Arts Radio News and Reviews
REVIEW OF THE WEEK
RESET: Breeding Emotion
by David Braid
25 February, 2011
And onward march the cybernetic beings to destroy the human race. OK, maybe its a little too preemptive to jump to panic-riddled conclusions but a recent project called RESET aims to teach computers about the human experience.
RESET is creating a series of videos which will demonstrate behaviours, relationships and personal connections mirroring the sensory, emotional, social, thoughtful, unpredictable experiences of being human. The project brings to debate intimacy. Our computers know everything about us, but what do they understand? Taking a step further, what do we know about them?
Not sure this will accomplish more than five minutes spent on Youtube, but it sparks the debate of servant and master and how much closer we are willing to be. Click here for a video on sound which captures one emotional projection of hitting a tuning fork.
SINGLE REVIEW OF THE WEEK
A Review of In Arms by David’s Lyre
By David Braid
09 February, 2011
Nothing says romance like animated contemporary baroque heartache.
The latest release from the forthcoming EP of the same name, out later this month, In Arms is rich, layered and gets better each time you give it a listen. With an incredible vocal talent, David’s Lyre wraps us in his words and gently tells us his story. What’s more, its complimented by an adaption of the elegant Russian short ‘Invention of Love’.
Currently on tour across the UK, this newcomer is poised for great things. With remixes popping up from bands like Bombay Bicycle Club and Pearson Sound, he’ll soon be everywhere.
Original short:
SINGLE REVIEW OF THE WEEK
A Review of Golden Sky by The Holidays
By David Braid
02 February, 2011
Rain. Grey. Flu. Darkness. What does summer feel like again? As we sit in chilly London trying to imagine what a warm afternoon tastes like, its a painful fact that the other side of the world are having beach days, lazy afternoons in the park and sunshine. Oh those smug Aussies. But they try to share with us, through uptempo gems like Golden Sky from the Holidays.
Describing their style as ‘congaclash’ and ‘island breeze’ they are one of those bands that don’t seem to fit any single genre but rather effortlessly borrow the best bits from synth, indie, post-pop and percussion. And what a delicious mix it is. Expect more lovable tracks like this from their debut album ‘Post Paradise’ which should soon be making its way north, hopefully bringing with it a few rays.
SINGLE REVIEW OF THE WEEK
A Review of Forced to Love by Broken Social Scene
By David Braid
26 January, 2011
If you had to summarise 2010 using just one number and one letter… the only answer is 3D. The techno resurgence has shed off the red and blue cinema specs and is channeling new mediums from television to the internet and print media. If only smell-o-vision could have its day too.
Taking full stock, Broken Social Scene bring us ‘Forced to Love’, a video made using a new rendering technique which use scans movement (and of course translation through some highly sophisticated software) as a means of constructing a 3D projection. Its slick. And not to forget, the new album ‘Forgiveness Rock Record’ which was easily one of the best gifts of 2010 and an instant classic from these kings and queens of indie.
ALBUM REVIEW OF THE WEEK
A Review of Essex Arms by Darren Hayman [the album not the pub]
By Molly Richards
11 December, 2010
As a previous cynical listener of Darren Hayman, ‘Be Lonely’ the first track suggested the album would comprise of his usual whiney lamenting. However the album picks up and ‘Calling out your name again’ for me is by far the highlight of the album. The female vocal (from Emmy the Great) lifts it above the rest. Perhaps one of the most commercial tracks on the album, this does not deter from the general enjoyment of the song. The musical arrangement is wonderful and complicated and really appeals to my taste in music.
‘Winter makes you want me more’, is a sweet and affectionate song. Little comical lines such as ‘you look like the lesbian from Brookside’ again give this album another edge, and therefore not only does Darren give us an insight into his heart but also his sense of humour. Other good tracks include ‘plastic and steel’.
‘I’ll be your alibi’ was a low point.
My first impression of the album was a spirit of community and magic despite the normal melancholy evoked. l realise it’s a diverse album with a good range of feelings and musical signatures. However when reviewing, one cannot escape the shallow influence of the recommender who I have a lot of admiration for. Therefore the album is instantly more tolerable and becomes something more than just an album. This statement, however does not hinder the validity of this review which is an honest reflection of a good album, maybe even great.
ALBUM REVIEW OF THE WEEK
A Review of The Beatles Album, Love – Oh look, an alien has just abducted that Beatles poster.
by Felix Clarke
03 December, 2010
Calling anyone who’s heard of that little band called The Beatles. Aliens have landed on Planet Earth. As pretty much everyone, Beatles lover or not will know, about two weeks ago The Beatles were released on iTunes for the digital music download generation to enjoy. Something that initially struck me when I saw the gigantic black and white posters of the famous four with the Apple logo next to themwas how contemporary they looked. Had an alien touched down outside the iMax cinema in London where one of those posters lives, they would have probably assumed they were a new up and coming band who just happened to have a good friend high up in the world of advertising. Great. So, photos of The Beatles today, albeit with a little help from Photoshop, can be easily made to look like they are part of the 21st century music generation. But the real question is, do they sound like it? When their music was finally released on iTunesfor the digital generation to feast their ears on, it was a bit of a flop to say the least. Apple’s multi million pound advertising campaign in the lead up to their release smelt good to the public but tasted out of date – the opposite, if you like, to a stinky French cheese. This, as a major Beatles fan myself, startled me. Hey Jude was the best digital seller; barely scraping the top 40 at, yes, feel free to drop your jaw in complete outrage, number 40.
On hearing this news, I had to sit back and reminisce for a while to take in what had actually happened here. It would appear that the Beatles had not been at all well received by the digital age of the 21st century. Having looked at the songs that were selling, or barely selling on iTunes as it seemed, it was clear that people were downloading Beatles songs for all the wrong reasons.Yes, The Beatles still look the part and appear popular on the basis of their new ‘vintage-cool’ appearance in the young public eye, but they don’t seem to have enough autotune, rap or dubstep in their music to captivate the ears of the mass audience today, who, don’t forget, have fantastically low attention spans due to constant bombardment from iPhones and the like. Maybe an artist called DJ McL3NN0N or something will come along in the next 10 years and revive the hopes of The Beatles in the online music industry by adding a pinch of dirty dub or, God help us, auto tune to the sweet sounds of Get Backor A Hard Day’s Night. Writing this makes me feel as if a genuine beetle has just procreated inside my stomach and is subsequently making me feel rather ill.
Anyway, it would seem that the aliens who have landed on Planet Earth are indeed the children born in the digital era. If I plonked every year three, class of 2010 school pupil next to the iMax cinema and then asked them to tell me who those four blokes in black and white are up there, how many would respond with any certainty whatsoever? They may, as our metaphorical alien friends did before, think they are an up and coming band who recently got lucky and popped into the public eye out of nowhere on that medium they are now all too familiar with, the world wide web. Who knows? All I know is that The Beatles were the first global band the world had ever seen. They inspired modern musicians of every genre everywhere in the world and their music seems to be in danger of not surviving the digital generation as we progress towards the 22nd century. DJ McL3NN0N may indeed be the answer. Or maybe in the interest of music massacre it would be better to let The Beatles legacy stay on vinyl and that ever so vintage medium that is CD. As sad as it is, I think I’d rather see The Beatles legacy live on inside a dusty piece of vinyl on the mantelpiece of some oil tycoon’s penthouse in Dubai because his team of designers said it would give the place ‘a nice twist’, than see it massacred by the imaginary but almost inevitable DJ McL3NN0Ntype artist of the future. After hearing The Black Eyed Peas’ most recent single, The Time (Dirty Bit), a modern, dubbed out version of the classic hit, I’ve Had the Time of my Life from the 1987 Dirty Dancing soundtrack, I can only think this is the potentially dismal future of pop music.
Until then, the closest thing we have to a ‘remixed’ Beatles album is ‘Love’ released in November 2006 and was used for a Cirque Du Soleil production with the same name. Now, this is brilliant. It is also surprisingly unheard of by Beatles fans across the world despite the fact it won a Grammy. In my eyes, it is less a ‘remix’ and more a completely re-mastered album of The Beatles musical lifetime and, don’t worry, it is dub and auto tune free! I urge everyone to check it out. For Beatles fans it is a feast that your ears cannot wait for. There you have it: the rant and the review, all in 889 words.
SINGLE REVIEW OF THE WEEK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnRCyDukgr4
Fail Forever from When Saints Go Machine
by David Braid
01 December, 2010
Let me be the first to say, yes this is from 2009. But after a year of seeding the airwaves and internet-waves and crossing wave-waves, this Copenhagen based quartet is finally getting the recognition they deserve and we hope to see more. Simple, minimal and beautiful sounds and moving image, they’ve done well to translate all that we love about the Danes into a neat, hypnotic little package.
Extra fresh cassettes anyone?
For more Fail Forever, visit their website.
SINGLE REVIEWS OF THE WEEK
Photoshop Handsome from Everything Everything
by David Braid
23 November, 2010
Landing this week is a new sickly sweet single from Everything Everything. Aptly appropriate for the UAL public, ‘Photoshop Handsome’ is fun, catchy and one of those songs that will probably appear in every TV commercial by next March. Mixing simple, repetitious one liners with a deceivingly structured lyrical conversation, those that like to sing along will find themselves in shambles. But not all is lost. It’s pop-y, shiny beats will ensure a good listen and then a repeat. Available on iTunes.
For more about Everything Everything, visit their website.
Make Mine Mash
by David Braid
24 November, 2010
He’s not the first to make mash-ups and likely won’t be the last, but there’s something memorable about the work of the geeky American known as Girl Talk. And now for every music junkie, wannabe DJ and mixologist, the website Mashup Breakdown has visually mapped out Girl Talk’s latest album entitled ‘All Day’. A great example of clean, simple, useable design that informs as much as it engages.
Have a play, its addictive: http://www.mashupbreakdown.com/
Calling anyone who’s heard of that little band called The Beatles. Aliens have landed on Planet Earth. As pretty much everyone, Beatles lover or not will know, about two weeks ago The Beatles were released on iTunes for the digital music download generation to enjoy. Something that initially struck me when I saw the gigantic black and white posters of the famous four with the Apple logo next to themwas how contemporary they looked. Had an alien touched down outside the iMax cinema in London where one of those posters lives, they would have probably assumed they were a new up and coming band who just happened to have a good friend high up in the world of advertising. Great. So, photos of The Beatles today, albeit with a little help from Photoshop, can be easily made to look like they are part of the 21st century music generation. But the real question is, do they sound like it? When their music was finally released on iTunesfor the digital generation to feast their ears on, it was a bit of a flop to say the least. Apple’s multi million pound advertising campaign in the lead up to their release smelt good to the public but tasted out of date, the opposite, if you like, to a stinky French cheese. This, as a major Beatles fan myself, startled me. Hey Jude was the best digital seller; barely scraping the top 40 at, yes, feel free to drop your jaw in complete outrage, number 40.
On hearing this news I had to sit back and reminisce for a while to take in what had actually happened here. It would appear that the Beatles had not been at all well received by the digital age of the 21st century. Having looked at the songs that were selling, or barely selling on iTunes as it seemed, it was clear that people were downloading Beatles songs for all thewrong reasons.Yes, The Beatles still look the part and appear popular on the basis of their new ‘vintage-cool’ appearance in the young public eye, but they don’t seem to have enough autotune, rap or dubstep in their music to captivate the ears of the mass audience today, who, don’t forget, have fantastically low attention spans due to constant bombardment from iPhones and the like. Maybe an artist called DJ McL3NN0N or something will come along in the next 10 years and revive the hopes of The Beatles in the online music industry by adding a pinch of dirty dub or, God help us, auto tune to the sweet sounds of Get Backor A Hard Day’s Night. Writing this makes me feel as if a genuine beetle has just procreated inside my stomach and is subsequently making me feel rather ill.
Anyway, it would seem that the aliens who have landed on Planet Earth are indeed the children born in the digital era. If I plonked every year three, class of 2010 school pupil next to the iMax cinema and then asked them to tell me who those four blokes in black and white are up there, how many would respond with any certainty whatsoever? They may, as our metaphorical alien friends did before, think they are an up and coming band who recently got lucky and popped into the public eye out of nowhere on that medium they are now all too familiar with, the world wide web. Who knows? All I know is that The Beatleswere the firstglobal bandthe world had ever seen. They inspired modern musicians of every genre everywhere in the world and their music seems to be in danger of not surviving the digital generation as we progress towards the 22nd century. DJ McL3NN0N may indeed be the answer. Or maybe in the interest of music massacre it would be better to let The Beatles legacy stay on vinyl and that ever so vintage medium that is CD. As sad as it is, I think I’d rather see The Beatleslegacy live on inside a dusty piece of vinyl on the mantelpiece of some oil tycoon’spenthouse in Dubai because his team of designers said it would give the place ‘a nice twist’, than see it massacred by the imaginary but almost inevitable DJ McL3NN0Ntype artist of the future. After hearing The Black Eyed Peas’ most recent single, The Time (Dirty Bit), a modern, dubbed out version of the classic hit, I’ve Had the Time of my Life from the 1987 Dirty Dancing soundtrack, I can only think this is the potentially dismal future of pop music.
Until then, the closest thing we have to a ‘remixed’ Beatles album is ‘Love’ released in November 2006 and was used for a Cirque Du Soleil production with the same name. Now, this is brilliant. It is also surprisingly unheard of by Beatles fans across the world despite the fact it won a Grammy.In my eyes it is less a ‘remix’ and more a completely re-mastered album of The Beatles musical lifetime and, don’t worry, it is dub and auto tune free! I urge everyone to check it out. For Beatles fans it is a feast that your ears cannot wait for. There you have it:the rant and the review, all in 889words.