Blog Archives
Public Enemy
Just over a week ago, some friends and I witnessed Public Enemy live (again). Although this concert was a long way from the grand expanse of The Forum in Kentish Town, North London, the gig was rabble-rousingly intimate at The Corner hotel in Richmond.
This time round the militia were pumping their tour of 1990‘s Fear Of A Black Planet. Although they gave the show a lot of effort and their skills were there to thrill -it was all too clear in my mind that these guys had long since fallen asleep at the wheel. Or, to be sympathetic: are now well past their prime.
However, they fronted up for over 2 hours and gave us all a thrilling set. Apart from catching Flava Flav lip-syncing every now and then; everything else was overwhelmingly enjoyable -the fresh set list complete with crowd participation, political spiels, guests (including members of 2 Live Crew) and a tight freestyle battle between Chuck D and Flav that pretty much clinched the value of the $90 ticket, or therebouts. All-in-all, it was a brilliant show for the die-hard fans and certainly no staggering disappointment for the rest of us. And then there were the ageing Aussie homeboys: but that’s another story entirely.
-TW
DJ Krush
Thursday evening saw Japan’s No.1 DJ hit the decks and fx down at The Corner in Richmond.
Reverberating the venue (I refrain from suggesting dubstep) with what could be described as down-tempo tech breaks, the set rocked to the bemusement of the crowd. I must say I could really dig this vibe and it was fantastic to hear Krush in the now; throwing down new, unique and thumping sounds.
However, after half time he realised the crowd were, let‘s say ‘traditional‘ fans and thus Krush‘s appeasement then ensured that the rest of the set reflected the mediocrity of the Mo‘ Wax back-catalogue with a tweak or two on the side.
The video below features half a dozen short clips that give a fairly broad overview of the set.
-RTB
Imogen Heap
Matters of the heart have never been easy subject matter for me. When a conversation about the heart surfaces, I will only have two kinds of opine: positive or negative.
As a music junkie, I always have my soundtrack for things: be it good things or bad in my life. Music will always be supreme in expressing one’s feeling and it’s so close to real life; a composition will connect with one’s heart no matter what. I won’t talk about songs that may represent the good things; here is a lovely song that I’d love to hear thousand times when I’m in a bad state of mind.
I love this song a lot, it reflects the condition of this chaotic heart of mine.
Pain on pain on play, repeating
With the backup makeshift life in waitingEverybody says that time heals everything
But what if the wretched hollow, the endless in-between ?
Are we just going to wait it out
I heard this song for the first time during Imogen’s Live concert in Jakarta. Imogen Heap, as a well-talented singer, is really successful in singing this bitter song in a really wonderful way.
The concert was just amazing. All songs were performed in a strong and stable voice. She also did a good job binding the emotional feeling between the songs and the crowd. I can only sum up the concert in one word: fantastic. Previously, Imogen joined a British electronic music duo named Frou Frou and a multi-cultural British experimental pop band named Acacia. In her solo career, Imogen specialises in heavily produced and arranged singer-songwriter pop -incorporating elements of rock, dance and electronica. She’s famous for her skills in using manipulated electronic sounds. She performs all of her songs in a unique way; she sometimes tries to mix ambient sounds into her music. No wonder that she was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2006 and also recieved 2 Grammy nominations -winning Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for her latest solo album in 2009′s Ellipse. When it comes to Imogen, it’s always magic.
-Blommer22
Two Door Cinema Club
I’m sat here listening to this disc; the latest offering from French powerhouse label Kitsuné. I picked up this release a few days ago and am quite glad I’d held off listening to it until I was in such a mood as I am in now.
Thus, the record is quite good; if but a tad heavily produced. The album; Tourist History opens with track Cigarettes In The Theatre, which strikes as a somewhat upbeat tune -jovial and easy to digest, melodic while establishing a sound of the European summer in the vein of a Killers or early Franz Ferdinand B-side. Tracks 3 & 4 move through with a charm of melancholic repetition that is to be admired; admonishing earlier typecasting mentioned for Track 1. The sound digresses with the cruisiness that is Something Good Can Work; however the songs continue to wind up when one is just beginning to immerse oneself in its quaint yet rhythmic beauty.
The standout tracks are reluctantly Cigarettes, I Can Talk, Eat Up and Something Good -insomuch as this is an album that demonstrates an excellent continuity and is quite certain to further impress on repeated visits. Hear it for yourself, perhaps?
-Rock The Boat
Faith No More – Melbourne 2010
Right! Just got in…
A fine show. Certainly, the prelude of Andy Kaufmann alter-ego inspired babble proved a continuous farce; but the set list was spot on.
I was inclined, though to flirt with the idea of a down-tempo approach to this live outing and the subsequent adherence to fans and their mode of life. Actually, to be honest these ideas made me think of the Rolling Stones playing ballads to geriatrics. Fear not though! That isn’t to define the quality of songs and performance, in toto.
Personally, I vied to hear ‘Crack Hitler’ but without which the bulk of songs from King For A Day and prior releases certainly satisfied. On lesser thoughts however, it’s Tony Clifton’s said invocation that may well play into Patton’s seemingly endless entertainment satire. Well done!
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