The Airfields - laneways EP

This is the kind of thing i love, noisy dream pop preferably by a band who are "The" something and have a record sleeve with just 1 or 2 colours on it (the band name written in all lowercase natch). Many hours were spent listening to weird and wonderful bands who released singles like this in my youth. Of course this isn't quite the same thing as its a 6 track CD EP but i still got a nostalgia kick.

The music is psychedelic pop, quite 60s in some ways but with a more modern indie twist (distorted vocals et cetera). Tracks like "Lonely halls" jingle jangle their way along very jollily. "Imaginary stars" has a great driving rhythm. Its wonderful yeah.

MV : "When you´re around" by YAST

Like this band.

Duran Duran - paper gods

So the new Duran Duran album (now I'm not one to name drop even if its a bit tenuous, so i won't mention that the Taylors used to live next door to my Nan) and its a very fine record. However the opener and title track is terrible, an overblown dirge which sounds like an unreleased B-side from the late 80s which should have stayed buried in the vaults. Once you get past that however you are hit by a string of excellent dance-pop treats including the blistering single "Pressure off". The trademark big pop sound of Duran Duran augmented with some (fairly) hip and modern rhythms and beats.

"What are the chances" is a change of pace and another highlight, a great ballad. Echoes of my favourite DD track "Ordinary world" in it perhaps. So overall a great album, except the opener, but maybe they just included that for the LULZ?

MV : "Feel you" by Julia Holter

I really like her voice.

Grateful Dead - blues for Allah

The 8th studio album by the Grateful Dead came out in 1975 and is rightly regarded as one of the band's best studio albums. The album tapped, perhaps more than most of their studio work, into the freeform rock/jazz/blues/add-a-few-more-genres-here creativity of the band's live shows and gave us songs like the melodious "Franklin's Tower" which is one of my all-time favourites.

Much of the album is a mysterious soundscape, as you would imagine tracks with titles like "Unusual occurances in the desert" would be! Sometimes it does get a bit tedious and self-indulgent however there is also some lovely rock songs here in the form of "The music never stopped" and the aforementioned tower.

MV : "Celebrate" by Metric

One of the great songs off an amazing album.

The Sugargliders - ahprahran EP

The Sugargliders, hailing from Australia, were one of the many great bands who recorded for Sarah Records. This was one of their numerous singles from the label and my favourite. The title track on this EP has a lovely acoustic guitar driven melody with a beat given that extra bit of specialness with tambourines!

The Sugargliders were two brothers from Melbourne and the harmonies certainly benefit from the blood relationship. The Sugargliders produced delicate and intelligent guitar pop and are certainly well worth a listen.

MV : "Out of sight" by Tessera Skies

Lovely arty video in more ways than one.

This Is The Kit - bashed out

I first listened to this album while driving to work earlier this week, a misty morning at the end of Summer and "Bashed out" seemed the perfect soundtrack. Misty alt folk then, songs of light and shade. This is the band's third album though "band" might be a bit strong as This Is The Kit is really Kate Stables.

The album and especially the song "Silver John" is lovely it really is, delicate and intricate. The album doesn't hit you over the head, its much more understated than that. It invites you in and makes you a cup of tea. The arrangements are deceptively simple and multi-layered. Like all the best work you find something more to appreciate the more you listen to it.

MV : Silver John" by This Is The Kit

Lovely song from a lovely album.

Movie : Snake Eater (1989)

I am willing to bet Snake Eater, a 1989 action movie starring Lorenzo Lamas, did not see much of a cinema release. It has all the hallmarks of a good old straight to video flick, the kind of low budget nonsense that made the 80s such a "highpoint" of movie trash. The movie itself is a typical revenge movie. Lamas plays an ex-Marine and cop whose parents are killed by some backwoods inbred hicks for some reason which is never explained. Maybe they are just eeeeevil. He goes into the woods to kill the hicks and rescue his kid sister who spends most of the movie trapped in a shack being threatened with sexual violence.

Its gory and violent, Lamas himself is a rather annoying kind of hero who plays dirty. He is also supposed to be formerly of an elite US Marine unit though makes heavy weather at times dealing with the hicks. But there are moments of real hilarity, especially involving motorbikes. There is also a lot of really really bad acting.

Matt & Kim - new glow

Matt & Kim play mainstream pop and dance with an indie DIY mindset though over time the latter seems to have become more withdrawn, no more so than on their latest album. Its all very street and current, all the tunes you could easily imagine being played in the likes of Urban Outfitters (and probably are, i'm not cool enough to be allowed in those places). "Hoodie on" even seems to be about just that.

Its an enjoyable album though at times a bit too superficial but if you enjoy it for what it is then its a blast. "Can you blame me" is a really lovely track and deserves much attention.

MV : "M" by La Casa Al Mare

A glorious heavenly noise.