Freedom is an illusion in our modern day society, only in our thoughts can we truly be at rest from the constant attack on our souls, on our beliefs, and even then the powers that be will always find a way to turn you into a criminal; the thought police, so envisioned by the great George Orwell, are only ever a step away from complete control.
What we miss is Discipline in every avenue of life, it is not a matter of authoritarian control but a state of being that oversees our potential, the person we can be if we master both chaos and consistency as one equal partner, if we can feel the inspiration and creation in one visual exercise of unregulated ambition.
For the foursome that make up the Finnish band Headphone Jacks, Jaakko Anttonen, J-P Herlevi, Riku-Pekka, Aleksi Lappalainen, Discipline is the product of what many would consider an anarchic affair of finding a beat in session, but which actually is the depth of feeling given space to treat the individuality of the moment and incorporate it into a dramatic group event.
Anniversaries are meant to be a joyous occasion, especially in the face of achievement and the reaching of goals which have opened the eyes of the public and offered them light whilst we are constantly told to relish the shadows.
Beware the Caller who knocks with hands unwashed and that are wrapped in closed fists, and shake the hand of those with velvet gloves and the willingness to open your eyes and mind; it could be seen as a prejudice to admit but keeping your hands from the dirt and the damage is the cornerstone of having a soul that can just as innocent and willing to listen to a new point of view, a sound that is as unexpected as that which raps on the door at midnight holding champagne in their velvet gloves.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10 The legions of war must fall silent in order to assert peace in which to regroup and put the sword to the disciples of hatred; but first we must always send in those troops to who have the patience to appear when the world needs them most, those angels dressed in swathes of undisputed talent and raw emotions to whom the Legions Of Tomorrow hold no fear.
The back story to the Finnish Death Metal group, Messiah Paratroops is one that reads of perseverance and the refreshing notion that belief in one’s own destiny can attain a high level of integrity and legendary status.
The clamour and the disturbance of the air as the combination of legends meets should come with a warning for the unaware and ignorant that serious listening may damage your ill-concieved perceptions.
For in the uproar across a small divide of talent and history which fuses together in a way that was polished and unexpected as Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith and the prodigy and multi- talented American artist Richie Kotzen, and once again cause mayhem and beauty in equal measure for the senses as the genius of their second collaboration, Black Light/White Noise, seizes the initiative and coaxes the soul of the listener from its shell with the force of giant thunderstorm gathering ominously overhead.
We look upon failure as an ending, and not as we should as the chance to begin again, too often even the thought of other’s opinions, though weighty and well meaning they may be, can have us careering down a path, fuelled by excessive self-doubt and insecurity, and it is often driven by the feeling of what we have lost; not the tangible, the physical, or even the definite, but the construct, the evidence of the corporeal that brings meaning to that which we create.
There is no middle ground, and we must do all we can to avoid the turgid despondency of the grey and misery heaped upon us by politicians, moguls, and billionaires, and in an age where happiness is a commodity that we slavishly exchange for the chance to draw breath, so the opportunity to pursue a moment of bliss becomes an act of rebellion.
Chasing Euphoria with the blast of ecstatic feeling powered by one of Canada’s most industrious melodic rock bands, Harem Scarem, is one littered with meaning, connection, and significant appreciation for the art of entertainment.
A sweet ballad to our journey, that is how we should be able to look back upon the road we have travelled, with poignancy, with affection, and with the occasional pair of tinted glasses that scrub out the worst moments of life when the moment and the muse were missing from our side; or the times when we found ourselves in melancholic ‘let’s remember’ and being terrified with an intensity of longing; that is the sum of our life as we drive along the highway to the music created and which gave our life meaning, purpose, and pleasure.
As with the enormously in-depth posthumous box set that covered the solo career of his band mate John Entwistle, the output of guitarist and main songwriter of The Who, Pete Townshend comes under the glorious scrutiny of the fan and listener alike in his own comprehensive collected edition, The Studio Albums.