Cage

Cage (Chris Palko) is an artist I have only found in the past couple of days, and he is everything I have looked for in an artist in recent months or for the past year if I think about it actually, everything I have been searching for. He blends guitars with spoken word, or rap I guess, and he is so wonderfully dark. I thought songs I listened to by Scroobius Pip or Immortal Technique were dark, but Cage's songs are horror stories and I love it, as I may have mentioned in a previous post I like songs which tell stories or songs that you actually listen to and have to follow and keep you drawn in, as opposed to songs that play in the background of your mind.

I realize that paragraph may have seemed a bit too much or a bit over the top as I look back over it. I sincerely hope I don't over-listen to his songs, something I have a habit of doing with everything I love - I listen to it or eat it or watch it or whatever so much that I become sick of it and a song that I used to listen to again and again time after time becomes the song I know back to front and skip over it, and sure I may come back and have a brief relapse in a few months or so, but somehow I just don't see it happening with cage.

The Old Chris Palko - sometimes too high to record anything.

Part of what appeals to me about Chris Palko so much is his personality and what he grew up with and just who he is. Personal items like that about artists have never really intrigued me as much as this before, but I suppose it is because it is so easy to access Palko's thoughts and how he describes his life. I feel almost compelled to tell you about his personality now, and although I had never heard of him last week I feel like I have known him and his songs for as long as I can remember, I know more about him now than I know about artists that I have in fact been listening to for as long as I can remember. Going back to his personality and his origins, I can't for two reasons. I feel as if I'm almost disrespecting him by talking about him in the way that I am or would do by writing about things like that, and also because there is just so much, but I will try to dumb it down so painfully that I am seriously considering hitting the backspace now. It just doesn't give him enough credit, so actually I don't think I will. Look it up on his website: www.chrispalko.com

I have said so much, more than I've said on any artist, in a shorter time I've spent writing about anything else on this blog, yet I haven't actually really talked about his music.

Cage fits into the underground hip hop genre but with his recent albums it's slightly harder to still include him there, as he has moved to a more guitar-heavy orientated background for his lyrics, which always in any song he makes, remain the focal point of the piece. He started out with his first album being very much like that of say Immortal Technique, fitting, as he says, into a black stereotype. The album is called 'Movies for the Blind' and some of his songs are so explicit and brutal, Agent Orange remains to be my favourite on the album though. That reminds me: he also took on the name Alex, after the protagonist in A Clockwork Orange having left the mental institute, and there are some definite similarities between the two. I think he says that that first album was about his childhood and how angry he was, I'm being ignorant about this and I feel bad about it because I know he deserves more credit, its not exactly along those lines, but I'm pretty sure that album came out just after he tried getting off hard drugs and started trying to turn his life around.
His later album, 'Hell's Winter', comes from the idea that he didn't have to be the person he was and he didn't have to be that white guy going for the black guy stereotype (as he says) as it just wasn't him, and this too is so dark, with Subtle art of the breakup song being perhaps the most popular song on the album.
It's no surprise that his most recent album (released 2009) 'Depart From Me' remains dark, but its not as explicit, in the words of his good friend Shia Labeouf ( at first sighting it would seem that it's Cage who latches onto Shia, but actually from the youtube videos I've seen and stuff I've read its more as if Shia makes the effort with Cage, Shia said he had been listening to Cage since he was 12). Depart From Me contains my favourite Cage song I Never Knew You which I think is one of if not the only Cage song to be made into a music video, that music video was directed by Shia Labeouf, and he has a brief appearance at the beginning.

I feel like I've missed something and that's because I probably have (his involvement in groups, main one being The Weathermen though I think he prefers producing his own music with close friends instead of collaborating with strangers for the sake of appealing to a wider audience and to sell more tracks). If this post has intrigued you, then I would strongly recommend you go to his website, he even has published the notebook he kept during his time at 'The Lodge' (mental institute) which is pretty interesting.

The five main Cage songs I like are as follows:

• Subtle Art of the Breakup Song
• Grand Ol Party Crash
• Ballad of Worms
• I Never Knew You
• Agent Orange

I will link the Spotify tracks for these songs but the video for I Never Knew You will be down below as well.

                                            
                                           
                                            
                                           

Theme Tunes - Part 2

4)
This is from Peep Show another song that along with Gone Up in Flames, is a very get-up-and-go type of song that gets you in the mood. The song is called Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger. To me, the song is about someone having a breakdown and not knowing who they are or where/if they fit in, or you could look at it from the perspective of someone trying to get a grip on a world swarming with insanity. With a deeper look into all of these songs, I am starting to see how most connect to the actual programme or series itself, and that they are in fact carefully picked to suit the programme. In a way this makes the song seem better when you are just about to watch the programme and it comes up as the theme tune, as opposed to listening to it on your iPod or whatever, you concentrate on it more that way.

5)
The next song on the list is very different to the other appearances so far, as it is a classical type piece with no lyrics. This is the theme tune to the popular series Game of Thrones. I have to say its probably the lowest ranked in terms of my musical taste, but nevertheless its been considered enough to appear on the list. I suppose the thing that stands out most about this and that has appealed to me most is the layering of the different instruments, but most importantly the overriding cello (or double-bass - apologies) providing the low looming booming throughout.

6)
Choir of Young Believers' song Hollow Talk appeared in the Scandinavian crime drama The Bridge. Again, as with many of the songs here, it's very different out of the context of the programme, and doesn't have the same sort of quality and harrowing feel as it does when you listen to it as a theme tune at the beginning. The song is definitely haunting, but I suppose that the backdrop which it is played against certainly plays a part, and then the crescendo when you come to the end of each episode almost makes you well up, its a great song if you listen to it right.
The first video is the theme version, the second, full version follows.

I believe I have now come to the end. I thought I would have more but either I was wrong or they elude me, and will probably come back just after I post this. I know I have skipped out the classics: Star Wars, Hans Zimmer etc. but these are my favourite theme songs to this date, or at least the ones that have stood out the most to me. Please do not hesitate to leave any suggestions or potential additions to the list.

Thanks.

Theme Tunes - Part 1

This post is slightly different to my normal ones in the way that I will be talking about songs I have heard on TV programmes instead of profiles on artists. These songs are often, not always, but often by relatively unknown artists yet somehow the songs themselves are pretty famous and heard of.

As I write this, I wonder how long exactly this post will be, and I think it will be too long, so I'll split it up into different posts/parts consisting of a maximum of three songs in each post.


1)
The first is a song by Paul Weller that features in the BBC series Lead Balloon, and the song is called One Way Road. I have just looked up the song, and I'm pretty surprised to discover that Oasis wrote the original and the version that features on Lead Ballon Paul Weller's cover version. Although my loyalty lies with Oasis, I must say that I prefer Weller's version - it somehow really fits in to the programme itself. Here are both versions down below.

2)
The second on the list is from the popular series Skins, and the artist is Fat Segal. He is really really unknown and I haven't been able to find him on Spotify. It seems as though the little recognition he has is all generated from the theme tune of Skins. I have found that the theme tune for each series gets worse as Skins progresses - the first theme tune was the best and since then they've gradually gone downhill. Somehow they become even more electric as they go on. This doesn't take away from the feeling you get when you first hear the music and the opening video comes on and its just a great way to get into the next forty minutes or however long each episode is without adverts - I forget. When you have watched all six series, and heard all the theme tunes for each series, there is a great feeling of nostalgia once you hear the first theme tune after a long time, I suppose that's why I appear to have been slightly biased towards it and perhaps a bit too harsh about the rest. I shall leave both the full version of the song and a compilation of each theme song of the (so far) 6 series of Skins.

3)
The next one is also from a series I'm sure many British teenagers will be familiar with - The Inbetweeners. I won't go into as much depth on this one, but I reckon along with Flagpole Sitter by Harvey Danger (that song will be on the next part of this small series of posts) its perhaps my favourite song out of all the songs on this post, and perhaps also the one I have listened to most outside of television. Its just a really good song in general, and I know that's a poor analysis and pretty unoriginal but its just a get up and go song which I like a lot. For those of you who didn't already know, it is called Gone Up in Flames by Morning Runner.

This is not the end, but merely the beginning, there will be a couple more posts like this one coming soon.

Future Posts

Although I would really prefer not to do this, and instead give my full thoughts on an artist, I think I might do it occasionally. I am referring to the situation I find myself in when I hear one song I really like by an artist that is just really good, but when I listen to their other songs they are completely different and worse. Or sometimes it might just be because they haven't got many other songs to listen to (as I have found with an artist named PolarBear, who literally has about three songs you can find on the internet).

This will not however, be a regular thing, and I will do my best to provide you with full overviews on artists. But actually I'm not sure what the reader would prefer, I know there are some who like one or two songs and aren't really interested in the artist or about them, and I know there are others who feel differently, it would help if you would let me know, and from there I can slightly adjust the layout of each post, or rather make a few concessions.

Yuck

Yuck are a surprisingly good band, unlike most new bands today. They come from London and two of the members used to go to my school...

Anyway,

I really like them because like Oasis, their guitars have that rough sound that makes it seem raw and more pure, but they also have some really catchy solos. "Get Away", probably their most famous one is also my favourite they are really good considering how young they are and I think they have done well for themselves.

Please bear in mind that this was written a long time ago, and with retrospect I can see what rubbish this is (my writing, not the music), and I promise there are better things to come.

Radiohead

Radiohead have that kind of solemn and melancholic sound to their music that I love, because I find that it is usually the sad songs that have more substance and are just generally better. When Thom Yorke sings songs like No Surprises and Fake Plastic Trees his voice just sort of creeps out smoothly and beautifully, and believe it or not he had few friends and got regularly picked on by his peers during his rather unsatisfactory childhood which may have a large part to play in the result of their music. I sometimes wonder that if the way he sang were to be described as a picture, then it would be like a lonely, scared timid figure surrounded by darkness and when he opens his mouth to sing, a white light drifts and droops out and just expands into the darkness. Anyway enough weird imagery about Thom Yorke's voice.

Radiohead released their first album Pablo Honey (which wasn't great in my opinion except for Creep obviously) in 1993 and their earliest influences are said to have been Queen, Elvis Costello and post-punk acts of surrealism (much like the style of music Radiohead often produce) such as Joy Division, and now that I think about it they have a very similar atmosphere to some of their music. They incorporated computer-generated and hip-hop style production into their recording methods, a relatively new idea in that Brit-Pop era, and a style they have continued to use since. The members of Radiohead have said in the past that they are not influenced by one or two artists, but are constantly finding new inspiration from many different artist, but whatever it is that influences them, if anything influences them, is bound to be incredible, if they have been going for roughly twenty years, and recognized as one of the most prolific and successful British bands to date.

None other than Fake Plastic Trees and No Surprises, also just because of the sheer sadness and desperation - Creep.

Please feel free to leave any feedback, negative or positive, and tell me what you would like to read about so I can improve. Also any clicking on the ads would be very much appreciated.

Thank you

Kasabian

Hailed at one point as "Britain's hottest band" Kasabian are and always have been one of my favourites. Partly because they are one of the better British bands, but also because they remind me of a modern day Oasis - they're from Manchester, they like football, they both appear to be arrogant twats, they have the same sort of sound to their music, they're amazing.

In my opinion Oasis's albums have got worse as the years progressed with an odd exception, but there is no doubt thatDig Out Your Soul is an absolute pile of crap compared to Definitely Maybe whereas with Kasabian, its sort of the opposite... I think their most recent album - Velociraptor is incredible and has some of my favourite songs. La Fee Verte is brilliant, and I genuinely hope they continue to create more songs with that almost melancholic and dreary tone that they manage to pull of so well, and then at the complete opposite end of the spectrum comes Switchblade Smiles which has a taunting start and you can just 'feel it coming' which I love hearing just before the heavy drum beat and Serge's screaming voice followed by the penetrating bass line. 

Anyway... as long as Kasabian keep making songs close to the likes of Club Foot, and La Fee Verte, then I'll be happy.

Here they are:

Ed Sheeran and Devlin

Devlin is probably one of the very few exceptions of where I like rap, though I really hate his first albums, I think his new one "Bud, Sweat, and Beers", is pretty good. My top song being "Let it Go", there's just something about it that seems really good, it could be the instruments, the chorus, the lyrics, or I don't know but something about it just seems really good, probably the chorus actually (I say this as I'm listening to it).

I heard about Devlin through Ed Sheeran (who is also incredible), and when they perform together its amazing. But their lyrics are pretty good as well, especially "Community Outcast" by Devlin and "A-Team" by Ed Sheeran. I started out talking about Devlin and now I'm onto Ed Sheeran, because he is that great, but still somehow hasn't got a proper album out yet. Anyway... please listen to them and follow me please.. also comment if you want me to change anything or if you have any suggestions on who I should talk about.

I wrote this a while ago, and since then Ed Sheeran has indeed got an album out, and my opinion of him has spiralled downwards. I don't know if its just me and as soon as someone who I like who is relatively unknown becomes known makes me lose respect for them, if that makes sense... I suppose when you know something great that no one else does, and then suddenly lots of people know him and start hyping about him and can't stop talking about him, it takes something away from the original quality and makes them seem no different to anyone else. Shame really. I still like Devlin though.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

One of my favourite bands with some of my least favourite songs. They are recognized for their funk and groove, with Flea attacking the bass jamming out some of the most psychedelic tunes. But those are the songs I really hate.

I love the chilled back songs with Antony Kiedis's voice softly singing the lyrics to 'Under the Bridge', or the tune of the guitar to 'Snow'. They have been going for a really long time and loads of things have happened to their members, including death, so thats probably why their songs vary from almost heavy metal to quiet, reflective songs. Some people say their latest stuff has become to forced and is based more on advertising and business, but I prefer their latest songs to the songs when they first started out as a garage band, playing songs for their school.

Here are my favourite songs by them:

• Under the Bridge
• Californication
• Can't Stop
• By the Way
• Scar Tissue
• Soul to Squeeze 
• Snow (Hey Oh)

Give It Away is one of their more funky songs which is alright, but not as good as the ones mentioned above.

The Beatles

As widely popular and loved as they are, and as appalled and shocked as some of you may see this as, I don't really like the Beatles. There isn't that tone to their music that I like and it is all a bit wet in my opinion, but that's probably just me.

I think that many people like them because many people like them, if that makes sense? I guess I just find it annoying that the younger generations claim to like them in an attempt to look cool or retro, or maybe even gain respect from their parents, when really all they have probably heard is a bit of 'Yellow Submarine'. I'm not suggesting that The Beatles are talentless frauds who have no right to be making music, just stating my opinion that I don't find very many of their songs that good, especially how they sing, the singing in an ensemble really pisses me off. But since they are one of the most if not the most popular band in history they deserve at least a small amount of credit.

The Rolling Stones

Although this band have pretty much died out now and rubbed out by all the shit going round, I still kind of like them, but just a couple of their songs at the most. Probably because I want to be a rock star and dream about playing the incredible solos in front of thousands of screaming people. But its not just the solos, the whole mood of the band just seems really cool and their tone just sounds really special, especially the singers voice and the inevitable solo in every song. One of my favourites is 'Sympathy for the Devil' and I just love how he sings it and the lyrics, especially when he's talking about the Russian Revolution and how he thought it was time for a change as Anastasia screamed in vain and all these other infamous events that happen throughout the course of history, and how he almost seems proud of his accomplishments, but also there are a couple of incredible solos in there that I wish I could play.

Here are a couple of their songs:

Jamie T

Jamie T is one of my favourite artists of all time, partly because of his lyrics and how he makes and performs his music, but also because he is incredibly cool.

He's different to most other people as he raps most of his music but is still indie, he isn't the cliché of a rapper as in making mindless and meaningless shit whilst talking about what car he has and the bitches he pimps... Jamie T's lyrics actually tell a story and that is what I love in songs: stories but with good tunes to go with it. He is a lyrical genius - 'Sticks n' Stones': he is now an adult and is looking back on the days when he used to be young and reckless, running from gang leaders and causing havoc with his mates, living the teenage life to the full. 

Here are a couple of his songs, listen closely to the lyrics, they're the best bits. 

                                     

The Kooks

Definitely one of my favourite bands (although you probably wouldn't really care) are the Kooks. The Kooks are like the unsung heroes of music.

They are so good yet not very well known, or appreciated, it makes me angry knowing that more people adore a red headed idiot (I haven't got anything against red heads by the way) singing oh na na a what's my name? while Luke Pritchard of the Kooks is off writing deep, meaningful songs about loads of different things, but mainly love. My favourite story is Sway and I love songs with stories, they are just so much better. Anyway... I'm guessing that what he is trying to say in the song Sway is how he had a friend (probably an ex-band member) who got so hooked on drugs and dependant on them that he became a recluse and just didn't come out and the rest of them loved him and would do anything for him, but in the end he died. Depressing, I know, but stories in songs make it so much more interesting and meaningful.

Here are a couple of my favourites below although I honestly think that out of both their albums they only have one or two under-average songs, they are just amazing and almost every song is just quality. There albums are: Inside in/ Inside out and their second is Konk.