Rugby and Music
Sep. 13th, 2007 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99Dear Brian Ashton, why must you put me in such an awkward position? I hate the way England play rugby union with a passion and therefore should want them to lose. Except now you've put Andy Farrell at number 10 in the make or break match and if they lose, he'll be blamed, and since he's a convert from League, my code will be looked down on more, so I now have to cheer them on, and it just feels wrong.
Anyhow, a couple of days ago, I promised music so here it is. Rather sadly the last few albums I bought have been either Manics albums or ancient.
So here I bring 'Wisemen' by James Blunt
http://download.yousendit.com/F5DBAE580421EB86
I still don't get why people think he's cuddly rather than actually quite odd. I mean, quite a lot of his songs are angry, not a lot, but quite a bit. And this is the song that I think that shows that best.
Of course he's one of those people who's 20 times better live hence you-tubing:
Goodbye my lover - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3YTWNSyYWvI
You're Beautiful - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SwpbtmFK4BM
Other songs better (or even better) live:
Blurry - Puddle of Mudd - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OIHSUJr5jeM&mode=related&search=
Run - Snow Patrol - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CmK6IEDnvAk
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pmrfuYerPDs
Manics - You Stole the Sun From My Heart - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLUGSX8Wig
Which I hate on record but love live. I will never understand that.
Anyway, onto their latest album 'Send Away the Tigers' which really isn't quite the return to form everyone says it is but it's not far from it. At least 5 of the tracks are fantastic. So a track by track review is called for.
Probably the closest to the traditional sweeping nu-Manics sound. The guitar riff is fun.
– A counter-point to 'You Love Us' which was all about us loving them. This is all about them loving us. And we're the freaks and the lost and the hopeless. But so are they and such love.
They always sound better when they do duets with women. Possibly the most fantastic expression of how I feel about love ever recorded. Because it isn't enough to save the world. And that's why I love the Manics, they're a band that reflect the same ideas that I hold, most of the time.
A weak track. Suffers from severe lyrical wishy-washiness. But the music is so good that it almost makes up for that, sweeping and melodic, lyrical in the way the lyrics want to be.
Lyrics wishy-washy, without the music to rescue it that Indian Summer has. Decent chorus though.
Angry. And blatently political which they've been missing. Not that great track, this time it's the music that's letting it down though because the lyrics aren't half bad.
Also called 'What Have You Done To Your Hair' by me. Probably the closest they've ever managed to sound to the whole Motown production thing that James has a thing for. Lovely and wonderful and in another one of those bizarre coincidences, I have recently started wearing my hair in bunches and well, the line just kills me in some awkward way and it's so hopeful and sweeping.
The Manics don't do proper love songs. But this is one of theirs. Not a bad song, just not that good. Roughly 15 times better live though.
If Adam Ant and satirical comedy had a child, it would sound like this. The maddest, most old-skool (lyrically, definitely not musically), probably the best song on the album. Definitely my favourite.
Worst track on the album. The lyrics are good, the music is wishy-washy, and it doesn't even have a stonking chorus to rescue it. Although it tries.
Blasphemy I know, but this is the best version of this I've ever heard. It's everything that Winterlovers was trying to be but didn't manage, which is a bit disappointing but as I said, it shows that they're trying.
The whole album is available to listen to on their website, as are their previous ones - www.manics.co.uk
Go listen. They're fantastic.
Anyhow, a couple of days ago, I promised music so here it is. Rather sadly the last few albums I bought have been either Manics albums or ancient.
So here I bring 'Wisemen' by James Blunt
http://download.yousendit.com/F5DBAE580421EB86
I still don't get why people think he's cuddly rather than actually quite odd. I mean, quite a lot of his songs are angry, not a lot, but quite a bit. And this is the song that I think that shows that best.
Of course he's one of those people who's 20 times better live hence you-tubing:
Goodbye my lover - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3YTWNSyYWvI
You're Beautiful - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SwpbtmFK4BM
Other songs better (or even better) live:
Blurry - Puddle of Mudd - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OIHSUJr5jeM&mode=related&search=
Run - Snow Patrol - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CmK6IEDnvAk
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pmrfuYerPDs
Manics - You Stole the Sun From My Heart - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLUGSX8Wig
Which I hate on record but love live. I will never understand that.
Anyway, onto their latest album 'Send Away the Tigers' which really isn't quite the return to form everyone says it is but it's not far from it. At least 5 of the tracks are fantastic. So a track by track review is called for.
Probably the closest to the traditional sweeping nu-Manics sound. The guitar riff is fun.
– A counter-point to 'You Love Us' which was all about us loving them. This is all about them loving us. And we're the freaks and the lost and the hopeless. But so are they and such love.
They always sound better when they do duets with women. Possibly the most fantastic expression of how I feel about love ever recorded. Because it isn't enough to save the world. And that's why I love the Manics, they're a band that reflect the same ideas that I hold, most of the time.
A weak track. Suffers from severe lyrical wishy-washiness. But the music is so good that it almost makes up for that, sweeping and melodic, lyrical in the way the lyrics want to be.
Lyrics wishy-washy, without the music to rescue it that Indian Summer has. Decent chorus though.
Angry. And blatently political which they've been missing. Not that great track, this time it's the music that's letting it down though because the lyrics aren't half bad.
Also called 'What Have You Done To Your Hair' by me. Probably the closest they've ever managed to sound to the whole Motown production thing that James has a thing for. Lovely and wonderful and in another one of those bizarre coincidences, I have recently started wearing my hair in bunches and well, the line just kills me in some awkward way and it's so hopeful and sweeping.
The Manics don't do proper love songs. But this is one of theirs. Not a bad song, just not that good. Roughly 15 times better live though.
If Adam Ant and satirical comedy had a child, it would sound like this. The maddest, most old-skool (lyrically, definitely not musically), probably the best song on the album. Definitely my favourite.
Worst track on the album. The lyrics are good, the music is wishy-washy, and it doesn't even have a stonking chorus to rescue it. Although it tries.
Blasphemy I know, but this is the best version of this I've ever heard. It's everything that Winterlovers was trying to be but didn't manage, which is a bit disappointing but as I said, it shows that they're trying.
The whole album is available to listen to on their website, as are their previous ones - www.manics.co.uk
Go listen. They're fantastic.
