My Thoughts Laid Bare

The Solar System Is Where It's At

2009-10-09T18:06:00.008+01:00

Something rather extraordinary has been discovered. On Wednesday the 7th of October a huge new ring around Saturn was discovered. It is located about 8 million miles from the planet, some 50 times further than Saturn's other rings, and it lies in a different plane. The ring is so huge that it is 3 million miles wide. The ring is invisible to the telescopes as well as the naked eye, but if it were visible, the ring would appear twice the size of the full moon in the night sky. It is thought that the ring was formed by dust being thrown up from Saturn's moon Phoebe after small impacts and the dust gravitates towards the planet where it is then picked up by Iapetus.
Full story here.

The theme of today's post is space and the Solar System, so I shall keep in line with that. NASA have sent a rocket segment smashing into the moon's south polar region in order to lift some dust from the surface, and a probe is to follow right after, hoping to pick up and detect water molecules which are expected to be in the lunar craters, hidden in the permanently dark corners of the craters. If the probe is successful in detecting water, it could pave the way for future plans for long term stays by astronauts on the surface of the moon. The up thrown dust was expected to reach altitudes of several miles but failed to reach even close to this, possibly due to more solid material below the lunar surface, however the analysis of the dust continues.
Full story here.

Russian space research institute, IKI, based in Moscow hosted an international conference aimed at luring scientists from Europe and possibly other countries such as the US into an ambitious project to send a craft to the surface of Venus, officially scheduled for launch in 2016. The idea of the conference was to determine what approaches would be best suited to getting the craft through the dense acidic atmosphere of Venus in an attempt to explore the planets surface.
Full story here.

Oasis and Noel Gallagher

2009-10-02T14:57:00.007+01:00

Okay, so I know it is relatively old news that Noel Gallagher has left Oasis, but I just wanted to say my part, as I haven't done so yet.

Noel left the band because he could not take the constant fighting between his brother Liam and himself, and to be honest, it was only a matter of time before someone left.

Noel was basically the backbone of Oasis, a band which I am a fan of, so it was quite upsetting to hear the news. He was the chief lyricist, chief composer as well as the lead guitarist. On top of this he has a good singing voice, himself. I don't know what will happen with Oasis, but I do hope that Noel Gallagher will continue with a solo career, because it would be very interesting to hear some solo stuff.

Okay, I Have Slacked

2009-10-01T17:30:00.007+01:00

Admittedly I have slacked a bit during September, but it was a pretty busy month to be honest. Job interviews, courses, training, family and friends to see to, astronomical societies and lots of general procrastination.

I thought I might just start with a quick catch up. Four weeks ago today, my dad and I started attending meetings at the Loughton Astronomy Club in Theydon Bois, Essex. The group meet every Thursday night from 8pm to 10pm and it's been very interesting to see every one's collection of images of space, eclipses, galaxies and their own theories of the universe. On the first week, after the meeting was over, a few of the blokes had a telescope set up outside and we managed to see Jupiter, in great definition, a long with the four best known moons. We also saw the ISS pass over us, Andromeda galaxy (2.2 million lightyears away) and even saw star clusters from our own galaxy. It was quite breath taking.

I had a job interview for Game, the video game company, but I am still waiting to hear from them as they said they will contact me this week... Still, one more day and I shall assume the answer is a "no".

I see Labour are losing supporters, and well to be honest, they have been for some time... Personally I don't adhere myself to a specific political party, just vote for who has the right policies at the right times. Even so, I think Labours 12 year reign of terror and corruption over the UK has come to an end and I doubt we will see it for some time...

For now, though... I'll leave you alone and I will see you later. Peace x

The Top 100 Greatest...

2009-08-30T16:58:00.010+01:00

There are many "Top 100 Greatest..." lists when it comes to music. These lists, when referring to rock music, typically cover the basics: guitarists, bassists, drummers and vocalists. I have seen the odd one or two listing the top 100 bands of all time as well.

The lists are usually based on technique, creativity, versatility and influence on the world of music and you usually see the same names making the top places every time, and these names are typically “big” or famous names that are not at all that good at their particular instruments. Most people would not consider these artists worthy of being in the top 100... This makes me believe that this is somewhat more of a contest of popularity than a contest of genuine ability.

To some extent I usually agree (aside from the occasional dispute) with the top 5 or 10, but as for the rest of the lists, I get really concerned as to what is happening. Call me biased but many of my favourite guitarists for example, get left out of the top 20. These include David Gilmour, John Frusciante and Mike McCready who are all epic guitarists.

To many, they might not be considered some of the best of all time but I couldn't disagree more. With their technical skill, emotive playing, passion for the music and wealth of experience, along with the critical acclaim they have garnered, the adoration from fans, critics and industry insiders alike and their massive influences on the present generation definitely harbour very high rankings, indeed. I think they are some of the best guitarists I have ever heard in my life.

This also stretches into my favourite drummers. Chad Smith is considered by many to be one of the best living drummers, yet he frequently ranks in the lower ends of the “Top 100 Drummers” lists. If there are many people out there who highly rate Chad Smith, why is he being placed so low in the tables? He has great technical ability, speed, influence, groove and love for drumming, but it may be because he is a quiet and reserved guy at the back of the huge stage with three massive personalities resonating at nearly a million hertz in front of him. Either way, the guy deserves to be in at least the top 20.

Everyone loves Dave Grohl. It’s a well-known fact that he is one of the nicest and most adored men in all of rock music as well as one of the most famous drummers to have ever lived, yet he is another who ranks low in the “Top 100 Drummers” lists. Dave Grohl first came into the public eye with Nirvana with 1991’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and has continued to increase his fan base even to this very day. His hard-hitting, Bonham-influenced technique and massive influence of his own over modern audiences, along with a passion for the drums and an emotive playing sense deserve to push this drumming heavy weight higher up the “Top 100 Drummers” rankings.

Basically to sum it all up, lists of “Top 100 Greatest” lists are in effect, a pile of shit because all that matters is your own personal opinion. Very rarely will you find a list that includes all of your personal favourites and in the right orders, as today it seems like a popularity contest and less of a legitimate list ordering people in order of talent, technical ability, influence, creativity and versatility.

Ever Had A Sudden Realisation?

2009-08-24T17:15:00.004+01:00

*** Excessive use of profanities ***

It's been a while since I last wrote something here, but this isn't a catch up... This is an emotional release. Other than my sister visiting, which I thoroughly enjoyed, the last few weeks have been a bit of a cunt.

I have recently come to the realisation that people are cunts… They are only out to fuck you and get what they want from you, even family. Family are there when it suits them and they will stab their own blood in the back if it means getting what they want out of it. I come to that realisation long ago, and it has only just hit home… This is not to say that I don’t love my family, because I do… It’s unconditional, but I still hate most of my family.

The hatred and sadness built up earlier as I was thinking about it all, and I started to cry, as you do when things get overwhelming. But I can’t cry properly. I get upset and tears form in my eyes but there is no emotional release that let’s me know that I am crying, so I started to get REALLY frustrated at the fact that crying wasn’t releasing my emotion. All the emotion turned into anger and in the end I almost popped a blood vessel in my head and was literally seconds from smashing the shit out of the bathroom before I realised that it would do no good.

I am the kind of person, who once I get emotional, I start to think of everything, and today that “everything” was the fact that I am open book and have always been an open book. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am a genuinely kind person. Too kind for my own good, perhaps. A friend once told me that people take kindness for weakness, and being as kind as I am, people must take me for an absolute cunt.

It all got me thinking… I open up too easily and I let people into my heart and they fuck me over, right away. People take the opportunity to get what ever they can from someone by what ever means necessary and they usually jump when someone shows vulnerability. Being the open book that I am, I am always left vulnerable to such attack and I can’t take it anymore. Something’s got to give and I wont let it be my well-being.

There may be other genuinely nice people out there who don’t stab people in the back for their own gain, but life has taught me that most people are cunts and that I can’t go on living my day-to-day with my heart on my sleeve because people take advantage of it. So from now on, I have taken my heart off my sleeve and I am no longer opening up to anyone, regardless of who they are. Fuck people, they can’t be trusted. From now on I am going to be nice whenever I want to be, and not because I feel that I have to be.

Consider this the last time that I open up and let people know what is really going on, on the inside...

Josh Blue The Disabled Comedian

2009-07-31T17:07:00.005+01:00

So last night I was browsing all of my usual comedians on YouTube like Russell Howard, Frankie Boyle, Stephen K Amos, Ed Byrne and the likes, when I came across a new comedian who I found very funny indeed. His stand up included your every day life stuff and much of his stand up was based around being disabled and getting through life. The comedians name is Josh Blue and he has Cerebral Palsy and such, a lot of his comedy comes from experience.

Josh Blue first made his appearance in the American TV show Last Comic Standing and instantly became favourite and he eventually went on to win the show, with little surprise. His guts and daring coupled with his ability to turn his Cerebral Palsy into something for comedy is remarkable and he is a true inspiration for everyone. He doesn't feel sorry for himself and doing stand up, he obviously doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for him either. Otherwise, why would he do stand up?

Check him out here. This is his first legendary appearance on Last Comic Standing. A must see!

Union Jack Ruled As 'Offensive'

2009-07-29T16:50:00.008+01:00

It has been in and out of the news a lot over the last few years, that the Union Jack is deemed 'offensive'. I reject that statement. It's a fucking flag for fucks sake! The people calling this flag 'offensive' are the Neo-fascist Political Correctness brigade and far-right Islamists and Extremists living in this country, stating that it is "offensive to Muslims and non-British".

Now I may be old fashioned here, but doesn't going to another country mean that you should accept their culture and their traditions? -- I mean, you made the decision to go there right? And all this PC bullshit is beginning to fuck me off as well. The PC cunts responsible for turning this country into a bunch of submissive pussies are the typical "Yes let's bring the foreigners over here, it is their right as much as it is ours... But don't bring them into the suburbs where we live, oh God no" Upper-classes and everyone is fucking listening to them and letting them control this country through this cancer called Political Correctness.

Something that I read in today's London Lite newspaper which inspired me to write this post: Met Police Chiefs have banned their force from wearing Union Jack badges on their uniforms in support of out troops overseas dubbing it as "offensive" and not being "part of the dress code". The paper says "The row started last month when 200 officers at Heathrow were told that the badges were in breach of the Met's dress code. The order is believed to have come after a member of the public complained that the symbol was 'offensive'".

Many units within the Met have ignored the order to remove their badges despite disciplinary action and have all joined the revolt, and good on them, too! By giving in and removing the Union Jack from clothes and even in extremes, car and house windows, we are sending a very important message to people everywhere else in the world. That message being "Come to our country and complain that everything is offensive to you and your traditions and we will do what ever we can to change this because we are a bunch of submissive PC-conscious cunts".

Seriously, though... I am not a racist but if we start off with something as petty as a flag on a badge, where will it end? Changing our traditions and our langauge and our culture to suit every single minority coming over here and abusing their un-fairly given rights to contradict a country in which that has given them a second chance at life?!

It is fucking ridiculous and people claiming the Union Jack is offensive should be ashamed of themselves. After all it is their heritage, their country (whether they are born and bred here or not, they live here now) and it's JUST A FUCKING FLAG!

Religion In Modern Society

2009-07-24T16:31:00.008+01:00

Okay because it has been over two weeks since I last posted, I thought I would do something worthwhile and something that I feel strongly about. This being religion.

First of I would like to say that I am an Atheist. There are two types of Atheists. Those who reject the idea of a personal god or gods and those who just simply do not believe in God. I consider myself 1/3 of the former and 2/3 of the latter.

Being an Atheist doesn't mean that I am against the belief of a god or gods, in fact I am quite the opposite. I think the belief in something, whether it is a god or a generic higher being/entity, is a good thing for people to have because it gives them a sense of security. So you may ask why I do not believe in God... To put it simply, the idea of a big fat man sat on a cloud, sporting a long grey beard and a white toga, who judges every move I make and condemns me for not praising him just does not seem feasible to me, what-so-ever.

My problem is with the oppressive, contradictory, controlling, brain-washing force known as religion. It stops people from free-thought, something that I believe to be vital to the human existence. People are roped in and told how to act, what to do, what do think and how to live their lives, therefore being controlling and oppressive. When people are roped in from an early age, they are made to believe that a virgin fell pregnant and gave birth to the son of God. This is brain-washing.

This is surely against basic human rights that allow people to think for themselves and make their own decisions but children are impressionable and when caught from an early age, you can tell them anything over and over again and they will believe it. Children need a point of view from both sides, one from the side of the religious and one from the side of the irreligious, and this is exactly what I will do with my children if and when I have them.

I have always been very skeptical of the existence of God, even from an early age when I went to a Roman Catholic primary school and I was taught to believe. I always questioned religion and why it said the things it did. For a few years, until recently I was Agnostic and a few months ago I became an Atheist, primarily due to to the contradictions in religion. Such as God being the good and all-powerful being who refuses to eradicate all evil on Earth. In the "Holy" Bible, God killed almost 3 million people for not listening to him, not praising him and not doing what he wanted etc., and Satan only killed 10 people in the very same book! Now you tell me who the evil one really is.

If God gave everyone set paths to follow in life, why did he give people free-thought and make certain people Atheists and Agnostics. Why does he make people "evil"? Why does he judge us and our lives when he himself set those paths for us? If God really did set our paths out, why didn't he make it so that everyone praises him? The only way religious people can answer this is by saying "Satan did it". Hang on, isn't God all powerful? Why doesn't he just destroy Satan and make everyone good, surely it would save God a lot of trouble in the future.

Control, oppression and contradiction goes for all religions, I don't care what it is but it is mainly pointed to the Abrahamic religions; Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

In today's world of science, we do not need religion either to control us, or guide us. Religion originally started as a means to explain the unexplainable, such as where we come from, why we are here and what happens after death. Science has explained most of these away and with the constant advancement of knowledge and understanding we no longer need religion in today's world. It just makes no sense.

Instead of worshiping some Jewish carpenter with an invisible dad, who lived 2000 years ago, we should be worshiping those who are constantly advancing the limits of human knowledge and understanding into the un-imaginable. We should not be giving God the credit for OUR work as it only undermines all the work that we have done as a human race.

Most of the most powerful and important minds in the world are and have been Atheists. Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Richard Dawkins, Sigmund Freud, Paul Dirac, Stephen Hawking, Peter Higgs, James Watson and Francis Crick. The absence of the oppression of religion allowed these people to work to their full potential and become some of the most celebrated people who have ever lived.

"Is God willing to prevent evil but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God." - Epicurus.

So I Finally Got a Haircut...

2009-07-08T14:32:00.003+01:00

As the title suggests, I finally got my haircut after letting it grow untouched for over two years. I hadn't even had any split ends cut whilst I was growing it, and I only decided to grow it becuase I was too lazy to go and get it cut. Eventually I got to the point where I didn't want to get my hair cut out of fear that the hairdresser would get it wrong, and completely fuck up my hair.

Fortunatley this wasn't the case. The woman doing it was really professional and did exactly what I asked for. It was a shame to see my hair go and a real shock to see it all on the floor when the woman was done. I feel good for getting it done though, I feel like a new person.

My brother now has longer hair than me for the first time in over 10 years and he is massively elated, and at least I can now tell him to get a haircut, instead of him being the one to tell me.

Pictures to come...

I'm Sweating Balls, Here...

2009-07-02T18:22:00.003+01:00

So the heatwave has been with us for a few days now and is expected to last a little while longer and temperatures are set to reach the mid-30s. Great! I love the hot weather, it actually makes a really nice change to the typical 24°C summer temperatures that we normally get here in South-east England, but genie mac, does it need to be so damn humid? It's killing me!

Now, I am not normally one to complain of the weather because I like all the weather types (especially the milder and slightly wetter spring) but when the humidity seems to top out, I just can't hack it. Much like everyone else I lose sleep, I get irritable, I find it hard to concentrate, it's very uncomfortable, I sweat buckets but worst of all... my appetite drops!

Oh well, I suppose I best make the most of it because this will be our summer and it will be been-and-gone before we know it!

Michael Jackson Is Dead

2009-06-28T18:18:00.003+01:00

So, everyone knows it. The King of Pop is dead. He was found on the floor in his house in Beverly Hills and not breathing when an ambulance was called and has taken him to UCLA Hospital where doctors tried to resuscitate him for an hour before he was pronounced dead at 2:26pm local time.

His oldest brother Jermaine Jackson had to release the news to the press which was obviously extremely hard for him to do, and requested that people respect the families privacy during this time of hardship.

Many millions of people around the world who both idolised and respected Michael Jackson are mourning his death and the next few weeks will be very hard for them to deal with. I myself am saddened by his death and will pay my respects to him.

Is Schumacher Really The Stig?

2009-06-22T22:56:00.004+01:00

A lot of speculation to be honest... Many people think that Schumacher is not the Stig and that he was in fact set up as a joke. It seems possible really, especially seeing as right at the end of the episode Jeremy Clarkson said "I don't think that Michael Schumacher is the real Stig."

Also, this has been a theory for a while now, but many people think that the Stig is in fact several people and not just one. To be honest, I don't see how this would be any good to the show. The idea of the Power Laps, Stig's time to shine, are to get a fair and accurate time out of a car on the Top Gear Test Track but it wouldn't be very fair at all if it were several different people, all of whom presumably have different driving styles. The Stig manages to keep a very consistent style while driving cars around the Top Gear Test Track, so personally I throw that theory out of the window and continue to believe that the Stig is just one man, whether he is Michael Schumacher or not.

It's Michael Schumacher!!!

2009-06-21T20:51:00.003+01:00

Holy fucksticks... What can I say? Well, the Stig DID reveal himself on tonight's episode of Top Gear and it was none other than Ex-F1 driver Michael Schumacher! The man, the legend!

To be honest, I was expecting an F1 driver, but not Schumacher... I was expecting Damon Hill. Schumacher was my favourite F1 driver until he retired in 2006, so I was really excited that it was him, lol.

It seems as though all of that Ben Collins malarkey was all a big mistake... Unless it was a cover up, hehe... Nah I don't think it is.

So... Who'd have thought it? A British National Treasure is a German! Well, Jeremy Clarkson did say that it would be a rather big surprise.

Top Gear's Stig 'to be unveiled'

2009-06-21T19:01:00.001+01:00

BBC NEWS Entertainment Top Gear's Stig 'to be unveiled': "The Stig, the mystery driver who tests high-performance cars on Top Gear, will take his helmet off for the first time later, the BBC has confirmed"

Well it was only a matter of time before something like this would happened. Perry McCarthy, a Formula One driver who played the original Stig and originally wore black overalls and helmet, was killed off in the first episode of the 3rd series after revealing his true identity in his autobiography, and replaced by the current white-clad Stig, who some have recently named as stunt driver Ben Collins who has worked on many films including The Quantum of Solace. The BBC refused to confirm or deny the allegations.

Revealing the Stig's identity will probably upset many Top Gear and Stig fans, and some speculate that this could just be a publicity stunt to get a larger viewing audience, and may in fact NOT reveal the Stig's identity. Personally I hope that this is not the case, and knowing Top Gear, they always do as they promise, so it looks as if we will finally find out who the Stig. Ooh, this is exciting!

The Stig will apparently barge onto the set of tonight's pre-recorded episode of Top Gear for BBC2 at 8pm and remove his helmet and all I know is, once the Stig has been revealed, odds are he will have to resign from the BBC and have to be replaced by someone else. Shame really... He is an awesome driver.

Game Review: Prototype

2009-06-17T22:25:00.003+01:00

To start, the game throws you right into the action just to give you a taste of the controls and Alex Mercer's full capabilities. This is nothing more than show casing Alex's arsenal of weapons but really captures your attention and makes you want to play on.

The game is set in Manhattan in NYC in an open world map. This sandbox type of play which is great if you don't mind traveling from one end of Manhattan Island to the other for your next mission, or if you like the occasional free roam to explore or even for the side missions... which are less like missions more like mini-games.

When the actual story starts, Alex is no where near as powerful as he will eventually become with the upgrades that become available, and he has no recollection of what has happened before the moment that he awakes.

Your way of combating this is to find key people, inside and outside of the story line, and consume them taking their memories as well as their form (which can be used to sneak into public places) building up what is called the Web of Intrigue. Adding to this helps you piece by piece build the story as to why you are the way you are and who released this virus upon the city and for what reasons.

The missions are quite varied with different tasks, all of course requiring different methods of execution, whether it be a stealthy mission that requires tactical thought, or an all-guns-blazing mission that involves not much other than great combo skills and smashing the crap out of everything that stands in your way.

Your health can take quite a pounding from time to time and there are three ways in which you can replenish it. First off is the old fashioned, all time classic of getting out of harms way and resting up. Simple but not very effective if you wish for a quick regeneration. Secondly, the mutants who are infected with the virus drop glowing red life orbs that you can collect for a quick boost, but the most interesting method by far is to grab yourself a human or mutant and consume them.

The Graphics are not up to par. They are in the same league as PS2's Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City in terms of characters end vehicles, but the city scapes in this game are truly something to be admired and the colour change in the scenery as are you enter a virus infected area is quite impressive as well. The subtle change from a regular blue and gray city atmosphere changes quickly into a red and debris filled surrounding that isn't all that welcoming.

The weapons, shields and sensing powers that Alex displays are all works of art. Each weapon handles differently and add a variation to your awesome power. The weapons in Alex's arsenal are all made from the biomass within Alex that he can control and form into rock-hard clubbing, knifing and stabbing, manipulating his DNA instantaneously.

Over all this is a really good game with one of the strongest protagonists in gaming history, brilliant skills, great weapons, awesome action and some awesome, if a little repetitive, scenery and a really good story line that the game ties well into.

It gets a well deserved 9/10 from me.

Power Cuts... Ugh!

2009-06-11T18:43:00.002+01:00

I was woken today at 10:30am by my nan calling me on the mobile telling me that the estate had a power cut. I wouldn't have minded, but I was tired and couldn't give a flying fuck as it wouldn't have bothered me for another few hours.

Anywho, I thought I would just let my brother know, so I woke him to give him the news and instead of going on the internet to catch up on the days news, look for a job, or browse blog and game updates for the day, I thought I would go for a walk because there is not much else that I could do. I suppose it cleared my head though, so s'all good, lol.

Got back to my estate and after wandering about for a bit, I see the lifts had power again so I rushed home to find everything was working, woot! At least now I can check the latest news on the latest games coming out and finally feel normal and watch TV while reading the news.

Thank God (who?) someone worked out it was the circuit breaker down the road and fixed it :D

Prototype

2009-06-09T19:22:00.005+01:00

Basically Prototype is a game being released on the 12th of June (only three days aahhhh) in Europe and was released today in North America after three and a half years... yes, 3.5 years in production. That right there is dedication and makes it something promising to look forward to.

Today I saw a video on GameSpot which introduced the story and revealed some game play and I must say, it looks absolutely, insanely, ludicrously awesome and I can not wait to get my hands on this game so that I can ware my thumbs down into tiny stumps.

I will write again once I have fully checked out the game and give my opinions on it, but in the mean time, peace out! x

E3 2009

2009-06-03T18:33:00.006+01:00

So it is that time of the year that E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) has come back to life. Having missed it last year, I made myself adamant that I wanted to see the expo this year, which started on 1st June. But having missed the start day due to some other commitments (a lot of alcohol and raving at Fabric) I am sure that I wanted to see the rest of it, which ends on 4th June.

The expo, which is airing live from LA on GameSpot from 6pm GMT, brings all the latest news a gossip about some of the most anticipated games of the last 12 months including inside sneak previews and release dates.

As an avid gamer I have some games that I am looking forward to this E3, which include Modern Warfare 2, Halo 3: ODST, Army of Two: The 40th Day, Need for Speed: Shift, Need for Speed: Nitro and Guitar Hero 5.

Today is day two of the show so be sure to get over to GameSpot and check it out, as well as tomorrow, before it is too late!

E3 2009, Monday 1st June – Thursday 4th June
6pm GMT – 2am GMT, each day
http://e3.gamespot.com/

Artist Review: Black Lab

2009-05-27T18:32:00.008+01:00

Okay, so it has been a few weeks since I last posted but I am going to make that up to you by reviewing my 'Artist of the Moment' and this week it has been the independent rock band, Black Lab!

Black Lab are an independent rock band that formed in Berkeley, California. They released an album titled Your Body Above Me in 1997 with Geffen Records and soon departed from the label. Since their split from Geffen, the band have recorded, self-produced and self-released two studio albums; See the Sun (2004) and Passion Leaves a Trace (2007) and a concept album featuring several new songs and remixes, Technologie (2007).

Many Black Lab songs have featured on movie soundtracks such as Spider-Man, Lovewrecked and The Benchwarmers and television programmes including Shield, Numb3rs and 6 Degrees. They can do no wrong. They have a soft, melodic, yet strangely electronic rock sound accompanied with heart-felt and emotionally charged lyrics, provided by the bands front man and primary lyricist, Paul Durham who writes based on personal life experiences.

The powerful songs and depth of meaning and not to mention awesome sound, have captured the hearts and souls of all who have listened to their music and the band never fails to deliver, with each song getting better and better every time you listen to them. The idea to introduce keyboards and synthesizers to the bands sound has only increased their musical range to astonishing levels.

To round it off, I am happy in saying that Black Lab are one of my VERY favourite bands and are possibly the best independent band the world has to offer and a band that everyone needs to listen to at least once in their lives.

Album Ratings:
Your Body Above Me - 9/10
See the Sun - 10/10
Passion Leaves a Trace - 9.5/10
Technologie - 8.5/10

21 At Last...

2009-05-05T15:19:00.002+01:00

So... I turned 21 yesterday. I was apprehensive about my birthday but the party on Saturday was alright and the the day yesterday was good as well. Went out with a couple mates during the day for a few pints and some pool and came home to a little get together with my family and was really enjoyable.

I got a new iPod with 120Gb memory, some t-shirts, bottles of my favourite beer, a bit of money and I got an acoustic guitar! :D I'm over the moon. Now I can finally start to learn the guitar, so that's one more annoyance for my parents if you count my brother and his one, lol

I want to thank everyone for their birthday wishes all the presents as well, but for now, I must be off because I am cleaning my room whilst rocking out to Pearl Jam, and I will be back in a few days for another update. Possibly on my favourite bands or guitarists. Definitely something music related, lol. Peace x

The Greatest Drummer Ever?

2009-04-28T19:45:00.005+01:00

To be honest, as good as John Bonham and Neil Peart are, I feel that they are too overrated at times and other drummers get over looked because everyone knows who Bonham and Peart are, so they are at the forefront of every one's mind. It tends to annoy me that some people are too closed minded when it comes to listing the greatest drummers ever, because some of the best drummers alive (and dead) are members of smaller and lesser known bands, so I just want to list a few of my favourite and most influencing drummers.

Dave Grohl. The man, the legend. Everyone on planet Earth knows him. He was the drummer for Nirvana until the band split due to Kurt Cobain's untimely death and has since been the front man of Foo Fighters, one of today's most successful commercial rock bands. His drumming is based more around power and simplicity, which is what grunge is meant to be, rather than fast paced drumming and complexity, even tho he has been known to do so on occasion. He is one of the most influential modern drummers and has built quite a fan base. Dave "the God" Grohl is the reason I learned to play the drums.
Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and formerly of Soundgarden is an epic drummer, no question about it. He is well known and rightly so! He has worked with two of the best bands since the dawn of time and deserves all the recognition he gets, and more! His Jazz influenced drumming and youth has turned him into a godly presence in bands and his fancy work has scored him high on many "Greatest Drummers" lists.
Chad Smith is undoubtedly one of the best living drummers and possibly one of the best of all time and well known for it. But I feel that there is a problem. Being at the back of a stage that has been graced with the presence of Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante and Flea, their godliness overshadows Smith's funk driven beats, so I feel it is my job as a Chad Smith enthusiast to put him out there to the world.
Jon Wysocki. "Who?" I hear you ask? Understandable. Jon Wysocki is the tempo man from Staind. He has been the bands permanent drummer since its inception in 1995 and he by far the most underrated drummer of all time. His speed, his power, his riffs and his passion for the music makes him a force to be reckoned with. He is better than most of the drummers on every "Greatest Drummers of All Time" list but with Staind not being a hugely commercial band he gets less attention than that tramp you try to ignore on the way to work. He is well worth listening to!
Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction is another great drummer. Where he may not be as good as (in my opinion) Jon Wysocki or Chad Smith, he could definitely give them a run for their money. Some of his drum solo's have given me goosebumps and his powerful and polyrhythmic drumming style sets him apart from your average drummer. Although Perkins gets overlooked a fair amount as well, many people recognise his unique sound and he has received much praise for it.

These being my biggest influences and some of my favourite drummers, it is not hard to tell that I draw most of my love for music from modern or relatively modern drummers in comparison to many other people. I like John Bonham, Neil Peart, Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell just as much as any other drummer and they have helped to influence the people who have influenced me and hopefully I will influence someone else some day :D

A Brief Introduction

2009-04-25T16:12:00.005+01:00

Hey there! This is my first blog here on Blogger so I thought I would start with a brieft introduction about myself. My name is Danny and I am a soon-to-be-21 year old Londoner currently living in the Whitechapel area of the east end and I attended school and college in south London where I was originally born and now attend Queen Mary, University of London in Mile End. I have a sister and three brothers and superb circle of family and friends who I all hold dearly.

I have an interest in vehicles (specifically cars, motorbikes and planes) and music and I one day aspire to be a well-respected musician, but who DOESN'T!? I can play the drums and I am going to learn the guitar with the help of my little brother, because I feel that it is important to be multi-instrumental. Singing however is out of the window (unless of course I am in the shower, lol) because I can not do it for the life of me.

I am quite an outgoing and highly-opinionated person with a lot to say for myself. I enjoy meeting new people and make friends very easily and I love a good laugh with my friends and family. Personally I think that there is nothing more important than being yourself, making sure you, your family and friends are happy and being genuine, and I can not stand people who try to feed me lies. That is why I am not a fan of politics.

I hope you continue to read my blog as I will be leaving a few posts a week for the forseeable future and it would be nice of you to join me on the journey of internet blogging.

Thank you very much and I will see you soon :D x