What's your ratio?

Musical Revelations Of The Week:

Rilo Kiley - 'Under The Blacklight' - Hello. I'm a cool person. I scour the internet for leaked albums on a minute-by-minute basis. I don't give a really smug fuck whether it's supposed to be good or not because I must hear everything so that I can be really cool when I slag it off on some internet message boards. I don't give a shit about having an informed opinion, as long I'm one of the first and one of the most outrageous. Man, this Rilo Kiley record is a big bag of wank. Jeez, this sucks out loud.
OR. I've played this album four times now, and I'm genuinely loving it more and more with each play. It's a pop/soul record with a hint of country, in all the right ways. There's an almost camp disco number, a few funkier pop tracks and some truly soulful tunes that demonstrate just how spellbinding Jenny Lewis' voice is. The lyrics aren't always amazing, but it's not something Rilo Kiley were previously known for. Provided you enjoy quality pop and soul, alongside whatever other genres, ignore the trendy muppets and give this record a shot.
Magnolia Electric Co - 'Sojourner' - As I think I've already said, this is a beautifully presented set that gathers together four different recording sessions offering the different faces of Jason Molina's musical persona. Excellent value for money and a nice split between bluesy rock and contemplative, eerie solo pieces.
Emitt Rhodes - 'Emitt Rhodes' - It's his debut that's doing the business for me right now, after I finally got a decent vinyl copy through in the post. To sample his rather excellent wares you need only go back to this post. Often described as like early solo Macca, I would argue that he's even less smug. Genuinely beautiful pop songs, recorded at home and delightfully murky records that just bung everything together and ooze melody. Hard to describe him, but I'm starting to think he ranks right up there in terms of 'perfect pop writers' with the afore-mentioned Macca, Motown's H-D-H, the Pet Shop Boys and Neil Finn.

Non-musical Revelations Of The Week:
The X Factor - Definitely in the 'non' section this one. Is it me, or is Dermot not especially fond of spending his time standing around outside the main audition room waiting for the contestants to come out? Almost every time one of the utter loonies who go in for this show came out weeping and losing the plot, he was nowhere to be seen. Still, nice to know that there's no risk of Kate Thornton popping up at any point. The first show seemed to lack some of the zip of previous series. Naturally I'll waste an hour every week from here on, but I expect better.
House - Mmmmm. What a conclusion to the third season. The final two episodes air this coming Thursday on Five and the penultimate show features a chess-playing teenager with a serious attitude problem. But that's not really the main issue. Foreman's leaving and he's only got a couple of weeks left. Will he stay? Will he go? If you're a fan of this drama then I'm sure you're gripped by recent events, and if you're not, see previous posts about how best to remedy this. Advance warning for the season finale that will air straight after the normal timeslot at 10pm this Thursday. A great episode that has a very neat approach to the necessary end of season cliffhanger. Why Five have felt the need to give away loads of the plot in the advert, I'll never know.
Harry Thompson - 'Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World' - I don't feature books often enough on here. The Tom Waits biog by Patrick Humphries is a great read, by the way. Anyway, this is a delightful tale of whimsy and comical endeavour told with wit, charm and humility. Yes, cricket is the central theme, but it's essentially stories about friends getting into various situations and dealing with the shit that everyday life throws up. If you want something to keep you smirking, without requiring a huge amount of intellectual perspiration then this is for you.

Oh, the anticipation

Gosh, Mock The Week is rather funny. That Frankie Boyle does come out with some outrageous stuff. Chortle.
Anyway, that Magnolia Electric Co boxset. I suspect that may be the least grandiose introduction it'll ever get, but what do you expect from a two-bit blog that doesn't really get freebies? It's lovely. 'Sojourner' comes in a little wooden box with a slidy lid and the band logo on the front. It's got a weird, utterly useless poster, four CDs, a DVD and some glossy cards explaining each of the discs. Oh, and a medallion. Let's not dwell on that or we might think that Magnolia Electric Co are wankers.
The music, for that, as I am occasionally prone to forgetting, is what it's all about, is rather splendid. Recorded across four different locations - hence the four discs - and each featuring a different line up - Molina being the only constant, the sounds vary from full-on blues-rock right down to sparse, solo, acoustic recordings full of background hiss and fuzz. None of it is less than splendid.
However, I can save myself a lot of time on the reviewing here. First up, if you've never bought a Magnolia Electric Co/Songs : Ohia/ Jason Molina record before, this isn't the one to start with. If you have then it's very easy to give you some reference points. The most obvious starting block is the 'Fading Trails' album from last year, which features selected highlights from these four sessions, hence the fact that it doesn't hold together as well as most of Molina's albums. If the majority of it was up to scratch for you then this set is an absolute must. If you've not gone down the MEC route, but did like Songs : Ohia, then my guess is that you were turned off by the fuller production and bluesier, Neil Young feel to the last Songs : Ohia album, 'Magnolia Electric Co'. In which case, you will enjoy approximately half of the boxset with ease, but I suspect the other 50% could win you over if you give it a chance. It's still fairly restrained and contemplative, even when it gets as close as Molina can manage to 'rocking out'.
It is, essentially, a collection of music that lays out the different approaches that one man has taken towards music over the years. It takes all of the things that have made Molina's records great for the last however-many years and condenses them down into one set of tunes. It's a greatest hits featuring tunes that, in the main, you've never heard before.
Remember, cheapest option is to buy direct from Secretly Canadian.

I lied. Not on purpose like.

Ok, so I never got around to writing anything about the Magnolia Electric Co box. I will, eventually. It's not like I haven't written loads recently though, is it? Feel free to chime in on any of the topics using the comments buttons, although it would seem that the ever-increasing band of readers prefer to simply read and mull in the private domain of their own minds. And why not?
Bought a cheap copy of the new Shellac album today. My first Shellac album. Whatthefuckisallthataboutthen? Yikes. Good fun though. And fair play to the Super Furries for surpassing themselves with the cover of their new single. It's late. Til tomorrow...

Great : tunes

A nice new lick of paint today. Still not sure if it looks entirely central, mind. Anyway, tomorrow I will write lots about the new Magnolia Electric Co boxset, 'Sojourner', which the fabulous people at Secretly Canadian records have got to me already, and at a very good price. To do the same click here, otherwise you'll have to wait for the UK release next month, which'll be more expensive.
Whet your appetite with this...

Deluxe packaging is surprisingly effective

Did the traditional Bank Holiday trundle into town to my independent retailer of choice. It was pissing down, once again. I didn't really go in with any major intentions - possibly some Morrissey vinyl I'd seen listed on their website (no sign of it) or the HQ Belle and Sebastian vinyl reissues (no sign either). Instead, I left with four CDs which I'd been after with varying degrees of urgency (from plenty to barely at all). I'll give each a brief mention. Firstly, Warren Zevon's 'Preludes' has been out for a couple of weeks and I noticed the promo in the bargain bin. I was quite happy with this until I remembered a review I'd seen that talked about the booklet and the like and suddenly I was drawn to the Z section to see what the real thing looked like. Thus I ended up paying twice the price of the promo copy - but I do have a nice box for my copy. Not played this one yet, but will get back to you on it.
I have played the other three, however. Cinematic Orchestra's 'Ma Fleur' is dense, atmospheric and languid. It's charming and engaging but not absorbing. I don't think it deserves some of the reviews it's had, suggesting it's simply dull and samey. It'll take some time, but I suspect I'll grow rather fond of it. It automatically qualifies for the 'late night' pile.
Feist's newie, 'The Reminder', was far more enjoyable than I expected. I hear you ask, 'well, if you didn't expect it to be good, why did you buy it?' Firstly, fuck off with your logic. Secondly, a friend recommended it in the highest possible terms (although he is quite fond of Starbucks, so perhaps I should never have trusted him in the first place). It's the musical equivalent of an ornate vase. You know it's 'art' and you have been known to really like it, but I wonder if I'll ever form an emotional attachment to it. It does come in one of those curvy cases, which is always nice.
The final disc is on Secretly Canadian records. It's a label I have grown to really love. It's one of those labels whereby you can simply purchase a record because it's on that label and will thus be ace. I just said ace. Sorry about that. This realisation began with Songs : Ohia, followed on logically to Magnolia Electric Co and then Damien Jurado, Richard Swift and Jens Lekman followed. All ace. Ah, did it again there. At least I'm consistent. It's by Frida Hyvönen, entitled 'Until Death Comes', and it's sparkling, witty, Tori Amos if she wasn't bonkers and had a more curious voice kind of stuff. The lyrics can't fail to grab your attention. After only one play, it comes highly recommended. As I said, this was purchased because of the label name alone - well, and a nice sleeve, but mainly the name.
That'll do for now.
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