The Scandalous Adventures of Steviy CousCous

The Mercury Prize 2010.

2010-07-20T04:39:00.002+01:00

PREDICTION TIME.

This is the first of I'm sure many posts regarding the Mercury Prize. Reflecting on past years, it's hard to figure out why it's still considered to be THE music prize. But it is, isn't it? Weird. Many don't care anymore, but for the sake of rewarding good music, I care. So, with the shortlist being announced in about 7 hours, here are my predictions, or more hopes, for the shortlist.

Foals - Total Life Forever
Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
Noah And The Whale - The First Days of Spring
Corrine Bailey Rae - The Sea
Delphic - Acolyte
Yeasayer - Odd Blood

There they are. I wouldn't scoff at Arctic Monkeys or The Cribs, but I sort of change my mind daily about those two albums. Which means they're probably not worthy of winning. More so than Speech Debelle, it has to be said. And Klaxons. And pretty much every other winner. Oh well. But yes, Foals' album is my album of the year. Such a unique sound. Laura Marling released such an amazing album as well. Noah and the Whale released a sort of understated masterpiece. Corrine Bailey Rae's album has some nice beats. That makes it sound so general, it is actually a great album. Delphic's album was simply electro-pop, but it was still a step ahead of the million other electro-pop acts. Yeasayer released a great album, which was a massive step forward. And some of the effects were mesmerising. Well, that's only 6, but the Mercury prize always dabbles in obscure music (often poor music) so I'll leave the other six up to them. I'm sure the fucking XX will be in there. Don't get me started.

xx

Absurd person.

2010-07-07T02:29:00.002+01:00

Right. I know I should have got over Lost by now, and I kind of had until tonight. I loved the finale. It was emotional, it managed to answer lots by saying so little, giving time to resolve the characters instead, leaving the mysteries open for interpretation. And I thought they resolved the mystery of the flash-sideways. But now I saw this guys review, and lots of people gave this a thumbs up, but is it just me, or has he COMPLETELY misinterpreted the ending? I know it is open for discussion, but I just don't get what the hell he's talking about!! Help me, someone, please.

Here's the maybe stupid or maybe smart comment:

"I'm sorry, but I think that the reviewer and some of the people who commented here, just didn't understand the ending. The paralell timeline was REAL, it was not some sort of afterlife or purgatory. It was a real life which the people in the church decided to abandon. When Christian said "this is a place you made so you can find each other", he didn't say anything new, don't forget who detonated the "Jughead" and why. Jack and Juliet did it, and they did it for this specific group of people. THEY were the creators of this paralell universe, "they made this place" as Christian said, and they did it to prevent the plane accident, to save their friends, "to avoid all this misery" as Jack said, they did what they did for themselves and for their friends. So the words of Christian make perfect sense. Don't forget that Juliet said "It worked" before dying, and she was not wrong. The exceptional thing is that they were given the opportunity to leave(or "move on"), by Christian, who was actually dead, and exceptionally came from the afterlife to take them there. The afterlife was this bright light that came into the church after Christian opened the door. They were about to go there, they were NOT already there. And it was a shocking decision to abandon their lives, family, work etc to go there, but it was their OWN CHOICE, Ben for example didn't want to go , although he was invited. Christian affirming that Jack was dead, he was obviously talking about the original reality, the one Jack was about to remember. I think the only guy who was dead in both realities was actually Christian. Why were they given the "right" to "move on" earlier? Maybe because they were the creators of all this.
Why did they decide to leave this life? Well, it must be shocking to realize that you have lived "another life", especially when you remember it as a whole(this is proven by Ben saying to Hurley "you were a great number one"- we are in alternate 2004, and Hurley took over the island in original 2007). I wrote "have lived another life" but I could have written, "would live" or "are living", because it is a parallel timeline. I used past tense because when you remember something, it uses to belong to your past, although it is not the case here, the things they remembered, didn't happen before!(do you undestand now what Christian meant when he said "there is no "now", here""?). Those guys must have remembered their deaths too, in the original timeline, which for some of them happened in a future parallel moment. It has to be shocking to remember your alternate future, let alone your original future death!!(Notice that in the last sentence, I could have used the terms alternate-original in the inverse way, without changing the meaning of what I said- when you exist somewhere, a parallel timeline is alternate to you, except for the very ones who detonated the nuke(Jack, Sawyer, Juliet etc), who, by remembering that, they could only call this "alternate" as they created it because they wanted to "change things" ) Then, even if you live 5 lifes, in 5 paralell worlds, you've got one soul, which has to go to the same place. They must have realized that, and maybe they had an idea about what that place was. Why would their memories stop at the moment of their death in the original timeline? Maybe they had an idea about the afterlife, maybe they knew what was expecting them, and that this is something very beautiful, and much more important than the earthly life, that's why they abandonned their life(in another universe, but still a life), being so happy about it. Then, don't forget that even if they stayed there, they would "move on" later, when they would die in the alternate reality too. It must be shocking to realize all this, and that would explain their shocking decision.
My insight is based on the facts shown and on the exact words spoken by the characters. I think that the writers made it all clear by the lines they have written, they've done a genius and very thorough work, and one has to pay close attention to dialogues and events, to words and images, before interpreting this masterpiece."

WHAT?! This just makes no sense! This is the ramblings of an idiot! But loads of people have gave this a thumbs up. Are these people mental? Or am I the one who has completely misinterpreted it? Someone reassure or correct me or something!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xx

NEW Bloc Party.

2010-06-16T17:23:00.006+01:00

Nope, they have not got back together or anything. I have just reconsidered the setlist I posted several weeks ago. I believe this one is better. I feel that tracks from 'Intimacy' just weren't as good, so I've only put on 4, plus the bonus track. As for 'A Weekend in the City', I have put on 6, plus 'Flux'. EVERY track from Silent Alarm is here, as I have realised that such an insanely perfect album should not make way for lesser tracks. Also here are 'Two More Years', 'Tulips' and 'Skeleton', all from the Silent Alarm era. I may have included 'The Marshals Are Dead' if it was a better recording. But it's not, so moving swiftly on; it's pretty sweet. Most tracks aren't insane. More 'This Modern Love' than the horribly unoriginal 'One Month Off'. I guess that's what this one is truly about. It's about picking out what songs originally made me fall in love with Bloc Party and the ones that are reminiscent of that, omitting ones such as 'One More Chance' which is clearly just a creative outlet for Kele. 'Mercury', however, is here. For the sole reason that it seemed like a progression and an exploration of Bloc Party. Unlike much of Intimacy, which was just confused. Such a shame. Well, here it is, in all its glory:

Song For Clay (Disappear Here)
Banquet
Waiting For The 7.18
Skeleton
Your Visits Are Getting Shorter
Positive Tension
Blue Light
Signs
Price Of Gas
Better Than Heaven
Hunting For Witches
Tulips
So Here We Are
Compliments
The Prayer
Uniform
She's Hearing Voices
Two More Years
Ion Square
Like Eating Glass
Plans
______________________

Mercury
This Modern Love
Kreuzberg
Luno
Helicopter
______________________

Flux
______________________

Pioneers

xx

Hate list.

2010-06-15T01:17:00.002+01:00

These are things/people I hate. It's a work in progress, and much like my birthday list, it WILL expand. The scale goes from the least to the most amount of hostility. Though from the start until the end there is major hatred.

The New Musical Express.
People who dismiss Lost.
People who find 'Empire State of Mind: Part 2' acceptable.
Blonde bitch in History.
People who like Keane.
People who ignore you.
People who cannot spell.
Grammatically challenged people.
Junkies.
Junkies with red faces.
Junkies who ask for £10 for the bus.
Junkies who shout across the street to their junkie friend.
That child from the Junior Apprentice who looks about 7.
PEOPLE WHO DO NOT ANSWER THEIR PHONE.

DIE DIE DIE.

Fleetwood Mac.

2010-06-14T01:02:00.004+01:00

Pretty much one of the best bands to ever exist. This is what I believe to be their definitive setlist, and if they ever played this, I would have to be there. It was hard to choose, since they have a million great songs, but I narrowed it down to 28. Which is respectable, considering they usually play around about that. And there is an acoustic set towards the end, which is indicated by the first two line-breaks. Enjoy!

The Chain
Dreams
Ledge
Little Lies
Monday Morning
Say You Love Me
Oh Diane
Blue Letter
Everywhere
You Make Loving Fun
Gypsy
Second Hand News
Never Going Back Again
Rhiannon
Eyes of the World
World Turning
Sara
Sisters of the Moon
Think About Me
Seven Wonders
I Don't Wanna Know
_____________________________

Big Love (Acoustic)
Crystal (Acoustic)
Landslide (Acoustic)
_____________________________

Gold Dust Woman
Don't Stop
_____________________________

Tusk
Go Your Own Way
_____________________________

xx

The Vampire Diaries Trio.

2010-06-06T00:30:00.007+01:00

They're in LDN! They are so close. I wish I could drive down just to see Ian. Who portrays the best vampire ever. I could also see Nina, who I could ask to marry me. Yeah, she has grown on me. A lot. Just see the people I love post. And as for Paul, well, I could apologise to him. For calling him 'the gay one' for the first 10 weeks. He is such a good character right now. Very good acting, considering when he started on this, he was well wooden.

Anyway, yes, they're in London. Which makes me want to move there so much. Imagine if I was working in Topman when Ian fucking Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley all came walking in? Like, seriously? That would kill me. I would act cool though. I don't think I would mention loving them. I would just act professional, then at the end drop in "Mr Somerhalder" or "Miss Dobrev" or "Mr Wesley", with a smile. Although, if they turned out to be idiots (Ian isn't, Twitter shows him to be lovely) I would have a horrible perception of them every time I watched the show. Not good.

Ian would be lovely though. He's always getting people to adopt dogs and stuff! So lovely! Nina might be a bit of a bitch. But she's pretty, so... Actually, no. I'm drawing that from the photo below, but I'm presuming this was taken by paparazzi freaks flashing all up in her grill. I can't imagine her being horrible.

Anyway, lost reasoning as to why I'm writing all this. Kind of just saying stuff as they enter my mind, and attaching photos to illustrate these mundane points/hypothetical situations. Well, over and out I guess.

xx

My Telly Show.

2010-06-03T03:58:00.002+01:00

I know that title doesn't suggest someone like me could come up with a great concept for a TV show. But I honestly love my concept. All will be revealed soon. I'm gonna start writing the first episode tonight. I'm guessing it'll be an 18 episode season. But one season only. I mean, what shows actually make a second season as good as the first? Anyway, I'm off to create this genius.

The End.

2010-05-28T04:40:00.003+01:00

Oh. My. Lord. This was perhaps the most emotional 2 hours of my life. I'll deal with it bit by bit. However, whilst I say "this is this" throughout this post, the safe landing timeline's relation to the island's timeline is open for debate. I just took it the way I write about here.

So the flash-sideways were actually 'another life', or more accurately, an after-life. A sort of Michael-like trap almost. Ben wasn't ready. He needed to engage in his Rousseau and Alex journey, which he had only begun. Everyone at the church had rediscovered what they loved in the past life. Each other. Ben was an exception in this group. Ana Lucia wasn't ready. It leaves one question - was it definitely heaven? This is where perception comes in. For me, it is. The safe-landing timeline for the past series has been about them making the transition into heaven, being with the ones they love again. Their soulmates. Their friends.

The rest of the episode resolved everything without real debate as to what happened. So I'll talk about the dramatic moments. The 'storm coming' line alerted me to a dramatic moment in the rain. And it was. Jack and Smocke showdown! At a mountainside, Jack went for the ol' jumpng punch. Somehow, it worked. Smocke's death was pretty Goddamn cool. And then there was the Indiana Jones moment inside the heart of the island. The moment where Desmond was like finding the Holy Grail or taking whatever Indiana took at the start of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Either way, it reminded me of Indiana Jones. Very dramatic.

Now. We move onto the moments that made me cry. And it was pretty much all the same thing - people finding each other. Daniel(!) found Charlotte. Though they already had each other, Jin and Sun remembered and were at peace. Sayid found Shannon(!) where BOONE(!!!!!!!!!!!!) was! This made me excited!! And happy!! Rose and Bernard. Juliet and Sawyer!! Perhaps most importantly, Jack found Kate. Which was a lovely moment. But, most emotionally for me, Claire and Charlie. Them finding each other was the happiest moment of my life thus far.

However, luckily I started to really appreciate Jack's character before I watched this series. Watching all the episodes again made me realise just how great he is. And that's what The End was truly about. Jack. He killed Smocke. He saved Desmond. He put back the light. He was truly a hero.

Which brings us to the final frame. Jack's eye CLOSING. I could not predict this. I predicted it would end with his eye opening, leaving so much unresolved, but this was such a fitting ending. Truly. Not only was it fitting in the way I wanted it (ending with how it began) but it was also happy. They managed to make me cry for his death compassionately, yet still make it a happy, resolved ending.

The Lost writers have excelled themselves, and I will miss how they have made us all feel over the years.

xx

The time is almost upon us.

2010-05-27T22:01:00.002+01:00

Well, me. Everyone else has seen it. Tonight is when I watch the last Lost. It is truly The End. Of life with excellent tv. I do have The Vampire Diaries, but it doesn't have that thing that Lost has. So my next post shall be my verdict. But for now - my lengthy prediction.

My prediction covers both timelines. Whilst they will likely run adjacent in the episode, I will do it in the order which makes sense to me. So, I was watching Desmond's last episode the other night, and Eloise mentioned a 'violation' in Desmond's realisation that Penny was his true love. This implies almost a treaty or agreement. This didn't mean much at the time, but now, I think someone (most likely Eloise) will try to course-correct the events of the island's timeline by doing something similar to Daniel's bomb in Season 5. She will do this because of Smocke, because he escapes or is about to. Maybe Jack does the bomb thing to reset time so the safe-landing timeline happens, and he crafts it that Sayid has his wife etc. Though I think it's Eloise. Anyway, so she resets time and changes it to the safe-landing timeline. However, whilst I think that's what happens on island-time, I think Jack will realise at his son's concert thing that this is what has happened. Being Jack, he will strive for the life he wanted (maybe it is Jack, but his son would have to die, so maybe it's someone else), so Desmond, for example (which is a better bet) tries to re-reset time. Catch my drift? It will happen at the recital, where EVERYONE will be at, and I think when they do this re-reset, the screen will go white like in Season 5, and the show will end with Jack's eye opening.

It seems fitting for the show to end where it began, and whether that is how it happens remains to be seen. But this does mean that it's not a resolute ending. I'm not too bothered about that, but it may cause an outrage. If that is how it ends, and Jack is opening his eye on-island post-815's crash, then he would be aware of the events previous and the events to come, so everything would change. Which means there is still a story to tell. However, this story would drag out, and to be honest, I would be happy with that ending. However, I hope it isn't that, because for my last Lost experience, whilst that isn't exactly an obvious chain of events, I want Lost to surprise me with unpredictability. So.

Here we go.

xx

People I LOVE (updated)

2010-05-27T21:42:00.003+01:00

For a fresh reminder, here's the list from months ago:

10 - Kate Bush (in the 70s)
9 - Laura Marling
8 - Gill from the 60s
7 - Michelle Williams
6 - Stina
5 - Rachel Riley
4 - Alexa Chung
3 - Stevie Nicks (in 1976)
2 - Miss Patterson
1 - Emilie de Ravin

Since then, it has changed. Quite a bit. The inclusion of Number 2 is the biggest change! And I needed 11. Here it is:

11 -Natalie Portman
10 - Rachel McAdams
9 - Rachel Riley
8 - Nina Dobrev
7 - Michelle Williams
6 - Mette Lindberg
5 - Anna Karina (from the 60's)
4 - Alexa Chung
3 - Miss Patterson
2 - Zooey Deschanel
1 - Emilie de Ravin

Let's face it, Emilie will always be my number one. She manages to even pull off that insane, been-on-a-desert-island-for-4-years thing. For her perfect Lost Look, watch Season 3. She was so pretty. Especially around about her centric episode, when she wore the stripy red and white t-shirt. Sailor look. Zooey is the main addition. She makes me smile no matter what. The video of her and Joseph doing the Bank Dance solidified my love for her. Miss Patterson, despite me having left school and not having seen her in months, is still fresh in my mind. Hopefully we will cross paths again, when she doesn't look much older than me. Alexa Chung still makes me smile. Her haughtiness is insanely attractive, perhaps even more than her perfect style and hair and face. YUM. Anna Karina is a recent addition. She was the woman of the 60's. Beautiful. And mirrors Zooey's Bank Dance. Well, the start of it anyway. Mette Lindberg. YUM. Michelle Williams has been a crush since childhood and whilst she has moved down, I still lovelovelove her. Nina Dobrev is a new addition - loving her right now on The Vampire Diaries. But she looks better in real life. Less high-school-girl. I sound perverse, but she's meant to be my age in the show. Rachel Riley makes Countdown all the more worthwhile. Rachel McAdams is really pretty in many of her films, NOT Mean Girls. But most others. Natalie Portman is another childhood crush. Back when she was Queen Amidala! But in Closer and stuff, she is really really pretty. Meaning she is also an adult crush! Well, I've wrote a massive paragraph of creepy nonsense. But everyone has at least 10 people they absolutely adore and would marry. I thought I'd be upfront about mine. Over and out.

xx

Academic commitments blown to asunder!

2010-05-27T01:36:00.002+01:00

Yes indeed. I know I last posted something two seconds ago, but I just realised I hadn't wrote about this. Exams are over, and school is no more. I should have a Sentimental Heart right now, but I struggle to muster up emotion at the fact I'm Free, to do what I want, any old time. I gots literature to tackle, lots and lots of it, as well as tonnes of boxsets and lots of albums to properly listen to. With minimal commitment to anything, I've never felt so relieved.

xx

Aversion of thought.

2010-05-27T01:25:00.004+01:00

I have been thinking about Lost so much. So much that I can't actually bring myself to watch it. Actually. I've ignored texts, walked out on several people to avoid conversation, shouted at my dad for putting on the radio, boycotted all internet pages except this blog and the BBC iPlayer and threw newspapers out of sight. All ends tomorrow. The End. I could cry. I feel like crying just thinking about it. Hearing other people having cried at it makes me want to cry. I have to fight it when in public! It's not right. Unfortunately, I have built The End to an extent that the writers couldn't possibly live up to it. But I decided in the past hour or so that most endings would leave me satisfied. And anything different to my predictions would astound me to the point of orgasm. Enough on orgasms, let's talk about that aversion of thought, the reason I created this post.

Bloc Party. Alright, it's not a massive aversion. But I have decided tonight that Silent Alarm is not only my favourite album of the century, it is my favourite of all time. I know that you can argue The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zeppelin etc. were all 10x the band Bloc Party are or were. But Silent Alarm is an undeniably amazing album, and it just happens to be my favourite. The tension, the emotion, the individually perceptive lyrics, the effects, the vocals. Honestly, everything about this album is astounding. It even makes time for the funkiest bass line known to man, and that is including The Chain. I love a lot of new music, but for better or worse, I don't think any will engage me in such a way Silent Alarm has and will do for the distant future.

xx

I forgive Lost.

2010-05-23T01:21:00.002+01:00

That's all I want to say, because this may change come Wednesday. 5am Monday morn is when everyone else is watching Lost, but 2.5 hours on Sky One? The adverts would cripple me. So I'm waiting until my exams are over, when I can truly sit back and enjoy the climax of the best tv show to ever exist. From now until then, I'll be re-watching the 6th series. I've watched 1-5 several times, but this series I feel like I need to rewind. It's been a lot to take in. If I don't understand the final scene, it'll be catastrophic. So re-watch I must. Anyway, I'll shout the verdict on Wednesday night! Also, I may be terribly upset at my exams not going well, so Lost will give me something to live for. Of course, when it ends, I no longer have a purpose in life. Let's cross that devastating bridge when we come to it.

SUPER MARIO BROS.

2010-05-19T18:33:00.001+01:00

Let's go through the 3 that I love, aptly named Super Mario Bros 1, Super Mario Bros 2 and Super Mario Bros 3.

Super Mario Bros 1 - http://nintendo8.com/game/629/super_mario_brothers/

The original, but the best? Well, no. Poorer graphics (2 and 3 weren't 3d phenomenons, but they were decent) and actually poorer gameplay, the only redeeming feature of this game in comparison to 2 and 3 was the end bosses. BOWSER. I sound like I'm making this game out to be awful. Quite the contrary. It was excellent, but I just prefer the other two...

Super Mario Bros 2 - http://nintendo8.com/game/40/super_mario_brothers_2/

Going through a phase of loving this game. It has so many downfalls. The slow rising stars/hearts make me very frustrated. The egg boss, don't even know her name, is very annoying. At the end of 2/3rds of all levels in the game, I feel like she should just die. And it is true that this game was completely different, but it didn't mean it was bad. Though Luigi did a shit jump thing and Toad did... well, nothing, Princess Peach's ability was amazing. My personal favourite, the hover-er. Some excellent levels and with fresh villains aside from egg woman, this was an understated genius of a game.

Super Mario Bros 3 - http://nintendo8.com/game/314/super_mario_brothers_3/

I have played this game to death. It is my clear favourite. With reason - everything about it is genius. The battle games are legendary, the castles were genius, the tails, the FROGS, the bear suits. Everything. Genius. Cannot stress how genius this 2d game was. You just have to play it yourself at that link up there.

xx

The only redeeming feature of this film...

2010-05-18T23:55:00.004+01:00

...was Thom Yorke's song. It made that scene actually very enjoyable. A great song. Aside from that, this film was just hard work. Twilight was entertaining, despite wooden acting and little in the way of plot, but this was just insanely bad.

Modern Studies.

2010-05-18T19:14:00.002+01:00

WHY have I to learn a million statistics? It doesn't prove my high levels of intelligence, it proves my memory skills. Memory. It's all this fucking course is about. It's like a fucking Krypton Factor round. It doesn't help that the one thing you can depend on - the actual points themselves, without stats - has not been taught right for the whole fucking year. What I'm studying the now, China, wasn't even taught to me. I sat in an Int. 2 class because they were 'full'. I'm sure I could pull up a seat somewhere, it's not as if I'm going to take up a lot of fucking room. I hate school things. Can't wait until next Thursday. No commitments. I can't see me ever going back to University. Actually, the course probably wouldn't be one huge Krypton Factor task spread out for the whole year with an insane amount of things to remember.

Fucking hate school.

You know what?

2010-05-17T21:11:00.004+01:00

Watched Lost again. After initial excitement at the revelations... It was actually complete shit for being the 3rd last week. And on reflection, that is the only episode that will be dedicated to the origins of what the island actually is, and it answered questions I wasn't bent on finding out. This episode actually raised more questions than it answered:

Where did this woman come from? Why is she just allowed to grant people powers? What the fuck happened when Smocke went down to the light? Why is the light out? Does this not mean that he has taken all goodness? What is the monster if not Jacob's brother, because Jacob's bro is dead? Where DID the polar bears come from? Why is Jacob's bro just allowed to say "mix light with water, turn this wheel, and then I get to leave the island" and why have we to accept this?

Aside from raising these questions which are likely to never be answered, Jacob, who we thought had answers and might tell Hurley or whoever becomes the successful candidate (my money's on Hurley), turns out as clueless as the rest of us. The whole build-up of the importance of Jacob over about 4 series or something has been undermined when it could have been expanded, with only 3 episodes left. Not cool. All he knows is that the light needs protecting? But now the light has gone out, so why does he need candidates to replace him? There's nothing to protect. I suppose stopping Smocke from leaving, but Christ, Jacob knows fuck all about the importance of the light! Except that it is "integral to the island". Fuck the island. This was an awful episode. I've leapt to such a drastically different assessment of the episode compared to Friday night, but really, we've ran out of time, and this episode had such potential. Remember the days of this picture below? Jacob seemed so important. He's a fucking momma's boy, and isn't really very special at all. Well, he is, but only because his mum wanted to shift responsibility to him.

Another criticism of Lost: maybe if they didn't introduce Jacob and his bro in the episode prior to the final series (then almost immediately kill Jacob after what we now realise was quite a pointless two-episode series of flashbacks) then they would have had time to explore this instead of leaving these revelations until the 3rd last episode, cramming in ONE answer, raising a million more questions. They promised answers. They lied.

Fuck Lost.

Birthday list.

2010-05-15T01:41:00.033+01:00

If you're my friend and don't feel like being to creative in buying me a present this year, this is the place for you. Overly harsh. To be fair, I am hard to please. For example, you might think 'Stephen likes The Beatles. I'll get him a Beatles album.' Lovely, but you have half a chance of getting one I already have. That's why I've done this, not in some sort of Rachel Greene way of just getting what I want. This is merely assistance, as it may be hard to figure out exactly what I like. Also, I realise that I have about 5 friends who will probably definitely get me presents, and the rest are sort of hazy on whether they'll go to the trouble. So I guess this is aimed at about 5 people. Anyway, here it is, in no particular order. Also, The Beatles CD's MUST be the remasters. I have most of the originals. And the t-shirts would be in a SMALL. As for the Fred Perry one, I don't expect anyone to spend that much on me, but if like 4 of you were putting in for something or something. Whatever. Also, work together. Don't all get me CD's. I am so demanding. Actually, lots of CD's wouldn't be too bad. Whatever.

_________________________

Miscellaneous

The Vampire Diaries poster - http://tiny.cc/0uze2
Lost poster (unsure of size?) - http://tiny.cc/z7a90
500 Days of Summer poster - http://tiny.cc/4eppq
Zooey poster - http://tiny.cc/0m39h
Zooey poster - http://tiny.cc/6yc2r
Zooey poster - http://tiny.cc/wiz2p
Blade Runner poster - http://tiny.cc/01zf3
Star Wars poster - http://tiny.cc/vnzf3
Vivre Sa Vie poster - http://tiny.cc/23sjr
Desmond poster - http://tiny.cc/jhe7v
The Beatles 'Help' t-shirt - http://tiny.cc/5t8gk
The Beatles 'Abbey Road' t-shirt - http://tiny.cc/lipti
The Beatles t-shirt - http://tiny.cc/1sydr
The Doors t-shirt - http://tiny.cc/iazqc
Star Wars t-shirt - http://tiny.cc/nsfh3
Super Mario t-shirt - http://tiny.cc/e4eld
Fred Perry polo shirt (blue - the plain blue with the gold emblem, NOT sapphire - in a small) - http://tiny.cc/si87w

_________________________

CDS:

Blur - Leisure
Blur - Modern Life Is Rubbish
Blur - Parklife
Blur - The Great Escape
Blur - Blur
Blur - 13
Blur - Think Tank
M. Ward - Post-War
M. Ward - Hold Time
M. Ward - Transistor Radio
M. Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent
M. Ward - End of Amnesia
Fleetwood Mac - Live - http://tiny.cc/9ju1o
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (REMASTERED 2-disc edition) - http://tiny.cc/ywdr2
Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (REMASTEREDexpanded edition) - http://tiny.cc/1tobi
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (REMASTERED 2-disc edition) - http://tiny.cc/2fyjj
The Police - Zenyattà Mondatta
The Police - Outlandos d'Amour
The Police - Reggatta de Blanc
The Doors - The Doors
The Doors - Strange Days
The Doors - Waiting For The Sun
The Doors - The Soft Parade
The Doors - Morrison Hotel
The Doors - LA Woman
The Doors - In Concert
Caribou - Up In Flames
Caribou - Swim
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
Beck - Odelay
Beck - Midnite Vultures
Beck - Sea Change
Corrine Bailey Rae - The Sea
The Beatles - With The Beatles
The Beatles - Please Please Me
The Beatles - A Hard Days Night
The Beatles - Beatles For Sale
The Beatles - Help
The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Beatles - Let It Be
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Fruit
Kate Bush - The Red Shoes
Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Kate Bush - Never For Ever
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles II (2010 album - I hate the debut!)
Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones - Some Girls
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP
She and Him - Volume 1
MIA - Arular
Vangelis - The Blade Runner Soundtrack
Tricky - Maxinquaye
Oasis - Definitely Maybe
David Gray - White Ladder
Pulp - Different Class
Pulp - This Is Hardcore
Feist - Let It Die
Beach House - Beach House
Beach House - Devotion

_________________________

DVD's:

Run Lola Run
Manic
Don't Look Now
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Leon
The Fly (1986)
Scanners
Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (1978)
Pi (1998)
Mulholland Drive
Blue Velvet
LA Story
Dangerous Liaisons
Being John Malkovich
Platoon
Apocalypse Now
The Jerk
Withnail and I
Trading Places
Blazing Saddles
The Hudsucker Proxy
10
Groundhog Day
Chopper
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
LA Confidential
12 Monkeys
The Fisher King
Clerks
The Ipcress File
Dune
The Witches Of Eastwick
Into The Wild
Brick
The Doors
Jackie Brown
Se7en
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie
American Psycho
The Rules of Attraction
The Lost Boys
2 Days In Paris
Taxi Driver
Casino
The Lookout
The Descent
Silence of the Lambs
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Breakfast Club
Ils (Them)
The Red Riding trilogy
Alphaville
Nightmare on Elm Street (original)
Hellraiser
The Indiana Jones trilogy (NOT the 4th one)
Tron
2001: A Space Odyssey
_________________________

Foals.

2010-05-13T23:38:00.005+01:00

I've had a few days for Total Life Forever to sink in, and though this will probably change once I familiarise myself with it further in the coming weeks. But for now, this is the dream Foals setlist, and at a reasonable amount of songs - 23. The amount Radiohead usually do. And I've included Hummer and Mathletics, they both were great additions when I saw them the first time. Notes: Spanish Sahara works into Humanate, which is an instrumental version, and then goes into Heavy Water. It acts as a sort of joining jam. The lines signify the beginning of an encore. This is perfection.

Total Life Forever
Cassius
What Remains
Black Gold
Olympic Airways
Balloons
Astronauts 'n All
Spanish Sahara
Humanate (Early Mix)
Heavy Water
Mathletics
Big Big Love (Fig. 2)
Miami
This Orient
Red Sox Pugie
2 Trees
_______________________________________

The French Open
After Glow
Alabaster
Hummer
Electric Bloom
_______________________________________

Blue Blood
Two Steps, Twice
_______________________________________

Heaven is here.

2010-05-11T18:04:00.004+01:00

TOTAL LIFE FOREVER
FOALS

Yes, I am in love with this album. And yes, Spanish Sahara is probably still the defining moment of the last 3 years or so, but there is so much more on this album. 2.18 minutes into Spanish Sahara however gives me a feeling like no other. There is something amazing about that sound. Not since the effect 51 seconds into Fitter Happier have I been so immersed in an effect. This Orient actually seems poor in comparison to every other song. Even the instrumental, Fugue, lasting only 48 seconds, seems out of this world. A track by track guide is as pointless for this album as a track by track guide to OK Computer. It's an album and I will treat it as such. Blue Blood, After Glow, Miami, Alabaster, What Remains, Black Gold... every track makes the experience like no other. Foals have made music exciting for me for the first time in a while. Go buy it if you haven't.

Never.

2010-05-08T03:23:00.002+01:00

Never have I cried like this. As much as I love Lost, it can't do this to me. Seriously, all these years, all that drama, and that's how their journey ends? I know they weren't central characters, but... They will live on in my heart. Goodbye, Sun and Jin.

I LOVE YOU, DAMON.

2010-04-30T19:14:00.003+01:00

I mean that with complete sincerity. Man-crush. I really do love him. The Vampire Diaries Damon, not The Omen Damon, who is quite frankly terrifying. Anyway, I haven't written anything about The Vampire Diaries in a while, so let's get up to speed. Though that episode were he and Elena took a road trip was mostly boring - probably the worst episode so far actually - I'm beginning to see why it was important. I think my favourite (though it was heartbreaking) moment of the series so far came this week when they went into the tomb. Katherine wasn't there! She is a vile girl, but Damon really needs her. And then finding out that she was alive all this time and just didn't want to see him... Steering off-track here. My favourite moment was when Damon, completely heartbroken, was in the tomb, almost locked in for eternity. And Stefan couldn't convince him to come out before it was too late, he couldn't move with grief. And then Elena came along. You really have to see it to get what I mean. But I guess if you're not a fan you've stopped reading by now... so I guess this is a pointless post. But seriously, great moment, I hope there is something more to this relationship. Although Stefan is great now. Unintentionally sometimes, but every once in a while he does something that restores my faith in him. But obviously Damon is a much funnier, a much more scheming and a much more layered/emotional character. Ahh, Damon. Never thought I would stop calling him Boone, but he's even better than Boone, who was like my favourite season one character in Lost! THAT'S a good character.

Well well well.

2010-04-29T20:48:00.004+01:00

My last post was on how the reviews made Kele's album sound great. The debut single debuted on Zane Lowe. And it is MASSIVE. Seriously massive. It's made The Boxer my most anticipated Summer album! Until then, here's the link to the awesome track, Tenderoni:

http://www.iamkele.com/

The Vampire Diaries.

2010-04-27T23:04:00.003+01:00

Made me cry tonight. How they manage to make me so sympathetic towards such a character as Damon is beyond me. Love it though. I want nothing more than for Katherine to return, just for Damon. And for some havoc! So glad she's alive. And Grams, can't believe I cried for Witch Bitch Bonnie.

Looks like it's gonna be a good'un!

2010-04-27T01:42:00.002+01:00

Hi.

2010-04-27T01:17:00.002+01:00

I haven't been on this for, what, two days? Ha, no, more like 4. Not that much more actually. Anyway, I'll not be posting many blogs now, until I write my Heroes script. Details of that LATER. For now, just wanted to update my blog, for personal reflection really, since no one really reads this.

So tonight I have done like an essay and some stuff for English. I'm finally well studying. Like WELL studying. But I am still worried about Modern Studies. History should be easy enough, and English is going well, so if good questions come up, I could actually do quite well in them subjects. But Mod Stud... well, it's just my luck to get a dyslexic teacher. Harsh, but "Hungry" is not a country, "Inequalies" is not the correct spelling, and a politics teacher should really know how to spell the president's name. Eurgh. The worst of it is that as a person, she is positively lovely.

Enough of school, let's talk about that Heroes script. Well, I have some great ideas for it, but quite a lot of the ideas will come from the show. Though the ordering, the outcomes, and actually most things, will be brand spanking new. I can't stress how amazing my ideas are, but I'll not big myself up in case it turns out complete shit. It won't.

The first changes of the end of series 1 will be surfacing at the start of July. And now onto my musical musings. Tonight I have for one more time rediscovered Bloc Party. But really, they are a sensational band. 'Kreuzberg' is my favourite of the moment. Though this changes daily, I have always seen it as a sort of standout from 'A Weekend In The City'. I'm learning how to play it by ear right now, which is going well so far, but we'll see how far I get. Probably not very. I've worked out the solo, but that's the easy part. Also a favourite right now is old-time favourite 'Like Eating Glass', which has been a favourite for years, but I have once again rediscovered it. I guess 'rediscovered' is a bit of a stupid word to use. Oh well.

So that's, once again, a massive paragraph for Bloc Party. I have a few pretty funky prospects, though I'm gonna wait until I purchase some of their stuff before I state my love for them. One of them I will be falsely loving right now, so don't want to go and embarrass myself if I claim to love them then hate them a few days later. Which happens way too often.

Also, outrage at iTunes! Wankers. They keep giving me incomplete downloads, stopping my downloads, DELETING stuff from my library and forcing me to repurchase 'lost' items. Well, not forcing, but I want them! Tossers.

Well, I believe that is all I have to say. OH NO, it's not - I may be going to Rockness. The Strokes, Vampire Weekend and Blondie in one day for just £60? Yes indeedy. Even if one of them are way past their wonder years, the other had one good album, and I've only recently saw the other one for a second time. I'm sure you can figure out which is which. But that's looking on the negatives, the fact of the matter is that I won't forgive myself if I die having not seen these people, no matter how old or past it they are, and Vampire Weekend just make the day that bit better. And they're on during the day. Which is good. They are a day festival band for sure.

That is me now. See ya pals.

My Dad

2010-04-24T00:50:00.002+01:00

Last post was a bit harsh. So I've decided to be nice for a post. Things I've learned tonight that has made me decide that I approve of my dad:

He now likes Laura Marling! Which means he is cooler than most of my friends.

He saw David Bowie during White Duke era. Why he has never told me this (but always tells me about seeing Queen before they were famous) I do not know. Obviously Ziggy phase would be better, but better than no Bowie.

He saw Lou Reed out of his face. In concert, not just at a pub or something, ha.

As a youngster, he fancied Olivia Newton-John and blonde Abba girl, probably two I would fancy.

And perhaps coolest of all was what pieces of clothing he owned in the late 70s: PROPER FLARES AND HUGE, BROWN PLATFORMS.

Well, that rounds up the list of things I have learned about my dad tonight. Now I am off to watch Lost and hope it is amazing, because if it isn't, I may cry. Soosoon.

xx

I HATE.

2010-04-21T21:10:00.000+01:00

THE INTERNET. GOODBYE, FUCKER.

Sims.

2010-04-21T01:12:00.003+01:00

Dis gruuu ess frenchayy! I should not know that this, in Sim language, roughly translates as "this food is good." But I do. Yeah, the past two nights I have mostly played The Sims. Not really last night, last night I was motivated and did like 2 essays, but tonight. Nada. But tomorrow I will be more motivated. I WILL be. Plus I only have double History, two free periods in Admin and then Romeo and Juliet trip. Not a drug trip, like a school trip. Not been on one in like 10 years. Do you still take a packed lunch? I'm going to anyway. Well off to try and catch a falling star and put it in my pocket.

xx

MARIA!

2010-04-19T00:53:00.000+01:00

You've gotta see her.

Heroes.

2010-04-18T22:42:00.004+01:00

Remember 3 or 4 years ago when Heroes first came to our screens? Full of possibility. Now it is just a waste. I really wish I was in charge of it, I would make an awesome show. Once these exams are over, I'm gonna make a second season Heroes script. This is the kind of stuff I'm going to do out of academic commitment. BRING IT.

xx

Does anyone still...

2010-04-18T01:00:00.003+01:00

Download music illegally? I have been so against it for quite a long time now, but it seems like this feeling of disgust for Limewire etc. has spread and downloading illegally is actually really uncool now. Which is good. And if you're still downloading music illegally, thus destroying music, no matter what Radiohead are saying...

you are really uncool.

xx

A week on...

2010-04-17T01:03:00.006+01:00

Well, it's almost been a week since I removed myself from social networking. So far, it's just a relief. I have developed a liking for jazz (nothing extreme, just some Miles and some Billie) which is slightly weird. But good. And on an unrelated topic, I have been tuning down my guitar, which has had some amazing results. And without social networking, I'm not rushing online to send them to people, so I have delved further in. So I guess they were inextricably linked.

I wrote a massive paragraph of total pyschoanalysis on my life, but it annoyed me. So I'm just gonna leave it there, now off for a film. Last night was Blade Runner by the by, which was AMAZING. I thought I had seen pretty much all of it (I'd seen like parts of it several times recently, and as a child) but I only recalled parts. Anyway, see ya pals.

xx

500 Days Of Summer

2010-04-15T00:35:00.002+01:00

I know, two things probably going through your mind if you're reading this. A - ZOOEY MADNESS. B - A little late with this, no? But yes, here it is. My first time watching 500 Days Of Summer. And it's the best film I've seen this year. Actually amazingly good. And funny. I can't describe it in words. All vocabulary is gone right now. But Zooey rules. As does Joseph. It is so sad though. 'Sad'. 'Funny'. All vocabulary really HAS escaped me. Just watch it if you haven't already. See ya pals.

xx

Laura Marling

2010-04-14T01:54:00.004+01:00

Fast on the heels of the release of her sophomore effort, Laura Marling came to Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket. And I was there. Just in case that wasn't obvious. Anyway, after only two listens of 'I Speak Because I Can' which was only released a couple of weeks ago, I went into this gig knowing it was a great album, but not fully convinced. It was clear just a song into this gig that the album is even better than I initially thought.

Firstly, a little mention for the Australian band who were the first support. Boys and Bears. They were great, a really nice surprise that the first support band was actually good. But they were more than just good, they were actually sensational. Highly recommend them, the singer is great and they are not just off the backbone of Fleet Foxes, you can tell they are very unique.

Also notable is the venue, the Old Fruitmarket. Never been in this venue before, and it's really great especially for such an intimate gig.

Anyway, onto the main point - LAURA. Yes, this was amazing. Kicking things off with 'Devil's Spoke' (my fave from the new album at this point) it wowed me in ways I didn't expect. And the gig continued with old favourites (Ghosts obviously, but more appropriate for me, 'Failure', 'My Manic and I', 'Night Terror' and 'Alas I Cannot Swim'... I guess almost every old song she played) and to recollection, pretty much every song from 'I Speak Because I Can'. All these songs were amazing. First, let's talk about them old songs. Whilst playing 'Failure' she messed up through the middle, but in keeping with the lovely banter, she just laughed. Similarly, during 'My Manic and I', she sang "disappoint' instead of 'amaze'... or the other way about. Either way, after a pause, she once again laughed and continued. From the new album, pretty much all the songs were performed brilliantly. She explained the story behind the lyrics from 'Made By Maid' and 'Goodbye England' which only improved the listening experience for these two songs. As she said, for most songs, this is inappropriate, but there are certain songs where when explained by the lyricist, it is improved. And these were two instances where they were improved and not 'ruined'. Furthermore, these songs are both musically excellent. 'Alpha Shallows'' is an excellent song and live it was even better. But in this rather scattered 'review' I realise that I have failed to mention the most mesmerising feature of Laura Marling. Her sensational voice. And tonight, her voice once again amazed me to the point of having several moments of goosebumps and being literally immersed in the songs.

A truly unique gig, which was so different to anything that preceded it for me that it may be hard to compare it, but I would say that for being immersed in the music and truly appreciating the performance, it has probably (alright, definitely) been my favourite gig thus far in my life. Yes, better than Radiohead. Radiohead do not suit the festival environment, not many bands do, but in an intimate venue, they would obviously put on an amazing gig. Enough of mother-flipping Radiohead.

Yes, Laura Marling has been my favourite gig to date. There was beer, but in my mouth instead of over my clothes, there was no jostling, there was no annoying dancing, it was pure and simply a gig where you could stand/sit and appreciate truly amazing music. Luckily, Laura does make truly amazing music, thusly I could stand and appreciate it tonight.

I have rambled on (I AM THE RAMBLING MAN) for too long. I'm pretty sure I've repeated the same thing several times. Poor vocabulary/structure etc. But I guess all I can do to conclude this is reiterate the fact that this was a really amazing gig. The best. I'll stop talking now. Bye.

xx

She and Him et al.

2010-04-13T02:17:00.008+01:00

She and Him are probably my band of the moment. Such a surprise that Zooey Deschanel not only looks insanely pretty, and is an actress, but also makes great music. Weird. But yes, She and Him are genius. Only heard Volume 1, I shall report on Volume 2 when I listen to it. But from Volume 1, they have such a great sound. Old, but fresh. Safe.

Also loving The Vampire Diaries. After the disappointment from last week's episode, I thought the show was gonna go downhill, but whilst tonight's didn't have REALLY big shocking moments, it was still a great episode. And also loving Dawson's Creek right now. Got the third season the other day and already like halfway through. Michelle has nice hair, Jack is discovering gayism, Joey and Pacey are beginning the best match-up in the shows history, and Dawson is... well, complaining as usual, and mingling with rubbish characters (right now it's Principal Green's daughter - naw) but he is just a slight blimp. I think this is the series where Andie takes ecstasy? Megalol. But I think that means she leaves, which is also good. So s'all good down on the Creek. Heroes was ok. Which is all I expect from this now average show these days. But I have to say, Hiro and Ando were actually insanely hilarious. And Lost. DESMOND!!

Which would bring me on to my next point, but I am too annoyed/tired/confused to even begin to explain it. It sucks. I am just so depressed of late. I'm gonna change myself. I've always been the same person inside, but I feel like I am not emitting this to anyone. Like, anyone. People I hate I am quiet and moody around and people I love I am excitable and annoying around. Sucks to be me.

Enough of this angst. Let's end with my verdict on Laura Marling's new album. My opinion on this album has changed, and I have actually edited this post. This is due to the gig I attended, where Laura wowed me. And it was in fact her new songs that wowed me most, not her old ones. This is explained in the next post.

Well, over and out folks.

xx

The blog is the way.

2010-04-11T23:55:00.002+01:00

Many a time I have tried to delete social networks. But tonight I have done it. Every one. They make me sad. There's no point when I only really have it for chatting to like two people and I have their phone numbers. So yes. The blog is now where it's at.

So I'll tell you about my day. Well, was working today for what seems like the 3784635 time in a row. Tomorrow is my last day then I have two days off. One of which is Laura Marling! So yes, nearly a break. But today started off awful. I was in such a bad mood. I decided I hate most things/people which made me decide at about 12.01 that I was gonna delete all social networks. This blog means I get an unlimited amount of characters, no one reads it, and I don't have to interact. Plus, plus and big plus. I also decided at roughly the same time that I like the company of 3 people right now, the rest seem a bit of a chore, thusly I am going to become more of a recluse. I will come out once every week or so for a trip to the pictures (don't have to talk to others there) but apart from that and the compulsory work/school, yeah, I've pretty much had it. Almost everyone is a complete twat! So becoming a recluse seems a good option to be honest.

My mood lightened as the day went on, but I still maintained my outlook, even if it wasn't so blatantly put forth as the day went on. Another day that I ran out of work. How mentally draining it is. But I was met with the sun when I left, really beautiful, warm sun. Which made me smile. i was going to go for a walk round the lochs, but then realised it would be choc-a-bloc. So decided against it. Another instance where my reclusiveness prevails. And though glad to get home, I have pretty much wasted the past 7 hours, ha. But as of tomorrow, I am using my time wisely. After work, gonna sort out my notes then study on Tuesday during the day. Yes. And I am going to listen intently to Laura Marling's second album for the first time in about an hour.

Now I am off to watch some Dawson's Creek. Just watched the Witch Island episode. So much fun.

DESMOND.

2010-04-11T20:44:00.003+01:00

Desmond. Is. Back!!! It's the moment I've been waiting for in anticipation (as my recent posts prove) for months. It was the best moment ever. That was last week's episode. This weeks dove straight into telling Desmond's last centric story. And it didn't disappoint, but certainly did worry. Let's just wait and see what happens.

LOST.

2010-03-27T03:09:00.006Z

I do not know how this could be. But I think. That Smocke. Is Aaron. I know. But hear me out. Time is obviously an issue with the island. MAYBE the "crazy" mother that Smocke said he had (hilarious by the by) actually WAS Claire. Since Aaron in this timeline isn't actually raised by Claire (well, that remains to be seen, but unlikely) I'm thinking maybe Smocke was raised by Claire in the safe-landing timeline and then... Lost it a bit. But it seems like a good idea. Maybe. Just an idea.

Anyway.

That was just a thought, since I always thought Aaron meant something. Like really meant something. But let's move on to the main point of this post - Ab Aeterno. This episode is probably the major turning point, roughly halfway through this series. The first half was kind of etched in mystery. But now we really have a great idea about what's going on. We know the purpose of the island, an idea of why everyone is brought to the island. Almost every major question I had of Lost was addressed, if not, answered in tonight's episode.

Ricardo was the centric character in this episode, which is EXCELLENT, because Richard is an amazing character. And after tonight, he just got more amazing. Before this episode, we questioned Richard's motives, and more recently, his doubts. But this really was revolutionary for the character. We found out his whole story. Wife died in 18-summat. He killed doctor for medicine. By mistake. Sentenced to death. "Saved" by a slaves owner. Brought to island by the Black Rock. Smashed into statue. And amidst this episode, the idea of hell and condemnation was explored throughout. When in jail, awaiting death, Richard asked for forgiveness and was told he could not be forgiven.

Upon arrival to the island, all are killed except Richard. Why is this? Well, Smocke killed everyone except Richard as he wanted him to kill Jacob. He knew Richard would do this because, when looking into his past, he saw his wife problems. Exposing this, Smocke was able to almost "bribe" Richard into doing it, through misleading him and using his wife as a bargain. He does this through appearing as his wife to Richard. He then tells Richard that Jacob, or the "devil", has taken her, despite his best efforts to save her. This is all lies (or is it?) and he just wants Richard to kill Jacob. Richard foolishly complies, though this is completely understandable. When told he is in hell after seeing black smoke attack people and his dead wife appearing, it would be hard to deny that he is in hell.

So, we go see Jacob. Jacob defends himself (why here, but not when Ben kills him? Perhaps his own death is all part of the plan?) and tells Richard that he is not the devil. That Smocke is truly the epitome of the devil, complete darkness and evil, and through the metaphor of the bottle, Smocke is the dark wine, and the island is the stopper which prevents Smocke from being released unto the world and causing complete pain and suffering. How and why he would do this is questionable, perhaps he truly is the devil? In relation to Richard, he asks what he wants. Richard replies his wife. Nope. Followed by forgiveness. Nope. So he says he never wants to die. Wish granted. How Jacob has the power to do this willy-nilly is once again a mystery. But we are making MAJOR progress, folks.

But then a strange twist. Hurley sees Richard's dead wife, and Hurley is reliable as a source, no? We do see his wife. And his wife says that Smocke must be stopped, and if not, they will all go to hell. This throws in a whole other dimension. This is the dimension that lost me. I have no theories about this, and is the one thing I am just going to have to wait and see what happens.

The closing scene was a flashback of Jacob and Smockey Devil. The metaphorical bottle is broken and the wine unleashed. With the haunting words "sooner than you think."

MIND FUCK.

Still, WHERE THE FUCK IS DESMOND?!

xx

Anna Karina.

2010-03-19T17:18:00.003Z

I think this is the person I would marry if I lived in the 60's. Look how beautiful! She's a Danish actress. So so so pretty.

xx

Kid Savant and other bands I'm loving right now.

2010-03-13T16:44:00.011Z

Yo. Recently, over two social networks, I have discovered people actually do take notice of my blog link and do read this, but I've somehow disabled the follow button? Maybe? Oh wells. So I have decided to write a post about some bands, unsigned, signed, popular and unpopular, that I am loving of late.

KID SAVANT are a favourite. They're unsigned, but undeservedly so. Their songs have a lot going on, but it feels more layered than busy. Which is a good thing. Omnious Dance Floor especially. I love this song so so much. It is clear there are influences in there, but the result is something very fresh and VERY funky. The last minute or so is mesmerising. Check them out at: www.myspace.com/kidsavant

BROKEN BELLS. I have only got the iTunes single of the week, The High Road, but it sounds promising. It does sound like The Shins, but with Danger Mouse. Which it basically is. Danger Mouse seems to make everything amazing. Another song on their MySpace called Vaporize also sounds great. Another great band from the iTunes single of the week, for a change, one I hadn't already checked out. Check them out at: www.myspace.com/brokenbells

IKONS. This Swedish band are also amazing, but again, I only have their MySpace songs to go by. Albums out 15th of April in the UK apparently. But Slow Light, an 8 minute instrumental extravaganza, is very impressive. It actually sounds slightly like The Brian Jonestown Massacre with MAJOR synths. Which is great. And the slightly less epic, but equally good, Afrika is a great song. I really don't know how to describe them, but they are great, so. Check them out at: www.myspace.com/1kon5

THE FREQUENCY. Heard about this band on NME's blog a while back, the MP3 one. And so glad that I did. Every one of their epic songs are gems. Love Is One gets insanely good 5 minutes in. Not that the first 5 minutes aren't also amazing. Check them out at: www.myspace.com/thefrequencymusic

THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR. You all probably know this bands song "Around The Bend" from the Apple advert. But they have a lot more to offer. I haven't got the album yet, but I have heard quite a few songs off it, and it's great. Check them out at: www.myspace.com/theasteroidsgalaxytour

FOALS. I know I mentioned Foals in the last post, but Spanish Sahara promises great things for Foals second album. It's up on their MySpace now. I suggest you watch the video that accompanies it. Check them out at: www.myspace.com/foals

Foals.

2010-03-03T23:41:00.007Z

Foals were pretty good in 2007. Hummer and Mathletics was fresh. They were amazing party songs, which was appropriate as they played house parties in Oxford night after night. But this. Spanish Sahara. Is a whole other world. I can't recommend it more. Yannis' voice is absolutely tremendous. I can't describe it. Just check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7tyLdKaru0

xx

The Lighthouse

2010-03-01T04:17:00.007Z

Hi folks. I missed out The Substitute last week because I couldn't really be bothered writing about it. But now I can't sleep with excitement at this episode and my phone's broke so I can't wake anybody up to talk to them about it.

First of all... Jack has a son? Interesting. Now it seems like a predictable angle, but I was completely shocked. It's kind of obvious that to fully show Jack's alternate personality, we would need HIM to be a father figure. Because of the 5 seasons of daddy issues we've had. But Christy, nice move Lost people. But I hope that's us done with that, I hate that child actor. Child actors. No. But back to Jack. Rhyme. Yeah, Jack was great this episode. Well, him crashing the mirror was annoying, but I think even if deep down he thought that he was still destined to be something special, he would know that crashing a mirror wouldn't change his path. That's how I looked at it anyway. It was such a nice character arc. We were reminded of the Rabbit Hole episode (not sure if that's what it's called, I remember it as that?) which was also a nice touch. That would have been Jack's first centric episode, and we saw in both safe-landing and island-time that he is still the same person. Still impetuous, irrational and fighting with inner-demons. Which is quite sad actually, the fact he still hasn't found himself at all. He will though. He will.

Enough about Jack, my hands are sore and I still need to talk about the main attraction. CLAIRE. This was a mystery for most of the episode, it really had me confused. And upset. I really didn't want Claire to be evil, and I'm still not fully certain. It has led me to be convinced that there is no black and white. There is only perception, and Jacob's intentions lie with the island and protecting it, whereas 'Friend's' intentions lies with freedom basically. What I think the writers will try to do by the end of the season is kind of go down the whole Lord of the Flies route. Golding tried to show us that everyone is born with some evil in them, and that it's man's job to fight that evil. I think that Lost is trying to say that inside all of us is black and white, but that doesn't mean Jacob is white and 'Friend' is black. I think as the series progresses we will be shown Jacob's black side, and 'Friend's' white side. I'm really focusing on this black and white thing, but they made it clear early on this was a big theme. And I think I've cracked it. Also, with Charles Widmore. Depicted as having a pure black side. As was Ben. The funeral scene just proved that's not true. There is white in all of us. And black. Hmm. I am impressing myself here.

Let's pull focus back on Claire. Yeah, she is all Rousseau, like in the jungle for years, so long she can't remember, looking for her baby. I'll assume you've seen this, so I won't walk you through the details. Her killing that guy from the Temple after Jin said that is pretty messed up. I don't know whether she really IS evil, or it's her desperation to find Aaron that did this. If I was alone in the jungle for years, hunting and avoiding these people, killing them with reason, then found out a supposed friend (fucking KATE) took my baby, I would be insanely confused. Denial. Claire probably knows deep down Jin was telling the truth. But for 3 years, living that lie... Well, I really don't know what's going on in her mind. But her 'Friend' being Locke was... well, again, should have been predictable, but shocked me to my core. And makes your mind do summersaults again. Is she misguided by him? Are we, the audience, being misled by Jacob? Are they two actually just desperate for the ones they love and freedom? Is this infection story true? Are they misguided? Are they lying to turn everyone against 'Friend' and Claire? THE QUESTIONS.

I leave with four thoughts.

First, I was talking about the black and white perception thing? I realised halfway through this that at one point, Locke in the first season described the monster as something beautiful, light or something if I remember correctly? Perhaps we have only been shown the black smoke, but a white smoke also exists, that Locke saw? Because the first time we see Locke's face at the monster, he seems more amazed. But in the season one finale, when he sees the black smoke, he seems bewildered.

Second, I was at first really annoyed at Jin, but obviously he tells Claire lies because he knows she might kill him if she found out, WILL kill Kate, and he knows that he can lead her back to the temple where he has friends. Smart on his feet, but I have to say, I would have made a different decision. I am insanely in love with Claire though.

Thirdly, WHERE THE FUCK IS DESMOND?!

My last thought is with Claire. Who said "If Kate really did do that, I'd have to kill her." Well, I'M FUCKING BEHIND YOU, CLAIRE. DO IT FOR A NATION. NAY, A WORLD. KILL THE BITCH.

xx

Arctic Monkeys.

2010-02-24T01:14:00.003Z

Hello. Making this setlist also made me appreciate this band. Such a great band. Over the years. Yet they never make the right setlist choices. Here's what Alex and co. should really go for:

Brianstorm
Crying Lightning
D is for Dangerous
Fake Tales of San Francisco
Dance Little Liar
Still Take You Home
Leave Before The Lights Come On
Old Yellow Bricks
Riot Van
Secret Door
The View From The Afternoon
Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Pretty Visitors
Fluorescent Adolescent
Mardy Bum
Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But...
When The Sun Goes Down
__________________________________________________

505
Cornerstone
From The Ritz to the Rubble
If You Were There, Beware
A Certain Romance

xx

ALEX.

2010-02-23T20:28:00.002Z

The Stone Roses.

2010-02-20T02:38:00.004Z

Feels like 30 seconds since I did the YYYs setlist. Think it was. Oh well. This was an easy setlist to compile. 10 from the eponymous debut album (if you count Fools Gold on that album) and 10 from Second Coming. Simples. And there's an acoustic mini-set in the middle, from Your Star Will Shine to Tears, that's what them lines represent. It's pretty perfect. Anyway, here it is:

I Wanna Be Adored
She Bangs The Drums
Ten Storey Love Song
Waterfall
Driving South
Shoot You Down
Good Times
__________________________

Your Star Will Shine
Elizabeth My Dear
Tightrope
Tears
__________________________

Made Of Stone
(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister
Love Spreads
Begging You
Fools Gold
__________________________

Breaking Into Heaven
Daybreak
This Is The One
I Am The Resurrection

xx

Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

2010-02-20T01:03:00.006Z

Yet another set list. I have seen YYYs twice now, but I feel like the experience would be so much better with the right selection of songs. Thus:

Skeletons
Rich
Heads Will Roll
No No No
Softshock
Way Out
Hysteric
Dull Life
Man
Pin
Shame And Fortune
Cheated Hearts
Black Tongue
Maps
___________________________________

Zero
Tick
Gold Lion
Y Control
Date With The Night
___________________________________

xx

People I would happily marry.

2010-02-17T20:04:00.004Z

Basically a list of people I would like to marry. Ascending order of preference. ie. Number one is who I would most like to marry. I may justify this selection/order one day. Right now, just want to get this out in the open - I LOVE THESE PEOPLE.

10 - Kate Bush (in the 70s)
9 - Laura Marling
8 - Gill from the 60s
7 - Michelle Williams
6 - Stina
5 - Rachel Riley
4 - Alexa Chung
3 - Stevie Nicks (in 1976)
2 - Miss Patterson
1 - Emilie de Ravin

xx

City Lights, Pretty Faces

2010-02-17T17:32:00.001Z

Here's a simple song I wrote. Simple, but sweet.

Back up
Think of the consequences
Impulse
Tear us to asunder
I've tried
Well try a little harder
That spell
You've put me under
Jump aboard
Let's sail away to boredom
Running for adulation
Trailing contempt at our feet

Leave the city lights
Forget the sordid tarts
Fly that proverbial kite
Embrace our new starts

How I'd love to forget the faces
Let go of the sensual shine
Oh, how I'd love to clear all traces
Of the life I can't leave behind.

xx

Nameless

2010-02-17T17:31:00.000Z

A not yet named song. (Maybe just 'Nameless'?) But this one has a beat to it. I have like a proper vision of where the song will go musically. Thus the "oh oh oh's" which look a bit silly when written down. But just trust me when I say that when I have a guitar and it's not 4.17 in the morning those "oh oh oh's" will have purpose. Anyway, it's much less sweet than the previous song. It can be taken as a song about friends, lovers, whatever. But I'm sure the main sentiment is easy to depict. Oh, and it's not from my point of view. And I imagine it with a female voice. So here it is:

I kicked him twice,
But he never seemed so nice.
This madness never seems to stop but
I'm not letting go, go, go, go, go-oh.

One day I'm gonna break it
But first let me have some fun.

I'll haunt you, I'll haunt you in your sleep.
Amusement parks, up in the stars, never seemed so steep (sleep, sleep, sleep)

I know it's pretty hollow,
But he breaks my soul too.
I know he'll always follow,
He's oh, so confu-u-used.

Be my warmth, rest my heart.
No one ever sees us apart,
But inside us tells something else.

Your sanity is just a price you'll pay,
One day I'll just yell.

xx

Adulation

2010-02-17T17:29:00.001Z

This song has an imaginary beat to it, and it's supposed to be pretty mental, musically. The middle part, starting from "of adulation" will be like a proper musical build up to the line which may either work perfectly or sound disastrous: "COME ON BABY, LET'S GO CRAZY". Some of the lyrics are a bit out there. Just be open-minded about it, and remember that this is gonna be a pretty riotous song musically.

It's easy to hate you
Your augmented disdain fluctuates
Like your running colours
But I love you too
Yeah, yes I do

Haughtiness is something I had come to adore
One day my morals, they just hit the floor
But your chirpiness gave me a helping hand
If not for pride
Then surely for adulation
In comes a tide

Of adulation,
Hate,
A parasite,
Of my life.
Admiration,
Craves attention.
Look at the swagger,
curse the night.
Eat my soul,
The cheeks,
Call me names,
Shame exposed.

LET'S GO CRAZY, COME ON BABY.

But there was nothing to repulse me
I don't need your soul or your money
I would have given you my life
Because you were the only one I loved.

xx

Radiohead.

2010-02-15T23:50:00.004Z

Radiohead are possibly the best band to ever exist. So I have decided to compile an unbiased set list, not plugging their new album, and not being obliged to include even one song from their weaker albums. So here it is, in it's full glory. It's 30 songs, which is a bit much, but only 5 or so more than they usually play.

15 Steps
Paranoid Android
I Might Be Wrong
Lucky
House Of Cards
Creep
(Nice Dream)
Let Down
Nude
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
How To Disappear Completely
Electioneering
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Airbag
High And Dry
Reckoner
Knives Out
Planet Telex
Karma Police
These Are My Twisted Words
The Bends
Morning Bell
My Iron Lung
Idioteque
Bodysnatchers
You And Whose Army?
______________________________

The National Anthem
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Just
Everything In It's Right Place
______________________________

No Surprises

xx

What Kate Does

2010-02-14T02:14:00.004Z

What does Kate do? Kate sucks the life out of this show, that's what she fucking does. This Kate-centric episode is a contender for the worst episode of the whole series. Like all 6 seasons. Maybe not Jack's tattoo episode or Nikki and Paolo episode, but it comes too close for comfort.

My first point is that whilst I have accepted the supernatural side to Lost, more so than anyone, some of the things that occurred in this episode were just plain silly. Claire gets back into a cab with someone who aggressively kidnapped her, holding a gun to her head, not even allowing a pregnant woman to get her bag? This is absurd.

Linked to this is the absurdity in the way Kate goes about her business in both dimensions (For future reference, the alternate timeline will now be known to me as the "safe-landing dimension", whilst the normal one will be known as "island timeline"). In safe-landing dimension, she holds a gun to a sweet pregnant woman, aggressively tells her to get out of her cab, leaves her on an unfamiliar street, and drives off to look after numero uno first and foremost. It's only once she deals with her own predicament that she goes back to get Claire. In island timeline, she knocks out two others, not thinking the consequences it may have for Jin, like him not being able to get back to the Temple? And she runs after Sawyer, oblivious to the consequences she may create.

Before the ultimate downfall of this episode, let's talk about the only redeeming feature of it. Sawyer's 3 minute or so scene with Kate on the docks was very emotional. Reminiscent of the Juliet and Sawyer scene at the docks visually, emotionally it contrasted completely. The Juliet scene was full of hope and prosperity, despite them being in a hopeless situation (stuck in 1977), yet the Kate scene depicts two people who are broken. Up until then, he seemed to just groan about Juliet, but the docks was the first time since her actually dying that I felt sympathy and felt tearful for Sawyer. He really did love her. And I think the first time we've seen Sawyer with tears? Actually, he did cry when Juliet fell, and when she died, but it was still strange to see him cry. He's broken. Which is actually quite bad I guess. But it was a well-executed scene.

Thought I'd give the episode a bit of credit before I tore into it. Claire. Now, I have waited two years or so for Claire to return. She has consistently given us competitors for the best episodes of every series. Series one? Her episode was a clear standout. Series two? Her flashback to what happened in the aftermath of her season one episode was very revealing and very entertaining. Series three? Her episode was very emotional and her storyline was refreshing from the Others storyline. Which didn't really tell us much about the Others at all. And now, series six. Her massive return is dampened by the fact she is more than likely not even Claire at all, instead an infected Claire!! So basically everything that was once Claire has probably gone. This is a travesty. And it's happening with Sayid as well. And Locke. All the best characters, all infected/inhabited by Nemesis. NOT A GOOD DIRECTION, LOST WRITERS.

LA X (1) and (2)

2010-02-05T23:28:00.006Z

Well, episodes 1 and 2 of the last season of Lost. And they were mesmerising. I'll not deal with the obvious stuff, I'm just gonna go through some stuff I think was revealed subtly by this episode, things I think won't have been picked up on by many people.

First off, something occurred to me about the statue. The statue is quite a similar portrayal of the Egyptian God's Taweret or Sobek. Both these Egyptian God's have stories appropriate to Lost, so which one it is remains a topic of debate, with the camera never showing the statue head-on. So, let's deal with Taweret first. Without going into too much detail, since I am not very knowledgeable on the matter, Taweret was the Goddess of fertility and childbirth. This has a direct reference to Lost, as there have been maternity problems on the island. The statue is in present day nearly demolished, but when it was demolished is unclear. What is clear is that at some point, women started to face death in the maternity process. Perhaps when the statue got demolished, Taweret's power was also destroyed, and fertility became impossible on the island? The more likely God this statue represents however is Sobek. Again, as I am far from knowledgeable on the topic, I won't attempt to delve into a detailed analysis of this God. But I do know he represents an ambivalent creature, a crocodile, feared and detested by some, massively respected by others. Does this sound like Jacob to you? Also, this God called on other God's and Goddess's to protect people, thus having a more distant role, nudging things along. Much like Jacob, who does not take an active part in events, but does contribute to their outcome, as shown in his flashbacks, with Richard as a stem to the people. Whatever the statue, an ankh is carried by it. An ankh is said to undo evil and so cure ills. Much in the same way Jacob tries to undo the evil of his thus far nameless Nemesis, and cure ills, like when he saved Locke. This would explain the healing powers of the island.

My next revelation, which I instantly caught on to was when Nemesis said about Richard not being in "chains" any longer. I made a prediction that Richard came to the island on the Black Rock a season or so ago. So when he mentioned him in chains, I immediately thought my prediction was right. But "in chains"? Richard is a white male, surely he would not be the epitome of a slave in those harsh times? I thought he came to the island on the Black Rock, but as one of the people who put others in chains. Though he is such a nice guy, I can't imagine him being so cruel. Anyway, something to think about. I think this season will probably be this vague, letting us do some predicting, which is much better than just telling us "this is exactly what this meant" for every single question we may have. It's like lyrics - what's the point if you don't get your own meaning from them?

Next, we found out this Nemesis man is actually the black smoke. Well, the black smoke is just a shape he becomes, much like the way he is taking the shape of Locke at present. This could explain a lot of the weird things going on. Firstly, it could explain the whispers heard in the jungle, though this could also be the weird Others who live in the temple. It explains why Walt kept appearing in the jungle. I think, somehow, this Nemesis could foresee the events, and gave them a little nudge along by appearing as Walt etc. It led to Shannon being shot, Locke killing Naomi... and whilst I can't at present figure out how these were significant to the events which led him to killing Jacob, as Lost has shown, the slightest thing can alter so much in time. He is perhaps just really smart. Which doesn't bode well for our Losties, with Jacob dead, perhaps Locke is their last hope. But he is dead, and without Jacob... basically, I think the Losties are in deep shit. Unless the bomb plan really was successful.

Which leads me to my next point - the "Flash Sideways", as ABC are calling them. This is a bit early to make any massive predictions on, but I love this idea. HOWEVER. Guess who one of the characters was? Out of all the actors they could have pulled back to be on that plane, they pull back FUCKING FROGURT. But let's not dwell on that tit, he will only have a few lines at most. I HOPE. Anyway, this safe-landing experience has really gave us an insight to the characters so much already, showing how they would deal with life if they never knew of the island. And it will be interesting to see if they show us how Locke deals with an island-less life. And Jack. Well, I guess everyone will be interesting to see. Though this parallel universe thing could only last a few episodes. Hopefully won't last until the end of the series. But I have faith in Lost, they haven't been predictable thus far, and will hopefully provide us with a suitable ending.

One things for sure: I am excited about Lost all over again as it reinvents itself once more.

xx

Bloc Party - Perfection!

2010-02-05T00:35:00.006Z

Taking a break from the Lost lists, which I have decided should be completed after the 6th series, I have compiled my ideal Bloc Party set list tonight. It will probably change daily, but on the 5th of February 2010 at 00.55am, this is perfection redefined:

Trojan Horse
Hunting For Witches
Skeleton
Positive Tension
Waiting For The 7.18
Banquet
Little Thoughts
Signs
Emma Kate's Accident
One More Chance
Kreuzberg
Blue Light
Better Than Heaven
Like Eating Glass
The Prayer
Tulips
She's Hearing Voices
Vision of Heaven
Price of Gas
So Here We Are
Talons
Two More Years
Plans
Mercury
Pioneers
Ion Square
_______________________

This Modern Love
Helicopter
_______________________

Ares
Flux
_______________________

There you have it. Perfection in 2 hours. I made a few strange choices, selecting many slower and obscure songs than Bloc Party would ever choose. And about 10 more than they would, but it is perfect.

xx

Top 10 Worst Lost Characters

2010-01-14T14:17:00.008Z

10 - Eloise (young adult)

I loved old Eloise. She had a nice voice. Wisdom. THIS Eloise was a fucking tumour in my head. Her accent, GOD, her accent was awful. She was so pretty, and had a sweet personality when she toned down the accent, but the accent alone had me climbing the walls.

9 - Walt

Michael's annoying kid, I could have honestly throttled him. Always running off, thinking he can actually do anything of use on an island like this, he wouldn't sit at peace for two flipping seconds. He burned the raft, standing by whilst Jin got beat up over it. He actually considered saving a place on the raft for his dog (who did deserve a place more than him by the way). Also, whilst his mum was a week away from dying of cancer, he was whining "You're NOT listening". He was talking about Egyptian birds. His mum was dying. I know what I'd be more worried about. And aside from his annoying character, the writers were really to blame for my main beef with Walt. They introduced the idea that Walt was special. Then he just sort of leaves. What was the point?

8 - Keamy

This character wasn't badly written (well, not awfully written), but he was exactly what they wanted him to be - a despised character. Though Alex was quite annoying, shooting her like that was possibly the most shocking moment in Lost. People get shot in Lost all the time, ones who are much better than Alex, but when he did this, you really wanted to kill him. He killed the captain, who I was beginning to like. We also thought he was the reason Jin died (he didn't really die, Lost just likes to fuck with your head), so more hate for him. But not only did he do evil stuff, the actor was awful. He had this annoying voice, where he didn't speak, instead sort of groaned his way through his lines. If this was a deliberate feature of his character, I blame the writers. He generally just slouched about hitting things, groaning about everything. At one point, he tried to say he was curious about something, but a groan came out that just made it so unbelievable. He did one good thing though. He killed Michael.

7 - Paulo

Ahh, part one of the biggest disaster in Lost. What the hell were they thinking? Seriously? Paulo has some background so shit I can't recall the details, but basically him and Nikki are fighting over diamonds. Introduced hastily in a few episodes at the start of season 3, he was obnoxious even then. I am speechless. Seriously, there is nothing you can say about Paulo.

6 - Nikki

Part two of the biggest disaster (you know, in hindsight) in TV HISTORY. Well, there's even less to talk about Paulo's other half. Her back story was horribly introduced with her starring in an episode of Exposé... and that's all I can really say about her. She was really that dull. Oh, she was buried alive with Paolo. Which was kind of cool, and would be quite effective if the millions at home weren't cheering.

5 - Kate

High up on this list. Surprising? I have countless reasons. Despite her being an absurdly centric character, Kate shows no emotional depth or redeeming features to justify it. Only caring about herself, we see Kate avoiding telling anyone she was the prisoner for the whole first season, then have the cheek to say something along the lines of "Yes, I am going to prison, and despite what I supposedly did..." Supposedly? There ain't no "supposedly" about this, Katherine. You are a murderer. Your ignorance has ruined countless lives. The guy the toy plane belonged to, who you killed in your run for freedom? He had a wife and kid. And Aaron? You went back to the island to get Claire, but once you got Claire, in Charlie's words, were you going to "flap your wings and fly off this island"? You really have to put so much thought into putting one foot in front of the other. She isn't even pretty. Have you seen her hair when it's curly? Vile. And Kate bounces from Jack to Sawyer to Jack to Sawyer to Jack. And I defy anyone to tell me that the only that makes up her mind daily about who to sleep with is convenience.The only reason she is currently more interested in Jack is because Sawyer has Juliet and location-wise, Jack was most convenient.

4 - Dr. Artz

Artz is a big contender for the worst character ever. I know it was deliberate that he was so annoying, but it was still painful to watch. He was a right perv. Hurley was hilarious when he had to talk to him, with an uncomfortable "Okaayy..." and understandably so. A man being blown up should have been shocking and dramatic, but only provoked a second of surprise, followed by ecstatic cheers, praising the Lord this character ceased to exist after only and episode or two on my screen. At least I thought he was gone forever until Nikki/Paulo episode. That episode will really haunt me forever.

3 - Michael

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!" If nothing else, Michael made me laugh. He had me in stitches during that scene. But it kind of ruined the experience. Walt had been taken. Sawyer had been shot. Jin jumped in after him and goes missing. I should be in tears at this point, but tears of laughter ensued. Enough of that scene. Michael was always a bit of an overly-dramatic dick. Obviously seeing Walt as a burden (wouldn't we all, though?), he ignorantly lived in his own bubble with WAAAAAAAALLLLTT. But as I just mentioned, he clearly saw him as a burden. Michael shows no signs of loving Walt except when someone tries to take him away. Probably to better places than with his shit dad. He kills 2 people unnecessarily, then tells his son about it. Then he tries to kill himself. Selfish? Yeah. Then goes on a boat and tries to kill everyone on it!! Even Ben shows more compassion than him, saying there are innocent people on that boat. Michael is infuriated by this, not thinking that he has a point. Michael was a right dick.

2 - Rose

I ain't got much against Rose, but her lines are so mind-numbingly stupid and boring. Actually, I have a bloody lot against her. First of all, she is revived by Jack. She doesn't think to thank him, instead she thinks "I'm going to ignore everyone on the beach and stare out at the sea. Just for a bit of attention." She didn't believe her dentist was dead, so why so melancholy? Soon after this, Charlie gets HUNG, and Rose comes out with this line: "Hello Charlie... Oh, that's right. You're not talking much these days. Doesn't mean you get to be rude." Hold on a tick there, Rose dear. THAT IS CONTRADICTION AT AN EXTREME LEVEL. You did exactly the same thing roughly 2 weeks ago. Not only this, she humiliates her dentist in front of the whole camp because he was trying to save her. We find out later this is due to selfishness on her part, she feels better on the island, you see. The lowlight of my life was after Charlotte tried to speak rationally to the survivors and Rose ignorantly says "Just watch your tongue, Red." Rose, you're a bitch and I hate you.

1 - Frogurt

Honestly, of all the obnoxious and self-absorbed characters on Lost, no one trumps this cunt. I had a keen interest in what Frogurt had to offer. With a name like Frogurt, he can't be bad, right? WRONG, FRIEND. He is so annoying you can't contain yourself from attempting to reach into the screen and tear his eyes out. Harsh? No. Death by flying, flaming arrows was not enough. Frogurt deserved to have his non-existent heart ripped from his body and get slapped in the face with it because he MUST suffer. If the bomb does revive the character's and he's there, I vow to NEVER watch the show again.

xx

NEW DECADE, NEW RESOLUTIONS.

2010-01-02T02:25:00.003Z

That's right, we're into a new decade. And what scares me (though this is outweighed by excitement really) is that this is MY decade. I turn 18 at the very start of this decade, and by the end of it, my life will nearly be over at the age of 27. Well, I'll have about 4 years at most into the next decade, but after that, my life is as good as over. This realisation has scared me into doing something about it. Thus, I have lots of resolutions, not just for this year, but for the coming decade:

- I will NOT waste time on Twitter/Bebo/Facebook anymore. MySpace is the one exception to the ridiculous social networking sites, since I don't actually socialise on it, only look for bands. And having a MySpace is essential for any band now.

- I will learn how to cook. This will be a gradual advancement, as I know very little about cooking right now. But I'm moving out at the end of this year, so I'm going to need to get cooking. (Get it?)

- I will study like hell for the coming months, remembering that if I successfully complete this academic year, my opportunities will vastly widen. There is always college, but Coatbridge College to get my Highers that I failed to get after two years in High School? No, thanks.

- I will get my own flat in the next year. I will allow a delay until next March, since I am intending on moving out in December. But next March at the very latest.

- I will spend at least one year in this decade in London, New York or Paris.

- I will begin college in the 2011/2012 period and complete the two year Journalism course for May 2013. (This will allow me to be ready for University, I can take my time, and only have to complete two years for my degree in Journalism)

- I will truly embrace every day, doing at least one thing that benefits me culturally every day. Whether it be listen to an album intently, read a chapter of a book or play guitar for an elongated time. Just something that will mean my whole day wasn't a waste of time.

- I will build my wardrobe significantly. I have tonnes of CD's. I have a guitar. So all available money shall be going into eating and clothing.

- I will become generally more cultured. I will engage in Music/Literature/Art. That's the preferential order.

There ya have it. That is my life for the next ten years. Obviously I will try and make something of the band, and do some other stuff like have fun, but I think that goes without saying.

Becca de la Musique.

2009-12-18T18:01:00.002Z

I recently fell in love with someone's music. She's unsigned, so I thought I'd share that with anyone who may care:

http://www.myspace.com/beccadelamusique

She also has some really nice covers on MySpace, this being a predictable favourite of mines:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy7yB17dUnY

Yeah.

2009-12-07T20:18:00.006Z

I have decided detailing my week isn't improving my blog, it is actually making it a bit lacklustre. So I shall keep my weekly update brief and simple, only citing a few things.

LP of the week: Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold.
Song of the week: YYY's - Date With the Night.
Film of the week: Star Trek.
Gig? Yeah Yeah Yeah's at the Academy.
Lost episode of the week: Exodus, Part 3 (Jack and Locke scene is IMPORTANT)
A song I have learned and learned well: Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone

xx

IT'S ACUALLY FUCKING DECEMBER.

2009-12-01T00:59:00.010Z

I've decided to make a weekly blog just to let you know how my week was. So hi. I've even highlighted the key points of each paragraph in bold so that when you see a topic you don't like, you can skip right past.

Perhaps the finest moment of my week was when I picked up most of Alas I Cannot Swim by Laura Marling in an hour or so on guitar. The technique is simple and repetitive at times, but it sounds oh-so beautiful. Failure was the first I learned, and it does sound the best so far, but they all follow a fairly similar pattern, so I have every confidence that by the New Year, I shall know the full album. Which I would love, as it is a great album.

The week well and truly began on Tuesday, when I went to Arctic Monkeys. This was pretty genius. See the post below for just how genius.

But aside from this, I have had a rather successful week. Penned lyrics for a song called Hauteur, which is the first set of lyrics I feel I have done that are worthy of even mentioning. Of course, since no music accompanies these lyrics, it is effectively poetry.

Read some more of The Great Gatsby. People complain about this book, that nothing happens, but I just think that they don't appreciate the subtleties of it. The novel itself is so well-written.

On Thursday I went to Nicola's, which is always fun, it's nice to spend some time with people on the same wave-length as me. And every time I go over I seem to gain a DVD or CD or summat. This week it was Drag Me To Hell, which I will only watch at the most appropriate time (hopefully in the house myself very late at night). I am quite morbid when it comes to horrors, I tend to watch them alone with all the lights out.

Speaking of being a bit queer, I watched The Magic Dance song from The Labyrinth about 126748329146739 times one night this week. You know "You remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power. What power? The power of voodoo. Who do? You do. Do what? You remind me of the babe. DANCE THE MAGIC DANCE." You must know that one? What a deprived childhood you had then.

Then I got through a considerable amount of Lost fun. "Fun". I say this as it has made me cry or gave me goosebumps countless times this week. The record was 5 during one episode. Boone died, Claire had a baby, then the end with Shannon. It was all very emotional. Watching at least one episode of Lost a day has immersed me a little too much in it. I feel like I am living the experience with them.

On a negative point, I did pay money from my pocket to go see Bunny and the Bull. Which was complete shit. Julian Barret was hilarious in it, but apart from that 5 minute block, it was a pretty depressing, unfunny affair.

I have had a few erm... interesting dreams this week. One, Matthew had replaced Gillian in my family, and we were all at a cook-a-long thing, in a massive hall, and we traded each others cooked meals to give points, and the family traded with each other, and Miss MacMillan was there. And her son was there. And he did a weird dance in front of file cabinets. WHAT. THE. FUCK? And then Miss MacMillan laughed and did a funny dance move back at him. Does she even have a son? I did dream about the student teacher this week, not as much as last week, but still twice to my recollection. Firstly, I dreamt that we were just sitting on my chair, talking. Secondly, I dreamt that we were dancing in a flat me and Matthew were living in to Billie Holiday. Honestly, these dreams could be creepier.

Perhaps the low-light of the week came tonight when I discovered that English teacher is actually at least 21. I did see her in town on Saturday, and she smiled at me. This was unbelievable at the time, but now it seems irrelevant.

But, not to end on a down note, I do have Alex Turner and Alexa Chung on my phone wallpaper. This makes me so happy for many reasons. Firstly, if any two faces cheer me up, it's them two. Beautiful. Secondly, it is horizontal. This may seem insignificant, but it means that when I flick my finger to the right, I am no longer confronted with a white screen. I still see some of Alex or Alexa, and some festival background. Genius. Thirdly, in my opinion, this is the closest picture I'm going to get of me and student teacher. Short of grabbing her and forcing a smile. Which is just creepy. And lastly, 4 people so far have mistaken Alex for me. Which is probably just due to our similarly shaped head and hair, but this alone gives me that little boost of self-esteem.

I realise thus far, this post has been far from the days when I deliberated these posts with such intrication. That was actually the best constructed sentence of the whole post, but these weekly posts are simply to gather my thoughts. Personal satisfaction really.

LP of the week: Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare.
Song of the week: Arctic Monkeys - If You Were There, Beware.
Gig? Arctic Monkeys at the SECC
Film of the week: The Labyrinth.
Lost episode of the week: Do No Harm. (Boone dies, but it is very well-written)
A song I have learned and learned well: Laura Marling - Failure

See ya pals.

xx

Arctic Monkeys.

2009-11-25T00:33:00.010Z

Well last night was the Arctic Monkeys gig. And it was rather excellent, for a few reasons, but also horrible in a few ways. But the fact that the positives very much outweighed the negatives meant it was a rather massively enjoyable gig. Let's begin with the negatives. First of all, why neds continue to go to Arctic Monkeys gigs perplexes me. They clearly now have a sound that neds don't like. Second, the sound was cut 4 times (at least, from memory) because the guards had to raise the lights so people who had fell could get up.

There aren't that many negatives, so here are the positives. The crowd were fun enough. No fights or nothing, they also danced throughout all songs I'd expect dancing. And old favourites sparked a massive reception from the crowd, which was fun to be around. But most importantly, the performance was flawless. The songs from the first two albums have been changed to adapt to their new sound. Not so much that they are unrecognisable, just some changes to effects, new solos and stuff. Which made it a little more interesting. They also did a sort of break during Fluorescent Adolescent in which they sang a big chunk of Mardy Bum. And even in the sound cuts, they managed to return even better than before the sound cut. Though during faster songs, it was simply dancing and jumping about, during slower more atmospheric songs, they did even more to change the sound, meaning though you can't really dance about to these songs (Cornerstone etc.), they were very intriguing to hear. Some of the best performed songs were When The Sun Goes Down, 505, Pretty Visitors, Cornerstone, Flourescent Adolescent/Mardy Bum, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, If You Were There, Beware was particularly excellent... actually, all songs were performed brilliantly. But especially If You We There, Beware, 505 and Cornerstone.

And on to a more personal note. I did see someone who looked amazingly like the student English teacher at the gig. On someones shoulders. TOPLESS. Now, I'm no creep (not really), but that image and the ever-impressive image of Alex confronted me in one shot. Yum. This merits this particular gig a firm 10 out of 10.

xx

Die Lebensstufen.

2009-11-22T17:55:00.001Z

I think my life thus far can be broken into 5 stages, mapped out by musical preferences.

Stage 1: THE EAGLES.

This stage lasts pretty much from birth until Primary 4. This phase represents the phase that I was quite gullible with music taste. The Eagles were who my mum and dad listened to most, so naturally I just loved them. This phase seemed to only have one band that I liked. The Eagles. Who, in reflection, were a bit shit. Yeah, we all like Hotel California and I do have a soft spot for Lyin' Eyes, but even that bores me now. Already Gone and James Dean were fun, but no. Not good. And in my life, I was just trying to be like everyone else, laughing at Friends when I didn't really get it. I still don't most of the time, but not through lack of understanding, through taste in humour.

Stage 2: FLEETWOOD MAC.

This stage represents a slight transition period. Instead of taking my mum and dad's word that The Eagles were the best band in the world, I took some initiative. I gathered all the CD's I had access to (which were, to be fair, all my mum and dad's, but they had hundreds) and listened to one from every artist. My favourite CD by far was Rumours. Which even now I think was an excellent choice. In this stage, I did open up to other CD's, Lou Reed, Mike and the Mechanics, The Mamas and the Papas, Aerosmith. Some of these were not good. But at least I was opening up to something other than "Life in the fast lane!". Fleetwood Mac were amazing though, a clear favourite. And some of my other choices were commendable. I also loved Stevie Nicks. Not as much as I liked Michelle Williams, but I probably love Stevie more now.

Stage 3: DEEP PURPLE.

This occurred in Primary 7. This stage I am very ashamed of. It was just friends I had that liked heavier stuff and I decided I quite liked heavier stuff (oh, that was convenient, wasn't it?). Even though Deep Purple weren't the worst decision EVER, and they were my favourite during this stage, some decisions were awful. I loved The Rasmus's one song they had, I liked that Nickleback song, I liked shit music. Franz Ferdinand were in this period I believe? Thankfully, this only lasted from about the start of Primary 7 until February 2005.

Stage 4: BLOC PARTY.

This is probably the most significant change. In February 2005, (it was acually the 16th) Nicola introduced me to some bands. Not in person, she gave me some CD's to listen to. And in the CD's she gave me, The Libertines was there, The Futureheads was also there, and the CD only released that week, Silent Alarm. I adored these albums. I think she gave me a few others, but these were the three that marked the transition. Particularly Silent Alarm. Being only 12, I didn't fully understand the reason why Silent Alarm was so good, but I knew there was something. And The Libertines and The Futurehead's albums are obvious for why they are so good. Simple lyrics and simply excellent music. Unfortunately, I didn't really have much access to anything that could recommend good music, I just had to hope Nicola brought me some good CD's when she visited. This phase of adoring Bloc Party lasted for ages (and is still going strong) but there is one last period that shows what stage I am currently at, one that is hopefully for life.

Stage 5: RADIOHEAD, KATE BUSH etc.

This current period isn't too different in terms of the bands I like to Stage 4 (I still adore Bloc Party and The Futureheads and a lot of bands/singers Nicola and NME introduced me to), but it is different in the fact that I don't go by what is cool or encouraged in life. Radiohead are a favourite, and are often cited as being cool. But I put Kate Bush in this title, as even though no one else really likes her at the moment, I know she is great. And she is far from cool. I can imagine the kidz talking about Kate Bush, and the distasteful jokes they would so creatively make. The Mamas and the Papas are another example of this. This stage probably only occurred earlier this year, when I started to not care what other people like, finally going into a stage of complete musical snobbery. Yass.

See ya pals.

xx

New Yoik, London or Glasgow?

2009-11-21T02:50:00.001Z

I have realised that I want to live too many lives in my 20's. One lifelong dream wants me to move to New York and just live there for a while. 5 years would be nice. But I also want to do this in London. I also want to go to University. Of which the most convenient and plausible place is Glasgow. Which is where I will more than likely end up, but I would love to explore a little.

New York is an obvious choice, but the nightlife sounds as if it's good, but is this a false vision, and is New York just a boring business town with some pretty night lights? Do I even care? I could look at it forever. Up until I was ten, I justified my dream of moving to New York by stating that it's pretty at night. And it is. And I think that ten year old was right, I probably would want to live there for years just because the lights are pretty. But there is also a part of me that would think a more mature Steviy CousCous would enjoy New York a considerable amount more than the 20-something idiot I am likely to become. Perhaps a pursuit for my 30's?

However, I also want to move to London. Wee flat with Matthew (and Charlotte?). Work. Guitar. Cigarrettes on the roof. Fun times. But this kind of collides with my New York dream. Also, where am I fitting in University here?

Now, in Glasgow, I have the backup of Met College for two years then entry into 3rd year Journalism at UWS, but that's 4 years. How can I fit in 4 years? Plus there's the fact that once (more appropriately, IF) I complete my degree, I am a Journalist. That is what I will become. A Journalist. And then where has my youth went? My life would essentially be mapped as school, more school, further education, lifetime job. I cannot do this. So I must take a break, but then how long do I take this break? LDN, NY then academic pursuits? Or LDN, academic pursuits then NY? I can't make this decision. So many combinations, none of which are really efficient enough for me to live my life the way I want to. Do I drop one of these goals in life? Also, I want to spend a few months in Paris? How can I possibly fit this into my life?

I know what you're thinking (apart from that this post is a little dull), that it is absurd that I'm considering fitting this into the next 13 years. But in 13 years I will be 30 years old, and let's face it, life is over.

I put forth a similar question in my last post and I am yet to receive a reply. But here goes anyway. ANYONE GOT HELP FOR ME?

xx

Winter Plans.

2009-11-19T21:55:00.000Z

As we come into the season where it is pitch black by lunchtime, I have a lot of decisions to make. Especially clothes-wise.

Jackets: I had a three-part jacket plan. First part I have, Alex Turner jacket. This is a grey wool pea coat. Part two was a beige mac. Andrew now has one. Third was a leather biker jacket. But I can't find any for less than £300. So whilst I worry about this, I must also worry about a school jacket. I'm thinking a black mac, and as suggested by Caroline, a coloured scarf? Red tartan I'm thinking. One that Charlie wore in Lost. His first flashback with Liam. I cannot find this anywhere though. I can also not find a suitable black mac. I also need some new tops (long sleeved-denim shirt is the priority right now) and a new pair of indigo skinny jeans. Also, I would like some boots. Either trainer boots or cowboy boots or gold or silver boots. As you can tell, in the boots department, I am very much influenced by Noel Fielding.

These things all worry me. I have been given the funds to get most of these, but can't find anything. If you have any information regarding any of this, please contact me, your help is needed.

xx

Lost in 5 seasons, 103 episodes, 4740 minutes, 17056800 seconds?

2009-11-19T00:08:00.004Z

If my calculations are correct, that is the amount of Lost fun I have to get through by the first week in February, when the last season will premiere. This has meant an extensive schedule has been carefully drawn up, citing the exact episode(s) I must watch each day. This calendar has effectively made my life that little bit sadder, yet better. As Lost is very important to me.

Lost has carried me through my High School years, and will appropriately end the very week of my final examination, therefore final day at school. From that very first year, it's been an emotional rollercoaster. First, Claire got kidnapped, Charlie got hung, Boone died, Aaron got stolen by French chick, Walt got stolen, Shannon got shot, Ana Lucia and Libby die during Michael's blood-fest, Eko is killed, Nikki and Paolo are introduced, then buried alive, Karl and Danielle are shot, Alex is shot, Michael dies after a dramatic comeback, Charlotte becomes likeable and then dies, Claire goes missing, with no one mentioning it, but all of them are irrelevant to the two deaths which really made me... well, inconsolable. Firstly, Daniel dies. This saddens me greatly, as he was one of the only characters introduced after the original 815 crew that I really loved. He was so awkward and nice. And then. The one that made me grieve like I've never grieved over anyone before, in real or telly box life. Charlie. I know that I should have seen it coming, with almost 20 episodes telling us he will die in the counter-balance of the universe. But there was something that made me believe he would always be a part of my life.

Now, I hear, for series 6, the cast poster features ALL the characters that died? All that grief, all that devastation, all the tears. And you're just going to reintroduce them? Not that I'm complaining, a series more of Charlie will be terrific. But it's not very just. I can't see them doing this anyway, maybe for a few episodes, but not all. Hmm.

But my schedule allows me to watch 5 years worth of Lost in 3 months. It's a rather impressive feat I know.

Now for season 6 predictions. Now, my theory, which Matthew, who doesn't even watch the show predicted also, is that the Losties are stuck on a timeloop? But I feel this is too obvious. I do feel that the last shot will be Jack's eye opening. But again, quite obvious. Oh well, I shall write a blog in May and we shall see if I am right.

xx

Dreams.

2009-11-18T22:18:00.001Z

I enjoy dreams. I don't enjoy them when they start to get creepy. For example, in the past week and a half, I have dreamt about a student teacher five times. Three is unhealthy, four is absurd, but five is insane. Don't worry, these are not sexual dreams. They are actually quite sweet. One was about her being out in the cold and then me giving her hot chocolate and my jacket. One was her being at that Irish baby christening that I was at, and just me talking to her. These are sweet, but here's the problem - I DON'T KNOW THIS PERSON. Her name? I do not know. Her age? I dread to know. Have I even spoken to her? Well, no. Yet I am this madly in love with her already? Yes, actually in love. I think about her too much for it not to be love. "I could sleep forever these days cos in my dreams I see you again."

I am quite a strange individual.

xx

FYI

2009-11-18T20:20:00.002Z

To those who care, my opinion of The Horrors has now changed, I find them to be slightly unoriginal still, but I do think they have some interesting songs and their lyrics are certainly fresh. Yes, I am a bit of a Horrors fan now.

xx

Unhealthy Obsession.

2009-11-18T20:19:00.001Z

My unhealthy obsession is Bloc Party. They will be, I am sure, the topic of many posts in this blog, as I think my friends are sick of me talking about them. So here we are. No pun intended.

Tonight, I reached the point where I have 100 Bloc Party songs. They only, at present, have 3 albums. How I reached this amount of songs I will never know. I dance in my room to them, I snap up every opportunity to see them live and I have purchased all their albums three times (One is the original copy, one in case I lose the original, and the other is the special edition). But anyway, tonight I decided that Blue Light is one of the Bloc Party songs that not only fans should appreciate. I think everyone in the world should recognise this song as a modern classic. That and This Modern Love are the two songs that I think absolutely everyone should be in agreement with - They're modern classics. But I was doing my daily "Bloc Party Song of the Day" section on Bebo, and found myself pushing the rules, stating my top 42 songs of the day. This is unhealthy. But I dinny care. Bloc Party are a great band. I would say they define a generation of people, but I think it's an insult that a band as revolutionary as Bloc Party should define such a pathetic generation of people. Over and out.

Misleading title?

2009-11-18T20:18:00.001Z

Well, yes. Scandalous is a bit of a poor adjective to describe my day-to-day life. But it's a fun name. Me' topic today is as follows: The Mercury Prize.

Now, in recent years, The Mercury Prize has shown strong nominees, even if it had the occasional wrong winner (Elbow and Klaxons anyone?), but there has always been a good 4 or 5 albums that are really quite an achievement, or even a little intriguing. And then there was 2009. Let's begin with Florence and the Machine. Well, I haven't created a strong opinion here yet, but she is certainly not worthy of a prestigious music award like The Mercury Prize. She reminds me of Diana Vickers. I know, I do love Diana Vickers, but in a teenage crush kind of way. And people slate Diana Vickers, but Florence is seen as having a great voice? No. Just, no. And every one of her songs which I have heard reminds me of someone else... Eurhythmics... Siouxsie and the Banshees... Even Kate Nash sometimes... It just all sounds very familiar. Not fresh. Then we have La Roux. Really? Friendly Fires are only slightly different. A little fresher than those previously mentioned... The Horrors "Primary Colours" does something that has so easily impressed NME, forcing another huge hype. The Horrors have simply looked at bands such as Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and The Jesus and Mary Chain and just tried to sound like a band that would be praised amongst these bands 25 years or so ago. But it's 2009 now... Then we have Kasabian. What is this? Kasabian's first two albums were not deemed good enough to make it on The Mercury Prize shortlist, so why should this third outing make it? When it is clearly another bunch of mindless songs, with witty videos distracting from the fact they are the next generation of Oasis. Some mindless people see this as a good thing, but The Mercury Prize shouldn't!! And now my biggest beef with the shortlist. Glasvegas. What is so special about these drawling, babbling, unoriginal, poetless monsters? All I hear is "He's gone, he's gone, he's gooone!! Ohhhwoooahhhahooohoho!!!" Not original. I might be being unnecessarily spiteful to the state the shortlist looks, as I have a recent realisation that absolutely no new artists have been original, exciting or intriguing in the past year or so. Nothing has caught my eye. Apart from Intimacy (which is much more deserving of being on this shortlist than such rubbish like Florence, which even NME, despite being the very source of the massive hype, had to give a poor review to), I have found myself looking backwards at albums I have either overlooked or simply had not got round to purchasing. But, to end on a happy note, Bat For Lashes is on the shortlist. And I very much approve of Natasha Khan. She is my winner. Though she is not new, this is her second album. So music is still doomed.