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Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Sunday, November 15, 2009

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Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

People are stupid. Unendingly, gruesomely stupid, like a lobotomised, shaved badger - every last one of us a fetid, gormless lump of uselessness. I apologise for the crass generalisation there, but really, it needed to be said. And really, I should have said it in big bold letters: a collection of blithe, oblivious pixels, squatted thoughtlessly [...]

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Saturday, November 7, 2009

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Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

So, apparently, the 16th MTV European Music Awards “went down” on Thursday. Did you notice? I didn’t - I was preoccupied with more relevant, pressing matters, like noticing that ooh, it’s getting quite cold this time of year, and hey, I need a shave. Of course, the fact that these two realisations came in quick [...]

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Sunday, November 1, 2009

2 Comments

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Spending too much time thinking about anything in particular is dangerous. So dangerous, it should quite possibly be illegal. Giving any amount of extended thought to anything rarely leads to a good outcome. Imagine if Hitler hadn’t been allowed enough “thought-space” to write Mein Kampf - wouldn’t that be wonderful? Hitler’s awful, demented thought process, [...]

POLARITY #4: “Special Favors come in 31 Flavors”… The ‘Violent Femmes’ Ranked

Friday, October 30, 2009

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POLARITY #4: “Special Favors come in 31 Flavors”… The ‘Violent Femmes’ Ranked

Are you ready to feel like a piece of shit? Gordon Gano was 19 when the Violent Femmes recorded their self-titled debut album. True story: the trio borrowed $10,000 from bassist Brian Ritchie’s old man and ground out one of the great American rock albums of the 1980’s, and certainly one of the most unmistakable. [...]

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Sunday, October 25, 2009

1 Comment

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Music: it’s entirely, utterly, completely, undeniably, irrefutably subjective, right? Wrong. You daft idiot. Look, I know it hurts, but it’s true. Some music is just objectively woeful. In fact, the odds are pretty high that if you’re listening to music right now, it’s crap. Whether it be chart music on the radio, an album on your iPod, [...]

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Sunday, October 18, 2009

2 Comments

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

When did music television die, exactly? I’ll tell you when - it was when we all gave up on it, and with a collective mouseclick accepted Youtube and Myspace as our appointed saviours. But! There’s a more pressing question on my mind: is there a single post-Myspace moment where we can say music television went [...]

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Sunday, October 11, 2009

2 Comments

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Soft rock really gets something of a raw deal these days. Mention in a conversation that you like soft rock (in an unironic way, rather than a “sings along to Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ after a couple of drinks at a wedding” way… c’mon, keep up) and you may as well have told that person [...]

5 Albums that would make better Soundtracks for the NHL than “Back in Black”

Friday, October 2, 2009

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5 Albums that would make better Soundtracks for the NHL than “Back in Black”

[Sorry I was unable to write a new "Polarity" this week, but it should be returning next time. This is a piece I wrote recently in honor of the start of another National Hockey League season last night, and my inability to not connect it with music in some way. If you have any other [...]

POLARITY #3: “You Can Never Quarantine the Past”… ‘Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’ Ranked

Friday, September 25, 2009

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POLARITY #3: “You Can Never Quarantine the Past”… ‘Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’ Ranked

Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this? Am I doing this to provoke hatred from the legions of indie-rock loving blogcrawlers? Absolutely not; these are my opinions. Am I doing this to capitalize on the Pavement craze that’s sweeping the nation in light of a particular recent news item? You’re damn right. [...]

POLARITY #2: You Don’t Stand a Chance…”Milo Goes To College” Ranked

Friday, September 18, 2009

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POLARITY #2: You Don’t Stand a Chance…”Milo Goes To College” Ranked

Happy Friday, ZME readers. We know there are a ton of music websites you could be choosing to burn your time on while you should be entering data, emailing clients, or for the funemployed of you, watching some high quality porn. So, we appreciate that you’ve chosen us. Today, I’d like to present my breakdown of [...]

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