Heart of a Punk Soul of a Rasta

GREETINGS! It's April 2011 and there's been a lot of music stuffed through our collective doors and into our pockets recently, but even though no one gives a flying fig what we have to say we're going to say it anyway. NB: Be aware unlike the dicks in the music press we buy all our music, so obviously we now a bit about them already - got previous form - seen them live etc. Also since we've already parted with our HARD EARNED KA$H we're not going to be bleeding happy bunnies if we don't like what we've got.

Also we don't mark LPs along side our reviews. Marking music out of five, ten or 27 is one of the most bogus and fatuous inventions known to music kind. You can't score music. This is done by the music press purely for the consumption of dullards who aren't really interested in music, the sort of dullards who will buy anything without using personal taste or preference as long as it gets a five out of five in MOJO. We don't need to or choose to do that, you aren't a dullard are you, and so we won't treat you like one. And we've got nothing to sell we're not a glorified advertisement awning like NME. All a review should do is tell it like the reviewer sees it (and it's nice if the reviewer knows something about the subject matter, but don't look for that here). This FANZINE is called HEART OF PUNK - SOUL OF A RASTA so take in the message and you should know where we're coming from from the get go.

Now I was listening to the radio the other day. Radio 4 of course, coz I'm an intellectual! (like f***). On the R4 news they had an item about "Record Clubs". Yep fear gripped my vitals too. Basically it's much the same as a book club (yawn) each week someone selects a vinyl record (usually a record that they deemed to be a "classic"). All the members of the club then congregate and listen to the LP from start to finish, without talking, nose picking or bum scratching, after which they talk about how it moved them over a rich tea biscuit and a cup of char served in a china cup. Little fingers must be extended whilst partaking and definitely no slurping.

The people running the RECORD CLUBS believe they are championing the ALBUM, which they see as a dieing art form. Oh dear. For me it was just further proof that we are living in the epoch of the idiot. It seems no one can find anything either serendipitously or by there own volition anymore (or can't be arsed to) they have to be led to it by the nose by a personal guide or by some fascistic organised twit club. No one wants to be an individual or make any mistakes nowadays, how dull is that?

But on the program there was a dissenting voice, talking against RECORD CLUBS. A twat was interviewed who said that RECORD CLUBS are pointless because due to the download the album is dead. He said "why do I want to listen to a whole album when I don't like some of the tracks on it. I just want to download the tracks I like. I don't want to listen to the rubbish bits." Of course there's no helping a twat like this. People who want a life without definition are already dead. This dick probably sits at home each night watching Clint Eastwood movies - the shoot out bits only. He probably has a Van Gough print on the wall - a vase bit only from the "Sunflowers" coz he doesn't like flowers. And he probably reads Agatha Christie before he goes to his bed bowes - but only the last ten pages of each book coz that's the only interesting bit. What a knob.

PORN WARNING!

Organised religion, Record Clubs and Disparate Downloads none of these things fill me with anything other than bile. All I know is, in order to LOVE music you must first have a discernable personal taste. It can be as bonkers and as ill thought out as you like but without discernment you can't be passionate. And what is music without passion? (That's not a rhetorical question so I'll answer it. The definition of music without passion is standing at the back of a venue whilst the band is playing, taking self portrait pics, texting people to tell them where you are and flicking through your apps during the encores). So forget the Record Clubs and the Dullards and Disparate Downloads individual taste is where its at, if you haven't got one already, acquire one, you won't be disappointed.

Now with the naff concept of the Record Club in mind it's time to sit up straight. Quite! No farting at the back there. Settle down, mobiles turned off? Good. Yes that means you Timothy. Thank you. Ready everyone? Yes now I'm going to put the stylus down, shush everyone, here goes:

Running order:-

The Strokes / Angles
The Pigeon Detectives / Up, Guards and at 'Em
EUPHORIC /// HEARTBREAK \\\ by Glasvegas
The Kills / Blood Pressures
The Young Knives / Ornaments from the Silver Arcade
Poly Styrene / Generation Indigo

Sorry some more PORN here.
But look at the speakers on this baby.
And that cheeky cassette winking at us.
What a Hitachi tease!





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