first thoughts : "X-Marks Destination"

The long-awaited [by me, anyways] debut from The Whip finally landed on my doorstep today.

Going in, I was a bit nervous that I'd be disappointed - which, in retrospect, is a bit silly. I love all four [!!!] singles it houses [one of which, 'Divebomb', was my favorite track of 2007] and was lovingly familiar with two more of the tracks, leaving only 4 out of 10 unknowns. Still, there was a fear of hyping it up in my mind too much for it to possibly live up to my expectations.

Well, it does and then some, so there you go. It actually might be my favorite album of the year so far. [Sorry Elbow.] Off for listen #2.

are you serious? [aka fucking Action, part three]

It now appears I have been double charged for that second order from Action.

I officially give up. It isn't worth the hassle any more.

the kind of buzz that lasts for days

They never bettered this, and I think it's safe to say at this point they never will.

By the way, I had no idea that they replaced the album version with the single mix on the 10th Anniversary Edition. [Is it even the single mix? It sounds like a remixed, updated single mix? The beginning is definately longer.] This tears me - on one hand, the single mix is, like, a zillion times better [I counted, it really is a zillion]. One of my favorite songs ever probably. On the other hand, I hate hate hate when reissues - particularly "anniversary editions" - replace parts of the original album, no matter how much better it makes it. Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

Anyways, I found this out while listening to the anniversary edition today after finally buying it, and it was at once a very pleasant and very disturbing surprise.

I don't think I'd ever seen the video, by the way. Wow. Kind of like "Yesterday, when I was mad" crossed with "Black Hole Sun", isn't it?

lately, I feel like all I do is complain

But seriously. Stop giving me shit to complain about. ;)

OK, so how come Australia gets a Wolf & Cub remix of Operator Please's 'Get What You Want' on their CD single while the UK gets a barely different "original version"? Let's try to coordinate releases more here, folks.

Really, I should be in charge of formatting. This is just nonsense.

fucking Action, part two

Alright, apparently bitching about things on the internet DOES fix things.

Today, the first order finally showed. Minus three things from the new release list that had sold out - to be fair, they were promos, but considering how I placed my order within an hour of the list going up I'm not entirely sure how that always happens to me - but it's here. So, does anyone know where I can get one of those Whip CD promos with the live version of 'Divebomb'?

I also got a response about the second order and it's finally shipping today. Not sure what the hold up was, but looking at what my card was charged there's no way everything is in it. Wish I knew what it was so I could start tracking them down, but I'm not gonna push my luck. I'm guessing I'm going to need to search for a Whip 'Trash' 12" soon though.

Still haven't quite forgiven them, but they've redeemed themselves a bit.

update: I just approximated what the total for the order should be, and it appears to be possible that everything was included. So why did it take so long? Hrm.

Oh, and the Bimbo Jones remix of Alphabeat's 'Fascination' is fucking ridiculous and was totally worth the wait. Not that I should've had to wait so long, but there you go. Something positive came out of it.

fucking Action

Almost four weeks ago, I placed an order for 3 of the 5 singles mentioned in March madness [the Kills got delayed a week, and the Ting Tings was super limited and five pounds for a 2-track CD so I skipped it] and a few other things from your favorite and mine, Action Records.

As of today, it still has not shown up. This is not okay.

Two weeks ago, I placed the order seen in March madness, part 2. Forget not having shown up, it still has yet to even be processed.

Last week, I sent a polite email to Action Records enquiring as to the status of the two orders as both were taking abnormally long. Today I sent a second email as the first had yet to be responded to.

If I haven't heard by tomorrow, there's going to be hell to pay.

In the end, I think I'm ending my 10+ year ordering relationship with Action because this is unacceptable. This makes me sad as they were usually the most cost efficient, friendliest, and most convenient way to order things from the UK, but one can only take so much. And this is only the most recent issue of foul ups in the past 2 or 3 years.

I've got a gripe about Amazon too, but I'll save that for later.

swoon

"And it's you. And it's May. And we're sleeping through the day.
And I'm five years ago and three thousand miles away.
And I can't move my arm for fear that you will wake.
And I'm five years ago and three thousand miles away."

Oh, Guy.

next

From petshopboys.co.uk:

--
Chris and Neil have been writing new songs for much of this year and will continue until they feel they have enough songs for a new album. The writing sessions have proved very fertile with, so far, seven new songs being completed. Some of the songs they wrote early last year are also likely to feature on the album. Meetings with potential producers are already being lined up for March. The release date for the new album will probably be early 2009.
--

Yum. Start the countdown.....now.

get lucky

While watching the return of the mighty "How I Met Your Mother" last night - hooray! - I saw this:



Dragonette in a JC Penney commercial? Whod'a thought?

March madness, part two

Order Item 1 , Part No : 573026 , Description : PJ HARVEY - THE DEVIL / LIVERPOOL TIDE (7) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 2.00 ,

Order Item 2 , Part No : 573027 , Description : PJ HARVEY - THE DEVIL / LIVERPOOL TIDE (CDS) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 2.00 ,

Order Item 3 , Part No : 573069 , Description : OPERATOR PLEASE - YES YES VINDICTIVE (CD) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 9.00 ,

Order Item 4 , Part No : 573090 , Description : WHIP - TRASH - RADIO EDIT / ORIG / LETS GO TO WAR RMX / CROOKERS RMX / SOUTH CENTRAL (CDS) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 3.00 ,

Order Item 5 , Part No : 573091 , Description : WHIP - TRASH / CHEWY CHOCOLATE COOKIES RMX / SOUTH CENTRAL RMX / CROOKERS RMX (12) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 4.50 ,

Order Item 6 , Part No : 573092 , Description : WHIP - TRASH - INC LETS GO TO WAR REMIX (7) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 2.00 ,

Order Item 7 , Part No : 573116 , Description : SUPERGRASS - BAD BLOOD-MAIN+DIAMOND HOO MIX+VIDEO/BEAT IT XFM SESS (CDS) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 3.00 ,

Order Item 8 , Part No : 573117 , Description : SUPERGRASS - BAD BLOOD-MAIN-ROUGH KNUCKLES-COLOURED VINYL (7) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 2.00 ,

Order Item 9 , Part No : 574098 , Description : ERYKAH BADU - HONEY - LTD (7) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 2.00 ,

Order Item 10 , Part No : 574099 , Description : SUGABABES - DENIAL / HEY THERE DELILAH-LIVE / IAN CAREY RMX / SANNA & PITRON RMX (CDS) , Quantity : 1 , Unit Cost : 2.00

They're really packing these March Mondays with releases, aren't they?

sonic test

Apparently the stars are in the right alignment or something like that, as Sonic Youth have decided to [re]issue possibly their two most fandom-patience testing releases back to back to kick off 2008.

First up - and available right now for your purchasing pleasure at sonicyouth.com - is 1987's "Master=Dik" EP. 'Master=Dik' itself being important, of course, as a sort of dry run for the excellent "White[y] Album" a year later. The rest of the EP, made up of pretty much drone, is probably not anyone's favorite Sonic Youth moment.

Coming in April, we've got the official release of 'J'Accuse Ted Hughes', the 20+ minute drone piece they did at All Tomorrow's Parties that pissed everyone off. Coming out on vinyl only as SYR7 [people still buy these things?], it's backed with some other nonsense drone piece. I'll take a pass.

"Master=Dik", of course, is already on the way to my house. What can I say - I'm a glutton for 80's SY punishment...but keep your early-2000's, "NYC ghosts + flowers" shit away from me.

bang on

The Breeders tore shit up last night in Buffalo.

It was their first show since finishing "Mountain Battles", so we were guinnea pigs [their words] for the new material. I've read a lot of pretty negative stuff around the leak of the album on the internet - I haven't heard it myself - but from the new stuff they did last night, I've gotta say I don't understand.

'Overglazed' came first, and it was a great straightforward Breeders rock song. They ended the night with 'German Studies' [another fractured rocker a bit like 'Too Alive'] and 'Regalame Esta Noche', both of which were great fun. Using context clues, I believe we also got to hear 'Bang On' [now streaming at the 4AD website], 'Night Of Joy' [the only one that didn't really do much for me], 'Here No More' [a very cute duet between Kim and Kelley that ended the main set], 'We're Gonna Rise' [still as gorgeous as I remember it - I can't wait to get a physical copy], and maybe one or two more. As far as the rest, it was a lot of the same songs from the "Title TK" tour - 'Cannonball', 'Divine Hammer', 'Saints', 'No Aloha', 'Fortunately Gone', 'Tipp CIty', 'Pacer'. Only one track from "Title TK" itself came out to play - the mighty 'Huffer' - plus a few that they didn't do when I saw em six years ago. 'Iris'! 'Happiness is a Warm Gun'! Motherfuckin 'Shocker In Gloomtown'!!!! [This was the second song in, and it made me happier than I ever thought possible.]

If I have a complaint, it's that the show was quite short. The main set was about an hour with a three song encore. Especially considering Kim herself commented that "we'd come out in anything" [there was pretty heavy snowfall all night going to the show], it would've been nice for a few more songs. However, what we did get was all gold.

I love this band. I cannot wait for "Mountain Battles".

shimmering warm and bright

A customer made a Bel Canto reference today.

It made me happy.