Sleep Interrupted

In a recent email conversation, Tim W asked me what I thought of the latest Zero 7 album, The Garden. Well, if ever there was some blog fodder…

As I mentioned recently, I’ve been listening to this album a lot and really like it, but to do a proper job I took the time to listen to the previous albums, Simple Things and When It Falls. I’ve stayed clear of other reviews on the web, so not to colour my take on things.

Personally, I think each album builds on the last, so my favourite now is The Garden. Simple Things is a good album in its own right, definitely leading the way in (for want of a better term I’ll call) chill out. It’s a wonderful mix of vocalists and soft, natural and (mostly) layed back sounds.

When It Falls, by comparison, feels more focused but still keeps all the winning elements. Consequently it has some genuinely beautiful, stand-out tracks like Home and Look Up, which is why I rate it higher.

Where When It Falls feels like a progression, The Garden is more of an evolution. From its opening bars, harder edged synths come in to play. I like this, however, as it acts as a great compliment to the normal palette of more fuzzy sounds. It’s also more energetic, again a good thing from my perspective. Sia Furler returns for a third time, so Zero 7 fans will still feel at home, but this album also sees Jose Gonzales on a number of tracks. You’ll know him from That Bravia Advert With All The Bouncy Balls. Top track: Seeing Things; seems simple at first but works into your head like you can’t believe.

So, my advice would be if you have one of the albums and like it, go pick up either of the others. Tim said that he liked Simple Things so much he was affraid of spoiling it if the other albums weren’t so good. I know that feeling. Tim, no need to worry.

Ben has suddenly started using rhetorical questions at the end of his sentences. For instance, yesterday he said, “I can run really fast, can’t I?”. Coupled with the I’m puzzled hand gesture he’s started using — arms upright in front of body, hands bent outward at the wrist, palms facing upward — he’s so earnest and serious sometimes that it’s hard to keep a straight face.

I was mildly phone scammed today.

My phone rings and I pick it up. “Hello, Andrew Smith.”

“Hi Andrew, this is [forgettable name] from HR. We’re going to be running a fire drill in about half an hour, could you tell me who’s in?”

So, after a little confusion I list off half a dozen names and then stumble on one of the contractor’s names.

“That’s okay, I can look up the contractors on my list here. Now I’m going to hang up and sell this list to some employment agency, suckah!”

Okay, the last bit was made up but I’m sure that’s what was going through his mind. Only after I put the phone down did it occur to me that we don’t have any men working in HR. I really don’t like being made a fool of; it cracks the thin veneer of competence.

Tim, the first rule of Film Club is that you don’t talk about Film Club.

Sorry, that was too easy. My list of Films I’m Embarresed To Admit I Haven’t Seen includes The Godfather and The Shining. We’ve got a lot of work to do.

Hmmm… these blog posts are getting a little incestuous. We need to expand our blogging circle line of friends. I reckon I can persuade Mr Watkins, unless someone else wants to volunteer?

The Cooper’s new single is available for purhcase. As previously stated, you can take a look at the video on YouTube. My sources tell me they’re in a mid-to-low chart position currently, so if you like what they do it’s time to reprazent. Sorry, came over all Westwood there. Here endeth the plug.

The strange thing about blogging is that the more busy and interesting your life gets and the more you have topics to blog on, the less time you have for blogging. Well, that’s my rather obvious excuse.

So what have I been so busy doing, exactly? Let’s think… I was going to write about the brewery tour at the Rebellion Brewery I went on with Mark but I can’t remember that much about it. Funny.

And then the DIY season started; it seems to be that October and November are when the weather turns and we find time to do all the home improvements we’ve been planning for the last nine months. We’re now about 80% complete on the laminate flooring project and next comes the whole kitchen re-fit. I’m planning to take a couple of days off. Expect another long break in the blogging while that’s on.

Oh! And the music! I’ve been listening to Supernature by Goldfrapp and The Garden by Zero 7. Both third albums and both really good; far better that I was expecting. Good in the wake up humming the tunes and have them featuring in your dreams kind of way. Perhaps more on that later.

Ben was just sitting with me while I was at the computer and he started pointing out the letters he recognised on the screen, “That’s an buh… that’s an ess!” I decided to take the chance to extend him a little. “Do you see that letter that looks like a cross? There? That’s an ex. Ex is for… exit.” He looked at it for a moment, “Ex? Ex. Ex is for exterminate.” That’s my boy!

Yes, Sleep Interrupted looks a little different at the moment. It’s an experiment. Normal service will be resumed shortly.

Just thought I would post Jessica’s growing vocabulary here, more so I don’t forget in years to come, than because I think it will be of (much) interest to anyone else. She is definitely later than Ben in speaking. I remember when he was her age and we had just moved him into his new room and “big boy’s bed” because of the pending arrival of Jessica. The first night in a bed without bars Ben must have been out of bed and his room every 2 minutes. And I remember him shouting down the stairs “Are you two eating something?”. Answer: Yes, we were having a late, child-free dinner, a real luxury for us. So already at about 19/20 months Ben was speaking in relative sentences. Yes, I am probably remembering him speaking more clearly than he actually did. Andrew and I from very early on could understand what Ben was saying, and to us was perfectly clear and understandable. Which was why I was always amazed when after spouting off a whole conversation people would turn to me and ask “What did he just say?”.

Anyway, he was definitely speaking in longer sentences. That said, Jessica can generally make herself understood by her use of a handful of word, loud screams and lots of pointing. I think her most useful word is “more”. This is used frequently and applies mainly to food and drink.

Other words are borbry (strawberry), bic (biscuit), teddy, Tilly (our cat), dump (jump), door, tick tock (for clock), knock knock (for when we get to peoples houses), bye bye, no (for nose), mummy and daddy, war (for both walk and water), baby, and beebies (when she would like CBeebies on).

I am sure there are other, but at least I have now got the majority of them down for posterity.