Bear Trapped On Bridge!

The BBC have a report on a bear who was trapped under a bridge in California.

Dublin's big problem

The really big problem with Dublin is that there are too many hills.

CSS "Cansei de Ser Sexy"

My middle name is Adonis, so I am entitled to throw stones from my glass house, so one thing that strikes me about this band is that, for people who go on about being sexy all the time, they really are a bunch of munters. Apart from the gay bloke, obviously. But of course, it may be that I have not seen the right photos, and in any case I don't buy records for the attractiveness of those who make them (as my numerous Pink Floyd albums will attest). These Brazilian sensations may not have the looks, but they really make the sounds – if the kind of sounds you like are utterly infectious synth pop confections. I think most people say that most of the songs are not as good as 'Let's make love and listen to Death From Above', and they're right, but the rest of the album is still very enjoyable when you listen to it all at once.

I Can Has Bike

Emboldened by my recent trip to Amsterdam, I have taken to sitting in my window in my kecks inviting passers by to pay me for sexual favours. Or maybe I have in fact transformed Carwash Mansions into a place where the finest relaxing herbs are always available for a price.

I'm joking of course. What I have actually done is BUY A BIKE. My new bike is built like a tank, has only three gears (how many do you need?), and has a basket. I will soon be the talk of the town.

My hope is that my cycling adventures are less dramatic than those experienced by the one who calls himself Chocolate Socialist.

God Exists, But We Do Not Recognise Him

You may already have seen that A Soviet Poster A Day blog. If not, check it out. It is deadly. I would include a picture, but the blog's bourgeois class enemy owner does not seem to allow linking to his pictures.

He also has a blog featuring posters from Cuba.

Yet another Great Idea!

If the slash fiction doesn't work out, I could always form a band called Crotch City Pandas. Surely a band with that name would rapidly sweep to global domination!

M.I.A. "Kala"

This is another record of the year candidate. OK, so it maybe trails off a bit, with the later tunes not living up to the promise of the first batch, but the overall level of quality attained leads to Kala likewise attaining astonishing heights of musical achievement. Just in case you never read what I write, M.I.A. is this Tamil-English woman who makes insurrectionary pop-hip hop collisions with added crunchy dance beats. On this one, on the great tracks, she goes for total dance mentalness, producing a slew of tunes you could play in sequence to keep a dance floor permanently in dance madness – provided they are forward thinkers, of course. I won't mention the odd covers or references she includes to certain other tracks as i) you have probably already heard about them or ii) it would be better for you not to have the surprises spoiled. More generally, this has a lot of Bollywood/Bhangra samples but has a considerably ravier sound than that on Arular, M.I.A.'s first.

One thing I will say about Kala is that it totally rocks as something to listen to while walking around, especially if you want to arrive there quickly.

Another Great Idea!

I have had another great idea, one which will surely make my fortune: I will set up a LiveJournal blog in which I write slash fiction about the Momus Lolz people. Watch the cash roll in!

Justice [black cross]

This is the record by the latest crazy French techno pop funsters, the ones I keep mentioning for remixing Simian's dreadful 'Never Be Alone' into the totally awesome 'WE! ARE! YOUR FRIENDS!' so I reckoned I would take a punt on this. On a first listen, my beloved commented "I already know what Daft Punk sound like", but since then we have really grown to love this, and it gets heavy rotation on Vinyl Sunday. The music is all of the pompous French dance that will fill the floors of ATP discos everywhere. The album opens with the glorious bombast of 'Genesis' before mutating into the kind of music you cannot but dance to, if you are human. 'D.A.N.C.E' and 'Stress' are probably particular favourites, while I am still a bit ambivalent on the one with a feat. by novelty rap sensation Uffie. Overall, though, this is a truly awesome album and one that must surely be a most serious contender for record of the year. I must learn off the words to 'D.A.N.C.E' and make up a dance to go with them.

Winners and Losers

Lizard King:
Enda Kenny T.D.: