Happy days

Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy HAPPPY!!!!

As I hoped, JoCo has announced a London date. Friday the 13th of November. Tickets have been secured already. Can't wait!

Get yourself along!

The geek shall inherit the earth!

Jonathan Coulton is playing in Manchester in November. This is epic news. If you don't know who JoCo is, then you clearly don't have any kind of standing in the geek community (a dagger to the heart there, I'm sure!) and have either stumbled across this blog by accident or are only visiting because you know me and take pity on my attempts to maintain any kind of pertinence or value in this here page of witterings.

Jonathan Coulton is something of a geek icon. A singer/songwriter who ruminates on topics as steeped in geekdom as zombies, animated demonic dolls, evil geniuses and slave-driving robot overlords. His songs tend to resonate with the gamer geek niche. Here's a couple of unofficial videos to get a taste of what JoCo is all about.





Still reading? Well that's something... JoCo has become quite the internet phenomenon and is in many ways a trailblazer for the way new media is powering the consumption of content. The concept of mainstream now is one that is becoming less and less relevant. The huge pie that is culture is a lot more evenly sliced now than it ever was. Every imaginable sub-culture has its own heroes, its own icons and unlike before, an easily accessible mechanism to deliver the content by those producers right into their *insert potential computer location here*.

While it's quite cool these days to be a geek (right!?), the geek fraternity don't want to listen to what the cool kids listen to (and vice versa). In steps Mr Coulton and his ilk (another example being nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot) who, to quote the great Noam Chomsky, have "tapped the zetigeist". The times, they are a'changing ladies and gentlemen, and I for one am quite happily moving along with them.

As I said, he's coming to Manchester in November and am really considering the not inconsiderable amount it will cost to go up there for an overnight to see him live. Better yet, I hope there's a repeat of last year and more dates are added in more convenient locations. (He played shows in London and Oxford at the tail end of the year).

So, anyone out there brave enough to open their minds a little and let in a little geekdom?

The cost of Rocking

So I sat down and had a think about how much Rock Band/Guitar Hero has cost me so far and it all got a little out of hand...

Xbox 360 Elite: £240
GuitarHero WT Band box: £100
Beatles Rock band: £40
Guitar Hero Greatest Hits: £30
AC/DC Rock band: £30
John Lennon Rickenbacker guitar: £90
HD TV to play it all on: £450
Mic stand and extra mic: £50

Total so far (not counting DLC): £1030

Ho hum!

Get back... get back... get back to where you once belonged.

Sooooo, it's been altogether far too long. Or not long enough, depending on your viewpoint. The last four months have been eventful, that's for sure. Two holidays, a new xbox, a summer with no football, a new season of fantasy football and much much more has transpired since the last post in April. I'll be back blogging regularly again so do stay tuned for my usual mix of random thoughts on stuff what does interest me.

First up. Scotland vs Holland tonight at Hampden in World Cup Qualifying. A win is almost certainly required if we are to secure a play-off spot. The country is buzzing again after a decent second-half display against a not bad Macedonia side and whilst victory over the Dutch might be somewhat far-fetched given that they are ranked 3rd in the world at the moment but stranger things have happened in football and especially to the Scottish national team so we shall see. It's a huge blow not to have the talismanic McFadden available after the yellow card debacle just before half time on Saturday and one does wonder who amidst the side can cause problems for the Dutch defence. We shall see... 'Mon the Scotland!

In other news, today sees the release of Beatles Rock Band and I have to say I am wetting my pants in anticipation. Plastic instrument-based karaoke has never been so good! :) I expect to spend a lot of my free time with this for the foreseeable...

Britain's got (some) talent

Right. I don't watch much TV, let's get that down right from the get-go. It's mainly because most of the stuff on there is utter tripe but also partly because I prefer my entertainment to be much more interactive than sitting there just absorbing what you're given. If I had my way, I wouldn't even have a TV in the house, so much do I dislike the damn thing. Other than to relay the images from your games console, they really are the devil's devices. OK, a bit harsh perhaps but you get the idea.

There are a few programmes, however, which inexplicably draw me in. I can probably count them on one hand. One in particular, however, utterly fascinates me and I can't quite put my finger on why. It's Britain's Got Talent. Now, I normally detest these types of shows, your X-Factor and pop Idol types, with a passion. This one however, I just cant stop watching. Perhaps it's the car-crash potential. When you see someone like The Singing Souls it's like you just have to rubber-neck. There's something deeply psychologically wrong about it all...

Of course, the producers know how to emotionalise pretty much anything through the magical forces of music and editing but I have to confess even this steely Scotsman was dabbing at his eyes when I heard Susan Boyle, or even the little guy from this week's episode. Inexplicable, I say! What despicable forces are at work here? I would also like to point out that the whole "oops I picked the wrong song" bit from the little kid is staged without a doubt. Still, cracking voice though.

Of course, the highlight of Saturday's show, for me, was undoubtedly Darth Jackson. This was that weird combination of a complete car-crash, cringeworthy moment followed by hilarity as he breaks in to part 2 of his routine. I shall leave you with a video to remember him by. Can't wait to see what he does in the next round. HOW did he get through exactly?? I wonder what he planned for part 3 that he is so peeved about at the end. "Who's Bad"??

Embedding disabled on this one, so clicky!

Roll on next week.

Prodigy = WIN

There are no sufficient superlatives to fully do justice to the Prodigy gig at the Wembley Arena last night. No sir. It was a bass-pounding, adrenaline-charged, sweat-laced sensory extravaganza and I'm just glad I was there, in the flesh, to experience it.

Dizzee Rascal warmed us up with his repertoire of party tunes, beefed up for the occasion by turning the bass up, way up. Road Rage was great and Bonkers, as you would expect with a Prodigy crowd, went down a storm. The temperature was rising even before the Prodigy had begun setting up.

After half an hour of random DJ #2 the curtain finally went up to reveal a MASSIVE light rig. Within moments Liam, Maxim and Keith (and a pair of utter loonies on guitar and drums) would be upon us. Let the revelling begin...

90 minutes later I was drenched in sweat, half naked, breathing like I'd done 15 rounds with Mike Tyson, utterly exhausted and exhilarated in equal measure and absolutely dead on my feet. But damn, it was worth it. If there is a better band to see live than the Prodigy, get me a ticket NOW. Their energy levels, even after so many years, are through the roof. Never stopping for a moment, Maxim and Keith bounced across the stage like jumping beans. Surely this can only be attributed to narcotics. Whatever. The crowd drew from their enthusiasm as they drew from the crowd. A positive feedback loop that very nearly blew my eardrums. Speaking of which, my hearing STILL isn't back to normal. I'm starting to get concerned. But you know what? If I never hear properly again, well, it will STILL be worth it. Fuck yeah!

I could say more about this jaw dropping set but I think I'll let a couple of youtube videos do my talking. Enjoy!

We're all off to Wembley, na na na na.

Tonight is the night! It's taken an eternity to roll around but at last it has indeed arrived. Wembley is going to be jumping to that irresistible Prodigy sound and I just cannot wait any longer! It's 14 years since I first saw them live (holy...!) and 3 (only 3!?!) albums (of new material) have been released in that time. Obviously this tour is supporting Invaders Must Die, which is a fantastic album, but I'm really hoping for a good mix of their stuff from their entire discography. Some Experience would be lovely. Jilted, well, they just gotta do some Jilted! Fat of the Land is a bit meh by Prodigy's epic standards but a couple of the tracks on it are amazing live (if poor quality youtube vids are anything to go by). Always outnumbered has some tasty stuff too. I just hope they are on stage long enough to fit everything I want in. In any event, this is going to be a night to remember...

The Prodigy are back. But is it GOOD?

The long-awaited new album from The Prodigy hit the shops on Monday. Here's my attempt to tackle it in some kind of objective fashion. A tough assignment given my love for this evergreen and ever metamorphosing stalwart of the electronica scene.

But first, let me set the scene. It's the early 90s and I'm in high school. The older kids are going to clubs and getting into the ecstasy scene, powered by "Hardcore", a sort of mainstream version of Rave with such illustrious luminaries as 2 Unlimited. I dip my toe into the music with a few compilation CDs (they were new and shiny!) including one called Essential Hardcore. My favourite track on there was "Everybody in the place" by someone called the Prodigy. The fad passed and I didn't really get into the scene at all.

Fast forward a few years and I'm smack bang in the middle of my "mosher" phase. Long hair, leather jacket, tight black jeans, the whole shebang. It's the summer of 1995 and I'm at the second ever T-in-the-park festival back when it was held just a mile or two from where I lived in Motherwell. I was there to see some big metal acts (can't rightly recall who at the moment) and my flavour of the month band, Irish rockers Therapy?. I'd had a phenomenal weekend and things were winding down and the last act of the night were getting ready to come onto the main stage. Shrouded in darkness, we could make out some movement but not much of anything else happening on the stage. An expectant lull descended over the tightly-packed crowd and it became quieter than at any other time over the weekend. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon and we were bathed in a pinkish glow both from that and from the elaborate light show that was starting up on the stage. A giant plastic ball, reminiscent of Gladiators, rolled onto the stage as some brooding bass began to pound out of the enormous speakers all around us. Moving as one sprawling body, the crowd instinctively shifted into regimented lines. My booze-addled mind wondered what was going on as a two or three foot space opened up in front of me. Then it dawned on me. This was my own personal dance floor. Suddenly the stage was flushed with light, dazzling us momentarily and a resounding boom of bass almost split the earth asunder. The giant plastic bubble rolled to a halt and it's human hamster occupant (Keith, of course!) burst forth as the first beats of Voodoo People tore an excited scream from every single member of the crowd.

And then we danced.

Dusk became darkness and almost 2 hours later, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, not to mention completely sober again, I'd just been infected with The Prodigy for the first time live. It's an experience I'll never forget. Since then I've followed their careers like any other fan. I've seen them 3 times live now and they truly know how to put on a show. Their energy and enthusiasm for what they do really transmits to the crowd. Listening to their studio albums has never really hit the same high for me, as you might expect, although I love all of their albums to one extent or another. Sure there are low points on Fat of the Land and Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned but I've yet to be disappointed by a new album. So my excitement and anticipation for Invaders Must Die was tempered by a trepidation that maybe this time they wouldn't quite live up to their previous efforts. I have to admit, on first listen I couldn't help but feel my fears were justified.

The album opens with the title track. It's been available to listen to on Youtube for ages now (and I posted it here in my blog a while ago) so it wasn't a surprise to me. Some people have compared it to the style of Pendulum's more recent offerings and I can see why. But it's definitely got that Prodigy air about it. It's actually pretty distinct from any particular album sound they've done over the years though. A typically pounding bass is overlaid with heavy guitar and a scratchy synth sound that definitely gets my head bobbing. A solid 5 minutes of electro-joy and a strong opener for the album, for me.

Track 2 is Omen, another track which has been available for some time and one which I instantly loved on first listen. Again very Pendulum-esque in the juxtaposition of elements. This one has Keith's vocals over the top and the track is full of mini crescendos that when the break hits just makes you want to get up and dance. This one is sure to become a club favourite much in the same vein of Firestarter. It has just enough "rest break" lulls in the beat combined with it's powerful main theme to make dancing to it an utter joy, I imagine. I only wish it was longer than the 3 and a half minutes it weighs in at.

Thunder took me back to Jilted in the blink of an eye. Reminds me of The Heat (The Energy) a LOT, which is by no means a bad thing. Not much more to say on this one. It wasn't an immediate favourite but after 10 listens it's definitely grown on me and now I love it.

Colours is pure Always Outnumbered... through and through. Rapid drums, pounding bass and a little keyboard tinkling make this one a definite head bobber if not necessarily a floor filler.

It wouldn't seem strange if you found out that the next track, Take me to the Hospital was actually a lost track from the Experience album. It's got that old school hardcore sound to it with the chimes and the squeaky vox augmented with a thumping bass that seems to have been lifted from Fat of the Land. Another great track imho.

Warrior's Dance takes a little while to get going but when it does, wow! It does break down a little in the middle when the pulsating bass isn't tearing your sub woofer a new one but it's still pretty good despite that.

Run with the Wolves is another track from the Always Outnumbered... stable. It's very much like Hotride (minus Juliette Lewis, of course) with that albums signature heavy bass and Keith's aggressive lyrics combining to form what is a pretty decent track in and of itself but one that is perhaps overshadowed by the rest of the album. If this is as low as the album gets, then it's a testament to the quality of Invaders Must Die.

Omen Reprise is (one would imagine) Liam just having some fun with what is clearly one of his personal favourite tracks on the album. It's only just over 2 minutes long but has some nice tweaks on the original heard earlier in the album. It does have more of a Jilted feel to it though which is never unwelcome. Listening to it does kinda make me just want to go back to track 2 though. Likely to be the most remixed track on the album I reckon.

World's on Fire is up next and I take back what I said about Run with the Wolves being the low point of the album. This is definitely it. There's nothing particularly innovative in this one. I like the vox-box modded vocals but the beat is just "ok" which is a rarity for the Prodigy as far as I'm concerned. It also briefly goes off on an Experience tangent that just doesn't really work in the context of this song.

The brilliance is back with a bang in the penultimate track, Piranha. This doesn't really sound like any other Prodigy songs that I can think of off the top of my head. Maxim does the vocals on this one and it's just 4 minutes 5 seconds of energetic booming beats. Great way to finish off the album...

... because the final track feels like it really doesn't belong here at all. It's a complete change of pace from anything I've ever heard the Prodigy do before, in almost every way. It's called Stand Up and if anything it reminds of Dry the Rain by the Beta Band. It's melodic and very light on electro interference. There's a guitar, drums, a wind instrument of some kind and a little bit of synth action between choruses. Guess what? I love it! It's... not... Prodigy... but I love it nevertheless. After the intensity of the rest of the album it's a really chilled out way to wind the album down and once again shows just how genius Liam is at composition.

These opinions arrived after at least a dozen listenthroughs and it is absolutely one of those albums which is a grower. If you love Prodigy, like me, then you wont really care and will have it already. If you love raw power, genius composition, thundering bass and a masterful display of electronic finesse then making Invaders Must Die your next acquisition would be far from a bad move. Turn it up and dance your heart out!

Catching up

Wow. Quite a lot has happened since my last post, despite it being but two short days ago. So let's start in order...

Motherwell lost. 1-0. To St Mirren. *sigh* Mark McGhee described it as one of the "worst experiences and disappointments of my managerial career". We were shite. St Mirren's new stadium has a lovely pitch which I'd hoped would be ideal for the style of football the 'Well have been trying to play ever since MMG took over but alas, the players didn't live up to it and there should a few of them looking at each other and asking questions. Once again our man of the match was loanee Cillian Sheridan. The rest of them need a kick up the arse. Tomorrow we play Sheridan's parent club (Celtic) which means the boy wont be allowed to play so we're really screwed for that one! With Hibs going down to bottom of the table Inverness today, a point against Celtic would move us above the Edinburgh side. We can but hope.

Thursday night was also the launch party which was a brilliant night. There's always something added to a night on the piss when people you never get the chance to see smashed (particularly your bosses...) are there and having a right good time. The food was good, the drink was free (thank god, £6.50 a tequila!) and the casino was good hearty fun (and more than a little competitive given that there was an iPod touch for the overall winner). As it was, it all came down to the last spin of the roulette wheel and my number just didn't come up. I had to make do with the "That's how I roll" prize (a bottle of nice champagne which I dutifully drank from the bottle) for my scrupulous honesty when it seemed everyone else was pooling winnings or colluding in one way or another. The irony of it all is not lost on me... Afterwards a party set out to go to Reflex, which was sadly closed. We ended up in the real casino where I placed one bet, won £100 and cashed out. All in all, Thursday was great.

Friday I had booked off for the inevitable hangover (which wasn't as bad as I anticipated) and spent most of the daylight tucked up in bed watching DVDs. At night I rolled down to Matt's for GTA4 goodness only to find he had loaned the disc for the original game to a friend and couldn't get it back for a few days. Bummer! We played some Tony Hawk and the new Street Fighter game along with some Rockband well into the early hours. The new White Zombie DLC for RB was good fun to sing! Finally we learn the lyrics of More Human than Human! Fun.

Saturday was spent meandering around the shops, contemplating whether to buy Dawn of War 2 or not. Decided against it on account of buying the complete edition of the first game just two weeks ago. I have a bad habit of doing that. Got home and checked the football scores and to my delight Beattie had grabbed a late double for Stoke against Pompey. Yes, of course he is in my fantasy team. All in all it was a pretty good day actually and I climbed to 4th place in the league ahead of tomorrow's matches. I'll not be in that position after tomorrow because most of my team has played where my rivals haven't but I'll be a pretty happy man if Everton and Liverpool dont keep clean sheets tomorrow. Ronaldo scored again, although he did get booked for diving, the cheating bastard. I watched it on Match of the Day and the gelled tumbler wasn't even touched. Honestly, it almost hurts to put aside my personal feelings in the hunt for more fantasy points where this twat is concerned.

One last thing of note about the football today which highly amused me is that Man United finally conceded after, wait for it, 1337 minutes of league football. Ho ho ho. (Half you are scratching your head going 'wtf?' right now I know, so allow me to link...)

So I wrote quite a lot today to make up for the day (and a bit) of radio silence. Well done if you made it to the end of this pointless drivel. I see my musings here have (at least partially) inspired a couple of you to start/pickup blog writing of your own. I look forward to reading your pointless drivel too. ;)

Jode out.

Invaders must die!

Today's happy thoughts centred around the imminent release of Invaders must die, the new Prodigy album. 23rd February! I haven't been this looking forward to a music release since... since I heard about the new Cat Empire album last month! :)

Check out the single in HQ audio while you read:



The Omen single is released next monday too, which is nice. The comments on youtube and elsewhere on t'internet are mixed on this latest Prodigy sound. Some say it's all gone a bit too Pendulum, others say it's rather vanilla when compared to what we are used to. Also, how can anything sound TOO Pendulum?! From the two songs i've heard off the new album, I'm pretty happy. Time will tell if it's the peak of Jilted or the trough of Fat of the Land. Personally I can't wait.


How cool are these?