Christmas Holidays

Shit way to get readers I know, but I haven’t been writing much at all over the Christmas hols even though I’ve only just started this blog. This would be because I didn’t bring my computer back from uni. My Xbox is my main piece of technology at the moment, especially since the Christmas arrival of Guitar Hero 3. Anyway, I’ll be back at uni on the 6th of January, so I’ll be a compulsive writer from then on assuming my new TV card and HD drive “with wireless capabilities” don’t distract me.

A Question of Insignificance

If everyone in the world happened, by chance, to synochronise their breathing, would it have a significant effect on the climate i.e. winds, pressure and temperature? Just a small pondering from a bear in a very nice room in Basingstoke.

Eclectic Radio

I’m currently listening to an “eclectic radio station” on iTunes radio. Should I be worried that they’ve played two songs from my personal library in the last hour? Does this make me eclectic?

Packing Bags

Is there a place where they design bags for your personal needs? This morning I’m in need of a clothes section, a bass guitar section, an Xbox 360 section, a general shit (like chargers, guitar tuners, glasses, wallets) section and lecture notes section. I only ask out of interest because as it is, I can’t see myself using less than four bags.

Oh, and if anyone’s stuck for Christmas presents for me, I’d like a Macbook Pro please.

Review: Radiohead / In Rainbows

Before you even listen to this album you are struck by Radiohead’s willingness to experiment with new ideas. In order to buy In Rainbows, you must choose how much you want to pay to download it. You can choose any value you like too, not just a selection. Interesting too, lots and lots of people have decided to pay the full amount you would expect to pay for an album.

The best track on the album is the first, the 5 beat show-piece 15 Step, and this sets an example for the rest of the offering to follow off of. From there on, a mixture of textures are incorporated from Thom Yorke’s layered harmonies on Nude, the abrasive sounds that accompany All I Need and the melodic time-skipping of Faust Arp. And Jigsaw Falling Into Place is definitely a top song. I tend to think after listening to it that they should have ended the album with it, but then Videotape stars to play and I realise they have got it just right. It’s not a great song on its own, but followed by silence it leaves a feeling of relaxation and completion, much in the same way Eclipse does on Dark Side of the Moon.

Average Song Rating: 3.2/5

Hits: 15 Step, Nude, Jigsaw Falling Into Place

Shits: House of Cards

Whatever Happened to the Tasker Twins?

If anyone knows if the team of near identical giggle-swappers are still alive and around, we need to know dammit!

The last currently known sighting was in early summer/late spring by me when they finished college.

A Word of Wisdom

“He dares to be a fool, and that is the first step in the direction of wisdom.”
James Huneker, American musicwriter and critic (1860-1921).

Just a little thing that I found that justifies the way I behave.

Christmas Next Door

So, it’s December, it’s been a long year, and yes, we should begin to think about celebrating the birth of a baby and getting drunk. There’s no disputing that Christmas is getting close. But think about it, how many Christmas songs actually are there? You know, the kind that always get played in shops around this time of year. My guess is 30, probably less. And the fella that lives next door to me in my halls listens to this shit constantly. Such a small collection of songs should not be listened to exclusively for a month, it’s bad for the mind.

I am currently playing Death very loudly with the door open to drive him mad and drown out the Christmas shit.

Review: Avenged Sevenfold / Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold have been progressing steadily since their inception in 1999. Formerly a hardcore/metal outfit, they’ve steadily changed their style over the years, giving themselves more scope for experimentation and eventually becoming a heavy rock outfit. Their latest album, Avenged Sevenfold, is once again different from their earlier works. City of Evil was the same in that the album was in a very different direction and this caused a lot of controversy within A7X’s fanbase.

This new album, altogether, is a masterpiece of songwriting and musicianship, the typical heavy riffs and wailing solos. Songs like Scream and Brompton Cocktail contain very strong riffs, setting a standard for the album as a whole. The ballad on this album, Gunslinger, is as usual, a very well engineered emotional trip.

There are also a few evidences of experimentation, with a selection of instruments featured in A Little Piece of Heaven and a vocal synthesiser used in Lost; a feature that, I feel, ruins the song. This album has some very good songs on it, but feels a bit disjointed. Put together, the CD seems more like a collection of good songs than one album.

Average Song Rating: 3.4/5

Hits: Critical Acclaim, Scream, Dear God

Shits: Lost

Nice to be Back

‘Lo! I have returned, under a new name, a new title and a new address. This is because I am a different person to the dick that was Squidgyegg (a shit name by the way, thought up at the age of 12). Most will be reading that thinking but thebearthatcares is a fucking stupid name too. Well at least I didn’t make it up myself. In fact, I haven’t been called Mark by anyone in the Physics Department at Exeter University for a long time. One of my bald associates (not bald at the time though)  saw me very early one morning with bed-hair and a beard and thought I looked like a Care Bear, so the name Carebear stuck. Indeed, many students don’t even know my real name.

So, like I said, I’m back under a different identity as a different person. The main factor here would be that I recently started university, a life changing process for most people. Actually, I didn’t realise how much my life had changed until I spent a weekend at home after a couple of months away. I’m not sure if this is the case for everyone else in the same situation, but I appreciated my family much more once I’d been away for a while. The fact that I could eat a good meal without actually cooking it seemed amazing. I will be returning home for Christmas in a few days and I’m hoping that I won’t settle in too much and will continue to appreciate how little effort I have to put into living.

I’ve been thinking about starting a new blog for a while now, mainly with the idea of reviewing albums that I own so that people can see I like music for a reason. This harks back to the way I used to get really annoyed when people assumed I liked all hardcore just because I liked Converge. Hopefully anyone who will read the following series will realise that my love for music runs deeper than just being loud and shit like that.

I need a shower.