Albums of the Year

A bit late to the game with this, I know, but me and the Mrs did move house two weeks ago, so I think I’ve got a valid excuse. Anyway, without further ado, here are my top 10 albums (& EP) of the year that was 2009 (because the world needs someone else with a blog compiling a list like this, there just aren’t enough out there y’know…)

10. Death Cab For Cutie – The Open Door EP.

Recorded during the sessions for last year’s ‘Narrow Stairs’, this ep was released as a companion piece to that album. Both ‘Little Bribes’ and ‘I Was Once A Loyal Lover’ revealing a pomp that was hither to hidden from view, and the demo of ‘Talking Bird’ (just Ben Gibbard’s fragile voice and a gently strummed ukulele), in my humble opinion is superior to the version included on ‘Narrow Stairs’

9. Brand New – Daisy

Opening and closing with a gospel hymn, this album is more abrasive than their last, which seems to be the way with Brand New albums. The first time I listened to opener ‘Vices’, once the serene intro cuts out, well, , I very nearly had a toilet accident. Lyrically, the Smiths influence is as prominent as ever, musically, they’ve moved on from emo (as it used to be) to a kind of post-hardcore (as it used to be) cum grunge sound. It’s grown on me immeasurably since my first listen.

8. ISIS – Wavering Radiant

2006’s ‘In the Absence of Truth’ was somewhat of a departure for Isis, featuring much mellower moments than any of its predecessors. ‘Wavering Radiant’ however, see’s them return to a similar style as on ‘Panopticon’, Heavy as sin one second, hauntingly beautiful the next. There are a lot of bands doing the loud, quiet, REALLY FUCKING LOUD thing at the moment, but Isis are arguably the best at it, as this shows.

7. Mastodon – Crack The Skye.

Ridiculous. Completely bloody ridiculous.
Mastodon have flirted with prog before, but with Crack the Skye, they took it behind the bike shed and got it bloody pregnant. Rasputin, wormholes, astral projections, a paraplegic and his golden umbilical cord, It’d almost be too daft for Yes. Almost.
Much more accessible than anything that they have released previously, but not without the occasional bludgeoning riff, it’s best listened to when you can really take it all in. A veritable beast of a concept album.

6. Dark Was the Night

I nearly wet my pants (again…) with excitement when I first heard about this record, two discs of covers, original songs, and reworking of back catalogue stuff from artists such as Grizzly Bear, Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, Iron & Wine, The National, Sufjan Stevens and Ben Gibbard. It doesn’t disappoint, and pointed me in the direction of some rather exciting new (to me anyway) music.

[Edit] Silly me, how i managed to forget that this was released this year, i don't know...

5. J.Tillman - Vacilando Territory Blues

Josh Tillman is nothing if not prolific, this being the first of two albums he released in 2009, and one of seven which has recorded over the past five years. His voice, despite the fact that I'd never heard it before buying this album, was somehow instantly recognisable. The laid back folk, and his incredibly warm voice make for the perfect lazy Sunday morning album.

4. Arctic Monkeys – Humbug

Selecting Josh Homme to produce this, their third album was never going to generate results that would appeal to the lad-rock section of their fan base. Lo-and-behold, ‘Humbug’ is a considerably darker beast that their previous two efforts. It’s also considerably heavier, not, however, without its tender moments; ‘Cornerstone’ is one of the best songs Alex Turner has written yet. ‘Humbug’ also contains one of the best lyrics of the past year…at least:
“What came first, the chicken or the dickhead?”
More Please.

3. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

The Flaming Lips have never been afraid of weirdness; this is the band who released one album across four discs…to be listened to simultaneously.
Over the past decade, they have steadily become less willfully odd, and with 1999’s ‘The Soft Bulletin’, released one of the last classic albums of the last century. Embryonic isn’t weird as such, just different…different to its predecessors, different to anything else I’ve heard this year... A sprawling, squalling, freaked out (man), psychedelic jam from start to finish. It doesn’t even matter that Karen O features on two songs.
It’s THAT good!

2. Animal Collective – Merriwether Post Pavilion.

Well, d’uh.

Animal Collective’s eighth studio album was the soundtrack to my summer, utterly euphoric in places, the beach boys-esque harmonies, bleeps and laid back psychedelia made for a completely immersive listen, and it features, in ‘My Girls’ and ‘Brother Sport’ two of my favorite songs of the year.

1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

There’s so much I could write about this record, it’s difficult to know precisely what to write… Merging 60’s pop, jazz, folk, psychedelia (again…) and classical influences, this album is an absolute gem. It took me quite some time to really appreciate it, but now I do, it’s an album I’m sure I’ll be returning to in five, ten years time.


Honourable mentions:
Cave In – ‘Planets of Old’

Mariachi el Bronx - 'Mariachi el Bronx'
Monsters of Folk – ‘Monsters of Folk’
Pelican – ‘What We all Come To Need’


2009 has largely consisted of catching up on the stuff I missed out on in 2008, notably the Fleet Foxes EP & album, TV On The Radio’s ‘Dear Science’ and Elbow’s ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’. As a result, I’ve not bought as many of this year’s releases as I would have liked to, other records, on the strength of what I’ve heard, that may have made this list include: The Low Anthem’s wonderfully titled ‘Oh My God, Charlie Darwin’, the self titled debut from Telekinesis! & Mars Volta’s ‘Octahedron’ amongst many others. No doubt 2010 will consist of catching up on those… along with new albums by Midlake, Massive Attack, Eels and Broken Bells (The Shins’ James Mercer and Dangermouse – otherwise known as Brian Burton, one half of Gnarls Barkley) and that’s just the first three months of 2010 looks like I won’t be short of stuff to listen to!

Happy New Year!

Megafaun, The Band Room, Farndale, 4.12.09

The Band Room is a very strange little venue, originally built for the valley of Farndale’s silver band; it is now used, between the occasional gigs, for jumble sales and children’s birthday parties.

Megafaun are a hirsute trio hailing from North Carolina, consisting of brothers Phil & Brad Crook and drummer Joe Westerland. Their stock in trade is a kind of folky, bluegrassy, rootsy sound with an experimental streak a mile wide, which, on record can seem a little self indulgent at times. Live, however, this is certainly not the case, the more noodily sections acting as segues between songs.

It’s safe to say that I have never been to a gig where the setting and music were so perfectly matched. For the duration, I was transported to a barn somewhere in the backwoods of North Carolina.

During ‘Worried Mind’ from this year’s ‘Gather, Form & Fly’, the three of them left the tiny stage, and played unplugged, with the “Come ease your mind” refrain inspiring a mass sing-along amongst the small (the venue has a capacity of 100, but I struggle to see how that many people could fit in it!) and incredibly diverse crowd (from toddlers to OAP’s).

The song, and one of the most enjoyable gigs I have ever been to ended with Phil Crook lying prostrate in the middle of the crowd, thrashing at the strings of his banjo.

Perfect? By no means, but that’s what made it perfect.



They did play ‘The Longest Day’ (see album review). I didn’t cry. Because I’ve got balls.

Biffy Clyro - 'Only Revolutions'

A full fortnight (due to my ongoing feeling really really shittiness, and having left my notebook at work) after I planned to post this, here it is.

‘Only Revolutions’ is the fifth album from the self proclaimed “best Scottish rock band from Ayrshire with twins in”, and probably the best band to possibly be named after a Cliff Richard pen.

Garth Richardson, producer of 2007’s ‘Puzzle’ (which spawned a total of six singles) returns, as does the sheen, which he gave said album.

This is evident from opener (and the third single to be released, before the album) ‘The Captain’, it starts promisingly, slightly reminiscent of ‘The Weapons are Concealed’ from 2004’s ‘Infinity Land’, it soon becomes clear, however, that this is the worst thing Biffy Clyro have committed to record, it’s empty anthemics, unfortunately, a fair indication of everything that is to follow.

The album’s second single ‘That Golden Rule’ is about as raucous as things get, incredibly predictable and with a hugely overblown string section, it’s hard to believe that this is the band that recorded ‘Toys Toys Toys Choke Toys Toys Toys’ .

The Josh Homme featuring ‘Bubbles’ is the first song that really grabs my attention, fun, and a little twiddly, it suffers due to the obligatory sing along “There’s a girl…” refrain, which sounds entirely out of place, the last 90 seconds or so go some way to remedying this, sounding as much like the Biffy of old as anything here.

Simon Neil’s lyrics, usually more hit than miss, verge into bad sixth form poetry on ‘God & Satan’:

“I savour hate as much as I crave love,
Because I’m just a twisted guy”

Having said that, the man does have a way with the ridiculous, as during 'Born on a Horse’

“I pronounce it “Aluminium”,
‘Cause there’s an “I” next to the “u” and “n”…
She’s got hooves,
Preposterous hooves.”

Quite.

‘Born on a Horse’ would not have sounded out of place on Neil’s other band, Marmaduke Duke’s last album ‘Duke Pandamonium’ that is until, as is par for the course throughout, a stadium sized guitar part, again utterly out of context.

From then on, there’s not a great deal else of note, more big, sing along chorus' (‘Mountains’, initially released as a stop gap, stand alone single), a couple of b-rate Foo Fighters’ b-sides (‘Shock Shock’, ‘Cloud of Stink’), an 80’s electric piano intro, which is, frankly, fucking cringe worthy (‘Know Your Quarry’) , more bad sixth form poetry (‘Many of Horror’, due to be the album’s fourth single)…

“When we collide, we come together,
If we don’t, we’ll always be apart”

…and a reasonably catchy put entirely unremarkable end (‘Whorses’).

Simon Neil continues to sing in a peculiar half Scottish, half American accent, which continues to grate. To quote the man himself “despite the accent, we’re Scottish” (Marmaduke Duke’s ‘Erotic Robotic’)
It would appear that Neil’s involvement with the aforementioned Duke has played no small part in making his day job more palatable to a mainstream audience, Marmaduke Duke, it seems, is where the stranger aspects of Biffy now reside.

Listening to ‘Only Revolutions’ was not as horrible an experience as I had already decided it would be. The production of ‘Puzzle’, though polished, was a little flat. ‘Only Revolutions’ however, has a much fuller sound, is unashamedly mainstream, and not entirely without it’s moments.

The album takes its name from a post-modern (read: fucking weird) novel by Mark Z Danielewski, sadly though, there is little of that kind of invention here.

A lengthy review I know, but I couldn’t help myself. For three or four years, I adored this band, and then they released ‘Puzzle’, which was a humungous disappointment, the first time this has happened with a band that I really really liked. Thanks G-G-Garth. D-D-Douche.

Eurggh

Gastroenteritis, fun. It did cross my mind that this may be the world's longest hangover, but no, my gut's wrong. 4 days of feeling sick (amongst other things), playing champ man (before it went shit) and reading 'Long Way Round'. I'm so bored at the moment, I'm resorting to blogging about how bored I am, I'm sure it makes for fascinating reading!
What's more is, I left the notebook with all the stuff about the new Biffy Clyro album in at work, so I can't even work on that review. Pah. And didn't get to got to the cinema yesterday. Pah.
Right, rant over, back to guiding Sheffield United to mid-table mediocrity!

A whole load of stuff

Today has provided a mixed bag of musical news (not as in West Side Story kind of musical, you understand). Glassjaw, who I’ve adored since I was 17, has announced 3 headlining dates in January. I’ve bought tickets to see this band more times than I care to remember, but have never actually seen them live due to Daryl Palumbo’s ongoing battle with Crohn’s Disease. Excellent news, you may think. Not So! My good lady and I *hopefully* move house next month, and thus will be a little short of cash monies for a while, and I’ve got a distinct feeling, that as I can’t go and see them…they won’t cancel. Maybe if they ever get round to release their third album…

Whilst browsing the news section of NME.com, I noticed that ‘Midlake add extra dates to UK tour’, “sweeeet” I thought. Not So! These are the dates that had been announced last week, and that, in fact no new NEW dates had been added at all. Gits. NME, not Midlake, well, maybe Midlake a bit. No dates in Yorkshire? Gits. Yes, Midlake, you.

Onto the good news, Mr Mark ‘E’ Oliver Everett of Eels fame has released a new song, 'Little Bird' from their forthcoming 'End Times' album and it sounds sad, really sad, in a good way, of course.
Finally on the news front Queens of the Stone Age have announced they will be returning from their various side projects, Them Crooked Vultures (Anticipated!), We Fell To Earth (Intriguing!) and Dead Weather (Shit!), to the studio next summer. It took me roughly a year to succumb to the charms of both 'Lullabies to Paralyze' and 'Era Vulgaris', but Josh Homme’s involvement in Arctic Monkeys’ superb 'Humbug' and the aforementioned Them Crooked Vultures means I will be awaiting their sixth album with baited breath.

Yesterday was Wednesday, and that meant a trip to City Screen to watch ‘The Men That Stare At Goats’, based on the book of the same name by reporter Jon Ronson. The film start’s with the words “More of this is true than you might think” followed by footage of the US’s ‘shock and awe’ attacks on Iraq, soundtracked, rather bizarrely by Supergrass’ ‘We’re Alright’. The title of that song summing up, rather succinctly, the rest of the film, it wasn’t without it’s moments, George Clooney, as usual, was very very good indeed, Jeff Bridges played the dude-i-est role he’s played, since he played the dude (check out http://www.dudeism.com/ for all your Lebowski related spiritual needs) and was cleary cast in that role for that very reason. Ewan Mcgregor is…ok…as ever (surely a new trip with Mr Boorman is due soon?) but his American accent was pretty dire. The multiple reference's to "Jedi Warriors" are funny initially, but soon start to wear a little thin (and perhaps had some bearing on his casting in that role). The fact that they turned the story into a journey of self discovery for his character grated a little, and the ending! The ending was unspeakably bad. Fun enough film, but I’d suggest renting it, rather than buying.

Of the plethora of trailers shown beforehand, one stuck out as looking particually awful, Guy Ritchie’s 'Sherlock Holmes'. The clue to why it looks so cack is in that last sentence.

There a quite a few impending releases that I’m looking forward to; James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’, the Coen brothers’ ‘A Serious Man’, Ang Lee’s ‘Taking Woodstock’ and Spike Jonze’s ‘Where the Wild Things are’ being amongst them…or being them, more to the point.
Whether we’ll get to see them all or not remains to be seen, what with the impending *fingers crossed* move.

Wow…two blogs in a day.

Hopefully within the week I shall have a review of Biffy Clyro’s ‘Only Revolutions’ posted. Hmm…

Megafaun – Gather, Form and Fly.

There have of late, been an awful lot of folk revivalist bands creeping out of the woodwork, Megafaun are one such band.

In 2006, Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) left the band Deyarmond Edison, and went on to record one of the most critically lauded albums of the past few years, the remaining members former Megafaun. While Deyarmond Edison were a fairly tradition sounding alt.folk outfit, Megafaun, signed to an offshoot of experimental label Table of the Elements, are a different beast altogether.
Their's sound, whilst reminiscent of other artists, that doesn’t quite sound like anything else.

‘Bella Marie’ opens proceedings in a fairly understated manner “so far, so Fleet Foxes” I initially thought, unaware of what followed.

‘The Process’ brings together the two prevailing aspects of the band’s sound, the accessible, guitar strumming, drum thwacking alt.folk, and the inventivness and experimentalism that graces the record throughout. Their approach to percussion is a prime example of this, with much of it sounding like it could have been recorded in a barn, with whatever was lying around. Or what was coming out of a tap…During ‘Darkest Hour’ dripping water (have a toilet break before listening to this, in all seriousness) is used as percussion, the song brings to mind, as much of a cliché as it may be, the band sat out on a farm house porch, plucking away, eventually revealing themselves to be malfunctioning androids…as you do.

‘Impressions of the Past’ sounds very much like it could have been written by Tyondai Braxton (whose father Anthony, the band have cited as an influence) of Battles, had he taken a healthy dose of Ritalin beforehand.
In a similar way to Braxton Jr.’s band, Megafaun seem, at times, to change direction for the sake of it, occasionally, to the detriment of the songs. ‘Columns’ replete with it’s off-kilter drumming, and Barenaked Laides-esque quirkiness turns on it’s heels, just as it’s pulling you in, and becomes a mess of glitchy electronica.

It was clear from the first time I listened to it that ‘Longest Day’ would reduce to me a blubbering wreck forever more, the following lyrics, strike quite a chord, and I worry how I’m going to cope if they play this live next month…

“breathless in the morn…
…Almost been a year,
My love for you has grown,
And this weathered photograph is all I have to show”


‘Gather, Form and Fly’ is certainly a very interesting listen, a little self indulgent at times, but also eminently listenable, it’s the sound of a band getting into their stride, and I’ll be intrigued to see where it leads them.

Grizzly Bear & St. Vincent, Leeds Met, 5.11.09

I wouldn’t usually bother mentioning supports, but tonight’s was more than deserving of a few words. Equal parts electronica and fuzzy garage rock with a touch of folky wistfulness thrown in for good measure. St. Vincent (otherwise know as Annie Clark, sometime member of Sufjan Stevens’ touring band, and The Polyphonic Spree) fidgets continually throughout her 30 minute slot, which just adds to her charm, and any scepticism the crowd may have soon dissipates.

Grizzly Bear open tonight, as this year’s ‘Veckatimest’ does, with ‘Southern Point’, jazzed up, it’s clear from the outset that anyone expecting a replication of how they sound on record will be sorely disappointed.

Drenched in blue and green light for much of the set, with lanterns scattered around the stage, the reverb laden vocal harmonies take on an otherworldly, almost ghostly quality. On record, Grizzly Bear occasionally sound a little fragile, but live, they pack much more of a punch.

‘While You Wait For The Others’ (find the Michael Mcdonald! cover here) is utterly triumphant and would have been a fitting way to end the night, however...

They save the only song from the debut ‘Horn of Plenty’ until last, which at times recalls The Beatles’ ‘drugs and weird shit’ phase, only much, much heavier.

It took a good few minutes to find any, let alone the right words to even remotely describe how good Grizzly Bear are live…still not sure I've found them, so I’ll keep it simple… I cannot speak highly enough of this band.

Baby's first blog

So, this is my blog, I am blogging, and now a blogger, by the time I have posted this I will have blogged.
Quite.

I decided to set this up partially to spur me on to start reviewing gigs and albums again, but it'll also be somewhere for me to rant, witter and harp on about various bits and pieces.

The lovely Mac and I have membership at the local Picturehouse cinema, which, coupled with orange Wednesdays means that it costs all of £3.50 for both of us to watch summat there and as a result, we've seen some film that perhaps we wouldn't have otherwise. Last night was one of those instances, the Nick Hornby scripted 'An Education' based on the memoir's of the same name by Lynn Barber is not a film, I think, that either of us would have usually taken any notice of. But I'm incredibly glad we did. 'An Education' is both tremendously funny and incredibly poignant, a master class in independent British film making
I don't want to go into full blown review mode, suffice to say this film is incredibly well written (would you expect anything less from Nick Hornby?) the setting (early 60's, in the outskirts of London) is spot on, and the acting throughout is excellent, particularly Carey Mulligan, who plays Jenny (who I've just found out was in one of my favourite episodes of Doctor Who; 'Blink').

Which leads me neatly onto…

The next Doctor Who special ('The Waters of Mars') looks a bit special, it's the start of the end for David Tennant's Doctor, and that makes me a little bit sad.

Tonight it's off to Leeds Met to see Grizzly Bear, who's third album 'Veckatimest' is one of the most charmingly odd and rewarding (if not immediately so) records that I've heard in the past year. So I'm rather excited. A review should hopefully follow shortly thereafter.

Then a month until the next gig, Megafaun in the Band Room in Farndale out in t'moors, who's album I'll be reviewing, well, when I've bought it.