Monday Long Song

Sadly not my own work

If I'm in luck and get the timing right, on any given evening I can stroll down the lane that runs along the side of our house, lean on a fence in the twilight and sooner or later catch sight of a Barn Owl hunting for it's supper. I've been fortunate enough to see a great many of these majestic creatures round our way and they never fail to take my breath away. Tawny Owls, on the other hand, are illusive blighters - I've clapped eyes on a grand total of two in the whole seven and a bit years we've lived here. They're out there though, oh yes they're out there. We sleep in the loft, with our dormer windows facing out over the marsh, pushed open in all but the very chilliest of weathers. At dead of night we regularly hear Tawny Owl calls echoing around the marsh, sometimes far away, at other times virtually at the end of the garden - often for hours on end. One memorable night a couple of years ago, Mrs S had the fright of her life when a Tawny landed bang on the roof a couple of feet above our heads and proceeded to call to a pal some distance away in the dark. Mrs S was astonished to find that I slept throughout the entire extended kerfuffle, as the unusually close proximity of the owl's mournful refrain freaked her out considerably.

Sista Maj

I pinged a missive to Sista Maj head honcho Jonathan Segel (he of Camper Van Beethoven) in November of last year to ask if the band's second full length album, 'Localized Pockets of Negative Entropy', was likely to be gaining a physical release anytime soon. He got back to me very quickly to relay the unfortunate information that no record company support was immediately forthcoming, meaning that it seemed destined to remain a solely downloadable artefact for the time being. Imagine my delight therefore, when a further email dropped onto my digital doormat a couple of weeks ago, updating the situation and bearing tidings of great joy. Not only has the album now been released as a limited edition double LP - it also contains two additional tracks than the previously downloaded version. Result! One of these days I'll return to Jonathan Segel and his various musical exploits, but for now here's an atmospheric taster from 'Localized Pockets of Negative Entropy' and the convoluted excuse for all the waffle in the first paragraph.

Sista Maj - Owls