A party that everyone’s been looking forward to for weeks. They seem to be having a wonderful time.
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Category: Rock
Blacklab: Under The Strawberry Moon 2.0 (2018).
Hey, are you interested in letting a couple of women from Osaka just completely melt your fucking brain? If so I have found the album for you.
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Links: EBM is trendy, managing the Rolling Stones, Swiss modernist post punk, egregious YouTube content filtering.
Post-punk albums in the style of 1960s Penguin nonfiction paperbacks.
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Reviews: Aboleth, Zanias (2016, 2018).
Writing about music is the most ridiculous notion, and the review pile is only getting larger. So I’ll give just embedding players and mumbling something a go. This works for me, and that’s the important thing.
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Links: Why the Rolling Stones suck, “fake artists,” ’80s remixes of current pop, ABBA, Philip Glass and S-Express, YouTube Music.
The Rolling Stones piece certainly answers for me the question “why could I never get into this stuff?”
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Richard Syrett on Theodor Adorno, the Beatles, conspiracy theorists and … me.
Did you know that Frankfurt School philosopher Theodor Adorno wrote all the Beatles songs? I sure didn’t! In fact, I still don’t.
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Mark Rye: Inside Looking Out: More Rock’n’Roll tales from inside the British music business (2017).
First-hand tales from the people down in the engine room.
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Ryder: For What It’s Worth (Live) (2018).
Buttrock band.
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Links: High-Definition Vinyl, Brian Hooper RIP, Eventbrite’s we-take-all ticketing contract.
At least Twitter reaps a bountiful harvest these days.
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Andrew W. K.: You’re Not Alone (2018).
How do you feel about relentless positivity and good cheer? I’m a bit cynical about it myself, but once in a while something comes by that slaps a smile on your face and won’t get out of your head.
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Links: The grunge gold rush, the Lester Bangs play, headphone jacks, Chandra, the first Velvets gig.
A pile of writing.
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Reviews: Dboy, Distant Stars, Cherry Heaven (2017, 2018).
Doing it yourself with trashy rock’n’roll, minimal synth and shoegazy indie.
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Links: Rasa Didzpetris Davies genius of The Kinks, Milli Vanilli, Arthur Baker, Children of Satoshi.
Planet Rock. Nicht halt. Raza DIdzpetris is why the Kinks were that good.
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Reviews: The Glass Eyes, Elektrostaub, Stolen Apple (2016, 2017).
Two indie rock, one industrial bleep.
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Diplomatic escort for David Bowie and Iggy Pop, 1976.
Letters to the Editor, Financial Times, 2 October 2017.
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Links: Piracy doesn’t affect sales, DC hardcore, Bowie and Cale, early proto-blues.
Und Sisters gegen Nazis.
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King Snake Roost: Things That Play Themselves (1988). Vale Charlie Tolnay.
Charlie Tolnay died a few days ago. Here’s a career rundown and a long bit from a 1990 Party Fears about my very favourite record of his. The correct hideous racket from freaks.
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Links: The failed hi-res audio of the 1990s, the risks of piracy, Simon Reynolds’ glam faves.
And the Blockchain Robot!
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Links: Denuvo suck and are thieves, Andrew Hickey’s Beach Boys books, Jimmy Webb.
DRM bad, classic rock vastly better.
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Ringo Starr is a dick.
“But thanks julian lennon for stopping me from becoming a supervillain hellbent on destroying the entire nation of britain for good.”
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Links: Frank Zappa 1967, audiobook recording, Jim Jarmusch’s Sqürl.
Today is all about the listening, now that I can listen to things again.
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Links: a critic turned artist, the soothing power of noise, Kim Dotcom outdone, Herman’s Hermits.
A pretty chill selection on the joy of art. And some schadenfreude for Kim Dotcom.
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Alixandrea Corvyn, Amongst Animals, Near Death Experience, Tangerinecat — Dublin Castle, Camden, Thu 4 May 2017.
I automatically staked out my life-long spot at stage right, leaning on the PA. I grabbed this spot in 1985 and shall not relinquish it.
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The Glass Eyes: Prime Record (2016); The Oceans Over There (2017).
Folky songwriter guitar rock that’s excessively fond of Neil Young and knows it.
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Links: Spotify to reduce convenience, the Velvets’ banana, Cosey Fanni Tutti goes establishment.
Never interrupt the music industry when it is making a mistake.
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Followups: laser-burnt records, that Beatles live album, Depeche Mode vs the Nazis.
Further on previous stories. Reach out and punch face.
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Reviews: 5TimesZero, Post War Glamour Girls, Vassals (2017).
Record reviews at last! Synthpop, shouty post-punk and grungy ’90s guitar pop. Some good stuff coming out over the next month.
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Reviews: Artefact, Ritual Howls, La Orden (2016, 2017).
Guitar post-punk in black and grey.
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John Cale: Music For A New Society/M:FANS (1982, 2016).
Music For A New Society was written and recorded over a few weeks in 1982. Cale basically pulled out handfuls of his guts and shoved them into the piano and the vocal mic as hard as he could. It’s a perfectly captured moment, and one of the best things Cale ever did.
The 2016 rerecording is … completely different.
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Reviews: Gnu Reunion, Treasureseason, Shijo X (2017).
A cheering selection, from old and new bands.
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