Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

PM: 6 Miles Steady, 36:03, Blvd

Today was an easy day. Ray has been including these six mile jaunts as part of the patient build up. I was running too quick, a result of listening to m83 on the shuffle and getting completely fired up. Then after 4 miles I bumped into Matty P and Paddy Moulton. Joyous stuff really. They ran with me back to my apartment and we had some good banter. Naturally the paced slowed a bit making the run an actual easy run. You see these boys do twice as much running as I do. Not in the, I had twice as much beer as you last night sense, rather they actually do about 2 times the miles I do. Very commendable and that is why they have run 2:17, and 2:15 respectively.

A lot happened on the music front today. I listened to a lot of new tunes. Matador records emailed me (not personally, I just happen to be on a mailing list from when I bought an Interpol album from the site) about the BBC sessions Belle and Sebastian album. The tracks are taken from BBC Radio 1 shows from 1997 through 2000's and there is a live show from Belfast on second CD. Great stuff really and I will be buying. There are 4 new tracks too which will be awesome.

Today however belonged to M83. I watched their KCRW Live Performance which was reccomended by Martin Fagan and I loved it. The new album Saturdays = Youth is just stunning. It came out last April but I have been falling so far behind in terms of music (there is just too many great albums and not enough time) that I have just been playing the DJ remixed versions of the tracks. Over the last two weeks I've been listening to the album and its great. Not necessarily better than the ones before, they were just class, but fantastic in its own way. I mean you can't help but think of a reflection scene in Sixteen Candles or The Breakfast Club when you listen to Kim & Jessie. Its complete Tears For Fears and I personally love it. The album is so much more accesable then their prior work which is the big difference for me. The whole nostalgic vibe and energy really stikes home for me the simple fact that I am getting older and them great days of youth are slowly becoming distant memories. Take the track "Graveyard Girl" (yes I know its an obvious choice) it is an ode to John Hughes, the film maker that was responsible for us all falling in love with Molly Ringwald which is why the claim has been made that the girl on the cover has the same red short hair as the 80's icon. "Couleurs" is magical and the remix that sasha put on his involver 2 mix has been a heavy part of my rotation over the last 4 months. UP! Is the Kate Bush tribute that misses the mark for me but it is still quite good and is testiment to the quality of the release that tracks like this are deemed mediocre against the A+ line up around it. At the end of the day, Mr Anthony Gonzalez wrote an album that he wanted to about an era that he loved and was inspired by. He is influenced by Cocteau Twins, and in turn he made a Cocteau Twins album. Whether it is better or not than albums like Before The Dawn Heals Us is a moot point. The album set out to be different and despite the cheese element it is very successful in its mission. Listening to this album puts me right back in that adolecent era of big dreams and American high school movies. Complete happiness.

Love Kel