Music is undoubtedly getting louder. From the moment the dial was turned up to 11 in This Is Spinal Tap, musicians and producers have, on the whole, been reluctant to turn the volume down. A recent study in Scientific Report proved that music has, indeed, been steadily getting louder since the mid-1960s, as the belief that ‘louder is better’ becomes increasingly commonplace. At the […]
the beatles
Paint and pot
Picture the scene: your creative writing deadline is rapidly approaching, you’ve completely run out of ideas, and then the internet tells you that Ernest Hemingway – one of America’s most celebrated writers – once said: “write drunk, edit sober”. In such desperate (hypothetical) circumstances, you’d perhaps be forgiven for thinking that it might just work. […]
The Top of the Poppers
Be it as an mind opening gateway to creativity, for spiritual and meditative purposes, or to simply enhance the enjoyment of music, psychoactive substances have always been present in the background of the music scene. However, subtly, (yet often explicitly and to much criticism), drugs have persistently played a part in the foreground music. The […]
Pakistan, India and Bangladesh: tangled up in the Blues
1965 saw a turning point in the Beatles’ music. ‘Norwegian Wood’ from Rubber Soul (1965) featured George Harrison on the sitar, a traditional Indian stringed instrument. What was happening beneath this instrumentation, however, was a subtler, yet very sharp, turn away from western pop music. Listen to how the melody in ‘Norwegian Wood’ comes in […]
In defence of… Boybands
First off, I should probably say something about who I am. With both of my parents having trained as professional musicians, it means I have grown up with an appreciation for music of all genres. However, of all the great music that is out there, I chose to love boybands (among others of course). I love the […]
The DVD Library: It’s only rock ‘n’ roll
Music and film have gone hand in hand since, well, for a very long time. And that’s with good reason too! With their creativity, immersive qualities, and entertaining brilliance, here’s just a few of a very long list of rock ‘n’ roll films… Almost Famous (2000) Director Cameron Crowe You know when you have that […]
The concept of a concept album
The concept album is one of the key stalwarts of 20th Century popular culture. It represents the height of the idea that rock and roll could become art, by allowing the songwriters to express their full artistic vision. The general definition of a concept album is “an album where all musical or lyrical ideas contribute […]
Keith Richards and Sgt. Pepper’s “Lowly Art Fart” Band
[dropcap size=small bg_color=”#ffcb05″]E[/dropcap]veryone knows that the world’s most reliable source for current affairs is the Facebook newsfeed. So imagine my surprise, or more like terror and head-pounding disgust, when I saw “Sgt. Peppers: Keith Richards calls the Beatles album “rubbish”’ on the right-hand corner of my screen. Quickly darting to the Esquire interview in which […]