Friday, 24 February 2012
Leaving On A Jet Plane
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Greece is the word
Friday, 17 February 2012
Clear Eye Clouded Mind
I've enjoyed the output from American band Nada Surf for some time. Their last album 'Lucky' was a true masterpiece, chock full of great melodies and vocals, coupled with a crisp and full production not always evident on previous releases. So I was really looking forward to their new album 'The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy' and for the most part I'm not disappointed. Aside from a couple of filler songs, it's bang on the money again. Lead man Matthew Caws is again the star with his versatile and distinctive voice. The fact that he has now relocated to Cambridge in the UK, from his native New York, only adds to the way I relate to his lyrics, which are clearly personal and usually thought-provoking. Not to underestimate the contribution of his two fellow band members who are once again on fine form. They've been producing quality output for 20 years now and the standard hasn't dipped. Not many people have heard of them and I kind of like that...a hidden gem of a band just for me. But it would be mean not to share them a little.
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Non stop noise
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Off his roja
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Strange days indeed
In the gym I listened to Craig Finn's new solo album 'Clear Heart, Full Eyes'. And very good it is too, mixing Finn's usual lyrical storytelling with a diverse musical soundtrack, certainly far less full-on that his usual band The Hold Steady's full frontal musical attack. Must be something about solo albums at the moment, as I'm still regularly listening to Noel Gallagher's 'High Flying Birds' album, which is exactly what you expect from Noel, but strangely addictive, probably down to him writing his best tunes since 'What's The Story, Morning Glory'...which is a very long time ago (nearly 17 years!!). Maybe he had a point to prove with someone.
Finishing the day by watching the Black Country derby on TV, it's the Sky coverage but I'm not paying for it (although I suppose it's in the room price). Later it's Villa v Man City, with a bit of luck the Midlanders will prevail but I suspect not...