“Your heart is a thrown and sinking stone.”

If the mind could take a holiday, would you let it or would you let yourself carry on? Bad things happen and good people go unnoticed. Too many people want to be famous, anonymity is no longer sought after. It’s a shame. Everything is shame; especially when you cannot do anything about it. We remember bad news because it lasts longer than anything good. We condition ourselves to cling onto the bad because it’s a sick form of comfort. The good slips through, as does time. As much as I dislike the concept of time I am utterly fascinated by it. Yesterday I had a job interview near Camden, so afterwards I went for a walk around Camden. On my own. It was pissing down with rain and I wandered round listening to music. If it wasn’t so grim outside, I’d have stayed longer. Camden isn’t my favourite place in London, far from it. I’m not really sure where my favourite place is in London. I just love that city. I used to hate it. I’m not sure why I hated it so much. Now? Now I have less positive feelings for the North of England. Maybe it’s a shame, maybe it isn’t. But you see, the North is always tinted with a shade of grey. London isn’t. It has something else, like no other. Or maybe I’m just really pleased with myself that I can use the tube all by myself without getting lost. Proud moment.

I wandered around the city a few times. No one knew me, and I didn’t know them. When I thought I got lost I just went a different way and got to where I wanted to go. Even if I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be there; I still got there. Time, patience and being aware. In a way, I could apply that to life. My life to be exact. Of course I could. I should. I’m going to try. I took great comfort in nobody knowing who I was. Not caring if I bumped into someone I knew. Stopping to talk to a friend in the street is something I’m not a fan of. I’d rather just sit down with them somewhere. Standing in the street to discuss events and emotions seems to informal. Also, you’re in the way of passers-by. If there’s one thing I dislike, it’s me being in the way of someone. Keeping distance is an art-form. I think I’ve gently got to grips with it. It’s not a tight grip; it never is.

It’s that time of year where I hate myself even more for not having a job or money. Christmas doesn’t bother me; it’s not having money to not go to SXSW that really gets to me. As a music obsessive, SXSW is my idea of heaven. I’ve never been to a music festival nor do I ever want to go to one. Stand in a field surrounded by drunken twats that smell of piss listening to the outline of bass rather than an actual song? No thanks. If I wanted that, I’d go to a club. And I don’t like clubs. SXSW seems like a classier affair. Where people actually care about music. No one is there to get so drunk they throw up and pass out. They are there to discover new music in brilliant venues. Bands from all over the world are there. Shit..last year The Jesus And Mary Chain played. I watched a bit of it on the internet and felt a rush of self-hate mixed with love for that band merge as one. I don’t know what I felt, but I just wished I was there. One year, I will go. I just have to. Maybe I should play the lottery, maybe that’d increase my chances.

I haven’t written anything for a while. I don’t know why. I haven’t even written any lyrics or poetry in my notebooks for a long time. I expect too much from myself at times with that. I’m not some literary machine. I never will be. I’ll take inspiration where I can, and when. I’m 100% sure I’d have found a lot at SXSW.

But all is not bad. After waiting for many years, I finally have tickets to see Beach House in 2 weeks in London. Two days after I’m seeing Foals. If there was an award for “Best Girlfriend In The Universe” mine would win. Not only just for this, but for her general being.

So this week will be spent mostly wishing I was at SXSW in small and sweaty venues with bands that would blow my mind. There’s always Record Store Day to look forward to.

Poolside.

 

 

SUMMER IS HERE! Oh wait..no it isn’t. No, it’s gone. Unless you’re in LA. It never rains in Southern Californiaaaaa..but it fucking pisses it down in the UK. That’s a better version, more accurate. Alright, so I no longer really care for much. I’m at that point now where I want to turn my phone off and never turn it on again. I want to stay indoors and avoid my own reflection. Avoid mirrors and anything else. I don’t know what it is. I think all the constant job rejections are taking their toll. I’m getting too serious, and you really don’t need to know about how much of a failure I truly am. So, let’s have some music that does the opposite of making you feel like shit alright?!

Poolside is an LA based duo. If you’ve ever read anything I’ve written you’ll know I have huge love for LA and the music from there. I’ve never been there, but in my heart I know I’ve got to live there. I want the dive bars and basement bands. I want the rough and uneasy. I want to struggle in the sunshine. I want to leave England, basically. Poolside are nothing short of heavenly.

They make music that makes you feel good about yourself. There’s something there that no other band can probably pull out of you right now. It’s impossible for any other band to get this fucked up feeling out of you. They make you want to dance, drink as many cocktails as you can before you feel like you’re going to vomit out a rainbow. They just make you feel so alive. I want to make shirts and banners, parade them about with them reading “LISTEN TO POOLSIDE.” You’ve got to listen to them kids, you’ve just got to.

The duo’s new track Slow Down makes you want to hide in the shade and close your eyes. Forget doing anything at all when you listen to this duo. You won’t be able to keep up the focus. Your brain will wander off and your eyes won’t know where to look. Juts try to relax and take in the beautiful moment.

You create your own beautiful moments in life. They can be anything. Some may regard it as looking deep into the eyes of the person they love. Then you have those who feel listening to a certain song just creates that beautiful moment. I’m with those kind of people. They’re the kind I’d want to be chums with. Poolside’s sound has been described as “daytime disco” if anyone wants to elaborate on that, go ahead because I really don’t understand. Are you now going to have evening metal? Dusk rap? No. Stop with your silly sub-genres. Stop it. Just listen to the music and don’t be so preoccupied with categorising it. When you do that, you take away the true art. STOP IT.

The band is currently working on their debut record, and going by what they have released so far it is pretty safe to say that when it does come out, it will blow your mind.

I’d make a hipster joke but I don’t feel quite humorous today.