Depleted energy..

The general consensus is that I'm running myself into the ground. Very characteristic of myself, I feel. Catching this fucking awful cold is a sign of that. I don't get ill. Getting ill is for fannies.

So I thought I'd share (if it works) the song that makes me beam inside with a glorious stream of happiness.

Fucking yes!

M.I.A. - Paper Planes [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

This is dedicated first and foremost to my useless friend. May he find me a chair so I don't give quite as bad a dead arm as usual. Everything will work out. Or it better. Make it happen. I'm beginning to think I truly am cursed.

And secondly it is for my cold. Or is the soundtrack to my battle with my cold. Or something. I've lost it, haven't I? Did I ever have it?

I suppose something has got to give...

Art Brut

This is very strange indeed. A message from the band and management..

"Attention, the Internet!!

It seems Art Brut have accidentally released a single. Yes, the rumours are true. But how could this happen, you may ask? Why were we not informed? Why was it not available in my local record shack, thrust pride of place along side the latest View recording? Well, my friends, pick up any thread of incompetence and it will usually lead you to a record company. That's right, it seems EMI have decided to release Pump Up the Volume without informing either the band or myself, making any kind of wide scale promotion rather difficult. Adding to this curious new marketing stratagem of discouraging sales, EMI have chosen to make the song available via download only. So no luck in the record shacks either.

Please do put the effort into downloading it though. The band are very proud of it and it's a shame to see it and the b-sides go to waste. Let's try and prove the suits wrong in what little time we have left!"

Get it here.

You really should buy it. Our Parents Record Collection is very good.

Here is the viedo for the single Pump Up The Volume. Which we have previously discussed here.

Justice, misogny and paranoia

Not the abstract concept of 'justice'. Not tampering with that! Although these guys have probably monopolised this word now, so all you think of is Justice.

I went to see Justice at my once local Mecca, Empire in Middlesbrough, on Friday 8th.

Those French bastards have been everywhere for what seems like forever. By the time their album Cross was released I had pretty much gotten over them. So by the time they were due to play Middlesbrough came round it was a deliberate task to summon up excitement. I managed it though. I found that I have a massively, deep, dirty love for Phantom and, respectively, Phantom, Pt. 2. I'd go to sleep humming it, wake up singing it, listen to it on all journeys out of the house, play it very loudly when on my own in the house. There really was no escaping the way it had completely consumed me. And with a gorgeous new dress, I was sufficiently prepared for the night.

Yet, the night came and it all went horribly wrong for me, not Justice, or accompanying DJ's (well, actually, it did a bit for them too and anyone with ears). No, no, no, it went wrong for me. Me and my stupid head. Mental health problems can lay dormant. Quietly biding their time. You can feel on edge due to the unavoidable release of adrenaline that accompanies the wonderous rush of going for a highly anticipated night out. But if you have a problem with the over-release of adrenaline then it can ruin it all. Reading too much into conversation and concluding your own marginalisation due to misogny of others. The paranoid belief that everyone is judging you to be disgusting. The overwhelming mood swings that either lead to deluded senses of self or a cowering, shivering state throwing up in the beaten up toilets.

As a 'sociologist', or whatever term equally doesn't fit due to my uselessness, I find problems that are supposed to be the domain of psychology fairly alien, annoying and difficult. Over the years however I've learned to largely manage my difficulties myself. And I've also concluded that it is something that an objective eye should not be afraid to critique... Just ask my numerous doctors. Enjoying French-bastard-electro-sex bands are one such way of coping.

Justice for the whole part were as good, if not better, then expected. To be seen as the perfect pinacle of last years French electro revolution then you really do have to be pretty good. Especially if your pretensious, haphazard mixes aren't really doing it for anyone. They were superb. Absolute top quality that led me to even proclaim that Empire should shut it's doors forever (as they'll find it hard to top, especially given their current state) and had me flinging my arms around excitedly for the entire night when the mood took me to euphoria, not to mention the fact I realised that no matter how I threw myself around my breasts were not going to fall out of my dress.

Heavy, dirty riffs echoed throughout and the sexual tension dripped down the ornate walls.

All in all then, Justice were amazing, bound to wind my twisted mind into a further state of delirium. It's just a shame I was already wound so tightly before they even appeared on stage.

Elbow's new video

I met Guy Garvey once. I cannot remember any of it. I was so in love. Always had been.

My plan for him to fall in love with me upon sight didn't work.

Sigh.

I'm-totally-obsessed-with-Hot-Chip Overrun

Where is all my time going? I've barely seen a computer all week! My apologies.

My very gorgeous Boyfriend, please look away now. It's all talk. You know me.

Okay, so I said I have a personal admission.

I have a huge crush, and have had since I saw Hot Chip live in May 2006, on Joe Goddard of the band. And due to all the promo at the moment given the release of their album I must say he has crept up my obscure crushes chart-- No, I don't have one, but you get what I mean, he is in the periphery of my consciousness more.

Having seen the promo video on their MySpace profile in which Owen, Alexis and Joe talk about the process of making their new album Made In The Dark it is pretty much a wonderful thing to witness, people talking about music so eloquently (God knows you aren't going to get any of that here at P.C.!), and then, THEN, its like pillow talk for me. Whilst talking about the track Don't Dance there is anti-capitalist type phrases and a definite incling toward a sociological viewing of dancing in a club!

I have some strange likings, apparently. But I think he is cute. He has a deep singing voice, plays a synth, can grow a nice beard and I imagine would be pretty nifty in the kitchen (an imagining of all my crushes). As my Mum would say, "He looks like a homely boy".

Imagine my utter delight at last weeks Never Mind The Buzzcocks to see him sat there.. in a jacket.. with a beard! I giggled and swooned.

Look!



The sort of guy you'd be proud to take home to your Mum.

I'm-totally-obsessed-with-Hot-Chip Week Pt. II

Gathering momentum and ever joyous responses Hot Chip look to be falling into the periphery of those ever more mainstream estute chart lovers. Maybe the inversion of popular styles and genres of music, and even more specifically rhythm and instrumental sound, to create something accessible whilst being totally different works in favour of the band.

It is quite strange to talk to people at my University who tell me when mentioning Hot Chip that they too are massive, die-hard fans, yet have never realised there was an album (or in fact any sort of music produced by the band) before The Warning, their second album, or even more nit-pickingly precise, the single Over And Over. I suppose lyrics regarding monkeys, cymbals and the spelling of sexy, electronica-porn words will always evoke attention.

But I find it sad that Coming On Strong is overlooked. And, yes, I must admit it makes me judge these persons pretty harshly. Okay, so it might not be their fault they've never made the effort to peruse the discography section of the bands website to see there is a whole LP plus EP's that they have missed, but if it is the case then I don't want to hear claims of die-hard fan status. I have neither the time nor the energy for lies.

So here is a massively haphazard video I quickly found from YouTube of a collection of Hot Chip bit-and-bob type clips of performances of Down With Prince. We are illustrating the greatness of 'early' Hot Chip material. Whatever 'early' might mean. Construe from that what you will.



Gettin' down with your own badness!!"

You know it is bad when..

..your dancing just doesn't have any feeling to it anymore. Even locked away in the privacy of your own room. It's just gone. The lust for life. Or something.

Okay, so we've established that the depression has sunk in. And we can blame it on everything. So enough wallowing and self-pitying. I assume it doesn't make for good reading.

Hot Chip.

I may proclaim this I'm-totally-obsessed-with-Hot-Chip Week. In which there will be an out-pouring of adoration, sharing of pictures, videos and music, and, well, the icing on your great big Hot Chip cake, a possibly personal admission or two. Ahem.

Woo! Huzzah! Woo and huzzah!

Let's have my old reliable favourite from Coming On Strong. There was a point in my life when I was totally obsessed with this track. And I still love it.

Hot Chip - Playboy [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

So this random week of Hot Chip lovin' will run Wednesday to Wednesday, as I am totally defiant of the days of the week, obviously.

If this makes no sense, is in any way odd or strange then I blame it on the fact I reckon I'm still recovering from some sort of alcohol poisoning. Not recommended.