Seven inch shambles

Today I popped into Zavvi to see if they have Annie's I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me on seven inch. Turns out they don't have anything on seven inch. When I asked a young chap working there about it, he didn't have much to say apart from "we didn't sell many". I'm not surprised, because those now empty slots always seemed full of One Night Only and Scouting For Girls. Basically, music that about 10 people in the UK would probably want on vinyl.

Well, me and Zavvi are through. I never need go in there again, especially since the ground floor is full of DVDs, games and mobile phones. Is there a place on the high street for music? These days, it's looking like NO. In the much trumpeted Liverpool One development, the only "music" (read: entertainment) shop is HMV. I'm pulling a sad face at this one. Does the disappearance of seven inches in Zavvi mean we're a tiny step closer to the day when music is officially shit, because it's been packaged up to advertise mobile phones and so on?

Also, that £22 Bjork record you see above is not a special edition of Volta, but a pack of Wanderlust remixes. Come on, One Little Indian! £22 for some unnecessary variations on a theme?

The power of Bjork

I was having another think about Bjork and how amazing she is. She proves that when a woman has a child, she doesn't stop being creative and exclusively become a mother. Also, she inspires people to make things like Hama bead Medulla necklaces, swan prom dresses, Vespertine bags and Volta keyrings.

Current obsession - Bjork

Bjork is one of those people I accidentally forget about, so when I delve into her music I rediscover how amazing she is and get all excited.
Bjork is amazing because everything she does is amazing, from the Sugarcubes through all of her solo albums. I've been told that Dancer in the Dark is also amazing, but people always suffix that with 'but it's really depressing', so I haven't watched it. Bjork is kooky, uncomprising and when she sings, the angels are probably weeping. Everytime I hear her hit the lyric 'emotional landscapes' in Joga, I get a little shiver. Really, I do.
For some people she's a global superstar, but for a lot of others she's that crazy lady who wore a swan to the Oscars, bellowed It's Oh So Quiet and attacked a reporter at Bangkok airport. I realised that the young son she was shielding from media intrusion during that incident is now a man, which is a scary reminder of the relentless passage of time. And why do fashion and gossip journalists always drag up the swan dress as an example of the worst crimes against Oscar style? She looks amazing! Well, apart from the glittery, flesh-coloured body stocking beneath. She's Bjork, of course she's going to dress theatrically. Remember the 30,000 square feet of fabric she wore for the Athens Olympics opening ceremony in 2004 (pictured)?
Bjork herself is not a one-woman powerhouse of creativity, and it's all the energy of collaborations that make her AMAZING. From those Michel Gondry videos to the Reactable man it's all so amazingly brilliant. For a Bjork album produced by Timbaland, 2007's Volta doesn't sound as good as I imagined in my head. I'm ready for the seventh Bjork album, whenever that may be. Not for quite a while, I suppose. She's still touring the sixth one. And the shows are amazing. Amazing!