Too long! Too much music!

Argh! ! ! !  It has been an age since the last post on blueair (so lets make this a lengthy one eh?!)….. and even longer since my last post, although I blame this on it being my final year at uni, the year of the stress head for sure!  However thats all in the past, I’m now a free man with nothing better to do during his day than watch the grim Scottish weather empty volumes equal to the entire of the North Sea plus some uber winds that can actually pull down trees(!), also watching Sean Bean in game of thrones (which is epic by the way!) AND most importantly listening to all the brand spanking new records that have been released lately!

So…. these records I speak of…….. in particular are; the Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Commitee (part 2) and Peste Noire – L’Ordure à l’état Pur.

The Beastie Boys have done it again, their first rap orientated album since 2004’s “to the 5 Boroughs” (hot sauce is better in my opinion!), is an absolute corker where they prove to the world that you can rap into your late 40’s and remain at the top of your game, with 16 tracks they show absolutly no signs of giving up!  Eclipsing the RnB style embraced by the masses these days – to you fickle people: this is real hip hop!!  However, I shall continue onwards with a mini review of Peste Noire’s new album – as I’ve just listened to it today for the first time!

Not exactly the most popular band in the world, but in two words Peste Noire (from France if you hadn’t guessed already) are Fucking amazing!

Essentially they are a Black Metal band, perhaps more correctly termed; collective headed by the ever present guitarist/vocalist/song writer/multi instrumentalist – La sale Famine de Valfunde; or known simply as Famine – thats him rocking out in the photo to the right.  To say their style is simply black metal would be a big mistake, as they have continuously evolved through time (something I like in my music – when done well like in Famines case, is the sign of a truly talented unique musician) and to be honest it would pretty hard to come up with a couple of words to describe their style, although most people term them – Medieval (Musical style), Nationalist (lyrical content – GCSE standard French is not ideal to aid in your understanding) Black Metal.

So the new album: L’Ordure à l’état Pur, track by track:

1.  Casse, Pêches, Fractures Et Traditions – The perfect opener, showcases the new Peste Noire style but is still easily recognisable from a classic Famine riff that kicks in after a slow 2 minute build up.  One new element imidiatly jumps out here: the addition of brass instruments and an accordion in an almost “oompapa” breakdown fashion… plus some well placed uses of wolf howls and sword clashing noises add tons to the atmosphere – the outro is killer!!….along with the use of chicken noises!
2. Cochon Carotte Et Les Sœurs Crotte –  Some of the drumming on this track wouldn’t sound too out of place in a nightclub, This is peste noire as you’ve never heard them before!  After one listen I really didn’t know what to think but then 2nd time round I found myself rocking out.  This song starts in a typically manic fashion then moves on to some good solid riffing, dancy drum and bass, some well placed screams topped off with yet another rather special outro; this is highly original stuff chaps and chapettes!
3. J’avais Rêvé Du Nord 1 – Awesome start with famines dirty sounding guitar riff pausing for several shotgun reloads before the song kicking in with the shot being fired.  Again this song has a very dancy electronic drum beat but then pauses for a mandolin (possibly?), acoustic guitar interlude with strings and clean female vocals kicking in also.  The song then resumes although faster than before; more typically PN.  For such an insane song with astronomically contrasting sections it works perfectly!
4. J’avais Rêvé Du Nord 2 – Possibly the most “traditional” black metal track on the album along with a little acoustic breakdown, its also the shortest one at just under 7 min.  Both fast and down beat sections, a really good solid song plus some cracking guitar composition!  Has an epic sing along “lalalalalalala LA LA” section in which you feel compelled to join in with!
5. Sale Famine Von Valfoutre – This song wouldn’t sound too out of place on any of PN releases.  Has just about every style of black metal ever conceived in one song! Pure evil!
6. La Condi Hu – The 30 second intro is almost beautiful and far removed from most of the raging insanity of the other songs, once the riff properly kicks in the only way you can describe it is from the feeling of sadness it oozes straight at you!  The riffs change and theres some really good accompanying string sections in places.  Simply put this song is amazing!  Famine has traditionally rounded up the previous three outings with a cracking tune and this is no exception!!!!  Also I think it worth while noting that Famines vocals are possibly at their best on this album as whole!

This album is awesome I give it 10/10 due to the originallity, variation, brilliant composition and how close to a perfect record that this is!  If you like music that is wild, distorted and varied not just from song to song but within the songs themselves you should give this album a spin.  Anyone who thinks black metal (or metal in general for that matter!!) is bland and boring or was dead and buried in the 90’s; this is my message to you! Listen to Peste Noire, without doubt one of the best in the business!  Last but not least heres a YouTube link to the last song off the album “La Condi Hu”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n82OPje7SHk&feature=related 

or available for purchase from http://www.lamesnieherlequin.com  (or)  http://www.mesnieamerique.com

Lee, signing off.

White Lies- Bigger Than Us

This is a recent video for White Lies, it harks back to the scene in E.T. where Elliot is separated from E.T. Its a bit weird and the song isn’t that great but the giant chocolate bar is awesome replacement!

 

Suckers- Black Sheep

So this isn’t exactly current, but it is an excellent version of Suckers- Black Sheep from their first EP Wild Smile.

Somebody commented on the YouTube page saying;

‘Nice performance, fashion disaster’….

But it gets worse!

What on Earth are they wearing in the official video?

 

Foals- Blue Blood

Cruise Ship in Heavy Seas

Just a really odd video someone sent me a few days ago, watch for the woman who smacks into the pillar in the middle of the video!

I have the internet!

At last I have the internet in my flat! Well its only taken a year… This has two distinct advantages. Namely that I now will be able to update the blog more regularly and it gives me an excuse to write something about a report by Ofcom over the summer regarding broadband speed.

So often Ofcom, the independent telecommunications regulator and competition authority for the communication industry in the UK, has had to step in to deal with the mess created by the communication industry. For example today (1.10.2010) Ofcom has published a report on silent calls. The main focus being on preventing these phone mosquitoes from using answer phone detection equipment more than once a day. As great as this is earlier on in the year Ofcom published something a little closer to my heart…

If any of you have ever tried to sort out your own internet it is an invariable mine field of confusing information, mind boggling service layouts and fixed contract periods only suitable to those planning to live in their student flat until the end of time itself. So what could possibly make this process worse? Imagine you have just gone to a communications provider, lets call them BS T, they tell you that they will provide you with a faster service with more free shit then their rivals Sk(y)am and at a significantly reduced price, which you can opt out of at any point if you are dissatisfied with the service. Sadly once you have spent the better part of a weekend setting up the wireless box, and your girlfriend has left you or died of boredom, you find that instead of having lightning fast internet you actually can’t even load the Google home page.

In fact what you have been given is an internet connection which looks like it has been based on the ‘future’ interpretation in Back to the Future or Blade Runner. Calling up won’t help. I will say no more on that, all they will say is that the service in your area is slow and that lots of people are trying to use the internet at the same time so speeds will drop. WHAT? Sorry so in order to get a fast connection I have to move to a desert island?

The report from Ofcom has quite brilliantly pointed out that the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) should actually be cracking down on this sort of stuff. Ofcom has wryly suggested that advertised broadband speeds are in fact a load of tosh and ‘Speeds should only be advertised if at least some consumers are actually able to achieve the advertised speeds’. Ohhh snap! It is annoying that it takes another regulatory body to inform a regulatory body that it should really be putting the stop things which are a load of misleading bollocks.

Ofcom is now revamping the Code of Conduct for the service providers and suggesting changes to the way that broadband is sold. This might include a ‘common currency’ so that broadband consumers will be able to see what they will and will not be able to receive according to Ed Richards the head of Ofcom. It transpires that people like myself who are meant to receive around 8Mbps actually receive something in the region of 3-4Mbps. Look at the graph from Ofcom below.



Sadly looks like yet again Branson is the only one doing things properly. Planes, trains, broadband is there nothing Virgin can’t do properly? Might see what this Virgin Space stuff is all about, oh no wait me and two other people in Greater Manchester want to use the internet, best get in the queue…

Virus

So.  Its been a while since I’ve taken a wander in these parts….. basically its been a pretty crammed summer.  However I’m now back at university and have returned to the endless hours spent in front of the monitor  so I thought I’d put all this time to good use and chat about some music!

If I’m honest I haven’t spent a lot of the summer listening to brand spanking new music: mainly solidifying and expanding my love for old school norwegian black metal – bands like Darkthrone, Mayhem (in the picture to the left) and Enslaved are staples!  A mainly misunderstood genre which everyone, for some reason, presumes is all to do with goth and Satan worship etc etc.  Its far from.  All these blokes care about is stringing some epic riffs together, playing really fast and screaming like something out of the lord of the rings about topics such as death (obviously!), Viking sagas, apocalyptic wars and battles.  The music is all about setting an atmosphere which is much like that of the norwegian landscape itself: cold, dark, desolate and most importantly; uniquely spectacular.

However the band I wish to thrust upon thee today is called virus.  They are a 3 – piece outfit from Norway, with two albums “carheart” 2003 and “the black flux” 2008.  Inspired by black metal, they have managed to create a unique blend involving some of the black metal elements but with the addition of a new post metal/avant garde sound.  I can’t say I’ve heard anything like these guys before.  The music has the simplicity of black metal but loses the screaming and uber fast drumming.  The guitar work is right up my street and the riffs that they come up with sound as though they are being woven right in front of you.  Much Unlike many other metal genres.  Where their only worry is cramming in as many complexities and solos as possible without even thinking about anything else.  Which after 2 songs is repetitive and very, very boring.  All in all Virus are an epic listen and discovery on my part I must say as they are pretty underground.  I’ve added a couple of their songs onto spotify: Blue Air Songs of 2010 but here is a link to youtube just in case you don’t have it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQLHiXRRUSY

And most importantly theres plenty of atmosphere and cold sounding songs…..I see myslef listening to this band a lot in the coming months! Enjoy

Sufjan Stevens- I Walked

New song from Sufjan Stevens… no need to explain how awesome it is…

Ra Ra Riot- Boy Video

Here is the new Ra Ra Riot video for Boy off of The Orchard EP (review to follow)

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, I Learned The Hard Way, (2010 Daptone Records), by Adam

Blue Air is back after its unofficial summer long break, basically we were all reluctant to write anything and stay indoors while there is the possibility of seeing sunlight! Especially those of us who live in Manchester which is only slightly dryer than Atlantis.

I Learned The Hard Way is the most recent album from Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and was released this year in April, although you would be forgiven for not knowing this as their style is never going to get much commercial airplay. However after hearing ‘Inspiration Information’ on the ‘Dark is the Night’ compilation album last year I was keen to hear more from Ms Jones especially as this is a type of music I have very little knowledge of.

For backgrounds sake The Dap-Kings (and Sharon Jones) were originally the house band at The Boite in Barcelona, where they recorded and released ‘Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings’ on their own label Daptone Records in 2002. Touring relentlessly the success of the album led to commercial success with tracks being used in several advertising campaigns. The Dap-Kings also took advantage of several opportunities to collaborate with other artists on the back of the albums success. Most notably (and kind of unsurprisingly) they featured on the Mark ‘More Trumpets Please’ Ronson produced ‘Back to Black’ album with Amy Winehouse and on Ronson’s own album ‘Version’. Jones and the Dap-Kings have also worked with Rufus Wainright, Phish and the Buble.

There are obvious comparisons to make between Jones and other funk/soul/jazz legends such as Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. In fact the band have been heralded as the spearhead of a movement to recreate the original jazz/soul styling of the 60s and 70s, but few have had the success of the SJ&DK. In fact there are very few of these ‘retro’ acts as committed as the Dap-Kings and Sharon Jones. Few can fill notes with as much meaning and power as Jones. One of the best examples of this however is not on the album. For a great example look for the bands cover of ‘This Land is Your Land’, originally by Woody Guthrie, on the ‘Naturally’ album. The song brings together the best of the band, turning what was originally a country/folk classic which inspired the likes of Bob Dylan into a seriously funky song which would easily get top billing any soul album.

Jones and the Dap-Kings bring this skill and depth to all of the songs on ‘I Learned the Hard Way’ and the album has very few tracks which don’t demonstrate this to good effect. Album opener ‘The Game Gets Old’ has all the drama of a James Bond theme tune especially those by Shirley ‘Goldfingaaaaaar’ Bassey. In fact I’ll say it now, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings are my bet to do the next Bond theme, whatever ridiculous title they give it! Album highlights include ‘Better Things To Do’, ‘Mama Don’t Like My Man’ and ‘I’ll Still Be True’. Special mention should be given to instrumental track ‘The Reason’ which is a great example of the Dap-Kings native sound. Sometimes the album does feel like it is just going through the motions but individually all the songs are fantastic.

The Game Gets Old– Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

For me this was a fantastic end of summer album, clichéd I know but who cares!

4.5/5