5.30 kick-offs are a pain in the backside. If you haven't got the will to go to the pub to watch it, and you don't want to shell out money to the horrible Murdoch empire or the comically inept Setanta gang, you end up watching the first half of the match on a hooky stream from Azerbaijan before having to try and listen to snippets of the game on Radio 5 whilst trying to put a 3-year old to bed. Worse still, the bit you watch is the bit without the goals. C'est la vie, as [...]
Stating that Arsenal fans had "intimidated his team" during last night's FA Cup Quarter Final match between Arsenal and Hull City, Phil Brown ended the unprecedented 762-match streak during which Arsenal fans had completely failed to intimidate the opposition. The run, spanning 17 years in all competitions, was without equal in the modern game and crushed the previous record set by Accrington Stanley between 1920-1929, during which the fans would often make cakes and sandwiches for visiting teams, and take them on tours of the local countryside, and was only ended after an Accrington Stanley fan accidentally ran over [...]
Golly, isn't Phil Brown a bad loser? His team take a lucky lead against us in this FA Cup Quarter Final, then instead of pressing on and maybe scoring another, they shut up shop, timewaste, and generally don't bother to really play football. Result? About five bookings for timewasting and arguing with Mike Riley (who was awful), then conceding a goal after some bloody-minded determination from Bendtner, and then conceded another from Gallas who was standing a good two yards offside after the ball came off a combination of Djourou's head and the Hull keeper's fist, [...]
Will Oldham is an odd fellow. From his innumerable monikers, his beard, to his habit of apparently releasing an album every few months, he is on a one-man crusade to corner the "rather eccentric country-tinged singer-songwriter" market. Maybe he's seen the duller likes of Bon Iver and Ray Lamontagne come along and steal his thunder, and he's just not happy about it. Or anything, for that matter. Following on from last year's "Is This The Sea?" and "Lie Down In The Light" comes "Beware". The quality of his albums has taken something of a [...]
A nice little email popped into my Inbox this morning whilst surfing Jobserve to try and fend off incipient bankrupcy. It was from those lovely Super Furry Animals, telling me that there's a webcast tonight at 20:00 GMT , during which the band will be playing their new album, Dark Days/Light Years in its entirety. As a little teaser, they've released a new MP3, "Inaugural Trams", which I've added below; it's also available on their website. Featuring Nick from Franz Ferdinand doing a [...]
Do you ever walk down the road and get the sudden desire to listen to a song that you've not heard for years? Happened to me yesterday, it did, and that song was "Orange Appled" by Cocteau Twins. If you were going to play a song by Cocteau Twins to someone who'd never heard them before, what would you do? One of the classic singles, like "Iceblink Luck" or "Carolyn's Fingers"? A great album track, like "Cico Buff" or "Lorelei"? Or would you choose a song that was first released on a free 73, by NME, [...]
That just takes the biscuit, that does. I had two childrens parties to go to today, so had to miss the game, following the game on Twitter . After about four league 0-0's in a row, I really was thinking we'd probably balls it up again. Plus, as I was getting my son ready for one of the parties, I looked out of the window, and could see a bird circling high in the sky, toward the north-east. It looked like a vulture. Maybe a Sam Allardyce looking vulture, come to pick over [...]
The Only Ones – Another Girl, Another Planet The Undertones – Teenage Kicks Plastic Bertrand – Ca Plane Pour Moi The Records – Starry Eyes Cheap Trick – Surrender The Cars – Just What I Needed Power pop, first originated by bands like The Who and Big Star, was given a huge shot in the arm by punk in the late '70's. Power pop is catchy, guitar-driven, just the kind of thing you can sing along to loudly in a convertible on a sunny day. The Only Ones were one of [...]
Thought I'd do a few little live numbers today. First off, Cause=Time (top name, that) posted some great Pavement live mp3's the other day. Here's the link to the Live section but for whatever reason, I couldn't get to the post directly. Anyhow, it's from Pavement's last show in 1999, at the Brixton Academy. Now, Pavement were never the most musically meticulous band in the world, but their live shows always had a great shambolic energy. Some great numbers here, including a marvellously lethargic "Rattled By The Rush" and a jaunty "Stereo". [...]
Ok, dear Reader, I didn't watch the match. Instead, I decided last week to book tickets to see Watchmen at the local IMAX. And it's ok, you know, considering they've filmed a book widely considered to be unfilmable. Not sure that it was wise changing the ending. You know, with Ozymandias teleporting loads of fluffy bunnies to New York and Moscow to show the world's leaders that fluffy bunnies are lovely and to live in peace. But still, not a bad way to spend nearly three hours. Certainly better than watching what was, [...]
I first saw Phoenix supporting Turin Brakes at the wonderful Somerset House, a number of years back. I hadn't heard of them before and was rather concerned when someone near us said they were French. Now, the French can do many things - cook well, be stroppy, and be insouciant, but music they really haven't been good at for some time (French rap? Pah!). But this lot were a pleasant surprise; jaunty, tuneful, with a good dose of style, as you'd expect. They are back with a new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and the first [...]
Blue Oyster Cult – (Don't Fear) The Reaper AC/DC – Highway to Hell Van Halen – Runnin' with the Devil Fleetwood Mac – The Chain Steely Dan – Deacon Blues Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky This section of the Pitchfork 500 is a blessed relief. I've rather had my fill of hedonistic Disco and miserable post-punk, clanging punk-funk and Italian prog-rock film soundtracks. This is pure drive-time music, for winding down the window of your '66 Chevy and driving fast along a highway in, er, Milton Keynes.¹ [...]
Sometimes it's nice for us to go back to the old days when teams would come and play us and not be all defensive, putting 10 men behind the ball, and actually come and play football. It's even nicer when we say "Thank you very much, kind sirs!" and proceed to thump them. The icing on the cake comes when all three goals were extraordinary, in their own way. Two were as fine examples of how footballers can be truly balletic, with a flick of the boot, with poise, grace, style and athleticism. And the other [...]
After my last post, the epic Post Punk Part 2 , it's a much shorter one this time. Partly because there's only five songs, and also because I don't know too much about four of them, so I'm not going to talk much about them. Except for Kate Bush, obviously. Now, you'll know Candido's "Jingo" even if you don't recognise the name. It's a classic slab of Salsoul from late '70's New York and mixes disco thump with jazz-inflected keyboards and funk guitar. And you'll know that "HUNH!" from being sampled by everyone. [...]
After my last post of old new music , here's some newer music. Hey, finger on the pulse! Jason Lytle , of the sadly defunct Grandaddy, has started to trickle out some songs from his new album. Grandaddy, in my eyes, were one of the finest bands of the naughties (I hate that word but can't think of anything better). "Crystal Lake" and "Hewlett's Daughter" still make me go a bit teary. Once saw them playing to about 20 people in Basel, in Switzerland; whilst it was such a shame that [...]
In my typical fashion, I heard some great new music the other day, only to discover that they had been around for ages . That's what you get round here, year old news. Ah well. Anyway, the two bands I was listening to were Monarch and Wye Oak . Both deal in that dreamy late-80's, early-90's British vibe, as perfected by My Bloody Valentine, Lush etc. And sounded oddly similar. Including having the same album title and a couple of tracks the same. So, with a bit more research, and [...]
After spending the whole of February not scoring any league goals (or conceding any, for that matter), Arsenal finally managed to get their shooting boots on tonight and win. In a fairly frenetic first half, ol' pinky boots Bendtner scored an early goal, thanks to Scott Carson making a hash of a fairly save-able chance. West Brom then managed to equalise from a free-kick, with Eboue doing himself no favours by jumping out of the way of the ball whilst in the wall. Alumunia didn't look too pleased, I can tell you. However, we managed [...]
Post punk became such a powerful musical force thanks to its combination of the original punk ethos - to just do it, goddammit - and adding a sense that music had to be rewritten and experimented with. And from that combination came some startlingly original music. From the strange noise of This Heat to the squawking punk-funk of James Chance and the Contortions, these nine tracks take the startling originality of early post-punk and added all sorts of gubbins (Trust me. I'm typing this whilst listening to the James Chance track and "gubbins" is the [...]
Get up. Get ready. Go to the game. Watch our midfield uselessly pass the ball sideways. Watch our wide players cross the ball to no-one. Go home. Get up. Get ready. Go to the game. Watch our midfield uselessly pass the ball sideways. Watch our wide players cross the ball to no-one. Go home. Get up. Get ready. Go to the game. Watch our midfield uselessly pass the ball sideways. Watch our wide players cross the ball to no-one. Go home. [...]
So, new chunks of Veckitamitsawhoozle keep creeping out , this time a lovely new track by the name "While You Wait For The Others". According to some sources it's the new single, others state it's just another track on tha ablum, but who really takes much notice of singles these days anyway? Ooh, back in my day, 73, shall I spend the extra on the 123 with the extra tracks, jumpers for goalposts etc. In any case, it's got a touch of the "Little Brother (Electric)" from the "Friends EP", which frankly is absolutely [...]
Loft And Lost
Avicii – Two Million
Yellow Magic Orchestra edit from Chrome Canyon
Beck – I Just Started Hating Some People Today
H&M Lookbook Mujer y Hombre Otoño 2012.
