GUILLEMOTS GUILLEMOTS GUILLEMOTS - Review!

Can you say amazing? Say it again. I've already posted on the Guillemots, but having seen them live at King's College yesterday, I can't help but go on about them.

Firstly, lets get this out of the way. Fyfe is not only extremely talented - he's adorable, you can't help falling for him.



Now on to the music.



The best song of the night was "Blue Will Still Be Blue" - a song Fyfe does on his own, standing with a tiny toy keyboard in hand, on stage with no mic. Really magical.

"Trains To Brazil" was a highlight, where they stopped dead in the middle for some tomfoolery and then got right back to where they left off.





I was right up there in front of the stage, and this gig was truly fantastic. Expect big things from these guys. Glad to have seen them before stardom hits. Catch them again on May 30th at Scala.

Download:

Trains To Brazil - Guillemots
Who Left The Lights Off Baby - Guillemots
Blue Would Still Be Blue - Guillemots

Buy:

We're Here (EP) (RecordStore.co.uk)

Thrice the Same Song: I Put A Spell On You

MYCM's recommendation of the week: I Put A Spell On You.

A fantastic song in itself, its been redone many many times. Here are our three favorite versions:

1) Screamin' Jay Hawkins: The original. This interpretation is a scary, creepy, stalker guy who wants this girl really badly. Slightly insane, laughing madly, and very possessive.



2) Nina Simone: The deep, lusty woman longing to capture her man. At the same time, she's laying down the line - she wears the pants in this relationship.



3) Alan Price (of The Animals): The mystical, slightly baroque or medieval, organ-heavy, version. Our favorite, this man is sad but not desperate, in love but not possessive, slightly defeated but still not giving up. And perhaps a tad in denial.



Download:

I Put A Spell On You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
I Put A Spell On You - Nina Simone
I Put A Spell On You - Alan Price

Buy:

Voodoo Jive: The Best of Screamin' Jay Hawkins (Amazon)
Anthology - Nina Simone (Amazon)
The Alan Price Set (Amazon)

Live Review: The Happiness @ Dublin Castle

Friday night at Dublin Castle in Camden, enter The Happiness. Definitely one of my favorite unsigned bands at the moment. Although I believe their performance at the Borderline a few weeks back was slightly better, this concert still was still brilliant.



They all have fabulous stage personas, and charisma.



It was fairly packed, not to mention sweaty and crowded. But it didn't lessen the experience. Some of the songs had been slightly altered since last time, some for better, some for worse.

The highlights were still "John", "City Council", and "Disco Samaritan", in my opinion. If you haven't already, listen to the lyrics of "Disco Samaritan" - especially appreciate the beauty in the timing of "You can't miss her, she's half the size of a..." (drum sequence) "Sea Lion - uh." Fabulous.



Remember that their songs are available for free download, so no excuse for not checking them out. Catch The Happiness again at the Borderline on April 20th. See you there!

The Happiness - TONIGHT

Don't forget that one of MYCM's favorites, The Happiness, is playing at Dublin Castle in Camden tonight. They go on at 10PM - see you there!



If you can't make it, not to worry, a review and pictures will be posted over the weekend.

Technical Difficulties FIXED

We had been having problems with the free music downloads posted on this site, but we've got them all sorted now. Here for your convenience are all the tracks we've featured in the last weeks:

Enjoy!

Download:

Wicked Soul - Kubb
Somebody Else - Kubb
Heartbeat - Blackbud
Forever - Blackbud
Raoul - The Automatic
Recover - The Automatic



Still having problems? Please contact me by email.

Theatre Review: The Revenger's Tragedy

So I'm not exactly a "theatre person" so some might argue I have absolutely no right to pose as a reviewer - on the other hand, I saw something I liked, so I'm posting.

Last week I saw Gavin McAlinden's production of "The Revenger's Tragedy." Starring Kris Marshall (of "My Family" and "Love Actually" fame), this small production at the Southwark Playhouse here in London really got to me. Managing to be comedic yet at the same time a depressing cynical view of this corrupt world, I had to come back for a second time!

Especially of note is Linda Marlowe's character (Vindici's mother), who brought a particular humanity yet elegance to the tiny stage of the playhouse. The intimacy of the Southwark Playhouse really enhances the experience, as does the dramatic, moody background music.



While I believe the professional reviews were mixed, I say it's a go. And as you know I'm always right!

The play is only on till Saturday, and unfortunately for you all, it is completely sold out already! But you can always do what we did, go at 6:30 (they won't put you on the list before then) and add your name for the waitlist. Then come back at around 7:15 and see if there are any last minute cancellations - we lucked out both times!

See the official page for more info, and good luck getting in!

Featured Band: Kubb

Yes, I've been awful and irresponsible on updating. I'm sorry.

But here to make it up to you are Kubb. Think Keane meets James Blunt meets Muse.

While I was dissapointed to find they had studio writers and don't pen their own songs, I'm still giving them a shot. Maybe because I've been totally seduced by lead singer Harry Collier's voice.

My favorite would probably be "Somebody Else", simply amazing.

Songs like "If I Can't Have You" and "Wicked Soul" have a fun, funky, maybe even ska-like sound at times. "If I Can't Have You" also reminds me of a softer, British version of Maroon 5. For better or for worse.

In fact, I would say Kubb is the British answer to Maroon 5. And just like them, they can be beautiful and flowy - and at other times, just boring pop. But definitely worth checking out, as I predict they will be big.



Visit their official site for official news, tour dates and downloads. They hit London on March 24th. They also have a My Space (who doesn't these days?) where you can actually download their music (nice to see.)

I've posted two of my favorites, with two more available on My Space. Enjoy!

Download:

Wicked Soul - Kubb
Somebody Else - Kubb

Buy:

Mother- Kubb (Amazon)

Abortion Rights For Men

So its been a long weekend, sorry for the lack of updates! Today's post is a kicker though.

Apparently a man is ready to file suit to block a child support order for a kid he doesn't want - claiming its not fair that men should have to pay child support when they have no say in whether or not they want the child.

On one hand, it is an interesting concept. If a man wants the baby and the mother doesn't, she can abort anyway. But if the father doesn't want it and the mother does, not only can she still have the baby but he has to pay child support for eighteen years.

They say this is a call for "equal rights for men." For some ranting on this issue, see Yourish.com's post on the story.

That argument makes sense up until the point where we realize that pregnancy itself is not equal. There's a living, breathing thing growing inside of you. When men can get pregnant, then we'll talk equal rights.

An interesting idea someone brought up is having pre-intercourse contracts over possible pregnancies. For example, they can sign off that any pregnancy that results is no responsability of the male. That would make sense because then the woman knows what she's getting into ahead of time. This also would prevent the much-cited cases of women purposefully getting pregnant (ie, lying about being on the pill, pulling the condom out of the trash can....) in order to manipulate the situation. Men could protect themselves early on in the game.

But once a woman's pregnant, sorry, there's just no way a man has a right to get off helping her support a child. Its half his responsability, genetically. And if men could get pregnant, I doubt it would be as easy for them to "just get an abortion."

Finally, I find that this is a rather frivolous issue considering the more important fact that all abortion was just banned in South Dakota (see last week's post.)



Its great that America is moving forward - into a time when women can't have abortions, and men don't have to pay to support the child. Somehow Victorian times aren't looking so bad anymore...

But at least we're in Afghanistan protecting women's rights?

Featured Band: Blackbud

Another Friday, another fabulous band.

Blackbud, an aspiring indie band citing influences such as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Buckley, and Radiohead, is a trio from Wiltshire. Taking after a long line of Radiohead-inspired bands such as Muse, Keane, and Travis, they definitely look like they're on the up.

The Times gave them a mention a month back as one of two bands to look out for at festivals this year. I see huge potential.



Their single, "Heartbeat", is simply stunningly beautiful. Starting out slowly, building up to a rythmic and melodic epiphany. The vocals are hauntingly intense, and the percussion is just magestic. This song is an empowering admittal of defeat, which somehow brings you joy through its sadness.

Another highly recommended track, "Forever", has an interesting combination of a very danceable Middle Eastern folk song and a Travis song.

Really hope you purchase all 6 tracks available for download on their Official Website. Truly worth it, I see good things for this band in the future.

Best of all, Blackbud is on tour! Their website lists tour dates, of special note are March 13th and 14th in NYC (thats Monday and Tuesday, folks!) Then they're off to the SXSW Festival - but no worries, will be back in London eventually I'm sure, as plans are being put together for the UK tour to support an album release!

I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime:

Download:

Heartbeat - Blackbud
Forever - Blackbud

Buy:

The Heartbeat EP (iTunes Download)
The Livewire EP (Amazon)

Live Review: The Automatic

Stopped off at Barfly on Wednesday night and managed to catch the last hour of The Automatic show.



The venue was really packed, and the fans up front seemed very hardcore. Yes, there was some moshing and stage-jumping, a lot of teenage kids.

As for their live performance, they did rather well, especially considering the various technical difficulties they were suffering. Both "Raoul" and "Recover" were really well-performed.



There were a few other songs I liked, although there were a lot of songs I thought were just plain typical and unoriginal.

Overall, not bad for a bunch of guys as young as themselves - they have plenty of time to increase their musical sophistication - but for now it looks like their hormone-driven anthems are going to bring them to the top.



More news and tour dates available from the band's Official Site, streaming audio available from their MySpace.

Downloads:

Raoul - The Automatic
Recover - The Automatic

Celebrating Int'l Women's Day with A Ban On Abortion

In desperate need of offspring? Go rape a woman in South Dakota, where Governor Rounds just signed in a practical all-out ban on abortion - including cases of rape or incest.

Beginning later this year, any doctor who provides an abortion in South Dakota will be given a prison sentence of five years.



You know what's even scarier? For the pro-life groups, this is the beginning of a new crusade against women's rights - to overturn Roe v. Wade completely. And with our newly appointed Supreme Court justices, that might not be such a stretch.

Read the full CNN Article - or for a taste of world response, see this SFGate.com post which proves quite interesting.

Want to do more than simply sit back and laugh at "Every Sperm Is Sacred" parodies?

First off, sign the Online Petition for Pro-Choice America.

Got the activist in you all warmed up? Good. Now go join SaveRoe.com's Photo Petition. Don't forget to smile look angry!

Glad to see I've got you going. Do you find cartoons involving clothes hangers less than humourous?

Planned Parenthood has declared today, March 9th, "National Day of Solidarity with South Dakota." Find out what's going on near you, and what else you can do to get involved!

Now that you've completed your social duty for the day, feel free to rant to others about the hypocracies of the "compassionate conservatives" - whether in written, verbal, or cartoon form!



Glad to see my country taking another step backwards.

What a way to ring in March 8th, International Women's Day.

Track(s) Of The Week

This week's featured tracks are "Raoul" and "Recover" by The Automatic (had trouble choosing between the two - so now lucky you get both!) A young band from Cowbridge (Wales), they have been listed as one of the top fifty bands to watch out for in 2006 by BBC1.

The Automatic were actually roadies for the Kaiser Chiefs, and have now been signed to the same label as them, B-Unique Records. Self-described electro-rock, they were also pictured in this week's NME as a "Best Gig" for their set at the London Astoria.

Having only these two tracks to go by until something is released (or I make time to get over to a gig) I can't be sure about The Automatic's overall quality. However, both singles ("Recover" was produced by the same guy who produces the Kaiser Chiefs) are definite gems. Catchy, upbeat, and original. Recover has a very dance-able quality, while Raoul is more pop/rock. Raoul will be released on an EP on March 24th, until then sample them both for free - courtesy of yours truly.



News and tour dates available from the band's Official Site, streaming audio available from their MySpace.

If you like what you hear, check them out tomorrow (Wednesday) at Barfly in Camden. Get Tickets/Info

You might even catch me there!

Downloads:

Raoul - The Automatic
Recover - The Automatic

SEXuality

As many of you know, I'm a student, studying International Relations and Sociology. One of the many things distracting me from updating this blog (or is it the other way around?) has been my essay, debating: Is Sexuality "Natural"?

It may be of interest to some of you, so I have published it online for you to read at your leisure, here.



Please feel free to comment or argue with me - either by posting a response or contacting me by email.

That's your intellectual stimulation for the week!

Just Not "Feeling" It

So I tried, I really did.

There have been favorable reviews everywhere on up-and-coming band The Feeling.

I listened to the song "Modern Classic" - found it typical but with potential for a lot more. (Listen here.)

The Feeling played live at Fopp, an independent record store near Covent Garden, London. I figured I'd give them a chance.



After seeing them perform - and meeting them - I can say they are adorable and very sweet - just, unfortunately, not that special! Yes, I bought their new EP "Sewn" - their music is bearable, and melodic. Its not that I dislike them - I just can't find a reason to really like them. There's just so much better out there right now!
(You're much better off checking out The Guillemots, see Friday.)

Some have predicted that all the hype about The Feeling is due to the success of James Blunt, (who I can admit to occasionally liking) which has set the stage for a new influx of bland soft rock.

Lets hope not.

It's Friday I'm In Love...

With the Guillemots!!!

Welcome to Meaning You Can Memorize's weekly Friday column, which will feature at least one new fabulous band to get your weekend started.

This week, enter the Guillemots. Where did I find them? Well its a long story, there was a short mention of them on Take Your Medicine (a very cool music blog from Sheffield, UK), linking to a site that had posted their song "Trains To Brazil" available to download, a blog called Green Pea-ness (um...right.) Well he had posted an 1100-word post rambling on about how amazing the Guillemots were, saying each song on their record could've been a single, similar to "Funeral" by Arcade Fire and Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust", and I couldn't resist the download (which unfortunately is no longer available for you all.)

How good are they? FABULOUS. As his Green Pea-ness said, "Trains To Brazil" really does have aspects of "Mr. Blue Sky" (ELO) to it. The song is just incredibly catchy, uplifting, and swingin' - yet surprisingly sophisticated for such a new band. I would try to make comparisons to other bands, but I can't think of any that would really do the music justice. The song "Who Left The Lights Off Baby" is great as well, as is their new single, "We're Here." "We're Here" builds up slowly to melodic empowerment, and "Who Left The Lights Off Baby" is not only funny but instantly likeable.



All three of the above songs are available for streaming (not download) on their MySpace site, here. You can also visit the official Guillemots site.

And they're currently touring! They're playing the Mercury Lounge in NYC on March 13th, (that was Keane two years ago, think about it...) and have (unfortunately) soldout two dates in London at Kings College on March 29th and 30th! (I know I'm not the only one hoping to somehow still get tickets!)

What are you waiting for? GO LISTEN NOW.

And while I'm at it, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite new bands to Email Me for information on how to be featured here!

I Couldn't Help But Overhear...

Looks like President Bush isn't the only one interested in spying on the public:



The Man Who Fell Asleep posts random quotes overheard in the London Tube. You may have seen this featured in TimeOut London - his material becomes the weekly column "Overheard Underground."

A similar New York version is Overheard In New York which can be quite amusing as well - although since much of it is user-submitted, you have to sift a little more to find the "good stuff."

Alternatively, there's also Overheard In The Office.



There are hits and misses, but always good for a laugh!

Enjoy!