Alli's Articles
INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS, CULTURE PIECES, MUSICAL RAMBLINGS.
I've been doing this as kind of a lowkey thing, but for every month of 2016, I've been making a playlist of my favorite songs during it.
I got the idea from someone I was following on Instagram in March, and I really like it. It allows me to revisit that time and things that happened in that time since I was v specific with the songs I listened to. So, I decided to pick 2-3 songs from each month and explain the nostalgic value of them. Enjoy!
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New artist from England. Legendary guitar player. Amazing hair. All three of these things can perfectly sum up Alfie Templeman, who I had the privilege of interviewing today.
Alfie just released his new album, The Gathering, in November. Suprisingly, it sold more than 200 copies on Bandcamp in one day! When I listened to it, I immediately felt like I was transported into some sort of tiny Cracker-Barrel-esque shop in a small town from the 60s. I live right outside NYC, and I'm only 15, so that's impressive. Anyway, that's enough fangirling, let's get on with the questions! Alli: What was the song/album that made you decide "yes, i want to rock out like THAT when I'm older?" Alfie: I'd say one of the key albums that put me on my tracks was definitely Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, IT had everything I wanted in an album. And it sounded so fresh to me, the way it was put together encouraged me to make music, and most importantly look for a variety of genres to impress people with. Alli: In the description for The Gathering on your Bandcamp, you said that this album was "recorded to show that we were an ironic band, as many people were too dumb to believe." How did those people change the way you wrote/preformed your music? Alfie: I think the way people changed our direction was the way they criticised it. It wasn't ever rude, or put ignorantly. If this would've occurred goodness knows what I would've started making. I think constructive criticism is the best thing anyone could ask for. People are willing to help you, and make you gain a bigger audience, and The Gathering was where I put all of it together, and people started to realise that it wasn't just one big play around. Alli: What is your current favorite "new" artist out there? Alfie: My favourite modern artist has to be Mac Demarco. He's the indie king. He's actually inspired me a lot, as he's a modern artist recording in his home, all by himself, like I do. And I admire that. He's like the new Prince or Paul McCartney, and even better in some places! (I totally agree with all of this. Mac is a genius. Plus, his Instagram is a national treasure.) Alli: If you could play in any gig/stadium in the world, where would you play? Alfie: If I could play anywhere I wanted, it would most likely be Hyde Park. That'd be a dream come true. (I would totally come to see you. Just gotta find some money to go to London and get over my fear of festivals.) Alli: How did you react when you saw that The Gathering sold more than 200 copies in one day?? Did you celebrate?? Alfie: I was gobsmacked when my record did over 200 copies, it was quite emotional, really. I'm just an independent artist and for all the support I had got, it really pleased me. And I've heard some people even say it's one of the best records of 2016, which is absolutely mind blowing. So yes, I had a mini celebration at 6am in the morning, dancing around like a loon. (I can relate. I dance around like a loon quite often, so you're not alone.) Alli: And finally, what is your favorite Liam Gallagher tweet of all time? Alfie: My favourite Liam Gallagher tweet? Gotta be "Doe's exactly what it says on the tin as you were LFUKING x" and no, they're not my spelling errors, that's the exact thing. (That's a classic. My personal favorite is "snore patrol Noel Gallaghers high flying smurfs who said rock n roll is dead LG" The signature in every one of his tweets gets me everytime.) Huge thanks to Alfie for taking the time to answer my hopefully interesting questions! Check out The Gathering and the rest of his music right about here. Check him out on Instagram for more stuff too! Make him VIRAL, honestly. He deserves it. Until next time, I'm Alli, and just in case I don't get another article up by the 31st, HAPPY NEW YEAR! So ready for this awful year to end. Love y'all xoxoxoxoxo Band Collaborations are weird. Like, the most random artist collaborate sometimes. This is a good thing most of the time, because hey, more music discoveries. This happened very recently when I was listening to Daft Punk's RAM, and Doin' it Right came on. Filled with a newfound curiosity, I clicked on the features artist, Panda Bear's, name. First of all, I wasn't prepared for how cute he would be. I SAY THAT WITH EVERY BAND I GET INTO, DAMMIT. Awww tho. He is a qt. Aaaanyway, his music is actually really trippy and cool. I loved all of the weird, unusual sounds that eventually faded into the beat in each track. A song in particular that does this is Mr Noah. (I thought the title was really adorable because his real name is Noah. Mr Noah. Like he's a teacher. Can you imagine walking into first period Chem class and he's there?! I would never fail at finding moles and all that stuff ever again.) I didn't realize until a couple days later that he was in the band Animal Collective as well. I only have heard one song by them, and I still don't even know what that song is. It was on a "calm, lo-fi" 8tracks mix. I like that they all have nicknames, like they do in my favefavefave band, Hippo Campus. Avey Tare, Geologist, Panda Bear, and Deakin. I think Deakin might just be the best one. Another thing I liked is their amazing music videos that really made me feel like I was on something. And I have never even seen a single weed before. There. Like Tampe Impala, but more on the experimental side. A lot of their music, or at least the songs I've heard, vary in influences, it seems. The one I just put on here sounds total Metronomy-ish. This next one (Which is the one on the playlist I mentioned earlier! I found it!) sounds like you're sitting in a garden of some sorts in the middle of Japan. Especially with those pictures. Verrrry nice. I almost just dozed off, but no! I must finish! There are several other songs I can show you here to epmhasize their many sounds, but the post would go on and on and I'd have to keep copy and pasting YouTube links forever and ever. I'll leave you with my favorite song + trippy video (yes I'm basic) and a message to listen to more of their songs + all of the member's solo work! Plus, check out their Tumblr fandom which is pretty funny. Happy discovering! It's that time of the year again, Christmas! I thought, "What better way to celebrate the Holidays than mixing things up on V&R a little?" The album, or really, the two songs, I will be breifly reviewing is the Weezer Christmas EP. Weezer released this EP in 2000, and it can be considered the "unknown" Christmas album by Weezer, oftne overshadowed by the one released in 2008. Bassist Mikey Welsh was also still in the band for this one. Before we dive in, I have to show you the cover. Please just relfect on that while reading these.
The Christmas Song - In comparison to the classical hits they recorded in '08, this song perfectly combines that good ol' Weezer angst of being abandoned by a girl with the spirit of the holidays. It's really perfect for anyone looking to be a little emo this 25th. Could you ever know that out somewhere There's a boy who really hurts? (really hurts) This lyric hit me as being super relatable and vague. Christmas is a time to be nice to people, and to actually care about their feelings, unlike the rest of the year. This lyric could mean anyone, really. Rivers himself, or just any other lonely person being left out this Christmas. I can relate to thinking the same thing when someone is mean to me during December. "This is CHRISTMAS SEASON! Have some respect." Christmas Celebration - Just like any other Weezer album, they bounce back from a really depressing tune to a whiney, complaining, witty guitar solo-fest. The lyrics that poke fun at some Christmas tradtions ("And the pageantry is such a bore," "That man is so obese that he can’t get out the door," "But I’d rather eat some mace 'cause the egg-nog always makes me sick," need I continue?) give off a Blink-182 Christmas song vibe. Even though this song has a faster tempo, it includes all of the teenage rebellion andangst as the first song. And that's what Weezer is all about, right? I prefer these two songs over the covers because they really show who Weezer are as songwriters and preformers. Even though the 2008 EP sounds like them with all of the guitars and such, I feel like they had more freedom to add their own angsty elements here (especially during this era), and I really wish they came up with more songs. I don't know if you guys have heard, but it now costs money to use 8tracks, which was my favorite thing ever and the reason for discovering many of my favorite bands. I am beyond saddened to hear this, that I have to cram all of my fave mixes into three hours. RIP Sweet Prince. I was doing some browsing on the web, and I suddenly found a link to a so called "replacement" for 8tracks, a website called Stayed Up All Night. Apparently it's free and easy to sign up to. You can design your own little cassette tape using stickers and doodles and put any song you want on there. Plus, it's free. Did I mention that?
Interested and in desperate need for another website where I can make my own little dumb mixes, I signed up and decided to give it a go. Hello, my name is Alli, and today I'm going to be proposing a great product idea, just in time for the Holidays! The Gorillaz have done it, The Beatles have done it, but why has no one else thought of this as a merch item: ACTION FIGURES. Just imagine it. Action figures are in again. You go to your local comic store that you really didn't know about. As soon as you walk in, you see your fave band. In figure form. How amazing is that? PROS: - If you never get to meet your fave band, at least they'll be there to confort you, plastically. (Is that a word?) - It could bring out the inner kid in adult fans. Just bust out your old Barbies and reenact scenarios that have a .00001% chance of happening. - Honestly, I mean, are there ANY cons? Action figures are the best. And I don't mean just the tiny ones they give to you in Happy Meals at McDonalds. I mean full blown, movable limbs, all that stuff. If Linkin Park has their own set of Nedoroid figures, any band should. The only con I see is that when you get changed or go to sleep, you're gonna have to turn them the other way because it feels like they're looking at you. I do this with records, too. If it has the band on the cover, I have to turn them around. Is that just me or does anyone else do that? And don't even get me started on stuffed animals.
If you're a band who is interested in selling figures as merch, I have no idea how to make them, but for you I'd try anything. Please consider. Xoxo. Okay so I had no time to write ANYTHING yesterday because I was completely overwhelmed with life and gifts and friends and paragraphs and anxiety and stress and other craziness. Anyway, some grea gifts I got include a David Bowie Coloring Book, records, the best shirt in the world, a printer that turns normal pictures into polaroids, and the pug-liest ugly christmas sweater ever. School was annoying and I had approximately 15 tests, but I was bombarded by "happy birthdays" everywhere I went. Because the website I get my grades on tells the whole faculty when my birthday is. Like, I've never been told happy birthday that many times in one sitting. I went to dinner at the "Burrito Bar." There was NO ONE there, so we had the whole place to ourselves. I had the best fajita ever. When I got home I did some competitive Wii-ing with my bro. I had enough time to relax at the end of the day and watch some Limmy's show. ALONG WITH THIS MASTERPIECE THAT CAME OUT TODAY. So, a quality birthday, and definitely on my "top 5 birthdays" list.
The day had finally come. Do you understand how much I've been looking forward to do this V&R? Very.
But yes, Pete Doherty finally released his new album, Hamburg Demonstrations, which contains some old songs, I think, that have only been released before as demos and live things on YouTube. So, I'm excited to dive into the archives of Pete's discog! Are you? No? Perfect! Let's go anyway! >:) 1. Kolly Kibber - It's so nice to be greeted with that trademark Pete acoustic. The words flow like a real poem should. Which makes sense. Because. You know. He's a poet. I especially enjoyed the piano, and I think it made the song filled with energy and excitement. The bit in the middle of the song with the choir in the back was a nice edition and really made the song feel like a relaxing, fun jam. 2. Down for the Outing - I like these two songs so far because they are simple yet intricate. The melody of this song is very well done and calm, yet you can still hear the emotion in Pete's voice more than ever. The songs are so light and sunny because his voice is just so nice. I had to listen to this song twice because I realized "Ok, this song is kind of depressing once you look at the lyrics." But good job covering that up. Always. A+. 3. Birdcage - The thing I like most about Pete's songs, especially in this album, is that they flow together. They'll use the same instruments and his voice won't raise or drop, but they all are unique in their own way. For example, I noticed that thing song was more fast-paced and kind of sounded more rock-ish, if that makes sense. Like, less calm, a 70s power ballad vibe. And that's awesome. Diversity is awesome! Also, the duet that happened was unexpected, but perfect. Their voices go together really well, wow! Now, i need to find out who that lady is. 4. Hell to Pay at the Gates of Heaven - Okay, can we just disregard what I said about Pete not raising his vocal range? Wow. That's some nice stuff. I got a complete folk rock feel for this song. Like, all of his songs sound folk-ish, but this song transported me to a Cracker Barrel. And I live in the city! Impressive. 5. Flags from the Old Regime - At first I thought, "Wait, doesn't that song exist? Why is he releasing it like a million times?" And then I realized it said "FROM" not "OF". I need to pay closer attention. Even though they kind of have similar elements, I prefer this one because this one sounds a lot more home-y, if that makes sense. Like it was recorded in a cute little kitchen. I feel like that's the sound these lyrics should have, because it's a really sinsere song. 6. I Don't Love Anyone (but You're Not Just Anyone) V2 - OH CRAP! IT'S A WAR OF THE TWO VERSIONS! THIS SHOULD BE GOOD! I fell in love with the original so quickly, but I have to say, this one was so b e a u t i f u l with the violin that it really got to me. I thought that they lyrics were pretty before, and now I see them in another light when it's paired with equally melancholy music. So yes, both versions are my favorite, but this one goes better with the lyrics. Sorry V1. 7. A Spy in the House of Love - The IPhone Email sound in the beginning made me laugh because I actually looked at my phone thinking it was me because I'm an idiot. Being distracted by it, I wasn't prepared for the beautiful clash of instruments that happened. Like, the whole song just came together, and I was immediately taken away from reality. This track was more groovy and cool than what I've heard so far. Probably one of my favorites so far. It sounds like it would play in a movie about a spy, which just goes to show you how the instruments connect with the lyrics. Okay, that kind of didn't make any sense, but I don't know how else to describe it. Everything is just in it's right place okay? Radiohead pun totally intended. 8. Oily Boker - This song transioned from a nice calm jam, another "Recorded in a tiny kitchen song," to "OH MY GOD THAT GUY IS SCREAMING AT ME" to "Oh it's calm again. Also there's a harmonica now." NIce buildup, climax, and falling action. Really reminds me of a song I know Liah reviewed, a little diddy called Daydream/Wetdream/Nightmare by Saint Motel. An album isn't perfect without a three-parter. 9. I Don't Love Anyone (but You're Not Just Anyone) V1 - (It doesn't actually say V1. Just added it so you wouldn't be confused.) I'm torn between these versions again because I like the instrumentals in this one too! I have no idea why I'm so drawn to this version, but it just makes me want to be in a relationship more than V2. I just don't dig slow songs. Their differences are good, though! Pete provided a version of this quality love song for ballad lovers and slow song haters. It really deserves to be enjoyed and appreciated by everyone for it's lyrical content. 10. The Whole World Is Our Playground - I thought this song was gonna be totally different than it turned out to be. I thought it was going to be sappy because of the abundance of acoustics, but it turned into a cool, mysterious sappy love song all at the same time. It definitely took a lot of turns and provoked a whole lot of emotions in me for only being 2 and a half minutes long. Mr. Doherty, if you're seeing this, well done. I applaud you for this one. Slow clap it out. And this album ain't even over yet! 11. She is Far - This was one of the shorter albums I've done for V&R, and it really went by quickly. I don't want it to be over! Even though this song was an appropriate, sad send-off. I feel like it really tied in all of the sounds the album showcased really well. It has violin, "cute kitchen vibes", acoustic, cool spy movie at one point, and just all of the vocals. All of them. My only complaint? IT WAS TOO DANG SHORT. I WANT MORE! UGHH I WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS SONG FOREVER. I was on the hype train for this album since it was first announced, and IT DID NOT DISSAPOINT AT ALL. I had major respect for Pete before, but this took all that respect and inspiration and multiplied it by one billion. I TOTALLY reccomend this album for people who want to get into Pete's work at all, solo or with The Libs. It perfectly shows all of his skills and tricks. I give it 119/10 IPhone Notification Email Beeps. So yeah, pretty awesome early birthday gift. All I have to say is this: You know when you have that one weird crush you had in middle school? Like they weren't that attractive, they did strange things, but you were just straight obsessed with them for some reason? That's how I've been feeling this weekend, rekindling my Mac Demarco obsession. (I think it's his voice that does it. Especially in this next song. Hint hint.) I heard this song long, long ago on Music Choice Indie. I just loved how space-like it sounded. I haven't even heard Tame Impala back then, so this was the first experience I've had with all the psychedelic, trippy stuff in alt-music. I recently purchased the Salad Days CD in a record shop in Jersey and I've been listening to it every night lately, but that's not the only thing that's drawn me back to him. This interview popped up on my YouTube, and I've been dying at the last few seconds for ever. "You heard it from the source." Why is he my spirit animal? It wasn't until I watched some of Nardwuar's (who is who I aspire to be in life) interview with him that I realized "WOW, THE FACT THAT I AM SORT OF ATTRACTED TO HIM NOW IS ALARMING AND I SHOULD PROBABLY STOP. LIKE RIGHT NOW." *Warning. For grossness.* 0:59 to 1:47 is all you really need to know. Anyway, trying to get over that...scene is not very easy, but his voice is chill. So that's okay I guess. Mac is a crazy guy, that's for sure, but his music is LIT AF. So, I'm A Stan. Give him the badge. Liah, make that into a sticker. Stat. Have a good day folks, and before I sign off, enjoy this video. Be greeted by his wonderful tooth gap. This is sad because this is probably one of the last ATOCs for a while. I want to do a Saint Motel one, but honestly, you guys know what mostly happened already. I mean I guess Liah can do one, or we can do one together, but I just don't feel like writing it over for what feels like the 100th time. Anyway, on with Twenty One Pilots! A couple of my friends were actually going to this concert. We didn't meet up, but we did wave at each other across the rows. It was cool. I got a pretzel, a water, and sat down and enjoyed myself. I can really just skim over the opening acts, since I explained them in more detail in the opening acts story. You know, Chef'special, cute singer, conga line, Mutemath, everyone hated them but I thought they were cool, guy stood up on piano, pretty interesting and chill. This was probably the strangest concert I've been to, just because of the environment. In front of us we had this girl who I played softball with, and behind us we had these really entertaining drunk college-age guys who have never heard any other Pilots song besides Stressed Out. A lot of people (cough cough Liah) roast Twenty One Pilots constantly, mainly because of their fanbase (I don't blame them sometimes) but you have to admit, they really know how to put on a show. They made the crowd excited, they played all of the songs people wanted to hear, and they even brought out Chef'special and Mutemath near the end to sing Twist and Shout, reenact the Titanic scene (Josh Squared!) and even do the worm! (my brother got a video, it's legendary.) I mean, they're also so sweet and fmaily oriented. Tyler even brought out his brother to sing Kitchen Sink, and everyone cheered. Aw. They had a lot of interesting videos and shorts they played. One of which has Josh's face floating around in space, where his mouth kept on getting bigger and bigger. Eventually, he swallowed the screen. Fun. There was this one scene where there was this demon who gave Josh a drink of water. For some reason the drunk guys were laughing behind us screaming "That is NOT water!" You know what, why don't I just put some of thier quotes here. "I'm gonna be mostly sober by the end of this" "So these guys were yelling at us on the train" "no they were yelling at the girls" "oh yeah" "PLAY RIDE" "Dude were totally cheering for an encore" "Is that my prom date??? Oh no that just looks like her" "That is NOT water!" "For my going away party I am NOT going to a concert two opening acts is ridiculous" "Dude no one knows the words to your song..did he just say the best monk??" "YEAHH GRANDMA" "This is like high school all over again" *loudly screaming the words to stressed out* "ENCORE ENCORE ECNORE" *loudly screaming the yeah yeah yeah part in we don't believe what's on tv* Ithink that's a perfect conclusion. So yeah, great concert, great hype, fun family event. Definitely would see them again, and I think I am! |