stuff

Album: Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
A bit like Los Campesinos doing Dropkick Murphys, with a bit of Tokyo Police Club thrown in, instead of hiring a lead singer, this band seem to have tape recorded the sound of a prisoner reciting the lyrics to a pop song whilst being horribly tortured. I cant see anything wrong with this.

Single: The Enemy - No Time For Tears
In fact, I think the above recording technique should be directly applied to The Enemy, except not recorded. This song starts off reasonably enough, to me the vocal is pretty much an attempt at Joe Strummer, which isn't a bad thing. Then the music kicks in. I imagine the band think they are an epic cross between the Clash, The Jam, and the Happy Mondays, with the chants and soul singing. Unfortunately they end up being a horrible amalgamation of U2 and Status Quo. The lyrics veer from laughably earnest calls to "get out the city" to bland Kate Nash type 'everyday' observations. Horrible.

Film: A Boy and His Dog (1975)
I watched this old sci fi film the other day, and really enjoyed it. From what I could make out, a civilisation destroying event has happened, and the cities of the world are buried under a thick layer of sand. The survivors live and look a lot like the people of Mad Max 3, and we follow the fortunes of a boy who can telepathically communicate with his dog. Brilliantly his dog is a lot more intelligent than he is, and helps him navigate this dangerous place. I wont go on anymore about it, but not only is it fun and interesting, but handles some quite controversial subjects. The last quarter of the film is a bit disappointing, but there is a dark twist right at the end that's really great.

Song: The Horrors: Sea Within a Sea
Anathema to anyone who didnt like skinny jeans and creative pretension in 2007, The Horrors were loved or hated. I think that a lot of people still wont be able to see past their ghost train looks, but this song has a new direction whilst keeping everything that was good about the band. Its not as hard edged and violent as the previous album was, but keeps the dark side beautifully intact. I cant wait for the new album, this is one of the best things I have heard in ages.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1lD5cE6Bwc