Music Diary 2012, days 6 & 7

Typically, my weekends are family time, so the three of us are usually mooching around at home, shopping, or daytripping. Unusually, I listened to almost no music this weekend – just during a car journey on Saturday night, and on headphones on Sunday night. For some reason, having to document what I listened to as part of this music diary has made my music choices more discerning. This is a good thing.

Kingbastard – Lost Property (Herb Recordings)
Yep, this one's a keeper. During its second airing in the car I realised just how many great moments there are on this album. Really looking forward to an uninterrupted listen on headphones.

Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling (Matador)
This is rapidly becoming my favourite Mogwai album. My interest in the band was reignited late last year by their amazing set at Harvest music festival. Aside from a few stunning moments (eg, 'San Pedro') I don't rate their latest album Hardcore... that highly, but Hawk is just beautiful. It spans both poles of Mogwai's musical universe, from the gorgeous and languid ('Local Authority') to the snarling and savage ('Batcat') – and explores various points in between ('I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead'). Great for night driving.

Tim Key – Tim Key. With a String Quartet. On a Boat. (Invisible Dot)
Having thoroughly enjoyed his latest stand-up show Masterslut and his book The Incomplete Tim Key, I figured I may as well download his album, too. It's probably the weakest of the three, but still has some great moments, mostly courtesy of his arguments with Tom Basden.