Man vs. Video is back! We know you’re a busy old lot, so we’ve taken the time to break down some of the biggest music videos from the past seven days for you.
 
The xx – Say Something Loving 
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As covered in <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/33348-man-vs-video-the-week-in-review-240217" target="_blank">the last edition Man vs. Video’s Week In Review</a>, nostalgia-porn is the go-to tool in the video maker’s arsenal. Is this any different? Nope. Old video games, VHS filters and 90s-style raves all feature, filling out that reminiscence checklist.
It’s nice enough, I’m just never going to watch it again.
 
Glass Animals – Pork Soda 
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One of the weirder Crufts applications I’ve seen.
 
The Weeknd – I Feel It Coming (Feat. Daft Punk) 
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In the original Star Trek series, I always wondered how the crew could land on an alien planet and not have their insides violently eject their organs, or be crushed like a Panda Pop bottle by the increased gravity. I also found it strange that when Kirk would engage in coitus with a space lady he wouldn’t be incinerated in some kind of outer space breeding ritual.
Now I think about it, I guess I’m not really talking about Star Trek at all. It’s more wishful thinking.
 
KYLE – iSpy (Feat. Lil Yachty) 
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If you don’t smile while watching this then… I don’t know. We can’t be friends. How about that? Who amongst us hasn’t wanted to live a magical life under the ocean or hates those sing-a-long videos where the words light up? Heathens. That’s who.
 
Foxygen – Upon a Hill 
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Ah, I get it, this whole thing is an exploration of what Scott Walker would sound like if he performed at children’s birthday parties.
 
Arianna Grande & John Legend – Beauty and the Beast 
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It’s miraculous how such an obviously expensive video can look so cheap. Aside from that? It’s dullness personified. It’s so boring it records catch-up episodes of Antiques Roadshow. It’s so inane it thinks Enya is club music. It’s so tedious it uses a piece of bread for a sandwich filling. It fucking sucks.

Man Vs. Video: The Week In Review 10.03.17

Want some hot takes on the biggest music videos from the past week? Don’t worry, here at Man vs. Video we’ve got you covered.
Katy Perry – Chained To The Rhythm 
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Everyone in this world is so clean and primary coloured. Too clean. I couldn’t stop thinking about what happens to their body hair. Would everyone be smooth like dolphins? And, more importantly, would they have to get their assholes bleached?
Maybe we’ll never know for sure, but what movie does this bit remind you of?
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That’s right: The Ring. Coincidence? Doubt it.
Let’s hope we never live in a world where a member of the Marley family forces us to go through invasive hygiene measures. Stay woke.
 
Spoon – Can I Sit Next To You 
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I’ve not done an art degree. This also means I’ve never done a video module in an art degree. But, I’ve got a good idea on what the first lesson would be: make it black & white.
After that? Well, I’d say some shots of a city. Maybe someone dressed as an animal. Possibly in an interspecies relationship. Who gets kidnapped. Then? Some dancing scenes. Swathe everything in analogue filters. Conclude with a murder. Fin.
Shove some people playing chess in too. You ever seen The Wire? Chess is a metaphor for everything.
 
Conor Oberst – Till St. Dymphna Kicks Us Out 
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Not really sure why so many people look sad here, I’d kill for a pint. Not at this pub though. Getting served would take forever.
 
Future – Draco 
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Ever wondered how Future is so famous? This video has your answer. In a metaphor for his career, a series of stylish scenes that only have fleeting connections to one another flash at you.
Future looking cool? Check. Objectification of women? Check. Unexplained violence? Check. Enjoyment against your better judgement? Well, damn. Check.
 
Lana Del Rey – Love 
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I’ve always wondered what Lana Del Rey would do if you offered her the chance to travel back in time. Does she really want to go back to the 50s and experience racial segregation and female repression? Or would she decline and continue to make meaningless nostalgia porn videos? I’d ask, but she’s too busy creating another Urban Outfitters advert.
 
Young Thug – Safe 
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I’m not saying that watching Young Thug lip-sync and dance in a corridor for like 4 minutes is a bad thing, but I will say that it’s definitely not good. The only answer is that Mr. Thug got lost and this is a cry for help. Mumble and yelp four times in a row if you’re in danger. We’re praying 4 u.

Man vs. Video: The Week In Review 24.02.17

Just like Mark Morrison’s The Mack, the return of the Avalanches was something you didn’t think would actually happen. After sixteen long years, the sample-happy Australians careened back into public view with their album Wildflower. While largely enjoyable, and aside from the occasional guest verses, there wasn’t anything radically different on show from their first effort, the seminal Since I Left You.
Now the group has released its fourth single from the album, ‘Because I’m Me’, and put out an accompanying video. So far, so normal. Yet the joy of music videos is they allow artists to visually express themselves in a way that can augment their music. It can give you a glimpse into a song, without focusing solely on the track itself, colouring your understanding of it. At times, they can also reveal an inner truth about an artist, giving the watcher a glimpse into something bigger. This is what’s happened with ‘Because I’m Me’.
Let’s start right at the beginning: the plot. A young boy, Wallace, tries to put money on a travel card, is denied this by the attendant, an older girl he is seemingly in love with named Becky. He then puts together an extended song and dance routine she ignores, all while accompanied by a brass band and a mysterious gentlemen with a toothpick, who’s hopefully not a paedophile. Eventually, this comes to a close with a giant inflatable heart bursting out his jacket and a look of derision on Becky’s face. End.
Catch it here:
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To get to the bottom of the video, it’s important to understand how the Avalanches make their music. Generally, they take snippets of different songs and then mould them together, creating something new, but at the same time familiar. This musical approach is adopted visually by the video’s director, Greg Brunkalla, in ‘Because I’m Me’.
Firstly, the setting. The base and propulsive element of ‘Because I’m Me’ musically is the funk-infused brass track, which is lifted from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkJGSnRB9RM" target="_blank">a 1969 single by a Los Angeles group, Honey Cone, called ‘Want Ads’</a>. Brunkalla then reflects the seventies in the video. You can see it in the colours. Look at the whole washed-out, but warm yellow-tinge that’s smothering everything. It couldn’t be more of this era if it was shouting at you from a burning oil drum on street corner wearing flared jeans with a bad cocaine habit holding a stiletto. This could be a coincidence, but the whole thing is eerily similar to Baz Luhrman’s recent work, The Get Down. Hell, we should probably call this whole visual effect The-Get-Down-Filter from now on.
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This harking back to past eras and TV shows is nothing new in music videos, with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kemivUKb4f4" target="_blank">Weezer’s ‘Buddy Holly’</a> immediately springing to mind. The trend of reaching deep inside the past like a veterinarian does a horse continues throughout ‘Because I’m Me’. Take its central themes for example: dancing and unrequited love. The former is something that has been integral to music videos since day one, playing a primary role in almost every major pop music video from the last thirty-odd years, while if the latter didn’t exist Morrissey might’ve not had much of a career. Both deeply embedded, both expected, but not much new.
Let’s zero in on the opening scene:
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I’m sure I’ve seen a tracked shot of someone strutting in a seventies style before…
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Ah, of course.
This aren’t the only tropes that crop up in the video though. The underground setting is a favourite of directors, as it can be shot at any time of day, lit in any way they desire and hired for very little money compared to other spaces. One of the most famous examples of this has to be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsUXAEzaC3Q" target="_blank">Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad</a>’. The Avalanches themselves seem to have a thing for subway systems <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPIMfOIuEe4">as a video for their previous single ‘Subways’</a> is all about a subway. Surprisingly.
Another throwback trope is the appearance of a brass band playing behind someone dancing, just like in Gwen Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl’. But, you know, minus all of that Harajuku Girls nonsense. 
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This is where we hit the stumbling point in ‘Because I’m Me’. All we have up to this point is a combination of tropes and a plot that has popped up in countless music videos. Yes, the video is a heartwarming, nostalgic journey, but it’s something that’s been done many times before. The question then is if there’s a reading we can take that causes this amalgamation to appear ‘new’.
The first point of call considering this is the rap verse from Camp Lo’s Sonny Cheeba. Unfortunately, doesn’t hold up as a modern reading for two main reasons:
a) Camp Lo hit peak popularity in the late nighties
b) While a rap verse on a pop track was exciting and new in the early 2000s, it’s now become the genre’s version of a guitar solo on a rock song
No joy here, but there is another part of the ‘Because I’m Me’ video that you could view as utterly modern, if you overanalyse it of course: the complete disregard for the innocence, purity and exuberance of a child.
When our main character, Wallace, approaches the window to put a dime on a travel card, he is admonished by the ticket office attendant, Becky. While this plot strand is never truly resolved (at no point is it revealed whether said Wallace managed to achieve his travel plans or exactly why Becky was unable to put that money onto the card), we do get a slice of modern nihilism here.
After complimenting Becky’s hair, Wallace tries to impress her through the seductive power of dance. Look at these moves:
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Undoubtedly, that’s impressive. If you don’t think so, I’d like to see you do better. If I’m honest, my dancing can only be described as taser-chic; a grouping of jerky, uncoordinated moves culminating in a  flailing limbs. While the above? Smooth as Vin Diesel’s scalp. Ask yourself this: how would you react to the above? A smile? An appreciative nod? Or would your expression be like this:
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That’s the face you make when someone sits next to you on the bus and you get a whiff of the cloying, ammonia rich scent of stale piss. That’s the face you make when a friend tells you that Milo Yiannopoulos actually has some pretty strong points. That’s the face you make when you step in dogshit. That’s probably not the face you make when a young teen shows you some fine dance moves. That is a modern, social media-tainted emotion.
We get to visit this face again when young Wallace pulls the old inflatable heart trick.
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In seriousness, this negative indifference from Becky isn’t too dissimilar from a gamut of other videos covering the old unrequited love trope. So what about the inflatable heart? You could call this a break from old music videos, where this was maybe too costly to be feasible, but instead it’s more reminiscent of when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd_pigs" target="_blank">Pink Floyd had giant inflatable pigs above live performances</a>. It’s unlikely this is a direct reference to this specific event, it’s more of a proof point that even when the ‘Because I’m Me’ is trying to break with traditions of the past, it just ends up rehashing them.
In all honesty, the video for ‘Because I’m Me’ could actually work as metaphor for the Avalanches’ comeback. In the time from Since I Left You’s original success, things have changed. At the time, access to huge amounts of music was novel and the technology to splice it together was in its infancy. The Avalanches took mash-up culture and combined it with a DJ Shadow-esque approach to music making to create something truly otherworldly and, importantly, new. In the sixteen years between their debut album and Wildflower though, music has progressed. What once was revolutionary has now become a widely heard and admired part of popular culture.
This is where the parallels lie. While both this video and Wildflower are hugely enjoyable, they lack that little bit of excitement, of genuine innovation that would mark them out as great. They have the same ingredients and make a very tasty meal, but are missing the topping that brings the whole thing together.

Man vs. Video: The Avalanches – Because I’m Me

How many songs must a man write down, before he wins a Nobel Prize? The answer my friend, is in the region of 522.
In case you’ve been living under a non-rolling stone, Bob Dylan was just awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. I’ll leave others to argue if this was the right choice (nope), deserved (nope) or just a publicity stunt (yes), because I’m more interested in what happens in the future, as far fewer people can call you out on predictions.
Dylan’s award, which finds him spoken in the same breath as writers like Beckett, Hemingway and Pinter, has opened the door for a whole other group to consider in future events: musicians.
Ahead of the bookies opening betting on next year’s event, we’ve got some hot tips on who might just take home the biggest prize in Literature in 2017.
30/1: DMX
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Commercial hip-hop has undergone a sea change. Where once tongue-twisting, intricate wordplay could take you to the top, artists like Future and Young Thug have heralded in a more percussive and melodic style of rapper. This style has a clear godfather and his name is DMX.
Whether it’s barking like a dog or getting by on <a href="https://poly-graph.co/vocabulary.html" target="_blank">the bare bones of the English language</a>, DMX inspired a generation of wordsmiths to change their approach to lyricism.
Just look at how he kicks off the first verse of Ruff Ryder’s Anthem with the quartet of “try”, “lie”, “why” and “die”, a scheme that makes far more sense than Dylan’s half-assed attempt to rhyme <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGxjIBEZvx0" target="_blank">“medicine” and “government”.</a>
The singer won the Nobel Prize “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” something DMX has also achieved. He’s an unpretentious poet who just wants to let you know where the party is: up in here. And for that, we should all be thankful.
25/1: Mike Oldfield
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Dylan winning the Nobel Prize made a clear statement for the future. The world’s top literary prize is no longer about how things read, but performance. So what’s the next logical evolution? Something with no words.
Think about it: if <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4" target="_blank">John Cage’s 4′33″</a> forced academics to reconsider classical music, then wouldn’t Tubular Bells do the same for literary critics? Wouldn’t they begin to ask if we really need all these words? If they were reductive enough to believe that literary worth is tied to scrawls on some paper? Isn’t the purest piece of writing something that contains nothing at all? Yes is the answer you’re looking for. Yes. A thousand times yes.
Plus, baby boomers love Bob Dylan and Mike Oldfield and what they say goes so you’d best shut up and accept this is happening okay?
10/1: Hot Action Cop
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Death and sex are the most primal human experiences and have inspired some of the greatest works known to humans. Yet, if you were to analyse the canon, there is far more quality work on the former. With the Nobel Prize in Literature now open to musicians though, the balance can be re-addressed. Pop and rock music is synonymous with sexuality, but there’s a group that stands above the rest, primed and ready to burst open the dams of repression and dowse the bone-dry world of books with a rush of raw promiscuity. Their name? Hot Action Cop.
Let’s delve into their poetry:
Do you think that I can get some? (jiggy jiggy) 
 Maybe just a little finger (sticky sticky)
Notice how the rhyming couplet has a sense of onomatopoeia, activating the senses of the reader so it almost feels as though we are personally asking if we can fingerbang a complete stranger.
She got the power of the hoochie 
 I got the fever for the flavour of the coochie
Observe how the group insert a colloquial tone into this excerpt with the rhyme of “hoochie” and “coochie”, echoing the primal nature of this desire. On top of this this, who among us has never had a “fever for [a] flavour”, a phrase made even more powerful by alliteration.
Oh hey hey hey hey hey hey oh pretty pretty shy whoop, whoop
What we have here is a classic epizeuxis. Do you know who also used this technique? Shakespeare. Just check out this line from Macbeth: “O horror, horror, horror.” Case closed.
5/1: El Mudo
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The Tower Of Babel is a biblical tale that explains the evolution of language. The story states that humanity originally spoke a universal language, but, when people tried to build a city to reach heaven, God struck, scattering them across the globe and forcing them to speak different tongues. Well, I have it on good faith that El Mudo has broken this curse and discovered humanity’s original tongue.
The written word has always been bound by the language of its creation. A translation will never quite replicate the nuances and meanings of the original script, making awarding a Nobel Prize in Literature fraught with difficulties. Not any longer.
Chacarron Macarron is what Gottfried Leibniz searched for in vain, while attempting to sum up human thought in mathematics. Chacarron Macarron is what L. L. Zamenhof dreamed of when he invented Esperanto. Chacarron Macarron is what John Lennon wished he wrote instead of Imagine. Chacarron Macarron is the reason El Mudo deserves a Nobel Prize in Literature.
3/1: U2
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Did you ever watch the first Tomb Raider in the cinema? If so, I guess you’ll have had the same experience.
The credits start rolling. You stretch slightly, then place hands on the stiff, plastic armrest, pressure spreading through your palms as you prepare to heave yourself up, but something happens. Three notes buzz on a bass, it throbs in your chest, you stop as stirs in you, then a voice, a heavenly, lilting voice, cries “EL-E-VA-TION”.
“Ohhhh oh,” it goes. Then again: “Ohhhh oh oh.” Powerchords chug underneath and you say to yourself “this is it, THIS is it.” It’s as though you’ve lived life in black and white, but everything has just burst into glorious technicolor.
The guitar drops out, drums skitter and you realise someone is talking to you, directly to you, telling you things you’ve always known, things you’ve felt deep down, but were unable to vocalise. “Yes,” you say, “I have lost all self-control, I have been living like a mole.” Your mouth opens in an imitation of a python and you pull all the available air down your throat to the bottom of you your lungs, holding it there for a moment before, with all the force you can muster, screaming “EX-CA-VA-TION.” A mother glances over her shoulder and quickly ushers her child out of the cinema, but you barely notice.
You’re standing now, bug-eyed, mouthing wildly, sweat is trickling down the nape of your neck and your arm hair is at attention. “Tell me, talk to me” you say, “I have to know, I must know” The thirty-foot tall Bono seems to hear you, leering from the screen, he fixes you behind those sunglasses, somehow staring further into you than you thought possible, you can’t see his pupils, but you can feel them. The song seems louder than before. More intense. Apart from his voice. It sounds as though he’s whispering, lips almost tickling your earlobe, you hear every word as though they were written for you, he says “it’s like a mole, living in a hole, is digging up my soul.”
The next thing you know, you’re lying down, your mother is standing above you, your hand in hers, with bloodshot, puffy eyes, she strokes your hair and tells you everything is going to be okay and you’re safe now. You’re finally safe.

Feature: Who’s next in line for a Nobel Prize?

In this new series, CitR’s resident vinylphile dives into his audio archives to spin some flip sides and teach you damn kids something about music — SG
When it comes to drum solos, progressive rock has it all wrong. Six minutes of pomposity doesn’t change the face of music, six seconds does. And on a B-side, no less.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfTRb0bqXm8]
Amen Brother is a 1969 instrumental by soul group The Winstons. You can find it on the flip side of their Grammy winning hit Color Him Father. It was in this recording of Amen Brother that drummer G C Coleman gave us the breakbeat that formed the basis of everything from hip hop to hardcore drum and bass.
Don’t believe me? You’ll find it in Straight Outta Compton, some of the more ludicrous jungle tracks of the late 90s, Pigs by Tyler The Creator and even the video game Unreal Tournament. Seriously, you’ll find it <a title="A list of songs containing the Amen break " href="https://www.whosampled.com/The-Winstons/Amen,-Brother/" target="_blank">sampled in thousands of tracks</a> at every conceivable BPM.
The “Amen Break”, the drum beat that changed musical history, is at 1m 39s. But do listen to the full track – it’s rather splendid.

7-inch secrets: The Winstons – Amen Brother

Artwork by Jimmy Wragg <a href="https://twitter.com/Sui42" target="_blank">(@Sui42)</a>
At the end of last week it became apparent that Apple intends to purchase Dr. Dre’s Beats, changing the music game forever. For a lot of bands, branded merchandise was just a way of earning a bit of extra beer money, but now it’s equivalent to a start-up: SERIOUS BUSINESS.
So, what’s next for Apple? Well, maybe they should buy-out these musicians’ products to ride that wave of relevance right to the bank.
 
Drake lint roller
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A major reason for Apple’s success is the company’s adherence to aesthetics. The iPod, iPhone and Mac are all examples of stripped back design. If you’re selling products that have such a heavy emphasis on appearance, it’s vital the user’s personal brand represents this.
In other words, you gotta look dope.
Drake realises this and Apple need to pay heed. Hell, they could sell the lint rollers with laptop cases and maybe hire a few people in their stores to make sure visitors’ trousers stay fluff free. The company could even fly in some of their well-looked after workers from Asia to help out. There’s nothing, NOTHING, worse than looking anti-fly.
 
St Vincent Coffee
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Beer and pubs. MacBooks and coffee shops. Cocaine and strippers. Some things are made to be together. Not only should Apple sell coffee, they should install cup holders onto their machines.
There you go guys, that’s the next product overhaul sorted. I’ll await my cheque.
 
Wavves grinder
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Weed legalisation is gaining serious momentum worldwide and Apple need to jump on this trend. Not only will the company seem all hip and down with the kids, but with people routinely more confused, they’ll be more likely to wander into an Apple store before leaving a grand lighter and with a free grinder.
 
One Direction toothpaste
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-28483" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/05/ColgateOneDirection_Toothpaste.jpg" alt="ColgateOneDirection_Toothpaste" width="659" height="900" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/05/ColgateOneDirection_Toothpaste.jpg 659w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/05/ColgateOneDirection_Toothpaste-220x300.jpg 220w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/05/ColgateOneDirection_Toothpaste-37x50.jpg 37w" sizes="(max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px" />
Everyone loves One Direction. Everyone. Their music is timeless, classy and ornate. They’re like Wham!, but, somehow, even better.
Plus, tweens adore them. And tweens have lots of money. Fuck it, just strap the One Direction toothpaste to Apple TVs and watch them fly off the shelves.
 
JLS condoms
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-28485" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/05/jls.jpg" alt="jls" width="960" height="720" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/05/jls.jpg 960w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/05/jls-300x225.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/05/jls-50x38.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Let’s face it, children are expensive. Raising one of them costs on average £225,000. Investing in these stylish dick hats means Apple won’t have to worry about all that money going on something other than a new MacBook Pro.
If that doesn’t do, whipping out a JLS condom is gonna be an effective contraceptive whatever.
I’ve got to say, it was good to see Apple buying Beats. There’s nothing more legitimate than purchasing street-cred. Just make sure if you’re in a band you have a slick selection of merch, otherwise you may never become fabulously wealthy. Remember, never lose sight of what the music business is all about: money.

Feature: What musicians’ merch should Apple buy next?

HEY, so it’s been a little while since the last CITR LIVE event. We’ve got some exciting plans coming up this summer, however, to get the ball rolling towards the warmer months we’re putting on a residents/friends of the site party on Thursday the 13TH OF MARCH – at Peckham’s THE BUSSEY BUILDING.
The event is a collaboration with Wimbledon College of Art, so expect the best and the brightest upcoming artists to be showing work along side each set.
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/655319457843873/">RSVP TO THE EVENT HERE. </a>
The music line-up is as follow:
CHOLOMBIAN (Crackling Claps)
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/132152131&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
MORGAN HISLOP (Astro Nautico)
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/105467124&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
BENIN CITY (AUDIO DOUGHNUTS)
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/109602167&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
LIBRARY UK
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/133258880&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
DJ MOMENTS (LIBRARY UK/FEATHER)
SOL (CITR)
KIT (CITR)
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/115341678&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
JORDAN MCKINLAY (CRUL NET)
Thursday 13th March
9-3am
£5 All Nightt

Announcement: CITR LIVE #03 – Cholombian, Benin City, Morgan Hislop, Library UK +Visual Artists

Three words upon my headstone: Albums of 2013

Sometimes you completely miss the bandwagon on a story.
 
“Clarence Clarity’s part of the future right there, it really is, pushing the boundaries on every level, sonically and lyrically” – Zane Lowe
“alternatively terrifying, hilarious and amazing” – Wonderland Magazine
“Whether or not you like shadowed newcomer Clarence Clarity’s debut track 4GODSLUV you’re most certaintly going to remember it, and him.” – Abeano
“There were rumours bandied about that perpetually elusive Jai Paul was in fact Clarence Clarity. Maybe it’s Burial in a slimy disguise?” – Line of Best Fit 
“It’s pop music for the f*cked up, insane, odd and those of us who want music to do deranged things now and then…So who is Clarence Clarity?”Breaking More Waves
Back in July, a number of outlets were keen to unmask who exactly self-described Fijian Clarence Clarity was. Coming out with a handful of tracks made of ominous, whining sounds, the attention to his music seemed to appear for a couple of days and vanish.
Guess it was shit.
Except it’s not. As we’re gearing up to do our end of year list in the next few days, I decided to trawl my iTunes by date and stumbled on a his music – unplayed, and the name not ringing a bell at all. So I gave it a listen and I was quite pleased to see that an artist we’ve been covering on the site since way back in the early days of 2010 had finally put out new material. Not least because I’d been a fan of his music since his first band ■■■■ ■■■■■■ broke on to the scene in 2004/05.
As with his other recent music, the tracks were all dark patchworks of vocal snippets, disjointed synth lines and foley sound effects. The poly-rhythms are off kilter, the vocal hooks are rife and it comes off like tortured pop for future-goths. But despite this, or perhaps because of it, Clarence’s Save Thyself EP feels like the follow up that never came to his earlier act’s final 2010 EP – infact I’ll swear the sparkling intro noise on The Gospel Truth was sampled straight from it.
So what was all the mystery about, and why had nobody realised it was ■■■■ ■■■■■? Sure his former band, as well as later project ■■■■■■■■■■■■■, never broke out in to the mainstream consciousness, but they both attracted a solid and fairly devoted fan base. In particular, their fan base were generally the people who you now see typing out hundreds of words daily under the titles “Introducing” and “Breaking”, something didn’t make sense.
Naturally, therefore, I figured I was wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time two artists were confused due to their vocalists sharing certain mannerisms – shout out to everyone who still has a ‘System of a Down’ cover of the Legend of Zelda theme tune lying around somewhere. Which, again naturally, meant the next step was to hit Google for a bit of research – there were a fair few stories about him in July and September, surely someone realised? It’s not like he’s vanished off the face of the earth, Bad Dream Hotline was plastered over a lot of ‘Best albums of the year’ lists 12 months ago. 

The first thing I did was to check the same place I found out about his last project back in 2010: a long dead fan forum for his first band. There was a post on there that connected them to Clarence Clarity.
Second point of call was to do whois search on the website linked to from his Soundcloud. ■■■■ ■■■■■.
Okay that seems quite conclusive. It’s him.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/109573156″ params=”color=76499d&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
 
But you’re not idiots and have probably noticed none of the above specifically points to the artist in question. Why? As we’ve seen on a number occasions during 2013, artists and blogs have clashed over just how far is too far when “exposing” the mystery behind an artist. Sometimes it’s questions over <a href="https://laurasnapes.tumblr.com/post/48060203153/this-wont-be-the-last-time-but-today-felt-like">whether the exposer went too far (hey!)</a>, whilst the exposers in turn have <a href="https://twitter.com/disconaivete/status/413292195731341313">argued at times that the information they’re posting is all already in the public domain</a>.
We enter a whole other minefield when the mystery has been purposefully constructed. Since the mystery behind artists like Burial and Wu Lyf has been seen to bolster the attention they received, as well as add an otherwise unattainable sense of mystique and isolation to their music, not a day goes by that a new artist doesn’t email blogs across the world positioning themselves as “anonymous”. Most of them are now ignored, or receive only a cursory glance at their background – <a href="https://breakingmorewaves.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/clarence-clarity-alive-in-septic-tank.html">just as with our friend Clarence Clarity</a> – but there’s a growing sense that this trend long ago reached capacity. In fact, the big “anonymous” artists of late (Jai Paul, Boots etc) have all been those where their anonymity was not constructed, it was not the product of a PR department spending 30 minutes brainstorming in their lounge, it was not spelled out in a carefully worded press release: it’s been down to a genuine desire to lay low and shun the spotlight.
There was a recent incident on this very site – <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/21107-feature-finding-jai-paul/">nope, not that one</a> – where an artist was unhappy with the mystery behind their alias being revealed. Nothing the writer of that piece did was illegal, immoral, or intrusive, but nonetheless the artist got in touch in a perturbed manner. By revealing their past, they argued, they were being prevented from having the fresh start that they were craving. They hadn’t claimed they were anonymous as part of some marketing hook, in fact they hadn’t promoted themselves at all – who was the blogger to deny them a second chance? In this particular case, the writer took the piece down, for the simple reason that the artist was right – everyone is entitled to a fresh go at things. If being an anonymous artist meant their music could receive the full commendations it deserved without being subjected to half-arsed, snide comments about the musician’s previous work (see: almost The Horrors), or lumped with expectations from former fan bases (see: Captain Murphy) then any music fan should be in support of that.
Any good writer, blogger, journalist (whatever you want to call yourself) that stumbles on a potentially interesting mystery needs to first ask, is there any real benefit in the mystery being deconstructed and exposed? This is the same test any “real” journalist would use before exposing potentially personal information. If people are being asked to spend their real money on a set of questionable Bandcamp tracks that may or may not be real, it could easily be argued that there is a very real public interest in revealing that. If a guy’s name is attached to a headline grabbing album but he is trying his hardest to not reveal his personal history, there’s a story there, but you’re probably not going to be winning any moral victories any time soon.
It’s half two. I’m fairly sure I haven’t re-read half of what I just wrote. But my key point is this: whilst trying to confirm who Clarence Clarity is via Google, I found that he made the following statement only earlier this month:
<blockquote>I’ve kept my personal details out of the picture for now, just while people are still being introduced to the music. I’d like the listener to paint their own picture of who they think Clarence Clarity is first. I’ll introduce bits of myself as we go. The music should have its own story, starting now.</blockquote>
I can’t think of any real benefit that can come from revealing who he is. I’ll therefore leave you with the knowing description that accompanied his video for Alive in the Septic Tank when it was first premiered on Noisey.
<blockquote>The keen eared audio entrepreneurs, those who inject themselves with forward-thinking music like jetsetting Mother’s digest Elle, should be able to distinguish the guy behind these vocals instantaneously.</blockquote>
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99214929″ params=”color=76499d&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The strange case of Clarence Clarity

Artwork by Jimmy Wragg <a href="https://twitter.com/Sui42" target="_blank">(@Sui42)</a> 

There are moments in popular music history that, due to their seismic impact, will never be forgotten. Elvis joining the army. The Beatles’ first tour of America. Grandmaster Flash releasing ‘The Message’. The list goes on…
Well, let me be the first to tell you that James Blake and Chance The Rapper doing a song together is more important than all of them combined.
<img class="size-large wp-image-24727 alignnone" alt="Evernote Camera Roll 20131023 201101" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2013/10/Evernote-Camera-Roll-20131023-201101-640x480.png" width="640" height="480" />
‘Life Round Here’ opens with a shot of some trees. At first I thought there was something up with my laptop’s video, black and white? I was literally seconds away from loosing a primal howl before I realised this might mean something. The question was though, what?
Then I got it.
Stick with me here, and try to keep up, we’re about to delve into some serious analysis. Now, James Blake is an indie(-ish) artist, while Chance The Rapper politely categorises his genre for us, and these are two different types of music that rarely cross. You could say that their genres are polar opposites, the former generally inward looking, the latter outward, almost as if they’re BLACK AND WHITE. Stacking further layers of meaning, I noticed that James Blake is white and Chance is black! Imagine that!
I almost pissed myself from excitement.
<img class="size-large wp-image-24732 alignnone" alt="Evernote Camera Roll 20131023 201050" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/10/Evernote-Camera-Roll-20131023-201050-640x480.png" width="640" height="480" />
After this we’re treated to above image, which is something I haven’t managed to comprehend. Any idea what a group of “bad bitches” “poppin'” in front of a “stately home” could mean in this context? Me neither.
<img class="size-large wp-image-24733 alignnone" alt="Evernote Camera Roll 20131023 201108" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/10/Evernote-Camera-Roll-20131023-201108-640x480.png" width="640" height="480" />
Here, Chance The Rapper is in a ‘leader’ hat with a bird hanging hard in the back. Now, I could be wrong, but I think the cap is suggesting that Blake and Chance are some kind revolutionaries blazing a path of pure originality. Or it’s just a cap.
That fancy-ass crow then takes flight shortly after this shot. With birds being a symbol of boundless spirit and exploration, as they can travel to places humans are unable to, I think this builds on the suggestions of the creative track they’re trundling down. Put it this way, have you ever considered what the world would be like if rap and rock somehow combined to make a <a href="https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/364417/Fred+Durst.jpg" target="_blank">new genre</a> of music <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_UYYPb-Gk" target="_blank">unheard before</a>?
<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-24736" alt="Capture" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/10/Capture-640x481.png" width="640" height="481" />
The final shot of the video is of the (Brits read: fucking massive) (Americans read: undersized) car they’re driving down the road melting into the mist. Honestly, this shot kinda confused me, it’s definitely not the ending I would’ve chosen. I mean, if the whole of the ‘Life Round Here’ video is filled with juxtapositions to reference how CRAAAAZY it is for an indie musician and rapper to be working together, shouldn’t the end have reflected the song itself? The car should have crashed.

Man vs. Video: James Blake & Chance The Rapper – Life Round Here

UPDATE: Unfortunately Holychild have had to pull out of our showcase due to unforeseen circumstances, however we’re very excited to announce that the brilliant Saint Pepsi are now joining our bill.  You can find out more information about Saint Pepsi, and the rest of our showcase, below!
We are very proud, and unbelievably excited, to announce that we’re joining forces with our good friends <a href="https://disconaivete.com/" target="_blank">Disco Naivete</a> and <a href="https://www.listenbeforeyoubuy.net/" target="_blank">Unrecorded</a> to present an official CMJ showcase at this year’s <a href="cmj.com" target="_blank">CMJ Festival</a>.
After the resounding success of our SXSW party back in March, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to further our ‘Dark Paradise’ live incarnation, and on this occasion we have Unrecorded on our side to provide a strong grounding in the US. Unrecorded is the new face of Listen Before You Buy, and CMJ will see their official unveiling in their new blog attire. As to facilitate this change, LBYB have a fund raising objective in place, and you can read more about it <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-listen-before-you-buy-become-unrecorded" target="_blank">here</a>.
We’re going to be basing ourselves in the legendary Pianos Bar, a venue known across New York for it’s presentation of fresh and exciting music, and a stalwart in the CMJ venue shortlist. This event will be free entry to CMJ badge holders, and $10 on the door to general public.
What’s more, we have the venue from 8pm – 4am, so expect not only a bill of fantastic live bands, but an after party of DJs that includes rising electronic artist Duologue plus more names to be announced.
Our full line up, and other necessary information, can be found below. We’re also NYC newbies, so if anyone wants to take us for a beer, then we’d be more than happy to oblige.
A huge thank you to the irresistible <a href="https://www.feelgoodlost.me/" target="_blank">Feel Good Lost</a> who so lovingly, and brilliantly, designed the poster for our showcase.
Register your interest on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/291239217684187" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://darkparadisecmj.eventbrite.com/" target="_blank">Eventbrite</a> pages and to keep up to date on any developments.
See you Stateside!
Full Line Up so far –
Live
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/juniorprom" target="_blank">Junior Prom</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/babyalpacalove" target="_blank">baby alpaca</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thegriswolds" target="_blank">The Griswolds</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/drinkyoung">Saint Pepsi</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ASTRbook" target="_blank">ASTR</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/panamawedding" target="_blank">Panama Wedding</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/strangetalkmusic" target="_blank">Strange Talk</a>
DJs 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/duologuemusic" target="_blank">Duologue </a>(DJ Set)
Pogo DJs
Two Dollar Show DJs
—–
<a href="crackintheroad.com" target="_blank">crackintheroad.com</a> / <a href="disconaivete.com" target="_blank">disconaivete.com</a> / <a href="https://www.listenbeforeyoubuy.net/" target="_blank">listenbeforeyoubuy.com</a>
#darkparadise

Announcement: Crack in the Road / Disco Naivete / Unrecorded Presents: Dark Paradise @ CMJ

Today Ministry of Sound decided to sue Spotify for copyright infringement, over user created playlists ‘copying’ its compilations. Their thinking is that the very act of curating others’ work together is intellectual property and anybody curating content in the same manner is infringing on this.
May I just say on behalf of everyone with half a brain cell fuck you Ministry of Sound.
Fuck your lawsuit
Spotify isn’t exactly ranking high in the esteem of most people who care about the rights of artists at the moment, thanks to it essentially paying the equivalent of a particularly stingy workhouse owner. But even then, the ridiculousness of this lawsuit – and more importantly, the worrying consequences a victory for Ministry of Sound would have for the wider music and digital industries – means that people still feel sorry for the slave driver on this occasion.
Perhaps if the Ministry of Sound could take a moment to engage the logic circuits in their serotonin down-regulated brains and consider how their compilations differ to any of the hundreds of millions of curated playlists online, they might see why their proposition is laughable. Is it the fact you had the cheek to stick an extra tenner on top of the price of the tracks that makes them worthy of intellectual protection? Or is it that every compilation and playlist today should be protected and, therefore, need to be unique? Fuck off.
Fuck your compilations
This is on behalf of every single teenager who ever received one of these from their nan at Christmas because they saw one of your garish, cluster-migraine inducing TV adverts. Yes you have put out some cracking compilations in the past – big shout out to last year’s Anthems 90s – but the majority fall in to one of two camps: 2 nightmarish hours of the trashiest cuts of the year, or 4 grating hours of the trashiest cuts of the last two decades.
Even when you do – incredibly, incredibly rarely – hit the mark, do you really think you sound anything but embarrassingly out of touch and past it to claim that the track order alone (on an unmixed assortment of tracks that you had no creative involvement in producing, no less) is intellectual property? Fuck off.
Fuck your club
Once upon a time you had a dream, a dream to open a club that brought the best elements of the US house scene to the UK. You had membership forms, a ‘music-first’ design policy and Larry Levan. Today you’ve got planning permission problems, Calvin Harris and Boris Johnson. That’s all that needs to be said. Fuck off.
As a final point, below are most Ministry of Sound compilations released in the past year, free to stream from Spotify, in one place. For each week this lawsuit continues we’ll add more of their compilations below, just because – get this – it’s completely legal and moral to build and share Spotify playlists like this and nobody should have to worry about a bloated hangover of a company kicking up a storm over songs they have no intellectual ownership over.
We even got involved with some of those fancy SEO shenanigans to encourage them to rank higher in future Google searches for related Ministry of Sound albums. They can thank us for that later.
 
Update from MoS:
“We understand your concern and are not trying to prevent you from putting together your own playlists.  This case is about playlists that copy our albums and that are made available by Spotify as playlists on a commercial basis, often including our logo and album art work.  Spotify does this without any recognition for the creative effort that goes into compiling our albums. Our case strives to ensure that Spotify recognises the value of our creative effort and that the service ensures that everyone (users and those that create great albums) is treated fairly.”
Notice this makes no more mention of compilation ordering. Compare this statement to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/04/ministry-of-sound-sues-spotify">those made by Presencer this morning</a>, it seems Ministry of Sound have backed down quite heavily from their earlier stance, or were trying to whip up a bit of attention at first. Either way, that’s not how quickly you’d expect a healthy company to change its stance.
If this is the case, then the Ministry of Sound’s issue boils down to people using their album artwork in their playlists and anyone who has used Spotify for a moment will probably know what we’re about to say: 

<h2 style="text-align: center;">You cannot set custom playlist artwork on Spotify</h2>
If your compilation artwork is appearing in peoples’ playlists, then your compilation is on Spotify. In which case, you have licensed it for use by any of the users on Spotify in Spotify playlists. Even better, the only way that a playlist could have a single image as its cover – and therefore fully mimic the MoS’s compilation – is if the entire playlist was an exported copy of a Ministry of Sound compilation that is already on Spotify in its entirety, which is pretty common for mobile users wanting offline access. Oh, and that’s not illegal and probably formed part of the contract the MoS license holder signed.
So that leaves one section of their reasoning intact: on a commercial basis. Spotify do not create the playlists that they make available via their service and largely give them free reign – why? Because they are made up entirely of songs licensed directly to Spotify by the relevant rights holders. So Spotify are not directly profiteering off the promotion of these playlists.
Therefore, any logically sound argument based around Spotify using these on a ‘commercial basis’ comes down to the same old tired argument posed at digital organisations by out-of-touch music industry bodies: you’re making money off our work by having adverts on your service. If that is all that this comes down to, we’ll have to see how this fares come court day. What I will say is that the tracks and artwork that this fuss is about were all licensed to Spotify with full knowledge of its advertising model.
In other words, all the Ministry of Sound has to base its case on is the same issue they were publicly decrying this morning and were roundly lambasted for – playlist orders that mimic their compilations. Not only does this make their new statement slightly disingenuous, it also would suggest they have sensed the tides are not going in their favour over this matter.
 
 <iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:6WZ47kZfyUWtpWczOK1TN4" height="380" width="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:4VfEUG1W1hNtpbzUxIGmP3" height="380" width="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:571Wmz8lgwWgYISV34mKuB" height="380" width="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:67N7zGRKbBTNR4VqtdSx95" height="380" width="300" frameborder="0"></iframe> 
I’m not suggesting you actually listen to these, mind.

Fuck You Ministry of Sound

On Monday, Brighton’s Let The Machines Do The Work premiered their debut single Let Me Be The One. The song’s video is a piece of satirical genius, placing Tommy Robinson et al in complete idiocy. The three male protagonists who are all geared up for a day of needless violence on Birmingham’s streets, accidentally stumble upon the rebuttal of the English Defence League, The English Disco Lovers, and can’t help but catch that funky beat and boogie on down with their pro equality cause – with a pretty impressive choreographed dance routine I might add.
The peaceful protest group have been in hot pursuit of the EDL’s notoriety for the past year, and are indeed catching up with the defence league’s amount of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/englishdiscolovers?fref=ts">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/EngDiscoLovers">Twitter</a> followers, as well as being second in Google’s search rank when you type in ‘EDL’ thanks to a Google bomb put in place last September.
The Disco Lovers follow each Defence League protest around the country and annoy them with their good-natured and equality promoting disco moves. ‘Don’t hate. Gyrate!’ And ‘Don’t listen to Nazi Sympathisers. Dance along to Synthesisers!’ are just a couple of their many punnerific mantras coined by their founder Alex Jones, a 21 year old art student.
He explained to me the artistic influences that had a part in inspiring the project. A fantastic example, Yael Bartana’s And Europe will be stunned 2012, a stunning film trilogy documenting the movements of the <a href="https://www.jrmip.org/?page_id=240">Jewish Renaissance movement in Poland</a> (JRMiP) a ficticious movement initiated by the artist, which then gained international notoriety and support through her films to present the utopian dream of the Jews returning to Poland, to right the wrongs caused by the Nazis in WWII.
The Disco Lovers have taken leads from this beautifully executed artwork, re-appropriating hostile political propaganda and creating a new aesthetic which pokes fun at the ignorance of the E.D.L. This includes their logo and the use of disco music in a contemporary context, the unifying aspect of the music and lyrics that is intrinsic to the genre and the positive feelings created by the group as they spread their upbeat message.
I do hope that in the very near future it should go without saying that the abbreviation of E.D.L. will stand for English Disco Lovers. That I won’t have to put the worthier cause in brackets beside it in a feature title, just to make sure you all know I’m not talking about nor endorsing the former.
Be sure to catch an EDL event near you! Having just been at Glastonbury and Kendal Calling, they’ll also be at Shambala Festival from the 23rd August, as well as putting on Charity fundraisers in London, Brighton, Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol. Check out their upcoming events on their website <a href="https://www.edl.me/upcoming_events.html">HERE</a>.
I’d like to end this with a beautiful quote from Yael Bartana, which illustrates that by addressing one issue in detail can help us to see a bigger picture. Its also poignant in the idea of using art as a way to affect change.
‘This is a very uni­ver­sal story; as in pre­vi­ous works, I have treated Israel as a sort of a social lab­o­ra­tory, always look­ing at it from the out­side. These are mech­a­nisms and sit­u­a­tions which can be observed any­where in the world. My recent works are not just sto­ries about two nations — Poles and Jews. This is a uni­ver­sal pre­sen­ta­tion of the impos­si­bil­ity of liv­ing together.” –Yael Bartana
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UNUS MUNDUS, UNA GENS, UNUS DISCO

Feature: E.D.L (English Disco Lovers)

A month after Glastonbury, a towel still lies in my wash basket smelling of festival; grass, press coffee and sweated beer.
Nestled in a ritualistic region of South England, celebrations of life have been going on near Glastonbury since the dawn of time. Originating with the druids of Stonehenge, hijacked by the Christians, diversified by the hippies of the 70’s before being consumed like all else by capitalism.
I’d set out on this journey not to purely lose myself in a haze of booze and narcotics, nor simply to watch the bands perform, but to absorb the personalities of the people I met. Although at this point I must digress to say Nick Cave raised hell and the Skreamizm boat party won’t be easily forgotten.
Accompanying me though this bizarre ride was Billy Rowlinson, freelance photographer and all round nice guy. All of the photos on the page are his and you can see some of his previous work <a href="https://www.billyrowlinson.co.uk/">here.</a>
But enough of my experience, you have your own. If not, your friends will have undoubtedly regaled theirs. So here are our faces of Glastonbury. The diverse and expressive, the mainstream and off the grid. These are their stories.
Wandering up to the stone circle in the bright daylight of Friday morning it was clear that Thursday night had yet to end for some revelers. The constant hiss of laughing gas surrounded us and people lay strewn across the field in every state imaginable.
A small gathering of remarkably sober people caught our eye. One of them, sat atop a rock was reciting a familiar verse, taking me back to my Church of England schooldays.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-23527 size-large" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2013/07/JustMarried3-1024x682.jpg" alt="JustMarried3" width="640" height="426" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/07/JustMarried3-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/07/JustMarried3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/07/JustMarried3-50x33.jpg 50w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/07/JustMarried3.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
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Rebecca and Mark 

A literal deflowering had taken place in the most holiest and sanctomonious way – Rebecca Flower had been stripped of her maiden name after agreeing to take Mark’s hand in marriage. The couple had arrived at Glastonbury to find their tent strewn with strawberries and flowers. It was their second wedding and honeymoon. “It’s something to do before the bands start” Sprinkler engineer Mark jokes in his rich Bradford accent.
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Dickin Justice
Wandering down from the stone circle and into the healing fields we found a pirate sat on a swinging chair with more energy and enthusiasm than people a quarter of her age.
Dickin Justice was Glastonbury’s healer, it was her responsibility to listen and “hold the energy of the site” she told me.
Dickin told me she was once one of Arabella Churchill’s best friends. The granddaughter of the former British prime minister, Arabella left London in 1971 after refusing to represent Britain at a NATO festival in Vriginia due to America’s operations in Vietnam.
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Arabella Churchill escaped the press in London to arrive in a then rural Somerset to become heavily involved in pioneering the first full-scale Glastonbury festival alongside Michael Eavis. Despite her privileged upbringing she spent some time living in a squat and started her own <a href="https://www.childrensworldcharity.org/">charity </a>providing entertainment for children of all ages and abilities.
I could tell by the way Dickin’s voice wavered as she spoke of Arabella that she was incredibly fond of the woman. Dickin’s had grown up with Arabella and Glastonbury, her own children learning their skills as performers in the circus fields. She had been at Glastonbury for over 40 years, missing only a fateful few.
“Everyone is the same” she told me “we all feel the same things, joy, pain, hurt and hunger.” I told her who I was and what I was doing to which she responded “Remember nobody gets paid for art until they’re dead.”
In 2010 a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bellas_bridge_at_night.jpg">bridge</a> was built on Worthy Farm remembering Arabella’s legacy and the work she did for the festival and the world. As I left the field I asked Dickin if she had an email I could contact her on, she laughed and tossed her hair “Only a Filofax darling” she said smiling coyly.
James
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Taking a break from a PHd in Human Rights, James told me tales of debauchery that I’m not sure are covered by the Geneva convention. I hope he appreciates me redacting here. It does leave me with very little to write about though. James hailed from Hackney and let’s just say you could tell.
Jilly
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Jilly Spencer was one the most incredible pianists I’ve seen play, her fingers racing across the ivory like a stenographer on speed. She claimed a photographic memory and repertoire of over 10,000 songs and, when tested, she played every request I threw at her, from Presley to Pachbel. I tried to chat but she was a lot more interested in music than words. I joined Jilly for a duet before drifting back into the crowd.
Freya 

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Freya hadn’t gone to Glastonbury on her own. A shame really because an interview with a lone baby off their face would’ve been a scoop. In fact at one point I thought I had interviewed a baby off their face but it turned out to be a sweaty bald guy in a vest.
Freya’s parents Bill and Anna were from Manchester and had brought had her along for the first time. “There’s just so much stimulation” Anna tells me “She saw Chic last night and caught a fire show at Arcadia. Then she got us into heaven” I stared at her confused and wondered if my drink had been spiked.
It became clear they were talking about a bar in the south east corner of the site decked out as a hall of judgement. Good people go to heaven – a plush cocktail bar full of soft white clouds. The others go to hell – and you don’t even want to know what was going on there.
Reginald Roundabout
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I don’t need to bother editing this one down, Mendip District Councils’ Health and Safety Officer was fine to quote verbatim:
“The thing is everyone needs to enjoy themselves at a moderate level, drink a lot of water and avoid the hardcore snacks. There’s a lot of fried food out there. It’s all common sense really.”
“I’m not going to be seeing any bands, I heard the Stones were playing but I’m going to head back home, watch some TV and tend to my pigeons. I prefer soft organ music but there’s not enough diversity for that kind of thing here.”
Tony
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Audio Visual engineer Tony only found out he’d be heading to Glastonbury two days before the festival. After procuring a ticket through what I assume were unsavoury means, he told me he had to pretend to be an Italian to get in, I’m unsure what that entailed.
A reveller I met a few drinks later asked if he’d been downing a lot of espressos and doing fascist salutes but I expect that guy was drunk. If you didn’t figure it out from the headgear and glasses Tony told me he was only there “for the crack.” I hoped he didn’t mean the highly addictive drug, but at Glastonbury you never know.
Kevin
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As the sun beat down we took refuge by the Avalon Inn. Stage manager to LA’s <a href="https://twitter.com/vintagetrouble">Vintage Trouble</a> and native San Franciscan, Kevin told me how Glastonbury was “beyond what you see online, you have to be here to experience it” and I couldn’t agree more.
Kevin was immediately friendly and inherently American. Leaning back into the shade with the band’s merch manager Justin, Kevin told me how the LA based band were opening the Pyramid stage that night before hitting the Liverpool Echo to start a stint supporting The Who on tour. I wished them the best of luck in our godforsaken country.
Find part two here – <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/23514-faces-of-a-festival-part-two/">Faces of Festival: Part Two</a>

Faces of a Festival: Part One

We had a cute little idea at CitR Towers (that’s not really a thing, though would that it were) a few weeks back that, like the real music websites, we’d each do a little list of our favourite songs and albums of the year thus far. You people like lists, right?
The team being the dedicated, enthused, and writerly bunch that they are, the response was overwhelming. We had lists coming out our fucking pores, man, and what’s more, writeups, thousands of words of passionate and percolating prose dedicated to the music we love, because really, what else is there? 
Due to the incredibly restrictive space constraints visited upon us by the Internet, though (I’m sure you’ll understand), we can only feature one here, and we decided it should be Rob’s, since he took the trouble to travel back in time and commune with his perennially whingy sixteen-year-old self, who seems to think that fourteen was a lifetime ago, and pretends to like Islay malt. Anywho, the kid gave his typically emotional take on Rob’s favourites this year, and the results are below. 
We’ve also managed to shoehorn in some album and song lists from webgod <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/author/Andrew/">Andy</a>, SEO cowboy <a href="https://en.gravatar.com/samgoldencouk">Golden</a>, and…er…’comedy’ writer <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/author/drwillynickle/">Callum Booth</a>. So y’know, enjoy, and keep your powder dry. 
– CitR, 2k13
Rob
The virtue of the full-length has been extolled by so many before me, and with such eloquence, that I needn’t really bother telling you about how wonderful albums are. Scribes bulge tumescent with pearly liquid joy at things like narrative arcs, track sequencing, sustained production tropes, bands’ record-to-record evolutions. And why not? These things are the marks of true craftsmen, surely, and talent and imagination and hard bloody work are things wonderful to behold in our arts.
So I won’t tell you about how wonderful albums are.
I love long players because I relish the thought of some fidgety snapback amoeba having a panic attack at the notion of sitting through more than one song. I crow and praise myself for my patience and taste and effort. For listening to albums is a skill, a hard-fought war, like being able to drink a bottle of Laphroaig without throwing up.
I love albums because I have neither the time nor the patience nor the mental capacity to catalogue endless songs by endless bands, but I come over all sweaty at the thought of letting a track tumble through my memory’s colander into black forgetfulness. Longer collections of songs (by fewer bands) help appease the angry amateur librarian knocking around my skull.
I love albums because growing up has me running scared, and physical media with its art and liner notes and tangible product is the closest I can come to fourteen again, listening to the same CDs over and over with booklets spread out on the Aztec-print bedsheets my mum chose. Maps to my heart, or some shit.
2013 has not yet graced me with an album that I love. There are some honourable mentions. It would be dishonest in the extreme for me to ignore the clout of Trouble Will Find Me, which I had to stop listening to a couple of weeks back after I woke up with a crusty nose and a throbbing brow and little memory of the previous evening. My phone’s outbox was full of the lyrics to Demons, my inbox with concerned enquiries as to my mental health. It was a dick move, sure (as is telling you about it on the Internet), but I have this one vivid snapshot of myself swaying under the lights of Vauxhall station, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIWmRbHDhGw">Sea of Love</a> on full in my ears, torching a smoke and feeling something more powerful than happiness beat its black wings at my centre. There is no light without the other. And so it is that Anything In Return has been a significant milestone in my discovery that I can gambol <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlD-2Dx5868">weightless in effervescent funk</a> just as well as wallow in my ego’s more oft-produced cloying sludge. Nostalchic‘s exemplary (if unoriginal, but that’s never bothered me) <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20306-video-lapalux-without-you/">marriage of machinist glitch to burning soul</a> has left me feeling more debonair on nighttime London Overground services than I have any cause to. Ghost On Ghost perhaps I like for all the right reasons, the impartial academic ones as well as the visceral and emotional ones, a happy example of a longstanding favourite refusing to stagnate and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfJNzA0Z7xw">delivering the tunes</a> into the bargain. Obsidian sounds as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZG5jw36S6o">black and glistening</a> as its namesake and as excellent as anything else I’ve heard this year, though I’ve only listened to it three or four times as yet. I haven’t heard 2013’s offerings from Foals or Frightened Rabbit, The Wonder Years, Waxahatchee or Crash of Rhinos, but I can bet that any one of them would make a list like this with ease. Roll on December.
So though it flies in the face of everything I thought I knew about myself, my heart belongs to the songs that I have heard so far in 2013. My stars, but there have been some blinders, some real poke-your-eyes-out-good shit.
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Kids, by the most excellently-named Diarrhea Planet, sounds like Fang Island doing Titus Andronicus, sterling tumbledown bar-rock with a stupid widdly solo and a cigarette hanging from its lip. I knew that All These Things, by Irish wunderkind Mmoths, was good before I listened to it walking home through Camberwell in spring sunlight, one golden 9am, spangled off my tits. But shit man, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkrTL62CLCA">that song</a> led me by the hand through the fabric of reality and didn’t feel even a little scared. In May, Brighton grunge-savants Love Among the Mannequins delivered their<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/21747-new-love-among-the-mannequins-joseph-cassel-or-john-michael-ernahue-or-god-d-16/"> finest slice of unflinchingly forward-thinking rock music</a> to date in Joseph Cassell or John Michael Ernahue or God, D16. A careening, explosive (seriously, it’s an overused descriptor, but I never heard guitars sound more like bombs) paean to fuck knows what, which managed the admirable feat of making me feel ten feet tall without resorting to sentimental booby-trappage. I kind of <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/21928-new-ftse-tidal-wave-ft-saint-saviour/"> have to love FTSE whether I want to or not</a>, but luckily Tidal Wave, first cut from the FTSE1 EP, hits the perfect pitch between sexy and miserable. It’s got a hopelessly glum funk bassline and some surprise horns and this unreally powerful middle eight that sounds like Kanye’s samples would if he’d spent his adolescence indoors with minimal human contact, then grown up to find that he still didn’t feel any better.
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My ash-grey and desiccated heart belongs, though, to this. It’s called The Unbearable Heaviness of Having, by one Vincent Vocoder Voice. Whether it’s serious or sarcastic or somewhere between the two, it doesn’t matter. This is a song wholly and gorgeously at odds with all the inconsequential minutiae of middle-class modern living, the myriad nothings that gather and swarm like Valium-loaded hornets to benumb at every possible juncture – “There’s no gunshots” for the song’s narrator, nothing that extreme, “no enemies, no bomb-shelter ends.” He’ll just sit flicking through his iPhone ’til he chokes on his friends.
Crucially, all this grey depiction of anaemic and infinite comfort is never framed as a complaint. What you choose to make of it is your business.
But I know how it felt, being told “so suffer little children, see if I care, suck a Samaritan’s receiver if you don’t think it’s fair,” over awkward, clanking basslines and needling guitar chime, like Modest Mouse at their best, or something from Saddle Creek’s golden age.
I know how it felt being asked whether or not “we’re just sucking in fibre and blowing out shit”, as does the distant, wheedling hook that snakes through the song and bursts out full force at its close.
It felt like a hand closing tight around the back of my neck, and pressing my face hard against the reflective surface of the medicine cabinet.
It felt like music.
By Rob Hollamby, aged 16 and 3/4
Andy
Albums
My Bloody Valentine – mbv 
Field Rotation – Fatalist: The Repetition of History 
Pantha du Prince & the Bell Laboratory – Elements of Light 
Jon Hopkins – Immunity 
Eleanor Friedberger – Personal Record
Songs
My Bloody Valentine – In Another Way 
Jon Hopkins – Open Eye Signal 
Factory Floor – Fall Back 
Young Summer – Pretty Boy 
Hookworms – Away / Towards
Sam
Albums
Young Fathers – Tape Two 
My Bloody Valentine – mbv 
Born Ruffians – Birthmarks 
Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of The City 
John Grant – Pale Green Ghosts
Songs
Born Ruffians – Needle 
Lorde – Tennis Courts 
James Blake – Retrograde 
Jim Guthrie – Don’t Be Torn 
.CULT – Masked
Callum
Albums
Wavves – Afraid Of Heights 
Le1f – Fly Zone 
Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels 
Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt 
Kilo Kish – K+
Songs
“I’ll put a song list together too.”

I Am Gonna Make It Through This Year If It Kills Me: Our picks of 2k13

With the imminent arrival of Glastonbury, one would be forgiven for believing that the UK only has one major music festival worth visiting. The preview coverage has been unrelenting, and the tweets of those fortunate enough to buy tickets, boasting of the most seismic set time clashes imaginable, have certainly made for one tormenting week.
However there is hope for those of us who will have to be contented with the indoors and the sterile comfort of the red button, and that is Latitude Festival. In it’s 8th year, this Suffolk based festival stands out as a gem in Britain’s summer festival schedule as an event which caters for a huge range of audiences, without alienating any one from another. Set across the beautiful grounds of Henham Park, Latitude Festival is renowned for it’s exemplary line up history, which last year saw the likes of Elbow, Bon Iver, and the great Paul Weller join its ranks. However Latitude doesn’t just ‘do’ music, rather, serious care and consideration is given to the assembly of some of the finest minds and performers from the worlds of comedy, theatre, dance, and literature over the course of the weekend.
After the bright memory of Glastonbury starts to fade, and you just begin to miss waking up sweaty in a tent-cum-sauna, or a mud bath, Latitude will come to your aid and provide another fantastic festival experience. If you’re not convinced already, we have assembled a selection of our must see acts across the festival below.
For all other festival related information, and ticket purchase links, head over to <a href="https://www.latitudefestival.com/">www.latitudefestival.com</a>
Cat Power – Obelisk Arena
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Jessie Ware – Obelisk Arena
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Local Natives – Obelisk Arena
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Everything Everything – BBC Radio 6 Music Stage
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Purity Ring – i Arena
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Deptford Goth – i Arena
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Hookworms – i Arena
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M O N E Y – i Arena
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S O H N – i Arena
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Jagwar Ma – The Lake Stage
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Wolf Alice – The Lake Stage
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Preview: Latitude Festival

This Thursday, also known as 25th April, Crack In The Road is putting on its first ever live show, the imaginatively-titled <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/525433147500120/?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">CitR Live #001</a>. For a measly £5 you can watch not only some of the buzziest buzz-bands about, but you also get to enjoy them surrounded by some arty stuff courtesy of MadeScapes^.
Now, you may be thinking: “CitR Live sounds good and everything, but five pounds? I don’t think so”. If that’s indeed your train of thought, my reflex was to track you down and slap you upside-the-head, but, fortunately/unfortunately, lethargy halted this action shortly after inception. Even though physical inaction won the battle, I knew that something had to be done.
Then, it hit me! If I put together a list of five things that are worse value for money than CitR Live, it would solve everybody’s problems.
Shout out to Jimmy Wragg, whose blog is <a href="https://j-wragg.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>, for putting together the cover image for the post. You can follow him on twitter with <a href="https://twitter.com/Sui42" target="_blank">@sui42.</a>
 
A Pint
<img class="alignnone" alt="" src="https://www.tamarachristensen.com/uploads/2012/10/pint.jpg" width="300" height="400" />
Yeah, okay, so a pint might only cost a fiver in (reasonably) swanky central London bars, but still, a fiver?! Fuck off. If you’re going to spend your money on alcohol, rather than watching <a href="https://jamieisaac.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Jamie Isaac</a> rip it up, then show a little bit of sense and grab yourself a few cans of Special Brew or, at the very least, a bottle of Frosty Jacks. #classy4LYF
 
Five Packs Of Premier League Football Stickers
<img class="alignnone" alt="" src="https://www.theintoy.co.uk/images/images_big/premfull.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
To be fair, five pounds would buy you quite a few stickers. The real problem is that, although you might get close to fifty stickers, you’re really only just scratching the surface of one of those ridiculous-sized annuals you have to stick them all in. Plus, I can guarantee that, of those five packs, over half of them are gonna be doubles. Even if they’re your first stickers of the season.
 
A Single Peak Ticket From Neasden To Plaistow
<img class="alignnone" alt="" src="https://www.mytrainticket.co.uk/admin/image-resizer.php?w=508&h=260&keepAspect=y&crop=y&img=project/uploaded-media/travelcard.jpg" width="508" height="260" />
Firstly, why would anyone want to travel from Neasden to Plaistow in the first place? Secondly, why anyone would shell out almost a fiver for that abortion of a journey? It’s not even like travelling on the tube is a pleasant experience; all you’re gonna get is a sore arse and a strong smell of piss.
 
Two iPhone Cases That Look Like Cassette Tapes 

<img class="alignnone" alt="" src="https://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/iphone_cassette_case.jpg" width="600" height="630" />
I’m not confident that having two iPhone cases would be all that useful, but I guess you could double-up for extra protection (HA!). Anyway, I never really “got” the whole making your phone look like a tape thing. Do people think that if they get mugged the robber will just leave them alone because they’re confused about why they’re carrying round a tape?
 
A Three Piece Combo Meal From Your Local Chicken Shop 

<img class="alignnone" alt="" src="https://www.clevescene.com/binary/24e3/1292358458-fried-chicken.jpg" width="430" height="300" />
Okay, you’ve got me, this is actually better than the gig.
 
There you have it! The shameless plugging is over and, hopefully, I’ve convinced you of the positive impact that coming to CitR Live #001 will have on your life. The Facebook page for the event can be found <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/525433147500120/" target="_blank">here,</a> while you can grab tickets from <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?466892" target="_blank">Resident Adviser</a> or <a href="https://www.wegottickets.com/event/216179" target="_blank">WeGotTickets</a>. Go on, you know you want to.

Feature: Five Things You Could Waste A Fiver On

As you’ve undoubtedly heard, <a href="https://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/apr/14/justin-bieber-anne-frank-belieber" target="_blank">Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam</a> and, in the guestbook, left a message which said that he hoped “she would have been a belieber”. I’ll be honest, when I first came across the story I was taken aback, stunned into disbelief even; Bieber was right! I bet if Anne Frank was born in the late 1990s, she would have thrown away that dumb paper diary (so pre-Y2K lol) and would have her very own Tumblr filled with pictures of Justin Bieber with text like “<3THR0B” and “HAWT STUFF” emblazoned across them.
This got me thinking, if Anne Frank was born in the last twenty-odd years, we might have not read her diary, which was a MAJOR DRAG btw, and be gifted instead with a sweet-ass twitter feed. So, this caused me to ponder what other historical figures would be fans of musicians today.
All the images were put-together by the always excellent James Wragg and you can have a look at his boner-inspiring blog <a href="https://j-wragg.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>.
Emmeline Pankhurst & Beyoncé
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/21167-feature-beliebe-in-yourself/attachment/diag1/" rel="attachment wp-att-21287"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2013/04/diag1.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="400" /></a>
This one goes out to all the feminists worldwide! <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmeline_Pankhurst" target="_blank">Emmeline Pankhurst,</a> one of the most influential and pivotal figures in the struggle for women’s rights, rocked it out for all the single ladies in the early 20th Century, while Beyoncé is, well, Beyoncé. Ms. Pankhurst would be wild about the ex-Destiny’s Child diva, infatuated with how she is SMASHING down the walls of injustice.
I might not be the foremost authority on Pankhurst or the Suffragette movement, but I can guarantee that everything would have gone smoother if she took a leaf out of Beyoncé’s book and hired someone to <a href="https://www.gq.com/women/photos/201301/beyonce-cover-story-interview-gq-february-2013" target="_blank">film her every waking moment</a>. This would have not only meant those pesky police officers couldn’t have roughed up the protestors, but also got to the core of what the Women’s Movement was really about; the opportunity for mindless vanity. Plus, I bet she’d have looked FABULOUS breaking those windows.
Then, just have a quick think about how much quicker the Suffragettes would have achieved their aims if they combined their rhetoric with an improved public image. It’s like that interview where Beyoncé was all like:
“You know, equality is a myth, and for some reason, everyone accepts the fact that women don’t make as much money as men do. I don’t understand that. Why do we have to take a backseat? I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. And let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what’s sexy. And men define what’s feminine. It’s ridiculous.”
And, in the accompanying photos was dressed all like:
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/21167-feature-beliebe-in-yourself/attachment/beyonce-gq-cover/" rel="attachment wp-att-21168"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/04/beyonce-gq-cover.jpg" alt="" width="409" height="516" /></a>And, after reading it, I was all like:
“WOAH, BRAH, I DIDN’T KNO FEMINISM WAS SO SEXXXI”
I have to say, it kinda upsets me that Emmeline Pankhurst wasn’t around to be influenced by Beyoncé. If she had been, she would’ve quickly realised that the only way to be a strong woman and enact positive change in a patriarchal society is to show a bit of skin for the lads.
Al Capone & The Strokes
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/21167-feature-beliebe-in-yourself/attachment/diag2/" rel="attachment wp-att-21292"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/04/diag2.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="400" /></a>
Al Capone would have LOVED The Strokes. The O.G. bootlegger was born and raised in rough streets of Brooklyn and kicked out of school at 14, while The Strokes were also from New York, albeit via Swiss Boarding & Fancy Art Schools. The humble beginnings of The Strokes would have pleased the self-made-mobster and, as a well-dressed fellow, he would have definitely appreciated how SHARP they looked back in the day.
I also think that Mr Capone would have truly emphasised with the Strokes’ career arc. The gangster was hugely successful and loved by the public until around the time he was involved in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine%27s_Day_Massacre" target="_blank">Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre</a>. On the other side, The Strokes were hugely successful and loved by the public until around the time of First Impressions Of Earth. Which, to be fair to all parties, was probably worse than the slaughter. See! Uncannily identical lives.
To further muddle the boundaries between them, Al Capone died in 1947 following a stroke.
Malcolm X & Vampire Weekend
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/21167-feature-beliebe-in-yourself/attachment/diag3/" rel="attachment wp-att-21298"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/04/diag3.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="400" /></a>
If there was one thing that Malcolm X loved, it was white people. And who are the whitest white people around? Vampire Weekend! At the time of writing, and I doubt it’s gonna change any time soon, the two most successful artists to take “heavy influence” from Afro-Pop are Paul Simon and Vampire Weekend. This would have been an endless source of satisfaction for Mr. X; there’s nothing that man loved more than a bunch of crackers appropriating black culture and receiving vast financial rewards for it. Nothing. Well, unless Vampire Weekend got blacked-up in dashikis of course.
Genghis Khan & Morrissey
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/21167-feature-beliebe-in-yourself/attachment/khan1/" rel="attachment wp-att-21338"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/04/khan1.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="400" /></a>
My god, would these two be the best buddies that the whole entire world has ever seen or what? Dinner time? No problem! Genghis Khan was a dedicated vegetarian. The warlord loved his salad and would have never, ever even dreamed of eating an animal. Violence? The Khan-meister couldn’t stand it. I can see the two of them now, hanging out in their pajamas and talking deep into the inky night about their feelings and peace and poetry and love and delicate things.
Morrissey also famously declared the Chinese a <a href=".https://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/sep/03/morrissey-china-subspecies-racism" target="_blank">“sub-species”</a> and this comment would have made Genghis punch the air in jubilation; he couldn’t stand those of an Asian descent either. Getting TOPICAL, they’d have both bonded over their dislike of Thatcher. One thing I can say with certainty is that there’s no way the Mongolian would have admired her; he hated fucking people.

Feature: Beliebe In Yourself

In the eyes of many, the best thing that Thatcher ever did, apart from, you know, dying, was inspiring a countless number of bands to write songs about how they really weren’t that fond of her. The thing is though, that for every subtle(-ish) masterpiece like ‘Ghost Town’, there are thousands of less impressive anti-Iron Lady songs, most of them by Billy Bragg. Now, at CitR we’re not just gonna write an article to garner some hits of the back of a news story; we’re going to try and be snarky and insulting too.
 
Frank Turner – Thatcher Fucked The Kids
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1NyWbhCxZE
Honestly, I hope you’re reading this Frank Turner, because there’s something I’d like to say:
Fuck you, buddy.
On one hand, I feel kinda bad about insulting the man, he did his time in a (post-)hardcore band, built his folk fanbase from the ground up and genuinely seems like a pleasant guy, but then I listen to his music and those factors just get washed away in his piss-stream of sound.
Now, ‘Thatcher Fucked The Kids’ was released in 2006, which, when I went and checked, was roughly sixteen years after she stepped down. Sixteen. Fucking. Years. Say what you want, but I seriously doubt that NoFX are going to be writing songs about George W. Bush in 2025. Hell, even if they did, they at least lived through his entire term, while Mr. Turner was born in ’81.
Maybe I could look past this if the lyrics were an elegant and allegorical deconstruction of Thatcherism, but, alas, they read like the scribblings an editor of an adolescent political zine would find somewhat heavy-handed. Put it this way, if you were going to play a game of protest-song-bingo and this came on, everyone would win.
 
 
The Specials – Maggie’s Farm
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA8KR0Qo8R8 

There’s something hauntingly pathetic about deciding to record a protest song and realising that someone else has already done it better, so you may as well just do a version of that. I mean, what does it say about your political dedication if you can’t hammer a couple of chords together and shout about how much The System irks you?
If you want to be pedantic, it’s easy to state that Bob Dylan’s version of Maggie’s Farm was itself a reworking of an old folk song, but that’s kinda missing the point, as the recycling of music is a folk staple that does not exist in the Two Tone movement. It’d be akin to Mumford & Sons deciding that they really, really dig Hip-Hop’s vernacular and are going to endlessly drop “bitch”, “fag” and the “n-bomb” on their next album. To be fair to them, if they did, I would probably actually listen to it.
 
Billy Bragg – pretty much any song he’s ever written 

I’m not going to choose a single Billy Bragg song, because I don’t have to and you can’t make me.
 
Klaus Nomi – Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vXR5gjRMPk
I never really worked out what a German living in New York had to do with Thatcher, but she must have done something or other that pissed him off pretty badly. I can’t really imagine how someone would annoy me enough that I would consider covering a song from The Wizard Of Oz to be a logical and level-headed way of dealing with my emotions though, but that’s most likely a personal failing.
Then there’s the fact that ‘Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead!’ was released in 1982, a good thirty-one years before Thatcher actually snuffed it. This means that the song has, at the time of writing, only been factually accurate for two days and that, in my humble opinion, is just not acceptable.
 
So, there we have it. The real question we need to roll round our minds, is what have we learned from this article? Well, as it turns out, it wasn’t just free milk and miners that Thatcher fucked (WAY-HEY!).

Feature: Four More Things Thatcher Fucked

The end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either. 
I remember reading the above quote during a less than inspiring A Level Philosophy class, in which the tiny window of light provided a teasing prospect of an afternoon better spent than pouring through 19th century literature. However this particular quote stuck with me, so much so that I scribbled it down on the same small notebook that I use today, though thankfully it’s use is no longer embedded in cursory A Level anecdotes. While I’m sure Nietzsche meant this as a pragmatic demonstration of a parable, I call upon it here not only for it’s connection to music, but to mark the end of a much loved Manchester institution – Underachievers Please Try Harder.
For those of you unfamiliar with Underachievers, it is a regular gig and club night based in Manchester that is set to conclude with two much anticipated events, one of which marks the night’s 5th birthday. However Underachievers is much more than a simple listing on Manchester’s monthly events calender, rather over the course of the previous five years it has built itself as an integral pillar in Manchester’s music scene. From the moment I arrived in Manchester and began to work my way into the plethora of gigs and nights on offer, Underachievers appeared to have a cult status. It’s guarantee of quality new and exciting bands transferred to the development of a loyal audience, who would turn up in their numbers and remain for a club night with a huge range of music that created an atmosphere second to none amongst other Manchester club nights.
With that all said, Underachievers is not disappearing completely. They are still promoting a stage at the evergreen Sounds From The Other City Festival, and we’re assured there will be occasional gigs still to come. Although that provides a welcome consolation, the regular nights will be dearly missed, and Underachievers have made a fantastic playlist to commemorate the countless number of acts that have passed through the doors of Underachievers and plied their trade to an awaiting audience. It will be made available in two halves on CD at the two remaining gigs due to take place this month, both of which will no doubt be very special indeed. Therefore consider this article the beginning of a goodbye, as opposed to the final words of a farewell, and make sure to come down to the nights listed below –
13th April – Patterns // 5th Birthday Special – Roadhouse, Manchester – https://www.wegottickets.com/event/208178
26th April – Ghost Outfit // Last Ever Underachievers – Roadhouse, Manchester – https://www.wegottickets.com/event/208179
A huge thank you to Dave and Kirsty for all their hard work, and to all of those who have ever supported Underachievers in the past five years. To conclude, here are some words from Dave about the Underachievers Playlist –
Underachievers Please Try Harder (2008-2013). This compilation is to be released in two halves on the final two nights. The theme of this mix is championing the underdog. In times where everyone is chasing the next buzz artist, barely digesting an album before rating it in an end of month poll, this should hopefully show why you should always listen with your ears. Great music is always being made, you just have to seek it out. All of these bands played Underachievers clubnight at some point over the last 5 years.
It contains everything from the best of new Manchester bands like Patterns, Young British Artists and Ghost Outfit, to further afield with people like younghusband, and US bands Schwervon! and So Many Wizards. All of these bands are what I would call DIY (hence the underdog theme), and not backed by big labels or management.
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F4497642%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-VVyB2" height="450" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Finale: Underachievers Please Try Harder (2008-2013)

<a href="https://www.datpiff.com" target="_blank">DatPiff </a>is an awesome site. Even if you ignore the fact that it’s the premium location for finding new mixtapes, it has the hidden benefit of being a veritable cornucopia of cover art. Now, I didn’t want to ruin the magic of many of these album covers with small concerns like “what it actually sounds like”, so I take no responsibility for the quality of the music. Well then, without further ado, and in no particular order, I present my ten favourite pieces of artwork from DatPiff this week.
 
1) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/A-Rodge-Ele-mixtape.470650.html" target="_blank">A-Rodge – E.L.E.</a>
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/a-rodge_ele-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20552"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2013/03/A-Rodge_Ele-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
Just take a moment and look at those eyes. There’s an endless expanse of pain and suffering that seems to seep out from them, I mean he’s smiling, but I’m far from convinced that he’s actually happy. It also probably doesn’t help that he looks like the lass from <a href="https://socialnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Overly-Attached-Girlfriend-Uses-Meme-For-Charity.png" target="_blank">Overly Attached Girlfriend</a> meme. I’m also digging the backwards cap with the quiff poking through. It’s a strong look that balances gangsta style for the men out there, with a seductive, metrosexual tint for DA LAYDEEZ. I’ve also heard that bitches love comic sans.
 
2) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/Various-Artists-Ballers-Vol3-mixtape.470490.html" target="_blank">Various Artists – Beach Ballin</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/beach-ballin/" rel="attachment wp-att-20565"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/beach-ballin.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
When observing a truly great piece of art, your mind should be awash with the questions you need to ask in order to comprehend the covert meaning of the imagery, and Beach Ballin is no different. What’s the deal with that woman in the background to the left? Why is the bro in the middle staring at that the giant woman’s elbow? On that note, why is she so massive? What kind of man who is so close to a sack full of CA$H and has such a luminescent watch would drink out of a plastic cup? These are the kind of queries that make us human.
3) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/LITTLE-MAN-Its-Lils-The-Demo-no-Pen-Or-Paper-mixtape.470827.html" target="_blank">Little Man! – It’s Lil’s … The Demo! (No Pen Or Paper!</a>)
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/little_man_its_lils_the_demo_no_pen_or_pap-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20615"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/LITTLE_MAN_Its_Lils_The_Demo_no_Pen_Or_Pap-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
It’s Little Man! This cover upsets me slightly! The man is holding a fist full of cash, yet claims he can’t afford a pen or paper, or, seemingly, a shirt! That displays a serious issue with dealing with the realities of everyday life! At least he has that cleaver, so he can hunt his own food, because, with his inability to even sort out the appropriate level of his stationary needs, I feel that going to the supermarket might be beyond him!
4) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/Boy-Logix-Ass-Nation-mixtape.470788.html" target="_blank">Boy Logix & InFiniti – Ass Nation</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/boy_logix_infiniti_ass_nation-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20617"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/Boy_Logix_InFiniti_Ass_Nation-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
If there’s one thing that I’ve learnt in my 24 years, it’s that there’s no such thing as too much ass or too much lens flare.
5) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/jfrass-Easter-Bashment-It-Tun-Over-2013-mixtape.470563.html" target="_blank">Jfrass – Easter Bashment It Tun Over 2013</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/jfrass_easter_bashment_it_tun_over_2013-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20619"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/jfrass_Easter_Bashment_It_Tun_Over_2013-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
Jfrass does not fuck with the whole “reading something from top-to-bottom” tradition, he’s far too much of a badass for that. Truthfully though, if I was his size and towered over a room of shadow people, I too would disregard the traditions of the written word. Got to say, I hope Jfrass is getting some money for that Usain Bolt advert, otherwise the athlete is just taking advantage of the “The Mix Master’s” fame.
6) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/King-Pimpin-King-Pimpin-Muzik-Volume-2-Hoodbound-Edition-mixtape.470412.html" target="_blank">King Pimpin – King Pimping Muzik Volume 2 Hoodbound Edition</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/king_pimpin_king_pimpin_muzik_volume_2_hoodbound_e-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20621"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/King_Pimpin_King_Pimpin_Muzik_Volume_2_Hoodbound_E-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
Photoshop is a phenomenal tool. It still amazes me that images can be edited in such a seamless manner that, fifty years ago, experts would have been unlikely to recognise them as fake. Now, I’m not wholly confident that this has image has been edited at all, as surely anyone who would grant themselves the moniker “King Pimpin” would possess their own throne from which to pimp. Otherwise, they’d have to call themselves “Manager Pimpin” or “Associate Pimping”, and I don’t believe King Pimpin would lie to me like that.
7) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/the-drew-ftlil-john-marine-brown-The-Drew-Dope-Shit-mixtape.470514.html" target="_blank">The Drew Feat. Lil John Marine Brown – The Drew Dope Shit</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/the_drew_ftlil_john_marine_brown_the_drew_dope_shi-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20623"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/the_drew_ftlil_john_marine_brown_The_Drew_Dope_Shi-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
Sometimes, I feel that artists just put in too much effort, what happened to nonchalance?
8) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/ZooBoyChapo-This-Is-All-I-Know-Part1-mixtape.470536.html" target="_blank">ZooBoyChapo – This Is All I Know Part 1</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/zooboychapo_this_is_all_i_know_part1-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20626"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/ZooBoyChapo_This_Is_All_I_Know_Part1-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
This might be the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen. It’s pure $$$WAG visualised in motherfucking SPACE. There are dollars, UFOs AND a submarine.
9) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/Killa-Throwed-Ufo-Fly-2013-mixtape.470137.html" target="_blank">Killa Throwed & Day Beatz – UFO Fly</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/killa_throwed_daybeatz_ufo_fly_2013-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20628"><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/Killa_Throwed_DayBeatZ_Ufo_Fly_2013-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
Now this guy I don’t like. I’m not sure if it’s that unsettling leer, his glowing third nipple or simply the fact that he’s swearing at me.
10) <a href="https://www.datpiff.com/NOAH-The-Chronicles-Of-Noah-ditibution-mixtape.471180.html" target="_blank">NOAH – Tha Chronicles Of Noah (Di$Tibution)</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/20551-feature-the-ten-best-mixtape-covers-on-datpiff-this-week/attachment/noah_the_chronicles_of_noah_ditibution-front-large/" rel="attachment wp-att-20661">><img class="size-full wp-image-19823 alignleft" style="margin-left: 0px;" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/03/NOAH_The_Chronicles_Of_Noah_ditibution-front-large.jpg" width="500" height="500" /></a>
There’s nothing quite like staring off into the middle distance to make me perceive you as a deep-thinker and/or philosopher. Hold on, what’s this? Military insignia? Is it possible that NOAH has a violent edge to his musings? Maybe, but then, maybe not. All I know is that whatever he’s pondering, it’s going to be a weighty and serious topic.
So, there we have it. The Ten Best Mixtape Covers On DatPiff this week is over. We’ve learnt a lot, had some emotional moments and come out the other side better, smarter and with more SWAGGER. #thuglyf

Feature: The Ten Wildest Mixtape Covers This Week

It’s no secret that Sweden produces some mighty fine music. In recent years, the country has given us the likes of Lykke Li, Shout Out Louds, Robyn, and The Knife, with the latter also handing a little gift of exposure to Swede/Argentine singer Jose Gonzalez and <a title="Sony Bravia advert" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bx8bnCoiU">consequently helping the bouncing sales of LCD televisions everywhere</a>. With such a solid roster, the country can even be forgiven for fostering those three “young folk” who took it upon themselves to popularize <a title="Young Folks" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bx8bnCoiU">incessant, repetitive whistling</a> for what felt like an endless few years back in 2007.
For some weird and unflattering reason, I still feel an excited sense of surprise and smug discovery whenever I find out about new acts who hail from non-English speaking shores – no matter that (<a title="Glosoli" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr_MJAOyOeU">time spent brushing up on my Icelandic aside</a>) the songs are almost always sung in English. So when I came across three great Swedish artists, previously unknown to me, in the space of two days this week, I succumbed to a momentary attack of self-delusional amnesia and was briefly convinced that I had stumbled upon an untapped goldmine of Scandinavian indie music.
Fortunately, my faculties quickly returned, along with embarrassed remembrance of Sweden’s impressive musical pedigree – but I still liked the stuff I had heard. So no doubt I’m only scratching the surface, but for what it’s worth, here are three lots of Swedes I think you should be listening to:
Anna von Hausswolff
From the looks of things Anna Von Hausswolff is far from being an unknown, or even particularly new – according to her website her first E.P came out in February 2010, although she seems to be garnering an increased amount of attention with her latest album, Ceremony, apparently slated for a UK release sometime soon. In any case, lead single Mountains Crave is the first I’d heard of her, and I’m very glad that I did – it’s a massive, organ led platform from which Hausswolff bellows out her superb voice, sounding a bit like Lana Del Ray if she’d pitched up on Game of Thrones.
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If They Ask, Tell Them We’re Dead
These guys have also been going for a little while, but after an E.P two years ago they’re now bringing out their debut album, Rivulet Moan, on German label Stargazer Records. ITATTWD may be possibly the least catchy acronym in the world, but they’ve done good and made a couple of songs from the album available for free download on bandcamp – first single We’re All Friends After All is an excellent cut of indie noise pop that’s nicely complemented by pretty instrumental B-side Any Day Now. 
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1891153349/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" height="100" width="400" frameborder="0"></iframe>
Little Children
Little Children is the moniker of one Linus Lutti, a 28 year old who describes himself as making “ornamented and mysterious pop music, dark and tender at the same time.” He seems to be doing pretty well for himself at the moment, supporting Shout Out Louds on their current U.S tour, and the songs up on his soundcloud are apparently taken from upcoming E.P In Hau. The most recently posted track, No Direction, is a Bon Iver-esque (whom Lutti cites as an influence) display of both Lutti’s versatile voice and his ear for really nice instrument layering, shown here by building up through rolling snares and wood flutes on the way to a climactic and majestic horn section. 
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F73347344" height="166" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Feature: Predictably good Swedish music

So with 2 weeks gone by since the very first year of <a href="https://brainchildfestival.co.uk/">Brainchild Festival</a>, I’m finally in a position to comment on the weekend. But before anyone, (let’s face it probably me), gets all self-masturbatory over what a stonking weekend it turned out to be; I’d firstly like to thank, the organizers, who allowed us to collaborate on the project in the first place, the bands, producers, DJs, poets, artists, film-makers and comedians, who all brought with them a level of joy and enthusiasm that perhaps topped even our own. You ARE Brainchild Festival, and you always will be.
Fuck, that got a bit wet didn’t? I’ll stop. The point I’m trying to make I guess is, ‘Brainchild felt different’. No adverts, no overpriced drinks, no bookings simply to pull in the punters, no backstage and certainly no VIP area. Without realising it, over the course of the weekend, we rather precociously created a village; even if it happened to be the most un-self sufficient village imaginable. We didn’t even have fucking showers. We should definitely get showers next year. Regardless of hygiene issues, by the end of the weekend I felt as if I knew everyone by face, and very few festivals can offer that.
The most exciting aspect of the weekend though, at least for me, was slightly more abstract. There seemed to be an umbrella covering us all that weekend, every last person at the festival brought with them a vibe, a way of thinking, an opinion or maybe just a bag full of drugs, but whatever they brought with them, we all felt it. When one person was down, we all felt it. When one person was high, we felt that too. Maybe it was because the site was small, or maybe it was because the capacity was only 500 people. Whatever the reason; I haven’t felt like that in a long time,and it felt really fucking good.

Brainchild Festival: A Word From CitR

Halfway into a year is normally considered a good time to take a step back and assess the six months just past. Now instead of churning out a desperately boring list documenting “Albums of 2012” that reads like 90% of other music blogs, I’ve decided to put together a few compilations, featuring my favourite free downloads of the year thus far.
Now, you’ll notice that for the vast majority the inclusions are relatively obscure, even by blogging standards (blogscure if you must), this is partially to deviate from the buzz band mundane and also in an attempt to raise the profile of the featured artists, whom I believe are all wildly talented. If you’re an avid follower of CitR, you’ll notice that all have appeared on the blog before, many making their online debut, however for those more casual readers, I implore you to take a chance. So without further ado, I present to you the first in a three part series of compilations: Everything You Can Imagine Is Real.
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2012/07/everythingyoucanback1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-archives wp-image-17250" title="Everything You Can Imagine Is Real Back" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/07/everythingyoucanback1-350x350.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="350" /></a><a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/07/everythingfront1.jpg"><img title="Everything You Can Imagine Is Real Front" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/07/everythingfront1-350x350.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="350" /></a>
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F2206832&show_artwork=true&secret_token=s-bfjdY" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="450"></iframe>
For more information on the artists, follow the links below:
<a href="https://avecsans.com/" target="_blank">Avec Sans</a>
<a href="https://moodindigo.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Mood Indigo</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/athaliamusic" target="_blank">ATHALIA</a>
<a href="https://deathtodreaming.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Death to Dreaming</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/nobleoak" target="_blank">Noble Oak</a>
<a href="sweetvalleyslumberparty.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Sweet Valley Slumber Party</a>
<a href="https://chateaudoesnotexist.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Chateau</a>
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/l_e_r_k" target="_blank">LERK</a>
<a href="https://campcounselors.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">CAMP COUNSELORS</a>
<a href="https://cryingatprom.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Prom</a>
<a href="https://beaufieldsband.bandcamp.com/track/lost-at-last-live" target="_blank">Beaufields</a>
NB: All tracks featured are available for free download elsewhere, however if you are the owner of any of the music and would like to be removed from the compilation, then please do not hesitate to get in touch and I’ll happily remove the offending track.

Everything You Can Imagine Is Real

<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uncategorized/17193-summer-playlist-3-bravestation/attachment/bravestation/" rel="attachment wp-att-17194"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-17194" title="bravestation" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2012/07/bravestation-260x179.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="179" /></a>Well, this is the third summer playlist we’ve done, and at time of writing a month’s worth of rain is falling in the space of 24 hours over much of the UK. At this point, you’re better off just listening to this playlist, closing your eyes, and going to your happy place.
This ‘summer’ playlist comes from our good Canadian pals Bravestation, whose debut album Giants & Dreamers – and this even makes this article worth publishing – is only days away from release, and can be streamed in full over on their <a href="https://soundcloud.com/bravestation/sets/giants-dreamers/s-19poE" target="_blank">Soundcloud page.</a> It’s really good.
Anyway, enjoy the playlist and enjoy Bravestation‘s album. By the end of August we will have given you a summer playlist on a day when it actually feels like summer. Promise.
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:3R1L9ySDuwpQ8Bp3fi1mIj" frameborder="0" width="300" height="380"></iframe>
(The list also includes Classixx‘s ‘Fingerpaint-Lunar’, which isn’t available on Spotify, but is up on Soundcloud <a href="https://soundcloud.com/classixx/fingerpaint-lunar" target="_blank">here</a>)
UPDATE: It’s been brought to our attention that our American and Canadian friends can’t access Spotify. The list is published below, in handy YouTube and Soundcloud form.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r07We_E355g" target="_blank">Wild Beasts – ‘Loop the Loop’</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBvngg87998" target="_blank">Kendrick Lamar – ‘Rigamortis’</a>
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/classixx/fingerpaint-lunar" target="_blank">Classixx – ‘Fingerpaint-Lunar’</a>
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/frenchexpress/moon-boots-got-somebody" target="_blank">Moon Boots – ‘Got Somebody’</a>
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/alt-j/07-dissolve-me" target="_blank">Alt-J – ‘Dissolve Me’</a>
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/saintmotel/saint-motel-1997" target="_blank">Saint Motel – ‘1997’</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLCf-URqIf0" target="_blank">A$AP Rocky – ‘Goldie’</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KhdPS7-MEw" target="_blank">CANT – ‘Believe’</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo4rbhR_vsk" target="_blank">Yeasayer – ‘Henrietta’</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIHzh5w4tUc" target="_blank">Usher – ‘Climax’</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KL8qf2qG6c" target="_blank">Paul Simon – ‘Graceland’</a>

Summer Playlist #3 – Bravestation

<a href="https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=634&tbs=isz:m&tbm=isch&tbnid=Q1ciZGKPng6csM:&imgrefurl=https://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a391185/stone-roses-fan-goes-missing-after-heaton-park-gig.html&docid=lmPLNLDUsyRfpM&imgurl=https://i2.cdnds.net/12/26/618x451/music_stone_roses_3.jpg&w=618&h=451&ei=zr31T5zYIKLC0QW8vYmJBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=317&vpy=210&dur=3448&hovh=192&hovw=263&tx=125&ty=138&sig=114728317765720683915&page=2&tbnh=138&tbnw=184&start=18&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:18,i:153" target="_blank">Photo Source.</a>
Sixty thousand pissed up lads crammed into a muddy field belting out karaoke versions of once great songs; sounds perfect, right? Forgive my foolish stereotypes for a moment, yet I can’t be the only one who simply doesn’t understand the snowball of hype surrounding The Stone Roses ‘reunion’.
Just as with <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/2671-the-last-of-the-libertines/" target="_blank">The Libertines in 2010</a>, there appears to be a general consensus that unearthing (and exaggerating the influence of) the past will always be something to look forward to. Fueled by naive music journalists afraid of speaking out for fear of being ostracized by what merely appears to be a healthy majority, we’ve allowed ourselves to slip into a vicious cycle in which having a marginally negative opinion on music is viewed as damning to the art form as a whole.
I’m not for a moment suggesting that we entirely disregard the past and allow it to fade into meaningless obscurity, because after all, in continuously striving to tread new ground we have to know whereabouts we’ve already walked. However in certain instances perhaps we should respectfully leave the past where it’s fallen and not attempt an unnecessary and half-hearted resuscitation, especially when the memories themselves seem far from keen to be revived.
Three paragraphs in, and I’m still to mention the gigs themselves; a real indication of how little people seem to care for the music, and more for the concept behind the return of a former great. For me, the entire fiasco bares striking similarities and telling contrasts to the return of another Mancunian legend – a fiery tempered, red haired midfield maestro if you will. Having hung up his boots the previous season, Paul Scholes’ decision to renounce his retirement was met with a colossal level of euphoria, however throughout his absence he’d maintained his fitness levels and unparalleled awareness. With The Stone Roses they’d goofed about for the best part of 15 years, none of them producing music of real significance, and certainly not maintaining a similar level of musical ingenuity. They were clearly far from ‘match fit’, and unlike one of the richest footballers in the UK, it’s fair to say that the tidy £12million pocketed from the three gigs will have been extremely well received. For me, it would have been the equivalent of Eric Cantona returning to Manchester United for the latter part of last season; it simply wouldn’t have worked, no matter how great an impression he left first time around.
Desperately poor (and slightly tongue in cheek) analogies aside, the reviews I’ve stumbled across from the Heaton Park shows are either disappointingly blinkered by the aforementioned bias, or startlingly mediocre. Poor sound quality, dreadful organisation and Brown barely hitting a single note – not exactly what you expect at £60 per ticket. Many of those who lauded the performances were by their own merit several shandies to the good, or so blinded by their preconceptions of how the show would be, that an honest, realistic opinion escapes them.
Numerous comments on various Youtube videos attempt to defend the frontman’s abysmal singing, claiming “[The Stone Roses] have never been about Ian’s vocals”, a laughable statement I’m sure you’ll agree. For arguments sake, let’s pretend that Johnny Greenwood was a god-awful guitarist (eg. possessed the guitar playing skills of The Enemy’s Tom Clarke…), even the most dedicated Radiohead fan would struggle to find a case for supporting what would undoubtedly be poor live performances. Nostalgia and cherished memories will sadly never excuse, improve nor make up for a below par performance.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oLZxhnpQQf0" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe>
The idea that it’s all about the atmosphere and that the live music is secondary also doesn’t hold water. By viewing their shoddy performances in such a light, you completely devalue the essence, beauty and talent of the live show. Otherwise it’s essentially expensive, below par karaoke that you could be a victim of in countless pubs across the UK.
In my mind, all the reunion has served to do is greatly tarnish their legacy (aside from fill the wallets of Brown & Co). A group once renowned for their passion, vibrancy and honour, now appear washed up and lacking the chemistry that elevated them to phenomenal heights in the first place. It’s for these very reasons that The Smiths will never reform, it would be an injustice to the reputation that they rightfully earned.
So with a T in the Park performance this weekend, and a reported two album deal on the table, it’ll be interesting to witness if the waves of elation remain as buoyant, or whether those forking out the excessive amounts of money, start to demand quality in return. For me, I’m more than happy to let the past sleep, at least until it’s in a fit enough state to awaken.

Feature: Not The Resurrection We Hoped For

$33,333. A hell of a lot of money, if you’ll pardon my French. In layman’s terms, that colossal figure would pay for the hosting of this very website for 1333 years, it would stretch to purchasing 4255 pristine copies of Viva Brothers debut (and only) record, and if you’re really maniacal, it would even be enough to cover the down payment on your first house. So, you’re asking, just why is this figure relevant?
I’d imagine if you’re reading this article you probably have a vague background knowledge on the origin of <a href="https://adhoc.fm/" target="_blank">Ad Hoc</a>, however for those not in the know, here’s a short, unbiased summary. Rising from the ashes of <a href="https://pitchfork.com/" target="_blank">Pitchfork</a> sister site and ‘blog collective’ <a href="https://alteredzones.com/" target="_blank">Altered Zones</a> (June 2010 – Nov 2011), Ad Hoc is “a community of music lovers with a shared ethos: that of building the world you want to see using the materials at your disposal“. Founded by former AZ editors Emilie Friedlander and Ric Leichtung, and including contributions from leading blogsites such as <a href="nofearofpop.net" target="_blank">No Fear Of Pop</a>, <a href="https://www.internationaltapes.com/" target="_blank">International Tapes</a> and <a href="https://dummymag.com/" target="_blank">Dummy Magazine</a>, Ad Hoc also prides itself upon being “a quarterly zine– available in electronic and paper formats“. With almost 1,000 backers and $37,626 raised through their <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ricleichtung/ad-hoc" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> which finished at the start of March, it’s undeniably a project grounded amongst good intentions and genuine passion; yet tellingly lacking a healthy dose of realism.
Having been intensely skeptical for quite some while concerning the logistics surrounding the venture, I thought it best to keep these to myself or at least until the initiative was on it’s feet. With the sadly underwhelming launch of Ad Hoc now several months behind us, I deem now an appropriate time to delve into the issues that had initially roused my cautions about the project. So, whilst the following may not be a commonly aired opinion, nor a particularly popular one, this article is not fueled by jealousy, bitterness or a self-centered need for attention. I write on the same pretense as Ad Hoc; to be heard.
Almost a year ago I caused (minimal) controversy by openly criticizing an article written by a well-respected and professional music journalist. My criticism was not personally offensive and did not allude to anything other than my own opinion on the style of the writer. However, my comments were met with outrage by several well respected fellow journalists; how dare I admit that I found a certain style particularly unappealing? Now, what amused me the most about the reaction was not only did I not received much in the way of insightful disagreement, but more crucially that I was being ostracised for raising any form of issue with another writers work. The writer in question had in the past openly and directly criticised various musicians for their appearance, songwriting and personality, yet a questioning of their own working abilities was taken as immediate and unforgivable disrespect. With the internet now the epicentre of modern debate, you would think that people would realise that posting anything at all on the web leaves it open to interpretation, criticism and admiration, be it a piece of writing, a song or a work of art. To think otherwise is shockingly naive.
Just why is this relevant? Well, I feel that with Ad Hoc we’re in a strikingly similar situation, with people afraid to raise concerns about the project for fear of being labelled a murderer of the creative arts and cast from the preferential ‘journalistic’ circle. Had Ad Hoc been started as a business through a bank loan, or built upon personal savings, then I wouldn’t feel it necessary nor worthwhile to raise any issues regarding the usage of capital, however, given that the entire project is financed by backers (i.e. readers), it seems only logical to question the various avenues that money has taken.
Now what much of this article ultimately boils down to is the yet broader debate of whether it’s legitimate (and moral) to accept donations whilst the project is still entirely in it’s embryonic stage. Kickstarter has been a wildly successful business, and has nurtured the progress of countless projects, that would otherwise have slipped at the financial hurdles, however that’s not to say it’s without it’s flaws.
An unrelated campaign I stumbled across recently focused around a band seeking to record their debut LP, requesting $80,000 in order to do so. Having perused the Kickstarter page, and discovered the costing breakdown, they admirably yet naively stated that ‘$30,000 would be for the bands efforts’, to be split between the six members of the group. Now don’t get me wrong, I truly believe that creative art forms should be met with financial rewards, especially those which take considerable time, but to expect pre-payment before proof of quality is quite frankly, utterly ridiculous. Not only that, but surely if the group had one hundred percent belief in their own talents and ability, they’d assume that once the album was completed, they would recoup any personal costs through touring and/or record sales. It’s an intensely simplified way of viewing it, but we now live amidst a ‘try before you buy’ generation, whose belts are being pulled tighter than ever before, and Kickstarters based on fancy prophesies, quirky images and lavish ideas, will never realistically convey the potential product.
As stated previously, I’m not questioning the concept nor the passion that fueled Ad Hoc’s formation, more the method and strategic thought progress that has helped get the project running. I’m of the belief that the promises of the physical zine are yet to be fulfilled, and it pains me to say it, but the Ad Hoc website is simply not $30,000 of material. Featuring guest posts from in the know musicians as well as contributions from their base group of writers, at this moment in time, it is in both essence and form, a music blog. There’s nothing to elevate it beyond it’s contemporaries, and it’s certainly not passed into the realm of being a music website, clearly a long shot from challenging the likes of Pitchfork, <a href="https://www.stereogum.com/" target="_blank">Stereogum</a> and <a href="nme.com" target="_blank">NME</a> for quality or quantity. Maybe I’m greatly mistaken, but I was under the illusion that the community aspect would be entirely unique, however as of now, it’s non-existent.
In comparison to other blogging collectives it falls short of the mark, with <a href="https://www.secretdecoder.net/" target="_blank">Decoder</a> performing a similar role with their physical format and online content yet at a tenth of the cost. When placed alongside the mightily impressive (and self financed) <a href="https://www.portalsmusic.com/" target="_blank">PORTALS</a>, Ad Hoc seems frail and malnourished, with the unique video content and fantastic traveling showcases of the former setting them dimensions apart. Should PORTALS unexpectedly need financing to the tune of $30,000, I’d be one of the first to empty my wallet, safe in the knowledge that the content would be delivered and in manner I’d find enjoyable.
Again we’re led back to the foundations and concept that Ad Hoc is grounded upon. The premise of being paid to blog is one that I would fully support, although in my heart of hearts, I completely understand that it’s no more than a pipedream. In the same way that 99% of musicians won’t see a return on their costs, bloggers will not directly be reimbursed for their time and talent. Creatively it only serves to prove rather stifling as well, with the inclusion of money comes corruption, greed and self-importance, three elements that are thankfully scarce in blogging. That’s not to say there’s no value in formulating your thoughts into writing on the internet, and that it may pay dividends in the future, with numerous bloggers going on to work within the music and media industry’s. Should a website wish to pay their writers for their efforts, then I’m firmly of the belief that it should not be the readers who have to cover the costs, especially not in the form of pre-payment. As a respectable and worthwhile initiative, Ad Hoc is up there with the best, unfortunately good ideas and a solid moral grounding don’t pay the bills. Good intentions and steadfast logic are two startlingly different entities.
Where I think Ad Hoc hinted at an innovative idea was with their Kickstarter rewards, offering exclusive vinyl releases, tracks and entire label back catalogs, thus addressing the three way relationship between ‘blogger’ ‘label’ and ‘consumer’. It’s this approach that I believe could fulfill their promises of revolutionizing and shaping the music industry. It’s a widely held opinion that music blogs do influence listening tastes, yet a very small proportion of labels sell through the blogs and expect the listener to be passionate enough about the music to track down purchasing options of their own accord. Had Ad Hoc pioneered itself as a form of listening club by which a subscription could be paid in return for a regular selection of releases alongside well written reviews and insightful commentary, then I would have found it far easier to support.
As it is, there’s little about Ad Hoc that truly excites me, and nothing that sets itself apart from hundreds of other music blogs. The writing is average to good, the content is fairly standard and akin to numerous other blogs, and the community aspect doesn’t appear to have to reached fruition. As much as I question the use of finances, I’m also surprised that there have been few others who have raised concerns. Even once you subtract the costs of fulfilling Kickstarter rewards and the printing of the Zine, that still leaves you with an astronomical figure for what is a slightly altered wordpress theme.
Financially, I’m yet to wrap my head around the situation, with the following quotes taken directly from the Ad Hoc Kickstarter in bold and my comments after:
After we meet our $33,000 goal, Kickstarter deducts 5%, and another 3-5% of what remains goes to Amazon. Fair enough – that’s £1,881 to Kickstarter and $1,787.25 (max) to Amazon, leaving a healthy $33,957.75.
* The cost of producing, packaging, and mailing all of the awesome Kickstarter rewards you so generously pledged for, including all four quarterly issues of the Ad Hoc paper Zine, the Ad Hoc T-shirt, and the Fundraiser cassette box set. Again, understood, but surely these costs couldn’t amount to more than $15,000 tops (if this figure is grossly incorrect, I will happily alter it).
* Payment for our web developer, along with continued tech assistance throughout the year. Given the relatively basic form of the website and minimal tech assistance needed, this cost shouldn’t be touching four figures. By the way, the website was designed by Dev Gupta who has some <a href="https://devgupta.com/" target="_blank">fantastic work</a>.
* Payment for our web designer. As above
* Payment for the three amazing individuals who made our Kickstarter video. Surely fairly minimal costs… it’s hardly Kony 2012.
* Costs associated with putting on SXSW, CMJ, and other yearly events that are for promotional purposes only, and do not generate revenue. Events that maybe 0.1% of backers will be able to go to… Also, by admitting they are for promotional purposes, surely there’s some intent to generate revenue in the future?
* Hosting for a high-traffic website, and for a premium Soundcloud account (for hosting audio), which alone runs up to about $600+ a year.  A premium Soundcloud account should probably be considered a luxury… not an essential.
They then admit this accounts to ‘as much half of our Kickstarter funds‘ and What remains of the money will go directly into our editorial budget– ie, paying various Ad Hoc contributors for all the time, love, and hard work that they put into their writings. Which returns to my previous point of proof of quality before payment.
Now please don’t perceive this as me sticking the boot in to Ad Hoc, as if I need to reiterate again, I admire and respect the passion behind the project, I just greatly doubt the logistics, and wonder just how deeply it’s been considered by others. I’m not for a second insinuating that there’s any foul play occurring, it just strikes me as wholly bizarre that such a colossal sum of money was needed for what has, as of yet, been a hugely underwhelming outing. Given the sterling list of contributors, including many blogs that had originally inspired me to start this very website, maybe I set my hopes too high, but to say I’ve thus far been disappointed, would be an understatement of epic proportions.
The mission aims of Ad Hoc that ‘set <a href="https://adhoc.fm/" target="_blank">Ad Hoc</a> apart from other music publications’ are stated and rebuffed as follows:
• If you send us your music, we will actually listen to you. An admirable statement, yet sadly unrealistic. From running a music blog myself, I know that there is simply not enough time in the day to engage with every single submission, be it directly from a band, or their representative PR firm.
• We won’t reduce your album to a numerical rating. Again, a trait that all my favourite blogs have long adopted, and by no means innovative.
• We’ll cover emerging artists and musical movements from ALL OVER THE GLOBE– not just Brooklyn. In the digital age, this is hardly unique nor revolutionary. We have near enough the entire catalogue of music ever recorded at our fingertips, and there will always be somebody willing to write about it.
Now all of the above would fade into meaningless, had Ad Hoc been billed from the start as simply a music blog, written purely for enjoyment and to spread quality music. But it wasn’t. Instead it was pitched arrogantly and in a manner that completely detracted from the vital aspect – the music. By asking for such an outrageous sum of money, it portrayed themselves as self-proclaiming superiority over other blogs, making it all the more underwhelming when the final product was unveiled.
Drowning under hyperbole and complex sounding yet in truth relatively straightforward initiatives, the ‘in crowd’ has a way of forcing people to feel that if they’re not actively supporting an issue/band/website etc, then they’re passively against it, as oppose to sheer indifference. Raising concerns regarding the use of the money (your money if you donated) is not offensive nor out of line, in fact, without assessment, examination and consequential reaction we’d still be holed up in caves, bashing two rocks together.
So now, if you’ve read all this, first of all, congratulations, secondly, I urge you to consider where, what and how you support projects. If after careful thought you decide that Ad Hoc is worthy of the $37,626 they received, then by all means, keep supporting it and I will continue to respect that. I’m in no manner searching to raise an argument or an altercation, merely attempting to remind people that at the core of this issue is, always has been and always will be, the music, which serves as the inspiration for all music blogging, and I’d hate to lose sight of that. Throughout this article I’ve undoubtedly waffled, repeated myself and been unintentionally vague; yet ultimately, isn’t that embodying the very essence of blogging?

Feature: A Case For Ad Hoc?

I should make this clear from the start, that I have no problem whatsoever with other websites and publications using CitR as a source for discovering new musical talent. Hell, ultimately, after all the thousands of words and quirky pictures, the pivotal element is, and always will be the music that graces the pages. The music is the catalyst for the text, and that will never change. To a similar note, I also understand that with the very nature of unearthing relatively obscure musical gems, the probability of other people wanting to write about them, or indeed stumbling across them by other means, is going to be fairly high. The issue of crediting ‘musical finds’ is very much down to the preference of the website, personally I find it beneficial as reader to be able to know whereabouts the artist is coming onto the publications radar from, however it’s entirely at the writers discretion. To put it in it’s simplest and most cliched terms; I want the music I listen to (and thus write about) to be successful.
Now, here is where it gets interesting. In my two years of ‘blogging’, I have never experienced anything quite as bizarre as the following you’re about to witness. Whilst trawling through the affectionately nicknamed blogosphere, scoping out new artists as well as vying for more information on previously featured musicians, I found a post regarding Italian songstress <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/16518-introducing-sylvia/" target="_blank">Sylvia</a>, whose premier release Musica Da Camera featured here just under a week ago. Having read the post in question (which can be found <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/23179193876/sylvia-musica-da-camera-ep" target="_blank">here</a>), I felt a sudden sense of deja vu.
As previously stated, giving credit to other bloggers is an entirely personal preference, and it would be naive of me to assume that <a href="https://mu4ma.com/" target="_blank">Music For The Masses</a> had indeed discovered Sylvia through Crack in the Road. However, after re-reading the accompanying text alongside the music, I returned to what I had written about the singer, and here’s what I found:
My text (taken from <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/16518-introducing-sylvia/" target="_blank">here</a>):
“A tinkling Perfume Genius-esque piano, a tender, sombre female vocal and a haunting sense of despair. Whilst Milan isn’t known for it’s thriving indie scene, in combining all of the aforementioned elements, Silvia Tofani aka Sylvia is going some way to changing that. On her debut EP Musica Da Camera she’s found remorseful, guilt-ridden and wallowing in lust, all backed by intimate, sparse keyboard sections and choppy beats. The likes of opener Found Desert and EP highlight I’m Not Your Mom see Sylvia slip effortlessly into her finest ballgown, pirouetting without any inhibitions. Check out the entire EP and grab a free download if it floats your boat.”
Here’s what Music For The Masses had to say about Sylvia (taken from <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/23179193876/sylvia-musica-da-camera-ep" target="_blank">here</a>):
:Blend a dash of Perfume Genius-esque piano with a tender, sombre female vocal and a haunting sense of despair, and you’ll get the rather unknown artist Silvia Tofani, aka Sylvia. On her debut five-track EP Musica Da Camera she is found remorseful and guilt-ridden, backed up by intimate, sparse keyboard sections and choppy beats — creating powerful, melancholic pop music. Don’t let this beautiful gem pass you by!”
Not only is the singular comparison exactly the same (if it was simply that it could be blown off as a coincidence) but numerous lines of the text read almost word for word (‘found remorseful and guilt-ridden’ ‘backed by intimate, sparse keyboard sections and choppy beats’). Not crediting the ‘musical discovery’? Meh, it happens. Copying writing and passing it off as your own? Now that is where I draw the line.
Several minutes later and a quick trawl through the Music For The Masses website, and I found at least six more similar cases, before I decided to give up. Images and links for all can be seen below, with the original text taken from Crack in the Road in the yellow box, and the text taken from Music For The Masses in the white. I’ll let you be the judge.
After raising the issue with Music For The Masses, the response from their self proclaimed Owner (how can you ‘own’ a tumblr? nobody ‘owns’ CitR… it’s not like it’s the Huffington Post) was almost as devoid of reason as the original situation. Stating that ‘I manage’ Music For The Masses and that his ‘partner’ had written all the posts in question, he didn’t really seem to understand that I wasn’t concerned about the lack of crediting, but in the fact that they didn’t feel able to express their own thoughts on the music. Having looked through several of the other posts on their website, it seems that CitR might not be the only blog to feel slightly disgruntled. Later, some of the posts had a small disclaimer at the bottom, reading ‘Content from Crack in the Road’, which I said wasn’t necessary at all, I just wasn’t happy with them using my exact words. In my mind, what it all came down to, was them loosing sight of the music, and being intent upon being viewed as ‘Tastemakers’ by the online community. I’ll say it again; the music will always come first.
Being a relatively laidback person, I wasn’t particularly angered by this obvious and unashamed plagiarisation, however what struck me more about it, was that it made their entire website entirely redundant. The enjoyment of blogging comes from having a platform to voice your opinion on issues, be it music, fashion, film etc.; simply ripping off somebody else is, to be quite frank, completely and utterly pointless. The thought of going to the effort of registering a URL, starting a Twitter account and even designing a logo, only to then steal both the content and the words, makes me laugh out loud. We all know the dangers of the internet that are repeatedly being pressed onto us by ludicrously expensive and naive Government backed incentives, yet few people applaud the opportunities the web gives us for allowing to be heard and for our opinions to be aired. To abuse such a privilege is implausibly ignorant. So, Music For The Masses, if you’re reading this: “come on – open your eyes”, and everyone else, remember, without an opinion of your own, you cannot possibly find the inspiration to go on and better yourself in any walk of life, even if it is only the meager writings of a disillusioned adolescent that you’re striving to improve.
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.38.48.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-16625" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Sylvia MFTM" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.38.48.png" alt="" width="694" height="594" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.38.48.png 694w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.38.48-300x257.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.38.48-50x43.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 694px) 100vw, 694px" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/16518-introducing-sylvia/" target="_blank">Crack in the Road</a> – <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/23179193876/sylvia-musica-da-camera-ep" target="_blank">Music For The Masses</a>
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.39.161.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-16628" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Eric En MFTM" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.39.161.png" alt="" width="688" height="566" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.39.161.png 688w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.39.161-300x247.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.39.161-50x41.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px" /></a><a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/16560-new-eric-en-moon-i/" target="_blank">Crack in the Road</a> – <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/23290031915/eric-en-moon-i" target="_blank">Music For The Masses</a>
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.58.40.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-16629" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Evening Ever MFTM" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.58.40.png" alt="" width="613" height="497" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.58.40.png 613w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.58.40-300x243.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-02.58.40-50x41.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 613px) 100vw, 613px" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/16581-video-clu-evening-ever/" target="_blank">Crack in the Road</a> – <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/23440093056/clu-evening-ever" target="_blank">Music For The Masses</a>
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.12.28.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-16631" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Bashmore MFTM" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.12.28.png" alt="" width="617" height="328" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.12.28.png 617w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.12.28-300x159.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.12.28-50x27.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/16555-new-julio-bashmore-au-seve/" target="_blank">Crack in the Road</a> – <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/23285131564/julio-bashmore-au-seve" target="_blank">Music For The Masses</a>
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.16.18.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-16632" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Seasfire MFTM" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.16.18.png" alt="" width="620" height="379" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.16.18.png 620w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.16.18-300x183.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-03.16.18-50x31.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" /></a><a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/16491-video-seasfire-heartbeat/" target="_blank">Crack in the Road</a> – <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/23163010460/seasfire-heartbeat" target="_blank">Music For The Masses</a>
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.22.26.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-16633" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Sacred MFTM" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.22.26.png" alt="" width="618" height="302" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.22.26.png 618w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.22.26-300x147.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.22.26-50x24.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/16326-new-sacred-animals-x-steffaloo-on-fire/" target="_blank">Crack in the Road</a> – <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/22380148237/sacred-animals-vs-steffaloo-on-fire" target="_blank">Music For The Masses</a>
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.25.03.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-16634" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Unmap MFTM" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.25.03.png" alt="" width="623" height="400" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.25.03.png 623w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.25.03-300x193.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-22-at-21.25.03-50x32.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 623px) 100vw, 623px" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/16316-new-unmap-etude-no-3-waiting/" target="_blank">Crack in the Road</a> – <a href="https://mu4ma.com/post/22338246194/unmap-etude-no-3-waiting" target="_blank">Music For The Masses</a>

Feature: Music For The Masses?

I’m going to keep this brief, as after all, nobody likes a self-indulgent hispter, do they?
Today marks the second birthday of Crack in the Road, and for that, myself and all the other writers are immensely grateful for the support, encouragement, and most importantly, passion that each and every reader has shown towards us.
Conceived as a humble blog, CitR has developed into a website that all of us are hugely proud of, and that has presented us with initially unfathomable opportunities. As readers have turned into writers, and writers into friends, we cannot express just how thankful we are for people taking the time to read, to listen and to think; three vices that cannot be overestimated, especially in a world increasingly filled with animosity and dissatisfaction. Thank you, and may the next two years be equally as enjoyable.

A Thank You

A lot can happen in a week.
There was the London marathon, debates about governmental cuts and <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133643/Why-loo-roll-getting-smaller-Sainsburys-cuts-size-attempt-reduce-environmental-impact.html">Sainsbury’s decision to cut down the size of loo roll.</a> But we’ve got even better (and exciting) news.
Since Crack in The Road’s <a title="Announcement: Crack in the Road X Brainchild Festival" href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/16056-announcement-crack-in-the-road-x-brainchild-festival/">announcement to collaborate with Brainchild Festival</a> last week, which has then seen many sleepless nights and a lot of favours from mates (thank you), we have added more bands to our growing line up.
Yes, there are a lot of festivals happening this summer. We know that. You know that. Heck, Bob Dylan and Suede are playing on the same weekend at Hop Farm. You might be thinking to yourself, ‘pretty fucking stupid to mention a better line up at a different festival on the same weekend’. Well it’s not.
In our opinion, here at Crack in The Road, every band we present to you below are worth more than them lot. Yes Bob Dylan and Suede are legends, but these talented musicians are pioneers in their own right. They are the past, the present and the future of music all rolled into one.
It’s for that reason; we’re straying away from the usual ‘festival blog’ approach of writing blurbs for each artist. We’re not lazy. We’d just rather the artists, and their music, speak for themselves.
They’re not scared to experiment, and aren’t controlled by money hungry management or labels. They’re talent, at it’s best, with the magical ability to manipulate and encourage your view of the world to flutter through their music. Fuck Metronomy, Jessie J and Kaiser Chiefs. We’d much rather it this way.
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/mypandashallfly?ref=ts">MY PANDA SHALL FLY</a>
‘MPSF was born out of a weekly book club that gathered downstairs in a church in West London. We would wear furry headgear, play instruments and dance around like idiots till the early morning.’
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/21814893" frameborder="0" width="500" height="400"></iframe>
<a href="https://kultcountry.bandcamp.com/">KULT COUNTRY</a>
‘Dreams fluttered through my mind, your society was enslaved by nostalgic bribes, stigma, notions of popularity, looped in regurgitation, in need of love…but all you gave me was war.’
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=1940597465/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/throwingup">THROWING UP</a>
“You never think about it you just do it. Iggy-punk-pop-rock? That’s kind of it. Sounds a bit poppy, there’s a bit of screaming. Girls on their periods.”
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6z-g0s_nXik" frameborder="0" width="480" height="360"></iframe>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/dogfeetmusic">DOGFEET</a>
<div data-jsid="message">“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”</div>
<div data-jsid="message"></div>
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F35857634&show_artwork=true" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/jaccogardnermusic">JACCO GARDNER AND THE SKYWALKERS </a>
“Creates a unique sound by combining the sounds of Harpsichord, Strings, Flutes and other classical instruments with raw psychedelic effects.”
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_yjlXKliYYA" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/drivetheband">DRIVE</a>
“Sweet noise.”
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16982289&show_artwork=true" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>

Brainchild Festival: My Panda Shall Fly, KULT COUNTRY, Jacco Gardner, Throwing Up, Dogfeet and Drive confirmed

After months of planning, nervous breakdowns and late night meetings, Crack in the Road is pleased to announce a collaboration with <a href="https://www.brainchildfestival.co.uk/">Brainchild Festival</a>. If you’ve followed the blog for a while now, you’ll know we don’t plunge into things like this lightly, the last one being a charity record with <a title="CitR and Youth Music Present…" href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/7835-citr-and-youth-music-present/">Youth Music</a>, a worthy cause I’m sure you’ll agree.
But <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BrainchildFestival">Brainchild</a> is different, and more importantly she wears her differences on her sleeve. Taking place from the 29th of June to the 1st of July, the festival is a celebration of thinking, originality and personal belief. Sounds pretty vague and wet right? Let me explain.
Take any preconceptions you had about modern festivals and politely tell them to evacuate. Now imagine a festival without a backstage or VIP area, imagine camping next to the headliners, imagine beers that aren’t £5 a pop, imagine a round the clock cinema sponsored by the BFI, imagine poetry, comedy, political talks; imagine a celebration of ideas, imagine a celebration of self.
Now imagine it with 500 other like-minded people in a field in Easthampstead, (just outside of Reading), and you’re pretty close.
We couldn’t be more excited about this and as a follower of this blog we’re pretty sure you will be too. Below is the first wave of acts, with the headliners set to be announced this Friday. Trust us when we say this; you’re going to be very fucking excited.
The capacity is set strictly at 500, grab your tickets <a href="https://brainchildfestival.bigcartel.com/">HERE</a>, and do it soon to avoid disappointment.
<a title="Jamie Isaac" href="https://jamieisaac.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Jamie Isaac</a>
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2724681688/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
<a title="Blaenavon" href="https://soundcloud.com/blaenavon" target="_blank">Blaenavon</a>
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F27437598&show_artwork=true" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
 <a title="Pandr Eyez" href="https://soundcloud.com/pandreyez" target="_blank">Pandr Eyez</a>
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15063315&show_artwork=true" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
<a title="Death Rattle" href="https://deathrattle.bandcamp.com/track/the-dig" target="_blank">Death Rattle</a> 
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3268353586/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
<a title="Phosphor" href="https://phosphor.bandcamp.com/album/to-never-love-again" target="_blank">Phosphor</a>
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=4085764199/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
<a title="Waskerly Way" href="https://waskerleyway.bandcamp.com/track/storm-song" target="_blank">Waskerley Way</a>
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=869305959/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
<a title="Cholombian" href="https://soundcloud.com/cholombian" target="_blank">Cholombian</a>
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F40707507&show_artwork=true" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
<a title="Palmistry" href="https://soundcloud.com/palmistry" target="_blank">Palmistry</a>
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F35198534&show_artwork=true" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
<a title="ALTAS" href="https://atlasband.bandcamp.com/track/lullaby" target="_blank">ATLAS</a>
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=1096669412/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
<a href="https://bloodsport.bandcamp.com/">Blood Sport</a>
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3528324129/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
<a title="Nomad Soul" href="https://soundcloud.com/nomad-soul-collective" target="_blank">Nomad Soul</a> 
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F29890229&show_artwork=true" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
Check the whole line-up <a href="https://www.brainchildfestival.co.uk/lineup.html">HERE</a>, buy tickets <a href="https://brainchildfestival.bigcartel.com/">HERE</a>, and check back this friday for some more exciting announcements!

Announcement: Crack in the Road X Brainchild Festival

Why are the parents on Skins always randy bastards? Also, I don’t even think that blonde girl is very attractive to be honest. And she was sick like 100 times.
Alo and Mini in the toilets – Sarah Leichtenberg– Take My Body 
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F25951634&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Playing in the club – Chewy Chocolate Cookies – Profondo Rosso (Mixhell Remix) 
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F13979658&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Mini throws up in the street – Segal – Glif 
Not available online
Mini hears her mum doing it – Jennifer Rush – Power Of Love
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lrY-nC6QYwk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Mini calls her dad – Emika – Drop The Other
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F1118854&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Mini meets her dad – Sun Glitters – The Wind Caresses Her Hair (Albert Swarm Remix)
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F30512464&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=6d1c7c" frameborder="0" ></iframe>
Mini checks her pregnancy tests – Four Tet – She Just Likes To Fight
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21496478&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Alo in Mini’s bed – Alex Winston – Velvet Elvis
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F19477648&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Mini and Alo in the bedroom – Four Tet – Reversing
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LFLCdPHVccc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Ryan and Mini nearly kiss – PJ Harvey – On Battleship Hill
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rryc8Kjzx6M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Mini wakes up at Greg’s house – Pale Sketcher – Can I Go Now (GONE VERSION)
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F10213130&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
In the common room – Beck – Stormbringer
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F22903299&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Classroom – Grimes – Crystal Ball
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F29722559&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Mini finds her dad’s plane ticket – The Deer Tracks – Ram Ram
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F10558151&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Cloakroom action – AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It 
 
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cmXZuv5BaHg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Mini tells her dad – Lonely Galaxy – Heavy
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7885987&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Mini sees her baby – Lanterns On The Lake – I Love You, Sleepyhead
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F17780329&show_artwork=true"></iframe>

Feature: The Music From Skins (S6, E5)

Let’s face it; no one likes Valentines Day. As I sat in a bar in Dalston this evening, bitching about past loves and drunkenly rambling about future lovers, it occurred to me that the whole day is completely counter productive to love in general, for those that are removed from and it and those that still enjoy it’s company. Either you’re alone and miserable, or disillusioned by the pedestal on which your relationship now sits.
I’m not bitter though, I’m definitely not bitter.
Regardless of my opinions of the day, the ‘holiday’ brings with it a wealth of music. Either a cynical ploy to generate blog buzz and record sales, or an appropriate day to release a good old fashioned love song. Either way; here are our highlights.
<a href="https://charlixcxmusic.com/" target="_blank">Charli XCX</a> – Valentine
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F36577477&show_artwork=true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
40 Winks – Only Love
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 Cassie – King Of Hearts
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LI0Q0my8a64" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe>
Gabriel Bruce – Cupid
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Jack White – Love Interruption
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Diplo & Usher – Climax
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Ango & Jacques Greene  – No Ordinary Love (Sade Cover)
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F36561755&show_artwork=true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
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Feature: Valentines Day – The Tracks Worth Listening To

So with the introduction of a new character last week, Skins served up possibly the most interesting episode so far, focusing on Franky and her constant yearning to be ‘relevant’, whilst having lots of sex but not being seen as a whore. It’s what we all want bb.
Franky dances in her bedroom – Owl Vision – Antichrist
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F3628656&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Franky stresses over exams – Zola Jesus – Night
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vM8fEP8FOqE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Franky finds Luke – Rustie – Hyperthrust
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F4557498&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Mini ‘on the phone’ – Moon Duo – Killing Time
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YVSMDw5OOIs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In Luke’s car – MMM – Dex
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15993609&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=6d1c7c" frameborder="0" ></iframe>
First sex scene – Segal – Alex Handcock’s MMA Disaster (Not available)
Franky leans out the window – Teen Daze – Malacandra
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F23485246&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Franky and Sweetcheeks argue – Phoenix Unique – Just Don’t Give a Fuck
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F35685687&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=6d1c7c" frameborder="0" ></iframe>
Luke drops Franky home – Widowspeak – Limbs
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21325038&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Franky runs to the park – How To Dress Well – Suicide Dream 2
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cs_PYSW7CWY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Nick and Franky in the park – Thurston Moore – Blood Never Lies
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dovHQOBfMBM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Franky in therapy – Florence and the Machine – Shake It Out (The Weeknd Remix)
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F28317919&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
Franky goes to see Luke – Kuedo – Salt Lake Cuts
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/en-HmMPpze4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Nick saves Franky from the fight – Marianne Faithfull – Broken English
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-H55V_oma0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Nick gets punched by Luke – Segal – Lincolnshire (Not Available)
Sex scene – Twin Sister – The Other Side of Your Face
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FALipTHjBfE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Franky leaves Luke’s flat – Teen Daze – Watch Over Me
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1mjk3X4wKk8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Nick and Franky make up – Anna Calvi – Desire
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EKVy0EVu2ZI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Feature: The Music From Skins (S6, E4)

As part of my desperate, futile attempt to stay relevant, I spend several hours a week trawling the diverse pages of bandcamp, looking for the internets next musical sensation. Without meaning to sound deprecating, it’s fair to say that it’s a case of finding the diamonds in the rough. From pictures of 90’s footballers on the cross, to self described melodic doom metal, I’ve seen it all, and it’s made me a changed man. Whilst many of the gems end up on the pages of CitR, I often wonder, what happens to the (sometimes unintentional) genius of the other works? Having pondered that thought for a while, I decided to start a weekly feature, hilariously titled This One Time At Bandcamp, picking out some of the, how shall I put it, more unique bandcamp releases.
The Macken Mouse
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/14761-feature-this-one-time-at-bandcamp-1/attachment/2465830992-1-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-14774"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-14774" title="Mackem Mouse" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2012/02/2465830992-11-260x260.png" alt="" width="260" height="260" /></a>
Being a Newcastle United fan, I had an issue with this before I’d even clicked on it. Granted, I hadn’t predicted the genius this track would contain. 
Asamoah Gyan is out on loan 
Sent for his tea when he couldn’t score a goal 
Noodles and rice, cooked in his house 
Sheer genius.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=4001730496/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
Dylan Ray
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/14761-feature-this-one-time-at-bandcamp-1/attachment/3127280231-1/" rel="attachment wp-att-14777"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-14777" title="Dylan Ray" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/02/3127280231-1-260x260.png" alt="" width="260" height="260" /></a>
Tagged as ‘Justin Bieber’ and ‘Lady Gaga’, Dylan Ray is a girl/boy who sets her/his standards rather high. This white-washed photo is only matched by the brilliance of the biography, which simply states – ‘I make music that represents my life’
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3507278943/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
Tugboat
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/14761-feature-this-one-time-at-bandcamp-1/attachment/3607170731-1/" rel="attachment wp-att-14778"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-14778" title="Tugboat" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/02/3607170731-1-260x260.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="260" /></a>
Hailing from ‘the slums of New York’, Tugboat looks like he has indeed just had a tug whilst listening to Skrillex, and that his mom, who he lives with, walked on mid session. Oh and the track features ‘The Verbal Surgeon’. 
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=4223883719/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
Shana G
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/14761-feature-this-one-time-at-bandcamp-1/attachment/2319092656-1/" rel="attachment wp-att-14779"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-14779" title="Shana G" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/02/2319092656-1-260x260.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="260" /></a>
Shana G has an unfortunate case of ‘blue-purple-face-syndrome.’, which effects one in five of all underproduced US rappers. Please buy her album, of which all proceeds go towards curing this ghastly disease.
<iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1021788319/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="https://shanag.bandcamp.com/album/shana-g">Shana G by Shana G</a></iframe>
B-Tite & Tha BG
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/14761-feature-this-one-time-at-bandcamp-1/attachment/1603533732-1/" rel="attachment wp-att-14781"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-14781" title="1603533732-1" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/02/1603533732-1-260x260.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="260" /></a>
These cats have style. Check out the album artwork, courtesy of Microsoft Paint featuring Word Art. Personal favourite include DownTown 2 Tokaz Town and Catch ‘Em N Kill ‘Em.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=4079934558/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
The Blasphemists
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/14761-feature-this-one-time-at-bandcamp-1/attachment/olympus-digital-camera-6/" rel="attachment wp-att-14780"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-14780" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/02/1953972925-1-260x204.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="204" /></a>
I’m not too sure what’s going on here. Three naked guys standing in a river, one holding a bin, one holding a solitary cymbal and one holding a guitar, oh and one of them is smoking.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2528448742/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
Good Looks New York
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/14761-feature-this-one-time-at-bandcamp-1/attachment/2836750997-1/" rel="attachment wp-att-14782"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-14782" title="Good Looks New York" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/02/2836750997-1-260x260.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="260" /></a>
Is it a cat? Or an eagle? But wait, it’s wearing a t-shirt? And what’s with the background? I give up.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1247616640/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
United Guttural
I decided not to include a picture for this last one, because basically, it’s fucking disgusting. If you feel the need to check out these obscenities, you can see them <a href="https://unitedguttural.net/" target="_blank">here</a>.

Feature: This One Time At Bandcamp #1

After the emotional trauma of last weeks episode, Skins was always bound to take a more light-hearted turn. Introducing a new character (Alex) partway through a series can be a difficult one, but it worked pretty well, aside from the line ‘everything about me is magic’. Anyway, check out all the tracks from today’s episode below, and leave any comments in the section at the bottom.
Alex is introduced – Mike Simonetti – The Third Of The Storms (feat. Sam Sparro)
Oh dear, not Sam Sparro. Guess it was alright. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/en1KiKD8gJ0" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
On the radio at breakfast – The Secret Sisters – The One I Love Is Gone
Slightly more folky than we’re used to from Skins, good choice though.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SD44ZgOw6aM" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Alex and Liv go back to his house – Mariachi El Bronx – My Love
Again, keeping up with the folk theme, but another decent choice.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s0uCqsi25Yc" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Alex reads his Grandpa’s diary – Bonnie Prince Billy – Is It The Sea?
Fantastic choice from one of the finest songwriters ever, not really used to it’s full extent.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4aKumhkrj1M" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Mimi dances in the pub – Segal – Headroll Federal Deal
Segal…. again.
Alex and Liv gamble – Segal – Punishing Cake
And again.
Alex gets intimate with Ryan – Segal – Big sky
Oh and again.
Alex and Liv clean the house – Nguzunguzu – Mirage
Alright, I’m getting bored of writing.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yHDcp501NgI" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Alex runs home – Soft Moon – Tiny Spiders
Awesome choice.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tbLUKDNs5co" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Alex finds his Gran at rest – Jack Blanchard – Lonely Bell
Can’t find this anywhere, nice track though.
Alex takes the postcard – S. Carey – Broken
Slightly cheesey, but worked alright.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9R-p5AZ-dOI" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Liv flashes – Council Estate Supermodels – Keep Smiling
So alternative and funny, right? Um. Cool track.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O0__M7--je0" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Boat party – Death In Vegas – Your Loft My Acid – Fearless Transhouse Mix
Good song originally, but kinda boring remix.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7GoiIESRcgk" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Alex says goodbye to his Gran – Death In Vegas – Your Loft My Acid
Slightly bizarre using the original straight after a remix.
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Alex and Liv in the water – Akron/Family – One Spring Morning
Warning, indeh track.
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End credits – The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love?
Best track of the episode.
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Feature: The Music From Skins (S6, E3)

It’s been eight months since our ears were first graced with the sublime, audacious beauty of Video Games. Eight short months in which we’ve loved, hated, <a href="https://lanadelwho.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">mocked</a>, obsessed over and idolized Lana Del Rey to the point of literary exhaustion. Despite a mixed critical consensus (‘For all it’s coos about love and devotion, it’s the album equivalent of a faked orgasm’ – Pitchfork), her debut album Born To Die is racing to the top of the UK charts; appearing that, like her or not, Elizabeth Grant has well and truly arrived.
It’s been far from smooth sailing for the New York songstress, whom initially rose to fame after the phenomenal viral success of what seemed at first glance, to be a cutesy, homemade music video, undisturbed by the interring hand of the mainstream media. Clocking up an astonishing two millions views within a week of being online, Video Games had esteemed bloggers frothing at the lips, scouring internet dictionaries for adjectives to hoard upon the angelic Lizzy Grant. Through the guileless eye it was to be assumed that Lana Del Rey had strolled onto the scene as a perfectly assembled, unblemished popstar, with a raft of original, ingenious songs under her slender belt. Simply in the right place at the right time.
As so often is the case, not all was as innocent as it seemed. Blog-extraordinaire <a href="https://www.hipsterrunoff.com/altreport/2011/09/lana-del-rey-exposed-b4-she-was-alt-she-was-failed-mnstrm-artist-without-fake-lips.html" target="_blank">Hipster Runoff</a> took it upon themselves to pick up the shovel and delve into Grant’s past and present, revealing her history as a relatively exhausted club-circuit performer and daughter of a domain-shark tycoon. Photos of her previous incarnation showed her sporting more regularly sized lips and an au naturale image, whilst hanging with socialites at top Brooklyn haunts. Musically she was drastically different, with her ‘debut’ album released through a local independent label named 5 Points proving barely distinguishable from her newer, overly dramatic, self-proclaimed ‘sadcore’. For many there was only one logical explanation – Grant had kicked her chances of ‘making it’ through hardwork, impeccable songwriting and good fortune, instead choosing to enlist the support of a world-renowned PR firm and climb into the disheveled bed of a major label.
The blogosphere was shaken by these revelations, and reacted in the only way that socially-awkward people know – with an unprecedented level of disgust. Articles began cropping up declaring their repugnance at what they perceived to be an abuse of trust, “but you told us she was independent” bawled the relevant bloggers, whilst Hipster Runoff practically transformed itself into the hub for all Lana Del Rey related news. The blogosphere helped create a monster then sacrificed it’s pride by fleeing at the first sight of commercial and critical success. Yet amidst all the negative press, suspect <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zrvD-o8cII" target="_blank">SNL performances</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg5gon5r50c&feature=related" target="_blank">utterly bizarre interviews</a>, few asked the all important question – “what about the music?”.
Sure, Lizzy Grant might not be the defectless pop princess that we’d all envisioned her to be, however her faultless, exquisitely alluring alter-ego Lana Del Rey is a part that she plays to exemplary effect. It’s common knowledge that LDR is far from a true extension of her own personality, and what we should remember is that each TV appearance, interview or even record release, is a performance, in the most forthright sense of the word. Her persona is entirely adopted and, if you believe the vicious rumours, industry refined, yet since when has that been such a heinous crime?
Bowie, one of the greatest popstars and songwriters ever to have lived, juggled numerous personalities throughout his career, some successful (Aladdin Sane), others not so much (Arnold Corns), yet all incredulously engaging. To lambast him for not being true to himself or emanating a misleading image is practically unheard of, so why should anyone else hiding behind a veil of split personalities be the victim of such animosity? Taking a more recent example, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta isn’t a name that all would instantaneously recognize, yet under the guise of her pseudonym Lady Gaga, she’s widely regarded as one of the world’s finest popstars. Show me someone who sincerely believes that Gaga’s quirky concept is entirely the brainchild of Germanotta and I’ll show you a liar.
Accusing Grant of depending almost solely on her image to promote her music (and consequently sales) is a rather naive and blinkered stance to take. Since the invention of the camera, visually motivated works, most notably sexually orientated, have been used to propagandize and sell music. As humans we feel comforted and reassured with being able to put a face to a composition, so manipulating instinct by capitalizing on an attractive and seductive appearance is hardly exploiting an unfamiliar hypothesis.
As it just so happens, I <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/14416-review-lana-del-rey-born-to-die/" target="_blank">rather like</a> Lana Del Rey’s debut album for what it is; a disjointed collection of overly dramatic, Americana-obsessed pop gems. There’s moments of beauty (Without You, Video Games), unstifled arrogance (Off To The Races, Blues Jeans), and even the odd glistening diamond (Dark Paradise, Radio). Whilst it may be far from coherent as a listening experience and thoroughly embracing the iTunes driven generation which we live amongst, it’s a dam sight better than the majority of ‘music’ polluting the charts nowadays. Give me Lana’s sumptuous vocals and knack for writing a killer chorus over the karaoke warble of Adele or Florence’s dire songwriting capabilities any day of the week.
In recent years, a vast percentage of respected critics appearing to be endorsing the opinion that a sizable proportion of popular music is horrendously bad, with a miniscule slither being overwhelmingly good, and that this is simply an inevitability. Having the charts dominated by uninspired dross a la Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Ke$ha etc is a sorry state of affairs, yet by no means does it automatically compromise the reputability of all chart music. The standard album format we’ve come to expect from major label artists of ten tracks, containing three or four singles and the rest filler, shouldn’t be accepted as the norm, so artists like Lana Del Rey deserve recognition for attempting to prove herself as an exception.
It would have been all to easy for Lana Del Rey to rope in a couple of high profile rappers for Born To Die, alongside casting a handful of celebrities in her music videos; a popular tactic at the moment amongst shameless, talent-devoid popstars. Take Madonna, whom earlier this week announced her comeback with new video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cItHOl5LRWg" target="_blank">Give Me All Your Luvin’</a>, an abhorrent piece of music, therefore no surprise that she felt it necessary to call in the help of M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj to raise the ‘relevancy’ of the track. For all Lana’s flaws, you have to admire her self-confidence and belief in her own artistic merit. The charts have become bogged down by dishwater dull artists, lacking in originality and diversity, hence the colossal increase in forced, almost incestuous collaborations over the past couple of years. If ever pop music needed a fresh faced figurehead it’s now, and Lana fills those slippers perfectly.
Amongst the depressing number of band reformations involving washed up, overrated, money-hungry individuals, it’s energizing to find an artist experimenting with her trade by combining tried and tested methods with modern, digitally inclined suppositions. Nobody is denying the commercial backing and intentions that bolster Lana Del Rey’s success, however to dismiss her every aspect on those grounds alone is a misinformed and ignorant demeanor to embrace. When the dreaded day comes that all money has been drained from the music industry (and it will), consequently removing financial incentives, then we can judge artists upon an even keel. Although until that day arrives, I’m more than content with having to filter through the industry-processed popstars to discover the truly artistically valuable gems; and Lana Del Rey is a sparkling diamond.

Feature: How Lana Del Rey Saved Pop Music

After <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/14372-feature-the-music-from-skins-s6-e1/" target="_blank">last weeks</a> varied selection of tracks, Skins Episode 2 had rather a lot to live up to. Focusing on the tumultuous, traumatic relationship between Grace and Rich, in truth it was a rather weak episode, lacking any direction or solid storyline. Anyway, I’m not here to analyze the script; here’s my opinion on the music used in this weeks episode, and the chance to stream all the tracks in one place.
First band practice – Fuck Norris – Filthy Woman
Awful band name, and fairly awful song, yet it did the job for opening the episode. Almost impossible to avoid touching upon cliches when inserting a band into a TV drama; at least they didn’t ask The Vaccines to play.
Rich gets into the hospital – Kankouran – It’s Alright Follow
Surf-pop track released earlier this year, in a similar vein to The Drums. Good find.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3633846962/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
Rich and Grace ‘have sex’ – Broken Clock – Challenge
Slightly too dance-y for what could have been a fairly emotional scene, yet events later in the episode put the scene in context.
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Rich on his bike – Beirut – East Harlem
One of the highlights from last years The Rip Tide, and an excellent choice.
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Alarm clock in Blood’s house – Katrina and the Waves – Walking On Sunshine
Predictable, but I presume that’s what they were going for. Why Rich needed to throw the alarm clock out the window, I do not know.
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Rich watches tapes of Grace – Lucy Rose – Don’t You Worry
Cute little track, fitted in nicely to the atmosphere of the scene.
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Hospital phone holding music – Phil Collins – Easy Lover
Classic, slightly tongue in cheek as well.
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Rich sits alone in Grace’s room – Apparat – Black Water
Used twice in the episode (see last track), although it’s a truly glorious composition, so you can’t really blame them.
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Rich and Alo fight – Lorena – Guadalupe Plata
Fuzzy, upbeat rock rather fitting for the comical feel to the ‘fight’.
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Rider pulls up in his car – The Game – Put You On The Game
Dis-likable, arrogant guy plays dis-likable, arrogant track. Yada yada yada.
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Party at Blood’s house – Fuck Norris – We Are One
Again, horribly contrived yet drenched in sarcasm.
Rich looks for Grace – Boddika – You Tell Me
A fantastic producer, although perhaps wasn’t the best opportunity to use this track. Could possibly have done with a faster paced composition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7LikrqCabRE" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Rich and Grace sex scene – Segal – Vessels
This Segal guy must have a deal with Skins. A little too Skrillex for me.
Rich discovers Grace has died – Apparat – Black Water
Used again. A fairly moving scene, and a perfectly fitting track.
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F17489547&show_artwork=true" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>

Feature: The Music From Skins (S6, E2)

Love it or hate it, Skins is back on our TV sets. So it’s hugely cliched, overly offensive and features some of the worst acting ever seen, but I can’t help having a soft spot for it. Earlier this evening the first episode of series six of the BAFTA award winning drama was premiered on E4, so with CitR being a music website, it makes sense to look back upon the musical offerings used in the show.
Opening moped scene – Azealia Banks – 212 (Feat. Lazy Jay)
The most hyped track of the past few months was inevitably going to appear on the show at some point, but including it in the opening credits was a bold move. Did it work? Well yeah, just about.
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i3Jv9fNPjgk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
On the drive to the villa – The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles
A modern day classic and perfectly fitting to the jovial mood of the scene, an inspired choice.
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rMToQg0vSds" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Lounging by the pool – Hanni El Khatib – Build. Destroy. Rebuild.
Another good choice, although could have used slightly more of the track.
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t8zeabLPHYo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Matty and Frankie arrive – The Smiths – How Soon Is Now?
So it appears that Joey Barton has made The Smiths cooler than ever, however including How Soon Is Now? wasn’t the best move, and was only made worse by the horrendous Morrissey name-drop later in the script.
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The boys have a shower – H-Kayne – Issawa Style
Soundtracking the ‘funny’ moments is never easy, but this inclusion of a relatively obscure Moroccan rap hit was another fine pick.
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Rich and Grace on the roof – King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Your Own Spell
The highlight from one of last years most underrated records, this track deserved a far more poignant moment, not helped by the rigid acting.
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/quwJvKT8HWc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Grace sings – Francoise Hardy – All Because Of You (performed by Jessica Sula)
A fantastic song unfortunately ruined by a fairly average cover. I get that they were going for the ‘unique’ and touching element, but this just didn’t work at all.
<iframe width="560" height="35" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dRFrmSpaVcM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Party at Luke’s – Segal – Trainjek Nostril
Worked superbly, and hey, at least it’s not Skrillex, right? I bet the cool kids loved the drop.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F33876523&show_comments=false&color=6d1c7c" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F33876523&show_comments=false&color=6d1c7c" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object><a href="https://soundcloud.com/segal/trainjek-nostril-nostril">Trainjek Nostril (Nostril)</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/segal">Segal</a>
Luke and Frankie dance – Nick – Morocco’s Festival (Simon & Shaker Teramik Remix)
Another dance number, not quite as fitting as the previous track and fell rather flat, in what could have been a scene of high sexual tension.
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The morning after – Dark Dark Dark – Wild Goose Chase
A truly beautiful track that again could have been used to more emotionally driven effect. Nonetheless, a stellar inclusion.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KU-nKvs-i_Q" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Rich and Grace on the rooftop – Sporto Kantès – Slits
An interesting choice that just about worked, despite the scene in question being a dud.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a5Y9s1mC6UM" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Poolside – Icarus – Police Academy 6 (Feat. unouomedude)
Great to see one of my favourite artists getting high profile recognition, and hopefully the inclusion of this track will open even more people up to the unforgettable music of unouomedude.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12597665&show_comments=true&color=6d1c7c" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12597665&show_comments=true&color=6d1c7c" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object><a href="https://soundcloud.com/amdiscs/police-academy-6-icarus">Police Academy 6 – Icarus (featuring unouomedude) – 2011</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/amdiscs">AMDISCS</a>
Beach Party – Adeptus – Copacliasexicalla
I don’t believe this track is available to hear on the internet yet, but it fitted in rather nicely, alongside three tracks from <a href="https://soundcloud.com/segal/" target="_blank">Segal</a> – Look Up, Temper and Forbidden Bells.
Liv finds out Luke is no good – Tim Hecker – Chimeras
What can I say, the man is a legend. Chimeras perfectly matched the mood of the scene.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NP6UutFgbtI" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Car chase – Venetian Snares – Hand Throw
Heavy and rather fitting for the best scene of the episode.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s4N0OiS7uzY" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Nick in college – Scott Matthews – Eyes Wider Than Before
Another classic, this time used at exactly the right moment.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M1kOj3r6HYs" frameborder="0" width="560" height="35"></iframe>
Check back next week for another round up of the music used in Episode 2.

Feature: The Music From Skins (S6, E1)

As much as it pains me to say it, The Vaccines had a fantastic 2011. A top five album, several sold out tours and a host of high profile festival appearances cemented them as a staple ingredient of the British indie music scene, all tied up by a Brit Award nomination. As the BBC predicted in their ‘Sound of 2011’, this harmless, fun-loving London quartet well and truly rejuvenated a severely dehydrated UK music scene; it would be impossible not to love them, right? Wrong.
When The Vaccines first strolled into the picture way back in 2010, they were heralded as the British answer to The Strokes, a fairly audacious claim for a group who only had a handful of tracks to their name. Not only did they not have the style to merit such illustrious comparisons, they also clearly lacked the substance. In truth, right from the start there were telltale signs that didn’t bode well for the group. Weeks before the group ‘formed’, lead singer Justin Young aka Jay Jay Pistolet realised that his ambitions of joining the Marling/Mumford/Noah folk-pop circle jerk were rather overzealous, and so he shacked up with Freddie Cowan (brother of The Horrors keyboardist Tom) in order to forge an ‘in’ with top record labels. Now, all that could be semi-understandable, especially if they had the songs to back up the sudden flurry of interest, but all they had in this respect was three minutes of offensively dull garbage.
Like many, I expected 2011 to witness the ever-so-gradual decline of The Vaccines, with the group re-releasing their debut single fifteen times before having an epiphany that they’d make more money as a Razorlight tribute act and calling it a day. But no, they just wouldn’t give in. They proceeded to appear at every single festival known to mankind, coupled with several highstreet stores deeming their debut record ‘shopper-friendly’, thus making it impossible to leave the house for fear of being aurally molested.
What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? was exactly what we did expect from them. Thirty three minutes of grating, tedious drivel, with the horrendous songwriting matched only by the shocking lack of character or indeed charisma. Seven of the album’s eleven tracks were released as singles, almost making its presentation as ‘an album’ redundant. There was none of The Strokes’ unparalleled slickness, and certainly nothing on the record that came even close to emulating the gritty, take-no-prisoners attitude of the 70’s scene. Their live performances consisted of regurgitating their entire album, note for note, in a manner so lifeless that even they must have found it monotonous. What happened to the spirit of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ximSoONlIQ&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">rock and roll</a>?
Their year was summarized in the past couple of weeks, by Columbia marking The Vaccines debut album down to £3.99 on iTunes, in a desperate attempt to reel in the last of those who were unlucky enough to be mercilessly subjected to the album over the past twelve months. I’m encouraged by the fact, that aside from the odd, middle-aged, slightly bitter Oasis fan attempting to relive the 90’s but in slightly diluted fashion, I’m yet to meet anyone who genuinely, hand on heart, enjoys listening to The Vaccines. However, this doesn’t explain their solid album sales and consistently sold-out tours. If the bands of tomorrow are growing up with The Vaccines as their idols, and therefore perceive this to be the future of rock and roll, then count me out.

Feature: How The Vaccines Killed Rock And Roll

Albums of the Year 2011: Benny’s Top 40

An exploration into the world of recycled spaces, that seem to have spawned from the past eras of squatting, Hamish Wirgman finds the places and the past.
One brisk mid December evening I find myself in an odd but pleasantly surprising venue. The low hum of chitchat reverberates round the rough brown walls, a small group of tables huddles by the front door, full to the brim with people, sits close to a black sticky bar near a back door close enough to hear the drone of distant music. We chat over hot cups of whisky and lemon, the steam enveloping my eyes from time to time. We make our way out of the back door with its makeshift weighted pulley system to keep it shut, past gutters filled with grass and a sprig of holly. We walk onto a dry wood paneled floor and the smell of pines greets my senses as we enter a decked area surrounded by trees, and a large glowing sign tells me I am in the new creations of Frank Boxers Peckham Hotel.
It seems that after the ban on squatting, there is a response to this in the emergence of recycled spaces that appear to keep popping up all over the place. Peckham Hotel is one of the most recent, created by Frank Boxer, the man behind the infamous summer pop-up roof top café bar Franks, which makes its home on top of a disused car park opposite Peckham Rye station. Peckham Hotel will be open for approximately 3 months and is situated in an old disused hotel on Copeland Road, which the owner has let him use for the pop-up before it is knocked down. The bar is surrounded by a couple of galleries, one of which houses Lucky Pdfs, Yuri Pattison’s recent works. While in a conversation at the venue, my friends said, “ It feels like a squat, but its legal.” Later we asked how Frank managed it and he replied, “I have an inspector coming round tomorrow.”
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/life/13930-feature-the-rebirth-of-the-recycled-space/attachment/squat-cafe/" rel="attachment wp-att-13932"><img class="alignnone size-homepage wp-image-13932" title="Squat-cafe" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2012/01/Squat-cafe-660x495.jpg" alt="" width="568" height="439" /></a>
The Deptford Project
Frank Boxer isn’t the only one who has taken the aesthetic to heart. A project called the Deptford Project, in Deptford of course, uses an old tube train as a café. Inside, the décor is made up from chairs covered with witty, sitting related sayings, chandeliers made from electrical tubing, a glass fronted display showing salads, sandwich fillers and the open kitchen beyond. The food is all sourced locally, and the whole place is decked out by local artists, so it’s very responsibly sourced.  As well as being a great destination to go and eat and relax, the Deptford project is as the name suggests: a project which is focused on building on the community, running workshops and supporting local projects. In the past they have had pieces of live art made in their garden, such as the Silent Cinema and an outdoor pop-up cinema where you wear head phones to watch the movies. Most recently they held a Christmas market, which again sold local produce.
Outside of South London there are similar, if not more secretive projects. One of these is in Bethnal Green, on the fifth floor of an old office block, in an underground club-like set up. The friend who informed me of it said it has no name, she has asked for the dj and herself to remain anonymous and the address of the place anonymous aswell, which admittedly adds to the venue in a secretive way. To enter the venue you take a lift to the floor: “ Going up in the lift built so much suspense”, one girl said. As you arrive you’re greeted with a room decked out with odd chintz armchairs in a bare brick room and a sort of bar with no pumps. Just two Portuguese men who only accept tokens you bought from a stall and only serve spirits or Redstripe.  My friend was on the door for a night of Minimal House, which she’s found out about through a DJ friend of hers. She described the venue as having a whole wall of fairy lights, with only strobes for alternative lighting and a low ceiling reverberating the house feel. The toilets seemed to even be an experience in itself, “To get the toilets you had to step into a wardrobe on one of the walls into a toilet only lit by a singular red bulb in the center, with a basin large enough to sit in,”. A truly underground DIY feel to the place again taking on the squat feel in its own way. What makes it seem even more underground is its lack of nights, having only one every month, as well as its only promotion being word of mouth and banning any sort of promotion in articles such as this.
It is not just London that has been bitten by the bug of recycled spaces. Oxford has recently had several recycled pop-up spaces, one of which is the Plebs’ College. Plebs’ College is a free education centre based in a squat on 55 Randolph Street, Oxford. The space includes a library, a café and classrooms. Although there is minimal access, as you have to climb up a ladder to enter the space and therefore limiting some members of the public, it offers those who can reach it a free school. This trying to keep ‘true equality’ as they put it.  The school does a number of workshops and events through out the year in their makeshift environment. Eviction has been sprung on them a couple of time as the space was abandoned for a year or so, but now that locals actually use the space, it is having a positive effect on the community and it seems that is how they have dodged eviction for now.
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/life/13930-feature-the-rebirth-of-the-recycled-space/attachment/peckham-hotel-exteria/" rel="attachment wp-att-13935"><img class="alignnone size-homepage wp-image-13935" title="Peckham hotel exteria" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Peckham-hotel-exteria-660x499.png" alt="" width="660" height="499" /></a>
Peckham Hotel 
Squatting has long been part of British tradition. In the 17th century we had the ‘diggers’, a group of protestant oddities who took unused common land and cultivated it to their own advantage. After the Second World War it was almost a given for people to squat, as vast numbers of people found themselves without a home after the war. In more recent times squatting has been popularised with the extortionate fees students found themselves facing. In 2011 the government announced there were over 20,000 squatters in the UK and 650,000 empty properties for them to make their homes in. For those who pay rent, this can be a hard bullet to bite. “It’s my property, so what if I’m not using it at the moment, why are you allowed to take it?”, was something said to me the other day when the subject of squatters was brought up, and sure enough, last year attempts to criminalise those who squatted began. In the end, Kenneth Clarke, Secretary of Justice, passed the law of  ‘Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill’ and thousands of squatters had to relinquish the hold on their temporary homes.

Feature: The Rebirth of the Recycled Space

#20 Hollow Pigeons – 1996 
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#19 Psychologist – Comes In Waves 
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#18 Girls – Honey Bunny 
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#17 Vondelpark – California Analog Dream 
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#16 The Horrors – Moving Further Away 
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#15 Leisure – Green Light 
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#14 Iceage – Collapse 
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#13 Metronomy – The Bay 
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#12 Theme Park – Wax 
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#11 Elite Gymnastics – WAKA 
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#10 EMA – California 
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#9 unouomedude – Frequency 
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#8 Los Campesinos! – By Your Hand 
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#7 St Vincent – Surgeon 
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#6 Friends – I’m His Girl 
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#5 Neon Indian – Polish Girl 
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#4 Braids – Lemonade 
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#3 Tom Vek – A Chore 
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#2 Tyler The Creator – Yonkers 
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#1 Youth Lagoon – Montana 
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Top 20 Songs of 2011

#30 Tom Vek – Leisure Seizure
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/tom-vek-leisure-seizure-500x500/" rel="attachment wp-att-13578"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13578" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Tom Vek - Leisure Seizure" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2012/01/Tom-Vek-Leisure-Seizure-500x500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Tom-Vek-Leisure-Seizure-500x500.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Tom-Vek-Leisure-Seizure-500x500-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Tom-Vek-Leisure-Seizure-500x500-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Tom-Vek-Leisure-Seizure-500x500-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
In refining his pop-nouse away from the media spotlight the past few years, Tom Vek re-emerged with a far tighter and tidier collection of songs. Gone are the straggly, grunge inspired live instrumentation of his debut, replaced with slick electronics and production to emphasise the strong pop- melodies on display. So there was ‘no generation-defining anthems, no radical new approach to songwriting, no active rejection of genre distinctions’ (fuck off), but to criticise this is to forget Vek and his album’s point. From the wonderfully catchy A Chore, to the closing drawl of Too Bad, this was an album designed to be one thing: tight fun. AH
#29 St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/13-st-vincent-strange-mercy-lp-streaming-l-puo440/" rel="attachment wp-att-13579"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13579" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="St Vincent - Strange Mercy" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/13-st-vincent-strange-mercy-lp-streaming-l-puo440.jpeg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/13-st-vincent-strange-mercy-lp-streaming-l-puo440.jpeg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/13-st-vincent-strange-mercy-lp-streaming-l-puo440-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/13-st-vincent-strange-mercy-lp-streaming-l-puo440-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/13-st-vincent-strange-mercy-lp-streaming-l-puo440-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, described Strange Mercy as ‘I don’t think it’s the best record I’ll ever make, but I think it’s good one’. This remarkable level of modesty is at odds with the critical acclaim to which Strange Mercy was met with, and rightly so as Clark has created a record that is a beautiful tapestry of musical genius and cryptic intimacy. BB.
#28 Metronomy – The English Riviera
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/tumblr_lgd1rjviwb1qbxyupo1_500/" rel="attachment wp-att-13580"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13580" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Metronomy - The English Riviera" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lgd1rjviWb1qbxyupo1_500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lgd1rjviWb1qbxyupo1_500.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lgd1rjviWb1qbxyupo1_500-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lgd1rjviWb1qbxyupo1_500-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lgd1rjviWb1qbxyupo1_500-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
As with Nights Out, their previous album, there’s a huge leap forward for Metronomy on display here, taking the former’s electro-pop sensibilities and refining it through a bigger, better, high(er)-budget filter. Gone are the wavering, barely in-tune synth lines and ‘bedroom-produced’ instrumentation that made Nights Out, instead replaced with slick, grooving bass lines; warm, saccharine electronics and actual well-sung by actual real people vocal harmonies. What’s more, the changes created one of the best indie-dancefloor filler tracks of the year, in The Bay. AH
#27 TV On The Radio – Nine Types Of Light
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/tumblr_ljbvi3gp8p1qav4gxo1_500/" rel="attachment wp-att-13581"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13581" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_ljbvi3GP8P1qav4gxo1_500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_ljbvi3GP8P1qav4gxo1_500.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_ljbvi3GP8P1qav4gxo1_500-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_ljbvi3GP8P1qav4gxo1_500-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_ljbvi3GP8P1qav4gxo1_500-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
As with each of their releases, TV on the Radio continued to mature on Nine Types of Light, a set of fractured soul that’s by turns uplifting (Second Song), furious (No Future Shock) and heartstopping (Will Do), but always infectious. It’s a mellower offering than much of the band’s previous output, but the strength of songwriting on Nine Types of Light puts paid to the outcries of any Touch & Go purists. RH.
#26 Washed Out – Within and Without
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/tumblr_lvwvdy55wa1r30eyt/" rel="attachment wp-att-13582"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13582" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Washed Out - Within and Without" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lvwvdy55WA1r30eyt.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="499" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lvwvdy55WA1r30eyt.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lvwvdy55WA1r30eyt-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lvwvdy55WA1r30eyt-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lvwvdy55WA1r30eyt-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
After seemingly several years in the making, Ernest Greene released his debut LP, Within And Without, preceded by the stunning lead single Amor Fati. Showcasing ‘chillwave’ at it’s utmost elegant and stimulating, Washed Out have also worked tirelessly to translate the album to the live circuit. Album closer A Dedication also proved to be one of the highlights of the year, and perhaps hinting at a future direction for Greene. JD.
#25 Neon Indian – Era Extrana
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/neonindian_eraextrana/" rel="attachment wp-att-13583"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13583" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Neon Indian - Era Extrana" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/NeonIndian_EraExtrana.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/NeonIndian_EraExtrana.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/NeonIndian_EraExtrana-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/NeonIndian_EraExtrana-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/NeonIndian_EraExtrana-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Simultaneously retaining the innovation that put him on the map and pushing his sound into somewhere new, Era Extraña reaffirmed Neon Indian’s dominance of the chillwave scene – and quite rightly made its way into almost every end of year list of 2011. CH.
#24 Yuck – Yuck
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/yuck-cover/" rel="attachment wp-att-13584"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13584" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Yuck - Yuck" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Yuck-Cover.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Yuck-Cover.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Yuck-Cover-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Yuck-Cover-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/Yuck-Cover-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
It’s divided opinions in a variety of camps, Crack in the Road included, but the eponymous debut album from fuzzed-out Londoners Yuck (them from Cajun Dance Party) has been anything but ignored. No, it’s not original or clever, and whether anyone will even remember it in another year’s time is debatable, but it is packed to bursting with slackerly sunshine, and drenched in a thick layer of sludge that sticks around longer than it’s often given credit for. RH.
#23 Beirut – The Rip Tide
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/1312485650_cover/" rel="attachment wp-att-13585"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13585" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Beirut - The Rip Tide" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/1312485650_cover.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/1312485650_cover.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/1312485650_cover-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/1312485650_cover-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/1312485650_cover-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Zach Condon’s decision not to tie himself to the sound of any particular culture or geographical location on The Rip Tide could have been a disaster for Beirut, and whilst the results aren’t too striking on first glance, the more subtle and rounded collection of songs present on the record perhaps bear up to repeated listens better than anything they’ve been preceded by. RH.
#22 Iceage – New Brigade
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/tumblr_lhr3i1tftr1qdtvpeo1_500/" rel="attachment wp-att-13586"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13586" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Iceage - New Brigade" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lhr3i1TFtr1qdtvpeo1_500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lhr3i1TFtr1qdtvpeo1_500.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lhr3i1TFtr1qdtvpeo1_500-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lhr3i1TFtr1qdtvpeo1_500-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/tumblr_lhr3i1TFtr1qdtvpeo1_500-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Renowned for their truly raucous live performances, Danish outfit Iceage entered 2011 as a relative unknown and have concluded the year as a seminal act. New Brigade is a record that establishes a punk rock sweet spot while remaining entirely genuine, and without any sense the band were masquerading in a worn genre. BB.
#21 The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13430-albums-of-the-year-2011-30-21/attachment/the-war-on-drugs-slave-ambient-500x500/" rel="attachment wp-att-13587"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13587" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/the-war-on-drugs-slave-ambient-500x500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/the-war-on-drugs-slave-ambient-500x500.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/the-war-on-drugs-slave-ambient-500x500-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/the-war-on-drugs-slave-ambient-500x500-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2012/01/the-war-on-drugs-slave-ambient-500x500-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Adam Granduciel’s ‘bossgaze’ progenitors returned in 2011 with a record more subtle, but no less effective, than its predecessors. The clue’s in the name of course, but while Slave Ambient can seem unremarkable at first, it unfurls beautifully on repeated spins. Best Night and Baby Missiles cater for the fist-pumpers, while the gorgeous, rolling I Was There pisses all over anything Ryan Adams did last year. Music for those who’d rather gaze at the horizon than their feet. RH.

Albums of the Year 2011 (#30-21)

We’re out of the blocks. Having been through the <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/" target="_blank">first ten</a> in our Albums of 2011 before the Christmas break, it’s my pleasure to be able to bring you the second part of the series – #40 – 31. Enjoy.
#40 Elite Gymnastics – RUIN
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/elite-gymnastics-ruin/" rel="attachment wp-att-13409"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13409" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Elite Gymnastics - Ruin" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/12/elite-gymnastics-ruin.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/elite-gymnastics-ruin.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/elite-gymnastics-ruin-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/elite-gymnastics-ruin-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
As well as providing several of the best remixes of the year, Minneapolis duo Elite Gymnastics wowed everyone with their debut LP entitled RUIN. Combining a stellar knowledge of dance music, with lo-fi, haunting undertones, the release has quite rightly found it’s way into several end of year lists. JD.
#39 Grouper – A I A
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/grouper/" rel="attachment wp-att-13410"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13410" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Grouper - A I A" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/GROUPER.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/GROUPER.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/GROUPER-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/GROUPER-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Made up of two parts; Alien Observer and Dream Loss, Liz Harris and her solo outfit Grouper stepped out from the shadows somewhat in 2011. With it’s minimal feel and ethereal atmosphere, A I A is Grouper’s most complete release to date. JD.
#38 Pure X – Ecstasy
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/pure-x-pleasure/" rel="attachment wp-att-13412"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13412" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Pure X - Pleasure" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Pure-X-Pleasure.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Pure-X-Pleasure.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Pure-X-Pleasure-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Pure-X-Pleasure-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Texas trio Pure X (formerly Pure Ecstasy) created quite a stir with their emotionally fraught and appealingly gritty debut LP. Another record built upon lo-fi production methods and stunning vocal sections that has made an impact in numerous end of year lists. JD.
#37 White Denim – D
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/white-denim-d-575x575/" rel="attachment wp-att-13413"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13413" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="White Denim - D" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/WHITE-DENIM-D-575x575.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/WHITE-DENIM-D-575x575.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/WHITE-DENIM-D-575x575-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/WHITE-DENIM-D-575x575-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Originally released digitally as a collection of B-sides and unreleased tracks, White Denim gave D the full LP release that it’s quality deserves. JD.
#36  Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/akurt_art_ada/" rel="attachment wp-att-13414"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13414" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Akurt_art_ada.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Akurt_art_ada.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Akurt_art_ada-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Akurt_art_ada-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
A brilliant album, building on the potential of Kurt Vile’s earlier records to fund a lush, melancholic journey through underground Americana. Still sounding fresh nine months after it’s original release, the pressure is well and truly on to follow up from the critical acclaim of the record. WT
#35 Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/eyecontact/" rel="attachment wp-att-13415"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13415" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/eyecontact.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/eyecontact.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/eyecontact-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/eyecontact-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Three years in the making, Gang Gang Dance unveiled Eye Contact by playing several shows at Animal Collective’s ATP in May. Featuring Alexis Taylor (of Hot Chip), the record saw the group adopting a more dance orientated approach, blending it with their experimental influences.
#34 Toro y Moi – Underneath The Pine
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/618llyn7ell-_ss500_/" rel="attachment wp-att-13416"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13416" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Toro y Moi - Underneath The Pine" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/618LLYN7ELL._SS500_.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/618LLYN7ELL._SS500_.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/618LLYN7ELL._SS500_-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/618LLYN7ELL._SS500_-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Released all the way back in February, Underneath the Pine represented a refusal to be held by genre and comfortably leads the way in ignoring every tired term used to describe Toro Y Moi. A wonderful second record, with the legs on it to be appreciated over and over and over. WT.
#33 James Blake – James Blake
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/james-blake-lp/" rel="attachment wp-att-13417"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13417" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="James Blake - James Blake" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/JAMES-BLAKE-LP.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/JAMES-BLAKE-LP.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/JAMES-BLAKE-LP-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/JAMES-BLAKE-LP-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
After the phenomenal success of his initial EP’s, Blake provided an album of entirely new material, and focusing more on his songwriting ability rather than his unique production values. Released way back in January, it’s seemingly slipped down the pecking order in many end of year lists. JD.
#32 Atlas Sound – Parallax
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/atlas-sound-608x6081/" rel="attachment wp-att-13418"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13418" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Atlas Sound - Parallax" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Atlas-Sound-608x6081.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Atlas-Sound-608x6081.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Atlas-Sound-608x6081-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Atlas-Sound-608x6081-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
With his third record under the Atlas Sound moniker, Bradford Cox cemented his position as one of the most talented, innovative songwriters of our generation. Relying upon his own self-perceived failings and personal frailties, Parallax is a more refined listen, yet falls slightly short of the phenomenal high standard set by previous efforts. JD.
#31 Bon Iver – Bon Iver
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/editorials/13373-albums-of-the-year-2011-40-31/attachment/bon-iver-album-cover3/" rel="attachment wp-att-13419"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13419" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Bon Iver - Bon Iver" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Bon-Iver-Album-Cover3.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Bon-Iver-Album-Cover3.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Bon-Iver-Album-Cover3-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Bon-Iver-Album-Cover3-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Splitting opinion more than Lana Del Rey, Bon Iver’s follow up to 2007’s critically acclaimed For Emma, Forever Go, saw the trio adopting a more expansive sound. A collection of folk-pop tracks, culminating in the Phil Collins-esque album closer Beth / Rest, the self-titled record’s success has been recognized with a Grammy nomination. JD.

Albums of the Year 2011 (#40-31)

With only a week left in 2011, we’ve left it rather late in releasing our end of year lists. Having announced the last of <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/13221-the-tool-list-2011-5-1/" target="_blank">CitR’s Tool List</a> earlier this week, it’s with great pleasure that I present to you a rather more serious list – CitR’s Albums of the Year 2011. So, unravel your best pair of headphones, put the wrapping paper to one side, and brace yourself for the ultimate rundown of the best albums of 2011.
#50 The Weeknd – House of Balloons
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/theweeknd_houseofballoons/" rel="attachment wp-att-13353"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13353" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="The Weeknd - House of Balloons" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/12/TheWeeknd_HouseOfBalloons.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/TheWeeknd_HouseOfBalloons.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/TheWeeknd_HouseOfBalloons-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/TheWeeknd_HouseOfBalloons-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
The first of Abel Tesfaye’s three releases this year was also his strongest. Combining his unique slick, ever-so sleazy R’n’B style with immaculate production values, it’s no surprise that The Weeknd has since been recruited by the likes of Drake, Florence and Lady Gaga. JD
#49 James Pants – James Pants
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/james-pants/" rel="attachment wp-att-13360"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13360" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="James Pants" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/James-Pants.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/James-Pants.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/James-Pants-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/James-Pants-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
With his third album, renowned multi-instrumentalist James Pants enhanced his reputation as one of the finest producers around at the moment. Grounded amongst hip-hop beats, the self-titled LP delves into 80’s pop and 70’s soul inspirations, forming his most accomplished release to date. JD
#48 Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/51aa6lyeiwl/" rel="attachment wp-att-13361"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13361" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/51Aa6LYeiWL.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/51Aa6LYeiWL.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/51Aa6LYeiWL-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/51Aa6LYeiWL-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Having been nominated for the Mercury Prize with her two previous albums, Marling’s third attempt was her most eagerly anticipated to date. Showcasing her ever maturing songwriting skills and elegant vocals, A Creature I Don’t Know lurches between sedately soothing and volatile and passionate. JD
#47 Slow Club – Paradise
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/slowclubparadise/" rel="attachment wp-att-13362"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13362" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Slow Club - Paradise" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/SlowClubParadise.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/SlowClubParadise.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/SlowClubParadise-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/SlowClubParadise-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
In September, folk duo Slow Club released long awaited sophomore record Paradise, to widespread acclaim. Firmly attacking the twee labels attracted by debut Yeah So?, the album displays a maturity and bravery in its minimalism, whilst retaining the delicate vocal chemistry that has come to represent their unique appeal. WT
#46 Balam Acab – Wander / Wonder
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/balam-acap-wander-wonder-2011-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-13380"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13380" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Balam Acab - Wander / Wonder" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/balam-acap-wander-wonder-20111.jpeg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/balam-acap-wander-wonder-20111.jpeg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/balam-acap-wander-wonder-20111-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/balam-acap-wander-wonder-20111-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Witch house was so 2011. Not only is Wander/Wonder Alec Koone’s best record yet, it set him high above his ruddy moody contemporaries. AY
#45 tUnE-yArDs – w h o  k i l l
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/61hjesmo94l/" rel="attachment wp-att-13365"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13365" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/61hjESmo94L.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/61hjESmo94L.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/61hjESmo94L-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/61hjESmo94L-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Odd-pop musician Merrill Garbus and her solo project tUnE-yArDs fashioned one of the most sonically diverse records of 2011. Flipping between bizarrely uplifting pop tracks and more soulful numbers, w h o  k i l l is the most enjoyable yet intimidating album of the year. JD
#44 Young Montana? – Limerence
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/limerence/" rel="attachment wp-att-13364"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13364" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Young Montana? - Limerence" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Limerence.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Limerence.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Limerence-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Limerence-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Jon Pritchard’s debut record Limerence proves a vibrant combination of 90’s hip-hop and contemporary dance music. Remixing for and touring with WU LYF has deservedly brought his music to a larger audience. JD
#43 EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/past-life-martyred-saints/" rel="attachment wp-att-13366"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13366" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/past-life-martyred-saints.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/past-life-martyred-saints.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/past-life-martyred-saints-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/past-life-martyred-saints-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
With lead single California creating a stir on the internet due to it’s gritty, inescapable honesty, Erika M. Anderson’s debut solo LP again drew the plaudits. Past Life Martyred Saints combines the angst of a disillusioned twenty-something with the fragility that only real-life experience can harness. JD
#42 Peaking Lights – 936
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/peaking-lights-936-cover-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-13381"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13381" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Peaking Lights - 936" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Peaking-Lights-936-cover1.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Peaking-Lights-936-cover1.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Peaking-Lights-936-cover1-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Peaking-Lights-936-cover1-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
One of the surprise LP’s of the year, 936 by Peaking Lights has popped up in numerous end of year lists, and quite rightly so. With a tip of the hat to the likes of The XX and Warpaint, Peaking Lights create an atmosphere entirely their own, with a record that’s as modest as it is extravagant. JD
#41 Tyler, The Creator – GOBLIN
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13225-albums-of-the-year-2011-50-41/attachment/tyler-the-creator-goblin/" rel="attachment wp-att-13368"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13368" style="margin-left: 110px; margin-right: 110px;" title="Tyler The Creator - Goblin" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Tyler-The-Creator-Goblin.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Tyler-The-Creator-Goblin.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Tyler-The-Creator-Goblin-165x165.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Tyler-The-Creator-Goblin-260x260.jpg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Odd Future figurehead Tyler, The Creator released his major label debut GOBLIN in May, preceded by ambitious single Yonkers. As offensive as it is unique and containing several particularly strong tracks, it’s sadly prevented from reaching truly memorable status by it’s immaturity and youthful inexperience. JD

Albums of the Year 2011 (#50-41)

After writing the first <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13083-sound-of-2012-part-i-josh/" target="_blank">Sound of 2012</a> article, I not only realised that I’d missed out so many incredibly exciting upcoming acts, but also that it wasn’t quite as sonically diverse as I’d originally envisioned. With Part I focusing quite heavily quite on lo-fi orientated songwriters and solo musicians, Joel took about compiling <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/13260-sound-of-2012-part-2-%E2%80%93-joel/" target="_blank">his own list</a> of acts who may well find commercial success in 2012. Now, the balls back in my court, to bring you a list of slightly more obscure artists, whom I believe will flourish in the coming twelve months.
Ouisa Hound
Having only <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13120-introducing-ouisa-hound/" target="_blank">introduced</a> Ouisa Hound a few days ago, I’ve had his two debut tracks pretty much been on repeat. With the intimately atmospheric feel he creates proving particularly powerful, I was also intrigued by the eloquent way that Ouisa Hound went about describing his own music – ‘Of this music, it is perhaps enough to say this and no more: it was born of a brain pregnant with good and sober sadness.’ If that’s not enough to entice you to check out his two debut tracks Gloom Roaming and Well Overtaken, then I may as well give up now.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F30549493" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F30549493" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ouisa-hound/gloom-roaming">Gloom Roaming</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ouisa-hound">Ouisa Hound</a>
REID
Another artist with only a handful of tracks under his belt, young Irish beatmaker REID conjures up majestically elegant ambient soundscapes. With the Four Tet influence fairly plain to hear, it’s refreshing that REID relies less on sampled vocals and instead specializes in drawing the listener in to his own visualised world. Having released a double A side through <a href="https://www.weareblahblahblah.com/">Blah Blah Blah Records</a> earlier this year, the next few months are looking especially bright for REID.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F26433289" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F26433289" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/reid/genesis">Genesis</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/reid">REID</a>
Sam Cleeve
Seemingly appearing from nowhere, Reading producer Sam Cleeve fashioned one of the most emotionally fraught instrumental records of 2011. With a sombre, majestic piano forming the backbone to many of his tracks, the layers gradually build and spiral into a beautiful cacophony of sound, opening the listener up to Cleeve’s wondrously expansive soundscapes.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F23791448" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F23791448" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/samcleeve/metropolis">Metropolis</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/samcleeve">Sam Cleeve</a>
Noble Oak
Another artist whose electro-ambient inspired release No Bloke registered amongst my top EP’s of 2011. With his immaculate production values and confidently spacious atmospheres, this Canadian producer is clearly a perfectionist with his tracks, chiseling each and every one to his exact vision. All that said, it’s the untouchable simplicity that allows Noble Oak to excel; this is music to fall in love to and nobody can deny you that.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F28058913" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F28058913" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/nobleoak/01-perfect-triple-backflip">Perfect Triple Backflip</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/nobleoak">Noble Oak</a>
Rochelle Jordan
Out of all the acts I’ve mentioned across both my Sound of 2012 lists, Rochelle Jordan is probably the most likely to see mainstream success in the next twelve months. With a host of relatively high profile magazine shoots and interviews underway, you can guarantee that people WILL be talking about her. Her sassy, sensual attitude and slick R’n’B vibes make her lightly comparable to The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, but with a slightly more raw edge that’s undeniably appealing. Check out her debut album <a href="https://rojoproto.bandcamp.com/album/r-o-j-o" target="_blank">R O J O</a>, as well as recent singles Here I Go and _Shot.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=1492655602/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
Hollow Pigeons
This kid is 15. Yes, you read that right. Fifteen. Even if Hollow Pigeons only succeeds in one area, it’ll be making you feel old. His chillwave inspired tracks showcase a maturity far beyond his modest years, and his Birthdays EP deservedly gained him a fair amount of recognition earlier in the year. Mixing a remarkable knowledge of production with elegant samples, 2012 may be slightly too early to be touting this teenager as a star, but given the strength of his releases so far, who knows where his music will take him.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2411728750/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
MONEY
The least Google-friendly band name of the year goes to Manchester’s MONEY. Having previously gone under the similarly obtuse names Books and Youth, their shows in their home town are kicking up rave reviews. Managed by Max Moran (Egyptian Hip Hop, Vondelpark), their music is a gorgeous Arcade Fire meets WU LYF car crash, featuring sombre pianos and strained vocals, alongside gritty images and footage from World War 1 documentaries. Pretentious? Slightly. Awesome? You bet.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oqTMGy18Co8" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe>
Polar Dear
In Even If I’m Late, electro-pop duo Polar Dear released one of the indie dance anthems of the year. Part Bloc Party, part Justice, it’s irresistible and deserves far more coverage than it’s experienced so far. Alongside the track, the duo made a stunning video, encapsulating the vivid energy of their music (and also featuring a couple of rather attractive young women). Their follow up release Thanatos took their sound in a slightly different direction, whilst maintaining their dominant dance inspirations.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/28206406?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" frameborder="0" width="400" height="225"></iframe>
 
<a href="https://vimeo.com/28206406">Polar Dear – Even If I’m Late</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user8005920">Polar Dear</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
League
A two piece from one of the slickest cities in the world, who create Beach Boys inspired surf pop; LA’s League pretty much epitomize ‘cool’. Whether it’s the 80’s Cure vibe of Your World or the sugary sweet How Do I Know, these kids do it better than anyone else around. Take a handful of your dreams, a packet of marshmallows and a star-eyed, beauteous girl, and you’d still only be halfway to imagining the sound that League create. In short, League are awesome, and your girlfriend will love them.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3772462799/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
 NO
Having wowed the blogosphere with their euphoric Stay With Me earlier on in the year, then dropping their nigh-on flawless debut EP Don’t Worry, You’ll Be Here Forever, Echo Park’s NO have had a pretty sensational end to 2011. With a full-length record in the works, and the five piece extremely excited to hit the road, 2012 is set to be a fantastic year for the group. Combining the intimate lyricism of The National with their very own, unique touch, NO write anthems of the highest quality, destined to be played to packed venues.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F27536075&" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F27536075&" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object><a href="https://soundcloud.com/nomusicforme/01-another-life">Another Life</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/nomusicforme">NO.</a>

Sound of 2012 (Part 3 – Josh)

Photo: Seth Blaine
Model: Kitty Ella Jarrett
If there’s one thing I like more than being ‘alt as fuck’, it’s being right while simultaneously being ‘alt as fuck’. At its very core, a ‘sounds of’ list aims to do both; it should irritate with its eagerness to plug the unknown while reassuring with its other eye firmly centred on reality. Let’s face it folks, our beloved editor in chief <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/13083-sound-of-2012-part-i-josh/">Josh Dalton’s</a> list only really succeeded in one of the tasks; irritating the hell out of anyone that didn’t spend the whole of this year with their frontal lobes fixated on our pages. I mean, what’s the point in of doing a list if all the artists aren’t going to go ‘so totally mainstream’? Exactly, there’s zero fucking point.
Couple that sentiment with the fact that the last time I saw Josh he was wearing a trucker cap/high top combo while drunkenly ranting about only liking bands on Facebook that have at least 10 fans or less, and it’s unlikely you’ll ever take his word on anything again.
So, in an effort to be the more relatable member of the team, here’s a list of artists that even your grandma will be digging come the end of 2012, plus they all have at least 500 fans or more on Facebook.
What can I say, I’m a man of the people.
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/charlixcxmusic">Charlie XCX</a>
My first impression of Charlie wasn’t exactly a good one. A friend of mine had dragged me to see her DJ, because apparently, she was about to “blow the fuck up”. My friend turned out to be right, only a few days later P4K allowed us to legitimately like her, branding ‘Nuclear Seasons’ with their now vacuous accolade, ‘best new music’. That wasn’t the bad part, my friend later informed me that Charlie couldn’t mix for shit and her friends were doing it all for her while she got ‘all the boiz pumped’. Oh, and this was at a Mix Mag event; I was basking in the irony.
But anyway, I jest, she’s dope.
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SlimeMusic">Slime</a>
As you can probably tell by now, the overarching aim of this piece is to be a sarcastic cunt, however in this case I’ll have to refrain. Apart from being the coolest cucumber I know, Slime happened to create one of the most compelling, sonically adventurous and emotionally stimulating EPs I came across this year. If I told you all the stuff I’m not allowed to tell you, you’d get very fucking excited: seriously. Stay locked for an LP next year.
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/regalsafari">Regal Safari</a>
This year I managed to miss Regal Safari play live 4 times. Bizarrely I’m actually pretty proud of this, not because I didn’t want to see them, more because I often feel pride for my own short comings; missing the toilet bowl, being diabolical in bed and burning grandma’s 100th birthday cake are all a thumbs up in my book.
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearerivka">Rivka 
</a> 
I was unsure if I wanted to include Rivka for quite a while, but then I remembered, “RIVKA ARE THE CUTEST BAND IN WHOLE FREAKIN’ WORLD”. Seriously though, add them both on Facebook; hours can be spent flicking through the couple’s photos, hoping that one day you’ll find a girl/boy as ‘alt’ as them. But you wont, because no one is as ‘alt’ as them.
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/blackieallcapswithspaces">B L A C K I E</a>
2011 was the year of the Occupy © movement. They occupied banks, police stations, shops, town squares; but most of all they occupied our hearts. B L A C K I E would be stoked.
“I don’t care about American nigga, it kills its youth. I’m full of drugs, and drink….and I will shoot.”
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Apache-Jackson/174107609321858?ref=ts">Apache Jackson</a>
<a href="https://apachejackson.bandcamp.com/">Apache Jackson</a> is without a doubt the most unsung member of this list, Josh would probably be stoked; he only has 66 fans on Facebook. Regardless, in a year filled with heady and drug induced Rn’B, Apache Jackson still managed to stand out.
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3207183687/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sdneirfbackwards">Friends</a>
Friends have had an amazing year, a rather wonderful split single as well as a couplet of early demos have cemented the band as a firm ‘one to watch’ in 2012. Now most people are focusing on their Brooklyn swagger and ‘girl power’ infused vocals, instead I’d like to show two fingers to their management.
I have 4 things to say:
1. If you’re going to give me press at least remember to email the promoter.
2. Your laziness meant I had to pay for my date which subsequently ruined everything; after all girls only go out with me for my free press passes.
3. I didn’t get laid.
4. In conclusion: GO TO HELL FRIENDS!!!
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kwesmusic">Kwes</a>
“What’s perhaps so enchanting about Kwes’ music is the Skiffle like approach the man has to music. At times it’s soulful and delicate, at others one would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to things falling of shelves. But that’s the thing, his music has this wonderful tactile quality, it’s hardly surprising Kwes plays so many instruments, simply because you can really feel each pluck of a string and every bash of a drum.” – Joel Chima
Genuinely starting to get bored now.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F27588399" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F27588399" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object> 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Soosh/210174082345883">Soosh</a>
There was a danger Soosh was going to be suffocated by the abundance of ambient beat makers earlier this year, thankfully Shlomoh came along and asked him to remix his album highlight ‘Couch’. The result was a sudden lurch into the spotlight, and deservedly so, the track is perhaps one of my favorite remixes of the year.
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/azealiabanksmusic">Azealia Banks</a>
Out of everyone compiled in this list, Azealia Banks is the safest bet. She’s sexy, articulate, and partial to referencing genitalia in almost every one of her tracks. Whichever way you look at it, she’s destined for greatness. Objectively, her album (due out in 2012), could quite possibly be in several ‘best of’ lists when the time comes in a years time: believe the hype.
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Check out Part III later on this week.

Sound of 2012 (Part 2 – Joel)

Here we are, the grand finale, the one you’ve all been waiting for, the Pièce de résistance… alright, you get the gist. We’ve been through lame, perverted gingers (#7), overzealous, past-it rockers (#8) and even the worst app since the one that imitated the iPhone user drinking a beer (#15). So, before someone sues us for slander against a certain Mr Sheeran, here’s #5-1 in Crack in the Road’s Tool List 2011.
#5) Myspace
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/13221-the-tool-list-2011-5-1/attachment/myspace/" rel="attachment wp-att-13240"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13240" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Myspace" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/12/myspace.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="423" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/myspace.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/myspace-300x253.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
I’m surprised the URL myspace.com isn’t up for sale on one of those dodgy domain flogging sites, or better yet, been bought by Lana Del Rey’s dad. To the best of my knowledge, Myspace has remained almost exactly the same since Rupert Murdoch bought the company back in 2005, with a handful of lose change he had on his bedside table ($580mil). Therefore, it was no surprise when Murdoch took a $550million pound hit to offload the company to Specific Media LLC in June this year. What frustrates me the most about Myspace however, is that there are still bands who choose to use it, in-spite of far superior alternatives. The layout is clunky, it’s choc a-block with adverts, and they never really did find a viable solution for downloading straight from the music widget. With the growth of Soundcloud and Bandcamp, as well as the simplicity of building and hosting music on your own website, surely it’s only a matter of time before Myspace ceases to exist, but until then, please, please, PLEASE refrain from burdening yourself with it. Also, you can now sign in to Myspace through your Facebook account… wouldn’t that be like buying a full bottle of Coca Coca then trading it in for half a bottle of Pepsi?
4) Hashtags and Top Trends
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13221-the-tool-list-2011-5-1/attachment/twitter-hashtag-cartoon/" rel="attachment wp-att-13241"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13241" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Hashtags" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/twitter-hashtag-cartoon.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="343" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/twitter-hashtag-cartoon.jpg 480w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/twitter-hashtag-cartoon-300x214.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" /></a>
In a year when Twitter has grown beyond anyone’s predictions, unfortunately, so has the use of annoying hash tags and frustratingly immature trends. Whether it’s #HarryShowUsYourBalls or #BieberShitOnMyStomach, there should be a rule wherein anyone tweeting about One Direction, Justin Bieber, JLS, Cher Lloyd or Lady Gaga automatically has their account suspend and their fingers chopped off. However, that would potentially then lead to numerous tweets along the lines of ‘domne diresdfvtiosn fkorfdever’ as millions of 14 year old girls try to type with their toes. On second thoughts, that’s still better. #smh
3) Spotify & Facebook Collaboration
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13221-the-tool-list-2011-5-1/attachment/facebook-spotify-technorotic/" rel="attachment wp-att-13242"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13242" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Spotify & Facebook" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/facebook-spotify-technorotic.jpg" alt="" width="478" height="436" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/facebook-spotify-technorotic.jpg 478w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/facebook-spotify-technorotic-300x273.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 478px) 100vw, 478px" /></a>
I don’t care which of my Facebook friends are being aurally molested by One Direction and which are developing tinnitus due to the vocal chords of Rihanna. It’s a shame, as with more thoughtful initiatives there could be a useful program there, i.e. one that locks in to your recent likes and recent plays and recommends new music based on both parameters, when in truth, all it does is remind me who I need to delete from my friends list.
2) Redacted for legal reasons. 

1) The guy from Oasis and the other guy from Oasis
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13221-the-tool-list-2011-5-1/attachment/oasis-2d9o_o_tn/" rel="attachment wp-att-13244"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13244" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Oasis" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/oasis-2D9O_o_tn.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="360" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/oasis-2D9O_o_tn.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/oasis-2D9O_o_tn-260x187.jpg 260w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/oasis-2D9O_o_tn-165x118.jpg 165w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
At best, Oasis have two albums worth of good material, none of which was written within in the last ten years. So it only stands to reason then that when the two founders go their separate ways, that their debut solo attempts will be two of the best albums of all time, right? No. These projects both appear to be filling in time (and the Gallagher’s pockets) until some sorry fucker fronts the six figure sum for an Oasis reunion tour. In a year when The Stone Roses reformation made the front pages, it was always going to take something special to ‘out-bland’ that, but boy did Liam and Noel push the boat out.
So, that’s it folks, here’s a full run down of the Tool List 2011:
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/12906-tools-of-2011-25-16/" target="_blank">Part I</a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13201-the-tool-list-2011-15-6/" target="_blank">Part II</a>
25) Loutallica
24) Lana Del Rey
23) Radiohead
22) Joey Barton
21) The Triangle (∆)
20) Tulisa’s Birthmark & Tattoo
19) Charlie Sheen
18) The Stone Roses
17) Viva Brother
16) Witchouse
15) Hipstamatic
14) People who think Inception is the greatest film ever
13) News International
12) The Inbetweeners
11) One Direction Fans
10) Top 50 Lists
9) Tyler, The Creator
8 ) Morrissey
7) Ed Sheeran
6) The Vaccines
5) Myspace
4) Hashtags and Top Trends
3) Spotify & Facebook Collaboration
2) NME
1) The guy from Oasis and the other guy from Oasis

The Tool List 2011 (5-1)

So, now we’ve all agreed that the Stone Roses are the biggest money grabbing schmucks since The Smurfs, and that anyone who likes The King of Limbs may also enjoy repeatedly banging their head off a concrete wall whilst chewing on the remnants of a glass coffee table, let us continue with CitR’s very own, not to be taken too seriously, Tool List 2011. (<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/12906-tools-of-2011-25-16/" target="_blank">See part I – 25-16</a>)
15) Hipstamatic
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13201-the-tool-list-2011-15-6/attachment/tumblr_lvsa9k1yco1qkirgko1_500/" rel="attachment wp-att-13203"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13203" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Hipstamatic" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/12/tumblr_lvsa9k1yCO1qkirgko1_500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/tumblr_lvsa9k1yCO1qkirgko1_500.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/tumblr_lvsa9k1yCO1qkirgko1_500-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/tumblr_lvsa9k1yCO1qkirgko1_500-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
What’s cooler than a photograph of your feet alongside the tweet #newshoes? A photograph taken with Hipstamatic of course! You could always take it one step further and purchase one of those really expensive, tacky cameras from a highstreet clothes shop. The cool is endless.
14) People who think Inception is the greatest film ever
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13201-the-tool-list-2011-15-6/attachment/in-your-dreams-e1280240379259/" rel="attachment wp-att-13204"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13204" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Inception" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/in-your-dreams-e1280240379259.jpeg" alt="" width="550" height="913" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/in-your-dreams-e1280240379259.jpeg 550w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/in-your-dreams-e1280240379259-180x300.jpeg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></a>
Don’t get me wrong, Inception is a good film, but by no means is it the ‘greatest film of all time’. Hell, it’s not even Di Caprio’s best film from 2010 (see Shutter Island). I’ve grown sick to death of reading film reviews from this year, that state, ‘it’s an enjoyable film, but by no means as good as last years masterpiece Inception’. Urgh.
13) News International
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13201-the-tool-list-2011-15-6/attachment/rebekah-brooks-chief-executive-of-news-international-and-rupert-murdoch-news-corp-chief-executive-attend-the-cheltenham-festival-in-march-2010-pic-reu-73243084/" rel="attachment wp-att-13205"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13205" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="rebekah-brooks-chief-executive-of-news-international-and-rupert-murdoch-news-corp-chief-executive-attend-the-cheltenham-festival-in-march-2010-pic-reu-73243084" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/rebekah-brooks-chief-executive-of-news-international-and-rupert-murdoch-news-corp-chief-executive-attend-the-cheltenham-festival-in-march-2010-pic-reu-73243084.jpg" alt="" width="488" height="317" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/rebekah-brooks-chief-executive-of-news-international-and-rupert-murdoch-news-corp-chief-executive-attend-the-cheltenham-festival-in-march-2010-pic-reu-73243084.jpg 610w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/rebekah-brooks-chief-executive-of-news-international-and-rupert-murdoch-news-corp-chief-executive-attend-the-cheltenham-festival-in-march-2010-pic-reu-73243084-300x194.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 488px) 100vw, 488px" /></a>
If anyone was unsure as to the future of printed newspapers, News International have sealed the demise of that section of the media. 2011 has been a year to forget to Murdoch & Co, with the phone hacking allegations dominating the front pages, alongside the emergence of Murdoch’s controversial relationship with Brooks, it’s only a matter of time before he decides to leave News International behind. Amongst the scandal, those who do have my sympathy are the innocents either caught up in the phone hacking, or the those who have been made scapegoats and lost their jobs due to decisions made by their seniors. Oh, and I don’t feel sorry for Hugh Grant, the sleazy scumbag.
12) The Inbetweeners
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13201-the-tool-list-2011-15-6/attachment/theinbetweeners/" rel="attachment wp-att-13206"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13206" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="theinbetweeners" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/theinbetweeners.jpg" alt="" width="472" height="334" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/theinbetweeners.jpg 472w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/theinbetweeners-300x212.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px" /></a>
‘Film of the Year’ ‘Gag for gag, the funniest film of the year’ Everytime I get the train into work, glaring adverts for The Inbetweeners DVD remind me just how stupid, easily swayed and immature a fairly sizable proportion of the British public are. How anyone found the TV show funny is completely beyond me; aside from encouraging the use of ‘your mum’ jokes, the acting was unfathomably half-arsed and uninspired. So, it goes without saying, that I’ve lost a huge amount of respect for anyone who went to go and see the film. The only time 25+ year old actors playing kids worked, was in The OC. End of.
11) One Direction Fans
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13201-the-tool-list-2011-15-6/attachment/1-direction-out-about-doing-the-beatles-famous-walk-x-one-direction-17140825-500-293/" rel="attachment wp-att-13207"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13207" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="One Direction" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/1-Direction-Out-About-Doing-The-Beatles-Famous-Walk-x-one-direction-17140825-500-293.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="293" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/1-Direction-Out-About-Doing-The-Beatles-Famous-Walk-x-one-direction-17140825-500-293.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/1-Direction-Out-About-Doing-The-Beatles-Famous-Walk-x-one-direction-17140825-500-293-300x175.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
I think these five posh talentless twats have two songs, yet they have thousands of gullible thirteen year old female fans. Not only that, but their abuse of Caroline Flack for simply shacking up with one of their ‘loves’ was nothing short of disgusting. Instead of lambasting the fans for the next few sentences, I’ll let some of the idiotic tweets speak for themselves.
‘In a year One Direction did the X Factor, came 3rd, recorded an album, became number one, sold out their tour in 14 minutes…’ (@NiallFrance)
‘How to get into One Direction’s tour without a ticket. Number 1: dress up as an old lady and claim you’re Harry’s girlfriend.’ (@TeamDirection)
‘Writing “One Direction” in books on walls on your arms on your friends on name tags on the table all over your pencilcase <s>#</s>YouraDirectioner’ (@1DsOneThing)
I give up.
10) Top 50 Lists
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Who cares enough to make a top 50 list? Not only that, but so many publications seem to decide they suddenly like something when it appears in a shit load of other lists first (see Peaking Lights), after having given it zero coverage during the year. They’re almost as cringeworthy as ‘Sound of 2012’ lists, that just appear to be a reach-around for forceful PR companies. It was awfully nice of NME to name Azealia Banks the ‘coolest’ musician in the industry at the moment, despite NEVER having mentioned her ever before. Hm.
9) Tyler The Creator
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13201-the-tool-list-2011-15-6/attachment/images/" rel="attachment wp-att-13209"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13209" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Tyler The Creato" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/images.jpg" alt="" width="318" height="159" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/images.jpg 318w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/images-300x150.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 318px) 100vw, 318px" /></a>
Leader of the most offensive rap outfit since Wu Tang, Tyler lacks one aspect that RZA has in abundance. Talent. Having always promoted himself as entirely independent, Tyler signed to XL to release his hugely disappointing second album GOBLIN. Since then he’s tried to stir up controversy in every manner possible, be it assaulting photographers (so 2010), shooting ‘controversial’ videos (so 2005) and hating on B.O.B. (fair enough). Also, having been extremely excited to see OFWGKTA at T in the Park, the collective decided their time would be better spent pelting the crowd with water bottles, before storming off stage after only playing for 15minutes. Disappointing.
8 ) Morrissey
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SELLOUT. YOU MEAT-EATING, JOHN LEWIS-LOVING, RACIST PIG. But seriously, everyone’s pretty bored of this aging quiffed faux-rocker now. His live shows seem predominantly filled with his rather half-hearted solo material, and his controversial opinions… well…to tell the truth… aren’t that controversial anymore. Come on Moz, just reform The Smiths.
7) Ed Sheeran
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13201-the-tool-list-2011-15-6/attachment/ed-sheeran-in-a-cafe-007/" rel="attachment wp-att-13211"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13211" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Ed-Sheeran-in-a-cafe-007" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Ed-Sheeran-in-a-cafe-007.jpg" alt="" width="460" height="276" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Ed-Sheeran-in-a-cafe-007.jpg 460w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/Ed-Sheeran-in-a-cafe-007-300x180.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" /></a>
Being a ginger male has never been cool. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying, probably to make themselves feel better about the time they got really wasted and made-out with a ginger flatmate. Ed Sheeran wrote a song about the guy from the Snickers advert and then another one about enticing young boys into his lair made of Duplo. His album title is also a reference to his HIV test results. Those are the facts.
6) The Vaccines
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A year ago I didn’t predict that I’d hold The Vaccines in such low regard. Their debut tracks were nothing out of the ordinary, aside from being numbingly unoffensive and about as exciting as a new pair of boxer shorts; they weren’t criminally bad. So at least they made up for that on their glaringly grating first record What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? an uninspiring collection of Ramones and Strokes covers, with a pinch of ‘hey-Zane-Lowe-play-our-music’ spice added in for good effect. As if that wasn’t bad enough, their non-stop touring made it nigh on impossible to leave your bedroom for fear of them performing in your local vicinity for the thirty ninth time this year.
#5 – 1 On Monday.

The Tool List 2011 (15-6)

Everyone knows who has been ‘cool’ this year. From Ellery Roberts to Nicola Roberts, NME managed to define their sensationalist and schizophrenic journalism with one poorly conceived list, supposedly charting which musicians have increased their bro statuses this year. So, with that in mind, CitR decided to look at things from the opposite angle of ‘what has majorly sucked in 2011?’. Well, with tongues very firmly in our cheeks, here’s our short rundown, naming and shaming the largest Tools of 2011.
25) Loutallica
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In a year of bad collaborations (Rihanna & Calvin Harris, David Guetta & anyone with a pulse), Lou Reed and Metallica out did them all. Their joint album Lulu bombed sales wise, and was slated across the board, purely for the fact that it’s shit. At what point the two artists thought it would be a wise decision to smear their musical legacies with this steaming turd, I have no idea.
24) Lana Del Rey
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/12906-tools-of-2011-25-16/attachment/lana-del-rey-flowers_jpg_630x420_q85_jpg_630x420_q85/" rel="attachment wp-att-13174"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13174" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Lana Del Rey" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/lana-del-rey-flowers_jpg_630x420_q85_jpg_630x420_q85.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="420" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/lana-del-rey-flowers_jpg_630x420_q85_jpg_630x420_q85.jpg 630w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/lana-del-rey-flowers_jpg_630x420_q85_jpg_630x420_q85-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" /></a>
Never has a musician gone from being so widely adored to so fervently detested in such a short period of time. Having set the blogosphere alight with the charming Video Games, it only took a few articles questioning her artistic integrity and infamous botox filled lips for Elizabeth Grant to become public enemy number one. After a host of appearances on high profile TV shows, it became apparent that Grant was far from the homemade popstar that she was being portrayed as. With a controversial <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/13128-video-lana-del-rey-born-to-die/" target="_blank">new video</a>, and her debut album Born To Die set for a February release, it remains to be seen whether Lana Del Rey is a truly talented singer/songwriter, or merely another clever marketing ploy.
23) Radiohead
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a) The King of Limbs was pretty disappointing; anyone who tells you otherwise probably also tells you that OK Computer is the best Radiohead album.
b) Their ‘surprise’ Glastonbury performance relied heavily upon TKOL, therefore the only person who enjoyed it was Thom Yorke.
c) For a band who love music, they play very few live shows. Especially in the UK; where, incase they had forgotten, THEY ARE FROM.
22) Joey Barton
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Proving his intellect by spelling 50% of words wrong and misquoting legendary authors and poets. You get the feeling that Barton is probably the sort of guy who likes The Vaccines, and when asked about his music tastes says ‘Oh you probably haven’t heard of them.” In short, he’s either mentally retarded or the interwebz finest troll. Have I gone over 140 characters yet?
21) The Triangle (∆)
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“So I came up with a cool band name”
“Yeah, hit me.”
“Ventolin”
“Hmm, it’s not bad, it could do with a few ∆’s in there, how about ∆ento∆l∆n?’
“Oh yeah dude, that’s so much better! Thanks!”
NO. Just NO.
20) Tulisa’s Birthmark & Tattoo
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/12906-tools-of-2011-25-16/attachment/0_285_427_http_offlinehbpl-hbpl-co-uk_news_owm_c6fddd32-c08c-3f6f-71b9253fccb37cad/" rel="attachment wp-att-13182"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13182" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Tulisa" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/0_285_427_http_offlinehbpl.hbpl_.co_.uk_news_OWM_C6FDDD32-C08C-3F6F-71B9253FCCB37CAD.jpg" alt="" width="427" height="285" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/0_285_427_http_offlinehbpl.hbpl_.co_.uk_news_OWM_C6FDDD32-C08C-3F6F-71B9253FCCB37CAD.jpg 427w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/0_285_427_http_offlinehbpl.hbpl_.co_.uk_news_OWM_C6FDDD32-C08C-3F6F-71B9253FCCB37CAD-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px" /></a>
ARGGGHH. I’m all for natural beauty and whatever, but I’m sure everyone who has watched X-Factor will agree that Tulia’s birthmark gets rather frustrating. Also, her one arm gesture and blatant advertising for her perfume line is pretty pathetic. The sooner she leaves X-Factor, the better.
19) Charlie Sheen
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Nothing Charlie Sheen has ever done is funny. Therefore it figures that him ‘going off the rails’, inventing annoying slogans and selling t-shirts with the phrase ‘WINNING’ plastered on it to idiotic students, is also not funny. Although you’ve got to hand it to him it’s a genius marketing concept.
18) The Stone Roses
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/12906-tools-of-2011-25-16/attachment/article-0-0e6d876600000578-322_468x391/" rel="attachment wp-att-13184"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13184" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="The Stone Roses" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/article-0-0E6D876600000578-322_468x391.jpg" alt="" width="468" height="391" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/article-0-0E6D876600000578-322_468x391.jpg 468w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/article-0-0E6D876600000578-322_468x391-300x250.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px" /></a>
£8million. That’s how much The Stone Roses will make from their three comeback shows in Manchester next year. The band who would ‘never re-unite’ finally realised that none of them were ever that talented, and the only way they could make a living from music would be by pedaling their dull as dishwater tracks to a bunch of overly reminiscing 90’s lad-rock fans. I genuinely think I have more respect for Viva Brother, speaking of which…
17) Viva Brother
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/12906-tools-of-2011-25-16/attachment/brother/" rel="attachment wp-att-13185"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13185" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Viva Brother" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/BrotherVF290611.jpg" alt="" width="552" height="368" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/BrotherVF290611.jpg 552w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/BrotherVF290611-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 552px) 100vw, 552px" /></a>
After a chance meeting at a festival earlier in the year, I actually ended up feeling rather sorry for Oasis V2.0. The scripted swagger with which they lurched clumsily into the room and their dull, uninspired fashion sense, made it seem like some bigshot marketing guru was playing a hilarious joke, at the expense of the band. When their debut album finally arrived after many months of absolutely no hype or expectations whatsoever, it did exactly as predicted. Flopped. Cock-rock’s most embarrassing figureheads have had a disastrous 2011. From making tits of themselves at every festival they’ve played, to having to change their name after a lawsuit by a little known Australian Celtic act, nothing has gone their way. To top it all off, their debut album Famous First Words, proved to be not so famous, and most likely, their last words. Given their previous incarnations, expect to see Viva Brother disbanding and forming a chillwave group in 2012.
16) Witchouse
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/12906-tools-of-2011-25-16/attachment/tumblr_l7cv6ey1jd1qbecjso1_500/" rel="attachment wp-att-13186"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13186" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" title="Witchhouse" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/tumblr_l7cv6ey1JD1qbecjso1_500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="431" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/tumblr_l7cv6ey1JD1qbecjso1_500.jpg 500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/12/tumblr_l7cv6ey1JD1qbecjso1_500-300x258.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a>
Witchouse (Witch Haus) proved rather innovative in 2010, but hasn’t seen anywhere the same level of success this year. As many of the acts who initially broke the genre have released their debut albums, few have been able to grasp any real level of authenticity or quality within their music. Instead, 2011 will be remembered for being the year that many lo-fi projects left the lonely confines of their bedrooms and took to the stages and touring circuits.
15 – 6 Coming on Monday!

The Tool List 2011 (25-16)

Ah, this guy.
“I love it” shouts Replica, wildeyed with characteristic puppydog enthusiasm, “when something you’ve heard a thousand times can still sound so fresh in a different listening context.” We’re pushing our way through the doors at the back of Brixton’s O2 Academy, ducking out of Death From Above 1979, and sadly, it’s not Messrs Grainger and Keeler that Replica’s getting all excited about. Rather, it’s this month’s CitR-exclusive mix, specifically Spectrasoul‘s remix of the BTK track Things I Do, which wobbles in just shy of the seventeen minute mark. “I was listening to it,” he recalls, “and I knew that it alone was original and interesting enough to base a whole mix on.” By this time we’ve made it to one of the venue’s upstairs bars, and as when I spoke to Replica last month, we’ve broached the subject of genre. I’m probing the DJ as to why he’s tagged his offering this month as ‘Darkstep’, where the whole idea came from. Replica’s methods are refreshingly uncalculating. “I hear a track that inspires me,” so, that Spectrasoul remix, in this case, “and I hold on to it and use it as a cornerstone for the mix. I try and select other tracks that share the same qualities as that one track.” Being the noncreative party in this series of collaborations, I’m wary of stamping a label on anything for the sake of reductive journalism, but Replica is far more relaxed. “Genre tagging at a sub-genre level is quite fluid and subjective,” he muses, toeing a dark, sticky smudge on the floor “and it’s only after I’ve put it all together that it needs a name – I think darkstep is one of a few close approximations of what the overarching sound of this mix is.”
The difference in breaks between Replica’s two CitR mixes so far is immediately apparent, from the moment that Sunchase‘s Lapdance locks in off the roll of waves and some gorgeous, ethereal chiming. What prompted the decision to work with a selection of more traditional breaks? “I was apprehensive at first, because I know the stigma that comes with the more traditional D’n’B beat,” explains Replica, “so I was very careful with my selections. I tried to keep the beats minimal and the basslines as deep as possible.” Far from deriding drum’n’bass, though, Replica’s keen to point out that the ol’ dancefloor warhorse has life in it yet. “People find it so hard to let go of their preconceptions, that they just hear the Amen break and totally let go of the production. As soon as the beat kicks in with that ‘dug dug DAH dugga dugga dugga DAH'” – I take a step back to avoid getting soaked in overpriced Tuborg – “you can see people’s eyes rolling and they start switching off.” So why go with this school of production in particular, in bringing round those who can’t see past the Amen? “A lot of the production from last month’s mix seemed to be very appealing to a lot of people,” Replica shrugs, “and that same kind of production can be found in places in this mix.”
The difference beatwise aside, I’m glad that Replica has drawn parallels between his Darkstep and Autonomic mixes. I wouldn’t have presumed to make the comparison myself, but the thought that the two mixes are largely similar in tone certainly played on my mind. What would the man say in his defense, to anyone who might suggest he’s been lazy and delivered more of the same? “I was a long way down a completely different path before I switched to this one. I was going to do a trip hop mix, I will do that another time in the future.” Ah, c’mon, that’s a cop out isn’t it? Anyone could say that. Pushed, Replica elaborates. “I just felt, after the warm reception the last mix got, I should play to that strength.” he says, clearly a little humbled by the reaction from last time around. “This is still only the second mix in the series. But it’s not going to just be this kind of stuff…” The lines ‘come here baby, I love your company…’ batter their way past the bar’s closed swing doors, and both of us turn and look toward their source. Replica’s face breaks into a sunny grin, and he turns back to me, continuing. “I’m a massive dance music slut, I’ll fuck anything that moves” he says, before quickly adding “except Donk, that stuff’s fucking shit.”
Still, even with the knowledge that he could have opted for an entirely different style of mix, Replica’s eager to point out that whilst his second CitR outing has its similarities to his first, it’s only through offering a new perspective, whilst continuing to showcase the calibre of certain producers. “I had a few people asking me why we kept talking about D’n’B last month, when there was an apparent lack of it on the mix”, he says. “This month’s mix is, I guess, the sort of thing those artists were and are making outside those newer, um, ‘autonomic’, areas. If you think the two mixes sound the same – maybe these areas of music aren’t for you. The production is pure quality either way.” With the nous of a born showman, Replica smiles again, adding as an afterword, “But don’t worry, keep listening. There’s a veritable smorgasbord of totally different genres lined up for future mixes!”
Whatever parallels can be drawn between Replica’s two mixes so far for CitR, and whether those parallels are for better or worse, there’s an unmistakable sonic variety to this month’s. I was particularly taken by the astounding one-two punch of Phace‘s Cold Champagne, which is so surprisingly hectic I think I actually jumped the first time it came in, and Beastie Respond‘s Syncopy, which, following Phace’s mentalism, comes over all dubby and organic. ‘Brilliant,” Replica laughs, ‘that Phace track was a last minute addition – it’s a classic, I remembered about it in the shower on the morning that i recorded it!” What would he consider standout tracks, then? “The tracks that really stick out for me in particular are, I suppose, I Feel U (by Icicle) – despite being quite minimal, that snare kicks like a 12 gauge. Spadge by Chook as well, because of the insane wobble board bass effect. And the bassline in (8bits‘) So Good is nice and deep. Soulful.”
The final notes of Do It have crashed in past the black bar doors, and with both of us eager to get out of the Academy before the crowds swell and make movement impossible, I put one final question to Replica, asking him what his intention for this month’s mix was. He pauses for a moment, before answering. “You described this mix as being a lot more ‘danceable’, and certainly there are some ‘gunfinger'” – yes, he does the dance, his mouth twisted into a gurn – “moments, but I think if you manage to get up and actually dance to this…” He trail off, trying another tack. “I mean, I love Drum and Bass, but I went to a club recently, they were only playing stuff like this, and I left!” Ooh, you Philistine! The man’s quick to explain himself though, saying “I wouldn’t consider this music for dancing and having a great time to, it’s more of a vibing to on your earphones kind of thing. It’s a much more personal experience, not so communal.” Replica puts his empty plastic down on the bar, and looks around at the crowd, beginning to emerge from the Academy’s inner sanctum. We become as rats, and move to the street.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F26474737" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F26474737" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/replica101/replica-darkstep-mix">Darkstep mix</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/replica101">Replica101</a>
Tracklist:
00:00 – Sunchase – Lapdance Feat. Dissident 
04:30 – Triad – Last March 
05:37 – 8Bits – So Good 
07:30 – Icicle – I Feel U 
09:44 – SpectraSoul & D Bridge – Glimpse 
13:08 – Chook – You Are All You Have feat Claudine Muno 
14:38 – D Bridge – 5th Floor 
16:53 – BTK – Things I Do (Spectrasoul Remix) 
19:09 – Phace – Cold Champagne 
21:47 – Beastie Respond – Syncopy 
24:03 – Mode – Stepping Stones 
27:03 – Bulb – Default Settings 
29:19 – Survied & Bullet Time – Dejah Thoris 
31:57 – Cyantific – Empty Streets 
33:50 – S.P.Y – Go With The Flow 
36:05 – Triad – Last Gasp 
38:21 – Chook – Spadge 
40:37 – Alix Perez – Behind Time 
41:45 – >>DJ Fresh – Starfall>> 
43:37 – Commix – Belleview – D Bridge Belle-Reviewed Mix
Photo © Joe Gilder

Crack in the Replica 2 – Darkstep

On July 29th, Jack Cooper, who’s most likely to be found playing guitar and singing with joyous fuzz-pop four piece <a title="Mazes Site" href="https://mazesmazesmazes.com/">Mazes</a>, made a post on the band’s website, which read as follows:
‘Art is cheap… people make millions and trillions of pounds out of a brain cell firing successfully. it’s crazy. I’ll write you a song for £10… send me a song title and your email address and I’ll be in touch… a song title or anything, guitar part, drum beat…whatever. I’m feeling inspired. This project will last a week, so be quick
mazesmazesmazes@gmail.com
Jack Mazes x’
On the 22nd of August, Jack posted the first home-recorded song up on the project’s <a title="Art Is Cheap" href="https://artischeap.tumblr.com/page/2">Tumblr</a>, a capriciously upbeat elegy entitled When Sleater-Kinney Died, commissioned by blogger <a title="Bank Robber Music" href="https://bankrobbermusic.com/blog/2011/08/mo-money-mo-bloglems-an-lb-joint">Lauren Bernal</a>. Two more tracks followed that day, and four the next.
Usually I’m a fairly staunch detractor of the lo-fi aesthetic that’s been enjoying a revival for the last little while. In my bloody-minded way, this attitude is partially a reaction to the movement’s popularity – many bands whom I consider to really have very little talent for songwriting or musicianship are suddenly jumping on the bandwagon in droves (both a blessing and a curse of the movement is that it’s practically doable by anyone, regardless of talent or finance) and being lauded by critics for what can be taken as essentially lazy, half-arsed attempts at what I believe should be a considered and moving art form. Art becomes ‘cheap’ in the sense that it becomes an infinitely reproducible commodity, losing its aura along the way, as Walter Benjamin might have it.
I appreciate that in an age of postmodernity (if you subscribe to that school of thought), nothing can be original and we need to find ever different ways of helping music to evolve, and that placing the power of music in the hands of practically anyone can be an exciting prospect for musical evolution. And certainly, homespun recording techniques can create an intimacy and atmosphere that’s lost when you’re playing in solitude behind a glass window, and into a massive desk. I ‘get’ lo-fi on a conceptual level, if not always on a sonic one. But I’m similarly fairly confident that these thoughts don’t enter the heads of many of the artists embracing the techniques that mark out the lo-fi ‘scene’. Of course, Jack’s ear for pop hooks and his laconic, tuneful drawl lend themselves perfectly to the hiss and hum of home recording, making it relatively easy to take pleasure in Art Is Cheap‘s crackly, my-first-tape-deck cuts. But quite simply, if the record collection I’ve amassed over the years is anything to go by, I seem to prefer studio-produced recordings – ones with character, certainly, but nevertheless ones where instruments sound full and vocals clear.
However, Art Is Cheap has certainly had me revising my views on the lo-fi aesthetic, if not wholeheartedly embracing it. I’ve had to stop myself believing (imagining, perhaps) that there’s a whole bunch of bands and critics out there who are embracing lo-fi because it’s receiving a lot of attention, and start discovering the issues at the roots of the movement. The project’s forced me to think about what I’d want – or be able – to play, rather than what I’d want to hear. It’s an intoxicating thought, taking music from the listener and delivering it entirely into the hands of the artist. In removing music from the shackles of funding and major labels, art becomes ‘cheap’ in a positive sense – it doesn’t need money to be created.
In any case, last Thursday I sent poor Jack a hideously wordy email that purported to be an interview, but was mostly just a vehicle for me to expound my own half-baked theories on the issues that he’d introduced with Art Is Cheap, strewn about with a few questions here and there. Being the lovely fella that he is, he got back to me with what seemed a genuine interest and hunger for discussion, and over the course of a few days, we came up with what you see below…
CitR: You mention a number of ideas on the project’s Tumblr that started you thinking about ‘Art is Cheap’. Was there an actual time or event that you can pinpoint which led to the project actually happening, or was it literally just the amalgamation of those various ideas over time?
JC: Well originally my idea stemmed from what I personally enjoy the most from music, which is the initial spark of creativity that leads to a melody. That’s what gives me the biggest thrill. I tend to write songs on the move. I’ll just start humming a melody, singing it maybe and then I’ll elaborate on it in my head. To an extent it’s all downhill from there. Figuring out lyrics, working it out on guitar and then eventually recording it are all satisfying but it’s the acorn of an idea I enjoy the most. It’s crazy to think that the greatest pieces of music begin like this…the majority probably never get beyond this point, but then they get recorded, packaged and promoted, and they then have the capacity to earn millions and millions of pounds. I liked the idea that I could write something very quickly…the idea being suggested by someone else and then maybe the ‘commissioner’ and myself could be the only ones to hear it ever. My two ideal scenarios would be to write something for someone, we both listen to it once and then we both delete it. The other would be for a massively established act to ask for a song, record it and for me to lose all control.
CitR: There were a couple of points in the introduction that got me thinking as well. Firstly, you mention Steve Keene, who once said of his art,
‘I want buying my paintings to be like buying a CD: it’s cheap, it’s art and it changes your life, but the object has no status. Musicians create something for the moment, something with no boundaries and that kind of expansiveness is what I want to come across in my work.’
How do you interpret this? Are you a fan of Keene’s work and ideas? You’re a musician. How do you respond to the idea that you create something purely ‘for the moment’? It seems like kind of a reductive statement, pretty much at odds with the ‘expansiveness’ Keene mentions. His ideas are certainly a wonderful antidote to music/art snobbery, but I think there’s some kind of middle ground between that and not giving a fuck about music at all…
JC: Steve Keene isn’t the only person doing this but that quote in particular was an inspiration. Unfortunately I’m not as well known as him, so I maybe have two requests a day but I like to think if I had ten, I’d be able to push myself into writing ten songs. This interview is really the first time I’ve sat down and actually thought about why I’m doing this and when I’ve explained it to people in the past and I suppose in the answers I give now, a lot of my motives conflict. But yeah I get what you mean about the ‘expansiveness’ thing… it’s slightly contradictory, but that’s life. We’re all hypocrites.
CitR: Could you go into your statement about ‘Yesterday’ a little more? I’m not trying to court controversy at all, but is there anything you find inherently ridiculous about the song itself, or is it just the fact that it made so much money out of so little effort?
JC: Not at all. I love that song and love The Beatles. I can completely understand why someone wouldn’t like that song though; it’s schmaltzy maybe, definitely overplayed… I get why people don’t like Paul McCartney. My point was that he famously ‘dreamt’ that song and then on getting out of bed, he figured it out on the piano. It probably took him fifteen minutes, disregarding writing the lyrics and arranging it, which to be honest are pretty irrelevant. The song isn’t popular because of the lyrics or the strings etc…most songs aren’t. But for him to have earned millions and millions of pounds out of something so flippant; it’s ridiculous in the grand scheme of things. Someone could work in a factory for 40 years and not even scratch the surface…but again, I DO value art. Paul McCartney’s contributions to society are undoubtedly more significant than a factory worker… that’s not a nice thing to say. I’m coming across like an ill-informed sociology student so I’ll stop…but whatever, it’s interesting.
CitR: What’s your stance on downloading music? I have this bizarre, double-edged idea that, because I love playing music so much, it’d kind of feel like cheating to make enough money to live out of it, so I kind of support the whole thing, plus it increases exposure. I know being in a band is hard work, but in comparison to a regular job it is literally a dream come true. That said, as a fan rather than a musician, I think that it’s very important to support smaller bands and the record labels that they’re on, and therefore make an effort to buy their records, not to mention the fact that I love owning physical media… 
 
JC: Yeah I feel the same. I’m a hypocrite. I’d love to earn a good living out of making music but I think that has to be a by-product. I illegally download music and I’d never be angry with anyone for downloading ours. I think what is interesting is that it’s almost impossible now to make a career out of music, a financially rewarding career anyway. So in theory money will stop being a motivation. But again, it all has two sides. I like a lot of super-commercial music…
CitR: Can you sustain any sort of lifestyle from Mazes? Likewise, at my last count, you’ve made 100 quid from the project so far. Are you intending on using the money for anything in particular?
JC: Mazes wise, no, I don’t earn a living from it. Our record label’s fantastic and they have invested in us. We get to travel, to play our music to people and there’s certainly potential for us to earn a living in the future but at the moment no. Because we’re semi busy with the band, the truth is that it’s also very very difficult to hold down an actual paying job as well. It’s a balancing act. I don’t ever want to bum anyone out and when we got back from America last time, friends would say “You must’ve had a great time!”, and yes we did, but it certainly taints it a little when you’ve spent the 3 weeks in America not working, and wondering how you’re going to pay rent when you get back. I’m not moaning – I love being in this band, but it’s just pretty difficult sometimes.
£100…I’ve made more than that. A few people have paid a lot more than the £10 and then the majority have given a little extra. The songs on the blog are only 50% of the ones I’ve written… some people didn’t want theirs on the blog (which is completely in the spirit of it). As far as having a plan with the money…not really. I don’t have much of a job at the moment, so when I thank someone for paying me and tell them ‘you just bought me lunch and coffee’, I actually mean it.
CitR: One song that really got the ol’ cogs whirring was ‘Lick’, commissioned by the frozen yoghurt shop in Brighton of the same name. You write in the blurb above the song ‘Music to promote commerce. A tricky subject. One I’d always felt reasonably strongly about.’ Could you elaborate on that? Did the fact that Lick are a small independent company, whose product you’re a fan of anyway, ease the decision at all? Obviously you decided to record the song in the spirit of the project – but you also note that they paid you a lot more than the ten pound asking price…
JC: Well everyone knows that licensing songs to adverts or movie companies is one of the only ways a band can make big money nowadays. I don’t think anyone likes doing it – it cheapens the art. It probably goes against most band’s politics, but money talks. I did that song because it would go against my idea to refuse that. I can justify it by saying it was my artistic intention to write a song for whoever asked for one, and for it to be inspired by whatever they ask for. Ideally I’d like the intention to get really stretched…if McDonalds asked for a £10 song, would I do it? Yeah, probably ‘cos it’s so perverse…the EDL? Gary Glitter? Obviously not, but it’d be interesting
CitR: Have you had a particular favourite in the project so far? Why?
JC: I really enjoyed the one called ‘A Girl From Miami’… Annette sent me a recording of an autoharp and I figured something out over that. Had to stretch myself a little on that and it felt good. 
 
CitR: Is there any particular conclusion you’re hoping to draw from the project, or indeed hoping other people to draw?
JC: Not really…I mean I’ve intellectualized it myself, but really it’s just a fun thing to do.
All the songs from Art Is Cheap can be found <a href="https://artischeap.tumblr.com/" title="Art Is Cheap">here</a>, and you can follow both <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jackmazes" title="Jack Twitter">Jack</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/M_A_Z_E_S" title="Mazes Twitter">Mazes</a> on Twitter.

Interview: Jack Mazes – Art Is Cheap

<div id="_mcePaste"><a rel="attachment wp-att-8462" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/8457-exclusive-vinyl-jacket-koala/attachment/vinjackuse"> 
</a>It is with great pleasure that I can present to you Vinyl Jacket‘s brand spanking new single, ‘Koala‘!</div>
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="100%" height="81" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16889563" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16889563" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/bencrackintheroad/vinyl-jacket-koala">Vinyl Jacket – Koala</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/bencrackintheroad">bencrackintheroad</a>
<div id="_mcePaste">You can stream and listen to the track here exclusively on Crack In The Road up until Monday, at which point you’ll be able to digitally download it from the fantastic The Calico Print label.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Vinyl Jacket continue to go from strength to strength, with sterling performances at Liverpool Sound City and Evolution Festival, and only today they have announced they will be playing on the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury Festival. The band’s stunning level of progression and development is mirrored in their latest single ‘Koala‘, which stands as a shining example of how to make an incredibly enjoyable and listenable pop song without sacrificing any musical integrity. The transcendental percussion that Vinyl Jacket fans have come to love remains, however the band have further refined their orchestration of vocals, guitars and euphoric synths without sacrificing any of the fun that makes Vinyl Jacket tracks truly special. Enjoy!</div>
<div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/vinyljacket?ref=ts" target="_blank">Vinyl Jacket Facebook</a></div>

Exclusive: Vinyl Jacket – Koala

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<a rel="attachment wp-att-7844" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/7835-citr-and-youth-music-present/attachment/cover/"></a>Our first Compilation album!  After many weeks of preparation and organisation, we are immensely proud to present to you all the final track listing of the Number 1 covers so brilliantly produced by 15 hard working and very talent bands and artists. A special mention should also be accredited to Bravestation who’s Talking Heads track we’ve included as a bonus track.
When we originally contacted each band, we simply presented our idea to them and asked them to produce the best quality track that they could. With no funding other than money from their own backpockets, each band went away to produce their track with the facilities they had available to them. All of us agree, that after listening to the final result, we are hugely impressed by how enthusiastically each band approached the task that they so generously agreed to. Working from scratch, these bands did not simply go away to produce haphazard bedroom recordings, rather they produced professional recordings that all provide incredibly interesting takes on very well known (loved or hated) tracks.
As we mentioned in our original announcement, we are not only releasing the compilation in celebration of our 1st Birthday, but to also raise awareness and money for <a href="https://www.youthmusic.org.uk/musicispower/index.html">Youth Music</a>. This fantastic charity does some truly amazing work with disadvantaged children and young adults, bringing musical equipment and activities to places which may otherwise may never have had the opportunity. Music is a truly special creative outlet, and we believe that with the impetus of creativity, a community spirit can be lifted immeasurably, thus in turn providing brighter, more fulfilling futures. It would be great to think that through our enjoyment and hard work putting this compilation together, the joy that music brings can be perpetuated through to those who gain a priceless reward from Youth Music‘s work. Below is a link to donate directly to Youth Music, and I encourage you to give as generously as you can.
<a href="https://www.bmycharity.com/citryouthmusic">Donate To Youth Music</a>
With a final thank you to all the bands that contributed to the Compilation, all the writers at CitR who worked tirelessly to make this possible, and our chosen charity Youth Music, we are delighted to now present to you our first ever CitR Compilation Album!
You can either stream (left click) or download (right click, save target as) individual tracks below, use our nifty little player, or download an entire .zip file of all the 16 covers at the link found towards the bottom of the page.
1. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/01-Killing-In-The-Name-Of-Rage-Against-The-Machine-Cover.mp3">Blue Sky Archives – Killing In The Name Of (Rage Against The Machine Cover</a> 
2. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/02-Bonkers-Dizzee-Rascal-Cover.mp3">Spring Offensive – Bonkers (Dizzee Rascal Cover)</a> 
3. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/03-Beautiful-Boys-Sean-Kingson-Cover.mp3">Howth – Beautiful Boys (Sean Kingston Cover)</a> 
4. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/04-Hero-Enrique-Iglesias-Cover.mp3">David Thomas Broughton – Hero (Enrique Iglesias Cover)</a> 
5. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/05-Maneater-Nelly-Furtado-Cover.mp3">Tomahawks For Targets – Maneater (Nelly Furtado Cover)</a> 
6. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/06-Tocas-Miracle-Fragma-Cover.mp3">Weather Barn – Toca’s Miracle (Fragma Cover)</a> 
7. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/07-Pure-Shores-All-Saints.mp3">Patterns – Pure Shoes (All Saints Cover)</a> 
8. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/08-I-Kissed-A-Girl-Katy-Perry-Cover.mp3">Yoyoyo Acapulco – I Kissed A Girl (Katy Perry Cover)</a> 
9. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/09-Hallelujah-Leonard-Cohen-Cover.mp3">Loon Choir – Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen Cover)</a> 
10. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/10-Sound-Of-The-Underground-Girls-Aloud-Cover-Live-@-London-School-Of-Sound.mp3">The Wild Mercury Sound – Sound Of The Undeground (Girls Aloud Cover) (Live At London School Of Sound)</a> 
11. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/11-California-Gurls-Katy-Perry-Cover.mp3">My Tiger My Timing – California Gurls (Katy Perry Cover)</a> 
12. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/12-Rolling-In-The-Deep-Adele-Cover.mp3">Bear Mask – Rolling In The Deep (Adele Cover)</a> 
13. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/13-All-The-Things-She-Said-T.A.T.U.-Cover.mp3">Nevada Base – All The Things She Said (T.A.T.U. Cover)</a> 
14. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/14-With-Every-Heartbeat-Robyn-Cover.mp3">Polarsets – With Every Heartbeat (Robyn Cover)</a> 
15. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/15-My-Sweet-The-Lord-George-Harrison-Cover.mp3">Paul Thomas Saunders – My Sweet Lord (George Harrison Cover)</a>
16. <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/05/16-This-Must-Be-the-Place-Talking-Heads-Cover-Bonus-Track.mp3">Bravestation (Bonus) – This Must Be The Place (Talking Heads Cover)</a>
<a href="https://www.bmycharity.com/citryouthmusic">Donate To Youth Music</a>
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<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/audio/crackintheroadandyouthmusic.rar">Download the entire compilation here</a>
Below is the ace video Patterns created alongside their cover of All Saints ‘Pure Shores’ —
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/23687082?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<a href="https://vimeo.com/23687082">Patterns – Pure Shores (All Saints Cover)</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user7074797">Josh Dalton</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.

CitR and Youth Music Present…

It is with great honour, and excitement, that we can announce Crack In The Road‘s 1st Compilation Album! We’ve recently passed our first year in existence and, in that time, Crack In The Road has gone from a casual blog, to one of the most respected and widely read independent music and arts websites in the UK. Therefore we felt that after such a year of hard work and achievement, we should suitably mark the occasion with a compilation album featuring some of our favourite artists whose music has featured on our site over the past twelve months. To make things that bit more interesting, we asked the artists to record a cover of a Number 1 from 2000-2010, and I can safely say that some of the covers we’ve received far surpass their original predecessors!
While we’ve put this Compilation together as a celebration of our site and the numerous readers that continue to support us, we’ve also decided to promote a very worthy charity. Our chosen charity is <a href="https://www.youthmusic.org.uk/musicispower/index.html" target="_blank">Youth Music</a>, who do fantastic work with disadvantaged children and young people by bringing musical equipment and activities to their lives. Their hope is that, with music, disadvantaged young people are inspired by opportunities they otherwise may not have had. It is our belief that whilst music is a valid art form, it’s also a fantastic way of raising the spirit of a community, thus helping to provide brighter futures.
The Compilation will be released on the 13th May (ie, this coming Friday) and, when it does, you will be able to stream and download the tracks for free. However, in return, we’d be hugely appreciative if you would click through to an accompanying link to donate to Youth Music. By donating through the bmycharity page, this ensures that as much money goes to Youth Music as possible- not a single penny will go to ourselves or any of the bands involved. The artists within this Compilation have contributed a great deal of time and effort to create these amazing tracks, and it would be fantastic to see the enjoyment of music being perpetuated throughout many more people’s lives.
We’re keeping the track listing of the Compilation secret until the release, however we can reveal the bands that have so kindly contributed. They are listed below, in no particular order.
<ul>
<li>Tomahawks For Targets</li>
<li>The Wild Mercury Sound</li>
<li>Nevada Base</li>
<li>My Tiger My Timing</li>
<li>David Thomas Broughton</li>
<li>Paul Thomas Saunders</li>
<li>Polarsets</li>
<li>Loon Choir</li>
<li>Blue Sky Archives</li>
<li>Spring Offensive</li>
<li>Weather Barn</li>
<li>Howth</li>
<li>Yoyoyo Acapulco</li>
<li>Bear Mask</li>
<li>Patterns</li>
</ul>
To mark this announcement, you can listen and download another exclusive new track; Bravestation‘s brilliant cover of Talking Heads‘ ‘This Must Be The Place’. Whilst it may not have been a number one, it certainly embodies the spirit with which this compilation has been put together, and we’re delighted to be able to make it available. Bravestation are set to tour the UK this month as well as play at Newcastle and Gateshead’s Evolution Festival. With this track I’d like to also say a final thank you to all the artists that have contributed to this Compilation, and ask that you please give generously.
<code>[haiku url="teaser.mp3" title="Bravestation - This is the Place"]</code>

Announcement: CitR Charity Compilation

<a rel="attachment wp-att-6467" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/6465-feature-why-i-dont-care-about-rick-martin/attachment/oak-park-april-6-2009cory-campbell-of-denver-browses-through-vinyl-at-vals-halla-records-on-harrison-st-the-40-year-old-oak-park-establishment-will-be-participating-in-record-store-day-april"><img class="alignnone size-900wide wp-image-6467" title="RSD" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/04/dw-recordstore-041609-p3-900x589.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="589" /></a>With Record Store Day approaching, it’s inevitably going to stoke the flames of the already heated debate surrounding the murky future of physical releases in the music industry. After reading a horrendously written, poorly researched <a href="https://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=146&title=why_i_don_t_care_about_record_store_day&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1&fb_comment_id=fbc_10150256219723222_17209506_10150256998948222#f1f2d67f6">article</a> courtesy of Rick Martin at NME, I took it upon myself to conjure up a rebuttal. Whilst there’s no denying the declining sales that physical records are experiencing; in no way does this automatically make CDs, vinyls and tapes obsolete, and to suggest so is to completely alienate and disrespect a sizeable and intensely passionate sector of the music buying public.
In a modern, progressively digital age, Rick Martin’s comments shocked me; if not purely for the reason that they came from a business that is primarily based in print, and whose digital output leaves much to be desired. Was it not NME who only a couple of years ago took upon a huge campaign promoting the sales of vinyl, through a 7″ single giveaway courtesy of The White Stripes? Whilst there is the occasional mp3 made available to download through the NME website, they are mainly collated from various other, more accessible, more reliable websites, who deservedly pride themselves on the quality of their writing, design and functionality, three aspects that NME seemingly cares little for. If the future is indeed a purely digital one, NME are rapidly falling behind and showing few signs of adopting a different approach.
Anyway, as with this site itself, I should hope people read each article as the personal thoughts of the writers, and not the view of the publication as a whole, so I’ll retrace my steps to the article at hand. Only two sentences into the piece and Martin has already deviated almost entirely from his chosen title, disregarding the importance of Record Store Day within a dozen or so words. With little intelligent input on Record Store Day itself, he instead chooses to use the article as a platform to voice his own, misinformed views on the record industry as a whole. For me, the day will be a success regardless of sales or financial gain; merely for the sense of joy and excitement felt by some as they purchase a exclusive, elegantly illustrated vinyl record from their favourite artist.
Only last week I found myself wading through years of memories whilst cleaning my room; a painstaking and mundane task at best. Chancing upon the first CD I ever bought (Aqua – Aquarium if you were wondering) brought about an unprecedented sense of nostalgia, a feeling I wouldn’t have experienced had I stumbled upon the digitised folder whilst sorting through my laptop. Several hours and numerous memorable pop hits later, I tore myself away from Now 42 and got on with what I had originally intended to do, in a far more upbeat manor than previously.
I entirely understand, as I’m sure that many others do, that owning a CD or vinyl single does not elevate you to the position of copyright holder or even the greatly sought after emotional holder of said music. However, since the age of 15 I have made it a goal of mine to own the majority of my favourite tracks in a physical form, as the artists intended them to be. Holding the limited edition 7″ Band of Horses vinyl for their epic track The Funeral brings about a wave of euphoria that I am yet to succumb to whilst scrolling blankly through my iTunes library. An intriguing and engaging artwork is always going to be so, whether displayed upon an LCD screen or printed upon cardboard, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s far more wholesome and enjoyable to physically open your new purchase, insert it into your CD/vinyl player for the first time and truly experience the intangible beauties of music.
Now the one point I do agree with that Martin makes amongst his nonsensical ramblings, is the importance that is making a physical release both original and desirable, in it’s presentation, delivery and contents. We’ve seen Radiohead trial a ‘newspaper’ album recently, as well as the resurgence of cassette tapes, as shown with Of Montreal’s most recent release. Two bold moves, of what is hopefully part of a new level of creative thinking amongst the methods of realising music, to incorporate a way that will offer more personal satisfaction than simply clicking ‘purchase’ on the iTunes store.
Thinking ahead to the not so distant future, one of the appeals of bringing up children is the thought of introducing and educating them in new creative forms that helped to define and shape the person I am. I don’t envision myself simply handing over a minuscule sized hard-drive and instructing them to drag and drop several hundred files onto their own portable device. I want to be able to sit down, and hand my child each individual record, retelling my own personal stories of discovery and enjoyment, in the hope that they to may share in the history of the artefact. Sounds awfully self-indulgent and idealistic when I describe it like that, however I remember being in a similar situation with my parents and learning about their lives, as well as unearthing countless musical gems, a treasured and invaluable experience we wouldn’t have shared had they simply loaded up Spotify and left me to my own devices.
Having belief in the future of music and the important role that the internet will play in the path music promotion and discovery takes, is entirely different to claiming the ‘old-fashioned’ methods of distributing music as redundant. Claiming that music is purely about the actual creation itself, and only that, would be like saying football is solely about the events that occur between three and five o’clock on a Saturday afternoon. There’s no questioning the importance, however we shouldn’t limit ourselves to one, narrow minded way of thinking.
Labelling local independent record store owners as ‘socially-inadequate, sniffy twerps’ is an arrogant and ignorant conclusion to come to. Whilst I have met some who are overly passionate about music as an art form, almost to the point of repulsion, I prefer this than to be treated sullenly by a surly teenager in HMV, incapable of telling the difference between Bruno Mars and The Mars Volta. Demolishing the concept of releasing singles in physical formats, is for me, another step towards music merely becoming a background noise, fading into obscurity amongst the continuous drone that soundtracks everyday life, but that is a subject for another day.
It’s a depressing scenario when music is being enjoyed as such a diluted art form, that it’s almost unrecognisable, and I for one will do everything in my powers to prevent this. Current financial situations don’t lend themselves to extravagant vinyl spending sprees, however, if you have a couple of quid spare, then why not support both your local record store and your favourite musicians and maybe you’ll discover some self-fulfilment amongst it. So for now, I’ll let Rick Martin keep his iTunes library stocked up with the latest tracks from The View, I’m quite content with my vinyls and CDs, even if I am ‘livin da vida loca’.
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Feature: Why I Don’t Care About Rick Martin

Death Cab For Cutie have just released photos of the band prepping for tonight’s shoot. After the release of the first single from their forthcoming LP Codes and Keys, ‘You are a Tourist’, the band announced that the video accompanying the tune would be aired simultaneously to it being shot. Fairly ambitious!
The video will be aired at 7 p.m. EST over at <a href="https://www.youareatourist.com/">www.youareatourist.com</a> and will be directed by Tim Nackashi. Check out the single below and be sure to watch it being filmed tonight!
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="100%" height="81" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12678615" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12678615" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/atlanticrecords/death-cab-for-cutie-you-are-a">DEATH CAB for CUTIE – You Are A Tourist [Album Version]</a> by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/atlanticrecords">ATL REC.</a>

News: Death Cab For Cutie Live Music Video

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After a record such as Person Pitch, the anticipation for the follow up, Tomboy, was always going to be huge. The record will drop on April 12, but as of this morning you won’t have to wait that long, as <a href="https://www.npr.org">NPR</a> have to decided to stream it on their website. Not a bad Monday afternoon surprise right? Click the link bellow to check the LP out.
<a href="https://www.npr.org/2011/04/03/134987319/first-listen-panda-bear-tomboy">Panda Bear’s Tomboy</a>

News: Stream Panda Bear’s Tomboy

(L-R Axwell, Ingrosso, Angello)
 In the promotional spiel for Swedish House Mafia’s 45 minute long documentary ‘Take One” there was one sentence in particular that attracted my attention -“DJs are the new rockstars”; a quote coming from none other than the Rolling Stone Magazine. This had me thinking, has the accolade of international rockstar moved away from its home ground of guitar band based rock music, and been transcended by a new wave of commercial, mass appeal electronic based music? N.E.R.D pioneer Pharrell Williams seems to agree, talking to MTV he claimed
“The Rock Stars are the dance DJs, because they ultimately know how to go in and make people move by rocking their turntables and sounds…I see these guys [Swedish House Mafia] as Rock Stars”
Tiesto, another International ‘Super DJ’ also claimed that the Swedish House Mafia are the ‘Rock stars of the scene’. So does the common image of a band of excessive binge drinking, drug abusing and sexual promiscuousness really transfer over to the electronic genre? The documentary, “Take One”, offers an interesting answer to this question.
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Firstly, who exactly are “The Swedish House Mafia?” Made up of 3 Progressive House DJs/Producers; Steve Angello, Axel Hedfors a.k.a Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso. All three have enjoyed successful solo careers before forming the Swedish House Mafia in 2007. In 2010 Axwell ranked 10th in the DJ Mags Top 50 DJs, and Angello and Ingrosso ranked 14th and 16th respectively. Axwell was responsible for global hit “Feel the Vibe” in 2004, Angello’s legendary remix of Robin S’s “Show Me The Love” with Laidback Luke in 2007 gained a chart number One in the UK, and finally, Ingrosso’s “How Soon Is Now” Feat. Julie Mcknight and Dirty South amongst other electronic household names was another charting success. However the DJs have so far found their most critical success coming when they instigated the formation of Swedish House Mafia in 2007. With the release of “Get Dumb”, with Laidback Luke, they firmly positioned themselves in the charts and minds of House fans, and the prestige of their brand, which was quite extensive, grew.
It wasn’t until 2010, with the release of their first album “Until One” , when they really found global chart topping success. Working with artists such as Tinie Tempah and Pharrell, two of their singles “Miami2Ibiza” and most notably “One” had extensive chart success and was almost guaranteed to be played by any DJ in any club. They cemented this fame with Ibiza residencies and frequent appearances at huge gigs such as Creamfields, The Radio One Ibiza Weekend, Miami Winter Music Conference and the Ultra Music Festival, which helped them onto international success.  In 2008, veteran Swedish filmmaker, Christian Larsonn, filmed a documentary about Swedish House Mafia’s global rise, aptly named “Take One”, charting two years of the groups travels in 45 minutes as they play 253 gigs in 15 countries. The documentary also provides an interesting insight to how the group act whilst performing and in spare time, to be a rock star as conventional wisdom dictates; you need to be one off stage, as well as on.
Ingrosso  “ Why are we going on this crazy trip?” 
Angello “ It’s not that crazy. Toronto to Madrid, then to Ibiza. Its pretty good.” 
Axwell “Or we’ll just do London to Ibiza, and then back…in business class”
The opening dialogue to the documentary is revealing in more ways than one. Firstly, we see even back in 2008 they had global reach, and secondly we see the relationship between the three DJs, something that becomes more apparent as the documentary goes on. Angello is the more arrogant and brash of the three, certainly the ‘bad boy’ of the group, Ingrosso seems to be more professional and down to earth, whilst Axwell is the quietest member of the trio.  The general dialogue is interspersed with clips from huge events across the world, one thing is for sure, these guys know how to create an atmosphere. Crowds of up to 250,000 going crazy to the drops of popular tunes may pay testament to the new ‘rock star’ status the group has earned. There are also more personal insights into how they act off stage, at times hilarious, at times shocking…sometimes outright confusing.. There’s a scene where Angello is in the lift with two attractive women, trying to convince them to say the word “insert”, a bit weird, no? However, what is most notable are the frequent outbursts of anger and arrogance from Angello. He became an internet sensation over night after an altercation with Paris Hilton, when asked by the socialite “Do you know who I am?!” he responded in term with “I’m Steve Angello, do you fucking know who I am?!” before retorting at one of her followers “You fucking touch me again, get the fuck out of my face”. Apparently the whole incident was caused by a festival goer who requested Angello to play Daft Punk or Bob Sinclair, to which he ‘rudely’ responded with “I only play this music”.  The whole debacle was reignited when Ingrosso realised he had booked into the same hotel as Paris Hilton in Amsterdam, the pictures beneath shows his humorous dig at her in support of his more vocal DJ colleague!
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 The battle of the words: Angello’s cheeky dig at Hilton
Other incidents worthy of note include when the group get into a waiting bus for a gig in Brussels, whereupon finding that the bus drivers friend has come along for the ride, Angello abuses him for the whole journey and threatens to call the event manager. The other two members are a bit more down to earth, there are many scenes of heavy drinking and general partying, but that is to be expected. Axwell is seen leaving one gig evidently angry at the quality of the sound, and the fact that the drinks he ordered never came. At one point, the groups manager writes to them requesting that they turned up to gigs on time and behaved themselves, something which they evidently ignore as they are late for an important 3 minute slot because Axwell ‘needed a piss’.
What is evident throughout the documentary however is that they love their music , but most importantly, they love playing their music for their fans. You see their pre-gig fears before a sell out performance at the Brixton Academy,  constantly going over their set, trying to perfect it, and then afterwards you see Ingrosso almost bought to tears by the experience he shared with his fans, whom he describes as his ‘best friends’. You also see a huge amount of studio time, dedicated to bringing out the next best single, we are in fact given exclusive access to the moment they conceived the legendary song “One”, and what a moment that is.
For me, when you say to me ‘this guy is a rock star’, I don’t necessarily expect that certain person to lead a Charlie Sheen lifestyle. Paul McCartney is referred to as a ‘rock star’, and although he is no goody-two-shoes, he’s not well known for his marathon drug taking sessions. However, can you really refer to the Swedish House Mafia, as a group, not individually, as rock stars? They certainly live an extravagant life, full of riches, girls and big houses, just like your stereotypical rock stars. They fill out huge arenas, sometimes hundreds of thousands of people, just like rock stars. They have been controversial at times, but admittedly they’re not usually in the papers for the wrong reasons, unlike some rock stars. There is, however, the slight issue with the word ‘rock’, as if it refers to the genre of Rock N’ Roll, however with the decline of this genre, the word has become normalised to refer to anyone, across the music spectrum.
What’s crucial in this assessment, in my opinion, is their music which, as Pharrell stated at the start of this article, gets ‘people rocking’. I don’t think a rock star is defined as such because of his or her off stage habits, I think its all about what they do with their performances, and frankly the meteoric rise of the Swedish House Mafia, and the live sets that I’ve seen for myself, such as the unbelievable 2 hours at Creamfields, all say to me…yes…I do believe DJs are the new rock stars.
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 Angello in Ibiza

Feature: Are DJs The New Rockstars?

Now in it’s sixth year, Latitude has announced the first bunch of artists for this years line up. Taking pride in their laid back attitude and conscientious approach to the punters, the event has been gathering increased momentum since it’s inception. The Suffolk Festival which runs from 14th-17th July, will feature The National, Paolo Nutini and the newly reformed Suede as headliners. However Latitude also excels as not only a music festival, but as an arts and film celebration, quite rightly cementing it’s name as one of the most diverse festivals in the UK. Also appearing over the weekend will be Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Foals and Everything Everything amongst numerous other established acts. Melvin Benn had this to say about the event:
“I am extremely proud of what has been achieved over the past five glorious years of Latitude. We’ve been listening to our loyal fans and this year, for our sixth edition, we are making some changes to the site which will further enhance everyone’s enjoyment of their favourite festival weekend. Latitude truly is ‘more than just a music festival’ and this year’s programme across the full spectrum of arts and music is utterly exceptional. We look forward to welcoming you to explore, discover and enjoy all that it has to offer.”
See the full line up and ticket information at the <a href="https://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/2011/">official festival site.</a>

News: Latitude 2011 Line Up Announced

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As much as we’ve advanced as a human race, prejudice and discrimination are two things that continue to plague our existence. What we have learned to do however is eliminate it from our popular culture, at least at first glance. Of course the ‘nigger’ debate still rages on, but most have resided to agree that the word had been manipulated sufficiently to suit an entirely different culture. The rules of use can never be completely distinct, but in the context of hip-hop and ‘black music’ the chances of offence are minimal.
Homophobia on the other hand is a prejudice that has, almost without us realising, crawled back into popular music. The line between the acceptance of racism and homophobia is illogical but simple. With most mainstream religion’s stances on homosexuality being a distinctly negative one it gives those who hold these views a supposedly secure intellectual backdrop. Of course all forms of homophobia aren’t necessarily motivated by religion, but it’s hard to deny that they play a part its acceptability.
Acceptability is the word that strikes so much concern. Homophobia of course isn’t close to being a normal occurrence in modern music or culture, but it’s there nonetheless. Take Sizzla, a dance hall reggae singer who has repeatedly taken violent stabs at the gay community, so much so that he was denied visas to various countries when he tried to tour. In an interview by Richard Burnett for the magazine ‘Hour’ on the 19th of August 2004, Sizzla said:
“…burn sodomite, burn battyman. Burn all things that are wrong. Burn it… We must get rid of Sodom and Gomorrah right now…”
Seemingly unforgivable right? But if these hateful views never transferred to his music perhaps we could listen through gritted teeth? Sizzla’s tune ‘Get To Da Point’ makes this impossible.
“ Sodomite and batty bwai mi seh a death fi dem  [Sodomite and queers, I say death to them] 
Mi no trust babylon fi a second yah so  [I don’t trust Babylon for a second] 
Mi a go shot batty bwai dem widdi weapon ya  [I go and shoot queers with a weapon]”
Although he renounced his views in 2007, it seems hard to believe that something so ingrained could disappear so suddenly. Despite the hateful language and futile conclusion to this story, at least Sizzla felt the full backlash of the musical community. What’s more depressing is the vast amount of cases like this that go unnoticed or forgiven.
50 Cent’s tweet last year, “If you a man and your over 25 and you don’t eat pu**y just kill your self damn it. The world will be a better place. Lol.”, was a perfect example of this. Again an apology followed, but it’s hard to believe that 50 Cent suddenly decided he wasn’t going to be an ignorant moron.
So far so disturbing, but it’s not all bad. The much loved MC Common spoke out about his own homophobia recently and the statement seemed genuinely apologetic. 
“They was like, ‘Why you keep disrespecting homosexuality?’ I thought about it. I ain’t here to judge ’em, so I just decided not to approach it like that.”
Kanye West’s statement at a 2008 concert was even more genuine, saying that it took him time to, “break out of the mental prisons [of homophobia]” and encouraged the audience to, “Open your minds. Be accepting of different people and let people be who they are.” Unfortunately for every breakthrough there will always be a Katy Perry song called ‘Ur so gay’.
The one thing that all these artists have I common is that I don’t care about them. Sure they spread hateful views, but I don’t loose sleep at night thinking about them being wrapped up in their own ignorance. What has genuinely got me thinking recently is my stance on Tyler, the creator and his OFWGKTA collective. This is the first time that an artist who I genuinely respect has expressed views that conflict with my own. His repeated use of the words ‘faggot’ and ‘homo’ could perhaps be seen as playfully ignorant or even post-modern, others however are harder to forgive “go ahead admit it faggot, this shit is tighter than butt rape”. What are more baffling are Tyler’s religious views, repeatedly expressing his atheism and even comically asking people to “play this shit in church”. For someone so apposed religion, he wears a common belief on his sleeve.
So where do I stand? To be honest I’m not completely sure. But after writing this article I went back and listened to his music and found is almost unlistenable in places. It seems that I’m not on the Tyler, The Creator hype train as much as I first thought.

Feature: Homophobia In Music

<img class="alignnone" title="ipod" src="https://scaryideas.com/i/6899.jpg" alt="" width="890" height="556" />Since the immaculate conception of Crack in the Road way back in April 2010 our growth has undoubtedly been supported by the co-operation and eagerness of artists to feature on our site. So in light of this, and with the new year just under way, I thought I’d outline a few principles which may help budding artists to have their music posted on blogs, either this one itself, or sites likes ourselves. Obviously all sites will vary with their procedures as to posting music and featuring artists, but the principles are very much the same, and you’d be astounded at the number of artists who deviate unashamedly from the basic steps.
1) Contact the site directly.
In a day and age where publicity and the growth of trends happens in seconds, it’s crucial that you are available for direct communication. It’s understandable for world superstars to have PR companies managing their affairs, but for a group who have played a few pubs and had a couple of tracks played on the local radio, it’s not necessary. It’s also a monetary concept as well, there is little that a PR company can do for you, that you couldn’t do yourself with slightly more thought and concerted effort, save the money for equipment, traveling, recording.
2) Be approachable and honest.
Any communication should be formal to a certain extent, but don’t make any email sound contrived or self-important. Do your utmost to come across as friendly, and most of all, passionate. Always tell the truth, it only takes a quick internet search to discover whether or not said fact or quote is in fact legitimate. Communicate through all media, whether it be facebook, email, twitter or whatever else is in fashion at the time.
3) Be positive.
Have belief in the quality of the music you are creating; instead of saying “If you like the music, I can send you a CD”, say, “Can I have an address for which to send a copy of our CD to?”. If you don’t have belief in your own music, then there’s nothing to suggest that anyone else should. Instead of opening your email with a quote from a never that great, washed up musician, start with a quote from yourself, outlining your creative intent found in your music. You are the creator, you know far more about your music than anyone else in the entire world, thrive upon that.
4) Do your research and have an opinion.
Have a look around the site before contacting them, it’s probably no use contacting a blog that specializes in 1920’s underground Asian rap, if your music is 1970’s harmonica solo’s recorded in igloo’s. Read a few articles/interviews and form an opinion on it – “yes I agreed with… however my personal highlight was….”. We love the music, show your passion as well.
5) Offer something in return and be pro-active.
As well as telling us about your next gig, offer guestlist places or competition tickets. The same goes for CD’s and other promotional goods, none of us at this site are paid for what we do, so it’s nice to receive some form of admission for the effort we put in. Also think in terms of the broader site, post links to the site on your facebook/twitter/myspace, we’re far more likely to do the same. Offer exclusives, if you’ve just recorded a cover of Afroman’s “Because I Got High” then tell us, and offer it as a free download from the site.
6) Follow up communication.
We’re not perfect and neither are you, emails get over-looked, misplaced, even forgotten at times, so send another email a few days later, however don’t just copy and paste what you have already sent. Appreciate also that we don’t have time to reply to each and every email received, so maybe after the second follow up email, leave it there and pursue other routes of promotion. Don’t get your brother’s mate’s uncle (albeit a huge fan of your music) to bombard the site with emails, “U guyz shud chek owt dis music!” it gets annoying after a while.
7) Keep it relevant and concise.
Give a bit of background information, ie who you are, where you from, what instruments you play, but ask yourself whether it is relevant, or just taking up time that could be spent listening to your music? Do we really need to know that you once sat on your dog and it yelped the chorus to Life Styles of the Rich and Famous by Good Charlotte, and from thenceforth you’ve wanted to be a punk rocker? Probably not.
8) Showcase exactly what you are selling/promoting.
If you are promoting your debut CD, then send us a copy of it, don’t send three or four soundcloud links, where none of the tracks are available to download. We don’t sit at our laptops all day, plugged into firefox, churning out review after review, at least send downloadable versions of the tracks, so if we want to enjoy your music away from the confines of a laptop, then we can do so. Someone who buys your music isn’t going to be expected to sit at their PC screen to listen to it, so neither should we.
9) Be reasonable.
This website, like many other music blogs, is run entirely for our own enjoyment, not for profit, in fact all of us have reached into our pockets at some point to help fund the running of this site. We write as much as possible and as appropriate, please understand this. On the whole we will not write negative reviews of bands who are trying to “make it”, especially of tracks or CD’s. If we see a live performance that is under-par, then we may write a short, critical, but helpful review. Also try to be reasonable with sales, is it better to have 10 sales of your track on iTunes, or have 2,000 people download your single for free? We live in an age where people will quite happily download a track in seconds, legally or not, but will hesitate when it comes to spending 79p on the unknown.
10) Enjoy.
Most importantly, show the sites that you are contacting that you have a real passion and drive for what you do. At the heart of music is an enjoyable, creative process, let us in on it, and we are far more likely to understand where you are coming from.

New Artists: Tips For Getting Your Music Posted

<div style="text-align: center;">Hey, Welcome to The Crack In The Road, this is the first post, just to let you know what this blog is here for and my aims for keeping it up to date. I just thought I’d try and get a proper music blog going, hopefully I’ll be able to expand and bring in another couple of writers soon as well, so drop me an email if you are interested, even if you just want to write a small section once a week or even once a month. To begin with I will include album reviews, song recommendations and gig summaries, including photographs I have taken at gigs, I’ll leave it open to branching out depending on interest and time I have avaliable.
I will be posting MP3’s of songs which I mention on the blog, but not entire albums, if you like what you hear, either go and find the album yourself via the wonder that is Google, or even better go out and buy the album! If you are the owner of any of the links posted on this blog, and would like the link removed, please do not hesitate to contact me on my email address at the side of the page. Likewise if you have any other questions or queries, just drop me a line!
Happy listening! 
Josh
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Crack in the Road