City smart, moody with a whiff of sulphur, Interpol snatched their influences from the new wave. The music of Joy Division, Bauhaus, Television, The Psychedelic Furs and Magazine was ingested and polished to a diamond hard intensity. Spaces were opened up in the arrangements, the lyrics of Paul Banks drew breath and the results, the combination punch of ‘Bright Lights’ and ‘Antics’ announced the presence of a band of sinuous power and sharp intelligence. The third album, ‘Our Love to Admire’ opened up the sound still further at a time when the likes of the Editors and White Lies were still appropriating the original blueprint.

While we wait for the fourth album, check out the video: ‘Evil’ from ‘Antics’

Psychedelic Furs – Talk Talk Talk (1980)

The Psychedelic Furs delivered on the post punk promise with verve, this, their second album sprints from the traps like a whirling dervish, a cacophany of guitar, sax, drums and Richard Butlers trademark rasp combining to set the listener up for perhaps the most extraordinary song of the era in ‘Pretty In Pink’; a collision of bowiesque glamor, primitive technique and inspired lyricism resulting in a song that defined a decade. Other tracks jostle for positions, the amphetemine fury of ‘Into You Like A Train’ giving way to the Dylanesque ‘Mrs. Jones’. The Furs were the cream of the crop and deserving of so much more than they eventually got. In Richard Butler they had the original doomed romantic blessed with the archetypal voice like sand and glue. Check out the video for the single version of ‘Pretty In Pink’

The last couple years, I’ve kept a running list of the concerts I’ve attended, and 2009 will be no different. So I start a list of my 2009 concerts. As before, the list will be updated as concerts are attended.

1. Jan 17: David Archuleta at Stanfield Artist Lounge, Park City, UT
2. Jan 20: O.A.R. w/ Eric Hutchinson at The Depot, Salt Lake City, UT
3. Jan 21: Bouncing Souls, X-Dance at Elevate, SLC, UT
4. Jan 23: Lenka at Kilby Court, SLC, UT
5. Jan 24: Adele w/ James Morrison at Murray Theatre, Murray, UT
6. Feb 10: Katy Perry w/ The Daylights at In The Venue, SLC, UT
7. Feb 13: P.O.S. w/ Mictlan, Sims at Kilby Court, SLC, UT
8. Feb 21: The Submarines, the Morning Benders at Kilby Court, SLC, UT
9. Feb 28: MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice at McKay Events Center, Orem, UT
10. Mar 18: Thriving Ivory at Murray Theater, Murray, UT
11. Mar 31: Blue October at the Depot, SLC, UT
12. Apr 1: Ten Out of Tenn feat. Erin McCarley and more at Kilby Court, SLC, UT
13. Apr 2: Pelican w/ Eagle Twin, Tombs, Bird Eater at Club Vegas, SLC, UT
14. Apr 8: Lily Allen at In The Venue, SLC, UT
15. Apr 9: The Ting Tings at In The Venue, SLC, UT
16. Apr 17-19: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA
17. Apr 22: Carolina Liar at Gallivan Center, SLC, UT
18. Apr 28: Serena Ryder at Avalon Theater, SLC, UT
19. May 1: Lenka at Avalon Theater, SLC, UT
20. May 12: Anya Marina (opening for The Virgins) at Kilby Court, SLC, UT
21. May 12: Keane at Kingsbury Hall, SLC, UT
22. May 17: Flight of the Conchords at Abravanel Hall, SLC, UT
23. May 21: Dirtyheads w/ Pilot Speed at Upper Deck, Scottsdale, AZ
24. Jun 25: White Rabbits at Urban Lounge, SLC, UT
25. Jul 13: Death Cab For Cutie w/ Andrew Bird at Red Butte Gardens, SLC, UT
26. Jul 18: The Fray w/ Jack’s Mannequin at USANA Ampthitheatre, West Valley, UT
27. Jul 19: Tool at EnergySolutions Arena, SLC, UT
28. Jul 31: Sonic Youth at Gallivan Center, SLC, UT
29. Aug 4: Needtobreathe w/ Cameron Rafati, the State Room, SLC, UT
30. Aug 8: Warped Tour at Utah State Fairpark, SLC, UT
31. Aug 16: Green Day w/ Franz Ferdinand at ESA, SLC, UT
32. Aug 18: The Dead Weather at the Depot, SLC, UT
33. Aug 21: Matt Hires at the State Room, SLC, UT
34. Sep 1: Modest Mouse at In the Venue, SLC, UT
35. Sep 8: Fun. at Kilby Court, SLC, UT
36. Sep 12: Psychedelic Furs at Club Sound, SLC, UT
37. Sep 22: Arctic Monkeys w/ the Airborne Toxic Event at In the Venue, SLC, UT
38. Sep 23: Autolux w/ the Furs at Urban Lounge, SLC, UT
39. Sep 24: Rancid at In The Venue, SLC, UT
40. Sep 28: Pearl Jam w/ Ben Harper & Relentless7 at E Center, West Valley City, UT
41. Oct 2: Colbie Caillat at In The Venue, SLC, UT
42. Oct 10: Snow Patrol at McKay Events Center, Orem, UT
43. Oct 11: Owl City at In the Venue, SLC, UT
44. Oct 17: Ingrid Michaelson at In the Venue, SLC, UT
45. Oct 28: Mat Kearney w/ Vedera at In the Venue, SLC, UT
46. Oct 30: The Sounds at In the Venue, SLC, UT
47. Nov 6: Regina Spektor at In the Venue, SLC, UT

Zoltron 'Psychedelic Furs' Edition of 200 Size: 20 x 27 Inches $35 Each

Here are two vivid posters from artist Zoltron. These were for the Psychedelic Fur’s show last Thursday in San Fran at the Regency. The above regular release version has an edition size of 200 and are $35 each. Below is the red/white variant and these have an edition size of only 10 for $65 each. They are both 4 colour 20 x 27 inch prints coming signed and numbered by the artist.

Check it out HERE

Zoltron 'Psychedelic Furs' Variant Edition of 10 Size: 20 x 27 Inches $65 Each

YO YA HABIA ESCUCHADO ESTO

Noise pop mirazapatos para la nueva generación. Un par de canciones buenas.

Happy Mondays: el cantante original que no se moja ni suda ni se congoja con una back-up band cumplidora. Algunos éxitos, algunas canciones nuevas. Alguna emoción a destiempo por los good times que admiten reciclaje, la sinceridad por la pasta, euforia histórica. Madchester ya muy muy lejana.

El pop histórico, del alegato histrónico casi Raphaelista a la potencia post-punk bonita en rosa. El cantante feliz y su corte de aduladores. La energía y las canciones. Bonito es (fue).

Psychedelic Furs + Happy Mondays + Amusement Parks on Fire

@House of Blues, San Diego California

“Stars come down in you
And love (love, love)
You can’t give it away”

Psychedelic Furs' Tim Butler on Bass

I loved the Psychedelic Furs in the 80’s and their song, “Love My Way” was one of my favorite New Wave songs of those times and still is today. The Furs owned the sound that captured that time. They also helped to define it. But that was then. I haven’t followed them since so I didn’t know what to expect.  Would they be a bunch of burned out rockers well past their prime?

My reservations evaporated the moment they stepped on stage last night at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom. I was quite close to the stage which gave me an excellent position to see everything and experience an unforgettable night.

I noticed an instant connection between the Furs and the crowd, like old friends seeing each other after a long time. Richard Butler, the Furs lead vocalist smiled broadly and bowed graciously exuding a genuine warmth. It was obvious they were grateful to be there and ready to rock… and they definitely rocked!

As they launched into their first song, “Love My Way”,  It was clear the Furs still had it and Richard Butler hadn’t lost any of his His hallmark haunting and raw vocals. The music and vocals were tight with that mesmerizing sound that only the Furs have.

They played one hit after another as their distinctly vivid rhythms flowed and blended seamlessly with Butler’s captivating vocals that brought everything together. Pretty in Pink, The Ghost in You – to name just a few.

The Psychedelic Furs proved they definitely still have it and rocked the house with their hard driving sound. The 80’s live on thanks to the Psychedelic Furs!

Portland loves the Psychedelic Furs! I know many Portlanders await their return.

Time to finally grow up?

I lost the soul of my teenage years several weeks back when 80s film maker John Hughes passed away from a heart attack at the age of 59. Hughes’ films defined a generation of teenage angst, but in a good way, for nerds, jocks and popular girls.

No one was safe from his character studies but after watching his films you always felt like you were ‘OK’ no matter what rung you occupied on the the high school social ladder. Hughes liked to turn these stereotypes on their heads and we loved every minute of it.

The nerd could get the homecoming queen. The jock wasn’t so cool after all and the quirky kid was the one you should have been hanging out with, if only to skip a day of high school and run amok on the streets of Chicago.

John Hughes films were unquestionably iconic. They defined the formative years for an entire generation of Regan-era 80s kids. Unlike now, optimism seemed to be everywhere in the 80s. It felt like we could do no wrong though, at the same time, there were a lot of things we couldn’t seem to get quite right either. But Hughes made our fumbling awkwardness into something that could be embraced and, like the pied piper (but with better hair), we followed him as we marched down the winding road of adolescence.

Though a new generation of kids may not know what I’m talking about, they don’t need to: They can feel it. Just ask any kid who saw Superbad. But remember, without Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, Superbad might have not have become an instant classic we know it to be. It might have never existed without Hughes’ influence.

The only thing better than a John Hughes film was the music. Who could forget the title track “Pretty in Pink” by The Psychedelic Furs or the high school dance scene from Sixteen Candles when Joan Cusack hovered over a water fountain in a neck brace while “Little Bitch” by The Specials played in the background. What about “Rotating Head” by the English Beat during the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when Ferris, played by Mathew Broderick, sprinted though the Chicago suburban streets and backyards, trying to get home before his parents busted him for ditching school.

All these years later and I still haven’t forgotten “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds at the end of The Breakfast Club when Judd Nelson, the burnout misfit, pumps his fist in the air after a day of Saturday detention, punctuating the wonderment of high school when you finally find someone who “gets you,” even if for a brief moment.

The music heightened our emotions during these quintessential teenage movie moments and, like Catcher In The Rye, JD Salinger’s coming of age masterpiece, Hughes captured a time in our lives that only those inhabiting that very moment could ever really understand. As an adult you can watch these movies and enjoy them, but seeing these movies and hearing this music as a teenager was nothing short of magical.

Thank you John for also bringing us Weird Science, Some Kind of Wonderful and Home Alone. But now that you’re gone I guess I’ll finally have to grow up now. Either that, or maybe I’ll just call in sick to work tomorrow and catch a Cubs game.

Source: John Hughes Wiki

AFG Must Rock!
Check out: The Swagger Sticks

Viaje: Segovia-Madrid-Granada-Aguilas-Murcia-Cartagena-Denia-Segovia.

Objetivo:El Audi 80 estilo mafia color muerte fofainero.

Banda Sonora: Psychedelic Furs, “Mr.Jones” y “Pretty in pink”.

Sentados bajo el sol avanzando en nuesto barco, divagando sobre la vida en busca de la pequeña muerte de los problemas cotidianos.

En spaning som förmodligen inte berör någon annan än mig, men jag skriver den här ändå eftersom det kliar i fingrarna efter att dela med mig av onödigt vetande i dag. Den är långsökt och personlig, och gör mig både glad och och dansig i benen. Regissören John Hughes dog förra veckan (men det är inte därför jag är glad, fattaruväl), han har gjort några av mina bästa 80-tals filmer Pretty in Pink och Breakfast Club. Jag väljer att se mellan fingrarna med att han även skrivit Ensam hemma-filmerna och Maid in Manhattan…

Molly Ringwald är den tuffaste tjejen, med hårfärgen jag suktat efter sen jag var åtta, men aldrig lyckats få till. Och låten (new wave i mitt hjärta) med Psychedelic Furs är så förbannat bra att jag inte tröttnat än. Jag har en skiva från back in the days med bara mina favvo-myspunklåtar på, blir lika lycklig varje gång jag drar på den. Det är som med Clash ungefär. Enda smolket i glädjebägaren är att min superultrasnyggastegrymmaste förstärkare sjunger på sista versen (eller är det högtalarna?) och att det aldrig blir av att laga upp den.

Snygg men opålitlig. Don efter person med andra ord.

Så där ja, från en regissörs död till hårfärg och vintageförstärkare i samma inlägg. Det gjorde jag bra…

isn’t she pretty in pink?  well isn’t she?

john hughes is dead.  not the kinda thing i’d usually mention.  he did direct probably steve martins last decent film.  he did get molly ringwald to flash her panties.  musically speaking hugheses films totally turned me off simple minds and totally turned me on to psychedelic furs.  good things i think for an impressionable youngster.

i have a france-like love/hate relationship with the eighties.  i essentially am a child of the much (and often unfairly) maligned decade.  ten years of synths and coke and artificiality and cheap money nastiness and thatcher and reagan we’re told by professional mong paul ross and assorted fucking celeb nothings on tv space fillers.  but ’twas the decade of ugly rock and big black and killdozer touch and go.  when eddie murphy was good.  beverly hills cop and predator and stallone on vhs.  jim belushi was burning brightly.  video game arcades on every street corner.  alan moore for fucks sake.

and for a change there’s a fairly decent article in the wire this month (from keenan) about his made-up musical genre hypnagogic pop.  essentially psyche noise informed by eighties fantasy.  the whole skaters (and their numerous offshoots), ducktails, pocahaunted thang.  for once i was ahead of the curve.  been pimping john carpenters soundtracks long before these punk pups came along.

so this is a mess of that and hughes and eighties and soundtrack shit.  i’m tired.  there’s no coherency anymore.  the story serves only to further the narrative.

1. the vaselines: mollys lips
2. ben tramer: halloween theme
3. the crests: sixteen candles
4. ducktails: beach point pleasant
5. gary war: for cobra
6. james ferraro: untitled
7. killing joke: eighties
8. neil young: the round stones beneath the earth
9. psychedelic furs: pretty in pink
10. ray parker jr: ghostbusters

I am sad to see that he passed on, his movies were a pretty big part of my youth, and others. Not the best movies, and I couldn’t pick out characters from his movies that we in my life, but as a slice of time (the 80’s) they worked. Life was like that, people did dress like that.

Weird Science, classic. Had an interesting experience with some psychedelics and Planes Trains and Autmobiles, but that’s another story.

John Hughes was born here in Lansing, MI.

RIP.

I love this song, crank it. The other one too…

I’m going to have to go with the original version here, not the re-recorded movie version.

Isn’t she?

The band that people used to love to hate is now the band everyone is surprised to like.

Not since the Beastie Boys released Pauls Boutique in 1989 has a musical reinvention been not only so unexpected but so very welcome. On Primary Colours there is little trace of the flailing garage-shlock of The Horrors debut Strange House. This time around they boldly take the alternative indie of the Psychedelic Furs and mix it with Th’ Faith Healers cyclic avant-garde lurch. Mirror’s Image begins the proceedings with its Closer-era Joy Division keyboards and reverberating passages of warped guitar that go on to underpin the rest of the album and over these edgy textures Faris Badwan tells of romantic encounters and snarls his  kitchen sink dramas. The title track is an Eno-flavoured college rock gem that could sit quite happily on the soundtrack to any John Hughes film from the 1980s. Despite the streamlining it is clear that the band still have bite, as evidenced by the thrilling Goth-stomp of New Ice Age, where a post-apocalyptic vision of extreme conditions is recounted over walls of discordant guitars. Badwan, possessed simultaneously by the spirits of Mark E Smith and Brett Anderson, warns of “A new ice age, closer day by day/We’ll freeze when ice wings are swooping down” and any initial thoughts of chatty CGI mammoths are soon forgotten.

So far, so effortlessly glacial. Things do begin to thaw out a little with the acid rock dribblings of I Only Think of You and I Can’t Control Myself. Placed side by side, both tracks create a slightly sludgy section towards the end of the album.  Things do end on a high note though with the panoramic groove of Sea Within A Sea with its intense  bursts of guitar that lead into an ambient arpeggio.

Primary Colours is a finely crafted album by a band who have  finally managed to strike a balance between style and substance.

Vanaf dit jaar wordt 1 november niet meer alleen geassocieerd met Aller-heiligen, vanaf nu vieren we Aller-zondaars en bijgevolg wordt zondag 1 november Sinner’s Day. Het wordt een festivaldag waarbij pioniers en ander zwaar geschut uit de hoogdagen van punk en new wave samentroepen in de Ethias Arena in Hasselt. De line-up van de allereerste editie van het festival Sinner’s Day is ronduit indrukwekkend met namen als The Neon Judgement, Lydia Lunch, The Human League, Front 242 en Anne Clark. Peter Hook – bekend van New Order & Joy Division – en Andy Rourke van The Smiths spelen dj, net als Remo Perrotti en Didi de Paris. Gang of Four komen Psychedelic Furs, die hun optreden annuleerden, vervangen.

Voor wie Pukkelpop nog heeft weten beginnen (of Seaside zien eindigen) is Sinner’s Day zonder twijfel hét festival van het najaar. 1 november wordt een zwarte dag voor de Ethias Arena. Zwart op het podium. Zwart van het volk. Hieronder vind je alvast de line-up, die mogelijk onderhevig kan zijn aan last minute changes.

doors open at 13u

14.00 – 14.30 u  THE NEON JUDGEMENT

14.45 – 15.30 u  LYDIA LUNCH

15.45 – 16.30 u  BOLLOCK BROTHERS

16.45 – 17.30 u  ANNE CLARK

17.30 – 18.00 u   ANDY ROURKE  (DJ set/ Part 1)

18.00 – 19.00 u  GANG OF FOUR

19.00 – 19.30 u  ANDY ROURKE (DJ Set/Part 2)

19.30 – 20.30 u  GARY NUMAN

20.30 – 21.00 u  PETER HOOK (DJ set/ Part 1)

21.00 – 22.00 u  THE HUMAN LEAGUE

22.00 – 22.30 u  PETER HOOK (DJ set/ Part 2)

22.30 – 23.30 u  FRONT 242

AFTERPARTY!  DJ Alex Trappeniers (Happy House / Belgisch Congo…)

UPDATE

Om maar meteen met de deur in huis te vallen: vergeet al die fakefeestjes genre ‘I Love the 80’s’ en ‘I Love the 90’s’ : Sinner’s Day is ‘the real deal’. Gisteren getuige geweest van een bijzonder knap festival, dat als het hier en daar organisatorisch wat bijstuurt, absoluut zal uitgroeien tot een blijvend evenement. In voorverkoop gingen al meer dan 8.000 tickets de deur uit, gisteren rondde men de kaap van 10.000 bezoekers wat lang niet slecht is voor een eerste editie. Vooral veel dertigers en veertigers gezien gisteren, het jongere publiek was minder talrijk opgedaagd.

Het begon al tijdens de heenrit, waar we flink moesten aanschuiven richting parking. Gelukkig geraakten we dan weer snel binnen. Het enige jammere was het feit dat onze vrouwelijke compagnon (Kim) in laatste instantie nog afzegde. Onderweg al wat vreemde new wave creaturen gespot, de toon voor het verdere verloop van de dag was meteen gezet.

Klokslag 14u deed Luc Janssen zijn eerste aankondiging, Dirk Da Davo en TB Frank betraden het strijdtoneel onder hun muzikale pseudoniem The Neon Judgement. ‘The Fashion Party’, Tomorrow in the papers’, ‘Chinese black’ en als afsluiter ‘TV-Treated’. In 1990 of 1991 (ik wil er vanaf zijn) zag ik TNJ nog live in The Ritz (tegenwoordig Atmoz, Ritz Building of iets anders) aan de Hasseltse Kanaalkom. Destijds vond ik het toch allemaal wat spectaculairder, laat het ons daar op houden.

Lydia Lunch & The Big Sexy Noise was de volgende in het rijtje. Hoewel de dame een indrukwekkende staat van dienst heeft, was ze voor mij de vreemde eend in de bijt. Ondanks het feit dat ze wat ziekjes was gaf ze er toch een flinke lap op. Hulde! Bollock Brothers blijft welbeschouwd toch meer een fungroepje. Zanger Jock McDonald blijkt naast Celticfan ook een dikke boon te hebben voor Anderlecht. Die man kan bij mij dus op voorhand niets fout meer doen. In zijn typisch Schots geruit pakje brengt hij ‘The faith healer’, ‘Harley David’, ‘Horror movies’, ‘Pretty vacant’ (Sex Pistols cover), ‘Beats of love’ (Nacht und Nebel cover) en ‘Jesus lived six years longer than Kurt Cobain’.

Het eerste hoogtepunt van de dag komt van Anne Clark. Vooral de combinatie van een dichtende Clark, de synthklanken en de projecties gaf een sublieme combinatie. ‘Killing time’, het fantastische ‘Full moon’, ‘Sleeper in Metropolis’ (met begeleidende filmbeelden uit ‘Metropolis’ van Fritz Lang) en als uitsmijter ‘Our darkness’. Tijdens de eerste dj-set van Andy Rourke maken we een eerste plaspauze. Lange wachtrijen aan het toilet, zodat we maar net op tijd terug zijn om te zien dat Gang of Four er meteen stevig inhakt. Ze molesteren ‘en passant’ nog een microgolfoven met een baseballbat. Slechts één bekend nummer gehoord: ‘I love a man in a uniform’.

Tijdens het tweede dj-intermezzo lang aanschuiven voor een hamburger aan de eetstand. We hebben geluk dat we tijdig terug zijn voor Gary Numan, die erg spaarzaam is met hits. Ik meen ‘Pure’ en ‘RIP’ te hebben herkend, ‘Are friends electric’ zat bijna op het eind. Aardig moment: een jongedame die haar t-shirt met dat van Gary wilde wisselen en hiervoor haar witte bh met volle boezem tentoonspreidde. Numan hapte echter niet toe.

The Human League zag ik al voor de derde keer (na Suikerrock en Genk on Stage), dus geen verrassingen meer in hun setlist. Net als bij de vorige doortochten gemerkt dat de twee zangeressen regelmatig een valse noot produceerden, die gelukkig werd gecamoufleerd door de goeie stem van Phil Oakey. ‘Seconds’, ‘The lebanon’, ‘The sound of the crowd’, ‘Don’t you want me’, ‘Love action’, ‘Mirror man’ en ‘Open your heart’ denderden voorbij. In de bisronde ‘Being boiled’ en het kitscherige ‘Together in electric dreams’. Nog even oerdegelijk als vroeger!

De mokerslag werd bewaard voor het einde. Front 242 raasde als gek door de hal. ‘Tragedy for you’, ‘No shuffle’, ‘Welcome to paradise’, ‘Funkahdafi’ en ‘Headhunter’ waren een regelrechte aanval op ieders oren. In de bisronde ‘Im Rhythmus bleiben’ en ‘Punish your machine’. Nog eventjes (tot 1u) op de afterparty blijven plakken en daarna moe maar tevreden naar huis. Volgend jaar is er trouwens een nieuwe editie van Sinner’s Day op 31 oktober 2010. Iedereen kan zijn favoriete acts alvast aan de organisatie briefen.

Voy a intentar no decir nada sobre Pancho Campo y el Wine Future Rioja 09 en esta entrega noticiosa. De verdad. Cero. ¿Que no fastidie? ¿Que ya lo puse sobre la mesa y va a ser como el proverbial elefante en la habitación?

Bueno, la intención es lo que cuenta.

Estaba leyendo hace unos días en Decanter.com, siempre generosa fuente tanto de noticias de verdad como de tonterías, que el Hunter Valley Wine Industry Climate Change Case Study ha arrojado ciertas hipótesis bastante duras para esa región vinícola australiana. Aparentemente, a causa del cambio climático, los australianos del Hunter deberán plantearse la utilización de nuevas variedades de uva más resistentes al calor si insisten en seguir con lo de la viticultura. Es interesante eso. ¿Variedades de uva más adecuadas al calor como el tomate, ciertos chiles, el melón o el aguacate quizás?

Años ya llevamos algunos diciendo que muchas regiones debieran plantearse reorientaciones del cultivar. Y no sólo en Australia. Económicamente, la cosa anda muy jodida. Si a eso sumamos los efectos del cambio climático… Ya, ya, dije que no iba a permitirme momentos de todo conecta. Que hablar de “cambio climático y vino” no tiene por qué sugerirnos el tema de Panch…

¡Que no!

Pero quizás de verdad todo conecta. Otra historia en Decanter.com va de como los productores de Burdeos ahora se preocupan por satisfacer las expectativas–creadas a base de pura hipérbole por los habituales prescriptores–en torno a la cosecha 2009. Aunque se ha venido hablando de una “añada excepcional”, e incluso de otra de tantísimas “añadas del siglo” que han habido en tiempos recientes, Aunque se cacarea sobre una “cosecha perfecta”, aparentemente muchos châteaux enfrentan un reto a la hora de mantener controlados los alcoholes en los vinos, pues la añada ha salido, digamos, un tanto madurilla.

A ver, tomemos el siguiente parrafito:

Noemi Ruelloux, gerente de comunicaciones de Château Haut-Bailly, declaró a Decanter.com que uno de los más grandes retos que encaran a los enólogos es mantener el equilibrio en los vinos después de una “cosecha perfecta. (Mi traducción)

¿Seré yo el único que me encuentro una nada fina ironía en eso de reconciliar falta de equilibrio natural (porque si hay que hacer trapisondas enológicas para lograrlo creo que muy “natural”, lo que se dice “natural” no puede ser) con una “cosecha perfecta”? ¡Ay, merlot a 15%! ¡Ay, la humanidad!

Y después algunos se quejan de las trompetillas que tiendo a soltar cuando me vienen a hablar en serio del Burdeos actual.

Ya que hace un momento mencioné la palabra “hipérbole”, siguen en la internet del vino los cuestionamientos en torno a la credibilidad del hiperbolista-en-jefe de la cultureta actual del vino (e inventor de la hipérbole numérica), Robert M. Parker Jr. Dr. Vino devuelve al candelero el tema de cierta reciente cata a ciegas de burdeos de la “fenomenal” añada 2005 en la que Mr. Parker, por decirlo brevemente, no puso una. Aparentemente, ahora Parker ha publicado sus notas numéricas de los vinos catados en la noche en cuestión y no son para nada consistentes con las impresiones que diese durante la cata, según confirman asistentes a la misma, con todo y audio. Ante las insistentes preguntas de los participantes en el foro de discusión de erobertparker.com sobre sus serias inconsistencias, el gurú norteamericano acusó a “algunos” de “querer quitarle al vino todo lo que tenga que ver con diversión” (mi traducción).

Me susurran al oido que la palabra equivalente a  “diversión” en ciertas lenguas aborígenes de América del Norte se traduce literalmente al castellano como “mentecatez”. Para que sepan.

Una línea argumental esta de la “diversión” que bien podía ser parienta no muy lejana de la de Mr. Parker fue la esgrimida por Pedro Sanz, presidente del Gobierno de la Rioja, en un debate hace un par de días. Según la noticia de Rioja2.com:

“Ojalá vengan más Ferias como éstas y más catas de Robert Parker” ha dicho Sanz, al tiempo que ha cargado tintas contra el anterior presidente de la DOC Rioja, Ángel Jaime Baró, miembro del Partido Riojano. “Lo que ocurre es que al señor Jaime Baró le molesta que durante su mandato no pudo conseguir traer una feria como ésta” y ha concluido, “lo mejor que le ha podido pasar a la DOC es que Jaime Baró se fuera de ella”.

Pero que no… ¡Que no iba a hablar de eso, carajo!

Una para el commentez et discutez: El Chicago Tribune sacó recientemente un artículo con el listado de “Las 10 peores modas gastronómicas de esta década”. Entre las tendencias citadas están la ostentación vínica, la gastronomía molecular, los platos principales de cuarenta dólares, las espumas, la “deconstrucción” culinaria y  los chefs como putones mediáticos. Mayormente de acuerdo por aquí. Pero saquen ustedes sus propias conclusiones.

Del departamento de noticias felices, les anuncio que la semana que viene vuelvo con Josie a Nueva York. Algo de trabajo y el coñazo de las visitas médicas de siempre, pero también la celebración de nuestro aniversario de bodas, la gran cata del portafolio de Louis/Dressner (ocasión magnífica para probar vinos naturales excepcionales y hablar con la gente buena que los elabora), cierto evento en el que se vertirá una cantidad nunca vista de vinos envejecidos en ánfora y algún par de asuntillos interesantes más. Ya les contaré.

Ahora, videito. No se por qué, pero viernes por la mañana estoy de un humor algo ochentero. La voz de Richard Butler en esta versión acústica de “Love My Way” me recuerda una trompeta con sordina que bien podría ser de Miles Davis en uno de sus períodos eléctricos.  O me recuerda una queja de amante somnoliento. O una frase sabia de un borrachín a la más maldita de las horas, cuando le cierran el bar.  The Psychedelic Furs, una gran banda…

For roughly four years of my life (roughly 2000-2004), I awoke to the same song every morning that I actually set an alarm. That song was “Love My Way” by the Psychedelic Furs.

I woke to that song every morning for a couple of reasons. One of them was to remind myself, as the lyric of the song says, that I could never win or lose if I didn’t run the race.

And so go the easy words of the fully formed post-punk ballads penned by the ‘Furs, an amazingly durable band. But while pleasant words and wonderful scores make for great songs, seeing those songs performed live truly takes the experience to another level in their case.

I caught the ‘Furs at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, right before I took off for a vacation in Northern Ireland and Scotland, so I didn’t have the opportunity to write up my thoughts on the show in a timely fashion. Now I’m catching up.

I was totally elated that the band started their show with my morning ballad of choice and continued to dynamically move through favorites such as “Easy Street,” “Pretty in Pink,” and a rousing encore that ended on “Forever Now.”

The actual performance by Richard Butler and company actually made me a bit nervous at first as Butler threw himself quite literally into the songs. But while I feared I may be in for too much cheese, I experienced instead an emotive dance of heartfelt delivery that made the songs that much more sincere.

All in all, it was an amazing concert experience that I was well worth the price of admission.

On the other side of the coin, the Happy Mondays opened for the Psychedelic Furs using a teleprompter! I wanted to catch the Madchester legends in concert, but instead I was witness to a band that was Happy Mondays in name only. Shaun Ryder, who sang some back up and one or two of his classic songs, was much like a guest in his own band. While it was great to see them for novelty’s sake, the experience was a bit of a letdown overall.

Ik ben een kind van de 80’s. OK, eigenlijk meer van de 90’s en een beetje van de jaren 2000, wegens geboren in 1977. Vanwaar dan die fascinatie voor de 80’s? Mijn radioverleden ongetwijfeld. Urenlang zat ik in de archieven stoffige 45-toeren singletjes te beluisteren. Bovendien speelde ik al met cassetterecordertjes op mijn 9de. Want in de 80’s is de beste muziek aller tijden gemaakt. Nèh!

Waarom spreek ik dan van de 60’s in de titel van deze post? Omdat ik al enkele dagen jaren ‘60-muziek loop te neuriën. Allemaal de schuld van de makers van de film ‘The Boat That Rocked’ over een Britse piratenzender in de jaren ‘60. Een film die door de meeste mensen als ‘saai‘, ‘flauw‘ en ‘snel te vergeten‘ bestempeld wordt. Behalve bij radiomensen. Ik heb hem gisteren bekeken via de Filmbibliotheek van Telenet Digital TV. Nu ja, op het laatste halfuur na dan. Toen lag ik in de zetel te snurken. Maar dat had meer met een drukke werkweek dan met de film te maken. Écht waar

Maar toegegeven: die krakende 60’s memorabilia in mijn hoofd werden ook ingegeven door de zwarte schoenendoos van de Fab 4. (Bijna) de volledige collectie van Paul, John, George en Ringo in een opgepoetste geluidskwaliteit. Ik kende tot voor kort alleen de Blauwe, de Rode, de Witte en Sgt Pepper’s. Vandaag heb ik (bijna) alles gehoord, allemaal dankzij de uitgekiende marketingstrategie van de platenfirma. Voor de fans: ‘Rubber Soul‘ knalt hier nu door de speakers. Lekker!

Maar waarom staan dan de clips van ‘Itchycoo Park‘ van The Small Faces en ‘Heaven‘ van Psychedelic Furs onderaan deze post? Heel eenvoudig: de eerste zat in die ‘The Boat That Rocked‘-film en de tweede is een gestrekte middenvinger naar de organisatoren van Sinner’s Day. Want hoe halen die pipo’s het in hun hoofd om zo’n 80’s topaffiche te programmeren op een zondag? Op 1 november dan nog?! Gary Numan, Psychedelic Furs, Gang Of Four en Human League – ‘t zal voor een andere keer zijn. Helaas.

Dear Nick (Thorburn, Diamonds, whatever),

Listen. I know you’re really talented. I’ve accepted the sad truth that you know it, too. The Unicorns were genius. Return to the Sea was a turning point of epic proportions in the lives of college radio stations everywhere. I loved and defended Arm’s Way even in the face of cynical critics who ripped it to shreds, claiming you “sold out.” And I still hold that Islands’ show at the El Rey during the summer of 2008 was hands-down one of the best of the year.

We get it: you’re great.

I was even going to accept Vapours as the obligatory Under the Blacklight album of the band’s evolution. But now…now, I have a serious bone to pick with you, and all over a simple, easily avoidable issue: your shitty attitude.

You’re not the only musician to ever gain a cult-like following. In fact, I’d say there are a few other musicians who are worshipped a bit more for their songwriting abilities. So when even your live performances, which require a stage presence and an act that demands entertaining qualities, it’s disturbing that you seem to find your emotional funk wildly adorable to everyone in the room.

Not only could we see on Saturday that you were not in the mood (yes, yes; we saw your tweet about having had a rough show in New York the night before), but it translated into an egotistical barrier that completely alienated 99% of the people in the room, including those (of whom I am a part) who came specifically to see Islands.

You did not want to be at the House of Blues, and sure, that’s okay. But for god’s sake, you’re wearing white cutoff gloves with rhinestones you probably bejeweled yourself. ACT. And if you can’t act, at least remember why you are a musician, because I pray (to whomever will hear it) that you didn’t pick up a guitar because you wanted to be a god–you started a band because YOU LOVE MUSIC. So next time, when you feel like hating yourself and everyone else, don’t let it affect the jam. “Swans” was great, because you and the gang actually seemed like you were enjoying yourselves. But honestly, I could’ve done without the rest of the zombified, dispassionate set. Where’s the heart, Nick?

I don’t want to see you fail. I know there’s another Return to the Sea in you guys. And I know that your attitude can actually be kind of charming when you balance it with musicianship. That’s why I say this. Because I can tell you that, even though I’m not one of them yet, there’s a decent number of people who are quickly turning their backs on The Redeemable Nick Diamonds and His Band Called Islands. Do something about it.

Very sincerely yours,

Devon

Saw some live music at the House of Blues this weekend.

The Islands
The first opening act, The Islands combined the best aspects of Radiohead with the worst aspects of The Arcade Fire. Good stuff but I don’t feel compelled to buy it. I was really confused since I showed up long after doors had opened and the guys on stage had a drum kit with a Happy Mondays sticker on the bass. “Really?” I said. “None of these jokers looks old enough to have been in the Goo Goo Dolls.”

The Happy Mondays

The Mondays actually showing up did not clarify matters much. The only reason they brought Shawn Ryder along was so they could actually call themselves the Happy Mondays; short of him, there were no original members on stage. And say what you will of his poetic lyrics, the man’s not much of a singer. Or not much of a stage presence, either. He stood crooked on stage with sunglasses on and a jacket zipped up full to the collar, one finger in his ear (right, because flatting those notes would disappoint all the Mondays fans), and didn’t move much. I danced, because it’s good house / rock music.

The Psychedelic Furs

Phenomenal show. The stage felt spartan in comparison to the previous acts: the same number of musicians, but spread out to all corners of the vast space. Richard Butler, looking for all the world like a 57-year-old lesbian, swanned on to “Love My Way” and a house full of cougars roared. The band marched without pause through the rest of the Furs’ biggest hits and dearest fan favorites: “President Gas,” “Heartbeat,” “Heaven,” “Ghost in You,” “Pretty in Pink,” etc, etc. “Heartbreak Beat” is the only one I missed and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re just sick of it.

Or…I swear, I’m not stalking you.

 I saw the Psychedelic Furs the other night and they were as brilliant as ever.  Once again, I had the opportunity to give my man, Richard Butler, one of my business cards – and, once again, he hasn’t called.

“Once again?”, I  hear you ask.

 Cue up flashback soundtrack……..

About a year ago,  I had the divine pleasure of seeing Psych Furs in concert from a view just feet from the stage.  Richard was singing to the audience and I noticed that his pants pocket, slightly open, was a mere arm’s length from my face.  Stealthily, I grabbed one of my business cards and placed it gingerly in his pocket – he didn’t even notice.  It was the coup of the season for me.  Later, when I had the chance to meet him,  I told him to check his pocket.  “Check my pocket?” he asked, quizzically.  Alas, with all of his gyrating about and such, it seems my card had fallen out.  I’m sure I gave him another, but I was too awestruck to make much of an impression.  (Did I mention I’m really not one of THOSE types of people – rockstars in general, big deal…but Richard Butler, that’s a whooollleee different story).

 Fast forward one year. 

 Of course,  I was running late – spending much more time than usual getting my look “just right”.  Two newly-purchased, sparkly flower clips adorned the left side of my hair, showing off my bob and bringing out my 1920’s flapper side.  It was another great show and I, slowly, had managed to wiggle my way up to two rows from the stage.  Three quarters of the way through the show, I realized the pants pocket trick wouldn’t stand by me again – he was out of reach and the front row was not budging.  He was jumping about on stage, grabbing the hands of his adoring fans (Who are all these people ?).  My brilliant idea hit me in a flash – I took one of the adorable clips from my hair,  clipped it on my business card (the new one that says I’m a chef, not the old one that had my corporate job on it) and placed my hand out.  He grabbed it like a lake bass going for a worm.  I wish I could have captured the look – he looked at it like “what the heck” and then looked back at me with this questioning look.  Perhaps I should be going for an adoring look from him and not this quizzical one I keep receiving – but, hey, at least he’s looking.  He placed it in his pocket and flashed me a smile.  I think I melted.

 It’s been a few days now and, no, he hasn’t called or emailed. But hope springs eternal, and, yes, I HAVE been checking.  I know it’s silly to keep up the pursuit, but what’s a little harmless adoration anyway?  It makes ME happy.  I’m waiting to receive the Cease and Desist order any day.