Song of the week - 25 o'clock
This week’s song is ’25 o’clock’, taken from the first Eisenhowers album. It represents something of a brief assault on the senses, crammed as it is with retro synths, a disco bassline, crashing...
View ArticleThere is no such thing as musical 'guilty pleasures' #2
Further to my recent observations on the concept of ‘guilty pleasures’ in music, something has reminded me of another episode of foolishness that probably stopped me getting as much enjoyment from...
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'Philip Larkin - A Writer's Life' by Andrew Motion
This comprehensive account of the life and work of Philip Larkin is remarkable in its detail and scope, particularly when you consider that the poet insisted, on his deathbed, that his diaries be...
View ArticleSong of the Week - 'Reign of the Stupid'
It was once said that if you put a million monkeys on a million typewriters, they would eventually come up with a Shakespearian play. Someone very smart has pointed out that the internet has rendered...
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What makes you Scottish?
Now that the deal is done, some aspects of the forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence remain puzzling. I suspect that Mister Salmond thinks he has won a major concession by including young...
View ArticleSong of the Week - 'Falling through cracks'
This track is taken from Gum’s second album ‘Seven Feeble Alibis’. Although the fine detail in the production was often the key element of Gum’s sound, the playing on this cut demonstrates that the...
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Cock-up or conspiracy?
A few weeks ago, it emerged that the flagship BBC news and current affairs show 'Newsnight' had declined to run a story alleging that one of the Beeb’s leading stars had been a long-term predatory...
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Will democracy hit the wall?
In the wake of Barack Obama’s victory in the US election, there has been a fair amount of knee-jerk analysis of the demographics of the vote and the possible implications for future campaigns. Many...
View ArticleSong of the Week - 'South of Love'
As we approach the festive season, this might qualify as rather a topical song. It's a jaunty little acoustic number that pokes fun at the guy who leaves the office party with a swagger in his step,...
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'The Map and the Territory' by Michel Houellebecq
This starts off reading like a satire of the contemporary art world, but then turns into something of a mystery thriller. Like some of Houellebecq’s previous work, it is set in the near future but...
View ArticleSomeone Keeps Moving My Chair
There are several rock and pop artists who have been hailed by critics as ‘great’ lyricists. Dylan is often quoted, as are Costello, Morrissey and one or two others. Talented as these writers may be,...
View ArticleSong of the Week - 'Gathering Dust'
This track is lifted from the second Eisenhowers album. Musically, it is heavily influenced by great British pop, specifically the Kinks and XTC. The rhythm section – Ross Morgan and Fraser Sneddon-...
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Rage against the Christmas number 1
It’s quite a big deal to get the Christmas number one slot in the UK pop charts. Over the years, lots of major artists have had a go at writing something specifically for the Christmas market and no...
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Shehan Karunatilaka - 'Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew'
W. G. Karunasena is a drunken old sports journalist who has been informed by his doctor that, if he doesn’t change his drinking habits, he won’t have much time left on the planet. Mindful of this...
View ArticleSong of the Week: 'Alchemy, Adam and Eve'
To set the tone for the New Year, here is a new track that has not yet been aired in public. The song has been on my ‘to do’ list for a few years; I’ve had the tune and the title for a while, but only...
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Nanny knows best
It has been reported that Labour would like the government to introduce legal limits on the sugar, salt and fat content in food. Judging by their reaction, it would appear that the government is not...
View ArticleSong of the Week: 'Nightfall'
A few years ago I had this fanciful notion that I would write an album of songs for kd lang. She was -and still is- one of my favourite singers.The album would have been called ‘Songs for Katherine’...
View ArticleSong of the Week: 'Citizen Dumb'
The youtube comments section appears to be dominated by creatures from a universe of anti-manners, a realm in which people can’t reed, wryte or spel.And; have avery poor grasp. Of: the rules of...
View ArticleNail, meet head.
Following the recent election, Vaclav Klaus will be succeeded as Czech president by Milos Zeman, a former prime minister and head of the Citizens' Rights Party. I had a bit of soft spot for old Vaclav,...
View ArticleCannibalism in pop: the next witch-hunt
In the last few months, we’ve been made aware of a series of sordid revelations about Jimmy Saville and some of his sleazy chums from the worlds of broadcasting and pop music.So damning are these...
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