kitty licks my cheek once more....

Earworms of the Week

Dean Martin - "Let It Snow"

Inevitable, given the weather.  I still find it a little hard to understand why a dusting of snow causes so much chaos, but it does and that is apparently something we all just have to live with.  I quite like snow, but if you have to go anywhere, it's basically a massive pain in the arse.  Not very romantic, but there you go.  It buggers up my exercise schedule too.  This song makes me think if Die Hard, which is hardly a bad thing.

Lana Del Rey - "National Anthem"

Fake.... industry connected....whatever.  I actually dug this album out and gave it a good listen during the week and was reminded that it's actually really good.  That's all that really matters, isn't it?  It should be.

Fiery Furnaces - "Single Again"

I heard Marc Riley playing this the other day on 6 Music and it stuck.  It reminds me a bit of Black Box Recorder... not the style particularly, but the female singer and the lyrical content.

I married a man oh then
I married a man oh then
I married a man he was the plague of my life
And I wish I was single again
I wish I was single again
Cause when I was single, my pockets did jingle and I wish I was single again
He beat me and banged me oh then
He beat me and banged me oh then
He beat me and banged me he swore he would hang me and I wish I was single again
He went for the rope oh then....

Not very cheerful, for sure, but I like it. I like the little twist at the end too. Neatly done.  Well done everyone.

Scott Walker - "The Old Man's Back Again"

Apparently there was a documentary on the great man last week and I missed it.  iPlayer job, I think. I did read this interview in the Quietus with him where he showed a marvellous sense of humour about a joke about an orchestra of zombies.  I haven't bought his latest album yet - mostly because his recent stuff is very, very challenging and I haven't exactly played "The Drift" to death (although I do like "Tilt").  "The Drift" was famous for featuring some percussion produced on a side of pork, and apparently "Bisch-Bosch" contains some farting.  He's 70 years old now and a great example of an artist refusing to go quietly and is chasing his muse wherever it takes him.  Some other great artists of the 60s might like to take note....  Scotts 1-4 are just untouchably brilliant, in my opinion, and if you haven't got them then you are most definitely missing out.

Nick Drake - "Northern Sky"

Beautiful song.  Love me a bit of Nick Drake and I listened to a couple of his albums this week whilst I was curled up in a chair reading "The Hunter" by Julia Leigh.  It's a fantastic book (and also a very good film starring Willem Dafoe).  Bleak, but compelling.

Bruce Springsteen - "Thunder Road"

Powerful.  It kind of sweeps you on.  Also, utterly ridiculous.

Cat Power - "3, 6, 9"

The more I listen to the latest Cat Power record, the more I like it.  She has a real knack - captured in this song - of quietly conveying great emotion.  This song rollicks along, but with a sense of despair and desperation permeating throughout.  It's very powerful and also really good.  When I get to the end, I find myself putting the song straight back on to listen to it again to check I hear those last lyrics right.  I did.  It's really excellent.

James - "Crash"

An old favourite that popped up on my running playlist the other day as I was busy trying not to break an ankle on a patch of ice.  Good band.

Lord Kitchener - "Dr. Kitch"

So, to recap: Dr. Kitch is engaged in a struggle with a lady who doesn't like the size of his needle and is reluctant to let him give her an injection - understandable, really, as he freely admits that he isn't a qualified physician.  He puts it in, she pulls it out.  He puts it in, she screams and shouts.  There's no deeper meaning, right?

Air - "How Does It Make You Feel"

Another band I was listening to when reading my book this week.  Beautiful, ethereal background music and a band I haven't listened to in a long time.  Too long.

Eels - "Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor"

"Electro Shock Blues" is a devastatingly powerful record and a sometimes quite difficult listen, but it's just brilliant.  This song floors me every single time I hear it.  Who else writes songs like this?  "Climbing to the Moon" is another tear-jerker, but I don't think there's a bad song on here.  He's touring in March and playing at Rock City.  I might be in Canada, but I just couldn't take the risk that I might not be.  Brilliant, brilliant record.

Right.  Well, depending on the weather, I might be enjoying the beautiful football visions of Sheffield Wednesday v Wolves at Hillsborough tomorrow afternoon.  Pray for me.  Have a good weekend, y'all.