Regina Spektor vs The Streets

I have been trying to decide what video to post tonight. While I was in Italy, I constantly listened to the new The Streets – album Everything is Borrowed and really liked it (I still do). It’s a bit more ‘mature’ than the other two that I have (Original Pirate Material and A Grand Don’t Come For Free – I never got the third one as it was meant to be shite).

Now that I’m back in Edinburgh however I’ve been listening to Regina Spektor‘s Soviet Kitsch. I’ve already got her 11:11 and got back into her, ever since going back to Amanda Palmer and the whole ‘woman playing the piano and singing’ business, which in itself was triggered by the new BF (don’t ask 😛 ).

Anyhow, I shall post Regina Spektor’s Us. Couldn’t decide on which The Streets – vid to post (though I nearly posted ‘Don’t Mug Yourself’ as Mike Skinner looks verrrry sexy in that vid! That’s how I like my men – skinny, pretty, and boyish 😛 ).

So here is Ms Spektor:

Grooverider Released from Prison

Image via Wikipedia

Read in The Guardian at the week-end that Radio 1 DJ Grooverider has been released from prison after serving 10 months, after being pardoned by the Dubai Royal Family.

I blogged about Grooverider being jailed for cannabis possession in February – he had been jailed for 4 years for possessing fuck all (just over 2grams). The injustice of it! I’m pleased he’s back home. Probably having a big fat ****** as we speak 😛

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Maximo Park gig tonight (and the start of my hols)

Tonight is the Maximo Park gig – yay! Plus I’ve got the rest of the week off (not today though – today I’m giving a presentation 😐 ). I really want to be out and about while I’m off, and not just stay indoors as that won’t be much of a holiday (with familiar surroundings, no new stimuli, etc.).

It could be something simple like driving my car around, then staying somewhere random for the night. I don’t want to spend loads of money but I do want to get away from Edinburgh. It’s heaving with festival people, and is a bit of a no-go area right now if you want peace and quiet. Though I have discovered a very peaceful and quiet spot in Edinburgh recently. It’s by the sea – not the pretty, sandy beach (Portobello) but a bit further up where it’s ugly and no one would go there to spend a day.

Well I wouldn’t spend a whole day there either – but it’s a nice spot out of the way, and you can sit on a wall and watch the sea for a few hours, with no one bothering you 🙂

Shout Out To Amanda Palmer

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Amanda Palmer has a solo album out. Finally. I never liked her Dresden Dolls stuff much (well, it’s ok, but the best songs on the Dresden Dolls albums are those from her solo demo tapes).

I got into her when my BF at the time in Cologne, David, had gone to see a very early solo gig of hers and kinda struck up a friendship (must have been in 97 or 98 ) and got the demo tapes. Subsequently I burnt the demo tapes via my PC onto CD (terrible quality unfortunately, lots of ‘rauschen’ that you can’t get rid of). The early demos were just her playing the piano, singing, with great lyrics (including self-mutilation, gender roles, people killing themselves, etc., but all in a positive way. I.e. she wasn’t whinging. A typical line is somthing like ‘I don’t think it’s right for a woman to breed for attention’).

In fact I’ve just dug out the CD with her demos on it and listening to it. I’m going to import the songs into my computer and see if I can clean them up a bit more.

So, shout out to her, and I’ve also found out on lastfm yesterday that she’s playing a gig in Edinburgh’s Cabaret Voltaire on September 30th. In fact I’ve just booked a ticket to go there. It’s only £12 which is incredible. Basically this lenina’s ‘insider tip’ in terms of gigs. Looking at lastfm and noticing that Coldplay are the no. 1 most listened to (their new album), and thinking how much they probably charge for gigs these days and how fucking easy this mainstream shite is. Just don’t make people think – wrap them in some soft sugary easy bubble wrap and coat them in pseudo depth.

I think I’m going to turn all radical again 😛   – well, what else is there to do?

The Rifles ‘Local Boy’ = The Cure ‘Just Like Heaven’

I’ve been listening to The Rifles album – No Love Lost. Great album but I noticed they seem to draw inspiration from The Cure a fair bit. The song ‘Local Boy’ has the same fucking riff as the Cure’s Just Like Heaven. It’s a pretty blatant rip, so much so that it nearly sounds like a cover version (if, say, the Scissor Sisters’ cover of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb can be called a ‘cover version’ then so can this!).

Searching the web just now, however, I couldn’t find any reference to this. Hence, I’m putting up both videos here to prove a point. NB:

1. The Rifles definitely draw inspiration from the Cure – apparently they’ve covered their ‘In Between Days’ before (for BBC Radio 1 in 2004)
2. While I haven’t followed The Cure’s musical output since their ‘Wish’ album, they have created some fucking amazing, timeless songs, of which Just Like Heaven is only one (Just Like Heaven has been covered numerous times, including a great version by Dinosaur Jr, for those in the know 😛 )

The Cure – Just Like Heaven

The Rifles – Local Boy