I Ovle 2005: Day 12: HEY HEY HEY MY MY MY

Dec 12, 2005 · 1 minute read Junior Senior — Take My Time

Thus answering that long-asked question "what would happen if you took a BBC Radiophonic Workshop TV theme, slapped a dancebeat to it, and roped in Kate Piersen from the B-52s (and obviously, of Shiny Happy People Infamy)?"

The answer turns out to be "surprisingly fun, actually."

Icy Webs

Dec 11, 2005 · 1 minute read

So cold, even the spiders were hiding.

I Am The Night!

Dec 11, 2005 · 1 minute read

Batman keeps a watchful eye over Legotown…

Not Only But Also…

Dec 11, 2005 · 1 minute read

I blame Girls Aloud’s rather poor chart placing (#11), solely down to the fact that Amazon are being slackers about sending my copy out…

(although, we can hope that The Darkness joke may in fact be coming to a long-overdue end, with their album disappearing down the charts this week)

I Love 2005: Day 11: The Death of Optimus Prime

Dec 11, 2005 · 3 minute read William Campbell & Kevin MacNeil — Local Man Ruins Everything

Stornoway. I was born in dismay. I have brain-scars like scratches on an old LP Rush, Rainbow, Ian Gillan, AC/DC They all fall away to 'I'm telling on you' singsonged In playgrounds that now seem haunted to me.

Look at it this way. I'm sorry. You look at us, you listen to us You think we're worthwhile Because we've conquered the world But I raise a toast to the Local Man Who Ruins Everything. (The Local Man Who Ruins Everything.)

Are we always destined to be frustrated? Shall we always arrive there late? Tell me God there's more to life.

Stornoway, I was always that way. The girls pulled my hair, skip-rhymed away Into something like today. Memory's like a teacher, it never goes away. I still believe Mac an t-Sronaich will kill me on a Sunday.

Look at it this way. I'm sorry. Don't look at us, don't listen to us. When they put a camera in my face I said Caite bheil an Dalai Lama againn fhin? And raised a toast instead to the Local Man Who Ruins Everything. (The Local Man Who Ruins Everything.)

Are we always destined to be frustrated? Shall we always arrive there late? Tell me God there's more to life.

Orange crush and cheeky chips. The Country Dancing that brought us hip to hip It's all gone now, we live for the kicks Of a football team, of a national dream. I feel lost in the losses of our relationships.

Look at it this way. I'm sorry. You look at us, you listen to us You think we're worthwhile Because we've conquered the world But I raise a toast to the Local Man Who Ruins Everything. (The Local Man Who Ruins Everything.)

Are we always destined to be frustrated? Shall we always arrive there late? Tell me God there's more to life.

The wet smell of trees and metallic beers in the Castle Grounds those ruinous years showed us failure's like nostalgia, just, insincere. It happened there, it brings us here. There is nothing but We're here. We're here.

Look at it this way. I'm sorry. You look at us, you listen to us You think we're worthwhile Because we've conquered the world But I raise a toast to the Local Man Who Ruins Everything. (The Local Man Who Ruins Everything.)

Are we always destined to be frustrated? Shall we always arrive there late? Tell me God there's more to life.

Are we always destined to be frustrated? Shall we always arrive there late? Tell me God there's more to life.

So…

Dec 11, 2005 · 1 minute read

How long before panic-buying sets in? If there’s one thing we British love to do, it’s queue for hours at a petrol station…

I Love 2005: Day 10: Rusted Nails And Wasted Kisses

Dec 10, 2005 · 3 minute read

It’s Christmas, and I didn’t post yesterday, so this entry has a few MP3 links, loosely based around the “thrift-shop Motown/Spector” sound currently doing the rounds in Britain.

Saturday Looks Good To Me — Lift Me Up

My favourite concert of 2005 (did I really only go to four?)? Almost certainly. Stars were great, but not as intimate as SLGTM's concert at The Windmill in Brixton. The Super Furries were fun (and not on my own! Woo!), and The Go! Team were infectious, but hearing Lift Me Up live made my year. You can read all about the adventure here (and obviously, I'm linking to that review because Betty Barnes (the singer) left a comment, and well, I like shouting about things like that), and listen by clicking above. Go on!

Kicker — Since You Left

And now! The British contingent! From the EP More Soul Than Wigan Casino on FortunaPop, this is a cover of an old Inticers record. Obviously. And it's ace!

The Pipettes — ABC

By now, you're probably resigned to thinking that all these records are going to have female vocals. And you're right. Sorry. Anyway, The Pipettes, current indie darlings and all-round good eggs (or so I'm told). Their mission statement includes a dismissal of pop developed through the lineage of The Beatles; instead, they're drawing on Phil Spector and The Shangri-Las. Indeed, they're the current Leaders of The Pack (you're fired — Ed.).

The Revelations — You're The Loser

Included solely for the bit that goes "You gave me up" *keyboard goes whooooosh*. I do feel that the break at 1:08 should be a little longer and finger-snappy though.

Lucky Soul — Lips Are Unhappy

Tambourines! Strings! Lyrics that go "Shake. Shake. Shimmy!" Glitter and running mascara. More whooooshing sounds, "ooooooh" backing harmonies, sounding like a lost classic from a parallel 1969. "You won't tell any one, will you?"

Kenickie — Letter To Memphis

Because Lauren blew on a melodica this morning. Or perhaps because they came first, if not actually first, then the first to make "she's filling up with amino" dance to Be My Baby. Because their favourite MP was Dennis Skinner, and they had songs about robots, spiders, drag races, and wanting to slash other girls. Because they never complained, but annoyed Kelly Jones by having the grace to give his band a support slot. Because their mates couldn't come out to play, but they had fun anyway. And, to wrap up for now, because they listened to The Pixies and thought Doo-Wop.

Today's entry is sponsored by One Kiss Can Lead To Another, and It's So Fine (Pye Girls Are Go).

I Love 2005: Day 9: Because You Can't See The Hearts

Dec 10, 2005 · 1 minute read Saint Etienne — Tales From Turnpike House

Yes, I know, I'm cheating. But I couldn't pick one song from this album (although, it's easy to pick which song should be taken away and burnt in a rubbish bin - teaming up with David Essex sounded like a fabulous idea, but Relocate is abysmal). The neo-Bauhaus desires of Finisterre and the wishful escape of Tiger Bay have passed; Saint Etienne is finally at peace with the reality of London. The highlight is probably either Side Streets, a lush song celebrating the fact that you might get assaulted on the streets of the city, or the wonderful Stars Above Us, which contains echoes of former Etienne hits mixed in with Xenomania goodness.

Plus, if you can get hold of the 2CD version, Let's Build A Zoo is the best children's song of the new millennium - altogether now: "And a gnu at the end of the queue!"

21st Century Torture

Dec 8, 2005 · 1 minute read

We don’t do it ourselves, we outsource.

I ♥ 2005: Day 8: Summer-summer-time

Dec 8, 2005 · 1 minute read Will Smith — Switch

The best thing he's done since Summertime. I would write more, but I'm exhausted. Just take my word for it…