Recommendations: My 5 Perfect Albums

Though I pride myself on appreciating a wide range of music, it is rock that has influenced me the most. Indeed, it is in rock that the album comes to the fore, enjoying a rare superiority over the single, even more precious in the age of downloads. Below is a list of five albums which I view as perfect, or nearly perfect: albums with not a single bad track. Though I tend to use absolutes in my prose, remember that this is just my own opinion, but I highly recommend you try out all of these albums. They are, in my opinion, not only good but important to the world of music. With that in mind, here's the list.

• Vices and Virtues by Panic! At the Disco (2011)

An album so perfect, even its four bonus tracks can do no wrong. Reduced to only two members, Panic! could easily have thrown the towel in, or hired an orchestra to record with (I'll get to that later). But no, Brendon Urie would not be deterred. He released a rip-roaring anthem called 'The Ballad of Mona Lisa,' opening an album full of intelligent melodies, thoughtful lyrics and a ruthless energy that keeps me coming back for more. With very few session musicians credited, it is incredible that a record of such impetus could be produced by two people, but perhaps this streamlined the writing and recording process. From the pop-punk hit 'Ready to Go' to the electronic-inspired demo 'Oh Glory,' this masterpiece of 21st Century rock does not disappoint.

Hard-won favourites: 'Memories', 'Sarah Smiles', 'I Wanna Be Free' (Bonus Track)

• A Night at the Opera by Queen (1975)

Okay, so for classic rock fans this is an obvious pick, but that doesn't stop this album being an absolute powerhouse of musical genius. Its opener, 'Death on Two Legs", is, if anything, underrated - if I were to make a James Bond parody film, this would be my theme. Check it out, you'll see what I mean. From there we travel through classics like 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'You're My Best Friend,' as well as more experimental tracks like 'The Prophet's Song.' Every member of the band contributes to the writing of the record, creating a whirlpool of humour, melancholy and about 25 different instruments. This album is famous for its innovation in the use of vocal layers, but it is the natural music that shines through for me, right up to Brian May's guitar-heavy arrangement of 'God Save the Queen' at the end. A timeless triumph of British music, and wholly worth owning a physical copy.

Hard-won favourites: 'Good Company', 'Seaside Rendezvous', 'Love of my Life'

• Magnification by Yes (2001)

Speaking of classic rock, another of my all-time favourite albums is Yes' final record before their hiatus at the start of this Century. Reduced to a mere four members (their number was usually closer to seven), they decided to hire the San Diego Symphony Orchestra to bulk out their sound. The result is an album filled with modern symphonies. Though not a popular choice even among Yes fans, this record impresses from start to finish; with its mystical lyrics about magic, ancestors and the afterlife, as well as expert musicianship from all involved. The orchestral arrangements are simple but original, and lend a grand quality that Yes usually achieve through the virtuoso keyboard work of Rick Wakeman, who was missing from this record. This is perhaps the hardest album of the five to describe, so I recommend you go and listen!

Hard-won favourites: 'We Agree', 'Can You Imagine', 'Dreamtime'

• Night Visions by Imagine Dragons (2012)

Few bands have been as ambitious with a first album as Imagine Dragons, and it truly paid off. As soon as 'Radioactive' hit the airwaves, the world was hooked, and the album shows how much they deserve their hype. Every time I listen to this album, I choose a new favourite, as it really does keep on giving. 'Hear Me' offers driving, radio-friendly rock, while 'Tiptoe' and 'Underdog' offer an indie flair that is now beginning to permeate the music scene. My only criticism is that 'On Top of the World' jars against the melancholy atmosphere of the album, but it is nevertheless a good song, leaving this album without a single bad track. A very strong debut from a brilliant band, and though I am not as enamoured with their sophomore effort Smoke and Mirrors (2015), I hope they continue their ambitious output.

Hard-won favourites: 'Demons', 'Bleeding Out', 'Every Night'

• Abbey Road  by The Beatles (1969)

If you don't count 1970's Let It Be (and few true Beatles fans do), this is the Fab Four's final studio album - and they know it. The final track is called 'The End', and they do their best to go out with a bang. This album features some of George Harrison's best writing and guitar work, and big hitters like 'Because' and 'I Want You' from John Lennon. McCartney remains playful with tracks like 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer', and this album features the only Ringo-penned track, 'Octopus' Garden.' The whole of side 2 comprises one long medley of short, collaboratively-written tracks, showcasing the many styles of the Beatles' career; highlights include 'Golden Slumbers' and 'Mean Mr Mustard'. And finally, the last lyrics: "In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." A fitting finale for one of the most influential musical groups in history.

Hard-won favourites: 'Something', 'Here Comes the Sun', 'Carry that Weight'

And that's the list. So many albums nearly made it: Keane's Strangeland is incredible, but misses out due to an incongruous track (I may talk about 'Black Rain' in a later post). Other contenders were Priorities by Don Broco, Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here and The 2nd Law by Muse. Do you have any perfect albums? Why do you like them? Feel free to start a discussion below. Chances are I'll reply! See you next time.

Why you MUST watch Community

Since I discovered Friends at the age of 11, I have maintained that it is the best sitcom ever made. A wonderful blend of fun and emotion, combining slapstick with sarcasm and intelligent word-based humour. Comedy catnip for someone like me. I've watched the show from start to finish twice, and it's never lost its appeal.

Friends' place at the top of my sitcom podium has been threatened a few times: Blackadder and Not Going Out are favourites from the UK, while New Girl and the short-lived 8 Simple Rules fought for attention across the pond. The best contender for my top spot was Chuck Lorre's grossly underrated series Dharma and Greg.

But this was all before I found Community.

Considering its low ratings and continual struggle for syndication, it's no surprise that while I was enjoying the glory days of early Big Bang Theory and The I.T. Crowd, I had never heard of the college-based antics happening under the imaginative eye of creator Dan Harmon. It is only thanks to the wonders of Netflix and friends' recommendations that I found the show at all; and boy am I glad that I did.

Community is a fresh 21st Century take on the sitcom. It refuses to get bogged down in the static, multi-camera format so common in American TV (perpetuated, I will concede, by Friends). It never stands still for longer than it needs to, and there is no formula; every episode is different in form, genre and even occasionally medium (spoilers). It expects a lot from its audience: there is no laughter track telling you what to find funny, and its pace and wit often merit dragging back the play bar a minute or two to take everything in. But this lack of condescension to the viewer makes each episode a rich concoction of laughter, intrigue and wacky fun.

The show exudes confidence from every pore. It does not hesitate to reference films, pastiche popular culture, even parody itself. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the overarching theme of the show is learning to laugh at yourself. If you're a fan of Rick and Morty, you know that Dan Harmon never takes himself too seriously, and this carries over in Community as well. Despite being set in the live-action 'real world,' this is a show in which anything can - and does - happen. Giant pillow forts, secret trampolines and a Christmas wizard do not even scratch the surface of what this show has in store.

If you have not seen this show, I strongly urge you to watch it. Persevere through the first few episodes, it takes a while to find its feet but I promise you it's worth it. As in many sitcoms, you'll fall in love with the characters, and maybe find one or two of them insufferable. But unlike any other sitcom, you'll never know what's going to happen next.

So far, no show as ever come as close as Community to knocking Friends off the top spot of my all-time favourite sitcoms, and I'm only on Season 3. I'll let you know if it succeeds.

Routine: A Stream of Consciousness

It ties my world together

Sometimes tighter than I would like

I know it is important

But like many crucial things

It has a tendency to constrict to the point of discomfort

I know I will fall out of it
I have to accept that or I'll just upset myself.
Frustrate myself,
Berate myself.
Placate my self-inflicted sense of uselessness
With online lists and quizzes.

Creativity fizzes when I shake the can of my routine
Pull back the tab and start anew
A fresh stream of seconds, minutes, hours that I have to get used to.
Notes go in folders
But then it all falters
And time falls from the hourglass
Days pass without but a little output.
One post a week becomes a month void of proof
Of what's been going on under the radar
Under the roof.

Sometimes I just need to create.
Not think about consequences, not hesitate
Just make something
Don't worry about quality
Forget about reaction
No retraction
Just share it. Let it become whatever it can be
When someone else reads it
With their expectations, worries and cares
And makes it theirs.

Maybe others are stronger
Maybe it takes me longer to adjust than others
Or maybe we all have times like this one
Human Condition.

I must find ways of tying my world back together
Find new knots to hold the chaos in
Occasionally letting it bleed out
Keep me a little bit insane, as all the best are.
And if I need my routine back, it never goes far.

Ungracious in Victory: 20th Jan 2017

In his review of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, fellow fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss wrote: 'I wish I had written this.' I get this feeling with certain things too, often songs. For example, I wish I had written the Billy Joel classic 'She's Always a Woman,' with its soaring melody and bittersweet lyrics. Similarly, I'd love to have come up with the driving modulations of Alice Cooper's 'Poison', and what an unusual album that would have been.

One thing that I don't wish I had written, however, is Donald Trump's inauguration speech. When he was sworn into office on Friday, he gave the minority of active voters who chose him exactly what they wanted: an anti-establishment rally to start as he means to go on. I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing; a friend of mine made the point that Bernie Sanders' inauguration speech would have had just the same sentiment. Despite their political polarization, both Trump and Sanders garnered political pedigree from voters who have grown dissatisfied, even distrustful, of the establishment.

However, I can't help feeling that Bernie Sanders, or Gary Johnson, or Jill Stein, would have shown more grace in their inauguration speeches, had they been the successful outsider instead of Trump. We can only imagine how the billionaire would have reacted had he lost the election - my money was on hiring Ashton Kutcher to tell America that Trump had been a joke candidate the whole time, rather than admit true defeat. But the only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner, and this feeling permeated the first address of President Trump.

At the start of the speech, he thanked every living former president, and the surname 'Clinton' hung rather poignantly in the air. Then, in what seemed like the next breath, he told his public that he would be taking power away from Washington DC and giving it to them. An inspiring message, no doubt, to those who support Trump and his ideals, but it's hard not to see the insult implied in this statement, just minutes after thanking Barack Obama.

But the one thing that stands out most to me from his speech is arrogance. His refusal to acknowledge anything that has come before him, to see himself as genius, innovator and independent. Not only is this conceited, it is also untrue. In his life, Donald Trump has belonged to the Democratic, Reform and Republican parties, each time using their political clout to gain a platform. In his speech, Trump called his victory 'a historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before.'

Is he perhaps forgetting the 1960s, and the civil rights movement?

Or perhaps Abraham Lincoln's stand for social equality in the 1860s?

Barack Obama has many admirable qualities, but among the most significant is humility - something every good leader should possess. The modesty to accept help, and appreciate those who have helped you. The grace to acknowledge that an achievement as big as this is not simply a one-man show. If his successor wants to be a populist leader, he has a lot to learn: he must appreciate not only the needs of those around him, but also their crucial role in obtaining and maintaining the power he now holds.

"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
--Proverbs 11:2

http://wapo.st/2jFdYql - Link to a transcript of the full speech, courtesy of the Washington Post

In Response to Turning 21

Horology

Three years ago today, by law,
My government decided I'm no longer to be called
A child.

Three orbits of a rocky orb's rotations round a star.
One thousand and ninety-six rotations on an axis.
Twenty-six thousand, three hundred and four rotations of a minute hand.
One change of batteries.

A change of job.
A change of heart.
A change of living situation.
A change of facial hair formation.

Variations on themes.
Mistakes, then repetitions: memes.

Gifts given, gifts received.
Ideas thrown away, ideas conceived.

Lessons learned, and facts forgotten.
Love denied and grudge begotten.

A spring of new light, new love, new life.
A stream of new light, new love, new life.
A river of new light, new love, new life.
An Ocean.

Devotion. Devolution. Revolution. Reparation.
The new defining of a nation.
From first to last rotation.

Today, by law,
Another government decided I'm no longer to be called
A child.

On Films, Trailers and Passengers

WARNING: Contains spoilers for the film Passengers

My English degree has afforded me many luxuries: a creative dissertation, plenty of time to be part of societies, and a like-minded group of friends with whom to compare notes and discuss texts. But perhaps most surprising has been the result of my Screen Shakespeare module: an enhanced appreciation for the art of film. Don't get me wrong, I have often applauded at a well-constructed shot, or shaken my head at an excess of exposition in a script; but I think now I appreciate the endeavour - the act of conveying themes, messages, symbols and stories to a mass audience through a combination of many different art forms - a lot more than I used to. It's also made me more cynical, better at picking up where a filmmaker could have put across their message more effectively. This is where trailers come in.

A film trailer should be like a book cover. Using elements of image and story, it shows the viewer enough to get them hooked, convinces them to spend their money. Unfortunately, in recent years, certain genres of film (looking at you, Marvel & DC) have developed a habit of showing a little too much in their trailers. Even teasers have abandoned their original definition; no longer do they showcase the tone and characters of the film without giving anything away. Sometimes it feels like editors have a bet to see who can put the most explosions in their teaser. So, when I went to see Passengers, I was fully expecting the star-crossed conspiracy implied in the trailers and other promotional material. 'There's a reason they woke up' boasts the bus advert, promising a heart-stopping thriller on board the Space Titanic. The film did not deliver, but I'm sort of glad it didn't.

There is a reason Jim (Chris Pratt) woke up. There is a reason Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) woke up. But these reasons are different. Jim is woken up due to a fault in the ship's mechanics. He spends a year alone, and when he comes across Aurora in her sleep pod, he obsesses over her. Reading her books, watching her video log, slowly he falls in love with her. And then comes the second reason. After a month of wrestling with his morals, and even coming close to suicide, Jim deliberately wakes Aurora up. To clarify, there are 90 years to go until the ship reaches its destination, and waking her up means she must spend the rest of her life on the ship.

The film has received mixed reviews, and there seems to be a theme among the negative ones - not many critics can get past the cruelty of Jim's decision. I do not understand this: of course it is cruel, and I understand the problems it raises concerning consent. But this decision changes the trailer-watcher's perception of the film entirely. No longer is it a tale of suspense and conspiracy, but a human story about emotions, about a complex relationship with a dark secret at its heart. It still thrilled me, but I also found it thought-provoking, disturbing and heartwarming at the same time. A brilliant film.

I hope Passengers helps to change the game; to take trailers out the other side of showing too much, and start making the viewer question what they are seeing. Will this be just another explosion-fest with CGI sprinkles on top? Or is there something they're not telling me?

Resolutions

My principal resolution for 2016 was to cut down on meat. Three months later, I was vegetarian, and as we swim desperately from the whirlpool of last year and collapse on the shore of 2017, I remain so. I'm stronger and healthier than I've ever been, and - give or take the smell of frying bacon - I really don't miss meat all that much. So I win at new year's resolutions. The meat in my life has been successfully and permanently cut down. But what about this year? How do I improve at something I've already won?

Like with any half-decent gravy, the key is consistency. Despite my devotion to the High Temple of Soy Mince, I have trouble sticking to certain other things, especially creative projects. My Google Drive is peppered with novel plans, ideas for plays, and a detailed strategy for if I ever reboot my YouTube channel. Most of these are either waiting in the wings to be started, or floating in limbo under the heading 'work in progress.'

I've always had an interest in novel-writing, since books have been my primary source of creative inspiration; but in the past few years, I've found it ever harder to commit to projects of that scale. Even if I don't get bored of them, the chances are that by the time I've made much progress, there will be another endeavour requiring and capturing my attention. And that's before we factor in work and university. In recent months, I have turned to poetry and short stories as an antidote to this creative quicksand: their short form requires less commitment. So far I've been pleased with the results, and I'd like to keep developing these skills. The scale and satisfaction of big undertakings, however, still calls to me.

So, my 2017 resolution is this: to stick at things, from brushing my teeth every day to writing a good dissertation. I have a few projects on the go already, and this blog is the newest - a way to keep tabs on my own consistency, while building up a public portfolio of writing, whatever form it may take. My aim is to write one post every week, and to combine creative content with thoughts and wonderings from everyday life.

A happy new year to you, and many thanks for your attention. I hope you enjoy what is to come!