JYG have become as indie as it gets. Which to say the least is the best way to go about getting your music out. In a country where record deals are hard to find for musicians creating an alternative brand of music, JYG has been adopting music 2.0 techniques well. And successfully.
Following closely on the release of their album (independently, of course), they have just come out with a video of ‘It’s OK’. A perfect take on their indie nature, see them guys having fun, something which you so would have seen them having on stage between us and with us.
47 million years. Long time! Long enough for civilization to evolve in order to ascertain what a fossilized lemur had as a last meal before being buried underneath volcanic eruptions. Not long enough though for civilization (rather some of the more ‘civilized’ ones) to realize that some things are best left to themselves.
Missing links have never been missing.
The latest I read was this. A cannibal! Not surprising if a lemur is the missing link between apes and humans; could have been worse. After all, aren’t we composed of neutrons at the sub-atomic level as well? Now I know the cannibalistic pulsar is a neutron ‘star’, not a neutron, technically; but it is composed of neutrons, nonetheless. Astronomers, paleontologists, anthropologists and physicists are welcome to prove me wrong. I don’t have any desire to be proved right anyway.
Missing links. Omnipresent.
Since the conception of human life to being bought into this world and leaving it: each passing moment, a link which was missing a moment ago. Each moment, an infinitesimal part of a stream of missing links. A stream, definite in its flow and direction in its completion of a life lived. Most importantly, a series of missing links which compose a life which acts as the missing link to the hereafter.
Right now, I am trying to search for the missing link which helps me get along with most of ‘civilization’.
Facebook does have its share of pleasures - most times, subtle; some times, astronomical. Tonight, was one of those rare moments when Facebook gave me exactly what I was looking for.
21st Century Breakdown – the latest (eighth, if I am correct) album to be released by the biggest punk bands to be around now – Green Day (though I know, quite a few purists may disagree on tagging them as punks now). Nonetheless, though originally scheduled for a 15th May release, Green Day has been liberal and loving for their fans and ‘leaked’ the album on various websites (mtv, vh1, rhapsody).
Image courtesy - wikipedia.org
Though I was initially unfazed after watching their lead single ‘Know Your Enemy’ (which has been getting considerable airplay on vh1 these days) – and I’m still not, after listening to the entire album – the full album does have considerable weight to throw around. Conceptualized as a narrative, this tells the story of Christian and Gloria (which naturally solves my curiousity regarding the relevance of the couple on the album’s cover), how they find themselves completely screwed up by the state of affairs in their homeland (America) now, how and who (no prizes for guessing, if anyone says W) did it, and how they think they could manage to find salvation. Traces of ‘American Idiot’ are obvious; though, this does send out a loud political message, which serves as a direct descendant of the preceding album, however maintaining a distinct voice for the message contained within at the same time.
Tuesday mornings. Not exactly very worthwhile in the course of a regular week. No morning madness like Monday, nothing like the midweek respite of Wednesday, nor the revelrous debauchery of Friday. Office goers would swear at the tremendous amount of inertia to be overcome in order to set aside Tuesday morning ennui.
That energy came my way in the form of a baldie, whose B/W image, seated with a brotha in an Afro. Initial impressions though were those of indifferent ridicule, which is usually the result of unfamiliarity. You can’t really blame one’s mindset after having heard an album full of average indie shit, expecting to hear better. A name like ‘Street Sweeper Social Club’ doesn’t have the potential of overcoming that feeling either. What did reverse the entire feeling was a roadrolling coaster of a bass groove, which immediately set motor neurons in involuntary motion. A groove which possessed the stamp of a master guitarist, which immediately betrayed his identity as Tom Morello. You can’t blame me for not recognizing him without the hallmark of his cap. Blame it on Tuesday if you want.
But Tuesday saw the release of ’100 Little Curses’ as well. ‘Street Sweeper Social Club’, though sounds like an evening get together spot for khadi clad socialists, is what Morello has collaborated with Boots Riley (of ‘The Coup’, a politically vocal hip hop group – more on that maybe some other time) as another of his side project apart from ‘The Nightwatchman”. Currently having released 4 singles, all of which are up on their MySpace page (www.myspace.com/streetsweepersocialclub), the message is clear, crisp and uniform – that of a sardonic disdain for political and corporate systems alike. Much of this is visualized to an extremely fitting degree in their logo of gun barrels emerging out of the speakers of a retro hi-fi system. Not a stranger to such messages having worked with one of the most vocal bands we have known, Morello though has made a conscious effort to steer away from his earlier influence, yet stay close to it in a paradoxical way. While the guitar work reminds you of his earlier work with RATM, the angst which emerged from de la Rocha’s lungs is replaced by the sneering sarcasm of Boots’ word play.
Image - www.streetsweepersocialclub.com
Boots brings with him the qualities of a rapper possessing the finesse of a poet with a scathing incisiveness with words which conveys the message bang on spot, and leaves a sly smirk at the corner of your lips at the same time. In fact, ‘The Oath’ begins with his poetic ruminations which are full of vivid metaphors before progressing into a chorus which undeniably has the catchiest hook to have come out this year (alright muthafucka, fight muthafucka…), and fails to leave you even long after in the form of echoes in your head. Similar is the effect of ‘Clap for the Killers’, a biting diatribe which pokes fun at politicians and pseudos. ‘Fight, Smash, Win’ (which is currently streaming on their website www.streetsweepersocialclub.com) though does bring back memories of Morello’s time with Rage, though it would rather be better to say of his time with de la Rocha and his incendiary vocal attacks. No disrespect for Boots though. When one part of a historic group works in conjunction with someone out of the group, parallels are bound to be made. Its natural. The rousing anthem for the season though would remain ’100 Little Curses’, which with its march band drumming and rousing choruses rebukes everything from Ferrari’s to their chauffeurs to champagne and marble stairs, much in the way we used to cast nonsensical curses as kids in childlike banter. The banter may sound like fun as Boots speaks, the larger issues he points out aren’t as childlike though.
The debut album is scheduled to be out on 16th June. Check their MySpace profile, become fans on Facebook, spread the word around in the meantime. Tuesday assumes a different dimension as well now: 16th June is a Tuesday.
Fremantle is a quaint little port town situated on the coastline of Western Australia. The place has a very distinct old school colonial charm attached to itself. Much of it is reflected in the architecture of the place, and some it spills over in the languid pace with which its inhabitants conduct their daily business. Which is what adds to the charm of the place; after all, isn’t it such a delight not to see every other person shoving the one in front while catching a frenetic glance at his wristwatch? Maybe it is this easy pace of life and an affinity for things gone past in the sands of time, which made its native John Butler adopt a musical stance which declares itself in a sound amplifying elements from days before anyone even knew psychedelic or progressive rock. The journey hasn’t exactly been easy for him since the time he started busking on streets. But with two albums (“Three” and “Living 2001-2002”) achieving platinum status Down Under, he now definitely seems set to take over the world stage with his latest album “April Uprising”. If the name makes you think this is one massively loaded political statement, it might be a bit of an over-thought. Yes, John Butler has been known to voice his opinion on socio-political issues, which he has been seen on his earlier albums. But JBT speaks in covert assertion. Not in the overtly aggressive Rage Against The Machine way (though “April Uprising” does sound like a very apt name for a RATM record). The most vocal he gets is on the lead single “One Way Road”, a song which has already become a massive hit and is getting heavy rotation on radio airwaves. The references to Mahatma (Gandhi) and Martin (Luther King) do make him sound more like a proponent of ‘satyagraha’ than pitched gun battles. But the world can always do with some more peace and understanding, can’t it? Staccato guitar chords play as he works out the alphabet while dissecting the nexus between business and politics, and how the common man gets entwined like a fly in a spider’s web between them. And there is always a way to ‘turn it back around’ even if you’re going the ‘wrong way down a one way road’. The sentiment echoes itself on the opening track “Revolution” too, a rousing percussive sound which tugs on your soul to be the change that is needed. But “April Uprising” isn’t all about corruption and capitalism gone wrong. It is also to do with the insurrection within the heart when it feels the pangs of deserted love and the baggage which comes along with it. “I’d Do Anything” longs for the caressing breath of the beloved in hushed overtones, and “Close To You” takes a speeding freeway route lined with pop abundance. “Fool For You” is a sugary sweet serenade, which can serve the dual purpose of acting as a lullaby too. “Take Me”, though musically gifted, sounds a bit trite in its lyrics which implore in desperation for love. But keeping the love bytes aside, the album returns to the original format of revolution it started out with as you surrender to the pummeling percussion on “Ragged Mile”. Some really beautiful bluegrass guitar work makes it way as John Butler asks some pertinent questions about personal identities, with the chorus echoing in the distance all the time. The collective effect makes this one of the most understated, yet one of the most powerful tracks on the album. The quintessential Johnny on bluegrass albums isn’t left alone here either as his journey into the faraway neverland on “Johnny’s Gone” is recited to clap sounds. But there doesn’t seem any good reason for Johnny to be around when you have a song which says “Don’t Wanna See Your Face”, a fun filled jab in the face song with arpeggio guitar work. The dichotomy in the nature of the uprising maybe a bit confusing, but that doesn’t make this album any less appealing musically. More than anything else, their sound is a welcome change from music of the punching bag variety which is being dished out with spooky regularity these days.
Weaving a web of alternate solar systems on her second album ‘Two Suns’ under her assumed stage name of Bat for Lashes, she reminds you in many ways of what a Bjork or a Kate Bush have been and not at the same time. This underlying philosophy of duality is what drives the entire album as well. Bat for Lashes has an established reputation for theatrics – whether in her onstage performances, her recorded sounds or their lyrical content. Received immensely well by critics and fans alike on her Mercury nominated ‘Fur and Gold’, she works on ‘Two Suns’ with a somewhat more mature approach which is natural, and exposes her proclivity towards expanding her creative horizon. As soon as you hit ‘Glass’ the immense quality of her vocals draw her towards her, which continue to haunt you through the pitched to perfection voice she layers atop trips to unseen intergalactic destinations. The lilting quality of ‘Sleep Alone’, the piano led ‘Moon and Moon’, the alternately booming and dropping ‘Siren Song’, the club beats on ‘Pearl’s Dream’ or the languid ‘The Big Sleep’ (on which she collaborates vocally with the legendary Scott Walker) – each track is a journey which takes you into multiple directions and leaves you back at the same spot you started – although the kinetic energy within you might have multiplied over in that period.
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Saudades de Rock - Extreme
Cradlesong - Rob Thomas
Battle Studies - John Mayer
