You might have noticed that I used to have an essay that dealt with the concept of deterrence in the cold war, on the blog. You might have also noticed that it’s no longer here. The reason for that is simple. A friend of mine brought up that since people who know (and are more likly to frequent the site) are currently doing the exact same task as me perhaps putting up my essay at the moment isn’t the smartest move. I’d hope that people wouldn’t just copy it, but if someone does and they attend the same school, then suspicion is also cast on me as for supplying them with the essay. And since I technically would have supplied then, I’d rather not have to run the risk of my work being plagarised. It might come back in the future, I’m not sure when though. If you really want a copy, send me an email at ross@chowderhawk.com and we’ll discuss it.
Also, there have been some new photo galleries put up here and on flickr. You can view these via going to www.chowderhawk.com and going to the photos sections. There will also be some more design work coming along in a week or so.
Oh, I got my copy of KC Green’s Question Hounds Puzzletorium Volume 1 today. It looks really good and he drew a good sketch of our glorious lord and saviour some dude that runs the country called Kevin Rudd. So if you like Gunshow then grab it. It’s really not that expensive and your money goes to supporting a brilliant artist. It’s like throwing a dollar into the hat of that old hobo busker at the bus station. Except this time you get something that you can keep forever. And it’s less smelly. Sorta.
In August 2009 DJ Bricksta released his EP Death Of Luke after numerous setbacks and delays. Fortunately it seems that those delays were in good nature as what was produced was an enjoyable EP from an up and coming artist. With the EP coming in at just over 30 minutes it’s just the right length to be able to listen to it on the go. It’s lucky for the EP that it can be listened to in one sitting as the tracks would not be as strong on their own as they are together. Each track is decent on its own, but when brought together into an EP the style evident throughout causes the tracks to stand more solidly.
Unfortunately for the cohesive aspect of the EP it ends with a remix of L.S.M.O. by Ross McGrath. Since the EP does not have any clear singles and rather works better as a whole package, ending it with a remix appears to be an odd choice. This leaves the listener with the final impression of DJ Bricksta being one that is not actually of him, but of Ross McGrath. Had the track been left off the EP, the EP would not be any weaker for it and perhaps may be stronger. Another letdown is the seeming lack of experimentation with this EP. It’s safe and it works, but it doesn’t seem to want you to explore it and rather presents itself on the surface. It’s a solid first release, but nothing more than solid.
The strongest tracks by far on the EP are Tears and The Heart both featuring Nick Astbury. Those are closely followed by Civic which features Jesse Whithear. Throughout the EP it is clear that DJ Bricksta has placed his emotions into this album and it does work. From the brilliant guitar in Civic to the poppy synth melody in The Heart it is clear that this EP has been slaved over until it was just right. If you had to describe the album in a sentence it would be this:
Death Of Luke is an album bred from emotions and despite a few quizzical musical choices still performs as a whole musical package, rather than as a collection of songs.
Rating: 7.5/10
Death Of Luke EP was released in digital format only and is available for free download in a variety of formats at djbricksta.bandcamp.com and in 320kbps MP3 from mininova.org.
