Albums

I do believe that any music is successful as long as at least one person likes it, and that people should listen to anything they enjoy and that no one person has better taste in music than another. Having said that reading Alex's top five albums made me want to cry.

So to recover I'm writing mine.

But not really. Because I just couldn't pick five albums and say they were my favourites, if you asked me on two separate days you may well find yourself with 10 different albums. So I'm going to go for it, but you aren't allowed to quote me on it or tell me what I missed.

I'll also leave out Grace by Jeff Buckley because I just told you about that last week.

Ok then, no more stalling... In no particular order:

1) Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn

For me the easiest band to decide upon, but the hardest to choose one album from because (1) there are many albums to pick from, (2) all of the albums are very different and (3) all of the albums are fantastic. But I've gone with this one because I think it's what made Bright Eyes my favourite band.

It was released at the same time as I'm Wide Awake It's Morning but I only bought that one at first, it was my first Bright Eyes purchase and was based solely on the song First Day of My Life. Then based on that album I bought every other album released they had released. Digital Ash... was the one that took me the longest to get into, probably because it's the most unique stylistically. It's less reliant on guitars and pianos and involves far more electronic sounds and synths, but Oberst's lyrics are what sets the band apart and they are as strong on this album as any other. This album made me realise the potential that can be held within a single person. I've always been in love with many different genres of music, but it wasn't until I heard this that I thought I could make them all. I have a lot to learn (and a lot of equipment to acquire) before I make my own Digital Ash... but I know I will.

2) The Libertines - Up the Bracket

The Libertines were the last British band that I would put in The List. You know The List? The one people reel off when they try to show they are serious about words like 'great' and 'genius'. The List usually starts with The Beatles, involves The Who, Hendrix, Dylan, Led Zep, The Clash, The Smiths, Radiohead... See Scroobius Pip for a more complete List (though he was kind of using it in reverse - saying they were/are all just bands but yeh, it's still The List.)

The Libertines had that excitement that I don't think anyone has had since. The Arctic Monkeys came close with their gigs selling out before they'd release a thing, and every kid knowing every word to every song, they were pretty special times. But The Libertines... Every fan felt like more than a fan - they felt like they were a part of the band. They told people that to be a Libertine all you had to do was announce it; 'I am a Libertine' and it was so. This first album captures that incredible time and though it only lasted a year or two, the spirit of The Libertines was so entrenched in their fans and the influence is so clear in the bands that followed that their mark has been left, and all of us who announced it, we are all still Libertines.

3) Sigur Ros - Takk

Lie down, close your eyes and listen to this album from start to finish. You will fall in love.

4) Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position

You know when people say there's nothing original anymore, everyone is just rehashing older bands, make them listen to Patrick Wolf. I mean obviously everyone has their influences - nobody can pull music out of thin air we hear it pretty much every day of our lives and everything we hear affects us in some way... But I've never heard anything like this before. It's that mixing up of genres that makes me love Conor Oberst, but a bit more crazy and a bit more British.

He's a fascinating person and an incredible artist. I could swap this for Lycanthropy, his first album (this being his third) as that is similarly wonderful, I just went with this one as it's more recognisable what with the title track being released as a single. His second album Wind in the Wires I haven't spent enough time with yet, but I do like it a lot.

I think what makes him special is that a lot of people who make music that is 'different' are not pleasant to listen to, but this is just beautiful.

5) Radiohead - OK Computer

You may remember them from the abridged List earlier, well this is the album that got them on it. After The Bends they were certainly one of the best bands in the country, it was around the time of the big Blur vs Oasis thing... the media couldn't get enough of those two and their 'rivalry' yet in honesty, though I'm a fan of both, musically Radiohead blew them out of the water. As for the albums to follow, Oasis's Be Here Now (which I do think was underrated) effectively ended the Britpop phenomenon, and Blur went fairly quiet too, Radiohead however, released this little masterpiece!


I realise that I haven't chosen any albums released before my birth. There are many that I love and that I came close to including, but I think living through something makes it more special than going back and finding out about bands. I love to do that as well, looking back at The Clash and seeing what a huge impact they made and how incredible it must have been to be a part of that scene. But I wasn't. I was a Libertine. I watched Conor Oberst on stage and I was one of those kids that knew all the words to every Arctic Monkeys song before they had sold a single album. I'll remember those things forever, and as amazing as it is to listen to the ground breaking things The Beatles did, I will never be able to remember them. So that's why they didn't make my top five.

I thought about writing a list of albums that nearly made the list, but I'd still need a cut off point, and I am not writing a list of albums that nearly made the list of albums that nearly made the list! So I'll leave it at five.

What would you say...

If I asked you to name a person? Any person in the world.



Because I said "me" and apparently that makes me, what... Self obsessed?

Pffffffffft.

You know what's bad?

When singers assume they can dance.

You know what's worse?

The reverse.

New Film

Apparently Ridley Scott is making a film based on Monopoly.

What the fuck?

There better be a silver hat/dog/ship/etc flying around London trying to bankrupt each other by forcing them to stay in their hotels just because they are on a particular street. And it better make sense.

New Music

Something that makes me incredibly happy is finding great new music, and sharing it with people. Especially smaller or unsigned bands and double especially bands with friends in them. It's a dream of mine to set up a record company like Saddle Creek. I've been thinking for quite a while about a way in which I could share music on a large scale.

One option is to do a podcast showcasing unsigned bands. I don't think I've heard a podcast with music on before, I'm not sure why. I have only listened to a few, so maybe they do exist. I wonder if the fact you download them means that people could just steal all the music from it. That would be bad. Then there are sites like podbean - you don't download from there, just listen from the site. Anyone know a podcast with music on, or if not why they don't exist?

A slight problem would be that I don't like my voice. I hate hearing myself speak. But I think making videos has put me at ease enough to put up with it. It would also be a much smaller audience than option 2: a video series.

I could use the established audience of my youtube channel and introduce them to a new band in one video each month or so. It's quite a good audience for the bands as my subscribers are likely to be into the kind of music I am. This way would be harder, I'd be doing one band per video and so I would probably have to have them in it rather than just playing a song and telling people about them as I would in the podcast. Indieduction does a similar thing, but since that's aimed at youtube musicians and I would be looking at people I know from the real world mostly, I don't think there would be any clashes there.

I'm torn between the two options and still wondering if there is something I haven't thought of yet.

Forgetting things I haven't thought of yet, (that's an odd clause, think about it. Definitely using that in a song, it's brilliant!) I think the podcast is the easier option and allows me to showcase more bands. The videos would mean having to go meet and interview the bands which, although it would be fun, would also cost money and time and would require organisation. I'm not one for organising.

But the videos would get at least 10,000 views. If I started a podcast I doubt many people would listen, and I would want it to be worth something for the bands taking part.

I just started listing pros and cons of each and then I had a thought... I could do both! The podcast could be the main thing but I could do videos whenever the opportunity arises to be hanging out with a suitable band and it could be promotion for the podcast. I quite like that idea.

Well I've been rambling for a while so I'll spare you anymore. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, ideas on what I could do and also whether you would be interested as a listener/viewer. It would be a bonus if there was a way to make money out of this too!

I have a lot on so whatever I decide it will probably be something for the new year unfortunately. Well I guess it depends how easy or hard whatever I decide on turns out to be.

Anyway, I'm excited.

xxx

Just... Stuff really.

Not going road tripping anymore. It turns out it's my Dad's birthday tomorrow, well today now, and my sister is here for a few days. Who knew all that was going on?! So no time for gallivanting off to wherever. Turns out Ian couldn't do it either so that's good. It's a shame but there will be other opportunities.

I have so many things to be working on but I'm not getting much done. Bad times. Getting over this cold would be a good start.

I did write a nice guitar part tonight, which was actually not on my to-do list... The last thing I need is another song to distract me from all the others! But hey, you can never have too many songs. It's just the guitar at the moment, I was thinking about posting it to davefromblueskies to show people because I really like it, but I might wait until I have lyrics. Actually I might see if I have any lyrics in me right now.

Bye.

xxx

Jeff Buckley

I just found out that today would have been Jeff Buckley's 42nd birthday.

Had I known I might have braved one of his songs! It's a bit late now, so I shall blog.

Buckley has been one of the biggest musical influences that I have found in my life. I was eleven when he died and didn't really find out about him until much later. His version of Hallelujah was all I heard of him for a long time until a friend introduced me to one of the greatest albums ever recorded: Grace.

I don't know why I didn't follow up on hearing Hallelujah immediately because it's a masterpiece. I could never say definitively what my favourite song is, there are far to many and they all mean something different to me, but I remember being asked on Upstaged and with the pressure of being broadcast live to a lot of people I said, with a small disclaimer like the one I just gave you, that it was Buckley's version of Hallelujah. That hauntingly beautiful voice is just so natural, so simple, so real.

I was amazed to find his song writing to be just as beautiful as his singing and guitar playing. I've often thought the truly amazing thing about him was that he had all three: singing, song writing and guitar. If he had just one of those talents he would have been exceptional, but to find all three, to that standard, in one man... Well I can think of nobody else.

I think if I could go back in time to see anyone play, just a one time deal - one gig then the magic ends, then The Beatles, The Clash and Hendrix would all have to make way. I would go and see Jeff Buckley. (Of course, the real test of that theory would be to ask me again on Jimi's birthday!)

If I continue much longer it will pass midnight and this won't be posted on the day I claimed it was. So some simple advice. Listen to Grace. Buy it, borrow it, illegally download it, do what you do, just listen to it, and give it your full attention. Lie down, close your eyes and hear every word and every note. If it does to you what if does to me then go out and find everything else. It's a great shame that he only finished one album, but there is more. Here are a few terms to help you search...

Sketches for my Sweetheart the Drunk
The rain was falling on that day
Mystery White Boy
Live at Sin-é

Have fun.

Rest in Peace, Jeff.

xxx