Spent a lot of the weekend listening to "Diane" by Husker Du, still perhaps the most shocking record I can think of: there's something so unrelentingly direct in it's sheer malevolence....
Today has been full of music actually, from The Boy Least Likely To (new single out today!!!) to "Long Red" by Mountain, which has powered to the top of my playlist of 70's rock (Yes, I have one of those... *ashamed*)
Actually, talking about The Boy Least Likely To...., saw them last week at the Cobden Club over in Westbourne Park: they were absolutely amazing. So confident and assured, focused, tight, you name it, they had it all. But the most incredible thing for me was.... it was only their second ever gig! Whenever and wherever the next one is; I implore you to go and see 'em.

Nostalgia? You Bet. Old Cassette tapes.

Today is a sad day.

RIP Ivan Noble.

Last night was hectic but fun- first up; Athlete at the Islington Academy, then a party for a Rankin exhibition, over at The Penthouse in Leicester Square (nice views, bit spendy). Athlete were great, nice guys, very genuine and the crowd were absolutely loving it. Am now lying on my bed looking out at an almost summery sky and wishing I had a day off *sighs*

The fake VW ad has been causing a real shitstorm for the past week or so now..viral marketing?elaborate hoax? or just an ad agency flexing its muscle for a laugh..... who knows. Anyway, it's getting harder and harder to actually find it on the interspazz, so watch it while you can....

Apparently it's the most miserable day of the year today.
So, some dead bunnies fits the mood rather well, don'cha think?

For me, it was a christmas card weekend: snow and sunshine amidst the valleys of the River Wye . It was impossibly beautiful... steep valleys crowded with Firs, capped with fresh snow and broiling with mist where the valley met the rather muddy-looking Wye. Sunday morning, driving to get Petrol from Ross-on-Wye was great: even more so as it gave me the opportunity to revisit "13 tales from Urban Bohemia" which is the perfect noodling record for a lazy sunny Sunday. So, enough weekend, let's get the week under way, the x-list beckons.

This has been making me laugh for the last 48 hours......

So, my weekend. Great, actually; despite me eating for England the entire time. Where the previous weekend was all about Lebanese, Kibby, Halloumi and Hookahs (oi! shut it!) this time it was Mexican food and more pertinantly, Sol beer. I'd forgotten about it really, but it all came back: in 1988, a cold Sol and a slice of lime was beer nirvana. Of course it's status as beer du jour was quickly superseded, in a dazzling blur we all followed every trend there was: we went through Grolsch with it's fancy china stoppers, giant cans of Sapporo with tops which completely removed to form a silver pint, Corona, Rolling Rock, you name it. The craze for Sol was forgotten as a welter of beer trends swarmed around us for the next five years. But it's worth noting that before Sol, choice was really limited: bottled beer meant Holsten Pils, or Light Ale. Sol was the first, and it's nice to give it some props.

It's a crisp winter day today...you just know i'll be doing the Wim Mertens thing on the train home to Brighton tonight....
Also, new obsession building: Steely Dan. As Neato says, it's all about "Hey Nineteen"
Neato? congrats to you and Kate..everyone else, please welcome Alfred Hiscox into the world.

No, I wasn't joking about Talk Talk. See?

I'm currently obsessed with "Spirit of Eden" by Talk Talk. It's a wonderful organic sigh of a record, sometimes harsh and rapid, other times it seems to almost completely vanish into the spaces around me. This morning, on the central line, it seemed to fill the carriage, rolling around me, crashing over the people beside me. If you haven't heard it; you've not lived. You think i'm waxing lyrical? No, not really.

Right, this one kind of relates to the post below; just minus the wheels. There was a "Jump Britain" docco on TV t'other day which was a severe disappointment after the thrills of "Jump London" so, this makes up for it, big time. Yes, this is about Parkour.

Way to go..
OK, so that's about 80 feet of 360 air, followed by a 27 foot backside air. Tell me that's not amazing.

Years ago, I had a fanzine ("Down With Tractors") and a little slice of it has gained immortality.... the sleeve notes to this, are a clipping from that Fanzine, with me raving breathlessly about the band. What's even better is the fact that, even after all this time, I stand by every word: more accurately, in every emotion and belief I had then. It's great to know that nothing has changed in the way I feel about bands, gigs, records. That's a pretty wonderful life-affirming thing to discover. The Lemon Drops were right on the top of their game back then, it was a privilage to be part of the development of something special.

Oh bluddy hell........I've just got to post this (actually *borrowed from PB)
('tis about DJing)
The biggest, most important layer at the bottom is what tunes you play The next layer up of a bit less importance is what order they come in. The third layer is the manner in which they are blended into one another. The tip is mix trickery, scratching, eq-ing, FX yadda yadda Each layer relies upon that beneath itself or it's rendered pointless.