Monday, February 27, 2006

Who says Football's all commercialised these days?

Latest score from the Top Of The Table clash in the Wales Premier Division?

Total Network Systems 3 - 0 Airbus UK

Coming soon

The Derbyshire County 1 - 1 Barclays Rovers

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Nintendo hates YOU less than YOU think.

Every gamer knows that Japan gets great games we don't get - we DO get Driv3r but we DON'T get the latest genre bending RPG's because apparantly the UK doesn't like RPGs. (This despite the fact Final Fantasy or Zelda are always topping Best Game Ever polls, but you know...) But maybe this could all be changing - not only is the brilliance of Chibi Robo and We Love Katamari being brought to us (on 'Cube and PS2 respectively) but we're also going to be filling our console pipes with the gaming tabacco that is Brain Training DS!!

Basically a non game in the same way Nintendogs is - Brain Training has been a wallet busting hit in Japan and the U.S. and will touch down in the 'Europe' in April under the new moniker of Prof. Kawashima's Brain Training. I would heartily plead with everyone to buy this along with Trauma Center: Under the Knife as if these games don't sell at least semi well it could impact on our chances of getting the weird and wonderful again in the future. And maybe we'll get Driver 4 instead.

Shudder.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Single Minded 06/02/06

Regular readers (yes, both of you) may be wondering where in flipping crikey the single reviews are (they're in a jar, mate.) Well it seems the wonders of p2p mean I can't actually find any of them on Limewire. Which means that unless it starts 'coughin' up the 'goods' then this section of the blog will have to die.

To be fair though, the Single Of The Week for this week is irrelevant. Because The Television Personalities have unleashed 'All The Young Children On Crack' upon the nation this week and all the music magazines and websites have agreed to publish the single of the year polls NOW because its as good as over.

The end.

Franz Fall Down

2004 belonged to Franz -2005 DIDN'T. That's the harsh truth of it - the album got number 1 and everything but everyone was a bit 'meh' weren't they? I don't know why, the second album was really good and had some quality tracks - not least of all the opening track 'The Fallen' which drops into singles land (and presumably somewhere in the Top 40 too) on March 27th. B-Sides to be confirmed, though French DJ Duo 'Justice' have apparantly done a remix - which will be shit judging by the last few Franz/France collaborations as anyone who heard Daft Punk's dreadful 'Take Me Out' remix will testify.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Getting Closer To The Goal

The Life Pursuit - Belle And Sebastian [Rough Trade]


Things have sure changed in the Belle And Sebastian camp since the release od their full scale debut 'If You're Feeling Sinister' in 1996. Isobel Campbell has left (and last week released Ballad Of The Broken Seas wuth Mark Lanegan, which I'll review as soon as I can afford it) and others have joined giving the band a much different dynamic. After 2000's transitional 'Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant' (a bit like this seasons Arsenal, still got it in patches but lacking a leading influence) it looked like maybe the band had reached the end but smashed back into the consious with their critically acclamied 'Dear Catastrophe Waitress', a big pop album which took them further away from the tweeness of their earlier records. However, as their full performance of 'Sinister' at the Barbican last September showed, this is a band finally at comfort with their past, yet also striving for a different future.

So a good time to release their sixth full scale album (7th if you count the soundtrack LP 'Storytelling') and move onward again. This time the pop sensibilites of 'DCW' have been complimented by a strong soul influence, particularly Northern Soul. This results in a slightly funkier collection thn previously, if lacking, in areas, the energy and charm of 'DCW.' Murdoch's songwriting is as strong as ever, though his voice suffers from not fitting into the 'soulful' troubadour mould as easily as the 'twee' troubadour mode of yore, though he gradual adapts to it over the course of the record. Particular highlights include 'Sukie In The Graveyard' and first single, 'Funny Little Frog' but as a whole the songs here are consistently of a higer quality of any record since 'Sinister' if not quite matching the peaks of 'DCW' in terms of one off tracks - there's nothing with the commercial dancing charm of 'I'm A Cuckoo' for ecample.

So, overall, a cracker of a record that, whilst not up to 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress's' ridiculousless high standards is still going to be in ANYONE WITH EARS top 10 records of the year. Enthralling, interesting and an evolution of one of the finest bands of the last 20 years this is recommended to anyone with even the slightest interest in indie.

8/10 - Very Good