September song

...And the award for the most obvious song to post on a music blog on the 31st August goes to... me!



The Field Mice - September's Not So Far Away mp3

Ride on time

Hello. I'm back (clearly).

How good is this?



(stretches arms out wide) This good!

Managed to find that on someone's MySpace page, by the way. If you try to watch the same video on YouTube you get the pictures but no audio and this message underneath, which will be familiar to anyone who's tried to watch more than about three music vids on that website: NOTICE: This video contains an audio track that has not been authorised by WMG. The audio has been disabled.

Gah! Such contempt for music lovers, the vast majority of whom will have paid for the actual music at least once (I own Chelsea Girl two times over, on CD single and on the Smile compilation). I genuinely don't think I could be more offended if they added the words "Now fuck off" at the end of that pompous snook cock of a notice. Anyway, arseholes!

Swedish Indie/Pop 3 (Spotify Playlist #7)

They come around about as often as an M.P. when there's no election on, but I've finally managed to compile another Swedish Spotify playlist for your listening wos'name.

The 15 Movie Questions Meme

Stolen from Sunset Over Slawit, who stole it from Sunday Stealing who stole it from someone else, I dare say. I hope we're all very proud of ourselves.

1. Movie you love with a passion.

Gregory's Girl. "Don't touch that ravioli - it's gar-bidge!"

2. Movie you vow to never watch.

A Clockwork Orange. I'm aware of the eyelids/matchsticks scene and would find it a bit of a tough ask to sit through, if I'm honest.

3. Movie that literally left you speechless.

Paths of Glory. Early Kubrick (him again) anti-war classic with Kirk Douglas. Have you seen it? It left me reeling (oh, er, and speechless, obv).

4. Movie you always recommend.

Office Space. Fantastic comedy about the futility and soul-destroying monotony of office life - two years before The Office. Originally recommended to me by young Spike of this parish too.

5. Actor/actress you always watch, no matter how crappy the movie.

Michael J Fox. He's one of those rare talents with the ability to make anything he appears in, at least 50% more enjoyable than it would be with most other actors in the role.

6. Actor/actress you don’t get the appeal for.

David Cameron. Right, voters?

7. Actor/actress, living or dead, you’d love to meet.

Audrey Hepburn. I used to have a huge crush on her, till I found out she was forty-odd years older than me, and dead. She lit up the screen though.

8. Sexiest actor/actress you’ve seen. (Picture required)



9. Dream cast.

James Stewart, Bob Hoskins, Katharine Hepburn and Bill Murray.

10. Favorite actor pairing.

Fred Willard and whoever it was that sat alongside him during the judging bits of Best In Show. I've seldom laughed so hard.

11. Favorite movie setting.

Local Hero. Somewhere on the west coast of Scotland with a gorgeous landscape and a fantastic view of the northern lights.

12. Favorite decade for movies.

When I was young: the 80s. Now: I'm quite partial to the 50s.

13. Chick flick or action movie?

Action movie. I'm a boy.

14. Hero, villain or anti-hero?

I'm holding out for an anti-hero.

15. Black and white or color?

Black and white, mostly.

Tsk! I dunno about 'meme', readers. 'Mememe' more like.

Frida Hyvönen - Dirty Dancing mp3

Song of the Day

OK, so it's not actually wet outside (not here anyway) but it is a Wednesday afternoon and this is one of my favourite songs, so two out of three ain't bad (to borrow a phrase from Meat Loaf). What a song too!



The Siddeleys - My Favourite Wet Wednesday Afternoon mp3

New balls

With less than three weeks to go before the start of the English Premier League football season, there's never been a better time for me to trot out the same old guff about there being less than three weeks to go before the start of the English Premier League football season. And also to add that this means it's, inevitably, fantasy football time again, and the sixth annual Group of Death!

If you played last season and are using the same log-in details, you should be re-enrolled automatically once you sign up here.

But in case you're not, or if you've never played before, simply enter the following code in the "Join a league" bit of the "Leagues" section:

63018-23777

and voila! Bob's your uncle, Sally's your aunt and you're now officially 'one of us'. God help you!

Match of the Day Theme mp3

Floodlit Rugby League Theme mp3 (There you go, Spike!)

(Confusingly, and thanks to a glitch with the program I uploaded them to, it appears the above files are mislabelled as "A Question" of Sport and "Pot Black" respectively when you go to download them. But I assure you they are actually Match of the Day & Floodlit Rugby League!)

Three of a Kind #114

It's always a pleasure to chance upon one of the old Indie Top 20 compilations on one's travels - and that's exactly what happened to yours truly the other day when I got Volume 6 on CD for a quid in a charity shop. I already had this one on vinyl and if I'm honest it's not my favourite in the series - there are eight or nine songs on here that I could happily live out my days without ever hearing again - but it does house a handful of gems, three of which I've selected below.

So we've got David Gedge and chums giving us a French version of Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now? (Tres bien! Ou est la bibliotheque? etc), the Colorblind James Experience thinking about relocating, and Sandie Shaw still clinging on to some indie credibility in the wake of her collaboration with the Smiths some five years previously. If this had been Five of a Kind, Bradford and The Parachute Men would have made the cut too. But hey, that's showbiz.

1 Pourquoi Es Tu Devenue Si Raisonable? - Le Cadeau De Mariage
2 The Things You Want - Snapdragon
3 The World Is Ours - Rose of Avalanche
4 Rent Act - Wolfhounds
5 Butterfly - Inspiral Carpets
6 Rain of Ruin - Suicide
7 Black Sun - Loop
8 This Is Not Blasphemy - Christian Death
9 Pas Mal - Young Gods
10 Revolution - Spacemen Three
11 Transcendental - Bam Bam, Shamen
12 Headhunter [VI] - Front Two Four Two
13 Voodoo Ray - A Guy Called Gerald
14 Tangiers - Screaming Trees
15 Blow Up - The James Taylor Quartet
16 Dodging Around in Cars - Bradford
17 Nothing Less Than Brilliant - Sandie Shaw
18 Sometimes in Vain - The Parachute Men
19 Considering a Move to Memphis - Colorblind James Experience

Le Cadeau De Mariage - Pourquoi Es Tu Devenue Si Raisonable? mp3

The Colorblind James Experience - Considering A Move To Memphis mp3

Sandie Shaw - Nothing Less Than Brilliant mp3

New album from Jelle Paulusma

For obvious reasons it's been a pretty depressing weekend, so I think some optimistic music is called for to lighten the mood a tad. In which case, cop a load of this.

Jelle Paulusma - A Little Better Every Day mp3

Erstwhile Daryll-Ann frontman Paulusma has released a new, third, solo album, Up On The Roof - which, sadly, is proving nigh-on impossible to get hold of here in the UK. The Dutch iTunes store have it, though, if you have an account with them. (Ridiculously, a UK iTunes Store account isn't sufficient to enable you to buy it.)

You can, thankfully, stream the album in the handy widget-type thing below, however, which is something at least.

Misogynists Only

Can't decide which item of clothing pisses me off more - the "I ♥ Slags" t-shirts currently for sale in Sports Direct or the monstrosity above - which we snapped (not literally, alas) in a gift shop in Hastings. I mean, I'm no Emmeline Pankhurst but this is almost enough to make me want to chain myself to some railings in protest or something. In denim dungarees.

Honestly, it's beyond moronic, and induces a complete sense of humour failure in me - or at least it would if there was anything even remotely funny about it. How low would a person's I.Q./opinion of women/self-esteem (delete as applicable) have to be to find something like that even mildly amusing? Eh?! It's not even funny in an ironic way, like the Wurzels or piles.

Anyway, bollocks!

Lucky Soul - Struck Dumb mp3

Pelle Carlberg - Bastards Don't Blush mp3

World exclusive...

Another scoop for the Kent and Sussex Courier! (Thanks, Spike!)


Brian Appleton - Lucy, You've Got The Wrong Wardrobe mp3

Time for heroes

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No - it's Cheapo Cartoon Man!



Janis Ian - Fly Too High mp3 (sounding good!)

Cheapo Cartoon Man is from the late-70s/early 80s LWT sketch show End of Part One, which starred, among others, Denise Coffey, Fred Harris and Sue Holderness. You can watch every episode, gratis, here.

Never Buy The Sun - Billy Bragg

I know Billy's largely preaching to the converted with this one but still, god love him.



Billy Blogg

I despaired at that stat about them printing five million copies of the final edition of the News of the World - ie twice as many as usual - this weekend, by the way. I mean, really, who in their right mind would want to get their hands on this shit after what's come out this week - last issue or not?

Still, I'm sure the NotW's readership will have appreciated the tribute to the (presumably) once respectable old rag from George Orwell that was printed on the cover. Or would have done had they had the slightest idea who he was. Actually that's a bit unfair; I'm sure they know exactly who George was. Pink hippo, comedy foil to Zippy on Rainbow. That's the one. Anyway, good riddance to bad rubbish (no, not George and Zippy!). Let's hope The Sun also sets for good soon.

Song of the Day

"The real dance song is "Cross Bones Style." I'm thinking of making that the single and doing a full-on "Lucky Star" style video. Like Madonna, dancing in a white room. I'm sure I'll chicken out though." - Chan Marshall, 1998.

Later that same year...



But really, how great is that (the song and the video)? It's strange but I can pretty much take or leave every Cat Power album prior to 1998's Moon Pix (from which Cross Bones Style is taken) and after 2000's The Covers Record, yet I absolutely love these two and would pass a law that every household in the land should own at least one copy of each, were I to ever come to power. (I'd be an otherwise benevolent dictator leader, though, honest! Vote for me!)

Compare and contrast Madge's Lucky Star vid here

What they did on their holidays

Acid House Kings have released the second single from their excellent new album Music Sounds Better With You, as a free download. It's called Under Water and it's accompanied by this smashing home videos-based promo.



Download the mpfree

Buy the album

More water-based Swindie pop fun below!



Eggstone - Water mp3

Three of a Kind #113

At the time of typing there are still a few hours of the UK's mini heatwave to go*, so if I hurry I might just get this Swedish summer-related Three of a Kind out there before winter sets in.

Popsicle - Summer (Weekend Remix) mp3

Hello Saferide - I Thought You Said Summer is Going to Take the Pain Away mp3

The Wilson Hospital - Midsummer's Ball mp3

*That's except for viewers in Scotland. And Northern Ireland.

In other news, goodness me but the BBC's TV coverage of Glastonbury was poor this year, wouldn't you say? A rare, albeit unintentional highlight for me was the following, extremely awkward exchange between presenters Lauren Laverne and Zane Lowe after Beyonce's set on the main stage last night. If you're a twitterer you'll doubtless have seen or heard all about this already, but it merits another mention here regardless as it is genuine car crash TV gold. Gets funnier the more you watch it, too.



Wouldn't have happened on John Peel's watch!

My one concern in all of this is, now that this pair have stuffed it up, Fearne and Reggie are probably next in line. Be afraid...

They don't make 'em like this anymore...

Enough respect and a sizeable mention to Spike for pointing me in the direction of this rather wonderful clip, taken from Mama Cass's television programme in 1969. Cass, Joni Mitchell and Mary Travers perform I Shall Be Released.



By the way, in case you're not sure who Mary Travers is, she was one of Mary, Mungo and Midge.

What?