Firstly, to Julian Casablancas' solo album. Most of us know him as The Strokes front man and were positively damp with anticipation over this new album. And what fun it is! Fusing the traiblazing Strokes' sound with a healthy dose of whimsical folk, upbeat electro and, dare I say it...disco? What a lark!Yes, you read correctly. There are times when JC's nods to 80's electro-pop does seem to verge on disco. What a plunge! You won't hear me complaining, of course -- but neither are many other people, because this album simply works. Granted, there are a couple of songs that sound like they would fit neatly into the Strokes songbook, but this album definitely avoids the trap of sounding like that of a stripped-down version of it's parent group. There are nods to the Blondie sound (again, no bad thing), and a number of tracks that bring out a twisty, lilting folk sensibility almost reminiscent of Want One-era Rufus Wainwright. All in all, this album is an excellent, exciting experience.
So to The Thick Of It. One of the best comedies the BBC has ever produced returned to our screens last week in a somewhat disconcerting Saturday night BBC One slot. Evidently the beeb is trying to make this show available to as mainstream an audience as possible. Which can only be a good thing. All I can say is how glad I am to have a third series. The first episode did not disappoint, but Saturday's second episode was by far much stronger and funnier. It commented on topical issues while also providing all of the show's players with the opportunity to tear their hair out in frustration -- frustration at the press, the public, their own department and their own government. This show is at it's most watchable when at it's most cringe-worthy, because it works best when the characters are in this state. Best line of the episode? Malcolm Tucker saying to Nicola Russell "You have a face like Dot Cotton licking piss off a nettle." Brilliant. I thoroughly look forward to the remaining four episodes.
Coming soon: the latest episodes of Medium and True Blood.
No comments:
Post a Comment