I got some nice things in the post the other day from Alistair of Tangents/Unpopular fame. Some nice looking records (which obviously I haven’t listened to yet) and some badges but best of all was some little A5 photozines. Simply done with stamped sugar paper covers and nice shiny paper inside they’re apparently a kind of photo diary, random unconnected photos of everyday scenes and things and people. They’re really nice detailed interesting photos though with lots of my favourite things – text, signs, graffiti, patterns – and kept me occupied for a 10 minute bus ride no bother. It’s also made me long once again for a digital camera. It’s all very well having a nice proper 35mm camera but you can’t stick it in your pocket when you go for a walk. Not to mention the waiting up to a year before I have the spare cash to get films developed. Anyway, the zines are £2 each so go spend some money.

Okay, diskant-related live event plugging time:

#1 – UTER and SUNNYVALE NOISE SUB-ELEMENT play together at The Buffalo Bar in London on August 21st in honour of our fancy new record that you’re sick of hearing about (the sooner you buy one, the sooner they’re all sold and we stop going on about it). Do come, it’ll be great.

#2 – The line-up for AUDIOSCOPE 04 has just been announced with our own Chris Summerlin playing with headliner Damo Suzuki, diskant faves Cat on Form, Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies and Sunnyvale and those OXES fools being only a few of the great bands on offer. Be there! I will be.

Some new links I have added that you may not have noticed:

Oxfordbands weblog: You might think a blog on a local music website would be cliquey and bitchy and very boring for outsiders but this is looking rather good, and not just because our own Stuart Fowkes actually blogs there (rather than just pretending to as he does here). Nice way to find out about some new bands as well. If only every town had one of these. I’m sure if Glasgow did it would quickly disintegrate into Mogwai/Franz Ferdinand abuse central so well done Oxford!

Guardian Gamesblog: I’m fairly impressed that the Guardian considers gaming to be of such current importance that it deserves a whole blog. What with this, the online blog and the Music and Food monthly magazines, the Guardian is quickly becoming my best work timewaster. It’s also got Aleks whatshername what used to be on Bitz writing for it, sad geek boys. I await her reports from the Edinburgh Games Festival with some interest to see if it’s worth going this year. Last year we just waited 20 minutes to throw some pigs around in Wind Waker and then sneered at the N-Gage.

JGram World: You may know Jason from his columns here at diskant or his marvellous No Pictures zine but he now also has a weblog where you can learn more than you ever thought you wanted to know about him. It’s better than Eastenders! Hopefully Jason will be blogging here soon too.

also worth a look for sure is our Asking For Things blog where we’re getting everyone who bought our record to tell us about the random object they got in their box. I’m really enjoying it so far.