SIGNALS TO NOISE

Throw another ballot in the hat for “Best Song of 2013.”  Hats off Banquets, you done wrote a banger!

(In fact, they done wrote a whole record of ‘em!  Go listen: http://blacknumbers.bandcamp.com/album/banquets)

My jams today.

The new self-titled album by Banquets is an absolute cracker; if we’re playing genre-nazi, it’s a little closer to straight-up melodic rock in places than its predecessor (“Top Button, Bottom Shelf,” a firm favourite of mine), but the solid songwriting, strong melodies and soaring vocals that made it so enjoyable are still here in spades. Spun this three times today in fairly rapid succession and didn’t even begin to get fed up of it.

I’m not sure quite why I’d written off Rilo Kiley before now… I vaguely think I’d had them confused for a while with a piss-poor female singer-songwriter with a similar name that I’d seen on TV once (although I can’t for the life of me remember her actual name), although I rather think I may have been a little quick to dismiss them as a lightweight indie band once I’d been corrected. Turns out I’m a fucking idiot; my girlfriend put “More Adventurous” on in her car the other day and by halfway through track three, I’d downloaded an Amazon app and ordered the CD! Also, “Does He Love You?” is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.

It’s gutting that Paint It Black have given up on the album format, as “Paradise” was one of the best hardcore albums ever recorded, and their other full lengths weren’t too far behind. Still, their previous EPs were concentrated, short, sharp shocks that delivered on every level, and “Invisible” is no different! Angry, intelligent, melodic yet abrasive, brutal without machismo: more of this please (hopefully without a four year gap this time!!!).

Finally, Small Brown Bike have always been a weird proposition for me; they play a style of music I enjoy (gruff-vocal punk with post-hardcore influences), but seem wildly inconsistent. However, having shelved “Fell and Found” shortly after buying it, I recently have it another go and found it growing on me somewhat, something it continues to do with each listen. Yeah, some of the vocals are irritatingly gutless or off-key in places, but they’re imperfections I’m slowly learning to love. Beautiful artwork too.

Just a few photos of the new friend I made while I was walking along Witham Bank today. He was chilling out on the dock walkway at Anton’s Gowt lock, and after initially looking a little apprehensive as I climbed over the fence to get a closer look, he seemed quite content to watch intently as I observed from across the small expanse of water between the bank and the dock and took a few photos.

I’d assumed, given its proximity to water and my limited knowledge of wild furry things, that it was an otter, but I’ve since had it pointed out that it could be a large weasel/stoat of some sort. Anyone with a little more wildlife expertise care to shed some light on the matter?

EDIT:  A couple of friends of mine suggested that this might be a mink, and a little research seems to confirm this!

I took the scenic (read: “very long”) route home from York today. Saw some beautiful sights (Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire countryside looks lovely in the sun, and the Humber Bridge has that weird bleakness about it that actually looks sort of haunting), listened to the new Frank Turner album (every bit as awesome as I’d expected), a Bright Eyes album that Laura introduced me to (turns out Conor Oberst’s earlier work is not as resolutely folksy as I’d been led to believe, and the album is a slow burner: third listen and I’m really warming to it) and my least favourite Isis album (for some reason, I’m never as inclined to listen to “Panopticon” as I am to the albums released either side of it; although on today’s evidence, I’ve no idea why: it’s a solid record!).

This right here is “Weight” by ISIS, a song that I can put on and get absolutely fucking lost in, in the best way possible.  Try it.

bewareofdragon:

superpsyguy:

awkward-elevator:

Swedish Chef Ramsay

holy shit.

Can’t breathe

Genius. Simply genius!