About The Last Shadow Puppets

I saw The Last Shadow Puppets -- one of the greatest bands of our time -- at the Flow Festival this year, about a month ago. I must admit I wasn't fully aware of their capability but I had quite high expectations anyway because I admire both Miles Kane and Alex Turner as individual musicians.

Well, the gig was just... perfect. I loved how it all started so dramatically with I think four violinists. And the first song was Bad Habits, which is my favourite even though it is a bit corny (or maybe because of that). Alex was like a mixture of a diva and a cat. He was roaming around the stage so smoothly, sometimes striking a pose for the spellbound audience. And Miles, he was just so cool wearing a silk gown. Those boys are a match made in heaven, and I bet they know it too.

So, after the show I've listened to their new album Everything You've Come  To Expect for at least 30 times and I've really grown to love it. It's a fine collection of elegant songs. Except the first song the music flows leisurely, but the album serves surprises too. I think one can hear the "good old times" in many songs, especially in Miracle Aligner and She Does The Woods. One of the best aspects to this album is that it has inspired me with my own artistic projects, I've painted quite a lot while listening to it.

When I said that The Last Shadow Puppets is one of the greatest bands of our time I really meant it. I don't think many bands can reach the same kind of hype as for example The Beatles and I don't expect Turner/Kane duet to do that either. But really, I haven't met many recent bands that can make songs that sound both new and old at the same time. Timeless and classy I mean. How they carry themselves and the music on the stage is also one thing in which they stand out. And because of this I was disappointed as our newspaper Helsingin Sanomat didn't write anyhting about their Flow show, but I guess it takes time to notice the real things.

Best of 2014

As you may have noticed, I'm a person who reacts to new music approximately 20 years after releasing. However this year and especially this autumn I tried to make a difference and checked out some new albums mentioned in different magazines and social media. What I learned from this experience was -- in contrast to my doubts -- that new music is good. I can't say I've explored all the albums of 2014, not even nearly, but what I have listened to has been indeed enjoyable.

So here's my list of the best albums of 2014. I must emphasize that I prefer albums over songs. Even though my list here contains only one song from each album, I recommend to listen to them wholly. The albums are not in any order, they're equally good in different ways.

Jack White - Lazaretto
Aphex Twin - Syro
Pöllöt - Pöllöt
Opeth - Pale Communion
Morrissey - World Peace Is None Of Your Business (sadly not on the Spotify list)
The Pineapple Thief - Magnolia
Pepe Willberg - Pepe & Saimaa

Review: Morrissey at Finlandia Hall 15.11.

I have three words that I want to repeat endlessly: MORRISSEY IS GOD.

MORRISSEY IS GOD.

MORRISSEY IS GOD.

MORRISSEY IS GOD.

MORRISSEY IS GOD.

MORRISSEY IS GOD.

MORRISSEY IS GOD.

MORRISSEY IS GOD.

Review: Opeth at The Circus 12.11.

One of the world's greatest progressive metal bands (and bands in general), Opeth, delighted us fans with their presence in Helsinki on Wednesday 12th of November. Here's my short commentary on their setlist and the atmosphere of the gig.

Before Opeth a French shoegaze band Alcest played some of their songs. I hadn't heard about them before, but I was very impressed. Especially their song Opale was extremely beautiful. I'm looking forward to listen to them more in the future.


The main performer was fantastic. As we know, Opeth's guys are most talented musicians. They can do incredible things with their instruments and they're completely synchronized. Still, they're not one bit arrogant. The front man of the band, Mikael Åkerfeldt, is just lovely when he jokes around between the songs. It was in this sense a very amusing concert!

The setlist was also golden: we got to hear songs from every period of their career.


1. Eternal Rains Will Come
2. Cusp of Eternity
3. Bleak
4. The Moor
5. Advent
6. Elysian Woes
7. Windowpane
8. The Devil's Orchard
9. You Suffer (Napalm Death cover, it was fucking hilarious!)
10. April Ethereal
11. The Lotus Eater
12. The Grand Conjuration (a friend of mine who regreted not coming to the gig told me that it's highly possible to become pregnant for Mikael Åkerfeldt when this song is heard live. Guess I'll give birth to a tiny progemessiah in nine months then!)
13. Encore: Deliverance

It was perfect. I can't complain about anything! I'm utterly happy I had the possibility to experience this. It was ~three hours of pure ecstasy.

My life-buoys

In the last post I brought out the sad side of my life and now I'm going to disclose it a bit more. ...Like Clockwork works well in the darkest hour, but when I'm looking for comforting music there's an immense amount of songs to listen to. I made a playlist of some of them:

1. The Smiths - Rubber Ring

2. The Doors - People Are Strange

Faces look ugly when you're alone

This comforts when I feel like an outsider.

3. The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored

I gotta be adored

This is expressing the most basic need very well.

4. Morrissey - Disappointed

'Cause I have spent my whole life
In ruins
Because of people who are "nice"

When I'm feeling bad about others' actions.

5. Orange Juice - Rip It Up

I hope to God you're not as dumb as you make out

(A person speaking to him/herself) Even though I make stupid mistakes I can try again.

6. Morrissey - Do Your Best And Don't Worry

This is you on a bad day, you in a pale day

Comparing yourself to others does no good.

7. The Smiths - You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby

You must suffer and cry for a longer time

Maybe some day I have suffered and cried enough?

8. Orange Juice - Falling And Laughing

'Cause I want to take the pleasure with the pain

This is such a pleasurefully bittersweet song.

9. The Smiths - Ask

If there's something you'd like to try

Ask me - I won't say "no" - how could I?

This is an encouraging song.

10. Talk Talk - It's My Life

How much do you

Commit yourself?

If I'm giving it my best, would be nice if others did so too.

11. The Smiths - Accept Yourself

Every day you must say

Oh, how do I feel about the past?

--

Anything is hard to find

When you will not open your eyes

It's good to question depressive thoughts that go over and over in my head and make my life so difficult. Sadly it's not easy to stop them, but when I'm not in the worst place this helps. I'd love to accept myself, and some days I even succeed.

12. The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection

You're a no one nowhere washed up baby

Who'd look better dead

Even if this song was written for anti-religious reasons, it's angry and even aggressive lyrics satisfy me properly when I'm blown up and very frustrated because of someone. It lets my steam off.

13. Morrissey - You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side

And here I am

I just love the thought that Morrissey is my ally in life. And all the other lovely people I have around me.

14. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??

You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last

This is a truly soothing song. It works with every kind of sorrow, because it puts things into perspective.

-------------------------------------------------------

In my case life without music wouldn't be worth living.

About the album "...Like Clockwork"

A couple of months ago a friend of mine recommended me an album from Queens of the Stone Age, ...Like Clockwork. I've been listening to it ever since and it feels evolving all the time. It's like some kind of a soundtrack of my life in this particular period of time. I've been through some huge life changes this year and concurrently fighting with depression. In this post I'll try to analyze what the songs and the entire album mean to me. Be aware of some depressive and extremely personal shit.

1. Keep Your Eyes Peeled

This song is pretty straightforward, which is good, because I don't trust my interpretation skills very much. For me this is about the ultimate negativity that depression can create in one's mind. It makes us lonely and bitter. I know there's happiness somewhere, it might even be within reach, but with the dreadful hate towards myself it's impossible to find. This feeling is deeply buried in my heart. I can sometimes forget about it, but it hurts me more and more viciously every time it comes up again. I'm sure there's a countless number of people feeling the same way, but we just can't ever know, because this is something we never talk about in this perfect world.

Musically this song is intriguing. As I'm a friend of clever basslines, this one-note bassline could be a problem. But it isn't, because the bass is giving such a nice rhythm. It's almost like another percussion, it has only a small melodical purpose, yet it's still powerful.

2. I Sat By The Ocean

This piece isn't lyrically the most essential for me. It offers good rock music and a pause between two quite painful songs. Of course for someone else this would be a royally important song.

3. The Vampyre Of Time And Memory

To be vulnerable is needed most of all
If you intend to truly fall apart

I guess being sensitive and frail are the worst features in a person, if you are the person yourself. With the hate I carry inside me I'm very weak.

You think the worst of all is far behind
The vampire of time and memories has died
I survived. I speak, I breathe,
I'm incomplete
I'm alive - hooray!
You're wrong again
'Cause I feel no love

Self-hatred makes life so empty. What's the difference being dead or alive? I despise myself so much that I easily forget how to love. Every now and then I remember, but it's very dangerous as love can end and that would break me again. I've seen it so many times. For people it's easy to have a crush on me, but as soon as I begin to trust it all disappears. I disappoint myself and I disappoint others in the way I don't even understand. It's not easy to be cheerful, when you have almost no control over the life you're living.

Everything can be summarized in this question:
Does anyone ever get this right?

4. If I Had A Tail

I love this song's attitude, the rhythm is confident. I think the lyrics are criticizing the shallow lifestyle and living up to others' expectations, not thinking on your own. For me this song is healing and empowering. Even if I had problems in my life, I don't have to accept everything from everyone (yet I still do). After all, being yourself and alone is far more better than being surrounded by superficial people.

5. My God Is The Sun

This song is my least favourite from this album. Probably I just don't understand it. Musically it's pretty unsurprising, too. To be honest I usually skip it,

6. Kalopsia

It's hard to decide what song is the best, but this definitely belongs to the top 3. The lyrics are brilliant, here's my interpretation:

I never lie
To myself
Tonight.

Rose, tinted eyes
Color my sorrow
A shade of 'why?'

Bye bye black balloon
See you real soon
Wave bye bye
Bye bye

In my case this is about questioning your sadness/self-hatred. For a moment you might be able to let it go, knowing it'll come back at some point. But the feeling of letting go is as beautiful as this song.

Why were you so sad
What have they done?
Forget those mindless baboons
They're off playing God

Copy cats in cheap suits
All playing it safe
While cannibals with their noose
Consume a parade

Is it wonderful?

As a depressed person, you easily put thoughts to other people's minds. At least I do, I create some distorted conversations with incognitos in my head. But have they really done anything? Mostly no. But I might think that they're "off playing God" and other stupid stuff. When I'm looking down on myself, I easily think that others do so too. It's way too easy to see them as a threat, like everyone wants to insult me whenever they get the opportunity. I feel that I'm no one, a disposable, easy to replace kind of a person. This is of course an unreasonable way to think, and I'm doing my best resisting it.

Well, there are a plenty of ways how to interpret these lines, so I don't blame you if my way seems wrong. I guess QOTSA meant the lyrics more straightforward: there's no reason to be sad because of the others, they're assholes who have no originality and who just want to destroy everything.

Kalopsia, kalopsia, kalopsia
Kalopsia, kalopsia


Wiktionary says that "kalopsia is the delusion of things being more beautiful than they are". This is a phenomena easy to be seen everywhere. I'm trying to break the delusion and show you how fucked up I am. However, I'm certain that when someone likes me, they just can't see how disgusting I am. At the same time it's awful, but somehow soothing too. It makes me feel like a liar.

Far, far from shore
The land of nightmares
Gone forever more

And I love you more
Than I can control
I don't even try
Why would I?

This could be about looking for a shelter for myself. It's hard to explain. Maybe life would be less messed up, if I just hated myself and not loved even a little bit? Because I do love I can't just end this. And maybe someday I will also love someone else and everything will be even more complicated. Sorry, this makes no sense.

Oh why the long face?
You've got it all wrong
Forget the rat in the race
We'll choke chain them all

Fates favor the ones
Who help themselves
The rest feel the sting of the lash
As they run, as they run
To hell

I think this concludes to the thought that you're the only one you can trust. You're the only one who can help you. It's kind of lonely, but luckily there are people with whom you can be lonely together. I love my friends and family, because they let me be this way even though sometimes I'm so difficult.

7. Fairweather Friends

I guess this is about how easy it is to go back to old habits and return to those who have deserted you. They feel safe, no matter how many times you realize they aren't doing any good.

8. Smooth Sailing

I really like this song. For me it's about the feeling when nothing matters anymore and you just do what you want. Sometimes I can feel this too, that there's nothing to lose, I'm already on the bottom.

Every temple is gold
Every hook is designed
Hell is but the temple
Of the closed mind

Wrong and right are such relativistic concepts.

9. I Appear Missing

This is about being dumped, I guess. I can relate strongly. At first love feels so good, but at some point the loved one realizes I'm nothing but an empty shell. Then I'm left alone heartbroken and nothing will be the same.

I go missing,
No longer exist
One day I hopeI'm someone you'd met

Maybe there's still hope for recovering, but I don't know. I don't even know if this is about any particular break up in my case, I just feel unloveable.

10. ...Like Clockwork

First of all, this is probably the most beautiful song made by such a band as QOTSA.

Everyone it seems
Has somewhere to go
And the faster the world spins
The shorter the lights will glow
And I’m swimming in the night
Chasing down the moon
The deeper in the water
The more I long for you

Most of what you see my dear is purely for show
Because not everything that goes around, comes back around you know
Holding on too long is just a fear of letting go
Because not everything that goes around, comes back around you know

One thing that is clear it’s all down hill from here

My love in your hand cleverly disguised
All the promises of stone, crumble in the light

Most of what you see my dear
Is worth letting go
Because not everything that goes around, comes back around you know
Holding on too long is just
A fear of want to show
Because not everything that goes around, comes back around you know
Not everything that goes around, comes back around you know

One thing that is clear
It’s all down hill from here

For me this is about how seeing others following their ambitions makes you feel even more lonely. You're the only one who has nothing, no one. Still, you know it's not good to build up an unreal scene of perfect life, perfect love. People are doing same mistakes over and over, because they think that's the way things should happen. Like clockwork. But why bother to do anything, when everything's so shallow and hopeless?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

This album fits perfectly to my darkest moments. It understands the pains of being a deeply insufficient human but also comforts and soothes. I may be alone, but I'm not the only one who goes through these things.

It is really scary to write about these feelings, because there's always the possibility of stigmatizing. I didn't write this to acquire pity or different kind of treatment. I wrote this because "I am human and I need to be loved just like anybody else does" and because this album is conversing on the different sides of that very basic need. This is an important album.

Let's take a walk

Hello friends.

Today I felt like listening to groovy bass lines, so I looked for songs with a walking bass. The sensation walking bass gives is absolutely swell and I'd like to share it with you, so here are some of the best lines I found! To be honest I'm not sure if all of them are technically walking, but it sounds like that. So, here we go...



Sorry for such a short post, but this music calls me to the dancefloor!