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Seriously, that isn’t right is it?  It can’t be okay to have that?  Delboy’s fancy cigarette lighters are one thing but this looks fairly realistic…

In other news, I’m starting a full-on quest to find a band name for my little project I got going on.  I kind of feel like I could go for anything, the main stress is in finding something that everyone else involved will think is “cool” enough, yet not “too pretentious”.  In fairness, they are my stipulations aswell, but its made harder by having say David and Matt wanting super cool, yet Will wants ’super Post-Rock’ (i.e. Super Pretentious), and then I have no idea what Fiona would be okay with.

I think that choosing a suitable name for a band is either an Art-form, or just plain dumb-luck.  However, my main concern is the image that a name creates, and the weight it could carry.  A long name (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) is incredibly pretentious, and you’re making even saying (let alone writing) your name a chore for your listenter, thats not cool.  A name that comes from chance, or a made up word, just sounds plain stupid if you’re the one telling someone the name of your band.

If we were to go down the route of a single one word name, then similarities could be drawn between other big artists in the genre.  For some reason, Tortoise, Mogwai, and Pelican all have something in common in the name which makes me think they’re all named after each other which is obviously ridiculous.

Then there are alliterative problems.  Mono were famously massive fans of Mogwai, and large comparisons can be drawn between Mono’s early sound and Mogwai’s.  A band crush gone too far perhaps?  Similarly there is the issue of using certain words which are contained in other band’s names.  Personally I suggested “Looking For Astronauts” as a name to the band a few weeks ago, only to be shot down for ripping it (allegedly) from the band God Is An Astronaut.  Astronauts may be a no go, but in a guardian article last month, Caroline Sullivan taught us that ”Black”, “Crystals”, and “Fuck” have proved to be amongst the more popular words of many a new band.

Perhaps I should just take the “fuck everyone” stance and just say outright, “Okay, mother-fuckers.  This is our band’s name.  [Pick whatever filters through the static, into my head].  Like it or not, from now on we’re called this…”.  The problem with that is, if in a few months down the line I decide that I don’t like it.  All the blame lies solely upon me.

…Argh, the problems with trying to be the Premier in a Democracy…

Today, I was visited by the ghost of Christmas past… no, not really - just Rob Mac.  Bah!  He’s gone solo recently and I urge you to check out his Myspace here. His internet empire of sites is soon to go live and connect roughly 13,000 of his various social networking pages together into one unholy beast.

He previewed me some new tracks, a bit of a music vid and then we sat down to try and record some guitar-y bits… only to discover that I’ve apparently forgotten how to play guitar. Scar, eh? For real…

… this must be remedied in the new year.

So, I turned twenty years old yesterday. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending how you look at it), it feels no different to being nineteen, or for that matter eighteen. I didn’t do anything big because, well when do I ever do anything that involves more than three or four other people? I did however spend the day in Cambridge with Laura (bought a new SM57), wandering around the little boutiquey shops. Then in the evening went to Yuva, a beautiful Indian restaurant with Laura and the parents.

Spent most of the day flittering between essays, listening to Tortoise, and dreaming about the day where I’m a successful Indie music producer. I even popped over to MOO.com and toyed with the idea of getting myself some Business Cards printed up… only to remember that at the moment - I have no business. Still that shouldn’t stop a slick twenty year old up-and-coming producer from networking, should it? Of course not… and they do have some brilliant guest designers up there…

Business Cards £10.99
Buy this on MOO.com

Business Cards £10.99
Buy this on MOO.com

Similarly, I started planning out things like names, floor plans, and even charging rates in my head for the studio I’m going to open… I can tell you now, its beautiful, we’ve got some lovely carpets and the art on the walls is gorgeous…

Mad, or Gay? …or a Genius? I say Genius.

Right, I’m thinking of signing up to eMusic.com to whore these free downloads and get me some Tortoise. Also check this video of one of their sets on Youtube. Bloody Marvelous.

The funny thing about being away from something for ages is that in the first few moments you’re reunited all the bad things are completely forgotten. Take my acoustic guitar for example. It is a truely horrbile instrument and one I’d be well to just do away with, however since I haven’t had the chance to play it since September, last night I thought I’d record a little Sufjan Stevens cover for Laura. She actually introduced me to Sufjan with this song one Christmas, so I thought it would be nice.

Obviously it was never going to be as good as the original, and seeing as I can’t sing, I decided to do a short instrumental interpretation of it. The brilliant thing about Sufjan Stevens has to be his amazingly detailed arrangements over what seem to be the simplest chords and melodies ever written. The man is a genius.

…I am not:

That Was The Worst Christmas Ever

Right, now on with the day - I have to write an essay about the recording of a song of mine… which doesn’t actually exist!

Woke up late this morning and as a result, I missed my first lecture of the term without intending to.  It was a bit of a pain - waking up at 6 at the request of my alarm only in my sleepy state I somehow managed to turn off the alarm instead of merely ’snoozing’ it.  Woke up two hours later, missing a lecture and irritatingly no less tired than when I switched off the alarm!

This evening my band had our last rehearsal of the year.  Can’t get another one sorted over this next week and I’m headed back down south for christmas on wednesday.  It’s certainly been an interesting experience with this band.  Limited rehearsals, stroppy bass players and strong-minded drummers, that said it has been pretty good and I hope things will continue and becore a little stronger and more professional in the New Year.  I think the work is on my to make it happen 99% of the time, and now that I accept that I think I’m really going to take charge next year and start bossing folk around.  Not in a negative way necessarily, just in a more director(ial) way.  Maybe I’ll get some actual music written this christmas if I ever finish this coursework…

Anyway, long day… Need Sleep…