Send Away the Ligers
The new Manics album came out on Saturday, but I didn't get to listen to it till this morning as tariqa and I went to Hamilton for the weekend. Every time we go somewhere a fair distance in a car we inevitably have a fight, so once that was out of the way everything else went pretty well. hung out with Rob at his place, we had a couple of drinks and watched old "home movies" of us in our various bands and things. We came across this Big Elephants band practice (apparently that's the practice with a 'c') playing this song I have absolutely no recollection of, and it sounded awesome, like a long-lost Smashing Pumpkins track or something.

Anyway, crashed at mums, went to Chartwell with my little sister (who now sports blue-black hair, eyeliner and listens to Tool) where we all bought and devoured far too many lollies. And Hamilton being Hamilton, all three of us managed to run into people we knew.

Then we had a game of Monopoly, where I managed to build too many houses and rip off everyone for a victory. If only I was such an asshole in real life... and came home. I didn't get to listen to the new Manics album then either, cause of an awesome TV lineup of Simpsons, 'Earl, and Anchorman.

Sooo... I cranked it this morning at half past seven. It's definitely a step away from where they were heading on the underrated Lifeblood, which I suppose is a good decision in many ways - the reviews have been good, and the sales will probably overtake Lifeblood's pretty quickly. On first listen, the mashed up hard-limited production (that every album seems to have these days) doesn't do their re-discovered 'rock' sound any favours, but there's plenty going on in each of the songs I'm sure will shine through on a few more listens. In a lot of ways it sounds like a fuller, more eclectic follow-on from James' solo album. Lyrically, not so much, of course...

Anyway. Classtime.