Oh, For Genre's Sake!

I've been collecting music at a rapid rate lately, if only to keep up with what the journos are prattling about in NME and Kerrang. The latter, btw being a far superior informative magazine. Moving on.
Out of the vast collection, I have decided to share the latest (meaning released this year) albums with you.
So I began to listen to teh albums, research the various bands and then began to write a review of each album. It was all going hunky dory until I had to classify the band.
Um, ok.
My media player lists 120 different genres (booty brass amongst them!?!?)

Some bands are easy to classify, especially if they initiated the sub genre. Let's take Arcade Fire. They invented the Arcade Fire sound. So bands that sound like them you class as Indie a la Arcade Fire.
But then you get bands that sound like Arcade Fire on acid. Where do you put them then? Ac-Indie?
The entire concept of what makes a sound Indie has been distorted to such a degree, that, like Emo, it no longer has any connotation to its originators.

Now I've always stated that the term Indie should be used solely when describing UNSIGNED bands. And I will stick to this. Like bubblegum to a cashmere coat.

So I have done a little investigation and waded into the history of music genres.

Boys and girls: Welcome to School of Rock - Insano Style.
See tomorrows post for lesson 1.

As Promised...

I have twice raved about the Jozi indie rockers - The Bang. I can't begin to tell you how talented and innovative and completely awesome this band is, whether its live at the local or by listening to thier cd.
But if I can't convince you, read this, and this and this.
I even interviewed them for WickedRock.co.za. Here is the salvaged cd review from the crash of '05.

Yes, I realise most of the links are for myspace...sorry.

And the nominees are:

I've been nominated! Thank you!
Now, you just need to vote.

[UPDATE: Due to a technical problem on the SA blog Awards site, it turns out I am only a finalist in the Best SA Music blog. - Go figure!]

Do you think I'm the:
Best SA Music Blog
or
Best New Blog

This is soooooo exciting!!!!

Tough competition this year. Granny Wrangler and Peas are definitely going to give me a run for my money and The Chiz is also a strong contender...hmmm.

Good luck to everyone who has been nominated. May the best connected, I mean candidate win.

Note to self: More shameless plugging of local music...

And then the wheels fell off...

i'm not one to deny the fact that yes, I enjoy the good night out. However, London is not one of those places.
Saturday night started off all innocent...I shaved my legs, got all dressed up and made my way down to Carnaby Street to a club called Zebranos. Had every intention of leaving after one drink to go home and sleep. Yes, despite the getting dressed up!
Was a colleagues birthday party and well, one beer turned into two and I ended up having a pretty good time and was relatively sober when I left to catch the bus home.

However,

As I was standing waiting for the bus, wrangling with my mp3 player which has decided to die on me, I had the sudden and urgent need to pee. So I headed down teh street to my pub to use the facilities. As I was abotu to leave, the bouncers said I shoudl go downstairs and join the Rebel Rebel party night. Which I did.
I also met John Fratelli. Yep. Shook his hand, told him I had a great time at teh Apple Store gig and then went to get a beer.

After that, the night turns sketchy and all I really recall is some dancing, me throwing up, discreetly, then being bundled into a cab, arguing with teh cabbie for a reciept and waking up the next afternoon to discover a business card in my bra.

hmmmm...

And today the hangover hits me. Today. So am nursing it with coffee and doughnuts. Also woke up to a cold sore on my top lip.

So on the painful commute, I sat wondering...

Should I give up drinking all together?
It has led to most of my cringeworthy moments in life so far. But at the same time, i thoroughly enjoy that hazy feeling that a good glass of wine gives me. And I love tequila shots.
So no, I'm not going to give up drinking.
Well, only in public.
From now on, I'd only drink at home, where I know where my bed is, i don't need to wear high heels or deal with catching a cab.

Moving on...

Still flat hunting. Still job hunting.

Joyce is still crazy and P is still annoying.

will be funny and witty another time.

[UPDATE: Turns out, I gatecrashed John Fratellis Birthday Party. And the business card belonged to one of his mates.]

Fanning About

It's official.
Joyce has just crossed the line.
I am going to kill her!! Figuratively, of course.

I have one of the busiest days today (and yes, job/flat hunting is very important and can come before work) and she woke me up three times last night!! THREE!! WTF??

It all started off alright. Got home at a reasonable hour, armed with a box of Surf and Comfort fabric softner. It was laundry night. Well, purely because I had run out of jeans to wear and have to work tonight and tomorrow morning.

So I throw my jeans in the wash, open a bottle of vino and touch up my roots. All this very quietly in my room.
I then hang my wet jeans up on my drying rack and put the fan on them. Because in this weather, i'd be lucky if they're dry by Sunday! It had a quiet hum going that was drowned out by BBC news that Joyce insists on watching on the loudest setting.

I then do the rest of my laundry and hang them up. I nipped to P's room to watch Supernatural with him and find out abotu his new job whiel raiding his sweets collection (he gets it free form his new job). Halfway through Supernatural, Joyce sticks her head in P's door and tells us to stop fighting.
We weren't even talking.
Joyce: You mustn't fight.
Insano and P exchange surprised looks.
Joyce: Waht you watching?
Insano: Supernatural
Joyce: What's it about?
P: Two brothers who kill ghosts.
Joyce: But you can't kill ghosts.
Insano and P trying really hard to follow the adventure unfolding on the screen.
Insano: (words dripping cyanide) They can, Joyce. See? (points to screen where hottie pumps rock salt into spectre)
Joyce: (Blows a raspberry!!) Nonsense. (Waves arm and leaves room making R2D2 clicking sounds)
Insano and P look at eachother in confusion.
Insano: What's happening? I lost the plot somewhere!
P: Fuck it. (turns off TV)

I drifted back to my room only to find Joyce had turned the fan off. I turned to her.
Insano: Joyce, why did you turn off the fan?
Joyce: It was cold.
Insano: Joyce, it was in my room with the doors closed...
Joyce: It was using electricity.
Insano: Joyce, I really need to dry my jeans so that I can wear them tomorrow. I will turn it off as soon as its dry. Besides, I pay for electricity too.
Joyce: Why didn't you tell me? I could have washed them this afternoon!
Insano: No. It's not your responsibility..It's mine. I prefer to do my own laundry. (And she tends to overwash items out of pure forgetfulness and I don't like people looking through my dirty laundry anyway.)

I retreated to my room, closing the doors behind me and turning the fan on a low setting. by now it's after 12 and I am buggered!! Crawled into bed.
not 10 minutes later, I hear my bedroom doors slide open. I jolt up in bed and there stands the old crazy trying to reach over my laundry rack to turn the fan off.

Repeat above conversation.

she leaves and I turn the fan back on.

Rinse and repeat twice more!

And people wonder why my mirror nearly cracked when I looked into it this morning. Or that I nearly reduced a train conductor to tears with one look.

Now to get to work...

I give you Emo!

Blurry Good

I, Insane Insomniac, hereby sincerely apologise for every bad thing I have ever utter or thought about Blur.

I finally GET IT! They are awesome!

Thanks for reading,

Insano.