Analogue

My friends Russell and Julie who have run Analogue Books for the last 9+ years on Victoria Street (technically the address is West Bow but it's always been 'the bottom of Victoria Street' to me) were having their last day of trading before closing up and moving to new premises in the next few weeks just around the corner and up the hill to Candlemaker Row. Popped in to say hello and was filled with nostalgia, remembering the first time I visited them all those years ago. I was so inspired by the design of their shop and the products they were selling that I went home and knocked them up a prototype website that very night. All the best to R+J with the move anyway - good luck kids!

Analogue of a different kind with some music for today. 7" single with catalogue no. GBX704, the most recent single from Broadcast in collaboration with the Focus Group. Sad news yesterday to hear that Trish Keenan of Broadcast had died in hospital of pneumonia following a swine-flu infection. I can't pretend that I knew all their songs or followed their career with slavish devotion but when I heard their music I liked them a lot and had bought a couple of albums over the years. They sounded like a mixture of all sorts - pop, psychedelia, Krautrock, 60s groove and were all the better for it. That last single of theirs is great but I think my favourite of all their releases is still one of their earliest.

[Extra musical note: my pal Russell was playing a beautiful album in his shop today by Icelandic composer [url=http://boomkat.com/cds/294548--lafur-arnalds-and-they-have-escaped-the-weight-of-darkness]Olafur Arnalds[/url]. Really gorgeous modern classical/home listening activity, very Max Richter, very Johann Johannsson]