MYSPACE BASED APPEAL ALLUDED TO YESTERDAY

If anyone can point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it. I'd like to set up an account somewhere where I can upload MP3s of songs or bands you may or may not have heard and rotate them as and when I see fit. Unfortunately, I don't want to use MySpace. I have got a MySpace account and I already feel bad enough about that. I've just got a feeling that Rupert Murdoch has something really, really terrible planned.

The other unfortunate news is that I don't want to use Purevolume either. Fussy get, aren't I?

I know I have some webspace somewhere (Robbie?) and I could learn the neccesary 20 GOTO 10 stuff involved to host them myself, but I'd rather use something with an interface that's already set up, so that I can put nice pictures of the people in question next to them.

If anyone has any suggestions please leave them in the comments bit, rude or otherwise. Many thanks (where appropriate) in advance.

Yeah, you see - I knock Rupert Murdoch, but what am I up to, eh? This is just my first step towards 'I Look Ill' - THE BRAND. It'll be unstoppable, I tells you, unstoppable.

Me : 13 years into the future

DOMINO DANCING

Anyone overfamiliar with me will know that I don't need any excuse at all to put something on here about The Television Personalities. So, when I do have a reason it makes me feel all warm like I'm not cheating you.

Curious as I was about the fact that though the band signed to Domino Records much earlier this year, there'd never actually been anything on the Domino website about them. Now they've gone and made it all okay by putting them on the front page there. In front of any news about The Arctic Rolls and Frank Ferdinand. Just as it should be. Though, I suppose it depends on when you look at it and when they next update, really.

Anyways, there's the cover art for the forthcoming album 'My Dark Places' which it informs us will be released on February 27th 2006, and the news that it'll be preceded in that same month by a 7" only single (cos they're all INDIE, d'ya see? d'ya see?) called 'All The Young Children on Smack, All The Young Children on Crack' on February 6th. Listen out for *that* on the radio.

My Dark Places : Sing to the tune

of 'Frère Jacques'. It's a bit like that.

Oh, go on then... the MP3 is here.

IF YOU STARE AT IT LONG ENOUGH YOUR BLOOD FREEZES.

The above is a picture of The Arcade Fire joining U2 onstage last night (Weds 30th). What you can't hear from that picture is that they're doing a cover version of Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'.

If the old, old cliche about songs being like children to songwriters is true then that picture's something akin to being sent a snapshot of your two nephews getting molested.

To cleanse your mind and soul go here to hear a snippet of 80s soul crooner Paul Young feeling up the classic Joy Division tune as well. I can't believe that nobody has hosted the full version.

HEY! THERE'S A BAND ON MYSPACE!

I got an unsolicited message on MySpace the other day. From a band called The Arrogants congratulating me on being a fan of Talulah Gosh. Being shallow and easily won over, I thought I'd point you in the direction of their tunes. 'Cool Shoes' and 'Lovesick' are the girliest in that Shop Assistants/Talulah Gosh/Even as we Speak way. The slower 'I Want You' has more than a hint of The Sundays about it.

And let's be honest, it makes a nice change from being contacted out of the blue on there by some bunch of emo-post-math-rock-metal no-marks, dunnit?

Incidentally, I've just checked and Talulah Gosh have a MySpace page too. That's not very '86, is it? Good job it's not really them, all told.

The Flatmates : Well, why not?

Tomorrow : A MySpace based appeal. I bet you can barely wait, can you?

TWO MONTHS! TWO MONTHS I'VE HAD TO WAIT!

But now the moment is here! Confused monkey and 'romantic' 'poet' Pete Doherty has been arrested.

You'll *never* guess what for? Go on, hazard a guess!

I've checked the Babyshambles release schedule and, to be honest, he's a couple of weeks late getting this one into the press. He must really be in a bad way.

Surely by now he should be employing someone to carry his 'drinks' around for him? That's what Led Zeppelin did. You're not a *proper* rockstar until you've got some fool on the payroll willing to put your stash of chinese diamorphine up his arse and take a flight to Japan with you knowing that as fall guy they're risking a hundred years in prison and you won't lift a finger to help them.

Lord Byron : Did it first, did it better.
photo by Annie Liebovitz.

I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE OTHER 31 LOVE SONGS.

At last! Some Magnetic Fields news! Of sorts. Stephin Merritt is finally good to go with his thingy-complicated-multimedia-stage-piece-with-showtunes. Well, at least Nonesuch Records are releasing a collection of songs from it in February 2006.

It's well out of left-field though. Who's ever heard of a gay man involved in the theatre, let alone one being put in charge of writing showtunes? This certainly sets a precedent.

It's okay! I'm allowed to do this! Elton John said it was okay. It's British and Bawdy or summink!

Anways, to read the actual details, without my added sarcasm, go here.

Stephin Merritt : Pop Genius

DERBY MUSIC NEWS

Hunting for Teeth has moved from it's old regular night of last Thursday of the month to it's new regular night of last Tuesday of the month and so, y'know, applying logic and all that, it means that the first of it's new outings is tonight. It's still at Susumi on the Wardwick, they've not moved it two doors up or anything. Though it would be interesting if they started hosting it in Debenhams after the store has shut. East Midlands based pedants might want to use the comments section to point out that "*that's* not two doors away".

But enough of my yackin'... tonight you can go and see:

Kevin Hewick - Singer/Songwriter

Frankie Machine - Singer/Songwriter

Condensed Soup - Light Inexpensive Snack.

£3 admission. Door open at 8pm.

ELTON LOVES IT UP HIM.

It seems that Elton John gets off on rough men calling him names.

Hmmm. I'm guessing that in reality he's just not giving them the satisfaction of seeing him react.

He should take Peter Tatchell along with him to Watford's next home game, see what he makes of it.

NO WOMAN! NO QUAI! *

It's not all bad news!

At least Jamiroquai are threatening to erm... split up. Which takes some doing when you're essentially one egomaniac with a gimmick on his head and a load of funk musicians on retainer.

Obviously, at a time like this it's important to spare a thought for dull-but-nice women in their 20s and 30s with office jobs everywhere. You know they had a hard enough time when Toploader went.

But never mind, Hard-Fi are shaping up nicely.

Unfortunately, it's not a written-in-blood promise to stop doing it. And it does have that worrying ring of something he's said that he'll retract or 'clarify' in a couple of months time. But still, you know, if we all focus our energies and try that positive affirmation thingy, it might just work.

* - If the playlouder sub-editors had spent just a bit longer on it, they could have had this headline too...

JUST THINKING 'BOUT AIRWOLF

Galaxie 500 have released a Peel Sessions album. It seems to be a bit heavy on the cover versions, but then their cover versions were always really good. Remember, this is the band that made Yoko Ono sound like she had musical talent when they re-worked and improved beyond all imagination her song 'Listen, the Snow is Falling'.

If you've never heard Galxie 500, but tend to like minimalist-yet-songy guitar music with quite a bit of a Velvets influence, you'd probably be better off getting 'On Fire' first, or 'This is Our Music' first. Or 'Today', now that I think of it. So, yep, there's a new Galaxie 500 CD out, but don't buy it - get their other ones. I knew there was a point I was coming to.

Galaxie 500 : Non-essential listening.