Into the Unknown

Navigating the Eastward Passage

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

The Beginning

Well people, I've made the move East, leaving the safe surroundings of the town I called home fo nearly 23 years to take my first steps into the jungle that is teaching in a Scottish Comprehensive secondary school. From now on, this blog will be a journal of my experiences in my placement school throughout my probationary year (with names changed to protect the innocent) in education. It will undoubtedly be an experience and will have it ups and downs, hopefully myself and any others in a similar situation will be able to share these experiences if they find this site.

As a start, I've just completed three days induction with the rest of the lambs, sorry probationers, placed in my local authority for this year. Despite the realisation it placed on us all that this was the official beginning it has been worthwhile getting to know people before heading into school (note to non-teachers, teachers as just as likely to fom cliques as pupils) and getting some positive advice before starting. Just got the two in-set days between me and my fate, wish me luck!!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Bad Day at Work?



Been selecting which CDs to take with me when I move out of my parent's house later on this week and its tough - so far I've managed to condense my collection down to about 150 records, just the essential listening but I keep adding more. Two bands that have been redisovered these past few days have been Boris and F-Minus.


Boris are from Japan and are best known as a sludge/doom style Melvins worshipping bunch of stoners (even their name comes from a Melvins song). On this album, Amplifier Worship that's actually a pretty fair description of their sound if you add in a little crusty-style punk riffing - the monumental Kuruimizu. Also been listening to some tracks off of their more recent efforts Rocks and Pink over the last few days and I've been impressed by the range of sounds they incorporate without losing what Boris is. They've went on a more post-rock trip of late but its all good. Now, we just need someone to get busy and actually bother to license the rest of their back catalogue over here.

Everyone should have an F-Minus album in their record collection. In fact, everyone should have this F-Minus album in their record collection. Actially read a review of this in Kerrang when it was released and bought in Avalanche a few weks later. This album is the soundtrack to a bad day at work (think it might be getting a lot of airtime in the next few weeks) - I can't think of any other album from the time this was released that was/is as angry and aggressive as tis bad boy. Despite being totally derivative (see Negative Approach/Nausea/Discharge) the sheer power and velocity of the songs just slays me every time - seriously, if I've had a bad day I can slip on Property Damage, Vultures or (my personal favourite) White Collar Crime and just lose it for a few minutes (the whole album, all 20 songs, is over in like 21 minutes - there is no fat or filler on this here record) and feel soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Generic Damage

All of us here understand the majesty of Flipper and Black Falg - the primal rush and the primal sludge. It's very rare that I get the same kind of rush from modern music (maybe I just don't listen to the right music nowadays). However, there are a few modern bands that are currently channeling the energy and spirit of the Flag and Flipper - bands such as the Bronx, Part Chimp, Boris, Winnebago Deal and Pissed Jeans. Today I want to give a little mention to Part Chimp and Whirlwind Heat.

Part Chimp are from England (somewhere) and have released two albums on the Rock Action label (run by Mogwai) - I Am Come and the brilliantly named Chart Pimp (see what they did there). Both are worthy records, with clear influence from the Mogwai school of noise and the dirge style songwriting of Flipper (and that's a good thing) . Their last release was a three track EP called Black Cross which is possibly the rockiest thing they've done, particularly the title track which rocks like Black Flag circa In My Head (but with the rush of the Damaged era).

In contrast, Winnebago Deal (who I constantly confuse with Whirlwind Heat, not due to their sound but their similar-ish names) are total Flag-Heads mixed with a little more rock'n'roll feeling (what I imagine In the Red bands to sound like - I've only really heard the Hunches). Their first two EPs, Plato O Plomo and George Dickel absolutely shred (download Manhunt here) - seriously, for only a drummer and a guitarist they make the most unholy of rackets, White Stripes this is not (I know that's a lame comparison but its early and I can't think of any other two pieces at the minute). Even the artwork is reminiscent of Black Flag with cartoon-style renderings of dark characters (actually like a visual representation of half Big Black's output). All in all a ripping band (not too sure on their debut album Dead and Gone) with a new album just released - Flight of the Raven and a tour in support of the Bronx (goin to have to try and get tickets for that one - I've seen the Bronx live before and they were excellent, especially their cover of The Needle and the Damage Done).

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Vader Blues

Just found this Star Wars parody made using different vocal tracks from a number of other James Earl Jones films detailing Darth Vader's slide into a nervous breakdown after his woman leaves him. You've got to watch this!

End of an Era

Well, I'm now officially free from the realm of retail employment with nothing much of anything to do for the next couple of weeks before starting my new job. Thought it would feel stranger than it is at the minute, having been at my job for over four years but .... still, got to listen to some decent music to close my last day - Steppin' Out of Line: The Anthology by the Au Pairs. Have to say I've been very impressed by this group over the last few months since hearing You on the Rough Trade Post Punk vol.1 compilation. That cut made me go and find some more and in my searching I found 'Headache for Michelle' and 'Come Again', another two excellent songs. Although these three tracks are probably the best on the 2 disc anthology (along with the demos of the third album from 1983) there is very little if any real filler material - these folks had quite the strike rate. The bass really stands out to me, with it's throbbing, PiL like resonance married to the punk funk stylings of Delta 5/Contortions/Bristol scene - particularly on the slower 'Headache for Michelle'. The band were actually contemporaries of Delta 5 and Gang of Four in the Leeds/Birmingham area of central England from 1979-1983, cutting two albums, a live disc and a couple of EPs, none of which really sound too similar whilst still being recognisable as the Au Pairs, before disbandind after tensions became too great (as usual). Overall, a very nice package with excellent music.

On other topics, think I've been spending too much time surfing the blogosphere already - and I still have 2 weeks of time to kill! Two sites everyone should be reading religiously are those produced by Jay over at Agony Shorthand and Dave at Lexicon Devil, both of which are extremely informative and engaging to read. Both sites cover a wide selection of styles but are centred on rock'n'roll, especially that old Punk rock we're so keen on round these parts (for further evidence type SST into the search engine on Lexicon Devil!). Ignore any criticism this guy throws at them in his sporadic bouts of self important whining. Seriously, I know that Jay voted him most thin-skinned blogger a while back but it doesn't come close - I assume there is some back story to it all but why can't he just keep it to the music? Besides that small whinge I actually don't dig his site much (that said, if you are looking to get into the more esoteric sounds of the 60s and 70s it could very well be an invaluable resource), the writing style is just too self important - a 'look what I found/own/wrote' style of prose, basically the sound of someone being obscure for the sake of being obscure (hey, I do it myself sometimes too) - and just not really engaging, sort of like reading an encyclopedia (in that you know its full of no doubt useful and important information but you just can't bring yourself to finish any more than the odd article).

Another good read is 20jazzfunkgreats, for all your dissonant and funky needs (sometimes at the same time. Although I don't dig everything they post over there (actually, probably about 70%) they do cover a lot of good stuff from the post punk/no wave era and even when I don't really like the music its still good to read. Also, they introduced me to the joys of DJ Scotch Egg - everyone should find a copy of his KFC-core album purely for 'Tetris Wonderland', oh how it takes me back to the days when the Game Boy ruled the roost (I only had a Sega Game Gear).

Who are the Fratellis and what do they want?

Arrgh! Just flipped channels to escape one of those annoying adverts advertising ringtones for mobiles and found myself watching a Fratellis video on the NME (New Music Enemy anyone?) chart rundown on MTV2 (I have weak moments just like everyone else) and was disturbed a) by the general inaneness of the song and b) by the high concentration of ugly in the video - I'm sorry but the whole band (especially the drummer) could do with a number of visits to their nearest dentist. Almost put me off my breakfast - only lasted about 30secs before it all got too much and I took my chances with Kerrang! Why do the British music press continue to hype and push bands such as these? I mean, I do like a number of new(ish) bands such as Bloc Party, the Futureheads, Long Blondes, Pipettes, Mystery Jets, Forward Russia and the Kooks(maybe - haven't decided on that last one yet) but does the world really need the likes of the Killers (personal grudge - I just can't stand them), Razorlight and any half-bit garage-lite guff that followed the Strokes? Hmm, maybe its just too early to start on this rant, need to save it for another time.