Music I've been listening to lately...

Biked into the centre and bought these LPs.

-Soundtrack of Good Bye Lenin! by Yann Tiersen
-"Noarh's Ark" by CocoRosie (Official website), Touch and Go Records
-"La maison de mon reve" the second-last album by CocoRosie
-"you could have it so much better" by Franz Ferdinand, Domino Record

I saw Good Bye Lenin! ages ago when it came out in cinema. It was good but I had to understand through the Dutch subtitles, and my Dutch wasn't that great then, so I missed some important conversations I think. I'll go and borrow the DVD again.
The composer is apparently the guy who did soundtrack for Amelie, but I don't know if the music is similar to that...the soundtrack is mainly piano with a bit of orchestration. Very chilled out. Listened to it once, I give it 8 out of 10.

Noah's Ark--is playing right now, and even though I already had some mp3 tracks, this is a really good record (CD, whatever). I asked the owner of the shop when I was paying "Have you listened to CocoRosie?" and he said whenever he plays this CD in the shop people ask his what it is, and that he thought they were "similar to a singer called Joanna Newsom but actually even better" at which point I thought "Oh you have CD version of this too???" Too late!

But sometimes I like LPs more, because
1) Your mate can't rip them into their computer/iPod/may even put them on some file-share program the very next day you bought the CD. Ouch.
2) When I buy them I feel like I'm buying music in a donut. It's big (thus the cover could become a nice interior--imagine hanging 100LPs in a clear plastic from the ceiling!), heavy, and in fact you only need a needle if you wanna play it. (that's an emergency situation tho)
Unlike the little shiny son CD where I still don't understand how music is stored on it or how it's played back, LP's analogueness is almost refreshing at this time and age.
3) Music sounds different, if not better sometimes on LP... depends on your needle and soundsystem too, but music like CocoRosie, with its melancholic folk influence to it, sounds fitting in this format. I use Tonar Banana cartridge so music's quite clear too.
Like if I listen to Curtis Mayfield LP, I wouldn't want to listen in CD cos it feels right to listen to the original sound quality--what people listened to at that time.

Anyway, Noahs Ark is coming to an end, and I give it 8.5

La maison de mon reve was apparently made in the bathroom of their (2 sisters') Paris flat.
I didn't realize how dark their lyrics were, till I read it on the back of their LP cover.
The tune I really like called Lyla was actually a tribute song to Lilya4ever (a film by Lukas Moodysson), and starts off like "you wanted to buy me/for a hundred euro". When sang in their floaty voices you wouldn't think they are singing THAT.
Track 3, Jesus Loves Me, too was a bit shocking, when the first verse is "jesus loves me/but not my wife/not my nigger friends/or their nigger lives/but jesus loves me/that's for sure/'cause the bible/tells me so", sang in a child-like mood with chimes and stuff in the background.
But soon you realize that they are just being sarcastic about religion, typical role-model of woman as housewife (that's track 2, called "By Your Side" etc. They are as sharp as Jim O'Rourke in their lyrical darkness.
Haven't listen to all the tracks but I have a feeling it's gonna be 8 at most. Noah's Ark has better production, more variation, and the shockingness has eased off a bit.

And Franz Ferdinand then. I've started to listen again to Brit-rock in the last 3-4 months. The string of artists that came into my mp3 collection included Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Star Sailor....they all make me feel that Brit-rock has gained another edge to it. And Franz Ferdinand perhaps kick-started it with their first album a couple of years ago (was it??).. and their latest offering is instantly catchy as i can hear. Can't help noddin my head and tappin my toes:-)
I give it an 8, may go higher after listenin more.

Ok better go...later...

p.s. On the second listen Franz Ferdinand album went up from 8 to 9 and La maison.. stayed at 8.