"Tinsel and Lights", Christmas album from Tracey Thorn

My beloved Tracey Thorn released recently a Christmas album, entitled "Tinsel and Lights". It contains a number of songs related to Christmas, some of them versions, and in other cases, originals as the beautiful "Joy".  This is the original information provided to announce it:

TRACEY THORN FOLLOWS HER ACCLAIMED 2010 ALBUM 'LOVE AND ITS OPPOSITE' WITH A BRAND NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUM, 'TINSEL AND LIGHTS', FEATURING TEN SEASONAL COVER VERSIONS, TWO NEW ORIGINAL SONGS BY TRACEY, AND GUEST PERFORMANCES FROM GREEN FROM SCRITTI POLITTI AND BEN WATT.

Produced by Ewan Pearson. Guest performances by Ben Watt (guitar and piano), Green Gartside (vocals), Leo Taylor (drums). Three orchestrations by Nick Ingman. Songs by Tracey Thorn, The White Stripes, Ron Sexsmith, Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Low, Scritti Politti and more.

Released worldwide on Oct 29 on Strange Feeling Records (except Oct 30 in North America on Merge Records)

Further information here.

Deluxe Version includes:

- Hard 12" box with removable lid

- 180gm high quality vinyl pressing

- Extra track on vinyl ('25th December') not on CD

- Inner sleeve with full lyrics, credits and photos

- Finished copy of album on CD in gatefold wallet

- Set of five different 'Tinsel and Lights' Christmas cards with envelopes

- One sheet of 'Tinsel and Lights' Christmas wrapping paper

Finally, a couple of videos: one showing the making of the album:

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Tracey Thorn / 'The Making of Tinsel and Lights' (Full Version)

By buzzinflyfilms

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And this lets you listen to "Joy", which is for many the highlight in the album:

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TRACEY THORN - JOY

By Marcos Pessoa

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Another nice bit in the album: Tracey sings a song from Sufjan Stevens, "Sister Winter".



It seems Tracey's mother dead while she was recording this version, released last year: IMHO this is much more than the usual throwaway Christmas album with the only goal of taking profit of the season.

DxOMark reviews the Pentax K5-II

And the title is pretty explanatory: "Showing the competition how it's done". This is their conclusion:

The Pentax K-5 II is a remarkable piece of kit, it scores better in the DxO mark tests than several very highly thought of, full frame DSLRs, beating all the cameras made by Canon! It manages to do this in a body that is very reasonably priced. Add to this that you can fit lenses to the K-5 II that Pentax made as far back as 1975 and the multitude of independent lenses that are available and this camera becomes not only a remarkable performer but also a fantastically versatile camera at an exceptional price.

In times of useless featuritis and crazy megapixels wars, I think Pentax used the right approach with the update on the K5. It is a no-nonsense camera with all you need, and with far more megapixels than most of us will ever need.

Videoclip of "Tinseltown in the rain", from The Blue Nile

By chance I found what seems to be an official video of Tinseltown in the rain, possibly THE song that defines the sound of The Blue Nile. Bear in mind this was done in the early 80s:

Fragment of documentary on the May 15 movement in Spain

The movement of May 15 in Spain made many headlines, since people took the initiative and reacted to the politics of the current government, without any intermediation from political parties or syndicates. It's one of those cases where I feel almost entirely identified in ideology. Here you have a fragment of a documentary which has been produced, describing this movement:

The Blue Nile: 2012 Remasters

The Blue Nile just released the remasters of their first two albums (which some of us consider masterpieces): A walk across the rooftops and Hats. Further info here.

This is more remaster rehash, of course. But man... the original material here is mindblowing. If somebody here enjoys the quiet pop, and you don't know who are The Blue Nile, then it's the perfect time to discover them, as they are in my book the finest quiet pop ever made. Exquisite is no word enough for The Blue Nile.

RIP Juan Carlos Calderón

Juan Carlos Calderon, a very popular musician of the 60s/70s in Spain and writer of many hits from different singers and bands, died today. He was never the front face in projects, but his music was powering countless hits from those years. While this is not the kind of music I prefer, I think he wrote many good songs, and certainly he's one of the big musicians in modern Spanish music, even if he was never among the trendy ones. Rest in peace. This is possibly his best known song, but there are truly countless of them:

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Mocedades - Eres tu (video clip)

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I tried to find more info in English, but no way; so here you have an article in Spanish, from DA Manrique. While reading this article, I learned this guy was in essence a jazz lover who soon realized he would not pay his life by playing jazz. So he did just about everything, including a period in the US, where he won a Grammy with Sheena Easton (never heard of that!). It seems he didn't enjoy the American way of life at all, but at least he could make a living and work with loads of people.

New video by Prince, "Rock & roll love affair"

Two takes on "Nothing compares 2 U"

You maybe heard that this lady blew the world away, years ago, by singing this very song. She still sings beautifully:



And now an unexpected version, by Jimmy Scott:

Last shop standing DVD

Superconductor has been released

Well, after long weeks of rumours, an initial date which didn't work, and many people skeptical about its actual release, fact is that Andy Allo's Superconductor was released digitally today through different channels. We will see how it is received by critics and fans.

Miliki dead

Just read in the newspapers that Miliki dead yesterday.

For people of my age, the clowns of tv (a team of clowns including Miliki) were an important part of our years as childs. They had a tv show with huge audiences and I personally remember having very nice times watching it. Furthermore, they have provided a legacy of songs for small kids that belong to the memory of my generation.

Rest in peace.

The clowns of tv were responsible of what became, the facto, our happy birthday song in Spanish, one that I have used often to wish happy birthday to some friends in Princeland:

Christmas lottery 2012 tv ad

The Christmas lottery is a long tradition in Spain, and in the last years, the tv ad is becoming an event in the world of publicity, because of its quality. This year it's no exception:

An early review of the forthcoming album of Andy Allo, "Superconductor"

I just posted an early review of "Superconductor" at the facebook page of Housequakecom. If you would like to read it, it's here.

The economist - France and the euro: the time-bomb at the heart of Europe

For those thinking that the issues affecting (thus far) to Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy will not affect their own countries, it might be worth to think twice. This article has been posted by The Economist:

The time-bomb at the heart of Europe
THE threat of the euro’s collapse has abated for the moment, but putting the single currency right will involve years of pain. The pressure for reform and budget cuts is fiercest in Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy, which all saw mass strikes and clashes with police this week (see article). But ahead looms a bigger problem that could dwarf any of these: France.

The country has always been at the heart of the euro, as of the European Union. President François Mitterrand argued for the single currency because he hoped to bolster French influence in an EU that would otherwise fall under the sway of a unified Germany. France has gained from the euro: it is borrowing at record low rates and has avoided the troubles of the Mediterranean. Yet even before May, when François Hollande became the country’s first Socialist president since Mitterrand, France had ceded leadership in the euro crisis to Germany. And now its economy looks increasingly vulnerable as well.

As our special report in this issue explains, France still has many strengths, but its weaknesses have been laid bare by the euro crisis. For years it has been losing competitiveness to Germany and the trend has accelerated as the Germans have cut costs and pushed through big reforms. Without the option of currency devaluation, France has resorted to public spending and debt. Even as other EU countries have curbed the reach of the state, it has grown in France to consume almost 57% of GDP, the highest share in the euro zone. Because of the failure to balance a single budget since 1981, public debt has risen from 22% of GDP then to over 90% now.

The business climate in France has also worsened. French firms are burdened by overly rigid labour- and product-market regulation, exceptionally high taxes and the euro zone’s heaviest social charges on payrolls. Not surprisingly, new companies are rare. France has fewer small and medium-sized enterprises, today’s engines of job growth, than Germany, Italy or Britain. The economy is stagnant, may tip into recession this quarter and will barely grow next year. Over 10% of the workforce, and over 25% of the young, are jobless. The external current-account deficit has swung from a small surplus in 1999 into one of the euro zone’s biggest deficits. In short, too many of France’s firms are uncompetitive and the country’s bloated government is living beyond its means.

Hollande at bay

With enough boldness and grit, Mr Hollande could now reform France. His party holds power in the legislature and in almost all the regions. The left should be better able than the right to persuade the unions to accept change. Mr Hollande has acknowledged that France lacks competitiveness. And, encouragingly, he has recently promised to implement many of the changes recommended in a new report by Louis Gallois, a businessman, including reducing the burden of social charges on companies. The president wants to make the labour market more flexible. This week he even talked of the excessive size of the state, promising to “do better, while spending less”.

Yet set against the gravity of France’s economic problems, Mr Hollande still seems half-hearted. Why should business believe him when he has already pushed through a string of leftish measures, including a 75% top income-tax rate, increased taxes on companies, wealth, capital gains and dividends, a higher minimum wage and a partial rollback of a previously accepted rise in the pension age? No wonder so many would-be entrepreneurs are talking of leaving the country.

Explore our interactive guide to Europe's troubled economies European governments that have undertaken big reforms have done so because there was a deep sense of crisis, because voters believed there was no alternative and because political leaders had the conviction that change was unavoidable. None of this describes Mr Hollande or France. During the election campaign, Mr Hollande barely mentioned the need for business-friendly reform, focusing instead on ending austerity. His Socialist Party remains unmodernised and hostile to capitalism: since he began to warn about France’s competitiveness, his approval rating has plunged. Worse, France is aiming at a moving target. All euro-zone countries are making structural reforms, and mostly faster and more extensively than France is doing (see article). The IMF recently warned that France risks being left behind by Italy and Spain.

At stake is not just the future of France, but that of the euro. Mr Hollande has correctly badgered Angela Merkel for pushing austerity too hard. But he has hidden behind his napkin when it comes to the political integration needed to solve the euro crisis. There has to be greater European-level control over national economic policies. France has reluctantly ratified the recent fiscal compact, which gives Brussels extra budgetary powers. But neither the elite nor the voters are yet prepared to transfer more sovereignty, just as they are unprepared for deep structural reforms. While most countries discuss how much sovereignty they will have to give up, France is resolutely avoiding any debate on the future of Europe. Mr Hollande was badly burned in 2005 when voters rejected the EU constitutional treaty after his party split down the middle. A repeat of that would pitch the single currency into chaos.

Too big not to succeed?

Our most recent special report on a big European country (in June 2011) focused on Italy’s failure to reform under Silvio Berlusconi; by the end of the year he was out—and change had begun. So far investors have been indulgent of France; indeed, long-term interest rates have fallen a bit. But sooner or later the centime will drop. You cannot defy economics for long.

Unless Mr Hollande shows that he is genuinely committed to changing the path his country has been on for the past 30 years, France will lose the faith of investors—and of Germany. As several euro-zone countries have found, sentiment in the markets can shift quickly. The crisis could hit as early as next year. Previous European currency upheavals have often started elsewhere only to finish by engulfing France—and this time, too, France rather than Italy or Spain could be where the euro’s fate is decided. Mr Hollande does not have long to defuse the time-bomb at the heart of Europe.

Mike Johnston's review of the Nikon D800 E

Mike Johnston, the guy behind the fantastic site The Online Photographer, has been lately posting his thoughts on a new camera on loan, the Nikon D800 E. He has done a few posts about it, and this is his final conclusion:

all things considered, the Nikon D800E and Nikkor AF-S 35mm ƒ/1.4G lens is the best overall photographic device of any description I have used thus far in my life.

I very much advice you to read all of his comments, but this one is fairly clear, coming from a photographer with a truly extensive experience in all kind of cameras and lenses; anyway, here you have all the series on the D800 E:

The Big Dragoon Arriveth; I Take to the Night
More Experiments on the Virgin Mary
Day Three: A Bust
D800E Haptics
D800E Day 4: ER a.k.a. DR
D800E Day 6: Moiré
Final Verdict: The Nikon D800E and AF-S 35mm f/1.4G Lens

Artists' and record labels' greed are killing the album, great article by Diego A. Manrique

This is, in my opinion, a great article from Diego A. Manrique; I did my own traslation, posted below:

Artists' and record labels' greed are killing the album
By: Diego A. Manrique | November 12, 2012

It is a recurring refrain. It arises often in the chats, conference, at the end of round tables or conferences; is a common topic among fans. Of any age, may I say. It is intended to ratify that albums of the sixties and seventies are better; compared with those summits, they say, we live in an era of mediocrity. 

It's convenient to be very sensitive with such matters. These decades get embellished by distance, with complete and satisfactory legends, ready for consumption. By contrast, the present times require a knife to enter the jungle, to move throguh incomprehensible productivity, to separate the rewarding nostalgia - so much retro sound! - from aesthetic ruptures, as disturbing in first listening. But there is a point where the sixties and seventies are ahead: the relationship hits / length.

Over time, the discs have become longer. Unbearably long. The implementation of the CD format favored albums exceeding the hour when the LPs, to be careful with the sound, stayed about 40 minutes. As the genius is not an elastic quality, logic suggests that they have grown through fillings, jokes and half-cooked occurrences. 

More recently, we have also found that dilutes the concept of album itself gets diluted. An album like Loud, from Rihanna, is available in a half dozen versions: normal one, those adding more songs (Japanese, iTunes digital), the luxury ones (Ultra Couture, Couture, Deluxe). It is annoying the segmentation of fans by their purchasing power; it seems there is also the will to transform the music in a gift item. 

If they are self-sufficient bands, the multiplication possibilities are even greater: they add draft recordings, live shows, broadcast performances, remixes and of course, the songs that initially did not made ​​the cut. Beacon, from Two Door Cinema Club, came out in late summer with five variations: CD, vinyl, deluxe version with a live show at Brixton Academy plus more editions for Japan or the French Fnac chain; before the end of its commercial career, we will see new occurrences of the famous photo of the lady who acts as celing lamp.

This multiplicity of "products" appeals to our worst impulses: the desire of exclusive objects, the pay-two-and-take-three, the quantity over quality. Naturally, it makes economic sense. It's about making cash: attract deep-pocketed buyers, please the completist collectors. But it also means an erosion of the music: to dilute the essential in the accessory, to lose the impact of a solidly vertebrated disc. 

We should take note of the attitude of the most millimetric singer-songwriters. Leonard Cohen is usually generous with his new material, which is given at specialized pages. However, in 2009 he had a feud with Sony for its decision to relaunch their first three albums with songs added, however interesting. "They ruin the integrity of the original album," he complained.

The consumer rules, I hear from the marketing geniuses. Bad idea, I answer. We attributed to the artist the ability to define his work; now, the creator offers a flexible schedule, as if he could not decide by himself. You expected a perfect picture and they give you a handful of snapshots taken with mobile, "you choose". Indeed, artists are selling themselves very cheap. For additional sales, for the possibility of extending the life of a release, by the desire toget some additional goals: "hey, we're a traditional guitar band-but we have called a kid of dubstep to see if we can get a hit ". 

Someone could argue that critics do not show the same reluctance to bailouts of historic recordings, these works expanded with outtakes, their discontinued works, songs with (or without) orchestral arrangement. It's fine that there exist the Pet Sounds box, given it illuminates Brian Wilson's creative process, but enough time has passed to avoid its conspiration against the aesthetic experience of the album such as the Beach Boys decided it was done. In reality, we all know, these "quirks" are stored rather than heard. 

It is no coincidence that the classic albums of the Beatles or Bob Dylan kept intact its magnetism: they remain as published, without fat or supplements. The Rolling Stones themselves are toying with the idea of extended editions, as in Exile on Main Street or Some Girls. There is a hue: songs from those years are added, but they are finished today. Something  we fervently thank to Mick Jagger, if you had the misfortune to hear the soporific bootlegs of the Stones working in the studio. 

PS! It is good time to talk about bootlegs: the label Milenio just released "Bootlegs: the treasure of rock", by Fernando Forcada. Indeed, bootlegs (pirate albums, we called them) do not affect the corpus of an artist. They are illegal releases and only reach fans. Should not be confused with the official records, as Dylan learned. Contemplating the enormous acceptance of the double pirate "Great White Wonder", with its heterogeneous contents, he tried to duplicate it with their own release, "Self portrait". It was his first gaffe, the startling discovery that also Saint Bob Dylan could do wrong.

Sufjan's Christmas 5 CD set, "Silver & Gold", is already available

Speaking of Sufjan, the Christmas set, "Silver & Gold", is already out there: I just received this from his label, Ashtmatic Kitty:

Hi there! Merry Christmas!

Sufjan's new Christmas boxset is out now, available on CD or MP3. We think you'll enjoy it!
Silver & Gold, the 5-EP compilation of Christmas music by Sufjan Stevens, is out today.
Continuing where Sufjan's 2006 Songs for Christmas ended, Silver & Gold includes volumes 6 through 10 of Songs for Christmas.
The CD boxset includes:
1. Five CD EPs (Gloria, I Am Santa's Helper, Christmas Infinity Voyage, Let It Snow, Christmas Unicorn)
2. Christmas stickers
3. Temporary tattoos (non-toxic & safe for children)
4. A paper ornament (self-assembly with directions)
5. An apocalyptic pull-out poster
6. Song lyrics and chord charts (sing along with your friends and enemies)
7. Hallucinogenic photographs and psychedelic graphic design (by Sufjan Stevens, drug-free since 1975)
8. Extensive liner notes (essays by Sufjan Stevens and Pastor Vito Aiuto)
Sufjan Stevens Silver & Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols 6-10

58 Songs, 5 volumes of Christmas music from Sufjan Stevens.

The guy has fine humour...

"Alphabet St", version by Sufjan Stevens

Today I knew that Sufjan Stevens will include a version of Prince's "Alphabet St" in his Christmas compilation "Silver & Gold". In fact, the song was posted to soundcloud and announced at many sites in the net. Then, suddenly the song was not available anymore (which makes me think that maybe Prince was not too happy about it).

Anyway, at this point I can not link to any working file for your listening pleasure. But given that "Silver & Gold" is around the corner, you will have to hear it quite soon.

Update: I found a site where you can still listen to this version. It's here.

Another point of view on Spanish crisis

Térez Montcalm, a bold discovery before the end of 2012

My boss suggested me this afternoon to listen to an album from a singer I didn't know: Térez Montcalm. And after listening to just some of her songs, I guess this might be my second big discovery in music for 2012, besides Jarle Bernhoft.

Just a sample from Térez (in fact, her real name is Thérèse) last album, an homage to Shirley Horn:

What dreams are made of

The brand new Masseratti Quattroporte; for those who think that the Porsche Panamera manca finessa:

Architechture that repairs itself?

Ideas like this one move the world forward:




And I'm very happy to see, by chance, that this post (number 1000 in this humble blog) is related to sustainability and technology.

Citroën C-Elysée, or how mediocrity can invade bold brands in automobile

Citroën has a long story of bold designs, often advanced to their time. Yet it seems that, in the name of global products, they decided to take the route of mediocrity. This new model, based on the platform of the C-3, is the first example of how poor, mediocre design can invade a brand with the background of Citroën:

"Cut the world", the last album from Antony and the Johnsons

 

 My first experience listening to this album was a nice surprise: I started playing a few songs from this album in the car, and I was very pleased when my daughter asked me to give that music in CD to her... she's starting to appreciate some good stuff!!

Besides, let me tell that I was blown away by the quality of the recording and of the orchestral arrangements. To the point that, for some of the songs, they are the new canon to me, rather than the original album recordings. Absolutely astonishing.

Today I received, finally, my copy of "Cut the world" (I ordered it at play.com, but the first copy was lost in the mail). I was quite curious about the artwork, but for this time, I admit it is plain awful. The inside of the cover has a dark, ugly picture of Antony who looks like Demis Roussos without beard. And the picture of his face shown in the other side is not stunning either. I guess he's got clear aesthetic ideas, but if I was a close friend, I would advice to contact with a professional for suggestions in future artwork.

What's worse about it, is the huge contrast with the loads of beauty included in this album. The more I listen to it, the more I like it, despite knowing most songs from previous albums. My only possible complaint is that an album like this should have been double (or even triple) to showcase, in its full dimension, a show from Antony in company of an orchestra.

"People pleaser" teaser video, from Andy Allo

A few bits of Andy Allo's forthcoming album "Superconductor" have leaked lately, and judging from them I think it will be quite interesting. But for the time being, the official release was delayed, and we are finding here and there teasing stuff to keep fans entertained.

For those of you on valium, Andy Allo is the last in a long line of Prince protegées, and "Superconductor" has been "executively produced" by Prince (whatever that means), who also penned three songs in it. Of course we old fans in Princeland suspect that in fact, the whole album was written, produced and played in a most part by Prince, while it was actually sung by Andy.

Anyway, while we wait for the actual album to be released, here you have the last teasing: a fragment of the video for the first single, "People pleaser".