Eep!

Apologies of the sincerest kind. Although it may not seem like it I do actually love my little unknown, never-read blog, Pop Cultureddd.

But you know how it goes. Working for a horrific high street retailer at Christmas time, whilst trying to shop and acquire perfect gifts for loved-ones, over-shadowed by illness, and not to mention the dreaded University work that sits on a table, books piled to the ceiling and paper that you can no longer make sense of.

Excuses aside, I have een cajoled into some sort of Best Of 2007 malark.

But believe me it won't be pretty or conventional or make any sense whatsoever.

I hope everyone was very good and Santa adorned you all with glorious gifts. What did you get?

Rip it up tonight, Kids.

Keytarded

Friends of, and in part made up by, the much-loved-by-all Bearsuit this sweet as sugar electro-pop cover band will make your awkward, twee Christmas compilation CD dreams come true.

An astounding cover of Joy Division, and I'm not normally one to advocate covers of this already-overly-covered song, will definately make you smile.

Keytarded - Love Will Tear Us Apart (cover version) [via their MySpace]

Sorry for the link elsewhere, but annoying computer and these kids derserve you to go add them on MySpace. Do it!

Charitable good deeds..

An unnamed club (hardly anonymous if you know me/the local area) that has of late been going through an awful lot of uncertainty and upheaval thus bringing it into the scrutiny of the public eye more than usual has gone and done something 'charitable'.

Shocking, I know. Music venues and charity don't often seem to mix other than hosting nights in which all the hard work is done by someone else with a gleaming soul. Yet it might strike you as an incredibly questionable charitable deed. Have they put on a special night in order to raise awareness for the multitude of good causes that strive hard to make a difference? Have they asked an bill of local acts to come and show their support in a bid to raise money through a night of music and fun to give something back to the community? Or best of all, have they decided in the month of December as a show of seasonal good will to dip into the money they turn over by packing out rooms with dancing, loyal customers and donate the suggested 10% of profit they make to charity?

No. None of these things. Or any other selfless acts of worthy praise. To truly give something back to the community they have charged club-goers 50p to go outside to smoke, which I don't know of any other club doing, and decided to give the money 'raised' to charity.

It is still great that money is going to a much deserved cause, but surely it would be better for the club to find more noble and truly altruistic ways to give than to avoid at all costs the money coming out of actual profits or requiring any organisation or hard work.

Ever admirable twenty-first century morals are here to stay.

Absentee

What an absolute triumph!

"We are happy to write that in the small hours of friday morning we finished recording a new album of Absentee songs that we have provisionally called 'Spitting Feathers'."

If you are unaware of Absentee then do not worry. Just feel a little annoyed at yourself for the wasted moments of your life that their deep, deep melodies were not resonating through your mind.

Their EP Donkeystock got them noticed in 2005 for their maudling lyrics accompanied with more uplifting, warm and gentile accompaniment of jangly guitars, tickling drums and soothing harmonica.

This helped to lead them wonderfully into their debut album Schmotime which was astounding and lyrically left jaws agape. So for news of the next Absentee album due early 2008 there is something wholesome and comedically dark to look forward to, other than myself, of course. Ha.

"So, all is well and good in the Absentee camp. Mixing the record begins on Wednesday and finishes some time before Christmas. A release date shall be confirmed early next year. We feel confident that if you enjoyed our previous efforts at recording albums, this next offering should be no disapointment...it could even be the kind of record you play to a friend, spouting a drunken declaration along the lines of "life wont be the same after this", or something equally regretable."

A little taste of the band themselves:

Absentee - Truth Is Stranger Than Fishin' [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

Hercules And Love Affair

If you happen to be on the DFA Records mailing list then you'll have been lucky enough in the recent updates of what is going on to have also received a link to a free download.

Hercules And Love Affair will make you think that 70's disco funk never happened. Ever. And it is only just coming to its marvellous birth and full blossoming now three decades on. But this is only just one feeling and groove they tap into. Some of their more experimental tracks are equally as cool.

But today its all about the sexy disco.

Hercules And Love Affair - Hercules Theme [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

Downloading it this way would avoid having to give your details, real or otherwise, to hoarding market researchers calculating your every desire.

Neon Plastix split..

Oh dear.

Unfortunately a little known electro band that I've been fairly attached to, Neon Plastix, have decided to end their musical journey in their current form.

Actually, this was the first band I ever 'blogged' about in my second ever post! So it is certainly sad to see a band split that definately deserved a lot more recognition than they got.

"it seemed some of us got tired on the way and had to finally realise that sometimes being an electro-pop backwards rockstar isnt for everyone."

Especially a fan of On Fire, if I didn't have CD's in three differennt places at the moment I'd be able to share the brilliant joy that jumping round to this riot of a track would induce. So you'll just have to have a listen on their MySpace. Its fuelled and driven with a spark and enegry only matched by maybe the little pocket rocket lead singer of the good old Infadels. But they won't make you cringe quite as much.

But don't be too dismayed at the split if you've not had the pleasure of coming across them before now. Hopefully the silver lining will be that they can venture off into new and ever-more exciting and creative pursuits. Plus, there will hopefully be a few MP3's of theirs up for grabs for free.

Still, it it a shame. It would be immensely interesting to get to know and fully understand what it was that led to it all. Half sociologically, half nosey bitch-ily.

You shall not escape your fate..

Image from the gig of which we never speak. Andrew Bird London Scala 7th June 2007. Less said the better.

If, like myself, you think you've utterly lost your way, and quite possibly your mind too, then take 10 minutes. A hot drink. Download this little gem. And feel safe in the knowledge that all the most interesting and progressive people always have been and are ever so slightly tapped.

Andrew Bird - Imitosis (Four Tet remix) [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

J.S. Mill had a nervous breakdown at 22. So at least I've beat him to the punch.