Well, it's finally happened. Elavator music is for real and has been especially written for a lift! Harrods have just started a 2 month, in-store visual merchandising event with a series of installations in it's Grade 2 listed lifts.
It's called Senses and each lift is devoted to the 5 senses. Michael Nyman - he composed the film score for The Piano and many Peter Greenaway movies, has written a score entitled Lift Music 1.
What is there left to say?

Sat down and watched this last night and was even more fascinated by him than I was before. Always been a fan, he probably has one of the most beautful, baritone voices ever. It wasn't until half the way in that I really understood the genius of him. Sure he is a recluse, exceptionally serious, never compromised - we knew all this but it's the level he has now reached. The title of the movie, The 30th Century Man is so apt, he is so out there and beyond avant garde.
He said he wants to get to a state where he's just a 'man singing' and this he has acheived but not in the same way as other singers. His voice when in the high registers, is heartbreaking and compelling and very much not of now, or this world. Combined with lyrics, of which Jarvis Cocker said he does not understand them but it doesn't matter, makes the combination arresting and when listening to his later works, Tilt etc., it literally stops everything and puts you into another world.
I greatly admire any artist in any field who will not succumb to corporate pressure and work within a short time frame so that they short cut what they can give. It takes not so much a brave man to defy the system but someone who really believes in what he does and what he has and Walker does just that but without the arrogance.
The film itself was extremely well made and I liked that his tracks were played to people who were being interviewed and you saw what it made them feel. It really got to the heart of Walkers whole process, which he hates to talk about as he feels it jinxes him. The whole thing stayed with me and I keep thinking about it today, it has created a different feeling in me because the film itself created a whole, new visual world.
Probably one of the best music documentaries/films I have seen. can't recommend it enough.
I hope to revisit his music over the next few weeks if time allows.

http://www.scottwalkerfilm.com/blog/

I work for a US company whom I love but just hate it when they say 'the Brits' in conversation, seems so crass so I was on a loser as soon as I watched the Brit Awards. Actually I recorded it this year as I ususally cannot sit through it as a whole and this year was no exception. It tries so hard to be Rock 'n Roll and ends up being a pantomime. Great idea to have the Osbournes present but only one of them, Kelly, was any good at it. Both Jack and Ozzy looked like bookends and Sharon tries too hard.

Was Vic Reeves really drunk? I don't think so again just a case of 'trying' to be cool and rock n' roll. Will Young seemed the only presenter with any sense and as for the acts well there were too many bad ones to list [Mica, good god where did this guy come from, please stick a label on him and return to send immediately] except for one who really must be named - Paul McCartney! On Live & Let Die he just could not reach those notes and his voice was running on 30% from the start.

So the good ones: great performance by Leona Lewis who lost out on three nominations:

...and Mark Ronson

Winehouse for me is better digested audibly rather visually, it's almost like she is singing one song and moving ['cause it's not dancing] to another.

All in all shambolic as usual.

Catched the young Duffy on the Culture Show singing Mercy live with a percussionist and 2 guitarist, really great live version!

Also caught Robert Plant on the ONE show, his album with Alison Krauss went platinum in the US yesterday and total deserves it.

Listened to Jean Michel Jarre's OXYGENE which dropped out of the Daily Mail the other day, was really good to hear it again, although synthesised it didn't sound that dated. Most of these free CD's are either really bad live recordings or just plain bad but this one was very good.

Saw I Am Legend, loved it and it wasn't until half way through that I realised that it had no score and it really worked enhancing, the feeling of isolation. Also saw the Golden Compass which was absolute tosh and propoganda and had a song, Lyra, sung over the end credits by Kate Bush which was the only good thing about it. Saw This Is England which is undeniably brilliant and Atonement which is not. So sayeth me.

Currently judging the hospital radio I am involved in, Xmas Shows. In one day I listened to shows on folk music, big band, country and one dedicated to instrumentals - where else would you get that kind of adversity? Better stop now else I'll be striding up to my usual soap box on the current state of radio . . . .

Check out the sultry voice of Beth Rowley. Her album is not out till April but you can download some tracks from itunes. Got into her via the magazine The Word's free sample disc. It's a slow blues song called Nobody's Fault But Mine and just downloaded her version of the gospel song Only One Cloud. She's only 26 so together with Duffy I do hope this signals a new wave of real music if you know what I mean.
Caught The Grammy's on TV this week and what a waste of time, is it me but has Alicia Keys sold out, I didn't even recognise her plus all the current female singers all sound exactly the same! The only amazing act of the the whole thing was Herbie Hancock and Ylang Ylang with full orchestral support playing the full version of Gershwin's timeless Rhapsody In Blue.

Happy Sunday!

Seem to have cleared all my New Year work duties and am back to my routine so hopefully more blogs will follow.

Listening to Silent Shout by The Knife, great to listen to in the car.

Settled down and listened to k d lang's first own material CD for 8 years, Watershed. Not quite Ingenue [her first CD] but very close, the voice remains sublime.

Big NEW THING surely has to be Duffy, her retro 60's single Mercy is released on the 25th of this month and I will be downloading it immediately, she sounds fab and what a great song.

Taped the BBC 4 documentary on Scott Walker plus last night's BBC show on the Stiff record label....goodies are waiting on my DVD hard drive.

More to come,
Listen to Music Whenever You Can!!