Posts by Samuel Scott
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I have to agree with Simon on Revolution In The Head. It's an amzing book no doubt, and generally insightful. But he rips apart Across The Universe and various other Lennon gems...oooh it makes me so made. I love the throwaway nature of something like I'm Only Sleeping.
As much as I love McCartney its the things which Ian MacDonald doesn't like about Lennon that me think Lennon is the vastly superior songwriter.
I've still read the bloody book twice though.
I also concur that Wax Poetics is great. Where else can you read about people like Mahmoud Ahmed?
Has anyone seen this site Fly Media it's a bit of a fancy shmance online mag, but they had a whole issue on Nonesuch records which I thought was pretty cool.
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Paul is an extraordinary musician. One of the best bass players of all time. Possibly the best arranger in modern production. An innovator in the use of tape loops.
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Never thought I'd see someone try to mount a defence of Paul McCartney and Wings.
The first Wings album, Wildlife, is fantastic. Band On The Run has its own bloated glory as well. I also really like the first solo McCartney record (just called McCartney I think), it's kooky.
I'm looking for the equivalent of the record you bring home and play in your bedroom for the next two hours.
I think the classic passionate music journo model is slightly defunct somehow now. No one writes like Lester Bangs anymore because there is simply too much music, good and bad, suffocating the new releases and clogging up the past. What I enjoy about the 'workmanlike' journalism of Pitchfork or Wire is that it comes from a writers who have can cut through a bit of the crap. It can be a bit dry I guess. Maybe I just haven't been properly exposed to the alternative< I grew up reading Q and Australian Rolling Stone in the 90s...both terrible magazines (with the occasionally great ex NME writer in Q).
And god saves all from the soul crushing myth of the British Rock critics greatest of all time lists.
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I quite like the writing in Un-Cut, but my main source of music writing is Pitchfork. They do some great long form reviews of re-releases and Greatest Hits collections.
here is a good piece on Radiohead re-issues;
Their TV section is also great, but quite often doesn't load properly on my connection.
People do seem to like to bag Pitchfork for being elitist, snobby, driven by fashion etc, but I think they do a great job.
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Can anyone recommend a <$200 Freeview HD box?
I reccommend getting telstra internet (if you are in a cable ready 'hood) then get a splitter for the cable coming out of the and an RCF converter (about $5 worth of bits from Dick Smith).
Voila great reception (mind you it doesn't give me TVNZ 7 so I'm not sure quite what I have tapped into.
Is this dodgy? It just seemed such and easy thing to do, and it is only providing free to air TV but it seems like the sort of thing Telstra would not like people to know about.
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do any of these new thingamybobs come with an installer geek person who can plug everything in right?
My gadget illiterate father can program his Mysky HD...I cannot. This is a first in our relationship and he is quietly very pleased with himself.
I can't work out if technology is getting easier to deal with or if we are just collectively getting better at navigating our way through menus.
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I am really, really looking forward to District 9. I hear very good things from people about town who have been working on it (as opposed to exhausted, smarmy things, which are more common amongst post production types - me included I guess).
I have been thinking about upgrading my 15 year old TV ever since I saw one of the new LED TVs at LV Martin. My goodness they look awesome. I see that the more expensive ones come with built in youtube//wifi that sort of thing. But if Blueray recorders are going to come out with that stuff it doesn't seem worth it.
I am pretty into Blue Rays destroying DVDs as a format. DVDs look crap to my screwy eyes (which as an aside do not allow to view anything in 3D). Supposedly Blue Ray is much more scratch resistant too, which should be good for rentals.
$1999 seems a lot for media playing device (I mean whats the difference between that and a laptop with a built in blueray player?) but that is about the difference in price between a Wifi ready and regular Samsung L.E.D
...of course there is no point to my post as I will never be allowed to spend $5k plus on a fancy HD tv. Ah well. -
That seems like a good compromise to me. It promises to be a bit of labored process therefore minor crims will probably be left alone - or have the chance to stop being naughty dicks and start buying music and renting DVDs like good citizens!
It seems so weird to me that a lot of people genuinely think buying music is a drag. Buying a new CD with birthday money from grandma was the greatest thrill I could have as teenager.
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Oh my goodness. I did care one bit about the "cultural capital" debate until I saw that clip. What a load of rubbish.
For one thing, most people I know can not stand the term "cultural capital", it has a pompous marketing sound to it that rubs me up the wrong way.
Auckland is not the capital of the Asia/Pacific region. I think it might come in about 7th behind say, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Jakarata, Sydney, Melbourne.
Auckland has lots of art, Wellington has lots of art.
Auckland is big, Wellington is small. -
Four track cassette is the business. Ariel Pink is still carrying the flag for the thin sheen.