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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Category: Rock
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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The Celibate Rifles: Merry Xmas Blues (1983).
Then give ’em all the turkey and tell ’em to get stuffed.
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Links: Stoner metal, Stevie Wonder, Bill Drummond on punk.
Essays on aesthetics.
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Ganser: relentlessness by guitar.
Taut indie guitar rock, sparse but weighty; machine music by a guitar band with the proper relentlessness.
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Reviews: Diversant:13, La Vogue vol. 1, Ambrasive, DrawnSword (2016).
’90s style industrial, early ’70s style songwriting, two dance non-reviews.
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Links: High-resolution consumer audio, London for music sales, the worst Beach Boys album.
Audio snake oil, London still the centre of the universe, Summer in Paradise.
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Links: Burroughs on the presidency, American Pie, Blood on the Tracks.
A beautiful and apposite William S. Burroughs reading, and some classic rock faff.
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Reviews: The Royal They, Unity One, Graveyard Love (2016).
Pre-grunge-style indie rock, EBM synthpop and disorienting synthesizer-guitar landscapes.
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A note on A. C. Temple.
Who else remembers late ’80s Blast First band A. C. Temple?
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Theodor Adorno wrote all the Beatles’ songs as a Cultural Marxist assault on America. Possibly.
One of the finest conspiracy theories in popular culture is the claim that Theodor Adorno, a main figure in the Frankfurt School of “cultural Marxism” fame, secretly wrote all the Beatles’ songs.
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