I say new(ish) because I've known about the band for a while, but recently I've got really obsessed; with the lead singer in particular.
I first discovered her voice when asked to sing the female vocal solo in All Time Low's "Remembering Sunday" at a gig and I was amazed and inspired by the grit and passion in her voice.
Juliet Simms, lead singer of Automatic Loveletter is renowned not just for her voice, but her entire look is amazing and unique. She's a bit of an icon, can't get enough of her at the moment. I really want to share this video with you because it's a stripped-down version of a song off their album "Truth Or Dare"and it really showcases the rumble and smoky edge to her voice. It's also a rad song that's catchy and moody and attitude-y all in one go. You must however listen also to the original version, and you can buy their album Here
So here we go, my new favourite:
(Ps the first bit of music you'll hear is just credits, the song starts about 10 seconds in)
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Friday, 13 April 2012
Local live music
A melting pot of folk singers, rock bands and even the occasional rapper, Woody's music bar is often considered the heart of my town's music culture. Whilst other venues sometimes slip under the mirky veil of underground screamo and metal, Woody's maintains it's musical multicultural variety without becoming intimidating. It is this diversity of genres resulting from the tension-free atmosphere that attracts music lovers from across the town to see what local talent is blooming.
The bands I'm going to mention may not be an exhaustive list as we left rather earlier than Woody's closes so there may have been more acts on which i cannot comment because i was not there.
Last night, a small group of friends got there as a young girl was setting up her acoustic guitar. Unfortunatley, i did not catch her name, but as she stood up what became instantly clear was her age- or indeed lack of it. Peaking at around I'd say 15 years of age, the last thing i expected was a strong, vibrant and confident singing voice, which was indeed what we got from this young girl. From a shakey start induced almost definitely by nerves, her confidence grew as the audience's appreciation of her strong vocal performance coupled with an expert choice of crowd-pleasers such as Elvis Presley's "Little less conversation" became apparent. I would compare her voice to Birdy's, and i think there was a little disappointment that she didn't do a Birdy cover, as expressed by several of the people I was with. Perhaps she was aiming to avoid such a comparison and create an impression that was entirely her own. Either way she was enjoyable to listen to, and impressive for such an age.
Perhaps the star performance of the night though- and performance definitely is the right word to use here- was George. With no less than 7 members of his band- a list that complied of keyboardist, backing, drums, two guitars and two dancers- George was perhaps reminiscent of Lady GaGa in all but voice. His flamboyance and drama was certainly a general nod in her direction, however I believe that it was all perhaps to his fault rather than gain. Despite his obvious on-stage prowess, as I've said before, any cover you do you are naturally compared to the original, and I am not convinced that his voice was quite strong enough to live up to these standards. In truth they were somewhat nasal, with the backing vocalist surpassing him in technique and quality of voice. What we cannot fault however is the flawlessness of the band. From the echoing synth effects of the Patrick Wolf look-alike on keyboard, or the confident girlpower oozing from the bassist and backing singer, the musicality was perfect. The drummer blew me away; small in physique but making up for it in drum beats that make your heart beat off it's own rhythm, the blonde was the "oomph" that not only drove the band, but sent it squeeling and speeding off the stage into the faces of everyone listening. Whilst, at a larger venue I'm sure dancers would look professional and entertaining, I think the small size of the stage at Woody's simply did not accomodate for two girls performing their body-popping choreography as well as the rest of he band. It was somewhat awkward to see them cramped and limiting themselves, which was a shame because I'm sure alot of effort went into it, as well as the fabulous costumes. I couldn't help feeling however that it was just another element that distracted from what was supposed to be the main singer. All in all, it was a great effort in putting on a show, however ironically, it seemed that everyone was flawless except the one you'd expect to lead the show- and i got the distinct impression he was being carried by his talented band.
So from folk, to Gaga, now thousands of miles over the pond to the US, because American rapper AJ gave us a brief stint. Not really my kind of thing but it was enjoyable enough, everyone was laughing and bopping in the judgement-free atmosphere that i've come to love about Woody's: Everyone is there for the crack and most of the people there are musicians anyway, so appreciate the performance whatever genre is thrown up there.
The last I saw before leaving was young Ben Phillips, singer of Cal-22. Usually a loud and punky three piece band, the sound was stripped back in an acoustic set performed by the singer alone. Well, with his guitar of course. He's 15, and I'm not going to be patronising here considering I'm only two years older than him, but I'm still impressed by his aptitude for guitar for his age. As he sings, it's effortless, like that piece of wood and string is just an extension of his arm that he was born with. His maturity also extends into his choice of songs, such as The Jam and The Buzzcocks, his young husky voice injecting some youth back into the 70's era. Most kids, such as the girl from the start of the night show a little nerves and shyness, but Ben's up there talking freely with the audience, making the odd joke or pun and showing that confidence and effortlessness that is quickly becoming his signature.
The bands I'm going to mention may not be an exhaustive list as we left rather earlier than Woody's closes so there may have been more acts on which i cannot comment because i was not there.
Last night, a small group of friends got there as a young girl was setting up her acoustic guitar. Unfortunatley, i did not catch her name, but as she stood up what became instantly clear was her age- or indeed lack of it. Peaking at around I'd say 15 years of age, the last thing i expected was a strong, vibrant and confident singing voice, which was indeed what we got from this young girl. From a shakey start induced almost definitely by nerves, her confidence grew as the audience's appreciation of her strong vocal performance coupled with an expert choice of crowd-pleasers such as Elvis Presley's "Little less conversation" became apparent. I would compare her voice to Birdy's, and i think there was a little disappointment that she didn't do a Birdy cover, as expressed by several of the people I was with. Perhaps she was aiming to avoid such a comparison and create an impression that was entirely her own. Either way she was enjoyable to listen to, and impressive for such an age.
Perhaps the star performance of the night though- and performance definitely is the right word to use here- was George. With no less than 7 members of his band- a list that complied of keyboardist, backing, drums, two guitars and two dancers- George was perhaps reminiscent of Lady GaGa in all but voice. His flamboyance and drama was certainly a general nod in her direction, however I believe that it was all perhaps to his fault rather than gain. Despite his obvious on-stage prowess, as I've said before, any cover you do you are naturally compared to the original, and I am not convinced that his voice was quite strong enough to live up to these standards. In truth they were somewhat nasal, with the backing vocalist surpassing him in technique and quality of voice. What we cannot fault however is the flawlessness of the band. From the echoing synth effects of the Patrick Wolf look-alike on keyboard, or the confident girlpower oozing from the bassist and backing singer, the musicality was perfect. The drummer blew me away; small in physique but making up for it in drum beats that make your heart beat off it's own rhythm, the blonde was the "oomph" that not only drove the band, but sent it squeeling and speeding off the stage into the faces of everyone listening. Whilst, at a larger venue I'm sure dancers would look professional and entertaining, I think the small size of the stage at Woody's simply did not accomodate for two girls performing their body-popping choreography as well as the rest of he band. It was somewhat awkward to see them cramped and limiting themselves, which was a shame because I'm sure alot of effort went into it, as well as the fabulous costumes. I couldn't help feeling however that it was just another element that distracted from what was supposed to be the main singer. All in all, it was a great effort in putting on a show, however ironically, it seemed that everyone was flawless except the one you'd expect to lead the show- and i got the distinct impression he was being carried by his talented band.
So from folk, to Gaga, now thousands of miles over the pond to the US, because American rapper AJ gave us a brief stint. Not really my kind of thing but it was enjoyable enough, everyone was laughing and bopping in the judgement-free atmosphere that i've come to love about Woody's: Everyone is there for the crack and most of the people there are musicians anyway, so appreciate the performance whatever genre is thrown up there.
The last I saw before leaving was young Ben Phillips, singer of Cal-22. Usually a loud and punky three piece band, the sound was stripped back in an acoustic set performed by the singer alone. Well, with his guitar of course. He's 15, and I'm not going to be patronising here considering I'm only two years older than him, but I'm still impressed by his aptitude for guitar for his age. As he sings, it's effortless, like that piece of wood and string is just an extension of his arm that he was born with. His maturity also extends into his choice of songs, such as The Jam and The Buzzcocks, his young husky voice injecting some youth back into the 70's era. Most kids, such as the girl from the start of the night show a little nerves and shyness, but Ben's up there talking freely with the audience, making the odd joke or pun and showing that confidence and effortlessness that is quickly becoming his signature.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Cover of the week
Apologies for not posting in a while; I haven't much time on my hands at the moment, but I have a load of half-written reviews stored away ready to be finished come Easter holidays.
However, this is just a quickie i couldn't resist re-blogging.
I love a good cover, you know; the ones that take an already good song and show it in a completely new light.
I'm a bit of a new-comer to Birdy, but what I have heard from her, I adore. I'm definitely considering investing in her album. However, Ed Sheeran I'm familiar with, and this cover is a wonderful mix of the two. Certainly worth sharing.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
#UnpopularOpinion -Brit Awards
Now i don't want to be one of those annoying people who always whine "I loved that band before you" but... I loved that band before you.
If you're one of those fans who, at the mention of Coldplay, your pupils dilate and palms become sweaty as your pores ooze a mixture of perspiration and adoration- leave now, because I will shortly be ripping to pieces the hype that Coldplay has whipped up to justify winning "Best British Group" over FAR more deserving bands, and i wouldn't want you to have a mental breakdown or anything.
The Brit awards brought to my attention that one could quite easily predict who would win what award, regardless of whether you think they were deserving of it, based on the hype that surrounded them. Seems a bit of a sham really doesn't it? Example; Best Breakthrough- won by Ed Sheeran. Now, i think Ed is great, but he's not exactly a new-comer is he. The Vaccines should have won that by a mile; they've come out of nowhere, won over our hearts, and went straight on tour with Arctic Monkeys. But Ed has this cult of personality surrounding him, with his floppy red hair and soppy lyrics... And so i sat with my sister, accurately guessing that Adele would win Best Female over Florence (Despite the fact Adele hadn't sung for the best part of last year due to a throat injury) and that, instead of Noel Gallagher, giving unto us Oasis for 21 years, Blur would win outstanding contribution, despite not releasing anything good since the 90's (as evident by the fact their entire setlist at The Brits consisted of songs from over a decade ago.)
Therefore i wasn't much surprised that Coldplay would win Best British Group
Let's see who they were up against: Arctic Monkeys. Kasabian. WHY didn't these guys get a look in?
"But Paradise, and Mylo Xyloto" -To hell with those albums.
Parachutes and X&Y are two of the most legendary and influential albums, containing records such as "Scientist" "Fix you" "yellow" ect. You know, songs that spoke to you.
I can only say that their PR has earned his fat paycheck, because the word on everyone's lips is 'Coldplay';One can pinpoint the moment that the hype started to spread, personally i track it down to Viva La Vida.
Similar to how the undercut and buttoned-up collars are now essentials, no-one on trend would be without their Coldplay tracks on their iPod. I can only compare it to how some people fan-girl over The Strokes(♥), but have only ever heard 'Is This It?" I'm not trying to be a snob here, but hype makes up 80% of a musician's success now a days, as proven by the Brit Awards. Personally, I think it's wrong; a favourite band shouldn't be a fashion accessory, and the industry shouldn't be exploiting this to make money. But hey, it's called an 'industry' for a reason.
So no, i do not "love'' Coldplay: I recognise the quality of their older albums, and yes I probably did like them a long time before most people, but I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact that they won a Brit award over Arctic Monkeys or Kasabian. How ironic now that the man to produce Coldplay's video for Paradise is 'Hype' Williams. Perhaps we should strap a few laser beams to Alex Turner or splash a bit of neon paint on Tom Meighan. Oh right no, that's because they make proper music and don't rely on the visual to make up for recycled audio.
Peace out.
If you're one of those fans who, at the mention of Coldplay, your pupils dilate and palms become sweaty as your pores ooze a mixture of perspiration and adoration- leave now, because I will shortly be ripping to pieces the hype that Coldplay has whipped up to justify winning "Best British Group" over FAR more deserving bands, and i wouldn't want you to have a mental breakdown or anything.
The Brit awards brought to my attention that one could quite easily predict who would win what award, regardless of whether you think they were deserving of it, based on the hype that surrounded them. Seems a bit of a sham really doesn't it? Example; Best Breakthrough- won by Ed Sheeran. Now, i think Ed is great, but he's not exactly a new-comer is he. The Vaccines should have won that by a mile; they've come out of nowhere, won over our hearts, and went straight on tour with Arctic Monkeys. But Ed has this cult of personality surrounding him, with his floppy red hair and soppy lyrics... And so i sat with my sister, accurately guessing that Adele would win Best Female over Florence (Despite the fact Adele hadn't sung for the best part of last year due to a throat injury) and that, instead of Noel Gallagher, giving unto us Oasis for 21 years, Blur would win outstanding contribution, despite not releasing anything good since the 90's (as evident by the fact their entire setlist at The Brits consisted of songs from over a decade ago.)
Therefore i wasn't much surprised that Coldplay would win Best British Group
Let's see who they were up against: Arctic Monkeys. Kasabian. WHY didn't these guys get a look in?
"But Paradise, and Mylo Xyloto" -To hell with those albums.
Parachutes and X&Y are two of the most legendary and influential albums, containing records such as "Scientist" "Fix you" "yellow" ect. You know, songs that spoke to you.
I can only say that their PR has earned his fat paycheck, because the word on everyone's lips is 'Coldplay';One can pinpoint the moment that the hype started to spread, personally i track it down to Viva La Vida.
Similar to how the undercut and buttoned-up collars are now essentials, no-one on trend would be without their Coldplay tracks on their iPod. I can only compare it to how some people fan-girl over The Strokes(♥), but have only ever heard 'Is This It?" I'm not trying to be a snob here, but hype makes up 80% of a musician's success now a days, as proven by the Brit Awards. Personally, I think it's wrong; a favourite band shouldn't be a fashion accessory, and the industry shouldn't be exploiting this to make money. But hey, it's called an 'industry' for a reason.
So no, i do not "love'' Coldplay: I recognise the quality of their older albums, and yes I probably did like them a long time before most people, but I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact that they won a Brit award over Arctic Monkeys or Kasabian. How ironic now that the man to produce Coldplay's video for Paradise is 'Hype' Williams. Perhaps we should strap a few laser beams to Alex Turner or splash a bit of neon paint on Tom Meighan. Oh right no, that's because they make proper music and don't rely on the visual to make up for recycled audio.
Peace out.
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Cover of the week.
When a band does a cover of a well known song, they have a lot to live up to. It's risky to cover great songs, because bands rarely get to the writhing guts of the track. -WALK OFF THE EARTH have broken this trend into small, sharp fragments.
The song that has lodged itself into my brain this week has been GOTYE- Somebody that i used to know.
Oh my gosh, it's so beautiful it makes me ache.
Therefore, i approached a cover of my favourite song with some hostility. However it was un called-for. I MIGHT go as far to say that this may even rival the original.
I love the artistic visual stimuli to the cover video. It's a hands-on intimate feel, as though the band are connected by one common cause- the guitar. It's hard to believe such a range of sounds come out of one instrument, but they merge and make love perfectly.
But is it better that Gotye's?
I like WOTF version, as i feel that it has quite an earthy feel, and the female vocals that harmonise towards the end add a certain softness that emphasises the female character in the song. But then Gotye's voice is certainly the superior; reaching the high notes of the chorus with ease and soul.
Like i said, this song makes me hurt because it is so good. I'm in quite a melancholy mood now so i'll leave you with this beautiful cover to decide which you prefer;
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Life in a day
Okay so this isn't a music post, but i quite enjoyed doing my film review (Submarine, sound track by Alex Turner) and this was a movie i can't pass up sharing you guys.
Life In A Day.
It's going to stretch me as a writer as well, as it's going to be really difficult to describe this film:
There's no allegory or representative theme to pick apart. No main character with whom you have the entire hour and a half to bond with, relate to, or connect personally. There's just one song that plays throughout, (albeit in various forms). There's no narrative to guide or encourage the viewer, nor is there actually a set plot.
See what i mean about it being difficult to explain exactly what this is film is about, let alone write a criticism of it?! I suppose i can't even say it's a spoiler, as there's not even any cliffhangers or links... Argh!
Okay, I'll take a deep breath and have a go.
Luckily it does have some kind of structure; it's at least chronological. It's a lovely concept; a film consisting of thousands of small home-made videos culminating to make a feature-length movie about one day; 24th June 2010. Countless people from the far reaches of the globe share a ten-second glimpse into their lives.
It's full of contrast, from sobering humility, humbling poverty, to dizzying success stories. Yet it took me on a 90 minute journey to figure out what exactly i was analysing...
I say there's no theme, but there are lots of little morals that are unearthed when you realise the methodical order in which the tapes have been placed...
The film begins at 6am. In China a small boy is lighting incense to remember his dead mother. In the next second, a woman is having a talk with her son about the possibility of her dying from Cancer. Then it flicks to a teenage boy who moodily shuns his mother's cheerful joking. What do we learn? Don't take your mother for granted? Just as i think I'm starting to get the film "Oh it's a series of life lessons" - it confuses me again.
Far away from civilisation, there's a squalid village, and with sun-seared skin and frow-burrowed faced men are herding cows. "If there's one thing in life i have learned" grumbles the tired elderly figure "It's that all women are trouble"
Ha! It seems some things are universal. This injection of humour took me by surprise, and it made it all the funnier to imagine words come from such a man.
Babies took their first breath and fluttered open their translucently-thin blueish pink eyelids for the very first time.
Okay, so perhaps it's a buoyant and jolly reminder that we're all the same humans inside.
Yet again, i was proven wrong. We are none of us the same.
A cardboard sign flashes on the screen "What is in your pocket?" ...
"The keys to my car"
"I have twenty dollars"
"I have my phone"
Mainly run of the mill, light hearted answers, perhaps things which you yourself have right at this second.
"I have a gun"
"I have a syringe"
Wait a second...
"I have nothing."
"Nothing"
"Nothing. But i am happy"
The face who uttered this last phrase smiles out from the screen. It is a black face, a beautiful woman holding her child. What a world away from the first answer. The word 'Awe-inspiring' comes to mind. As if to emphasise this juxtaposition, the screen flicks from a conveyor belt of miscellaneous food products, to three malnourished women, naked and farming grain. It was a sobering sight, it upset me. I felt as though i was ungrateful and unworthy to be full and content and lying in bed watching a film whilst there are people out there in this situation.
I'm naturally quite a jumpy person, not exactly nervous, but easily frightened. This was the point at which the film took advantage of people like me, as it really started to deepen the claws it already had puncturing my conscience.
"What do you fear?"
The clips got shorter and flashier, whizzing from helpless blindfolded men getting punched in the spine to monkeys in masks who, upon first glance, seem like strange phantasmal children in doll dresses. There were scenes from "Love parade" in which- ironically- people died from being trampled, referring again back to the contrast that plagues the film. I was on edge for the best part of twenty minutes, not wanting to watch, nor having the will to look away. Cows had their throats cut, towns were exploded. All of the uplifting joy of children's smiles of yore were forgotten, it was almost as though the film was replicating the dizzying and disorienting sensation of being drunk or high. My head was literally spinning and i was reluctant to move my arm from it's position above my head, despite the pins and needles i got from blood restriction; no explanation why, i was just frightened to move.
I mentioned the soundtrack, i think it's important to include this -not just because this is normally a music blog- but because it so exquisitley exemplifies the contrast that i was talking about. The same song is sang at intervals during the movie. At the start of the film, the song is sung by Ellie Goulding. It's like they type-casted the singer; she's cute bubbly and pretty, as is the song. But it's the song's dark twin that I'm interested in... Despite it's identical lyrics, the music has a haunting and almost unbearable climax.
This is the soundtrack to the apocalypse;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGBLq0Boe7E
"Clouds really should be white at least."
All theories about what i should be understanding with this film accompany the credits as they roll off the screen. The film is over and I literally don't understand.
I love it.
It's life, you'll never get it,
and if you spend your time worrying about trying to understand how, then it will be over before you know it.
Life In A Day.
It's going to stretch me as a writer as well, as it's going to be really difficult to describe this film:
There's no allegory or representative theme to pick apart. No main character with whom you have the entire hour and a half to bond with, relate to, or connect personally. There's just one song that plays throughout, (albeit in various forms). There's no narrative to guide or encourage the viewer, nor is there actually a set plot.
See what i mean about it being difficult to explain exactly what this is film is about, let alone write a criticism of it?! I suppose i can't even say it's a spoiler, as there's not even any cliffhangers or links... Argh!
Okay, I'll take a deep breath and have a go.
Luckily it does have some kind of structure; it's at least chronological. It's a lovely concept; a film consisting of thousands of small home-made videos culminating to make a feature-length movie about one day; 24th June 2010. Countless people from the far reaches of the globe share a ten-second glimpse into their lives.
It's full of contrast, from sobering humility, humbling poverty, to dizzying success stories. Yet it took me on a 90 minute journey to figure out what exactly i was analysing...
I say there's no theme, but there are lots of little morals that are unearthed when you realise the methodical order in which the tapes have been placed...
The film begins at 6am. In China a small boy is lighting incense to remember his dead mother. In the next second, a woman is having a talk with her son about the possibility of her dying from Cancer. Then it flicks to a teenage boy who moodily shuns his mother's cheerful joking. What do we learn? Don't take your mother for granted? Just as i think I'm starting to get the film "Oh it's a series of life lessons" - it confuses me again.
Far away from civilisation, there's a squalid village, and with sun-seared skin and frow-burrowed faced men are herding cows. "If there's one thing in life i have learned" grumbles the tired elderly figure "It's that all women are trouble"
Ha! It seems some things are universal. This injection of humour took me by surprise, and it made it all the funnier to imagine words come from such a man.
Babies took their first breath and fluttered open their translucently-thin blueish pink eyelids for the very first time.
Okay, so perhaps it's a buoyant and jolly reminder that we're all the same humans inside.
Yet again, i was proven wrong. We are none of us the same.
A cardboard sign flashes on the screen "What is in your pocket?" ...
"The keys to my car"
"I have twenty dollars"
"I have my phone"
Mainly run of the mill, light hearted answers, perhaps things which you yourself have right at this second.
"I have a gun"
"I have a syringe"
Wait a second...
"I have nothing."
"Nothing"
"Nothing. But i am happy"
The face who uttered this last phrase smiles out from the screen. It is a black face, a beautiful woman holding her child. What a world away from the first answer. The word 'Awe-inspiring' comes to mind. As if to emphasise this juxtaposition, the screen flicks from a conveyor belt of miscellaneous food products, to three malnourished women, naked and farming grain. It was a sobering sight, it upset me. I felt as though i was ungrateful and unworthy to be full and content and lying in bed watching a film whilst there are people out there in this situation.
I'm naturally quite a jumpy person, not exactly nervous, but easily frightened. This was the point at which the film took advantage of people like me, as it really started to deepen the claws it already had puncturing my conscience.
"What do you fear?"
The clips got shorter and flashier, whizzing from helpless blindfolded men getting punched in the spine to monkeys in masks who, upon first glance, seem like strange phantasmal children in doll dresses. There were scenes from "Love parade" in which- ironically- people died from being trampled, referring again back to the contrast that plagues the film. I was on edge for the best part of twenty minutes, not wanting to watch, nor having the will to look away. Cows had their throats cut, towns were exploded. All of the uplifting joy of children's smiles of yore were forgotten, it was almost as though the film was replicating the dizzying and disorienting sensation of being drunk or high. My head was literally spinning and i was reluctant to move my arm from it's position above my head, despite the pins and needles i got from blood restriction; no explanation why, i was just frightened to move.
I mentioned the soundtrack, i think it's important to include this -not just because this is normally a music blog- but because it so exquisitley exemplifies the contrast that i was talking about. The same song is sang at intervals during the movie. At the start of the film, the song is sung by Ellie Goulding. It's like they type-casted the singer; she's cute bubbly and pretty, as is the song. But it's the song's dark twin that I'm interested in... Despite it's identical lyrics, the music has a haunting and almost unbearable climax.
This is the soundtrack to the apocalypse;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGBLq0Boe7E
"Clouds really should be white at least."
All theories about what i should be understanding with this film accompany the credits as they roll off the screen. The film is over and I literally don't understand.
I love it.
It's life, you'll never get it,
and if you spend your time worrying about trying to understand how, then it will be over before you know it.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
RadioHead
Now, i've been promised by NME a "New" Radiohead song, and i couldn't help but feel a little short-changed upon hearing it's merely a remix. Oh but what a remix, it's certainly whetted my intrigue and i'm afraid to say opened a can of worms...
Now, I'm going to refresh your mind as to what the original Bloom sounds like (before the bells and tassles got sown onto it.)
Filled with delicious harmonies, textual melodies and some new-fangled, enigmatic lyricism, "Bloom" seemed to have somewhat reinvented the wheel, finding adjectives such as "artistic" and "deep" thrown at it. This in itself could be a topic. Initially a tad disorientating, this track grew on me, building on the foundations the band had already laid. By not being bound to a specific sound and style, the song shines on its own terms; It sounds free from self imposed constraints or orthodoxy in any form.
Okay, so it doesn't reach the dizzying heights such their earlier anthoms did -what with "Bloom" being more of an instrumental than a conventional drum/guitar/vocal track- few records do. However, beneath the stuttering, jittering beats and electronic trickery, lurk some classic Radiohead-esque in that they constantly reinvent the face of their music. I think it's slightly exaggerated to say that it's a Brilliant record, but it's certainly interesting. It's one of those tunes you listen to when you're tired or contemplative, as it just kind of zones in and out and ends without you noticing, almost as though it had always been playing...then never had been... Trippy.
*
THEN they give it to someone called JAMIExx... If the somewhat psychedelic format of Bloom is hard to swallow, then this will stick in your windpipe.
You can listen to it here:
http://hypetrak.com/2012/01/radiohead-bloom-jamie-xx-remix-3/
This where i become slightly unstuck. I don't really do dance remixes. 'm listening to this and yeah, it retaines it's chilled out stoner vibe, but there is an aftertaste of rhythm and an edgy beat mixed in with it... It's not the kind of thing i'd imagine myself to dance along to, and -despite the fact i've listened to it a hundred times(as you do when writing a blog)-my mind seems to erase itself of the track's melody when it ends, like a ghost just walking out of a room. Nevertheless, it's different, and i like anything that breaks rules, which this track does in abundance- no real lyrics, no memorable melody, no driving force of DnB, and yet Jamie and Radiohead have managed to blur the lines between Band and Synth machine to create this weird techo/rock love child.
But is it right to pervert genres in this way? I suppose, regardless as to whether Radiohead are typically a rock band or not, "Bloom" was an artistic experimentation, a new box of paint if you will, so by warping the borders between rock, techno and dance, the spirit of maverick investigation is kept alive.
It depends what you want to get from your music, i doubt my words will influence you much: if you're into the heart-thumping dubstep (which i happen to adore lately) or catchy anthems offered by punk/pop, then you're probably not going to have much of an epiphany, but if you ache for something a little out of the ordinary, then both the origional and the remix offer welcome zest to an increasingly boring musical environment.
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