Antics

My senior year in high school I took a class called "Athletic Training".  It would be wrong to call it a "class", though; it was more of a one-hour workout in the middle of the school day.  I liked Athletic Training quite a bit.  There wasn't any homework, and it turns out that picking up and vigorously moving heavily weighted objects is a good way for an 18 year-old testosterone slave to blow off some steam.

Somewhere around the end of the semester we had a substitute teacher come in to supervise our workout.  But, this wasn't just any substitute.  It was Mr. Gove.  Mr. Gove was the previous Headmaster of the high school who had retired a few years earlier.  By all accounts, Mr. Gove was an upstanding and well-respected dude; and, as I would find out a little later on, he had a set of real brass ones.  Anyway, I guess I was feeling quite senior-y that day, because I decided I would not be participating in the workout.  Instead, I went into the locker-room to get dressed and I never came back out.  I just sat there in that locker-room and did nothing.

Looking back, it was kind of wonderful just sitting there in that smartphone-less world... doing nothing...

About 20 minutes later, though, my tranquility was disturbed by a commotion outside of the locker-room door.  Someone was coming in.  I bolted for the nearest bathroom stall and quickly stood on top of the toilet.  The best hiding spot of all time.  I would be safe there.

I braced myself as the door creaked open.  It was Mr. Gove.  He began walking through the locker-room in a slow, deliberate manner peering between the rows of lockers.  He was methodical.  I didn't make a sound.  Mr. Gove then ever-so-slowly made his way toward the bank of toilet stalls where I had taken up shelter.  I didn't even breathe.  Surely, he would recognize that there were no feet under the stall doors and that would be enough to satisfy him.  Surely, he would be gone soon and I would be able to return to my peaceful solitude.

No.

Impossibly, Mr. Gove sauntered up to the bathroom stall where I was hidden and looked through the cracks.  He ACTUALLY looked through the cracks.  The AUDACITY.  I was shocked; offended, even.  But, I would be remiss if I did not admit that I was also a little bit impressed.  He was a worthy adversary.

For a moment there was silence.  We stared at eachother through the crack of the bathroom stall.  Finally, Mr. Gove bellowed out, "Doug..."

Nothing.

"What are you doing?"

With my dignity still fully intact, I looked Mr. Gove straight in the eye through the crack in the stall door and I responded, "This is how I poop."

London Calling

Over the years, Americans have come to expect one thing from any proper English band: from The Beatles, to Queen, to The Clash, to Coldplay, we have come to expect a certain "pop sensibility" from British rock music.  The catchier and more infectious, the better.

As always, there is a wave of new bands from the UK waiting for their turn to make a splash in the US.  Here are 3 new bands (with 3 very catchy singles) that I think might do it:


THEME PARK

These guys are a bit of a mystery band.  I haven't been able to dig up too much information on them (their band name is remarkably un-google-friendly); but, listening to their single "Jamaica" was enough to make me believe that there could be big things in store for Theme Park in the future.





THE CROOKES

The Crookes hail from Sheffield, England.  The band has a no-frills approach to their music that is a throwback to great britrock bands like The Futureheads and Maximo Park.  The sound is very smart, and oh so British

The second studio album from The Crookes is set to release in the US on October 1.  Check out their first single entitled, "Afterglow".





THE 1975

This Manchester-based quartet has created a lot of buzz with their new EP entitled "IV.  Lead singer Matt Healy said that one of the band's largest musical influences is filmmaker John Hughes (which is extremely rad).

The 1975's first single off of the the EP is entitled "Chocolate", and it is best played at obnoxiously high volumes.

Uncovering: "Intimacy" by Bloc Party

Bloc Party burst onto the indie music scene when they released their debut album, "Silent Alarm" in 2005. Following the success of Silent Alarm, the band was widely considered to be one of the best new acts out of Great Britain in recent years.  Two years after Silent Alarm, Bloc Party enjoyed another warm reception from critics with their second studio album entitled "A Weekend in the City".  Then, the band surprised everyone by quickly churning out a third studio album that took them in a new musical direction...

Bloc Party released "Intimacy" in 2008.  The album was greeted with lukewarm reviews and was considered by many Bloc Party fans to be a "dud".  The harsh reception occurred for two reasons:

1.  Intimacy was a large musical departure from the first two albums

2.  Intimacy was ahead of its time.

Bloc Party delved fully into the world of electro-infused indie rock for Intimacy.  The album was drenched with synthesizers, drum machines, voice modulation, and everything else that has become commonplace for music in 2013.  Essentially, Intimacy was a taste of 2013 in 2008.  But, that was the problem.  People weren't ready for the sound of Intimacy, and the album was largely dismissed.

Bloc Party pushed the proverbial envelope with Intimacy.  The album was a masterful fusion of the worlds of rock and electronica.  Bloc Party correctly identified the future of music, and then they beat everyone else to the punchline.  

One of my favorite songs on the album, "Ion Square", is an ethereal ballad that builds wonderfully with layers of sound.  Something about this particular song sticks with you; as the layers build and the final chorus bursts into life you can't help but feel the emotion in Kele Okereke's words:

"I carry your heart here with me.  I carry it in my heart."



Although Intimacy never reached the popularity of "Silent Alarm" or "A Weekend in the City", the album was still a wonderful achievement.  Intimacy helped usher in a new era of music.  Perhaps the greatest aspect of the album is how well it translates in 2013.  Take a listen for yourself.  You might be surprised that the album was released more than 5 years ago:

Some highlights:  Trojan Horse, Talons, Your Visits Are Getting Shorter, Biko, Letter to My Son, One Month Off