Tuesday, July 25, 2006
It's my birthday. I can't wait to open my presents. All two of them and one hasn't got wrapping paper (and I know what the one with wrapping paper is, as it's not that well wrapped).So on to the emailed present. I open the first email. A picture of some Smarties (except, oh, no, they do have blue ones now. He must have pushed the saturation though) and then 3 files ending mp3. Oooh, this is good. But then comes completely failing to recognise the titles, and he hasn't included the artist in the filename. I'm sure it'll be good, it's just a shame I can't think of who it is (and being honest, am a bit worried it'll be some rentarapper thing, only being a one man band rather than having a bit part).
Scrolly scrolly dot wheel (with hints of ICQ)
Oops... the system was unable to perform your operation (error code 766).
Please try again in a few seconds.
This recurred not quite endlessly, but enough to heighten the tension unbearably, making me very, very annoyed. In the meantime, Google told me who it was, and thus I cringed for not getting it (think rubber, think H, but do try not to go down the wrong path and think of the thickest one from Steps in PVC).
Eventually got it downloaded, listened to it, wrote a thank you note which included four consecutive thank-yous. And then listened to the other present, which I wrote up earlier (although I missed asking just how many key changes occur in the first track).
Just listening the other present, Black Holes and Revelations by Muse. Only on the first track so far, and I think it's safe to describe it as gloriously batty. Wonderfully, superbly, utterly unhinged.
Has the second track already been a single? It feels very familiar. A quick check of the website says no. And it's not so quick as it's now onto the only single so far, which unsurprisingly sounds better in the album that it does on the radio lumped next to Rhianna, Paris or Lily.
Map of the Problematic is daft yet I'm still trying to dance to it, which actually slightly more successful than my usual dancing due to sitting down, thus avoiding most stability issues, and having the not knowing what to do with my hands problem solved by typing. So dancing is easy if you can only move parts of your body.
I probably ought to be listening to the lyrics more, but that'll happen next time round. Invincible reminds me very strongly of something else, but I can't remember what. No surprises? Maybe not. I'll have to check later.
[One bit is definitely Travis's "Turn", but I guess there's only so many good chord combinations]
Argh! Muse plus ice cream van (the teddy bear's picnic) is really not a good sound.
Assassin seems to have just started with something suspiciously Night Ridery. I'm not doing well on the running commentary or the analysis, as it's now the track after Assassin. Can I just stop and conclude, prematurely, that's over the top, but that's a good thing.
Oooh, some sweeping strings then some Turkish-ish drums and now a jazzy trumpet. This is fun. Undignified, but I've never been able to carry that off, yet immense fun.
It's on the last track now. Brazen, audacious... and I've just dissolved into giggles at "No one's going to take me alive". But there's more to this album than stupid grins. It's daft, yet fascinating, divinely sumptuous and far, far too enjoyable.
Admittedly this renders me totally devoid of taste, and yet if liking it means I lack credibility, then that's worth it.
I ought to go out yet I want to turn into a Tellytubby'd child and cry "Again! Again!"
Maybe SG might have to wait to copy it.
Oh and in other news, I was also given Thom Yorke's album, which is good, interesting, yet any review I do in the same mindset as just produced that shiny happy gushing above is going to struggle. But I was delighted to get it (as the, ooh, only six "thank you"s probably attest).
Can you tell I like lush music? Whenever a newspaper reviews an album using the word "overblown" then that's a near certain me-like.
BH&R reviews: BBC, Telegraph, Guardian and Independent.
Anyhoo,
