Realisation

As always, I am a bit slow on the uptake but the sentiment expressed in Radiohead's song Like Spinning Plates is remarkably similar to the poetry of Seigfried Sassoon. Both written with the same sense of disillusionment, however one  draws from experience while the other from observation, but who says modern artists can't write.

Lion and the Lamb With Ghosts In The Hall

Beat Radio have their new album out now for a few weeks. As mentioned before on this blog they are  in my humble opinion one of those great internet finds. Their new album safe inside the sound sees a more layered approach when compared to the previous EP. Its been mentioned elsewhere that a few years ago this music would have appeared on every tv teen drama (The Hills to the sound of Beat Radio is wrong on about six levels). However lucrative this maybe for the band, it would be doing the album a disservice, it should and indeed deserves multiple listens and not be categorised with that throw away pop type stuff. More immediate than its predecessor with the opening track (follow you around) a proper stand out tune along with the lion and the lamb. This is just real quality independent music that deserves all the success it achieves.

So as not to spoil the album, here is a live performance of Elegy, and people just go and enjoy being safe inside the sound!

Another List

So after a long drawn out i-tunes catalogue tagging operation I can now finally compile a top 5 songs of 2009 list or a top 5 songs of whatever year you like list. What is it about that essential Apple application that causes one to so obsessively rate and re-rate songs like they were never intended to be. What is the baseline for a 5 star effort, is it something of the Jam's All Mod Cons album or can a new, freshly heard song just jump from nowhere to float in the rarified air of a classic from the vaults? So many questions and so few answers as the goal posts swirl around in never ending motion. Anyways 2009 has been a slow year in terms of cd buying/downloading with releases from  the legendary Bruce Spingsteen to the mighty Wilco.

The case for The Yeah Yeah Yeahs producing the greatest album of all time appears to be dimming with each listening despite the protestations of one more cultured/Q influenced listener may think. As with all things dustinthespotlight related this is a poorly thought out and half assed attempt at list creation that was entered on the spur of the moment egged on by boredom. The lack of completeness is more than likely down to the absence cold hard cash and aversion to all things torrent related. However pleading both ignorance and forgiveness here is the.... Three Quarter's of the Way Through The Year Top 5 Songs of 2009 (The Hits of Needing Something to Write About).

Brevity was never a strong point.

5. The Chapters: Perfect Stranger (The ever so slightly The Cars influenced title track... now if only I could find a line, so those clicking will be listening to Videotapes, its along the same lines)

4. Regina Spektor: The Calculation (Pop piano type music with word play a plenty, she is a lyricst after all I suppose so I should have expected it)

3. Camera Obscura: French Navy (And to think I thought they might sound like a Roddy Frame cover act!)

AND

1. White Lies (NME have a lot to answer for and I know its played off the radio but shur I'm a populist)

Help!

I am currently torn between whether or not to purchase that giant Beatles box set yokey. So in true Irish fashion I have decided to implement a far more expensive/short term solution by buying the back catalogue one by one. So first up was the soundtrack to the film Help!, having watched it recently (thank you BBC4 and Kerstin for sitting through it with me), I decided that it was far better than my memory had served me. So off to planet cdwow to purchase said same cd. The stand out track was the Lennon penned You've Gotta Hide You're Love Away. Also the other thing that stands out from repeated listening is how amazingly solid and brilliant a Beatles' album is.

Anyways to keep Apple Corp from tracking me down today's video is a cover of the song mentioned above from Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame.

Oh and the new Editors album is out in the near future, here is the new song Papillon, and also one quick question, why is there a Goran Ivanisevic look a like running??

Doctor Leaves

This is the internet, and the wonders never cease. Using an array of talents to produce an E.P. of quirkiness and all round self deprecation. A winning combination. I'm still not sure on the business model (indoctrination of business courses is hard to shake) but its great great music. Doctor Leaves deserves to be heard and also possibly an award for website design!