Köp The Darkness – Permission to land.

Banda formada pelos ex-integrantes (menos o volcalista) da falecida The Darkness, hard rock dos bons!

Faixas do álbum:

1. Burn the Witch

2. Don’t Drink the Water

3. Defend or Die

4. You Brought a Knife to a Gunfight

5. Magdalene Street

6. Where You Comin’ From

7. Lazy Bones

8. I’m With the Band

9. Start of Something

10. Making It Hard

11. Wasting Time

12. Knight of the Living Dead

13. Oh Where ‘O My Beero

LINK – Silver Spoons And Broken Bones

Parece com? The Darkness, Hot Leg.

Clipe da música Don’t Drink the Water.

Enjoy o/

by Katie

Who doesn’t love a good WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO? Take it away, fellas!

Ben Folds Five – Underground

Take that, early emo music! Ben Folds Five threw some poppy harmonies right in your faces! This song also features thrice the falsetto power of most other songs, making it extra awesome.

The Beach Boys – I Get Around

Why don’t boys wear pants like those any more? Besides, you know, the junk squashage. Can an old person please confirm that this is actually what the Beach Boys looked like? I’ve only ever seen them in a “Full House” context. Also, is that Ryan Reynolds??

Mika – Grace Kelly

Starting now, this list may as well be called “mildly embarrassing music that Katie enjoys.” Sure, all of his songs sound alike, but Mika can falsetto with the best of them. (“Falsetto” is officially a verb.) And it’s only because I like this one better and believe in moderation with the head voice that I didn’t post “Relax (Take it Easy).”

Justin Timberlake – Like I Love You

Take note, dudes: the only time it’s ok to follow me around the parking lot outside of the gas station is when you’re Justin Timberlake.

The Temptations – Just My Imagination

Shit, yeah. Welcome to the high voice crew.

The Darkness – I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Anyone who says they don’t like this song is a damn liar. End of story.

Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough

The falsettiest song to ever falsetto. When I visited a friend in Austin over the summer, this was our jam. We adopted it when I danced out of an outlet mall bathroom and inexplicably launched into the chorus, and my friend declared, “I somehow knew that’s what you were thinking.” Then we heard the song in every bar we went to! It was a sign!

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

Two words: FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Ok, gumshoes, what did I miss?

Also being published in late January (besides the awesome Arcana #1 magazine) is The Darkness: Shadows & Flames one-shot. Top Cow’s press release below.

A TALE OF DARKNESS!

THE DARKNESS: SHADOWS & FLAMES ONE SHOT

Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that The Darkness: Shadows & Flames one-shot comic book will hit comic book store shelves late January 2010.

Written by up-and-coming scribe Rob Levin (The Darkness: Butcher) and featuring art and cover from Jorge Lucas (The Darkness, Sunset), the 32-page The Darkness: Shadows & Flames standalone takes readers back to the turn of the 20^thCentury to follow a horrifying tale of lost love and the depravity of man and powers beyond our understanding in the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft.  Salvador Gomes is a broken man. He has lost his beautiful wife and young daughter in a fire and now spends restless days and sleepless nights looking for solace.  In desperation, he makes a bargain with “The Shadow God,” but every bargain has its price.

“I’ve always been fascinated with the types of different stories you can tell within the greater mythos of The Darkness,” said Levin.  “Readers are familiar with Jackie starring in horror-centric stories, but ‘Shadows and Flame’ gave Jorge and I a chance to tell another kind of horrific yawn, drawing on the great H.P. Lovecraft and examining man’s own ineptitude in a world in which greater, more powerful creatures exist.”

The Darkness: Shadows & Flames one-shot will retail at $2.99.

Ett av de första spelen som jag köpte till Playstation 3 var The Darkness. Inte för att jag läst serietidningen och inte heller för att jag gillar förstapersonsskjutare till konsol. Nej, själva anledningen till köpet var att Starbreeze hade utvecklat det och jag vill spela deras spel för annars vet jag inte hur pass bra produkter de gör.

The Darkness släpptes alltså till Playstation 3, men även till Xbox 360. Anledningen till att det inte kom en PC-version sägs vara p.g.a. piratkopiering. Förläggaren antog att det skulle bli en förlustaffär eftersom konsumenter piratkopierar spelet till PC istället för att köpa någon av versionerna. Skillnaderna mellan PS3- och 360-versionerna sägs inte vara stora. Kontrollen sägs vara lite bättre på 360 och lika så grafiken, men man får fler konstiga TV-klipp och liknande på PS3. Överlag hugget som stucket med andra ord.

Det här spelet släpptes tidigt i den nuvarande konsolcykeln. Det var på marknaden redan våren 2007 och Playstation 3 hade släpps till julen innan. Att det här är alltså lite av ett experiment till den nya generationen och det tycker jag även märks. Det känns som den föregående generationen i många avseenden men grafiken är snyggare, ljudet vassare och många fler detaljer. Det här spelet är gjort för att man ska upptäcka alla detaljer. Det finns graffiti som inte känns som om det återanvänds på flera ställen, det är alla karaktärer i spelet och hur de interagerar med dig och egentligen allt smått och gott du kan tänka dig.

De där grabbarna lever på hjärtan! Mums!

The Darkness handlar om Jackie Estacado, en föräldralös snubbe som växt upp med New York-maffian. Han fyller 21 (fast han ser ut som 30) och på sin födelsedag trollas The Darkness-kraften ut och har får två hjärtätande demonhuvuden vid sidan om sig. Måste vara en ganska vrickad upplevelse för snubben. Den är kraften gillar dock inte ljus, vilket säger sig självt av namnet, så du har ett spel där du under hela spelets gång måste prickskjuta lampor som en toker med handkontroll (vad jag avskyr sådant!).

Som om livet inte är jobbigt nog med att ha en överdimensionerad parasit i kroppen så vill maffialedaren Uncle Paulie ta livet av dig och din tjej. Därför ska du nu alltså krossa hans imperium och ta livet av honom. Du kommer också försöka ta kontrollen över parasiten och hur det går får du se för dig själv.

Som vilken tunnelbanestation som helst!

Spelet har en välskriven historia och detta i kombination med att bra röstskådespeleri ger en trevlig stämning och det är egentligen den stora behållningen med spelet. Spelet utspelar sig till största delen i New York, men istället för att få en hel stad som GTA har du en ganska snitslad bana och du kommer med tiden hitta runt utan några större problem.

Det som är dåligt med spelet är att mitt i allt New York-vandrande kommer du hamna inuti The Darkness och då utspelar det sig i en flippad andra världskriget-värld. Den världen är bara konstig och riktigt tråkig att spela igenom. Kämpa dock på, om du nu ändå spelar spelet, för New York-världen är så mycket roligare.

Flippad andra världskriget-miljö

Spelet är väldigt lätt om du orkar skjuta alla lampor, vilket du dock kommer tycka är ruskigt tråkigt. Därefter kommer du utnyttja The Darkness som är alldeles för kraftfulla för att spelet ska ha utmaning. Sedan är spelet väldigt linjärt, precis som Riddick-spelen, men i en öppen värld bör spelet inte vara linjärt. Jaja, det är en snygg värld ändå.

Vanlig dag på ett nedlagt turkiskt bad i New York...

På det stora hela är spelet okej, men jag hade roligare timmar med Riddick. Riddick har fått en uppföljare nu under 2009 med undertiteln Dark Athena (och där ingår det ordinarie spelet, Escape from Butcher bay), och de fem timmar jag spelat av det är än så länge roligare än The Darkness. Spelet rekommenderas om du har lite för mycket tid över, men det är inget du behöver titta närmre på om du missat det.

N.M. Cabangbang

I was scared of this.

You see, the band The Darkness came to the scene and shock a lot of us all. It was a shocker because they were a band that considered themselves as a Glam metal band, a 1980s genre that had its better days a long time ago. A genre, that most of rock historians and fans disliked because of its emphasis on image rather than the music. The genre had its greats, such as Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. But because a lot of the bands under the genre were crap, the negatives outweighed the positives.

So, that was then and this is now. The Darkness shocked the music scene claiming to be Glam metal, now what? Fortunately, things were okay and the paranoia we all felt subsided. The Darkness turned out to be a respectable Glam metal band. They were more of the Queen and not like Motley Crue. The vocals, the guitars and their songs reminded us of the best days of Glam and not the other way around. So it was fine. Every rock historian’s paranoia about Glam metal coming back subsided. Everything was fine.

But something hidden lurked along the sidelines. Something was up. You could just smell it, if you had the nose for it. Glam metal bands such as Poison and Motley Crue started to resurrect their careers by releasing new albums. Bon Jovi and Def Leppard also continued to make new albums as well. On top of that, former Guns n’ Roses members Slash and Duff McKagan formed the supergroup Velvet Revolver, a band that sounded like Gun’s n Roses but without the drama of Axl Rose. Then just when you thought Velvet Revolver could not be topped, Guns n’ Roses, where the only original member on board is Axl Rose, also released a new album, Chinese Democracy.

But thank God, even with every newly released Glam metal albums coming out, Glam metal’s better days as a music genre are truly over. The Darkness disbanded, Velvet Revolver’s original vocalist walked out of the band or was fired and Axl Rose’ Guns n’ Roses’ new album, Chinese Democracy bombed. Only Bon Jovi continues to get recognition as a rock band.

Right now, Glam Metal is just really a music genre that is part of the past and not the present. Yes, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard may continue to perform and release albums, but no more of the million dollar sales and top ten hits. Steel Panther, a newly formed band from Los Angeles, California that parodies Glam metal is just that, a reminder of the worst and funny side of Glam. It can never be taken seriously or it will never get the attention it has now. Steel Panther is like Weird Al Yankovich, we all like them for the comedy they bring. But if they start taking their music seriously then they would not be different from every body else.

So rock historians can all breathe a sigh of relief now. Glam metal is not returning. And for the die hard fans of the genre, listening to old albums of Poison, Guns n’ Roses or Skid Row is just enough to remind us of the glory days of Glam. No new Glam metal band can ever replace that.

Before we move to my Top 10 albums of 2003 — a purely subjective choice of albums from that year which I enjoy, rather than an attempt at a best-of list — let me apologise for the confusion created by wrong links in last week’s two posts, and thank the kind people who alerted me to them. It was a little negligent of me not to test the links first. I have worked out what the trouble was: on Mediafire’s infuriatingly redesigned site, the “copy link” button is seriously wonky; instead of copying the link for the requested file, it copies the link of the first file in the upload folder (in last week’s instance the Iron & Wine song). So, here’s an urgent message to Mediafire, Facebook and all other services: please don’t innovate yourselves into oblivion. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

* * *

Josh Rouse – 1972

To mark his 30th birthday, Josh Rouse decided to record a concept album intended to evoke the year of his birth. I’ve written about the cover before here. In that post, I wrote the following about the album itself. 1972 might easily have turned out as a pastiche of the worst clichés. Happily, it didn’t: the sound is contemporary. Rouse evokes rather than recreates what he imagines were the sounds of 1972. Imagine the concept as the subtle but essential spice in a delicious meal. The album borrows its influences wisely: James, a song about alcoholism which appears on the first Any Major Flute mix, is a psychedelic soul workout, with Jim Hoke’s excellent jazz flute and Rouse’s falsetto positioning the song closest to 1972. Elsewhere, swirling strings and saxophone (also by Hoke), handclaps and Latin percussions serve as a marker for the ’70s influence being filtered through Rouse’s sound.
Josh Rouse – Rise.mp3
Josh Rouse – Love Vibration.mp3

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Lloyd Cole – Music In A Foreign Language

Lloyd Cole used to get such a bad rap back in the day. I could never understand the charges of Cole being pretentious. Even Easy Pieces, the second Lloyd Cole & the Commotions album which Cole has virtually disowned (on account of having been rushed by the record company to prematurely complete it), has many great and not particularly pretentious moments. Having broken up the Commotions after three albums, Cole’s solo career didn’t really take off. That is a shame. On Music In A Foreign Language, Cole continued on the acoustic trip he began on the previous album. Here it’s just him, his guitar and minimal backing music, with Lloyd singing his melancholy, beautiful songs straight on to his computer. The whole exercise is so intimate, listeners may be forgiven if they feel like they are intruding on a private moment. Lyrically he is on introspective top form. I don’t listen to this album nearly often enough.
Lloyd Cole – Music In A Foreign Language.mp3

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Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism

This is the album where Death Cab for Cutie crossed the line from oddly-named Indie group to serious rock band. Transatlanticism is something of a rock symphony; it’s not rewarding to pluck out its songs in isolation, except perhaps the excellent opener, The New Year, and the acoustic coda, A Lack Of Color. It’s the kind of lush album one must hear in full, preferably with headphones while in a kicked back mood, being immersed in the sound. Lyrically it has its moment, such as the story of the protagonist in Title And Registration who finds a forgotten photo of an ex-girlfriend after being pulled over by a cop (it also features the annoying line: “The glove compartment is accurately named”; thanks for pointing that out, Gibbard).
Death Cab for Cutie – A Lack of Color.mp3

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Colin Hay – Man @ Work

The title of the album is an obvious reference to the Australian band with which Scottish-born Colin Hay had some chart success in the early ’80s. Here Hay revisits some of his best songs from his solo repertoire as well as the Men At Work catalogue. None of these re-recordings do their originals injustice. The acoustic versions of the three big Men At Work hits — Down Under, Who Can It Be Now and Overkill — are strikingly remade and worth the price of the CD alone, especially the far superior interpretation of Overkill. There is also a more faithful reworking of Down Under, with brass replacing the flute; and fine remakes of Men At Work’s Be Good Johnny and It’s A Mistake.

Hay fans will have their own views on which versions here eclipse the original. Looking For Jack is vastly improved here, but I prefer the less dreamy version of Beautiful World on Going Somewhere to that reproduced here from 2002’s Company Of Strangers. Hay does recycle enthusiastically; the recording of Waiting For My Real Life To Begin here is the same as that on Going Somewhere; he recorded a rockier, inferior version for 2005’s Topanga, named after the California town where he now lives.
Colin Hay – Overkill (acoustic).mp3

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The Minus 5 – Down With Wilco

The title of The Minus 5’s fifth album notes the involvement of Tweedy and pals in its production, not an antipathy towards Chicago’s finest (and the group was doubtless aware of the title’s gag). A project of songwriter Scott McCaughey, leader of The Young Fresh Fellows and touring bassist for Robyn Hitchcock, this incarnation of Minus 5 also includes long-time collaborator Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies. The sound borrows heavily from White Album period Beatles, early Byrds and the Hollies (Life Left Him There sounds more than a bit like Jennifer Eccles), filtered through an ambient alt.country colander. Wilco’s mark is evident but not overbearing, and Tweedy’s voice is welcome when it pops up. There is a joy in the sound which suggests that the collaborators had great fun recording it. This is an upbeat album that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Minus 5 – Where Will You Go.mp3

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Richard Hawley – Lowedges

All of Richard Hawley’s five full albums will feature in my Top 10s of the ’00s. All of five of them are superb; all are beautifully orchestrated with Hawley’s attractive baritone giving life to his fine, often melancholy lyrics. So when I declare that Lowedges is my least favourite Hawley album, I am being somewhat unfair to what is a fine album. The songs on Lowedges are as affecting as any; one wants to live inside them. Don’t Miss Your Water, On The Ledge, The Nights Are Made For Us or the dramatic Run For Me are as good as almost any Hawley songs. Lowedge’s The Motorcycle Song probably is my least favourite Hawley song; and even that is not terrible.
Richard Hawley – The Nights Are Made For Us.mp3

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Damien Rice – O

O, but Damien was one overwrought lad. You fear for him in what must be a terribly fragile state. But, goodness, there are some beautiful songs on this album, and some heartwrenching lyrics. Rice is not a very good singer, so all the happier the moments when Lisa Hannigan supports him (although, typically, only to make poor Damien even more heartbroken). There are no clunkers on this set, and a bunch of quite brilliant songs, particularly The Blower’s Daughter, Volcano, Eskimo (with the operatic interlude), and Delicate. And Cannonball, which eclipses all of them. The album’s inclusion in this post is something of an anomaly. O was released in Ireland in 2002; after slow-burning success which eventually took the album into the UK top 10, it was released internationally in 2003.
Damien Rice – Eskimo.mp3

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Rosie Thomas – Only With Laughter Can You Win

Of Rosie Thomas’ four albums (excluding last year’s Christmas effort), this is the one on which she is most explicit about her Christian faith. That is good news, of course, for the believer, but should not put off the religious sceptic, for her brand of Christianity — like that of her frequent collaborators Damien Jurado and Sufjan Stevens —bashes no Bible and does not glorify or moralise. Mostly, she is asking God how the hell she is supposed to live this life. Indeed, the evangelical fundamentalists might well call Rosie a Maoist Osama Nazi, as is their objectionable wont, should they encounter lyrics like this, on Tell Me Now: “How am I to tell them if they never follow Christ that heaven doesn’t hold a place for them…when I’m no better than them.” Christ is periodically present; and He should be: the album was recorded in Detroit’s 19th century St John’s church.

The music, as on all Rosie’s albums (which is another way of saying predictably), is intimate, delicate and entirely gorgeous — but there isn’t much by way of the victory-aiding laughter in the title. Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam makes an appearance on Red Rover, alas the weakest track on this album, which is also the weakest of in the Rosie Thomas catalogue — though here I hasten to invoke the Hawley doctrine.
Rosie Thomas – I Play Music.mp3

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The Darkness – Permission To Land

Was it all a glorious piss-take, lending heavy rock all the camp that Queen fans so routinely denied in their group because the band’s name provided absolutely no clue? The cover of Permission To Land even aped the sexism we occasionally encountered in Queen (remember the Fat Bottomed Girls poster that came with the Jazz album?). The debut, unlike the follow-up, borrowed its influences more broadly than merely Queen, of course. The Darkness swigged copiously from the vats of hair metal, Van Halenesque CocRock, and AC/DC. Singer Justin Hawkins camped it up in striped spandex trousers, while bassist Frankie Pullain played the straight man. It was all a bit Spinal Tap, and if not quite a spoof or wind-up, then certainly rock music performed with a wink and a nod. And yet, the Darkness was not a novelty act; they took their music seriously and wanted the listener to have fun with it. They even gave us a damn good power ballad, featured here.
The Darkness – Love Is Only A Feeling.mp3

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eastmountainsouth – eastmountainsouth

Before there were The Weepies, there were the shift- and space-bar boycotting eastmountainsouth. Discovered by Robbie Robertson, the folk-pop duo released only this one album, before Kat Maslich Bode and Peter Bradley Adams went their own way. That’s a pity; the album is lovely. It does not spring surprises on the listener; indeed, played in the wrong mood, it could be considered boring. The songs don’t go beyond mid-tempo, and they don’t always engage as immediately as those of fellow folkie Rosie Thomas. But the harmonies are exquisite, the vibe is warm. This is an album to savour on a lazy, preferably rainy weekend over a cup of coffee.
eastmountainsouth – Ghost.mp3

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More Albums of the Year

Ah, so the LIT mixer was tonight. Tons of fun, plus a free meal. Informative panel, although I am getting worried for semester three. Oh well, I suppose I’ll corss that bridge when I get to it. No use worrying now.

After the formalities, a few of us headed to the king’s head pub. I’m loving being within walking distance to everything awesome downtown, by the way. But back to the king’s head, I had some fun. I think my bar mouth was on though, so I hope I didn’t destroy anyone’s stellar view of little Mia. Well, you probably didn’t think that highly of me to begin with, so it’s all good.

There was a super scary guy at my bus stop too. He came over to me, told me he had HIV, and that I was staring. I had honestly just glanced in his direction. He kind of had the look of wanting to start a fight, and honestly, black belt or no, I don’t feel confident at 10pm alone downtown. Especially while in heels and a skirt at a deserted bus stop but for him and his friends. Needless to say, I got on the first bus I saw.

So, I got home safely, and for anyone wondering, Sophie was waiting at the backdoor for me to let her in, as though it was my fault she hadn’t come back before I had to leave. I TOLD her it was raining! I suppose cats will do what they please though. Trying to clean the bathroom/kitchen area in my Grandfather;s house is going… as well as expected. At first I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t find any garbages in his house. Turns out, he doesn’t throw anything out. Not even saran wrap. This man is ready for the apocalypse.

Halloween is coming up, in addition to my birthday. But halloween is so much more fun. I also think I have found the best halloween song ever! Yes, even better than ‘C’est L’Halloween’. It’s called ‘The Darkness’ by The Cat Empire. Give it a listen, and try to tell me otherwise.

Much as I love the Beyonce, I had never heard the song “Halo” before the “Glee” gals performed it as part of their assigned mash-up a few episodes back. They mashed it with “Walking on Sunshine,” and wore bright yellow dresses, and it was all perky and adorable. (I did hear “Halo” on this morning’s scan, though. Meh. It’s no “Single Ladies.”)

And, much as I love the “Glee,” I have to agree with the articles and petitions that have been coming out lately imploring the show to back off the Autotune. We here at Auto Tunes (!) would much prefer to hear the raw, pure voices of our “Glee” folk. We see little need for gloss and digital manipulation when those gals and guys are clearly so talented, and even think a little imperfection in their performances would add to the central conceit of the show. It is a HIGH SCHOOL GLEE CLUB, Fox. We do not expect, nor do we really want, polish and perfect pitch.

I also have a bit of a quibble with last week’s episode, in which Mr. Schuester gave the glee kids an assignment – to find a song that makes for a good mash-up with the CLASSIC AND AWESOME “Bust a Move” – that went completely unfulfilled by the episode’s end. Now, it’s possible that the lack of a viable mash-up in this instance was meant to mirror the impossibility of combining Emma and Ken Tanaka’s preferred wedding songs, “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “Thong Song,” respectively. But it did rather feel, to me, like a dropped thread.

And I have been thinking about it all week.

PROPOSED “BUST A MOVE” MASH-UPS:

“Forget about the Boy,” from Thoroughly Modern Millie: I can hear the “Bust a Move” bass line running under the jazzy melody of this tune; I can see the Jazz Age tap dancing alongside the b-boy moves of Young MC. Thematically, too, it’s kind of a nice match – caddish boy chases gals; gal tries to get over boy she thinks is a cad. I think it could work.

“I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” The Darkness: Again, it’s the bass line that supplies the connection for me here; I also think the shrieky, operatic singing in The Darkness’s song would be a good complement to Young MC’s low, groovy vocals.

“Sweet Caroline,” Neil Diamond: Okay so when Noah Puckerman, who I LOVE, performed this in last week’s episode of “Glee,” I at first thought it was his contribution to the “Bust a Move” mash-up competition. And I think it could potentially work as such! Can you hear the songs sort of bleeding in and out of each other, the “bah bah bah” refrain of “SC” leading into that “BaM” bass? I like the juxtaposition of the lyrics, too – the good-time guy looking for a party and the soppy, relationshippy song. Maybe it could work?

Call me, Ryan Murphy.

Muzyka popularna zawsze pełna była  falseciarzy. Wypełniali wszystkie jej rejony, nawet takie, które dziś awansowały na półkę kultury wysokiej (czyli takiej, której zwolennicy lubią czuć się wyżsi od innych). Przykładem jest tu nie tylko Farinelli, bohater słynnego filmu Gérarda Corbiau o ostatnim kastracie, ale i rzesza facetów wydających z siebie piski niewymuszone operacyjnie (mężczyźni mogą zbliżyć się jedynie do altu, najniższego głosu kobiecego).

Zostawiając już na boku odcięte narządy płciowe, które i tak męczyć nas będą, przybrawszy formę freudowskich kompleksów, zróbmy krótki przegląd współczesnych muzyków “śpiewających cienko”. Bo falset to tak na prawdę ciężka praca. Etymologicznie pochodzi od włoskiego słowa “falso” (fałszywy) i realizowany jest poprzez silne napięcie strun głosowych, co wymaga niezłego treningu. Odliczamy dziesięciu naszych ulubionych falseciarzy:

10. Mika – Młody półlibańczyk, który swoimi chwytliwymi melodiami i głosem przypominającym wymuszającego uwagę dzieciaka, podbił popowy świat.

9.  Justin Hawkins – romansujący z dramatycznymi dźwiękami opery i histerycznie uwielbiający wszelkie wydania Glam Metalu, charyzmatyczny wokalista The Darkness.

8. Frankmusik – falset z pomocą elektroniki. Niedawno w Łodzi na Venie na bis zaśpiewał “It’s a Sin” Pet Shop Boysów.

7. Antony Hegarty – głos drżący z niepewności, a jednocześnie bardzo czysty, mocny i pewny.

6. Russell Mael – młodszy z braci Sparks, którzy już blisko 40 lat raczą nas swoimi pstrymi hymnami i wciąż wychodzi im to świetnie.

5. Jake Shears ze Scissor Sisters – disco falset – czasem campowy, czasem wzruszający, ale zawsze gorgeous.

4. Andy Bell z Erasure – pionier pełnego emocji ostentacyjnego falsetu lat 80.

3. D’Angelo – były chłopak Angie Stone z wielkim talentem w pięknej piosence ze świetnym teledyskiem.

2. Maximilian Hecker – niemiecki wokalista, eks-model, melancholik. Szkoda, że tak słabo znany.

1. Klaus Nomi – falset pierwszej klasy. Przeszywający operowy głos, połączony z wykreowaną w stylu marsjańsko-kabuki personą Klausa Divy, wciska w fotel.

by: Maria Durska, Adam Kruk 2009

I can’t believe it, but I can’t deny it: one of my favourite records of the entire decade was the Spinal Tap-py, refreshing heavy rock throwback first record by The Darkness. I loved it from the first hearing, and loved it proudly, but didn’t expect that of all the records that I dug during the Oh’s, this would stay fresh for me.

I like trying to figure out how taste works, especially how early musical experiences influence later preferences – and Permission To Land was a case study in those ideas. Melodic heavy rock was my preference during my early teens, and that style can still hit me right in the guts. I was big into Sammy Hagar when I was 13, 14 – and April Wine, Journey, and Styx were quite formative, for better or worse. I got bored and left the whole thing behind when it became the shrillish hair metal of the mid to late 80’s, but I’m still captured by those old sounds. Matthew Sweet dug it back up – Sick of Myself etc – and Nirvana, the Weakerthans, the Soft Boys, all harken back to that for me. It’s comfort food for my ears.

Nevermind that the Darkness were high-larious. The first exposure I had was the video for I Believe In a Thing Called Love, which was set in a UFO. I was shocked by the yummy riff, pulled in by the arch, almost ridiculous falsetto vocals, and sold when the solo was intro’d by a yelped “Gee-Tah!” I bought the record the next day and then played it for weeks. Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman (“mothafuckah!”) made me howl. The Buffyish scary story of a giant devil-dog called Black Shuck (“that dog don’t give a fuck!”), the boasting and revelling heroin anthem Givin’ Up (“giving a fuck”), and the title alone of Love On the Rocks (With No Ice), all killed me. The early 80s radio song Friday Night is a great formalist experiment in pop writing – the chorus “Dancing on a Friday night” wouldn’t work if it wasn’t a punchline to a list of lame afterschool activities for unpopular kids.

Monday cycling, Tuesday gymnastics,
Dancing on a Friday night
I got Bridge Club on Wednesday, Archery on Thursday
Dancing on a Friday night

And the music around these fine and funny song ideas is a really, really great tribute to a sound I rarely hear anymore. It sends me back to Billy Squire, to ACDC, to 38 Special; to the little receiver my parents gave me when I was 10 or 11 and the local AM station it picked up. It’s ridiculous but earnest music that could only be played by people in leather pants, standing shirtless in an arena pose, devil signs in the air above them like skinny Ozzy fans. I love it.

The second record by The Darkness was a sort of ode to Queen, well carried out – but I didn’t care. This one was all the Darkness I needed this decade. And of course, they couldn’t maintain the thing: after two records and some real success, the singer went down in a rehab blaze out, the band continued with the bass player singing, and while I haven’t bothered to check, I’m sure they’re over. That’s part of the story – a requirement of the Secret Devil Sign fraternity.

Heavy Metal has always been its own parody (the secret to the brilliance of Spinal Tap and the success of its unacknowledged pomo sequel The Osbournes). The only way to do it is to really do it. Done well, it keeps its tongue in its cheek and a cucumber down its pants. It never winks, because it never stops winking.

Here’s a couple of the reasons this record is near the top of this list. First, the video that slayed me:

and its sequel:

And because I want you to hear it, and found this remarkable video, here’s Givin’ Up:

Ok, so Weezer are back with another hilariously misjudged take on the geek-rock/punk-pop formula they once had down to a t, and you can see it HERE.

The video is pretty much what you might expect here…femme fatale type lures band members towards certain harm…Rivers comes along, sweeps her off her feet and then, in a somewhat surprising move for Cuomo, rejects her in favour of his injured hombres. It’s all set in quite a kooky 1950s style, think Pleasantville, only with more nerds…

‘(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To’ is yet another disappointing return from what seems to be a career that is failing. Rivers can, and does, write brilliant pop songs but it seems that ‘The Green Album’ provided the last coherent move of the bands career. But to believe this seems…wrong. Despite the complete lack of consistency for the past decade it seems that Weezer somehow cling to affections in a manner that the likes of Ash, The Futureheads and The Darkness could only have dreamed of.

Does Rivers Cuomo have any taste?

My hopes for the new record are low, and that is being fairly generous. ‘The Green Album‘ was in hindsight not as glorious as it first seemed, ‘Maladroit‘ was patchy and ‘Make Believe‘ so bad that the biggest Weezer fans I know listened once and have vowed never to go back. ‘The Red Album‘ was Cuomo’s chance to prove his worth and he flunked it, the question is despite the saccharine sweet desperation of the latest single will people still give a fuck about this lot after what promises to be yet another ropey album?

I’m beginning to doubt it.

Britain’s favorite catsuit wearing, Thin Lizzy loving Lowestoft boys are back.  The Darkness have returned with their 2^nd release, One Way Ticket to Hell…And Back.  Expectations were high following up the band’s breakthrough Permission To Land.  How does a band react?  Simply, by creating “the finest rock album of the past twenty years.”  At least, that’s what the press release states.  Employing super producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, the Who, Bowie, the Rolling Stones), the band has managed to make a less obviously humorous album that expands their sound past the simple cock rock of their debut.  Now, the band is more Sweet than Guns ‘n’ Roses.

The album starts off with pan pipes before the sound of snorting coke.  Then the cowbell kicks in and the “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” like anti-drug title track warns of the dangers of yam yams.  What will either surely polarize the Darkness’ fan base, the band uses strings and horns liberally throughout the album.  This is most evident on the ballad “Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.”  The strings almost completely overplay the guitars, at least until the harmony solo comes in.  “Hazel Eyes” is a Celtic romp through a girl with eyes “hazeler” than anyone else.  If the Trans-Siberian Orchestra started scoring Riverdance, it would sound like “Hazel Eyes.”  “Girlfriend” is a romp with weird disco like flourishes that strangely reminds one of some more rocking Prince stuff.  “Blind Man” will certainly have the Queen comparisons flying again.  Its piano based, vocally dense structure sounds like something that Freddie Mercury and company would have been proud to call their own.

This album will certainly grow on you like a genital wart.  Instead of singing about STDs, extracurricular activities and mystical hellhounds, the band has decided to focus on the more high brow subject matter of “Knockers,” old lunch room ladies finding love and baldness.  So, is One Way Ticket to Hell…And Back “the finest rock album of the past twenty years?”  With the exception of the band’s debut, quite possibly.

She came from the East

Hot breath on the back of my neck

The strange kiss of death

Long and sweet

A voice whispered low

And flowed like a handful of ancient dust

“Are you prepared to go?”

I cried out, “If I must, I must.”

She wore a burial shroud and veil

Both black as the night

Reached out her hand, slender and pale

And I released my hold on life

Man has said for many years

“Life’s only mystery is death,” indeed,

As I embraced her without fear

My hollowed skin and bones agreed.

I am in a dark place

A place I thought I had buried years ago

The place inside my head I retreat to

When the world is full of lies

I am a clock without hands

I am a compass with no direction

I am safe here in the void

Between the lines I write

The blurry image of a photo

That would have been beautiful

If it were in focus

I am my own godless world

Full of sadness and torment

I am selfish and destructive

I am a collaboration of everything I hate about myself

I am weak and vulnerable

I am a sentence with no subject

A poet with no audience

By Ron Marz (Writer), and Stjepan Sejic (Artist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: With the War of the Witchblades all wrapped up, I look forward to seeing where Ron Marz takes the series next. Will he dive right into another event or let the series go back to being about supernatural crime solving for a while? Time to find out.

The Story: Patrick Gleason and Sara Pezzini’s sister discuss Sara’s current situation while taking care of Hope. Meanwhile, Sara saves a child’s life and says goodbye to Dani.

What’s Good: Witchblade #131 serves as a great jump-on point for readers looking to check out the Witchblade series. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it does gives readers a taste of pretty much everything the series offers. The conversation between Sara’s boyfriend and her sister that frames the entire issue is realistic, written well, and does a nice job of filling the reader in on everything that needs to be known about the state of the series going forward. In addition, the Sara Pezzini action scene does a nice job of giving readers a feel for what the series is like when it’s not focusing on an epic, universe altering event (which it seems like it has been doing more often than not as of late).

What’s Not So Good: While Witchblade #131 is a great jump-on point, it’s also a pretty boring read for series regulars. Nothing new happens, no real story seeds are planted, and the brief action scene is pretty tame and underwhelming for the most part. In addition, the flaws of Stjepan Sejic’s style are really noticeable considering that most panels are made up of little more than “a day in the life” type stuff. The characters occasionally look mannequin-like, some details look smudgy, and the action scene only has two notable panels. The artwork certainly doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t have the “wow” factor Sejic’s work usually has.

Conclusion: There really isn’t anything more to say about the latest issue of Witchblade. As a place to jump on board, it works great. It just doesn’t have a whole lot to offer series regulars.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

By Phil Hester (Writer & Artist), Andre Parks (Inks), and Sakti Yuwono, Arif Prianto, and Admira Wijaya of IFS (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The last issue of The Darkness brought the familiar “team building” storyline to the series. And you know what? It worked really well. I look forward to seeing Jackie’s team in action now that everyone has been introduced.

The Story: Jackie’s got interest in some swampy land. Unfortunately for him, the Sovereign has some business interests in the same area. Oh yea, and there’s an ancient bog monster in the swamp that both may have to deal with in some way.

What’s Good: It’s not often that I get to review a comic that’s both written and drawn by the same person. It can’t be an easy task and I give all the credit in the world to Phil Hester for taking on the challenge. The Darkness #80 proves that he was definitely up to the task.

The first chapter of “Bog” has all the trappings of a classic swamp monster story. There’s shady businessmen, a reluctant lady who knows of the areas secret, and a likeable rogue that isn’t going to be dissuaded from getting what he wants. Hester’s story is simple, effective, and just plain entertaining. It’s also got personality to spare (though some of it is delivered in a heavy-handed way) and that goes a long way towards making up for how odd the story feels following The Darkness #79. But I’ll get to that in a bit.

Hester’s artwork in the latest issue of The Darkness is solid and gets the job done. It’s stylish and delivers in the areas that matter the most. While a few panels look a little awkward, for the most part the action’s exciting, the storytelling compliments the dialogue, and the color work/heavy inking keeps things clear and uncluttered.

What’s Not So Good: This may sound something like a nitpick, but, simply put, “Bog” is a strange way to follow up the team building stuff that’s taken place over the last few issues of The Darkness. It’s particularly strange considering that “Bog” sort of seems like a filler story that could almost be told at any point in the series. Yeah, the Sovereign character is involved so you could argue there’s some sort of storytelling window “Bog” must take place in, but the monster comes first and foremost. Jackie Estacado’s people seem to completely disappear in The Darkness #80 and it leaves me wondering why Hester didn’t decide to let the team establish itself more first before moving ahead with the “Bog” arc.

Conclusion: It isn’t perfect, but you really can’t go wrong with The Darkness #80. If you like The Darkness, monster stories, and entertaining dialogue, be sure to pick it up.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Release date:

18th October 09

 Saving Aimee’s follow up to the Radio 1 playlisted We’re the Good Guys, enlists the enigmatic frontman of  The Darkness, Justin Hawkins, on production duties. The resulting piece of high-energy pop-rock, with its rock-laced solos and 80s synthesisers reminiscent of Duran Duran, surely can’t fail to satisfy Saving Aimee’s army of loyal fans. With the video being aired on Kerrang TV and The Box already, not to mention their forthcoming tour supporting Fightstar and Go Audio, Fresh Since ‘88 looks set to cement Saving Aimee as national treasures!

Jag ogillar att sätta punkt, sätter därför komma istället. Just med detta skiljetecken väljer jag därför att avsluta min novell “Novell” (lustigt det där), och jag kan därmed upplysa er att den är klar. Nu återstår en liten mognadsperiod på någon vecka, finjusterande och sedan överlämnandet till två personer som ska läsa för bedömning och jaga fel, men dessa är ännu inte utvalda. Jag har dock en aning om vilka jag skulle vilja ha som läsare, så det blir att fråga dessa personer då tiden är inne.

I ett tidigare inlägg nämnde jag att jag trodde boken skulle bli runt 70 sidor, och det var inte alltför dåligt gissat. Den hamnade på 85, men detta lär kunna ändras efter bearbetningen. Mycket kortare lär den dock inte bli, eftersom jag inte jobbar på ett sådant sätt att jag skriver en hög och sedan sorterar och klipper ned denna, utan försöker göra rätt på en gång. Det tar därför längre tid att skriva ens en kort text, men med tanke på att boken redan är klar kan jag inte påstå att jag legat på latsidan, även om det till viss del känns som så. Känslan att avsluta denna gång var dock inte densamma som vid Grå Sol, men uppläggen de båda böckerna emellan skiljde sig så otroligt att det egentligen inte kan jämföras.

Emellertid, med boken avklarad och under mognad får jag mer tid över att blogga, vilket i sin tur ledde till att jag lät bloggonoid återuppstå, med diverse uppfräschningar. Dock har jag så många idéer på lagret och otaliga texter och böcker som kan avslutas och fortsättas, att jag kanske lägger min tid på dem istället. Men det återstår att se. Med säkerhet kan jag dock meddela att det imorgon dyker upp en recension till spelet The Darkness, för den som är intresserad.