Odd Future T.V. Debut...

Heads are going apeshit for Tyler, The Creator at the minute. His 2010 debut solo album Radical put people onto him, with Pitchfork Media claiming it was the 32nd best album of 2010. The video for new single 'Yonkers' has people going mental on the interweb, and may spell the end for the "are they aren't they joking" guys from Die Antwoord.



Give them a listen, they're pretty good. By "pretty good" I mean they're brilliant.

Ta-ta for now.

New Beginnings...

What with all the revolutionary goings on of late, I too felt it time to incite change. Granted, I'm nowhere near as brave as the students and protestors of Egypt, Libya and Bahrain, no sir. I exist within the world I was dealt, so my big change is going to begin with this blog. Starting frommmmmmm, now.

So, New York Telephone Conversation is going to become somtething more of, well, believe it or not; a conversation. Dun dun duhhhhhh.

This week, I have two topics of discussion; Gruff Rhys' lovely new album Hotel Shampoo and the aforementioned trouble in Libya. 'Citing.

Right then, onto the Welsh Wizard. No, not Ryan Giggs, the other one, our boy Gruff. The fantastically quirky 40 year old recently released his 3rd solo album, Hotel Shampoo.

All of his idiosyncrasies are prevalent on the album, which for his fans, is great. Gruff has always been, in the nicest possible way, pretty unapologetic about his output. He makes music for himself, pure and simple. Which means, above all the genius and eccentricity, he always comes across as sounding more content and happy with his work than any other artist I can think of really.

Gruff being weird

For people who've never really given Gruff, Neon Neon or Super Furry Animals (his other bands) a listen, Hotel Shampoo is probably a good place to start. It's easy to listen to, and the weirdness tends to serve the album as a whole rather than standing out too much and taking attention away from the ensemble.

Baring in mind ensembles and standing out and serving the bigger picture, I shall move on to Libya; a place which is so far removed from it's own contentness it seems like a nice polar comparison to Gruff and his Power Rangers helmet.

To say it's kicking off over in Libya is an understatement. Colonel Gaddafi himself has fled, supposedly to Venezuela.

A nice safe place...ahem policetooafraidtopatrolthestreetsanduserobotsinstead cough cough.

In his absence, Gaddafi's son Saif has blamed Libyans who live abroad for the current unrest in the country. Nothing to do with the fact that for 40 years, Saif's father has ruled Libya with an iron fist then? Or maybe the fact that the country has been involved in several high profile acts of terrorism? Including the Lockerbie bombing and the suspected shooting of police officer Yvonne Fletcher? Constable Fletcher was policing an anti-Gaddafi protest outside the Libyan embassy in London, and was thought to have been killed by a burst of machine gun fire that came from inside the embassy building.

Personally, I think it's high time the "Mad Dog of the Middle East" (quote Ronald Reagan) and his litter were held accountable for all their past discrepancies. The Colonel's son Hannibal has been running round Europe like a loose cannon for the best part of a decade. The wild pup has used diplomatic immunity to escape from such high jinx as attacking three French policeman who had the bare faced cheek to pull him over for drunkenly speeding the wrong way down the Champes Elysses.

In fact, the only country who took a stance against the aptly named sprog's maraudings across the continent was Switzerland. Hannibal and his wife were held in a cell for two nights after accusations of assault, backed up by injuries, from a couple staying at the same hotel. Did the good Colonel give his son a bollocking and teach him a lesson? Did he heck, he placed a block on oil to Switzerland, banned Swiss products such as Nestle from Libya and had two travelling Swiss businessman arrested on unfounded chrages of visa irregularities and tax evasion. As of November 2010, these two unfortunate souls are now each serving 16 month prison sentences.

No, I commend the people of Libya for finally saying enough is enough and bringing Gadaffi to rights. For too long, the Saddam's, the Gadaffi's and the Mubarak's of this world have been able ot get away, literally, with murder. For too long, people opposed to these regimes, people who have voiced their opinions, have had their voices snatched away from them. So, "hats off," I say.

Ta-ta for now.