According to this 'ere Drowned in Sound article, Rage Against the Machine are reforming and headling the Coachella festival. I don't think i'm happy about this. More news when I'm party to it.
Here's a beast from my easy favourite RATM album 'Evil Empire'.
For me, this is one of those songs that encapsulate a moment in your life. When I first heard it I played it over again and again and I doubt I could ever become sick of it. Yo La Tengo have largely passed me by until quite recently but I remember the awesome video for this from way back. It's pretty far back in the mix so I suppose I just didn't notice it. Prophetic having the Gene Simmons guy teaching them to rock, long before any of those series were made. And I can't help but think that Jack Black's posse took more than a little guidance from this clip.
Anyway the song's got a great sludgy slacker pop feel with washy guitars and great lyrics.
In the first of a series (if I remember to keep on with it, see 'Coming to the end of an album - Part 1' and lack of subsequent parts) I present you with some huge songs that never fail to get me flailing round my flat and seething with more energy than is healthy.
To kick off, an awesome track by Fu Manchu from the interim beefed up EP of the same name that they released after King of the Road. It benefits from rougher production and incredible live energy that the last couple of albums lacked.
While I was at Uni in Liverpool I had the good fortune to be friends with some stunning musicians. John Smith is one of them. Originally from just across the River Exe from me, it was great to see him find his niche and then nail it harder than anyone shall nail again. He plays acoustic guitar percussively, chordally, melodically and maniacally whilst producing a voice that can veer dramatically from gravelly to floating in the space of a single phrase.
He's doing pretty well now, supporting John Martyn on his UK tours, being featured on Radio 2, and generally putting my achievements to shame. But he's ace and deserves it. Here's a video of John playing his song 'Winter' live at the Summer Pops festival in Liverpool last year:
Click here to buy his brilliant album "The Fox and the Monk".
I haven't been this obsessed by a band in ages. I've just been automatically flicking to my Deerhoof playlist everytime I even think about listening to music. I've barely listened to anything else since I started to "get" them. I'm suddenly so much more excited about writing music and keen to start another band (after playing solo for about a year). It's again blown open what I thought a group of musicians was capable of. They create a world I want to inhabit.
Well, my hosting is on the blink but there's a couple of awesome new tracks from Deerhoof's upcoming album 'Friend Opportunity' on Neiles Blog. May I particularly recommend The Perfect Me, which reunites us with our dear friend 'The Big Riff' nestling in the middle of the song. The album's out on the 23rd of January and can be pre-ordered here.
Also here's a video with loads of intimate live Deerhoof stuff from the Burn My Eye mail order music TV thingame. Click here for the ram file (it's a streamer).
And, excusing the madcap camera technique, here's a cool YouTube shaped clip:
I'll leave you with this amazing spacey jazz post rock track (available free from their press page) from the last album, 'Runners Four' .
This is an unpopular choice in my flat. My girlfriend (alongside every girl who once wished they were the Girl From Mars that Tim Wheeler still loved) hates Charlotte Hatherley for ruining Ash. Frankly I think Ash ruined Ash when they started writing crap songs. And the fact that she left the band a good while ago doesn't seem to change a thing?
Anyway, she released a solo album last year which, from the few tracks I know, was pretty good. Some really nice guitar work and great vocal hooks. Wasn't all amazing (especially lyrically), but proved she wasn't without her own genuine talent.
She's due a new LP out soon and new single 'Behave' makes me fee all funny inside. Again the lyrics still aren't amazing but the guitars and hooks are fantastic. It sounds really unusual for these times with a really slinky bounce to the thing. I'm also glad that her singing is now less cute bubblegum and more Esthero. I particularly dig the middle breakdown. Fuckin lush, Bay.
I won't post the Mp3 because it's a single and that's not really fair but have a listen to the video below (try to avoid it's gaze though as it's pretty cheesy and kinda ruins the song):
Disclaimer: I only post mp3s on here as a means to introduce exciting music to others. Those that aren't freeware, are only intended as samples and are posted for a very limited period. Everybody knows it feels better to save up and buy the stuff, so please do. If you are the artist or label representative and don't want an MP3 featured, let me know and I'll remove it.
