There's something completely overwhelming about having a drink at a pub with your dad and a few of his mates when you leave with the business card of the District Judge of, well, the district offering you a placement.
That is all.
I may have to go back to my old job for a couple of weeks too, I'm starting to need the cash. :(
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Postmen and parcels, delieveries and delight.
There's something magical about waiting for the postman to deliver a parcel. Yesterday I found myself looking out of the window, eagerly awaiting not one, but two parcels - 16 CDs in total. The first six were the Tales of Symphonia 4 CD boxset and the Star Ocean 3: Till the end of time Voice Mix and Arranged Album CDs that I had bought from TGN member Android18a whilst the other ten were from UK ska label Do the Dog. I suggest you check them out.
Whilst this temporary musical overload to my pathetic brain was dying down, I thought to myself "What if they had not come today?". I'd be disappointed of course, but the wait until the next day (today) would've at best been unbearable. Like I said, there's something magical about waiting for the postman but there's also the soul-crushing disappointment that comes with having to wait and extra day, two or more.
And another thing, if they hadn't arrived yesterday then I would have gotten out of bed early for nothing.
-Later.
Whilst this temporary musical overload to my pathetic brain was dying down, I thought to myself "What if they had not come today?". I'd be disappointed of course, but the wait until the next day (today) would've at best been unbearable. Like I said, there's something magical about waiting for the postman but there's also the soul-crushing disappointment that comes with having to wait and extra day, two or more.
And another thing, if they hadn't arrived yesterday then I would have gotten out of bed early for nothing.
-Later.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Pokemon and TGN
You may or may not be aware or the UK Darkrai Event taking place accross the UK this month, I myself will be at the Newport stop of the tour, both to pick up Darkrai and to generally have a good time all round (and to show some people who's boss :P). I don't really know what to expect as it's my first Pokemon event but I'm sure it'll be good fun.
I'm also contributing to a blog that is a new addition to a games forum that I help run / maintain. There are no concrete plans on what exactly will be included but it will be most likely to be mainly reviews and articles of a similar ilk. The forum has had quite a history starting out as being magazine run for a few years before disappearing for various legal and maintenance reasons. It is now in its third incarnation and is now being run independantly (as was the second one), we've had our ups and downs but a recent shift in staff (including myself) will hopefully bring an increased level of activity and popularity in the forum and will also hopefully draw back old departed members. Anyway, here's the LINK, there's obviously not much there now but hopefully soon there will be some articles up there to read.
Until next time.
I'm also contributing to a blog that is a new addition to a games forum that I help run / maintain. There are no concrete plans on what exactly will be included but it will be most likely to be mainly reviews and articles of a similar ilk. The forum has had quite a history starting out as being magazine run for a few years before disappearing for various legal and maintenance reasons. It is now in its third incarnation and is now being run independantly (as was the second one), we've had our ups and downs but a recent shift in staff (including myself) will hopefully bring an increased level of activity and popularity in the forum and will also hopefully draw back old departed members. Anyway, here's the LINK, there's obviously not much there now but hopefully soon there will be some articles up there to read.
Until next time.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Part 3
Well, I've taken my time with this one (read: I forgot) so here's the remainder of the albums.
5. Man or Astroman?: Live at the Maida Vale BBC Studios
Anyone who is into their surf rock music will know who Man or Astroman? is they really need no introduction to their wonderful sci-fi-esque melodies reminding those who listen to them of 50's superhero television programmes or programmes of a similar ilk. This live album was (I believe) done as a Peel session and unlike most live albums, the sound quality is utterly fantastic, it really does sound like post-production studio quality stuff. There's a little bit of banter inbetween some songs. Not only a truly fantastic live album but a truly fantastic album in it's own right.
4. Bomb the Music Industry: Album Minus Band
I discovered Bomb the Music Industry about two months after this album was released, it was recommended to me by fellow message boarders and that it was "unlike anything you've ever heard of", to this day I would still agree to that statement quite a lot. Fronted by Jeff Rosenstock (of Arrogant Sons of Bitches fame) the whole album throws at you punk rock-fused-with-synths and only drops the pace half way through during Sweet Home Canada. BTMI have several other albums out and a few standalone songs, I would heavily recommend listening to them after listening to Album Minus Band. A wonderfully catchy album that will have you listening again and again.
3. The Nunchaks: Sexy Party at the Coconut Club
The first thing that you notice when you play this album is that it's going to be filled with loud, fast and aggressive music and boy did it exceed my expectations when I listened to it. In a New Bomb Turks-esque garage punk style the Nunchaks don't stop from their blistering opener "My Girlfriend is Catwoman" to the final song, "Vintage Blues". I am amazed that this album is for free because I would happily pay full price for it, it really is great. If you like New Bomb Turks or Iggy and the Stooges then you simply must have this. Unmissable.
2. Talco: Tutti Assolti
Talco: Combat Circus
Ok, so I'm cheating a little here by putting two albums. I honestly couldn't decide between the two for which to put in this list - so luckily for you I put them both down. Talco are a ska punk band in the vein of Streetlight Manifesto from (I believe) Spain. They sing in their native language but the music does not suffer one bit if you do not understand the lyrics. Tracks range from blisteringly chaotic to mellower and more relaxed ones. Like I said, if you like Streetlight Manifesto then you should definitely get these, the foreign language barrier is no excuse for missing out on these fantastic releases.
1. Pete Vyler: This is Disaster
Like the Nunchaks album this has some great garage punk music in the release but with the pace toned down ever so slightly throughout the album. As much as I'd like to write about this album I simply cannot express myself further than describing it's genre and tempo. However, once you listen to it you'll be able to understand why I am unable to do this. It really is a fantastic album that deserves a place in any music collection. If for some reason that you only want one album from this list then the number one slot deserves your attention. Happy listening.
5. Man or Astroman?: Live at the Maida Vale BBC Studios
Anyone who is into their surf rock music will know who Man or Astroman? is they really need no introduction to their wonderful sci-fi-esque melodies reminding those who listen to them of 50's superhero television programmes or programmes of a similar ilk. This live album was (I believe) done as a Peel session and unlike most live albums, the sound quality is utterly fantastic, it really does sound like post-production studio quality stuff. There's a little bit of banter inbetween some songs. Not only a truly fantastic live album but a truly fantastic album in it's own right.
4. Bomb the Music Industry: Album Minus Band
I discovered Bomb the Music Industry about two months after this album was released, it was recommended to me by fellow message boarders and that it was "unlike anything you've ever heard of", to this day I would still agree to that statement quite a lot. Fronted by Jeff Rosenstock (of Arrogant Sons of Bitches fame) the whole album throws at you punk rock-fused-with-synths and only drops the pace half way through during Sweet Home Canada. BTMI have several other albums out and a few standalone songs, I would heavily recommend listening to them after listening to Album Minus Band. A wonderfully catchy album that will have you listening again and again.
3. The Nunchaks: Sexy Party at the Coconut Club
The first thing that you notice when you play this album is that it's going to be filled with loud, fast and aggressive music and boy did it exceed my expectations when I listened to it. In a New Bomb Turks-esque garage punk style the Nunchaks don't stop from their blistering opener "My Girlfriend is Catwoman" to the final song, "Vintage Blues". I am amazed that this album is for free because I would happily pay full price for it, it really is great. If you like New Bomb Turks or Iggy and the Stooges then you simply must have this. Unmissable.
2. Talco: Tutti Assolti
Talco: Combat Circus
Ok, so I'm cheating a little here by putting two albums. I honestly couldn't decide between the two for which to put in this list - so luckily for you I put them both down. Talco are a ska punk band in the vein of Streetlight Manifesto from (I believe) Spain. They sing in their native language but the music does not suffer one bit if you do not understand the lyrics. Tracks range from blisteringly chaotic to mellower and more relaxed ones. Like I said, if you like Streetlight Manifesto then you should definitely get these, the foreign language barrier is no excuse for missing out on these fantastic releases.
1. Pete Vyler: This is Disaster
Like the Nunchaks album this has some great garage punk music in the release but with the pace toned down ever so slightly throughout the album. As much as I'd like to write about this album I simply cannot express myself further than describing it's genre and tempo. However, once you listen to it you'll be able to understand why I am unable to do this. It really is a fantastic album that deserves a place in any music collection. If for some reason that you only want one album from this list then the number one slot deserves your attention. Happy listening.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Part 2
9. Guarapita: Si Hay
What can I say, this again was one of the first albums I downloaded online and I still listen to it fairly regularly up to this day. Guarapita can be best described as french surf/ska/hardcore - definitely an intereting combination to say the least. The tracks are fairly similar throughout generally ticking all the right boxes, but despite the somewhat lack of variety in the album there are still some stand out tracks such as "Colombia" and "Guarapita". If you're looking for something fairly out of the ordinary and somewhat unique then you won't be disappointed with Si Hay.
8. The Original Onions: Grill Skills
Another surf album here though unlike Si Hay is entirely instrumental. The album takes a more relaxed style of surf music too whilst still retaining it's rock stylings, notable tracks are "Back on the Chain Gang" and "Spanish Onions". Surf music always ceases to amaze me with what can be done and I'm happy to say that at times The Original Onions still amaze me. A fine record to listen to either as background music or with your full attention. Get it.
7. Defiance, Ohio: Share what ya got
This debut from acoustic folk punkers Defiance, Ohio is in my opinion the best out of their three current full lengths. From the slow paced opener "Hey Kathleen, are you hungry?" through to the more upbeat "Bikes and Bridges" to the thunderous "Response to Griot" ending, D,O grab you from the start and won't let go until the very last note has stopped. I really regret missing them play semi-locally a few years back because I know it would have been a show that I would have enjoyed immensely. Some tracks will have you reaching for the repeat button and you could listen to a single track on repeat for an hour without realising and still enjoy it as much in the 20th time as you did the first. Absolutely essential.
6. The Kazoo Funk Orchestra: Midnight Finger Painter
The first thing you'll notice about this album is that it has a huge number of tracks and each one is as strange and unique as the last. The KFO play a blend of trip hop and experimental rock with as you may have guessed, some extra kazoos thrown into the mix. Whilst some of the album may be considered as filler, the majority of the album are excellent stand out songs and credit must be given to these Scottish rockers in creating such a unique, humourous and entertaining sound. Furthermore you can download their EP and Christmas single from their website for free too as well as tracks from their forthcoming album. You really would be insane to miss out on the KFO, childish infact and as KFO say, Grow up, grow a beard.
What can I say, this again was one of the first albums I downloaded online and I still listen to it fairly regularly up to this day. Guarapita can be best described as french surf/ska/hardcore - definitely an intereting combination to say the least. The tracks are fairly similar throughout generally ticking all the right boxes, but despite the somewhat lack of variety in the album there are still some stand out tracks such as "Colombia" and "Guarapita". If you're looking for something fairly out of the ordinary and somewhat unique then you won't be disappointed with Si Hay.
8. The Original Onions: Grill Skills
Another surf album here though unlike Si Hay is entirely instrumental. The album takes a more relaxed style of surf music too whilst still retaining it's rock stylings, notable tracks are "Back on the Chain Gang" and "Spanish Onions". Surf music always ceases to amaze me with what can be done and I'm happy to say that at times The Original Onions still amaze me. A fine record to listen to either as background music or with your full attention. Get it.
7. Defiance, Ohio: Share what ya got
This debut from acoustic folk punkers Defiance, Ohio is in my opinion the best out of their three current full lengths. From the slow paced opener "Hey Kathleen, are you hungry?" through to the more upbeat "Bikes and Bridges" to the thunderous "Response to Griot" ending, D,O grab you from the start and won't let go until the very last note has stopped. I really regret missing them play semi-locally a few years back because I know it would have been a show that I would have enjoyed immensely. Some tracks will have you reaching for the repeat button and you could listen to a single track on repeat for an hour without realising and still enjoy it as much in the 20th time as you did the first. Absolutely essential.
6. The Kazoo Funk Orchestra: Midnight Finger Painter
The first thing you'll notice about this album is that it has a huge number of tracks and each one is as strange and unique as the last. The KFO play a blend of trip hop and experimental rock with as you may have guessed, some extra kazoos thrown into the mix. Whilst some of the album may be considered as filler, the majority of the album are excellent stand out songs and credit must be given to these Scottish rockers in creating such a unique, humourous and entertaining sound. Furthermore you can download their EP and Christmas single from their website for free too as well as tracks from their forthcoming album. You really would be insane to miss out on the KFO, childish infact and as KFO say, Grow up, grow a beard.
Friday, June 13, 2008
The top 13 or 14 albums that you can legally get for free on the internet that you've probably never heard of that have been found by me. - Part 1
Or "T13o14atyclgffotitypnothbfbm" for short (pronounced "Tattyguffotitopthbuffbum"). Well, today is Friday 13th and to celebrate ex-Strangler Hugh Cornwell's new album being a free download *HERE*, I decided to compile my own free album chart (and naming it such so that I can cover my bases from people who complain about lack of entries. Of course, there's no way in hell that I'd be able to listen to all those free albums, there simply isn't the time, but here's the cream of the crop that I've listened to and I'm sure you'll get some enjoyment out of at least one of these. I've stayed away from including EPs so I've decided to only include full-lengths and one live release. So without further delay, here we go... (#13-10). Tomorrow, #9-6 and Sunday, #5-1.
13. Fire Dept: L'Ouef D'Or
We start off with one of the first albums I ever downloaded, this mid-90's UK garage punk group give it a right old bash with their debut LP. The melodies are typical American garage with definite injections of UK style. The record is however rather polished a la "The Hives" but it is undisputed that the quality of the songs come through, especially on my favourite, the opening track "Golden Egg". Whilst the record may be lacking in the speed that more modern garage punk albums do instead giving a sense of speed from early MC5 material. You could argue that L'Ouef D'Or is too afraid to embrace the speed of modern garage punk but you would be denying it the pleasure of giving a nod back to the music that preceded it. You can grab further Fire Dept albums from the link above by following the band link.
12. Gimp: Smiles for Macavity
This album comes from the driving force of third wave ska bands Catch 22, Streetlight Manifesto and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, Tomas Kalnoky. Smiles for Macavity was recorded when Tomas was only 15 and does not contain any horns in it at all but takes on a more raw and punk sound. Notable songs include an original version of "Supernothing" and "Mrs Butterworth's Indestructible Bomb Shelter" and a cover of "One Tin Soldier". Whether you're a fan of any of Tomas' newer bands you will probably be interested to find out where his excellent song writing ability started off at and Smiles for Macavity is an excellent lost recording to download.
11. The Matt Kurz One: If you can't beat 'em... join 'em!
The Matt Kurz One is the first release here to be from the Quote Unquote Records collective that distribute their music freely with an optional suggested donation. The Matt Kurz One if you haven't already guessed is a one-man band and IYCBEJE is none the worse for it. The songs are stripped down raw rock recordings about everyday things and a couple about love and loss thrown into the mix. Personal favourites are "Long Island I Swear" and "Epiphany!". It's the kind of album that is as listenable in the background as it is with your full attention and the simplicity and general gentleness of the songs give it real personality. An excellent release.
10. Distemper: To me on a dick...!!!
Put shortly this is Russian third wave ska music. This is the first foreign language entry in the list and you may have guessed from the poor construction of the album title that it would be from a non-english speaking band, or at least a band that speaks very little english. But this does not affect the quality of the music one bit. Distemper have a blistering sound right from the start that will have you tapping your feet from start to finish. Elements of ska-core music come through the music too, if Big D & The Kids Table had a baby with Lenin then you'd be half way there. Nothing should stop you from listening to this album if you're a ska fan, not being able to understand the words is no excuse.
13. Fire Dept: L'Ouef D'Or
We start off with one of the first albums I ever downloaded, this mid-90's UK garage punk group give it a right old bash with their debut LP. The melodies are typical American garage with definite injections of UK style. The record is however rather polished a la "The Hives" but it is undisputed that the quality of the songs come through, especially on my favourite, the opening track "Golden Egg". Whilst the record may be lacking in the speed that more modern garage punk albums do instead giving a sense of speed from early MC5 material. You could argue that L'Ouef D'Or is too afraid to embrace the speed of modern garage punk but you would be denying it the pleasure of giving a nod back to the music that preceded it. You can grab further Fire Dept albums from the link above by following the band link.
12. Gimp: Smiles for Macavity
This album comes from the driving force of third wave ska bands Catch 22, Streetlight Manifesto and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, Tomas Kalnoky. Smiles for Macavity was recorded when Tomas was only 15 and does not contain any horns in it at all but takes on a more raw and punk sound. Notable songs include an original version of "Supernothing" and "Mrs Butterworth's Indestructible Bomb Shelter" and a cover of "One Tin Soldier". Whether you're a fan of any of Tomas' newer bands you will probably be interested to find out where his excellent song writing ability started off at and Smiles for Macavity is an excellent lost recording to download.
11. The Matt Kurz One: If you can't beat 'em... join 'em!
The Matt Kurz One is the first release here to be from the Quote Unquote Records collective that distribute their music freely with an optional suggested donation. The Matt Kurz One if you haven't already guessed is a one-man band and IYCBEJE is none the worse for it. The songs are stripped down raw rock recordings about everyday things and a couple about love and loss thrown into the mix. Personal favourites are "Long Island I Swear" and "Epiphany!". It's the kind of album that is as listenable in the background as it is with your full attention and the simplicity and general gentleness of the songs give it real personality. An excellent release.
10. Distemper: To me on a dick...!!!
Put shortly this is Russian third wave ska music. This is the first foreign language entry in the list and you may have guessed from the poor construction of the album title that it would be from a non-english speaking band, or at least a band that speaks very little english. But this does not affect the quality of the music one bit. Distemper have a blistering sound right from the start that will have you tapping your feet from start to finish. Elements of ska-core music come through the music too, if Big D & The Kids Table had a baby with Lenin then you'd be half way there. Nothing should stop you from listening to this album if you're a ska fan, not being able to understand the words is no excuse.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Muxtape, Technical Support and slow eBay sellers.
After reading Onebrow's post (*HERE*) about something called Muxtape, I decided to see for myself to see whether it was any good. Well, to be honest there is THAT much to do there but it certainly does what it says on the tin very well. It does unfortunately only support mp3 files at the moment which was a bit of an annoyance as I had to convert each song from their original format to mp3 but I think it's an excellent way to share music and be lame enough to pass it off as a present. It does also limit you to 10Mb per song and a total of 12 songs altogether which I think is a little restrictive but I can see the reasoning behind it. Here's my effort anyway, an attempt to make songs form a tale about finding love and losing it, bit of a quick selection but it's not bad I reckon. *Check it out*
Yesterday there was a planned power cut in the local area that seems to have caused more disruption than intended, I point towards wireless routers and phonelines. Today I was trying to reconfigure the router at my gran's house only to give up after an hour and phone the Orange technical support line, something I knew was an evil neccessity. Cue ten minutes of being told lines don't exist anymore and phone menus before I can speak to a human. Of course this perfectly nice woman happened to have a very quiet and very thick Indian accent which made matters almost infintely more frustrating than it should have. Eventually I got told that it was a fault of the ethernet cable which had never been used, something which I somehow suspect is untrue. It's things like this that stop me switching from my current provider.
Finally I'd just like to have a small rant about eBay sellers that take ages to post items to buyers. Now, I know people don't always have easy access to letter boxes or post offices but not posting items for five days is a little beyond the limit of my patience, especially when they've given a first class delivery service as the only option so that I can get it in the next day or two. It's slightly more annoying because I'm the only one here to take the deliveries as one won't fit through the letter box meaning that I have to wake up earlier than I would like to so that I can see the postman arrive at some God-forsaken hour without a parcel for four days in a row. So I say if you're an eBay seller, either provide first class postage and post it out the next day (unless you actually state or notify the buyer when you'll send it out) or just put second class delivery so people can sleep a little longer in the morning, it'd save us buyers from becoming overly tired and aggrivated.
Yesterday there was a planned power cut in the local area that seems to have caused more disruption than intended, I point towards wireless routers and phonelines. Today I was trying to reconfigure the router at my gran's house only to give up after an hour and phone the Orange technical support line, something I knew was an evil neccessity. Cue ten minutes of being told lines don't exist anymore and phone menus before I can speak to a human. Of course this perfectly nice woman happened to have a very quiet and very thick Indian accent which made matters almost infintely more frustrating than it should have. Eventually I got told that it was a fault of the ethernet cable which had never been used, something which I somehow suspect is untrue. It's things like this that stop me switching from my current provider.
Finally I'd just like to have a small rant about eBay sellers that take ages to post items to buyers. Now, I know people don't always have easy access to letter boxes or post offices but not posting items for five days is a little beyond the limit of my patience, especially when they've given a first class delivery service as the only option so that I can get it in the next day or two. It's slightly more annoying because I'm the only one here to take the deliveries as one won't fit through the letter box meaning that I have to wake up earlier than I would like to so that I can see the postman arrive at some God-forsaken hour without a parcel for four days in a row. So I say if you're an eBay seller, either provide first class postage and post it out the next day (unless you actually state or notify the buyer when you'll send it out) or just put second class delivery so people can sleep a little longer in the morning, it'd save us buyers from becoming overly tired and aggrivated.
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