Sky

If you put in your band name a local manager comes to talk to you and then tells you how much your 'enrolement fee' is...ie: how much it costs to pay to play....im interested in doing this just to see how much the scam would cost....

Last year, the enrollment fee was 45, and you get a hundred tickets to sell for the event. After you sell your first fifty, you get to keep a pound from each ticket that you sell. Until you sell ninety-five tickets, you're gonna be out of pocket.

On top of that, unless you're very crowd-pleasing rock, you won't get very far in the competition, as the crowd won't vote for you. (I merely make this remark because I gather Project: Ven-Hell aren't really in the vein of crowd-pleasing rock.) Also, playing early is the kiss of deathno allowance is made for the fact that the first few bands on have vastly fewer audience members to vote for them than the later acts.

Actually mate' date=' this has nothing to do with Ascension mp3s. Absolutely nothing, it doesn't matter if I have any foundation or whatever.

The point is, Ambient Mood asked for opinions on his music, if you didn't want it - don't fucking ask. Believe me, I know how it feels - see our mp3 post for details - except people were being dicks simply because they don't like us and have some sort of grudge.

I don't know Ambient, and I don't care, all I know is that I think his music sucks a big one.

You slagged someone else off for attacking Ambient's music because he had trashed their own mp3s - so why don't you shut up yourself. This is only about Ambient's music, leave it that way Seargent Contradiction.[/quote']

I brought Ascension's MP3s into because you were making ludicrously arrogant statements"Why don't you use your keyboard and take up classical piano so that you can contribute to the music of the world instead of being a skidmark on the underpants of it?"and I felt that I should remind you that you're not infallible either. As it stands, your first post implies that you are worthy of judging AmbientMood's music because you have made a valid and weighty contribution to music as a whole; I felt that this was complete nonsense, and pointed this out, providing my reasons for doing so. If you don't like this, then you should put me on Ignore. That way, my hurtful comments won't appear in threads when you look at them.

On the AmbientMood/Hammerfall subject: if you actually bothered to read the thread properly, you'd realise that what AmbientMood actually said is, "To me, you sound like Iron Maiden. Metal fans I'm sure could distinguish a thousand groups within your sound, but to anyone else, Cling-ons are just as scary as orcs, so don't be offended as we are simply ignorant to your fad." Read carefully and you're bound to eventually realise what it actually means.

I'm going to have to stick up for Doc & Ascension here. The very fact you mention the two bands in the same sentence implies that you consider the two bands to be similar. Whether by implication or not' date=' it's still quite apparent that a comparison is being made, and an ignorant one at that. Looks to me like you've thought to yourself: "Hmm, well they both have electric Guitars, they both play solos ..... so they obviously both follow the same formula......." (I mean would you say that Guns N' Roses are similar to Bon Jovi? I mean they both have Guitars and Guitar solos!) Ascension are heavier, Ascension's tunes seem to me to be more focussed on heavy and speedy rhythms opposed to the dual harmonies and duets that Iron Maiden more commonly used. I'd be more inclined to say they nod towards the likes of Hammerfall. In short, you just come across as some jumped up, smug, pseudo-intellectualist prick....[/quote']

I'll admit I'm ignorant of the myriad genres of metal that abound today, but, to my ears, Ascension sound Maidenish. Granted, you'll now accuse me of having defective ears, but that's how they come across to me. (As for sounding more like Hammerfall, I'm unable to agree or disagree with that, as I've never heard them.) And yes, to me, Bon Jovi and GNR are very similarmerely differing outcomes of the same genre.

To be honest, I didn't listen to the tracks more than once apiece, and I went with my first impression of them, which was that they were derivative and pretty poor overall. Sure, you might think they're fantastic, but I don't, and I certainly don't think they're a solid foundation from which Doc Ascension can launch self-righteous (and frankly ludicrous) tirades against AmbientMood.

I really do think you were presenting yourself well' date=' I mean - we were having a discussion, it's not got personal and its an expression of both our opinions. I mean, this is a rare thing on A-M, a calm discussion on Mood's piece of music. Ok, we disagree - but that's fair enough.

I really did think you to be a fairly well-spoken and valid person, until that is this utter gobshite remark came forth from your fingers:

I mean, have I read something incorrectly? This comment has completely voided your whole argument, and nullified your entire opinion exhaustively.

I henceforth demand that you retract this statement and apologise. If you do not, then you lose all respect that I, and anyone else who reads it may harbour for you/

We are sub-Iron Maiden metal? Are you serious? Have you even heard us and/or Iron Maiden?

Fucking ridiculous mate.

We are nothing like Iron Maiden, at all - not one song bears any resemblance at all to Iron Maiden. Even people who truly despise me and Ascension will agree with that point, simply because they are not completely retarded.

You, however, break the mould - and set a new low standard of intellectual diarrhoea.[/quote']

I think you have read it incorrectly: I didn't say Ascension sounded like Iron Maiden, but that I thought you were poorer than they were. (And I consider Iron Maiden rather poor.) Having said that, I do think that there is some resemblance; Ascension are about the same level of heaviness as Maiden, and also share the same love of soloing.

Whilst I respect that you disagree with me, and even appreciate it (life's boring when everyone agrees), I refuse to retract that particular remark, and I contest your right to demand I retract it. Sure, you might not agree with it, but that doesn't render it any less valid an opinion. As for losing the respect of you and anyone else who reads that particular remark, I'm willing to take the risk, but thanks for caring.

As for your statement advising AmbientMood to take up classical piano lest he leave no lasting contribution to music, it's looking even more ill-advised since he posted his CV.

i didnt like it' date=' but i appriciate that you have tried to do something thats unusual, and i applaude you for that. at least its not 3 chord punk. this is not my style of music, and i generaly found it lacking in melody and boering to the ear. im not here to offend you or start an argument, thats just my honest opinion.

but if you are going to post your song on this forum, realise that you are gonna have to sit back and take all that is said with a smile.[/quote']

To my mind, this is the kind of comment that is valid; Gregor Ascension makes no bones about the fact that he doesn't like it at all, but can still remain constructive and doesn't fall back on denoucing it as "just a horrible noise" that's "simply polluting the internet", implying an objective superiority in music taste.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the most valid and intelligent "not my thing" post on the thread.

yes' date=' but saying how terribal we are and how we will never make it ( not saying we will) is not a comment, its abuse. you really cant be looking very hard.[/quote']

Perhaps. But you seem to be missing my point somewhat: I'm not admonishing him of blame, I'm drawing attention to the fact that "you're doing exactly the same to him". Granted, you dress it up as "just being a dick to show you what its like". How is that any better? To me, it looks like you're trying to give a (barely) morally valid veneer to what is effectively an excuse to enact revenge upon him for saying you're terrible and that you'll never make it.

And yeah, you're probably right that I wasn't "looking very hard". I didn't deem it worthy of too much investigation, but what I did see certainly didn't reflect you calmly shrugging off the negative comments as you claim you've done most of the time.

I'm afraid' date=' that in my opinion the only way anyone could seriously enjoy that noise is if they were fucked of their heads on ecstacy. That is truly terrible and is simply polluting the internet.

Not what you want to hear, I mean you probably put alot of effort into it - but i'm afraid it's just a horrible noise at the end of the day.

Why don't you use your keyboard and take up classical piano so that you can contribute to the music of the world instead of being a skidmark on the underpants of it?[/quote']

I'm far from "fucked out of my head on ecstacy", and I enjoyed it. Granted, you probably need to have a certain mindset/taste in music to appreciate it, but I don't think you could really describe it as "a skidmark". To my mind, it's more interesting than Ascension's stuff by quite a distance. Given the choice of listening to AmbientMood's entire uvre, or Ascension's, I can safely say I'd choose the former any day.

You have to be careful when arrogantly announcing it to be "simply polluting the internet"; your own music needs to be above all reproach, and as far as I've heard, your's is formulaic sub-Iron Maiden metal, which I don't think you could really herald as contributing anything to the music of the world.

To flatly denounce "Raydar Gaydar" as "just a horrible noise at the end of the day" is frankly ludicrous; appreciation of music is an entirely subjective field, so making flat statements like that are very, very dangerous, unless you're willing to totally and completely believe that your music taste is truly perfect and the yardstick by which all else should be measured.

If you want to hear some really "horrible noise", try listening to Merzbow or NON. Compared to both of these (both of whom I think are utterly fantastic), AmbientMood's music is positively tuneful.

look mate' date=' i dident call Mr Moon a dick coz of his music, i called him a dick coz of the really shity (and over the top) things he was saying about our music AND us personaly, HE IS A TEXTBOOK ASSHOLE. what i ment to say was "why DONT we leave our comments to ourselfs" because no matter how much we try and say "ok cool man, you dont like our music thats fine" he continues to slag, i dont even know this guy. i put up my music in here to get constructive critisim, not constant abuse. i was just showing him what its like to have someone not leaving you alone by being a constant dick. have you ever sen a post on our fourm by Moony? there pathetic and abusive. i enjoy hearing peoples opinions on our music, good and bad. but Moonys in a hole other league of abuse. just showing him what its like.

just dont judge me mate [/quote']

You really don't do yourselves any favours; as Steve Irwin said, your whole band come across like a semi-literate circus troupe. I've yet to see you say, "ok cool man, you dont like our music thats fine". I've been doing some background reading, and you take objection to AmbientMood's posts and start firing abuse in his direction every time his fingers hit the keyboard. Despite your attempts to paint him as the sole bearer of blame, you seem to be at least as guilty as he is. If you were really as chilled out as you're claiming, you'd just ignore him completely. In fact, if he really upsets you that much, you could put him on your Ignore List, which would solve the problem entirelyhis posts wouldn't appear at all for you.

Ironically, wasn't it you that said, "but hay all comments are constructive comments"? I believe it was, you said it on this thread. You really are rather inconsistent.

befor i say anything' date=' i dont like this music, i dont like your music and i cant see why anyone else would. there thats my opinion.

im not a dick an aberdeen music (well not anymore) but i just had to jump at the chance to slag of Mr moon here coz hes a dick.

now he kens that its nae very nice. and when you post up your music you dont want to log on and see sum dick saying the worst things about what you have tryed so hard to create.

well done Mr Moon for what you have created, its not my cup o tea but others seem to like it, you must be doing something right. so why do we leave our comments to ourselfs and you keep yours to yourself????[/quote']

Toys back in the pram, children. AmbientMood criticised some of your music, so you criticise his music by calling him a "dick". You don't like it, fair enough, it's not your "cup o tea", but does it really need to become personal? Seemingly, your entire reason for posting on this thread was to throw abuse. You and des seem to have some kind of grudge against him, which is your business, but do you really have to carry out your vendetta in public? Could you not just stick to PMing him abuse, and let the rest of us make constructive praise or criticism? It would be far less embarassing for you, and would significantly lower the chances of this thread being closed prematurely.

Edit: I listened to Statue of Misery's "Legs Wide Open" and whilst it isn't terrible, it's far from fantastic; formulaic, Americanised and uninspired are three words that spring to mind immediately upon listening to it. I find it ironic that you can decry "Raydar Gaydar" as a "synthisis peace of SHIT" (sic), and yet play something like "Legs Wide Open" which is just as open to criticism as that, perhaps moreso. Whilst it's true that AmbientMood may be a glass-thrower living in a glass house, you're surely in the same position?

Regarding your suggestion, "why do we leave our comments to ourselfs and you keep yours to yourself????": surely that's immediately invalidated. By the very act of placing your song on the internet, surely you're actively wanting people to find your music, listen to it, and then comment on what they've heard. Otherwise, why bother uploading it in the first place? Or is it just that you don't want to hear people say anything negative about it?

Yeah cool idea. It would feel like backtracking' date=' but with music I think if something isn't working you really just have to scrap it, regardless of how much time and thinking-power you've spent on it. Will think about that.[/quote']

I wouldn't scrap it; it's too good for that. If I were you, I wouldn't consider to be not working. As I said, I consider it to be three pieces rolled into one; three good pieces that deserve a chance to breathe properly as seperate tracks. The soundscaping of the third section would benefit very much from being extended and developed further. I'd really like to see how it would turn out if it was extended.

I don't think it's too long, per se, I think it's actually three tracks in one. Of the three, I think the first is the weakest (start until about 1:50)it sounds very early nineties electronica, and not in a particularly fantastic way. Having said that, I never really was a big fan of that style.

The second section (1:50 until about 3:30) is much stronger overall. I like the burbling bass in it a lot, and the percussion is more subtle but better for it. Of all the sections, though, I most like the third. It's definitely the most ambient of the three, and the percussion is the most interesting. The other sounds are given more room to breathe in this section. If I was you, I'd take out the third section altogether, and make it a standalone track, and develop it in this context.

whats the chances that this person is

a) one of the members of ascension

b) one of the members of acension using a 2nd account

c) one of the mates of ascension

d) an idiot

Slim to none. A' date=' B and C are all incorrect; however, D is a distinct possibility.

I haven't actually but in the magazines i have read Terrorizer seems the fairest' date=' they aren't in the habit of giving out a 10/10 for an album unlike a certain Kerrap! magazine [/quote']

Kerrang!, Q, NME, et al are all utterly, utterly terrible. NME's love-affair with Pete Docherty is, however, frankly hilarious. I recommend reading The Wire: it's reviews and articles are of a high standard, and it doesn't fall back on a "mark out of..." system, unlike all of the above. (Which does raise the question, how can you realistically give an album/single/EP/song a numerical value? What criteria do you base said judgement on?)

Terrorizer is the only magazine that reviews the music and doesn't go by trends.

You've obviously never read The Wire.

Stripey is, and has several MP3s up on his website and they're of a high calibre. Also recommended is XY:XX, though not for the faint-hearted.

It should be a good gig, and it's for a good cause, so what more could you want?

(Other than a slightly better disguising attempt at a bump than this.)

I'm very impressed. I really like the "grit" of "Hope Diminished". I like "1" even better, especially because of the startling tonal passage that cuts in it just before the two minute mark; it's quite a pretty-sounding passage on it's own, but the juxtaposition of it against the abrasiveness of the track as a whole really makes it stand out. As Buckley said, the thickness of the sound is impressive, and a deeper bass-end may work on some tracks, but I feel the two already up function perfectly without one. Overall, I'm very, very impressed, and look forward to hearing more of XY:XX.

I'm extremely impressed by these, especially the ambient wash that opens the first sample ("b") and wavers from side to side, before giving way to a much busier, more energetic arrangement. Also, I was especially impressed by the simple but effective drum programming that underpins the track. I'd really like to see more experimentation along the ambient, almost drone, line explored at the opening of this trackunless I'm mistaken, isn't Eastern music very interested in the power of drones and repetitions?

Track two is also good, in a more conventionally jazzy way. When can we expect to hear more?

jsmith beat me to it; I was about to recommend Claire Hamilton as well. She has a website with MP3s available for download on the Media, andmore importantlyan utterly fantastic voice. She's playing in 17th July at Drummonds for a massive all-day charity gig, alongside:

I can strongly recommend Kathryn Sawers and Alan Davidson/The Kitchen Cynics from experience; Kathryn has a really good voice/piano combination, and Alan Davidson is extremely clever with his lyrics. Prices and times for the gig have yet to be confirmed.

A fantastic gig overall. Marissa Nadler is utterly fantastic, and her album hasn't left my CD player since Friday. I did feel the synth was underutilised thoughusing it as a pseudo-organ does it no justice. Kathryn Sawers impressed me, but I felt many of her songs ended too abruptly. Claire's performance was much more relaxed than usual, and I really think she's becoming more comfortable in a live setting.

All in all, a fantastic night. Thanks to Interesting Music, the Tunnels and the artists.

Claire Hamilton fronts a band from time-to-time, though usually plays solo. Some of her tracks are available online at her website.

I found the second Mm album to be a lot darker' date=' which I wasn't really looking for to be honest - The first album I'd agree is a beautiful little toybox of an album. Stafrnn Hkon's Ventil / Poki album is the most recent, and seems closer to Sigur Rs than the previous albums. The earlier albums are well worth checking out, but to my ears Ventil / Poki has much more form and substance.

I'd recommend having a listen to Psapp if you're a fan of Mm, reminds me a lot of the playful glee that shone through on Finally We Are No One.[/quote']

I think that was probably my problem with Summer Make Goodit was a good album, but it wasn't really what I wanted. I have enough music with a dark edge in my collection, and I was hoping for more music-box prettiness with the album, and didn't really get it. Had it been my first Mm album, I think I would probably have loved it.

Stafrnn Hkon was recommended to me by a pretty young lady working in One-Up when she saw me buying Mm's Duck Log EP, and I am very grateful for the introduction. The name "Psaap" does ring a bell, but I don't think I've heard anything by them, but this will be added to my ever-growing list of things to track down.

Oh, and in answer to your previous question, I suspect your hearing will be impaired for at least a week after Mr Reznor has had his way with you.

Mum are brilliant' date=' and I'd also recommend Gregor Samsa or Stafraenn Hakon.

So tempted by Sigur Ros, NIN's the night before too... Two nights in Glasgow, but will I still have any hearing left aft NIN?[/quote']

Mm are a bit of a Sigur Rs: their first album on Fat CatFinally We Are No Onewas phenomenal, and remains perhaps the prettiest, most heartbreaking album I own. The follow-up, Summer Make Good, was good, but massively disappointing. Perhaps I'm the only one who felt this, but, having discovered Mm by way of a random CD purchase the year before, I was quite excited about their new album, but it turned out to be a disappointment.

Stafrnn Hkon is extremely good, from what I've heard, though I've only listened to Ventil / Poki, so can't comment on anything other than that. Hopefully his other albums don't follow the trend set by his fellow countrymen...

anyone think it started to go wrong from the ( ) album.. onwards.... anyone...? *puts hand up*

I'd agree with that. gtis Byrjun was a fantastic album' date=' [i']() was slightly poorer, and Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do was very disappointing indeed. I haven't heard Von yet, so I'm unable to comment on it. I can't really decide just why they've been getting progressively poorer with each release, but it seems to be a pattern they're following now, and it is a real shame. Perhaps they'll improve, perhaps not.

Claire Hamilton will be playing two half-hour sets in a lunchtime session at the Tunnels this Friday (8th of April). She's onstage about 1PM, entry is free and there are food discounts on offer.

Several MP3s are available on the Media page of Claire's website.

This gig is presented by The Tunnels in assocation with Clear and Bright Records.

They have an album on fat hippy records' date=' but it's with the previous line up.[/quote']

Hrm... In that case, I shall await a recording from the current line-up. I was very, very impressed by them, and they are now my local joint-favourites along with AKA The Fox.

The gig was fantastic; Claire said she felt it was the best gig she'd ever played, and Lady Mercedes were very good. Anyone know if they've got an EP/single/album out?

Many thanks to Hen, Jenny and all the staff at the Tunnels, and to everyone who attended.

The gig's tonight everyone. How often do you get to see five acts for free?