Wednesday 29 December 2010

Albums of the Year 2010: 5-1






















You've seen the albums that nearly made it, and the ones we couldn't stand; now it's time to reveal the Popscener's records of the year 2010. It's the final countdown...

5. These New Puritans - Hidden (Angular/Domino)
Proof that innovation is alive and well outside the claustrophobia and one-upmanship of London’s inner city scenes, Southend-on-Sea’s genre-hopping connoisseurs created a tour de force of art-rock experimentation. The unsettling murmur of children’s choirs met shuddering bangra-beats, meticulous woodwind and brass arrangements (provided by a Czech orchestra) and Richard Garrett’s 19th century poetry, while the eccentric time signatures framed a sound at once menacing and oddly moving. Hearing is believing.



4. Mark Ronson and The Business International – Record Collection (Columbia)
Beyond the bleach blonde pompadour and colourless panel-show appearances, 2010 saw Mark Ronson drop the faux-soul whimsy of his previous musical excursions for a more cutting edge contemporary up-date on '80s synth-pop and electro. The results could have been inconsequential – Ronson’s limp attempts at singing on ‘Record Collection’ are testament to that – but a superb revolving-door supporting cast, including Q-Tip, Kyle Falconer and Rose Elinor Dougall, brought to life a series of brilliantly crafted pop songs. Bringing Boy George (‘Someone to Love Me’) and D’Angelo (‘Glass Mountain Trust’) back to commercial coalface added tenderness and explosive vocal virtuosity to the inescapable hooks.



3. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
A recording budget of over $3million used to fund sessions with a vast myriad of co-producers and supporting artists – including Jay-Z, Pusha T, Chris Rock, Bon Iver and John Legend – at what amounted to a gated ‘Rap Camp’ ad-hoc community in Hawaii seemed a unsurprising move for the most egomaniacal rapper on the planet. However, what followed was no bling ‘n’ bitches celebration of life in a tropical paradise. Instead, 'Yeezy' carved up critical preconceptions with an album of open-hearted vulnerability, the puffed-chest moments always splintered with an underlying quiver of inadequacy and aching discontent with the rap-star caricature. Beauty prevailed in spades on this undoubted magnum opus.



2. Everything Everything - Man Alive (Geffen)
To describe Everything Everything as a rare beacon of success in 2010 for the kind of angular ‘indie’ long the preserve of many of England’s finest bands would be doing them a disservice. Despite similarities with the naughties’ scatterbrained post-punk resurgence (best realised by The Futureheads and their contemporaries), Everything Everything offered a great leap forward. The  familiar jerky hooks and hyper-melodic art-pop choruses were embellished with rhythmic math-rock precision and spiralling guitar trills. Meanwhile, the dexterous falsetto yelp of frontman Jonathan Higgs was ideally suited to an engaging, articulate examination of the vacuous quick-fix realities of popular culture.



1. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can (Virgin)
Folk revivalist Laura Marling’s precocious maturity has been heavily documented, but this should neither boost nor detract from assessments of the 20-year-old’s stunning sophomore record, which stands apart as a majestic landmark in her remarkable development. I Speak Because I Can eschewed the casual immediacy of her debut for something more intricate and captivating. Lyrically, Marling excelled, taking on the role of brow-beaten but stoic daughter (‘Hope in the Air’), girlfriend (‘I Speak Because I Can’) and lover (‘What He Wrote’) in a series of stinging mini-dramas which asserted themselves like epic short-stories amidst a serenely elegiac masterwork. On ‘Goodbye England’, the album’s desperate emotional fulcrum, she countered former lover Charlie Fink’s despondent assessment of their disintegrating relationship (from 2009’s The First Days of Spring) in a breathtaking crescendo. ‘I tried to be the girl who likes to be used / I’m too good for that / there’s a mind under this hat’ she spat – as moving a trichotomy of feeling between rage, sorrow and dignity as was heard the year over.




Don't forget to check out the rest of the albums of the year and the songs of the year for 2010.

Tuesday 28 December 2010

Worst Records of 2010

Hadouken!: PLEASE MAKE IT STOP...























Amidst the abundance of wonderful, inspiring records released in 2010, there were also a handful of stinkers so unspeakably bad that they deserve to be shamed. Some were merely coma-inducingly tedious, others were self-important in epic proportions; the worst were so sadistically unlistenable they would cause nightmares for even the least discerning of listeners. Be warned: approach this catalogue of horror at your peril...

10. Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle (4AD)
Ditched guitars for electronica and experimental self-indulgence. Failed to sparkle.

9. Interpol –
Interpol (Matador)
Gloomy post-punk and droning baritone stuck to type, but this time: no songs.

8. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (Fiction)
Destined henceforth to be scene but not heard.

7. Teenage Fanclub – Shadows (PeMa)
Ageing early fans cooed – proving a band now better suited to dinner parties than teenage fanclubs.

6. The Miserable Rich – Of Flight and Fury (Humble Soul)
Throttled the tongue-in cheek whimsy out of Neil Hannon’s chamber/baroque shtick. The bon mots and personality, too.

5. The National – High Violet (4AD)
Insipid, lumbering (and critically acclaimed) heartland-post-punk guff made by the most boring people in the world for the most boring people in the world.

4. Midlake – The Courage Of Others (Bella Union)
Wearisome, timid progressive folk drivel made by the most boring people in the world for the most boring people in the world. No great critical kudos, either.

3. The Courteeners – Falcon (Polydor)
A record so aggressively dreadful musically that you would be forgiven for missing Liam Fray’s wretched, misogynistic lyrics and nauseating cornball delivery.

2. Tobacco – Maniac Meat (Anticon)
Genuinely murderous faux-rap/crap-hop/psycho-rock effort from screw-loose loon Tom Fec. Impossible even to make it through one full play of two cuts featuring Beck’s moderating influence.

1. Hadouken! – For The Masses (Noisia)
The Leeds quintet proved their shamelessly disgusting genre-hopping trend-following bandwagon-jumping ‘career’ had run it’s course with this risible dance dirge which even the most chemically elevated scenesters couldn’t dance to, and the horrified casual radio listener couldn’t avoid given a chart placing (#19) which categorically proves the record buying public can’t be trusted. One positive: bad enough to give genuine hope there won’t be a next time.

Try some better records released in 2010 or check out the best songs of the year

Monday 27 December 2010

Albums of the Year 2010: 15-6

The Soft Pack: Instantly likeable and eminently listenable



















Part two of the best albums of 2010, as chosen by the Popscener...

15. Vampire Weekend - Contra (XL)
Still in thrall to Paul Simon and his adventures in Afrobeat, the unashamedly preppy New York quartet nonetheless put their Columbia book-smarts to more considered effect than on the carefree frolic of their debut. The result: a series of laments on the uncomfortable post-college disquiet in realising that youth is transitory, all held together by Ezra Koenig’s bittersweet lilt.



14. Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday (Sub Pop)
Initially coming across like a Sub Pop surf-craze cash-in, breeding Wavves’ devil-may-care insouciance and Magic Kids’ ‘60s pastiche, repeated exposure revealed Happy Birthday to be a far more formidable beast. The melodies were too thrillingly warped and the musical palette – switching from 90s alternative rock (‘Pink Strawberry Shake’) to synth-psyche ballads (‘Subliminal Message’) – too varied to be rooted in artifice. Their next could be very special.

13. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (4AD)
Resident oddball Ariel Pink had, until this year, spent his time barely-coordinating a stream of lo-fi oddities (such as 2008’s Oddities Sodomies Vol.1, no less). Before Today fine-tuned Pink’s musical schizophrenia and streamlined his half-formed ideas, creating something no less weirdly eclectic, but more compact and coherent. The rewards were deliciously decadent, frequently inspired – and manifold.

12. Les Savy Fav - Root For Ruin (French Kiss)
Following up 2007’s Let’s Stay Friends – a career zenith unlikely to be matched – was always going to be a thankless task, so the under-appreciated New Yorkers could be forgiven for talking several years to carefully devise their next move. They chose a sidestep rather than a great leap-forward, retaining Let’s Stay Friends’ masterful manipulation of rhythmic fluctuation, but filling more of the dry open spaces with visceral guitar shapes. And the post-hardcore pop song (‘Dear Crutches’) was a delight.

11. Laura Veirs - July Flame (Bella Union)
Seven albums and eleven years into a still-burgeoning career, July Flame found the alt-folk singer at her shrewdest ebb yet. She played to strengths, negating the thin reediness of her voice by double-tracking her vocal and embellishing her choruses with the kind of ornate harmonies (often beefed up by My Morning Jacket’s Jim James) which did justice to her sumptuous grasp of melodic resonance. The words were pensive, even forlorn, but never maudlin.

10. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
After the disappointment of 2007’s sprawling misfire Living With The Living, sprightly 30-something social-idealist punk Ted Leo went back to basics on his Matador debut, firing out a succession of curt, bristling punk-rock tirades which soldered instantly claimable hooks to intricate guitar stabs. As usual, the political moments (‘The Stick’, ‘Ativan Eyes’) brimmed with passion and conscience; as usual, the personal as political cuts (‘Bottled Up In Cork’, ‘Even Heroes Have To Die’) jumpstarted head and heart with cracked-macho displays of vulnerability.

9. The Wave Pictures - Susan Rode the Cyclone (Self-released)
The midlands trio further cemented their cult status with this limited edition LP, which appeared only to be released in infuriatingly small numbers on the continent. A missed opportunity perhaps, as David Tattersall’s blend of off-kilter indie-pop, psyche-folk and unique inside-out tremolo-arm soloing emphasised enough ingĂ©nue and songcraft to prompt a broader following. The hooks were reined in by the usual heady lyrical mix of misanthropy, romance and tongue-in cheek violent imagery. Always peculiar; often brilliant.

8. Medications - Completely Removed (Dischord)
Vying with Outrageous Cherry [see below] for the most underrated record of 2010, Completely Removed was bafflingly overlooked outside of a brief flurry of interest stateside. A first record in 5 years from the instrument swapping DC duo of Devin Ocampo and Chad Molter saw them move beyond the exhilarating post-hardcore of 2005’s Your Favourite People All In One Place, exploring styles as diverse as bossa-nova (‘Brazil 2007’) and prog-rock (‘Country Air’) with enviable chops and airtight synchronicity.

7. Outrageous Cherry - Seemingly Solid Reality (Alive Records)
Amidst a plethora of contemporary upstarts peddling hazy, stumbling '60s pop with surf-textures and '80s baritone vocals, Outrageous Cherry’s 9th full-length record since their 1992 inception should have provided closure for their long-suffering commitment to the cause. However, despite a deftness to their arrangements and open-hearted gutter-romanticism placing them streets ahead of the competition, Seemingly Solid Reality was not so much overlooked as completely ignored. Lucky they know just how to articulate life not being fair.

6. The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack (Heavenly)
In a year where many pre-eminent acts took their lead the lush, overloaded arrangements of Pet Sounds or the claustrophobic saturation of 80s wall-of-sound guitars, The Soft Pack's dryer, rhythm-heavy sound counterbalanced their snaking surf-guitar licks with the heart-racing recklessness of The Replacements and The Barracudas’ sense of fun. The result was instantly likeable and eminently listenable; lighter perhaps than contemporaries, but never flimsy – singer Matt Lamkin’s thinly-veiled reverence for Jonathan Richmann’s lyrical clout made sure of that.

Try the Spotify playlist for some of the best tracks from Albums of the Year 2010: 15-6

Don't forget to check out the Albums of the Year 2010: 25-16 and the Albums of the Year 2010: Honourable Mentions.

Take a look at the Songs of the Year 2010

Sunday 26 December 2010

Songs of the Year 2010: 25-1

Japandroids: Chords for celebration


















No gimmicks, just part two of the run-down of the best 50 songs (including album tracks and singles) of 2010, as chosen by The Popscener...

25. These New Puritans – Drum Courts (Hidden, Angular/Domino)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAtzrQtNJfU
24. Shimmering Stars – I'm Gonna Try (n/a, Almost Musique)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNDtpoLfM9U
23. Good Shoes – Way My Heart Beats (No Hope No Future, Brille)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ozkxEI-EfI
22. Mark Ronson – Bang Bang Bang (Record Collection, Columbia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzE5dS6fnFk
21. Les Savy Fav – Dear Crutches (Root For Ruin, Frenchkiss Records)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUlrkstmTfE
20. Kele – Tenderoni (The Boxer, Wichita)


19. Cee Lo Green – Fuck You (The Lady Killer, Elektra)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU
18. Soft Pack – C'Mon (The Soft Pack, Kemado Records)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgU2NhcoqWg
17. Black Francis – Cinema Star (NonStopErotik, Cooking Vinyl)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOIWV_UMSGA
16. Band Of Horses – Laredo (Infinite Arms, Brown Records/Fat Possum/Columbia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-DWW3SHPyI
15. Warpaint – Baby (The Fool, Rough Trade)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AedHv7geXcU
14. Allo Darlin – My Heart Is A Drummer (Allo Darlin, Fortuna Pop!)


13. Medications – Seasons (Completely Removed, Dischord)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VNVykX6OXs
12. Everything Everything – Photoshop Handsome (Man Alive, Geffen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6udfNIzRUX0
11. Wave Pictures – Marie Again (Susan Rode the Cyclone, Self-released)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b38O_Lz3F-0
10. Summer Camp – Was It Worth It (Young EP, Moshi Moshi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE0MhXo05M4
9. Spoon – Trouble Comes Running
(Transference, Merge)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwxpJD8HTQo
8. Kanye West – Runaway (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Roc-A Fella/Def Jam)


7. Broken Social Scene – Sentimental X's (Forgiveness Rock Record, Arts & Crafts)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q48MJGZZxEg
6. Ted Leo – Bottled Up In Cork (The Brutalist Bricks, Matador)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoOZn3x7Smk
5. Laura Veirs – Life Is Good Blues (July Flame, Bella Union)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrTIa1B0nkA
4. Robyn – Dancing On My Own (Body Talk, Konichiwa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcNo07Xp8aQ
3. Mark Ronson/D'Angelo – Glass Mountain Trust (Record Collection, Columbia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62mn553xel4
2. LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls (This Is Happening, DFA/Virgin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xT6cdfP_cM
1. Japandroids – Younger Us (n/a, Polyvinyl)




What do you think? Leave your comments below

There's also a spotify playlist for those of you who want to listen to the songs of 2010 in one place.


Don't forget to check out the Songs of the Year 2010: 50-26 and Albums of the Year 2010

Thursday 23 December 2010

Songs of the Year 2010: 50-26

Wolf Parade: Oh YES, old things...
















No gimmicks, just a run-down of the best 50 songs (including album tracks and singles) of 2010, as chosen by The Popscener...

50. Kelis – Acapella (Flesh Tone, Interscope)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8D9xCBcfzw
49. Pernice Brothers – Fucking and Flowers (Goodbye, Killer, Ashmont Records)
Spotify link
48. Jenny and Johnny – Big Wave (I’m Having Fun Now, Warner Bros)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwtV7L5bxtk
47. Bad Religion – Devil In Stitches (The Dissent Of Man, Epitaph)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G_kxQY3Ng8
46. No Age – Glitter (Everything In Between, Sub Pop)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3_t3q1tjH4
45. Male Bonding – Year's Not Long (Nothing Hurts, Sub Pop)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeUn11bkuZk
44. Aloe Blacc – I Need the Dollar (Good Things, Stones Throw Records)


43. Eels – Nowadays (End Times, Vagrant)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6_2E0MF2bY
42. MGMT – It's Working (Congratulations, Columbia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyaDTiXH3R4
41. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Everlyn (Let It Sway, Polyvinyl)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWs4Q2mNBBE
40. Sky Larkin – Tiny Heist (Kaleide, Wichita)
Spotify link
39. High Wire – Hang From The Lights (The Sleep Tape, Grandpa Stan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKJMvcdQmA4
38. Wavves – King of the Beach
(King of the Beach, Bella Union)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5biCmyJQtM
37. Hold Steady - Hurricane J (Heaven Is Whenever, Vagrant)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG4ABgTuCqA
36. Tokyo Police Club – Favourite Food (Champ, Mom + Pop Music Co.)


35. Gyptian – Hold You (Hold You, VP Records)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKlCEUngHB0
34. Blur – Fool's Day (n/a, Parlophone)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8ixnqRyfzU
33. Laura Marling – Made By Maid (I Speak Because I Can, Virgin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjQN_n3KQ9c
32. Wolf Parade – Oh You, Old Thing (Expo 86, Sub Pop)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV3Zgc_tnJg
31. Drive-By Truckers – Daddy Learned To Fly (The Big To-Do, ATO)
Spotify link
30. Tinie Tempah – Pass Out (Disc-Overy, Parlophone)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzvGKas5RsU 
29. Summer Camp – Round the Moon (Young EP, Moshi Moshi)


28. Young Veins – Take A Vacation (Take A Vacation, One Haven)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM58bE_WPCc
27. Fools Gold – Surprise Hotel (Fool’s Gold, IAMSOUND)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9zFEAda0_g
26. Vampire Weekend – Giving Up The Gun (Contra, XL)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bccKotFwzoY

Want it all in one place? Try this handy spotify playlist

Don't forget to check out The Popscener's Albums of the Year 2010

Albums of the Year 2010: 25-16
















 Part one of the best 25 albums released in 2010, as chosen by The Popscener...

25. Black Francis - Nonstoperotik (Cooking Vinyl)
The Pixies man returned to twisted, ingenious form on Nonstoperotik, which could have been the soundtrack to a film-noir/porn crossover with Francis as the lusty master-criminal protagonist.






24. Best Coast - Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
Bethany Cosentino’s always-stoned homage to 60s garage-pop and simple ruminations on love was perfect late-Summer listening.

23. Caribou - Swim (City Slang)
Mixing burst of psyche-pop with pulsating dancefloor shakers and brooding electronics, Dan Snairn tempered the math-geek in him to produce his most accessible effort.

22. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do (ATO)
Streets ahead the endless country clichĂ©s they imbibe and subvert, D-BT’s lived-in sound added their best batch yet of grim, insular and morbidly detailed small-town tragedies.

21. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (DFA/Virgin)
Going out on a ‘high’ is the easy quip, but James Murphy and co had never sounded as level headed and focussed on what is purported to be their final studio album. The hilarious yet empathetic ‘Drunk Girls’ was also one of the singles of the year. 





20. Allo Darlin' - Allo Darlin' (Fortuna Pop!)
Ugly as the tag of ‘twee-pop’ might be, Allo Darlin’ strummed their ukes with pride and pristine melodic vigour, while Aussie singer Elizabeth Morris decorated the hooks with mournful short-stories on the lukewarm thrill of life as a going-nowhere-fast 20-something in London.

19. Bad Religion - The Dissent Of Man (Epitaph)
Perhaps a last shot at the ‘big time’ – as far as their tightly-coiled double-time, four chords and oozin-ahh harmonies allow – Graffin and Gurewitz sharpened their songwriting chops, stuck closely to tunes with words rather than words with, well, anything and fashioned their best for a decade.

18. Afrocubism - Afrocubism (World Circuit)
14 years on from the original aborted sessions between Cuban and Malian musicians in Havana, Afrocubism’s mesmerising culture-clash turned out to be worth the wait. Beautifully played, and imbued with an air of almost symbiotic chemistry and serene relaxation.





17. Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts (Sub Pop)
Unashamedly rough and raucous, the lone Sub Pop Brits’ debut nonetheless polished the sharp edges of the rambunctious garage-punk-rock of their live shows enough for the songs to shine. Moreover, the London trio displayed a breadth to their sonic palette – including an acoustic number, no less – which had been hitherto unrealised.

16. Jenny and Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now (Warner Bros)
Jenny Lewis may have found her muse in boyfriend and co-collaborator Johnathan Rice. His half-flat dourness perfectly tempered the sometimes-cloying sickliness of Jenny’s vocal whine, while the relationship sub-plot added a layer of intrigue to call and response arguments (‘My Pet Snakes’) and an unhealthy obsession with razorblades. Hearty surf-pop, alt-country and shoegaze flourishes provided ballast.

Check the Spotify playlist for a aural overview of Albums of the Year 2010: 25-16

Don't forget to try the Albums of the Year 2010 - Honourable Mentions

Interview: Shimmering Stars

Shimmering Stars: Rock 'n' Roll saviours?



















Having forthrightly plugged Shimmering Stars’ latest single, ‘I’m Gonna Try’ (released last Monday), which made a late run for one of my favourite songs of the year, I thought it might be an idea to talk to let the charming Vancouver quartet introduce themselves and do some plugging of their own. I caught up with singer/guitarist Rory McClure to get his views on the internet, time travel, and the band’s plans for 2011. Turns out he’s quite a funny chap...

Give people who haven’t heard you the lowdown on Shimmering Stars in 10 words or less...
Dreamy downer pop. Recommended for the heartbroken and the insane.

I started a band because....

Rock and roll needed to be saved and clearly I was the only man for the job.

What plans do you have for 2011? Can we expect a full length record next year?

2011 is either going to be a huge year for us or a huge, embarrassing failure. But one thing I’m sure of is that we’ll be releasing a full length in 2011. It’s 95% done and I’m really happy with it. We’re very hopeful that we’ll be playing SXSW and doing a European tour as well.  We’re also very hopeful that Andrew will spontaneously combust on stage, as countless drummers do each year. 

I’m told that your influences include “anxiety attacks” and “antisocial behaviour” – please explain.

If my group of friends is any indication, a lot of people in their 20s exist in a weird state of prolonged adolescence where there aren’t any guidelines or expectations as to what we should be doing with our lives. To have this kind of freedom is a mixed blessing. The possibilities are endless, but with all this possibility comes a kind of paralysing anxiety about what to do, who to be, and ‘The Future’. These kinds of themes inform a lot of the lyrics for Shimmering Stars...

This interview was conducted for The Line Of Best Fit. Go here to continue reading the full interview.

Wednesday 22 December 2010

Albums of the Year 2010 - Honourable Mentions

MGMT: 'Congratulations' for the honourable mention

















It's that time of year again! Over the past couple of weeks, music hacks the world over have been holing themselves up in dimly lit bedrooms, agonising for literally moments over whether they prefer The National or Arcade Fire's chord changes, or desperately racking their brains for that obscure, enigmatic pick that will impress the people on the tube who have clear lens glasses and one side of their hair shaved off. Me? I've gone with the heart in compiling my favourite 25 records of the year, which means there are a few returning favourites, a handful of distinctly anti-zeitgeist picks, and above all: a lot of guitar. For the record, I think it's been a fair to middling year for music, lacking any life changing ephiphanies of sound, but nonetheless chock full of many fine records.

Anyway... before I post my 25 Albums of the Year 2010 (coming in three parts later in the week), I thought it necessary to honour some of the LPs that didn't quite make the cut, for reasons too numerous too mention here. Music should be about celebration, not exclusion, and each one of the good to very good 29 records listed below has provided prolonged enjoyment or touched me in some way. They all come highly recommended, and you should check them out, particularly those that fall under your spectrum of musical taste. I've also included a handful of compilations, which were barred from the final list, but are still very worthy of mention.

Here's the list, in no particular order, with a link provided to one of the records' choice cuts [or, if you're lazy, here's a link to a Spotify playlist]:


Mystery Jets - Serotonin (Rough Trade)
'Flash A Hungry Smile' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuzqD_ymV60

Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown (RCA)
'Pickup Truck' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51LozvKPDs8

Robyn - Body Talk [see also Body Talk Pts 1, 2 + 3] (Konichiwa)
'Hang With Me' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3a2qoyONVA

Yeti Lane - Yeti Lane (Sonic Cathedral)
'Lonesome George' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thzfS3oHlTE

Massive Attack - Heligoland (Virgin)
'Girl I Love You' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2InDdOsvtA

High Wire - The Sleep Tape (Grandpa Stan)
'Hang From the Lights' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKJMvcdQmA4

MGMT - Congratulations (Sony)
'Song For Dan Treacy' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP7r7bRgBzg

Wavves - King of the Beach (Bella Union)
'Linus Spacehead' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdkp67_JOiQ

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let It Sway (Polyvinyl)
'Critical Drain' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vGd5Sneq88

No Age - Everything In Between (Sub Pop)
'Valley Hump Crash' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fPGn2RARSo

Edwyn Collins: Unlikely to be 'Losing Sleep' over failing to make the final cut


















Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep (Heavenly Recordings)
'Losing Sleep' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x64tqDrHgM

Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From a Young Man (Sony)
'Billion Balconies Facing the Sun' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKr2xQVuaME

Good Shoes - No Hope No Future (Brille)
'City By the Sea' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvKRy1mmVXQ

V/A - Afro-Beat Airways: West African Shock Waves [Ghana & Togo 1972-78] (Analog Africa)
Majirata - 'Break Through' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9wD86nHZg0

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever (Vagrant)
'Weekenders' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=744-m7CXs6E

Kelis - Flesh Tone (Interscope)
'Scream' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-F5t7KMTgk

The Young Veins - Take A Vacation (One Haven)
'Young Veins (Die Tonight)' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofs24w2_GiE

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Mercury)
'City With No Children' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9riPB-OR0nU

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (4AD)
'Revival' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uowHgu2ZYSg

Rihanna - Loud (Island/Def Jam)
'Only Girl In The World' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa14VNsdSYM

V/A - Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution In Sound (Soul Jazz Records)
'A Minha Menina' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEpSFOibJho 

Fool's Gold: Not fooling anyone















Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold (IAMSOUND)
'Nadine' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbkl-GzVYbI

Dinosaur Pile-Up - Growing Pains (Friends Vs)
'Never That Together' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiSZGbRhk0k

Adam Green - Minor Love (Rough Trade)
'Buddy Bradley' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUcS5Auiac

Sky Larkin - Kaleide (Wichita)
'Still Windmills' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGXAbYtoLY

Stereolab - Not Music (Duophonic UHF Disks)
'Supah Jaianto' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaaOuwtEMSw

V/A - The Best of Fried Egg Records [Bristol 1979-80] (Fried Egg Records)
The Various Artists - 'Original Mixed Up Kid' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nJzF3yOUy8

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (Because)
'In the End' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jayt8szqSDU

John Legend and the Roots - Wake Up (Getting Out Our Dreams/Sony)
'Shine' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnLUCry0DqY 

Agree or disagree? Should any of these picks made my top 25? Leave your comments below

Monday 20 December 2010

Brief Lives: 5 Tracks from 2010's Dearly Departed

With every year that passes, another sorry constellation of musical bright lights see their stars burn out forever, their souls going to join John, Freddie, Jimi and the rest in rock-star Valhalla. Whilst any passing life is distressing to contemplate, at least musicians can continue to touch people posthumously through a legacy which will far outlive them, and may even grow in breadth, stature and popularity in their absence. As 2010 draws to a close, we thought it proper to revisit the work of some of this year’s departed musicians, to remind old fans or downright inspire new recruits. Below are five less heralded but emblematic cuts from artists such as Alex Chilton, Gregory Isaacs and Ari Up.













Gregory Isaacs: ‘Let’s Dance’ (available on Cool Ruler, 1978)

Before reggae icon Gregory Isaacs succumbed to lung cancer earlier this year, the “lonely lover” had sighed his way through a 40-year career with such melancholic vocal purity he could make a grown man swoon. When Isaacs signed to Virgin Records in 1978, mainstream stardom beckoned, but beyond a ripple of success for signature track ‘Night Nurse’ his brand of lovers rock never took-off. This loping minor-key masterpiece from his major-label debut epitomises Isaacs’ understated brilliance – a tale of rudimentary dancehall passion brought to life by the tender ache of Isaacs’ delivery and lines like “I want to feel your lips resting my mind”, which said as much about his wearying addiction to crack-cocaine as his need to feel loved.

This article was written for TheLineOfBestFit. Click here to continue reading.

Saturday 18 December 2010

Listen Up! No. 80: The High Wire - Pump Your Little Heart

The third single from this London quintet's criminally underrated album The Sleep Tape, which dropped in March, 'Pump Your Little Heart' sounds like the last sighs of a destructive relationship, wrapped up in dizzy dream-pop, where guitars fade in and out of consciousness and dashed hopes rise like log-fire smoke with each breathy vocal line. It's tailor made for a day snowed in with a saucepan of mulled wine, but you can't get the 7 inch until February. Console yourself with a look at the video, shot with a macro lens - which magnifies tiny objects into full screen images - by director Michael Humphrey, below:

Friday 17 December 2010

Listen Up! No. 79: The Loves - December Boy

'60s pastiche past masters The Loves return in the new year with their final album, ...Love You, the culmination of a decade long career for musical lynchpin Simon Love and an ever-changing support cast that has spawned a string of delightfully throwaway singles and four patchier but ultimately likeable records. Despite a vocal on latest effort 'December Boy' that sounds uncannily like a female version of Jake Shillingford from sub-Pulp Britpoppers My Life Story, the elegiac swoon of the melodies and wall-of sound production make this another pleasant, if un-challenging 3-minute diversion. They've still got their wicked sense of humour too; the new record was almost called 'The Pains of Being Poor Through Art'! If only!

Thursday 16 December 2010

Listen Up! No. 78: The Milk - 54-46 Was My Number

Four white boys from Essex - who almost called themselves Nigel Winterbottom and the Flat Back Four - playing a knees-up knockabout mix of motown, soul, ska and '60s r'n'b? Really? Hearing is believing, and skeptics beware: not many unsigned bands would have the cojones to take on the blissful reggae-swing of Toots and the Maytals' '54-46 Was My Number'; less still could make it their own by adding a funk/soul roar and swaggering groove.

  The Milk - 54 46 Was My Number by partisanpr

They're originals aren't half bad either:

  The Milk - All I Wanted Was Danger by partisanpr

Tuesday 14 December 2010

First Aid Kit and Dungen for Third Man Records' Blue Series releases

Third Man Records' Blue Series will continue in January 2011, serving up a two-course menu of Swedish artistry, with Jack White once again taking on production duties.

Critically acclaimed Stockholm psyche-rock quartet Dungen are first up, releasing two new tracks - including the "psych-pop odyssey" 'Oga Nasa Mum' - on 11 January.

The following week (18 January), all-girl duo First Aid Kit will continue their steady ascent to the top table of folk-pop by releasing a cover of 'Universal Soldier', originally written by Canadian strummer Buffy Sainte-Marie but popularised by housewives' favourite Donovan in 1965. Check out their stark, understatedly moving interpretation below.

Sunday 12 December 2010

Politics/Music #5: Bad Religion

Check out my politicsSLASHmusic column in this month's splendid Notion Magazine as I offer up some free PR work for punk-rock legends Bad Religion and their excellent new record, reliving my youth as a 15-year old punk in long-shorts and Vans hoodies in the process. Includes a potted history of the band's finest sub-30 minute classics, plus an exploration of how they fitted into the early-80s recession overseen by Thatcher and Reagan, and why they're now more relevant than ever. One small step in my mission to make punk-rock cool again.

The article is on page 28 of the magazine's digital reader



Thursday 9 December 2010

Listen Up! No. 77: Wye Oak - Civilian

Baltimore duo Wye Oak will make a welcome return in March 2011 with their third album, Civilian, due to be released through the City Slang label. The title track, available below, is a typically foreboding little folk number that suddenly erupts in a gleeful crescendo of shimmering distortion as it reaches its conclusion. Add them to next year's 'wish list' if you haven't already.

Tuesday 7 December 2010

You Animals give away free EP for Christmas

Derby sextet You Animals are offering a free download EP to anyone who signs up for their mailing list before Christmas day.

The band - whose reliance on instant melodies and a bustling rhythms bring to mind a less plaintive Tokyo Police Club - have recorded leftfield alternate takes of two tracks ('What You Want/What You Need' and 'What A Shame, Lorraine') set to feature on their debut album, which will be released by This Is Fake DIY Records in Spring 2011.

Fans who get over to their website and sign up sharpish will also get a free download of the original version of recent single 'What You Want/What You Need', which you can see below:


Saturday 4 December 2010

Listen Up! No. 76: Here We Go Magic - Casual

Luke Temple's Brooklyn psychedelia merchants serve up another rhythmic swirl of repeated guitar figures and chugging atmospherics, taken from their 2nd LP, Pigeons, which was released back in May. Unremarkable, perhaps, save for a bizarrely unnerving video - overseen by Kodak Vision Award winning young directors Nat Livingston Johnson and Gregory Mitnick - which features gallons of fake blood and a 7-foot drummer being born from a 70-year-old woman. Not exactly 'Casual', eh?

Thursday 2 December 2010

Listen Up! No. 75: Shimmering Stars - I'm Gonna Try

Simple '60s doo-wop melodies, full-band harmonies and understated production values? Ten seconds in and you might think you've heard it all before - and recently - but Vancouver quartet Shimmering Stars offer something more substantial than many of bands contributing to this year's surf-pop zeitgeist. They're singing about love, not lust, and not through a haze of weed smoke; instead a sense of level-headed yearning and wry self-deprecation provide ballast for their relationship laments.  

One look at the video for new vinyl-only single 'I'm Gonna Try', which comes out via Almost Musique on 20 December, confirms that these are the real deal hopeless romantics.


Shimmering Stars - I'm Gonna Try from Salazar on Vimeo.

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Listen Up! No. 74: Harrys Gym - Old Man

Icier than the involuntary December speed-skate to the tube, but balanced with such lush production you'll dream you're wrapped up cosily in a log cabin; those Scandinavians (Norwegians, in this instance) certainly know their way through the brooding, ethereal pop forest.


Harrys Gym -  Old Man from heide on Vimeo.

You can also pick up a free remix of this track by heading here to download.

Friday 26 November 2010

Wave Pictures announce new single

Misanthropic quirkophiles The Wave Pictures return this month with a new 7" single, 'Jonny Helm Sings'.

The three tracks are sung by Pictures' drummer Jonny Helm (the clue's in the title), and showcase a stripped down interpretation of their usual brand of twisted indie-pop. However, seasoned fans will be pleased to know there are still plenty of lyrical bon mots on offer.

The band had also announced a pre-Christmas show at Union Chapel on 22 December, but unfortunately for all those of you us who can't on the guestlist, it's already sold out. Quite how this happened before being announced is anyone's guess.

You can still purchase the 7" through Moshi Moshi, however. Here's a taster, 'Now You Are Pregnant':

  The Wave Pictures - Jonny Helm Sings - 01 Now You Are Pregnant by Freeman PR 

Thursday 25 November 2010

Listen Up! No. 73: Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo - Little Deaths

BAFTA Award-winning Australian songwriter Emily Barker sings wistful, undulating songs with a endearingly breathy fragility. It's as if she's staring out of a window at rolling hills, her gentle ruminations and lightly strummed guitar later commited to a tape of Red Clay Halo's more than capable accompaniment. At once melancholy and uplifting, minor in key but major in depth, this kicks the crap out of most of the unseemly dribble of contemporary folk seeping out of London. Her record, Almanac, funded with help from Pledge Music, comes out in February. In the meantime, enjoy her last single, the beautiful 'Little Deaths'.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Listen Up! No. 72: Cerebral Ballzy - Insufficient Fare

Re-invigorated by Bad Religion's best record for almost a decade, I've been telling anyone who'll listen for the past month or so that punk-rock is cool again. Here's the proof - in hardcore form - for the uber-trendies who hitherto refused to believe me. They're from Brooklyn (tick it off, uber-trendies) but they're also ethnically diverse, and you won't see them in oversized sweaters and deck shoes. They say things like "you haven’t heard of the New York hardcore scene because we it", they sound like Bad Brains (minus the reggae), and they've already been tagged "Brooklyn's wildest band". If they intend to do themselves justice, they'll last six months. Get in early to say you were there.

Monday 22 November 2010

Free Download: Asobi Seksu - Trails

Brooklyn noise-pop quartet Asobi Seksu are back, armed with beautiful new track 'Trails' to fill the guitar-pedal shaped hole in your life until their fourth full-lengther, Fluorescence, drops on 14 February 2011.

This one showcases a slightly more 60s-ish vibe than the pitch (im)perfect dreamy shoegaze delivered on their finest effort to date, 2007's Citrus. However, they wear it well, meaning Fluorescence could mark an intriguing semi-reinvention for the band.

Download 'Trails' from Polyvinyl here, or check out the video below for a taster:

Thursday 18 November 2010

Listen Up! No. 71: Palmyra Delran - Shut Out

Formerly the songwriter/guitarist in forgotten 90s trash-rockers The Friggs, Palmyra Delran shows she's not averse to staying on trend with new single, 'Shut Out', her first new material to surface since 2008's debut EP She Digs The Ride. Despite half a Hole-ish nod to her 90s roots, on 'Shut Out' Delran still positions herself comfortably amongst this year's noisy, female fronted sunshine-poppers, particularly evoking California's finest Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast.

Palmyra Delran - Shut Out - single (Filter Mag excl premiere) by Press Here

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Best Coast and Wavves team up for Christmas track

Sunglasses and hotpants, trust us
In a move emulating every warehouse-party-going wear-your-jean-hotpants-and-shades-in-November (and that's just the blokes) Shoreditch resident's wet dream, pre-eminent US surf types Best Coast and Wavves have teamed up to create a Christmas song, 'Got Something For You'.

The winter warmer has been thrown together for Target's Christmas Gig compilation, and stumbles in reeking of mulled wine and dashed dreams, somewhere between Shane McGowan and Mariah Carey.


Go here for a sneak preview of this and the other tracks on the comp, which will be available digitally from 28 November.

Listen Up! No. 70: Napoleon IIIrd - The Unknown Unknown

Coming across a bit like punk Caribou - heartier, less clinical and more songful than his stateside contemporary - Leeds troubadour Napoleon IIIrd honed his craft playing the country's toilet-circuit armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and a few laptop loops. With a grand name, and big ideas to boot, new record Christiana (which dropped last Monday) should get him the credit he deserves. Try record opener The Unknown Unknown below.

Napoleon IIIrd - The Unknown Unknown by brainlove

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Listen Up! No. 69: Two Wounded Birds - Keep Dreaming Baby

Having been picked up by The Drums guitarist Jacob Graham's online music venture, Holiday Records, and been tacked onto the US band's support for their ongoing European tour, medway upstarts Two Wounded Birds are now flying dangerously close to an airspace marked "better than The Drums at their own game". Slightly less obvious and, consequently, slightly more rewarding, single 'Keep Dreaming Baby' gets a 7" vinyl release on December 13. Have a listen below:

  Keep Dreaming Baby by Two Wounded Birds

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Pulp reform: 5 great songs from Britpop's forgotten heroes

It probably won't have escaped your attention that Pulp have reformed to headline a handful of shows next summer, notably London's Wireless and Barcelona's Primavera Sound festivals.

Whilst their motives might have more to do with large lorries turning up at Jarvis and chums' houses stuffed with pristinely rolled 50 pound notes than personal reconcilliation or 'the music', it's still ruddy good news, especially for those of us unfortunate enough to miss them the first time round.

In honour of their return, here's a totally arbitrary list of the best Pulp songs from their 90s glory years:

Do You Remember the First Time?
Their first charting hit, 'Do You Remember' outlined the blueprint for Cocker's seedy kitchen-sink romanticism, juxtaposing himself as the forbidden bit on the side against his lover's safer (but far less exciting)  beau.



Joyriders
A grim exploration of the going-nowhere lives that Cocker had experienced himself whilst growing up in Sheffield, where the mordib cheap thrills of "smashing up someone's home" or "taking a girl to the reservoir" substituted for adolescent experience.



Common People
Perhaps their finest moment, this one scathingly targeted the 'class-tourism' which had become de rigueur in certain circles in the mid-90s. That it added an implausibly catchy pop hook to Cocker's seething social commentary certainly helped.




Underwear
A personal favourite, this gloriously understated cut gave form to the band's recurring theme of sexual frustration with uncharacteristic tenderness. When Cocker sang "I couldn't stop it now", every teenage boy in the country took a sharp intake of breath in recognition of their own unrequited desires.



The Fear
When the Britpop cream curdled amidst a mire of cocaine and increasing critical rejection, Pulp turned dark. The opener from This Is Hardcore perfectly articulated the kind of twitching, paranoia-fuelled meltdown that many of the scene's leading lights had experienced by 1997.

Free Track: Beady Eye - Bring the Light

Oasis (or 'Beady Eye' if we're nitpicking) signalled their Noel-less second coming yesterday by offering up a free track, 'Bring the Light', to whet the appetite for next year's projected full-lengther.

And you know what? It's not bad. Not bad at all. Sure, it goes round in ever-decreasing lyrical circles, and features all the of technical virtuosity of, well, Oasis. But Liam's throaty whine has been tamed into an altogether lighter instrument, allowing the band's choppy approach to a fists-up bar-room rocker to breathe behind him. What's more, there are gospel singers, suggesting baby steps towards musical development which may yet be realised in purposeful strides by the time next year's record drops. Definately, maybe?

Monday 8 November 2010

Free Download: The Duke Spirit - Procession

Alt-rock quintet The Duke Spirit have heralded their hotly anticipated return by giving away two brand new tracks, 'Procession' and 'Everybody's Under Your Spell', as a free downloads.

The band, who shaved the UK top-40 with debut record Cuts Across The Land back in 2005, are set to release their third long-player in February.

Check out the widget for 'Procession' below, or head over to The Duke Spirit's website to download 'Everybody's Under Your Spell'.

Sunday 7 November 2010

New Video: The Drums - Me and the Moon

Brooklyn trendies The Drums have unveiled a new video for forthcoming single 'Me and the Moon', which hits the stores on December 13.

The track is the fourth single to be released from the band's eponymously titled debut, which peaked at number sixteen on the UK Album Charts back in June. It is also the first to be released since founding guitarist Adam Kessler left back in September.

The video features the band acting as hip as possible, mainly through wearing sunglasses inside and dancing morosely in front of brick walls. Super-awesome dude! Check it out below:



They'll also be completing a full headline tour of the UK this Winter, kicking off later this month.

Saturday 6 November 2010

Free Track: The Wombats - Jump Into The Fog

Scouse rapscallions The Wombats have released a new track, 'Jump Into The Fog', which can be downloaded for free on their website.

The song is taken from their forthcoming record, set to drop on 10 February 2011, and was recorded with Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand co-conspirator Rich Costey.

Those used to the immediate hooks and driving pop-punk rhythms of their debut may be left disappointed - this one instead grapples with New Order-style synths and the chunky march of US power-pop. It never fully masters each, but at least hints at a slightly more cerebral sophomore effort from a band who's debut featured such challenging material as 'Patricia the Stripper' and 'Kill The Director'.

If you want the full download, go here: http://www.wmuk-apache.co.uk/widgets/thewombats/fogwidget.html. Otherwise check the video below:

Thursday 4 November 2010

White Lies announce new record 'Ritual'

Die-hard Joy Revisionists White Lies have released details of their forthcoming sophomore record, Ritual, which will drop on 18 January.

Produced by world-renowned mixing-desk man Alan Moulder, the record is the follow-up to the Ealing band's chart-topping debut To Lose My Life.

Having caught the band headlining Shoreditch Town Hall last month, I can reveal that the new tracks sound like Joy Division playing stadium anthems. Or, if you like, Editors. So, exactly like the first record then.

Trailing single 'Bigger Than Us' hits the shops on 22 November. Have a peek at a live performance of the track:

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Jack White produced Laura Marling single gets limited Rough Trade release

Two songs recorded by British folk starlet Laura Marling with White Stripes frontman Jack White are to be released on a limited edition run of 7' vinyl next Saturday, 13 November.

The tracks, recorded as part of Third Man Records' 'Blues Series' collection of special one-off releases, will be available on tri-colour vinyl exclusively through Rough Trade East record store on Brick Lane, London.

Only 100 copies have been made, so Marling completists take note. In the meantime, here's one of the tracks - a spine-tingling cover of Neil Young's 'The Needle and the Damage Done':

Listen Up! No. 68: Belle and Sebastian - Come On Sister

One of Britain's most endearing and enduring bands, Belle and Sebastian returned last month with their 8th studio album, Write About Love, recorded with de rigueur chart-indie producer Tony Hoffman. However, the Fratellis this ain't; instead the Scottish 7-piece have created another beautifully conceived mix of quirky guitar-pop and misty-eyed baroque ballads, tied together thematically by words about love (hence the title). Here's one of the jauntier cuts.

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Interview: Everything Everything

Interview with Manchester-based art-rock chart champions Everything Everything. Check out the condensed version over at Spoonfed.co.uk, or the expanded reissue below. 

Hype can be a poisoned chalice. The balloon can quickly burst on some poor feted next big thing, whether commercially or critically. Worse still, a band can be left trailing in the triumphant wake of their like-minded peers, labeled as Johnny-come-latelys to a party they might have helped start, or simply engulfed by the hot air cloud surrounding contemporaries and forgotten.

It’s a fate which could have befallen Everything Everything. Labeled part of a spurious ‘Manchester scene’ – although the quartet formed in Manchester, none of their members hail from the musically fertile metropolis – the band had been forced to play third fiddle whilst fellow leading lights Delphic and Hurts saw their stock soar. All three were long-listed for the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, but only Everything Everything failed to make the final shortlist. As 2010 stuttered to life, Delphic hit the top ten with debut album Acolyte, while just a day before the release of Everything Everything’s own debut Hurts scored an unlikely singles chart hit with the icy synthpop of ‘Wonderful Life’. Meanwhile, the band was left fretting over their prospective fortunes as trailing single ‘MY KZ, UR BF’ stalled at a hundred and twenty-one.

They needn’t have worried, as Man Alive duly gate crashed the UK top twenty, picking up open-mouthed plaudits en route. It was a fitting prize for a record which fizzes with invention, often flitting seamlessly between unconventional time signatures before peaking in a series of beautifully melodic art-pop choruses, all held together with the dexterous falsetto yelp of frontman Jonathan Higgs.

If the music both challenges and rewards, then the band themselves are a far more straightforward proposition. Preparing to perform at a Spotify/3G sponsored show at Shoreditch Town Hall, I find Higgs and drummer Michael Spearman in genial spirits. Articulate and warm, they riff off one another; touching upon in-jokes without ever seeming exclusive, while their answers exhibit a sharp, self-deprecating wit underpinning thoughtful reflections – starting with their reaction to music scenes.

Saturday 30 October 2010

Listen Up! No. 67 - The Horn The Hunt - Old Town Cow

Bedroom-electronica with an urban-folk slant, this Leeds lot borrow liberally from those Swedish masters of icy dance landcapes, The Knife. And I thought Knife crime was on the wane. Still, when they're this good at impersonations, who can blame them? Perfect winter listening.

You Say Party We Say Die Unveil New Video

British Columbia dance-punk types You Say Party We Say Die have debuted the new video for forthcoming single 'Lonely's Lunch'.

Shot in Mumbai, the vid shows bizarre gas-masked and boiler-suited baddies chasing an unfortunate victim for reasons I couldn't begin to fathom. Meanwhile the song kinda rocks.

They've also just released a new record, REMIXXXX - full of remixes, no less - and are currently touring the UK

Check out the video below:

Thursday 28 October 2010

Listen Up! No. 66: Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. - The Night Last Night




I hadn't planned on becoming a de facto PR chief for Ronson's ever expanding Business Intl. empire. However, faced with Record Collection - an album saturated with stylish, groove-endebted contemporary pop classics - I was forced to reconsider my role. This gorgeous collaboration with Rose Elinor Dougall is the record's highlight, her vocal oozing an elegant melancholy which adds a higher dimension to another of Ronson's fine-tuned hit factory staples.

 
 
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