Support your local library

Big fan of our local library in Motherwell... they have a great selection of music, films, and games... oh and they do books too!

Went up with Miriam... and picked up some goodies for the ol' iPod (Its not stealing as my taxes paid for the CD!?!)

Borrowed:

• At war with the mystics by The Flaming Lips - I enjoyed their previous album - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - immensely and, from what I've heard so far, at war follows on nicely.
• Wincing the night away by The Shins - I remember when Sub Pop released weird and wonderful records from obscure American bands in the late 80's and early 90's. The Shins kind of fit in that category just now... with this wonderful slab of alt.rock... except its the noughties. Nice.
• The understanding by Royksopp - One of my fav albums of last year. Had it then lost it when my harddrive crashed. I have it back again. Only this moment is a sublime piece of Scandinavian electronica and this album should be bought (borrowed) for this track alone (even though the rest of the album is super-fab!)
• Rounds by Four Tet - Kieren Hebden is a genius and this album demonstrates his endeavours into the wild, wild world of folketronica. Beautifully glitchy and random... rounds is my kind of thing.

Bought (for £1 each...):

• Riot on an empty street by Kings of Convenience - Once described by a colleague (yes... I worked with someone who had seen Kings of Convenience live!) as delicate. Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe make beautifully delicate acoustic folk music that transcends their home in Bergen, Norway. This is their second album, from 2004, and a true testament to doing your own thing. Lovely.
• Airdrawndagger by Sasha - I secretly long to dance in Ibiza to Sasha. I love his music for its simplicity. Yes its euphoric... and I like that. But its more... its well crafted... like sound sculptures. Its what dance music should be... a place where you can forget yourself for a wee while.

I also picked up a book for 20p by the business guru Charles Handy called the empty raincoat -making sense of the future. The blurb at the back says this...

Charles Handy reaches here for a philosophy beyond the mechanics of business organisations, beyond material choices, to try and establish an alternative universe, where life and work are re-grounded in a natural sense of continuity, connection and purposeful direction.

Could do with some of that! Certainly cheaper than hiring IBM. Support your local library... there are goodies to be found!