en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/n0umena/journal The Last.fm journal for n0umena. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/n0umena/journal/2008/04/07/b8bn7_the_only_moment_we_were_alone Mon, 7 Apr 2008 01:33:18 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/n0umena/journal/2008/04/07/b8bn7_the_only_moment_we_were_alone Fri 4 Apr – Explosions in the Sky, Lichens

So Friday night was pretty much the highlight of my life. Traveled about 8 hours to get there, that's devotion. Lined up for the show around 5:30, second in line. Made friends with some other TRL vets and this guy who wouldn't shut up.

Lichens was first, although he started about 40 minutes late. I really liked his set, it was one 30-minute improvisation featuring bird sounds, drone guitar and inhuman singing, all made by this very small black man drinking tea. It was so... primal. Raw. It wasn't music that you hear very often but it seemed to connect on a purely visceral level. Very nice. The crowd was very disrespectful though, the talking was constant during his set and I felt pretty bad. it didn't seem to faze him though.

Explosions in the Sky came on around 9:30, and opened with Yasmin the Light (ironic because I had been listening to that song all week because I heard they had been playing it a lot on this tour). It was awesome. The Tralf is a pretty small venue, so the band were at most two metres away from me the whole time. When the three guitars stepped on their overdrives in Yasmin the Light the room shat a collective brick. But in a good way. It was fucking loud. I mean, I've seen them three times and I still thought it was fucking loud.

Next up was Catastrophe And The Cure. To be honest I never really dug this song until tonight. It was pretty incredible, especially when Munaf did his snare thing. Michael broke his strap and had to play the rest of the song kneeling. He duct taped it back together while the rest of the band vamped noise in between songs. So down to earth, its refreshing.

Third song was The Birth And Death Of The Day. I had never seen the song live before and its one of the ones everyone talks about as being incredible, so I was happy they played it. It was probably my favourite song of the night, it was so... triumphant. Goosebumps the whole time. Eyes welled up a bit. Paint peeled off the walls. It was really, really intense.

That segued into The Only Moment We Were Alone, which they've played every time I've seen the band. This time they played a really cool intro to it though. Nice to hear them changing stuff up. The song obviously destroyed me and everyone else, and I think it was the only time I was moved literally to tears all night. The crowd luckily was better for Explosions, during the part about 8 minutes in right before the world ends it was so quiet you could hear Munaf tapping his foot for time. Beautiful.

Greet Death then. always a favourite, the crowd loved it. It was so epic when they all came crashing in in unison at the beginning. Sweat was sprayed onto me. Munaf was going crazy in the noise section, dragging his guitar all over the ground and making the most wonderful noise. It rocked pretty hard.

Next up was Welcome, Ghosts, which seemed to be everyone's favourite. It was pretty great, but it lacks the emotional range to be a favourite for me. They played it well though.

Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean was the penultimate song, and it was new to me live. It has one of my favourite moments in an Explosions in the Sky song, and it was wonderful to hear it firsthand for the first time. The song was very melancholy somehow, a lot sadder sounding than the album version.

Memorial closed out the set, another live favourite, and for good reason. This song kicks serious ass, ladies and gentlemen. As soon as the crowd heard the e-bow bit at the beginning that identifies the song they responded enthusiastically. The song of course was amazing, and at the end when the three come down in unison the crowd went nuts. I lied, I think I cried a little there too. It was unreasonable.

After the show, I waited until the band came out, met them, spoke to them, took pictures etc. They signed my iPod. Perfect end to a perfect day. See you in 2009.

]]> http://www.last.fm/user/n0umena/journal/2008/03/08/b8bn6_march_into_the_sea Sat, 8 Mar 2008 23:36:00 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/n0umena/journal/2008/03/08/b8bn6_march_into_the_sea I guess I was wrong. I guess Pelican doesn't suck. This song (off of the EP of the same name) is amazing. 20+ minutes of unstoppable fury/glory.

March Into the Sea]]> http://www.last.fm/user/n0umena/journal/2007/06/25/b8bn5_13%2525_mainstream. Mon, 25 Jun 2007 23:56:40 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/n0umena/journal/2007/06/25/b8bn5_13%2525_mainstream. Take your 20 Overall Top Artists and find how many listeners they have.

1. Jeniferever (7,112)
2. Coil (45,641)
3. The Paper Chase (9,977)
4. Radiohead (747,098)
5. Pelican (45,520)
6. Isis (74,346)
7. Labradford (17,849)
8. Grails (12,742)
9. If These Trees Could Talk (1,694)
10. Gregor Samsa (12,904)
11. 65daysofstatic (48,367)
12. Sackville (1,203)
13. Do Make Say Think (65,437)
14. Wow, Owls! (3,149)
15. Tarentel (8,262)
16. Sigur Rós (355,289)
17. Halifax Pier (624)
18. Damien Rice (294,890)
19. Squarepusher (138,508)
20. Maserati (4,982)

Total: 1,895,594

Divide by 20.

Average: 94,779.7

Divide by the number of Radiohead listeners (apparently Radiohead is the most listened to artist)

Radiohead - 747,098

0.1268

Multiply by 100 and round.

I'm 12.7% mainstream.]]>