No sleep runs this deep

(Vilnius University Bookshop, by Beny Shlevich)

Today's another day when I don't really know what to post about, but I'm bored at work. I've been waiting for the computer folks in Hull to sort everything out so that I can get on with my work, and now that they've done so I've completed the last couple of months' work in, ooh, an hour and a half. It will change, but for now, I'm Blogging At Work.
Being bored at work usually means I'll stick on my mp3 player and do a Random track, but it's broken. That's right, my life is now an empty void of nothingness. I'll have to take it to Curry's and bang a few heads to get some service out of them, because I'm going to die laughing like a madman after a few more tube journeys with no auditory accompaniment.

It also means I can't go through the tagged posts on Google Reader awaiting my listening, nor can I go through my MySpace friend requests because I have no headphones on me. Lame. So, what do I talk about?

I look around my desk for inspiration. Yes, Natasha Bedingfield thoroughly warrants the two pictures, but no, this is a music blog, and cute though her pop songs are I'm not going to sully this fine establishment. Hmm, do I know any songs about a water cup full of elastic bands? A penholder from Ghana? Jason's bot-bot wipes? No. I know: I'll discuss my lunchtime purposes.

I'm no Large-Hearted Boy. I am not that fast a reader, primarily because I don't make the time for it rather than being slow-witted (honest). I've been on Kafka On The Shore for an age already, although it's no chore, it's very enjoyable, but I keep buying books and my library's just growing much faster than I can read it. However, I'm a sucker for a 3-for-2, so I'll do music related to those books that I came out of the shop with.

I've never read any Umberto Eco, but he sounds like an interesting kind of fella so I thought I'd give it a shot. I ended up with The Mysterious Flame Of Queen Loanna, so we'll see how that goes. From what I can understand, it's about a rare book collector who loses all autobiographical memory but has retained everything that he's read from his books. While the premise looks interesting in itself, the bit that appeals to me is the concept of rediscovering your life through photographs. It's a pleasant, simple idea, which I doubt works out that basic in the book, but has a nice sound to it at this stage anyway.
So: some classic advert music and one of my favourite Wildhearts tracks.

The Music
The Kinks - Picture Book
The Wildhearts - Two Way Idiot Mirror

Paul Auster - should be a success. New York Trilogy was pretty damn fine, and in many ways prompted me to look for more in a book than just a story. Brooklyn Follies looks certainly readable if nothing else, although its reputation is as one of Auster's more light-hearted affairs. Should be good. Two Brooklyn-orientated groups now, the Beasties' Kerry King-soundtracked ode to the borough, and some plaintive alt.country from the amazingly named Eef Barzelay.

The Music
Clem Snide - Grievance
Beastie Boys - No Sleep Til Brooklyn

Finally Mr Nick Cave, who I've posted on roughly a bazillion times. Still, the man's a genius so it's ok. I'm looking forward to reading ...And The Ass Saw The Angel; I think Cave was built to write Southern Gothic. I'm guessing this will be as dark and brutal as The Proposition, and as arcane and frightening as any of his songs. In tribute, I'm posting the track which ran a close second when choosing my song for the Entrance Music Contrast Podcast, Cave's own Tupelo. I love it's dark and stormy (literally) introduction and the fact that the pulsating beat rumbles on throughout the track just like the thunder it follows, and creates an entirely atmospheric piece which is one of Mr Cave's finest ever songs.

The Music
Nick Cave - Tupelo

I have to apologise for the lack of focus here - I much prefer writing about music, much as I enjoy reading - you can probably tell. Thanks for listening/reading/whichever.

The 'fo
Umberto Eco (buy)
Kinks (buy)
Wildhearts (buy)
Paul Auster (buy)
Clem Snide (buy)
Beastie Boys (buy)
Nick Cave (buy music/books)
Tags: books; music; Umberto Eco; Paul Auster; Nick Cave; Kinks; Wildhearts; Clem Snide; Beastie Boys