Have you heard that brilliant 8-bit / chiptune / computer game cover version of Kid A yet? If not, feast your ears: Radiohead’s Kid A is probably my favourite album. This fresh interpretation breathes new life into the music I have loved so much for over 10 years. This 8-bit version strips the music right […]
BBC Radiophonic Workshop in pictures
The BBC have just posted this wonderful slideshow about the Radiophonic Workshop. Some nice photographs from the unit’s history from its inception in 1958 onwards. Via @cobaltmale.
Disintegration
When I was a child, I found nothing more distressing than the sound made by a wonky cassette. It is a deeply unnatural sound. Whenever I heard it, my heart began to race and I felt physically sick. It was as if I had a real fear of this type of sound. My primary school […]
The Seasons
The Seasons is one of those albums widely talked about but seldom heard. I guess you could call it a cult classic. “Discovered” in charity shops about a decade ago, this album has grown in stature but has remained unavailable — until now. Trunk Records (who else?) have managed to sort out a proper reissue. Originally […]
Hanne Hukkelberg — Featherbrain
I have written about Hanne Hukkelberg before. I can’t understand why she is not massive. She is like what you wish Björk was like. Pushing the boundaries, but with the madness toned down. Her music is experimental, but not gimmicky in the slightest. The new album, Featherbrain, is fantastic. As with all of Hanne Hukkelberg’s […]
The music of The Tomorrow People
Recently, I finally managed to get my hands on The Tomorrow People, a CD of music from the 1970s ITV programme. I’ve been meaning to buy it for years. The majority of the music on this CD is from a library album, ESL 104. This contained music by David Vorhaus, Nikki St George and Li […]
Time to take up music again?
I have recently been thinking about getting a new hobby. One option is to reignite my musical chops. I used to play musical instruments. But my history as a musician has been quite volatile. I played the piano and percussion instruments, and a brief flirtation with the guitar. But I gave them up just before […]
The Belbury Tales
Twisted nostalgia. Spooky photographs of a fictitious town. Liner notes about the ploughman’s lunch. It could only be the new Belbury Poly album, The Belbury Tales. Purchase it from the ever-excellent Ghost Box.
London trip — day three: Science Museum; London Transport Museum
Day three map: Science Museum My original tentative schedule saw me planning to visit the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the V&A in one day. But some last-minute chopping and changing of my schedule saw me eventually trying to squeeze the Science Museum into a 90 minute visit. It didn’t take me long […]
London trip — day one: Royal Observatory, Greenwich; Tate Modern
Last weekend I took a trip to London for the weekend. I arrived on the afternoon of Friday 10 February, and left on the afternoon of Monday 13 February. London is the sort of place I could keep going to. I go about once every two years, and every time I go away feeling like […]