A bit late but what's to do.
"The tragedy of English cooking is that 'plain' cooking cannot be entrusted to 'plain' cooks." - Countess Morphy, English Recipes (1935)
Till sometime soon
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Review a CD?...yeah go on 'en!
Alan mention on his blog (sidebar) that bloggers should think about reviewing a CD and so I will. I'm aware after starting that this has virtually nothing to do with what Alan was mentioning but I'll press on nonetheless and see what my musically ignorant mind can produce to describe the last album I bought, which would be this one...
Gorillaz - D-Sides
Double Album
Parlophone records
D-sides is the latest offering from the world's greatest virtual band (note to self, aren't they the only virtual band...probably not by now...must check) and is a must buy for any fan of the band. While 2-D, Murdoch, Russel and Noodle have taken a break from the recording studio...though since they also live in it it's a bit hard to see how! Anyhow to satisfy their fans ever present need for musical greatness they have released D-Sides a double album of B-side tracks and remixes which should keep them going for a bit. As well as these the album also includes rare and unreleased tracks such as "Rockit" which features on their webpage.
This is not the first time this tactic has been used as G-sides, originally aimed at the Japanese market but proving popular enough for world wide release, was created after their first album campaign. Other recent releases have been "Rise of the Ogre" an autobiographical account of the band's creation, "Slowboat to Hades" a DVD with videos and other material from their second studio album Demon Days. Their website is also a wealth of material in it's own right and now features a dilapidated and partially destroyed setting in keeping with the video for El Manana their last single. So with Gorillaz you don't just get you music you get a story and a whole world not quite like our own.
Anyway, so the music yeh? While not a studio album the CD still contains a number of highly catchy and proffesionally done tracks. I would say that the album on the whole feels very much in the same spirit as their first album. Demon Days is dark in tone and very much the studio album whereas "Gorillaz" was the happy go lucky experimental and unusual record you'd expect from a bunch of animated delinquents. D-Sides starts with "68 State" a beautiful instrumental track mixing guitars and synths eloquently and drew me in instantly. With the catchy "People" to follow, cleverly reusing elements from "DARE" to create a completely different song I was hooked. Catchy would be how I described most of the songs on there with beats to make you tap your toes and clap your hands. With the melodic "Hong Kong", the weird/rocky "Murdoc is God" and the completely unique "Rockit" adding flavour the album is certainly not a dull one.
The remixes are also very good, featuring a variety of artists reinterpreting songs from "Demon Days" in a variety of intriguing and provoking ways. DARE and double A-Side track "Kids with Guns seem to be the most popular tracks with three re-mixes each. I'm glad Kids with Guns is appreciated by industry proffesionals as much as by me, though I'm surprised Feel Good Inc didn't get more attention. However favourites for me would be the Junior Sanchez remix of "DARE" featuring powerful electric guitar riffs and the Schtung Chinese New Year remix of "Dirty Harry" which not only adds eastern flare, but the song is also sung in Chinese.
To say more would be to feign music knowledge I simply do not posess so I'll quit while I might just possibly be ahead.
Farewell
Word of the post: Exegesis - noun
critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible.
Gorillaz - D-SidesDouble Album
Parlophone records
D-sides is the latest offering from the world's greatest virtual band (note to self, aren't they the only virtual band...probably not by now...must check) and is a must buy for any fan of the band. While 2-D, Murdoch, Russel and Noodle have taken a break from the recording studio...though since they also live in it it's a bit hard to see how! Anyhow to satisfy their fans ever present need for musical greatness they have released D-Sides a double album of B-side tracks and remixes which should keep them going for a bit. As well as these the album also includes rare and unreleased tracks such as "Rockit" which features on their webpage.
This is not the first time this tactic has been used as G-sides, originally aimed at the Japanese market but proving popular enough for world wide release, was created after their first album campaign. Other recent releases have been "Rise of the Ogre" an autobiographical account of the band's creation, "Slowboat to Hades" a DVD with videos and other material from their second studio album Demon Days. Their website is also a wealth of material in it's own right and now features a dilapidated and partially destroyed setting in keeping with the video for El Manana their last single. So with Gorillaz you don't just get you music you get a story and a whole world not quite like our own.
Anyway, so the music yeh? While not a studio album the CD still contains a number of highly catchy and proffesionally done tracks. I would say that the album on the whole feels very much in the same spirit as their first album. Demon Days is dark in tone and very much the studio album whereas "Gorillaz" was the happy go lucky experimental and unusual record you'd expect from a bunch of animated delinquents. D-Sides starts with "68 State" a beautiful instrumental track mixing guitars and synths eloquently and drew me in instantly. With the catchy "People" to follow, cleverly reusing elements from "DARE" to create a completely different song I was hooked. Catchy would be how I described most of the songs on there with beats to make you tap your toes and clap your hands. With the melodic "Hong Kong", the weird/rocky "Murdoc is God" and the completely unique "Rockit" adding flavour the album is certainly not a dull one.
The remixes are also very good, featuring a variety of artists reinterpreting songs from "Demon Days" in a variety of intriguing and provoking ways. DARE and double A-Side track "Kids with Guns seem to be the most popular tracks with three re-mixes each. I'm glad Kids with Guns is appreciated by industry proffesionals as much as by me, though I'm surprised Feel Good Inc didn't get more attention. However favourites for me would be the Junior Sanchez remix of "DARE" featuring powerful electric guitar riffs and the Schtung Chinese New Year remix of "Dirty Harry" which not only adds eastern flare, but the song is also sung in Chinese.
To say more would be to feign music knowledge I simply do not posess so I'll quit while I might just possibly be ahead.
Farewell
Word of the post: Exegesis - noun
critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Weekly Quote W/E 16/02/08
I'm off to York soon so I'll post up this week's quote a modicum early...as soon as I think of one!
Um...
Well...
This sounds ok
"You have not had thirty years' experience...you have had one year's experience 30 times."
not sure of the context, but I bet it's blinking funny in it!
See ya soon
Um...
Well...
This sounds ok
"You have not had thirty years' experience...you have had one year's experience 30 times."
not sure of the context, but I bet it's blinking funny in it!
See ya soon
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Weekly Quote W/E 09/02/08
OK, it;s that time again - this week I'm going to fob you off with some of the words of Chairman Mao, which I don't completely understand, but I like the idea of a paper tiger!!
"The atom bomb is a paper tiger which the United States reactionaries use to scare people. It looks terrible but in fact it isn't...All rectionaries are paper tigers."
Yeah, nothin' terrible about atomb bombs, it's just you imagination folks!!
Till sometime soon...
"The atom bomb is a paper tiger which the United States reactionaries use to scare people. It looks terrible but in fact it isn't...All rectionaries are paper tigers."
Yeah, nothin' terrible about atomb bombs, it's just you imagination folks!!
Till sometime soon...
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Product Testing - Diet Coke Plus (Antioxidant)
While the title makes me feel like starting another of my "series" posts (see previous post for example) but that, for your sakes, will hopefully not happen, with the possible exception of the other flavour "Plus" drink.
OK so Coke have yet another line of variant drinks out on the market - Diet Coke Plus and out of the sheer morbid curiosity that drives me to do these kind of things I just had to buy one when I saw it in the shop. Actually seeing it in the shop seems to be a kind of spur, watching on TV made little impression on me, but seeing it in the fridge made me want to reach out and grab one - guess that's the power of advertising - plus I was a little thirsty.
Coke have released many variants over the years including the popular Cherry Coke, which was amazingly good, but now seems to be available only in a local chippie, Vanilla Coke which captured the flavour of ice cream soda well and had a good stint, but has also waned in popularity. A more recent venture was Coke Orange, which came in a suitably coloured bottle but for someone who's been mixing Coke and Fanta since he was a kid it didn't overly impress - I haven't seen it again since. An image search revealed a whole host of American variants including Coke Blak - is any Americans stumble across this can you please fill me in?
Obviously Diet Coke is the longest standing variant and a seperate drinks option in it's own right and is likely to outlast and outsell even Coke Zero which has made it's stamp on the market (though Pepsi Max did virtually the same thing several years before.) And naturally when marketing a healthy option, Diet Coke is the best base to jump from. Another variantr which seems to be out there still is Diet Coke without caffeine, which is a bit odd to me, I mean if you take the sugar and drugs out of Coke what is there?!! But I haven't tried it to be fair.
Anyhow instead of taking something away these drinks obviously add something to the mix. In the case of the one I grabbed off the shelf it was an antioxidant. Curious to know what an antioxidant does I grabbed it, chugged it and was soon on the floor gasping as the air in my lungs was sucked away... OK, so I don't actually know what an antioxidant does, but it didn't do me any harm and it won't rot my teeth I guess. Unfortunately my curiosity into antioxidants has been put off by the fact that they also added Green Tea to the flavour, creating an aftertaste that I can only describe as weird!! Not a fan of Diet Coke as the best of times, I have been put off their further attempt to make my drinks healthier - which I guess makes a blog post this long a bit anticlimactic, maybe I'll try the other variety to see if I come out a bit more positive!!
Ok, I'm tired now and I want to put the bottle in the bin, goodbye!
Word of the post: Nomenclature - noun
OK so Coke have yet another line of variant drinks out on the market - Diet Coke Plus and out of the sheer morbid curiosity that drives me to do these kind of things I just had to buy one when I saw it in the shop. Actually seeing it in the shop seems to be a kind of spur, watching on TV made little impression on me, but seeing it in the fridge made me want to reach out and grab one - guess that's the power of advertising - plus I was a little thirsty.
Coke have released many variants over the years including the popular Cherry Coke, which was amazingly good, but now seems to be available only in a local chippie, Vanilla Coke which captured the flavour of ice cream soda well and had a good stint, but has also waned in popularity. A more recent venture was Coke Orange, which came in a suitably coloured bottle but for someone who's been mixing Coke and Fanta since he was a kid it didn't overly impress - I haven't seen it again since. An image search revealed a whole host of American variants including Coke Blak - is any Americans stumble across this can you please fill me in?
Obviously Diet Coke is the longest standing variant and a seperate drinks option in it's own right and is likely to outlast and outsell even Coke Zero which has made it's stamp on the market (though Pepsi Max did virtually the same thing several years before.) And naturally when marketing a healthy option, Diet Coke is the best base to jump from. Another variantr which seems to be out there still is Diet Coke without caffeine, which is a bit odd to me, I mean if you take the sugar and drugs out of Coke what is there?!! But I haven't tried it to be fair.
Anyhow instead of taking something away these drinks obviously add something to the mix. In the case of the one I grabbed off the shelf it was an antioxidant. Curious to know what an antioxidant does I grabbed it, chugged it and was soon on the floor gasping as the air in my lungs was sucked away... OK, so I don't actually know what an antioxidant does, but it didn't do me any harm and it won't rot my teeth I guess. Unfortunately my curiosity into antioxidants has been put off by the fact that they also added Green Tea to the flavour, creating an aftertaste that I can only describe as weird!! Not a fan of Diet Coke as the best of times, I have been put off their further attempt to make my drinks healthier - which I guess makes a blog post this long a bit anticlimactic, maybe I'll try the other variety to see if I come out a bit more positive!!
Ok, I'm tired now and I want to put the bottle in the bin, goodbye!
Word of the post: Nomenclature - noun
| 1. | a set or system of names or terms, as those used in a particular science or art, by an individual or community, etc. |
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Stuff I've read recently 3
Well I've picked up the pace a little bit, mostly due to the books being Science Fictioney and quicker reads than the classics and more serious books I try and labour through. A train journey down to London and back helped speed things up a bit too!! So anyway here's a list of the things I've read since...well since the last time I wrote on of these things.
Oh, and I've added "Visual Bookshelf" to my Facebook page, so any readers who are friends with me on that can check out what I'm reading at the moment and other stuff.
The Bible - God et al
Since the last post I've managed to get through Amos, Obadiah and Jonah - owing more to the shortness of these books than my reading pace. The books of Amos and Obadiah, prophesies of judgement against God's enemies and his own rebellious people contrast with Jonah who is very reluctant to go on a mission of mercy to a foreign kingdom. These books show the attributes of God, both the righteous God who must punish evil and the saviour willing to rescue mankind from their own sin.
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Inferno - Troy Denning
One of the shortest books of the series, but still worth paying the price. The galaxy has entered full on Civil War and the Jedi and even the Solo family are forced to face up to the fact that Jacen Solo is now truly their enemy and that he must be destroyed. Once again targeted and alienated, the Jedi and those who support them are considered enemies of the state. One of the notable things about this book is that it features the Sith from the Legacy comics in it.
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Fury
A slower paced book that I whizzed through on the train and seemed to have a less dramatic impact on me somehow. This book wraps up several threads of the storyline while still leaving plenty of room for an epic conclusion. Again the galaxy is plunged into darkness and the Jedi struggle to hold on to their principles as they follow Jacen down in the hopes of ending the war.
Bad Twin - Gary Troup
A story written by a man who tragically disappeared on Oceanic Flight 815. Yes, this is a Lost tie-in book, but unlike a lot of tie-in fiction is is extremely well written and you don't need to be up to speed with the latest mystery to read it. There are several nods to Lost, notably the Widmore family, who also feature in the series and a number of companies and individuals who were part of the "Lost Experience" online game. The book itself did feature in the series, but was unfortunately destroyed before anyone could figure out the connection.
For the non Lost fan the story is about Paul, a detective hired to track the billionaire brother of Cliff Widmore, Zander, who is renowned for being a reckless soul and who Cliff thinks might be in danger. Drawn into a case much bigger than anything he's seen before Paul has to face danger himself and figure out who really is the "Bad Twin." A really great read, if a little rushed in parts, and worth picking up.
Analog Magazine, December 2007 - various
Analog is one of the primary Science Fiction magazines in America and I was fortunate to snag a copy on import from Borders and enjoyed seeing what contemporary SF writers are up to. The stories were wide ranging and interesting from spoilt billionaires who dive into supernovas for the thrill of it, legal battles between man and machine, alien visitors from Aztec legends and mystery on a distant human colony. With one exception, an immature and boring "Jesus just wanted everyone to be happy and if we all believed that instead of the stuff he actually said then the world would be so much better." the story was childish and similar stories were shot down for that reason at Uni so I don't see why it deserved a place in that magazine - no doubt atheists think it very clever though. On the whole though, very diverting and worth buying, if I spot another issue I'll definitely grab it.
Don't Waste Your Life - John Piper
Challenging from the front cover, the book shows how Christians can often waste the precious gifts that God has given them and challenges us to live our lives, to work in our jobs, to use our money, to spend time with our friends and all other activities to the glory of God, a monumental challenge we all fail at, but striving to do so will leave us able to live life without saying "I've wasted it!" when we reach it's end. An excellent book which I'd highly reccomend to anyone who calls themselves a Christian.
Well that's it for now, I'm already starting on my next set, but they're a bit thicker than these books and don't have as many lasers in them so they may take a bit longer, we'll see, but I think I've written enough for now so adieu.
Word of the post: Be - I can't find a definition, but I mean the prefix as in "bewitched"
Oh, and I've added "Visual Bookshelf" to my Facebook page, so any readers who are friends with me on that can check out what I'm reading at the moment and other stuff.
The Bible - God et al
Since the last post I've managed to get through Amos, Obadiah and Jonah - owing more to the shortness of these books than my reading pace. The books of Amos and Obadiah, prophesies of judgement against God's enemies and his own rebellious people contrast with Jonah who is very reluctant to go on a mission of mercy to a foreign kingdom. These books show the attributes of God, both the righteous God who must punish evil and the saviour willing to rescue mankind from their own sin.
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Inferno - Troy Denning
One of the shortest books of the series, but still worth paying the price. The galaxy has entered full on Civil War and the Jedi and even the Solo family are forced to face up to the fact that Jacen Solo is now truly their enemy and that he must be destroyed. Once again targeted and alienated, the Jedi and those who support them are considered enemies of the state. One of the notable things about this book is that it features the Sith from the Legacy comics in it.
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Fury
A slower paced book that I whizzed through on the train and seemed to have a less dramatic impact on me somehow. This book wraps up several threads of the storyline while still leaving plenty of room for an epic conclusion. Again the galaxy is plunged into darkness and the Jedi struggle to hold on to their principles as they follow Jacen down in the hopes of ending the war.
Bad Twin - Gary Troup
A story written by a man who tragically disappeared on Oceanic Flight 815. Yes, this is a Lost tie-in book, but unlike a lot of tie-in fiction is is extremely well written and you don't need to be up to speed with the latest mystery to read it. There are several nods to Lost, notably the Widmore family, who also feature in the series and a number of companies and individuals who were part of the "Lost Experience" online game. The book itself did feature in the series, but was unfortunately destroyed before anyone could figure out the connection.
For the non Lost fan the story is about Paul, a detective hired to track the billionaire brother of Cliff Widmore, Zander, who is renowned for being a reckless soul and who Cliff thinks might be in danger. Drawn into a case much bigger than anything he's seen before Paul has to face danger himself and figure out who really is the "Bad Twin." A really great read, if a little rushed in parts, and worth picking up.
Analog Magazine, December 2007 - various
Analog is one of the primary Science Fiction magazines in America and I was fortunate to snag a copy on import from Borders and enjoyed seeing what contemporary SF writers are up to. The stories were wide ranging and interesting from spoilt billionaires who dive into supernovas for the thrill of it, legal battles between man and machine, alien visitors from Aztec legends and mystery on a distant human colony. With one exception, an immature and boring "Jesus just wanted everyone to be happy and if we all believed that instead of the stuff he actually said then the world would be so much better." the story was childish and similar stories were shot down for that reason at Uni so I don't see why it deserved a place in that magazine - no doubt atheists think it very clever though. On the whole though, very diverting and worth buying, if I spot another issue I'll definitely grab it.
Don't Waste Your Life - John Piper
Challenging from the front cover, the book shows how Christians can often waste the precious gifts that God has given them and challenges us to live our lives, to work in our jobs, to use our money, to spend time with our friends and all other activities to the glory of God, a monumental challenge we all fail at, but striving to do so will leave us able to live life without saying "I've wasted it!" when we reach it's end. An excellent book which I'd highly reccomend to anyone who calls themselves a Christian.
Well that's it for now, I'm already starting on my next set, but they're a bit thicker than these books and don't have as many lasers in them so they may take a bit longer, we'll see, but I think I've written enough for now so adieu.
Word of the post: Be - I can't find a definition, but I mean the prefix as in "bewitched"
Monday, February 04, 2008
Weekly Quote W/E 02/02/08
Well it's now February, and we're already a month into the year that is 2008 and what better way to note this than to pick a quote at random and post it up here because I haven't got time to do anything else!
"You can't kill her! She's pregnant...with five babies...and one of them's a puppy!" - Jim Friel, legendary lecturer at John Moores U.
See ya soon
"You can't kill her! She's pregnant...with five babies...and one of them's a puppy!" - Jim Friel, legendary lecturer at John Moores U.
See ya soon
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