So my Dad's trip to Syria got cancelled yesterday less than 24 hours before he was to leave with a group of his students. This happened just after the Danish Prime Minister in his infinite wisdom decided to give his support to the US government by sending a dingy called Olfert Fischer (btw. Olfert is the also the Danish word for wedgie just so you know) with soldiers carrying pellet guns and a sub called The Seal towards Iraq. This led his school to decide to postpone the trip. My Dad's not exactly happy with that decision, but I think my Mom was thrilled since the thought of having to stay at home worrying about him didn't sit to well with her. After all Syria is a neighbouring country to Iraq, so it probably won't be the nicest place to be, when the B-52s, SR-71s, U2s, and all those other planes named after rock bands starts dropping bombs like Tupac drops records. But the school promised that if the Middle East still exists in the Fall he gets to go then instead. So atleast that's something I guess.

I think most people who have enough records to make an actual record collection have a couple of records they really like that most people haven't heard. I don't mean those embarrasing second albums by one-hit-wonders that you're the only one who really likes. I mean records you picked up and just really dig made by bands who didn't really have hits or who makes music in genres most people don't like. I have a few of those, but the one that got me thinking about this is the second record by Belgian rockers Soulwax. Now, of course, they're widely known for the 2 Many DJs record, but before that they released a truly great rock album called Much Against Everyone's Advice. The album features singles such as the title track and the song 2 Many DJs, which along with a video packed with Belgian DJs spawned the now infamous compilation record where Dolly Parton gets mixed with The Velvet Underground and Destiny's Child.

I discovered the Much Against record through a sampler CD by brother had, which featured the 2 Many DJs track, and it didn't take long until we decided to order copies of the record for the both of us. The songs are very melodic and often have funny lyrics (Like an overweight karate kid/You could moonwalk over my heart), but at the same time some are rockin' and experimental. And just to be weird they have Tracy Bonham appear on the track My Cruel Joke, which might not appear on all versions of the record. I've been listening to it again lately and somehow got surprised by how fantastic an album it is. There isn't a dud on it and I always get in a good mood, when I listen to it.

I just realized that some of you reading this might consider this a very well-known record and maybe all your friends own a copy. If that is the case then I think that's pretty cool. But my impression is that even though it got great reviews and some airplay on MTV it didn't really move that many units and people tend to buy K's Choice or dEUS records, when they crave that Belgian rock.
Anyway, I think you should check it out sometime. And hopefully they'll stop with all the remixing soon and get back to making some rockin' tunes for their next album, which is long overdue.