What are you listening to right now?

[Who Shot Sam?]

[johnfoyle]

[Otis Westinghouse]

Jetstream - new Doves song. Free download on http://www.doves.net/ from April Kingdom of Rust LP. Not especially immediate on first listening, but I'm sure the LP will have some immense classics on like the last two did.

[invisible Pole]

[mood swung]

There are about 5 songs I would cut from this, but overall it works really really well I think. In fact, I DARE to say that this is the 00's Rumours.


Yeah, I said that.

[BlueChair]

Picked this up on vinyl yesterday, mostly for framing purposes but decided to give it a few spins before I do that.

[invisible Pole]

Can't get the opening song, There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve, out of my head.
Make of that what you will.

[nord]

[Otis Westinghouse]

Do you like it? How does it compare? Reviews a bit mixed, but I'm keen to get it soon. 'Lucid Dreams' has been praised. Nice photo!

[mood swung]

wish I was.

[invisible Pole]

[Otis Westinghouse]

Aha! I've just been posting the same cover on the recent purchases thread! I said there that all reviews have been pretty negative (3 star, 'this charmless man', it's all plodding and dull, he's lost his edge, ROT was much better, his worst since Maladjusted ...). What say you, IP? The Paris single, at least, is gorgeous, and 'That's How People Grow Up' was OK too.

[invisible Pole]

Yes, I've read a few lukewarm reviews, but after a couple of listens I definitely like the new one much better than Ringleader Of The Tormentors.
ROTT - to my ears at least - tried to sound big and serious, and eventually most of it sounded pompous and dull (imo)
I just find Years Of Refusal simpler but much sharper, more energetic and surely more entertaining.

And as far as reviews go, there are a few quite favourable ones. See here :
http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/morrissey/reviews/12751

[Otis Westinghouse]

Definitely the most positive one I've seen! I normally agree a lot with the the Guardian's Alexis Petridis, who was more lukewarm:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/fe ... of-refusal

But it's funny how Uncut rave about the Carol song whereas he puts it down v cruelly as Big Mouth Strikes Again with Fawlty Towers' Manuel trying to add a trumpet!

Observer Music Monthly also 4 stars:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/fe ... of-refusal

Though the same paper's review section was less thrilled:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/fe ... bum-review

Who cares anyway? Critics either don't review or are entirely lukewarm about Lloyd Cole and Ron Sexsmith's new LPs when they come out, and yet they invariably end up as the things that last longest for me.

Did you get the version with DVD?

For those who can listen to Radio 4 listen again online, there was a fairly lengthy and rather good interview with the man himself on Front Row last night (select Wednesday under 'Listen again' heading):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/frontrow/

And 'Paris' and 'This Charming Man' from Jonathan Ross on BBC iPlayer until tomorrow night:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... Episode_4/

I do believe he hasn't played TCM since the Smiths. Is that right? Rather than Marr's delicate guitar work, it's just straight, hard chords. Nowhere near as good, but it's still great to hear it. I'm sure he'll play it at Brixton (where, of course, The Smiths played their last gig).

[invisible Pole]

I've looked around the net and found these :

"His most vital record since 1994's Vauxhall and I"
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/r ... of-refusal

"His latest songs rival any of his past material"
http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/musi ... sp?ID=1654

"Ultimately, Years Of Refusal will be seen as Morrissey's great 00s album"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/49jw/

"Not since 1992’s Your Arsenal has he combined barbed wit and fast-moving, backward-glancing guitar rock so piercingly"
http://www.avclub.com/articles/morrissey,23852/

So it's not that bad at the review front.

The best news, however - though not officially confirmed yet - is that Moz is coming to Poland this July!
Can't say yet how my summer holidays will look like but I'll do my best to see the guy live.

I'm not sure about TCM being played for the first time since The Smiths. Will have to consult Morrissey's web sites, and there are plenty of them out there.

[Mr. Average]

I am in Delhi , India, after landing in Mumbai on Sunday morning for a couple medical conferences and consults. Heading to Agra in the morning (Taj Mahal). Whilst walking around the LaLit hotel, Delhi (formerly the Intercontinental) last night, I shuffled my iPod out of frustration that I couldn't sleep.

After this sequence, I had a reason not to sleep. Incredible sequence

I Feel My Stuff - Brian Eno and David Byrnne (golden throat David at his best with minimalist sonic landscapes from Brian). Spend 99cents and buy this song.
Starlings - Elbow (a musical catharsis)
Sofa - Frank Zappa (gotta hear it after "Starlings")
Geraldine - Glasvegas
To Go Home - M. Ward
Don't Let Me be Misunderstood - Elvis - The Elvis Costello Show King of America
Contract - Gang of Four
Old King - Neil Young
One Bad Stud - The Blasters
Teen Town - Weatheer Report
Dig Lazarus Dig - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

had to write the sequence down after "to Go Home" on a business card, cause I ma getting old. But it is uncanny how the shuffle fx can sometimes capture a weird sequence for a weird time and pale, and it is perfect...

India - an incredible place to visit if you can stop crying long enough to really see it through the tears.

[mood swung]

I made a playlist out of the songs here
http://www.spinner.com/2008/12/12/best- ... 2008-no-1/

and, because I wasn't paying attention, I got the best of '07 as well, but, hey, they're almost all new to me. Liking: Tegan and Sarah (I was expecting Indigo Girls, the College Years), Kevin Michael, Vampire Weekend and, uh, T. I. & Rihanna.

Please don't tell my kids.

[nord]

Do you like it? How does it compare? Reviews a bit mixed, but I'm keen to get it soon. 'Lucid Dreams' has been praised. Nice photo!

It's ok. Easy on the ear. A little more "electronic", but not exactly groundbreaking. I like the first two LP's better.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Back to Moz, if you take a look at the reaction to the album on Metacritic, it's quite respectable...

http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists ... sofrefusal

[Otis Westinghouse]

Fair enough. I hope it arrives tomorrow (the Lloyd Cole box set arrived today, so that's what I'm listening to now, superbly packaged and entirely essential for any serious Lloyd fan).

[Who Shot Sam?]

The new Neko Case album, Middle Cyclone, streaming for free on NPR.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =100826714

Amazingly, Amazon have dropped their price another $2 to $7.99.

[Otis Westinghouse]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/des ... iscs.shtml

I always try and listen to Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, and I think this weekend's was just about the best selection of music I've heard on it, Subject was David Walliams (of Little Britain fame). It was mostly melancholic fare. I didn't know either the Björk or the Pet Shop Boys pieces, but they were good. What blew me off my feet was the trio of Sunday Morning/Into My Arms/You're a Big Girl Now, three perfect moments. It was the Biograph version of the latter, interestingly. I assume he specified that although he made reference to Blood on the Tracks. The only thing I could have done without was the slightly drippy Sinead O'C version of Cole Porter. He chose Please, Please... as he said it's so short (short enough to play in its entirety on the show) that once it's over you just want to hear it again. Cash was a great way to end.

[ice nine]

The nice thing I like about iTunes is that you can download one song for a buck. During the eighties I had a Heaven 17 cassette, but was not thrilled about all the tracks. I am pleased to announce that I have downloaded Let Me Go and now I can go 'baptoda-baptabop-baptoda-baptodabap' once again.

[mood swung]

selected tracks.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Another lovely album from Andrew Bird. Would recommend it to anyone wanting to hear something a little different (those averse to whistling should stay away)...



"Masterswarm" is a beautiful little creation, with the samba feel and the swelling violin.