Dels

We've just signed Dels. He's brilliant, everything we're about as a label really. Even the Myspace is great. He's playing Cargo at the wonderfully convenient time of 8pm tonight, so come along.

David Eagleman and Alan Warner

Hearing positive things about this book, and the first story here (only one I've had time to read) is really good. He's reading with Alan Warner at Book Slam a week today.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks

My prejudice has bitten again, but it's a double edged sword. On the one hand, an unfounded idea that Stephen Malkmus' post-Pavement work would be disappointing has kept me from enjoying two albums that are true works of genius. On the other hand, I find so little music that I really love these days that it's quite nice to have true works of genius to enjoy, and two new albums in my all time favourites. His albums with the Jicks; 'Pig Lib' and 'Real Emotional Trash' are, genuinely, as good as 'Crooked Rain' by Pavement. They're so rich in content, ideas and execution that I've been listening to them endlessly for two weeks and still haven't tired of them one bit. The songs are often long, usually catchy, and achieve that tricky lyrical mix of being clever and keenly felt.

There's a great trick the band have of starting a song in one place with a hint of something to come, then delivering on that hint in bucketloads in the last third of the song. The effect is that something you hadn't realised you were craving appears out of nowhere, and makes you feel how cravings do when they're relieved. (That means really fucking good, for those without cravings.)

Check (Do Not Feed) The Oyster, 1% of One, Dragonfly Pie and Cold Son.

Actually don't. Just get both the albums.

Aonach Eagach

Weather permitting, I'm going to try and do this route in Scotland in September. It translates as the 'devil's staircase,' and it sits just north of the stunning main road through Glencoe. A friend and I did Ben Starav a couple of years back, and that was the most challenging walk I've ever been near. The summit was described by our map-book as being 'reached by three quarters of a mile of relentless ridges, which are rocky and narrow towards the top,' it was terrifyingly brilliant. There was lots of crouching down ahead of ten metre long, three foot wide paths with huge cliffs either side, encouraging each other before chimp-walking along them. At the false summit, we clambered up a vertical section, said cliffs now falling away even further, and came across two stalkers wandering easily along the path. Breathlessly, I asked them if this was the top. 'No,' the younger one said, in his West Highlands accent. 'See that bit over there, the bit that's obviously higher than this bit?' I nodded. 'That would be the summit.'

Excerpt from Imperial Bedrooms

I never thought I'd become such a fan boy of Bret Easton Ellis. I was so put off his books by people reading them for the gore at school that I nearly never gave them a chance. I assumed they'd be shock-lit without much else to offer. It was only when someone persuaded a friend of mine with similar views to read Lunar Park, and he persuaded me, that I realised what I'd been missing. That book was virtuosic; a post-modern experiment in self positioning, a deeply gripping ghost story, and finally a moving, redemptive book about a father. To do all that in one book is really about as good as it gets.

So anyway, I'm enjoying the hype machine winding up around the new book, a sequel to his first, 'Less Than Zero.' There's tweeting happening every day, interviews and a new website - with an excerpt. Read it this morning, and it had the desired effect on me.

As so much of my job involves - dare I say it - marketing, it's been interesting to see the 'campaign' around Imperial Bedrooms unfolding. They're doing exactly what we try to do with records; big social network campaign, new site, online tasters, tour, competitions... Doing it quite well, too.

Warner again

This was a good read. One of the re-jigged Observer's new style of feature. The concept sort of reminds me of when a magazine doesn't want to a do a proper interview with one of our artists and has them write something about their favourite t-shirts or some other such mulch. I guess the Observer pay the writers though! Anyway, the article has made look forward to my yearly Highlands trip more than ever. Bring on the stomping.

Pavement

I've been in a bit of a hole the last week or so, hence the lack of posts. I went to see Pavement last night though, which cheered me up. They're playing a four night residency at Brixton Academy, which surprised me when I heard, as I hadn't realised they were that 'big.' It was a funny experience. After years of small gigs around East London, populated by hostile, youthful hipster types, it was refreshing to stand amongst a crowd of older, casually dressed, earnest fans. Outside of Malkmus, the band all looked a bit old and out of synch with each other, and there were a lot of 'reunion smiles,' but it was still great to hear and see them. For his part, Malkmus looked - remarkably - just as stick thin and indie-boyish as he did sixteen years ago. Will says that it's all about not moving too much, when you get to that age. I'll remember that one.

Alan Warner

Where's my copy of The Stars in the Bright Sky, and why is there no major broadsheet press?

Found this earlier, which was worth a read. Odd that there don't seem to have been reviews in the Guardian or Times as yet though.

Here's hoping my copy lands soon.

George Galloway and Respect

Excellent piece here by Nick Cohen, who's always good to read. His comments about Galloway and Respect are spot on, and as a Tower Hamlets resident I hope they get beaten on Thursday. I hope Galloway loses down the road too. Thankfully he's off the airwaves now, and hopefully he'll soon be out of the Commons, which is his usual status anyway. Grrrrrr.