Look/Listen/Read

Jana Speaker/Robots In Disguise/Bonjour Tristesse

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 20:52:00 GMT

Jana Speaker

Jana Speaker is a bikini clad sports promo girl turned US fake reality tv star. She is was in the Las vegas show 'Pieces' , a kind of low brow vagina monologues, and most famously played Cami the Moron on the Joe Schmoe Show sequel. Her website describes her as 'the OC's answer to Pamela Anderson' , bottle blonde and with the kind of prosthetic chest that could crush a man as he slept I guess that means.

Her website waxes lyrical about her rise from dyslexic bimbo to super intellegent cookery whizz bimbo, read it in it's berevity here

Robots In Disguise

I never got with the whole Optimus Prime Transformers claptrap when I was a kid, they weren't really worth the effort as a truck or as a rather cumbersome looking robot. Plus after a few too many twists they went all floppy anyway. My best mate at the time amassed a small fortune however selling stolen transformers until he was caught. He was banned from Tescos for years as a result. This Robots In Disguise is much better, known in part for one of them being the other half of Vince '‘Your moves are like being caressed by natural yoghurt" Noir from the Mighty Boosh. Mirror Mirror shows them at their most pop, and is easily the stand out track off the album 'Get Rid'...it could still get you banned from Tescos. Maybe.

MP3: Robots In Disguise - Mirror Mirror

Francoise Sagan - Bonjour Tristesse

I started this book sometime ago and never got further than a few pages, it came up in conversation recently and I feel prompted to revisit it. The cult french book tells the story of a 17-year-old girl named Cécile who spends her summer in a villa on the French Rivera with her father. Cecile seeks solace from her youth in the world of older men, a parody of her father who seeks solace in the arms of women to retain his youth.The story focuses on Cecile's naivety and fear of losing her decadent lifestyle as new women come into her fathers life.

Jean Seberg, of Breathless fame, played Cecile in the 1958 movie of the book.

(Read Unread Reading)

Tila Tequila/Bat For Lashes/Wicked

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:31:00 GMT

Tila Tequila

Tila Tequila- 31.5 million people can't be wrong. Can they?

Tequila, or Tila Nguyen to give her her proper name, is the crowned queen of social networking. Trading in her playboy roots for an empire carved off the back of MySpace, Tila has her own clothing range, a mobile phone endorsement and a brief singing carer ahead of her thanks to A&M Records. Not bad for a diminutive Vietnamese girl who spent her early years in a gated Buddhist community.

Tila proves that all you need is friends in low places to make it big.

Bat For Lashes

Brighton based Bat for Lashes are Equal parts Bjork and Tori Amos, and Natasha Khan matches them both on eccentricity. The Wizard comes across like a sweeping post modern version of Kate Bush’ Wuthering Heights, all electronic resonance and otherworldly whispered vocals. It taps the influences of Broadcast in its use of vocal reverb and hidden drum movements but the depth and clarity of Natasha’s voice has a staggering beauty that is unique only to her. Immerse yourself in her atmospheric and tragic stories.

MP3: Bat For Lashes - The Wizard

Gregory Maguire - Wicked

“And I’ll get your little dog too..”

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West up to the point where Dorothy dumps a house on her sister and then cruelly melts her. The story centres around little green Elphalba and the trials and tribulations of growing up, all the characters we know from L Frank Baum’s story are here, Glinda (a blonde airhead) the wicked witch of the east, Dorothy and even the Munchkins. Maguire brings the characters to life, not by parodying the tale but by rooting its fiction in a deep seated reality, conveying the true tragedy of the girl who ended up with blue monkeys as her only companions.

Wicked has been turned into a successful stage play and has just opened in London.

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Holly Valance/Annie/The Book Of Lost Things

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 7 Sep 2006 16:35:00 GMT

Holly Valance

Holly Valance: She's not dead.

The, kiss kiss, ex neighbours and FHM darling has been hiding out in LA, read that as touting for acting roles. She was in some commercials for telephone callbacks and had a bit part in some drama, the name of which escapes me, but I remember she played a russian pole dancer or something thereabouts. Anyway, she's back, well sort of...in the new film DOA: Dead or Alive alongside Jamie Presley whom I posted about earlier this month.

Watch her unique way of putting on a bra here

Annie

Ok, so this is kind of an old track really. I liked it a lot at the time it was released but I like it even more today since dancing round my kitchen to it with my daughter, who incidentally knows most of the words after just one listen. The Mylo remix beefs it all up with a much needed electro punch.

'You think you're chocolate but you're chewing gum' sounds like a playground chant if ever I heard one.

MP3: Annie - Chewing Gum (Mylo Remix)

John Connolly - The book Of Lost Things

John Connolly’s book of lost things is a brooding yet wonderfully poignant account of one boy’s journey into manhood. The twelve year old protagonist moves from unpleasant family sorrow, through adolescent jealousy and into a dark Alice through the looking glass style secret garden in search of himself. The surreal new land he finds himself in is populated by a glut of freakish characters and the boy, David, moves from one dangerous situation to the next dealing with homosexuality, cannibalism and half man half wolf like creatures. His only means of escape lies in the book of lost things which he must find in order to return home.

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Evelina Oboza/Juliette and the Licks/The End

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 5 Sep 2006 18:41:00 GMT

Evelina Oboza

Evelina Oboza is the daughter of a Polish farmer, although I doubt very much she dressed like this while on his farm.
It's very hard to find out much about her, a European catwalk model by trade it would seem and apparently she was in CSI as a 'motion actress' ?! Not sure what that actually involves, walking about doubling for someone else I guess.

She also looks remarkably like my wife, although she doesn't dress like that on our farm either.

If we had a farm.

Juliette and the Licks

Juliette Lewis at al provide the song and MSTRKRFT lift it out of the ordinary to something far greater once again. I'm becoming a bit of a MSTRKRFT remix fanatic, everything they touch seems to turn to gold.

I find it very hard to imagine Juliette hanging out with Tom Cruise at a Scientology convention, seems so unlikely, her looking like somethingh the cat dragged in and him jumping up and down on the nearest sofa like a two year old. I mean, what would L Ron Hubbard have to say.

MP3: Juliette and the Licks - Got Love To Kill (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Lemony Snicket - The End

The long running epic by the Magnetic Fields organ grinder come author draws to a close. Will the Baudelaire ophans find out the truth behind all the fires, deaths and general unpleasantness?
In one way I hope not , however when the tale is complete the Gothic Archies album of all the music involved with this sorry tale will be released.

So get it over with quickly Mr Snicket!

(Read Unread Reading)

Becky Mantin/Adventure Kid/Paint it Black

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 1 Sep 2006 21:50:00 GMT

Becky Mantin

Becky Mantin has the best hair on TV. Fact.

The former model turned weather goddess has the most amazing haircut, chopped and sculpted like a manga cartoonist designed it she's revolutionising the weather girl hair industry as we speak!
Currently Becky can be seen on ITV weather, prior to that she was an occasional presenter on This Morning (oh the glamour) She's worth more than that though, so watch this space as this is clearly just the beginning of her career....hell, her hair should have it's own show at least!

Adventure Kid

Sometimes things come full circle, back when this blog started I posted a track called I'm from Barcelona by We're from Barcelona here, a wonderful anthem that became the soundtrack to my summer. Well four months on i've found that track reinvented as the soundtrack to my autumn! Adventure Kid has given the happy swedes song the electro pop treatment, vocoderised, thumping, illegible and blip filled, like loading your Comodore 64 on a sunny but windswept afternoon.

Visit Adventure Kid's website here, worth it for the opening tune alone.

MP3: Adventure Kid - Robots Sing We're from Barcelona

Janet Fitch - Paint it Black

Set in and around the 1980's punk rock scene Paint it Black tells the story of Josie Tyrel, a teen runaway and art model, and how she deals with the suicidal end to her relationship with her art student boyfriend Michael. His mother a renowned pianist blames her for everything and slowly as Josie learns to deal with life post Michael she enters into a a twisted and turbulent sharing of loss with her dead partners mother.
Paint it Black is chick lit, but cerebral chick lit, 'Shopoholic buys Prada' this is not.

Janet Fitch debut novel was White Oleander, which was made into a film in 2002 starring Alison Lohman and Michelle Pfeiffer.

(Read Unread Reading)

Jaime Presley/Buck 65/Republic of Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 22:03:00 GMT

Jamie Presley

Now if you're like me you're probably more used to seeing Jamie looking like this playing the adorable trailer trash ex wife Joy in 'My name is Earl' What I didn't know is that she's been a model, appeared in an Aerosmith and Marilyn Manson video, she's been in The Pussycat Dolls, has her own lingerie label and was once Drew Barrymore's body double.

Yeah, I didn't get the last one either.

She's next appearing as Tina Armstrong, the wrestler wannabe supermodel, in DOA: Dead or Alive the forthcoming movie based on the popular video game.

Buck 65

Buck 65, the Tom Waits sounding ex hip hop artist also known as Richard Terfry, is given the MSTRKRFT treatment on this track. God only knows what he's singing about though. Something to do with the urban legend that JFK singlehandedly destroyed the fedora hat industry.

"And we're surrounded by assassins, phantomas, mutantes and serpents, werewolves and sex fiends"

MP3:Buck 65 - Kennedy Killed The Hat (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Sam Taylor - The Republic of Trees

Four children, Michael, Louis, Alex and Isobel, escape their ordinary lives by running away to a forest to create their own utopian community. The arrival of newcomer Joy however soon plunges their dream like lives into darkness. Billed as a modern day Lord of the Flies crossed with 1984 this is the first novel from the former pop culture correspondant for The Observer newspaper.

(Read Unread Reading)

Charlotte Church/The Knife/Hotel California

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 22:52:00 GMT

Charlotte Church

Charlotte Church: Voice of an angel, body of a welder.

Or at least this was how I percieved the welsh Lindsay Lohan until I saw the Guardian magazine's photoshoot with her from October 2005 (Front Cover image above), easily the best photo of her that I have seen, why does she insist on looking like this when she can look really iconic, like above?!
Don't even get me started on that dreadful 50's karaoke song she sang recently dressed like a corseted drag act!

Charlotte is soon to present her up and coming Channel 4 show 'The Charlotte Church Show' which will undoubtedly start up the Welsh bandwagon, building on ground already trodden by both Glynn and Imogen from Big Brother . Say goodbye to the regional northern accents that have dominated Channel 4 for so long!

The Knife

"Trees there will be, apples fruits maybe"

Even though The Knife's album debuted at number 1 in their native Sweden and they have received the equivalent of a Swedish grammy they are no Abba. 'We share our mother's health' is a freak of a song, a house style dance track with bizarre lyrics about apples and slightly nightmarish (check out the masks) but beautiful vocals.

The whole song sounds a bit like you're being yelled at from another room in another world.

This verison is remixed by my 5 year old daughters favourite band 'Ratatat'

MP3: The Knife - We Share Our Mothers Health (Ratatat Remix)

Hotel Califonia - Barney Hoskyns

Former NME and Mojo journalist Barney Hosykns takes us back to the late sixties and early seventies to tell the real story behind the vibrant LA music scene of that era. Via interviews with all the key players of the period he sets the scene for the rise and rise of the Geffen empire and the inevitable chaos, corruption and drug fuelled creativity that ran alongside it.

A rival record producer on speaking to David Geffen was quoted as saying , “You’d jump into a pool of pus to come up with a nickel between your teeth!”

this book reveals both the nickels and the puss.

(Read Unread Reading)

Abigail Clancy/Vic Twenty/Vibrator

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 08:51:00 GMT

Abigail Clancy

Abbey Clancy could possibly be Britain's next top model, however she won't ever be Abbey Crouch.

After being unceremoniously dumped by fax just before a Richard and Judy appearance by the Lurch of the footballing world Abbey recently insisted they were still an item.
However Peter Crouch's PR were quick to distance themselves yet again from the cocaine shamed wannabe.

A dead cert for next years Love Island, see her on the Living TV site here as a contestant on 'Next Top Model'

Vic Twenty

Taken from the Vic Twenty album Electrostalinist 'I sold your heart on eBay' is a bouncy slice of retro 8-bit heaven. I love this song, my kids love this song and it'll be rattling round your head by the end of the week whether you like it or not, it's that catchy!

"Who wants guitars and Coldplay, when we've got stars on eBay"

Also worth checking out the website here for a version of Bjork's Army of Me that puts all the fun back into the icelandic imp's song.

MP3: Vic Twenty - I Sold You Heart On eBay

Mari Akasaka - Vibrator

A spark of impulsiveness leads Rei, an alcoholic bulimic, to climb into a truck with a man she doesn't know. Together they embark on a sexual road trip away from loneliness, isolation and the voices in Rei's head.
Vibrator explores the themes of liberation and entrapment as the two charcaters wrestle with their own middle class demons on a road that ultimately leads nowhere.

Vibrator was made into an acclaimed film in 2003.

(Read Unread Reading)

Kate Lawler/Shout Out Louds/How I Live Now

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 4 Aug 2006 12:11:00 GMT

Kate Lawler

Kate Lawler, big brother winner, tv presenter, celebrity wrestler, ann summers model, and now if her website is anything to go by, Dj?!
I went to see Kate when she was a presenter on the ill fated RI:SE on Channel 4, this meant being in a studio above a shopping centre somewhere in London pre 6am! I was amongst a number of that years big brother evictees and was witness to both Kate’s great legs and her quite frankly dismal capacity to present. At one point my head was visible between Kate’s and the other presenter head in a lingering close up. apparently a friend of mines sister was watching RI:SE in the gym and promptly fell off the running machine on seeing me.

Find out what Kate will be trying her hand at next by visiting her website

Shout Out Louds

The band of Swedes, having been hyped up as the next big thing last year, has all but disappeared. Once described by Pitchfork as the “Emo Strokes” they have a new Ep out entitled ‘Combines’ which contains remixes from their debut album. It contains the Ratatat remix of ‘The Comeback’, but personally I still prefer the remix below

Check out their website for full details of the release: here

MP3: Shout Out Louds - The Comeback (Tommy Sunshine Radio Edit)

Meg Rosoff - How I Live Now

How I live Now is one of those few books that accurately captures the awkward tribulations of youth, narrated by a 15 year old girl, Daisy, and set in the near future it well deserves the praise heaped upon it in 2004. It tells the story of Daisy, who having been sent away to live in the country in England becomes wrapped up in an exceptional journey of self discovery amidst a worn torn Britain, struggling to stay alive, find food and protect her new young friends. It also deals with loss and creates some of the most understated yet poignant relationships put to print.

(Read Unread Reading)

Katie Holmes/Ratatat/Jpod

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 3 Aug 2006 12:19:00 GMT

Katie Holmes

Katie Holmes: Dawsons Creek geek magnet and missus to Christian Scientology pygmy Tom Cruise, with child in tow and numerous bad films under her tiny waisted belt it’s hard to find reason to like Miss Holmes these days. That would be the case, however she starred in the brilliant 'Pieces of April’ for which I applaud her. It’s an incredibly simple yet wonderfully constructed slice of suburban life and will always have fond memories for me as it’s where I first heard Magnetic Fields music. It’s hard to explain how good the film is, especially when it’s central premise is about cooking a turkey, but Katie shines in it and it’s also to be noted that it was the first time she was cast outside her homely (pun unintentional) persona.

Ratatat

Ratatat is a collaboration between lead guitarist Mike Stroud and bedroom producer Evan Mast, and the new album "Classics" is scheduled to hit stores on August 22nd In the run up to this they will be releasing a series of limited edition 12” singles as well which will no doubt become future must haves.
The music is instrumental and moves across like a creeping shadow of joy, stimulating yet calming without being mainstream. Like a car crash between Zero 7 and the warp label.

Get more music on their website here

MP3: Ratatat - Loud Pipes

Douglas Coupland - Jpod

Douglas Coupland, the man who gave us generation X, brings us a fusion of J-pop and the Ipod in this his follow up to novel to microserfs. The younger siblings of Generation X now work in an electronic arts sweatshop producing mindlessly trival computer games whilst soul searching amongst the jargonistic world created by their mircoserf pioneer forefathers. It portrays today’s Google culture, whereby shopping on Ebay and trawling the net for ever more meaningless titbits becomes the only form of escapism from the daily grind.
The plot itself is broken down into smaller bite size plots that are as tantalising incongruous as making a random Google search, the characters are cartoon like but absorbing in their hyper-banality, and this type of writing , this insight into the consumer culture we strive for but don’t really want is where Coupland excels.

(Read Unread Reading)

Kimberly Stewart/Bondage Fairies/Everything bad is good for you

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 08:08:00 GMT

Kimberly Stewart

i was backstage at a festival recently and had the pleasure of seeing Kimberley Stewart in close up. She was hanging around in a large group of liggers next to me when Mick Rock sidled up to her extoling the virtures of her father. He started reminiscing about when he photographed Rod alongside Iggy Pop and David Bowie and took out a tiny camera and took a few casual photos of Kimberly while he was at it, I thing she was well aware that this was all he really wanted.
Stewart is said to be following her fathers' footsteps and pursuing a music career, but unlike other wannabes she does actually play the violin and piano. She was approached by a producer in 2005, and after doing some test-runs in a studio has since been taking singing lessons. Kimberly believes music is in her blood, and hopes to have an album complete by mid-2007.

She has a tattoo that reads "Daddy's Little Girl Loves Disco" so maybe thats an indication of what any future music may sound like.

Bondage Fairies

With their insect like anti smog cycling masks and their 8 bit punk sound, Bondage fairies are set to mess with your mind. The two Stockholm musicians are Elvis Creep and Deus Deceptor who make music with the help of loud guitars and an Amstrad 6128 computer. Sounding like Hefener challenging The Pixies to a 24 hour Marios Bros marathon session, this is music to melt your Ipod.

Check out numerous samples at their website here including demos and songs from their debut album 'What you didn't know when you hired me'

As their website states 'Bondage Fairies play anytime anywhere as long as you support their habits. Beer, food and CA$H'

MP3: Bondage Fairies - Pink Eye Paranoia

Steven Johnson - Everything Bad is Good for You

Worried about how much time you spend playing video games? watching Tv? Feel it's rotting your brain. Fear not, Steven Johnson tells us it isn't. In fact todays popular culture is actually making us smarter. His concept flies in the face of commonly peheld values about the nature of a postmodern society that is detremental to us. Johnson refutes all with his 'sleeper curve ' argument wherby he states that today's pop culture consumer is required to do more 'cognitive work' (read that as 'thinking') assessing long term strategies in video games, navigating new viusual environments on the internet and that Junk Tv actually requires more work from our brains than we like to think.

(Read Unread Reading)

Alexis Dziena/The Ballet/Gideon the Cutpurse

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:59:00 GMT

Alexis Dziena

Alexis Dziena is the doe eyed starlet from ‘all tease no release’ melodrama Invasion (think Lost meets X files) With the kind of eyes that make her look like a manga caricature and the sultry poise of a girl who knows exactly how she comes across, it was no surprise then that she played Lolita in the Film Broken Flowers, in which she appeared completely naked in front of Bill Murray’s character. In addition to acting, Alexis is a budding playwright and drummer. Apparently.

Invasion, in which she plays Kira underlay, has been axed due to failing ratings, this however hasn’t stopped thousands of fans from harassing ABC into bringing it back, there is an online petition and a ‘Save invasion’ website, plus they even hired a plane to fly a ‘bring back invasion’ banner over the TV networks headquarters.

I liked invasion, but then I’m the one person in Britain still watching Lost. Pity me.

The Ballet

The Ballet are wonderful. Buy everything by them.

You need more info than that? Oh ok…I stumbled upon them last night when I heard ‘ Murder at the Disco’ one of their demos, it quite literally blew me away. It sounds like the Magnetic Fields for a new generation, lyrically beautiful and delivered with the same achingly charming under produced sound. The Ballet, a five-piece from NYC, describe themselves as ‘a sissy pop band’, check out their MySpace site here

Prepare your ears for the delight that is the song below for they may actually climb down off the side of your head and shake you by the hand.

MP3: The Ballet - In My Head

Linda Buckley-Archer - Gideon the Cutpurse

Two twelve year olds, Kate and Peter are hurtled back in time by a NASA anti gravity machine and end up in 1763. A mysterious character know only as the Tar Man steals their only means of returning to the 21st century. Gideon the cutpurse is their own solace in the 18 century underworld as they hunt for the machine in one time zone and are hunted by the police in another.

This, the first in a trilogy, matches good science and acurate history with expert storytelling.

Visit the website here

(Read Unread Reading)

Shelley/The Submarines/But Enough about Me

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 12:07:00 GMT

Shelley

Shelley is a model, actress and singer...well now theres a surprise...plus she's a choreographer and a belly dancer...ok slightly more surprised.....and also a runner up in Miss Ireland..hmm ok, impressed. As well as all this she writes her own songs.
Her MySpace site chirps on about her something like this:

Shelley was introduced to Religion Music 3 years ago when she was runner up in Pop Stars and Simon Cowells favorite. She began recording with Religion Music after turning down an offer from Louis Walsh to be in UK pop band Hear Say.

Ok enough already I was sold on the whole package based on this song alone, its great! Go to her MySpace site and hear 'hit it' , there is a brilliant sample of Serge Gainsbourg's Jetaime that needs to be heard. take me there

Belly dancing huh? hmm...

The Submarines

Peace and Hate is what can be described as a 'failed break up song'. The Submarines are Blake Hazard and John Dragonett (or Jack Drag as he is better known) they both wrote songs and toured together eventually forming a relationship that would last four years until they split up.
Post split they both carried on writing songs and having success independently until the realisation struck that the songs they were writing separately were in fact about each other. They decided to collaborate again and their debut album 'Declare A New State' is the result, with songs such as 'Peace and Hate' , written and sung jointly by them both, leading to a reunion of the relationship.

A great little story and the music is bittersweet perfection too.

"The whole theme of the record is spoken pretty plainly in 'Peace and Hate," says Hazzard, "That conflict is inevitable but you live with it. That you still love each other, so you move on. You declare a new state."

MP3: The Submarines - Peace and Hate

Check out the website here: The Submarines

Jancee Dunn - But Enough about Me

‘But enough about Me’ is Jancee's tale of how - thanks to a spot of 'demented kismet' and despite a really bad perm - she landed her dream job at Rolling Stone magazine and soon found herself sharing fudge recipes with Loretta Lynn, dancing onstage with the Beastie Boys, turning down well-meaning offers of heroin from Scott Weiland and discussing the joys of Spam with Dolly Parton. It’s an insight into the world of the celeb seen through the eyes of a girl who found herself in their company almost entirely by accident, a quirky read full of wonderful character insights.

Having occasionally been privy to the celeb world myself and the mundane elements that are often passed of as glamorous I’m quite intrigued to read Jancee’s memoirs.

Read more via her blog Here

(Read Unread Reading)

Haylie Ecker/Simian Mobile Disco/Dangerous Book for Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:26:00 GMT

Haylie Ecker

What happened to bond? And more especially Haylie Ecker(far left) from Bond?

They were seen as the equivalent of lapdancers to the Classical fraternity, with their heady mix of Classical instruments and semi naked flesh. I quite liked the first album, despite it’s appalling Abbaesque cover photo and it’s Vanessa Mae pastiche style…but then I’ve never been a big fan of the way classical music is presented and I think the whole sector needs re-branding anyway, I felt they were a breath of fresh air at the time.

Here’s a very brief extract from an interview I did once with them:

What would you say to your critics within the classical fraternity who perceive you as the ‘Girls Aloud’ of classical music?

"I cant believe anyone in the classical fraternity have ever heard of Girls Aloud ( you've made it up!! - from Haylie) and there is no parallel....... we were once called the classical Spice Girls but it didn't stick - sadly!!"

Shame they were put together by Mike Batt - the chap who gave us the Wombles and Katie Melua – because that scuppered any credibility they would ever have.

Simian Mobile Disco

Simian? Simian? I'm sure I had one of their albums once, wasn't their song on some advert...I forget. Anyway old indie bands aside this spin off band/dj kinda thing is much more interesting. 'Hustler' blips and grinds away like the kind of track that goes down a storm post 2am in lesbian bars arcoss the capital, like being surrupticiously molested by a old spectrum computer in a Missy Elliot track suit. A reviewer from CD times described it like this:

'Hustler drops in with a bassline heavy enough to crush your kid brother and dripping with so much glorious sleaze you'll need to wash your hands twice after pressing play'

I need to point out that my kid brother is quite tall, so it may dent rather than crush. I'd agree with the hand washing though.

MP3: Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler

Conn Iggulden - The Dangerous Book for boys

Can't help feeling 'Con Iggulden' has to be anagramatic, surely no-one has a name like that?
I overheard someone at work recommending this book to a friend for his sons, as a father/son bonding style book. It's like a cub scout/SAS survival guide book on everything a young man should know, from writing secret messages to skinning a rabbit.
I'm tempted to buy it now and learn everything so my son, now 2, will be dead impressed when I can do all these 'man' tasks. I have a feeling though he'll be too busy downloading informercials directly into his cerebral cortex and having his retinas tattooed to even pretend to be interested by then.

(Read Unread Reading)

Marie Serneholt/Lily Allen/Michel Houellebecq

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 19:11:00 GMT

Marie Serneholt

Marie Serneholt was the oldest member of the Swedish teen pop band A*Teens, who after 6 years together and more than 9 million albums sold (to who? when? seriously?) the band broke up....now Marie is going solo and you can check out two of her songs on the fluokids blog take me there, 'I need a house' is pop in it's purest form, want to hear it? Sing Marie

I'm sure you don't want to see any more photos of Marie, but just in case you do you can see some: Here and Here and Here

Lily Allen

Lily Allen is the daughter of actor/comedian Keith Allen, but in all honesty that hasn't got a fat lot to do with anything. I've heard snippetrs of Lily's music but this Kasier Chiefs cover is so much better than the original and highlights what a talent she has that I just had to post it.
Here's hoping the music industry doesn't take what was good about her mixtapes and 'wrap it up in Topshop vouchers' - mass market her as yet another pop stralet with a smackrel of attitude.

I think she's worth more than that.

A great Lily fan site: Here

MP3: Lily Allen - Oh My God (Kaiser Chiefs cover)

Michel Houellebecq - The Possibility of an Island

Platform was a great novel, disgusting in places but ultimately it had a lot to say and said it with gusto. Possibilty of an island looks like Houellebecq in familar territory, he's created another grotesque character for us to unwillingly emphathise with in the form of Daniel a hateful stand up comic. The book deals with Daniel's increasing detachment from the world at large and his growing interest in the Elohimites - a cult who claim to have cloned this first human being (based on an actual cult, the Raelians) The story is interspersed with chapters from two of Daniel's cloned descendants living 1,000 years later, Daniel24 and Daniel25.

Atomised, one of Michel's other novels has just been released as a film.

(Read Unread Reading)

Kate Bosworth/Megaman/A Keeper of Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 22:14:00 GMT

Kate Bosworth

Ok, so here's the summer and another comic book movie hits our screens , this time supergirl! Huh, whatdaya mean it's not Supergirl, it's got Kate Bosworth in it? Why would anyone make a film with 'Super' in the title and her in the cast and not make Supergirl. Next you'll be telling me she's brunette in it.

Yes alas, the movie is indeed Superman, and 'men not so super' once again show the folly of mankind by miscasting Kate.
Oh well, apparently Misha Barton is in the running for the Supergirl remake if this Homoerotic claptrap does well at the box office. Not a total loss then.

Spidergirl anyone?

Staria Iscariot (Megaman)

In the mid 80's i spent nearly ever tuesday evening after my school swimming lessons in a chip shop near me pouring 20ps into an arcade machine with my best friend Stephen. The game was Double Dragon and between the two of us we backwards elbow upcutted our way to the end of the game.
Somehow the other night I found myself on 'Overclocked Remix'- the unoffical game music arrangement community, which funnily enough does exactly what it says, they remix old game music. I found some Double Dragon remixs on there but the one i liked most was by a remixer called 'Injury' or possibly 'Staria Iscariot'...hard to tell...and it's a remix of the music from Mega Man. It's also from 2001, so this post is anything but up to date.

It brings it all back. The smell of chips, the damp hair, the lack of money and going home with aching thumbs.

MP3: Staria Iscariot (injury) - Megaman: Set me up the Bomberman

William Carpenter - A Keeper of Sheep

A young woman called Penguin who "has never even been responsible for a hamster," becomes involved in caring for a composer who is dying of AIDS and struggling to complete his final work whilst under increasing pressure from his neighbours.

I bought this book many years ago whilst holidaying in Norfolk in a place called Beccles. The Bookshop in the tiny village was one of the ones you don't see much nowadays, small, pokey, dusty and riddled floor to ceiling with books nobody will probably ever buy. I read this in the stillness of a static houseboat, stopping every now and again to row up and down the river, it's a beautiful book from what I remember and I must go and dig it out and reread it. Somehow I think it captured a moment for me then though that canot be repeated, a moment of isolation yet quiet enlightenment about life.

Having said all that I also remember accidently lobbing a fish slice into the river trying to swat a spider out of the window.

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Natasha Hamilton/Soho Dolls/Haruki Murakami

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 21:52:00 GMT

Natasha Hamilton

Two princes for the price of one today, firstly:

Natasha of Atomic Kitten fame recently stepped on Kate Middelton's toes at the Princes Trust Charity Concert by seemingly trying to slip the future king of England the tongue. "He has a girlfriend and I have a boyfriend," she explained, "it's just an unfortunate picture, I'm so embarrassed by it" explained Natasha.
Natasha, who has two kids now, has rather unfortunately disappeared of the face of the earth other than appearing in the odd heat magazine and some road traffic safety awareness adverts . I guess its only a matter of time before she follows suit and appears on 'celebrity love island' too though.

See the photo and decide for yourself: here

Soho Dolls

Secondly:

Prince Harry, you know, the other one who has no hope of ever being King so he just partys. Like a young Prince Andrew really. Anyway 'Prince Harry' is also a perfect slice of electro pop sleaze from the band Soho Dolls, that rings out like a stalker's calling card. Check out their website here

MP3: Soho Dolls - Prince Harry

Haruki Murakami - Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

25 stories written over 30 years by the outstanding master of the surreal Haruki Murakami, and this his third volume of collected short stories doesn't disappoint. Who else could write a story purely about vomiting, "Nausea 1979" and yet infuse it with such beauty and meandering wonderment.
Each story is prefaced with an introduction by the author and his quirkiness is evident throughout the book, If you haven't read Murakami before this looks like a wonderful place to start, you'll delight in becoming immersed in the fleeting yet mesmerising characters he creates. If you have read his work before you won't be disappointed either.

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Mandy Amano/The Wombats/Infernal Devices

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 6 Jul 2006 20:05:00 GMT

Mandy Amano

Mandy Amano, the girl that launched a 1000 blogs! And all because of her 30 secs of fame in a Pepsi/i-tunes advert.
She is cute though.
Personally I didn't know anything about her, what with me not living in the states - the ad first aired during the 2005 Superbowl - It was only due to stumbling across this rather strange blog that I even heard about her: That Pepsi Girl

See the adverts: Here and Here

The Wombats

Big in japan? No. Big in China? Yes.

The Wombats, although virtually unknown in their native UK are huge in China! The band are students at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which helped fund their trip to China under a partnership with the organisers of Beijing's Midi festival. They have played three gigs: one in Shanghai and two in Beijing and went down a storm. The three piece play traditional punksy indie with quirky lyrics, ‘Lost in the Post’ is jaggly and sounds like how The Wannadies would have sounded had they been born in Liverpool.

also worth hearing 'derail and crash', check them out Here

MP3: The Wombats - Lost in the Post

Infernal Devices - Phillip Reve

Infernal devices is the third book in the mortal engines series, the two main characters have had a child and it follows her (Wren) and her entrance into the world her parents used to inhabit, that of traction cities, airships and regenerated dead pre nuclear soldiers. It still reads like a modern sci fi famous five or swallows and amazons but with lumbering tank like cities instead of boats, it’s still very absorbing for my childlike mind though.

I picked this up at the library, they only had it in hardback, it’s like carrying a dead body around.

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Natalia/Printed Circuit/Freakenomics

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 17:36:00 GMT

Natalia Vodianova

My main memory of Natalia is from years ago when she was on the front cover of The Face Magazine, she had blonde short curly hair and was wearing a studded dog collar, the pictures inside depicted her as being about 9 ft tall from what I can recall.
She's from the same Russian town as another post on this blog, Anne V, and is one of numerous russians that have beseieged the modelling industry over the last few years.

Printed Circuit

Printed Circuit, AKA Claire Broadley of Leeds, England, makes retro electronic pop tracks that remind me of the film Electric Dreams from 1984, they feel like they have been lifted directly from the soundtrack (which featured the Human League and Giorgio Moroder) At least that’s how it is at it’s best, at it’s worst it sounds a little contrived, like Ladytron even.

Act robotic is pure synth pop though, short, sweet and unpretentious. It’s like being sung at by Edgar – the computer that takes on human characteristics in Electric Dreams - What it is definitely not though is a call to dance like Peter Crouch.

MP3: Printed Circuit - Act Robotic

Stephen Levitt May - Freakenomics

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Anne V/The Strokes/Ghostwritten

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 16:48:00 GMT

Anne V

"I've wanted to be a model ever since I was little, playing with my Barbie doll," said Anne Vyalitsyna - or Anne V as she is widely known - the Russian born supermodel. She was discovered in Saint Petersburg, whilst scouts where looking for new faces for MTV's ‘Fashionably Loud Europe’ , soon after she was leading campaigns for Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Fendi, Gucci and Prada to name but a few.

‘This new model army, blessed with high cheekbones, perfect skin, Bambi blue-green eyes, full lips and tall, near-perfect figures, is a refreshing alternative to the medley of grumpy, androgynous mannequins who have dominated in recent seasons' - The Age

So basically like Anne’s Barbie doll then.

The Strokes

The Strokes strange departure from post punk garage rock track of their new album - although disliked by many - is easily my favourite, I have only heard a snippet of it in its original format but this remix is wonderful. The vocals are pure Magnetic Fields baritone and I’ve been singing the chorus so much this week that my son who is two has picked up on it as well and gets odd looks from people when he’s heard warbling ‘ I’ve got nothing to say, I’ve got nothing to say’ ….at least he’s stopped singing Jim Noir’s ‘Eeany Meany’ , “If you don’t give my football back I’ll get my dad on you”

MP3: The Strokes - Ask Me Anything (Do Not Eat Remix)

Emilie/Casper

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 22:06:00 GMT

Emilie De Ravin

The envy of young mothers everywhere, just how does she do it?! A completely natural childbirth, she retains her great figure with no obvious exercise, makes nappies from twigs and leaves (probably), she takes the baby camping and it never NEVER cries.

She is however letting it be raised by a Hobbit.

Despite being possibly the most unconvincing new mother on the planet Clare is now the premier blonde on the Lost island, she’s understated but then if she got more airtime she’d be Shannon and aren’t we all glad she got shot. Harsh but true.
Emilie has something over her Lost counterparts, I can’t put my finger on it I think it’s the accent, which is strangely endearing, or the way she acts like she’d stumbled of the set of an episode of a cheap Aussie soap.

Casper and the Cookies

A silly little gem of a song in the same vain as ‘Suburban kids with biblical names – rent a wreck’, in that it goes ‘ba baba ba babababa’ quite a lot, I like songs that go ‘ba baba’ almost as much as I like songs with handclaps. They set a spark off inside me, like fireflies in my stomach, I’m not sure why.

Casper and the cookies are new to me but apparently they have been doing the rounds since the 90’s, anyway they have a new album out now called ‘The Optimist’s Club’…I had a listen to a track off it, no handclaps or ba baba’s sadly.

MP3: Casper and the Cookies - Yer Birthday

Alexa Chung/Flaming Lips/Blink

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 17:55:00 GMT

Alexa Chung

Alexa Chung a 22 year old former Model from Hampshire and now the new face of Channel 4's Popworld alongside Alex Zane. As well asmodeling Alexa can be see in numerous pop videos, from being Mike Skinner's girlfriend in The Streets video for 'Could well be in' to being Holly Valances mock lesbian pal in the 'Down boy' video and even cleaning out a swimming pool in a bikini for a Westlife shoot.

I haven't watched Popworld since the new presenters took over, but she was at the wireless festival (sorry, Wireless again) this year interviewing bands around me, she says "Errr" a lot, which doesn't strike me as displaying the greatest interviewing skills but then she does very much look the part. She also has a booming voice for someone with such a small frame.

Anyway enough of that, lets all go and search the net for the 'Down boy' video!

The Flaming Lips

Watching Wayne Coyne roll around in a giant hamster ball whilst being dressed as a Santa in front of 30,000 people has to go down as one of the most surreal situations I've ever got myself into. But also one of the most fun. I recommend it; the Flaming Lips entourage are all amazingly friendly people.
However much like if I'd been a Stormtrooper in Star Wars though I can't actually pick myself out from the group of ten Santas that I was in.

I wasn't a big Lips fan, but my experience and the remix below has changed all that now.

This postal service remix is much cleaner and crisper than the original and highlights the beautiful simplicity of the lyrics, and remember 'The sun doesn't go down it's just an illusion created by the world spinning round'

p.s You better not pout you better not cry....

MP3: The Flaming Lips - Do You Realise? (Postal Service Remix)

Malcolm Gladwell - Blink

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Petra/The Blow

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 17:49:00 GMT

Petra Nemcova

The Czech model faces her biggest challenge yet, one that makes people stare more than seeing her semi naked on the cover of sports illustrated, and leaves people more shocked than when she survived the tsunami. Why oh why oh why is she going out with James Blunt?
James blunt, the modern day Chris de Burgh, is at least three feet shorter than her and registers as plankton to her whale in the good looking stakes. It’s a mystery.

I hovered around backstage at the wireless festival, where Blunt played recently, at the post performance portacabin party to see Petra and she is very very beautiful (We weren’t allowed on stage during the performance so my chance to shout ‘Play lady in red‘ were lost, alas, although he did play something off his forthcoming album which sounded remarkably similar)
I can’t help feeling sorry for her though as I watched her continually stooping for photographs with Blunt, she’s gonna ruin her spine.

Also, after some press attention before the show about the vast nature of Blunt’s rider, I was surprised to see only a few cans of seven up, some superbly naff disco lights emanating from the cabin itself and Paris Hilton having her picture taken with some children.

“Hyde park is like a homecoming for me, I used to ride my horse around here” said Blunt onstage. Yes, haven’t we all. We’ve all had Tara Palmer Tomkinson too.

The Blow

I like The Blow, can I say that these days without having a rally of photographers from the Daily Mirror at my doorstep taking grainy black and white photos of me? Unlike that kind of blow this duo record sonic electro pop nuggets. Pile of gold is a cry to all men who want to gain access to a girls ‘pile of gold’, you know, the gold they sit down on.

Ah if only it were as easy as finding the end of a rainbow.

Also worth checking out the strategy remix of ‘the love I crave’.
P.S. Having denied all drug related references this song still manages to make parts of my nose fall out.

MP3: The Blow - Pile of Gold

Z Berg/The Sounds

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 17:46:00 GMT

Z Berg

Elizabeth ‘Z’ Berg (far right) is the singer in the band ‘The Like’ and also daughter of music industry mogul Tony Berg.
I watched them perform at the 02 Wireless Festival 2006 from the side of the stage, they have to be the palest girls in LA, do they not go outside? Skinny alabaster legs stretch from their high hemmed 60’s style dresses as they knock out songs like ‘ June gloom’ and ‘ under the paving stones’ Fortunately for Z her singing voice is good enough to outweigh the sternest of critics regarding her parent’s helping hand and serves to elevate them above being yet another photogenic all girl ensemble.
They were on the same bill as the Strokes at Wireless, so as well as having Kelly Osborne in tow all manner of A listers came out of the woodwork to see the New Yorkers headline. Kate Moss, 12 years their senior, crashed into their portacabin and a menagerie of rock royalty’s daughters could be seen milling around (Jade Jagger, Kimberly Stewart, Peaches Geldof)

When I last saw Z taht night she was on another planet giggling away to herself only managing to stay upright due to the arms of Popworld’s Alex Zane, who looked like he was trying to shake her off like a wasp, “ It’s ok for you” he said “ you’ll be on a plane tomorrow, while I’ll be here working”

A friend of mine was convinced both Z and her band mates were all about nine years of age.

They aren’t.

I checked.

The Sounds

The Sounds are a band from Helsingborg, Skåne County, Sweden and are quite often compared to Blondie, and its easy to see why, they have the same blonde singer with attitude and also the same middle of the road music for the most part. However occasionally it all works, such as in the song below.
Teenage Battlefield sounds like its off the sound track of a 1980’s John Hughes movie, it has a brilliantly naff Aha like keyboard sound, drum roll and chorus, and it somehow manages to sound like ‘99 red balloons’ and Tiffany’s ‘I think we’re alone now’ at the same time.
Keyboard player Jesper Anderberg recently said in an interview “We have all the things that American people don't want, in a way. Everyone in Sweden thinks they live in America”

So to echo both The Sounds and America:

“Bombs bombs away!”

MP3: The Sounds - Teenage Battlefield

Axelle/Boris Yeltsin/His Dark Materials

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 19:57:00 GMT

Axelle Red

My favourite Belgian redhead has been around now for eleven years with her brand of French soul, a new album aptly called exactly that is out a the moment. I first discovered Axelle via the song ‘a tatons’ which was doing rather well in 1995, I was on a work placement in a textile studio in Lyon at the time and living in an old weavers apartment and it was one of the few decent songs on the radio - a sweet song about waiting.

It always reminds me of that time in my life, living in a strange city with the most eclectic of people passing through the flat, students, colleagues, and a man who was a gardener by day and then at the weekends lived his life solely within the years 63 – 65, in dress, music and lifestyle.

I also recall there was a fridge (yes, a fridge, a big original American retro one) full of records, which I had hours of fun sifting through.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Someone still loves you Boris Yeltsin claim to be the third best band on their street, not knowing who the other two are I can’t really compare, but this modesty is further apparent in their music, beautifully heartfelt songs delivered with a schoolboy yearning.

It comes as no real surprise after listening that in fact all the songs contained on the album were written for one particular girl – a former girlfriend of drummer/vocalist Philip Dickey - he says about the Band “We want to write songs that you know no one else can come up with – a song that really matters to one person” Judging by the amount of web attention the band are drumming up it appears to be working.

As for Boris Yeltsin my favourite quote is from US deputy secretary Strobe Talbot who said, during the Clinton years, that “Yeltsin was so drunk when he arrived in the airport in September 1994 that he could barely get off the plane. The same night Yeltsin was staggering around in his underpants shouting for pizza”

MP3: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Oregon Girl

The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman

The Subtle Knife is the second book in Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy, which as a whole is by my reckoning the single greatest religious text of our time, the story in itself is a masterpiece of fiction but the underlying message is an uncompromising take on the nature of Christianity, from a deflated God to a reworking of the garden of Eden right through to it’s homosexual Angels. Pullmans writing is staggering; his concept of a Republic of Heaven is one that anyone seeking some sort of enlightenment regarding their earthly situation should read. A powerful work which weaves an incredible story of alternate universes, string theory, visible souls and the nature of the after life makes this far more than a children’s book - it puts Harry Potter firmly in its place as a basic reworking of the Worst Witch books

Now if only someone would have the bravery to do it justice as a film. Apparently New Line cinema have the rights but screenplay writers (Tom Stoppard was one) and directors come and go as the fear of offending bible belt America wards them off.
This aside The National Theatre staged a visually stunning production of ‘His Dark Materials’ which shows that where Cinema fails theatre can still win through.

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