Month: April 2005

Reading time: 2 mins

“There is a light that never goes out” Morrissey sings into my head. I work on, aware that the tune was familiar, from somewhere else? (I don’t listen to The Smiths that often, did they do cover versions??). I paused to listen to the lyrics. VERY familiar. Where had I heard it before?

Somewhere. Faster maybe? Something with more of a beat to it? But surely The Smiths wouldn’t have borrow the lyrics from another song, no no, it can’t be that.

Then it came to me. Erlend Øye used the lyrics on “There Silikon Soul remix” on the DJ Kicks album bearing his name. A split second later I realised that, of course, it was he who had used the lyrics from The Smiths song, not vice versa.

A most odd feeling that, when a newer track takes on higher precedence, in my own personal song rating system, than the original. Doesn’t happen often. In fact I don’t think it’s ever happened to me before. I knew, and liked, the Smiths song long before I’d even heard OF Erlend Øye let alone heard anything he’d done. Yet somehow, his use of the lyrics has completely obliterated any recollection of the original track. Until now.

It’s not like having just heard the original version of a song you only knew as a cover version (even though you didn’t realise it WAS a cover version until you heard the original) nor is it the same as hearing an existing song reworked into something completely new as, in that case, you still have the existing song in your head.

No, for some reason my brain had switched the association of the lyrics “Take me out tonight, cos I want to see people who are young and alive, driving in your car, please don’t drive me home, because it’s not my home, it’s their home…” to the new Erlend Øye track and it was a bit of a jolt to hear the original Smiths version. Most odd indeed.

Having re-read that, I’m not sure it even makes any sense but then, when have I ever bothered about that?

My point is this; sometimes, despite the fact you know the original version of something, it doesn’t mean that it can’t change and replace itself in your affections. In other words, things change, sometimes for the better, and whilst you never really forget the original you do put it to the back of your mind whilst embracing the new.

I’m sure there is a deeper meaning in there somewhere.

Reading time: 2 mins

Doves – Some Cities @ Amazon.co.uk
Album Reviews from Metacritic

I missed their previous album for some reason, although I think I’ve got a copy at home but I can’t actually recall anything about it, ohh hang on. I see a trend developing already. F is for Forgettable.

Maybe that’s a bit harsh as this isn’t a bad album, trouble is, it’s not a great album either. No, it falls directly into the “good” album category and struggles to get back out, do not pass the Top 20, do not collect a 5 album deal. That’s a bit harsh too, as this is precisely the kind of album that is selling bucketloads at the moment spurred on by the success of Coldplay, Keane, and Snow Patrol.

Ahh but you see that’s harsh as well for comparing the Doves to those three would mean that I think they, the Doves, are capable of imparting a little more emotion into things than they seem able (it’s harsh on Coldplay, Keane and Snow Patrol that is). I mean, c’mon, call yourself a rock group at what point are you going to actual “RAWK”? You know, up the tempo, give us some electric guitars, drums…

And that’s my main gripe with this album, it’s close to being a very good album but at every turn it falters and falls just short. The upbeat tracks don’t ever really get all the way to being good rock tracks, the slower tracks don’t have enough emotion to carry them, and the others feel like cast-off tracks or B-Sides that are in there to make up the numbers (which they probably are).

There are some redeeming features scattered here and there – Black and White Town you’ll have heard, and … em … that other one… nope can’t remember it’s name – and at the very least it will be worth a re-listen in a few months, if only because by then I’ll have forgotten what it sounded like.

I read recently that they were trying to get permission to sample Delia’s recent footballing chant (Let’s be ‘aving ya!) and to be honest, if that is their aspiration then I can begin to understand the lack of ambition displayed by this album. By all accounts their first album was “very good”. This album seems to be lost, directionless and very much in need to a half-time pep talk from Britian’s favourite TV chef. That’s NOT a good place to be.

Reading time: < 1 min

1 year equals
               52 weeks OR
               365 days OR
               8,765.81277 hours OR
               525,948.766 minutes OR
               31,556,926 seconds

AND (at time of writing)

               ~31,700 tracks

One year since I installed audioscrobbler and I have to admit that I’m astonished by that number. Granted I have, on occasion not regularly, left iTunes running overnight, so you can probably knock that down to around the 30,000 mark.

Ohh and that doesn’t include iPod tracks on the journey to and from work. Or music played in the car. That’s just at work and at home.

Expanding on the maths then, and presuming an average track length of 4 minutes, that’s over a quarter of last year spent listening to music. Is this a good thing? and why do I still complain that I can’t find anything decent?