road to nowhere

Excellent to see Simon Reynolds reviewing 679's grime compilation ('Run The Road') in the Observer yesterday (thanks to Chantelle's World of Grime blog for drawing it to my attention)

"As a sound, grime is still very much an underdog, and so its fantasies of triumph and living large are much more precarious and affecting. ... You can hear all this in the music, in those pinched, scrawny voices - the sound of energy squeezing itself through the tiniest gap and grabbing for a chance that no doubt will prove to be a mirage."

The first essential release of 2005?

The Observer - Review: Run The Road

And actually, while I'm taking a long overdue look at Simon's blog, I note this article, too, which is great...

House of Zealous Rockers: Simon Reynolds on DFA.

Anyone who's not yet heard LCD Soundsystem's 'Movement' (which doesn't feature on the essential looking DFA Compilation #2 but which is the new single by DFA man James Murphy's band) either BUY IT RIGHT NOW or do the illegal download thing. It's ace.