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Underworld: Two Months Off

“There was a little drawing of a heart next to that, followed by an exclamation mark. The back of his was covered in stuff… stuff like: Brandon is not a very nice guy, but Alex is sooo nice. And that had the exclamation thing too. It was just silly crap that hit the spot. And he let himself be drawn in.”

Music does strange things to me. I’ve listened to this track from Underworld’s 2002 album One Hundred Days Off many times and it’s cool. Beginning with Juanita’s hazy spoken vocals, the chiming cascading bells, then the fade in of the chords that underpin the drive of the song. Karl Hyde repeats “You bring light in” over and over and over and over before he decides on something else to sing: “to a dark place / walking in light / glowing walking in light / gold ring around you / the hues of you / the golden sunlight of you”

It was a nice day today. I was listening to this whilst walking in Inverness. The sun was shining, the air was clear and clean, apart from the occasional spray of weed killer. Things were afoot.

There’s a moment in Two Months Off when the cowbells come in. And yes, I’ve heard this song many times, but it’s never done anything for me. But today, the cowbells came in, Karl Hyde then repeats the vocals and this bowled me over. I felt so much joy at that precise moment I almost fell over. Really, I did.

No Comments | Permalink | Music | Tracks of the Day
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Lady Sovereign: Random

I remember the first time I heard Aphex Twin. This was back when he released Selected Ambient Works: 85-92, a right weird collection of electronic music boxes, some of which were homemade, damaged and downtrodden synths, drum machines, and noise. The result was sometimes impossibly beautiful acid and techno music. Nothing sounded like it back then.

This is the guy I thought of when I first heard Random. Random spills out ideas and arrangements almost without any care. Take the drums: ancient CR78 and 808 sounds which are worked into two sets of instrumentation. The first set recalls the meticulous sound crafting of mid-90s electronica. The second set includes a huge booming sub-bass drum sound that recalls early dark jungle. Everything rambles helter-skelter and on top of this is Lady Sovereign’s insane rapping. It’s funny, deliriously trippy chatter.

Dizzee Rascal was probably the first well-known face of British grime music, who’s first album was an extraordinary accomplishment. Fearless and experimental. I have a feeling that Lady Sovereign will be next when her album comes out late Summer 2005.

Spookily, there are two grime compilations available. Each featuring tracks by a handful of producers. I write ‘spookily’ because they’re released on Rephlex: Richard James’ record label. Oh, and he’s also known as Aphex Twin. The connection was there all along.

No Comments | Permalink | Tracks of the Day | Music of 2005
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Radio 2

Kristin Hersh is going to be on Radio 4’s “Woman’s Hour” tomorrow morning (Tuesday) and also in session on Gideon Coe’s show on BBC 6music the same morning.

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Simple Shopping

Someone on the Ruby on Rails Wiki has started a document to help people set up a Shopping Cart in Rails. This starts off in completely the wrong place: database structure. Never mind what we want the shopping cart to do, let’s plunge straight in with a database.

What does this database contain?

  • Catalogs
  • Items
  • Categories
  • Orders
  • Admins

Gosh, if only life was that simple. Take a look at the database for X-Cart for a comparison. Admittedly it’s a very comprehensive shopping system, but you don’t need to think much about shopping carts to realise that the above structure would be inadequate.

No Comments | Permalink | General Musings
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Yes Please

Microsoft have just published a page on their website to help people decide what Flash player to buy. It’s really so funny.

I especially like point 4: ‘Let a professional make your next playlist’, by which they mean radio. So, um, why not buy a radio.

1 Comment | Permalink | General Musings
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Why High Definition

Manufacturers of high definition television (HDTV) equipment are now getting around to sorting out all the confusion that reigns in the world of HDTV. At present there are quite a few different kinds of HDTV: different standards and different connectors. The industry in the UK has produced a logo to indicate that equipment meets the required standards and connectivity.

BSkyB will launch high definition content in 2006 and will charge a premium for this kind of content. So you can see all your favourite celebrities in their full, sometimes ugly, glory.

It’s a moot point as to whether I would want to view television in HDTV format, although I’ve said to friends that come 2006 I’ll go HDTV. But where do I stick a 42” screen? That would require a significant reorganisation of my lounge, not to mention the purchase of a full home cinema system. It’s worth noting that the industry is happier for people to go for 50” screens.

Then there’s my DVDs. I have a few. More than a few actually. These are all non-HDTV. Would I want to buy my DVDs all over again once they’ve been remastered in HDTV format? Probably not.

In any case, what’s wrong with standard TV? I certainly have no problem seeing films on my 34” widescreen TV. Sure, you get pixellation and artefacts at low light levels. But that doesn’t really spoil my enjoyment. A cricket ball is still a cricket ball in HDTV.

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SL2: On A Ragga Tip

Is it possible to rave in an en-suite with only a bath towel for company?

Yes.

1 Comment | Permalink | Tracks of the Day
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Two dark

Tori Amos left Atlantic Records after fulfilling her album obligations with Strange Little Girls. The whole nasty affair is documented in her book Piece by Piece. I did find it a little strange that she then decided to sign with another major label Sony/Epic rather than go independent. Obviously there would have been financial and marketing reasons. Strange that her new album hasn’t been promoted much in the UK. Call me a cynic then.

Signing with another major label is a bit like deciding to switch from one ‘dark side’ to another. For example:

Fiona Apple completed her third album Extraordinary Machine in May 2003. To date it hasn’t been released. Indeed it’s been shelved by her record company because they think that sales wouldn’t justify the cost of promoting and distributing it. That’s what happens when you make an album that doesn’t have obvious singles. Who is she signed to? That’s right: Sony/Epic. Call me a cynic twice.

Actually, you can call me a realist. Sony/Epic have switched horses to pop and hip-hop which make more money more easily.

Fortunately, tracks from the album have been floating around the internet since 11 March 2005, and there are places you can find the whole album.

No Comments | Permalink | Music
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