Derivative + Derivative = Original!

It remains a mystery to me why this song isn't better known among both Beasties fans and the wider music world. The original channeled 60's pop (and specifically pilfered The Beatles' "Taxman" for the song's definitive bass line) and adapted it to The Jam's concise pop, in a period where that band was producing masterpieces on a regular basis. That the Beastie Boys managed to absorb "Start!" and send it out sounding like one of their excursions into groove-based funk (for more of the same, The In Sound From Way Out! is a hugely enjoyable compilation of such forays) is an incredible achievement, especially since the song loses none of its melodic flourish. While I wondered why the song isn't one of the Beasties' more well-known efforts, in a way it simply isn't in its nature; laid-back but distinctive, the song wasn't designed to be universally recognised. Rather, the mood of the song suggests low-key appreciation, and the song sounds all the better on that level.

Beady Eye - First Listen, First Reaction

Beady Eye (composed of the members of Oasis minus Noel Gallagher) posted their first track online for free download today. Opinions on "Bring the Light" appear to be mixed, nothing unusual when it comes to Oasis. Just as predictable is the nature of the criticism: it's not "relevant" (what does that that even mean? There are so many musical styles being thrown around as the new zeitgeist that the 50s style showcased on "Bring The Light" could be as relevant as the folk, goth and synthpop throwbacks some critics are lauding as the cutting edge); "Too reminiscent of The Beatles," a terrible cliché that should be chalked down as self-parody when used in any Oasis review; bad lyrics - this I would half agree with. I think they're fairly bland rather than bad, but at the same time I wasn't expecting Shane MacGowan lyricism. The lyrics fit the mood of the song, but I'm interested in this particular track for the music rather than the words.

The song is an urgent one, kicking off with a wholly unexpected driving piano that confirms Liam Gallagher wasn't lying when he said some of Beady Eye's output would be influenced by Jery Lee Lewis. It's energetic for the most part, until a bridge section toward the end that I would liken to late-60s Elvis, female backing vocalists and all. One criticism aside from the lyrics is that the energy of the first verse isn't really sustained. Maybe it's the shock of the initial listen, but the exciting kick off isn't maintained as the song goes on. An enjoyable listen on the whole, different from Oasis and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the album holds up upon release.

Note: Strange opinion of the day must go to the NME who briefly refer to the obvious 50s rock 'n' roll influence on the song before going on to describe it as "krautrocky" (!) - I'm struggling to see the, say, Tago Mago homage here aside from possibly the prominent percussion, but to call any song with noticeable drumming "krautrocky" is taking the use of musical buzzwords way, way too far.

"Witch House" - A Great Performance From A Scene I Don't Really Believe In

Made-up genres are undeniably annoying. Maybe it's the smugness you glean from reading (because inevitably you find these concoctions in written form) certain publications throw together random words to christen a new "scene." Better yet, maybe it's the irritation of hearing these same random combinations written about in a matter-of-fact manner. Let's make it clear: these "genres" are catch-all terms for disparate bands, not a universally-defined collective.

Excuse my rant, which has little to do with this post except as a disclaimer. The "Witch House" "scene" bandied about a few months back is a terrible case of pre-emptive labelling. Undeniably, a number of bands have emerged with similar aesthetics and an ill-defined musical base that seems to vary from description to description; some ascribe it to the "chopped and screwed" remixes pioneered by the purple drank-swilling DJ Screw, others to house music, others to broader hip hop, 80s synth pop, etc etc. These variations expose the dangers of creating a scene united on a merely aesthetic basis; after all, if this scene is defined vaguely by sound, but concretely by a gothic horror image, where does it stop? Why not just drag in every goth band that experimented with certain beats, or the dark hip hop style known as horrorcore, another scene defined mainly by aesthetics?

Second disclaimer over: I really like some of the bands that supposedly embody this scene. Many have been put forward as part of the "Witch House" style; some were merely dull but others were indeed very intriguing. I especially liked this live session from Tearist, featuring the song "Civilization." It's a very intense listen, crossed somewhere between heavy synth-pop and 4AD goth (the latter conjured up by the extensive reverb and delay drifting above the drum and synth base). Vocalist Yasmine can be heard creating this reverb fog with a voice that brings to mind none other than goth pioneer Siouxsie Sioux. A great performance here:

Bring Hammonds Back!

One of the better covers of a classic Donovan track, Wynder K Frog's hammond-laced pop is a perfect match for the psychedelic original. Listen out especially for the end, where Mick Weaver goes into full-on freakout mode on the organ. We need more hammonds in modern pop; if the banjo can make a small-scale comeback then surely the hammond deserves re-evaluation too, being (subjectively, of course) a far superior instrument.

See Emily Play

Glad I remembered this video, a few years after I first saw it on the BBC’s Seven Ages of Rock series. A brilliant rendering of the English psychedelic aesthetic, the video is the song in visual form, a blend of the bucolic and the bizarre. This is Pink Floyd at their best; like many others I prefer the experimental pop of their early work to the comparatively measured sensibility they later exhibited. "See Emily Play" and their albums up until roughly Ummagumma have much more character than the stilted social commentary of their prog rock output.

Cool As...

That's summer gone, then, though in Belfast the difference is barely perceivable. For purely symbolic reasons (and cos I'm kind of nostalgic for the baking hot days of May 2010, wiped out by the constant rain of late June) the aesthetic of the hour is laid-back non-chalance. Bossa nova, cool jazz, lounge - the perfect accompaniment to a night smoothed out by warm breezes and gentle heat.

RIP Gregory Isaacs

Another day, another musical legend falls. Gregory Isaacs possessed a voice that suggested controlled passion and exuded warmth in every song. His best work, in my opinion, was in the 70s, but there are gems scattered throughout his extremely prolific output.



"My Only Lover" is so good a marriage of musical and vocals that I had to post it. Maybe it's just my soft-spot for Lovers Rock, but what a flawless track; and it's just one of many in a remarkable back catalogue. RIP Gregory Isaacs.

The Glorious Funk Brothers

This instrumental cut of the Four Tops' "Bernadette" fades each instrument in slowly, but the focus is clearly on James Jamerson's masterful bassline - fittingly so, because his immense talent is often overlooked, possibly because it is often buried in the layer-upon-layer melange that characterised Motown arrangements. I would also point out 1:45-2:02 as a stunning bridge, a section that accurately conveys the joy of the full version's lyrics: "In your arms I find a kind of piece of mind the world is searching for/But you, you give me the joy this heart of mine has always been searching for."