Thursday 26 August 2010

Soundtrack to my Summer

Me on the left there with my buddy Raccoon, where you can find a link to her blog on my blog.. this was at a Hayseed Dixie gig and it just reminds me of the start of a very.. musical summer.

This may be a post a month later than originally planned.

Okay, nothing's planned anymore.
It seems that this writing regulary is escaping me with everything I've been doing this summer (and that's EXCLUDING the stuff I still have on my to do list; write a full arrangement for next week; get out and spend that HMV voucher instead of deliberating over a wide selection of albums for about 2 months; and broaden my musical horizons instead of continually listening to Hole, which, although they don't get boring, I am listening to Live Through This an average of twice a day, which could be seriously damaging to my health. (Effects- I can't sing without roaring and my guitar hates me for playing "Softer, Softest" one too many times.))

But yes, what I'm trying to say is I need to write a blog post about the music I have discovered this summer.
I believed that this summer (which weather-wise, started off good) would reflecting that, would be a long, restful and boring event with an Avi Buffalo soundtrack.


But; I went down a different path after I couldn't pluck up the courage to buy another artist that nobody my age actually has a clue about. (I think my boyfriend is getting rather annoyed at this
usual music town trip; I walk into HMV, I look for totally obscure artist, waste his time, moan to him when HMV don't stock it, stamp my feet, and then walk out of the shop in a huff before he can find the new Pendulum album. Yeah, I don't know how he puts up with me... )

But instead of reviewing a new album, which I really should do more, I couldn't get the album so I couldn't do the review.

But instead... another age-old discovery, in the name of the Screaming Trees.

Sweet Oblivion was on my birthday list and the other day, it just so happened to fund some pop theory essay writing that was particulary difficult and I had to get through.

The album on a whole is like sea waves... some songs like 'Nearly Lost You' are so huge they sweep you away and before you realise, and then dump you again after the song is finished.
Another veteran group of the 'Seattle Sound' scene, I believe this group is so effortless and the musicality sweeps out of them. With the traditional instruments and traditional style of that time and era, with the long hair and the look, it just makes me fall in love again and again with an era I have never witnessed, but yet that I still can empathize with.

But then, Mark Lanegan's voice comes sweeping at you like a hurricane above these waves. I believe his voice is the definition of ear sex. The deepness of his voice throws any song, but this is a pitch that you just can't stop loving, throughout the whole album.

Dollar Bill is a slow reminiscence song, full of eerie sentimentality.
More or Less is a painfully good one for driving, with it's seattle guitars and regular drumbeat, and a soaring climax of grunge...
Shadow of the Season is a tribal percussion journey of Lanegan waves.

Most of all, these songs all tell stories with their individual riffs and a great instrumental refrain of "It's sweet oblivion.....". Because it is.

Other songs that have made my summer complete and existing (some have also been quite special to me) :

Hole- Hit So Hard/Boys On The Radio/Best Sunday Dress (alternation between the three)
Oasis- Live Forever (voted by Q readers this year as the best song ever written- I think that's too far, but positively Oasis' best effort. My favourite from them.)
The Runaways- just anything.
Jenny and Johnny- Scissor Runner (a perfect teenage love song)
L7- Pretend That's We're Dead/Shitlist
The Maccabees- Toothpaste Kisses




Love Summer. Love the ultimate summer playlist that everyone compiles sub-conciously. It's personal, and that's what makes it so good.
Farewell summer, but now for the autumnal delights of the music world, like the Mercury Music awards!
Until Next Summer,
riotgrrllivesx

1 comment:

  1. You've written more hear than I have on some of my blogs for A Levels :L

    ReplyDelete