How much unheard music is there out there? Rare, untapped gems, that are sitting on obscure releases – just waiting to be discovered. Hidden away on a dusty album, sitting at the back of a store filled with vinyl. Even sitting in your own record collection, on albums that you are yet to check out […]
Category: James Poole
It’s really easy to write bands off. Part of the mission statement for this site, and our freethinking nyc night, is to challenge preconceptions. Here’s one for you: The Police. I’ve played a few tracks by The Police at freethinking nyc. Each time, they have gone down well. Here’s where I need to make an […]
Radio City Music Hall. A balmy Friday night. The promise of something special. Sprititualized delivered. It’s been a good week for concerts. The Black Keys knocked the crap out of Central Park Summerstage on Tuesday. Last night, however, belonged to Spiritualized. To put into context, Radio City Music Hall is big. In every way, it’s […]
The Black Keys. Holy crap, they’re good. I’ve written about them on here before. They were the band behind one of the loudest concerts I have ever been to. Their brain-mushing volume was part of the beauty of the concert. I had a totally different Black Keys experience last night – in the idyllic surroundings […]
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Smog
The right music, at the right time, used in the right way, in the right film can be something special. Tarantino has practically made a career out of it. This isn’t just about choosing some good songs, it’s about the music being intrinsic to the viewing experience. Take, for example, the use of the piano […]
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Stevie Wonder. Genius. That is all.
Yesterday, a mate of mine dismissed Stevie Wonder as being not that good. He’s a good mate. Still is, despite this act of heresy. The thing is, I understand people not liking Stevie. Or at least thinking that they don’t like him. I’ll be honest here – Stevie’s output in the 80s was largely devoid […]
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Missing Latitude
I’m gutted now. This weekend sees the Latitude Festival take place in the UK. I’m not going. It seemed like a good idea to pass up on tickets earlier in the year. Now I’m kicking myself. Over the past couple of years, it’s a festival which has treated me to some of my live music […]
So that’ll be volume 6 done, then. We’ve had nights which, without necessarily planning it out in advance, have had very different vibes. At times heavier on house, at other times with a reggae undercurrent – part of the beauty of the freethinking movement is the notion of being able to blur genres, and to […]
I love a good cover. People tend to have strong views on covers. I used to fall into the camp of the ‘a cover has to add something’ people. Now I don’t. A good cover can be just that: an artist playing someone else’s song, but doing a good job of it. Fine, this can […]
Music has the power to stop you in your tracks. Regardless of where you are, or what mood you’re in, hearing the right track can be like receiving an uppercut. I’ll keep this brief, but wanted to share a track with you that properly knocked me sideways. It doesn’t have to be the first time […]
I live in the US. I’m from the UK. I think that this gives me a bit of perspective when commenting on the attitude towards music in the two countries. A bit of perspective; that’s all. So here goes: I’m going out on a limb. Paul Weller should be bigger out here in the US. […]
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Folk: don’t write it off
I have a confession to make: I like folk music. Stop, come back. Let me explain… A couple of things this week have prompted me to share this insight. First of all, interspersed in the World Cup coverage on ESPN in the US is a new advert for AT&T. I was shocked when I heard […]