I love Diplo’s selection of songs to remix; the finished products are always impressive.

Circles (Diplo Remix) – As Tall As Lions
Reckoner (Diplo Remix) – Radiohead
The Perfect Crime #2 (Diplo’s Doing Time Remix) – The Decemberists
Helicopter (Diplo Remix) – Bloc Party
Shake a Fist (Diplo’s Noise of Art Remix) – Hot Chip

Bloc Party were one of those influential bands that swayed me back to dance beats.  Even though I grew up with some form of dance music playing in the background hip hop and rock music dueled to compete for the most played genre in my library. Bloc Party were that in between… the little indie, little rock, little electro, little interesting, and a lot unique band.  At least when it came to four years ago, there was a lot to capture for someone listening to a BP track.

Typically, it was their hit banquet that took me by storm.  But not with the original- the Phones dance remix.  That remix was a beauty! So to pay a small tribute to the remix that made me seek out other remixes… we salute you and all the other BP remixes that knock our socks off!

Bloc Party – Zephyrus (Holy Fuck Remix)

BONUS!

Bloc Party – Signs (Armand Van Helden Remix)

Bloc Party – One More Chance (Alex Metric Remix)

Bloc Party – Hunting For Witches (Crystal Castles Remix)

Bloc Party – Hunting For Witches (Villains Remix)

Bloc Party – Banquet (Phones Disco Edit)

The undisputed best female rapper of all time Missy Elliot has been slowly working her new album, Bloc Party, for a few years now and we are told that we can expect to see it early next year.

As a big fan of Missy I have been waiting forever for this album and the early signs are showing that it is going to be awesome.

It’s not an official single but, Touch My Body has been released as a promo track and we got our hands on a copy. Check out a sample of whats to come below!

NL2T Rating: Song: 4/5

Heaven, Under The Arches, London, November 18, 2009…

On first impressions Heaven seemed an unlikely venue for instrumental post/math rockers 65daysofstatic. Host to legendary night G.A.Y. and typically showcasing artists such as Kylie Minogue and Girls Aloud, the venue- emblazoned with posters advertising Porn Idol and the next week’s latest X-Factor reject- seemed a mile away from 65dos’s math rock offerings…

Yet once inside Heaven these initial thoughts were forgotten. Apart from the odd mosaic male torso that adorned the walls here and there, the cool underground vibe of the venue took over and musings of Heaven’s usual musical fare were soon discarded. Completely constructed of red brick, and residing underneath Charing Cross Station, the club’s windowless railway arches and hidden coves made the perfect setting for 65dos’s instrumental shenanigans.

A bit of histoire for those of you unfamiliar with the band… 65daysofstatic, also known as 65dos, 65days or the perfectly simple 65, formed in Sheffield in 2001. The band, who were originally a three-piece, is made up of Joe Shrewsbury (guitar), Paul Wolinski (guitar & programming), Rob Jones (drums) and Simon Wright (bass). Since 2004 the band have released three full-length albums, The Fall of Math (2004), One Time for All Time (2005), and The Destruction of Small Ideas (2007). They have also released the EPs Stumble.Stop.Repeat (2003), Hole (2005) and The Distant And Mechanised Glow Of European Dance Parties (2008) and released a live album in 2008 entitled Escape From New York. Their music is interspersed with heavy, progressive guitars, and mixed with drums, samplers, computer glitches, keyboards and the occasional voiceover. According to legend 65dos’s name originates from the band’s desire to record a soundtrack for John Carpenter’s unreleased fictional film Stealth Bomber, which is said to have been produced over 65 days of static. Other rumours say that the band named themselves after a 1950s CIA coup d’etat in Guatemala who claimed that 65 days was all that was needed to overthrow a country. Whether you want to believe that is up to you…

Heaven, Under The Arches.

Having to get a six o’ clock train out of Cardiff, then getting lost in the labyrinth that it Charing Cross Underground meant that I only arrived at Heaven at nine… and wandered in just as support act Three Trapped Tigers were exiting the stage. I also missed this band at (Sŵn), so I was rather gutted, but not for long as the rather awesome DJ filled the time with his Bloc Party meets Telepathe remixes.

65dos are one of those bands you have to see live to appreciate the full extent of their musical capability. Although whacking up the volume of The Fall of Math in your bedroom creates some pretty amazing sounds, the 65 live experience is one that cannot be replicated. Starting promptly at 9.15, as promised, meant that their hour and 35 minute set did not overrun, and thus cause me to miss either the last train home, or even worse the end of the gig.

Starting with their first single Retreat! Retreat! 65 demonstrated from the onset that their unique instrumental sound can be both brutal and beautiful. Although there are neither vocals nor lyrics, these usual attributes are rendered unnecessary when 65dos take to the stage. From the barrage of drum beats and guitar shreds, the set took a change of pace with the first minute and a half of the next song, Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here. Beginning with the well-known dulcet keyboard melodies, before descending into the drum and bass-like ending of the song proved a huge crowd pleaser.

Despite not playing Betraying Chino, one of my favourite 65 tracks, the band seamlessly blended old favourites, such as The Fall Of Math, Fix The Sky A Little and When We Were Younger And Better with new, yet unnamed material, which Joe explained was taken from their as-yet untitled forthcoming album. Whether playing soft and melodic keyboard solos, or huge Prodigy-esque dance numbers, such as 65 Doesn’t Understand You, the band had the crowd captivated. It was amazing to watch the audience’s reactions; one minute they collectively stood still in admiration, the next they were going crazy and chanting ‘65′ with clamour.

Despite the lack of lyrics, Joe had no trouble talking to the masses in between instrument changes. In one particular lull, when Paul had to run off stage to fix a technical issue, Joe began rambling on, and even said “Looks like heaven really is a place on earth…” before erupting with laughter and continuing his penchant for wild dancing.

Yet jokes and laughter aside, the moment the whole crowd had been anticipating arrived when 65dos returned on stage for their final song of the night. Prolonging the beautiful, yet haunting keyboard introduction to Radio Protector for almost four minutes was anything but tedious, and kept the crowd on edge waiting and craving the moment when the guitars and drums kicked in for what was certainly the best moment of the night. Gradually turning up the volume, then slowly adding more instruments, 65dos had the crowd in the palm of their hand as they finally reached the song’s powerful climax of all four instruments merging together. The song’s break down echoed the same sense of shared euphoria that was visible in the room, and as the band left the stage to huge ovation and thunderous chants of ‘65′ from the whole crowd, the enormity of the 65dos experience hit me. The fact that there was only a one-song encore did not matter, as I don’t think that 65daysofstatic could have ended the gig any better way. If only I could have stayed to savour the moment instead of having to make a dash for the Bakerloo line…

Moikkamoi!

Viime aikoina blogissa on muodostunut trendiksi otsikoida postaukset hassunhauskoilla populaarikulttuuriviittauksilla. En tee nyt poikkeusta. Niinkuin monet varmaan jo tajusivat, tällä kertaa hassuttelin Bloc Partyn kakkosalbumin nimellä. Bloc Party on mun lempibändejä, ollut oikeastaan jo pitkään. Muutenkin se on sellaista bändisukupolvea, joiden kehitystä on voinut seurata alusta asti (okei, liioittelen vähän, kuuntelin Silent Alarmia ekan kerran vasta vuonna 2006, vuosi sen ilmestymisen jälkeen). Tässä kirjotuksessa aion kuitenkin kirjoittaa kaupungeista.

Luin tänään kaupunkitutkimuksen tenttiin. Kaupunkitutkimus on niitä sellaisia SIISTEJÄ sivuaineita, joita kaikkien kannattaisi lukea muiden oikeiden opintojen ohella. Tänään lukemani kirja on nimeltään Cities and Society ja se koostuu lyhyistä artikkeleista, joissa esitellään tukimuksen keskeisiä suuntauksia ja aihepiirejä. Tykkään kirjasta kahdesta syystä. Ensinnäkin, melkein kaikissa artikkeleissa puhutaan ostoskeskuksista, TEEMAPUISTOISTA, aasialaisesta pikaruoasta ja Orange Countysta. Toiseksi, kirjassa esiteltävät ilmiöt, niinkuin kodittomuus, kaupunkirakenne ja ostoskeskukset, on sellaisia joihin törmää joka päivä sporassa, torilla ja ostoskeskuksessa. En muista, milloin olisi viimeksi ollut näin kiva lukea tenttiin.

Mun mielestä ostoskeskukset on vastenmielisiä paikkoja. Niissä on liikaa ihmisiä, liikaa tavaraa ja liikaa kauppoja. Lisäksi ne näyttää kaikkialla samanlaisilta. Kuva ei ole Itäkeskuksesta vaan Toronton Eaton Centrestä.

Tykkään kaupunkitutkimuksessa myös siitä, että koko tieteenalan käsitteistö vaikuttaa siltä että se olisi keksitty joko LÄPÄL tai KÄNNISSÄ. Tämän päivän suosikkikäsitteitäni olivat balkanization (se tarkoittaa jonkun alueen jakautumista keskenään kinasteleviin alueisiin, hassua tässä tapauksessa oli että sitä käytettiin kalifornialaisista esikaupungeista), scamscape (niinku landscape, jossa tapahtuu jotain hämärää) ja Taylorized fun (hauskuuden maksimointia tehokkaalla liikkeenjohdolla). Tähän mennessä (oon sivulla 91) myös TEEMAPUISTOVERTAUSTA on käytetty ainakin viidesti.

Haluaisin kovasti listata tässä lempparikaupunkeja, mutta kaupunkeja on ihan kauheen vaikea vertailla jotenkin objektiivisesti. Mä uskallan väittää, että fiilikset jostain kaupungista (jos siellä nyt ei asu pidempään) muodostuu melko puhtaasti sen perusteella, onko siellä kaupungissa ollut kivaa. Jollain reilillä tai muulla se vaikuttaa tosi paljon, osuuko samaan hostelliin hyviä vai huonoja LÄDEJÄ. Ja se, onko matkakaverien kanssa hyvää höystöö juuri siinä kaupungissa.

Nykyään aika monet matkustaa silleen että on kauhee tarve ensinnäkin mennä mahdollisimman kauas ja toiseks nähdä mahdollisimman paljon. Joo tiedän, who am I to judge, oon lähdössä itsekin talvella Aasiaan. Varsinkin tällaisilla matkoilla joku yksittäinen jäinen kokemus (dorka rikshakuski, paha ruoka, tulva) saattaa pilat vibat ihan kokonaan, vaikka kaupunki olis muuten kuinka siisti tahansa.

Olin reilu vuosi sitten parin kaverini kanssa INTIASSA. Srinagar Kashmirissa oli kaikesta päätellen tosi makee kaupunki, mutta fiilikset jäi ihan vaisuiksi koska oltiin kuumeessa, vatsataudissa ja kaupungissa oli ULKONALIIKKUMISKIELTO levottomuuksien takia.

Valotan lopuksi vielä snadisti loppuviikon suunnitelmiani. Huomenna mennään ehkä J Shoren kanssa pelleilemään Kannun pikkujoulusitsien jatkoille. Antsa on sitsaamassa. Torstaina meen varmaan kaverini Ilkan (Kärry) kanssa kutoselle Joensuu 1685:n keikalle. Yhden musablogin mukaan ne on “one of the best and most accurate interpreters of the bunch”. Salee tulee kova keikka. Vähän jänskättää. Loppuun vielä kyseisen bändin musavideo. COOL!

Bloc Party

Rumors of Bloc Party splitting or going on a break have been echoing around for the past couple of months now, with drummer Matt Tong hinting he may not work with the band ever again. But these rumor have pretty much been comfirmed by front man Kele Okereke revealing he is set to work on a solo album, collabarating with Hudson Mohawke.

Bloc Party have been a big part of my life over the past five years,They are one of my fav bands, I have bought and loved all three of their albums, and having enjoyed watching them grow and evolve over this length of time it will be sad to see them go or even not be around for a significant length of time. I will miss their ’screw you’ attitude to mainstream Indie, with songs like Mercury and Zephyrus and also their ability to make absolute anthems like SRXT, Also Indie classics like Banquet and Helicopter. I really can’t praise their music enough, I love every song they’ve made…ever!

They finished Touring at the end of October just there, with their last gig in Bournemouth (Matt’s hometown) where Kele comfirmed this is “our final show for the foreseeable future”. Finishing off the gig with She’s Hearing Voices, the song that started it all.

I suppose if this is the end of Bloc Party they had a fucking good run, with probably the best debut album I’ve ever heard with Silent Alarm, a great follow up in Weekend in the City and finally Intimacy. Three great albums packed full of great material.

But it may not be the end, we are still to hear if  2009 is a full stop in the story of Bloc Party or just a comma, I certainly hope its the comma.

“Keep the Faith” – Matt Tong, 31st Oct 2009 Bournemouth.

Ok, so I’ve been putting off this album for way too long, it’s time I just man up and write about Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm album:

Here’s the thing about Bloc Party: I’m conflicted. On the one hand, this band was suggested to me by someone I’m quite fond of, based on our similar tastes otherwise (English moody music, basically). Upon listening to the album, my reactions would predictably come in this order:

1. Excitement
2. Oh yeah, the singer sounds like that
3. Acceptance
4. Boredom
5. Next album

For this reason, there are few instances of me hearing the second half of this album. Still, I consider this album “Good”, or at least as good as indie music gets, because it does enough things right to belie its stamps, which include such titles as “indie rock”, “post-punk revival”, “alternative dance” (seriously?), and, last and certainly the non-trendy least, “alternative rock”.

Interestingly, despite it all, this is one of those few bands to which the phrase “alternative rock” actually hits a mark. The mid-90’s and that generation of here-sayers use to call everything “alternative”, thus removing all meaning from the word, and indeed the word “indie” has the exact same connotation nowadays. Bloc Party’s mission statement seems to be, however, to actually provide an “alternative” to rock bands (or dances?) in constantly changing their style or doing things a bit differently and thus it’s all good.

Thing is, despite being “alternative” and “different”, there’s something about Bloc Party that reminds me of something. Actually, the entire Silent Alarms album reminds me of a lot of things, so it’s not so much that one hears “original” sounds out of this band, but instead a collection of sounds that vary within the album’s parts. The first part is kind of that “alternative rock” colored of course by staples of the indie sound, but lovingly kept from being too predictable by the band’s ability to actually put melodies together without making the whole thing a jumbled mess (sometimes).

The first song displays this sound in earnest, and also introduces Bloc Party’s single best element: their drummer Matt Tong. Basically, you get one of those droning guitar notes coming in, which is followed by a high note on the bass being plucked quickly, and then suddenly, this massive quick-shot drum part comes in, and it’s surprisingly rocking! Then… the vocals come in.

One of my points of contention about Bloc Party, and it’s really hard to get around, is the vocalist/guitarist Kele Okereke. His lyrics aren’t so bad, but basically his vocals range from this kind of male cheerleader command to low kind of mumbling in the album’s middle parts. It’s kind of a shame, because he can clearly sing melodically, it’s just not something that, in the album’s strongest instrumental tracks, he feels is that necessary.

Still, nothing can take anything away from the album’s best song, “Helicopter”. Starting with two guitars pummeling away in this kind of dry-toned riffing, harmonizing with each other and being kind of awesome, despite my allergic reactions to all-down-stroke guitar playing (I call it “Green Day Fever”). The drums, again, are what really make this track, I would call them reminiscent of Mitch Mitchell, who at various points has been my favorite drummer, and indeed he even refers to (whether intentional or not) the infamous drum fill to Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” in the song’s final measure. I’m all about that!

Things go along like this for a while, as I struggle to reconcile the vocals and amazing drumming into a solid opinion about the band. The guitarist and bassist don’t really do anything for me that isn’t painfully planned out, and hell, even if I respected the guitarist’s playing, I’d still have to get over the fact that he looks like this:

Yeesh. Anyway, after the see-saw guitaring of the otherwise so-so fifth song “Banquet”, the album suddenly starts to plummet. It starts with the backwards-tracked sounding jazz chords of “Blue Lights” with the vocals suddenly a slurry mumble. Then, we’re treated to a beat that is solid, yes, but never changes. Yes, I guess we’re into the alternative dance now, and this is the point where the drums (no matter how repetitively catchy) are only augmented by hand-claps from here on out, at least until the final part of the album, which is nearly as good as the first part of the album, if you can stand that middle section.

It starts with the “dreamy” reverb-and-arpeggio-laden tune “So Here We Are”, which has no real points of interesting except that the drums are nice and trippy, with snare hits going on everywhere, and the army of shimmery guitars effectively drown out the lead singer, and if it were possible for me to high five a guitar, I would do so for that.

Then we get a straight-forward rocking beat with a lovely distorted bass line and endlessly-delayed guitars in “Luno”. The singing isn’t such a problem in this one, as the monotone verses and chanty chorus are both catchy enough. I really have no problems with this song!

We are then treated to a trend in albums that I haven’t been quite able to trace among “alternative” albums, yet I can’t help but note their appearance: the twin 4 minute album closers. It’s like the band wrote two “Wall Of Sound” style songs with layered boring bits culminating into songs so thick you want to top a bagel with them, and then couldn’t decide which one to end the album with. Then, in a brilliant realization that “more is more”, they decide to stack both songs together at the end of the album, like a tar-pit at the end of a roller coaster.

So yeah, this album isn’t bad, honestly, I think I just have personal issues with it due to my own tricky tastes. Interestingly, the band has recently (as in, 3 weeks ago) announced that they were probably breaking up, because the drummer has become frustrated with the band’s direction and tired of their sound. I like to think that this scientifically proves that I’m right about the juxtaposition of talent here. With that, I am going to retire to my bed for blissful, smug sleep.

I think I never been to a Nasty Monday without hearing Bloc Party’s Helicopter at least once. Since I wanted to go tonight but can’t (sometimes even the lost generation has to get up early and earn some money, even though it’s not that often…) i’ll just listen to it, knowing that it will be there, waiting for me, next week or the week after. Some things will never be different…

Thanks to everybody who commented on my last blog post! I really appreciate you sharing your playlists with everyone and introducing us to some great new music!

As I was responding to your comments, something hit me. You guys have shown us an incredible ammount of support over the last few years. You’ve called your local DJs to request our music. You’ve come to our shows and purchased our CDs. And your votes have caused us to win more contests and get onto more playlists than I could count. Each of you has helped make what we do possible.

Last week was really cool because we had twenty people contribute to our post! But, our anlaytics show that hundreds of people read it. Why is that? I’m not sure. But I feel that it is – at least in some part – due to the fact that so often the creation and delivery of art is a one way street. I want to change that; so I’d like to invite you to take a moment to do three things:

1. Visit atris.wordpress.com (This will be more fun if everyone goes to the same page.)
2. Scroll down to the comment box and introduce yourself. Write a few words about anything you’d like. How did you first hear our music? What city are you from? What are your favorite movies? Pretend we just met at a coffee shop. If you’d like share your blog address, Twitter ID or someplace where we and other people can learn more about you that would be great too!
3. Check the box that says Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

Please don’t do this for us, do this for yourself and for everyone. It takes a certain amount of bravery to put yourself out there; but it’s worth it. We love to get to know people with similar interests, ideas, and opinions. And it’s really cool when group discussions are started. If you have something in common with someone who posts, let him or her know! It makes me feel great to see people responding to my comments, and I love to chime back in to share my thoughts.

Looking forward to meeting you!

-Mason

I’ve made a new playing list. Do you have a special music list at your iPod/MP3/etc?

1. Lykke Li – Possibility
2. M.I.A – Paper Planes
3. Oh Laura – Release Me
4. Tori Amos – Winter
5. Antsy Pants – Vampire
6. Muse – Time is running out
7. Muse – Starlight
8. Muse – New Born

9. Katie Melua – If the Lights go Out
10. R.E.M – the Great Beyond
11. Velvet Underground – I’m sticking with you
12. Kimya Dawson – Tire Swing

13. Arctic Monkeys – Mardy Bum
14. Bloc Party – Two More Years
15. Bloc Party – This Modern Love
16. The Cranberries – Zombie
17. The Cranberries – Salvation

I am kinda into that alternative music sound these days. Not that these artists are too alternative. But still, they make really great music.

#59: Lovage/Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (2001) — Dan ‘the Automator’ Nakamura’s contribution to trip-hop/hip-hop in the earlier part of the decade is unparalleled (see Gorillaz, Deltron 2000, Handsome Boy Modeling School). But when matched up with Mike Patton (Faith No More, Tomahawk) and the sultry Jennifer Charles (an underrated, sexy voice if ever there was one), the results were exceptional. Combining trip-hop with campy humor, R&B, brilliant samples and a lustful sense of narrative the results are far greater than the sum of their parts. Check out: ‘Pit Stop (Take Me Home),’ ‘Book of the Month,’ and ‘Strangers on a Train.’

#58: Ben Harper & The Relentless7/White Lies for Dark Times (2009) –Quite simply, it’s been 10 years since Harper has rocked out so consistently through an entire album. If the Relentless7 are a leaner, meaner version of the Innocent Criminals, I’m down with what they’re cooking up. The whole album is all killer, no filler. Check out: ‘Why Must You Always Dress in Black,’ ‘Keep it Together (So I Can Fall Apart),’ and ‘Fly One Time.’

#57: Bloc Party/Intimacy (2007) –Bloc Party’s third proper studio album took a hot minute to get into. It was a louder, angrier album than the past two, yet had some amazing somber moments as well. The usage of electronics on this record added a new element that revitalized the band’s sound. Kele Okereke’s storytelling continues and it’s a wonderful thing. Check out: ‘Halo,’ ‘Signs’ and the U.S. version bonus track, ‘Flux.’

#56: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club/Baby 81 (2007) –Perhaps one of the most underrated bands of the decade, BRMC really hit all the nails on the proverbial head with their fourth album. This is a brilliant dark band that incorporates blues, rock andfolk in a tight-woven pastiche of sound and mood. The best way to describe it is, imagine an American version of The Doves. Check out: ‘Weapon of Choice,’ ‘666 Conducer,’ and ‘Am I Only.’

#55: Alexisonfire/Watch Out! (2004) –Alexisonfire are one of, I think, three bands that prove good things can come from Canada (no, Nickelback isn’t one of the three, sorry…) While there have been shining moments on subsequent albums, Watch Out! is what really put the band on the map. There is a purity in the noise, the loud/soft dynamics. It also makes for a great snowboarding album and Dallas Green is one of the best vocalists/lyricist of the decade. Check out: ‘Control,’ ‘No Transitory,’ and ‘Happiness by the Kilowatt.’

#54: Blessthefall/His Last Walk (2006) –blessthefall were another act I had an opportunity to work with at the start of my stint with RS. Anger is a difficult emotion to deal with – you’re always looking for ways to master or control it or to deal w/ it constructively. His Last Walk does that. Perhaps because it’s a Christian metal-screamo band behind the visage. While they utilize the ever popular clean vs. growl vocal style, the guitar riffs are much better than their peers. They’re basically what A Dozen Furies could’ve been. Check out ‘Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad,’ ‘Rise Up,’ and ‘Wait for Tomorrow.’

#53: Thrice/Beggars (2009) –some six years removed from ‘Artist,’ we find a different Thrice, all together. In between, the band would graduate to major label status, release a 4-EP double album, a live disc, and return to the independent world. During this timespan, the band would experime…nt with it’s sound and with their influences, remaining true to who they were as musicians from day one. Beggars is chock full of great tunes — from the ‘I got your back,’ vibe of ‘The Weight,’ to the vagabond heart of ‘In Exhile,’ to the angsty swallowed guitar squalor of ‘Beggars.’

#52: deftones/deftones (2003) –ah, the memories of summer 2003. I still couldn’t believe on Metallica’s Summer Sanitarium tour that the Deftones (four albums in at this point) got opener status below bands like Mudvayne, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. The opening chords of ‘Hexagram,’ harkened back to the D-tones breakthrough record ‘Around the Fur.’ Dark, dense, layered rhythms. This album, and its artwork, were so awe-inspiring that I utilized the roses as inspiration for one of my tattoos. Chino shouts to the heavens on this release and I will always hold fast to those gutteral monkeyshines. Here’s to Che. Check out: ‘Hexagram,’ ‘Battle-Axe,’ and ‘Bloody Cape.’

#51: City & Colour/Bring Me Your Love (2008) –if I were able to play guitar, these are the songs I’d want to write. No more is this more self-evident on all 12 tracks displayed on Dallas Green’s side project, City and Colour’s second disc. Achingly beautiful acoustic folk songs that ruminate upon man’s existence and the necessity of love along the road of years we travel. Check out: ‘Body in a Box,’ ‘What Makes a Man?’ and ‘The Girl.’

#50: William Fitzsimmons/The Sparrow and the Crow (2009) –some music is like a sea change in your life. I’ve found that a man and a guitar can say just as much as a fully plugged in five-piece with backing orchestra. Fitzsimmons hails from a cold, rural part of Pennsylvania and holed himself …up to write one of the darkest break-up albums known to man. This album came to me late last year (despite it’s 2009 physical release) as I was coping in my own life with such a thing and connected with me. My collection would be incomplete without this piece of art. Check out: ‘After Afterall,’ ‘They’ll Never Take the Good Years,’ and ‘You Hurt Me.’

Bloc Party, Brighton Centre, 24/10/09

Things aren’t looking too promising in the Bloc Party camp right now. The London based four piece have already confirmed that this ‘Bloctober’ tour will be their last before a lengthy hiatus, and recent quotes from drummer Matt Tong suggest that he may not be re-joining the band when they return. Tong’s absence would be a massive blow for a band who have faltered somewhat since the release of their excellent debut, ‘Silent Alarm’, four years ago.

Indeed, perhaps the biggest problem with follow up ‘A Weekend In The City’ was just how far Tong’s incendiary skin work had been pushed into the background in favour of Kele Okereke’s vocals. It would be a real shame if they were to break up completely, and possibly an even greater shame if they chose to carry on without one of the key elements that made them so interesting in the first place, as there are moments tonight when they sound like the best band in Britain. Sadly, there are also times when they sound utterly uninspiring and pedestrian, and it remains to be seen which of these elements will ultimately win out.

Clad in a white ‘Waste Man’ t-shirt and peaked cap, Kele bounces onstage to a rapturous reception as the band take their positions for opener ‘Waiting For The 7.18’. It’s a bit of a strange choice to open proceedings, but works about as well as any song about waiting for a bus can expect to, mainly due to the closing refrain of ‘Lets drive to Brighton on the weekend’. It’s followed by ‘Halo’ which ups the energy levels nicely, before the band launch into ‘Positive Tension’, which proves to be distinctly anti-climatic. Much of this is down to the way in which Kele chooses to alter his delivery, deliberately dropping words from the end of lines, and letting others run over into the next. It is a trick he will repeat throughout the night, and only serves to severely disrupt the flow of what should have been a highlight, making it sound rushed and under-performed.

Much derided recent single ‘Mercury’ gets an early airing, and perversely is one of the first songs that really shows what the band can do in a live setting. The rolling dubstep style bass line, distorted brass and skittering drum beats manage to dominate the track and ramp up the tension in a way they never quite manage on record, while Kele’s wild feral yelping works better as an addition to the collage of sound, rather than its centre point.

This issue becomes fairly crucial throughout the show, as tracks like ’The Prayer’, ‘I Still Remember’ and ‘Two More Years’ drift by in a sea of repetitive vocals and tame instrumentation. It is only when Russell Lissack’s searing guitar is allowed a chance to break through that songs like ‘Trojan Horse’ offer up anything of interest, and sadly this happens all too rarely. When they do get it right however, the results are ferociously brilliant, as an incendiary triple whammy of ‘Hunting For Witches’, ‘Song For Clay’ and ‘Banquet’ aptly demonstrates. ‘Hunting For Witches’ in particular marries thunderous drum beats and bass lines with the menace of Lissack’s descending guitar riff and a host of unsettling sound effects.

The band finish strongly with an encore that includes both ‘Flux’ and ‘Helicopter’, which sends everyone home happy.  However, the fact that three albums worth of material has only managed to produce a handful of moments that really excelled in a live environment suggests that the band may have stagnated slightly. Hopefully Bloc Party’s planned hiatus will provided an opportunity for members to recharge their creative batteries and come back stronger with some fresh ideas and finally fulfil their early potential. 

First published in XYZ Magazine

Alors que dire de cet album ?! Bonne question ! A vrai dire Bloc Party fait parti de ce genre de groupe qu’on ne peut pas catégoriser. Donc comme leurs précédents albums, ces quatre anglais ne font pas dans la demi-mesure…C’est très simple, on adore ou on déteste. En même temps, c’est un risque à prendre lorsqu’on produit des albums aussi éclectique. Certains diront qu’ils n’ont pas trouvé “leur” style ; moi je dirais plutôt que leur style est de sortir de ce moule “d’artistes formatés”, en nous balançant leur musique en pleine face.

Ainsi, tout au long de cet album on retrouve des chansons, tantôt rock, tantôt électro…mais la surprise de cet album reste le titre “Signs” qui est tout simplement transcendant. En effet, le groupe nous livre une ballade d’exception, comme il en a rarement été écrite…A vrai dire, je pense même que ce soit une des meilleures chansons que le groupe n’ait jamais composé.

Ensuite, il y a des titres, plus conventionnels..enfin quand je dis conventionnel, je parle de Bloc Party, donc je ne pense pas que le terme soit le plus adapté. Donc, si vous aimé le son Bloc Party en général, vous apprécierez surement des titres comme Ares, Halo, Mercury ou Talons.

Cependant, comme dans tout album de Bloc Party, il y a ces titres…assourdissant ! Peut-être que je vais loin en utilisant cet adjectif, mais c’est ce que j’ai ressenti à l’écoute de Zephyrus ! J’ai essayé de l’écouter en intégralité…en vain. Il en va de même pour Better than heaven où le passage au piano est agréable au début, mais vraiment vraiment ennuyeux à la longue. Mais bon, les goûts de chacun…

Enfin bon, pour résumer, Intimacy n’est peut-être pas l’album de l’année, mais il m’a fait passer un bon moment. De plus l’originalité du son Bloc Party ne me laisse pas indifférente…

I spoke to Rory from Leeds’ finest indie band, Grammatics, about what’s in store for us fans in the coming year.

You played Reading and Leeds – how did that go?
As you’d expect. Lots of fun. Got to see The XX and Radiohead twice.

You’ve just completed your tour with Bloc Party too, any funny stories?
I stayed out with Matt in Brighton after the gig. It was White Night, the city’s equinox celebration where everything stays open all night, and the swimming pool was open til 1 or 2 in the morning. We were staying with a friend. We finished a two bottles of wine. None of us had trunks. We all took pants, and were very much looking forward to a swim, only to be confronted by a miniature jobsworth on the door who demanded to see our trunks before we paid in. I showed him the edge of my pants peeping out of my coat. He yanked them out, took a good long look and hissed “These are NOT swimming trunks”. I came on all Richard E. Grant, saying “These are my swimming trunks. I’m bohemian”. He replied “I think you’re a comedian, not a bohemian. And you’re not allowed to be drunk.” We tried to persuade him we were good for it but he wouldn’t budge.

You have a new single, does this mean we can expect a second album some time next year?
That’s the plan. We are settling down to write in the early stages of the new year and hoping to record just before or after the summer.

If so, does this mean you will be touring?
Yes. We have a UK tour in December of this year – as yet no confirmed plans for next year but one would hope we will make the festivals, then presumably plan to tour around release dates and so on.

The December tour dates are as follows:
Dec 1 2009: The Boiler Room, Guildford.
Dec 2 2009: Louisiana, Bristol.
Dec 4 2009: Drift In The City, Portsmouth.
Dec 5 2009: Proud Galleries, London.
Dec 6 2009: The Harley, Sheffield.
Dec 16 2009: Bar 1:22, Huddersfield.
Dec 17 2009: Adelphi, Hull.
Dec 18 2009: The Junction, York.
Dec 19 2009: The Royal, Derby.
Dec 20 2009: Deaf Institute, Manchester.

Their new single “Double Negative” is out on 7″ and download HERE.
Check them out on myspace.

The first track has a massive sample I’m sure everyone will know (especially from your saturday nights in). The track is called “Requiem For A Dub” by Dubliss Nipplestep. Know very little the people who made it apart from they are from South Africa. The best way I have heard this track described is “dubstep on coke”, which is actually quite apt, you could almost call it Fidget Dubstep. I hooked on it, I should mention it has some insane bass, be warned.

Dubliss Nipplestep – Requiem For A Dub

So next up is a storming  Welcome to Jamrock the Damian Marley track given the dubstep treatment by Savoy. This is a Canadian outfit, usually make more electro rocky stuff. But this track is a long way removed from that. This is deep and dirty, just love the original of this, so making it this down and dirty just makes me love it even more. I would sum by saying like Jamrock, like Dubstep, Love this.

Damian Marley – Welcome to Jamrock (Savoy remix)

Last track has been around for a while, but it has taken till now for me too listen to it. Its the Chubby Fingers dubstep remix of Bloc Party’s “Banquet”. Its another absolutely deep track, its such a good track in the first place its hard to top. But that increased bite to this remix has given new energy to the track and almost makes me want to metaphorically dig out  my old bloc party tracks. Watch out at 3 mins, big bass drop comes out of nowhere.

Bloc Party – Banquet (Chubby Fingers Dubstep Boot)

Hola estimados seguidores, que seguramente son muy pocos, pero en fin los estamos invitando para que nos ayuden a poder hacer la lista de los mejores 100 discos de esta década. Y pues estoy seguro que muchos tienen sus favoritos así que pues por medio de votación iremos sacando los discos. Así que esperamos nos den 10 opciones en los comentarios de esta entrada y pues yo pondré mi lista, ya se que 10 discos es muy poco, pero si pueden poner mas adelante,  traten de pensar en esos discos que creen cambio la manera de hacer música y formaron ó son parte importante en sus vidas.

Whilst walking home in the dark this evening I was listening to You’ve Gt The Love (Electric Proms version) and it just…there was something about walking in the dark, through the soggy leaves on the ground surrounded by trees and hardly any lights that made this song sound so much more beautiful than it already is. There are so many songs that sound better when you are listening to them whilst wandering about in the dark whilst it’s pissing it down.

I remeber about a year ago I went off wandering again (I should be kept on a lead!) listening to So Here We Are by Bloc Party in the snow. It just made it sound so different t sitting in my room listening to it. Another example is Camera Obscura. I’m sat here listening to them now but I know if I was to go for a wander or go on a train listening to them, it would sound different. Not better, just different. I don’t know why this happens, but I find it to be such a wonderful thing. Or maybe, I’m just odd and the only person who feels like this. No idea.

But try it. Listen to something by Camera Obscura, Flo or Bloc Party in your room…then go for a wander (maybe not when it’s raining and dark, I don’t want you to slip and hurt yourself!) and just see, well hear, how different it sounds.

I’m pretty sure that if you ever want to control the minds of 10,000 marbles you can just play this version of this song and they will do your bidding.

I love Alex Metric almost as much as I love puns, whether they’re brilliant or just plain awful. He’s a Brit that makes awesome Electro and I believe has some affiliation with Radio 1. His remixes are seriously top notch, and if you’re up on your Electro there’s a pretty good chance you’ve already got at least one. And on that note, here are some more:

-M

Deadly On A Mission (Alex Metric Mix) – Alex Metric (Golden Banana)
This self remix is absolutely incredible. The hook is so catchy, you’ll find yourself singing along to this one for a long time to come.

Lisztomania (Alex Metric Remix) – Phoenix (Silver Banana?)
Slower than I’d like for a set, but my god this remix is amazing. Probably my favorite remix of any Phoenix track, and I know there are a bunch.

All The Cash (Alex Metric Remix) – Evil Nine
This just reminds me of the time when all I listened to was Electro and there was nothing else, none of that ‘gay euro house shit.’ Boy how times have changed, but I still appreciate the nostalgia.

One More Chance (Alex Metric Remix) – Bloc Party
Just another great remix to add to the list.

…80er? Bloc Party for President (aus der Reihe: sinnfreie Kommentare seitens des Webmasters).

Has been a little while since I’ve posted , but here’s a review of Bloc Party’s Plymouth a couple of weeks back I wrote for Exepose Newspaper:

Bloc Party

*** Three Stars out of Five

With talks of a long hiatus hanging over the band, Bloc Party bring their ‘BLOCtober’ tour to Devon to confirm that they haven’t called it quits with a lively performance beneath the lofty rafters of Plymouth Pavilions. Leading the mass singalongs, singer and rhythm guitarist Kele Okereke was in good spirits as the band ploughed through material mostly from their most recent album, ‘Intimacy’. Fans were clearly as enthusiastic hearing the newer electric synth laced songs as they were hearing the angular guitar riffs of old. Only minutes into their performance the band stopped proceedings after the first song ‘One Month Off’ to tell the audience to step back before continuing.

A pick and mix of their more ferocious material followed and despite a couple of small technical hitches the band never failed to let up on the frantic pace they had set. “It’s time to get the party started!” shouts Okereke after the fifth song before lunging into a swift rendition of ‘Mercury’. Initially the blistering start off the blocks was welcome, but song after song of cranked up guitars and blinding strobes of light began to feel a little overwhelming. The lack of more delicate numbers such as ‘So Here We Are’ was clearly felt throughout most of the show  until guitarist Russell Lissack introduced the chimes of the first few bars of ‘Kreuzberg’ not long before the interval.

Perhaps the most peculiar moment of the evening was during the bizarre old-school house inspired single ‘One More Chance’; Drummer Matt Tong clambered down from his elevated drum kit at the back of the stage and performed an impromptu dance whilst decked in a white shell suit. Closing numbers ‘Flux’ and ‘Helicopter’ went down well with the fresh-faced audience, before the house lights came on and the band left the stage. While it’s hard to not like Bloc Party’s boyish charisma and the idiosyncratic trademark sound that has evolved with the band’s rise to stardom, perhaps the looming hiatus and rumoured line-up reshuffle could be a welcome opportunity for the band to keep their fresh approach to rock and roll from going stale.

oohhh yay a sorta-mystery-man who makes good music. graphics has been popping up random places but i don’t think he’s getting the love he deserves. what do you think? (yay choonz!)

bloc party … biko
such a lovely tune. just enough blip-bleep-ness to satisfy my craving! combine that with a massive load of warm fillers and a final drop that includes a NON_CHEESY_WINDUP …if only all producers could perfect the art of the effortless windup. heh.

florence and the machine … you’ve got the love
candi stanton’s original is one of my favorites (cue scene from layer cake) and this one offers not just one but two rather distorted and avant-garde drops. there’s a little wobble going on, too, and plenty of sparkle just in case you forgot this was once a florence and the machine track, too.

just got a new one from him a few days ago, too – and it happens to be my favorite of the bunch.
the xx … shelter
heavy on the warm and subby, alfie aka graphics seems to be! pretty sounds coming from oxford, that’s for sure.

p.s. this is not brostep. srz.

WTF?! Why do I keep doing this electro type music for? I guess it’s because its fun to mix. I feel like I’m going on a journey when I mix electro tracks. I like finding those transitions that just sound perfect together and let them ride for a good 32, 64, or more bars sometimes.

Yeah, I don’t really listen to electro by my own powers but I love it in the club when the bass is hittin’ and the DJs are killin’ it. I sift through a shitload of it too when I am listening to music blogs. At that point, I just get into a “this works, this doesn’t work” mode as I pick songs that I could potentially use in a mix. I never really look for it though. I never search the artists. My trusted blogs, which I probably follow for hip hop, downtempo, bmore, indie, and so on, just seem to love electro as well, so its right in my face. Being the thorough person that I am, I got to listen to all the tracks that the blog is offering up, if I trust the blog. So you see, electro is always in my face, I will always be previewing and downloading tracks, and eventually making more electro mixes. Just hope somebody out there appreciates my work. I do appreciate mixing electro though, because it brings out a lot of my musical creativity that can’t be seen when I am mixing hip hop. Thank you electro, for bombarding me with your hits.

Studio Fitty Foe (Week of 11.09.09) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. Bounce Camp – Good Beat
2. U-Tern – Gwen Guthrie vs. Daft Punk
3. Duck Sauce – Anyway
4. Bumblebeez - Rio (Jimmy2sox & U-GO-B Remix)
5. Black Kids – I’m Not Gonna Teach Your BF How To Dance (Twelves Remix)
6. Barbara Tucker – Stop Playing With My Mind (Full Intention Dub Mix)
7. Dorfmeister vs. Madrid De Los Austrias – Boogie No More
8. Stardust – Music Sounds Better (In Miami Horror Remix)
9. DumBass vs. Flapsandwich – Fuck The Poor
10. Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul (Fake Blood Remix)
11. Superpose – Button
12. Bloc Party – Signs (MMMatthias Remix)
13. Bobby LaBeat – Click Clack
14. Glitch – Stringles
15. Ludacris - Move Bitch (Disco Villians Remix)
16. Mongrel – HIt From The Morning Sun (DJ Beware and Motorpitch Remix)
17. DJ Mujava – Township Funk (DJ Rob 3 Remix)
18. Blaqstarr – Hands Up Thumbs Down (Degree Remix)
19. Drlkt Freddie – Airtight (Sonic Truth Remix)
20. Round Table Knights – Freak From Desire
21. A-Trak – Say Whoa (Minus Remix)

Aquí sigo, estoy en mi luna pero con mucha vida, así que no se me preocupen. Les mando besos a mis fans (no se amontonen por favor) y les dejo unos videos de música orgásmica que me fascinan (la de Helicopter es la mejor).

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit

 Pearl Jam – Even Flow

 Bloc Party – Helicopter

Nos vemos pronto solo era para reportarme a mi patrón Lupo. (Aquí estoy jefe…enserio, como extraño este lugar)