Reviewing your parents' music collection
Punk is not dead. It's very much alive and well. And it hasn't always been limited to the mohawk wearing leather clad anarchists of 1970s London. It has seeped into the sounds of new wave, constructed a foundation for grunge, it has even found a questionable resurgence in nu metal. And it has spread, from… Continue reading Attwenger’s “Dog” or WTF is Austrian Dada Punk?
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Feel the darkness surround you. Sink back into the unknown. Loose all sensation of space. You exist in a vacuum, in a nothingness, in a room without walls or floors or ceiling. Welcome, to Heart Like a Grave. This is a first for me. I have never sincerely… Continue reading The Rough with the Smooth – Captain Cool Presents: “Heart Like a Grave” by Insomnium
What do ABBA and Johann Sebastian Bach have in common? They're both amazing musicians, that's for sure. But what you may not know is that they are also both referenced on Mike Oldfield's 1980 album QE2. My parents own 15 Mike Oldfield records. That is quite a lot. And although he is so majorly represented… Continue reading All Aboard, Crossing Genre Borders – “QE2” by Mike Oldfield
When you study popular music you tend to ask a lot of questions: Why was this piece of music recorded? Who was it recorded for? When and how was it recorded? Who is the target audience? How did the artist intend people to listen to their music? It can be a distraction sometimes when you… Continue reading Captain Cool Presents: Cari Cari’s “Anaana” or How I Found the Desert in Austria
When I think of Billy Joel I think of grand piano riffs, witty lyrics and unmatched talent for melody. What I don't think of is a production value that strives to match the Beatles' A Day in the Life, a record mixed with such an attention to detail and desire for pushing musical boundaries. That… Continue reading No Longer Just a Piano Man – Billy Joel’s “The Nylon Curtain”
The Dad Anthology 