Furious Angels

"Cause love, like an invisible bullet has shot me down and I'm bleeding - yeah, I'm bleeding. And if you go, furious angels will bring you back to me"

After four years I've finally worked out that my car's audio system is set-up in "small tinny transistor radio" mode, and that by pressing a few buttons it can actually make a big fat gorgeous noise.

I'm kicking myself that I've missed out on the full impact of my travelling music, but I'm making up for lost time now. The bass-line to "Cash Machine" by Hard-Fi is wonderful, so wonderful I had to get Mrs Stan to explain why it's so good.

Skunk Anansie also make an amazing sound - I'm gutted that they broke up six years ago, without really making it big. "Everyday Hurts" is as good a piece of rock as I've heard in many years.

My major discovery though (five years late) is Rob Dougan. He wrote a bunch of tracks for The Matrix films, extravagantly scored dance music that is utterly impossible to dance to. OK, maybe if Ecstasy is involved - but otherwise, just sit and listen.

His lyrics are a class above - complex, dark and emotional. Like something one of the Metaphysical poets would write. In fact the phrase "Furious Angels" I love so much is Jean Cocteau's description of WW1 fighter aircraft in his preface to Roland Garros' "Dans Le Ciel De La Patrie" [In The Sky Of The Homeland].

It's a wonderful two word poem - "Furious Angels", sounds even better in French "Les Anges Furieux".