50 quid bloke

Amazon is still teasing me at the moment - with all sorts of releases simply taking for ever to arrive. Last week however, two new goodies turned up together.

First is the new Mercury Rev album, The Secret Migration this has generally been reviewed as the best album since their last good one.

So I’ve played it. And played it. And I know that eventually, I’ll grow to love it. There’s nothing wrong with it - it’s a very lovely Mercury Rev album. But after all this wait for new stuff to arrive through the post, I need something to grab me a little more violently than that.

Enter James Murphy’s LCD Soundsytem, which fits the bill nicely. Now, no claims to originality here. This was straight off the pages of Uncut, and the little sticker on the CD shows they’ve been picking up 5 out of 5 reviews everywhere. And it’s already in the album charts. But, oh yes, it is excellent squelchy, twisted punk/dance fun. My first ‘must buy’ of the year. This is from Paul Morley’s review of them in OMM.

LCD are funny when they’re AC/DC paying tribute to Daft Punk, or Wire paying tribute to ELO, or James Chance and the Contortions paying tribute to N’Sync. Eno has never been so perfectly, dispassionately faked as he is here, and LCD truly amuse when they’re the Cars as Tortoise, Can as Boney M, the Slits as 808 State. Sometimes it’s like hearing an earnest musical based on an elitist rock critic’s dream of left-field rock history, which isn’t so funny. It’s quite touching, though - 23 Skidoo floating past as if they touched bass with Janet Jackson.

I have a suspicion that in this world of mash-ups and super smart musical collages, we’re going to see a lot more stuff like this, or at least a lot more stuff that’s trying to be like this.. It’s what the Chemical Brothers should have turned into.

We went away to the Cotswolds this weekend, which meant spending quite a bit of time in the car listening to random radio stations. And, I swear, on every station we listened to - Athlete were there.

Radio 1 - check. Virgin - check. On Radio 2 they were live on Jonathan Ross. On the way back they were talking about them on GWR and how they were going to be in the studio. One more mention and I’d have caved in, swerved off the M4 there and then and bought the album just to shut them up.

But there wasn’t one more mention. So I’ve pulled back. Although, everyone on the radio was gushing about them and their new album, everyone in print, however, seems to have been slightly cooler (and that is just the only review I can be bothered linking to).

And, while I really liked Vehicles and Animals I think I’m going to pass on Tourist. From what I read and hear, they’ve fallen into the barren ground between their last album and hoping to be the next Coldplay. And I’m perfectly happy with Coldplay being the next Coldplay.

However, they were quite beautiful when playing live on Jonathon Ross - so I suggest you go back and listen to his show on the BBC Radio Player and record the stream.

Failing that, just buy Wires from iTunes.

I haven’t posted anything for a week or so. I could claim I was busy, but the truth is that I’ve been so ashamed after ‘discovering’ Jack Johnson about a decade after the rest of the world, that frankly I’ve been really questioning my right to offer anyone opinions about music ever again.

I knew I was a bit slow off the mark, but a mail from one of the the uncoolest men I know going ‘I can’t believe you’ve only just discovered Jack Johnson’ sent me into a deep dark depression that I’m only just climbing out of. My very own Touching the Void.

It’s still another week till any decent music is due to arrive from Amazon. However, the Earlies album finally reached me this week. Which was nice - even though I’m coming to it rather late.

I have an excuse though. A couple of week’s before Xmas a CD arrived from Amazon: Soul of a Woman by Kelly Price. I had no recollection of ordering it - but that’s nothing new. Stuff is always appearing that I ordered while drunk or half asleep and then gets completely forgotten about.

[In fact, ideally, I’d be able to completely forget anything I order so that every delivery could be a wonderful surprise - but chosen by someone who completely gets my music taste].

However, when I listened to this - I simply couldn’t imagine any circumstances that I’d have bought it, or that anyone I’d have rated would have reviewed it favourably. Nothing fundamentally wrong with it, just that it was the sort of big breathy R&B mush that I find unbearable.

Still - I stuck with it. One listen. Then another. But no - I still hated it. Anyway, checking the bin for the receipt, it turns out it was meant to be The Earlies, which I’d ordered months ago (no, honestly, I had) but had never appeared.

So - a quick exchange later and there it is. And it’s very nice. A little bit Lemonjelly in parts. Very listenable while doing DIY - which seems to be my main music-listening environment at the moment.

Of course, I don’t need to tell you this, because you’ve been into them for ages. But I just wanted you to know I’m catching up.

On new year’s eve, driving off to enjoy a really rather pleasant dinner with friends, we’re listening to some radio station or other, trying to get ourselves all new years-y.

Whatever station it is, suddenly starts talking about their tips for next year, and an American woman mentions Jack Johnson. And sure enough it’s quite nice bloke with a guitar stuff… some slightly gravelly folk. You know the sort of thing.

I’d never heard of him before, but do quick check on the net..and see he seems ok and order his album Bushfire Fairytales and On and On.

Bushfire arrives, I’m very happy with my new discovery. Then someone who I like very much, but who I’d hardly say is up to speed musically (Xmas present requests: Scissor Sisters and Maroon 5), sees the CD and goes: ‘Jack Johnson, oh we’ve got that, it’s a really nice album…’

Have I just discovered Dido?

I’ve been waiting, such a long time…for my first serious batch of music for 2005. There’s a load of classical stuff, as recommended by someone here at work, but I’ll talk about that another time.

In the meantime, following my monthly trawl through Uncut..and a few other favourite sources, I’m now waiting for all these to arrive. Everything seems to be being released on January 24.

They made the two albums by Bright Eyes their albums of the month. I’ve never heard of him, so randomly chose I’m Wide Awake This Morning.

I notice, incidentally on Amazon, that people who bought this are also likely to have bought Mercury Rev’s The Secret Migration and sure enough, that’s on the list as well.

And, it turns out that if you like this, you might like lcd soundsystem’s eponymous album, which I also happen to have bought.

I’ve also been waiting for Rilo Kiley’s More Adventurous to come out, ever since finally getting into them last year . And, if I like this, Amazon tells me I should really like Bright Eyes other album Digital Ash in a Digital Urn which proves I am nothing if not predictable.

In the meantime, I’m spending some quality time with some of the music I bought last year but never really listened to enough. Bob Schneider anyone?

BBC: “A user of Apple’s iTunes services sues the firm saying it is unfair that he can only use an iPod to play songs.” [via Scripting News]

Stuck at 5pm on new years eve with the need to sort out a secret santa present for the evening’s festivities, I thought I’d make  someone a lovely CD of the year.
Anyway, one thing led to another, and it ended up as a collection of bootlegs, mash-ups and remixes: and to be honest, I’m not sure how well it went down.
However, it was (yes, I know, I’m late to this), the first time I’d spent serious time trawling round Get Your Bootleg On . More fun than a grown man’s allowed.
My favourites? Oh god, I now can’t find them all. But I loved Party Ben’s Boulevard of Broken Tunes (Green Day vs Oasis vs TRavis),..which has apparently been doing the rounds for a while.now getting ready to listen to his Daft Punk vs Queen - BiteDaFunk. All downloads available here.