Consumerism

An unwritten rule when ordering goods from online emporia dictates that one should never purchase just one item. Long playing records, like humankind, require mesmerizing travelling companions and should ne’er journey alone. I have pre-ordered the forthcoming Sufjan Stevens product that I mentioned here and have chosen the album called simply Album by the combo known succinctly as Girls to accompany it. Girls aren’t girls but a couple of California fellows with interesting pasts and, according to Friday’s Guardian, proffer bewitching sounds to a grateful listenership. Ever a sucker for my favoured journal’s five star reviews, I look forward gleefully to this disc’s arrival on the doormat.

I worry about Calmer*. This county’s most mesmerizing musical night out has gone all quiet and I note that no new shows are planned. A chat with young R of that organisation at Green Man (we met up by chance just before Wilco were about to stroll onto the stage) hinted that all was not well behind the scenes. I hope that any wheels that have come off are soon eased back on. Those who crave unusual and challenging sounds welcome Calmer* and its eclectic choices and would hate to lose it.

In the slipstream we will stay

The noble D, product of Newent School, informed me yesterday that my favourite band of the 1990s, Pavement, are reforming and are likely to tour next year. I shall keep ‘em peeled. I’d recommend Pavement to all hepcats. Their series of long players remains a peerless and enviable back catalogue. Their debut, Slanted and Enchanted, is a classic example of an album that, on first hearing, appears impenetrable, difficult, dense and, er, dreadful only for its melodic genius, wry wit and life-affirming wistful beauty to become revealed after several plays. If any hepcats with no knowledge of this band have half a day or so to spare then I recommend giving Slanted and Enchanted six or seven plays in a row and experiencing the ride from ‘What was that rubbish?’ to ’I can’t live wi’out this remarkable long playing album!’. My favourite Pavement LP, and I know the cognoscenti will be raising a collective eyebrow and narrowing a collective eye, is Brighten the Corners which is a bewitching collection of longer, almost anthemic, beauties. Wowee Zowee is a patchier recording but it does contain my two of my favourite Pavement songs, Rattled By The Rush and Father To A Sister Of A Thought. My favourite Pavement song is called simply Here. This is a majestic band. This is a majestic band.

The two male Coles travelled to nearby Tewkesbury on Friday night to see a feature film at the Roses Theatre. Moon proved a fascinating slice of science fiction, a bleak vision of loneliness, despair and bewilderment. The ending was clever – but not complex – and was very affecting on a human level (which, I guess, all good sci-fi should aspire to). I won’t publish any plot-spoilers as this feature will be at the Gloucester Guildhall in a few weeks and I know a few of the gentle people who pass by these pages will be attending. I recommend this feature.

The rugby football was dreary yesterday. I can cope with the Gloucester club of Gloucester losing but not in the lacklustre manner that they capitulated to a very ordinary Northampton side. I sense it might prove a long and difficult season for my favoured club. We struggle without the guile and grace of Morgan and the young prince, Simpson-Daniel, behind the scrum and the terrier-like vivacity of Hazell at the breakdown. The side desperately requires a classy scrum-half. Neither David ‘Dave’ Lewis (too small and predictable) or Rory Lawson (gritty but limited) possess enough class to lift the team and orchestrate play.

Demise

Word reaches these ears that the charming monthly musical club, Acoustica, has hosted its last evening and won’t be returning for a new season o’ shows this autumn. This is a shame. I’m unsure why the shows aren’t continuing but, I suppose, such a niche evening is never going to draw the large crowds required by the Gloucester Guildhall to keep the coffers full. I’ve had some great times at Acoustica. The host, the affable A, always provided a warm welcome and, over the years, proffered some wondrous acts to a grateful crowd. I think the Coles’ first ever Acoustica featured a classy and charismatic Boo Hewerdine and our last visit, earlier this year, saw an earnest Chumbawamba present a challenging and melodic set. I doff my cap at this event and mourn its passing. As a tribute, here’s a few of my mumblings about Acoustica over the years:

Bela Emerson - January 2006

Thomas Truax - February 2007

David Ford - December 2007

Upwards to the vanguard where the pressure is too high

I’m afraid my interest in the Mercury Music Prize is diminishing wi’ the passing of every year. The last three awards have disappointed. Two years ago the very ordinary Klaxons picked up the gong, twelve months ago the worthy enough Elbow won the prize but at the expense of the remarkable Burial and last week Speech Debelle vanquished to a sigh and a muttered ‘hmm’ from this scribe. To be fair, the vast majority of the 2009 nominees underwhelmed. Looking back at the list of previous winners, only Portishead’s Dummy (1995) and the first Franz Ferdinand long player (2004) really catch the eye as deserved prize winners.

I am intrigued by this thread on the wondrous Word Magazine website that ruminates on the plethora of fabulous long players released thirty years ago in 1979 (I can do maths, me) and debates what the winner of the Mercury Prize would have been that year. I do enjoy a hearty hypothetical question. For the record, my choice would have been Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures with earnest mentions in despatches for Metal Box by Public Image Ltd., The Specials’ self-titled debut, Gang of Four's Entertainment, The Clash’s London Calling and The Fall’s Live at the Witch Trials. I do think that there is so much fabulous music around these days but a brief scan of the nuggets available back in ’79 does make me consider that any golden age of long playing recordings may be firmly in the past.

It was dark as I drove the point home

Three Coles attended an evening of musical comedy last Thursday. The nearby spa town, Cheltenham, hosted a fellow called Tim Minchin. The kids love him. The Antipodean chap has a rock star look and aspect and he delivers witty, pithy, occasionally angry songs which he accompanies on pianoforte or guitar. A decent proportion of his act consists of stand-up repartee and even some poetry. The audience were lapping it all up and rendered acclaim and near adoration at the end of the show. Alas, my reaction proved muted in comparison. At comedy nights I like to receive a decent number of figurative bangs for my, er, metaphorical buck and, although I nodded wistfully at times (I appreciated and shared his views on religion in particular), I merely chortled out loud on a humble brace of occasions. Minchin’s charm and image are a bit too studied for my taste, his targets too easy, his audience’s leanings and world view too simple to gauge and feed. Ultimately, cynically heaping scorn on spiritual matters, ill thought out superstition or our leaders’ political failings equated to shooting fish in a barrel. There’s no doubting Minchin’s popularity and I’m sure that if I was sixteen and three quarters, I’d have been lapping it up. But I have seen better and have been more challenged and I'm forty-three and three quarters. File under ‘Talented but a tad obvious’.

What the water wants is hurricanes and sailboats to ride on its back

I note with interest that the young prince of popular music, Sufjan Stevens, is playing New York’s All Tomorrows Parties festival this evening. And, gasp, 'e is performing the peerless Seven Swans album in its entirety. My word, I would love to be in attendance. The fellow then appears to be touring North America. I hope he considers Europe soon. New Stevens product hits the stores next month. The enigmatic and engaging talent releases a short film (shot by himself on Super 8 and Standard 16 film) about, of all things, New York’s Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Stevens’ orchestral soundtrack accompanies the moving images. Preternaturally I took the above photograph myself back in the Eastertide. I would have welcomed a collection of more traditional popular songs from my favourite artist but beggars can’t be choosers, y’know wha’ I mean?

These 'umble syllables were typed into (onto? upon? across?) the wondrously useful Microsoft Word facility whilst listening, awestruck, to Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky. I don’t want to open a ‘what are the best three opening tracks on a long player ever’ debate (or maybe I do) but this recording’s Either Way, You Are My Face and Impossible Germany are about as good as it gets. Beautiful music.

I'm hiding out in the big city blinking

Gloucester 24 - Bath 5

I salute and acknowledge my favoured rugby union outfit known the world over as 'Gloucester'. This punter lacked a touch of confidence before today’s home derby fixture against Bath Rugby. He considered the powerful front five and slick offloading game of our opponents would prove too, er, powerful and slick for our lads to deal wi’. I apologise unreservedly for referring to myself in the third person in the last two sentences; I blame the excitement of the past few hours which was tangible and mighty. I am thrilled with the manner in which the home side played. The overall performance was, happily, enhanced by every player from one to fifteen and it was fabulous to witness a pleasing team ethic. I doff my hat to Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Robinson, wearing the fabled ten shirt on his competitive debut and running the show with grace, style and intelligence; it was compelling to view a Gloucester outside-half ‘boss’ a game with such composure and reassuring to witness shrewd and thoughtful decisions being made by the Welsh Wizard at key points in the match. He ran with élan, passed wittily and ambitiously and kicked for touch with skill and for the uprights with accuracy. His proved a fine debut. Elsewhere there were heroes galore to recognise. I’d like to single out Young/Big (take your pick) Dave Attwood who impressed last week and took his smashing form into today’s contest. His rugged and uncompromising rampaging and doughty adherence to the basics of the shove of the scrums and the leap of the lines-out caught this eye merrily. Other players wearing the cherry for the first time did well too. Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu was a handful in midfield with thrusting gallops and forceful forcefulness while another former Bath favourite, Tom Voyce, impressed with a steady and bright outing at full back. Old heroes were splendid too and I noted the elegant way the young prince, Simpson-Daniel took his brace of tries and the commitment shown by gnarled veterans Hazel, Brown and Somerville. I hope today’s performance will prove a catalyst for finer play and even more pleasant results. Hurrah!

The birds swoop down upon the crosses of old grey churches

The first weekend of a new year at work and it is good to take it fairly easy. I’m really looking forward to an evening of Beatles-related televisual programmes on the BBC tonight. I think it might be Beatles week for some reason or other. Is it because Apple is releasing all the Fab Four albums in remastered format? Or has the new Beatles Rock Band video game got anything to with it? Maybe the 40th anniversary of the part-genius (Something, Sun King, the ‘long medley’), part-stinker (Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Octopus’s Garden) Abbey Road long player is the catalyst? No matter. I can happily sit through any number of Beatles documentaries.

The new Prefab Sprout album was waiting for me when I returned home from work yesterday afternoon. I’d pre-ordered Let’s Change The World With Music ages ago and had forgotten all about its impending release. The reviews in the press have proved universally positive and it is a fine and interesting recording. The album, however, sounds precisely how I expected it to and while appreciating the generic Prefab Sprout sound - well-crafted melodies, crisply vocalised wi' clever-clever lyrics - I’m questioning how badly the world needed this collection. Perhaps further listens will improve my opinion.