"I won't let it make you mad it's already crazy." - Some People, Goldfrapp.

[sensaes]

I gave up reviewing albums professionally a long time ago. Stated reason at the time: I love music too much.

And that still applies, now perhaps more than ever.

However, I'll tell you this about Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree, with no hope or expectation of my words making a blind bit of difference, anywhere

Comments

[spyderfyngers]

I do love those dancing leaf creatures in the video.

[sensaes]

The "bonus track" on the standard version of the A & E single (i.e. not the one with all the remixes) is actually a video, shot in Super8, for Clowns.

Evocative is definitely the word for this whole album. It's stunning.

[dativesingular]

You're just discovering the fractal feature now?!?! How's that there box you're living in?

[sensaes]

*Laughs.* Seriously, I don't own an iPod (never will), and the only reason I've got crappy iTunes installed at all is because it came enforcibly bundled with QuickTime when Apple could still get away with that sort of cheeky nonsense.

It's a truly evil piece of software, and - for the third time - I'm hereby vowing never to use it again.

[trailer_spot]

I guess it was only a question of time. Hope there's been no damage to the castle and its inhabitants.

[sensaes]

A bit too close for comfort, that one, but no - it missed us here!

There were two more in Greece on Monday and Tuesday, as well.

I'm seriously considering switching to a Hans Zarkov icon...before the "Hot Hail" starts!

[primal_sanshin]

It is a delightful album. But I just have to ask... you've only discovered the fractals NOW?! That's something I would have thought you'd enjoy much earlier. Go figure. *grin*

Bad Apple.

[sensaes]

See above.

Although the debate (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/12/itunes_602_spyware_claim/) is still rumbling on, proprietary file formats such as .m4a (and .wma, since Micro$oft are just as bad on that front) go against my open source inclinations.

Besides, iTunes is just clunky.

Re: Bad Apple.

[primal_sanshin]

You know something... just read that link and I -- who admittedly try to read as much as possible of that to which I am agreeing -- do remember the comment about the iTunes MiniStore, which is why I turned it off immediately. I didn't exactly what the info tracked (if it was going to be tracked) and definitely didn't want the nuisance of consistent band-width usage just because I was listening to my music. But that's just my experience.

As to being against your open source inclinations, I completely understand. I suffer it because it has proven useful more often than not. But the vast majority of my iTunes library is actually unprotected, having come from my CDs rather than from downloading. So in general it's not a problem. *shrug*

iTunes can be clunky, though. Definitely can't argue with that. :)

Re: Bad Apple.

[sensaes]

It's worse than that.

I've got to get back to work, but if you track back through Boing Boing's "F*ck Up Archives" you'll find some relevant pieces detailing Apple's deeply suspicious appending of customer data (including credit card info, etc.) to paid-for tracks.

Personally, I wouldn't touch the iStore with the proverbial digital bargepole.