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MGMT: Oracular Spectacular

MGMT: Oracular Spectacular
Released: 10th March 2008 (Sony BMG)

MGMT are probably best described as a "psychedelic pop duo". From New York, and featuring the talents of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Van Wyngaarden, this is an album featuring synths, guitars, falsetto vocals and a generally swirly sound contributing to a decent set of songs.

As with so many debut albums these days, "Oracular Spectacular" starts off strongly with the first song being the recent single "Time to Pretend". This is followed by the strong sequence of "Weekend Wars", "The Youth" and "Electric Feel", and by this stage you will know whether you like this kind of thing or not (probably a good thing as the album does tail off a little towards the end). If you haven't heard any of the songs yet, and you are unsure about whether it is worth £9 (or however much) of your hard-earned cash, then I can give you a clue:

If you like Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips, you will probably like MGMT.

The common denominator is, of course, the work of Dave Fridmann, who co-produces "Oracular Spectacular" with the band. Although I think Flaming Lips have a lot of charisma, and along with Mercury Rev have done some brilliant individual songs, I have never really felt that either band really manages to maintain enough consistency to sustain a whole album at a time; however, "Oracular Spectacular" is a short album at just over 40 minutes, which helps to prevent it from dragging on.

On the whole, this album provides an excellent accompaniment to my regular journeys up and down the M42; it is certainly not as dark as Mercury Rev can be, nor as obscure as some of Flaming Lips' moments, and it is this poppiness that makes it an enjoyable listen. 7.5/10.

UPDATE: I originally drafted this review a few weeks ago, and I have to report that the album is really growing on me - I think it gets better with every listen.

You can view some of their videos on YouTube; in the meantime, here are the band performing "Time to Pretend" on "Later with Jools Holland":

Car review: Hyundai Coupe

Hyundai Coupe (2000-2001)

2.0SE Auto

Purchased May 2007

This review refers to the facelifted version of the Mk1 Hyundai Coupe.

The good points:

• Looks - a bit like Marmite, you love it or you hate it. My Coupe was in black, so with the twin headlights looked sleek and aggressive. One person commented that it was not dissimilar to the Batmobile, another said it was a little bit like KITT.


• Image - Hyundai is not exciting enough to command too much attention from the boy racers, but it still has something exciting about it for the discerning punter like myself ;-)


• Cost - Hyundai Coupes are not expensive; mine cost less than £5k, and that was more expensive because of the automatic gearbox. You can even pick up a nearly new SIII (the newest model) for just over £10k. The insurance is not prohibitive either. Hyundai also introduced a 5-year warranty a few years ago, so you can get a second-hand one that would still have a decent amount of warranty left.


• Comfort - with leather bucket seats, a great driving position, cruise control, electric windows and sunroof, this is a pleasure to sit in (at least if you are in the front - headroom for rear passengers is not great).


• The drive - it doesn't actually drive like a sports car (it is front wheel drive for a start), but it is very smooth, with the automatic gearchange barely noticeable. It is more suited to cruising than racing, I liked to set the cruise control at about 75mph (sorry Officer, I meant 70mph!), and glide along on the motorway. If you need a little extra juice to overtake, it only takes a little squirt of the throttle.

And the things that are not so good:

• As with any ageing car, it is worth checking the service history and paperwork before buying. Although it is not a sports car, I had a nagging feeling that previous owners had driven less than conservatively.


• Electrics - although all the instruments worked fine, I got through about four or five headlight bulbs in a year, and then, rather disastrously the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) failed. Fortunately, when I bought the car, I managed to get an after-market 12-month warranty thrown in, so got the ECU replaced at no extra cost (it would otherwise have cost about £500-600 for parts and labour).


• Rear headroom - if your passengers are taller than about 5'3", they will find themselves cramped in the back, due to the raking rear window (although the legroom is fine).


• MPG - the official figures (according to Parkers) is 29mpg on the combined cycle. Like most people, a decent amount of my driving is stop-start on the way to work, so it wasn't cheap on fuel. As of May 2008 (fuel at about 105p per litre), £50 of fuel would last for about 300 miles.

Do I like this car? I love it, although I recently downsized to a Seat Ibiza 1.4, as the Hyundai was eight years old and had a decent number of miles on the clock - the Seat is working out OK, not as torque-y, but much cheaper on fuel, tax and insurance. However, as a driver, there is little comparison - the Hyundai was comfortable, smooth and has good torque (if not lots of power) and a decent gearchange. On top of that, it looked good. Definitely my favourite car that I have owned. 8/10.

Nottingham Forest New Home Kit 2008

Sneak previews are now available of Nottingham Forest's new home kit for the forthcoming season. You can find out what I think by visiting the Nottingham Forest blog.

Live Review: Athlete/Delays

Athlete/Delays

City Pulse Festival,

Nottingham, 24th May 2008

A Bank Holiday weekend where the sun is out, a free festival featuring one of my favourite bands, does it get much better than this? The festival actually spread across the whole weekend, but Saturday was the "indie" day, with some local and up-and-coming bands preceding Elliot Minor, before Delays took to the stage, followed by headliners Athlete.

I have followed Delays since I lived in London in 2003 - Xfm were playing Long Time Coming on fairly heavy rotation, and I was inspired enough to invest in the debut album Faded Seaside Glamour, and its 2006 follow-up You See Colours. Delays are often bracketed as psychedelic-indie pop; this was true on the basis of the first album, although the second disc was a lot more electro-pop. The gig was part of the promotion for their new album Everything's The Rush, which I have yet to get hold of (actually, I didn't even know it was out until about a week before the gig).

I always wondered whether they would be able to transfer their sound onto the live stage, and they did not disappoint. Aaron Gilbert, often described as the "keyboard whizz", actually stands behind a sequencer, which means that he can control the keyboard sounds, including the soaring strings that characterise much of Delays' songbook. Opening with Long Time Coming, the start of the gig was unfortunately hampered by the fact that lead vocalist Gregg Gilbert's microphone was not turned up high enough, a problem shared with bass player Colin Fox, whose backing vocals were equally inaudible. Thankfully this problem was rectified during second song This Town's Religion.

After a familiar start, Delays then started playing some of the new songs, comprising a good two-thirds of the set. Delays are distinctive because of Gregg's vocals, which veer between a gravelly rasp and a sweet falsetto (it was months before I found out that he wasn't a girl!), but Aaron shares lead duties on a couple of the new songs. The new songs are more obviously commercial than the old stuff, which tonight included Hideaway, a storming rendition of You and Me (much stronger than the album version), and set closer Valentine (an absolutely brilliant song which you might know from Match of the Day).

Although I suppose I am biased, I was really impressed with Delays - they were tight, the rhythm section of Colin Fox and Rowly were impeccable and also looked cool, and they seemed to enjoy themselves, despite a relatively lukewarm audience (largely due to the fact that not many people had heard of them!).

After a wait of an hour or so, Athlete came on and had more support from the crowd. I am a casual fan of the band - I liked a couple of the singles from the first record, I bought the second album, but paid little attention to the last CD. They largely played the greatest hits, opening with Half Light, with Tourist, You Got the Style, and Hurricane getting a good reception - as expected, Wires provided the lighters in the air, standing on the shoulders type-moment.

Closing with Twenty Four Hours, Athlete were good value for money (or at least they would have been if anyone had to pay!). Although they are not quite my thing (Joel Potts' voice can grate on some songs), they are a very good live band; tight (despite having a stand-in bass player - regular Carey Willetts was on paternity leave) and putting in a decent amount of energy for a gig that falls steadfastly between albums. I particularly liked the contribution of sticks-man Steve Roberts, but I always was a fan of drummers...

Let's not forget the reason that we were here - a free music festival, laid on by Nottingham City Council with support from BBC Radio Nottingham and their music champion Dean Jackson (who is a judge for the Mercury Prize you know!). If I was to give marks out of ten, Athlete would get 7, Delays 9 and the gig itself would also get 9 - a great initiative to give music, for free, back to the people. Nice one.

I have put together a photo gallery from the day - click here to view the slideshow. If you hover over the picture and click on the "i", you will also see some explanatory captions.

Eric Clapton: The Autobiography

Published 9th October 2007
(Century Press)

Eric Clapton is a complex figure, revered by many, famously cast as "God" by some London graffiti-artists, and whose life has been played out in public since he was a teenager. My first gig, at the age of 12, was to see Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall, so when his autobiography was released I looked forward to learning a bit more about the man himself.

Did I learn much? Well, yes, but not in the way you might expect. Sure, there is an account of the way that young "Rick" learnt that his "Mum and Dad" were in fact his grandparents; he recounts the acquisition of his first couple of guitars; he even tells some of his reckless pursuit and subsequent marriage to Patti Boyd. However, by the time the book moves onto the later years, most notably the tragic death of his four year old son Conor, and the happier times that he now shares with his wife and young daughters, I found myself feeling curiously dissatisfied as a reader; I can't help feeling I learnt more about Clapton from the things he doesn't say, as the things he does.

The most obvious example is the way he skirts over many issues, such as recounting tales of excessive drinking and drug abuse but refusing to dwell on the moment, or any of the consequences (the time he rolled his car over while driving home drunk is a fine example). Equally, if you want to get under the skin of Eric as a musician, it is nigh-on impossible; he mentions a lot of blues musicians that he likes, admires, and in some cases has tried to copy, but does not mention much of his own skill and hard graft in learning the instrument or writing songs. If I was to write an account of an average day in the same style as this book, it would read much like this:

"The alarm went off at 7am, then I got up and made a cup of tea and some toast. Then I ate it and brushed my teeth. I got to work by car, then I turned my computer on and checked my emails. Jane was in the office, so I chatted to her, and also to Jenny and Andy. At lunchtime I went to the canteen and got a sandwich, then I made another cup of tea and before I knew it, it was time to go home again. At home, I sat down before having pie and chips for dinner, and then I watched TV and it was time for bed."

It is lacking in feeling, expression and merely feels like a factual account, save for Clapton's willingness to name-drop. He talks about his many celebrity friends, such as various Beatles and Stones, as well as blues musicians. However, as you might expect, the nearest that he comes to humility is when he addresses the death of Conor, and this is partly because he contrasts his own subdued reactions to those of Conor's Italian grandmother; cultural barriers notwithstanding, this really tells its own story.

I don't think it is a bad book, in fact, Clapton's life features many intriguing episodes and characters; however, I am not sure that Eric himself was the best person to write it. I am sure he would be the first to admit that his primary talent (and mode of expression) comes through the six strings, and unfortunately he is clearly no writer. Clapton is credited as the author on this book, and although a lot of subjects get criticised for their use of ghost writers, I think this book cries out for some proper editing at the very least, and if I was being harsh, would have been better ghost-written.

While writing this review, I checked out what others have to say about the book on Amazon: although most give him a good star rating, and praise him for his honesty in raising many subjects (it cannot be easy to talk honestly about family issues, bereavement, rehab and sexual inadequacy), many also comment on the lack of depth that I have referred to above.

The best way I can describe this book is as a good catalogue of the events in Clapton's life; he is painfully honest about many of the factual occurrences, but fails to discuss his own thoughts and feelings (other than the occasional bout of guilt). The amateur psychologist in me would suggest that it is symptomatic of a man who has spent much of his life struggling to face up to harsh realities and addictions, but the critic in me would counter that by saying that people read autobiographies to learn more (much more) about the subject. It is on the latter count that this particular volume falls short.

8/10 for effort, 5/10 for execution.

In Bruges

Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes.
Director: Martin McDonagh
Format: Currently on release in cinemas since 18/04/2008
Certificate: 18 (VERY Strong Language and Strong Violence)

I ought to mention straight off the bat that if this review were to have a tabloid style headline, it would be something like "COLIN FARRELL IN GOOD ACTING PERFORMANCE SHOCKER". My sincere apologies to all Colin fans out there, but personally, I'm not a big fan. He's tolerable in some things; Minority Report (where he puts on a very convincing American accent), Phone Booth (hardly the stuff of the RSC but a perfectly functional performance), but frankly awful in other things (Daredevil anybody?.. no, thought not). Imagine my surprise then dear readers when I sat down with the missus to watch In Bruges, only to find that the guy is actually a pretty decent actor.

Farrell plays hitman Ray, who, along with his friend and fellow assassin Ken (the brilliant Brendan Gleeson), are sent to the beautiful Belgian town of Bruges by their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) following a job that goes horribly wrong. Their instructions are simple; hang out there for up to 2 weeks laying low and sightseeing and await a call from Harry who will inform them of what to do next. Ray is less than enthusiastic at the prospect of hanging out in "F*****' Bruges" (his words not mine), whilst Ken relishes the prospect of spending time in a picturesque town with so much history in it. Whilst awaiting the call from Harry, Ray and Ken wax lyrical about life and death, particularly in the context of the botched job which plays heavily on Ray's mind. Eventually, Harry calls, revealing exactly what is to happen next. It would be remiss of me to reveal anything more than that plotwise.

In Bruges is the first feature film by director Martin McDonagh, whose previous directorial experience netted him an Academy Award for Best Short Film for the...erm... short film Six Shooter, also starring Brendan Gleeson. I've not seen it, but have read a plot synopsis of it, and boy is it dark. Well, if you like your comedy served very very black with a side order of VERY bad language garnished with a liberal amount of the red stuff, then chances are you will like In Bruges a lot. But above all these things, the thing that stands out above all else is the script. This is an extremely well-written film which despite liberal inclusion of The Worst Word in the English Language (TM) actually does have something to say about the state of the world we live in. It is clear that writer/director Martin McDonagh has a less than favourable view of the world, and indeed, whilst In Bruges is in many places laugh out loud funny, with some of the most quotable lines in recent memory ("You can't give horse tranquilisers to a midget for f**** sakes"), there is very little in the film that will leave you feeling that all is right with the world. That is not to say however, that In Bruges is a depressing experience. Far from it. As stated, there are many laugh out loud moments, and the chemistry between Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson is evident from the moment they are on screen together. Both put in excellent performances, with Brendan Gleeson for me giving the best performance of the film. Ken is an extremely world-weary character who seems too decent an individual to do what he does for a living, and Gleeson's performance is so good that he makes Ken about as likeable and sympathetic as a hitman can be.
As well as the two central performances, Ralph Fiennes also acquits himself well as Harry, who turns up in Bruges later on in the film to sort a few fings aht (that was 'sort a few things out'. sorry it's hard to write Cockney). Harry is considerably less likeable than Ken and Ray, but is himself not without hidden depths which is particularly evident at the film's climax. Indeed, there is perhaps even an argument for almost sympathising with the job he is faced with in the film and it would perhaps be somewhat inaccurate to call him the villain of the piece as such. Fiennes's performance invokes memories of Ben Kingsley's riotous turn as crime boss Don Logan in Jonathan Glazer's very enjoyable Brit crime flick Sexy Beast, although Fiennes's performance is perhaps not quite on that level. It will be seen that Harry is in many ways a bit of a stereotypical East End criminal and this may or not get on your nerves depending on your mood at the time. Personally, I quite like Ralph Fiennes so found him perfectly watchable here.

All in all, I enjoyed In Bruges immensely. The film is almost 2 hours long but felt at least half that length which has to be a good sign. Belgians or Belgiophiles may see the film as a slur on the country and perhaps understandably, but for every negative comment Farrell's Ray makes on the place, there are enough positive comments from Ken and Harry which I think balance things out and prevent the movie from being overtly offensive. If the film was called In Hyderabad (the city in India where my family all come from), and had the exact same dialogues as In Bruges had, I personally don't think I would find it too offensive.
The film is not entirely without its minus points though. Whilst I accept that bad language is part and parcel of films involving underworld characters, some of the language does verge on the gratuitous (in my opinion, almost any use of the Worst Word in the English Language TM is unnecessary). Also, the introduction of a rudimentary love interest for Farrell's Ray could for me have been trimmed a bit, but it is not entirely irrelevant to the plot and is not a major shortcoming of the film. These things aside, the performances are of a high standard, the script is dark but witty and at times laugh out loud funny, and Bruges is clearly a beautiful town and provides a lovely backdrop against which the often grim events of the film unfold. On the basis of In Bruges, writer/director Martin McDonagh could well be One to Watch for the future, and if he casts Brendan Gleeson in all future projects, that would be perfectly fine with me. Those who feel that the world is a less than wholesome place to live and raise a family in will be unlikely to have their views altered even remotely by the film, and I think that was very much the point. Nevertheless, In Bruges is by no means depressing, and the bad language and violence in no way detract from the performances and the real star of the show: the script, which is sharp, witty, hilarious and, at times even thought provoking. Highly Recommended.

Overall Mark: 8.5/10.

Happy-Go-Lucky

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan
Director: Mike Leigh
Format: Currently on release at selected cinemas since 18/04/2008.
Certificate: 15 (Strong language)

A big hi to everyone who' reading this blog and many apologies for the inordinately lengthy pause between my inaugural review and this one. I was entirely preoccupied with completion of my PhD thesis but have a bit of time off now before embarking on some revisions to my work.

Anyway, on to this review. Happy-Go-Lucky is the latest film from highly-acclaimed British director/auteur Mike Leigh, and follows the life of Poppy (Sally Hawkins), a primary school teacher whose temperament and outlook on life is essentially... yes you've guessed it... happy-go-lucky. She hasn't a bad word to say about anybody and cannot resist chatting to every stranger she meets (often to their chagrin) as she goes about her business. The basic premise of the film involves Poppy's decision to jettison her bicycle in favour of a car, and thus begins to take driving lessons with Scott (Eddie Marsan), an instructor with an entirely different world view to Poppy. It is her interactions with Scott, as well as her siblings and co-workers, that are detailed in this film.

For me, this film was a bit of a curate's egg. I must admit straight off the bat that including this one, I have only ever seen three of Mike Leigh's films, the other two being Secrets and Lies and All or Nothing. Both I found to be excellent pieces of work from a clearly exceptionally talented film-maker and I was looking forward to more of the same. And Happy-Go-Lucky delivers... but not on all counts. The quality of the film is undeniable, particularly evident in the acting performances which are first-rate and, most importantly for me, real. These are real people who we have probably all met at some point in our lives. Scott the driving instructor reminded me of a now ex-friend for example and every time he was on screen I could not help but imagine that this is how this ex-friend would turn out come middle-age. Similarly, those who watch Happy-Go-Lucky will no doubt have come across a Poppy at some point in their lives also. Which leads me on to my main criticism of the film; Poppy herself.

For at least half the film, I can but use one word to describe her: ANNOYING. Whilst she is an unfeasibly decent individual, Poppy is at times simply exhausting (Note that I am referring to the character and not the performance by Sally Hawkins which is excellent). To be happy and full of the joys of spring is one thing; but to come across like a chimpanzee with ADHD is quite another. This is particularly evident during the driving lesson scenes, in which on a number of occassions, she is berated by her instructor Scott for mucking about instead of actually focusing on the road. Whilst Scott is an obnoxious character whose world view I certainly did not agree with, I also found myself sympathising with his exasperation with a pupil who seemed less interested in learning to drive safely and more with reacting to every comment and instruction with an inane grin and an equally inane comment of her own. Indeed, at one point, Scott expresses in no uncertain terms his absolute bewilderment at how such an immature individual would be put in charge of educating children, and at the time, I thought he was not ENTIRELY incorrect in his view.

However, Mike Leigh balances showcasing Poppy's life outside of school hours by showing the way in which she works and interacts with her pupils. And the school scenes were for me a real highlight of the film. Poppy is a simply brilliant teacher. She is inspiring, fun and most importantly, very conscientious. The last quality is shown beautifully during the film when Poppy steps in to help an extremely unhappy pupil, and such scenes are interestingly juxtaposed with the somewhat grating manner in which Poppy conducts herself in everyday life.

It may be noted that the majority of this review centres around the main character, but this is because Happy-Go-Lucky is entirely Poppy's story. She is in every scene in the film, and, in actuality, pretty much every FRAME of the film. For me, one's enjoyment of the film centres around the issue of how tolerable one finds Poppy herself. And it is here that I come to a cross-roads. Basically, I suppose I could say that I liked Poppy. She is clearly a warm hearted person, and in todays highly cynical age where getting a hello out of a shopkeeper is in itself an ordeal, it is certainly commendable for Mike Leigh to make a film about a character who is far more PMA than PMT, particularly given the more serious nature of his main body of work. However, this for me did not alter the fact that I found the central character to be rather annoying on more than one occassion, and this left me wondering what Mike Leigh was trying to convey through Poppy. Was he trying to bemoan the more cynicised world that we live in today whilst also lamenting the lack of more people like Poppy, or was he trying to show that whilst it is great that people like Poppy may wish to make everybody happy, this is an unrealistic goal and one that may often result in a lack of awareness about what makes others the way they are. Chances are, Mike Leigh was thinking about neither of these things, and I know not what I am talking about. But these are the questions that this reviewer found himself asking.

As for whether I would recommend the film, I would, all in all, say yes. Mike Leigh is a great director, and this is a very simple but very well made film. The fact that the central character got on my nerves on a number of occassions should not detract from this, as Sally Hawkins gives a great performance supported ably by the rest of the cast.

Overall mark: 7/10.

Skins: Series 2

Skins

E4/Channel 4, February - April 2008

Those of you who know me also know that I love Skins. The first series spoke to me in a way that no other TV show had done for some time, despite accusations from my peers that I am "too old" to watch it.

The second series follows the same formula of following a group of friends, with specific episodes ostensibly focusing on specific characters (although arguably in a looser fashion than in the first series).

As with my review of the first series, it would be remiss of me to give away too much of the plot, if you haven't seen it yet. Suffice to say, much of the drama still centres on Tony (do not assume from this that he is alive and well after his accident at the end of Series 1), Sid and Michelle, with greater roles for Maxxie, Effy, Jal and Chris. The cameos from the "adults" continue apace, with welcome appearances from Bill Bailey and the wonderful Mark Heap, amongst others.

This series does have a different feel from the first one. There is more to this than sex and drugs, although there continues to be plenty of both, with every major cast member getting their kit off to a greater or lesser extent; I know that Mitch Hewer and Nicholas Hoult both have legions of female fans, and they will not be disappointed. The issues explored are much darker and "grown-up" than the first series, although bordering on Grange Hill style cliches at times.

If you want to know what happens, there are plenty of sites which can tell you; all I will say is that there are two deaths and plenty of genuine grief, and that this will be the last series with the current cast. This decision has apparently met with derision on forums and messageboards, but seems perfectly logical to me; the series ends with the gang saying their goodbyes as they leave college, so it would be difficult to sustain the current format with the same cast. I also do not mind the idea of freshening it up a bit - whether it works or not remains to be seen. It is not giving too much away to reveal that the closing scene shows that Effy will be a mainstay of the next series.

In my opinion, this series was perhaps less enjoyable than the debut season, but that is not a bad thing - it shows the greater emphasis on plot and issues, sometimes at the expense of the laughs that peppered the first series. If I had to choose, I would again pick Chris as my favourite character; by far the greatest comedian, with a heartbreaking background story (and once again, it is Chris' story that is most likely to be the tear-jerker).

Overall, not as good as the first season, but still, in comparison to the other dramas on television, a worthy show with great acting from the young cast.

Click here for a review by Charlie Brooker in The Guardian - warning, this contains a spoiler for the first episode!

Please note: I have not been able to post a link to the official E4 Skins site, as every time I try to access it, it makes my browser crash...

Extreme Pilgrim

Extreme Pilgrim

BBC Two, January 2008
(with apologies for the late review!)

This excellent three-part documentary tracks Church of England vicar Peter Owen-Jones (pictured) as he searches for the meaning of spirituality by exploring different (and, as the title suggests, extreme) religious practices.

The first episode provided a real impact as our intrepid presenter joined a group of Shaolin monks in their remote monastery in the Far East. I have to confess that I did not see all of this episode, but the sheer physical exertion of the monks sticks in the memory. For Peter, it was almost like joining a military boot camp; he did not seem terribly unfit, but he is a 49 year old man who admits to liking a beer and too many cigarettes. Nonetheless, his first morning saw him stretching his body to the point of being physically sick. It seems as though the Shaolin monks demonstrate their devotion to God through the practice of physical discipline, including a daring, almost death-defying display of physical movement by one of the monks on a sloping roof overlooking a cliff-face with a sheer drop of hundreds of feet.

The second programme saw Peter in India, where he visited the Sadhus at a religious gathering in which the holy men first congregate in groups to offer religious and spiritual advice to their followers, many dusting themselves with ash from the holy fire, before getting up to bath in the sacred waters of the Ganges. This latter activity involved the spectacle of a stampede of men, ranging in age from their thirties to their eighties, stampeding naked towards the river - not for the faint-hearted!

The second part of this programme was far more revealing, as Peter made a pilgrimage to the foothills of the mountains to live as a holy man for a week. After a long journey, the local villagers (simple, agricultural peasants) welcomed him by bringing gifts. To me, this showed an important cultural dimension of India that is sometimes hard for us in the West to get used to: people are often very fatalistic, and simply accept their place in the social and economic hierarchies. Peter said that he felt guilty that he had to accept the gifts and could offer little in return. He could not communicate with the villagers as they spoke no English, but the film crews translated some of them as saying that it was simply what they do when the Sadhu is in attendance (although it was a little surprising that he was a white man this time).

The final part of the series saw Peter travel to the desolate plains of northern Africa, to serve as a Christian priest in isolation. Again, this was very revealing in its expose of the contrasts of modern Western lifestyles, in comparison to the meagre existence of the priests of this denomination, who demonstrate their devotion by living in complete isolation, halfway up a dry and dusty mountainside, pausing only to pray. Prior to going up to his post, Peter revealed that he separated from his wife, and finds it difficult that he no longer gets to see his children every day. This became particularly poignant in the early stages of his isolation, where armed with a camcorder, Peter recorded his struggle to come to terms with not having anyone to talk to, and little stimulation other than the mantra-like prayers that he had to recite, plus the demons of his own thoughts. And yet, the final third of his stay saw him visibly less tense, and his movements, body language and verbal communication suggested that the contemplative time and prayers were helping him demonstrate his devotion to God, as well as coming to terms with some of the more difficult challenges posed by modern life.

There is not a great deal I can add, other than to apologise for any factual inaccuracies - it is now over a month since the series was shown, and I am writing from memory. Peter Owen-Jones is a likeable host, clearly dedicated to his task. While this was clearly a personal journey for a man who was seeking ideas about ways of life outside of his parish existence, he also brought the viewer on a journey that was both mentally and emotionally stimulating.

Seven from '07

As often happens at the end of the year, I found myself thinking back to the music that I have been listening to. This year, for the first time in a while, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of decent songs I have come across.

And so, after much internal discussion, I have come up with the following countdown - my favourite seven songs from 2007.

Obviously, this will just be my opinion* , and I have used the following criteria:

• The song needs to have been released as a single in 2007
• Erm, that's it!

Some of the songs that didn't make it include (in alphabetical order):

• Arctic Monkeys: Brianstorm (fast and punchy - yeah!)
  
• Ash: You can’t have it all (great single from a great singles band)
  
• Hard Fi: Suburban Knights ("woah-oh-oohhh!")
  
• The Holloways: Generator (a feelgood song if ever there was one)
  
• Jamie T: Sheila (another great song about drunken Britain)
  
• Kaiser Chiefs: Ruby (the tenth best selling single of 2007!)
  
• Mika: Grace Kelly (the novelty has worn off a bit, but still a good song)
• Regina Spektor: Fidelity (great voice, simple meoldy, ruined by rubbish middle 8)
  
• Robyn: With every heartbeat (not as good as everyone says, but still decent)
  
• Timbaland: The way I are (has been adopted by MOTD2 - 'nuff said)
  
• The View: Same jeans (catchy and punchy, but overplayed)
  

* It doesn't take a genius to work out that I generally like things with guitars - in that respect, it has been a good year! Also, opinions are not static - I may feel differently in a few weeks, or even days!

Seven from '07: Seven

Muse: Map of the Problematique

Released: 18th June 2007
Album: Black holes and revelations (Helium 3/Warner Bros)

"And no-one thinks they are to blame"

Sounding a lot like Depeche Mode's classic Enjoy the silence, with echoes of Faithless' Insomnia, this is, to me, the perfect example of how to fuse guitar and dance music. I wish I could write songs like this.

This song would have been higher placed (possibly number 1 in the list), if it wasn't for the fact that it has been available on the album for nearly a year before it was released as a (download-only) single. The band did not make a promo video for this single, but I did manage to find this footage from 4Music, which shows what an awesome live act they are.

Seven from '07: Six

Cherry Ghost: People help the people

Released: 25th June 2007
Album: Thirst for romance (Heavenly Records)

"God knows what is hidden in those weak and sunken eyes,

A fiery throng of muted angels giving love and getting nothing back"

There is always room for a big-hearted ballad, and in 2007 it didn't come much bigger. Yes, he has a slightly cliched, Lancashire nasal-whine, and that might put you off at the start. But stick with it, it is worth it for the chorus.

Lush and anthemic, this song gets better everytime I hear it, and it does tug at the proverbial heart-strings (what does that mean, by the way?).

Seven from '07: Five

Maximo Park: Our velocity

Released: 19th March 2007
Album: Our earthly pleasures (Warp)

"Love is a lie which means I've been lied to
Love is a lie which means I've been lying too"

One of the first singles of this year that I really liked. I acquired a copy of Maximo Park's first album, which is OK but nothing special (I wouldn't have bothered buying it), and featured a couple of decent singles, such as Apply some pressure. This single is a quantum leap from that, and from what I have heard since, may well end up being their best record ever. Oh yeah, and it is a great video:



For a live performance, click here.

Seven from '07: Four

Calvin Harris: Acceptable in the’80s

Released: 12th March 2007
Album: I created disco (Sony/Columbia)

"It was acceptable at the time"

This one won't win any awards for insightful lyrics, but it is good fun nonetheless. Using great sounds and a good tune, it is definitely one of the lighter moments of the year. The song doesn't really go anywhere, and the video is frankly a bit odd.

Calvin Harris continued the fun with the follow-up, The girls:

"I like them black girls, I like them white girls, I like them Asian girls, I like them mixed race girls, I like them Spanish girls, I like them Italian girls, I like the French girls, And I like Scandinavian girls, I like them tall girls, I like them short girls, I like them brown hair girls, I like them blonde hair girls, I like them big girls, I like them skinny girls, I like them carrying a little bitty weight girls".

Do you think he might be gay?

Seven from '07: Three

Air Traffic: Charlotte

Re-release: March 26th
Album: Fractured Life (EMI)

"Are you glad I came?
Can I walk you home?"

This, to me, was one of the songs that marked the triumphant return of three minute guitar pop. I think it is about realising your feelings for another, but that doesn't seem like the most important thing - it is a fine tune, not too long and not too short, and is very punchy.



Click here for a fine live performance from Later ... with Jools Holland

Seven from '07: Two

CSS: Let’s make love and listen to death from above

Re-release: 14th May
Album: Cansei de Ser Sexy (Sub Pop)

"Run run run, to make your heart shake, Kiss kiss kiss will make this earth quake"

There is something really irresistable about this song. Again, it is a guitar-based song with something funky and dancy about it. CSS are from Brazil - maybe it is that mysticism of sexy Brazilians that does it (although I cannot say that any of the band members float my boat). I quite like the (obviously low-budget) video, but I think it is just the insistence of the singing, the lyrics (which, at times, are nonsense, and in other places seem profound), and the fact that song chugs along without getting boring. It's bouncy, and I like it!



Click here to see the band play live on Later ... with Jools Holland - having just watched this, I realise what a close call it was between the number 2 and number 1 slots in this particular countdown...

Seven from '07: Number One

The Cribs: Men’s needs

Release: 14th May
Album: Men’s needs, women’s needs, whatever (Wichita)

"Girl's needs just don't agree
With a man's needs"

What fine song this is. Great riff, good tune, with vocals that interchange between the rather sardonic verss and the gruff, barked-out chorus. Apparently The Cribs' Ryan Jarman has a track record of writing songs about misogyny and other "issues", and this is a perfect slice of guitar music (with a commercial edge lent by the production of Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos) to accompany the rather withering riposte to today's lifestyle magazine culture (at least that is what I think - I am no expert!).

The point being, decent lyrics, good tune plus good performance makes this a great song, that will probably still sound fantastic for many years to come.



Click here for a live performance from Later ... with Jools Holland - ignore the bad haircuts!