2013 Summarized and 2014 Predicted

Once a year, usually as the month of December fades out into the dawn of a new era, I get visited by three ghosts. The Ghosts of Music Past, Present and Future come to visit as the midnight bells chime twelve..... Ok, I'll stop now as I'm sure there might be copyright laws involved at some point.
However it is that time of year when every music publication, blog, podcast etc review the best events of 2013. I have decided to tackle mine with also making predictions of what will occur in the future*, so here goes;

Best Album Releases

The Next Day - David Bowie

Past:  The King of Pop and personification of rock 'n' roll had been in self-exile since his 2004 'Reality' tour. After leading everyone into thinking that the era of Bowie had been and gone, he carried out the most simplest of publicity stunts which just consisted of popping down the road for a pint of milk. The media were whipped up into a frenzy but even they couldn't predict the sudden, surprise release of 'Where Are We Now?' on the Thin White Duke's 66th Birthday, 8th January, with the announcement of a new album. The Next Day reached Number 1, Bowie's first since his 1993 album 'Black Tie, White Noise'.  

Present:  Bowie and Visconti are still holding all Bowie fans in a state of limbo by releasing contradicting statements over the possibility of live performances. 

Future: Different versions of 'The Next Day' will be released over the next five years with the promises of unheard tracks and remixes of original versions. Despite the controversy over the title track, The Pope will release a statement saying that he is a fan. 

Rewind The Film - Manic Street Preachers

Past: After waving farewell to the Welsh musicians at the O2 arena in 2011 as they announced they were embarking on a UK hiatus, I immediately began suffering Manic withdrawal symptoms (see what I did there?).  Remedy and much excitement came in May of this year however as James Dean Bradfield  announced to NME that recording was in progress of two new albums, with one being almost purely acoustic. Rewind The Film was nostalgia in its purest form for everyone involved as the Manics explored the ideologies that had moulded them as a band.

Present: Nicky Wire is carefully selecting his wardrobe for the tour of the second album. Milkman outfit or leopard print skirt, or both?

Future:  30 Year War will be used as the official song for Margaret Thatcher's memorial service in 2014 due to an embarrassing mix up on behalf of the Tory Party.

 

 New- Paul McCartney 

Past: It seems that 2013 should go down as the official year for musical nostalgia as Paul McCartney released his sixteenth studio album to express his memories of the days before The Beatles as well as more recent events in his life. Selecting producers such as Mark Ronson, McCartney went against the grain of what was to be generally expected of him by making a fun-loving pop album. 

Present: 'New' reached number 3 in the UK album charts and I wouldn't be surprised if DJs everywhere are selecting tracks from the album to put on their New Year's Eve Party song list. 

Future: Paul McCartney will go down in history as the most successful Post-Beatles Beatle.

Best Live Performances

 Roger Waters - The Wall 

After sharing air with the legendary Roger Waters and seeing performed live one of the most famous albums in British history, I predict that I will still be wearing the Tee Shirt when I'm old and frail. On a more serious note, the concert has also inspired me to get more involved in politics and hopefully one day I will get a chance to teach impoverished children in third world countries so that they can have a fighting chance in this world. 

Beady Eye -BE 

'You're not a mod,  you're just a c**t in a Parka coat' I thought to myself as Liam Gallagher swaggered onto stage at Kingston's New Slang. Kudos to New Slang for getting a Gallagher brother up onto their stage but the night for me just contained pure comedic value. You can imagine the crowd that they drew for their acoustic set and although I had managed to wiggle my way to the front, Liam was sat down on a stool so that anyone from the third row back couldn't see their Britpop hero. Cue shouts of 'STAND UP YA PRICK', 'NOEL WOULD STAND UP' and the wittier 'SIT DOWN IF YOU LOVE MAN U' .  I predict that Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will turn up at Kingston in a demonstration of 'whatever our Liam can do, I can do fucking better...a''ight?' 

Magistrates

The Magistrates had it all together back in 2009, on the verge of huge success. Unfortunately the promise of a debut album never actually materialized and the band went their separate ways. Last month the band were on stage together once more with their new(ish) single 'When We're Apart' as they tested the water. The band create a vibrant, party atmosphere with their electro-dance beat which enables the crowd to just let go of their inhibitions. Hopefully 2014 will see a release of an album to accompany them on their tour. 

Best Moments

Leaving work one night, I had a couple of hours to kill before heading over to New Slang to see The Front Bottoms, my favourite American band. There was no point in heading home so me and my boyfriend decided to amble round Kingston before we spotted Brian, the lead singer of the Front Bottoms, come out of the club. He was rather restless before the gig and so we gave him a quick tour of Kingston. It was rather surreal as we chatted away about many different things, such as explaining to him why it is not okay to be a Milwall supporter. We ended up giving him our Kingstonian scarf to make sure that he went away supporting a decent 'soccer' team. My 2014 prediction is that one day he'll turn up on the terrace to see Kingstonian play. 

My inability to grasp modern technology manifested itself on the worst possible day. My camcorder would chose not to work on the day I had my first ever live interview wouldn't it? However it was fantastic getting the opportunity to interview Mutineers as it felt just more like a friendly conversation, even if I'm still struggling to get the footage from my phone to my computer. I can see Mutineers making more of a name for themselves in 2014 with their upcoming tour whereas I'll be beginning a one-woman war against technology.












*not actually psychic

The Mysterious Case of 'The Reflektor'

The talented bunch of Canadians that are Arcade Fire had already succeeded in tantalizing my ear drums with the sorrowful album 'The Suburbs'.'The Reflektor' had already been 'leaked' (that word again!) online
but on Monday when rumours filtered through to me that Banquet Records, my local record store, were reopening their store at 9pm to release 'The Reflektor' I headed straight over. Half hour later I had my hands on hell of a gem of a 12"!

As in true Arcade Fire style, 'The Reflektor' can only be described as a shiny disco apocalypse'with a light sprinkling of the French language.  Regine Chassagne has long been a favourite vocalist of mine and here she provides the single with a light edge by effortlessly singing high notes that contrasts beautifully with the darkness of the song.  Although at 7 minutes 42 seconds long this song is not for the impatient.

Oh and did I mention that David Bowie lends his voice and stars in the video?

Very much looking forward to what Arcade Fire has to offer in the future!

When Covers Are Better Than The Original

I'm not always one that 'approves' as such of those who rip off other artists' materials and there is nothing more infuriating than when it does happen, but at the risk of upsetting many dedicated music fans, there are quite a few covers of classic song that (dare I say it) are better than the original. Maybe this is because sometimes it is easier to identify ways in which to improve a song from an outside perspective, or it's just been adapted to suit the tastes of a certain genre, deeming it more likeable to an individual's ears.

Below I have picked out a few of my favourite examples of where an artist has covered a classic, and in my opinion, have done a much better job of it.


Oasis: I am The Walrus by The Beatles

It is no secret that the Gallagher brothers admired The Beatles far more than they admire one another and this cover of the drug-fuelled 'I am The Walrus' is a fitting tribute to the four mopheads. Oasis released their live version of 'I am The Walrus' as a B side to their better known single 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' in 1994. Although I have always loved the original, there have been times when the imagery of 'yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye' combined with the monotony of Lennon's voice has made me feel as though the Liverpudlian lads were pumping funky-brownies through my speakers. For me it is the slow, steady guitar rhythm that makes me feel uncomfortably freaked.
 However, Oasis did a fantastic job of adapting the track for us less hippy inclined rock 'n' rollers by including guitar solos alongside a heavier drum rhythm. This combined with Gallagher's vocals makes it ideal for those who would choose moshing over chasing dragons.

Nirvana: The Man Who Sold The World by David Bowie

Another iconic cover that was released in 1994 is courtesy of Nirvana covering Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold The World' which featured on their MTV Unplugged in New York album.  The melancholic riffs and reflective, sombre lyrics is everything that Kurt Cobain was. Watching the performance we can almost believe that Cobain was The Man Who Sold the World'.  Was Bowie bitter the cover was so successful that many thought that it was a Nirvana track? Not at all! 'It was a good straightforward rendition and sounded somehow very honest' he mused (although he did reportedly get a little peeved when fans told him that they liked that he had performed a Nirvana cover).

Echo and the Bunnymen: People Are Strange by The Doors

The Doors originally released the lonely ballad of 'People Are Strange' in 1967 which managed to reach the top ten charts. Although the jaunty chord progression deems it worthy of being a blues anthem for all the lone wolves out there, it doesn't half tug on the heart strings. There is very little that differs in the cover by Echo and the Bunnymen, which was released as the soundtrack for the 1987 cult classic film 'Lostboys', except for a bigger emphasis on the guitar riffs which strips away the 'wild west' imagery which the Doors created in the original.

David Bowie Is... You!

Today my senses were treated to an exotic feast of decadent  rock and roll at the David Bowie Is... exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition catered for the fast-paced, multi-tasking world of rock and roll that we live in, as at every turn music and visuals in the shape of video footage, Bowie's costume and personal items asked us 'David Bowie is....(what exactly?)

The vast array of costumes and original lyric sheets (seen on the right here) made me personally conclude that David Bowie is every man and every woman. The fact that an exhibition was curated for a man who is actually still alive made me realize why we are so hypnotized by his various alter-egos.  As I sat and watched Ziggy performing Rock 'n' Roll Suicide on a 20ft screen, I had my own epiphany, Bowie isn't a mythological superstar, he is simply everything David Jones had growing inside of him. Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke, Major Tom are all the people that we have inside of ourselves, they are our wildest desires, our curiosities, our lusts and passions. We all have these creative fires burning inside of ourselves which we sometimes have to repress due to the demands of our society. But David Bowie released every side he had and by exposing himself fully, he gave everyone else the courage to release their true selves, which was highly significant in the 60s/70s as homosexuality was still a highly controversial issue.

So David Bowie is the Sound and Vision that we all have inside ourselves, Bowie is the key to unlocking who we really are and want to be.

Bowie-Mania hits our shores again: Bowie at the V&A

Like every other Bowie/Ziggy/ Aladdin Zane / Halloween Jack (etc) fan I am literally counting down the days to the 23rd March when the David Bowie exhibition at the V&A Museum will open it's doors. The exhibition will be exploring all the many aspects of Bowie's career that made him the effortless icon he is today. The exhibition will feature over 300 items which include handwritten lyrics by the man himself, the stage costumes that thrust him into the limelight, Bowie's instruments plus many more.

The focus of the exhibition will be upon the creativity of Bowie which led music into a new age, setting the bar ridiculously high for any musician which wished to emulate his style. The V&A offers fans a 'fly on the wall' look at Bowie's collaborations with photographers, artists and designers through Bowie's own personal items.

It is about time that 'Bowie-Mania' hit our shores again as Bowie is a revolutionary figure, the Marx of the music world. Through his eccentricity and split-personalities, many of his fans in the 1970s did literally believe he was 'The Starman', visiting earth to liberate the people from the stuffy society. In my eyes he has achieved this aim plus I would not be surprised if his birth certificate emerged stating that Mars was his place of birth.

If the exhibition fails to quench your thirst for Ziggy then CLICK HERE to browse the various events which the V&A will be hosting surrounding the exhibition.