RE-ACTIVATION

I think it's time that the Blog was re-activated. Three posts in a year is pretty bad, might just use it for a log of what I am listening to and enjoying and also to put up some of my photos. Maybe the odd comment or critical appraisal here and there.

This Week

Walk to Work:

Funeral - The Arcade Fire (In particular Neighbourhood #1 Tunnels)
Dry Kids (B-Sides 1997-2005) - Embrace
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
Tournament of Hearts - The Constantines

Night Listening:

In the Reins - Iron and Wine and Calexico
Hex - Bark Psychosis
Ambient 1: Music for Airports - Brian Eno
Feels - Animal Collective
The Campfire Headphase - Boards of Canada
Set and Drift - Diefenbach

Running:

Nite Versions - Soulwax

Back from Scotland

Ed Compilation

Tracklist and Notes March 2005-03-26

1. More Than Real – Junior Boys
   Opening track from the album ‘Last Exit’, the one I’ve been raving about. Great welding of synth-pop and electronica with lovely melodies.
2. Don’t Save Us From The Flames – M83
   Always brings a huge grin to my face when it comes on, particularly the way the opening line is sung with a clipped European accent . . .‘out of de flames’, then the ‘piece of brain in my hair’ line is sung with a classic ‘Chris n’ Ed®’ end of line vocal delivery.
3. Heartbeat – Annie
   This somehow got played fading out of the M83 tune and it just sounded like it belonged next to it. Good euro-pop.
4. Staring At The Sun – TV On The Radio
   Like this but always think it is going to explode into something and it never does, maybe that’s what makes it. Album is nuts . . . barber-shop jazz rock!
5. Libertine – Patrick Wolf
   This opens the recent album and on first listen it had the same impact as ‘Mojo Pin’ when I first put on ‘Grace’. The pulsing electricity noise is sublime.
6. Little Thoughts – Bloc Party
   The one that didn’t make it on the album. Very catchy and an obvious single, but similar to Helicopter. Should have probably gone on ‘Silent Alarm’ instead of those boring tracks at the end.
7. The Rat – The Walkmen
   WOW! . . . the drums on this are just awesome. Also the urgency in the delivery of the lyrics and the savage cutting of the guitars made this my favourite song of last year and ‘the best thing out of New York since the Strokes®’apart from . . .
8. Movement – LCD Soundsystem
   I know you weren’t too keen on the ‘Daft Punk Have Come Round My House’ (sic) but hope you get this one a bit more. Mark E Smith with a cold vocals.
9. Chin High – Roots Manuva
   Hip-Hop with a political conscience that is catchy as hell and will make you jump up and down, what juxtaposition.
10. Ein Fur De Damen – Death In Vegas
    Bleep, Bleep . . . we think we’re Kraftwerk now, better than having Liam singing about nonsense. A very good Kraftwerk rip-off as well. Who wants ‘Indie Guest Star Dance Albums®’ anymore anyway?
11. Make Your Mind – Diefenbach
    German shoe-gazing, got the album on the basis that the Amazon customer review was written in terrible English, obviously translated from German and probably written by the bassist. Lovely vocals.
12. Venus In Cancer – Amusements Parks On Fire
    Met the guitarist in a bar, got on the guestlist for a gig, didn’t go, felt bad, bought album. Like Sugar with Kevin Shields on guitars and production.
13. Just Like You – Anechoic
    For you to see what they’re like. Live version is better as the end is longer and more swirly-whirly.
14. Let’s Just See – Engineers
    Reminds me of a slow version of that riff you wrote back in 1996 that sounded like Fools Gold. More nu-shoe-gazing.
15. Some Cities – Doves
    Rips off ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ and Phil Spector, which is a good thing.
16. In A Funny Way – Mercury Rev
    Drums are from‘Be My Baby’.
17. You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve – Johnny Boy
    Drums are from ‘Be My Baby’. Phil Spector rip-off all round. James Dean Bradfield produced it. Why are the Manics still going?
18. Then He Kissed Me – The Crystals
    Was going to put ‘Be My Baby’ on but decided hearing the same drum line three times in a row would be overkill. Sublime slice of Spectorian Pop.
19. Chewing Gum – Annie
    Had to go on.

Leicester 28/02/2005

Singles of the Year 2005

Singles of the Year

These are in some sort of order, though its always arbitrary one morning I wake up and today's number 6 will be 14 in this list. However there has been some amazing electro-pop-funk singles this year ... Rachel, Britney, Gwen Stefani, Darren Hayes, Chasez plus some great guitar stuff ... the chorus of the KOL tune gets me everytime, The Longcut tune hammers you repeatedly ... great ........

1. Some Girls – Rachel Stevens
2. What You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani
3. The Bucket – Kings of Leon
4. The Show – Girls Aloud
5. Trick Me - Kelis
6. The Rat - The Walkmen
7. Lose It – Eminem
8. Toxic – Britney
9. Chewing Gum – Annie
10. Fit But You Know It – The Streets
11. Transition EP – The Longcut
12. Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
13. All Day Long I Dream About Sex - JC Chasez
14. She's Hearing Voices – Bloc Party
15. I Miss You – Blink 182
16. I Believe In You – Kylie Minogue
17. Helicopter - Bloc Party
18. Popular – Darren Hayes
19. Mr Brightside – The Killers
20. Run – Snow Patrol
21. Lose My Breath - Destiny’s Child
22. Club Foot – Kasabian
23. Morning Wonder – The Earlies
24. Flashdance – Deep Dish
25. 99 Problems – Jay-Z
26. Laura – Scissor Sisters
27. Little Thoughts - Bloc Party
28. CH-Check It Out – Beastie Boys
29. 1980 – Estelle
30. Lost In A Melody / Wanderlust - Delays
31. So Alive – Ryan Adams
32. Nowhere Again – Secret Machine
33. Shoot Your Gun – 22-20’s
34. Strasbourg – The Rakes
35. Slow Hands - Interpol
36. You Will You Won’t – The Zutons
37. Stand Up Tall – Dizzee Rascal
38. Bridging the Gap – Nas
39. Long Time Coming – The Delays
40. Take Ya Mama Out – Scissor Sisters
41. Half Man Half Machine - Goldie Lookin’ Chain
42. In the Middle - Sugababes
43. L.S.F. - Kasabian
44. For Lovers – Wolfman featuring Pete Doherty
45. Can’t Stand Me Know – The Libertines
46. Stumble & Fall – Razorlight
47. Love Machine - Girls Aloud
48. Guns Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do - Goldie Lookin’ Chain
49. Wash In the Rain – The Bees
50. Ashes – Embrace
    

Best Gigs 2005

Josh Rouse @ The Rescue Rooms

Fave 5 Gigs of the Year

1. Pernice Brothers @ The Rescue Rooms - Not my favourite band, but just a fantastic gig. Didn't really know too many songs apart from the most recent album. The whole thing was stripped down and acoustic and I was transfixed for an hour and a half. Discovering Grudge rounded off the evening.
2. Embrace @ Rock City - Shepherds Bush may have been the comeback but this one was truly special. Standing on the balcony, basking in the success of a number one album and a warming feel of being there all the way through.
3. Richmond Fontaine @ The Maze - My interest in Americana / Alt-Country has dipped over the course of the year as so many of these 'Great' records Uncut et al bang on about are incredibly similar and somewhat dull. 'Post of the Wire' is quite average but they were incendiary, with a Husker Du influence beaming straight through in an amphetamine rush.
4. The Killers @ Rescue Rooms - In the cold light of day the album was only average but this was a scorching. Middle of summer, too much alcohol, 50 minutes of pure indie-pop anthems plus a great drinking session afterwards with some good friends. This was what gigs are all about.
5. Ryan Adams @ Rock City - This was shambolic, he was in a state, it was borderline farce, 'The Drugs Not Working' was 'ironic' but I saw him. Ryan Adams brought me back to music when I had given up, properly given up, the passion came back, so to see him was great.

Blur at the Rescue Rooms

Church Yard at the end of the Country

Scottish Castle - Poor Focus

Listening to A Grand Don't Come for Free - Streets, Tical - Method Man, tonight

Tracklisting of another Scottish compilation:

1. Dollar Bill - Screaming Trees
2. Untitled III - Calexico
3. Bermuda Highway - My Morning Jacket
4. Don't Let It Bring You Down - Neil Young
5. All Night Long - Sparklehorse
6. Pale Blue Eyes - Velvet Underground
7. My Winding Wheel - Sparklehorse
8. Gates of Eden - Bob Dylan
9. Track 3 - Ed Ling
10. Too Sober to Sleep - Justin Routledge
11. Untitled II - Calexico
12. You're Lovely To Me - Lucky Jim
13. Nothing to Lose - Drew
14. Company In My Back - Wilco
15. Houses on the Hill - Whiskeytown
16. Budapest - The Reindeer Section
17. Western Skyline - Richmond Fontaine

Leicester - 6/11/2004

Fave 5 Tunes of 5/6/7-11

1. Tical - Method Man
2. Stop Breathing - Pavement
3. The Bucket - Kings of Leon
4. There You Are - Mercury Rev (Live @ The Rooms)
5. Range Life - Pavement

Electioneering

List of records I listened during previous US / UK elections:

1. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys - UK 1997
2. Kid A - Radiohead - US 2000
3. Original Pirate Material - Streets - US 2004
4. Asleep in the Back - Elbow - UK 2001
5. Screamadelica - Primal Scream - UK 1992

US Election Listening

The Best 5 Records I heard this weekend:

1. Don't Believe the Hype - Public Enemy
2. Here - Pavement
3. P's and Q's - Kano
4. The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) - Missy Elliott
5. Nuit Blanche -Vive La Fete

24/10/04 - This Time Last Week I Was Climbing That Mountain

The Compilation that day had the following tracklisting:

1. Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
2. If I Were A Carpenter - The Engineers
3. Girl from the North Country - Bob Dylan
4. Wonderwall - Ryan Adams
5. Thirteen - Big Star
6. Sound - James
7. Waterfall - The Stone Roses
8. Little Rhymes - Mercury Rev
9. Scream to a Sigh (La Tristesse Durera) - Manic Street Preachers
10. Behind Blue Eyes - The Who
11. Stand Inside Your Love - Smashing Pumpkins
12. Slide Away - Verve
13. I Am Mine - Pearl Jam
14. Drive - R.E.M.
15. The Cedar Room - Doves

Loch Ness - 23/10//04 - 11.45

Just got back from 5 days in Scotland.

I've never really travelled around the UK.

I went to Cornwall for the first time only two years ago. Unfortunately I had flu and was trying my hardest to keep up with the 13 close friends I went with for New Year. A New Years Eve trip to the Eden Project was particularly traumatic, the differing climatic zones completely disoriented my body, hot sweats in the tropics, cold sweats in Northern European climes.

Still it was great trip and made me realise exactly how beautiful this country can be. Plus the town names are fantastic, each place named long ago in the dialect of the region, so different to towns just 100 miles away.

The Scotland trip was something that I had been looking forward to for a while. I asked my Dad if he fancied going a few months back, since then I had been counting the days.

In my usual way I decided to soundtrack the trip by making some compilations. Most of the time these take careful planning and in my head I had been mentally noting certain tracks and running orders. However the actual compiling and burning took place in the hours leading up to departure and was made more fraught by a series of computer failures. At one stage it looked like it would be a return to the pre-historic times, before the dawn of the MP3 player, of stuffing as many CD's a possible into a CD wallet (my PB is taking over 100 CD's to Greece two years ago). However the computer came through and the compilations were duly made.

Top 5 Tracks from the Trip

1. Atmosphere - Joy Division
2. Boy With The Arab Strap - Belle & Sebastian
3. Bermuda Highway - My Morning Jacket
4. You're Lovely To Me - Lucky Jim
5. Pepita - Calexico

I will post the full tracklistings some time in the future.

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 ....