Novelties

Music Review

Classic Compllations

Put your feet up, pour a glass of wine and relax into The Late Night Tales of Belle and Sebastian. This CD, first released in 2006 is an eclectic mix of this Glasgow based band’s favorite tracks. If you are unsure of what sort of mood you are in, what tune will hit the right spot, whether you want an old favorite to sing along to or a taste of something experimental to blow your mind; this is the CD for you. Belle and Sebastian are known not only for their unusual blend of sugary pop tunes and acidic lyrics but for their skill on the turntables. They bring us a heady mix of ageing classics, acid jazz and the absolutely bizarre. Taking you on a journey which incorporates stop-offs at the 50s Motown classic “Do you Really Want to Rescue Me” by Elsie May, the eerie sounds of Sterolab’s “French Disko” and the unforgettably smooth “Fly Like an Eagle” by Steve Miller Band. The variety of their taste will help to spice up your evening, cool your boots, stir your blood and leave you puzzling for weeks at how Bach’s Orchestral Suite No.2 in B Minor can so be smoothly followed by David Shirgly’s surreal, oral tale of “When I was a Little Girl”.

Far Away from Home

Far away from home, you can sometimes feel out of the loop when it comes to new music. Being able to log on and listen again to favorite music programs goes a long way to ease the pain. Snatching the odd clip of Radio 1 presenter, Jo Whiley’s Live Lounge never fails to bring a little cheer to the grey, sludgy days of a dispiriting Moscow winter. If you cannot listen again do not despair as Live Lounge Albums, volumes one and two have been released in the last two years. These CD’s showcase the talents of a wide range of artists. The album begins with a bang with the sounds of David Grohl and his fellow Foos belting out DOA and what follows does not disappoint, with the likes of Editors, Snow Patrol and Maximo Park bringing their singles to life with the raw beauty of an acoustic set. However, it is the covers which really get inside your head. Ranging from the The Futureheads’ fabulous version of Kate Bushe’s “The Hounds of Love” (since being performing on Radio 1, it has now become a festival favorite) to the Sheffield-based band, Artic Monkeys, comical cover of x factor’s success story, Girls Aloud’s “Love Machine”, the album delivers surprise after surprise after surprise. Will Young singing “Hey Ya” and Sugarbabes’ “Livin’ for the Weekend” i so wrong and yet so right!