Sunday, 31 August 2008

Crimewave-crystal castles

I do not have much to say about this song save for the fact that I love it. Also, I saw it perfectly placed the other day in a television series to great effect (the name of which I won't reveal as it would expose my shocking taste in television). This definately inspires a top-five list of well-placed songs in television series' but this will require more thought than I am able to muster right now.

Besides for its indistinguishable lyrics and hook that reminds me of the skype-ringtone on speed, my all time favourite fascination with this song is how it fucks out at the end.

Tuesday, 26 August 2008

You must be a masochist

'Is that you in front of me, coming back for even more of exactly of the same....'
Frightened Rabbit, The Modern Leper.
http://www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit

Glasgow band Frightened Rabbit have exploded into my life and my heart at a crucial point in my 20-something existence. Firstly, they arrived at a point when my South African accent has subtly switched from saying Glaaaaasgow to the classier and infinitely more British Glahs-gow (and I now have occasion to show this off). Secondly, their self-loathing and desperate lyrics accurately relfect the barren landscape, the emotional ice-age of my era as a single woman living in London.

Where acts like Alphabeat and the Ting Tings have dizzied the British live music scene with their bright colours and ironic peppiness, bands like Frightened Rabbit bring back that which is essential to these here Isles...rain-soaked cracked, northern accented vocals that are as bitter as haggis and as disarmingly attractive as ginger hair.

The Modern Leper is the opener of their new album midnight Organ Fight. The song's quiet intro of lulling strumming and a secure drum(off)beat coaxes the most delicate of indies into what is ultimately a brazen bleeding heart rock anthem.

'You must be a masochist, to love a modern leper on his last leg.'

In honour of the modern leper I will list my top-five books (in no particular order) that rip my heart open:

1. A million little Pieces -by James Frey
2. Shantaram-Gregory David Roberts
3. A thousand splendid suns-Khalid Husseini
4. Life of Pi-Yann Martel
5. The curious incident of the dog at night time

This is a pretty standard top five list. Ugh, I promise there will be more and they will definately improve!

Galaxy of the lost

I was walking to the station this morning, listening to the new song love-of-my-life when I had a depressing thought...what if one day I lost this song? What if I deleted it off my iTunes during an over-enthusiastic clean-out or simply forgot about it....or worst of all played it so often that the opening chords made me skip to the track? I hear the term 'throwaway society' being bandied around a lot lately...towards clothing, food and relationships. We have too much choice, we're always looking for a better version...some product band or person that is more reflective of the multi-facted beings we think we are.
But enough sermon. I am a throwaway person. I go through clothes like I do underwear. I go through underwear as I do men. Let me encourage a thriftier nature by at least saving my songs. So this a chronicle, a dedication of songs that make me happy...hopefully whoever reads this will listen to and even like a few.