Music

We regret to announce that life is still tricky.

The number of deeply fulfilling, trivially-easy activities has dropped to an all-time low. Current projections suggest that pretty soon only "eating sausages" will be a guaranteed path to inner tranquility.

In short, there are no shortcuts.

In this hostile environment we must arm ourselves with the few tools we can rely on. Red wine is an obvious ally. White is your friend too, but a capricious one. Video games can help, but they only focus our strength, they cannot guide it. In the end, our greatest hope is hope itself. Repeats of Bewitched, and hope.

It's not easy folks, but we're trying.

There's something about last.fm that I really don't get.

If you don't know about it, the idea's simple: It takes note of what music you're playing in iTunes (or similar), tries to figure a pattern to what you're into, and creates a personalised internet radio station containing similar stuff.

It actually works really well - every time I switch on the Kris channel I hear loads of new stuff I really dig. It's particularly good at serving up songs I've never heard by bands I've always liked.

But - and this is the thing I don't get - not if I log in.

If I'm logged into their site, it tells me I can't hear my own radio station until I pay a subscription fee. If I log out, it'll let me hear it for free. You can listen to the music I'm into as long as you're not me. Or if you are me¹ you have to keep quiet about it.

Is that not bloody weird?

¹ And let's face it, I am.

We - that is, Ether City - have just posted up some new mp3s. There's one light number - Don't Let Yourself Down - and one heavy one - Right Now. You can listen & download both from here.