The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Harmlessness

I had very high hopes for Harmlessness - I'd fallen in love with Whenever, If Ever and thought that Between Bodies was the perfect curve-ball to follow (how do you get round the "awkward second album"? Create something so far from what people were expecting that it simply isn't that). I ordered it straight away. However, on the first few listens, Harmlessness just didn't grab me. I played it a few times but nothing really stuck.

A few months later I decided to give the mp3s a listen at work and the album finally got stuck in my head. I played it again a couple of days later and again and then I couldn't get enough of it. I completely ignored it when it came to writing my 2015 End of Year List, but now it's one of my favourite albums of last year. The last few months have consisted of this album played very regularly.

Compared to their previous albums and EPs, there are fewer of the heavy moments and quirks but the feel of the band is still there - they still come across as the Godspeed of emo - daring and epic. I say this a lot, but there are highlight throughout the album, so I'm just going to list them:

You Can't Live There Forever is the gentle opener I wasn't expecting with lovely strings - it sets the album up perfectly but was probably also the thing that through me on those first few listens. January 10th 2014 was first song that really made an impression - I love the quick-paced life-story and the incredible female vocals that follow it for the rest of the song. The Word Lisa has a huge ending and the transition between Rage Against the Dying of the Light and Ra Patera Dance (with its short guitar solo and keyboard moment laced with strings) is seamless. Mental Health is beautiful and slow - nearly a ballad - whereas Wendover is the song that could most easily fit on an older album. Haircuts For Everybody is the most traditional emo song but also feels suitably huge when the soaring chorus kicks in. Side D then completes the album with the two longest songs - I Can Be Afraid of Anything and Mount Hum (which I truly hope is a Hum reference). The former has one of the albums most singable lines ("I really did dig my own hole") and explodes into a perfectly layered outro and the latter provides a wide-ranging closer.

All in all, I'm floored by this album. Listening to it now, I can't believe it took me so long to get into. I don't recommend TWIAB to many people (because I know the varied nature won't be everyone's cup of tea) but I've been recommending Harmlessness much more widely - the accessibility works in its favour but there's so much depth that the album is still growing on me; I didn't expect that to be the case. Even if they hadn't released Between Bodies, I think this album would have been the perfect cure to the "awkward second album". A magnificent album.

Format: Double 12", insert
Tracks: 13
Cost: £22 new
Bought: Banquet Records
When: 25/11/15
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code

Downtown - Downtown

I bought this album having never even heard of the band Downtown; in fact, I think I'm now one of the few people who has ever heard of the band Downtown. The story of how I ended up buying this album is sadly far more interesting than the album itself.

Nine years ago I was in Paris just after New Year. The Virgin Megastore on the Champs Elysees had a huge new year sale and pretty much everything in it was €5. I bought nearly 20 cds and a couple of records (it was 2007 and vinyl wasn't so readily available; the selection was thin but I picked up the excellent A Gun Called Tension LP and the less-excellent Make Believe by Weezer). I rummaged around to see if there was anything I else I half-fancied getting but there was little grabbing me. Given everything was so cheap, I decided that I should just chance it and buy something I knew less about. This record looked interesting - the artwork was fancy (a Klimt - my trendy Parisian friend recognised it straight away; I only knew from the signature) and the record label was based in New York - so I threw caution (and £3.35) to the wind and added it to my basket (an actual basket).

I think part of the reason I was so keen to buy something unknown and new was that I really wanted to discover a new band. My friend Vicky had been on holiday a while before and discovered The Postal Service. When she played it to us we all became huge fans. I really hoped that I'd be able to find an unknown band in a record in Paris, love the album and have all my friends love it too. The first part was easy, the second two weren't to be the case with Downtown.

I've not listened to this album in years, but I'm instantly reminded why it did little for me. Twilight starts the album with some weird mix between glitchy electronica and indie, but not in a good way. The singer's voice is a little on the annoying side, but not so much that it itself becomes an interesting part of the music. Lyrically it's pretty appalling too. At nearly an hour long it's also far too long. Alan Moulder and Flood (of Nine Inch Nails and Smashing Pumpkins fame) helped produce a couple of the songs but that doesn't offer much improvement. After a few songs I find I'm not paying any attention to the album at all; nothing stands out, nothing draws you in. There's a lyric/chorus on the last song which consists of just the words "Stay too long", which pretty much how I feel about this album.

I'm not being negative for the sake of it; this album just isn't very good. I looked the band up on Discogs and it looks like this was their sole release, along with a 12" single of the first song. I hope the two guys in the band have gone on to live fulfilling lives outside of the world of weak indie/electronic piss.

Format: Double 12"
Tracks: 12
Cost: £3.35 new
Bought: Virgin Megastore, Paris
When: 10/01/07
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Clint Mansell - In the Wall OST

I've not seen In the Wall, but I can assume that it is terrifying. The soundtrack alone is enough to send shivers down your spine. It says a lot about Clint Mansell's work that even without the film I'm getting, what I imagine are, the same sensations I'd get from watching it - discomfort, fear and trepidation.

Not only have I not seen In the Wall, I hadn't even heard of it when this pressing of the soundtrack got announced for Record Store Day 2014. However, I'm a huge fan of Clint Mansell's soundtracks so I figured it would be worth a go. I don't tend to listen to it in the same way that I do his other soundtracks, but that's mostly because the level of "uneasy listening" is about 10 points higher than elsewhere - if I tried to listen to this at work I'd constantly be jumping in my seat. It's a great soundtrack though and I do look forward to one day seeing the film that it accompanies.

This is the only record I have on Death Waltz, but they are known for the effort they put into their soundtrack releases and this one is no different - everything about the package is incredible - the vinyl is beautiful, there is an art print and huge poster and the sleeve has an obi-strip. The whole thing feels lovely. Sadly there isn't a download code (another reason I wouldn't listen to this album at work) and the record plays at 45rpm so feel like it's over before it's even started.

Format: 12", 12x12" art print, 36x36" poster
Tracks: 14
Cost: £19 new
Bought: Truck Store
When: 19/04/14
Colour: Brown with Yellow swirl
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go - 20th Anniversary Boxset

I was pretty excited when I heard that the Manics were putting out a 20th anniversary boxset of Everything Must Go. I'd been very happy with the boxsets for Generation Terrorists and The Holy Bible. My collection has long been missing a vinyl copy of EMG - it wouldn't have been too difficult to pick one up over the years and there's been a pricey Music On Vinyl reissue knocking around for while now. However, it has avoided me, so this is a nice way to include it.

First off, there was no way I wasn't buying this. At the most basic level, I'm a sucker for a boxset and I love the Manics. On top of that, Everything Must Go is a huge album and full of great songs from a very important era of the band. After all that, there's all the bonus songs, the book, the signatures, the dvds; it's a very strong offering.

On the other hand, I have the 10th anniversary cd/dvd set which overlaps with this release significantly - almost all of the songs from the two cds there match the two cds here. Both contain a dvd with a documentary about the album but this set also contains a classic live show (more on that later) and the LP. On the surface, this is the obvious winner. I enjoyed the dvd documentary here but it made me want to watch the one from 10 years ago again too - in hindsight I dare say that the 10th anniversary dvd is a better documentary, plus it includes a bunch of live videos and the music videos from the album.

It's interesting, because The Holy Bible had a similar affair - both a 10th and 20th anniversary edition and, in that case, the 20th anniversary boxset was far superior. The same can't be said for Everything Must Go. However, that's not to say this isn't a great release just not as great as history has lead me to believe it could be.

With regards to the album, Everything Must Go is, of course, huge. I wrote about how incredible A Design For Life is when I wrote about the 12" single; make no mistake, that is a truly magnificent song and equally defines the album. I could never understand why the album didn't start with that song. I enjoy Elvis Impersonator and in any other setting it would make perfect sense as an opener. Maybe they were hoping to downplay A Design For Life by casually throwing it in as the second track - it doesn't work however, as that song will always dominate. There are so many great songs on Everything Must Go beyond A Design For Life (it's almost a shame they have to be compared relative to that song because it would still be an incredible album without A Design For Life) - all the singles are fantastic and Removables and No Surface All Feeling were always highlights.

Australia has always held a very special place in my heart - when I lived in Australia it was the first song I listened to when I got off the plane and when I left it was the last song I listened to before boarding. It was a strange bookend-ing to the trip - I had all these ideas for how life there would be which were so far away from how it actually was but I had such a great time that it was hard to imagine it any other way; I also realised I hadn't really thought about how I imagined life would turn out for a whole year. I think about those two moments every time I hear the song - sat on the airport shuttle at the start of my time there and then sat by the boarding gate about to leave. I love that music can transport you back to such precise moments in your life.

I was lucky enough to see the Manics play Everything Must Go in its entirety in the Royal Albert Hall earlier this year, which was incredible. If the Roundhouse was the right venue for the Holy Bible shows then The Royal Albert Hall was definitely the right venue for Everything Must Go - suitably grand but I could still be very near the band. The show was fantastic, so much so I toyed with the idea of going back the next night. I've been through many ups and downs with this band, but every time I see them live they reel me back in so easily. It was the tenth time I've seen them live and they always impress.

Which neatly brings me back around to the second dvd in this boxset; the live show from the Nynex Arena in Manchester. Having that show on dvd was certainly a large part of my excitement about this boxset. Nearly 18 years ago I bought a copy of Everything Live on VHS from a music (instrument) shop in Winchester that has long closed and I've forgotten the name of. I'd been listening to TIMTTMY for a year at that point and Generation Terrorists for a couple of months. I would end up buying Gold Against the Soul, The Holy Bible and Everything Must Go all on one day just over a week later; clearly the live show had impressed me. Of course there were a lot of songs that I didn't know and there were elements of Brit-pop to the crowd and the show, but there were these snippets of the classic leopard-print fans that reminded you (or, 18 years ago, educated me) that this band really meant something. Watching it again now (needless to say, I've not been able to watch the VHS for some years now) I still get excited when they play Faster, Roses in the Hospital, Motown Junk and Motorcycle Emptiness.

One of the things I loved the most about that VHS was the instrumental, orchestral version of A Design For Life playing at the start, with the whole crowd singing along. I've long been a sucker for a sing-along and I suspect that this was a key reason; I wished I'd been there singing with thousands of other people. My only real complaint with this release is that the cd reissue comes with a cd version of the Nynex live show, which I feel I need. Back when I was a teenager I dubbed the audio onto a MiniDisc, but my MiniDisc player has long died so I'd love to have the mp3s; I'll inevitably buy the cd release too at some point. I hope the sing-along version of A Design For Life is still at the beginning.

Format: 12", 2cd, 2dvd, booklet, signed, boxset
Tracks: 74
Cost: £58.95 new
Bought: Band website
When: 24/05/16
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: cd

This Bike is a Pipe Bomb - Front Seat Solidarity

This Bike is a Pipe Bomb were on that long list of bands I'd heard of but never heard. At Fest a couple of years ago I found a handful of their albums second-hand in the No Idea record shop, Arrow's Aim. I figured for $8 is was worth a go.

I had no idea what to expect of the band when the needle first hit the record. I knew they were on No Idea, which narrows things down a bit. On the surface the music comes across as quite simple upbeat punk - they remind me a lot of The Underground Railroad to Candyland in that respect. However, the lyrics are quite full-on and dark in places; Body Count and Forgotten Not Gone are perfect examples of that contrast between the music and the lyrics. In that respect you could draw comparisons to RVIVR or Bridge and Tunnel.

As far as discoveries go, I enjoy TBIAPB but they're not my new favourite band. The style of music is fun but sometimes jarring not always what I want to be listening to. I think it might pre-date mp3 download codes, so not having the mp3s doesn't help how often it gets played.

Format: 12", a4 insert
Tracks: 14
Cost: £5.60 second-hand
Bought: Arrow's Aim Records, Gainesville
When: 04/11/13
Colour: Gray marble
Etching: Side A: "You look good" Side B: "Indeed"
mp3s: no

One Minute Silence - Buy Now... Saved Later

One Minute Silence were, along with Pitchshifter, one of the most important bands of my middle-teenage years. Both bands made their first impression on me on a free cd given away with Kerrang! magazine - the now legendary (in my world at least) The Devil's Music Volume 1. Pitchshifter opened things up with Everything's Fucked, followed by my introduction to Henry Rollins (in the form of Rollin's Band), followed by One Minute Silence's Food For the Brain. That first 10 minutes changed my world in huge ways. My young mind didn't know what hit it.

That was more than half of my life ago, but it's a pleasant surprise that OMS's brand of Irish nu-metal has aged so well, although that might partly be due to the very firm place they hold in my heart. We saw them four times over three years - the most memorable was in the Astoria with Will Haven (featuring some terrifying circle pits) but I also fondly remember the last time, in an old church in Salisbury. I used to have so much fun throwing myself around at their shows - it's comforting to think that my youthful energy was not at all wasted.

I can't think when the last time I played this album was before today. I've played their third album once of twice in recent years and got moderate enjoyment out of it. However, Buy Now... Saved Later was always the classic. Their debut, Available In All Colours, had some huge songs (Brainspiller, South Central, Pig Until Proven Cop - I might have to give that album a play today too!), but didn't quite hit the same spot. I picked up a promo copy of BN...SL on cd (with alternative artwork) on holiday in the states when I was 16 but I already knew all the songs - Hugh had bought a copy a long time before and I had a very worn-down cassette of it.

I think the reason why OMS worked so well for me was that rare mix between quite smooth vocals, genuinely heavy music and a groove that you could dance (mosh) to. On top of that, there were occasional quieter moments (important for regaining one's breath in the pit), but they always exploded back into something heavy. I used to love hearing them play any of these songs, but it's worth calling out Rise and Shine, 1845, Food For the Brain, Fish Out of Water (what a side A), If I Can Change and A Day in the Light Of in particular. I loved trying to sing along to the fast-paced lyrics (with moderate success, probably adding to how knackered I was in the pit). Even the slower Words builds up to a hugely aggressive outro and closes the album in excellent style.

I picked up the LP during a trip to Selectadisc in Nottingham, which resulted in a number of incredible bargains - I was returning home after an open day at the university I'd go on to attend, but took a detour via Nottingham on the way. It was 2003 and clearly the staff there had decided that the only way to shift a OMS record was to price it at £2. I wonder how much more I would have paid for this album back then? I'm glad my desire to own everything on vinyl went so far back.

Format: 12", picture sleeve
Tracks: 14
Cost: £2 new
Bought: Selectadisc, Nottingham
When: 20/02/03
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no