en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal The Last.fm journal for Mitya. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2009/07/04/2uglt2_heathaze_recommendations Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:26:43 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2009/07/04/2uglt2_heathaze_recommendations Recommended Songs (sorted by most recommended songs)

Wrecked Metal : Zeigeist (Score = 78.35)
It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry : Glasvegas (Score = 66.54)
I'm Not Scared of You : Heavenly (Score = 66.49)
Dans Ta Vraie Vie : Yelle (Score = 63.09)
The Flex : Phil Manzanera (Score = 62.74)
Daddy's Gone : Glasvegas (Score = 62.14)
Mal Poli : Yelle (Score = 60.64)
The Greater Times : Electrelane (Score = 58.18)
Sisters of the Moon : Fleetwood Mac (Score = 57.83)
Starstruck : Santogold (Score = 56.56)
After the Call : Electrelane (Score = 52.18)
Call The Doctor : Sleater-Kinney (Score = 47.08)
Intact : Ned's Atomic Dustbin (Score = 47.02)
Same Time Next Week : Phil Manzanera (Score = 46.36)
Shine a Light : Wolf Parade (Score = 44.62)
Still Be Around : Uncle Tupelo (Score = 41.67)
Mystery Hours : The New Pornographers (Score = 40.66)
Swimmers : Broken Social Scene (Score = 37.54)
Who's Crying Now : Journey (Score = 34.83)
Still They Ride : Journey (Score = 33.87)
Grey Victory : 10,000 Maniacs (Score = 33.07)
Combat Baby : Metric (Score = 32.75)
I'll Believe in Anything : Wolf Parade (Score = 30.31)
Daktari : 10,000 Maniacs (Score = 28.6)
Middle Of Nowhere : Hot Hot Heat (Score = 27.98)
Hang Me Up to Dry : Cold War Kids (Score = 27.2)
Miracle Drug : A.C. Newman (Score = 26.86)
Can You Tell : Ra Ra Riot (Score = 26.81)
Goodnight Goodnight : Hot Hot Heat (Score = 25.15)
Tell Me This Night Is Over : The Ark (Score = 24.89)
Is There a Ghost : Band of Horses (Score = 24.68)
How I Was Made : Kenickie (Score = 24.63)
Thriller : Fall Out Boy (Score = 24.53)
In A Cave : Tokyo Police Club (Score = 24.25)
Hum Hallelujah : Fall Out Boy (Score = 24.23)
Australia : The Shins (Score = 24.14)
Cheap and Cheerful : The Kills (Score = 23.69)
Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt : We Are Scientists (Score = 23.46)
O Valencia! : The Decemberists (Score = 23.44)
Nature Of The Experiment : Tokyo Police Club (Score = 23.04)
7/4 (Shoreline) : Broken Social Scene (Score = 23.04)
Cut Up : Ned's Atomic Dustbin (Score = 22.83)
Grow Up and Blow Away : Metric (Score = 22.11)
Phantom Limb : The Shins (Score = 22.06)
Empire : Kasabian (Score = 21.91)
We Used to Vacation : Cold War Kids (Score = 21.86)
I Was Born (A Unicorn) : The Unicorns (Score = 21.5)
Hospital Beds : Cold War Kids (Score = 21.45)
Nothing Better : The Postal Service (Score = 20.74)
Men's Needs : The Cribs (Score = 20.33)
See These Bones : Nada Surf (Score = 20.31)
Cold Cold Water : Mirah (Score = 20.09)
Dashboard : Modest Mouse (Score = 20.07)
Can't Stand Me Now : The Libertines (Score = 19.94)
The Garden : Mirah (Score = 19.32)
Jellybones : The Unicorns (Score = 19.3)
Modern World : Wolf Parade (Score = 19.26)
Accidents Will Happen : Elvis Costello (Score = 19.22)
Turn on Me : The Shins (Score = 19.08)
Your English Is Good : Tokyo Police Club (Score = 19.07)
Oh Mandy : The Spinto Band (Score = 18.89)
An Honest Mistake : The Bravery (Score = 18.88)
Playing in the Distance : Grand National (Score = 18.54)
Chelsea Dagger : The Fratellis (Score = 18.52)
Wolf Like Me : TV on the Radio (Score = 18.3)
Raised by Wolves : Voxtrot (Score = 18.29)
Insistor : Tapes 'n Tapes (Score = 18.26)
The First Song : Band of Horses (Score = 18.05)
Again & Again : The Bird and The Bee (Score = 17.94)
Pot Kettle Black : Tilly And The Wall (Score = 17.91)
Lake Michigan : Rogue Wave (Score = 17.89)
He War : Cat Power (Score = 17.8)
After Hours : We Are Scientists (Score = 17.79)
Listen Up! : The Gossip (Score = 17.73)
Here It Goes Again : OK Go (Score = 17.73)
Grounds for Divorce : Wolf Parade (Score = 17.71)
Shoot The Runner : Kasabian (Score = 17.7)
Dying Is Fine : Ra Ra Riot (Score = 17.51)
Happy : Ned's Atomic Dustbin (Score = 17.03)
The Maid Needs A Maid : Emily Haines &Amp; The Soft Skeleton (Score = 16.96)
Club Foot : Kasabian (Score = 16.89)
Jetsetter : Morningwood (Score = 16.74)
When Did Your Heart Go Missing : Rooney (Score = 16.68)
Still in Love Song : The Stills (Score = 16.59)
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors : Editors (Score = 16.58)
My Only Offer : Mates of State (Score = 16.54)
The Comeback : Shout Out Louds (Score = 16.46)
Fiery Crash : Andrew Bird (Score = 16.41)
We Danced Together : The Rakes (Score = 16.33)
Fire Eye'd Boy : Broken Social Scene (Score = 16.3)
Ocean Breathes Salty : Modest Mouse (Score = 16.27)
Romantic Rights : Death From Above 1979 (Score = 16.05)
Each Year : Ra Ra Riot (Score = 15.91)
Hummingbird : Born Ruffians (Score = 15.86)
Flathead : The Fratellis (Score = 15.83)
There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis : Kirsty MacColl (Score = 15.83)
In The Morning : Razorlight (Score = 15.81)
Province : TV on the Radio (Score = 15.74)
Golly Sandra : Eisley (Score = 15.32)
We've Got to Meet : The Organ (Score = 15.24)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2009/07/04/2ug60w_doves_-_kingdom_of_rust_-_not-quite_first_listen Sat, 4 Jul 2009 13:57:54 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2009/07/04/2ug60w_doves_-_kingdom_of_rust_-_not-quite_first_listen I have a lot of fondness for Doves, primarily based on There Goes The Fear, which is probably one of my favorite rock tracks of this decade (although I notice now that my last.fm charts don't seem to bear that out... hm).

In any case, this means that I pounced on Some Cities when it came out and was pleased to hear about Kingdom Of Rust this spring. It's been languishing on my hard drive for the last few months, however - I made one concerted effort to give it a listen and didn't get very far. Winter Hill clicked and got the occasional play in subsequent months, but the overwhelming feeling when a song shuffled up was "Eck, this is lumbering."

I sat down this afternoon at looked at what new stuff I hadn't listened to yet and decided to try and get it out of the way. What strikes me is that I don't think the album is that different from the previous two. Is there a standout single? I don't think so. Winter Hill doesn't move me anymore. Compulsion immediately summons up Pink Floyd's disco-rock ghost (see Run Like Hell) and Jetstream seems to be the propulsive number for the album a la Pounding. And the album is awash in guitar arpeggios. But I'm just not feeling it. Is that because it feels formulaic, or just because the zeitgeist has changed so much from 2002?]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2009/04/18/2npfhv_fever_ray_-_fever_ray_-_first_listen Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:22:41 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2009/04/18/2npfhv_fever_ray_-_fever_ray_-_first_listen It seems like I'm managing a little discipline at this, thanks in no part to my sunny east-facing balcony here in Cyprus. This Saturday morning I brewed up a pot of coffee, swept the dust off the tiles, threw out the towel, and settled down to listen to Fever Ray by Fever Ray. For obsessives I again note the title of this journal entry - "first listen."

As I said a couple of weeks ago upon distractedly hearing my first track off this, I remain unconvinced that this album is not something that Peter Gabriel couldn't have done, given the appropriate voice-altering technology. The attention to the soundscape surrounding the voice and the sense of space are very similar. Admittedly Gabriel puts a much more human voice in the center of everything, whereas Karin Dreijer Andersson is cold and alienated. Gabriel is also much more interested in rhythm (even if sometimes it is quite subtle) which I didn't particularly notice on Fever Ray.

I didn't hear a single, although something late in the album ('Now's the Only Time I Know?") jumped out at the time - "What's this? A major key?". So while I can appreciate it as an artistic statement, and may even listen to it in the background a few times over the next few months, I don't see myself ever getting passionate about it. It would be interesting to listen to it again back to back with The Knife's Silent Shout. If i were Olaf, I might be worried - it's not clear that Karin needs him. Although maybe getting her twisted dreams out on this album may bring us something drastically different from the next Knife album.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2009/04/04/2mcx6t_animal_collective_-_merriweather_post_pavilion_-_first_listen Sat, 4 Apr 2009 08:22:20 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2009/04/04/2mcx6t_animal_collective_-_merriweather_post_pavilion_-_first_listen I've been feeling like it was time to make a disciplined effort to catch up on interesting new releases. At the moment, Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective is the album of the year, according to Metacritic (and looks unlikely to be bested, short of some bad reviews coming in).

AC has been on people's radar screens for a few years, but - particularly in the singles-oriented MP3 world - there has neither been anything demanding that I listen to it, nor has there been anything inescapable about them. So I come at this album with fresh ears and, frankly, few preconceptions, other than the sense that they are adventurous and experimental, in an indie sort of way.

And, of course, I don't get it. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I spent most of an hour thinking "Beach Boys, Beach Boys, Beach Boys" laid over some tuneful but rumpled electronica (a la, um, Caribou). Reasonably original, if derivative. What am I missing? (Keeping in mind that I only peripherally listen to lyrics.) I'll try to listen again later this week on headphones - it's probably a much richer experience, but still...]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/12/26/i1s_mitya%27s_top_several_for_2007 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 03:58:36 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/12/26/i1s_mitya%27s_top_several_for_2007 In the mp3 era, I take a much more empirical view of music than I used to: what I listen to must be good, and what I listen to more, must be better - at least in terms of these kinds of lists. One caveat: although last.fm generates these lists automatically, it's not perfect - if you play the same song five times in a row on your iPod, it only gets counted once - so I've tweaked things a bit. (You also can't filter by release year, if that's important to you - I've starred non-2007 releases). Where possible, I've added tracks to my playlist, for your listening ease.

1. Regina Spektor - Better* - I saw some criticism of this song for it's radio-friendly production, which admittedly strips much away most of Regina Spektor's musical idiosyncracy, but she still shows through in the lyrics. So rag on David Kahne if you want, but the honest truth is that a handful of artists have produced their best work thanks to his knob-twiddling (vis Truth And Soul).

2. Stars - Window Bird
3. Yelle - Tristesse/Joie - I've grouped these tracks because one of the most striking things about both songs is the way they both seem like the artists have had a couple of great ideas that they couldn't quite get a whole song out of, so they've just mashed the two together and the result is just irresistible. "Window Bird" carries you along on a propulsive bass line and then, suddenly, the rug gets pulled out from under you. Evocative lyrics - a really good kiss is one where you forget that everyone is watching you, so I'll say no more. I have no idea what "Tristesse/Joie" is about, but you only need a little bit of French and one listen to the song to hear the "Sadness/Joy" split. I guess the truth is that I'm a sucker for electro pop - the wistful synth line, the squelchy bass line - it's very 1983, I think. And the great thing is that she pulls it off for nearly 6 minutes, thanks to a well-timed break about 3:45 in. Have you ever heard skipping turned into music? Here it is. I defy you to try not to dance. Impossible! (And a tip of the hat to Fluxblog for this one.)

4. Tegan and Sara - The Con - I've probably played So Jealous more than any other album in the last five years, at least, so needless to say I was eagerly anticipating Tegan and Sara's new album. Disappointed? Well, of course, but this song was fantastic - on a par with even the best cuts on So Jealous. All kinds of little melodic hooks glued together with that strange cross between anger and self-pity. And as screechy as their voices sounded at first, now they seem so expressive!

5. Zemfira - Мы разбиваемся - A big ballad, but I don't think you need to know Russian to appreciate it. The honest truth is that I kind of lost interest in Zemfira, well, about three albums ago. She seemed to have lost interest in writing melodies (a fairly typical problem, in my opinion, with a lot of Russian music, which seems to place more importance on lyrics, at least in "artistic" pop). But that doesn't mean I don't at least listen - she's still got tremendous presence as a performer and remains arguably the most Important performer on the pop scene. Listening to this song now, I realize what it reminds me of - Angels. Stately piano and vocals, then swooping strings and multi-tracked vocals, Beatle-esque horn flourishes. Epic. (And although nothing else on the album has jumped out at me like, this, it sounds good - you know that feeling when you feel like you'll find your way into something else later?)

6. Sonicflyer - Sun In My Pocket* - Ack! My buttons are being pushed! Not exactly a myspace hit, but here you have it, the much-hyped "unsigned band with an absolutely fantastic track." I heard it as part of a long-running blind listening experience earlier this year and it absolutely leapt out of my speakers. Echo-drenched Britpop, deceptively simple and immediately memorable. And just to nail the lid on the coffin, it turns out to be a girl from Siberia (who moved to London to rock! or so goes the PR).

7. Margaret Berger - Will You Remember Me Tomorrow?
[video artist=Margaret Berger]Will You Remember Me Tomorrow?[/video]
More poptimism! The truth is that the video is what got me here, although it's hard to imagine that the song alone wouldn't do it. Just wait until the bad appears about two minutes in. Stupid, mindless joy. Joy, I tell you.

8. The Aphrodisiacs - The Hour Is Late But Please Consider* - Okay, this one is really obscure. Another big hit from the League of Pop experience, although it snuck up on me a bit. Primarily indie-boy vocals over a drum machine, but the subtle instrumentation underneath builds momentum and tension, and when the weird, twisted guitar (synth? i can't tell) line breaks in, you're hooked. As usual, a handful of soundbite lyrics that seem pregnant with meaning, like a perfectly prepared piece of food that you'll never be able to eat, so your mouth is forever watering.

9. Girls Aloud - Teenage Dirtbag - I liked the original, I like this one, too. There's something exquisite about hearing these English girls singing "she lives on my block/And drives an IROC" - you realize how absolutely un-universal the American high school experience is.

10. Kylie Minogue - In My Arms - So for a few weeks or months this fall, I was quite convinced I was in love. In fact, I probably *was* in love, to the extent these things are hormonal and not entirely connected to reality. If you listen to the lyrics for more than a few seconds, I'll admit they're bog-standard, but I'm happy to let Kylie sing them to me. I haven't heard anything transcendental on the new album, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.

11. Alicia Keys - No One - One of the fantastic things about this song, I noticed after about five listens, is that the lyrics could be for a very different song. Viz "In My Arms," at a certain point I started to think, "Hmm, maybe this is not one of those situations where the woman is just making sure I'm purposeful. Maybe I'm being a creepy pest (which is ironic, given that I've spent most of my life trying not to be a creepy pest." Read the lyrics - this could totally be some kind of stalker ballad. That's not why i like it, of course: I like it because Alicia's got a fantastic voice, and the chorusing blows her up to arena size (oh-HO oh-HO oh-HO oh-HO oh). P.S. Yes, she is gorgeous.

12. Beirut - Nantes
[video artist=Beirut]Nantes[/video]
Another one where the video got me. I'm not a big fan of Paris, but the romance in this is just overwhelming, in an every-day ordinary-guy way. Plus somebody's playing one of those stupid horns I played in junior high. (BTW, I liked this so much I bought the album - I tend to think of these things like political contributions nowadays, rather than product purchases.)

13. Charlotte Hatherley - Behave - I'm sure I had things to say about this when it came out, because I played it over and over. (Cool video, too.) Sounds very XTC-ish, I think, with its awkward riff and the lush pre-chorus (or is it actually the chorus?)

14. Bloc Party - Flux (JFK Remix) - A bit like Tegan and Sara, I was eagerly awaiting Bloc Party's follow-up to Silent Alarm. "Two More Years" was perfectly fine pop, but I was hoping for something more substantial from the album. A big disappointment - I don't think I have yet to pay attention to A Weekend in the City all the way through. Flux, on the other hand, is arresting. The JFK remix adds some housey pianos, in case you weren't clear about the track's dance intentions. The first time I heard it, I felt like stars were bleeding out of my ears.

15. Fall Out Boy - "The Take Over, The Breaks Over" - Despite the haircuts. What can I say?

16. Emma Pollock - Adrenaline - I know there are rabid fans of The Delgados out there, but to be honest, I first heard of them earlier this year. Or maybe earlier than that, but the name sounds like a roots rock or cowpunk band (a la The Del Fuegos), so frankly I never paid attention to them. Although I still think "Adrenaline" goes on for about two minutes longer than it should, it grabs hold from the first ELO piano chords and holds on for a good three minutes (despite the sudden tempo change).

17. Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb - Another band I never paid attention to until this year (why did I have them lumped in with the Chicago post-rock scene with Tortoise and The Sea and Cake?) I love the way they summon up Motown with the four-on-the-floor snare, vibraphone, and tambourine.

18. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends / Someone Great. I was non-plussed by the first single, "North American Scum," until I read somewhere I was supposed to be paying attention to "All My Friends," and then later that even though everyone was raving about "All My Friends," the real gem was "Someone Great." Sometimes the hype is right. Who was it who wrote "You'll believe a hipster can cry?" Very poignant for those us in our thirties.

20. Sugababes- About You Now - With two-thirds of the original 'babes gone, I had resolutely decided to no longer pay attention to the group, especially as nothing on Taller in More Ways had any staying power for me. This track is very straightforward somehow (see "Better") but it's either masterfully crafted or a lucky stumble into the magic formula of pop. Awfully guitar-y for the 'babes, too.

21. Thomas/Mayer - Überwiesen
22. Gui Boratto - Beautiful Life - If I think about the big picture in 2007, the only real trend is that I listened to quite a lot of minimal techno, all that Kompakt stuff, in no small part thanks to last.fm. I won't comment too much, for fear of flames by fans offended by my incorrect use of the proper subgenre, but these were easily two of my favorite tracks of the year - melodic and hypnotic.

23. Timbaland - The Way I Are - A late discovery. To be honest, I don't pay too much attention to Timbaland: I only need a limited about of bump--and-grind bravado music in my life, and I've heard Nelly and I've heard Justin and that's enough to keep me for a while. But this (and to a lesser extent, "Throw It On Me") is really fun - a cool little electro hook and exactly the kind of anti-"No Scrubs" lyrics that I should be repping for.

24. Imperial Teen - Everyone Wants To Know

25. The Early Years - So Far Gone*
[video artist=The Early Years]So Far Gone[/video]
Shoegaze!

Honorable Mentions: Róisín Murphy - Overpowered (good album why hasn't it stuck yet?), Of Montreal - Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse (enormously likeable, just so damn twee), Siobhan Donaghy - 12 Bar Acid Blues (a throwaway track, but interesting production)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/10/21/20zbql_going_mainstream_for_awhile Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:34:37 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/10/21/20zbql_going_mainstream_for_awhile A friend of mine asked me to put together a compilation of popular music for her, for cultural immersion purposes. Last year when she got an iPod I burned a disc with a bunch of my favorite stuff, but she didn't like a lot of it because it was too obscure, she said, although she lost the CD before she had time to really get to know anything, as far as I can tell. So this time her instructions were more specific: Things any American would know. Top five only.

Well, of course, I'm ignoring the top five rule. But when I thought about it, from the point of view of cultural immersion - things anyone would know (and I should mention, she's in her mid-40s, so Snoop is not what she has in mind) - it occurred to me that simple shorthand would be just compiling one of the many lists out there, e.g. the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, at least as a starting point.

Observation 1: I actually have a suprisingly small percentage of these, e.g. a dozen Eagles songs, but not the two on the list: Hotel California or Desperado.

Observation 2: Virtually every song released by The Rolling Stones seems to be on the list.

Songs I have never ever heard before:
1. California Love
2. Hallelujah

More observations to follow, perhaps. Anyway, what this means is that you may see less Róisín Murphy than you should in my charts this week, and I may stop playing I Look Into Mid Air and Claudia over and over. (But the Kylie and Girls Aloud are likely to continue!)

How would you flesh out the 500 songs I already have for my friend, keeping in mind the idea is songs everyone would know, not this band is really great and you should give her some of them. Here's one to start: I Will Always Love You isn't on the list (although I'm fairly certain that everyone everywhere knows that one. And that Celine Dion song, too.)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/08/26/i1r_data_loss Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:40:09 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/08/26/i1r_data_loss Somehow I managed to wipe out my iTunes library today. That's nearly 11,000 tracks, 20-30 playlists, and just short of two years of cumulative play counts. Even though no files were lost, it felt pretty traumatic. But I guess that's what last.fm data is for, even if it isn't as easily manipulated. The big problem now is that my "Unplayed" playlist will be pretty useless. And I have the feeling I may have to go looking for a lot of album art again.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/06/09/20zb5u_hits_from_the_league_of_pop Sat, 9 Jun 2007 21:03:46 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/06/09/20zb5u_hits_from_the_league_of_pop Well, the winner of the league of pop final is announced on Monday. It was a quite interesting first season - more than 260 songs all told, and despite my assumptions at the beginning, the overwhelming majority of them were new (I knew 16, including The Rat, That Time, and of course, Taj Mahal).
The other surprise - I don't know why, but I didn't expect it - is that there were a handful of things that were really bad. I've deselected about 24 that I never want to hear again (eventually I guess I'll delete them). Names withheld to protect the innocent and sensitive, but I will single out How Many Licks, Binaca, and Yes Blues as particularly dangerous offenders. I guess some people like that stuff, but not me.

A few artists were submitted more than once, such as Cascada, of Montreal, Oi Va Voi, The Pack, and Green Velvet (who the hell are they?) and there were two (in my opinion) daring submissions of outright classics: Let The Music Play and Because The Night. If I recall correctly, I don't think either one was recognized (but the player), nor did either win. Surprising in the case of Shannon, less so for Patti, I think.

I heard two really fab songs - immediate winners for me - during the competition: SonicFlyer's Sun in My Pocket (get it streaming over here, guys! there's a whole world out here beyond Myspace) and Pictures by Sneaky Sound System. Home runs, to use American baseball terminology. But there was quite a bit more that has grown on me. Here's a quick list:
1. Nous Non Plus - Fille Atomique. Chunky punky guitars with a French-singing female vocalist and loopy synth solo giving the whole thing a comic twist.
2. The Aphrodisiacs - The Hour is Late But Please Consider. Quiet indie, with guitars and keyboards mostly there for atmospherics, with restained vocal and the drum machine up front. Strangely compelling - a guilty pleasure.
3. Ben Watt - Pop a Cap In Yo' Ass (Full Mix). One of those let's tell a gritty story spoken word tracks that reminds me why I liked some trip-hop in 90s (also reminscent of Soul II Soul).
4. Diam's - Jeune Demoiselle. To be honest, I rarely really like hop-hop, but this is great. A French Cypriot, I think.
5. Fall Out Boy - The Take Over, The Breaks Over. Yeah, they're annoying, but this is a good power pop song.
6. Marco Borsato - Rood. Dutch god-knows-what... Meatloaf in 2006, maybe. Epic, cheesy, irresistible.
7. Malcom Middleton - Break My Heart. I've listened to this one over and over. Tongue in cheek lyrics, but since I'd never paid any attention to Arab Strap before I heard it with a fresh ear. Just a clean, driving pop-rock song.

(I'll add a few more later...)

Anyway, they're not all streaming here (where can I find more Amayenge!), but quite a few are, and I venture there's something there for everyone. And I belive you can listen to it on my league of pop radio. Enjoy!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/06/09/i1q_never_ceases_to_amaze_me... Sat, 9 Jun 2007 19:28:11 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/06/09/i1q_never_ceases_to_amaze_me... I know I shouldn't be surprised - I mean, who am I to talk? - but I am always a bit surprised when I stumble onto someone's profile and find that, lo! and behold, there are women in Brazil who like (what can only be termed a fairly minor English cult act) Cinerama. Nothing against them (Cinerama, that is) but everyhit confirms my guess that they have never charted. They are hardly a hot "blog" band. While I can certain understand how she might come to know of their existence, but of all the music in the world to get turned on by - Cinerama? How do people get to this stuff?

There are simple, logical explanations - not actually Brazilian, lived in the UK, etc. but still... Although I guess in any case it's better than everyone in the world listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers or Coldplay.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/03/04/i1p_waah%21_my_ipod_died%21 Sun, 4 Mar 2007 07:34:32 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Mitya/journal/2007/03/04/i1p_waah%21_my_ipod_died%21 But I got at least two years' life out of it - maybe three, I can't even remember.

So what do to now? I was kind of hoping I could get by until summer when the iPhone came out, but given that we don't know when exactly that will be, whether it will actually work, and then whether it will be supported here in Russia even if it does.

Get a shuffle or a full-size? I really don't see myself watching videos, but at the same time, why settle for an 8G shuffle, when for the same price you can get 30G? (I also dread seeing exactly how much they mark up the price in Moscow vs. what they cost in Europe or the US.]]>