tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9489750280484567382011-08-28T08:02:39.385+01:00Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-49891515706145005402011-08-20T21:17:00.002+01:002011-08-20T21:17:23.243+01:00

It's been 9 months since I posted anything; I can only apologise.  Quite a bit's happened in that time.  I intended this as a music blog, but I can't really justify its existence solely in that capacity.  I imagine it will still be that for the main part though.  I'm not promising to post regularly, because that would involve me having more time than I actually do, but I will try to write stuff

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-87286739983399254412010-11-21T18:13:00.000Z2010-11-21T18:13:58.688Z

Neil Young - After The Goldrush Velvet Underground - Peel Slowly and See The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang Bruce Springsteen... Great stuff.  Really enjoying these at the moment.  I've always regarded Springsteen with an air of suspicion.  I don't know.  I think it must be something to do with all the punk I bothered my ears with when I was younger - he always seemed too bloated, too

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-87691526206033169712010-08-05T21:13:00.000+01:002010-08-05T21:13:57.009+01:00

Someone once said you know you're getting older when you're asked what kind of music you like, and you reply "all kinds". It's with some embarrassment that I look back on the oldest bits of my CD collection and realise that the most diverse albums are those that weren't on Epitaph records.  It had to be punk rock.  It had to scream about social injustice.  It had to do it all at around Mach 4. 

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-80727916191156141482010-07-31T20:49:00.000+01:002010-07-31T20:49:25.139+01:00

 This was a surprise.  I'd previously had the honour of sharing a stage with Steve Whittle (frontman of LakeView) in an incarnation of Heavy Fluid Addicts, and have long been an admirer of his sometimes screeching, sometimes melodious guitarwork.  I'd been a big fan of Modus, and really enjoyed the garage punk of his post-HFA band, The Cities (lack of links for these and the former due to Steve

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-44795274682152040962010-07-31T14:48:00.002+01:002010-07-31T15:14:28.591+01:00

OK, first proper post since my re-purposing of this blog. Stephen James Buckley is one of the men behind Hello Bamboo, which would lead you to believe that he's some kind of barely-functioning sexual sadist that spends his spare time (of which he has lots) inventing new, innovative and despicable methods of pleasuring himself.  As it happens, that's the drummer, but I wager Stephen isn't far

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-25183198391935969202010-07-30T13:18:00.001+01:002010-07-30T13:25:11.190+01:00

I couldn't be bothered starting a new blog, so I decided to remove everything that wasn't me speaking about music, and retitle accordingly. With a sense of purpose, I might even keep on top of this.  Appearing here soon will be a review of some bits of local music I've downloaded from Bandcamp. See you soon.

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-58071214963191433252010-04-11T20:08:00.000+01:002010-04-11T20:08:52.921+01:00

I haven't listened to any local music in far, far too long.  So, when my good friend Stephen asked me to listen to his "moustache rock" band's new EP, I obliged.  Here's what I think.  Click the link, then read what I put. Go here and listen OK, track by track real-time review. 'Lumberfusch' - The Bloodhound Gang are stood in the corner, trying to shake their heads disapprovingly at the

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-264987231585218512010-04-09T20:00:00.000+01:002010-04-09T20:00:11.906+01:00

No excuses.  I just haven't done it in a while. That's not to say I haven't had anything to write about, because that's not true.  I don't really go for the whole internet confessional/general dump of personal stuff on here, but I'm v. happy about the fact that Charlene and I got engaged.  If you're of that persuasion, we'd like a set of shelves that fit in our cupboard, a winning lottery ticket

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-49968509084054307542009-11-18T19:58:00.002Z2009-11-18T20:40:38.718Z

Pre-Hold Steady Band Lifter Puller Remembered With Reissue Series, Book I'm editing this post because I didn't like the title it received after my lazy auto-add to Blogger. Next month, Lifter Puller are re-releasing their entire discography with some rarities.  I think it's only digital, which upsets me slightly, but my ownership of their music consists solely of Soft Rock and I had to download

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-63471088919417077722009-10-02T14:38:00.002+01:002009-10-02T14:38:14.797+01:00

Is my favourite album by The Clash.

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-70213861315299202402009-05-17T17:53:00.002+01:002009-05-17T18:01:10.637+01:00

Okay. I said I'd say something about the new Manic Street Preachers album when I got hold of it. I was fully expecting to have to post "it's a bit shit". It isn't. It's just kind of boring. Really fucking boring. It has nothing to offer that isn't already covered by about another fifteen albums in my CD collection to which I don't listen.I was really excited about the Steve Albini

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-44541816197139711302009-05-03T10:27:00.005+01:002010-07-30T13:24:45.319+01:00

First of all, an apology is due to Bob Dylan. I went to see him over a week ago, and all he's received is a cursory few lines in my previous post. I know he's disappointed, so here's a proper appraisal. I think we all know that Dylan's voice is shot to pieces. Recent albums, Modern Times in particular, show it can be barely more than a whisper. Smoking's bad, aye? Anyway, Dylan tours, it's

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-74534030041177463122009-04-27T21:14:00.002+01:002009-04-27T21:19:49.013+01:00

I pretty much went to see Bob Dylan on Friday night.Expect one scan gushing review sort of thing where I probably talk about some other stuff for the most part then gush a bit more at the end in the next few days.'Sabout it. I've been well busy. Also watching a lot of Carnivàle. I got a promotion at work too.

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-1411593476494007172009-04-05T09:38:00.002+01:002009-04-05T10:06:26.058+01:00

Talk about a love/hate relationship. Normally I try and skirt the issue by saying "well, The Holy Bible" was a great album (actually, much more than that; it was, in my considered opinion, the best British rock album of the 90s) and this usually lets me leave a conversation with my muso-cred intact.Here's a secret - were it not for the Manics, I probably wouldn't be the nerdy music fan I am

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-21170408209486638502009-03-23T21:41:00.004Z2009-03-25T18:57:16.497Z

I'm a bit short of things to blog about at the moment - nobody wants to hear how wonderful everything is. People having a good time is boring, and so if I'm happy and cool and having fun, it's boring for the six people who read this. Love y'all. Anyway, I was going to call this blog "why I love The Hold Steady", but the Craig Finn quotation I nicked for the title is pretty much the reason, so

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-948975028048456738.post-44236207978694926892009-02-05T11:43:00.003Z2009-02-05T12:00:35.639Z

I used to listen to a lot of this sort of thing when I was a bit younger. My beloved Phlegm Fatales were heavily influenced by Bad Religion and their ilk when we first started out. I think it had something to do with being skint and unhappy. It's odd listening to the music that people in their 40s made when they were younger than you are. Suffer is a great record - it's short (long punk

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00983397917331442879noreply@blogger.com0