Back in January (the cold time you’ve done your best to forget), a less cold part of the world (Santa Barbara, California) added further warmth to their already toasty lives with volume two of the Amazing Animated Jukebox. The event, quite simply, consists of people sitting in a room watching animated music videos, which sounds like fun to us.

The good people behind the night asked if they could show the video for Lemon Jelly’s Shouty Track. We said yes, and they recently reported back that Shouty’s hand-drawn head-banging and ultra-violence caused much chuckling and chortling amongst the obviously mature and cultured crowd. Check out some photos from the night here.

Airside director Fred Deakin recently removed the design hat from his dome in order to don a very snazzy music Montera and write a new tune for a video game. Chime is an experimental mix of music and puzzles, which combines elements from various games and integrates them with the accompanying ambient music.

The music – also featuring contributions from Moby, Philip Glass and Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll – changes and expands as you progress through a level, while the beats serve as a timer. Fred’s track goes by the brilliant title of Disco Ghosts, and is a wonderfully atmospheric piece featuring smooth beats and lush electronics.

Given this blog’s complete incompetence when it comes to shapes (get in that round hole, you blasted square ball!), we can’t tell you if  the game is any good, but our resident games expert, Chris Rain, has given it the thumbs-up. Though that might have been a thumbs-down – we can’t really tell as his digits have been crippled beyond recognition from too much game play.

Chime is released by OneBigGame, a charitable organisation that creates video games to raise money for children in need. 60% of the game’s purchase price will be donated to the charity’s fund. Chime is available now on Xbox and PC.

O wither has my lady wandered?

I’m probably behind the times, waaaay behind, but I heard Fleet Foxes’ Mykonos yesterday for first time and thought – what a gorgeous melodic nostalgic thing of a song. And look at them, if they don’t scream ‘hey nonny-no’, my dad’s not Tim Buckley.

 

The glorious 80s…

This morning on the bus, my iPod offered me up several suitable selections to write about, but the one that most tickled my fancy was Sex Dwarf by Soft Cell. Have you listened to it recently, or ever?? The lyrics are brilliant, Marc Almond is tres drole. Surely a contender for an It’s Pop It’s Art print….

 

Following on from my try-listening-to-craggy-Bob-Dylan recommendation last week, yesterday my iPod shuffle offered up Into the Groove(y) by Ciccone Youth. And I enjoyed it so much I switched off the shuffling in order to listen to the whole album. Brilliant. If Madonna used as much feedback as this I would forgive her all the Kabbalah rantings in the world.

 

…is get you to listen to one Bob Dylan song; good old craggy Bob with his harmonica and his cool shades. It came on my iPod this morning and before I could hit skip, I was humming along. Go on, try him.

 

For a tune that is so dirty it’s beautiful check out Murda Skank over at Taz Buckfaster’s Myspace.

Listen loud, it’s a beast!

 

There is some really interesting stuff going on here.

If you only do one thing this month make sure you check out the Huoratron video for $$ Troopers.