Humphrey Lyttleton

I was sorry to hear that veteran trumpet player Humphrey Lyttleton passed away last night. Despite being one of Britain's foremost jazz talents (he was invited to the States in 1968 to play for the crew of Apollo 8), he was also a cartoonist, a calligrapher and a broadcaster. I knew him mainly from I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue, still the funniest panel show ever broadcast on any media. Of course, there's also his appearance on Radiohead's Life In A Glasshouse. Jonny Greenwood wrote and asked him to play on Amnesiac's closing track and the result is phenomenal. I urge people to check out Radiohead performing the song on Jools Holland, with Humph onstage. Here's what he said about the experience:

".... it was very interesting indeed. When they asked me to bring some members of my band along and do something with them for their new CD, I had to ask my daughter who they were. I then met up with Jonny Greenwood and heard a tape of their music. And if you'll pardon the expression, I thought to myself, "What the Hell?" - this is a kind of music new to me and it presented a challenge. In the process I got to appreciate their music and I think they got to appreciate mine and I think that can't be bad."

A young Humph with Duke Ellington

Meghan is a Punk Rocker

Who said this?

Little known fact: I am an insomniac and create playlists when trying to fall asleep on the road so if I create them in excess, please forgive. This playlist is a combination of what's been shuffling around my iPod at the moment. Noonday Underground's "Boy Like a Timebomb" will be stuck in your head after one listen, it's fantastic. I have been a huge fan of The Dead Milkmen since high school ever since an ex-boyfriend told me they would change my life. Other additions including Wilco and Siouxsie and the Banshees are absolute musts.

Any idea? No? Okay, I'm going to tell you - the insomniac, Banshees'-loving, Hornby-emulating girl is none other than Meghan McCain, daughter of current presidental nominee John McCain (R-AZ). McCain, along with two other girls, are documenting the campaign trail over at McCainBlogette, where you can follow an onging feature called Blogette Playlists.

I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't surprised to see Sleater-Kinney, TV On The Radio and Pulp on Meghan's lists. There's nothing odd about a twenty-something woman loving Modest Mouse or Garng of Four or the Stooges - but when you look at who her dad is, I sort of assumed she'd be the kind of person who loves Shania Twain or listens to Bruce Springsteen unironically. Or follow in daddy's footsteps and like ABBA. (Okay, ABBA is awesome. But that quote is just too good to pass)

But c'mon! Even I can't find much to criticise about her music taste. These playlists are actually good, and full of interesting tidbits. Want to know how winning a Florida Primary feels? "It feels like The Doors song 'Break on Through'..." And how appropriate is her choice of Smiths song? (Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want).

This is in no way an endorsement for McCain *shudder*. But hey, we Siouxsie and the Banshees fans are few and far between, so kudos, Meghan McCain!

Oscar Nominations

Here we go. Everyone reading this has probably heard these a thousand times before, but I want to repeat them here. I was on tenderhooks all day yesterday during school, waiting to find out who has made it in.

Best motion picture of the year
“Atonement”
“Juno”
“Michael Clayton”
“No Country for Old Men”
“There Will Be Blood”

Achievement in directing
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Julian Schnabel
“Juno” Jason Reitman
“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy
“No Country for Old Men” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas Anderson

Performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in “Michael Clayton”
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah”
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War”
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild”
Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton”

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
Julie Christie in “Away from Her”
Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”
Laura Linney in “The Savages”
Ellen Page in “Juno”

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There”
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement”
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone”
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton”

Best Original Screenplay
"Juno"
"Lars and the Real Girl"
"Michael Clayton"
"Ratatouille"
"The Savages"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Atonement"
"Away From Her"
"Diving Bell and Butterfly"
"No Country For Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Best Foreign Film
"Beaufort" -Israel
"The Counterfeiters" -Austria
"Katyn" -Poland
"Mongol" -Kazakshtan
"12" -Russia

Animated Film
"Persepolis"
"Ratatouille"
"Surf's Up"

Cinematography
"Assassination of Jesse James" -Deakins
"Atonement" -Garvey
"Diving Bell and Butterfly" -Kaminski
"No Country For Old Men" -Deakins
"There Will Be Blood" -Elswit

Art Direction
American Gangster -Max
Atonement -Greenwood
The Golden Compass -Gassner
Sweeney Todd -Ferretti
There Will Be Blood -Fisk

Costume Design
Across the Universe -Wolsky
Atonement -Durran
Elizabeth the Golden Age -Byrne
Sweeney Todd -Atwood
La Vie En Rose -Marit Allen

Achievement in sound editing
“The Bourne Ultimatum”
“No Country for Old Men”
“Ratatouille”
“There Will Be Blood”
“Transformers”

Best Film Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum -Rouse
The Diving Bell and Butterfly -Welfling
Into the Wild -Cassidy
No Country For Old Men -"Roderick Jaynes" (i.e. The Coen Bros)
There Will Be Blood -Riegel & Tichenor

Original Score
3:10 To Yuma -Beltrami
Atonement -Marianelli
The Kite Runner -Iglesias
Michael Clayton -Howard
Ratatouille -Giacchino

Best Original Song
"Falling Slowly" Once
"Happy Working Song" Enchanted
"So Close" Enchanted
"That's How You Know" Enchanted
"Raise It Up" August Rush

Cause of glee: Laura Linney for The Savages. Having been snubbed at basically every single awards precursor, I had begun to accept that Linney would not be getting her third nomination. But hey, my griping was NOT all for naught! The only tinge of sadness comes from the fact that Angelina Jolie didn't get in for A Mighty Heart, which I loved.
Cause of glum: I know it was a long, long shot that Todd Hayne's would recieve a nomination for I'm Not There, but the slight possibility was always in the back of my mind. Other inevitable lock-outs included Gabriel Byrne for Jindabyne and Kate Bush's original song.
Still fuming: Jonny Greenwood. Argh.
Source of nationalist pride: Ireland's claiming four nominees: the song from Once, Daniel Day Lewis, cinematographer Séamus McGarvey and, of course, Saoirse Ronan.
Source of nationalist distain: Saoirse Ronan is really not that hard to pronounce. Neither is Marion Cotillard, mind you.
Qu'est ce-que? Three songs from Enchanted? Really? "That's How You Know" is the only one that's been in my head at all since I saw the film. That would have been enough, I think (leaving room for Kate. Voilá!)

I'm officially declaring myself Team Affleck, Linney and Coen. The rest I still have to see/decide on.

Top Thirty Songs of 2007

2007 was, I'll say it here right now, an amazing year for music. New albums by some of my favourite artists (Radiohead, Buck 65, the blessed triptych of female rock Polly Jean, Tori and Bjork, solo work from Siouxsie), new discoveries (Feist, The Bird and the Bee, Janelle Monae, Panda Bear), some of the best pop singles of the new millenium and some wonderful live shows made the musical scene a great place to lose a few days, absorbing all the good tunes. We had our missteps (Fergie, Fergie and...uh...Fergie), but overall I enjoyed this year's output more than I have in ages.

Naming my top ten albums is still proving a headache, but I've finally compiled my top thirty songs of 2007. The criteria were loose, my only restriction being the One Song Per Artist gamit, Not all of these were singles and some were even released in 2006, but they were the songs that had the greatest impact on me during the year. I don't profess to have the most finely tuned musical taste in the world, but I know what I like. These thirty tracks represent my tastes; esoteric covers, tearful ballads, pop songs that blazed through my skull, pop culture referential rapping, wit, imagination and, above all, great tunes. Enjoy.

1. “Violet Stars Happy Hunting”
Janelle Monae
It couldn’t be anything else, really. Since I first heard of her in July of this year, there hasn‘t been a day when I haven‘t spun VSHH. I listened to it during my exams, to cheer myself up. I listened to it in the car. I listened to it out walking. It was the soundtrack to most housework and shopping I did throughout the year. It got to the point where I felt guilty for listening to it too much. If Janelle Monae isn’t the darling of the blogosphere this time next year, I’ll despair of people’s ears. The robotic cackle of the intro is only a taster of the sensory assault that’s to follow in the next three minutes. If Michael Jackson circa “Thriller” released “Hey Ya” on the Blade Runner soundtrack in the year 2719 and stored it in a time capsule which was hurled back to the present day in the Tardis…the resulting tune wouldn’t be half the song VSHH is. It sounds futuristic, timeless, tongue-in-cheek and totally earnest. Glittering production, the best vocal work of 2007 and, wait for it, a narrative concept involving cyborgs and drones and a chase and doomed love and something called Electro Daggers. Download, buy, steal, borrow or beg for this song. Damn, she's good. Listen to the song here.

2. “Too Little, Too Late”
Daniel Rossen
The acoustic-version-of-pop-song trend has lost a lot of it’s original appeal. For one, the smug “Aren’t we ironic?” thing grates very quickly and for another, the original songs (Toxic, Breathe, Umbrella) are often a lot more enjoyable and musical than a dour pale bloke with an acoustic guitar. There are exceptions, however, “Too Little, Too Late”, formerly recorded by JoJo and covered earlier this year by Daniel Rossen. Far from being one guy bashing out the tune on an acoustic guitar, it’s a lush production affair. Layered vocals caress the painfully unironic lyrics over a fragile guitar and piano backdrop, drums quietly intruding now and again and driving the song forward with a welcome sense of urgency. The descending guitar line giving way to “I was young and in love” tingles with anticipation and longing. Although fragile and delicate, the song never feels like it’s about to collapse in on itself or suffocate under the singer’s knowing grin (both traps which are laid anytime an “indie” covers something like this). Repeat listens uncover a subtle menace undercutting the sadness. I listen to this song and give thanks for JoJo - a measure of this song’s worth. Listen here.

3. “Out Of Control (Song for Mutya)” Groove Armada.

The introductory note of “Out Of Control” instantly fills me with happiness. Finally out of the series of revolving doors that is the Sugababes, it took Mutya Buena a collaboration with Groove Armada to create the best mainstream pop single of the year. The self-referential vocal, false ending and that squelching fuzzy bass at the song’s into make this the best ‘Babes-related song since “Freak Like Me“. One of the few singles I bought this year (along with The Go! Team, Feist and PJ Harvey), on vinyl with three different remixes attached. Listen here.

4. “1234”
Feist
Wait, hear me out. An iPod advertisement and widespread plays does NOT a bad song make. I admire Feist for letting this song be used in an ad and thus spreading the joy to thousands more listeners than she would have otherwise had. Feist deserves the acclaim she’s finally receiving (it’s been a long time coming) and “1234” was the perfect song to catapult her into the big time. Leslie Feist has one of the most unique voices in pop music, careening, wild, haunted and warm. Something about the lyrics calls to mind “Rubber Ring”, an overlooked Smiths b-side, which is such a positive point of reference for me that I nearly cry every time I hear this song. The song’s best attribute however, one of those spine-tingling, heart-warming moments of perfection, is the rapid piano slide at 2.30. Listen here.


6. “Colleen”
Joanna Newsom
Newsom is so uncool that it aches. Who else would have the blind self-belief it takes to release a 7 minute folk song about a woman realising she was once a whale and release it on an EP called “Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band”? That awful pun alone would alert you to the fact that Joanna does not care a fig what others think of her, and that’s before you examine the lyrics. She’s still the only modern artist I can think of who can use the word ‘perturbed’ without batting an eyelid. “Colleen” is relatively simple in structure, compared to some of the songs on “Ys” but the quiet way it builds up, the odd yelps she squeezes in between verses and the power of storytelling worm it into my top ten, unexpectedly. Watch it live here.

6. “Take Pills”
Panda Bear
“Person Pitch” is a very good album, although I sometimes find it a draining listen. Sounds slip in and out of your headphones, recognisible snippets of a tune siddle in but are replaced by organic dreamscapes, electric drills or what spiritual harmonies. Everything blends in to one another, creating a comforting quilt of an album that could prove smothering in too strong a dose. Sick in bed with a muzzy head, listening to the album and reading “number9dream” was an overpowering experience, to say the least. Everyone fawned over “Bros”, but the second track was my personal favourite. It noodles along unassumingly until the track’s real intention reveals itself, a jaunty pop ditty instructing us to”Take one thing at a time”. Drowned in otherworldly noises and squelches, Panda Bear’s looped vocals are warm, harmonic and unexpectedly sensible. A delight. Watch it here.

7. “1957”
Buck 65
I like Buck 65 a lot, enjoying both his earlier hip-hop stuff and his more recent albums, which pay a heavy debt to Tom Waits and that particular brand of grizzled Americana. I never thought this enjoyment would waver, but he surprised me with his new album, Situation. Not that it’s bad, far from it. It’s purely that the first song (not counting the intro), leads with the lines, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed / Devoid of conviction, conflicted, annoyed” made me almost punch the air with delight. Buck 65 referencing Howl? My brain just about exploded and I fell for this song, hook-line-and-sinker even before he name checks Humphrey Bogart. In a year when I was relatively disappointed by hip-hop, Buck 65 swoops down in a busted Chevy to rescue me. Here's the mp3.

8. “All My Friends”
LCD Soundsystem
Once upon a time, James Murphy penned funny dance tunes about hipsters. The indie world was delighted and they praised Murphy for giving them dance music they could relate to. He got the geeks up and dancing and across the land, Daft Punk were playing at everybody’s houses. A few years later, Murphy grew up and he penned introspective dance tunes about hipsters. Some people didn’t like these as much, but most did and Murphy found himself topping lists all over the internet. “All My Friends” starts off like Steve Reich-lite but when his distinctive sing-talking voice starts, lamenting ageing and growing up and realising your life might have been a waste, I begun to understand where the list-makers were coming from. Whether the people calling this the best song of the year were identifying with the lyrics or just getting blissfully lost in the repetitive keyboards, “All My Friends” stands as one of the most iconic, and sad, songs of the year.

9. “Umbrella”
Rihanna
It was so tempting to stick “Breakin‘ Dishes” at this spot. While everyone who heard “Umbrella” acted like an idiot, dancing ironically with their own raingear, I was a firm believer that there were better songs on Good Girl Gone Bad. “Breakin’ Dishes” is Rihanna’s version of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”, except a little more psychotic. It had a great beat and a giddy little keyboard refrain, but even as I was typing up the short blurb about the song, “Umbrella” came on Windows Media Plater and I had to stop. Disregarding Jay-Zs half-hearted opening, “Umbrella” is an amazing song. Rihanna may profess to be an RnB singer, but I’ve a feeling she wants something else. Remember her sample of “Tainted Love” on “SOS”? The hint she gave there fully manifested itself here; Rihanna loves her dirty synth pop. Quite apart from the lazy, disinterested vocals she’s blessed with, “Umbrella” works because of it’s backing instrumentation. Listen to the synths that kick in after the “Because!” that signals the arrival of each chorus. Inanimate objects were so hot this year (see; “Lipgloss”) and Rihanna’s monster of a chart-topper song (allegedly passed over by both Britney and MJ Blige) was the undisputed champ.


10. “Tears Dry On Their Own”
Amy Winehouse
I was in France when this song first became big and I was so frustrated that I had no means of listening to it. There was a record shop near where we were staying which had “Back to Black” on one of those listening posts and when I discovered it I fell upon the headset, dying to hear this song. Imagine my disapointment when I realised that it only played 30 seconds of each song. Still, I devoured those thirty seconds over and over again. Based on the backing track of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, Winehouse transforms the Gospel song of praise into something entirely different; beaten down, her voice cracking, “Tears Dry On Their Own” is a feel-good song rooted in harsh reality. It could turn into the “I Will Survive” of our generation if we allow it. Whatever else you might think of Amy Winehouse, there is no denying she has a true talent.

So, that's the top ten. Here are my next twenty.

11.“Identity Theft,” Nellie McKay The latest album from the tiny snarky Miss McKay was so hit and miss I'm astounded people weren't injured by her stray arrows. When she's good, she's very good and "Indentity Theft" is her at her very best.

12. “Black History Month,” Saul Williams. Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) tried to ruin Saul's latest album by smothering it in a horrible industrial fuzz. Still, one of the best poets of our generation could rap himself out of a paper bag and he managed to make this a furious, intelligent listen.

13. “Under The Ether,” PJ Harvey I really don't know what's going on with Polly Jean at the moment, whether the air of disassociated melancholy so prevelant on "White Chalk" is her real mood or just an act. Either way, it makes for a haunting, pared-down listen.

14. “Fucking Boyfriend,” The Bird and The Bee. Gratuitous cursing is so fun on sweet indie-pop ditties like this. The Bird and The Bee soundtracked my lazy Summer days, with air trickling in the open window like a drug.

15. “Grip Like A Vice,” The Go! Team. Yes, it sounds exactle like their old album. Yes, it's still brilliant. Feel-good track of the year.

16. “For Reverend Green,” Animal Collective. The standout track from Animal Collective's much admired/discusssed 8th album. Some disliked the way the vocals were brought to the front of the mix; I embraced it.

17. “Break My Body,” Hanne Hukkelberg. A Pixies cover that's better than the original? By a twenty-something from Norway? Awesome.

18. “None Shall Pass,” Aesop Rock. I found the parent album to be a locked door, but this single was the key. The "I Huckabees" namedrop is just the entrygate to Aesop's intelligent, brooding vocabulay-rap.

19. “Everything I Am,” Kanye West. (Alternate title) In which West stops worrying and learns to love his faults. Kanye in an introspective, quiet mood for a change. And it works.

20. “Three Steps,” Paris Motel I don't know much about Paris Motel save for it's one woman who isn't from France. A minor epic which wind swirls and violin scrapes and lyrics about sailing ships to Galway (for some inexplicable reason).

21. “Nude,” Radiohead. If you had told me that I'd ever place a new Radiohead song outside a top twenty, I'd have looked at you in disbelief. Consider yourself scathingly glared at. Even though it's not actually a new song, dating from around OK Computer time, it's the only track I can really get worked up about on In Rainbows.

22. “Say It Right”, Nelly Furtado. It's no "Maneater". What it is, is a lovely slice of melancholic pop, complete with wistful, Timbaland-voiced "Oh"s.

23. “Hot in Herre”, Jenny Owen Youngs. Another cover, this time of the Nelly classic. I'm not sure who Jenny Owen Youngs is, but this cover is a lot of sassy fun.

24. “Heaven and Alchemy,” Siouxsie Sioux. The news earlier this year that Siouxsie had divorced long-time partner and bandmember Budgie shocked me. The couple had been going for years, ever since the Banshees and had released many albums together under The Creatures. She refused to divulge the exact details of their split, but it's all here to see in the lyrics of this (gasp) ballad. Heartache has never sounded lovelier.

25. What’s A Girl To Do?” Bat For Lashes. The Bat For Lashes album kept frustrating me. There were times when I was thinking "This is great...this is great...keepitupkeepitupkeepitup" and then the song would just end flatly. I'm maybe being a bit harsh, because every now and then there would be a song like this.

26. “Big Wheel,” Tori Amos. As time goes by, my feelings towards Tori wax and wane. Sometimes I can't get enough of her craziness, at other times she irritates. Still, having the balls to call yourself a "MILF" in the lead-off single for your new concept album was genius. Too bad the rest of the album didn't follow in this rocking, rollin' vein.

27. “Like A Boy” Ciara. I keep forgetting about this song, even though I loved it when it first came out. Extra bonus points for the hilarious video

28. “Northern State”, Sucka Mofo. Hooray for cheesy female rappers! Okay, Northern State aren't really that cheesy. They're whipcrack funny, smart-alecky, jokey and socially aware. Just wait till you get to the line about global warming...

29. “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows” Justin Timberlake. I know. I know. It's not really 2007. But it's beautiful.

30. “Earth Intruders” Bjork. The album was a frustrating listen, but "Earth Intruders" is the best Icelandic, Timbaland-produced, battle cry against global warming of the year. And that's a fact.

Comment! Listen to the tracks, spread the love, tell me what you think, rag on my taste or tell me I'm wrong.

What you waiting for?

I've been checking Pitchfork daily for their annual Best Music list. I have a love-hate relationship with Pitchfork; they are great for music news and free tracks, but then they write a review like this (pretentious drivel) or this (oh, how funny?). Their approval is notorious for making/breaking bands and theirs is probably one of the most anticipated music lists in the western world (the music press are dying a slow, prolonged death). It's not likely to arrive for a while, but I'm curious. LCD Soundsystem are taking the top spot in lots of lists this year (which I found completely odd, I can't remember the album having any buzz when it came out - though I've finally heard it and it's goooood) with Boxer by The National (which I haven't heard) also proving popular. Will the Gods of Indie Snobbery follow suit? I'm going to hazard a guess and say Battles, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, lil Wayne, Jens Lenkman and Feist are going to figure prominently.

I'm also torn over my own list. Unlike Pitchfork, it's going to be a more subdued affair, with 10 or 15 places instead of 50. But I'm finding it sososo difficult. I was on a forum the other day when I was asked for my top 10 albums of 2007, no rankings necessary. I typed away merrily, clicked out of the screen and then, a minute later, was filled with dread. The list was awful. I'd forgotten half the people I needed to reward, gave spots to albums I only half liked. I was distraught (well, not really, but I was still upset). And that was without ranking them.

Of course, it's not a big deal. I'm not having a major crisis over it, for example. But I would like to know, do I rank Thurston Moore over PJ Harvey???

While I'm deliberating, here are some fantastic music-related photos from 2007 that I nicked from the site.

Sufjan looking like a badass angel

Karen O outdoes herself in the fashion department

The Go! Team

Jarvis Cocker

And her soul walks beside her...

The ending of a film is really important. Unexpected twists are fine when utilised properly (and disasterous when they're lazy or poorly conceieved) but I'm referring rather to the moment when the screen fades to black, usually with musical accompaniment; if it's done well, it can be overpowering, surprising, beautiful, moving, funny or a combination of all three. It goes without saying that music is integral to this process. A good example I can think of is "Imagine Me And You" playing at the end of Adaptation. Another, more recent film would be The Golden Compass. Of course, I knew Kate Bush was contributing a song to the film, but I'd forgotten and so was thrilled when it began to play over the credits. I haven't been that pleasantly surprised during a credits sequence since Siouxsie and the Banshees turned up and the end of the greatgreatgreat Monster House.

"Lyra" was written by Kate especially for the film, and you can tell. Some of the lyrics aren't the greatest ("Lyra...and her face..." is especially laugh-worthy). But she only had 10 days to write and record it, which is a stunning achievement for a noted perfectionist like her. And it is beautiful. Her voice has matured so well, if you listen back to some of the earlier recordings of Wuthering Heights, she sounds like she's strangling herself sometimes (in a good way, of course) but in "Lyra" you can really appreciate her vocals. There's not much of a tune, so if you're a die-hard tunesmith this probably won't tickle your pickle. But for those who appreciate a bit of ambience and fans of Kate Bush will certainly enjoy it (that's two for me, then).

Anyway, the point of this was to look at the songs eligible for the Oscars. The full list can be read with disgust here. There's nary a decent song on there (save for about three or four), so I'm crossing my toes in hope "Lyra" gets a nod. Purely to see Kate at the ceremony, because that woman is downwright crazy and brilliant and it could be the funniest performance since "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp".

I like to be in America...

If I said to you, "It's Aunt Mirta's birthday!", would you care? Probably not. What about Cousin Anita? Thought so. Today marks Rita Moreno's 76th birthday, which is kind of astounding. Not to sound rude, but I had no idea she was so old! She was a welcome addition to the camper-van of celebrities that appeared in Ugly Betty last year (that's where Aunt Mirta comes from). West Side Story is obviously Moreno's masterpiece, showcasing her warmth, her strength of characterisation and her singing talent. Yep, she was dubbed on "A Boy Like That" (my favourite from the film's soundtrack, it's underrated, no?) but that voice you hear on "America" is pure Rita. Soeaking of that country, there's another famous birthday today (Mos Def) who manages to encapsulate the U.S.A. in a piece of art.

I don't believe I've seen any of his films, but I have to give the man a respectful mention because of one piece of music. An album that is so distinctive, so evocative, and so much fun. Filled with heart, vinegar and beats. One that defined a culture. What you talking 'bout, Catherine? Well, I'm talking about "Black Star", the 1998 collaboration album between Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

It's such a strong album, furious and positive and playful all at once. Kweli and Def have distinctive rapping styles, but they work well together. It'd be a stretch to say it's my favourite hip hop album, but it's probably my most important, the formative work in my collection. C'mon,

One two three
Mos Def and Talib Kweli
We came to rock it on to the tip-top
Best alliance in hip-hop, wyahhhhh
I said one two three
It's kind of dangerous to be a emcee
They shot Tupac and Biggie
Too much violence in hip-hop, wyahhhhh.

Airbag

I got tagged! The lovely and enthusiastic Joe (of Joe's Movie Corner) instructs me to undertake this fun meme, whereby I put my media player on shuffle and fire away with these questions. Some of the answers turn out to make an odd kind of sense and others are just plain stupid. Enjoy!

The Rules:
1. Put your music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT (this is in capital letters, so it is very serious.) Catherine's note - I didn't fully stick to that rule, as my playlist in Window's Media Player also contains all my podcasts (NPR, Guardian Bookworm, Mark Kermode etc). When one of these came up, I disregarded it because they're not technically songs.

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY? "Sold Out" by Sleater Kinney, . Uh that seems a little rude of me. Or else really punk rawk.

2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? "Folk Jam" by Pavement.

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? "Love Stoned" by Justin Timberlake. I'm all about the junkies.

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? "They Also Mourn Those Who Do Not Wear Black" by Sufjan Stevens. Cheerful.

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? "I Looked All Over Town", by Magnetic Fields I'm either going to be an explorer, Private Dectective or a homeless person.

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? "Consuelo" by Belle & Sebastian. Shittiest. Motto. Ever.

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? "Washington D.C." by Magnetic Fields I'm going to be president?!? Niiiiice.

8. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS? "I Hate Camera" by The Bird and the Bee Hahahha. Nothing to make of this one.

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? "Good Life" by Kanye West Every morning when I wake up, all that's going through my head is "I, I go for mine, I gots to shine..."

10. WHAT IS 2+2? "Save Me" by Aimee Mann. Funny, that's exactly the thought that goes through my head, sitting in maths class.

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? "One Year A.D." by Feist. This song actually mentions friends, but not in a very positive way.

12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Kennel District" by Pavement

13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? "English Girl" by Eagles of Death Metal. Wrong country.

14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? "Mike" by Xiu Xiu. Okay, so I couldn't really remember this song and so I looked up the lyrics. I have some serious issues, according to the lyrics which I will post in full:

"Dad, what was Nigel supposed to do with your body?
a life that I will never understand
whose false teeth were gently pushed back into your
mouth by your daughter's husband
what am I supposed to do with this?
I feel like I am not nice because sometimes
it is hard for me to think something happy about you
except for that dad, I love you and will always, always miss you
pull my finger-"

15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Oompa Radar", by Goldfrapp. Oh, the innuendo.

16. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? "Peacebone", Animal Collective.

17. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? "Grand Canyon", Magnetic Fields

18. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? "Hate That I Love You", Rihanna. I kind of like this choice. I'm imagining the mourners all grooving, but in a really...mournful way.

19. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? "Kneeling Bus", Pavement. Ah, a Pavement b-side. I can take this to mean I have very esortic, indie and disorganized hobbies. Yup!

20. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? "An Buinneán Buí", Skara Brae. My biggest secret? That I actually listen to trad sometimes.

21. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? "Motivators" by A Tribe Called Quest. Well, they are "motivators". Although whether they bring "Rugged, raw material" is up for debate...

22. WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS? "Airbag" by Doveman

Feel free to mock my musical tastes, empathise with some of the dodgier choices or even better, do your own version!

Friday's Song

I'm not afraid of Nichol's Park
I ride the train and I ride it after dark
I'm not afraid to get it right
I turn around and I give it one more try
I said things that I meant to say
The bandstand chairs and the Dewey Day parade
I go out to the golden age
The spirit is right and the spirit doesn't change

Sufjan Stevens, "Jacksonville"

Halloween Top Ten

I’m going as a hypocrite this year. A few days ago I waxed lyrical about how I can’t make lists, but yet here I go compiling one. I thought about making a top ten favourite Halloweenish films, but I decided it would be too hard to think of ten I really loved. I settled on music, and my top ten spooky-songs. I set myself some conditions, though. There would be no horror film themes (buh bye, Exorcist) and absolutely no blindingly obvious selections (see ya, Monster Mash). Finally, Thriller is forbidden. Now, without any further ado, I now present to you…

Top Ten Sp0o0o0o0o0o0oky Songs that Remind Me Of Halloween

10. The North American Halloween Prevention Initiative - “Do They Know It’s Halloween?”
See previous post.

09. Elvira - “The Monster Rap”
My sole cheesy selection. I’m really a sucker for awful raps and you can’t get any more brilliantly awful than the Vogue-style one that we’re treated to halfway. The rhymes are toe-curlingly awful, but they’re delivered with such gusto you can’t help to go along with her. It’s probably overplayed to hell in some places, but not in my circles.

“Baby there's a monster livin' inside of you, and me!
Baby there's a monster livin' inside just dieing to be free!”



08. Bette Davis - “I’ve Written A Letter To Daddy”
I’ve restricted myself on the movie themes, but sticking this one in was too hard to resist. Is it creepy? Hilarious? Depressing? All three,really, which is where the disconcerting feel comes from. “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” is a favourite horror film of mine (although it’s really not scary at all) and this is the centrepiece. Davis’ creepy ballet-poise, total fervour and terrible warbling voice, with her shadow flickering on the wall, add up to a strange viewing experience. When the camera cuts away to Joan Crawford looking confused and uneasy, we know exactly how she feels.

“I've written a letter to Daddy, his address is heaven above”



07. Sonic Youth - “Death Valley 69”
This whole album could be included on this list. From it’s cover picture of a giant pumpkin to the general Atumnal air, Sonic Youth have never been more season-appropriate. Starts with a howl and a grumbling guitar riff before descending into an art-rawk duet about murdering your girlfriend (or something). It’s a mess, but great to sing along to.

“Deep in the valley
In the trunk of an old car…”



06. DJ Shadow - “Endtroducing…”
I wanted to include David Lynch in here somewhere and thought about including some of the Twin Peaks music. I decided against, though. Instead, I’ve chosen an entire album; the fabulously dreamlike collection of samples by DJ Shadow. It’s an astonishing listen, feels like a messed-up nightmare and ends with The Giant (from Twin Peaks) intoning “It is happening again…it is happening again…”.





05. PJ Harvey & Nick Cave - “Henry Lee”
A little part of Halloween is kind of romantic, don’t ya think? Polly Jean and Nick Cave were probably the strangest/best-suited rock ‘n roll couple ever. Their relationship didn’t last, but it left behind some wonderful music. Solo albums by each detail their love and the subsequent break-up, but it’s hard to get any better than this duet. The harmonies are exquisite, the sense of doomed love palpable (even though the lyrics have nothing to do romance) and in the video, the pair come across as a pair of courting vampires.

“And with a little pen-knife held in her hand
She plugged him through and through
And the wind did roar and the wind did moan”



04. Tori Amos - “’97 Bonnie & Clyde”
Scary. Scary. Scary. Out of all of my selections, this is the one that freaks me out the most. Not just the idea of Tori covering a Eminem song, but the actual song itself is terrifying. She descreses the tempo to a dreadful slowness, wallowing in the domestic violence storyline. Her voice hs never been more full of evil and dread. The Hitchcockian strings in the background, the hint of violence that enters her voice, the keening chorus….*shiver*

“Your dad'll wake her up as soon as we get to the water
Ninety-seven Bonnie and Clyde, me and my daughter”



03. Buck 65 - “463”
Not a conventional choice, perhaps. “463” could be about baseball, could be about small-time life, could be about broken dreams, or could be about nothing at all (which Buck himself has admitted). Still, songs have personal meanings and I immediately associated this with All Hallows Eve. He references Halloween in the first couple of lines and then riffs on a number of topics, but it’s that reference that sticks in my head.

“Why, when I was a kid,
Playing in the ditches
Living in fear of satan and the witches”




02. Talking Heads - “Psycho Killer”
Something a little more funkier, after the last couple of rather depressing choices. Amazingly, this was the first song David Byrne wrote with the rest of the band and it’s one of their most iconic songs. Singing a song from the perspective of a serial killer isn’t anything novel, but it’s Byrne’s pop-eyed delivery and that bass-line that make this song great.

“I can’t sleep because my bed’s on fire
Don’t touch me I’m a real live wire.”



01. Siouxsie and the Banshees - “Halloween”
Obviously. It couldn’t be anything else, really. My favourite band with a song that perfectly encapsulates the holiday. The Banshees, despite their name and style of dress, were never the cartoonish shlock-Goths they’re sometimes made out to be. Their music is rarely morose or overtly-introspective (ie: they have nothing nothing nothing to do with Marilyn Manson or My Chemical Romance) but sometimes the season calls for a bit of spooky self-indulging.

"Trick or treat
Trick or treat,
The bitter and sweet..."



Happy Halloween, all.

List-less

Although something of a music nerd, I was never fully a part of the whole obsessive list-making gig promoted by Nick Hornby and his ilk. Don’t get me wrong, I like reading and debating lists of the top 100 punk albums from 1077, or the worst music videos ever, or whatever. But when it comes to compiling one of my own, I get stuck in a rut and grow bored with my subject matter. List-making is not one of my fortes, it seems inherently both too masculine and too mathematical for me to sink my teeth into. I’m currently mentally assessing the 25 or so films I’ve seen this year and wondering how many will appear on my Best of 2007 list (I hesitate to call it an end-of-year list as there’s no conceivable way I could see all the films I want by January, such a list will probably surface in February, around Oscar-time. That’s how long it’ll take me to catch up on dvds and such.) and I’m dreading the inevitable need to rank one above the other. That’s not to say I never rank things, though - I’ve just found evidence to the contrary.

Whilst going through some old files, I came across a personal list of my top ten albums of all time, circa 2004. There was no real point in compiling a list like this, but I’m glad I took the time to write it back then. It offers up some interesting thoughts. Here’s what it looks like:

1. Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat

2. David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World

3. Nirvana - Unplugged in New York

4. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes

5. Radiohead - Kid A

6. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces

7. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peepshow

8. The Smiths - The Smiths

9. Velvet Underground - VU and Nico

10. PJ Harvey - Stories from the city, Stories from the Sea

Reading over it, I come to two conclusions: despite what I think, my musical taste hasn’t evolved that much in three years, and damn- I listen to an awful lot of white music. There’s not one hip-hop, jazz or soul record on that list, which would definitely change if I were making an equivalent list today. There’s nothing classical, either. At least it’s fairly evenly split between male & female and it’s not confined to just one decade, which is a plus. I’ve got to remember that back then, I had only heard a fraction of the music I’ve heard today. I was in the process of discovering new bands to obsess on and I was in my early stages of worship. The Smiths are still a band I’d swear by, but their self-titled debut isn’t their best album, their most influential one, or even my favourite one. I can barely stand listening to it nowadays, although there are a handful of classic songs, the production is so tinny and poor that it renders them almost unlistenable. I suspect that, at the time of writing, their debut was the only Smiths album I owned; but I was still able to sense that they would go on to create great things. Right now, it’d be a toss up between Meat is Murder or Strangeways for a current placing.

As I don’t distinctly remember making this list, I have no idea whether it’s meant to be in any kind of order. I severely doubt it, as that would mean I put a covers album as my number one album of all time. Famous Blue Raincoat is a great covers record though; and it certainly appealed to the my seriouser-than-thou adolescent self. Having it at number one makes a lot more sense than my number 6 placing; I don’t even own that album and I can’t remember ever liking it that much. It seems inconceivable that I’d rank it higher than Peepshow, an album which would still easily creep into my current top ten. Putting a Bowie album, let alone a fairly mediocre one, at number 2 is just plain ridiculous. David Bowie has never been an artist who I’ve gone ape-shit over - but this list begs to differ. It’s slightly disconcerting - there was once a Catherine who admired Bowie enough to place him at number two in an All-Time-Great list? Whaaa? It’s a feeling akin to meeting my long-lost twin and realising she has 20/20 vision. What a headfuck.

Okay, getting down to the business of making a similar list today, I can see three of those albums holding on (Little Earthquakes, Kid A, Peepshow). Tori Amos has probably never topped her mainstream debut (what a disheartening thought for an artist), Peepshow still gives me the shivers and Kid A is Radiohead’s triumph (stfu about OK Computer). Seven coveted spaces are left and if I wasn’t thinking about it too hard, they’d be filled with Ys, Music for 18 Musicians, Reachin‘, When the Pawn Hits…, If You’re Feeling Sinister, Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony and Rain Dogs.

Excellent. Brilliant. Completed. What's next?

But wait.

I’m still not entirely happy with that (why have I once again neglected jazz? Where is Poses?! No McGarrigles, Paul Simon or George Winston - my childhood staples? Where are Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, PJ Harvey, Bjork and The Smiths?) Even after a few minutes contemplation, even the original three seem wrong; I think Boys For Pele is a superior Tori album, I just haven’t had as much time to grow into it. I've always defended Amnesiac over Kid A. Is Peepshow really my favourite Banshees album?

I’ve never been able to fully commit to a list; my taste is ever changing and too fluid to really pin down (this could be a positive or a negative thing). Even a quick attempt at this kind of thing proves too much of a headache for a Sunday night. Even as I’ve abandoned it, disembodied voices keep bouncing off my skull, telling me I’ve forgotten them (please shut up, Buck 65). If anyone out there has a top ten list they’re perfectly happy with, feel free to share. I’ll read, comment and debate it - just don’t expect me to share mine.

It's Deborah, not Debbie

So, today I met Debbie Harry, or as she now calls herself, Deborah Harry. Or as millions of people around the globe know her, Blondie. Y'know. Her:

Well, nowadays she looks more like this:

She was in HMV Grafton Street for her first ever European signing. Now, I'm really happy she decided to bestow this honour upon Ireland, but she seriously needs to fire her PR company. Why any popstar of her magnitude would chose Dublin for her first European signing is beyond me; but I'm not exactly complaining. Quentin Tarantino was in HMV last night too. It would have been awesome to queue up to see him, shake his hand and say with a big grin, "Hey, Quentin? You're a cunt."

I ended up buying a copy of her new album, Necessary Evil. Which isn't great, but not as over-produced as I had expected. It's no Mantaray, though.

This is basically our conversation (we were in the first ten people to get stuff signed)

Me: Hi. How's it going? Eh, make it out to Catherine please.
DH: That with a C or a K?
Me: That's a C.
DH: Ah. That's my mother's name, Catherine.
Me: Yeah? It's a good name.
DH: It is, yeah. There you go.
Me: Thanks. Okay, cheers, bye!
DH: See ya.

Riveting stuff. She was cool, but very aloof. I didn't have a camera with me - curses.

Cansei de Ser Sexy

C.S.S. flip the trend of “all guys and one girl” that so many indie and rock bands have adhered to throughout the years, by being made up of lots of girls and one guy. This fact, along with the facts that (a) they are Brazilian and (b) they make really fun electro-pop-punk should make you want to listen to them.

There are a number of other reasons why you should like CSS. They are:

C.S.S. like music and pop-culture (“Music is my boyfriend!” they exclaim exuberantly). They want you to enjoy them as much as they enjoy, say, Death From Above 1979. They sometimes drink too much (“Alcohol”) and enjoy being rude to people (“This Month, Day 10”). Drunken buffoons, admitting their own mistakes and prancing around in sparkling leotards? What is this, the 70s? Nope; C.S.S. present their very own brand of joyous, humane disco-pop which has absolutely nothing to do with the en-vogue stylings of Snow Patrol et all. If their album seems to run out of steam towards it’s end, you can’t blame the band themselves. They’d probably be the first to admit it.

“Lets Make Love (And Listen to Death From Above)” is probably their most sophisticated song, but is nicely representative of their general sound. Funky guitar backed with electro beats, garbled English delivered in Lovefoxx’s curiously detached vocals, handclaps, a catchy chorus that grabs you in a headlock and demands you pay attention; this is the C.S.S. sound and woe unto those who attempt to ignore it. Those jaded enough to reel off the bands from whom C.S.S. are derivative of - Le Tigre’s type of female-fronted electro-pop, the way Lovefoxx’s voice sometimes strays in Poly Styrene territory (especially on the second track, “Patins”) - are missing the point; C.S.S. may wear their influences on their multi-coloured sleeves, but they are purely of their time. Indeed, we must look to LCD Soundsystem for a taste of their ironic pop references; witness their hilarious slagging of Paris Hilton, and the emergence of a new internet culture, without which it’s fair to say C.S.S. would have floundered into Brazilian obscurity. Within the blogosphere, a whole global community of disco-depraved indie kids can revel in the joys of Cansei de Ser Sexy.

Sleepless long nights, that is what my youth was for

If one single album could represent an entire holiday, the musical score to my three weeks spent idly in France would be signified by Feist’s The Reminder. I bought the former Broken Social Scene member’s second album on my second or third day there, in a pleasantly crowded FNAC store in Paris. I knew the album fairly well when I bought it, having previously acquired it by less than legal methods (ahem…) but I usually have to own a physical copy of the music to be able to fully connect with it. It isn’t such a matter of being Old Skool as it is being lazy, it’s easier to “get into” an album when you have all the accompanying paraphernalia to guide you along; jewel case, artwork, booklet, that shiny silver disc. There’s a time and a place to wax rhapsodic on liner notes, but this isn’t it.

Listening to The Reminder, feeling stoned on the music and the lightness of air, my sleepy-sick tiredness and the heat and noise of the Paris streets clattering through the open windows of our apartment, I promptly decided that this was one of the best albums of the year so far. Not only is it a ballsy, beautiful collection of songs with maturely rendered instrumentation, but The Reminder has an easy flow which is a rarity in a modern album. Radiohead’s last effort Hail To The Thief was filled with great songs, but it was also stilted and bloated. There was no continuous link binding the songs together; or if there was, it was sequestered away in Thom Yorke’s head. Feist’s themes may not be grandiose, love songs and rocking out with your friends aren’t going to shatter the earth, but she maintains roughly the same tone throughout. Never mind that “SeaLion Woman”, a rollicking Nina Simone cover, packs a wallop greater than, say, “The Water” but they are not so dissimilar to create a noticeable jump. The Reminder is 13 sophisticated pop songs, united by deft instrumation and the weird, keening thing that is Leslie Fiest’s singing voice. If she can’t quite reach every note perfectly, if she sometimes snags over the lyrics, this only adds to the intimate feel of the album. It’s more polished than 2004’s Let It Die which has attracted criticism (see: Stylus Magazine’s review) but it is also more musically centred. Let It Die has fabulous songs (and The Reminder has not got a BeeGees cover, which is always a bonus) but it does not have the vision that The Reminder posesses. Roughness and lo-fi productions have always been praised in music circles, but that does not mean a well-produced album is a negative thing. Feist is a legitimate indie singer; but she’s smart enough to get good people working alongside her, and has the sense of humour to have fun with it. The Reminder is the sound of a singer being totally at ease with herself. All you haters can go screw you'selves!


As for the songs themselves now, it’s hard to imagine where to start. The pure burst of happy nostalgia that is “1234”, the shy sweetness of “Brandy Alexander” and the sultry stomp “My Moon, My Man” all vy for my favourite song on the album, but my preferences are in a constant state of flux. One moment I’ll decided that “Limit To Your Love” is one of the best things she’s ever done, the next moment I’m dying for a blast of “SeaLion Woman”.

The French love Feist, and she loves them right back. The Reminder was recorded mostly in Paris and therefore it’s fitting that it was in Frogland that I grew to love it, along with Let It Die. The feeling of companionship and camaraderie that is scattered through the album (Feist is quite happy to share song writing duties and handclaps with her friends and fellow musicians) was mirrored in my own listening experiences of it; over the course of our holiday my whole family grew to love the album as much, or even more, than my own appreciation of it. I’ve expressed elsewhere that I can only consider albums amazing if they transcend themselves and reach out into my everyday life. If I don’t have a tangible experience with it, no matter how great the songs, I can’t claim to love it. All my favourite albums have some personal memories attached to them. It’s safe to say that The Reminder has shot into my personal favourites.

And now, for your listening pleasure, The Mixed-Up Files presents Feist. Enjoy!

For a minute there, I lost myself.

Two bits of musical goodness for a wet Thursday morning.

Firstly, the wonderous 10th anniversary of OK Computer is celebrated over at Steregoum with a free, downloadable cover album featuring 12 lesser-known indie groups covering each track from Radiohead's seminal 1997 masterpiece. I haven't heard it all yet, but the few tracks I've listened to so far are great. Check it out (and await their next album with impatience, I think they've finished with it but just need a label to release it.) I can't really believe it's been four years since Hail To The Thief.


Secondly, I see that the PJ Harvey new album has been confirmed and the tracklisting is up over at Pitchfork. It's due in September, which is when Siouxsie's is due also. 2007 is shaping up to be a great year for female musicians - Bjork, Tori Amos, Feist, Joanna Newsom (she released an EP this year), Rihanna and a couple others. The new Peej album should be a good'un. I read someplace that'll it'll be a quieter, more introsepective album than her last. Whatever, she rocks. Here are two different sides to her:



Angry/rawkish Polly Jean



In love/poppy Polly Jean

Cannot wait! Music has been great this year. Apart from the singers I've mentioned above, we've had The Shins, Battles, Animal Collective etc.

Pop Quiz

What do these three artists have in common?

Bill Bailey

The Shins

Rufus Wainwright

Answer: Yours truly shall be gracing their presence in the coming months. Rawk.

Summer in the city...

Incroyable! I've been tagged. Thank you kindly, Emma. This is my first one.

On y va:

01. Name movies you watch every summer.
Let's ignore the fact that summer should probably be about getting outside for some fresh air, as the weather has been uniformly awful for the past three weeks. Lots of children's films are coming to mind, especially old Disney stuff and newer Pixar. Last summer heralded the momentous occasion of my first introduction to the magic of Moulin Rouge!, which I watched 5 times over two weeks, so that was a definite summer movie for me.

02. Songs that remind you the most of summer.
This is a much easier question than movies, because music can be the soundrack to lazy afternoons at the beach or in your garden, staying up to watch the sunrise and obviously, summer music festivals. I saw Radiohead/Beck/Deerhoof during one summer and The Pixies/Kings of Leon during another, so they will obviously be on my playlist. Godspeed You! Black Emperor are the best choice for listening to when the sun is just rising. Pavement are perfect for lazing out the back and drinking ice-cold beverages. Then rap stuff like Digable Planets and Jurassic 5, plus the obvious pop music. Nelly Furtado, Girls Aloud, Kanye West. Rhianna's Umbrella is to 2007 as Shakira's Hips Don't Lie was to 2006.

03. What was the favourite summer holiday you ever went on?
Probably the tiny French village of Monpezat-de-Quercy, which we went to two years in a (2004/5). I love that little village like I grew up there; the shady lanes leading up to the piscine, the old well in the secluded park, the tiny church, the shops, everyone who lives there. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

04. Your favourite airport reads.
It's a tradition for me to read Empire magazine in the airport, but other than that it's usually just whatever I'm reading at the time. My books don't tend to be seasonal.

05. Are you a sunbather?
Is Brian Cowen an all-round decent guy?

06. Your ideal holiday destination this Summer that you haven’t been to before.
I was about to say New York, but I'd rather visit the Big Apple in the wintertime. Still, I really want to stroll down some fancy New York streets in a pair of shades, blaring some hp hop through a boombox. So yeah, NY.

07. Describe your Summer of 2006 in 10 words or less.
We're stuck in a caravan. Bricfeasta Reidh! Blah Shelter. Zidane.

08. What Summer movie must you see this year?
The Simpsons. Ratatouille. Hairspray.

09. Which Summer changed your life?
I have no idea. Probably the ones in Montpezat.

10. Do you like the beach? What do you bring to the beach with you?
Despite an aversion to sand and hot weather, yeah I do. You're going to need supplies though. Blanket, lots of bottled water, snack food, some sort of portable music device, sunblock and then something completely inappropriate, like a lifesize frisbee. Wow. How rad would that be? *imagines*

11. Your earliest memory of a Summer holiday.
I remember my first trip to France when I was four, but only barely. Playing cards and listening to Blur with my cousins in Co. Clare when I was about 6/7 is my strongst summery memory. Those holidays rocked. My sister and I joined with my three male cousins to form a sort of Oasis tribute band called The Hairbands. We rocked the house, I'm telling you.

12. And finally, what do you intend on doing this Summer?
I might might be joining a tennis camp. Which could result in the old "...hilarity ensues" chesnut. France in August. And plenty of sleeping! Whippeeee!!

I tag Ann Marie, Damien, Emily Rose, Eegah and Doppelganger.

"Love is a Mix Tape" by Rob Sheffield

This post is long overdue, but as it's the weekend I thought I may as well write it up.

Catherine loves this book!

There are some books that grab you from the first glance, a startling opening sentence, paragraph or chapter. Books that from the moment you begin to read them, you know you are going to love. "Love is a Mix Tape" is one such book. From the opening paragraph, I was hooked.

"The playback: late night, Brooklyn, a pot of coffee, and a chair by the window. I'm listening to a mixtape from 1993. Nobody can hear it but me. The neighbors are asleep. The skater kids who sit on my front steps, drink beer and blast Polish hip-hop - they're gone for the night. The diner next door is closed, but the air is still full of borscht and kielbasa.

This is where I live now. A different town, a different apartment, a different year.

This mixtape is just another piece of useless junk that Renee left behind. A category that I guess tonight includes me."

The maudlin tone, the hint of doomed romance, the music and the New York setting; this book knows all the right buttons to press to make me fall in love with it, and fall I swiftly did, reading it in one sitting during the last midterm (told you this post was overdue).

Rob Sheffield is a music journo who has written for Rolling Stone and various other publications. He is the type of person who lives his life immersed in music, from his childhood playing Beatles records with his dad, to his adult life, in which he has made a living out of it. It has informed his decisions, his friends, his social status and his lovelife.

Rob met his soulmate, Renee, in a bar in Virginia. They bonded over their shared love of the band Big Star and got talking. In time, they fell deeply in love, moved in together and got married. He was a shy Irish-American nerd, she was a loud Southern girl with a flamboyant style of dress, but the love they had is something so sweet, so pure, so true that it breaks your heart as you read on, and discover that Renee died in 1997. With this memoir, Sheffield chronicles his life before, after and especially during his time with her, documenting each chapter of his life with a mix tape - selections of songs that he listened to that now conjure back memories, some harsh, some sad, some funny, some sweet.

Reading this book, I was listening to Sleater-Kinney. I remember it quite clearly, because I went over to my shelves to especially look for Dig Me Out. At one point in the book, the song "One More Hour" is written about, "the saddest Sleater Kinney song ever", in relation to Renee's funeral. I hadn't listened to the band in a long time, but this book helped me to rediscover them. There are numerous references to bands and singers throughout the memoir, some of whom I'd heard of, some who I already loved and some who I hadn't a clue about. As well as the story of one man's love for his wife, "Love is a Mix Tape" is a first hand account of the American indie scene in the early 90s. The growth of grunge, Pavement, the rise of Nirvana and Kurt's death; these are all touched upon, and it is a pleasure to read about the time period in such an approachable style.

Somewhat astonishingly, Sheffield never descends into sickening self-pity. Yes, his young wife died suddenly, but he manages to handle the sad chapters with good grace and bittersweet humour. Many places of the story had me crying, but there are laughs to be had and by the end of it I felt utterly satisfied. Throughout the course of it's short 220 pages, I became fast friends of Rob and Renee and the life they built around music.

Finally, my own personal "No real connection but they're all songs I'm digging on this Friday playlist"

1. Laura Nyro, "Time and Love"
2. The Bird and the Bee, "Fucking Boyfriend"
3. Regina Spektor, "Hotel Song"
4. Sleater Kinney, "Combat Rock"
5. Tori Amos, "Muhummad My Friend"
6. Rufus Wainwright, "Poses"
7. Fiona Apple, "Extraodinary Machine"
8. Girl Talk, "Bounce That"
9. Joanna Newsom, "Inflammatory Writ" (SHE'S ON JOOLS HOLLAND TONGHT!!!)
10. Justin Trousersnake, "What Goes Around"

Happy weekend, y'all.

Tori Amos - "American Doll Posse"

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