Last night I witnessed the unreconstructed left in all its glory. While attending a tapeing of Any Questions? I was able to see the left-wing bias of the BBC first hand. The Taliban and Al Queda were praised while Thatcher and Bush reviled. There was sympathy for the Al Queda prisoners but little for their victims. The most worrying of all was the fact that I was in the company of 3 Tories and none of us found the Tory on panel, Nicholas Soames MP, at all sound. The two Kens in attendance, Lord (Ken) Maginnis and Ken Livingston, were the two highlights of the evening.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/19/2002 06:02:00 pm [+] ::
...
Anathema
A Fine Day to Exit
(MFN)
Anathema have made the jump to the majors with their latest release. The band have chosen to mark this transition with one of the best rock albums to be released in years. This is a stunning piece of work that has everyone from Radiohead indie kids, to Classic Rock to the goth scene all aflutter. The album combines the pomp and brilliance of Pink Floyd with the mournful glory of goth/doom metal. The best way to describe this album is an even darker and harder Dark Side of the Moon. Soaring vocals combine with powerful melodies is an almost sensual sound-scape. There isn't a duffer on this entire album, every track is brilliant. Put this album together with their amazing gig in December at the Mean Fiddler in London, and you know this band is going places. It takes a certain special something to have as diverse magazines as Terrorizer and NME both singing your praises. Fans of the bands previous work will not be shocked by this album as it continues a journey the band has been taking since its early days. Those wishing to appreciate their progression who do not own their back catalogue should get a copy of Resonance , a excellent primer to the band's past work. A Fine Day to Exit is a classic album that will be remembered for years and years to come. Absolutely essential listening.
Mortiis
The Smell of Rain
(Earache)
The prosthetic eared and nosed Norwegian troll is back with his latest collection of doomy electronica, It is bloody brilliant as well. So good is this album that Earache as decided to produce a video and single for it in the shape of the opening track 'Parasite God'. TSR is a wonderful romp through the dark and twisted world of Mortiis. Despite sharing as daft a get-up as Marilyn Manson, Mortiis shows a brilliance for melody and catchiness so often missing in some of MM tunes. The 9 track CD is a great listen and surprisingly enjoyable to listen to even when sober. Unlike Mortiis' post-Emperor work this is less metal and much more approachable for non-death metal fans (Described by some as Euro-goth-disco, whatever that means.). If you like darkwave or doomy electronica I would highly recommend this album. I was pleasantly surprised and find myself placing the disk as dusk settles earlier and earlier this winter. This is perfect CD fodder for those long cold winter days.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/19/2002 01:11:00 am [+] ::
...
:: 1/18/2002 ::
After the highs of the launch of the Euro, the EU has gone all limp. While we get to hear the nashing of teeth from Mr Prodi about UK membership, the Swedes have more to complain about.
The Swedes are complaining that Euro coins' map of Europe is an insult to Swedish virility. The coins feature Sweden without its neighbour Norway, who declined the offer to join the EU. Alas this ends up depicting what looks to be a limp penis. Brussels denies this and describes it as an accurate rendering of the country. I have seen the new coin and I have to report that all in attendance agreed that Sweden is depicted as a "willy". In fairness to the artist the willy does include an ample testicle sack. The Swedes could not sue him for depicting their country as being "testicularily challenged."
Sweden's invisible (well at least to the EU) neightbour, Norway, is sticking its collective fingers up to the EU. Norway is currently alligning itself with OPEC in the latest discussions over oil prices. Not that you can blame them, since Norway's decision not to join the utopian experiment the country has been getting a hard time from the EU. Lumbering the EU with higher oil prices seems a fair way of getting back at the country's bullying southern neighbour.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/18/2002 04:54:00 pm [+] ::
...
:: 1/17/2002 ::
I was heartened to see Boris Johnson MP calling for parents to be fined for the actions of underage miscreants. Parental responsibility is something political parties avoid like the plague. It's about time parents whose underage children are harming others to have to repay them for their loss. Maybe then parents who cry "I have tried, really," will think twice before letting their children run riot.
Expect some social worker to write an hysterical letter to the Daily Telegraph over Boris' proposal.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/17/2002 08:56:00 pm [+] ::
...
AirStripOne has responded to my comments about their view of the Anglosphere. Goldstein wonders why I refer to him as a moron. He claims that I missing the point of his posts on the subject. The moron comment was only in response to calling us "Anglospheracists" and "cultists." Hardly terms of endearment now are they?
As far as the rest of his comments go, he thinks the organisation is, by association, racist because it includes the US and the "white commonwealth". He fails to realise that the Anglosphere is based on historical and philosophical links rather than racial ones. The countries in the Anglosphere are not homogeneous and neither should they be. If the organisation fulfills its goals then eventually non-white countries will be in the majority.
The aim of the Anglosphere is not to envelope any country within it. It merely seeks to strengthen ties that have been eroded due to the efforts of the left and the European Union. The European Union wants to the UK to ditch its legal, philosophical and cultural history in order that it might "better" Europeans. The Anglosphere has no such desire, prefering to preserve the theories of freedom, natural justice and law that exist amoungst the countries spawned by the UK. As Bennett has said, "the Anglosphere is a memtic concept, not a genetic one."
Rather than weakening Britian's ability to act on the world stage. the Anglosphere prospect would ensure a presence thereon. Goldstein need not worry, the Anglosphere is not more American cultural imperialism.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/17/2002 03:35:00 pm [+] ::
...
Earlier this week Tory leader came out in support of turning the Lords in a "Senate." . Instead of conserving a great institution IDS has jumped on the bandwagon to oblivion, joining the Labour Party in their quest to destroy the upper chamber and a great British institution.
The true desire is not to have a second elected chamber like in the US. It is for the UK to be, either in reality or in effect, governed by a unicameral legislature. Labour governments are tired of the upper house overriding laws. Blair and his cronies have no interest in a strong upper house. They wish for a rubber stamp that will not stand in the way of progress.
The alternative of course is just as vile. Does the UK want to replicate the Senate of the US? The Senate is a useless organisation that serves no purpose but a ceremonial one. Does this country really need another set of elections? Surely with European, National, County/CIty and Local elections the British people have is enough. Adding another set of elections is not going to increase voter participation. Would it really be helpful to have a percentage of the new "Senate" re-elected every two years?
This is another lame idea from new Labour at best and at worst it is a cynical ploy to turn the UK into a defacto one house state.
Andrew Ian Dodge
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/17/2002 12:46:00 am [+] ::
...
:: 1/16/2002 ::
Pulse
(Frontiers/Now&Then)
Pulse, a new band feauturing members of Bob Catley's touring band, Hard Rain and No Sweat, are said to be the great new hope for British melodic rock. Pulse are a competent bunch of guys who produce decent AOR, alas that is the problem. Not many of the twelve tracks have anything like that "hook" you look for a rock song. Most of the stuff on here pleasantly washes over you like a fresh breeze. There is, however, a great deal of promise on the self-titled debut. Both the opening and closing tracks ('Talk about Love' & the sparse acoustic track 'Without You') show some great potential. 'Inspiration' has that catchiness that is so lacking in many of the rest of the tracks here. Pulse needs to work on their songwriting, now that they have the muscianship down pat. Melodic fans everywhere will be waiting to see what they do with album number two.
Marty: 5
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/16/2002 02:45:00 pm [+] ::
...
Recently there have been some who have claimed that the anglospherist movement or “cult”, is fundamentally a racist construct. Chief purveyors of this daft line on the movement is Emmanuel Goldstein of AirstripOne. It is tempting as an anglospherist to discount this line as the idiotic ranting of a moron.
This would be a mistake, it is much more interesting to examine this belief in full. Most of the time the left tends to use the term “racist” as a weapon to shut down discussion on a subject which they do not wish to discuss. It is a sort of verbal blackmail, where the person using naturally expects no response to such a jibe. In fact the term “racist” has been demeaned and lessened by the overuse and abuse. It takes a great deal of effort to actually convince someone of the smallest modicum of intellectual nouse that something is actually racist as a direct result of this trend.
I am in no doubt that those who are anglospherist will face the accusation of racism in their evangelism. What possible reason could any sane person think we are racists? Surely a group of people with a common background can group themselves together to discuss issues that are of mutual benefit? What is wrong with those of us who come from countries that are historically, ethnically and linguistically linked to Britain grouping ourselves together to help each other? The French have had such and organisation for years, the Forum Francophone D’Affaires (). It has chapters in most if not all countries with a French speaking population. The organisation fellow “Francos” with conferences, trade fairs and cultural exchanges.
What is wrong is that ethnic whites (or Caucasians in the US) have no right to do this. Any time more than 5 us get together to discuss anything, without the requisite minority present. Unlike every other grouping of people, we have no right to free association without an ethnic minder of some sort to make sure we don’t try to do down non-anglos. White people are naturally racist and can’t be trusted, right?
Libertarians at times suffer from a similar accusation. This is simple to explain, libertarians believe in equality and a level playing field for all. We are against things like affirmative action/positive descrimination, foreign aid/entanglements and a large state. It could be argued that most if not all of the big government and interventionist programs, whether domestic or abroad, help non-anglos. We need to ignore the fact that there are more poor whites than non-whites in both the US and UK, for a moment as that would ruin this theory. The left believes that big government helps the poor, the underprivileged and their much vaunted minorities (which includes women who are of course in the majority in the US and the UK). Any move against statism is naturally racist if you believe passionately in big government.
It would be interesting to read Goldstein’s reasoning for calling the “cult” of the Anglosphere, racist (Anglospheracist). I wonder if Goldstein thinks the FFA is a racist grouping.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/16/2002 12:09:00 am [+] ::
...
:: 1/15/2002 ::
Those wishing to find Andrew Ian Dodge's libertarian posts need only go over to Samizdata.blogspot.com Any overflow of his musings on liberty will be posted here. One such can be found below.
It was interesting to read Johnny Student's excellent post, on Samizdata.blogspot.com, on the God-mandated aspect to the left's belief in big government. The statist right pursues its aim with the same messianic zest. There are few Republicans who are for "less government" despite Republican manifesto. It is more common for Republicans of all ilks to be for "different government."
Their aim is to use the power of the government to impose their mostly Christian viewpoint on the country. It is not uncommon in heated debates both on and offline to be called "godless" when outing oneself as a libertarian. In some cases, it is possible to find oneself describe as a libertine or worse. In many cases it is necessary to declare yourself a "Christian" and a libertarian before engaging in discussion with the pious right.
Anyone interested in this sort of discussion may visit www.asmainegoes.com which has been the scene of many a raucous argument of the lack of morality and debatable "goodness" of those who call themselves libertarians. This argument usually begins with the pious ones trying to imply that libertarians are somehow cryto-anarchists who wish to overthrow all laws. It is never clear whether the laws meant are the heavenly or the earthly bound.
After being at the centre of many such discussions I have come to doubt whether it is possible to both a good Christian and a good libertarian. There are of course several sites dedicated to this discussion, one of which is www.self-gov.org/christian/, but I have yet to be convinced. Is not Christianity morally, ecumenically and practically intrusive by its very nature? Is this impression merely based on the religion's implementation by its adherents.
Natural law can be seen as an earthly challenge to "heavenly" religion-derived law . Often it is claimed that the law in the US and the UK is derived from the Judeo-Christian tradition. So what does that make proponents of natural law? Of for that matter those us who wish to limit the scope of law and government to its absolute minumum?
Is there any co-incidence that many of the US' founding fathers were in fact deists not "Christians" and that many of those who have spent the last 200+ years ignoring the limited government ideals of the founding documents of the country were believers?
Are libertarians truely the spawn of the devil sent to try the beliefs of statists as they go about doing God's work?
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/15/2002 02:14:00 pm [+] ::
...
Those wishing to find the PDFs of Andrew Ian Dodge's eurosceptic cyberpunk novels can now find them at http://www.mac.com/lagwolf
_______________________________
Here are some reviews of recent rock releases. A mixed bag ranging from death metal to AOR. Periodically Dodgeblog will be posting CD reviews from Marty.
Giant
III
(Now & Then)
Giant's third album is the a big event in hard rock circles of 2001. Giant always have been one of hard rock's best kept secrets, adored by fans and musicians alike. Giant produced two stellar albums, one in '89 and the other in '92. These never made into the mainstream, overshadowed as they were by such pap as Poison, Motley Crue and the rest of the Sunset Strip crowd. The band produced straight ahead hard rock closer to Tesla than any of the glam rock so popular during their heyday. Fed up with going no where and no doubt seeing no money, the driving force behind the band, the brothers Huff buggered off to Nashville. Dan became a well respected producer of so-called "new country" and in the late 90s ended up producing two Megadeth albums. The last of these was their "Risk." The brothers kept their hand in the song writing game pumping out songs made hits by new country stars (Restless Heart, Amy Grant et al), which in normal times would have been AOR or hard rock. Giant III does not see the band doing anything radical and they don't try to jump on any band-wagons. Instead, you find a collection of damn good hard rock songs perfect for the mellower moments in your life. They have all the elements you would expect from this sort of music, great guitar solos, a catchy chorus and soaring vocals. There is supposed to be a new wave of melodic rock around at the moment. It’sngood to see Giant back to show some of these bands that you can be both melodic, catchy and still rock with the best of them. As they would say down Nashville way: “Brother it don't get any better than this!”
Marty Dodge: 9.5
Otep
(Capitol Records)
This 5 track ep is a mixed bag that is not at all consistent. On it you can find a spoken word piece ala Patty Smith 'Germ', lame nu-metal and decent driving metal. This is a primer for the band's soon to be released proper album "Sevas Tra" that is suppose to drop early 2002. Fronted by Otep Shamaya, Otep seem to be trying to cover all the bases at the same time. Ms Shamaya doesn't so much sing on the tracks but speak, sounding like a female version of the former RATM singer combined alternately with the standard death metal growl. The EP starts out with two decent tracks 'Possession' and 'The Lord is my Weapon", but things go downhill culminating it the rap-metal posing of 'T.R.I.C.'. For those of you wishing a no-risk way to take a look at the band go to www.otepsaves.com, be warned this flash heavy site is plug slow on anything but broadband. This EP is best avoided, even at the cheap price.
Jordan Rudess
Feeding the Wheel
(Magna Carta)
Jordan with a bunch of his chums both from Dream Theatre and outside the band get together for a pleasant collection of jazz-prog. Billy Sheehan (ex-Mr Big, Niacin), Steve Morse (Deep Purple), John Petrucci (Dream Theatre) and Terry Bozzio (Bozzio, Levin, Stevens) all appear on this album. In fact Rudess’ CD features a collection of artists who appear in many different forms on the Magna Carta label. As you would expect with sort of disc, the playing therein is exemplary. It never delves into the realm of boorish noodling There are actually coherent songs on here. Not the hardest of prog CDs of late but one that is bloody good and a great listen if you are so inclined. For those times when DT is just too hard for your ears. Still, you can’t help wishing that the members of Dream Theatre would stop mucking about with solo/side projects and get back to making more Dream Theatre music.
Marty Dodge 7
Vinnie Moore
Defying Gravity
(Shrapnel)
Oh, egads. Yet another guitar virtuoso widdling on a solo CD! How dull and boring for everyone who isn’t a guitarist or guitar nutter. The album contains almost an hour of great guitar playing and features ex-Journey/The Storm drummer Steve Smith, former Rainbow keys player David Rosenthal and Dave LaRue of the Dixie Dregs. Like many recent solo albums, this one borders on the self-indulgent with lots widdling and complicated solos. It does take the right mood to listen to it, or it gets rather boring fast. At times bordering on background music, Moore’s latest is not the most accessible of recent releases. Still, if you are interested in hearing a great guitar player noodling away on 12 tracks then this might be for you.
Marty Dodge: 5
MSG
Be Aware of Scorpions
(SPV)
Veteran axeman Micheal Schenker is back with yet another version of his personal band, MSG. This release sees him team up with unknown vocalist Chris Logan. This grouping is much less satisfying than other versions of the band. Logan’s singing ability is decent at best and total crap at worst. For some the reason the second offer on this disc sees both the songwriting and Chris’ singing going south. As Mr Logan is responsible for much of the lyrics on this disc, it is possible that the sole problem with this band is Logan. Only half of the 13 songs are worth a damn. Schenker’s guitar playing is top-notch as per normal. The music on this disc is closer to the content of “The Unforgiven” than to MSG in the Robin McCauley era. Two of the better tracks are "Blinded by Technology" with its acoustic intro and prog-like feel, and “How will I get back" with its rocking intro and catchy Rainbow-esque feel. There are similar echoes of Rainbow/Alcatrazz on the opening track "No turning back." The only decent track on later half of the CD is "On Your Way" which combines some fine acoustic work with Logan toning down his normal strained vocals. There are far better examples of Mr Schenker’s work, “The Odd Trio, ” and his recent solo album is a much better bit than this one.
Marty Dodge 5
Ozzy
Down to Earth
(Epic)
The Ozzman is back with a new 11 song collection of new tracks. Back
together with Zack Wylde “Down to Earth” sees Ozzy returning to near the level of his 90s opus
‘No More Tears’, an album which has never left my playlist. While there is nothing on here as
immediate as "No More Tears" or "Mama, I’m coming Home," “Down to Earth” has no duffers and quite a few good tracks. This is a solid return for Ozzy after the patchy effort on 95’s “Ozzmosis.” For
long time fans, there is the addition of video which includes Ozzy interview snippets and footage of
Ozzy and Randy Rhoads rehearsing "Crazy Train" and "Mr Crowley." It is rather a pity
that neither clip is the complete song, but saying that, the additional stuff is a great addition to an
already good album. The opening track "Gets me Through" is a tribute to Ozzy’s fans and autobiographical as the history of the man and a signal of what is to come. Opening with a tender piano solo, then diving into a Wylde riff, this is what you have come to expect from the man. Pianos appear again in the "Mama …"-like "Ode to Earth, " "Dreamer," and the catchy "Running Out of Time." But don’t
worry, there is plenty of heavy rifting from Wlyde on tracks like "That I Ever Had," "Black Illusion" and "Can
you hear them?" This paranoid rant finishes the album and perfectly sums up all that is the double O.
Ozzy has kicked off his 4th decade in heavy metal with a damn good album. Could this one see Ozzy
finally make it to the top of the album charts?
Marty Dodge: 8.5
Sodom
M16
(SPV)
German 3 piece Sodom are back with a tender new album focused on the Vietnam war, a favourite
subject for thrash metallers worldwide from Lazz Rockit to Sacred Reich. Rather ironic, this release,
considering the current world events. The band went to great lengths to research their subject, traveling to Vietnam to see the place for themselves and touring the many museums dedicated to the war. As you would expect with this perenial thrash metal combo, the music is hard, fast and heavy. Brutally depressing imagery pervades tracks like "Napalm in the Morning" (complete with THAT line from Apocalypse Now), "Genocide" and "Cannon Fodder." While this stuff hammers you like a mallet to the chest, the tunes are still catchy and have some melody in there. Bizarre ending, the trio decide to cover a surfing classic with "Surf Bird.'" It is a final twist to a crushingly heavy album and shows that the lads have a sense of humour. Even after over 15 years of existence, Sodom can still deliver the goods.
Marty Dodge: 7
Styx
StyxWorld 2001
(CMC)
Hot on the heals of the appaling rip-off that was the split live album
"Arch Allies" (with REO Speedwagon), Styx release Styxworld. This fully
solo effort features a great selection (13 tracks/68 mins) of Styx music
recorded over 3 nights on their most recent tour. As an added treat
there are a few unexpected cuts from band members' solo work. The Eagles have
been known to allow their members a tune or two during their stageshow
but it is a rare occurence to see such tracks on a band name live album. In
addition to the Styx hits, we get to hear Styx playing (Lawrence)
Gowan's (keys/vocals) hit 'Criminal Mind' a track which does not work even withc Styx as a backing band. Tommy Shaw gets to show his stuff on Damn
Yankees'c hit "High Enough" a song which benefits greatly from the "Styx" sound. Bassist Glen Burtnik (one of two, the other being Chuck Panozzo) gets to wheel out two of his songwriting successes, "Love is a Ritual" and the
Don Henley/Patti Smyth track "Love ain't enough." We get to hear some of
the older tunes from the band that have not been a regular part of the
Styx live set for a long time, including "Half-Penny, Two- Penney" and "Crystalc Ball." All in all, this is a great testament to an enduring band in its newest guise. The disk has just enough of the unusual to make it a worthwhile purchase. One listen to this album and even die-hard Styx nuts will be saying Dennis DeYoung, who's that?
Marty Dodge: 8
Iron Fire
On the Edge
(Sanctuary)
Iron Fire are a bunch of talented players who don't know whether they want
to be Motley Crue or Helloween. Martin Steen has a good voice with a
great range, but it can be a bit disconcerting to hear his metal growl on one
track only to have a his Vince Neil impression on the next. By
impression, I mean, if Neil could actually sing well. The cover art sums up the album perfectly with a light and a dark side. The trouble is that this
sometimes just doesn't work well. "Lost n' Alone," a power ballad with
strings, is placed between two metal rants and just sounds a bit daft.
When you listen to "LnA" right after a track like "Eternal Damnation,"
it really sounds silly. As you can expect with this sort of band, the
playing is very good. There is some great stuff on here, it's just rather
haphazard and doesn't sit well as a whole.
Marty Dodge: 6
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 1/15/2002 01:48:00 pm [+] ::
...
Welcome to Dodgeblog, the place for the various opinions, reviews and stories of Andrew Ian Dodge and his dark side, Marty Dodge. Others may join the Dodgeblog in time, we shall see.
For those of you who care who I am here is the brief version of all the things I do. Some of the sites are less active than others, but all of them have my work one way or other.
