Forward

Jealous Again, now Centaurs moves forward a step this week, with the possible addition of a 6th member. Alex, Ross and Ruari have been putting up with Bones and I flicking around music and inspiration for the last 6 month or more, and around four weeks ago, i decided I'm really not the man for the job of vocalizing our work. I found thats its been a drain on my thoughts, and really not allowing me to be as sonically immersed as I want to be.

More news as this progresses.

More interesting things that have cropped up in the last few weeks;

Obama... woo.

In a rare fit of all things London, On the day I had tickets to see the formidable Les Savy Fav and Shellac crush my skull with their frankly electric sets at All Tomorrows Parties' Release The Bats on Thurs 30th Oct, I also attended the new Rothko Exhibition at the Tate Modern. The girl at the box office let me in for student price without me even asking for it! I haven't lost my youthful charm just yet it seems! Just as well, as I thought £12.50 was a tad on the pricey side, but i think the amount the work has made me consider since experiencing it has been surprising. I had been a fan in the laymen sense of the word for a couple of years, so the chance to see the later 'series era' of his work was a thrill. 

I went in with a reasonably bad headache, and all i can say is, the gravity of the pieces, especially viewed in some slightly more wide context than the small room already at the Tate, didn't help my head one bit. My perception of Rothko's work went from that of a sense of overwhelming darkness to something a little bit darker.... i felt that work wouldn't let me interpret it, its too big, too.... monolithic for me to even comprehend. He was relentless, almost arrogant in his delivery. How can I even begin to enjoy such satire? As he got more playful, the message seems more bleak.... he seemed to give up on his ideals, adding accurate white frames in his later work; almost giving in to his view of human kind putting everything in little boxes to collect, label and own. 

This wasn't helped by the fact, when we arrived the other side, available for purchase, were mugs, bags, cups and even T Shirts blazoned with out of scale, out of context 'pictures' of his work. It was a dark story that seeme dot get more tragic as we moved forward, his defiance and strength, gradually weened out of him, until all thats left is a shop. 

I've been swooning over the new record from Helms Alee, the new band from Ben Verellen(guitarist/vocals Harkonen), one of my heroes of the last few years. Sine the release of records such as No Age's Nouns and the resurgence of the genius of My Bloody Valentine, its great to see such an underrated performer back, and on the cutting edge of modern music. The record veers between Massive AmRep style rock a la Harkonen, but with quite beautiful passages that have almost captured the blurry, unfocussed dream state of bands such like MBV or Jesus and Mary Chain.... and it works! don't sleep on this band, I await their arrival on these shores with baited breath.

Helms Alee Myspace

Also, In celebration of progression and weary reminder of the dark days just passed in US Politics, Thom York has posted a DARRRRRK remix of the amazing Harrowdown Hill on the Radiohead blog DeadAirSpace.. go check it out immediately, its fantastic.

Dead Air Space

Thats all for now i think.... 

The Solution?

After my rants regarding the world creative, independent artists have to be in if they play music, i have been thinking, and thinking about how I could possibly move forward.

With NCF, i felt the pressure of admirers not to disappoint, the pressure from myself to show an amount of continuity in aesthetic, quality, genre and more, and not just from release to release but from song to song. There is too, the issue of 'dropping the ball' with regards to being in the public eye. If you are out of action for twelve months writing, the press and 'the kids' will probably have moved on. 

I've never been one to flog my wares for two or three years on end... touring one release until you force the issue on the masses, record labels etc. My creative attention span seems to be a a lot shorter than this trend. Modern answers to this? Side projects, singles versus albums etc. But it still exists in this environment which is controlled by scenesters, PR people, booking agents, labels, 'journalists,' and more bullshit people NOT actually doing the creative bit. If you are out of favour with some of these people, things can be very difficult. I'd also like to make the point, not all people that move in the mentioned professions are evil, some are the loveliest, most genuine and hard working people on earth ;-).

AAAAnnnny way.. I have decided that in future, I want as little to do with this world as possible. There must be another way right? The guys and gals which I live with have all got similar sentiments to me, we're all at the beginning of one career or another, but we're all still punk rockers... and we've been trying to work out a way of forging a creative outlet for ourselves in this age of blogs, internet socialness and a press in the UK that is as bullshit as it is today.

I don't want to be touring one EP in one band for two years... MAYBE getting some interest from a large UK indie.. supporting some lame US bands on some badly organised tours.... like I said, my attention span has already grown weary of this routine. I want to do my new band Jealous Again, I want to release some new NCF songs, I want to follow up the two or three other projects I have started in this last twelve months, And I want them all realised in way that justifies the creative work I put in... Recorded presentations, Collaborations with Artists for aesthetics, possible Live presentation of the material, where, when, with whom, how often, and most importantly, WHY?

I don't want to be tied to a 'Band,' I want to begin and finish projects, in much the same way an artist would. Writing, Recording, Ideas, Design, Production, Realization, Limited amounts of final product, to be sold as a piece art. Not a disposable download, not something thats here today, gone tomorrow... musicians put SO much time and effort in to writing and recording, the finished product should be EXACTLY how we want it, down to the paper the sleeves are printed on, the weight of the vinyl, and the price that is charged for the piece. Does this means paying more? probably yes. Does it means the customer is getting ripped off? FUCK no... people buy Screen Prints at ATP with band names on for upwards of £60 but don't want to pay a fair price for the music itself? weird. 

I understand it though, who cares about mass produced, cheap CDs you can get in tesco, HMV or downloads for free?? But music projects, created, recorded, printed, limited, collaborative works with artists, limited and numbered... thats a different kettle of fish altogether right?

The Don't Look Back projects from ATP have inspired me no end... I saw Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation at the Roundhouse in Camden last year, and i thought, why didnt NCF just do that from the beginning? We forced ourselves into playing a set made up from parts of Dungeness and Black Ballads because we were in an environment where we had to entertain people. What I want to do is present my new work to people, not perform like a monkey while they get fucked and couldn't give a shit until we play Transgression. Bands at our level dont have choice over environment in which they perform, how much it is to see it, and to some extent have pressure on them to use content in which will keep 'customers' entertained as opposed to people seeing a creative presentation.

These ideas, along with ideas about visual arts, exhibitions, and all sorts of creative projects are starting to take shape in my mind, and about a few of us might be able to execute accomplished projects from all different creative avenues. Keep an ear to the ground! 

Whats this?

Old Hardcore Kids get proper stressful jobs? better move to the seaside together and write some bitchin tunes then eh? 

The Entire 80s are back???

Well, the entire spectrum of 80s guitar rock seems to be enjoying a Renaissance this year, and I must admit, Sub Pop seems to be getting in there with the two key sounds.

Groups like Foals, Vampire Weekend et al have released excellent albums this year, with production informed by some really mainstream production styles of that era. 'Antidotes' by Foals really reminds me of one of the mid-period New Order records, or Sumners' Electronic album. It has real 80's sheen, an almost campness about it, with the off beat, jumpy brass, almost ska guitar, yet what Dave Sitek has achieved is a sense of real modernist 'muscle' behind this. I think its got something to do with the excellent drum recording, which is thumping and more aggressive than anything I've seen the band pull off live. Its a nod to Sitek's own TV On The Radio i reckon, and no bad thing, as its really using contextual influences with new ideas.

Vampire Weekend, too have pulled something that could have come from of course, everyones favourite lazy comparison of the month, Graceland, but when i play this record, it reminds me of being driven around by my dad, pumping Little Creatures by Talking Heads. The result of transferring this bands sense of middle class, college boy art rock to digital format is just excellent. Again, totally fresh, yet steeped in its history. 

Next up is Sup Pop's 20th anniversary slap on the back session that is Pissed Jeans, No Wave, and next up Oxford Collapse. Post Hardcore at its most natural and very best. These bands are what happens to HC kids when they REALLY grow up, and not just get a taste for NME or Kerrang! limelight and jump ship. I don't want to talk too much about what's happening right now in Post Hardcore, but its warming my heart, thats for sure. Its giving me new confidence in the choices I am making Post November Coming Fire as to where Jealous Again should be going. The next year is going to be intersting!

The Ultimate Format?

After studying Marketing in Music, and being in a band that wrangled with the ugly music industry myself, i think I'm one of thousands that could see this happening, and it's a pleasure to witness true musical evolution that makes such good sense for ease of use, quality, sentimentality and the collector factor in us. Goodbye CDs, and fuck you for wasting 20 years!

http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/05/lpmp3_the_ultim.html

Listen to...

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter - 'Reckless Burning'

I got this about four or five years ago whey i was going through my dark Alt Country phase, along with The Handsome Family, Damien Jurado and Grey Delisle. After hering her perform so astoundingly on the Sunn0)))/Boris CD, I dug this LP out and it's amazing, so fragile, stripped and although completly steeped in it's context, sounds so fresh.

Just got to pick up the new one on Southern Lord now!


http://www.jessesykes.com/

Term 5

You Love this, so much



Music and the Summer.

Today, while supervising my 6th form students in study time, I was rocking ‘Everything all the Time’ by Band Of Horses. This is a record I totally rinsed this time last year just before my trip to ATP to see their first UK show. There was a bunch of other stuff going on in my life at that time, and it’s been one of those situations where the sound of a record brings back memories, feelings, and an almost subconscious awareness of how it felt to be me a year ago.

It’s an age old observation, but one I’ve always been fascinated with, records that become fused to times, places, events and emotions in our own lives. Around the same time, I was hammering ‘We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank,’ by Modest Mouse, ‘Nebraska’ by Springsteen, The last Micah P Hinson full length, and they have become inherent to that period in my life; to the point where I lost interest and stopped playing them, and when I did spin them, they bored me, but today, something struck that chord that brought it all back… maybe the break was what I needed? Maybe I merely needed to detach myself from the events that shaped me a year ago?

The records are always part of an emotionally and mentally turbulent time it seems too; Break Ups, Falling in Love, the loss of a loved one, stressful and transitional times at work or while studying, and this really blows my mind. It seems as if our minds, senses and memory functions are working over time at these points to significantly remember trivial things that accompanied the events. Why?

I tend to find that I learn the most when I’m passionate about something, be it positively or negatively, willing or not; I take the most on the long run, from situations that make me address my conduct, my life, my efforts, my relationships and the things that continue to help me move forward.

Does the soundtrack to these events help us to remember? Does is put emphasis on the important times? Does it help us be philosophical, logical and objective? Does it merely remind us to be so?

Whatever really, whether it’s Band of Horses, The Smiths, Azure Ray or Old Man Gloom, they are truly that records that have helped define and emphasize memorable points in my life, as well as kick the massive ass. Amazing.

Easter Holiday

I spent last week in Leeds for my girlfriends birthday. For the ridiculously long drive there, I made some new CDRs as my iPod FM Broadcast thing is shit. I got a copy of the new Kills record Midnight Boom, Which i was pretty excited about as the previous two albums were wicked nice. I love the way the new record sounds, it has this thickness that the last two records have almost hinted at, but never really achieved. The new drum machines sound thuddy and dry, which sound good as fuck on my home system, but my poor 106 speakers were just breaking up at a mid volume. The bass tones reminds me of an attempt at some weird 70s or 80s disco or dance effect, and this idea seems to be carried through on some of alison's vocals, with the duel takes and hollow reverbs... The guitars, are, as ever, the star of the show. Jamie's attention to tone is second to none, its the main reason I love this band so much. His regular disgusting down tuned riffs are, as time goes on, losing the blues, and at points, he drowns them in revolting old flangers, chrous and all other manor of effects he can turn up to ten...  This record is definitely not about being subtle.. and thats a good thing... but do the songs justify the destroying recording? Well I like the songs, sure, but i get the feeling they are not going to last with me as long as the songs from 'Keep On Your Mean Side,' a record still heavily rotated, more so than 'No Wow.'

With the loss of the blues element in every song, the bulk of the album seems to be reasonably run by the book of sleazy, 80's influenced rock/pop(See Black Balloon and Hook and Line), 'Cheap And Cheerful' and 'Getting Down' are notable exceptions, and clear stand out tracks here. 

I also had a copy of the new Goldfrapp record. Its a pile of shit, folk tinged or not, massive wank.

And upon my return last night, Burrows played me the new Sebastian track 'Motor' FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!! 

Also been spinning Dave Hanks various tracks from his various projects... Both Whistle and Star Power are outlets that demonstrate him as not only a stunning song writer, but something of a clever bastard in the recording department. Both guises sound straight from the mid sixties, for fans of Donovan(Whistle) or The Kinks(Star Power), almost, a rock and folk split personality, and its his keen ear for recording techniques that dazzle, pop sheen, bright tones, bass cuts... love it. These tracks would suit most Anderson influenced visual work you could find this year..... Miss this hidden gem at your peril!

Heavy Music, UK, 2008

In Summer 2007 I decided to leave heavy music behind. I had become unconfident in my own writing skills, frustrated with audiences and bands alike. The general tone impressed upon me was that of complete apathy. Cliché as this may sound from a guitarist in a hardcore band, I felt as if I was banging my head against a brick wall.

Band such as Botch, Converge, Coalesce, and later on Hot Snakes, The Cure, Mogwai and Cursed really inspired me to take a done genre and fuck with it until it was unrecognisable. By this I mean I sacked off song structures, chorus and verses were banned, and it got to the point where heavy guitar gain and typical ‘hardcore’ or ‘noise’ conventions such as breakdowns, two-steps, spazzy parts etc just felt so done to us. By the end, our experiment was in pure dynamics and tone. At the time it felt all in vain. No one seemed to get it. Certainly the sales of our full length reflected what people thought, and we parted ways with our record label. They were undoubtedly disappointed with Dungeness’s reception, and we were frustrated with anyone that ha anything to do with the release.

Frustration, arguments, friends becoming celebrities and a forgotten single later, we broke up. But in the last few months, there seemed to be a flutter of genuine activity in the UK. We planned to release our next project on Holy Roar, a label with an outlook as close to our own as we could hope to meet. They also announced the release of a split by two new, young bands, Maths and Throats. These bands, both with average ages that just about touch 20 by now probably, completely blew my head off. Throats, based in London, rip seven shades of shit from a twisted version of Hardcore, fusing the desert dry riffs and tones of Jane Doe, with the sentiment and mood of Cursed. But the difference between them and most bands from our fair island, is that they convince me. They have the context and ferociousness that our US counterparts have been schooling us all with for the last 15 years. Speaking with them also, their love for old valve tone, massive evil riffs, but taken out of the metalcore context, and obvious need to just play as loud and aggressively as they possibly can, I have a real affinity for these lads.

Similarly, Maths, from the East Midlands, are shredding their way through the Ebullition sound of the mid to late nineties. Certainly, this band has more of a retro sound, as you can pinpoint the scene that has influenced them, but again, it’s their attention to detail. It’s less plagiarism, more perfect revivalism, in a different time and a different place. They are making the link from legendary bands like Orchid and P99, and just making it sound so relevant to the UK now. Its like the breath of fresh air I’ve been waiting for.

This seems to be a slight epidemic, and bands such as Orchards, Crocus, Queen Of Swords, Rolo Tomassi, Dead Swans, Lovvers and more are really showing that UK bands can have the salts to go head on with US bands. It’s enough to spur me back into heating the valves a bit more this year!

infinite chug?

Just checking this inventive record label out now. My clever girlfriend directed me there way, and it looks really nice. Most of their back catalogue is available for download, with optional donation buttons. Thoughts on a postcard. Fuck off. Good on em.

infinite chug

Are record labels really as over as they say? is the future filled with bands spending their hard earned money on affordable recording equipment rather than studio time? It seems as if we, the music makers, get on with the work, we can free ourselves of the shackles ""record labels"" filled with their own self importance can go fuck themselves. I've entered 2008 with a sense of real power. I have spent a little bit of money on some half decent studio gubbins, moved in with my band, and am just about to embark on what can only be described as shameless music geek love ins. We don't have to worry about how much our label is paying on the pressing of the 2000 CDs they're making us feel guilty they're pressing in the first place! We can just record it, take our time, make it good and fucking upload it. the costs so far have been the recording stuff, which to be honest i would have bought anyway.

So really all a record label serves as these days, is a middle man between you and your PR/booking agents. Well as much as it  grieves me, I will do that shit if it means there is no pressure to recoup their fucking costs...... they're never bothered about ours! I rarely felt that working with DIY record labels felt like the partnership they wanted to make out we had, as they never seemed to acknowledge that we were as beneficial for them as they were for us... fuck punk rock martyrdom.... Labels, Booking Agents, Promoters, Writers(ha!)... I have met some lovely people, and those, I try to keep in touch with, but the majority seem to be looking to be put on the thanks list of bands CDs, and get on the guest list to their big London support slots, and basically do everything they can to part of being in a band without actually getting in the fucking van.

Of fuck it, as if thats ever changed since time began, or as if it will ever change. Fuck you.

I'm old

I just this minute watched a group made up of year 10 and 11 ladsin the live room. Song 2 meets Kurt Cobain vocals... arguments over who wrote it.... Aimless lead guitar, needless double kick, Ibanez and Fender rip offs........ Oh to be 16 again.......

This week has been littered with conversations filled with conspiracy theories and opinions about The Dewsbury Case, Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson and Heather Mills... there are people that are quick to believe what they read, in fact there are so many quick to have an opinion in the first place..... I have a head ache, I want to listen to Sufjan Stevens, eat my salad, and forget............

Furniture dismatlement and Record/CD collection packing beckons this evening..... I have to keep what this weekend means in the front of my mind.....

Adore by Smashing Pumpkins has been keeping me amused, Apples and Oranges is about a perfect electro pop track as i could ask for today.....

The tiny King

Take heed.....

Look...

Shellac?

So it looks as if Dungeness might see the light of day on Vinyl in the coming months. It was my only real disappointment from NCF, that our album was never pressed on wax, despite several labels telling us they wanted to do it.

It looks as if it falls to Aurra Sing Records, the new project from Bossk mainman Tom Begley. We've spoken about awesome ideas for the press and I can only say watch this space.

The Holy Trinity?

Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

How did that even happen?

There Will Be Blood

Are you serious?

No Country For Old Men

I didn't think they could do it anymore

And all in two months? Will we ever see a period of film release like this again?

I saw Control, Darjeeling Ltd, I'm Not There..... these six films, in one year. Thats retarded.

Welcome!

On the brink of a move to Folkestone, I'm feeling excited. The town itself does not excite me, but the what moving there means to my life. I feel this is the last watershed of the last couple of years, and I will be hopefully leaving the family nest for good.

The last few months has seen me shrink a little from social circles, I am obsessed with getting out of so many ruts. I think about the lack of creativity i have been suffering these last 8 months, and it frightens me that time can fly so fast. I have created so little in my time at my mothers house, its depressing.

Ashford, over the last 18 months has served as a place for me to escape from the shit that went before, and to take some sort of refuge with my family. This has been at the expense of a lot of relationships with people I considered friends, but as I hear from them less and less, my cares dwindle also. The few I have kept in touch with are my wavelengths on this 'cultureless isalnd' cut off from the rest of the country by the huge hummer-fest that is London. These are the ones that I shall be now embarking on all my new ventures with, and hopefully with some new faces also.

So what's Folkestone got to do with this? Well I don't like it there much, the town centre is worse than Ashford, and there are MORE chavs. But, it does have the sea, and the rent is cheap, in a beautiful old flat. I'll be living with two awesome dudes, and i will no longer be lugging my iMac and all the gubbins around for recording, and it is this central base of opertions i have been hoping for. 

I want to settle, for at least the amount of time it will take me to qualify as a teacher and get some musical projects more established, so i have my fingers crossed, this is the last time the big square Ikea shelves are to be dismantled for another two or three years.

NCF has been over since August, and I've got the itch.... I've had it since Christmas, and slowly, but surely, things are moving forward. Writing, Playing, Recording, Remixing, Touring... its all back on.... in different contexts and with different people, but i'm excited, really excited to see what Folkestone, and my new surroundings have to offer.

Oh yeah, and Leah got accepted to UCCA, so she's going to be here in Sept..... That just about tops it off!