Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The Unknownn - Self Titled (Album Review)


I came across this band on myspace, www.myspace.com/theunknownn , when I was approached to be their friend...all I can say is thank god they found me!

First of all I have to say this is one of the best produced albums I have listened to in all my 27 years of serious music listening, the separation between vocal, bass, keyboards and guitars is spot on...the vocals at times becoming isolated and fragile whilst still integrating with the music going on behind.

The album opens with 'Nocturne' (a personal favourite), spacey beats, multi layered breathy vocals and sparse instrumentation all add up to an amazing start. The first surprise (as such) appears on 'Raw' when the track breaks out into a wall of sonic new rock but with the vocals still appearing melodious and moody....the band keep transporting me back to the 'Portishead' sound of the early 90's but with a much more modern feel.

It doesn't justify the intensity of the album to break it down any further as it is a complete entity and as such needs to be listened to as a whole. An hour of listening to The Unknownn is an hour of your life that will either be changed forever, or the music will dig deep into your subconscious until you are ready to 'hear' them properly. The band also refutes any egotism by crediting no one, so the spotlight falls on 'The Unknownn' as a collective rather than a set of separate people.

If you were able to only afford to buy one album for the next 6 months, this should be it, it's exciting, it's dark, it's mysterious, it's celebratory, it's hallucinatory...it's 'The Unknownn'

Saturday, February 24, 2007

yompity yomp yomp yomp

woo hoo...they say that time flies when you are having fun...well...I have also found that time sometimes flies when you are having fuck all fun as well...how amazing is that...one day I'm sat here writing, next thing it's ten days before I come back...I am sure I am living in some time continuum thingy...it's weird, sometimes I feel like I have had a conversation before when talking to a person and the next time they ask me "did you do what i told you.." etc...and I have no fucking idea whatsoever what they are talking about...so I presume that I leap forward in time missing out huge chunks of conversation along the way and spend most of my life in a happy oblivious state...well, thats my excuse anyway!





It's all systems go for our trip to Ullswater, I am now kitted up with a three in one waterproof 'Regatta' jacket and a lovely pair of waterproof yomping boots...can't wait, i feel very butch, all i need now is a wooly hat, thick socks, waterproof leggings and a rucksack...if anyone has seen Mike leighs "Nuts in May" that is how I will look by the end of my Steve "mountain man" macdougall makeover.





Here is a gratuitous picture of Ullswater.



















If you haven't seen 'HOT FUZZ' yet, then you are missing out on a great comedy film...Lisa and I watched it the other night and its very hard usually to make lisa laugh as she is very stone faced! (tee hee x) but I could see hysterical leakage from all angles as we perused the film...very funny indeed with some great performances, especially Simon Pegg who looks very cute in uniform :)

thats it for now, am on holiday for a couple of weeks now so will probably do a bit more writing than usual..no promises though ;)

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Sunday, February 11, 2007

the prick of destiny...


Oh I just had to write today because an old friend has turned up...none other than little Belinda Carlisle sneaks through the back door and places a new album in my little kangaroo pouch!

"Voila!" is a terrific album of French chanson (torch songs and tiaras, I like to call it) all sung in French (funnily enough!) with people like Brian Eno on board to make up the band...she now sounds like the smokey chanteuse that suits the album and its full of great arrangements and destraught melodies. Her version of "Ne me quitte pas" is just beuatiful and we have have jaques Brel thrown in and I think a little Aznavour somewhere along the line. Download it now x

Still been in film frenzy mood and I have been holding my own little film festival at home, pity nobody comes :(
What we need is a local cinema that plays all the art house films and films that get a limited release because they are too intellectual for most Americans..I love independent cinema.

I have spent most of the week being shit on from great heights by people who know who they are...I won't say anymore than that, you will have to wait for my Biography to come out...enough to say that the week has been quite stressful and it really makes me sad that I can't lead a happier life when all i want to do is help people less fortunate than myself.

Back to Belinda....she makes me smile, bless me and my little kangaroo pouch full of music...

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Arrroooooooooo!

well it's been a few days...I'm well, still not smoking, lisa is trying too but has backslid a weeny bit but we have her back on the right track now!

Went to see Wolfmother the other night at the Hammersmith Apollo, awesome was the word to use, a great sonic blast of dino rock :), they even covered Led Zepellins 'Communication Breakdown' but I wasn't aware of that until steve told me!
wolfmother 4

Seen some great films as The Oscar frenzy hots up, 'Last King of Scotland' is amazing, 'Venus' is wonderful, if only for that fact that you get to hear Peter O'Toole and Leslie Phillips calling each other 'Farking Cunts'

Life in the Undertaking world is quite fabby and am really enjoying being a chapel attendant in my spare time, it calms me down from the days excitements!

I am searching high and low for low cost walking booties and a kagool (oh how fashionable) for my yomping trip to the lake district in April...I am only going low cost as I will probably never ever wear them again!

Lots of blood letting and sword throwing will take place shortly at work as a rather nice secondment job has been posted that has us all in a frenzy like sharks round a corpse :) I think I may just join in the throng :)

Oh well, I like these early morning chats, thanks for listening but i really have to go and do some work now ....