Alex Holland
@alexlotl.bsky.social
I’m the one on the right. Mostly posting about music, retro games, cats and poached eggs. He/him.
This just got RTed onto my feed. By chance, yesterday I watched a Sweet Baboo music video from 10 years ago and was struck by the beetle art on the wall. I'm guessing it's one of yours?
(I love the origami purses, BTW - might pickup a few of those for Christmas)
(I love the origami purses, BTW - might pickup a few of those for Christmas)
November 13, 2025 at 1:21 PM
This just got RTed onto my feed. By chance, yesterday I watched a Sweet Baboo music video from 10 years ago and was struck by the beetle art on the wall. I'm guessing it's one of yours?
(I love the origami purses, BTW - might pickup a few of those for Christmas)
(I love the origami purses, BTW - might pickup a few of those for Christmas)
Coco luxuriating on the same rug that she tries to scratch to ribbons whenever we’re not looking.
No jury would convict.
No jury would convict.
November 13, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Coco luxuriating on the same rug that she tries to scratch to ribbons whenever we’re not looking.
No jury would convict.
No jury would convict.
Watching a DVD on my laptop like it’s 2004. Or possibly 1874.
November 11, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Watching a DVD on my laptop like it’s 2004. Or possibly 1874.
Something about the gloomy skies put me in the mood for Wheels of Fire this morning. This is the old WG Polydor disc, processed in Audacity to remove the awful CSG encoding and align the channels. The difference is incredible, especially on headphones.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haeco-CSG
#cdFriday
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haeco-CSG
#cdFriday
November 7, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Something about the gloomy skies put me in the mood for Wheels of Fire this morning. This is the old WG Polydor disc, processed in Audacity to remove the awful CSG encoding and align the channels. The difference is incredible, especially on headphones.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haeco-CSG
#cdFriday
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haeco-CSG
#cdFriday
Someone is a bit dozy after her annual vaccine jabs.
November 6, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Someone is a bit dozy after her annual vaccine jabs.
New jeans ritual. Reading Pattern Recognition by William Gibson twenty years ago made me properly understand that *I* own my clothes, and I can just remove any branding or labels that bother me. I do stop short of sanding down the rivets, though!
November 2, 2025 at 10:56 AM
New jeans ritual. Reading Pattern Recognition by William Gibson twenty years ago made me properly understand that *I* own my clothes, and I can just remove any branding or labels that bother me. I do stop short of sanding down the rivets, though!
A few spun today. Tim Hardin in the afternoon - this cheap ‘94 set gets you Tim Hardin 1, 2 & 4, plus some bits, all well mastered.
For a rainy Halloween evening, Climate of Hunter by Scott Walker. A big Hardin fan who borrowed his album naming scheme, and covered a few of his tracks.
#cdFriday
For a rainy Halloween evening, Climate of Hunter by Scott Walker. A big Hardin fan who borrowed his album naming scheme, and covered a few of his tracks.
#cdFriday
October 31, 2025 at 5:31 PM
A few spun today. Tim Hardin in the afternoon - this cheap ‘94 set gets you Tim Hardin 1, 2 & 4, plus some bits, all well mastered.
For a rainy Halloween evening, Climate of Hunter by Scott Walker. A big Hardin fan who borrowed his album naming scheme, and covered a few of his tracks.
#cdFriday
For a rainy Halloween evening, Climate of Hunter by Scott Walker. A big Hardin fan who borrowed his album naming scheme, and covered a few of his tracks.
#cdFriday
Well I, 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 met a traveller,
From an antique land,
Who said, in the desert
Vast trunkless legs do staaaaaand!
The plaque says Ozyman-ian-ian-dias
Out in the lonely sands.
“Oh look”, 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 “on my works,
Ye mighty and despair”
While his shattered visage,
Up at the Sky does staaaaare…
From an antique land,
Who said, in the desert
Vast trunkless legs do staaaaaand!
The plaque says Ozyman-ian-ian-dias
Out in the lonely sands.
“Oh look”, 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 “on my works,
Ye mighty and despair”
While his shattered visage,
Up at the Sky does staaaaare…
October 31, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Well I, 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 met a traveller,
From an antique land,
Who said, in the desert
Vast trunkless legs do staaaaaand!
The plaque says Ozyman-ian-ian-dias
Out in the lonely sands.
“Oh look”, 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 “on my works,
Ye mighty and despair”
While his shattered visage,
Up at the Sky does staaaaare…
From an antique land,
Who said, in the desert
Vast trunkless legs do staaaaaand!
The plaque says Ozyman-ian-ian-dias
Out in the lonely sands.
“Oh look”, 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 “on my works,
Ye mighty and despair”
While his shattered visage,
Up at the Sky does staaaaare…
Two new pickups for #cdFriday. I have a nice routine when working in the office of hitting up Oxfam Books for some randomised post-lunch listening.
Very surprised to find some Deerhoof! Getz/Gilberto is the old WG CD, nice warm analogue sound.
Very surprised to find some Deerhoof! Getz/Gilberto is the old WG CD, nice warm analogue sound.
October 24, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Two new pickups for #cdFriday. I have a nice routine when working in the office of hitting up Oxfam Books for some randomised post-lunch listening.
Very surprised to find some Deerhoof! Getz/Gilberto is the old WG CD, nice warm analogue sound.
Very surprised to find some Deerhoof! Getz/Gilberto is the old WG CD, nice warm analogue sound.
I’d swear these two are related.
October 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I’d swear these two are related.
I saw Cate Le Bon play live in York on Tuesday, and picked up her latest album from the merch table.
It’s cracker, and the live show was nothing short of incredible. A real culmination of everything she’s been doing from Reward onwards.
Are there any other seven album runs this good?
#cdFriday
It’s cracker, and the live show was nothing short of incredible. A real culmination of everything she’s been doing from Reward onwards.
Are there any other seven album runs this good?
#cdFriday
October 17, 2025 at 12:49 PM
I saw Cate Le Bon play live in York on Tuesday, and picked up her latest album from the merch table.
It’s cracker, and the live show was nothing short of incredible. A real culmination of everything she’s been doing from Reward onwards.
Are there any other seven album runs this good?
#cdFriday
It’s cracker, and the live show was nothing short of incredible. A real culmination of everything she’s been doing from Reward onwards.
Are there any other seven album runs this good?
#cdFriday
With the nights drawing in, I’ve started playing Lemmings again, this time Oh No, More Lemmings.
Just cleared Tame difficulty (the first 20 levels), which was an utter waste of time. All trivial with no threats or falls, and with 20 of every skill. Mostly just bashing, didn’t lose a single Lem.
Just cleared Tame difficulty (the first 20 levels), which was an utter waste of time. All trivial with no threats or falls, and with 20 of every skill. Mostly just bashing, didn’t lose a single Lem.
October 12, 2025 at 7:18 PM
With the nights drawing in, I’ve started playing Lemmings again, this time Oh No, More Lemmings.
Just cleared Tame difficulty (the first 20 levels), which was an utter waste of time. All trivial with no threats or falls, and with 20 of every skill. Mostly just bashing, didn’t lose a single Lem.
Just cleared Tame difficulty (the first 20 levels), which was an utter waste of time. All trivial with no threats or falls, and with 20 of every skill. Mostly just bashing, didn’t lose a single Lem.
In terms of currently playing, as the old rhyme goes, “Something old, something new, something to play on the loo”.
Recent completions (and ratings) include River City Girls (8), Donut County (6), Gris (7), Lara Croft Go (8) and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (9).
Recent completions (and ratings) include River City Girls (8), Donut County (6), Gris (7), Lara Croft Go (8) and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (9).
October 11, 2025 at 9:18 AM
In terms of currently playing, as the old rhyme goes, “Something old, something new, something to play on the loo”.
Recent completions (and ratings) include River City Girls (8), Donut County (6), Gris (7), Lara Croft Go (8) and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (9).
Recent completions (and ratings) include River City Girls (8), Donut County (6), Gris (7), Lara Croft Go (8) and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (9).
TBH, you'll probably have a better time if you use ScummVM rather than the Steam executable. Instructions here: wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Th...
ScummVM also supports RetroArch shaders now, so as well as vanilla pixels you can (optionally) use some very decent CRT emulation.
ScummVM also supports RetroArch shaders now, so as well as vanilla pixels you can (optionally) use some very decent CRT emulation.
October 11, 2025 at 8:39 AM
TBH, you'll probably have a better time if you use ScummVM rather than the Steam executable. Instructions here: wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Th...
ScummVM also supports RetroArch shaders now, so as well as vanilla pixels you can (optionally) use some very decent CRT emulation.
ScummVM also supports RetroArch shaders now, so as well as vanilla pixels you can (optionally) use some very decent CRT emulation.
The 1994 Rolling Stones CD reissues had this after the band name on the spines. Awful.
October 10, 2025 at 10:44 PM
The 1994 Rolling Stones CD reissues had this after the band name on the spines. Awful.
The return of the silver disc
Throwing darts in streamers’ eyes
1984(?) WG RCA CD. The masters for this series have murky origins, but the end result sounds great. One of the later STS deluxe sets actually included a digital clone of this disc alongside various flavours of remaster.
#cdFriday
Throwing darts in streamers’ eyes
1984(?) WG RCA CD. The masters for this series have murky origins, but the end result sounds great. One of the later STS deluxe sets actually included a digital clone of this disc alongside various flavours of remaster.
#cdFriday
October 10, 2025 at 8:16 AM
The return of the silver disc
Throwing darts in streamers’ eyes
1984(?) WG RCA CD. The masters for this series have murky origins, but the end result sounds great. One of the later STS deluxe sets actually included a digital clone of this disc alongside various flavours of remaster.
#cdFriday
Throwing darts in streamers’ eyes
1984(?) WG RCA CD. The masters for this series have murky origins, but the end result sounds great. One of the later STS deluxe sets actually included a digital clone of this disc alongside various flavours of remaster.
#cdFriday
I found a £12 L.L.Bean chamois shirt on Vinted after reading about them online. They seem to be staples in the US, but obscure here. Anyway, it’s been two weeks and I now basically live in this thing.
Cosy without being heavy, works open over a jumper or closed over a t-shirt. Love it.
Cosy without being heavy, works open over a jumper or closed over a t-shirt. Love it.
September 29, 2025 at 11:17 AM
I found a £12 L.L.Bean chamois shirt on Vinted after reading about them online. They seem to be staples in the US, but obscure here. Anyway, it’s been two weeks and I now basically live in this thing.
Cosy without being heavy, works open over a jumper or closed over a t-shirt. Love it.
Cosy without being heavy, works open over a jumper or closed over a t-shirt. Love it.
Too hot for streaming, it’s Jens Lekman’s first three albums. His DIY approach meant his early music was full of magpied samples, all uncleared. The first album has survived, but with the wonderful Maple Leaves removed. The other two had to be re-recorded.
Swedish releases shown here!
#cdFriday
Swedish releases shown here!
#cdFriday
September 26, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Too hot for streaming, it’s Jens Lekman’s first three albums. His DIY approach meant his early music was full of magpied samples, all uncleared. The first album has survived, but with the wonderful Maple Leaves removed. The other two had to be re-recorded.
Swedish releases shown here!
#cdFriday
Swedish releases shown here!
#cdFriday
Still in love with TOSLINK. Just replaced my aged Asus Xonar U3 with this neat doohickey, the coincidentally named Douk U2.
This is the newer model with the XU316 chip, and does CD quality PCM from my computers to stereo without any drivers needed.
Japanese jazz from YouTube is back on the menu!
This is the newer model with the XU316 chip, and does CD quality PCM from my computers to stereo without any drivers needed.
Japanese jazz from YouTube is back on the menu!
September 24, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Still in love with TOSLINK. Just replaced my aged Asus Xonar U3 with this neat doohickey, the coincidentally named Douk U2.
This is the newer model with the XU316 chip, and does CD quality PCM from my computers to stereo without any drivers needed.
Japanese jazz from YouTube is back on the menu!
This is the newer model with the XU316 chip, and does CD quality PCM from my computers to stereo without any drivers needed.
Japanese jazz from YouTube is back on the menu!
I needed a lunchtime walk anyway.
That tiny willow sapling in the foreground is a *little* bit bigger now.
That tiny willow sapling in the foreground is a *little* bit bigger now.
September 22, 2025 at 12:47 PM
I needed a lunchtime walk anyway.
That tiny willow sapling in the foreground is a *little* bit bigger now.
That tiny willow sapling in the foreground is a *little* bit bigger now.
Now spinning, probably the only Kraftwerk album where I strongly prefer the German language version. Schaufensterpuppen has so much more punch.
Come to think of it, my German Duolingo lessons are currently all about train travel, which has probably been a subliminal influence here!
#cdFriday
Come to think of it, my German Duolingo lessons are currently all about train travel, which has probably been a subliminal influence here!
#cdFriday
September 19, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Now spinning, probably the only Kraftwerk album where I strongly prefer the German language version. Schaufensterpuppen has so much more punch.
Come to think of it, my German Duolingo lessons are currently all about train travel, which has probably been a subliminal influence here!
#cdFriday
Come to think of it, my German Duolingo lessons are currently all about train travel, which has probably been a subliminal influence here!
#cdFriday
Last Saturday’s car boot haul, some happy hunting. £14 all in.
The copy of Off The Wall is an early JP-for-EUR disc, with the original LP mixes and pre-emphasis. It also (contrary to the first photo) has the booklet cut and stapled so MJ is correctly oriented for the gatefold image.
#cdFriday
The copy of Off The Wall is an early JP-for-EUR disc, with the original LP mixes and pre-emphasis. It also (contrary to the first photo) has the booklet cut and stapled so MJ is correctly oriented for the gatefold image.
#cdFriday
September 12, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Last Saturday’s car boot haul, some happy hunting. £14 all in.
The copy of Off The Wall is an early JP-for-EUR disc, with the original LP mixes and pre-emphasis. It also (contrary to the first photo) has the booklet cut and stapled so MJ is correctly oriented for the gatefold image.
#cdFriday
The copy of Off The Wall is an early JP-for-EUR disc, with the original LP mixes and pre-emphasis. It also (contrary to the first photo) has the booklet cut and stapled so MJ is correctly oriented for the gatefold image.
#cdFriday
This is Steven Drozd’s suggested track order from the Pitchfork documentary on the album. The only time they played the full album live, in 2010, it was like this but with Spiderbite and Slow Motion swapped.
To make matters worse, the early 5.1 sets incorrectly shipped with the US CD master.
To make matters worse, the early 5.1 sets incorrectly shipped with the US CD master.
September 5, 2025 at 12:02 PM
This is Steven Drozd’s suggested track order from the Pitchfork documentary on the album. The only time they played the full album live, in 2010, it was like this but with Spiderbite and Slow Motion swapped.
To make matters worse, the early 5.1 sets incorrectly shipped with the US CD master.
To make matters worse, the early 5.1 sets incorrectly shipped with the US CD master.