So, While I've Been Studying...

... my brother and his mates have been doing this:

Crazy Music Happenings Resulting In "Existence Zero: Definitions of a Heresy"

Apparently, it's classed as Cosmic War Metal (generally in all caps, but I'm not really as shout-y as metal-heads), and as much as it's not my brother's usual creative style, it's not my primary go to genre for listening. However, it's the sort of music to play during global war, and when I'm revising that's what my head thinks is happening, so last week was a convenient release date in that I was in the right mindset to receive it and give it a hearing.

Without experience of metal in general, I can't really compare it objectively on the basis on conformity to musical convention, but from an outsider's perspective it seems pretty good. Although there is an overall theme and consistency of style, there is enough of a melodic, rhythmic and temporal range across the record which creates an entry point for a variety of listeners depending on their metal pedigree or tastes. For myself, I have discovered that vocals aren't really my cup of cha in this area, but the examples here seem well produced for those for whom this is not the case, and, since the record is not too vocal-heavy, this did not detract significantly from the listening experience.

I will probably listen again properly when my exams are over, to give a more detailed review, and perhaps to see if the lack of stress alters my perceptions, but for now, I recommend a listen and would have to say it is the best cosmic war metal EP I've heard, although it may help to know that this is the only cosmic war metal EP I've heard...

Sounds of Simon

A number of people have expressed a desire to see what my writing is like when framed in a more up-beat context, so here is a contracted review of my favourite musician, instigated by the glorious (and most likely once in a lifetime) experience of having seen him in concert this week.

Disclaimer: These opinions, while stated as fact for the purpose of publication, are entirely my own. You are perfectly free to disagree with the ideas presented here, in the same way as I am perfectly free to hold them in the first place.

Unless you are a complete heathen – and I am aware that such people do exist – it seems to me to be impossible not to appreciate Paul Simon on some level. A master wordsmith and the embodiment of versatility, his career has spanned over half a century. Does that mean that he had a career and then spent the proceeding few decades milking it and thanking heaven that he didn’t die along with so many of his contemporaries? Certainly not! His current tour is not a mere nostalgia trip: he is in fact promoting his 16th studio album (that is, not including soundtracks, lives or compilations), So Beautiful Or So What. Nor is it a comeback, since he never really went away. True, he is not churning out an album a year, or whatever the going rate is these days for those new artists who manage not to be a one-hit wonder, but his last was only 5 years ago. When you consider that he is a family man, still semi-regularly touring, approaching his 70th birthday, who has produced a record containing such beautifully and intricately arranged original tracks, that timespan suddenly moves from the mundane to the phenomenal.

Why do I say he should appeal to everyone? The expert spanning and conjoining of genres and, indeed, cultures – as witnessed by the African/Caribbean influences and collaborations in his recent works; the mix of subtlety and transparency in his wordplay, generating the span from tears to chills, to laughter; the glorious instrumentation and rhythms, causing an inescapable urge to move and give in to the call of the beat; his ability to remain continuously relevant, with old and new material alike; his continual productivity, and his general, all-round ‘nice-guy’ attitude combined with his dedication to his music, his band and his fans are but a taster of the virtues of a man whom I have no compunction about describing as an artistic genius.

Now They're Famous:

It's pretty cheesy and poorly edited, but here is a Promotional Short for the band Playing in Circles. The song featured is a cut-down version of one of their songs Our Life on CCTV which seemed vaguely appropriate. It's almost completely unauthorised by the band, but I think people should listen to them - I don't know if this will help or hinder that cause, but it's worth a try.