Todays SOTD was never in contention. First, Radiohead surprised fans by announcing their new album 'The King Of Limbs' to be released in mere days. Then this surprise was compounded by the band actually releasing it a day early.

I've seen early comments showing that people are actually a little disappointed by the album and true, 'The King of Limbs' hasn't filled me with the resonance I instantly felt for 'In Rainbows', but it would be difficult to live up to the expectations their previous record generated. Rumours are circling about the record being only the first in a succession of releases this year but with no official word on this, I'm happy to take it as a stand alone release. And I certainly wouldn't say I was disappointed by it.

Having said this, I find some of the songs far stronger than others. I'm finding it difficult to get into the first half of the record. The first track 'Bloom' in particular seems a bit lost and discordant, the electronic blips and blurps reminding me of something from Thom Yorke's solo effort 'The Eraser'. Experimental maybe, but not very accessible. The second half of the record I find much more pleasing, with 'Give Up The Ghost' especially marking one of the high points of the album. A much more stripped down, calming, wombing feel than from the rest of the record, its nice to hear some acoustics in there. A welcome change from the electronic madness of the first 15 minutes.

Though the pinnacle has to come from 'Lotus Flower'. The focus here very much on the vocals. Say what you want about Thom Yorke's dance moves, but his voice has never been better than in this song. The more I listen to it, the more fascinated I become by it. This song alone makes worth the record purchase.

My problem with new endeavours is that I can never maintain the motivation and enthusiasm to see them through.

Not content with having just another blog to spout my inane thoughts, I thought I’d make the effort to buy my own domain. As a popular betting organisation says, “It matters more when there’s money on it” and by paying for my very own space on the internet, I thought it would encourage me to at least make regular contributions. So I went out and bought the domain xemper.net, imported some of my old journal entries and got writing about any musical happenings that took my fancy. But now, after nearly a month since my last post, it is becoming apparent that this "making regular contributions" thing is not happening.

So what’s my problem? Certainly taking the time out to just sit down and write something is a big factor. But its a bigger hurdle than you might think. Even if I have nothing better to do, it doesn’t change the fact that I’d rather be doing something else. I’m not much of a writer. Never have been. And with a tirade of good quality music journalism available at peoples fingertips I often feel that anything I do write is of no consequence. I’m not gaining anything by making these posts. I’m being marked and graded for a qualifications and I’m not being published and paid for employment. And readership at this place is hardly high. So what’s the point?

However, I’m starting to realise why I should bother. The fact of the matter is that however much I hate writing, I love “having written”. To sit back and read over the thoughts and feelings of my past self, I find quite satisfying. However badly written it is, if there are spelling and grammar mistakes and the structure is all wrong, it doesn’t matter because it is something I have created and it is mine. I’ve never kept a diary, but I’m starting to understand why people do.

There are even rare occasions where someone else has read my ramblings and given me feedback. Good or bad, it’s great to know that there is someone out there who has read what I have to say and has actually contemplated it. I really do appreciate all the comments I receive and anyone who who takes the time to read these things.

As for the regular contributions thing, with me starting a masters course in a weeks time, I’m unsure how my motivation levels will fare. Lets see how things go.


On a musical note, I’m currently working through a few recommendations; some from friends, some from websites. This includes synths from Sam Prekop‘s Old Punch Card, down-tempo electronica from L.S.G.‘s Into Deep and 80s vibe indie-pop from M83‘s Saturdays = Youth. Its making for a good mix. :)

- Imported and adjusted from xemper.net

Simple Kid (real name Kieran McFeely) is an Irish born folk-rock musician who, despite numerous television appearances, still remains in relative obscurity. It was such an appearance on a Channel 4 music documentary that alerted me to his existence.

Appearing on 2, his aptly named second album, Serotonin features some his darker material and feels simpler in composition than the rest of the album. But the beauty of the track lies in how it flows. There are sections of the track where you’re barraged with a constant stream of words. You have to make an effort to listen to it, but once you work out the lyrics, you’ll find its superbly structured.

The attached video was found on Simple Kid’s official youtube channel, though I doubt it was an officially released video clip. It features a bearded McFeely who proceeds to shave off his straggled facial hair. An otherwise inane video is made strangely intriguing with the inclusion of the songs lyrics which brings to attention Simple Kid’s excellent songwriting ability.

His second album, released in 2006, represents his latest work and with no updates on his website to speak of, one wonders if Simple Kid has any more to offer.

Its funny how a single music video can totally change your perception of a band.

xx is the (partially) eponymous debut album by The xx. I recently took to listening to it due to their recent Mercury Prize nomination. I can remember a huge amount of media hype and critical acclaim surrounding the release when it came out in late summer last year but I totally ignored it. After all, what does the media know?

I eventually downloaded the album after I saw they were one of the most hotly tipped artists to scoop a Mercury nomination and still I didn't really get what the fuss was all about. It sounded over-simple, lazy, and a bit miserable and for a few weeks it lay forgotten in murky depths of my music library.

That was until, after the Mercury nom, I decided to do a bit of research into the different albums and music videos that had been released for each. I found 'Islands'. A video of sheer brilliance that forced me to reconsider my opinion.


Okay, so its ultra-artistic, a bit poncey and symbolic and maybe a little full of itself, but the choreography and cinematography are spot on. It certainly looks sleek and though its themes aren't anything new (Joy Division inspired?), its clever. At first watch it appears the dancers are merely repeating the same series of moves around the band as they sing and generally look a bit doleful, but you eventually realise the significance of the band come second to the series of events unfolding around them. There is actually so much going on that the video requires a second, third, fourth watch before you spot the little differences between the segments.

Its a great metaphor describing the monotony and eventual breakdown of a relationship. In the beginning we see brightness, energy and enthusiasm but as it draws on it becomes lethargic, duller and more depressed, eventually breaking down completely, polished off with a lick of flame. Its symbolism works well enough as to not be entirely straightforward, but not so ambiguous as to leave watchers clueless.



It is a video that also complements the content of the song, which describes the security found with a relationship but which ultimately results in the loss of a sense of adventure ("I'm froze by desire/No need to leave"). It also ponders the question of what were to happen if said relationship were to end ("Where would I be/If this were to go under?"). It describes a sense of entrapment, perfectly reflected in the groundhog day repetition of it's video.

Often you see a music video supplement a song with the band mindlessly twanging their instruments, whilst the lead attempts to sync their lyrics whilst gazing forlornly into camera. Occasionally you'll find a video that totally overpowers the song with questionable imagery (that M.I.A. video for example), but rarely do you find a video that strikes a happy medium where they complement each other so well. I had glazed over the song before, but after watching such an intriguing video and actually listening to the song I discovered how strong it was.

Back to the drawing board. There may be more to this record.

Appearing on The Chillout Lounge 3, a quite brilliant compilation album, Introspective Directive are a rather obscure outfit, as is the songs mixer, Audioglider. I can’t find much info on them and their last.fm info suggests they haven’t many listeners. But then, that makes the finding of gems like this all the more satisfying.

This mix of Nightfall is a gliding track, with deep beats overlaid with extended electronic moans and blinking keyboards. The simple beginnings of the track eventually become more complex as added layers of pinging electronica and distant noise are introduced. It all finally comes together to form a delightfully soothing cosmic experience. I’ve been listening to this one all day.

The music that James Yuill plays is a curious mix. Pigeonholed as folktronica, there’s no prizes for guessing which two elements this relatively new genre comprises of. It’s a rather clumsily melded word, coined back in 2001 when a number of these types of acts started popping up and as odd a pairing these genres two seem, Yuill manages to bring them together with some elegance.


I was captivated by his first album, Turning Down Water For Air, which I downloaded after I first came across Yuill through the 2007 edition of the In The City album, an annual compilation of music from unsigned artists. His featured song was ‘She Said In Jest’. I was fascinated by its peculiar, contradictory jumpy morbidity. It’s composition is not melancholic but when you listen to some of the lyrics, they can seem somewhat depressing. It includes an odd but refreshing mix of electronics and acoustics, which was a combination that I had heard little of before but really works well to give some beat to an otherwise bleak ballad and the whole album continues in this kind of vein.


It was an album that was surprisingly well received. A quick internet search reveal analyses that were very positive and some reviewers were not shy in praising the record. “Yuill has an innate ability to sing songs about age-old subjects and still sound more modern and magnetic than arguably any other singer/songwriter in Britain” claims Greg Robson of absolutepunk. A similarly flattering review appeared in The Guardian, “Turning Down Water for Air is constructed of gently-plinking guitar, cello, laptop and sensitive-busker vocals, and the result melts in the mouth”.

Whilst the ingenuity of the music went almost unquestioned, some had reservations to Yuill’s vocal talents. Describing his voice as “a bit bland” and the lyrics as “forced together for the sake of rhyme alone”, The Line of Best Fit thought the album was far from pioneering. The guys over at the Daily Music Guide also questioned the appeal of his music. “The only concern that comes to mind - how many people will this fusion of acoustic guitar and laptop beats really appeal to and if the market does exist, is it big enough to make a steady career out of it?”.

A year on, Yuill explored this sound a little further with his ‘Earth and Fire’ remixes. It was a novel idea that pulled apart the folktronica moniker, pushing the composition of the songs to different ends of the spectrum. The earth remixes were almost entirely acoustic whereas fire remixes were almost entirely electronic. I found the outcome a little hit and miss, but it was nonetheless an interesting experiment.


So now comes the release of James Yuill’s second album. Movement In A Storm starts in an unmistakeably Yuillesque style with his signature jumpy electronics under morose vocals. “Nobody knows it but its true / I hate myself and I hate you too / But I won’t tell anyone” he begins. This time however it’s much more beat driven, with acoustics playing a lesser role. The mix of the two styles is also seldom seen this time around, instead with songs focusing more on one or the other, akin to the Earth and Fire album.

That bleakness does subside and it has been commented that the album has a more positive outlook. It certainly has a more poppy sensibility. Reviews were again positive but came nowhere near the acclaim of his first record and this time reviewers were split. Whilst some found it endearing, others questioned the use of its varying styles. “Sometimes the album seems a tad more confused than groundbreaking” says a review from The Line of Best Fit. Criticism of Yuill’s “unremarkable” voice also resurfaced. However, even considering these little niggles the record is still being regarded as a summer hit, ripe to be played in the sun of Britain's beaches.

My thoughts on the record are best summed up in a review featured in The Guardian: “Yuill's one weakness is his unexceptional voice, but he has an ability to create melting melodies […] with enough melancholy to suggest hidden depths. A pleasure indeed.”

A pleasure indeed.