Leaving Certificate Examination 2010: Music - Higher Level

“Pop-Rock and Pop-Punk band such as All Time Low are becoming increasingly influential on today’s music scene with each record released”. Discuss the possible impacts of the above statement, both public and personal, with references to examples the charts have bombarded you with.

_____The trend of popular music has generally been horrifically predictable since the birth of the MTV era. In the late 90’s boybands such as Boyzone and Backstreet Boys’ domination began, and although it seemed like it would never end, it has since noticeably declined. In more recent years, there has seldom been prolonged periods where solo female artists haven’t held the Number 1 spot, each and every release from the likes of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and, of course, Lady Gaga now merely inevitabilities rather than hopefuls to reach the top for a week or two. This isn’t to say that none of these ladies’ releases are deserving, although apart from Lady Gaga, they’re usually not.



_____However, following my often unwilling susceptibility to the music charts in recent months, I believe there is sufficient evidence to support the belief that Pop-Punk and Pop-Rock bands will succeed in challenging the potential demolition of the music industry by the likes of such homogenous artists as Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis, and Alexandra Burke.
___Recent charting in the Top 40 of bands such as Metro Station, All Time Low, and Elliot Minor is something of a new sight, which has caught most by surprise. A Top 40 place by Go: Audio’s Made Up Stories came as such a shock to the band itself, that it drove them insane, resulting in the consequent splitting of the band.



_____Today it is becoming less and less unusual to see bands such as these penetrating the previously pure female territory, and without a doubt this is having a notable influence on the youth of today. The blood tie between Hannah Montana and Metro Station provided fans of the latter with a safeguard of sorts against violent attacks from fans of the former, and sure enough, 2008 saw a 45% decrease in clashes between the two groups.
___This freak musical breakthrough opened the door to similar acts, You Me At Six and All Time Low the main beneficiaries, and for the first time in history, it became possible last year to hop between the Wikipedia pages of You Me At Six and Popular Music in less than 16 clicks. Although at the time unimaginable, today it could be argued that the two are closer than ever, Underdog actually showing many of the qualities of a half-decent song.



_____These are all positive effects of the growing popularity of Pop-Rock and Pop-Punk bands, but it must be noted that it hasn’t all been apathetically blue skies since the sabotage of the status quo of the music charts. Firstly there is the opportunity cost of the extremely rare non-female soloist spots in the charts going to these generally atrocious bands, the chance of We Are Scientists or Biffy Clyro getting the opportunity to give the masses a little bit of education further slimming. There is also the very real possibility to be considered, that some of the music coming from these rock poppers is actually worse than that of the pollution they're replacing. Luckily we have not yet had a repeat of the disastrous success of the woeful Seventeen Forever, but as long as Metro Station continue to be permitted to record music, that threat will always remain.
___Although, to be perfectly honest, what effect all of this has on your fourteen year old sister doesn’t really concern me. I’m ultimately a fairly selfish person, so whether or not Lost In Stereo brings together two world cultures is irrelevant in my mind. The fact that we may soon face two types of teenage stereotype as opposed to just the present one matters a miniscule amount to me. What excites me about this recent development in popular music trends is no more than the increased likelihood that I may one day live to see bands such as 30 Seconds To Mars achieve the Top 10 level of recognition they deserve.



_____I see the recent growth in popularity of Pop-Rock and Pop-Punk bands as a wholly positive breath of fresh air, if for nothing else other than how it has threatened to put an end to the female free-for-all at the top of the charts. But by far the biggest impact this pop-music renaissance has had on me is the security it has given me in expressing some of my own musical opinions; one feel’s slightly more at ease in public going from You Me At Six to The Blackout rather than interrupting a horde of Keshians as they discuss their idol’s most recent insightful lyrics.



QED

Music To Your Misery

It's raining outside. You've been stripped of your COD'ing rights. Pendulum have scored a number one album. And to top it all off, that Leaving Certificate thing starts tomorrow. These are miserable times, and most of us are consequently pretty miserable. I'm afraid I don't have any solutions, at least none that you don't have to snort or smoke, but since we all know that one could basically sell means of procrastination at hugely extortionate prices at this point, perhaps you will find the following list of humourously relevant songs slightly more amusing than the painful poetry of Eavan Boland.

It's tomorrow...



Which means that quite a lot of us are...



Like seriously, English, ...




But hey, at least we know one thing...



I know what you're thinking though...



If only we were all like him...



Bitta French so...?



Yeh I wasn't really listening to the words either...



At this stage, I really don't know...



But if there's one thing that'll get you through, just think of what comes after...

Trip Out Sensibly

Kap Bambino

_____Cooked in the underground basements of Bordeaux, in a manner similar to that of crystal meth, Kap Bambino gives you two times the rush. Soon after its release, Zero Life Night Vision, its initial form, rapidly became the most desired sound amongst Parisians and other French clubbers seeking something harder than what the clichéd Justice and other soft electro acts had to offer. Such demand led to further releases, and Blacklist gave now-addicted clubbers an even more intense experience.

___It’s popularity has led to many similar substitute sounds breaking onto the scene since. The now more common Crystal Castles are known as the “middle-class Kap“; its slightly more refined sound appealing to younger generations who grew up with the much cleaner sounds of Basement Jaxx and Chemical Brothers. No other non-lethal sound, however, is yet to be produced which can provide a high as substantial as Kap Bambino.

Butterfly Explosion

_____Not widely consumed, Butterfly Explosion are known to be the substitute for cannabis for those who disagree with smoking an organic compound. The effect is slightly different to that of hashish, tracks like Chemistry and Carpark capable of giving a much harsher trip than many of the synthetic stimulants that were sold in headshops until recently.
___In the right environment, however, and with the right frame of mind, Butterfly Explosion can blow your mind in a way that will leave you questioning your previous reliance on weed when you wanted to chill out with friends. And, unlike smoking cannabis, listening to Butterfly Explosion has no adverse health effects whatsoever.



SomethingALaMode

_____Back to France again, for the source of the latest high-quality designer dose of pure aural ecstasy. Where posh French electro-lovers once valued cocaine as the must-have party drug, SomethingALaMode are offering indie kids everywhere a new-age classical alternative. Ingeniously combining strings with synths, SAL have created one of the trendiest sounds since LHD Soundsystem.
___Raves in concert halls, orchestras in warehouses, tracks like 5 AM and Romance In B Minor suggest these unlikely combinations may become a reality sooner than you can imagine. And forget pricey pills and pricier powders, SomethingALaMode will provide unlimited sensational trips on tap.



The Presets

_____Finally, we have Australia’s answer to the ketamine kraze in Europe. While we looked to horse tranquilisers in pursuit of an ever bigger buzz, the Australians found the biggest in the form of The Presets. Traditionally consumed aurally, it may sometimes be consumed through osmosis, or simply shoved down your throat at some of the highest-energy gigs around. Obviously, it is not recommended for everyone, those suffering from heart problems, pregnancy or musical appreciation deficiency should steer clear, but to anyone else, you simply gotta try this shit.



___I must warn you however, The Presets are a highly addictive and dangerous sound. There was outcry when they were left out of the recent illegalisation of many new drugs. Talk Like That alone claimed 31 lives last year in Australia alone, where experts now reckon they pose more of a threat to Australia’s youth than cocaine, ecstasy, and ACDC combined. Consume with caution.

Small But Mighty Album Reviews

Surfer Blood - Astrocoast

_____“Never judge a book by its cover”, or so goes the saying, which is a shame for Florida five-piece Surfer Blood, because their album art is proper slick. I wish I could say the music was as awesome as the gaping shark mouth in which it is enclosed, but, let’s be honest, there are few albums which are. Astrocoast has a fairly decent go at it though, their stunning debut single Swim leading the charge.



___Following closely behind is the fantastic sound of tracks such as the hypnotic Harmonix and the calming Floating Vibes, with other tracks such as Twin Peaks and Fast (as opposed to the less satisfying Slow) Jabroni making their own impressive racket. Listening to Catholic Pagan and Take It Easy, I’m reminded of the first time I heard Vampire Weekend’s debut, and in a way, that’s a good album to compare this to. Astrocoast has that same refreshing feel to it, it’s a kind of music that sounds new. I’m not going to say it’s quite as good an album which featured such hits as A-Punk and Oxford Comma, but don’t be surprised if it’s Swim that’s sound-tracking your summer barbeque this summer.

dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip - The Logic Of Chance

_____Until embarrassingly recently I had this pair down as nothing more than a cool band name, one piece of modern musical genius in the form of Thou Shalt Always Kill, and a terrorist. Of course, I know now that that was completely out of line on my part; debut album Angles has much more to offer than just that one fantastic song.
___So having already made a name for themselves as a truly unique musical act, dan le sac and his bearded friend are back with more rocking beats and passionate lyrics. Smartly so, they haven’t changed much. There’s encouragingly catchy self-help advice with Get Better; there’s rebellious political ranting with Stake A Claim; and of course, there’s the completely odd. Only messers sac and Scroobius could release an album with three songs as diverse as Five Minutes, Snob, and Cowboi on it, sounding like something from The Streets, Hadouken!, and some really fucking weird band I haven’t heard of respectively. Whatever it sounds like though, most of it’s pretty solid, one or two smell a bit gaseous, and some, like Sick Tonight and Cauliflower, are liquid perfection.



Interpol - TBC

_____Ok this album isn’t actually out yet, in fact we only have one song from it so far, but that doesn’t matter, because the fact of the matter is, the follow up to Our Love To Admire is going to be immense. I’d love to say you heard it here for first, but I’m afraid it became common knowledge the moment Lights first reared its dark, powering, glorious head.



General Fiasco - Buildings
_____I heard the name and instantly thought that’ll be another load of indie tripe. Then I listened to album and thought it was another load of indie tripe. But, I’ve delayed deleting it off my iPod for almost a month now, because it’s some of the best indie tripe I’ve heard in sometime.



___While I’m almost moved to tears upon hearing the first line of Ever So Shy it’s so adolescently lej; “Let’s get wasted, it’s all we ever do”, but the song’s my favourite on the album. I’m full on moved to tears when I realize that I will probably never get Sinking Ships out of my head. I would be moved to tears, only I have none left, by the time Dancing With Girls comes around, cause I know that, when I’m off my face at some festival this year, there’s a distinct possibility that I’m going to decide to give someone like The Gaslight Anthem a miss and go see this lot instead.
___But I know deep down that deleting them now will solve all my problems, so it’s what I’m going to do. Just not right now…

The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards

_____Horehound was one of my favourite rock records of last year; Treat Me Like Your Mother, Hang You From The Heavens being some of the best stuff Jack White has ever written. Now, Sea Of Cowards has followed suit in easily being one of my favourite rock records this year; Die By The Drop, Blue Blood Blues being some of the best stuff Jack White has ever written. [Pattern repeats for anything Jack White touches].



The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

_____I could not possibly communicate how much I loved this crowd’s second album, The ‘59 Sound. I didn’t even bother downloading their debut because I knew I wouldn’t like it as much. So obviously I feared that it would be a similar case with this, their third full-length record. And it was, completely.
___There’s some cool stuff on there, the opening title track makes it worth sticking on the album for that first three and a bit minutes before switching over to Great Expectations. Songs like The Diamond Church Street Choir and Old Haunts are almost as good as the least awesome track on The ‘59 Sound. And I suppose, I wouldn’t be too pissed off if I had to wait a few extra minutes to hear Old White Lincoln because they put Orphans into their live set. Can't justify playing anything off the new album though, when there's a chance some of you haven't heard this yet.



___But, unfortunately, if you compare it to its predecessor, which you kinda have to, it’s about as invigorating as watching the fly in my room try to fly through the impermeable window pane. Not quite as amusing though.

Foals - Total Life Forever

_____Before we start, I want to make it perfectly clear that I despise Yannis Philippakikikippikiss with a white-hot passion. Everything about the guy just drives me up the wall. Everything, that is, except his music. As much as it pains me to say, I sort of love Foals. Their debut album, Antidotes, and I hit it off so well, that I decided to download the entirety of their backlog of pre-album singles and B-sides, something I’ve only done with a handful of bands on my iPod.
___But I’ve always craved more. Whatever about human nature and always wanting more than you, this was an extra special case, as even with all the sneaky singles and bashful B-sides, I still only had one hour of Foals material. I had more of The Blackout on my iPod. So, as you can see, this second album was desperately needed. Total Life Forever has arrived though, and my thirst for their unique Oxford-fag sound has been quenched. After almost two years of waiting for some new material, Spanish Sahara’s premiere on Radio One late last February was like music to my ears.



___The song is quite different to what we heard on their debut album, a bit less finicky, a bit more caressing. In contrast to Antidotes’ angular precision, Spanish Sahara demonstrated that the band has slowed down with this album. As if they’ve moved on from a sick concoction of Ritalin and Speed, and are now experimenting with only the finest Lebanese Hashish. Having rudely grabbed attention with an in-your-face debut, they haven’t needed to force the sound on this album, they’ve just let it happen. The question is how good is this Lebanese shit…

_____On first listen, I was a tad sceptical. Then I listened to it a second time, and a third, and a seventeenth, and I couldn’t figure out why I was so sceptical, because it’s fantastic. I’m still not sure why I didn’t take to Total Life Forever the first time around, the only explanation I can think of is that I accidentally listened to Fionn Regan’s disappointing follow-up to a thoroughly superb debut again, and got the two mixed up. But regardless, what’s important is that Foals’ second album is something to get excited about.
___I mentioned above how their sound had certainly progressed with Total Life Forever; as well as Spanish Sahara, a bouncy title track and the smooth 2 Trees would have stuck out like a sore thumb on Antidotes, yet they fit in beautifully here. Even alongside some classic-Foals sounding tracks, the chirpy Blue Blood and recent smashing single This Orient being perfect examples, they fit like a glove.
___I prefer Total Life Forever to its predecessor. I’m not completely sure why, I just think there’s just a more complete sounding to this record. However, there’s also this to consider, I imagine this might have had a pretty substantial part to play.



_____I still hate Yannis though, despite his second successful LP, so I’m obviously going to enjoy pointing out flaws in this particular album. Firstly, Fugue, what on earth were you thinking? Forty-eight seconds I could have spent in an infinite number of alternative ways, each and every one of them infinitely more meaningful. I’m not all that sold on Black Gold and After Glow, either, but the former is slowly growing on me, and the latter is followed by Alabaster, so that sorts that problem.
___My biggest problem with this album, however, isn’t to do with its flaws as such, but its strengths, the problem being they’re just not strong enough. I really like all the songs named above, but going to their gig on the 14th, Miami is the only one off this album that features in my five top songs I’m praying they’ll play. Record-closer What Remains is brilliant, but it’s just not quite up there with Cassius, Astronauts and All, etc for me. And that’s the case for a lot of the songs on the album.

_____Overall it’s a better listen than Antidotes, but I find myself thinking that some of the songs, while truly fantastic, are oh so almost something even greater. Haven’t the slightest as to what it is they’re lacking, but maybe an attitude check and a clearing of his anal passage for their singer might be a start.

B1

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

_____“Nintendo 64, I played "Goldeneye". Bought the whole system just to play "Goldeneye"”. I wasn’t all that into LCD Soundsystem until I read this quote from James Murphy, the man behind it all. The height of my musical experience of them was Daft Punk Is Playing At My House being played at people’s houses. Obviously I regularly hear about North American Scum on the radio, but that whole Tiger Woods saga has dragged on for far too long at this stage.
___But the point is, that I grossly, grossly misjudged James Murphy, and consequently LCD Soundsystem. Everybody and anybody who can still remember the ins and outs of classic levels such as Facility, Bunker, Frigate, Bunker II, and Cradle, in all their 64-bit beauty, is worth paying attention to. So I did. And, I suppose I liked it. Sound Of Silver didn’t give me quite the level of unimaginable pleasure as described by basically every single music review I read, but that’s not to say I’m not kicking myself for not giving it a chance sooner. Their self-titled debut sparked similar regret-inspired acts of self-harm.
___So it was just my luck when, just as I start to get into them, James Murphy announces that this, their third album, would be their last. Although, he did promise that LCD Soundsystem would be going anything but quietly.

_____Obviously following such dramatic news, emotional LCD fans across the globe simply couldn’t wait for This Is Happening. It’s May 17th release just couldn’t come quick enough. So, since that date wasn’t working out, they decided they’d have it now. As always, the internet was more than happy to oblige.
___Oddly enough I haven’t heard any reaction to it so far. At first, I couldn’t figure why this was so, but then after each consecutive listen to the album, it became clearer and clearer. You wouldn’t go telling all your friends if you discovered that a chocolate cake and a blonde bombshell were placed in a hidden room every Monday at midday now would you? No, because that would mean sharing, and nobody likes sharing.
___So I suppose it’s understandable that nobody has been shouting from the rooftops about This Is Happening. Because it isn’t anything like chocolate cake and a blonde bombshell. It’s like chocolate cake, a blonde bombshell, and what I think may be LCD Soundsystem’s best album yet.

_____They haven’t changed all that much in terms of the music, it’s still instantly recognisable as that fantastic LCD sound, but there’s a certain special feel to this album that its predecessors lacked. For example, the opening track, the flawless Dance Yrself Clean, could not set the tone for this album more perfectly. Its laidback three minute intro saying that they’ve taken their time with this record, the other six minutes screaming that it’s resulted in some of their best stuff to date.
___The album is has been stuffed with all sorts of wonderful, wonderful tracks. The Sound Of Silver-esque One Touch will entrance you; the fiercely funky Pow Pow will hypnotise you; and You Wanted A Hit will drug you, take you home, and have its sick and beautiful way with you every time you hear it. All these stand out for me as songs that would waltz into any LCD Soundsystem Top 10, but I can’t say I have any complaints with Murphy’s choice for the debut single. Because if I know anything to be true, it’s that when I’m standing in pit for the last band of my Leeds weekend and this song draws to a close, I will be higher than any amount of bath salts could ever take me.



_____The more I think about it, the more sure I am that I prefer this to their two previous releases, but it’s not without the odd questionable moment. Well, two to be exact. When placed in an album of such a standard as This Is Happening, personally, Somebody’s Calling Me doesn’t quite cut it. And, although still a quality track, All I Wanted just isn’t as good as the non-existent Strokes’ song it sounds so ridiculously similar to.
___However, that’s just about all the bad I have to say about this album, and it’s not really that bad. Just that one track doesn’t rock my world quite as hard as the rest of the album, and that another is slightly disappointing purely because when it comes on, I think This Is It has come on, and one is obviously going to be sad upon realising that This Is [Sadly, Not] It. Once one gets over this, however, it’s actually a brilliant song.

_____LCD Soundsystem have announced a string of European festival dates for this summer, and I know that this has more than a few of you excited. Which is why I’m delighted to say that, for me, This Is Happening is a stunning success. While Drunk Girls seems to be one tickling most people’s taste buds at the moment, I’m going to sign off with my unquestionable favourite off the album. While James and company may be leaving us forever, this track will never die. For me personally, anyways.



A2

Obituaries

_____Nelly Furtado once melodically pondered, “Why must all good things come to an end?”. Being a stupid b*tch, she made us listen to her whine on about it for the torturous duration of the song without giving us anything even approaching an educated guess, let alone a concise answer. The answer, as it happens, is simple: because there isn’t enough space on my iPod for it.
___I’ve moaned before about the disadvantages associated with opting for a slimmer iPod, and unfortunately, with the release of numerous eagerly-anticipated albums in recent weeks (LCD Soundsystem, Crystal Castles, and Foals the ones you’re most likely to be hearing about from myself in the coming weeks), these pains have seldom been more heartfelt. I’ve had no choice but to part ways, at least for the time being, with many albums I really wish I didn’t. They will never be forgotten, except in the case of The Virgins, not sure how they managed to last this long on the strength of one single track…

_____In no particular order, except for alphabetical, are listed below the albums I must say goodbye to.

Animal Collective - Feels

This isn’t actually through any fault of the album itself, I quite like most of the songs on it, but seriously, if Animal Collective are in question, you’d be mad to listen to anything other than Merriweather Post Pavillion. Although I always thought the track below would fit so much better on MPP…



Basement Jaxx - Remedy

As hard as I tried, and hard I certainly tried, I could never quite justify to myself having 170mb of music from what we all know to be the most hit-and-miss band of all time. That said, some of their hits are absolutely timeless.



The Crystal Method - Divided By The Night

Following a brief love affair between myself and the American electronic duo last summer, what started as a romantic three albums, complete with B-sides has since slowly but surely diminished to dull indifference. This will be the last remnant of our short-lived time together to be severed. However, it’s not exactly The Crystal Method themselves which I’ve been clinging onto until now, but more the heavenly voice of Emily Haines on a track I will genuinely miss.



Master Shortie - A.D.H.D.

This album is a fair bit of fun, and if it didn’t make me cringe just a little bit every time I listen to it, then it probably wouldn’t be on this list, but, as much as I’m sure you’ll enjoy tracks like Dead End and Rope Chain, you will cringe. One of the songs actually made it into Skins back when it was cool, but, much like we’re all a bit too old for Skins, we’re all just a bit too old...



Muse - Dead Star/In Your World

Lolz only kidding.


Muse- Dead Star
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The Virgins - The Virgins

Like I said, I don’t actually like this band. I don’t know why they were on my iPod.





Parting is such sweet sorrow.