Believe The Hype... Sorta.

"When The Sun Goes Down", the latest single from Arctic Monkeys will kick you in yer arse!



It was funny… on first listen I thought: “Man, this sounds like Roxanne by The Police!” Then I checked the lyrics and it turns out the song is about the shady side of nightlife on the streets… AND… there’s even a reference to Roxanne: “And he told Roxanne to put on her red light.” Too funny.

Well, at least they admit whom they’ve ripped off!

Seriously though… this single is really quite good. Starts off slow: sounds like Sting covering a Pulp song but then explodes into a fist pumping anthem ala The Kinks, Blur, The Clash, and The Jam.

The B-sides aren’t so bad either… "Stickin' To The Floor and "7" are short and punky and owe more to Blur’s “Bank Holiday” than anything else. The final track: “Settle For a Draw sees the lighter side of Arctic Monkeys. The distortion has disappeared and some nice clean jazz chords that Paul Weller would be proud of take center stage. Still sounds a bit Blur complete with cockney “Seh-uhl for a draw,” but is easily the second best track on the single.

Hype and buzz aside… Arctic Monkeys deliver on this one.

Lush-ful Thinking!

"and i", the latest from Sing-Sing, will make you long for the glory days of Lush...



As we all know, Sing-Sing is a legendary prison. Musically speaking, it’s the prison that Emma Anderson was sent to after Lush broke up. No, the album isn’t BAD (it’s actually pretty good!)… you just get the feeling that Emma has some restrictions put upon her...

She has a cellmate in Lisa O’Neill that splits songwriting responsibilities and singing duties. The problem: Emma is a better songwriter, and a much better singer. I don’t know why Emma hasn’t decided to just go at it alone, this album could have been amazing!

The info strip for this album says and i “continues where the first Sing-Sing album left off”… cliché. Truth of the matter is, they left behind a lot of the electronics that made the joy of Sing-Sing so refreshing. Opting for more guitar work this time around, the album is hit-and-miss...

It starts out strong enough with the poppy “Lover,” (by Emma) but then lulls for a couple of songs (by Lisa) until it soars once again with the radio friendly “A Modern Girl’ (by Emma). Then, two more non-factors (by Lisa) before “Going Out Tonight” (By Emma and Lisa) will remind you of just how much you miss Lush! Unseen (by Emma) takes you back to Sing-Sing’s first album, followed by a circus-y “Happy Christmas/War is Over-y” song called “The Time Has Come” (By Emma). The album swells one more time with a brilliant chorus in “When I Was Made” (by Emma), but crashes back down to Earth with the final track “A Kind of Love” (by Lisa).

So let’s review: a wise man once said “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others!” Emma proves that. Her songs stand out, her voice stands out, and she really is much better than being reduced to a caged duo.

Let’s hope that the next Sing-Sing album finds Emma in solitary confinement.

I'm LOST... again...

8pm-9pm SUCKS Monday thru Friday.

The bar is always dead and I sit here waiting for the seconds to pass.

I really need to get a new job. I was kinda hoping KLIV was gonna set me up FULL TIME... but it looks like that might be a while. I had filled every possible open shift from 27 December thru last week in hopes of getting in good with the higher ups... plus I friggin' just LOVE the job and wish I could be there all the time. They seem to really like me and tell me I do a great job blah blah blah...but no offer of more permanent hours yet. So, I guess it's back to the job hunt, cause the King George just ain't cuttin' it!

The one good thing about having free daytime hours though, is that I've been able to start watching Season One of Lost! I bought the DVD's and am so into it right now! I can't wait to see Season Two!

Other than that... the New Year is off like a herd of turtles. I had such high hopes, but looks like it's gonna be just another year at this point.

Gonna have to do something to shake things up.

Wish my plane would crash on a deserted Island.