The above video is something I found whilst browsing Folk Radio UK this morning.  The animation was done by a guy called Yannick Puig, and the music is by a band called Kwoon.  It’s difficult to think of this as a music video when the visual element is so beautiful – it seems a little insulting to the film-makers, honestly.  Folk Radio descibe it as a short film, and I think that’s the best way to put it – completely spellbinding – but then I have always been a total sucker for beautiful animation.

So, now that I’ve managed to get my concentration back and focussed on the matters in hand, what the fucking hairy old arse is happening in Edinburgh this week then?  Well, for starters I am turning 35 on Friday.

I would say that there is nothing sadder than an ageing hipster, but I was never actually a hipster, so I think I’m clear of that one. I remember the hipsters at school, and although I got on well with them and traded mixtapes, I wasn’t exactly what you’d call one of them – too sporty I suppose.  NHS prescription glasses and flying elbows on the basketball court do not go very well together. And basketball takes place indoors – as for football, well, just forget it.  Musicians play football occasionally, but hipsters most certainly do not!

Any old how, what’s happening this week in chilly Edinburgh then?  Well, nothing at all as far as I can tell.  I’ve checked the venues, checked my calendar, checked my Facebook events, checked everything I can think of and… nothing. So what the fuck am I going to do with myself then?

Well on Thursday I am popping through to Glasgow to a Music Business Innovation thingy, at which I will be attempting to convey whatever wisdom I can muster about how to interact with media in the 21st Century.  The only problem I have with the whole event is that all the panels are happening at once, and there are a couple I would quite like to go to actually, but it looks like that will be impossible.

Then afterwards, it’ll probably be the 13th Note for Deathpodal, Le Reno Amps and the Scottish Enlightenment, and hopefully a pint with me old pals Colin and JC.  Oh, and I’ll be recording a podcast with Glasgow Podcart while I’m through there.

So, in the absence of gigs this week, I will be working on the Lach and Savings and Loan Toad Sessions, finalising the details for Yusuf’s criminally unlucky album launches, and spending some time in the house with Mrs. Toad.  She has the day off today so we will probably read books and lounge about on the couch.  I will almost inevitably put some vinyl on too; mostly likely The Books‘ The Way Out, and the new Mount Erie, Song Islands Vol. 2.

My music listening has become quite compartmentalised these days, which is odd.  I don’t actually have access to my digital library downstairs in the living room, although I know that would be easy enough to change.  Consequently the only music we listen to in our leisure time is now vinyl, so even my favourite albums of the year don’t get much time at the moment, unless I have them on record.

Conversely, because I have the two aforementioned albums on vinyl only, I’ve just realised I’ve never actually reviewed them on the site, which is ridiculous.  But because they don’t exist in digital form in my office where I do my writing they’ve never really been on that ‘imminent’ list, despite the Books album in particular being one of my favourites of the year.  This is not exactly a fascinating little tale, I know, just something marginally peculiar which occurred to me this weekend.

Well, it can’t all be essays and reviews and discussions and art now can it.

The new Jesus H. Foxx EP is being given a full release on Song, by Toad Records in about a month’s time.  By full release, I mean that we will be making a run of five hundred copies, with hand-painted artwork and I will be doing my best to publicise it around the various magazines and radio stations and blogs out there.  It also implies that they are Song, by Toad Records’ latest signing, I suppose, in the sense that anyone is signed to Song, by Toad Records, which is something I am really pleased about because the stuff I’ve heard from them in the last year or so has been truly excellent.

I’ve not emailed bloggers yet, but we’re getting a little traction with radio it seems, with I’m Half the Man You Were appearing on both Gideon Coe’s 6Music show (my favourite show on the station, which makes it even nicer) and Jim Gellatly’s New Music show on Radio Magnetic.  And apparently I got hammered on the Toad night last Saturday and gave BBC Radio Scotland’s Mr. Vic Galloway a big sloppy kiss, so if that doesn’t get them some airtime on his show I don’t know what will.

That picture above is how the artwork is shaping up so far.  It will be printed on natural card, so there will be a texture to the flat areas of colour which should look really nice.  So, in general, I am really excited about this.  Publicising EPs is harder than albums in many ways, because a lot of magazines don’t cover them, but I am going to try to get through to as many online and community radio stations as possible and see if we can’t make up for it that way.

Any suggestions appreciated, and in the meantime, please enjoy Elegy For the Good Times from the Matter EP.

Jesus H. Foxx – Elegy For the Good Times

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Jesus H. Foxx on MySpace