Now I could spend my time politely being polite about politely average albums and polite bands that are kind of politely quite good, bands that mostly sound like that other band you heard last week or the week before or that polite CD over there that we’ll probably never listen to ever again. I could clutter up these pages with art shows that don’t really excite, I could spend far more time sitting on the fence and writing uncommitted review after review of 6/10 bands that you don’t really need to hear just like all the others do.  I could say yeah, that was quite good, politely tell you it was a bit like this and a bit like that. Frankly most of the new things I listen to feel like three out of five at best, heard it all before bands who politely want to be like the others and get some approval for not really daring to get out there and really do it.  Most things feel a bit like this or a bit like that, they don’t excite or ignite.  We could clutter up these pages with art that was kind of alright, waste time telling you about that show the other day that didn’t really excite, that painter who’s kind of politely good but doesn’t really excite, I could tell you what I really think about that dreadful street artist cluttering up so many London walls or that new album from that band who just sound like yet another band we’re going to have forgotten all about by this time next week, but really what the hell is the point?

Do find it amusing when you get offended when a band genuinely excites or an album demands a reaction like that Miraculous Mule album just did. These pages are for the things that excite us, here’s 43 seconds of the new Oxbow album, 43 seconds, not 42 or 44, these details are important, they’ve let loose 43 seconds…