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Reflections of my eclectic life!

Favourite Albums of 2013

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Arc – Everything Everything
Their second studio album, it was recommended by a Twitter friend @OnlyAnisa (a BBC Radio 1 producer).

Lost Sirens – New Order
The ninth studio album from New Order, the band formed by the remaining members of Joy Division after the death by suicide of Ian Curtis in 1980.

Opposites – Biffy Clyro
The sixth studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro is a double album.

Gilded Skies – Jack Hertz
Excellent ambient music, free to download or stream. One of my photos on the cover. See also here. Released by We Are All Ghosts netlabel, founded by my friend Thomas Mathie aka @headphonaught on Twitter and elsewhere.

Push the Sky Away – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
The fifteenth studio album by the Australian alternative rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

180 – Palma Violets
The first studio album by London indie rock group Palma Violets, recommended by my online friend @takebrokenme Laura.

AMOK – Atoms For Peace (Thom Yorke)
The debut album by the band Atoms for Peace features Radiohead singer Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, keyboards and programming), Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea (bass), longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich (production and programming), Joey Waronker of Beck and R.E.M. (drums) and Mauro Refosco (percussion).

Lost in You – Petula Clark
80 year old Petula Clark needs little introduction. Her latest album is beautiful, notables tracks are a new version of Downtown and a cover of Gnarls Barkley‘s Crazy (yes, you read that right).

The Messenger – Johnny Marr
A magnificent debut solo album by the former guitarist of The Smiths.

Dronescape 003 (waag_drs003) – Cousin Silas
The third instalment in this series from the master of the ambient soundscape Cousin Silas, who I also count as a friend I haven’t met yet. Another album released on the We Are All Ghosts netlabel. Note: there have now been more releases in this series.

Graffiti on the Train – Stereophonics
As I listened to their new album I put aside the usual ‘meat and potatoes’ criticism of this Welsh band. I’m pleased I did, as this is a fine piece of work in my humble opinion. I defy anyone to listen to the last track without a tear in the eye!

Sing to the Moon – Laura Mvula
A lovely album by the singer-songwriter from Birmingham, full of interesting and beautiful harmonies.

Pearl Mystic – Hookworms
A great debut album from this Leeds-based five-piece psych-rock band whose members eschew celebrity, being known simply by their initials. I came across this band when I heard them on BBC Radio 6 Music.

People, Hell & Angels – Jimi Hendrix
An excellent collection of studio rarities from the undisputed master of the electric guitar, definitely one for Hendrix fans out there. Not strictly speaking a 2013 record, but released this year.

Nanobots – They Might Be Giants
It’s hard to think of They Might Be Giants without thinking of their 1990 hit Birdhouse in Your Soul (watch on YouTube). Their latest offering is an idiosyncratic collection of 25 tracks in about 45 minutes. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but definitely worth a listen.

The Next Day – David Bowie
David Bowie is one of my favourite musicians, and he never disappoints. A great new album, that came as quite a surprise when it was announced. Check out my post about it here.

Tooth & Nail – Billy Bragg
This is a beautiful downbeat and reflective album from the national treasure that is singer-songwriter Billy Bragg. I was pleased to meet him a couple of years ago at an event organised to celebrate the unity in diversity of Leicester following hatred stirred up by the racist EDL.

East (waag_rel021) – Cousin Silas
A second appearance in this list for Cousin Silas, a wonderful double album. Haunting synths, gentle lilting percussion, vibrant bass, intriguing field-recordings and vocal samples, and his guitar all come together in such an exemplary manner. Thomas Mathie

Please note: Albums listed in order of release. This is a work in progress (obviously).

Sickening Headline

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I was sickened when I saw this morning’s Daily Mail front page. Not because of the evil Mick Philpott (although I’m sickened by his actions), but by the way the events were being reported. The clear implication of the headline is that he killed his six children because he was in receipt of benefits, with the wider implication that those on welfare are somehow an underclass. It’s a very worrying trend in today’s society. Of course Mick Philpott abused the benefits system (that’s self-evidently the case), but the responsibility for the deaths of his children is solely down to him. If we continue dehumanising everyone on benefits, we’ll slide into a very black hole! The headline perpetuates myths about poverty, some of which are demolished here. Ann Widdicombe has a good perspective on the issue in this BBC video, as does Bishop Nick Baines in his blog, and Owen Jones in this piece for the Independent.

David Robinson (a friend of mine) used to work as a benefit fraud investigator. He points out that very few individuals actually committed fraud, and says that the big cases were landlords who made up claimants who didn’t really exist, although (again) only a small minority did this; but the amount of money defrauded on this way was staggering. He was involved in one case where the landlord claimed hundreds of thousands pounds falsely until he was uncovered. Most claimants he came into contact with were just trying to get by!

At our weekly Salvation Army drop-in meal for the homeless and vulnerable yesterday, I went round (as I always do) speaking the people who come. I approached one man and said, “How’s things?” To which he replied, “You don’t want to know!” I explained that if I didn’t want to know I wouldn’t have asked, so I sat down and he started talking. Because it had been a double Bank Holiday weekend he hadn’t been able to get his benefit, and hadn’t eaten for three days. He’d been on the telephone to the benefits office for over an hour and had been cut off when he didn’t pass a security check as he’d recently moved. After leaving us he was going to have another go, and then probably eat another charity meal in the evening. Some of the stories I hear are heartbreaking, especially from those with untreated mental health issues. Yes, there will always be people who are after what they can get, but generally (as David said) they are just trying to get by, and are often thwarted at every turn.

It’s long been my contention that the rich have more opportunity to cheat the system, and we know that many do. A few years ago Chancellor George Osborne was on BBC television explaining how it was possible to fiddle (sorry, legally avoid) paying inheritance tax, even admitting that he probably shouldn’t be saying it. The poor often have fuel meters that have to be paid in advance at high cost, compared with those who pay by direct debit in arrears much cheaper, the cards are stacked against the poor in so many ways. Yet, interestingly, those on lower income give a greater proportion of it to charity than the rich.

A couple of things to finish with. Larry (the Number 10 cat) on Twitter said, “I must have missed the Daily Mail front page where hereditary privilege was blamed for the murder Lord Lucan committed.” It was also suggested that this is what the Daily Mail front page should have looked like, click here. Finally, The Sun had to make changes to its editorial after complaints, which you can see here.

Note: I telephoned the Daily Mail news desk to complain, and the person I spoke to could at least see where I was coming from. Mind you, at one point he suggested I was supporting Philpott! We agreed to disagree.

Update: BBC News report on the Derby fire deaths: Philpotts and Mosley jailed.

Resurrection: Rob Bell

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This is a great video that captures the true meaning of Easter. Even if you’re not a person of faith or agnostic in your outlook, do give it a look as it has something to say about our world today. Best in full screen view. Oh, and there’s a great soundtrack – so turn the volume up! Happy Easter!

Note: You can find the full transcript of the video here.

Written by John Ager

March 31, 2013 at 12:44 pm

Good Friday 2013

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See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

As a matter of fact it’s all dark

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There are certain albums that have become legendary and (quite possibly) changed the course of music history. The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is clearly one, but so is Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its release in the UK today. I well remember buying this album in vinyl with its iconic gatefold sleeve, which I poured over as I listened to this amazing music for the first time, wondering what a EMS VCS 3 was! Nothing like this had been heard before.

Often referred to as DSOTM, it’s the ultimate concept album; moving (through its roughly 43 minutes) from birth to death, describing the human condition. It still speaks to us today, and I expect people will be listening to this album long into the future. Life, time, fear, madness, money, war, suffering, solitude, withdrawal, selfishness, relationships, breakdowns, fame, politics and (ultimately) death. Yet this merely touches the surface of what Pink Floyd manage to squeeze into this magnificent work. The themes are bleak and dark, yet the album is positive in the sense that it’s asking the listener to explore what it means to be human, to embrace our common humanity.

Notes: The image used in this post can be found here. I expanded this post for a devotional thought here.

Congratulations Phil!

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A moody photo of my son Philip taken about 18 months ago in Norwich (he refused to look at the camera), but I couldn’t resist a shot by that banner! Yesterday I received a telephone call from him to say he’d passed his final GP exams, it’s a tough and long road to become a fully qualified doctor! He studied at Oriel College, Oxford and Imperial College, London; as well as continuing to study as a hospital doctor and more recently in general practice. I’m a very proud dad!

Written by John Ager

March 19, 2013 at 9:47 pm

looking for a certain ratio

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Brian Eno

I’ve recently registered a Blogger address which I’m currently developing, you can find it here. I’ll use it to complement this site with various bits and pieces. The title [looking for a certain ratio] is taken from the song The True Wheel by Brian Eno, on the 1974 album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). Here is the link to the song on Spotify. Incidentally, the name of the band A Certain Ratio also derives from this lyric.

Click here for all my posts tagged brian-eno.

Looking forward to F1 in 2013

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The winter F1 famine has finally ended and the first race of the 2013 season has arrived, it’s time for the Australian GP. The photo shows the Mercedes W04 2013 that Lewis Hamilton will be driving after his move from McLaren. How will he get on in his new team, and how will things turn out for his former team mate Jenson Button, now partnered with Sergio Pérez at McLaren? Can Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team make it four in a row, or maybe this will be Mark Webber‘s year to shine? Fernando Alonso just missed out in 2012, will Ferrari give him a winning car this season? This year there will be five world champions racing in five different teams, but will a new world champion be crowned?

We have four British drivers on the grid, with Max Chilton making his F1 debut. There’s also the exciting Valtteri Bottas and others new to F1. All in all, so much to look forward to this year, bring it on!

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