Goodness me what a year it has been musically. You’ll be pleased to know that I picked this all the way back in February. I have made a point of listening to a new album each and every day. Out of everything I have heard this year, one album has retained the top spot. And, as you saw from the previous post, Kimono My House had stiff competition.
Arguably one of Sparks’ best albums, 1974’s Kimono My House finds the brothers Mael (Ron wrote most the songs and played keyboards, while Russell was the singing frontman) ingeniously playing their guitar- and keyboard-heavy pop mix on 12 consistently fine tracks. Allmusic
Russell’s voice is heavenly. Indeed in Here In Heaven one can immediately hear the frightening range of his vocal chords. In an interview for the BBC, Russell joked that he sang so high because his brother composed mainly with his right hand on the piano. He went on to say if Ron’s hand were run over by a truck, you’d hear a much different Sparks sound. This album is full of great tracks. One after the other they hit you with a wonderful floury of keyboard and outrageous vocals. Thank God it’s Not Christmas once made me cry. Have a listen for yourselves:
I asked one of my closest friends, Emily, to listen to it. She described it as “anxious”. I can see where she might get this impression. The pace of the album is fast. There aren’t really any songs which slow you down. You head all the way to oblivion without stopping.
Overall, I cannot choose a track which moved me most. Each and every one has its own individual spark, as it were. This album is important. Arguably, it is Sparks’ best. Their first album, produced by Todd Rundgren, is a close second. Fletcher Honorma is in my top 10 tracks of all time. But but but Kimono My House just knocks the ball out of the park. The innovation; splendour and cohesion of this album overall puts it above all the albums I have heard this year.
Let me know what you think. I am so looking forward to another year of marvellous music.
Over the course of this year, I’ve been frustrated many times on account of the AOTM section in Cedric Suggests. Sometimes, it was such a close call between albums, one taking the lead on account of minor details. But here, dear readers, I will provide the 12 runners-up which did not quite make it. In so doing, I will ease the heavy burden on my soul. Bear with me here, this will be a long post. These are not in any particular order.
Parliament – Funkentelechy vs the Placebo Syndrome
Perhaps one of my greatest frustrations was not being able to award AOTM here. FTVTPS is a masterful creation from which the eternal ‘Flashlight’ stems. This ‘funk-opera’ is set against a background of fighting against this mystical placebo syndrome.
“George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and the rest of the Parliament Funkadelic and Rubber Band hydra seem blessed with unlimited inspiration.”
My personal highlight is the bridge on ‘Funkentelechy’. There’s something so beautiful about the way the music moves.
Sparks – Halfnelson
Todd Rundgren is the only artist, and I mean that in a wide sense, who has won two albums of the month on Cedric Suggests. Something/Anything and Utopia are groundbreaking and enormous in their scope. So you won’t believe my surprise to find that Rundgren produced Halfnelson! Sparks/Halfnelson was the first album from Sparks, a legendary duo from San Fransisco. One of my top ten songs in the world is on this album. The whole thing (aside from Simple Ballet and Biology 2) is masterful. Fletcher Honorama is my highlight. I often play it before listening to my favourite song. But I cannot tell you what that is. It’s simply too powerful.
Radiohead – OK Computer
This is another belter. OK Computer could be described as ship sailing the soundscape during a storm. You are taken up and down, battered with waves of the most beautiful melodies. Some have suggested this could be the greatest album of all time. I disagree, I find it somewhat patchy. Albums have a chance to win AOTM if the whole thing is numinous. There are just one too many songs which don’t take me where I want to go on OK Computer. Nonetheless, its majesty cannot be ignored. Paranoid Android is particularly astounding. Listen to OK Computer, it is hard to despise.
Rüfüs – Atlas
I saw Rüfüs du Sol (previously Rüfüs) with my friend James last month. I had not heard their sound before. But I must say I was astounded at the richness of the sound they produce. They’re an Australian quartet. Their debut Album, Atlas, reached #1 in Aus. And I am not surprised. The third track ‘Tonight’ is something of a bass anthem. I am so impressed by the ingenuity of their production. There’s a lot going on here. And Rüfüs du Sol are astounding live. I didn’t like having lights flashed in my eyes for the later half of the show, however. One can truly appreciate the effect Kraftwerk has had on their showmanship. Overall, fantastic album.
Billy Idol – Cyberpunk
What can one say about Cyberpunk? The quote below from Paul sums it up really. Terrific album start to finish. Heroin is a particular highlight. It hurls knives of sharp electro straight at you, with such precision that it will take you weeks to recover. Shangri La is also up there with blissful release songs. Tracks which make one want to float away on the soundscape are the best kind. As a whole, this album is detailed and varied in a way which compliments the vast capacity of its author.
Cyberpunk kicks the shit – my father
Cloud Control – Bliss Release
This is an album which my father showed me when he came to Warwick to see me. Chill vibes could be defined by this album. It is an excellent summer evening album. You know the kind of parties you’d go to and hear fabulous music and you’d be really proud to be friends with the host as a result? This is that kind of album. Gold Canary is a favourite of mine. the cadence and rhythm are just unbelievable. If you don’t dip your hip listening to this, I don’t know what will make you groove.
The Foals – Total Life Forever
Usually, I’d listen to this when I want to jam. Not when I want to make jam, that requires a TV show in the background, but when I want to have a little private boogie. Total Life Forever and After Glow are my highlights here. This is new pop/rock and really quite refreshing. There is a wonderful interweaving of gorgeous melodies and powerful solos holding songs together. The bass in the background of After Glow builds into a terrific crescendo, for example, taking it from a ‘finger-clicking’ chill to an all out dance-a-thon. Have a listen for yourselves:
Tame Impala – InnerSpeaker
Oh my. This one really surprised me. People tend to know Tame Impala for their weird squid basketball video, but their repertoire is vast. InnerSpeaker is another Aussie debut album. That’s two in one list. I should go over there. Expectation is my highlight. My only problem is that it finishes well, but then comes back for a seemingly pointless ‘extra psych rock’ moment. Like ELO’s Mr Blue Sky. Why is there that bit at the end? Why Jeff Lynne? But seriously overall this is one of the greatest stoner albums you will ever hear.
Innerspeaker is a psychedelia-heavy outing that toys with paisley pop, stoner vibes, and an expansive array of swirling guitars – Pitchfork
Howard Jones – Dream Into Action
Oh Howard, we don’t deserve you. This album is ram packed with astounding tunes. My favourite is Things Can Only Get Better. It hits you with a medley of synth and a sickening bass line. Why Look For the Key is equally blissful. That is like a cascade of bliss. You feel the music wash over you in the most marvellous way. It does not surprise me that Dream Into Action made #2 in the UK in March 1985.
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Buckley’s voice is angelic. His death at 30 is a deeply regrettable tragedy. Grace is his only studio album. The 2007 re-release is currently 7x Platinum in Australia. The tracks on this album have often moved me to tears. Corpus Christi Carol is something of a miracle. Each track is deeply moving, especially Halleluia. We all know this cover of Leonard Cohen, but few have sung it so well as Buckley. This album is completely fantastic. You won’t regret listening to it.
Culture Club – Kissing To Be Clever
I feel ashamed that I did not discover Boy George before I saw him live. Kissing to be Clever really threw me off guard. Boy Boy (I’m the Boy) is a masterpiece in new pop. There are several chart-toppers in this album, the whole thing itself made #5 in the UK Charts.
The danceability factor is strong in numerous songs, for example, in the song “I’m Afraid Of Me”, it carries a disco-like beat throughout the track, which provides a jumpy atmosphere that would be perfect for a club. Sputnik Music
I was taken aback with the variety of genres espoused here. In case you were wondering, Boy George was fabulous in concert.
The Squeeze – The Squeeze Is On
Funk Me Gently is an undeniable masterpiece in music. It made it to my Top Ten Tracks, which is high praise indeed. The Squeeze is On shocked me to no end. Funk is seldom so groovy as in this album. I think this represents the apex of late 70s funk. What is strange is that I cannot find a review to cite for you. This must be a more obscure album than I thought initially. Nonetheless, the genius of its composition is difficult to ignore.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Almost Album(s) of the Month 2018. I’ve had a grand old time listening to this wonderful music. I encourage you to listen to a new album every day to widen the ambit of your musical knowledge.
Picture the scene: it is one day before my Wills and Estates exam. This is the exam where we will be asked multiple choice questions about deceased people with weird names (eg: Gijs – yes he was in the paper) and where their property goes post mortem. I decided that I could not handle 8 hours of straight revision. So instead of rotting in my stately home, I thought I’d go out for an hour or two. Legoland Discovery Centre, on the canals in the centre of town, happened to be having their monthly Adult Night. Now, I know this sounds awfully dodgy, but trust me – this evening was certainly safe for work.
The detail of the creations in Miniland will astonish you
Stepping through the giant ‘Lego man’ shaped hole in the wall, one is made to stop for absurd green screen photos. Once this torture has been endured, there is a ride! I was not allowed to take pictures of it but you simply must try it. You get to shoot animated trolls and spiders with a laser gun. I got 142,000 points. See if you can beat me!
The room after that was truly magical, indeed I believe it is the crown jewel of the Discovery Centre. Miniland is a thing of extraordinary precision and beauty. Each building is done with astonishing accuracy. The two pictures above highlight iconic buildings in the city, including New Street Station and Selfridges.
A personal highlight is this rendition of Birmingham University.
I will leave it at three pictures, reluctantly. I don’t want to give away the amazement of what is contained in that room.
The next room contains a slew of activities for young or wretchedly old like me. There’s so much to do. You could go to the cinema; build and race lego cars; build tall Lego structures and then test their durability in an earthquake… One of the discoveries one makes at this centre is the ingenuity of the minds who conjured up this magical place.
Overall, this was a magical experience. I would expect nothing less from Merlin Entertainments, who also run Warwick Castle. The blend of theme park and Lego wonderland truly brings out the full extent of versatility in Lego bricks.
And if you’re there at the passing of the hour, watch the clock at the centre of the discovery room (the room after Miniland). Imagining my shrieks of delight can only enhance what you shall see.
Winter has come. Now is the time to stay indoors with your friends or family and eat heartily until you fall asleep. Of course, if you have neither friends nor family with whom to eat, I’m sure there are plenty of woodland creatures just dying for a warm meal. Invite them to sit by the hearth and keep you company in these dark times.
Ingredients
400g beef mince
1 litre excellent quality tomato passata
400ml vegetable stock
125ml white wine
3 carrots
2 celery stalks
Fresh basil
Salt and pepper to season
Parmesan, grated
500g pasta mezze maniche (or as proximate a pasta as you can find)
Method
If you have a slow cooker, this will be easy and slow. If not this will be quick, but with one minor additional inconvenience: namely you’ll have to boil the carrots and celery for 10 minutes to make them soft.
This recipe is fairly straightforward. Simply combine the passata; stock; wine; vegetables; basil and seasoning in your slow cooker/ pot. If you have a slow cooker, set it on low for 8 hours. If you have a pot, simmer for 45 minutes.
At the end of either method, blend the sauce with a hand blender. It should be smooth with no bits of veg floating about.
This is where things get interesting. While the sauce is cooling down, use the beef mince to make meatballs. Obviously, the bigger you make the meatballs, the fewer you will have to consume. You can make as many as you so desire, you’re the best judge of how many will be consumed.
Once you’ve formed your balls, put them in a bowl with some of the sauce. Let them marinate for at least one hour, though the best results come after a few hours of marinating.
When you’re ready, fry the content of your ball bowl in some olive oil. Cooking your pasta at the same time as frying the meatballs in the sauce is most efficient. You can add some more sauce if you want a more liquid final product. I like for the sauce to be a little more condensed. Add salt and pepper as you see fit. The frying should take no longer than 5 minutes, unless you made some really quite sizeable meatballs.
Combine the now-combined meatball and sauce medley with your drained pasta and serve immediately. Sprinkle some parmesan over the top for extra wow-factor.
A tip: when re-heating this dish, fry the combined meatballs and pasta in a little olive oil. When the pan is hot, add a splash of cooking wine (cheap wine) and cover. The ensuing steamed contents of the pan will astound and delight you even more than the original dish. You can steam with either red or white wine, depending on your mood.
I’m always on the lookout for the next delightful cafe. There’s only so far the one in the university basement can take you. I adore our in house team but sometimes change is good for the system, or so my liver and lungs tell me.
Our final lesson of 2018 had concluded. Our heads were filled with Real Estate Completion date intricacies and it was decided that we should have a hearty breakfast. I had grown tired of the usual haunts so decided to go a few hundred metres further astray. Thus my friends and I discovered Coffee Tales, and what a find.
St Nick hates beans. I want everybody to know this in case they host him for a meal containing any edible seeds. I had to wait for someone else to order to document it for you, my fine readers.
It’s not that I resent beans massively. I resent baked beans specifically when they’re served in that tomato sauce, and particularly for breakfast. I resent it because I feel I moved past such things since childhood.
The bread was utterly crisp; the saucies were just divine and the egg was cooked to perfection. One seldom eats eggs so delightfully well-done.
Now usually, I wouldn’t eat before 1pm but this croissant was just delicious. Fluffy; crisp and reasonably priced. It went very well with my big old coffee. Coffee Tales is one of the few establishments which will allow me to ask for 4 shots of espresso in my americano. I’m glad they have no regard for my palpitations because I really needed to be woken up that day.
Panashe opted for the hot chocolate, which, as you can see, is dreamy. Of course being a strong Christian woman, she did not allow me anywhere near this beverage. Thusly, I am at a loss as to whether it was as tasty as it appears.
Overall, however, I would say the décor; service and location of Coffee Tales make for a strong positive vibe. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The condensation on the windows is a little off-putting but overall I recommend this wonderful place.
