Blog: Life Just Bounces

in 2011 i: helped drove a rock band around Germany. went to America. made peace with London, went to Leeds a lot. signed on way too many times. got A Proper Job. moved out, moved on, moved city. saw my cousin marry her high school sweetheart. saw my awesome sister graduate uni [hi Fee]. lost a grandma. reconnected with some amazing old friends, met some excellent new friends both IRL and OTI. met some rad internet people IRL [hi Jesse , Ruby Kid ]. graduated journalism school seemingly [...]

"I wish a rock guy would cover an R&B song. That way I could learn that underneath all that popularity and blackness there's something great." ~ Jesse Thorn Ahahahaha Nice one, Leona. A+ trolling of all those metal/punk/rock groups and fans that still think pop/R'n'B covers are hilarious and novel i.t.y.o.o.l. 2011. Anyway, this version doesn't sound any worse to me than Reznor's painfully teenage original (he was nearly 30 years old when The Downward Spiral came out) or Johnny Cash's curiously-revered-but-drab-non etheless-by-his-high-standards take. [...]

The new split/collaborative album by Desert Island Dicks & Where Woodwose Walk is out now <p><p&a mp;gt;&amp ;amp;lt;p& amp;amp;gt;&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p &a mp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am p;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;gt;&a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;lt;p&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;& amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am p;amp;amp;lt;p&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;gt;&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;lt;a href=" http://amoebicindustries.bandc amp.com/album/clearance-sale"& amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;C learance Sale by Desert Island Dicks &a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp; Where Woodwose Walk&a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;lt;/a&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;gt;&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p &a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p &a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;gt;&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a mp;gt;&amp ;amp;lt;/p&amp ;amp;amp;gt;</p ></p> Clearance Sale , the new album from Desert Island Dicks and Where Woodwose Walk , sees the two noise groups reflecting on the ongoing global financial crisis that started in the late 2000s. Across ten [...]

In preparation for this year's customary wheeling out of the widespread media lie [backed by attention-seeking politicians and clergy ] about how some authority or other is trying to "ban" or "rename" or "rebrand" or "prevent people from celebrating" Christmas, usually "because it might offend [Muslims/ethnic minorities/whoever is the current scapegoat du jour]", i've been reading The Winterval Myth, Kevin Arscott 's excellent and forensic analysis of a falsehood that has now been repeated by the British press at least 283 times since 1998. [If only it came in a physical form [...]

You better stay aloof when the troops move/ the suicide booths soothe/ the who's who of looters shoot, the bullets go 'zoom, zoom'... Holy shit there is new El-P music, from his forthcoming LP Cancer for Cure on Fat Possum. This has the same tangible of event as when he previewed the unmixed "Tasmanian Pain Coaster" from ISWYD on Gilles Peterson's Radio 1 show, and "Drones Over BKLYN" lives up to expectations. Beat and rhymes alike are so damn tough, instantly recognisable [...]

• PRODUCTOMART - DRONES OVER BKLYN (uncensored, unmastered)

Firstly, here's three reasons ATP-run festivals are better than other festivals. 1. No more tents. Getting lashed and watching cool music is fun. Going back to a campsite after the bands have finished, probably in the dark and with the ground churned into five different kinds of crap by bad weather and foot traffic, and sleeping inside essentially an oversized Pac-a-Mac, probably with large rocks digging into your back, most likely surrounded by loud idiots, and running the risk of having your stuff stolen, or having someone even more wasted than you are piss on your [...]

My plan to blog more was slightly thwarted by travel: i'm in New England at the moment, and internet access has been a bit sporadic, so i've been doing analogue stuff like reading books and playing piano. Crazy , i know. Anyway, i've been working out this Pharoah Sanders piece, which is tremendous fun. It's kind of a palate cleanser in the middle of the parent LP Elevation , a joyful 5-minute respite from the crazed overblown reed and piano soloing surrounding it (which, don't get me wrong, is also great). i've been listening [...]

What's Bruza up to these days? i hope he's still performing, but i'm not that in touch with the grime scene so i dunno really. But let's hope that, if he's decided to stop, he's become a motivational speaker or something, because this tune is seriously like the abstract concept of positive thinking did a load of uppers and then went round a club vigorously pumping everyone by the hand making them feel better. With such a likeable MC, loads of lyrical gems, and of course [...]

Two completely unexpected TV appearances from Random Jon Poole ( Cardiacs / Wildhearts / God Damn Whores ) on prime-time telly! In the first one, Random Jon and his mother-in-law appear in support of his wife Louise as she scoops a tidy win on a 2005 episode of BBC1's The Lottery Show . Dale Winton calls him "a bit camp", which is a pretty funny thing to be called by Dale Winton. Then there's this appearance on Chris Tarrant vehicle It's Not What You Know [...]

Incorrect fuel anger x mindless, grinding, hilarious repetition. On a long-enough timeline everything starts to become sound art. Via Stuart Finnie . Original here . Obligatory bloody dance remix here (via Chris Down).

i alluded to Song(s) of the Year in my Jacques Greene post the other day, and this is another of my definite contenders. i keep returning to "Intruder" over and over. Apart from just being a great record, part of what's so fun about "Intruder" is just how many layers of détournement have gone into making it what it is. In case anyone doesn't know the provenance of the music in this song, here's a brief memeology. First there was Antoine Dodson , who went viral in [...]

Attended a Noah's Ark-themed fancy dress party in Leeds on Friday, dressed as Noah himself (this basically entailed wearing a removal company delivery blanket from the back of a car, a belt made from plaited twine and some awful open-toed sandals, with shorts and t-shirt beneath for modesty). At one point i needed to go to the shops and had to debate with myself whether to go in full costume and risk either looking like a weird religious cultist, or possibly catch a furious beatdown if misinterpreted as taking the piss out of religious garb; or take off [...]

Now that my American readers (i know there's at least, like, 3 of you) have access to Spodify too, i feel less bad about sharing playlists and stuff on it. Now if only the people at the far, far superior turntable.fm could sort it so you can use it outside the States (i managed 2 glorious days on there before the geoblock). But anyway yeh, until then, here's a Spotify playlist featuring virtually the entire Dischord Records disc(h)ography , in order. For some reason, The Snakes records aren't on there – [...]

Someone in my comments section asked if i was going to do an Amy Winehouse tribute post. The answer is probably 'no' in terms of a straightforward/regular tribute, basically because i've been away this weekend, and by now everything i would want to say has been expressed better by others. i did, however, want to do a brief post about the pernicious myth of the ' 27 Club ' – the apparently ominous cluster of musicians dying at the untimely age of 27. Something of a minor cultural industry has built up around this idea – [...]

House producer Jacques Greene 's been getting a lot of play recently for some Radiohead remixes he did. Can't front, Thom Yorke 's obviously got some good taste. Because Radiohead remixes still have a bit too much Radiohead in there for my taste, i prefer the 20-year-old Canadian's original stuff, and "Another Girl" is a sublime highlight. The kind of murky, subaquatic synths that have been voguish lately combine with an ace late-90s UK garage rhythm that's as funky as it is propulsive, and best of all the [...]

Been meaning to do a post about Xrin Arms (pron. "You're in Arms" or i guess "Urine Arms", if you like) for ages now, and the release of a new video for "Xr World", the first track to be released off his long-awaited Human Hallucinogen album, seems like a good time. Xrin is the one-man project/alias of Anthony Vincent, originally from California but more often found spreading his caffeinated gospel all over the States on tour. He's also found the time to release over a dozen albums in the last few years, whether solo [...]

Gallopy ridiculous Russian Lord of the Rings/Robin Hood forest metal. Too many amazing/terrible bits to enumerate. You'll have to pick your own favourite.

Can't remember if i've ever blogged this before, but it's one of those things i cannot get enough of, and have to share on Facebook, etc., with a regularity which has got to be pretty annoying for the people that i'm friends with. Brooklyn-based video artist and semiotician Michael Bell-Smith took advantage of the fact that each installment of celebrity micturator R. Kelly 's bizarre R'n'B opera uses the same beat and mixed down all the extant episodes (at the time, [...]

"i think this is the first time I've ever seen a brother playing bagpipes and wearing a kilt!" exclaims someone in the comments. Rufus Harley was the first jazz musician to adopt the Highland bagpipes as his instrument of choice. Here he plays a great version of Coltrane 's "Acknowledgement" off the classic album A Love Supreme , interpolating a little bit of "Greensleeves" along the way (and why not). This 1987 performance is from a live DVD of Harley and the Sun Ra Arkestra (which i haven't got, but would very much like [...]

i forgot to post up the Wikipedia page i recently wrote for gay against you here. During the writing for this, after i lamented that i regretted not seeing them live, Joe reminded me that not only had i driven them to two separate shows, in York and Cardiff, i also played drums for them at the Cardiff show. i have no earthly idea how i could have forgotten this, but i was very pleased to be reminded of it. (Citations have been stripped out for ease of reading but are all [...]