Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 24th

Today is the final beer advent. Wah! :'(

I've been sharing my polypin today, it smells really nice when you open the tap! £16 for 5 litres is pretty good economy, £1.80 a pint. It is a tasty beverage.

I'd forgotten what beer I had left in the calendar, it's a pretty good one.

 Weird Beard - 5 o'clock Shadow 

I've recovered a little of my sense of taste today, my final beer is quite similar in style to Jackhammer - though doesn't rate quite as highly on the IBU scale. Similar strength too.

This is a good IPA, strong citrus flavours and a good malty flavour.  It's quite refreshing, and not as bitter as Jackhammer.  Good bottle.

36/42

Damn it. It's over again.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 23rd

I think the cold I mentioned in the tiny text on the previous blog has taken offense that I only wrote about it in tiny text.  Now it's trying to steal my tastebuds.

Fine.
You win, cold.
Now fuck off.

Today's beer was supposed to be one of the more interesting in the calendar, but it's ruined by my cold.

 Brewdog - Jackhammer 

Jackhammer was meant to be devastatingly bitter.  So bitter that human taste buds couldn't detect all of the bitterness.  My walking-wounded taste buds made Jackhammer taste like Punk IPA, and I've been abusing them with menthol all day.  It must be seriously bitter.
It's very dry and the only discernible flavour was grapefruit.

I'm not scoring it properly.  Because that would be unfair.

Brewdog - Jackhammer gets...

Pirate/Crumpet

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 22nd

 Hobsons - Postmans Knock 
Another nice looking bottle today - and another porter.  Suitable I think, the weather has become overwhelmingly wintry, so have the beers.  Only this would be more of a summer porter...

This is quite a light porter, extremely light body, almost too watery but saved by firm flavours.  Easily detectable sweet chocolate taste and some mild malt.  Very refreshing and very un-porter-like.

32/42

I have a cold.  Not now.  Come on.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 21st

I went to the Plough and Harrow for lunch today.  It was filling.  Also went for a nice long drive in my new wheels - seeing how high I could get the average MPG.  I managed 45.6 MPG for the trip in the end.  I think I need to get a service done.

Anyway.

 Cheddar Ales - Totty Pot 
Iabn picked my beer today, as my usual selector has returned to her homeland.  Thanks Iabn...

This is a nice porter, not too special though.  Good carbonation and as you can see the head was huge! (insert your mum joke here) There's a load of sediment in the bottom of my glass.
Strong roasted flavour, chocolates, bitter finish - a little coffee.

32/42

Opened my 5 litre polypin of Old Speckled Hen today - looking forward to enjoying that over Christmas Day.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 20th

No time to ramble this evening.  I'm al go!

 Arbor - Why kick a moo cow 

Beer name of the year award goes to...this is a take on a NZ town called Waikikamukau.

Why kick a moo cow is a New Zealand pale ale, which means...ummm. The hops are from NZ.  It's bottle fermented so it's as cloudy as the sky right now.  Nice pale ale.  Loads of fruit in the flavour with a nice yeasty taste (as the yeast was in the bottle).  Huge fruity hoppy finish.  Which is my favourite kind of finish.

38/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 19th

I went shopping today, in Cardiff.  Walked around for a bit - saw things I could buy for people and then purchased them online.  It just seems wrong.

 Harviestoun - Ola Dubh 
I've been looking forward to this beer more than any other I recall purchasing for the calendar.  Scotch matured ales are one of my favourite types of beer.

Most of the serious scotch aged ales I've had are from Brewdog, the Paradox beers.  Usually they're over 10% ABV and are pretty strong - sometimes too strong - drink-ability is not their forte.
Ola Dubh is only 8%, has all the good features of a Paradox with none of the negatives.  It's been aged in 12 year Highland Park casks for (up to) 6 months.
It smells of whisky (obvs!), prunes, chocolate and rich malts - tastes sweet, with a terrific peaty note, bitter finish.

I was really doing my best not to give anything full marks this year, but I can't really find fault with this one.  It's an ideal scotch aged ale.

42/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 18th

Today I was told it was Christmas in exactly 1 week.  Balls.  You know as soon as it's Christmas day, it's pretty much over...and then all I've got to look forwards to is clearing off Christmas debt, working off Christmas podge and saving money.  T'riffic.

 Wooden Hand Brewery - Cornish Mutiny 

Well.  It was bound to happen eventually.  I was going to get a beer that wasn't very good.

I'd heard some negative things about Wooden Hand from a friend, so wasn't expecting this beer to be very good.

The bottle is nice enough, I should have noticed that they put apostrophes around the words 'hoppy' and 'biscuity flavour' in the beer description.  I always assumed that meant they were using the phrases ironically, or trying to be funny.

It's got quite a zesty flavour with some strong carbonation - there's an unpleasant chemical undertone though. It's a bit musty.  Seems to have some OK reviews around t'interwebs, not for me!

14/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 17th

 Brewdog - Hello, my name is Mette Marit 
Every day one of my flatmates pulls the advent beer at random for 2 advent calendars.  Today, they managed to pull 2 bottles of this beer.  The odds of which are about 1.5% (No Ian, not 50/50). Nice!

This beer is on the strong side (8.2%) but doesn't taste or smell that strong. On pulling the cap off I gave it a whiff and it smelt of a familiar Brewdog smell.  I wasn't expecting much from it after that.  I was wrong.
It's quite dry with a little carbonation - but it tastes brilliant.  It's got plenty of hops, a nice fruity body and a little spice.  Supremely (dangerously) drinkable.

40/42

Today my faithful Ford Ka was taken away by a man with a large lorry.  I got paid £92.08 for it and a half expired tax disc.
I always feel a sense of guilt when getting rid of a car.  I don't personify them as such, but their reliability and dependability never ceases to make me wonder.
Often I find myself wondering about all the things happening at any given moment - the explosions in the cylinders, pistons pumping, gasses being expelled, and the transfer of energy from the head of the engine down a drive shaft to the wheels.
This thought is more prevalent on a motorcycle when travelling at 60mph and wondering about all the tension and power being passed down a simple chain, 1 inch thick.
It's fascinating how it's taken for granted.  And it seems a terrible waste that a perfectly OK (rusting from the inside out, leaking water from somewhere under the bonnet, needed new rear tires) car is just taken away for scrap.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 16th

 Mikkeller - It's Alight! 

Mikkeller are an odd brewer, I've mostly just had collab beers between them and Brewdog before - they're usually aggressive or strange.
It's in keeping with my previous samplings that this beer is strange too.  Smells mild and fruity but tastes a little sour at first, but then lingers a little sweetly. There's nothing sharp going on, I've never had a beer with this flavour palette that tasted so mild.  It's remarkable.
After I had my first swig I wasn't expecting to enjoy this beer - but it's won me over.

34/42

Ooo it damn well hurts
Certainly it hurts
What's the trick then?
The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 15th

Holiday Inn suck.

 Thornbridge Hall - Evenlode Brown Porter 

This is one of the special beers in the calendar this year.  Bottled in September 2011, this beer was matured on blackberries.

There's lots of rich fruit flavours in this beer - the good kind.  The smell is a very deep roasted malt and the flavour is a dance between raisins, malts and a little of the blackberries.  There's a great bitterness in the aftertaste and the blackberries make a suitable return.

Very tasty beer, really good quality.  Perfect for the winter.

36/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 14th

Afternoon.

It's party night tonight, so I've had to get today's beer out of the way before I go.  Free bar (though I very much doubt the pedigree of the drinks that will be available)!  I'm sure I'll manage.

I burnt my tongue a little on some hot pasta & sauce before having this beer.  I wish my mouth was more aspestos.

 Fullers - Black Cab 
I was very pleased to see this bottle come out of the bag.  I really like the design on the bottle, all black, white, dark grey and gold.  If I were designing a bottle for a traditional stout - that would be my palette.

The beer inside the bottle is not as luxurious as the colours on the outside.  It's got a very light body, it's practically a mild.  No head or lacing either.
It's not a bad drink.  It's actually an ideal 'quiet pint' for the winter (like Brains Dark), it's not too strong in flavour or ABV (4.5%) and as I mentioned, it's light in body.
Not very remarkable then, but still nice.

25/42

Today I got the average MPG from my new car above 40 this afternoon.  Score!

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 13th

Today is a sad day, things are changing in work and I will no longer be with my original team.  So long guys, and thanks for all the fish.

I was very much looking forward to today's beer, by about 3pm I just wanted to sit in the lounge, in relative silence, and sip on a brew.  And now I am.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 Weird Beard - Camden Beard 

First Weird Beard beer for me, after popping the cap on the bottle I took a big whiff and it was good. Thankfully it doesn't taste as hoppy as it smells, because it was quite strong - this is a wheat beer and is  really smooth.
This is a collaboration brew between Brewdog and Weird Beard, and it's a good one.  It's nice and earthy with a smooth sweetness - bitter finish.
This is a nice beer, but it's missing something.

33/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 12th

First of several beers today, only this is the one I'll be writing about!

 Willams Bros Brewing Co - Kelpie 
I picked this beer up at the shop because it says it's a seaweed ale.  And that sounds like a good idea for a beer.

This came out of the bottle a lot darker than I expected.  I gave it a whiff before pouring and thought it was quite light smelling.  Sadly it's not got any seaweed flavours, and it's not even slightly briney!
That doesn't actually bother me that much, it's a little disappointing - but this beer is really nice to drink.  I suspect that it might taste briney if the other flavours weren't so strong (and good).
According to the brewers website, in the mid 19th century Scottish coastal brewers used seaweed to fertilise their malts, which rubbed off on the taste of the barley.  These days they put seaweed in the mash tun.  I don't imagine the effect is the same.
Tasty beverage!

37/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 11th

I may have bought too many beers of a reasonable strength for beer advent...

 St Peter's - Christmas Ale 

This is what I wanted Sam Smiths Winter Welcome Ale to be like.  And how I wish all seasonal Christmas beers were.
It's Christmas coloured (deep red), and smells like Christmas, rich and fruity, a little spicy.  It's got a great warm kick.  If I was to make a Christmas cake, I'd feed it this beer.

38/42

I got a new (used) car today. It's swish, my favourite feature is that the interior is red. It's a bit bigger than my Ka was...I need to start thinking about that when driving it around.

Also my belly-button smells.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 10th

This years birthday beer is a right gem.

 Brouwerij Huyghe - Delirium Nocturnum 
I have had some Delirium in the calendar before, but this is the original one I was first recommended to try by Iabn.

This is a bit strong (8.5%) for me this evening - I'm a bit bloated and haven't really had a good consistent day's food since Friday.  With the exception of some turnip, sweet potato and chicken yesterday...it's been all party food, booze, take-away and pizza!

This beer is very tasty, it's dark (as you can see) and usually when something is this dark and this strong it's usually going to be swinging big with the rich flavours.
Lovely mild dried fruits, with a little sweet taste to follow - then it moves onto being a little yeasty and bitter.

Best beer so far, but due to it's strength - not getting top marks!

40/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 9th

I just drank some tepid tea quite quickly. It made me feel queasy...

 Blue Monkey - BG Sips 
The main reason I picked this beer up was just because it has a monkey on the front of it - and he just looks so happy.  It also claims to be hoppy.

It's not bad actually, it's quite mild and really refreshing to have in your mouth (insert your mum joke here).  Nice balance of citrus and bitterness.  It's a bit bland otherwise.  No head or lacing to speak of.
A beginners pale ale, or perhaps good for a session.  Meh.

25/42

Beer is not death, beer is not life.  It just tastes good, especially tonight.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 8th

I'm not entirely sure if I should be drinking anything alcoholic today.  Yesterday was my pre-birthday birthday celebrations.  I did drink too much and had an unfortunate incident involving some food orally escaping my person.

I had a look what was in the bag today and decided to go ahead and drink it.  It's not too strong or likely to upset me.

 Bristol Beer Factory - Southville Hop 

I think this is the first Bristol Beer Factory beer I've had.
If this were a little lower on the ABV it would be a little better received.  It is an American style IPA so it's big on the hops and around 6.5% - but it's really very smooth.  The head stays with the beer which makes it a nice creamy sip.  It's got no real carbonation to speak of either.

Nice.

36/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 7th

 Tiny Rebel - Belgian Urban IPA 

No time for chit chat, there's shenanigans afoot.
Today's beer is a mash up of Tiny Rebel - Urban IPA.  It's much the same, but with the unique taste of some Belgian yeast.  So it's as good as Urban IPA, with a different lingering taste.
Very nice beer.

40/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 6th

No time for chit-chat today, I've got guests.  Though I'd like to share that I bought a 5 litre mini-keg of Old Speckled Hen.

 Black Sheep - Golden Sheep 

Black Sheep are a good British brewer, I really like their Riggwelter and Black Sheep Ale.  They remind me a little of Sam Smiths.
Golden Sheep (as I'm sure you can figure out) is a golden ale - and it's a good example of that.  It smells a little grassy, it's a little hoppy and a little sweet.  Nothing to really shout about though.

26/42

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 5th

Probably couldn't have had 3 more different beers this evening.  Nice.

 Pressure Drop - Wu Gang Chops The Tree 

Great name, great label.  Beer is almost great.
This is really the sort of beer you need to pair with something to get the most out of it.  According to the Pressure Drop website it was conceived to perfectly match a roast chicken - and I can completely see the intention.  It doesn't taste like stuffing (obviously), but the mouth-feel would go perfectly with a nice piece of chicken with some sage stuffing.  It's light and crisp - it's odd having something that tastes like 'erbs being refreshing.

Anyway.  This beer is getting bonus points for design.

37/42

South Park the movie is on now. Score.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 4th

I've let advent beer #3 sit for a spell - on to #4.

 Siren (Craft Brew) - Liquid Mistress 

Now here's a tasty beverage. Liquid Mistress is a red IPA.  So red, it's brown.  Deep brown.  A good sign.
There's a big hoppy caramel flavour to this beer.  It's spot on.  If you were in the mood for an IPA and a porter, but didn't quite have the room in your stomach for 2 drinks - then this is the drink for you!
It's hoppy, fruity, rich and sweet.

38/42

Nothing new to add here...I'm watching The Transporter 3...

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 3rd

Evening all.

I'm going to be very restrained in this blog post and try and not to go on a lot about how I got up at 05:45 (in Edinburgh) to catch a flight to Bristol at 08:05 which never arrived at my departure location (it was too windy and so landed in Newcastle) - so I got a coach to Newcastle only to be told that the plane was in fact struck by lightning during landing and that it wasn't going anywhere.
Then I got re-booked onto a later flight to Bristol (after arguing with some woman in the queue) which was also slightly delayed (by ice on the wings) only to be follow up by a delayed train back to Cardiff.

Splendid day all round.

I'm now going to attempt to drink Tuesday's, Wednesday's and Thursday's advent beers whilst exhausted and on a fairly empty stomach whilst remaining coherent and...awake.

 Odell Brewery - 5 Barrel Pale Ale 

The Odell website and the bottle talk this beer up a lot - apparently it's hoppy.  Made with hops.  Then added hops. HOPS.
It's OK.  It's very smooth, nice and drinkable - nicely balanced body. It's not really setting off any party poppers in my mouth though.  It's a good solid IPA.  Does smell terrific.
Nothing too special - I suspect it disappeared too quickly because of the circumstances in which I find myself.

29/42

I'm not wearing any underwear right now.  I'm in ma jammies. 
I spend the last 2 days in Edinburgh - I must say it is a fantastic city.  I found it very quickly seeped into my mind, the architecture and the way the city is set out stuck in my thoughts as I tried to sleep at night.  It's certainly remarkable, and worth a visit - you can have haggis, walk down strange off-streets and marvel at how foreign it can feel.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 2nd

I'm off to Edinburgh later, so it's entirely correct for this beer to be sampled mid-afternoon whilst almost everyone else I know is in work.

 Beavertown - Black Betty (Whoah Black Betty, bam-a-lam! What a riff...)

I'm fairly new to Beavertown, they are a British brewer but they brew American inspired beers.  Black Betty is a black IPA.  I can't really be bothered to elaborate on what a black IPA is, put simply - it's like an American IPA with the characteristics of dark beers (stouts/porters etc).  Still quite sharp and hoppy, with rich and dark malt flavours - I should add that they're still really light feeling, no treacle here.  They're usually quite strong - Black Betty is 7.4%.
Black Betty reminds me a lot of Brewdog's Libertine Black Ale, which is a good place to start.  It's a bit sweeter and goes down too easily (insert "your mum" joke here).  I'm a huge fan of dark beers, and a huge fan of IPAs so this beer has a lot going for it.  It's also quite sweet which suits my palette.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  Scoring quite high today.

39/42

Woooooooooooo! I'm going to Edinburgh. I've not been to Scotland before.  Sadly it means that on Thursday I'm going to have to play catch up and have Tuesday's and Wendesday's beers.  Then Thursday's! Oh no! :-D
You should also know that I did listen to Black Betty whilst writing this. And that my underwear is white.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 - December 1st

Huzzah!

It's beer advent calendar 2013!  This year I have splashed out a bit - after discovering a new shop with the most insane beer collection (I'm not kidding, it's incredible) I have created the most expensive beer advent calendar yet.  Escalation is only natural...
They also sell lots of Belgian beers with their associated glasses, including the fantastic Kwak glass. One day!

I've tried to avoid getting too many of one beer type, but I may have got actual beer goggles on at one point and just grabbed fantastic looking beers.  We'll see.

This year I was sorely tempted to splash out on a whisky advent calendar to accompany the beer one, but running it at £150 it was a bit much.  Perhaps I shall spend this year attempting to locate 24 good miniatures and do my own whisky calendar next year.

I'm going to attempt to do without the smells/looks/tastes review style - not sure how long I'll last but I'm a bit tired of saying the same things.

 Harviestoun - Wild Hop IPA 

Harviestoun was the brewer to end BAC2012 and it's nice to have them back to start 2013.

They state on their website that Wild Hop IPA is an american inspired IPA, which they've tried to refine a little and make more palatable for people more accustomed to British style IPA.  It does just that, I can't think how many times I've had an "American style IPA" from a pump and been sorely disappointed.
This is lovely. It's crisp, sweet, fruity and bitter.  It's got a very moreish sharp zesty finish.
I wish that whenever I ordered a British IPA in a pub that it came out tasting like this.

Oh, and I forgot to score.  Abstract scoring method this year (marks out of 42).

36


Last year at the end of my blog I wrote what I was listening to and a little bit about that.  I can't be bothered this year.  I'll just ramble a bit.
I'm sat on the couch, watching something called The last mimzy.  It's bonkers. It's like E.T crossed with Batteries not included crossed with...some narcotics.
Oh, and my underwear today is black.

Indefinite pitch

This evening I elected to, under no duress or pressure from my hosts - watch Pitch Perfect.

Apparently - A Capella is popular these days, and as a result of that someone somewhere decided that a movie that dealt with the issues around such an activity was overdue.

So then, that someone, or someone else, scrawled down a derivative paper thin script (we're talking well below the standard 80g/m² paper typical to most offices) and set about making a film.

I'm not good with things I don't understand - and I don't understand quite how positively films of blatantly questionable quality are received.  

Yes, it's inoffensive and fun - where's the harm?  I'm not sure. Where did everyone leave their objectivity?  How much hollow entertainment is too much? Nutrition is good for you.

The plot is tired, very tired - there is an attempt of injecting satire or irony into it, but it doesn't work.  There are a few laugh out loud moments (from support characters, of course) but on the whole it's scarcely witty - it's actually almost like a Disney made for TV movie.

It lacks relevance and probably due to its targeted certification band it is definitely lacking any edge.

The characters are woefully generic, the no-nonsense fat girl, the sexy brunette, the bossy blonde, and the 'alternative' central character struggling to fit in.  And that's just the female cast, the male cast is equally uninspired.  I don't care how hot they (the women) are, if you're not going to create some semblance of a character for them they're just tits and arse on a screen.  I can watch tits and arse in lots of other places that don't induce quite the feeling of nausea or keep me up at night.

So I guess the fact that it's a generally terrible piece of film means it's just a tool for delivering 10 or so songs  (or 20 or so if you break up the 'mash ups'), but if you don't particularly like watching people mime to overly-processed and occasionally auto-tuned vocals you should probably just...well...do something else.

For the record, I don't hate A Capella, if The Blanks ever came anywhere near Cardiff I'd make a point of going to see them.

A CD retrospective - Stoosh

Stoosh by Skunk Anansie
Stoosh is actually one of only a few albums where I have no recollection of how I obtained it.  How I come across music is usually something I remember - because I find music very personal it's important for me to remember the exposure.  1996/7 were good years for me and new bands, anyway.

My mum hated this album, and very likely still hates it.  Something about Skin made her very annoyed.  Such a shame then that one of my favourite tracks on the album was the opener.  Yes, it's fucking political is almost spat rather than sung.
The album switches from mellow occasionally balled rock, to almost militant post-punk.  All the while Skin wails, screams and whispers over the top of it.
Instrumentally the bass ("Cass" Lewis) is the best thing throughout the album, if you read the blog I wrote about Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds you'll recall I do enjoy a good bit of bass.

It'd be wrong not to mention the last track, Glorious Pop Song is a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek and bass driven...pop song, complete with "Nah nah nah's", and perpetual tambourine shaking.  The chorus is the most surprising thing, as it consists entirely of the lines "You're still a fucker", gently sung with a catchy melody.

Four of the 11 (named) tracks were released as singles during the year that followed it's release - Twisted and Hedonism would probably be the two you'd know if you weren't familiar with the band.
I actually think it's quite underrated - if nothing else Lemmy agrees with me.  Just a shame that around the time the album came out everyone was far too busy arguing whether Oasis or Blur were better.

A CD retrospective - Infinity Land

Infinity Land by Biffy Clyro
Mr K introduced me to Biffy Clyro, around the same time he introduced me to Muse and the Kings of Leon.  This album certainly was an eye opener.

I'm going to write about the album cover first, as it's always confused me.
The main element being the dictator-esque (black jacket, red armband) Mickey Mouse-eared character.  The gas mask has appeared in at least one other image by the artist,

It's meaning is far too ambiguous for me to make a suggestion - and I honestly don't know where that other image is from.
The heart with the upturned infinity symbol is also a bit confusing, coupling a heart and an infinity sign usually associated with polyamory.  I know the album is called infinity land, but that's supposedly inspired by Jeffrey Dahmer.  Infinity land is supposedly his heaven.
He's also blessing someone or something, he's made the sign of the cross with one hand - the other rests on his heart.  The light shining from behind also strongly suggests something religious.
Then there are the two chaps in the background, who I take to be priests of some description, dressed in white robes with their heads bowed.  They're also wearing armbands, but theirs have a white stripe around them instead of a black one.  And why do their heads strongly resemble the high-peaked early Disney drawings of Mickey Mouse or Oswald the Rabbit? Why do they have ears like that naked fellow in the gas mask?

I'm not complaining about any of this stuff. I just don't get it.  Perhaps they just wanted the cover to be as fucked up as Dahmer's head.  Or as abstract as their music.

Speaking of...I probably should write something about the music.

It's awesome!

This still is Biffy Clyro's best album.  As a three piece they make up for any risk of an empty sound with an astonishing variance and instrumental talent (coupled with a considerable amount of aggression).
I've never heard anything quite like Infinity Land since, Biffy throw more key changes, time signature changes and stop-starts in amongst the almost schizophrenic changes in vocal style, grungy chorus', intricate melodies and tempo than you'd think healthy.  Infinity Land holds nothing back - it pushes, and keeps pushing.  Amazingly it doesn't alienate in the way prog might do - it simply fucking rocks.
I can't imagine what recording this album must have been like, I can only imagine it was about as intense as forgetting how to sit down.

A CD retrospective - OK Computer

OK Computer by Radiohead
I'm not actually sure how to write about OK Computer. I wasn't even into Radiohead when my uncle bought me this album for Christmas.  Like a few other "great" albums it took me a while to appreciate everything it had to offer.

It's sound is dense and gloomy - whilst managing at the same time to often be driven and compulsive.  It's actually quite addictive.  It's a stepping stone between guitar driven songs and the waaaaaay more experimental albums that followed.
I don't really want to write lots about it though.
It may have received more critical acclaim than it deserved as a result of The Bends not receiving any at all, but it's still outstanding.

Don't label it as depressing or whining.  It's worth a listen.

A CD retrospective - This is my truth tell me yours

This is my truth tell me yours by The Manic Street Preachers
The third of what will doubtless be many entries in this blog by The Manic Street Preachers.
Everything must go was always going to be a difficult album to follow, I often wonder what it's like as a band after you produce an album of such quality - to try and follow it up.  More often than not, it doesn't seem to pan out.  I think you have to look outwards for new inspiration or influence so that what you produce can't really be measured against your previous work.

This is my truth is a far cry from Everything must go, it's still a good album - but the shift in attitude is evident.
I'm not sure if 1998 was a particularly good year - but I don't remember a lot about it.  And listening to This is my truth actually makes me quite sad.
I'm not sure if that's because it has some pretty emotional lyrics, or because listening to the album reminds me of a time when I was unhappy.
Let me mention a few songs to try and elaborate.
The opening track is The Everlasting, which starts with a rather sad sounding synth drum beat which continues throughout and finishes the song solo, as it started.  The production on the song (and the album) is flawless, JDB's pitch perfect vocals are almost haunting - it reminds me of early mornings, and being alone.
Ready for drowning and My little empire are two other highlights for me - the cello part in the latter being the pinnacle of "playing an instrument sadly".  The album features plenty of cleverly places orchestral parts, which I think adds to it's somewhat depressing nature.

The more I think, or talk about This is my truth, the more I like it.  It was a significant change in direction for the Manics (something they're going to do at least a few times more before I'm done).
There's still something unsettling about it.

But now unforgiving the everlasting
Everlasting

In the beginning when we were winning
When our smiles were genuine

A CD retrospective - Songs from the Big Chair

Songs from the Big Chair by Tears for Fears
I liked Tears for Fears as a child, among the boxes of casettes my parents had were two brightly colours ones featuring Weetabix men (the cassette on the top right).  It's weird to think that's how I first heard The Jam too.

Anyway, after a Gary Jules piano cover of Mad World punctuated Donnie Darko it rekindled my interest and I sought about picking up this album and The Hurting.
There's some stand-out tracks on this album, Shout, Everybody wants to rule the world, and Head over heels.  It's an odd album that's far more emotive and experimental than you'd expect, there are numerous musical influences and some very neat guitar work.  Bands in the 80's so often nestled into a sound and never shifted from it - either because they lacked the imagination or because they never had it in the first place.  Tears for Fears didn't.

A CD retrospective - The Holy Bible

The Holy Bible by The Manic Street Preachers
I love The Holy Bible, after Everything Must Go I went on a bit of a voyage through the previous Manics albums.  At first, this wasn't the easiest album to get along with - despite JDB's skilfully impressive and fierce instrumentality.  That all changed after a while. Now it's seminal - a caustic benchmark.
It's difficult to slot it into a genre, and difficult to describe the style.  It's like trying to describe The Mars Volta to someone, you can't just call it prog.

I don't really want to describe the album much more, and I'd rather not go on about any of the subjects covered in the lyrics because I could be here all night.

You should listen to it if you haven't.

Little people in little houses

Like maggots small blind and worthless

The massacred innocent blood stains us all

Who's responsible - you fucking are

Who's responsible - you fucking are

Who's responsible - you fucking are

Who's responsible - you fucking are

Who's responsible

A CD retrospective - Hurry up, we're dreaming

I've done a lot of listening and not a lot of writing recently, so here's a bit of blog-diarrhea (I'm not suggesting what I'm writing is or isn't shit, but posting several blogs at once - is).

Hurry up, we're dreaming by M83
This is actually one of the newest albums I own, and one of a few in recent memory I was both actually anticipating and not disappointed by.
Mr K introduced me to M83 in 2005 with their 3rd album Before the dawn heals us - nothing has sounded quite like that since. This is an excellent album none-the-less.

I saw this video on YouTube in the summer of 2011 which got me quite excited - full of retro synthesizers and a track that (I don't want to say soars)...swells with energy.  You may recognise it from any number of Red Bull adverts, or episodes of Top Gear - this album featured quite heavily on both during 2012.

Anyway, it's a double album that runs for about 80 minutes.  For something so expansive, grand and soaked with synth it is surprisingly light-feeling.  It does have some weaker songs, and some strange ones.  Raconte-moi une histoire in particular I found quite...not quite creepy as such, but not normal.
These lines in particular, imagine this being said in a childs (girls) voice.

If you touch its skin

You can feel your body changing

And your vision also

And blue becomes red and red becomes blue

And your mommy suddenly becomes your daddy

And everything looks like a giant cupcake

I'm still not bored of listening to the album, despite me over-playing it.  I actually use the last track on the album as my alarm clock in the morning - it's like someone translated a hopeful and tranquil sunrise into music.

A CD retrospective - Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
In the land of the LP the album sleeve is king. And so it was with The War of the Worlds.
As a child I spent a lot of time going through my parents LP collection, picking out and listening to albums purely because of what was on the cover - we can all agree the artwork on this particular cover is magnificent.  As was the rest of the image in the pamphlet of artwork inside the sleeve.  I spent many evenings listening and looking - I think I made my dad (who it belonged to) dislike it a bit as I listened to it so much.

I never knew who Richard Burton (who narrates and plays the protagonist) was before this, and haven't heard a voice quite like it since.  It oozes eminence.  The rest of the cast isn't too shabby either, featuring Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) and Phil Lynott (I don't need to tell you who he is).

Musically it's not bad either, some extremely tidy studio-rock sprinkled with synth, strings and...other sounds, slightly experimental synth.  Some of the guitar tones sound like I could drink them.  I wish more music was written like this, it's tough to find albums that sound so rich - the bass guitar is particularly enjoyable throughout as the parts are often as neat and catchy as the main guitar lick.

As if that's not enough, it also made me more interested in science fiction - and that can only have been a good thing, am I right?

A CD retrospective - Because of the Times

Because of the Times by Kings of Leon

This is one of the albums I own that I purchased as soon as it came out.  Something that can probably only be said of about 10% of my collection.

Mr K had introduced me to the KoL with Aha Shake Heartbreak (which I'll talk about on another day), On Call had been getting some airplay and I'd heard it a few times - I was cautiously waiting for the album so avoided listening to it as much as I could.

Because of the Times isn't Aha Shake Heartbreak, it's not even similar - really.  There's still plenty to like about it.  KoL seem to stagger around and bump into music that sounds like other artists, and that keeps me interested.  I read a lot of negative press after the album came out saying Because of the Times was just KoL running out of imagination, running out of energy, or just stroking their own egos - I disagree with any such assumption, Because of the Times sounds like a band who are developing together.  

KoL also had a big reputation for drug/alcohol abuse - so maybe this is just what they're like sober.  Either way, I like it.  It's not like Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak were without any hint of derivation, completely original or devoid of obvious inspiration.

Highlights for me would be McFearless, Black Thumbnail and Arizona.  The last track in particular, because regardless of how basic it's composition is - I think it's auditory bliss.

A CD retrospective - The Music

The Music
I rather randomly stumbled upon The Music whilst browsing play.com for things to buy - I can't remember exactly why I bought an album of theirs but remember the album spiel mentioning Led Zeppelin and electronic rock, so I thought I'd give them a chance.  Very unlike me.

Their debut album is one of the best I've ever heard, and sits along side a very select list of albums I just need in my life.
It's powerful from start to finish, balancing solid guitar riffs with electronics that occasionally border on techno.  It's impressive to hear done so well, it helps a great deal that the bass and drums have their own distinct parts which aren't just background noise and are kept high enough in the mix to be interesting all by themselves.  I find it just as entertaining to focus on the drums and bass as I do the guitar, vocals and electronics.  Which makes it all the more satisfying when you really listen to them together.

There are plenty of high points in the album, take the long road and walk it is layered to perfection, the main guitar riff in the truth is no words just kicks arse, so does the way the bass follows it throughout the song (particularly pre-chorus), and the getaway has me bouncing off the walls it's so energetic.

It's seriously well crafted, and not since I realised how old the members of Led Zeppelin were when they recorded Dazed and Confused have I been so jealous of youth and talent.

A CD retrospective - Absolution

I ended my (drinking) dry spell today with a Punk IPA and an Auchentoshan. Nice.

I thought I'd do another album as I supped my scotch.

Absolution by Muse
I don't appreciate Absolution like I used to.  It represented more than music for a long time as one of about 4 albums Mr K suggested I listen to in the mid 00's.  They were in truth probably the most modern albums I'd listened to (and enjoyed) in almost a decade and Absolution was the first.
If I may...can I distract you with the cover? The man standing there has a long shadow cast, but the bodies supposedly floating above him are symmetrical and correctly proportioned - which would absolutely not be the case if the sun were casting a long shadow.
Yes, I did just write that.

Absolution is a bit boring these days, Matt Bellamy has a vocal which grates on me.  Maybe I over-exposed myself back then and it's my fault.  Butterflies and Hurricanes remains the highlight of the album, it stops 3 minutes in and a tremendous classical piano solo steals the show before the song starts again.  It actually cuts pretty poorly before the end of the piano and the start of the rest of the song, I'd not noticed before.
It's still a good album, a lesson in how good simple guitars with the right effect/distortion can rule the sound - especially if filled out with a bit of synth and dotted with operatic dynamism.
If nothing else Absolution (with the help of Mr K and Mr O) taught me how achievable making music like theirs was, with the right idea and the right approach it wasn't mystical or magical.

A CD retrospective - School's Out

If an authority figure in my life hadn't illegally taped someone else's Alice Cooper vinyl I might not have spent large parts of my childhood listening to them.

School's Out by Alice Cooper

Despite the song being the most well known (with possibly the exception of Poison) and despite being classic rock gold - the album that shares the same name is really very different from the raw 'I've stabbed the amp with a knife' style of early rock you'd expect if you'd just heard the title track.
It's somewhat orchestral, sometimes jazzy, and sometimes as musically theatrical as you can get (the final track is entirely instrumental and belongs in West Side Story).
The jazz/cabaret bass in Blue Turk is entertainment all by itself, and musically pretty far from Schools Out.  Alma Mater perfectly captures the feelings of relief and sadness I got from leaving school.
My favourite track is Public Animal #9, not least because the title seems confusing - I mean, why #9?...It has a punchy beat to kick it off, a piano starts the melody before some nice guitar licks get things moving properly. There's also a very catchy choral "Hey-hey-hey" that punctuates each line of the verse.

A CD retrospective - Through the windowpane

I got extremely bored this evening, and as it's still January I couldn't alleviate my boredom with alcohol.  So I decided to listen to another album and write about it.

Through the windowpane by Guillemots

I was on a flight from London Gatwick to Orlando a few months after this album came out.  It was one of the albums available in full during the flight.  One of my friends spent the entire 8 hour flight listening to it on a loop.  I listened to it once but wasn't really as receptive as I could have been - I don't think I was in the mood for it.
I was familiar with one song, Trains to Brazil.  It's a song I always associate with my friends, and is the sort of thing we can shout/sing at any opportunity - the first few lines at least.

During a spell of unemployment in 2008 I picked the album up and I was far more appreciative of it.  There's an unusual path the album seems to take, sometimes it's bouncing, energetic, sometimes the vocals are thick with despair - it's a bit of a ride.  The 5th track on the album "come away with me" feels a lot like a trippy interlude and seems to carry with it a change in style for the rest of the album.
The highlight of the album for me is the last track, São Paulo.  It's over 11 minutes and has a brilliant orchestral weight behind it and some clever arrangement - there are strings, brass, wind and percussion all swaying in the mix.
The reason it's my highlight is the finale, the whole album swells and calms throughout - and São Paulo is when everything just gets too much, it's a last attack - it fizzes up to a near cacophony and then dies away brilliantly.

A CD retrospective - Everything Must Go

Since Christmas I've been umm'ing and ahh'ing about buying myself something nice.  I looked at laptops, tablets (not the medicinal kind), acoustic guitars and stereos.  As you should have been able to tell by the title of this blog I decided to buy a new stereo.

A new CD player and some nice-ish speakers.

I did my research, carefully considered my budget and decided to purchase a Denon DM39 and a pair of Tannoy Mercury speakers from Richer Sounds (whose customer service is exemplary).

I carefully considered the best locations for my speakers, rearranged my desk and in anticipation of my purchase chose the first album I'd listen to on it.  Turns out I decided to listen to my first CD album.
Then I decided why not go through my CD collection (it's only small, maybe 100 albums in total) and write a bit about each one, I'm sure my feelings about some of them are quite different now.

So, first up.

Everything Must Go by The Manic Street Preachers

I'm going to have a hard time not being biased about this album, it's got such a weight of nostalgia associated with it.
The Manics were the first band I saw live (during their tour following this release) and I spent many, many hours in a cocoon of childhood with Mr K playing Amstrad CPC 464 or Spectrum whilst listening to it.

I always forget how many albums The Manics have released and I've got my favourites, but Everything Must Go is without a doubt their best.  According to the many documentaries I've seen about it - JDB learnt to sing properly for the album (it shows), and said the recording experience was idyllic.  High praise for producer Mike Hedges, and I've nothing but high praise for the album - even without my nostalgia tinted view I think it's flawless.

Even my 17 year old copy has been given new life by my new Hi-Fi.
Or at least it had been until I got 18 seconds into No Surface All Feeling when I had to take the CD out and give it a good wipe with my sleeve.

The whole album is pretty stand-out, but my stand-out tracks are:
A Design for Life
Enola/Alone
Further Away.