New Review (For Epic 45)

Dear all;

Here is a new album review for you featuring Epic 45 with their new album "Against the Pull of Autumn"

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Name of Act: Epic 45

Album Title: Against the Pull of autumn

Label: Where are my records (http://www.wherearemyrecords.net)

In some ways I prefer Instrumental albums to more vocal led albums.

This doesn't mean I hate albums by Singers. Albums like "Grace" by Jeff Buckley are among my all time favorite albums, but if you are not careful you can find yourself completely forgetting the tunes, which in their own way are just as important with the very fundamentals of music itself.

Take Epic 45's current (or new if you like) album "Against the Pull of Autumn". Aside from the occasional burst of vocals, this is an album that talks to you directly through it's music rather it's vocals, so even when a vocalist does appear in the song, it's vocals are usually mixed low enough in the mix so they come across as little more than another instrument themselves rather in the effect Mogwai used to use on their earlier records which made me think almost – I've heard all of this before.

However, the band's strengths lie when drop the Mogwai comparisons and embrace the more even widening cinematic feel of "Godspeed you Black Emperor!" Or "Explosions in the Sky" in tracks like almost twelve-minute title track, which begins off as a Piano song almost akin to John Cage or Philip Glass territory, but starts building up slowly
With slight layers of feed-back and drums in the 4th or 5th minute territory and leaves you wondering where it can lead to next, or the all too short finale track "River Traffic" which explodes into life half-way through with a wonderful guitar solo.

Either way, I recommend this album to people who like their music to be ever widening and ever expanding to take them into directions that they are not expecting. Although I am not perhaps as keen as their vocal led tracks, the instrumentation more than makes up for it and when they let rip with the guitars on the finale, it honestly leaves you almost breathless.

good stuff…

More and More

Dear all;

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was pretty relaxing and managed to get a little bit of work done on "Intermission". I am going to post a little extract from this on my website in a bit…. They can be found here – http://www.geocities.com/aen1mpo/inter.htm

I am about 40 odd pages into it now (around 10,000 words or so) and depend the fact it is still incredibly rough it is looking pretty good.

Besides that, I am going to sit down and start plotting out my next batch of questions for my next lot of interviews – there is quite a few new bands I am currently in contact about interviews and in addition, I have got a contact for posting out a copy of the last D.I.H CD "Internal Conflict" and also my Christmas CD for 2004.

I have also had a little bit of feedback from the current Christmas CD… Here are some of the comments I have had back so far…. They will be updated as I am still awaiting feed-back from a few people who have had copies sent to them…

"I enjoyed it" Andy Callen, Singer of "The Spinning Fields"

"…A great mix of light and dark." – Angry Left Wing Mofo Editor – Conor.

"A masterpiece" Isobel Heyworth

"Very Strange, I must say although I expected nothing less really!" E, Bourenmouth

"Excellent, " P, Manchester

"Best yet", Mera, singer from Mercurine

"Some lovely stuff", Liz, author off the albums "Caterina Flavour" AND "Plays KKFS"

"I love track 13 in particular", Ergo

"Lol – was that my only input on track 15 "Bollocks! – Now where's my royalties cheque?" – Tony Moorstol, W@ Vocalist

More to follow in the New Year – in the mean time, have a wonderful New Year – I am going out on the town with my brand spanking new Mercurine T-shirt!

Have fun

Andy N xxx

3 days and counting (well nearly)

Last post before Xmas - thankfully, aside from a tiny little bit of wrapping to do, I have got it all done and judging by how busy Manchester is / was last week-end, I think it was almost certainly for the best....

Hope you all have a happy Christmas.. Setting Sun will return again in January 2005 with lots more exciting interviews etc.. I am currently waiting for interviews back from Film School, Persil and Little Whores on the Prairie and am currently in the process now of setting up at least two more interviews for the New Year..

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the enclosed piece called “Christmas Day (Early morning)….

Have fun

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Andy N xx


*****

Christmas Day (Early Morning)

(For H)

Even the roads were quiet that night. The sky was crimson but had lines of blue and broken cloud hovering around the outside of it while the moon was hiding somewhere behind them lingering nervously like a frightened child.

Even the roads were silent that night – one or two of the streetlights had shorted out so the shadows instead of touching on my front door step were now completely swamped by it.

There was no shops open, no take aways, which would sometimes have queues of people waiting outside for their greasy chips or smudged peas.

No off licences selling out of date cans of lager or mouldy packs of sweets.

There was no trail of taxis lining up the streets, no pissed up teenager girls in ridiculous mini skirts and high heels that must cause them un-imaginable pain in every step they took and that was before they started drinking.

There was no neighbours screaming at children or telling them to get in for their bloody lunch, tea or whatever other reason.

Cars were deserted and some had mud dangling off the edge of their wheels.

There was no husbands taking their dogs for a walk across the old deserted park towards the old factory where their wives would have just finished working the late shift.

No movement or motion of action.

No desire or thought.

No laughter or sudden tears.

No life or aching memories.

The world still seems far away

And as I shut my curtains, I realise I still miss you….


(Copyright Andy N @ 2004)

Christmas mp3's...

Dear all;

So we are getting nearer and nearer and nearer.... And as normal, I still have tons of things to sort out and no time, but oh well...

I will be writing more soon, but in the meantime, I have posted some new Christmas MP3's on my website....

http://www.geocities.com/aen1mpo/mp3.htm

Have a look for yourself...

Have fun

Andy N xxx

Christmas...

Two weeks today and we are here, and I have am about half way through it... I will be glad when it is all over!

Manchester is so busy today it is plain silly!

Hope you are having fun

Andy n xxx

more and more and more news of course..

Dear all;

Hi there! How are you all? Well here I am again late as always, here I am again with another less than daily update on my blogspot.

I have been reading a couple of these recently out of interest, and it makes me laugh how much time some people actually spend on them. I was reading in a local newspaper recently for example, and some girl in America is actually bringing a book based on her on-line journals where she reveals everything and anything, but anyway...
Since I last wrote, I have been busy as always with work and stuff - trying to get another job / more work which is the story of my life sometimes, but in addition to that I have gathered two more interviews for "Setting Sun", featuring following:

The excellent improvised cello / classical music of Bela Emerson (http://www.geocities.com/aen1mpo/bella.htm)

The other featuring the just as excellent the slightly more poppier Holly Lerski (http://www.geocities.com/aen1mpo/holly.htm).

Both of them are of course well worth checking out....

In addition to that, I have been sorting out more interviews for Setting Sun - including one with a band with the interesting name of "Little Whores on the Prairie", which sounds be interesting..
Writing wise, haven't really been doing too much really as I am currently working on a new longer piece of fiction and maybe also another piece of fan fiction for "Straight to Hell" (but more on them another day), I did however enter a writing competition for my local library, where I submitted several pieces of poetry which I am not that convinced by, but hey....

The competition itself was on food, and you had to submit a maximum of three poems each of which had to be under 16 lines, I did two and here they are (don't say I didn't warn you)

ODE TO LOVE OF CREAM CAKES

I love them
I love them
I love them
I love them
but not as much as Mince Pies

Andy N @ - 01/12/2004

MEMORIES
A broken and defiled apple
Not blossomed in the spring breeze.

A long winded banana
agash in the summer dreams.

Memories of my garden as a child
where once I used to eat fruit
now I eat words and drink the air.

Andy N @ - 01/12/2004

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Lastly, to add to a ever expanding post, here a list of couple of good sites for checking out for mp3 down-loading...

http://www.ocnos.com/descargas/index.html (Sigor Ros mp3)

http://www.ticket2ride.it/sounds.htm (Ride mp3)

http://www.geocities.com/schitzophonic04/downloads.html (Wildhearts mp3 - for Mo Dave)

Have fun

Andy n xxx