For sheer
entertainment value, I’ve decided to look back at the year and round up music’s
crème de la crap. It’s not all pop music (most of it is but not all). Enjoy.
“A collection of profound and epic album reviews and musical articles by former astronaut and brain surgeon, Alasdair Kennedy. Reaching levels of poetry that rival Keats and Blake, the following reviews affirm Alasdair to be a prodigy, a genius and a god whose opinion is always objectively right. He is also without a doubt the most modest man in the universe.” - Alasdair Kennedy
Thursday 18 December 2014
Wednesday 17 December 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 17/12/2014: Death Grips, Thumpers, Chief Keef and more...
Once again I round up the best and worst tracks of the
week. None of its particularly Christmassy, which is a pity given the time of year, but whatever. DEAL WITH IT.
Tuesday 16 December 2014
Review of 'The Pinkprint' by Nicki Minaj
SORRY MILEY I STILL LUV U BUT WE’RE GONNA HAV TO CALL OFF
THE WEDDING NOW COS NICKI HAS STOLEN MY HEART. ITS NOT U ITS ME. NO HARD
FEELINGS MILEY. ALL THE BEST XXX :(
Friday 12 December 2014
My Top 20 Favourite Albums of 2014
I've listened to a helluva lot of albums this
year. As per usual, I'm going to list my favourites, because lists are
fun. Feel free to tell me your favourite albums too (not that I care about
your opinion because my opinion is the best!). Diehard listophiles can
also hit the following links to check out my 2013 and 2012 lists.
Wednesday 10 December 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 10/12/2014: Frank Ocean, The Vengaboys, Earl Sweatshirt and more...
THE BEST:
'Running
Behind' - Holy Child
I’ve got a soft spot for these cheeky, buoyant female pop
singers. Holy Child, Charlie XCX and modern Taylor Swift seem to be bringing
back that girl power rebelliousness that pop’s been missing since the Spice
Girls. Out of the three, this Cali duo definitely go for the less
commercial/more interesting instrumentals. The marching band 808 snares in this
track give it an awesome primal feel.
'Saturn Pulls Me Apart (Death of the Unconquerable Night)' - A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Buried under a wall of trippy synths, I was just able to make out the word ‘Christmas’ around the two minute mark, so I guess this is a Christmas song, although you wouldn’t automatically assume it given the style of music and the psychedelic track title. I doubt this will be this year's Christmas number one, but its still pretty interesting. A great song for anyone planning to spike this year's turkey with LSD.
'Knucklehead' – Lil
Herb feat. Earl Sweatshirt
Definitely an unlikely pairing, but one that’s worked out
pretty nicely. Chicago rapper, Lil Herb, abandons the thuggish, ‘knuckle-headed’
lyrics and run-of-the-mill trap beats he’s used to and jumps on this mellow
piano instrumental produced by Earl. Loving those jazzy chords!
'Fantasy' - Ricosh ëi
LA electronic duo, Ricoshëi, drop this laid back track featuring tropical xylophones, a smooth house beat and sensual male vocals. I’m digging the chilled-out beach bar vibe. Whatever genre this is, I want to hear more of it.
'Memrise' - Frank Ocean
This is more of a lo-fi teaser than an official track, but
its proof enough to reassure us that Frank Ocean is back and sounding just as
soulful.
THE WORST
'Where Did My Xmas Tree Go?' - The Vengaboys
This comeback single from cheesy 90s pop band, The
Vengaboys, isn’t as charming as I hoped it might be. The lyrics for one are surprisingly
non-jovial for a xmas song: ‘Woke up this
morning all me friends were gone/ Because they didn’t get to eat’ and ‘My Uncle John just passed away’. Add on
top the fact that it sounds as if their Christmas tree has been stolen and it swiftly turns out
that this is really quite the depressant. STOP BEING SUCH SCROOGES VENGABOYS! YOU’RE
RUINING MY CHRISTMAS!
Saturday 6 December 2014
Wednesday 3 December 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 03/12/2014: St. Vincent, Little Boots, Chance the Rapper and more…
I tried my hardest this week to find some shit music to pull
apart but came back from my internet travels empty-handed. As a result, it’s
all gems this week – no junk. This of course is no bad thing. Feast your ears
on these killer tracks!
Review of 'The Endless River' by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd have had a long and eventful career, which this Wikipedia page can fill you in on. Those unfamiliar with the band’s sound can check out this classic hit
below. Floyd at their finest…
Monday 1 December 2014
Review of 'Shiny Eyed Babies' by Bent Knee
Massachusetts six-piece, Bent Knee, are the type of bananas
band that likes to dabble in every genre going. These type of bands don’t come
along very often, and for a weirdness-worshipper like myself who adores the
Frank Zappas and Mr. Bungles of the world its always exciting when they do.
Friday 28 November 2014
Review of 'The Church' by Mr. Oizo
Patience is a virtue that I sadly don’t have. Whilst I can
see the appeal of atmospheric electronic musicians like Jon Hopkins and the
Haxan Cloak, I often find myself clockwatching during the big long build-ups.
An artist like loopy French house producer, Mr. Oizo, is much more up my street.
He doesn’t allow time to breath, let alone check a watch. Employing AD/HD
pacing, he cuts out the foreplay and assaults the listener from the off.
Thursday 27 November 2014
Review of 'Bloodstone & Diamonds' by Machine Head
You can always tell a Machine Head
track from a number of motifs – namely lots of harmonic notes, lots of beastly
grooves and lots of blood-pumping sing-growling courtesy of Rob Flynn. Over
time, the Oakland metalheads have also brought in a number of new stylistic
features. The Blackening saw them garnering more
progressiveness and old-skool thrashiness, whilst The Locust introduced orchestral strings and
more symphonic tracks.
Wednesday 26 November 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 26/11/2014: Wu-Tang Clan, Faith No More, AC/DC and more...
It’s comeback week. Wu-Tang Clan, Faith No More,
AC/DC and Gwen Stefani have all returned with new singles. As usual, I divide
the good’uns and bad’uns. Is bad’un even a word? Too late, I’ve typed it out
now, there’s no going back...
Tuesday 25 November 2014
Review of 'Cadillactica' by Big K.R.I.T.
Whilst the rest of the southern rap scene have been getting
busy riding throwaway trap beats and dropping throwaway punchlines, Big K.R.I.T has
been steadily moving away and sculpting his own much more original and quite
possibly influential sound. He’s always been a standout character in deep south
hip hop, mainly down to his speedily tight and acrobatic flows. He can jump
around any beat at any tempo he likes and still perfectly articulate every
word.
Wednesday 19 November 2014
Monday 17 November 2014
Sunday 16 November 2014
My Top 10 Favourite Album Covers
I’ve always appreciated album artwork. I still buy physical
copies of albums, sometimes just for the record sleeves. In fact, most of the
time I throw away the CD and just keep the case.
Friday 14 November 2014
Review of 'Sonic Highways' by Foo Fighters
When you accompany your album with a HBO TV series and proclaim
it as an ‘ode to American music’ you set the expectations bar pretty high. Sonic Highways would have had to be the
next White Album for it to have lived
up to the stupendous sea of hype surrounding it. No-one can carry that off, not
even the Foo Fighters, and they’re the biggest modern rock band we have.
Thursday 13 November 2014
Review of 'Pom Pom' by Ariel Pink
This album is essentially a dude rambling sleazy nonsense
over a bunch of lo-fi instrumentals that sound like they’re straight from eighties
TV commercials. It’s cheesy. It’s silly. It's, for the most part, terribly
uncool. It’s also among one of the best records I’ve heard all year.
Wednesday 12 November 2014
Sunday 9 November 2014
Review of 'Broke with Expensive Taste' by Azealia Banks
I was convinced I’d be retired and in a care home by the time
this album got round to dropping. How long’s it been since this album was first
scheduled to be released? Ten years? Twenty years? Fifty???
Friday 7 November 2014
Review of 'Michael' by Les Sins
Ex-chillwave-producer Chaz Bundick has dropped the ‘Toro y
Moi’ pseudonym in exchange for ‘Les Sins’ and is now making more up-tempo,
dancey stuff.
Thursday 6 November 2014
Wednesday 5 November 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 05/11/2014: Jam Baxter, Labrinth, Taylor Swift and more...
It's weekly round-up time again where I single out the singles that made the best and worst impression on me. I hope you all had a happy Halloween/Guy Fawkes Night/Diwali/belated-Easter.
Monday 3 November 2014
Review of 'Soused' by Scott Walker & Sunn O)))
There are some people who understand the appeal of drone
metal and good for them, they’re clearly more open-minded than I am. Personally,
Sunn O)))’s schtick - playing one guitar note over and over again at a glacial
speed – strikes me as a waste of a fretboard and a waste of my time.
Sunday 2 November 2014
Review of 'RTJ2' by Run the Jewels
There’s no place for heroes in hip hop. It’s a villain’s
world and El-P and Killer Mike are out to be the meanest and most cartoonishly
evil rappers in the history of the game.
Wednesday 29 October 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 29/10/2014: Foo Fighters, Les Sins, The Chuckle Brothers and more...
There’s been barely
enough time to listen to new singles. Fortunately, I haven’t had to do much digging
around. The tracks have been coming to me and here they are - the best
and the worst.
Thursday 23 October 2014
Review of 'Hell Can Wait' by Vince Staples
What do you look for in hip hop? Catchy hooks? Tight flows?
Head-bobbing well-produced beats? Realness?
Wednesday 22 October 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 22/10/2014: Chance the Rapper, Eminem, Mr. Oizo and more...
It’s been a fairly depressing week for new music. Not a bad
week, just a depressing one. Songwriters worldwide have been coming down with
the blues, crafting some beautifully moody and misanthropic material. I guess
it’s just that time of year. Winter is coming.
Monday 20 October 2014
Review of 'Bestial Burden' by Pharmakon
Well, that's certainly put me off my steak and chips... |
I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to listen to this for the
first time at 1 am. I should have guessed
from the rather gristly album artwork and prior exposure to Pharmakon that this wasn’t going to be half an hour of cute and
fun bubblegum pop.
Thursday 16 October 2014
Review of 'STN MTN/Kauai' by Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino is the musical
alter-ego of Community actor, Donald
Glover. I was a big fan of his last album, Because
the Internet, (review here) and after hearing the single ‘Sober’ was pretty
excited for this new release, ‘STN MTN/Kauai’.
Wednesday 15 October 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 15/10/2014: Sun Kil Moon, David Bowie, Mike Will Made it and more...
A weekly rummage through the music blogosphere has revealed these awesome and not-so-awesome tracks. I honestly can't believe Bowie's released another single. Somebody slap me, I'm feeling dizzy #BowieFan4Life #MarryMeBowie. Okay, well that was kinda gay. Let's move on, shall we?
Tuesday 14 October 2014
Wednesday 8 October 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 08/10/2014: Azealia Banks, Mr. Oizo, Clipping and more
As the weeks go by I find myself discovering less and less crap and more and more good stuff. For this reason, there are five tracks in 'The Best' category this week, and only one track in 'The Worst'.
Monday 6 October 2014
Wednesday 1 October 2014
Tuesday 30 September 2014
Review of 'Cheek to Cheek' by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga prove an unlikely but remarkable
pairing on this selection of jazz standards and covers set to some fantastic big
band instrumentation.
Thursday 25 September 2014
Wednesday 24 September 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 24/09/2014: Run the Jewels, Jessie Ware, Lil Dicky and more...
I’ve been listening to some more music on my gramophone this
week and here are my findings. Enjoy :) You can check out last week’s track
reviews here.
Monday 22 September 2014
Review of 'This is all Yours' by alt-J
This is all Yours
kicks off with some choppy, octave jumping ‘la-la-la’ harmonies. It then dives
into some brief singing and pounding, sharp drums. This sets the scene for the unique indie-folk-electronic sound that is alt-j.
Review of 'Songs of Innocence' by U2
U2 are clearly getting worried that they’re starting to lose
relevance and hence fans. As a result the Irish rockers decided to dish this
album out for free to everyone – fans and haters combined. Over 500 million
iTunes users worldwide woke up to find that this album had been unwillingly
downloaded onto their computers. The reactions have been mixed:
Wednesday 17 September 2014
BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 17/9/2014: Flying Lotus, Craig David, Calvin Harris and more...
So, this is what’s going to be happening every week. I’m going to listen to a bunch of new songs and then I’m going to collect the best and the worst and serve them up to you, splitting the songs into two categories - 'good’ and 'bad'. There is no lukewarm category here. There is no ‘ugly’. I spend too much of my life sitting on the fence. It’s been starting to give me haemorrhoids.
Tuesday 16 September 2014
Tuesday 2 September 2014
Review of 'LP1' by FKA Twigs
I was in the lobby of Colombo airport at 4am when I first
listened to this album. I don’t usually listen to albums in such exotic and strange
locations, and maybe the setting had an effect on me, but this record truly
mesmerised me from start to finish.
Monday 1 September 2014
Review of 'Jungle' by Jungle
Two male singers, one of whom has mislaid his testicles and
sings entirely in falsettos, the other of whom mutters a couple octaves
beneath, harmonise together accompanied by some sweet and punchy 70s grooves
and Disclosure-esque synth splashes.
Review of 'True That' by Michael Cera
Hollywood actor, Michael Cera, shows off his musical side,
serving up a selection of strange jazz and folk instrumentals. It’s a creative
little album, I’ll give him that. Unfortunately, the whole thing sounds like it
was recorded with a potato.
Wednesday 30 July 2014
Tuesday 29 July 2014
Review of '48:13' by Kasabian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)