Blog: to die by your side

i have a broken heart

The clouds have parted. The dark has risen. Despite its fairytale title, 2001’s ‘All is dream’ seemed at times to be more of a nightmare. Beautiful though it was, it was also brooding and bleak, glimpses of light only occasionally breaking the surface. Thankfully, ‘The secret migration’ , sees Mercury Rev return from the darkness with a seemingly renewed sense of life. Less orchestral than previous releases, it remains as lush and majestic as you’d expect. Guitars take a back seat in favour of piano [...]

It's been a strange year for Low . With Zac's departure and Alan's personal problems, it's easy to forget that with 'The Great Destroyer' , Low didn't just release one of the best records of 2005, they recorded one of the best of their career. Everything you expect from Low is present and correct. Beautiful melodies carry gorgeous vocals. But this time, there's something else. The volume's been turned up. Low are rocking. Bass lines throb as the previously hinted [...]

Too cool for school. So hip it hurts. And all over the net like a rash. There was every chance the debut release from LCD Soundsystem would be out of fashion before it was even released. But 11 months after it hit the shops, 'lcd Soundsystem' sounds as fresh and funky as its first play. Coming on like the soundtrack to the coolest party in town, it kicks off with a bang [...]

The omens weren't promising. Two former wonderkinds who hadn't spoken for 10 years, rekindling their creative partnership in a bid to re-ignite their flagging careers. The odds on it being any good weren't exactly high. And yet, here they are, The Tears , with one of my records of the year. With the confident proclamation of the title leading the way, 'Here come the tears' aims to equal the expectation and succeeds in smashing it with an album of [...]

2005 saw David Pajo step out from behind his various personas with the eponymously titled "Pajo" . Recorded at home using basic sound programmes on his computer, it's the sound of an artist comfortable with himself, unafraid to step into the spotlight. Hushed vocals, low-fi beats and delicate acoustic guitar arrangements are used to startling effect. With no mask to hide behind, "Pajo" is raw, intimate and mesmerising - just like every Papa M release then. Pajo - mary of the wild moon

It took a while. But I've been trawling through all the cd's I've bought this year and am finally ready to start on my records of the year. However, it's not going to be a top 10, 25 or top 50. Art is not in competition with art. Each record evokes different moods at different times in different ways. To compare them, to say one is better than another, would be to ignore this [...]

The new Richard Ashcroft single premiered on Channel 4 on Monday. And it was remarkable, purely for being completely unremarkable. It's pleasant aural wall paper. The verse slips into the chorus in much the same way as anyone listening might slip into a coma. View the video on the NME website. Or have a listen to this track - a gem of a b-side to the statement of intent that was [...]

I'm a bit of a late-comer to Sonic Youth . And I can't profess to be any kind of expert. They were always one of those bands I read about but never heard. And with a back catalogue the size of theirs , the word daunting springs to mind. Then came All Tomorrow's Parties 2004 where Sonic Youth curated a day and topped it off with an astounding set. Since then, I've seen them another 2 times and am gradually working my way backwards through their records. But more [...]

It snowed today! And the lesson I learnt is that Converse are not appropriate footwear when a drift blows in. I'd love to be posting a song with some relevance to the climate outside but the only song that springs to mind is "Fifteen feet of pure white snow" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and sadly I don't have that here with me. Instead, I thought I'd direct you to some rather marvellous mp3blogs that you really should check out ... If you enjoyed yesterday's slice of Rage [...]

Here's some live music for you. Rage Against The Machine - hadda be played on the radio (live) Richard Ashcroft - bittersweet symphony (live acoustic) Evan Dando - my drug buddy (live)

It starts as you'd expect. Quietly. Cool waves of distorted guitars lapping at your ears. Caressing them. The calm before the storm. Gently rising, layers of sonic beauty build to a breathtaking peak. And then it comes. The sonic assault. An onslaught of tightly wound tension unleashed. Drums pound. Guitars roar. A mighty racket explodes from the stage seemingly out of control. But it's not. Mono [...]

It's weird. I can remember the words to an obscure Sultans Of Ping b-side perfectly, despite not having listened to it for nigh on 10 years. But give me a song that I've listened to loads recently and I'll struggle to recite more than a few words. That's if I can even remember what the song's called. Maybe it's age. I definately have a worse memory than I used to. Or maybe I just don't have the time to listen as closely or intently as I used to. But these days [...]