you give us those nice bright colors

do go and check out flavorwire for a little photo collection inspired by the death of kodachrome on 30/12/2010. i particularly like this taj mahal reflection by steve mccurry.

a list: albums of 2010

as the year comes to an end, it is, as i understand it, obligatory to voice one's views of the past 12 months' artistic success'. or something like that. therefore here are my musical winners:

vampire weekend: contra

afro beats sit comfortably with electronic ones in this second album that sees the boys hone their style to perfection. actually enjoy this more than the fist album.

yeasayer: odd blood

highlights include electro folk "madder red", the sing along "ambling alp", hauntingly robotic "the children" and synth heavy electro floor filler "o.n.e.". this album sees the band deliberately try to be more poppy and finds them fully embracing the more subtle electro dalliances of previous efforts on a more full time basis.

the national: high violet

leonard cohen and ian curtis' mutant lovechild fronting a post punk new wave band. sort of. stand out track "blood buzz ohio" is amazing.

my morning bender: big echo 

brian wilson-esque sun filled summery tunes via fleet foxes and vampirweekend from these calfornian [beach] boys. luscious string abound on "excuses", probably the best track on the album.

 

chiefs: modern rituals

close harmony led indie-folk. think csny, neil young, buffolo springfield, fleet foxes and "american beauty" era grateful dead blended with 90s britpop undertones and a modern indie feel. check out "the minute i saw it" and "night and day".

a year in pictures

msn.com photo editor antony bennison provides the year in pictures. some really breathtaking photos in this collection of 60 pictures taken throughout 2010.

my two favorites have to be:

 

christopher thomas' dash 8 q400 in front of the moon, for the effort and time he put in and the resultant stunning image; such a glorious juxtaposition.

 

and alejandra bartoliche's protester pissing at a pack of riot police in argentina. with all the protests going on at the moment this guy could be the poster boy.

click here for the rest at msn.com.

enjoy.

the captain

merry christmas, everyone!

no normal posts today or for some days to come. i'm too busy enjoying christmas! blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda. i greatly enjoy russell brand's view on life. to get you in the spirit for tomorrow check him out here mulling over what christmas is all about.

enjoymas.

the captain.

song du jour 23/12/10

elbow's guy garvey has let slip the title of their new album on live radio. a mildly inebriated garvey revealed during marc riley's christmas show that their latest offering is to be titled "build a rocket, boys!". click here for the full story and track listing at bbc 6 music news.

i only really know elbow since the release of "the seldom seen kid". how can you not love a song that starts "i've been working on a cocktail called grounds for divorce"! that got my attention. next came this song which is so uplifting and anthemic it hurts.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "one day like this" from the album "the seldom seen kid". i love the message of this song and anything with a string part like this just blows me away.



song du jour 22/12/10

sorry, another song that worked it's way into my brain because of the movie "donnie darko". hell. it's practically the theme tune (if films have theme tunes..)! i only superficially know about tears for fears because their big singles were around when i was a kid. but i only heard them on the radio or on top of the pops and never deliberately sought them out. they weren't my thing. so i guess it has to be with great thanks that i doth my cap to the movie makers for providing such a great soundtrack. not only did it cause me to discover this track but also their original version of "mad world" that was covered by some dude called gary jules and also used for the film.

another fine atmospheric song from the 80s proving again that there was a lot more good music around when i was a kid than i was actually exposed to. what is it with that decade for these really dark tracks that were still quite mainstream? for every cheesy pop tune there is a great song like this.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "head over heels" from the album "songs from big chair". for serious.



winter solstice party

(pine forest in snow [embossed] by ansel adams)

there will be no song du jour today as tonight is the solstice and so we are off to play music in the snowy wilds. i'm just not going to have time peeps, sorry!

business should resume as normal tomorrow. until then enjoy whatever art finds it's way into your life, on this, the shortest day of the year (and coldest by the feel of it)! the warming sun is now on it's way back to us.

enjoy.

the captain

song du jour 20/12/10

I'm not really a massive smiths fan. there are a lot of their songs that i like but over all morrisey's voice and the general samey-ness of many of the songs gets a bit too much. there are definately a handful of their tunes that stand out, and for me this track is by far the best. the reason for that is most likely that it isn't really very smithsy at all!

song du jour 17/12/10

ok, so i heard this song through donnie darko and i wasn't really familiar with echo and the bunnymen until then. doesn't mean that it's not a great song. doesn't mean i love it any less. i haven't watched the film since it came out but this song has been with me ever since. it sends shivers up my spine and all that jazz every time i listen to it. any song that can evoke such a strong feeling is amazing if you ask me. and isn't that the point of all art anyway?

so with that in mind my song du jour is "the killing moon" from the 1984 album "ocean rain". such a dark atmospheric sound. i'm all about the atmosphere.

song du jour 16/12/10

yes i do pay attention, and yes i do take requests christopher! this one goes out to my good friend in hong kong. this is chicago when they were in charge of the trains and buses, before they became a whole city; or when they were good, before they were shit. anyway you see it the name was certainly better. jazz-funk-prog? i don't know. bloated rock? musical wank? who cares.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "i'm a man" from the band's self titled debut album "the chicago transit authority". (sorry chris, i haven't watched enough money train to put on some of the more abstract songs...)

song du jour 15/12/10

bob marley's last live gig is set to be released as an album. 'uprising, live forever', recorded in 1980, is due out february 1, 2011. for the full story over at music-news.com click here.

i love bob marley. i've been listening to him since i was in nappies and so has my 5 year old son. we used to use marley albums to get him to sleep instead of kid's music, lullabies, etc. so i guess it's in the blood. unfortunately bob died the year i was born so i never got to see him live, but his legacy lives on and his popularity sees no sign of waining. I look forward to the new album.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "three little birds" from the album "exudus". i know this is maybe one of his more cheesy songs, and there are a lot more important songs with deep messages but relax and take it easy! this song has such a basic message that we could all benefit from listening to, and for that reason it is important.

song du jour 14/12/10

and now for something completely different! white-boy soul-rap jazzsters? not sure, but try and not groove along to this! i can't pretend i know a lot about this band. check out wikipedia for more info. they have loads of great tracks, including a cover of jack johnson's "rodeo clowns", so check them out.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "cold beverages" from their debut album "g. love and special sauce".

a list: locked up

in honour of jim morrison's recent pardon, this week's "a list" is must see prison movies:

cool hand luke

the 1967 paul newman classic sees luke, a decorated war hero, struggle to come to terms with civilian life. incarcerated for a petty crime his anti-establishment sentiments and self belief make him a hero to his fellow inmates and as such a danger to the status quo. 

escape from alcatraz

a group of inmates, led by clint eastwood, attempt to escape from the notorious alcatraz; an island prison from which no-one had managed to escape before. based on a true story.

song du jour 13/12/10

another great find from la blogoteque "the morning benders" are a band from california. with a sound that is fleet foxes one moment, vampire weekend the next, you can't go wrong. throw in some shoe gazing moments for good measure and we are on to a winner.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "virgins" live on la blogoteque. this song makes me melt. the morning benders: great band; shame about the name.

tenuous tracks

this week i'm sharing a "wrong side of the law" themed favourites playlist inspired by jim morrison's recent posthumous pardon:

54-46 (was my number) - toots and the maytals

san quentin - johnny cash

jailhouse rock - blues brothers

i fought the law - the clash

get myself arrested - gomez

breaking the law - judas priest

their law - prodigy

enjoy!

song du jour 10/12/10

jim morrison has been pardoned! that's right, james douglas morrison has finally had his disorderly conduct and exposure conviction dismissed after 40 years. shame he died in 1971.

click here to read the full story at music news.com

i doubt i need to lecture anyone about the doors, there's loads of literature out there about them. suffice to say they are amazing. but if you haven't listened to them before, maybe you just ain't that into them, or maybe you are a lapsed fan, let's take the chance to remember and revel in greatness.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "touch me" from the album "the soft parade".

thank you

ladies and gentleman, may i have your attention please!

according to the stats i have received views from isle of man, united kingdom, united states, hong kong, macau, croatia, denmark, italy, mauritius and canada. amazing! thank you all for making this a truly global blog. 

please do come back again and again as i do post at least once everyday.

and if you do stop by, let me know what you think by posting a comment! i'd love to hear that you like my work. but, just as much, if you disagree with what i say then let's hear from you; we'll start a debate!

thank you

random review 09/12/10

last night i watched terminator 2 on tv and my god how i had forgotten how much i love this film! t2 came out when i was in my early teens which means i saw it before the first film, so for me this is the quintessential terminator movie. i remember renting it from the local video shop and being blown away.

song du jour 09/12/10

i just read that aretha franklin, the heart of soul, is "battling cancer". click here for the full story at guardian.co.uk.

song du jour 08/12/10

this song was born, as was i, in 1981 amidst the systematic closure of industries, unemployment and race riots; released that summer it went to number one! a true state of the nation address, it is amongst but a handful of songs that completely capture the mood and sentiment of the time they were written whilst still being relevant now.

song du jour 07/12/10

formed in antwerp, belgium, in 1991, deus' debut album "worst case scenario" was released on september 16, 1994 to critical acclaim. their second outing named "in a bar, under the sea" followed two years later. it was around then that i got a tape free on the front of some music magazine (i can't even remember the name) which was an island records sampler. it contained loads of tracks by bands that didn't even rate space in my memory (except i remember there was a tindersticks track on there too). one track that did make an instant impression was this track i have chosen today.

song du jour 06/12/10

jason lee here, showing signs of obvious disappointment that the latest series of "my name is earl", set in the amish community, is not doing well.

i just stumbled upon this new-ish band chief and i'm in love already! if you are a fan of fleet foxes then these guys are probably for you. if you are not (shame on you!) then think the close harmonies and jangly guitars of buffalo springfield, CSNY, grateful dead, etc. their debut album is out now and it looks like this:

with that in mind my song du jour is chief's "night & day" from their debut album "modern rituals".

song du jour 03/12/10

another great find from la blogoteque. this is john grant the former frontman of the czars an extremely talented guy and not just musically either (he is a gifted linguist, speaking german and spanish as well as russian). this guy's voice is superb. i do love a good baritone. heartfelt, yet powerful. it's nice to hear some simple piano led music that isn't just the opening of some over blown rock opera. truely art, for art's sake.

song du jour 02/12/10

i freakin love the cold war kids. this guy has got arguably the best voice since jeff buckley. maybe not fully realised on this track but check out some of the slower, sweeter tracks from the first album where he sings more falcetto and you'll see what I mean. feckin' love this track though for it's pure dirtyness. and that's another reason why he is so great: his voice can go from sandpaper to honey in the blink of an eye.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "hang me up to dry" from the album "robbers and cowards"

- click here for the youtube video -

song du jour 01/12/10

an old friend of mine lent me the album that contains this song a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. i copied it to my lap top and i listened to it about once and didn't think much more of it. years later i kept getting this melody keep coming to me, no words just the tune. i kept thinking this is such an amazing little tune what the hell is it!

video killed the radio star

la blogoteque is a french vlog or as they say "a collective weblog broadcasted on youtube and elsewhere". 

they take bands out of their usual performance spaces and catch them on the fly, in derelict buildings, singing acapella, etc, and always live, raw and unique.