John Walker's Electronic House

While musicing, I want to mention the splendid new project by Bishop Allen.

In case anyone is wise enough to sit up and take notice at the name, the band features Christian Rudder. He was the co-creator of The Spark, many years ago before it became an advertising hoarding for Barnes & Noble, and the writer of the extraordinarily funny Science experiments. It was he that orchestrated the Fat Project, seeing if people could gain 30lb in 30 days, and the Stinkyfeet Project, in which he attempted to contract the most unpleasant illness possible by scooching around in the shower of the Boston Y, then sealing his feet in plastic bags for a month. He got trenchfoot.

The Spark was also famous for its hugely funny Tests, some of which remain in horribly sanitised forms, most gone completely. Rudder left as the ship sank into corporate evil, set up the never-used Crudder.com (which usually just links to current projects, but now appears to be a confessional about his swimming ability), and then, completely by surprise, revealed Bishop Allen.

Their first album, Charm School, is utter joy, and rarely sees a month go by without a listen, two years later. And this year they are launching a monthly project, releasing a four track EP diary entry, and posting it right to your house. February finally arrived this morning, after a broken disc came a couple of weeks back, and once more it’s four completely splendid tracks of intelligent, witty and sympathetic simplicity. I’m about to order March. (The discs aren’t named after the month they arrive in, but are biographically about the month itself).

There are mp3s on their site, and naturally they have a MySpace site for those who can’t cope with the regular internet any more.

Rudder also went on to co-launch the very splendid OK Cupid dating site-come-test site, which has the best Personality Test on the internet, and plays host to my horrible test from the end of last year.

He’s my favourite internet person. I celebrate him, while listening to his band’s fantastic music.