Always nice to run into an old friend, especially when they're in rude health as Pixies are. I think I quite like these new tracks which you can download as ep1 and ep2 from Pixiesmusic.com. Black Francis is doing some proper screaming here and the video is a tad horrible, bit horrow show as you would have it. I love the animation, savage cutout work and quite grisly. There's enough darkness in the music to make their return worthwhile.
So, it is a shame Kim Deal isn't in the band anymore. The Breeders have just come to the end of a very long tour for the twentieth anniversary of Last Splash LSXX, it just looks like they had a ball. Really enjoying Kim Deal's Singles Project, this year is already giving up rewards.
Euros Childs has a new song called "Spin that girl around", and it's great. I really love the music that he's been quietly making since Gorkys came to an end. You can download the music for free from his National Elf website. I'm hoping to catch him on tour, in some gigs he's got a full band and at others it's just him with a piano. I don't mind either way, it's all good.
I know I don't post much these days, it's usually a major event, but here's Euros to celebrate my new post as Head of Media and Perfoming Arts. I'm very much looking forward to it all, it's going to be great.
Thoroughly enjoying listening the new Arcade Fire album and spent an hour last night looking through the links of their "enhanced" version. There are youtube videos of various musicians, essays by George Orwell, articles about town planning (the suburbs) and a fair share of internet oddness. It's an insight into the kind of ideas that have influenced the music and it's a bit of fun, a mystery tour.
It's been a very strange summer, some good news, a really difficult time, joy and madness. I've dashed about like a mad thing, making sure all the plates in my life keep on spinning at the top of those sticks. I really fancy a day off for myself, without anything to think about, but I'm afraid it just won't happen. Of course, I think this is ok, and it's what I wanted, to be busy. I just didn't bank on how tired I would get. Although not everything is in my control.
So, I'm loading up the music and I'm going to get a bit of fresh air, then back to fix up the house and maybe watch a film.
A few things I'd like to happen. Like to meet someone who can help me out with the Press. Would like to finish painting the doors white. Would like to get another bike (of course...) Hope that I can have some early nights.
Listen, I'll stop going on about them when the world shapes up. This isn't even their best track. Go seek out Dinosaur Pile Up, see if you can get a copy of Traynor, it's a beast. I'm pretty much a sucker for any band with Dinosaur in their name, Dinosaur Jr...er...Dinosaur Jr (did I already mention?)...etc
This is also the first Soundcloud file i've embedded, I like the way it looks...and sounds.
Super Furry's Gruff Rhys is releasing an album and film with a Brazilian TV repair man called Tony Da Gatorra. Hopefully it'll stream online somewhere, I can't imagine the local Vue is going to show it. Still loving Super Furry Animals after all these years, they still surprise, excite and intrigue me.
Really enjoying this superb video and the equally superb band playing. Seem to be so busy at the moment, with various projects getting off the ground and some exciting news about work. I'm enjoying this time, working with some people with a great sense of their own abilities, extraordinarily generous with their time and immensely encouraging.
Fireworks in the sky all around me as I type, and possibilities are endless.
An amazing film from a group that call themselves Semicondutor. In their wonderful films, they tap into science and visualise the incredible shapes, patterns, sounds and images that sometimes can be seen, but more often is invisible to the naked eye. The films have a lovely feel about them, the one above sparkles with magnetic fields, bouncing and shimmering across the screen like tiny mischievous creatures.