The U.K.'s Top 500 Songs

List... fatigue... setting... in. Is the year over yet? Can we pull this year over and buy some orange marshmallow peanuts? Oh, alright, one more list. Across the pond (at least from both America and America Junior), a Virgin Radio poll of about 7,000 people has produced a list of the U.K.'s "top 500 songs of all time". "Imagine", the worst song ever, according to The Word magazine, is the best song ever according to the people of the UK (or at least enough of the 7,000 of them who voted in this year's Virgin Radio poll to push it to #1). Last year, "Stairway to Heaven" was #1 and "Imagine" landed in 6th place.

The Virgin Radio Poll's Top Ten:

1. John Lennon - Imagine
2. Beatles - Hey Jude
3. Beatles - Let It Be
4. U2 - One
5. Robbie Williams - Angels (from Greatest Hits, etc.)
6. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
7. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
8. The Police - Every Breath You Take
9. The Eagles - Hotel California
10. James Blunt - You're Beautiful

Some of the Other Tunes in the Top 500 Songs List:

60. Madness - It Must Be Love (Labi Siffre cover, from Divine Madness)

127. Blondie - Sunday Girl (from Greatest Hits, etc.)

284. Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me (from Singles, etc.)

295. Crowded House - Fall At Your Feet (from Recurring Dream: The Very Best Of Crowded House, etc.)

315. Squeeze - Labelled With Love (from Greatest Hits, etc.)

402. Tears for Fears - Mad World (from The Hurting, etc.)

435. Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out (from Night And Day, etc.)

448. OMD - Souvenir (from The Best of OMD, etc.)

449. Crowded House - It's Only Natural (from Woodface, etc.)

493. Stereophonics - Pick A Part That's New (from Performance And Cocktails)

Happy New Year!

The Word Magazine: The Best Albums of 2005

"Using a painstaking scientific process and a lot of shouting", the folks at The Word magazine have decided on their favorite -- I mean, the best -- albums, books, and DVDs of 2005.

The 10 Best Albums of 2005:

1. The Arcade Fire - Funeral - "New wave guitars, tinkly keyboards, icy violins and the trembling voices of husband and wife Win and Regine melt together so magically you swear you're hearing the music of the afterlife."

2. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous (released in 2004 in the U.S., in 2005 in the U.K.) - "It's funny, dry and woefully sad, a perfectly arranged slice of super-charged poetry. The songs are so vivid and so rammed with narrative they're like movies in miniature"

Rilo Kiley - Accidntel Deth (from More Adventerous)

3. Sylvie Lewis - Tangos And Tantrums - "Certainly her record is the most ingratiating friend I've made this year."

4. Gorillaz - Demon Days - "An inspired use of the studio as an instrument by the David Bowie of his generation."

5. Richard Hawley - Coles Corner - "His voice is as broad as Roy Orbison's and as deep as the River Don, and his tales of love found and lost are full of Scott Walker's drama, Morrissey's charm and Jarvis Cocker's unaffectedness. Impossibly lovely."

Richard Hawley - Born Under a Bad Sign (from Coles Corner)

6. Goldfrapp - Supernature - "Pop music for grown-ups, in every respect."

Goldfrapp - Slide In (from Supernature)

7. Martha Wainwright - Martha Wainwright - "one of the year's most compelling and playable records, distinguished by naggingly melodic songs and a voice that's easy to live with."

8. Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations - "He's halfway between the Neil Young/Bob Dylan demographic and the Elliot Smith/Beck one, and this would delight anyone who likes any of them."

Eels - Trouble With Dreams (from Blinking Lights and Other Revelations)

9. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers - "Though its sweetness is tempered with just enough indie-rock 'clang' to save it from kitsch, it's a great big sincere hippie hug of an album, full of the strength and sadness of bloodied-but-unbowed incorrigible romantics."

10. Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV - "Hard Fi's muscular power-punk - grimy and raucous but full of melody and a yearning for open spaces - turned out to be one of the joys of the year."

The Word's pick for best movie (and DVD) of the year is Sideways. Philip Roth's The Plot Against America is their choice for best book.

The Word Magazine: January Issue and CD

The January 2006 issue of The Word declares Bob Dylan Man of the Year. He's smoking on the cover, setting a terrible example for the kids. I'd lecture him for it but he looks about 25 in the picture so I'm guessing it wasn't taken recently. So I'll lecture The Word instead - boo, The Word! Bob Dylan is the hero to ... a ... lot... of... young... kids... okay, probably not so much. Although this "Man of the Year" designation could change everything. Say, I wonder what sort of prizes one gets for being named Man of the Year. Does Dylan get a sash to wear across his chest, a la Miss America?

Aside from a sort of ode to Dylan in this issue, there's an interview with Jackson Browne and a look at the life and films of director Billy Wilder. An article called "The Worst of Everything" aims to "select the very worst that entertainment has to offer." The Word's goal is to offer "a gentle counterpoint to all this seasonal cheer" and all the "best of" lists. They only pick one "worst" in each category, and write loads on their reasoning for most of them. Their picks, and brief excerpts of their explanations:

The worst singer ever: Alanis Morissette

"Alanis Morissette's voice, a reedy, nasal foghorn with its own built-in Doppler effect, is both distressing and a complete contrivance of its compliant-rock idiom."

The worst song ever is "Imagine" by John Lennon

"The irony of wealthy rock stars whingeing about the invidiousness of private property has been noted before but 'Imagine' takes it to a whole new water-brained level... It's creepy and culty and self-satisfied; a recipe for emptying your mind and filling it with Lennon's hippy totalitarianism. I don't just hate it. I fundamentally, violently disagree with it."

The worst film director ever is Tony Scott ("Top Gun", "Days of Thunder", "Man on Fire", "Crimson Tide", "Domino")

"Eventually, as the Tony Scott picture evolved backwards into the primordial visual slime, story and nuance shriveled to a nub while widescreen cinematographic eye-food took over."

The worst band ever is Uriah Heap

"They're still at it today, to the delight of our Saxon cousins, catering to those many people for whom rock has no business with such notions as sex appeal, glamour, wit, romance, lyricism, good looks, or tunes you can whistle."

The worst actor ever is Kenneth Branagh

"Look at him in 'Dead Again'. But no, don't: it will hurt too much."

The worst pop star ever is Geri Halliwell

"She is the author of two confessional autobiographies before the age of 30, whom history will recall as a cash-and-fame-possessed buster of pop's once-almighty mystique."

The worst film ever is "Sam and Rosie Get Laid"

"...like a dictionary definition of everything that went wrong in post-'60s British cinema - when agitprop and ideological posturing were though[t] fit substitutes for character and story."

The worst book ever is Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres

"tries to fuse a love story and a historical epic. Like chocolate and smoked mackerel, they're both fine by themselves, but put them together and as we all know, it can only end in Dr. Zhivago."

The worst pop star side project is Madonna's "Sex" Book

The worst TV show ever is Parkinson

"It is said that Parky is the king of the chat show. It is usually him saying it."

The worst album ever is Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd

"Like no other record it deploys titanic ambition and ability to stupifyingly banal effect."

The worst actress ever is Andie MacDowell

"Let's admit it: she's only been successful because she's a looker."
"Need we say more?"

There's also a "best of" feature... I'll write a separate post on that later... because I'm sure no one is tired of year-end lists yet!

Reviews-wise, Kate Bush's Aerial receives all the love the Word saved from their hate feature.

Aerial is not only the best album of her career, it's also the sanest piece of work that you will hear this year. After immersing yourself in its two CDs you emerge with a sense that every other record around is slightly off-centre and every other act is suffering from a neurosis. Aerial alone sounds wholesome and psychologically sorted. Admittedly, it's the work of a soul in wonder - she's smitten with wonder at her child, the songs of birds and the colour of sunsets. But then, if you weren't struck to your core by the strange beauty of those things, you'd be the mad one, wouldn't you?"
- Paul Du Noyer, Aerial review

Albums from The Ralfe Band and Mattafix get pretty good reviews (MP3s from both are posted below). Mattafix's Signs of a Struggle is called "background stuff in the best sense, a quality mood-adjuster." The Ralfe Band's Swords is dubbed "21st-century surreal vaudeville" ... and "although there's a sketchlike, incomplete air about many of the songs, there's also a welcome air of freshness and an intuitive abandon that bodes well for the future."

Word Magazine January 2006 CD Track Listing:

1. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Over And Over Again (Lost And Found) - this song is no doubt included because the Brits are as dismayed as xolondon at the woeful lack of attention the Clap Your Hands kids received in '05. Let's hope the alt-music wor- nay, the whole world takes notice of these guys next year!

2. Fiona Apple - Get Him Back

3. David Ford - A Long Time Ago (from I Sincerely Apologise For All the Trouble I've Caused, only available as an import in the U.S.) If there was any more harmonica in this song, I'd feel he should be sorry for that, but thankfully there's just a bit of it at the end of the tune. Description-wise, I feel the "album details" provided at Amazon have such interesting information and capitalization it would be a shame to not quote them: "Former Easyworld Singer David Ford Shakes off his Major Label Blues with a Serious Indie Record Reminiscent of the Best of Tom Waits, all Written, Performed and Produced by Himself. First Signing at Independiente from David Boyd, Former Hut Records Supremo and the Man that Discovered David Gray." It's Serious and Indie, yo.

4. The Decemberists - We Both Go Down Together (wonderful, but you hopefully already know that)

5. Annie - Always Too Late (from Anniemal). My head is filled with unfortunate Little Orphan Annie jokes, preventing me from providing a better description than "dance music".

6. Harold Budd - Niki D

7. Mattafix - 11:30 pm (Dirtiest Trick in Town) (from Signs of a Struggle, only available in the U.S. as an import) Languorous and rather lovely, with a nifty fusion of sounds.

8. Lonnie Donegan - Wreck of the Old '97

9. B.C. Camplight - Couldn't You Tell (from Hide, Run Away). Pure retro-pop synth fun. Some of the titles of his other songs are intriguing, such as: "Blood And Peanut Butter", "Richard Dawson", and "Emily's Dead To Me". Between that last title and
Stephen Fretwell's "Emily", Emilies are getting a bad rap in the alt-music world lately. Although perhaps they deserve it. Maybe people named Emily are disproportionately cruel. If so, hey, straighten out your act, Emilies!

10. Lori Carson - Hold On To The Sun
11. Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart - Are You Ready?

12. Ralfe Band - Frascati Way Southbound (from Swords, only available in the U.S. as an import) This slick, nicely-paced instrumental is by turns uneasy, lovely and expansive, and screechy.

13. Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Seven Joys of Mary (labeled a "Christmas bonus" rather than "13" and not super-timely at this point...)

New Arctic Monkeys - "Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured"

From Arctic Monkeys' debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which will be released January 30th in the U.K. and February 21st in the U.S...

Arctic Monkeys - Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured

Devo Makes Music for Kids

Following in the footsteps of They Might Be Giants and borrowing a trick or two from the Kidz Bop playbook, Devo has decided to make music for children. As with They Might Be Giants' Here Come the ABCs, a DVD featuring videos of all the songs on Devo 2.0 will be available. The album will be released on March 17 by Disney Sound (which also released They Might Be Giants' Here Come the ABCs).

Devo 2.0 will feature a couple of new Devo songs, "Cyclops" and "The Winner". According to Billboard, "all five members of Devo regrouped to re-record some of its best known songs, including the 1980 hit 'Whip It!' with vocals provided by a quintet of kids." I'm not sure from the phrasing whether just "Whip It" is going to be given the Kidz Bop treatment or whether they're doing... that to a whole mess of Devo songs. Here's hoping they know what they're doing.

Devo - Whip It (Live) (from Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo/DEV-O Live)

Devo - Uncontrollable Urge (from Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo/DEV-O Live, etc.)

Devo - Jocko Homo (from Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo/DEV-O Live, etc.)

They Might Be Giants - Go For G! (from Here Come the ABCs)

They Might Be Giants - Alphabet Lost and Found (from Here Come the ABCs)

Pink Floyd Possibly the World's Greatest Rock Act

Digital classic rock radio station Planet Rock asked people via a website form: "Which decade had the best Rock?" and to name "three tracks that best represent that decade in your eyes". About 58,000 responses later the results are clear: Pink Floyd Fans are the most dedicated to repeatedly submitting online forms. Rock! I mean, Pink Floyd is "the world's greatest rock act" and the 70s had the best rock. Of course most of these surveys aren't scientific, but for what they're worth, those are the headline results. However, if you read the story from an Irish source, you're likely to see a headline like "U2 in world's greatest rock act list". As long as they're going to use headlines to brag, how about "U2 Better Than Bon Jovi"?

The "Greatest" to "Worst" Rock Decades:

1. 70s
2. 60s
3. 80s
4. 90s

(these were the only decades people could choose)

The "Greatest" Rock Acts:

1. Pink Floyd
2. Led Zeppelin
3. The Rolling Stones
4. The Who
5. AC/DC
6. U2
7. Guns N' Roses
8. Nirvana
9. Bon Jovi
10. Jimi Hendrix

Pink Floyd - Goodbye Blue Sky (from The Wall, etc.)

The Rolling Stones - She's So Cold (from Emotional Rescue, etc.)

U2 - Trash, Trampoline And The Party Girl (from The Best Of 1980-1990, B-side to "A Celebration" single)

Nirvana - Sliver (from Incesticide, etc.)

Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing (from Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix, etc.)

Jimi Hendrix - Night Bird Flying (from Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix, etc.)

Nicky Wire Solo Track/Last Hurrah for Holiday Music

If you're in the mood for some non-holiday music, you might want to check out "I Killed the Zeitgeist", a solo track from Manic Street Preachers' bassist Nicky Wire's upcoming solo album. He's made it available for free download at the Manic Street Preachers' website. If you're still into holiday music... a few more such tunes...

Have a safe and very happy holiday.

Pet Shop Boys - It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas

Johnny Cash - Joy to the World

Martin Denny - Exotic Night

Barenaked Ladies - Hanukkah Blessings

Baby, It's Cold Outside

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" is of my favourite holiday songs. Though it's thought of as a classic Christmas tune, there's nothing about Christmas in the lyrics. It's more of a winter song. The idea of a Christmas song dedicated to seduction does have a certain appeal. Christopher Walken should really do a cover as his Saturday Night Live character "The Continental".

Tom Jones & Cerys from Catatonia - Baby, It's Cold Outside (from Reload and Now! The Christmas Album)

Carmen McRae and Sammy Davis Jr - Baby, It's Cold Outside (from UltraLounge - Christmas Cocktails, Part 3. This version might be the closest thing we have to a Christopher Walken cover for now, and that's not a dis)

The Brian Setzer Orchestra and Ann-Margaret - Baby, It's Cold Outside (from Boogie Woogie Christmas)

Ray Charles and Betty Carter - Baby, It's Cold Outside (from The Spirit of Christmas)

Dean Martin - Baby, It's Cold Outside (from Christmas With the Rat Pack)

Vanessa Willians and Bobby Caldwell - Baby, It's Cold Outside (from Silent Night, Soulful Night. I hate this version. I don't find it "soulful". I find it "painful")

Holly Cole and Ed Robertson (of Barenaked Ladies) - Baby, It's Cold Outside (from Baby, It's Cold Outside. Nifty)

Top Ten Songs My Winamp Wants You to Hear

My beloved Winamp chose today's songs (on "shuffle"). My goal was to get a top 10 list of songs Winamp wanted you to hear, though you're free to think of it as a list of 10 randomly selected songs. Apparently, my Winamp prefers male vocalists, loves alt-rock, digs the 80s, and wants you to check out "Arctic Monkeys". Yeah, I know you already have, but I didn't choose the songs!

1. John Dee Graham - Sleep Enough to Dream (from Uncut: Thunder Road - Tracks Inspired By The Boss)

2. Bob Mould - Paralyzed (from Body of Song)

3. Arctic Monkeys - A Certain Romance

4. Billy Bragg - A Lover Sings (from Back to Basics, the Brewing Up With Billy Bragg EP, and Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg)

5. INXS - Listen Like Thieves (from Listen Like Thieves)

6. Pete Shelley - Homosapien (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 5)

7. Bedouin Soundclash - Money Worries (E-Clair Refix) (from Sounding A Mosaic)

8. Ben Lee - In My Life (from This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul)

9. Panic! At The Disco - Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off (from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out)

10. The Rakes - Pass the Metro (from the "22 Grand Job" single)

Sarah Harmer to Tour in the U.S. This Spring

Sarah Harmer will head to the U.S. in February to tour in support of her latest album, I'm a Mountain, out since November to her fellow Canadians, but not available until February 7 in the States. It isn't noted in the schedule, but somewhere in between March 10-19 Harmer will fit in a performance at South by Southwest in Austin. Hopefully, she'll also add some West Coast dates to the itinerary at some point.

Sarah Harmer's 2006 Tour Dates:

February 22 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom - All Ages
February 23 Burlington, VT Higher Ground - All Ages
February 24 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club - 18+
February 25 Newmarket, NH Stone Church - 18+
February 27 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall - All Ages
February 28 Alexandria, VA Birchmere Music Hall - All Ages
March 1 New York, NY Canal Room - 21+
March 3 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live - 21+
March 4 Pittsburgh, PA Dowes - 21+
March 7 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle - All Ages
March 8 Greenville, SC The Handlebar - 18+
March 9 Ashville, NC The Grey Eagle - All Ages
March 10 Nashville, TN Exit / In - 18+
March 11 Decatur, GA Eddie's Attic - 21+
March 13 Louisville, KY Headliner's Music Hall (no info about an age limit)
March 14 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill - 21+
March 27 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark - All Ages
March 29 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern Chicago, IL - 21+
March 30 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern - 21+
March 31 Madison, WI The High Noon Saloon - 21+
April 1 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cafe - 21+

Hopefully some West Coast dates will be added to the itinerary.

Sarah Harmer - I Am Aglow (from I'm a Mountain)

Sarah Harmer - New Enemy (from All of Our Names)

Sarah Harmer - Lodestar (from You Were Here)

Aqualung to Tour With David Gray, Re-Release CD With DVD

Aqualung's Matt Hales has announced plans to open for David Gray on his North American tour in March. Aqualung will also play some separate shows during the tour.

In other Aqualung news, work on the new album starts in February, with hopes of finishing "sometime in the summer."

Aqualung's first US album, Strange and Beautiful, will be re-released on January 17. It will be bundled with a DVD containing the album in enhanced stereo along with "Hello, I'm Matt, how are you?", a film by Matt's brother, Ben Hales. The film includes behind the scenes interviews and footage, previously unreleased live performances of "Brighter Than Sunshine" and "Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a Spell on You)", and includes a feature called "It's Easy to Play the Aqualung Way" wherein Matt and Ben give lessons on how to play some Aqualung songs.

A Serban Ghenea remix of "Left Behind" will be the next Aqualung single. It's headed to radio stations, and a video will be made for it.

The David Gray/Aqualung Concert Dates - All in March 2006:

Wednesday 01 - Atlanta Fox Theater
Thursday 02 - Nashville Ryman Auditorium
Friday 03 - Cleveland Palace Theater
Sunday 05 - Milwaukee Riverside Theater
Monday 06 - Indianapolis Murat Theater
Tuesday 07 - Cincinnatti Taft Theater
Thursday 09 - Houston Verizon Wireless Theater
Friday 10 - Dallas Nokia Theater
Saturday 11 - Austin The Backyard
Monday 13 - Denver Lecture Hall, CO Convention Theater
Tuesday 14 - Salt Lake City Kingsbury Hall
Thursday 16 - Portland Theater of Clouds @ Rose Garden
Friday 17 - Vancouver Orpheum Theater
Sunday 19 - Oakland Paramount Theater
Monday 20 - San Diego Copley Symphony Hall
Tuesday 21 - Universal City Gibson Theater

Aqualung - Another Little Hole (from Strange and Beautiful)

David Gray - Disappearing World (from Life In Slow Motion)

String Quartet Tribute Songs

In the mood for gentle music... might have listened to too much Hasselhoff yesterday, if such a thing is possible.

The String Quartet - Midnight Show (from The String Quartet Tribute to the Killers)

The String Quartet - November Rain (from The String Quartet Tribute to Guns N' Roses)

The String Quartet - El Scorcho (from Come On & Kick Me! The String Tribute to Weezer)

The String Quartet - No Surprises (from Strung Out On OK Computer: the String Quartet Tribute to Radiohead)

The String Quartet - Penny Royal Tea (from the String Quartet Tribute to Radiohead)

String Quartet - The Trick Is To Keep Breathing (from The String Quartet Tribute to Garbage)

String Quartet (Tom Tally) - In My Place (from the String Quartet Tribute to Coldplay)

David Hasselhoff: "The Night Before Christmas"

You know that one episode of Knight Rider wherein KITT had an evil twin (KARR)? Hasselhoff's holiday album, The Night Before Christmas isn't quite as sublime an entertainment experience, but let's not be greedy. It's special in its own way. Enjoy. Figgy pudding optional.

David Hasselhoff - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (features acting and storytelling)

David Hasselhoff - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

David Hasselhoff - The Christmas Song

NME's 2006 Chart/Time's Persons of 2005

NME has released its 2006 Chart, an impressive feat considering that 2006 has not yet even begun! It's a tad disappointing that the list only contains songs released in 2005, but that's okay. NME assures us that this is "the only chart that matters". It's in (virtual) print, so it must be true.

NME 2006 Chart

1. The White Stripes - Blue Orchid
2. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
3. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
4. Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure
5. Kaiser Chiefs - Oh My God
6. Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To
7. The Rakes - 22 Grand Job
8. Gorillaz - Dare
9. Bloc Party - Two More Years (a single)
10. We Are Scientists - The Great Escape
11. Editors - Munich (from The Back Room)
12. The Futureheads - Area (a single)
13. The Strokes - Juicebox
14. LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
15. The White Stripes - My Doorbell
16. The Bravery - An Honest Mistake (from The Bravery, and a single)
17. Queens Of The Stone Age - In My Head
18. Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales Of San Francisco
19. Babyshambles - Fuck Forever
20. Hard-Fi - Hard To Beat



Along the lines of accepting something as true because it's in print, I have some new role models today. Or at least I've decided to no longer mind that Bill Gates heads up a monopoly, and engages in a myriad of other objectionable business practices. I also have some issues with Bono & co.'s Live 8 concerts and with the simplisitic Make Poverty History approach to aiding impoverished nations. However, I'm absolving Bono of any responsibility for the downsides of the Make Poverty History campaign, while giving him credit for any and all of the good that results from it. However, Bob Geldof, Bono's partner in event planning and do-goodery, is not off the hook.

For Time Magazine has named Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono its Persons of the Year. Sir Bob don't impress them much. Or at least not enough to win the honour of posing while glaring menacingly away from a large prop globe while a couple of billionaires stand in the background. Billionaires they are; rock singers they are not, so whatever! This is a good lesson for the kids.

Sure, the Person(s) of the Year thing is about having an impact (positive or negative), not about being perfect, but our culture already tends toward the hero-worship of celebrities and the wealthy. Why feed into that?

In Bono's case, perhaps because he's "The Constant Charmer" and "the world's biggest rock star". Uh-oh. Chris Martin must be kept from this issue of Time. If he reads that last bit, it could cause a hulk-like reaction. (updated to note that it may be too late. Coldplay may have begun a "comparing themselves to the Beatles" phase")

Time lays it on thick for Microsoft as well. "Imagine a kinder, humbler Microsoft-one designed to spend money, not make it. That's the kind of philanthropy Bill and Melinda Gates have invented." First, I doubt that Microsoft is no longer a for-profit corporation. The couple did not invent "that kind of philanthropy". And yes, they do a lot of good (some of it with ill-gotten gains, but better to do good with it than evil). But in many ways Microsoft is neither all that kind nor terribly humble.

Philanthropy is a sideline for these three, while many people make it their life's work. Most of them are not singers or billionaires, though. Time calls 2005 "the year of charitainment" but there's nothing new about prominent people becoming involved with worthy causes. This year, I think the most memorable examples were associated with hurricane relief, partly because of the governmental failures connected to it. I would have expected someone associated with the hurricanes to be named; these folks seem an odd choice. Swell that Bono is charming, but it seems premature to deem him a success, just as it was when Sir Bob received excessive adulation back in the day.

U2 - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World (from Achtung Baby)

New Order to Record Music for Ian Curtis Film, Will Not Become Joy Division

New Order will record songs for a film about Ian Curtis, the late singer of the group. Curtis killed himself 25 years ago. His wife is pleased with the script proposal, bassist Peter Hook thinks the group doing the soundtrack is a "f**king great idea". Fine (though I don't understand why he's speaking in asterisks; it's confusing).

However, I'm not down with a headline like "Joy Division to Record New Songs", which made me wonder whether Mark Burnett had found his new band for the second season of "Rock Star". Worse still is a headline like "Joy Division Reunited" which makes it seem as though Curtis' suicide might have been a hoax. Perhaps Curtis was hanging out with Elvis for 25 years, and eventually got bored. Hook too is referring to "Joy Division" doing the soundtrack, but that doesn't mean the press should blindly refer to the project that way. If the band with this same group of people in it is New Order, why would they suddenly become another band when they sing cover songs by that band? The group might record new songs for the soundtrack. Would that be as New Order or Joy Division?

Some New Order 'covers'... and one song by the real Joy Division.


Joy Division - Ice Age (from Still)

Moby - Temptation (from Hotel, sung by Laura Dawn)

The Weakerthans - Wellington's Wednesdays (from Fallow. Uses a few lines from Temptation, ones Moby chose to cut from his version. I like Moby's cover, but I love the Weakerthans song. It's a favourite of mine)

DJ Matthew Grim - Round & Round (remix from A Tribute to New Order)

First Artists for 2006 South by Southwest Confirmed

The lineup of performers for next year's South by Southwest Festival is starting to take shape, as the first set of artists scheduled to perform have now been confirmed. Just over three dozen artists have already inked "Austin, SXSW XX" on the March 10-19th slots of their 2006 Coldplay calendars. If possible, it's best to stay for the entire time. Sure, say, the Go! Team probably could show up on the 14th, and wake at dawn fresh as a daisy for the golf tournament the next day. Not as fun (or as "Go!"), if you ask me.

Set to perform at SXSW XX: Annie, Arctic Monkeys, Be Your Own Pet, Belle & Sebastian, Blockhead, the Boy Least Likely To, Calexico, Neko Case, Cat Power, the Cribs, Dashboard Confessional, Destroyer, Dirty Vegas, the Duke Spirit, the Earlies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Elbow, Erase Errata, Flogging Molly, Giant Sand, the Go! Team, Hellacopters, Lady Sovereign, the Magic Numbers, Magnolia Electric Company, Mates Of State, Secret Machines, Most Serene Republic, Mystery Jets, Nickel Creek, Beth Orton, Marty Stuart, Robert Pollard, Susan Tedeschi, Tarantula A.D., Tom Verlaine, and Towers Of London.

Doing the speech thing at the festival: Billy Bragg, Judy Collins, and Kris Kristofferson. There will also be a keynote conversation with Neil Young. Artist interviews with k.d. lang, Sam Moore, the Pretenders, and Henry Rollins have been announced as well.

Annie - The Greatest Hit (from Anniemal)

The Cribs - Modern Way (from the "Mirror Kisses" single)

Flogging Molly - Swagger (from Drunken Lullabies)

The Magic Numbers - Long Legs (from The Magic Numbers)

Mystery Jets - Alas Agnes (a single)

A Couple Holiday Songs

I deem even the Damien Rice a "holiday" song just for the fun of it.

Damien Rice - Happy Christmas (War is Over) (from It's All Bells)

Cabrini - Winter of 2000 (from Smashy Smashy!)

Nest Virtual CD Release Show at the Hotel Cafe

Nest played at the Hotel Cafe Thursday night to celebrate the release of their self-titled debut EP. Unfortunately, due to the postal holiday slowdown there were no actual CDs on hand, so it was "a virtual CD release show". The new release date for Nest is December 16. Still... people born on December 16: Ludwig von Beethoven, Philip K. Dick, and Noel Coward. People born on December 8: Ann Coulter, Sam Kinison, Kim Basinger, and er, Eli Whitney. That troublemaking Whitney aside, the date change seems like a fortuitous upgrade. Take that, postal service - pOwned!



The lack of EPs didn't hurt the show any. The Hotel Cafe does have a relatively small stage, and the space limitations impacted the five-member band a bit. Although both sounded great, it was a pity that bassist Smadar Galar was rather obscured behind guitarist Greg Pajer to much of the audience for most of the show. Meanwhile, Karen Teperberg's sometimes frenetic drumming proved surprisingly effective for Nest's wistful songs, Ivan Puchalt's sedate keyboard playing less surprisingly so. Singer Ayana Haviv's warm, sweet voice is well-suited to the group's bittersweet alt-rock.

Streaming audio of four songs from the band's six-song EP can be sampled at Nest's website. I'm especially partial to "Ultraviolet" and "Part of You".



Nest will be playing Molly Malone's in L.A. January 7th at 9:30 PM. 21+ and tickets are $7.



Jenny Owen Youngs opened for Nest. If there was a merch table devoted to her selling her warez that night, it was seemingly equally devoted to remaining on the down-low. She's unsigned, but she's released a full-length CD, Batten the Hatches, which is available (along with a demo EP and other merch) at her website's store.

A bloke at Amoeba had never heard of Youngs and wanted to know what she sounded like. He gently mocked me for referring to her as "sassy". I said, "Well, she's a girl with a guitar, but she uses the word 'fuck' a lot in her songs." He seemed happier with this description. As far as Amoeba's computer system is concerned, Youngs does not exist. Incidentally, Youngs thinks of herself as more feisty than sassy. Tomato, tomahto. She sweetly sings some hook-laden, exceedingly dysfunctional songs, and tosses in the obligatory cover of a mainstream pop song ("Since You've Been Gone"). And she wears a schoolgirl uniform.

Unfortunately, she hasn't made any MP3s available for download, but streaming audio of a few songs is available. I especially recommend "Fuck Was I" and "Voice On Tape".

Youngs will perform at a benefit concert at the Living Room in NYC Wednesday, December 21st at 10 PM. Chris Garneau plays at 11 PM, and Duncan Sheik at 12 AM. The concert is 21+. Tickets are $20, and proceeds will go toward a friend of Chris Garneau's, who has leukemia and is soon having a bone marrow transplant. Youngs says, "it is going to be sort of this thing where play elliott smith songs, as well as our own songs, and song songs for a few hours". Tickets are now on sale from the Living Room.

updated to add that Youngs will be doing a residency at the Living Room in February. In March she'll return to the City of Angels for a residency at the Hotel Cafe. Get there early if you'd like a table (and order the quesadillas unless you're anti-cheese)

The Kaiser Chiefs Giving Away Limited Edition Christmas Single

The Kaiser Chiefs are giving away 2,000 copies of a limited edition Christmas 7" of "You Can Have It All" on a first-come, first-serve basis to those who sign up for their mailing list. For this single, "You Can Have It All" was "dabbled with... by Ian Broudie, High Llama and Stereolabber Sean O'Hagan and Steve Harris." The record will not be released commercially.

Kaiser Chiefs - You Can Have It All (from Employment)

Arctic Monkeys Announce Track Listing for "Whatever"

Arctic Monkeys have revealed the track listing for their forthcoming album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which will be released January 30.

The track listing for Whatever is as follows:

1. The View From The Afternoon
2. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
3. Fake Tales Of San Francisco
4. Dancing Shoes
5. You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Looking Straight At Me
6. Still Take You Home
7. Riot Van
8. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured
9. Mardy Bum
10. Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But...
11. When The Sun Goes Down
12. From Ritz To The Rubble (not "The Ritz" according to NME)
13. A Certain Romance

The group will go on tour in Ireland and Scotland in January, then tour England in February.

Mojo's Year In Review

As promised, this is that separate post on Mojo's year-end coverage. Despite its length, this is but a small excerpt; there's much more in the mag, including artists on "the best thing I've heard all year" and more top 10 genre album lists.

Mojo's Albums of the Year

1. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
2. Arcade Fire - Funeral
3. Kate Bush - Aerial
4. Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust
5. My Morning Jacket - Z
6. Ry Cooder - Chavez Ravine

Ry Cooder - Chinito Chinito (from Chavez Ravine)

7. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
8. Malcolm Middleton - Into the Woods

Malcolm Middleton - Devastation (from Into the Woods)

9. Amadou & Mairam - Dimanche A Bamako

Amadou & Maiam - Coulibaly (from Dimanche A Bamako)

10. Richard Hawley - Coles Corner
11. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
12. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
13. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
14. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me, Satan
15. The Go Betweens - Oceans Apart
16. Black Mountain - Black Mountain
17. U2 - How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
18. Gorillaz - Demon Days
19. Robert Plant And the Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger
20. Four Tet - Everything Ecstatic
21. Teenage Fanclub - Man-Made
22. Konono No.1 - Congotronics
23. Circulus - The Lick On A Tip Of An Envelope Yet To Be Sent
24. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
25. Oasis - Don't Believe The Truth
26. Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
27. Sigur Ros - Takk
28. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
29. M.I.A. - Arular
30. Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - In The Heart Of The Moon
31. Neil Young - Prairie Wind
32. Paul Weller - As Is Now
33. Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering
34. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
35. Goldfrapp - Supernature
36. The Reverend Al Green - Everything's OK
37. Coldplay - X&Y
38. Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift
39. The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
40. Supergrass - Road To Rouen
41. Stevie Wonder - A Time To Love
42. Phantom Buffalo - Shishimumu
43. John Legend - Get Lifted
44. Joy Zipper - The Heartlight Set
45. Smog - A River Ain't Too Much To Love

Smog - I'm New Here (from (A River Ain't Too Much To Love)

46. Roots Manuvs - Awfully Deep
47. Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine
48. Six Organs of Admittance - School Of The Flower

Six Organs of Admittance - Words For Two (from School Of The Flower)

49. Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die
50. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment

Genre Albums of the Year: (more in the mag)

Dance/Electronic:

1. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
2. Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
3. Brian Eno - Another Day on Earth
4. Kano - Home Sweet Home

Kano - Nobody Don't Dance No More (from Home Sweet Home)

5. Chelonis R Jones - Dislocated Genius
6. The Juan Maclean - Less Than Human
7. Capitol K - Nomad Junk
8. Roger Robinson - Illectica
9. Colder - Heat
10. Matthew Herbert - Plat Du Jour

Americana:

1. eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
2. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
3. John Prine - Fair & Square
4. Los Super 7 - Heard It On The X
5. Ronny Elliot - Valentine Roadkill
6. Bonnie "Prince" Billy
7. Vic Chesnutt - Ghetto Bells
8. Calexico/Iron & Wine - In the Reins
9. Todd Snyder - East Nashville Skyline
10. South San Gabriel - The Carlton Chronicles: Not Until the Operation's Through

Reissues of the Year:

1. The Band - A Musical History
2. The Fall - The Complete Peel Sessions
3. Bob Dylan - No Direction Home
4. Joe Meek - The RGM Legacy: Portrait of A Genius
5. Various Artists: One Kiss Can Lead to Another - Girl Group Sounds
6. Various Artists: Hearing Is Believing (Jack Nitzsche Story 1962-1979)
7. Various Artists: Chess Originals
8. The Ramones: Weird Tales of the Ramones
9. Gene Vincent - Road Is Rocky (The Complete Studio
10. Various Artists: Good For What Ails You: Music of the Medicine Shows 1926-1937

DVD of the Year: Dig!

Artist of the Year: Bob Dylan

Debutants of the Year: Arcade Fire

Trend of the Year: Bands Playing Their Classic Albums In Full

(For example, The Lemonheads played It's A Shame About Ray, Belle And Sebastian played If You're Feeling Sinister, and The Stooges played Fun House this year. Mojo names several bands they'd like to hear play particular albums next year, such as The Stone Roses' playing The Stone Roses and The Jesus & Mary Chain playing Psychocandy)

New Cat Power: "The Greatest"

Cat Power's album, The Greatest, out January 24, was recorded this summer in Memphis, TN with a stellar line-up of local musicians. The album is mostly quite bluesy, and the sound works well for both rock songs ("Living Proof", "Love & Communication") and more delicate, moody tracks such as "The Moon". The wonderful "After It All" possibly falls somewhere in between, with Marshall's warm voice plaintive but a jaunty piano and occasional whistling keeping the tune from becoming melancholy.

The country song "Empty Shell" doesn't quite work; it might have proved less annoying without its use of a backup singer as, essentially, an echo for nearly every line Chan Marshall sang.

But overall The Greatest sounds distinctive and strong, with the Southern blues/rock sound lending a new dimension to Marshall's personal lyrics.

Cat Power - The Greatest

(links replaced with link to d/l "The Greatest", per request from Matador Records)

Uncut January 2006/John Peel's Festive 15 CD

The Smiths grace the cover of Uncut 20 years after their classic album The Queen is Dead. Mike Joyce, Johnny Marr, and Andy Rourke discuss the making of the album and much more in separate interviews. According to Uncut, Morrisey was "finishing his new album in Rome and unwilling to participate in this celebration of his finest hour."

As for the prospects of a reunion, Uncut asks "why wouldn't they reform?" Joyce: "Because of Morrissey's hatred toward me, I suppose." Rourke: "I'd like to say 'never say never', but I think it's pretty unlikely, for one reason or another." Marr cites "an awful lot of very dirty water gone under the bridge." He says if asked to reform, "I think we'd have to go to some new age retreat in Arizona, all wear muslin and get up every morning to share the dawn. For several months. Go on meditation walks and then share." Laughing, he repeated, "Share! Share! Share! That's a very Smithsy thing to do, isn't it? Or we could all go for a walk around Ancoats, and sort it out."

Also interviewed in this issue: Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, The National, rock writer Nik Cohn, and directors David Cronenberg and John Waters.

Plus, Uncut weighs in on the top films, DVDs, and books of the year.

Uncut's Top 10 Films of the Year:

1. A History of Violence
2. Downfall
3. Broken Flowers
4. Million Dollar Baby
5. Sideways
6. Last Days
7. Batman Begins
8. Dig!
9. Team America: World Police
10. Sin City

The new "Brokeback Mountain" landed the #11 spot. The goofy noir "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" took #19.

Top DVDs ("Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" lands the top spot), TV DVDs ("Deadwood: Season 1"), and music DVDs ("No Direction Home: Bob Dylan") are also named.

Uncut's Top 10 Books of the Year

1. Lunar Park - Bret Easton Ellis
2. Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984 - Simon Reynolds
3. The Darling - Russell Banks
4. The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood - David Thomson
5. Trance - Christopher Sorrentino
6. Hotel California - Barney Hoskyns
7. Drama City - George Pelecanos
8. The Bob Dylan Scrapbook 1956-1966 - Text by Robert Santelli
9. How We Are Hungry - Dave Eggers
10. The Story of Film - Mark Cousins

Uncut's free CD this month honours the late DJ John Peel and his annual listeners' poll, the Festive 50. Listeners were asked to list their top 3 songs from the past year on the back of a postcard. Peel always calculated the results himself, by hand.

Uncut Presents John Peel's Festive 15 Track Listing:

1. Half Man Half Biscuit - The Trumpton Riots (#14 in the 1986 Festive 50, from the Back in the DHSS/The Trumpton Riots EP. The group's latest album Achtung Bono is dedicated to the memory of John Peel)
2. Camper Van Beethoven - Take the Skinheads Bowling (#47 in 1986, from Telephone Free Landslide Victory. Sadly, their only showing in the Festive 50)
3. Spizzenergi - Where's Captain Kirk?
4. The Mighty Wah! - Remember
5. The Sugarcubes - Birthday
6. The Woodentops - Well Well Well
7. Billy Bragg - The Saturday Boy (John Peel mentioned a craving for a mushroom biryani on the air one night in 1983. Billy Bragg brought him one, along with a demo tape, and became a regular...)
8. The Field Mice - Sensitive (#26 in 1989, from Snowball. In 1991 their song "Missing the Moon" was #45 in the Festive 50. Singer Bobby Wrattan made it to #19 in 1996 as a member of The Trembling Blue Stars with "Abba On the Jukebox)
9. The Bhundu Boys - Foolish Harp/Waerera (#30 in 1987, from Friends on the Road. John Peel called The Bhundu Boys "the most perfect music I've ever heard.")
10. Pavement - Gold Soundz
11. Felt (Featuring Elizabeth Fraser) - Primitive Painters
12. The House Of Love - Destroy The Heart (#1 in 1988, from 1986-1988: The Creation Recordings. The song was first recorded in a Peel Session. NME later named it Single of the Week, calling it "brilliant... "the same innocent yet liquid and wise.")
13. The Wedding Present - Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
14. Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding
15. The Fall - Eat Y'Self Fitter

Hidden Track:

16. John Peel - The Smiths and the Nightingales (John Peel briefly compares the two)

The Chronicles of Narnia: Review, Director Q/A

After spending 4 1/2 years making Shrek and 3 years on its sequel, for his first live-action film director Adam Adamson took on the formidable task of bringing C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to the big screen. When he first met with the Lewis estate to discuss his ideas for a film, he was surprised that "they just kept nodding." 3 1/2 years later, the enchanting epic adventure The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe shows their trust was well-placed.

As "Narnia" begins, siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie (William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley) are being sent from London, to a house in the country to avoid World War II air raids. The house is large but most of the interesting things are off-limits, and only a maid and a professor they're not to disturb live there. During a game of hide-and-seek, youngest sibling Lucy discovers a new world awaits her in a wardrobe (behind the coats). She takes tea with a kindly faun (half-man, half-goat) named Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), who confesses that he had intended to kidnap her but he can't bring himself to do it. He warns her that the White Witch seeks the capture of all humans.

She escapes back through the wardrobe, but her sister and brothers don't believe her story. Edmund is the next to see Narnia, but his encounter is with the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), who introduces herself as the Queen, and buys his affection with sweets. He tells her about his siblings and promises to bring them to her.



Once all four enter Narnia, the real adventure begins, complete with digital beavers, centaurs, minotaurs, unicorns, and wise Aslan the lion (voiced by Liam Neeson). The Shrek films may have been ideal preparation for "Narnia". All are humourous (but not frivolous) fairy tale/adventures and required great attention to detail, patience, and much time spent working with digital creatures. The heart of the story is with the children and it was essential that they be well-cast. Adamson saw videotape auditions from 2,500 child actors, saw 800 in person, initially workshopped 400, then workshopped 120 actors more closely before casting the four central roles.

Fortunately, he chose well. All are very good, particularly William Moseley as eldest sibling Peter who finds himself thrust into a very important position he didn't seek and isn't sure he can handle. Anna Popplewell gives a good performance, but Susan is simply the least interesting character, and has the smallest role in the good vs. evil battle that is her siblings' destiny. Each of the kids is given weapons, and I kept waiting for Susan to use hers, or to otherwise be useful... or be ... someone more substantial.

My quibbles with "Narnia" are relatively small. For instance, it seemed odd that characters kept warning that the trees couldn't be trusted, and citing this as a reason to move along swiftly, when "untrustworthy trees" were not later used as a plot device. Also, I found it implausible that Lucy did not use a magical gift to try to help someone very important to her at a key time.

"Narnia" (rated PG) is fairly violent and might well scare young children. Most others will likely greatly enjoy "Narnia"'s beauty and grand adventure. The special effects and cinematography are top-notch. The scenery is majestic (the film was largely shot in New Zealand, the Czech Republic, and Poland). Tilda Swinton delivers an impressively icy performance as the White Witch, while Aslan and James McAvoy (Mr. Tumnus) and Liam Neeson (the voice of Aslan) turn in equally strong, warm performances. The movie works well as an epic fantasy, and tackles themes such as bravery, destiny, friendship/family, loyalty, and forgiving.

Certainly, ideas relating to sacrifice and redemption also run through the film, and references like "sons of Adam" and "daughters of Eve" (meaning humans) may enthuse those who want to see the movie as "a Christian film". Although the movie is being marketed to churches, its director does not see the film or book as a Christian allegory. Of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Adamson says, "It's one of these books that's very open to interpretation and I read it as an adventure."

Director Q/A:

SPOILER WARNING -- scenes in the movie are discussed below, so if in doubt, don't read it before seeing the movie

Following the screening I attended last month, director Adam Adamson was interviewed and answered questions from audience members. (Quotes from Adamson, and information from the review such as how long it took to make each of his films are from this session.)

The switch from animation to live-action "wasn't as big a change as you would think," said Adamson. "The book was a really good roadmap." That said, "I didn't want to make the book. So much is my memory of the book." Adamson noted that your imagination expands upon what you read and adds to it, so that when you later go back and read the book again, you don't find things there that you expect to. Plus, Lewis had a tendency to write things like, "I can't even tell you what happened because then your parents won't let you read this."

He doesn't think he'll live long enough to make films of all the "Narnia" books. However, Adamson acknowledges that "there is an intention to make the other books, yes."

He emphasized the importance of storyboarding, "a process I consider an extension of the writing process." It made the technical issues much easier, as he could figure them out "on a shot by shot basis. Of course it changes along the way. A lot of our battle scenes stayed the same just because it was so technical." (there were "pretty much four units shooting during the battle scene").

Adamson shared that, "The shots of the wolves were shot the night before last." (meaning before our screening, which places the end of post-production at early November)

The "crossing-the-ice" scene is the only new scene (it's not in the book). Adamson "felt like the middle needed more pace and excitement." This was "a dramatic way" to indicate that "spring is coming".

Along those lines, the director found the weather the most frustrating part of making the movie. Because of a weather change, during the "White Witch deal" scene, someone was monitoring the weather and yelling things like, "sun in 10 minutes!"

Only one scene was deleted. "There was a celebration and dance scene after the coronation. We felt like the coronation was enough of a celebration," Adamson said. "I think the kids are really glad we cut it because William was really embarrassed about his dancing."

It was sometimes tough to find a take where each of the kids performed at their best. "Georgie was just so instinctual... the more rehearsal, the worse. Usually, the first take was the best." However, "William's last take was usually the best. He tends to think and sometimes overthink."

As for the challenges of working with children, Adamson told us Skandar Keynes, who played Edmund, grew 5 1/2 inches from audition to end of production. The film "was shot almost exactly in chronological order. You mature more in Narnia, so it makes sense."

Adamson usually read the lines of digital creatures when filming during scenes with the children, but his assistant Lena read Mrs. Beaver. He said, "Centaurs are something that's always fascinated me" so he especially enjoyed creating them for the film.

Adamson thinks the success of Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter movies "made this movie possible." He feels their success made the Lewis estate feel comfortable with the film adaptation. He said the nature of the relationship was "mostly... trusting me to take it, but I didn't really change anything without discussing it with them... Some things we debated."


Tim Finn - Winter Light (from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe Original Soundtrack)

Imogen Heap - Can't Take It In (from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe Original Soundtrack)

Arctic Monkeys Announce Title for Jan. 30 Album, 2nd Single Details

Arctic Monkeys have announced the title and release date of their debut album. The album will be called Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not and available January 30... at least in the UK. A North American release date has not yet been revealed, nor has a track listing. No word on whether Arctic Monkeys do not want what they haven't got. Or which one of them "I" is.

Details are known about the band's second single, "When the Sun Goes Down" (formerly known as "Scummy"). It will be released January 16th in a CD and 7" vinyl version. The CD single includes B-sides of "Sticking to the Floor" and "7". The vinyl single will include a B-side of "Settle For a Draw".

Retitling and reposting Arctic Monkeys songs may create the impression that they're from the forthcoming album, which I don't yet have. The demo of "When the Sun Goes Down", when it was called "Scummy", was posted here and is still available.

Aqualung at the Silent Movie Theatre

Aqualung's Matt Hales (vocals, keyboards, guitar) and his brother Ben Hales (backing vocals, guitar, melodica) played an entertaining, charming, and occasionally profane set Monday night at the 224-seat Silent Movie Theatre. The theatre, which first opened in 1942, and is now the only silent movie cinema in the nation, has walls lined with movie still and actor photographs. Below the stage and framing it on either side are a pair of antique pianos. A tiffany lamp sits atop one; on the other... a disco ball. The appeal of those objects neatly symbolizes the retro-hip, cool-geek vibe of the place.

Given the setting, Aqualung's lush, heartfelt songs, their lineup for the set (a singer and an accompanist), and all the stories and jokes, it was not surprising that Brit Matt Hales paid homage to cabaret singers. He crooned a smooth rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "Overs" at a mike stand, eyes mostly closed, glass of wine in his hand.

Before beginning the evening's first song, "Easier to Lie", Matt sang an improvised song, as he is wont to do. This one began something like this: "This was gonna be such a smooth beginning/You were gonna think we were so professional/But then Ben had to go and forget something." As melancholic as some of Aqualung's songs are, one might not expect their concerts to be nearly as funny as they are. Yet the humour is very appealing and doesn't detract from the emotion of the music. Once they got on track, "Easier to Lie" was one of the evening's standout tunes.

I was less impressed with a somewhat-plodding reworking of "Strange & Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)" that succeeded at making it different but not at making it better.

A new melodica was broken-in with this show, as the old one was left in San Francisco, though Matt said, "To be honest, it was a bit fucked. It started to have its own ideas about what key it was in." As for the new one? "We have every confidence in Blackie here." During another "fun with instruments" interlude, Matt goofed around on the keyboards, making horror-movie sounds and such.



Matt called the Beach Boys' "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)" one of his favourite songs, and said it "might be literally in my blood" as his mother sang it to him before he was born, as she did with his brother. His raw, sweet take on the classic song was a definite highlight (A live MP3 of "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)" is available to members of the Aqualung website)



Other standout songs included two of the strongest songs from Strange and Beautiful: "Left Behind" and "Another Little Hole". Another standout song was a new one, to be recorded in 2006 for the next Aqualung album (no official title yet, but perhaps "Glimmer" or "Tiny Glimmer"). The words might change, but for now, the song finds Matt singing, "It takes time to get it right/It takes no time to get it wrong."

During the last pre-encore song of the evening, "Brighter Than Sunshine", Ben Hales climbed off the stage to plug in that disco ball. It took longer than expected, so Matt made up another song. "I'll just make a little song to pass the time..." For his theatre-beautification efforts, Ben earned a sarcastic "Seamless!" from his brother, along with cheers and applause from the audience (he was to get more cheers upon donning a bowler hat from their dressing room for the encore).



Matt's comeuppance came during the encore, when he forgot the words to the lullaby, "Good Goodnight". It disrupted the song -- more than once -- but also made it fun. After mucking up the song for the second time, he said, "For fuck's sake!" and rested his head in his hands. "I'm terribly sorry," he told us. "I'm sorry, we've fucked that up completely." Rarely have I heard so much swearing during a lullaby. There was much good-natured laughing from both audience and stage during all this, and they did eventually finish the song.

Matt then told us they were about to play the last song of the night, and how important it was to pick the right last song. "One you know!" Ben chimed in. Matt said he did do that, and also chose one that made him think of "absent friends" and "happy times". That night he said he was dedicating it to us. With that, he and Ben closed the evening with "If I Fall", yet another lovely song.

Aqualung Set List, 7:30 PM Show:

1. Easier To Lie (from Strange and Beautiful)

2. Strange & Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)

3. Left Behind

4. Can't Get You Out of My Mind

5. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (Beach Boys cover)

6. Breaking My Heart

7. Overs (Simon & Garfunkel cover)

8. Another Little Hole (from Strange and Beautiful)

9. Glimmer (no official title, a new song)

10. Tongue-tied

11. Good Times Gonna Come

12. Brighter Than Sunshine

Encore:

13. Happy Birthday to You (sang in a minor key with more than a touch of humour, for an audience member. Matt noted that he and Ben once wrote a song called "One Year Closer to Death" for a friend's birthday)

14. Extra Ordinary Thing

15. Good Goodnight

16. If I Fall


Original Songs Aqualung covered:

The Beach Boys - Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder (from Pet Sounds)

Simon & Garfunkel - Overs (from Bookends)

CMJ New Music Monthly Mag and CD: Issue 136

Animal Collective graces the cover of the new CMJ New Music Monthly and inside, discuss love, lyrics, and trying to grow up. Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew discusses the band's forthcoming album, out next year. To Be You And Me, a limited-edition, 7-song EP, will be included with the first pressings of the album, currently titled Broken Social Scene. Drew had said the album would be called Windsurfing Nation before it was changed to the eponymous title, and tells CMJ what he'd really like to do is tell listeners, "Go get a pen. Go write your own fucking title down. It's called 'Choose Your Own Title.' We're giving the choice back to the people because it's getting taken away from them." Great idea, but why not leave all the songs untitled too, so listeners can title those for themselves as well? Also, there should be no cover art so fans can draw their own.

This issue also includes interviews with The Fiery Furnaces, Matthew Herbert, and Midaircondo, and a feature wherein Jens Lekman explains three of his songs.

CMJ New Music Monthly Issue 136 CD Track Listing:

1. Animal Collective - Grass
2. Bjork - Storm
3. Living Things - Born, Born, Born
4. Mugison - I Want You
5. Darci Cash - In the Corner
6. The Vacancies - Radio Revolution
7. Bob Dylan - Masters of War
8. The Talk - I Started Running
9. The Long Winters - Ultimatum
10. The Bad Plus - Anthem for the Earnest (this is nearly 7 minutes long. It's also awesome)
11. Alternative Champs - Mississikki
12. Girls in Hawaii - Short Song for a Short Mind
13. Drums & Tuba - Complicated Sorrow
14. Sabrosa Purr - Pink
15. Jascat - My Love
16. Imogen Heap - Hide And Seek
17. Dominic Frasca - Deviations (must say, this is another cool song)

The Postal Service, the Cure Cover Lennon For Amnesty International

Twenty five years after John Lennon's death, he's being honored with a radio tribute and his songs are being covered to raise money for Amnesty International.

Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980, and this Thursday, the 8th, Sirius Satellite Radio is holding a four-hour "Lennon Live" tribute broadcast from both the Abbey Road Studios in London and New York. Dave Matthews, Paul Weller, Jamie Cullum, Dr. John, Daryl Hall, Stereo MCs and Lulu are expected to perform.

On December 10, International Human Rights Day, the "Make Some Noise" series of John Lennon covers will be available for digital download for 99 cents each. All sales will benefit "Amnesty International's Human Rights efforts."

The first covers available will be The Postal Service's "Grow Old With Me", The Cure's "Love", The Black Eyed Peas' "Power to the People", and the Snow Patrol's "Isolation".

Early next year more songs in the series will be available, including contributions from Duran Duran and Avril Lavigne.

While the songs are only offered as downloads for now, a CD will be released at some point in 2006.

The Postal Service - Brand New Colony (from Give Up)

The Cure - Snow in Summer (from the Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities, 1978-2001 box set)

Maximo Park - Isolation (from Q Lennon #1)

Paste Magazine CD: December 05/January 06

Fiona Apple is on the cover of the new Paste, which includes interviews with Apple, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, and Nellie McKay. Also in this issue, Paste gets in on the listmaking craze, naming "The Paste Arthouse Powerhouse 100", a list of "actors, directors, screenwriters, cinematographers and composers along with those who grease the wheels to bring us the best arthouse films." Paste's top arthouse actor is Bill Murray. Their top director pick is David Cronenberg, and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Adaptation") gets the nod in the "Other Creatives" category. That's how much respect writers get; they're filed under "miscellaneous". Netflix is named the #1 "Wheel Greaser"; the Cannes Film Festival is #2. Those two will be exchanging some dirty looks at this season's holiday parties!

As always, Paste includes a CD (subscribers get a DVD as well).

The Paste December 05/January 06 Track Listing:

1. Nada Surf - Do It Again
2. Fiona Apple - O' Sailor
3. Echo & the Bunnymen - Stormy Weather
4. Laura Veirs - Galaxies
5. Manchester Orchestra - Alice And Interiors
6. Winterpills - Pills for Sara
7. Amadou & Mariam - Coulibaly
8. I-Nine - Same In Any Language
9. Metric - Monster Hospital
10. The Believers - Nobody's Business
11. Dolly Parton - The Cruel War (Featuring Alison Krauss, Mindy Smith & Dan Tyminski)
12. Charlie Sexton - Cruel & Gentle Things
13. Speech - Braided Hair (Featuring 1 Giant Leap Neneh Cherry Ulali)
14. Moonlit Towers - I Sleep Alone
15. The Choir - Nobody Gets A Smooth Ride
16. Imogen Heap - Hide And Seek
17. Chocolate Genius Inc - Amazona
19. Cindy Bullens - Dream #29 (One True Love) (Featuring Elton John)

Plenty of CDs, including many by these artists are available at PasteMusic.com

Mojo CD: Born In The USA: The American Songbook

A soul-patch-sporting Bruce Springsteen is the cover model for the January 2006 issue of Mojo. The picture possibly answers the question, "Did Springsteen have photo approval for this cover?" He looks rather dazed, and yes, confused as well. The cover copy brags "Bruce speaks! The ultimate interview!" Alright then. The interview is quite lengthy and looks rather thorough. One interesting quote, "Trust the art, be suspicious of the artist. He's generally untrustworthy." Is Springsteen warning us to mistrust him? Scandalous! Wait. Should we trust his warning?

The mag also includes interviews with Chuck D, Pete Doherty, and Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. All artists, all generally untrustworthy, if Springsteen is to be trusted.

Mojo also has decided to settle once and for all which are the 50 best albums of 2005 (hooray!). They name Antony and the Johnsons' I Am A Bird Now the album of the year, continuing its reign as An Overrated Album. I'll write a separate post with more on their picks for the best albums of the year and other parts of their year-end coverage.

Reviews-wise, the mag gives four stars out five to Cat Power's The Greatest, an album with a "soulful glow". Reviewer Victoria Segal says Chan Marshall "seems to have found a different kind of liberation, excited by the possibilities of key and notation. That's not to say that The Greatest is an easy ride. Marshall's voice is beautiful and evocative but she picks out consonants from words like the stones from fruit, leaving most of these lyrics a cryptic puree of image and emotion."

The Born in the USA: The American Songbook volumes were compiled to "celebrate the forefathers and frontrunners of Stateside music." Vol. 1 collects the work of musicians "whose work helped shape modern music as we know it today and whose influence continues to reverberate." Vol. 2 sticks to those who Mogo sees as possible "heirs to Springsteen's considerable legacy... these are artists who've given voice to the hopes and fears of Bush's America."

I only bought the second volume. I had one song from the first volume handy, so I posted that as well, and added a link to another of the tracks...

Born In The USA Volume 2 (The New American Songbook) Track Listing:

1. Hank Williams - You Win Again
2. The Doc Watson Family - I Heard My Mother Weeping
3. Leadbelly - Midnight Special (Found it at SqueezeMyLemon)
4. Woody Guthrie - Washington Talkin' Blues
5. Jelly Roll Morton - The Story of "I'm Alabama Bound"
6. Odetta - Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
7. Josh White - I Had to Stoop to Conquer You
8. Son House - Empire State Express (from Original Delta Blues)
9. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee - Screamin' and Cryin Blues
10. The Green-Briar Boys - I'm Coming Back But I Don't Know When
11. The Stanley Brothers - Man of Constant Sorrow
12. New Lost City Ramblers - Keep On the Sunny Side
13. Ian & Sylvia - You Were on My Mind
14. The Gosdin Brothers - There Must Be a Someone
15. Cisco Houston - Deportees

Born In The USA Volume 2 (The New American Songbook) Track Listing:

1. Iron & Wine - Woman King
2. Ray LaMontagne - Jolene
3. Frank Black - I Burn Today (from Honeycomb, mistakenly listed as "I Burn For You" by Mojo)
4. Josh Rouse - Streetlights (from Nashville)
5. Brendan Benson - Alternative to Love (from The Alternative to Love)
6. Dan Sartain - Leeches Pt. 1
7. Magnolia Electric Co - Hard To Love A Man
8. Bright Eyes - Land Locked
9. Joanna Newsom - Sprout And The Bean
10. Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy Jr.
11. Rosie Thomas - Pretty Dress (from If Songs Could Be Held)

I quite like this tune. Rosie Thomas is currently on tour and has a couple of shows in L.A. this week. She's at the Knitting Factory on Tuesday opening for David Bazan, and at Largo on Wednesday with Bazan opening for her. On Friday they'll play at Seattle's Crocodile Cafe with Thomas headlining. Fans of Thomas and/or staying warm may want to check out her handmade Sing-a-long scarves at the Sub Pop shop.

12. Willard Grant Conspiracy - Evening Mass (from There But for the Grace of God)
13. Kelley Stoltz - The Sun Comes Through
14. Jim James - Sooner (live)
15. Black Mountain - Heart of Snow

The Word Magazine: December CD

The December issue of The Word (formerly Word of Mouth) includes a CD, as usual. The Edge gave an interview for the magazine and posed for the cover, but didn't smile, as if by compromise. Sharon Osbourne is also interviewed, and criticizes Madonna ("You dress like a hooker, then a librarian, then a hooker again. Who are you? At that age you should know."). Hey, isn't variety the spice of life? Something's the spice of life. I thought it was variety.

There's also a nifty feature settling once and for all the 20 worst and best record covers of all time.

The 20 Worst Record Covers in History, As Decided by "The Word"

20. Doggystyle - Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Just appalling. There are pictures scrawled on your local underpass that show more vision, composition and wit than this."



19. Bury the Hatchet - the Cranberries
18. Blood on the Dancefloor - Michael Jackson
17. Self Portrait - Bob Dylan



16. Be Here Now - Oasis
15. Love You Live - The Rolling Stones



14. Have a Nice Day - Bon Jovi



13. Never Let Me Down - David Bowie - "Oh look, a toy bomb has gone off in the crowded attic of the Dame's creative mind. Special mention for rotten typography, surely a typeface called Pierrot Extra Stupid."



12. The Massacre - 50 Cent
11. Lucky Town - Bruce Springsteen
10. Greatest Hits: My Perogative - Britney Spears - "Terrible Photoshopped dog's dinner plonked on top of a grey doily. Apart from Britter'a bewildered expression, is any part of this picture real?"



9. Hemispheres - Rush
8. Home - The Corrs
7. Waiting for the Siren's Call - New Order



6. Dream Harder - The Waterboys - "Smarmy, pleased with itself and executed to a standard that would make Ronnie Wood laugh."



5. Bunkka - Paul Oakenfold
4. The Ladder - Yes - "Now, of course, Roger Dean art is a staple of stand-up comedy but this eyeball-strainer came out in 1999 when everybody knew better."



3. Bare - Annie Lennox
2. Double Fantasy - John Lennon

And the worst sleeve of all time is...

1. The Miracle - Queen - "In older, wiser cultures, abominations like this are seen as signs that the harvest will surely fail."



The 20 Best Record Covers in History, As Decided by "The Word"

20. Elvis Presley
19. Fire - Ohio Players
18. One Step Beyond - Madness - "Iconic, unhinged and promising more fun than ought to be allowed for 2.99 pounds."



17. Weasels Ripped My Flesh - Frank Zappa
16. Trans-Europe Express - Kraftwerk - "The trappings of a pre-war German cinema publicity shot let Kraftwerk place themselves perfectly, in thrall neither to Germany's past nor the American ideal of rock and roll."



15. American Recordings - Johnny Cash - "Andy Earl's breathtaking shot gives Cash an awe-inspiring biblical dimension appropriate, since he was effectively back from the dead."



14. Windowlicker - Aphex Twin
13. "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" - The Smiths (single)
12. Lost Horizons - Lemon Jelly - "Band member Fred Deakin's wonderful childlike art turned the look of electronica upside down."



11. Breakfast in America - Supertramp



10. Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard - Paul McCartney
9. Actually - Pet Shop Boys - "Brilliant minimalism and the best yawn in entertainment history."



8. Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
7. Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
6. Age of Chance - Kiss
5. Post - Bjork
4. Top of the Pops Vol. 18 - Pickwick compilation - "Now that's how to do casual sexism. Carefree and supremely wonderful."



3. Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division



2. It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah! - Frank Black

And the Best Sleeve Ever Is...

1. Country Life - Roxy Music - "Possibly the sexiest record sleeve there has ever been. Banned in America, obviously."



Word Magazine December 2005 CD Track Listing:

1. Teddy Thompson - Shine So Bright (from Separate Ways. I expected a love song from that title. Not exactly... "I wanna be death-bed thin/Never realize the state I'm in/Walk with my head in the clouds/Be followed around by crowds/I want to shine so bright it hurts". Keen song. Teddy Thompson's latest album is out now in the UK, out Feb. 14 in the US. "Finely crafted songs" on that album, according to Q. Joe Henry produced his first, self-titled album)

2. XTC - I'd Like That (from the box set Apple Box and available elsewhere. A whimsical love song)

3. Cass Fox - Million Dollars
4. Jackson Browne - Lives in the Balance
5. The Fall - Early Days of Channel Fuhrer

6. Misty's Big Adventure - She Fills the Spaces (from The Black Hole. A really fun song. John Peel was a Misty's fan. He even called their singer Grandmaster Gareth "The new God". Streaming audio from Misty's Big Adventure's album, The Black Hole is available on their website.

7. Vashti Bunyan - Here Before

8. Luke Doucet - It's Not the Liquor I Miss (from Broken (and other Rogue States). Songs including handclapping are likelier to be good. This is good. Luke Doucet looks indifferent in the picture on his website. He cares... he even blogs. Wordy fellow, I can't relate. After saying he "had to go" to a Wal-Mart for the first time, he writes "Yup my cherry has been broken." I see I have a fellow warrior in the "brevity is not the soul of wit" battle. Huzzah! Oh, fine. He does share big thoughts about music, war, and politics. It isn't all dirty analogies (and swearing. Dude swears a lot. He's from Vancouver. Is that what they're teaching kids in Vancouver nowadays? To curse like sailors? Awesome. Now America just needs to figure out how to get people from Vancouver to use their mighty swearing power to defend us against the Brits)

9. Francoiz Breut - Le Ravin
10. King Creosote - My Favourite Girl
11. Calexico and Iron & Wine - A History of Lovers
12. Salif Keita - Kamoukie

13. John Vanderslice - Trance Manual (from Five Years Been too wordy... good...)

14. Guillemots - Cat's Eyes