Dillinger Four - C I V I L W A R

Okay so here's the promised (albeit late) review of Dillinger Four's latest album:

Dillinger Four are a bit of an enigma in the punk scene, or they are if like me you live on the wrong side of the world or outwith Minnesota. They don't play too often, one of them is a doctor, one owns a bar. I don't know if they've ever come to play over here, I don't think they have.
C I V I L W A R is D4's fourth album, the last album they put out was 2002's Situation Comedy. Now I'm not going to lie to you, this review is biased right away, I like Dillinger Four. I've liked them since I first heard them in 2002. However, I just liked them, I didn't love them. They weren't one of my favourite bands. Then I heard C I V I L W A R.
To say that this is a good album is an understatement. To say its one of the best albums of the year is also an understatement. It's quite simply one of the best punk records I've ever heard.
Around the time I started listening to Dillinger Four in 2002, I was absolutely besotted with a Californian gruff punk band called Jawbreaker. I still am, At the ripe age of 22 I don't think I'm going to hear bands as good as Jawbreaker, The Clash and The Replacements ever again. All of those bands were gone by the time I was 10 years old. My dad always said I was born a few decades too late, I'm inclined to believe him at the best of times. Anyway, about Jawbreaker. In 1994 Jawbreaker released 24 Hour Revenge Therapy. It is, in my opinion the greatest record of all time. Everything about 24 Hour Revenge Therapy just oozes emotion, you can hear in Blake's voice that he means every single word. Every instrument sounds like its being beaten to hell, and not in an unlistenable way, Jawbreaker were an incredibly melodic band. A lot of the stuff on the following album could have made them really "successful" if they wanted.
Another favourite album of mine is Mush, its by another gruff punk band called Leatherface, who are from Sunderland. The first time I heard Mush was about four years ago when I played a few tracks of it and just knew if I listened to the whole thing I'd fall in love. So I did, and I did. The next year or two was a whirlwind of trying to get everybody I knew to hear this album. I had limited success, but I had some success. I turned a couple of friends onto Jawbreaker and Leatherface, and over time they grew to feel the same way about both bands music, although maybe without as much enthusiasm as myself.
So anyone reading this (anyone!?) is probably wondering why the hell I'm talking about Jawbreaker or Leatherface whilst reviewing the new D4 record. Here's why: C I V I L W A R is one of those records. Within 30 seconds of the first track, "A Jingle for The Product." I just knew. Anyone who has listened to Dillinger Four in the past knows they're really fast, heavy and their lyrics are often subtly political and really cutting. This album isn't too different lyrically, but its a little slower, its a little more melodic, and while I do love all the albums before this, none are quite as good as this. "Gainesville" is a strange one for D4, its like a love song for autumn. I can almost imagine it becoming a punk rock anthem. The chorus is ultra catchy, I was away for a few days after first hearing it and I couldn't get the damned chorus out of my head. I was desperate to get home and listen to it one more time.
I feel maybe I should talk about the album track by track but I don't want to spoil it. All you need to know is track for track this record is marvellous. It's one of the best punk rock record's of all time. It's out on the 10th October in the UK (I don't know when in the US, probably earlier) and if you consider yourself even a passing fan of punk rock, or rock music in general, I urge you to treat yourself and go out and get it.

Dillinger Four - C I V I L W A R

Review should be up tomorrow, all I can say is that this album is fucking fantastic.

3oclockreep

In typical Westerberg style, Paul Westerberg has started putting out his releases really cheap online. 49:00 which was sold for 49 cents was pulled pretty quickly. However, the newest record (and I'm aware calling it a record is probably incorrect but whatever) 3oclockreep is very special.

The reason its got a lot of people talking is because it features a replacements demo with Tom Waits. One of the criticisms I have heard about this is that its nothing more than a curio. I've only listened to it a couple of times but hearing Waits add his gravelly tones to We Know The Night is pretty special if you ask me. Getting two of my all time favourite songwriters and musicians on one song is always going to score big with me. There's other bits and pieces on 3oclockreep too, like an acoustic version of Tell Em All To Go To Hell, which I had never heard and enjoyed very much. However, one of my favourite things about it is the new song Finally Here Once, which glimmers and jangles like the last couple of albums have and has an ultra catchy chorus.

All in all, there's no excuse not to own this album, its $3.99 on Tunecore, or if you're on this side of the pond its just over £2. That's ridiculously cheap for what you get. You know it makes sense.

film is finished

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ5jFLqEEqE

hope you enjoy, if so leave a nice comment and tell your friends!

why tony stark rules and carrie bradshaw does not

Iron Man is one of the few films based around a comic book character that has lived up to the hype. Everything about it rocks, it even has an instrumental version of Black Sabbath's Iron Man at the end. It made me a very happy man indeed. I missed the post-credits scene where Samuel L Jackson appears as Nick Fury and I loved the film so much that I'm debating whether to see it again and drag my girlfriend along so she can also marvel (oh what a pun!) at how awesome this film is.
In other exciting summer films, I'm really excited about the new Incredible Hulk film coming out in 2 weeks. Outside of internet-world I might be one of three people in Scotland who are really excited about this film. I don't know what there is not to like, I even quite enjoyed the first one. Besides, it has Ed Norton in it. The man does not do bad films. If Norton appeared in a bad film, the world might implode.
Today marks the opening of that Sex and The City film. I won't be seeing it, but at least I have seen enough of the TV show to have an opinion on it. Around the age of 13, SATC was great because it featured (somewhat) attractive women talking about and performing sex. At the age of 13, this was awesome. Now, I saw it again at the age of 17 (let's just say by that age I had been 'enlightened' by other videotapes) and it was terrible. I found it almost borderline offensive to women. As if all they cared about was money, fucking, and shoes. The film's also about 2 and a half hours long, which is pretty fucking long for what is effectively a romcom. Generally romcoms seem to hit the 90 minute mark, but can go on for longer. 140 minutes upwards is the sort of running time I would leave to 'auteur' films. Stuff by directors that are so awesome they can make their films 3 days long and you'll still be wanting more. Films like Goodfellas, The Godfather, There Will Be Blood, The Deer Hunter, etc. Artistically I can't imagine SATC holding up well against any of these behemoths, but I'm pretty sure it'll probably gross more, lots of ladies want to see it.
Nerdy side note: every time I see the abbreviation SATC, I think of SOTC which was the abbreviation for the incredibly awesome PS2 game Shadow of the Colossus. I don't think anyone in Sex and the City will destroy 80 feet tall monsters using only a sword and by climbing up the thing. If it did though I would most definitely go and see it.

seriously

what a time I had resetting the password for this thing, I forgot the old one. Oh well, I'm back now, finish uni in 10 days, etc.
News has reached me that my old band have apparently reformed without me and under a new name. Now, provided they don't play my songs, I don't care, but I won't be supporting it. To be frank, the last 6 months in that band were hell. I was pretty much bullied by one member and as is often the case with me the best plan of action would be to get shitfaced drunk and announce my feelings. It worked...I guess. Anyway, I'm betting that this 'new band' won't get past a 'photoshoot' (like every band the other two have tried to start since). Not to get on the ego train, but if you reform an old band an change one member, make it someone like the drummer or maybe the glockenspeil player, just make sure its something no one will really notice. As I was the only guitarist and singer, its going to be noticeable. Not that we were even in the same ballpark, but who has gone to see Sham 69 since they replaced Jimmy Pursey? Nobody. Who saw Black Flag's reunion shows without Henry Rollins? Maybe a few people but unanimous reports say they suck. I may sound bitter but its just because one member was such a fucking arsehole that its difficult for me to see why they other guy would want to be in a band with him ever again, especially when he told me his feelings were the complete opposite.
Musically things are going pretty well for me, I feel like I'm gaining my confidence back. I'm recording my stuff and not cringing when I hear it, which is something new altogether. I've scored two films all by myself and they sound pretty good. I'm still into all the punk music that I've always liked, but over the last few years, Bruce Springsteen has become a bigger and bigger influence on my music. I've got to the point where it frustrates me to hear his music because I know I'll never be as good as him. Nick Cave has also been a huge influence on the soundtrack work, but I've liked him for about four years, and his music is pretty cinematic.
I also thought I'd never say this, but for one of my films, there's been a bit of a hip hop influence. When I listen to pieces like what the RZA did for the Kill Bill soundtrack, it inspires me. There's a lot of little ten second clips of music. I've also started doing a lot of electronic music again, which while I know its terribly hip just now (or a lot hipper than it was when I started five years ago), but it works really well. Gonna program some new pieces tonight and finish off this film, its looking a lot better than it was last week. I always get that kind of Bergman/Allen feeling when I finish a film that I might not ever do another, but like music and poetry, I'm hooked. I'll never stop writing and hopefully filmmaking will be the same.
That was a pretty good update for the last 4 months I guess. Now that I remember my password and all that hopefully there will be a lot more. I read this book called 31 Songs by Nick Hornby a few days ago, its one of the few books I've read all the way through in a day. Anyway, it inspired me. What he does is talk about songs that he loves and why and what they remind him of. I'd love to write about the effect Born to Run has had on me, or maybe even a short story based on the album. I've got a lot of love for it anyway. That's all from me for this time. Thank you for reading this, whoever you may be.

Best records of 2007 Part I

This is probably going to be a several part post cause I don't really have time to do it all at once. It's in no real order apart from the order I remember it by. So, let's begin:

Ringers - Dentention Halls: A great follow up to their first record. It's effectively more of the same but more Ringers is a good thing. Production is way way better as on Curses I felt the guitar was far too loud.

Lifetime - Lifetime: this has been a long time coming as Lifetime broke up quite a long time ago but evidently they came back to give us another album of influential melodic hardcore. As always its good but I haven't really listened to it enough to appreciate it as much as Hello Bastards.

Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger: I really like this record. It's somewhere between his countrified stuff and the kind of thing he did on Rock and Roll. The song Halloweenhead is great. He has such great delivery. Can't recommend this enough.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - Living With the Living: I don't like this as much as Shake The Sheets just because Bomb Repeat Bomb really gets on my nerves. Aside from that its great though, I love A Bottle of Buckie so much that its one of my all time favourite songs. Who Do You Love is also a really good one. It could maybe have done with being a little bit shorter as an album but I could never complain about getting more Ted Leo.

The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls in America: I'm fairly sure this came out in the UK in January last year. Definitely my album of the year, scrap that, my album and band of this decade. No one is doing what this band is doing right now. They hark back to proper rock and roll like Bruce Springsteen or the Replacements. Too many bands (whether it be Turbonegro or The Darkness) are doing tongue and cheek rock and roll which is funny for about two listens but has no staying power whatsoever. It doesn't matter who you are, this record will simply blow you way.

J Church - The Horror Of Life: Sadly this will no doubt be the last J Church LP as Lance Hahn passed away in October. It's a very solid record nonetheless. I wasn't that familiar with much J Church stuff past the late 90s but they seem to have matured a little and the songwriting is just incredible. Since hearing this I've also got Society is A Carnivorous flower which is also fantastic.

The Fall - Post TLC Reformation: I listened to this a lot at the start of 2007 when it first came out, its pretty good. The Fall are quite an intimidating band because they've got damn near 30 studio albums and that's not including live ones or compilations. It's a solid effort and I still put it on now and again.

Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures: It wasn't a patch on A Certain Trigger but that was always going to be a hard album to follow for me as its one of my favourites. It's really good because after all it is Maximo Park but don't expect something (or much really to ever) that exceeds A Certain Trigger.

Various Artists - Mix CD for Lois: She made me put it here =)

Part II will come soon I guess.

long nights hard times anything that makes you feel tired

ARGH i have such a headache from all this uni work.

Feeling really alienated right now. Don't even know why, good old seasonal affective blues i guess.

There's a 'best of 2007' music list coming soon I PROMISE (although who am I promising I don't know, no one reads this thing)

my cd rack just collapsed (it houses about half my collection - so there's probably about 200 or so cds in there) and this makes me even sadder.