Albums of 2010: Romance is Boring

Indie punk pop is a weird little genre. Not quite respected in the Indie genre, a little too sweary for radio play and it tends to bitch too much about punk letting everyone down for the hardcore crowd. Kinda shoots itself in the foot actually. And I guess that ties in with the whole punk pop attitude, so everyone's happy, or not happy, or whatever. Fuck it. Los Campesinos! are pretty chuffed

I know I said I wasn't going to pick favourites but this one takes the trophy for me this year, brilliant get up and dance sounds, blissful sit down and think songs. They made me remember the good times and inspired me to relive them.

This album plays like a soundtrack to a middle class suburban upbringing, the songs full of trauma, overblown drama and small town (I guess this is where the indie comes into play!) house party gimics.

A poke or too at certain modern lifestyles attached to the pretentious post rock the started out on, a rather bleak outlook on love and a complete lack of respect for whatever friendship means any more helps paint a very lifelike picture of a lot of twenty-somethings I know.

I'm a massive fan of every track on this album, once again the title track and the singles released are worth starting out on if these guys are new to you. This is a Flag. There is no Wind. A great single with a somewhat confusing story of a kid faking being deaf because he doesn't care what anyone's saying, you have to listen to it

I'd love to say there's a set story to every song, there isn't. It's kind of hidden in the chorus if anywhere, the rest is full of confessions of acts of passion or childhood memory's. Drinking stories are a staple too. The songs are thrashed out with a sense of urgency, pausing only to give us a catchy chorus.

The eight(?)-piece sound fantastic, even after multiple band member changes, people becoming permanent and leaving every other month over the past year. I wish i could put up every song on this blog... but it would look messy, and take agesss. So buy the cd, or steal it if you like the punk part of it.

Go on then, I'll stick an old favourite in too... just a taster. IN A BEER ADVERT

Long live Los Campesinos!

Albums of 2010: The Drums

Next up, it's another band who I will have the pleasure of seeing live in the next few days. It's probably looking like I'm having quite a good winter of music so far! I promise you, my life isn't always this exciting.

The Drums self titled album comes off the back of last years 'Summertime! E.P'. One of my favourite collection of songs from 2009, with Summertime! being an adequate description of their SoCo sunshine style. They were compared a lot to the Beach Boys when they started making waves, with a similar style of writing. Summer love, heartbreak, old American cars and the fact their most popular song is titled 'Let's go surfing' help give them that old California romantic meets The Cure feel.

They've endured enough of these things this year, one of the members leaving the band halfway through the north american tour only to rejoin a month later. Fucking drama... Let's hope they write a bloody song about it.

But seriously, I love this band, and it's a great album. Simple adorable music. Fingers crossed they stay together long enough to put a few more out there.

They also seems to have a pretty heavy affect on the recently dumped. If there's one thing i've learnt about The Drums, it's never put them on whilst in a car with a couple on the rocks, it doesn't create the best of atmospheres...

Albums of 2010: The Burbs

Next on the agenda is a band I'm actually seeing this week. I'm a little bit cautious to write this up like a creative review, it's been covered quite a lot recently due to the upcoming tour. I've read some great interviews with this Canadian 8 piece, they seem to come off better every time. Especially since they are what many consider the biggest indie band of the moment. An amazing feat for one of the only acts still with an 'independent' mentality.

I think that's as far as I'll probe with regards to defining them, it's all been said and done by all of the big online culture sights, I can't add any more praise. All i can say is if you don't own this album, shame on you.

Arcade Fire burst onto the scene in 2004 with their debut album, Funeral. Which of course went down as one of the best albums of the decade, with songs still being played on many an ipod. Wake Up! even inspiring the album title for the recent John Legend and The Roots collaboration. Although their live cover version does it very little justice... Balls theres me trying to 'Define' Arcade Fire again, it's far too easy to get carried away by them.

The third studio album is just phenomenal, epic songs, more instruments than you can shake a viola-bass at, beautiful harmony's. Not in an in your face way, it'll charm you and keep you coming back for more.

Right enough of me trying to sound like I know the first thing about music. These two ales i've just drunk have knocked my block off. Enjoy

Listomania

Time for those end of year lists! I was thinking about doing a countdown of my top albums of the year, I wrote them all out on paper, cut them up and moved them around a bit. I failed basically. I can't decide on any kind of order, just my favourite and some others I really like, in no particular order.

SO to kick off the 'Albums the I like in 2010' I shall start with an act I saw last week, the mercury nominated (the one I was hoping won none the less) album from local gal, Laura Marling.

I Speak Because I Can

It is, in my opinion, the greatest folk album this year. Even though she's still doing the same things she has been doing to the previous album and e.p, there's something big about it. Honest raw lyrics about what can only be described as emotions that no one has the courage to talk about. She still gives the impression that she is wise beyond her years, the album being very relationship based. The songs on the album touch on such matters as heartbreak, loss, memory's of childhood, wanting to better ones life.

It's great to hear this shy, quiet and modest girl continue to write beautiful, intelligent music, expressing her thoughts and sharing her feeling. Her live performance summing this up really, visibly nervous talking to the crowd about her recent work with Jack White, constantly losing her train of thought. But when she starts singing, she closes her eyes and lets it all go.

If i had to post one song off the album, i couldn't. So here's a few, the first one pretty appropriate for this time of yeah...

It's actually a fairly old song of hers, like Blackberry stone. It's a shame it didn't make the Christmas chart last year.

If I had to choose a song to inspire the sale of the album, it would be between three. The title song, 'I speak because i can', the most accessible single off the album 'Darkness Descends' and the below track, the stand out single 'Rambling Man'.

I can't wait for next year, she's got a lot going on at the moment. I'm looking forward to hearing the Neil Young covers she spoke about (the needle + the damage done). Great album and a great year for her...

Pre-drinking at it's most creative

WOW. It's been months and months and months since i even thought about blogging about music. I don't know what came over me.... anyways my creative side (as well as my opinon) is vying to get out again.

I think it's been long enough to admit my taste in music has been slightly polluted by other people. I'd say i'm even more of a music snob, if this is even possible. I guess i'll start by saying I have quite a few music related events coming up, and i would like to have some way of remembering them. Also been seeing alot of local bands recently, always fun.

To kick this off (again) i'll talk about what i'm listening to right this minute, literally.

A new electro pop band from Sweden niki and the dove, something i stole off the guardians 'new band of the day' thing. Handy that.

They sound a little bit euro pop in this song but it's the only one released on youtube. soz

In the rest of their music i've hear it's all a little Warpaint. I'm finding myself relaxing to this kind of music more and more and you know what, i really don't mind. Don't worry, my normal listening frenzy will start again when i have more time. This is a lottle on the depressing side.

PEACE OUT

The Hot Hot Thursday Curry Club Presents: Track of the Week

Ok so I feel bad about dissing Valentine’s Day now. It’s taken me a day to realise it probably wasn’t a good reflection on me blogging two negative love songs.

Which is why this hot hot Thursday curry club track of the week is a nice one. One of my favourite modern indie tracks. Beautifully acoustic, it can only be ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ by the Maccabees. It’s a love song, believe it or not, about bettering yourself for someone you love.

You can pick up a free AND great stripped down version of this song off daytrotter, a cute little website recommended a while back but the source of many a poor bastards broken heart. The websites worth placing on your favourites list. Great video as well

If music was the food of love, I’d be a fat romantic slob.

A tongue in the cheek view on love and romance from someone with a blogger name containing the word ‘violated’. You can’t write this kind of shit.

So it’s coming up to my weekend off work and I won’t be around to blog at all, and since the inspiration has taken me I thought I’d get it in early. I’ll be heading into London so cockneys lock up anything/one that you don’t want puked on/in. You have been warned.

So let me start off by saying how much of a pessimist I am about the 14th of February, I can’t remember having a great valentines day or even a decent valentine. In the same breath I really don’t hate the event, love or romance. Also this is not a cry for help or an attempt at advice, I am supremely under qualified for that kind of stuff. It’s just a bit of fun and an excuse to blog some music.

I’m here today to give a more realistic view on romance, not the heartbreak and the love stories but real life. Not everyone has that perfect drama thing going on, and some people try to force it. I myself am emotionally retarded after being left in front of too many episodes of ‘Dawson’s creek’ whilst younger.

There is someone for everyone out there, and if your lucky two people. That’s what we call a ‘ménage á trois’. Jokes. You more than likely have to go through a bunch of relationships and deal with a lot of life before you get settled, find someone or learn your lessons before its too late. Or so I’ve been told. List to enough music and you can learn from people mistakes. This song by Frank Turner says it all really; he speaks of girls with the kind of personality’s I meet far too often. They won’t necessarily treat you like they treated Frank but I think most guys can relate.

Frank Turner – Substitute

Enough of the women bashing and on to some real romance, real being the choice word with this one. I love this track, it’s got to be the funniest song of there brilliant first season. The idea is this is how one of the characters thinks settling down with the women he is currently seeing would be like. In a good way.

Flight of the Conchords – Business time (hypem)

This has got FAR too deep for my liking.

Business hours are over