JIM HODGES - CAMDEN ARTS CENTRE 2010

A broken mirror, a metallic cobweb, a stretched ski mask hidden in the top corner of a room, there is certainly a contrast between Jim Hodges new show and any others that I have seen before. Setup in the London, Camden Arts Centre, there is a different atmosphere surrounding this exhibition compared to others and certainly from Breda Beban’s just across the hall. The pieces of work are neatly positioned around the walls of the room with a few sculptures scattered on raised blocks across the floor. There are no titles next to the work and no descriptions of any kind either.

From my own research; Hodges has always appeared as a saddened individual with his art really finding focus after the HIV and AIDS decimation of the New York gay community. Hodges work is focused around flowers, emblems of the transitory and the traditional tribute to the dead, this is most predominant in works such as A Diary of Flowers a piece which at its fullest stretch features 565 ink sketches of flowers on café napkins, made over a period of three years. Hodges also began creating stitched curtains of silk flowers suspended in open space, beginning with Every Touch. Slower than this, a large canvas filled by creating letters cut from photographs. Slower than this is one of Hodges’ numerous text works composed of a sequence of descriptions of place, time and atmospheric conditions that builds ambivalently to phrases like ‘it had begun like any other day’ and ‘It couldn’t be stopped’. The piece stands out from the rest as it’s poetic feel seems to sum up the overall message that Hodges it trying to get across; A fake flower will never die; life’s winds will never trouble something that wasn’t real to begin with.

The pieces themselves are more quiet then some of Hodges other work certainly if you were to compare A line to you (a floral chain connecting the ceiling to the floor) and Oh great terrain (a huge stainless steel wall covered in green camouflage). There is a sombre tone that follows through all of the pieces, however even though Hodges designed the layout himself the pieces feel separate to each other. All the pieces at the exhibition feel like unfinished work, but this doesn’t mean that they are bad; instead it feels like a reflection of Hodges melancholy outlook on the world. I see the pieces more as like individual tombstones as there is no way to grieve for two people in the same way. In conclusion the exhibition is perhaps less about the viewer interacting with the pieces and more about Hodges expressing his personal feelings and grief. 

Written by Joe Thornalley

MUSIC I LOVE WRITTEN BY PEOPLE I HATE: EAGLES OF DEATH METAL

                Ladies and Gentleman may I introduce you to Jesse Hughes, the whiskey soaked, amphetamine fuelled, evil Ned Flanders lookalike front man of Eagles of Death Metal, a Palm Desert based rock band formed in 1998. Having released three albums since then ('Peace Love Death Metal', Death by Sexy' and 'Heart on', with all puns intended) they are currently on hiatus with a solo album for Jesse in the works. Hughes himself is a notoriously debauched character, making light of his assignations with underage girls (The song 'Shasta Beast' is essentially about kidnapping a 16-year-old girl) and debilitating drug addiction immortalised in the song 'Secret Plans.' As an ex-republican speechwriter who infantilizes, objectifies and insults women I should hate him, but strangely, I don’t. 

                This is on the contrary to my status as a woolly liberal feminist, I simply adore him and can't get enough of his amazing music no matter how much I cringe at the line "If you wanna pass, why don't you kiss this side of my ass?"* and am too embarrassed to listen to Solo Flights, the 3 minute falsetto ode to masturbation, on the bus in case anybody hears. In interviews the sight of him flirting with young music journalists and making lewd comments about his pornstar 'tache make my skin crawl. I don't want to change him, be him or even sleep with him but my sense of liberal guilt at the audacity of his lyrics simply evaporates when I'm dancing round the room to ‘Miss Alissa’ in my pyjamas at full volume. 

                Flippant interview comments aside there is a 'darker' political aspect to Jesse Hughes. As a committed member of the Nation Rifle Association Hughes is a gun advocate who claims that hunting isn't fair because "they can't shoot back", a statement that seems rather sinister given the problems faced by America in terms of gun and gang culture. Jesse Hughes is also an ardent republican who believes Obama is a communist talking head, a view that I don't personally take, and seems perhaps a little blinkered in light of recent health care reforms and progressive political change in general. During the interview where Jesse Hughes made his views on Obama clear he also makes a rather baffling analogy about lemonade that I am yet to figure out. " I don't like people who offer me free lunch, or all-you-can-drink lemonade, because nine times out of 10 you vote for them and they give you a glass and pour a little bit in the bottom and go, 'That's all you can drink." It appears to be a comment on the welfare state and government control but from a man who would rarely encounter lemonade without a few fingers of Southern Comfort the political impact is lost.

                For a man who claims most women don't have sex with him "on purpose" he seems pretty honest about his groupie habit with songs such as 'Just Nineteen' and 'Don't Speak' detailing his sexual prowess and magnitude. I have struggled with friends to find an Eagles of Death metal song it would be appropriate to play to my parents and have come to the conclusion that the sex, drugs and rock and roll obsessions of messers Hughes, Homme and Castillo are not family friendly. Trashy strip joints and dirty brothels are Hughes's home and he seems to revel in the skanky surroundings such as in 'Nasty Notion', a plea to a stripper who just ain't putting out. 

               Jesse Hughes as a person seems extremely excited by the fact that he is making music and people are buying it. I have to admit his guitar playing skills occasionally leave a bit to be desired but the enthusiasm and love for the music is still there. I can't get away from the overpowering magnetism that draws me to their music, despite the misogynist overtones and political disagreements, I just can't stop listening. 

                Other honourable mentions of music made by people I dislike include angry at everything Nick Oliveri and the horrifically homophobic Vbyz Kartel, current banned from the UK for his anti-gay lyrics.

*I will give you a prize if you can find the Simpsons reference in this song

                Written by Clementine Mary Stafford
                Formatted by Joe Thornalley

THE DEATH OF DUBSTEP

        I was chatting with my mate who was telling me about a conversation he had with his dad about dubstep. He decided to play him a song, and chose Eastern Jam by Chase & Status. His dad (presumably an old stoner) says it sounds Indian, like the shit he jammed to when he was a kid. Then the bass drop comes in, and he goes “Yeah, we didn’t have elephants in our music though”. And there we go. It’s bullshit. It no longer has any grounds whatsoever in creativity or artistry. The common idea is that the more it sounds like my grandmother moaning about her infected tone nail, the better. Double points if you can get a whale into the mix too.

        Don’t get me wrong, I used to love it, but my introduction to it was different from most people. I got into it by reading Pitchfork (yeah, I know) and for a while only listened to the stuff they put up in their article, “GRIME//DUBSTEP” which, incidentally, was very good. I loved it, but at the same time did not know why it was considered a dance genre... the beats I were listening to were Brian Eno-esque minimal with triplet bass drum patterns and syncopated beats the whole way through. This wasn’t the four-to-the-floor patterns of house and techno, and hence this wasn’t really something you could dance to (trust me, I tried). Instead, this was something which could only be described as experimental, or if you will, IDM. It was paced evenly, intricate, in a dread poet style lyrically, with dissonant harmonies - and always on a white label vinyl release.
        Lets take my first, and still my favourite, dubstep record as an example - Untrue by Burial (aka Steve Goodman, the founder of the infamous record label, Hyperdub). Untrue maintains a vibe and style throughout the record which makes for a deep, rich, and enveloping sound. The beats play catch-up with your senses, incredibly sharp and poignant rim shots with the snare on the third beat mess with the time signature, and manipulated vocals and strings add emotion to what is an extremely intimate record. It’s hard to turn off, and once you get past “Shell of Light,” it is nothing short of compelling. Goodman’s production is lo-fi, done in his own home, with an emphasis simply on depth-drawing all influence from dub (most significant probably is Spaceape ft. Spaceape), two-step, and UK Garage. This is the sound of London dubstep at its prime.
        This is the sound of London dubstep deteriorating into utter shite. If you thought of Rusko at this point, high five! If the names Caspa, 16Bit, Emalkay, Chase & Status, and Doorly came to mind then you definitely have the right idea. My take on it is that its value is simply in shock. Mainstream dubstep music in itself is simply a paradox - people enjoy it because it’s not enjoyable. It’s an incongruity which they even accept, saying how disgusting, filthy, and raw the tracks sound - you might as well put a chainsaw on a beat (funnily enough, this has been done - check 16Bit’s Chainsaw Calligraphy.) Dubstep has been pushed away from an ornate experimental subgenre of two-step to an indie fad, memories of 2008 and “nu-rave” even spring to mind.

        I mean look at Rusko’s new album - even the title “OMG!” is farcical, let alone the dreary music. His first single, “Woo Boost” - lets pause to appreciate the name - is ridiculous. Distorted mid-range wobbled bass with simplistic drum patterns and an arpeggiated high pitched synth makes for shit. What’s even worse is the music video - if it were anyone else, I would have honestly thought the video was a joke. Painted in garish colours, Rusko is dancing in slow motion with a key-tare wearing a Union-Jack as a cape and sporting three, yes three, coloured Ray-Bans.

        Dubstep isn’t music anymore, it’s cool. And honestly, fuck that, or at least rename it. Hopefully though, it’s not all that bad. Maybe dubstep’s recent claim to fame will increase the popularity of artists like Darkstar, Samiyam, Black Chow, Martyn, Ikonika, Bug, LV, Kode9, Joker, Dandelion, 2000F, Quatra 330, Zomby, Mala, and maybe even Burial can get in on the action. Further to the point, there is no way this shit will last as it is. It is the most repetitive music I have ever heard, and it won’t take long for us to get bored of both it and the jokes surrounding it. I guess I can only hope that this time next year, when I go to a house party, I don’t get the impression that they might just have a zoo in the garden...

           Written by Sir Peter Keffer
           Edited by Sir Joe Thornalley

THE LINK BETWEEN ART AND MUSIC

        Music is an incredibly powerful medium in the media. Used to strengthen emotion, link us to the metaphysical, and particularly the physical aspects of our world. It’s a drug, and we love it. Melodies, chords, beats, harmonies, time signatures, that one note, and line; the motif after you press pause on your iPod that circles your head for the rest of the day. Musicians are artists, and the only difference between them and their visual counterpart is that they have the potential of getting paid a fuck load of money before they die - and arguably: rightly so.

        With the introduction of the music video, and MTV, we see a potentially incredible step forward in music. Ever since the 1980’s, music has been formally married with images, videos, and now fast cars and loose women. Putting the latter aside, the music video is not only a financial benefit for the artist, but it is also a fantastic tool. A nice video to refer to here, even though it’s pre-MTV, is Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Directed by Alan Parker, a founding member of The Director’s Guild, the 90 minute film makes use of vivid, ambiguous metaphorical imagery - not unlike that found in good literature. Not only this, but it’s also exercised with almost no dialogue - a story completely driven by the music of Pink Floyd. Now for the pretentious bit: the film is completely based upon the existentialist philosophical work, The Wall, by Jean-Paul Sartre. Suddenly, seemingly meaningless rock and roll doesn’t seem so meaningless anymore. Maybe, just maybe, it’s artistic. 
        2010 sees the release of ODDSAC by Animal Collective, the revered avant-garde musicians from New York City, definitely the new Paris in terms of the art world. The film, also 90 minutes long, also lacking dialogue (and, incidentally, a coherent plot), also driven completely by Animal Collective’s music, is a collaboration with visual artist Danny Perez. It’s difficult to describe Perez’s work. It’s the stimulation of the eye with various textures, aural and physical, into a solid, sometimes frightening, environment. When asked where he got his inspiration from, he replied “I'm reminded of a low-scale abortion clinic in my neighbourhood where the main practitioner is being charged with various counts of gross misconduct, the idea of the ultimate womb being damaged by what it was creating...” Destruction at its core. So, what better place to exhibit such a show than at the Guggenheim Museum on the Upper East Side alongside the works of Kandinsky, Warhol, and Baldessari? Well... none is the answer. The exhibit (well, a ‘site specific performance’ if you must) featured earlier this year in the rotunda of the gallery with white, horned creature, psychedelic video projections dripping from the wall, and the odd addition of the art student who took one too many tab of LSD. Entitled Transverse Temporal Gyrus, the ‘live’ performance of ODDSAC was a stepping stone for the four musicians into a deeper form of expression.
            "I don't consider writing a quiet, closet act. I consider it a real physical act. When I'm home writing on the typewriter, I go crazy. I move like a monkey. I've wet myself; I've come in my pants writing." Well then, fuck me once over. It’s no surprise this was written by Patti Smith, that crazy ass heroine (now grandmother) of punk rock. In her free time, Smith not only wrote but also painted... I guess one can assume she found it a “real physical act” as well - oi oi. Her art is executed in an incredibly iconic style, on aged papyrus and stencil, with experts form poetry and spoken word - drawing a huge influence from Allen Ginsberg. She is featured in a permanent collection at Museum Of Modern Art in New York where her visual art is seen as separate to her music and of it’s own merit.
           

            The relationship between the visual and aural spheres of artistic expression is truly everlasting. Radiohead and Stanley Donwood; The Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol; The Sex PIstols and Jamie Reid; The Beatles and Peter Blake; Animal Collective and Danny Perez... in all honesty the list could extend all the way down the page. The day should come when I can go to the Tate Modern, plug in, sit down, and listen through a Mogwai album. But, for now, my iTunes is a pretty well stocked gallery, and there are no tourists.

        Written by Peter Keffer

        Edited by Joe Thornalley

JACKSON & HIS COMPUTER BAND

        Jackson is an influential French DJ, known for pioneering the now ubiquitous style of Intelligent Dance Music through his work in remixing various artists and his own original album 'Smash'. IDM is a style of music that grew from traditional Electronic Music, but incorporating elements from many other elements of Dance. Traditionally, IDM tends to rely on musical experimentation rather than on a particular set of musical rules, adding to its appeal for those who are looking for more than a four-to-the-floor beat. This is most recognisable within the work of genre spearhead Aphex Twin, amongst others. 

Born as Jackson Fourgeaud, this visionary Parisian artist started making music when he was 15, interested by the musicians and equipment involved in the work of his mother, folk and blues singer Paula Moore. After his debut on Pumpking records in 1996, he released the 'Sense Juice' and 'Gourmet' EPs under the name ‘Jackson & His Computer Band’. Like his adventurous music, Jackson is “a Parisian to the core”. Now at 28, he has spent more than a decade at the forefront of innovation in Dance Music. Back in 2005 he was resigned to WARP Records. WARP being renowned for having some of the most musically progressive artists under their belt, such as Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, !!! and DJ Mujava.
        Soon after signing to the historic label, Jackson released ‘Smash’: his debut album. Described by Jackson as "a style orgy, a psychedelic celebration of conflict". The album is, as he describes, a crazed collection of incredibly well-produced, densely packed tracks. The album opens with Utopia, a track that creates the surreal sound that follows the rest of the album without mercy. The standout though has to be Arpeggio a four minute track which seems to constantly change and constantly capture the listener’s interest on new levels. Despite being dark and edgy, it still retains its dance appeal, with the whole tune sounding engineered to perfection. Breaking up the hits on the album are 30 second jazz/pop interludes, making the journey all the more surreal and fascinating. It could be argued that the album peaks too early, however, with Jackson struggling to maintain the awesome vibe he creates at the start of the album, although it manages to remain attention-grabbing. Since the first few songs are so hard-hitting it almost tires the listener out and makes it harder for the later cuts on the sinister musical journey to compensate for this. Nevertheless, the album received good reviews in the dance press has clearly inspired the likes of Justice, Simian Mobile Disco and Sebastian. 

As well as creating his own innovative tracks, Jackson is also a renowned club DJ. His sets incorporate anything from techno to new-wave futurist tracks, with a no-holds-barred playfulness to his shows. Jackson is constantly asked by bands such as Justice to hear their songs remade with his unique flair. Jackson not only remixed three of their songs into one, but he also created the legendary 'Do The JAHCB', a 12-minute mixtape of Justice's entire album: ‘Cross’. Jackson has also remixed the likes of Air, Femi Kuti, Vanessa Paradis, M83 (‘Run Into Flowers’ being an essential track to check out), Freeform Five and Jean Jacques Perrey & Luke Vibert's Moog Acid project.

        To conclude, due to Jackson's constantly evolving palate of influences and output and with his style spreading further and further, IDM is only on a course to become more interesting.

        Written by Joe Thornalley

        Remixed by Emmett Cruddas & Peter Keffer

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB LIVE @ PURE GROOVE RECORDS 17/04/2010

            A few saturdays ago in the early evening, young London indie band Bombay Bicycle Club took to the stage in a packed and sweaty Pure Groove Records to shake loose the winter blues on this sunny Record Store Day. Playing an acoustic set in which they brought out a couple of B-sides, some tracks off the new, all-acoustic album and a few old favourites, Jack, Jamie and co came on armed with Banjos, Mandolins, Acoustic Guitars and Brushed Drums before launching into an interesting rework of recent single 'Evening/Morning', with that infectious guitar riff sounding even more impressive with the unmistakable twang made ubiquitous today by Marcus Mumford’s men.
            They later treated the crowd to stripped-down renditions of 'Dust on the Ground' and 'Always Like This', both of which inspired mass sing-alongs, but it was with the previews of their forthcoming sophomore record which were most fascinating, especially early highlight 'Rinse Me Down' and the bright 'Ivy and Gold', throughout which the crowd remained reverently silent, in awe of one of the tightest bands working today. Their harmonised guitar melodies and Steadman’s odd bluesy voice sound fantastic in this shop, especially on quieter tracks like recent acoustic b-side 'Jewel' and early song 'You Already Know', which they finish with, being joined onstage by a female singer who adds another layer of delicacy to their perfectly-crafted pop songs. 
            Bombay Bicycle Club is constantly impressive live, having proven their worth with their fantastic album 'I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose' and a recent show-stealing slot on the NME Awards tour supporting the Maccabees. This small show, attended by dedicated fans, braving the heat (and in one case, fainting) to hear these new tracks, has further showcased their prowess in a live environment. While their sound has dramatically changed instrumentally for this special show, they remain one of the best bands around at the moment and their next record, albeit radically different, will deserve to be played and replayed throughout the year.
Bombay Bicycle Club’s new acoustic LP: ‘Flaws’ is due out in July

Setlist:
Evening/Morning
Rinse Me Down
Dust on the Ground
Magnet
Jewel
Leaving Blues
Ivy and Gold
Always Like This
You Already Know

             Written by: Emmett Cruddas

             Edited by: Joe Thornalley

THE BLOODY BEETROOTS

The Bloody Beetroots were an underground DJ duo, mixing and making electro tracks. By 2008 they were becoming more and more popular. However, they came under criticism from some reviewers for only using the masks and style as a way of gaining attention, for example they were becoming known as 'those DJ's that play with masks on' rather than for their music.

However this has never been the case, the masks are not intended for show, instead they are a way of creating an identity for themselves when they play live and also allows them to incorporate their favourite, extremely violent, comic book artist, Tanio Libertore who was a huge inspiration for the band and who went on to create their debut album cover: Romborama. They are also there to represent a part of where they come from: Italy, Venice which is renowned for its masked festivals, where people can enter the streets masked for weeks on end and where you can be and release the person you really are.

Near the end of 2009 The Bloody Beetroots released Romborama (21/08/09). Romborama is the fusion of two concepts engineered by the headman of the bloody beetroots' duo: Sir Bob Rifo aka Bobermann. The concept is that the album was not so much something that flows from one track to the next but is instead a collection of all their best work; old, new, fan favourites and collaborations with their friends’ within the music world all re-mastered and formatted for CD. Soon after Romborama's release The Bloody Beetroots went off the radar. A few months passed without the duo playing or releasing new music until Rifo announced on Facebook and Twitter that he had given himself a birthday present, the band's own website:

www.deathcrew77.com

There was little information on the website aside from what they call their manifesto:

http://www.deathcrew77.com/manifesto/

Though obscure the reference is referring to how people saw the band and how it was to change, however in doing so they didn't want to ruin what the fans liked about the band in the first place; a hard hitting hard-core electronic near punk dance band. A week later Sir Bob posted on the website that Death Crew 77 was here.
Lead by Rifo on guitar, synth keyboard and Vocals with Tommy Tea (the second member of the original band) running live DJ effects on the instruments and a new third member with the alias: Edward Grinch now on drums, the band was ready for their debut. They announced a Tour starting in London (the birthplace of punk) and then to follow the other cities of the UK and Europe. They toured alongside the release of their new EP and video - DOMINO, which was darker than some of their other tracks. The new message is clear. The Bloody Beetroots are reborn. However Domino is not separate from Romborama instead as Rifo put it; it is an 'extension' of the album similar to their other EP, Christmas Vendetta.

To conclude, Death Crew 77 is not a new band but instead an 'extension' of it, similar in a sense to the album and the DOMINO EP. To keep the band constantly evolving, to keep the sounds from getting old and to show the people who criticised them that the band is more than what they think. Sir Bob, a self-proclaimed anarchist and differentiated from the other two DC77 members by a tattoo on his chest of his birth-date: 1977, claims that now the band is not as straightforward as it was in the beginning (simply an opener to his punk band; Bob Rifo’s Gang). The Bloody Beetroots: a DJ Set, a live Band, a medium of anarchistic expression and an idea that can only revolutionise the way we listen to electronic music.

Written by Joe Thornalley

Edited by Joe Leavenworth Bakali