Kids & Explosions
Shit Computer
Self-Released
First of all, and before you hear the inevitable comparisons from journalists that are somehow lazier than I am, Kids & Explosions does not sound like Girl Talk. The art of making music using the pastiche method of combining elements from existing pieces of music with other elements of existing pieces of music has become such common practice that people tend to confuse regular producers with mash-up artists, or worse, all of the above with Girl Talk. Rather than utilising nostalgic references and ADHD post-ironic pop culture twisters for the benefit of a party (like the Gregg Gillis’ frequently mentioned fraternity project, or 2manydjs), Josh Raskin has sat and watched that Four Loko-fuelled bandwagon roll away while piecing together ADD jams that favour melancholic glitches with expertly placed vocal samples that manage to evoke shoegaze textures and even post-rock build-ups every so often. The end result is a collection of songs that are at once listenable, memorable, bittersweet, quietly arousing and head-nodding.
Whether it’s when the layers of ‘Babies Of The Future‘ collide as RZA ‘brings the motherfucking…’ crescendo that refuses to conclude in a ruckus, or when ‘Swear Words‘ works as a comprehensive guide to exactly what the song title suggests over twee guitars we’re continuously presented with an oxymoron so obvious it would sound terrible if anyone else was making it. But it’s anything but terrible, and when album highlight ‘Use Your Words‘ builds from gentle piano and soft female vocal sampling to Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s ‘oh baby I like it raw’ line, recontextualised into one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching things you could ever hear, you’ll be hitting the replay button more frequently than Josh has hit ctrl+v making the damn thing.
The album can be downloaded at whatever price you decree at Josh’s website. You can – and should – stream the album in its entirety there too, alongside suitably looped gifs.
Enjoy this video from The Harmony as it could be the last nugget of footage we see this side of 2011 from Jak Pietryga.
Not literally obviously, but Grant Taylor is definitely set proverbially ablaze as he shreds this pool for Spitfire.
As if to make a mockery of the music press’ overzealous list making in recent years, 
An accidental double booking meant that the Superdead team couldn’t rip the Xmas Jam this year, instead the team took it to Blackpool’s Rampcity and Castleford’s Subvert skatepark and came back with plenty of rad shralpage caught on camera.
“This is a celebration, man! These bands have been together almost 30 years, and we’re all still alive, still on the road!” Metallica’s James Hetfield declares to the 50,000-odd Sofia crowd. Indeed, what with the various personal troubles that all four of thrash metal’s leading lights have weathered over the years, combined with the genre’s relative decline in popularity during the 1990s, it’s amazing that they’ve all survived long enough to finally unite for this summer 2010 jaunt across eastern Europe. The performances themselves, you’ll be pleased to hear, prove that these thrash veterans are in particularly rude health.
For those of you who want a banging New Year’s Eve party without the very non-banging entry free, which those of us living in London sadly know all too well about, then why not head on down to The Alibi in Kingland High Street Dalston for a Sweet Dreams event set to be a proper bubbler.
Last Christmas The Berrics celebrated and Blueprint cemented their comeback into the skateboarding limelight with a United Nations I’m sure even the younger amongst you reading haven’t forgotten yet.