happy birthday bobby d

my newspaper album came today, it's beautiful but is slightly poignant as due to its arrival i haven't been able to concentrate on revision for the two exams i have this week, one of them being tomorrow morning..

radiohead lsd must be the best lsd in the world

not that stanley designed them for lsd purposes or anything

~my english literature exam didn't go magnificently badly but it wasn't magnificent either. just sort of ok computer. time will tell whether i wrote the right things down or not. whatever, now i can start reading again (i'm really funny about reading a book whilst studying one because it confuses me and my short attention span and i always muddle parts of and lose focus on the book that i actually need to be reading)

speaking of lsd, i read somewhere that bob dylan has outted his heroin addiction or something. and on nme the headline was 'happy birthday bob dylan, what present shall we get him? not heroin'

but now now now now NOW

it's white stripes night

i'm actually going to revise because i'm not giving up that A in chemistry without a fight

A Rainbow in Curved Air

• Unfortunately Marcus Foster sounds dangerously like Marcus Mumford. Well particularly in this clip anyway.
• Fortunately his album is far more electronic, and despite the fact it's on the same label as Mumford & co it does sound somewhat more rock 'n roll.

I suppose I feel for him in some sense as he sort of seems to be in the same crossroads I find myself in. As in, for me, I feel my songs and singing style could quite easily be compared to the likes of Laura Marling. Except they are fundamentally different and there's a more alternative/rock sound that's trying to be achieved. This I feel can be applied to this guy too. Except cross out Laura and type in Marcus instead. Also, we're both not trying to achieve this 'folk' sound that seems to of become oh so popular. Oh no sir, we are trying to recreate the sound of all our favourite artists. For Marcus it varies from Bob Dylan to Van Morrison. For me it varies from Radiohead to Steve Reich.

That is all for now on Marcus Foster.

I have two songs that have been put on the back burner until the next two hours have passed. The first is on the guitar and pays privilege to being in the key of DADFAD. I'm using the capo, which is rare and am plucking which is even rarer. I suppose this song is the inspiration for it, although it sounds nothing like it in the slightest. I just love the unexpected, disgusting yet nonetheless beautiful chord change. The second song that's been put aside for now is on the piano and is also in the key of DADFAD (sort of) come to think of it. It's well and truly inspired by 'In C' by Terry Riley as well as the general minimalistic style.

I'm hoping to get my final mixes tomorrow. Although having said that I have no idea whether I'm going to go to my singing lesson tomorrow night or not... come to think of it I don't think I will. Well I'll see how I feel later. How's that? I really am not fond of the songs recorded. In fact I'd go as far to say that they're all pretty shit. Apart from the last one I did, which is my favourite. Because although it begins rather melancholy it soon changes key completely. As Alison said, "It's like 5 songs put into one, Rachel!" I do like that one. And I'm not ashamed to say that this song undoubtedly inspired it.

Finally, I only say it because I just got the postcard, but I think I'm going to the institute. Why Sir? I'll tell you why. It's because I realised that I was only doing A levels and going to university to study history or art history because that's what I thought was 'expected' of me. Conditions of worth dictated that that is what I must do, because that's what I was brought up to believe. It's not only to stick two fingers up to academics, I assure you. It's also because writing my songs, no matter what I or others think of them, is what I truly enjoy. It's a beautiful contradiction. But it's what I love.