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It’s S.A.D sufferer Alistair’s turn to share his favourite albums for over the suprisingly hot summer season. Stay tuned for Marko’s next week!

Beach Boys – Endless Summer
I hope this doesn’t seem too obvious. I promise you, although the word summer appears in the title, it’s not why I chose it and I wouldn’t want you to think this is just thrown in because of Good Vibrations either, because, if you give this huge album a chance, you’ll find it’s all as good as Good Vibrations or Surfin’ U.S.A. Some of it is a little less upbeat than their hit singles, but never less charming and optimistic. Vocal harmonies like this are summer, a sunny lullaby, straight from your ipod, to fall asleep to in the sun.

The Meters- Look-ka Py Py
This album is going to pick up your mood any season. But in summer, when the sun is shining and it sort of makes you giddy, this is what you want on. If you’re walking down a street you may find yourself strutting in your shorts, or, if sat down you might find your head nodding- but ideally you want a nice back garden, a BBQ, and some good friends who know how to get dooown. The sun will do that to you.

E-603 – Torn Up
something a little more contemporary now, and though this is my most hated, most despised ‘genre’ on earth; it’s time to get the cheese out. I wouldn’t just bring out Now 46 mind, (Despite picking this number out the air, it seems you’d be getting Tom Jones and Mousse T - Sex Bomb, Spiller & Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Groovejet  and Aaliyah -Try Again. Maybe I shouldn’t just write it off!) no, if I’m doing cheese I’ll do it with class. Whilst Girl Talk holds the multi-mashup crown, E-603 is the air to the throne, throwing mainly 90’s rap over songs we all know too well. What’s more it’s free …unlike all other music…ahem, and will most certainly have that annoyingly over-excited girl screaming “Oh my god, this is my song!” every time she recognises a sample. It’s not your song. Calm down love.

She & Him – Volume One
Chances are you don’t have a convertible. As this is sort of a one-way system I’ll have to assume you don’t, but if you do, you’re in for a treat. For a sunny drive anywhere, She & Him will leave weirdly happy smiles on your faces for passing pedestrians to be unsettled by. It’s unashamedly American and indulgent, but it’s not shallow, it’s lovely and heartfelt and will compliment the wind through your hair beautifully (hair… right? I don’t want to assume. I mean, our demographics’ pretty young but whatever, you’re welcome here.). M.Ward and the radiant, alt-bro lady of choice Zooey Deschanel make up the duo whose albums fails to falter in it’s sunny disposition from beginning to  end…apart from a sort-of weird, bullshit harmonica solo 1:50 into ‘This Is Not A Test’.

Dave Matthews Band – Crash

Best. Summer Album. Ever. Crash radiates and emits happiness, optimism and contentment so powerfully I’m pretty sure a blind man would get a clear picture of what a sunny day looks like after one listen.  It’s not sickly though which is why it’s so great (Unlike this review). It’s not shoving happiness down your throat. It’s sincere, and yes, It has its quieter moments without getting too dark, but the slow build of each track to smile-breaking crescendos has the same effect as the person you most trust in the whole world telling you everything’s going to be OK. 
P.S.
That person should be AGCS… Everything’s going to be OK! Just listen.

The Spotify playlist isn’t complete, but you can get E-603 here

Alistair

Plastiscines - Barcelona

Hot? Yes.
French? Oui.
Catchy, credible pop? Yes.

Yes yes yes! Moar.

How to appreciate music; the most pretentious guide I can muster.

Rule 1.
You can’t hear it all.
No matter how many hours and external hard drives you have, you’ll never get round to an encyclopedic knowledge of every song ever written. so, I suppose rule 1.1 is, don’t fret it if you haven’t heard every song someone else has. But don’t confuse ‘can’t’ with ‘can’t try’.  

Rule 2.
You like what you like.
Rule 1 is completely ignored by most music enthusiasts. This leads alot of people into digging into the past for whatever was best without thinking enough about themselves. And, I suppose over time and with a little nostalgia, most of the best stuff does shine through.But the fact is though, if it sounds outdated to you, then that’s because it is. Don’t let the many extra years some music has had, the head-start if you will, skew what is and isn’t good for you. Era is nothing. This is important. If it’s good in your ears, it’s good and vice fucking versa. Some Jimmi Hendrix is still the fucking shit, and equally, a hefty amount of Joy Division really isn’t as good as people make out- but that’s just what I like.

Rule 3.
You are not your taste in music.
Your clothes, your style, your facebook profile, your girlfriend; non of it matters. If you’re letting one inform the other you should probably cut it out- all it’s going to do is constrain you to a personal brand that you made for yourself years ago and it’ll only fuck you over. I get that there are scenes, and alot of the time a lifestyle only authenticates and betters a style of music (and I’m not just talking about scenesters) but you should try your best to be transient. Not apprehensive, not apathetic or non committal, just transient. Phases, styles, cultures come and go, and they all better what is ultimately a quest for the perfect song, (jesus, did I type that?) but there’s no such thing- so pitching in any camp is to be on the losing team.

Rule 4.
Preference can’t be wrong, so neither are other people.
I have a couple of friends who love Drum and Bass at the moment. I don’t really respect it as a genre enough and subsequently can fall into thinking these friends are wrong about enjoying it. They’re not. Stepping back, what I saw was a bunch of people who’s intelligence and sanity I respect, having fun, and whilst they had fun and were caught up in it completely, there I was analyzing it all to death. Who is the music fan in this picture? Not me. The music enthusiast maybe, the ‘appreciator’, but not the fan. Should I try harder to like Drum and Bass? No. Should I be a little bit less elitist in future? Yes.

Rule 5.
Music is the fucking shit.

Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it, and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself.  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.  ~Victor Hugo

Music is what life sounds like.  ~Eric Olson

I googled these quotes. I found them pretty quickly. They’re all true though. Music really is THAT profound. Above all rules, to appreciate music is to realize that what you have at your fingertips, right now, as you read this on the internet, is access to every torrent of emotion, every unique and odd story, every perfect melody you could ever wish for. This is why Steve Jobs is so rich. This is why a bunch of Swedes are going to jail, because we have access to everything we want right away. Totally spoilt and overwhelmed, in the greatest way, and most of us don’t realize it.

I once overheard two guys on a train, one of them asked the other if he liked the new Green Day single, he replied “I don’t have time to listen to music.” That guy is a dick, and most probably miserable as hell. And also fucking deserves it.

Make music at least twice as important as it is now. More girls will like you. You’ll be instantly sexier. Your wedding will sound better. You’ll have a hobby to speak of. You’ll have something to speak of. Your funeral will be more meaningful. More people will cry. Your memory will be fonder until the end of time (2011).

Make it your companion, not just your soundtrack. This is how you appreciate music, make it your best friend and tie it into every part of your life until it feels like a basic human right. Listen more! Do it until silence feels like a cold shower after a hot day.

A Girl Called Sam will now return to it’s less wanky, less self-righteous normality.

Alistair

It’s youtube cop-out time! Saying Interpol’s last album wasn’t very strong is probably on the money, but when you’re as huge a fan as I am/ you are, it’s always with gritted teeth. I’m not sure if they’ll be back and they rarely make promises ahead of time- but Julian Plenti may just keep you happy. Alter-ego of front man Paul Banks, and out dating the Interpol, Julian Plenti has been fairly underground until recent press has left amateur blogs like ours hungry for more. The lyrics are just as dark, but the songs are more sultry then self-loathing conjuring visions of strip-clubs and back seats a dark surprise for the minds eye. Banks has 4 tracks drifting around the Internet under the new/old moniker, so go search them out.

Alistair

Rock Band: The Beatles. Definitely not sure how to feel about this.

Whilst I know Gregory wouldn’t want to be pigeon-holed, and would like to believe The Beatles are universal, I’m sure he’d be more qualified to make opinions on this new Rock Band release.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about Prince turning down Guitar Hero because he thought you should learn the real instruments instead (and the paycheck was too small). I suppose this is a valid angle, Prince didn’t want his music to be ‘trivialised’ into five buttons on a plastic guitar. So when people heard The Beatles, sacred of sacreds, would be ‘trivialised’ in a similar fashion people got mad.

I didn’t. And not because I don’t like The Beatles but because it’s not cheating. This seems to be the logic of anyone who looks down their nose at Guitar Hero/Rock Band players. I’m sure when the first racing wheel and pedals came out there were no amateur Formula 1 drivers looking down their nose at it because they understood it was a simulated experience, for anyone who would like to casually have a go. it was all the fun of the WRC without the millions of pounds of training, cars and crew.

I’m sure too, that anyone who gave it try only respected the difficulty and skill involved more. So, why are their frowns still the right way up? If you buy this game, or any other, you’ll surely gain respect for the skill and creativity involved. You’ll hear every song at a more intricate level, even when you’re not playing. You’ll become a more educated fan. I’m not sure exactly why these Beatles fans are so against it, or why they make such angry forum posts, but it seems to me like the most efficient use of £40 possible to make the world a more Beatles friendly place.

Alistair

You can now leave your opinion via Facebook Link, so let us know what you think:

• Are The Beatles too good for Rock Band?
• Would you buy it?
• Is it ‘too easy’?
• Are you playing the console instead of the real thing?

Emergency Sun Mix

So, for anyone in the UK, you’ll notice the weather has been, well, acceptable recently- and because of this you’ve had a chance to bring out those horrifically scenester sunglasses. Problem is, they’re just so ridiculous you are going to need this mix blasting out of a stereo in order to reasure people that you are in fact down with the kids, rather than someone who shops regularly at a charity shop.

1901 Phoenix

I Go I Go I Go Wave Machines

To Kingdom Come Passion Pit

Pistol Of Fire (Mark Ronson Remix) Kings Of Leon

Two Weeks Of Hip Hop (Dead Prez vs Grizzly Bear) The Hood Internet

You Came Out We Have Band

Magic Show Electric Owls

Dreams About Her Gramatik

Email us for a rapidshare link if you like it that much.

Alistair

May 2009 Best Of…

We’ve just discovered www.8tracks.com and will now be posting actual music (!) up at the end of every month, wrapping up every great song that’s been born recently. A sort of catch-up if you will, for anyone waking up from a music colma.

Check back tomorrow for our albums of 2009 so far.

Alistair

Shit, it’s a long one, and he’s dragged out a weak metaphor too.

Please just take a chance on a band you don’t know. And not a band that you haven’t heard yet either, not a band that only a few of your cool kid friends talk about, not a band in the back of the NME, not a band a couple of pages into the Hype Machine popular list either. Get on Myspace, get on that old piece of shit website, and start following rabbit holes. Start with a band you like. Now find their friends, click one you don’t know, listen, PROPERLY, to a FULL song, and make your decision. Not only will this give you a greater perspective with which to evaluate all other music against, not only might it redefine your niche, not only might you find the next big/wanky thing; but more than that you’re breaking free of the… the fear, frankly, of unsigned, poorly recorded songs.

You know what, there is enough professionally recorded music that fits your little niche to keep you happy forever. I almost guarantee you that, and as you well know, even finding those guys takes a little digging, but you shouldn’t be up for this out of desperation. It’s oddly thrilling actually, not knowing how good or shit the next band will be. It’s usually fairly uplifting too. Was some of it shit? Yes. Were some of the lyrics piss-poor? Yes. Did one band make all their pictures black and white and Photoshop them into Polaroid’s to make themselves look extra-specially authentic? yes. More than once actually. But you’d be surprised to find how much of it ISN’T shit. And not because it’s perfect or revolutionary, but because the intent to make something that sounds great shines through, past the animated GIFs and spam comments for weight-loss pills disguised as one-to-one gossip. Ever noticed that?

If you are one of these artists, I hope I get round to listening to your stuff. Honestly. I hope I land on your page by accident and you re-light my optimism for the yoof as a whole. There’s SO much stuff out there, and rather than seeing yourself as a drop in that ocean, you’ve got to look at yourself as a drop in a stream. Yes that stream inevitably lead to an ocean, but someone’s going to get their feet wet soon enough. And on the other end, you, the listener, (though they’re not mutually exclusive positions) need to stop seeing yourself as a consumer and music as a product to be sold. These days, if you want it it’s free. I mean shit, on myspace it’s free at the very least. No excuse for thriftiness holds in the AGCS court. Fucking dip your toes in. Be brave. You’ll find warmth and soulfulness and scenesters and a really annoying slow flash player that WILL NOT START EVEN THOUGH I CLICKED PLAY LOADS. Keep going. Everyone you’ve never heard of is waiting for someone to land on their page. They want you there and you’re not too good for them. To conclude my water metaphor in the only cheesy way I know how, I ask you to throw on a swimsuit or speedo, if you like speedo’s, (they’re only metaphorical after all, and they make your package look bigger.) and get wet, get soaking. Like your mum last night. HIYOOOOO. No seriously, do it now. Myspace.com. Trust me.

Alistair