The Banana Album.

As far as album covers are concerned, there's arguably none more iconic than The Velvet Underground's self-titled debut. With Andy Warhol as their manager, producer and album artist - the sleeve produced was bound to be something special. Early copies of the album invited the owner to "Peel slowly and see"; peeling back the banana skin revealed a flesh-colored one underneath. At the time of it's release, the conventions of society (particularly in New York) were being challenged more than ever - after dark, transexuals such as Candy Darling and Holly Woodlawn would gather round Central Park to discuss the struggles of living in a man's world, advertisements and mundane objects were being proposed as pieces of art and more importantly - in a world where idylic, uniformed bands such as Buddy Holly, The Beatles and The Beach Boys were singing about peace, love and happiness, one band in particular were emerging from the counterculture, rapidly gaining notoriety in the underground scene for its experimentalist performance sensibilities as well as their focus on controversial subject matters expressed in many of their songs including drug abuse, prostitution, sado-masochism and sexual deviancy. The Velvet's were a band whose ideals were solely based on deviating from the norm and speaking out for the outcasts of society, with that in mind, the fact that the album cover was created by radical pop-artist Andy Warhol seems particularly fitting. Warhol's actual participation in the album's production amounted to simply paying for the studio time - his fascination with human behaviour, simplicity and objects being stripped down to their most absolute form meant that the album was virtually made up of live recordings from the studio that day - warts and all. Because of his obsession with simplicity, a basic - and perhaps easily copied - print of a banana is an accurate virtual representation of The Velvet Underground - the house band for Warhol's factory. An often repeated statement in the music industry made about 'the banana album' - as it later became known - is that although a mere 30,000 copies of the album were sold at the time, every single person who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band - a legacy which was created not only by the songs and compilation of the album, but also by it's iconic sleeve.

What Ever Happened?

It's the 7th of July 2013. The hottest day of the year so far. 

As I'm laid on the grass soaking up some UV rays and some VU melodies, I begin to wonder where it all went wrong. 
Whatever happened to good music and the culture that went with it? In the 50s we had Rockabilly; in the 60s we had Folk Rock, Beatlemania and the Factory scene in New York; in the 70s we had Punk and Reggae; in the 80s we had Madchester, 
Acid House, and New Romantics; in the 90s we had Grunge, Britpop, and Rave; in the 00s we had Garage-Rock, Post-Punk and Indie-Rock; and last but not least in the 2010s we have.. um.. Jason Derulo?! Okay, I'll be fair - we have some good indie artists too such as Palma Violets and Jake Bugg but in the grand scheme of things, music is in a pretty shite state. 

It was then in my thought process that my mind wandered to this years' Glastonbury headliners - The Rolling Stones and then it occurred to me that a large proportion of youngsters nowadays recognise that current music is not worth listening to and so they're simply getting into artists that are before their time. Therefore it's not that there are no subcultures anymore, there are many - most of which are revivalists. For example, The Stone Roses are perhaps even more popular amongst teens now than they were back at the height of their fame. In fact, the same goes for bands such as Happy Mondays, 808 State, The Charlatans, Joy Division and The Smiths. The release of films such as Spike Island - which is loosely based on what became known as 'woodstock for the E generation' - again only reinforces the idea that we are now immersed in a Madchester-revival, not just in the music but even in fashion. Granted, the flares have not made a return but the 'Reni fishing hats', the 'baggy' tie-dye t-shirts, and the overall 'part hippie, part football casual' look certainly has. 

There's more. There's another youth culture knocking about; the females have their hair in bobs and fringes, wear fur coats and Fred Perry polos, watch Quadrophenia and obsess over The Beatles; the males wear parkas, button up shirts, lust after Twiggy, and ride Vespas - all of which are traits which can only indicate a return of the 60s Mod. It is no coincidence that Miles Kane - an artist whose popularity is rising by the second - has an uncanny resemblance to Paul McCartney and whose face is now on the walls of many girls' bedrooms across the country. Bands such as The Kinks and The Who have also seen a rise in popularity among this subculture.

The 60s Real Deal.                 Talking 'bout my generation.

Last but not least, there's been a revival of the Post-punk/Gutter-rock scene. It  was headed by bands which were chiefly influenced by The Velvet Underground such as The Strokes, The Libertines, and The Hives and was at its peak around 2002. People who belong to this subculture often had older siblings or parents who were fans of the music at the time and insist that they were simply born 10 years too late. Although there is no strict dress code that goes with this subculture, there is a 'rock and roll' element to their style which is often sported with a band t-shirt, a roll-up and an alcoholic beverage!

On the whole, no one would be right in saying that music-influenced youth culture is dead because it is in fact alive and thriving. 

The bottom line is, however, that nothing new is happening - or if it is, it certainly isn't being well documented. My prediction is that the next 'music revolution' is going to be making an appearance within the next three years, or perhaps that's just what I hope. Either way, we need something new because - as The Strokes say - they want to be forgotten, not reminded.

REVIEW: The Strokes - Comedown Machine

It wasn’t until the 25^th of January when The Strokes released a free download for the song One Way Trigger on their Facebook page that I became aware of their plans to release new material in the near future – this was then confirmed when later in the month

they announced that a new album - Comedown Machine would be available on the 26^th of March 2013. The song itself caused much controversy amongst social networkers; some debating whether they had lost the Rock n’ Roll element to the band or that they’d replaced their guitars for synthesizers for good (or for worse!). It appears that what the fans were complaining about is that it doesn’t sound like a song that could have made it onto the band’s successful – and arguably revolutionary – 2001 debut album Is This It which, let’s face it, is what a large quantity of the fans are after! Instead, the song – and album as a whole definitely has a 80s new wave element which at times almost has a Talking Heads vibe to it. I’d say it’s more alike their previous album Angles – which was hinted at only having been released purely in the interest of money – than their legendary Is This It but it is definitely different – saying this however, bands do evolve and The Strokes are, of course, no exception.

Until the vocals come in on the opening song Tap Out, it almost sounds as though it could be mistaken for a Rick Astley track – which undoubtedly makes for an interesting introduction to the album! Its disco backbeat and bouncy synth-pop guitar riffs are commonplace throughout the album and its title track in particular 80s Comedown Machine genuinely makes you feel as though you’ve hopped onto the Tardis and returned to the 80s with the solitary drum beats followed by the organs in the intro – which has a strange resemblance to Ultravox’s Vienna, yet it is - in my opinion - one of the strongest tracks on the album along with All The Time and 50/50 which are possibly the most traditional Strokes songs on there.

As a whole, it can be said that Comedown Machine is an improvement on Angles and a definite step back in the right direction for The Strokes. Saying this however, Casablanca’s vocals throughout are somewhat sloppy and lack the passion and furore that he’s been known for providing in their previous albums. Also, where he sings in his falsetto, his vocals often sound flat and lifeless – particularly in Slow Animals, Happy Ending and the ultimate track on the album; Call It Fate, Call It Karma – an almost jazz-like number which although does make for a refreshing track, the vocals don’t quite make the cut to leave an overall striking impression on the album. Comedown Machine isn’t disappointing; it’s just not particularly impressive either.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

5 Best Tracks: 80s Comedown Machine, One Way Trigger, 50/50, Tap Out and All The Time.

REVIEW: Palma Violets - 180

 After first reading about Palma Violets in the NME back in May 2012 in which they recommended the band for fans of Echo and the Bunnymen, The Doors, and The Libertines’ house parties - I instantly became interested. Immediately I began searching the internet to find some form of evidence for the NME’s comparisons, however, it wasn’t until August when the official video for Best of Friends became available on YouTube. I was impressed and became extremely eager to hear what more they had to offer when they announced their debut album 180 – named after their studio in Lambeth – was to be released in March 2013.

The opening track Best of Friends makes it easy to see how somebody could make a connection between Palma Violets and Echo and the Bunnymen due to their similar psychedelic sound, however, I would say that the album as a whole has a lot more tinges of The Clash in there – from the fast paced tempo produced by drummer Will Doyle and almost aggressive chanting in Rattlesnake Highway to the eerie wolf calls in Last of the Summer Wine – it’s easy to see their influences.

In my opinion, the comparison that has been made to The Libertines is fairly inaccurate when considering their actual sound; whereas The Libertines were primarily a guitar band, perhaps the most unsung hero with this album is keyboardist Pete Mayhew who could be considered as being responsible for the overall semi-psychedelic sound to the band. Also, Sam Fryer’s vocals have an eerie sound to them which – along with the reverb - makes him sound almost alike Ian Curtis of Joy Division as opposed to Pete or Carl. Saying this though, a similar passion and ethos to The Libertines is definitely there.

Johnny Bagga’ Donuts (track 8), is where bass player Chilli Jesson’s vocals really come into play; whereas throughout the rest of the album he is mainly responsible for backing vocals and harmonies, here is where he fully steps up as co-frontman. In a style which replicates The Who, Jesson lengthens consonants and sings with a passion and a sound that is more youthful to Fryer’s and therefore makes for a refreshing sound on the album.

The album finishes with the climatic 14, however, it doesn’t quite end there; like The Stone Roses, Blur, The Libertines and many more have done before them, Palma Violets sneak in a hidden track which goes by the self-explanatory name of Brand New Song. Like the rest of the album, the final song on 180 doesn’t specifically excel lyrically but it’s fun, fiery and makes for easy listening. It’s a brilliant effort for a debut album and I look forward for what else is to come from Palma Violets and more importantly, they give me hope for modern guitar music again.  A one sentence summary? 180 is the sound of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones listening to Love Will Tear us Apart on a narrow boat... on the Thames... drinking Special Brew... in 2013.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

5 Best Tracks: Best of Friends, Last of the Summer Wine, Rattlesnake Highway, Johnny Bagga’ Donuts and 14.