Friday.

Yes, Friday. It means payday, which means I can finally get me a copy of Netsky's debut album, titled his namesake. I have not heard any decent D&B probably since Chase & Status. Descending from lowly Belgium, Netsky will soon be a household name by the end of November!He has a string of UK dates throughout October. I guarantee these nights will be huge, and the deserved limelight will be shone all over his live shows and their forthcoming escapades. Pirate Bay is a thumping track that doesn't get tiresome (a problem common with a lot of drum and bass), as for the rest of the album, I will have to report back when I get my mitts on it! I'm excited!!

Tame Impala can mean anything...

In this instance, they are a band. It's funny, as I look for some pictures of these grungy Aussie's, all I can find are images that look like they have come out of a Tame Impala biopic. Of course such thing doesn't exist, not in the slightest, but they have a good photographer. Or maybe it's more that they know how to find real enjoyment in what they do, and so when it's captured it's authentic and genuine.

I thought I would do this post, as last night I saw Noel Fielding tweeting about how he had an adoration for what these self-proclaimed 'psychedelic hypno-groove melodic rockers' are doing. His Twitteratti is way more far-reaching than my loyal following, and everyone knows, really, what Fielding says, goes...

So yeah, I was on to this one though, a week ago at least! But I'm not going to say anything... I don't need to, as Tame Impala say it best themselves, 'it's bombastic but it's swirling, think of the shoulder bones of a giant striding feline creature through some kind of tunnel. If Tame Impala's music reminds you of what you'd want to put on when you next visit your mind's engine room then they're happy. If not, whatever, it's just music. Put it on when the sun next shines. Basically it's all about the feeling'.

They are a much better Kula Shaker. They mix up a lot of influence from past psychedelic bands from the 60s and 70s, such as The Castaways, The Electric Prunes and The Amboy Dukes. With less than a handful of dates playing the UK at the back end of October, be sure not to miss them. Skeleton Tiger and Desire Be, Desire Go are standout tracks... while Solitude Is Bliss is a biggy too!!

A sore loser...

So, naturally, I am not an overly emotional person. But today was a sad day. My love affair with the 1.0 litre VW purple Polo has ended. I feel as though I have had my man-hood severed from me, in one brutal blow. As I asked my Mum to take a picture of the car and I, my little sister laughed and rolled her eyes. "Why do you need a picture", she said. Well, she has little understanding of what it is like to have a car, as she has only had a handful of lessons. But for me, this car has been a massive part of my life. My first car, and it's been this way since before I had even learnt to drive.

I remember when we first took the similar model, navy, 5-door hatchback out for a test-drive a good fourteen years ago. We went up to Hunstanton for a picnic on the beach, a sunny day. We were being sold 'the dream' at that point. I remember the salesman twisting my Dad's arm, as he suggested 'think of all the freedom you and your wife can have'. Little did the salesman at the time know that this same car would be used to teach not just myself, but my older sister, and younger brother how to drive. The same non-power assisted steering, the same unresponsive brakes, the same dodgy heating system, bad window wipers, lack of air-bag's...

The runs it has made. The memories that have been shared. Catherine crashed it. I have had some scrapes in it. James most probably thrashed it about?! We all had our fun, and were granted independence! What a joy. That's why it is sad to see it go! I myself crammed it full of possessions, a drum kit, my new bike, 6 friends at once, let someone else drive it, the list goes on... It did day trips, break-ups, booze runs, hospital dashes, long distance treks, shared exam success, sporting failure, literally everything. It truly was a great car, and it will always have a soft spot in my heart.

Bye!

J'aime le Cyclisme

I was whoring around some blogs the other day, mainly bike ones, looking for ideas for a potential new fixed-wheel purchase, when I came across this. The Periodic Table of Professional Cycling. Covering all the key races, classifications, countries, durations, and all in an elemental style, this is excellent. It's kind of like a takeaway menu for cycling - something to feast on!

Grachvogel: Summer 2011

My knowledge of any Fashion Week related stuff is very, very limited. Bowie's song is playing in my mind, as I try and form some words that are remotely relevant to women's clothing. Probably not the best start-point?? Or maybe it is...

I have paid no particular attention to London Fashion Week. Period. I know it's relevance to the world of trends, looks, make-up, hair etc. How big chains like your Topshop's and H&M's basically reproduce imitation copies of catwalk gems. Whilst, apparently, London has become trendy again, as it's fashion week had been shunned by the big name critics from Vogue et al. over the past year or two, but has now fallen back into favour this September...

My personal interaction with this years Fashion Week came from an unlikely source... a tabloid newspaper. I don't know if Maria Grachvogel would be particularly jubilant for this kind of exposure. I am sensing her clientele is probably a bit more high-brow, but hey, any exposure is good exposure, right?!

According to LFW, Grachvogel is reported to be "a well loved label of all aficionados of fine design. Established in 1994 and shown for the first time at London Fashion Week in 1995, the Maria Grachvogel label is a secret of many of the world’s most stylish women including Angelina Jolie, Marie Helvin and Yasmin Le Bon".

For me, I really loved her show for Summer 2011. Half of it mixes an array of bland creams, soft browns, pale greys, and lemon yellows, in very clean-cut floaty dresses, skirts, high-waisted trousers, and loose-fitting tops.

The elements of block-brightness in her collection do shout Summer! A crazy statement I know, so I will apologise in advance, but I can envisage a lot of upper class French women, lunching, smoking, and drinking white wine on a vista in Monte-Carlo in these lovely garments. Real class and luxury.

The second part of her show presents a lovely abstract contrast. Again, long, floaty dresses are at the focal point, with clean silhouettes being the product of such styling. More thankfully too, it's not a distasteful kind of abstract.

Swirls and slanted verticals of dark navy, petrol blues, greens, yellows, and orange, all sound garish when mixed, but I would love to see a woman strolling through Madrid, high-Summer, big shades, simple make-up, straight hair, strappy Roman sandals, and one of these beautiful Grachvogel numbers!

Femininity is the winner here. Although some items might appear a little baggy (sack-like), this collection is very celebratory of the female form. The designers garments sit unobtrusively, draped comfortably whilst being very slinky, sexy, and thus highlighting the beauty of natural curvature. A lovely, Summery collection.

Mercurial in awarding

The Mercury Awards 2010. Yes, been and gone now, and rightly, The XX were deserved winners. Personally, I only believe that Foals and the aforementioned champs were the only allowable choices, if these awards are in fact, designed to celebrate musical prowess from the past 12 months. So, I was quite happy with the overall outcome, and therefore should have no reals gripes or moans... But, I do.

The Mercury's and legitimacy. What is it that makes these awards noteworthy compared to other similar events? For instance, the accolade and subsequent prize money is modest, and the acclaimed 'after-fame' is always quite realistic, with regards to enhanced record sale figures. I mean, I fully understand that this event promotes talent from home shores, but this alone is no real selling point, as most inventive, pioneering, modern acts/bands hail from/or filter through these embracingly, percolating shores, somewhat naturally. We, the public, openly lead ground-swells of support and adoration, which propel young careers along dandily.

I just get the impression that the Mercury's are merely staged to grant the BBC with a platform to annually puff out it's chest, giving egos, such as Nihal, the claim (and that claim only) that they know what they are talking about re: new, expansive, and exciting music, with both conviction and authority. I'm sorry, but this does not add up. Where are the likes of trusty Zane Lowe, who would provide total affirmation to the point of these awards. A man that only knows how to champion and encourage new music, likewise Annie Mac? And, if this was an all encompassing stage, then where are dance, electro, techno, or even... dupstep acts?? Having a token jazz or obvious rap act doesn't cover all bases. A more wholly look a music needs to be approached.

At least with NME Awards you know it will be light-hearted affair, or with Q Magazine that it is generally more respected and credible to be given the nod, as their awards shows have flourished into what they are. The BBC have opted to take this high-brow approach, but without any real evidence for their convictions! British Broadcasting does do a considerable amount to nurture new music on a global scale, which is great! Although, I think they need to take a look at how they try and reward such achievements, develop their platform, and come back stronger.