remember this name

I am not known for the accuracy of my foreasting, but remember the name Wim Van Huffel. He may be a real revilation for Lotto at the Giro. Remember when Popovych showed his stuff at the Giro? He was 17th last year.

barnes and noble zombies

When did the concept of store get confused with library or living room? Walk into any Barnes and Noble and you are accosted by a sea of people curled up in comfy chairs reading books with their shoes off. Sipping coffees and looking smug. And why shouldn't they? They are getting the information contained in the books for free. You see people with 10 books stacked on a table taking notes, what the fuck? That is what a library is for. If I ran one of these places, you would be getting thrown the fuck out. It makes me reminisce back to Center St News in Hyannis where the hapless clerk(a failed 6th grade teacher named Mr.King who had a problem with picking his nose which landed him the nicknames like King the Fling and Fling King, etc) would scream at you if you spent too long looking at BMX ACTION to "buy that or get out, this ain't a library".
What if I want to do something crazy like buy a book and instead of being on the shelf some fucking shithead has it in his lap covered in crumbs from his coffee roll? Barnes and Noble are engaged in commerce otherwise known as exchanging goods or services for money. Are they so desperate for foot traffic that this is an acceptable trade off? Is that the kind of return customer you want? Do public libraries have to start serving lattes to be a cool destination? Has internet shopping turned people into such fucking babies that staggering around in public in your PJs is an acceptable course of action? Show some initiative, get dressed, buy something, and then go the fuck home and read it. That worked for a couple hundred years. And make a pot of coffee while you are at it. Otherwise you'll be one of those shitheads lounging on the comfy chairs there reading the Sunday paper. Do you live in a barracks? Go home.

Afflicted Man Complete CD UK DIY (punk?)

By the 7th track on this 2CD comp, you will have forgotten how forgettable the first 4 songs were as you bask in the glory of the "Afflicted Man's Musical Bag" LP. "Hippy Punk" opens side one with a shambling beat that is more Can than punk. The stumble through 3 more tracks. The jaded vocals make almost any pace the music takes seem frantic whether it is shambling wanna be reggae, dub, ACResque post punk groove, or space rock wannabe. Glue Sniffing is a mega pre-straightedge cautionary tale. "Hippy Punk" gives way to "Hippy Skin" on side 2 of this crucially fucked up and random LP. Elements of post punk classics float by filtered through a dose of pub rock and acid rock. Clearly living up to future song title "for the few I please"..... There is a musicality to this that reminds me of the Police if there main goal was to get fucked up and jam rather than write hits. Piano and acoustic guitar appear on side 2 of this record. As well as a desire to "keep the tape running" which manifests on "musically insane" an epic rework of "I'm afflicted" from their 1st single.
The first 15 or so tracks had made me forget what made me buy this in the first place. Aquarius said it was some proto High Rise mega feedback shit. This CD holds that until the end of disc two which opens with the "I'm off Me' Ead" LP which picks up where disc one left off. Basic vocals dissolve into guitar skronk that is worthy of FE drooling praise. "Survival in the 80s" is some dub/PIL rhythms with some serious guitar behind it. Lunkhead lyrics could have been on any mid 80s OI record.
Finishing strong is an understatement, when the "Get Stoned Ezy" tracks kick in, you know you are going to love this shit. A heavier, dumber groove and heavier guitar sound replaces the post punk meanderings and the Aquarius review jumps back into your head. The guitar keeps coming. As the vocal fade away, more and more effects get piled on and the feedback gets thicker. Mega. "Zip'ead" opens up with a fat fierce groove that should make hipster light weights like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club sit down and shut the fuck up. If you can't rock harder than some shit from the early 80s, don't quit your day job at Starbucks. This track is clearly the one inspiring the High Rise comparison and is worthy of it. This 3 song EP is clearly on the next level form Afflicted Man's previous output. "Sun Sun" closes it out which is a massive Sabbath/Guess Who affair that hints at what might come out of Seattle 20 year later. HUGE. And a reminder that there is nothing new under the sun.
I guess this music existed under the umbrella of UK DIY which is a huge genre I know nothing about. Either way it is a desperate and stumbling bridge between harder psych and punk. Records this fucked up and forgotten, yet resurfaced are a real pleasure to get a hold of. According to the liner notes NME called it "Hendrix meets Crass" and that seems to work. Seems way more fun to waste time and spill ink on this odd ball reissue than some other hallowed post punk sacred cow. A more knowledgeable source than me dropped science on it on the Siltblog.
Big Ups to Senseless Whale records out of Australia for compiling and releasing this odd ball classic.

A little late to the party

A lot of ink has been spilled about Canada's Fucked Up and I was not paying much attention. I think I got an early split 7" and must have been unimpressed cause I don't remember a thing about it. So their torrent of subsequent 7"S went ignored by yours truly. At some point they signed to Jade Tree and dropped "Hidden World". I started hearing some people bitching and some people raving which I took to be a good sign. I picked up the "epics in minutes" cd comp. Damn, how did I sleep on this group. Really anthemic hardcore. A little Poison Idea a little John Brannon and a whole lot of wise ass lyrics. Baiting the Public really grabbed me. So accepting that I missed the boat, I moved on to the controversial new album. Had they sold out?, fucked up the formula?, faded away? Time to find out. To me it sounded good, they may push the song lengths in a "youth of america" fashion sometimes, but if the riffs are good who cares. "Crusades" kept the "baiting the public" anthemic shit rolling.
These guys might be one of the only new bands I hear kids rave about that lived up to the hype.

Sunday cycling wrap up.

Sadly Horner couldn't hold the jersey or a podium place in Romandie. Dekker got the TT win and the overall followed by Salvodelli and Kasheckin. JJ Haedo got a win in Denmark and must be feeling confident for the Giro. Liquigas have to be happy with Vincent Nibali's second win in 2 days. Pellizoti was up there as well.
We have 4 Days of Dunkirk and Clásica Internacional a Alcobendas y Collado Villalba coming up next week. Then the Giro kicks off on the 12th.
This Giro should be a pretty open and fun race. I predict CSC get the jersey right off the bat with a TTT win and pass it around the team for a few stages. Cunego and Salvodelli have to be the favorites. Popovych could be a man to watch. More picks later in the week. I am really excited for the Giro, I just hope it isn't turned into a circus with drug raids or doping scandals.

Horner grabs lead at Romandie

Horner finishes second on this epic stage and grabs the overal lead by 7 seconds. A 20K time trial is all that is left.
He will have to fight to hold it as the top ten looks like this
1 Chris Horner (USA) Predictor - Lotto 17.00.17
2 Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0.07
3 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 0.09
4 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Astana 0.15
5 John Gadret (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance 0.22
6 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0.28
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor - Lotto 0.29
8 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre - Fondital 0.31
9 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana
10 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 0.33


This would be a huge win for Horner if he can hold on. He rode well in the prologue but Dekker,Salvodelli, and even Kashechkin could be trouble for him.
Either way, a hell of ride for one of the most tactically astute US riders.

Whatnauts and the Whatnauts Band 45

What and the Whatnauts do a cover of "Message from a Black Man" on the A side and "Dance to the Music" on the flip. A&I Records #001. A trio from Baltimore 1970. "Message...." is done pretty much as the original. Not bad, but not breaking any new ground.
Outstanding FUZZ guitar on "dance to the music". Full instrumental workout. Bass player steps it up. Definitely the winner on this single. The flipside is the killer on the release. A classic emreges like a phoenx from the ashes of a throw away B-side.