Push comes to the shove I guess I'd have to call this Folk Music. Yeah Yeah I know that makes you think of cardigans, pipes and real ale but that ain't what I mean at all. To me, folk music means stories of everyday people and everyday lives which is what you get. Sure there's a certain amount of politics/social conscience/ethical view kiinda stuff going on but thats not what it's about it's not the raison d'etre you know ? This band are fucking suberb at pointing up the contradictions and conflicts you SHOULD fell about the life you lead (and I'm including myself in that) and reminding you where you've gone wrong. Hippy bullshit ? Maybe but they sure as fuck help me in remebering where I should be and that there is a bigger picture. Can you really ask for more ?
Official Website: www.levellers.co.uk
I don't really know how to describe this lot. Getting the obvious out of the way: Been going 25 odd years, labelled as doomy goths and largely written off by the english music press. Bollox ! This is one intensely emotional band. Listen to Disintegration and i defy anyone who's lived to not relate. This is truth, honesty and pasion played out all together You can't really ask anymore from a band than delivering that. It's not necessarily easy listening (tho' at times you could,nt get any more disposable) but it's stuff that we've all felt and if you ain't then I'm sorry but you're dead inside.
Official Website: www.thecure.com
What can I say, the band that kept me sane during my early years. I forst heard them on Laser 558 (pirate radio) in the early 80's - 83 if pushed to make a guess- and I never looked back. In common with many adolescents I go tright royally emotionally fucked up and this lot would TALK to me out those speakers, out there was someone else with the same problems and underneath the lyrics was that utterly incomparable guitar playing of Johnny Marr. To this day i aint heard anyone who can pull so many emotions out of a 6 string . Put that together with the masterful command of the English language fro Morrisey and you really got something special. If you are uneducated enough never to have heard The Smiths may I humbly suggest that YOU GO FUCKING LISTEN and if you think you know them from when you were younger - GO LISTEN AGAIN.
A bit of a surpride that this lot made it onto the special band page but there you go. You hear this lot and think it's just cheap american punk but there is alot more intelligence going on than is first apparent. Very succint, very sharp and very good.
For those of us who are TG then King For A Day is pretty much as close to a perfect anthem as we're ever gonna get.
Ofiicial Website: www.greenday.com
