Infinite Sadness

Whenever we have a practice session – as we try to do every Monday, work and other commitments permitting – it is the sorrowful duty of one of us to “blog”, which is a horrible verb, and a horrible activity. No-one reads this toss, but we do it anyway. I suppose that, over the year, we have built up a beguiling collection of diary entries, which may or may not give future generations an insight into not only the work of Balustrade, but also the contemporary cultural mores of the day. As I say, they may or may nor provide this. I know which way I’m leaning. So, dear reader (singular), why the melancholy? Well, this fair evening – Monday 12th February 2007, we went all nostalgic and sang a few songs that we haven’t sung for a few years. El Mariachi, Mojave Streamline, Walking, The Troubadours Lament… they all had an airing and they were all dreadful. So, wallowing in this feted pit of nostalgia, I think it’s fair to say that this evening’s practice wasn’t the best. It also suddenly dawned upon us that 2008 (which isn’t as far away as it was yesterday…) will be THE TENTH ANNIVERSAY OF BALUSTRADE. Chuffing bikes! Whose fault is that?? Ten bloody years… Arab Strap did ten years and about seven albums of staggering genius and heartbreaking beauty. We’ve done a couple of ropey EPs, a frankly baffling Christmas single that I don’t think even we understand fully, and ONE…. JUST ONE… album. But it’s a good album, so that’s alright. So, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Plans for the future… we’ve got those… 2007 will see a single (at this stage we’re thinking Rain Brigade as the lead track, with a couple of b’s that have yet to be written) and maybe… just maybe… a little bit more.

On to other matters. We’re only about seven/eight weeks into 2007 and there have already been a few decent albums released: Kristin Hersh’s “Learn To Sing Like A Star” is better than expected, and Bloc Party’s new album has actually made me stagger. It’s very very, very rare that I listen to an album four times straight through, but I did with this… I approached with severe caution, but it’s a beautiful,. Beautiful item. As is L.Pierre’s “Dip” Released this very morning, it’s Aidan Moffat (Arab Strap) ‘s solo project and it’s about as touching and warming as instrumental neo-classical avant-weirdness can get. Lovely.

Matthew J. Carter