Arthur Russell

Have we talked about Arthur Russell yet, you and I?

I think maybe my love for the man and his music is a little too much to go in to right about now. Bottom line is he was way ahead of his time back when he was alive and even now as recordings and demos of his are still being unearthed he's managing to posthumously stay at least two paces ahead of contemporary artists of the same ilk, few that there are.

Definitely some one to get aquainted with if you're diggin' the "no - fi" trend that's come about as of late, or whatever really. Just check him out.

I really need to figure out how and where to start hosting music and using those nifty flash player dealies. When I get my laptop fixed I'm really going to try and expand this blog to the best of my ability. Hmm.

Mtume - You, me and he

You, me and he is Mtume's fourth record. Its a concept album with a narrative about love, lust and infidelity that stretches out over its nine tracks. Its the sort of thing that sounds laughable on paper, and the title track's promo video does all it can to whittle the song's credibility down to a nub but casting all that aside its a pretty fucking killer record.

Some of the tracks are a little sparse even in slow jam terms and there are points where I'd really just like there to be a few more instruments thrown in the mix but aside from that it really is an untouchable album. Maybe not the danciest there is out there but definitely one to sit back, light a doob and fucking chill to.

Check it out.

Cough Cool

Ever have one of those nights where your vomit looks like chopped raspberries? Then you drunkenly strop off home by yourself like a menstrually afflicted girl? I definitely just had one of those.

So I woke up this morning hung over and all kinds of embarassed, I figure the best cure for shame and mild if not misdirected agression is the internet coupled with copious amounts of self indulgent blogwhining.

So here goes.

Here we have Cough Cool, named after a Misfits song I wont pretend to have heard more than once. Doomy with a vaguely melodic slant, vocals come on like a gregorian chant, minimalistic lyrisicm echoing, bellowing and repeating. Instrumentation gets frantic at times but for the most part everything is very deep and foreboding but in a real simple way, mostly just organs and guitars. If only I listened to better music, Id have something wildly esoteric to compare it to.

The track Girl Tell Me sounds like a love song written in an abotoir, which by all acounts is a good thing. Watery guitars on top of haunting refrains, comes complete with Ohs and Ahs. Lovely stuff. Perfect music for those moody Sunday (or any other day of the week) morning hang overs. Theyre becoming fairly routine as of late.

Heres an obvious Misfits song I really like.

I ought to get off my ass and find something constructive to do.

Wild Nothing

Back on the internet, sort of.

I fell through a roof, left my job and somewhere in between all of that my laptop broke. I need to find a way to get it fixed, I'm missing the cold glow of its screen.

Anyway, here's a cool sound I saw on Pitchfork today. Wild Nothing: Some guy from some place, real autumnal vibe, sort of like all those depressing and/or Scottish fey bands from way back when.

Could do with a better voice but everything else is sounding twinkly and ethereal enough to make up for it, not to mention there's a pretty bold cover of Cloudbusting by Kate Bush.

Oh, I had a job interview for a shop called Beyond the Valley, one of those boutique type places that sells £95 jumpers and mirrors laser cut in to the shape of a woodland animal. Real swell place up in Carnaby street - next door to the Lomography shop actually - anyway, interview went well and I have a trial shift next week Thursday, wish me fucking luck cause I litterally walked out on my job at H&M just to get to the interview itself.

Kate Bush was a babe