(reposted from my blog on apsense)

I own far too many cds, am currently going through them and finally get onto ripping the good tracks and getting rid of some of them (then I get to do the fun thing of reorganising/finding self room for the ones I've kept - yay) I've been meaning to do this ages so I'm going to be blogging reviews/observations of some of them either here or elsewhere (ones that fit may possible end up getting fleshed out enough to go in the/a zine)

Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue.

I got this album free as a reward from Promosquad (good site,  until it became US only - covered some  unknown to Britain bands and fell in love with The Dropkick Murphys thanks to it.)

Overall opinion: whiney pop-punk that's only with added violins (good) and (possible post 9/11 sentimentality) moping about dead people with a pos religious flavour.
If it wasn't for some of the music and the violins making this sound more than just the usual angstdrama I wouldn't've somehow been convinced this was good and would've got rid of this cd a lot sooner.

Tracks:
Way Away = Linkin Parkish angst rock, good but bit dull really - no violins.

Breathing = classic genuinely pop-punk - they seem to have remembered that the 'punk' bit of pop punk isn't meant to be inaudible. Near rap metal (in a good way) fiddling.

Ocean Avenue = good genuinely pop-punk about the nostalgia for the title track and the joys of staying up all night with your then best friend.

Empty Apartment = half good and half mushy as f**k. being an angry obsessed  stalker type is a good thing ? *confused*

Life Of A Salesman = I love my daddy and want to grow up to be just you, nice music but puke making sentiment.

Only One = loses the pop and remembers the shoutyness before becoming more  ballade. Still angry/upset/screaming his lungs out about that girl that doesn't fancy him.

One Year, Six Months = totally poppy ballad about loss love/friendship/relatives but it totally works and the violin fits.

Miles Apart is a keeper, Twentythree = I'm almost 23 and my life is over already because you don't love me or something.

View From Heaven = boo hoo hoo your dead, life stuck down here on earth is s**t / sucks plus the fact that dead people don't usually come back again is apparently a previously unknown concept.

Inside Out the next track is still angsty but at least with energetic guitar and fiddling/violin playing plus the buzz of Blink182 etc at their best

Believe = ooh fidlelly - shouldn't work but mixes perfectly with the rock, oh this is the one with the 9/11 heroic firefighters dying for us all lyrics complete with George Bush(?) tribute sample and how "everything thing is going to be alright" if you just believe it hard enough. Very religious overtones about "wanting to make your sacrifice worthwhile". If only this song had different lyrics it'll be great. Maybe if it was 2002 and I was (a certain type of) American this would be the most inspirational song ever.  Two questions - was this deliberately and the 11th song on the album and is the backing singer near the end singing the chorus of Toto's Africa for no reason what so ever?

One Year, Six Months = totally poppy ballad about loss love/friendship/relatives but it totally works and the violin fits.

Back Home = everything is great but it's not really because everything is s**t. Mopeish but good though, nice folk violin (shame about the mental image of The Cors) and like track 2 genuinely pop-punk.

just perfect for tomorrow's rally the rest of the G20 events happening over the 1st/2nd ( ?) of April

Audio & video on youtube.

Lyrics:
It's simple cos it is the people
Fighting for and claiming what remains
Dreaming this is not dreaming
This is the exodus from the game
Dance beneath the stars
We the sound system
We the collective
With an open heart
We the solution
Should be respected
At midnight the pharises plant the poison
False evidence to bring all back in line
It's no method just dealing out by justice
When no-one here's committed any crime
We'll turn the dust to soil
Turn the rust of hate back into passion
It's not water into wine but it's here
And it's happening
Massive but passive
To bring the peace back
Respect here for all the people
Good copper jah lawyer all good minds
Can see there is no evil
The only wrong is fighting changing times

from Twitter - " Putpeoplefirst: Please don't believe misleading smears in the papers: Put People First will be a  peaceful, law abiding event:
 http://tinyurl.com/c6lryj "

from article -

"This is what we are now saying to journalists who ask about this:

“The Put People First march for jobs, justice and climate brings together more than 150 groups committed to making the event a peaceful and law-abiding call on the G20 governments to commit to policies that will deliver jobs, end poverty and move to a low-carbon economy.

The event has been organised in full co-operation with the police and the Hyde Park authorities.

We have no evidence that anyone attending intends to disrupt our plans, break the law or commit any acts of violence. Nor have the police informed us that they have any such intelligence.

Put People First is not organising or collectively supporting any other demonstrations or protest events being held in the subsequent week to co-incide with the G20 summit.”

inspired by both listening to Super Black Market Clash again - only it's third (or so) play and it's already an old friend (in a good way) fun, enjoyable, capable to be both comforting and surprising (especially on Stop The World)., and Oxfam's new Campaign magazine on Climate Change promoting the Put People First rally (which I can't get to)

Anyway - the police/authorities appear to be running scared, if my mum's accounts of what she heard on the news was accurate  ("they had an anarchist on it" -  Ian Bone of all people - and "that march is going to a big and hairy one" apparently, thanks Mum.) and (are) trying to turn people off  to it.

Three appropriate bits of lyrics

from White Riot
"All the power’s in the hands
Of people rich enough to buy it
While we walk the street
Too chicken to even try it

Everybody’s doing
Just what they’re told to
Nobody wants
To go to jail!"

from Armagideon Time / Kick It Over

"A lotta people wont' get not a-justice tonight
A lotta people sitting down, by the light – ah!
A lotta people a-wont get no a-supper tonight
A lotta people a-wont get no a-justice tonight
Remember, a-kick it over
No one will guide you through armagideon time
Armagideon"

and
"A lotta people aint got no supper tonight
A lotta people gonna have to stand up and fight"

hopefully it won't end up like this -
from Groovy Times

"The High Street shops are boarded up
An' the Terrace it is fenced in
See-through shields are walled across
The way that you came in
But there's no need to get excited
As the lorries bring the bacon in
'Cos the housewives are all singing
Groovy times are here again

They discovered one black Saturday
That mobs don't march they run
So you can excuse the nervous triggerman
Just this once for jumping the gun
As they were picking up the dead
Out of the broken glass
Yes it's Number One, the radio said
Groovy times have come to pass!"

 eta: I'm not posting these as an encouragement for mindless violence or brick throwing, literal rioting etc..
and I managed to find the CH4 report, just watching it &  it turns out the suggestions/mentions of violence seemed to come from clips of Seattle and Ian Bone was on it but only to give a sentence or 2 - barely a minute, the most dangerous part of his brief interview was their introduction claiming (in a threatening voice) that he 'wants the banking system destroyed'

Knowing my mum she probably got him confused with Chris Knight on an earlier programme - http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/uk/direct action this weekend/3044372

(just read a long discussion on urban75 partially about this - opinions are he's either an idiot/"loony", naive, been made to sound worse than he meant and/or deliberately "...goading the police to keep it fluffy and companies to turn their lights off voluntarily.")

"Providing of course you
Don't mind a little
Investigation, humiliation
And if you cross your fingers
Rehabilitation"

Oppose unfare welfare reforms
http://www.compassonline.org.uk/news/filter.asp?t=82

"They’re gonna have to introduce conscr i ption
They’re gonna have to take away my prescr i ption
If they wanna get me making toys
If they wanna get me, well I got not choice"
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nRd6ciCFL3g

My current murdochspace status tag:
Hopelessly Romantic zine says: nobody gives a f**k about "welfare reform" then - well why should you it's only the crips and mentals and they're all scroungers who deserve it right?   Mood: disappointed