Everything is breaking, now my trusty midi keyboard.

This was like a member of family I’ve had it so long, since around 1993, the infamous “yobcuts” was the first composition made on it.

In 1999 a speaker fell on one of the keys and broke a chunk off it, but that injury only added character.

It died peacefully last week, simply plugged it in to find no sign of life. Opened it up to have a butches inside and it was full of all sorts of dusty crap, and i think it had at one stage have been host to a colony of something insect like.

Anyway, ordered an M-Audio Axiom 49 to replace it. Lord knows when it will arrive, still hasn’t come into stock.

RIP Roland PC-200 MK2 1993-2007

I’m bored so I think I’ll do a listypoo’s of my 10 favourite bands in the whole wide world

They change so frequently that it’s always interesting to re-evaluate them.

1. Sigur Rós
   Post Rock band from Iceland
   Was a bit late to the party, but upon discovering them 2 odd years ago it was as though I had discovered a thing called music for the very first time. It doesn’t matter that I don’t understand Jónsi’s language because, even when he sings gibberish as on the LP () I seem to understand every utterance.
   Favorite LP: ()
   Favorite Song: Untitled 6 from ()
2. Radiohead
   Art Rock band from England
   It’s the haunting sound the perfectionism of the approach that gets me hooked. I first heard them with Street Spirit, probably watching the Chart Show or something and although I loved what I heard I was all about dance music in my school days. It wasn’t until Paranoid Android that I went all “Right that’s it, I have to go buy their stuff”. OK Computer came out a few weeks later and my jaw dropped. Plus, it’s thanks to Radiohead that I started getting into all genres of popular music.
   Favorite LP: OK Computer
   Favorite Song: Fake Plastic Trees from The Bends
3. The Smiths
   Indie band from England
   My brother, who is old enough to have been into music whilst LP’s still came on vinyl was into the Smiths, though he never saw them perform so that’s no great boast. Morrissey was already into his 3rd or 4th solo LP by the time I started appreciating the music of the Smiths.
   Favorite LP: The Queen is Dead
   Favorite Song: There is a light that never goes out from The Queen is Dead
4. Interpol
   Post Punk band from New York
   There’s something I can’t define about their sound, the music sounds optimistic, sometimes happy, and yet the vocals are delivered straight faced with lyrics that are verging on the surreal.
   Favorite LP: Turn on the Bright Lights
   Favorite Song: Obstacle 1 from Turn on the Bright Lights
5. Arctic Monkeys
   Indie band from England
   Living in Sheffield the Arctic Monkeys are unavoidable, but despite the over-exposure here in blighty they really do live up to the expectations. They really seem to be unable to pen a second rate song, they’re everything you can ask from such a line up. And they’re sweet individuals too.
   Favorite LP: Whatever People Say I Am, That is what I’m Not
   Favorite Song: Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured from Whatever People Say I Am, That is what I’m Not
6. Plaid
   Electronic duo from England
   They have a playful sound all of their own, ultra-clear, tuneful and pretty damn clever. Probably the main influence on my own crappy creations.
   Favorite LP: Rest Proof Clockwork
   Favorite Song: Undoneson
7. The Libertines
   Indie band from England
   They only survived 2 LP’s before Pete became some kind of weird anti-hero beloved as a play-thing for the tabloids, causing him to be singularly unable to achieve anything of worth. Still, before the implosion their music was majestically riotous, in the the order of some kind of amazing never-ending party. Just put on one of their LP’s and you cannot help grin whatever mood you’re in.
   Favorite LP: Up the bracket
   Favorite Song: Up the Bracket
8. New Order
   New Wave band from England
   On and off again like a yoyo. They grabbed me earlier than most of those in the list because they crossed over into both dance and rock somehow. The overriding thought about them is that they are interesting, which would probably make you run a mile but it shouldn’t in this case.
   Favorite LP: Technique
   Favorite Song: Bizarre Love Triangle from Brotherhood
9. The Pixies
   Alternative band from USA
   So so so much better than Nirvana. They’re catchy whilst brutal, they say that’s because of the quiet-loud style. Who knows.
   Favorite LP: Doolittle
   Favorite Song: Monkey gone to heaven
10. Boards of Canada
    Downtempo Band from Scotland
    Amazingly distinctive sound in a world of samey dance music. They have all these squiggles drifting a few cents out causing you to drift off into some place pleasant but ever so slightly sinister.
    Favorite LP: Geogaddi
    Favorite Song: 1969 from Geogaddi

I’ve been playing with Native Instruments Reaktor and have come up with a tastey little number.  Reakter lets you create instruments from scratch by sticking modules and then connecting them together, a bit like connecting chips on a circuit board.  It’s great fun, you can really mess things up like noones business.

I’ve come up with Scented +LFO, you stick a sample it and it plays it so that speed doesn’t affect pitch, and pitch doesn’t affect speed.  You can play notes whilst you move the play position up and down.  Or, toggle the LFO on and have that bend the sample up and down.  It sounds silliest with voices.

Above is the structure of it.  I feel like such a circuit bender!  Download and have a play with it.  But you do need reaktor 5.

I’ve been immersing myself in Sigur Rós recently. Loved their stuff for years but I actually knew very little about them other than being icelandic and having a gift for producing hauntingly beautiful music.

The renewed interest is all because someone posted a video promo of theirs on a gay torrents site I sometimes linger around. It’s the video to quite an old song, off their 2nd LP Ágætis Byrjun. Anypoop, I watched this vid and OMG it immediately became my favouritist music video ever! In it this kind lad feels bad for this other lad ‘cos his meanie father flings his 2 dolls into the sea, obviously doesn’t want his son to become a nancy. The kind lad retrieves them and later reunites them to the other lad whilst getting ready for a soccer game, then the climax, during the game the 2 lads, during a goal celebration find themselves kissing. It’s touching, beautiful just all round awwww. You can watch it on youtube. But of course it loses something in the youtube picture quality, it’s still beautiful though.

I then go wandering around to see what other tidbits I can find, I get hold of a live gig. It’s actually available for streaming on the official sigur rós site, but I found a better quality copy. So I’m watching this gig and I’m thinking, gosh she really does have a lovely voice even live, then a little later after a close up I’m going “Holy fuck, that’s a guy!”.

Sure enough it is, he’s affectionately called jónsi (shrugs) and he’s gay! Woohoo, and so so cute! And so so such a genius! And has such an amaaaazing voice! And so I’ve gone completely girlly over him.

Susan Look! It’s the best LP’s of 2006!

And do you know what?  Just like everyone else, I have THE best taste in music so if I say an LP is great, it IS freeeaking amazing.

Last year my favourite LP was the Arctic Monkey’s “Whatever people say I am, is what i’m not”, which was a bit predictable, what with me harking from sheffield and all that.  This year’s best is more obscure, hurrah!  Heck no, i haven’t chosen it because of it being obscure, i’ve chosen it because it totally blows my mind, it’s kind of glam rock meets prog rock meets euro-rock and a whole lost of magic spun to bind it all together.  If you don’t go now and download it, then… I hate you!  OK?

The rest of this lot is pretty good too, well, I’d say, my favourite 25 are great, the rest are OK.  This time, there isn’t anything totally crap.

For the top 10 I’ve included a link to UK and USA iTunes where applicable so you can quickly go there and preview a song, and i’ve mentioned my favourite song so you can go straight to the good stuff.

1. Mew – And the Glass Handed Kites
   iTunes UK | iTunes USA | Favourite track: Special
2. Guillemots – Through The Window Pane
   iTunes UK | Favourite track: Through the Window Pane
3. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
   iTunes UK | iTunes USA | Favourite Track: Cymbol Rush
4. Joanna Newsom – Ys
   iTunes UK | iTunes USA | Favourite track: Emily
5. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
   iTunes USA | Favourite track: O Valencia!
6. Bonobo – Days to Come
   iTunes UK | iTunes USA | Ketto
7. Squarepusher – Hello Everything
   iTunes UK | iTunes USA | Favourite track: Hello Meow
8. Muse – Black Holes and Revelations
   iTunes UK | iTunes USA | Favourite track: Invincible
9. Junior Boys – So This Is Goodbye
   iTunes UK | iTunes USA | Favourite track: Double Shadow
10. Max Richter – Songs From Before
    iTunes UK | Favourite track: Autumn Music 1
11. Julian Fane – Our New Quarters
12. Peter Bjorn & John – Writer’s Block
13. The Automatic – Not Accepted Anywhere
14. The Walkmen – A Hundred Miles Off
15. Morrissey – Ringleader Of The Torment
16. Charlotte Gainsbourg – 5:55
17. Danielson – Ships
18. The Dresden Dolls – Yes, Virginia…
19. Dirty Pretty Things – Waterloo to Anywhere
20. Lindstrøm – It’s a Feedelity Affair
21. Beirut – The Gulag Orkestar
22. Clark – Body Riddle
23. CSS – Cansei de Ser Sexy
24. Graham Coxon – Love Travels at Illegal Speeds
25. Placebo – Meds
26. Hot Chip – The Warning
27. Mogwai – Mr. Beast
28. Benoit Pioulard – Precis
29. The Divine Comedy – Victory for the Comic Muse
30. Long Blondes – Someone to Drive You Home
31. Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That
32. The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth
33. Plaid – Greedy Baby
34. Fujiya & Miyagi – Transparent Things
35. Adem – Love & Other Planets
36. Lee Van Dowski – As Told on the Eve of
37. Califone – Roots & Crowns
38. Pet Shop Boys – Fundamental
39. Lostprophets – Liberation Transmission
40. Scissor Sisters – Ta-Dah
41. Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will…
42. Sufjan Stevens – The Avalanche
43. The Killers – Sam’s Town
44. Scott Walker – The Drift
45. Tortoise – A Lazarus Taxon
46. Zero 7 – The Garden
47. Tim Hecker – Harmony in Ultraviolet

It’s suffocatingly humid in my room, i’ve got a noisy A/C but i always feel kinda guilty turning it on Watching this show Paul Merton’s made about silent comics I was reminded about the dvd release of the silent sci-fi Metropolis from a few years back, it had an extremely dire soundtrack, which sounded like some horribly cheesy 80’s synth pop, but without the charm that could often entail. I then had a sudden idea/urge/what-if to make my own soundtrack for Metropolis. When playing it back you’d have to be quick to play both the film and my soundtrack at the same time… but it could work? Ack, who am I kidding, I’ll never get around to doing it. Such a dreamer I am.

I’ve another idea. This is a blogging engine idea, but it’s so obvious that I’d be very surprised if it hasn’t already been done, but as I haven’t seen anything of the like so far I’ll explain it anyway. What if, when commenting on somebody’s blog, if you have logged into their site using open-id, or typepad or any one of those authentication systems their blog pings back to your own blog to tell your blog that you’ve made a comment on their site, and also send a copy of the comment text along with the ping. Then, your blog could keep an archive of all the comments you’ve made on other folks blogs, maybe even have a latest 5 comments down the sidebar or somewhere. I’m so positive that could be useful that I think I might even have a go coming up with some kind of MT Plugin. That is… if it hasn’t already been done, I’m sure it must have? Of course, the big caveat is that everyone will have to implement the plugin on their own blog before it can become useful.

Better nate than leather. Finally decided on the best LP’s of 2005, but I bet you a couple of daffodils that I change it some time. So anyway regarding the british isles it appears that Sheffield has beaten Newcastle, who in turn have beaten Birmingham, and all 3 have beaten the ass off Leeds’ naff effort. Muwahhaha. Ugh, what a terrible image I’ve made for this. Sorry about that.

1. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s …
   Well rock me out ours boys have done it! The lyrics are so funny that i’ll collapse in laughter, but the beat will soon grab me back up. And I still have yet to see the buggers live.
2. Maximo Park – A Certain Trigger
   Spent the whole year at the top of my list and are then beaten at the last moment. Shame.
3. Rufus Wainwright – Want Two
   This guy is infectious in every way possible (yes probably including that way too).
4. Editors – The Back Room
   There’s something wow-some and dark about this LP, it’s pretty disposable too but somehow that doesn’t matter.
5. The Organ – Grab That Gun
   I think this is a few years old in some countries but hay ho, i love it to bits. It’s a bit like a more rocky and interesting blonde.
6. M.I.A. – Arular
   Totally addictive um… english dance-hall? is it? dunno, I barely understand a lot of it. Haha
7. The New Pornographer… – Twin Cinema
   How do I describe this one? I can’t, its sort of glammy, and prog-rocky. That must make it sound terrible, but it really isn’t!
8. Ladytron – Witching Hour
   Electro-pop rules!
9. Sigur Ros – Takk…
   As does strange psychodelic chilled out weirdness from europe somewhere.
10. Doves – Some Cities
    Some beautiful things going on here, good ol’ down to earth british indie, ya can’t beat it.

The full list (There are 72 LP’s!) + any future updates are here

Another mix, and this is getting to be rather fun. I’m telling yer, grabbing music and doing stuff is great. It’s the second installment of Itchsploitation, but this time it’s different because there’s no copyright fraud, lol. Yup, this episode is all creative commons music. And they’re good! Well, most of them…

A mix of the finest tracks from the world of free, creative commons music.

• 0:01 Beat Under Control – Blue Lights
• 2:50 Mr Epic – Down Low
• 5:22 Cargo Cult – Mirrored Image
• 7:13 Etherine – Remembered
• 9:15 Grayson Wray – In 1671
• 12:35 Ammonite – Heaven
• 16:09 Glen Bledsoe – Man Eats ‘Tators / Ehron Starks – Lines Build Walls
• 19:27 Electric Frankenstein – Everybody’s Dead

Removed to make room for more

Hope yers enjoy it. I ought to think of setting up some kind of podcast for this stuff, if only i knew how.

Ever since kate bush announced she was to make a comeback and release a new LP i’ve been incredibly intrigued as to what it would be like. Not because i’m some huge kate bush fan, i’m not, although her greatest hits affair is worth checking out if you haven’t. No I’ve been intrigued because i’ve always felt she had the potential to do something really rather special. I kind of associate her with bjork, a sort of bjork born from a different generation that hadn’t the dance culture. So now i’ve heard her new LP “aerials” and my first reaction was disappointment, I was kind of hoping she’d play on her earlier talents for theatrical poptastic anthems, instead she seems to have made what she really wanted to make instead of going out of her way to please fans and all hats off to her for that. I only carried on playing the LP because iTunes was on repeat and i felt too lazy to choose something else. But after half-listening to it about 5 times whilst doing various things it suddenly clicked. You always know when an LP is great when it does that, when all of a sudden it morphs into something completely different, something special and you never can quite put your finger on why can you? The best track has to be Pi, where for some of the song she sings the numbers 3.14159….. haha genius.

According to this weeks south park I have no soul. I would only like to apologise to everyone for this and I assure you I had no idea. I just hope you can forgive me

I’ve been playing and have created the first part of a mix made from some of my past creations. I’m actually really pleased with it, it get surprisingly exciting towards the second half.

The blurb…
Conclusionary mix of That Kid past. From “Create AP”, the first ever That Kid song in 1995 to the silly little nothings of 2005. All mixed up with that extra little something and created to draw a line under what I’ve done so far. This is Part 1 of 6.

The File…
Removed to make room for more

All this playing made me wonder how much I would have to pay to buy all the musical bits and bobs I couldn’t live without, plus the hardware I would buy if i was starting afresh.

Software

Hardware

That’s a total of 2593 GBP which is quite an outlay, and I reckon that’s the least you can expect to pay to have a good professional sounding setup. The hardware is actually stuff I would *LIKE* to have. In reality I’m using the software on my crappy beige PC that no-one has yet come to take away! Bastards.