Sugar the Pill is closed for business.

Sugar the Pill is closed for business.

Hello everyone,

Regular readers will have noticed that I have not updated this blog for sometime now, and I’ve come to the conclusion to “officially” close down the blog. I started Sugar the Pill to keep myself busy and stop being bored and recently I have started on a few new projects in the Real World which unfortunately leaves me with little time for updates and suchlike.

Thanks to all who’ve read/emailed/commented and particular thanks to Claude C at Hagley Road to Ladywood and Sunny H at Liberal Conspiracy for reposting/linking to articles on here. Apologies to anyone who has emailed stuff that hasn’t been reviewed; again time is the guilty party on this one and I wish I had a few more hours in the day to get through it all.

I will be starting a different blog elsewhere under my real name soon so maybe our paths will cross again – but for now au revoir, and thanks for the ride – it’s been fun!

~ Mr S. Pill

I leave you with what, if there is any justice, will be 2010′s Christmas number 1: Captain SKA’s Liar Liar

Johnny Cash – One (U2 cover)

I’ll let you into a secret – I bloody hate U2. I really, really do. I think they are one of the most over-rated bands that the earth has spawned and Bono is one of the most egotistical musicians out there (and there is plenty of competition).
However! Johnny Cash pulls off the near-impossible by turning the turgid drone of One into this masterpiece of melancholia. The song itself is one of the most over-analysed in the pop field but I think this version captures the end-of-a-relationship mood quite perfectly. Oh and it has no official video so full kudos to JBayldon for video-making skills. The song itself can be found on American III – Solitary Man, which is a brilliant LP anyway (it also features a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ The Mercy Seat) but worth it just for this.

Lest we forget.

Nine years ago to the day, 2,977 innocent US citizens were murdered in the biggest terrorist atrocity the world has yet witnessed. The subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have extinguished more than 100,000 innocent lives.
No matter what your political beliefs, or the rights and wrongs of US foreign policy, take a moment today to remember those who have been cruelly taken in this first decade of the 21st century, and hope that humanity learns to stop hurting each other in the future.

V. V. Brown – Shark In The Water

One of last year’s finest discoveries had to be the rather brilliantly talented (and gorgeous) V V Brown, a 26-year-old songstress who on her debut LP combined the best elements of rock’n'roll, R’n'B, soul – and good old-fashioned poptastic tunes. This is, in my opinion (which is the correct one), the best track from a stunning album. Listen to the rest for free here.

Remix of the day – The Rolling Stones/Zed’s Dead

Been listening to this for a bit now so thought I’d share it with any of you crazy characters out there who might not have had the pleasure yet. Pulp Fiction-referencing Zed’s Dead remixing the bejesus out of The Rolling Stones’ 1969 classic Gimme Shelter. I think it’s one of my favourite things I’ve heard this year. Turn up the bass and enjoy!