked. Bristol is evidently home of some fantastic musicians, and Many Monika are up there with them. These are the kinds of songs some lost kid stuck in a dead-end town needs to hear, as a push towards getting out. You can, and will get out. Hell..if I can- anyone can! Pick some songs, pack a bag and get out.
Many Monika’s music is a journey through the things were are a bit too timid to go near, but the music gives you courage and before you know it- you’re right there.
Many Monika will be playing at the Trinity Garden Party this Sunday at 3:45pm. Sean also has his own night (called DIVE) at Crofters Rights, the next one being 30th May.
Everyone needs that one song they play when they just need a few minutes to themselves, to just shut everything off for a little while. I’ve got a bunch of songs that I do this to, and it’s never ending. Does that say something about me? Probably. Who cares. Anyway. In a few weeks Kristin is releasing her debut record as Kristin Kontrol. You’ve heard X-Communicate and Show Me, right? If you haven’t, go listen to them. Again. And again. Even if you have, just listen to them. X-Communicate has this insane feel to it that would make ANYBODY move. You can unleash some serious dance moves to it, don’t hold back. Same with Show Me.
(Don’t) Wannabe has this perfect moment of bliss almost immediately in the song, which carries on throughout. It just feels like a huge euphoric moment and I think that’s what makes it’s one of best songs I’ve heard all year. I’ve not heard the record yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s one of the best and I’m not being biased (I could be, but it’s alright.) X-Communicate is easily my favourite song of the year, but there is something about (Don’t) Wannabe that shows exactly why I love Kristin as a songwriter, not just as singer/musician. I fully stand by my statement from years ago when I said she’s the Patti Smith of my generation. What do I mean by that? Well, if you read her lyrics, they fall as gentle poetry that just soothes the soul and makes everything alright- exactly like Patti. Her newest single is a body of vulnerability that anyone can relate to. It is so easy to relate to her music irrespective of how she makes it, she’s just got this rare way with words. It doesn’t come around too often but when it does, you really connect with it. Kristin Kontrol sounds like the name of a superhero, and with songs like this- it’s fair to assume she probably is.
I love (Don’t) Wannabe because it’s got the strength of a power ballad mixed with the sadness of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye by Soft Cell. It is just a gorgeous song and the courage and honesty in the lyrics and in Kristin’s voice just makes it nothing short of powerful yet heartbreaking. Let it break your heart, gently. It’s alright. The truthfulness in this song will seep into you, and once it gets there nothing else will feel, or sound the same.
I remember first hearing Keep On Your Mean Side 13 years ago- I instantly knew I had found a home in this loud, manic and powerful sound. I knew that I had found a band that for as long as they made music, they would be always with me. They would be the soundtrack to good and bad moments. Moments that I’ll never forget and moments I partially wish I could. By no means am I tough, but when I listen to The Kills I always feel braver than I am. And just like Nick Cave, they talk about love and all that comes with it in a way that I can fully identify with. I cannot get my head around songs that are full of wanting to be with someone all the time, the sunshine and rainbows- I want the darker side- the mean side. It’s more honest. I’m surprised I’ve never delved into the lyrics of The Kills. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, there are times where it could have been the right moment but I missed out because I got in the way of my own doing so. So here I am. Saturday 23rd April at 4:10pm with nothing better to do than sit and listen to the sounds of my all-time favourite duo. The band that keep me sane. I’m going to try narrow this down to 10 lines that mean the most to me, but please be assured that there are more than 10. I’m doing this blind but the last two I mention are solid. They’ve always been there.
“If I’m so evil, why are you satisfied?” (Rodeo Town) – This is one of the lines where it’s not what is sung, but how it is sung. I love how tired Alison’s voice sounds. As if someone is at the end of arguing with someone that possibly can’t pull away from. It’s one of my favourite songs by The Kills, and definitely my favourite off No Wow. We all think we’re beyond bad at times, and it leads us to question those around us. I’ve always felt fine with questioning everything and everyone- I mean for the most part it is done in the comfort in my mind, but you know. Rodeo Town always reminds me of a road trip gone a bit askew- but hey, where’s the pleasure in things not being slightly chaotic?
“Send your love in a rampage, give her everything you’ve got. And when you come to hate her, show her more than just a spark.” (Heart Is A Beating Drum) Maybe I should have just quoted the whole song here, every line is just perfect and one of the strongest moments on Blood Pressures. I’ve got so much sentimental value attached to this record, and I know I’ve got to let it go when the new one comes out. I’ll be fine just doing so. I adore the lyrics to this because it just sums up the fury of love, lust and god knows what else we subject ourselves to. I toyed with using, “And you feel like you’ve been here so many times before. It’s not the door you’re using but the way you’re walking through it” for me that’s a golden life motto to keep with you, it’s like being told to just get on. Easier said than done for most, but this song was a crutch for a long time and it was that line that played a massive part. However, the line I did choose to use is the one that is full of something quite wonderfully sinister. Show the person why you can no longer stand them, it’s totally fine. Sometimes you just have to be quite furious with the emotions you send on to another person. Don’t hold back.
“Lipstick letters and souvenirs, make a mockery of your fears.” (Hook And Line) One of my favourites off Midnight Boom is Hook And Line. I love how the verses are quite gentle then the hook of, “With your hook and line, I still blow away” comes right on in like a madman and smacks you right in the face. I’ve been thinking about this song a lot recently, and I had it on repeat at the gym the other evening when I was struggling to stay motivated. The line I’ve chosen again, is one I love how it sung and the idea of ripping apart what fills us with fear is always appealing. I always wish they made a video to this song, I reckon it would have been something else. There’s a lot of wild imagery in the song that could have been brought to life in such a captivating way. I love that before this song on the record, you’ve got Last Day Of Magic. That song alone I could write about but the things I’d write are too personal. “My little tornado, my little hurricano.” I could, but I won’t.
“Superstition is, your modern eye. With original skin, and original lie.” (Superstition) I’ve watched many live performances of this song online, and it’s one that makes you firmly believe that Jamie and Alison are truly out of this world with the music they make. I love the burning rage in the guitar that goes along with Alison’s scream/groan towards the end of the song. It’s a perfect noise and when you’ve seen it live (online or physically) it stays with you. They both seem possessed and you feel like you’re intruding on something you shouldn’t be. That’s what I love about them. They’ve got this bond that you can only dream of having. If you ever experience it, don’t fuck it up. I remember hearing this song for the first time and just being in awe of the noise I was hearing. I think that’s part of the attraction with Keep On Your Mean Side. It’s a proper noisy record and it just stays with you, you always go back to it.
“What a mess a little time makes to us when time and place collide.” (Satellite) I was going to go with “I loved her too long, don’t love her too” but right now, I’m siding with the first line mentioned. I love this song to pieces. I love the slight reggae feel to the guitar, I love the video and how it makes you want to hit the road, I love the lyrics. I adore the lyrics to this song so much and it’s pretty hard to describe why, but they speak for themselves don’t they? They’re great lyrics that I think anyone can relate to if they dig a little deeper than usual. When time and place do collide, it does have the potential to leave something disastrous in the mind, and that’s what I love about that line. It exposes how chaotic things can be- in mind and body. I’d happily go off on a tangent about this song, but I probably wouldn’t be able to reel myself back in. It just does something to you when you hear it. I love that they both sing it, and Jamie makes the guitar sound like a lightning bolt going right through you.
“These are the days we’ll never forget, when the dawn dawns on you.” (Pots And Pans) I was going to go with something from The Last Goodbye but I realised it was too much to take on in one little paragraph. If you don’t know why, just read the lyrics. They are heart breaking, and they automatically make you feel like you’ve had your heart torn out. It’s a brutally honest song, and I really couldn’t do it justice by writing about it. Pots And Pans closes Blood Pressures and it’s the most perfect ending. It feels like a hymn, some kind of ethereal experience that is saved for last. It all comes together as Alison sings the line I picked out. It repeats over and over, like a holy mantra to get you through. It’s to keep you going until the next record, until next time. At first I wasn’t sure about how I felt towards this song. At times I felt it was too slow or something stupid, but I ended up playing it on repeat when I got to the end of the record. Maybe it was my brain saying, “it’s not over, it can’t be-play it again.” I go back to this song a lot, for whatever reason. It makes you feel alright with not having much to offer someone or something, and I think that’s something most can relate to.
“Elevator straight into my skull. The escalator rises as it falls. I swear our jet is crashing in my mind, you can hold on but I wouldn’t waste your time.” (Black Balloon) The whole song. The whole damn song. From start to finish is just beautiful, sad and honest. I love the line, “Let the weather have its way with you” but I had to go with the opening verse because it’s one of the saddest and most truthful lyrics I’ve ever heard. For me it’s on a par with the genius of I Know It’s Over by The Smiths. It’s got that brutal honesty that gets you right in the gut, and I can’t think of a time where Black Balloon has not been relevant. The sadness in “You can hold on but I wouldn’t waste your time” is so overpowering, you don’t know what to do with yourself when you hear it. The whole song is just a beautiful description of knowing something is done but whoever else is involved is probably oblivious to it. Sometimes you’re oblivious to it, and this song lets you know what’s up.
“No longing for the moonlight, no longing for the sun. No longer will I curse the bad I’ve done.” (Future Starts Slow) I think it’s pretty obvious how much I am in love with Blood Pressures, but Future Starts Slow was as if someone was coming full speed at you with this thumping drum sound and machine gun guitar- it charges at you, and when the vocals kick in that’s it. It calms down in places then picks right back up. It’s such a great way to start the record off, and the line I’ve picked is possibly my favourite lyric by The Kills. Ever. Have I already said that? If I have, then I’ve changed my mind. If I haven’t, then all is okay. It’s the no longer cursing all the bad- for me that’s just a brilliant way of accepting everything and carrying on. This song makes you feel tough and as if you can do anything. But let’s be honest, you can do anything because when you stick on your favourite song- anything is possible. I told a little lie when I said I had 2 solid favourites- I’ve got 3, and this is one of them.
“Baby says for all I’ve forsaken make something of all the noise, and the mess you’re making. And all the time’s it’s taken.” (Baby Says) Last one off Blood Pressures. For me, this song carries a wealth of imagery that is free for the listener to conjure up. Baby can be a person you’ve met. Baby can be an image or thought in your mind, but Baby makes you feel alright with what you’ve done so long as you make something out of it. It’s one of the most powerful songs on the record, and one of the songs I wish I had written. Any time I write something, this is one of the songs I have in mind. It’s got this innocence to it that isn’t found so often. Baby Says is a strong sense of reassurance, and I’m forever grateful to The Kills that this song exists. It means a hell of a lot, and if I ever met them I’d probably try rustle this out of myself to let them know.
“Jailers in my mind are all dead. I love you so much, never forget.” (Goodnight Bad Morning) Around 2010/2011 I was having issues with sleeping and being a functioning adult. I’d go to bed at 3 and be awake at 7. I was able to disguise being stuck in a rut quite well, but that’s all in the past now along with other things. It has that Lou Reed greatness to it. This song would be what I would play when I was trying to fall asleep. It’s gentle and it’s pure. It’s apt and aimed- but that’s not up for discussion. It’s such a beautiful song that once you hear it, it stays with you. Again, it’s a perfect song to close a record with. It makes you feel at the end, that you’ve drifted off somewhere. Maybe to sleep, maybe to a place in your mind where nothing else gets to you. It’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, and I do compare a lot of things to how this song makes me feel and think. It’s got a lot of nostalgic and sentimental value. I did have a slight blip where I couldn’t listen to the song- but I realised I was being a daft swine, and got a grip. When I listen to it now, for the most part all I see in my head is the way Jamie and Alison look at each other when they perform this. The song is like the sun coming up when all has been weird before- like you can start over. And sometimes, that’s all you can do. It’s all you should do.
It’s now 5:30pm, and all I can now think about are the songs I typically did not mention. Good job the new record is out soon.
About two weeks or so ago Willis Earl Beal wrote something so important regarding music writers and how certain publications rating systems and the like are fucked, how they force feed readers to like what they like and expect them to hate them when they turn their back on them. What I’ve noticed is too many music writers are passionate about hating a band rather than praising one they love. It made me think about review records and if there’s really any point. I don’t review something in the hopes someone agrees with me, I do it because I hope someone goes and buys the record regardless of what I write. I could never ever write about a band or singer I didn’t like. I’ve been told by some place I was going to write for- they told me they never gave full marks for a review so I wasn’t allowed to praise something I loved too much. I pride myself on having better morals than being a semi-decent writer. Needless to say, I didn’t write for them. Which is probably why I’ll never make a living out of this. You accept it after nearly 10 years. So, with all of this said I’m going to write about why Pop.1280 have yet again released another mind-bending and mind-blowing record. I know of one other person who digs this band as much as I do(my uncle.)
Pop.1280 make music that is hard to stomach at times. When I first heard them I had this feeling that they would become something of an obsession. I loved how loud and frightening their sound was- and still is. Decades ago, kids used Punk to piss off their folks. I sincerely hope some kid is out there blasting out these guys to piss theirs off, and their neighbours. The thing that I love the most about Pop.1280 is that with every release, they get a little more terrifying. This is the kind of music you play when you want to scare someone shitless. Personally, I’d be tempted to use their music to try use it in a more romantic setting. Their music sounds like falling in love anyway- tormenting and chaotic. Have I been doing it wrong? No. My mind and god knows what else is wired differently. Paradise sounds like a nightmare, probably, to those who’ve never delved into this murky world that Pop.1280 have been building for years. It’s a world that makes you shudder, ache and think. Paradise just reinforces my love for them and if anything, has got me pretty excited for their London show in a few weeks.
9 songs in 39 minutes. 9 songs that are set to fry your brain, make your eyes go funny and make you question your surroundings. Something I’ve admired for some time about Pop.1280 is their ability to make you feel as if you’re trapped. Trapped in the hell of your own mind, in the midst of others- anywhere. They create this atmosphere that makes you feel as if you’re the last person left on Earth and everyone else has disappeared. It’s creepy. Really fucking creepy, and it isn’t for people who dream of sunshine and rainbows. I don’t know what kind of person latches onto a band like this. I have, and I guess you can draw up your own conclusion about it. I initially started writing about this record last week, but I stopped myself from writing because I realised quite quickly that this isn’t a record you casually listen to. I’ve taken it in. Or maybe this record has taken me in, chewed me up and spat me out. Do what you want, Pop.1280. This sinister feel to the record (and like their previous ones) has got me ready to see them live in a few weeks. I’ve never seen them before, and I’m really hoping it sounds equally terrifying live.
Phantom Freighter is the second track on the record, and in some ways it sounds like someone losing their mind. In general, Pop.1280 seem to capture the sound of madness really well. Phantom Freighter is a tension-filled track that makes your heart beat quicker than it probably should. It keeps you on edge, and I think that’s pretty much a solid for Pop.1280’s music overall.
Paradise will make you delve into some dark and lonesome emotions, and that’s perfectly fine. You shouldn’t always feel comfortable or secure when listening to music. Nobody should want predictable. For me, the fact that a band like Pop.1280 exist and can still make people feel a little uneasy like The Birthday Party did gives me hope. Not sure what kind of hope, mind. I’m pretty sure Paradise justifies why Pop.1280 are one of the best bands on Sacred Bones (pretty much all bands/musicians on that label are great) but it also shows why they are one of the best bands around. They’ve still got that raw and unpredictable sound that was on The Horror and Imps Of Perversion, and I think it is something that they will always be able to really put into their sound.
Sometimes you don’t need the news or a horror film to scare you shitless- just listen to Pop.1280 if you want some kind of kick.
Beat In My Bones. 