Inhaler- Foals

From the start, with the sound of echoic guitars sounding as if they are resonating down a street tunnel, you get the feeling that Foals have finally matched vision to product. Inhaler, the first single from their new album Holy Fire, is a very bombastic song but yet still maintains artistic cohesiveness. Three years since 2010's Total Life Forever, Foals have finally learned how to display what they want. The tones, effects and mixing are done flawlessly on Holy Fire such that they complement the vision of the individual song and Inhaler is a perfect example. The slow build-up of layers- claustrophobic, chaotic even- over top of the lustfully reverberated voice of Yannis Philippakis culminates and explodes. " ...and I can't get enough space"- he wails- as the song, which has built up perfectly, is blown into the atmosphere; only grounded by the drudgy, over driven guitars. The song never loses its drive and pushes the listener to the end. The true genius of this song is how expansive it feels, but yet maintains to stay grounded. This is a comforting and terrifying thought: if this is Foals with one foot still on the ground, imagine what could happen if they jumped.

The Return of Bowie

Just another quick update here. This track was released by surprise yesterday by an artist who has been inactive for 10 years. David Bowie, world famous for his theatrical characters like Ziggy Stardust has just released his new single from his upcoming album The Next Day. The first single is called "Where Are We Now" and it is very interesting. At my first glance it reminded me a bit of the song "Sweet Thing" from his album Diamond Dogs. However, to say that this song is similar to his back catalog would be an overstatement, it is new and fits perfectly in the modern age. The downtrodden and introspective nature Bowie takes in this song (which looks back on his days writing the Berlin-trilogy) is something not entirely different than the feel I get from many modern bands. What sets "Where Are We Now" from other introspective songs of late is its instrumentation. It gives the feel of minimalism, but yet it lacks that as it is a big song. It is good to see Bowie back on form and actually releasing new music. If this song is any indication of the rest of the album, it is going to be good and truly shows that Bowie has not lost a step in his musical genius.

Back Again

I used to write on this blog. That was a long time ago. I feel that the time to write on it again as come. 

Music has always been a big part of my life and for some reason I never seem to stop looking for good music. People always get satisfied by finding their favourite bands and listening to them over and over again. I used to be like that too. However, now I can't get a new song past 20 plays on my iTunes. I always here the same thing- that modern music sucks. I disagree with that as I regularly find new music that is astonishing. Sure, we will never have the Beach Boys or the Beatles again, but hey, there is still some pretty good music being made. The purpose of this blog from now on is to just post some new music when I find it such that someone else can be exposed to that music and maybe find a new artist they would like to support. The music I will post will probably be a mixture of underground and mainstream music. I personally think that artists who are signed to major labels still have credibility, they got there for a reason, they are appealing and actually have some pretty good songs (not necessarily the singles).  Let us start this blog again.

London Grammar

To start the blog again here is a band I found last night quite late in the evening. They are a trio of musicians from London, England and of course call themselves London Grammar. They are really quite underground but they have a nice sound. The restrain in the song (as well as the tone of the guitars) remind me a little bit of the XX. The seemingly classically-trained voice mixed with the gentle raindrop of the guitar and the atmospheric synth in the background create a trance-like vibe that draws you in. Frankly, she could be saying anything and I probably would not pay much attention to it as the vibe of the song seems destined for some montage scene in a movie. This seems to be one of their first songs and I look forward to future outputs from this band.

New Music for January Part 2

Quick hit of some things I am loving. New Britney Spears is actually pretty awesome. The mix of industrial, grime and trance is going to make this one a big hit.



Also loving the new Get Up Kids album. Pretty awesome. Original emo bands rock. Check it out.



And finally, a song I just am totally loving to work out too. Four Year Strong is an amazing band. I love the mix of hardcore, metal and pop punk bands (Set Your Goals, A Day to Remember, Call Off the Search). I love a good breakdown to workout to ;)



Anyways Keep on Enjoying everything!

Review: Straight Outta L.A.

An Extension to the Previous Three Part Series of Documentary Reviews

Film: Straight Outta L.A.

Originally Seen on ESPN

When I was a child, It seemed to me as though football and rap were always connected to one another. It was as though this bred into me as on the television this is what was always shown. This connection was not always so. In the documentary Straight Outta L.A. how this link was formed is thoroughly explained.

Ice Cube was born and raised in Compton, California. He grew up listening to rap, eventually realizing he wanted to be a rapper. He formed the group N.W.A. along with other local rappers. They grew popular underground. The football team the Oakland Raiders in the early 1980's had just moved into town. They were a rough and tumble team that never gave up. They fought and were completely ruthless. Some of the athletes on the team could even be considered outlaws for some of the behavior they displayed.

Being in downtown L.A. and with an attitude like that immediately drew the hardened people from Compton, they came in flocks- this was their team. Ice Cube wanted to emulate this feeling and his group started wearing gear related to this sports team. N.W.A. was therefore associated with the Raiders and this associated the team with gang violence. The stadium where the Raiders played would have large amounts of violence.

The documentary does good job of showing this relationship trend between the two subjects. Ice Cube takes an interesting stance when it comes to being in the documentary. In this particular show it is mostly effective because his personality is not necessarily dislikable and he fits in well with the intended mood of the documentary. What this documentary is showing is not necessarily about just football and rap. It's about black culture. In this current era black culture is everywhere. If you look on the radio, eight of the ten top songs will be hip hop or rap related. It is the popular trend of music right now. This was not always the case and by immersing black culture with a popular Hollywood football team, it became more mainstream. When this first happened in the 1980's it was not a pretty scene with the loss of many lives, many people being beaten by police and many others being shot. It brought to light many difficulties and problems with African Americans living in lower cost living areas.

The most important thing about this documentary is how it brings up the past. The past can never be forgotten in order to move forward. I believe the youth of today is unaware of the difficulties faced by previous generations and it needs to be shown to them.

When comparing to other documentaries in the series that I have reviewed. I believe Straight Outta L.A. holds its own. It has a strong editing presence which is especially effective in the cartoon sections and a nice flow of material. However, in this comparison I believe it does not have as strong of a emotional connection to the average reader like myself. If you know the topic well or you were associated to this scene this could have a great impact on you. For someone like myself who knows nothing of football or living a gangster lifestyle, it had less of an impact. I do enjoy rap and for me this was purely interesting for the background knowledge of the development of gangster rap. This documentary only contains appeal to a select audience as the topic limits itself to a select demographic.

The personal feeling that Ice Cube gives us by being in the documentary is interesting, but I believe it destroys the image of god that the documentary director gives. When compared to the brilliance of WWII in HD there is a much more effective job of editing and flow. Perhaps it is the topic of the documentary being a very emotional piece that Straight Outta L.A. does not have, but maybe a different flow would have changed it a bit. If I had to choose between the two methods of displayed by both of the documentaries (narration-related) I would choose WWII in HD. It allows for one to become immersed in the topic fully. When you are consistently taken out of the mood by a narrator it is hard to return to the same mindset.

Overall, Straight Outta L.A. is a good documentary. It explains its topic well, but the only aspect that is lacking is the development of emotion .If it built up a little better and the organization was changed. I believe this documentary could be appealing to a larger audience.

WWII in HD : A Review

Part three in a three part series reviewing modern documentaries.

Film: WWII in HD

They were brave, they were great. They were the ones who were not afraid to stand in the line of fire to defend their country. For some, it was a country they could barely call home. These were the men that fought in a war that was all consuming. This was a war that involved nearly every country in the world, including all of the great nations. This was a terrible war that took the lives of many young men, who would never come back home to their families, their lovers, their children.

What is unique about World War 2 is that it is the first war where we have mass amounts of film footage that capture the horrors of the war. The documentary World War 2 in HD shows just this. This documentary doesn’t just show you a story; it lets you live the experience. It does more than present footage of a bloody war; it makes you somehow emotionally connected to the men who lived it firsthand. Even for those who have little knowledge of the war can feel mass amounts of empathy for those brave souls.

The documentary starts with the depiction of a sequence of military events that show massive amounts of carnage and loss. In between this is a military parade celebrating the reign of Hitler and Nazi Germany. How one man caused the world to enter such a horrible war is truly a powerful question asked by this documentary. We are left at the end of this sequence with the firing squad killings of many men. We zoom to a soldier who survived the war. The regretful, reflective look in his eyes shows an emotion that no one in this modern age knows- a true loss of innocence. This solider has been through something we will hopefully never have to go through.

This documentary makes you feel like you are right there beside these soldiers. The footage is of amazing quality, which surprises me considering when it was taken. The colours, the brilliance of the shots make it better than most home videos shot in the modern era. We must remember that the original shots had no sound and all had to be edited in. This is done flawlessly and is so well done that it is as though you yourself are fully immersed in the battle. The emotional aspect of this documentary is so exceptionally played upon. The transitions keep you going at such a pace that you are almost overwhelmed with such drastic feelings. When I watched this documentary I had chills during some scenes. The way these people acted, on both the axis and allied sides, is powerful. The way these men had to kill other human beings in such a calm manner is so horrific. This is showed in such editing brilliance that the true weight of this is felt throughout the show.

A brilliant idea that is used in this documentary is using actors to narrate the parts of ex-soldiers, to give the documentary an even more surreal feel. This is done flawlessly. They give the men a very realistic view. This is one of the reasons I feel the monumental weight of the war has been lost the new generation- they cannot connect. They hear and see, but they cannot feel. This documentary makes the men of the past seem like everyday men, people who had little idea what they were getting into. That is one of the real shames of war, how people who know nothing of each other are sent against out to kill one another.

I cannot emphasize the brilliance to the editing job that is done on WW2 in HD. The after effects used on the title screens between shots are done so effectively that it just continues to build the emotion. Pictures, interviews and the main footage are used in perfect proportions. There is never a stagnant moment. For those who may be lacking in geographical knowledge, visually appealing maps give every detail needed to fully understand each battle. Each battle that is shown is given such a detailed description that the full importance is known. Battles like Pearl Harbour, Guadacanal and Midway are shown in such a descriptive manner that you crave to know the outcome. What is powerfully done throughout is the integration of memorable speeches done by the leaders of the allied countries. These speeches are well known and their use is done to such a strong effect that will give most chills.

What this film does is show you more than footage, it makes it come alive. You feel everything these soldiers would have felt in this time of war. For those who have some family tie to this war, it is even more powerful. I myself almost got teary during some parts due to the weight this war had on the world. This was one of the most significant times in the history of mankind. I think it is a shame that so many people just don’t understand it, that they shrug it off. If we had lost this war, I don’t think many people see how much we would have lost. Who knows if we would still have a country to call our own? This documentary had a lot to live up to when presenting this footage. It had to be respectful and show the war in a certain light. World War 2 in HD does just this, taking it to a whole new level. I had myself asking questions like “what would I do in a situation like that”, “would I do what they did” and “would I live?” This documentary takes an emotional connection that has been lost over time and immediately rebuilds it. Those who didn’t live it will and those who did will relive it. An amazing and powerful experience that should be viewed by all.

New Music for January

So lets get down to it. There is usually a lull in new music throughout December and January usually coming out in full throttle. However, there have been some new tracks coming out in December that have blown my mind. This was the past year of Eminem. He came out flying with the Recovery album, and a number of guest appearances. In the past week of December four songs leaked with Em gracing them. Topless a Dre song, Difficult, Coccaine and Syllables. Syllables is a song that takes a wack on the current state of music. Its brilliant with heavy hitters lining it. Jay-Z, Dre, 50 Cent, Stat Quo, Cashis and of course Em. Check it out.



Another band that is completely blowing my mind out there is White Lies. They have been growing in popularity after their first album, but they are set to explode with their second album out in January. Their last album "to lose my life..." didn't have a bad song on it. Even the B-sides were better than most songs I have heard this past year. Check out this B-Side "Black Song".. its the one that I have just downloaded and is racking up plays on my Itunes. They are a post-punk revival band from Britain, and if you like Joy Division, and other post-punk bands with dark lyrics, this is definitely for you.



Now, I am a huge oasis fan, and when they broke up, I was saddened. Liam has gone on to form a new band Beady Eye. They are relatively the same as old Oasis, and I am loving it. Their new album Different Gear, Still Speeding comes out in February. Check out the second single "Four Letter Word" -classic Oasis vibe.




What else is gracing my ears lately? Well, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's are definitely sparking my attention with a bonus track to Fever to Tell " Yeah, New York". An amazing song, sparse, but delicious. I am loving the somewhat new Yeasayer disc with catchy songs "O.N.E." and "Ambling Amp". After receiving a punk rock book, I have been downloading some original Emo, Nerd rock, Pop Punk. I am loving the Descendents and Rites of Spring. Vampire Weekend are another original band I am loving. Going back a step to my third favourite band -Alkaline Trio. I have been rejuvanated in my love for them. Their gothic punk feel (like AFI except faster) blows me away. Their simple chord and song structure always gets me.



Now to end the year, as it is now a new one. Lets have a look at two big slumps I have seen. The first is Stereos. They were a popular band picked of the MuchMusic show disband. They were signed released a big album with popular singles. To capitalize on their new found sucess a followup was immediately released. It is terrible with bad auto-tune, poor choruses and lack of orginality. Sophomore slump?



The last one is Gorillaz. Now I mostly like this band. Most of their songs tickle my fancy but their latest album is weirder than normal. Recorded on their tour of America. I don't know what Damon was thinking. Their are some interesting songs, but the first single is terrible (an instrumental single ?!). Nevertheless, if you can listen to it first, try it out. But I think it is a terrible follow-up to some incredible LP's. This is the first single I was talking about. Its not the best. When you first listen to it, its interesting, but I want more. Vocals would have been nice.



Anyways I hope your holidays were great dear reader. Check back for new music at some point!