Saturday Superstore

Here's a right old mixed bag of witterings and ting. I can't pin anything down to one cohesive post, so in the style of XO and his Mixtape, here's my version. The 10p Mix-up.

So, here we are. As Chelsea Kelsey puts it so succinctly in his blog Shang-a-Lang, "that gaudy old tart December" has rolled into town. Armed with emailed discount vouchers for every high street name imaginable, London is heaving today. It's like Christmas Eve. You can guarantee, come 5pm, the family shoppers will be walking through town with a look of disdain as they dodge the boozy shoppers out on the streets with a Smirnoff Ice in one hand, a fag in the other and tinsel round their neck. Aw, Britain at Christmas. Can't beat it.

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Here's the first of a Christmas song a day. Think of it as a worrapolava advent calendar... This first track is a firm festive favourite here in the UK which made Freheit (known as Münchener Freiheit in Germany) one-hit wonders in December 1988.
Keeping the Dream Alive - Freiheit (zShare)

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Is this The Spice Girls or French and Saunders? It's hard to tell. Watch how Mel C, ever the bloody politician, tries to convince HERSELF it's going to be great. And Geri: "We're working mothers". Argh!

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If you've been living under a stone, you won't have heard that the all-conquering Swedish pop minx, Robyn has a new (*splutter*) single out at the end of this month. To everyone else, here's a fab electro dance remix of said tune.
Be Mine (Verschwende Deine Jugend Remix) - Robyn (zShare)

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In Pet Shop Boys land, there are a few things happening. Two new tracks in the EXCLUSIVE tracks section taken from their Closer to Heaven musical. The demo version of For All of Us is better than the finished theatre version methinks! The next issue of the fanclub's magazine Literally the boys are requesting questions from the floor in letter form. How quaint! If you have a question for the boys, then WRITE to: Questions, PSB Club, PO Box 102, Stanmore, HA7 2PY, UK. The issue will be out early next year. And their soundtrack for Battleship Potemkin will be performed again in January, this time under a roof in the Barbican Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra. I must admit, I lasted 20 minutes of the 2004 performance in Trafalgar Square. Pissing down rain, biting cold and melodramatic silent Russian movies even with the PSB involvement aren't exactly ingredients for a 'good night out'. I think we ended up in dodgy gay bar Halfway to Heaven instead.

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Talking of dodgy gay things, which member of Girls Aloud are you? Try this quiz, clicky here. Apparently, I'm Sarah (just by selecting the "Am I bovvered" type answers!).

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This Human League track, Mirror Man was winging it's way up the charts to number 2 twenty five years ago this week. My excuse for posting it? I'm going to see them tonight! They're performing the entire Dare! album as part of their set at Hammersmith Apollo. It's a huge venue and has been sold out for weeks. Can't wait.

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The weather outside may be frightful, but indoors this band have been keeping me warm. Boat Club, a Swedish duo, produce melodic, wistful electro-tinged music reminiscent of China Crisis and The Lotus Eaters. Their 6-track ep Caught the Breeze is available here at Klicktrack. And have a nebb at TheirSpace
Warmer Climes - Boat Club (zShare)

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Heads up to do1frood for his post about this funny-for-five minutes electro novelty track, Charlie Brooker is Right About Everything by The Attery Squash. The irony-laden track would be HATED by Charlie Brooker, but that's why it's good. And that's why Charlie Brooker would like it. It's not available anywhere until after Christmas (would you buy it?) but you can hear it at TheirSpace.

Charlie's piece in The Guardian about this year's I'm a Celebrity was, as ever, spot on and belly-laugh funny. His description of Janice Dickinson: "An undernourished waxwork of Sandra Bullock carved by inmates in a hurry" and Christopher Biggins: "The ultimate jolly old uncle, who doesn't appear to be capable of experiencing negative emotions, and would probably guffaw at a bus crash".

*mops dignity up from floor after laughing too hard and following through*

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Talking of Sandra Bullock waxworks...

Here's Janice being quite funny in a festive manner.