As my mind becomes tired of the same old poses on the small screen, the same four chords on an album, and that verse-chorus-verse tedium, I reach for something as far-removed from the dimension as possible. I had a friendly row with a friend the other day when he and I were weighing the sustained but dubious validity of genres of music after they’ve been done, in the exact same way, for decades. I cited the blues as an example, Continue Reading
He likes to head east. But he heads west. Why? Because he likes it better. What other reason could you possibly need; “I could make albums all day,“ says Frank, and if they’re likely to be as good as these two simultaneously released affairs, then give him the vinyl to do it. Initially Black is down as saying he would have liked the records to have been cut with an orchestra and if not an orchestra, then at the very Continue Reading
‘The Color Red’ are NuMetal, Clean grunge, second generation Nirvana, with a rawk bellow that rolls over songs that wouldn’t be out of place on the new Nickelback album. Any one of the tracks on their second album ‘Clear’ could be a hit (particularly in the U.S.) and any could probably get heavy rotation on MTV2. ‘The Color Red’ have played with the likes of No Doubt, Lit, Papa Roach, The Offspring and the Deftones, and this helps place them Continue Reading
According to the film of the same name, David’s Moore’s, Hitting the Ground, the fundamental law of the universe is that entropy increases. And whilst it’s a fiendishly conceived paradox, it really doesn’t explain the plot. Howard (Neal Huff) is a photographer for the local college newspaper. One day, while shooting random pictures on campus, he photographs a girl taking a fatal leap out her dormitory window. Howard’s film becomes a hot property, but whilst everyone is concerned about getting Continue Reading
First it was Lil’ Kim on “Fresh From Yard,“ now it’s the moderately ‘ooh-some’ Janet Jackson. And just as you were thinking it couldn’t possibly get any better for old Beenie, you learn the record was produced by the equally delicious Neptunes. Zigga-za indeed. It’s a sometimes awkward combination: lilting cool as the water keys and hot as the sun vocals. Hot? Moist? Humid? Call it what you will, with a sunscreen factor of 7 it’s a record that threatens Continue Reading
Regulars at seminal early ’90s breakbeat raves, “Desert Storm“ and “Voodoo Majic“, Blowfelt are said to have learned some serious ‘low end theory’ from a disturbingly early age. And though I clearly have no idea what it means, it certainly sounds good. BACK UP, BACK UP is – whatever the theory – already selling like hot cakes within the difficult to path white label circuit under the name ”LICKLE ROLLA”. Originally championed by EZ, on his Kiss FM show the Continue Reading
Will talks to Salford Poptones veterans, The Montgolfier Brothers about The World Is Flat and their ‘lucrative friend’ , Alan McGee. Interview by Will Jenkins.27/08/2002 Salford is a city with a strong community spirit that is inherently born out of the strong partisanship of Manchester. As one of the first active industrial cities in the world, the area has always considered itself to be a place with a modern outlook merely because of the enormous changes that have altered the Continue Reading
Long before Limp Bizket, Kid Rock or Linkin Park fused hip hop with a rock and roll attitude, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were busting out rhymes with a funk driven combination of punk and rap. While the bands 1995 recording, One Hot Minute, was a critical and commercial disaster in comparison to Blood Sugar Sex Magik, they regrouped with guitarist John Frusciante in 1999 and resurfaced with Californication. The record took creative liberties the band had previously not taken Continue Reading
Deserted halfway through his last tour Dave Doughman found himself at a pretty low point when his drummer, Don Thrasher, walked out on him, harsh, as there was only two of them to begin with. He may have picked up a new drummer at the very next stop, Joseph Siwinski, yet on this record you can tell the scars on Dave’s heart have not healed. (It Came) Out Of Nowhere is testament to the sense not of betrayal but of Continue Reading
When you used to buy Sebadoh records from your local independent store you once would have complained if Lou Barlow was not allowed to fill a whole album with his constant inability to get on with women. Jason though has always been a contributor and second songwriter in Barlow’s ten-year mission to get Dinosaur Jr out of his system. Where Lou’s relationship with J Mascis resulted in throwing a few mud pies at each other, Jason has always felt comfortable Continue Reading