_____On June 30th, the year became officially half over, and to mark this truly momentous occasion, I have compiled a list of my favourite five songs of the year so far. Narrowing down the list to five was a lot harder than I thought it would be, eventually having to leave out hits from Biffy Clyro, Hot Chip, and Vampire Weekend to name but a few.
_____Obviously there are some you'll agree with, and some you won't, so feel free to offer your opinions, criticisms, or simply ridicule any of the choices I've made below.
No.5 Crystal Castles - Celestica
_____Probably not my absolute favourite off the album, but it offers something different to the Crystal Castles chaos we've gotten so used to.
No.4 Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill
_____Released from an album which received widely mixed reactions, its beautifully soothing sound clearly sets it aside from the rest, but even had it been shoved between Feel Good Inc. and Dirty Harry on Demon Days, in my opinion there's no arguing it couldn't have pulled its weight.
No.3 Foals - Miami
_____A stroke of genius from the Oxford genii coupled with a wonderfully trans-genius video has lifted Miami to the previously thought un-re-reachable heights of Cassius and Hummer.
No.2 Marina And The Diamonds - Oh No!
_____Hollywood probably did more for this Welsh-Greek goddess in terms of exposure or whatever, but this, her latest single, this is special.
No.1 The Chemical Brothers - Swoon
_____Having lived in Daft Punk's shadow for what must seem like an eternity, it seems the English pair have finally discovered to secret to their success; the loop button. In its full-length awesomeness.
_____“It can’t rain as much as last year”. Arriving on the Thursday evening to a field of damp campers all looking worriedly skywards, this is what I told myself. But I don’t want to talk about that.
_____This here is a cross between my personal reaction to my first ever Oxegen and an amateur music blogger’s review of the event. As usual with this type of weekend, the Friday came first. It rained. I had already been to a music festival, but I only knew two other people at it, so Oxegen differed greatly in terms of the campsite atmosphere. Drinking was less of a chore, and a lot of the time we arrived late to sets. Such as our first set, The Coronas. I don’t have them on my iPod, but sure you hear enough of them on the radio to know a few of their songs anyways. They pulled a fairly decent crowd, and the reaction received by San Diego Song was even more impressive than I anticipated. Although I wouldn’t have cared much if we hadn’t gone to see them, I’m glad we did, if anything just to reward their genuine gratitude towards the people who came to see them with a slightly bigger crowd. ___Next came Vampire Weekend and Stereophonics, two bands I was really excited for. Both played strong sets, and both frontmen looked inappropriately slick. Unfortunately, we had to leave the latter prematurely, meaning I missed Dakota, but Have A Nice Day and A Thousand Trees ensured my Friday ended on a high note, and with an Arcade Fire set at Leeds to look forward to all the more.
_____Following the Friday came a Saturday. It rained again, but heavier and for longer this time. Saturday originally stood out as the strongest day music wise, and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Two Door Cinema Club and Biffy Clyro were two of my favourite sets of the festival. Ellie Goulding was extremely agreeable also, partly due to the fact she played in a dry tent, but mostly down to the energy and heart she gave each and every one of her songs. We had planned to go to 3Oh!3 next, but both very sober and very wet, we decided it best just to get back to the tent, but accidentally we stumbled into 3Oh!3’s set on the way, so stuck it out, and I must admit, although painfully cliché, it was a thoroughly enjoyable gig. Starstrukk, Don’t Trust Me, and new song My First Kiss were all absolutely fantastic, and credit to them, they got the biggest shout of the weekend with their questionably authentic compliments to the crowd. ___Our evening that day comprised of two of the best bands of the weekend, and probably the worst. Gossip’s atrociously homogenous set upset my ears, and indeed my principles, that my body punished me through swelling my glands to such an extent that I could not move my head in any direction more than 30 degrees. This meant I couldn’t bop with our groovy section of the crowd during a brilliant Hot Chip set, and nor could I scream aloud to the phenomenal Muse. Because boy did I want to scream.
_____Their setlist was practically perfect, Feeling Good wasn’t too missed, and Bliss more than made up for New Born’s absence. I was quite disappointed with the crowd, this video far from proving otherwise, but I guess at a festival you’re never going to get a concentrated crowd of fans like you would at a gig. Because if they played that a gig, the place would have exploded. Their godlike status was only reinforced when the rain subsided almost on cue for when they came out. It did start again for a bit halfway through, but you'd swear they planned that way, their lasers looking all the more awesome through the rain.
_____The weekend ended unsurprisingly on a Sunday. What was surprising, was that it didn’t rain! For this reason, everyone was in a good mood. The day wasn’t great for the music, I missed We Are Scientists and 30 Seconds To Mars whilst enjoying the sun, but Jamie T was really worth watching, set closer Sticks n’ Stones one of my songs of the weekend. My weekend finished not with Prodigy as I had originally thought, but with Mumford and Sons, a band I liked, but never loved like many people I know, but I’m happy to say that the rumours are true; they are truly superb live.
_____So looking back, I’m definitely glad I went to Oxegen, despite the rain. I think it’s not as much about the music as Leeds, the stage line-ups lack structure (Doves into Black Eyed Peas, The Temper Trap into 30 Seconds To Mars) and apart from the headliners, the sets are generally much shorter, cementing my opinion that Oxegen sometimes veers towards quantity over quality, although that’s obviously not to say there isn’t good line-ups each year. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as festivals aren’t all about the music, the social aspect plays a huge part, and Oxegen is great in that respect. However, I still maintain at 250 euro for a weekend camping, it’s horrendously over-priced.
_____So, to wrap up, it was good. There weren’t any striking low-lights, but plenty of high ones: some quality drunk-people-watching, getting beautifully overchanged by a chipper, a superb Muse setlist, and a terrifically sunny Sunday. Oh the wristbands are cool too. I imagine I’ll be back.
_____It’s finally here, boys and gals, Oxegen 2010! Seeing as that is the case, I don’t really have the time to write a big spiel on who I feel you should see, who you shouldn’t, and how guilty you should feel if you go to see Black Eyed Peas over Muse, so instead, I’ve just lashed together my Oxegen HitList. ___Here are ten songs I believe cannot afford to be missed live at a festival, although if I could give you one other tip, it’d be to spend as little time at your tent during the day, and see as many bands as possible, and I guarantee you your favourite song of the festival will come from the most likely of sources. Like seriously, mine was a Kaiser Chiefs one last summer…
_____So, in chronological order according to stage times…
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
You cannot beat that first album.
Stereophonics - Dakota
One of the best signings by Oxegen this year.
Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
How fucking excited are you?
Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk
Seeing as they have moved to main stage and you no longer have to miss Biffy to see them…
Biffy Clyro - Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies
The Captain and Mountains were purpose built for festivals, but this is flawless.
Muse - Plug In Baby
I swear to God, if you go to Black Eyed Peas…
We Are Scientists - After Hours
The two nicest guys in music. And the drummer from Razorlight
Jamie T - Sticks n’ Stones
He’s a featherweight champion.
30 Seconds To Mars - From Yesterday
Even if you don’t like them, stick around, get a good spot for Prodigy, be proved wrong.
_____This time last year, had you stood on an appropriately populated street corner and called aloud for some fashionable bands which you could talk about at fashionable parties in order to seem fashionable, I doubt anyone would pay attention to you, as urban centres tend to be very hostile and unsociable places these days. Had you then located an internet café in which to ask the internet for assistance, you’d probably be living a lot more than one year ago, as the development of broadband has almost completely decimated the internet café business. However, had you then whipped out your iPhone like you should have done in the first place and Asked Jeeves it, your handheld screen would most likely have filled up with in-your-face indie bands such as The xx, Foals; dig a little deeper and you’d find the more modest Bombay Bicycle Club, Bat For Lashes, etc. And then you’d go off your fashionable party where fashionable people would view you as at least a mildly fashionable with a good taste in music. Congratulations. ___But what is to be observed here, is that all these are British bands. British bands have dominated the indie/indie rock music scene for the past few years, and in all honesty, deservedly so; Australia’s been to busy being a year behind the trend with excuses like Empire Of The Sun, and with most of America laughing as Europe lapped up what they rejected in Kings Of Leon, a woeful Foo Fighter’s single was about all they bothered to contribute. This time right now, on the other hand, is quite a different story. The Drums are spearheading a revival of American indie-rock which has given rise to new delights like Surfer Blood, the musical renewal lended further momentum as Vampire Weekend kicked back into gear earlier this year. All the same, I will now urge you not to listen to your wi-fi connection, and don’t convert to Barack’s battalion of new generation indie bands, as in my opinion, those across the water are doing it today better than ever, Mystery Jets’ latest album the truest of examples.
_____That there is the opening track from a third album which I simply could not imagine how it might live up to the standards of Twenty One, the affair I had with it early last summer having transformed into a long-term love. And as a track, it perfectly illustrates how Mystery Jets are in a peculiar class of their own when it comes to premium indie music, a genre which has received more criticism than Nu Wave did in the years before its demise. Too many similar bands are too obsessed with hairstyles and too busy synthesising everything in sight, so much so that they have, amidst the chaotic apathy, misplaced their testosterone! ___Accidentally stumble into Crystallised down a dark alley, and it’d probably hastily throw the contents of its handbag at you before menstruating as it scurried awkwardly away; Forever And Ever Amen sounds exactly like the type who gets drunk off two glasses of Chardonnay at the New Year’s soirée. Mystery Jets, however, are a different story altogether. Although the vocalist has quite a delicate voice, this is more than accounted for with whole-hearted riffs and belting choruses. Waiting On A Miracle, although sounding strangely alike Olivia Newton John’s 80’s hit Physical, is inspiringly good, while title track Serotonin just screams single somewhere down the line. ___That’s not to say I argue with the band’s first choice of single, Dreaming Of Another World ranks alongside Flash A Hungry Smile as my favourite tracks on the album; it wouldn’t have had to share the honour if it weren’t for the latter’s brilliant lyric heard at 0:59.
_____Lyrics such as that are perhaps the reason why Mystery Jets are so goddamn loveable. It’s exactly that cheeky yet undeniably adorable aspect to their sound that sets them apart from the likes of The xx, who practically mumble in their songs. You can’t help get the sense the words in Show Me The Light actually mean something to the singer, that there’s a story behind the superb album closer Lorna Doone. Mystery Jets possess a genuineness in their music that is just lacking in much of the other indie music you hear talked about at those fashionably dull parties. ___I said I wasn’t sure if Serotonin could match their previous record, if anything they wrote could sound anything like Hideaway, Young Love, Two Doors Down, and practically every song on that album, and I’m afraid I don’t think they’ve quite managed it. They’ve come awfully close though.
“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.
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...
_____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.
