Kitchen, films and music

So the kitchen is done at last. Managed to paint the emulsion this weekend, and it's turned out alright. Not quite the colour I was imagining whilst comparing the 1cm square colour boards in Wickes. Trying to purchase an off white, on the whiter side of cream, so chose something called Orchid White. Looks just like Magnolia, I'm sure all these off white colours do, they just try and give it another name, cos magnolia is such an uncool colour. Just got the doors to gloss, but I thought I'd wait till the weather was a bit warmer and I could open the outside door to help reduce the smell. In fact the weekend was quite nice, amongst decorating I watched a few films I'd recorded. Blair witch project, which is a nice idea for a film, but a bit boring the second time round, it's all shouting and moaning, and the ending is a bit rubbish imo. I also watched bend it like beckham, which I surprisingly enjoyed a lot. This probably gets filed under chick flick, the genre of film that I hate with a passion, so why record it, well it had good reviews and has keira knightley in it. Football films are also generally terrible, you just can't generate the suspense of a match on the big screen, it always has to involve a last minute goal or a penalty, and again this rule was followed here. (There are only two good football scenes to my knowledge, the first and best is the football scene in Kes, and the other is ossie ardiles doing that flick thing in Escape to Victory). However, there was so much more to the story line, clashes of cultures, clashes of generations, and confusions over sexuality, which made this film so much more enjoyable. I also liked the way in the film that football mad Jess, discussed her concerns and worries with her picture of David Beckham, in contrast to her mother, who brought her concerns to the picture of Guru Nanak in the front room. Had sunday lunch round at m&e house, which was great, it was a really nice meal, the parsnips were fantastic. Not had a roast dinner in ages.

Also been listening to a lot of music recently, so a few mini-reviews:


Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit



Which I've listened to the most, ready for their gig. At first I was a little disappointed, because I'm so familiar with their incredible early material, and of course as the band have matured, so their musical direction has evolved. The more I listen to this record, the more I enjoy it, the tunes are really uplifting and some of the use of harmonies really puts a smile on your face. Interesting how the tunes hide the darker nature of some of the lyrics, for example on Another Sunny Day, the tale ends with an encounter of love:


There’s something in my eye a little midge so beguiling
Sacrificed his life to bring us both eye to eye
I heard the Eskimos remove obstructions with tongues, dear
You missed my eye, I wonder why, I didn’t complain
You missed my eye, I wonder why, please do it again

which ends in heartache

The lovin is a mess what happened to all of the feeling?
I thought it was for real; babies, rings and fools kneeling
And words of pledging trust and lifetimes stretching forever
So what went wrong? It was a lie, it crumbled apart
Ghost figures of past, present, future haunting the heart


I reckon it's worth an 8.5/10

The editors - the back room



I won't deny that this is a good album, however it sounds just like Interpol, Joy Division, and a touch of Elbow, so pleased I haven't parted cash to get this, but merely recorded it off my housemate.

7/10

Lou Rhodes - beloved one



Came across this, thanks to amazon, which suggests things you might like. And it was right, I might like it, as Lou is the former singer of lamb, who are a band I really admire. Lou's lyrics are usually exquisite at putting into words the effect love can have, in fact the lyrics from Gorecki are used in Moulin Rouge to good effect. So if you haven't written your valentine card, mosey on down to lamb's lyric page and get some inspiration. This album is very folky, and ad remarked that it sounded very much like someone you'd expect to hear at the performance cafe at greenbelt. Musically it's reminiscent of Lamb's last lp, but without all the crazy drum and bass, electronica that andy barlow brings to the mix. 6/10

Broken Social Scene - broken social scene




An amalgamation of various canadian bands, forming a super group. Crazy intertwined melodies and genres, from indie pop to hip hop. Amazing how all the instruments and melodies seem to work together to form the whole. A few more listens and I think this will just grow and grow on me. Looking forward to seeing them live tonight! 7.5/10 for the moment...