Archive Page 2
Fujiya and Miyagi
Discovered via a Word review and sampled on eMusic. I have downloaded their first two albums and have barely stopped playing them.
Their music has been compared to the Krautrock bands of a couple of decades ago. It is laid back, rhythmic, hypnotic (particularly Simeone Slides which I am listening to now) and good to tap your feet to. The lyrics are wry and play just the right part in the music.
I can only urge you with all my might, to sample some of their wares and become hooked just like me.
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Tags: fujiya and miyagi, Music
One of the highlights of our trip to New York this month, was the view from the Empire State Building. This is my favourite photo from the day.
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Blackberry Picking at Turleigh
Blackberry Picking at Turleigh, originally uploaded by Andrew Eberlin.
There is something very therapeutic and calming about picking blackberries on a sunny Sunday in late September.
The harvest in Turleigh proved to be extremely fruitful; good enough to eat raw. For the rest, N shall hopefully be making her delicious apple and blackberry crumble.
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Jimmy Sirrel
I am sad to report that Jimmy Sirrel passed away last night. My first sporting enthusiasm was supporting Notts County.
It was always regarded as perverse to support Notts County in the years that Forset were winning Leagues and European Cups. However, to me, Jimmy Sirrel was as big a personality as Brian Clough was on the other side of the Trent.
I still remember the day that Notts County beat Chelsea 2-0 to gain promotion to the then 1st Division. I never knew sport could bring such joy…..
I no longer follow football now (living in the West, rugby is my game now), but the memory of Jimmy Sirrel does make me nostalgic for Meadow Lane.
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Tags: Characters, football, jimmy sirrel, notts county
Amazon With Bruce Parry
I very much enjoyed Amazon last night. Bruce Parry is such a warm, enthusiastic and interesting presenter. He makes the documentary feel alive and he makes you feel part of it.
He is so good at empathising and immersing himself in the place that he visits; yet there is always the underlying tension of whether the people who so generously provide him with hospitality will begin to misunderstand his motives and turn on him. However, he generally seems to leave people behind with warmth and a greater understanding of their lives.
The part on cocaine production was also very interesting. He presented the facts in a non judgemental, objective way. He did not offer an opinion because he could not provide an answer. It was a refreshing and intelligent approach.
All in all, this was excellent, thoughtful television and it is not often I can say that.
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Tags: amazon, bbc, bruce parry, TV
These photos from Jeff Masamori are stunning. How he takes them, I know not, but they really are very beautiful.
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Tags: flickr, jeffmasamori, photography, Photos
Elbow
I like this quote from today’s Guardian piece on Elbow winning the Mercury Music Prize
“Garvey has a voice like the shipping forecast: moderate or rough; occasional rain; becoming cyclonic.”
An interesting fact form the article: since 1992, there has been only four times that the Award has not gone to a debut album (Primal Scream, M People, Pulp and P.J.Harvey). This is the 5th.
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Kevin Spacey and Avoncliffe
This bizarre bit if news has appeared on the Wiltshire Times website: Kevin Spacey’s favourite view in England is one mile down the road at Avoncliffe.
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Albums I Like Today
The fashion of artists offering downloads ahead of an official release gathers pace as each new morning dawns. We all know about Radiohead, and then the Charlatans, and then NIN.
This month has seen David Byrne & Brian Eno, and Bloc Party release download albums for a very reasonable £5 or less,
It is official, Bloc Party may well pass into the hallowed pantheon of the Greats. It takes three albums before the passage can be confirmed and I do believe that on the first few listens to Intimacy, it is a great album.
As with all Bloc Party albums, the first listen can be an ordeal. There goes Kele yelping and there goes discordant beats that stray from melody. By the second listen, certain things begin to make sense and by the sixth listen the realisation dawns that this is a good album.
I have also just downloaded Brett Anderson’s new album. Another download only ahead of a physical release. The album is him, a piano and a cello. He always had a great voice and this mellow, minimalist album serves it well. I have already listened to it three times. It is very different to anything I have heard him do before, but as we all age gracefully it is good to hear such melody, melodrama and beauty.
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Tags: bloc party, brett anderson, brian eno, david byrne, downloads, Music
A Wiltshire Meadow
The wonder of the English countryside is finding a footpath that you have never been on before, walking through a field with wild flowers and a river running alongside.
This field is between Iford Manor and Farleigh Hungerford. I did not realise that they were so close together. If it was not for a sodden, muddy gate where cows had dug up the ground, we may have made it all the way to Farleigh Hungerford Castle.
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