christmas

 i can't do better than tomten for xmas so i'm going to have a break now, likely until new year. should you fancy listening to nyarsklockan it'll be live on svt - guide to the words here. i'll be trying to sneak off to see it somehow, missing all the people i miss at this time of year, while dealing with the more traditional uk celebrations of drunks, police and fighting!

tomten - en vintersaga

 my favourite christmas film. everything swedish may be in the past for me now and my language atrophying by the day but, at this time of year, this and ring klocka ring at ny always leave me with a wet face! 

sonic youth

 if i'm listening to sonic youth always among the first tracks i'll look for. used to have this on a lovely limited edition vinyl from when it came out. a grand playalong but these days just feels like a perfect representation of going to work! lol 

sarah jarrett

from when i was very young i've always been twitchy about the notion of collage. i've never liked it. it always seemed to be too haphazard, too badly put together. not so with sarah jarrett. 

the storm watchers

to be honest i really just wanted to see the landscape and hear the accents. but a proper rarity this

alan moore interviews brian eno

 much of interest here. and some wild optimism.

and here's a bonus doco (pic quality not the best)

wilko johnson

 

ian dury and the blockheads

in the wake of wilko johnson's passing my yt feed has been throwing up some gems, including this. great for ian dury and wilko johnson obvs but what really caught my attention was the rhythm section. fabulous drumming (note - charley charles doesn't even have a wikipedia page!!!) but what i really love is norman watt-roy's bass. i started trying (and failing) to play along with him last year. love it

prononciation avec christophe

christophe's instagram channel is, without doubt, one of life's insta feed's great joys. but he's also got a youtube channel that has longer format videos. the singing tho? that's still there! 

bela tarr

 bela tarr's later work - bleak and beautiful 

as an addendum here's a doco! 

appetite for adventure

not that many years ago, but definitely pre the dawning of the nc500, i used to like a cycle on the then quiet roads of the north west. now that it's been changed into a traffic clogged dustbin/toilet, not so much. but you can go other ways. i like this at the very least for the use of paper maps. if it's been me i'd have done it on my own, not posted it online and likely stayed in one fo those expensive hotels at the end of a day thus guaranteeing clean sheets, soft beds and a hot shower. and no river crossings. not them. never again! lol 

* the grumpy me would add the following addendum. don't be tearing up plants for 'foraging'. leave them where they are, maybe learn their binomial and something about their habitat. take some responsibility or admit to yourself that, despite your 'adventure', you're no better than those people who leave dog shit bags in trees. or those who use the nc500 as a playground....

kelora

 these are known to me but i haven't listened to them in a while. loving the maturity of their sound in this

the wandle trail

in my brief stint as a londonist the wandle trail, esp the bit around morden hall park, was my regular stamping ground. obviously i was on the bike rather than walking but i'd really recommend a regular route, looking at the interesting spots, heading down the byways, looking at the plants etc. i'm not sure if i'll ever get back to do it again but i cherish my memories of it 

murmuration #3 species

 

surprised when this appeared in my feed today - didn't even know this was happening let alone so close! and more female sound recorders than i think i've ever seen in one place, which is pleasing. i've been ruined by swedish silence and the mystery that is the loos of all my sound files from there but i really need to start getting back out again!