Blank Expressions

Miscellany of odds and sods, assembled in our spacious premises in suburban Norfolk.

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Song reviews

Malibu - Miley Cyrus

There’s something really strange about this song for its seemingly simple structure the component parts jar not just with each other but the whole sonic nature of 2017. It took a while to put my finger what it was and it struck me there’s no bass on this song at all. In a time when the bass drop is seemingly the fundamental selling point for most records. The guitar style doesn’t really suit Cyrus’ drawling Southern vocal, a subtle Americana influence would work rather than the kind of guitar that would appear on a mid 90s pop track as indie was in vogue but didn’t have the guts to cross that line. Yet in a highly polished pop world its flaws are seemingly groundbreaking in comparison. 

Heatstroke - Calvin Harris

Which brings us on to this calculated sure fire summer hit that wallows in its pseudo 80s largess. There’s just too many collaborators here for it to work and would be a far better record in the hands of one artist. The fact Harris gets the main credit for this is laughable as his DJ and production skills are hardly tested here in ‘Prince wannabe scores Miami Vice’ mode. No doubt it will achieve its goal of being the sound of Summer 2017 but I barely remember it 5 minutes after listening. 

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Harry Styles' single sounds like a boy band member covering a Stereophonics B-side circa 2005-6 (Any landfill Indie ballad, Athlete for example but I can imagine Sign of the Times sung by Kelly Jones). As middlingly average as it is no doubt thanks to its title it will soundtrack future footage of 2017.

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One way of raising snooker’s profile in the US i suppose. 

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Above is the list for the BBC Awards for Song of the Year 2016. (with additional facts added by me). OK I might be slightly pedantic that a good number of the songs were released in the last 3 months of 2015 and were still riding high in the charts in 2016, I’ll give you that. Yet only 2 songs (One Dance and Can’t stop the feeling) on the list were released after February 2016. Has pop music really been that bad for the last 9 months?

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In December 1963 a shellshocked USA was still coming to terms with the morass of life post JFK.  1963 was when the Sixties began for most, the babyboomers were becoming teenagers. The Beatles and the Stones’ fledgling pop careers were about to go meteoric. Bob was Freewheelin’, the Brothers Wilson surfing with their dentist cousin Al. Ronnie, Lala and Phil had an unbeatable wall of sound, and that’s just scratching the surface. It really was music’s time. ‘Oh what a night!’ sang the Four Seasons of that very month in retrospect. Yet this was number 1 for FOUR weeks in the USA. (No Belgian has repeated the feat since)

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Here’s what it should sound like. 

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“How can we make an awkwardly bad Wilson Pickett cover, even more awkwardly bad?” “I know!!”

It was the 60s

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Not that I expected much but Robbie Williams new song is so bad it makes Pitbull’s toe-curl. 

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East Coast sunsets 

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1991 and all that

Ten -You’ve probably seen that Nevermind was released 25 years today but 3 other noted albums were also released that week in 1991. 

Screamdelica - Primal Scream

Blood Sugar Sex Magick - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Trompe Le Monde - The Pixies

1991 for many here in the UK is most noted for being the year Everything i Do ( I do it for you) by Bryan Adams was at Number 1 for 16 weeks. What follows is a list of notable albums that were released between Jason Donovan’s Any dream will do and U2′s The Fly topping the singles chart.

Metallica (The Black Album) - Metallica

Blue Lines - Massive Attack

Ten - Pearl Jam

Leisure - Blur

Use your Illusion 1 & 2 - Guns n’ Roses

Loveless - My Bloody Valentine

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That time Roxy Music got called into the headmasters office. 

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Working class hipster? 

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Women in pop before MTV

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Suicide Squad currently beating the last Star Wars film in terms of ridiculously lengthy hyperbole.  That I very much doubt there’s not much footage left to actually watch. It’s just setting itself up for a fall. 

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Defeated the Beatles in the 60s

Struggled against the Jackson 5 in the 70s

Elvis had to go up of few weight divisions but he too was no match

Unsure of what to do with a those that are usually on the under-card

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The new Top Gear - The David Moyes of TV shows. 

Never going to be given a fair crack of the whip after what went before. 

Partly down to its own doing 

Partly down to inadvertently exposing the yawning cracks of a show that had run its course. (Lets face it the challenges on the show were getting ridiculous and a bit samey, if all else fails have Clarkson in a tank ) 

It’s going to be replaced by arrogant, set-in-his-ways, ultra-defensive Dutchman this time next year.  

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I’d love it if Manchester United appoint Ryan Giggs as manager, just to prove as with Leicester there are no forgone conclusions in football