Emmy the Great - 'We Almost Had a Baby'

I first heard this song, Emmy the Great's 'We Almost Had a Baby', on Radcliffe and Maconie (back in their Radio2 days), it didn't mean anything to me personally. I loved the fact that Emma-Lee Moss is Chinese (well, half-Chinese: close enough) and making her dream of being a singer come true. more so, I was struck dumb by the beauty of her voice (in particular, the last couple notes that swirl in the air and tug at the heartstrings), as well as the strength of the songwriting. if the story is taken from her real life / is true (and from what I've seen on the Web, it sounds like it is?), it's amazing.

somehow she's managed to compartmentalise a fling with a Ricky Nelson-type 'Travelin' Man' that included a night of heated passion with someone who meant so much to her and still means so much to her, yet he could care less now. she recalls how she thought that after a night of unprotected sex, she was so worried she was pregnant. yet, the wistfulness is painful - she knows that if there had been a baby, it would have been their baby. so many times in film we see women thinking they can use having a baby as a trump card in keeping a man, and instead of this idea being a cheap ploy in this song, it's heartbreaking. she's despondent. perhaps there's even a part of her that wishes she had been pregnant, because maybe he would have stayed.

the next time I saw you
out on the road
I'd have something to say
other than "pay me all of the money you owe"

I would have liked to
to have something above you
to have something to hold
and know I could choose to grow

I would've called you
and I'd have said "hey
you know I'm in control
I'll let you know if you have to come and choose a name"

she also paints, in one brief verse, the very picture of lost innocence. pretty sure she lost her virginity to this man (cue the waterworks):

well, I am a woman
and you know I'm a woman
but before I met you
I was only a kid
you know
when you thought you would break me
but you wanted to take me
so you did

and later:

I'm not the girl you remember from the start
I was only a baby
now I'm what you made me

she admits to wanting to give up everything to prove to him she was worthy of his love:

and once you left me in the spring
and twice you left in fall
and once I tried to make a life
to keep myself in yours

also, it's painfully obvious that this man is a musician, who flitted into her life when it was possible and flitted right back out (fits the profile of a touring musician):

do you think of me when you are playing
the one and five in four?
is country music
what your life is for?

I don't think men fully realise that that when it comes to love / sex / having babies, it's us women who carry the majority of the brunt of the consequences. there's a reason why there are more male "playas" and male serial flirters than women: the stakes are higher for women. if we sleep around, don't use protection and birth control, we're the ones that get pregnant and have to live with the potential unsettling, life-changing outcomes of unsafe liaisons.

hmm. it just really hit home today. when you're in love with someone, that someone is your whole world. for women, often times we're the ones having to give sex, because the men in our lives expect it, and we think that is enough to prove our love for them. but if there is ever a point when that someone stops loving you, especially after you've given them the most precious gift in the world, it's impossible to comprehend. it's not a question of forgiveness. it's not simple at all. it's like you're a drifting boat, left to drift forever, staring out into the horizon and wondering where the hell you're going.

so I've spent the entire afternoon listening to the song, bawling. like a baby. predictably.

Twitter world is *not* the real world.

the more time I spend on Twitter, the more I'm convinced people think it works like the real world. it does, but in a worse way than the real world does. and I think that's possible. people need validation and their egos stroked in real life, but it seems like on Twitter the desire to be liked, in the case of some of the more difficult cases, the desire to hear the sycophantic cries of your followers, is magnified to ridiculous proportions.

I've regarded Twitter as a useful tool b/c it's like Facebook and AOL IM rolled into one. (if anyone like me is still around out there that remembers what AOL IM was.) you can use it to tell people what you're doing, and if you're into music, what music turns you on and what you're listening to at the moment.

this afternoon I made a factual (so what I considered a completely unincendiary) statement about the absence of Steve Lamacq from 6music this week. a good majority of my followers don't listen to 6music as much as I do (or even listen to it at all) so I was stating the fact that Andrew Collins was subbing for him while he is in Brooklyn on quasi holiday, quasi work trip, and with Collins in for Lammo, the show isn't the same. Lammo is an indie music cheerleader of sorts, whereas Collins is a comedian (I recall him going to Edinburgh Fringe quite a lot?) / lit chap these days. it's like comparing apples to oranges. the show is bound to be different when you've got a different presenter.

Radcliffe/Maconie suffers a similar fate when one of them is out and the other must present solo, and the Mark Radcliffe fans love it when Stu is away, b/c he plays more indie-ish (?) stuff from what I can gather? and the Stuart Maconie fans like me are chomping at the bit when Mark is away, b/c Stu gets away with playing more Northern soul, and he tends to flirt with his female guests and generally be adorable (haha).

"one of the things is not like the other" is something we learned from Sesame Street, right?

somehow Mister Collins took my comment of "I miss Lammo. no offence to @CollingsA but drivetime isn't the same (:" as a personal slight. had I said, "Collins, you suck!" or "Andrew Collins should never be allowed to host drivetime, evah!" I could see he would have a decent argument for being upset. to a certain degree. in any event, he thought I was dissing him.

what's even loonier about the whole thing is that Collins must have been looking up his @replies to have found my Tweet in the first place. I'm sure Mister Big UK Media doesn't follow an inconsequential person like me, so that's the only way he could have found it. my guess is that it must have been a really slow night in London and with nothing to do, he went fishing for compliments through his @replies or possibly (and quite masochistly?) was looking for complaints into his second day of subbing for Lammo.

unfortunately, he found the Tweet and decided it was grounds for (minor) war. he said something to me that I regarded as a bit of a threat, saying I shouldn't say things on Twitter I wouldn't say to his face. ok, so you tell me, what part of "I miss Lammo. no offence to @CollingsA but drivetime isn't the same (:" is hateful? I don't see it. I'm not an arsekisser *and* I'm a fan and friend of Lammo's so the last thing I'm going to say to any of his substitute presenters is "you're so wonderful, I love it when Lammo is away and you can fill in for him!" b/c I don't think that.

apparently, I was supposed to be sensitive to the fact that Andrew Collins might misconstrue a statement of fact as a dig at him. and oh yeah, he said I needed to learn Twitter etiquette and not use his Twitter handle in my Tweets so he won't read them and get upset. ummm...WTH?

I ended up deleting the Tweets because I just don't have time to deal with any rabid Collins fans coming after me with a pitchfork. some of my followers who also follow him have told me they read the exchange and either laughed and/or shook their heads at what happened.

the man has 10,000+ followers. if he feels the need to go after an innocent comment someone made stating a preference for a favourite presenter on a threatened radio station, that's pretty stupid.

a couple weeks back I wasn't allowed to have an opinion. now I'm not allowed to state facts. Twitter just keeps getting more interesting. (ha!)

FYI this whole thing ended up confirming what I already knew: I prefer Lammo above all others :)

(oh yeah, and I *still* think that Foals track sounds like Doves.)

edit 24 Mar 2010, 9:30 AM: he's still going on about Twitter etiquette. is there such a thing? this is pretty weird. it's like having the Emily Post of Twitter come back at you and tell you you've made a social gaffe.

dunno, I suppose I should be grateful that he slightly backpedaled on his previous vitriolic Tweets to me.

CollingsA
@theprintedword Not offence at comment, offence at etiquette failure re: using someone's Twitter name when you needn't have done

he wanted to make the point that any Tweet containing his name should be praise and nothing else? dunno. if you're expecting Twitter to deliver only compliments to your desktop / mobile phone / electronic gadget of your choice, I think you're missing the point of Twitter completely. it's a great equalizer b/c anyone with access to the internet can post whatever's on their mind, whenever they want. I wonder what his thoughts are on all the recent "comments" made about Director-General Thompson.

save BBC 6music!

so I wake up from my illness-induced stupor, open my email, and read this from Emmy the Great:

--

hello all,

I don't tend to use my mailing list that often, so please forgive the twice in a week.

Firstly, we're doing Tweedy on Saturday night. She wins. Everybody loves her. Apparently she cries diamonds.

On another note, newspapers are reporting today that the BBC is closing down 6music. According to Shaun Keaveny on his breakfast show, this isn't set in stone, but it's a definite possibility.

6music is probably the only reason we sold any records, and it's certainly the only reason I pay a licence fee DESPITE NOT HAVING A TV. Now I guess I'm paying for the website.

They say in the report that one of the reasons is because 80% of adults have never heard of 6music - a weak excuse for closing down an ALTERNATIVE radio station. Consider also that it costs just under a third of Jonathan Ross's last reported BBC salary to run it.

There are still ways to show your discontent - If you're on Twitter chances are you've seen the top trend of the day is #saveBBC6music, but people are also leaving comments under the articles that broke the news (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041944.ece, or joining groups on Facebook (no links for that, sorry), or sending in emails to the station itself. I'm gratefully accepting any other modes of complaint, and will post them on Myspace as blogs.

It might not do anything, but it'll be a nice rush of activity before we return to throwing things at the radio every time the dial accidentally lands on a music channel.

Oh, and they're shutting down the Asian Network too. That's my plan B gone.

Thanks BBC.

from Emmy

--

Emmy is the only Chinese woman I know of and am proud of in "pop music" and I agree with her statements wholeheartedly. BBC 6music is a station that plays alternative stuff, not just top 40, not just stuff middle-aged people (sorry) want to hear on their commutes home. not only do they play great music, they have live sessions (the Hub sessions, as noted in a Tweet by Frankie of Frankie and the Heartstrings earlier today), they have cool specialist shows like Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone and Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service, just started this year, and they even have cool documentaries on the history of music! I mean, it's not just the same boring sludge we get here in the States.

I realise I don't pay the license fee and therefore I'm not really in a good position to argue WHY the station should be saved because I've never "paid" for it as such, but I consider all the $ and £ I've paid to see concerts, buy music, buy merch, and travel around America and to Britain for ANY artist I've heard on the station as payment to the music community at large. b/c what 6music does better than any of the other BBC radio stations is get people excited about music.

BBC 6music also personally means a lot to me. not only do I listen to it a heck of a lot, I've gotten to "know" several of their DJs (in particular, Steve Lamacq, Nemone Metaxas, and Stuart Maconie) and if the radio station was canned, it'd be like losing members of my family.

I need to do some research on petitions and such. I already joined the Save 6music Facebook group weeks ago when Andrew Collins mentioned it on his Twitter that the gears were in motion for their closing.

dunno what I'm going to listen to if 6music closes. I guess I'll be stuck with Radio2 and the odd Radio1 programme. (I still think Zane Lowe shouts way too much.) if Drowned in Sound can be believed, Absolute Radio has said they'd buy the station, in which case I'll probably follow them instead.

this week's Roundtable (04/02)

Steve has Radio2 late night stalwart Janice Long, Robin Ince and Tom Ravenscroft (aka 6music presenter and probably better known as John Peel's son) as guests on Roundtable on Thursday

(FYI: Janice Long s a celebrity in Morrissey fan world, as she and Stuart Maconie are two of the chosen few that el Mozzer has allowed into his secret realm again and again.)

1. Jonsi - 'Go Do' - don't know anything about this band. not getting this.

2. General Fiasco - 'Ever So Shy' - I am really eager to see this band live sometime. not only are they mates with *my* mate Matt of S&D, this and the excellent 'Rebel Get By' would be awesome live. Northern Ireland has been doing well as of late - GF, the renewed Ash, and Two Door Cinema Club. Janice, I wuv you, I wuv his voice too!

3. Goldheart Assembly - 'King of Rome' - I know this band is one of Lammo's favourites. it's poppy, but not terribly exciting to me.

4. Tunng - 'Hustle' - the winner - twee. I prefer Camera Obscura, thank you very much.

5. Midlake - Acts of Man - this band (or perhaps more correctly, their album) was panned by a hapless ignoramus of a reviewer on PW. how embarrassing. while I'm not wild about it, I wouldn't say it's as terrible as the reviewer said she thought it was. you like Fleet Foxes, but darker? then this is for you.

6. French Horn Rebellion vs. Database - 'Beaches and Friends' - LMAO this reminds me of Sister Sledge and 'We Are Family' - anyone else? is disco staging a comeback?

7. Massive Attack's new 'Heligoland' album including 'Pray for Rain', 'Splitting the Atom' and 'Paradise Circus' - atmospheric, fuzzed out relaxed dance music. just perfect for this winter. I can't wait to hear Guy Garvey's voice on one of the tracks!

ugh, Christmas covers, make them stop.

I wanted to be put out of my misery after hearing Florence Welch's cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas" on Lammo's programme just now. UGH. I'll give her that she was performing it as part of some special xmas show thingy but still...really no need. her voice squeaks and I'm sorry, I just don't like the way she sounds. "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" is a good choone for the disco but other than that, I can live without her really.

but this isn't the only offender this Christmas. there is also an acoustic version of "Don't They Know It's Christmas" (aka the Bob Geldof/Band-Aid 1984 Christmas charity single) this year being put out by Badly Drawn Boy. don't mess with thar classics. ever!

there's a Thea Gilmore xmas-themed song playing on Rad/Mac and Radio2 as well. but as seeing it's not a cover (I don't think?) I'll leave that one alone.

only one more week left. THANK GOD.

6music in the Hub alert / Lammo's Radio1 programme broadcast

wow, this is going to be one hell of a week coming up...

4 of my fave bands in George Lamb's 6music Hub, on 11.30-12.00 GMT (6.30 to 7 AM ET). I'm catching them on iPlayer, obvs...

24 Aug - Passion Pit
25 Aug - Jack Penate
26 Aug - Placebo
28 Aug - Noah and the Whale

and beyond...

31 Aug - Mariachi El Bronx
04 Sep - Mumford and Sons
07 Sep - the Cribs (who BTW have just announced 2 dates at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC 12-13 November)
--

...and Steve Lamacq will be broadcasting his last ever In New Music We Trust programme at 21.00-22.00 GMT (4 to 5 PM here on the East Coast) next Monday, 24 August. I am so grateful he is staying on at 6music and Radio2 b/c if he wasn't, I don't know what I'd do with myself. probably get a noose ready...

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my apologies for a lack of posts since I've been back from NYC. there's a v. good reason though. see my next post!

I have an announcement!

well, I have several, actually. some of them I just haven't had the time to post about until now. for my sanity, I'll put them in chronologic order:

--

1. in June I posted a letter to one of my music journo heroes, Stuart Maconie (he of 6music's Sunday programme "Freak Zone" and the copresenter of Radio2's nightly programme "Radcliffe and Maconie") . he's always been a bit of a living legend in my and my friends' eyes b/c he has interviewed Morrissey more times you can shake a stick at and, from all appearances, has somehow maintained a confidence and kinship with the man. I stuck an international reply coupon and an SASE in with my letter, thinking that if he'd have time, he'd post me a promo picture of Mark and himself or something equally nonpersonal.

so on the second week of July, I come home from a long day's work and see in my pile of mail an envelope with this in the upper right hand corner:



I bit my lip as I opened the envelope and revealed a letter Stuart himself had typed out on A4 paper using MS Word. I won't bore you with the details, but the end of the letter (right before his signature in black Sharpie) was this:

Do what you love is my advice. And take care of yourself

S
xx

the man must receive bags upon bags of mail every day from his devoted legions of fans around the UK alone, not to mention anyone outside of the UK's borders who might fancy a listen to one of his shows. and he chose to write to me. I am v. grateful.

2. interestingly, there is a sideways connection between what Stuart Mac wrote me in his letter and Ed Mac of Friendly Fires. the day Stu wrote me was the day the Phenomenal Handclap Band was scheduled to come in for a live session for Radcliffe/Maconie. as usual, I tuned in that night, not knowing that it was the v. same day Stuart was going to write a letter to me. I knew nothing about the PHB until that morning of their session, when I opened an email from the le poisson rouge mailing list - where I'm seeing the Fires on the 12th - and I see the PHB is their support act.

I dunno about you, but I find the timing of both the email and when the band were visiting the Oxford Road BBC Manchester studios, ALONG WITH the choice of opening act must be more than a coincidence! I even dashed off a reply to Stuart with what had happened - this time no IRC and SASE, b/c I figured he didn't need to be bothered further! - but I thought he might be amused with this startling set of events.

at any rate, the PHB's live session with Mark and Stu was phenomenal (no pun intended) so I am looking forward to photographing and seeing them live in 10 days. eep!

3. my Paolo Nutini/Matt Hires/Erin McCarley gig report was made a featured item at Popwreckoning. you can read it here. I wasn't too impressed with Paolo (I think he may have just been a little pissed before coming onstage) but I really enjoyed Matt and Erin's sets and would have been happy if it'd just been the two of them.

Erin McCarley with her purty acoustic


that was the third time I'd been at the 9:30 this year and definitely the worst experience of the three. Doves had been sold out, yet tall guys let me stand in front of them on the balcony. the Camera Obscura crowd was filled with relatively mellow people - just like their music - and I never once felt threatened. fast forward a month to the Paolo Nutini show. let's just say that there were totally rabid fans from age 16 to age 50 and they screamed equally as loudly and passionately for Paolo, and the older set grated on my nerves for their "I'm allowed to be a b*tch and treat you like crap" sense of entitlement. when I went to go get my press pass - which was an ordeal in itself that I don't want to relive by typing it out here - one of these women shouted at the guy at the window that Paolo's tour manager had said she could go in before everyone else, because "I have to be in the front."

lady, unless you're his mum, you line up with the rest of us. end of story.

I do not have a problem with REAL fans lining up early and taking up the front spots b/c I'd rather have a real fan in front than a posturing industry type or someone who's shoved their way to the front from the back. we're all fans and we're in this together - be kind to your fellow fan.

4. bands have been making fall tour announcements left and right. some of the blast from the past notables:

Pearl Jam
Manic Street Preachers
Muse (touring w/ U2)
Leonard Cohen
Mew

5. good lord this has gotten long. will be back in a mo' with another post to finish up...

this week's Roundtable (18/06) / Glastonbury coverage

Thursday sees three of the Cribs in the studio for Roundtable. Two Jarmans and a Marr.

Johnny Marr. SQUEE-EE.

1. Calvin Harris - "Ready for the Weekend" - I have a feeling this is going to be heavy rotation this summer. am I a fan? not really. the electronic-ized voice ala Kanye is not high on my list. it sounds too much like the urban stuff on the radio over here.

2. the Low Anthem - "To Ohio" - this band is turning out to be more folky than I thought. or maybe I am getting them mixed up with the Gaslight Anthem? maybe. after purchasing Grizzly Bear's latest in England, I am convinced that there are too many bands like this. pick the one(s) you like and stick with 'em.

given the choice, I think I'd pick Noah and the Whale over most of them b/c I am a sucker for shoegazey, angsty songs about terribly broken relationships. you'd think I'd learn by now. then again, what else I am listening to? let's see...dance music with shoegazey, angsty lyrics (Ladyhawke, Friendly Fires, Dan Black) hahaha.

3. the Fiery Furnaces - "The End is Near" - hmm. this Thrill Jockeys' band too mellow for me, but the Jarmans and Johnny like it. I want to like this band b/c they've gotten a great reception in England and among American indie listeners, but not quite sold on them yet. might see them in August.

4. missed this one when the phone rang, sorry. I only caught the tidbit that they're on XL, interesting. yesterday I spent some time online looking on who was on Beggars Group and/or 4AD (including Anni Rossi and Camera Obscura, who I'm seeing at the 9:30 on Sunday night). hella big group of acts!

5. Soundtrack of Our Lives - "Flipside" - when this started, it reminds me of the Charlatans, until the singer opened his mouth. ok.

6. Major Lazer w. Santigold - "Hold the Line" (obvs clean version) - horses neighing, mobile phones going off, cash register ringing, glasses breaking, people getting kissed loudly - this track has it all. the ringing is especially funny. still, I'd relegate this to the novelty pile. Johnny Marr isn't a fan either, he can't get into it. I think it's humorous, if nothing else. lmao the Major's playing the Rock n Roll Hotel in town on Saturday.

7. the winner - Dinosaur Jr's new offering with original lineup - "I Don't Wanna Go There" and "Pieces" in full - not impressed by the repetitive guitar lines. I was never a fan of theirs, dunno if you need to be to enjoy this new stuff, but they sound like all other American indie rock band. funny, Ed Macfarlane's opinions on indie rock bands are now reverberating in my head...

--

6music (and many other BBC outfits including Radio1 and Radio2 also) will be reporting in from the world's most famous music festival taking place next weekend. 6music in particular will be broadcasting around the clock throughout the festival starting next week. (I got confused b/c 6music is heavily advertising the festival coverage right now and my ears perk up hearing the sample from Friendly Fires's "Jump in the Pool"...heh!)

BBC's Glastonbury site

the really unfortunate part is that all the videos will be UK only - as usual :P (stuff like the "red button" - it's a way to get on demand stuff from the BBC if you're a UKer, in case you're not up to speed on what that is.) so the only way you can really participate if you're unlucky to be living in another country is to listen live or via BBC iPlayer to the radio programmes. but it's the closest I'm getting to the action this year.

maybe next year friends in a band will take pity on me and let me stay with them on their bus or the weekend. a single tiny girl doesn't camp on her own at Glasto. it's just not on, y'know?

--

oh yeah - happy 67th Macca!!! (aka Sir Paul McCartney for the rest of you)

upcoming BBC Radio programmes of note

if you're not at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Swindon for the next 2 days like many of the bands I'm digging right now, don't fret. there's still good music programmes to be had from the comfort of your own home...

as usual, BBC radio programmes are available for 7 days after original broadcast on the BBC iPlayer.

6music
David Byrne special on Music Week (Sunday 10 May 13.00 London time, 8.00 East Coast time)

Radio2
Geordie band Maximo Park and reformed ska legendary band Madness join Dermot O'Leary on Saturday 9 May 15.00-18.00 BDT (10.00 to 13.00 Eastern)

in honour of Billy Joel's 60th birthday, the second half of a show about his life at 22.00 (18.00) on Saturday night


ah yes, and belated birthday wishes to Rob Lee (aka Wax Stag), touring bassist/percussionist with Friendly Fires. (this was discerned from Jack Savidge's Twitter, and I know missed Jack's birthday sometime the 2nd or 3rd week of April, sorry about that dude :)

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edit 16.05: in the wee hours of the morning of Monday 11 May, the Rob da Bank and Friends programme of Radio1 had Friendly Fires on (my latest English band obsession) with their A-Z chosen tracks. catch it if you can here. if not, here's the tracks they chose:

A. Adonis – ‘No Way Back’ (Trax)
B. Boredoms – ‘Heart’ (Warners Japan)
C. Chic – ‘I Want Your Love’ (Atlantic)
D. George Kranz – ‘Din daa daa’ (Hot Productions)
E. ESG – ‘Dance’
F. Friendly Fires – ‘Jump In The Pool (Thin White Duke remix)’ (XL)
G. Gza – ‘4th Chamber’ (Geffen)
H. Hot Chocolate – ‘Heaven’s In The Back Seat of My Cadillac’ (EMI) - one of FF's fave pregig pump-up tunes
I. Inner City – ‘Big Fun’ (Virgin)
J. Junior Boys – ‘Under The Sun’ (KIN)
K. Kanye West – ‘Paranoid’ (Roc-a-Fella) - apparently Kanye is a fan?
L. Friendly Fires – ‘I’m Good, I’m Gone’ (Lykke Li cover)
M. Matthew Dear – ‘Dog Days’ (Spectral Sound)
N. Nas – ‘It’s Ain’t Hard To Tell’ (Columbia)
O. O’Jays – ‘Put Our Hands Together’
P. Public Enemy – ‘Can I Get A Witness’ (Def Jam) - Chuck D and posse stormed FF's dressing room for a photo shoot at Coachella, to
Q. Q and Not U – ‘Line In The Sand’ (Dischord)
R. Kate Bush – ‘Running Up That Hill (Ashley Beedle re-edit)' - Edd thinks this is the ultimate karaoke song
S. Cerrone - ‘Supernature’
T. My Bloody Valentine – ‘To Here Knows When’ (Creation Records)
U. Burial – ‘Near Dark’ (Hyperdub) (album: 'Untrue')
V. Gang Gang Dance – ‘Vacuum’ (Social Registry)
W. Wax Stag – ‘Gold Gold’ (People In The Sky)
X. Mogwai – ‘Xmas Steps’ (Rock Action Records)
Y. Broken Social Scene – ‘time=cause’
Z. Zed Bias – ‘Neighbourhood’ (Locked On)

Moz on Radio 2 Live last night / this week's Roundtable

I am not sure what to make of the Morrissey gig at the BBC Radio Theatre last night (available on the Rad/Mac page for the next 6 days). all the tracks seemed laboured.

I *did* highly enjoy "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself?"

--

Thursday's Roundtable sees Radio 1's Bethan Elfyn join journalist Leonie Cooper in reviewing some new releases
(FYI Simon Raymonde of Bella Union Records (and ex-Cocteau Twins) was added at the last minute.)

1. Pet Shop Boys - "Love Etcetera" - dunno but this sounds old and tired to me. what do you think?

2. Peter Bjorn and John - "Nothing to Worry About" - just on principle, I should be against this b/c Kanye West is singing this band's praises. I agree with Leonie's assessment that the song sounds very Lykke Li, but Lykke Li does it better.

3. Spinnerette - "Ghetto Love" - the singer sounds like Chrissie Hynde, or maybe the vocalist for the Waitresses - neither of which are a compliment.

4. Hockey - "Too Fake" - perhaps I am jaded, but this sounds like other stuff that's out. their synth play remind me of Passion Pit, who they are touring with in England. hear this track and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

5. the winner - a tune by Maccabees - this reminds me of the new wave of shoegazing that is currently being led by White Lies.

6. Lady Sovereign - "So Human" - I am generally not a fan of rap or hip-hop but I like this one. it's got a nice melody and dancey backbeat - stolen from the Cure's "Close to Me". maybe that's why I dig it more than I should...anyhoo, you'd see me grooving to this at the disco.

7. Airborne Toxic Event (album of the week) - "Does This Mean You're Moving On?" - "so dumb, so dumb, so dumb, so dumb"...??? this does not make me optimistic about the gig of theirs I am going to next month. :/ Steve also played "Something New" which begins like a '60s song that I cannot think the title of right now...have a listen and tell me what it is, please! I have also read on the net it sounds like Jam's "A Town Called Malice." I don't agree. when I think of that song, I think of the crazy dancing scene in "Billy Elliott" when Jamie Bell is tip-tapping his way through his little town.

random tip of the day: this is of no consequence, but I am really digging Royksopp's "Happy Up Here" more than I should. this is evidenced by my brain thinking it really wants me to start doing jazz hands or rollerskate every time the song cues up on the radio.

"best of" upcoming events (third list of January)

addendum to this post from 12 January

Radcliffe/Maconie (Radio2)
27.01 - Graham Nash interview (added later 'cos it was just announced on Rad/Mac)
11.02 - Morrissey live session and Q&A with Mark and Stu at the BBC Theatre, London (repeated in list here b/c I'm worried I'll forget!)

Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
05.02 - Morrissey performance - sure to be mobbed by mozzolo regulars

Conan O'Brien (NBC)
28.01 - Cold War Kids performance
30.01 - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds performance

Leno (NBC)
07.01 - Hoobastank performance
29.01 - Franz Ferdinand performance

Letterman (CBS)
29.01 - Graham Nash performance
30.01 - Gaslight Anthem performance

crap, I just realised why I missed Delta Spirit on 16.01, I was watching the wrong show. instead I was watching Hugh Laurie and his charity Band on TV. oops! at least I got to hear them on Lammo's Monday night show recently.

random thought of the day: I have tickets to see both Airborne Toxic Event (12.03) and Morrissey (14.03) and I am very excited, for I did not have to go through a tout for either! see, the little things in life make me happy.

live Morrissey interview/gig on 11 February, Radio2

Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie are travelling down from their comfy confines at the Oxford Road Studios to Broadcasting House, London, to bear witness to a long-time-coming session with the man Morrissey, supposedly beginning with a interview segment. to be broadcast live on Wednesday, 11 February, at their usual show time of 20.00 to 22.00.

info on the 100 pairs of tickets being given away at Radio2's Web site. yet another reason why I hate being on the wrong side of the Atlantic! ::fumes::

random tip of the day: 5 days left to listen to the 12 January Morrissey announcement at 40 min into the Radcliffe/Maconie show and what's more, a humourous bit at 1 hr 5 min into it about someone's mum and fried chicken. seriously tho, it is on topic. I am respectful and amused by Stuart Mac and I think the feeling is mutual :D

"best of" upcoming events (second list of January)

addendum to this earlier post from last week

Ellen Degeneres (check U.S. local listings)
15.01 - Live performance (c'mon you remember them. and they're going to perform "Lightning Crashes".)

Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
16.01 - Delta Spirit performance (need to remember to program this directly after Airborne Toxic Event on Letterman...yeah yeah, I'm a geezer. I can't stay awake for these late night shows b/c I get up at 6 in the morning for work.)

Radcliffe/Maconie (Radio2)
12.01 - Morrissey announcement (it's got to be either an in-session at the Oxford Road Studios open to fans, or a full-fledged broadcast recording like this Elbow thingamabob being recorded this Saturday and going out on Radio2 on 31.01 - either way, this fangirl is again mourning *not* living in blighty)
13.01 -Starsailor in session, and look, it's Onion Tuesday! (don't ask, just listen)

"best of" upcoming events

fyi: ratings added 12.01

David Letterman (CBS)
05.01 - Glasvegas performance - meh.
07.01 - Okkervil River performance - meh.
16.01 - Airborne Toxic Event performance

Leno (NBC)
05.01 - Iron and Wine performance - oops, forgot about this.
09.01 - Eagles of Death Metal performance - groovy.

Radcliffe/Maconie (Radio2)
05.01 - Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds in session - they didn't grab me; nice enough tho.
07.01 - chat with Teitur ("Catherine the Waitress") - v. interesting interview from the Faroe Islands' inhabitant; wishing him every success.

random tip of the day: for the David Lee Roth fans out there, a page full of random Diamond Dave noises.

bless this mess

a new year. so I'm trying my hand at another blog - one that's public and hopefully of interest to those who have a finger on the pulse of popular music today.

2008 was, on the whole, a pretty good year for me. I started a new job in an entirely new field, and with it, a whole new outlook on what's important in life. I gained a better appreciation for the one thing that had brought me joy throughout my life and had been there for me when people and luck weren't. and that would be...

music.

thank you very much Radio2 and 6music for turning me on to music from blighty and saving me from the radio broadcasting wasteland that surrounds the D.C. area like a shroud. maybe I am being overly dramatic, but if you lived here and had to hear Santana and Rob Thomas's "Smooth" or any ancient song by Nickelback one more time, you would understand.

several of my stateside friends find it humourous (or more possibly, daft) that I'm probably more "famous" (if that's the right word) in Britain than I am here, as I'm a keen participant in several radio shows. this year I actually spoken to two of Britain's who's who of the radio presenting world - Stuart Maconie of the Radcliffe/Maconie show (Monday to Thursday evenings on Radio2) and the Freak Zone (on Sunday afternoons on 6Music) and Steve Lamacq, the famed indie rock oracle of 6Music (weekday afternoons on 6Music).

the thing is, I would imagine that to a music-loving Brit, it feels completely normal to interact with their radio presenters, b/c these DJs invite people to text in, write in via email, and even phone in and voice their opinions. while there are plenty of them to whom the Beeb is a nuisance, for whatever reason, for me, it's so nice to listen to radio stations that don't stop for commercial every 3 songs, want to you to contact them -and- have people behind the mixing boards that know their stuff (what a concept!)

the goal of this blog? whenever I feel compelled, I will write about my favourite music, what gigs I'm planning to attend and after I've gone, share my thoughts on them. I also plan to provide commentary on the state of music based on the new stuff I hear and highly recommend for their aural merits.

I also have been writing lyrics to songs for a while now and basically I am a Bernie Taupin looking for an Elton John. so if you know of anyone you'd recommend, let me know.

FYI I am most definitely not in England - and this evidenced by the 3 small deer chomping on the grass in the backyard. if the pics come out, I'll post them here later.

I'll end with this...a very happy new year to you all!