It’s two days into 2011, my first post of the year and I’m writing about…? Post-Rock. In all honesty, I did only discover said genre properly in the year that’s just left but I feel that I start this new one fully ready to immerse myself in all it’s melancholic glory. (Ok, so I sound REALLY brown-nosed and I’ve yet hit 1,000 words… bollocks) Returning to the matter in hand, that being why post-rock is just so damn brilliant. In particular why you should give ITTCT a listen.
My first ‘post-rock’ was probably 65daysofstatic back in 2006 and in all honesty I thought it was shite. Granted I’d now happy go and punch my former self in the face before cutting off my hair, yelling ‘Iron Maiden suck balls’ before leaving to do some hardcore drive-bys. But, alas we all have a past which we’re ashamed of (otherwise we wouldn’t try so damn hard to escape it) even so, I wouldn’t be who I am now if it wasn’t for what I was in the past… You get the damned point. Anyway, in the last 12 months it would be fair to say that I’ve changed quite a bit, I’ve lost all enthusiasm for writing about music (see my last post) and I’ve remembered why I love cinema quite so much. But that’s all for another day.
Back to post-rock, now you may well know Mogwai, 65daysofstatic and God Is An Astronaut but ITTCT have a criminally low number of Last.fm listeners. True, you won’t get anything particularly unusual with this bunch. Both the album and the E.P are fairly standard, but nonetheless solid, post-rock records. The music itself moves from intricate passages to roaring crescendo’s and one track features more emotion that the entire Dream Smearater discography could ever muster. The sound quality on this track is pretty crappy, but that’s YouTube for you… just go buy the bloody thing; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3yEvKHhwqw
So there you go, a fresh slice of some post-rock magic to help bring in 2011 in true musical style. If you do just one thing this year, make it realising that metalheads take themselves far too seriously and could all do with a good kicking. Plus, Trolling is more fun than you could possibly imagine.
Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a film that sets the bar on heavy metal films, it’s up their with Metal a Headbanger’s, Global Metal and errr, errm, well I haven’t seen Anvil: Story of Anvil, so yeah, don’t know if it’s one of the greats,if you seen it by all means give some thoughts. Any who Heavy Metal in Baghdad, is a hum dinger of a documentary that follows Iraqi band Acrassicauda and you know how bands have a rough background, well those out there in a band that has ‘back story’, go fuck yourself Acrassicauda had to be one of the worst off group of people in the world and what fucked is the fact the seem to be so cool about their situation is astounding (till thing go from fucked to worst bu t you have to watch it to get what I’m blabbering on about).
It makes me think how I would react in their situation and I came to a conclusion, that I’d react badly and I’m in a good situation at the moment, and I do nothing but bitch about everything, everyone and everywhere, I’m soft as shite essentially and I can barely last five minutes in the majority of places let alone Baghdad. The thing that I tip my bonnet to is the conditions that this film was produced under as surprisingly traveling to and thro a war zone is some what of a task within itself, oh and actually arriving there must be a bit of a “oooh fuck” moment as well as setting up camera and filming, the bass player even turns round and said that going to Iraq was a bit of a mistake, although he does so with a bit of sincerity (bless is cotton socks). They film the majority of the thing from the inside of a car surround by a security agency (a scatty one at that), it takes years for the presenter to actually meet the band, despite years of contact with the band.
Not only does the film show the plight of the band but also give the audience an insight in the Iraq war that you don’t see on the news, at the best of time it made me feel like a bell end for watching it on my fancy computer in my lovely house with a steaming cup of coco. Although Acrassicauda don’t need to rely on a guilt trip to get you to listen to them as their actually good band, there a straight up metal band but have some Arabic influence within the tunes giving it a bit more flava (know what I’m sayin’).
Though what I find the best part of the film is you don’t have to a pretty penny for it which is shit hot as it all on VBS.tv and whilst you’re at it you got to check out Vice’s Guide to Traveling to North Korea.
Well I’ve been pestering people, running all about the place with a video camera and interviewing the shit out of bands pre show. To bring RCTV this is the pilot episodes with Gosport based band Bloodworks, who graciously gave me a photo pass in exchange for a semi good interview, so the first point I would like to make is brief thank you to Bloodworks.
The actual interview was a shamble considering I was in a rush to meet the band I failed to get my questions written down and as I barely know where the fuck I am half the time this was a somewhat of spanner in the works, so my next thanks goes to the magic of editing, ALL PRAISES TO THE EDIT SUITE!
As this is only the pilot I’m planning on making to the next episode changes see (note to self, add a New York Gangster voice for that sentence). Firstly I’m hoping to get a presenter as I was planning on presenting myself, but as I was born with a charisma deficiency being competent in front of the camera is somewhat of an effort, also any changes you would like to see in the following video then by all means write them down in your comments (I’ll promise I’ll only resent your criticism a little bit).
I should also give a little explanation as to who Bloodworks are, well the interviewees are Truk (bassist) and Keiran (vocals/guitar), but I suppose it isn’t fair leaving the other two members out of the spot light so the guy sweep picking with the fabulous and lustrous black locks of hair that swayed so delicately in the wind is Lewis (Lead Guitarist and a fucking good one at that) and the adorable little sweety pie behind the drum kit is Liam of drummer a metal band at the tender age of five! (that’s a straight up lies he’s like fourteen or something , but I bet you believe it for a brief second there). So I encourage you to check them out on their MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bloodworksofficial
Now to wrap this up I’m with some kind of whimsical statement,I hope you enjoy it and thanks you for watching.
Yes it’s true the British are indeed coming (hard on your face or towards the beaches… either works for me). Basically having realised in recent months the sheer amount of British metal talent currently inhabiting the internet it felt too much to try and cover in the space of one mega-long post. So instead it’s going to be a series of posts, not over a set week or month or anything as dumb as that but just as and when I feel like writing them. One of the major advantages of that being that I can keep it going for as long as I feel like doing. Do free to suggest bands (but please don’t go suggesting your little crappy school band simply because you want to ‘make it’ as I will ignore you).
Shy Of The Depth
In 2008, I among many others mourned the loss of quite possibly the finest British metal band (or at least underground band) the mighty SikTh. Thankfully I was able to witness the blinding performance that they were capable of. Even now I’m still blown away by ‘Hold My Finger’ and ‘Pussyfoot’. But anyway, this is an article about new bands and the reference to SikTh will become apparant soon enough. Now seems as good a time as any… basically Shy Of The Depth owe one helluva lot to the late technical masters. And whilst the available tracks on their Myspace certainly isn’t on a par with the underground legends there is a lot of promise.
The band are clearly very skilled and have a sound which draws not only from SikTh but also from the likes of Meshuggah and Textures. Bearing in mind that the 4-track E.P was recorded several years ago (and not long after the band’s line-up had been completed) it’s pretty fucking good. I first met the guys playing support to the aforementioned Swedish technical behemoth that is Meshuggah. And whilst their set was far from perfect it had potential.
The music is a mix of driving bass, gutteral screams and machine-like drumming. Displaying the right of mix of heaviness and intimacy without going too far each way, as I said before its a long way from perfect but it’s on the right track. And anyway could you do any better? Thought not. ‘Unborn Menace’ is certainly the best track they’ve recorded so far and is the best example of their ability.
Now the band’s Facebook page seems to be the main source of any info (is Myspace finally dying in the UK too?) but they do still have a Myspace page (I think I do too for that matter…) but none the less, they seem to be doing something (maybe I should actually try and be like a fucking journalist and get some comment next time…) who knows… The point is you should check them out, don’t try and compare them to anyone or anything, take it at face value. What’s important to me is the fact that since the demise of SikTh there seems to be a distinct lack of decent underground British metal. Sure we have The Rotted and Malefice (whom SOTD have toured with as it happens) but apart from that… ?
Since I couldn’t find a YouTube of SOTD I decided to include one of SikTh, cause they’re just so fucking good;
I thought I’d do a little introduction to an area of music I totally love, because most people love or at least know the likes of NIN and Rammstein, but there are loads of awesome bands out there in the same genre that are a bit harder to find but just as amazing. Anyway this is just intended to be a brief intro to the area, so don’t moan if I’m not going in depth about a certain band. I’ve had to restrain my love for NIN as it is.
So, to start us off I feel a bit of an explanation is in order. ‘Industrial’ was a term coined by the group Throbbing Gristle in the 1970s when they formed their Industrial Records label. TG are massively influential and are attributed with starting the scene, however industrial music then, to industrial music now are regarded as very different things. Many people argue that modern “industrial” metal has no relation to the older industrial groups, despite many of the current bands citing the older bands as influences. This article is mainly going to focus on the genre regarded today as industrial metal (sorry to offend purists, but get over yourselves its quality music).
Throbbing Gristle referred to themselves as an art form rather than a band, and if you listen to them, you’ll see why (I wont go in depth about them, because they really must be heard to be believed, youtube it or something). They essentially consisted of band members but created music that can be best described as pure emotion and ideas. Where as the likes todays bands write about screaming their hearts out and whining about something that pisses them off, these guys would actually whine and scream, creating a sound that definately isn’t what you’d call chart topping but is far from just noise.
The next, I suppose, logical step up from TG is Skinny Puppy. These guys took what Throbbing Gristle did with their ambient and just fucking bizarre noises and made it move more. They added specific beats and repetition which would become a mainstay of industrial riffage later on. In fact their song “Dig It” went on to influence Trent Reznor into making “Down In It”, the first single released off of NIN’s 1989 debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. While Skinny Puppy clearly have the talent, integrity and odd live shows, they still aren’t for every metal fan. While they do just about use guitars and can be quite heavy in places, they aren’t metal. But it is catchy and a good first step to make away from the mainstream metal standards. A good album to start with would be their greatest hits, a nice introduction to something a bit different. Check out the track: “Warlocked”
The next band is one of the most mainstream groups. Nine Inch Nails burst onto the scene in the late 80’s and have stayed firmly in the metal mainstream since, which is where the line that divides between the industrial camps lies. These are the guys who spread the industrial metal name and placed the genre into the mainstream. Nine Inch Nails have been one of the most credible (thanks to it’s sole hard working mainman Trent Reznor) bands to enter the metal scene as a whole. Their die hard fan base building up to such an extent that he left his record label and released not only 1 but 2 albums within a year with no advertising. The latter being a full album, released for free as a thank you, and was downloaded 1.4 million times in just over a month. NIN’s best albums are arguably regarded as anything before 2005’s “With Teeth” but I would happily listen to the whole lot without complaint. However I would recommend buying “The Downward Spiral”, if you’re a die hard metal fan who likes his out and out extreme and angry stuff, then this album will knock your fucking socks off, and still does mine every day. Check out anything from The Downward Spiral, or the single “The Perfect Drug”, or their live videos. I could go on. (Also, despite Trent’s recent retirement from performing live, god dammit, there is something new coming from NIN camp, what, I don’t know. But rest assured I’ll be first in line)
Now that you’ve dragged me off of NIN I shall move on. Ministry, the brain child of Al Jourgensen (who, like Trent, also has fingers in lots of little pies), started about the same time as NIN, yet remained slightly more in obscurity throughout the years. Their music is based more around looped drum beats and repetitive riffs and sampling, one might opt to describe it as Industrial Thrash at times. Al incorporates the same techniques as NIN, yet slightly more stripped down, which can mean it’s a bit harder to listen to. While I’m not an expert on Ministry, I would highly recommend giving “Rio Grande Blood” a listen. However my main quarrel with Ministry is that though the riffs are amazing, there are some fucking irritating samples of George W Cunt Bush placed here and there, and while I get the fact it’s an industrial album, and thats what its about, in some places it ruins a fucking stunning song. Still, a worthy introduction to a quality band, that’s not only seen more members than a hooker, but one of them was the inimitable Joey Jordison. Check out the track: “Senor Peligro”
I’m fairly sure you’re all familiar with this bunch of nutters. Rammstein appeared in the 90’s releasing the awesome albums Herzeleid and Sehnsucht, with the type of catchy, stompy riff that keeps us headbanging and a smoking hot (literally) live show. You already know about Rammstein, so I’ll leave you with a recommended album in “Mutter” or “Live Aus Berlin”, which encompasses all of Rammstein’s best early stuff. Check out: “Der Meister”
Now we delve into the slightly more obscure, however I am sticking with familiar territory, well mainland Europe. KMFDM (who incidentally are coming to London later this year, anyone wanna come?) were formed in Paris and as most industrial bands are, it is the bastard child of one man, Sascha Konietzko. Their albums (despite featuring similarly themed album covers and titles) are slightly more rocky than metal, I’d compare them to NIN’s ‘With Teeth’, incidentally, Sascha has remixed some songs for Trent. KMFDM vary quite a between songs. They definitely have the riffs and heavy thrashing of the metal scene, while some songs lend themselves well to an almost clubby vibe, catchy choruses and beats. A noteable album to check out is “WWIII”, which starts with the awesome double kick assault of WWIII, before dropping into the catchy and groovy stomp of “From Here On Out” which wouldn’t be out of place on the charts, should the general public ever gain any taste. Track to check out: “From Here On Out”
PIG belongs to Raymond Watts, who is also a partner of KMFDM, yet on this project we have more of a grittier feel. The electronics being slightly darker, leaning more NIN than Rammstein, say. The guitar work has more of a chunky chug to it, with vocals akin to those haunting growls and screeches of Skinny Puppy. I would describe these guys best as a heavier, more obscure NIN. While not as extravagant and mainstream (though still good) as NIN, these guys are what NIN would have become if Trent had listened to less Gary Numan and more Slayer. Good album to check out is “Pigmata”, it’s a scorcher. Track to check out: “Suck Shit Spit”
Revolting Cocks (or RevCo) are a project of Al Jourgensen and is, in my opinion, nothing that amazingly different from Ministry, they still have those awesome beats, clever guitar and samples, but a whole album of it gets a bit much. The only album I’ve got is “Beers, Steers & Queers”, it’s not bad but I tire of it easily, but if you’re a huge Ministry fan, you’ll probably end up loving this quickly. Track to check out: “Beers, Steers & Queers”
The last band to add to the roster of ever growing groups I need to listen to more is Pigface. This was born for a Ministry tour, being instigated by Al Jourgensen and then taken over by Martin Atkins and (scene whore) Bill Reiflin. Pigface records with various musicians on each release. The list includes Trent Reznor, Al Jourgenson, Flea, Danny Carey (Tool), most of Killing Joke, ogHr (Skinny Puppy) and Throbbing Gristle amongst literally hundreds of contributors. They have some superb tunes and they all vary so much in sound, yet still sound like one band with one vision, which is awesome. The best album to get is “The Best of Pigface: Preaching to the Perverted” purely because it gives an awesome spread of the musical variation you’ll encounter across their music. Awesome tracks to check out: “Nutopia, Suck”
I’m just scratching the surface with the crazy amounts of Industrial bands out there, so I’ll try and post up some more about it as I discover more, if ya’ll like it, that is. If not, why the fuck have you read this far?
If you read my review of Skindred in Portsmouth a couple of weeks back you may well have noticed the praise that I gave to the opening band, Floors and Walls. As much as I enjoy metal and all things experimental and progressive some times I feel the need to just listen to music that doesn’t screw with my sense of rhythm and manages to keep me engaged. Floors and Walls are only in their formative years but they’ve already developed a unique and catchy sound without straying in the realms of Pro Tools. With clear rock, ska and punk influences the band’s music is a mix of hyper-speed vocals reminiscent of Madness and driving basslines taken straight out of Jane Addiction’s book.
Lyrically they combine humour and storytelling (see ‘Tracey’) with some incredibly powerful riffs. At times it’s hard to believe that there’s just four guys in this band… I caught up with them before the Skindred show and related stories of beating contestants from 26 other countries in a Battle Of The Band’s competition to attempting to pull Lily Allen (fuck nos why but fair does bros!) Anyway that’s more than enough from me, don’t let the ‘chav’ appearance fool you these guys are bros and with any luck I’ll be able to share more from them, with you, (you know a proper interview).
As a metal fan I’m often looking out for the next extreme which at the moment seems to be “porno-core” and “gore grind”, which includes bands like Torso Fuck, Sperm Swamp, ECT, which really seems to be more exploitation music rather than the next big step for metal, yet I’m left wondering how are we going to get more heavy and what will the music we love be in the future and how will we react when the next big in step in metal reveals itself, will we accept what the future throws at us or will we have finally reached our limit and become a generation of metal fans that no longer listen to the extreme but just an old music genre.
Before I continue with this article I want to get one thing straight, at no point in this article am I going to except that music can’t get any heavier as I think that a music genre that’s been changing and evolving for fifty odd years isn’t going to stop changing, and I won’t suggest that we’ve hit some kind of brick wall with extreme music as new bands are forming all the time and it only takes one band to step out and turn a genre on its head. On a personal note I also don’t want be known as that twat that said bands couldn’t possibly get heavier, so with that in mind lets continue.
What I think has really change the metal scene is there seems to be a bigger acceptance of the genre as feel that society is more open to the music we produce (sure we’re far from being mainstream,but I’m trying to make a point), I feel we now have more freedom to express ourselves musically, on top of that apparently this internet thing is providing bands with a new way of distributing music, and the likes of Tipper Gore who pushed for censorship of music in the 80’s, and even put Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) on trial fudge sake, have been simply been left in the dust and considered the backwards musical fascists of their day (if you want to learn more about this I would strongly recommend watching Metal a Head Banger’s Journey if you haven’t seen it already in which case get out of that rock you’ve been living under!), and holy fuck we’ve come a long way from Twisted Sister that’s for sure, but even though music has gotten heavier the attitudes towards have become more liberal as time has gone on.
Although its difficult to make an assumption as to what the next step will be now what I’ve found is that an art form will evolve in a certain pattern and it plays out like this, an art form will first appear in its most simple form, as this defines the conventions and conventions of the genre that is metal and this can be seen in early metal bands like Black Sabbath. Then it becomes more technical as time goes on until we reach a stage known as “art for art sake” (which is probably the state we’re in now) which the most technical is naturally deem the best but then I feel that the next stage is where artist simply abandon the ideas of technical aspects and go for a more conceptual, simpler and allows its artist to express themselves on a whole new level (although this a gross oversimplication and for a greater understanding I would strongly recommend How to Read Film by James Monaco).
So what is the new extreme, what will be the new sub-genre to make death core look like disco well rather than leave on some ambiguous question I’ve decided to make some new extreme genre’s right now, I now present to you the codes and conventions to make your band the most extreme band it could possibly be:
Snuff Metal: each track will contain the audio of a person actually dying to a metal riff. If that isn’t heavy I don’t what is.
Gorgasm Grind: ridiculously heavy with some kind of sexy edge!
Torture Core: the pussy’s Snuff Metal.
Necro Lounge: Like regular lounge, but brutalier!
Tipper Gore Grind: The heaviest music with the cleanest lyrics.
Some Gore Grind for y’all (Torso Fuck, Fist Fucking Her Decomposed Cadaver)
and that Porno-Core thing I mentioned (Sperm Swamp, Canninus Cunnilingus)
Here’s a few choice examples (if you can stomach them);
It’s an age-old argument, if you like metal by default you can’t like anything else. Whilst its true that myself (along with the rest of RC crew) have what could be certainly called an eclectic taste in music there still exists a huge stigma in Rock and Metal circles which seems to largely belittle anyone who admits to liking anything remotely ‘commercial’.
This attitude is epitomised by part of the ‘ethos’ for a local Rock/ Metal night; ‘For those that know Rhythm and Blues (RnB) means the likes of the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and Chuck Berry not Akon, N-Dubz and Rhianna’. This comes just a few sentences after the site claims that they will play ‘anything you can dance to’ well last time I checked the only ‘danceable’ heavy music is hard/deathcore which is hated by the majority of ‘true’ metalheads anyway? There’s an inborn hypocrisy here, on the one hand there’s the kind of elitist snobbery we associate with metal fans and the open criticism of anything they don’t like. Coupled with the claim that they will ‘play anything’.
Just while I’m on the subject of image and hypocrisy I’d like to take a moment to make a brief comparison and ask you a simple question. If you had to have dinner with either Dappy from N-Dubz or a ‘Heavy Metal’ fan which one would you choose? I’ve provided a picture of both to help you decide, have a think and cast your votes below;
Dappy is the one on the right, just in case you weren’t sure.
I’m a big DnB fan, I know my Last.fm may not reflect that but I’m not the type to sit at my computer listening to pirated albums all day long, I’d prefer to hear them through the sick surround sound system in my front room (or drunk in a club for that matter). Anyway, I digress, it feels at this point like I should offer some sort of manifesto for where I’m actually planning on going with this, so here goes; essentially I’m going tell you why I’m right and you’re wrong (the theme of much of my writing) but I’m going to do it without resorting to petty squabbling and please if this article provokes you to have an opinion then please share it, either comment or email mrbogle@reversecurrent.com (read it all though).
What is it about heavy metal that the fans always say distinguishes it from everything else; the lyrics, ‘the fact that its real music not manufactured’, the ‘heavy’ part of it. I know there are many more but for the purposes of this article they’re the three that I’m going to be paying closest attention to. The resulting argument being that actually, no matter how hard you try it’s very easy to place ‘heavy metal’ alongside Drum n Bass, Rap, Dubstep and all the other stuff metal fans hate.
The subject of lyrics is a difficult one to tackle. As Eyelicker showed in his superb post on Pig Destroyer there can often be more to metal songs than meets the eye, and, often this is true however there is some simply shocking examples also, the unfortunate thing is that it’s the dumb songs that tend to be the ones that people love. Take ‘Walk’ for instance, yes its a good song but it’s massively over-played and is just about the thuggish thing to have ever been written;
Run your mouth when I’m not around
It’s easy to achieve
You cry to weak friends that sympathize
Can you hear the violins playing your song?
Those same friends tell me your every word
Breath, spit, walk… blah blah blah we get the point. The point is it’s nothing new and nearly twenty years on it just doesn’t have the same effect.
Eminem has been strongly criticised for the violence of his lyrics, the truth is, they are violent but they carry an awful more punch than anything by any ‘metal’ band. ‘Stan’ is without down one of his finest pieces of work, its deeply depressing but also very moving. The story of an over-obsessive fan pleading for the Rapper’s attention is certainly upsetting and the ending is for me one of the most powerful pieces of poetry I have ever heard. The realisation of what Stan has done (killed himself and his pregnant girlfriend) is heartfelt whilst also carrying a very important message about idolising musicians.
Ok so I’ve only taken two examples and whilst you could argue the point either way it would take forever to go through every single metal song taking apart the lyrics and comparing them to every other song under the song but that would be pointless right? Right. I’ve made my point and that’s all that matters right now.
I’d like to take this opportunity to remind of the Dappy vs Heavy Metal Fan debate by providing some more pictures for your delectation (and to hopefully help you decide);
As we can see, Dappy has moved to the left and is now sporting some Tesco value buns as well as his trademark hat.
The fundamental criticism of much club orientated music by metal fans is that it is fake, overproduced and just churned out by labels that know there is an audience who will gladly lap it up. That’s true, but it’s also true of metal. I’ve been doing this journalism thing for long enough to know that there is more regurgitated crap in the world of metal than it’s possible to even comprehend! There are so many Iron Maiden, Metallica and Black Sabbath copy-cats that it is useless trying to list them. The problem is that with the advent of Myspace and other social networking sites the amount of work that a band has to put into becoming ‘successful’ or at least, getting some gigs becomes less and less (yes it can still be bloody hard work but even so). Back when I used to read the likes of Metal Hammer every month they would be gushing about ‘the next big thing’ whilst still arguing that ‘old-school is the only way to go’ I mean, make up your minds!!
I’m not saying that there isn’t a significant amount of manufactured trash out there, because that would be a downright lie. The important thing to remember is that it doesn’t just apply to mainstream or ‘chart’ music it’s a cross genre disease that will never go away.
As is the case with much metal there are countless underground DnB and Dubstep artists who playing crappy venues to a packed crowd for peanuts. I’d challenge anyone who undermines the likes of Rusko, Sub Focus and Scratch Perverts to come up with something better, they would most likely argue ‘but that’s not the point’ and fair enough it’s not. As Mark Kermode recently said film critics are not expected to be great film makers but they must still be fair in their criticism and be ready to accept that not everyone will always agree with them.
Feel free to criticise but don’t do so simply because you feel like it, at least try and give something of a reason other than; ‘its electronic so it’s not real music’ (but metal bands use electric guitars… ?) or ‘its just manufactured by one person in a studio’ actually much of the time, it’s not. Whilst Drum n’ Bass artists use computers and samplers there remains a very high level of skill in the composition and the mixing. You may not like what they do but that’s no reason not to respect the skill that lies behind the music.
And so to my conclusion. As the title suggests the heart of this argument lies in that fundamental element that gets us up and moving, the thudding bass. The sensation differs very little between the pulsating bass of ‘Rock It’ by Sub Focus and the blast beating of Cannibal Corpse. At heart it’s the same thing, loud, heavy bass that reverberates through your entire body cause adrenaline to pump through you system and for you to quite simply, go nuts.
So there we go, there’s my argument take it or leave it (or even better respond) depending upon general feelings towards this and the response I get a follow-up piece may be order. Please no ‘drumnbass is shit innit’ because that does no one any good, and all you’ll find is it will be sent up like a massive firework.
This brings us to the final matter of Dappy vs Heavy Metal Fan, here’s one final picture and because I can’t be arsed with creating a poll just comment ok? Good.
Ok… so this is embarrassing, I can’t remember which one is which? Sure you can figure it out.
Reverse Current 
Stuff you need to listen to – If These Trees Could Talk
January 2, 2011It’s two days into 2011, my first post of the year and I’m writing about…? Post-Rock. In all honesty, I did only discover said genre properly in the year that’s just left but I feel that I start this new one fully ready to immerse myself in all it’s melancholic glory. (Ok, so I sound REALLY brown-nosed and I’ve yet hit 1,000 words… bollocks) Returning to the matter in hand, that being why post-rock is just so damn brilliant. In particular why you should give ITTCT a listen.
My first ‘post-rock’ was probably 65daysofstatic back in 2006 and in all honesty I thought it was shite. Granted I’d now happy go and punch my former self in the face before cutting off my hair, yelling ‘Iron Maiden suck balls’ before leaving to do some hardcore drive-bys. But, alas we all have a past which we’re ashamed of (otherwise we wouldn’t try so damn hard to escape it) even so, I wouldn’t be who I am now if it wasn’t for what I was in the past… You get the damned point. Anyway, in the last 12 months it would be fair to say that I’ve changed quite a bit, I’ve lost all enthusiasm for writing about music (see my last post) and I’ve remembered why I love cinema quite so much. But that’s all for another day.
Back to post-rock, now you may well know Mogwai, 65daysofstatic and God Is An Astronaut but ITTCT have a criminally low number of Last.fm listeners. True, you won’t get anything particularly unusual with this bunch. Both the album and the E.P are fairly standard, but nonetheless solid, post-rock records. The music itself moves from intricate passages to roaring crescendo’s and one track features more emotion that the entire Dream Smearater discography could ever muster. The sound quality on this track is pretty crappy, but that’s YouTube for you… just go buy the bloody thing; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3yEvKHhwqw
So there you go, a fresh slice of some post-rock magic to help bring in 2011 in true musical style. If you do just one thing this year, make it realising that metalheads take themselves far too seriously and could all do with a good kicking. Plus, Trolling is more fun than you could possibly imagine.
Happy New-fucking-Year!
Mr Bogle
Posted in Comment, Specials | Tagged If These Trees Could Talk, Post-Rock | 1 Comment »