Yes I've been away for what seems like forever. Sorry about that.
I can't stay for long though because that essay on cyclodextrins isn't going to write itself. Unfortunately.

"So what are the main developments since we last heard from you T-Bone?" you're all asking.

Here they are:

I downloaded Grimes' Halfaxa album for free from Arbutus Records and it's ace. Like the minimalist "post-dubstep" Lykke Li.

Grimes - Devon by Arbutus Records


Ok so the next major development is that The Dum Dum Girls AND Black Lips are playing in Turku in July. Holy crap! The kind of double bill that's sure to return some happiness that was sucked out of your life by the European Food Chemistry Conference XVI in Gdansk, Poland. That is if any of you "lucky" people are going...
They're playing Helsinki's Nosturi on Tuesday 12.7 and Turun Klubi the day after (13.7)

The next bit of ace news is that Hauschka's (who's playing at Flow this year) new album Salon Des Amateurs is wicked good. Making classical danceable music which is pretty much literally vibe-ing my pants off. "Ya, play ze music Mr. German piano man, ya."



First and foremost however, it's almost Great Escape time. I'm ready to escape great. Let's do this. Brighton town here I come baby (well, soon anyway)

This was almost an entirely pointless post. I just felt like I needed to get back on here and do my thing. I felt as though me and my baby AndygoesdowntoChinatown were growing apart. It's not you baby, it's me. I'm sorry. You need more attention? Ok, I'm gonna try. Sometimes you know it's just so hard. Sometimes it's just so hard to have you, Andy, and at the the same time be a healthy man with social contacts.

Flow Festival baby, yeah!

Today it finally happened. The artists for this year's Flow Festival in Helsinki were announced and holy moly is this a wicked awesome day to wake up and breathe in that ever so slightly drizzly air. Yessir! After the show Ruisrock are gonna be putting out this summer it seems Helsinki HAD to go one step further, pull out all the stops and beat its lil' baby euro-culture-capital city and announce the best alternative music festival Finland has ever seen (well at least in my time here).

I think it's pretty safe to say that if the weather ain't gonna be hot, well at least the tunes will. For the full line-up go here:
http://www.flowfestival.com/esiintyjat/

Now I'm just going to list some of my personal highlights. Incredible.


There's the odd chance I'll see Warpaint in Brighton next month, but I'm still hugely bitter after missing them a year ago, so maybe I'll just see them as many times as I can to make up for it. Oh and because they're brilliant.
Undertow by warpaintwarpaint



Lykke Li should be essential live listening, purely because her first album played such a part in molding this "identity" of mine.
I Follow Rivers by LykkeLi


Hauschka from Germany makes these immensely beautiful piano-driven classical tunes and I've always said people don't listen to classical music enough. Be it because concert halls usually have an awfully stuck up atmosphere or not, I don't know.
Hauschka - Alexanderplatz by Hauschkamusic


Pantha Du Prince (also German) and his amazing Black Noise album kind of became my minimalistic soundtrack of last winter. So looking forward to seeing him do his thang.
The Splendour by Pantha du Prince

These would have been more than enough to secure my 100+whatever euros for the weekend, but no they're also giving us:

James Blake



Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti'



and only bloody Kanye West!

Kanye West - Monster .

See you there!