29/03/2007

Fear Of Music


Sorry I haven't posted in the last couple of weeks. I'd love to tell you that I've working 24/7 and haven't had time, but that would be a lie. The truth is that I have been distracted by the combined forces of Pro Evolution Soccer, Grand Theft Auto, and seasons 3 and currently 4 of 24. Oh and we keep getting power cuts (there's nothing like a power cut to remind you how important electricity is. What am I supposed to do, read a book?) And I have been suffering from a general lack of inspiration, enthusiasm or whatever you wanna call it. Doing a blog, can, at times, be a nuisance, so it's bound to happen every now and again. Anyway, I'm back now, so here's part three of the great Talking Heads giveaway.

Fear Of Music
was the third Talking Heads album, and the second produced by Brian Eno. It has two of their finest songs. Life During Wartime, features a typical David Byrne lyric, half about the practicalities of everyday living in that environment, and half about well, nothing really. I Zimbra, their full on afro-funk Fela Kuti homage, with nonsense lyrics and possibly the finest groove ever captured on a Talking Heads record. The extra tracks here include an alternative take on Life During Wartime, which has had a screeching guitar solo added to the song, and a different version of Cities (listen to the opening lyric about London, which seems entirely wrong and still brilliant to me):

Cities [Alternate Version]

Dancing For Money [Unfinished Outtake]

Mind [Alternate Version]

Life During Wartime [Alternate Version]



Checking back I realised that the post for the previous album More Songs About Buildings And Food didn't allow you to download and keep the mp3's. If anybody wants, I will go back and repost them so you can have them. Just let me know in the comments.

EDIT: I have added the aforementioned tracks to the original post. Click here.

13/03/2007

Let's Work...


So you'll never guess what I did this week. I worked. Check me out. I had my first two private conversation classes with students. In these lessons I spoke to a Brazilian about me and my opinions and my life, and listened to them while they did the same. In other words we had a conversation. For an hour. I think leaving retail behind might have been a good idea...

Prince - Let's Work (Live In Long Beach, 31/03/83)

Talking Heads - Found A Job (Live 29/09/79)

Daft Punk - Teachers (Live At The Rex Club, Paris)

Beck - Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes

Super Furry Animals - The Teacher

Tom Waits - I Can't Wait To Get Off Work (Live On VH1 Storytellers)

Props to the Shrigley

05/03/2007

I'm back...


So I'm back after my month off, sufficiently recovered from my jetlag and the English cold that I got two hours before I left the country. The jumpers have been replaced by shorts, and the sore nose with mosquito bites, and normal service has been resumed.

It's good to be back in the sunshine and my flat, which i have multimediered up with a dvd player, extra hard drive, PS2, and various speakers, is now providing me with a million more distractions and time killing opportunities that I could probably do without, but am very happy to have nonetheless.

Bruna and I had a lovely time in the UK and it was great to see everyone. So if you let us stay in your house, bought us gifts, took us to dinner, gave us discount in HMV or provided us with your fine company, than a big thank you. We probably won't be back for a couple of years, so unless you want to come and visit, lets keep this internet based communication going, as its a lot of fun. You can find me on myspace and last fm, and of course use the comments section here, as your feedback is important to me.

So down to business. I had a lot of catching up to do with the blogs when I got back (three weeks is an age online) and here is a random smattering of new songs I like. This Villalobos remix of Depeche Mode is never going to be released apparently. What fools. It's an absolute masterpeice of remixing, building up and and up over it's thirteen minutes:

Depeche Mode - The Sinner In Me (Ricardo Villalobos Conclave Remix)

Here are Brazilian funsters Cansei De Ser Sexy messing about with a indie rock classic:

CSS - Pretend We're Dead

Talking of indie rock classics, here are splendid new tracks from the new Dinosaur Jr and Low albums:

Dinosaur Jr - Almost Ready

Low - Breaker

I don't know anything about this band, but I know this remix is well tasty:

The Black Ghosts - Face (Switch mix)

As is the latest Diplo offering:

Claude Von Stroke - The Whistler (Diplo Remix)

And this sounds like TV On The Radio doing electrorap:

Muscles - Ice Cream

P.S. I am attempting to use a new filesharing site, for the 53rd time. Please let me know if the mp3's download okay. Thanks.