Because he is just hilarious! 
Archive Page 3
03
May
Michael Macintyre
25
Apr
Dragon Hunter
Usually I like animation movies, but this one is really bad… It needs a genuine script, some viable music, a better pace and less gooey talkings. Yet, there is some beautiful poetry in the universe built around the characters. Those floating cities create a dreamlike environment and a wonderful atmosphere.
23
Apr
The boat that rocked
21
Apr
Blacksad
This is one of the rare recent comics that really amazed me. The historical context, the atmosphere, the characters and their astonishing animal representations… Blacksad is the comic that you cannot miss!
20
Apr
Jeff Beck
What is astonishing about this guitarist is its right hand. He often plays with a pick on his thumb and uses his fingers to modify the volume or the tone of the sound while he plays. This constant control over the intensity and the colour of his sound allows him to achieve wonderful modulations.
Just check his beautiful cover of Cause we ended as lovers to experience it.
What I especially like about Jeff Beck is its slighlty rough way to play, he does not aim at perfection but tries to highlight the musical intensity.
He is a very original musician. He did few different (irregular) albums surrounded with great musicians, or playing with a particular band, but always seemed to prefer his independence. He looks a bit like a lonely modern blues player.
16
Apr
The Yardbirds
Though this 1960s very British band is not so famous it indirectly gave birth to a musical revolution. Indeed, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page all started playing in the Yardbirds at the youth of their musical careers. The Yarbirds was one of those successful bands that met a regular audience but did not manage to go beyond Europe. It seems surprising because they had an incredible potential. Just listen to Stroll on or Train kept a rollin’ to realize the energy they could spread.
I think that the Yardbirds was quite a “teaching band”. Through it those three amazing guitarists learnt the last elements they needed to reach their best. They faced the musical rigor, the hardships, the audience fluctuant mood, the tensions… And they efficiently dealt with that. Little by little they started to get well known by the professionals and earned enough musical credit to fly with their own wings.
Most of all, through the Yardbirds they defined their musical directions. They turned their backs to the successful pop music and aimed towards the music that appealed to them and that would be the core of their future fantastic creations: The Blues.
Eric Clapton played with Cream and met a worldwide success. Jeff Beck started an irregular solo career, but made some astonishingly beautiful albums. And obviously Jimmy Page gave birth to the amazing Led Zeppelin.
Hail to the Yardbirds!
12
Apr
One last beer…
11
Apr
The Freebeez
I discovered them during a small gig in a French shop, where they played to promote their new album “bumble beat”. Though they had a very basic settling (tiny stage, few amplifiers…) their sound’s harmony and balance was amazing. It is even more stricking as they were 8 musicians on the stage (and three were missing)! Still, the beat was heavy, the bass groovy and the sax, trumpet and others took well-balanced chorus and listened to each other as if they were jazz musicians. But the Freebeez play funk and an astonishing funk! That kind of old-school sound inspired by James Brown and Sly.
What I loved about their performance is that these middle-aged French musicians looked as if they had gone all through the hardships of trying to live from their passion. Yet they had this genuine joy, this respect for the funk’s fathers and an originality (surprising notes, old-fashioned clothes, French touch). I was really blown away! And actually, I only attended to their last song!
09
Apr
Beer Google
“Beer is the world’s oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea” (Wikipédia).
Some might be struck by this piece of information, but after a semester in Cardiff I can tell you that in some areas beer is far more popular than water, tea, cola or any other beverages!
06
Apr
Silly adds
