Former Beta Band frontman Steve Mason’s 2010 album was voted best of the year in the ‘Spill album of the year awards, and now he’s back with a follow up. In revolutionary mode, “Fight Them Back” is primo Mason, with the signature dual vocal melody outro in place and a scathing Tony Blair sample to finish with. I bloody love it, goosebumps time, and yeah it’s about time the corrupt capitalist system got a boot in the face.
stunning.
I couldn’t agree more; I think I have used my 5 plays of it on Spotify up already.
Not a remotely original thing to say, but how can Tony Blair sound so obviously creepy now and yet so many of us voted for him back then?
Liked the track more on second listen than first, which suggests I will like it even more on the third. Great strings. Who’s the spoken sample prior to Bliar, d’you know, Blimpy? Voice sounds familiar but I may be imagining that.
Not sure about the first sampled voice. Also, it is possible that the Blair quote is taken out of context, though in the song it sounds like he’s rubbing his hands with pound signs in his eyes.
Or listening again, I’m now convinced that it’s Rory Bremner ‘doing’ Blair. Maybe we should tweet at Mason and get a proper answer?
I’ve tweeted him the question.
Mason, not Bremner.
Or Blair.
Maybe I should ask Blair? Does he tweet?
I’ve asked Blair if it’s him or Rory Bremner. Hopefully we’ll hear soon.
I’ve asked Bremner now, that should be all the bases covered.
It was Blair, quoted on Danish TV it seems:
http://www.newsrt.co.uk/news/tony-blair-libya-could-be-a-goldmine-with-help-from-britain-182739.html
‘The thing about Libya is that potentially it is a goldmine of a country – it has got fantastic financial resources, it has got amazing tourist sites,’ Mr Blair told Danish TV.
‘If it opened up its economy and opened up its society and takes that route of reform once they change government, then Libya will be a phenomenally successful country but we need to be there to partner them to do that.’
“partner them to do that”
my dyslexia reads that as: “STEAL THEIR RESOURCES”
how those letters got jumbled up is anyone’s guess.
Politics back in music? About time. Great start to 2013 – must have been all those repeated numbers in the years that was dumbing us down.
Absolutely!
Mason + angry about the state of things = one of his best ever songs.
Now, where’s Lynskey & his list of revolutionary protest songs when you need him?
“33 Revolutions…” is my current bedside reading, enjoying it so far.
Yes, I did just tweet at Lynskey too. Ex-Guru, where are you?
Fucking hell…..that was a bit good! I thought my admiration for Mr. Mason couldn’t go any higher, but it turns out I was wrong! Can’t wait to hear the whole album, if there is one
LP drops in March, mr panther
More deets here: http://www.dominorecordco.com/uk/news/13-12-12/steve-mason-returns-with-new-record/
cheers for the link, it sounds amazing!
Voice sample update: Mason responded, threw it open to his twitter followers to get a response. Watch this space.
Holy cow. Brilliant.
Hmmm… I like the trippy, injured repetition of the Beta Band EPs but this is more (too?) polished; there are even some Bittersweet Symphony strings in there.
I’m not 100% sure either who the target is for the ‘fist, boot and baseball bat’. If it’s Blair, then rip him to shreds for his continuing corruption of his role as Peace Envoy in perpetuating the ‘Middle East problem’ as a personal money-making opportunity, rather than his hypocrisy about Libya (many, many people were guilty of that). If it’s government/corrupt capitalist system/authority in general, make it more contemporary (or at least make the other voice near the end audible!). Maybe Mitch could get his mate Mark Thomas to help Steve with his lyrics.
Bish: I’m pretty sure we voted for Blair in the first place because he wasn’t a sleazy Tory dirtbag (I know I did). It was only later we discovered he actually was one.
I do have vaguely coherent arguments for the points you raise, Chris. However, I’ve been at parties for the last 7 hours, and am a but pissed, so I defer my responses til tomorrow, til im a bit more with it, cheers! (hic)
Off-topic but have you seen/heard this, Blimpy?
New Suede song for free download
Woah! That’s worthy of a spill post of its own!!!
Late to the party, but thought the song was excellent. Please don’t get me started about Blair, as I’m all emotion and no rationale on the subject of that slimy, warmongering, two-faced POTUS gimp.
So I’ll instead draw your attention back to Chris‘ comment about the difference between the Beta Band’s lo-fi versus the polish of latter-day Mason. I’m the opposite side of the coin there, Chris, and I reckon it’s thus a very good example of why we’ll rarely rave over the same stuff. Lo-fi (or “fuzzy”, or “raw”, or..”amateurish”, or..or..or..whatever) often drives me to distraction, as I invariably hear it as a missed opportunity to achieve greatness. My tastes normally live further down the scale, sitting somewhere where I can still hold on without the polish becoming so pervasive it turns into oily-slickness. There are times when I can feel myself slipping down towards the ultimate low-viscosity hell of, say, Mariah Carey, and it is at these points I have to dig in the Lemmy-sharpened heels and try to climb back up the pole until the smell of Pledge has disappeared. The trouble is, as I get older, I can feel my strength giving out!
Mariah Carey??? Nooooooooooo!!!! Stay away from the light!
OK, time to give my view on two points:
1. Even a vague revolutionary stance in pop music is better than none. It is the duty of our poets and dreamers and artists to describe a better world, to point us in the direction of utopia, arcadia, big rock candy mountain, the land of Cokaygne!
2. Um, being the wishy washy liberal that I am, I like both lo-fi and hi-fi!
Fairy nuff. Some political awareness is definitely better than none and both lo- and hi-fi Mason are better than a helluva lotta stuff.
I do enjoy art that’s on the verge of collapse, though. It’s more like real life.