Biffy Clyro in America

so. Biffy Clyro.

Once again, my beloved Biffy Clyro.

It's interesting being a Biffy fan in America. a.) My foreign accent and a nonsense band name make for some funny "Biffy the who?! conversations(as pointed out by the band on several occasions). B.)there's nothing more satisfying than the rare, oh so rare, moments when your favorite band are mentioned. and c.) One observes an enormous cultural difference.

It is a cultural chasm of a cultural difference, my friends.

simply put; America in general do not like Biffy Clyro.

Crazy talk, isn't it? But yes; it's true.

By Biffy Clyro, I mean all eras Biffy Clyro. From 57 to There's No Such thing as A Jaggy Snake to God And Satan and back. Admittedly, the debates of which era of Biffy is best have gotten a little heated and out of hand but most people can find something to their tastes in their catalogue, right? they're at the height of their game! And yet, here, Blackened Sky isn't quite Foo Fighters enough, Vertigo of Bliss is too weird, Infinity Land is too dark, Puzzle is too creative, Only Revolutions isn't catchy enough.

At the moment, I'm an Infinity Land kind of person. That perfect balance between alterna-pop, pop rock, and metal is just blissfully unique. But I'm a big fan, and I like all of them.

Biffy are--or were--pretty post-grunge, there's no getting around that. and you know, that's totally okay within reason. My biggest problem with music in this country is without a shadow of doubt, post-grunge, however. It's a big problem and it's more than I'm gonna discuss here, but Biffy are a prime example of it. Not post-grunge? Not gonna get big.

So they're not Dave Grohl. Simon Neil is trying his best! But he just can't be. there's also no straightening that hair or getting rid of those muscles. So they make good, accessible guitar music and he's not Nickelback southern-drawl rock and he's not whiny 16-year-old emo angst...they must, be, like, unique, right? They must be praised! Supported!

And yet, like so many other guitar bands from different countries, they are not. by the looks, of it, they never will be. I'm sorry america, I don't especially care anymore about your Keshas or Kings of Leon or Jay Z's. Do what you like. It sells, doesn't it? It's not all half bad, too. My problem is your guitar music. Shut up. I'm not saying you have to love Biffy Clyro like I do. But their label are pushing them and they're just not being given a chance. you've shut yourselves off. You've forgotten what anything else sounds like. And you will suffer.

If you carry this way, in 2060 you will stay be singing three-chord songs about fucking some bitch in your gritty, gruesome baritone. you'll grow your hair and never stop talking about Nirvana. You'll be on all the stations and you'll get sucked up and you'll forget what it was like when music breathed.

It's sucks that you just don't care anymore.

Songs of September

I am starting to sense your location
in an alternate dimension
in the countryside of England
spirits trapped inside the linens.
And you're feeling quite at home there
also feeling somewhat lonely
no one sees you in your pixelated fishnets
and your black and orange berets - Freelance Whales

1. Trophy Wife - Partyline
2. Shark In The Water - V V Brown
3. Invaders Must Die - The Prodigy
4. Celastica - Crystal Castles
5. She Said - Plan B
6. I Like - The Divine Comedy
7. Can't Stand Me Now - The Libertines
8. Bloodbuzz Ohio - the National
9. You - Gold Panda
10. Coffee Shop Soundtrack - All Time Low
11. Location - Freelance Whales
12. Golden Skans - Klaxons
13. Flash A Hungry Smile - Mystery Jets
14. Closer - Kings of Leon
15. Chaka Demus - Jamie T
16. Born Free - M.I.A.
17. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt - Owen Pallett
18. Since you're Gone - The Pretty Reckless
19. Learning - Perfume Genius
20. Pope Song - Tim Minchin
21. Let Me Down Easy - The Candles
22. Wrapped in Piano Strings - Radical Face
22. Shark's Tooth - Archie Bronson Outfit
23. Gitana - Shakira
24. Wakka Wakka - Shakira
25. Thick As Thieves - Kasabian
26. Mountaineer - White Sea
27. A Day of - Biffy Clyro
28. Because Of You - Skunk Anansie
29. Zorbing - Stornoway
30. Poem - Tricky

October here we come!

- Naomi

All Time Low Et Cetera.

Hello.





Sorry for the lack of posting in seven days. Seven days is quite a long time for me, I'm afraid. But anyway, on with the show.





Like I mentioned last time, I did end up getting Brandon Flowers' new album, although I've only given it one or two full listens so far. Sounds...alright. Like, sounds like I thought it would. I was expecting very little. He really needs his band to back him up.





That being said, since I love TK so much, or at least I did, I feel I owe him a certain loyalty. Thus, I am going to see him in concert in November. It should be good, he's certainly pretty good live. He was on TV a few nights back. I just saw a clip, and he was supposed to do this old-timey Americana thing, but it looked more villagey old fashioned Scandinavian thing. A little bit weird, but no matter. Hopefully he won't dress like such a dick live(although this is Brandon, so no promises). November 26th-looking forward. November's gonna be an enormous month. it seems it is always an enormous month. Oh, I did wanna see The Antlers, too, but another 18+. Grrr, so not fair.





Who else is touring his year? I mean, yes, a lot of people obviously, but I'm trying to think out of the people I like. Florence's hype will eventually die out, somehow. Elbow are writing or recording something, I think, but that'll tale a while. Foals are doing there thing. Biffy will stop toruing at some point. Muse are about to start their tour of the rest of the solar system(probably, knowing Muse), and um, that's about it, right? Sad, sad times.





Why isn't the new Klaxons on the American iTunes? Silly, stupid iTunes. You don't have half of anything I need. Like, Echoes is an amazing song. You're stupid, America.





Last night I got around to listening to Mystery Jets. I'd heard about them before obviously, but just kinda threw them on the landfill indie pile and was kinda irritated by the whole SEXSEXSEX attitude of the guys when I saw interviews and things. Actually a bad mistake. Their video that's supposed to be vintage that I can't remember the name of is good, and Flash A Hungry Smile is my favorite. Ahh, gorgeous. Catchiness can be an amazing thing, and Mystery Jets prove that so well. Plus...."have you heard the birds and bees have all caught STDs". I can pretty much obsess over anyone who writes those lyrics. Mystery Jets, you have been warned.



Also, Born Free by M.I.A is nothing short of amazing. A bit late on that one, I know. But she's so great. I really need one of her CDs, pretty much now, because I love it so much and think it's so amazing. I was boooooooooorn free.



And Gold Panda, still, of course. man I'm lovin' chillwave generally. Dammit, Naomi, you stupid, stupid, hopelessly spineless hipster. Oh but the music is so lovely.



Lastly, and brace yourselves, All Time Low. Okay, shut up. I like All Time Low. I will complain about all the other emo bands in the world, EXCEPT All Time Low and Paramore. Especially All Time Low. When I was buying Brandon's album over the weekend, I couldn't resist just browsing through the other CDs, as you do. The only ATL song I knew was Jasey Rae. And that Dear Maria song, but you know, that is a seriously seriously bad song. I caught All Time Low doing an acoustic set on one of the music channels I watch one day. I caught Jasey Rae while I
was eating breakfast. I was actually fairly impressed. The guy has a way with words, somehow, and it's catchy and stuff. And it's not even the sort of thing that applies well non acoustic. The...I don't know, arrangement is a bit funny on Jasey Rae, which is of course a good thing. I wouldn't go as far to say it sounds discordant, but certainly, a little bit off kilter for popular pop-punk. The recorded version just grows and grows, and sounds great, frankly. And I'm really impressed with them at the moment. So I couldn't resist it, I bought Put Up or Shut Up. It sounds great. The first two songs sound great, his voice works, he has some clever lyrics, and overall it just sounds less fake and more fun than most of the stuff filling up the airwaves at the moment. I would actually recommend it! haha, yes! Except The Girl's A Downright Hustler. That is one overrated song, my friends. Coffee Shop Soundtrack all the way, my friends. Or just in general. Sound of September? I actually think so.



See you blog.



- Naomi

Woohoo, Yeah Biffy Clyro

Hello.



I was thinking earlier today what my top ten favorite songs ever are. Ever. A lot of people will tell you they 'have too many to decide' which in my opinion is a bit snobbish. Most of them are like 'oh, look at me and the four hundred songs on my ipod'. Silly people. If we weren't like three posts into this blog, I'd list them. But one of those songs would definitely be I Could Feel A Hot One.



It's a song by Manchester Orchestra. I went to see them in March, mostly because I was really into Biffy Clyro, one of the openers. I remember thinking them okay, but not being overly impressed. It was a kinda nice, fuzzy country-rock-ballad thing for an hour or so. I was tired then. There were four bands there and I'd wanted to be within Simon Neil's perspiration range(not quite, but nearly) so I'd stayed there the whole time. The Biff were arguably the best band I've ever seen live. And I've seen, like, Muse and the Prodigy and stuff. It was surreal. Being British, to me they're this enormous stadium-filler of a band, but in a small-ish place in Boston they were like nothing. I was the only person in that room who was in awe. How the hell can I be less than five feet away from Simon Neil? How is that even possible? It was amazing. They were great. I don't know why, but I really connected that day. I was destroyed when they ended, a mere half hour of shirtless soft rock later. That terrible post-concert feeling lasted for an almost unbelievably long amount of time. April kinda sucked because I couldn't stop thinking about how great the whole thing was. It was rainy that night, really really rainy, and I backed out and leaned on a wall and was just really...well, really sad, frankly, the band I(at the time) absolutely adored had just left and probably wouldn't return for a long time. Manchester Orchestra were on by that point. They were playing that song. With MA, their set seemed to merge into one--except that song, that one song. In all its simplicity, its sadness, its crushing lyrics, its hope. It was poignant. it was terrifying and heartbreaking and astonishing and beautiful. Perhaps a moment I will never forget. That's why it's one of my favorite songs.

Um, I guess in that way it's one of my favorite songs because of another band, if you get me. Weird.

In slightly related news, I'm 14. I live in Boston. Monday, Biffy were supposed to play in Boston tomorrow. that is, if you're over 18. Not. Fair. This was my first experience with the Over 18s Only curse and it's bloody annoying. I was due in for a moody, whiny blog posy about how sad I was gonna be. And oh, was I gonna be sad. My life has no worth, I love music, I've nothing to live for, all of that nice stuff. the slightly weird thing is, the Biff had Visa Issues and aren't coming. Huh. Weird, huh? And kinda funny too. Yeah, screw you too, you only get a Simon Neil acoustic version, you don't get the twins. I win, in the most pointless way possible. Wait. Simon bleached his hair for Reading and Leeds, right? Shit. I loved his hair--le'ts face it, he was gorgeous before--but now...no. But somehow I wouldn't have given anything to see that.

Speaking of R&L briefly, I need to get back with the Libertines. I mean, this is an enormous time for a really great band, a hugely significant band, so it's a hugely significant time for music, just 'cause of them. I have barely watched the vids yet. Only a press conference. Peter's so witty and you can laugh at them when he's high--it's funny either way. I think Peter's great. Oh, the great Doherty + Barat songwriting duo, you gotta love it.

In case you can't tell, musically, I'm still a bit busy at the moment, but I will get back to it soon. I'm still listening to the ten songs from last post, and a lot more of the National. High Violet gets better and better every day, it's incredible. still, my freelance Whales CD, which is incredible. And I've been into Kol(yeah, I don't care what you think). it took me forever to 'get' Only by the Night but now it's like, wow, this is amazing. I'm listening to Kurran and the Wolfnotes--I'm liking what I hear. And Robyn covering Bjork(thanks, NME). Also, Imogen Heap, a bit, I really need a CD of hers. Jonsi. I finally decided I did like Mark Ronson's Bang Bang Bang--I wasn't sure for a long time. It's a catchy song, but please, can everyone STOP singing in French? Seriously. like, stop. Now. Please? You sound really stupid. Also, just a little bit of Gold Panda, and Radical Face. I <3 id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">the Radical Face bandwagon.

I'm seriously convinced that interested no one but me...but hey, it's something, right?

- Naomi

I Still Owe Money To The Money To The Money I Owe

I never thought of love when I thought of home. The National.





Hello.



Hey, when you're in 8th grade like I was like last year, you know how you hear all the highschoolers talk about how much homework they have and you know what to expect but don't really think about it or mentally prepare? Yeah.

I did that. And the amount of homework I had today was enormous, inconceivable, unhealthy, miserable. and I had study hall. Basically, high school is okay for everything except the homework. I'm sick of the homework. Like, I've barely had time to look up new music this week. For me, this is pretty pathetic because it was a thing I used to do most nights. Finding indie music is actually pretty time consuming so the fact I've no time to consume is proving a problem. Also the fact that I have created a music blog in the time that I might actually have no time to look for new music is a problem.



Until I get such a problem worked out, I thought today I'd just kinda make a list of the Top Ten things I've been listening to at the moment. so far nothing is actually recycled. So it works--and is quick.



1. Headlock - Imogen Heap. So, Imogen...I kinda started getting into her music in the past few months. There are so many singer-songwriter types around, she just kinda blurred into the background, you know? But a blur-into-the-background musician she most definitely is not. I know she's very interested in the 'breathing life into electronic music' thing, which is something I'm always up for. I'm not a huge electro fan. For me, much of its music is just that, dead, boring, lifeless, soulless. It can never replace pianos and guitars for me. That is, except when played by Imogen--there is just so much beauty, wonder, tweeness, ambiguity, and complexity in Imogen's music that me and virtually everyone else finds irresistible. While nothing while defeat that oh-so-catchy Chasing Cars or that absolute beaut of a song, Hide And seek, Headlock is a catchy, deep, complicated, unique, brilliant song. Just listen to the synthesizers. Oh, you love it, don't you?



2. I Won't Lie To You - Let's Wrestle I literally discovered this about ten minutes ago but it's going here because it rocks. Let's Wrestle make this brilliant lo-fi, seemingly-drunken guitar pop-rock that in many ways sounds like unpolished crap, but in many respects is some of the most lovely, energetic, fun music of the year. This is most definitely a song for one-man dance parties in your bedroom.



3. Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National. I saw the National in June when I saw The Antlers. I like 'em. Hardly a super fan but after Mistaken For Strangers got its billionth play in on my iPod, I finally put High Violet on. It's very much an album that will take a long time to get into,but I'm liking what I'm hearing at the moment. This is the one track that stands out for me at the moment--oh, that border between the catchy and the dark. My my, they have done it will here, haven't they? It's something still troubling and brooding despite being totally accessible and probably having a million views on YouTube. I love it! Also, on a side note, like, could this guy's voice get any more attractive?



4. I Like - The Divine Comedy. One of my V '10 highlights, no question. Like everyone else, I'm a sucker for witty piano-pop(Ben Folds, Tim Minchin, et cetera) and Neil Hannon is no exception A lightweight, summery song with the most wonderful lyrics..."I like your mild political stances, I like your wild spontaneous dances". Oh, so brilliant. We love you, Neil.



5. She Said - Plan B. Because, if you live in the UK, you definitely haven't heard this a billion times, right? Both me and my mum are hooked. And summer=falsettos and catchy, cheap sell-out soul-rap at the moment, apparently, so this is good as it gets.



6. Celastica - Crystal Castles. HYPED HIPSTER CRAP, HYPED HIPSTER CRAP ALERT. But seriously, this is certainly above your usual hyped rave stuff. Crystal Castles are somehow moody, melodic, emo, dark, hyped, dance-ish, and brilliant. How weird is that? This song is great...at night or on your own or anything that requires a thumping beat and buzzy, swishy electronics. Somebody could explain it to you better, definitely. But oh, I love it.

Generator 2nd Floor - Freelance Whales. Oh, Freelance Whales. Gorgeous, gorgeous, hyped, cutesy Freelance Whales. If you do not like music of the cutesy type, then you are possibly not welcome here. Because I looooove Freelance Whales. This is possibly my favorite song on the album, Weathervanes, which I got this weekend. The lyrics + synthesizers _ banjo's. It is indie 2010, baby. This twee nonsense is what it's all about.

8. Spitfire - The Prodigy. I'm so into the Prodigy right now, after V, I really need some memorabilia. This is probably my favorite of their stuff. First, because it isn't stupidly repetitive dance sampling music. B, because it has a (probably bs) aura of danger and energy. And C, because that beat...that synthesizer...it's catchy to an extreme. Wow wow wow, this, Prodigy or not, is something else entirely. if I was in World War Two they'd call me Spitfire!

9. Shark In the Water - V V Brown. This is one of the songs they run on Nick. I know, because while I can assure you I do not watch Nick, my younger sister keeps it on in the background. Naturally one should be wary of the things they run on Nick so I didn't pay this much attention. But at some point I put down my book and my brain clicked into action and I was like "wow. This is really great". And indeed, it really, really is. Even if it wasn't one of the best produced pop songs I've heard in a long time, and it so is, like, it's so jolly and upbeat and happy, and she has a belter of a voice, and if this doesn't make you want to sing along on a beach chair in the sun...well, something isn't right.

10. Trophy Wifey - Partyline. My views on Riot Grrrl are extremely mixed and perhaps if I have the time and energy and will power, I might discuss them here. but today is not today. And I suppose this isn't even technically riot grrl, is it? Post-riot grrl, maybe? But anyway,this definitely has some elements of the movement in it, and I really like it. It partially agrees with my ideas, and also it's raw and addictive and just sounds so powerful and cool. I could listen to this all day and still have an undeserved sense of edginess--that's how great it is.

Ten songs in and miraculously, I have time to watch Peep Show before I sleep. I hope you got some enjoyment out of that, maybe. Well, I got enjoyment out of writing. next time I will try to do something moire substantial, better written, and more informative up, as long as homework cooperates. So, bye for now, blog.

- Naomi