Interlude - What's in a name?

Well, here comes something different for a blog that's supposed to be about high yield investment programs and the such.

The name of my blog, 'Stormy In The North, Karma In The South' (Geddit?) comes from a Wildhearts song. The blog's url has been shortened to Northerncalm, for luck - I thought having stormy in the name might bring images of tumultuous times, which is want someone as an investor, or a faux-wannabe investor, does not want to experience.

So, I had the bright idea of telling you about where my name came from, and from that idea branched another idea - random album revies! I thought I would make the blog into a very random thing with HYIPs, investment news, and then album reviews, etc. but I have now decided to start another blog concentrating more on the entertainment side of things so that this blog may retain at least some semblance of purity towards its subject matter (that is, online opportunities.)

But - there's a problem! I haven't created this mystical new entertainment blog that will be indelibly intertwined with this one just yet, so I'm going to do a write up about the first Wildhearts album right here, and then probably repost it as my first post on my other blog because I am lazy.

This also ties in with all the online opportunities - any of my favourite bands, music, movies, books, etc. I talk about should have an Amazon link. If you like the product, you can now buy it through me and I will get a very much appreciated affiliate commission.

Tres cool.

So, I'll be talking about stuff I like, which will usually be left of center, slightly obscure... But it's not like I'm going to rant about some obscure fifth tier death metal guitarist or anything. The bands and music I talk about you could quite likely have heard of, but if you haven't, I can hopefully refer you to something new you might dig.

Over in my new blog, I will do a write up of who the Wildhearts were and why I love them so much, and why they never hit the big time like they should have. Check out their site...

The Wildhearts.

Great honest stuff...

But here is my article/review/ranting about their first album.

Earth Vs. The Wildhearts - The Wildhearts. (Originally released in August, 1993. UK Version.)

1. Greetings From Shitsville
2. TV Tan
3. Everlone
4. Shame On Me
5. Loveshit
6. Miles Away Girl
7. My Baby Is A Headfuck
8. Suckerpunch
9. News Of The World
10. Drinking About Life
11. Love You 'Till I Don't

Now, the Wildhearts exploded (or at least tried to) onto the scene during the era of grunge. The Wildhearts first album, Earth Vs. The Wildhearts (EVTW) was chock a block full of loud, catchy, melodic riff rocking with a charismatic front man with the shoutyness and balls of some of the great pop-rock frontmen, with just that write tinge of grit to his voice.

This was the problem - everyone was dressing in flannel and waving lighters slowly in the air, staring at the ground acting like communal drones and wishing for the end. The Wildhearts were HAPPY - they sung about bad things, sad things, the way life sucks, but they always done it with a pump-your-fist in the air attitude, which I always find to be a lot more productive than whining and being self-obsessed.

I'll make a big claim here - every song on the first Wildhearts album could have been a hit. It's packed with cretaceous riffs - those sort of riffs you think you've heard before, but quite possibly haven't. They're the sort of riffs that just EXIST, and seem like they always have, they were just waiting for someone to find them. Combine this with inventive and interestingly phrased lyrics and melodic choruses, guitar that alternates from crunchy to soaring with atmospherics (usually on the bridge to another bang your head chorus) and you have one of the last true rock bands, not moussed-up poseurs of today.

It was strange, all the songs on the album dealt with similar stuff to grunge like I mentioned. Those interesting and cool lyrics I mentioned?

The album opens like this -

"The paper's hanging off the walls, there's 'roaches dancing in the halls
you still pay your fortune to crawl down misery street
the euthanasia dream brigade are melting in the Hampstead shade
the zombies of life they parade down misery street."

Sure, it may be slightly verbose, and a lot of lyricists cop flak for such writing but Ginger keeps it real the whole time, he makes it fun and he keeps a sense of humour whilst being insightful. And it all just rolls off his tongue... Listening to the music you'd never guess there were any words topping one syllable. Sign of a true rock God!

And like I said, it does enter downbeat grunge territory, and the album may have dark interludes and deal with heavy stuff but it just makes you want to float.

My favourite albums are 'growers,' layered albums that you have to listen to many times before you truly appreciate them. Although there's no fifty-layers of instruments, atmospherics, and two-hundred time signature changes in this album it was still like that for me... New melodies crept up me all the time during my first few months of discovery.

Some of the highlights of the album initially included Greetings From Shitsville and Everlone... These songs hit me straight away and my love for them just increased. They were a mixture of crunchy-rock and with soaring crescendos and crashing riffs.

But even months after listening I had never even noticed the last song, Love U 'Till I Don't, which is now one of my favourite. Grower, see?

I swear there are tinges of AC/DC in their music, but it's more atmospheric and complicated then the Cult's attempt at AC/DCdom, "Electric" whilst still being crunchy (don't get me wrong, I'm a meat and potatoes rock man sometime, loving the leather pants and loud riffs and power chords so I'm an "Electric" fan too.) If you've never heard the Wildhearts before, and like AC/DC, U2, Cheap Trick, even the likes of Pearl Jam you'll probably find a lot of enjoyment in Earth Vs. The Wildhearts and you might even end up treasuring it the way I do.

A perfect introduction to the band.

There's even piano and gospel-tinged backup singers on some tracks! Old school.

9/10.

Buy it here -