A Lesson In Unusual Music - The Voidz' 'Human Sadness'

It's very rare for a song to exceed 10 minutes, an implausible feat in the modern age of music you could say, but if one does attempt such an outrageous runtime could it ever possibly be coherent or even listenable? Well, in this case, it's absolutely not - and that's what makes me love it even more. One of my favourite songs EVER is the maddening, overdramatic brain-breaking soliloquy that is 'Human Sadness', an 11-minute genre-less and chaotic masterpiece courtesy of The Voidz, a side-project from The Strokes' leading man, the ever melodramatic eccentric, Mr. Julian Casablancas. The song was released in late 2014 as the lead single from the band's debut record 'Tyranny', and ironically releasing through Cult Records, has since become somewhat of a cult classic, falling quite a bit behind in popularity compared to the bands more successful and ever-so-slightly more mainstream material from their second album, the brilliant 'Virtue' from 2018. For me, however, this song's alien-like weirdness, overflowing with emotion, reaches as far as anyone could possibly venture into the sonic capabilities of what we call music.

The opening bass-line of 'Human Sadness' instantly hypnotizes you, almost luring you into a false sense of security that this song will maintain such a peaceful vibe throughout, but there is something off-putting about the calmness of the first section of the song, almost like a threat is looming over it. Casablancas' hummed opening lyrics of "Vanity, overriding wisdom..." give a hint of this song's self-reflection as well as personal deflection which will continue to evolve and eventually attack your ears across the next 10 minutes. One of my most adored aspects which manages to survive through the chaos and re-appear later in the song is the auto-tuned verse, roughly quoted from a poem by Rumi which says; "Beyond ideas of right and wrong, there is a field, I will be meeting you there". Ugh, how beautiful is that? The Voidz' use of auto-tune, while weird, could now be considered their trademark as its use here and on their 2019 banging single (which is currently my ringtone) 'Did My Best', and only adds to their artistic weirdness. From a lyrical point of view for the entire Voidz catalogue, the words peak here.

'Tyranny' Album Cover (left) and Single Artwork for 'Human Sadness' (right).

While 'Human Sadness' does have it's beauty, most of the middle section even I would say is quite harsh to listen to. Part of why I love the song is that it trudges through it's self-made storm. Once the opening fades out past it's quirky double-guitar solo and briefly enters this phase of what feels like being above the clouds during a brutal storm,  it quickly barrels back toward earth and the song gets caught up in a musical hurricane to the point where every instrument and Casablancas' voice all meld together into one. It's not merely a wall of sound, but a universe, and in moments it becomes purely incomprehensible. BUT... it finds it's way out, and eventually the beautiful bassline reveals itself to you once more which is a very welcome return, and Jules' strained and almost relieved voice closes out the song, still holding on to the desperation he began it with. "All is lost, I'll find my way. I say, to be is not to be. To be is not the way to be..." Now, while I could argue that this is my favourite song of all time, the album that beholds it I don't have too much praise for. The other 11 tracks on 2014's 'Tyranny' are mostly, for me, brutally unlistenable. I can honestly appreciate the harsh musical abandonment from Casablancas' usual style, but man, this album just isn't it. Aside from the hardly bareable 'Nintendo Blood', I don't think I'll ever be able to name another record that reeks this badly yet also somehow manages to have one single saving grace in the most beautiful piece of music that has ever graced my ears.

The Voidz performing live in 2018.

Anyway, not much information about the creation of the final song can be found online, however the 2-minute long demo surfaced not too long after the song's release as it plays over the credits for the track's music video, and can be found here. This softer, more synth-centric version was co-written by songwriter Simon Taufique and used in the short documentary 'The Unseen Beauty' about New York painter, Sam Adoquei. The demo is a fascinating listen if you're a fan of the final 11-minute version or just Jules' music itself. It's only the final section of 'Human Sadness' played very softly on a synth, absent of chaos and incessant production, but lends itself more to a softer Strokes style track, or Daft Punk's 'Instant Crush' featuring Casablancas. I love that it shows a different side to the final product. But that is all! One of the songs that lives proudly in my heart, and I hope that one day Casablancas will knock us out with something that's 12 minutes long. Thank you for reading.

Slowdive's 'Hide Yer Eyes' - An Unreleased Masterpiece

Unreleased albums are fascinating, aren't they? From The Beatles' self-rejected 'Get Back' record in 1969 to Green Day's 'Cigarettes & Valentines' which was stolen from their studio in 2003, most artists always seem to have material that was never supposed to make it beyond the studio. But in the case of Slowdive, one of the pioneers of the 'shoegaze' genre of the 90's, their catalogue of unreleased material that has eventually leaked onto the internet is easily two albums worth of absolutely stunning ethereal music, songs so good that it's mind boggling to think that they were never supposed to be heard. And now, almost 30 years since it was recorded, Slowdive's 'Hide Yer Eyes' is their unofficial masterpiece that was never meant to leave the vault. This is its story. 

Fanmade Cover Art for 'Hide Yer Eyes'

Slowdive are a band who were never allowed to have their moment on top. After their first 3 (brilliant) EP's blew critics away, the band caught the attention of a certain Alan McGee who himself was still a few years away from discovering Oasis. McGee promptly signed the band to Creation Records in 1991 and their first LP 'Just For A Day' was released only a few months later. When it looked as if nothing could go wrong, not just negative but almost hateful critical reviews for their debut completely derailed the band's momentum and the relationship they had with their fans, critics and even management was damaged. 

The following year was bleak for the band as lead vocalists/songwriters Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell ended their romantic relationship, and despite the band itself not breaking up it didn't help morale as they were already trudging their way through a tour for an album that nobody, including the band themselves, even liked. Once the gruelling UK tour was over, Halstead locked himself away in order to write material for a new album, in an attempt to get the band's momentum going again. Despite the reception for 'Just For A Day', Alan McGee still had faith in Slowdive, but he made sure to be strict on what they would release in the future. Throughout 1992 Halstead and the band brought over 25 songs to McGee to be approved for their next record, and he proceeded to turn down every single one, deeming them 'just not good enough'.

Slowdive in 1991.

Now, while many would say that Alan McGee was a genius at discovering and recognising quality music in the 90's, myself included, in my personal opinion he was embarrassingly wrong here. In the late 2000's, long after the band's demise in 1995, fans were finally given the opportunity to listen to not all, but some of the Alan McGee rejected tracks when previously unreleased Slowdive songs began to randomly appear on the internet. Songs like 'Joy', 'Sleep' and 'I Saw The Sun' revealed a divinely otherworldly sound that drew on the band's early EP's, only now boasting much wider personality and even more reverb. It's still unknown where these songs came from or who found them, but their distinct lack of quality despite being studio recordings suggest they were taken without permission. Each unreleased track has a sort of fuzziness about it, as if they're on a very dusty record playing through an old set of speakers. But don't let that deter you, if anything their 'old' sound adds to their mysticism, and each and every one is utterly brilliant. 

In 2011, a record label called Ali Philosophy pressed a 10 track bootleg LP under the title of 'Hide Yer Eyes', named after one of the unreleased, now unofficially released, tracks. Complete with new original artwork, their self-curated album brought together 10 of the rejected tracks from 1992 and to date, this bootleg record is the only evidence of any of these songs being pressed to vinyl or having any sort of release to the public, outside of Youtube videos. The album's tracklist is below. 

'Hide Yer Eyes'

1. Summer Day

2. Bleed

3. Sleep

4. Silver Screen

5. Dagger (Electric)

6. Ending

7. Joy

8. Hide Yer Eyes

9. Richard

10. I Saw The Sun

A 2011 Alt Philosophy pressing of 'Hide Yer Eyes' with alternate artwork.

Each of these songs and more unreleased Slowdive material that wasn't put on this 'album' was written for Slowdive's proposed second record as I mentioned earlier. After the 25+ songs were rejected by Alan McGee, Neil and Rachel, still drowning in their respective heartbreak, conjured up 10 more songs which turned into 'Souvlaki', Slowdive's 1993 album which is their undisputed magnum opus and I would possibly say is current favourite album and has been for some time. But as much as I adore it, I can't help but feel as if some of the 'Hide Yer Eyes' stuff is even better than bits of 'Souvlaki'!

The opener, 'Summer Day', is less 'shoegazey' than your average Slowdive song, still featuring the eclectic and dreamy guitar tones but a driving drum beat and deep vocals reveal a slightly heavier sound for the band, and Halstead's cinematic storytelling within his lyrics is as captivating as ever. And with 'Bleed' and 'Sleep', I've always sort of seen them as a pair. With each being respectively sung by Neil and Rachel, it's almost as if they're talking to one another through separate songs. 'Bleed''s strange and hypnotic like riff is quite a contrast to 'Sleep', which to this day remains one of Slowdive's only acoustic-like songs. I love them both, but how 'Sleep' was deemed not good enough is f*cking stupid.

Rachel Goswell (left) and Neil Halstead (right) in 1991.

Track 5, 'Dagger' will seem familiar to Slowdive fans as it's also the emotionally battering final song on 'Souvlaki', however the 'Hide Yer Eyes' version features a beautifully moody electric guitar rather than the officially released acoustic version. Either way, it's such a beautiful song that sees Neil in his most vulnerable state, and I'm grateful we get to see two sides to it. But as we move onto 'Joy', the fact that these songs were rejected becomes even more baffling. As per it's namesake, 'Joy' is Slowdive's attempt at a Joy Division song, starting out with a eerily strange guitar riff that's quickly joined with a intensely powerful drum beat, and Halstead's vigorously winding lyrics are so good they would've made Ian Curtis proud. This may be my all time favourite Slowdive song, and despite being performed live a handful of times in 1991, it's a crime this never made it on an album.

And to end, while the title track of 'Hide Yer Eyes' is a gorgeous blend of acoustic and shoegaze vibes, it's the closing song of 'I Saw The Sun' that should be regarded, with no shadow of a doubt, as shoegaze royalty. If you work your way through all of Slowdive's unreleased material you'll quickly notice that so much of it focuses on the sun, or summer, so whatever motivated Neil Halstead's obsession with the sun certainly manifested it's way into some beautiful music. 'I Saw The Sun' is this almost-operatic shoegaze treasure that makes you feel like you're dreaming. How this seemed out of place next to the (also stunning) material on 'Souvlaki' literally doesn't make sense, but I suppose that could be said for most of the tracks 'Hide Yer Eyes'. A beautiful hidden album that's cherished by those who yearned for more Slowdive for so many years, and I'm so glad it now exists in some form. Thank you for reading.

The Strokes - 'The New Abnormal' Review

As Julian Casablancas heartbreakingly moans 'you're not the same anymore' on the 8th track of The Strokes' brand new LP 'The New Abnormal', as fans we must throw those same words back at him, and valiantly cry out to say he couldn't be more wrong. The legendary New York punks have rediscovered their fire, passion and groove on their first album in over seven years that's packed with songs that carry the same energy that made their 2001 debut 'Is This It' the icon we look back on today. Their last outing, 2013's 'Comedown Machine' was released with zero promotion from the band and their label RCA, and while it does have its very bright spots, does overall lack the quality we'd expect now from the infamous five. But now not only are they back on form, with a self proclaimed 'worldwide comeback' on the horizon and nine new songs to keep us making bad decisions all through the (quarantined) summer, The Strokes are back. Thank god.

'The New Abnormal' - The Strokes (2020)

News broke on February 11th that album six from The Strokes was finally coming, and the debut single, 'At The Door' was released. The song is HEAVY on the synthesiser, with that and very minute guitar work making up the instrumental. Julian has been no stranger to a synthesiser, with it playing a major part all the way back to 2009 in his solo record, and then through in his recent work with The Strokes and his side project The Voidz. But looking back in hindsight, considering they had guitar heavy and 'strokes sounding' songs like 'Bad Decisions' and 'The Adults Are Talking' ready to go, it is strange that they chose At The Door as the first teaser, but god, it just is brilliant. Julians voice has never sounded so crisp and clear, backed by an at times intense and emotional instrumental that makes up such a beautiful melodic piece, that on top of an impressive lineup, still remains my favourite off the entire record. "Sinkin' like a stone, use me like an oar, and get yourself to shore." It's a song that expresses themes of hopelessness, or feeling lost, or lonely. One that I'd truly consider a masterpiece, At The Door will be on repeat forever. Oh, and also to make it even better, the music video is incredible, watch it below!

The first half of the album blows you way with nostalgia if you're familiar with their work. The Adults Are Talking and Bad Decisions in my opinion could easily be added to either of the first two Strokes albums and not look at all out of place, with instantly catchy riffs and melodies, every single member of the band shines through. We first heard The Adults Are Talking last MAY(!), when the boys played their first show in two years, so hearing the studio version after almost a year of the same Youtube version of that first performance being played over and over again, was so satisfying. 'Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus' seems to channel a bit of an 'Angles' (The Stokes 4th LP) vibe, being quite 'dancy' and has a good equal balance of synth and guitar. I also like the informal-ness on this track which pops up now and again throughout the album, "and the 80's bands where did they go? Can we switch into the chorus right now?" It almost feels like a fourth wall break, very refreshing!

The last remaining two from the first half of the album are 'Selfless' and 'Eternal Summer', with the former seemingly becoming a fan favourite almost instantly. Selfless hasn't seemed to grab me as it has others, yet. It's one of the shortest on the album at 3 and a half minutes, (it's a long album!) but Julians talent at writing love songs can never be doubted, he's a wizard, but guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. does shine through here, with a wicked solo weirdly within the first third of the song. But more is to be said, about Eternal Summer. Wow. The longest on the LP at just over 6 minutes, is the grooviest thing The Strokes have ever written. I've always been a fan of multiple-songs-within-one, Green Day have done this a lot, and Julian has clearly practiced this in The Voidz, it's like every Voidz song is 10 songs there's that many changes. But back to Eternal Summer, it quickly changes from Julian's classic falsetto high pitched vocals with beautiful delay guitar work and drums into a raspy, very intense chant-like section. It's almost like Julian is shouting at you through the speaker, and then, another transition into honestly, one of the grooviest thing's I've ever heard. 'They got the remedy, but they won't let it happen', with a screaming guitar note behind it, man, it's f*cking unreal. Blew my mind when I first heard it. Eternal Summer was easily my favourite of the new batch of songs from when the album dropped, excluding singles like At The Door etc. But man, it's amazing! I'm running out of positive adjectives!

The Strokes Recording 'The New Abnormal' in Malibu.
Credit to @TinaIbanez on Instagram

The second half of the record is the slow half, prepare yourself for that moody sh*t. Beginning with At The Door, we then transition into 'Why Are Sunday's So Depressing' (in a Reddit Q&A, the band themselves confessed that the apostrophe in 'Sunday's' is a typo, ha!) and 'Not The Same Anymore'. To begin, WASSD does have that classic Julian vocal style of 'I don't care', you know what I mean? It's classic Julian, and this tune also has that familiar, albeit slow catchy guitar that will still have you snapping your finger along to it. Complete with an ear piercing solo and explosive ending, it's a tune, but I will admit that this along with the next song do seem to be overshadowed by the rest of the album, at least for me. Not The Same Anymore has brilliant lyrics, being addressed to someone, well, not being the same anymore, but the song then does turn self reflective, as Julian sings "I couldn't change, it's too late. And now it's time to show up. Late again, I can't grow up." He begins the song seemingly complaining about a persons persona changing, but then turns on himself, and expresses his own faults. It's poetic? I guess? Great guitar work on here too though.

But now finally, the closer, 'Ode To The Mets'. Like The Adults Are Talking, this was performed live a few months ago on New Years Eve, so it's been floating around Youtube for a bit. The studio version begins with a strange, and out of place beat which I don't know why was left in, it kills the moody opening for me, but you are quickly taken to this other world once that fades away and a beautiful guitar/synth combo comes together. During the original live performance, about a minute and a half into the song as Julian is singing over the instrumental, he pauses, and says, 'Drums please, Fab', seeming to remind drummer Fab Moretti to come in. He obviously just made a mistake, it was their first time playing this live... but it's in the bloody studio version! It's f*cking brilliant! Again bringing back that sort of fourth wall break style, not having everything polished! Obviously in the studio version it's planned, it's just a reference to the live version where Fab just forgot to come in, but god, there's something magical about it. Drums please, Fab, the beat comes in, and the song is off and running. A brilliant slow burner on which every member once again shines and Julian expresses emotions of love  and, well, in all honesty what else does he sing about? "The only thing that's left is us, so pardon the silence that you're hearing, is turning into a deafening, painful, shameful roar." I wasn't crazy about this when I first heard the live version, but god, what a perfect closer to a brilliant album.

I've rambled and raved about this record for too many words now, but will continue to do so until it stops making me smile. It's an absolute beauty from top to bottom, that was 100% worth the wait and is a very welcome addition to the bands astonishing discography. This album must also be appreciated, simply for existing. Over the last five years Julians main focus has been The Voidz, with The Strokes members apparently not getting along too well over the last few years since the recording of Angles began. But having been lucky to have seen them perform live twice over the last year, they are happy, motivated, and clearly creatively blossoming as a band once again, and I along with the entire fanbase couldn't be happier about it. The New Abnormal gets a 9/10 from me, only shy of a perfect rating due to not every single track not utterly blowing me away, with tracks 7 & 8 underwhelming me, but as a whole, it will stand as one of their greatest creations, as the songs that did blow me away will stay with me forever. The Strokes are back, and hopefully here to stay. Thank you for reading.

Rocketman Review - The Best Music Biopic Yet?

Rocketman is the latest, and greatest, edition to the music Biographical Picture cinematic world, a genre that has seemed to be the obsession of filmmakers, critics and production companies for the last two years, and foreseeable future. The Queen Biopic, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' came out late last year to glowing reviews, endless praise from audiences and critics alike, and earned Rami Malek, who played Freddie Mercury, 'Best Actor' at the 2019 Academy Awards. 'The Dirt', the story portraying the career of Motley Crue had a straight to Netflix release in early 2019. The critics hated it, but audiences loved it, supporting a 39% critic verdict to 95% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So, Elton John was up next, so did Rocketman live up to expectation? Or is this too many Biopics concerning musicians all at once? Spoilers ahead.

The Official Poster for 'Rocketman' (2019).

Straight into it, Rocketman is fantastic. Going into this I wasn't very optimistic, Taron Egerton seemed like a strange choice to cast as Elton in my opinion. He doesn't really look anything like him, Rami Malek had a bit of Freddie Mercury about him, but here there was nothing. That does come across in the film too, with all the wacky costumes and glasses going on, you could've passed anyone with blonde hair as Elton in this movie in terms of looks, but in emotion and vocals, Taron nailed it and tied the whole performance together. He did all his own singing for this film, 'every note' as he described, and he's fantastic! It was a risky move, those songs, 'Tiny Dancer' 'I'm Still Standing', and my favourite from the movie, 'You're Song', mean so much to many people, and to not have Elton singing them could be looked down on, but it's hard to believe how accurate and brilliant Taron is at performing them.

Elton John (left) and star of 'Rocketman', Taron Egerton (right), at the Rocketman Premiere.

The story is told really well throughout the film. Beginning with Elton storming into an AA meeting, in a full brightly embezzled orange jumpsuit, complete with headgear and also orange devil horns, it's an interesting start. One of the moments towards the end of the movie, is Elton storming out before a show, due to constant pressure from the people around him, which leads to him bursting into the AA group, so the movie jumps around a lot, but it's all brought together nicely. In the beginning we see how discouraging his parents are of his piano playing, despite his talent and encouragement from his grandmother. The scenes with his Father all throughout the movie are horrible to watch, in a good way, a lot of family trauma and resentment was portrayed very well, too well in fact.

We see his friendship with songwriter Bernie Taupin, played by Jamie Bell, blossom beautifully and his traumatic loving relationship with manager John Reid, played by Richard Madden, fall apart before Elton's very eyes, as he watches everyone in his life turn on him as he fills their bank accounts. His Mother is so nasty in this film, you can't do nothing but resent her. Bryce Dallas Howard, star of Jurassic World, plays her, and it's moments like Elton revealing that he is gay over the phone to her, afraid to tell her face to face, when she reacts by saying 'I've known for years', yet followed by, 'Nobody will ever truly love you', that make you hate her. Throughout most of the film, we see how awfully Elton was treated throughout his life, and the drug and alcohol abuse that were also involved due to skyrocketing fame and fortune. It's an emotional roller coaster for sure.

Taron Egerton portraying Elton John in 'Rocketman'.

The movie ends with Elton and Bernie reuniting, following Elton's last AA meeting. They want to rebuild their friendship to what it was before all the fame and fortune, the drugs and the girls, to just write songs for the world. It's a beautiful ending to a beautiful film, that thanks be to god ended on a positive note. One interesting thing about the film, is it doesn't acknowledge in the story any mention of Elton's real life husband David Furnish. I thought that would be the ending, those two meeting, but it doesn't happen. Just before the credits, there's a montage that contains a picture of the couple, saying Elton is now happily married with two children and has been sober for thirty years, but the decision to not even include the introduction of David within the story is a weird one, possibly a sequel? Hell no, including Bohemian Rhapsody, these films should be standalone stories, not series'.

Elton John (right) with husband David Furnish (left), 2010.

So overall, any music fan will love Rocketman. Even if you've never listened to Elton John, this will draw you in and make you a fan. It's the best Music Biopic so far, and it'll be a tough one to top but there's many stories out there waiting to be told. I give this movie a 9/10, acting and casting is fantastic, production is great, and the story telling is just amazing. All round compliments, now give me my Nirvana Biopic, please.

Top 5 Rock Operas/Concept Albums

The idea of using songs to portray a story is a concept that is present in every genre of music. Behind most songs is a personal experience that the writer is trying to tell through music, and it could be about love, anger, happiness, all three, or literally anything that we experience as people. But the idea of telling a story through multiple songs, that all join together to be one tale, as an entire Album, is something that is rare, but just absolutely brilliant. The 'Rock Opera' or 'Concept Album' approach to making a Record is a painful process, as it would involve not just writing music, but creating a story from scratch to then write the music about what happens within that story, telling it from beginning to end. Many artists have pulled this off to great success, so here are the Top 5 Rock Operas/Concept Albums.

5. 'The Black Parade' - My Chemical Romance

'The Black Parade' - My Chemical Romance (2006)

My Chemical Romance are no strangers to the story telling approach to songwriting, with each of their four albums being classics of the 'Pop-Punk' genre, all containing themes of love, loss, addiction and death, told through lead singer Gerard Way's seemingly angst ridden teen yet traumatised voice, he's incredible. But it was their 3rd Record, 'The Black Parade' that was so good, it seemed to act as a shadow for the following six years of the bands existence, right up until their split in 2012. In the years following the Album's release, the band tried to escape the 'dark emo' image that The Black Parade Album had given them, but to no avail.

The Album tells the story of a cancer victim, simply known as 'The Patient', and explores their death, transition into the afterlife, and their trauma of missing their loved ones who are still alive. The Album opens with Track 1, 'The End', ironic, but the main characters death is the beginning of our story here. 'Now come one, come all, to this tragic affair' are the opening lyrics, to this phenomenal opener. It instantly hooks you, the chorus just explodes into this epic guitar, drum and piano combo, and ends with Gerard, or 'The Patient' as it's a first-person account, screaming 'SAVE ME' as the song transitions straight into Track 2, 'Dead'. The story/songs then go through The Patient's relationships with their lover, in 'This Is How I Disappear', which is my favourite along with 'Sleep', and their mother, in 'Mama'. This Album also contains MCR's arguably most popular song, 'Teenagers', which isn't really connected to the story, so it's a good song to start with if you haven't heard any MCR songs yet. I love this Album so much, it's in my personal Top 3 Albums of all time, but for Rock Opera's, it's 5th on our list. Couldn't recommend this enough.

4. 'The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust' - David Bowie

'Ziggy Stardust' - David Bowie (1972)

What can be said about this Album, that hasn't already been said a million times? Bowie's 4th Studio Album, is one of the most instantly recognisable of his entire discography, even of all time, the majority of music fans be able to would recognise this Album from a mile away. Bowie had a wide range of Persona's that he took on throughout his career, but 'Ziggy Stardust' is easily his most famous Altar-Ego.

The full title for the Album is 'The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars', but what's the story? Well, this is described as a 'loose' Concept Album. Basically, the majority of the details in the story were curated by fans in the years after the Album's release, Bowie gave key elements of a story in this album, then the fans pieced it together and added to it. 'Ziggy Stardust' is an androgynous, (meaning neither male or female, god wouldn't this album have worked today. More proof that Bowie was ahead of his time) bisexual alien rockstar based on earth, who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings all across the galaxy. Wild. It's one hell of an Album though, my favourite song by far is 'Moonage Daydream', one of my favourite songs EVER! Another song instantly recognisable on this Record is the Bowie classic, 'Starman'. Overall, amazing.

3. 'Tommy' - The Who

'Tommy' - The Who (1969)

My knowledge of this Album is far behind all of the rest of the entries on this list, but I just had to put it in here, and highly rated too, for one reason. This is considered the first Concept Album ever, seemingly giving birth to the... concept. The Who are highly regarded as one of the greatest bands ever, and it was their fourth release, 'Tommy', that cemented their legacy. The Album is mostly credited to their lead guitarist, Pete Townshend.

'Tommy' tells the upsetting yet motivational story of a young British boy, Tommy, who is deaf, dumb and blind. The songs on the Album detail his experiences through life with his conditions, and his relationship with his family members. The Record has one of The Who's greatest songs, 'Pinball Wizard', which is fantastic, and based on the story, is about Tommy's skill as a Pinball Player, as he is able to feel the vibrations while playing the game. The story takes place over a long period of time, enough to see Tommy grow up into an adult, recovering more and more, eventually gaining back some of his sight and taste, evident in the song 'I'm Free'. The story was adapted into a film, released in 1975. It's a really nice story, conveyed very well through the songs it's based on. Townshend nailed it here.

2. 'The Wall' - Pink Floyd

'The Wall' - Pink Floyd (1979)

Pink Floyd, the gods of long, psychedelic, intriguing, and pure bizarre music storytelling? Well, obviously. Even more so than the Ziggy Stardust Album, I don't know how I could word praising this Album that would be original. The Album has 26 songs, and if you were to listen to the Record in order, all in one sitting, it would last 1 hour and 21 minutes. Most Album's that are released today, are under 40 minutes.

Some would argue that 'The Wall' is not on par with Pink Floyd's 'The Dark Side of The Moon', and well, I'd say that's true in some way. The Dark Side Of The Moon is way more recognisable in Pop Culture, but The Wall is a better Album in my personal opinion. 'Another Brick In The Wall, pt 2.', Pink Floyd's most well known song, is on here, along with fantastic songs like 'Comfortably Numb' and to be honest, the trilogy of 'Another Brick In The Wall' that comes in every third of the way through, are all just so good. The story is based on a character called 'Pink', who at the start of the Album loses his father as he dies in World War II. Pink then goes on to receive constant mental and physical abuse from his mother and school teachers ('Hey teacher, leave them kids alone') and then to the breakdown of his marriage. Through all this trauma, it leads to Pink completely isolating himself from society, hence, putting up a... 'wall', refusing to interact with the outside world. It's such a good Album, a must listen, and a very interesting story.

- Honourable Mentions -

From left to right; Arctic Monkeys, Billie Eilish, Green Day.

There's too many great Concept Albums in existence to strictly limit my list to just five. Most of the entries on this list are somewhat rooted in the past, so to bring it into modern day, I'd like to give credit to Arctic Monkey's 2018 spacey masterpiece, 'Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino', a fantastic literally out of this world Concept Record. Billie Eilish's 2019 Debut, 'WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?' is a groovy, depressing Album about love and loss that'll still make you want to dance. I would also like to give some praise to Green Day's '21'st Century Breakdown', as I feel it's criminally underrated, and deserves attention from not only a song writing point of view, but a story telling one too. Many don't seem to realise it's a Rock Opera, but it's simply incredible.

1. 'American Idiot' - Green Day

'American Idiot' - Green Day (2004)

If you know me well, you saw this one coming a mile away. Green Day released their 6th Studio Album 'Warning' in 2000, and despite it being a great Album with some fantastic songs like 'Waiting', 'Minority' and 'Blood, Sex and Booze', it was a far cry from their punk sound, and it basically failed critically. So a lot of people wrote the band off, as it looked like they had burned themselves out of the sound that made them rise to the top. But in 2004, they shook the world and completely revived their career, with their now Grammy Award Winning Album, 'American Idiot'.

This is my favourite Album ever, featuring my favourite song, well, also ever. The Album opens with our title track, 'American Idiot' which is mainly a massive public middle finger to the American Government at that time, but for the story, it sets the scene and landscape in which the characters live. A run down, anti-establishment punk rock suburb, where our main character 'Johnny', begins his tale of drug abuse, sex, and combustion of his family and relationships as a whole. My favourite song, 'Jesus Of Suburbia', introduces us to Johnny as he begins his new lifestyle, after he and his hometown friends have separated onto different paths in life. From drug addiction in the beautiful 'Give Me Novacaine', falling in love with the mysterious 'Whatsername', being guided through all the psychological torture by his Altar-Ego, 'St. Jimmy', it's the most amazingly angry, beautiful and sad story and tracklist I've ever heard. The Album ends with Johnny leaving this drug and sex filled lifestyle, and killing St. Jimmy, in 'Homecoming', and coming back to his friends. If there's one album I could ever encourage anyone to listen to and explore, it's this. Greatest of all time.

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong playing the character of 'St. Jimmy' in the American Idiot Broadway Adaptation.

So there we have it. I love how some of these Albums move beyond just being an Album, like 'Tommy' being made into a film, and 'American Idiot' getting a Broadway Adaptation. It just shows you how good these Albums are. Thank you for reading.

Glastonbury vs Electric Picnic vs Woodstock Lineups

Festival season is fast approaching, a time where Music Fans across the globe get the chance to see all their favourite artists in one place, but which lineup is the greatest? The title of 'Best Festival In The World' can be a hot debate, and can change from year to year, but if we're talking about how 'mainstream' a festival is, everyone knows England's 'Glastonbury'. The festival last took place in 2017, and was headlined by The Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran, and is always known for having a fantastic lineup. But who are their competitors? I've taken Ireland and America's biggest Festival Lineup for 2019 to compare with Glasto, so let's see who should take the top spot.

Glastonbury 2017.

Starting with Ireland, 'Electric Picnic' is our biggest Festival, taking place at the end of August in Co. Laois, Ireland. Last year featured a, meh, lineup of Kendrick Lamar, The Prodigy, Dua Lipa and George Ezra amongst many more. EP has been criticised for appealing to the mainstream too much by some music geniuses on Twitter for past lineups, I exaggerate, but this year they've absolutely f*cking nailed the balance. The Strokes, Florence & The Machine, Hozier and The 1975 are set to Headline EP in 2019, which will also feature Billie Eilish, Miles Kane and Dermot Kennedy. It's a brilliant lineup, which proved that EP is willing to move slightly away from just 'pop'.

Electric Picnic sold out in September, six months before any announcement of a lineup was made. That's crazy. My opinion on the lineup is that it's fantastic, and I think that with more announcements which is pretty much a guarantee, it's a strong contender for Best Festival of the Year. If I were to guess who else could be announced, and if my dreams could be answered, I'd guess Liam Gallagher and Tame Impala as two more headliners, and possibly Lewis Capaldi as well. Liam and Tame should both have new Albums out by the time August comes around, both have Festival Dates booked, and are free in August for the time being. Crossing my fingers.

The Electric Picnic Lineup for 2019.

Woodstock is one of the most historically important Music Festivals, birthing the concept of the events that are held today. 'Woodstock' first took place in August of 1969 in New York, and has since seen legendary and memorable performances from acts like Green Day and Jimi Hendrix. This year will see 'Woodstock 50', the 50th Anniversary of the legendary Festival. The lineup so far is good, but has left some fans disappointed, and to be honest I've no idea why. Day 1 will see The Killers, Miley Cyrus, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant and The Raconteurs (Jack White) all headline, that's class. Day 2 has Chance The Rapper, The Black Keys and Greta Van Fleet, that's okay. And finally Day 3 has Jay-Z, Imagine Dragons and Halsey.

I think there's something in there for everyone. Everyone loves The Killers, The Raconteurs are phenomenal, Greta Van Fleet and Imagine Dragons are cool I guess. It's good! I do think that there is a lot of sh*t in there too, which does drag this festival down and I'd put it behind EP, but it has some great acts in there that I'd love to see. Very jealous about The Racs. Not so much about Miley Cyrus.

The Woodstock 50 Lineup for 2019.

And now to Glastonbury. Taking place at the end of June in the UK, this years lineup as actually been heavily criticised on Social Media. The Festival didn't take place last year, as it was a 'fallow year' for the Festival. It's a routine that's done to allow the grounds on which the Festival takes place on to basically heal, and not get completely destroyed. So with a year off, fans expected big things from Glasto's return, and I think they've delivered. Similar to Woodstock, The Killers and Miley Cyrus are amongst the headliners. But here we also have brand new Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees The Cure, then there's Liam Gallagher, Tame Impala, it's brilliant! Stormzy, Kylie Minogue and Janet Jackson are a bit sh*t, but I can appreciate that it allows the Festival to appeal to a much wider audience.

I think that Glasto's lineup is better than Woodstocks actually, mainly because looking past headliners, Glastonbury has some amazing names scattered throughout the poster that aren't headliners, something Woodstock is lacking in my opinion. Names like Billie Eilish, Vampire Weekend, Hozier, Two Door Cinema Club, The Wu-Tang Clan, Sam Fender, it's strong as f*ck! People really need to look beyond the headliners here, even though they're great in my opinion, the lineup as a whole is very good.

The Glastonbury 2019 Lineup.

So overall, who is the best for me? Well this is somewhat biased, but I think that considering the time still to go, and the potential for new and huge acts to be announced, I actually think Ireland's Electric Picnic could have the best overall lineup out of these three. I think it has diversity, originality, and just has so much more potential to look forward to. Glastonbury is a close second though, that lineup is phenomenal. And Woodstock, well, it's a little bit weak. Thank you for reading.