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New Red City Radio Video!

Remember how I put Spinning In Circles Is A Gateway Drug in my best of the year list?

Well, now I’m stoked that Red City Radio have released a video for the very same audio masterpiece. It’s by no means world changing, it’s pretty standard punk fair as far as videos go, but it’s still catchy as fuck and cheering up my slightly miserable, rainy Thursday afternoon.

It does however, make me feel massively aware that I work in marketing.

pop culture overload

Hi. It’s been a little while, I’ve been using my tumblr ‘cos I haven’t really felt like writing much. My life continues it’s flux heavy passage so I decided to stay in this whole weekend to make sense of it. In fact what I did was consumed popculture by the bucketload, I’m warning you, don’t come near me – I can’t interact with you unless you’re a text.

So far this weekend I have watched:

  • The Unusuals – S01E01 – I read a Salon blog about the pilot and was stoked it was released. I can’t tell if it’s a dramedy or not. If David Lynch had directed Hill Street Blues but imagined it to be NYPB blue set in Picket Fences. That might be this. Oh, and Amber Tamblyn and Adam Goldberg rule. Really. I have missed Adam Goldberg
  • Harpers Island – S01E01 – If Point Pleasant (minus the Supernatural) met I Still Know What You Did Last Summer but was set in the Pacific Northwest, this’d be that. It features some pretty good death scenes, a somewhat intriguing plot and camerawork I haven’t seen the likes of since The Colbys. (points for having the dude who plays Bobbly from Supernatural in though)
  • Parks and Recreation – S01E04 Hmmmmm – Was it me or was this pilot a little bit on the meh, side? I was expecting a little more from Amy Poehler. It’s nice to see Paul Schneider (swoon) in something un-Southern though. I’m gonna give it another couple of episodes before I quit
  • Party Down – S01E04 – Party Down continues to rule, hard. It’s the laugh out loud funniest show on Tv right now, it’s helped me rekindle my crush on Adam Scott and it’s the type of thing I’d quote with my friends if only they’d stop doing so much real life stuff and watch more TV
  • Dollhouse – S01E09 – Lets get this straight, I’m only still watching this show out of loyalty to Whedon and the hope that all of this backstory is going to amass into something extraordinary. What’s up Joss ? I forgave Firefly, but we’re on uncertain territory.
  • Southland – S01E01 – It’s everyone you ever had a crush on in a teen movie in a TV show. Well, really it’s Ryan from the OC and Tom Everett Scott and Shawn Hatosy and a bunch of other people you remember from TV shows. I really liked it. Apparently I like cop shows this week. Cop shows starring grown up teen tv stars.

There was a load more, but I just re-read what I’d already typed and even I found it kind of scary.

I also rewatched both The Signal (awesome goodness) and The Outsiders (I’d listened to too much lifetime) and read half of ” Wish You Were Here: An Essential Guide to Your Favourite Music Scenes” the first 5 chapters of “DIY: The Rise of Lo Fi Culture” and played Bridge & Tunnel – East West to death – particularly Rubrics. Bridge and Tunnel are playing the Windmill next saturday. It is going to be awesome.

Here’s another one of the tracks from the Pink Couch Sessions at IYMI. I heart IYMI and so should you. Donate them some money!


Bridge and Tunnel – Call to the Comptroller’s Office from If You Make It on Vimeo.

on being a winter nerd.

This winter break I’ve been light on leaving the house all that much, and although it started with a brief bout of what looked like depression, it’s turned into me inadvertently rekindling my love of all things pop cultural and my own company not only not driving me mad, but actually being pretty enjoyable.

I’ve spent literally days just hanging out in the house on my own, reading books and listening to records and watching movies and remembering all the stuff that used to make me happy when I was young and it was all I needed. This isn’t to say I have become a complete recluse, I’ve been doing loads of daytime hangs with all my nearest and dearest(s) today was spent traipsing the streets of London town with miss Jessica and comic shopping, ranting, laughing and geeking out.

One of the reasons for this outpouring of positive literary emotion is that I just 5 minutes ago finished BAD HABITS by Cristy C Road. I’ve been a longtime fangirl of her artwork since picking up her postcard artwork book in St Marks books a couple of years ago. I recognised it from a TPB cover we used to stock when I still ran Graphics in Foyles.

It’s been forever since a book made me want to write again, but this one has me up late making notes for the book I’ve been meaning to start on forever now. It’s an illustrated novel that charts a year in the life of miss Roads when she first moved from Miami to Brooklyn. There are many, many reasons I fell instantaneously in love with this book, although different in style it reminded me a lot of the My Evil Twin Sister publication NOTTA LOTTA LOVE STORIES. I think this is because the entire thing is written from an obviously punk rock point of view, but one that is barely punctuated with band names and subcultural references. The kind of book that reminds you why we all got into this 3 chord genre in the first place (it’s cos we all, on some level feel different, but the same y’all – you dig?) and leaves you feeling sorta affirmed in the least cheesy way possible.

The reason I felt such a connection with this, besides my well publicized love affair with Brooklyn, is to me this was a story of growing up and figuring stuff out, while accepting you still kind of want to be a little bit of a fuck up. But less of an alcoholic fuck up, wandering the clubs with a little hint of desperation in your eye. About turning all of that emotional junk into something if not good, then a hell of a lot better than you ever expected you could. It made me remember what it is I know I’m supposed to be doing, and actually (maybe) gave me the inclination to start doing it.

I’ve realised the only things I can truly connect with are the things made by people who have some common ground with me, this doesn’t make me closed minded, it just makes me fascinated with why we are the way we are. This is totally different from self absorption, haha. Anyway, I now have an even bigger girl/writer crush on Christy and want to find a way to hang out next time I’m in my favourite of all places.

And on that note, I’m off to smoke a cigarette, drink some green tea and try and figure out what it is that I’m trying to say, you know, in the scheme of things.

What happened to summer ? Mixtape

So, I woke up early into the gloom of another Saturday morning in July and figured it was probably mixtape time. All these songs in some way reflect my mood during this weird warm and gloomy season.

I hope you like it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ed4d4qilfez

The inclusion of Dashboard is a weird one, but it’s an Afghan Whigs cover, and is sort of worth it for that. Lemme know what you think.

but if it works for you it works..

Point a) I had forgotten how amazing The Good Life – Album of the Year is. Every time I listen to it, I remember how much I used to listen to it, and how it would feature in my top 10 all time records list. (I’m guessing this means I’ll always be an indie kid at heart) but how it always makes me feel sad about love and relationships. In a good way though.

Point b) punknews.org just published this list of best punk albums of the year so far, no suprise gaslight are at the top, it’s all going well til number 7. LTJ? it’s 2008 people!