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Back In Black
This autumn's End of the Road festival in Dorset is lining up a stellar cast, and might just be enough to drag me out of self-imposed gig-hiatus.
Wilco set to headline, and now album-of-the-decade contenders Black Mountain are making an appearance. Hopefully that will coincide with a new album.
Of course, both bands may add solo dates - so camping may be avoidable after all....
20th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Baby Marmot
Congratulations going out to Chimp stalwart marmot this morning, who just welcomed baby marmot into the world.
Unofficial Song of the Day: After The Goldrush.
20th Jan 2010 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Promo Promo: Beach House - Lover Of Mine
gorillavsbear have posted a nice Super8-style video for Beach House's Lover Of Mine, v good new album out at the end of the month on Subpop / Bella Union.
19th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
It's a Delorean!?
"Great Gods Marty! We're in Hackney in the year 2010!"
19th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
A>W>E>S>O>M>E / P>O>I>N>T>L>E>S>S>! Star Wars Vs Adidas
in another one of those crazy tie-ups where they've targeted two key markets with massive venn diagram crossover potential, Adidas have teamed up with George Lucas's evil empire to bring you a whole new range of stuff that will have you holding them and thinking things along the lines of "no, I'm not ten. But shit - it's a Skywalker trainer! A Deathstar Superstar! How can I resist the power of tying my Tie-Fighter laces?" oh to be free of target audiences.
might just draw a rebel alliance sign on my old superstars and leave it there
19th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
iTablet Jan 27
just in case you're dying to have another nice flat Apple box of tricks, the iTablet (or whatever they're going to call it) is probably going to be announced on Jan 27
19th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
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'YOU'RE REALLY SCREWING UP MY UNDERAPPRECIATED STATUS HERE'
The Dude won Best Actor for Crazy Heart at the Golden Globes
18th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Citay
Dream Get Together
Dead Oceans
This record is, I guess, the equivalent of a group of young London musicians getting together to re-create the "swinging sound of Carnaby Street" or something else that only existed in the minds of scriptwriters. Citay are from San Francisco, and so this painfully
retro album has its feet not exactly planted (more levitating) on the corner where Haight meets Ashbury, in like,1967.
The album art should serve as a warning - chocolate box graphics of a hot air balloon flying over a sunny coastline. Big happy vocal harmonies from the commercial end of the SF Summer of Love overlayed with Allman Brothers twin lead guitar - throughout. Baffling - exactly the sort of music the Mothers Of Invention were lampooning even back in 1967. Technically, these boys might think they sound like Allman and Betts, but the guitar sound is a whack modern equivalent played rather too accurately (it sounds more like a single pointy-headstock guitar through a harmonizer, not a couple of good ol' boys cookin' up a storm).
Well perhaps it's just too difficult for a cynical Englishman sitting at home during the coldest winter we've had in 30 years to imagine a warm Californian breeze, but I'm not going for this big bunch o' corn. The contents of this CD (songs, vocals, guitar, production) have all been done better elsewhere. 40 years ago.
Grumpy Pilton
18th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 1 star reviews
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Uninspired sci-fi with Klaatu Reeves.
17th Jan 2010
Read more 2.5 star reviewsStill Beating Dis
Who'd have thought Bomb The Bass would have a new album out in 2010 - a good 23 years after genre-defining single Beat Dis first stormed the charts, cannily disguised as a US import to give it some cred.
New album Back To Light sees Tim Simenon collaborating with Depeche Mode's Martin Gore amongst others. Keep this frequency clear!
15th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Much A Dude About Nothing
Never mind all this debate about whether we should be re-living the old masters or focussing on new art & literature - we can now have the best of both worlds. Screenwriter Adam Bertocci has re-written old classic The Big Lebowski as The Two Gentlemen of Lebowski. Check it out on his website.
VIA The Guardian
15th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
The New Adventures Of Mighty Mouse
interesting piece on Wired about the 80s revival of Mighty Mouse with Ralph Bakshi (American Pop, the cartoon Lord Of The Rings) and John Kricfalusi (Ren & Stimpy)
15th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Coolest Guy in the World...?
Not quite sure what to make of the multi-faceted talents of this dude...
14th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
It's not often that I find myself eating lunch based on a suggestion by Terry Wogan. http://twitpic.com/y1mun
14th Jan 2010
Read on TwitterBest Fails of 2009
Here's a 2009 round up with a difference. Best Fails Of 2009 is like a skate slam section crossed with You've Been Framed crossed with every other police chase show but there's some real gems in there.
13th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Superheroes At War
superheroes at war on Flickr
#chimp71
#Books&Comics
#Photography
13th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Soul II Soul kicking out a classic or two at Jas MB's 'biggest bag in the world' launch at Saatchi and Saatchi.
12th Jan 2010
Read on TwitterPromo Promo: Portishead - Chase The Tear
forgot to post this Portishead track released in December in aid of Amnesty
12th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Yoni Wolf on Daytrotter
Yoni Wolf of Why? has done a 4 song session on Daytrotter, download it here.
12th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Live Mugison in London
been a while since our favourite Icelandic bluesmonster Mugison played in the UK - but he's hitting Manchester Academy 26 Feb and London's Water Rats 27 Feb
12th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: The A-Team
Unfortunately, this plan seems to have come together and there's a trailer out for the Joe Carnahan-directed A-Team movie. Doesn't look too bad - until they fall out of a plane and parachute down in a tank, guns blazing.... YouTube it.
12th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Guardian's Top 50 TV Dramas
another list of great stuff - but The Wire's not number one?! get ready to (g)rumble!
12th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
RIP: Eric Rohmer
French nouvelle-vague director dies aged 89.
L'Ami de mon amie was one of my favourites.
The Phantom Menace Review
Finally... it's here. Part 1 of 7.
Don't bother going to Film School. There's a film-making 101 right here.
11th Jan 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
