Paradigm Shift.

Tax deductible, innit - it's a creative aid, man.

Snoop has jumped the shark.

Wax on, wax off.

My name is legion for we are many.

I urge you to go to http://download.waste.uk.com/Store/did.html and give £1 in exchange for Radiohead's "Harry Patch (in memory of)".

It's a memorable piece of music. And it's a good cause.

And like a flash, he was gone.

"The intrinsic truth of evolution is demonstrated, infallibly, by harmony"

Band: The Low Anthem

Album: "Oh My God, Charles Darwin"

That is all.

Body-poppin'

Been so busy and so miserable - hormones, weather, stress, gene-pool, whatever - I am a maudlin muddy funkster

And these represent two of the many reasons I've not posted for a while.

However, earlier on this make me moderately less miserable for about 3 minutes and 22 seconds...

Harmony me up, Landlord

Make it so, my Cumbrian Lieutenants...

I really wish this would make even the slightest impact but it won't, as I only have six readers and not a single one of them actually lives in the South Lakes area. Ho hum!

Still, I like the technology of embedding these sorts of things. And I also like the premise of the eventful website so I guess that makes it relatively satisfying in its own right.

Anyway, regardless of where you're at - why not add your vote anyway; then come and see Mr Jonathan Coulton at the Brewery Arts Centre or some such.

Unless, of course, you're fiendishly intelligent and work out that you may be able to get him to play somewhere else (perhaps nearer to you) if you vote for a different location - I'll just have to trust you not to betray me in that manner.

Events by Eventful

Oh, and here's a link to him, playing "Still Alive" on BBC Scotland, introduced (spookily, given my recent post about the "Kendal Calling" festival) by the glorious Frank Sidebottom.

Dizzee Rascal reminds me of Keyop from "Battle of the Planets"

This could, let's be honest, be a photo of anywhere, couldn't it?

As a resident in the South Lakes and a considered appreciator of popular culture, it would be remiss of me if I did not draw all your attentions to the biggest festival in the Cumbrian hinterlands - Kendal Calling.

Occurring at a place called Prizet (quality name), which is only 3 miles from Oxenholme Station (Gateway to the Lakes, TM) on 1-3 August 2008, it should be an excellent diversion to break up the monotony of the long summer vacation. Plus it's only 55 sheets for the whole weekend - cheap as ethnic potato wedges 'n' a salsa dip.

Chirp! Whirr! Chirp! Bug Off

Dizzee Rascal is confirmed, as are SFA (OK!). Also, local indie dreamboats, British Sea Power are going to pop their heads around the door, along with a bunch of people I've not heard of but will, I'm sure, know one end of a stringed instrument from the other.

More importantly, however, the legend that is Frank Sidebottom will be on hand to tickle ribs and split sides. The possibility of monging out to a soundtrack of the mirth-filled utterances of that particular balloon-headed, northern genius will be guaranteeing my attendance, I can assure you.

Fancy coming along?

Oh go on...

Let the dog see the rabbit, Marlene

Humorous by-lines on a postcard to our usual address.

I've already mentioned Bon Iver in a previous post, I know, but I don't feel I gave due weight to the level of fucking excellence that I'm experiencing in his album.

It is, quite simply, making me ache. In a literal sense - I'm feeling those dreadful yet exquisite nausea/panic attacks that you get when you first fall in love with someone.

I shit you not. That is how beautiful it is.

Buy him, revel in him and, in due course, revere him.

Bon Iver - For Emily, Forever Ago

Reasons and ephemera.

a mean, green, pustule-generating machine.

Not been here for a while - sorry.

Both kids had chicken pox, which came right on the back of a fairly continuous bout of cold-tennis between the two of them.

R.I.P.

Then, my wonderful Grandad passed away and I traveled down to Cornwall to attend the funeral.

So, for a few weeks there, it was little more than keeping going really. The only excuse I now have is inordinate amounts of work on my plate, mainly from the course (and, naturally, exacerbated by the few weeks I had out of the loop - schedule pile up; suffice to say that my diary/work planner is now a mess of rewritten plans).

Anyway, here's something new I learnt today...

Whenever I feel a sneeze urge, I try to look at a light source in order to set off the desired blow-out. I always assumed that this was a technique that anyone (and probably everyone) relied on but I was wrong in this assumption.

(God, when will I learn on that "assumption" thing? Never, I assume.)

Apparently, "sun sneezers" (who have genetically inherited the photic sneeze reflex) only account for between 17% and 35% of the population. This happens by virtue of the proximity of the nerve that controls sneezing (trigeminal nerve) to the optic nerve - in some people, overstimulation of the optic nerve "rubs off" on the trigeminal nerve (in the same way that data cables can "crosstalk") and the body mistakenly responds by sneezing.

So, the bottom line is that it's an error in my physiological make-up - but a fortuitous one.

I like all of this information.

On the music-front, I'm completely swamped with fucking ace new tunes at the moment. Or, at least, I pretty sure it's ace - I'm so completely swamped with it that I've not really had enough time to listen to all of it more than once.

Anyway, Jonathan Coulton is very entertaining (thank you Mat) - wordy, arch lyricism. I'm also grateful to Alex for pointing out that Gary Louris has a new album out, Vagabonds (Gary Louris, for those of you not in the know was the lead singer with the Jayhawks - indeed he may well still be, when he's not putting out solo material) - it seems completely up to standard. I'm also blown away by Devon Sproule's most recent album, "Keep Your Silver Shined" (quirky voice, Jazz/Folk sort of thing) and by Bon Iver's album, "For Emily, Forever Ago" (Iron & Wine is a good reference point though not fair on either party).

And, lastly, here are some pictures of the young 'uns from last month...




They don't need bylines.

Who's that trip, trap, trotting over my bridge (or was it the middle eight)?

If only we could work out that the website's called Daytrotter, not Daytripper - fool.

So I've got a link for you; to a website about music...

It's a really interesting read, just for the prose within the articles. However, much more than that, there's access to live tracks from all sorts of artists (established, up-and-coming and, to my eyes, plain unknown).

My understanding of the premise is that all these bands have rolled up to this little studio, recorded a set of four tracks and then had a little chat. All cool, all quality entertainment and all free to download.

If you're at a bit of a dead-end music-wise, you can do worse than go there, trawl the archives and pick someone you've never heard of to give them a listen. Suddenly, your dead-end rematerialises as a glorious, sun-drenched thoroughfare, taking you, efficiently and in good spirits, to a land of new music (stay OFF the crack - Ed)

Oh, the name of this website - Daytrotter

(thank you to the Manchester Guardian for this vision)

Folk off

I'm a professional - I can play without looking at the guitar.

I've just becomes acquainted with a new musical artiste - Emmy the Great.

She appears, on initial perusal, to be producing some quite great songs. Go forth and make her a star, my little disciples...

Her website is here and her myspace page is here (where you can hear some music, natch).

Got to get you into my life

I buried Pato

Link to Beatles on speed

Someone has compressed (in time) all the Beatles UK albums so you can listen to all their output in an hour.

Sounds disturbing, yet oddly alluring.

Perusing the comments therein, it also becomes clear that it's possible to then decompress them (using some high-falutin' technology that is beyond me) and, bingo bongo, you've got all the Beatles tracks, albeit in a slightly warped fashion. Sounds almost as intriguing as the rap-rap-rapido interpretation.

Unfortunately, despite what the image at the top may imply, the results do not sound like helium-intoxicated animation characters. Shame.

(thanks to Boing, Boing for link)

Press Play and Record simultaneously.

Sorry about the lack of posts - I've, quite simply, had nothing at all to say; nor have I found anything on the World Deep Tinterweb to titillate extensively enough to go out of my way and tell you about.

This has now changed. And in a really big way.

Listen carefully - in fact, save this webpage in your special saving place and, just to be safe, print it out also...

The new Super Furry Animals albumen is out. It's called "Hey Venus". It's fucking brilliant. Without parallel. Unprecedently excellent pop/rock. Well, I say unprecedently but there is, obviously, the precedent of the previous Super Furry Animal's albumens; all of which point to a pretty amazing band, consistently producing innovative popular music which manages to doff it's cap to a multitude of glorious forebears whilst at the same time sounding their equal or better. Suffice, now, to say that "Hey Venus" is a very, very worthy addition to their oeuvre.

If you like the Furries, then you probably don't need a second invitation to go forth and purchase, with immediate effect.

If you haven't really heard much about, or by, the Furries then this is, in a nutshell, a superb introduction to what they're about - listen to my Orb link (where I'm going to helpfully post a few tracks) and luxuriate in the confluence of influence that is their power pop majesty.

If you don't like the Furries, you are, in a very real and objective sense, a fool and you need to seriously reappraise your life, with specific reference to your belief systems and your musical opinions. Once you've done this, go to the Orb link and bathe in the torrents of harmonious joy that you find there.

Musical Musing - The National, "Boxer"

What do Nick Cave, U2 and the soundtracks of John Hughes movies have in common.

Well, ostensibly very little indeed. However, when I first listened to The National's latest album, "Boxer", these are some of the things that came to mind.

I'm not overly fond of Nick Cave, U2 or Simple Minds so it's a bit of a mystery to me why I like "Boxer" so much.

Perhaps it's the great drums. Sweet shitting Jesus on a tandem, the drumming is good on it.

Perhaps it's the fact that they seem to have fused alt.country to early 80s British anthemic rock and taken away all the bad connotations that union may conjure - 'cause they have; they bloody well have.

Anyway, I like it. And, if you've a soft spot for, say, Arcade Fire but wish they weren't quite so art-rock pretentious, I urge you to give it a listen, then maybe even purchase it.

There aren't any harmonies on it. But I'm willing to forgive it for that oversight.

I always thought my genitals were the result of some crude practical joke

That's a quote, by the way, not a personal opinion (although I can certainly empathise) - here's a link to some more...



Happy birthday, Steven Patrick Morrissey; 48 today.

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A musical stream of consciousness

I originally jumped on the Radiohead sharabang, as many did, with “The Bends”. Then, subsequently, I was willing to go with them as they took us all on a journey towards guitar/electronica cross over in “OK, Computer” (a decision aided by having been blown away during their turn at Glastonbury in the mud of 1996).

As the subsequent albums have extended the transition from guitar to computers, I'll be the first to admit I've struggled to keep up at times but, as a true stalwart, I've recently, rather belatedly, got around to hearing Thom Yorke's solo album, “The Eraser”.

It's simultaneously exactly what I was expecting and also a complete surprise. The surprise is that, despite being awash with bleeping and PC-centric noodling, it's also just supremely melodic. You could always rely on being impressed (eventually) by the musical complexity and the lyrical astuteness – this has shone through even in the most intransigent Radiohead journeys but “The Eraser” is also, ironically, as approachable as anything that's come from Thom Yorke in years. Says me, anyway.

Then, just to prove to myself that I wasn't having a mid-life crisis with all this modern music, I buried myself in some nostalgia by revisiting lots and lots of Zappa.

He was quite simply a phenomenon, creating an awful lot of albums but my personal preferences lie around the early/mid Seventies through to the early Eighties and, particularly, the live albums where you get a real appreciation of the musical virtuosity he demanded from his bands.

Moreover, this awe-inspiring demonstration of skill helps to ameliorate the increasing despair at his puerility. Even though one can't help to laugh at times, it's the relentlessness of his silly lyrics that wear you down eventually. One to revisit sparingly, I realised.

It was this mature overview of Frank that made me realise that a mid-life crisis was the least of my worries. Quite the contrary. I'm turning into a boring old giffer.

So, I unfurled the new Arctic Monkeys album (“Favourite Worst Nightmare”) and settled down to a fine blend of articulate banter and undiluted pop thrashing. I may even have indulged in a spot of pogo'ing. Fortunately, no-one was watching so the images of my middle-aged shame are mine alone.

It'd been a funny old couple of hours so it seemed entirely appropriate to finish it off by listening to Joanna Newsom caterwauling over her individual interpretation of harp playing (absolutely stunning but I'm still no wiser as to how it all manages to work so well) on her last album, "Ys". Before I did so, however, I gave myself the opportunity to holler along to "Let It Bleed" as a final acknowledgment of the fact that I am, quite simply, not a young man anymore.

But, then, neither is Thom Yorke.

Free itunes stuff

Link to Apple Forums (itunes free downloads)

They'll tell you what the free download of the week is on itunes. UK one is a few posts down and is updated each Tuesday.

I've nothing more to say on this - it's pertinent features are pretty much self-evident.