SO!!!

Apart from more famous people dying since I last posted, I got one of those nifty macbook pro things. The caps lock key is annoying, sometimes it doesn't seem to work. Apart from that I'm getting used to this new world of strange sounds and icons puffing up in smoke. Better than windows 7 for sure! Windows 7 was not my idea, as I'm sure you know, because if it was I would be on those stupid adverts and probably being slagged off by mac and Windows Vista users worldwide. Anyway, I started up a new last.fm account so everyone can see whatever I am listening to whilst I am listening to it. It records everything. I stopped using my old one because it was a bit rubbish. I had it since I was an idiot teenager and I listened to a lot of Jimmy Eat World as well as all this good stuff I talk about. Be careful though, I do still listen to some shite when I am in the mood.

A heads up to everyone that the new Retribution Gospel Choir album '2' is out now. It doesn't seem to have reached UK shore yet, but blame subpop or someone for that. Needless to say it's better than the new Kiss record. It's for you to decide if it's better than Love Gun. You can hear it here... www.myspace.com/retributiongospelchoir

They've just set out on some crazy as fuck massive tour too. So they will be playing near you soon as long as you live in the USA or Europe.

The Super Bowl is coming this weekend, I'm gonna have to support the saints, just cause it's nice to do that.

More sad news

From Pitchfork...

Rowland S. Howard, the Australian guitarist who played with Nick Cave in both the Boys Next Door and the influential post-punk outfit the Birthday Party, died from liver cancer this morning, December 30. He was 50.


Great guitarist who made great music. It speaks volumes that despite The Birthday Party splitting so long ago, people still care. Without him, who knows where Nick Cave would've got? R.I.P.

The snow is almost gone now

The snow has been dreadful, getting anywhere has been a pain and now it's gone we just have ice. I keep falling over.... At least I don't have anywhere to be today.

I have started planning the trip to Primavera 2010 after some exciting first confirmations. Pixies, Pavement, Wilco and Low (playing The Great Destroyer) mean that even if the other bands are crappy, there is enough good sound to get me through. The Fall, Panda Bear and a few other decent bands are also confirmed as good back-ups should no brilliant bands be on at the time they are.

This year has been a good one, I'm sure you can tell.
Low in Eindhoven
Primavera 09 (Neil Young!)
Spiritualized - Ladies & Gentlemen... Live
21st in Paris
too much to list.

Sad news that Vic Chesnutt has passed. RIP.

57: Poor Mark Hughes

I know this was previously a post having a go at the guy, but we'd just lost and I was annoyed. Sacking him was harsh, especially seen as we won today and have recently beat Chelsea well. Mancini better be good after this nonsense.

Forget numbers, this is words.

I'm sick of not having a computer. I get paid from my new job in a couple of weeks but I can't afford to spend all that on a computer because then I will have no money left to buy anyone gifts and stupid stuff lihe that. I've been skint for so long that I'v only left the house for work and slept the rest of the time. This is exactly like last winter but without the good bits arn't as good and the bad bits arn't as bad. Does that make it better? I dunno.

I've been watching tennis and football a lot, that's mildly good I guess. City never win anymore, in fact the last time they won was against West Ham and we've played some mega shit teams since then.

I am looking forward to going to London, although I obviously can't afford it, gotta try and forget that...

No good music has come out this year really, maybe a few albumks here and there but it's been pretty dry. The best thing is Spiritualized re-releasing an album from 1997. £125 is a lot for a special edition though.

Next year will be good for music, starting in January with RGC and then moving onwards with some new stuff from Spiritualized, Mogwai, Sigur Ros and maybe even Low? Who knows. There's also reunions from Pavement and Chapterhouse to look forward too and a tour from the mighty KISS.

There are some noises that At The Drive-In are getting back together next year, and they're mostly coming from the band themselves. Cave In are back too. So, interesting times in 2010.......

55: It rains, it pours...

Hey Ya. It's been raining outside for about 3 days now, maybe that Noah story wasn't so far-fetched after all... Hell, maybe I should build an Arc! Whilst I do it I can listen to Arc buy Neil Young. What a noise that was.

Anyway... I went to see a great band from Baltimore play at Tiger Lounge the other night. They are called Thank You and are on Thrill Jockey along with Tortoise, Pit Er Pat and loads of other bands. I'm sure you can imagine what they're like just from me telling you that. Check them out here...
www.myspace.com/wethankyou

Also... Mew (the danish band, not the pokemen) are playing tonight in Manchester and I really wanna go so I guess I will! Also, Yo La Tengo tomorrow. Yo La Tengo is a sell-out but I think I've scored a ticket on ebay. My sister has guest list, I dont.... I'm not bitter.

I've been having a drink tonight whilst listening to Bob Marley. This wasn't to celebrate anyone trying to blow up important British buildings, just to celebrate it having been a year since I saw someone who was no good.

It's almost been a year since those Low christmas shows, they were great things and I enjoyed acting like a child again and getting caught up in the season to be jolly. Maybe I will have to do a christmas show this year to make up for the fact there isn't a Low gig. Paul McCartney is doing a christmas show, he is a total prat these days though...

I am bored as you can tell. I should be in bed at this time but Curb Your Enthusiasm is on at half 2 and I missed it earlier. GO TO BED!

54: Love Gun! What an album cover.

My computer doesn't work anymore so I can't get online so much, which is annoying because I still have to wait a while til I start my new old job. Christmas at HMV was good last year so I will enjoy it I'm sure. I might even save some money to go on holiday soon.

I went to see Efterklang in Manchester on Saturday night (Halloween) and they were pretty boring. Sure, I like them, but that doesn't make them good live. Stick to the records I say, save your tenner for something better (Spectrum at Corsica Studios or Bob Mould/RGC at the Bloomsbury Ballroom maybe?).

At the moment I am reading Shakey, the Neil Young biography. I have literally had the book hanging around since first year of college without ever reading it so I thought it was a good time to do that. It's starting off a bit heavy. I don't know if I'm bothered about what his Grandparents were like, it is interesting though. The sooner I get to the electronic madness in the 80s the better. COMPUTER AGE!!

I've been reading the new issue of Mojo magazine too. Roger Waters is a great man and he is the cover star this month. He's planning to do a tour of The Wall! I won't start going on about that album again though. Bit of stuff about Spiritualized/Spacemen 3 too. And Kiss. I think I like Gene Simmons, he is shameless. Imagine Gene Simmons, J Spaceman and Roger Waters together in a band? They would be rubbish, regardless of previous triumphs.

This is a really long post today isn't it? Not over yet, not at all. I've been looking at this great little venue in London called the Battersea Barge. It's a Barge on the Thames and it floats around while you have a party or something. It's mainly for business meetings I think but hopefully one day I can get Pink Floyd to reunite and play there with the pig floating over the power station like it's 1977 and play Animals all the way through. Capacity is only about 60 though, forget about it.

Someone on the tv is swimming fully clothed, I imagine that would be hard. Jeans would get really heavy and slow you down a lot. Depends if you want to swim fast... Don't wear your clothes in a swimming race... you'll lose. It's the taking part that counts, of course, but you would just look stupid... Now they have nothing on... I think I should change the channel...