The idea to this third instalment of Heavy Rep is pretty basic I’ll be honest but as we come to the end of the first quarter of 2014 it seems fairly relevant. Indeed, this post pretty much focusses on the year so far, 2014.
Its been a bit of a weird one so far for me to be honest. I’ve already found myself experiencing some rather sky-scraping highs and a few sunken lows that have gone on to leave me currently floating somewhere in-between.
It started on a high, I joined a well established band I genuinely thought were class and seemed to have hopped onto a mighty metaphorical train going somewhere great fast. Sadly though, t’was not meant to be and the band decided to call it a day. Currently me and a couple members of the band are working on a new project so all is definitely not lost, it was just a hard halt to the refreshing optimism I had for the former project. However Im sure the new stuff with this new project and another band I hope to be helping out on guitar will occupy my more creative side, as well as my personal aim to be writing more of my own material.
Workwise, things could be far worse but also feel a little stale. I’ve recently upped my hours which has left me feeling far more comfortable financially and my coworkers are some really nice people I’m glad to be in a team with. Personally though, I feel a little drained. Its a pretty hands on job in some respects, not too physically demanding, but enough to have you aching for rest before midnight. You get some astonishingly odd customers too, some I feel I could do without seeing regularly.
In a nutshell, the mishmash of positives and negatives have me feeling a little lost. Im not sure where my life is going really and seeing others living comfortable lives gets a bit frustrating. Then again, I desperately don’t want to feel like I have wasted these important years because I should be living it up and taking silly chances while I can! More than anything though, I don’t want to be a failure to myself or my loved ones and family. Sometimes I worry I won’t ever do enough to make either proud.
If theres two things that have been a constant rock for me though its been the people in my life (close friends, workmates, bandmates, family and most of all, my endlessly supportive girlfriend) and music. Indeed this year so far has already produced some quality listening material that has soundtracked the constant array of bus journeys I seem to find myself on.
So, after all that yammering on, how about some of 2014’s best tunes and albums…
Morgan Delt – Yes, California’s own Kevin Parker released an album. No, seriously, the comparison is an obvious one to make but Delt deserves a great deal of credit for his own merits. His brand of retro-futuristic psychedelic hermit pop on his self titled debut album is rather glorious to be honest and in some ways, a lot more exploratory than the work of his Australian doppelgänger. Second track Barbarian Kings is a particularly enjoyable song, eerily menacing in verses that explode into a richly textured chorus with some floyd-esque vocal harmonies. Not everyones cup of tea I’m sure but certainly a golden chalice to myself.
Shame Chamber 