quarterly best-of releases - 2010, Q1

so I've decided to post a quarterly review of the best and the worst releases and gigs so I remember what rocked my world at the time and uh, what didn't.

best albums released

• Delphic - 'Acolyte' - pure electronic poetry. dying to see them live so I can faint whilst James Cook sings to me.
  
• Two Door Cinema Club - 'Tourist History' - pop tour de force. I'm seeing them at least once this spring, if not twice. 'nuff said.
• Broken Bells - 'Broken Bells' - Dangermouse (Brian Burton) and James Mercer of the Shins have put together a psychedelic, trippy pop record that I absolutely adore.
  

worst / most disappointing albums released

• Vampire Weekend - 'Contra' - when I first heard 'Horchata' in October, I was v. ambivalent. then 'Cousins' premiered in December and I was like, YES, bring it on! I think I got myself worked up far too much and when I finally got the new album thought to myself, ok, got some good choones on there but...disappointing. I'm seeing them for the first time on Saturday, maybe they'll change my mind.
  
• Hot Chip - 'One Life Stand' - the album is good in parts but what the heck is going on in the middle, guys?!?!?

best single released

• 'Hold On'/'On Board' - Friendly Fires / Holy Ghost! - it's weird / embarrassing as a fan to admit that a cover Friendly Fires did of someone else's song is better than their last single (last summer's 'Kiss of Life'). but no matter, this and the Holy Ghost! cover are wicked.
  

worst / most disappointing single released

• 'Telephone' - Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce - I've tried my best to stomach Gaga for the sake of my many friends who like her. but she's just not my kind of thing and I'm not really sure why everyone says "she's a great musician". uh, she is? maybe I've got different requirements? I'm not even bothering to look up WHEN the single is being released b/c everyone's talking about the video but assume it's already released or soon will be. now, maybe I'm a prude but the video itself makes me sick. the jail scenes basically set the womens' liberation movement back 40 years. for once I agree with Donny Osmond. and why oh why did Beyonce sign up for this, she doesn't need the exposure!
  

best gig

• the xx at 6th and I Synagogue (review forthcoming on PopWreckoning) - house of worship + band set to be worshipped plus a fantastic light show. awesome. this was really hard to choose, as I've seen some great gigs already in 2010.
  

worst / most disappointing gig

• Editors at 9:30 Club - gig reviews at PopWreckoning and There Goes the Fear - I don't have a beef with the band b/c I thought the performance was fine. but I do have a beef with a fan that claims I ran into her that night. I didn't write about it here at the time b/c I was really pissed off but she claimed I shoved her. me, shoving anyone? take a look at my 5'2" frame, I'm not going to get too far shoving people bigger than myself. I had asked two girls next to me if I could get in and snap ONE photo of Ed Lay (their drummer) and could I switch spots with them for one song and she wouldn't let me. I had shown up very early so I already had a spot in the front, it wasn't like I had scooted up later, in which case I would have expected vitriol in my direction. in general, the only reason I don't like the 9:30 Club is this: for whatever reason, that venue attracts more "fans" that think they're entitled to be complete meanies to everyone else present.

other recommendations

• if you like Owl City, try Darwin Deez.
• if you like the Drums, try the Postelles.
• if you like Laura Marling, try her tourmate Alessi's Ark.
  

the good and the bad always come together, don't they?

I have an exciting announcement to make in the coming days. (no, I'm not engaged or getting married. HAR HAR. you know me better than that, folks. you know music and I have been longtime lovers, right?)

I can't tell you know what's going on, b/c I have been sworn to secrecy, but trust me, it's a good thing. and you're definitely hear more from me from now until the summer. (that's a big hint.)

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American festivals aren't doing well this year. the owners of Monolith (Denver) and Rothbury (Michigan) previously said that unless they receive major sponsorship backing, the festivals will not take place in 2010. this week it was All Points West, one of the few on the East Coast (and the only one I'm aware of in the Mid-Atlantic). so things are not looking good on our side of the pond. I don't understand it...it really frustrates me that in a land this big and with a populationg so large, can't we get A COUPLE good festivals together???

I suppose Britain has the benefit of having BBC Radio, sponsoring festivals like the freebie Big Weekend (announced by Radio1 breakfast host Chris Moyles this week to be taking place in Bangor, Wales, this year) and Inverness's Rockness. my EIC Phil is jonesing to go to Big Weekend this year as he went last year (lucky stiff) and my preference is Rockness, especially now that Vampire Weekend has been named as a co-headliner to close out the festival Sunday night. Fatboy Slim and Friendly Fires are going to be there as well to add dance flavour, so getting press credentials would make me feel a whole lot better for missing Ultra, for sure ::sniff::

SO FINGERS CROSSED PEOPLE! thank you :)

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I ♥ my mate Matt Abbott. I've met some great people during my times of blogging and he's defo one of them, he's a total sweetheart and it feels weird that we've only met in person once but we know each other like we've been mates for years. I would really like to see him again b/c we still owe each other pints and I want to see him DJ, talk about football, and do stand-up, three things that he's started doing since we talked in blighty last May.

he knows exactly what I'm thinking, it cracks me up. our conversations on Twitter go something like this:

@MattAbbottUK you're on your phone? where are you??? it's like...01:24 in England? do you have it on your laptop? 8:25 PM Feb 24th via web in reply to MattAbbottUK

@theprintedword Chatroulette only works on a computer/laptop with a webcam. Google it! Yeah, it's 1:30am. Should get to bed! 8:30 PM Feb 24th via web in reply to theprintedword

@MattAbbottUK ah I haven't got a webcam! what's your summer sched looking like? I really really really want to go to Rockness. 8:32 PM Feb 24th via web in reply to MattAbbottUK

@theprintedword It all hangs on my next single. If it does well I'll be everywhere, if it flops I'll be nowhere. Rockness? Pretty random! X about 17 hours ago via Tweetie in reply to theprintedword

@MattAbbottUK Rockness isn't random, haha. check out the line-up. you my friend know EXACTLY why I want to go. or rather for whom ;) about 13 hours ago via web in reply to MattAbbottUK

@theprintedword Friendly Fires by any chance? about 13 hours ago via web in reply to theprintedword

@MattAbbottUK ::squishes you:: I have to occupy myself with another band if you my dear are not touring, naturally!

if my friend in Chester, Charlotte, is my long-lost little sister, than Matt has to be my long-lost brother.

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there's no Roundtable posting yet b/c...I was asleep during the programme's airing tonight. I'm sick as a dog with a really bad cold. my circadian rhythms are all messed up b/c I haven't been sleeping regularly, I'm up at night coughing up a storm.

don't worry, I'll get around to it, if only to listen b/c Groove Armada's album 'Black Light' was reviewed. yes! "don't wanna take a chance on your paper romance, anyway!"

this week's Roundtable (18/02)

Lammo welcomes Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals), Holly Walsh and Olly from Turin Brakes into the studio.

1. the Futureheads - Heartbeat Song' - this actually reminds me of that Kaiser Chiefs's song about having crisps for tea...what is it called again? LOL. but sweeter.

2. Jeff the Brotherhood - 'U Got the Look' - like the drumming at the start. dunno, sounds very Soft Pack to me. (Lammo said the band contains a member of Be Your Own Pet.)

3. Wild Beasts - 'We Still Got the Taste of Dancin' On Our Tongues' - the winner - I still think the whole falsetto thing is odd. BUT I trust Niall Doherty's (of the FLY) judgment that their gig was one of the best of 2009. this explains why I put in to see them on the 27th.

4. Yeasayer - 'O.N.E.' - dunno, all of Yeasayer's stuff reminds me of Disney's 'Tarzan'...it's ok and I know some people just love them, their show at the 9:30 here is sold out (same night as Vampire Weekend, so a feat a bat an eye at!)

ROFL @ Olly that he thinks it sounds like Friendly Fires, Jack Penate. not really...?

5. Audio Bullies - 'Only Man' - I think it's FFires' fault, but now I listen to songs and it's all about the beats. that said, the percussion in this great, the groove is sick. but the lyrics? not so much.

6. Peggy Sue - 'Watchman' - I am extremely difficult to win over when it comes to women's voices. meh.

7. the Courteeners's 'Falcon' - that 'You Overdid It Doll' song is now planted in my brain, it won't leave! it was defo a grower, as I imagine the rest of this album would be for me.

have to say, this ballad (name unknown, sorry!) kicks the arse of anything Glasvegas ever did :)

hmmm, this other song they're playing reminds me quite a lot of White Lies. where did they, really? I find it REALLY hard to believe that it's been nearly a year since I saw them and FFires for the first time. time really flies. and things change. and so have I.

underwhelmed by Coachella 2010 line-up

click on it for bigger image

good: Muse, Tiesto, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Hockey, Little Boots, Camera Obscura, La Roux, the Cribs, the xx

bad: Delphic on a tiny stage, no Friendly Fires. Jay-Z, ugh...gimme a break.

last week's Roundtable (07/01)

note: I did this Monday night and am now finally getting it in here.

Thursday is Roundtable day. Join Lammo as he welcomes Q Magazine Editor Paul Rees, Mark Sutherland from Billboard Magazine and Krissi Murrison from the NME into the studio to discuss some new music for 2010.

1. the Courteeners – ‘You Overdid It Doll’ – the winner – one of Mozzer’s fave bands of the moment. Ugh, not a fan of the singer’s voice. am I missing something here?

2. Carolina Chocolate Drops – ‘Hit Em Up Style’. Cover of Blu Cantrell song. I agree with Krissi, the singer’s voice is incredible but this is a one hell of a weird mishmash, not to mention the singer’s voice is grating. ick.

3. Los Campesinos! – ‘Romance is Boring’ – ow, my ears…no thanks. goodness, I’m glad I wasn’t given this to review in January.

4. Chapel Club – “Oh Maybe I” – Lammo said this band has been on some 2010 watch lists but not on the BBC’s. hmmm, similar to Morrissey? Certainly doesn’t sound like him. dunno, not really grabbing me…

5. Frightened Rabbit – ‘Nothing Like You’ – I liked this. wow, something I finally like on this programme! not much of a surprise, considering they’re a Fat Cat Records acquisition.

6. Corinne Bailey Rae – ‘I’d Do It All Again’ – it’s so sad about her husband, but ironically, I think that might give new life to this single and the resulting album ‘The Sea’. Not as cutesy fun as ‘Put Your Records On’ but nevertheless considering what she’s been through in making this record, I hope it does well.

7. Tracks from Vampire Weekend’s new album ‘Contra’ including ‘White Sky’ and ‘Giving Up the Gun’ – I’m actually liking ‘White Sky” more now than first listen, when Ezra Koenig’s yodeling lyrics were getting on my nerves. CANNOT WAIT to see them 3 April!

call and response - Two Door Cinema Club vs. Friendly Fires edition

I do believe I have a new favourite band. for the moment anyway, until some other bands put out their next albums.

I have been entrusted with a sampling of Two Door Cinema Club's debut album, 'Tourist History', to make its debut on 1 March 2010, the same day I am in Fairfax, VA seeing Muse. I've been listening to the sampling of songs on repeat for the last couple of days, following on for a near fast of everything musical except Morrissey and the Smiths. (I was in a weird mood when I came back from Boston.)

I got this idea from Eddie Argos of Art Brut. in addition to being an exceedingly nice young man (he wrote me and Tweeted me with get well wishes when I injured my knee!) , he has a side project with his gf Dyan, Everyone Was in the French Resistance. and what they are doing with their music is all about responding to stories in songs we never knew the ending to. For example, what happened to Jimmy Mack, and did he ever come back? for more info on their amazing work, read his blog here.

I won't divulge too much what I think of TDCC's songs b/c I'm saving that up for the review I will unleash to the world on TGTF the first week of 2010. but I will say that their song "I Can Talk" seems to me a chilling, almost vengeful response to the almost happy-go-lucky "Skeleton Boy" by Friendly Fires.

ok, first watch and listen to FFires's "Skeleton Boy":



okay, so my impression of the song is this. he's been wronged by his gf, yet he wants to give her another chance. being on the dancefloor takes his mind off what's going wrong in their relationship/his life, so he lets the music take him away ala Calgon. I particularly like the chorus "your love is out / believing despite it all / give me your hand / let's face this night and see it through" because it's incredibly optimistic. he wants to see if giving the relationship time will allow it to continue. frankly, if this guy was my mate, I would have already clawed out this girl's eyes out already.

and now we get to TDCC's "I Can Talk":



the lyrics? ouch. whoa mama.

you won't believe what I tell you
white coats and clever minds will choose
you get a lot from this
loose tongue and arrogance
it's not appropriate
don't think that this is it

now I can talk, no one gets off
(I know how you like to)
now I can talk, no one gets off...

obvs this guy is pissed. he's been wronged all right. and his girl has an acid tongue. THWAP there's your slap in the face, biotch.

the song is so ingrained in my head, it's crazy. I shouldn't be singing such a vitriolic song with such excitement, but what can I say. total earworm.

(may I also mention that the way people keep saying TDCC sound like Foals is driving me crazy. I don't think so. so stop already. if *anything* they sound KIND OF like Vampire Weekend.)

not sure which band would win in a fight, but surely 3-on-3 basketball would be hella interesting. COMMENTS/OPINIONS WELCOME.

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and oh yeah, have I mentioned how annoying Kanye West and Justin Timberlake are? they (or rather the people who actually write stuff on their Web sites) both have given props to FFires and Kanye likes TDCC. would you guys stop trying to jump on the bandwagon? you're too late, all right? thankyouverymuch.

TWO WEEKS!

no, calm down, not the Grizzly Bear song...

I only have 2 more weeks to go before I see Friendly Fires and the xx again. at the Paradise in Boston. today I was on the verge of freaking out b/c the process of getting to BWI via mass transit is kind of complicated and so is trying to get from Logan into downtown Boston. it's going to be a crazy dance of subways, trains, and buses, not to mention two trips in those big metal boxes in the sky.

doesn't matter. I'm going to see Friendly Fires and the xx! I'm going to see Friendly Fires and the xx! I'm going to see Friendly Fires and the xx!

to say I was excited would be an understatement. there's been so much crap going on in my life - work's been busy and at times rough, rowing with my mum who is never satisfied with the choices of her grown daughter, and getting not-so-good news at the doctor's :/ and just I found out today that another one of my aunts has been diagnosed with breast cancer. :/

here's a random tidbit of squee-age - Mathew Horne (aka Gavin of "Gavin and Stacey") Tweeted me a kiss on Monday. I'd told him he had an excellent taste in music. yeah, I'm still more happy about that than should be allowed. hey, the boy likes We Were Promised Jetpacks *and* the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. my friend C and I were talking today about how there might be fists flying over this in a certain venue in the near future - ahahaha...so watch this space!

oh yeah, and I think I'm developing a major crush on Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend. I remember the first time I heard "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" on Radcliffe/Maconie and thinking, who are these people? I hate how this version of the video from Beggars Group is so dang blurry :P but the video is amusing, you should watch it at least once. and remember, this was filmed BEFORE "Twilight!"



better quality is the new video for 'Cousins', which I wrote about at TGTF today. TEEHEE. thank you XL Recordings, I wuv you!

this week's Roundtable (19/11)

Thursday sees another fun packed Roundtable with Sean Adams from Drowned in Sound joining Polly Scattergood and Jake from My Life Story

1. the Temper Trap - "Fader" - did they change singers? this sounds completely different than "Sweet Disposition". and not entirely in a good way :/

side notes: they are one of six bands named for SXSW 2010 and are currently being featured as a "Discover and Download" (for "Sweet Disposition") on MTV. oddly, the version of the video for D&D is different than the one I saw previous (you know, the one with the roller derby girls in gold kit).

2. Vampire Weekend - "Cousins" - the more I hear this, the more I laugh. (the video is a hoot! tuxedos, martini, and bells being hit in a way not unlike another band famed for their agogos...ha!) in the beginning on the song, it sounds like Ezra Koenig is in pain. but it's just a fun record. I really like it now despite panning it initially when I heard it on Zane Lowe's Radio1 programme earlier this week.

and...can someone tell me what his fascination with the ocean floor is? remember, "A-Punk"'s protagonist left a stolen ring "at the bottom of the sea"...

3. Frankie and the Heartstrings - "Hunger" - Lammo eally likes this, and I do too...it's like Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter from Rocky Horror if he sang more upbeat songs. HA! Sunderland forever!

4. the Seabees (sp?) - "Misdemeanor" - there appeared to be arguments among the panel about whether this was being done by a single person or a group, and how not knowing made it difficult to rate. faintly boppy.

5. New Young Pony Club - "Lost a Girl" - funny how Sean is comparing this to Ladyhawke. I don't see the connection...?

6. Badly Drawn Boy - "Is There Nothing We Can Do?" - is BDB always this depressing? I'm trying to compare it to their hit "About a Boy"...snooze. funny how it's being compared to the Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" by the panel.

7. Them Crooked Vultures's debut eponymous album including "Gunman" - it's ok. funny how some people are afraid to pan them b/c of who they are. so what? if they suck, it's better to tell them now than to build them up, pretending they're any good.

uh, they never announced the winner - whoops 6music!