commonpeople

Seriously catchy dance pop from Sweden, written by the frankly brilliant Charli XCX.

Would have really liked to experience Slimes in its heydays...

The name's Sam! I live in Sibera,Russia.
Wondering where it might be?
Oh c'mon! Everyone knows that Siberia is a snow desert somewhere deep in Russia.
We still got internet but for the rest it's a beat complicated.
That being said I created a studio using cardboard boxes, USSR-style keyboards and iMac G4
Besides I borrowed a camera from my next-door buddy.

You wonder what could be produced out of such a garbage??
I'll tell you what!
Dude, garbage is the trendiest thing possible nowadays! We got lucky with that / The luck itself found us here.
See what we did with our own powers in the subject youtube link!

It was not comfortable to work in a small room with cardboard walls :))
That's why I'm looking forward to fixing the whole ''studio'' situation.

If it blew your head off or at least didn't leave you emotionless I would like to ask for your support.
Use PayPal,Itunes or BandCamp links from video description in Youtube.

I would also be delighted to hear from you in my guestbook or simply buzz my office: +7 926 251 4440

I speak some English and Chinese, besides there are German and French speakersin da house.
That's why I truly believe we can find common language and exchange opinions.
Stay tuned!

A Clash Of Kings by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series (which I affectionately call the bastard offsprings of Jackie Collins and J.R.R. Tolkien) is in many ways identical to the first book, "A Game of Thrones": the structure consists of chapters alternating between key characters, with the nastiness and cruelty that was so surprising in the first book still prevalent - upped even as the plot reaches its climax.

The story takes off from where "A Game of Thrones" ended: the isles of the Seven Kingdoms have dissolved into war and each portion of it has proclaimed a new king who is ready to fight for dominance. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, three newly born dragons grow under the care of Daenerys Targaryen, descendant of the original rulers of the Seven Kingdoms and now a Queen in exile, without land or people. A blood red comet cuts the sky: does it herald the approaching winter that so many Northerners warn of? The magic that has returned to the world with the rebirth of the dragons? The new monotheistic religion that seeks to destroy the old Gods? Or the bloodshed in the wake of humans backstabbing and fighting each other for power?

There's no literary merit behind George R.R. Martin's series but they are so compulsively enjoyable to read, and this particular book does throw up some interesting questions about the nature of war and religions, and what it means to be a Knight. It also has a neat twist towards the end that leaves the reader craving the third book.

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You can tell they're gonna go home to some hot, hot sex.

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I believe everyone should give a book a chance. I believe it's fair if that chance consists of the first 100 pages - if by that stage the author has failed to engage the reader, I say it's OK to put down the book and walk away.

I gave Carol Birch the benefit of 137 pages but it was no good. Jamrach's Menagerie is the tale of a boy from Bermondsey, South London, who comes into contact with a man who sells exotic animals after one of his tiger's escapes and nearly swallows the boy whole. Soon he's friends with two other children who are part of Jamrach's business and, later, he's given the chance to join Jamrach's ship expedition across the globe to capture a living dragon in a remote island.

The problem is that Birch's suspense-free novel fails at interesting characters, descriptive settings or anything resembling a story. And it was long listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction! We live in desperate times if weak writing like this is hailed as worthwhile reading. For every scene that might be noteworthy (the tiger's escape, the boys' participation in a whale hunt) there are tons of pages only serving to pad and push the reader's attention away.

Apparently, there's some point in the novel where an eyebrow raising event takes place. So shocking/disturbing/surprising that it's probably the reason the Orange Prize panel paid attention. Do I care enough to read on until I find out what that is? Is it a horrifying scene involving one of the novel's children? A gruesome murder? A paragraph that miraculously sparkles with life? Nope, I just don't care.

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I came home yesterday to find a young woman sprawled inside my elevator, trying feebly to stand up. It must have been 6.30pm. She was barefoot and she held a plastic bag with two slippers inside. She stunk of booze and had dried blood on the hand she offered to me when I tried to help.

I called the concierge and the both of us carried her into the foyer and sat her down against the wall. Her left leg was dead - she kept saying it was broken. I asked the concierge if there was anything else I could do and he said it was fine - she was coming from Apt. ** and he knew her.

Other noteworthy moments in my day: going past Mile End Park in the bus and noticing various tents pitched up; and having lunch with millionreasons near my work. I asked if the tents in Mile End Park were to do with Occupy London spreading and she answered that no, it was just the rise of homelessness in the city.