The Pacific Northwest of United States is a hot bed for melodic, rhythmic indie rock. The likes of Death Cab for Cutie and Hot Hot Heat have put a nice twist on the music in this region. When you think of the demographics of the country you can understand why some sounds are allowed to nurture without mainstream crud being shoved down their throat.
Seattle, Washington’s, The Pale Pacific fit nicely within this sound and their second release of 2005, Urgency finds this quartet pushing its boundary. It’s wrong to say they are a mixture of Death Cab and Sunny Day Real Estate, but for a first time listener you’d be forgiven; it’s much poppier than Death Cab and not as “emo” as Sunny Day.
I found myself repeatedly listening to the second track of Urgency, Sucker Punch. It’s one of those songs that slowly progresses, the tempo builds up and when it ends you feel as if you were robbed, you didn’t get enough so you hit back on the player for another turn. The album is so full of little gems that it requires many listens. We could be hearing big things from this band in 2006 as it’s just one of those records!
(BH)
Just a quick reminder that the Holy Water pre-Christmas sale is now on! Sale items include mens and womens t-shirts, sweats, watches and more from your favourite brands including We, Nixon, Ando, Crownfarmer and more…
As if it really matters to know who rides for what, where and when… All that really matters is that they’re skating, right? So, to put a few weird rumours about sponsorship, money and Koston aside, here’s some hot shit going down for next Es video. Yes!
In the age of nano-technology, high unemployment and cheap gadgets, it comes as no surprise to see so many kids working on their own skate videos… So, once you’ve agthered all of tht footage and sat on it for a couple of years, re-editted the lot, filmed a bit more, sat on it a bit more and re-editted it again, and so on… you can finally think about releasing your precious brainchild to the ungrateful masses. No wonder deadlines get pushed back. However, you need a name for this masterpiece because without one people might not know what to ask for (if they ask for it at all!).
Jon Burgerman’s unique art has always inspired us here at Crossfire. This concertina book printed on thick matt laminated art-board, folds out to reveal a wondrous inter-connecting sprawl of characters and colour. It can also be displayed as a stunning frieze.
Fusing rock, reggae and ska, Canada’s Bedouin Soundclash have created a truly refreshing and uplifting sound that holds the spirit of The Clash true to it’s heart, whilst drawing inspiration from Bob Marley’s combination of pop song-writing skills and roots reggae. Produced by legendary Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jennifer, ‘When The Night Feels My Song’ is one of the many gems from their ‘Sounding a Mosaic’ album that will appeal to fans of classic punk-reggae hybrids like The Ruts, The Police and Still Little Fingers, harking back to the days when the first generation of punks found much they could relate to in reggae. Bedouin Soundclash are guaranteed to lift your spirits through these cold, dark winter months. We need this now more than ever!
Just the other day I was re-living that great scene from A Bronx Tale- you know, that film where DeNiro is trying to keep his son on the straight and narrow during the Mob/Race hate era of the 50’s…Yeah, so I’m sitting in the backseat with my New Era pulled low, black camoed down, eyes focusing on an uncertain future. My camarades are more relaxed and joking around me. One of them mock sings a verse from some hip-hop song about “Still not caring…” I don’t remember who the rapper is.
When I scan the screens and pick up the airwaves, witnessing the tear of social fabric in France somehow none of it surprises me. When I moved to France, the coffee and croissant charade was soon squashed and replaced by the stale baguette and odd flavoured milk. I didn’t run the Champs Elysées with a beret and string of onions like many a tourist, I walked the back alleys with an army of Lacoste shellsuits and stolen scooters. Despite their garish outfits (peaked hats, bright coloured tracksuits and dazzling white Stan Smiths), my co-hosts were ignored and avoided by the rest of French society.
Fighting words in a volatile situation usually ends in hostilities. The only problem here is that nobody’s listening. The kids don’t understand the political rhetoric and the politicians can’t get to grips with the back-slang. Add to that the fact that a lot of the estates are no-go areas for social services, and an immigrant’s son can’t take two steps out of his ghetto without being stopped and searched by the fuzz, and there is definite communication breakdown.
There was talk of curfews being installed across the land, and distant communities taking up the cause elsewhere… We didn’t care.
Alright, I’ll break it down one more time for those of you that weren’t paying attention the last few hundred times: Ventures are light-weight but break a lot easier. Independent are heavy but strong*. Thunders are the middleweights which make them light enough for good pop and strong enough to take a drop. Anything else on the market is superfluous.
Ah! The good ol’ days… Eastern Exposure, Mixtape, Trilogy: Three staples of what skateboarding stood for between 1996 and 1997. All three out of print and rare collectibles today. RB Umali, the mastermind behind virtually any East Coast footage you’ve seen, has compiled various lost tapes and gems onto this DVD: NY Revisited Volume 1.