2013 - a year in music...

So, it's December. Cold, dark and before you know it, we'll be in 2014.

However, I hope that you agree when I say that 2013 has been a good year in the music world. There have been some fantastic albums released this year, some great gigs, and lots of eventful moments. I'm not sure if you can consider reflecting on the past twelve months as 'nostalgia,' but if you'll indulge me, I'd like to get a little bit misty eyed about some of the best records and musical moments of the year that was 2013. 

On a personal note, there have been some pretty big moments in the year for me. 

I can clearly remember the cold morning in January when I woke up to some news that I couldn't, or didn't believe. Bowie was back. I sat at my computer, listening to, re-listening to, and struggling to believe that the haunting melody of  "Where are we Now?" was actually the man himself making a return to the arena. The beautifully constructed surprise of the whole thing was done with such aplomb, and showed what a huge cultural icon David Bowie actually is - and even forty years after Aladdin Sane, he still has it - whatever It is.

On the gig front, 2013 was a year where I personally ticked off seeing several artists who I'd consider 'heroes.' I don't have many people I really look up to and I've never bought into placing people on pedestals as they tend to, eventually, let you down. This year I managed to see, and in two cases meet, a few people I really would say are heroes.

At Manchester's fabulous Ritz, I attended one of the best gigs at one of the best venues when Nile Rodgers and Chic came to town. A hit packed set list full of feelgood anthems, complete with a guest spot from Mr Johnny Marr who came onstage to Freak Out, was a really memorable occasion. 

O2 Arena from my pre gig cable cart view

In June, Neil Young & Crazy Horse played at the 02 Arena, which was a phenomenal show. Neil Young for me epitomises artistic integrity and his resolute, single minded approach to music is something I really respect. Playing a set that was probably suited more to die hard fans than the casual listener, he still managed to wow the audience, and hearing Neil play Comes A Time may be one of my most memorable gig moments.



That's me, in the corner...

In September, Tired Pony played at the Barbican in London. An unorthodox venue for an unorthodox band, who could probably be considered a 'super-group' with members of Snow Patrol, R.E.M., Belle & Sebastian and the Editors all involved. To sit and hear calming, Americana folk music wash over you in a venue where chamber music wouldn't be out of the question was a really memorable evening. It was subsequently made more memorable when after the show, I met Peter Buck and Mike Mills from R.E.M. (via literally bumping into Harry Styles, but that's another story). As I never got the chance to see R.E.M. live, this was the next best thing, and it was a real thrill to have a brief chat with someone who inspired me to learn to play Mandolin. It was also very nice to have a chat with some great music fans, who may or may not read this article.

October was a surprising month, in that something I never thought I'd ever see materialised from the ether - Morrissey's Autobiography. I'd long since dreamed of hearing what the man himself had to say on his career, and after years of speculation, it was nice to see the day arrive. I enjoyed the book to an extent, and although I felt it lost it's way towards then end, it is still an essential read. Peter Hook performing Power, Corruption and Lies at the Cockpit was a highlight too, if nothing else but to hear the New Order classic Blue Monday, which sounded great.

A sad end to October was the death of Lou Reed. I don't think I've ever really felt sad about someone passing away who I'd never met, so it was a first to feel a genuine sadness for someone who although I'd never met, influenced me. 

Marquee Moon

November let me take in a slightly belated Arctic Monkeys gig, where Alex Turner recovered from a sore throat to croon, girate and strut his way through the bands' fantastic new album. However, their performance was trumped by Television's performance at Manchester Academy the evening before. Their Marquee Moon album is possibly my favourite album of all time, and so to see Tom Verlaine play the classic title track was a real thrill. To then get him to autograph my album a little later was equally as exciting for me in one of very few 'fan boy' moments in my life.


I always get a little bit paranoid and wonder if the album is a dying art form in the era of the MP3, but 2013 proved that there were some excellent releases. I won't be so crass as to rank them in any sort of order, but here are 10 great records from 2013.


Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action

 Any self respecting teen of my age will hopefully have loved hits such as Take Me Out and Walk Away, and it's nice to see Alex Kapranos et al keep the trademark sound to make some memorable tunes, such as Love Illumination.


Tired Pony - Ghost of The Mountain 

Folky Americana from supergroup Tired Pony was one of my stand out albums, complete with jangly guitars, mandolins and fantastic lyrics from Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody make this essential listening. Lots of great tracks on here, but I Don't Want You As A Ghost is particularly good.



 Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

For me, the anthem of the summer was provided with Daft Punk's awesome Get Lucky, and RAM was a great album. My stand out track was Instant Crush which summed up my own briefly loved up summer to perfection, although the frighteningly catchy guitar hook to Lose Yourself To Dance may well be my current stand out track. 


Arctic Monkeys - AM

I think this is the Arctic Monkeys best record - it's infectious, has swagger and just feels, for want of a better word, sexy. This album really does move the goalposts of what indie bands should be aiming for and is in my opinion a bit of a genre buster, with it's rhythm and basslines that wouldn't sound out of place on a Dr Dre song. I think Knee Socks sums up the sheer coolness of this album.

Johnny Marr - The Messenger

As a huge Johnny Marr fan, it was great to hear him make a solo record that encapsulated everything good about his guitar playing - memorable riffs, elegant chord changes and layered guitar parts. 

 David Bowie - The Next Day

 
David Bowie's comeback was one of the big music stories of the year, and for me, he released his best album since Let's Dance with this record. The cover is brilliant, the songs are strong, and it shows that class is permanent. Haunting piano tracks, straight up rock, and a bit of jungle music thrown in for good measure, it is up there with his finest.

She & Him - Volume 3

I was a huge fan of She & Him's previous two volumes, and the third didn't disappoint. Some lovely vocal harmonies and nice arrangements - and if the thought of Zooey Deschanel singing the parts of Sunday Girl in French isn't alluring to you, then I don't know what is...


Robyn Hitchcock - Love From London

I've always thought that Robyn Hitchcock is one of Britain's most under rated song writers, and this effort reinforced my belief in this.  If you haven't heard this album, I'd recommend that you should...

Paul McCartney - NEW

 I'm quite glad that Macca has got round to releasing a great new record which is his best for years. It's hard to convince people who are used to him being rolled out with his piano to do Hey Jude at national events that he is still a good artist, but just three tracks in and you can tell that the ex-Beatle still has a lot to offer. His choice to work with several produces was a masterstroke, with this riff heavy album being well worth a listen.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito

I struggle to think of a band who ooze coolness as much as Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Having seen Nick Zinner and Karen O rock the Manchester Apollo with this record, it found new life after that - the opening track Sacrilege is stunning, and the rest that follows is just as good.



I hope 2013 was as good for you as it was for me. What were your stand out tracks and moments? Feel free to share...

Lists, lists, and Desert Island Discs...

When I'm not listening to music, I like to read about it. I have a slight obsession with rock biographies, predominantly due to the fascinating anecdotes, probably anarchy, sex drugs and rock 'n' roll they usually contain - unless you're reading a book on Cliff Richard, of course. I'm sure anyone who enjoys music has often wondered about where their favourite song, lyric or melody came from, and this is a point of real interest for me. Trying to understand the creative processes of musicians, and any other artist for that matter, fascinates me. It's also somewhat frustrating when you read, as I did in Ian McDonald's book on The Beatles, Revolution in the Head, that Paul McCartney woke up one morning with the melody for Yesterday fully formed in his head. I wish that my dreams were as productive.

Browsing in Borders yesterday, one book in particular stood out to me. This may be possibly because it was the biggest, boldest book on the shelf and like most five year olds, I'm inexplicably drawn to bright colours and large objects, making it inevitable. 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die jumped right out at me. I was immediately struck with a strange sense of ambivalence when I saw the book. Part of me was curious, and wanted to dive straight in to see how I need to spend my days working through these records, while part of me felt a little hesitant.



Part of me thought the idea of a definitive guide to music you should probably hear is a good idea, and it would probably act as a great tick list and a fun way to discover classic albums you may have overlooked. However, I couldn't help feeling a little sceptical that a book like this isn't just written by a bunch of middle aged men, who write for Q Magazine putting in the inevitable list of OK Computer, Revolver, Astral Weeks etc. They'd probably better throw a couple of hip hop records in there to be diverse and box tick, but it'd predominantly be a white, middle class view on things. Which is fine, if you're into that. It just seemed very matter of fact, and very impersonal, and left me unable to comprehend why these people held opinions that were more valid, than yours or mine.

As I got home, an act of serendipity seemed to occur. I noticed an advert for the BBC website, explaining how every episode of Desert Island Discs was now available on the site. After clicking on one, I found myself listening to the likes of Steve Coogan, Morrissey, Damian Hirst, Hilary Devey, Nick Clegg and even Jerry Springer talk about their favourite tracks. Politicians, sportsmen, you name it, all on there - each and everyone of them fascinating in their own way. I realised that only hours earlier, I'd found the thought of people listing music and records tiresome, yet I found myself captivated by the Desert Island Discs, and I'd passed more time than I'd care to mention enjoying these stories. Why?

It dawned on me that there was one big difference. This wasn't some homogenised, faceless list for hipsters to tick off in an act of social one up manship. This was what music and art is all about- the personal relationship between the audience and the content, what meaning is drawn from it, and why it earns a special place in someone's heart. It seems that as a culture, we live in this post-modern age where people are fascinated by lists, charts, greatest moments, Rolling Stone Top 100 films, songs, bands etc and any form of art is put into a competitive fight to the death. I really don't understand why people feel the need to validate their opinions. It's the same way that if I want to go see a film or buy a record, I don't read reviews- I've seen films that I love get panned by critics, and movies that are lauded with praise go completely above my head and don't resonate whatsoever. How do music critics view The Spice Girls? They sold 36 million albums and became the biggest selling British export since The Beatles. Does that mean they're a great British band? 36 million people(ish) can't be wrong, surely? I imagine it just means they have an emotional response that differs from mine when I hear Wannabe. If someone told me their favourite song was by the Spice Girls, it wouldn't be any more valid than my favourite song, regardless of what critics may think of it.

Oscar Wilde said "all art is quite useless," and even though it means the world to me, it's absolutely true. Music, or any art, is the definitive example of beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and I think that has to be remembered. It's the things that it makes you think and feel that matter, not whether or not the guitar solo is superior to the one in Stairway To Heaven, etc.

I didn't buy the book, by the way.

The Desert Island Discs show did, however, get me thinking about what songs mean the most to me. I'm glad I found that, as I couldn't be bothered writing down 1001 albums I enjoy, so thankfully I just figured I could put the eight tracks that mean the most to me on instead. They aren't better than any other song, or inferior, just, music that I enjoy.

Venus - Television

The melody, the lyrics, the guitar work...I love Tom Verlaine and Television. It always reminds me of being stood in a boiling hot Louvre gallery in Paris, looking at the Venus De Milo, humming this song. 

The Red Telephone - Love

If you've never heard Forever Changes by Love, please do so. It's paranoid, drug addled and yet quite beautiful. You can almost imagine being sat in the Californian hills circa the summer of love. Rarely has a song captured an atmosphere or a feeling as well as this one.

Fall On Me - R.E.M.

R.E.M. being on the radio is one of my earliest memories as a kid, seeing as I was two years old when Automatic For The People came out. That's one of my favourite albums, but as I got older and found the earlier, IRS records, I grew to love them, and this track in particular. The backing vocals are so good. It still haunts me I never got to see them live.

Look On - John Frusciante 

I think there is something really uplifting about this track, and it's just a cool song. The lyrics in the chorus struck a real chord with me, and if you haven't heard it, it's worth checking out.

Nowhere Fast - The Smiths

I struggle to remember what life was like before I discovered The Smiths (happy?!) but they are probably the most important thing I ever discovered in my early teens. Funny, witty and just a great bit of guitar playing, this track really sums up how I felt growing up in Castleford. Morrissey and Marr have been soundtracking my life ever since.

Giddy Stratospheres - The Long Blondes

This song reminds me of being around 16 years old and discovering this track after someone at college recommended them to me. I'd never heard of them before and I recall the feeling of "Oh God, how many more bands have I never heard of that are this good?" I ended up going to see these guys at a gig and the turned up 3 hours late. Rock n Roll. My dad wasn't happy waiting in the car for me, but it was worth the bollocking to hear this song live.

Real Love - John Lennon

This is the greatest song never released. It's incredible this was tucked away until after his death. I actually learned piano playing along to this song, and it was the only reason I ever bothered doing so. John Lennon's death is one of the few things that makes me sad and angry when I think about it, which astounds me as I wasn't even born when it happened.


Soul To Squeeze - Red Hot Chili Peppers

The guitar playing on this track is so expressive and as near as you can get to Hendrix without actually being the man himself. The bassline is amazing, and it's just a really beautiful piece of music, all the little production touches, make it stand out.

I realise this means after picking my eight songs I also get a book and a luxury item?

I'd take 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die and my iPod, I guess...

Review: The Sunbeams

The Sunbeams

The Railway, Knottingley, Saturday 1st December 2012

So often you tend to find yourself going to gigs and watch bands rock up, do an “indie by numbers” set, and head off. That’s why watching The Sunbeams play at The Railway pub made a great change.
Being a three piece band with a sound that you’d probably describe as having a low-fi alternative sound, it’d be relatively easy and somewhat lazy to draw comparisons to Wakefield’s finest, The Cribs. However, you can hear the guys are that bit smarter with traces of alternative American bands such as The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr and particularly Pavement springing to this bloggers’ mind. The combination of smart, linear riffing, infectious bass lines and great vocal interplay between bassist Adam and guitarist Gaz, made a great set.

Originals such as ‘Drag It Out’ and ‘How to Start a Hurricane’ are well crafted low-fi indie tracks, and combined with a few covers thrown in for good measure, it proved to be an impressive night for the trio. It’s hard to imagine many bands that will cover Joy Division’s ‘Transmission’ and Shaking Stevens’ ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ in the same set and carry it off in style, but The Sunbeams did just that. ‘Transmission’ in particular highlighted the quality of drummer Eddie who was impressive throughout, but really came to the fore when re-creating Stephen Morris’ relentless drumming from the 1979 classic.

It’s very rare that you see a band focused solely on the music, and the performance from The Sunbeams was just that. No frills, no gimmicks, just three guys playing honest, memorable music, and singing like they meant it. Great stuff.

Check out more of The Sunbeams at their Facebook page, Soundcloud and Youtube Channel.

Remembering a time when people understood their own clothes?

One of the strangest things about going to gigs is seeing the hoards of fans lining the streets beforehand. If Iron Maden, Lady Gaga or One Direction rock up in your town, you can usually tell who is playing the show that evening because of the numerous t-shirts fans wear.

Just a few weeks back I went to see Morrissey perform at the Manchester Arena. Anyone fortunate enough to go to a Moz gig will have been treated to the sight of thousands of young bed-sit dwelling, bequiffed teens, or middle aged Moz-ites in the streets surrounding the venue. Most of these people will be wearing a Morrissey/Smiths shirt; maybe one of the t-shirts with tour dates on, an album cover, or any other bizarre piece of merchandise up for sale.

However, while walking through these scenes, one such fan caught my eye. A girl, probably around twenty and wearing a Smiths t-shirt was sat in McDonalds eating Chicken McNuggets. Now, this may not mean much to people who don't know much about The Smiths, but Morrissey is a well known vegetarian, with strong views on animal welfare. So much so that he actually wrote a song and album with The Smiths entitled Meat Is Murder. I was shocked to see that as this girl ate her chicken, she was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the aforementioned Meat Is Murder album cover.

Now as a vegetarian myself, I don't enforce my views on others, it is completely a personal choice. I'm not making the point of whether or not you have to be a vegetarian to own that particular t-shirt. I just cannot understand what possesses someone to choose an item of clothing with a deeply charged political message on it, and not actually believe in what it means- in fact, demonstrate the opposite view. I'm only using this example to demonstrate precisely what I mean, in the respect that nobody particularly seems to care about the messages their clothes give off.

I don't do fashion. Not a dedicated follower of it by any stretch of the imagination. Don't get me wrong, I do like to buy decent clothes, and I try to dress presentably in clothes I feel comfortable in, but I'm not the type to dash out and purchase a pair of shoes or jeans because they are this season's look. I'd like to think I dress 'normally.' But by my reckoning, clothes are designed to be a statement to the world about what you are, and they should say a lot about you. With the Meat Is Murder t-shirt, I do actually own that very t-shirt because I guess it reflects my own beliefs not only on animals welfare, but the fact that it is my favourite record. Again, I don't want to seem like I'm making the vegetarianism the issue, it's more the lack of awareness of the clothes- surely someone who enjoys eating meat cannot fully agree with that t-shirt they are wearing?

This leads me on to the point of this article. I find the whole culture of putting iconic images and people onto t-shirts frankly baffling. The Primark generation we live in have managed to somehow make it that people wear t-shirts with iconic imagery on that people genuinely have no idea about. Can you remember when Che Guevara was a political hero and not a fashion accessory? The amount of people with Che shirts on is so strange, not just because they are probably bought buy people with no idea who he actually is, but because there are so many of them. Fashion is supposed to be about individualism and expressionism, but by buying these t-shirts to be individual, you are in fact conforming with the thousands of other people who also are being 'individual.'

This article may come across as a rant, but it's more about me questioning how people think. I was speaking to someone a few weeks back who was wearing a shirt with the iconic picture of Keith Richards smoking on the front. I happened to say I loved The Rolling Stones. They asked me why I was telling them this. After I told him that he had a scale photo of the guitarist from the band on their chest, they said "Oh right, didn't know that." I died inside a little. Even Rapper Plan B got into trouble when he wore a shirt to a photo shoot recently with Neo-Nazi connotations. This, along with the numerous bankers who rock around town in their "Hey Ho Let's Go" Ramones shirts makes me question at what point iconography became a commodity. The Athena type posters of Abbey Road etc that live in most student houses are another sign of how post-modernism seems to have overtaken actual meaning, as images now go beyond just the visual connotations. The Abbey Road shot is to me, one of the best images ever captured, but because of it's over-use, it has completely lost it's meaning- a sort of bricolage, if you will. It seems the only products with any meaning are the ridiculously unfunny mysoginistic t-shirts that idiots tend to wear, unfortunately.

It does seem to be a product of recent times, simply people being told what to wear, because Primark or Urban Outfitters proclaims it to be cool. I think this goes hand in hand with the music side of things, where opinion leaders such as the NME dictate what people listen to not because they actually enjoy it, but because it is 'cool' and 'individual,' when the individuality is lost by conforming with everyone else. Music, clothing, television and all other forms of pop-culture have been comodified so that nothing is unique anymore, or has a strong meaning that people believe in.

Still, it's August, so at least all these individuals can congregate together and be completely unique in Leeds and Reading with 75,000 other 'unique' people.

My next post will be positive...honest!

Letur-Lefr and all things Frusciante...

Guitar hero and artistic integrity...

My last blog post discussed how I was concerned about the way cinema lacked creativity and innovation, and how many films seem to be pretty homogenised in mainstream cinema. It's obvious for all to see that most art forms are controlled by corporate companies in order to come up with money-spinning products, and the music industry is no different.

However, last week, I regained hope in individualism with the release of Letur-Lefr, an EP released by former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar player John Frusciante. Anyone with ears would be familiar with John's work with the Chilis, and his incredible skills on a guitar. However, unless you're a real music enthusiast, or indeed a fan of this great man's work, I wouldn't be too surprised if his solo output hadn't hit your radar. Unlike an album released by his former band, where a new Red Hot Chili Peppers album is heralded by a cover on Rolling Stone, Q Magazine and copious other music papers, websites and channels, John Frusciante's solo albums aren't given the fanfare of a Stadium Arcadium etc. This is for several reasons I can only assume, in that when you're not involved in the biggest band in the world, your stock with the press isn't quite as large as before. Secondly, when one keeps such a low profile as John Frusciante does in the celebrity culture world we live in, there are no major tabloid scoops, press or interviews to go along with release.

The fact that us Frusciante fans got an EP this year was indeed a pleasant surprise. After 2009's epic The Empyrean, John had kept a relatively low profile. The 2009 album was indeed such an epic piece of art, it did leave me wondering how, or indeed if, John would bother following it up. How do you follow something of such magnitude and beauty?

Well, it would seem that releasing an EP, that precedes a full length LP consisting of Acid House influenced electronic beats is the way to follow up a colossal guitar album. Once again, not quite what the world expects. But then again, you have to forfeit any expectations when it comes to this man. Nothing could or should surprise anyone about this man.

In a world where musicians consistently plough the same furrows, we are accustomed to artists staying within safe boundaries, releasing an album identical to the previous one, and then touring it to cash in. With Frusciante however, this isn't the case. Despite his mainstream success and critical acclaim, John turned his back not once but twice on the Chilis twice to work on his solo material. His early solo output was unique, and somewhat noncommercial. Recorded on a four track, Niandra Lades and Usually Just  A T-Shirt was John trying to make "interesting music" which he felt didn't exist anymore. The resulting album is experimental to say the least, and  as "unsellable" as it may be to the masses, it is some of the most honest music you could listen to. Conventional musical structures are abandoned for a more Avant Garde approach, with lo-fi production values giving it a raw, intimate quality. It is a little unsettling and perhaps reflects the turmoil that was going on in his life at the time, but there is a beauty in the depths of John's despair which makes it compelling listening.



It dawned on me that the real quality in music, and in particular John's music, is it's honesty. It's unflinching, uncompromising, and brutally truthful, and is a complete reflection of the man himself. Whether that be John suffering from addiction and substance dependency, or a camaraderie with three other talented musicians who bring out a fun side to his music, it's all there. Anyone who listens to The Empyrean should be astounded by not only the quality of songs, but the lyrics are an insight into the depth of an artists' mind- and show what a deep man created them.

This brings me to his current output, which is an incredible leap from what anyone could have predicted. The archetypal guitar hero releasing an album, essentially lacking guitars. People may scoff at this, but I cannot help but respect what he has done here. John literally has no care what people think, and whether or not people like the musical evolution he has taken, something he has admitted to those he has collaborated with, according to interviews. To me, this is the ultimate integrity of an artist. His work is not a commodity to be bought and sold, but something that is a true expression of the person. If people enjoy what they hear, that is brilliant. If not, never mind. You can tell that Letur-Lefr is the work of someone who has enjoyed learning a new instrument, and completely immersing themselves in new musical territory.

Frusciante's musical views are unquestionably selfless. As a complete scholar, and consequently master of the guitar, he professes in interviews that technical ability is over-rated, and that simple techniques on the guitar are often more than sufficient when creating sounds. Anyone who listens to his Californication era output can testify to this- nothing obscenely flash, yet the sparse notes are structured and effective. That said, being such a well rounded musician, when we are treated to a virtuoso moment or a face melting solo, it is equally as moving. Not because it is there to "show off," but because it is placed there to represent an emotion, feeling or play a small part in a larger picture.

This is what makes John Frusciante's work so appealing to me, it is almost the purest form of art available. I'm not naive enough to believe that John doesn't enjoy the benefits that years of commercial success has gained him, but I do respect the fact that he doesn't simply "go through the motions." I could imagine that it would have been very easy to carry on in the Chilis, making records half-heartedly, as many people would have done, but the fact he left to make music that pleased him is a comforting thought. It shows there are people unblemished by commercialism, where needs are satiated at the request of a record company. If rumours are true that he has stockpiled hundreds, or thousands of songs depending on the storyteller, that is an exciting prospect for fans of his music.

So Letur-Lefr is a representation of John's current status as a musician, a "one man band" that he deemed himself to be in a recent statement to accompany the new EP. This venture into electronic music isn't entirely new territory, as his 2004 collaboration with Josh Klinghoffer on the album A Sphere In The Heart Of Silence demonstrated his love of electronic music. However, this new EP and his next LP PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone are certainly not the guitar based wizardry one would expect from the man. But, as a listener, you can feel the one common theme in John's work throughout the songs, raw emotion. Be it electronic melodies, his guttural and emotive cries and vocals, or the sparse guitar parts that litter the songs, you can sense the emotional feel he applies to the songs he works on- something that he can somehow transcend across the instrument or musical genre.

So, in a world where musicians or artists 'sell out' or commercialise their products at the request of A+R men, it is a huge relief to me that there is still someone standing alone making music for themselves, not to cash in or jump onto the latest trend. This record is a little bit left field, and is essentially an artist testing untested waters, not because they have been told to by their record company, or trying to find a new sound, simply because they wish to. I genuinely believe that John wouldn't be too fussed whether or not anyone really listens to the record, or even enjoys it. It just so happens that the music is fantastic, and I'm sure anyone who gives it a spin will realise what an incredible piece of work it is.

Letur-Lefr is available now.
PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone is available from September.

Will cinema ever be original again?

So last night, I like many others eagerly trotted along to see the new Batman film at the cinema. I'm pretty sure that anyone who has seen it can wholeheartedly agree what a fantastic film it is, with all the ingredients anyone could want from an action film - danger, excitement, violence, breath taking set pieces - all in all a triumph for Mr Nolan, who has once again flexed his muscles as a top notch director of the summer blockbuster.

However, something struck me as I sat in the dark, about three quarters of the way through the film. I actually knew how the film was going to end. No, I'm not psychic, or a genius, or anything like that, and I imagine ninety nine percent of people reading this blog have had the exact same experience. I just knew what was going to happen. Now, I won't spoil the film for anyone yet to enjoy it, but the film follows what you would describe as the conventional Hollywood narrative, I guess. This wasn't the thing that bothered me, however. Sure, I enjoyed the experience, but it struck me that this movie is going to be the biggest selling thing for quite some time, and all it is, is essentially a re-telling of the same old narrative device.

Every genre has it's own set of narrative 'rules,' be it in a Rom-Com, a horror film, or a biopic. All forms have a clear set of rules that happen, and demonstrate something that we the audience expect to see when watching the film.

Take the "Disney Formula" of storytelling, which I think we can agree, applies pretty much to most blockbuster/family film. Hero/heroine is sat at home, when life changing experience happens to them. They resist it at first, test out their powers, become competent and set out on a big adventure. Things go well to start with, but then the villian/obstacle steps in the way, things go wrong, allies betray you, and things get bad. As bad as they can, to an impossible, inescapable pit of bad (something that is not just metaphorically seen in The Dark Knight Rises). Then, shock horror, the central character finds strength from somewhere, be it an inner strength, or the help of friends who they thought had long since abandoned them, and with this new found strength, evil is overcome. People live happily ever after. Yay. Tears all around. Obviously some films deviate slightly from this structure, we may have a nice twist somewhere, some unexpected endings involving sacrafice or selflessness, but the narrative above can be applied to the overwhelming majority of mainstream cinema. Harry Potter, Spiderman, Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, every Disney film since nineteen fifty-something...all the same.

This isn't me getting on my high horse and complaining, because I'm the first to admit that I enjoy a lot of the aforementioned films, and taking them for what they are- an enjoyable couple of hours entertainment. Also, this isn't a form of cultural snobbery, as I've said, I am a fan myself. But, as human beings, what makes us actually want to watch, what is essentially the same story played out time after time with different characters? Why are films so formulaic, and more importantly, why do we lap them up, unchallenged? Why don't we get bored of watching the same thing over and over again?

I suppose humans are creatures of habit. We like routine. We get up, go to work, come home, eat chips, go to bed. And repeat. Routine and the expected, these are the things people enjoy. I imagine that people like the fact that they can go to the cinema, and engage with a film without having to actually think about it- if you fell asleep for ten minutes in Batman, you'd wake up and still have a pretty good idea what was going on, because you can apply all the cultural conventions that you've learned from your previous engagements with a film. It's safe, you know what you're going to get, you can leave the cinema unchallenged, happy in the knowledge things went the way you thought and knew they would.

From the film industries point of view, the reasons for them making these kind of movies is obvious. The clue is in the phrase 'film industry.' It is an industry based around making money, and lots of it at that. Why on earth would they change the approach to storytelling, when it makes shed loads of cash? From watching the trailers before The Dark Knight Rises, it is obvious they have no imminent intention to change either. The friends I was with pointed out that they couldn't believe the five trailers beforehand were advertising films based on comics, sequels, or re-boots of existing franchises. When they know people will flock to see Batman, why not give the public more of what they want, and make lots of money at the same time? Are there actually no original ideas for scripts than literally stealing storylines from comic books (Superman), television shows(The Sweeney), or sequels (half of Hollywood)? As Paul Weller once said, 'The public wants what the public gets...'

I still feel that in honesty, cinemas' strength lies in it's ability to tell a story. To me, the storytelling in film in the nineteen fifties and sixties is unsurpassed. The quality of the narrative in, say, a film noir movie, is just as good, if not better than anything that is scripted today- the only thing that has changed is the special effects, which can decieve people into believing they are watching a better product than they actually are. Because of the visual limitations of effects in early cinema, I feel this meant writers were far more creative than todays scriptwriters. Scenes had to be filled with great dialogue, gripping stories, cliffhangers, ala Hitchcock. Nowadays, a child could have scripted the majority of a film, but because of the stunning visual effects and CGI, the audience is far too distracted to even notice how formulaic and shoddy a script is.

An interesting theory is that of Theodore Adorno, from the Frankfurt School. He claimed that the world, many decades ago, was about a Culture Industry, and his theory in a nutshell, stated that every type of art form was basically stealing from previous generations, meaning that nothing could ever be original again, as after the nineteen fifties, everything had had been 'done.' Despite being a pretty pessimistic theory, in many ways, he was correct. In music for example, there are only so many chord progressions and notes in a musical scale to use, meaning that the limits had been discovered, and any song is essentially a re-hash of a previous one. The same does apply with film. I'm aware of the fact there are only so many ways to tell a story, and I don't expect a revolutionary way of telling a tale to immerse from nowhere, as we've been telling the same stories since we were cavemen painting on a wall.

Obviously there is an amount of generalisation in what I've said, as there are some very clever storytellers and filmakers out there who have a sparkle of originality in their art form. There will always be pioneers, be it in the independent film sector, mainstream cinema, or art house, but predominantly, the films that bring in the most revenue will always be the most formulaic.There are without doubt revolutionary pieces of art house film out there, and a lot of European cinema is far more innovative than anything Hollywood comes up with.

I've got to say though, I do highly recommend watching The Dark Knight Rises, as it is an epic, great peice of cinema. This isn't written in any way to attack what is a well directed action film. There are some stunning setpieces and visual effects that really are aesthetically pleasing, but that aside, it just essentially another superhero film.

I do really look forward to the day that we can see a summer blockbuster hit that just thinks slightly outside the box, something that strikes a slightly different chord with audience than what we've seen before. Or until the audience gets bored with being fed the same old same old. Until then, I'll just sit with my popcorn and enjoy the show with everyone else.

Why we should support Record Store Day...

So, Saturday morning. I've just got back from a lovely, sun drenched Leeds after queuing an hour and a little bit for several records. Was it worth it? Yes.

Around seven years ago on a Saturday morning, as a naive, 13 year old boy I got the train into Leeds city centre on a mission; I was determined to go out and buy a copy of The Smiths album The Queen is Dead. I'd been fortunate enough to have heard Morrissey for the first time shortly before hand, and I was recommended to the album by a very cool drama teacher I had. Needless to say, after hearing this record, my life was never quite the same again. Cliche I know, but 100% true. From that day onwards, I learnt the true value of the record store- a place, where music wasn't rubbish, wasn't what everyone else at school listened to, and more importantly, wasn't Brittany Spears.


So, about seven years, and eight hundred CDs, records and singles later, I made the same trip that I did seven years ago, to buy the very same album on a limited edition 10" vinyl copy. Regardless of the fact I have the album on CD, my iPod, and two copies on vinyl, I went out to buy the life changing artifact once again. Why? Sentimental value? Perhaps. Increased sound quality? Well, it has been remastered, but probably not too much difference from the 2009 vinyl. Yes, all these reasons played a part, but more to the fact it was an opportunity to support a shop that I, and many others, are greatly indebted to. Jumbo Records is a store where I've discovered many great bands simply by browsing the shelves, such as The Replacements, The Long Blondes, and Pylon- so many acts that I've learnt to love through that store, and probably so many more I will find.

The people I was queuing with shared similar experiences, as we edged towards the front of the queue. Over 200 people were served, and thankfully I made the two purchases I went in for (picking up The Queen is Dead and the last copy of an R.E.M. Collapse Into Now Singles Boxset). It was so great to see so many people in a shop that can rarely be that busy, and to see the joy on peoples' faces as they successfully acquired the vinyl they most wanted. Obviously people did miss out on certain things, which must have been disappointing, but I'm sure most people found the whole thing enjoyable or slightly exciting.

Whatever will happen to record stores in an age of digital music is yet to be seen. However, today proved to me that music is more than just getting an MP3- it is the social aspect, the way that people interact and chat over music, and the pleasure in getting hold of the record, staring at the cover as you await to get it home and listen to it.

However you get your music, be it iTunes, HMV or Picadilly Records, I hope that on today of all days, you enjoy your music, and give a thought to the record store; a place where surely everyone has experienced that one, life changing moment.