dinger

Have to say I'm a bit sad about this. Used to work in the Southampton branch, back around the start of the 00s (vinyl counter, since you ask), and still have friends who stuck around for careers in the company, so I feel for them just now. But even back then, 10 years ago, they were failing to react to a changing market. Downloads were becoming more prevalent and had started being counted for chart positions, the CD singles market was plummeting. At the same time the reality TV pop star thing was just kicking off, and HMV lumped all their eggs in that basket. Their problem has long been a refusal to innovate and to listen to their staff in the branches. It's the same with a lot of high street chains, I suppose. Everything's got to be done in the same way, wherever you are in the country. But people's taste, particularly in something like music, varies a surprising amount in different places. Any attempt to capitalise on that, however successful, would be stamped out by head office. It's a shame, because their real asset used to be the knowledge of their staff, but increasingly they've favoured yes men over innovative thinkers and their business has gone stale. It was obvious, even back then, that a high street retailer was never going to be able to go toe-to-toe with an online one if they were more expensive and added no value to the customer experience. It's a surprise they've limped on this long.

I bloody love that!

I don't know if it proves anything, but dune was much better at spelling and grammar, and had a more cohesive philosophy of misanthropy. Sanchez appears to be just a scattergun arsehole.

(Good luck to him btw)

Hmm... something about cultivated play... something about being a workhorse... something about agricultural challenges... any more?

You're right, I apologise. I'm moaning out of my own grumpiness.

That's pretty depressing, isn't it? 23 and already morbidly fixated with someone else's youth? If nothing current appeals to you, I'd suggest you aren't looking hard enough. Not that it's my business. Each to their own. Low and Hunky Dory, they're the best ones.

Christ's blood...

I think I like Low and Hunky Dory the best, although I've never been a huge Bowie fan. Given your need for new music, why not check out one of the thousands upon thousands of other musics being made, rather than pushing on with a classic rock staple who you've 'never really got into'? Just a thought; I'd imagine, given your user name, that you've heard enough 70s rock/pop to formulate an opinion on Bowie. Are you trying to like him because he's an accepted part of the canon? Why not try listening to some of the music that Bowie and Eno were inspired by during that Berlin period? I could suggest a few if you would like Hope you don't think this is a criticism of your taste. But I do find it puzzling (with such a dazzling multiplicity of music in the world that it's impossible to hear all the different styles and genres, let alone the individual practitioners) that one would go to any great lengths to push on through with an artist so ubiquitous that you probably already know how you feel about him. Is it an acceptance thing? Or part of 'paying your dues' to the classics? Hope this doesn't come across as patronising, I'm genuinely curious.

Just updated to the new iTunes. Where there used to be a preview of the album artwork down in the bottom left corner, there is now nothing. Which is a shame as, when you added an album to iTunes and there was no artwork for the album, you could just drag the artwork from your desktop to that little window to attach. Does anyone know how I can either a) reinstate that little artwork preview box, or b) add artwork where iTunes can't find it online?

I hadn't even known he was ill.

He sounds like an interesting character, at least. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/from-bollywood-to-ewood-judan-ali-in-challenging-new-role-8432330.html

I'm not sure how you can expect the FA to deliver a retrospective punishment, when even with the benefit of countless replays opinion is clearly split on what intent there was.

These two have been very good to me as well. A late mention for Fay - Din, which I've only listened to this last few days. Kind of avant-compositional RnB. More pleasant than that probably sounds. Hope you're well JHC. Happy Xmas to you and yours.

Also, Ombre - Believe You Me Delicious heat-haze summer-harmony drones and cicada rubbing.

Yes, this one. I'd forgotten this one.

Jeez, that team award was an embarrassment. By what stretch of the imagination are a multi-disciplinary collections of participants who don't know each other, who performed different sports in different places, on different days, a team? And most of them didn't deserve the recognition anyway. Some of 'Team GB' were rubbish! What about the ones who were disqualified from their events? What about the 4x100m boys who dropped the baton; do they deserve special recognition? Might as well cop out entirely and declare sport the winner.

To be fair, he made a good point. And at least there was no claim that England had 'thrown the series away' this time...

I'm not sure it's got much to do with fair play. Misguided generosity, maybe. Why on earth would England have wanted to offer India a chance to win?

A year has passed; music was made. You've all been waiting to hear what my favourite music of the year has been. Here is some of it. Sun Araw, M Geddes Gengras & The Congos - Icon Give Thank Sun Araw, who's been making mind-consuming space/time guitar dub architecture better than anyone recently, some bloke I've not heard of, and the bluddy Congos! A soup, a beautiful soup, of physics and spirituality. Can - Lost Tapes Not new music, but a ton of unheard stuff from the vintage period of possibly the best band in all of 'rock' history. Holly Herndon - Movement Brilliant hybrid of electronica and manipulated vocals, intimate squelchy dance and claustrophobia. That'll do for now, I'll probably remember loads of others later.

This. Not to mention the fact that there is no excuse, absolutely none, for what the City fans did. If you can't be trusted not to act violently in public then you shouldn't be at liberty to appear in public.

JK Flesh - Posthuman. Bit of a grower, but develops over a few listens into a multiplication of its parts. Lovely noise.