This Past Week

Monday: The Drums are one of my favourite new bands. These guys look like they just stepped out of a Swedish porn flick, and sound like pure teenage yearning.

  

"You used to be so pretty, now you're just tragic" becomes lhnA's favourite new sing-along line.

The Drums - Don't be a Jerk, Jonny

  

Tuesday: Soon to be reunited Pavement are the first (and so far only) band to be announced for Primavera Sound 2010. I immediately grabbed my credit card and bought tickets for both Primavera Sound and Primavera Club (held in December - look out for a LHNA  preview over the next couple of days), which they will headline. I also updated the Primavera Sound Wikipedia page; which, if you haven't yet done (editing a Wikipedia entry), I highly recommend doing; it's strangely satisfying. 


Pet Ghost Project - Box Elder (Pavement Cover)

Wednesday: Jonathan Richman visits our fine city. Tiny venue, packed. Hotter than a pre-heated oven in Hell. Jonathan starts off by apologising for the heat, saying not to blame the venue; he just doesn't like the sound of air conditioning (he later stops playing when the AC is switched on, only returning once it's been turned off). Several smokers grumble about the new no-smoking law, making little trips outside to inhale some smoke during his set.   

 

Jonathan Richman - Our dog is getting older now

Thursday: I come across a Lou Barlow cover of La Roux. Google Music is announced, which won't be available in Europe. What else is new... At least we have Spotify!


 Lou Barlow - Bulletproof (La Roux cover)

Friday: My robot outfit is complete.It required a paper Lidl bag, lots of aluminium foil, two cans of silver spray paint, lots of very strong tape, Daft Punk's Robot Rock and two CDs for my eyes.

 Royksopp - The Girl and the Robot

 

Saturday: Halloween!

 

 Mclusky - Dave, Stop Killing Prostitutes

  

***

and finally, a new feature, titled:

Blindfold - Falleg Depurd 

 If Coldplay met Sigur Ros in the clearing of a magical forest on a freezing winter's day (with Keane gently emanating from a nearby old people's home) , it might sound something like this.

Lifted or The Story Is in the Attic

Ah yes, this was the week of the Nobel that shouldn't, and the Boy that didn't. And, whether it turns out to be a hoax or not, I quite like the image of a small boy floating up and through the air, followed by fighter jets, helicopters and a worried nation.

And what a story he would have been able to tell!

Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen, we are floating in space
The Pains of being Pure at Heart - Higher than the Stars

Jonathan Richman - A higher Power

Caesars - It's not the fall that hurts

The Radio Dept - Lost and Found
Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek

art: Katrine K

And here in Spain I am a Spaniard

Early morning Barcelona airport
 

I flew to Spain on Monday, travelling via Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela, and will be here for another 4 to 5 weeks, or at least until spring shows its pretty face. I'm here visiting my brother in the lovely (and small) seaside town of Cambados (Galicia), and can see the Atlantic tide come in just outside my window.
I figured a relevant trip-related post was surely in order!

Grandaddy - Aisle Seat 37-D
Miles high
Stalled above the sea
Aisle seat 37-D
The hard guys that are crying quietly
And the mom's lost in shock will never see
Me sittin alone
Wearin head phones
Smiling slightly as we
Fall toward the sea

And I'm havin a glass of red wine
Tryin to find a picture of you
While everyone's goin insane
I feel that I'm staying reasonably calm
And now the pilot's reciting a prayer
But I'm so not there
And I really don't care

Cuz the picture of you I couldn't
I finally found
So everything's fine
And the picture of you I couldn't find
I finally found
So everything's fine
While faster we fall toward the sea
I'm ok cuz yer with me
Here in 37-D
 

10:45 to Santiago


Bishop Allen - Flight 180
how disconnected I can feel on the ground
it's like I'm shining all alone
and I don't wanna be
so
before I go to bed tonight
  I'll signal up to the passing flights
hit the lights
the lights
the lights
the lights ...

This beautiful song was once sent to me by the person I miss and will continue to miss (a LOT) while I'm here...

The Decemberists - Here I dreamt I was an Architect

And here in Spain I am a Spaniard
I will be buried with my marionettes
Countess and courtesan
Have fallen beneath my tender hand
When their husbands were not around
But you, my soiled teenage girlfriend
Or are you furrowed like a lioness
And we are vagabonds
We travel without seatbelts on
We live this close to death  

 

The Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso

Well some people try to pick up girls
And get called assholes
This never happened to Pablo Picasso
He could walk down your street
And girls could not resist his stare and
So Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole

Apart from the rather obvious Spain connection, I included this as I missed seeing Jonathan Richman in Barcelona by exactly 8 days. This makes me sad.

Touchdown coffee in Santiago de Compostela

Summer Here Kids! (part 1)

"It can't be just me
That's working it out
These songs that we've chosen
And what they're about
 

Are we after the same thing?
Am I crossing a line?
I'm checking the lyrics
I'm pressing rewind

All through the night
They begin to take shape
From the crack of the vinyl
To the hiss of the tape!

Play and record
Held down together
Tabs pushed off
So you can't tape over it ever

A couple of friends
Hanging out with each other
Just swapping songs
To soundtrack our summer"  

Art Brut - Sound of Summer

 

Grandaddy - Summer Here Kids

   

    "Ice baby,
I saw your girlfriend and she was
Eating her fingers like they’re just another meal
But she waits there
In the levee washes
Mixin’ cocktails with a plastic-tipped cigar"

Pavement - Summer Babe (Winter version)

   

    "That summer feeling is gonna haunt you the rest of your life"

Jonathan Richman - That Summer Feeling

    

 "On an island in the sun
We'll be playing and having fun
And it makes me feel so fine
I can't control my brain"

Weezer - Island in the Sun