SLIP THE NET THE NET THE NET!

Holla.



We at Descartes have been attempting to record some more demos at our favorite underground bunker, Seagate studio. This is going swimmingly. We have four tracks almost done, and hope to have them nailed by this coming weekend.

We are getting a bit over excited with vocals, adding as many backing vocals as the four of us can do. This slows down recording a bit but we hope it will come out sexy.

In one newie (I Am The Snake!) we have a Capella four way bark-off. Which in theory is going to sound like the Futureheads meets The Horrors, but will perhaps end up sounding really daft. But hey, take a risk. I'm also trying to convince the chaps to put a backwards intro on Ice-Nine, so It sounds as if the song is falling in on its self before it even begins, I think I'll win them over.



I was inspired to throw in as many fucked up ideas as I could after watching a documentary on Factory Records the night before we started. The way that Factory came into being and insisted on remaining totally free of all the shit going on around makes modern day music seem really silly. Even the most anti-establishment of today's bands will probably still have a "PR guy" and be forced to tone down in some way by whoever is releasing their records. That's not to say that today's music scene is the way it is for no reason other than gain. Things change, the Internet and all the other mad technological and social advances (if you can call them that) have changed the way music is recorded, released and listened to.

It baffles me how any music ever got heard before the Internet. Its hard enough trying to get people to listen to your music when it's available free and easy over numerous websites so I can imagine many young creative types went insane back in the day.

This t'internet lark is very much double edged though. Being able to get your own music out to the world from the comfort of you bedroom and having the means to discover bands without being prompted by the music press is grand. But, it is also an arena for some twats to rope young people on the hunt for the next big thing with their side-sweep hair cuts and punctuation filled names. I have never heard a We Smoke Fags song, though I noticed they were a featured band on some myspace thing, and had about 10 million friends. They had pictures with nice hair and posed like they we're slightly autistic, yet pretty as hell. Others like Haduken! and Does it Offend You, Yeah seem to follow a similar pattern. Test-Icicles were ace. Klaxons are amazing. But throwing a dance beat behind some difficult noises does not make this new crop innovates in the slightest.

Anyone who comes across pictures of us may well be spitting at their screen reading this, between us we own a fair few leather items, have a hefty mass of hair, and wear our jeans in a manner which will undoubtedly leave us childless. We are partial to the dress up box. I just hope people actually listen to our music, and see what we're trying to do. The sort of people who in the past have called us posers or what ever else may well have a point, but we fucking mean what we do. We sing about things that mean something to us, and try to turn our mass of influences into something new, without totally raping them. I'm sure we all have issues with girls (or boys), eyes meeting across disco floors, unrequited love and the rest and we do sing about this sometimes, but some days I wake up being more bothered about twitchy fingered scientists or the things inside the heads of passing businessmen. Not to write about these things as well would be dishonest. If the people who write albums worth of songs about girls and pubs think solely about girls and pubs then fair enough, but that is a scary thought.

I find myself being constantly indecisive these days. Regarding pretty much every issue I come across. I could probably sit an argue with myself until I slowly died whilst rocking back and forward looking at a wall, but instead try to just take each thing as it comes. So as contradictory as it may sound after a hefty rant like that, I find it hard to get my point across because things stop making sense halfway through a chain of thought. I think people should not be allowed to get filthy rich whilst others are starving, that's an obvious ethical point, but how to enforce this? There are many work shy scrounging bastards that would benefit in a take from the rich and give to the poor scenario. But then others work a seven day week for peanuts, they deserve better. It feels like everything ends in one big catch 22 situation. In music, is signing to a major label like selling your soul to the devil? In some cases it would be. But then just signing to an indie label because it's an indie label is surely simple snobbery, but then again......it could go on forever. Make a point, I'll send myself loopy thinking about it.

Jesus.

Anyway, recording is going well, har har harrr har.

x

Finding Match Sharpness

It is now a mere five little days until we get back to gigging again at The Moorings in Aberdeen. Thank Christ!

Although the break has been useful in that we have been able to compose a shit load of new songs, some finished, some very unfinished, it has been a nightmare being away from the live buzz. Standing on stage and causing some reaction in people is one of the greatest feelings I have know. All the rest involve nudity or untamed animals, but the less said about that the better. The banter of traveling to away games whilst our driver/drummer slowly goes insane with the stress of keeping us playful kiddies under control is a treat. Sound-checks are always a relaxing experience I have found, they make you feel a little special. Then the wait to go on, trying to remain is some fit state, and enjoying the pre-match entertainment. All blissful, all missed.

Back onto the topic of new material. There is a lot of it. We fitted a couple of new songs into our last few gigs, and they have now been touched up and finished, then we have a batch of unheard nuggets that I cant wait to blast out of a meaty sound system. Once again I think we have progressed and created something new. There has been a massive injection of sex into these new songs, listening back to rough tape from practice I find my hips being to thrust like they are completely free from my body. We have also began to piss around with time structures and rhythms, which is very evident on a track currently called "Scratch the Surface".

Due to this influx of newness we have gone and booked some recording time at our friendly local studio, no idea how we will afford this, but it's going to be massive.

The sun is out in Dundee again, but I am stuck in work, next to a large window, just to taunt me. Bastards.

xx