Our Neighbour's Shed

Our neighbour at the library, that is, and probably about as close to 'candid' photography as I'm going to get. I hope he doesn't mind - he clearly loves that shed...

Whatever else we may or may not have to blame Thatcher for, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to forgive her in any hurry for being for, however indirectly, the reason I've had that stupid song from the 'Wizard of Oz' stuck in my head half the week. Not indirectly enough, at least, for the Daily Mail, who've been keeping me amused with some absolutely vintage tirades against the 'loony left' over the last few days (it's the Library that takes the Mail, I hasten to add - I don't buy it or anything!) Apparently some teachers (responsible as they are for shaping/warping the minds of our future generations) and even, God forbid, policemen are not in complete agreement with the policies of a right wing administration of this country from the 1980's (who'd have thought...!) Anyway, it seems absurd that it might be wrong of the BBC to play 50 seconds of old music that might be construed as not entirely respectful when presumably they'll be dedicating hours of valuable airtime to Wednesdays slightly overblown proceedings!

Never mind, the new album from Kurt Vile has been helping to keep me from getting too aggravated. 'Wakin' On A Pretty Daze' pretty much fulfills most of the promise of 'Smoke Rings For my Halo'; the idea of this kind of slacker indie-blues being more 'polished' or 'assured', as some reviews have it, seems a little dangerous, but I think it's more a case of this new set feeling less like it's trying quite as hard as its predecessor to be all hip and super-cool. There's a bit more of a laid back 70's Stoner Rock kind of vibe (that lovely chunky cowbell's on the intro to 'KV Crimes', for example) and a bit more of an expansive, spiralling, Neil-Young sort of feel (particularly on the rambling, nine-and-a-half minute, nearly-title track) as the songs are allowed to unfold at their own pace.