I don't know if this is a poem or what but I think it's nice. It just came out of my daily practices, pure stream, but I've broken it up into lines and stanzas here. Not sure how it fits but let me know what you think. Hopefully there will be more to come.
Run
I'm running down these pages quickly
like a big hill, dry in the sun.
Those clumsy thumps of strides,
footfalls, hard,
come down on the dry ground.
Running before you knew
anything to run away from.
Just running towards your future
that seems to come too slow.
Running to catch your dreams.
Running just to feel the wind in your hair.
And let it catch your arms
and bring them out wide, spread like wings.
So fast, you can fly: Swift and effortless.
At one with Gravity, the basic force of nature.
And for that moment you're free.
It's over before you know it.
A long trudge back up the hill,
but at the top the sun is shining all around.
Engulfing you in a cocoon of warmth.
And the wind rolls down the hill, ready to cool you.
Inviting again, that second descent.
Run.
Wednesday 28 November 2012
Pop-punk Grew Up but I Didn't!
Walking to college one day with Less Than Jake in my earphones I got into thinking: They don't make pop-punk like they used to.
I know what you're thinking. I'm not a grumpy old pensioner yet. I can't start reminiscing about my hay-days and complaining that things weren't like they used to be. Well, unfortunately, I've gotten grumpy!
Well, not really. I just think that everybody is somewhat nostalgic about he music that they first really got involved with during their teenage years. For me, and a lot of my generation, it was pop-punk. Blink-182 and Green Day were the major gateways, with Good Charlotte, Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy all making big impressions. Hopefully a few of you will know what I'm talking about. That music was awesome, right?
After moving away from that music and developing my taste over the last 8 years, I still find myself coming back to those pop-punk classics. It seems to just stay in your blood. But I am slightly worried about my music taste becoming static and also I really don't want to become a grumpy old man before my time. So I try to keep up with what's new. But this leads me to my genuine question: Where has all the good pop-punk gone? Was it really just a fad? Or are there still bands out there pumping out killer tunes that I'm unaware of because I'm just not 'with it' anymore? Is pop-punk dead?
Less Than Jake - The Ghost of Me & You
An example of awesome pop-punk
I know that music never stays the same. It grows and evolves but surely there are still some form of pop-punk music happening. It couldn't just disappear. I can think of a few examples of more recent bands. These fall into two categories. Either they are incredibly small local bands who are short-lived, or they are just not very good. A lot of those early pioneers I mentioned (e.g. Blink-182, Yellowcard, Sum 41, the list is surprisingly long!) have returned with new albums that unfortunately fall into the second category. Writing a catchy tune shouldn't be this hard. Despite it being a bit of an old genre, there still must be enough people who want to see good new bands come out and be successful.
The best examples I can think of that are still somewhat relevant and can still pen a tune are Title Fight, Starters, and Living With Lions. Of these, Starters didn't last long, and never made it out of Dublin; Living With Lions had one awesome album then ruined it by changing their line-up. Title Fight are relatively successful, at least for this genre these days, but are still more harcore/emo. I'm going to mention Army of Freshmen quickly here too. They might be considered too 'poppy' for some, and enjoy very limited success. But they know how to write a hook, and that's exactly what seems to have been forgotten by so many.
Starters - Geocache Girl
Should be more popular
So am I right? Is there still good pop-punk out there? Or am I just clinging to immature music tastes, and what I really need to do is just grow up? Let me know what you think. I am want to be proved wrong!
I know what you're thinking. I'm not a grumpy old pensioner yet. I can't start reminiscing about my hay-days and complaining that things weren't like they used to be. Well, unfortunately, I've gotten grumpy!
Well, not really. I just think that everybody is somewhat nostalgic about he music that they first really got involved with during their teenage years. For me, and a lot of my generation, it was pop-punk. Blink-182 and Green Day were the major gateways, with Good Charlotte, Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy all making big impressions. Hopefully a few of you will know what I'm talking about. That music was awesome, right?
After moving away from that music and developing my taste over the last 8 years, I still find myself coming back to those pop-punk classics. It seems to just stay in your blood. But I am slightly worried about my music taste becoming static and also I really don't want to become a grumpy old man before my time. So I try to keep up with what's new. But this leads me to my genuine question: Where has all the good pop-punk gone? Was it really just a fad? Or are there still bands out there pumping out killer tunes that I'm unaware of because I'm just not 'with it' anymore? Is pop-punk dead?
Less Than Jake - The Ghost of Me & You
An example of awesome pop-punk
I know that music never stays the same. It grows and evolves but surely there are still some form of pop-punk music happening. It couldn't just disappear. I can think of a few examples of more recent bands. These fall into two categories. Either they are incredibly small local bands who are short-lived, or they are just not very good. A lot of those early pioneers I mentioned (e.g. Blink-182, Yellowcard, Sum 41, the list is surprisingly long!) have returned with new albums that unfortunately fall into the second category. Writing a catchy tune shouldn't be this hard. Despite it being a bit of an old genre, there still must be enough people who want to see good new bands come out and be successful.
The best examples I can think of that are still somewhat relevant and can still pen a tune are Title Fight, Starters, and Living With Lions. Of these, Starters didn't last long, and never made it out of Dublin; Living With Lions had one awesome album then ruined it by changing their line-up. Title Fight are relatively successful, at least for this genre these days, but are still more harcore/emo. I'm going to mention Army of Freshmen quickly here too. They might be considered too 'poppy' for some, and enjoy very limited success. But they know how to write a hook, and that's exactly what seems to have been forgotten by so many.
Starters - Geocache Girl
Should be more popular
So am I right? Is there still good pop-punk out there? Or am I just clinging to immature music tastes, and what I really need to do is just grow up? Let me know what you think. I am want to be proved wrong!
Friday 16 November 2012
Break Time Text Message Triptych
I was a little bored during my break at work today. But I was sitting out in a nice terrace with fallen golden yellow fallen leaves all around me. So I got a little inspired and my phone was the closest at hand. The first one naturally fell just one character short of the 160 standard text message, so I tried to keep the others to that limit too. So they seem to me like a nice modern take on short forms like a Haiku. If I had more time and was more dedicated maybe I would try and edit them to fit exactly. Oh well...
No. 1
Sitting alone in the Autumn garden. Must not be too slow. Must speed up. Take a break from life. You can't just stop for a break. Work it out til you clock out.
No. 2
Japanese girl. In America. Pleasant and engaging. Potential s a friend. Even remember detail swap. Even look up. But gone without a trace. Lead gone cold.
No. 3
Passing time. No, timing the past. Looking back on what has gone. Waiting for what hasn't yet begun. Where does one start and the other end? My question too.
No. 1
Sitting alone in the Autumn garden. Must not be too slow. Must speed up. Take a break from life. You can't just stop for a break. Work it out til you clock out.
No. 2
Japanese girl. In America. Pleasant and engaging. Potential s a friend. Even remember detail swap. Even look up. But gone without a trace. Lead gone cold.
No. 3
Passing time. No, timing the past. Looking back on what has gone. Waiting for what hasn't yet begun. Where does one start and the other end? My question too.
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