With the noughties coming to a close and NME giving us a terrible representation of the records they thought should grace the decades top 50 I decided to put my own list together in no particular order.
Top 50 Records of the Decade
At The Drive-In – Relationship of command
Anti-Flag – Underground network
The Bronx
The Slackers – Self-medication
Adequate 7 – Songs of innocence and experience
Justin Sane – Life, love and the pursuit of justice
The Cribs – The new fellas
White Stripes – White blood cells
Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – Fever to tell
Flaming Lips – Yoshimi battles the pink robots
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip – Angles
Gogol Bordello – Gypsy punks: underdog world strike
Hell is for heroes – Transmit disrupt
Weezer - Maladroit
Beastie Boys – to the 5 boroughs
Los Copesinos – Hold on now youngster
The Rapture – Echoes
LCD Sound system
Radio 4 – Gotham
Bright eyes – I’ wide awake it’s morning
Ben Folds – Songs for silverman
Ben Folds Five – Whatever and ever amen
Soulwax - Any minute now
Frank Turner – Sleep is for the week
Captain Everything – It’s not rocket science
Alkaline Trio – Crimson
Howards Alias – Beat Heart Beat
Matthew Reynolds – Wreck of the Hesperus
Rival Schools – United by fate
Eels – Electro-shock blues
Rodrigo Y Gabriella
The Go Team – Thunder Lighting Strike
Moby - Play
Moldy Peaches
Capown – Civil disobedients
The Strokes – Is this it
Libertines
The Shins – Chutes too narrow
Rueben – Race car is race car backwards
Hot Club De Paris – Drop it like it pops
Sonic Boom Six – A rough guide to genre terrorism
AFI – Sing the sorrow
Hot Chip – The warning
Bloc Party - Silent alarm
The Macabees – Color it in
Queens Of The Stoneage – Rated R
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Madonna
Badly Drawn Boy – The hour of the bewilderbeast
Distillers – Sing,sing death house
Dandy Warhols – Thirteen tales from urban bohemia
Showing posts with label Indie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indie. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Frank Turner, Fake Problems & Beans on Toast, Wulfrun Centre, Wolverhampton
Bean’s on Toast kicked off the night with an individual blend of lo-fi folk, politics and humour. Frank Turner repeatedly described him as ‘The future of music’ which is high praise from the man you are supporting. 
Fake Problems from Florida, were the second support act. They warmed the crowd up ready for Frank Turner with an energetic set, filled with folk-punk and alt-country songs. Most importantly the band looked to be having a great time on stage, this energy soon transferred to the receptive audience.
Once Frank Turner took the stage the temperature within the venue increased as the diverse crowd filled the room. Frank balanced his set perfectly between songs from his early records, which generated his strong and loyal fan base, with songs from the critically acclaimed ‘Love Ire and Song’ and the new album ‘Poetry Of The Deed’ which have attracted newer fans.
Throughout his set the audience sang along to almost every word until the debut of an ‘old but new’ song which had not been played anywhere before, silencing the crowd as everyone looked on in awe.
It is rare to see an artist enjoy playing a show as much as Frank Turner, the pleasure and pride he takes in his work is truly inspiring. I am proud to be part of one of the audience’s that have made ‘his mother proud’. If you ever get the opportunity to see Frank Turner live you should grab it with both hands, if not you should look him up and buy his records
Fake Problems from Florida, were the second support act. They warmed the crowd up ready for Frank Turner with an energetic set, filled with folk-punk and alt-country songs. Most importantly the band looked to be having a great time on stage, this energy soon transferred to the receptive audience.
Once Frank Turner took the stage the temperature within the venue increased as the diverse crowd filled the room. Frank balanced his set perfectly between songs from his early records, which generated his strong and loyal fan base, with songs from the critically acclaimed ‘Love Ire and Song’ and the new album ‘Poetry Of The Deed’ which have attracted newer fans.
Throughout his set the audience sang along to almost every word until the debut of an ‘old but new’ song which had not been played anywhere before, silencing the crowd as everyone looked on in awe.
It is rare to see an artist enjoy playing a show as much as Frank Turner, the pleasure and pride he takes in his work is truly inspiring. I am proud to be part of one of the audience’s that have made ‘his mother proud’. If you ever get the opportunity to see Frank Turner live you should grab it with both hands, if not you should look him up and buy his records
Monday, 21 September 2009
Club NME presents The Mystery Jets and Myriad Creatures > Magnet Club, Berlin > 11th July 2009
It’s always a strange experience seeing a British band playing abroad as you’re never sure how they'll be received by a foreign audience or how their reputation has traveled. I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at Magnet Club practically straight from the plane to find the Mystery Jets taking the stage.
I was even more surprised to hear the new sound that the Mystery Jets have taken on. I had read about the new 80’s inspired sound but had not got round to buying the newest record (Twenty One) and only heard the first single from this album (2 Doors Down). It is very hard to formulate an opinion based on words and a single track but surprise is always a good thing.
The new sound captivated the audience within seconds and did not spit us back out until the introduction to the third song. By which time my worries on the atmosphere had been blown out of the window, the crowd reception would have been welcome at a hometown gig or one of the infamous Eel Island parties that helped to launch the band.
The set list moved effortlessly between tracks from the newest record with only one from ‘Making Dens’ which was a slight disappointment as much like the music press I was very taken by this album. Unfortunately for me the band seem to feel this record was terrible and said when playing the one track from it ‘This one’s from our first album. Does anyone here own it? Poor You!’ The highlight of the set was the single 2 doors down which had the entire crowd dancing and singing along. Overall it was a set from a band that have found the sound that makes them happy, which in turn makes the crowd happy and music and performance sound better.
The night took a slightly strange turn as the Mystery Jets left the stage as the support act then took the stage for their set. Myriad Creatures were a catchy indie five piece playing 3 minute tracks with a chorus you only needed to hear once to sing along to. They played with a great deal of energy and had the crowd onside within seconds. It can’t be too hard to have the crowd onside when the headliner has warmed them up for you.
The night then ended with Club NME’s finest DJ’s playing until 6am, we lasted until about 3am but after a whole day waiting around in the airport bar to fly out it’s not surprising we were drunk and tired. I really enjoyed the Mystery Jets and would recommend finding them in the smallest venue you can.
I was even more surprised to hear the new sound that the Mystery Jets have taken on. I had read about the new 80’s inspired sound but had not got round to buying the newest record (Twenty One) and only heard the first single from this album (2 Doors Down). It is very hard to formulate an opinion based on words and a single track but surprise is always a good thing.
The new sound captivated the audience within seconds and did not spit us back out until the introduction to the third song. By which time my worries on the atmosphere had been blown out of the window, the crowd reception would have been welcome at a hometown gig or one of the infamous Eel Island parties that helped to launch the band.
The set list moved effortlessly between tracks from the newest record with only one from ‘Making Dens’ which was a slight disappointment as much like the music press I was very taken by this album. Unfortunately for me the band seem to feel this record was terrible and said when playing the one track from it ‘This one’s from our first album. Does anyone here own it? Poor You!’ The highlight of the set was the single 2 doors down which had the entire crowd dancing and singing along. Overall it was a set from a band that have found the sound that makes them happy, which in turn makes the crowd happy and music and performance sound better.
The night took a slightly strange turn as the Mystery Jets left the stage as the support act then took the stage for their set. Myriad Creatures were a catchy indie five piece playing 3 minute tracks with a chorus you only needed to hear once to sing along to. They played with a great deal of energy and had the crowd onside within seconds. It can’t be too hard to have the crowd onside when the headliner has warmed them up for you.
The night then ended with Club NME’s finest DJ’s playing until 6am, we lasted until about 3am but after a whole day waiting around in the airport bar to fly out it’s not surprising we were drunk and tired. I really enjoyed the Mystery Jets and would recommend finding them in the smallest venue you can.
Thursday, 26 March 2009
A Beginners Guide to Acoustic/Solo
This is another genre my Dad can take credit for me now enjoying so much, he has put the grumpy man with a guitar into my ears from an early age. Unlike him the artists I choose to listen to often come out of bands either as a side project or after the split of the band.
I particularly love the surprise element of artists who have come from this background . Most notably the difference between Lightspeed Champion and Test Icicles or Frank Turner and Million Dead is astonishing. Both have gone from making heavy music with shouty vocals to breathtaking beauty. Other fine examples of the element of surprise have been Albert Hammond Jr. and The Nightwatchman(Tom Morrello) both guitarists who came out with a solo record proving not only they can sing but they can also write a great record.
The inclusion of acoustic allows for a wider track selection including one of the tracks from the fantastic acoustic part of the most recent Hot Club De Paris and the incredible Rodrigo Y Gabriella who if you ever get the chance to see live you should. The fact they can make the level and depth in sound they do using only an acoustic guitar each is truly amazing.
This is a genre where more than one CD could be put together, there are some great artists that didn’t make it onto the CD but are more than worth a listen for example Babar Luck, Liam O’Kane, Jim Lockey, Matt Reynolds and Robb Blake.
Obviously as with the previous lists history plays an important part in the genre it would be a crime to not include Lou Reed or Iggy Pop and strong arguments could (and should) be made for Elvis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and even Bob Marley fortunately there will be enough time for me to add them to the mix in due course.
Although I find the history of musical genres fascinating and important the solo scene is currently growing stronger than it has been for a long time so if there is one genre to get my sister into this is the one. The key artists included are:
Lou Reed
Iggy Pop
Moldy Peaches
Jeff Buckley
Lightspeed Champion
Ben Folds
Bright Eyes
King Django
Vic Ruggiero
Nightwatchman
Albert Hamond Jr.
Justin Sane
Badly Drawn Boy
I particularly love the surprise element of artists who have come from this background . Most notably the difference between Lightspeed Champion and Test Icicles or Frank Turner and Million Dead is astonishing. Both have gone from making heavy music with shouty vocals to breathtaking beauty. Other fine examples of the element of surprise have been Albert Hammond Jr. and The Nightwatchman(Tom Morrello) both guitarists who came out with a solo record proving not only they can sing but they can also write a great record.
The inclusion of acoustic allows for a wider track selection including one of the tracks from the fantastic acoustic part of the most recent Hot Club De Paris and the incredible Rodrigo Y Gabriella who if you ever get the chance to see live you should. The fact they can make the level and depth in sound they do using only an acoustic guitar each is truly amazing.
This is a genre where more than one CD could be put together, there are some great artists that didn’t make it onto the CD but are more than worth a listen for example Babar Luck, Liam O’Kane, Jim Lockey, Matt Reynolds and Robb Blake.
Obviously as with the previous lists history plays an important part in the genre it would be a crime to not include Lou Reed or Iggy Pop and strong arguments could (and should) be made for Elvis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and even Bob Marley fortunately there will be enough time for me to add them to the mix in due course.
Although I find the history of musical genres fascinating and important the solo scene is currently growing stronger than it has been for a long time so if there is one genre to get my sister into this is the one. The key artists included are:
Lou Reed
Iggy Pop
Moldy Peaches
Jeff Buckley
Lightspeed Champion
Ben Folds
Bright Eyes
King Django
Vic Ruggiero
Nightwatchman
Albert Hamond Jr.
Justin Sane
Badly Drawn Boy
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
A Beginners Guide To Indie
This is the music my sister currently listens to, mainly because this is the genre that describes the taste in music my Dad now has. She particularly likes the Ting Tings and Razorlight’s bland take on the genre. I would like to show her there is more to Indie than that style and with any luck she can see them as an influence which helped her get into better music.
I’m sure part of the reason I dislike the popular Indie sound is down to my love of independent music. In my opinion there are far better bands not enjoying the success they deserve. With this in mind I will be including my favorite Indie bands that inspired me when I was younger along with the bands that still inspire me now.
When I was at school/college I listened to a lot of Radio 1 especially John Peel and Steve Lamaq in the evenings. This influenced my taste in music by putting bands like Ash, At The Drive-in, Radiohead, Supergrass, Beastie Boys, The Rapture and The Libertines in front of me. Each artist represents a different style categorized within the Indie Genre.
The current breed of UK Indie has given us some great bands including Hot Club De Paris, The Holloway’s, Dirty Pretty Things, Dead 60’s, Bloc Party, Klaxons, Dustin’s Bar Mitzvah and many more to accompany the bands that originally inspired me. The newer breed of Indie includes so many styles of music that would fit into many different genres, making defining the genre almost impossible.
The
It is hard to have an essential list of artists for a genre that is so diverse with influences from almost every scene that took place before the definition was decided. The list below features as many of the bands that inspired me as a teen and important bands of the current scene. I can leave the early stuff to my Dad who I'm sure already has brought the Smiths, Pixies, Blur, Pulp and Suede to my sister's attention.
Supergrass
Bloc Party
Ash
Eeels
Weezer
The Shins
Hot Club De Paris
The Strokes
White Stripes
Flaming Lips
Radiohead
Rival Schools
Shout Out Louds
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Help Save The Youth Of Today From Exploding
Please excuse the Less Than Jake misquote in the title, I took the title for this post from the Album one of the most influential records I owned as a teen. I bought the double pack which included ‘Hello Rockview’ and ‘Loosing Streak’ in one box, after recent rediscovery I still can’t decide which is my favourite as they are both fantastic albums.
The shuffle feature on iTunes has a habit of reminding me of great albums I have not heard for a long time, I recently rediscovered ‘Milo Goes To College’ by the Descendents which is one of the best punk albums ever made. However the record is not the best value for money considering all 15 tracks are over within 23 minutes with only 3 tracks over 2 minutes on the whole album. I also recently
rediscovered my two favourite punk albums of the 90’s (‘Underground Network’ by Anti-Flag and Rancid’s ‘…And Out Come The Wolves’) looking back on albums I loved as a teen made me wonder if taste in music is nature or nurture.
As a kid I listened to the music my Dad played me, luckily this was pretty good mostly the Clash, Jam and Stranglers all of which I still listen to now. My Uncle also had a huge influence with Lou Reed, The Specials, Velvet Underground and Ramones. As I grew up popularity influenced my music tastes, as most peoples Dad’s were older than mine Dad music was known to be shit so I didn’t want to disagree. When I was about 12 I went through a stage of listening to gansta rap mainly because my older
cousin from USA was into it and I wanted to be ‘cool’ like him. After that my friends at the time who were all NME/Melody Maker readers had an influence on me and lead me to Indie, Steve Lamaaq and John Peel. Through this I discovered the Ska and Punk scene that was developing mainly through going to local gigs.
At this time I saw some of the best gigs I have ever seen with line ups I still dream about, my personal favourite was an all dayer featuring Captain Everything, Adequate Seven, Howards Alias and Kenisia. This gig blew me away so I pledged allegiance to Household Name Records and got myself to a barber for a Mohawk. As I grew older and wiser I realised that music was so broad it was crazy to stick to one genre and developed into the well rounded music snob I am now.
I often feel my music taste is superior and try to nurture people into listening to my favourite bands to mould them into better people. This musical arrogance tends to surface after a few pints but the thoughts are constantly at the back of my mind. I am lucky enough to have a sister who is 11 and as with my youth I want to be a positives influence on her musical choices. So when she realises that Dad music which she currently listens to is un-cool with her friends she can look to the ‘cool’ older brother for an escape from terrible pop music.
With this in mind to save her from the chart dance or any other rubbish I want to introduce her to the music I love genre by genre. I believe with any kind of music you have to start from the beginning or at least include the influential old stuff. For example what would a ska compilation be without the specials or punk without the Clash.
The shuffle feature on iTunes has a habit of reminding me of great albums I have not heard for a long time, I recently rediscovered ‘Milo Goes To College’ by the Descendents which is one of the best punk albums ever made. However the record is not the best value for money considering all 15 tracks are over within 23 minutes with only 3 tracks over 2 minutes on the whole album. I also recently
rediscovered my two favourite punk albums of the 90’s (‘Underground Network’ by Anti-Flag and Rancid’s ‘…And Out Come The Wolves’) looking back on albums I loved as a teen made me wonder if taste in music is nature or nurture.As a kid I listened to the music my Dad played me, luckily this was pretty good mostly the Clash, Jam and Stranglers all of which I still listen to now. My Uncle also had a huge influence with Lou Reed, The Specials, Velvet Underground and Ramones. As I grew up popularity influenced my music tastes, as most peoples Dad’s were older than mine Dad music was known to be shit so I didn’t want to disagree. When I was about 12 I went through a stage of listening to gansta rap mainly because my older
cousin from USA was into it and I wanted to be ‘cool’ like him. After that my friends at the time who were all NME/Melody Maker readers had an influence on me and lead me to Indie, Steve Lamaaq and John Peel. Through this I discovered the Ska and Punk scene that was developing mainly through going to local gigs.At this time I saw some of the best gigs I have ever seen with line ups I still dream about, my personal favourite was an all dayer featuring Captain Everything, Adequate Seven, Howards Alias and Kenisia. This gig blew me away so I pledged allegiance to Household Name Records and got myself to a barber for a Mohawk. As I grew older and wiser I realised that music was so broad it was crazy to stick to one genre and developed into the well rounded music snob I am now.
I often feel my music taste is superior and try to nurture people into listening to my favourite bands to mould them into better people. This musical arrogance tends to surface after a few pints but the thoughts are constantly at the back of my mind. I am lucky enough to have a sister who is 11 and as with my youth I want to be a positives influence on her musical choices. So when she realises that Dad music which she currently listens to is un-cool with her friends she can look to the ‘cool’ older brother for an escape from terrible pop music.
With this in mind to save her from the chart dance or any other rubbish I want to introduce her to the music I love genre by genre. I believe with any kind of music you have to start from the beginning or at least include the influential old stuff. For example what would a ska compilation be without the specials or punk without the Clash.
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