Things I love Thursday (Music Edition!)

One of my top feel good songs, comes from XTC – Statue of Liberty. I always have to turn this one up a bit, dance or sing-a-long. It’s genius.

“A little jealous of the ships with whom you flirt.”

It came out in 1978, and got banned by the BBC due to the lyrics “sail beneath your skirt” – how times have changed!!

XTC – Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty Lyrics Artist: XTC// (Buy XTC CDs) Album: White Music// // // Send “Statue of Liberty” Ringtone to your Cell The first time I saw you standing in the water You must have been all of a thousand feet tall Nearly naked – unashamed like Herod’s daughter Your love was so big It made New York look small You’ve been the subject of so many dreams Since I climbed your torso Oh! My statue of Liberty Boo Boo Impaled on your hair What do you do Do Do to me Boo Boo I leaned right over to kiss your stoney book A little jealous of the ships with whom you flirt A billion lovers with their cameras Snap to look and in my fantasy I sail beneath your skirt // Send “Statue of Liberty” Ringtone to your Cell // Comments/Interpretations no comments yet Name: Comment: // advertisement Related: XTC Lyrics XTC White Music Lyrics More XTC Music Lyrics: XTC – Another Satellite Lyrics XTC – Cynical Days Lyrics XTC – Fruit Nut Lyrics XTC – I Can’t Own Her Lyrics XTC – Love on a Farmboy’s Wages Lyrics XTC – Omnibus Lyrics XTC – The Last Balloon Lyrics XTC – War Dance Lyrics

Music news!

Music mags slump in ABCs : Music magazines such as NME and Kerrang! have had a considerable drop in sales, according to the ABC magazine circulation figures.

Sales of IPC Media’s NME, whose recently appointed new editor Krissi Murison is due to take control on September 1 following the departure of Conor McNicholas, plummeted more than 27% year on year and hovered just above 40,000 weekly copies in June.

The magazine industry’s music sector as a whole underperformed, recording an overall slump in sales of 9.4%.

I used to love reading this a few years ago, but nowadays I find that as a magazine it is very fickle. All over popular bands and then slagging them off a month later. Yet NME readers can still take every word printed as gospel! NME is looked down upon by many people I meet, being referred to as ‘that indie magazine’, but the NME doesn’t actually contain that much indie music these days in a broad sense. The artists covered including Arctic Monkeys, Green Day aren’t exactly unknown are they! With a new editor Krissi Murrison taking over 1st September I am hoping that this will bring about a change to the magazine, some new directions, make it less predictable please!

I also need to mention the NME 2009′s Future List examples…

39. Lady Gaga

30. Beck

19. Twitter

Correct me if i’m wrong but how are any of these 2009′s future list? Congrats NME for stating the obvious!!

And the plummet in sales could be for numerous reasons. Credit crunch? The fact they keep increasing the price, and is it really worth paying that much when I can borrow it off my housemate to try and crack the crossword, which is the only real bit of interest!!

I think the issue with magazines is the world of internet at the individuals fingertips now. Music is so accessible, in someways people are more fickle towards music as well. Music isn’t treated how it used to be, it can be thrown off your collection by a single click of a button. Music blogging, streaming sites etc. make it much easier for an individual to discover new music these days.

I however am a big lover of the magazine Pigeon Stool, it’s free and hilarious! I was sitting waiting for a train in hysterics. That’s what I want to be reading, music mixed with politics.

Steve Lamacq bows out to Radio 1 : Steve Lamacq was one of the few decent things about Radio 1, but I changed over to Radio 6 a few months ago, (I didn’t have DAB radio and making good use of it now!) so I get to listen to him weekdays anyway. After reading the new schedule of Radio 1, trying to appeal to a younger generation (I still think they haven’t got a clue) and the departure of Steve Lamacq I can’t see myself tuning back in again!!

Weekly tarnish #1

So i’m going to try and keep up with this. Weekly spins will be a weekly summary of tracks i’ve discovered, and dig!

This week i’ve had some extremely restless nights, and ended up discovering acts at some hour between dusk and dawn.. so let’s have a look at what’s spinning on my virtual decks this week!

DEMONTRE – XIII

Refreshing band to listen to, I’ve been craving some good noise.

Mafia Lights – Aggropheliac

I listen their sound.

Official Secrets – So Tomorrow

Think Hatcham Social meets The Killers with some electro synths thrown in.

Camera Obscura – Honey In The Sun

Perfect summer music.

Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is the Move

On first listen i wasn’t very keen, and yet the beat got stuck in my head and then i loved it.

Video Nasties – Old Flowers

Perfect chilling music.

The Vaselines – You Think Your a Man

Not new, but reading about their reformation got me listening to them

Joy-Rides - Oi Sorted

The Fall meets The Horrors?

Top tracks of the year (so far)

So we’re almost 3/4 of the way through the year already guys and gals! Following 17 Seconds post on Top tracks of the year so far I’m contributing my own! I believe that 2009 has been so far a great year for music, and proper summer tunes!

1. The Horrors – Scarlet Fields

Between this; Primary Colours and Sea Within A Sea. Basically i ADORE the new album.

2. Video Nasties – Old Flowers

3. Girls – Lust For Life

4. Titus Andronicus – Titus Andronicus

I love this bands energy, unfortunately when i saw them at one of the Great Escape 09 gigs they did, the crowd made me look like a pyschotic dancer as no one else moved.

5. Camera Obscura – Honey In the Sun

6. Bats For Lashes – Daniel

7. Hatcham Social – Sidewalk

8. Baddies – Battleships

9. The Maccabees – Can You Give It?

10. Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move

Probably the most unique song i’ve heard in ages. The vocals, r’n'b beat. This grew on me in a matter of hours!!

I have a feeling i’ve missed someone important. However I’ve just seen DrownedinSound’s 100 songs of 2009 (so far) and i’m surprised to see similar appreciation!

I wish I had a boyfriend, I wish I had a loving man in my life.

Girls – Lust For Life.

Beautiful! perfect! My summer song.

Don’t let the bastards grind you down!

This week, yeah not exactly Britains finest moment.. I bet more people tuned into Big Brother launch night then turned up to vote?
Times of hardship have in the past brought out some amazing bands, political bands, feminist bands. That’s what i love about the 70′s, 80′s, that people went out and spoke/sang/shouted about what they were passionate about!

Politics if not was as big a thing in many interviews as the music. Many musicians were well read people, and had opinions, i hate the lack of interviewing around important subjects nowadays. Is it the magazines or the bands not wanting to lose an audience by having an opinion?

I hope current times will bring about that creative passion again, I feel like people are a bit asleep at the moment. Stop watching Big Brother, and go out into the real world, get an opinion on something worthwhile.

Essay Like Nephew

This band started out in 2001, it just happened by chance that while doing some band huntings I came across them. They are still unsigned, would you believe!

They are perfect guitar-pop for a dreamy summer music, or a dreary wednesday.

The kind of music i’d want playing in the background of my alternate life in Paris, riding around on bikes recreating Amelie scenes.

Last.fm have basically all their songs upto download for free, so what have you to lose?

Essay Like Nephew – Sharks

myspace /website

three days of gigging, three cities / Part 3

Pulled Apart By Horses / 4th June 2009 / Bucks New Uni

Bleech are a three piece band, they had great energy – i think that they sound better live, as listening to them again after they don’t have the bass. The bass was made me turn round to my friend. Growly bass, i’ve never heard such bass live like it. Towards the end of the set they went into a more Donna’s girl band kind of sound, and i was hoping that growly bass would come back! Worth seeing though, mostly for the bassist!

Bleech myspace

Pulled Apart By Horses were impressive, noisey, full of energy. The singer got off the stage and was throwing himself around at the front, which is always good! They have good classic rock riffs, yelpy vocals and some great guitar moments which build-up in the songs.

I feel like they are that missing bit of rock from British music in past years.

They look to make it big this year, what with Steve Lamacq and Artrocker behind them. They have just been confirmed for Leeds/Reading, so if you are attending these, make sure not to miss out on this band!

Pulled Apart By Horses myspace

Check out ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’

MGMT – Kids (New video)

Maybe the head band was compensation for the kid being permanently scarred.

Is anyone else really getting Labyrinth vibes off this video. The start is  very reminiscient of Tobey in the cradle and the monsters taking him. And the random cut to the band in silver tight clothing is just lacking David Bowie and that hair.

Patrick Wolf / The Bachelor (Limited Edition)

So over at bandstock.com you can invest money into bands, albums. When Patrick Wolf signed up and needed £10,000 to get the album out i signed up. You can invest i think as much as you want, the average is £10 and it entitles you to a limited edition of the album, and some treats like getting to go to exclusive gigs, go to the studio and hear the songs etc!

I got a lovely Limited Edition box in the post, 28 page booklet, only 1000 copies going.

On first listen i was a bit apprehensive as to where the sound would be. When i first heard the Magic Position i was really shocked by pop direction, but grew to love it. I think this may be a similar album, it seems more reminiscient of Wind in the Wires, with some celtic sounds going on around the start of the album. It is different. The album gets better further on with Vulture, Battle. The lyrics are pretty interesting, maybe better than the music itself, but i think it’ll take me a few more listens before i can really say i love it!

Patrick Wolf – Vulture MP3

Patrick Wolf myspace / Buy The Bachelor