End of an Era

As a child, I loved Star Wars. I'm referring to episodes 4, 5 and 6. When Episodes 1 and 2 came out, I was largely disappointed. Yes, its nice to see lightsabers and aliens and droids and spaceships and all but there was little else other than the effects and geeky cool. So now with episode 3, Revenge of the Sith, we can finally conclude the saga that is Star Wars. None too soon as well. As a movie, Sith is relatively entertaining, engaging, full of action, suspense and humor. Yet, at this point in my life, I think I've long grown out of thinking that the Force, lightsabers and Stormtroopers were cool. I think I've finally grown up and I can no longer watch Star Wars and enjoy it purely for the action and pretty lights. The super ultra corny lines and terrible acting were just really cheesy elements that don't make Star Wars anything more than a kiddie movie.

Looking back, I remember I used to put Star Wars as favourite movie alongside Trainspotting right up to when I was 21 or something like that. Now, I'm thinking that its embarassing that I used to like Star Wars. Ok, back then I suppose I easily glossed over the bad acting and stuff, summed up by the out of work Mark Hamill, whose best performance in recent times was a cameo in The Simpsons as himself trying to get over being Luke Skywalker. The cheesy lines were also more acceptable back then. "You scoundrel." But oh how I cringe when I see Ewan McGregor, pivotal in the aforementioned Trainspotting, fall to new depths when he says things like "But he is like a brother to me, I can't!" or "He killed... younglings...". I used to think Ewan was cool and he still is mind you, despite singing gayly in Moulin Rouge and appearing 3 times in 3 Star Wars movies as an actor with a good reputation acting bad almost on purpose. Acutally, his acting is fine in Star Wars. Its more of the pathetic scripting and puke worthy lines.

I really wonder why I used to love Star Wars so much. Lightsabers probably. X-Wing fighters and Wookies, funny droids and Yoda. Chewbacca, Han Solo. Boba Fett. Stormtroopers. AT-AT Imperial Walkers. TIE fighters. I suppose the old movies had lovable characters, lots and lots of cool stuff. The new movies seemed focus on effects and gasp! a plot. When I learned that the original Star Wars, A New Hope was really gleaned off of an Akira Kurosawa movie, I realised that George Lucas had stumbled cleverly upon the first blockbuster ever. He copied the basic storyline as well as several characters. Plus its hardly a stretch to see where the mysticism, which seems so blaise and anglicised, and the lightsabers came from. The jedi costumes. Amidala's make-up. The brilliant bit about Lucas was he borrowed Japanization. He Lucasized a Japanese movie, The Hidden Fortress. Which basically means he beat the Japanese at their own game. The Japanese took the Western movie and the noir aesthetic and put it into their samurai films, which Lucas stole back to make a tour de farce that was to become Star Wars.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing Star Wars. It still remains a brilliant film. Back when I was young, in my memory, where it will remain, beatified. I just don't want to erase the beautiful, if exagerrated memory of how brilliant Lucas' work was in my youth. If I were to say rewatch the entire 6 movies, I'd probably lose that spark of childhood, where impressions were fresh and my mind hadn't been tainted with the adult world. Yes I am bashing it.

The other day, I had a small conversation with Flo about the new movie. An avid Star Wars freak, Flo sticks to his t-shirts and various memorabilia with pride. He hated the first 2 movies. Episode one had the fearful Jar Jar Binks whilst Episode two "de-mystified" the force with its scientific explanation of Jedi blood. I was trying to tell him how the show just had loads of shit lines. But he went on about how you know, anyone could control the force, therein lies its mystery. Which I suppose was the magic element that made the film stick. There was this invisible force that moved both in and out of the movie to immortalise Lucas amongst nerddom.

I think I read some review somewhere that mentioned how people watched the film and got the feeling like there was a relation to the existing American president. Whilst the issue of how Senator Palpatine turns the Republic from a democracy into a Dictatorship may perhaps draw some parallels with the current political state in America, its hard to see that buffoon quite as devious as Palpatine. The public stupidity in accepting Palpatine, Anakin's stupidity in falling for his bad acting may perhaps stir chilling similarities with voting habits in the US but still, if anyone wants to draw this political backline into the front, it just serves as some cheap, pathetic way to market the film as being deeper than Padme's make up.

It is finally the end of an era, where I have lost my innocence when watching films at last.

Drought?

Been watching a few movies in recent times, including some really crap shows like Divergence. Benny Chan helms this Police thriller/comedy which stars Daniel Wu, Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok. Its a thriller because Kwok's character struggles to get people to believe him and find the killer of an important witness, whilst longing for his missing girlfriend in Angelica Lee. Along the way, he discovers an exact replica of his girlfriend in Ekin Cheng's lawyer character's wife, as well as get help from Daniel Wu, the guy who shot the witness and started it all. Subplots are mashed in at every turn and you never really catch on to each one as they never fully develop. Its just like several pieces mashed together. In the end, there's a predictable twist as to who the real villain is.

I also mentioned that it was a comedy because I felt it was easier to take if you put it that way. Wenhui came out of the cinema laughing painfully as I asked her what she thought. With Aaron Kwok "emoting" rather often, these form highlights of the funniest moments. Look out for that amazing scene where he screams like he's constipated with the car he's in rolling down the slope and every other car amazingly manages to avoid him! Also, there's a ridiculous looking businessman's son who's supposed to be some famous singer. Its obvious his popularity is enforced by his father's money but still, rather farcical when you compare him to current HK stars and realise... they're the same~!

In the end, I struggled to watch the film. At some points, I was hoping for Infernal Affairs-esque intrigue and suspense. Perhaps I was being unfair in comparing or hoping that it match up to the dizzy heights that Affairs had reached. Yet, I was feeling very divergent as to the several subplots which were loosely interlinked and a general storyline that cannot be followed at all. At the end, I was feeling very flat, with that predictable twist and just overall confusion as to what the fuck was going on. The film was nicely shot but it hardly serves as any saving grace. So it scores 5 for a comedy and 0 for thriller. So that makes it about 1 overall since it was supposed to be some suspense/thriller/drama.

Ahhhhhhh~! - Aaron Kwok


Fortunately for me, I didn't just watch the one terrible movie but also caught 2 parts of the 3 colours trilogy, namely Red and White. First off the bat, the films are shot greatly and probably have got lots of subdued meaning hidden within the mise-en-scene, dialog and storyline. I wasn't really feeling up to watching heavy movies like these though. Red was an awfully sad film whilst White was a sad-ish, dark comedy. Of the two, I obviously prefer White. Red just felt like it kept focusing on the sad sad sad bits about life and was rather depressing if I recall correctly. White was the quicker, more jovial and very Eastern Europeanly distant. It wasn't a laugh fest which I was hoping for, which probably results in my slight disappointment but it was rather interesting overall. Strange and intruiging ending which was the strongest point that I remember. I'm most probably never going to appreciate this series (because I'm unlikely to watch it again) and I'm not particularly looking forward to Blue. Maybe just a bit too Frenchie snobby arty movie for me. Maybe I just need that laugh fest. Not going to score them either.

OK, so then we watched Episode 3 but I'll detail that in the next post.

Its best to watch movies with low expectations. Its hard to pick a movie to watch without hearing something about it first which means that you are going to be tainted with someone else's impression in some way or other. The alternative is picking random names and plopping yourself down for 2 hours to watch something which you have scant idea about. Given the dearth of decent films, thats just a freaking waste of money. Sometimes, Wenhui just wants to watch something, anything. So we decided to watch Monster-In-Law one day. I read the review in the papers and 8 days for this one so if I remember they got 3 stars each. I wasn't impressed at first that J.Lo was starring in it with her rather bad rep in some recent films. Still, the most possibly predictable but hilarious topic of mother-in-laws provided a glimmer of hope that I'd enjoy myself. Which I did. Both leads were hilarious. I lurved Lopez's flutterring eyebrows in one scene. Jane Fonda carried herself superbly and was the consumate meanie. Although I think I probably felt Meet The Parents was slightly better, Monster-In-Law was different. MTP was about a son-in-law vs the father, whilst it was wife vs mother-in-law in M-I-L. Which meant the stuff was different, like the preps for the wedding and the hilarious scene in which Miss Lopez stuffs herself into an undersized dress. She even turns her back on the camera so you can see her gigantic bottom for a while. Hahaha. Then, there's the politicking between the two ladies, which is far removed from the obvious bickering in a male fight ala MTP. Here, the fighting tends to be subdued and hidden but deadly and vicious, so it makes for bigger laughs when everything comes out into the open. Michael Vartan also turns in a decent performance as the clueless groom, who is miserable at asking women out and can't pick the right moment to pop the question. I give this 3.5 or 4 stars as a comedy. It turned out to be the right antidote to the crap I've been watching and pepped me up.

The most recent film I've watched was Madagascar, Dreamworks' latest animated feature. With Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and amazingly, Ali G. I'd watch it for Ali G alone, who turns in a lovely vocal performance as the King of the Lemurs. Wenhui was whispering that he had a silly Indian accent. He did a good job saying just dumb, dumb, dumb lines. Stiller as the Lion was a perfect fit. It felt like the show was scripted with him in mind. The show wasn't brilliant overall and in parts, I forced myself to laugh just to cheer up Wenhui, who was getting very irritated with the partisan toddler crowd and the inept jokes. Some bits were funny, like a tanning bed for the lion, which seemed like it was plucked out from a toaster as well as the penguins and the serious/silly pairing of the lemur king and his advisor. Probably 2.5 or 3 stars.

I'm suprised that the best film I've watched in the last month or so turned out to be a Jennifer Lopez vehicle. Yes its better than Revenge of the Sith. So I guess, it wasn't an entire drought this "summer".

Happy Ending

The reason I love football isn't simply because its an engaging, exciting sport both to participate in as well as watch. Its also because it sort of echoes life. You feel terrible when your team does badly and not just when they lose, but even before, when you get the feeling that they are going to lose. In real life, you seem to lose the same heart as well. Its as if the fortunes of the team is directly related to your own life. Its as if you can feel, you get premonitions about possible victories and potential stumbles. Its like the club really is in your blood.

I spent a year largely feeling down, with some high points and really low points when I wondered what was going to happen. Same for Liverpool, who seemed to blow hot and cold, beating Arsenal with a last gasp strike from Mellor, Gerrard's thumper against Olympiakos but then losing to Everton and eventually coming in 5th. I felt the same, like I knew I should be challenging for top honours, yet I succumbed to whatever it was and stumbled through my final year in university.

Yet, somehow, Liverpool managed to make it all the way to the Champions league final. Beating Juventus and Chelsea along the way. Already a minor miracle in itself. In the lead up to the game, we were obvious underdogs and I was already more than pleased we'd made it to the final. It was already a fairytale. Who'd have thought that Liverpool would even get to Istanbul?
Yet we did somehow, someway.

Tze called me two days back, saying we'd be playing football in school, so I packed up and left, wearing my jersey, which Chevy got for me when he went to the UK last year. At the busstop waiting to get to school, this caucasian guy with a Brit accent pointed to me and turns out he was a 'Pool fan. So we had a bit of a chat and left with prayers in our hearts. After an exhuastive game, the guys all came over to my place again, this time staying up till 2.45, well 5am when the match ended. We played Settlers and banged on the Playstation and there was this air of anticipation that kept building up throughout the day.

So when Flo turned on the telly, we'd already missed the first 2 minutes and the first goal. Milan were 1-0 up courtesy of a Maldini volley which I didn't even see. At that point my head was already in my hands, as I wondered how the hell we'd even score against THE Italian giants. To my horror, we didn't as Hernan Crespo, Chelsea reject popped up twice with help from Shevchenko and Kaka' to score a brace. 3-0 going into the break. Flo was gloating. I thought it was going to turn into a rout. I just prayed we wouldn't go down 5-0 and at least keep it respectable. With the names I just rattled off playing for Milan, I really didn't expect much. I'd have settled for 3-0 at the end. 3-1 would have been fantastic.
But somehow, Mr. Liverpool, Steven Gerrard heads in a brilliant cross from Riise. To think he got between Stam and Nesta to get that goal. Nevermind that as just 2 or 3 minutes later, Smicer, on for the injured Kewell scored a screamer which Dida only palmed into the back of the net. Suddenly, the belief was back. Maybe. Just maybe we could do it now. Lo and behold, Gerrard brought down by Gattuso another few minutes later. Alonso stepped up, and fluffed it! But recovered quickly to slam home the rebound. 3-3. All in 15 minutes after the break. Milan were shattered. A shadow of the side that controlled the first half.
When Cisse came on for Baros, I was thinking this could be it. He might just pop in and nick one against a tiring Milan defence. Yet Nesta, Maldini, Cafu and Stam stood firm. At full time it stood 3-3. Going into extra time, it was all defending and a couple of breaks. Milan were the dominant side but scuffed some chances. It just looked like nothing would go in. Then, Shevchenko, European player of the year, best striker in the world bar none somehow broke through the 'Pool back line. He smashed a shot goalwards inside 10 yards and in that split second I thought it was all over. Yet, Dudek managed to push it away. The tension crept up as the loose ball fell to the same man, the deadly Ukrainian with a finish as lethal as you get. Then Dudek's arms rose up, miraculously punching the ball, which still looked like it was going in. Shevchenko has an awfully powerful shot and from inside the 6 yard box, it really looked like the end. But it wasn't as the ricochet came off Dudek's fists and screeched of the bar and over for a corner.
We were saved.
Then a breakaway late on by Hamann drew a foul on the edge of the area. I thought maybe this was it, the dramatic late goal. A strike to cap it all. But then we fluffed the free kick. Hamann's layoff to the onrushing Riise seemed tired and perhaps penalties were inevitable anyway.

At this point, I still didn't give us a chance. Not least because Milan had Dida between the sticks, a giant of a man who won the Cup back in 2003 for them. Plus, he palmed away Alonso's earlier penalty and they had finishers like Shevchenko and Kaka'. But Serginho, obviously got caught up in it and blazed his effort over. One small step. Hamann struck one firmly past Dida who guessed correctly. 1-0 Liverpool. Then Pirlo, who had a great touch and looked odds on to score. Dudek handed him the ball in an effort to play some mind games. It worked. He did hop off his line to make the save but it was given. Then Cisse, a man who broke his leg and wasn't even supposed to be playing, put it away cool as you like. 2-0 Liverpool. John Dahl Tomasson and Kaka' scored whilst Riise missed and Smicer scored. 3-2 Liverpool. All down to Shevchenko. He had to score and he failed miserably, unfortunate for a player who probably deserved more than the mantle of the one who lost Milan the cup. But all credit to Dudek, who dived to his right, then stuck out an arm to deny Shevchenko's beguiling chip. It was all over. We were Kings of Europe.

With so much that had gone on through the season, It was certainly an amazing fightback and really summed up our season. We fought to the bitter end and prevailed. And now we look forward to a bright future under the stewardship of Rafa Benitez. A man who has the managerial talent and class of a winner and without the arrogance and attitude that accompanies some others. A captain with so much speculation about where he will be playing next season now looks set to lead us into a new era. I certainly hope this new era for 'Pool coincides with my own future, as I start my first job, working abroad in China, with some really great opportunities and lots of potential. I'll never walk alone.

Random Random

First off, I'm going to China to work for a furniture retail company that is the main distributor for lots of big Italian brands like B&B Italia. Very interesting job cos I get to work with designers like Patricia Urquiola whom until now I've only read about in FRAME. To think I might be meeting her and working with her in time. Should be cool to blog about in the future. "Yea, so that night me and Pat, I always call her Pat, went for baby lobsters..." - an excerpt from a future post.

Other than that. grouphug.us
Somehow, someway, I found this website through some link somewhere. Man I must be really nerdy for being able to find stuff like this remotely interesting. Only made possible by the anonymity the internet affords and the ridiculous thoughts/acts people can conjure.
Its basically a confessions site where people can make any confession, real or made up.
Examples include:
"I'm addicted to eating my own dandruff, is this wrong?"
and "I think about rugby more than sex."

Here's the latest link from Coolhunting. PUMA
I love Puma. I own just 1 pair but would love to get more. Especially those by Mihara Yasuhiro.
These new ones are pretty cool too. Love the catalog as well.

On another note, we just got a new mini fridge for upstairs. Which is great cos it means less trudging for me to get drinks late at night. Also great cos it just seems perfect for the living room, watching telly and popping a coke. Which leads me to gripe about how my original thesis idea for a pantry/seating element or kitchen/living room hybrid furniture device was unfairly bumped as being dumb. Anyway. The lil fridge was really cold and set to freezing for some reason so I got to experience some lovely semi sloshy smoothie like Heaven & Earth Green Tea.

Lastly, you just have to try out Royce's choco staff chocolates. Royce
Available at Takashimaya basement. Absolutely fabulous. I first tried it like last year. My mother bought some and I was in love.

Literature

I suppose the one good thing reading the Da Vinci code recently was to make me want to read more, irregardless of whether the books are good or bad. My think has been depraved of much literature since my army days, when I would spend spare time reading these novels by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and George Orwell. I always and will continue to put film before books but I suppose I really ought to read a little bit more than the newspapers and 8 days and FRAME or assorted design books.

Then I discovered I could combine 2 loves in a way I somehow never envisioned before. I've decided I'm going to stock up on a football library.

All this after coming across a fabulous photography pictorial of football related pictures either fans or children playing in Kinokuniya. Then I spotted "England's Worst Footballers". With a title like that, I suppose I just wanted to flip through it but Popular covered it up with plastic. In the end, it may probably be just a one off read though.

Then comes memory. I remember Nick Hornby writing Fever Pitch. A rather celebrated football novel. Then there was "The Miracle of Castel di Sangro", which I saw in Borders in my Orwellian days. (HEHE) Story of a poor club in Italy making it to the Serie B. More recently, on soccernet, I came across an article which mentioned a book by Tim Parks, "A Season With Verona". So I checked on Amazon and found really cool titles like "How Soccer Explains the World" and "Soccer in the Sun and Shadow".

Somehow, I just never realised that there have already been a lot of books written about football. They range from the historical, statistical and fact based, to training manuals, to absurd descriptions of fandom and cult support of unknown clubs and whatnot. Its like the world of football I keep dreaming up in FM 2005 or WE 8.

So I'm going to start by buying a book, finishing it before buying another book, and once in a while, popping a non football book in there.

The Da Vinci Cough

Recently I began reading The Da Vinci Code. A book I often scoffed at even though I never read it. I'm never one for popular fiction but after relentless bugging from Wenhui, I decided I'd give it a pop.

Ok, let's disregard the fact that Brown's first passage is false. That bit about how all the art, architecture, societies and rituals are all true.

Its basically a less than half decent book mixing religion, facts and history into a sort of suspense/thriller. Its an ok read right up until the ending. Which leaves you feeling rather flat. Brown's mixing of fact and fiction might be a good trick that manages to halt the slide of your interest for much of the book but falling into a chasm at the end certainly made my mind up.

Before I read the book, I watched The Real Da Vinci Code. A documentary hosted by Tony Robinson which I found immensely more interesting in terms of delivering new knowledge and questioning the standard version of events. Perhaps this made me biased, but then I had that disclaimer above that basically said I was reviewing it as a piece of fiction.

What was good about Brown's book was how it was a brilliant way to write a conspiracy novel. If you're going to write anything at all, a pure fiction book never creates any controversy even if you're writing about incestous baby boys and blood gargling gothic grannies. You want to mix fact and fiction but market it as fiction. Be sure to involve a touchy topic. That way, the storm of controversy that follows puts the title on everyone's lips. Go on tv a few times to sell your book, give blanket statements and "what do you think?" answers to questions to spike up the intrigue. After that, sit back, relax and watch the money roll in. All that guerilla marketing basically ensures that whatever crappy ounce of a story you've got is glossed over as readers search for the conspiracy!

I've obviously simplified things a bit but the main bits are there. The difficult part is finding the right topic, with enough fact to substantiate the fiction. It doesn't matter if you're basically writing the same book as someone else before you as long as you sell it right. And with that, I'm off to write my 3 sentence manifesto that will have the Pope, the Dalai Lama, various Muslim clerics and other religious heads after my ass. You heard it here first.

KOTOR 2

Darth Cow Skull

Some time back, I remember getting all Star Wars mad all of a sudden and going out to get Knights Of The Old Republic, an RPG game where you control a Jedi. That game was made by Bioware, famous for its line of previous products and much to my delight, I found the game thoroughly enjoyable. Not to mention the fact that it had a better storyline than Episodes 1 and 2. (I'm holding out for #3 to come out before I slam it.)

So here comes KOTOR 2, which isn't made by Bioware but by Obsidian and using the same interface, rules and game format. Its much the same really, you discover more and more about yourself, pick up characters along the way, plot twists abound and lots of saber wielding. I actually prefer the first installment, because the combat seemed more engaging. This time round, even the bosses fell swiftly to my immense powers. Last time out, I had trouble dispatching Sith Apprentices. Whilst the first installment had romances and interesting characters, KOTOR 2 has a system in which you influence your comrades, who can be turned on or off by your actions and everything you do can have different consequences. Also notable is that you can actually have your very own Jedi Apprentices amongst your various allies.

Overall, I did enjoy KOTOR 2 immensely, and particularly fell in love with blasting the crap out of enemies with my lightning, a la The Emperor. Plus, this time round, its easier to get the color of saber you want. I settled for silver and viridian, since they were like the new colors. I went with a light side good guy since its always easier to play the good side first, get a hang of the game and then try being evil. Two sabers up.

iPod Shuffle

I've been doin' the iPod shuffle recently, deleting lotsa old albums that I either grew tired of, felt that they were a waste of space, didn't like etc. So away with a lot of stuff including some Japanese electronica that was just a bit... boring after a while. Also I dumped Belle & Sebastian's newer albums cos I was kinda getting irritated by them. Long ago, I used to lurve Kruder & Dorfmeister, but even they have been thrown out as well. Disk space is precious and 7 year old chill just sounds bland now...

So out with the old, in with the new. I brought in a few new signings, all on free transfers. Hehe.

Rachael Yamagata - Happenstance
Having just reheard more of the album, I begin to discover why people are saying this is good. Review in the Life! section puts it as one of the top albums in recent times. She's huskier than Norah, edgier. A little bit like a poppier Karen O gone jazzy perhaps, beatles-esque in bits, driving rock/pop. Its pretty nice songwriting overall with a good, full bodied sound.

The Postal Service - Give Up
Comprising members from Death Cab For Cutie AND Dntel. This has to be good. But its not amazingly fantastically great. It doesn't pack the same melodies that Dntel and Death Cab had down pat. Its still ok but I think I'd prefer either Death Cab or Dntel alone. This kinda feels like they went the way of Belle & Sebastian with an even more off the beaten path route. Still some decentish melodies. A little overindulgent on the electone perhaps.

Idlewild - Warnings/Promises
Their debut 100 Broken Windows was rather terrific because there was this raw edginess and sharpness in the sound. Remote Places was more accomplished and had this grander, bigger sound, fuelled by their newfound success in bits but it was fuller and more refined from before. Warnings/Promises doesn't seem to follow quite as much. Instead, it seems nicer, more gentle, softer. A good listen but perhaps its hard to match up to the fantastic Remote Places.

New Order - Waiting For The Sirens Call
New Order's best remains what they've already put out. WFTSC continues on the keyboard aided sound that the Order have been associated with for so long. Heard Krafty on MTV and I liked the colors in the video. Its a lovely little single thats somewhat contemporary but somehow manages to sneak a lot of the old Order into this track, courtesy of a signature bassline. It feels like a modern retro sound, like the 80s were updated with tighter production, still the same synth and bass.

Thievery Corporation - The Cosmic Game
Features a lot of featured artistes, including The Flaming Lips and David Bryne to mention a few. They've had collabos before, with Ben Folds in particular, so in that respect it feels like they took that sound and made a guest album concept. It sounded great from the off and for the most part retains the vintage Thievery sound. This time round, they run the gamut of indie to reggae to hip-hop to Indian inspired sounds to bossa. Bryne sounded like Arto Lindsay. Still Smooth.

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
There's a bit of fuss on this one. I can see why. They sound pretty unique. The beats bang down fast and furious. New Order following the Trail Of Dead via The Killers. A punkier Rapture. A pacy Idlewild. On a whole, they've got an interesting sound somewhere along punk, rock and the new electro. Blue Light is actually a pretty nice little ballad track. Love the rollicking drums.

Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, Its Morning
A long little story starts this album off before launching proper into the first song. Obviously this isn't going to be a typical ride in the American countryside. I suppose Ryan Adams obviously comes to mind and perhaps Bright Eyes is somewhat in the same vein although Adams would be the more palatable of the two. Perhaps, it was just too country for a non-American.

Bright Eyes - Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
Its interesting that he's got a country/folky album on the one hand and goes to make an excess in the digital medium on the other. Unfortunately, I don't particularly find this foray any more interesting than Wide Awake. I felt tired listening to this. Didn't offer anything new either way. A lengthy spiel on countrified electronica.

Feeder - Pushing A Moment
Feeder never seems to disappoint. Every album they've put has got great songs and a particular sound, with enough additions and alterations to keep things interesting, which was exactly what I was craving for, after sampling loads of new stuff. Something familiar, something that you know you can't go wrong with. Good stuff. Great sound. I used to think they were some American indie band with no hope. Then I put on the headphones at HMV. A good follow up with great melodies and driving pop/rock.

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
Another one of the next great things. (There seem to be a lot this time round) I can't say I'm a big fan. Blur comparisons abound on reviews that I've read. Listening to the album, I can understand why some might say they'd link it with Britpop and Damon Albarn's 4 piece. At some points, you think they're of the new wave yet, they seem to stick out like sore thumbs. In parts, they're Franz Ferdinand-ish but campier and more ridiculous. (Not that that was an insult) A unique compilation of English noise.

Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
I'd heard her singles forever everywhere I went. Then I heard I Bruise Easily on MTV, which I thought was a pretty cool little Mandalay-like track. Soulful singing and girlier than Pink. Which is a great thing, because I always found Pink rather undelectable. Miss Bedingfield has a lovely, husky voice that certainly goes a lot easier on the ears. A decent mix of electronica, hip-hop and rock on a quintessentially pop album. Half good really.

Razorlight - Up All Night
Deceptive piano opening leads into a Strokes-esque sound. They might be oft-compared to any of the new wave, but on some tracks they do deliver something that gives a spark of a difference. The title track's actually rather lovely as well. It started like it was going to be rather lost amidst the mass of next great things but it's got some hooks that need some time to open up and break into. Pretty good.

The Bravery - The Bravery
Another tirade of trendy dance/rock. The Bravery at least sound good, if commonplace amongst the variety of new wave bands. Some pretty good tunes and somewhere between Franz Ferdinand and The Killers. Nice little drum bits and kinda fun overall.