eh-oh-eh-oh-eh

Just popping in for a bit, have a quick look over here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56GmNl5VHRQ&feature=related

brilliant mashup by g.reg. almost reaches audial electronic nirvana.

Gotta go, in abit.

Sian

Just one night, you got a hold on me, you got a hold on me

Hayoop.

The newly renamed "The Cheek" (mentioned in a post before) have got another song up on MySpace, it's pretty delicious, I can't stop listening to them.

The Cheek's MySpace page.

Now on to the lecky-lectro:

BOYS NOIZE.

He's pretty f*cking wicked. His debut album Oi Oi Oi was full of pure dark bass, the kind that makes the whole room thump like two Hummer-sized rabbits humping away while on a mixture of Ecstacy, Coke and Viagra.

4 points worth mentioning now:

1. His aforementioned album has got a remix version by some notable DJs (e.g. Para One, Proxy, Sinden) Can't wait to listen to it..
2. He's just posted (literally a day before this post) a 60-min mix out on his website/blog. Download it here.
3. He's just posted (literally a few hours before this post) a free track. (EDIT: It's just been taken off, there's only a video there, but they said they'll post it back up soon.)
4. His new album Power is out soon!! 

So that's some good German stuff to come soon.

SPEAKING BOUT ZE GERMANS.

The Sexinvaders.

A pair of hard, deep beat-lovers from Ze Muzzerland. They're growing popularity pretty quick it seems.

our "tiga - mind dimension" remix finaly found the way to london´s bbc radio one, into the bags of some really good djs and the way into kissy sell out´s charts (position 5 of unsigned tracks)!    - as quoted by themselves.

You can download their remix off the link above. (It's their Facebook page, if you like it join their group and show them some love)

I went to see them live once, they came down to KL to play with LapSap (remember those funky dudes?) and they really rocked it from what I remember. Played tonnes of stuff, from that really deep European minimal stuff, to the latest party-thumpers. Their really friendly guys too!

Also their vids from YouTube look cool. [Pretty cool tune!]

Lastly, anyone remember Zombie Nation? That wicked song called KERNKRAFT?! Well they've got a new sound now (as awesome as that tune is) and it's also sweet...

It's called Radio Controlled. And if that weren't sick enough, there's an even sicker remix by Hey Today!

Right that's it for today, hope you enjoy those tunes. Some sick shit out there.. but so little time.

Night all, 

Sian.

Audacity of Huge

Great tune by Simian Mobile Disco:

Audacity of HUGE.

Incredibly addictive tune and some smooth vocalwork layed over.

Next check this tune out:

Never heard of the remixer, but he's made this tune a fuckin' stomp/rocker!

Aren San - Osc Low Nyzz (Blende Remix)

For the Klaxon fans out there...

The Klaxons - Golden Skans (sebAstian Remix)

and included is a direct mp3 download link (not hosted by us)

Good night all,

Sian

Edit: I'm really starting to like this Blende bloke..

Everyone with working internet, point your browser to

HERE.

'Do Nothing' is such an incredible song, it sounds like Blues n Rock n Roll, but again nothing like it, at the same time. It's just brilliant, that's all my mind-fucked brain (does that even make sense) can excrete.

Wonder if they got an album out....

Actual peace and blessings,

Sian.

P.S. Can't wait to sink my teeth into the Rakes' new album..

Back, back

Hi all, sorry about that, real-life stuff is just too hectic at the moment, and my co-writer is studying (and partying) hard in uni as well.

Anyway, this beautiful Autumn morning (over here anyway) I'm gonna share loads of stuff with you.

First off:

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

This is a fantastic effort from the 4 (5?) guys from Sheffield. The 3rd album always seems to be the maker-or-breaker, and this one's a shakermaker. 11 tracks of dark and broody tunes. Definitely alot of emotion went into this one (emotion, NOT emo). It sounds nothing like the Arctic Monkeys of yore, which is sort of a shame, since those songs were still bloody good. But instead of singing about the trials and tribulations of being a young adult in Northern England, seems like maturation has sunk in (As it does with most bands) and it definitely shows.

Check out the official video of 'Crying Lightning' which isn't even the strongest tune on the album, it's still pretty good. click HERE.

This one's my personal favourite on the album, (along with the Jeweller's Hands) it's called the Fire and the Thud.

Secondly,

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Now I made a big fuss about this a while back, they were showing it off on their MySpace page for free. I didn't want to spoil it though, so I waited until I got the album, and it's f*cking amazing. Besides the insane 'Clubfoot'-esque 'Underdog', and the cowboy hit n run 'Fire', the song is packed with delicious hooks, melodies and nonsensical rock n roll lyrics. Tom and Serge serve up a f*cking trolloping dose of brilliance in this album. Again, the 3rd album is the maker-or-breaker, and this one makes it too.

Here's Underdog. and Fire. and this lovely tune West Ryder Silver Bullet (complete with psychedelic introduction). Lastly, this blinding track, Thick as Thieves.

BONUS: Calvin Harris (!) covering Fire.

Speaking of Calvin Harris, his new album Ready for the Weekend (I think) is out, now, I haven't given it a proper listen yet so I will do so. 'Rain' sounds pretty good though.

O.k. so I've run out of time but I've got loads more to share so check back soon!

Actual peace and love,

Sian.

P.S. On a much sadder note, Oasis has split up. Noel's left in a fit of anger directed at younger brother Liam. News says Oasis will continue on without Noel (which will still be good I reckon) and Noel will churn out the inevitable solo album, which will also be great! The only real shame is that there'll be no more classic concerts, which was the real heart n soul of the Oasis engine. 

Now I kinda know how John Lennon getting shot felt like.

P.P.S At least Kasabian are going strong!

Love, Love, is a Verb, Love is a doing word

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax0Rct0rDbk&feature=related

You must listen to this..

Sorry again been busy, I'll do something on the weekend!

Hope all's well and fine.

west ryder pauper lunatic asylum

KASABIAN'S NEWLY RELEASED ALBUM WRPLA HAS BEEN RELEASED AND IS ON THEIR MYSPACE TO LISTEN FOR FREE FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS.

http://www.myspace.com/kasabian

SORRY THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY I'VE GOTTA STUDY!

will post soon..

P.K

I'm on fire..

http://vimeo.com/4358890

'Eh oop.

First order of business is to click that link, to see Kasabian's new video - 'Fire', the new album with the proggy psychadelic name is set to release next week or so!!

Can't wait...

Fire's sounding good, the video's got a touch of comic genius in it.

Vlad the Impaler's pretty good as well, the video's got Noel Fielding acting in it as a faux-C grade horror film, if you're a Booshy fan then you might wanna watch it (and love it) --> here.

But my favourite, has gotta be Underdog. It's like fucking Clubfoot all over again, great melody, great riff (no matter how simple it may be), great fucking attitude; knock in some nonsensical rock n roll lyrics and its a gem! The drum's fucking great as well.

Next up, if you're looking for a easy and intuitive way to learn and share new music, type in blip.fm into your browser. (or click here for the lazy ones amongst us)

Sign up requires only the bare minimum, and off you go. Just type in song/artist in the search box and you'll find other users (called DJs) who have 'blipped' them before. From there just grow your tendrils far and wide and suck up those juicy tunes. Not to mention you get to listen to all songs for free. (Not available for download though :( )

You can add me on blip.fm --> http://blip.fm/sianwin (I'll flesh it out when I spend more time on it) Add me and we can trade some tunes/bands!

If you like that site, then I suggest Seeqpod.com as well. Great streaming website (minus the social networking capability)

Sadly, Last.fm has stopped its free radio service, which is sad 'cause its a great service, otherwise it's only 3 US Dollars a month to subscribe, which is still dirt cheap.

Now I've gotta go, for my thinly-veiled attempt at a blog post is quickly running thin. I'll do a better one next time after I get some rest :)

I'll leave you now with a link to a brilliant video that my folksy-wolksy co-blogger has shared with me, I wish I could whistle like this geezer, he's brilliant. (The real vid starts from 1:08 onwards) Search for his cover of Dylan's 'Oh Sister' as well, my co-blogger highly recommends it.

I always leave you with an excerpt from Noel Gallagher's most recent myspace blog, it was pretty funny: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4385325&blogID=487521762

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yess Mods and Rockers. Arrived in Santiago last night. A beautiful morning.

What follows is an actual interview that actually took place. On the phone. Yesterday. Actually.
Journalist: Hello, Noel?
NG: Hello.
Jnlst: Shall we begin?
NG: Vamos!
Jnlst: Ok. Last time you were seen in Santiago with a sex turkey, what happened?
NG: ?? 'Scuse me?
Jnlst: My pardon. What happened with a sex turkey?
NG: I'm sorry, but did you say "a sex turkey"?
Jnlst: Yes. What happened with him?

HIM?? Jesus! Now, I'll freely admit - if pushed - that I've got up to some dubious gear in the past but this guy can't really think I've had full homosexual sex with a man-turkey? Can he?

We continue...

NG: Ok. We seem to have crossed wires here. Shall we just go back to the beginning and start again? Slowly? Yes?
Jnlst: As you wish.
NG: Ok. Fire at will.
Jnlst: Sorry?
NG: Never mind, just get on with it!
Jnlst: Ok. Can you explain what it was like in Santiago with a sex turkey and how it compares with Chris Sharrock?

Now, I'm thinking, this is either a live radio comedy stunt thing or someone put acid in my tea.. unless...

NG: When you say a sex turkey, do you mean ZAK STARKEY?
Jnlst: Of course.

SEX TURKEY!

NG: Aah, Zak Starkey? You mean Zak Starkey?
Jnlst: Of course. What did you think I meant?
NG: Ha! Fuck, Zak Starkey! I thought you meant that I'd had..oh, never mind. I think we have to wrap this up.
Jnlst: But you never answer my question!!
NG: They're both the same. I need to lie down. Goodbye.

In a bit.

GD.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love, P.O.K.

괜찮습니다.

Facebook Exclusive #2

Lucky lucky you, another Facebook exclusive from another Malaysian-gone-Melbourne DJ: Vthekid.

Trained in the dark arts by Psycho G and LCK (regular house DJ of the infamous Bubble nightclub located in Melbourne) himself, Vthekid has risen up the ranks, ultimately winning 2nd position in a highly reputable underground deckspinning competition, earning him the right to spin at Bubble himself, as well as unlocking a few more doors down his corridor to fame.

This mix is excellent, setting up a serious tone for a serious party. Loads of great techy-trance with a splash of hard dance in there as well, and it opens up with a blinder. As he doesn't have an online music profile yet, any comments and feedback will be passed on to him via us!
Link is below!

http://rapidshare.com/files/222521589/Vthekidd_Mix_3.mp3

Here's the playlist:
1.Will Atkinson- Slipped Disk (original Mix)
2. Veracocha___Michael_de_Kooker_vs._Simon_Patterson_-_Carte_Smack__F1D0_Mash-Up_
3. Sied Van Riel & Claudia Clauzcart- Contrast
4.Kamui- Exceed
5. Marcel Woods- Lemon Tree (Mac & Taylor Remix)
6. Dark By Design & Phil York- Vibrations
7.Kidd Kaos Vs SMG- Schranz Mescala
8.Ashley Lawson- Somewhere (sully remix)
9.Sam Punk-Out of Hell
10.Amber D- Ambers Theme (Alex Kidd & Kidd Kaos Remix)

Love,
P.O.K

Welcome to my Room

Got a juicy little post for you guys today, been on a bit of a rampage the past few days so please feel free to place your mouths upon my music-teat my young ones!

vietNam: (wikipedia) VietNam is a rock, soul and blues band from Brooklyn, New York on Kemado Records.
The rest of the wikipedia article was edited by the band themselves haha. Sadly they released only one album in 2004 and then split up. If you're a fan of The Jesus and Mary Chain, then these guys are definitely living on the same street. Think Automatic but with a higher dosage of rhythm and blues. Even the vocalist sounds similar to Jim Reid.

Links:

• Summer in the City: This one's great, a lovely rhythm and story, an ode to summer. Sadly the only youtube video I could find is this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y3MnQPR5KU, it's the full song but the video is some guy's summer holiday.
• Welcome to my Room: This track's on fire, a tiny pinch of Kings of Leon, a splash of Status Quo, sprinklings of JAMC with all the momentum of BRMC's Heart and Soul. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIT9p7QdWpo

Next up, a Facebook exclusive!!

Homegrown Malaysian talent Nick Chia aka Ganjaguru (1/2 of BassAgents) released his Discotech mix yesterday:

here's the link http://www.mediafire.com/?zzhjym5mtjk

And here's the playlist:

DISCOTECH MIXED BY GURUGURU [1:17:28]

1. Coldplay - Viva La Vida [DiscoTech Remix]

2. Deadmau5 vs Salt n Pepa - Ghosts N' Stuff Pushing it

3. Metallica - Enter Sandman [Dirty Funker Dirty Dub Hole]

4. Hi Tack - Silence [DaBruck & Klien Remix]

5. Marc O Tool - The Musics Got Me [Frank Eikam Remix]

6. Lowrider - Cool [Ozi Remix]

7. Aquabeat - Cocaine, Pills and Extasy [Club Mix]

8. MC Mario Vs. Datdude - You Spin Me 'Round [Paul Random Disoriented Remix]

9. Lady Gaga - Just Dance [OUTsiders Remix 2009]

10. Guru Josh & Klass & Pink - Infinity so What?

11. Coldplay - Nobody Said it was Easy [Nils Van Zandt vs Tom Beyer Extended Mix]

12. Cumfiesta - SexyGuy [DJ Solovey Electro Remix]

13. David Guetta & Chris Willis - Tomorrow Can Wait [Tocadisco Evilmix]

14. The Prodigy - Thunder

15. Ganjaguru - Housefucker

16. Lady Gaga - Poker Face [Dave Aude Club Mix]

17. Kid Cudi Vs. Crookers - Day 'N' Nite [Mobin Master Remix]

18. Pam Pero - Supadisco [Supa Mix]

19. Red Hot Chilli Peppers - By the Way [Ben Schmuel Remix]

20. Katy Perry - Hot N Cold [Innerpartysystem Remix]

21. Darude - Sandstorm [Ganjaguru's Electro-gressive Remix]

22. The Prodigy - Omen

Support the local artists! Give him a comment on Facebook or his website.

NEXT, another local artist, our favourite quirky and colourful dynamic duo, LapSap, has released their first single, and it's a double CD: Mangosteen and Durian and they're dropping a 4 hour set at barsonic@zouk this Saturday the 18th.

Here's the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156717020482&ref=mf

Go on! Give Blink and Xu a hug, before the party starts sweating.

Now; everyone knows and loves the Dandy Warhols, every teen movie/series from the late 90s and early 00s had Bohemian Like You playing during the party scene and on the soundtrack. And they are one of the best bands to get drunk to with your mates, so here's a few more tunes for you to peruse:

• Not if you were the last Junkie on Earth: "I never thought you'd be a junkie because heroin is so passe..." need I say more? Poppy guitars and synths makes this a good contender on one of your mixtapes.
• Sleep: One of the most mellow and relaxing and maybe even thought-provoking tunes to come out of an alternative band this side of the universal hourglass.
• Nietzsche: NOW, this tune's fucking brilliant. Philosophically and musically mind blowing, Nietzsche was infamous for being misquoted as saying "God is dead." So this track pays homage to him (I think the hammer sounds you hear 28 seconds in the song is a reference to his work "Twilight of the Idols: Or How to Philosophize with a Hammer") Anyway this isn't a philosophical lesson, if you want to learn more just search it up on the ole InterFishingNets. The song itself has a strong and powerful wall of sound, with a "Nazi" vibe emanating from it, which doesn't make it bad, y'know, far from it. If you've got a joint rolled up, play this one after Sleep and then load up Pink Floyd's DSOTM :) When I was a kid learning guitar I used to love the main riff and hook, and played it over and over again whilst watching TV, but it just didn't sound the same on an acoustic.
• Plan A: Great light, poppy tune!

Lastly, but not leastly [ :) ] click here for my photo album for the Oasis concert!!!

And click here for my Oasis video! It's only Part 1, the rest should be up when I'm bothered :)

Words can't describe the immensity or the monumentality (yes those are real words) of the concert..... so all I'll say is:

They did 5 encores - Noel did Live Forever acoustically, which made every girl cry.

Finished it off with I am the Walrus. (Which they haven't done since WTSMG or BHN tours I think)

Liam's twitter said the gig reminded him of the 90s and he'll be back in July, Oasis' twitter said it was the most stand-out gig of the South East Asian leg, and Noel's Myspace blog said "That gig in Seoul was truly amazing. The stand-out gig of the whole tour so far. Who'd have thought it? Not me, that's for sure. God bless them South Korean kids. " Little did he know that most of the noise was made by me.. haha

Speaking of Oasis that reminds me to go to their myspace and check out the Prodigy version of Falling Down as well as the Twiggy/Sardy mix.. unbelievable. There's also an equally impressive Chemical Brother's version floating around the internet somewhere, if you want any of the tracks I posted on here today, just contact me and we'll arrange something.

Peace and Love,

P.O.K

Oh, Polly J.!

PJ Harvey is back -- this time with a '& John Parish' alongside her (don't you just love his frown on the album cover?). Everybody knows this woman's haunting melodic voice (or should know!), but this time she seems set out to show a different side of herself. Exemplified by her new album's title track 'A Woman A Man Walked By/The Crow Knows Where All the Children Go'. Ever thought you'd hear sweet haunting Polly Jean scream out "I want his fucking ass!!!" three times in a row? Maybe not. But here's your chance. This album is a piece of musical brilliance, and John Parish is more than slightly responsible for this -- it deserves a hear, for its diversity, its experimentation, and perhaps most importantly for its melodic brilliance. Best track for me? 'Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen' -- the opening banjo riff is genius. As is the rest of the song.

No sampling pleasures this time; but do give this video a look!

The Decemberists are back...

...and this time they're warning you about The Hazards of Love.

Released only 6 days ago, their fifth album breaks away from all past sounds; not quite the folksy feel of The Crane Wife or the melancholic feel of Her Majesty; not quite the bombast of Castaways & Cutouts -- but The Hazards of Love incorporates all and more. The album is, simply put, an epic. It tells the story of Margaret, her rape by a shape-shifting forest beast and the trials of her love -- the music flits from almost baroque folk (complete with mandolin et al!) on 'Annan Waters' to the sounds of Jethro Tull-esque prog-folk on tracks such as 'The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge)'. Meloy & co. have worked in a variety of sounds, so that the album as a whole adheres to none and incorporates all; one could not possibly pin down this album and definitively pronounce on its genre. So I'm not going to try. Fans of The Decemberists who liked their whimsical sound on The Crane Wife will find fleeting remnants of the same in this album, but are going to be disappointed if they expect the same clarity and folk-melodic quality. This album is grander on every scale; thematically and conceptually -- some may scoff, but The Decemberists hold true to their characteristic musical diversity, and pull off yet another style comfortably. So don't hold out; give this album a listen... it'll be absolutely worth it!!

For your sampling pleasure:

* The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)

* The Queen's Approach

Otis Redding

Before I forget, I've uploaded an album of Otis Redding's Greatests (he does a couple covers of The Stones as well).

Visit here and download it, (it's in 2 parts).

42nd Parallel

Hello girls and boys, finally back with a post after about 4 months which I feel terrible about. Lots of stuff going on and now back settled down. So what better way than to spread some ear and soul sex? (without the ear-STDs)

First off - Let's go back a little retro-ish, cast your mind back to 2000. The Y2k bug, threats of computer crashes, global catastrophes and one hell of a fireworks display. Also the release of  Underworld's live album 'Everything, Everything' - which is taken from a lyric from their song Cowgirl.

Now I've read that during live shows they usually mix Rez and Cowgirl up together, since they share the same general melodies and structure. It's a track I haven't been able to get off my music player for a couple of days now, simply because my heart won't stop pumping when I listen to this song. Great old-school dance beats, along with the sounds of the crowd cheering give the live track an amicable rave-y vibe.

The song does indeed start with Rez's twee, trippy melody. When the song breaks down about half way, and Cowgirl's infamous 'Everything-everything' bit kicks in, it's primitive compared to today's standards, but the sheer coolness of the sound of the voice and the perfect timing, kinda makes me wish I was there ;) 

Brilliant - 4.5/5 :)

P.S. Here's the link to the DVD off the album Everything, Everything. It's insane. [I would show it here, but Opera doesn't work well some sites]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10q96IPlm70&feature=related

If you liked the track, check out Born Slippy Nuxx, another classic dance track from them.

Alright now to turn the car 180 degrees about face and head off into the sunset, no I'm not going just yet, just changing genre's. Been getting into a little sentimental mood lately and been digging up some Beatles stuff (yeah I miss John... who doesn't?).

So in case you missed out buying the Beatles Anthology DVD, they released two songs from the studio with the 3 remaining [sadly now 2 remaining] Beatles - Free As A Bird, which was written by John Lennon; and Real Love.

Free As A Bird, was sent in by Yoko and featured John singing the tune and lyrics accompanied by his own piano playing on a cassette. The band had to work around this since it was pretty bad quality (and also in Mono, so they couldn't seperate the voice from the piano) but still endeavoured to produce this gem of a tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D196-oXw2k

Beautiful tune, beautiful voice, beautiful harmonies, beautiful video. - 5/5

[Apparently Ringo really wanted to get his elephant in the video and George wanted his sitar so you get to see them both in the same scene.]

Real Love was abit different, since it was an already finished song by Lennon, so the band simply had to replay it but give it their own little flavour. Still a great track.. but not as good as Free As A Bird (in my honest, humble opinion).

Why don't you have a look and listen yourself: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5D3FMioSoc

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand finally, since I'm in a particularly Lennon-y (Lemony) mood today, here's another one of me favourites from him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lLs2dC9NaE

*Wipes moist eyes with handkerchief*

ALRIGHT, it's time to get some sleep! 

Good night now boys and girls (and the transgenders in-between).

Love, Prayon Kid.

P.P.S. I'm gonna see Oasis live on April 1st.......... Will try and take photos. 

P.P.P.S. Hope you're jealous...

All Rights Reversed

Quite a big lag between posting, I must apologize.

I've been chewing on a couple of Chemical Brothers' albums recently, abit too chewy at times, a little undercooked and raw, however the taste is still very much quite endearing. 

we are the night

Pretty good album. However I still haven't given the entire thing a thorough listening, there's a few tracks that have jangled my brain cells so far.

1.) All Rights Reversed - This song features The Klaxons, and it shows - abit too well. The whole song sounds more like a Chemical Brothers' remix of an extension to 'Two Receivers'. Kickass drum beat resonating throughout, very Klaxon, beautifully harmonised, almost mournful vocal work. Epic. It would do very well in a movie trailer I think. 

edit: check out that insane effect they used, when the guy sings the word "primal".

2.) Das Spiegel - I think it's German for "The Darkness", for a very ominous sounding track title, the song itself is very happy. It's a beautiful song indeed, it has an 'innocence' laden vibe to the song; the very same vibe one can probably feel when listening to MGMT's 'Kids'. Famous ChemBro's psychadelic warped little glitches, twirps and tweaks are bombarded alongside the main riff. Personal favourite bit from the song, is when there's a short break, and there's only a very soft, palm-muted guitar plucking, with a slow and deliberate buildup. One for the treadmill I reckon, only during the warm-down though.

3.) Battle Scars - Vocals on this track are provided by a US folkie called Willy Mason. A very unique song. I don't think my words can really describe it well. So have a listen and decide for yourself! Best way I can put it, is a half-rap, half-story.

4.) The Pills Won't Help You Now - Brilliant way to end the album. Warm, soft and mellow vibes flow throughout the 6-minute track. Invokes a certain tenderness within you. I think the song title is perfect, imagine waking up on a Sunday late afternoon [after being awake till 7 in the morning], when the last of the sun is still caught in your windowsill, your jaw hurts from all the teeth gnashing, your head feels like Chernobyl, and the tune starts floating up from the radio. Someone gimme a camera, I got a film to shoot!

P.S. Here's a bonus video; I originally found the song in a friend's b-side collection, and it actually sounded pretty good. I reckon it definitely has a ChemBrother feel about it ;)

Regards,

Prayon Kid

Baby 81

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - what a name, what a band. They've got everything (everything in a superlative sense, not in a bourgeoisie sense), psychedelia, indie riffs, on-the-verge-of-metal guitars, ballads, political rockers, Jesus and Mary Chainish noise pop, folk and even a dash of gospel here and there.

First having heard about them through Noel Gallagher (he mentioned them in an inverview), I pointed my internet browser astern, hoisted a Jolly Roger, cruised into the sunset and haven't looked back yet. Named after the biker gang from the great Marlon Brando's 1953 cult classic The Wild One, they've been JamesDean-ing it up in the MTV-infested US music industry.

Baby 81 was birthed (excuse the pun) with the return of original founding drummer Nick Jago, whose heavy staccato, cymbal crashing drumming style I dearly missed, and fit very well with the album's vibe. My favourite bit of his drumming is at 3:36 of Lien On Your Dreams, when the guitar's surging to a climax, and the song halts for a second of pure rock-mindfuck, and his drumming just escalates that moment of "FUCK YES" to a heaven-piercing high.

Right so here we go!

1.) Took Out a Loan - Quite a generic sounding song, the intro's good though, and the drumming sounds like Nick wants to let people know he's back and rocking up for lost time.

2.)Berlin - What a rocker. This tune drips with attitude and class. The singing is really clever as well - "I'm gonna *uh* somebody, I'm gonna *uh* somebody", the song's got great flow and the ending is brilliant "What happened to the Revolution?". My favourite bit is when the guitar does a creepy little lick at the break, when it's only the drums carrying on.

3.) Weapon of Choice - What a f*cking tune! This is like the "Ain't no Easy Way' of Baby 81 I reckon. Folkish acoustic guitar mixed with great tempo and a heavy contrasting distortion-filled crunchy guitar riff. Peter's vocals here are good too. My favourite bit is again the break, when the guitar goes into what can only be described as a semi ripoff of Apollo 440's "Can't Stop The Rock" main lick. Obviously Peter sings about his lack of fondness for the current governmental regime. "I won't waste my love on a nation."

4.) Windows - A seepy, creepy, neurotic and paranoia-fuelled wall of sound. The intro is cracking, and the melody is hauntingly delicious. It reminds me of a dark, noir, Nightmare before Christmas-esque sort of picture. The song structure seems to me like the protagonists' journey to complete neuroticity. The piano in the beginning is very structured and 'formal' and stays constant, but the guitar work and vocals seem to get a little more 'desperate sounding' as the song goes on. Or maybe the band's just describing the nightmare of using Windows on a computer hehe..

5.) Cold Wind - One of the weaker tracks on the album, sounds more like an extension of Windows rather than a standalone track, there's an undertone of their punkish rage contained in it as well. Or maybe it's the band describing the feeling they have in their soul when they use Windows again after being on a Mac..

6.) Not What You Wanted - Suddenly the album hits back to a major-based, happy sounding track. This song's really good as well, throwing back to their folky-psychedelia. My favourite bit of the song is that weird sound the guitar makes in the background, like it's being stretched and warped, that's the only way I can describe it. Oh and when he goes "You always drink.... you always drink too much." I really like the ending as well.

7.) 666 Conducer - Wow. This song is f*cking blinding. It's essentially BRMC's "When the Levee Breaks". Crazy heavy drum beats and a driving acoustic riff, married with the electric guitar giving a cheeky 'kiss' now and again. This song reminds me of someone, mega pissed off, with jaws and fists clenched in fury, getting ready to beat the SHIT out of some knobhead. But that's just me. The favourite bit of the song is when the song breaks and Peter goes "I'm a 666 conducer.. you can't do the things I do sir.."

8.) All You Do Is Talk - This song sounds more like a Killers cover than anything else, and it's brilliant in every single way possible. The heavenly, gospel-induced intro builds in layers, holding Peter's vocals high on some pedestal when he finally comes in. The lyrics are absolutely awe-inspiring and beautiful. "You lucky words don't bleed.." I think this song would be great as a breakup song, or on Michael Moore's latest anti-political documentary :) "Help yourself don't say a thing, the love you show don't mean a thing at all, if all you do is talk.."

9.) Lien On Your Dreams - AFAIK, a lien is essentially a mortgage. This song has some of the most tasty lyrical peanut butter in a song sandwich that I've ever tasted in a long time. "And it hurts, and what's worse, and there's no way to reverse." "Without passion, you're a fashion." The song builds up to a tasty crescendo, which I talked about earlier in the post. It's one of the rare songs that when I listen to sometimes, can make the hairs on my arm and back of my neck stand up in unison, like some Chinese communist army regiment saluting to Chairman Mao(I don't condone communism or China, only in tiny amounts) I love when he starts going "Oooohh hoo hooooh" near the end of the song.

10.) Need Some Air - Yeahhh, this is BRMC boiled down to its core. Fast tempos, crazy drumming, edgy guitar work, incredible vocal flow, and one killer chorus. Keeps me on the edge of me seat man.

11.) Killing The Light - Now this song is weird, but in a good way, like when you're making out with a girl and she starts sucking on your finger. I didn't like this song at first, but after one or two listens, I've realised that it is utter brilliance. It's got more haunting melody and some very weird 'balloony' guitar work, the chorus wakes you up like a line of coke, slap in the face and a kick in the balls. By the time I've gotten round to this track, I've become incredibly jealous of Peter's vocals.

12.) American X - Epic. Like.. blow-my-fucking-head-off epic.

13.) Am I Only - The other weaker track of the album (IMHO). Emotional, powerful, gut-wrenching. The psychedelia saves it though, only just. :)

14.) The Likes of You (UK only bonus track) - Don't you hate how bands place a geographical bias when it comes to bonus tracks? And they blame -us- for piracy.. Anyway, this song is really cool, goes off on a different tangent. Super garage psychedelia, the drums are even almost hip-hop ish.

Well there it is, Baby 81 reviewed. Maybe I'll do another of their older albums when I find the time to wrap my ears around them again. In the meantime.. I'm going to try and look for The Effects of 333 (released 3.33 AM just a couple days ago :D).

Peace, Music, Love

Regards,
Prayon Kid.

Gomper

So I just got a tonne of the Stones' albums, pretty much their entire discography, and it feels great to have it all wash over your ears once again (I lost all of it 3 years ago in one of many unfortunate computing disasters).

I always sort of took them at face value when first listening to their older stuff, I knew it was good, but I didn't really soak it in. But now, going through it again, so far Aftermath and Their Majesties Satanic Request is on my repeat at the moment.

Aftermath:

1.) Dontcha Bother Me: A bluesy clickety clackety tune with a scalpel-like precisioned slide guitar hook, the song embodies a simple rebellious Rock N Roll message at its core embryocity.

2.) Flight 505: ChuckBerry-ism leaks out in this tune, about Jagger well.. catching a flight.

3.) Going Home: A lengthy melodic ode about being away from a girlfriend or wife for awhile, delivered in a cheeky manner. The beginning starts off normal enough.. but halfway through breaks down, with some insane momentum building up into a subdued stone rolling frenzy, Jagger displaying pretty much his entire vocal spectrum.

4.) High and Dry: One of my album-favourites. Some great harmonica blowing, Jagger's voice is a little rough but displays incredible melodious acumen.

5.) I am Waiting: I don't know why, but the lyrics and entirety of the song reminds me of a very very primitive and rudimentary slice of Klaxons-esque pie.

6.) It's Not Easy: It's not easy livin' on your own.. I love how Jag pronounces Haaaaaaard.

7.) Lady Jane: Ahhh, what a lovely little tune. Sounds like an 18th century Victorian poet serenading to his woman [Romeo and Juliet style] with The Stranglers standing behind him strumming away with cheeky grins on their faces.

8.) Paint It Black: Nothing much to be said about this scorcher.. it's been made even more famous to a new generation of kids and oldie-goldies by becoming a memorable track on Guitar Hero III. The lyrics are powerful and introspective, it's almost as if like Ian Curis hired a few mariachi's taking Hook and Sumner's spot :p

9.) Stupid Girl:
Like a lady in waiting to a virgin queen
Look at that stupid girl
She bitches 'bout things that she's never seen
Look at that stupid girl

Sing it Playa! ;)

10.) Think: A little poppy ballad about a sour break up I think. I like the way he sings Tell me whose fault was that babe? So cheeky.

11.) Under My Thumb: A classic ditty about a girl (why do you reckon The Stones had a huge female fan base rivalling The Beatles at the time) though I'm not too sure what he's trying to say about her, maybe he's proud of how he's got control of the relationship [power is corruptive kids ;)]

Right, I apologise for my lack of creativity, it's 1 a.m. and I'm quite mind-numbed.

Cheers, Prayon Kid.

Cosmic Gate!

http://www.massiveworldwide.com/

Attention all Malaysians and Singaporeans.

Cosmic Gate and other great DJs are kicking up a rave at PWTC (think of The Mall) 20th December this year.

Check out the site for more details.

And just because I like you, there are 1000 VIP tickets (access to private upstairs area and other privileges) to be sold at RM69. (Normal price is RM100)

However, this offer expires on 27th of October.

Whoever wants to get access to this 2 week offer, contact me at sianwin@gmail.com or SMS me @ 017 312 79 46.

You Should Feel What I Feel; You Should Take What I Take

[Xu]

[Left to Right: Frenchy, Brimley, Rustpuss, PrayonKid]

[Mmm.. :)]

[Greenshirt]

[Atif caught me coming back from the bar]

[The omnipresent LapSap effigy]

Friday, 10th October, 11 p.m: We've been sitting downstairs at P.P for about 30 mins now. Conversation is subdued and my knee wont stop jerking up and down under the table. My friends are reluctant to go upstairs because, well frankly, they're abit lame.

11.01 p.m: I tell them I'll see them upstairs, I head inside, squeezing past a few bodies. I reach the stairs, expecting to have my name queried by the lady like last time, however who do I see there? Xu and Lau in the flesh. They ask me to stick my arm out to be stamped. Confused, I asked them "You not gonna ask me for my name?" Lau pressed the stamp on my arm and said "Go up, we recognise you." Guess all that FaceBooking work paid off!

I head upstairs and all I see is a throng of bodies mashed together. The 'Press' were armed with their SLR cameras in one hand, and wireless external flash devices in the other, squeezing past sweaty bodies and taking skilled photos at every opportune moment. Poses were being striked left, right and center. The dancing was very much still subdued, only a few alcohol-fuelled bodies were moving about on the spot. The more energetic and daring of them were gravitating towards the front where the DJ stand is usually set up. So what do you do when there's a gravitational pull? Well you just do what Neil Armstrong did and do a little leap for mankind. In this case, I did several little leaps for music kind. I immediately made a beeline for the DJ stand, the familiar Pioneer CDJ's and Mixers were set up and operational. On the deck was a man in a green shirt, whom I can only deduce was 1/4 of the infamous Twilight Action Girl. He was playing a boring little Kaiser Chiefs song that everyone was stark raving mad for. Anyway, I positioned myself more or less in the center, between the Left and Right speakers (the acoustics of the room aren't that brilliant) and started to bob my head a little, painfully aware that people were looking at me and I was alone.

All of a sudden, the noise stopped, and a familiar bone-stringed guitar intro came on. I was confused, my mind was reeling, for some reason the names Little Richard and Chuck Berry sprang to mind, it was only when I heard "So shake.." that my mind instantly screamed BEATLES. He played Twist and Shout!!!!!!! Fucking Mega it was... I think that was the point in the night when "Me and Them" transmogrified into "We and Us". I melded in completely with everyone else, there was spiritual harmony, the chi was balanced. After Twist and Shout ended, he played a CHINESE MANDARIN cover of Can't Buy Me Love. This seemed to put everyone a little off colour and Greenshirt immediately sensed it, though I quite liked it, grinning like an idiot. Greenshirt scrambled through his Pocket of CDs and stuck another disc on. Immediately I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned to see my 3 friends who decided to take a visit to Upstairsland. I felt a bit better I wasn't alone anymore, then I felt a LOT better when the infamous drum intro for The Stroke's "Reptilia" came on. I waited for the blinding rush of guitar, and threw my arms in the air, shredding my air guitar. I saw other air-Stratocasters, air-Epiphones and air-Les Pauls being played as well.

After about 30 mins more, I found myself suddenly getting further and further away from the front as people continued to push by me. I turned my head around and found that the before-dead behind crowd was now swathing around like the front crowd. This party had just kicked off.

My eyes cut to my left and a tall figure with long hair and a motorbike helmet was following a shorter long-haired character to the DJ stand with remarkable speed. Realising it was Xu and Lau, I reached out and tapped the top of his helmet. I don't know why. I found a before-buried store of energy released as I realised; LapSap are here!! It was time for the elektro-cution.

Lau jumped on a stool behind the DJ stand and seduced the crowd with his energy, he shouted and screamed like a Gospel Preacher with his hands in the air, signalling he wanted more from Us. So We gave it to him. After a finish up from TAG, the pair donned their cans (that's headphones for you and me) and kicked the real party off with the BoysNoize remix of Feist's My Moon My Man.

The rest of the night was a big blur, throughout the course of the night I met a couple of my brother's friends, an old schoolmate (who unnnervingly winked at me) and a recurring scenester whom I abhor who decided to share my spot.

For the most part, I was in a deep trance, my feet, hands and neck would not stop moving. I didn't leave the dancefloor except for a quick bathroom break and a cold beer on the way back. One of the highpoints of the night was when LapSap played Armand van Helden's heavy, bass-laden mix of Shinichi Osawa's cover of The Chemical Brother's (phew that's alot of of's) legendary "Star Guitar". Another highlight was when Lapsap played a track unbeknownst to me, but it was an ABSOLUTE STOMPER. I have to assimilate that track into my music library. The best bit was when Digitalism's aptly named Pogo was roaring at full-pace [YES THEY FINALLY PLAYED DIGITALISM!!], with LapSap touching the song up in all the right places, and as I was jumping and chanting along "WE COULD GET SO WASTED, IF YOU WOULD'VE COME!" with the song, another hand squeezed me on the shoulder (a common greeting it seems) and I saw another familiar face, Henry! I pointed him at the direction of the bar and continued to abuse my lungs and throat, and it dawned on me that I was wishing someone special came tonight with me :)

By the time I felt a little worse for wear, I noticed it was 2 a.m. "Three hours I've been on the dancefloor" I thought to myself, I think it's time to get home. Full of sweat, my head swimming with daze and a feeling of happiness flowing through my body, I cut through the heathing mass of flesh and sweat, and descended the stairs to an entirely different world. I realised I'd gone half deaf and everything sounded like I was in an astronaut's suit. My mind had shrunk and my body had become the Yellow Submarine. I met up with my mates outside, grabbed a well deserved drink, and finally made my way home.

All in all, We sang when We were meant to, and We danced when We were meant to, what a bloody good night.

Will try and get some photos up soon (I wish I had a camera),
Love; the Prayon Kid.

Edit: Photos are up! Find more here!

Blue, I get a question every time I swallow you, it's true

Reporting from the usual, it's about 21:18, and I don't know why but I feel most comfortable to blog about music when I'm in the office with my Senny's on.

Anyway, if you recognise the lyrics from the title then you're of a special breed, a Verve fan :) (not The Verve Pipe..) Blue is such a powerful song, not just because of all the background sound accompanying the lyrics, but the lyrics itself and the way Ashcroft delivers it, he's definitely not the best singer in the word, but eee by gum the timing and intonations of his voice strikes deep in my soul. I love how this track sounds abit Stone Roses-esque as well.

I just got the Verve's new album a few days ago, but have only listened to it through a couple of times. I really enjoyed Love is Noise, Valium Skies and Noise Epic which is exactly what it is, EPIC NOIIIIIIISE, the last 3 seconds of this 8 minute long, shoegazing journey is effing brill (WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP,) I love the character their music has, a sort of chaotic edge to it. I am abit dissapointed however, 'cause their sound hasn't evolved that much from Urban Hymns; if you cast your music player back to their first 2 or 3 albums, yeah you can definitely see the progression they've had (though the Jesus & Mary Chain fan in me still loves their full-on shoegazing, distortion filled anthems) but, if you've split with your band for 6 years or so, and you finally get back together and get your fans are jumping up and down, least you could do is try and push the frontier a little. But, all in all, can't really complain.. if it ain't broke don't fix it as the cliche goes..

Here's a good site for downloading mp3's (just between you and I okay? ;))

I'll link a few Verve songs here now. 

1. Come On - The middle bit of the song is worth it.. listen to this if you like Phil Spector, wall-of-sound type songs. It's got such rock n roll momentum..
2. Velvet Morning - Retro feel to it, such a sweet and happy melody.
3. Catching the Butterfly - One of my favourites.. an ode to hoping.. and just dreaming in general. Put it on your 'listen-before-sleeping' playlist.
4. Space and Time - "We have existence and it's all we can share.."
5. Weeping Willow - Another melancholic anthem, "Weeping willow.. the gun under your pillow"
6. This is Music - Distortion-surrounded, dont-give-a-fuck, nonsensical anthem.
7. A Northern Soul - I like this track just cause of the opening, it's got such a monster sound to it, it's like the guitar slashes a gaping hole in you, then the amp sprays salt and spits in the wound. Listen to this especially if you're a Northener ;)

Right, that's enough Verve-milk spouting from my music-mammarial glands. I might review an album or somethin' later on tonight, cheers for reading!

Email us at were.the.crayon.kids@gmail.com, or comment if you've seen The Verve live, I'm interested.

Chaosers, bowsers;

Love, the Prayon Kid.