Reviews, Religion and Rage: Salami's Journal

[Salami]

Welcome!

I thought it was about time I started my own journal in order that I might have a place with some kind of order to write down my ideas, so here is the journal! I shall be reviewing albums which catch my interest, sharing my thoughts on genres and instruments, and there will also be some more personal talk as well. Hope you enjoy it!

Below you can find an index of all my reviews in chronological order:

Nirvana: Nevermind Remaster (2011) – Reviewed in October 2011
Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto (2011) – Reviewed in November 2011
Dragonforce: Inhuman Rampage (2004) – Reviewed in December 2011
Rival Sons: Before The Fire (2010) – Reviewed in February 2012

[Salami]

Part 4¼
LAMINATE PET ANIMAL – SNOWMINE



Well, for my very first entry, I shall review an album by an incredibly underrated band, SNOWMINE, which is a psych-indie band from Brooklyn, NY. There’s surprisingly little information about these chaps on the internet, what did catch my eye was this gem from Pop Wreckoning: “If Jurassic Park had a houseband, it would sound like SNOWMINE”
That is certainly one way of looking at it. I have personally found this album to be quite exceptional, blending some intricate sounds with soothing vocals and dreamy atmospheres.
I can’t make it a particularly long review, because there really isn’t that much to say! I shall point out some of the highlights, but I really can’t go into great depth here.

Beast in Air, Beast in Water – This is the opening track. From the start, the atmosphere is threatening. One of the lyrics is “sense of urgency”, yet the song is remarkably restrained, suggesting more confusion and fatigue than panic. Indeed, there are some beautiful moments towards the end of this song, and it is, throughout, a misty haze of uncertainty.
Salami Scale: 9/10

The Hill: Much more withdrawn sound here, the music sounds distant and with noticeable echoing and delay effects, which are all very intriguing. Also interesting is the ease at which the vocals slip in and out of falsetto, some of the most natural falsetto I’ve ever heard.
Salami Scale: 9/10

This One: Probably the most upbeat song on the album, yet still restrained. The vocals are sustained, and the song flows like a perfect rolling landscape of sound.
Salami Scale: 9/10



Hologram: The final song on the album, and indisputably the finest. It is the crowning jewel of an album already very stimulating. It is a shimmering cataract of beauty, an exquisite blend of ambient and vocal harmony. The chords are played so softly and unobtrusively, yet powerful and carry the tune forward. Every sound is as withdrawn and played as smoothly as possible, but the resulting beauty is outstanding. It is the most dreamy and withdrawn track, but also the most intense, absorbing and intimate. I cannot rate this song more highly.
Salami Scale: 10/10

Listen to it right now:



Overall Album Rating:

☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻

(10/10)

To me, this band is an innovative, stimulating listen, using some phenomenal orchestral effects to a good end, and the final result is one I would heartily recommend.

[AmazingPurpleCat]

I recommended this to you!

[Howard the Duck]

can we except a review of your rage against religion soon?

[Salami]

Originally Posted by Howard the Duck

can we except a review of your rage against religion soon?

Well, there are certainly some philosophical issues that I would like to address from a religious perspective, and I think I'll start with the problem with homosexuality and the religious objections to gay marriage, which is something I feel very strongly about.

Something religious people say a lot when objecting to gay marriage is: "how far should we go - allow people to marry anything they want?!!" Bestiality is often suggested. This is terrible logic, because the whole issue with homosexual love is that you are attracted to the person, (even if it's only for their body, you still love the person themself). Surely if two people love each other then that's the main requirement for a marriage? When forced marriages are taking place around the world with a complete absence of any love being demonstrated either way for each other, and yet marriages are being denied between people who do love each other, the discrepancy becomes clear.

Without wishing to get irrelevant or too personal, I'll say that my family is extremely religious and homosexuality was always thought of as a great sin. I won't go into the details, but it was referred to with great contempt, as the absolute abomination of disregard for self-respect and for God. I was told that gay relationships never lasted long - the evidence for this assumption never materialised and when I questioned it I was asked to "find a better use for your time". I was presented with scriptural evidence for it too. Forgive me if this next bit seems boring, unnecessary or even off topic, but I feel that what many people, especially in the USA, disapprove of gay marriage is from the Bible, especially since most people arguing against gay marriage seem to be Christians. I have looked at the verses in question, and found them completely unconvincing.

I looked more carefully at these verses. The one in Leviticus prohibiting a man lying with another man on pain of being stoned to death was one of the Church's favourites. Yet, when looked at in context, it is noticed that this is in THE SAME VERSE as trimming one's facial hair is also forbidden on pain of death. Unless one insists on keeping every other one of the 613 laws, it makes no sense to use that law as an imposition on the present. Even if you do, how should one cherry-pick the scripture - by what authority should you consider some laws relevant to today's society but others no longer required?

After reading other verses in the same way, I decided that the scriptural evidence for homosexuality being a sin was very poor indeed: even for Sodom and Gomorrah it was only referring to the acts being "sinful" in that circumstance - not necessarily implying that homosexuality itself is a sin.

The other huge problem is the ASSUMPTION that being homosexual is affected by any decision you make, and that it is a choice. It isn't. If it was, then clearly there might be some possible objection. However, let it be established that being gay is no more affected by your choice than the colour of your skin. There is absolutely no evidence to the contrary – and since this is the case, what right is there for anyone to deny the right to be married? It is the logical equivalent to prohibiting people from marrying just because they are black.

A lot of what I've written here is taken from some of the thoughts I had following the Prop 8 thread, which did yield some useful thoughts in my opinion.

Anyway, I think that for me is why I think religious objections to being homosexual are wrong, mislead and not supported by scripture.

[Howard the Duck]

i'll just play God's advocate and use hiphopbunnybop's argument

being straight means continuation

i'll go one step further - gay marriages will only be allowed when there is overpopulation

[Trollheart]

Absolutely right. Or, as Homer put it: "Talk about a preachy book! According to this thing, EVERYONE's a sinner! Except that guy."

Not to mention Reverend Lovejoy, a man of the cloth, no less: "Everything is a sin! Have you ever actually sat down and read this thing? Technically, we're not allowed to go to the bathroom!"

Seriously though, people relying on a two-thousand year old book for modern advice is about as inspired and advisable as us computer geeks still reading the DOS 5.0 manual and trying to make it work on our computers. Technology moves on, so does time, and attitudes change. No-one could have predicted, when the bible was written, what would happen in the future. Had it been written "It is a sin to fly like the birds of the air", would the Wright Brothers have been stoned to death?

Fundamentalist Christians use this sort of crap all the time to backup their conservative, "family-values" worldview. It makes me sick. Jesus is probably up there now slapping his hand to his forehead going "No no no! You couldn't have got it more wrong!"

[Salami]

Tempest - Bob Dylan - 2012

Well I had a look and couldn't see a review for this, which is a bit surprising. I know it was September, but I think it merits some attention. I personally think Bob is getting better and better.

"Dusquesne Whistle" is a great opener I think, and as a song it's an interesting mixture of elegance, intimacy and sometimes even a little reminiscent: "You rascal, I know exactly where you're going, I'll lead you there myself at the break of day" and of course "you smiling through the fence at me, just like the way you've always smiled before". Also I thought the instrumentation was very good, which isn't why I listen to Bob Dylan, but all the same was certainly proficient.

Another highlight has to be "Soon After Midnight", which is a positive goldmine for memorable lyrics - from now on whenever I'm late I use the excuse "It's soon after midnight, and I've got a date with the fairy queen." I think also particularly excellent were his thoughts on contempt and opposition he has received: "They'll chirp and they'll chatter, what does it matter? They're lying there dying, in their blood", often quite sinister "two timing Slim, who's ever heard of him? I'll drag his corpse through the mud."

Other highlights include "Scarlet Town" and "Tempest", the latter I think he was making up as he was going along.

Anyway, does anyone have thoughts?

[Salami]

Robert Cray -- Live at the Bridgewater, Manchester 15th March 2013

I was fortunate enough to attend this concert, which I'll say right now was absolutely fantastic. I've never been crazy on blues, but I feel Robert Cray is exempt from this rather broad generalisation. He has had a fine career, including three decades, twelve studio albums and has won a Grammy five times. Among other aspects I find his guitar work exceptional, despite using a quite ordinary stratocaster, he likes to get quite a harsh sound on records and in live performances, yet plays some very sensitive and soulful blues.

I was particularly impressed by "Time Makes Two", which I think was better in the live performance than on record, but either way remains a fantastic piece of blues. "I Shiver", "Smoking Gun" and "Forecast (Calls For Pain)" are all great listening, the latter was particularly memorable live.