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Song Of The Day: Volume IV
Slow of the mark as usual, but I'm loving album opener Sleeping Lessons from The Shins last record Wincing The Night Away. Slow build up + rock out has always been a winning formula for me.
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27th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Band of Horses
Cease To Begin
Sub Pop
2005's Everything All Of The Time was a surprise hit for me, coming from the back of the pack like a young Steve Cram to stream ahead and take gold. The gift that kept on giving, it seemed to just get better and better with the most obvious high point The Funeral quickly matched by several other classic tracks.
After the success of that album things seemingly fell apart from the band, with co-founder Mat Brooke departing to form a new band Grand Archives - leaving Ben Bridwell to continue under the Band of Horses name with a completely overhauled squad for album number two.
May's UK visit soon put to bed any doubts about the band's future, with Bridwell's beefed-up foot-stomping style taking centre stage for one of my gig's of the year. New songs like Lamb Of The Lam and Ode To LRC sounded great - for once, rather than lulling the crowd between the well-known 'hits' it actually really got the gig going. Cease To Begin quickly became a most-anticipated-of-007 release.
That early accolade became a mixed blessing, as while the foot-stomping style provides many of the album's high points - the departure of second songwriter Brooke may also be responsible for some of the albums shortcomings. While it is an album packed full of great songs and no duds, there somehow seems to be less variation between songs and the highs are possibly not quite as memorable.
Bottom line: Is There A Ghost?, Ode To The LRC, Marry Song, Cigarettes, Wedding Bands, Window Blues - all awesome. A great second album from a band that are only going to get better. And they rock live.
26th Sep 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3.5 star reviewsSearch
Prison Break 4.0
It looks like Die Hard director John McTiernan may be spending some time in the big house. The confused director had just flown in from in Asia, AND was on anti-biotics, AND his dog had totally eaten his homework - when ruthless FBI agents had interviewed him about (alleged) celebrity wire-tapper Anthony Pellicano and he totally misunderstood the question.
Maybe Bruce Willis can rustle up a posse and spring him.
25th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Southland Fails
Massawyrm over at Aint-it-Cool has seen Richard Kelly's long-delayed Donnie Darko successor Southland Tales ....and he is not impressed.
24th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Straight to iTunes
Ed Burns - actor, writer, director and saviour of Johnny Drama - has a new movie, and it's going direct-to-itunes. Rather than try and distribute the indie movie nationally, Burns is focusing on screening the movie in festivals, but distributing it to the masses with a four week exclusive deal on iTunes (probably US only for now).
According to Burns, "Purple Violets is probably the best film that I've ever made. It's a small, talky drama, dramedy, and there's absolutely no audience for the film, theatrically, I'm sad to say. We got a couple of half-assed theatrical offers, but the last couple films I've done I've done that and, you know you do all this publicity and then the movie's released in New York and LA, and maybe Chicago and San Francisco, and if you're anywhere outside of those four major cities, your audience can't find it. So, we're gambling and we're gonna be the first film that is released exclusively through iTunes. It'll be available for four weeks exclusively, and the idea is we'll promote it the same as you would a theatrical release and we'll see what the numbers are. If the attendance, if the downloads, which we expect to be a much higher numbers than the attendance, I think it'll be the way I would go in the future for small movies like this. You know, and then we'll do more festivals than you might normally, so you can hit kinda smaller markets for the theatrical experience, but for everyone else it's available, kinda like what people do…"
24th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
It's Not Rocket Science
Rocket Science is the new feature from Jeffrey Blitz, who previously made the excellent Spellbound. Blitz has switched from documentary to comedy/drama this time, but taken a similar theme - this time he takes on the world of high school debating.
As part of the promo for the movie, they have rustled up a Facebook app called the Mass Debater, through which you can humilate your friends through there dismal public speaking performances. Check it out here, Facebookers.
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21st Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Van Halen back in the van
The Van Halen-featuring-David-Lee-Roth mega-reunion is gearing up, with many gigs selling out in minutes. If you're in NYC this November they are playing Madison Square Garden on November 13th.
The formation is:
Diamond Dave as the lone striker
Eddie Van Halen and son Wolfgang playing the midfield (guitar and bass)
Drummer Alex Van Halen bringing up the rear
21st Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Le Chop
Definitely one for the believe-it-or-not file, September 2007 saw the mere 30 year anniversary of France's last use of le Guillotine.
Amazingly, the last execution (of torture/murderer Hamida Djandoubi) - was in September 1977. Not that the electric chair or lethal injection are any more pleasant I suppose.
20th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
UK iPhones
Apple are launching the iPhone in the UK today. It'll be on O2, and the 8GB phone will retail for £269 inc VAT. Launch date is November 9th. Unlimited data plans at £35, £45 and £55 pcm - on an 18 month contract. You also get free access to the Cloud's 7000 WIFI hotspots apparantly, which covers most of central London, and certainly Chimp HQ.
"People want to see the iPhone more than they ask me for Led Zeppelin tickets."
18th Sep 2007 - 5 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Ari Takes Gold
Everyone's favourite agent Ari Gold scooped the "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series" Emmy again last night.
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17th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Brakes and Veils
Chimp favourites Brakes are on a Uni tour in October:
Sep 25 London UCL Union
Oct 01 Hull Asylum, Hull University
Oct 02 Glasgow Oran Mor
Oct 03 Aberdeen Moshulu
Oct 04 Sheffield Fuzz Club, Sheffield University
Oct 06 Manchester Club Academy
Oct 07 Newcastle Northumbria University
Oct 09 Coventry Warwick University
Oct 13 Bath Bath Moles Student Night
www.myspace.com/brakesband
www.brakesbrakesbrakes.com
The Veils are also on tour with Ed Harcourt. BC's been sitting on their excellent album Nux Vomica for a while...
Oct 02 Liquid Rooms Edinburgh with Ed Harcourt
Oct 03 Oran Mor Glasgow with Ed Harcourt
Oct 04 Stage 2 Newcastle with Ed Harcourt
Oct 06 Academy 3 Manchester with Ed Harcourt
Oct 07 Fibbers York with Ed Harcourt
Oct 09 Brudenell Leeds with Ed Harcourt
Oct 10 Leadmill Sheffield with Ed Harcourt
Oct 11 Barfly Liverpool with Ed Harcourt
Oct 12 The Graduate Cambridge with Ed Harcourt
Oct 14 Arts Centre Norwich with Ed Harcourt
Oct 15 Rescue Rooms Nottingham with Ed Harcourt
Oct 16 Barfly Birmingham with Ed Harcourt
Oct 18 Point Cardiff with Ed Harcourt
Oct 19 Triinty Bristol with Ed Harcourt
Oct 20 Zodiac Oxford with Ed Harcourt
Oct 22 Digital Brighton with Ed Harcourt
Oct 23 Koko London with Ed Harcourt
www.theveils.com
www.myspace.com/theveils
13th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Takeovers
Bad Football
Off Records
The second album from The Takeovers might suggest that they were the most successful of Robert Pollard's 2006 side-projects (see reviews: 1,2,3) ...but a quick look at the team sheet suggests that nothing has settled down, as there have been a few additions to the squad since then. As well as Turn To Red's Pollard, Slusarenko (GBV) and Dan Peters (Mudhoney), Bad Football enlists super-subs Stephen Malkmus (Pavement), Tad Doyle (Tad) and John Moen (The Decemberists) to pad out the squad.
Malkmus lends his eccentric stunt guitar to opener You're At It, which starts things off in the right direction, with it's lolloping guitars and pounding drums. The album cover is a great Pollard collage and there are plenty of classics song titles here (Father's Favorite Temperature, The Jester Of Helpmeat), although not necessarily corresponding to the best tracks (I Can See My Dog, My Will).
The focussing of Pollard's attention on The Takeovers might suggest a more purposeful record than Turn To Red, but other than the extended team sheet their is no evidence that any more effort went into either the writing or recording of the album. There are definitely a couple more developed songs here, but in typical post-GBV Pollard style it has the sound of a fun side-project, rather than the main event.
13th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 2.5 star reviewsHeavy Facts
The BBC are now chipping in on the rumoured Led Zep re-union gig. Harvey Goldsmith is making an announcement today according to them.
****** update: it's happening - £125, Nov 26 at the O2. to get tickets you have to register at www.Ahmettribute.com and then there's going to be a ballot. two per household - get to work chimps!
12th Sep 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
IndianaJones.com has had a re-vamp ....in time for next year's Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
10th Sep 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
I Am Iron Man!
Even though I've never read the comic, Iron Man seems like my kind of super-hero - witty, clever and semi-plausible. The official trailer is finally online and it looks great. Ozzy's vocal's don't do any harm either...
10th Sep 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Siouxsie Sioux
Mantaray
Universal
From her early days as a groupie for the Sex Pistols - and the catalyst for the Bill Grundy TV meltdown - Siouxsie Sioux (and the Banshees or course) went on to become one of the most influential bands of the punk/post-punk era - cited as a major influence on bands from The Cure (Robert Smith played guitar with the Banshees for a bit) right up to LCD Soundsystem, who covered Slowdive in 2006.
Siouxsie herself went on to have success with The Creatures and in various other guises, and while this first solo album is being billed as a comeback, a quick look through the files suggests it's just getting a bigger marketing push than some of the other late-period entries.
After a fairly average start things pick up with Here Comes That Day, but with the 'spooky' atmosphere of Loveless or the 'moody' delivery of If It Doesn't Kill You, the song writing offers very little of note - with Siouxsie's strong voice seeming dated and more suited to the stage, projecting literal narrative lyrics up to the seats at the back.
Drone Zone is one of the most aptly titled songs I have heard in a while, and no, the title's not ironic. They Follow You provides a brief glimmer of light, with a nice extended instrumental intro although that is quickly overshadowed by the album's low point - Heaven and Alchemy. The title says it all.
While some of the songs on the album sound updated in some ways, they sound incredibly out of touch and tired in others - making this an unfortunately forgettable album.
7th Sep 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 2 star reviewsThe BBC's Multi Format iPlayer
The iPlayer should be available on platforms other than Windows "as soon as possible".
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7th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
New Pods
I'm off to the cinema with BC to belatedly catch The Bourne Ultimatum, but Big Steve is announcing new iPods and more right now.
So far, new Nano - $199 for 8GB. Shipping today.
iPod "Classic" - up to 160GB at $349.
iPhone price cut from $599 to $399.
UPDATE:
iPod Shuffle
iPod Nano
iPod Classic
iPod Touch
5th Sep 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Galactic Nuisance
More You Tube crap. Please stop sending me these links.... I'm too busy.
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5th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Flight of the Living Dead
Love the title and the concept, but the execution makes Snakes On A Plane seem like a cinematic masterpiece....
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4th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Darth Smartass
Not much happening today it seems. Beastie Boys are in Brixton tonight, but until then let Darth Smartass keep you amused. Although it's not a patch on old favourite Troops.
4th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Heli-History
It always sees to me that helicopters have changed very little in my lifetime. You still see the standard-issue Bell 206 Jetranger that would drop off misc bad guys in the A-Team, and the high-tech look of Blue Thunder or Airwolf is still pretty up to date.
C-Net has a photo gallery round-up of A Century Of Helicopters.
3rd Sep 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Earth Plus
The latest edition of Google Earth contains a few new tricks. Choose: View > Switch to Sky and the program flips into an astronomical display of the sky above your current location, complete with star map. Might be helpful when making the calculations for the jump to lightspeed.
Then, hit ALT + APPLE + A on a Mac or CTRL + ALT + A on a PC and you'll enter Flight Simulator mode, letting you fly around / crash mindlessly into anywhere on Earth. There's a list of controls available at the Google Earth website.
2nd Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
On The Air Tonight
We're not pimping ourselves out to the advertisers quite yet, but check out this new chimp-friendly spot, which will be going out on TV tonight in the UK (during the ads of the Big Brother final if you can bear to watch). It's by the creative director guy who was behind that other 'modern classic' ad with the Sony balls.
31st Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Is There A Ghost?
Band of Horses have Is There A Ghost? - the opening track from their new album Cease To Begin - available for download on their Myspace page. Nice.
30th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume IV
More like Song Of The (Last Sun)day, as the lesser known She Was Hot by The Rolling Stones has been stuck in my head since last Sunday's gig. In the typical Stones style it seem like nothing special - your average riff etc - but it has their magic touch, plus a great key-changing chorus that's the catchy bit. Nice video by Julien Temple too.
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30th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
iTunes TV Shows
TV Shows are finally available on the UK iTunes store... although it seems to be mostly Disney/ABC stuff at the moment. Episodes are £1.89 each, meaning the full season of something like Ugly Betty would set you back £43.47, as opposed to £29.98 for the DVD on Amazon ....although the RRP for that is £39.99.
29th Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Street Cycle
Being a reluctant refuse maker / hoarder I always find it hard to chuck stuff into the landfill. Having just moved into a new HQ I found myself with masses of surplus stuff this weekend, so decided to try and give at all away in a fire-sale style. Like throwing a sheep carcase into a river full of pirahna, the citizens of New Cross did not disappoint me.
The lucky pizza junk-mail delivery guy made out like a bandit, calling in an airlift to help him make off with a Sony TV, glass stand and a couple of accessories. Sorry to those people down the straight that didn't get their junk mail drop - he just couldn't leave the stuff unattended.
Some guy called Mike, Neil or Clive was overheard arguing with his wife about why he needed the wooden trimmed vintage 70's Sony cassette player, but luckily Mike/Clive/Neil won.
The cream on the cake was a guy who just couldn't leave a three shelf IKEA Billy bookcase without a home. He tried to carry it about five metres, before literally wheeling it end-over-end up the hill. I imagine it was sanded down to naked chipboard by the time he made it home.
As pictured, the posters have been behind the wardrobe for literally about 7 years. I took them down to the local recycling station, so that every punter heading down the road could marvel at them. The Return of the Jedi poster (1983 'coming soon' vintage - mountboard backing) went in no time, but unfortunately the Bill Viola exhibition (1993 - way before he was cool) and the Hal Hartley's Amateur poster didn't do so well, taking a karate kick to the midrift by dawn.
28th Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Weightless, very Lightsaber
As part of the 30th Anniversary celebrtaions for Star Wars (along with new versions of the films no doubt) NASA will be launching Luke Skywalker's lightsaber into space on the space shuttle Discovery in October.
28th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Group Hug
It seems that Luke Wilson may be in need of a group hug. Where are the rest of the frat pack when you need them? Seriously though, let's hope this story has been incorrectly reported.
28th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
PSFreeview
Sony have announced an upgrade to the PS3 that will provide European users with two HDTV freeview tuners, as well as PVR functionality - AND a Blu-Ray player. You can then export recording for viewing on a PSP. Sweet.
P.S. You can also play games on it.
24th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
rarPhone
I didn't take long for those pesky hackers to crack the iPhone open and unlock it for other networks. It's officially done, and the bunch that did it are even having the gall to sell their software solution online.
24th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ass Of JJ
It seems like this movie's been in production forever, but there's a new trailer up for the Andrew Dominick western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck star. Out in the US in September / October.
24th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Righteous Casting
DeNiro and Pacino are together again in upcoming cop/serial killer thriller Righteous Kill, directed by Jon Avnet. Marty Scorsese also has an acting role.... as their Lieutenant. Let's hope he drags them both into his office for a bollocking.
Fiddy Cent and Donnie Donn Wahlberg also star.
23rd Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
New Video
Nice video up for Animal Collective's new single Peacebone, directed by Timothy Saccenti, who directed the Atlas video for Battles.
Animal Collective are also on tour this Autumn:
Sunday 28th Oct - Berkshire - Nr Reading - Wilde Theatre
Monday 29th Oct - Brighton - St George's Church
Tuesday 30th Oct - Bristol - Trinity
Thursday 1st Nov - London - Astoria
Saturday 3rd Nov - Manchester - New Century Hall
Sunday 4th Nov - Dublin - Tripod
Monday 5th Nov - Leeds - Irish Centre
Tuesday 6th Nov - Glasgow - Ora Mor
23rd Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
New Heroes
Fairly cheesy promo up for Heroes Season 2.... which starts on US TV next month.
....and another clip here. Probably best to skip both if you're still watching on the BBC.
22nd Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Spoon
The Borderline, London
Although pretty shattered from a heavy day's work setting up a new field office, some of team chimpomatic still made it down to The Borderline to see favourites Spoon on their second date in London - having played Cargo the night before. The Borderline is a great little venue, and it was nice to see a lack of both fashionistas and cameras in the crowd, just the relatively few Londeners who seem to be aware of this great band.
The songs from the new record fitted comfortably into the live show, with Rhythm and Soul, Don't Make Me A Target and The Underdog interspersed with songs from various older albums - Beast and Dragon Adored and Everything Hits At Once being some of my all-time favourites.
Singer Britt Daniel cut his hand on a guitar string at one point, prompting a bit of chit chat which loosened things up while both hand and guitar were repaired, before cranking straight back into it. The sound at the venue is also worth noting, for once getting the balance of volume and clarity absolutely perfect. The band sounded beefy but you could pick out each instruments' contribution so clearly they seemed to each have their own speaker.
There was something lacking in the show that held it back from being a classic... and all I can think is that all their songs are good to the same level. There was no boring bits, making for no obvious high points. Some of their tracks crank up like they are going to spiral into a ten minute jam, but often they are around the same length, and around the same tempo. Without some of the effects that the records employ, some of the moodier songs are brought down a notch - but where you might expect a solo acoustic version for something like I Summon You you get the full band working the song, bringing it up a notch but taking something away. I'm not sure if that's a criticism of not, and if it is I don't know what the answer would be.
Bottom line is that this is a great band, with a huge back catalogue of great songs that are likely to never disappoint live.
22nd Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3.5 star reviewsRock Biopics
IGN have a trailer up for Todd Haynes' upcoming Bob Dylan movie I'm Not There, and Paramount now have a decent version of the Stones movie Shine A Light.
22nd Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Still Rollin'
The Rolling Stones are still rolling slowly, arriving in London this week for some shows at everyone's favourite new marketing opportunity - the zerotwo dome. Meanwhile, Marty has been working his magic for an upcoming documentary about the band - Shine A Light. Check out the trailer.
21st Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Ad For An Ad With No Ads
Piece up at Creative Review about the Sky ad for ad-free movies, which was shot in Sao Paulo during the mayor's "Clean City" campaign, when all advertising was taken down. Photographer Tony De Marco had also been documenting the event, and was hired in as a consultant.
20th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
D.A.N.C.E.
Cool video up at Creative Review for Justice's single D.A.N.C.E.
20th Aug 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Creosote Your iPod
King Creosote is back with a new album on September 3rd, entitled Bombshell. He'll also be on tour to support the album, more info on that at www.kingcreosote.com.
Check out a free mp3 here.
20th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Fix Your Own Brakes
Brakes have got a pretty nifty competition going over at their myspace page, where they are offering to come and play at a venue of your choice on their day off:
Competition: Brakes play a venue of your choice
Roll up! Roll Up! Brakes have found that they have a day off in their tour, and, rather than spend it playing cards and shove ha-penny, they are offering anyone who can provide four cans of cider and 20 Benson, a gig at the venue of their choice, preferably their house. Just answer the following question:
How many kangaroos does it take to make a court?
Send your answers to dayoff@brakesbrakesbrakes.com by 7th September with name / suggested venue / town
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20th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
More Wilco Dates
Just in case you missed them at Shepherd's Bush back in May, or at the Latitude festival in July, Wilco are back in the UK in November with a couple more dates:
Birmingham, Carling Academy - November 4th
London, Brixton Academy - November 5th
20th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Mercury Music Prize
The Mercury Music Prize website has a series of podcasts running online with footage from the launch event (Quicktime / YouTube), plus interviews with the judges (Quicktime) and The Young Knives (Quicktime / YouTube). More band interviews will follow.
15th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
More Video
This one's for Albert Hammond Jnr.'s new single In Transit - and is directed by Joachim Phoenix.
Windows Media
Real Player
YouTube
13th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Fake CEOs
Fake Steve Jobs may have been unmasked, but here's a video of Fake Steve Ballmer. A lookalike of the Microsoft honcho is obviously out to undermine the credibility of the company.
13th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
New Videos
Here's a bunch of new videos to distract you from work this morning:
Brakes - Beatific Visions
Windows Media
Real Player
Pigeon Detectives - Take Her Back
Windows Media
Quicktime
Real Player
Voxtrot - Firecracker
Windows Media
Real Player
Gossip - Jealous Girls
Windows Media
YouTube
Maximo Park - Girls Who Play Guitars
Windows Media
Quicktime
YouTube
You can also win tickets to see Maximo Park at Reading here.
13th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet