nothing to see here

move along...

decided to use http://sybawrite.wordpress.com from now on

winter in july

london. june 22. three in the afternoon. bright sunshine. the sound of hoovering comes from the open window.

do they love christmas that much? that she looks depressed every time he starts to take it down, then they laugh as she says 'i cant help it, you know i just love christmas', it's become their little joke.

do they just not care? more important things to do. only put it up for the kids, they are the ones who liked it. christmas is all commercial now, doesn't mean anything. save all the effort of having to put it up again in december.

the city's enigmas.

festival of albion (51/08)

this imaginary cultural identity we collectively hold, tugs strongest with memories of childhood. emotions cross-wiring communal media references with reminiscences of an imaginary upbringing. all that postwar nostalgia that bubbled in seventies television seems to resurfacing. think the skylon. seems thirty years is the threshold where we start reinventing our parents' childhoods into this mythical hertiage.

a theme that appears in the music of epic45, infusing pastoral post-rock with an undertones of jg ballard. antony harding also plays in july skies who have a new album out, covering similair ground, perhaps with less field recordings and electronica, the studio's copy is still in the post.

the guardian recently ran article exploring psychogeographic rock, perhaps more telling are their influences stated on myspace...

Lost youth, fractured memories of the 1970's, The Early Films Of Peter Greenaway 'H IS FOR HOUSE', S.P.B.Mais, Charles Chilton, pylons across fields, abandoned airfields, Sir Edward Elgar, 50014, endless childhood summers, dappled sunlight through leaves, forgotten England, the romance of the heavens well after closing time, mornings in May, overgrown ancient ruins that still stand, faded innocence, post-war Britain, skies of all seasons, trudging coastlines, Festival of Britain 1951, memories made with a Polaroid Landcam, abandoned Victorian hospitals, Henry Moore and William Bloye, East Anglia, time spent amongst long summer grasses, exploring RAF Newton, kissing under motorway bridges, grey English rain filled skies, concrete precincts and tower blocks, dreams of 50's suburbia, better days ahead, the sound of children playing faraway, old Ordnance Survey maps, lost airmen, Orford Ness, John and Paul Nash, playgrounds of the city, Avebury, poppy day, a half remembered smile, York's City walls, 1960's artwork by Harry Wingfield, John Berry, Martin Aitchinson, C F Tunnicliffe, Ronald Lampitt, BST, municipal parks at dusk, Martin Andersen, test card music of the 1970's & 80's.

rock music is often a clumsy medium to deal with atmospheres of a bittersweet innocent nostalgia, only “being boring” springing to mind as a chart example.

epic45's music on myspace

july skies music on myspace

purchase at make mine music

guardian article on psychogeographic rock

peachy coochy

thursday 26th June  sees the last in the season of david gale's sublime peachy coochie nights.

“Just a projector and 20 images. Just 20 seconds per image. During those 20 seconds the Presenter talks about the image. So simple. So precise. So demanding. This is the Peachy Coochy Way.”

“David Gale, ever keen to launch a nationwide performance must-have, is curating a series of Peachy Coochy events at ArtsAdmin's new, stylish yet reassuring Bar. Each event features six Coocheurs, or Presenters, drawn from many walks of life. Each Coocheur will compose a verbal response to 20 images of their choice. The images need not be narratively linked but randomness is frowned upon. Thematic associations are embraced. Each presentation lasts 6 minutes and 40 seconds. There will be gaps between presentations for drinking and light conversation.”

i hear rumours that he turned down having his night franchised into a celebrity guest hosted tv series. respect.

the arts admin site says the show is sold out, it may be worth ringing for tickets. or make a note to attend the next series when announced in september. one of london's current treasures.

guarding albion

when the plane returns to land back at gatwick i imagine jerusalem playing through the tannoy, conjuring visions of pastoral identity. england's dreaming, the myth of tea on the lawn seldom seen.

even though albion has no official national anthem the proposal to have blake's poem about milton adopted seems to have lost ground. the increasingly homogenised shop fronts of middle town england obscure any connection to the fabled green and pleasant: wether the land portrayed by the cultural past ever existed, or could be a reality today, does not stop it from lingering in the collective imagination. 

small towns no longer appear to harbour bowler hats and warm ale, heritage seems a tourist attraction. but aside from the swinging sixties media updating that surfaces during the world cup, albion does lie hidden around us – a walk through hendon revealed that monuments and dedications can be glimpsed to this invisible country.

here are some high street solicitor firms guarding albion.

Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons

19 St Peter Street, Winchester

Milton Francis & Hughes

36 Willow Street, Oswestry, Shropshire

Byron Fearn

80 High Street South, Dunstable, Bedfordshire

foam

the new sony campaign featuring 460 million liters of foam. i don't care if it is an advert, just watching it makes me feel happy. 

like the mastercard airport advert last christmas, which surprised by being the most emotive program amongst the seasonal offerings, there is something infectious about watching members of the public expressing joy.

we need royal de luxe back. maybe liverpool september 08?

warren ellis from the woefully underrated dirty three composed the piano for the sony spot.

twelve

i couldnt make a muxtape of the songs i brought for you because their format is too modern. so instead i had to pick from ones i'd found. or stolen.

if i were a poet i'm sure that this would serve as a metaphor for love in the modern world, for romance delivered by technology, for binary emotions. or something.

but i'm not, so it's twelve songs