Here Goes

REALLY RANDOM RECORDS ARRIVES

Unfortunately I've inherited that awful male genetic deficiency of being completely and totally obsessed by making lists. Amazon Listmania is not nearly enough, I need an outlet for my constant changing top fives.

The "lists" will mostly cover music, such as the best albums of 1996 ..... a tricky one as it was a poor year for music, with the tidalwave of Bitpop and Noelrock drowning any creativity in music.

1999 was as nearly as bad, I remember my third favourite album of that year was Chosen View by Vista, which was my best mate's band. Biased? maybe .... but it was ten special songs in 40 minutes with blissful melodies that stayed with you and made you come back for more.

It's only now after much trawling through random back catalogues that I've found truly special records.

Sometimes these are the most magical, the ones that really make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, as you know little or nothing about the band, you may have never seen a picture and you can only imagine who is making the fantastic sounds coming from the headphones tightly slotted in your ear as you make your way to work on the early-morning train.

I remember when I first heard AYGGP and MWINOYB in late '96, as much as I love them now, Embrace sounded to me like a some mid-western Americans, who had locked themselves away in a barn / recording studio to soundtrack their hearts breaking in two and the following redemption.

Funny how sound can conjure an image that couldn't be further from reality.

It won't only be music I imagine films, sport, biscuits, crisps will make an appearance at some point. Plus I imagine I won't resist the temptation to air my views on the world as I know it.

So here goes

List of albums I'm listening to at the moment:

1. Folly - The Engineers
2. Turn on the Bright Lights - Interpol
3. Out of Nothing - Embrace
4. Bubblegum - Mark Lanegan
5. Hot Rail - Calexico

Also particularly enjoying these songs:

1. Grudge - Scud Mountain Boys
2. Untitled II & III - Calexico
3. Strasbourg - The Rakes
4. Untitled - Six by Seven
5. Save Me - Embrace

Best films I've seen recently are:

1. Lost in Translation (for the 2nd time, this time on DVD, truly a modern classic)
2. Dead Mans Shoes
3. Super Size Me
4. Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (see Lost in Translation, 2 movies this good in a year is amazing)
5. Collateral

Lets see where we go from here ....