Robot Claw – Page 839 – “Life In The So-Called Space Age”

21st Century Boys

August 3, 2006

So I bought 21st Century Boys, the Sigue Sigue Sputnik ‘best of’ album from 2001, containing singles, b-sides and rarities from all their releases up till then.

< 21st Century Boys

It is, of course, amazing. I think they describe themselves best in the lyric to the ‘song’ Video Trailer Mix, which goes:

From the nighttime neon wastelands of the 1980’s music scene
Comes the group that will take the fifth step into the future of Rock’&’Roll.
A group whose principal interests are TV, Star Wars, Home Computers,
High Tech Sex, The Ultravixens, Andrenaline and Excitement.
Get ready for the 5th Generation of Rock’&’Roll!

This album is the first time I am hearing such ‘classics’ as Buy EMI and Barbarandroid. Guess what’s on heavy rotation on my iPod now 🙂

Oh yes, check out www.sputnikworld.com, especially the history section. The amount of name dropping Tony James manages to cram in is mind-boggling, and there’s something in there for just about anyone with any interest in the 1980’s-1990’s UK music scene (including lots of discussion of Eldritch and The Sisters). Alas, no details on that cancelled SSS C64 game which was to feature the band, Eldritch, Billy Idol and others…

Which would you choose?

August 2, 2006

We’re getting our carpets replaced and are at the point where we have samples at home to choose the colour/style. The choice is challenging…

< Carpet Samples

The dark piece at front is commercial carpet we are having layed in our second downstairs room. As for the upstairs selection, which would you choose?

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan

August 1, 2006

About a year ago Nintendo released a game for the DS in Japan only called Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. It is a rythym/music game, where you tap targets on the screen in time to the beats of a selection of groovy J-Pop songs. At the same time, a story is being told in the background of a group of ‘motivators’ helping people get better at something.

For instance, in one song you help a chef prepare better food to save his ailing restaurant. In another you motivate an old horse to win a race. The better you do at the song, the better they do at their chosen task.

In short the game is a masterpiece. It’s simultaneously wacky, charming and very, very addictive. And despite not being much of a fan of rythym games, I find myself really enjoying this one (which I picked up in Japan). It’s easily one of the most impressive DS games released so far, and has found itself a very large fanbase even outside of Japan.

This website is a good example, and gives you some screenshots of what the game is like to play. And here is a video (worth watching, believe me) of one of the songs being played in hard mode.

Later this year an English version of the game will release under the title ‘Elite Beat Agents’. It will be very different, with new songs, characters and stories. I’ll probably buy it, but I can’t see it being as good as the original. Hopefully the spirit of the gameplay survives intact!