Not an HD toy

The quality of digital music is a relative hot potato within the industry. Veteran rocker Neil Young has claimed Steve Jobs wanted on increasing the quality of digital music before his untimely death.

Speaking at the All Things D conference 2012, the mutton chopped Young effectively criticized and defamed a whole generation’s work in the digital music field. His main point of argument was the quality listeners are forced to hear from modern MP3 files. Just 5% of the original data is present in a standard MP3 file and Mr. Young says there should be an option for those who wish it to listen to the other 95%.

However, as is often the case with ivory towered celebrity thinking, there are some important issues that Young failed to understand. The logistics of creating a device culpable of playing the supposed missing 95% would be severely hampered by essentially all of the things that make an iPod and digital music so popular.

Firstly, convenience. In order to have the quality that Neil Young demands, upwards of thirty minute download times for single tracks would be a very real possibility. Caused by the high resolution and gargantuan file size this would create, there are very few, if any, things that the average music listener or computer user will wait thirty minutes to download. In the modern world as a whole, there are very few things anybody would wait thirty minutes for.

Putting this into perspective and based on these hypothetical figures, Neil Young’s Harvest would take over six and half hours to download. Bizarrely, this would take longer than getting to the nearest record store, buying the album, getting home and listening to it in full back in 1972, the year of the album’s release. To ask users to wait thirty minutes per track seems like an almost impossibly futile, retrospective throwback to an age that has long gone.

The practicalities of such a venture would also be almost futile. The iPod classic has a maximum capacity of 160 Gigabytes. This equates to 40,000 tracks, 4000 albums on average, based on the current sound resolutions of most MP3 files. To transport songs of a higher resolution, as high as Neil Young wants, would result in the same iPod only storing thirty albums. This massive leap in sheer quantity alone would be more than enough to put off even the hardest core of audiophiles, who are more likely to own over thirty albums.

Unfortunately the numbers, statistics and practicalities do not add up. However, there is method to the madness in many respects. In the first decade of the 21^st Century, society has become obsessed with bettering all that it has. It is no longer acceptable to have a television with a cathode ray tube or even five standard channels to watch on it.

Food, clothing, news and even relationships can now be bought at the click of a track pad and keyboard. If your not digitized your not anything in the world of tomorrow, which conveniently is now today. The digital age has also afforded mass consumption of better quality good and luxury to the masses, so to speak, unlike any other time in civilization. So why, then, do listeners have to make do with only 5% of the audio quality of their music.

Neil Young has a valid point to make in that the digital option should be made available. However, this may be yet another classic case of thinking beyond our means. Young’s arguments may be flawed in other ways, most notably his overkill estimations of resolution speeds and potential improvements. However, had Steve Jobs’ untimely death not occurred, who knows what we’d be listening to or how we’d listen to it.

Ultimately, music comes down to the music itself. There is no point in high quality audio files if the lyrics and musicianship are sub standard. Despite change sin formatting, branding and accessibility, talent is still the watermark by which an artist and consumer are judged.

Jonathan Whitelaw

It’s been a long time since we had a substantial release from, Manchester ‘party-emo’ pioneers, Well Wisher. Two tracks on a split with Polina, and a plethora of live shows, was just enough to tide fans over in 2011, but now we have Summer Gangs. The band’s second EP raises the bar set by their debut – their, catchy, upbeat tunes sounding more refined and polished than ever before. In short, this might well be the best thing Well Wisher have ever done.

Starting out understated with ‘Are You Crazy To Come To The Crazy Beach Party?’ (what a gem of a song title!), Summer Gangs builds into this erratic crescendo of sound by the beginning of the second track, before repeating the whole process all over again. It’s like having a massive indie-pop/emo monster stumble out of the bushes, look at you, and start to charge, arms and legs flailing. The EP is capped off with a fantastic cover of Braid’s ‘Breathe In’ – a track originally intended for a tribute to the, no longer late, 90′s emo outfit – which the band have made their own, whilst making their influences abundantly clear.

Summer Gangs shows a clear progression in Well Wisher as a band. Their older material remains fantastic, but everything here – the lyrics, the musicianship, the everything – is a step up. Not only that, but it’s the closest they’ve come to capturing the band’s intense, captivating, live experience and I couldn’t ask for more than that.

You can stream the entire EP over on their Bandcamp.

‘Songs For Teenagers’ might well be my favourite track from Real Ghosts Caught On Tape. Fake Problems’ third record was easily my record of last year, and it’s nice to see those guys finally getting a bit of that mainstream love. This video has been a long time coming, but it’s great and you should all watch it. It might not have John Berna dressed in a nurse’s uniform, but it does have mermaids. And despite what anyone might say, wicker hat’s are super cool.

Check out the video below.

Be sure to pick up Real Ghosts Caught On Tape (or any other Fake Problems releases) here.

There’s something immensely satisfying about slamming your feet progressively on hard concrete, while listening to music that could melt the face of a room full of eight-year-old children. This is how I spent most of my time listening to the first full length from, Southsea hardcore mentalists, Attack! Vipers! Unfortunately I learnt, that without proper running shoes, I could seriously damage my shins. I put the athletic career on hold, but it seems sprint booties will have to go on the next shopping list, as the titans of UK hardcore have released a new record.

One of the greatest things about Deadweight Revival is that, within twenty seconds of listening, it’s clear this is not just another “hardcore” album. There are no cliché beat downs, as used by so many try hard bands trapped in old conventions. They seem terrified to even slightly move away from creating an integral ambience of melodic hardcore, which often comes across as sounding like a slightly better polished, more superior, technical rendition of Will Haven’s Carpe Diem. In fact, Deadweight Revival even puts the bands previous efforts to shame, with the vocal ability of singer Joe Watson pushing forward into a more mellifluous, yet still entirely brutal, timbre, putting him on a pedestal when compared to other vocalists of the genre.

Vocals are not the only thing Deadweight Revival does to push the hardcore genre to the next level. In terms of musicality, the record shows a much more intrinsic side to A!V!, with guitars that switch between nimble licks, beastly distorted chords and andante sections so seamlessly it makes the record almost impossible to put into the “hardcore” pigeon-hole. Sometimes it sounds like hardcore, other times it sounds like power metal and, occasionally, you get a part which would probably be very much at home on a fucking Sigur Ros release.

The band’s self proclaimed style of being “somewhere between The Suicide File and Envy” is hard to deny. The similarities are there but at the same time there’s so much much to the Vipers than just that. Deadweight Revival takes the hardcore musicality then adds a punk rock ethos and does this with aplomb. In doing so, it creates an energetic sound that UK hardcore had missed dearly since the departure of, Manchester’s finest, Fill the Void.

I could say Deadweight Revival was by the far the best UK hardcore album I’d heard in a long time, but I’d be lying. It’s the best I’ve heard…EVER. Attack! Vipers! have far surpassed expectations with this record, and if any band were to be at the forefront of reviving UK hardcore – a genre what could arguably be called a dying one – then these guys are sure to be it. This record proves that.

So basically I’ve been having a real shit time dealing with depression and all that kind of jazz. If anyone has ever had problems with this brand of mental health they’ll be sure to know that it’s crucial to hold on to the positives when they happen, no matter how rare they may be, this is where “Songs to Cure Depression” comes in. I’m going to (hopefully on a weekly basis) put up a song that has give me a moment of happiness, no matter how brief, and hope that it helps to bring anyone else who hears it out of the pit of depression, if only for a few minutes. Sometimes they’ll be awesome, sometimes they’ll be cheesy, sometimes you’ll love them, other times you won’t.

The first, and perhaps the best, instance of this new feature comes from singer/songwriter/generally really nice guy Jonah Matranga, billed under his earlier moniker, OneLineDrawing. The best part of the song is the how Jonah vocally builds the song back up at the end after the breakdown, utilising his incredible vocal range and power. The video was originally released in 2007 through JadeTree Records but was re-uploaded by Matranga himself a few months back with the gratuitous tag “thanks Jade Tree!” Enjoy!

You can check out all of Jonah Matranga’s wares here.

The latest Under The Bridge has everything you could possibly want from a podcast. Well maybe not everything, but it’s pretty much all there. We’ve attempted to be funny, we dragged Emma Hallows in to be our guest again and we’re playing new tunes from the likes of theHell, Sharks and Above Them. As per usual it’s not for the faint hearted, but I doubt there’s many out there that can resist the charms of Moon & Back’s dynamic duo.

Alongside the new music and general offensiveness, we also answer some questions from the community and have really ‘deep’ discussions on a number of topics including predicting how punk rock will end! Do you know what you’re looking forward to in 2012? Neither do we! We had a go at trying to hype some stuff up though. Tell us if it worked by emailing us at utbcast [at] gmail [dot] com, or by messaging us on Facebook and Twitter.

Go on, have a listen:

Under The Bridge #33: Check My Kurt Cobain Cover

On The Impossible Past is the third album from The Menzingers, and their first on Epitaph Records. I was lucky enough to hear this record before most – when they took Leagues Apart, Dave and I from Philly to FEST 10 last year – but unfortunate enough to have to go without hearing it for the following three months.

Compared to previous efforts, On The Impossible Past is less in your face, and more in you head. The chorus of ‘Burn After Writing’ has been running through my head daily since I first I heard it. This is a more mature and accomplished record.

I honestly believe that there’s no filler songs, and no songs that are a little bit worse than others on this record. It’s thirteen tracks of absolute quality. The album flows so flawlessly that even at 45 minutes in total, you still find yourself going back to track one (‘Good Things’) and starting all over again.

The Menzingers sound all grown up. They’ve mastered catchy choruses, pounding rhythms, and everything else that was special about their back catalogue. Expect to see On The Impossible Past in many ‘Best of 2012′ lists come the end of the year.

5 stars out of 5, 11/10 and 3 golden globe nominations.

- Kieran Kelly

The year is not a month old yet but already the music community is in mourning. The very sad news that Etta James, the First Lady of Blues and Soul, has died aged 73. Having battled through leukemia and dementia towards the end of her life, James’ contributions to 20^th and 21^st Century popular music will stand as a lasting tribute to one of the very finest performers of her generation.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California, young Etta began her musical career at the tender age of 14, singing with local bands. A move to San Francisco would ultimately lead to a recording contract with Chess Records in 1960 and what would go on to be one of the most recognisable and successful careers in music.

Famous for her grinding vocals, monumental longevity and a style that made every lyric feel like a flaming knife stabbing listeners in the heart, Etta James was, for many, the epitome of the popular blues and soul movement. Indeed, for fans and casual listeners alike, she was the definitive figure in a world dominated by smoke choked men, rasping their way over 4 bar blues guitar and being mimicked by modern rock legends.

Her signature tracks “At Last,” and “I’d rather go Blind” are regular features on the greatest tracks lists across all genres of music. James also racked up a number of honours that would not look entirely out of place amongst the MTV Generation’s glittering trophy cabinets. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Grammy Hall of Fame to name but three of her illustrious awards, James’ lasting legacy will be her own longevity.

As a recognisable face, style and sound of an entire genre, her later years provided the luxury that artists of her caliber can enjoy in their twilight, variance. Johnny Cash and more recently Lou Reid have all made successful leaps into the worlds of hard rock, heavy metal and beyond and with her 2011 album The Dreamer, the ever venerable James, suffering badly from her illnesses, took the successful steps into country, pop and hard rock. Highlights include a brilliant cover of Little Big Town’s “Boondocks” and Guns’ N Roses “Welcome to the Jungle,” the latter a wonderfully crafted soul rendition of an excitable classic that still retains its brooding malice and tribute to all things debauched.

The passing of Etta James is both a sad and mournful occasion but one that should be interpreted in the best possible way. With over five decades of work to choose from and a back catalog that is sure to cater to anybody’s tastes, this time should be spent celebrating one of the very best recording artists who has ever lived.

Jonathan Whitelaw

After a long day at the track, The Stig resorted to making mass, generic hip hop

Some would argue this has been a long time coming. Others have said it has been a long established fact. Realistically, however, there is a simple truth behind all of the hype. Rock and roll has died and it is one of its longest serving champions who has driven the final stake through its heart.

As bold and perhaps unashamedly over dramatic as this headline is, the fact of the matter still exists that rock music is in decline. When this writer first started with Moon & Back Music back in 2009 there was a case to be made that rock music would, could and should never die. At that time, however, the music industry was a different place.

The top earners in global events and gigs were all traditional rock acts. AC/DC, U2, The Eagles, Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, it was an eternal list of the glitterati who have lit up stereos and music systems the world over for the past five decades. January 2012, however is a very different and bleaker outlook.

Causing this is one particular track. The hugely popular William James Adams, Jr, aka will.i.am is the sometimes eponymous “singer” of the even more popular Black Eyed Peas. For those readers who are unfamiliar with this group’s work, they are the hip hop act who appeal to those discerning and music conscious consumers who do not wish their hip hop to be dangerous, threatening or indeed hip hop in any way shape or form. He is also a producer, rapper, actor, songwriter, dancer and creative director, managing to balance all of these talents along with being the single softest person in music.

With his latest offering now gaining widespread recognition from a baying public, he has systematically brought about the final death knell for rock music and its widespread popularity. It is, as usual, the typical air brushed, photo shopped, auto tuned out of it’s tiny little mind, nonsense we have all come to expect from Mr Adams Jr. Entitled, “The Hardest Ever” said artiste stumbles through four mind numbingly dull minutes hopping from trains to trucks to helicopters to fighter jets and eventually into a space ship fleeing from an as yet unrevealed foe, possibly speakers one hundred feet tall blasting out his “greatest hits”

As with any master criminal, he has an accomplice, somebody in which to turn to for undying support when the question “is this bad enough yet” crosses his Botox filled lips. Where Bonnie had Clyde, Adams Jr has Jennifer Lopez, once again airbrushed and crammed into clothes perhaps better suited for a woman not in her 60s. Her collaboration is limited, thankfully, to a rehashed vox pop that could not have taken any longer than five minutes to record, indeed a fraction of the time it must have taken her to scrub up for her appearance in the video.

But is with great pity, shame, horror and regret that we reach the final offender on the list. Yes, as hard as it is to believe that such a throw away piece of forgettable populous nonsense could take three recording artists to produce, the last name on this venerable hit list is none other than Sir Michael Jagger. Shock, gasp, save the children, the Knight of the Realm appears at the end of an elaborated graphic sequence in which will.i.am has traveled through a Clarke/Kubrick 2001: Space Odyssey esque star gate flooded with more multicolored J-Los than Ben Affleck’s worst acid trip.

For what purpose this serves in the overall narrative of the video and song is anybody’s best guess. In the movie/novel this was seen as a watershed movement towards a higher place of evolution for the human race. The first five callers to get the answer correct for this interpretation will win tickets to King Crimson. Fans will be glad to know there is no homicidal on board computer, only the million screaming voices of terror as the track is unleashed on the universe.

Jagger’s appearance at the end of this sequence, in what can only be described as a blathering, incoherent rap/rant, symbolizes a transitional moment in music. As sales figures and general consensus grow that, in the UK at least, rock music has been replaced as the public’s first choice in buying music. The overall growth in so called “bedroom producers” and the ability in which to self distribute, publish and sell music on a much more personal level has also taken a toll on the rock scene, if not from a local level then certainly a mainstream success level.

It would be spurious to say that this appearance of the Rolling Stone in such a different, unabashedly commercial hit has been the final moment to solidify rock’s relegation. Maroon 5, serial offenders in the defamation of rock’s mainstream profile, have their “hit” “Moves like Jagger” and Cheryl Cole’s more talented clone Cher Lloyd’s “Swagger Jagger” have brought the veteran rocker’s profile up in the past few months. Never one to shirk making money, it could be argued that Mick is merely riding the cash cow and banking on this new found obsession modern artists seem to have with his sags and wrinkles.

Regardless, the frankly laughable “The Hardest Ever” is here to stay and will no doubt set dance floors alight and make multiple millions for all of those involved. One good to come from it, however, is that “Dancing in the Street,” is now no longer Jagger’s worst collaborated work. Mr Bowie, you may rest easy.

Jonathan Whitelaw

Of all the Alkaline Trio boys, Matt Skiba has been the most prolific when it comes to side-projects – he’s gone solo, released a post-punk record, and has got a new album with The Sekrets on the horizon – but he’s always managed to do something interesting with every new creative outlet. This time Skiba has teamed up with, drummer, Atom Willard (Angels & Airwaves, Rocket From The Crypt, The Offspring) to form theHell.

At it’s core Sauves Les Requins is a collection of four great punk rock songs, but did you expect anything less? The duo is showcasing what they do best, changing it up enough to make it interesting without leaving ‘die-hard’ fans of their past work disappointed. The result actually feels more like a straight up pop-punk record than a lot of the guys’ recent releases, and I for one welcome that. The polish applied to Angels And Airwaves (and the later Alkaline Trio) records is replaced by something much more raw, and yet it doesn’t feel shoddy or underproduced. Combine that with Skiba’s signature dark lyrical style and fantastic vocal, and you have something special. Something that, for me anyway, harkens back to the early days of the Trio with a little of that post-punk sound that has permeated through Matt’s previous musical efforts.

It’s that link to early Trio that makes me start this up again as soon as it’s finished and, despite not knowing what to expect coming in, I’m longing to hear more. Though there’s been nothing announced regarding a full length I, like many others, will be sorely disappointed if that doesn’t come to pass. This is exactly what I want to hear from a side project, and is sure to excite anyone looking for a fresh but familiar pop-punk sound.