The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by Frownland

Thanks for the selection TH. I've been writing outside of MB for a while now and it's nice to see some affirmation. Btw I reviewed the new The Pop Group album, The Pop Band is a really ****ty name.

You're welcome man. You clearly put a lot of thought, effort and passion into that and it should be rewarded. Glad you're getting a chance to write outside of the forum too. Best of luck with it. I tried, but the lack of response plus the deadlines led to me giving it up. It's easier here, where you can more or less follow your own schedule.

[Frownland]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

You're welcome man. You clearly put a lot of thought, effort and passion into that and it should be rewarded. Glad you're getting a chance to write outside of the forum too. Best of luck with it. I tried, but the lack of response plus the deadlines led to me giving it up. It's easier here, where you can more or less follow your own schedule.

I worked on a couple of papers but these days I just do freelance album reviews.

[Trollheart]

So here we are, at the beginning of a new month, and it’s full speed ahead for me as I launch into Star Trek month, of which more soon. First though, let me say response to both my announcements last week has been poor at best. In terms of my advertising for an assistant, I had one application, and that person withdrew it when I outlined the amount of work that was going to be entailed. Lightweights! Did I not specify “hard, back-breaking labour” in the ad? Anyway, seems like nobody’s interested so, as a boss of mine used to say, I’ll sail this ship alone and continue to bring you these updates, though whether or not I’ll get to do the Year in Review is another matter. As for the Journeys? Well, slightly more response there. Like, three members have voted. Honestly, guys, if you won’t even vote for yourselves how do you expect others to vote for you?

If this situation doesn’t change I will just cancel the whole idea. After all, why go to all that trouble if nobody is interested? Kiff! I’m asking you a question! Seriously, if nobody wants to get involved then just consider the Journeys dead, and leave it at that. So it’s up to you guys. Either get those votes in (thanks to those who have already voted, you know who you are) or accept there will be no awards this year. Or possibly any other year.

And on that somewhat sour note, let’s get into the update:

The honour of starting us off this week goes to Aux-in, who is giving us an insight into how he got into this electronic music of his. It’s all in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...continuum.html, where you’ll also find music from Nero, John O’Callaghan, Lily Wolf and Calverton, to mention but a few.

Batty is back after something of an extended absence, and he’s looking into Boris in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...lks-about.html and of course you can also http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-oblivion.html with moments of Batman awesomeness and also why he thinks Dexter is Batman...

while down at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...seur-cave.html Briks is getting his Sabaton, er, on.

There’s a lot happening at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nnerspace.html where innerspaceboy has had his first commercial article published (yay!) and is also talking about PSB (no, not the TV channel!), Airside and Lemon Jelly, as well as They Might Be Giants. Busy week!

Jade_City has started a journal this week, entitled http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ournal-yh.html (not sure what the “yh” is, but there you go…) in which he’s telling us about some of his rare grooves

and James is back, http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ove-stuff.html. After a seven-month absence, he’s talking about The Wrens, The Smiths, Bowie and more.

Not to be outdone by innerspaceboy, Ki is hard at it as usual and in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html you’ll find music from Alesana, Blackfield, Devin, Anathema and Moon Sailor, more videogame music, music from TV and films and he’s about to launch into Post Rock Month! Wow! Can see a battle royale going on here!

Machine has a new journal, with the self-deprecating and surely undeserved title http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-its-dumb.html, but do read it cos it’s not. He’s kicking off with his top five albums of 2015, some lyrics he wrote and more.

Mondo has some more “Impressions on home” in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...istortion.html

And that brings us all the way up to yours truly. While there is of course little happening in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html, just the one Waits album review, it’s http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html where it’s all happening, and will be, this month, as we kick off Star Trek Month with a review of the first ever Star Trek episode to be written, and get to know Mister Worf. Lots more planned of course, but in the meantime I’ve also managed to catch up on some http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ver-heard.html as I listen to Peter Tosh, AC/DC, Pulp, Arcade Fire and Pavement.

There’s more http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html with music from The Arc Light Sessions, Gerry Rafferty, Meat Loaf, Don Airey, Natalie Prass, more from Ant’s list with Teramaze and I begin a discographic review of The Eagles, with their debut self-titled. Not happy with all that work, I’ve also opened my tenth journal. Yeah, i said tenth! http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...gy-legend.html does what it says on the tin, and we start off this week relating the tales of Thor, Achilles and the Trojan War, among others.

We’re up to number 15 in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html as Unknown Soldier renews his relationship with Venom, who are still At war with Satan, then Manowar are striding in at 14 with Hail to England

while Urban has resurrected his old journal, http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sed-ideas.html, where he’s remembering Live Aid and also talking about weird bands, such as David Devant and his Spirit Wife. Um, yeah...

and Wpnfire is discovering free avant-garde jazz in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html with the Peter Brockmann Octet (no I will not copy/paste jsut to get the umlaut!) --- Frownland describes it as “sonic warfare”. Keep it away from me!

Closing us out this week is Zero with more http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ollection.html, featuring Eddie Vedder and The Canannes.

And so to

I want to award this to Urban, for his brilliant reminiscences on Live Aid, but as he gets huffy if I post anything outside his journal, I’ll just give you the intro here:

Originally Posted by Urban Hat€monger ?

[CENTER]

It's almost 30 years since Live Aid happened and to celebrate this I thought I

Sorry, that’s all ya get! If you want to read this excellent article (actually it’s more than one) --- and believe me, you do --- get down to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sed-ideas.html, and remember what it was like to be young, before you got all snarky and up yourself about your music. Well, I did anyway. Sort of. But this isn’t about me. Off ya go, you won’t regret it.


Shout out to James, who returns after almost half a year to try again http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ove-stuff.html. Welcome mate. Hope we see you around these here parts more in future!

I almost didn’t award

to anyone this week, because there’s really only one journal that’s had an ongoing conversation, but you know, **** it: I can be as self-centred as the next guy, and after all, I deserve it!

For the animated conversation going on in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ver-heard.html
it’s me, and I win the award. Keep your hands off it! It’s mine, you hear? My precious. Hsssss!

Um, sorry about that. Got a little carried away. Anyhoo, on to

Now this is a hard one. I have one one side Ki, with his amazing volume of work this week, and one the other innerspaceboy, who has really ploughed himself into his journal. So who wins? You know what, I can’t decide so

Yeah, I’ll leave it up to you guys. Post here and let me know who you think should win the award, based on how much work they’ve done this week, how much you know them, how much they’ll pay you or who’ll sleep with you, I don’t care. Just vote.
And if nobody votes, I’ll make a decision next week. Oh, the tension!

Let’s all calm down now with a good read, huh?

Back we go to Briks, and we’re up to December, as Briks looked for help in recommendations as to what to listen to for gothic rock, tried out Danzig and then opened January with a review of Elliot Smith’s self-titled. In a staggeringly serendipitous turn of events, he listened to The Wrens (whom, you may remember, also feature this week in James’s journal, which itself has not been updated for months! Spooky, or what?) --- and here it is.

Originally Posted by Briks

Finally taking Manky's recommendation






A day in late July 2013, I got a private message from Manky, in which he recommended an album by the Wrens called The Meadowlands. Until yesterday, it remained almost unplayed, I... forgot about it, until I entered an indie rock phase. While hungry for quality albums I suddenly remembered this one...

Artist: The Wrens
Album: The Meadowlands
Year: 2003
Genre: Indie rock/pop

1. "The House That Guilt Built"
2. "Happy"
3. "She Sends Kisses"
4. "This Boy Is Exhausted"
5. "Hopeless"
6. "Faster Gun"
7. "Thirteen Grand"
8. "Boys, You Won't"
9. "Ex-Girl Collection"
10. "Per Second Second"
11. "Everyone Choose Sides"
12. "13 Months in 6 Minutes"
13. "This Is Not What You Had Planned"


I liked this album very much, from start to finish. It's filled with sometimes mellow, sometimes distorted, always great pop songs, all written carefully while keeping the charming “rough indie edges”. The album starts off with a short introduction track which fades perfectly into the bass intro of one of the best tracks from the album, “Happy”. The follow-up, “She Sends Kisses”, has been stuck in my head all day; it's definitely my favourite. The tempo is picked up a little on track four, which reminds me of “I'm Gonna Make You Love Me” by the Jayhawks..! Other good tracks include “Hopeless”, “Boys, You Won't” and “Everyone Choose Sides”. One song that annoyed me a little was “Per Second Second”, since everything was so distorted I could neither understand what was being sung nor keep track of it while reading the lyrics.

A fantastic album that you should listen to right now if possible. If not, make it work somehow.

He then began “Powerstars Rip-off Month” (itself a variant of “Trollheart Rip-off Month”) as he started reviewing classic albums he had never heard --- now does that not sound the tiniest bit familiar? --- with first on the menu Jimmy Eat World (see what I did there?) and Clarity, then Maiden’s classic The number of the Beast (oh, Briks!) while also fitting in recs from Taxman (remember him?), including Green Day and Big Star.

More classic albums before the month ended, with Sabbath’s Vol 4 and The Kinks’ Arthur (or the fall and decline of the British Empire), Bright Eyes' I’m wide awake, it’s morning and the Stones’ Let it bleed. Not content with ripping off one of my formats, he then tackled “Bitesize”, robbing my icons as he reviewed American by Mineral. That took January to a close and he seems to have skipped February, so next week we’ll start on March, which, I must warn those with a nervous disposition or any musical taste at all, was to be … Justin Bieber Week!

Yeah, exactly…

So that ties everything up for this week. Don’t forget to get those votes in for the Ki v innerspaceboy smackdown! I said, don’t forget … hey! Wake up!

Fine, fine! I’ll continue carrying this cross on my own, bunch of ingrates! But please get your votes in for the Journeys, if you want them to happen. If not, then **** yaz all.
Until we meet again, same time, same place,
Toodles!

[Key]

Innerspaceboy has been putting a lot of work into his journal, so i'd personally give the Workhorse award to him this week. Plus, I like his writing style and his journal seems organized.

[Frownland]

Aw think I just missed this week's update.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by Ki

Innerspaceboy has been putting a lot of work into his journal, so i'd personally give the Workhorse award to him this week. Plus, I like his writing style and his journal seems organized.

So you're happy enough to concede then? What a nice guy! Mind you, you have won it so often that at times I may as well just give it to you to keep...

Originally Posted by Frownland

Aw think I just missed this week's update.

Yeah, just by a few hours, sorry. I have to have a cutoff time and 6pm Irish is my deadline. You'll be in this week's one, never fear.

[Urban Hat€monger ?]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I want to award this to Urban, for his brilliant reminiscences on Live Aid, but as he gets huffy if I post anything outside his journal

Hey, I didn't say that.
I said I didn't want the entire contents of it posted on a weekly basis like you did with U.S. journal. Like when you'd post all of his top 10s for each year which I felt kind of ruined any surprise for anyone who hadn't read it.
That was my only criticism.

[Aux-In]

Woah, so this is the update thread. I had no idea what Trollheart was talking about when he first mentioned it to me.

[Pet_Sounds]

I'm pleased to announce that The Gospel of Joel will kick off (before it even gets halfway through) this weekend.

[Trollheart]

Ah, spring is in the air. The nights are getting shorter and warmer, the days brighter and some weird yellow disc is poking through the clouds and making me feel all warm. Soon be Easter Egg time! They say in springtime a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love, so let’s see what the thoughts of the young men down in Journaltown (hey ladies don’t blame me if it’s a male-dominated update! Write something! You know you want to…) are turning to…

Actually, let’s not. We could be in big trouble and have a lot of explaining to do, Your Honour. Let’s instead see what they’re writing about.

Anteater kicks us off once again with another port of call on http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ravaganza.html; this time it’s to the many songs on which a certain Michael MacDonald has added backing vocals. Some of them may surprise you. Or not.

Music from Morgan Page, Nervo and others at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...continuum.html, as well as mixes and playlists. Be warned: one of the current one has twelve videos in a row, so those of you with less than Crays, be careful…

After two years almost, Bulldog is back! This is I guess what you’d call version 3.0 of http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ouse-v-ii.html, and we hope Bulldog will stick around. He’s looking into an interesting mashup by the way,

Frownland sadly just missed last week’s update by a few hours, but then that’s what happens when you’re http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...wnapilago.html! However he has been talking about himself (didn’t know he had another side project: could Jesus the Carpenter possibly be something I might listen to I wonder?) and also going on about pornography and how it’s ruining the world of film. Huh? Maybe that’s meant to be the lack of pornography? Oh no wait: he’s slagging off “Fifty shades”. Fair enough.

There’s some interesting reads (yeah I said reads) at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nnerspace.html

while Ki is kicking off Post Rock Month with I hear Sirens, Maybeshewill and --- anybody? --- Uh-huh! Pg.lost. Sure why not? Also something called The Angel Room, songs that make him cry and live stuff. Basically, just check it all out at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html

Machine is judging your music in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-its-dumb.html (really should change that title; it’s so depressing and downbeat) with a contribution from Frownland. He’s also writing more poetry. Lyrics? Poetry? Not sure, but it’s pretty darn good stuff.

Another who just missed the deadline last week is Oriphiel, and in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...rgy-story.html he’s now up to chapter seven. Check it out if you haven’t already; it’s a really good read with some decent music. He’s also back to being http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ck-garage.html after something of a prolonged absence, with music from Melanie Safka.

Back on http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...crap-heap.html, Pet_Sounds is telling us about another of his favourite Beatles tracks, and also climbing up into the pulpit to spread “The Gospel of Joel”. Interesting…

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...listening.html has Taimane, news about bands he’s in, knows or knows people in, and also a newscast. Yeah, really. Check it out.

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...o-reviews.html gets under way this week, with a review of Everclear. We wish him well in his new endeavour. He’s also taking requests and offers of collaboration. Who wants to see him and Batty do Cannibal Corpse or Fleshgrind’s latest?

Other than the time of my sabbatical from Music Banter, I think this may be the first time I’ve not updated my main journal, but I’m having so much fun with others that I just can’t knuckle down to it. I will, though. More Tom Waits on the way soon. Meanwhile, as probably everybody knows by now and nobody cares, Star Trek Month has begun in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html and there’s plenty there for the first week, including reviews of the first episode from both the original series and Nextgen, aliens and characters and planets, and of course a tribute to the recently deceased and already bitterly missed Leonard Nimoy.

Back at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html there are reviews from Shattered Skies, Kim Wilde and Boduf Songs, while we close out 1967 in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ive-metal.html with a look at the debut from The Nice and some final words. 1968 here I come! There’s even time to read about Irish hero Cuchulainn in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...gy-legend.html

Van Halen are unlucky for some at number 13 in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html and Jag Panzer take the number 12 slot as we head towards 1984’s top ten...

Always one with the funny story, Urban does not disappoint in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sed-ideas.html, where he relates the tale of when he saw Kiss. But not Kiss. Really. Sort of. You ever see that episode of “The Simpsons” where Krusty is going to licence imitators that can stand in for him all over America? No? Then just read what he has to say. Trust me, it’s good.

Finally, Zero brings the curtain down with two journals this week. In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-sound.html, he’s looking at Alcest and in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ollection.html there’s Aztec Camera and Sleigh Bells.

So to

I really wanted to give this to Urban again, as his anecdote really deserves it, but I tend to shy from awarding to the same member if I can. And then I saw this. For sheer delusion it has to win. Needless to say, I completely disagree with its sentiment in every way.

Originally Posted by William_the_Bloody

13!!! Did you do this to drag me out of the woodwork, it should be number 1!!!

Hot for Teacher, Jump, and Panama walk over anything that is on Maiden's Powerslave.

Van Halen - 1984 Diamond = (10 or over 10 platinum records)
Iron Maiden - Powerslave = (1 Platinum record)
Scorpions - Love at first sting = (3 times platinum)

There is a reason why Eddie Van Halen is one of the greatest guitarist of all time

This is an injustice lol! I express my dissent!!!

Of course I have to mention the mighty Bulldog, who after a two year absnce almost has returned to us, hopefully for good this time. Welcome back man!


February began, as he warned us, with Briks looking into the music (ahem!) of one Justin Bieber, starting off with Believe and, uh, ending there. Surprised he got through one album. Then there was his reaffirming his love for Coldplay, more Modest Mouse, this time Music for people who hate good news, and another slight rip-off of yours truly when he opened “Essential emo albums I have never heard”. Yeah. Kicking off this with Jawbreaker’s Unfun and Bivouac, Tell all your friends from Taking Back Sunday and then Cap’n Jazz, with a title way too long for me to reproduce it here, but you know the one.

As March broke he was “In the mood for some metal”, and so chewed an iron bar. No, really, he took a listen to Metallica’s Master of Puppets and Ride the lightning, Death’s Scream bloody gore and Venom’s Black Metal, also Helloween’s The time of the oath and Van Halen’s s/t. And Motley Crue’s Too fast for love, Mercyful Fate’s Don’t break the oath, Pantera’s Far beyond driven. Also Candlemass’ Epicus Doomicus metallicus, Witchfinder General’s Death Penalty and Bon Jo --- hold on a sec! Bon Jovi? Look, I’m the biggest Bon Jovi fanboy here but they are in no way, shape or form metal of any kind! The very idea! Hard rock? Maybe. AOR? Almost certainly. Metal? Never!

Continuing with what was becoming the premier source of metal in a journal outside of Pounding Decibels or Batty’s journals, he listened to Ozzy’s Blizzard of Ozz and Amon Amarth’s Twilight of the thunder god, Bathory’s Blood fire death, Relentless by Pentagram and then he spoiled it all by bringing Dragonforce into it. Realised his mistake though, but that was after he had listened to the album.

Originally Posted by Briks

Briks listens to an entire Dragonforce album to see if it is a rewarding experience

Artist: Dragonforce
Album: Valley of the Damned
Year: 2003
Chronological position: Debut album
Genre: Power metal

Since Batty told me that I should make up my own mind, that's exactly what I'm going to do, and I'll do that by listening to an entire Dragonforce album. I chose Valley of the Damned, since it's their debut album and I like debut albums, they show the band at an early stage, before the members get sick of making music/sell out/change their style to the worse.

The first of October, 2012, I received a message from one of my friends, whose taste in music seems to develop in about the same direction as mine and with whom I started the metal album club. The message translates into something like this: Dude, if you want to hear someone who's sick at power metal, search on YouTube: 'Through the Fire and the Flames'. Watch it all, you'll be impressed. If I am to be completely honest with you, I was a bit impressed. The band played an insane speed, and it was very melodic, so I decided to check out some more of this then-new-to-me subgenre called “power metal”. I soon forgot about Dragonforce, before even bothering to hear an entire album of theirs. But no matter whether I'll hate them, love them, or think they're okay after listening to their debut, I'll have to credit them for introducing me to power metal and maybe even making me a fan of metal in general, just because of one song that I thought was “pretty cool”.

Halfway through:
Wow, the guitarwork on this album is amazing! These guys are brilliant songwriters, and all the lyrics up until now have been topnotch. The song “Starlight” is such a hard-hitting ballad, I feel that I can relate to it very much... like as if it's written just for me. I'm being sarcastic, of course. A thing I think is funny, though, is how much “Starlight” reminds me of “California King Bed” by Rihanna. Metal.

Finished:
I'm sorry for not listening to you, Batty. This was garbage. It's sad that something like this, an album made by mislead poseurs, can pass as power metal, a True Metal subgenre, when it really should be called “speedy nintendo mallcore”. The synth is gross, and there's way too much of it. The lyrics are repetitive and unoriginal. Half of the album length is made up of wanky chiptune solos. There is one good thing about that last bit, though: more solos mean less lyrics. This was 52 minutes wasted.

What I will do now:
Cleanse my mind with Nirvana and celebrate that I'm done with this.

Among all this he also managed to squeeze in some Beatles and Greenday. Busy two months! And his metal phase was not done yet, but that’s another month and to be covered next week. I’m an old man and I need my sleep, goddangit!

That marathon session at the Poseur Cave then takes us to the end of this week’s update. I should mention that Ki graciously agreed to allow innerspaceboy to take the Workhorse award, so isb it’s yours. Back with another update next Sunday.
Till then,
Toodles!