The News Review:
- As if punk never happened
- Banding together to help badly wounded US soldiers
- Mercury Music Prize – the shortlist
- Celebrate with Flight of Steps
- RECORDINGS Quick Spins
As if punk never happened
Manila Standard Today – Jul 17, 2007
Hordes of screaming prepubescent girls respond in glee clawing at each other with some almost fainting. No the Beatles didn’t reform. It is Filipino pop band the Bloomfields and they’re single-handedly resurrecting the ghost of the ’60s—as if punk never happened. It wasn’t always like that for JJ Lozano (lead guitars) Louie Poco (bass) Pepe Lozano (rhythm guitars) Lakan Hila (keyboards) and Rocky Collado (drums). Just like most youthful musicians (the band is only in their early 20s); they were playing the current hits of their generation. “We formed in 2001 doing the usual indie pop covers. It wasn’t ’60s music all through out… Just like most youthful musicians (the band is only in their early 20s); they were playing the current hits of their generation. “We formed in 2001 doing the usual indie pop covers. It wasn’t ’60s music all through out. We did Oasis the McCarthys Blink 182… it was during a school fair that we discovered that doing ’60s covers could be a cool move given the reception we got after we played Cliff Richard’s ‘Do you wanna Dance’ and Richie Valens’ ‘La Bamba’ just for the heck of it” explained Poco. Excited with the response the band quickly dived and immersed themselves into the ’60s culture going as far as looking for an old-school tailor who could do the suits from the era and buying themselves authentic ’60s gear like Rickenbackers. “Well we thought the guitars look cool. The fact that Lennon and Mccartney played similar models is just coincidental I guess” Poco said.
Banding together to help badly wounded US soldiers
Seattle Post Intelligencer – Jul 17, 2007
Soldiers love their music” Semer said. The band intends to wear the jerseys at each show. The power of such “G-punk” hard-core music is being enlisted to help the troops where politicians and visiting celebrities have not event organizers said. In a news release the organizers said “These young men (and a few women) are bored depressed and in pain day after day with little contact with the outside world.
Mercury Music Prize – the shortlist
Daily Mail – Jul 17, 2007
The 12 nominated albums are:• Arctic Monkeys – Favourite WorstNightmare: The follow-up to last year’s Mercury Prize-winningalbumWhatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not Favourite WorstNightmare sold 227922 copies in its first week. The Sheffield band were one of the first acts to build up theirfanbase via the internet before hitting the charts. They scored thefastest-selling debut album in British music history. Earlier this year they scooped two Brit Awards for Best BritishGroup and Best British Album and accepted them dressed as theVillage People and characters from The Wizard Of Oz. Arctic Monkeys would become the first act in the Mercury’shistory to win the award twice. When they scooped the prize lastyear frontman Alex Turner remarked: “We deserved it because we hadthe best record. • Dizzee Rascal – Maths And English: Therapper – real name Dylan Mills – won the Mercury Prize in 2003aged 19 with Boy In Da Corner… Previous winners such as Ms Dynamite in 2003 and Antony And TheJohnsons in 2005 recorded five-fold increases in sales of theirnominated albums. “Even the Arctic Monkeys received a major boost when they wonlast year – the Mercury Prize created another media frenzy thathelped push sales of Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Notwell past the million mark.
Celebrate with Flight of Steps
Providence Journal – Jul 17, 2007
And then to some music by Mozart they play a short game of musical suitcases. They do this quasi-elegantly dressed and straight-faced. But what distinguishes this dance isn’t so much the music which includes some post-punk Adam Ant or the movement but the words. That’s right. It’s a true narrative. On an electronic recording plays the dancers’ brief recollections of their experiences dancing. “Male dancers used to make me nervous” Eva Marie Pacheco says.
RECORDINGS Quick Spins
Washington Post – Jul 17, 2007
DOWNLOAD THESE: "Bubbly" "Feelings Show" "Oxygen"– Allison StewartNEW WAVEAgainst Me!You love the Boss. The Boss loves you back. It’s a blue-collar-punk-rock dream come true right?To be fair it’s Springsteen’s son who’s truly ga-ga over this activist punk troupe — so much so that he keeps dragging his old man out to see the band in concert. And for good reason: The band’s bombastic fourth album "New Wave" finds Against Me! singer Tom Gabel taking oodles of inspiration from Bruce the polemicist. But Bruce the poet? Not really… And for good reason: The band’s bombastic fourth album "New Wave" finds Against Me! singer Tom Gabel taking oodles of inspiration from Bruce the polemicist. But Bruce the poet? Not really. " Catchy innit?Gabel’s clunky lyrics ruin this disc with the irascible singer refusing to parse his sloganeering into something we the people can sing along to. It’s a cruel tease considering the anthemic crescendos his band whips up in the background.