Last.fm Group Journal: Plotters

A Mystery Solved

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 19:15:23 +0000

Forever ago, in the glory-days of Napster and Kazaa, I discovered Radiohead (hurrah!) and amidst the 28.8kb/s hunt for b-sides and rarities on other people’s computers found myself in possession of a song called Cogs. It was a weird and haunting song that seemed to fit right into the Kid A/Amnesiac theme but didn’t fit with GreenPlastic’s suggestion that Cogs was an alternate title for Last Flowers.

It became this anomaly in my collection, Radiohead but not, and I forgot about it until today, when I thought I’d scan it with Last.fm’s command line fingerprinter which told me:



 Ennio Morricone

 Man With A Harmonica

  http://www.last.fm/music/Ennio+Morricone/_/Man+With+A+Harmonica;

Which wasn’t what I expected at all.

But now a six-year odd mystery has been solved and I’d love to know how the fingerprinter works. Probably some hairy maths .. it’s impressive it can figure these things, especially now they're automatically redirected.

It’s still an excellent song.

// Some other connections for posterity: Ennio Morricone, Man With a Harmonica.

Top 8 Albums of 2008

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 06:03:40 +0000

1. Sam Phillips - Don't Do Anything
2. The Fall - Imperial Wax Solvent
3. T Bone Burnett - Tooth of Crime
4. Ry Cooder - I, Flathead
5. Oppenheimer - Take The Whole Midrange And Boost It
6. Julian Cope - Black Sheep
7. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation Of Niggy Tardust
8. Ministry - Cover Up

40,000th song

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:01:28 +0000

In a dreamy but damned empire far far away... in an age of visceral madness and circular conspiracy, one philosopher seeks hope...

Ladies and gentlemen the world over, you simply must experience the latest noise to come from famed playlist dominator, My Bloody Valentine. Slow follows the twisted tale of a cavalier and philosopher as he tries to smile, smile, smile, smile, smile in an eerie, nether world.

Notorious antagonist, Belinda Butcher (played by Sugar) returns to the screen to suck, suck, suck as well as lick, lick, lick. By the end of the 2PM hour block, you're wondering, "What kind of perverse Irish nonsense is this?!" But keep listening. The plot and thunderous score are wholly interactive. Were we to be sitting near one another, YOU MAKE ME REALIZE what's really happening and vice versa.

He cannot call upon the Sonic Youth to be in his land army. When he slips, the The Jesus and Mary Chain is nowhere in sight. Slow plods ever onward through the wintry abyss with nothing but his Kevin Shields to protect and sustain him, moving ever toward 3:01PM on October 16th, 2008 when the thanksgiving of prophesy that is my 40,000th song is finally revealed.

Death-defying stunts! Feel suspended in your chair as Slow breezes past The Breeze...intercepts I'm Waiting for the Man. If you nervously shoegaze for even a second of this 3:13 masterpiece, you'll miss something key!

My Bloody Valentine, you got what I need, so don't play no games. Fire up your playlists now ladies and gentlemen...the time of judgment, my 50,000th song, draws near.

Slow...only in playlists.
Fall 2008

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes : Quick Album Review 5/5

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:51:19 +0000

Artist: Fleet Foxes
Album: Fleet Foxes
Tags: folk, folk-rock, indie folk, indie rock, psychedelia, harmony, americana

Another quick album review, I won't waste your time.

Overview: so pretty!

Last.fm

There's absolutely nothing new in this album from Fleet Foxes. We've heard everything before from the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, My Morning Jacket, The Beach Boys and any other band you could mention who enjoy three or four part harmonies. In fact, I'd go so far as to say Fleet Foxes don't quite reach some of the standards set by these guys. The album isn't perfect by any means, particularly in the lead vocals.

And yet...

I have to say, my response to Fleet Foxes is entirely emotional. I know other people do it better but I want them! I want to hear them back to back with Simon & Garfunkel. (Done it. iPod. Sudoku. Nice.)

At times, they're Ennio Morricone. Other times, they're The Arcade Fire. They wear their inspirations on their sleeves. This album will be one of those that mark 2008 for me.

Top tracks:
Ragged Wood Tell me anything you want / Any old lie will do / Call me back to / Back to you
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
Your Protector

Before this shout on their artist page gets buried, here is the wiki link to the original painting used in the cover art. (Thanks, Micjen.)

Babs _{My Gang}

Click for full screen image

Unique Visitors

Paul Weller - 22 Dreams : Quick Album Review 4/5

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:56:25 +0000

Artist: Paul Weller
Album: 22 Dreams
Tags: rock, indie rock, psychedelic, noise, instrumental, jazz, tango... !
Guests: Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer (Oasis), Steve Cradock (Ocean Colour Scene), Graham Coxon (Blur)

Another quick album review, I won't waste your time.

Overview: A musical tour de force.

Last.fm

I'd read one or two reviews prior to its release, I'd seen Paul Weller on 'Later... with Jools Holland', heard the hype and thought, 'Nah'. Then someone I know, whose opinion I respect very much, said he liked it. That was enough to give the album a proper try.

I'm so glad.

I don't want to spoil the surprises too much for you but 22 Dreams is a showcase of everything Paul Weller can do and is capable of. It sweeps up genres he obviously enjoys and scatters them throughout the album. The hype actually didn't do him justice; it focused on the indie rock tracks and left it at that. This album is full of music, including a little bit of psychedelic noise. Bet no one expected that. 111

Don't you think he sounds like Cat Stevens here? Light Nights

My 5 star track is Song For Alice (Dedicated to the Beautiful Legacy of Mrs. Coltrane)

Oh and this one - One Bright Star

And this one - Lullaby Für Kinder (sorry, sorry, sorry, I'll stop now... wish I could add another one... Where'er Ye Go)

It's a 5/5 album I think, but I've marked it down a notch for now while I get to know it better.

Some of the customer reviews in Amazon complained there's no coherence but I'm with the ones who are grateful for an album that's not all samey-samey. It's one of those deliciously rich albums that will take me a long time to get to know.

22 Dreams, 21 tracks and a few EPs. Should keep me busy for a while.

Babs _{My Gang}

Unique Visitors

[My Gang] A Place to Bury Strangers - The Falling Sun : Reco of the Week 03 June 08

Tue, 3 Jun 2008 18:33:29 +0000

Artist: A Place to Bury Strangers
Track: The Falling Sun
Album: A Place To Bury Strangers
Tags: noise, noise rock, post-punk, psychedelic, shoegaze, drone, industrial, space rock, post rock

Video

I just discovered these guys last week. I wrote more here. (refresh the page if it doesn't land properly).

Regular readers will know I love my 'old school', I was at school during post-punk before it became 'post' and I love my music dark. Not just ordinary dark, I like it inky black. I just found it again and I'm ecstatic.

Last.fm

The new album from A Place to Bury Strangers is 5/5 perfection. It's been a hard task to pick a track. I decided on The Falling Sun because it isn't typical of the album. The rest of it is much louder and faster than this. Also that video is just so cool. Made-for-tv 70s sci fi. It's not Garth Marenghi though, more Logan's Run. I'm not sure if it's an official video or an amateur effort. Either way, it's great.

From YouTube:

The video was directed by David Yoonha Park: http://www.yoonhapark.com/. The footage is culled from a late 70's made for TV movie entitled "Lathe of Heaven," the first sci-fi movie ever produced for public television and based on a Ursula K. Le Guin novel.
Wikipedia: Lathe of Heaven

If you look at the shoutbox for this artist, you'll see a lot of references to The Jesus & Mary Chain. I think that's simplistic and obvious. From my point of view, I'm hearing darkwave from the late 70s and early 80s - Echo & The Bunnymen, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, The Cure. What we used to call goth. Then I'm hearing The Sisters of Mercy, The Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, of course. From more recent times, I'm hearing The Stone Roses, Spacemen 3, Mogwai and Slowdive.

Their influences as cited on their MySpace (I won't get spammy and link them):

The Crystals, Xinlu Supreme, JAMC, Loop, Heaven Piano Company, Skywave, Ecstasy of St. Theresa, My Bloody Valentine, The Cure, Slowdive, Ride, Cocteau Twins, Somber Moments, Snow-cane, Venom, E.P.M.D., Sleep, Lightning Bolt, Alcian Blue, Airiel, Ceremony, Ministry, Boris, Mono, Ashrae Faux, Hartfield, Dirty On Purpose, Autodrone, Mogwai, Curve, Vaz, Adult, Death From Above, Death in Vegas, The Emerald Down, Spacemen 3, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Warlocks, Suicide, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Sex Concious Young Moderns, Lazy Lane, The Bedroom Set, Cobra Spa, Hoomdorm, Six Finger Satellite, Bowery Electric, Spiritualized, Oasis, Chapterhouse, Joy Division, The Sex Pistols, Astrobrite, Medicine, Mazzy Star, Francis 7, Dead Kennedys, Flying Saucer Attack, Guitar Wolf, Bauhaus, New York Dolls, Catherine Wheel, Kraftwerk, Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, New Order, Tommy James, Public Enemy, Misfits, The Ramones, Red Lory Yellow Lory, Orange Juice, Rockethouse, The Smiths, Stellarscope, The Shangri Las, The Vandelles.

What A Place to Bury Strangers have done so well is bring all these styles together. Loudly. Turned up, the music comes to life. The band play with tension and control, assaulting you with "sonic annihilation" so loud you're in pain, without ever losing the music. When you listen with the volume down, you get a lovely thick soup of sound. It's like when you were a kid and you listened to John Peel in bed, under the covers with the radio pressed against your ear.

There's a great review at Amazon.co.uk. Looks like there's a new album due later this year! Something to look forward to. It will be interesting to see how they develop their sound, although what they have now will be missed.

Babs _{My Gang}

Admin - Stats as of today:

Video:
Date Added to YouTube: February 05, 2008
Views: 4,666, Ratings: 14, Responses: 0, Comments: 8, Favorited: 44 times

Last.fm listeners of this track - 8,055 (not streamable)
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 27,139
Position Last Week: 7 / 376
Position in Top 100 Tracks: 6 / 4,752

Stats after 7 days: to be added

Video:
Views: 4,911, Ratings: 15, Responses: 0, Comments: 9, Favorited: 44 times

Last.fm listeners of this track - 8,055 (not streamable)
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 27,139
Position Last Week: 7 / 517
Position in Top 100 Tracks: 6 / 4,747

212 Unique Visitors
334 Page Views

Unique Visitors
Page Views

Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends : Quick Album Review 4/5

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 23:34:36 +0000

Artist: Coldplay
Album: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Tags: rock, art rock, world, ambient rock, indie

Another quick album review. I won't waste your time.

The whole album is being streamed in full on their MySpace globally (except for a few countries) from tonight for a week.

I feel I have to balance out what I said on the release of their single, Violet Hill. I spoke too soon.

You'll probably read a gazillion reviews on this album, most likely mine will get buried in the mound but for what it's worth, here's what I think:

Coldplay have jumped out of their indie box and are standing beside it. They haven't lost sight of their roots but they are looking out at a big wide world. And it's bright and lovely.

They haven't lost what makes them Coldplay. The old tug at the heartstrings, the sentimentality, it's all there. (best bit!)

It always takes me a long time to get to know lyrics. Sometimes I never do. From what I'm getting so far, they seem more grown up, more mature. I'm getting more life experience with contemplation of themes such as loneliness. 42, about bereavement, is brilliant. Lost! is going to make me buy the album. The album version is better than the acoustic one here in Last.fm - Lost? - although that's good too. Daydreamy.

I must say, I'm really enjoying the music. Multi-layered, multi-sectioned, not typically western, not typically world, not typically fusion either. It's a great blend. Brian Eno's, doing is it? Good man. The Tinariwen influence isn't token. It's throughout and incorporated.

They're still anthemic on the whole, but there are signs they're breaking away from that too. Maybe in the future, they'll treat us to an intimate album. They couldn't possibly go back to how they were now they've stretched so much. That would just be lazy.

Babs _{My Gang}

Unique Visitors
Page Views

Coldplay - Violet Hill free mp3

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:24:52 +0000

Artist: Coldplay
Track: Violet Hill
Album: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Tags: rock, indie rock, alternative, pop

Hang on, I need to stop laughing...

Right, there's been this great build up of Coldplay listening to Tinariwen for ideas lately, Brian Eno's produced the new album, lyrics are "much more abstract, much more visual than before," and the music is "less straight-forward, more oblique.". (go to wikipedia for all sources, it's pretty accurate on this occasion)

hang on... :D

Tinariwen - funky, excellent guitar blues, bouncy, upbeat
Brian Eno - invented ambient music, 70s, musical genius
Violet Hill - sounds like Coldplay always do.

I'll give it this, it's more rock than usual, borrowing heavily from the 70s (Brian Eno's doing, probably). The guitar work is cool and the energy in the middle is stomping. Chris Martin keeps singing out of tune, so no change there then. The formula of the song is classic Coldplay - soft, heavy, ends soft. The ambient opening is beautiful but very quiet. You have to turn it up to hear it properly then back down for the rest.

Awww, well at least they tried. It is a good track nonetheless. I don't know if other people are like me, it's not so much about the music as the emotional connections you make while listening. No other band does this to me. I've been criticised for listening to them so I don't play them as often as I would but when I do, the old heartstrings get going. Yes, the music's samey-samey bland, but what's that secret ingredient they've got? Love it, whatever it is.

They haven't imposed too many obstacles, downloading the track is pretty easy. Just give them your email and zip/post code and you're good to go. Bitrate is 192kbps.

http://www.coldplay.com/index.html

ps: Viva la Diva means shoes to me - http://www.vivaladivacom.com/

EDIT: but the album is a whole different story. My review - 4/5

Babs _{My Gang}

Page Views

[My Gang] Bruce Springsteen - Candy's Room : Reco of the Week 27 May 08

Tue, 27 May 2008 16:30:33 +0000

Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Track: Candy's Room
Tags: rock, classic rock, singer-songwriter, drums

Video, Live in Passaic, New Jersey, circa '78.

Last Thursday, at around 3pm, I discovered Bruce Springsteen.

I've been reading Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock 'n' Roll, by Sarfraz Manzoor. I was about half way through when it happened.

From Amazon:

Sarfraz Manzoor was three years old when he emigrated from Pakistan to Britain in 1974 with his mother, brother and sister. They came to join their father, who worked on the production line at Vauxhall, and settled in the Bury Park neighbourhood of Luton. Sarfraz's teenage years were a constant battle to reconcile being both British and Muslim. Frustrated by real life, he sought solace in TV and music. But it was when his best friend introduced him to Bruce Springsteen that his life changed forever. In this perceptive, affectionate and timely memoir, Sarfraz Manzoor retraces his journey from Lahore to Luton to Ladbroke Grove, from the minor frustrations of his childhood to his response and analysis of the tragedies of 9/11 and 7/7. Original, darkly tender and wryly amusing, it is an inspiring tribute to the power of music to transcend race and religion - and a touching salute of thanks from one working-class Pakistani Muslim boy to the father who died too soon for his son to make him proud.

I am roughly the same age as the writer so there was a lot for me to identify with, except for this love of Bruce Springsteen. I've grown up hearing all the hits, enjoying a few of them too, but I never really looked any further. Last Thursday, with a little time on my hands, I picked up my book and logged into Last.fm. Bruce Springsteen is fully streamable (where I am) so I took the opportunity to hear what was so special. I wasn't expecting what I heard.

The first album I played was Darkness on the Edge of Town because that was the first one Manzoor heard. It's nothing like the hits. There's another layer. The next album I tried was The Ghost of Tom Joad. Not only is there another layer, it's in another league. Dark, thoughtful, reflective, morose, deep, sad. I never thought I'd attribute these words to Springsteen. I thought he was all Born in the USA, upbeat, easy listening and good fun.

Reading the book, I learnt there's an integrity to Springsteen's lyrics. They're about being true to yourself and being the best you can be. They're about poverty, politics, society, relationships especially between fathers and sons, they're about factories and cities, surviving in an urban environment. They're philosophical and they're about life. His closest musical relative is Bob Dylan.

You can't listen and not want to study the lyrics. Here's your new best friend - Bruce Springsteen official site.

Where Dylan uses a folk style to deliver his messages, Springsteen uses classic rock. It's masculine and hard-edged, apart from the hits which are enormous fun. This is why Candy's Room jumped out at me. It's nothing like any of his other tracks.

The first thing that struck me was the drums. I had the volume on low so I could read at the same time. I love drumming but I don't think I've ever heard a track where the drums carry all the emotion. It's the drums that drive the song, conveying passion and frustration. There's a guitar solo but I suspect it's to give the poor drummer a break. It must be extremely painful to go at that speed.

The song is about the thrill of a kiss. The drums describe the rush of blood and the excitement the guy feels. I'm not sure if he's fantasising or if it's a girl he's just met. Looking at the lyrics, he's someone without much experience, young, a bit shy with not that much to offer, whilst Candy has any number of rich suitors to choose from. The guy doesn't know how to compete but is convinced he's the right one for her.

Lyrics

In Candy's room there are pictures of her heroes on the wall
but to get to Candy's room you gotta walk the darkness of Candy's hall
Strangers from the city call my baby's number and they bring her toys
When I come knocking she smiles pretty she knows I wanna be Candy's boy
There's a sadness hidden in that pretty face
A sadness all her own from which no man can keep Candy safe

We kiss, my heart's rushes to my brain
The blood rushes in my veins fire rushes towards the sky
We go driving driving deep into the night
I go driving deep into the light in Candy's eyes

She says baby if you wanna be wild
you got a lot to learn, close your eyes
Let them melt, let them fire, let them burn
Cause in the darkness there'll be hidden worlds that shine
When I hold Candy close she makes these hidden worlds mine

She has fancy clothes and diamond rings
She has men who give her anything she wants but they don't see
That what she wants is me,
oh and I want her so
I'll never let her go, no no no
She knows that I'd give
all that I got to give
All that I want all that I live
to make Candy mine
Tonight

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

The video I've chosen is in black & white, filmed around 1978. You can see the drummer really well, and doesn't Bruce Springsteen look young! I think the drumming comes across much better in the recorded version. I hope wherever you are, Last.fm has the fully streamable track for you.

Springsteen is currently touring the UK, appearing in Manchester tomorrow. Have a great time, all of you who are going. Come and tell us how he was!

Thanks to Last.fm for the fully streamable albums.
Thanks to my family for recommending the book.

Babs _{My Gang}

Admin - Stats as of today:

Video:
Date Added to YouTube: May 01, 2006
Comments: 44, Favorited: 324 times, Honors: 0, Links: 5, Ratings: 110, Views: 27,538

Last.fm listeners of this track - 11,966 (fully streamable)
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 43,996
Position in Top 10 Last Week: n/a
Position in Top 100 Tracks: 77 / 3,889

Stats after 7 days:

Video:
Comments: 46, Favorited: 324 times, Honors: 0, Links: 5, Ratings: 111, Views: 27,791

Last.fm listeners of this track - 12,118 (fully streamable)
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 44,565
Position in Top 10 Last Week: n/a
Position in Top 100 Tracks: 77 / 3,889

226 Unique Visitors
315 Page Views

Unique Visitors
Page Views

[My Gang] The Last Army - Dead : Reco of the Week 20 May 08

Tue, 20 May 2008 22:32:13 +0000

Artist: The Last Army
Track: Dead
Tags: indie, indie rock, new wave, post-punk, pop, london

Video

Further to my recommendation for Last.fm find Grantura last week, I thought I'd stay within the site and bring you another discovery of note - The Last Army.

It's so lovely to find indie proper. Listen to their available tracks here in Last.fm and in their MySpace to see what I mean. With subtle use of diverse elements, what they've done is create interesting material for mass radio. There are the obligatory guitars and drums but they also use violins, timpani, church organs, accordions and harpsichords. Their biggest asset, I'd say, is the lead singer, Rebekah. Hers is a seductive voice with a slight accent that you want to hear more of.

The track I've chosen, Dead, is their new single, out in June and currently free to download. I've been listening to it for a week and it finally just dawned on me who it reminds me of - Fun Boy Three. I don't mean exactly. It's the darkness, the rhythm, the tone and feel of it. (Maybe it's just me. The Last Army take me right back to the early 80s. In a good way.)

Nice red boots.

Babs _{My Gang}

Admin - Stats as of today:

Video:
Date Added to YouTube: April 03, 2008
Comments: 5, Favorited: 6 times, Honors: 0, Links: 5, Ratings: 10, Views: 581

Last.fm listeners of this track - 44 (fully streamable)
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 200
Position Last Week: 1 / 5
Position in Top 100 Tracks: 1 / 29

Stats after 7 days:

Video:
Comments: 5, Favorited: 6 times, Honors: 0, Links: 5, Ratings: 10, Views: 661

Last.fm listeners of this track - 47 (fully streamable)
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 210
Position Last Week: 1 / 6
Position in Top 100 Tracks: 1 / 29

231 Unique Visitors
318 Page Views

Unique Visitors
Page Views