listening listening

On 17/06/2003 andrew said: "listening listening"

Sorry reposting something by Andrew that got lost when moving the files. This is Andrew's......

(the hardest part with these is always finding a snappy title)

So on Sunday I was listening to Dave Fanning's show on the bus back up from Navan, and the live bit was Primal Scream from Witnness last year. It made my mind up on them versus R.E.M. fro Friday night (though it might break my heart having to give up Fatboy Slim). If they get their ducks in a row and Bobby remembers to take the right pills at the right time, they could make the best sound in the world. They will also suck for part of their set, guaranteed.

And then later I was listening to Eve-olution, the third album by Eve. It's more like the first album than last years "a whole bunch of Ruff Ryder fuckers also featuring Eve". Which is a good thing because I really loved her first album, Ruff Ryder's First Lady. It's full of great tracks about living in philly and loving her guy and a night out at the club. But without the dread spectre of "positivity" (which I do like in its place): it's a pretty tough album, but not showy about it. Although when it does go gangsta (on Dog Match, with DMX, who just sounds great) it turns out that that rocks too.

And then I spend a fair amount of Sunday night reading this thread about this song, which was fun.

A few new things.

Frist of all the new New Pornographers album is really great. It isn't as great as the last one, but it still kicks ass. The best track is the Neko Case-fronted "All for Spinning You Around", which employs the simple trick of dropping most of the instruments out as she really hits the chorus dead-on.

Also I was looking for a new ringtone for my new phone, and got into my head the idea of finding a catchy ringtone. So I'm looking for MIDI versions of my favourite songs, and the results aren't great. The only way this could work, was if the artist's genius was in simplicity. Ladies & Gentlemen, that artist is Fatboy Slim. Warning: do not listen to the Rockafella Skank.

Really back this time. We mean it oh yeah!

Ok so

• DNS changed
• New hosting service (only 3$ per month!) found and files moved there
• Small problem with cgis running sorted out

Just one day before Glasto but we'll try and fit in as much as possible. Eh Andrew?

The singles!

Not this weeks singles! Some old cheapo one euro each ones from that downstairs shop on Wicklow St

Morgan - MIss Parker Ex Senseless Things man makes record over recording of brother going on about teacher. All right. Third organ track is the best thing.

Doves - Catch the sun Thought about seen these at Glasto but it's forgettable. His voice sounds American. The instrumentals are nearly better. Just listened to it again. Maybe it's not so bad....hmmm I don't think I'll go see them still.

Craig David - Fill Me In This is better, getting fonder of Craig David.

Stephen Malkmus - Jenny & The Ess-Dog This is lovely, I had been buying the line that SM had got too clever for his own good and was too interested in showing everyone what a good guitar palyer he was but this is a sweet, jangly slice of drama in 2 minutes 45 seconds. I have just played it 3 times on the trot.

The Chemical Brothers - Come with us Here we're going on the theory that Chemical Brothers eps/singles are better than their albums (as propounded by Tim). So we get a song with Richard Ashcroft singing but the Fat Boy Slim (or Buachaill Romhar Romhar as according to yesterday's Junior Certificate in Irish) remix of title song makes it worthwhile.

It was all culcha last night seeing Coisceim dance company put on a version of Hans Christian Andersan's Mermaids. It was very good, very inventive (there was this dance tuition bit stuck in the middle of it that was great). Those dancers have to be super fit.

And an ok interview with the Revs in Playlouder. Come across as quite likeable.....

New stuff - v. quickly

There is a solo album from Bjorn Olsson (singer with Soundtrack Of Your Lives) that sounds good, The Decemberists are getting the crtical kudos in the US with their Belle & Sebastian meets A House thing. New Melt Banana does the business as well.

I know about these because Aquarius records (http://aquariusrecords.org/cat/newest.html puts up a few mp3s from each week's new releases which is useful (but costly if you act on impulse and buy the shagging things).

What I did on my holidays.

Only a month late, then.

I went over to Chicago/Boston at the end of April.

Movies: On the flight over I watched bits of Catch Me If You Can, which looked excellent except I was reading about Moomins. Say what you like about Tom Hanks, he's a very watchable actor when he's not Emoting (I must watch Road to Perdition), and Leonardo is certainly, er, convincing as an cheeky chappy. I did catch the first time they met, which is a great scene.

Good news: Flights to Chicago get an extra movie. Bad News: it was Maid in Manhattan. It's pretty much as bad as you probably imagine. It has one curiously upscale joke: after the plucky maid and the dashing millionaire are photoed walking his dog (hem hem) in the park, the photo on the front of the newspapers the next day reads "Dog Day Afternoon". The rest is shit, and includes Bob Hoskins stripped of all charm and forced to impersonate Antony Hopkins's turn in Remains of the Day, only dull.

The week I got to Boston they stopped showing Spirited Away except for one cinema out where the buses don't even run, but they also started selling it on DVD, so I did that. It's absolutely great, more imagination than Miyazaki's previous Princess Mononoke and without the Moral For Our Times.

And while I was there I saw X2. I imagine that if you were considering going then a) you'll greatly enjoy it, and b) you'll already have gone by the time you read this. It's a little loose in the middle, but has some great images, decent characterisation for (almost) all and some fine jokes. Plus, y'know: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Alan Cummings: can't go wrong.

And the plane on the way back was The Recruit. I probably watched more of this that Catch Me If You Can, but turned on the headphones for less. I think Colin Farrell is a very watchable actor, but then once upon a time there was a very watchable actor called Al Pacino... I only really stuck the headphones in for the end, where the plot was explained by not one but two shouty speeches by Pacino.

Music: while I was in Boston I looked around in Virgin Megastores which was having a three-for-$25 sale. I only took one trio: I could well have got more on the basis of tokenism (I need A Guided By Voices album, and this is A Guided By Voices album), but reckoned that you probably don't get the best stuff in the sales. Some lucky kids though, would have walked off with lll Communication, which is pretty much worth $25 by itself.

Aimee Mann: Whatever. This is just great indie-to-AOR stuff (my dark shame), the lyrics are still greatly mopey and the music just sounds right, like old comfy clothes.

Hot Hot Heat: Make Up The Breakdown because they were playing alongside Har Mar Superstar in Dublin for the Heineken Green Energy whatever, and what I'd heard about HMS sounded like someone to watch (more on that later hopefully). Either they were playing while I was in Boston (D'oh!) or they were playing after I got back but I didn't listen to the album first (Double d'oh!). Anyway, Hot Hot Heat are keeping the flame of eighties UK indie alive into the New American Century. Respect!

Gary Numan: The Pleasure Principle: This is the obvious album, being the one with Cars on it, and it doesn't tell me much I didn't already know. Beautiful chilly sounds, lyrics off the back of a cornflake packet. It's strange that what was to be sounds of the future are the most evocative of the past, but I'm guessing I'm not the first person to notice that.

Also got:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell. I got this because I loved the self/titled five track EP, (though the two-track one slightly less), and because William had never heard of them, and they were playing the next week in Boston. They're one of those bands that wear their influences (throw a rock in NYC77) on their sleeve, and I don't like their influences all that much, but I love the band. The lurching guitars and percussion is fab, but everything hangs on whether you like Karen O's voice and the things she does with it. There's a great

review on bleed-music.com that gets the perfect line: She's only pretending to pretend.

Destroyer: This Night. Dan Bejar from Destroyer is also Dan Bejar from The New Favourite Band of Andrew's Pornographers, and this album reminds me a lot of the New Pornographers. Review ends. I guess if I wanted more New Pornographers, I should go get the new album. Hey, that's an idea...