Bring it on

Listening to: 'Scherzo in C Minor for Violin and Piano' by Vanessa-Mae/Johannes Brahms [The Classical Album 1]

I am bursting with excitement. My brain is a melting pot of ideas. What experiments to do, what experiments not to do, how to explain that phenomenon, how to introduce this feature, which stuff to show my supervisor now, which stuff to hang on to until I've got a better idea of what's going on...it's all kicking off in my head. I've gone from 'meh' to 'HELL YEAH!!!' in just 2 hours. It feels good.

I've had this feeling before...when I was working my way back onto the PhD after they told me to pack up and go home. I succeeded then, and I will succeed now. Impossible is nothing.

So yeah, world...bring. it. on.

Let me not google that for you!

Listening to: Radio 1

A conversation that happens all too often -

Retard: Hey PR, so I have this question that I need answering...can you answer it for me?
Me: *mutter under breath* Erm...*finds answer on google*...there you go

How I want the conversation to go:

Retard: Hey PR, so I have this question that I need answering...can you answer it for me?
Me: You're connected to the internet, yeah?
Retard: Yeah...
Me: You can type, yeah?
Retard: Yeah...
Me: So WHY DON'T YOU F***ING GOOGLE IT YOURSELF, MORON?!?!?!

The last time I checked, I wasn't an encyclopaedia. There is no website called www.askpseudorandom.com. So why don't you pull your finger out and do something for yourself for a change? Even my parents knows how to find stuff on the internet without asking me, and they're over 60!

Yes I know there's lmgtfy, but the type of people who ask me dumb stuff are usually the type of 'sensitive' people who'd get offended if I were to answer with that link, and I can't be bothered dealing with the aftermath.

OK rant over.

Marry me Strickland!

Listening to: 'Love Goes Down' by Plan B [The Defamation of Strickland Banks]

After the emoness of the last post, I think a music review is in order! For this I have chosen an album I bought yesterday - The Defamation of Strickland Banks by Plan B. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned him before. I was really looking forward to this album, and I wasn't disappointed.

The first question that comes to mind is, what is this? Is it a normal album, a concept album inspired by a movie (like Jay-Z's American Gangster), a movie soundtrack, or a musical? Well the answer is, all of the above (he has called it 'a film for the blind'). The songs serve as different chapters in the life of Strickland Banks, as the soul singer meets a groupie on a night out and is then put in jail for a crime he didn't commit. The music videos for the singles released so far ('Stay Too Long' and 'She Said') are all 'scenes' from the short film The Defamation of Strickland Banks, which is currently in production (if Wikipedia's anything to go by).

As a normal album, it's one of the best I've heard in recent times. If you like your blue-eyed soul - Amy Winehouse's incredible Back to Black being the most recent success - you're gonna love this. It's a complete turn around from Plan B's first album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, which was heavy on the hard-hitting rap lyrics (some of the tracks...no, all of the tracks are amazingly twisted). Defamation... on the other hand, is heavy on the dulcet tones of Plan B's singing voice. Love Goes Down has to be the sexiest song I've heard in a while...ooooooooh baby! And the falsetto on She Said is amazing. The hard-hitting lyrics are still there, notably on 'Darkest Place'. And all the tracks have a very authentic 60's feel to them, which is commendable considering there's a fair bit of rapping going on. There are plenty of trumpets, doo-wah backing vocals, soaring strings (I'd buy an instrumental version of 'The Recluse', just to hear the violins!), and even a gospel-type choir! Speaking of which, I love the fact that the gospel choir appears on a track titled 'Welcome to Hell'! Get it? 'gospel'...'hell'...oh never mind. Anyway, to me, the album is 'all thriller, no filler'.

As a concept album/'film for the blind', I think it's amazing. The songs tell you the story, but at the same time, they don't give everything away. The final track 'What You Gonna Do' tells us that Strickland is back in court to find out if he's gonna be set free or sent back to jail...we never find out the outcome, and ironically the last line of the album is "just don't leave me on a cliffhanger"...genius! I can almost picture Plan B watching me from afar and laughing maniacally when he sees my frustration at not knowing the ending. I guess I'll have to wait for the movie, eh?

So yeah, I love the album. I hope it charts well this weekend, 'cos the legend that is Plan B really deserves it. Soooo....GO BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

To finish off, I'm gonna give you two very different videos. The first is track #2 off the new album. I can't get the tune out of my head, and for some reason it reminds me of Charles & Eddie's Would I Lie to You. The second is from Plan B's first album (it took a while to choose between this one and Sick 2 Def). Someone this versatile has to be a genius. Enjoy!

Writing's On the Wall

No More Eatin'