Friday 22 May 2009

Songbook 8



Is it just me or does there seem to be an almost ridiculous amount of really good new bands flowing out of the States at the moment? I have been really enjoying these guys recently, this is Grizzly Bear and this is definitely my favourite song, Two Weeks - it's been stuck on repeat since I heard it last week. Also I wouldn't mind tracking down this film, La Ballon Rouge with which this guy has made this beautiful video, I'm intrigued.

I'm hopeful that as Grizzly Bear stop touring in mid June they are going to be hitting the festival trail this Summer, I would love to seem them, preferably while I sip cider in the sunshine...hmmm, forever an optimist!

Monday 18 May 2009

The future


Having finished (yes finished) my degree last week I am left with a lot of free time at the moment. I'm hoping this will be filled productively with more blogging, spending more time at gair rhydd and making plans for both summer (Argentina is beckoning) and the inevitable move to London.

I really hope it's inevitable - unfortunately it does depend on my getting a 2:1, which due to handing in my last assessed work last week is now out of my control! If I do achieve the revered 2:1 I will be heading off to the LCC (London College of Communication - as pictured) to study their MA in Print and Online journalism.

The decision to go there was a difficult one, having been offered a place on the postgrad courses at Bournemouth and here in Cardiff too. I dismissed Bournemouth fairly early on, not because I didn't like it but because I felt if I was to make a fresh start somewhere it may as well be in London. The Cardiff/London debate went on for some time - I'm sure irritating housemates, parents, friends and a couple of contacts from work experience, all of whom I was hoping would make the decision for me!

In the end I decided Cardiff's diploma in newspaper journalism, despite its fantastic reputation, was too narrow-focused for me. I've had a good amount of experience in newspapers: I was a volunteer reporter in Honduras, had a two week placement at the Times and of course three years in student media at University - and I have realised that I'm not sure I want to write the news!

The LCC is much more modern in its approach to teaching journalism - not requiring its students to choose to take the path of investigative or features journalism until the end of the course. I also like their general attitude towards their students - Gary Horne, the course director told me that just as he and the other teaching staff are working journalists he regards his students as such as soon as they walk through the door.

There are also the obvious advantages of being in London, not only home to many of the UK's biggest media companies but also a place where a vast amount of smaller ventures will be starting up and trying to find their place, all-in-all I think the big smoke will provide me with more opportunities.

I'm relatively blase at the the moment about the whole thing - my time at Cardiff coming to an end, starting a new university, moving to London (which must be twenty times the size of Cardiff!) I think it's because most of my friends are yet to finish their courses here at Cardiff and we are all looking forward to enjoying our last weeks at Uni without being burdened with scary thoughts about the future, many of us are also going to be descending on Glastonbury en mass to really see out three years properly!

Songbook 7

Some days, such as this one, when the weather is really awful and you have nothing better to do - the only option is put on a beautiful but melancholic song (Cat Power's version of Sea of Love preferably) and stare out the window at all the possibilities that could have been, had it not been raining!