Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Friday Eargasm
This should have been posted last Friday but I got caught up with a few things and never made it out of my drafts, so here it is, albeit a bit late.
Worriedaboutsatan are a electronic-post rock duo from Leeds and successfully blend two of my favourite genres in what could easily become the new direction for post-rock.
I have chosen the track You're In My Thoughts as the most obvious track from their 2009 album Arrivals though honestly, any track from the album could perfectly demonstrate the detail and effort put into their recordings.
Beginning with a tremoloed guitar, it could easily be any post-rock song by any band. However, very quickly, we are introduced to heavily-reverberated clicks as the guitars move from left to right. The track is 6 minutes long but wastes no time in building the spacey clicks into a more direct beat, akin to Aphex Twin's early work.
It's incredibly difficult for Post-rock songs to build on a wonderful melody without overcrowding the sonic field and shows skill in your improvisation and melody writing skills if that original melody can sit in the mix the whole way through without becoming repetitive.
Worriedaboutsatan pull this off perfectly, introducing vocals that are warped and delayed out of all recognition that sweep from left to right, adding another dimension to the increasingly glitchy and unrecognisable drum sounds, there are rapid clicks that swoop out as quickly as they arrived, random insect-sounding noises are littered throughout the mix; all of this building a swirling percussive background that feels measured and with no need to add more.
The track climaxes breaks down as quickly as it began with a new melody taking over, built on the random synth soudns that were introduced without notice during the track but so quickly took centre stage, all backed by the glorious guitar chords that accompanied the opening melody.
I prefer my post-rock to be melodious; I appreciate the skills in playing with dynamics and I get the whole drone thing but I love to hear melodies flitting around the song. Worriedaboutsatan have found the perfect way to build melodies with spacey-house beats, music that is new and incredibly exciting. For Me anyway.
This version is edited, for the full version, you'll have to go here and pay just £8. It's a bargain, honest.
Thursday, 11 February 2010
MP3 quality
Ok, so I've been putting forward very little of my own opinions here recently, developments are taking place in the grand scheme of things that have left me brimming with excitement but also rather busy trying to digest as much music as possible; find as many inspiring and original things as possible and work out a way to present my own opinions without sounding too opinionated.
Anyone noticed that I've rarely posted a bad word to say about anything on here? That's because I'm sure of what I like and what I don't like, but sometimes, those paths cross and I can't justify it to myself or anyone else.
However, that's a conversation for another time.
In the meantime, get your eyes stuck into this discussion with Johnny Greenwood about the MP3 era and it's affects on the listening experience
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones/2009/09/dithering-jonny-greenwood.html
Anyone noticed that I've rarely posted a bad word to say about anything on here? That's because I'm sure of what I like and what I don't like, but sometimes, those paths cross and I can't justify it to myself or anyone else.
However, that's a conversation for another time.
In the meantime, get your eyes stuck into this discussion with Johnny Greenwood about the MP3 era and it's affects on the listening experience
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones/2009/09/dithering-jonny-greenwood.html
Worriedaboutsatan - Heart Monitor
Blog favourites worriedaboutsatan have posted a preview video fo their upcoming single Heart Monitor.
It's only a little snippet of the track but it seems to feature guitars that were hidden slightly on Arrivals.
I'll review a track from Arrivals for tomorrow's Eargasm but if you can't wait until then, check out the playlist on the right to introduce yourself.
It's only a little snippet of the track but it seems to feature guitars that were hidden slightly on Arrivals.
I'll review a track from Arrivals for tomorrow's Eargasm but if you can't wait until then, check out the playlist on the right to introduce yourself.
Heart Monitor teaser from worriedaboutsatan on Vimeo.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
NTA week
Don't forget, this week is NTA week, raising awareness about the extremely serious condition, Tinnitus.
You can now take a hearing check online at this address
www.rnid.org.uk/check
It only takes 5 minutes and gives you an indication of the state of your hearing straight away.
I cant emphasise enough how important stuff like this really is, especially to our generation, constantly exposed to loud sounds through headphones, live music and clubs.
You can now take a hearing check online at this address
www.rnid.org.uk/check
It only takes 5 minutes and gives you an indication of the state of your hearing straight away.
I cant emphasise enough how important stuff like this really is, especially to our generation, constantly exposed to loud sounds through headphones, live music and clubs.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Tinnitus Awareness Week
Having myself experienced the scare of Tinnitus after attending an extremely loud gig almost a year ago now, I have since been a constant advocate of earplugs and protecting hearing at live music.
Protecting hearing seems to have a weird stigma attatched to it; that it somehow makes you uncool and lessens your experience of a live band by wearing earplugs. I admit, dance music is wonderful loud, pumping in your chest and ringing in your ears. the thought of that ringing persisting through the rest of your life however scares me too much. I love music, that is clear. I equally love live music and have myself complained that sometimes bands are too quiet.
However, to constantly hear a ringing, when I am away from the music, when I lie in bed at night, reading a book... the thought is terrifying.
Next week is Tinnitus Awareness Week, championed by Eddy Temple-Morris, himself a tinnitus sufferer.
Below is an interview he conducted with The Remix Update on his tinnitus experience and advice to prevent it.
Remember, laser-eye surgery can fix your eyes but there is nothing as of yet to fix your ears, merely temporarily reduce the symptoms.
This is a serious problem which our generation is yet to recognise and understand the consequence of. My earplugs cost £20 and have saved my ringing ears on numerous occasions.
"Next week is Tinnitus Awareness Week, a UK-wide campaign to inform and educate people about the condition, encourage gig-goers to protect their hearing, and promote the range of free services the British Tinnitus Association provides to sufferers and their families.
As his first piece of work as an 'ambassador' for the BTA, DJ and presenter Eddy Temple-Morris, himself a tinnitus sufferer, will kick the week off with a very special free event in London. Dubbed 'One Tune: One Cause', Eddy has pulled together a group of more than 25 DJs and musicians, all of whom have tinnitus, who will take it in turns to play one record each to make up one complete DJ set.
Those on the bill include Eddy himself, Adam F, Jon Carter, Way Out West, Lottie, Streetlife DJs, Burn The Negative, Wrongtom, Cassette Jam, Losers, Jagz Kooner and more. British Tinnitus Association representatives will also be on hand to offer advice on protecting your hearing, and bespoke earplugs will be available for a discounted price from earplug manufacturers Musicians Hearing Services.
Writing about his experience of tinnitus in CMU Daily's sister bulletin the Remix Update, Eddy says: "I remember the carefree days of going to a gig, blasting my eardrums with glorious and beautiful music, then getting home with a ringing in my ears. It would last for a few hours, maybe a day. I thought it was just part and parcel of going to a gig. Van Halen at Birmingham Civic Centre Coliseum in Alabama set an unbeaten record of about a week, but it always went away eventually. Then, one day, about a decade ago... it didn't".
He continued: "I have a constant high-pitched tone in one or both of my ears, and it's something I carry with me always, wherever I go. I don't notice it in the day, there's too much ambient noise in London, even at night. It's when I go somewhere really quiet, in the countryside, that it really affects me. I lie down to sleep and, with the absence of planes, trains and automobiles, I realise the awful truth that I cannot hear the silence. That lovely sense of total quiet, of blissful peace, is something I will never experience again".
He adds that through the advice of the BTA and a bespoke ear-plug from Musicians Hearing Services he has managed to reduce the impact of the condition, but that he is still committed to educating as many gig-goers as possible about the risks of exposure to very loud music, and of what they can do to reduce those risks.
He explains: "As long as I have the power to do something about it, I'll communicate, pressure, evangelise, talk, listen, rant, and anything else I can think of to make sure that you don't find yourself in the same position as me and all these other huge-hearted artists on the bill at this show, of never hearing silence again".
You can read Eddy's full piece on Tinnitus, and his advice for avoiding it, in this week's Remix Update. Access and subscribe at www.theCMUwebsite.com/remixupdate"
Protecting hearing seems to have a weird stigma attatched to it; that it somehow makes you uncool and lessens your experience of a live band by wearing earplugs. I admit, dance music is wonderful loud, pumping in your chest and ringing in your ears. the thought of that ringing persisting through the rest of your life however scares me too much. I love music, that is clear. I equally love live music and have myself complained that sometimes bands are too quiet.
However, to constantly hear a ringing, when I am away from the music, when I lie in bed at night, reading a book... the thought is terrifying.
Next week is Tinnitus Awareness Week, championed by Eddy Temple-Morris, himself a tinnitus sufferer.
Below is an interview he conducted with The Remix Update on his tinnitus experience and advice to prevent it.
Remember, laser-eye surgery can fix your eyes but there is nothing as of yet to fix your ears, merely temporarily reduce the symptoms.
This is a serious problem which our generation is yet to recognise and understand the consequence of. My earplugs cost £20 and have saved my ringing ears on numerous occasions.
"Next week is Tinnitus Awareness Week, a UK-wide campaign to inform and educate people about the condition, encourage gig-goers to protect their hearing, and promote the range of free services the British Tinnitus Association provides to sufferers and their families.
As his first piece of work as an 'ambassador' for the BTA, DJ and presenter Eddy Temple-Morris, himself a tinnitus sufferer, will kick the week off with a very special free event in London. Dubbed 'One Tune: One Cause', Eddy has pulled together a group of more than 25 DJs and musicians, all of whom have tinnitus, who will take it in turns to play one record each to make up one complete DJ set.
Those on the bill include Eddy himself, Adam F, Jon Carter, Way Out West, Lottie, Streetlife DJs, Burn The Negative, Wrongtom, Cassette Jam, Losers, Jagz Kooner and more. British Tinnitus Association representatives will also be on hand to offer advice on protecting your hearing, and bespoke earplugs will be available for a discounted price from earplug manufacturers Musicians Hearing Services.
Writing about his experience of tinnitus in CMU Daily's sister bulletin the Remix Update, Eddy says: "I remember the carefree days of going to a gig, blasting my eardrums with glorious and beautiful music, then getting home with a ringing in my ears. It would last for a few hours, maybe a day. I thought it was just part and parcel of going to a gig. Van Halen at Birmingham Civic Centre Coliseum in Alabama set an unbeaten record of about a week, but it always went away eventually. Then, one day, about a decade ago... it didn't".
He continued: "I have a constant high-pitched tone in one or both of my ears, and it's something I carry with me always, wherever I go. I don't notice it in the day, there's too much ambient noise in London, even at night. It's when I go somewhere really quiet, in the countryside, that it really affects me. I lie down to sleep and, with the absence of planes, trains and automobiles, I realise the awful truth that I cannot hear the silence. That lovely sense of total quiet, of blissful peace, is something I will never experience again".
He adds that through the advice of the BTA and a bespoke ear-plug from Musicians Hearing Services he has managed to reduce the impact of the condition, but that he is still committed to educating as many gig-goers as possible about the risks of exposure to very loud music, and of what they can do to reduce those risks.
He explains: "As long as I have the power to do something about it, I'll communicate, pressure, evangelise, talk, listen, rant, and anything else I can think of to make sure that you don't find yourself in the same position as me and all these other huge-hearted artists on the bill at this show, of never hearing silence again".
You can read Eddy's full piece on Tinnitus, and his advice for avoiding it, in this week's Remix Update. Access and subscribe at www.theCMUwebsite.com/remixupdate"
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