No I Haven't Been Kidnapped By Iron Maiden

Although the option of a flight to Easter Island with Captain Dickinson was tempting...

No I've actually been away in Dunedin for work and training hard for the Motutapu, and in between having some quality family time.

Review coming tonight for those who were asking!

It's Official- Maiden are the Best!

Just as Ed Force One touches down in Auckland, hot off the press we hear that Iron Maiden have taken out the Award for the Best International Live Act at the British Music Awards. They beat out the bedwetters in Coldplay, The Verve, Scouting For Girls and Elbow to take this prestigious gong.

Three more sleeps and I get to see it all for myself!

Up the Irons!

They dared to go where eagles .....

The Boys First Crusaders Game

Well that box is ticked.

Josh and Jordan have now been to first up wins by the Canterbury Cricket team and now on Saturday they added the Crusaders into the mix. First game for Toddy as coach, first game for the boys. They loved it...all from the luxury of the Corporate Lounge of course!

Couple of other pics included just for fun :)

Spare a thought for Victoria

This video clip on the Sydney Morning Herald is perhaps the single most frightning piece of imagery I have seen of the devastation over the ditch.

And to think that some piece of excrement deliberately caused this, its completely overwhelming.

The wheels on the bus go round and round

One week till Maiden....getting excited now!!!

It looks like I've secured a seat on "Ed Force Two", a fleet of buses that will be travelling around the NZ venues the day of the gigs...and raising money for Canteen, to help the good fight agaisnt kids cancer. What a stunning cause.

Meanwhile, look for Captain Bruce Dickinson who will be piloting "Ed Force One" through your skies very very soon.....

Life is hard at 9.5 months

I'm not sure what the joke was....probably laughing at Dad being a spastic again

It would be good to tap into that uncomplicated enthusiasm for life that wee ones have for all of our three score and ten years though, don't you think?

A Moment of Introspection

Well another weekend ripped by with two 30 degree days. Took the boys out for runs on both days, had a yum lunch in at the long lost SOL Square and revelled in watching the cheating Australians get tipped up by the Black Caps last night. Marvellous stuff.

However, not so good to turn up to work today and hear of the death of a colleague, drowned in the Rakaia River mouth on Friday in a fishing accident. He was a genuine man of the land, like me someone lucky enough to be able to combine his career with his passion for the outdoors.

People say sometimes at least they were doing something they loved. But at only 58 years and with so many things to achieve, well words don't really say it.

However out of such events it serves to remind how important it is to keep living life and following your passions. We are supremely lucky in NZ that if you are into the outdoors everything is only just up the road, whether it be mountains, lakes, rivers, whatever.

A couple of weeks ago I watched an amazing movie that double underlines all this called "Into The Wild." Its a true story with a sad finish but an inspirational message. As my good mate Wazza alluded to recently, if theres a story that sums up how my fabric, nature and motivations are driven by Aotearoa's incredible backyard, then its that amazing tale, although it has to be said the personal motivations of Mr McCandless were extreme, selfish and wrong in regards to his notion of family- not something I'd respect in a person at all.

So, without being preachy folks, don't forget to follow your passions and keep on rocking.

Another lazy weekend?

Certainly not!

Especially when one of the lads makes getting any sleep on Saturday night an optional extra. I'm sure it used to be easy to do an all nighter on the town and carry on the next day...oh well.

Anyway, another first for the lads on the weekend, they went for their first run with Dad. It was get another hot spell, I understand its the record warmest January on record if we even just have cool weather in the days remaining this month. The run was only an hour round Hagley Park, it wasn't the Kepler or anything silly. Their reaction varied from sleeping to giggling to outright hysterical laughter when watching Dad on the fitness circuit equipment. Little monkeys.

Speaking of monkeys- I see Andrew Symonds has been at it again, this time calling Brendon McCullum "a pile of shit". Now that should spice up the Chappell Hadlee Series!

Speaking of the Hadlee Chappell series, man how good would it be to head over there and watch. It brings back memories of 2004.

Put Another Beer in the Esky?

Great survival story and photo from Stuff.co.nz...

25 days afloat in a chilly bin

Death to Didymo

Have a look at this stunning video footage at the NZ Herald.

As a frequent visitor to the Canterbury/ Otago border for both work and play it is amazing to see the raw power of nature, even when is controlled by the flick of a switch.

For those familiar with the area I'm pleased to report the old Kurow Bridge is still there!

Reason 412,647 To Not Trust Rats

Busy Weekend

Between painting the outdoor furniture (in a thunderstorm) and going swimming, we took The Lads to their first cricket game on the weekend. But forgot the camera, which would have been handy when Shane Bond was standing a metre from us between overs!

The lads seemed to enjoy it. And for the record, a great Canterbury win was had over Central Districts, by about 130 runs. The aforementioned Bond decimated the CD top order and that was really game set and match from there.

Now got to work our how we get the lads to a Crusaders game before their first birthday :)

Auckland Super City

Finally, after decades of disasterous planning it looks like Greater Auckland is going to come together under one Governance umbrella, somewhat like the model applied to London.

Its about time, if it had such a structure in place already the city may just have the following:

• A National Stadium on the Waterfront
• A second harbour crossing
• A fully functional public transport network
• Political vision
• Full owernship of civic and community direction accross the region.

It will take leadership and a rare skillset to bring the conglomerate of political bodies together, and I suspect any sitting Mayors may struggle.

It could be a great role for a proven political juggler, someone like Helen Clarke, as a wildcard....

Rollicking Great Storm

Well its sunny and nudging 30 degrees again down here in the South, but it looks like the North Island had a stunning thunder and hail blast last night.

This is one of the best photographs that I have seen of lightning, and has been widely posted on the net today. Theres a full story and dozens more pics here courtesy of Weather Watch

A Right Royal Quandry

Harry Pothead the Half Blood Prince?

Its hard to believe that this is not father and son

Great Roadtrip

We Loooooove Roadtrips!!!

Well Xmas and New Years treated us well, apart from the lads getting a wee virus that knocked about everyones sleeping habits for a week or so. Fortunately they recovered in time for the ChCh Heatwave!

We Xmased in Christchurch and Wellington, then covered some 1400km to New Plymouth, back to Wellington, over the Cook Strait to Blenheim and down through Kaikoura and home again.

The lads were impecable travellers- very pleased to report that as they are going to have a lot of it over their lives!

Heres a handful of random pics.... starting with Santa Lads :)

On Boxing Day the lads checked out Wellington Zoo. And the wind.

Here Puss Puss....!

Looks like the chimp kingdom has similar toddler problems to humans....

A very beautiful Kotuku

My Favourate Mountain

I'm driving dad...

Right, where shall I go now?

We Got Some Great Pics Done Recently

Cool Cloud effect

Some interesting weather lately, including this cloud spotted while going through Kaikoura last Sunday, the day after major thunderstorms and hail had swept through Canterbury, before dissipating.

Since then we've had 40 degrees in Christchurch.

Heatwave!

Parts of Christchurch have been 40 degrees today, after hitting the mid 30's yesterday. I wondered why the run round Hagley at lunchtime was harder than normal...

As I write its plummeted down to a freezing 34 degrees. I wonder what tomorrow will bring- it's forecast hot again. The official NZ record is 41.4 degrees just up the road in Rangiora, back in the 70's.

Razors Top Ten Albums for 2008

Happy new year everyone.

Its been a great wee summer break and roadtrip- blurb and pics to follow on that in due course. However, I can't let last year disappear without posting my Top 10 new albums from last year.

Overall I have to say it was a disappointing year on the whole, probably only three of these albums would have made my Top Ten in 2007, so theres a few in here that may surprise people, but at the end of the day these are the ten I liked best this year, not yours :)

I had intended to embed a video clip single from each album, however the recent Youtube dispute with record companies means that you'll have to click the links attached yourself you lazy sods! If the links fall over I'm sure you can search them out easily enough as the dispute unfolds.

So without further ado Razors Top 10 from the 2008 is recommended as follows:

1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Dig Lazarus Dig



What a superb craftsman and sage Nick Cave is.

How I missed out on his material for so long continues to confound me, I always took a passing interest but until last year's Grinderman Project I hadn't really noticed this talented Australian had a major back catalogue of such stunning material. I know now!

Following on from the momentum gained from Grinderman it seems theres a tonne of life in the old dog, and Dig Lazurus Dig is simply the most riveting new album I heard in 2008. From laments for the decline of western civilisation to singing about "More News from Nowhere", Cave and the band wear their hearts on their sleeves on this record. Part punk, part goth, and even part Johnny Cash, mixed together as a huge slab of intellectual lolly scramble, Dig Lazurus Dig has remained on my MP3 playlist for the whole year.

Click here to view the video for More News From Nowhere

2. MGMT- Oracular Spectacular

MGMT were a genuine breath of fresh air in 2008.

Hard to define, part electronica, part indie rock, part completely off the planet. MGMT take you on a journey reminiscent of few others, maybe the Flaming Lips spring to mind (a band I must own more of).

Rarely has a new band leaped out and grabbed me so completely on the basis of one single. Guns n Roses did it with Sweet Child of Mine in 1987. Nirvana with Teen Spirit and the Manic Street Preachers with Motorcycle Emptiness did it in the early 1990's . And MGMT did it this year with the hedonistic fantasy of Time to Pretend.

I bought the album on a whim, based on this song and if you've heard the follow up singles Electric Feel and Kids you will know these guys are no one hit wonder.

Watch Time to Pretend here

3. Glasvegas

Hands Up if you have heard of Glasvegas?

I hadn't until around October, and they are simply outstanding. Its like the a new soundtrack for the movie Trainspotting (the old one wasn't bad either laddie), the album just crawls with unemployment, social workers, dirt, grime and life on the skids. Musically its primarily set in the Echo and the Bunnymen led charge from the darker side of the 80's, with a modern edge, not dissimilar to the early releases of Wales Manic Street Preachers.

Very highly recommended!

Watch the clip for Geraldine here

4. Guns N Roses- Chinese Democracy

One could write for hours about the 17 years, $30 million and endless procession of band members spent on this album. We never thought it would come out, but having seen Axl and his hired Guns last year live I was suitably satisfied that it would be a decent album. And in fact its very decent, almost - but not quite- a great album. Stuff, NZ Herald and Rolling Stone all gave it 4 out of 5 stars, and I' d give it the same.

The secret to Democracy is understanding its Axl going where he wanted to go, and could never have gone with his old bandmates. At times the album is disjointed, bloated, over the top and over produced, but isn't that what any truly legendary band puts out? Make no doubt about it, reclusive and media shy Axl is a musical genuis, and go no further than the tracks "Prostitute", "Better", "If The World" and "Sorry" to sample whats been cooking.

Reportedly there are 2 more albums completed for release this year and next. The wait was worth it, in the end, but only just!

Not a video, but listen to Prostitute, my favourate track

"It Seems Like Forever, and a Day" - Yes Axl, it certainly does....

5. Beck- Modern Guilt

Beck is one of those rare artists who defies classification and simply goes where he likes and welcomes you along of the ride if you choose. Modern Guilt is the most vital release in years from the self styled "loser". Theres plenty of influences and comparisons to my mind, Bowie and The Eels spring to attention for a start

Modern Guilt is an unshackled artist at the peak of his powers, a must own from a very smart musician.
Watch Gamma Ray here


6. The Raconteurs- Consolers of the Lonely

"The only way to learn a thing is to admit you know absolutely nothing..." sings Jack White and the crew on "Old Enough". Consolers of the Lonely is a fantastic follow up to the groundbreaking debut album from the Raconteurs a couple of years back, Broken Boy Soldiers. And I thought it was going to be a one off....

This album really is a perfect synergy of its constituent parts, with The Greenhornes rhythm section really shine through on this full length and very listenable CD.

Ttile track Live with Jools here (with other cool links from it)

7. Metallica- Death Magnetic
Well I never. The biggest shock this year apart from Chinese Democracy actually coming out was the release of a decent Metallica album, after ten years of utterly turgid, terrible albums. The last one, St Anger, should have finished them for good.

Death Magnetic is a return to the roots founded in Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and Justice for All. True Metallica fans the world over rejoiced when the first single "The Day That Never Comes" came out.

Watch "The Day That Never Comes " Here

The rest of the album follows the same vein, Kirks guitars are raging again and the band sounds back on form. I will still never forgive them for the abomination that was St Anger though!

8. SJD- Dayglo Spectres

SJD should be a household name.
Come on, everyone knows an SJD song, just most of them don't realise it. Hands up who knows the Monteiths ad, or the Buy NZ Made ad- ahhh yes you get it now.

SJD is becoming more about the band- Sean James Donnelly, James Duncan, Paul McLaney, et al with each release. Dayglo Spectres builds nicely on the subtle platforms laid in Songs from a Dictophone in 2007, and Southern Lights before that. Theres almost a trance aspect to some of the material here- intelligence and deep thought have gone into this band. I've always thought theres a real Radiohead tinge to SJD and Dayglo Spectres intensifies that. And anyone who has seen James Duncan play live, either with SJD or Dimmer, will appreciate the genius he is on the instrument.

Dayglo Spectres takes a few listens, like all the great albums do, but its an enriching and rewarding tapestry

Superb video for No Telling Where here

9. The Verve- Forth

It really was a year for comebacks- and the Verve were a welcome entrant in this field. Picking up where Urban Hymns left off last century, its a return to form for Richard Ashcroft after his patchy solo efforts. A vital album, one that ebbs and flows between introspective and expansive- a fantastic Sunday afternoon sort of album.

It kicks the arse of Oasis' umpteenth comeback attempt!

Love is Noise here- I love this track!

10. The Cure- 4:13 Dream

Ah The Cure. I'm still humming from the 2007 concert! The long awaited 13th Cure album is as expected a varied affair, attempting to capture many of the elements that have made up Fat Bob and the lads since the late 70's.

Opening with "Underneath the Stars", which could the be sequel to Wish's "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" this album goes on a journey, influenced mainly from the albums of the mid 80's through to the early 90's. Standout tracks for me include "The Perfect Boy" and "Sleep When I'm Dead".

Its quite a stripped back affair at times, but its yet another notch in the bedpost for Indie Rock's undisputed kings.

Watch The Perfect Boy here

Close and Worthy of Investigation:

• Shihad- Beatiful Machine
• The Datsuns- Headstunts
• The Killers- Day and Age
• Flight of the Conchords
• Snow Patrol- A Thousand Million Suns

Need to Listen More to Judge:

• Fleet Foxes
• TV On The Radio

Overhyped and Avoiding Like the Plague

• The Kings of Leon
• Cold Play