hairystavros

on the left...

I quite liked Prick to be honest - I thought it was one of the more interesting tracks off the album, sounded quite krauty and I think it could be a real highlight when they play live.

Whites Socks Flip Flops also sounded pretty good.

Grasshopper.

Is there such a thing as a lucky letter?

Alex Clarke, alex_clarke_uk@hotmail.com

I really want to see Neon Neon - I think their album could be something special.

God bless Gruff Rhys.

Jarvis would probably describe himself as working class (from my understanding that would best describe his upbringing) but he was educated at St Martins and is most definitely an intelligent man. As a result the best Pulp songs deal with working class life in a sensitive, intelligent way. The same could be said of a smattering of Arctic Monkeys material (although this might be pushing it a bit).

The Enemy write songs about getting pissed, promote a 'small town' mentality and champion a tabloid-reading, living-for-the-weekend lifestyle. They do not, from my point of view, speak about 'working class' (read: crap job, little money) life; they merely glamourise mental stagnation and the obstacles such self inflicted retardation creates.

I don't like the assumption that one who reads cannot be working class, which seems to be the logic the NME is following these days. Since the Beatles, working class people have made intelligent pop music. If John and Paul had sung about working as a docker and getting lashed, I don't think we'd still be listening to them now.

End of rant.

would be lovely. Never seen them, as I've always been working when they've been in London. Sort it out, DiS.

Guto answered TWO of my questions!

Today is a good day.

Given your recent return to an indie label after a successful period on a major, where do you feel most comfortable? Obviously the money available to a major label band has been an advantage, and enabled you to spend more on recording, touring and promotion, but as Mwng showed, you don't need that money to create great music. Also, as a band with such a varied back catalogue, what's your personal favourite SFA moment?

I think someone should devise a definitive compilation of this scene, as it would make the perfect 'pissed on snakebite and black' soundtrack.

I'd like to suggest that 'Shoes' by Jesse James is included, purely because I love it.

I always thought [spunge] were toss though.

Great article.

And I wish I'd written a song called Thatcher Fucked The Kids.

Also worth a mention - Hefner, with their magnificient 'The Day That Thatcher Dies'. Not really a protest song, but gets the point across that Thatcher was a nasty bitch who cared little for the working classes quite succinctly.

If this was the 1950s, and I was a girl, I'd be tempted to call him a 'dreamboat'.

A couple of years ago Gruff guested on a Boom Bip album. The track was called Do's and Don't's. It's awesome.

I'm expecting great things from this.

But do Sebadoh count as a Dinosaur Jr side project?

After all, both bands are playing ATP next year, and Dinosaur Jr were here first...

Please be a cover of BOn Jovi's 'It's My Life'.

That would be comedy gold. I'll be buying this - Bonnie Prince Billy is quite brilliant.

...said the man in the orthapedic shoes.

Lou Reed's contribution gets 5

The Killers' contribution gets 5

So does that mean that this is actually a 10/10 review?

(I've not heard it, but as someone who finds Reed 'difficult' and The Killers 'shite', I can't imagine I'll be a fan).

Does anyone actually think Urban Hymns is a good album? The singles are the highlights, after owning the album for a decade I still can't listen to the thing all the way through.

I remember that in some end of the year polls it actually beat OK Computer, which I thought was a travesty at the time. And I was 11.

Having listened to this, I'm happy to say that it's like The Verve haven't been away.

They still manage to produce perhaps the most boring, turgid, uninteresting music I've ever heard. I'd call it Dad Rock, but that'd be an insult to most Dads.

14 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

There's nothing better than a great sampler, except perhaps a FREE sampler.

Added to the fact that today 15 SNES games arrived for me in the post, I can tell that today is a good day.

I do love the fact that no matter what else happens today, no one will be talking about anything about In Rainbows.

If Pete wants some attention in the next few days, short of finding Maddy McCann in Winehouse's beehive, he's going to have to pull something really special out of the bag.

But it's House of Cards.

'the most turbulent time in living history'

Does the Second World War not count?

is my personal favourite, after a couple of 'one-headphone-in-so-my-boss-can't-shout-at-me' listens.

It is, undoubtedly, the best legitimate free download I've ever heard.

Still waiting for the Discbox though, which will probably be worth pulling a sicky to listen to.

Radiohead 'to do a Jamiroquai'

Thom Yorke in a silly hat, with his arm round Denise van Outen.

Now THAT would be news....

please!

I think that the Israelis and the Palestinians might lay claim to that title.

so it's not a movie soundtrack, and it's more of a 'score', but fuck me Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds is probably the greatest piece of music every put onto tape.

"The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, they said"

Ace.

is fucking awesome.

That is all.

Probably my favourite debut album of recent times.

The cover of Sometimes Always with The Pipettes is just brilliant.

I have recently (ie. in the last 2 minutes) opened a charity deals in advances in telepathy.

If you want my bank details, (or I'll take £20k cash). Get in touch.

Your album's shit, by the way, but £20 grand'll open anybody's legs.

SFA are the best band in existence today. Still, your loss innit.

Although, I think I agree on the artwork, I prefer the Pete Fowler stuff of old.

swallooooooooowed.

TUNE.

they're hardly going down the same track as Fopp. Fopp bought out Music Zone that had God knows how many branches across the country. HMV, which is a considerably bigger company in the first place, is only taking over 6 stores - it's hardly massive over-expansion for a chain that has stores on most high streets.

The demise of Fopp has made me even more determined to support independent record stores, because if we're left with HMV and itunes, I might have to emigrate.

So, that's the end of that then.

Fopp RIP

of long-awaited albums, I have two words:

CHINESE DEMOCRACY

Man, you just KNOW it's going be terrible.

Tricky is shit.

Discuss.

promised a solo album back when Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants came out.

Oh wait. This is a thread for albums we WANT to be released. My bad.

is do I go to see them on the 2nd or the 3rd?

Fuck it, I'll hedge my bets and go to both.

SFA > pretty much everything

I'm liking the artwork too

they started with Diamond In The Dark, but I was a little inebriated so I could be wrong.

My mate claimed he saw Lauren Laverne there - can anyone confirm or deny these rumours?

I second this.

If for any reason Laundromat decide not to put this on the final CD, I will have no choice but to kill somebody.

I once wrote a song about splitting up with my girlfriend (who hasn't?)

Played it with my band. She was in the audience. She cried.

At the age of 16, this felt like a moral victory.

...when I started reading this review, I expected to hate it, but fair play Mr Dobson, good stuff.

Pretty much what I expected from Corgan, although I'll probably end up buying it.

Damn my sense of completism!