NME Magazine just came out with their list of the top songs of the decade. While I agree that their selections probably reached a wide range of listeners and garnered a great deal of popularity (especially with the teenage and young adult demographics and heavily in the UK since that’s where the magazine is based), I wasn’t necessarily excited about their picks. While I tried my hardest to look at it from an unbiased view, keeping my personal taste from clouding my appreciation or lack there-of of the songs listed, I just sort of found myself dreaming up songs that I would replace with others or scratch completely. My main issue with the top ten is the lack of diversity and significance of the material in relation to the music world and the world in general over the past ten years. In their defense, though, I find their top albums of the decade list to be a LOT more pleasing.

So, just for fun, here are my picks, based not so much on just what I like, but more-so the songs that I think should be recognized as influential and defining of this decade for one reason or another and songs that had the chance to resonate in people. There’s no use filling up a list of songs that I love and find moving that might not be all that recognizable.

01) LANDLOCKED BLUES – BRIGHT EYES
Okay, I’ll admit it, Bright Eyes is my favorite band. However, the reason why I still don’t feel like this is a biased choice is because of how much I think this song encompasses the feelings of anxiety and fading faith in humanity over the past ten years, while living through an unnecessary and seemingly endless war. I think this song captures the simultaneous feeling of connection and disconnection that we all have felt. Whether we’ve been directly effected or not, this song is a perfect representation of that sick feeling we all have in our stomachs and the back of our minds as we’ve watched peace falter around us more and more. Beneath all that, though, there still manages to be a subtle positivity laced between the lines. Maybe we don’t know where we’re going, but we still keep moving.

02) THE STROKES – HARD TO EXPLAIN
I’m sure people don’t tend to forget the impact that The Strokes and the mini explosion of “the” bands had on the music world in the early 2000’s, but it just seems to me that you don’t hear about it all that much. Maybe I’m just not focusing my attention to the right places, who knows. The biggest downfall of some (not all) of the aforementioned bands is their lack of staying power. If they’ve gotten lost in the shuffle, that’s probably why. I think we needn’t forget how amazing quite a few of their debuts were. I’m going off on a tangent because, as I said, The Strokes usually get credit where it’s deserved. Basically, I just think this song is an amazing representation of pure, quality rock music throughout this decade. I just love it.

03) THE WHITE STRIPES – DEAD LEAVES AND THE DIRTY GROUND
I haven’t really paid attention to anything The White Stripes have done post-Elephant, but this song (and the White Blood Cells’ album, in general) opened my eyes to a lot of music that I hadn’t previously been paying attention to and any song that has the power to turn you onto entire genres and movements of music that you hadn’t opened yourself up to before just has to be darn good. People were all in a tizzy over their approach to a rock band with the banishment of a bass player, but Jack and Meg somehow managed to carry it and make it work, minimilistic or not. I still remember the first time seeing this video and being amazed at the coolness that they exuded. Plus, Michel Gondry directed the video, so extra points!

04) YEAH YEAH YEAHS – MAPS
The combination of the simplistic lyrics with the heavily melodic backing is just beautiful. What starts out as sweet and understated builds into something so powerful that you just want it to keep going. Didn’t it make the top of some other NME list? I’m not sure, but it’s been on quite a few good lists and to me, it’s one of those songs that everyone loves because it doesn’t have to TRY to make you feel something, it just does.

05) JAY-Z – 99 PROBLEMS
I’m not really the best person to review rap music since I don’t have all that much knowledge and insight into it. I appreciate it, but I wouldn’t call myself a big fan or anything. This song, however, is something that I actually get. The whole second verse pretty much says it all and is the main reason I have a big appreciation for this song. The scenario is a perfect depiction of the not so subtle prejudice and unfounded accusations that people have to face just due to disgusting typecasting and discrimination.

06) THE ARCADE FIRE – NEIGHBORHOOD #1 (TUNNELS)
Like many others, I was completely blown away by the entire “Funeral” album, but there’s just something so special about this song. Though I don’t often play the album from start to finish anymore, anytime this song comes on my iTunes shuffle, I’m reminded of how much it means to me. The melody immediately sparks my imagination and the lyrics are filled with such a dreamy wonderment that you just want to live inside it for the few minutes until it’s over.

07) WOLF PARADE – MODERN WORLD
Probably even more than any of the others, this song is a direct commentary on how things are changing around us and how quickly they’re doing so. The over-taking technology and steadily declining need for us are things that we probably only fully become aware of when we’re turned down for a job because suddenly it can be done by a computer or a machine. This is a call on how terrifying it is for human beings to lose their significance to machines because they’re quicker and capable of bringing more money in at a faster rate. Amazing social commentary disguised as a danceable rock song? Yes, please!

08) THE POSTAL SERVICE – SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS
What I said about “Maps” holds true for this song, too. Though there’s an entirely different lyrical quality and “Such Great Heights” is more electronic based, it has the same effect. It’s just one of those songs that’s both simple and complex at the same time. More people were probably aware of the Iron & Wine cover that was everywhere and while that one is quite beautiful, I think the original is still stronger. It’s perfect in capturing that feeling of having something that makes so much sense to you, but may be conceived completely different from the outside, that you have to step away from to really see what you’re immersed in.

09) CHRISTINA AGUILERA – BEAUTIFUL
I enjoy Christina Aguilera’s music, but this is by no means one of my favorite songs that she’s done. That being said, though, I still think it deserves a place on this list. The message of the song speaks for itself, but the video with it is what I think makes it so significant. The imagery is such a beautiful incarnation of diversity and acceptance of ourselves and each other for all that we are or aren’t. Though progress is continually being made, any supporter of GLBT rights and generally, equality for ALL people is painfully aware of the fact that it’s a day to day struggle and despite how far things have come, they still aren’t anywhere close to what they need to be (Prop 8, anyone? The judge in Louisiana refusing to marry an interracial couple?). The song and video is a reminder to stay positive and know your worth even through all the struggles, that everyone is beautiful just as they are.

10) FLEET FOXES – YOUR PROTECTOR
My last pick is a bit of a random one. This song is a far more recent than any other on the list and there’s no real reason why I chose it aside from how pure and good it is. It’s really a breath-taking piece of song-writing and that alone earns its position.

NME’s List.
Pitchfork’s really extensive list of songs.

1974 – punk has begun and a new mentality in the minds of young people has been changed forever. Ever since influential zine Sniffin’ Glue printed three chords in their magazine with the words “this is a chord, this is another chord, this is a third – NOW FORM A BAND” people have picked up their axes and started their own bands.

With the influence punk has had, genre after genre, trend after trend has been created. Out of the ashes of simple punk flies out a phoenix with blacked rimmed Ray-Bans and a baggy white t-shirt with a beach printed on the front and you have surf-punk.

Merging punk, 60’s doo-wop and British garage rock – the ‘nu’ surf-punk (don’t mind the cliché) of the late noughties has won the hearts of the youth and giving a little nod to its peers.  Being bought up on The Beach Boys and The Shangri-La’s – and then buying numerous hardcore punk records and 60’s garage compilations has created a cluster of artists here in the UK, in it’s home of the west-coats of the States and even main-land Europe. Out with the cheesy Hawaiian shirts and sweptback Ken doll hair and in with ripped tight stone washed 501’s, baggy tees and a Fender guitar.  LA’s Best Coast, London’s Sex Beet, Frances’ The Last Rapes of Mr Teach and New Jersey’s Real Estate have emerged all playing an incarnation of surf-punk. A layered reverbed sound, simple vocal and a simple distorted chord progression mingle and craft sun drenched – sometimes veracious, sometimes laid-back guitar based rock.

This year and last saw a rise in Lo-Fi – groups such as LA’s No Age, Mika Miko and Abe Vigoda all attacked our ears and venue’s here in the UK like a 60’s British Invasion. This is where the rise in Surf acts has caught the ears of keen MySpace hunters delving into the database to find the newest thing to come out of (normally) the States. The laid back life-style of these DIY bands really hit a chord with us post-teens here in gray old Britain. Constantly seeing images of Californians hanging out down the local beach or partying with their ‘buddies’ and ‘dudes’ have made us realize that even though we may not have the pink g-string roller skating hotties and the beautifully contrasted palm tree’s (these people obviously haven’t heard of a little place called Torquay) us foreigners still know how to fuck up someone’s house and have just as good time as those Bay Watch mother fuckers do.

Luckily the years of looking to East London and New York only has slowly fucked off and opened the eyes of the world (even though we all know these places are still churning out fucking epicly good bands) has latched onto this DIY ethic. With the creation of website’s own television channels, the media has sunk their teeth into this juicy 8oz piece of beef. Pitchfork.com/tv have in the past year created their own ‘fuck you’ to MTV and slowly formed various programmes with the mentality running wild in the brains of the creators. Shows such as A.D.D. – which is filmed in a ‘lo-fi’ esq VHS/mono view, has seen Vivian Girls and experimental pioneers Sonic Youth both feature live on the programme. Don’t Look Down – a live performance show filmed on the top of various high buildings across the States has also had various big cheeses in the lo-fi genre perform for the Pitchfork cameras.

Punk will never fuck off – even though we may be bored out of our minds with the word – it won’t, and it’s various other in-carnations will always be relevant. This newfound love of surf-punk is tugging at our hearts once more and making more and more do what others have done before them. So it can’t be a bad thing right?

I’m still kicking it over at True/Slant, and my latest is a piece on an Australian news site’s puff piece on the new My Chemical Romance album.

Read it. Reblog it. Tweet it. Tumblr it. Love it.

Se acaba el año y empiezan los recuentos. La revista New Musical Express de Inglaterra publicó la lista de las 100 mejores canciones de la década, de las cuales iré resaltando, con su respectiva posición en la tabla, las más destacadas y por tandas.

99. The Flaming Lips – Do you realize?
La frase “Te has dado cuenta de que algún día toda la gente que quieres algún día miorirá”, no es precisamentealgo que quieres escuchar en una canción pop, pero sin duda es una fina reflexión sobre lo que de verdad tiene valor en la vida.

98. Morrisey – Irish Blood, English Heart
96. Oasis – The Shocking of the Lightning

97. The Killers – All These Things that I’ve Done
Un himno en el que el cuarteto de Las Vegas alcanza la grandesa absoluta, en un principio no hace mucho sentido, pero cuando coreas “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier” junto con otras 100 mil personas se convierte en el final perfecto.

88. The Horrors – Sea Within a Sea
84. Pulp – Bad Cover Version

82. Kings of Leon – Sex on Fir
La voz de Caleb Followill hace que esta cancón suene aún más hot.

79. Muse – Plug in Baby
73. Eminem – Without Me

Hace unos días la Revista NME publicó las que para la elección de sus redactores son las 100 mejores canciones de la decada… hay de todo y aunque se incluyen cosas super comerciales como Rihanna o Beyoncé, está también lo mejor de cada casa… Interpol, Kings of Leon, Oasis, Radiohead, Arcade Fire… vamos, realmente casi todo lo mejor de la decada (aunque es obvio que se dejan cosas por ahí y que sobran otras claramente).

Así que como ahora tengo bastante tiempo libre pues me he dedicado a recopilarlas todas (o casi, porque algunas no están, concretamente 11) en Spotify… una ardua labor solo encomendada para el Mr. Lobo.

NME 100 Tracks of the Decade

Espero que lo disfrutéis… la verdad que hacen una buena playlist para una fiestaca!!!

Mr. Lobo.

P.S.: La foto va a dedicada al Undress… como no podía ser de otra manera… que yo sé que a él le pone a tope!!! (Su música, mal pensados…)

A cantora Beyoncé (Reprodução)

Lançado por Beyoncé em 2003, o single “Crazy in Love” foi escolhido a música da década pelo semanário inglês New Musical Express (NME). A música encabeça a lista elaborada pelos funcionários da publicação, site, TV e Rádio NME.

Na segunda colocação ficou “Time to Pretend”, do MGMT, e em terceiro lugar, encontramos os Strokes com “Hard to Explain”.
Esta música dos Strokes está presente no álbum “Is This It”, também eleito pelo NME como o melhor disco da década.

Entre os outros incluídos na relação das músicas da década, encontramos nomes do calibre de Radiohead, White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Outkast, Blur, Eminem, Britney Spears, MIA, Oasis, Morrissey, Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon e Arctic Monkeys.

O Brasil não ficou de fora da lista… a banda Cansei de Ser Sexy aparece na 91ª posição com a música “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above”.

Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty has revealed to NME this week that his heart stopped when he was rushed into hospital after suffering poisoning. No doubt a lot of people are speculating on just what could have possibly poisoned Pete Doherty, who has openly suffered with heroin addiction, but he insists he has always had heart problems.

We haven’t seen a lot of Pete lately, especially since his turbulent relationship with Kate Moss nose-dived and she set up with Jamie Hince, and the first time we do hear about him he, by his own admission has been “running into walls, making steering wheel signs with my hands. Then I just stopped. my whole body stopped.”

Well, its about time he ran into a studio and reminded us all why he’s even worth talking about.

Las 100 mejores canciones de la última década según NME.

http://www.nme.com/list/tracks-of-the-decade/158050

Observando cual es el número 1…bufffffffffff horror!

“Crazy In Love” (2003), de Beyoncé, é a canção da década para a publicação britânica “NME”. A revista baseou-se nos votos da redacção e colocou “Time To Pretend” (2008), dos MGMT, no segundo lugar. A fechar o pódio, ficou “Hard To Explain”, dos The Strokes (2001).

O top 20 da revista é o seguinte:

1. Beyonce –”‘Crazy In Love”
2. MGMT – “Time To Pretend”
3. The Strokes – “Hard To Explain”
4. MIA – “Paper Planes”
5. OutKast – “Hey Ya!”
6. The Rapture – “House Of Jealous Lovers”
7. Klaxons – “Golden Skans”
8. Blur – “Out Of Time”
9. Arcade Fire – “Rebellion (Lies)”
10. Arctic Monkeys – “A Certain Romance”
11. The Libertines – “Can’t Stand Me Now”
12. The Streets – “Dry Your Eyes”
13. The Walkmen – “The Rat”
14. The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
15. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Bang”
16. Rihanna – “Umbrella”
17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Maps”
18. OutKast – “Ms Jackson”
19. Radiohead – “Reckoner”
20. Hot Chip – “Over And Over”

Veja a lista das 100 canções da década aqui.

Meus gostos musicais são outros para considerar esta música a melhor da década, mas não deixa de ser contagiante, aliás, ela tem alguma coisa a ver com o estilo de Michael Jackson, pela levada, pelo estilo sincopado na divisão da melodia e a coreografia(não tão sensual como o dela, é claro). A partir dele, muita coisa se criou, mas o cara é insuperável, nem se compara.

Em matéria de beleza e sensualidade, não tem pra ninguém, Beyoncé é a melhor da década, é muito gata.

Interpretada pela cantora Beyoncé, “Crazy In Love” foi eleita a melhor faixa da década pelos profissionais do semanário especializado em música “NME”.O anúncio foi feito nesta quarta-feira. Lançada em 2003, “Crazy In Love” traz a participação do rapper Jay-Z, hoje marido de Beyoncé. Veja o clipe a seguir:



Mais um clipe:

End of the year = listmania! Every self-respecting music publication will have a list of the best songs and/or albums of the year. Except this year they won’t; it’ll be the best of the decade.

I do really quite like the NME, but their list of the top 100 songs of the “noughties” (inverted commas because I absoultely hate the phrase) left me cold.

I could see their logic when it came to albums of the decade – The Strokes’s ‘Is This It? may not have been my favourite album of the past 10 years, but it’s a damn good one and it did give music a bit of a shake-up.

So, what’s NME’s best song of the decade?

No, I am not joking (how I wish I was!)

I don’t like this song. I accept that this is a subjective judgement – the “uh-oh” bit has never done anything but annoy me – but is this really the zenith of the world’s songwriting over the past 10 years?

Of course not; it’s a populist, all-permeating choice. Everyone will have heard of it, and it’s non-indie nature is somewhat akin to the NME saying “hey! Look at us! We don’t take ourselves too seriously!”

Everyone knows that the best pop song of the decade was this one:

The original version did clock in at number 16 on the NME chart, but still.

I couldn’t pick a song of the decade; I’m far too indecisive for that. I do, however, think that one of the best songs of the decade was this:

Even if just for the intro alone.

Or this one:

God, I miss The Long Blondes (despite their largely mediocre second album.)

But where were these on NME’s list? Nowhere, sadly.

Fine anno. È tempo di classifiche musicali, con i migliori album del 2009. Iniziamo con la rivista Q, che concede il primo posto ai Kasabian, e le piazze d’onore ai Florence and the Machine e agli Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Ma stavolta c’è di più: abbiamo anche da inaugurare una lunga lista di album che hanno contrassegnato il primo decennio del nuovo secolo. Ecco qui la classifica di NME, con al centesimo posto uno dei miei preferiti – gli MGMT con Oracular Spectacular – e al primo gli ottimi Strokes. E comunque, la collezione più completa di informazioni la si trova (ovviamente) su Pitchfork.

[Rocklistmusic, NME, Pitchfork]

So the NME has named its top 100 albums of the ‘noughties’.  Being the NME they like to be a bit controversial, probably due to the fact that a bit of controversy creates more publicity in the media world.  The full rundown can be read here.  Amazon have kindly listed the top 50 on a page of their own here for those of you who wish to update your music collection with must-have CDs.

Some of my personal favourites:

• Arcade Fire – Funeral at #7
• Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not at #4
• The White Stripes – Elephant at #18

I’m not gonna spoil it for you and tell who was number one.  To find out click here

A década está acabando e não param de surgir listas das melhores coisas destes últimos 10 anos, essa história já ta ficando um pouco chata. Mas a lista da vez é bem legal, novamente a revista britânica NME fez a votação, desta vez para escolha das 100 melhores músicas da década. Legal foi que os brasileiros do Cansei de Ser Sexy entraram na posição 91 da lista, com a música Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above. Ta certo que eu gostaria que algo mais Rock ficasse em primeiro lugar, mas não da pra negar que a Beyonce tocou muito nesses últimos anos e arrebatou uma porrada de prêmios, não faz a minha cabeça, mas a mina é foda. De qualquer forma, tem MUITA coisa boa na lista, escute TODAS!

Veja aqui o Top 10:

1 – Beyonce - Crazy In Love (2003)

2 – MGMT - Time To Pretend (2008)

3 – The Strokes - Hard To Explain (2001)

4 – MIA - Paper Planes (2008)

5 – Outkast - Hey Ya! (2003)

6 – The Rapture - House Of Jealous Lovers (2002)

7 – Klaxons - Golden Skans (2007)

8 – Blur - Out Of Time (2003)

9 – Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) (2005)

10 – Arctic Monkeys - A Certain Romance (2006)

E a lista completa no link: http://www.nme.com/list/100-tracks-of-the-decade/158050/

Err, the value of print?

Found in the Co-op on Crwys Road, Cardiff.

It’s been a while since anyone’s heard a peep out of The Strokes.  Their debut, Is This It, brought them some serious success in the early 2000’s, and their follow up album Room On Fire kept them on the radar, but where have they been since 2003?

We’re not exactly sure, but NME reports that we may find out sooner than later.  Bassist Nikoli Fraiture wrote on his Twitter:

“While the guys are in LA, I went to scout some studios in NYC with Ryan [Gentles - The Strokes manager] today for what looks like Jan recording!!! mood = f***ing excited.”

Don’t hold your breath though – lead singer Julian Casablancas revealed to Pitchfork that getting the band together has been a challenge:

“We’re supposed to get back together in January but don’t hold me to that,” Casablancas said. “We’ve been trying to do it for years. I’m always available and they know that but getting together is tough.”

So maybe The Strokes will make it back into the studio.  Someday.  Get it.  Someday…  Nevermind.

Realmente bueno el album de los Strokes, recuerdo que en el cch era la sensanción...

Todos conocemos el semanario musical NME, que se dedica a promocionar a la música Indie en Gran Bretaña, comúnmente siempre al día de todo el entorno musical tanto local como mundial. Esta vez la publicación inglesa nos proporciona la lista de los 100 mejores discos de la década. ¿En que se basaron? Bueno, realizaron una encuesta hace como 2 semanas (no recuerdo bien cuando vote) y el resultado completo se puede ver aquí. Yo solo les dejo la lista de los primeros 10 con su respectivo link de descarga ;D.

Me gusto el resultado, realmente se le hace mucha justicia a bandas que han marcado la década, como los Yeah Yeah Yeahs aunque me hubiera gustado que salieran The Hives…pero no se puede obtener todo en la vida xD! Me deprime que el Absolution de Muse este en el lugar 49 pero creo es algo a comparación de Coldplay que esta vez, apesar de estar en la lista de votación, ni siquiera aparecio entre los 100… Ni modo nos quedaremos con la mención en el 2002 -w-u.

La gran mayoria esta en MU solo dos en RS. Diviertanse escuchando musica =3

1. The Strokes – Is This It
2. Libertines – Up The Bracket
3. Primal Scream – XTRMNTR
4. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say That’s What I’m Not
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell
6. Pj Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
7. Arcade Fire – Funeral
8. Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights
9. The Streets – Original Pirate Material
10. Radiohead – In Rainbows

Una de las bandas más interesantes que ha salido del Reino Unido en los últimos 5 años, ha alcanzado su popularidad gracias a los sencillos de sus dos primeros discos: Dancing Shoes, I bet you look good on the dancefloor, Fluorescent Adolescent o Teddy Picker, que además de pegajozos, sin duda son unos temazos. Ahora los chicos de Sheffield acuden al genio Josh Homme para grabar su tercer disco y los resultados son muy gratificantes.

Comenzando con My propeller, inmediatamente llama la atención que la banda se distancia del sonido del disco anterior, Favourite Worst Nightmare. Ahora no parecen estar apurados o necesitados de hacer las canciones más rápidas que puedan componer, lo que les permite experimentar con nuevas propuestas. Así, el cuarteto se americaniza y sustituye el frat rock por una ambientación lúgubre con un sonido ligeramente sucio, que recuerdan de cierta manera la propuesta stoner del desierto de California, que el productor Homme ayudó a forjar desde los noventa con bandas como Kyuss o Queens of the Stone Age.

En conclusión, Humbug termina siendo un disco que como nieto lejano del Mojave Desert, tiene un compendio de canciones muy parecidas entre sí, donde a pesar de que no hay temas que puedan reventar en la radio o que vayamos a escuchar en una fiesta, dejan claro que la banda liderada por Alex Turner no se conforma con escribir himnos para los borrachos de Inglaterra, y han comenzado a madurar su sonido. El resultado: uno de los mejores discos de este año.

torrent.

Video del primer sencillo: Crying Lightning

Segundo sencillo: Cornerstone

After Julie Bennett conquered the industry of graphic design in high-end music magazines like NME, she found a new niche in painting where she could get her hands dirty. A few years ago, when she exhibited her work in the Saatchi Online Gallery, The Independent labelled her one of “Saatchi’s new stars”. Her unique style has also gained her attention from The Evening Standard, The Sunday Times and Artists and Illustrators Magazine. She’s exhibited her paintings all around London from the Sassoon Gallery to the Sartorial Gallery.

Catch her latest work in the “Girls at Gold” show at The Gallery, Goldsmiths Student Union which features eight female artists – four from Camberwell, where Julie is currently studying, and four from Goldsmiths. The show opens on Monday 23 November and runs until 11 December. More info here. Julie’s website is www.juliebennett.co.uk.

A native Londoner, Julie gives us a bit of insight into how the city influences her work, talks about her failed attempt at becoming a rock star and her infatuation with Boy George.

Andrea

LLO: How has living in London influenced your painting?
JB: I was born in London so London is obviously a massive part of my life. Even though I’ve travelled around, London is still my favourite place. I absolutely love the diversity of people. It’s great for portraits. I’m always so inspired by walking the street and people watching on the tube. I want to take photos of people sometimes, but obviously I can’t.

Girl with Feather Earring

LLO: Your background is in graphic design for some big magazines like NME and Q. What made you turn to painting, and do you find your design experience inspires your current work?
JB: I achieved all my dreams in graphic design – to work in music, at NME and Q. I worked at nearly every music magazine London holds – Kerrang!, Classic Rock. I even worked for a bit on the UK launch of Rolling Stone magazine. I needed a new dream, so I decided to become a rock star. I enrolled on a guitar course at Goldsmiths for two years, but I was really, really bad and had no talent to write my own music. So I decided to try painting. I enrolled on a painting course at Slade. It was brilliant, exactly what I needed. I was excited to use paint and get messy. You don’t get messy with graphic design. My graphics experience comes into painting in that I’m so interested in magazines and popular culture.

Come Back to Camden

LLO: Many of the characters you paint have an androgynous look about them and your signature style is also quite layered with a dripping effect slightly distorting the faces. Can you tell us a bit about your style?
JB: It’s a celebration of paint. I allow the paint to be free. Representation isn’t really important to me. It’s more about the materials. Allowing paint to drip shows it’s still paint. Sometimes it still looks wet. Graphics is so flat, shiny and perfect. My painting is about the material, about the paint. The androgynous look is not something I go about doing on purpose. It just comes out because I’m pretty open and interested in androgynous people. I grew up a massive fan of Boy George and K. D. Lang.

Izzy After Camden

LLO: What do you think is the role of painting today and where does your work fit in?
JB: Painting is a form of entertainment. Its role is really to give us something beautiful to look at and I hope my work does that.

TVs

 Thanks Julie!

I THINK I AM GOING TO PUKE ALL OVER MY CPU SCREEN~ I AM SO DISGUSTED WITH WHAT THE BIGGEST MUSIC SITES HAVE BECOME. THEY USED TO ALL ACTUALLY TELL IT LIKE IT WAS AND GAVE THEIR OPINIONS WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT WHAT THE OTHERS WERE GOING TO DO OR WHAT WAS “HIP” OR “COOL” ~ IT’S NOT EVEN ABOUT THE MUSIC ANYMORE, IT’S LIKE THE DAMN MUSIC INDUSTRY (ESPECIALLY THE SUCCESSFUL INDIE CROWD) IS A HIGH SCHOOL PROM AND NOBODY’S SOULS OR HEARTS MATTER, JUST THEIR DRESSES AND WHO THEY ARE BRING WITH THEM TO THE BIG DANCE AND HOW THEY ARE GETTING THERE. I’M GOING TO DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO GET THIS BLOG ONTO THE RIGHT PEOPLE’S COMPUTER SCREENS IN THEIR HOUSES OR APARTMENTS! THERE HAS TO BE PEOPLE WHO FEEL THE WAY THAT I DO. WE MUST RISE AND CREATE A NEW GENRE OF MUSIC IN ALL FACETS OF THE THEORY! IT WON’T BE INDIE, IT WON’T BE ALTERNATIVE, IT WILL HAVE TO BE CALLED “OTHER(TWICE)”

I WROTE THIS ON STEREOGUM AFTER READING THE 4TH LIST FROM PITCHFORK WHICH WAS ONLY 20 INSTEAD OF 50 AND THEY WERE BY FAR THE BEST, THEY GOT MORE GOOD ALBUMS IN 20 PICKS THAN THE OTHERS DID IN 50!!!

HERE IS MY RANT: What if the greatest album ever created comes out next month?! Anyways, Out of all the 4 lists from the Top Guns, Pitchfork got more right in 20 than any of the others did in 50!!!!!!!  They are the only ones to include a Modest Mouse Album, I know everyone thinks that Lonesome Crowded West was their Holy Grail & then they sold out, but as a Musician or even a massive fan of music, I think that what Isaac Brock did on The Moon & Antarctica (3 People), Good News For People Who Love Bad News & Even The Johnny Marr Included We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank  <— All 3 of them would be in My Top 50 Along With Ugly Cassanova! Silverchair – Diorama One Billion Percent Belongs In Every List~ It just infuriates me that all of these main music sites have to make sure they are still hip in their decision~ I mean, M.I.A is Beyond Amazing, But I don’t think that Arular is even half the album that Kala is and of course that is because she brought in Big Time Producers and all that, but M.I.A as a Singer/Rapper/Producer/Programmer <— She learned and got better at all of those things over the years in between those albums, but NOT ONE LIST HAD KALA, Just Arular Because It Is Cooler & More Hip To Say So & I Think Modest Mouse Made No Lists Because Of The Same Thing.. It’s Just Ridiculous. I am going to start a Music Blog & I am going to put the time, dedication and money behind it to get it into peoples heads and I will not bow down to what others think I should think. It is really getting pathetic at this point. HE DREAMS AWAKE Better Be In The Top 10 Of The Next Decade’s Lists~ If they want weird, unique, completely different in shape/sound/structure – That is where HDAWAKE Prevails by Landslides~

I MAY BE INSANE, BUT IT IS A BEAUTIFUL & BRILLIANT INSANITY.. AT LEAST THAT’S WHAT I TELL MYSELF WHEN I’M TRYING TO FALL ASLEEP ;P

HERE IS THE PITCHFORK TOP 20 OF THE LAST DECADE

Top Album Of The Decade

PASTE’S 50 BEST ALBUMS OF THE DECADE

NME’S 50 GREATEST OF THE LAST 10 YEARS

UNCUT’S TOP 20 ALBUMS OF THE ’00s

I HAD ACTUALLY LET UNCUT SLIP PAST ME & THEIR TOP 20 IS BETTER THAN HORRIBLE~ I WOULD TAKE THE TWO TOP 20’s OVER BOTH TOP 50 LISTS COMBINED TO A DESERTED ISLAND FOR THE REST OF MY OWN ETERNITY, NOT SAYING THAT WOULD BE EVEN DECENT, BUT IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE…… BETTER THAN NOTHING (i think)~

LET’S HOPE NOSTRADAMUS WAS WRONG ABOUT 2012 ALONG WITH THAT GROUP OF HARDCORE CHRISTIANS!!

ONE LAST THING.. ONE BIG ASS QUESTION: WHERE THE F#@K IS ELLIOTT SMITH’S FROM A BASEMENT ON A HILL??!!!!!!!!!  IT DIDN’T MAKE ONE SINGLE LIST AND IT HAS A FEW OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SONGS EVER WRITTEN AND HE IS TALKING ABOUT PURE PAIN AND FRUSTRATION BECAUSE HE STUCK A F#@KING KNIFE IN HIS HEART BEFORE HE EVEN RELEASED IT. IT WAS A DOUBLE ALBUM AND IT BELONGS ON ALL 4 OF THOSE LISTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT THE F#CK EVER~

Well, NME are near the Top of the BEST MUSIC WEBSITES for a reason and have once again given us a glimpse into their minds with their(DUH DUH DUH!!!!!)

LIST OF THE 50 GREATEST ALBUMS OF THE DECADE~ I hate to say it, but I am going to make my first Proclamation as a Music Blogger = This is THE LIST THAT MISSED!!

I Don’t Know If I Agree With The TOP 10 & I am going to check out the #1 Pick again to make sure that I completely disagree~

This Is About YOU THOUGH, SO GO AHEAD & CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT —–>  Stereogum’s 50 Greatest Albums Of The ’00s

If Nothing Else, There Should Have Been AT LEAST ONE ALBUM BY A CERTAIN BAND WHO I BELIEVE IS THE GREATEST AMERICAN ROCK BAND OF THE LAST 13 YEARS

(Funny Number I Know, But That Is How Long They Have Been Putting Out Albums)  – I mean, even if you are part of the crowd that believes they “Sold Out,” Their 3rd Album & The First Of The Thousands SHOULD BE IN THERE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. I will write more soon enough, I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet and I know how pi$$ed I can get if there is a Massive Spoiler in something I am reading about something that I am about to Hear, Watch, See or Read  (Does that make sense?! Just think about it 

Woo Hoo!!  My 2nd PoST~!!

Respect~

Cheers~

xo

KNiFA

Freschi del numero 1 ottenuto con Is This It nella classifica dei migliori album dell’ultimo decennio stilata da NME, gli Strokes stanno per ritornare in studio per lavorare al successore di First Impression Of The Earth del 2006. O forse no.

Stando a quanto riportato da Rockol, l’indie band si ritroverà il prossimo gennaio in uno studio di New York per le session di registrazione. A svelarlo è stato il bassista Nikolai Fraiture con un post su Twitter: “Mentre gli altri sono a Los Angeles io sono qui a New York con il nostro manager, Ryan, a cercare uno studio per gennaio. E siamo molto eccitati dalla cosa”.

Queste parole però non hanno trovato riscontro in alcune dichiarazioni rilasciate dal leader della band Julian Casablancas, attualmente impegnato nella promozione del suo album solista Phrazes For The Young: “Sì, immagino che in gennaio ci vedremo, ma non contateci troppo. Sono anni che ci proviamo, a ritrovarci. Io sono sempre disponibile, ma ritrovarsi tutti insieme è molto dura”. Staremo a vedere cosa accadrà.