Hallam's Journal

Finns, snow, and OMGPONIES. In the first instance, the Finnish Eurovision entry by Kuunkuiskaajat, otherwise known as Johanna and Susan from Värttinä. In the second instance, the delightfully humorous trailer for Finnish Formula One coverage on MTV3Max, featuring the fictionalised winter training of "the world's fastest Heikki".

ETA something to make the opening sentence make any sense at all...
This leads on from what I put on facebook... "listening to some old Cure B sides."

The Upstairs Room is such a brilliant track, right at the top of the alley that I'm given to understand today's fashionable electronic pop acts try to explore. I feel all "aharr, take that (and partay), yer today's fashionable electronic pop acts" but to be honest that just situates me as the kind of thirtysomething/fortysomething narrow visioned snob who nobody likes (but most of us end up as*). Anyhow. Upstairs Room. Top tune. Worth a listen or five. Leave the negotiation of sociocultural identity to another time, let's, hmm?

Did I say all this before, a few weeks or months ago? Or did I just say the same things to someone IRL?

I've got another music beef, actually. In short, when they do country-inflected wistful songs these days, right, bands and that, especially tunes they use for ads, right? TOO BLOODY SLOW. TOO. SLOW. ( Read more... )

Hey there everyone. This is kind of a ragbag, because I don't have anything of any great import or interest to say, but at the same time I feel the compulsion to tell my bugger-all to THE INTERNET!

1) Made aubergine and courgette (zucchini) beer-batter fritters for dinner on Saturday, with tzatziki. Very very good, as ever, didn't make as much mess with the batter as I usually do.

2) What do herbs and delay pedal have in common? You can have too much of either; too much herb in a dish or too much delay pedal in a track. And yet, add more and more and more; use the herb like it was a vegetable or a salad leaf, go hogwild with layers and layers of delay pedal; and you can end up with something very pleasant. For example, one of my favourite starters is panir-o-sabzi, Iranian cheese with herbs. You get a little slab of Iranian cheese, and gurt big bunches of mint, tarragon, spring onions and radishes. You wouldn't use that much tarragon in a dish for eight people. But for one, as a salad leaf, it's just right. Same thing with bunches of methi and dhania in a stew. Use loads!

3) I feel really guilty for being slightly mean about Jari-Matti Latvala prior to Rallye Deutschland (that "sweepstake" comment I made last week). He had a complete nightmare, and he was just in tiny little bits on the Saturday and Sunday, and the poor boy does not need people sitting at home and making snide comments. He still needs to change a few things about his preparation, but I think at this point one should be encouraging rather than mean about it.

4) I feel really stupid about 3) above, but I felt I ought to say it anyway. I feel one should be in for a penny in for a pound with this "being a fan" thing. Or maybe not?

5) If y'all ever want me to post about Serious Shit Happening In The World, I, like, will, but I don't know how much good it'll do you to read it. There are better and more informed minds than mine out there. I have an always-simmering rant about the fetishisation of the countryside, but a) you can probably guess what it would be and b) it would probably enmire us all in a long and ill-tempered discussion of where privilege lies in the debate. So, best not to bother, I think.

6) Bit of a mare for Kimi Räikkönen, wasn't it?

7) Leicester have won two, drawn one so far. I guess we've found our level.

The first game of the football season today. Leicester beat MK Dons 2-0. I'm very cheered by this. I thought that I had gotten more jaded than I really had. Last season I had started to feel boredom and vague distaste towards Premiership football, and resentful disappointment towards my own side, but this season we're off to a good start. Oh ho ho, isn't this how it always is? How many fucking thousands of football fans have had exactly the same bloody thoughts; last season I got sick of the lot of youse, but now this season has started, and youve signed a couple of good players, and you've won the first game of the season and suddenly oh you darlings, my own dear most beloved of teams once more, calloo and indeed callay! Sing a happy little song and clutch thoughts of kinship to our hearts again. Over and over and over again, every season as if we'd forgotten that this is what happens. But really, we aren't this stupid, we just don't particularly care to be reminded. Why be reminded, when Pauly Dickov has come back to us, and we have won the first game of the season 2-0?

Besides that, the man of the house and his bandmates had a gig in a pub in town tonight. I went along. It was pretty darn good, actually, especially considering that he couldn't hear himself play properly, and he's barely been to a bloody rehearsal.

Why has it taken me and him til our mid thirties to get into Os Mutantes? What's been wrong with us?

Today, we have a worm of the ear.
It is "Alone" by Suicidal Tendencies, a s-lightly cheesy piece of sort of, er, melodic emo crossover thrash metal from the 1990 album Lights, Camera, Revolution! (actually, of all the regrettable thrash metal that I used to listen to back in 89-90, this is a rather good album which stands apart from the "pack" thanks to the "funk" "stylings" of bassist Robert Trujillo).

Anyhow. Earworm. Can't stop singing it inside my head, especially this absurdly soppy bit, which I am internally giving a a sort of shouty post-pub rendition.

I JUST NEED!
someone to take my hand, lift me up when I'm feeling down
someone to take my heart and GIVE IT A HOME
someone to help me through the times when I'm
down and lonely
someone to be with me when I'm alone

Have a youtube linky if you feel like sharing in the fun.

ETA: it's half three in the afternoon, and no sign of it shifting. I'm finding it rather cheery to tell the truth.

I think everyone should listen to more Can, and more Captain Beefheart.

I'm listening to Clear Spot right now, and it's just a splendid album.