Thursday, November 29, 2007

The voice of the tube, but not as we know it

Emma Clarke the voice of the London Underground has just been fired for recording and posting some spoofs on her own website. "Mind the gap" no more. (To spare Emma's server and in case she is forced to remove the files for some reason: External linkage to streaming mp3's of these spoofs are below)


"Do not drop litter on the train. Please use the tramps provided"

"Warning, this is an emergency. I've chipped a nail"

We'd like to remind our American tourist friends that you are almost certainly talking too loud."

"Passengers should note that the bearded gentleman's rucksack contains the following items only: Some sandwiches, a library card and a picture of a bare ankle and is no cause for alarm"

"Passengers are reminded that a smile is actually a friendship signal and not a sign of weakness"

"Would the passenger in the pinstripe suit and £1000 glasses who obviously works in the media, please take one step forward on to the track as the train arrives. Thank you."

"Passengers are reminded that, like all voiceover artists, I probably look nothing like you imagine and may turn out to be somewhat of a disappointment"

"Would passengers filling in answers on the Sudokus please accept that they're just crosswords for the unimaginative and are not in any way more impressive just because they contain numbers"

Friday, November 23, 2007

Tarzan musical

ever wanted to recreate that evocative Tarzan yell in the comfort of your own living room with the instrument of your choice?

Now you can. The musical notation has been registered as a trade mark, using the score below:

Sunday, November 18, 2007

great stop motion video

Perhaps you've made a 30 second movie a frame at a time with a camcorder. I used to, but seeing this video, and what can be done with stop motion is quite incredible. Watch it:

Thursday, November 08, 2007

CD Review - Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Everybody Knows EP

Ryan Adams - Everybody Knows EP

(LOST HIGHWAY)


Another day, another Ryan Adams release. Of course he's prolific but this isn't quite an album, but at 8 songs long, it's not missing much. To coincide with the UK tour this EP is released as a stand-alone version and as a bonus on a limited edition version of Easy Tiger.

The title track is taken from Easy Tiger and wieghing in at 2:26, it's short, snappy and sweet; everything a single should be. Seven new recordings follow - 'Follow The Lights' is a 'Demolition' style acoustic song with a harmony chorus and simple structure. 'My Love For You Is Real' is a very early Adams song resurrected and revamped for US TV Drama 'October Road'. It's the stand out track from the EP, similar to 'Oh My Sweet Carolina' from Ryan's debut.

What follows is a Ryan Adams recording of the song he wrote for Willie Nelson to sing on his songbird record, and it sounds great, slightly more acoustic to Willie's version but full of gusto. 'Down In A Hole' is a cover of the Alice In Chains classic before a Cardinals version of 'This Is It' the opening song from the ill-fated Rock'n'Roll album. Laid back, unpretentious and comfortable in it's own skin, it sounds like it was always meant to.

The EP closes with two live in the studio recordings of 'If I Am A Stranger' from Cold Roses and 'Dear John' from Jacksonville City Nights. Until hearing this version I'd never realised just how good a song '...Stranger' is and while 'Dear John' isn't his strongest, it closes a worthy EP. While it probably won't convince any doubters, it tastes like milk and honey to the converted.

Download: Everybody Knows, My Love For You Is Real, Blue Hotel
For fans of: Whiskeytown, Wilco, The Jayhawks
Rating: 8/10

CD Review - Patrick Briscoe

PATRICK BRISCOE – COLOURS WILL FLY

(CYPRESS GROVE

“Many Rivers”, the opening track on the Manchester singer-songwriter’s second full length album, has a riff so similar to Nick Drake’s “Which Will” that it comes something as a surprise not to hear his voice singing out. Briscoe has a much lower, gruffer voice than Drake, but his ghost haunts every inch of the album. Briscoe is just as skilled as Drake at the acoustic guitar and sometimes matches him for verse. “Portrait of England” is a beautiful Larkin like reverie and “Just Drifting” is a charming song of beautiful simplicity. Colours Will Fly breaks no ground, but if you want another Nick Drake album, this could be your answer.

FOR FANS OF: Nick Drake and all solo acoustic artists

DOWNLOAD: Brighter Days, Many Rivers

RATING: 3/5

Dylan Donkin -

DYLAN DONKIN – FOOD FOR THOUGHTLESSNESS

(WALL OF SOUND/ WE LOVE YOU)

Dylan Donkin may have been named after Bob, but that doesn’t mean he took his mantle. Instead the Californian rebelled against his parents’ folk sensibilities and joined a band; a metal band. That band was Echobrain featuring Metallica’s then bassist Jason Newstead. Following lawsuits and MTV glare, the band dissolved and Dylan fled to Hawaii. There he found the sunshine and rediscovered a gentler kind of song writing. This mini-album is his first solo release. The reverb on the vocals and feel of the album is similar to My Morning Jacket, with some Grandaddy and Street Spirit era Radiohead thrown in. In fact “The Commonaut” is like “Pyramid Song” while “Yolk” could be Nirvana unplugged. It’s early days now, but Dylan Donkin is showing promising signs of being a creative talent.

FOR FANS OF: My Morning Jacket, Grandaddy

DOWNLOAD: Make A Choice, Fall Through The Wall

RATING: 3/5

CD Review - Ben Lee - Ripe

BEN LEE - RIPE

(COOKING VINYL)

You’ve probably have heard Ben Lee before. His music has saturated numerous adverts, movies and the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy”, not to mention a live performance at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

With “Ripe” Lee aims for a power-pop masterpiece, but falls short. He does everything right - perfect production, catchy hooks, teen romance lyrics, but somehow despite the Bon Jovi style chorus in “Sex Without Love”, the album’s not quite the sum of its parts. His direct style lacks the intelligent insight of one-time collaborator Ben Folds and ends up feeling a little obvious. The twelve songs are all likeable, but forgettable. “Ripe” feels like it has been made using a power-pop masterpiece for dummy’s book, and ends up enjoyable, but not as satisfying as it could be.

FOR FANS OF: Ben Folds, Matthew Sweet, Brendan Benson

DOWNLOAD: Numb, Blush, Love Me Like The World Is Ending

RATING: 3/5