Albums For Today: Stephane Pompougnac's Hotel Costes series

I like cool chillout lounge music compilations (especially for long car drives), but I very rarely find such albums that work for me consistently. So I was delighted recently when I took a chance on a couple of albums from Stephane Pompougnac's Hotel Costes series. Classy, sensual and ultra-cool, they really are the bees knees when it comes to chilled out music. They nicely slip into that space half way between the foreground and background (Volume 2 is playing as I type) which I find perfect for driving. I can also imagine this playing at any future parties I might be having.

The only real issue I might have is they are not cheap. But then again - you are getting quality.

So, these albums are all very good so far (Volumes 1, 2 and 3) and I'm looking forward to trying more of the series out.

Peace :)
Jim.

Update 12 July 2009: Now have a flake of the volumes (1 to 10) and the series continues consistently good. Happy to have these.

The Wheel Of Time ... goes ever on and on ... and on ...

The Wheel Of Time series ... by Robert Jordan

When I first started this series of books sometime back in another age (that became legend and then became myth etc. etc.) I really enjoyed them. It's hard for me to believe that now. I have just finished book 7 (at least 4 more to go - argh!!) and it was the most tedious so far. The only way I could get through it was by literally skimming the pages (sometimes *skipping* the pages), stopping at the very rare bit that looked like it might catch my attention. (Usually I was wrong though and it was not worth stopping and I could get back to skimming.) My wife doesn't know why I persist and at this stage I'm not sure myself - just stubbornness I suppose. And at the heart of it I like the story - I still want to know what will happen in the end. If only he had made a trilogy instead of a 12(or so)-ology of it.

I think the reasons I'm writing this (besides the fact that it's sometimes good to rant a little) are as a warning to anyone yet to start this series, and to make you feel better about just skimming through it like I do :) ! So if you have not started this series yet - consider yourself forewarned! But if you are already ensnared in the series (and there's a good chance you'll feel obliged like myself to try and finish it), don't feel like you're missing much if you read it like I did - skimming over 90% of it :)

Maybe someone sometime will make a single summary novel out of it and it may become an enjoyable read again :)

Anyways, just my bit of a rant for today ... :) !
Slán go fóil, Jim.

Update 05 June 2009: Well I've just finished book 9 and we actually have a slight improvement - finally something good happens! I won't say any more to spoil it, but it is definitely easier to read a book when it is *not* all impending doom and gloom. That said, the book could probably have been shortened to about 200 pages without losing anything. Onwards to book 10, nearly there :) !!

Update 06 July 2009: Book 10 is finished - and nothing happened. Or at least, nothing happened plot wise. Loads of characters did loads of unimportant things. Worst book so far. Could've been summarised in one chapter, and that would've been pushing it. Anyways - at last, book 11 ...

Update 23 July 2009: Book 11 done ... and it wasn't half bad! The plot actually moved on a little. The talk of Tarmon Gaidon approaching is finally giving the impression of an end on the horizon.

BUT ... I just heard that what is to be the final book ... is to be split into three volumes!!! Argh - it just never f*&king ends!

Album For Today: Aphex Twin / Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2

Aphex Twin / Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2

This is probably my favourite ambient album. I remember reading a quote once that ambient music is as much about the silence between the notes as the notes themselves and that defines this album. Each haunting, alien note resonates and works its way around your head before the next slowly insinuates its way in. The music can settle into the background if required, but it is so much more satisfying to leave it in the foreground :)

I will be listening to this when I'm 90 if I get that far :) !
Excellent, Excellent :)

Slán, Jim.

Artist For Today: Anouar Brahem

Hi,

I'd like to start this off with my favourite album from this lad.

Anouar Brahem / Le Voyage De Sahar

This is a gorgeous album. It puts me sitting in a tent in the desert watching the moon rise every time I listen to it. The Anouar Brahem trio consists of an oud (played by Anouar himself), an accordion (Francois Couturier) and piano (Jean Louis Matinier). Rich, textured, warm ambient jazz (with strong French and Arabic influences). Once again ECM is a fitting label! It's really hard to describe this album objectively I am so impressed by it :)

I have a few other albums from this trio, Le Pas du Chat Noir is very similar in style to this with the same trio. Thimar has a trio with John Surman on clarinet and saxophone and Dave Holland on double-bass, while Conte de l'incroyable amour has a quartet (Barbaros Erkose on clarinet, Kudsi Erguner on the nai - a Middle Eastern flute, Lassad Husni on bendir and darbouka - Middle Eastern drums).

All these albums have a lovely languorousness - as if the weather is too warm to do much but listen to beautiful music :) I know I'm waxing lyrical here, but all the albums are wonderful. Though for me the peak is (for the moment anyway) Le Voyage De Sahar.

So, excellent all the way here, you cannot go wrong with any of these. This reminds me I have been meaning to get a hold of Astrakan Cafe for a long time. Time to go do it ... :)

Slán go fóil, Jim.

Update 17 September 2009: Well, Astrakan Cafe has lived up to my (very high) expectations, a lovely trio of oud, clarinet and drums, intensely atmospheric, supremely evocative of what I imagine to be the atmosphere of a Middle Eastern café :)

Artist For Today: Tord Gustavsen Trio

Tord Gustavsen Trio / Being There

Beautiful, slow-tempo, contemplative jazz, melodic, simple but most importantly: never boring! Very reflective of jazz on the ECM label in general. Can sit nicely in the background, but also rewards putting in a bit of effort - like a serious bout of headphone listening, yum!

This is a perfect album when hitting the sack :)
Excellent.

Tord Gustavsen Trio / The Ground

This album is very similar in style, a little slower moving, with a more melancholic vibe, but also very beautiful and I can recommend it just as highly.
Excellent.

Slán,
Jim.

p.s. It really is genuinely hard to go wrong with any music from the ECM label. In my very humble opinion :)

Album For Today: 310 / Downtown & Brooklyn Only

310 / Downtown & Brooklyn Only

Lovely, fairly minimal, electronic beats with urban found sounds - creating a dense and vaguely foreboding atmosphere. I downloaded it from Leaf a couple of days ago and can't stop listening to it.

I hate trying to give exact ratings (9/10 or such like) as they can change almost by the hour depending on what I'm in the mood to listen to, so just assuming simple ratings like shite, ok, good, excellent, then this rates excellent :) !

Cheers,
Jim.

Hattrick

Howdy, very first post on this blog :)
A lot to figure out!

I was on the following site earlier, have had a team on it for a year or so now, so thought that it might as well be my first post here... Hattrick is an online football (soccer) management game. And it is free. It is also real time - you play a league match once a week on a Sunday, with an optional midweek friendly. And you may also be part of your country's cup competition. Even the matches take the full 90 minutes! It is fairly deep and complex the further you delve into it, as a manager you can decide how much you really want to put into it.

I just yesterday got promoted to Div III in the Irish leagues, and that is why it is on my mind right at the moment :)

Slán, Jim.

Update 17 September 2009: Demoted again to Div IV, it was tough going in Div III!

P.S. I'm the Connemara Cookies - if ya ever want a friendly!