Category Archives: Review

Pangaea + Parklife 2015

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Alright, so it has now been a week since I left for Manchester to go to the annual Pangaea and Parklife festivals that take place there. I’ve had enough time to recuperate, get myself back together, and come to terms with the fact that the weekend is over and that I shall have to wait another year (maybe more) until I return to it again.

How was it, you may be asking? It was great. Had such a fun time. Not just because of all the great acts I was able to see over the four days, but also because I got to spend the time with a lot of amazing people. Having a friend who is into the same music as yourself, and is currently studying in a location that is home to some of the biggest events and musical talents in general does have its benefits.

PanJun15.LineUp.FoyerSlideSo the festivities began last Thursday with the Pangaea Festival, a night organised and situated within the university’s student union. Honestly, I was not as bothered about who was playing there as much as I was for Parklife. In fact, I really only knew that Sister Sledge was there prior to leaving for Manchester on the day. Still, becoming inebriated and dancing/singing along to “We Are Family” and a range of other soul classics did not sound like a bad idea. The positive vibes and atmosphere was too much that I didn’t take any videos of it; there was a brief Snapchat video here and there, but I didn’t want to spend time on my phone recording. It was all about experiencing the stuff there and then. It wouldn’t be the same looking at a video. It would be too sad to reminisce. Plus, you had to be there if you really wanted to enjoy as much as I did. Erol Alkan and Simian Mobile Disco were cool to witness too; I had no idea they were there until my friend mentioned them to me on the day. Videos would have helped to allow a recollection of songs they played – I’m sorry about that – but those of you who have seen them will know how good live acts they both are.

There are plenty of pictures. But those are just of me and my friends over there with our afros, glitter and other accessories – the night had a “Disco Apocalypse” theme which didn’t really work, I dressed up in the same costume as I did last year – and I will never let you see ’em. Never! Haha. Though you’ll probably be able to find them on Facebook if you are having those stalking urges.

A well deserved break was taken on the Friday. There was a barbecue. It was needed, because we all knew the next two days would be something to remember. Those two days were what me and my friend had been waiting for since at least February when the acts were announced. It was finally time.

Parklife-2015I want to tell you everything that happened this weekend. Especially the events of Saturday and Sunday. But most of it is a bit of a blur. And I feel that it would take up too much time. To sum up actually getting there: what was meant to be a swift commute by tram from Manchester Piccadilly to Heaton Park turned into the group abandoning the whole idea because the tram was rammed with people and getting a cab there instead. We got there much later than we were supposed to. But it was all good. The weather was so much better than it was last year, and we were just grateful that we got there in time for the people we really wanted to see. Personally I was left just a tad disappointed. Just a bit. Not so much that I really cared about it.

The guys I saw on Saturday were: Novelist, Justin Martin, Mac DeMarco, SiriusModeselektor, Wu Tang Clan, Jamie xx, and Seth Troxler.

All in all, was a great day. Met a lot of people having a good time. I did see a bit of Mac DeMarco, but a lot less of him than what I wanted to see. I did get to see him play “Salad Days“, “Still Together“, “The Stars Keep on Calling My Name“, and a bit of “Freaking Out the Neighborhood“, but he was on at the same time as Justin Martin who my friend wanted to see. So I conceded, and went with him to watch. Justin Martin was still cool though. There will be plenty of times to see Mac in the future.

I am sorry to say, however, that the real disappointment – which I still can’t get over because it baffles me that much – was the Wu-Tang. “WHAT?!” I hear you cry. Yeah. I know. Missing the RZA, Raekwon, and Method Man, the Clan weren’t able to perform up to the standards that I was expecting them too months in advance. This was on the Main Stage too, and I exchanged disappointed looks with my friend Dhillon who was just as perplexed as I was at what was going on. The sound wasn’t good, there was no bass, the crowd was tame as anything, and the group didn’t help themselves by dedicating five minutes of time to the DJ who failed to impress with his scratching and tricks on his turntables. It was a shame. I asked a fellow member of the crowd if he was disappointed in what has occurring, with a fake smile he replied “Can you see it on my face?” Enough said. At least I can say I’ve seen the Wu. Probably just not for the right reasons.

Sunday was a beautiful day. The journey there was a lot quicker than the day before, and the sun was out for a longer period of time too. There were a lot less acts on the last day that I was bothered about seeing, but I had to see Madlib and Nas. Just because they are who they are. Apparently Madlib played some new Madvillainy, which I am a bit pissed about as I was not there to see it. But he did play some J Dilla, and some stuff from his recent work with Freddie Gibbs which was amazing to hear. Actually, I’ll just give you a list of who I saw:

Patrick Topping, Madlib, Hudson Mohawke, David Rodigan, George Fitzgerald, Kaytranada (bangin’), Nas (I say I saw him, I saw a bit of his last song before DJ EZ, who owned it on the same stage), Calyx & Teebee

Alright, so I didn’t fully get to see Nas. A shame as he was performing Illmatic… but I think he’ll milk it for a 30th anniversary tour in nine years. I don’t mind waiting.

Both my good mate and I agreed that it was unbelievable that it has been a year since the last Parklife. Time has really flown by. It was a great weekend, and I am lucky to be acquainted with a whole bunch of great people who made my time there the best that it could be. Love ’em to bits. Take me back, please.

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That’s all I have to say on that. For followers, I’m sorry there hasn’t been posts on here for the past week. I think above should explain why. Normal work on here should resume from Monday onward. A bit lethargic at the moment to do a daily thing this week. Though I am feeling a lot better than I was at this point last year which is awesome. I’ll be back.

Jamie

Mac DeMarco – The Way You’d Love Her “Review”

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Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. A new song by Mac DeMarco. Great fan of this guy’s stuff. Been a fan for more than a year now. “Salad Days” is a brilliant listen. I listened to that before I did “2” but that is just as good. (Do prefer the former to it, I’m just gonna say). But right here, you get a bit of flavours from the two.

“The Way You’d Love Her” is the man’s first single from the upcoming “mini-LP” entitled “Another One”, which comes out in early August. It is very much more of the same as what you usually get from him. But the stuff you get is of a very good quality. His style’s just one that works every time. May people be tired of hearing the “same song”? Suuuure. But it depends. If you’re a Mac DeMarco fan, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t like this one.

I did think the music and melody of the verses were a lot better than the chorus. Normally I find that in DeMarco’s songs the verses are only the mere teasers before the greater melody is shown in the latter. But that’s how I felt yesterday. Everything will most likely fall into place.

He is coming to Manchester for the Parklife Festival, and I will see him no matter what it takes. 6-7 June, folks.

Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal

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If “Light Up Gold” is a party album, “Sunbathing Animal” is the album for the morning after.

I just finished listening to Parquet Courts’ new album via Spotify. It was alright from what I could tell. It was just playing in the background whilst I was watching YouTube videos on my phone, which isn’t the best way to go about listening to something before giving an opinion on it. But this is not a review. The term ‘review’ would be used very very loosely in that case. This more of a…. first thought kind of thing.

The majority of the tracks are slow and very chill, apart from the album’s title track, “Ducking and Dodging” and possibly the second track “Black and White” which I think would all fit in with “Light Up Gold” had those tracks been thought of or developed at the time.

I’m all for slow and chill material. I will listen to it again, just to get a proper feel of it. And so I can hear for what it itself is, instead of comparing it to their previous album.

If you are a Parquet Courts fan, there is no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy “Sunbathing Animal”. Unless you were a huge fan of the energy that “Light Up Gold” had, then you may have to give this a few listens.

Another album I’m liking at the mo: Mac DeMarco – Salad Days

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All it took were listens to the minute and a half samples on iTunes, and I knew it was something I had to hear fully.

Always on the look out for new music to listen to, I saw the 8.5 rating and the review for “Salad Days” on Pitchfork again. Can’t really remember what it said, but I thought ‘what the hell, might as well listen to it’. That was a good decision.

“Salad Days” is a sweet album, only half an hour long, filled with eleven enjoyable tracks (or ten discarding the instrumental “Jonny’s Odyssey”) that which are easy to digest and sound very pleasant to the ear. Sometimes when things get a bit rough in life, you need that thing to calm you down. If you’re feeling as if you’re getting to old and life is passing right by you, that is addressed in the very first track. It might be an album for you.

Apart from the relatable subject matter, this album is filled with one of the best sounding guitars I can remember hearing. Every note plucked has a shine to it – it’s quite hard to describe but it certainly makes the listening experience that bit more delightful.

I didn’t listen to any of DeMarco’s older material, but after this… I may just do that.

Track picks: Salad Days, Blue Boy, Let Her Go, Passing Out Pieces, Chamber of Reflection

One album I’m liking at the moment: Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else

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You may have seen this video in this blog’s about page. If not, there is Cloud Nothings’ latest album “Here and Nowhere Else” which was released in the first few days of April. I feel as if I am a bit late to do any kind of review on this, but seeing as My iPod is on hiatus for a while I might as well update my blog with a few sporadic posts.

I found out about “Here and Nowhere Else” and generally the band itself when I found the album’s review on Pitchfork. It got an 8.7. That score sounded good. It also got positive reviews from Allmusic and Consequence of Sound too. Thought I might as well check it out and see if it lives up to the acclaim.

If you are a particular fan of a rock song with fuzzy guitars, torrential drums, and in general music that sounds like it should be played at a very high volume….. that is constant throughout every song on here. This is probably the album for you.

The vocals partially buried underneath all this noise, so it can be hard to understand just what singer Dylan Baldi is actually saying. Unless you’re a person who gets really deep into lyrics, that’s shouldn’t be much of a problem. Maybe it was intentional. But the melodies are simple, yet memorable and satisfying.

I’ve also seen some people say that they weren’t as impressed by this as they were with the band’s last album “Attack on Memory”. Most of those comments I saw in the comment section of the video above. For sure the chord changes may be simple and there’s no sense of interplay between guitars brought on from the lack of the second guitarist who left before album sessions started. The production may not be up to standard to those who liked Steve Albini’s production on “Attack on Memory” too. Honestly, I’m a fan of both albums and it seems like on “Here” more emphasis is put on the guitars than on the former album while still capturing those relentless drums. Maybe that’s just me.

Whatever, I think the album’s great. Have a listen to it and “Attack on Memory” if you have the time. Both albums are a bit short.

My track picks:

Now Hear In, Just See Fear, I’m Not Part of Me