Currently listening to… 18 July 2008
Posted by Anders Hanson in Music.Tags: delays, everything's the rush, Music, the last shadow puppets
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It’s ages since I last wrote about the music I’ve been listening to, which is a shame as I’ve been listening almost obsessively to the same album ever since I bought it at the start of May - Everything’s The Rush by Delays.
I’ve been a huge fan of Delays ever since they first appeared and I still find it amazing that they haven’t had more commercial success, despite their music being played quite extensively and used as backing tracks on TV programmes. Everything’s the Rush continues where the last album left off with more substantial tunes that are perfect indie-rock but with the catchy hooks of pop. They are now on to their third brilliant album, but my regret is that owing to elections I missed their latest tour. I just hope they do another one soon. As a taster for this album then I urge to watch the video for their next single - Keep it Simple. It isn’t one of my favourite tracks on the album but it stars Keith from The Office.
Apart from Delays my other listening habits lately have become quite Sheffield-orientated with tracks that I keep listening to including:
- Heavyweight Champion of the World by Reverend and the Makers
- Lady’s Bridge by Richard Hawley - I don’t usually like Richard Hawley’s music as he is a bit too much of a crooner for my liking, but this song is great. It is moody and melancholic which fits with my personality, and I can empathise with the idea of walking along the river when you’re feeling sad. I also now live close to Lady’s Bridge in Sheffield, after which the song and album is named
- Icarus by The Hours
- Mercy by Duffy
- La Ritournelle by Sebastien Tellier
- bizarrely, a Eurovision track that I can’t get out of my head is Hero by Charlotte Perrelli
- and finally, The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets - a brilliant song that has rapidly become one of my favourites and as some other people on the internet have noted would make them a brilliant choice for doing a James Bond theme. They have also done a great video, which isn’t how I pictured the song at all, but is worth watching:
Shock News: Russell Howard has become funny! 18 July 2008
Posted by Anders Hanson in TV.Tags: comedy, mock the week, never mind the buzzcocks, russell howard, television
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Stand-up comedian Russell Howard suddenly seems to be on every TV programme that I watch. Actually that’s not strictly true but over the last few days I have watched a lot of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Mock the Week. Both are two of my favourite TV programmes, but then most comedy quizzes (or quizcoms as the TV channel Dave has labelled them) are.
Russell Howard has been on a lot of these but despite him winning countless awards and being hyped as one of the best new comedians around I have never found him funny. I’ve tried hard to see what it is in him that people think is even vaguely amusing, but I’ve just never discovered it. Even some of his co-guests seem to find it hard to laugh at his jokes. Until now that is. I don’t know what transformation has come over him, but suddenly in this series of Mock the Week he is genuinely funny. One of the funniest on the show. It seems as though I will have to change my view that he is nice to look at, but not much good as a comedian.
Which reminds me, another thing that has changed my view on the world of TV comedy is Never Mind the Buzzcocks. There is an unwritten rule in the world of television that all entertainment shows are never as good when the original presenter leaves. Simon Amstell taking over from Mark Lamarr in Never Mind the Buzzcocks has changed all of that. I had always liked the programme, but since Simon Amstell took over two years ago it has just got better and better. Definitely one of my favourte programmes.
