Beat The Beatles

2014-04-21T14:36:00.003+02:00

Kraków, the best city in the world, for more info go: FREE walking TOUR foundation

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

2011-10-11T09:43:00.003+02:00

Not a full review but just a first impression on Noel's new work.

I am an Oasis fan, but I'm also very critical about them. In fact, on all of their records I can find some flaws. The main is that there was always for me a skipping track on every single Oasis-related (counting Liam's band in) album - even on Morning Glory. And I admit that even though I consider Noel the genius of melody. And now here we go, Noel's first solo album. No filler at all. Everything in its place.

From the epic start of Everybody's On The Run, through rock-anthemic quality of Dream On, classical oasisy ballad If I Had a Gun, brilliant jazzy country of The Death of You and Me, yet another big anthem being Record Machine (the last part makes you sing on top of your lungs), surprising disco-influenced brilliant What a Life!, set of mid tempo rockers (Soldier Boys - a protest song!, Broken Arrow with efortlessly flowing beat and melody an huge chorus and The Wrong Beach where I especially like the slightly fuzzy guitar - ending with yet another epic - Stop the Clocks.

Brilliant from start to finish, one can feel guilty when trying to think about the worst song of the bunch - there is no such a thing. I like the production (a lil bit poppy compared to Oasis records and maybe that's a good thing), I like the artwork, the lenght of the tracks and the whole album is perfect timed.

Truly, maybe this is written hastily, just after the album went public, but I just don't see any reason why shouldn't I call it the best Noel album - the best measure for that is probably that this record could and will atract many non-oasis listeners and hopefully stand the test of time and be a testament to Noel's ability as a creator of melodies.

live forever

2011-02-09T12:22:00.004+01:00

It is a B-side to "Four Letter Word" - ladies and gentleman, Beady Eye's debut album, Different Gear, Still Speeding, is coming on 23rd February in Japan, 28th Feb in Europe and 1st March in the US. I like the vid and the track is very fine as well.

Tonight thank God...

2010-12-26T21:23:00.003+01:00

I've known this song since I was a little boy. Always on my list of top Christmas tunes. And there was a line in the song - one sentence, nothing more - that hit me very, very hard. Being much younger myself I didn't know who sang the song, I didn't know who sang that particular line at the time. Now I know. But even then I did know it was something special, something big, something emocional.

...Tonight thank God it's them instead of you.

Now this singer is one of my favourites, one of the biggest rock stars of all times. It doesn't matter. Just listen to these guys, listen to that line. And think a little about it all. Thank God.

All the best to you
Tol

2010-11-16T19:44:00.003+01:00

Well, it got me!

And yes, The Beatles are finally available on iTunes! Apple beware, your servers may go down...

BDI premiere!

2010-11-10T15:32:00.000+01:00

So, here we go, any opinions? Hope you like rock 'n' roll!

Beady Eye's debut song is to download HERE.

Beady Eye track for download and Pulp reunion!

2010-11-09T14:00:00.001+01:00

What a day! Tomorrow (Wednesday) we're gonna finally get the debut track from Beady Eye. Check the exact news on Beady Eye's website.

And what is more. For this have I not been prepared. Legendary british group Pulp is going to reform for the festival gigs in Spain and Great Britain. You can read more on Live4Ever.

Lord, I'm excited, and you?

BDI

2010-11-07T12:42:00.006+01:00

There it is! The excitement on the biggest Oasis forum on the web (Live4ever Oasis Forum) could tell you that - the news about new Liam Gallagher's project are up!

Check their webpage HERE. It is really well done. And what do you think of the cover of the first single, announced to be released on 22nd November (not officially though)? Any reminscences from the past?

Beady Eye is the band which retains all former Oasis mateys but one, and you know who is that exception. OK now: will Liam succeed without Noel? The art of songwriting is something not very common these days I dare to say. Noel might not be in top form he was in the 90s, but still the latest record he made with Oasis showed what his contribution meant for Oasis. For me at least. The first half of the record was mainly written by Noel. And guess what... when I listen to the record for most cases I stop listening after 7 first tracks... the last four being written by either Liam, Gem or Andy. And it's not intentional, really.

You do suspect I'm against this project, now? Couldn't be more wrong, I do believe in Beady Eye with all my heart and I'm very excited what they will come up with. What I'm awaiting is the proper rock 'n' roll tunes but not overblown with distorted guitars (Noel's fault) - and full with melodies, because based on the fact of the examples I'll provide you with, Liam, Gem and Andy are capable of writing melodies to be remembered.

Take a look now (Liam's song):

and this (Andy's song):

...yeah I do believe then.

So 22nd November, here they go again! I cannot wait :)

2010-11-01T13:28:00.003+01:00

Not much to say. Just a very special live forever for all those, who are gone. Thank you

2010-10-31T17:12:00.003+01:00

Because singing is a prayer.

Yet another brick in the wall of wonder (Art of borrowing #3)

2010-10-16T21:48:00.005+02:00

A friend of mine inspired me to write the 3rd part of the neverending story of musical similarities. She said:

hey, don't you think that Richard Ashcroft's song "Break the Nigh With Colour" has the similar verse vocal melody to that of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Greenday?

I've been listening to Richard Ashcroft (and his band, The Verve) maniacally whole summer. I didn't spot the similarity then, but now I see it and I'm loving the moment! Vocal melody, especially the first 3 or 4 notes from each song are almost the same. Then both songs go in two different directions, good for them.

This reminded me of yet another discovery.

When I've first heard Boulevard of Broken Dreams on the radio a couple of years ago I thought: hey, I know this song, it's been done before! Then a couple of weeks later I saw not only me had the same idea. The series of professional mash-ups have been made to show the case, here's one of them:

Surprised? Noel Gallagher once said that Wonderwall was the first song he wrote that he found original. Oasis tended to lift inspiration from songs of old but they also became an inspiration for legions of young songwriters and bands. No wonder other artists covered their songs. Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day admitted that he just took famous chord progression from Wonderwall and wrote a song upon it.

Noel's comment? If you listen, you'll find it is exactly the same arrangement as Wonderwall. They should have the decency to wait until I am dead [before stealing my songs]. I, at least, pay the people I steal from that courtesy. Gotta love the man, innit?

Also Travis' Fran Healy (you can hear him singing second verse of the mash-up) took Wonderwall chords and even mentioned the title of the song in the lyrics. Here's the whole song, and it's a great one!

Healy asks what's a wonderwall anyway?And that's a good question. With one possible answer. The Beatles. George Harrison made a soundtrack to the experimental film called Wonderwall in the 60s, and so it's the source of the word used later by Gallagher. No surprise, huh?

God, there's so much to write about this song, I feel the post is starting to be a bit chaotic, I'm sorry about that, but that's always the case when so much musical fluctuation is connected with one song - it gets me excited.

Wonderwall was covered shortly after its release on Morning Glory album by The Mike Flower Pops.

This version reached #2 in the UK Singles Charts, the same feat the actual Oasis' recording achieved 2 months earlier in 1995. The story is that Oasis record company in the US asked Noel if he had actually written the song himself! On the other side of Atlantic, BBC claimed they've found an "original version of Wonderwall" (meaning Mike Flowers one) - a bit of irony, of course.

The other notable cover was recorded by Ryan Adams:

Even Noel himself praised the cover and uses the changed arrangement in his own live performances! Rare thing for any of the Gallaghers to give props to others...

OK, another song inpired by Wonderwall. The band is called Girls Aloud. Now it's the melody of the pre-chorus: Listen especially from 1:03. Sounds familiar?

Once Girls Aloud played it live and found the audience singing Wonderwall lyrics instead of the actual song's chorus. Ooops.

And now, listen. Oasis copied themselves (consciously) many times, and here's one of the best examples. The first single from their 1997 album, Be Here Now. Spot 0:21, the quiet chords in the background. D'you know what I mean?

OK, many more covers have been made. Many more songs were inspired by Wonderwall. But what is probably the most important being the greatest testament left by the song itself is that hundreds of thousands young people started to play guitar because of the song's famous riff. Maybe you're one of them?

PS. I always focus mostly on music. But the lyrics of the song in question need to be mentioned as well. Most of us consider it as a simple love song, but that's not the case according to Noel himself. Of course everyone can associate different meanings with the song, but as Gallagher stated it:

It's a song about an imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself.

I like this interpretation.

...cause maybeeeeeey, you're gonna be the one that saves meeeeeeeey

and after aaaaaaaawl, you're my wonderwaaaaaaahaaawl!

Go raibh maith agat :)

The Beatles' 100 Greatest Songs compiled by Rolling Stone

2010-09-24T14:59:00.004+02:00

I haven't been around for some time. I've got many records to review and hopefully I will be done with the reviews in the nearest time. Also have I an honour to welcome my friend Nir as the second author on this site =)

But for now: I've been hit by the phenomenon of The Beatles once again. Rolling Stone issued a special collector's edition of the magazine covering the work of Fab Four. Nothing that surprising apart from the fact that they made a list of 100 hundred best songs of John, Paul, George and Ringo. ONE HUNDRED. Do you know another band, that you can make a compilation like that? Of 100 songs? Not many bands reached even the number of 100 songs written in their whole career... and Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr have written and recorded above 200 original tunes in 7 years' time.

OK, I'm the biggest Beatles' fan around but tell me, isn't that just pure magic?

You can see the peak of the list here -> 10 best Beatles' songs by Rolling Stone

And for now I leave you with my latest discovery, Joe Strummer's solo stuff. It's arguably better than his work with The Clash, what do you think?

Music Is!

2010-08-12T23:36:00.004+02:00

Just an impression from the great Richard Ashcroft, one of the finest songwriters of the past 20 years. Take care

Ah, and Arcade Fire is number 1 now in both US and the UK. There is faith =)

Art of borrowing (no 2)

2010-08-02T01:26:00.014+02:00

For today I've got an obvious example of borrowing a musical motiff from another song. Although maybe not all of the listeners have noticed the similarity at the time, I'm sure David Guetta did see it and took Coldplay's famous piano riff on purpose. This is David Guetta's 2009 summer hit When Love Takes Over.

And here, the original - Coldplay and their Clocks:

Now it's perfectly clear, isnt't it? Note that Coldplay's riff is really something special - the scale they used, though I can't explain properly (my shameful lack of knowledge, maybe some of you could do it?), is really something original and distinctive! Ah, music! =)

Waka Waka vs. Wavin' Flag

2010-07-18T21:10:00.008+02:00

Here we are, just after Football World Cup in Africa. What's left apart from sport emotions? Well, the songs. Last time I remember a song made specially for sport event to really catch the attention of worldwide audience was 1998 and Ricky Martin's The Cup of Life - maybe better known under the title Go go go (alle alle alle).

There was another song from that period that also made it popular and is well known to this day - I know this famous melody so well, but didn't know it came from France '98! Mesdames et Mesieurs, le Carnival de Paris!

Can you recall it? =)

And now, 2010. Waka Waka by Shakira is the official FIFA theme and K'naan's Wavin' Flag is the theme adapted by Coca-cola World Cup Campaign. I find Waka Waka very good and catchy for the occasion, but it is Wavin' Flag which really got me. This is Waka Waka then:

And now K'naan.

The latter being the winner of my World Cup Song contest. The original, album version (released on Troubadour in 2009) is much more meaningful than this, special edited Mondiale version, check it out! K'naan's the king then. Up until Euro 2002 in Poland and Ukraine, that is!

And for you? Shakira or K'naan? Can you recall other popular songs from sporting events?

Happy B-Day!

2010-07-10T10:01:00.003+02:00

Here's the very special day for me - the B-day having two meanings. It is international Beatles Day (Here you get some info), but what is much more important it is a birthday of a person very dear to my heart. I'd like too wish you all the best by posting this image =)

Csakis egy angyal lehetsz szőke hajjal, köszönöm, hogy vagy! =) Thank you!

The interNational Treasure

2010-07-06T17:19:00.035+02:00

I don't quite believe what's going on in the world. The National's new album, High Violet, reached number 3 on Billboard 200. I love America, its attitude of working hard and believing in american dream. But I can't say their musical tastes match mine. I'm not into shallow pop or R'n'B. Or rap. These genres pretty much dominate on US charts. And now I look on the Wikipedia reading some facts about the newest The National offering. Well, if you don't know the band, I tell you: it's not R'n'B. It's not even a bit poppy. It's sad music, it's lazy music, it's profound music. It is melodic music. It's independent music, alternative. And what do I find? Number 3 in the US, number 5 in the UK. Right, UK is far more "rocky", but US? Well, I'm shocked but full of hope that good music, that album oriented music can still have a touch with millions. But what really made American's buy this obscure band?

The National - High Violet

Well, I don't know. They're not cool, they're not even something new. Matt Berninger, deep baritone singer is 42 now, the rest of the band, combining of two pairs of brothers only tad younger. After the critical acclaim they got after releasing their two prevous albums, Alligator and Boxer they were supposed to come successful. But successful in alternative terms - huge fanbase, some top 40 album. But top 3, really? OK, it's pointless, I could go like this forever so I just place here the picture of the drummer of the band, maybe he's the reason for this unusual popularity?

Lennon guy, beat the beatles, huh? Ok, what about the actual music? I loved Boxer, I got to know the band through Fake Empire and Slow Show off that album. These two songs hit me so hard that till this day they deserve their 5-star rating on my iPod, and that's really something. Boxer is highly melodic, I was in awe when I listened to the lines sung by Berninger for the first times. A sad guy like Leonard Cohen sings with melodic talent of Paul McCartney. His melodies are really strong.

And High Violet? It's much more lazy than its prodecessor but these melodies are there. Every song on this LP is needed, every line sung is meaningful and every sound effect is perfectly crafted (not to mention, that some 30 people were featured in the working process, including Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon). The album didn't hit me at first listen, it needed like 3 or 4 times. Now it is on constant replay. What hits me here is the production. From fuzzy guitars of Terrible Love to epic strings of Vanderlyle it is something totally different. I don't know how to explain that but the depth in production is incredible. It sound otherwordly, powerful, fat and muted.

Well, and these drums. Lennon is really someone if it goes to the drums.

Song by song rating:

Terrible Love 10/10 (I don't really know what it is about, didn't really listen to the lyrics but the title prolly says it all. Some say that the guitars are too strange, for me they're just imitating the pain of this terrible love, which isn't bad thing)
Sorrow 9/10 (Competition for the saddest song of the year officially started!)
Anyone's ghost 9/10 (yeap, the drums!)
Little Faith 7/10 (I find myself hard to review it track-by-track, because most of the them blend together so good when you listen to the whole album that you don't really know whick one is which. And that really doesn't mean they're fillers)
Afraid of Everyone 10/10 (OK, the masterpiece and haunting voice of Sufjan in the background)
Bloodbuzz Ohio 10/10 (I don't know! the melody, the drums, the piano? I don't know! But it works)
Lemonworld 7/10 (love doo doo doo)
Runaway 9/10 (love how it grows from start to finish)
Conversation 16 7/10 (more guitar based rock track)
England 9/10 (I'm British)
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks 10/10 (wonderful melody and Matt sings here quite high, doesn't he?)

Total: 101/110 -> 9/10

All great, but the again can you tell me, how such a sad and so to say artsy album reached Top 3? Not that I'm not happy about it =)

The Masterplan

2010-07-04T16:44:00.009+02:00

Music industry has been revealing its secrets to me for some time now. In the country that I live in, music singles charts come from voting. In the 90s, when I first learned this truth, when someone wanted their favourite song to be on top of the charts one must of send a postcard or make a call to the radio station and vote. So actually there are no singles charts as the Brits, Americans, Germans know them.

Let's take my musical home country, Great Britain. Singles charts are composed of songs which sold the best each week. So actually there is voting, as mentioned before, but in slightly different way.

Anyway, what is single as such? Yeah, it's a small portion of music sold seperately from the album. It usually features the catchiest song coming from the album. It's called an A-side. Its aim is to promote the band/singer/composer and to make people buy the actual album. OK.

But then, why should I buy the song if I can buy the whole album with the song on it? Well, before the age of internet, singles had much more importance to them. Apart from the main song, they usually contained some more material. The so called B-sides could be some cover songs, some demo takes of the main songs or some new, original material. New songs! So that's why some people bothered to buy the singles! New songs!

What is the Masterplan mentioned in the title of this post then? Well, these new songs for most of the bands were/are just fillers or second-rate material. Sometimes remix. Nice bonus, nothing more really. But there were some bands which really cared about the quality. One was The Beatles. The songs they released as B-sides were sometimes more experimental (The Rain) or had more feeling and spirit (The Inner Light) than their album material.

There was also a band, whose B-sides were sometimes actually better than their album tracks or some A-sides. Especially at the early stage of their career, Noel Gallagher of Oasis could pen the best song of the decade and place it as the mere B-side. There's no place to list all the songs that this guy has taken out of the spotlight which they surely deserve. I want to present only one track. Debatably the best B-side of all times, a song called The Masterplan.

This song was first released as a B-side to the Wonderwall single. In my books it surpasses its more famous neighbour by a long mile. It was then placed on the B-sides collection called The Masterplan itself, which truly showcaised the genius of Noel, and on the best-of compilation Stop The Clocks.

When told by the boss of Oasis recording label, Alan McGee, that the song is too good to be the B-side Noel replied: "well, I don't write shit songs". The guy's got confidence, doesn't he?

And the last thing. The pictures at the top and bottom of this post come from the session to the album The Masterplan. Noel showing music professors how to write a song. A masterplan indeed.

Welcome to the World of The Plastic Beach...

2010-07-01T21:18:00.016+02:00

...and to the world of art pop.

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Bono once said about the difference between pop and rock: pop tells you that everything is all right and rock shows you what is still wrong and calls for revolution.

Well, if this definition applied to every kind of music, Plastic Beach might be called rock album. Or hard rock. New Damon Albarn's project criticizes consumerism and commercialism in the most intelligent way you could imagine - by becoming commercial and artificial itself. Under the trip-hop, modern beats and synths (Plastic Beach) one shall find libretto concerning microwave culture (Superfast Jellyfish), question of nature (Some Kind of Nature) or love in electric world (Stylo).

Musically it does not really have an immediate effect. But it grows. The production is perfect - being the fan of mostly guitar-based rock I feel delighted while listening to the fat beat of Stylo or the soothing synths of On Melancholy Hill. The latter being the poppiest fragment of the LP is scheduled to be the second single (after Stylo). I think that due to its catchiness Superfast Jellyfish will finally be the third 45' cut from the album.

Well, what amazes me here is not Albarn's creativity (we knew it long before) or the number and performance given by his guests. I really wasn't that much into pop music before. Now I have to admit that pop can be art and this album proves it. So what's the genre? Pop Art? Well, anyway I think that Andy Warhol would love Plastic Beach.

Track by track rating:

Orchestral Intro 8/10 (scary - I feel like sitting on the iceberg waiting for the Titanic to show up and hit - well that actually means I am safe but anyway)
Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach 7/10 (did'n know I like rap - decent track)
White Flag 10/10 (a mash-up of the middle-east orchestra, rap and the beat - what more could one want?)
Rhinestone Eyes 9/10 (really catchy with this classic lazy melody by Albarn and fantastic motiff from 0:53 on)
Stylo 7/10 (first single - wasn't really fond of the track at first but somehow learned to appreciate it - what a feeling from Bob Womack over this infectious, fat beat!)
Superfast Jellyfish 10/10 (Feel Good Inc. of this album - need I say more?)
Empire Ants 10/10 (true art - first half dreamy and Albarny and the second half...! Well just experience that!)
Glitter Freeze 7/10 (something like The National Anthem from Radiohead's Kid A - crazy, repetitive motiff made to remind you of danger - but I like it more here)
Some Kind of Nature 8/10 (love the way the not really melodic parts of Lou Reed mash with highly melodic 2D)
On Melancholy Hill 10/10 (pop masterpiece - so sad and longing but relieving at the same time - summer hit and much more)
Broken 8/10 (Albarn at his best - unusual pop track with whistling sythesisers)
Sweepstakes 4/10 (too much rap for me)
Plastic Beach 8/10 (another true pop moment - brilliant electric piano arpeggios, melodic, catchy, lazy, singy)
To Binge 7/10 (Hawaii! or Haiti - anyway appropriate soundtrack while laying on the beach and watching the sun going down)
Cloud of Unknowing 10/10 (very moving singing from Bobby Womack over ghostly music - wow!)
Pirate Jet 5/10 (lousy track relieving after brilliant previous song and lazy, sunny closer)

Total: 128/160 -> 8/10

Paradoxically this album may not be truly appropriate for many pop listeners, but On Melancholy Hill, Empire Ants and some more may and should please them as well as snobbish art-rock listeners (like me, from time to time at least). The album stands more powerful as the whole concept than its parts.

2010-05-22T00:41:00.005+02:00

I think that most of the people have forgotten what this song is about. Because the melody itself is so good and memorable and the song is so famous.

And I know I just discovered the meaning of it. I feel it.

Ayrton Senna

2010-03-21T21:41:00.002+01:00

He would be 50 today.

Happy birthday Ayrton! You are the one who combines all that a hero needs. Spirit, skills, humanity, anger, willingness to victory, and what is most important, faith.

I want my, I want my MTV...!

2010-03-19T23:42:00.000+01:00

Yesterday...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFhKmMWG3WE

Found it accidentally and had to write this short commentaire. Just spot the right-up corner. D'you know what I mean, yeah yeah? That was MTV back then...

But to be honest, although in general I'm against all this "sex, dance and beat 'n' house" pop shit of today, I like Lady G., she's original and intelligent at least. And she knows she's kitsch*. Rihanna doesn't.

Then pop music was art, now pop music is a**. Bitter I am. God forgive me these words.

T.

PS. Lord, they even used to play Vangelis on the radio back then.
PPS. By the way, Mull of Kintyre is still Britain's second biggest selling single of all time, apart charity singles. It only falls short of Elton John's remake of "Candle in the Wind" for the Lady D.

Chopin's year

2010-03-07T18:13:00.001+01:00

Fryderyk Chopin, famous Polish composer and pianist, one of the most prolific musicians of all time was born 200 years ago- hence 2010 is the Chopin year.

And here's a brilliant tribute to him. But what would be a post of mine without some "influences in music" sauce over it?

So, here we go: Chopin vs Radiohead and outstanding Jack Conte as a performer. Just wow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X-PRpqj7N4&feature=grec

Please don't wake me or the importance of being idle

2010-03-06T16:30:00.002+01:00

For the lazy people.

The classic (funny video - you can watch the Beatles cartoon or just the song itself from 2:00):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlKCxJ2o_fk

The remake of the classic and a classic itself (childhood memories for me, Beatles at the disco =):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0nXhQj-mis&feature=related

And the Beatles influenced but really a classic on it's own (love the video as well):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jySfU10IQu4

Try it out. I'm proud to be lazy!

Rock was pop, now is alternative

2010-03-01T16:42:00.006+01:00

I mean, you never know how contemporary music will be seen in future. Let's take a short look at the history of popular music of the last 50 days.
Since the 50s rock music ruled the world - Elvis, then The Beatles defined not only the era. Especially influences of the latter are being seen to this day - and I'm certain they will be. 70s was the time of classic rock - rock was pop of that time.
All this changed in the 80s. Rock was a bit of passé. No more Led Zeppelins, no more McCartneys and Yeses on charts. Synthesisers took over. Rock music was set to the role of an "alternative" - with some exceptions the name seems appropriate to this day. These exceptions were/are (for me at least):

U2 (ruled 1987-88) - an archetype of an alternative band - no more big solos, no more long instrumentals, but pure energy, stripped-down sound and heartfelt emotions. If I was to call one moment when U2 crashed the pop dominance of Michaels Jacksons and disco it would be 1987 and the album "The Joshua Tree" - they are still doing it occasionally.

Nirvana (ruled 1992-1994) - 11th January 1992 - "Nevermind" peaks the Billboard chart. Quite a feat for any rock band today (Except maybe U2). They ruled the world back then. Again for a while rock - called grunge then said to the other genres "sit and listen"

Oasis (ruled 1994-1997) - "Live Forever" was written as opposed to Nirvana's attitude "I will kill myself" but it was the time when Oasis took the reign after Seattle-based band and ruled for a while. Pop was rock back then. How I miss these days and I'm certain I'm not the only one.

Then after 1997 rock music was withdrawn and we set our radios to hip-hop, dance and so on, so sad. I don't dismiss this stuff, don't get me wrong but I can't really sense any truth in that. Yeah, Bono may be a bit pretentious, Cobain killed himself and Gallaghers are idiots. But they're true or at least were back then.

There are some rock bands now which show some potential to take the reign over pop scene once more. You don't have to particularly like them but Coldplay and Chris Martin's melodic skills (Bono said Martin is the best melodist since Noel Gallagher and on par with Paul McCartney) may win the prize. They didn't quite reach their "Joshua Tree" but anyway.

Oh yeah, some might say: Radiohead! They're certainly the most creative band of the last 20-30 years but they've got no chance of conquering the mass audience of radio listeners - they've got no hits, simple as that.

Rock music since the day of Elvis seems to me as a way of life rather than bland entertainment of today's Rihannas, Black Eyed Peases and so on. Way of life and way of saying something. But I might be wrong. I mean, you never know how contemporary music will be seen in future then?

(Oh, and the last thing, just found it now, maybe the most emotional song from this band, it hit me yesterday. For Kari! Hope you like it =)
Magnificent tune, isn't it? Tune man, not 50 Cent ;)

EDIT: Just found this, the colours and the atmoshere - everything seemed to me like destined for one person, you know who =) I post it here so you can watch or not ;)
All Around The World