Leaves and Redundancy

I wrote this at work today whilst i should have been trying to save my job.

Staring out of the window I can see leaves buffeting in the uncharacteristic blasts of mid summer wind. They cling firmly to their branches for now but in less than a month their luscious chlorophyll pigmented greens will burnish and crisp, giving way to shades of gold and amber. The very body from which they were sprouted will cast them adrift into the Autumnal squalls. Twisting and turning, flaking and fracturing, dried and aged by the now retreating sun they will fall. Finally being littered carelessly on the ground like wrapping paper at Christmas after the presents have been dispensed with. Once so full of life and splendour, now they retain only a fraction of their beauty, the dark sickly kind marred by the sadness that accompanies death and decomposition. Even the thrilling journey through the air fails to enliven these redundant husks, a child’s attempt to re-launch them with an enthusiastic kick and a giggle results in them descending helplessly back towards their final resting place. It’s hopeless, their fate is determined as it has been for so many seasons before and will be for many seasons to come, here they will lay until they mulch and get trodden back into the earth.

This makes the leaves outside my window all the more impressive. They must be aware of their destiny hard coded into their DNA, lying in wait traitorously within their very cells to sacrifice them for the survival of the tree. Why, then, do they grasp so hard, remain so steadfast in their intentions and duties and delay the inevitable conclusion? Can they trick themselves into thinking it might be different for them? Do they banish the final steps of the cycle from their mind or is it possible that the experience of being alive no matter how flitting is enough to render the threat of finality redundant? Who’s to say it is finality? I’ll be in the same place next year staring out of the window at leaves again… or will I?

This isn't really anything to do with Official Secrets Act although the song does seem quite appropriate and i originally listened to this in the spring when the blossom was falling. I should have written about the album 'Understanding Electricity' then but i didn't so instead of an accurate review of how it sounds you'll have to take my word for it and just buy the CD.

Official Secrets Act - Do Not Be Alarmed

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The Rakes, Sky Larkin and Official Secrets Act (Live)

The Rakes, Sky Larkin and Official Secrets Act (Live)

This is another review i was asked to do by Brighton Calling.

Official Secrets Act - So Tomorrow

Visitors to the Concorde 2 on Tuesday 21st April might well have been quite excited by all three bands on the line-up at this gig. Official Secrets Act filled the opening slot and garnered a surprising lack of attention or attendance considering their fantastic recently released debut album. Those ticket holders not wishing to look unfashionably keen won't have been too disappointed to miss them after experiencing the ear shredding noises being emitted from the Concorde's normally excellent sound set-up. All the high pitch frequencies mashed together to create an assault on the ear-drums akin to that of a brick going through a food processor. Attempting to pull the band's true sound from the debris becomes extremely hard when OSA's frontman often wanders into this frequency range with both his voice and squealing guitar play. They have a good amount of energy and the lively synth and bass partnership power through to remind the listener that this band has several great songs and are just the victims of poor sound, hopefully one of their shows at the Great Escape will reveal a live set that reflects the quality of their recorded output.

Sky Larkin - One Of Two

Sky Larkin have been gaining column inches in music publications recently and have just finished a tour of America making this is their first gig supporting The Rakes. For the uninitiated, Sky Larkin are two thirds of a typical three piece rock band, the bassist sleepily swaggers around with a practiced nonchalance while the drummer pounds away with stick-snapping ferocity. The final third is a quirky female guitarist/vocalist who anchors the band and steers them away from cliche rock territory by replacing sweaty, testosterone-fueled guitar thrashing with a refreshingly cute female touch. They're not doing anything new but they're taking something old and performing it differently, they're the least affected by the sound problems but fail to inspire the crowd, something that's proving to be a recurring feature of the night.

The Rakes - 22 Grand Job

By the time The Rakes arrive on stage attendance has reached its maximum for the night - three quarters full - upsettingly low for a band who have achieved such success during their career and are touring a new album. How enjoyable this gig is hinges on when you became aware of The Rakes. Their early fans will be pleased to hear a hefty inclusion of songs from Capture/Release and few from the weaker Ten New Messages although the men look a lot older and more tired than the four boys full of rebellious punk energy that they used to be. Those that joined the party on the second album are unlikely to have expected the drunken Ian Curtis style shuffling of Alan Donohoe or the exclusion of 'When Tom Cruise Cries' from the evening. New fans would be satisfied with the mix of old and new songs but disheartened by the lack of effort the rest of the band put into playing them. The encore is more promising as they all really throw themselves behind final song 'Strasbourg' but predictably '22 Grand Job' goes down far better than anything they've released since. It seems some things have changed since The Rakes first voiced the feeling of restlessness that so many felt in 2005, not least that bands who rose to fame at the same time (like Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand) have produced two better albums subsequently. Some things, however, have stayed the same and in these times of high unemployment a 22 grand job in the city is most certainly still 'alright'.

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