Cheryl Cole - 3 Words

I'll get round to fully reviewing this soon, but early indications are that this is a solid 3.5/5 affair. Standouts on first listen include the title track, and 'Parachute'

It won't set the world alight, but it could have been a hell of lot worse.

Annie - Don't Stop

After a tortuously long wait through the debacle that was 'The Island Years" Scandinavian pop princess Annie returns with the definitive version of her sophmore album. And, boy, was it worth the wait. I haven't listened to version one for a long time, so that the album will hopefully feel fresh. I'll write my thoughts down as I listen. Here we go.

1. 'Hey Annie'

Very obvious Epworth influence running throughout this. The synths and drums work very well with Annie's voice. The melody progression in the chorus is lovely. The singing/spoken word arrangement works well. Love the bells in the chorus. RAVE WHISTLE. Not overly keen on the chanting, although it reminds me a bit of 'Block Party' by Lisa Left Eye Lopez for some reason. Big fan of the way it ends. 8/10

2. 'My Love Is Better'

Again, this is very obviously Xenomania, although unlike in 'Hey Annie' I'm not sure it's a good thing. The chorus would have benefitted from Girls Aloud's vocals, as the call and response bits lack the punch that I would have liked. Some nice synth work throughout, but ultimately sounds like something that should have been on 'Chemistry' Some of the lyrics are good, quite sharp, but it's not really Annie. Not sure on this being the second single. 6.5/10

3. 'Bad Times'

This is probably my favourite of the Xeno tracks, as it seems to suit Annie's voice better. Still unmistakably Xeno though. Great melody in the chorus. Production is relatively sparse, which again, works well with her voice. Really like when the drums kick back in after the middle eight, it makes the whole thing a bit more epic. Love the echo on her voice towards the end. 7/10

4. 'Don't Stop'

Lovely intro! Really feeling the drum beat throughout this. Also love the synth that sounds a bit like a hairdryer. Lyrically beautiful, as is the way that they are delivered. The bits before each chorus are amazing. Synth breakdown works brilliantly. Also sounds a bit like it's underwater. Final chorus is suitably epic. Another win for Epworth. 8/10

5. 'I Don't Like Your Band'

WOW. Amazingly old school intro. Annie's voice sounds great here. Double layered vocals! Oh my god, the chorus. Brillant name checking of Kraftwerk & Giorgio Moroder. Love the way she says 'I like you' THE CHORUS! THE MIDDLE EIGHT! If this isn't a single I may spotaneously combust. 9/10

6. 'Songs Remind Me Of You'

Even after 2 and a half years, this still sounds amazingly fresh. Possibly one of Annie's best songs ever. It's interesting that this is the only song she didn't co-write. Whatever though, Annie/X is always a winning combination. Brilliant synth work, again. Lots of little swizzles everywhere. Actually quite dark. Great breakdown/buildup near the climax. Lovely cymbal to close. 8/10

7. 'Marie Cherie'

One of my favourites from the original version, and I played it to death when I got it. The orchestral arrangements are hauntingly beautiful, as are Annie's almost ethereal vocals. Everything about this just works so well, especially the violins in the bridge. It's quite menacing in a way. I'd like to see her do an old school Bond theme. Very nice. 9/10

8. 'Take You Home'

Thank god they got rid of the 'U' Another of my favourites from the original, it's also one of the songs that would fit quite easily on 'Anniemal' Brilliant lyrics. Slutty Annie! Again, the sparse production really elevates this song. Like 'Marie Cherie' it's quite menacing and dark. Love the drum breakdown. Tempo picks up nicely towards the end. Love the opera-esque singing in the background. 8/10

9. 'The Breakfast Song'

I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one. It's brilliantly mental, and totally Annie, but incredibly annoying. It's a bit jarring after the darkness of the previous two tracks. However, by the end 'Coffe and TV' bit, it has kind of won me over. There's just so much going on! I'm going to shout 'What do you want for BREAKFAST?' all the time now though. 6/10

10. 'Loco'

Annnd, back to the Xenomania tracks. This is probably the most obviously Girls Aloud reject, and J was right in comparing it to 'Long Hot Summer' It's a pleasant enough song, but it just doesn't seem like Annie to me. That bloody guitar is annoying me a bit. Make that a lot. Annie sounds...uncomfortable. The chorus is nice though. 5/10

11. 'When The Night'

LOVE this. Definitely up there with 'Bad Times' as my favourite Xeno track. The lyrics are beautiful, and Annie sounds wistful throughout. One of the rare occasions they haven't overproduced the backing, and it really works. Very 80's, but not in a tacky way. Chorus is lovely. Well played. 7.5/10

12. ' Heaven And Hell'

Really surprised they decided to end the album with this. It's pleasant enough, in a Sunday morning kind of way, but I would have preferred either 'Take You Home' or Songs Remind Me Of You' Annie sounds great though. Like the 'Tell me where did I go wrong' bit. Like the fade out. 6/10

Well, that was great. Still a bit mystified as to why they chose 'Heaven And Hell' to close after the kinetic opening of 'Hey Annie' but it works. The album flows a lot better than before, and the inclusion of the Epworth tracks really elevate the album into something special. I will get round to reviewing the 'All Night E.P' and I'll post it here soon.

Now, where is 'Don't Stop' going to go in my albums of the year?

Escape to Twee

This weekend has been exactly what I have needed for a long time. Highlights include (in no particular order)

'We even checked the small drawers'

'I believe the children are our future'

Projectored X Factor at Alice's

Cracked out Whitney

Being pleasantly surprised at Cheryl Cole

Dissecting the mind fuck that was 'The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus'

The Rice, Noodle, and Pie drawers.

Gorgeous Fat Anne

Frankie's screeching, sorry, singing.

The hardworking Thai 2 Go women (NOT the scary father-son slave drivers. Socks & Sandals?)

The absolute silence of Winchester at night.

"Did he say 'Get a haircut?'" "No, he said 'why are you going down there for?'"

Laughing more than I have in a long time.

J's brilliant sleep movements.

The scenic route that was basically a lot of fields and a nice river.

'I had a dream that I won a competition to direct a Sugababes video'

ARMY OF FRENCH CHILDREN.

The obscene amount of food that was consumed. (Fatty fat fats)

'I'm getting a belly from this weekend.'

THE BLACK BARON (And pretty much everything about Madworld, especially Chanelle)

The absolute fail of 'Dry Weekend'

'Bwaa bwaa bwaa'

The cat with opposable thumbs, and messed up hind feet (Aka, slaggy cat)

'Oh! It's a boy!'

'I can't have it without cheese!'

'Standard Leona video...pretty bland...OHHHH!'

'You just dropped her pacemaker into her body!'

My complete inability to cut open a patient. Or suture. Or bandage. Pretty good at draining though.

'They left the medical profession, never to achieve their destiny'

Mental care home women.

MEG GRIFFIN

Picnic at the Cathedral

"He's the biggest gay slut in Winchester. No, wait, that's actually a 12 year old boy."

"I'm going to buy you a present wether you like it or not!"

Finally getting round to re-watching 'I Know Who Killed Me'

Properly reconnecting with my pop roots.

Sleeping in, and it not mattering at all.

The equal opportunity family.

Being in the company of someone I feel completely at ease with, with the added bonus of there being no drama at all.

"I don't like the idea of Game having my address!"

Ripping the hell out of Tim 'blokey bloke' Lovejoy.

JEREMY KYLE

Basically, as you can probably tell, I loved everything. It was exactly what I needed, as things in Bristol were seriously getting me down. It was nice to go somewhere completely alien (at least in the sense that I had never been there before) to me, and not think about Bristol at all. Even though we really didn't do that much, it was so refreshing, and actually felt like I was on holiday.

If I'm honest, the only thing I would have changed was the time I brought stuff up (I'm just going to talk to you now, as you're pretty much the only person that reads this =]) I hadn't been thinking about it all weekend, but I just wanted to ask before I left rather than leave it hanging. However, I'm glad I did, as I left knowing that our friendship is properly solidified, and this makes me extremely happy. You get me in a way that not a lot of people do, and it's so refreshing. You're one of the first people I think of turning to when I have an issue or a problem. I know that we haven't known each other for that long (in relative terms) but I know that you are now intrinsically linked with my life. I can't really explain it in words, but I'm pretty sure you feel the same (I hope?) I just know that I will know you for a very long time, and that makes me feel very good. Any worries I may have had were allayed pretty much as soon as I got into the car on Saturday. Just...I don't know...just know that I am here for you whenever you need me, day or night.

I guess I'm trying to say that you mean a lot to me (what a gay, etc, haha.)

So, in closing, I am feeling 'one million percent' better than I was this time last week, and for that I thank you.

New outlook. Or rather, a return to the old me.

Lovely.

A Retraction

In reference to my thoughts on A, I would like to formally retract my thoughts. Recently he has proven himself to be a kind, genuine guy, and I feel bad for writing him off too soon. Never judge a book, eh?

(This may or may not have been influenced by him going to KFC for me whilst I was at work the other day. That's not the only reason, but still.)

Maybe, Just

Maybe, I should stop being so emo.

This...

...is just getting harder. Tonight was a lot of fun, but the fact remains that I still feel horrible.

I feel like I've leapt off a cliff expecting to find water, but instead finding nothing.

Falling.

I don't understand.

Last night was supposed to help, but really didn't. Probably feel even worse.

Falling apart a bit.

Ambush

Bit of a blast from the past the other day. Turns out one of the new film lecturers is Michael, who taught me when I went to uni in London. Apart from it being a bit of a shock to see him, I was hit by all of this other stuff.

It brought with it things that I hadn't thought about for a long time; things that I didn't want to think about ever again. It has made me completely question my motivations for pretty much everything I'm doing at the moment.

I feel lost.