Ceci n'est pas une blog.

So... first up on my media player is:

Hot Chip - Made in the Dark

I liked their earlier stuff when I heard it on KinkFM, and once again KinkFM was first to bring the current single, Ready for the Floor, to my ears a while back. Liked that too - so, prompted by the videos on P*Nut's blog, I thought I'd check the album out.

Have to say I'm disappointed. It has a lot of retro sound, a little humour and a couple of okay tunes... but overall not that great. The bits which sound like Heaven17, Yello, Human League, mid-eighties computer games etc. all brought back a little nostalgia, and some of the weirdness like songs about wrestling (yes, seriously) was quite funny... but it wasn't enough to get past the general amateurishness and lack of inspiration. Overal it reminded me just a bit too much of two (or three) thirteen-year-old nerds in 1984 bashing out dirges on portable keyboards, using biscuit-tins for drums and singing in the bathroom for effect (you know who you are... ); funny, retro, a little bit of tongue-in-cheek talent - but in the end you don't want to listen to it again.

Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

And now for something completely different... hahrd rawck!

Another group I've heard much from over the years on KinkFM. Solid sound, nice melodies, talented musicianship, catchy. I found a copy of their older album, Songs for the Deaf, on the company network a couple of years ago and (ashamed to admit it) this might be the only case where I have not bought an album that I think was worth buying. I really like that one a lot now, enough to consider getting it for my birthday as well!

Anyway, since that was so good, the new album must be worth a listen too, right?

Hmmm...

The singles I'd heard before are good. There is the same craftsmanship in the writing and performing, plus some little humourous touches again, but overal I would have to say that the rest of the album didn't really stand out. It all seems a bit more-of-the-same. That might just be first impressions, though, so I'll see how I feel again in a couple of weeks' time.

the Bravery - the Sun and the Moon

And last up - Eighties Cure lands in 2008!

Well that's what it sounds like to me, anyway.

These guys definitely have a certain Cure-ness to their sound (the singing is a passable Robert Smith impression) but it would be more of the happy Cure than the kill-me-now variety. Which is good, since I liked the happy Cure stuff more anyway.

Again, KinkFM provided me initial access to the latest singles Time Won't Let Me Go and Believe - which I like a lot - so let's see what the rest is like.

Well, I've only listened to it through once, but so far it seems to be the one with least annoying or boring tracks versus nice or amusing ones. Again, I'll give it some time and get back to you


In the meantime: cast your vote for any of the three I've chosen, or leave a message here if there's anything else you think I should try.