The Miley Movement

So it turns out Kanye West’s proclamation that Beyonce had “the best video of all time” was as premature as the time he blew his beans up Kim Kardashian.

For my money (-£739 to be exact) there’s only one person in pop worth writing about and it would appear EVERYBODY wants to write about her, pops perky twerky princess Miley. 

It must be a butt fucker for the wealthy art school girls of America’s cosmopolitan cities that some rich red neck chick has muscled in on their NYC art house cinema screenings, completely grabbed pop-culture by the wrecking balls and drained it of all its shallow spunk. Gaga overestimates and overrates pop culture, Cyrus gets that it’s simple. Gaga wears meat, Miley makes people beat theirs. She’s hot, and she wants to get naked. You don’t ask Terry Richardson to direct your video and expect to keep your clothes on. I’m pretty sure he could take your primary school yearbook photo and you’d leave with just your tie on.

But apart from creating the two best pop singles of the year so far, what I really like about Miley 2.0 is that she literally does not give two fucks. Nerds smarter than me have attempted to classify her creation as racist and anti-feminist but what most seem to fall short on is that it’s awesome. Breakdown queen Sinead O’Connor has had a pop, Miley responded by mocking her mental health problems. No fucks. She’s wearing 12 hole Dr. Martin’s in her video and she’s backing it up with 12 round comebacks to people who literally couldn’t be further from relevance from right now. What makes Miley different from Sinead, Britney, Li-Lo and co. is that she’s doing drugs the right way. Whilst the PR machine is carefully hiding such mischief, there’s no doubt that at some hipster LA party Cyrus is sniffing harder than the builders brought in to take away THAT wrecking ball. The party will undoubtedly stop, but not for a while yet. And if it does she’s got Billy Ray’s money to fall back on, as well as country music’s ever welcoming embrace. There’s no chance of a Cyrus breakdown, unless it’s a carefully thought out re-birth a couple of albums down the line.

 

Any arguments that it’s the countless agents, management and PR guru’s that are running the Miley Movement are probably rooted in fact, but Cyrus is using them like she’s using us, sticking a foam middle finger right up our arses. Even on MTV’s attempt at getting a slice of the pro-Cyrus propaganda pie “The Miley Movement” she managed to distort and fuck it up by coming across as a bit of a bratty twat. Perfect. That’s how we want our rock-stars, moaning about the tiniest thing going wrong backstage and then stepping out into the camera’s glare all teeth, tits and tongue. I haven’t gotten round to buying Bangerz yet, but I sure as hell will and so will you, probably. One of my best friends did his dissertation on Miley Cyrus two years ago. He was well ahead of the game and the fact that he could get 10,000 words plus out of the old Cyrus gives the clearest indication yet that there’s serious depth to this pop-parade that delves deeper than just soft-core porn. She looks like a little boy made to do PE in his pants in the “Wrecking Ball” video; she gets kicked in the head in the “We Can’t Stop” video and she continually keeps getting bollucked by her parents. This is angst, this is youth, and this is quite frankly the best thing to happen to pop-culture in forever. I also can't thank her enough personally for choosing to jump onto rap culture and, unlike those stoopid models, stay the fuck away from punk.

No we don’t want our daughters or sisters copying her, but what we do want is a sledgehammer sucking, tantrum chucking, finger fucking superstar. Here she is:

A Democratic, Pussy-footing Around How Festivals Are Now Shit and Full of Twats.

Basically I hate this post, but it didn't get picked up by the monetary outlets I'd hoped it would so it's a shame to waste 500 words...A subtle moan about the scrots that go to, and get booked on festivals nowadays. It's kinda boring, but then so are Mumford & Sons and people consume that shit like lollipop dicks shooting coca-cola. 

With the festival season now over and that final layer of grime just about washed off your skin it seems a pretty good time to consider another fun filled festival summer.

One trend that seems pretty prominent in the UK festival scene right now is the frequent additions of more mainstream pop and r’n’b artists sharing the stages and tents with the more traditional alternative bands. On the flip side of this many of the remaining big niche genre festivals appear to be struggling to stay afloat and avoid a chart takeover.  
This year’s Glastonbury followed on from Beyonce’s headline performance with mainstage sets from the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Rita Ora and Professor Green, whilst the traditionally rock festival at Reading and Leeds introduced a new stage featuring grime, garage and hip-hop artists such as Wiley, Angel Haze and Waka Flocka Flame. Meanwhile V Festival has seemingly decided to focus almost entirely on MTV, top 40 acts with Emeli Sande, Ellie Goulding and Kendrick Lamar all enjoying prominent slots.

Whilst some festival purists may well resent moves to appeal to a wider audience, doing so may well be crucial to ensuring long-term survival of these live music institutions. Although the metal based Download Festival appears to be thriving, many alternative events in the UK have been forced to downsize or dissolve altogether. Sonisphere’s Knebworth event was cancelled in 2012, citing the economy and low ticket sales as the main reasons, despite boasting Kiss and Queen (with Adam Lambert) as headliners. This year’s Hevy Fest featured Black Flag and Killswitch Engage and yet despite trying to reschedule as an indoor show was also eventually forced to cancel. Alternative festivals may well find resisting excessive commercialisation difficult, both in attracting fans and finance. One worry for the old school is that mainstream artists across all festivals will lead to events losing their identities and differences. With so much of TV and Radio mainly focusing on the music in the charts festivals are often rare chances for fans to get all of their favourite music together in one place, a chance to escape the commercialised wave that is smothered across the media.  Celebrities, “IT” girls and reality stars have all gate crashed the festival scene, potentially threatening to steal it away from the real music fans, leaving a worse taste in your mouth than the burger van on the final day (although festival cuisine now seems more of a draw than the music for some, Ostrich burgers at Glasto anyone?).

However, is the argument of a mainstream invasion really such a worrying issue, or is it just a bad rumour like the “girl who fell in” one of THOSE port-a-loos? Reading and Leeds still boasted a strong alternative presence on the Main Stage, whilst Eminem as a headliner is certainly nothing new, having also topped the bill back in 2001. Another major plus point for wider ranging festivals is the variety of styles that is provided by broader artists. Genre fusion has always been a key part of alternative music and allowing different artists to interact and share a stage will surely lead to innovations in sound and staging that can only serve to see festivals evolve and not stagnate. In addition to this pop music appears to have realised the importance of live shows and touring in recent years, leading to a major improvement in the quality of performance. The massive recent tours by the likes of Rihanna and Taylor Swift emphasise that pop acts certainly do have a place in the live music calendar, whilst the entertainment and production values they utilise make for an enjoyable set regardless of whether or not you enjoy the music. Much of the fun of going to festivals is discovering new things, especially new music and the opportunity to be introduced to a new genre or band certainly can’t be considered a negative.

Whatever your opinion regarding increasingly mainstream acts on festival bills it seems like for the larger events in particular, they’re here to stay. Fans usually vote with their feet, so the fact that these festivals continue to thrive and the acts continue to avoid being bottled off stage suggests that fans have either accepted the change, or, heaven forbid, actually enjoy the sets. Thankfully however, there are still plenty of smaller niche festivals in the UK, Dead Punk festival in Bristol this year was one of the best all day shows I’ve ever attended and emphasised that despite a number of high profile festival cancellations in recent years, there is still places for alternative music fans to escape the charts. Meanwhile, the big festivals all still provide enough variety to find or discover something you like. And hey, if you don’t like the music stay in your tent and don’t spoil it for those that do!

Pure Love - Anthems

Anthems is unashamedly, and unreservedly an appropriate title for a record brimming with confidence, it doesn’t feel particularly punk, and it’s not supposed to. Opener “She (Makes The Devil Run Through Me)” provides an irresistibly catchy riff, and it’s not the last. The same can be said for one of the top tracks of last year, “Bury My Bones” with Carter outlining Pure Love’s ambitions: “I’m so sick of singing about hate, it’s time that I made a change.” Follow up “The Hits” centres around brilliantly scuzzy guitar work from Carter’s new partner in crime Jim Carroll, formerly of The Hope Conspiracy, whose power chords are the driving force of this album.

Carter’s time with Gallows, one of the UK’s most important bands in recent years, showcases his ability to scream and bleed vocally, but here he reaches a whole new level, as is clearly evident on the slow-burning “Anthem” and the U2 -esque “Heavy Kind Of Chain,” highlighting the classic rock direction Pure Love are embodying. Carter hasn’t totally given up on revolution however, with “Riot Song” offering a Manic Street Preachers sounding depiction of “a riot on the streets of England.”

It’s admirable to hear a band admit that they are directly going for the stadium rock, popularist market, and thankfully Anthems has the songs to back it up. Although the idea of seeing a face tattooed, fire haired front man gracing the world’s biggest stages may be somewhat unlikely.

Soundgarden - King Animal

God bless Eddie Vedder. Soundgarden’s reunion, a return of one of the Mount Rushmore carvings of grunge, is a cash-spinning, half-arsed return that should have remained firmly in the mid-nineties. Fresh from a triumphant headline slot at last year’s Download festival, Chris Cornell and co have released their first LP in sixteen years, an ageing rock-a-thon that pays more testament to Pearl Jam’s brilliance and durability more than Soundgarden’s own relevance.  Cornell’s voice has always been a diamond that deserves far more credit than he, or Soundgarden, are ever given, but ‘‘King Animal’’, the comeback album from the Seattle rockers, only serves to typify this unfulfilled promise. After the brilliance of his early Audioslave work, and a hastily swept away Timbaland produced R’n’B’ turn, you would’ve expected the Soundgarden frontman to come out blazing, rather than this under gunned, somewhat dull return.

Opening track Been Away Too Long is self-aware of its own importance, with an opening riff that is nowhere near as big or as long as it should be,  a representation of much of this disappointingly OK album that would have surely benefited from letting Cornell scream and bleed a little bit more. Kim Thayil’s guitar work does sound fresh on second song Non-State Actor, with its follow up By Crooked Steps providing a gritty sound that would’ve worked so much better had it not been overdubbed by Cornell’s echoed and overproduced crooning. Blood On The Valley Floor offers a brooding resistance cut short by Bones of Birds with Cornell admitting ‘time is my friend, till it ain’t’ a dark admission of what surely could’ve been given such a fantastic voice.

Taree and Attrition showcase what is a much funkier return, with the severely downtuned acoustic focused Black Saturday offering an experimental turn that would’ve benefited from remaining solely guitar based, something also true of Halfway There, a victim of poor track placement.
As Cornell admits in Been Away Too Long, ‘I never wanted to stay’ unfortunately it may have been better if Soundgarden didn’t return, a harsh reality of what could’ve been a revitalising return. Though ‘‘King Animal’’ is by no means a bad album, it feels somewhat stagnated and self-aware, with Cornell never really letting his own talents, or that of his band mates, verge into anything unprecedented or new. Eddie Vedder’s got a ukulele album you know…

6/10

Green Day - UNO!

The return of Green Day has found them at something of a cross roads in their career. No longer the pop punk whirlwind of fresh air from the 90’s and early 2000’s but bona fide arena filling rock superstars. The all-conquering success of American Idiot in 2004 created something of a problem for Billy-Joe and co as to what direction they really wanted their group to head in. Thankfully, on Uno!, (the first of three LP’s planned in coming months) they have achieved something of a balance between past and present, though this is by no means their finest hour.

Opening track Nuclear Family starts promisingly but is something of a false start, lacking a truly massive chorus. This is something that is amended on second song Stay the Night and its follow up Carpe Diem as the album steps up a gear, with trademark chord heavy hooks and catchy melodies announcing that this record is unmistakably Green Day.

Let Yourself Go is perhaps the punkiest, and best, song on Uno!, charging through three minutes of energetic delirium complete with a screamed refrain that is the highlight of a superbly produced record. Unfortunately this is shadowed by the weakest song of the album, and perhaps Green Day’s career, Kill the DJ. Though the danceable riff should perhaps be celebrated for its experimentalism, it’s just a plodding, lazy mess of a tune.

Fell For You and Loss of Control are solid enough songs, however they don’t do anything special enough to save the middle of Uno! from feeling somewhat half-arsed and comfortable. Such filler suggests that Green Day may well have made a mistake releasing three albums in such a short space of time with Dos! and Tres! soon to be upon us in coming months.

One thing that is clear here however is that Green Day are oozing with a swagger and carefree attitude that was missing on 2009’s 21^st Century Breakdown. Whilst this no doubt comes with the financial security and knowledge that this record and tour will of course sell, it’s refreshing that they clearly feel under no obligation to make American Idiot part II, exemplified by Troublemaker, as Billy-Joe snarls and coos his way through 2:45 of breeze pop heaven.

The classic Green Day power chords charge back in on Angel Blue (the most American Idiot esque- track), presenting a strong finish to the LP along with the delicate Sweet 16 and the Warning era pop punk perfect Rusty James, which in quoting St. Joe Strummer suggests that such a sound and heritage was very much on the bands minds during this recording. Comeback single and album closer Oh Love polarised opinion on release, but as an album closer it actually works quite well, feeling more like a bonus track or encored  curtain closer then part of this collection of songs.

Only time will tell as to whether Green Day would’ve been better suited to putting all their golden eggs into one basket, rather than such a trilogy and Uno! unfortunately suggests that this may well be the case. However, it does provide a solid return, encompassing what we love and loved about Green Day. It’s a pity that any experimentation falls somewhat flat, but hey, I’d much rather see a stadium filling band take a few risks (*cough* Mumford *cough*) rather than playing it safe. After all, as Billy Joe so eloquently put it, ‘‘he’s not Justin Fucking Bieber’’.

                                                                                                                                                                                7.5/10     

Live Review: The Gaslight Anthem - London, KOKO

Before I start I should probably mention that I’m a MASSIVE Gaslight Anthem fan, so the prospect of seeing them at one of London’s relatively smaller venues left me more excited than a 16 year old girl about to be spit-roasted by One Direction – with Harry going first. Thankfully my excitement was well-justified as The Gaslight Anthem fired through a memorable set, ranked by the band themselves as one of their favourite shows ever.

With their debut major label release Handwritten due out towards the end of July, tonight was a perfect way so bid farewell to some older songs, showcasing exactly why the New Jersey punk rockers broke out of the basement scene and gained such widespread acclaim and adoration. Kicking off with Great Expectations, the album opener from 2008’s classic 59 Sound LP, the group ensure that the bar is set high, so high in fact that only a band with as strong a catalogue as TGA would be able to maintain it. The 25 song set included tracks from all three Gaslight albums, Sink or Swim, 59 Sound and American Slang, as well as Senor and the Queen, 2008’s four track EP.

A seamlessly paced set highlights Gaslight’s ability to mix hard rocking anthems with slower melodies as song pairings Drive - Blue Jeans and White T-shirts and American Slang – Here’s Looking at you, Kid perfectly illustrate. Of course it wouldn’t be as Gaslight Anthem show without a few covers and surprises thrown in, tonight’s offerings see an impassioned cover of House of the Rising Sun as well as a superb run through of Brand New’s Jesus Christ, situated during a rousing Angry Johnny and the Radio. In addition the inclusion of I’da Called You Woody Joe, homage to Camden Town and its patron Saint Joe Strummer is a fiercely relevant tribute to tonight’s setting.

With Handwritten looming on the horizon, (TGA’s first release since signing to Mercury Records) much speculation questioned whether the show heralded a different Gaslight Anthem, and if so would they play any new material. Well, if tonight proved anything it’s that the band themselves have not altered – singer Brian Fallon emphasizing this point himself, adding ‘‘everything’s changed, but the band haven’t changed’’ before launching into a stirring performance of breakthrough single The 59 Sound. Fans are treated to two tracks from the new record, though neither are world premieres. Biloxi Parish is a blues infused stomp of a track, previewed and debuted last year which rises up to a characteristically massive chorus that typifies the band. 45, the lead single from Handwritten, is even bigger, an immediate fans favourite that provides one of many highlights, with each ‘Hey, turn the record over’ greeted by a flurry of fists.

The unofficial inclusion of Fallon’s Horrible Crowes collaborator and former Gaslight guitar tech Ian Perkins has added a new direction to both the band’s sound and stage performance. Although an unassuming figure himself, Perkins’ guitar duties not only give the band an even bigger live sound, but it also allows Brian Fallon to further assert himself as a frontman. Putting down the guitar for around five songs allows him to clap, stomp and scream his way around stage, culminating in a brave stage dive from one of Koko’s balcony’s. Acting almost as a metaphor for the direction Fallon wants to take his band, this Eddie Vedder tribute is a representation of not only the influences on the new album, but also how the band would like to model their impending success.  Fallon is clearly ready for The Gaslight Anthem to be huge, arena huge and if their already brilliant back catalogue wasn’t enough to seal the deal, Handwritten will be. Anyone still unconvinced only need listen to tonight’s triumphant closer of Baba O’Reilly – one of the biggest ever rock songs, sounding bigger than ever before.

I’ll see you on the flipside.       

Top 5 Music Videos

In tribute to the late, great Adam Yauch I’ve decided to compile a quick top five of my favourite music videos of all time. There have obviously been hundreds of brilliant promos since video reared up, unwittingly and ultimately killing the radio stars of yesteryear, however this is a celebration of those that managed to perfectly capture a song visually.

Number 5: Beastie Boys – Sabotage

MCA may no longer be with us but thankfully The Beastie Boys humorous and energetic videos always will be. Sabotage is the best of the lot, building up the tension before launching into the fence kicking attack of the first verse. Fast, action packed and perfectly spoofed with fake moustaches it’s an LA cop chase that crams all the best bits of a film into an adrenaline fuelled three minutes of awesomeness.

Number 4: Eminem – Stan

Another white boy rapper famed for his outlawed comedy videos, Eminem went dark and disturbing with 2002’s Stan. Shot with low saturation and differentiation levels, it’s a rain drenched autobiographical tale of a crazed fan, driving himself and his pregnant girlfriend ultimately to death in his crazed pursuit of Eminem’s attention. Distressing and painful it explores the obsessive culture of fandom, so often trivialised, for its agonizing and often tragic nature.

Number 3: Social Distortion – Machine Gun Blues

A seven minute epic perfectly detailing the story told in the song. Set in 1930’s America, it’s wonderfully shot and stylish, just easing with cool. Mike Ness effortlessly pulls off the gun wielding anti-hero, keeping his tommy gun stored in his guitar case, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Retro, superbly directed and with an endless supply of ammo its pure punk rock heart and soul: Don Corleone with a Les Paul and what’s not to love about that.   

Number 2: Johnny Cash – Hurt

A video that will always hold poignancy and sentiment as it was filmed just seven months before Cash’s death, and three months before that of his wife June . The opening bars reflected through Christian imagery before revealing the essence of Cash’s cover of the Nine Inch Nails classic, an old man remembering through music. Shot at the House of Cash museum in Nashville, the derelict and diminishing building seemed a perfect metaphor for Cash’s own fading health. Frail, emotive and vulnerable it serves as an echo or epitaph to lost youth and memory.  Truly a goose bump inducing, room silencing masterpiece.     

Number 1: Replacements – Bastards of Young

If ever a music video captured what it’s like to be a teenager this is it, and it couldn’t be simpler. Shot in black and white, the picture slowly zooms out from a booming record player to reveal a bored teenager, sat on his bed, smoking and playing Tim. The climatic crescendo of the track itself is mirrored by the finale, where the punk lashes out, kicking his speakers over and leaving the room. A picture-perfect representation of anger, frustration and youth, it exemplifies the genre and captures feelings like no million dollar video ever could.

 You can keep Michael Jackson in space and Lady Gaga in prison; this is why music videos are awesome.