What I listened to in March 2014

Here's what I listened to in March 2014.

Big on my list were artists that I had to review for Echoes & Dust (Christina Vantzou) and This Is Not A Scene (Beneath the Watchful Eyes, Sleepstream and Arms of Tripoli).

Also high on the list were soundtracks from Howard Shore (Hugo), Leonard Rosenman (The Lord of the Rings) and Clint Mansell (Noah).

Music is such a wonderful thing ... don't let your ears go to waste listening to any old nonsense.

Tx

PS ... this doesn't include any physical media like vinyl or CD.

April 2014's Wallpaper ... is now available to download

I have been enjoying my morning walk from my house to the station in Motherwell. Before the clocks changed, the sun was low in the sky at the time I was walking which led to some striking images like the one used for this month's wallpaper.

Usual flavours are below.

Tx

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iPhone with Calendar + iPhone without Calendar
iPad

40 Days of Enough ... Day 23 - "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" by Rick Wakeman

I was given "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" by Rick Wakeman by my Team Lead for Christmas 2013's Secret Santa and ... well ... I was blown away. Not only did my Team Lead really 'get' me ... but he was prepared to go out of his way to get me a gift he knew I'd appreciate. I did and I do!

"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" is a fab record ... abstract at times but in a good way ... filled with my kind of prog - inventive and interesting.

Thanks Neill!

Tx

The Record Collector ... a film by Joey Izzo

This made me laugh when John LaSala shared it on my Facebook page ... just call me 'Thomany'.

It's a bit too close to home.

Tx

5 exceptional short films from Danny Cooke

I saw my first Danny Cooke film on The Fox Is Black this morning ... I found "Upside Down, Left to Right" utterly captivating. I find the whole process of Letterpress printing to be fascinating and wanted to share the film.

The film was shot is such a masterful manner that I went looking for more.



I watched this film: "David A Smith - Reverse Glass, Gold Leaf Sign Artist". Another utterly fascinating film on a deeply interesting subject - creating signage using gold leaf and the reverse glass technique.



I then ended up on "OurGlass of Cockington" ... a film about 'OurGlass', a glassblowing studio formed in 1995 and now situated in Cockington Village, located in the South Devon. It is another brilliant video, wonderfully shot in a sympathetic manner.



Cooke's video of deep sea diver Ray Ives in "Ray: A Life Underwater" is truly immersive (pardon the pun) and a visual treat ... as is "Darrienia" with Bethany Rose Harrison's dancing and music by Lockerbie.



Enjoy ... and subscribe to Cooke's videos on YouTube ... I think his best is yet to come.

Tx

40 Days of Enough ... Day 22 - "The Hobbit" ... the Jackanory version

I've spoken about the Jackanory version of "The Hobbit" that Olly gave me for my Christmas in 2013. It was a good friend while I was off my work with pertussis.

I listened to it a number of times and consider it faithful to the original novel. Bernard Cribbins, Maurice Denham, Jan Francis & David Wood are all brilliant in it ... and would have loved to have seen it read when it was originally broadcast.

Tx

40 Days of Enough ... Day 21 - "The Hobbit" ... a hardback beauty illustrated by Alan Lee

I found this utterly beautiful hardback copy of "The Hobbit" in a charity shop in Bellshill for £2. It is pristine and features truly exceptional artwork from Alan Lee.

I think it was £25 when originally sold ... and was a true steal when I found it. I think I actually squealed when I found it.

My Tolkien collection is an obsession ... and makes no real sense other than as a collection. I mean, why would you want more than one copy of a book?

I guess there isn't any real point to having a collection other than the appreciation of the object itself.

Tx

40 Days of Enough ... Day 20 - "The Hobbit"

This copy of "The Hobbit" was given to me by my wife on my 15 year Wedding Anniversary ... instead of a card. It started a new tradition - I'd rather have a book than a card any day of week.

It shows Bag End as I would imagine it ... and looks fabulous on my shelf.

Tx

40 Days of Enough ... Day 19 - "The Hobbit" ... my most recent copy

This is my most recent copy of "The Hobbit" ... given to me for my Christmas in 2013 by Olly.

This copy features an image from "The Desolation of Smaug" and I love it.

Tx

My ambient music podcast - circumambient - is now on iTunes

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My ambient music podcast - circumambient - is now on iTunes.

Follow this link - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/circumambient/id846971972 - or search for "circumambient".

I'll be starting from episode 5 ... and will try to add episodes 6 through 9 over the coming weeks.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review. Every little helps, after all.

Dive deep!

Tx