KJ2703 blog on Absolute Radio

Feeder. They're a bit good.

KJ2703 — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:14:07 +0100

Feeders new album came out this week and if you don't like it then don't talk to me about it because I'll pooh-pooh your opinion faster than you can say WHATEVAH. I absolutely love it. It's a wonderful mix of guitarnyess and softness.

A couple of months ago I was invited to a private listening party by the record company. This was a massively MASSIVE thing for me. I've loved the band since I was twelve years old. Now 24, I was told that as a long-term, dedicated and trustworthy fan, I could have a sneak preview of the upcoming album.

10 of us sat in a room with people from the label while a stereo blasted out brand new tracks by my favourite band and we chomped on doritos and biscuits. I could hardly contain my excitement. The only thing that helped me keep my composure was remembering that after that day, I wouldn't hear the album again for months.

But this week, the wait was over. There's always something incredibly exciting about getting a new cd in your hands by a band you've followed religiously for half of your life, even if it's not brand new.

Nothing can beat the thrill of seeing the cd on the shelf, grabbing it, marching it to the counter, paying and getting it home as soon as possible. Reading the liner notes to see how many old names made an appearance, sitting on the bus scanning the front cover, back cover, booklet, cd for little pictures of fishes. (Feeder have a running theme on their albums- each has a picture of a fish on it somewhere.)

Some of the happiest and saddest moments of my life have happened while I've been taking in details of album covers and liner notes. Sad but true.

But back to the album, it's... well, I'm biased, but I think it's bloomin marvelous. It's got the perfect balance of the "sentimental-but-not-too-mushy" feel from Comfort In Sound and "going-back-to-out-roots" sound that came from recent(ish) single Lost & Found all mixed together, churned up and turned into an incredible pop-rock record. So if you heard their last album, Pushing The Senses, and thought it wasn't for you, I strongly suggest you give them a second chance. This isn't Coldplay-lite. This is real Feeder.

Listen to it loud.
Very loud.

Free albums on Last.fm. Guess who's excited!

KJ2703 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:44:33 +0000

The news broke earlier this afternoon:

" Last.fm, the social media site acquired by CBS last May, now lets users play any song from the Big Four record labels and thousands of indie labels and artists up to three times, for free."

There's more too! If you're in a band, you will be paid every time anyone listens to your song on the last.fm website or streams a song via their player.

Everyone's a winner!

This is revolutionary! This is doing more for the music industry than iTunes, Napster, The Hype Machine, and all those illegal blogs/download sites combined!
You get free music, the artist gets paid. Hopefully if you like a song enough to hear it three times, you'll like it enough to go and buy it.

This is the future of online music and I'm ridiculously excited. Proper, like an 11 year old girl about to meet Mark Owen.

I've been scouring the pages of Last.fm all evening thinking WOW.
I can listen to Neil Young FOR FREE.
I can listen to Radiohead... FOR FREE!

All these essential albums I've never been able to listen to... Now I can!
FOR FREE!

U2 and Coldplay and Feeder and Muse and Sonic Youth and all your favourite artists and those people you haven't heard of yet. All waiting for you to listen to them and you don't have to pay a penny!

And who cares if you have the cds?
You can listen online.
And the band'll get paid for it!

Eeeeeeheheheheheee!!! This is incredible :D

(Note: You can't listen to The Beatles albums. Probably for the same reason you can't find them on iTunes. Whatever that is.)

Stuffs I'm lookin forward to this year:

KJ2703 — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:30:08 +0000

Films:
Choke
Yes Man

Books:
Friends Like These by Danny Wallace

Albums:
David Berkeley - Strange Light
God Fires Man - A Billion Balconies Under The Sun

And some others that I don't know the titles of but will probably really really love unless they're rubbish but I don't think they will be because... well, just because:
The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Lightspeed Champion, Fighting With Wire, Hot Chip, Feeder if they release one, ermmmmmmm.......
I's drawin a blank guvnah!

Not quite rock gods...

KJ2703 — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:13:15 +0000

Before anything else happens within this blogpage of musicness, I must point out that I am not, nor have I ever been a fan of The Darkness. It is important that you know this because they were poo and I do not want to be mistaken for a Justin Hawkins fantype.

But with the frontman out of the way (hooray! he was more annoying than going to make a sarnie and finding nothing but stale bread), I reckons the rest of the lads might be onto something good.

Richie the bassist has taken over on vocals and new boy Toby Macfarlaine (formerly a member of both Graham Coxons and Charlotte Hatherleys live bands as well as a solo artist in his own right) has taken over bass duty.

They call themselves Stone Gods and I must confess that curiosity is killing this Kat so I will be going to see them on tour at the end of the month.

Here is their website:
http://www.stonegods.co.uk/stonegods.php

Here is their myspace avec tour dates:
http://www.myspace.com/thestonegods

Here is an acoustic video for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKVqE7kcuk

Enjoy! Maybe.

Beware the Judder Man, my dear...

KJ2703 — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 03:15:30 +0000

I stumbled across this video on youtube yesterday:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1TUOPeNJCK8

Remember the Metz advert with the Judder Man? That creepy chappy who got banned from the telly for scaring little children?
Apparently, 8 years on, he still terrifies me.
Look at him!

Stuff of nightmares I tell thee.

If I was an album cover...

KJ2703 — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:58:22 +0000

It's the coldest night of the year so far. Brrr. My nose is chilly like a snowcone. But I just moved the computer into my bedroom, I'm on the interweb and wrapped in my big old duvet.

I feel like the balloon man on the front of Malcolm Middleton's album 'A Brighter Beat.'
(Incidentally in my top 10 albums of 2007.)

Snuggly and warm and a little bit smiley. Ahhh... :)

Bands I've Seen This Year

KJ2703 — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 05:30:04 +0000

I like lists. I like music. I love lists relating to music, which is why I've put together a ridiculously long list of almost every band I've seen this year, starting with the bands I've seen the most. There are some support bands missing where I haven't been paying attention but it doesn't really matter...

Biffy Clyro x15
GoodBooks x12
KL x8
The Wombats x7
The SoundEx x4
Black Cherry x3
Rufus Wainwright x5
Ryan Adams x4
Hot Club De Paris x3
Tokyo Police Club x3
1990s x2
David Berkeley x2
Foals x2
Laura Marling x2
Slow Club x2
The Matches x2
Vamps & Gypsies x2
Yourcodenameis: Milo x2
Adem
Aereogramme
Air Traffic
Angry Lemon
Archie Bronson Outfit
Assembley Now
Basement Jaxx
Battles
Bernard Hoskin
Blah Blah Blah
Blood Red Shoes
Born Ruffians
British Sea Power
Brooklyn
Caligula
Caribou
Chaos Effect
Chris Cornell
Codes In The Clouds
Cold War Kids
Common Rotation
Dartz!
Dead Disco
Dustins Bar Mitzvah
Dylan Donkin
Editors
Fear Of Flying
Feist
Field Music
Flood Of Red
Forward Russia
Four Tet
Gas Club
God Fires Man
GoFaster
Good Shoes
Gruff Rhys
Hadouken
Havana Club
Holloways
I Am Ghost
I Say Marvin
Iain Archer
Idle Lovers
Idlewild
Jack Penate
Jack Viper
Jakk Flash
Jim Gipson
Johan Experiment
Jose Vanders
Justice
Kid Harpoon
Ladytron
Language
Laura Lost
Lethal Bizzle
Maccabees
Man Like Me
Mark Ronson
Miss Misery
Mistakes In Animation
Muse
My Chemical Romance
Mystery Jets
Neal Casal
Nine Inch Nails
Oceansize
Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man.
Pearl Jam
People In Planes
Pete & The Pirates
Pigeon Detectives
Prince
Puck
Pull Tiger Tail
Rob Sharples
Ruarri Joseph
Sam Isaac
Scott Matthews
SDOLE
Sizen
Sophie Ellis Bextor
Take That
The Aliens
The Alps
The Audition
The Barnets
The Bronx
The Coral
The Rakes
The Requiems
The Steers
The Twang
Tiny Dancers
U2
Video Nasties
We Are Scientists
Wilco

Phew!