eBay does terrible things to my sleep pattern and my wallet...

I may have just *slightly* fallen in love with a pair of boots on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MENS-VINTAGE-RIDING-BOOTS-LEATHER-SIZE-9-U-K_W0QQitemZ150397165680QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Sporting_Goods_Athletic_Shoes_ET?hash=item23045ea070#ht_511wt_1165

Please someone remove some of my toes? I could fit a size 9!

Wait a minute... Update!

12 inches of footwear roughly translates to a size 11.5/12!

*GASP*

Do... Want...

Pointless post is pointless.

On the gramophone.

,So seeing as I said I'd do it, and people (it turns out) actually bother to read what can only be described as the musings of the most underinformed person on the internet not commenting on Youtube videos, here is my thoughts on actual music in 2009.

First off, I'll say that I've not really been keeping up-to-date with music, so I'll just spout about the things I have heard or that my friends have showed me, and give you some of my favourites.

How about I do 5 albums and 5 songs? Seem reasonable? I don't know who that question is addressed to.

Ok so first off, my favourite 5 albums released in 2009.

In no particular order:

1. Regina Spektor - Far

What can I say about this? It was something of a soundtrack to my summer. It has been one of the most pleasant and wonderful things I have heard in a while. The songs span a fair distance in disparity, ranging from the upbeat pop-y-er (why does that non-word look like the name of a Welsh town) numbers such as The Calculation and Dance Anthem of the 80's, to the whispered lovelyness of Blue Lips and Genius Next Door and the to the more soulful Human of the Year and One More Time With Feeling.

Regina is one of those artists who is constantly there on the fringe, with a hardcore of fans, making quality album after quality album. You cannot fault her infectious enthusiasm which is apparent in all her songs, it adds a real energy, even to the more downbeat numbers. The songs all speak of love, passion and obscure stories. Her voice is a force alone, and the piano can only be described as huge in its effect. The two come together to give the whole album a theatrical feel without being cheesy, not an easy feat in my mind...

I'd give this album a solid 5/5, because quite honestly I can listen to it any time and feel it has something to offer.

2. Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed

I must be honest, I am a little biased towards (read "gay for") Frank Turner, so I fully expected to love this album off the bat, but I'll be honest, on the first few listen, I wasn't blown away, or even amused or mildly aroused as I normally am by Frank Turner, so I decided to ignore it as the "difficult third album". Then the time came to go see him live, and the performance DID blow me away. I mean it was brilliant. I couldn't help but love everything he played, so when I got home and had another listen, it turned out I did like this album. The thing is, Frank's taken a slightly different turn with this one, gone a bit more towards his punky roots once more, and brought some electricity and interesting new ideas into the proceedings. All-in-all it's not as good as his previous work, but you can't fault the fact that he's actually branched out. I think in that respect I like it more. Nothing irritates me more than a band who go stale...

Some of the highlights of the album include Sons of Liberty, a nod, it would appear, to bands like Flogging Molly, The Pogues and the Real McKenzies, and Dan's Song, a feel good summery tune about getting the most out of life. A solid 4/5!

3. Cougar - Patriot

Chances are you'll never hear of Wisconsin 5 piece Cougar. Not for any other reason than they're a fairly experimental, instrumental, post-rock band (you may however know their drummer's other project, the Youngblood Brass Band). This is Cougar's second album, and a fantastic follow-up to 2007's Law. Where Law was a slow-burner, brimming with sounds and ambience, Patriot is a small explosion, breaking out with heavy guitars, and a more full, developed and play-me-loud feel to it. The album opens with a fantastic foot-stomper and continues in a similar vein without becoming tiresome. Bridges and breaks split each song nicely, with inventive riffs and peaks, to the accompaniment of a sharp backing from D. H. Skogen (of Youngblood).

This one is a straight 5/5, it's experimental, it's exciting, it's new, and that pretentious part of my brain which I like to feed, loves being a fan of obscure bands (you know you do too!)

I know that instrumental stuff isn't to everyone's taste, but give this a whirl, you may be pleasantly surprised.

4. Adam Gnade - The Wild Homesick

Gnade's EP (ok not an album, I know) The Wild Homesick is rare enough that I couldn't even find a proper picture of it (look, that's Gande himself holding it), but it's something I got on recommendation earlier this year from a good friend of mine. If I'm honest, there's a large percentage of you that won't like it. It's obscure, it's somewhat long winded if you're not expecting it. Gnade is a singer, but from most of his work you wouldn't know it. Gnade's music is something akin to storytelling, with a guitar. He spins tales of his friends, his family, his life, weather, you name it. It sounds terrible, but somehow it's mostly just intriguing and a little stirring. Gnade's lyrics concerned with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are thought provoking, not in any political sense, but in sense of it showing the effect on the people back home and the families of those out there fighting.

The first three tracks portray scenes of long awaited social occasions, storms and the coming together of friends and strangers, and all through you just want to stand on a porch in the warm dark, a beer in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and your friends surrounding you.

The EP rounds off with a song by Gnade, a short, sharp, lo-fi, distored number, called I Will Put Away My Pain And Be A Beacon. It's an interesting change of pace, and brings the album to a nice ringing close.

This is another 4/5, which would've scored higher if it was longer, but the fact is this is an EP so I can hardly complain.

5. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

I don't have much to write about this. I discovered it this morning. I've not turned it off since. This album is just excellent. It makes me think of gospel with a bit of a more folky feel to it. Banjos, violins, and choruses of almost discordant voices, sound so much like these boys traipsed in from the northern moors, or maybe even further, but the boys hail straight from our capital itself, and take the country from without it seems.

The thing about this album is the soul in the whole affair. The voices, gravelly and full of emotion, backed up by string and wind make for quite a mixture.

Without a doubt, tracks Little Lion Man, Awake My Soul and Winter Winds have made this album for me. For the reason that in a matter of hours it has become one of my albums of the year and within a minute of Little Lion Man I was hooked on these boys, I can't give this anything other than 5/5. A brilliant album and one which most can enjoy!

So go forth, invest in these albums, treat your friends and family over Christmas, "treat your wife, treat someone else's wife", whatever!

And if anyone has another opinion then feel free to share it in the comments section.

Except you Haddock. You're banned from commenting on my blog now, on the basis that you're not even difficult to spot.

Eejit.

The Numbers Game

Just a quick post to say that according to Statcounter (lovely people!), I get about 20-30 visitors a day, and around 120 page loads.

Exciting stuff.

So if you do bother to read this and you're not just someone trolling (which isn't really annoying, more just bizarre), drop a comment here.

Oh and if you would be a darling and click some of the adds on the right, I'll get paid. Which is crazy.

Cheers!

Music Makes You Lose Your Otherwise Impecable Composure.

What ho all!

So over the last few days I've had something of an educational and personal revelation. I think I finally know how to do this uni thing now. How annoying is it that it's taken me 2 and 1/3 years to figure it all out?

The answer you're looking for, is very.

Anywho, you're not here to read about my educational musing and movings. You're clearly here to hear about some nonsensical and altogether irrelevant clap-trap!

Instead we're going to talk music. For no other reason than it's something I've not yet touched on/up in this train-of-thought-made-visible that I somewhat lamely call a blog.

So the year's coming to an end, and I think it's probably a good idea to write a little about the music of 2009, what I think of it, and where I stand, as well as some recommendations (for those who care).

First off though, I must tell you that I've rediscovered Nirvana. What on earth made me forget them is beyond me and our top scienticians. They really were just brilliant. And I know it seems a bit clichéd but they changed the face of music in a huge way. Right now the sounds of Heart Shaped Box are impressing me greatly, and also making me slightly angry!

The whole thing reminds me of an Alan Partridge scene:

Alan: So who's your favourite singer then?

Ben who works in travel lodge: Oh er... Anything really. Y'know, Frank Sinatra, Kurt Cobain...

Alan: Who's he?

Ben: Nirvana. Blew his head of with a gun.

Alan: W-why?

Ben: He was depressed.

Alan: Why? Were they not very good?

Ben: No, they were great.

Alan: Oh... Someone should've told him!

Memories...

Anyway: Roundup.

A quick Google search of the top selling artists of 2009 reveals... Some stuff. Probably. I don't know. I didn't do it.

Instead I'm just going to make it up based on what I've heard.

Ok so we have:

Lady GaGa (obviously)

Little Boots

La Roux

Florence And The Machine

JLS.

I don't know anyone else. I think it's somewhat obvious that I don't know modern popular music so I'll just quickly run through my thoughts.

Lady GaGa - Grew on me lots and now has my respect.

Little Boots - Forgot to listen to her, but had heard her album was a bit of a let down.

La Roux - Another grower, but I'll be surprised if she lasts. This year might be it. When you have a single that's as big as he first, it'd be difficult.

Florence And The Machine - Not bad really. Nice voice.

JLS - Get the fuck out.

So that's popular music covered.

Next time: REAL MUSIC!

Capital capital old chap(ital) part 2!

From here on out, I fully intend to dress Ben and spend more time in the capital. End of.

Also pleasingly I can still read some hiragana!

Yosha!

Capital capital old chap(ital)!

Ah, London. You are so wonderfully large, wonderfully busy, wonderfully confusing and wonderfully wonderful.

If anything, all the aforementioned traits compound to make you more wonderful. Maybe that's just me.

So today we head to the Japanese embassy. An excellent chance for me to show off my poor grasp of the Japanese language! Subarashi!

However we will then spend hours wandering the shops and wishing we/I had more money.

I think I may take my camera with me... Depends if rain is forecast. I don't want to take my camera bag (it's very small, and looks ridiculous on my 6' 3" frame), but I don't want to get a wet camera. I can't afford that at all.

Hmm... Tricksy.

Went for my run. Made it 0.5mi before I died. Confusing to me as last time I was going a good 2.5mi with no apparent problems. I blame the cold weather for making my chest feel like it was about to explode... Oh well.

What else? I'm dressed like Johnny Cash. I need to stop doing that maybe, but so help me God, he's a damn good looking man (not really, but sartorial elegance was apparently one of his traits).

On another note, I'm rather pleased to announce that I now have 5 followers. This excites me as I feel like it's not just me that reads this now! However one of the followers - Mole Skinners - I think may have got the wrong idea by the name of my blog. Sure it's nice of them to be here, but I think they may be come disinterested when I fail to post pictures of me killing and then de-coating garden pests.

This right here makes me realise I know nothing of fashion, and without great funding and luck, I never will. This upsets me greatly. I also wish to receive 1/50th of the free shit she gets... It would make me incredibly happy.

I may go wake up Ben now. It's an hour and a half before we must catch the bus and I have to go to the bank. Has anyone seen my wallet?

Motivation

I lack it.

As tempting as it is to leave it there for some form of comic effect, I think it's worth going on slightly with this and we'll converse (albeit one sidedly) for a while.

I've done nothing of late. All my excitable, furious, inspiration and motivation. This wouldn't be so much of an issue if it wasn't for the fact that all this has ramifications on others:

The house is a mess.

Lidia is carrying my ass big time.

Declan has done most of the Christmas shopping.

My room is horrendous.

I have no clean clothes.

I barely talk to my friends because I've not bothered to go get my phone sent back.

All of this compounds to make me feel like I'm going to shoot my own face off.

Here's the plan to get me out of this awful slump.

Tomorrow: Get up. Go running. 100 sit-ups. 100 press-ups (*gulp*). Breakfast. Catch up on the day's news and events. Go to uni. Enjoy my seminar if it kills me. Go to London. Meet Flo. Go to the Japanese Embassy. Generally geek about in London until our eyes fall out. Come home. Work somewhat. Sleep.

Friday: Repeat (bar London bits).

Etc.

I feel like this will help me infinitely. That and a normal human sleep pattern.

And a dawn clock.

And a dawn porter. Om nom nom.