Skip to main content

September 2007's list

Music

Editors - in the days when they wore loose jeans

This month has been devoted totally to the awesome goodness that is Editors (not the) whose addictive tunes and passionate delivery have made me swoon in musical delirium. Thanks to the fan forum on the official website(yes, yes, I go to forums now, let’s leave it at that) and their plethora of hardcore and tech-literate fans, there is an abundance of live footage and live recordings of the band’s performances for one to covetously download and savour. (Especially when yours truly has little chance whatsoever of seeing them live).

So, when I'm not skulking on the interweb, I'd be enjoying some of the gems below:


1. Fall (live video recording Pukkelpop Festival 2005, Belgium; London Calling 2005, Netherlands)

On record, 'Fall' is hypnotic, morose and almost ponderous. Played live, it’s a different animal altogether – intense and oozing dangerous sexiness that climaxes into a frantic scream of guitars.

A favourite version is the one at Pukkelpop in 2005. The band is all decked out in black, there's moody blue lighting everywhere. Vocalist Tom Smith stares fiercely out to the crowd, Russell Leetch nods in a trance to his bass, guitarist Chris Urbanowicz (looking like a cherubic Johnny Depp)mutters to himself and bites his guitar, Ed Lay strains while he bangs his drums, then everybody goes mental at the outro.

Special mention goes to their performance at London Calling where Tom gets so excited he head-butts Chris in the chest, and gets promptly shoved away by a non-plussed Chris. Brilliant.


2. Open Up (B-side 'An End Has A Start' - single; Bonus track 'An End Has A Start' - Japanese album edition)

The opening guitar chords sound like any other ordinary indie song you might have heard before. Then the piano kicks in, signalling to you that perhaps this one might be something different. When Tom starts singing, you start paying attention. Then a simple upbeat drum track gets your foot tapping on its own. By the time the hummed chorus and mournful guitar pealing in the background is in full swing, you are definitely hooked.

Tom's voice never really lifts out of the lower depths that he sings in but the sombre tone intoning 'Chin up sweetness, there is a space in my heart for you' makes it seem all the more honest.



3. Let Your Good Heart Lead You Home (B-side Blood - single, 2005 edition)

Another brilliant example of how you don't need to have words in your chorus to make it recognisable - just the beautiful pealing of Chris' guitar, genius boy that he is.


4. Colours - (The Back Room cuttings)

One of the more cheery and direct Editors songs from The Back Room era, in my opinion.


5. Crawl Down The Wall (The Back Room cuttings)


6. Forest Fire (B-side Blood 7" vinyl 2005)


7. Release (B-side Munich 2005)



Books

1. Drinking Midnight Wine - Simon R. Green. There are books which I adore and cherish like old friends and never get tired of reading again and again. There are some that I am awestruck by. There are many that I am indifferent to and likely would not be able to tell you the ending of the story a week after I read it.

And then there are the rare occasions where a book will inspire such hate that I curse the author for the time of my life that I will never get back. This is one such book.

Why do I hate this book so much? Well, let me ask you - Have you met a person who in the first second you meet him (or her), you think he's alright but in the next five minutes you find out in agonising detail what a total dickwad he is and you are surrounded by his sycophants who think he's the dog's bollocks but you can't escape because your boss has got you nailed to the floor to brown nose this tosser and short of chewing your leg off, you have to stand there and listen to him go on about what an absolute hero he is?

No? Well, how about a novel peopled by a bunch of useless and purposeless wet blankets led by a protagonist so annoying and whiny you want to punch his smug face in even if what you'd be doing is essentially punching a paperback novel? What about a plot so ridiculous that even in the unreal world of the fantasy genre you find it hard to suspend your disbelief?

Absolute garbage!
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
mmmm OK so what was the book about ? har har

I like Editors in loose jeans. But my love is not pure like yours.
30 September, 2007 23:43
Kere said…
They can wear rice sacks for all I care. Just as long as they come heeerrrreee!!!!!
01 October, 2007 04:18
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You gotta stay sharp

This week I celebrated my 28th birthday. This week I was accidentally stabbed with a needle contaminated with the blood of a patient with Hepatitis B. It was all going so well, I thought. The patient had already been screened for HIV and venereal disease and she was in the clear. What are the chances that she would be positive for Hepatitis B? Well, 100% as it turned out. I wasn't terribly upset at first. It was a small nick that didn't bleed much, though it surprised me enough that I yelled in the operating theatre. Everybody froze when they realised what had happened. My colleague felt bad for accidentally stabbing me with the suture needle. As I pointed out, it was an accident. I was double-gloved and we were all following the correct procedures, so it was unfortunate that I got a needlestick injury. What pissed me off was the attitude of the staff when I was trying to get all the various forms filled out and sent off to the correct persons. Their primary concern seemed to b...
3 comments
Read more

The goat

So, there we were - three women in their late twenties, lounging on a faux-leather sofa having a nice post-prandial banter with a bunch of friends. Usually it would be just the three of us - me, Si and Em - talking about life, work and relationships - having that Bridget Jones moment which we thought would never come to us, because 'oh no, we're so above that!' But tonight was a farewell party for a friend who was off to Australia for a newer, better job in a newer, better place than sorry-ass England, and the talk frequently turned to career paths, professional exams, work-life balance etc. Cat was talking about a friend who works in computers who did not go to university because she thought it was a waste of time. Instead she plunged straight into work and gained experience and skills on the job. She is only a year older than me but she has been so successful that she has two homes in London and one in San Francisco where she now works from home and makes shedloads of mon...
5 comments
Read more

January's list

Music I have been listening to a lot of Pentatonix lately. I stumbled upon them on You Tube (where else?) a couple of years ago when their Evolution of Music video was making the rounds. I enjoyed it, thought they were pretty talented and that was the end of it. They popped up on my recommended list a few months ago, along with their performances when they were on The Sing Off...and I've been hooked. My playlist has been mainly Pentatonix for the past 3 months or so. Some of their songs are a miss for me, but overall they are a really talented, unique bunch, and there is no doubt that they will go far. Because of a Pentatonix cover of a song by Belgian artist Stromae, I've discovered other artists and music that have been a regular on my playlist. 1) La La Latch (Sam Smith/Disclosure/Naughty Boy mashup) - Pentatonix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsVeQnBmp70 2) Black Is The Colour of My True Love's Hair - Peter Hollens & Avi Kaplan https://www.youtube.com/wa...
Post a Comment
Read more