back in the game

wow. it's been a while.

summer was a long, arduous affair that, whilst punctuated by the odd voyage towards the outer reaches of Yorkshire with parents/friends/self in search of something marginally exciting to do, consisted mainly of spray-wiping tables and telling the difference between the Kimberley and Steak & Ale pies before exiting the kitchen swingdoors and depositing one or the other on someone i couldn't really care less about's table.

resultantly - is this even a word? - few gigs were attended, and most musical writing was devoted to DEADLINES DEADLINES DEADLINES rather than leisurely contributions to this thing. consequences: itchy screen-eyes, coffee bellyaches, late nights, early mornings and some good, good times inbetween (and sometimes during).

by way of commencement (and comemmoration), a list:

Things Summer Taught Me:

1. it is impossible to function in a remotely work-oriented/productive environment without a broadband internet connection. this is a disheartening indicator of THE SAD TIMES WE LIVE IN.

2. Kieran Hebden sees off all comers and crashes headlong into "at least my top six" (c. Ella Swain) and "the good gigs list, which isn't very concrete and depends on current emotions, but still - the man's the second coming." (c. Lauren Strain)

3. some truly defined and by varying degrees beautiful artists are ruffling their wings amidst the grey bleariness of Manchester at the moment, and i was REALLY REALLY slow in eventually getting around to marvelling at their work. but i did, and so now i present you with a sub-list:

Nancy Elizabeth, for earthsome, rumbling, gentle, existential balminess: http://www.myspace.com/nancyelizabethcunliffe

Denis Jones, for irksome loops and bodily thumps (we've got him playing Trof on 26th September - come, nonexistent readership, come!): http://www.myspace.com/denisjones

Liz Green, for an excursion back ninety years' in time: http://www.myspace.com/lizgreenmusic

err, oh heck, there were more. this will be updated.

4. it is possible to enjoy a set by Brooklyn's Matt & Kim even if you are doubled over in excruciating pain.

5. it is possible to learn to embrace Kate Nash.

6. the new Castanets album ('In The Vines', out November the somethingth) is a hellish storm in a finely-crafted teacup, and a stunner. i'm pretty sure i read somewhere that Raymond Raposa wanted to kill himself whilst making it, and i'd be playing things down to say this wasn't near-suicidally good.

hmm. too many scraps of things have been written over the past few months to dredge up and partly publish here, so i reckon the best approach is: a completely fresh start. GET SPACEWATCHING!

we leave on THIS note (below), and hope that things can only improve from such all-time nadirs onwards. --->



ahem.