#the lyric is from “your love alone is not enough” by the manic street preachers in case anyone doesn’t know it

[bloodraven55]

“trade all your heroes in for ghosts….. they’re always the ones that love you most”

[doomedandstoned]

Are You A Bible Basher?

~By Billy Goate~

Art by J. Hannan-Briggs

Words from the Bible,

                      ...riffs from Hell.

This is BIBLE BASHER, a lumbering, sludgey beast of a death-doom band, drawing its fellows from Kurokuma, Archelon, Spaztik Munkey, and a band whose name alone intrigues me enough to spirit them out: Temple of Coke. The debut recording before us is 'Loud Wailing' (2020), just released last month on the Sludgelord Records Label and it's good stuff.

Chances are good that if you're unfamiliar with the band, you're waiting for the other shoe to drop: what's the agenda here? It bears mentioning that "Bible Basher" is an almost uniquely UK term. In the States, we tend to use the more politically acceptable (though still insulting) "Bible Thumper." Getting to the point: a Bible Basher is not someone who subjects the big black book and the pages there to beating, maiming, or otherwise spilling syrup on its Holy Writ nor turning its sacred pages into roll paper for a cheap high.

No, a Bible Basher is someone single-mindedly determined to bash you with their beliefs, clean across the head. You gotta get you on board with the whole worldview, the Last Days manifesto, the 3 steps to this place, the 5 steps to somewhere else, and however many more steps to the sanctuary doors. Usually, this evangelism has all the clumsy subtlety of a Jack Chick tract left on the Gas Station john. Sometimes it gets a bit more intrusive, like a manic street preacher with a megaphone or, more annoying still, a brainwashed politician determined to fence you into their highly selective idea of "God's Will."

All culture warring aside, it might surprise you to learn that I hold a great deal of respect for the Bible and believe it has an important role in developing our understanding of what makes human beings so fundamentally religious. The Bible is just one expression of people's religious and spiritual identity, of course. There have been many volumes written, by the gods it was said, attempting to reconcile the real and the ideal, time and eternity, the drab and the divine.

All fancy preambling aside, I wonder why more bands haven't gotten into the Bible and other sacred/profane lit, you know kinda breathing new life into old words? You have to admit, the concept is fascinating and the medium of expression surprisingly fits the unsparing nature of the content.

Perhaps afraid of appearing sacrilegious or being denounced as a Deicide wannabe, bands have just decided to walk away slowly. That or they don't even know how truly bizarre and sometimes brilliant the Bible can be. True, there are bands like Trouble/The Skull who have adapted Scripture into music, even succeeded in crossing over to a non-religious audience. Hell, The Byrds practically immortalized the words of The Preacher in Ecclesiastes back in '65 with that folk rock classic, 'Turn, Turn, Turn." Bible Basher are definitely onto a thing here.

Regardless of where you find a band called Bible Bash on the meter between "disgusting" and "fucking awesome, dude," they really aren't here to mock Scripture or Christians, not even to pronounce a value judgement. This is an artful attempt at retelling the stories of old, allowing us to gaze upon their vision.

☩

So Samson Sang

Loud Wailing by Bible Basher

Out of all books, The Bible is perhaps most prized for its collection of ancient stories, many of which become embedded in our collective consciousness over time (if not the unconscious mind itself). The tale of Samson, for instance, is practically universal (Hercules, anyone?). Bible Basher invoke its powerful imagery for this Rage against the Philistines opener. The bulldog gruff of "So Samson Sang" suits the song unexpectedly well. Perhaps the impact is greater because we feel the punch of each word, measured and metered, calculated to leave the most indelible impact.

Simson verslaat de Filistijnen met een ezelskaak (1562) by Cornelis Massijs

Plagued

Loud Wailing by Bible Basher

You'll never hear the anguish of Job expressed with as much weight as you will in "Burning and Blackened," for example. And the death-mongers among us, you'll enjoy the swirling storm of blast beats that "Plagued" stirs up and whips around Egypt, 10 plagues in all it is said. As this topsy-turvy number swarms along, the song feels like it's burrowing itself deeper and deeper into the ground in a crazed hypnotic dirge, as if seeking some relief from this madness of rivers turned to blood and a head full of lice.

Seventh Plague of Egypt (1823) by Martin John

Burning and Blackened

Loud Wailing by Bible Basher

I'm really digging the Middle Eastern vibe of "Burning and Blackened," on the tape's flip side. I could all but feel the cool of dawn and that first burning lick of the sun's rise. As a die-hard doomer, it won't surprise you that I marked this my favorite song of the experience. The way this grand skeleton of chords suffles about had me thinking of Iowa City's Aseethe (I hereby wish an Aseethe-Bible Basher tour upon the world come 2021).

Job and his Friends (1885) by Gustave Dore

Sodom & Gomorrah

Loud Wailing by Bible Basher

By the time we reach "Sodom & Gomorrah," we're battered, basted, and baked, ready for a fine finish to this four-course nosh. The vocals seem harsher than usual this time, but you have to understand that's the prophet divining judgement upon the most infamous twin cities of history (we find out in the interview to follow that there are multiple vocalists).

The whole song's got a nice, chewy groove to it. Plenty of meat on them bones. The lyrics consist of nothing more than the Bible's words, adding as much expressive liberty as death vocals will allow. The thick, smoky atmosphere of this whole song gave me flashbacks to 71TONMAN's "Phobia" and Old Man Gloom's "Procession of the Wounded."

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by Jules-Joseph-Augustin Laurens

If I've any gripe with Loud Wailing, it's the runtime. Okay, yeah, sure, it's appropriate for an EP, but I can't shake the feeling that this is actually more of a teaser for something even grander in scope. Perhaps this is a toe in the water for the band, to see how people respond? Well, it's enough to reassure us that this sound and subject matter is poised to make some mighty big footprints.

Heck, I'd do the whole Bible book by book, if I was in their shoes. 66 in all, right? No problem. Okay, 73 if you're Catholic, 78 if you're Eastern Orthodox. Whatever, bonus editions. Works either way, 'cause you've got a guaranteed record deal and freaks like me to follow you wherever this piper lures. The band can break up from the repetitive bore of the long-ass genealogies in Leviticus and Numbers, but then reunite again to take on Deuteronomy.

All kidding aside, the dramatic potential of this collaboration is unreal. Bible Basher's debut is a promising record that presents tantalizing artistic possibilities (perhaps even with a roving collective of performers). The EP wears well on its own terms with repeated listens and I never found myself disinterested, even for a moment. Loud Wailing is the brutal dawning of a New Age in dirty grunts and dank riffs.

Give ear...

Loud Wailing by Bible Basher

An Interview with Bible Basher

By Billy Goate

Intrigued by this hulking beast shrieking out in my backyard, I had to move in for a closer look. Following is my conversation with band member Joe E. Allen, who most of us know from Kurokuma and gives us insight as to who Bible Basher is and what the band is up to.

☩

Would you be so kind as to give me some background on the band, how you guys ended up coming together, basically the whole history?

Tich has recorded and helped produce most of the Kurokuma releases up till now, most of which you've heard or written about. Tich mostly makes electronic music and is pretty well known for it, but he was also in a band called Temple of Coke back in the day. Daft music with two guitarists and no bassist. Some big riffs in there.

They stopped doing much after one of the guitarists left Sheffield, but Tich still had a lot of riffs lying around. Obviously, he used to come to a lot of Kurokuma gigs in Sheffield -- and even saw us in Japan -- so he felt like getting back on writing some big guitar stuff and asked me if I'd give him some input. Over the course of a year or so we just reshaped those old riffs and added plenty of new ones and as we progressed it just kept getting bigger and heavier.

What's up with the name? You've got pretty distinct religious themes (love the motto). I come from a strict religious background myself (preacher's kid). What are your own backgrounds relative to the themes you explore?

I've always thought that some of the stories from the Bible, especially the Old Testament would make for perfect concepts in heavy metal. Unrelatedly, one day we were sitting around and Tich said let's call this Bible Basher -- it just came out of nowhere. I agreed, it just seemed to make sense. Here in the UK it's what you get called if you go to church, it's an insult. I had a really Christian upbringing with my dad being a vicar, as well, so was very into all that when I was younger.

Plus I went to a religious school, so I've definitely been called a bible basher quite a bit. It's actually taken me a while to remove that whole paradigm from the way I see reality, but that's another story. Tich wasn't like me in that aspect, but he did go to a religious school, as well. At this point, I think we're both not massive fans of organised religion, but that doesn't mean we're not into philosophy and more celestial concepts. We've both read quite a bit of things like Manly P. Hall and The Kybalion. We didn't wanna make a "statement" on anything with this, though. Just wanted to present it "as is."

I'm sure we'd all love to know how the individual tracks came together. The single on this one was "So Samson Sang," which met with some pretty positive reception.

I know the Bible pretty well and it wasn't too difficult to find concepts for the tracks. "So Samson Sang" was the first one we did. The lyrics are: "With a donkey's jawbone, I made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone, killed a thousand men." And then "I have slain, heaps on heaps." They were from the book of Judges, when Samson slaughtered loads of Philistines, pretty much taken straight off the page. It was that easy. We got George in to do the vocals, for obvious reasons. We sat on the track for a bit and sent it round a few mates and everyone was like, "This is sick," which made us want to finish up the other tracks, which already were mostly done.

The other three tracks all came together in one night. We basically asked three mates from other bands to come over and figured out concepts for each of them. It was good to get their input and it was pretty collaborative. I think they all enjoyed being given a bit of a brief to work within and we were buzzing to end up with four different vocal styles for each track. So on track 1 you have George from Kurokuma, then on track 2 you have Bing who used to be in a thrash band called Psython and can obviously do the really fast/rhythmic thing and his death growls were just spot on. That track ended up sounding like Pig Destroyer or something to me. Obviously, it's about the ten plagues of Egypt and the fast/swirling nature of the riffs just seemed to fit.

On track three, we have Craig from Archelon and Holy Spider, so I know him pretty well. He did more of a Neurosis style on the track about Job. That one starts off with a zurna, which is a pipe from the Middle East area. There's a spoken word section in the middle, a conversation between God and Satan. I actually only realised what this was when we were going through the Bible for the lyrics.

God calls all his angels together, Satan being one of them, and they get into this conversation where God is saying he likes Job and Satan is saying if his life went to shit, I wonder if he'd still worship you. So God is like, "Okay, go for it." It's stuff like this that fascinates me. I think there's a fairly deep message to be heard in that if you read into it, but most Christians won't. As a text of folkloric wisdom the Bible is pretty meaningful to me, but most Christians don't treat it in that way in my experience.

And then we have the demented squeals of Chris from Spaztik Munkey doing the voice of God on track four which is about Sodom and Gomorrah. It worked out well that the ending riff fit perfectly with the syllables in the phrase "Sodom and Gomorrah."

In general, this release was a right laugh to work on. The songs just came together and it was good for us all to collaborate on something outside of our normal bands. And the response has been mega positive so far. Aaron sold out the first 50 tapes in three days so we're already on the second batch now.

Get Their Music

[meta-squash]

Intro to the Manic Street Preachers

(In which I wish I still had photoshop so I could make one of those silly slideshow type posts)

It’s come up in at least 3 separate conversations recently that I (or someone) should make an “intro to/how to get into the Manic Street Preachers,” so I’m gonna do that.

Also I tried to be brief but when it comes to the Manics and also writing in general that is not in my nature.

So here goes, a Manics 101 that is slightly longer than I anticipated but not as long as I might have made it:

First of all, a brief Manics history/bandmembers 101:

James Dean Bradfield - Lead singer, lead guitarist. Writes most of the music for the songs. Also has the job of cutting down the lyrics into something he can actually sing.

Nicky Wire - Lyricist, bassist. Writes the lyrics for the songs, with Richey and alone. Says he can’t play bass but is actually quite good. Loves to wear dresses/skirts onstage and is generally a fashion disaster. Has a big mouth and loves to criticize other bands. Has OCD and loves to clean. Is 6′3″ and has great legs and loves to mention both of those things.

Sean Moore - Drummer. Also writes some of the music. Is the only Manic who is classically trained, and sometimes plays trumpet on tracks. Sarcastic and small. Generally quiet and doesn’t like interviews. Is the only Manic actually active on social media (Twitter).

Richey Edwards - Lyricist, rhythm guitarist. Wrote most of the lyrics with Nicky and was essentially the band’s spokesman. Was extremely intelligent. Couldn’t play guitar well, basically stuck to power chords and usually forgot them anyway. Struggled with severe mental illness and addiction. Disappeared in 1995; his body was never found.

The band have all known each other since they were children and all lived in the same neighborhood. The band itself started basically in about 1989. Their thematic mantra was “culture, alienation, boredom and despair.” They were inspired by The Clash, Situationism, the Miners Strike and the various existentialist or absurdist literature they’d read. Their sound and style have changed pretty much every album. They’ve never managed to break into the American music scene but they are/were popular in Asia and Europe. Most of their songs are political or emotional, and rarely talk about love or relationships in the traditional sense. They didn’t go aboveground until 1996 and didn’t get a number one in the charts until 1998.

Where to start:

The Manics have changed their sound/style a lot, so it sometimes depends on what you like.

The bands most popular/charted songs are: Motorcycle Emptiness (1992) Faster (1994) A Design For Life (1996) If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next (1998) Your Love Alone Is Not Enough (2007) Rewind The Film (2013) Walk Me To The Bridge (2014) International Blue (2018)

But, like I said, it depends on what you like. So, here’s a rundown of suggestions for songs to listen to in order to get into them. I’ll link the song itself, give a little description of the album/song style or sound, themes, etc. Possibly some extra info if I think of any. And probably reasons why it’s a good introductory song. I’ll go chronologically, but feel free to pick and choose.

Motorcycle Emptiness - 1992. Generation Terrorists. An epic glam/punk rock anthem critiquing and despairing over the nature of society and modern culture. The band has said that if this song wasn’t included on the album, it would not have been successful. It’s also one of the coolest guitar songs the band has. This is often a starting song for most people.

Slash N Burn - 1992. Generation Terrorists. A much more punk rock song, a critique of the destructive nature of entertainment and “first world” culture, how entertainment means people ignore the ills of the world. This song is a good intro to their more social/political lyrics, and good for those who like the punk sound.

Bored Out Of My Mind - 1992. Generation Terrorists B-side. I’m including this because it was the first b-side I fell in love with. This is an acoustic piece, a lot more yearning and, well, tired/bored. It basically takes a punk riff and slows it down into something a lot prettier.

Roses In The Hospital - 1993. Gold Against The Soul. This is the song that made me fall in love with the band. It’s a critique of the mental health system, and a song about unhealthy coping mechanisms. This album has more of a grunge-feel to it, and is a lot more produced. The song features stair-stepping power chords and a grunge rhythm section with pop flair.

La Tristesse Durera - 1993. Gold Against The Soul. A grunge-style song about the way elderly veterans are (mis)treated and/or ignored by the general public once they no longer serve a purpose. This song has an excellent bassline and some great vocals.

Faster - 1994. The Holy Bible. This is the song the band itself and most fans hail as their masterpiece. An industrial/punk/hard rock song that has been described by James as “a set of sarcastic commandments for the modern age” and by Richey as being about self-abuse and “society speeding up - finds worth is failure.” It is a song that is utterly autonomous and judgemental, an Ubermensch of a song that is extremely powerful. It is, in the words of Simon Price “warped metal and tungsten under unendurable torque.”

This Is Yesterday - 1994. The Holy Bible. The calmest song on the album, this piece is a nostalgic look at the past. I’m mostly including it because the guitar riffs are simple but very pretty. (And because my roommate, who isn’t a fan, said she likes it a lot.)

ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart - 1994. The Holy Bible. A fast-paced criticism of racism in the US and UK, filled with political and historical references. An industrial/post-punk style song with some excellent riffs and even better harmonies.

A Design For Life - 1996. Everything Must Go. An anthem for the working class. This song features strings and is a lot more “epic” than previous songs. The album itself is calmer, more radio-friendly. This was the band’s first big hit and the first album after Richey’s disappearance; it reached number 2 on the charts at its release.

Everything Must Go - 1996. Everything Must Go. A song ushering in a change in the band’s sound. It is the introduction of a larger, wider wall of sound, and the anthemic rock style of the album.

Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky - 1996. Everything Must Go. A song written by Richey before his disappearance, about the abuse of zoo animals. (In my opinion) The demo is better than the studio version, as it is a yearning acoustic piece that allows the guitar to echo the fragility of the lyrics. (The studio version has a harp that overshadows both guitar and lyrics, so I linked the demo which is my favorite.)

You Stole The Sun From My Heart - 1998. This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. Lovely lyrics and a simple riff. This album has a cleaner, clearer sound. This song’s sound is optimistic even if the lyrics are slightly sadder.

I’m Not Working - 1998. This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. A much slower, sadder song. I include this song because I think the lyrics describe a universal feeling. It’s a song that really shows the emotion of James’ vocals.

If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next - 1998. This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. The band’s first ever #1 single. This is an anti-fascist song about the Spanish Civil War, warning people to be aware of injustices. It’s anthemic and full of echoing guitars.

Intravenous Agnostic - 2001. Know Your Enemy. A return to their old punk sound. This is a slightly more anthemic take on the punk sound, but it works. The lyrics are weird but interesting.

Baby Elian - 2001. Know Your Enemy. A political song about Elian Gonzalez, a Cuban refugee who, as a 7 year old, was the center of an immigration and international custody battle between the US and Cuba.

Freedom Of Speech Won’t Feed My Children - 2001. Know Your Enemy. Another political song. I just love it because it’s SO anti-American.

Judge Yr’self - 2003 (1994). Lipstick Traces. This is from an anthology album, but it was an unreleased song recorded in 1994. Its lyrics are almost Nietszchean, intense and repetitive. Yet another huge hit with most fans, with themes and sound similar to Faster. An excellent if momentary resurfacing of their industrial sound of THB.

Empty Souls - 2004. Lifeblood. This album is more more digital-sounding, a lot more glacial than previous albums. The song is sad and aching, but very beautiful. It features a gorgeous piano riff and lingering guitar chords to complement the lyrics about loneliness.

Your Love Alone Is Not Enough - 2007. Send Away The Tigers. Their biggest hit since Tolerate. It’s a duet with Nina Persson, the lyrics a conversation between two people about what makes someone gain contentment and what does/doesn’t help. This is much more a radio-friendly rock song.

Anorexic Rodin - 2007. Send Away The Tigers B-side. Another favorite b-side and favorite among fans. The lyrics are clearly about Richey Edwards, but the best thing about the song is the fast-paced marching of the distortion guitar and the badass punk rock chorus.

Imperial Bodybags - 2007. Send Away The Tigers. This song is incredibly late 60s/early 70s-feeling, for some reason. An excellent grooving riff drives a song about war and imperialism and how civilian deaths are trivialized.

Peeled Apples - 2009. Journal For Plague Lovers. First track on the album and an intense, sludgy punk intro. The band has said that the lyrics of this song are pretty impenetrable but the visuals they provide are fantastic. One of my favorites, and so much weird, aggressive, wild energy. This album consists entirely of songs Richey gave to the band just before his disappearance. Because of this, the album’s sound kind of combines the sounds of The Holy Bible with the slower, prettier sounds that the band developed over the years.

This Joke Sport Severed - 2009. Journal For Plague Lovers. A short, stark acoustic song about the failure of love and one’s own inadequacy. This song is gentle and simple, with yearning vocals and lovely chords.

All Is Vanity - 2009. Journal For Plague Lovers. A song closer to the post-punk sound of The Holy Bible. A lilting riff that disintegrates into a much harder sound complements the lyrics that illustrate a conflicted idea of the self and a desire for answers.

Postcards From A Young Man - 2010. Postcards From A Young Man. This song returns to the huge, anthemic sound of Everything Must Go. The drumming/guitar is a lot “bouncier” than most Manics songs, but the tune itself has some really interesting turns. The lyrics look back on the past, lamenting losses but refusing to be brought down by them.

Some Kind Of Nothingness - 2010. Postcards From A Young Man. Another anthemic song that incorporates strings/a choir, this song is another nostalgia trip, this time a bittersweet mourning, an acceptance of grief and the ache of memories. It features guest vocals by Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch.

Red Rubber - 2010. Postcards From A Young Man B-side. This is a surprise bop. A song about Leopold II’s violent colonization of central Africa (and takes the title from a documentary of the same name), it features synthesizer sounds and distortion guitar. It starts out sound slow and meandering, but suddenly picks up to a frenzied punk pace. The chorus is catchy as hell and angry as hell.

Rewind The Film - 2013. Rewind The Film. This album is almost entirely acoustic. The song itself features Richard Hawley (although I personally like the demo version with Nicky Wire on the vocals) and emphasizes its simplicity with acoustic guitar and simple piano and strings parts. This is yet another nostalgia song, wishing to re-experience happy memories. This one is not as grief-stricken as the other ones, and instead almost seems like a haze-tinged daydream.

As Holy As The Soil (That Buries Your Skin) - 2013. Rewind The Film. A Nicky Wire vocal, this is a song specifically written to/for Richey Edwards. An acoustic piece that features a beautiful trumpet solo from Sean, this song also grieves for the past and remembers good times. But this time it asks for those who are being grieved to return, and reminds them of how much the narrator (Nicky) loves them. This is a song that is so emotional it hurts to listen to but it’s also impossible to stop listening to it.

30 Year War - 2013. Rewind The Film. A departure from the nostalgia-trip of the last few songs, this song talks about the history of Wales and the government war on the working class during the 80s. It also features some lovely trumpet work from Sean and a really cool clapping-style drum beat. The lyrics describe class-related struggles and accuse the rich and the bourgeoisie of using propaganda to blame the poor/working class for their situation and to keep them from rising up in resistance.

Walk Me To The Bridge - 2014. Futurology. This album is a transition into prog rock/krautrock. This song features a heavy marching bassline and synthesizers, a huge glacial sound that opens up into a chorus with shining chords. Nicky says it’s about “the idea of bridges allowing you an out of body experience as you leave and arrive in different places,” but the demo also contains a number of Richey-specific references so who knows.

Sex Power Love And Money - 2014. Futurology. The power of this song mostly rides on power chords that structure it and the almost metallic-sounding synth and drums. The song itself is so fun it’s almost silly, a critique of technology and the entertainment industry that simultaneously takes itself seriously and takes the piss. It is a criticism of the entertainment industry and the way that capitalism erases originality and organic-ness. But it’s also just a fun musical romp that is almost reminiscent of late 90s/early 2000s Bowie.

Futurology - 2014. Futurology. This is a gentler song that fuses the huge glacial sound with something more sunny. The band describe the lyrics as “a statement of existential socialism – belief that humanity is still a viable ideal.” The lyrics and the guitar are optimistic and big, with a nice bass riff supporting the synth sounds behind it.

International Blue - 2018. Resistance Is Futile. A gorgeous, soaring song. Jumps off the back of Futurology’s proggy sound but adds more body. The song itself is about painter Yves Klein and his creation of the color Yves Klein Blue.

Broken Algorithms - 2018. Resistance Is Futile. Returning to their punk roots in terms of the rhythm section and crunchy guitar chords. A song also returning to Nicky’s perpetual subject: the critique of society’s thoughtless dependence on technology/social media and the consequences it can have on social awareness and creativity and the self.

[depoteka]

i was tagged by mia moondust herself @bowiepop

Put your music on shuffle and answer the questions about each artist.

Name of Artist: pj harvey

What genre are they ? rock in general but it’s hard to be specific. she knows how to surprise people

How long have they been active ? since early 90′s

Have you ever heard them on the radio ? i don’t think so :/

Have they released any new music within the last year or two ? she released few singles but i completely forgot to check them out

Do they have a male or female vocalist ? female hell yeah

Name of Artist: nick cave and the bad seeds

Would you recommend them ? of course, everybody can relate to songs about murder

What is your favourite lyric of theirs ? stagger lee is so fucking funny. but i think rings of saturn, into my arms or jesus alone are my faves

What are their album artworks like ? early artworks are just close up photos of nick and then they went for more minimalistic aesthetic

If they stopped making music, would you be sad ? most likely yeah

If you didn’t know what they look like, based off their music, what you guess they looked like ? exactly the way they do

Name of Artist: sleater-kinney

How popular are they ? not enough!

Have you ever seen them perform live ? sadly no but i really hope to one day

How did you find out about them ? thanks to pearl jam and eddie vedder because they’re friends

What is their sexuality, if known ? 2/3 of the band not straight

Is their music easy to dance to ? early fast song yes

Name of Artist: bruce springsteen

What instrument is the most prominent in their music ? guitar and saxophone

Does your family listen to them ? nope, my parents like maybe two songs

Are they still making music today ? yes! maybe not very recently but yeah

Would you want to meet them ? yesss, i want to have one of those photo where bruce points at the person standing next to him. i want to be that person

How represented is this artist in your saved music / collection ? i have all his albums from ausbury park till born in the usa except two on cd and i have tunnel of love on vinyl. i have a separate playlist for him on spotify too

Name of Artist: manic street preachers

When did you discover them ? when i was 16 and looking for new bands to listen to

How many albums do they have ? exactly 13

Which member of the band is closest to your ‘type’ / do you find the most attractive ? richey i guess. nicky too

Have they gone through any line-up changes ? eh, i guess that’s what you can call it

Is their music more fun or serious ? 100% serious, no fun. eternal suffering

Name of Artist: blur

Is the type of music / genre they play something you would typically enjoy or is their sound different for you ? their early albums are way more uplifting than the music i usually listen to

Based off of their sound, what would a human version of their music look like ? 1994 damon albarn

Could you see yourself getting along with the members personally ?  yeah probably with graham mostly

Did somebody recommend this band to you ? nope, i started listening to them very randomly

Of all their songs, which would you play at a party ? i’d go with the classic woohoo song tbh

Name of Artist: queen

How many people are in this band/group ? four

When did they start making music ? 70′s

Do they have any well known songs, if so, which one(s) ? all their songs are well known even if people don’t realize it’s queen

Do you listen to this artist regularly ? yep, since november. but i listened to them a lot as a kid too

How would you describe their music ? really fun music you can dance or cry to or scream to

Name of Artist: st. vincent

If they use a stage name, what is their real name(s) ? annie clark

Do they regularly make pop charts ? i have no idea. not the mainstream ones for sure

Have you ever met them ? nope

If they toured in your city, would you go see them ? sure! i was thinking about going to her concert at a festival few years ago but it was too far away and no other interesting artists played that day

Name of Artist: sonic youth

Are they known for anything else besides music ? kim makes some clothes or art or whatever but i don’t think that they’re that known anyway

What is their nationality ? american

Are they a guilty pleasure ? no

Which age group is this artist most popular with ? teenagers from the 90′s and teenagers nowadays i’d say

Has this artist ever toured in your country/state/city ? no, but the members have played solo concerts in poland

Name of Artist: depeche mode

Do you think it’s necessary or important to know about their personal life to ‘understand’ their music ? nah i don’t think so

Have they ever gone on hiatus and did they return ? alive and kicking since the 80′s

What instruments do they use ? synths binch, and a guitar sometimes

What city are they from ? basildon!

What are your experiences with fans of this artist ? the young fans are great but the old fans are weird, at least the polish ones

[peepingtoad]

RULES  :  share five songs / pieces of music that represent your muse. REPOST. DON’T REBLOG.

(i think i managed to get all lyrics videos for the links, so i’m just gonna wax poetic about my reasoning in this post)

1. Tonight Tonight // The Smashing Pumpkins

Super optimistic! Having faith in oneself. Believing things can change. Living for the moment. Generally an absolute tune!

2. Devin Townsend Project // Supercrush!

For me this song is pretty much about wanting to control your own individuality and growth. Freedom from a system, from peer pressure--it literally says ‘don’t fall in line’. But also starts of with an indecisive sort of, I dunno, whimsy about it? And yet it’s also very grand, epic and spacey. Big ‘question authority’ mood.

It differs sometimes between live/studio versions, between ‘I don’t wanna lose control/I just wanna lose control’ which is a nice nod to recklessness but also not wanting to lose control over oneself by way of outside pressures?

Deep.

3. Ásgeir // Nýfallið regn

Translated lyrics {here}, I just prefer the song itself in Icelandic:

A harsh past tearing friends apart (I wonder who they could be), and they’re all haunted by what happened, but also expressing a desire to connect again and talk through differences.

A song about pining that’s also got a definite ring of optimism for renewal/reconciliation. Fitting, whether or not it’s misplaced.

4. Soundgarden // Burden In My Hand

A cheerful sounding song with a distinct tone of sadness? Somewhat self-pitying but also sounding like it doesn’t give a fuck and just letting go? Yes. Getting a theme of entrapment v. liberation, too, but the liberation isn’t necessarily by any pleasant means, and isn’t necessarily even successful. Dunno.

... For this, I’m also just gonna put words Chris Cornell used to describe this song, which sums it up even better:

“The mental image was this sort of destitute guy. I guess he'd lost his cool if you want to put it that way. He's sort of coming to grips with what had happened and not necessarily feeling particularly emotional about it either way. He's trying to figure out how he would stand up and put one foot in front of the other—or not—and the song never really resolves any of that. It's just that moment of somebody sitting in the dirt.”

5. Manic Street Preachers // Your Love Alone Is Not Enough

Love is not enough to fix everything, whether it be romantic, patriotism, religion, friendship, etc. Life is a lot more complex than just love, and Jiraiya kinda throws it around with abandon, expecting he can fix his friendships/the world--and perhaps, as the song states, making it worse despite it all. Lovely stuff.

6. A Super Mystery Bonus Surprise Track

I’m not sorry.

Tagged by: @masshirohebi

Tagging: @akatzombie @uchihacollector @protectivepuppeteer @lady-tsunade-hime2 @heavenlypaper @asagao-onna @hebi-noyuurei @pvthoness (for any of your muses!),

[basseyblog]

The highlight of 2009 was of course one of Dame Shirley Bassey’s finest albums The Performance being released, produced by David Arnold and Mike Dixon. Below an article and a video of my favourite track from the CD After The Rain. (By Richard Hawley)

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Below a video of the recording of After The Rain and a live version from The BBC Electric Proms

http://intothepopvoid.com/2016/01/14/dame-shirley-bassey-after-the-rain/

NIALL MCMURRAY JANUARY 14, 2016

Sometimes there really is no substitute for experience. I love Joni Mitchell’s original version of Both Sides Now from 1969 – but her 2000 version revealed that it’s very much a song for an older person. Younger Joni sounds like she hasn’t experienced quite enough yet for the lyrics to be true. Older Joni – the voice deeper, the pace much slower, sounds like she’s lived through every moment and boy, was it tiring. It’s quite upsetting really, but somehow I find it very comforting – the idea that you can hang around for decades and still not have any answers. Takes the pressure off.

Of course experience is something that Dame Shirley Bassey has buckets of, but until 2009 I only ever considered her in terms of being the Living Embodiment of Showbusiness. I couldn’t help myself – I would think of her and the word “belter” would immediately lodge itself in my brain. It’s a term she hates, but so embedded was my vision of her trademark Goldfinger style of delivery that until 2009 I don’t think I ever considered that beneath the bombast was someone who could deliver an understated, sensitive performance better than…well, just about anyone else. Her career seemed, to me, to be a collection of moments – huge, significant and amazing moments – but fairly uniquely for a singer, she didn’t seem to be have an essential album anywhere in her catalogue. The Performance changed all that and proved beyond any doubt that it’s possible to hit your peak fifty years into your career. And After the Rain may just be her greatest ever song.

Sometimes there really is no substitute for experience. I love Joni Mitchell’s original version of Both Sides Now from 1969 – but her 2000 version revealed that it’s very much a song for an older person. Younger Joni sounds like she hasn’t experienced quite enough yet for the lyrics to be true. Older Joni – the voice deeper, the pace much slower, sounds like she’s lived through every moment and boy, was it tiring. It’s quite upsetting really, but somehow I find it very comforting – the idea that you can hang around for decades and still not have any answers. Takes the pressure off.

Of course experience is something that Dame Shirley Bassey has buckets of, but until 2009 I only ever considered her in terms of being the Living Embodiment of Showbusiness. I couldn’t help myself – I would think of her and the word “belter” would immediately lodge itself in my brain. It’s a term she hates, but so embedded was my vision of her trademark Goldfinger style of delivery that until 2009 I don’t think I ever considered that beneath the bombast was someone who could deliver an understated, sensitive performance better than…well, just about anyone else. Her career seemed, to me, to be a collection of moments – huge, significant and amazing moments – but fairly uniquely for a singer, she didn’t seem to be have an essential album anywhere in her catalogue. The Performance changed all that and proved beyond any doubt that it’s possible to hit your peak fifty years into your career. And After the Rain may just be her greatest ever song.

I could pick any number of favourites from this album – from the Pet Shop Boys collaboration The Performance of My Life to the holy-crap-who-knew-this-would-work Manic Street Preachers team-up The Girl From Tiger Bay, or the exquisite Rufus Wainwright number Apartment and KT Tunstall’s deliciously wicked Nice Men. The whole album was unified by David Arnold’s production, which treated its leading lady perfectly – nodding to her past, glamour never far away – but always pushing her to new places. But the one that made me rethink my entire Bassey view was Richard Hawley’s contribution, After the Rain.

In some ways it reminds me of ABBA’s Happy New Year, in that it’s very much a “no more champagne and the fireworks are through” sort of song. This is Shirley, not Dame Shirley, taking off her makeup after another gala performance. Alone, quiet and wondering what all those years of experience have added up to. “After the rains have gone / Something inside me cries / What’s behind that door / This girl just can’t take it anymore”. This is a song only someone who’s lived, who’s seen both sides, can really deliver, and I’m so glad Shirley got to be the one. She performs it so softly, so wisely and without any of those showstopping notes you might normally expect. It’s heartbreaking – but not hopeless. There’s always something behind that door.

Accompanied by a rolling and exquisitely gentle piano refrain, just a few strings and percussion softly brushing back and forth, it’s become my most played Shirley Bassey track on iTunes by quite some distance. Diamonds might be forever, but this – for me, is the performance of her life.

Who could sing this today and have a hit? As far as I’m concerned this is now her signature song and as such, no-one else should touch it.

The launching of the CD at the Ritz Hotel in London

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FROM THE ARCHIVE 432 -2009- The highlight of 2009 was of course one of Dame Shirley Bassey's finest albums The Performance being