Oh dear...

Apologies, The Virgin Suicides, Pink Floyd and Brains

I said I was going to come back to posting regularly. Nothing much came of that now, did it? I think the last time I posted was mid-August. Oh well. Live and let live.
I do miss writing this, not that anyone bothers to read my musings on various aspects of 21st century pop culture anyway, but nonetheless, it's nice to have a place to "vent spleen" as they say.
I want to come back to writing, but what with education and my ever declining health it's almost impossible to find an hour in the day to have a cup of tea, let alone sit at my computer and keep a blog.
I have been tumblin'  and awful lot though, so I suppose that's rather a bad excuse (!)

I like Tumblr. I've had it for almost a year now, and I really do enjoy it. It's nice to find people that like the same things that I do, and although I'm far too shy to talk to anyone, the people there do seem genuinely nice!
However, it has made me into an obsessive fangirl, the kind I used to dislike but secretly always was. My current obsessions at the moment are Pink Floyd and "The Virgin Suicides".

I finally managed to watch "The Virgin Suicides".
I don't really know what to say about it. I'm probably the last person on the planet to watch it, and it has made quite an impact on me.
I'm not going to go out and kill myself anytime soon, though, so don't worry.
I really can't explain it.
I don't know whether it's the song "Highschool Lover" by Air that is used as the main theme, or if it's just the general atmosphere of the whole film.
But the song, yes. I've made it my mission to learn it on the piano. It's so beautiful, and so mesmorising, yet almost nostalgic. The way it just melts together makes it so familiar and comforting, like a grandmother or something, yet it's also very melancholic and sinister. It makes you question things, yet gives you a "float-y" feeling, a false sense of security.

On to more music, with my current band obsession being Pink Floyd.
Pink Floyd were always the band my dad liked. They made albums about walls. So what? I never paid much interest to them, never really my taste.
Then, something clicked.
I picked up my dad's cassette of "The Dark Side of The Moon", listened to it the whole way through, and enjoyed it!
I listened to "Wish You Were Here". Then "The Wall".
And then I listened to "The Piper at The Gates of Dawn".
Wow.
I can't really remember what happened after that, apart from an obsession that began "spiraling out of control" (as some may say...). I became fascinated by them.
The beginning of my obsession coincided with the re-issues of all the studio albums and the whole "Why Pink Floyd?" campaign.
BBC Four had a night of documentaries on them, including "Live at Pompeii".
I stayed up and watched every last bit.
6 Music had a night of programmes about them. 7:30PM to 4:00AM.
I stayed awake for all eight and a half hours, intently listening to every last word.
I watched "The Wall", both versions of "Live at Pompeii", and Barbet Schroeder's 1969 film "More", to which Pink Floyd provided the soundtrack.
Their music is just incredible. (I'll probably make a separate post on this soon, otherwise this one will go on for ever. It's already 2:30AM here.)
I really can't go into deep and elaborate reasons why I love them so much via. typing. I'd have to talk to you in person and show you pictures and play you records.

I am the kind of person who becomes obsessed over things easily. I don't understand how I am and others are not, but I guess that's just the way my brain functions.
I've been reading a lot about brains recently. They fascinate me. How these lumps of grey matter control everything we do. Our emotions, our actions, what we decide to put in our sandwiches that day. Everything!
Mental health is of great interest to me too, and how what we decide to put into our bodies can alter our brains forever.
I definitely want to research more into brains. Expect brain related matter (no pun intended) appearing soon.

So, I guess that's about it. I don't really think I have anything else to say tonight/this morning. I think I'll just sit here and listen to "Highschool Lover" on repeat until I can't stand it anymore and then by that time it might be an acceptable time to go for a walk.

I never was any good at conclusions.

Day 11 – A song from your favourite band (+bonus story thing!)

Just in case you hadn't already noticed, Kraftwerk are my favourite band. I first knew who they were back in 2000, when I first heard "Expo 2000". Even today, that song sends shivers down my spine. It's not my favourite, but it's a brilliant, brilliant song.
My love for Kraftwerk only really fully developed about a few months ago when I found out I'd be going to Germany. I decided to listen to some German music, and I put on "The Model" because it was the only Kraftwerk song I knew well. After listening to it several times, I decided to look at the recommended videos in the sidebar and settled on listening to "Die Mensch Maschine". I instantly knew I'd found a band that I'd love for life. I spent the entire night on YouTube, listening to songs and watching videos. Then, the next day, I downloaded (almost) their entire discography. I was suddenly overwhelmed with this beautiful electronic music. It was like nothing I'd heard before. To be honest, I actually cried when I listened to a few of their songs, just because of the sheer beauty and magnificence they held. These beautifully orchestrated synthesisers made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I couldn't believe that I only knew one song by them. How had these four brilliant men from Düsseldorf passed me by? Why hadn't I bought all their albums years ago? Why wasn't I born several decades earlier, and in Germany?
I started to save up to buy their records. I was planning to start with "Autobahn", and move along in chronological order until I owned every single album - in English and in German. But alas, I still don't own any records. I'm hoping I might get one for my birthday, along with "The Best of Kraftwerk Songbook" and Wolfgang Flur's book, ""Kraftwerk": I Was A Robot" - two books I simply have to own (!)
I'm starting to agree with people now, and admit that I'm slightly obsessed...
If I were to explain everything I love about Kraftwerk, then we'd be here all night, so I'm just going to put up all of the songs that have videos to go with them.
But before I do that, I think I'll have to thank those four brilliant men from Düsseldorf, because they have just been a massive influence on me, and if I'd never gotten in to Kraftwerk, then I wouldn't have discovered other brilliant German bands like NEU!, CAN, Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream and all the other Krautrock bands that I have grown to love. So Dankeschön, Ralf, Florian, Karl and Wolfgang.
(The original line-up of Kraftwerk, for those who are unaware.)

If there is mecca, then it is The Kling Klang Studio - Mintropstrasse 16, 40215 Düsseldorf, Germany.
(Yes, I know the address. The actual studio isn't there anymore. They moved a few years ago, but this is the site where it was during their "heyday", as some might say.
















 These were the only ones I could find with embed codes.

Ich liebe Kraftwerk

Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep

...And now we come to the post where I can share beautiful music with you. Nothing is more beautiful than a bit of Krautrock - especially when it's done by Kraftwerk.
OK, so not exactly Kraftwerk - but the band that they were: Organisation.
I'm actually itching to get my hands on a copy of "Tone Float", but being super rare, it's also super expensive. A mint-condition copy sold earlier this year for £400 odd.

The song that I've chosen is actually the band's name spelled backwards. I just find it a lovely instrumental piece of music, and it's probably my favourite track from the album.


Organisation - Noitasinagro


It just makes me feel wonderfully drowsy and dreamy.

And that organ part... 

Day 09 – A song that you can dance to

Let's face it, who can't dance to this! I'm a Mod at heart...


The Lambrettas - Poison Ivy 


Have another one, because I couldn't decide what song to choose!


Cross Section - Hi Heeled Sneakers


And with clips from "Quadrophenia"! I really am spoiling you tonight.

We are the mods, we are the mods, we are, we are, we are the mods!

Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to

Should I be ashamed of this?


Wham! - Wham! Rap


Well listen Mr. Average - You're a jerk!

Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event

Pretty standard story behind this one. It reminds me of the countless train journeys I've been on, because I always play this song.


Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express


Did I mention I can play this on the keyboard?

I really like the video of this one as well. They look HUMAN. They even SMILE!

Ich liebe Kraftwerk! 

Day 06 – A song that reminds of you of somewhere

I've chosen this song because the whole album was the soundtrack to my holiday in Ireland last year. You wouldn't really expect me to like Simon & Garfunkel, but I have "Bridge Over Troubled Water" on Vinyl! (It belonged to one of my parents (I'm not sure which one) and I've subsequently adopted it.)


Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs Robinson


Of course, this song was in "The Graduate", and I really really really want to see that film!

Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone

I'm going to be really soppy and say that this song reminds me of my mum, because she likes it.


Katrina & The Waves - Walking On Sunshine


Decent tune.

Day 04 – A song that makes you sad

I honestly have no idea why this makes me sad. I think it's the lyrics and Andy's voice that does it. It does something to my brain that just goes "ujhesdgauhfoivnjiushtpgvb" and I'm jelly on the floor. Oh, and there's a saxophone bit. Saxophones do a lot to me. I just love their sounds.


Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark - If You Leave


Of course, this song was featured in the film "Pretty In Pink". I can't remember where exactly, but it's there - apparently. I've only ever seen the beginning of it!

Day 03 – A song that makes you happy

This song makes me quite happy, partially because it mentions cats, and partially because it's quite upbeat and I love the piano. And I quite like The Cure. People say my hair looks like Robert Smith's. (But not in this video). I don't think it does, just sometimes I overdo it on the hairspray and it goes all birds-nest-y.


The Cure - The Lovecats 


Don't you just find the piano and bass absolutely brilliant?

Day 02 – Your least favourite song

Hmmm... My least favourite song... This is quite a difficult question. Does it mean a song I hate/dislike?
I'm going to go controversial and choose a song that's popular.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS SONG. OK?
The amount of times I've heard it played at school/places is unreal. It's the most hideous song it the world.

Day 01 – Your favourite song

This isn't necessarily my favourite song, but it's the most played song on my iTunes so I guess I like it a considerable amount! I am somewhat of a Duranie, but not a lot. I like their music, I reblog the odd pic on Tumblr, I stayed up until 2 in the morning to watch the live stream of their show at Coachella... but I'm not an extreme fan.


Duran Duran - Rio 

I drew the album cover of "Rio" the other day: I'm quite pleased with the result...

30 Day Song Challenge - in one day

I'm going to attempt to do the 30DSC in one day, what a challenge!

Wish me luck, and get ready for SPAM.




I just love that picture so much.

Another list

This time it's my top 5 bands/artists. For real this time. This is the absolute final one!

1. Kraftwerk
2. Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark
3. Japan
5. David Bowie

The Origin of Words

In my last post of facts about me, I mentioned my rather unusual nickname "Negashgaarnesher". This is not a nickname I rather like, but one created by my friend and fellow bandmate, Arabella.
You see, people at the moment are saying things are "gash" - meaning rubbish, and it dawned on us one lunch time that gash can be spelled from my surname - Ganesh, (like the Hindu god. My ancestors are from India).
But after you've taken the 'gash', you're left with 'ne'. So I came up with putting the 'ne' at the beginning like they do in French (je ne pas..) to mean 'not gash'.
So that's the first part sorted out. The "Negash" part. But where does the "gaarnesher" come from?
A common mispronunciation of my surname is "Garnish" - i.e. what you put on food to make it look pretty, and that was incorporated into my nickname but in a very exaggerated form. "gaarnesh" (can also be spelled "gårnesh" for an exotic twist).
The ending "sher" is just added because we felt like it.

So to sum up:

GANESH - Gash
GANESH - NE
GANESH - Garnish - Gårnesh (+ sher)

I hope that helped to explain my rather eccentric nickname.

OMD!*, I love OMD**!

(*"Oh My Daze!" A phrase used amongst pre-teens and un-cool teenagers (I am not either). An alternative to "Oh My God!"

 **Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark, frequently abbreviated to OMD because it's just too long otherwise!)

My calendar is telling me it's Monday, so therefore it's time for some music. As you may've guessed by an earlier mention, today's music is courtesy of Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark. But no, it's not just one song... I'm going to post all the ones I love by them, so be prepared for a treat!! Here we go... 1...2...3....4.....

Maid of Orleans 

Electricity 

Enola Gay



Locomotion 



Telegraph



Messages 



Souvenir


I think that's all of them. There may be a few edits to this post if there are any I've forgotten, but I doubt it.  

Come on baby light my fire,

Haven't we been having glorious weather lately! I always find that music is instantly 100 times better when it's sunny and warm outside. Most recently I've been listening to The Doors. I never really liked them much, but now I really do. (This post's title is from "Light My Fire"). I was leafing through our CD collection, and I found one of their albums, which I'm listening to now. How can music be so brilliant? As always when I find a new band, here are some songs that I love:
-Light My Fire
-Break On Through (To The Other Side)
-The End
-Touch Me
-Soul Kitchen 
-The Crystal Ship

A YouTube tag...

30 Random things in your room


1) A mini slinky spring
2) A cactus
3) 4 Russian dolls
4) A red Ukulele
5) A poster from IKEA of the Swedish alphabet
6) An Owl mask I made in art class
7) Numerous hangers
8) A belt with stationery on (from Lazy Oaf)
9) A wooden artists' dummy
10) Hand sanitizer that smells like cucumber
11) A postcard I got in Bonn
12) A Lava lamp
13) A Norwegian calendar
14) A copy of the South China Morning Post
15) A Norwegian magazine
16) A lump of Terracotta clay
17) A Mexican sombrero doll
18) My Nikon F-601 SLR
19) A crow puppet
20) Pom-Pom chicks
21) French and German dictionaries
22) Empty tissues boxes
23) Pocket tissue packets
24) My mum's old fluffy cardigan that my Grandma made
25) My Sony VAIO laptop ♥ (Computerliebe!!)
26) BIG roll of plain wallpaper
27) A wind up robot!
28) A flowery shirt
29) A mini tape dispenser and rolls of mini tape!
30) A mini Etch-A-Sketch

I like mini things OK!!

The return of a long lost friend?

Guess who's back! Well, it's more of a what than a who, but MUSIC MONDAY! Yes, she (or he, depending on how you wish to interpret it) is back with a whole new bunch of tunes for you to move and groove to. Hopefully, they'll brighten your Mondays, and you might discover some songs you once loved/never heard before! The majority will probably be 70s/80s stuff, but I might add a dash of modern to keep the mix even.

This weeks song is "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles. I didn't used to like it, but I recently rediscovered it and stunned as I was, found myself putting it on repeat and singing along.
So everyone... 1...2...3..."Video killed the radio star / video killed the radio star / pictures came and broke your heart / ohhh aah aah aah ohhh"




Happy listening!

We don't need no fascist groove thing!

So. Heaven 17 lyric as the title. Cool.
I think today (tonight) I might do a list. I like lists. A list of favourite bands and artists. Top 20. GO!

1. The Smiths
2. David Bowie
3. Kraftwerk
4. Japan
5. Roxy Music
6. The Jam
7. The Who
8. Morrissey
9. New Order
10. John Foxx
11. Ultravox (Midge era)
12. Silicon Teens / The Normal (Yes I count them as 1)
13. The Stranglers
14. Oh No Ono
15. The Velvet Underground
16. Treefight For Sunlight
17. The Human League
18. Gary Numan
19. Neu!
20. Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark

Yeah, that's pretty much accurate. Or shall I go to 30? Yes I will.

21. Heaven 17
22. Joy Division
23. Depeche Mode
24. New York Dolls
25. Duran Duran
26. Patti Smith
27. Simon & Garfunkel
28. Eurythmics
29. Bauhaus
30. Vinnie Who

If you look at about 75% of the bands on this list you will find that the majority are from the 70s/80s and use synthesizers. That's 'cause synthesizers are awesome.

But, at the top of this list, my most favourite band ever is...

...the amazing and brilliant...

SOUND + THE WAVE EQUATION

'Cause it's my band, and i'm the keyboard, piano and synthesizer player.

Musique Non-Stop

Hello there, dearest reader!
Just a quickie this time, as all my posts seem to be nowadays.
Recently, what with the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami situation, I decided to listen to Japan. Not having done this before, I was quite excited to hear what their records were like. This was also partially due to my dashboard on Tumblr being covered with pictures of David Sylvian (I'm not complaining...) and videos of Japan songs. So, on le week-end dernier, I hopped over to YouTube and searched some Japan songs.
I first stumbled upon "Life In Tokyo" - which of course contains the famous line 'Another pickle heads for the sunset'...
After milling around YouTube for a while, I also stumbled upon some other brilliant songs:
"Gentlemen Take Polaroids" 
"Adolescent Sex"
"Quiet Life"
"The Art of Parties"
"Visions of China"
"Swing" 
"Nightporter" 
"Halloween"
"I Second That Emotion"  (Cover of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles)
"Ghosts"
"My New Career" 
And there are probably a few more that I've forgotten, but these are the ones that I've listened to the most. I encourage you all to go and take a listen to Japan, because they really are quite brilliant, and to go and check out my Tumblr, because that's where I mostly am at the moment.



-Some of the more observant of you may notice that the title of this post is actually a Kraftwerk song, but that's simply because I couldn't think of a better title, and I've been listening to Japan almost non-stop over the past few days.

"Insert title here"

Hello! Guten Tag! Bonjour! Hej! Привет!
It feels like I haven't posted for a decade and a half, but never fear, I'm back now and full of wisdom to share with you all. However, I'm going to make a few changes around here. Firstly with the name/picture. Beetroot For Breakfast is good and all, but I don't feel the same way about it as I did when we had the "big" change last year. As always I'm open to suggestions about names, posts, etc. so remember to drop me a line at @LondonNewyork13 on Twitter!
So, where have I been? I hear you ask. Well, actually, I built my time machine and went back...
OK, that's a lie, and I'm not even going to elaborate on it, however much I would've liked it to happen, it didn't. I was stuck in 2011, with protests and rising prices left right and center. Miserable. Ideally, I would've gone to 1970, and stayed there until 1999, where upon I would return to the modern day after being in a successful synthpop band during the 80s.
Actually, I've not done much. Apart from listen to Kraftwerk every single day for hours on end.
The word obsessed comes to mind...
One thing that really annoys me (strangely) is when people pronounce the "W" in Kraftwerk as a w sound, when it's actually said like a "V". So phonetically speaking, it should be Kraftverk.
A so-called "friend" accused me of being (and I quote) "oldie-woldie", purely because of a comment about mobile phones. I simply said that I didn't know how to use my phone, and would be more suited to a brick, like they had in the 1980s.
I've never been good at conclusions, or endings, so I'll just leave it here.

P.S I have a dilemma! I don't know what Kraftwerk album to get!
Radioactivity
Autobahn
Trans Europe Express
or The Man Machine?
                                         HELP ME.

My ears are alive, with the sound of music

As you will know, yesterday was valentines day. People all over the world were celebrating their love for one another, whilst I was celebrating for a different reason.

TREEFIGHT FOR SUNLIGHT'S ALBUM WAS RELEASED IN THE UK!!

Literally, I have been waiting since October-ish for it to be released over here. Lucky Danes, getting it before me - and with a different title and cover! But that's the problem when the majority of your music comes from foreign countries... 

Anyways, I stayed up 'till 1AM to buy it, (and subsequently fell asleep during the middle of the day...), but it was as sure as hell worth it!

"Facing The Sun" from the album was FREE, and is iTunes' single of the week! (Finally, some decent music...)

Neon Lights...

This song has invaded my brain, and it won't get out. I'm not complaining though! It's the most mesmerizing song I've heard for a long time. Whenever I hear it I enter a trance-like state and am transported to another world.


Kraftwerk - Neon Lights (The Man Machine, 1978)

Isn't it just brilliant? So captivating and magnificent. Such a shame that you can only buy it album only on iTunes, and there's one song on the album that I'm not sure I want to buy yet.

Here are some Neon Lights


Pacman ghost! I want this in my house...

Here you have the classic flamingo island design



Various Neon signs. I'm quite taken with the Bicycle and Chili pepper ones. 


Enjoy the song and the pictures


(Images 1 + 2 from Google Images, 3 from Bing Images)

You know the drill

Kraftwerk - The Telephone Call


Don't you just love Kraftwerk? No? Are you crazy or something?

!ereh si yadnoM

*Use a mirror to read the title!*

We all know what time of the week it is, so here's a tune for you to rave to:


Treefight For Sunlight - Rain Air (A Collection of Vibrations For Your Skull 2010/2011)


As you may know by now, I'm a big Danish music fan, and Treefight For Sunlight are possibly my 2nd favourite band. (The first being Oh No Ono). I'm so looking forward to the 14th February, because that's when they're album is released in the UK. I've had to wait around four months to get it because I'm too stingy (and broke) to pay for shipping charges and get it from the Tambourhinoceros shop. For those who don't know, Tambourhinoceros is a fantastic Danish record label set up by two of the members from Oh No Ono, and they release amazing albums by the likes of Kirsten and Marie, Thulebasen, 4 Guys From The Future, FCAN, Treefight For Sunlight (obviously) and Iceage, i.e. all the bands that I love!
Someone said to me the other day that it's like I'm not English any more, and that I'd be more suited to living in Copenhagen that the tiny rural village that I live in at the moment; and you know what, I think they were right!

#musicmonday
#musicmondayBFB

Let's bake a cake...

I want to make a rainbow cake. They look amazing!


picture via : the dainty squid

See! They look delicious! You can make big ones as well as small cupcakes. It's basically just white cake divided up with different food colours added to get the rainbow effect.
Hopefully I shall be making one (or ones) soon! And of course, I'll put some pictures of my cake making abilities up here for you all to laugh at because me + cooking = disaster!

RAINBOW CAKE IS AWESOME!

Happy Monday!

Today's song is by The Chills and it's called Pink Frost. Both the song and the video are insanely brilliant. Quite melancholy, with very intriguing lyrics and well, just listen and watch for yourselves!

The Chills - Pink Frost 

UPDATE: My Top Films

An updated version of my favourite films, this time in order and with a few new additions.

1. A Clockwork Orange (1972)

2. Pulp Fiction (1994)

3. Quadrophenia (1979)

4. Withnail & I (1986)

5. Du er ikke alene (1978)

6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

7. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

8. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

9. Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (1981)

10. The Shining (1980)

11. Eraserhead (1976)

12. Fantastic Voyage (1966)

13. The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) 

14. The Actors (2003)

15. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (2004)

16. The Hunger (1983)

17. Soylent Green (1973)

18. North By Northwest (1959)

19. Tommy (1975) 

20. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

21. Alfie (1966)

22. This is England (2006)

23. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

24. The Departed (2006)

25. Titanic (1998)

26. The Beach (2000)

27. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

28. Sleepy Hollow (1999) 

29. Is There Anybody There? (2008)

30. Rushmore (1999)

31. The Linguini Incident (1991)

32. Lost in Translation ( 2004)

33. Just A Gigolo (1978)

34. The Damned United (2009)

35. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

36. Scenes of A Sexual Nature (?)

37. The Truman Show (1998)

38. Yes Man (2008) 

39. Groundhog Day (1993)

40. Sliding Doors (1998)

41. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

42. Ghostbusters (198?)

43. Ghostbusters 2 (198?)

44. Forrest Gump (1994)

45. Run Fat Boy, Run (2007)

46. Breakfast at Tiffanys (196?)

47. My Fair Lady (19??)

48. The Importance of Being Ernest (1952)

49. Fools Rush In (1997)

50. Zoolander (2001)

This is just the ones I can put in order, there are loads more films that are un-orderable. 

2010 - A review

As you all should know by now, it's the new year. Last year seemed to fly by, and it felt like there was still a few more months left before 2011. The milk carton wasn't quite empty. There wasn't enough for a blancmange, but you could just make a cup of black tea turn brown. But still, it was an OK year. Bit snowy in some parts, but quite nice. Now, I've decided to review the year. Sort of like an unofficial awards ceremony of what I think were the best things of 2010, and what I look forward to this year. The winners won't win anything as such, and probably won't even know that they've won - unless they happen upon my blog...
And so, without further ado, here are the winners!

1. Best Album - Oh No Ono "Eggs"
This is by far the best release of 2010. The songs are magnificent, the album artwork exquisite (it's even been nominated for a Grammy, it's so good!), the whole album is just indescribable from the amazing-ness it holds. If you haven't listened to it, I suggest you do so now. Several songs from the album are in the MixPod in the corner, so you don't even need to leave this site! Nothing I've ever listened to compares with this, and I've listened to a lot of things in my life. Normally, I'd choose a favourite track from the album, and talk a bit about that, but it's actually impossible to have just one favourite track - so here's the track listing:

01- Eleanor Speaks     4:51
02- Swim                    4:38
03- Internet Warrior    4:06
04- Icicles                   3:28
05- Helplessly Young  3:06
06- The Wave Ballet   5:14
07- The Tea Party       3:45
08- Miss Miss Moss    4:19
09- Eve                       6:41
10- Beelitz                   9:46

Each and every one of these 10 songs is amazing in their own way. When you listen to the album, the songs flow into each other, creating a very pleasurable atmosphere to be in. The only "word" to describe this album would be eargasm (which isn't actually a proper word).

2. Best TV Show/Series - Grandma's House
Written by and starring Simon Amstell (former Never Mind the Buzzcocks host), "Grandma's House" wins the award for best TV show. Originally aired on BBC2 from 9/7 to 13/9 2010, with a running time of 30 mins, this show had me laughing almost constantly - not the sort of laughing out loud though, a more "inside" laugh. There were mixed reviews about it, some people liked it, others did not. I (obviously) did. Although a sitcom, the comedy was very clever, and not as obvious to some people. (Whereas another well loved sitcom "Friends" has more obvious humour, and you don't particularly have to dig and delve to find it. Something not very appealing to me.) According to some people, you had to have a certain level of intellect to understand it, which I obviously have. (Not to brag...). There were a total of six episodes in the 1st series, and I hope there will be a second to follow - although with the passing of Geoffrey Hutchings (who played "Grandpa"), I think it will be quite unlikely. All of the episodes have been released on DVD and are available here .

3. Best Film - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
I didn't actually manage to get to the cinema this year, partially due to being completely flat out broke, and also that my local cinema has nothing decent on that I'd go and willingly watch without the use of strong drugs. But one film I did manage to see was the brilliant "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World". (OK, so I watched it on YouTube, but what difference does it make? It was still released in 2010). Starring Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead to name a few, and directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), the film was based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley which I haven't actually read - but I think I should sometime in the near future, being a semi-avid fan of comic books. I won't bother to explain the plot, because I feel that it'll give it away, so just go watch it, preferably sooner rather than later! The film is quite brilliant as I'm sure you will agree (those who've watched it), and I strongly suggest buying the DVD or renting it from your local video store, or even downloading it from iTunes if you're that way inclined.

4. Best Book - ?
I confess! I didn't read any newly released books in 2010. Cane and/or whip me if you must, but none of the new releases last year really caught my eye. I bought plenty of books though, don't go about thinking I don't read, because I sure as hell do! Just nothing thats new. Here are some of the books I bought, for your reading pleasure...

-The Man Who Fell to Earth (Walter Tevis)
-Trainspotting (Irvine Welsh)
-We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver)
-Selfish Pigs (Andy Riley)
-Man Walks Into A Bar (Stephen Arnott & Mike Haskins)
-The Polaroid Book
-Faceless Killers (Henning Mankell) (i.e. the first Wallander book)
-Irish Museum of Modern Art : The Collection
-A German Dictionary
-A French Dictionary

I also borrowed The Great Gatsby from my local library, but since I didn't buy it, it isn't in the list.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, there it is! My list of favourites from 2010. If any of the winners happen upon this blog, Congratulations! You've won! It may not be a renowned prize, or even mean anything, but it has been a great pleasure watching/listening to your "things", and it's also been good sharing them with you, my readers. (If there are in fact any, and if there are, please oh please make yourself known! Comment + stuff! I don't bite, I swear.)
As promised earlier on in this post, here are the things I'll be looking out for in 2011...

1. Treefight For Sunlight's début album. Although the name and artwork has (sadly) been changed for the UK audience, I'm really really really looking forward to it! It's out on Feb 14th...

2. The last Wallander mystery! Although I'm really dissapointed that it's the last one, I'm also glad that there's another book out soon, also in Feb in the UK.

Montag, Mandag, Lundi, MONDAY!

Y'know the drill, It's Monday, I whack up a few songs to make your day brighter, you congratulate me on having such excellent musical taste, we crack open the Bucks Fizz and have a rave in a forest with a pirate and a giraffe whilst wearing sparkly leggings and ridiculously high platforms. Today's song is courtesy of Fallulah. She's from Denmark, and I really like this song. It's called "Hey You" and is from the album "The Black Cat Neighbourhood". Enjoy!

Oh dear...

Sorry I forgot to post some songs on Monday. I couldn't decide what ones to choose! Most of the songs I would've posted aren't on YouTube, and I can't find any sites where you can listen to them for free without registering. So I'm gonna give you some bands to check out, or you can just listen to the MixPod.
*Treefight For Sunlight
*4 Guys From The Future
*Kirsten & Marie
*FCAN

Various songs of theirs are on YouTube for you.

Food for thought

Ahead of Channel 4's "Britain's Fattest Man" that is due to be broadcast later on this week, I'd like you to think about something.

Is it fair that people are dying of obesity, when at the same time people are dying of starvation?

According to the trailer for the program, it said that if he didn't change his ways he would die, and that he was costing the taxpayer around 20 million (?) or something like that. What amazes me is how anyone would let themselves get to that size in the first place! Wouldn't you notice if you became so fat you were bedridden? Obviously not. England has the highest obesity rate in the whole of Europe, which isn't surprising, seeing as there are take-out places on nearly every high street and everyone drives everywhere (bad for your health AND the environment). On another note, apparently the "dish of Britain" is curry and chips. What the hell? The only remotely British thing about that dish are the chips!
Now, lets look at the other side of the question. We've known for many, many years about situations in other poverty stricken or "third-world" countries. The adverts telling us to donate £1 a month are plastered across our television sets, and yet we, in the West, are eating ourselves to death. Just think of that poor child in a small village somewhere, with a large family and only enough food for not even one person. In the west, we're very picky about what we will and won't eat. For instance, I'm a pello-pescetarian - which means I'll eat fish and poultry, but not mammals. To me, it's on the same lines as cannibalism. We're mammals, so why should we eat others? But in a country where people are starving, I'd imagine you wouldn't be fussy with food, and be so ravenous you'd eat anything edible. When the program is broadcast this week, I'll come back to this subject and do a bit of research and talk some more about food, obesity and starvation.

It's officially 2011!

It's been 2011 for 16 hours now, but I've just put up my new calendar so now it's officially 2011 in my house.

This is my new calendar. It has owls!! The owl in the January picture is an Eagle Owl.