#World Tour Intro / NEW GENERATION ANTHEM (Live)

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Protomartyr & Stuck Live Show Review: 7/13, Thalia Hall, Chicago

BY JORDAN MAINZER

“Tap calls the time,” Joe Casey sang last Thursday at Thalia Hall as Protomartyr performed “Elimination Dances”, a standout track from their new album Formal Growth in the Desert (Domino). Like many of the band’s best songs, its inspirations are obscure, this particular instance taken from a game in a 50′s dance manual: Once you’re tapped out, you stop. Given the Detroit punk band’s generally bleak nature, it’s not hard to find the referenced game a fitting metaphor our everyday life, trying to survive in a capitalist hell world. But consider that Formal Growth was written in the context of the death of Casey’s mother, recorded in an actual desert at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, TX with producer Jake Aron. Casey didn’t aim to create something or find meaning out of emptiness, per se, but answer the question, “Once tap calls the time, how do the rest of us move on?” Luckily for him, and for us, there’s music.

I’ve seen Protomartyr a bunch of times. I never would have thought to describe one of their shows as life-affirming, but Thursday’s was, from the younger segment of the crowd’s persistent moshing to the unexpectedly anthemic quality of the band’s performance. The live version of Formal Desert opener "Make Way” traded the studio version’s openness for a much mightier, choppier stomp. The crowd reframed the anxiety-riddled namesake refrain of Relatives in Descent chugger “The Chuckler”--“I guess I’ll keep on chucklin’ till there’s no more breath in my lungs”--as an absurdist call to arms. The normally stoic Casey performed the entirety of The Agent Intellect’s “Why Does It Shake?” on the barrier between the stage and the crowd, about as close to spirited as he’ll ever be. Even the band’s chosen setlist seemed authored specifically to amp up the crowd. I mean, they could have played “Let’s Tip The Creator”, which chides the way tech billionaires treat art as a commodity, just as much of a charged bummer as the rest, but its subdued timbres are harder to dance to. Protomartyr’s instead taking the Gang of Four route, favoring, say, the skittering drums of “Fun in Hi Skool”. 

As this was the last show of the tour, Casey joked, “We’ll either be so tight, it will be the best show of our lives, or so tired it’ll be the shittiest.” Guitarist Greg Ahee, bassist Scott Davidson, and drummer Alex Leonard at least made sure it wasn’t the latter, of course. But it was the addition of The Breeders’ Kelley Deal as a full-time touring member of the band that elevated older songs even more than it provided faithful renditions of those whose studio versions she was on. Her voice subbed for the “I have arrived” echo on Under Color of Official Right’s “Maidenhead”, and her backing harmonies beautifully contrasted the ugliness of “Pontiac 87″. And her guitar tones on "Polacrilex Kid” seemed lifted straight from the Hawaiian twang of Last Splash’s “No Aloha”, an inspired replacement for the studio version’s pedal steel. Casey clearly remains eternally thankful. He once said in an interview with NPR, “Basically, the band comes up with amazing music and it's my job to not screw it up too much.” It’s all I could think about as I watched him sip from a Budweiser can, nodding like he was impressed while watching Leonard hammer away during the extended intro of “Jumbo’s”. If he sings on “The Author”, “Time's your enemy / Every gift you see will be taken for sure,” live, he demonstrates the unspoken flipside: Enjoy the gifts while you can.

Local post-punk band Stuck, who I saw open for Metz last winter, was the perfect primer for Protomartyr. They, too, sing about the effects of the decline of America, albeit with a nervy, wiry yelp that recalls bands like Devo and Squid. Lead singer Greg Obis was quick to point out how honored the band was to open for Protomartyr, one of his favorites. It’s easy to see the influence on their new album Freak Frequency (born yesterday). A track like “Fools Idol”, its descriptions of “violence unending” and “the boss descending,” is very Casey-esque in its brand proclamations. And like Protomartyr now, Stuck is that much more loud and urgent live, foregoing, for instance, the studio acoustic instrumentation of “Scared” for all electric jitters. However, unlike those of the perennially offline Casey, Stuck’s songs are riddled with technology-induced worries. At Thalia Hall, drummer Tim Green’s disorienting use of sample pads was an effective mirror for Obis’ admission he’s “distracted all over again” on “Loose Your Cool”. Green’s motorik drums and Obis’ and Ezra Saulnier’s sharp guitarwork reflected the pain of similar cycles of smartphone despair on “Time Out”. The almost hilariously plodding pace of “Planet Money” made a circus out of the song’s targets, the pundits who comment on the health of the economy as if it truly affects the everyday life of our most vulnerable. And then there was set closer “The Punisher”, the only song that saw Obis sing harmonically, sans paranoid screams. On the track, he deftly summarizes the absurdity of the January 6th insurrection, facetiously winking and nodding, “The future never looked so bright.” Even if the world that Protomartyr and Stuck envelop does everything in its power to suggest otherwise, upon leaving Thalia Hall on Thursday, you could, perhaps, agree.

[natromanxoff]

Queen live at Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, TX, USA - October 28, 1978

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Before the concert, the promo video for their new single Fat Bottomed Girls (directed by Dennis De Vallance) is filmed.

This is the first show of Queen's tour supporting their new album "Jazz" (although the LP isn't to be released for a couple weeks), and their stage show has once again changed dramatically. Their new lighting rig has rows of lights that are so warm underneath that it has earned the nickname "pizza oven." At the beginning and end of the show, when the lighting rig rises and descends respectively, the intense heat from all the lights is felt by audience members in the first few rows.

Five new songs from the Jazz album are heard tonight. Let Me Entertain You, If You Can't Beat Them and Dreamers Ball are new to the audience, but Fat Bottomed Girls and Bicycle Race were released as a single a couple weeks earlier.

After the house lights go down, the show now opens with thunder being heard (as recorded by Brian May, and heard at the end of "Dead On Time" from the Jazz album), and Brian walking on stage first to play the opening chords of the fast version of We Will Rock You.

This Dallas version of Let Me Entertain You is the closest to the record it would sound before it was developed into the blistering #2 live number. After the song, Freddie tells the audience that this is the first show of the American tour. "We have got a lot of new material for you, and you obviously are the first audience who are gonna listen to it. So anything might happen tonight, just about anything."

Many older songs are dropped from the setlist to accomodate the newer material, but no other older songs are introduced or revived. For this first show, Let Me Entertain You and If You Can't Beat Them are performed successively, but soon Somebody To Love would be placed between them, as the band felt they should separate the new songs.

Brian introduces Death On Two Legs after If You Can't Beat Them, but Freddie jumps in as there is a discrepancy with the setlist (perhaps even with the sound man as well, as Freddie's piano mic needs to be turned up a great deal after he starts speaking). "We're not gonna do that just yet. I'll kill you when I get in the dressing room!" he jokes to Brian. He continues, "We're gonna do a song... we're gonna do Death On Two Legs, don't worry, but before we do that, I'd like to do a song I like." This amuses the audience. "This is called Somebody To Love."

The band sound a little rusty tonight at times, being the first show of the tour. They have some trouble getting into I'm In Love With My Car, and it takes an extra couple bars before they're back together again. Two songs are cut from the medley for this tour, and they add a portion of Bicycle Race to it.

To queue the band out of the middle section of Get Down Make Love, Roger Taylor now blows a whistle from behind the drum kit.

Freddie, after Now I'm Here: "A lot of people call this next song Spread Your Legs. It started off being called Spread Your Wings, but you can call it what you'd like."

For the acoustic set on this tour, an additional smaller stage is lowered for the band to play on. A scaled-down 5-piece drum kit is there for Roger to play on Dreamers Ball and '39. On this drum kit the News Of The World robot remains the bass drum head, but his main kit now sports the Jazz album logo. But for some reason, within a few shows he would revert back to the robot for the rest of the North American leg and ultimately switch back to the Jazz logo in Europe 1979.

During the instrumental section of Dreamers Ball, Brian and Roger play some vocal brass. During Brian's "trombone" solo, Freddie, clearly excited by this new addition to their show, says, "Listen to that!" Roger isn't doing his 'muted trumpet' part yet this early in the tour (although he would be by New York).

On each side of the stage, there is a runway stretching out a few rows into the audience. It would be used for key points in the show, like the first verse of It's Late, which features only Freddie and Brian, each on his own runway. The smaller stage is raised back up to its original position at this point, adding to the drama and building to the next peak of the show.

The opening night of the tour is only an hour and forty-five minutes long, but Now I'm Here and the Brighton Rock jam would get longer over time, bringing the show closer to two hours, and sometimes beyond. Tonight's compact version of Brighton Rock reveals the Brian/Roger/John jam in its infancy. This is the first concert where Roger would play the tympani. He plays it the same general spot of the show as he would for the next couple years, but it isn't a feature spot for him just yet this early in the tour.

Roger plays the drum intro to Sheer Heart Attack in the wrong spot (did they not have a setlist written for the drummer?!). Freddie urges him to "cool it" and then introduces the debut concert performance of Fat Bottomed Girls. "You're a good audience, and you can take all the new numbers," he insists. "Would you like a new song?" They definitely would, judging by their positive response. The bulk of the song goes well, although the band barely manage to finish the song together. From here onward, before the last cycle of the improvised section, Freddie would solve the problem by singing "one more time."

The flow of Sheer Heart Attack into Keep Yourself Alive is quite unique.

Bohemian Rhapsody is the last song of the set proper. Freddie sings it beautifully, and it leaves the audience screaming for more.

Tie Your Mother Down is used as an encore number for the first time (they used it as an encore a few more times in the early 80s). They finish the show with We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. The pair of rock anthems would finish most of Queen's concerts through 1986, as well as their later collaborations into the 21st century.

The first pic is by Peter Hince, head of the Queen crew. The pictures of Freddie in his silver lurex suit were taken by John Rodgers. The black and white photos were taken by (and copyrighted to) Curtis Smith.

[bopinion]

Album of the month / 2021 / 02 February

I like listening to music - gladly, all the time, everywhere. That's why I would like to share which music (or which album, after all I'm still from the vinyl generation ;-) I enjoy, accompanies me, slides up my playlists again and again...

Big Generator

Yes

Progressive Rock - Artrock / 1987 / Atlantic Records

Yes was and is an icon of the progressive rock era. With style-defining works in the 70s and hit parade-ready bombast rock in the 80s. The British group was formed in 1968 by Jon Anderson (vocals) and Chris Squire (bass) with backing musicians Peter Banks, Tony Kaye and Bill Bruford. With the commitments of Steve Howe on guitar before the third "The Yes Album" in 1971 and Rick Wakeman on keyboards before the fourth album "Fragile", which was released the same year, the line-up for the breakthrough was finally found. While the first two longplayers were still characterized by beat and psychedelic rock, Yes now played a major role in defining progressive rock.

1972 saw the release of "Close to the Edge", which is considered by many to be the creative peak of this phase. Without commercial pressure and on the long leash of their record company Atlantic Records, the band could afford any freedom. The symphonic-classical flow of progressive rock celebrated here culminates in the 18-minute "Sonata," which gave the album its title: the intro with nature sounds alone lasts almost 60 seconds, and then it gets exhausting, except for friends of off-beat and church organ. No wonder that the piece is often analyzed as a subject of musicological studies until today.

In 1973 - note this productivity! - followed after a live album: yes, in between also innumerable concerts were played! - finally followed "Tales from Topographic Oceans", an album which is seen as an "Opus Magnus" not only by Wikipedia. Four (in the later added deluxe version even six) pieces of about 20 minutes each - small symphonies. Anyone who finds Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" experimental will be proven wrong by the progressive rock of this era, not only by Yes.

There followed a time of coming and going of this band (or should it rather be called project?) and the musical search for meaning. Especially when frontman and singer Jon Anderson left. After all, especially his bell-bright vocals shaped the spherical compositions of Yes. Probably the highest singing voice that does not belong to any of the Gibb brothers. The four albums Anderson recorded with Greek keyboard impresario Vangelis also followed this recipe, albeit at a lower level.

Apropos Anderson... Always on the lookout for something new, he can certainly be considered an experimental mastermind who left the usual Western listening habits and used world music in his work before the term even existed. Despite his height of only 1.65m, he is one of the great. It's a good thing that he didn't leave the ground so much musically as in his private life. For example, he truly believed that his spiritual guide, the 'Divine Mother' Audrey Kitagawa, helped him see into the fourth dimension. He was probably an Englishman who enjoyed a Magic Cookie or two with his tea.

When Anderson and Squire finally returned to Yes in 1983, they found a congenial partner in Trevor Rabin, with whom they embarked on more down-to-earth - and, above all, shorter! - compositions. With the album "90125" Yes had more or less arrived in the mainstream. And the success proved them right. Their songs were now played on the radio, record sales went through the roof (more than 3 million in the U.S. alone), "Owner of a lonely heart" became an international success, and "Cinema" won a Grammy. A comparison with US success acts of the symphonic rock of that time à la Journey suggests itself. But with Yes the desire for the extraordinary still flashed again and again. That's good.

"Big generator" followed the success formula of 90125 in 1987 and after difficult years of internal band disputes, but could not match its commercial success. Nevertheless, for me it is even the better album, with one artrock anthem after another. If you can even see me playing air guitar through the window during driving songs like "Rhythm of Love" or "Big generator", it's the more leisurely songs like "Shoot high, aim low", "Holy lamb" or "Final Eyes" that have taken my fancy. Or the ones somewhere in between like "I'm running". Timeless rock ballads that I always enjoy listening to. And which have a little special twist with their careful "progressive interludes" like steel drums or xylophones.

A documentary of the highly successful 90125 tour (they were on the road for almost a year with 139 shows) was filmed by none other than Steven Soderbergh. On that tour, Yes was the first band I saw live when I was exactly one week 15 years old. My school friend Mark and I took the train to Munich, saw the - not only in my perception at that time - impressive show in the Olympic Hall, were picked up by my father, spent the night in my old childhood room and took the train again the next morning to our boarding school. Mark, with whom I had more contact again in the last few years, died completely unexpected a few months ago. Since then, Yes has a melancholic connotation for me that reminds me of the youth we spent together - eerily beautiful. Rest in peace, my friend!

Here's the official Video for "Rythm of Love":

https://youtu.be/MHXmS-e0RRo

[erenblogs1]

Halsey released her 3rd studio album Manic on the 17th of January. I fell in love with her and her music since the debut Badlands. Halsey is not a common pop artist; she has always been creative and inspiring on her musical journey. For Manic I had mixed feelings and wasn’t actually aware of what to expect. Therefore, I really wanted to review her new body of work and share my thoughts with you. And I know most of you love her music as well.

Let’s start with the singles of the album. Without Me was not meant to be her lead single in the first place but after an unexpected fascinating commercial success, her team must have changed their mind. Without Me is her first #1 solo hit single in the US. Since I was obsessed with this song, I even reviewed it last year. Here you go – Single Review – check it out! Also confusing was that Nightmare, which is a great dark rebellious track, was supposed to be the lead single, but was taken out from the album later on. Halsey explained this decision with the tweet: “I sat down to make a dark mean album and found nothing but calm, introspective, acceptance in my heart”. I was sad about it because I love Nightmare and I think it still would have been a great contrast to the rest of the songs. Halsey then released Graveyard last September as a foretaste of her upcoming album. Now she was singing about being in love with the wrong person and even following them to the graveyard. She wasn’t mad anymore but the track was still upbeat and the chorus dynamic. I must say I couldn’t connect with this single as much as I did with her earlier releases. Halsey continued to bombard us with other singles.

She released clementine at the end of September on her 25th birthday. On this introspective track, sounding childish and fabulous, Halsey imagines her ideal world and talks to a nonexistent lover. Even though she claims that she doesn’t need anyone, she knows that she needs someone. We got the same lyrical content on I HATE EVERYBODY, which makes Halsey kind of repetitive on the record. I don’t think that clementine was single-worthy. It didn’t achieve any commercial success, just like her following single Finally // beautiful stranger. I actually really liked this slow acoustic love song with a calming melody and story-telling lyrics. Halsey wrote it about her ex-boyfriend Yungblud, whom she dated last year. You should be sad, is definitely the masterpiece of the album, it was released one week before the record with a scandalous music video, in which Halsey rides a horse naked. She exactly knew that this would be her last chance to get back commercial attention. However, I think everyone loves this country-influenced pop song with a mad Halsey singing about heartbreak again.

Besides the singles, Manic has so much more to offer with sixteen tracks in total. Ashley the intro track, named after her real name, is a poetic introspective start with dark and serious lyrics. Halsey worked with the famous producers Cashmere Cat and benny blanco on this one, but the track is rather focused on the lyrical content than its production. All these facts also count for Forever … (is a long time), which also sounds similar to clementine. These two tracks are too experimental to be seen as pop songs, they’re rather written like interludes. If you know me, I hate interludes or short tracks on albums in general. In my opinion, they’re just unfinished songs and function as placeholders. Manic counts even three of them. Let’s take a look. Dominic’s Interlude isn’t interesting at all and sonically pleasant for me. So, I allow myself to continue with the next one. Ok, take a deep breath cause this one is crazy! Alani’s Interlude is the part of the album, where Halsey embraces her bisexuality, just look at these lyrics: “Your pussy is a wonderland and I could be a better man. And my girl, she always wore a skirt in the classroom, eatin’ my dessert in the bathroom”. Yeah, I was shocked too. Alanis’ vocals during the chorus just sound awful, to be honest. SUGA’s Interlude is sonically more pleasant but we can’t understand SUGA’s verses anyways unless you speak Korean. I believe that this interlude was a collaboration just to achieve more commercial success since BTS and K-Pop have become more popular and due to the fact that it was also released as a promotional single before the album.

If you want to dance to a track on this album, then 3am is your crazy upbeat rock n roll anthem. Halsey wrote it about the lonely moments you have. When you return from a night out with your friends but still feel lonely deep inside. And you desperately look for someone to talk to just to keep yourself far from your own thoughts. I think it’s relatable to everyone. This new era of social media is really toxic to our social lives. If there wasn’t a You should be sad on this album, 3am would have been my masterpiece of this record. The rather dark and furious killing boys represents Halsey’s attitude after a breakup. For the title, she was inspired by the horror movie Jennifer’s Body (2009, starring Meghan Fox), well represented in the intro. I must say I don’t like the melody and the production of this track. It doesn’t sound new, since the way she sings no more and anymore will remember you of the track More. These two songs together can cause a more-poisoning. However, just to say it once again her single Nightmare would’ve been great next to killing boys. Speaking of More, you can definitely recognize Cashmere Cat’s typical futuristic production in it. But this story-telling track has so much more to express on a personal level. Halsey admitted that this one was the hardest to write since she opens up about her endometriosis and miscarriages. This lullaby-like track is dedicated to her unborn child, whom she just wants more. It’s a touching must-listen for Halsey fans.

If you’re looking for an exquisite production you have to listen to Still Learning, which Halsey co-wrote with Ed Sheeran and Louis Bell. Sonically a masterpiece and regarding the lyrics it’s a self-love anthem. In my opinion, Halsey is one of the most confident artists out there. Therefore, I was shocked when I listened to this track for the first time. I couldn’t believe that she’s still learning to love herself. She also described self-love in an interview as a journey and not as a destination. I hope that she’s going to release this one as a single. The poetic outro track 929, named after Halsey’s birthday (29th of September), is probably the most honest song on Manic. Halsey said that the freestyled lyrics are confessional about her family and fans. She especially references topics like her life before and after becoming famous and even picks up her relationship with G-Eazy. What I love about this track is the smooth guitar-riff. Halsey proofs that not much of production is needed to have an inspiring track. It’s a great way to end the album since Halsey mentions everything that inspired her to write this record.

When I streamed Manic for the first time I wasn’t impressed right away, but I must say that most of the non-singles grew on me later on. Just like Selena did onRare, Halsey also worked with Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother, on a track. Finneas co-produced Lose You To Love Me for Selena and I HATE EVERYBODY for Halsey. After he produced the most-selling album of 2019, he must be getting a lot of requests to work with major artists. I’m sure that I’ll see his name more often.

Manic is probably Halsey’s most personal album so far and I can’t wait to see her live on the European leg of her Manic World Tour this spring. Her stage presence and performances are always fascinating.

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Let me introduce you MANIC! Halsey: Honest and Personal on Manic – Album Review Halsey released her 3rd studio album Manic on the 17th of January. I fell in love with her and her music since the debut…

[slouchyslouch]

Taking Back Sunday’s 20th Anniversary Tour

Getting back into the tumblr thing again to find other music writers. Here’s a repost from my Medium account.

The first time I listened to Taking Back Sunday, I was probably around 12 or 13. I was just getting into the so called emo and pop-punk scene. Taking Back Sunday was one of those bands that were easy to get into because there was so much affection in the vocals, you had to yell out the lyrics even when you had headphones on. The show at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver exhibited how old music could still bring together a horde of former (and maybe present) scene kids and unite them in glory.

You could feel a certain excitement in everyone at the venue. My friend and I were grabbing beers only a few minutes before the show was supposed to start. As soon as I saw the now elderly members of Taking Back Sunday get on stage and immediately started playing “You Know How I Do,” I had the most intense urge of just getting into middle of the crowd as soon as possible. The cascading guitars of the song pummelled like a vehicle’s engine getting ready for the long trek. Adam Lazarra started to combust on the stage: “So sick so sick of being tired / and oh so tired of being sick,” a line thematic of my generation’s emo kids. Everybody just wanted to be their own person and not have anyone tell them what to do. My friend and I couldn’t stop giggling about how we were going to see them, and here they are on stage as pumped as they looked 20 long years ago.

Slowly, but surely we made our way towards the mosh pit in time for “Cute Without the E,” a classic by the Long Island band. Adam Lazzara at 37 years old still looks great, a kind of scene Jimmy Page as my friend mentioned at the time of the concert. He doesn’t look like a rockstar that’s dwindled to the fringes of the scene but a man still worthy of the stage. I was aways at awe watching him swing that mic on early youtube clips and here he was as nimble as ever tossing the mic around like a whip easily coiled and ready to lash out. John Nolan looks like a dad now with hair flowing down both sides of his face and a semi-kept beard. He still belted out my favourite echoed vocals, always fighting for space in the song but in reality always complementing Lazzara’s wails.

One of the highlights from the concert was the popular “You’re so Last Summer.” Goosebumps crawled all over my body as soon as Lazarra belted that iconic opening line from the track: “She said don’t!” — the crowd relishing in the song’s luster. High school was such a time of isolation and angst for a lot of these late twenties “kids,” but that doesn’t mean we could relive those times with a sort of nostalgic joy. Everyone gathered for this celebration of music can look back into those times of yearning. It’s always nice to look at ourselves now and realize how much we’ve grown and matured.

After they finished playing the album “Tell All Your Friends,” Lazzara had one of the members of the Maine come out to flip a coin whether to play the albums Louder Now or Where You Want To Be. I wanted them to play the former but the latter got picked to the delight of the crowd. It seemed like the younger generation of Taking Back Sunday fans (probably people my age) would have gone for Louder Now because of the song “MakeDamnSure” but I didn’t mind it. It was one of the bigger highlights of the concert by a mile and probably had given me the biggest nostalgia hit. That was one of the first songs I played live with my first band in the Philippines. Those were the makings of musicians following their own path today. At the Commodore Ballroom that night though, bodies flung against one another in the hopes of feeling each other’s sweat and passion, bits of saliva trickling out of everyone’s mouths shouting out the words of a disgruntled poet about a bad relationship: “I just want to break you down so badly,” a line possibly misinterpreted as putting words into action but is actually meant to convey the deeper sadness of having oneself being put down by a loved one. There’s a willingness to hurt the other person but there is a love that holds it back.

Towards the second half of the album, everything slowed down. Most of the crowd stopped moshing and just kept to their miniature head-banging. It was only during the 3rd part of their set where they played “This Photograph is Proof” and “A Decade Under the Influence” where the crowd gained a third jolt of energy to start another mosh and singing along to the teenage anthems of their childhood for the last hurrah. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” a catchy lyric repeated through Nolan’s angst on the track has been ringing through my head for a few days now. The lyric captures a moment of lingering anxiety before a predicted breakup. The opposite could be said about the whole night.

At the end of the show, I was left with feeling a sense of elation, a sort of transcendence within the present world. There aren’t a lot of bands that can do that. Maybe it was the nostalgia hitting me hard, or maybe it was just my communion with the audience. There’s a sense of intimate unity you achieve when moshing with other people who know the lyrics. It’s a shared dance we’ve savoured in our teenage years, a time when everything was easier even if at the time, it felt like the whole world was against us.

I found out about Taking Back Sunday through one of my good friends from my childhood. He showed me the song “Timberwolves at New Jersey” during our preteens, a time for some of us when we started to consider rebelling against our parents. That intro guitar riff with Lazzara singing, “Get up, get up, come on, come on let’s go!” always got me out of my seat and made me want to start moshing. I long for the days when I was just getting into that emo scene and wanting to be a punk rocker so bad. Most of the people my age at the show could probably say the same, and for that one night we collectively embraced that culture not with a mutinous furor but with a devotion to the music.

[king-brian-may]

Queen Fans Share Their Stories

Queen in Landover, MD, USA on 29.11.1977 (written by Tracy Chevalier)

In a new book, writers recall the best gigs they have seen. Here the novelist Tracy Chevalier describes her memorable night with Queen.

It started with a champagne toast and ended with a limo pulling away into the night. In between these two gestures symbolising glamour and sophistication, I lost my virginity. Not in the technical sense (that would take another few years), but in other ways. At my first ever rock concert — going with four friends to see Queen at the Capital Centre in November 1977 — I got an eye-opening peek at elements of the adult world, with its power and its limitations, its glittering artifice and dirty reality, and it demonstrated how little I knew and how much I had yet to learn about life.

I was ripe for it; overdue, really. I had turned 15 the month before the concert, and though people thought I looked older than I was, I was remarkably naive and unworldly at that age. Despite a few character-building events in my childhood — the death of my mother when I was almost 8, the experience of being a minority in DC public schools — I was so unsophisticated, so unaware of the world, that I didn't even realise Queen was an English band until the lead singer Freddie Mercury appeared in a tight white catsuit on stage at the Capital Centre, raised a glass of champagne at 18,000 screaming fans, and toasted us with "Good evening, Washington" in a fruity English accent. I was stunned. Then I started screaming.

I had been a Queen fan for a couple of years by then. A Night at the Opera was the first LP I bought, and I could sing every word of every song. I don't remember how I was introduced to Queen — though I do remember hearing their biggest hit, Bohemian Rhapsody, on the radio and being impressed by its audacity. It sure beat the hell out of the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, which had been my older sister's staple music diet. By 14, I was writing Queen lyrics on the desk where I sat for algebra class, swapping them back and forth with a boy I had a crush on, and daydreaming of guitarist Brian May kissing me.

The concert was part of Queen's News of the World tour. While not a great album, especially after the double whammy of A Night at the Opera and its follow-up, A Day at the Races, it did produce two of their best-known songs, We Will Rock You and We are the Champions, which drop-kicked them firmly into stadium anthem territory. Appropriately, the concert began with the lights going down and the primitive, effective, impossible-not-to-join-in-with BOOM-BOOM-CHI, BOOM-BOOM-CHI, BOOM-BOOM-CHI intro to We Will Rock You rolling over the audience. Everyone immediately jumped up out of their seats and began to stomp and clap along. I, too, stood and stomped and clapped, watching in awe as people began flicking their Bic lighters, a gesture I had never seen before. What, were they going to set light to something? I had tried not to act surprised earlier when people nearby started smoking grass in public, but now was there going to be a riot? What other illegal things would go on that night? Then a spotlight picked out Freddie Mercury, who began to sing, "Buddy you're a boy, make a big noise, playin' in the street, gonna be a big man someday..." and I thought, "Jesus H. Christ, that is the loudest noise I've ever heard! Is that legal?" The wall of sound terrified me, and I wanted to cover my ears, but I didn't dare, as it would have been a very uncool thing to do. I think I looked around for the exit, wondering how many people I would have to climb over to escape the sound. It was just so goddamned loud — exhilarating, yes, but painful, too, dangerous and overwhelming. I wavered between loving it and hating it, but knew it would be uncool to hate it, so I'd better try to love it.

Towards the end of the song the single note of an electric guitar began to hum louder and louder under the chorus we were all singing and shouting, and Brian May stepped into the light to add his distinctive sound, ending We Will Rock You with low, long-sustain, three-part harmony chords, overlaid with a high melody he made fuzzy and metallic by using a coin as a guitar pick. I adored Brian May. He was the reserved, straight guy (literally) to Freddie Mercury's camp high jinks — tall, dark, good-looking, with long curly hair and a melancholy pensiveness that made every teenage girl want to comfort him. At this concert he was wearing a silvery white jacket with long, pleated wing sleeves; that combined with his mop of curls should have made him look effeminate, but instead he was deeply sexy.

I loved Freddie, too, for his outrageous antics, his riskiness, his joy at performing and glorious indifference to how ridiculous he looked wearing glittery leotard jumpsuits, eyeliner and a mullet, prancing and strutting and posing, twitching his hips, smacking his lips and otherwise hamming it up. But even without being conscious of Freddie's sexual preference — I hadn't yet met anyone who was openly gay — I instinctively sensed he was not to be lusted after. For all his extrovert, welcoming stage presence, he was clearly playing a part, which served to hold us at arm's length; whereas Brian May's taciturn moodiness was clearly himself served up raw.

Thank God for Freddie, though. Without him, no one would have moved on stage: Brian May was not a dancer, John Deacon, in time-honoured bassist tradition, stood solidly in one place throughout, and Roger Taylor was trapped by his drum kit.

To set us at our ease, after We Will Rock You Freddie toasted us with a glass of champagne — "Moet et Chandon, of course," after the reference in the hit Killer Queen. My friends and I heard this and screamed and clutched one another. He mentioned Moet et Chandon! That was our champagne! He was acknowledging us! I swear he made eye contact with me, 200 yards away and over the heads of thousands.

For we had done what we thought was the most original and extravagant gesture (for 15-year-olds) a fan could make: we had sent a bottle of champagne backstage. We'd pooled our money and gotten an older sister to buy it for us — the same sister who had been obliged to drive us all the way to the Capital Centre, smirking at our overexcited fandom. We'd even made our way to the stage door down a loading dock at the back of the arena and reluctantly handed over the precious bottle to a bored roadie, who said he would take it to the band. We'd had our doubts about his reliability, and his jadedness had dampened our enthusiasm a bit: had we really blown all that money — $20, which in those days meant 20 hours of babysitting — to have some unshaven jerk with a beer belly swill the precious liquid? But clearly the roadie had pulled through for us, for there was our champagne in Freddie Mercury's hand, and he was referring to Moet et Chandon in his pretty cabinet, the lyrics we had so cleverly quoted in the note we sent along with the bottle. We were sure we — among the many thousands — had managed to get through to the band.

If we had bothered to look around rather than feast our eyes on Brian and Freddie (I'm afraid John Deacon and Roger Taylor never got a look-in from me), we probably would have seen other clusters of fans also screaming and clutching one another during Freddie's toast. But we didn't look around or harbour doubts, or we ignored them. It was only much later that I allowed myself to consider the veritable champagne lake that must have existed backstage at every Queen concert. Tip to rock stars: want a free truckload of champagne wherever you go? Sing a song that mentions some — preferably name-checking a more expensive brand to ensure better quality — and watch it pour in backstage every night from adoring fans. There must have been a hundred bottles from fans back there, not counting the stash the band may well have brought with them in case Portland or Houston or Detroit weren't so generous. No wonder that roadie looked so bored — he'd probably been put on champagne duty that night.

Freddie's toast worked its magic, though, giving me the connection I needed to negotiate a place within the strangeness of the concertgoing experience itself: the weird, scary power of a crowd; the mixture of exhilaration and embarrassment at collective participation; the physical discomfort of standing for two hours when there's a perfectly comfortable seat behind you. It is one of those tricky, unresolved tensions at concerts: are we there to listen to the music or actively respond to it, participate as a group or answer our needs as individuals? It's an issue I've never entirely resolved — from Queen onwards I have spent concerts going in and out of myself, losing myself to the music and spectacle one minute, the next minute overly conscious of myself clapping or singing or screaming, and wondering why concerts have to be such an uncomfortable physical ordeal.

I was taken aback by the sound of Queen's music live: not just the volume, but the familiarity and also the strange rawness of the songs. Studio albums have all the mistakes airbrushed out, the layers added in, the balance between players carefully calibrated, like clever dialogue in a play without the awkward pauses and unfinished conversations you get in real life. Queen albums were highly produced, multi-layered affairs. Live, the music was necessarily stripped of a lot of the choral mixing, more raucous, simpler and much messier.

The band wisely didn't dare attempt to reproduce in its entirety the long, baroque confection that is Bohemian Rhapsody. For the infamous operatic middle section, the band members left the stage as the studio recording played. Freddie and Brian then changed costume, and, at the word "Beelzebub", all four men popped out of a door in the stage floor and joined live again for the heavy metal section, fireworks going off, dry ice pouring out, everyone going berserk, me in tears of excitement. It was one of the best live moments I've ever witnessed. Indeed, I was spoiled by seeing Queen play live before anyone else; for sheer exuberant theatricality, no one else has come close.

The concert ended with an instrumental version of God Save the Queen and once more the flicking of the Bics, which, no longer the virgin concertgoer, I understood now as a gesture of tribute. My friends and I weren't finished, though. Emboldened by Freddie's toast, we decided to go to the stage entrance again and say hello. I still choke with embarrassment when I think of it. When we got there, a black limousine was pulling away, our heroes and their entourage inside, and we were left with the detritus: older, dolled-up, hard-bitten groupies who had followed the band around and not made this night's cut. I stared at one, at her long, bleach-blond hair, her miniskirt, her bright red lipstick. She glared at me briefly; then her face went slack as she dismissed the idea of me being any sort of competition. In fact, I had not really taken in that there was a competition, that the girls (and I?) were here to spread our wares and catch the attention of one of the men, and then . . . And then? I hadn't thought it through at all. I wouldn't have known what to do with such a man as Brian May if he even so much as looked at me. All I knew was that I was way, way out of my depth, that even if I had eluded the roadie minding the door, there was no way I was ever going to get past a woman like this.

[shushrick]

hey hey, kids ! it’s daisy again ! now i usually make a point to not use talking gifs as my headers for intros,, but he’s getting so heated over trump in this one i?? couldn’t?? not?? man went on a full rant and he’s not even american he is the only man i stan. 

･:*:･ﾟ☆ ( roger waters. seventy-three. male. he/him ) ↷ ( richard harris ) has been spotted by the paparazzi in los angeles. they are a ( c ) list celebrity known for their career as a ( soloist / ex-lead vocalist/bassist of warren pieces ). they’re known by their fans to be ( passionate, open-minded & charismatic ) but the tabloids frequently portray them to be ( egotistical, dictatorial & pessimistic ) . i wish them every success in the entertainment industry. [roger waters/pink floyd vc] (daisy. 19. est. she/her) ･:*:･ﾟ☆

BACKSTORY / PROFESSIONAL LIFE

triggers: brief mention of war, brief mention of abuse, death, alcohol/drugs, suicide

so this here is rick and he’s got a long life story ! 73yrs worth ! so let’s get started!

rick grew up largely without a father, as his father, previously a sworn pacifist, died five months after he was born fighting in normandy landings

rick’s mother became somewhat of a smother, finding him to be the closest person she had left to her husband. he was put under strict rules, his mother always insisting it was for the best, warning him that the world was cruel and it was far too easy to get hurt out there !

so he spent his free time researching the war his father died in, reading the letters his father wrote, and trying to become the man his mother wanted him to be – his father. 

he learned his father loved jazz music via one of the letters he wrote. furthermore, he learned his father had played the stand-up bass. wanting to become a small version of his father, of course he spoke to his mother about this! she refused to let rick use his father’s bass, instead getting him a cheap electric one, saying it was cheaper and more convenient

he met a kid, keith, who would ultimately change his life when he was thirteen years old. keith was a guitar aficionado and they bonded over music and shared experiences with wwii and lost fathers. where rick lost his to death, keith lost his to ‘shell shock’.

they entered secondary school together and faced the abuse of teachers who didn’t care much for corporal punishment rules. however, they met two other kids – one, john, who worked great with pianos and another, pete, who was excellent at playing the drums – and formed a band. together, they settled on ‘warren pieces’, figuring it was a nice play on ‘war and peace’, especially during such a tumultuous time.

they put out their first album in the late 60s, 'the piper at the gates of dawn’, with keith taking the lead. from those fond of psychedelics, it received rave reviews, and they didn’t care much for any other reviews. keith kept the morale up. the year after, they released ‘a saucerful of secrets’ with the same reception as their previous one.

although rick was an independent man by then, whenever he saw his mother, she would constantly tell him everything that was wrong with his music. it was too drug-addled! she knew that boy keith had never been anything but trouble! he needed to quit warren pieces before he became a druggie and stopped cutting his hair!

he put up with her constant criticisms, but the day she told him his father would be ashamed, he cut her out of his life completely. he never visited her. he made sure she was never able to buy tickets to his shows. he didn’t tell her his home phone when he bought an apartment. for everything he’d done to make her proud...

rick took solace in his band, primarily in keith (but five feet apart cause they’re not gay), and was horrified when keith fell prey to the enemy of all psychedelic-era musicians. when it became more than a habit, rick brought in a man he’d met in university, robert, to become a secondary guitarist. they told keith he was just there to tour, but he was actually being used as insurance. 

keith began purposefully putting his guitar out of tune during shows. he’d purposefully play the wrong chords. he’d purposefully start a different song from everyone else. he also became volatile and borderline delusional. he could be violent with fans. he could tell interviewers that he believed someone was watching warren pieces at all times, thus making him feel like he had to make everything perfect. then he would laugh, but not that comfortable laugh. keith shaved his eyebrows off and drew new, comical ones on.

it all ended when keith came to rick with an idea for a new song, tentatively titled “have you got it yet?” he’d play the chords for rick to follow and practice along with, then he’d switch them up. it kept up like that for some time until, yes, rick got it and finally did what he knew would pain him: he finally kicked keith out of the band, replacing him with robert.

the years of ‘atom heart mother’, ‘meddle’, and ‘obscured by clouds’ were silent ones. the band didn’t talk much except suggesting this chord here and there or put this word where that one is instead – all of that. 

however, when news came out that keith had overdosed – although he’d lived – they began talking more, finding more inspiration in shared experiences again. they created ‘the dark side of the moon’ from that, an amalgam of political critiques, anti-bourgeoisie anthems, and songs dedicated to the man they figuratively lost.

while they were recording a new song for an album with a concept they’d yet to come up with, keith visited the recording studio. he was completely hairless – bald, no eyebrows. his under-eyes were pink. he’d gained weight. he looked much emptier than he had when he left. he didn’t have anything comical drawn on. he was just... sad.

it broke everyone’s heart, especially rick’s. they all had different, silent reactions. nonetheless, they were all haunted.

after that, it only seemed right to make the album largely dedicated to keith. ‘wish you were here’ came out two weeks too late, as keith killed himself two weeks prior to its release.

the next album was purposefully impersonal, focusing on the politics of the time instead of on family, on keith, on love (not that they had many love songs). the entire album was tearing down everyone from just the general population of policemen to the more specific mary whitehouse. although each album of theirs after keith left had an element of acknowledging the corruption within the system, ‘animals’ didn’t have a single song that didn’t.

now branded as particularly political, rick decided to focus in on past politics and on what haunted him the most. ‘the wall’ was born, and so was a much more dictatorial rick.

due to it being so personal, he took every measure possible to make it perfect. he fired john from the project for a few days, noting how his cocaine addiction was affecting the music... which it wasn’t, really... after the temp pianist played on one (1) song, he brought john back to the project. 

he didn’t take any suggestions robert threw his way, deeming them all ill-fitting, even when they actually would’ve fit perfectly. he forced everyone to pull multiple all-nighters in a row, making them play take after take. pete quit for a hot second before realizing he had nowhere else to go and returning to the project.

‘the wall’ was an unpleasant experience for everyone. although the concept was likely the most cohesive of all of them, following a single character (warren) and timeline throughout, working on it was absolutely horrible. for the three other members, it was being under a heavy fist. for rick, it was not only digging so deep into himself, but also subconsciously digging deep into those around him. there was a line tossed in dedicated to john that he hardly even realized ( “got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains” - nobody home ). 

a movie was made from it. it did great among the psychedelic audience. rick realized the main character was closer to keith than it was to himself.

‘the final cut’ was the last album he made with warren pieces for a long time. he considered it the b-side to ‘the wall’, but better. it was similar in concept, and there were some that were outtakes from ‘the wall’, but it was less focused on a storyline and more focused on rick’s own feelings of loss, dealing with them so many years later than he should have. it could almost have been a solo album, which leads...

after ‘the final cut’, richard went solo for some time. he found he had too many “artistic differences” from the other members of his band and only bought the two albums they put out without him because he wanted to support john whom he was still fairly close to. 

they left on such horrible terms that he didn’t reunite with them until 2013 (granted, after ‘94 they were all out doing their own things) when they were in the middle of recording ‘the endless river’. given that the grand majority of the album was simply re-recording demos, he offered to help with some of the songs. most of them already had whatever work they needed from him on there from a long, long time ago, but they began talking again, anyway.

the driving force behind them being civil was ultimately john’s untimely demise. much of the album was simply compromised of old recording of john with robert layering some light guitar over it, the occasional percussion and bass also being present.

his solo career was very c-list. his tours grossed well due to the amount of warren pieces songs he played, but only diehard fans actually bought his solo albums. it seemed everyone was either team robert or team richard.

he’s become more civil with robert and pete since john’s death and still occasionally talks to them, but doesn’t make a habit of it. most interviewers have given up on asking him if there’ll ever be a warren pieces reunion – he’s made it pretty clear that, if there is, he likely won’t be part of it.

ETC. / PERSONAL LIFE TIDBITS

rick has been married three times. 

the first time was to a woman named anya whom he met at woodstock and it lasted for five months – much longer than his bandmates bet it would. john bet four months, keith bet two, pete bet one. he was twenty-six at the time and blames the fickle nature on that.

he married again when he was thirty-two. it was a horrible one, though – not that he saw that at the time. he wound up having affair after affair as the “groupies threw themselves at [him]!” she was, understandably, cold to him after. rick was susceptible to breaking down while alone. she stopped answering his calls. they divorced when he was thirty-four and he included details of it in ‘the wall’, making sure his character seemed more like the villain than hers. he knew that he was responsible for it all.

his third marriage was when he was fifty-one. it lasted for five years, being the longest relationship in general that he’d ever had. truth be told, however, he never really felt anything for her. he’d felt a lot for his second wife, but he’d more than screwed that up. now that he was past the time of screwing things up, he realized the difference between love and lust. he didn’t love her. she had an affair and he figured that was reason enough to divorce without creating a story about his villainy, although a few stories were created about his hypocrisy, citing his second marriage.

rick has never once claimed that the beatles were a source of inspiration for him and will make that known if someone tries to bring it up. although he admires their work, no member ever said that they were inspired by the band. it was a cliché.

although he’s still considered an english native, he’s very into politics from all around the world. his most recent tour’s main theatrics centered around anti-trump messages. ask him about the politics of any country, though – he’ll give you his very informed opinion.

created a memorial for those who died in normandy landings and named it after his father. 

reconnected with his mother after he’d had the chance to really sort through his feelings about her – after the release of ‘the final cut’. he’s grateful he did before she died... seeing as she died one year after they reconnected. rip.

is in the rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame. what a cool guy.

there’s probs more that i’m missing but he’s?? a new character?? who 110% isn’t based on anyone at all just very original like my mind!! so original!! that said

LIKE THIS OR HMU IF YOU’D LIKE TO PLOT !

[nitemice]

Hey, here's my latest post over on my main blog:

For those who have been wondering “what ever happened to Skye Sweetnam?”, here’s a surprise for you. Sumo Cyco is a punk rock/metal band out of Toronto, where Skye Sweetnam now resides as lead singer, under the alter ego of Sever. With MD13 (Matt Drake) on lead guitar and Thor (Ken Corke) on bass guitar, Sumo Cyco have produced two albums, a live EP, a number of cover singles and a tonne of music videos. I had intended to write a review of their first album, but by the time I got to it, their next album was just around the corner, so here’s a review of that instead.

When I first discovered Sumo Cyco, I was a bit horrified at the turn Skye Sweetnam’s musical style had taken. But after giving it a chance, I actually started to really enjoy it. And when you consider the transition from Noise From The Basement to Sound Soldier, you start to see how she got here; From punk pop, to punk rock, to punk metal. This evolution makes even more sense when you find out that some of the other members of Sumo Cyco used to be part of Skye’s tour band. Skye has said that her aim with Sumo Cyco was “to be able to sing any style..[and] to not feel constricted by genre”, which shows in the variety present on both Lost In Cyco City (Sumo Cyco’s first album) and Opus Mar (their second album). Sometimes it can border on screamo or growling, sometimes it sounds like rap, and sometimes it can feel more like power pop, but mostly it falls under the general banner of metal. Skye herself has classed the band’s music generally as “dancehall metal”, inspired by UK band Skindred . I’m no heavy metal connoisseur, but I can tell you Sumo Cyco produces a punchy, yet danceable fusion of punk metal with any number of other styles in any given song. So even if you don’t much like some song, you’re likely to find one you do (unless you can’t stand rock/metal at all, in which case, this is not the band for you).

As I mentioned, I was going to review Sumo Cyco’s first album, Lost In Cyco City, but I never quite got around to it. Suffice to say, I liked its unique blend of fiery, soaring vocals with shredding guitars and body-shaking drums. Surprisingly, it reminded me, in parts, of some of Paramore’s really early stuff, but with less emo and more metal. So when I heard they were crowdfunding a new album through PledgeMusic, I was excited but cautious. While I enjoyed their first album, much of the music Sumo Cyco had released before that had been much heavier, and I was worried this new album might tip into territory outside my comfort zone. Ultimately though, the main thing that stopped me from pre-ordering was the cost. Shipping to Australia, plus a poor exchange rate, meant a copy of the CD alone would have set me back just under AU$50, which is just too much for a CD. Instead, I spent the first few weeks after the album came out repeatedly listening to it on Spotify. Now that I’m convinced of its quality, I’ll be buying it directly.

Sumo Cyco also posted a series of videos explaining the meaning and writing process behind each track on Opus Mar. I wrote most of this review before watching those videos, so I could give you my uninfluenced impressions and interpretation of the songs, but I did watch them later, so I could give a more definitive comment on the message of each song. Before watching the videos, I was a bit worried that hearing their meaning might make me dislike some of the tracks. However, it turned out that it only made me like most track even more.

As with my other album reviews, I’ve listed previous songs each track reminds me of (by Sumo Cyco or just Skye Sweetnam), with the album they come from, a rank for each track on this album, as well as a short comment about each track. Plus there’s an overview of the album as a whole at the bottom.

1. Anti-Anthem

Reminds me of: My Name Is Rock N’ Roll [Lost In Cyco City], Interceptor [Interceptor] Rank on this album: 4 A perfect opening track, Anti-Anthem sets the tone for the whole album, with its blend of punk rock, heavy metal and modern pop elements. It starts with faux radio noise, which instantly reminds me of the previous album, which also used effects like this to open. It’s a bit of a misnomer, but the band claims this was on purpose, because it’s arrogant to declare your own song an anthem. But the meaning behind it runs deeper than that, being about the plight of stateless refugees, with literally “no place to go”. The vocals really open up towards the end, and the track closes with more sample dialogue.

2. Free Yourself

Reminds me of: Brave [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 1 Probably the catchiest track on the whole album, Free Yourself stuck in my head from the moment I heard it. With a heavy rocking intro, memorable chorus, relentless drums, and slick guitar riffs, this song is a perfect illustration of why I love this band. If you want to introduce Sumo Cyco to a friend, this would be my go-to track. It’s a fantastic anthem of self-reliance and looking to yourself for strength, rather than outside world.

3. Move Mountains ft. Benji Webbe

Reminds me of: (Let’s Get Movin’) Into Action [Sound Soldier], Like A Killer [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 9 Tracks with featured artists are often divisive, and Move Mountains is no different. On the one hand, it’s an epic song with a dead simple, yet catchy hook, thumping drums and bass beats. I think I even heard a Wilhelm scream in there! On the other hand, Benji’s vocal part stands in stark contrast to Sever’s. While stylistically similar, his sound is so different and just wasn’t something I much enjoyed. For me, Skye’s vocals are one of the main points of attraction, so anything that reduces that is bad in my book. That said, I understand that it was a really big deal for the band to have one of their idols perform with them on the album (Benji Webbe is the frontman for Skindred), and the track grew on me. I can imagine a really awesome superhero-based music video for this song, which I hope gets made one day.

4. Passengers

Reminds me of: We Ride [Lost In Cyco City], Mercy [Live Sessions 1] Rank on this album: 11 Passengers delivers heavily on the two big themes of this album: the need for social change on Earth, and trains. It paints a vivid picture of how the earth is being destroyed, and we are all just passengers, along for the ride. It implores listeners to stop ignoring what’s happening and “fight for the promised land”. Even though they’re Canadian, the band said this track was also partially influenced by the USA election of 2016. Musically, Passengers delivers shredding guitars and drums, with a strange Maroon 5-esque bridge with electronic vocals.

5. Brave II

Reminds me of: Crowd Control (Do What We Want) [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 5 Apart from its name, Brave II shares little in common with Brave, my favourite track from the original album. This song wears its meaning quite clearly on its sleeve, talking openly about the rise of conflict, extremism and echo chambers that exist in the world today. It encourages the listener to fight this wave of fear and anger with love, tolerance and open-mindedness. It would make a perfect backing track to a protest video. The band have said that the song was also influenced by the numerous shooting that have taken place in recent years in music venues, and is about having the guts to keep on doing what you want to, rather than living in fear or terror.

6. Sleep Tight

Reminds me of: Hypocrite [Noise From The Basement], Human [Sound Soldier], Cry Murder [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 7 Sleep Tight opens with a softly-spoken intro, back by an endless guitar riff, which gives way to smashing guitar, and screaming verses. The bridge has a weird disco vibe to it. This song is about how money serves as the unspoken motivator for many, and how it drives marketing and the media to pull the wool over our eyes, in aid of capitalism.

7. Rivalry

Reminds me of: The Ugly [Lost In Cyco City], Shot To Pieces [Noise From The Basement] Rank on this album: 2 Based on the experience of a fan dealing with suicide and depression, Rivalry is about facing your inner demons, and using music to fight the negativity. It’s solid rock all the way, with a punchy, pseudo-rap break for a bridge. Glitch effects and distortion add extra colour to vocals, which reminds me of the last Garbage album, except they work really well here.

8. Kids of Calamity

Reminds me of: Fuel My Fire [Lost In Cyco City], Danger [Danger] Rank on this album: 12 Like it’s compatriots, Kids of Calamity focuses on the need for social change in the world. Specifically, in the way the previous generation is leaving the planet for the next. It is a call to arms for this new generation, to rise up and be better.

9. Won’t Put Me Out

Reminds me of: Go Go Go [Lost In Cyco City], Permanent Holiday (Locked in the Trunk of His Car) [Live Sessions 1] Rank on this album: 6 With one of the calmest opening by Sumo Cyco’s standards, Won’t Put Me Out is a slow burn that builds through call-and-response verses. Ironically, this track is about being in the zone, on stage. There’s a great, stompy guitar riff that gives the track a vague tribal vibe.

10. Words

Reminds me of: Fighter [Lost In Cyco City], Ultra [Sound Soldier] Rank on this album: 3 Wordscombines fast, rapped verses with a simple, yet endlessly catchy chorus hook. The thing that sucked me in was the pop culture references in the first verse. The track, which is about the way people twist each other’s words when they fight, closes quite appropriately with distorted vocals seemingly glitching out.

11. The Broadcasters (Murdering by Radio)

Reminds me of: Where Do We Go? [Where Do We Go?], We Ride [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 8 The Broadcasters starts, unsurprisingly, with the sound of a radio tuning. It’s mostly rap, backed by a gruff chant, that builds to each chorus, with soaring vocals in the bridge.

12. Rally

Reminds me of: Limp [Limp] Rank on this album: 13 Rally opens with a racing guitar riff, which never lets up. A call-and-response chorus and crashing cymbals help keep the pace. The ending is a refreshing surprise, with light acoustic guitar and sweet vocals.

13. Building Castles

Reminds me of: Scary Love [Sound Soldier], Loose Cannon [Loose Cannon] Rank on this album: 10 Building Castles tries to end the album on a high, positive note, talking about the reward for pushing through times of struggle. With a complex instrumental intro, and a bridge that reminded me of Lady Gaga, or Yiddish music full of running arpeggios, musically Sumo Cyco furfills their goal. The train metaphor is completed as the song fades out to railway noise.

As a whole, Opus Mar flows really well. When I first listened to it, I didn’t even notice the transition between some of the track. It feels like one continuous musical journey, with endless variety and passion. In that way, it sort of reminded me of a live set, but much cleaner and crisper than live albums characteristically are. That said, each track stands well on its own, with some really coming into their own when listened to apart from the rest of the album.

Skye Sweetnam has always packed her lyrics dense with meaning and references, and with the amount of rap on Opus Mar, that’s truer than ever before. Yet every song still has a catchy, strong, and memorable chorus. All the song seems to be going at a million miles an hour; much faster than the last album, which had some pockets of solid, calm groove. Every track on this album also seems to have a bridge of one sort or another, be it in the form of a rap break, or a brief interlude in a totally different musical style, which really helps keeps some of the tracks feeling fresh. Skye’s voice have always been amazing, and this album is no exception. That said, her sweeping, sweet yet powerful vocals are far less common on this album. As mentioned, it has a lot more rap and gruff metal voice than the last album, which will not be to everyone’s taste. For me, the addition of these elements wasn’t as off-putting as the loss of what they supplant. Although the scarcity does make those rare moments all the more powerful.

Many of the trimmings of modern music are here: reverb, distortion, glitch effects and the like. However, while these sorts of tricks are often employed to disappointing or plain-out distracting ends, they all seems to fit quite comfortably here. They’ve been used in ways that suit the style of music, and are appropriate within each track.

One thing I was surprised by, and on reflection sort of impressed by, is the fact that there are no explicit tracks on the album. Despite the fact that the whole album is about the sometime frustrating and seemingly hopeless quest for social change, Sever never resorts to swearing to get her point across.

The two main themes of this album, as mentioned above, are social change and trains. While the reoccurring train motifs are little more than a novelty, the push for social change is anything but. Sumo Cyco has clearly chosen to take a stand with this album, and make a statement about how they view the state of the world today, and what needs to be done to improve it. Almost every song makes mention of how terrible the world is these days, and how we can help change that. There’s definitely a sense of doom and gloom to it, but what makes it so impactful is that there’s also a sense of hope and empowerment too. Although Sumo Cyco is from the “Great White North”, their message seems to resonate remarkably with what’s been going on in America. No doubt it’s applicable all over, and has been for a while, but it feels much more present in people’s minds now.

Overall, Opus Mar is a strong, impactful, timely and rocking album full of music with a message. It may not be what you expect to hear from the teen popstar we knew as Skye Sweetnam, but that doesn’t overshadow its quality. While there are elements of the previous album that I preferred, there are also elements here that are an improvement. Between the two is a fascinating fusion which I hope to hear on Sumo Cyco’s third album, whenever that may appear. In the meantime, this is a solid entry into a fast-expanding catalogue that I hope will make people, not only dance, but think.

RATING: 8/10 – ★★★★★★★★☆☆

But you don’t have to take my word for it…Listen to the album for yourself, and make up your own mind. Then you can let me know what you think of Sumo Cyco’s Opus Mar.

So, have you ever heard of Sumo Cyco, or Skye Sweetnam? What’s your favourite songs of theirs? Did you pre-order Opus Mar? What do you think? Did it live up to your expectations? Have I said anything you disagree with? Tell me & everyone else who passes through here what you think in the comment below.

To Infinity and Beyond,

Nitemice

Filed under: Leisure & Hobbies, Music, Reviews

[bluebuzzmusic]

Herobust Drops Massive “WTF” VIP, Remix Pack & Talks All Things “WTF” [INTERVIEW]

WHAT THE FFFFFFUUUUUUCCCKKKKKKKKK! If you’ve caught a Herobust show lately, you’ve most definitely heard the anthem of his current sound and entire headlining tour, “WTF.” And, if you haven’t, then what are you waiting for?

We were able to catch up with the mind-blowing bass producer during his sold out tour stop at Elektricity in Pontiac, Michigan last Saturday. Honestly, it was one of the most insane shows we’ve witnessed this year. That busted sound met with the lively crowd Elektricity brings made for an unforgettable, bass heavy night for the books. 10/10 would recommend.

Herobust opened up his set with brunt force, blasting us with his single “WTF” and sprinkling in the monstrous remixes along the way. It was then we knew this WTF VIP + Remixes pack would be one to look out for. For the atomic, 9-track release, Mastodon, Riot Ten, Subtronics, Kai Wachi, Pierce, Hekler, Ivory, and Gladez all have their way with “WTF” — plus there’s a VIP remix by Herobust himself to start it all off.

Break your neck (figuratively, of course) to all the official “WTF” remixes and read up on our interview with Herobust below.

Herobust – WTF VIP + Remixes



Herobust – “WTF” (Original)



How is the WTF Tour going so far?

It’s awesome! It’s been great. Obviously the song, “WTF” is going off. Hearing everybody yell the words every night is cool. It’s cool to see something go from just a concept in your bedroom to seeing people across the world, in like China and Germany, yelling “What the fuck!” It’s awesome. It’s surreal. It’s dope.

You have crazy, high-energy shows & a lot of them… What’s the key to not getting burnt out on tour?

Picking your battles, honestly. When you’re touring there’s temptation to party every night. When you first start touring and you’re crazy excited about all of it, you do it every night. Then, you get to a point where you’re a month and a half to two months in and then you’re like — “I’m going to die.” You kinda can’t do it every night. I’ve been touring for a while so I’ve gotten better at it and with choosing my spots. If I have a lot of homies in a city coming up, I know that Thursday for example we’re going in. It’s just going to happen. So I’ll take it easier early on in the week.

That’s physically. Other than that, it’s just about having fun with it. It doesn’t become a job if you keep it fresh and fun. The Jurassic Park intro — that was for the fans, obviously. But, it was for me, too. It was me having fun with it and keeping things different so it’s not the same thing every night.

Tell me the story behind “WTF”…

The idea was I wanted to make a song where all the sounds were generated from one vocal sample. That was the idea before I even thought to make it “WTF.” Once I figured that out, I was like ok, what phrase is going to make sense? I just knew the song was going to be kind of weird, so yeah, “WTF.” [laughs] Everybody knows that feeling when the drop hits and it’s shocking. It’s overwhelming. And, you’re just like, “WTF!” So, it totally started with the vocal sample. I recorded myself saying it in a couple of different ways. Then, processed it to make it sound like a lot of the sounds in the drops. That’s how it all came together.

What makes you say “WTF” lately?

Bailo for sure. Bailo is my support for the first part of phase two of the WTF Tour. The guy is absolutely playing monster sets. He has his own new wave, tons of unreleased music, and he’s relentlessly friendly. He’s amazing. Nicest dude ever — just pummels you with kindness. He FaceTimes you every 30 minutes I’d say, so don’t give him your phone number. 

I won’t… [laughs] What’s your favorite curse word? Is it fuck?

Either fuck or shit. I say fuckin’ probably the most, ya know. When I’m trying to think I say, “um… fuckin’ yeah…”

What can we expect with this WTF VIP + Remixes EP?

I think all the artists featured on the “WTF” remixes are making bass music in exciting, new ways. I’ve always made bass music, but I’ve always put the hip hop swag into it because I’m from Atlanta. Now, with all the new riddim stuff that’s going on, there’s all these new waves being made — it’s super exciting. It’s fun to play out and fun to listen to. The “WTF” remixes are just crazy.

How do you get your most off-the-wall ideas?

A lot of times my most creative ideas come from limitation. The song “WTF” is actually a good example of this, because I told myself I was only going to make sounds from processing that one vocal sample. So, I had to resort to all these different techniques that I never would have come up with if I had no constraints and could use any VST or any DAW, whatever. I had to figure out a way to make this work. I had to be different. That’s actually something I do a lot. It’s a thing with art — limitations.

Any advice for aspiring producers on breaking the mold, which you’ve done so well?

From my experience, making your own sounds is key. For example, if you need a hi hat or a snare or a riser, you can find great samples for that. But, if you make them yourself, as you make a hi hat, you’re unknowingly applying all the preferences that you like about hi hats. The same with snares and risers or any sound. When you make everything yourself and have your hands on every little piece of the puzzle, when your song comes together your preferences congeal into a sound that is yours and your own. Versus, when you use samples from this company and that company — you can still write great music that way, but you’re actually applying their preferences in sounds. I can only speak to what worked for me. Having my hands on every little piece of the song is what really turned the corner for me in finding my own sound.

When you get off the WTF Tour, what’s the first thing you’re going to do?

I’m gonna spend time with my girl. Both of my girls — my girl and my dog are waiting at home. Well, they’re not waiting, they’re doing their thing. But, I love them very much and can’t wait to spend time with them!

See all remaining WTF Tour dates here.

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Herobust Drops Massive “WTF” VIP, Remix Pack & Talks All Things “WTF” [INTERVIEW]

source https://www.youredm.com/2018/10/19/herobust-wtf-vip-remixes-interview/

[fuckyeahscandalband]

SCANDAL; 10th Year Anniversary BEST ALBUM,『SCANDAL』Interview with Billboard Japan

「The 10th Year Anniversary That Was Reached By Their Own Strength」- Each member speaks about their recommended tune~ a plan is in midst!?

－－ SCANDAL, in the way you are, have released your 10th year anniversary BEST ALBUM『SCANDAL』. It's a piece of work that is as voted by fans, but when you all looked at the results, what sort of impression or thoughts did you hold?

HARUNA: It was as we thought (laughs).

MAMI: We were like,「Yeah right?!」Since we've gone the whole way putting our lives at the center of our activities, it was obvious when songs that are popular at lives ranked well. We were purely just happy at that.

TOMOMI: As they were practically all songs that are popular at our lives, we kept performing them. For the ones we did live arrangements for, we still perform them at lives today. So when we heard the original audio for the first time in a long while this round, we were like,「The intro used this bar?」or「Eh, it was such a song?」 It felt a little bit weird (laughs).

－－ I'll bet that each of the songs were well thought out, but one by one, can each of you tell us which is your personal, most favourite song?

MAMI:「Departure」. I wrote the lyrics and composed it, but as we went about on our year 2015 world tour, it was then I got to know that this song is actually super popular among the overseas fans. The content about the song revolved around Japan's 4 seasons, and depicted the change in people's hearts and their environments as these 4 seasons shifted, alongside the use of a Japanese-style melody. For that, the overseas crowd felt it was「extremely catchy」.

RINA: Because they could feel it illustrated Japan, it was fun.

MAMI: I think, we probably don't feel something like this regularly. But everyone researched on all the words in this song and its situational elements, and got to understand the lyrics by actually looking at the sceneries. The intro used an orgel, and the moment the sound came out, the audience went, 'Woah!'...I was like,「Is it this popular?」, but was really happy about it. Not only is it a song that brought me confidence as a songwriter, but to create a song in Japan and to bring it overseas...it got me thinking exactly how important this job was.

－－ How about TOMOMI?

TOMOMI: The one that I had the most thought about is「SCANDAL BABY」. It was the song that was voted in first place, but it wasn't a single; instead, a number from our 1st album as the 1st song. So in order to know this song, you'll have to have bought our 1st album, or have come to our lives. Still, it came in first. That led me to think about how it's proof of SCANDAL placing lives at the heart of our activities. Previously in the past, we'll make songs about what we mean then superficially, but we've gone past that now. In any case, the scenery that we've seen on stage is amazing. We can make sing-alongs happen, and if SCANDAL was a country, this would be our national anthem. It's really a song that was raised by the audience, and they made it No.1 and a special song...in such a sense, it's the song that has the most thought of all placed in it.

－－ What about RINA?

RINA: It's an album song called「Bitter Chocolate」, and since we were able to let many people hear it before, I'm extremely happy that it was selected this time around. All of us have ever lived under the same roof before, and we shared our time together there. When we then go on tours and the 4 of us stay in hotels, it's like we're always returning home and the 4 of us are living together. During one time, I sat in my room and tried making the melody on keyboard, thinking,「This somehow seems possible!」Since at the time, the lyrics were made with TOMOMI at the center of it, I brought the demo to TOMOMI's room to have her listen to it, and asked,「Won't you try coming up with the lyrics?」It was a song that was completed with both our styles of creation. Since that way of creating had been fun, we still make songs today in the different lyric-writing and mmusic composition pattern. I can still remember the joy of being able to ride upon lyrics that I didn't imagine would be. Right after that time, all of us lived alone, but when I return to the house that I live in by myself and am trying to put together a demo, I think of how we spoke till late that night...and I'll remember that as I listen to this song.

－－ How about HARUNA?

HARUNA:「Awanai Tsumori no, Genki Dene」. This was released right after our first one-man live at the Osaka-jo Hall, which has always been our dream venue. Not only is it a song that signified a new start, but it also holds lyrics that can only be written at our generation then. It contained a lot of our feelings at the time, and is purely a love song, but as it was sung from a more adult-like point of view, it was the song that got me feeling for the first time,「I want to continue singing forever from now on」. It is a song that gave me the confidenec to (continue) sing such songs.

－－ Again, this album contains the new songs,「FREEDOM FIGHTERS」and「HELLO」. Can you tell us what sort of thought or imagination brought about these songs?

RINA: Firstly,「HELLO」was a song that had its demo done about a year ago. Since the release period would be Winter, it was recorded with the idea of wanting others to listen to it as a Winter love song. We thought of presenting it as a royal road pop song, so not only were the lyrics straightforward, but since it also has the story element in its content, it was written in a manner that was meant to be easy to reach out to all kinds of people. We only played it once during Christmas, but I was happy that we're finally able to release it. And then, for「FREEDOM FIGHTERS」, since we were going to go on our 47-prefecture tour, we thought about「wanting to create a killer tune that'll look great when shot live」. We imagined and made the melody with that in mind, but we wanted to write lyrics that anyone could understand with the theme, 'Freedom'. Despite clearing that, it took quite some time (to create it). So, it was a song that was really painful to produce, but we do think we're「glad to have held on」. With this song in the best album, it was like,「We completed the 10th year anniversary using our own strength」. It's a song that we think,「We've given it our all」.

－－ Once more, you all feel you're starting again from here on?

RINA: That's right. Rather than say we're finally going towards a new stage, we feel as though our hearts are rest once again.

－－ What sort of future is SCANDAL aiming towards from here on out?

HARUNA: We're soon starting our 47-prefecture tour, but I think we hope to stay as band that will always place importance on our lives after all. We've come this far by making one-man lives the central of the activities, but we really do want to involve more, and all kinds of people in our lives. Since we've moved along, opening our own paths till now, we also hope to play alongside all kinds of people and absorb even more things in future.

MAMI: When the 47-prefecture tour ends, the Summer fes season will also have passed eh. Since we'll got all kinds of stuff planned, it'll be great if people would like to「do something together」, with us. As so, please look forward to it!

RINA: Until now, we haven't got to do a two-man with TRICERATOPS or Kishidan or The Cro-magnons.

－－ Those are 3 amazing bands eh (laughs).

RINA: All 3 groups are huge seniors of ours, and we've received a lot of stimulation from them. That's why, even more so, we'll like to do a two-man and put our confidence into it. Even if we get hurt once in a while, it's also necessary, since we can get more heated up from that. We want to do more gradually.

Original article by Billboard Japan HERE, translation by fyscandalband. Another huge part of this Billboard interview is translated HERE. Support SCANDAL in the best way by buying their best album HERE now.

[natromanxoff]

Queen live at Capital Centre in Landover, MD, USA - November 29, 1977

(x)

A fan filmed the first couple minutes of the show on a silent Super 8 camera, but he was caught by a security guard and the film was confiscated.

Another fan recalls the band took a 30 minute break in the middle of the show, and started the second half of the show with Tie Your Mother Down. He also says they performed both Spread Your Wings and It's Late.

Here is a review of the show from the next day's Washington Post. It reveals that the band have swapped Keep Yourself Alive with Now I'm Here. The former now follows Bohemian Rhapsody in the setlist, as it had earlier in the year.

There is a great story on Brian May's website by Tracy Chevalier, who attended the show as a youngster:

It started with a champagne toast and ended with a limo pulling away into the night. In between these two gestures symbolising glamour and sophistication, I lost my virginity. Not in the technical sense (that would take another few years), but in other ways. At my first ever rock concert — going with four friends to see Queen at the Capital Centre in November 1977 — I got an eye-opening peek at elements of the adult world, with its power and its limitations, its glittering artifice and dirty reality, and it demonstrated how little I knew and how much I had yet to learn about life.

I was ripe for it; overdue, really. I had turned 15 the month before the concert, and though people thought I looked older than I was, I was remarkably naive and unworldly at that age. Despite a few character-building events in my childhood — the death of my mother when I was almost 8, the experience of being a minority in DC public schools — I was so unsophisticated, so unaware of the world, that I didn’t even realise Queen was an English band until the lead singer Freddie Mercury appeared in a tight white catsuit on stage at the Capital Centre, raised a glass of champagne at 18,000 screaming fans, and toasted us with “Good evening, Washington” in a fruity English accent. I was stunned. Then I started screaming.

I had been a Queen fan for a couple of years by then. A Night at the Opera was the first LP I bought, and I could sing every word of every song. I don’t remember how I was introduced to Queen — though I do remember hearing their biggest hit, Bohemian Rhapsody, on the radio and being impressed by its audacity. It sure beat the hell out of the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, which had been my older sister’s staple music diet. By 14, I was writing Queen lyrics on the desk where I sat for algebra class, swapping them back and forth with a boy I had a crush on, and daydreaming of guitarist Brian May kissing me.

The concert was part of Queen’s News of the World tour. While not a great album, especially after the double whammy of A Night at the Opera and its follow-up, A Day at the Races, it did produce two of their best-known songs, We Will Rock You and We are the Champions, which drop-kicked them firmly into stadium anthem territory. Appropriately, the concert began with the lights going down and the primitive, effective, impossible-not-to-join-in-with BOOM- BOOM-CHI, BOOM-BOOM-CHI, BOOM-BOOM-CHI intro to We Will Rock You rolling over the audience. Everyone immediately jumped up out of their seats and began to stomp and clap along. I, too, stood and stomped and clapped, watching in awe as people began flicking their Bic lighters, a gesture I had never seen before. What, were they going to set light to something? I had tried not to act surprised earlier when people nearby started smoking grass in public, but now was there going to be a riot? What other illegal things would go on that night? Then a spotlight picked out Freddie Mercury, who began to sing, “Buddy you’re a boy, make a big noise, playin’ in the street, gonna be a big man someday . . .” and I thought, “Jesus H. Christ, that is the loudest noise I’ve ever heard! Is that legal?” The wall of sound terrified me, and I wanted to cover my ears, but I didn’t dare, as it would have been a very uncool thing to do. I think I looked around for the exit, wondering how many people I would have to climb over to escape the sound. It was just so goddamned loud — exhilarating, yes, but painful, too, dangerous and overwhelming. I wavered between loving it and hating it, but knew it would be uncool to hate it, so I’d better try to love it.

Towards the end of the song the single note of an electric guitar began to hum louder and louder under the chorus we were all singing and shouting, and Brian May stepped into the light to add his distinctive sound, ending We Will Rock You with low, long-sustain, three-part harmony chords, overlaid with a high melody he made fuzzy and metallic by using a coin as a guitar pick. I adored Brian May. He was the reserved, straight guy (literally) to Freddie Mercury’s camp high jinks — tall, dark, good-looking, with long curly hair and a melancholy pensiveness that made every teenage girl want to comfort him. At this concert he was wearing a silvery white jacket with long, pleated wing sleeves; that combined with his mop of curls should have made him look effeminate, but instead he was deeply sexy.

I loved Freddie, too, for his outrageous antics, his riskiness, his joy at performing and glorious indifference to how ridiculous he looked wearing glittery leotard jumpsuits, eyeliner and a mullet, prancing and strutting and posing, twitching his hips, smacking his lips and otherwise hamming it up. But even without being conscious of Freddie’s sexual preference — I hadn’t yet met anyone who was openly gay — I instinctively sensed he was not to be lusted after. For all his extrovert, welcoming stage presence, he was clearly playing a part, which served to hold us at arm’s length; whereas Brian May’s taciturn moodiness was clearly himself served up raw.

Thank God for Freddie, though. Without him, no one would have moved on stage: Brian May was not a dancer, John Deacon, in time-honoured bassist tradition, stood solidly in one place throughout, and Roger Taylor was trapped by his drum kit.

To set us at our ease, after We Will Rock You Freddie toasted us with a glass of champagne — “Moët et Chandon, of course,” after the reference in the hit Killer Queen. My friends and I heard this and screamed and clutched one another. He mentioned Moët et Chandon! That was our champagne! He was acknowledging us! I swear he made eye contact with me, 200 yards away and over the heads of thousands.

For we had done what we thought was the most original and extravagant gesture (for 15-year-olds) a fan could make: we had sent a bottle of champagne backstage. We’d pooled our money and gotten an older sister to buy it for us — the same sister who had been obliged to drive us all the way to the Capital Centre, smirking at our overexcited fandom. We’d even made our way to the stage door down a loading dock at the back of the arena and reluctantly handed over the precious bottle to a bored roadie, who said he would take it to the band. We’d had our doubts about his reliability, and his jadedness had dampened our enthusiasm a bit: had we really blown all that money — $20, which in those days meant 20 hours of babysitting — to have some unshaven jerk with a beer belly swill the precious liquid? But clearly the roadie had pulled through for us, for there was our champagne in Freddie Mercury’s hand, and he was referring to Moët et Chandon in his pretty cabinet, the lyrics we had so cleverly quoted in the note we sent along with the bottle. We were sure we — among the many thousands — had managed to get through to the band.

If we had bothered to look around rather than feast our eyes on Brian and Freddie (I’m afraid John Deacon and Roger Taylor never got a look-in from me), we probably would have seen other clusters of fans also screaming and clutching one another during Freddie’s toast. But we didn’t look around or harbour doubts, or we ignored them. It was only much later that I allowed myself to consider the veritable champagne lake that must have existed backstage at every Queen concert. Tip to rock stars: want a free truckload of champagne wherever you go? Sing a song that mentions some — preferably name-checking a more expensive brand to ensure better quality — and watch it pour in backstage every night from adoring fans. There must have been a hundred bottles from fans back there, not counting the stash the band may well have brought with them in case Portland or Houston or Detroit weren’t so generous. No wonder that roadie looked so bored — he’d probably been put on champagne duty that night.

Freddie’s toast worked its magic, though, giving me the connection I needed to negotiate a place within the strangeness of the concertgoing experience itself: the weird, scary power of a crowd; the mixture of exhilaration and embarrassment at collective participation; the physical discomfort of standing for two hours when there’s a perfectly comfortable seat behind you. It is one of those tricky, unresolved tensions at concerts: are we there to listen to the music or actively respond to it, participate as a group or answer our needs as individuals? It’s an issue I’ve never entirely resolved — from Queen onwards I have spent concerts going in and out of myself, losing myself to the music and spectacle one minute, the next minute overly conscious of myself clapping or singing or screaming, and wondering why concerts have to be such an uncomfortable physical ordeal.

I was taken aback by the sound of Queen’s music live: not just the volume, but the familiarity and also the strange rawness of the songs. Studio albums have all the mistakes airbrushed out, the layers added in, the balance between players carefully calibrated, like clever dialogue in a play without the awkward pauses and unfinished conversations you get in real life. Queen albums were highly produced, multi-layered affairs. Live, the music was necessarily stripped of a lot of the choral mixing, more raucous, simpler and much messier.

The band wisely didn’t dare attempt to reproduce in its entirety the long, baroque confection that is Bohemian Rhapsody. For the infamous operatic middle section, the band members left the stage as the studio recording played. Freddie and Brian then changed costume, and, at the word “Beelzebub”, all four men popped out of a door in the stage floor and joined live again for the heavy metal section, fireworks going off, dry ice pouring out, everyone going berserk, me in tears of excitement. It was one of the best live moments I’ve ever witnessed. Indeed, I was spoiled by seeing Queen play live before anyone else; for sheer exuberant theatricality, no one else has come close.

The concert ended with an instrumental version of God Save the Queen and once more the flicking of the Bics, which, no longer the virgin concertgoer, I understood now as a gesture of tribute. My friends and I weren’t finished, though. Emboldened by Freddie’s toast, we decided to go to the stage entrance again and say hello. I still choke with embarrassment when I think of it. When we got there, a black limousine was pulling away, our heroes and their entourage inside, and we were left with the detritus: older, dolled-up, hard-bitten groupies who had followed the band around and not made this night’s cut. I stared at one, at her long, bleach-blond hair, her miniskirt, her bright red lipstick. She glared at me briefly; then her face went slack as she dismissed the idea of me being any sort of competition. In fact, I had not really taken in that there was a competition, that the girls (and I?) were here to spread our wares and catch the attention of one of the men, and then . . . And then? I hadn’t thought it through at all. I wouldn’t have known what to do with such a man as Brian May if he even so much as looked at me. All I knew was that I was way, way out of my depth, that even if I had eluded the roadie minding the door, there was no way I was ever going to get past a woman like this.

The contrast between the sparkling theatricality of the concert and the gritty reality of the backstage, with its dirty concrete, anonymous faces and unfulfilled dreams turned my stomach, and almost ruined the night. I wished I hadn’t seen it, because it reminded me that the show was a fantasy, while it was my aching feet and the roadies’ boredom and the groupies’ hard desperation that constituted real life. As I stood watching the limo pull away and the unsexy women stand about, licking their wounds, looking for a ride to the next city and another chance, I felt as if a door had been kicked open a crack on to a world I knew nothing about: the seamy underbelly of the concertgoing experience, a mix of sex and power and exploitation, of cigarettes and poorly applied make-up and long, cold nights waiting to be noticed and defining yourself by someone else’s attention. If that was grown-up life, I didn’t want to know about it. I wanted the champagne toast, but not the limo. Not yet.

Fan Stories

“I had just turned 16 a few weeks earlier. I was absolutely 100% in love with Queen (since age 13 when first hearing Killer Queen on the radio) and therefore could hardly believe my sister's friend, who worked with her at the Roy Rogers restaurant at the mall, who said she knew Freddie Mercury's girlfriend, Mary, and that she was going to get a backstage pass and would try to get one for us as well. Well, just before the concert she met my sister at a pre-arranged point (inside the venue) and said that she was unable to get us the backstage passes. You can imagine my disappointment and my thinking at this point that this girl was not telling the truth about knowing Freddie's girlfriend (it seemed too good to be true to me to begin with). Then after the concert, which was great of course, we were depressed (my sister and I - but especially me) at not getting to meet them, so we decided to wait for their limo to come out of the underground parking area at the Capital Centre. When it emerged we got so excited we decided to sprint to our big blue station wagon and follow them. With my learner's permit only, I followed them at probably over 80 miles per hour - I remember it being the fastest I had ever driven but I was determined not to lose them - to a restaurant somewhere in DC. At that age, I didn't have my bearings around the city. We didn't want to freak them out so I think we just watched them go inside from our car. Then we ended up waiting outside in the cold air for I think around 2 hours - anyway - enough to turn my nose red and make my lips and toes numb. We weren't allowed in the restaurant - and there was a bouncer from Liverpool out front that prevented us from even going in the lobby to warm up. At one point Roger came down the stairs into the lobby and I smiled at him and he smiled back and started over to the door - but was stopped by another man who grabbed his arm. So then he just continued downstairs to the bathroom, and ignored us when he went back up the stairs. When they finally emerged from the restaurant, I was frozen in more ways than just the temp. Brian said, "It's a bit cold out here". One of them (I don't know who because I think I was in shock) said, "So, were you at the concert?" And we said yes. My friend who was hardly a Queen fan grabbed the attention for herself by shouting "That was the best concert I've ever seen!" or some such thing. I was so embarrassed not being able to think of anything to say in my stunned condition. Freddie looked at me briefly then looked over at my sister. He nodded at my sister but he never stopped walking to the limo. Brian walked over to me and said something like, "Did you enjoy the concert?" and I think I mumbled something like, "Yes. It was fantastic." Then all I could think to say was "Can I have your autograph?" He said "Sure" and ended up giving me the autograph and his pen. So I had to tap him on the arm to get his attention to give him his pen back. "Here's your pen." Can you imagine - here I am meeting my idols and all I can say is this? This all happened within about 20 or 30 seconds it seemed, and they all got into the limo quickly - they seemed pretty tired. I can't remember if they had one or two limos. All four of the members were there and I think a couple of other men - probably manager and driver(s). Freddie didn't say anything, just acknowledged us without a smile and got into the limo. John did the same. I remember thinking Brian was pretty tall. I stood very close to him. I am almost 5 foot 9 and he towered above me it seemed. Of course the hair probably added several inches! The best part of the story I guess is that my sister's friend, the one who knew Mary, said that when the band got back to the hotel they said there were some "nice working girls" waiting outside the restaurant. I guess they thought we were older - we were only 16 and 17 and still in high school of course. We were dressed very conservatively and with long coats.

My sister's co-worker said that she was good friends with Mary, because their families had been neighbors, and so was happy to get to visit with her. Also she said she thought that Freddie was the nicest member of the group, but very shy.” - Donna13

[themousai]

Gig Review: Black Honey - Electric Ballroom [24/10/18]

After a last minute festival cancellation back in 2016 ended up meaning I wouldn’t see Black Honey like I expected to, I jumped at the chance to see them play Electric Ballroom in Camden fresh off the release of their debut LP and finally satisfy my need to see if they lived up to all of the expectations. Accompanied by Californians RUSSO and Manchester’s legendary PINS, Black Honey were delighted to declare that this was their first ever tour where the women outnumbered men, proving just what women have to offer to the music scene.

RUSSO hit the stage with power in Cailin Russo’s voice like I’ve never heard before and accompanied by such an energetic band it’s not hard to see why they were picked to open the evening. Bassist Sean Ritchie proceeded to throw himself about the stage for their short set, pulling memorable faces and evidently losing himself in the moment while they played songs off their first (and only) EP ‘House With A Pool’. Their sound takes you back a few years, with a modern spin so enticing you’ll find yourself googling them the second you get home.

PINS have been around for a good while now and don’t seem to show any sign of slowing with a new album on the way soon. The lights dim, and orange lights illuminate their drummer who begins playing a slow, steady beat to capture the crowd’s attention before the other 3 members saunter onto the stage kitted out in black leather and sparkles. I’m drawn to a hanging attached to the keyboard that simply says “GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS” which seems very fitting for the night ahead. Launching into a feminist ballad vocalist Faith Vern sings “it’s a man’s world and it makes me…” leaving the crowd to finish what she started, something they lap up instantly. With their music having heavy rock and grunge influences, the addition of synths and keys by Kyoko Swan are a pleasant surprise especially with the enthusiasm she brings to the band. 

Pausing for a break for the first time, well into their set, Faith screams out “LONDON! Are you excited for Black Honey? Do you want to start things off by dancing with us first?” to which the crowd responds positively, and with Kyoko having climbed a platform at the back of the stage encouraging everyone I can’t say I’m surprised at all when the crowd really starts to let loose. Flashing quick smiles at each other, you can tell PINS is made up of friends who are just delighted to share what they love. Heading into their final song, all 3 members line up on stage and begin a simple synchronised dance to which the front row of the audience copies enthusiastically. When Faith jumps down and seats herself on the barrier to watch her band finish off the set the energy in the room is absolutely electric.

The overhead speakers turn off for the final time and the crowd erupts into cheers. From the moment Black Honey whirl onto the stage the crowd is moving and frontwoman Izzy B Phillips absolutely commands attention with her surreal presence. Opening with ‘I Only Hurt the Ones I love’ sets the pace for their set, and Izzy’s voice really takes the band to another level here. “Fuck yeah London, you mad bastards!” screams Izzy (much to the delight of the crowd) and with that the show is well underway. 

The pace slows a little as Izzy takes the lead for slower songs ‘Bad Friend’ and ‘Dig’, full of anthemic chorus’s and dirty bass and guitar melding together behind it. As expected at a Black Honey show – the crowd never really stops even during these calmer moments, and you can hear the lyrics being sung from every corner of the room as crowd members wave their arms above their heads and dance with friends and strangers. “Can I get the lights up? We love, love, love you! You packed out Electric Ballroom, this is fucking nuts!” says Izzy and when the lights illuminate the hundreds of fans you can feel the love radiate from stage to crowd. Black Honey seem to have really thought about their song placement for tonight and when ‘Blue Romance’ begins Izzy’s vocals soak right through you proven by the compelling “marry me!” shouted out by a member of the crowd.

The crowd knows what’s coming next and starts to open wide pit amidst the chaos which manages to stretch from wall to wall with Izzy’s encouragement, so that when the chorus of ‘Just Calling’ kicks in everyone within a metre radius is propelled into the mayhem. Reeling from that moment, drummer Tom Dewhurst and bassist Tommy Taylor steal the crowd’s attention back with the grungy intro of ‘What Happened to You’ and this seems obvious to be a high point in the set as guitarist Chris Ostler takes charge of the stage and Izzy falls to her knees dramatically while a surge in the crowd launches everybody forward.

Izzy’s sultry voice softens while singing ‘Baby’ and the audience sways together while shining their cell phone torches (and the occasional lighter) towards the band causing a truly beautiful sight. Showing her modesty yet again Izzy tells the crowd “when we first played here as support I was like fuck me this is the biggest room I’ve seen… and to be honest, that’s still true” before she breaks the crowd and band barrier and literally climbs into the crowd to be held up by fans to finish off their second to last song ‘Corrine’. Saving the best for last, Black Honey’s ultimate dance track ‘Midnight’ begins and the crowd goes absolute mental. Shortly into this song the stage is invaded by RUSSO and PINS who spend the next 3 minutes dancing with Black Honey and emitting a general sense of joy and love, a seemingly perfect end to the night.

If the chance to see Black Honey ever presents itself, do not pass it up. Black Honey really are something else and I can guarantee you’ll walk away feeling like you just saw the best live band ever.

Photos and review by Scarlett Dellow

[poladrize]

The Metal Maestro – An Interview With Juan Saurín

It’s getting dark, and his electric guitar pulsates through the walls of Concha Segura theater and onto the freezing November streets of Yecla, a town situated in the South-East of Spain.

Juan Saurín, the name behind the strings, is a Yecla native, recognized and admired by his town. In the queue, his old High School teachers, family and friends blend in between teenagers decked head to toe in sleek, black leather. We catch a first glimpse of him, through the gap in the curtains behind the soundboards. He’s sound-checking; in a lunge, hair down, features brimmed with passion for the music he’s making.

PURE NOWHERE: When did you decide you wanted to be a musician?

JUAN SAURÍN: I started playing when I was 13; I was watching TV and I saw the music video for Metallica’s ‘Until It Sleeps’. I was like… dude… what is this? I don’t know, something came over me, and it was automatic, you know, I bought DVDs, started to find more bands, immediately joined guitar lessons…and since then, I haven’t stopped. It started there and won’t ever go away.

PN: What do you think you’d be doing if you hadn’t seen that Metallica video?

JS: Well… I wouldn’t be doing anything (laughs). I really don’t know, this is just the only thing I can think of doing. From the moment I started, at 13, I haven’t done anything else. I locked myself in my room, all I did was play, study, play, study… and everything I’ve ever done has been in relation to music. When I worked, for example, in a factory over the summertime, it was to buy an amp, or a guitar, or a… whatever. You know, everything I’ve done that hasn’t been directly related to my music has always been secondary.

After joining classical guitar lessons in Yecla to learn basic notions, Juan went onto studying ‘Instrument, Harmony and Composition’ at the Institute of Music and Technology of Madrid (IMT), and then graduating in ‘Modern Music and Jazz’ in the ‘Conservatori del Liceu’ of Barcelona. He graduated from ‘Music Teaching’ with the best qualification (Distinction) in the British institution, Rockschool, and was then taught by guitar prodigies like Frank Solari, Steve Vai, Andy Timmons, Joe Bonamassa,… etc. He’s been a guitarist for a few bands and artists, including a Metallica tribute band and the first The Voice Spain winner (along with being his musical director). Now, his name’s on the screen.

Two years ago, Juan presented his debut album, ‘Genesis’, in this same theater. And tonight, he’s back with his sophomore album, ‘Human’. His hometown always marks the first date of his tours. The concert begins. The ‘Human’ album cover fades into his intro video, (‘Chaos’, the origin of humanity), and he comes out, followed by his band. The power of his electric guitar makes people’s hearts shake. His hands, filled with silver rings, disappear between electric chords, and he tunes the guitar as he goes, molding it to fit his preferences. The looks of awe in the crowd reflect exactly what he is: a virtuoso musician, with a guitar that’s an extension of his body.

PN: What do you love the most about playing live?

JS: Playing live (laughs). I have such a great time that the thing I love most is just being able to have a live show. And if I have the chance to share the stage with huge musicians like those we had here tonight well… it all works out great.

PN: And… what’s your favorite song to play live?

JS: Um… (eyes widen). I couldn’t pick a favorite… I love playing so many things. The track that gets to me the most is Orion, by Metallica, which is why we played it today. It was the first time I heard a song and was like “What an anthem!” (Hand to his head) “What a track, dude, this is wild”. Every time we can, we play it live. And when I play that song, I get flashbacks from when I was little and was just starting to play guitar. So… that’s the most special song for me, but I don’t have a favorite.

PN: Your music is on the instrumental side of heavy metal. Why is that?

JS: It’s definitely my area. I like tracks with lyrics, they add something to songs… but, without a shadow of a doubt, my area is instrumental music. I grew up with it; I’ve always been a huge fan of Mike Oldfield, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and to me… instrumental tracks speak to me, I don’t need lyrics. But I do also like voiced tracks, and if you can count on voices like Neus Ferri, Alberto Scarlatta or Leo Jimenez’s… well, that’s insane, right?

PN: So many people sat down for tonight’s show… is that weird for you?

JS: Actually, in my case, since it’s instrumental metal, I don’t think this theater is an inadequate fit. I mean, I think the album (Human), is one that you can listen to, chilling at home with your headphones on… there’s a ton of layers, and details, and sections and stories… so, I don’t know. I’m a huge fan of theaters, I love the atmosphere in theaters, sometimes people have to sit and pay attention, and others, we just get them up to party however we can (chuckles).

PN: What is a question you’d really like to answer that nobody’s ever asked you yet?

JS: I don’t know, but I do know the question I don’t like. When they ask me: “So, where’s the third one?” when I’ve just released the second. Because it feels like they don’t value how hard it is to make an album. You know, the second just came out, dude! Listen to it, chill! (Laughs) I mean, it’s fine, I know they mean well, but… It feels like for society everything has to be immediate. Like, “if I don’t get this chair by tomorrow at 3 pm I don’t want it”. And, dude, when you buy a new album, you spend at least a month listening to it. Analyzing, seeing what’s been done, reading the libretto, the tracks… they gain value with listens, you know? But when you’ve just released one and they’re already asking for the next, it makes you want to say… listen to it first.

PN: Why the title ‘Human’? And ‘Genesis’? Anything special?

JS: ‘Genesis’… well, I had worked for other bands and artists, and it was the first album that I conceived for a solo career. Because when you’re in a band, you could be in it one day and not the next. In my case, I’m always going to be here (laughs) so it won’t be a problem. It was the start of a new career. And ‘Human’… I like when an album isn’t exclusively music. I’m very sixties and seventies in that aspect, you know, back then albums were a work of art in themselves: the tracks, the music, the lyrics, the meaning, the cover, the designs, everything… This album is about humanity and it’s evolution with time. It’s also about senses; it goes through all the feelings that encompass being human, and that’s transmitted by the instrumental tracks too.

PN: Is that why the cover design is a skull?

JS: Yeah, exactly, the cover is what we are. A skull that fades. So, it’s a skull that will turn to dust, it’s not anything else. Our trajectory in life is super short, and it’s like, what Gandalf said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”.

Juan catches us by surprise when he announces that he’s doing something he’s never done before, whips out an acoustic guitar and brings out two cellos and two violins, three of them teachers at the local Music School, where he runs the Modern Music Department.

PN: What is music to you?

JS: Life. It’s the only thing that really gets to me, and it generates a series of sensations and emotions and ideas and stories that… you know, that I need to put out in albums. It’s a way of life, I can’t imagine my life without music.

PN: How would you introduce yourself to readers of Pure Nowhere in the US?

JS: Well, I’m a huge fan of their musical culture. Actually, I was in New York a few years ago, and I didn’t want to come back (laughs). When I walked into the JFK and heard George Benson as background music, I was like… dude, this isn’t normal. They have such huge musical culture. We went to the Blue Note to listen to a Big Band; there’s always some incredible band playing there. There’s a lot of respect for music over there. I said I was a musician and they seemed amazed. Because they knew… they know how tough it is, how fucked it is to be a musician, it’s super hard. It’s an intense career choice. You have to always give it 200%. You can’t do it any other way. Their way of seeing music and their way of seeing show business… I admire it so much, and I’m sure that it’s not just me, but everyone that makes rock and modern music… for us, American musical culture is the highest point. It’s the origin of everything.

PN: Would you like to play there?

JS: Tomorrow. If I could.

So, you know what to do now. Stream ‘Human’, stream ‘Genesis’, stream Juan Saurín. We wish him all the success in the world.

Find him on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

(Originally published on www.PureNowhere.com)

[chorusfm]

U2 – Songs of Experience

While he’s been coy about the exact details, Bono apparently almost died in 2017. In general, it’s been a rough few years for the frontman of the world’s biggest rock band. The backlash against U2’s last record, 2014’s Songs of Innocence, was perhaps fiercer than for any other album released this decade (though the hate was more for the gung-ho iTunes release strategy than for the actual music). Then, a few months later, Bono crashed his bike, fractured his face, and shattered his arm. The injury, he later said, may have put a permanent end to his guitar playing days. Still, neither Bono nor U2 have slowed down much. If anything, they sped up. This year, the band zipped around the globe playing The Joshua Tree for its 30th anniversary. Even at a relatively brief (by U2 standards) 51 dates, the tour grossed $316 million—enough to be the year’s highest grossing concert tour. Meanwhile, U2 have spent months tinkering with Songs of Experience, the sequel to their maligned 2014 album, which was supposed to come out a year ago. Even with the 12-month delay, Songs of Experience still arrives just three years and two months after its predecessor—the band’s briefest album-to-album gap since the early 1990s. Songs of Experience is anything but business as usual for U2, though. The darkest LP in the band’s catalog since 1997’s Pop, Experience is overhung with specters of death and musings on the apocalypse. While the record was reportedly just about ready to go at this time last year, it seems likely that the band either rewrote most of the songs or scrapped everything and started from scratch. It’s tough to imagine U2—a band that has spent the better part of the new millennium in victory lap mode—writing an album this gripping and vital before the events of 2016. Bono’s near-death experience and the political fallout of 2016—Brexit, plus the election of Donald Trump—inform most of the songs on this record. The result is the least complacent U2 have sounded in 20 years. It’s less eager to please than its overproduced predecessor; more fully-realized than 2009’s experimental, meandering No Line on the Horizon; more unflinchingly personal than 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb; and more willing to ask difficult questions than 2000’s comeback crowd-pleaser, All That You Can’t Leave Behind. It may or may not be the best of those LPs, but it’s almost certainly the most fully realized. The advice that Bono gave himself during the making of this record was to “write as if you were dead,” probably because he almost was. Whatever the reason, the advice proves a good mantra for Bono, who, for the first time since “Vertigo,” seems like he isn’t chasing a hit. Not that he’s stopped writing sterling hooks. Lead single “You’re the Best Thing About Me” sounds like a darker version of “Sweetest Thing,” with plenty of that song’s exuberant infectiousness. “Get out of Your Own Way” is a stadium-sized epic on the order of “Beautiful Day.” And “Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way” is the album’s grand climax, a euphoric number that shows U2 is still better at doing the big inspirational anthem better than any other band on the planet. Elsewhere, though, Bono allows himself get dark. Opening track, the menacing “Love Is All We Have Left,” is a contemplative prayer where Bono lets his voice get put through a vocoder for the first time ever. “This is no time not to be alive,” his altered voice intones, like a message from the other side of consciousness urging a dying man to keep going. Then comes “Lights of Home,” which opens with the words “Shouldn’t be here, ‘cause I should be dead,” sputtered over a ragged acoustic riff borrowed from Haim’s “My Song 5.” A second later, he goes after the savior himself: “Oh Jesus, if I’m still your friend/What the hell you got for me?” Bono has gone on record about dealing with doubt, fear, anger, and temporary loss of faith during his brush with mortality last year. “Lights of Home” is the sound of him reckoning with those things in song, and it’s one of the most thrilling U2 tracks in years. Songs of Experience is a strong record on its own, but it’s even better when played immediately after Songs of Innocence. In sound, influence, and story, Songs of Innocence was an album about growing up. The songs tackled first love (“Song for Someone”) and first loss (“Iris”). They looked at what it was like growing up in a violent, dangerous neighborhood (“Raised by Wolves,” “Cedarwood Road”), and at what it took to leave those streets behind to chase dreams (“This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now”). By the time “The Troubles” spun around at the end of the record, it felt like a much-deserved end credits roll on the trials and tribulations of youth. Played in chronology with Songs of Experience, though, “The Troubles” seems like a coy warning of bigger troubles just around the bend. As it should. Songs of Experience is supposed to be the record about adulthood, in the same way that Songs of Innocence was the record about youth. Just as adulthood brings more complicated challenges, these songs are less straightforward in their thesis statements than the tracks on Innocence. “You’re the Best Thing about Me” seems like a cut-and-dried love song based on its title, but the key line “You’re the best thing about me/And the best things are easy to destroy” adds a dark subtext about the fragility of everything—even love. To underscore the complex messages, the band reprises bits of several songs from the previous record. “Free yourself to be yourself/If only you could see yourself” was the repeated line that closed out “Iris,” a song that was, in part, about Bono looking forward to seeing his mother in heaven someday. It comes back at the end of “Lights of Home,” a haunting acknowledgement that “someday” might not be as far off as any of us think. The other reprisals are similarly resonant. On the blistering “American Soul,” the bridge from “Volcano” gets repurposed as a chorus. On Songs of Innocence, the line in question—“You and I are rock and roll”—captured how Bono and other young men of his generation (particularly the lads in U2) sought refuge in the expression of music. “American Soul” is a parallel, about how so many people came to America seeking a different kind of refuge. When Bono sings “You and I are rock and roll/Came here looking for American soul,” it’s a show of solidarity for all the people currently facing adversity at the hands of our esteemed Commander-in-Chief. The final reprise is “Song for Someone,” whose chorus re-appears in “13 (There Is a Light),” this album’s slow-burning finale. On Innocence, “Song for Someone” was a declaration of love from a boy who probably didn’t know what love was yet. (Bono wrote it about falling in love with his wife, which happened when they were both kids.) Here, it feels like a prayer for resilience at the end of the world, from a father to his kids before they shed their innocence. “I know the world is done/But you don’t have to be/I’ve got a question for the child in you before it leaves/Are you tough enough to be kind?/Do you know your heart has its own mind?/Darkness gathers around the light/Hold on.” For Bono, part of “writing as if he was dead” was saying the things he needed to say to family and friends before he ran out of time to say them. This letter to his children is the most poignant of those missives. Not coincidentally, it’s also the first time the end of a U2 album has felt like it could fittingly serve as the end of U2. That’s probably not going to happen, though, if only because there are a few songs here where it feels like the band legitimately can’t wait to get out onstage to play them live. The clearest example is “The Little Things That Give You Away,” the album’s biggest triumph. Already used as the grand finale for many shows on The Joshua Tree anniversary tour, “Things” is an instant career highlight, boasting a patient, cathartic crescendo more effective than any the band has attempted since “Bad.” With U2, especially on this album, it’s easy to put the focus on Bono—what with his talk of a near-death of experience and his pointedly personal songs about his wife and kids. This song, though, is a glowing reminder of how important every member of the band is. Rising out of a near-ambient intro into a sparkling tidal wave of sound, “Little Things” is everything most U2 fans love about U2: Adam Clayton’s runaway train of a bass; Larry Mullen Jr.’s drums, both as gentle as a heartbeat and as thunderous as a car crash; and The Edge’s effects-laden guitar, recreating that heavenly “Where the Streets Have No Name” sound like he knows it’s his Ninth Symphony. In the midst of it all, Bono cries out at his most emotive: “Sometimes, the end is not coming/It’s not coming/The end is here.” Again, it sounds like a swansong, but I prefer the prophecy Bono gives himself just a few songs later: “If you listen you can hear the silence say/When you think you’re done/You’ve just begun.” --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/review/u2-songs-of-experience/

[junker-town]

Don't let the NBA rapper stereotype fool you, Damian Lillard's album is very good

Trust me on this one.

If you’ve never heard Damian Lillard rap before because you've been skeptical of NBA players in the booth, then you’ve been missing out. Lillard, who goes by Dame D.O.L.L.A. on tracks, is good. Not just good for a basketball player, but just good in general.

The Trail Blazers point guard has had success with the songs too. He dropped the “Bigger than us” music video in 2016 and even has some songs featured on the NBA 2k18 soundtrack .

On top of that, L̶i̶l̶l̶a̶r̶d̶ Dame D.O.L.L.A just dropped his new project “CONFIRMED. I decided to take a listen and break it down track by track.

HERE WE GO:

*Looks at tracklist*

There is a 2 Chainz feature. It’s lit.

Track 1: NO PUNCHES

Beat:

Favorite line: “So many teachers on my journey feel this was my calling. To be examples for present stars and children following. Keep it low, the world ain't gotta know you really balling.”

The intro to an album sets the tone of the whole project, which is a pretty important aspect... just ask Meek Mill.

This is a really good intro song. D.O.L.L.A’s flow is impressive and syncs with this beat really well. You find yourself bopping along to the melody and words instantly. From this intro, you know that D.O.L.L.A is going to give you a lot of lyrical substance and tell you some meaningful things about his life on this album. It reminds me of Lecrae — D.O.L.L.A’s flow lets you know that he will be giving you a message.

Track 2: BOSS LIFE

Beat:

Favorite line: “The value of a dollar quickly change. Still don't do the strip club, but love the finer things. Even when I cop myself a flooded diamond chain. I hate to say I'm different, bruh, but I ain't the same.”

Lillard seems like a pretty humble NBA Player, he doesn’t flex for attention, but that doesn’t mean that he has to act like he doesn’t have money now. On this track, he’s talking about all the newfound things that have come into his life because of his wealth, but he’s not being braggadocios or in your face about it. He’s just telling it how it is.

Nothing in this song sounds like an exaggeration or made up... and that’s incredible.

Track 3: SWITCH SIDES feat Verse Simmonds, Brookfield Deuce.

Beat:

Favorite line: “Y'all loud mouths move in silence. Fake tough, ain't new to violence. East Oakland, immune to sirens. Jet talk, we do it private. “

This is the first song on the album that contains features. The hook is pretty catchy and this song has mad potential to be the new NBA Offseason anthem. Will it be the go-to subtweet song lyrics when a free agent signs with another team? Because that’s all I think about when I listen to this song.

Track 4: Run it up feat Lil Wayne

Beat:

Favorite line: “I'm from where Golden State at but Portland where I lay at I'm the Daddy Mac, Mac Daddy with hoop and rappin' Y'all be on your Kris Kross, uh, hustlin' backwards All this game I'm givin' is prolly gon' be a caption.”

The beat screams banger, but the lyrics aren’t about the standard club shit.... well Wayne’s lyrics are.

D.O.L.L.A's lyrics, on the other hand, reminds us that he could stunt on all of us is he really wanted to.

I’d play it in the whip, not gonna lie.

Track 5: SHOOTA feat. Expensive Melodies

Beat:

Favorite line: Can you pretty please tell me that fragrance? Never name drop, but, baby, I'm famous You hotter than a sauna, girl let my mama, meet your mama, girl

This is the new shoot your shot anthem. It feels like when Meek Mill has that ballad style song in the middle of his usual style.

It’s an interesting move to get someone else to sing the hook even though the hook says “I’m Dame no Dash”. It’s a fire hook don’t get me wrong, it just caught me off-guard to hear someone sing “I’m Dame no Dash” and the person singing it isn’t Dame.

At first, I was like “Yo, Lillard can sing like this?!” and then you do a double take at the tracklist.

Track 6: ANOMALY feat 2 Chainz

Beat: TRUUUUUUU

Favorite line: Reporting live from the blacktop. I've been hustling since Will Smith had a flattop - 2 Chainz

Dame D.O.L.L.A’s ear for beats is pretty damn good. His flow and voice are also pretty versatile and it shows on this beat. It’s rare for someone to have a song with 2 Chainz and not have the show stolen from them. That’s major props to D.O.L.L.A.

This is the perfect beat for a collaboration with 2 Chainz. His flow is so smooth that he just rode the beat and spit that heat.

Now we just need to see Lillard vs 2 Chainz on the court.

2 Chainz a national treasure http://pic.twitter.com/mYQ6szlliK

— Blog Post Malone (@KofieYeboah) May 2, 2017

Track 7: MARSHAWN LYNCH

Beat: You know why I’m here.

Favorite line: What I'm here for Looking in your cabinet for that Hypno Trying to get it popping like some Crisco Speeding cross that bridge off to Frisco It's official

This might be my favorite beat and hook on the anthem. I was looking for a surprise Marshawn cameo but it is what it is. Can there be a remix? Please?

Track 8: TRAP PARTY (FUNERAL)

Beat: Eerie

Favorite line: I stopped by the crib, condolences and my feelings hurt, My partner really ain't coming back, I just buried him in six feet of dirt, And ready to deal with that pain though.

This might be my favorite overall song on the album. The hook, the vibe and the lyrics all come together perfectly and lyrics are heavy. When you lose a friend or a loved one, you reminisce on the good and funny memories with your Day 1 friends while still trying to react and cope with the hurt. This is just one of the many points on the album when D.O.L.L.A is saying that real shit. Those lyrics that stick and resonate with those that have gone through the same thing.

Track 9: 5TH of HENN

Beat:

Favorite line: The girl in the passenger seat, I'm taking her on a safari, I charter the plane on vacation, I lead to a standing ovation, That Henny in rotation

On this song, for some reason, D.O.L.L.A seems more comfortable with switching up the flows. He’s a pretty composed person and you can feel it throughout this album, but this song seems to contain an extra burst of energy. Especially right out of the gates with the first verse. This song isn’t introspective, but rather a fun song to two-step to after some shots. Something to pregame to before hitting the club, you know?

Track 10: ONE & ONLY

Beat: ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️

Favorite line:

Put your feet on my lap and let me massage that

Girl, I bring you everywhere the squad at (the squad)

It's magic everywhere we makin' contact

Let's focus on us and never get sidetracked

It’s an interesting transition from 5TH of HENN, but it’s not that type of album so it doesn’t matter that much. This song is telling me that Damian Lillard is working on becoming more versatile as a musician. He takes a stab at singing the hook and I had to again do a double take at the tracklist to make sure it wasn’t someone else.

I wasn’t expecting him to sing the hook okay?! With that being said... it’s not bad. I respect the attempt and him expanding his horizons.

Track 11: THE LET DOWN feat Nick Grant & BJ The Chicago Kid

Beat:

Favorite line: Will they love me when I'm slowin' down and missin' game winners?

No longer buyin' flights and all them free steak dinners. Wish me happy birthday if it's over 'cause I'm injured. Is the luxury the only thing I gave 'em to remember?

Throughout this song, D.O.L.L.A is contemplating how his life will look after he’s done playing basketball.

What Lillard is asking us fans is when it’s all said and done, who is going to give a shit? Fame isn’t easy, and going from being in the spotlight to fading away from it is an intense transition that isn’t the same for everyone. You really feel for D.O.L.L.A in the fact that he’s reaching to us as Dame D.O.L.L.A the person and not just a basketball player that entertains the masses like some people sadly only see him as.

I ain’t famous or rich, but I still felt this.

It’s like NAV said. “They gon' leave you when you down, not when you up”

Nick Grant and BJ the Chicago Kid have excellent features on top of a beat that reminds you of your kickball stats on the playground when you were a kid.

Just me? Alrighty then.

Track 12: MEMBERS ONLY

Beat:

Favorite line:

I keep a small circle (I do), family, couple homies

Know these suckers hating so I'm never by my lonely

You know how we rocking, this a testimony

Can never crack the code, better know it's members only

For someone who spends as much time in the spotlight as Lillard does, he stresses the importance of having a few good friends in life. It’s like the anti-Jay Gatsby way, which is a very good thing.

Lillard is very wise, and while he’s telling us about his life, he’s dropping some pretty valuable advice. He’s aware of the toils of fame, and he’s not going to let the side effects of popularity consume and corrupt him.

Track 13: WONDERLAND

Beat:

Favorite line: Cause they jealous bout where they at and what you was blessed with, And the problems steady stacking, life's a game of Tetris So many friends come and go but real ones gon' remain, Cause the kind of love you need only real ones can sustain.

Lyrically this song sounds like a sequel to THE LET DOWN. D.O.L.L.A is questioning who is really here for more than Dame the rich and successful. It’s also a good outro and a good point to end the album on. A good end to a very solid project.

IN CONCLUSION:

Damian Lillard is a part-time rapper. He tours the country as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. Maybe one day he’ll headline a concert tour in the offseason. I’d cop a ticket.

Yes. He’s that good.

WIth this album, Lillard has evolved from a basketball player that raps to being someone that’s good enough to have a standalone career as a rapper.

After hearing this album you can hear how much he’s evolved since the 2015 video at the beginning of this article.

Yes, there are points where he’s trying out different flows and styles like in ONE & ONLY and Run It Up. You can tell which styles he’s comfortable with and which ones he sounds less comfortable with at the moment. These are nitpicky things because I was asked to think of criticisms for this album and I don’t have any major criticisms.

I look forward to seeing where he goes from here. His music potential is pretty damn high and you have to figure out your strengths and weaknesses through trial and error like most rappers do before they get super big in the industry.

Damian Lillard is evolving his style and improving his craft. Overall, the jump that D.O.L.L.A has made from The Letter O is enough to convince you that the sky is the limit for how good D.O.L.L.A can get.

For a lot of athletes that dabble in music, it’s just a hobby for them. For Lillard, it could be another career.

He’s that good.