'Welcome to the saving grace...'

While in Australia I was introduced to a band called Powderfinger that almost immediately became a permanent feature in my regular listening. Their album 'Odyssey Number Five' is quite remarkable and would almost certainly feature in my top ten albums of all time. Largely due to them being Australian and that meaning they live, more than likely anyway, a long, long way from everywhere, they had previously passed me by. Although I suspect the lead singer Bernard Fanning's (oh-so rock 'n' roll...) album Tea & Sympathy hadn't, but I didn't know it. If your liking is for highly infectious, well thought out, antipodean, pop rock (specialised, no?)  I would highly recommend giving them a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pvFPsq8u_Q, This is the opening track from Odyssey Number Five and it only gets better from there, the highlights for me being 'My Happiness', 'The Metre' and 'My Kind of Scene', which manage to combine brilliant lyrics, atmosphere and music in that much looked-for but highly elusive combination. Bernard Fanning's album Tea & Sympathy is also worth listening to. It's a bit more chilled out and acoustic, but still great and features songs that I certainly felt I knew such as 'Wish You Well' (not a Bill Withers cover, thank god).

On a tad more serious note, I found myself perusing a list of the 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of all time the other day and for some reason stuck upon John Coltrane's 'Blue Train', not least because I, of course, knew the name, but didn't know his music at all. It seemed as good a place as any to start and soon enough found myself soaking it up as I was in the right frame of mind. It is, it would be fair to say, a wonderful recording. Not really being hugely musically minded the subtleties escape me, but it certainly appeals to me and is something I enjoy listening to because I have to concentrate on it and it is captivating enough to hold my attention despite being instrumental. A task that all-too-few bands/albums of it's ilk succeed at.

Taking yet another deviation on the musical highway, I have to confess I am occasionally partial to a little country music. Usually of a slightly outlaw/outsider/comedic style, but occasionally of a through and through country style. On this occasion though, I found myself, by a rather round about route (watching the preview track video of 'Shooter' Jennings' new album 'Family Man' and then deciding to research his family history), listening to Waylon Jennings' (his father), most famous release and also the first country album to go platinum' 'Wanted! The Outlaws', which is credited with inventing the genre of outlaw country and features a brilliant cover of Elvis' 'Suspicious Minds'. Not to mention the fact that the album is credited equally to Willie Nelson and features a two other, I assume, country greats; Tompall Glaser and Jessi Colter (boy do these country guys have some amazing names).

I'm always curious about albums that supposedly invent genres, particularly if they are genres that I enjoy. It seems to me to be a great place to start with a genre, or even to come back to if you've not listened to it before. Whether it be Black Sabbath's 'Black Sabbath' - credited with and pretty much universally acknowledged to have created the genre and aesthetic of metal or Monteverdi's 'L'Orfeo' - credited with being the originator and blue print for all subsequent operas, I will give it a listen and more often than not, love it.

One final note on a totally different note: I'm going to Paul Smith for training on 24th January, which should be a great day, productively spent with a brand that I love. Also, this last week was 'Pitti Uomo' the biggest menswear even of the year and one that I would have loved to have gone to. This desire was compounded by the fact that buyer at work was there living it up, while I was stuck back at the shop, dealing with deliveries. There are already some great photos floating around out there, but keep an eye out for The Sartorialist's coverage, Tommy Ton's details coverage and bits from ACL's Michael Williams, who I believe was there too and will no doubt provide his usual interesting angle on it.

I shall be very interested to see what the trends they take away from it are and what treats are coming up in the world of men's wear.

Joe