Is it Friday again? Time to Refresh…

I Could Be Dreaming by Belle & Sebastian Album: Tigermilk
I first saw this album in 2000 and thought, ‘Hmm, Smiths.’ I didn’t buy it, though. Then I saw people on the Duffylovers list talking about it, and I downloaded “She’s Losing It”. Loved it. Bought the first three albums on eBay. I don’t know how I feel about B&S now. I think I may approve of them more than I like them. But the song’s good, and the cover’s slightly charged. Do Scottish people really talk like the girl on the outro? How do vowels vary so much in such a small geographical area?

Sugar High (Slow Version) by Duffy Album: Needle Mythology (Single)
Duffy is Stephen Duffy of Lilac Time fame. Or, sadly, non-fame. Stephen is brilliant, but his work has been ignored by all but the most musically knowedgable. And people like me who’ve been lucky enough to notice. This comes from his foray into Britpop in 1996. Best lyric: “It’s all there/In the air/And in every young girl’s hair.” This ‘Slow Version’ is thirteen seconds longer than the album version. Discuss.

Fathers’ Pyramid by Powderfinger Album: Parables for Wooden Ears
Powderfinger’s huge in Australia. This one’s an early one from 1994 that I haven’t listened to very much. It’s what you listen to when you feel like listening to something sort of Pearl Jam-ish, which for me never ever ever happens. Ever.

Petrol by Severed Heads Album: Bulkhead
More Severed Heads. This song hasn’t stood up well for me. It’s metallic and industrial, but it sounds so lightweight, so 1982. Better try something a bit more aggressive, like Bad Mood Guy or Come Visit the Big Bigot.

Universal Daddy by Alphaville Album: Afternoons in Utopia
I used to love this album. It was sort of science fantasy, and the lyrics contained cross-references and conundrums. And the songs! Put on your headphones and come for a walk to the Crystal Castle out across the snowy fields of Aris! Fantastic. Still not too dated. Best lyric: “Throwing stones against your window/Don’t pretend you’re not at home.” That captured what it was to be forever young in 1986.