Merry Christmas from Desperately Seeking Susan Boyle

it's the most wonderful time of the year (or so the song goes) and although i hate the fact that the first smattering can be heard as early as late October some years, i genuinely love Christmas songs

there have been occasions where i have been driven to the brink of losing my sanity as the same songs repeat over and over and over by the 24th of December, but with enough ducking and diving through the festive period, it is possible to get through it mentally unscathed.

i'm still filled with joy when i hear the likes of The Waitresses, Wizzard and Wham (and other festive favourites that have not been brought to us by the letter W) but my coping mechanism over the past few years has been to invest in a couple of alternative Christmas albums (i would suggest James Brown's Funky Christmas for a rather chilled one, or the rather rare xfm cool cool Christmas compilation), compile my own seasonal playlists and to have a good hunt around for any other jolly holiday records that are unlikely to see as much airplay as Mariah Carey and Slade.




i've even had a stab at recording my own Christmas single in 2008, taking a rather cynical stab at all the things that seem to make up our modern vision of what Christmas is to so many people in our current culture.

but this year, i do decree that i have found two absolute crackers (please forgive me for the awful pun, it just comes so naturally this time of year) that stand up to the kind of repeated plays that as all the old standards that get trotted out each year, just don't expect Radio 2 and office parties to pick up on these at all, we're keeping it pretty niche.

first up is an artist that i make no secret of being a fan of, Akira The Don, who joins the likes of Michael Buble this year by releasing his own Christmas album which could be dropping down your digital chimney before Santa is doing his rounds tonight.

yes, it is true that i get a shout out over the outro of the release, but there is no bias when i recommend the tongue in cheek auto-tuned romp of Sexmas featuring Envy, which turns up the heat while it is cold outside, stuffed with some rather ludicrous innuendo yet utterly irresistible with it.

 stream: Sexmas ft Envy by Akira The Don
from the album, Saturnalia Superman

and pushing the limits of what is acceptable in a Christmas song even further is a free download from L.A duo, The Connects, who take the absurd and crank it up to 11 with an anthem that should by all rights be heard all the world over, but under no circumstances is it a suitable stocking filler for young children or easily offended grandparents.

 download: Christmas in the Club by The Connects
from the free EP, How The Connects Stole Christmas

Worst Case Scenario

in a band?

broke?

don't worry about it.

shunning expensive studio time, Worst Case Scenario show local bands how it should be done, self recording and self releasing their debut EP.

'Lost In The Element', available through iTunes, is a clear indication of a D.I.Y ethos prevailing and proving how a clear talent and determination can shine through and give hope to other bedroom musicians.

Formed in 2005, Worst Case Scenario have garnered six years of experience performing live and becoming a well respected act amongst Enfield's musical community, and it is these years, along with a recent roll-call shake-up that has lead to the long overdue recording of 6 tracks, that were released in late October.

A laptop with Cubase was set up, a microphone was borrowed, £10 was invested in a pop-shield, a mic-stand was improvised by taping the microphone to the side of a door, and some friends and family were roped in to provide shouted vocal takes that were recorded onto a phone before being added to the final mix

and yet, aside from the EP's interesting and inspiring creation, the music speaks clearly for itself.

Mostly a mid-tempo affair with a number of crowning flourishes, the tracks featuring on 'Lost in the Element' connects the dots between a number of disparate influences, touching on the sounds of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paramore and KT Tunstall amongst others.

As the EP plays through the opening 'Intro' and into 'Point of No Return' the band lay down their wares as a serious band with considerable talent, showcasing a tooled-up acoustic sound that permeates throughout the release.

with 'Save Myself' and 'This Is Your Truth' the strength of these mature songs, belying the youthfulness of the band, holds strong, whilst the musical direction simmers down until it reaches the stripped back, yet overwhelming, stand-out track, 'Whole Again'.

The EP seems to hinge on 'Whole Again', taking in the listener as the the pace has eased through four tracks out of six, only to be hit by a breathtakingly beautiful track that is all the more fragile through the sliding contrasts that have lead to that very point.

leaving us with only the closing salvo of 'Throw It Away' to once again kick things up a notch and round out an accomplished EP that signposts a promising future for Worst Case Scenario.

It may not have the professional sheen that these songs are clearly deserving of, but this is only the cherry on the top of a very pleasing cake that is missing,  it is still a powerful set of songs recorded and released in a manner that is a testament to one young band's capabilities and conviction.

 stream: Worst Case - Whole Again

The Stone Roses

so, y'all heard the news right?

after 15 years, and many repeated denials that it could or would ever happen, the Stone Roses have finally reformed.

and to be honest, i couldn't really care less.

now i realise that this is a music blog and perhaps i should be praising the higher powers that be that such a revered indie band are returning, but this is my music blog, which means you shall be afflicted with my opinion.

I'm certainly aware of Stone Roses standing within the history of modern music, and that is simply what they are to me, just a part of a rich history, and they were before my time.

When i was at an age when music became a revelation to me England was in the thralls of the heady wave of Brit-Pop that was dominating the charts and the pages of Smash Hits.

and even though the shadow of the Stone Roses and Madchester looms large across the likes of Oasis and their contemporaries, the fact remains that the release of Second Coming in 1994 (along with Oasis' own Definitely Maybe) was not at all on my radar, and wasn't until my musical awakening with (What's The Story) Morning Glory? that bands and albums even began to matter to me, by which time the Stone Roses had been firmly usurped and their split in 1996 went completely unnoticed by me.

This is not to take anything away from the band, their fans and their legacy, but aside from singing along from a handful of singles that still get spun on Xfm from time to time, i just can't claim to hold them very dear to my own heart.


 Download: Stone Roses - Fools Gold (SmoochGroove Stoned Fool Re-Edit) by Victor Berghmeister

Steve Jobs

although he will be sorely missed by technophiles, Steve Jobs rich legacy made a massive impact on the lives of music fans too.

when he departed this plain of existence on October 5 2011, he left behind a history-changing array of accomplishments.

and while your day may be spent editing your photos on fatbooth and playing angry birds on your smartphone, it is worth remembering just how apple has pushed technology to evolve in recent years.

i certainly remember my stack of 90 minute tapes that i'd made, and how i'd have to choose which ones to carry with me to listen to on my walkman, it seems bewildering that i now nonchalently carry 720 hours worths of music on my iPod, that is nearly enough music to play continuously for a whole month straight.

i remember the aftermath of Napster, and how music changed from being about CDs and were suddenly considered as files that could be shared and downloaded, and how the iTunes store blazed a trail as peoples attitudes towards downloading (and paying for) mp3s changed.

Apple's own Garageband programme should not be forgotten either, for it created a unique recording environment that has encouraged creativity with its intuitive interface, providing a plethora of loops, instruments and effects.

i have witnessed lo-fi electronic artist George Pringle performing live, with her own self-produced Garageband backing tracks being relayed from her iPod plugged straight into a PA system.

  Stream: George Pringle - Physical Education (Part 1)

the freedom and simplicity of trying out new ideas isn't just reserved for bedroom producers either.

Damon Albarn used his iPad and a number of available music apps in order to record Gorillaz latest album over 32 days whilst on tour in North America.

Although it may not be as star-studded an affair as Plastic Beach was, The Fall is quite an astonishing collection of 12 low-key tracks that lean towards experimentation whilst still retaining a a high standard considering it could quite have easily been a handful of haphazard demos.

It only stands to prove that, being more than just an evolution of the laptop for you to check your facebook on, the iPad, with it's unique touchscreen functions, can prove to be a powerful music production tool.

through his part in the creation of the iPod, the iTunes music store, the iPhone and the iPad, Steve Jobs was not only creating new products, but sometimes creating entirely new markets that were kick-started by his products.

quite simply, the world as we know it right now wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Steve Jobs.

 Download: Gorillaz - Revolving Doors (Henry's Mashup)

glasswerk review roundup: september

sadly, it has been a rather slow month for my own glasswerk activities.

and i think most of it can be attributed to the recent departure of an editor that during has tenure had managed to keep on top of mailing out promos and weeding out the type of music that was distinctly appealling to my eclectic tastes.

since his leaving, there have been no more care packages of dizzyingly bizarre CDs dropping through my letterbox, there have been no more opportunities for live reviews, and even my recounting of Crystal Fighters outstanding performance at Shepherds Bush Empire, which i arranged myself, never did make it onto the glasswerk website, so i took the liberty of posting it up earlier in september for my own readers.

meaning there are just two reviews to point you in the direction of.

first up was Gazelle Twin's surreal set-piece at an old metal works building in Islington.  The album launched at the show is a magnificent long-player displaying otherwordly qualities, how would this rich and vastly textured music translate live?

find out what i thought in my review.

Gazelle Twin live review here.




and the second review is a different take on my review of The Others live return, that has already been discussed on the pages of Seeking Susan Boyle.  You may notice a couple of similarities between the articles, but i do strive to give a different and slightly more impartial stance for my glasswerk piece.

The Others live review here.

and that is it i'm afraid, and unless things take a sudden and drastic change for the better, i wouldn't hold out too much hope for a review roundup at all covering october.

The Others: Live @ The Lexington

It had been something like seven years since I had first seen The Others.

It has been six years since the release of their eponymous debut album in January 2005, five years since their second, and last album to date, followed just 18 months later and it has been four years since I last saw them live at Camden's Proud Galleries, whilst a little known Liverpudlian band called The Wombats were supporting.

The Others crashed onto a music scene in an age still basking in the reflected glow of The Libertines swiftly peaking upwards trajectory.

When Alan McGee would have swooped on any band that had ever had the fortune to share a pint with Pete Doherty, when 7" singles enjoyed a renaissance, and if the vinyl didn't appeal, then you could still pick it up on CD from your local HMV.

It was during these glory years that I spent my 21st birthday in Hyde Park with my friends, vodka, The Others and a bunch of assorted fans, groupies and hangers-on.

They had just played one of their much celebrated 'guerilla gigs', ramshackle affairs planned and spread via online forums, in the foyer of a BBC radio station in Great Portland Street, before decamping to the central London park for a second ad-hoc performance that saw the bassist playing whilst up a tree.

In a few short years I developed a taste for dodgy east-end venues, crowd surfing and stage diving, and gig-going was an at least weekly occurrence.

My, how times change.

Now, aged 28 my disposable income has been greatly reduced by household bills and a mortgage, my ears are damaged by tinnitus and the gigs attended are a lot more selective.

But I just couldn't resist The Other's recent live return.

Taking to the stage at The Lexington in Islington with a wealth of old favourites that soon saw me in thick of things, moshing with the best of them, alongside fans pogo-ing to songs that still bring back memories and still manage to unite people, despite all the years that have passed and the band's own falling out of favour with a fickle music press.

New tracks that the reunited band have been working on slotted right alongside the old standards, reminding us that they have away with a chorus that is distinctly recognisable as their own.

And even after all this time, I still couldn't resist the traditional stage invasion that accompanies the last song of the set, when the band become lost onstage amongst revellers and soon enough the drum-kit is fighting for space, and it felt like just like the old days again as The Others brought proceedings to a chaotically-joyfull, sweat-drenched close.

Crystal Fighters: Live @ Shepherds Bush Empire

Crystal Fighters' debut album 'Star Of Love' has pretty much been on constant rotation in my girlfriend's car for everything from the supermarket run to trips down motorways on course for weddings and back again.

The vastly layered and intriguingly experimental long player has now been deeply embedded in both our minds and trepidation and excitement of seeing how this translates live has brought us into the heart of the Shepherds Bush Empire.

I was genuinely surprised, and possibly a little downheartened as opener Solar System was played by something resembling a rather standard band set-up, with a pounding drum-kit and ferocious guitar sound wrapping itself around what on record is a bass-driven stomper of a dance-influenced beast.

But this was merely a tease, as three songs in and the familiar, assimilated dub-step drop of Swallow remains wholly intact for the live rendition, prompting me further into the throng of bodies tossed around with abandon before the stage as I throw my own shapes with joy.

It is within the crush of the crowd that you truly experience Crystal Fighters and all of their energy, delivered by the movement of people, and yet it is still possible to find yourself, with your hands in the air and with your own personal space to dance and be free, whilst the sweat drips down your back and spilt beer squelches and slips underfoot.

The band follow the twists and turns of the album live, proving themselves evermore eclectic and fascinating with each song, whether it be the manic pneumatic drumlines and harsh dance vibes of I Love London that is tailor-made for a Shoreditch scenester's rave, or the blissed out summer calypso sound of Plage that transports you to far-away beaches with dreams of dancing without end.  Every track is delivered effortlessly to a crowd that truly believe in this band, and by closing track At Home, with the lights up, the entire venue, from the lower stalls, to the ascending balconies, are in thrall, and singing back the chorus' simple refrain with unbelievable passion.

A crowd this dedicated are not fooled though, and no sooner have the band exited the stage do the cries for Xtatic Truth begin.  And sure enough they return, taking a brief detour via a cover of a 'Golpes Bajos' number before arriving at the called for crowd pleaser.  This is it, the end of the night, and the nearing of the end of the journey that Crystal Fighters have taken in support of their spectacular debut album.

Xtatic Truth pulls no punches, it is what everyone wanted and everyone gets exactly what they expected.  One last chance to jump around, dance around and sing, a dizzying euphoria flows in waves as the heaving, sweaty mass move together as one, jubilation spread by a powerful and hypnotic performance before being evicted from this fantasy and back onto the streets of Shepherds Bush and the ever nearing signs of Autumn.

At Home by Crystal Fighters