Sharp Focus - January's Albums & Singles

So yes, the first month of 2008 is over, a year that promises so much and has delivered tit bits of excitement so far.

Lightspeed Champion was the first band to release something of note (if you dismiss the actual release of Radiohead which i will for purposes of this blogs reputation: see albums of the year). Songs to kill to, songs to lie to and strangely songs to love to, Dev Hynes is a modern day tale teller of quirky sorts and his album sort of delves in to the less fanciable places of society, ironically for Hynes he delves far too deeply but it's wondrous to know the failures in such a beautiful creation....

Another band that entertained us in January was the strangely adaptive These New Puritians, i could possibly spill the usual bullshit journalist jargon about them being from stella Southend (Yes stella is spelt that way due to it being mostly full of stella lager drinkers), but no the album speaks for itself, it speaks largely in tongues but its quality. From Swords in Truth almost a nod to all those similar sounding hip hop records, but hell its out of tune English white kids to the almost brilliantness of Colours and yes they improve music ten fold.

January also said hello to Vampire Weekend with a collection of fun filled frolics, Cat Power singing a load of covers and Sons and Daughters releasing something extreme in delight.

February kicked in with Lupen Crooks latest effort, not only is it on par with his brilliant debut its almost too little, the Murderbirds have added a spike that was missing but it needs more yet still best to leave the audience as such. As for the Morrissey best of, please hardly a best of at least the two extra tracks nod interestingly at the new album due later this year.

Singles

Little has really excited me on the single front as of yet, except the odd gem. Firstly we had the dull affair of One Night Only, frankly one album only is too much for these Keane sounding chancers. Laura Marling's been kicking about but she's frankly too annoying to like and Biffy release another record of their latest sham fest, what a god awful record it was. Still Los Campesinos are as chirpy as they were in 2008 and it bodes well for the forthcoming album. Attic Lights seem capable of smashing into the music mind in 2008, and Blood Red Shoes build up to what surely will be a contender for album of the year with the latest single You Bring Me Down.

So finally this brings me to the chirpy almost ludicrously brilliant Hot Chip, Ready to a Floor betters anything on the debut and though I’ve not heard the record yet, if the single precludes the album in anyway then Hot Chip have finally arrived.......Fuck me Over & Over isn't a patch on this.

A Letter From America - Clinton Washout

I sit here with a coffee cup verging on empty and a Clinton Campaign verging on imploding, only yesterday many were expecting the sometimes fraught Clinton campaign to finally start to make inroads. But Super Tuesday followed by Obama's Super Saturday, and then defying the Clinton Camp in Maine to take a comfortable victory has left a solitary Hilary Rodham (Clinton) in crisis.

Young Man's Game

These elections are fantastic for the rhetorical student among us (Me) and Obama's message of "Change" is one that has got young America voting. In fact to many that is Obama's real difference and yet when politics is discussed with young people over here in Britain some will comment on it being the old man's game. Obama incidentally is 46 (47 when or if he enters the White House) and surely could be classed as an old man himself, but when the Clinton name has taken a battering and the media have destroyed the very essence of Bill by some labelling him a racist, the matter of age and association become blurred. This campaign for some is being viewed as a campaign between the young and old, Clinton the last of the 60's baby boomers and Obama the fresh faced Senator who is way before his time, yet it's not a suprise such a idea has been discussed for if Hilary was to take two terms 40% of Americans would have only ever seen a Clinton & Bush as president.

Clinton Comeback

So how Clinton come back, money is evaporating fast, and though the euphoria of “Super Tuesday” has now fizzled out into a black distant memory of celebration for Clinton she is far from finished.
Clinton has debates to come, something the campaign will rely on, they need trip the Obama train up, and policy is the issue they feel most certain on.

For all Obama's rhetoric it will probably come down to a battle for the mind rather than the heart. Obama could sweep all before him by taking Ohio or/and Texas, but if Clinton steals the states then we she could be back.......Will she? Who knows? My fair prediction is it's a race Clinton has to lose, but day by day Clinton's hope of taking the House is falling from view.

For the winner......a battle it seems with McCain.

Letter From America returns later this week.