I, for one, was mortified this week when encountering a report of an incident involving a crowd of shoppers instructing a depressed young man to take his own life. Shaun Dykes, who was 17, stood at the top of a multi-storey car park in Derby last Saturday afternoon, whilst morally-bankrupt onlookers urged him to 'get on with it' and even filmed the action on their phones. No arrests were made, and Dykes eventually fell to his death.
Although reportedly the majority of onlookers were concerned for his well-being, the actions of those responsible raise some bleak questions about the outlook of British citizens. How anyone can display such uncaring, brutal behaviour, especially in full public view is absolutely astonishing, and to my mind, they should take some responsibility for his eventual fate. I've been increasingly coming round to the viewpoint that there is an inhumane culture of negativity in this country, encompassing a complete lack of compassion and respect for those suffering from mental illness. In a country where the media is fuelled by such an energy of negativity, greed and contempt, it is no wonder that this atmosphere seeps into the wider world. The media are powerful enough to change opinions and promote an understanding of the issue of mental health, yet our soaps, newspapers and news programmes rarely cover the issue, choosing instead to brush it under the carpet, making it a taboo subject, intangeable to the supposedly 'sane'. Coupled with a culture of 'bear-bating' as exemplified on the unbelievable Jeremy Kyle show, where the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in society are dehumanised, humiliated and blamed for their own predicament with no regard shown to the motives behind their actions, and a half-heartedly compassionate Conservative opposition going further up in the polls the further they revert to their old fascistic party line, and this country resembles a grey old unfeeling shithole I don't feel overly proud to inhabit. Remember when Frank Bruno was at a low ebb and The Sun reported it as 'Bonkers Bruno In Mental Home'? Exactly.
Respect in this country it seems can only be granted when the recipient is materialistically successful or has a borderline-psychotic sense of emotional strength. Who gives seven shits who is at the top of the 'Sunday Times Rich List'? Our celebrities are worshipped for being shallow and talent-starved, our media have a God complex to put Bob Geldof to shame, our politicians are self-serving crooks and our footballers are cunts.
Rule out Britannia!
And R.I.P., poor lad.
Saturday, 4 October 2008
Singles #3
Just thought I would note that the singles I pick aren't necessarily grouped together with respect to their release date. I generally pick a mixture of high-profile and more obscure releases that will provoke the most entertaining writing from myself. This generally means, that as (in the age of the dying CD single) release dates these days are a sketchy business (some tracks being released digitally one week prior to a physical release, others 3 weeks, or even available long before that as part of an album, or not physically at all. Which begs the question, what's the point in a single released in no tangeable form that gets no airplay? But that's for another post), I choose to review singles just as they hit their stride in terms of profile, which is generally before their physical release as a self-imposed rule. When I've overlooked something until not long before it's 'official' release which I think warrants a review, I will include it. So, this week I've included a mix of singles due to hit the shops at various points during October. Keane are in there, though their song isn't out fully for a fortnight, but presumably it's in the public consciousness by now anyway, so a review might seem pretty redundant by that point, as are MGMT, whose 'Kids' is out on the 13th, though, as the album did the rounds all summer, their tune could be labelled old hat too.
Also, as gratfifying as it is to belittle the achievements of some major-label mainstream 'indie' band who resemble Simply Red with Mod haircuts (Scouting For Girls being an obvious example) I can see how the cheap shots could get tiresome, so I will be attempting to cover increasing amounts of interesting releases alongside these in the future - nonetheless I've given Kooks and Kaiser Chiefs at least semi-positive reviews during the last few posts, so I'm not 100% prejudiced.
I will be posting other material during the coming weeks too. The single reviews were an excercise to familiarise myself with the blogging process, but if a news story or somesuch event strikes me as blogworthy, then I hope to compose well-researched, balanced and entertaining posts centred upon whichever issue has provoked me to write. Obviously, it's wandering outside my musical comfort zone, but in a world where some unresearched, prejudiced newspaper columists pull in over £1,000,000 per annum for legitimising their readers' bigoted views, quite confidently in fact, I don't think much real damage can be done.
Keane - 'Lovers are Losing' (Island)
Starts off with a highly reverberated guitar note along the lines of David Bowie's 'Heroes', maintaining the (relative) anger apparent on the last LP, which of course coincided with Tom Chaplin's oft-ridiculed rehab spell. Sounds EXACTLY like a close relation of U2's 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)' and, of course will grace the airwaves of Housewife FM as happily as a particularly formulaic Westlife single, but at least the Snowplayisms are kept to a minimum. Has no indie pretensions whatsoever, but with a fine, fiery chorus, in it's field it's no failure at all. File next to Tears For Fears.
Is it 1989 again? As much as it pains me to say it...
8/10
MGMT - 'Kids' (Columbia)
You may have heard this all summer, but not in this slightly remixed form. Perhaps tweaked to sound more like 'Time To Pretend', this version is unnecessary as the original was radio-friendly to begin with, but the instantly recognisable synth hook is as just as euphoric as before. They might look like they've just stepped off the Mighty Boosh set, but with a chain of singles this fine, there are no musical shortcomings to make up for. An ecstatic flashback to summer in an already-unforgiving Autumn.
9/10
Dananananakroyd - Pink Sabbath (Best Before)
Messiahs in the blog world, and as clattering and frenetic as Johnny Foreigner, with McLusky-esque levels of throaty screeching, this Scottish 'post-hardcore' combo are apparently far more indebted to cult US bands like Sonic Youth and At The Drive-In than the traditional British lineage of Smiths and Kinks. Not necessarily one's cup of PG, but at least the Americanisms come from a rawer melting pot of musical history than many Brit Yankophile bands. Sounding raw, live and unprocessed, the overall feel is that of a noisier 'Captain'-era Idlewild, only spoiled by very un-Glasweigan vocal delivery that this writer can't help but feel unconnected to, possibly because I'm too fuckuckuckucking old.
7/10
Late of the Pier - 'Bathroom Gurgle' (Parlophone)
Early single sees the light of day again. Whilst typically indie in image, the spirit of Gary Numan looms large in the work of this young (and, sorry, but ridiculously posh) Donnington quartet. The synths are steeped in New Romanticism but the execution lies somewhere between the Klaxons and the Sex Pistols. 'Bathroom Gurgle' incorporates several sections, whose lack of structure suggests a lack of flow but work nonetheless. Erol Alkan's production is far more suited to LOTP, than Mystery Jets and The Long Blondes, who previously had little of the old electronica in their sound whatsoever. 'Bathroom Gurgle' inhabits the regrettably unpopulated space between Muse's 'New Born' and 'The Time Warp', from a band so ambitious their music may have a shelf-life shorter than a pint of milk, but sound sufficiently relevant at the time of writing.
7/10
Red Light Company - 'Scheme Eugene' (Columbia)
Presumably SonyBMG's 4-years-late answer to The Killers, Red Light Company employ quiet-loud dynamics, which seemingly exist only to enhance the perceived power of the production-line chorus. RLC are so contrived they make One Night Only look uncompromising, and not one second this song fails to scream 'major label laziness'. There is no excuse for anyone over the age of 15 to be interested in this record. If you thought White Lies were a Psychedelic Furs tribute band, then the major-chord formulaism inherent in 'Scheme Eugene' is a masterclass in cynical songwriting.
2/10
Port O'Brien - 'Close The Lid' (City Slang)
Instantly charming, 'Close The Lid' is laden with dramatic hooks which linger in the consciousness long after it reaches it's finale. Whilst obviously comparable to The Shins, a direct lyrical style suggests at least an admirable fanbase, and it should, like it's parent album, be of some comfort to disaffected Arcade Fire fans. Accessible enough to achieve wide appeal, and equally heartfelt.
9/10
Also, as gratfifying as it is to belittle the achievements of some major-label mainstream 'indie' band who resemble Simply Red with Mod haircuts (Scouting For Girls being an obvious example) I can see how the cheap shots could get tiresome, so I will be attempting to cover increasing amounts of interesting releases alongside these in the future - nonetheless I've given Kooks and Kaiser Chiefs at least semi-positive reviews during the last few posts, so I'm not 100% prejudiced.
I will be posting other material during the coming weeks too. The single reviews were an excercise to familiarise myself with the blogging process, but if a news story or somesuch event strikes me as blogworthy, then I hope to compose well-researched, balanced and entertaining posts centred upon whichever issue has provoked me to write. Obviously, it's wandering outside my musical comfort zone, but in a world where some unresearched, prejudiced newspaper columists pull in over £1,000,000 per annum for legitimising their readers' bigoted views, quite confidently in fact, I don't think much real damage can be done.
Keane - 'Lovers are Losing' (Island)
Starts off with a highly reverberated guitar note along the lines of David Bowie's 'Heroes', maintaining the (relative) anger apparent on the last LP, which of course coincided with Tom Chaplin's oft-ridiculed rehab spell. Sounds EXACTLY like a close relation of U2's 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)' and, of course will grace the airwaves of Housewife FM as happily as a particularly formulaic Westlife single, but at least the Snowplayisms are kept to a minimum. Has no indie pretensions whatsoever, but with a fine, fiery chorus, in it's field it's no failure at all. File next to Tears For Fears.
Is it 1989 again? As much as it pains me to say it...
8/10
MGMT - 'Kids' (Columbia)
You may have heard this all summer, but not in this slightly remixed form. Perhaps tweaked to sound more like 'Time To Pretend', this version is unnecessary as the original was radio-friendly to begin with, but the instantly recognisable synth hook is as just as euphoric as before. They might look like they've just stepped off the Mighty Boosh set, but with a chain of singles this fine, there are no musical shortcomings to make up for. An ecstatic flashback to summer in an already-unforgiving Autumn.
9/10
Dananananakroyd - Pink Sabbath (Best Before)
Messiahs in the blog world, and as clattering and frenetic as Johnny Foreigner, with McLusky-esque levels of throaty screeching, this Scottish 'post-hardcore' combo are apparently far more indebted to cult US bands like Sonic Youth and At The Drive-In than the traditional British lineage of Smiths and Kinks. Not necessarily one's cup of PG, but at least the Americanisms come from a rawer melting pot of musical history than many Brit Yankophile bands. Sounding raw, live and unprocessed, the overall feel is that of a noisier 'Captain'-era Idlewild, only spoiled by very un-Glasweigan vocal delivery that this writer can't help but feel unconnected to, possibly because I'm too fuckuckuckucking old.
7/10
Late of the Pier - 'Bathroom Gurgle' (Parlophone)
Early single sees the light of day again. Whilst typically indie in image, the spirit of Gary Numan looms large in the work of this young (and, sorry, but ridiculously posh) Donnington quartet. The synths are steeped in New Romanticism but the execution lies somewhere between the Klaxons and the Sex Pistols. 'Bathroom Gurgle' incorporates several sections, whose lack of structure suggests a lack of flow but work nonetheless. Erol Alkan's production is far more suited to LOTP, than Mystery Jets and The Long Blondes, who previously had little of the old electronica in their sound whatsoever. 'Bathroom Gurgle' inhabits the regrettably unpopulated space between Muse's 'New Born' and 'The Time Warp', from a band so ambitious their music may have a shelf-life shorter than a pint of milk, but sound sufficiently relevant at the time of writing.
7/10
Red Light Company - 'Scheme Eugene' (Columbia)
Presumably SonyBMG's 4-years-late answer to The Killers, Red Light Company employ quiet-loud dynamics, which seemingly exist only to enhance the perceived power of the production-line chorus. RLC are so contrived they make One Night Only look uncompromising, and not one second this song fails to scream 'major label laziness'. There is no excuse for anyone over the age of 15 to be interested in this record. If you thought White Lies were a Psychedelic Furs tribute band, then the major-chord formulaism inherent in 'Scheme Eugene' is a masterclass in cynical songwriting.
2/10
Port O'Brien - 'Close The Lid' (City Slang)
Instantly charming, 'Close The Lid' is laden with dramatic hooks which linger in the consciousness long after it reaches it's finale. Whilst obviously comparable to The Shins, a direct lyrical style suggests at least an admirable fanbase, and it should, like it's parent album, be of some comfort to disaffected Arcade Fire fans. Accessible enough to achieve wide appeal, and equally heartfelt.
9/10
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