in other news

I paid £15 for these shit photographs for a new provisional; licence - the first machine was so terrible and pixelated they werent even worth using as roaches. Bleurgh.
Oh yeah. I'm going to learn to drive. I need an easier way to escape Bethesda from time to time. Best put the effort in.

November has been a terrible month, as it always is in our household. My aunt died which broke my father and grandmother's hearts, very hard to watch. And then of course two days after this sad news was the 2nd year anniversary of my grandfather's death. Painful for my mam. I was too ill (and if I'm honest too unwelcome) to attend my aunties funeral, and I wasn't even invited to go see my other grandma with her. So instead I went to the pub and drowned my sorrows like a real Briggs does.

It just brought back a lot of bad memories, not only from the last 2 years but from other family deaths which have happened when I was younger. And I live too far away from any of my closest friends now to even be able to talk properly about it, or just get wrecked and forget for a while.

Other bad stuff? Well maybe not as brutal or unchangeable as death but lets see. 

Heartbreak. Absolute depressing time at work. Lost/ stolen bank card (i think stolen personally). One of my best friends has moved away to London. There's lots more little petty ones but they're the major players.

Can't wait for tomorrow when it's all fucking over.

in time for winter

Finally finished my autumnal coloured scarf! 

100% real wool. I really like the colours. I'm a beginner which is why it's a basic stitch but it's so long and so wide that I don't really care. It's also very warm. And one of a kind. And mine.

This is another one I've done. 

This is more wintery in colour, and I really like it because it's like petrol in water - the colours change in different lighting. It's also just as warm, but acrylic - not wool (a lot cheaper though).

The scanner really doesn't give the colours justice but there we go. Next job - mittens.

Cass McCombs - Humor Risk

This man, Cass McCombs, bloody love him and his music. And as he hates the music industry and doing big tours etc etc, I feel blessed to high heaven that I've actually had the opportunity to see him live (this time 3 years ago actually). He's brillo.
When I got the opportunity to get an advanced copy of his new album, Humor Risk, and review it for Waxxx Magazine, obviously I jumped at the chance. Here's what I wrote - although seeing I went over my word-count maybe it got edited down. As long as they kept the score the same I don't care.

Cass McCombs – Humor Risk

As someone who has been a fan of Cass McCombs for many years, I awaited his new album with much anticipation. In fact, scratch that; it was more like full-on, salvating, hysteria. For those unaware of McCombs’ musical genius, let me give you a brief overview; an American singer-songwriter, he is quite unlike the stereotypical confessional and self-obsessed tits who grace most of the radio airwaves. He instead describes the lives and emotions of those around him, with love rather than judgement, and wit rather than despair, all wrapped up in well-crafted and generous songs. Described as “unobtrusively brilliant” by John Peel, or the more punchy “fucking boss” by my usual musical dealer, for a long time he has been a secret pleasure I shared only with my closest friends.

Did I big him up too much? Thankfully the little man from California did not leave me red-faced. The moment opening track Love Thine Enemy began, a humongous grin replaced the nervous grimace I had across my face. Roaring straight into a rhythmic tempo, a deep riff and an infectious melody, here was the promise of an album quite different to its predecessor. McCombs is known to be shy in person and incredibly mistrustful of the music industry, and this was made more apparent in the rather sparse and despairing album Wit’s End. Luckily for us, he has been extremely forth giving in his song-writing this time. Highlights include The Same Thing, Robin Egg Blue and Mystery Mail, all boasting a swift and joyous beat, a base-line to get the most immobile of limbs rocking and melodies to occupy your mind for days on end.

For all the die-hard Cass McCombs fans, or even those who just have one or two of his other albums, this is a return to the music we all know and love (we’ll just discount Wit’s End for now). If this is the first time you’ve ever come across his name, then all I can do is slap you silly and implore that you listen to this album and submerge yourself in auditory nirvana. And then listen to the rest of his discography. Do it.

8.5/10

photoshop lessons

Done this to accompany an article in Waxxx Magazine about how we treat our bits of tech like holy grails, and thus websites like facebook and twitter cause us to create false ideas about what true socialising and friendship really is. Murphs wanted me to draw a rotten apple (after the death Steve Jobs - geddit?) but I sacked it off.

Did not use photoshop because I had a very short deadline and I'm a novice at it. I need lessons - all skills earned at college disappeared ages ago.

In other news I've written another review, and an article (which will appear in a future issue). Dead lucky that Josh and Joe are nice enough to let me ramble on and squiggle in their paper.