Kristin Hersh releases 'Slippershell' via CASH Music

Kristin Hersh has just today released her inaugral recording for the project known as CASH Music - the Coalition of Artists and Stake Holders. With this venture, she endeavours to "blur the line that's traditionally stood between creators of content and the consumers of that content".

Kristin intends to write, record and post a song each month. We, as the consumers, are free to share this song as we wish - it is licensed through Creative Commons.

So what's the catch? Well, there isn't one. No, really. Listeners are, naturally, encouraged to contribute/donate money in support of CASH, in order to enable the project to grow, develop and reach more listeners. The amount donated is at the individual's discretion.

Another aspect of CASH is that conversation between artist and audience is encouraged. Hersh hopes to build a community - she describes a "read-write", as opposed to "read-only" culture, i.e. she would like to receive comments on the songs that she will be posting...she says that she will read them all...and reply too!

Not only does she invite sharing of these songs for our general aural pleasure, and of course the commenting, she advocates remixing, reworking, re-recording, and indeed the sharing of any creative output assisted by listening to this music. In the future, her intention is to release a CD containing all these songs, which she hopes will include stuff by her fans...now that's cool (I wonder how quickly I can learn to sing, play guitar, etc. etc.).

This is the very inception of CASH. Other artists will be joining in on the fun and its scope growing organically.

As for the song released today...

It is called Slippershell. It is every bit as good as Hersh's album songs, is rousing and very much worth a listen...I have it on repeat currently! You can download it directly here:

Slippershell MP3

...but I would also encourage you to visit the CASH Music website (the link is to the Kristin Hersh page, but there is a 'home' icon you can click on there too), as it promises to get quite exciting over there!

So, go on, make your friend a CD, slip (ha ha!) this baby on there...they'll thank you for introducing them to great new music. Enjoy it...and remember to give Kristin your kind words and support.

I shall leave you with a quote Kristin included in her e-mail, which embodies the intended memetic effect of CASH, and indeed blogging culture, very nicely:

"a blues player walks a song from town to town, playing on street corners, in dance halls, at parties and bars. The song stays when the musician leaves, adopted and adapted to suit various personalities, voices and life stories."

Feed The Tree: The genealogy of The Pixies, Throwing Muses, The Breeders and Belly

One of my very favourite sub-scenes of music is the interweaving family tree that includes The Pixies, Throwing Muses, The Breeders and Belly. I could write endlessly about any of these bands, even about individual songs, so I am going to try to strictly limit myself to a very potted history and include a few example videos by each band, as well as a diagram that explains a great deal more (well, that's if you can read it...it's sharp as a pin on my computer, but the quality doesn't seem to be so great in Blogger). The diagram, too, could be endless, and there is much that is not incuded...but that should inform a healthy comments debate of additions eh?

Recording during the late 1980s and the 1990s, I believe that these artists, and in particular The Pixies, really added something new to the musical landscape; and they have certainly been very influential on other musicians.

I shall start with The Pixies, as they are probably the best known of the bunch, and are really the 'daddy' of this scene (although Throwing Muses were around before The Pixies formed). Headed by Charles Michael Kitridge Thompson IV (!) under the pseudonym Black Francis, they were formed in Boston in 1986. Their full-length debut, Surfer Rosa, recorded by Steve Albini, was released in 1988 (following the release of EP Come On Pilgrim), and was quietly successful, particularly in the UK (more so than in their native US), and won both Melody Maker and Sounds' Album Of The Year title. They supported fellow Bostonians Throwing Muses on tour early on in their career, which introduced them to industry professionals and the wider public.

I would describe their sound as alternative, guitar-based surf punk. Their albums displayed a wide range of song styles and The Pixies seemed to have a really novel, original and unique way of doing things. Strange sound collages crash against surreal imagery on subjects as diverse as UFOs, Mose Allison, incest and biblical references, and the albums are peppered by lyrics in Spanish as well as in English. These lyrics are often 'spacey' or violent, yet it is clear that their author is eloquent and articulate. Their use of volume and dynamics is also of note, with quiet, lazy, restrained sections contrasting with loud hell-for-leather, beat-the-crap-out-of-your-guitar choruses, and gutteral growlings interspersed with sweet, almost falsetto, tunefulness. They were of particular influence on the grunge music scene of the early 1990s (Nirvana claimed, in interview, to have been trying to emulate their sound with Smells Like Teen Spirit), and have been cited by many, including David Bowie, U2 and Radiohead, as one of their favourite bands.

Black Francis, now rechristened Frank Black, has since been prolific, both solo and with his band Frank Black And The Catholics.

And so, before we move on, here are a couple of interesting tidbits for you...

The song Debaser (from the album Doolittle - which was provisionally titled Whore) was inspired by the film Un Chien Andalou, by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali...anyone that has seen this film will remember the eyeball-slicing scene vividly! The song Ana (from Bossanova) is an acrostic - the first letters of each of its six lines spelling out S-U-R-F-E-R.

Divinyl's tip for best introductory album = Doolittle.

Video for Debaser (The Pixies):

Video of a live 1989 performance of Gigantic (The Pixies):

Throwing Muses were formed in 1983 by Kristin Hersh and her step-sister Tanya Donelly. They self-released a set of demos (The Doghouse Cassette) in 1984, also releasing a self-titled EP later that year. Their debut album proper (again eponymous) was released in 1986. Muses were the first American act to be signed to British record label 4AD, which has housed all of these key bands, as well as lots of other great artists. 4AD is also responsible for one of my favourite compilation albums, which came free with the magazine Uncut in 1998 and features Lush, His Name Is Alive, Dead Can Dance, Lisa Germano, Mojave 3, Red House Painters and others. (Check out their website for a fuller overview of their artists/releases.)

Hersh has an extremely distinctive vocal style and the lyrics are quirky, sung over tempo shifts and catchy guitar hooks. This is still somewhat anguished 'alternative rock' (e.g. lots of references to mental illness in their lyrics - Hersh suffers from bipolar disorder and is compelled to write by auditory hallucinations which 'force' songs upon her), but it is tuneful, poppy and accessible. Hersh continues to record solo today - a more acoustic sound and stunning songwriting - and also, in 2003, formed the power rock trio 50 Foot Wave. She has been kind enough to share free-to-download mp3s from her solo career, as well as songs from Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave at her website Throwing Music.

Divinyl's tip for best introductory album = Limbo.

Best introductory Kristin Hersh album = Hips And Makers (which was co-produced by Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye). Here is a sample song from that - the beautiful, touching and spectral Your Ghost (the harmonies are Michael Stipe of REM):

Your Ghost - Kristin Hersh

Video for Counting Backwards (Throwing Muses):

Video for Shark (Throwing Muses):

Kim Deal of The Pixies formed The Breeders (taking the name from the teenage band of she and twin sister Kelley, also in this incarnation - the word being one which homosexuals use to refer to heterosexual people) with Throwing Muses' (with whom they had been on tour) guitarist Tanya Donelly and bassist Josephine Wiggs of Perfect Disaster. Formed in 1989 and releasing their first full album, Pod, in 1990, this was a much more girl-based sound, where angular guitar-playing and feedback are complemented by the melodic singing voices of both Deal and Donelly (don't get me wrong, these women can howl too!). They were signed to 4AD after Ivo Watts-Russell heard their demo, and their debut was recorded (again by Steve Albini, with whom Deal had worked when she was in The Pixies) in only one week. And so to a fact, before we leave The Breeders - with their album Title TK (2002), they heralded the "all wave" philosophy of recording analogue instruments and vocals and eschewing computer technology and digital recording techniques.

Divinyl's tip for best introductory album = Last Splash.

Video for Cannonball (The Breeders):

Video for Divine Hammer (The Breeders):

Whilst The Breeders are still going (or at least haven't officially split - the last album they released was Title TK), Tanya Donelly (the most 'capped' in this pantheon) left in 1991 to form...

Belly. Who were a much more chart- and MTV-friendly band who fit nicely into the division of early 90s indie rock that also included groups such as Lush, Echobelly and Dubstar. Belly are, in my opinion, under-appreciated. Their first EP, Slow Dust, was released in 1992 and reached number one on the British indie chart. There followed two albums - Star in 1993 and King in 1995. And that was it (but it was enough to garner Grammy nominations)...unless you count a (great) album mixing 'best of'/B-sides and rareties not released until 2002. Their sound was much more 'pop' than their sibling bands, at times dreamy, at times thrashy, the lyrics still replete with weird, haunting and surreal imagery. They had their biggest success with the single Feed The Tree.

Donelly continues to work as a solo artist and has made some lovely songs; however, in my opinion, her solo efforts have varied widely in quality - it's all a bit hit-and-miss. You can visit her website, where there are free downloadable demos from Belly's album Star and also from her solo catalogue.

Divinyl's tip for best introductory album - Star. And by Tanya Donelly as a solo artist - Whiskey Tango Ghosts.

Video for Now They'll Sleep (Belly):


Video for Super-Connected (Belly):

N.B. All still images original by Divinyl.

Cinnamon Girl: Women Artists Cover Neil Young for Charity

The title of this CD (and indeed of this blog post) says it all really. Cinnamon Girl is a two disc, 21 song, all female compilation of covers of Neil Young's music. Well, except for Jill Sobule's track, on which she cheated a little, as you will see in the track listing below. The songs in question are all from the period between 1969 and 1979. And, after what has been a very long wait, it is released tomorrow (February 12) on American Laundromat Records.

ALR is the record label that was also responsible for the Pixies tribute CD Dig For Fire, which featured the likes of Mogwai, They Might Be Giants, British Sea Power, Joy Zipper and Dylan in the Movies. There is also a tribute to Kim Deal (Ceci N'est Pas un Blog hearts Kim Deal!) out in April, so for your tribute compilation CDs, they are clearly the ones to watch!

Contributing artists include Tanya Donelly, Jill Sobule, Veruca Salt, The Watson Twins and Ceci N'est Pas un Blog favourite Kristin Hersh. A gold vinyl 7" split of Donelly and Luff's songs has already been released (limited to 500 hand-numbered copies...I've got mine!), and the album has been available for a little while on iTunes in the US (which is bugger all use to the likes of me!), but finally it's here in touchable, kissable physical form!

Tanya Donelly says of Neil Young and Heart of Gold:

"I always want to hear everything he has to say. He makes me feel better. I just love this song. I think it's perfect actually - structurally, lyrically, musically. There aren't very many words, but they say everything and I can relate to every single one of them. I love that such strong images and heartbreak and hope all come through in a few lines, and that harmonica is a killer. I just love it."

All proceeds from the CD (and the 7" too) are to be donated to Casting for Recovery, in memory of Norine R. Spadaro (the mother of ALR founder Joe Spadaro), who lost her six year battle with breast cancer in July 2005. Casting for Recovery is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1996 that works with women who have, or who have had, breast cancer, offering support, counselling, education and relaxation. The no-cost-to-the-participant weekend retreats promote physical and emotional healing by allowing women to gather in a peaceful and natural environment and learn fly-fishing. No really...it's all about the fly-fishing apparently!

The track listing for Cinnamon Girl is as follows:

Disc 1

01. Heart of Gold - Tanya Donelly

02. I Am A Child - Britta Phillips (of Luna)

03. Comes A Time - Kate York

04. The Needle and the Damage Done - Lori McKenna

05. Down By the River - Jill Sobule with John Doe

06. Burned - Veruca Salt

07. Cowgirl In the Sand - Josie Cotton

08. A Man Needs A Maid - Dala

09. Ohio - Darcie Miner

10. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere - Carmen Townsend

Disc 2

01. Cinnamon Girl - Euro Trash Girl

02. I Believe In You - Julie Peel

03. Tell Me Why - Luff

04. Ohio - Dala

05. Helpless - Elk City

06. Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Amilia K. Spicer

07. Sugar Mountain - Louise Post (of Veruca Salt)

08. Powderfinger - The Watson Twins

09. Like A Hurricane - Kristin Hersh

10. Old Man - Cindy Wheeler (of the Caulfield Sisters)

11. Walk On - Heidi Gluck (of Some Girls)

I can't wait to hear the whole album! Let's hope that it's less of a mixed bag than 1989's The Bridge: A Tribute To Neil Young as, whilst that featured some great artists (including Soul Asylum, Victoria Williams, Pixies, Nick Cave, The Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.) the success of the covers on that seemed to be very hit-and-miss.

Head to MySpace to hear clips from four of the songs (Donnelly, Phillips, Cotton and Hersh).

Or go to Juno to listen and purchase it as downloads.

And of course, get your CDs from American Laundromat Records.

Here are a couple of female cover versions of Young songs for you to download me sweets (not from this album):

mp3: Helpless - Patti Smith (from the album Twelve)

mp3: After the Gold Rush - KD Lang (from the album Hymns of the 49th Parallel)

Album artwork by Katy Horan

Whilst we are (kind of) on the subject of Kristin Hersh, have you checked out CASH Music recently? Kristin has now released three songs over there, and Donita Sparks and Xiu Xiu have also joined up. Keep your eye on it, as it's all getting pretty exciting!

SUPER-exciting news from the Throwing Muses camp!

There isn't much to tell just yet, but word is out from Kristin Hersh that there will be a new Throwing Muses album in the new year - their first since 2003. Kristin had the following to say with the posting of her most recent song, Moan, over at CASH Music:

"Moan" brought to life a fistful of Throwing Muses songs. I honestly didn't think I would ever write another Throwing Muses song. For some reason, I assumed my guitars were only capable of bringing about convenient music. Of course, music is hardly ever convenient. It imagines you have nothing better to do than serve it. It not-so-gently suggests that you refrain from eating and sleeping and paying the rent until you've given it everything it asks for.

Which is fair, 'cause it only asks for physicality and sociability. It needs a body (no matter how long it takes, how much it costs and how many people it takes to get that barn up off the ground!) and then it needs to walk out into the world, wearing its new clothes, so that it can start living its new life. It pays us back in dividends by telling us what it learned out there in the ether, before we met it.

And by letting us play. The other Muses are ready to work. Which is maybe a past life re-visited, but it's also a dream come true. Songs don't know the word "past", anyway. Songs are forever now.

I asked Kristin a little more about this, excited and disbelieving of what I had read. She responded by saying:

Thanks for being so excited...Yes... I've been practically assaulted by Muses songs for the past couple of weeks. I'm not sure what's responsible for this but it's been pretty intense. Our house is upside down.

I immediately got in touch with Dave [Narcizo] & Bernie [Georges] -- and they're willing. So sometime this fall we'll get going on the record and will try to have it out in the new year.

I will endeavour to keep you updated, and you will also be able to find out more information, as it becomes available, from Kristin's new website and/or by registering for e-mail updates from the Throwingmusic website.

If you can't wait until next year, there are free downloads available, also at Throwingmusic or, of course, you can buy their previous albums.

Here is Hersh's latest digitally-released song Moan:

Moan - Kristin Hersh

If you like it, be sure to head across to CASH to put some money in the tip jar!

Songs of the Fifty States: Massachusetts to New Jersey

Massachusetts - The Bee Gees

This post of my Songs of the Fifty States series qualifies as the least 'countrified', starting right from the top with The Bee Gees and a song that showcases their knack for songwriting pre- squeaking, squawking disco era (1967 to be precise, and their first UK Number 1). Perhaps here I have succumbed and posted the most patent Massachusetts-related track, but it's a goodie and, to be honest, I didn't really bother searching much further here! The only other track I considered was The Dropkick Murphys' The State of Massachusetts. I was impressed with the posting of Juliana Hatfield's Feeling Massachusetts for this state over at SMM, as I had completely forgotten about it...I owned it on tape at the time, and have never had it digitally, so it definitely made me smile to hear it again.

Massachusetts itself (which definitely qualifies, for me, as the most difficult to spell state...I am always tempted to put a second 'S' in the middle) is a state worth reading about, if you are not American and therefore did not learn it all in school...the history from the pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe right up to it becoming the first state, in 2004, to recognise same-sex marriage, is certainly worth a read.

Michigan State - Devendra Banhart

Devendra Banhart can be a bit like Marmite...you either love him or you hate him. Well, I love both Marmite and Banhart, so I was pleased to be able to include him in this list. Whilst Saginaw, Michigan would have provided a great country track (just pick your singer...Lefty Frizell, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Horton...), this is such a sweet song that I (again) decided to break my own rules. Ambulance Ltd.'s Michigan is also pretty good.

The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota - 'Weird Al' Yankovic

I absolutely LOVE this song! Whilst 'Weird Al' Yankovic is most associated with the parody song, and whilst this is indeed somewhere short of entirely serious this, I think, is perhaps Yankovic at his most successful. In fact, here he almost comes off as Frank Zappa in his bizarre story-telling. Where do I get my ticket?

Bonus track: My Minnesota State Fair - Ann Reed

As the lead track here is something of a novelty one, I thought it best to also include a supplementary 'bonus'. And so...here it is (although only slightly less novelty!). Also considered: Minnesota Girl - Billie Joe Armstrong (of Green Day), Minnesota - The Dandy Warhols.

One Mississippi - Janis Ian

Mississippi is one of those states where there is no lack of great songs to post. In fact, I posted four of them myself over at Star Maker Machine (Ted Hawkins, Nina Simone, Sammy Walker and Jimmie Rodgers). I had not heard this particular Janis Ian track before this week, but I absolutely love it...it might well be my favourite new discovery whilst preparing for this theme.

Bonus track: Funky Mississippi - Rufus Thomas

Whilst the Janis Ian track above won out, no questions asked, to head up this Mississippi entry, I also felt that I had to include this Rufus Thomas cut. Great stuff, with a super horn section!

Dylan's Miss the Mississippi was just too Dylan - the nasal, atonal voice at its most prominent (don't get me wrong, I am a big Dylan fan). Also losing out were the likes of The Grateful Dead, the Dixie Chicks, Jim Croce, Mavis Staples, Son House and Waylon Jennings...a popular state!



Missouri - Merle Travis

Missouri, or the 'Show Me State' (...what?), previously known as the 'Puke State' (...even bigger WHAT??) provides, perhaps surprisingly, quite a selection of decent songs to choose from. Johnny Cash again could have featured, with Missouri Waltz. Or Mac Wiseman with It Rains Just the Same In Missouri (which I cut out pretty late in the day). Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin's We Can Win Missouri! is also worth a mention as a recent one. And then of course there are the Missouri River songs - try Cold Missouri Waters by Richard Shindell. Purposely avoided: Missouri by David Nail.



Montana Cowgirl - Emmylou Harris

This one I posted in the comments at SMM (so felt it only fair to also offer a supplementary track here) - a fairly recent (1994) Emmylou Harris number. Her voice is as gorgeous as ever (and I'm going to see her live in September...yippee!).

Bonus track: Montana - Venus Hum

I guess that Venus Hum don't really fit in with the 'feel' of this list as a whole, and that is why they're here only as a bonus track. But there's something that I really like about this one, despite it perhaps being more dance-y than the usual kind of thing I listen to. Kristin Hersh's Arnica Montana is also a great tune, but would seem to have absolutely zip to do with Montana!



The Nebraska Song - Sawyer Brown

Far and away the most obvious choice for this state would have been Bruce Springsteen, which is why I barely even considered it for inclusion. Anyway, I prefer Sawyer Brown's voice, so there. Also considered: Josh Rouse with Dressed Up Like Nebraska.



Nevada - Scout Niblett

This was the only Nevada track I even considered including! Just click on that little 'play' button to the left...nuff said, I think. Loves it.



New Hampshire - Sonic Youth

This is the one full exception to my rule re: not posting any tracks from the main posts over at SMM. I love Sonic Youth, this is a fab song, and I was simply not able to find another decent enough alternative (Matt Pond PA doesn't do a lot for me). The additional track below (the state motto) was the nearest I could get:

Bonus track: Live Free or Die - Hayes Carll



New Jersey - Red House Painters

Another one that was a clear 'definite' from the get-go. You are likely to know, if you are a regular reader of this blog, that I am a big fan of the 4AD label. I first heard this particular track when I received a free CD with Uncut magazine back in 1998 - a full CD of 4AD artists (and 19 tracks!), which is perhaps my favourite compilation CD...and did I mention it was free? The track listing also included the Pixies, Lush, Mojave 3, Tanya Donelly, His Name Is Alive, Lisa Germano, The Breeders, This Mortal Coil, Kristin Hersh, Dead Can Dance, the Cocteau Twins and several more. Heaven!

14 tracks for the 14th...only it has taken me until the 15th to put them up!

As we've had gig review after gig review lately (and there are more yet to come), I thought that I would break things up a little with a bit of Random Rules. As it was the 14th of the month when I decided to do this, below are 14 consecutive songs courtesy of my iTunes shuffle. Instead of the whole 'what this song means to me' business, I thought I would, instead, share with you my favourite lyrics from each. A couple of these tracks have already featured on my blog previously, but as this was, indeed, random that was unavoidable...just Sod's Law that, out of over 8000 songs, they should come up again here!

Oh, and this post has absolutely nothing to do with Stereolab (as per the picture above)...I just thought the title was fitting!

1. Photograph - Weezer

"If you want it, you can have it / But you've got to learn to reach out there and grab it"


2. Redwinelips - Jomi Massage

"I will stay awake until daylight breaks my face"

This one previously featured in this music review.


3. Backstairs Down - Po'Girl

"If there's one thing that I need / It's to find a place where I can breathe / And a little time just to think" (hear hear!)


4. You Don't - Tricky

Hmmm...not really one I would praise for its lyrics...good song though.


5. Excuse Me Mr. - Ben Harper

"So, excuse me Mr. / But I'm a mister too / And you're givin' Mr. a bad name / Mr. like you"


6. Take - Throwing Muses

"If you don't think I'm pretty / I understand"

(my favourite ever Kristin Hersh lyrics come from her song Teeth: "This hair-do's truly evil / I'm not sure it's mine"!)


7. Hallelujah - KD Lang

Obviously not as great as Leonard Cohen's original, or indeed, in my opinion, Rufus Wainwright's version...but a good cover (of a wonderful song) nonetheless.

"Love is not a victory march / It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah" or

"Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you"


8. March of the Pigs - Nine Inch Nails

"Take the skin and peel it back / Now doesn't that make you feel better?"


9. Willy - Joni Mitchell

"But you're bound to lose / If you let the blues get you scared to feel"


10. Avalanche - Heather Nova

"And you, you look like freedom" or

"Security's the whore in me that never lets me fly"


11. You Win Again - Hank Williams

"I love you still / You win again" (well, the lyrics to this one are pretty simple!)


12. Sylvia Plath - Ryan Adams

"She'd ash on the carpets / And slip me a pill / Then she'd get pretty loaded on gin / And maybe she'd give me a bath / How I wish I had a Sylvia Plath"


13. Back When I Was 4 - Jeffrey Lewis

Where to start when it comes to Jeff Lewis lyrics?? Probably best you just read the lot here.

This one was previously featured in this music review.


14. Waiting In Vain - Bob Marley and The Wailers

"From the very first time I rest my eyes on you, girl / My heart says follow through / But I know now that I'm way down on your line"

My life in song...with a little help from Elvis Costello!

I was over at Zen's page recently and saw a post that really caught my interest; she, in turn, had got the idea from The Notorious J*O*E. The basic idea is that there are 25 questions, which you have to answer using the song titles in one band's/artist's/songwriter's back catalogue.

I've been through a few before coming to rest with Elvis Costello...first there was Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses (predominantly one word titles, which made the task somewhat difficult!), then I tried Pixies, then Paul Simon, but none quite seemed to fit the bill. In the case of Mr McManus, I had a hard time whittling it down to one answer per question! Well, what were brackets invented for if not me and my verbosity?

And so, to the challenge...

1. Are you a male or female?

She.

2. Describe yourself.

Hidden Charms (decided against Worthless Thing, as it is a long time since I have been a teenager!).

3. Describe your day.

Sittin' and Thinkin'.

4. Describe where you currently live.

This Town.

5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

Chelsea (I Don't Want To Go To)...so, Black Sails In the Sunset methinks (less obvious than Living In Paradise!).

6. Your best friend is...

The Invisible Man.

7. Your favourite colour is...

When Green Eyes Turn Blue.

8. You know that...

Imagination Is A Powerful Deceiver.

9. What's the weather like?

The Other Side of Summer.

10. If your life was a television show, what would it be called?

The Imposter (or perhaps Everyday I Write the Book).

11. What is life to you?

This Sad Burlesque (also considered: Brilliant Mistake, Dear Sweet Filthy World, God's Comic, All This Useless Beauty and Monkey To Man).

12. What is the best advice you have to give?

Tiny Steps (although this only just won out over Peace, Love and Understanding and Don't Look Back. Or how about Put Your Big Toe In the Milk of Human Kindness?).

13. Describe your ex.

Battered Old Bird. Ha ha! No, that's cruel...how about Accidents Will Happen? Or I Hope You're Happy Now? (The latter sounds quite threatening typed here, but I intended it in a nice way, honest).

14. Your current relationship status?

No Action (I wished I could have used Getting Mighty Crowded!).

15. What's your favourite hobby?

Pretty Words (Turning the Town Red would've been a good answer, but it wouldn't really have been true).

16. When you think of your friends...

Running Out of Angels (or Lip Service).

17. What do your friends think of you?

Mouth Almighty (or perhaps even Too Far Gone).

18. What does your current love interest think of you?

Honey Are You Straight Or Are You Blind (maybe also God Give Me Strength!).

19. You always travel with?

Radio Radio.

20. The best way to end a long day?

Sleep of the Just (although Howling At the Moon, Talking In the Dark, Human Touch, Sweet Dreams, and simply Sleep could all have worked too).

21. Your occupation is?

Coal Train Robberies...well, ok, not really, but nor is it Shipbuilding or King of Thieves.

22. When you grow up, you want to?

[Have a] Seven Day Weekend! (This is, at least, less melancholic than my initially chosen title of I Want To Vanish!).

23. What does your family think of you?

Distorted Angel...or simply Big Sister.

24. Your favourite food is?

Chewing Gum.

25. You want to be remembered as?

Beyond Belief.

That was rather fun! If you would like to join in, I would love to see your choices...leave me a comment to let me know if you've had a bash at this one.

Amoeba Music: Now that's what I call the best record store in the world...ever!

Amoeba Music is the music lover's wet dream...as far as music stores go, this is (in my opinion) the daddy of them all!

(If you can think of a rival, please leave a comment and let me know...I'd be keen to check it out if I'm ever in the vicinity).

The first store was opened on Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, California in 1990 (this one is particularly good for vinyl), with two further stores joining in on the fun since then: San Francisco (since 1997) and Hollywood (Sunset Boulevard, since 2001 – which claims to be the world's largest independent music store at 31,000 square feet – and which is the only one I haven't been to). This blog will mostly be about the San Francisco outlet, which is at the top of Haight Street, just before Golden Gate Park.

The store: A massive 24,000 square feet (2,200 square metres for all you metric kids) of converted bowling alley...seriously, it's like an aircraft hangar or something it's so humongous...and it is stocked to the brim with goodies! It really does feel like a treasure hunt. This place seriously blows my mind!

The staff...are everything I want to be; they are the ultimate music geeks. They really know their stuff, their knowledge immense and seemingly endless. And I know that, like me, these are people that simply wet themselves over making the perfect mix-tape (or cd in these modern times!), and introducing friends to music they love and are super-excited about. I found the staff to be really helpful; I was specifically looking for a copy of Iron Horse Fade To Bluegrass, a great album of Metallica songs covered in a bluegrass style, which I had heard in a local diner, and simply had to have! So they are definitely capable of helping you to find that obscure or limited-release title (and I'm sure they come much more obscure than that too!). They have a computer to look it up on, as with anywhere nowadays, but they also have a glint in their eyes, a genuine enthusiasm, and a remarkable, encyclopaedic ability to converse about any of it...and make suggestions if you ask for them too. While I was there I also picked up a great in-store magazine/zine/bible chock full of the (informed and insightful...and passionate) recommendations of people working in all three outlets.

And, most importantly, the stock: This is like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory for the music afficionado...except without such a creepy man running the show (did Gene Wilder, as Willy Wonka, give anyone else the willies?). It really is endless...there is (almost) every release you could ever want...and so much stuff that you didn't even know you wanted! They stock vinyl, cds, cassettes, new and used (as well as dvds, although I didn't allow myself to peruse this bit of the shop!) - a very eclectic range, including hard to find bounty. They even have listening posts where you can scan the bar code of a cd you fancy having a listen to, which then shows up on a screen where you can select the track etc. Or you can just search their extensive database for inspiration...although that might take some of the fun out of the experience of rummaging, trying to find a bargain or hidden gem. There are swathes of clearance racks, offering used cds from about $1.99 (with some sort of 'buy lots and we'll give you a discount' schtick on top of that, as if necessary...something like 'get every fourth one free' if I recall correctly). And it's not all just dross, as with many bargain bins...I got Geraldine Fibbers, Natalie Merchant and Elvis Costello albums (as well as quite a few others!) from the cheapo-cheapo section...why is it that this always feels like such an accomplishment...like you've pulled a swift one on them?

The atmosphere is of a community record store, despite the size...you are surrounded by tonnes of other music nerds with sweaty palms, nimble fingers (for rifling through the racks) and wide eyes. Have you read (or seen) High Fidelity? These (me included) are those people!

And if this wasn't enough, they also host live in-stores shows...I shall list some of those that personally would interest me, but if you click on the link to their website you can have a squizz for your good selves.

Past performances have included: Datarock, Kristin Hersh, Aimee Mann, Solomon Burke, Smoosh, The Dears, Saul Williams, Rilo Kiley, Gossip, Devendra Banhart, CocoRosie, Broken Social Scene, Ladytron and The White Stripes.

Oh, did I mention that this (small selection from the whopping big list as a whole) only covers the San Francisco joint?

(Hollywood have had, amongst others: Patti Smith, Erin McKeown, Tegan and Sara, Jolie Holland, Neko Case, Ben Harper, Wanda Jackson (!! Belated happy birthday by the way Ms Jackson...she turned 70 on October 20th), Nickel Creek, Elvis Costello, Old Crow Medicine Show, PJ Harvey, Camera Obscura, Amp Fiddler, Po Girl, Throwing Muses, Lucinda Williams and The Melvins.)

And all for free folks!

Apparently they even have their own record label now...although from the looks of things this is still quite young.

Ok, so just to balance this review out a bit...the negatives. It is hugely overwhelming as there is just so much stock! Seriously, you could get lost in this place for days and still not touch the sides. It's like your eyes are too big for your stomach...make that your wallet and the amount of time it is humanly possible to spend in a record store in one go. The temptation is so great you are also likely to come out (blinking at the sunlight) a whole lot poorer, with more arm loads than you can carry, and with that gnawing anxiety that you just missed THE cd/lp you simply can't live without (even though you've managed ok so far, thank you very much). But these are hardly real criticisms.

You are, however, likely to be offered any number of illegal substances in the street outside (this is Haight-Ashbury, after all), so if that offends your sensibilities...

If it eases your conscience at all, Amoeba (a prime example of the kind of word I hate, never mind how much I love the stores...the whole 'oe' vowel pronunciation bit...yuck!) donates some of its profits to Rainforest Action Network. It also, in the Hollywood store, has a 'Big Green Box' in which to deposit your unused/broken/faulty electrical items and batteries, for them to be recycled rather than sent to landfill. If you think about it, even a lot of the music is recycled...bought used (for cash, or more in in-store credit).

Oh, and finally, there's a great pizza shop, with daily 'slice' specials (I opted for the veggie options that they were proffering that day...I think it was a slice each of 'You Say Potato' and 'Elementary My Dear Watsonville' that I had, going by the menu) called Escape From New York, just a few doors away. Pop in, stock up on calories to see you through the next several hours of browsing/hunting.

Whilst I'm on a food (and San Francisco) tip I shall mention a taqueria that I dream about...El Farolito (nowhere near Amoeba at 24th and Mission). It is grotty, grubby, in a bad(ish) part of town, but boy is it yummy! And very very cheap indeed. Their veggie burritos are to die for, and are enough to keep you flup (full up) all day! You should also check out the pico de gallo (or whatever the green salsa they make is called there...you can serve yourself pots of it for free...great if you buy a basket of tortilla chips for something ludicrous like 50 cents). I crave burritos in the UK...there aren't any Mexican take-aways round here, which I think is sacrilege. Any Mexican peeps out there in Gateshead or Newcastle reading this? ;o)

As for Amoeba Music...don't just take my word for it...here is what some other people have to say: Amoeba San Francisco.

I am a broad bean...

...according to the 6 year old granddaughter of a pal of mine. She (the child) is fairly deaf, bless her, and at some point has heard 'lesbian' as 'broad bean'...lord knows how! Anyhoo, this is now how she refers to me! Tee hee...all jolly amusing. This introduction is entirely irrelevant to the forthcoming blog...I just wanted the enigmatic (well, alright, just darned silly!) title.

The only link between that and the rest of today's waffle is that I have been shopping with said grandmother.

I was opining the other night, as per my most recent previous blog, about how sick I am of clothes...mine, and in general...so we decided to shop together today to see if it helped. We only had a couple of hours though, so the experience may well have to be repeated. I continued on my own (after she had to leave in time for school pick-up) until all the shops had shut and now I am absolutely cream-crackered! I rarely go into Newcastle shopping, so it made a change, but I'll have to remember to steel myself for the onslaught next time around!

I bought (in chronological order):

- A pair of shoes...baby pink canvas slip-on thingies with little pictures of headphones all over them. Very cute. I love Office. There were also a couple of other pairs I really liked, but they didn't have the others in my size (damn you mahoofmus plates of meat!). No good heels in at the moment either. I love wedge heels (though not cork ones...the heel has to match the rest of the shoe...I'm so picky! If I buy stilettoes I wear the heels down far too quickly...don't know if it's a fat lass thing?). Wedge heels are supposed to be in fashion...so why can't I find them anywhere? I like to wear wedge heels whether they're in fashion or not (sheep-like fashion is such rubbish!), but you generally can't get them; now they're all over the magazines, but still don't seem to have made it to the shops...not in Newcastle anyway!

- A black t-shirt, also with headphones (and a walkman type thing) on it, and a green t-shirt with leaves and butterflies and such. Not 100% sure on the latter, but it was only eight quid!

- Goodbye Lenin and Hard Candy on dvd...neither of which I have seen, but both of which sounded worth watching.

- A Ramones 2cd set for £6.00...what a bargain! The Machinist on dvd (I watched some of it on the box once, but couldn't keep me peepers open until the end...and it was only £3.00. Speaking of movies on tv, I watched Dogville (in two sittings, as I couldn't stay awake until the end of that either!) recently...thought that was really well made). Roseanne Series One dvd box set...no idea when I will watch that, but it was a fiver, so I couldn't bring myself to leave the shop without it! And Feist (which I shall talk more about later).

- A lightweight black summer jacket (not sure why, seeing as I don't even wear a coat in winter...I just liked it) from H&M (which I still, all these years later, can't get out of the habit of calling Hennes).

Shall we play that shopping game where you have to add to the list and remember it all? Hmmm...maybe wouldn't work quite so well when it's all written down in front of you!

The general crises about clothing are not helped by the fact that smock-style tops and dresses seem to be everywhere and, whilst they are often very pretty, they just really don't suit me. They simply don't flatter the 'fuller figured' lady, and the top part always looks quite ridiculous trying to rein in my rather ample busom (or mammoth jubblies!).

Primark was, as usual, a let down. People rave about that shop...and I want to be able to buy dresses for £4.00! But, no matter how many items I try on, nothing in there ever fits me right. I don't mean that it's necessarily too small, just that nothing fits quite right. Which is a shame, because there was some pretty stuff this time I looked (and it was less scratch-your-eyes-out-jumble-sale than previous visits)...but then I guess that £4.00 or so just doesn't buy particularly exquisite tailoring! Someone want to teach me how to sew and amend?

In addition to Feist, which I bought after hearing it playing in Virgin Megastores (oh corporate wiles!), I have also been listening to Romeo Void's 'Benefactor' and 'Warm, In Your Coat' (they sound, and indeed were, really 80s...but in a good way. Think Blondie/Duran Duran/Lost Boys soundtrack...lots of horns, but with a kind of punk attitude. Difficult to explain...they sound like all and none of these things...well, except for the horn section, that is a fact...as is the punky lead singer wifey!)...and my shopping trip was accompanied by various Le Tigre, at least until my iPod died...damned iPod batteries! I am actually currently (as in right right now) listening to Erase Errata, but with the longest song on a 15 track album coming in at 2 minutes and 55 seconds (and the shortest a mere 47 seconds!) it will be long over by the time I finish this blog!

As for Feist...as per my usual form of taking several days to do pretty much anything, I am still making my way through last Sunday's Observer (and that's even after immediately tossing aside the sport section!). Had I read it before my shopping expedition, I would already have heard of Feist. They liked it. Here is the review:

'On her third album, Nova Scotia-born Leslie Feist has refined the sound of her hectic career thus far into 13 sparkling musical gems. She has cavorted in Berlin with Peaches and toured with vast Toronto alt-rock outfit Broken Social Scene [both of whom I also like - Divinyl], but now, with The Reminder, the 31-year-old has come brilliantly into her own. A quiet confidence fills slower numbers such as 'Limit To My Love', produced by long-time collaborator Gonzales, while the summery verve of '1234' and 'I Feel It All' provides an upbeat counterbalance, Feist's delicate voice, which she damaged as a punk-screaming teenager, beguiles throughout. Wonderful.' Killian [what kind of a name is that??] Fox

Briefly, whilst we are on the subject of music, I am looking forward to getting the chance to check out Datarock (http://www.myspace.com/datarock) at the Freevolution festival on the quayside (should that have a capital 'Q'?). There is, however, no-one playing this year (certainly not that I am familiar with to date) that excites me quite so much as having the chance to see Holly Golightly (for free folks...and she was ace) last year. The previous year I was all revved up for Kristin Hersh, but then she pulled out. MySpace music-wise, I am also quite liking Candypants (http://www.myspace.com/candypants), particularly the song 'Nerdy Boys'; however there is no 'add' (to profile) function against the songs, so they won't be something people will be able to hear me sporting. Think the next profile tune will be 'Power Lunch' by Har Mar Superstar (featuring the ever marvellous Ms Ditto! Grrr!)...really like that at the mo. And I also recently discovered Scream Club (http://www.myspace.com/screamclub), again due to Beth Ditto singing on one of their songs, 'If You Want It'...that's not up on their MySpace page I'm afraid though. I'm also liking what I have heard so far of Remi Nicole...although it may be that it gets a bit annoyingly Lily Allen-esque after repeated listens...not sure yet. Perhaps not something I could do with hearing on continuous play on the radio. 'New Old Days' was fun to hear though...for the referencing...if anyone is of a similar age to me (maybe slightly younger...I don't remember the tv programme 'Woof', as opposed to the book, playing quite such a big part in my upbringing! Maybe 'T Bag and T Shirt'...now you're talking!) you'll probably smile fondly through at least one listen.

Ok, back to the Observer...

(Oh dear, it's actually Sunday now...well, Monday morning in fact! I am SO rubbish!)

The first comment-worthy thing is the article on the Iranian music scene...really interesting reading. In summary, it was about how many types of music are banned...particularly Western music or music that is too heavily influenced by the west. And of course certain themes that do not 'fit' with strict Muslim beliefs also. All homegrown music, in order to have a chance of ever being heard, has to be passed via a strict governing body called something like The Ministry of Culture, a la 1984! Bands have to practice in secret, sound-proofed basements and concerts/gigs are extrememly rare, so the only outlet is often the internet. Even in the occasional concert that is allowed by the authorities, dancing is forbidden (in public in general), and therefore people must remain seated...the band having to stop to remind them if they get too excited. Whilst women are allowed (now) to perform alongside men, they are not allowed to sing solo and may only perform backing, not lead, vocals.

It's amazing to contrast that to the freedoms we are allowed in the world we know...how fortunate we are! Even with an America as seemingly dictated to (think how the media tries to 'scare' people...US news is even worse than in the UK...and far more 'we are the only country worth knowing about in the world') as it is, people still have the freedom to express themselves (almost) however they choose to...lyrically etc. And in terms of what they themselves are able to listen to. An eye-opening article indeed.

The other Observer thing I want to talk about (although there has been a whole new issue since this!) is the Book of Genius. The first thing was their horoscopes bit...what it means to be Taurean (as I am):

"Ruling the neck and voice in the 'heavenly body', Taurus is the sign of the orator"

Oh dear, they've summarised me so succinctly! Apparently:

"A genius was once described as someone with an IQ of over 130, which is also, give or take a point or two, the cut-off point for getting into MENSA. Only 1 in 50 people will qualify."

I don't know what my IQ is (and certainly don't claim to be a genius! Although that could bring us back around to the whole autistic spectrum debate again!), but online tests I have taken in the past (oh, many hours of boredom!) have put me around 130-140 something...between about 136 and 142 I think...it definitely wasn't an odd number. Personally, with a little knowledge of the subject, as someone who has studied psychology, I think the measurement of IQ is pretty bollocks, as it relies on so many other things...learning opportunities, culture, age (although it technically shouldn't) etc. This book on genius also cites The Great Gatsby as such. Am I missing something? I thought it was pretty dull and it left me rather cold. Maybe it takes one to know one eh? Genius that is.

The 'How To Become A Genius' section sees me entirely fooked...1. Get 8 hours sleep per night, 2. Eat breakfast, 3. Practice short-term memory, 4. Exercise, 5. Join a nunnery. None of which I do...or plan to do any time soon! And seeing as I only got 9/20 on the MENSA example test (it was 3.30am people!), I don't think it's something I have to be troubling myself over too much! Although, apparently, that means I'm in "pretty good shape"! It's the maths ones that stump me...it's automatic brain switch-off and shut-down! I object to having to spend the time trying to work them out when I don't enjoy it, so I give up fairly quickly. I also don't know how many yards are in a mile as I am a metric child (see...it's the learning opportunities argument again). This 'do it quickly or don't bother trying at all' ethos is very typical of me. It explains why I never stuck at gymnastics, the guitar, or anything else I wasn't very swiftly good at. A recent analogy is the addiction to online room escape, or point and click, games...I almost always do them with a walkthrough (therefore there's not much point I suppose, other than keeping me busy for a short while), rather than arse about trying to work them out for myself. Same with the mess and general lack of work on my house...it's a 'live in the now' thing...or more something of an inability to consider the future and longer-term consequences.

By the bye (I use the word 'incidentally' far too much!), did you know that Sir Jim'll Saville (who was Bababa...as is "you and you and..."?) is a MENSA member? And a freak?!! Genius, in this case, came in the form of a Louis Therous interview...instant classic! The programme that Mr Theroux had on the box a few weeks back about 'The most hated family in America' was also worth a watch. Apparently all US citizens (apart from the 'cult' themselves, obviously!) are doomed as the country is tolerant of gay people (not that tolerant eh Mr Bush? Mr Schwarzenegger?). So these people picket the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq as they are fighting for a country that contains, or 'allows', gay people...that was the basic premise as far as I could understand it!

It's available to watch at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4413388146858417528 if you fancy watching it for yourself...it's well worth a look. In my opinion, their best banner read 'Fags eat poop'...it's a "fact" apparently!

Speaking (ooh, this is tenuous!) of religion...I had a chuckle to myself on the bus on the way back from the aforementioned shopping trip. There was a sign outside a local church which read 'The best vitamin for a Christian is B1'...seriously, who thought that up?

The second half of OM magazine still remains to be read. I had taken it into the bath with me, but it got thoroughly drenched and may no longer be readable! The story is this...there had been a massive wasp in my bathroom for several days (at that point it was last seen nestling inside the neck of a carelessly discarded Kill Rock Stars t-shirt) and I was too scared of it to do anything to move it on other than leaving the window open on the off-chance! Whilst I was taking a bath a fly flew past me and I panicked so much I nearly caused a tsunami and there was water all over the bathroom floor...and OM. I'm sure you wanted to know that. So scared was I that I even looked up the lifespan of a wasp on t'internet...40 days in case you care. Thankfully this one must already have been rather senior and has now expired...phew!

Ok, my last words for now will...not even be my own! It's a quote, again from the Observer Book of Genius, of Leo Tolstoy...on listening to music:

"some strange, delightful feeling fills my soul to such an extent that I lose consciousness of my existence".

xxx