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iambenjiijackson · 5 years

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The Groove Guide - Reviews 2008

The Prodigy - Experience Expanded/More Music For The Jilted Generation With the advent of British big beat/hard dance merchant's The Prodigy's fifth studio album, released by their new record label Take Me to the Hospital, it was inevitable that XL Recordings and Maverick undertook the same treatment EMI gave Radiohead and Capitol gave The Vines in releasing previous albums to capitalize off their success. However, rather than a traditional "Best Of" compilation which, well, has already been done, the shrewd move was to re-master two albums which helped both shape the big beat scene and redefine techno and rave with added b-side and live track bonuses. Experience and Music For The Jilted Generation both became important albums for the dance music scene; where Experience expanded upon early rave culture and fused jungle and techno with tracks such as "Out Of Space" and "Everybody Into The Place", both remixed and contained on the "Expanded" section of this re-release, it's ...Jilted Generation which provided a crossover between the underground to their critically and commercially acclaimed Fat Of The Land; the edgier, almost industrialized sounds emanating from "Break & Enter", "Their Law" and the Nirvana-sampling "Voodoo People" bridging ravers and rockers into the Big Beat sound that sculpted the likes of The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method and Fatboy Slim and gave birth to what we now know as 'electronica.' B-Sides from their single releases, live tracks from their most recent stints at Pukkelpop and remixes from Dust Brothers, the real reward is the re-mastering of the songs and highlighting that despite today's standards highlighting fluro, glamour and fashionista sensibilities, it never needs to be that way.

Los Campesinos - Hold On Now, Youngster

If you're not really a fan of twee, this may change your mind. Welsh sextuplet Los Campesinos have been making an impression within the 'indie' scene, but rather that come across sophisticated and potentially haughty, the group have a power-pop element which comes across as fun. Catchy, with the ability to muster a smile upon the face of anyone (case point - "You! Me! Dancing!), Hold On Now, Youngster... is nigh on flawless and is once again more proof Wales, who have provided a number of influential acts in the past two decades, are doing something right nurturing their countries music scene.

Akaname - Filthlicker

The internet seems to heavily favour bands of Akaname's variety for good reason - while mainstream outlets omit such "radio unfriendly" one might be inclined to state as being on "Filthlicker", the internet and it's at times quite staunch view on bands place emphasis on talent rather than aesthetics. What we have with Filthlicker is a band who are mixing one part The Dillinger Escape Plan with five parts The Black Dahlia Murder to a great accord. New Zealand's music scene has just been hit with another metal(core) slug to its chest – one that'll be fired on April 11th at Oblivion in Auckland.

Goodnight Nurse - Keep Me On Your Side Goodnight Nurse seem to have turned a trick used by Blink 182; from that bubblegum-esque pop they once honed during their "Always and Never" era, there seems to be a more serious straight-ahead approach to the band. Almost breaking away from the quasi boy-meets-girl, girl-breaks-boys heart formula their new album makes them sound a little less New Found Glory and, strangely, a lot more like Homegrown and their 'darker' punk rock. An apt analogy would be to compare their work used in a Judd Apatow movie rather than a high school comedy akin to American Pie. "Drift Away" perhaps the standout track on the album, with "Lay With Me" there for older fans as not to alienate them. Definitely a goodnight rather than a goodbye from the boys.

Otep - The Ascension

Otep were one of the bands that during the golden age of nu-metal at the start of the 00's passed through with both relative success and, more importantly, a deal of anonymity - though they had their fans and were very much "Kittie for the thinking man", they escaped the scathing retrospective views because, sadly, people couldn't have cared less. Their latest effort retains those nu-metal sensibilities while the vocals pulling away from relentless screaming, and where the oft compared Jack Off Jill or, for some reason, Arch Enemy, found their transitional period turbulent, Otep manages such a thing near graceful. It helps, also, they pull off a Nirvana cover with justice.

Satyricon - The Age of Nero Satyricon is an interesting little quandary - though superficially resembling all the aesthetics of a black metal act, they've caused quite the controversy after the release of Now, Diabolical was cited as being "radio-friendly" amongst hardened fans of the genre. Funny how Norway's equivalent of a Grammy can do that to you... However, The Age of Nero retains the hallmarks you would commonly expect from a band of their kind; the high pitched death growl, the bleak outlook within Satyr's lyrics. Unlike other black metal acts, there is a groove involved within their sound, rather than blunt force trauma - 'The Wolfpack' melodically could seat well at home with Dirt era Alice In Chains while 'Last Man Standing' could be a Down b-side, all the funnier Phil Anselmo is rumoured to be working with the band. The black metal fan in me is reluctant to give it a high rating because it's not essentially an album of that kind. But the general metal fan in me concedes it's a brilliant piece of work and, as taboo as it could be amongst the community, is actually very accessible and at the end of the day, isn't that more important to a movement?

Emigrate - Emigrate

Touted as being "industrial metal" and including remixes from Mr. Digital Hardcore himself Alec Empire, the side project of Rammstein's Richard Z. Kruspe sounds like a delectable and, dare I say it, heavy affair. Instead, Emigrate treats us to generic, radio-friendly tracks which you would hardly expect given Krupse's CV. In fact, it seems offensive to even believe this would come from such a person – almost as if the creativity from the German group has finally diminished (let's be honest though, Rosensot wasn't exactly their edgiest, was it). Bland, devoid of anything challenging, it would seem that the aesthetics were more important than the music and by far this is little more than a vanity project for Krupse.

The CHASE - Paranoia

When it rains, it pours. 2008 definitely seems to be the year in which New Zealand's hardcore scene emerges out of the woodwork finally to the acclaim it deserves - none more so than The CHASE, who channel the spirit of good post-hardcore that emanated out of the US underground scene circa. 2002-2004. In fact, with songs such as "The Seconds" and "Boomers", you could have easily mistaken them for a band on early Drive-Thru or Victory Records. Short (the album runs little over half an hour) but both melodic and aggressive, The CHASE are like a double happy; though they make not look it, they can induce a large amount of unexpected splendour. How's NZ DIY hardcore scene going to lay siege once more throughout 2008? With bands The Chase leading the charge. Corporate punk rock stops here.

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight Doth my ears deceive me, or have Franz Ferdinand taken a page out of KISS' playbook and decided to craft a disco song or two? Though where the old aged outlaws alienated the KISS Army with their experiment, Franz Ferdinand has not - there's always been that dance party element within their previous releases and Tonight is no exception. It, however, seems like the band have been caught in a zeitgeist of electro-new-wave eighties - songs like 'Turn It On' and 'Send Him Way' almost seem homages to Synth godparents The Human League, Alex Kapranos and company even seem determined to summon the spirit of Saturday Night Fever with 'Live Alone'. Though it might seem like committing commercial suicide, the thing is Franz Ferdinand have always been eccentric, and their idiosyncrasies are their strengths. Tonight is a record you might be ashamed to admit you'd like, but you will like it... embrace your fear.

Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted

There's been a wait in the metal community for the mighty return of influential metal act Sepultura. While that prophecy may not come to pass, Cavalera Conspiracy reunites brothers Max and Iggor Cavalera after too long of an absence. What you'd expect is something loud, noisy and aggressive, and truth be told, that's one extent of the album. The other is the groove that made Sepultura so popular, with well crafted if deceptively simple riffs that command the ability for even a casual rock fan to nod their head. Another bullet fired from the metal scene in 2008 – Inflikted is part Nailbomb at times and at others Arise-era Sepultura, but a huge return for the brothers Cavalera.

The Naked and Famous - No Light Was it rushed? That's the sceptical question posed as The Naked And Famous release the follow up to This Machine in what does feel like a very short space of time. Though many who may not have listened to the group cite that they are simply another electro band flooding Auckland's musical landscape, they couldn't be more wrong. Dirty basslines, distorted guitars, the tracks play out more industrial than electro - leadoff single "Birds" almost a nod to With Teeth era Nine Inch Nails and the sultriness of early Garbage. Second record syndrome? Powers and company taunt it... and leads us into eager anticipation for their debut long-player

Soulfly - Conquer

Max Cavalera has had quite a busy 2008 - earlier this year we saw the long-awaited reunion with his brother Igor conjuring a zeitgeist of prime Sepultura days with his side project Cavalera Conspiracy and now the sixth instalment of Soulfly, the group he formed shortly after leaving the thrash/groove metal outfit he made his name with. With that in mind, was it ever going to be an easy feat juggling his main band with a project many of us metal fans have waited years to see? The answer isn't an easy one and leaves many sitting on the fence.

Conquer rather than becoming a continuation of the heavier hitting sounds the group gave us with their previous release, Dark Ages, with it's throwback to albums reminiscent of Arise, combines those elements with the groove metal which brought them to such acclaim with their sophomore album Primitive. Though it's an eclectic prospect on paper, sadly in practice it comes across a little disjointed and does beg the question if now Igor is in the song-writing midsts that Soulfly becomes now a second thought to the newer Cavalera project.

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orbemnews · 4 years

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The Power Balance Is Shifting in London’s Commercial Real Estate LONDON — For years, landlords have had the upper hand in London’s real estate market, pushing up rents as businesses clamored for prime locations near offices, tourism hot spots and transport hubs and as the city’s population grew and grew. Restaurants were often locked into leases with clauses that allowed the rent to only go up. Retailers faced increasingly exorbitant rents. Over the course of a year, the pandemic has brought a halt to this arrangement, shifting the power balance between commercial property tenants and landlords. Confronting the alternative of having empty properties, some landlords have loosened their terms, with offers of rent holidays or other concessions. But in other cases, changes have been forced on property owners by struggling tenants who, in increasing numbers, have turned to an option in Britain’s insolvency law known as a company voluntary arrangement. The result has been slashed rents or a switch to leases that fluctuate based on the tenant’s earnings. Seeing their prospects dwindle, some property owners are saying the leasing system is outdated and are calling for more transparency and cooperation with their tenants. And a coming legislative review by the British government could bring more change. The relationship between tenants and landlords “has definitely become more fraught because of the pandemic,” said David Abramson, the founder and chief executive of Cedar Dean, which specializes in helping businesses restructure leases. “Landlords are not used to being in business with one hand behind their back. Generally, they’ve been the more dominating force, and it has been quite aggressive.” Landlords had to have “a complete change of attitude,” Mr. Abramson said. “A lot of them are still getting their heads around it.” The changes are playing out slowly, especially for small businesses. Dhruv Mittal, a 29-year-old chef, came to a heart-wrenching decision last summer: He closed his restaurant in central London’s Soho neighborhood after lockdowns had made it impossible to continue. He had opened the restaurant, DUM Biryani House, four years earlier in a basement space with pop art-inspired posters on the walls, pumping out hip-hop music and serving biryanis in the traditional style of Hyderabad in south-central India, where his father is from. Despite government measures to help business survive the pandemic, the quarterly rent due on Mr. Mittal’s restaurant, about 25,000 pounds ($34,000), proved to be an insurmountable burden without revenue coming in. He tried to switch to a smaller site, but his landlord company didn’t have anything, and negotiations to reduce his rent weren’t successful. “Our landlords were quite strong on the fact they would prefer an empty site where then they could charge whatever rent they want to a newcomer than to provide a discount to the current tenant,” Mr. Mittal said. In August, the landlord came up with an offer: Mr. Mittal could defer paying one quarter of rent — the amount he owned — until 2021. But by then, he had laid off his staff and couldn’t reopen because central London was still deserted. In October, he liquidated his company, still owing tens of thousands of pounds in rent and money to other creditors. The property still doesn’t have a new tenant; the DUM Biryani House sign hangs above the locked doors. The landlord declined to comment. Mr. Mittal would not have been evicted immediately for not paying his rent. Last year, the government put in place a moratorium on evicting business tenants, which has been extended until the end of March. Many businesses have taken advantage of this arrangement, but most unpaid rent will just accumulate as debt that can be demanded as soon as the ban is lifted. A more contagious strain of the coronavirus and a winter surge in cases have shuttered Britain’s restaurants and shops again. By the time many of these businesses will be allowed to reopen, their doors will have been shut for at least half of the past year. A recent survey found that only about half of retail rents had been collected for the last three months of 2020. Many tenants urgently need more help.Cedar Dean surveyed 400 leading hospitality companies last month, and three-quarters said they were considering restructuring or insolvency and would need help from either the government or their landlord. Some businesses won’t get enough help and will be forced to close. Pret a Manger, the coffee and sandwiches chain with nearly 400 stores in Britain, turned to its landlords for concessions after lockdowns crushed its income. It now has 65 percent of its locations on turnover leases, at least temporarily, compared with about a quarter before the pandemic. Turnover rent arrangements, sometimes known as percentage rents in the United States, vary but can include a company’s paying a base rent lower than market rates and topping that with a percentage of gross income. “We’ve got about 75 to 80 percent of our landlords so far in the U.K. into a good supportive position,” Pano Christou, Pret’s chief executive, said. Last spring, several landlords were quick to offer temporary discounts to their tenants. But in the summer, Hammerson, a large property development company that owns shopping centers in Britain, went further by saying it would introduce a new leasing system with more flexible agreements, rents revised at cheaper levels and a new rent review system. “The U.K.’s historic leasing model has served its time,” said David Atkins, the chief executive of Hammerson at the time. “It is outdated, inflexible and needs to change.” In Britain, the government has traditionally been reluctant to get involved in these commercial contracts, relying on a 1954 law governing the relationship between commercial tenants and landlords. “When commercial occupiers take a property, it’s a business-to-business contract,” said Catherine Hughes, an associate professor and head of real estate and planning at Henley Business School. “And that has influenced the way they’ve been seen and the way they’ve been regulated — or not regulated.” But that may be about to change. As government ministers have found themselves intervening deeper in the economy, the department that deals with communities and local government said in December that amid a “profound adjustment” in commercial property, it would review “outdated” legislation. It’s unclear how broad the coming changes may be. But Mr. Abramson has suggestions: He said long leases that mandate rents must rise at regular review periods — so-called upward-only rent reviews — should be abolished. Clauses that allow tenants to leave if the rent in their area becomes too unaffordable should be introduced, he said. But, he added, companies also shouldn’t be able to use a company voluntary agreement to change their lease terms. There were fewer insolvencies in 2020 than in the previous year, thanks to billions of pounds in government support, but there has been a jump in company voluntary agreements for large retail, hospitality or leisure companies: 29 businesses started such a process in the second half of 2020, compared with only four in the same period of 2019, according to data by compiled by PwC. For big companies paying rent at numerous properties, these insolvency agreements have become an increasingly common way to shut down sites and cut rent. Unlike entering administration (Britain’s near-equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy), a company voluntary agreement allows a business’s directors to stay in charge as they restructure the company’s debts. It can be a useful tool for a company that has a path back to profitability. PwC found that from June to November, 17 large retail and hospitality companies with nearly 3,000 locations started company voluntary agreements, and at two-thirds of the leased properties the businesses reduced their rents or switched to a turnover rent model through the agreement. Recently, popular names such as the coffee chain Caffè Nero and the healthy fast-food chain Leon have begun company voluntary agreements to reduce their rent debt. Critics point out that some of the larger companies to fail recently, including Debenhams and Arcadia Group, first went through company voluntary agreements, suggesting the process didn’t lead to a proper restructuring of the business. The British Property Federation, which represents landlords and developers, said the system was being “abused,” especially by companies backed by deep-pocketed private equity firms. Despite the frustrations about insolvency agreements, Melanie Leech, the chief executive of the group, is still recommending to landlords that the best way out of this crisis is to work more closely with their tenants. “Landlords’ options are diminishing,” she said. “The longer this goes on, the more economic damage there is.” Source link Orbem News #balance #Commercial #Estate #Londons #power #Real #shifting

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