Friday Playlist: John Lennon, no singles (part 2)

[Continued from part 1].

I foolishly restricted myself to one CD’s worth of running time, so I guess I got what I deserved, but making this playlist was hard. I wisely decided, right from the beginning, not to delve into alternative takes or demos, but half way through the process I realised I had to omit Rock ‘n’ Roll (1975) entirely if I wanted to keep the playlist under 90 minutes.

Friday playlist: John Lennon, no singles (part 1)

Hello and welcome to the first entry in the “Friday playlist” series, where I post a playlist and talk about what’s in it. On Fridays. But not necessarily every Friday. Sharing music online is illegal, but sharing a sequence of songs is definitely not and it’s just as fun. So please refer to your own music collection for the actual music. Think of it as a mixtape, only without the mixtape. What you really get is the plastic box the cassette comes in and the paper that has the order of the songs written on it.

OK, so I kinda hate Audioslave

Preface: This post is pretty random and basically an excuse for me to vent because Ghosts ‘n fucking Goblins for the NES is kicking my ass and the anger has to be channeled somewhere. It is also the kind of post I’ve tried to steer clear of ever since I started blogging again a few months ago. But I just can’t resist ranting this once. Consider it a warm-up for what will hopefully be a series of much more interesting posts in the near future.

Actual rant begins now:

So I am in this music store, minding my own business, with a copy of the splendid rerelease of Pacific Ocean Blue in hand, when I catch a glimpse of Revelations, the third and, thankfully, final album by Audioslave. Now the cd was just sitting in the discount shelf, among countless other cds. It wasn’t prominently displayed or anything, so I shouldn’t even have noticed it, right? Wrong. I wish I could say I hate the group – that would justify the frustration I felt as soon as I laid my eyes on that album cover – but the truth is I’m so indifferent to their music that such strong feelings are simply not present.

There are, however, a couple of things I hate about Audioslave and these are Chris Cornell’s voice and the fact that they cover Rage Against the Machine songs with vocals by the aforementioned singer.

Hello, I’m Chris Cornell and the editor of this blog doesn’t approve of my singing.

Allow me a brief flashback. It’s late 2002, I think, and Audioslave’s eponymous album is out. Being a big RATM fan, I buy it, listen to it, then wait for the next one, since it is obvious to me that the different styles of music that each part of the group represents don’t match that nicely.

Three parts RATM and one part Chris Cornell, who I must admit was completely new to me back then, Audioslave sounded awkward in their first album. They continued along the same path in their second one, which was the final one I purchased, hoping for a tighter, less boring sound. I never got the third one, so you can probably tell how that turned out.

Surprisingly – or, come to think of it, not so surprisingly – their albums sold lots of copies, they were awarded some Grammy awards, whatever that means, and even became the first American rock band to perform an open-air concert in Cuba, which must’ve been sad and disappointing for Cubans waiting for some ‘merican rock music after all those years. Serves them right, I guess.

So, anyway, Audioslave disbanded in 2007 or something, a day that must surely have been a joyful one in my life, but just can’t quite remember because I didn’t really give a crap by that time. The only memory I have of Audioslave is Chris Cornell’s annoying, raspy voice and his shitty cover of a RATM song (or maybe it was two; the pain is too much to handle, I can’t remember clearly).

I haven’t listened to anything by Soundgarden, or any of CC’s solo work – and I sure as hell won’t after Audioslave – but his voice causes my ears to bleed and my heart to race in fear. Allright, so it might not cause panic, but I still don’t like it. What made RATM function so well, apart from their strong political message, was the quality of their music. Rap and rock fused in an awesome, explosive sound that wasn’t just unique, but in a way also representative of the message.

Audioslave was a mixture of RATM, this time with a more classic rock feel, and whatever Cornell was doing in the 80s and 90s, I suppose. It also lacked a direction. Vaguely political lyrics mixed with pretty standard rock lyrics, all of it sung irritantingly by Chris. An obvious attempt to appeal to both RATM and Soundgarden/Cornell fans and, as is usually the case with “super groups”, lots of generic music with nothing to distinguish it from other mediocre groups other than its members.

But I’ve said enough. Now is the time for a comparison. Below is a video of Audioslave covering Killing in the Name, a standard RATM number:

And here’s the original:

See what I mean? No? Well, that’s OK, this comparison is kind of meaningless, anyway.

I’m starting to run out of fuel, but I will say this before I post this rambling piece of data: Their instrumental RATM covers are very interesting, especially when there’s a new solo involved.

Note: Strictly personal opinion, certainly misinformed, meant to be only slightly offensive, please don’t sue, but feel free to Martha. Comment if you will, just don’t expect me to like Audioslave.

Reformat the Planet

REFORMAT THE PLANET is a feature length documentary which delves into the movement known as chip tunes, a vibrant underground scene based around creating new, original music using old video game hardware. Familiar devices such as the Nintendo Game Boy and Nintendo Entertainment System are pushed in new directions with startling results. 

Using New York as a microcosm for a larger global movement, “Reformat the Planet” maps out the genesis of the first annual Blip Festival, a four day celebration of over 30 international artists exploring the untapped potential of low-bit video game consoles. With floor-stomping rhythms and fist-waving melodies, trailblazers of the chip tune idiom descend upon Manhattan to pen a new chapter in the history of electronic music.

The trailer features music by Nullsleep (“Salvation for a Broken Heart”, “On Target”), Martin Galway (“The Neverending Story”), and Random (“Micawber’s Moan”), all composed on classic video game consoles.

The documentary by 2playerproductions serves as a very informative introduction to the lo-fi world of chiptune music for the uninitiated. It features interviews with prominent members of the scene and videos of live performances from the 2006 Blip Festival. The film explores the relationship between chiptune music and video games, provides insight on the fusion between visuals and music and ultimately demonstrates the adaptiveness of electronic music and the ability of musicians to use bits of technology completely unrelated to music as a medium of expression. A must-see if you ever liked the sound that used to come out of your video game console or home computer.

You can see the whole thing online over at Pitchfork.tv for a limited time only. There’s also a ton of videos from Blip and other live shows on 2playerproductions.com. Enjoy!

Kraftwerk @ Coachella 2008 impressions

Photo by optionthis.

I should begin this post by saying that this isn’t the account of my impressions as a member of the audience. I wasn’t in Coachella, I didn’t see Kraftwerk perform live. I did, however, obtain a recording of the concert thanks to the series of tubes we call the Internet and this is what I think of it:

Kraftwerk played their fourth US show for 2008 on April the 26th at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Florian Schneider was absent, just like he had been for the rest of the tour, and the set list was a variation of that used in the tours before and after the release of Minimum-Maximum.

Set list: (Intro) / 1. The Man-Machine / 2. Planet Of Visions / 3. Numbers / 4. Computer World / 5. Tour De France / 6. Vitamin / 7. Autobahn / 8. Computer Love / 9. Showroom Dummies / 10. Radioactivity / 11. Trans Europe Express / 12. Metal On Metal / 13. The Robots / 14. Boing Boom Tschak + Music Non Stop

This time around, there is much less material from Tour De France Soundtracks (only the eponymous track and Vitamin), which is a shame, while the rest of the list is pretty similar to that of the previous tour. The usual thematic duos were there (tracks 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 11/12, 14) and also present were Showroom Dummies and Computer Love, which have made a welcome return since 2006.

What struck me the most when I first listened to this concert was how quickly it was over. Everything somehow seems more concise, or, as I realised after listening more closely, abbreviated. It could be due to time restrictions, or the slightly faster tempo that is apparent on some of the tracks, or even Florian’s absence; most of the songs have also been rearranged, which results in different song structure. For example, Computer Love sounds very much like a rearranged version of the rendition found in The Mix. On average, each track is around one minute shorter than the Minimum-Maximum version. The sound is the standard sound of the recent tours with a few variations, so no major changes have been made there.

The Man-Machine sounds cold, without much enthusiasm or spirit, even for a quartet of robots. Defragmentation is probably in order. The KW sound and feel does come through to the ears of an avid listener, but I doubt anyone who approaches this music for the first time will find much interest in this particular performance. That is not to say of course that the concert is entirely without its merits; the alterations in sound and structure are interesting to any fan and, hey, this is another KW live. Unremarkable when compared to the dozens of amazing KW lives, but worth a listen or two.

Photo by yamchild.

Eugene Renfield, a friend and Kraftwerk listener, has kindly provided a second opinion:

On first listen, Coachella was disappointing; aurally vague (irrespective of the bootleg), hesitantly performed. But repeat listening revealed much nuance to appreciate in that diffuse soundscape: the Kraftwerk frisson somehow still crept in. And although little of it sounded special in any way, their unique musical qualities were still there to admire – with or without Florian Schneider in the lineup.

Trust another KW fan to smash your review with his minimalistic, three-sentence-long assessment of the concert.