A View Of Other Windows

I absolutely adore my copy of A View of Other Windows. Such an amazing photography book on the Cardinals, which evokes so many emotions and makes me miss the band even more. The band commentary and introduction by Ryan shed more light on the inner workings of a band that should have never called it a day. Sometimes the photos of the late Chris 'Spacewolf' Feinstein can be a bit too much to bear, but they are a fitting tribute to a talented musician.

Abrams, the publishers of the book, have made this video which showcases the photos from the book.  The video has 'Memory Lane' playing in the background, a bonus track from the Cardinology LP.

I'm going to go and look through it again, to the soundtrack of Cardinology on vinyl.

Change Of Time

I don't think I've written about Josh Ritter on here yet and I can't think for the life of me why not.  He's such a talented singer-songwriter, who consistently puts out great, meaningful records and always looks so happy when playing live.  You don't often see someone on stage, eyes closed with a huge grin on their face, it's a refreshing change.

One of my all time favorite songs, 'Bone Of Song' is by him and pretty much manages to give me goosebumps on every listen.  Here's a live version of the song:

Josh has a new record, 'So Runs The World Away', coming out on May 4th (May The Fourth Be With You ;-), but you'll be able to pick it up on Record Store Day, April 17th on vinyl from your local independent record store.  He's also got his first novel in the works too, which came about while writing the new record.

You can download a free song from the new record, 'Change Of Time' from the official Josh Ritter site, or listen to it here:

Our Tragic Universe

This isn't really music related, but I'm so excited by this book that I just had to post about it on here.  It's called Our Tragic Universe and is by Scarlett Thomas who previously wrote one of my favorite books of the past few years, The End Of Mr. Y.  Here's the blurb from Amazon about the new book:

"If Kelsey Newman's theory about the end of time is true, we are all going to live forever. But for Meg - locked in a dead-end relationship and with a deadline long-gone for a book that she can't write - this thought fills her with dread. Meg is lost in a labyrinth of her own devising. But could there be an important connection between a wild beast living on Dartmoor, a ship in a bottle, the science of time, a knitting pattern for the shape of the universe and the Cottingley Fairies? Or is her life just one long chain of coincidences?"

Her last two books, PopCo and The End Of Mr. Y have left such an impression on me, with their big ideas that really get you thinking and wanting to re-read the books time and time again.  I really can't wait to read this new book (which I believe was originally called Death Of The Author, which may give some clue as to the outcome of the tale), which is out on May 6th and I know I won't be able to get my nose of of it as soon as I get hold of it.

The Haiti Project

Have you got £5 to spare for a good cause? If so, head on over to The Haiti Project where for just a fiver you can help the relief efforts in Haiti and bag yourself 16 excellent tunes in the process.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected in Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 12th January 2010, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. There are many ways to help those in need, with charity gigs being set up across the globe, compilations like this one and people helping in any way they can.

I've just downloaded my copy, which has been put together by Round Records and am currently listening to it. The first track is exclusive to this compilation and the first time we get to experience the sonic onslaught of The Sonic Graffiti, a new band from the almighty Ginger that has been put together in LA, also featuring Billy Morrison, Michael Butler and Scott Lipps.

The compilation also features The Wildhearts, Laika Dog, The Eureka Machines, Antiproduct, Jackdaw 4, Sorry & The Sinatras, Ricky Warrick, The Loyalties and Brijitte West (Feat. Jesse Malin). Here's the full tracklisting:

1) The Sonic Graffiti – Mystery Number (Exclusive)

2) Eureka Machines – Being Good Is Ok, But Being Betters Better
3) Electric Six – Newark Airport Boogie
4) Jackdaw 4 – Jesus Wants My Soul Back
5) The Loyalties – Sofa Surfin’ UK (Acoustic)
6) Antiproduct – When We Find Love
7) The Organ Beats – Happy Birthday/Come On Home
8) The Wildhearts – Unbroken
9) Tragedy: All Metal Tribute To The Bee Gees – Nights On Broadway
10) Radio Dead Ones – Take It On Trust
11) Ricky Warwick – Love Owes
12) Brijitte West (Feat. Jesse Malin) – How To Be Good
13) Moi? – This Is All That I Wanted
14) Laika Dog – Piano Song
15) Sorry & The Sinatras – Riverside
16) Children of The Unicorn – Nightshark

All proceeds from the sale of this complation will be donated to the Haiti relief efforts. You can download the album directly from here. You know it makes sense, it's at times like these when music really is the glue of the world.