The scales always find a way to level out

Firstly I have to say that being an obsessive music fan isn't as easy as the casual fan might be led to believe.Because just as there is always the chance that something new or previously undiscovered/unnoticed song or album might be unearthed and enhance your existence,there is also the threat that something previously amazing and untainted,might suddenly become humdrum without a second of warning.This may be coming across as wholeheartedly melodramatic,perhaps even trivial.If that's the case it's probably better you find your way to another blog entirely,you see this one isn't about discussing the world and its many conflicts,its much more micro than that,and it concerns itself only with my various rantings and ravings about music.

Anyway,the artist the above paragraph most relates to at the moment is Bright Eyes.As previously mentioned I've been struggling,nay wrestling with 'Cassadaga'since its release,and this week came to the conclusion that I could do no more.I resigned myself to not liking the album and managed to accept that it isn't my fault,sometimes these things just don't work out.However,I still felt a trickle of glee at the thought of seeing Bright Eyes live and hoped the most recent songs would fully come to life live.Alas,that was not to be and so another,slightly less crushing blow was dealt.The gig was at a rather large venue and indeed my least favourite local venue.I struggled to see easily despite changing location several times,and eventually chose to stand fairly near the stage with an awkward side view some of the time.The gig lacked the spark of previous Bright Eyes gigs and the only real moment of connection I felt was during 'The Calendar Hung Itself',one of my very favourite Bright Eyes song.Even one of my favourites from 'I'm Wide Awake...'and the only song from that album not featured last time I saw them('First Day of My Life'for fact fans)rang hollow in its new,speedier version.I spent the majority of the gig feeling frustrated and aching(both physically and metaphorically).

So there we are,another perfect relationship in shreds.I know it seems unreasonable,idealistic and all the rest of it to expect your favourite artists to keep you happy,but such is the euphoria when you first discover them that you feel confident they could never disappoint you,until one day the manage to easily when you're not expecting anything.

It's a shame that this post is so heavy with its own woes,but after endless posts detailing my love and excitement concerning various artists,I guess the balance needed to be addressed.Don't worry about my negativity though,the next post will be about a life changing album.At the risk of repeating myself I will say that the life of any hardened music fan is always swinging from disappointment to hysteria,the risks have to be taken I suppose.

I would be sad

No matter how low my spirits might plummet there is always something good just around the corner to pick me up again,musically speaking at least.My latest love and probably soon to be a passion leading me to rant on about them uncontrollably,is the Avett Brothers.I heard snippets from 'Emotionalism'recently and fell under the spell,leading me to buy the album speedily.It is gorgeous and sure to be right up there in the albums of the year(yes,that rears its head yet again,what can I say?I love list making and music geekery fits snuggly alongside it wouldn't you say?)The style,for the uninitiated is bluegrass meets alt-country with heart tuggingly well observed lyrics.There are more upbeat moments too to balance out the touching heartache of the rest.Unmissable for those who like their heartbreak well articulated.

So,'Icky Thump'.I haven't fully digested it yet but my response after one listen is that's it is a solid beast of an album.My worries were quickly cast aside as 'You Don't Know What Love Is(You Just Do As You're Told)'burst through the headphones.It's a fantastic blend of rock and country and my favourite song on the album so far.Generally it's a vastly consistent record though and I am suitably pleased.For once this year my fears were not realised,but I'm sure my fellow music obsessives can relate to my skepticism,2007 has been a lacklustre year for albums when it should have been brilliant.

I've also been indulging in a little Amy Winehouse recently.I really didn't like her previously and absolutely detest 'Rehab'but I thought I'd give her a shot after I heard 'Back to Black'on the radio and it sounded much better.In an odd twist I fate I also saw her the street in Camden last week which was suitably random!I've been listening to a few songs and do quite like them.I don't think I'll ever be a 'fan'as such but I can see what the appeal is more so now I think.

Last night I went to se Charlotte Hatherley performing her first ever acoustic show.I was never her biggest fan when she was in Ash,having assumed she was responsible for their weaker offerings.That said I wanted to give her the opportunity to impress solo and she certainly did.I generally prefer her debut album to 'The Deep Blue'as I love the unabashed pop of songs like 'Summer' and 'Kim Wilde'.All of the songs sounded great live though and she did some interesting covers like Kim Wilde's 'Kids in America' and The Beatles 'I Want You'.So overall a suitably pleasing event.I love live music for its spontenaity,you can go and see a band you love dearly and be dissapointed or see someone you have little expectation of and be massively impressed.

So that's about all for this dose of musical morsels,but thank you for visiting and feel free as a bird to leave comments or suggestions!

You cried the union forever,but that was untrue girl

I've set up a 'stats'feed for this blog so I can see how many visits it's getting and I must say that I've been pleasantly surprised so far and hope that by posting regularly I can increase that gradually.Thanks to those of you who do read,in particular those who have left comments,it's always nice to have made connections with other people,especially as a lot of the time I feel like one of the only ones who feels so strongly about music.(I know I'm NOT,I just don't come into contact with like minded types too often,certainly not in 'real'life anyway as gigs seem to be populated by morons).

Anywho,I was in London for a few days this week which was fab as always.I love it there,the vibrance and the noise and the hustle and bustle.It is also the location of my favourite bookshop in the country.I haven't visited every one in the land of course but it's safe to say that outdoing this one is not possible.There are also some lovely record shops there and I found some wonderous things,like 'The River'.Perhaps belatedly I am in the grip of a Bruce Springsteen fixation and am very slowly building a collection of his records.'The River'was particularly sought after as it's considered such a classic,and double albums are always worth perusing.It is a fantastic album and I'm very glad I found a reasonably priced copy.I also found 'Tim'by The Replacements,which sent me into a music fan stupour,another fantastic record.Sadly there was nothing by The National to be found but I will persist,and I am more than happy with my purchases.I also found Eleni Mandell's 'Miracle of Five'for £1!I believe I was introduced to her by a certain Lis(http://lastyearsgirl.pixlet.net/) and the album is lovely stuff.

Of course the main reason for my visit was to see The White Stripes,but my description of that can only be a heavy hearted dissapointment.I'm not sure what it was about the performance but I just didn't feel the spark that would mean the gig would forever be in my mental hall of fame.It didn't help that the crowd was huge and unbearably squashed close together.The other times I've seen them were much better and this time seemed a little perfunctory to me.I wasn't keen on the meandering solos either,but I guess you expect all the crowd pleasing flourishes at such a huge gig.I left feeling a little hollow though,glad to have seen them again but feeling as if I hadn't heard most of my favourite songs.I also hate it when bands have one very iconic song that the majority of the crows is waiting to hear and will inevitably be the gig's finale.Of course that song is 'Seven Nation Army'and while I like the song a lot and do think it's probably amongst their best I hate the predictability of its appearance and the crowd's response.Especially as a guy behind me remarked "everyone in the place is just waiting to hear that opening riff",well actually,I wasn't.I would have preferred 'The Hardest Button to Button','The Union Forever'or 'The Big Three Killed My Baby'.I'm still looking forward to hearing 'Icky Thump'for the first time tomorrow,although I must admit not being that impressed by the couple of live previews.

As I write this I am listening to the Bats for Lashes album.I got it about 8 months ago and listened to it but had neglected it since then,until today I stumbled across a rather magnificent cover of 'I'm on Fire'which led me to rummaging around for the album.It's a lot more memorable and loveable this time so I guess it's a grower.The opening track 'Horse and I'really reminds me of old Bjork.I love the first three Bjork albums dearly but have liked the more recent three less and less.I can't really get into 'Volta'at all,I just find it overwhelming,it seems to have taken on far too many styles.

Well,this has seemed like a very long post to type so I will end it there,I'm sure I'll be back soon with my thoughts on a certain 'Icky Thump'.

I haven't vanished

I feel bad for neglecting my fledgling music blog recently so I thought I would return before my tiny handful of readers vanish all together!The main reason for my absence is that I haven't been feeling very inspired by music of late.By that I mean that I haven't felt inspired by anything new,I hear things I haven't experienced before but they generally leave me untouched.As a result I have been retreating into nostalgia and listening to the likes of Ash,Oasis and Kenickie.

I also went to see Manic Street Preachers recently(AKA-huge and intense musical obsession of my youth).I've been a fan for more than 10 years now and during that time our relationship has changed a great deal.The arrival of their new album and tour has regnited the spark and the gig was wonderful.Parts of it left me feeling rather emotional as I felt the same connection with certain songs and lyrics as I did many a year ago.It's nice to think that after all of the good and bad memories hearing their songs can inspire it's still possible for them to inspire and comfort me,particularly as for a few years they felt lost to me completely.

I am still in the firm grip of my fixation with a certain Mr Adams of course and will be seeing him live this very week,I am thrilled at the prospect,and feel that there has never been an album so heavily anticipated as one 'Easy Tiger'.I already have an 'Easy Tiger'promotional badge which I plan to co-ordinate with all of my outfits in the coming weeks.

I've been listening to a lot of Anais Mitchell recently,I got her latest album 'The Brightness'this week and it is as pleasing as its predecessor,she is so wondeful and hardly known,that obviously needs to be remedied!

I'm off on a couple of musical trips in the next week and on my travels will undoubtedly be visiting the greatest branches of the Music and Video Exchange in the UK,I do hope I find some gems!I will definitely be updating with some more musical rantings again very soon so if you like what you see then please do return.

If I could talk I'd tell you

I haven't updated this for a while as I haven't been feeling very eloquent recently,my head is too clouded with thoughts and feels very woolly at the moment.Last week was spent in something of a gigs frenzy so that is worth commenting upon.I find it hard to share my thoughts on live music though as I find such things fleeting and hard to describe.I will at least mention who I saw.My first two attempts at live reviews happened last week courtesy of The Shins and Polly Paulusma.I saw The Shins live last year and enjoyed them a lot,but this time there was no spark for me at all.The songs didn't inspire me and from the moment the gig began I was itching to get out of there.The reason for this reaction may be circumstantial as I'd had a pretty long and quite stressful day leading up to the gig,but overall it was a big letdown with few lasting impressions.The review was a hard one to write as a result too.Thankfully Polly was a more vibrant gig meaning the words for the review danced across the page for me.Now I am impatient for her new album and hope I can get an advance copy.

The most notable event of last week though was seeing Damien Rice.I am rather besotted with his music and had been looking forward to the gig massively since I booked the tickets way back in October.Sometimes such experiences can be crushing in their dissapointment but this wasn't at all.I watched in awe and every second was amazing.His banter was non-existent so the songs came thick and fast in an onslaught of wonder.Greedy as I am I left incredibly thankful I booked tickets for his next tour a few months ago,obviously very assured that he would be worth repeated viewing.

Elsewhere I have been listening to the new Laura Veirs record.I'm a big fan of hers and the album certainly has the likeability factor so far,I'm not sure if it will progress beyond that though.I also visited Fopp again,I should have learnt the error of that particular decision by now.This time I left with Richmond Fontaine's 'Post to Wire' and Calexico's 'Garden Ruin', and very nice they are too.Perhaps I will share further thoughts on those albums after repeated listens,but for now I am absorbed with trying to determine my top 10 albums based on lyrics alone,which a friend asked me to come up with.As soon as it is determined I will post the list here,exciting eh?

It's only the future that didn't last

Last night I went to see Idlewild for the eighth(!)time,so you could say I'm a long time fan of theirs.They're a band I can return to again and again and I've always enjoyed seeing them live.Each time there are a collection of memories flooding my brain and I liked thinking about the different phases of my life they've provided the soundtrack to.So last night I left the cold air of the city to enter a familiar venue where I'd seen the band twice before.I found a good spot near the front,sadly situated in direct proximity to a rather ridiculous man who stumbled into me countless times and a rather large person with hygiene issues,but seeing the stage was the most important thing.

Idlewild played a mixed set,but after seeing them on so many occassions previously I was hoping to here the majority of the latest album 'Make Another World', yet they chose a greatest hits set instead and played only five from their latest outing,and neither of their favourites.Of course I love their older songs too but these were very safe choices and all singles besides two exceptions.So I spent the gig thinking that Idlewild and many of their fans might be trapped in nostalgia,particularly as the reaction to tracks from the latest album seemed decidedly lukewarm.

So I left with a slightly heavy heart as I acknowledged that this gig wouldn't go into my Idlewild hall of fame,and would instead join their other dissapointing gig from 2002.I think I differ from the majority of gig-goers in that I usually hope to hear the latest songs as opposed to clamoring for the oldies,I guess that's because if I wanted to hear lots of old songs I'd go and see a band who only had hits a million years ago so subsequently only play their 'hits' at gigs.

This is not my most eloquent post so far,probably due to being a bit cranky at the moment after reviewing a rather appalling CD by a rather awful band called X is Loaded.I urge you to investigate them under no circumstances,well,unless you desire to punish your ears for some heinous crime they've committed.

Next up will be a post of recently acquired music,most of which was the product of a lucrative trip to a rather wonderful shop called Fopp this afternoon.