Best Songs of 2013 (part 4)

(Childish Gambino)

John Mayer and Katy Perry- Who You Love (pop, country)

This track shouldn’t work, it is like a cheesy ballad between two lovers, like that shitey Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams collaboration, which seems a lot weirder looking back on it now, like Jennifer Lawrence and Olly Murs releasing a song. Anyway Katy Perry has never sounded better and Mayer’s guitar skills shine through subtly to make a brilliant track. Also Katy Perry’s laugh at the end is even hot.

Volcano Choir- Byegone

Bon Iver has fucked off, but Justin Vernon’s newest musical output with Volcano Choir is just as spectacular, Byegone is definitely a highlight from the album and one of the best songs made this year.

Frightened Rabbit- Late March, Death March

Scottish folk,indie,rock darlings delivered once again on their first major label release and ‘Late March, Death March’ display everything that is superb about Scott Hutchinson and the rest of the band.

Childish Gambino- Yaphet Kotto (rap)

Gambino’s latest album is dropping next week and I’m hoping it features some more tracks that could appear on this list, but this was the teaser for his latest album and shows him going in over a typically Gambino obscure beat. This song deserves to be on the list purely for the line ‘Khalifa’s first name has got urine on him (ewww)’.

Arctic Monkeys- Stop the World, I Wanna get off with you

I could of featured half of AM but I have chosen a b-side cause I’m so hip. This track is brilliant and should of really featured on the main album, Alex Turner at his vocal best and fully fits the theme of the rest of the album.

Koreless- Sun

It sounds like a post-apocalyptic wasteland restoring to its natural state. God, I’m a loser.

Haim- The Wire (indie rock)

Haim’s album fell flat for me as I had heard all the best songs as singles released before. However those singles are superb, gradually getting better from Forever to Don’t Save me, released in 2012 to their most accomplished tuned so far in The Wire, Haim had a pretty good year.

Bonobo- Emkay

Bonobo brought out an exceptional album and this is one of the highlights, the brilliance of the instrumental with soft vocals over make this song accessible to everyone.

Nas and J Cole- Let Nas Down Remix (Rap)

Great moment in Hip-hop with the symbolic passing of the baton between J Cole and Nas was very well received with Cole’s apology to Nas and his reply put into one remix track.

Daft punk and Todd Edwards- Fragments of Time

This was the year of ‘Get Lucky’ and another highlight on Daft Punk’s robots successful homecoming comes from their second collaboration with garage/dance legend Todd Edwards, but this time with him on vocal duties. It is the song I return to most on Daft Punk’s RAM and a great track.

The Orwells- Who Needs you (rock)

Ballsy Indie Rock from a smelly looking rock band, who show that although it has been hibernating for a while, decadent rock music still has the ability to move and seduce you.

Best songs of 2013 (Part 3)

(Thundercat)

Paul Woolford- Untitled (housey)

The dance song of 2013.

Sharon Redd- Can you Hand it (LNTGM Mix)

Late Night Tuff Guy Music made a number of quality remixes this year, but this is definitely my favourite, it has an 70’s and even 90’s golden age of dance music aspect about it and when the Nile Rodgers esque disco guitar chimes in you know it’s gonna be a tune.

Thundercat- Heartbreaks + Setbacks

Great year for Thundercat as he is now renowned as one of the best bass guitarists in the world at the moment, featuring with the Roots, among other big names like Childish Gambino and Flying Lotus. Heartbreaks and Setbacks features his vocals and an infectious drum line which makes for some good listening.

Grandbrothers- Ezra was right

Up there with my favourite of all of the list, the haunting piano intro and the tinny sound gives it a unique sound and then the metronomic drum beats comes in and the song really takes off, it is remarkable.

Taylor Swift-22

‘Nuff said.

Lucius- Until we Get there (Indie)

I embarrassingly heard this song on New Girl, but it is pure indie brilliance.

Milo Green- 1957 (Indie)

I can’t remember where I heard this, I really hope it’s not New Girl again, but the male and female vocal duelling and harmonies create a really great indie rock song and the vocal delivery of the line ‘my god you tempt my anxious mind’ is always impressive upon every listen.

Lupe Fiasco- Jonylah Forever

Lupe brought one of the most emotional songs a few days after the tragic death of Jonylah, a child who was shot in Chicago. (I think) Using the Breaking Bad song sample and Lupe showing why he was so lauded as the next great Rap star, this freely released song left a mark on 2013.

Matt Duncan- The Keys

Matt Duncan’s whole album is brilliant but this is definitely the highlight, the fact that I had to embed the video from a playlist called ‘Hipster Pirate’ probably says more than I hoped it would.

City and Colour- Harder than Stone

Dallas Green’s fourth solo album under the alias City and Colour is also his most diversified as he isn’t afraid to venture away from just him and his acoustic guitar. This track Harder than Stone is a highlight from the album, and is something John Mayer would have been happy with in his latest album.

Best Songs of 2013 (Part 2)

(Kelela)

Kelela- Go All Night (RnB)

It has been some year for Kelela after working a dead end job earlier in the ear she quit to focus on music bringing out a great debut album and only the other week this track was featured on Solange ( The cooler Knowles sister) RnB compilation, great female RnB music.

Clubfeet- Cape Town (Panama Remix) (Dance)

It’s actually really depressing listening to summer songs and then looking outside to see the drab weather and people struggling to negotiate an umbrella, however this was a big tune during the hotter months.

Kwabs- Spirit Fade (soul)

This is a pretty confident first single, his voice sounds massive and impactful, he is destined to have a huge year in 2014 and this track shows just what he is capable of.

Tropics- Courage ft Gavin Turek

The whole Tropics EP is brilliant, and this track especially is killer, the production is superb and the little wobble that appears every so often is great too.

The 1975- (So Far It’s Alright) (Indie)

This band beat the odds by producing the album themselves, getting little to no NME coverage and the main singer is even the fucking son of the loosest of women that is Denise Welch and still gained a number 1 debut album. However it was the EP’s the band released prior to their album which really gained the attention of fans and this song in particular is my favourite, showing the strange lyrics and weird xylophonic sounds but it still sounds great. This song even produces a bit of J Dilla, which made the band even cooler.

J Cole ft Miguel- Power Trip (rap)

This was one of the best pop songs of 2013 for me, two artists who had a successful year coming together to further propel each other’s careers and make an appealing and catchy song, the ‘We are, we are, we are’ of the chorus is just perfect for me.

Nick Mulvey- Fever to the form (Acoustic Singer)

Definitely the best new voice I heard in 2013, Nick Mulvey opened for Ben Howard during his tour and will definitely become more prominent in 2014, his vocals are so smooth and engaging like in this particular song.

Kraak and Smaak- The Future is Yours (Housey)

One of the best house songs of 2013, Kraak and Smaak really delivered on their fourth studio album and this song has a British Lovebirds feel to it and is quality pre-night out tune.

Hoodie Allen ft Kinna Grannis-Make it Home (Rap)

Hoodie Allen is like the Frank Ribery to Macklemore and Mac Miller’s Messi and Ronaldo in the White stoner rap ranks. He has had produced better songs but does not get the same respect as his fellow peers, this should have been a crossover hit but failed to find its way across the pond it is essentially a really good rap-pop song.

Romare- Your Love (You give me the fever) (?!)

Fuck knows what the hell is happening in this song, but it sounds great, another good pre-night out tune.

Context- Small Town Lad Sentiments (Mike Skinner remix)

I’ve written about this song enough and the fact that the official video only has 7k views is absolutely criminal, this is the closest we are gonna get to a new The Streets song, and with Context’s lyrics and the production by his mate Slof, who knows how good Context could be.

Drake- Hold On We’re Going Home

No one had more of a disappointing year than Drake, his album really failed to be the classic many hoped it could be, consequentially Drake received a lot of flack regarding his failures and his sissy lyrics. However he still delivered one of the year’s and one of his best songs in Hold On We’re Going Home.

Shad- Stylin’ (rap)

I could of chosen one of six tracks off Shad’s newest album ‘Flyin Colours’ but choose the first single that started the buzz all off with Shad at his devastatingly lyrical best.

Yancey Boys- Quicksand (ft Common & Dezi Paige) (rap, J Dilla)

How many beats did J Dilla produce? It seems like every week another unreleased Dilla beat surfaces and they are just as brilliant as the last, this is a true rap song with Common delivering a great verse and J Dilla’s little brother produces a good verse also, sick song.

Best Songs of 2013 (Part 1)

(Chvrches- Lauren Mayberry)

When we look back on 2013’s popular musical output with minimal fondness and a sense of embarrassment that we actually allowed Bob Thicke, Pitbull and Demi Lovato to exist, we would happily forget that we were part of such a generation. However just like the man who recently remembered he threw his Hardrive containing 400k worth of Bitcoin into the trash, we have to trawl through shit to get to the real treasure. Here are some of my selections for the best songs of 2013, I shall break it up in to a couple of parts, but check it out and do as I will do and look back on this page in years’ time and remember 2013 wasn’t just twerking and Getting Lucky.

Farah Fawcett Hair- Capital Cities ft Andre 3000 (Indie-Dance)

I stupidly haven’t checked out the full album as of yet but I can’t imagine any track being as madly brilliant as this one, featuring the voice from NPR and Dookie Blossom the 3rd (Andre) this song is worth checking out.

Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar- Nostalgia (Rap)

Pusha T’s album was a great disappointment to me featuring only a handful of listenable tracks, but this one is definitely the pick of the bunch, with K Dot and Pusha T both delivering great verses over a typical Pusha instrumental.

Pedestrian- Hoyle Road

Great track, and definitely someone to check out for next year, all his outputs be it collaborating with Four Tet or his mixes have been superb and his first major breakthrough in ‘Hoyle Road’ is no different.

Celsius- Relax Your Mind (deep house…urgh)

Decided to just put the short preview version up, the long version is just as good. Moda Black (Jaymo and Andy George) have had a great year and this song is up there with their best releases, I described it as Deep house but it is just good dance music.

Nylo- Rent Free (Ambient pop)

Nylo brought out a great EP and this track displays her vocal talent and decent production, she claims she makes music ‘that sounds like snow’, not sure about that but it’s pretty good.

Rhye-Open (ambient pop)

The Bondax remix is decent but nothing compares to the magnificence of the original, it’s a beauty of the song with the vulnerable vocals over a soaring and in the end triumphant production, it is a brilliant song.

Kings of Leon- Wait for me (soft-rock)

To say I was underwhelmed by KOL latest offering is an understatement, it seemed lazy and in some respects uninspired, however one thing it has done as added another song to the greatest hits collection in ‘Wait for me’.

The Icarus Line- Don’t let me save your soul (Rock)

The Icarus Line have been around for a while, and have experimented with making post-hardcore tunes but they really sound their best here making straight up fast rock to make Nick Cave happy, it’s a behemoth of a rock song that the Foo’s would be happy of and should be checked out.

Chvrches- The Mother We Share

I’ve said enough about Chvrches before, and this song displays all their talents, it is a quality track and the hip-hop version on their new re-issue is just as good.

James Vincent McMorrow- Cavalier

I really thought his song would be huge and would surpass his earlier hit in his cover of ‘Higher Love’ but it really failed to find a larger audience, but the song is incredible. With an added production on what was usually just an acoustic debut album, James Vincent has really upped his game and sounds outrageously better because of it.

Four Tet- This track I’ve Been Playing that People Keep Asking About And That Joy Used In His Ra Mix And Daphni Played on Boiler Room

Four tet brought out a good album this year but still no song compares to this tribal dance tune he randomly released early in the year, great song and even better song name.

Bodhi-Imperfection

First heard about Bodhi when he released his hugely successful remix of an XX song, this year he really proved he wasn’t just a flash in the pan and this tune Imperfection is a brilliant splice of housey dance music.

Vic Mensa ft Eliza Doolittle- YNSP (Rap)

Vic Mensa from the ‘savemoney’ crew and famously Chance the Rapper’s best buddy delivers a great crossover track with a random guest slot from Eliza Doolittle. Vic just shows why he is one to watch when his album drops hopefully sometime next year.

William Devaughan- Be Thankful for what you got (FKJ remix)

The original song is spectacular and this remix by Bondax’s mate FKJ is no different, the funk and soul in equal abundances makes the song.

Favourite albums of 2013

(Volcano Choir)

I’m not the biggest fan of end of year lists because different blogs and publications seemingly battle it out over some obscure choices and agree in unison over some random overrated albums. I guarantee that the end of year lists this year will be fluttered by hyperbolic statements over the influence of Yeezus as well as completely exaggerating Vampire Weekend’s new found maturity. It will also include albums for ‘true music fans’ like Elvis Costello and The Roots latest offering as well as the new flavour of the week in the understated country singer category. Well I am simply going to highlight the albums I have enjoyed listening to the most this year no matter how simple they may be, so it here it goes in no particular order.

The 1975-S/T

I first heard about the song ‘Chocolate’ on the radio and thought we had been blessed with a new, Keane or Kooks in a new band you love to hate but then I decided to check out the album on a whim, and couldn’t stop playing it. The album has so many different sounds from synths to almost electronic bubble sounds and the biggest instrument of all in Matt Healy’s voice, the album is so brave and accomplished from a debut that it really did deserve to hit number 1. It’s infectious, in some respects lairy and even shows signs of subtle brilliance and it just somehow works to great effect, definitely recommend getting your earphones out and listening to it on a nightrain, cause that’s when it really sounds it’s best.

Arctic Monkeys-AM

This was without a doubt Arctic Monkeys year, they headlined Glastonbury and brought out the best album of their career. I enjoyed their latest outing in ‘Suck it and See’ but honestly thought that was as far they could take it in terms of big riffs and nonsensical lyrics, but they added a whole different element with hip-hop inspired sounds and made a truly great album. Although they have seemed to allow a couple of tracks become advert/soundtrack fodder the album is rife with hits and has set the bar high once the Sheffield boys start work on its follow-up.

Shad-Flyin colours

I got into Shad quite late around the time he won a Canadian award for his album TSOL but to be honest I wasn’t that excited for his 2013 release and then I heard ‘Flyin’ Colours’. In a new era of Rap people are looking back to De La Soul instead of Public Enemy making more conscious rap music and on this output Shad basically does everything Childish Gambino wishes he could. The lyricism is up there with the best for the last few years and his flow is so composed and unruffled, it is definitely the coolest album released this year. This album is for everyone as he uses indie rock sentimentalities in a hip-hop setting, and I am looking forward to his next release.

Chvrches- The Bones of What you Believe

I was a fan of the band ‘Twilight Sad’ and was annoyed when they broke up and joined a new band with a more synth-laden sound and a female main singer, and it took me a while and a Guardian article to come around and give them a listen. When I did I was amazed, the album is brilliant it’s hauntingly splendid in parts and catchy in others, there is something so appealing and endearing about Lauren Mayberry’s vocals that I could listen to them all day. Chvrches are a force to be reckoned with, with their strong stance on sexism in music, Lauren Mayberry could very well become the feminist icon girls need in the music industry.

Bonobo-The North Borders

I checked Bonobo’s birth place (Brighton) several times over the year simply because I couldn’t believe he wasn’t nominated or even mentioned in conjunction with the Mercury Music Prize. His fifth output in ‘The North Borders’ is exceptional, and in the dying age of the medium, a truly great album from start to finish. It’s Trip-hop, it’s electronic in parts and it is superb tracks such as ‘Emkay’, ‘Cirrus’ and personal favourite ‘Know You’ are special scores of music and I am gutted I never got to experience it live this year. This album deserves a place alongside Burial’s ‘Untrue’ and Dj Shadow’s ‘Endtroducing’ and it’s a shame it hasn’t been as lauded as it perhaps should of done.

Volcano Choir-Reprave

Volcano Choir or What Bon Iver did next, but this isn’t just another Bon Iver album this is Justin Vernon fronting a type of rockier and improved Sigur Ros. With a full band you get the impression Justin is more relaxed, he isn’t putting so much pressure and heart into every song and the sound benefits because of it. The album is short (39 mins) but equally as sweet with remarkable moments coming in almost every track. The album feels like a journey, sometimes tragic and often triumphant it is definitely worth checking out because Bon Iver is dead, but after listening to Volcano Choir, I think I’m okay with that.

Justin Timberlake 20/20 Experience: Part 1

There was a time when I hated Timbaland, he charged 1million pounds for a couple of wails on a track (see One Republic), he ruined one of the grunge greats career (Chris Cornell) and let’s be honest he looked like Bizarre from D12. Then all of a sudden everything went quiet on the Timbaland front and whilst he was shedding the pounds he was working on some of the best Blue-Eyed soul we had heard in a while. With obscure samples in ‘Suits and Tie’ to some great big band-esque music accompaniment, JT and Timbaland made an excellent album which unfortunately couldn’t be replicated in Part II. From the samba inspired sounds of ‘Let the Groove Get in’ to Justin’s best vocal performance in ‘That Girl’ it is a great album with Justin Timberlake further cementing himself as the person every guy wants to be and every girl wants to be on.

Frightened Rabbit- Pedestrian Verse

To me this band can do no wrong through every output be it an ep or a live album they have showed themselves to be great musicians and song-writers and Pedestrian Verse is no different. The band now on a major label (Atlantic) set out to make an album as a collective rather than just Scott Hutchinson (lead vocalist) and it seems to create a fuller more diversified sound. I recommend this album to anyone into indie-rock and wants a bit of folk influenced rock which pisses all over Mumford and his fucking sons.

The Wonder Years- The Greatest Generation

I thought around the age of 17-18 I grew out of pop-punk, but I don’t think this was the case, I think no one was really making great music in the genre, and then I heard The Wonder Years. This album concludes a trilogy of albums and is their most impressive and sincere output. The lyrics that Soupy (lead vocalist) writes and then bellows out are the reason he has become a voice for this moment. With songs titled ‘I Just Wanna sell out my own funeral’ and ‘The Devil in my Bloodstream’ the album is as vulnerable as I have ever heard and with tales of regret and a dream of escaping, the band really pour it all onto this fantastic album.

Memorable mentions-

Rudimental-Home
J Cole- Born Sinner
Unknown Mortal Orchestra- II
Pearl Jam- Lightning Bolt

12 Artists to watch in 2014

12 Artists to Watch in 2014

(Charlotte OC)

2014 will see the usual trend of promising talents releasing their sophomore efforts (Scoolboy Q, Joey Badass), past-it bands clinging on with tired and uninspired works (U2, Limp Bizkit, Blink 182) and then the return of some of my favourite artists (Springsteen, William Fitzsimmons, Foo Fighters, Brand New, Manchester Orchestra and Nas). As well as the aforementioned we shall have the arrival of new musical juggernauts and I will have a quick look at acts I think can make a lasting impression in the 2014 battle royale that is the music industry. (I have purposely avoided putting in dance-inspired acts and gone for more convential singer/songwriters/bands/rappers as I was thinking of doing another entry looking at ‘the sound of 2014 dance’ however just a quick pick, George Fitzgerald is gonna have another good year, Icarus and Bondax will do well and so will Flume, but will leave that for another day)

BANKS (Sultry RnB,Pop)

Apart from having a name associated with greedy fat-cats, Banks is an endearing character due to her good looks and vulnerable singing style. The LA based singer-songstress must be watching the ripples Lana Del Rey made last year and hoping she can replicate her success as she has a similar subtle London Grammar quality about her too. The songs aren’t as of the moment hits, but her first EP has displayed the talents she has that will help her to explode on to the scene as a female The Weeknd. If she keeps working with talented producers like she has in Sohn, TEED, Lil Silva and Jamie Woon it’s only a matter of time before she is universally known.

Bishop Nehru (Rap)

Bishop Nehru started making noises this year with a support slot in the Wu-Tang Clan tour as well as getting validated by Kendrick among other respectable names in rap. However the best thing the 17 year old has done this year was become pally up with the mercurial MF Doom to whom he has a mixtape coming out with in 2014, it will be great and Nehru’s reputation will just further plateau.

Say Lou Lou (Dreamy Pop)

Like a female Hurts this duo who make a sort of transcendent dreamy pop sound hail from both Australia and Sweeden and released their Ep earlier this month to some acclaim. They are backed by a smart label in the French based Kitsune (Two Door Cinema Club, Delphic and Citizen) and they will have an album out in 2014 to make them the greatest sisterly pop duo since the Cheeky Girls.

Ady Sulieman (Pop, Acoustic)

I’ve been campaigning this Nottingham based singer-song writer since I first heard him on Mistajam earlier in the year and everything I have heard him do, and the music he listens to has impressed me. It is incredibly hard for a solo male lead to get success, unless he fully performs felatio on the music industry big wigs like Conor Maynard has done this year. However if Ady keeps writing great songs and showcasing his obvious talents there is no reason he can’t find a sustained and strong following

Circa Waves (Indie rock)

Who knows 2014 may be the year to get out those skinny jeans, put on that ‘Is This It’ t-shirt and embrace the resurgence of Indie Rock and I haven’t heard anyone who have made such a statement of intent in their first two songs as the Liverpool based Circa Waves. They take a leaf out of The Vaccines playbook with fast melodic indie rock with smart licks and soaring vocals thrown in for good measure and they could make some real WAVES (sorry) in 2014.

Eliza and the Bear (Indie, soft-rock)

This is a band I have followed ever since the hey days of Myspace and they have transformed from being an angsty Alt-Rock/Grunge band to being an Indie breath of fresh air. With songs such as ‘It Gets Cold’, ‘Upon the North’ and the song I’ve featured above which may be recognised from a Sky Movies advert ‘Friends’, the band won’t break the top 20 but are definitely a band that should gain a much larger audience in 2014.

Drowners (The US doing Brit-pop)

With Vampire Weekend graduating from quirky offbeat pop songs to proper musicians in their latest outing and Foster the People desperately trying to replicate their formula for ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ there is a sort of vacuum of college pop music. They possess a sort of late Clash 80’s vibe combined with Suede and Libertines and I can see them gaining some success when their album drops early next year.

Wild Ones (synthy pop)

Once you listen to ‘Wild Ones’ it is Danielle Sullivan’s voice which makes the biggest initial impact, in its controlled whiniest like Chvrches, but the music accompanying her vocals are equally impressive. What Wild Ones do so well is connect new musical movements with some throwback Roxy Music-esque synth work and I’m hoping they release something else in 2014. Check out the video above it’s pretty great.

Elijah Blake (rnb, soul)

Ever since the death of Nate ‘rent-a-chrous’ Dogg, the females have been prospering in the rap game jumping on various different tracks and singing the hook to accompany the rap verses. Last year Miguel become a superstar and when he wasn’t leg-dropping fans he was singing some of the best soulful rnb in years, something I believe Elijah Blake could be doing in 2014. Backed by Rocnation he has all the links to make a real name for himself, and I don’t know why but I can just see him and J Cole making one of the biggest songs of 2014, he is definitely one to watch.

Vic Mensa ( Rap)

Chance the rapper had the year of his short life in 2013, through Acid Rap he exploded on to the scene and became a new spokesperson for conscious based rap which is the Kryptonite to the Chief Keef drill rap that has become popular in Chicago. Vic Mensa is Chance’s good buddy and towards the end of the year he brought out in my opinion one of the best mixtapes of the year getting him on a big tour with Wale and J Cole. Vic Mensa is a revolving door of ideas as can be seen in his impressive freestyles and all over his mixtape, in 2014 he will further cement his reputation as one of the rappers to look out for

Charlotte OC (pop)

Charlotte OC knows how harsh the music industry can be, the Blackburn based singer was picked up and quickly dropped by record label Columbine at a young age, but this has only inspired her development as an artist further. The singer released an EP earlier this Autumn and will be looking to follow it up with an album in 2014, she has a similar singing style to the forementioned Banks although she prefers a full band to help bring her enchanting vocals to the forefront. Just check out the video of her singing live, to see how crazy good she is.

Royal Blood (Alt rock, Grunge)

Why not end this list with a bang, the heaviest of my selections and in some sense the most exciting, this duo from Brighton are making heavy riff laden throwback grunge music like Dinosaur Jr or Biffy Clyro when they were good. Royal Blood could be the surprise package of 2014 and could be the catalyst for mosh-pits all over the country.

The Ian Watkins Dilemma

Okay, I’m gonna start this article by saying that Ian Watkins is scum, he is obviously a twisted and demented character and I feel sympathy for his band mates as they were so close to the monster for so long and had no idea. There were always rumours circulating about Watkins and underage girls, but it was 15-16 year olds (which is clearly wrong) and not the heinous crimes he admitted to yesterday in court. Now it looks like Watkins will rot in a jail cell for at least 10-20 years, so the question is what becomes of his art that he produced, the music he created over a 12 year long career.

A lot of people have jumped to the conclusion that they will never listen to Lost Prophets again, and I can understand this due to the freshness of the court case in everyone’s minds. However awful crimes and musicians aren’t as far apart as people think. Old blues legend Leadbelly killed somebody, Spade Cooley (The King of Western Swing) stomped his wife to death in front of his daughter, Jim Gordon (of Eric Clapton’s Derek and the Dominos) killed his mother with a hammer. The list goes on with more famous names, Slick Rick killed somebody, Vince Neil whilst drunk driving killed somebody, Cassidy the rapper killed somebody and I haven’t even started to look at Black Metal bands like Mayhem! Surprise, Surprise Famous people can be just as irrational and immoral as everyday people!

One of my favourite musicians of all time is Bobby Womack and he was caught by Sam Cooke’s ex-wife sexually assaulting her under-age daughter, he just like Phil Spector and Charles Manson before him was a man warped by drug-use, as it appears also was Ian Watkins. Chuck Berry, Bill Wyman and Roman Polanski all conducted in sexual acts with underage girls but it won’t affect the way I watch The Pianist, listen to Jumpin’ Jack flash nor Johnny B Goode. All these pieces of art our collaborative efforts and now exist independently of their creators.

Lost Prophets were not musical geniuses; they were scene hoppers starting from a nu-metal background to become emo sweethearts and Watkins became a kind of Welsh icon for the outsiders like Gerrard Way did. The whole case has undoubtedly soiled the bands reputation and the rest of the band members will spend the rest of their lives trying to cope with actions which they were no part of. Ian Watkins has ruined a lot of things with his actions, and I take some solace in the hope that the children involved will never find out which the anonymity of the two women has in some way protected. Although one thing he has not ruined is the memories he helped create, in the future when I listen to Shinobi vs Dragon Ninja, I will think of my first gig when I was 12 seeing them support Linkin Park. When I listen to Last Train Home and Last Summer I will think about times me and friends used to bellow out the song’s lyrics. When I listen to a Town Called Hypocrisy, I will think of the time some of my friends foolishly opted to see LostProphets at Reading Festival over Radiohead, a horrible, horrible decision. Ian Watkins has taken a lot of things away from a lot of people, but I’m not gonna let him take away memories and the good times I had listening to the songs him and his Welsh compatriots created.

My Thoughts on the film ‘Gravity’

So I had been accosted with reviews after reviews championing this new Space Thriller ‘Gravity’ starring Danny Ocean and Miss Congeniality, with one write-up even exclaiming that this was ‘the Noughties equivalent of Titanic’. So I felt compelled to leave my cynicism at home and see Alfonso Cuaron’s blockbuster as I was a fan of his work in Children of Men. I mention ‘Children of Men’ early on, because I feel places where Alfonso Cuaron got things completely right in the 2006 Sci-Fi film, he earnestly failed in Gravity and I will draw suitable comparisons throughout my review.

So the film starts with no fucking around, the scene is set, George Clooney, Sandra Bullock and some Indian guy from Eastenders who has got his big break are in space. What follows is some of the flimsiest dialogue to ever been witnessed on screen, and I don’t mean comparable to other shitey Hollywood films, I mean on screen anywhere. I’ve watched some half-assed youtube series starring a shoe and a radiator that had better interchanges than Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney). I call George Clooney’s character Matt Kowalski, but let’s be honest it’s George Clooney playing George Clooney, it seems as though the Coen Brothers are the only people who possess the key into getting him to actually act as a different person. Okay so Clooney is talking crap, The Indian guy is loving life which in no way forbodes anything that may happen, he’s just happy that he’s got his big break and any moment now you are gonna see his face and Sandra Bullock is feeling queasy. Then a literal shit-storm is impending on our characters, but who to blame for the imminent debris that is going to rain on our friend’s parade? The Russians, oh of course. I know Alfonso Cuaron is Mexican, but this is a Hollywood film and in ultimately blaming what happens in the rest of the film on Russia, it just feels so dated in premise like they still haven’t got over the Space Race. Although I was already leaning towards the idea of hating this film the moment Sandra Bullock opened her mouth, this really cemented my hatred and the following 90mins of film I admittedly watched it through a bias red mist. Anyway I will write down some of my thoughts below.

I don’t want to get into the actual science behind the film because I feel like Tyson deGrasse already blew a lot of that wide open, but I’m gonna look at the problems I had with the film, to which there are many. It was so conceited and cheesy in an equal cocktail of bullshit. At one point a Looney Tunes toy drifts towards the screen, and I realised after several seconds that the only reason they had this was because said character was in the film ‘Space Jam’. I mean come on, I nearly walked out then and there. In terms of the films characters, I have to compare Ryan Stone, whom they only gave a male name for a remark about her father wanting a boy to Captain Phillips. Both are disaster films of some sort, but what Captain Philips does well that Gravity doesn’t is that it slowly develops the character and has you rooting for them, it helped that said actor was the loveable Tom Hanks but it really got you emotionally involved in his story. As for Gravity, they developed her character shoddily with crappy dialogue with Clooney and the ghost of Clooney which made me like her even less. I may sound callous in saying this, but I couldn’t give a shit if Ryan Stone lived or died, in fact I was probably leaning towards the latter. So in the character respects, the film completely failed. In terms of the acting, Alfoso Cuaron drew a great performance from Clive Owen in ‘Children of Men’ and although Bullock was average, the script and CGI didn’t really allow her to show any real acting chops. If she is even up for an Oscar nomination it is a complete joke.

So I’m going to look at the CGI cause that is another area that the film has raised loads of plaudits and some of it is good, but it isn’t ground-breaking. The first person shots of Bullock drifting through space are impressive, but the rest of it just looked like a cut scene from most big budget Xbox and Playstation games released today. Final Fantasy: The Spirit from Within came out in 2001 and the film just seems like a reasonable and gradual progression from that point with nothing that impressive, like there was in Avatar. It may be personal opinion, but the graphics weren’t as show-stopping as had been marketed beforehand. Another aspect which should be touched on is the films soundtrack, another thing that Alfoso Cuaron got right in Children of Men was the music and courtesy of John Tavern whom died earlier this week the film created a haunting and beautiful backdrop for the film. In Gravity the music was as instantly forgettable as the rest of the film and did nothing to further any potentially emotional moments.

So that’s my little quickly written review of what is an awful film which will probably come back to anger me even more come awards season.

Other annoying things about this film
-Clooney’s fucking shit Mardi Gras story that somehow becomes the crux of the film
-Sandra Bullock barking
-Clooney coming to Bullock in a dream and influencing her actions
-Bullock’s story about how her daughter died
-A drop of water hitting the camera and effectively breaking the 4th Wall
-Bullock’s final line is shocking

Shad- Progress Progress (Part 1: American Pie, Part 2: The Future is here)

I have been listening to Shad’s latest album ‘Flying Colours’ for the last two or three weeks and I wish to fully articulate how great the album is in a couple of weeks, cause I am too hyped up by it at the moment that I see myself blurting out words like ‘classic’ and ‘masterpiece’. However one of my favourite tracks on the album comes in Track 7 with this odyssey of ‘The Night the Music Died’. The first verse of the track starts with the lines…

‘The night the music died
There were flashes of massive plane and stock crashes
Flower baskets and caskets
A.I.G. and B.I.G. and C.I.G.-arette ashes’

I personally read the lyrics as a made up future with Mad Max ‘Thunder Dome’ connotations with how damaged the landscape has became a la The King Blues ‘What if Punk Never Happened’ with no music;  but it can also be read looking at different events such as 9/11, The night Biggie died and The Stock crashes and how that affected music. The song is centered around the old Don Mclean classic ‘American Pie’ and one line that says ‘The Day the Music Died’ and by elaborating further on this and constantly singing the ‘American Pie’ hook, there is a spine to the song to let him go off on tangents in the verses. From this crux Shad just delivers quips and some of the best word play i’ve heard in a while, line after line.

Some of my favourite are..

‘She cried “I’m bored!”
Said “Yeah you’re starting to bore us”
Never gone this long without a chorus’

Which is just brilliant. and then follows it up by telling a story of a car he got and traded it for another car and then it was 

‘Stripped and sold for her parts like porn stars‘

Which again is genius, but then follows it up with in my opinion the best couplet in rap this year by rhyming

My mind’s the same as Usain’s footspeed
And that pushed me off the beaten trail
Like a runaway slave on some underground VIA-Rail
Cause we still feel them beats
But I don’t mean Pharrell
I mean we still feel them beats
We were beaten well

That last bit about still feeling the beats as slaves rather than of a fan of Pharrell’s hip-hop orientated beats, is brilliant. Then Shad lambastes the new age of pop-stars who are all about fame and selling sex rather than making great music as he raps

The night the music died it slept with a fan
Put her breasts in his hands
And said “Never sing for less than a grand” bam

If at this point in the song you are questioning Shad’s brilliance as a rapper as well his writing talent he ends his rapping verse with this..

No blaming the products of the products
May the pop cans and Pop-Tarts and pop charts and all stars
And doll parts and stock cars and Walmarts with shop carts
And ballparks with playoffs and day jobs with layoffs between faded soft
And the night the music died nobody investigated it
Just another one of us laying on the Vegas Strip
They close the casket and the case up quick
Guess they figured it was gang related and never gave a shh…

The song is seemingly about to end and then a hauntingly beautiful Bon Iver sounding instrumental from his ‘For Emma’ album echoes in the background whilst Shad quitely sings over it. The track racks up at the 7minute mark and I’m always disappointed it’s ended so soon, the track is incredible, and whilst I’m sure everyone else won’t appreciate it like I am at the moment, you would be a fool not to check it out, A FOOL!

Songs mentioned in this article

King Blues-What if Punk Never Happened

Don Mclean-American Pie

Bon Iver- Flume

Context-Small Town Lad Sentiments (Mike Skinner remix)

This track has been around for a bit now with Mistajam showcasing it on his Radio 1 show but the song now has a video (four weeks ago). The video features Mike Skinner, and this track could easily have featured on Original Pirate Material with lines such as ‘We grew up being told that actions speak louder than words, but you need cash to act and I’m skint – fractions speak louder than verbs’ it is pure brilliance.