...the pain killers make the pain even worse...

'Chips Ahoy', by The Hold Steady.

Top class American indie rock. Or is it indie? Sounds kind of like Bruce Springsteen in parts- although this one crystallises what the Killers have been doing for the last few years. Although they sound kind of like Bruce Springsteen, I suppose.

I like the girl and the pool cleaner. A good fun video. They're playing the Cathouse on Valentine's Day.

When The Deal Goes Down

Transfer deadline day, eh? It's football porn- entertaining frustration.

Anyway- this is better. Go to Live Footy, to watch just about any game of football you like, live on your computer. As I type, I've got Arsenal v Spurs open in one window, and AC Milan open in another.

You need to download some software: SopCast, PPStream, and PCast. This can seem fiddly, but it seems to have worked fine for me.

Meantime- the other great event of 2007 is Bob Dylan Theme Time Radio. It turns out he's not only the single greatest songwriter of all time, but also the greatest DJ of them all- go here to listen again to the latest show, or listen live on Fridays at 9pm on BBC 6 Music.

To clelebrate which- here's one of Dylan's most beautiful recent songs, starring Scarlett Johansson in the video...

Thommo

Celtic Career (1/9/00-12/1/07)

227 Appearances
51 Goals (including 6 against Rangers)
4 SPL Championship Medals
3 Scottish Cup Medals
1 UEFA Cup Vice Champion Medal

Thank you so much for the memories, Alan- fare thee very well!

Guided by Voices

14 Cheerleader Coldfront

2006- Top Ten Songs

Best song of the year? Erm, no idea, but I compiled this list in less than ten minutes which must count for something...

The Pipettes- Pull Shapes



(The video makes sense when you see this clip from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls)

The Scissor Sisters- I Don't Feel Like Dancing- watch the video here...

The Mountain Goats- Woke Up New- watch the video here...

Girls Aloud- Something Kindah Ooh




Primal Scream- Country Girl- watch the video here...

Tilly and the Wall- The Freest Man



Band of Horses- The Funeral- download the mp3 here...

Cat Power- Lived in Bars- download the mp3 here...

Camera Obscura- Lloyd I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken- download the mp3 here...

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone- The Subway Home

Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly!

Help me out: is this epoch-making genius, or twee nonsense that I'm going to hate in two weeks?

The Dog Up and Died

My favourite YouTube video (of many)...



A seriously talented individual. And when he died, the Las Vegas Strip dimmed its lights for ten minutes as a mark of respect, a thing that had happened only twice in its history, once when John F Kennedy had died, and once when Martin Luther King had died.

This video here is from the 80s.

America didn't speak when the news of his death was read out on the teatime news in 1990- he was 64 when he died.

Men becoming Bhoys

There you go- what a night- and when the penalty was saved (see below), I swear that something unhinged in the old place- I have never seen Celtic Park like that before.

We are SO proud of those boys tonight- to step out there and do it when NOT ONE member of the Scottish media (or any former player working in the mainstream press, to my knowledge) had given them the slightest chance...

An amazing effort- God bless them, every single one, on this night when men became Bhoys.

Forever Changes- The Beatles, Love

Good title, great album- how come I didn't know about this 'eagerly awaited' new Beatles album? Anyway- moments like the intro to 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', 'I Am the Walrus'or a sublime stripped back 'Come Together' that remind you of what you're dealing with here. Haven't seen the dvd yet, but that'll be sensational too.

Love it, and read about it here...

Fill Your Heart With Ecstasy

The celebrations continue with the Flaming Lips at the SECC- the band consistently make us feel glad to be alive, and last night was a continuation of a glorious series of life-enhancing concerts over the last twelve years.

Do we love them? Indeed we do.

Get a taste of the atmosphere below- hundreds of beach balls floating in ecstatic animation to one of the finest songs of recent times...

Fun For A While

At the risk of posting slight variations on the same picture until we all die. I did think this shot of Celtic Park on Saturday was pretty dreamy.

Also- Virginia Plains by Roxy Music is indeed a cracking song. To continue this pretty random theme, here's my fave, better than Bill Murray's version, with hilarious eighties video symbolism...

The Information

Got the Beck album, The Infor- mation. I think it's ok- surely his best since Sea Change. It was described as being like a cross between The Postal Service and The Beta band. I'm not sure where the Postal Service comparisons are coming from (although it got my attention), but certainly the Beta Band are important here.

As always, the melodies in Beck's songs are his weakest area- his lyrics are always interesting though, and I agree the record sounds great- the production is excellent throughout.

I fast forwarded a couple of songs, but on the whole I listened to it, and enjoyed it. I'll give it a 6 (very high for me, for any Beck album apart from Sea Change). Good work.

And here's some more Casiotone live at Tuts:

Heaven, a gateway, a hope...

Johnny, this one's for you- I hope everything's good, and goes well...

CFTPA in Tuts- Video

Give it a minute- takes a while to load- this could be the start of a whole new side to Walking on Snow if this works.

Linger at the Twinkle Lights

Celtic Park looking all cold, v Copenhagan 26/9/06.

Celtic Park looking lovely and warm (and some Rangers players looking slightly scared), three days earlier.

Anyway- this new camera- Sony Ericsson k800i. Cool piece of kit. Here's Casiotone at King Tut's on 27/9/06, setting up his big keyboard:


And here's him playing his lovely music:


And here's the lad walking off stage, job done, audience floored by full-band show, comparisons to Dylan at Royal Albert Hall ringing round the venue, smiles and tears, and gratitude lying in his wake:


When I get round to it, there will be world exclusive video clips here of Casiotone's moment of greatness...

...call that versatile...

See Kenny Miller find out what it's really like to be a footballer at the best club in the world here...

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

Gorgeous Can't Be Ordinary

This is the trailer for the really cool American indie film Brick- I recommend it.

The guy who directed it, directed the new Mountain Goats video, Woke Up New, as previously recommended on here.

Wake Up New

Good news all round- Gravesen in (he is a sensation!!!), Petrov goes with good riddance after his display when Celtic won the league last year- what a way to lose the affection of 60 000 people in one go. So, we get a better player, plus £6m- sounds like decent business.



As if Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink wasn't enough- it took him less than 35 minutes to win the man of the match award on Saturday in a cracking game at Celtic Park- see the highlights here...

As the Mountain Goats would say, we're waking up new- see John Darnielle's very beautiful new video here.

Happy 6-2 Day!

Six years ago to the very minute (as I write this, the second half would have been kicking off)! Relive that day of days here...

Everyone remembers Larsson's sublime chip ('THAT... IS... SENSATIONAL!!!!!'- great commentary from Ian Crocker- and Davie Provan came back with the excellent 'A very special goal, from a very special player!')- anyway, everyone remembers that goal, but watching the highlights, it was Moravcik, of course, who detroyed Rangers in the first fiteen minutes- two unstoppable corners, then a wee moment of magic where he spun 180 degrees in the box to set up Lambert's screamer.


Anyway- so much to say about it- just watch the highlights, and love it, love it, love it...

Jandek- The Cell

As you've never heard him before- this is surely the most beautiful windfall in recent music memory- recorded at the CCA in Glasgow in May 2005, Jandek with quiet, contemplative Sati-like delicacy. Please enjoy it here.

If you want something a bit more poppy, check out the lovely I'm From Barcelona; or if you want to stay weird, look at the vaguely-threatening-in- a-middle-class-sort-of-way Daddy and the Husband: as they say, only in the West End of Glasgow...