Pop Songs

R.E.M. were the very first band I got into properly in 1995 at the youthful age of 15. I used to play an old tape copy of Monster over and over again until I knew the songs backwards. Even though their recent albums haven't set the world on fire they're still my favourite band because I listened to the older albums so many times. And because I learned so much about the history behind the songs and behind the band members. And because Peter Buck looks so bored in the Shiny Happy People video. In the days of iPods that hold thousands of songs it's hard to get into music in that much depth any more, so it makes a welcome change to listen to an old R.E.M. album that I know almost everything about. All this is a long-winded way of saying that on this blog an R.E.M. fan has taken up the challenge of writing about every song the band has ever released, and Michael Stipe has even posted some of his own comments on it. My favourite song is covered here. If you like R.E.M., take a look.

The weekend in photos

Friday: Crowning around.

Saturday: Paul and Tris get married. Congratulations!

Sunday: indoor pool.

Andy Patrick: icognito.

The Sorted Books project

Arranging books so that their spines tell a story or something similar. Click here for more.

Amy's Little Cake Co

If you need a cake, then Amy makes very good ones. Find out more at her website here.

I Still Remember - Bloc Party

We've probably all been through the "are Bloc Party any good?" argument countless times so to help you make your own mind up here's a song from their second album. Happy listening.

"This may well be my favourite song in the R.E.M. catalogue"

The long walk home

Office Space (1999)

"Hi, Peter. What's happening?"

A group of office workers decide to rebel against their monotonous existence and the company that employs them. Pretty funny if you've ever worked in an office and had someone steal your stapler. IMDB

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

"You can't make everyone happy."

Upbeat optimistic schoolteacher Poppy (very well acted by Sally Hawkins) comes up against cynical angry driving instructor Scott (very well acted by Eddie Marsan). As you would expect from a Mike Leigh film there's plenty of emotional wrangling and tragi-comedy throughout. IMDB

Autumn

Voice of Harold is two years old today

Thanks to all of our loyal readers... a few random moments from the VoH archives:

Reading Harry Potter at New Wine 2007.

Scenic views of Marple and district, a running theme on VoH.

Visiting Jimbo at Uni in Liverpool, November 2007.

One of many weddings... who will be next?

Greg enjoying the USA road trip, June 2008.

Two-Headed Boy - Neutral Milk Hotel

Not many people I bump into have heard of Neutral Milk Hotel but back in the 1990s they were pretty good at the indie-lo-fi-acoustic-pop game. For your listening pleasure here is a song from their second album which was once given a perfect 10/10 on the Pitchfork website (click here to read the review).

Nine types of drinkers

Interesting study from the ever-helpful UK government suggesting that heavy drinkers fall into nine categories: depressed drinker, de-stress drinker, re-bonding drinker, conformist drinker, community drinker, boredom drinker, macho drinker, hedonistic drinker, border dependents. Extra points if you make it into more than one category. More information here.

The Big Chill (1983)

"You'll never get this many people to come to my funeral."

Another in the series of "films that are supposed to be classics". A gang of college friends are reunited at a funeral and spend the weekend talking about where it all went wrong (or right). I quite liked it but that might be because I'm nearly 30. Featuring a cast that includes a lot of star names at the beginning of their careers. IMDB

iPub

Apple's new iPhone 3G proves to be a big hit in the pubs and bars of Marple. The only let down is the built-in camera, which is so poor you can only just make out who is who.

Pon.

Chetwyn and Dan.

Eloise.

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

"What you've done is taken God's oldest killing machine and given it will and desire."

A group of super-intelligent killer sharks are on the loose, which is bad news for the scientists trying to study them (most of whom get eaten). IMDB

Sleuth (2007)

"That sounds threatening."

Michael Caine plays a rich author whose wife is having an affair with Jude Law - the two play a sinister game of cat and mouse in the writer's country mansion. Also featuring an above-average script by Harold Pinter. Fun fact: Michael Caine played the other role in the 1972 original. IMDB

Three Days Of The Condor (1975)

"I don't remember yesterday. Today it rained."

Robert Redford plays CIA man Joe Turner (aka Condor). Getting back from his lunch break to find everyone else in his office has been murdered, he goes on the run to try and work out who wants him dead and why. IMDB

No Lucifer - British Sea Power

Unfortunately British Sea Power didn't win the Mercury Music Prize. However you can still enjoy a song from their nominated album, Do You Like Rock Music? Here it is.

Split Words

While away a few moments of your day by finding fragments of words and matching them together - click here.

One sentence stories

Click here to read a weird and wonderful collection of one sentence stories. Submit your own if you like. It's up to you.

Cell outs

Andy Patrick returns, blogs

Andy Patrick (pictured left) dreams of being a rock star and a vicar, though not necessarily at the same time. He's also launched a blog of his very own, which is free to read and can be accessed at any time by anyone by clicking here. Make sure you check it regularly.

Eraserhead re-released

David Lynch's debut film Eraserhead has been re-released in some cinemas today to mark its 30th birthday. If you enjoy troubling and nightmarish movies that are difficult to understand, you'll love this. You can read a five-star review of it in The Guardian here. There's more from the same newspaper here. David Lynch himself calls it "a dream of dark and troubling things" in a recent interview here. Finally, there are a few clips of the film and the thoughts of the BBC's Mark Kermode here:

Study Finds Young People Remain Apathetic About Office Politics

The Onion has been doing video for a while now... this is one of the best recent efforts. Probably funnier if you work in an office.

The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)

"One day there will be no more frontier."

Pretty good adaptation of the classic American novel. A good performance from Daniel Day-Lewis as always. IMDB

Shrek The Third (2007)

"I thought we agreed we'd go by the name Team Supercool."

Middle-aged Shrek? One film too many. IMDB

Quantum of Solace trailer - Bond is back

I am officially impressed. Quantum of Solace (Bond 22) is out at the end of October.

Hollywoodland (2006)

"Who wanted him dead?"

Based (sort of) on the suspicious death of George Reeves, who played Superman on TV in the 1950s. Ben Affleck stars as the actor, with Adrien Brody as the private investigator trying to prove his death was murder. IMDB

Oldboy (2003)

"Revenge is good for your health, but pain will find you again."

"After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in 5 days." Weird but good. IMDB

A trip out to Oxford to see Chantler

Clarkey happy to be getting the drinks in.

"I love Oxford."

"Hands up if you're over 25."

Google's new browser

Google does a lot of things very well - email, news, search, calendars - and now it's got a Web browser out that you can find here. The Mac version hasn't been finished yet ho ho ho.