EXPLOITED&DANGEROUS

I haven’t made a blog post in, let’s say, forever. I don’t make a lot of blog posts, let’s be fair, because I’m completely useless at accurately describing anything, and I tend to dissolve into LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL COCKS by the end of it. (Cocks is important. It’s not a lolfest if someone’s not finishing it off by shouting COCKS.) This is, undoubtedly, because my primary sin is sloth.

What to talk about? I could sit here and talk about 30 Seconds to Mars and Them Crooked Vultures and the World/Inferno Friendship Society, but music isn’t my strong point. I will tell you to go out and listen to all three of those bands, most noteably 30 Seconds to Mars’ new album and definitely Them Crooked Vultures’ debut album and whatever you can find of W/IFS, because it’s all amazing, but I’m not going to talk about them.

Oh, okay, I’ll sum them up. As briefly and as best as I can.

This is War is, without a doubt, utterly amazing. There’s a very powerful emotion to it that speaks to me and the imagery that it summons forth is brilliant and beautiful. It fits, very strongly, with the idea of an impending, necessary war – but not war between two countries. Not a war between two different factions. But a war between the people – humanity – and the society that we finds ourselves in. That’s the running theme throughout the album, but it does it in such a brilliant way. It’s hair-raising, it’s awesome, it’s something that makes you want to stand on the edge of everything and fall, fall into battle for your soul and your right and your humanity and your freedom and everything that we should be and everything that we’re not. There’s a strong likelihood that you’ll have seen Kings & Queens by now, and if you haven’t – go and watch it. The video’s a beautiful piece of film-making and the song’s utterly fantastic. Escape, Vox Populi and Stranger in a Strange Land are other noteable songs from the album, although you ought to listen to it play through. It’s amazing.

As for Them Crooked Vultures, what can I say? They’re a supergroup and possibly one of the finest, comprised of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and, my personal favourite, Dave Grohl (Nirvana and Foo Fighters). I can’t even begin to describe how brilliant it is, but all three of them are fantastic together – Homme’s voice and guitar, Jones’ bass, Grohl’s drumming – and the album’s pure and raw and wonderful. It’s completely dirty, filthy, even downright smutty – the first song, No One Loves Me & Neither Do I, is essentially sex in musical form. And it’s fantastic. I have to say that Elephants is undoubtedly my favourite, but Caligulove and Gunman are other favourites – and the entire album is probably one of my favourite albums ever. You oughta let this one play through, too – there’s so much variety, and they’re all brilliant songs. I’m pretty sure Interlude with Ludes takes the title of ‘creepiest damn thing I have heard all year’, too.

And I don’t know where to start with the World/Inferno Friendship Society other than that it’s brilliant. They’re cabaret anarcho-punk, and they’re just so happy and uplifting and a lot of fun to listen to. My noteable favourites are Addicted to Bad Ideas and Only Anarchists Are Pretty, but I’d say that you give anything you can find a shot. They’re definitely worth your time and your ears.

Whelp. I think I’ll leave it for now – I might be back with some writing, I might be back with a review of the year, who knows? Who’s even listening? I just like talking to myself.