A New Band A Day celebrates creativity, daring and cunning.

Rock, however, doesn’t do a lot of cunning, and even less creativity.

What it does do is a lot of is stupid, as demonstrated by the truly dreadful decisions made when bands start to cover other band’s songs.

Evidence? Take Duran Duran, surely one of the more feeble bands to ever attain worldwide adoration – and consider: would you ever recommend to Le Bon and co that covering Public Enemy‘s 911 Is A Joke was a good idea?

No, neither…

When did you last walk into a record shop, flickety-flack through the CDs (or 7″ records if you were too cool for plastic) and take your selection to the counter?

OK, that question is an old one, and the answer too (“not since I went to emit sad, hollow laughs at the last Public Enemy LP”), but the point is still a prescient one, though in a whole new way.

Downloading is dead. For those who obsessively follow technology news, then please roll your eyes and carry on planning your…

A few weeks ago, ANBAD posted two quasi-incendiary articles voicing concern with the music industry’s overwhelming focus on the Live Gig Experience, and the resultant negative effects on recorded music:

[The Trouble With Live Gigs, Part One]

[The Trouble With Live Gigs, Part Two]

The articles stirred up broad and vociferous responses. Peter Marinari, a musician who runs the excellent, long-running Philadelphia music blog Crushing Krisis, replied with a passionate defence of live gigs and their impact:

I agree with the two articles, to a…

You might want to read Part One first. It’s more level-headed, whereas this one is rankly steeped in emotional judgement…

Just like the best science lessons at school, this article will be preceded by an experiment. It is easy, and, just like science, only requires honesty to be considered a success.

So, quick – without thinking – answer this: what was the single greatest musical moment of your life? Could you come up with an answer? If you could, your response was probably along the lines of “Seeing [XXXX band] live…

Live music is booming. Gig-going was to the Noughties what clubbing was to the 90′s – everyone’s doing it, all the time, and telling you all about how great it is. Even aunts and uncles go to the trouble to book the babysitter and scoot off to the local mega-drome to peer at Green Day or Keane every month or so.

Live gigs have always been engrained in pop and rock culture – but recently, the level of attendance has rocketed, by anyone’s estimations. Manchester, for example, has historically had a vibrant live…

I’m now starting to feel alienated from my fey and pasty Indie brethren. It hurts. In pubs and students’ union across the country, you’ll hear the same slim-fit-T-shirt-clad Indie kids, bleating the same trite nonsense, and now it’s making me actually angry. Annoyingly, these people look just like me. So this is an apology to Tim Westwood, UK Hip Hop doyen, on behalf of the Indie community. – Joe Sparrow//ANBAD

I’m no hip-hop afficionado. The bulk of my CD collection comprises of albums made by skinny boy-men who spent too many…

>
Urgh. I was supposed to post this list a few days ago. And then Man Flu overcame me, and I decided to spend my time in bed, producing much more mucus than I thought was humanly possible.

Bravely, I fought the nasal coleslaw, and here’s Part Two. Better late than never…

…

>
An outsider would think that music bloggers the world over conspire at the end of each calendar year to produce a myriad of list-based posts merely to confirm the suspicion that music bloggers are anal, facile and childish. These outsiders would be absolutely right.

A minutely-tinkered list tells two stories: one of care, fastidious attention and deep love – and one of too many lonely nights alphabetising a vast CD collection. ANBAD wishes to distance itself from both these personality traits, although they are as just as applicable, sadly.

So. If…

>
More Christmas joy of the traditional, tinkly sing-song type today, from London songstress Betty Steeles.

Naturally, that doesn’t mean that it’s some sort of Bing Crosby snooze-fest, but is in fact – whisper it – a lo-fi/lo-tech mash-up (indeed) of What A Wonderful World and a song of her own making. Don’t let the M-word put you off: it’s an undeniably curious treat.

Betty Steeles – What A Wonderful World

In it, she marvels at the wintry world and ponders whether brazenly pressing her face against an icy floor…

>
Another drop of Christmas cheer from ANBAD’s ongoing collaboration with Indie Santa: and today, we’re pushing a delightfully lo-fo contribution from old favourites The Tumbledryer Babies into your stocking.

The Tumbledryer Babies – Song For The Season

Yes, it’s a bit maudlin, and a bit defeatist and a bit gloomy, but not everyone wants to hear Wizzard and Slade every Christmas, you know.

As much as this song seems for the curmudgeons in society, there’s actually a rampant lusting for mince pies, sherry…