Chalkhills Digest, Volume 10, Number 39

                Tuesday, 7 September 2004

Topics:

                         Bleaurgh
                   Skylarking Heralded!
                 XTC hits the small time
                Ferdinand dies in Hot Car?
                    The Fiery Furnaces

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Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 11:11:31 +0100
From: Adrian Ransome <Adrian.Ransome@tsi-ltd.co.uk>
Subject: Bleaurgh
Message-ID: <497FEA72C392D3118AE700508B73117709AE5B7A@nt4server03.tsi-ltd.co.uk>

Matt K wrote:

>As this is the only Blur release I have (besides
>an extended single of There's No Other Way),
>can anyone suggest the next best release of theirs
>to get?

Of all of Blur's albums, Modern Life Is Rubbish would be my recommendation.
It has elements of Parklife about it, but is a much more raw and angry
album. The follow-up to Parklife (The Great Escape) is just a disappointing
rehash of Parklife; sporting stereotypical, cookie-cutter Brit-Pop songs
that sound like out-takes from the Parklife sessions.

The albums after The Great Escape (where guitarist Graham Coxon exerts a bit
more control) are noisier, messier, more experimental and more
Pavement/Sonic Youth than Bowie/Xtc/Kinks/The Jam. The last album they
released was the sorriest excuse for a record I have ever heard.
So, Modern Life Is Rubbish. Buy it. It even has a painting of a world record
breaking steam train on the front.

On a tangent, I'm guessing Dom will *love* the new Finn Brothers CD.
:-D

ade

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Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 12:42:06 -0500
From: "James Lowe" <jamielowe@msn.com>
Subject: Skylarking Heralded!
Message-ID: <BAY4-DAV9tQPazrMabF00021bae@hotmail.com>

Chalkholders,

The September issue of Uncut magazine features a wonderful review of
Skylarking as a great album that has fallen off the critical radar.   It's
basically an overview of the making of Skylarking and all the troubles
between Todd, the band and Virgin that jelled into a masterpiece.  They go
so far as to say that: "It's the album that tied up everything great about
XTC into one big, beautiful package of perfect pop".

It's definitely worth picking up a copy at your local newsstand.  I think I
will give that perfect package of Pop a spin.

Best Regards,

Jamie Lowe
Purveyor of the worlds best XTC bumper stickers
www.billsherlock.org/xtc/<http://www.billsherlock.org/xtc/>

www.jamielowe.net<http://www.jamielowe.net/>
The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in
every opportunity. - Winston Churchill

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Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 12:42:48 -0500
From: "Richard" <rjpa1@comcast.net>
Subject: XTC hits the small time
Message-ID: <010201c49114$43f946c0$03081fac@verisity.com>

http://www.flipflopflyin.com/minipops/index.html

Check it.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 16:09:36 +0200
From: Andre de Koning <andre.de.koning@gmail.com>
Subject: Ferdinand dies in Hot Car?
Message-ID: <4aa9f83204090307092e65d994@mail.gmail.com>

Hi all.

Nice review of the new Dogs Die in Hot Cars album in the dutch (free)
newspaper Metro, Sept 1st:

You thought Glasgows Franz Ferdinand sounded like XTC? With the hype
surrounding fellow citizens Dogs Die in Hot Cars the realignment for
these poprockers from the years eighty is complete. With less
prominent guitars and some catchy songs (the single ' I Love You
'Cause I Have To'!) you have a band that claims the success XTC was
denied during its existence.

Andre

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 16:44:12 -0400
From: "Tim Kendrick" <tim63@earthlink.net>
Subject: The Fiery Furnaces
Message-ID: <001201c491f6$c65666b0$d0adf504@Kendrick>

Hi everyone!

Like a couple of others recently
a longtime Chalkhillian has come out with
his first new post in a long time.

I've gotten some really great band recommendations on Chalkhills
over the years.   The Loud Family, Yazbek, Sugarplastic and more recently
The Decemberists and Dogs Die In Hot Cars.  All really great.

But now I've got one for all of you - a band I've just recently discovered.
Searching through the Chalkhills Archives I didn't find any previous
mention of them.  They are:  THE FIERY FURNACES.  The CD I have is called
"Gallowsbird's Bark".   It's absolutely fantastic!   Brilliant, quirky,
original.
I don't know anything about this band, just that this particular CD is very,
very good.

So check them out.

Other than that, what's new with everyone?

                       Tim Kendrick

XTC Song of the Day:   "Deliver Us From The Elements"

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End of Chalkhills Digest #10-39
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