Anti News published at ComeOnBoro.com

Beat Chelsea, lose to Portsmouth. Same old, same old at La Riv.

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If Stan Lee wrote Watchmen

Even wondered what Watchmen would've been like if Stan Lee had written it?

Wonder no longer. Kevin Church has posted a hilarious remix.

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Fan mail

Seems like my most recent Anti News piece annoyed Roddy Kerr, who opted to send me this email via ComeOnBoro.com.

"James Bassett - hound

What a brilliant article vis-a-vis the yet another flop from boro in losing to Glasgow Rangers - 37th best team in Britain! (The Anti News, 14-8-06). Lets put it this way when your crap side are looking up from the championship - 2nd Division - next season my 37th best team in Britain will be playing Champions League football. Something your lot can't even begin to dream about...

Roddy Kerr"

I got served.

Latest Anti News up at ComeOnBoro.com

Losing the first game of the season after going two-up against a promoted side is pretty painful.

But not as painful as this week's Anti News.

Ker-tish!

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Season opener verdict in today's Observer

My verdict on yesterday's beating at the hands of Reading is in today's Observer.

It's been lovingly retyped on ComeOnBoro.com by forum member Windsor Boro. Here's a c+p...

"I didn't expect us to win today as when you face teams that have just been promoted at home they usually play above their station. But at 2-0 up we thought we could go on and claim 3 points. Still, Paranaby and Arca didn't look as confident on the flanks as Reading's wingers, Seol Convey, did: they caused us problems. Our strike force isn't an issue as Aiyegbeni and Viduka will get us goals, but we desperately needed Southgate in defence. We need to bring in a defender because we really missed the manager's presence as a player. We weren't as good after the break but it was pretty even and we were robbed of an equaliser when Viduka had a goal ruled out that should have stood."

Reading vs Boro verdict in The Observer

My take on yesterday's 3-2 loss at Reading is in today's Observer. Unfortunately the Observer bods don't put these pieces online. If you don't want to buy a paper, here's my take on the game....

"I didn't expect us to win today as when you face teams that have just been promoted at home they usually play above their station. But at 2-0 up we thought we could go on and claim 3 points. Still, Paranaby and Arca didn't look as confident on the flanks as Reading's wingers, Seol and Convey, did: they caused us problems. Our strike force isn't an issue as Aiyegbeni and Viduka will get us goals, but we desperately needed Southgate in defence. We need to bring in a defender because we really missed the manager's presence as a player. We weren't as good after the break but it was pretty even and we were robbed of an equaliser when Viduka had a goal ruled out that should have stood."

Karl Matthews has MySpace!

Holy fucking shit! This might be the best news I've ever heard. EVAH!

As the man who has done more than anyone to spread the word about the genius of Karl Matthews, I can legitimately claim to have discovered Karl Matthews. Karl is a London-based rambling, witty and quite brilliant artist who records tunes on a Casio keyboard that pay tribute to his favourite Eastenders characters.

I have hundreds of his 12"s in my garage and, now, the rest of the world can hear his songs too.

I will sell 12"s for a price...

Kat Slater... JAH!

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Anti News at ComeOnBoro.com

My weekly piece for ComeOnBoro.com now has a proper name. It's now called Anti News but will be just as unfunny and shoddy as ever.

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Wolverine piercings

Brazilian dude Freakboy has added some Wolverine-style claws to his hands.

Wonder how he wipes his arse....

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Album Review: Under The Munka Moon II

Alice Russell continues to enhance her position as one of the UK's outstanding singers. Collaborations with Quantic and the Quantic Soul Orchestra helped forge Russell's reputation, but it was her compilation album, Under The Munka Moon - featuring collaborations and remixes from the likes of Bah Samba, Kushti, Quantic, Digitek and Plaid - that put her squarely on the map.

A proper solo album entitled My Favourite Letters soon followed, but clearly eager to work outside of regular album framework again, Russell has revisited the Under The Munka Moon template. The thirteen tracks on offer are testament to Russell's talent and her versatility. Russell switches genres with considerable grace and dexterity, all the while aided and abetted by her musical collaborators.

To that end, Russell, with assistance from Nostalgia 77, transforms The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army into a soulful lament; Could Heaven Ever Be Like This by Japanese electronica supremo Susumu Yokota is remodeled by Bugz In The Attic into an unorthodox broken beat number; and the Boub remix of Hurry On Now twists the original into head-nodding, hip-swinging `80s inspired reggae. Elsewhere, DJ Vadim's acclaimed hip hop re-dub of A Fly In The Hand makes a very welcome appearance.

That the tracks on Under The Munka Moon II should mesh together so well, is tribute to Russell's gifts as a singer. Her astounding voice manages to interlace an eclectic and esoteric collection into a quite lovely whole.

Album Review: Made In Brooklyn

Masta Killa's debut, No Said Date, marked the rare instance of a Wu Tang-affiliated album actually exceeding the hype and delivering on its own terms. Add to an impressive first album a list of producers, including MF Doom and Pete Rock, and it comes as no surprise that Killa's second outing has been eagerly awaited by hip hop fans.

Opening track, Then And Now, is a strange way for Killa to try and further his burgeoning legacy, as he plays no part - instead leaving it to relative unknowns Young Prince, Shamel Irief and Karim Justice to introduce his sophomore album. It's a bizarre move and one that doesn't wholly pay off. It does, however, make Killa's opening gambit on the MF Doom produced E.N.Y House all the more impressive. Doom employs his oft-used Battle Of The Planets break to good effect as Killa's husky drawl negotiates the uneven beat with some ease.

It'll come as no surprise that Masta Killa is flanked by his fellow Clansmen on several of the tracks and Method Man, Rza and U-God all guest on Iron God Chamber, which also features some lively production from Whyz Ruger. Despite Ruger's lean portfolio, the track is one of the album's most impressive; Rza delivers one of his best verses to date and Method Man is more animated than he has been at any point since 1999's Redman collaboration, Black Out!

It's What It Is also features Wu Tang heavyweights Ghostface and Raekwon, with some outstanding production from P.F. Cuttin of mid-90s group Blahzay Blahzay. With Raekwon's reputation tarnished after a few shoddy solo albums, he is still able to drop in for a ferocious guest spot. Ghostface, as is his wont, delivers a stunning verse.

Rza apprentice, Bronze Nazareth, who supplies the lion share of the production, ensures Street Corner's All That I Got Is You-style tale of adolescent hardship is backed by a suitably maudlin beat. The track also benefits from a slick Inspectah Deck guest spot. Ringing Bells, however, is Nazareth's stand-out moment and probably features Killa's best lyrics on the entire album.

At a relatively lean 13 tracks, with no unfunny skits, Made In Brooklyn is a superior and taut addition to the Wu canon, which not even the risible cod reggae of Lovely Lady can detract from too much. Masta Killa, along with Ghostface, continues to be the Wu Tang Clan's leading light.

Preview column published at ComeOnBoro.com

Despite the heartache of Eindhoven and the twinge of doubt as to whether Gareth Southgate will be tough enough to make a good manager, I'm quite excited about the new season.

Here's the preview piece I've written for ComeOnBoro.com

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'Explosive' liquid dumped in big bin

On his blog, xolp makes a very decent point about new regulations about taking liquids and gels aboard planes."

"Sir, I'm going to have to take this bottle of water away from you since it might be a liquid explosive, and I'm going to have to mix it with all of these other bottles of possibly liquid explosive, and I'm going to have to dump them all in this trash can... together. Nevermind that the plot specifically mentions mixing chemicals and/or nitroglycerin... which explodes if handled too roughly."

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Album Review: Radiodread

After their successful reimagining of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon (called, of course, Dub Side Of The Moon), the Easy Star All-Stars wasted little time deliberating their next musical makeover. However, while they decided upon Ok Computer (possibly the closest equivalent of Pink Floyd's masterpiece of the last 20 years) relatively quickly, the project took two years to record.

However, under the watch of musical director Michael Goldwasser, the Easy Star All-Stars and their guests will surprise many with their earnest approach to tackling the source material. Radiodread is not the work of parody that its title might imply, but rather an honest and sincere take on one of the greatest albums of the last two decades.

Some of the tracks are attempted with a degree of authenticity, so Horace Andy stays relatively true to album opener, Airbag, and the Sugar Minott-featuring Exit Music (For A Film) attempts to match the original's uneasy excellence. It is Frankie Paul's vocals on Lucky, however, that come closest to capturing the claustrophobia of Thom Yorke's original performance.

Where Radiodread really succeeds is when the artists veer off course and leave their own mark on proceedings. Paranoid Android, of course, would always prove a taxing proposition, but Kirsty Rock's Yorke-aping vocals pass muster. However, it is the incredible backing from Buford O'Sullivan's trombone and Pam Fleming's trumpet that make the track such a tantalising proposition. It's not quite Johnny Greenwood's crashing and crunching guitar, but it's a slick and worthy alternative.

Elsewhere, Toots & The Maytals help turn Let Down into a joyous, Rastafarian rave that even Thom Yorke has publicly admitted to being fond of. Later, the organs on Karma Police completely alter the tone of the original song, and Ivan Katz's drum work on Electioneering is nothing short of exceptional. No Surprises with The Meditations is far more uptempo than in its original incarnation, as Yorke's keening, weary sigh is replaced by a roaring boast.

The sleeve notes are at pains to point out that no samples from OK Computer were used in the recording of the album and it's hard to believe otherwise, such is the organic and natural production of the album. OK Computer's time shifts and cold electronics could have made Radiodread a complete joke, but, like Dub Side Of The Moon before it, Radiodread emerges on its own terms as an entirely satisfying album.

Arthur Lee, RIP

Arthur Lee, singer and guitarist of Love, has died at the age of 61.

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Album Review: Rogue's Gallery

While working on the Pirates of the Caribbean films, director Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp became fascinated with the lore and fable of pirates and sailors and decided, along with Anti and Epitaph boss Brett Gurewitz, to create a compilation of songs paying tribute to life on the high seas. Needing a captain for their vessel, the trio enlisted legendary producer Hal Willner, who - just as he did on the fantastic Disney compilation Stay Awake - began matching up maverick musicians with extraordinary songs.

The artists clearly savour the opportunity to play pirate and each give it their own stamp. So, we have Bill Frisell's languid, haunting take on Spanish Ladies and Sting's hoary growl on traditional worksong Blood Red Roses, while Nick Cave snarls his way through Pinery Boy and Fire Down Below.

Never one to shy away from a chance to tackle traditional material, Richard Thompson clearly relishes Mingulay Boat Song, while his son, Teddy Thompson, performs Sally Brown. The family theme continues as Rufus Wainwright and his mother, Kate McGarrigle, play Lowlands Away. Rufus' dad, Loudon Wainwright III, also turns up to play the disgustingly funny Good Ship Venus and Turkish Revelry.

Other highlights include Gavin Friday from The Virgin Prunes' rambunctious take on Baltimore Whores and Antony's (of Antony & The Johnsons) astonishing vocal talents sitting alongside Bryan Ferry's monaural drawl on Lowlands Low. Jarvis Cocker's 7-minute A Drop Of Nelson's Blood is staggering, while the lilting hum of Bono's A Dying Sailor To His Shipmates is perhaps the track most likely to instigate a bout of seasickness.

Rogue's Gallery offers a look at the hardships, the horrors, the lusts, the lurid depths and the beauty that led men down to the sea for hundreds of years. In piratical terms, think of it as a treasure chest overflowing with bounty.

Captain Beefheart's pad for sale

The Woodland Hills home where Captain Beefheart recorded Trout Mask Replica is up for sale.

A bargain at $849,000.

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