Rock/Soul/Progressive

Sorry for the lack of updates. Not much happening in this part of my life really. However the fall is going to see lots of reviews which I plan on putting up here. Anyway, apologies for the lateness of posting this particular entry. Busy week and all that.

I wasn’t really that excited about seeing We Are Scientists again. Their second album leaves much to be desired and with the departure of Tapper, my respect for the band had taken a serious hit. But Sophie had purchased the tickets before either of us really understood how disappointing Brain Thrust Mastery is, so there was nothing to be done. Suck it up and enjoy the concert as much as possible. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as all that.

“So the merch guy left the band as well?” - Sophie (in a hypothetical question to Keith Murray)

At the last concert Sophie and I went to at the Black Cat, various members of the bands had somehow been put in charged of selling their own merchandise. The person who been selling for the White Rabbits had seemed somewhat disgruntled about the whole thing, which is why I ended up with a shirt a size too small, but it had been cool nonetheless. However, I thought that the whole thing had been because of the relative fame of the bands involved. So you can imagine my surprise when I see Keith Murray fronting the merch table.
Needless to say I flapped around a lot, was completely indecisive about which shirt I wanted and forgot what size shirt I wanted when it was my turn. Gorgeousness does that to me.

Nore: “Could you sign this?”
Keith: [swats card]
Nore: [makes small pouty face]
Keith: [signs card]

The first opening act was thoroughly unimpressive (I decided, after maybe three songs that “they [were] trying too hard”). In the lull between them (Apache Beat) and the second opening act (Oxford Collapse) I posited various actions I should take given that Keith was still manning the merch stand. None of them actually made sense and some involved taunting him about Tapper’s departure from the band. This line of conversation was ended when I needed to use the loo (three diet cokes at dinner and two glasses of water, plus another diet coke at the club). Which was when I saw Chris Caine, bassist for the band, nonchalantly standing and talking to someone. When I came back from the loo I posited that I should get the two’s signatures, since they were so readily available to the audience. Sophie concurred and we agreed that I would get Keith’s signature and Sophie would get Chris’. After much hemming and hawing and general nervousness about the whole business I finally got the signature (hence the above little bit of dialogue).
(A very big version of the actual signature)

Sophie then tried to renig on her deal, but I wimped out from getting Chris’ signature so Sophie agreed to get it for me. She missed the first two songs of Oxford Collapses’ set, but she got the signature.
(Also a very big version of the actual signature)

The actual show was lack luster, but much of that opinion is due to the fact that I didn’t care for the first opener, was coming down from an adrenaline rush during the second, and was completely un-enthused for the head liners. I’m sure actual fans of the band really had a fantastic time.

We Are Scientists

1. Nobody Move
2. Chick Lit
3. This Scene is Dead
4. Inaction
5. Impatience
6. Let’s See It
7. Cash Cow
8. Can’t Lose
9. Callbacks
10. That’s What Counts
11. After Hours
12. Textbook
13. Tonight
14. Dinosaurs
15. It’s a hit

Encore

• Lethal Enforcer
• Great Escape

Original post by imnore

This is a bit out of character for this blog (completely in character for my other blogs), so I apologize if it sounds less than scholarly.
This past fall, while taking Rock/Soul/Progressive, one of the books we were required to read was Flowers in the Dustbin by James Miller. Everyone in the class agreed that Miller was an old coot who, despite his angst over the “death” of rock, provided an excellent baseline upon which to build a better understanding of rock. However, he was still an old coot who rankled me with his dismissal of everything that came after the death of Elvis and most of what came after the break-up of the Beatles. When I finished the course, I was positive that would the last time I would encounter Mr. Miller. Oh, I was so wrong.
In light of my decision to become the best DJ ever (and that’s a hard goal to reach given the history that precedes me), I’ve been reading about the history of radio on both sides of the Atlantic. Today, while reading Marc Fisher’s book on American radio from the late 1940’s til the present, I was intrigued by a statistic on radio listener-ship in cars. So, in a real first for me, I looked read the notes section. A few end-notes up there was a note for “Miller, Flowers, 55.” After scanning the end-notes, I realized that yes, Fisher really did use Flowers in the Dustbin as a source. Which was when I came to the conclusion that Miller is haunting me. That’s it.

Original post by Anglo-Audiophile: The Reviews

This is a bit out of character for this blog (completely in character for my other blogs), so I apologize if it sounds less than scholarly.
This past fall, while taking Rock/Soul/Progressive, one of the books we were required to read was Flowers in the Dustbin by James Miller. Everyone in the class agreed that Miller was an old coot who, despite his angst over the “death” of rock, provided an excellent baseline upon which to build a better understanding of rock. However, he was still an old coot who rankled me with his dismissal of everything that came after the death of Elvis and most of what came after the break-up of the Beatles. When I finished the course, I was positive that would the last time I would encounter Mr. Miller. Oh, I was so wrong.
In light of my decision to become the best DJ ever (and that’s a hard goal to reach given the history that precedes me), I’ve been reading about the history of radio on both sides of the Atlantic. Today, while reading Marc Fisher’s book on American radio from the late 1940’s til the present, I was intrigued by a statistic on radio listener-ship in cars. So, in a real first for me, I looked read the notes section. A few end-notes up there was a note for “Miller, Flowers, 55.” After scanning the end-notes, I realized that yes, Fisher really did use Flowers in the Dustbin as a source. Which was when I came to the conclusion that Miller is haunting me. That’s it.

Original post by imnore

I’m nearly done reading On the Radio: Music Radio in Britain and, taking into account that the book was published in 1989, this is my conclusion: Blandness creates blandness. The author often sights the British public’s complaint of radio being bland and not offering enough variety. Radio, including BBC and ILRs, then retort that the blandness found in radio is the fault of record labels. Record labels then say that they pick acts based on what is popular which is determined by music charts. The charts in turn were created by BBC and ILRs to determine what is popular so they “give the people what they want.” And so on and so forth. What little variety there was, and still is, in radio is sectioned off to after 7pm and even then you couldn’t possibly cover all the minority tastes that exist, at least not under the system described in On the Radio. Therefore, blandness creates blandness. While I can’t say the following with any authority, what with not having just read a history of American music radio, the same kind of problem exists in the US, except we only have a handful of non-commercial radio stations as compared to the UK were they’re major radio system is completely non-commercial. The interesting thing is that, for better or worse, when the BBC started their radio broadcasting branch, being bland was almost the point. The actual point, at least in the minds of the founders (and many of the higher-ups who still work there) was to teach the listening public about music. Such paternalistic goals still existed, though in a far less obvious format, during the writing of On the Radio and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they still existed today.

Original post by Anglo-Audiophile: The Reviews

I’m nearly done reading On the Radio: Music Radio in Britain and, taking into account that the book was published in 1989, this is my conclusion: Blandness creates blandness. The author often sights the British public’s complaint of radio being bland and not offering enough variety. Radio, including BBC and ILRs, then retort that the blandness found in radio is the fault of record labels. Record labels then say that they pick acts based on what is popular which is determined by music charts. The charts in turn were created by BBC and ILRs to determine what is popular so they “give the people what they want.” And so on and so forth. What little variety there was, and still is, in radio is sectioned off to after 7pm and even then you couldn’t possibly cover all the minority tastes that exist, at least not under the system described in On the Radio. Therefore, blandness creates blandness. While I can’t say the following with any authority, what with not having just read a history of American music radio, the same kind of problem exists in the US, except we only have a handful of non-commercial radio stations as compared to the UK were they’re major radio system is completely non-commercial. The interesting thing is that, for better or worse, when the BBC started their radio broadcasting branch, being bland was almost the point. The actual point, at least in the minds of the founders (and many of the higher-ups who still work there) was to teach the listening public about music. Such paternalistic goals still existed, though in a far less obvious format, during the writing of On the Radio and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they still existed today.

Original post by imnore

I know, as shocking as this, it’s a real review of the White Rabbits show last night. Brace yourself.

It’s not often a band can fool you into thinking their penultimate night of touring is actually their first night of touring. But given the amount of energy the White Rabbits had last night (about the same amount as 20 unmedicated ADHD kids) you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking just that. Although the audience seemed almost incapable of moving the band more than made up for the lack of energy emanating from that part of the room. The set, which seemed particularly short for a headlining act, was fast paced with only a handful of slow song to change the pace for the stagnant audience. The band, made up of two drummers, three guitarists, and one keyboardist, seemed to be having a ball though which in the end is all that matters sometimes.
Openers Greenland, a local DC and, kept a fast pace more akin to the White Rabbits than Miles…, who wouldn’t maybe been more at home opening for the Walkmen. All in all the gig was good, no matter how apathetic the audience seemed.

White Rabbits

1. Standford Town/Sea of Rum
2. While We Go Dancing
3. Dinner Party
4. Navy Wives
5. Fox Hunting
6. ?
7. Fort Nightly
8. I Use To Complain Now I Don’t
9. The Plot [with three tambourines]

Encore

• Take A Walk Around the Table
• Maggie’s Farm [a Bob Dylan cover]

Original post by Anglo-Audiophile: The Reviews

I know, as shocking as this, it’s a real review of the White Rabbits show last night. Brace yourself.

It’s not often a band can fool you into thinking their penultimate night of touring is actually their first night of touring. But given the amount of energy the White Rabbits had last night (about the same amount as 20 unmedicated ADHD kids) you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking just that. Although the audience seemed almost incapable of moving the band more than made up for the lack of energy emanating from that part of the room. The set, which seemed particularly short for a headlining act, was fast paced with only a handful of slow song to change the pace for the stagnant audience. The band, made up of two drummers, three guitarists, and one keyboardist, seemed to be having a ball though which in the end is all that matters sometimes.
Openers Greenland, a local DC and, kept a fast pace more akin to the White Rabbits than Miles…, who wouldn’t maybe been more at home opening for the Walkmen. All in all the gig was good, no matter how apathetic the audience seemed.

White Rabbits

1. Standford Town/Sea of Rum
2. While We Go Dancing
3. Dinner Party
4. Navy Wives
5. Fox Hunting
6. ?
7. Fort Nightly
8. I Use To Complain Now I Don’t
9. The Plot [with three tambourines]

Encore

• Take A Walk Around the Table
• Maggie’s Farm [a Bob Dylan cover]

Original post by imnore

Author’s Note: All apologies for the possibly poor quality of this entry. My brain is mush, but if I don’t write this now, I never will.
“Hi, this Nora (My last name) calling on behalf of Gloria Minott at WPFW…”
“News/Public Affairs Nora (my last name) speaking…”
Around the same time I really started getting into my radio show at UMW and when I realized I’d never make it as a journalist, I discovered I really liked idea of working in radio. I have no passion for American radio, mainly because almost completely owned by corporations that wouldn’t know good taste it if bit them in the bum, but British radio on the other hand is quite good. With the idea of being at least a producer, if not an actual DJ, firmly lodged in my brain, I applied for an internship at NPR. Unsurprisingly that didn’t pan out, but then my Mom (always the one with brilliant ideas) came up with a suggestion if I was serious about this whole radio thing: Volunteer at WPFW. The station, which is located in the Adams Morgan area of DC, is almost entirely volunteer based, save for a handful of actual employees, so I’m almost guaranteed a position of some sort. I liked the idea and so, after about two weeks of doing nothing when I came home from school, I gave the station a call to set up an interview to get a volunteer position archiving Gloria Minott’s old shows.
I’m now into my third week at WPFW and although not everyday is brilliant I have a much better appreciation for what goes into producing a half-hour news magazine radio show. I can also touch type the numbers line on a keyboard without peeking and can summarize shows I’ve never listened to. I also have a deep appreciation for shows such as Today, The View and everything shown on CNN. I also know how to tune out the above mentioned shows when necessary. I can answer phones and confuse people on the other end by simply answering the phone and not being the person they thought they were calling, a fact/skill that amuses me to no end. I also know how to set-up and/or confirm an interview and when it’s best to pass the phone over to Gloria because the person on the other end is asking me things I can’t help with. Although this isn’t exactly what I envisioned myself doing this summer, I get thanked Monday through Friday on air at 10am and can come home knowing I worked hard and accomplished something. It’s a good feeling.
So here I am, taking my first steps into the world of radio. Who knows, maybe in ten years time I really will be a producer on some British radio station. Lord knows there are enough of them.

Original post by Anglo-Audiophile: The Reviews

Author’s Note: All apologies for the possibly poor quality of this entry. My brain is mush, but if I don’t write this now, I never will.
“Hi, this Nora (My last name) calling on behalf of Gloria Minott at WPFW…”
“News/Public Affairs Nora (my last name) speaking…”
Around the same time I really started getting into my radio show at UMW and when I realized I’d never make it as a journalist, I discovered I really liked idea of working in radio. I have no passion for American radio, mainly because almost completely owned by corporations that wouldn’t know good taste it if bit them in the bum, but British radio on the other hand is quite good. With the idea of being at least a producer, if not an actual DJ, firmly lodged in my brain, I applied for an internship at NPR. Unsurprisingly that didn’t pan out, but then my Mom (always the one with brilliant ideas) came up with a suggestion if I was serious about this whole radio thing: Volunteer at WPFW. The station, which is located in the Adams Morgan area of DC, is almost entirely volunteer based, save for a handful of actual employees, so I’m almost guaranteed a position of some sort. I liked the idea and so, after about two weeks of doing nothing when I came home from school, I gave the station a call to set up an interview to get a volunteer position archiving Gloria Minott’s old shows.
I’m now into my third week at WPFW and although not everyday is brilliant I have a much better appreciation for what goes into producing a half-hour news magazine radio show. I can also touch type the numbers line on a keyboard without peeking and can summarize shows I’ve never listened to. I also have a deep appreciation for shows such as Today, The View and everything shown on CNN. I also know how to tune out the above mentioned shows when necessary. I can answer phones and confuse people on the other end by simply answering the phone and not being the person they thought they were calling, a fact/skill that amuses me to no end. I also know how to set-up and/or confirm an interview and when it’s best to pass the phone over to Gloria because the person on the other end is asking me things I can’t help with. Although this isn’t exactly what I envisioned myself doing this summer, I get thanked Monday through Friday on air at 10am and can come home knowing I worked hard and accomplished something. It’s a good feeling.
So here I am, taking my first steps into the world of radio. Who knows, maybe in ten years time I really will be a producer on some British radio station. Lord knows there are enough of them.

Original post by imnore

Music critics are some of the most pretentious pricks known to man. Here is my reasoning:
In effort to broaden my horizons while also following the rules of the radio station, I’ve decided to feature one new album a week. For this week I was thinking of featuring Los Campesinos! who are a Welsh band that have gotten much attention and an A from the AV Club. However, I was also hoping to shed some light on the album/band I’m featuring and so I was gathering reviews from other outlets such as the NME, Drowned in Sound, and Fake DIY. This was obviously a bad idea because now I’m not going to be featuring Los Campesinos! and I think music critics are pretentious pricks with sticks up there asses and a God complex to beat the bands.
First we have Drowned in Sound. The reviewer, Dom Passantino, starts the review by bashing the demise of Britpop and then goes on to bash the Kinks. Now, I know I’m prejudice against anyone who bashes the Kinks, but I’m willing to accept such a bashing if it makes sense. And yes, I also understand the most people in Wales identify themselves first and foremost as Welsh and then British, but this does not mean they are somehow immune to what’s happening on the rest of the island. Making Wales out to be France is idiotic and claiming that someone from Wales could never be influenced by one the of the biggest names in rock (not just British rock) is even more idiotic. Culture permeates and can not be avoided, no matter how much wish it weren’t so. In making a claim otherwise you are showing cultural ignorance of the top order. So that’s Drowned in Sound.
The NME spends the first paragraph of it’s review talking about how good music goes beyond genre and how “indie” music is “more a mindset than a musical style, and one that values ideas, imagination and anti-sexist, anti-racist ideologies above record sales and profit margins.” The reviewer then goes on to say that musically the album is boring but lyrical provocative in that it sticks to the above mentioned epitaphs. Los Campesinos! are, as they say “a band to believe.” Just like every other indie band.
Thus far I’ve got pretentious culturally ignorant prick and bollocking grandiose prick. Let’s see what Fake DIY and the AV Club have to say about it.
AV Club: Twee!! But the good kind like Belle and Sebastian twee. Also, those lyrics, oh they are to die for.
Fake DIY: Lyrics!! And happiness!!! Hurrah!!!
So two pretentious and two taking the thing at face value and not reading into the album or bending it around to fit the reviewer’s views. As you can see music critics come in two forms: Pretentious dicks and people who actually enjoy music. Yes I analyse the Kinks and Kaiser Chiefs to death, but hypocrisy is my middle name and the Kinks were born to analyse. Kaiser Chiefs are another matter.

Original post by Anglo-Audiophile: The Reviews