Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island - Pretty great indie rock. I quite like the droning effects on singular instruments with the guy singing. The band efforts show a bit of an under-talent and the songs don't really gel.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane over the Sea - Tighter than "Avery". Highly memorable riffs and tunes also. Classic in every sense of the word.

Suicide - The Second Album - No droning fuzztones. A bit of a disappointment since the last one was so engaging. Comes together with "The First Rehearsal Tapes" - which is alright as they sound more like the first album although the songs tend to meander.

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Generally inferior to "Selling England by the Pound", with nary the great atmosphere or the intrisically beautiful melodies. Also no understandy why this is labelled "prog", as they are just ornate pop songs which would fit on Gabriel's solo albums except with the odd instrument here and there.

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats - Interesting complex music which is hummable at the same time. "Willie the Pimp" is rockin', my brahskis.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - Took some time to get into its groove. But as I said on George's other board, once it strikes, it is a moment of clear epiphany. Majestic tunes, grandiose arrangements. What more could you ask for?

The Rolling Stones - Stick Fingers - Where has this album been all my life? Excellent through and through, it beats Let it Bleed, Exile and Beggars' Banquet as my fave Stones. "Moonlight Mile" moves me to tears, man. And "Wild Horses" is way superior to the Flying Burrito Brothers' candy-assed version. Got a retread of a Motown riff on "Bitch" but I can live with that. This is what I'm talking about!

Poet and the Roots (Linton Kwesi Johnson) - Dread Beat n' Blood - Always been a huge fan of LKJ. The poetry here is not so hypnotic, even if the music is more compelling than his later works. Mutaburuka is a sheer genius band. The dub versions are also quite kick-ass.

Gang of Four - Entertainment! - Much much better than "Solid Gold". Does not have the Gary Numan melodies so much better all around.

Marillion - Misplaced Childhood - Sounds like a hair metal band trying to play early Genesis. But okay to me. It reminds me of my... childhood! I do not grasp the concept.

Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Got this yesterday. Not bad, a bit more poppier and accessible than their last ouevre. I wish the drum machine would go (or is it a possibly a mechanical drummer, I never bothered checking).

Great hoary hair metal solos screams "It's 1993 again!" although they're far more dexterous and skillful than anything Slash could possibly muster up.

Axl is in fine form though, never missing a screamed high note. Adding some diversity - flamenco riffs, heavenly girl choirs, brass sections, wins brownie points from me. Also like the crazy chord modulations in "Scraped". The power ballads aren't that drippy albeit nothing as memorable as "Don't Cry".

All in all, good job, Axl with G n' R Mk. 2, you've entertained me, even if the rest of the world might not bother.

George Harrison - All Thing Must Pass - Pretty limpid this. Certainly not as good as his stuff in that other band I forgot the name of. I do like "Apple Jams".

Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow - Nicely done enough. Not much harmonic or modal complexity, though. Coupla songs sound as if he's just noodling.

Jeff Beck - Flash - Nobody recommended this but I liked the "People Get Ready" cover enough. But.... this one blows... by blow.....

XTC - Black Sea and English Settlement - similar in mood. Chunka chunka chords with catchy bits. Nice enough.

Captain Beefheart - Lick my Decals Off, Baby - complete turnaround from Trout Mask, going back to more conventional jazz and blues structures. Not bad, great even. Heavily layered.

Suicide - Suicide - Minimalist drone post-punk. "Frankie Teardrop" scares the shit out of me.

Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue - takes time to get into it. Again, the catchier songs catch my ears first - "Rainbows" and "Friday Night". He sounds wizened and aged, though.

Genesis - Selling England by the Pound - Excellent! Whimsical complex prog-folk English-y songs. A fave here, I suppose?

The Who - Who Are You? - Got this due to George Starostin's glowing review. However, the synth-arena rock sound so great on "Who's Next?" is showing its creaks.

And others I haven't digested properly yet.

Inkheart

Was very pleasantly surprised by these. Was rather expecting an overdose of CGI and OTT effects but quite subdued. The story flows along quite well. And Brendan Fraser actually does a solemn take, instead of the wise-cracking clumsy action hero bit he's so good at. The books coming to life bits aren't that well executed. Still, as far as fantasy movies go, I liked this over the ilks of Stardust, which was a bit all over the place. The little girl does get annoying, though. Recommended, albeit not highly.....

Oldie mouldie DVDs

Creature from the Black Lagoon - A bit seminal this one, influencing everything from Alien (hide and seek with an otherworldly monster), Evil Dead (strange POVs) and Jaws (underwater mayhem)to starting a B-movie genre taken up by the likes of Anaconda and Lake Placid. A bit draggy but in its last moments, becoming, dare I say it?, exciting. And what's with the creature kidnapping the gorgeous lead anyway. Is it gonna make her eject her ovaries in the water then jacknifing its sperm over it? And what's with diving in the Amazon? Heard of piranhas?

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - On the whole more satisfying than the prequel. The addition of vaudeville actors injects some much-needed humour into the series. Still, I prefer the loquacious monster of the book, here, he's some sort of proto-Incredible Hulk. Elsa Lanchester's bird-like movements are no doubt a big influence on Jennifer Beal in the oft-forgotten remake with Sting.

West Side Story - Not much of an opinion on this, except that turning gang-fights into song and dance routines diminishes the edge somewhat. Some risque lyrics about heroin and grass probably got the moral right fuming. The songs are mostly good, though I like the non-romantic ones better. such as "America" and "Crazy Boys".

The Thief of Bagdad (1941) - Was still anticipating the 1925 version. But this is not too bad. Mostly ripped-off from Aladdin, there is a naivete and innocence about the whole thing, so much so that I doubt the current climate will allow such a movie to be made now. The songs are pretty crap, though, 40s pap with bits of Middle Eastern instruments.

Fury - Pretty much a document of its time, as mob lynchings are hardly topical these days. Not much of the Fritz Lang touch although the courtroom drama is gripping. Spencer Tracy also throws in a pretty decent performance as an anguished man wrongly accused and left for dead.