Take some prog attitude, some wonky LP sleeves and some slow grinding riffs and whaddya got? You got the Arcade Fire (remember! It’s not THE Arcade Fire… *slaps wrists*). Now, Arcade Fire find themselves in a very unique position in the world… notably… every man and his dog absolutely adores them. Bruce Springsteen loves them. U2 love them. David Bowie love them. There lies the problem.
Where many feel that Ver Fire are superior to your average indie band, it still remains that has-beens like Bono and The Boss love ‘em. For me, that does your credentials no good. Indeed, it only serves to prove what I’ve always thought: they’re a bit dull. For a band with ‘fire’ in their name, they seem to lack all punch and vigour, instead preferring to plough a sturdy furrow in a very lumpen field. Sometimes, I don”t get bands… but I get this lot and just don’t dig them.

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Wednesday November 14th, 2007 at 3:17 pm

I desperately want to like Rufus Wainwright. I really really do. I’ve been intrigued by him in interviews and am a fan of his father’s work (Loudon Wainwright III). From Rufus’ influences and the way people talk about his music, I expected a camp and dramatic Scott Walker styled singer, blowing everyone away with grandiose torch songs and swooping strings. Instead, I heard some very nice songs.
Now, there is nothing wrong with writing a nice song… but that’s it… they’re just nice. I’d built Wainwright up into some dazzling queen with a point to prove… yet, instead, I got a limited range and very pretty little songs. If only I’d not bothered building him up in the first place. For me, it seems that Rufus Wainwright has yet to really unleash his talent. If he pushes his (clearly brilliant) voice and builds on the tension, I’ll be first in the queue to adore him. Until then, I’ll simply remain a little puzzled and a bit let down…

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Wednesday November 7th, 2007 at 3:02 pm

Every man and his dog loves The Small Faces. All the ingredients are there. They looked cool. They dressed in killer threads. The sound is rough and filled with nods to soul 45s. In Steve Marriott they had one of the biggest voices ever to pop out of a weedy white man’s frame. They had the moves… the attitude… so why do they generally leave me wanting?

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Posted by Stuart Waterman on Wednesday October 31st, 2007 at 12:49 pm

Oh, The Klaxons. Everyone’s fave brats on the block. Founders of the non-existent Nu-Rave scene and heralded by all as the saviours of modern pop. A Mercury Music Prize cemented their place in the annals of pop and, presumably, gurning and white-powdered frolics swiftly followed. However, despite all these credentials, they’re still a farcical outfit of Nathan Barley-esque bozos hopping around in Katherine Hamnett t-shirts who encourage the use of glo-sticks… and glo-sticks are for dimwitted tossers.

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Posted by mofgimmers on Wednesday October 24th, 2007 at 12:23 pm

Festivals can be great fun. However, as much as a festival is your friend, it can also be your worst enemy. Here is a list of things that drive me mental about festivals.
Clearly Hilarious Hats
I’m sorry. What is it about a weekend in a field that drives people to sport ridiculous hats? Okay, this is a common complaint of festivals, but it’s still valid. Imagine. You get a weekend away from work. You are surrounded by people shunning the package holiday and in the air is the soundtrack of your year. The only thing to do is pop a ridiculous hat on your head and show the world how wacky you are. The zany hat is the festival equivalent of the novelty tie.
Read over for more…

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Posted by mofgimmers on Friday August 3rd, 2007 at 3:47 pm