Coping With Melancholia and Other Everyday Nuisances

In London you can estimate your black bile by remembering the last time you felt a cool breeze on your face. Straying along the cracked tiles of my front garden chilled my heart because the sensation of the frigid air felt eerily fresh. So I took a detour from my usual meander to the parade. I picked the last paper from my battered Rizla packet and stuck my headphones in my ears.

The first refuge is self medication. For Melancholia I prescribe rippling lithium, cheaper then intoxication and with less side effects. Music cuts cleaner then a scalpel and deeper then a drill. There is something synesthesiastic about it that goes without explanation because you just feel it.


“Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loose,
Nothin’ ain’t worth nothin’ but it’s free,
Feeling good was easy while Bobby sung the blues,
Feeling good was good enough for me,
Good enough for me and Bobby Mcgee.”

Johnny Cash - Me and Bobby Mcgee

Other songs to roll and walk to:

Jelly Roll Morton - Pretty Baby (Tony Jackson Song from 1916 in the Congress Recordings)

James Brown - Lost Someone (Live in 1963 at the Apollo)

Sona Diabate - Nassannaba (Performed with Bembeya Jazz National)

Davy Graham & Shirley Collins - Hori-Hori

Nico - These Days

John Holt - Strange Things

MF Doom - Lemon Grass (Instrumental from Special Herbs Vol. 3-4)

Durer implies there is a thin line between inspiration and despair. Life is never as bad as it seems or as good as it ought to be. So I tend to teeter between the two.

Saturday

PS

Is Tom dead or passed out on a pile of porn?

3 BAR BASHMENT!!

Hello there,
Our friends over at 3barfire recently invited us to 'clash' them on their monthly radio show on Samurai FM. We come in about 20 minutes in -




The Tracklisting for the mix is:
11. DJ Illo Vs 50 Cent 'Ayo Technology' - CDR / Coki 'Torture' - Tempa
12. South Rakkas Crew Feat New Kids 'Get Mad Again' - Mad Decent
13. Siriusmo 'Wow' (Modeselektor Edit) - CDR
14. Thom Yorke 'Eraser' (Xxxchange Mix) - Xl
15. Metro Area 'Miura' (Re-Edit) - White
16. Hot Chip 'Shake A Fist' - EMI
17. Rodion 'Electric Soca' (Crookers Mix) - Gomma
18. Dave Nada 'Spell On You' - T&A
19. Kano 'I M Ready' - Metronome
20. Andy Caldwell 'Warrior' (Claude Von Stroke Mix) – Om
21. Ja Rule Feat Lil' Wayne 'Uh Oh' - CDR
22. Unknown 'This Is How I Roll' - CDR

If that wasn't enough we will also be at the 3barfire Xmas Party. This will be extra special as the entire extended ruffhousing family will be in attendance as:
Alma Douce aka Nivea Visage
Flava D aka The Garlic Gentlemen
Tom Troublesome aka Percee Weezly
and Reecha aka Colin Creevey

will be nicing up the dance. There is a projector so we'll probabaly be playing a mixture of 'National Lampoon's Xmas Vacation', 'Planes, Train and Automobiles' and 'Schindler's List' to get into the christmas spirit.

RUFFHOUSING 50th POST

What you are reading here represents a big fat fucking milestone in blogger history. This is Ruffhousing's 50th post. To celebrate, we thought we'd fill a little felt pouch full of all our best bits from the past year or so and present it here. However, upon closer inspection, it became apparent that there weren't any. So instead, here is a video containing advice for females on what to do if their boyfriend is mistreating them:

BUN HIMMMMM!!!!



More actual posts soon.

Lots of love,

Trouble. xx

Records I Bought Last Week...

More food for thought…


Kanye West – Graduation (Roc-A-Fella, new release)

Kanye West has a massive ol’ heeeead but then again it is quite justified – two almost classic albums and a slew of superfluous beats for other artists. However, after this album it might be time for a wee scamp with a pin to deflate young Mr. West’s head somewhat. Street single ‘Can’t tell me nothing’ (actually spelt with the G) is a cracker, with a great spoof video on http://www.kanyewest.com/. But chart single ‘Stronger’ quickly got annoying, even with its quite original deployment of a Daft Punk sample (I say original but Busta did the same a while back with ‘Touch it’), and ‘Drunk and hot girls’ is the worst thing he has ever done. Everybody seems to have picked up on his use of synths on the album. These do make for a slightly different sound in comparison to the last two albums but they could have been used to more a more interesting end. The album also lacks the strong songs of the first two records and Kanye’s crate digging appears to be getting lazier – the use of Steely Dan’s ‘Kid Charlemagne’ on ‘Champion’ is catchy but a bit obvious.

Having said all that Kanye’s third is still better and more packed full than most other hip hop artists out there. It’s just with a track record and ego like Kanye’s I think he could and should have done better.


Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam (Domino, new release)

The Animal Collective are not a rag-tag gang of assorted misfit mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds but a bunch of noisy yanks that might quite an interesting and original racket. Their sounds is hard to describe but they are almost like The Shins meets Clap Hand Say Yeah with a pinch of a less jazzy Battles…if such a thing can be imagined. They’re an experimental group with an apparently shifting line-up. The album doesn’t make easy listening but it does make rewarding listening, with new qualities and touches revealed upon each listen. Worth peepin’ if you like that sort of thing (I certainly do) but if you want summat snappy and instantly catchy then look elsewhere.

Elmore Judd – Insect Funk (Honest Jon’s, new release)

This really is quite an original little album from an artist, I must confess, I had never heard of before. The album title pretty much sums up the album’s sound neatly in two words. It’s on some creepy-crawly, white boy soul type vibe – and is all the better for it! Opening track ‘Pirate song’ is a soul funk sea shanty replete with accordion that creeps right under your skin. The rest of the album follows a similar lo-fi funk direction with hushed falsetto vocals and lots of brushed cymbals. One tune (‘Funky nerd’) features the lyric ‘I’m a sneaky freaky geeky human being’ which is pretty much spot on, as there is a sexiness in the organs, synths, horns, strings and funky bass lines. A mystical stew pot of an album that is definitely worth checking out.

Blak Twang – Help Dem Lord (Rotton Production, new release)

Mr Taipanic can be a bit hit and miss. Luckily though this is one of his hits; not that it’ll be a hit though, its UK hip hop for god’s sake - about as saleable as a big barrel of Aids. The main reason for the tracks success in pleasing my little ears is the beat from Firstman, which is based on a sample from ‘Happiness Stan’ by Small Faces, from the brilliant Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake album. Righteous lyrics and a dope beat – not bad.

Beastie Boys – Electric Worm b/w Suco Detangerina (Capitol, new release)

The album this single was taken from (The Mix-Up) got decidedly average reviews when it was released, which in my (possibly slightly biased) view were quite harsh. The Beastie Boys make a decent noise when they hit their lounge style up; and the album features their best playing to date. Apparently they’re gonna re-do the album with ‘a bunch or British people’ laying down vocals over their instrumentals…should be interesting. Anyway, these are two of the most memorable tracks on the album, but as a single are for completists only.

Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass (Def Jux, new release)

Aesop Rock is a bit of a divider of opinion. This album may well be what unites opinion on the exceptionally gifted emcee. The beats are more accessible and funky, while his flow has become less jarring and nasal. The vast majority is handled by Blockhead as with previous career high Labor Days, however the man at the helm of Def Jux, El-P, does appear for a track and a handle of tracks are self produced (something that bogged down last album Bazooka Tooth a bit, but works well this time around).

The production definitely has a less claustrophobic, more feel good feel compared to Bazooka Tooth but could never be called poppy. The style is dark but open and very much bass line driven over the 14 tracks. Title track ‘None shall pass’ is a definite highlight, as well as the appearance of Breezly Brewin’ (star of Prince Paul’s opus A Prince Among Thieves) on ‘Getaway car’.

This is Aesop’s most accessible album to date, right up there with Labor Days. That’s not to say he’s gone soft though, he still kicks it hard over hard beats. Probably a good album to introduce you to the Def Jux sound.

Kid Acne – Romance Ain’t Dead (Lex, new release)

Once again another quality little Lex release packed full of originality – imagine Run DMC meets Sham 69, with a South Yorkshire accent… The beats have a distinctly old school feel (BDP, Slick Rick etc) with ‘South Yorks’ even sampling ‘South Bronx’ by BDP. While the lyrics and flow kicked by the Kid are similarly rudimentary. And it’s this back to basics approach that makes it such a refreshing release in the sphere of UK hip hop, where most other mcs try and fit a million syllables into every line. This album is straight up fun, a fucking rarity in UK hip hop. The punk tracks fit well next to the hip hop tracks – most of which have damn catchy choruses. The album also weighs in at a meagre 30 minutes, which is almost like an EP in the hip hop world, but hip hop albums are too long any, so safe – another nice change. Basically a great hip hop album this ain’t, a whole heap of fun and good humour it is.

Gallows – Orchestra of Wolves (Warner, 2007)

Punk is dead. No matter what any hardcore fan tells you, punk really is dead. This, however, is a great punk album. They do still get made you know. I wish I’d seen Gallows live (I will be at the next opportunity if Frank Carter doesn’t decide to jack it in), as lot of my friends have and sing their praises highly. This is an album FULL of energy, and while a lot of bands of their type can’t back up their energy with songs, Gallows certainly can. ‘Abandon ship’ and new single ‘In the belly of a shark’ are both fucking crackers but don’t massively outshine the rest of the album, which is a testament to its strength in depth. If you haven’t bought a ‘punk’ album in a while, buy this fucker. It’ll kick you fucking face off. Yes.

TOP 5: HORRIFIC REGGAE COVER VERSIONS

Personally, I love all reggae and I won't hear a bad word against it. However, having said that, a lot of it is shit and I hate it.

The main reason for this occasional hatred is the supreme unreliability of those pesky Rastas. Sure, they make some good tunes, but nine times out of ten - when they're not shouting at gays or shunning pork products - they're off making horrific cover versions. Here are the five worst:

1. Beres Hammond – Just Like A Woman (Bob Dylan)


We kick off with a track taken from the album 'Is It Rolling Bob?'; an ill-advised collection of reggae takes on popular Dylan songs. On ‘Just Like A Woman’, Beres Hammond transforms the beautiful, cottony feel of Bob's excellent original into what is essentially the sound of 2 for 1 Cocktail Evening on a cruise ship. A desperately poor and ludicrously cheesy effort.

2. Eek-A-Mouse – Georgie Porgie (Anon - Traditional Nursery Rhyme)


Eek-A-Mouse has been known to claim, “I eat with my gun, I sleep with my gun, I even clean my teeth with my gun”. However, this hardman act loses more than a little weight upon listening to the track above, on which the pinball-voiced 'singjay' regales us with the age-old anecdote about that feckless romantic, Georgie Porgie, and his failed attempts at seduction. What the hell is the Mouse doing here? He’s a master spinner of yarns involving the smuggling of ganja, the loving of virgin girls and, as you can see above, the use of firearms in preventing plaque. He’s not a fucking reggae version of Jack-a-nory. This is a messy stain on an otherwise perfectly spotless reputation.

3. Big Youth – It's Not Unusual (Tom Jones)


I wish I was friends with Big Youth. Not just because he's very tall and black, but also because I could have taken him aside before he went into the booth to record this version of 'It's Not Unusual' by boisterous Welsh audio sex-pest, Tom Jones. The conversation would have gone like this:

Me: Alright, Big Youth?
Big Youth: Yeah, I'm alright.
Me: You're looking very tall and black today.
BY: Cheers.
Me: What you up to now?
BY: Just going to record a song.
Me: Oh, wicked. Is it another groundbreaking, amp-shuddering dub classic?
BY: No, it's a deeply average version of 'It's Not Unusual' by boisterous Welsh audio sex-pest, Tom Jones.
Me: That's a bad idea, Big Youth.
BY: Is it?
Me: Yes. Go and record another groundbreaking, amp-shuddering dub classic.
BY: OK. Thanks for the advice, Tim.
Me: It's Tom.
BY: Whatever.

4. Anthony Cruz – Stay Awake (Aerosmith – I Don't Want To Miss A Thing)


Hopefully you won't have heard of Anthony Cruz. If you haven't, then well done. If you have, please go immediately to the nearest live land mine and give it a good, hard kick. Really boot it. With your toe, not the side of your foot. Really punt it. Go on, give it a proper kicking; don't be shy. You weren't shy at HMV when you bought this piece of shit record, were you, you musically-castrated cunt? There are deaf people in this world who would do anything for a pair of working ears, and you use yours to listen to a talentless Jamaican man with a vocoder covering flaccid stadium rock power ballads.

Anyway, I own this song. As you might have guessed, it's not very good. Candy-floss synths and Rice Krispie crackle-drums emulate Aerosmith's weepy, windswept anthem while Cruz wanks along half-heartedly on the vocal. Dreadful.

5. Yellowman – We Wish You A Reggae Christmas (Anon – Bastardized Christmas Carol)


Well, what more ear-gougingly horrendous way to end this list than with the decade-long winner of the 'Jamaica's Oddest-Looking Man' Competition: Yellowman. This song is his chirpy, reggae take on the popular Yuletide staple, 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'. This song features the chorus line, “we wish you a reggae Christmas, and a reggae New Year”. This song would reduce even the blackest-hearted, coldest-blooded criminal warlord to a shrieking, sobbing heap of shredded Kleenex. This song should be the stock component in the rucksack of any international terrorist or perverted sado-masochist. This song should be pumped into the ears of convicted murderers and rapists twenty-four hours a day. This song should be Guantanamo Bay's theme tune.

On the plus side, Yellowman does namecheck a lot of excellent reggae singers (Sizzla, Anthony B etc) and tell them, inexplicably, that they’re “welcome”. “Welcome” to what, we can’t be sure. Possibly to appearing on the single worst reggae song of all time.

DUN KNOW THE BLOGSPOT

Tommy Troublesome

Records I Bought This Week...

Every week I buy several to many (depending on inspiration and funding) records. I always have to have new music on my shelf or I feel, hmmm, well just odd really. Anyway, I have decided to start telling you about my weekly purchases, as you might find my ramblings of a modicum of interest. And so without further ado, here are the records I bought this week (well last week really)…



The Coral – Roots & Echoes (Deltasonic, new release)

The Coral’s 5th and best since their 2nd. After the patchy disappointment of the Portishead produced last album this is a return to form. Skelly’s song writing ability keeps growing and growing, with this his most mature selection yet. The album has a lovely earthy feel, something that The Invisible Invasion lacked sorely lacked. The bands little psych freak-outs are just about still there, better deployed on this release than any since their brilliant debut, but have been mostly replaced by far more mature, less ‘I’m a stoner, check out mystical gobbledegook’ songs. A major highlight is Bill Ryder-Jones’ guitar which is superfluous throughout. Good news as he left the band for a while, almost resulting in their break-up. After coming back from the edge, The Coral have come up with their best collection of songs to date. Peep it.

Tunng – Good Arrows (Full Time Hobby, new release)

I’ve seen Tunng live twice now, both times at Moseley Folk Festival (http://www.myspace.com/moseleyfolk), and their growth as a band is as hugely evident on stage as it is on their second album, Good Arrows. They’re a folk band but not as we know it – current line up includes a percussionist, three guitarists (all of whom sing), a beautiful girl that plays gadgets and also sings and a DJ/sample triggerer/drum programmer type bloke. The basic premise for this album is nice layer vocals over folky guitars, beats and noises. Funny little songs and funny little things, ‘a cracking little album,’ said I.

Shape of Broad Minds – Craft of the Lost Art (Lex, new release)

Lex is one of those new labels where everything they release seems to be quality, a bit like Rawkus and Def Jux used to be. This release is no different. I only bought it because it was on Lex and it was a total stab in the dark. I wasn’t disappointed. Dark, murky, funk infused beats, a bit like a Lootpack for ’07. It’s quite long at 23 tracks but well worth ploughing through in its entirety; some tracks like ‘Opr8r’ are even quite catchy. It seems that main man Jneiro Jarel is quite a talented wee chappy and chooses some good names to pop up with cameo’s – MF Doom, Count Bass D… One of the best, and most different sounding (i.e. not backpack) independent hip hop albums of the last few years.

Dr Who Dat? – Beat Journey (Lex, 2006)

Sitting within spitting distance of the Shape of Broad Minds album was this, also on Lex. Dr Who Dat? is a member of SBM and this is an album comprised entirely of his instrumental works. The beats are quite expansive having a nice open feel to them, often having several samples weaving in and out of each other creating quite a jazzy (due to the nature of the samples) and layered sound. Unlike a lot of instrumental hip hop albums, say ones my certain turnablists, its not just a showcase scratching skills – in fact there isn’t really any noticeable on the album, which makes a nice change. The emphasis is on abstract but accessible beats that reveal more with each listen. An album best enjoyed at night, preferably whilst driving.

The White Stripes - Icky Thump (XL, new release)

I used to think The White Stripes were crap. I mean I liked ‘Hello Operator’ and bought its parent album De Stijl because it was alright. Thought that White Blood Cells was derivative bollox and looked on perplexed as the entire planet gave ‘Seven Nation Army’ a thorough and exhaustive rim job (I means its ok but Christ!). I also thought the album it was taken from, Elephant, was a load of gash. It was only ‘Doorbell’ and the rest of the Get Behind Me Satan album that made me really take notice, and Icky Thump has made me continue to pay attention. The guitars that left briefly for Satan are back this time around and Jack serves up some of his best riffs to date with a more beefed up sound. Singles, ‘Icky Thump’ and ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)’ are great little openers for the album and set the tone well. While the lack of much guitar on Satan focussed the attention on Jack’s songs, this album is distinctly guitar led but also has songs to ensure repeated listens. A big album packed full of quality Americana and even some fucking bagpipes!

Fairport Convention – Liege and Lief (Island, 1969)

Fucking straight up stone cold classic! Not really sure why another reissue was needed, they did one only a few years back. This is one of Universal’s Deluxe series with a second cd of outtakes and BBC sessions, a couple of which are quite essential. I saw Fairport this weekend at Moseley Folk Festival and although a tad cheesy they were as tight as fuck (little Dave ‘I’ve got new lungs’ Swarbrick even made an appearance for a couple of tracks). Anyway, the extra cd is a nice little bonus but it’s the main album that is all killer no filler. I can’t be arsed to go on about it because you can read about it elsewhere in more depth than I can afford here – ‘The most important folk album of all time’ proclaims the cover. Not a bad shout. As Missy said, ‘Cop dat shit.’

M.I.A – Kala (XL, new release)

The first time I saw M.I.A was on Pop World; a monkey pissed on her and she came over as an absolute moron. Her first album, Arular, came out and everybody bummed it – I still thought she was a moron but had to concede to the fact that I would dance to ‘Galang’ when pissed. Kala is her second album and I pretty sure I don’t she’s a moron anymore. Darker, more political and peppered with nods to distinctly ‘whiter’ music (Jonathon Richman and Pixies for example), Kala is a winner. Tracks like ‘Bamboo Banga’ and ’20 Dollar’ do indeed bang, although the Timbaland collaboration is a bit of a disappointment. If you’re feeling a bit cool and worldly this week, this is definitely an album worth checking out.

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock (Polydor, 1991)

I’m a big fan of Talk Talk and have been looking for this album for ages. It’s not currently available in this country, even though the others have been the subject of nice reissues (it was released by Polydor not EMI) but I managed to finally pick it up as a nice cheap import in HMV (£9.99). Basically the evolution that had been occurring since the bands debut continues with this, their final album. Even more jazz infused than Spirit of Eden but without the synth-y feel, this album is another Mark Hollis helmed masterpiece. His hushed vocals hit perfectly in this organic sounding mix of ambience, jazz (think Miles’ In a Silent Way), found sounds and splashes of quietly crunching guitars. An album that really has to be heard…

Foals – Matheletics (Transgressive, new release)

Trendy little indie band make vital sounding single, fail to follow through with decent album. Happens every bloody week. Blame the NME. My brother tells me their first single sounded similar but better, so seems that the same may be true again. Prove me wrong you skinny little bastards.

Super Furry Animals – Hey Venus! (Rough Trade, new release)

I ain’t gonna lie to you, I fucking love the Super Furries. They’re simply a great British band. However, a couple of albums back they hit cruise control. Lucky for them they set this cruise control in ‘High Quality’ mode. The only problem with them at the moment is that although they keep churning out consistently good albums, they seem to be devoid of their moments of shear brilliance and genius. For instance Hey Venus! doesn’t have a single on it, let alone something that could compete with past greats in the ilk of ‘Northern Lights’, ‘Juxtaposed With You’ or ‘Herman Loves Pauline’. This is evidenced in the cool little single ‘Show Your Hand’ totally failing to hit the Top 40, while the album was this week’s highest new entry at 11. Basically, what SFA have given us is another great little album (short and sweet at 35 minutes) just lacking in their invention of old. Not to say it isn’t inventive though, there are more ideas on here than a band like Kaiser Chiefs could come up with in a whole time, like I said there just aren’t the highs of old. I will say however, that the cover is the worst of their career…


Samyo