Sorry again for the slow updates… been so tired and busy it’s fucking mad.

Music news in brief;

I know I’m a bit late on this one, but I’ve finally found a cheap copy of The Thermals ‘More Parts Per Million’ and… holy fucking hell, it’s one of those “my new favourite band!” moments. It’s undoubtedly the best Punk Rock* blast I’ve encountered since the holy light of ‘Mclusky Do Dallas’ a couple of years ago. It’s just… wow! I want to play it to every uninspired trad guitar rock band in the world and say “LISTEN UP YOU LOSERS! THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE!!”
The Thermals formula is so simple, so utterly un-new, so uncontrived and yet… so utterly fucking brilliant. I guess basically you’ve got the harmonious pop songwriting of the buzzcocks, a post-Pavement smart-arse lyrical slant and most importantly of all the sheer joyful ENERGY rush of the Ramones (and nobody else before or since). With music consisting of literally nothing except fuzzed up barre chords, clattering drums and strangulated yelping (no instrumental bits or bridges or any of that shit!), the Thermals are driven forward at the edge of the musical speed limit not by any preconceived ideas or progressions, but by a sea of pure fucking energy, as they kick through 14 songs in 27 minutes on a four-track in some guy’s living room and stick the tape straight in the morning post to the record label... and it’s fucking exhilarating! This album has saved my life over the past three days, I must have played it about 20 times... it’s keeping me alive! The Thermals are the kind of band that make me want to say fuck a lot. FUCK! AAAaaarrrghh, I love this fucking record so much!!! It reminds me why I got into all this indie rock shit in the first place! It makes me shriek with fucking joy! Aaaarrrgghh!


*my definition obviously, not the utterly irrelevant ‘genre’ definition..


And, hey, since I've got nothing else very coherent to sayh right now, I think Pete’s got something to say. Shall we see what it is?

>Went down to the charlotte last night to see a few bands. Rather good it was too.
>A band called Redjetson played first and, well, were kinda >forgettable. Everyone else seemed to really like that though. It’s just that 6 >guys, 3 playing guitar, doing ‘epic’ quiet/loud rock don’t really do it for me. At >best I guess they reminded me of idlewild when they go for the slowburner, but then >that was when idlewild always sucked most I reckon. If I was being really nice I >could throw a joy division they’re way, but I don’t feel like it.
>There’s a lot more I want to throw at Youth Movie Soundtrack >Strategies. Money, badly inked letters of love and devotion, great great >words. Because they blew me away. For half an hour I could forget where I was. Just >tremble and stutter slightly. Yeah that one’s got poster boy looks but I love the >way he holds his guitar. switch on switch off. Dagger sharp guitar lines. switch >on. a LOUD dream. Switch. Blow to the back of the head, counting backwards til >you’re back at the start. Switch. emotion to EMOTE. The loudness within. Switch. a >deafening rumble. Turn up the slintness (a good thing).Again. reach accross and >kiss yr lover as the dj plays explosionsinthesky all over the fast lane.switch >on.head LIGHTS!. Last thing you remember.that.noise. Stop. End credits roll. Leave >in silence. Tell everyone about that great movie you saw.
>Cat on form were superb as ever. They really seemed much tighter >as a band. I love the basic set up. The idealistic words, the raw punkness. Every >squalling mis hit note. It always excites and inspires me. Even though they say >things like “this one’s about how fake everything is on MTV...” which you can take >as given really…you know where it comes from is just so damn real, you know they >mean IT. Even if it’s not quite the way they say it. And finally a band who sound >ok in the charlotte with it’s held together by cellotape soundsystem… they make me >wish I could get up[ and shout things. Or do something more.just validate my youth. >My anger and confusion that this town gives me.
>
>Anyway.. And we’re seeing Sonic Youth soon aren’t we! That had almost slipped my >mind! Oh sweet hurrahs! Guess we can arrange that sometime… Take it easy, pete.
>