Averters of Careening Lassitude,

I think I am going to write a book. I haven't decided what form it will take yet, I suppose I will decide soon, I manage to decide about what to write for The Bellyaches. If it's to be a novel, I'm not sure the Mark Radcliffe method of deciding a starting point and an end point first, then filling in the middle will be successful for me; thus far, most of my potential end points involve the protagonist suffering from food poisoning and I'm not convinced that I'd like to read that book.

I have finally been able to come to end of a book that I have been reading sporadically for many months. The Case of the General's Thumb by Andrey Kurkov is the tale of a Kiev militiaman, Viktor Slutsky and a lowly-ranked KGB linguist, Nik Tsensky, who are both on the trail of a stash of KGB gold. Their two stories are told in alternate chapters, Viktor becomes involved in the chase inadvertently, after initially investigating the mystery of a murdered presidential advisor whilst Nik has been set the task of accompanying an erratic hitman who has been hired to remove the many obstacles in Nik's superiors' path to the stash. Both protagonists are instructed by mysterious voices on the other end of phonelines. The story is initially confusing due to the surplus of characters, of course, the two strands of the tale eventually meet, thus remembering if a certain character belongs to the Viktor or Nik strand is difficult. Nevertheless, as more characters are found dead or assasinated by our protagonists, the story becomes more accessible and exciting. The highlight of the book is the dark humour associated with the relationship between Nik and the mercurial hitman he has to control. By all accounts, this book is not as highly thought of as his previous work Death and the Penguin, in spite of this, it's still a book worth reading, because once the inconsequential backgrounds to the story are shed, a compelling plot emerges.

I'd also like to comment on a few CD albums that I've been listening to. Picaresque by The Decemberists has been important to me over the past few weeks, although I cannot explain why, perhaps I have identified with the many tales of endurance and hard work communicated by the songs on this album. Semifinalists' eponymous album is a delight, a laconic Amazon reviewer quotes; "Sound scientists in the questing spirit of Grandaddy, Secret Machines or the Flaming Lips, this London-based film school trio craft magic realist rock epics that beneath their broiling surface of neon synthesiser and crunchy guitar, conceal oddly touching emotional epiphanies." King Creosote's latest album KC Rules OK is perhaps not as good as Rocket DIY, however, I've been listening to this in light of the his forthcoming single 678, which is another song with a similar them to those on Picaresque relevant to me, and he's from the Kingdom of Fife, I believe he is the ruling monarch. Using only a piano and a drum kit, Dresden Dolls have produced a wonderful album Yes Virginia, standout tracks are the opener, Sex Changes, and the finale, Sing. Describing their music as "Brechtian Punk Cabaret", they've created a very distinct sound for themselves, somehow the variation of pace and composition of the songs; unimaginable crescendoes of crashing drums, piano bashing and forceful vocals emerge from quieter, more poignant and seemingly intimate moments; create an illusion that there are more than just two band members. At times, I feared if they played any faster, they'd collapse with exhaustion, but they're a talented twosome indeed and although I've only heard them live on radio, I'm sure they'd be treat to see in person. Finally, I've listened to Pip by Keith John Adams, I heard his song Inconsequential Thought on the Mark Radcliffe Show and decided to investigate further. The album appeals to me because it utilises instruments not usually used by mainstream artists, Mark said that a child's piano is used on the aforementioned track, I'm not sure if it is, I think it may potentially be highly skilled use of percussion like a xylophone or a glockenspiel, however it features on a number of tracks and it definitely adds charm to the album. I was mocked this morning when the album came through the post, because the man himself wrote "Hey Leif, Hope you enjoy, many thanks, KJA" on a slip of paper and packaged it in a Jiffy bag himself, he was written off my prejudiced brother - I bet Nigel Orson, trilby-wearing clown and leader singer of dross rock band, Orson, once had to do the exact same but I doubt the end product was quite as brilliant.