Tag Archives: New York

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND- The Velvet Underground.

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“If I could make the world as pure
And strange as what I see
I’d put you in a mirror
I’d put in front of me.”

 

There are some records that, regardless of how many years pass since it was first release will always sound new every single time you play them. The records that do this are the ones that will tower above anything else you expose your ears to. They are the records that have a significant part in your life and are etched upon your heart like nothing else. They are the records that have led you down a road to self discovery and aided with your self-loathing ways. One of the records that I regard this highly is 45 years old. I think it was yesterday or today that 45 years ago that The Velvet Underground released their third record, and in my mind it is the best thing the band ever did.

The record opens with the heartbreaking and relatable Candy Says (about Candy Darling.)  Candy Says is one of those songs that truly delves into self-disgust and being really uncomfortable in your own skin. Regardless of age, it is something anyone can relate to. What I’ve always loved about Lou Reed’s lyrics is the way he crafts his words in an old-fashioned, romantic poetic way. There will never ever be anyone else like him. As I listen to the songs on this record, I cannot help but miss him. I know I never knew him, and maybe this makes me stupidly weird, but not much has felt right since he died. I can’t explain what it is, but maybe someone else who loves Lou/Velvet Underground as much as I do will understand. Maybe they have the words to describe it, because I really don’t. Hand on heart, I firmly believe “What do you think I’d see, if I could walk away from me” to be one of the most beautiful lyrics of all time. It is fragile and hits you right in the sacred part of your heart. It’s the kind of lyric you’d want to have tattooed on you, as a reminder.

Whenever I mention The Velvet Underground I always end up talking about Pale Blue Eyes. There is just something about that song that rips your heart out. It can make you ache and can break you; but it is so beautiful. It’s a song that once did that to me, but I learnt very quickly to stop associating people with songs I love. I remember once speaking to someone I still hold quite dear to me about this song, and they got it. I’ve never met anyone else who understood how I felt about that song. You treasure those moments. Pale Blue Eyes has been covered quite a few times, but I think the only ones who have ever covered this song and really conveyed the meaning of it fully (and any song by The Velvet Underground) has to be The Kills, who are obviously influenced by them but not in a ripping off kind of way. Of course, you’ve got to mention how brilliantly messed up The Murder Mystery is. I never know what’s going on in that song, but when I listen to it through headphones it is like something is taking over. It’s mighty strange and fits perfectly on this record.

Sure their debut record was one of the best things to have ever happened to music, and let’s be honest no one is ever going to do for music what Lou Reed did; but their third record is one of the finer things in life. If this was their debut record, they probably would have caused more of a scene than they already did. This record is a just a body of dark poetry; words you wish you could write. Words you wish you had written.

The Velvet Underground’s third record is my favourite record because of how delicate it is lyrically. With their debut record, some of the sound is quite harsh but the one thing that has always been constant (and in his solo work) is that tone in Lou Reed’s voice. He has this way of singing about horrifically dark topics (if you listen to Heroin and you don’t feel the need to cry, then something is up with you) but at the same time really soothing your soul with his voice. His voice was one of a kind, and of course so was he. It’s really tough writing about him in past tense. It still doesn’t feel right.

I went through a phase some time ago of listening to Heroin followed by I’m Set Free. I just felt like those two songs had to played one after another. I have no idea what my mind was up to and why I decided to do it, but I did it. I guess it made me appreciate the songs more and in a different way. The way Lou’s lyrics really touch you are truly evident in those two songs. Play them one after each other, hopefully you’ll get what I mean.

The Velvet Underground made music that has influenced so many bands. Lou Reed’s solo work has obviously done the same. Anyone who loves both has probably tried to write something similar to them. I have, and I’m not ashamed to admit that. Of course nothing I’ve written has come close to it, not even a fraction. If anything, Lou Reed (and others) told me to write from the heart. It is easy to write all this down about his music and his words. I can take my time with it. But I probably would struggle to physically talk about the music because it just does something that is beyond expression.

In another 45 years I hope I am still listening to this record and feeling this way. Some bands, some records just stay with you throughout your life. They don’t go, they become something you really cannot do without. The Velvet Underground are a band I have taken walks by myself to, just to figure shit out. I’ll never figure anything out, and I’m okay with that. I’ll probably always feel a little uncomfortable in my skin, but I’m okay with that. The darker and things that are classed weird by others will always appeal to me, Lou Reed taught me that that’s okay. It’s really fucking okay to not be like everyone else. It’s okay to feel a little awkward in yourself and to want to shut off for a while. Lose yourself in a book, in a record. When it’s over, you’ll find whatever it is you were looking for.

Lou Reed taught me more than any teacher could. The things they don’t tell you about or prepare you for, he taught me it all. Music heals, music teaches. Just listen to this record. Play I’m Set Free so loud and with your eyes closed. If you want to cry, then cry. Just cry. It doesn’t matter. The record oozes freedom from others and from your mind. You won’t always be trapped.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOU.

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Today would have been Lou Reed’s birthday. It is fairly obvious just how important he was to a hell of a lot of people. For his music, his words, his wisdom; he guided those who felt uneasy in their skin and allowed them to feel a hint of self-acceptance. Has anyone recently done that? No. Will anyone ever do it again? No. Lou Reed was something truly rare. Treasured in life and death.

Forever missed.

L.A.R

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In love, darkness, desperation and heartache, 

I was guided by the angel of New York City. 

Walking with clenched fists and gritting my teeth. 

I want to be set free, I’m in search of Candy. 

The angel took me to their hell and showed me how to make it a peaceful state of heaven. 

A piece of me, a piece of him. 

I turned a blind eye to my sins. 

Slowly and softly his words carry me through. 

 I drag my feet across unfamiliar ground, 

And I welcome the ugly feelings that I should ignore. 

I wait for the unknown. 

His words circle my mind going deep into my soul. 

I’d go back in time to find a cure. 

For all the souls that didn’t quite get there. 

In love and courage, you’re standing in your leather and shades. 

I’ll linger on. 

I wrote this a few hours after hearing Lou Reed had died last year. I know you should never publicise your private thoughts, but I suppose some things just have to be let out. I don’t enjoy showing anyone my poor attempt at poetry, I’ve only ever shown not even a handful. I have no idea why I’m doing this but maybe it doesn’t need a reason. Not everything does.

The loss of someone like Lou is beyond words, and it leaves a gap. But at least someone like him existed and gave us a legacy of music that will forever inspire.

You’re missed Lou.

SONS OF AN ILLUSTRIOUS FATHER-NO MERCY/LOVELETTING.

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A book can make you feel like you’re in a hidden world that no one else can ever uncover. A song can make you wish you were somewhere else and by the time it is over, you’re there. Not all bands have the nous to do such a thing. Or sometimes they work too hard doing it, they sound nothing like they want to.

I wrote about Sons Of An Illustrious Father last year, and from that I was opened up to a scene in New York that is not like anything else I’ve heard before. Thankfully they are not part of a movement that make songs about how bored they are. Nor are they sickly love songs that make you want to gauge your eyes out. I can’t put Sons in a genre box for you; I don’t have the right to do that and people who listen to only one genre of music are quite dull. Never trust anyone who says they only listen to bands like Mumford & Sons. There’s a wealth of music out there and to only limit yourself to one kind is pretty daft. If I only listened to Punk I’d only be listening to dead musicians pretty much and I’d never go to shows. That would be quite boring. Through listening intensely to one, I subjected myself to other bands. From other bands telling me to do so or for accidentally finding them in the depths of certain websites I expose myself to as much music as I can. I don’t care if it is some unheard Howlin’ Wolf song or it is something brand new, made by some one person genius in their bedroom- I want to hear it. I have to. So where to Sons come into all of this?

They’re a band that make music that feels like a menacing fairytale. Their sound was made for bitterly cold weather. When you think because the sun is out it will be a little warmer. It isn’t. You become so cold you are numb but you have Sons music playing in your ears and a feeling of bliss takes over. Do you accept yourself yet? Sons make music to accept yourself to. Listen to their music whilst staring at your reflection for clarity and out of fear. Disdain, possibly.

No Mercy and Loveletting were recorded at the hub of all things euphoric and meaningful- Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen produced by the man who everyone should strive to be produced by, Oliver Ignatius. The combination of Sons and Oliver means your ears ar going to be subjected to some raw and passionate sounds. Sounds that unleash your fury and your doubt. A mirror isn’t the only thing that is your reflection; it’s in music too. A mirror may not lie but music picks up on the hidden things. The things that really count. Sons aren’t afraid to be open with their music and lyrics. Their open ways is what makes them accessible and believable.

You can listen to the songs here: http://sonsofanillustriousfather.bandcamp.com/album/no-mercy-loveletting and whilst you’re at it, do some exploring with their music. And to their music. Don’t be afraid of what you find.

R.I.P LOU REED: “Skip a life completely. Stuff it in a cup…”

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“If I could be anything
in the world that flew
I would be a bat and come
swooping after you.”

 

There are a few bands and singers who I frequently write about who cemented their mark in music before I was born. They are my heroes and reasons as to why I love music; why I cannot live without music. You never really seem to think of life without them no longer here, you just wonder how it would have been if you never found or them, or if they never found you. It is easy to look up to those who are no longer with us because we never have to face losing them. Today is a sad day for music, and to think of anything to say about Lou Reed that hasn’t already been said is causing a part of my brain to just turn to mush.

I’ll try anyway.

My blog, Gypsy Death And You is taken from Run Run Run by the Velvet Underground and the header photo is of the band. There was no other band I wanted to have named my blog after, it just wouldn’t be right. Lou Reed was more than just a singer; he was a poet who painted the world in a way that, as soon as you first heard his music- that is how you saw the world. Andy’s Chest opened me up to a world that was better than anything I’d ever known. Pale Blue Eyes made me feel a sense of heartache I’d never felt before. It even got me through some form of a breakup. Although, I don’t think there was anything worth breaking at that point. The song became something I couldn’t listen to for a while, but then it became all I could ever listen to.

Last year I found a copy of Transformer for £2 on vinyl. I felt this heightening pounding in my chest; the kind of feeling you get as you are about to see your favourite band on stage for the first or fifteenth time- the feeling is still there. I was so excited to FINALLY have this record in my hands. I went home, after work, and played it for hours. I got ready for work listening to it, I fell asleep listening to it. Transformer is easily one of the greatest records of all time.

Lou Reed’s guided the misfits and outcasts into a world that was dark; but it was pure and passionately bold. It was a world I’ll never want to leave. He may no longer be with us, but the music is ALWAYS going to be there. His legacy is more memorable than those of the false generation. The generation made up of manufactured pop-stars who have the personality of a dead cat. Lou Reed conveyed ugly feelings in a way that made you feel alright with carrying them about. Candy Says is one of the most harrowing yet gorgeous songs ever written. Heroin may be about drug use, but it is written in such a romantic way. You shut your eyes, and you are heading right to the kingdom with Lou.

Listening to Lou Reed’s music gives you a sense of feeling untouchable. Much like when I listen to New York Dolls, Patti, Ramones; he has this ability to make you feel protected and as if you can take on the world even if the world is taking on you. His music embodies everything I love about music. Writing about him in past tense is not only uncomfortable, but it is heartbreaking. One thing I’ve seen is the amount of musicians I follow on Twitter who have paid tribute to him; he influenced so many people from all over. It doesn’t matter that most will just say “Oh Perfect Day is my favourite Lou Reed song.” At least they’ve heard of him. Besides, Perfect Day is a gorgeous love song.

Last Christmas my uncle and I were discussing how important Lou’s music is. And just this Friday passed, my manager and I (yeah I’ve got a job now!) were talking about Lou Reed. She saw him back in the 70s, and to hear these stories about him was just brilliant. All we have are memories now. He’s someone you remember where you were when you first heard him. He made wearing all black seem appealing; it isn’t a phase just for me, I don’t feel comfortable wearing colour. He had this way of remaining a constant mystery, but when you played his music it felt like you were hanging out with your best friend. Music is the only reliable friend you may ever have.

His vocals weren’t flamboyant or over the top; he sang in a way that made him relatable. He made it easy for you to sing like him in the shower. And when his vocals go real low when he sings, “Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side” is easy to do, and when you sing it- you feel empowered. The word “cool” is thrown around all the time, and I guess it is a redundant word to use, but Lou Reed was cool. He was everything those who listened to him wanted to be. He had this way of making you feel like you were sat on a stoop in New York watching the world go by as you listened to his music, you felt as if he was sat next to you telling these crazy stories that are in his music.

Everything about Lou Reed was iconic, it always will be. There are so many things I would love to write, but the words in my head aren’t reaching my fingers- I can’t type them out. I’ve played his music and gazed out the window on long tube/train journeys and felt like I was somewhere other than where I was or where I was headed. I felt like I was going somewhere where nobody else knew. I think anyone who REALLY listens to Lou’s music gets that feeling straight away. It’s a rare feeling, but we all know just how rare Lou was. Sure he may have been difficult in interviews, but it was probably because most music journalists are dull and ask the same shit over and over. His music defined a generation and is still inspiring so many. In the light and in the dark, his music offered peace and self-discovery. The ability to turn my back on conventional and traditional means, the strength came from his music. With love and heartache, I have written this. With respect and gratitude, I’ve written this; for Lou.

All that’s left to be said is; bless your soul Lou and thank you for the music. In life, love and desperation- you were always there. Thank you x.

Sunday Mourning.

CULTS-High Road.

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When I bought Cults debut record back in 2011, I was in awe of how they merged 60s girl groups with a lo-fi sound. They were different from most duos that I love. They didn’t have the ferociousness of The Kills yet they had delicate tones much like Beach House. They combined everything I love about music and made a truly impressionable debut record. Songs like Never Saw The Point and Rave On became the soundtrack to all the ugly feelings I was carrying around yet gave me a hint of courage to throw it all away and to leave a soul-destroying place behind.

Move forward two years and they are about to release their second record, Static. The first single to be taken from it is High Road. The intro to it sounds like something Isaac Hayes would have created. The song would have been perfect in the 70s as a soundtrack to a Blaxploitation film. What I love about Cults is that they do not sound like the same old shit that is floating about. No one in this band is stood with an acoustic guitar looking sorry for themselves on stage. No one is standing looking bored hitting the keys on a synth with glitter scattered on their face just to look “different.” I’m so tired of that crap. I wish it’d go away. Instead of going back and listening to music from the 60s/70s, we have bands like Cults who manage to just stay well away from the dullness of most bands. They add an element of wonder to their music. Their lyrics make you think about everything going on in your life, even if you don’t want to think about it. Madeline and Brian’s vocals together is just beautiful.

High Road is the second beautiful song that the band have put out to introduce us to their new record. It doesn’t stray too much from their debut record. Their debut record didn’t sound like a band who had just released their first, they immediately lured you in with their ability to take you back to a time where music actually had substance, I’m only going by one new song but High Road makes you believe that Static could well be one of the best records this year.

For me High Road easily makes up for their absence over the past few years. Cults have evidently come back with something that is potentially going to be a brilliant piece of music. I love that High Road feels like it could easily have been on a soundtrack from decades ago. Cults are a band that fill you with nostalgia, but it’s up to what you are longing for. I think for the most part, we are all longing for the same thing. I cannot stop playing High Road, and I’m 100% sure that Static is going to be incredible, and I’m just casting my biased opinion aside briefly to make that judgement. With every listen I can hear something else to love and hints at how the band have, as awfully clichéd as it sounds, grown up.

Madeline and Brian both have delicate voices that sound so perfect together. They are a gorgeous duo that aren’t afraid to be utterly vulnerable with their lyrics. This vulnerability is what is missing from a lot of songs, but you’re never going to hear honesty like this blasting out on the airwaves. Most are alright with that, because when you search deeper you do find something beautiful.

Static is released 15th October. Cults, are quite clearly one of New York’s finest bands.

RAKIM.

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I remember the day I was handed a copy of Don’t Sweat The Technique by Eric B & Rakim. I was only 12 years old. An age where puberty is the biggest concern, but mine was, on that day “How quickly can I learn the words to the songs?!” Some jotted down the names of boys they liked in their maths notebooks. I obviously never felt the need to do that, for the obvious reasons. I wrote names of bands I loved and ideas for my own songs. I could recite the words to certain songs immediately but I couldn’t recite you a simple maths equation. Languages had my full attention. Hip Hop was a language at that age that I understood more than anything.

I walked through school playing Don’t Sweat The Technique on my portable tape player. It had a tendency to chew up tapes, so I had to be extra special with this one as it wasn’t mine. I still played it over and over. I was hearing something I hadn’t heard before. It opened up the floodgates to a love for a style of music that, although I may not follow it now- the love will always be there. I cannot connect to the current state of Hip Hop. Anything after 2004 seemed to just be, well, crap really. Something died within it. I’m not sure what.

As much as I probably should write about Eric B & Rakim, I just really want to focus on Rakim. When I was getting into Hip Hop I wasn’t sure what I was going to be steered towards. Was I going to fall for Gangsta rap or was I going to go towards something more laid back? With a love already cemented in the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, it was obvious that the latter was going to be the way I went. I couldn’t (and thankfully so) relate to seeing friends being murdered or thrown in prison. I could relate to disliking the state of the world and where I was living. Hip Hop made me want to change everything, Hip Hop gradually made me feel okay with wanting to want more from life. I think Punk made me go get it. Both are equally as important to me.

Rakim probably has one of the most distinctive and influential voices in Hip Hop. If it wasn’t for him, a lot of the rappers past and present may never have picked up a mic. His laid back approach and his soul-touching lyrics just made him an immediate icon. He had something that no other has ever had. He never sped up, he never resorted to violent lyrics to be respected. He used his intelligence to get his point across. He freed your mind when you listened to him; he made you want to learn more about the world. As thankfully, where you were at the time you first heard him- isn’t the place you will always be.  Rakim was influenced by Jazz, which I think really did mold his technique. His voice was a form of guidance. Whether solo or with Eric B; everything he said just made you think.

Rakim has been involved in Hip Hop since he was about 18 years old; he may not be as active as he once was within Hip Hop but he is someone who is continuously referenced. What I loved about Rakim was his way of incorporating religion into his lyrics. I’m not a religious person, but I enjoy hearing people’s stories as to why they believe and what God they believe in. There’s something obviously above us, but I choose something more spiritual. It is important to believe in something, because maybe one day, it might be the only thing you have left. The way he puts his knowledge of Islam into his music is beautiful. He portrays it in the way it truly is- peaceful and kind. It’s a shame those with closed minds cannot see this.

Rakim’s wordplay is something that many have obviously tried to copy, but never quite got there. Don’t mess with perfection is probably the message you can take from that. He never bragged about this and that; he encouraged you to learn. He’s the opposite of everything you hear now. No one else has ever really come close. It is obvious the likes of Talib Kweli, Common and Mos Def have been influenced heavily by them. I guess that’s why I’ll always regard those three as being exceptional in what they do. I think Mos might be the closet to perfecting everything Rakim did. By this I mean, when I listen to Mos I just want to learn something new. I don’t care what; I just want my head to be filled with as much knowledge as possible. I’d rather a rapper list Philosophers that have influenced them than someone reeling off designer brands. That I can relate to. Intelligence will always overrule. Rappers like Rakim will be mentioned in 20 more years from now. No one is going to care about certain rappers that are coming out now. I don’t need to name names.

Many regard Rakim as a teacher; you cannot help but agree with them. He taught many how to pick up a mic and just speak from the heart. To touch on subjects many want to shy away from because it doesn’t bring in money. I’d always choose having a free mind than wanting to have as much money possible. Materialism is something I’ve never got my head around, and probably never ever will, thankfully.

If I never heard Don’t Sweat The Technique I’m not really sure what my relationship with Hip Hop would be like. Rakim is one of the very few rappers who have left a lasting impact not just on Hip Hop, but Music in general. His relaxed approach and thought-provoking lyrics made him more than “just a rapper.” His words connected the listener straight away; within each song there was always something there to relate to. I couldn’t sleep the other night, and BET’s Hip Hop Awards from last year were on, he received the I Am Hip Hop Icon Award. An award he rightfully deserves, but let’s be honest- an award doesn’t sum up just how great he is. His music does that alone. He is New York’s finest. He’s the embodiment of Hip Hop. He is Hip Hop in its truest form. Rakim IS Hip Hop.

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.

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1990. I’m a baby; in my mother’s eyes I always will be. I’m only 4 years old in 1990 but I already had a love for music that was evidently going to stay with me forever. I saw a video on MTV that was bright and had something about it that I instantly realised- this band would be in a line of those I quite simply, couldn’t do without.

I Left My Wallet In El Segundo was the first song I remember hearing by A Tribe Called Quest. They had an approach to Hip Hop that, at the time I didn’t really get. I was too young. Move on 10 years and I get it. I hear sounds and words that made a world of sense to me. Words and sounds that eased the soul and freed the mind. Their relaxed vibe made me feel like an alien to where I was growing up. Where your heart is, that is home. My heart was in Hip Hop and I know it always will be. Hip Hop and Punk. Both entirely different but the same in some respects. Both allowed you to be free. A Tribe Called Quest were a ticket to a different world. It all started with leaving a wallet in El Segundo.

Stressed Out which featured the beautiful Faith Evans will always be one of my favourite A Tribe Called Quest songs. It’s like a comfort blanket and a release in one. Again, they just soothed the soul and take you to a spiritual place.

The way Phife and Q-Tip went back and forth with their lyrics was insane. It felt like they never wrote anything down; that they just brought it out of each other. This laced with Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s production skills just made them stand out from everything else that was going on in Hip Hop. They didn’t project anger; they oozed this brightness to their sound that is found in the likes of De La Soul. They were, as lame as it sounds, fun. Fun is such a shit word, I’m sorry. But they made you feel as if you were part of something worthy of being proud of. They were the first Hip Hop group that made people consciously aware, maybe. Of course there were some before but I feel they brought it to the mainstream for others to see. If I started a Hip Hop group, I’d use all their records as a blueprint to what I would want to create.

Even in their solo projects they still managed to keep that Quest vibe to their music. They went in different directions, but still carried that sense of unity with them wherever they went and with whoever they worked with.

Scenario turned many on to the insane sounds of Busta Rhymes. There’s a live performance of the song where Busta turns his hat inside out and raps as if it was nothing. He quickly became one to watch; he had this way of creeping up on you on Scenario, I think that style stuck with him. Especially early on in his career. He had a wild style that caused many to fall for. Just like how A Tribe Called Quest had that calm vibe about them that lured you in; it stayed with them.

I have no idea what the world thinks of A Tribe Called Quest or what caused people to fall for them. I can only speak for myself. I just know that they’ve always been and always will be a massive part of my life. If not from a musical perspective, but from a spiritual way too. They offered more than music and they offered more than most.

They was Phife and Tip confidently bounced off each other whilst Ali Shaheed Muhammad stayed cool behind them was something that just set them apart and above the others. They sounded like none before and none after sounded like them. They had a unified sound and a family vibe. They created a world where everyone belonged. It didn’t matter where you were from or what you were- they made you feel alright with the skin you were in. There aren’t many bands that do that now. Maybe no one else ever will. It’s alright, because what A Tribe Called Quest gave us was priceless.

Every member was (and still is) distinctive in their own right. When you recite their songs you don’t know if to be Phife or Tip- so you recite both parts. You become A Tribe Called Quest and that is exactly why their music is not only important, it also improves that they will always be there.

HOOVES-Luna (EP)

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Last year I wrote about a duo from New York that were pretty much the opposite of everything I listen to. They’re not as heavy as bands such as The Jesus And The Mary Chain or Loom, but they have a dream-like feel to their music which is found in bands I love such as Youth Lagoon, Tamaryn and Warpaint.  I like music that at times can be regarded as brutal and aggressive. Thrashing guitars and distorted vocals; that’s what owns my heart. But there is always room for delicate music. The true definition of delicate is found in the new Hooves EP, Luna.

Luna has the same beauty as Beach House’s music. The echoing vocals and the hazy guitar sends you into another world. A world free of any judgement and pain; and if you’ve been subjected to the news recently, you will understand how badly that is needed. Their gentle sounds and atmospheric mood is wonderfully soothing. I may have exhausted everything I could possibly say about Hooves when I wrote about them last year, but Luna is a stunning EP. With some EPs you always want more, and at times you wonder why a band even bothered to make one, but with Hooves this EP just fits perfectly. Luna is made up of four beautifully crafted songs that fit so perfectly; as the sun falls down this is the music you should be playing as you watch the day fade away and the cool, calm breeze of the night hits. Nothing else would be as blissful as this.

The tribal sounds in Animal Noises is my favourite off the EP, for now. I’ll no doubt change my mind as I listen to the EP on a loop; I rarely pick a favourite and stick to it, but I feel this may be one I can actually stick with. I adore the thumping drums and soothing vocals on Animal Noises. Doves is a song that is made up of ethereal vocals with a euphoric build-up towards the end. This is why it is so easy to fall in love with music. This is also why I believe duos to be the best. They give more of themselves, as do solo artists. In short, I just really do adore Hooves.

Hooves are one of the many reasons as to why I think it is easy to justify that New York is the home to such incredible talents. If you want to go way back in time, then you will find some true greats. But of recent years (I mean the past 5 years or so) bands like Sons Of An Illustrious Father to K-Holes have all produced insanely good music; both completely different from each other, but equally divine. Hooves are a prime example of what New York has to offer; you better take it.

Hooves is out now and you can get if off their bandcamp page: http://hoovesband.bandcamp.com/album/luna-ep Share it with the ones you love on a Summer’s day, that’s the best way to enjoy it. Or you can be totally selfish and play it through headphones and create your own piece of heaven. Both are fine; just listen. Oh and they also opened for Kaki King last December. That’s pretty important.

 

JOEY RAMONE. 12 Years.

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“I enjoyed my life when I had nothing… and kinda like the idea of just being happy with me.”

I’ve had this in mind most of the day. The rest of my thoughts aren’t as interesting, or as important. I’ve spent the day listening to and thinking about the Ramones. How time drags. How everything drags when it is bad. I’ve always idolised the Ramones; mainly Joey. I bought (fake) leather jackets because I saw how it made them look untouchable. I wanted to feel like that. When I wear it, I don’t. It’s going to take more than a jacket to make me feel like that. I look at old press photos of them all; they were a gang, a family. A force that could not be stopped and to even want to stop them would have been utterly foolish.

Punk went beyond being a genre of music. Ramones went beyond being just a band. I have a few of their records (vinyl) and when I play it, with the crackling in the background the excitement of discovering them for the first time hits me. They became instantly timeless didn’t they. They had something that is beyond words and will never be seen in any other band. You see, everyone is always “BEATLES OR ROLLING STONES.” No. Forget that. I’d choose neither (if I had to, I’d pick Rolling Stones because they weren’t overproduced and manufactured toss.) Ramones had EVERYTHING a band should have. They had raw energy, songs that felt like you were being throttled but they conveyed so much sensitivity in certain songs such as I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend and their cover of the Ronettes song Baby I Love You.

Joey Ramone will always be the greatest frontman of all time. His shyness and towering frame made him seem like a gentle giant. His distinctive voice and the way he thrashed the mic stand as he sung made you wish you could be like him. I will always wish I could be like him, and Patti Smith. There’s nothing I can really say about Joey that hasn’t been said by so many before. He was truly one of a kind.