Flying On Clipped Wings

(Disclaimer: I am not advocating smoking, it's a dangerous and expensive habit. However realistically, a lot of people reading this will be smoking, and I have personally done the crying and chain-smoking thing quite a lot, this is my reflection on the topic, and one person on the internet telling you to quit will have a negligible impact considering the fact you've probably heard the same from friends and family, whose opinions you will probably take under consideration more. Though I have gone under the monicker of Rollie Jesus, it's a joke, a meme, I wish I was getting paid by big tobacco to promote it alas that is not the case.) Many people often go outside to cry and chainsmoke, it can be a quite therapeutic experience. The act of smoking is an almost ritualistic one, which is a big part of what makes it addictive. Sometimes in order to encourage the tears out a bit, to bring the catharsis about, the right soundtrack is needed. For this list I've decided to avoid

Emerging from the British metal/hardcore scene of the mid ‘00s as scrappy Dillinger Escape Plan and Johnny Truant acolytes, Architects have evolved over time into one of the most distinct and vicious metalcore acts, over 10 years of activity and 6 full lengths behind them. With a massive upsurge in popularity after 2014’s Lost Forever // Lost Together, this album largely remains within the same sonic territory, but with the darkness and progressive elements pushed further than before for a quite thrilling effect. The anger and sonic battery that characterised Lost Forever // Lost Together is very much present here, yet it is channelled into a darker, heavier, much more negative space. The guitars still blend technical riffing with pummelling hardcore, the rhythm section is as tight and dynamic as ever, the use of tasteful electronics, orchestration and atmospheric guitar leads is continued.  Despite this similarity, Architects do manage to throw out some surprises, “Gone With T

Of all the artists to emerge from the implosion of cult hip hop collective Raider Klan, Denzel Curry is the one who’s managed to achieve the most lasting success. Releasing a number of mixtapes, 2013’s Nostalgic 64 and last year’s double EP 32 Zel//Planet Shrooms, he’s gained notoriety for his intricate lyrics peppered with nerdy references, dark, crushing beats and a fast, twisty, choppy flow reminiscent of fallen Three Six Mafia MC Lord Infamous or Outkast’s Andre 3000. Imperial is a brave step forward, out of Nostalgic 64’s darkness and the lysergic have of 32 Zell//Planet Shrooms, into a brighter, more confident space, every element accentuated to perfection.  The production on this album maintains that same punchy, trunk rattling feel, with juddering 808s and eerie, wavy melodies, yet overall with a slighter cleaner, brighter feeling. The first half of the album embodies the aggressive side to Curry’s sound, with the hyperactive “Knotty Head”, featuring fellow Carol City, Miam

There’s an abundance of articles out there on how to handle your first year in college, covering such things as money management, romance, preparation and that precarious work/play balance many including myself have fallen to the wrong side of. This piece briefly touches on those matters, though with the scauldy touch that is somehow part of my brand. The first year of college is often a scary one, involving a lot of change and upheaval, but it’s also an exciting time too. Embrace The Mistakes: A major part of life is making mistakes, being able to own up to them and learning from them as a result, so you grow as a person. A lot of times you’ll end up having to make your own mistakes despite warnings from your parents, older siblings, whoever in your life seems to have it all sussed out though in actuality nobody ever does.  Even things written by people on the internet can be useful, believe it or not. Some mistakes yours truly has made include losing numerous hats throughout the ye

This article has a rather stark title compared to my other ones, no sly little joke or further expansion on the specific nature of my discussion. There’s nothing really humorous I can put there to alleviate just how fucking heavy a read this is gonna be, and there’s no short little summation of this article. It’s not just my experiences with suicide, it’s about how we handle the topic of suicide, how we might have put our feet on the moon, but when it comes to matters of the mind we’re still grasping at straws a lot of the time. There’s no hashtag, or foundation behind this to continue some sort of advocacy, I’m just a voice on the internet, opening up about something seriously traumatic that happened to me, in hopes it can open the conversation, in the hope that I’ll somehow come to terms with it, even a little bit. April 1st, 2015, a date that’s not gonna leave my mind any time soon. The explanation of the context that helped contribute to my attempt would take up almost another art

Hardcore has taken on a number of distinct shapes and forms throughout the years since its inception in America in the 1980s. From the traditional full speed ahead three chord thrash of bands like Minor Threat and modern outfits like Trash Talk and The Bronx to the spindly twisty mathematical screech of Converge and The Fall Of Troy to the dark emotive likes of Touché Amoré, there’s something for everyone under that umbrella. Knocked Loose are a young band from Louisville, Kentucky whose sound is an amalgamation of various styles. There is the new-old school wallop of groovy riffs and huge breakdowns fans of Expire and Trapped Under Ice are familiar with. Yet the angst and darkness of metalcore coats their sound, creating a violent, emotional and very potent blend of hardcore/metalcore. Over the course of 5 tracks, Pop Culture, their debut EP shows off Knocked Loose’s brand of sonic malevolence. More than anything, this record is built for the moshpits. Opening track “The Gosp

For someone who’s obviously open about many things, due to the content you can view on this blog, I’ve never been good at accepting help or letting people in. Perhaps I saw it as further admittance of weakness and wanted to save what little face I had left. Perhaps I didn’t think I was deserving of help. Perhaps I was sceptical of what help could be offered and didn’t want to end up going back to square one with memories of better times burning a hole in my stomach. Perhaps I just didn’t know how to react, having gone through life relying on myself, dragging myself through whatever mess I ended up involved in. Whatever the reasons, that reluctance is something that’s held me back, something that has held many people back from getting help, making bad situations that bit more unmanageable. I dragged myself through a lot of shit, on my own, and while I’m still here I wonder if things would have gotten better a while ago if I hadn’t kept things secret from my mam, if I’d listened to m

Sharebait. It’s a term anyone who’s spent an extended time on social media, particularly Facebook will be familiar with, generally referring to the likes of Buzzfeed articles, posts with purposely inflammatory titles and statuses packed with emojis urging you to copy and paste. While they may clog up newsfeeds, most dismiss them as being harmless if irritating pieces of code. However there’s a darker, nastier side to this, found both in the cult of the passive-aggressive not-quite memetic images and that of the faux-deep, faux-inspirational images. They’re intrinsic parts of a negative culture, which does no favours to your mental health or relations with others. It’s an unnamed phenomenon, while there’s a slew of articles that deal with passive aggression on social media and this excellent Vice article that covers some of what I’m talking about somewhat better than I can, it still is an ongoing thing, a loop of the banal we’re trapped in.   I’m not quite sure when the passive ag

So over the course of 2015 I discovered a lot of cool new music I never expected to get into, while I touched on some of it with my previous article, I thought I’d go more in depth here, drop a few pics and tasty YouTube links for you guys. Have a read, you might find something you like. tricot Tricot (stylised as tricot) are a Japanese experimental rock quartet from Kyoto, formed in 2010. They’ve currently got two full lengths out, released through their own label, the latest one   A.N.D. coming out last year. Their sound is a quite playful and energetic one, combining the intricate rhythms and twinkling guitars of math rock with the thrust and punch of post-punk, all draped in soaring pop hooks. A keen visual sensibility exists with their videos too, if you want something happy and lovely give these a listen. For Fans Of: Hinto, The Fall Of Troy, Everything Everything. https://www.youtube.com/embed/

I’ve put up album charts and song of the year lists on my personal fb before so here I’m gonna talk a bit more in depth about albums, songs, videos and other moments in music that stuck out to me in 2015. Here…we…go kids. There was so much good music released this year so some things may not have made it onto this here article thingy. Album of the Year: Counterparts: Tragedy Will Find Us It’s no secret that Counterparts are my favourite band of any genre and especially of melodic hardcore. While in recent years there’s been an upsurge of bands playing that ragged, emotional strain of hardcore Counterparts have always stuck out for their technicality and sheer heaviness, both in terms of music and emotional punch. While Tragedy Will Find Us does dial down the experimentalism found on their last full length, it has resulted in their tightest, most focused and most vicious set of songs to date. A perfect soundtrack for drinking cans in your room at 2 in