You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you! Goddamn you all to hell!
Last week, I put forward an early contender for my album of the year, thinking it might be looking like a bit of a quiet one. Then all hell broke lose, firstly with the announcement of a new Pulp album, their first in 24 years...
And hot on their heels, Neil Hannon decided to get out of bed again...
Meanwhile, as he eases slowly into his retirement, some old geezer from New Jersey found SEVEN albums lying around in his attic that have never been released before and decided to put them together as a new box set, Tracks II...
For some reason, these words kept coming into my head this week: Evil, Bad, Wicked, Sinful, Wrong, Corrupt, Fiendish, Dark, Despicable, Terrible, Horrible, Awful, No, Good, Repulsive. I've no idea why. But I figured I'd find some appropriate tunes to go along with them...
15. Jagged rocks.
Reef: "a ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the sea."
The good news is, there will be no further tariffs imposed on Snapshots guesses this weekend - so feel free to identify the artists below and work out what might connect their songs, safe in the knowledge you'll only be paying a 10% guess fee. Unless you're in China...
15. Jagged rocks.
14. CMKT4.
13. When a pidgin grows up, it'll make a lovely bunch...
12. They're so out of control, they could break both your arms.
11. A dedicated trumpet player meets the builder of Brookside close.
10. Often encountered during a cholera epidemic.
9. Call the orthodhauntist.
8. I let Weepy scramble my brain.
7. Your closest advisers.
6. You could have chosen conkers, chestnuts or pine cones... what made you choose acorns?
5. Turner's furniture shop.
4. Money talks... on this safari.
3. Curse Flanders!
2. Never meant to make your daughter cry...
1. Martin, you Yellow git! You're fired!*
Be cool - the answers will be here tomorrow morning. Tariff free!
(*This clue is not a reference to our wonderful blogging pal, Martin. It's another one.)
It ain't Over till it's Over, as that famous cricketer Lennie Kravitz once remarked.
Jim from Dubai writes...
Hello Rol,
I hope all is well.
Was reading your great article on songs about Cricket. I thought I would share with you a song I only came across recently which is about Cricket. It is from the early 90s, I had never heard of it before but it has instantly become one of the best songs I have heard recently.
I don't know much about them but I do know I love the song. A bit of easy listening Indie pop with a bit of Bossa Nova thrown in, great singer and some famous cricketer names thrown in, what more do you need?
I give you The Cavaliers - The Beautiful Game.
Thank you, Jim. Further research reveals this is actually from 1986. It appears to be the only release by The Cavaliers (and that name will definitely be investigated further on a future edition of Namesakes), although the also released music under the names Cagliostra and Perspico Acumine (Holdings).
Of course, it's way too early to start talking Album of the Year predictions, and considering how well his solo LPs have done in my countdown over the past decade or so, this is probably an obvious call... but... damn if that new Craig Finn album isn't excellent work.
The news that Craig had drafted in Adam Granduciel of The War On Drugs for production duties didn't exactly light a fire under me, since I'm generally underwhelmed by TWOD's output. But when I think about it, I do often like the sound that band makes... it's just the songs themselves don't seem to say very much. Craig Finn, on the other hand, is a master of making every word count, so his superb storytelling lyrics set to the 70s/80s Laurel Canyon sound Granduciel specialises in is the perfect combination.
Talking up his latest record, Finn name-drops Randy Newman, Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon (also John Prine, who doesn't musically with the others, but lyrically... yeah), so I'm in hog heaven here.
Attention, anyone thinking of releasing any new music that might be of interest to me for the rest of this year: the bar's been set pretty high now, guys. Go big or go home.
Excellent stuff - thank you, JC. I see these also appeared as the concluding chapter of your long-running examination of all the Pet Shop Boys singles... I must have missed that post. That's an LBW for me.
These bands might not be hydromatic... they might not be systematic... but they're all definitely Automatic!
THE AUTOMATIC #1
We kick off in 1983 with a Californian (?) group convinced they would by THE Automatic. They had the look. They had the sound. I'm guessing they didn't have the sales. Fate is fickle.
Swedish synth-poppers Jonas Göransson and Peter Nyborg, formerly known as Dead Eyes Open, who released one album as Automatic in 1997. It all sounds very 1983 to me though.
1997 was clearly a big year for calling your band Automatic. We now find ourselves in the toon of Newcastle, with a noisy lot who appear to have recorded their video at the changing room of the local swimming baths.
Housey Euro-dance gubbins from 2001 by Florent Enfer aka Doctor Flow aka Automatic. Be glad I chose the track below rather than his 1993 recording Blonde Angel, which is nearly 10 minutes long. He was probably just using up the end of the reel.
Another definitive 'The' bunch, these Welsh indie-types made a big splash with their single Monster in 2006... and never really bettered it. I bet they had fun making the video though...
And here's another pair of posh English lads with an interest in the game...
Remember when you were more easily led Behind the cricket pavilion and the bicycle shed Trembling as your dreams came true You looked right into those blue eyes and knew...
Another Neil, Mr. Hannon of The Divine Comedy joined with Thomas Walsh of Pugwash to pool their musical expertise and love of cricket as The Duckworth Lewis Method. In case you're wondering, they're named after "a mathematical formulation designed to calculate the target score (number of runs needed to win) for the team batting second in a limited overs cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstances".
I had a clue all set to go for these guys, involving Jack & Vera meeting an Oxford detective... until I realised that if anyone identified them, it'd give the game away immediately.
I'm not sure Tom Petty would have known one end of a cricket bat from the other, but he did write a great song about a batsman sent in at the end of the day...
Howzat! Hope I didn't catch you out yesterday. As the new cricketing season gets underway, here are a bunch of songs about the gentleman's game...
15. Named after Big Daddy and one of the Majors.
Big Daddy's real name was Shirley Crabtree. Lee was one of the Majors. Shirley Lee was formerly the lead singer of Spearmint, but here he is with an excellent solo tune all about one of John Peel's favourite songs... which we'll come back to at the top of this countdown...
"In cricket, a bye occurs when the ball passes the batsman's wicket without touching their bat or person, and the batsmen score runs from that delivery."
5. Querying the identity of Number One.
I suggest you approach today's Number One act and ask him, "U Roy?"
Apparently, Sheila Ferguson reckons that King (formerly Prince) Charles ruined her love life. Men didn't ask her out because they knew she was the Prince's favourite.
