Sand Castle, Rage

Careful construction
Turrets, ramparts and a moat
Stomped by big brother

Appetite for Destruction - Guns N’ Roses

Apparently this album wasn’t particularly successful on first release, but evidently Axl Rose pulled off some sort of monkey’s paw type deal because the trifecta of hit singles from this - Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City and Sweet Child O Mine - became some of the defining sounds of the era.

In fact, they reached the point of cultural ubiquity for me because I have heard them so many times now, from game soundtracks, to adverts and even getting played regularly on Radio 2 in the UK, which is supposed to be the channel for easy listening and golden oldies.

Trying to be objective with this is difficult. Aside from the previously mentioned tracks, none of the other songs stand out enough that would make me want to go back and listen to them again, and the others are permanently lodged in my brain as ear worms.

Three stars, for old times sake.

Hawk

Perched on a gloved hand
Hooded, patient, unruffled
Waiting for the hunt

Boy In Da Corner by Dizzee Rascal

American rappers all have aggressive names, emphasising how tough and gangsta they are whereas the British equivalents have names that sound more like a loveable character from the Beano. Musically, grime is more interesting than basic hip-hop beats, having more in common with electro and dance with some interesting bits of sonic experimentation.

Lyrically, we’re still back in problematic territory in places though, even though this does sound like it’s based in the harsh reality of growing up on sink estates in London at the turn of the millennium. I get that he’s good at what he does, and I do find this more listenable than gangsta rappers, but it’s really not for me. Sorry.

Cool Morning, Candle

Night's candle gutters
Let in the cool morning air
Cobwebs blown away

Truth and Soul by Fishbone

Hey, what’s your favourite musical genre? Blues, right? Definitely funk or soul? No wait, heavy metal for sure! Or maybe ska-punk? I dunno, they’re all good genres, Brent. This album manages to combine just about everything without feeling forced or overblown and the end result is a whole lot of fun, opening with a Curtis Mayfield cover before jumping into bouncy ska, hard rock and more.

The lyrics have a nice range, from the cheeky humour of Bonin’ in the Boneyard, to a proper on the nose political broadside on Subliminal Fascism that wouldn’t be out of place on a Dead Kennedy’s album, assuming that they played ska at a sweaty 90 miles an hour with a mad calliope fairground organ in the background.

What larks!

Melon, Freezing

I have just googled
Frozen melon daiquiris
They look amazing!