Orgasm In Journal Form-A James Thread

[James]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

A few points, or replies, or responses, whatever you like to call them.

First off, sorry that you had such a crappy year. I know what that's like, but that's another story. Something that did strike a chord with me though was your recounting of your best-friend-to-more-than with that girl. I had something very similar, and yes, it's a real pain when the feelings are not reciprocated isn't it? You kind of wish you hadn't said anything. Makes a mockery of that old adage, "nothing to lose by asking". Of course there is! A whole friendship, sometimes.

Hope things are getting a bit more on track for you now, and you're looking forward to Christmas. One point on Amy Winehouse: no it was not nice what people said, but the view I took was that she constantly refused treatment, acted like there was nothing wrong with her, and really, created a terrible role model for impressionable young girls. I think that was unforgivable, and while I would never say anyone deserves to die, I do find it hard to have much sympathy. It's like George Best: given TWO chances at life and he STILL drank himself to death! In my opinion, that's thumbing your nose at fate and daring her to do her worst. Baaaad move...

Anyway, though they may not be your favourites, I would just like to point out that we lost two rock legends over the course of the last two years, Ronnie James Dio and Gary Moore, and yes, it's terribly sad when people that talented and respected die so young.

As for Westlife disbanding, well sorry but I did pop the odd champagne cork! Being an Irishman too sort of lent weight to my feelings about them. It annoyed me that their breakup was HEADLINE NEWS. I mean, HEADLINE. Front of the papers. And I'm not talking the Mirror, either. Respectable Irish newspapers led with the story, as did the news. What sort of world are we living in?

But in the spirit of the season, let me wish you a Happy Christmas and hope the new year will be a lot better for you.
And good luck at university!

Trollheart

It seems to be a common scenario and a lot of people have been in similiar positions. I definetly learned from the experience though and I would be lying if I said it didn't feel good to unload. Perhaps if I had supressed it I would be in a better position but there is no way of knowing. It's all part of growing up I guess.

I agree with you on the point of Amy Winehouse. I don't exactly think she made the best choices but I have no idea what addiciton is like. Perhaps for her it was impossible to quit, perhaps it was a constant struggle. We really don't know how things were in her mind.

I forgot about Dio. Holy Diver is an amazing album. He was without a doubt a legendary figure, but the work of Big Star, Sparklehorse and Jay Reatard was amongst my favourites so when they all passed away in such succession I was quite shocked. So those three will always stand out for me.

I knew some people who actually broke into tears when they found out about Westlife. It's quite tragic. I pity these people for having absolutely no taste in music whatsoever.

I hope you have a good year too man, I still have another year before I have to worry about uni properly but it's just the feeling of impending doom that is getting to me!

Originally Posted by Alfred

James, this may be my new favorite journal. It stuns me how much we have in common and I never realized it.

First off, great to see you reviewing Pig Destroyer. I'll admit, I haven't heard that album, but I adore Terrifyer and enjoy Phantom Limb a great deal. I'm not a massive grindcore fan, I like some of it, but they're one of the bands I always go back to.

Secondly, glad to see you give a nod to Envy. Recitation is an awesome album, one of my favorites of last year and certainly my favorite Envy album. It blew me away on first listen.

Finally, your last post put a huge smile of my face. I too once had a crappy year, similar to that one (although I was 14 when mine happened, not as recent or... mature I suppose). And you tying David Comes To Life, my favorite album of 2011. I agree that the album is a metaphor for a bad breakup, and the pain, guilt, and finally, acceptance felt and expressed by one party. It's an album most of us can relate to.

I agree that this year was great for punk. Have you heard Touche Amore's Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me? You might like it if you liked Wildlife. It's the same style of punk, but faster, briefer, and more direct.

Anyways, awesome thread, will read again.

Haha thanks man. great to get some good feedback. I always knew we liked a lot of the same stuff, what with us having the same favourite band. Prowler in the Yard is their best by far, if you liked Phantom Limb and Terrifyer you should check it out for sure. I'm not a huge Grindcore fan either, in fact I am pretty sure the five or so bands I do enjoy are the most famous. Envy are a brilliant act, they're definetly top of my post rock list because they manage to keep it interesting with the more heavy, hardcore elements. I knew you were a ****ed Up fan from your other posts around the forum, I really feel they outdone themselves with David Comes to Life though. They've gone from a great modern punk band to THE great modern punk band in my opinion. It really hit me this year and I think I have probably listened to it more than nay other album. I will definetly check out Touche Amore and get back to you on that. It seems quite interesting from RYM so I am very excited to give it a spin.

[James]

Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells - Everything's Getting Older

This album has been blowing me away on every listen for the last few weeks. A real hidden gem, Everything's Getting Older hasn't recieved much attention but it deserves a lot more recognition. Aidan Moffat, formerly of Arab Strap, bares his soul through his lyrics delivered in a raw, honest voice flavoured with that Glaswegian accent I know so well. Moffat looks back on his life and reflects on topics such as past relationships, his childhood, the birth of his own kids and of course the titular notion that he is ageing a little too fast. This is all set to the beautiful instrumentation of Bill Wells, a name I am not too familiar with but will look out for in the future. The styles and tones of the songs are quite varied - ranging from the short and upbeat A Short Song to the Moon through the intense Dinner Time which has an extreme Noir feel to it, passing by the devastating The Copper Top before finally reaching the beautiful and hopeful The Greatest Story Ever Told. Tying together the wider themes of the album, exploring age and bringing forth the birth of his son. Revealing that no matter how old he gets, his son still has his whole life ahead of him. Life goes on. He also released a f*cking awesome christmas EP, giving a more realistic and cynical view of the holiday season. The man is truly amazing.
"Birth, love and death. The only reasons to get dressed up."