New Sorts of Histories

There were a couple of things recently that struck the right sort of nerve as to get me thinking a bit more about music again, and although it confuses me slightly, both were to do with U2. The first thing was recieving a copy of their newest album Songs of Experience for Christmas – and as far as a safe, decent album goes, it’s good. Take that with a grain of salt, I am a fan of the band.The second thing was looking back through my memories on Facebook and seeing a review I did on 2009’s No Line On The Horizon. Not a lot of people seem to have actively listened to it, and at the time it was something I couldn’t understand; I really enjoyed it. Now that sentiment has slightly changed and it’s not as good a listen now as it was those 6 years ago, but “Moment of Surrender” and “Cedars of Lebanon” are still a couple of my favourite songs of theirs. Continuing on and we have the atrocity of Songs of Innocence, and the iTunes fiasco needs no more explaining.

With these two events I starting thinking about whether or not these ordinary records and lack of relevance or popularity turn the audiences perception of their earlier works as well. Keeping on with U2 as the example, would people listening to them consider “One”, “With or Without You” and “Where The Streets Have No Name” as verified classics of Rock, or would they overlook the opportunites to visit/revisit their so-called golden days because they’re no longer taken as seriously? It’s a complicated argument, on the one hand there will always be people that listen to certain artists, but as time passes the demographic will be ageing. I hardly imagine this will lead to a band such as U2 dying out, but as time passes it’s a real possibility they might not be considered as highly as they have been for so long. It’s not as if their old songs get any worse, but people don’t always like to consider all the positives when the modern exposure is tainted with negativity.

This wouldn’t be the first instance of someone being forgotten or written off based on a career of diminishing success, there are countless other artists that are forgotten by the majority – but how many of them are the calibre of U2? Metallica are one of the most influential metal acts of all time, and despite the failures of Saint Anger and Lulu, they are still as recognisable today as they were decades ago. Then there are the Beck’s – someone who people may know and respect for his new alternative and electronic endeavours, but who’s experimental folk inspired artistry he provided in the 90s might fall by the way side for the majority.

Honestly it’s not something I can see happening to any sort of serious degree, but it’s one of those interesting discussions that sometimes get forgotten about – even if it’s a bit inane. That’s just me though really.

-AJ Lienert

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Top 10 of 2017

Hey look, it’s a listacle! Hey look, I haven’t written anything in a while! Hey look, I know, no need to be mean about it.

Here’s my list for some to enjoy.

 

10: The “There’s an old face in the game and he isn’t too bad”; Return to form and forefront: The Story of O.J. – Jay Z

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM7lw0Ovzq0

I have to admit, when I first listened to The “Story of O.J” I didn’t think I quite understood what all the hype was about. Call me naive, call me out for not having experienced the sorts of discriminatory factors that Jay Z is rapping about, and I’ll agree. I still didn’t get it. Then again, when the chorus ended up getting lodged in my ears and I kept coming back to it, I finally got it. Talking about the whole thing would be pointless, there are other people that could explain it better than I could – but the production and sampling on show is brilliant, and the impact ends up sinking in over a few listens rather than directly impacting like some of the other songs on this list. Still good though. Very.

9: The “Hip Hop hypes still even though it’s not 2012”; Bring the chorus Hip-Hop: Glorious – Macklemore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OrLroFa0AI

Our favourite white rapper is back at it again with another high energy and uplifting summer anthem, and it’s not half bad. Macklemore’s bars, while not quite as memorable as some of his previous verses, are solid enough to work a treat with the highlight of the song – the chorus. Positive, vibrant and delivered well by Skylar Grey and manage to get the message of solitude through without it being too overblown. I mean, it’s overblown, but it’s the bearable kind.

8: The “What’s he saying but I love how it sounds”; Chill mumble rap: Mask Off – Future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvZqHgFz51I

Credit to my now flatmate and close friend this year for getting me more in touch with my trap, grime and mumble rap side, I never really had much interest in the genre until this year. No matter how many other songs I’d hear, or ask about, or even listen to managed to have the sort of lasting impact on what I felt the whole hype was about that “Mask Off” has had. To me at least, this song sums up the vibe of 2017, it was inescapable and while I have no idea what the song is about, or what Future is even saying much of the time, it still sounds pretty to my ears.

7: The “Angst has a new sound now “ Pop/Punk rework: Hard Times – Paramore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEB6ibtdPZc

I stopped really listening to Paramore when I got bored of the whole Pop/Punk kind of sound, but holy shit I wasn’t expecting this. It’s a proper guitar rock banger, with the 80’s thrown in with a bit of new wave, bit of glam rock, bit of glam pop and a whole lot of catchiness. It’s just one of those songs that make you want to awkwardly dance and lip sync to, and any song that can accomplish that as well as completely crush the preconceptions I have held towards the band is a definite winner in my books. Still pretty angsty none the less.

6: The “Still D.R.E” by a sexy white man and his band” Comeback Rock jam: The Man – The Killers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3xcybdis1k

The Killers new album was pretty alright – it wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was a considerable improvement on Battle Born (which I first purchased in Spain, quick facts). “The Man” is one of the highlights. It’s about as arrogant as a Brandon Flowers composition can be, and that means it’s overblown to the heavens and self indulgent fitting of Donald Trump. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s about what you expect from The Killers, but holy shit this thing is just the most enchanting throwback disco rock that I’ve heard in a long, long time. The guitar work is unmissable, the synth backings are back to the charm of Hot Fuss and the melody is about the best thing that’s been on a Killers record in a good decade. Flowers seems to really have his groove back now.

5  The: “I vibe nostalgic dance/electronic/hip-hop from that well known animated band” vibe-y Trip-Hop: Andromeda – Gorillaz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W44NWYwa1g

I was over the moon when I heard that Gorillaz were releasing another album (however many years ago it was that it was announced), and after waiting for new material and keeping my worship of Damon Albarn alive and healthy I head the first four tracks. I was blown away. The songs were, well, kind of lacklustre. Then came the record, and I enjoyed it more than a lot of people seemed to, and the first releases grew on me. In the context of a relatively odd and disjointed album they seemed to make a bit more sense to me – and at the forefront of that experience was “Andromeda”. Mellow and soulful with just enough of the electronic Gorillaz signature, the track seemed to be the one that I felt the most – the hook managing to be melodic and spaced out at the same ti and the production work by Albarn tied it all together in the best bow on the album, in my humble and definitely biased opinion.

4: The “Alternative music isn’t dead because of commercials”; Token but catchy Indie: Feel It Still – Portugal. The Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBkHHoOIIn8

This is just about the best once-a-year indie mega-hit that I’ve really caught onto over the past few years, but can you really blame me? It’s retro without even trying, the falsetto vocals are sweet and irresistible and placed perfectly so everyone can try to sing it at home. It’s a feel good, catchy and dance inducing throwback, the dazzling guitar work and backing instrumentation make it a constant ear-worm, and the commercial inclusion added another mindless channel to make you definitely not forget about it. Worked for these Icelanders at least.

3: The “Hey, that’s a good actual pop song”; Funky party banger: That’s What I Like – Bruno Mars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMivT7MJ41M

I’ve liked Bruno Mars properly since his Superbowl Halftime performance some years back, and he’s just got all of the pop glamour and soulful swagger that a lasting icon is born of. This song is just so bloody catchy. It’s braggadocious but he’s good enough that he’s allowed to be. It’s hopelessly cheesy, but he sells it too hard and I’m buying it. Plus, the funk influences that Mars has seemingly caught aren’t quite getting old yet, and I hope they don’t for some time to come.

2: The “Rap’s not dead and it’s what’s popular”; Song most representative: HUMBLE. – Kendrick Lamar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvTRZJ-4EyI

Kendrick just can’t stop controlling whatever year he released new music. Doesn’t matter if it’s a groundbreaking, jazz fusioned masterpiece or some B-Sides, people worship the man. Even when he went for a more mainstream sound, he still managed to all but crush everything else in his path. I don’t need to really talk about HUMBLE. because you’ve probably definitely heard it, and even though an argument can definitely be made for some of the other cuts on DAMN., I feel like the cultural impact this track has supersedes any of the other cuts. It has been pretty damn inescapable.

1: The “Always Belt It When It Comes On”; Inescapable sing along: Human – Rag’n’Bone Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3wKzyIN1yk

Yes, I know we first heard this song back in 2016, but I wanted any excuse to have this on the top of my list. My excuse this time is that the album it was released on was a February release, and this song has its way back into my ears, my head, my heart and everyone else’s eardrums along the way. When you hear this song, you have no other choice but to belt out as much of it as you know. It’s relatable in the best sort of way, deeply emotional, and Rag’n’Bone Man’s vocals are the best you’ll hear all year, hands down. Bluesy, Soulful and brilliant, take a listen to it right now and just know exactly what I’m talking about. For an interesting kind of year, this song can offer the best kind of perspective.

-AJLienert

Speaking in Tongues… And Heels

Well, here we are again it seems. After an extended hiatus I finally managed to have enough inspiration (for some reason) to write another little piece of opinion. This time, however, the difference is that it’s coming from a slightly different country.

Today I was messaged one of those ‘viral thread’ videos by a friend of mine, this one a supermontage of songs from 1997 with the brilliant caption “THESE SONGS ARE 20 YEARS OLD FEEL OLD YET?”. Unfortunately for me, almost twenty myself, I had heard all of the songs in question and highly rate a number of them. The thing that struck me the most about this two-and-a-bit minute clip was one particular song that I had heard time and time again, but strangely enough for me I had no idea the name of the song nor the artist. One quick google search later (the search, for those interested, was “hit songs of 1997”) and I found it.

‘Your Woman’ by White Town.

Now, it’s not a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, but the thing that struck me the most was the peculiar voice it takes. This song, sung by a man in the late nineties, is told from a woman’s point of view – and come to think of it, it’s a peculiarity that really doesn’t happen all too often. It’s not even man as woman, but even a direct first person woman as man narrative is highly irregular. I struggle myself to think of another good example for the same structure, and I think there’s a good reason why not.

In my eyes, at least, music is an extraordinary means of self expression, and it always has been. From a contemporary standpoint, western music has tended to be an emotional affair harkening back to orchestral composers, and as popular music evolved and became more and more widely accessible the emotional element became easier for the majority to access and subsequently find a sympathetic voice in. The more widely reciprocated the emotional context, the more people will find solace in the music. This leads somewhat to the voice found in ‘Your Woman’.

Although it cannot be denied that men have felt like the opposite sex have expressed the “I could never be your woman” sentiment, it’s not entirely the most common thought process nor is it the sort of direction a number would take. Think of how often you’ve heard a song by a male artist (or male songwriter) that complains about the way a woman has acted, or brushes it off, or does anything but directly talk about it from the woman’s point of view. It’s just what people would rather hear – that or another song to try and woo them, win them back or lament a lost love. They’re cliches that people can associate with and, not to put it simply, want to hear. People don’t usually want to hear something from the opposite point of view. Hate to say it, but people are kinda one way streets like that.

I could go on and compare this sensation to other prevalent issues today *cough anti-vaxers the fanatic religious political divides racism cough* where walking in the other’s shoes tends to be avoided, but it’s that brand of thinking that prevents something like music from discussing it in a properly thought out and sensible manner.

That and not everyone is a Marxist nowadays, sorry White Town, sorry.

-AJLienert

Cry, Baby, Cry

For those who don’t really care:

Eh, just listen to the album.

Extended Mix:

After missing out on her first set of shows, with Brisbane getting a four song free show in Queen Street Mall on a hellishly warm weekday, Melanie Martinez finally decided to stop in for a night on Tuesday (16th August). Excited for the show after ordering pre-sale tickets months ago we made our way to The Tivoli, not entirely sure what to expect from an artist with little more than an album to play for us.

Martinez has become somewhat infamous for some of her actions in the public eye – coming from a decent run on The Voice some years ago and now being a daddy-kink inspiring, photo-hating alternative pop artist with a penchant for literal splitting of hairs. It was always going to be interesting to see if her actions at a proper show, which of course she’ll make a handy dollar from, would at all correlate with what the media has told us thus far. To some extent they did.

We thought we would be okay arriving just before doors at 7pm. Turns out more children and their mothers were interested in standing in a line spanning the street length and around the next corner than they were going to Disneyland on a family vacation. I’m not even slightly exaggerating. We waited for the best part of an hour, got in and went straight to the back of the merch line. Yeah, $45 for a tour shirt might not be the best deal – but it’s better than $30 for her album you can get at JB for a tenner or a $20 poster that we got 3 of for free earlier in the year.

Strike one for Mel.

The music started eventually, after a good dozen false alarms with tweenage girls squealing every time the house music changed we finally got a bit of live music. It was the opening act, Japanese Wallpaper. They were pretty good, a nice brand of chilled out, ambient electronic pop that would have been perfect listening while doing absolutely nothing at home. Plus they’re from Melbourne, so that’s a bit of a plus.

Back to waiting, another half hour of squeals, chants for Melanie (despite the set times being more or less a surefire thing – sorry kids but you aren’t gonna change that) and a general feeling of disgust at being in the same room as so many foetuses. Eventually, the one we waited for finally emerged on stage. And I mean finally, there was a good 5 minutes of pointless light flashing before she emerged from the crib she probably (definitely) had backstage.

Quickly before I continue, the set design was cute and interesting – however it didn’t add anything more than something to gawk at when the curtain was first raised.

Her set was decent enough, she played through the entirety of her album in that order (due to it’s narrative structure (It’s called Cry Baby for those who want to know)) and that was it before we scurried out in order to avoid the crowds. She might have played an encore, I don’t know.

What got to me however, was I’m not even sure if there was any live music played. It was her and two ‘bandmates’ equiped with a couple of cymbals and two sample pads – it was a symphony of loops and samples, backing tracks and a lack of effort, to be frank I’m not even sure how often a live instrument was played. There were a couple of times the man on the left of stage broke out a coupe of bars of electric guitar, and sometimes it looked like he was playing keyboard (however that was conveniently blocked by some of the stage props, so I’m not sure if he even played it). It was slick and perfect – and that’s what was wrong. I don’t want to go to a live show and hear a perfect reproduction of the studio version, give it some difference. A bit of energy, a mistake due to over-excitement now and again, something to make it worth actually going to a show. There was none of that, absolutely none – and I left relatively lukewarm.

Melanie herself was okay. She only spoke a couple of words to her fans all night and spend half of the songs with her back turned or casually chatting with her band members. Didn’t seem to care an awful lot that she was playing a sold out show. Granted she has admitted to a touch of stage fright – and she has been interrupted abruptly by the audience when trying to speak to them – makes it a bit fairer. Still doesn’t excuse not facing us.

Strike two Mel.

What irritated me the most wasn’t any of that, despite my response; it was the fact that there was no separation of the crowd, the problem of the all ages gig. Melanie’s songs aren’t of a lighthearted nature – they sing of rape, sex, murder and disfunction. Drug references and blatant innuendos are coupled with cursing and hatred. I don’t care how old you are if you like the music, but bloody hell at least give those who understand the musical content something to hold onto.

If there was an all ages area and an 18+ area it would have been a better show. Full Stop. Those who wanted to be oblivious, bop along and dance terribly out of time to a song about being raped in a carpark and not know that it’s a morbid song draped in fancy embroidered lolita dresses could do that. Those who understood it, wanted to have a drink instead of paying half of your arm for a red bull and be with likeminded people who revelled in the macabre could. But no, everyone had to intermingle and listen to a song about a child being raped while surrounded by 6 year old and their mothers. Again, not exaggerating.

My partner with whom I went summed it up perfectly when they said:

“I’m glad I went to see her live. Was it worth it? Maybe. Was it worth $80? No. Would I see her again? Probably not.”

I agree, and really it wouldn’t have been any different from watching a muted video of Melanie on YouTube with the CD playing in the background. Sorry Mel, strike three. You’re out.

-AJLienert

Let’s Get Physical

 

Discussing the idea that Print Journalism is a dying medium and what it means for the future of journalism.

 

 

There’s a growing idea amongst journalism professionals that print media is slowly obsoleting as a viable form[i]. This idea is not a new one, since the birth of online journalism there’s been a fear that it would spell the end of more traditional media formats. As much as this seems like a worrying trend, one need only look to a similar fear in another industry that felt the emergence of online formats had all but killed off a beloved format – the music industry and Vinyl. With this is mind, what’s to prevent a love of physical media to stay with readers and follow the same resurging trend that vinyl experienced.

(Image 1: see endnote x)

As much as it might seem a bit of a leap to compare the readership and success of print newspaper to the sales and revenue of vinyl, it’s not as wild a comparison as you’d assume. The key comparing point between the two is the fact that they are both physical means of experiencing something widely available online – as well as in a portable more accessible format. The physical element of both forms is one of the key elements, perhaps stemming from our development as children as tactual-kinaesthetic learners, where people enjoy and indulge more in a product that is readily touchable. The same goes for books, magazines, and photographs among other physical artefacts.

 

Looking at things as currently as we can (without paying a hefty fee), The Australian Bureau of Circulations reports the newspaper industry in Australia has been losing consumers at quite a significant rate year-on-year since 2012[ii], as well as there being a declining trend in majority of localities worldwide both in terms of ad revenue and circulation numbers, as per WAN-IFRA[iii]. This may seem worrying at first viewing, however it follows a remarkably similar trend in the sales of vinyl between 1999 and 2006 shown to us by the IFPI[iv]:

(Figure 1: See endnote iv)

Between these years we see a USD$126 Million decline in sales of vinyl, similar however much more severe than the global 13% decline in newspaper revenue over the past five years as shown to us by WAN-IFRA.

 

This year-by-year trend provides quite strong correlation between vinyl and print news; the good news is that since 2006, worldwide vinyl sales have increased by a factor of more that 450% – in fact the global revenue in 2012 exceeds that of 1997 by almost 10%. The managing director of the Official Chart Company in the UK, Martin Talbot, backs up this sentiment, saying to the BBC “Only five years ago this business was worth around £3m a year. This year [2014] it’s going to be worth £20m”[v].

 

These figures provide some comfort to those who cling on to and enjoy the traditional media formats, those who aim to become professionals in a print news industry, or both.

(Figure 2: See endnote iii)

 

The fact that there’s a growing market for print media in Asia, the Middle East and in particular Latin America also shows that the idea that the medium is dead may only be relevant to a western society. However to get a grasp of how this comparison can dictate the future of journalism in Australia, more local data needs to be analysed.

 

Between March of 2015 and 2016, stats provides by Roy Morgan Research show that only 3 of 33 studied print newspapers in Australia have shown a growth in readership, majority of these losing readership in a combined Weekday, Saturday and Sunday circulation[vi]. This along with the WAN-IFRA report showing significant decreases in both circulation and ad revenue, as well as the job cuts and strike of Fairfax employees, don’t provide a lot of hope for Australian print media[vii].

However again comparing it to the incremental growth of the vinyl industry in Australia provides solace that a revival could be on hand. The Australian Record Industry Association’s 2012 report on wholesale sales of music show that even in a smaller market, vinyl is growing. From the end of 2011 to the end of 2012, vinyl singles saw a 58.56% increase in quantity sales and a 46.89% increase in dollar value, while vinyl LP’s saw a 73.67% quantity growth and over doubled the dollar value of sales with a 105.21% increase[viii].

 

Given this is a 2012 report, it would be reasonable to assume that these figures would follow the trends of vinyl sales worldwide, increasing year-on-year to present and providing another physical market that is claiming back some of the ground the digital media had taken. Given the comparisons, it’s hard to see the death of print media in a country as large as Australia, especially given the interest growing in the Northern Territory and the success of the Financial Times, as the report above, giving the industry a steady platform to build upon.

 

Despite the correlations, there will always be those that take an opposing view, take a look at newspaperdeathwatch.com, run by former Editor-in-Chief of magazines run by IDG Ventures, Paul Gillin[ix]. His website is one that focuses thoroughly on the ideas that citizen journalism and online media are the obvious way forward in the industry, and with a wealth of journalism and technology experience his point is valid. He doesn’t completely ignore the trends of traditional media however, and he takes a relatively unbiased view of all things relating to the industry as a whole.

 

An interesting take on the pros and cons of both sides, he takes to it with elements of wit – as seen by the praise for a poignant parody video focussing on a changing media landscape:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS7Qbvz6AVY&feature=player_embedded .

 

Lots of the points Gillin raise are bang on. One of the concepts that we mustn’t ignore is the idea that these forms of media can coexist without a detrimental effect to the other. Of course there’s going to be competition from online exclusive services, new age thinkers and innovators capturing the attentions of a younger demographic not raised on the delivery of a newspaper on your driveway every morning. This again however mimics the trends seen in the record industry post-vinyl. When the Compact Disc was released and became a more widely accessible means of listening to music, it reached the masses more easily but didn’t convince everyone. The same can be said about the introduction of portable media files, the likes of .mp3 and .WAV. None of these aimed (directly) to kill off any similar products already on the market, nor did they appeal to everyone. Citizen Journalism and listicle based companies didn’t aim to take the throne of the tradition print media format, but with the rapid acceptance of digital media as a legitimate and well sourced medium there was always going to be some friction between the two. But now with many of Australia’s, nay the worlds major newspapers taking to an online platform as well as their traditional print, the scope they can reach only extends. As with any audience dictated industry, each individual (or group of individuals) has his or her preferred manner of participating. If newspapers can somehow grab hold of the younger generations as successfully as the vinyl industry can, there’s no reason it can’t replicate the revival that vinyl has had (and is continuing to have) over the past decade.

The comparisons between newspaper and vinyl are more complete than assumed at first glance. Both are more traditional, physical mediums that had their alleged heyday in years gone by, and ones that have the ability to keep for an extended period of time after initial release. In the early-mid 2000s many in the recording industry thought that vinyl was a dead format, and mp3 and CD, coupled with streaming were to be the continuing way forward. Fast forward a decade and worldwide sales have eclipsed those of the late 90s and a full revival has occurred, encompassing both old and new artists. A similar thought can be presented when talking about newspapers. Many people are under the impression that the digital landscape has enveloped so much of the journalism media that in the near future traditional print journalism will become an obsolete medium. However as shown, the statistics in relation to newspaper don’t spell complete disaster, with circulation and revenue increasing in many areas in the world, and the declining trends closely mirrors those seen in the vinyl industry, and we all know how that looks now. [x]

-AJLienert

[i] http://newspaperdeathwatch.com/ (Accessed 22 May 16)

[ii] https://mumbrella.com.au/abc-newspapers-continue-print-decline-173008 (Accessed 29 May 16)

 

[iii] http://www.marketingcharts.com/traditional/global-newspaper-circulation-and-advertising-trends-in-2013-43338/attachment/wan-ifra-newspaper-circs-ad-trends-in2013-june2014/). (Accessed 29 May 16)

[iv] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_Vinyl_Sales_Graph_In_US$.png (Accessed 31 May 16)

[v] http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30216638 (Accessed 31 May 16)

[vi] http://www.roymorgan.com/industries/media/readership/newspaper-readership (Accessed 29 May 16)

[vii] http://www.hcamag.com/hr-news/fairfax-announces-120-job-cuts-500-staff-go-on-strike-213506.aspx. (Accessed 31 May 16)

[viii] http://www.aria.com.au/documents/2012wholesalefigures.pdf (Accessed 1 June 16)

[ix] http://newspaperdeathwatch.com/about-2/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgillin (Accessed 22 May 16)

[x] http://www.theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/images/stories/NEW_MUSIC/thomas_h_green/vinyl.jpg

 

Word Count :1448

Quick-fire Reviews: RHCP and Radiohead

There’s been such a lot happening in music recently that instead of my typical overblown reviews, I’ve decided to summarise a couple of the major bits of news for you.

On Red Hot Chili Peppers’ single Dark Necessities from their upcoming 2016 album The Getaway:

It’s not really a bad song, it has the quintessential 2000s Chili Peppers’ sound to it, with some introspective lyrics and a chorus that improves every time I listen to it, however it’s nothing outstanding.

Also, nice to see people pointing out Flea’s bass line is similar to Can’t Stop.

About time, because 90% of his bass lines sound incredibly similar to each other.

On Radiohead’s Burn The Witch, Daydreaming (singles) and A Moon Shaped Pool (Album):

Single art for Burn The Witch (XL Recordings)

After the most perfect piece of marketing to send the internet into complete shock (granted, one Manchester United forward Memphis Depay used a similar strategy amongst rumours of unrest – deleting all Instagram photos of himself in club attire, as well as unfollowing all of his teammates before posting a montage of himself in the iconic red kit – filling his recent posts with an epic self portrait and quashing the rumours), Radiohead dropped the single Burn The Witch.

Burn The Witch is gloomy, it’s eerie, it’s orchestral, it’s quite magnificent. It broods in the way only Thom Yorke can make a song brood, and the choice of it as a lead single is quite a stroke or genius. It harkens back to the bands 1999/2000 works, their prime if you will, leaving people excited for the (very short) wait for the full record.

The video is also a trippy, slightly demonic Wallace and Gromit short of sorts. Just as dark though, remember the pie killer?

Daydreaming is again a wonderful, slowly moving piano ballad. Well, as much of a piano ballad as Radiohead can release without uproar. Yorke is back to his wailing best, the strange recording techniques are talking in backwards tones and the six and a bit minutes fly by.

They still got it, even if Thom is walking through dozens of doors to get there.

A Moon Shaped Pool is too expensive for me to afford right now, but I’m going to assume it’s good from what I’ve heard from it.

Sorry Folks

That’s it for today, however I’m sure there will be more in the future. At least I hope so.

-AJLienert

Gutter Runts – Wait, Did I Even See It?

The other night I went to see yet another piece of art produced by Woodridge raised Jake Connor Moss, but this time it was a film. At a cinema. With a sold out theatre. On a Thursday. The first thing I have to mention is that the parking situation was abhorrent, and I ended up getting a hefty ticket for spending two hours in a loading zone. I suppose I did deserve it.

So I arrive at the New Farm Cinema complex with my partner (who downs a couple of Jack and Cokes before the show (“I want to be fucked up for a fucked up film”)) and the opening night of Captain America: Civil War decides to be at the exact same time.

Here master card, that is priceless.

So after waiting and standing and a large crowd, we walk in, sit down and start to get excited about what’s going to happen next. This was the first and only showing of the film. Ever. Exciting.

Turns out, the film was the most overly cliched, predictable and boring piece of cinema I’ve seen in a long time. From someone like Moss, I walked in expecting some sort of arthouse indie spectacular with interesting characters, perfectly smooth and sequenced editing and some sort of morally ambiguous ending that makes you reconsider what you just watched. But no, I sat there for just under an hour watching a near recreation of every ordinary romcom that I’ve seen on free-to-air television. The actors just seemed like they didn’t want to be there, the script was cringe inducing and the fact that other people in the audience were laughing, clapping or smiling made it even worse.

I don’t know what inspired someone as creative and interesting as Moss to sell out like that, maybe it’s the fact he wanted to do something easy to get a quick buck. If that’s the case, it worked.

We walked out and my partner said to me “I feel like I’ve read that story 6 times before”, which is oh too true. I know that maybe keeping things original can be a struggle, and the amount of talent it takes to craft an enjoyable piece of individual art can be staggering, but Jake has the talent – if not him then at least the last. They did a good job, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think they wanted to be in something so mainstream. So sell out.

Oh well, what can you do. Maybe I’m totally wrong, lots of people probably loved it. Each to their own.

Besides, it’s hard to remember everything after just one screening. Sometimes I ask myself if I even saw it at all.

-AJ Lienert