Thirty Days of Music Day 21 - A Song You Listen To When You're Happy

London's beloved indie-folk kids Bombay Bicycle Club only released their debut album in July 2009, yet already they have become an alternative success.  Flaws, released this year, even peaked at eight in the UK album chart and they've been on a number of successful national tours.

Always Like This, their second single, released in 2009, is one of the happiest songs I've heard in a long time.  The bass riff - which defines the entire song - is playful and light-hearted - it rises and falls in a naively simple way, begging you to nod your head.  Steadman's voice is uniquely rich and the vocals are delightful regardless of playing second fiddle to the bass.  Furthermore, whenever you see Steadman singing he's always got a smile on his face - you can see the joy singing brings out in him and it breeds joy in you. 

Top 5 Songs of 2010

#5 - Kanye West - So Appalled

So Appalled grew on me unlike any other track from MBDTF.  It's a classic style rap song with multiple contributors collaborating seamlessly - Kanye is joined by Jay Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz and The RZA all of whom add their own charm to their parts.  The beat is slick and catchy and the chorus is simple but effective.  There's a reason why 'Fuckin' Ridiculous' has become such a popular internet in-joke already.

#4 - Beach House - Norway

Beach House's dreamy pop has been insanely popular this year and when you listen to Norway you can see why.  Legrand's vocals are haunting and dramatic, and the keyboards and backing seem to bend air around themselves.  The guitar is abstract and obtuse and the song is a perfectly calculated exercise in the creation of such a dreamy, ethereal tone.  When Legrand finally grants you with that soaring 'Norway' you can't stop that tingle shuddering down your spine.

#3 - Laura Veirs - July Flame

The guitar starts beautiful and simple, with Veirs' voice creeping slowly over the top invoking images of nature and beauty.  The drums kick in, but stay inobtrusive.  Veirs chants 'Can I call you mine?' and the song slowly rises, a new layer of guitar being introduced.  The spiralling piano signals the entrance of chorus chanting that interacts with Veirs' vocals - the song is rising and rising, but then, abruptly and suddenly, it ends.  You start it again from the beginning. 

#2 - Foals - Spanish Sahara

Promotional single for my top album of the year, Spanish Sahara is a climactic emotional journey sitting in the heart of the record.  The guitar starts sparse but catchy and the vocals are delicate and melodic, but the song rises slowly, unstoppably to heady heights of passion, with Yannis singing out: 'I'm the fury in your head/ I'm the fury in your bed'.  The sounds that pervade the song are complex, layered and intelligent but there is heart at the centre of the piece and it is that heart that shows Foals' evolution from their first album and also what makes the song so compelling. 

#1 - Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

Sufjan Stevens is a man with grand ideas, and no song from Adz epitomises this more than the title track.  Its mix of synths, electronic beats and sampled sounds with the use of orchestral instruments such as violins, trumpets and piano is inspired.  The vocals and chorus singing are catchy and layered and the song changes volume expertly.  He has been renowned as being undiluted image of indie music, but Stevens' willingness to experiment and competence at doing so show us that he is something so much more that that.  This is how music will sound 50 years from now.

Thirty Days of Music Day 20 - A Song You Listen To When You're Angry

When a song starts with the line: 'One of those fucking awful black days' you can tell it's going to be foray into the emotions.  Be Safe is most certainly that - a passionately dark monologue about life and death over the top of The Cribs' ominous intrumentation.

Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth fame is the speaker, a dark, angry, earnest voice of great depth that fits perfectly with the tone of the speech.  The bass and drums are low-key but tense - they rise slowly as the intensity of the song increases - and Jarman's vocals are perfectly matched to the monologue, cutting in at just the right moment.

However, it is the actual monologue that makes the song.  The images invoked are vivid and emotional: 'telephone poles like praying mantis against the sky', 'you're moving so fast I can't hold your image'.  Yet The Cribs are obviously aware of the risks of being too 'emo' and melodramatic - in writing the monologue they have made it self-aware: 'a monologue on top but no girl in shot' so much so that album version of the song ends with: 'Wasn't my best one, but who cares?'.

It's not a song that actually breeds anger within you, but it is satisfying to listen to if you are angry about something.  It's an outpouring of emotion and as you listen to it all your latent anger will drain.  I wish I could quote the entire monologue to you right here, but I'm just going to give you a link.

Thirty Days of Music Day 19 - A Song From Your Favourite Album

I've raved on about Foals' second album for months now, and it placed #1 in my top albums of 2010 so I'm sure you're getting bored of hearing about it, but it's just so damn good.  Total Life Forever is a raucous romp of a record, filled with all of Foals' heart and soul.

Alabaster is relatively unknown when it comes to songs from Total Life.  It wasn't released as a single and it's not an album track that has caught on particularly among fans but I think it's one of the best songs on the album.  It's lead for most of the 4 minutes by a drum beat that grows mighty, yet starts quietly and mystically - Foals have become expert at changing tempo and sound.  The song is wonderfully ambient and it is populated by simple, high-pitched guitar lines and rhythmic chanting that create an off-beat effect.  It's so effective because it's unusual - the song seems to rise and rise, building atmosphere and tension, but never hits true climax.  The chorus, although climactic, never reaches unleashed volume, yet Yannis' singing is heartfelt - Foals have managed to mix their original intellectual math-rock style with raw emotional energy and it has worked magnificently.

Total Life Forever was the best album released in 2010, and Alabaster was one of the best songs to grace my headphones.

Thirty Days of Music Day 18 - A Song You Wish You Often Heard On The Radio

The Decemberists are one of those bands that get a lot of respect among certain indie spheres but have never really even made it into the indie mainstream.  They have been quietly ploughing away with the indie folk now for about eight years and even though they manage to perform reasonably in America - with their last album reaching #14 in the chart - and with the critics, The Crane Wife receiving a solid 8.4 from Pitchfork, they never seem to make a large impact on the UK music scene.

The Crane Wife, for me, is their best album to date and Yankee Bayonet, their most famous release, is one of the catchiest songs on the album.  They've managed to grab the incredibly gifted American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs to duet with Meloy, narrating the discourse of two lovers that have been separated by war.  The guitar is wonderfully simple; the drums are so delicate they're barely even noticeable; the vocals are uplifting and evocative.  Even though the song is about heartbreak and lost lovers ('Though our bodies may be parted/ Though our skin may not touch skin') the melody and intrumentation make the song surprisingly uplifting.  Veirs and Meloy are euphoric in combination, their voices coordinating perfectly in the chorus singing.  They sing with great unity, and both of them have stunning voices.  It's songs like this that deserve to be on the radio - Yankee Bayonet is catchy and joyful, yet meaningful and complex in nature. 

Thirty Days Of Music Day 17 - A Song You Hear On The Radio Often

The mighty combination of DJs and Producers Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso make up Swedish House Mafia.  Eric Prydz, although officially a member, has been in London and so is somewhat redundant to the band at this stage but a great renunion may be in store for us in the future.

Their first official single, One, is a mightily epic club tune that has been invading our radios for the last few months.  The reason it's so popular is that it's so easy to dance to - those meaty synths are compelling and the beats are hard - and the lyrics ('I wanna know your name') are easy to sing along to.

They roped in the silky smooth Pharrell Williams for the vocals, and have created one of the best dance tunes of 2010.  It's easy to see why they one Best Swedish Band at the MTV Awards - a category which is as competetive as almost any other. 

Thirty Days of Music Day 16 - A Song You Hate But Used To Love

Welsh metal band, Bullet for my Valentine, released their debut self titled ep in November 2004 on the Visible Noise label.  They sparked a minor craze, with a large amount of the alternative teen population falling in love with their pained, dark lyrics and unleashed energy.
 
Hand of Blood, probably their most famous song, is a crazily energetic riot of a song that screams for attention.  It's all about the sickeningly fast guitar and violent screaming, with the pounding drums driving the whole intrumentation forward.  I used to absolutely love this song but as I've grown older I have moved away from this style of music.  I'm not saying that I absolutely despise it, because the guitar is still catchy and the song has a certain charm to it.  My main problem with the song is that I've mellowed quite considerably since 2005 and this song isn't subtle enough for my liking.

It's a shame that Bullet haven't really produced anything up to the standard of their first few releases since then, but I suppose it was hard for them to live up to that early strength.

Thirty Days of Music Day 15 - A Song That Describes You

So I've just about reached the half way point of this little challenge I've set myself, and it's going ok.  I've had to bend the rules a few times and I've enjoyed writing about some songs more than others.  This time around was a very hard choice - it's so hard to choose a song that describes yourself without being arrogant, pretentious or unnecessarily modest.  A few songs came to mind straight away, including Creep, Charmer, The Fool and Your Protector but most of these seem a bit stupidly comic and blatant.

In the end I went for Devil's Spoke/ Sneh Ko Marg because it is a fusion of English and Asian in the same way that I am of a similar fusion.  This, once again, is a bit of a cop-out but I still wanted to choose a damn good song for this category and so this was the only thing I could come up with.

Devil's Spoke is a great song on it's own - creating a wonderfully dark atmosphere - but when it's combined with the dreamily quick, flowing Indian singing it works brilliantly.  The voices of Laura and the Dharohar Project are absolutely stunning and it's a shame there is only a live version available at the moment because it would be great to hear the polished-up tune.  There is great contrast between Marling's and the other vocals and the Dharohar Project make great use of variations in note length to create a mystical, intangible tone to their music.

Usually I get jealous when great artists go and tour other countries, leaving us English fans neglected, but this song was born from Marling touring India with Mumford and Sons.  If we're going to be gifted with such gems every time she tours another country, then I don't want to see her back in Hampshire for a good few years.

Thirty Days of Music Day 14 - A Song That No One Would Expect You To Love

Rap, as genres go, has not been an especially respected genre among music geeks - and when it is, other than the our beloved Kanye, it tends to be proferred to only the non-commercial hip-hop acts such as The Roots.  Lupe Fiasco is perhaps an example of one of these well respected rappers - he's no Big Boi, I admit - but he has certain qualities that appeal to the music-geek in me.

Unlike most commercial rappers, Fiasco's lyrics aren't about guns, money and whores but have a certain abstract nature to them.  In Dumb it Down he rants about record bosses trying to get him to dumb his lyrics down - he ends with: 'but I flatly refused I ain't dumbing down nothing'.  His voice is silkily smooth and his rhythm and rhyme are immaculate, clashing cleverly with the chorus and chanting.  The electronic backing is catchy and tense and the drum beat is simple an unobtrusive.

He approaches topics of education, feminism and rapping stereotypes - taking an ironic angle on them in the chorus, surrounded by the luciously verbose verses that make the song.

Thirty Days of Music Day 13 - A Song That Is A Guilty Pleasure

I'm slightly ashamed to admit that XO by Fall Out Boy is my most played song on itunes - racking up an impressive 146 plays.  I bought From Under the Cork Tree when it came out in 2005 and was soon addicted to the incredibly catchy hooks and witty lyrics that Fall Out Boy utilised at the time.  It's one of those albums that you either love or hate, and it polarised ciritics at the time, but I think it's still brilliant.  I admit my music taste has changed dramatically since 2005 but I have to give them great respect for pulling off an album that could have easily been sickeningly poppy.

XO is probably one of the best songs off the album - the whole band's sound changes pace brilliantly, Stump's vocals moving from rushed lists ('to drinks in the club to the bar/ to the keys in your car') to soaringly held chorus notes and the drums following them perfectly.  The album version has simple, but effective echos on some of the vocals and Stump's voice is extremely powerful.  You get the impression that the guitar and bass are pretty redundant in XO, they are barely heard other than at the beginning, being drowned out by the vocals and drums - maybe this is a good thing, though, because it works to create an extremely catchy, swift-footed song that seems to end all too soon.

Thirty Days of Music Day 12 - A Song From A Band You Hate

Even though I'm supposed to be choosing a song from a band that I hate, I still wanted to choose a song that I like.  This meant I had to compromise slightly on the hate side of the choice.  It's not so much that I actively hate Smashing Pumpkins, but that I've never really seen their appeal as a band.  I find their style too coarse, and Corrigan's voice grating and unpleasant.  Of course, they're a massive band so they're obviously doing something right - 1979 is the only song by them that gives me a glimpse of what has made them so popular.

It's a much more relaxing attempt by Corrigan and co, with gentle, dreamy guitar and low-key vocals that create a muffled tone.  The chorus ups the energy ever-so-slightly, soaring over the intrumentation, and the guitar builds as the song goes on.  The lyrics reinforce the dreamy nature of the song - they are suggestive of the reminiscence over a past relationship, Corrigan's husky voice singing: 'Justine never knew the rules'.

Considering they've been together since 1988, it's a shame they haven't produced more songs that meet this level of craftmanship.  Then again, maybe it's my fault and they have but I haven't found the hidden gems just yet.

Thirty Days of Music Day 11 - A Song From Your Favourite Band

'Indie poster boy' Sufjan Stevens has been producing albums as a solo artist for the past ten years, debuting in 2000 with A Sun Came.  One of the most consistantly magnificent songwriters of the decade, he has made a load of wonderful albums including Illinois, Michigan, Sevens Swans and my #4 album of 2010 The Age of Adz.

Casimir Pulaski Day is one of the best songs off his 2005 album Illinois.  Included in almost every Album of the Decade list that I have seen, Illinois is a orchestrally grand, perfectly accurate depiction of the state and it is filled with rich, layered, incredibly uplifting songs.  Casimir is a beautifully heartfelt lament over a lost love - the lyrics are stunningly evocative and the guitar line is beautifully simple.  Sufjan's voice is delicate and emotional, and the images invoked throughout the song are lucid and moving.  This song represents acoustic songwriting at its best.

The video is a live performance at a radio station in America - his live shows are really eccentric, but also brilliantly coordinated - there are rumours of a European tour in the wake of the release of Adz and I can tell you that I would sell my kidney for tickets to see him.

Thirty Days of Music Day 10 - A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

Zero 7 have been kings of downtempo for some time now, making great chilled out tunes with the likes of Sia and Jose Gonzalez as regular guest singers, and possibly my favourite song of theirs is the sentimentally lovestruck Somersault.  To be honest, I could have chosen pretty much any Zero 7 song, but Futures, Pageant of the Bizarre and The Space Between were extremely close contenders with this song.

The original song is a beautifully relaxing ditty about love and relationships, but the remix adds an entirely new dimension to the song.  Danger Mouse and MF Doom have combined to create an incredibly chilled out, perfectly synergised version - Doom's rapping fits perfectly with the tone of the song, lessening the over-the-top sweetness of the lyrics whilst keeping to the topic: 'the flutter of her eyelashes helped to clear the tension'. His delivery is so unique and his voice fits perfectly into a chilled out tone - the song is perfect to relax to without being as samey as some of the classic chill music you usually find.

I talked about this song in a earlier post about some remixes I had found on YouTube, but I couldn't help but use it again here because it's a more unusual approach to chill music that works so well and you can really see the skill of Danger Mouse and Doom when they remix a song like this.

Thirty Days of Music 09 - A Song That You Can Dance To

Big Boi reached number eight on my top albums of 2010 with his debut solo album and Shutterbug, the lead single, is catchy, beat-driven and intelligent.  Pioneered by Zane Lowe earlier in the year, it became a somewhat underground classic that foreshadowed the funky energy that pervades the entire album.

It so danceable because of its heavy beat and slick electronic backing, while Big Boi treats us to some slick rapping.  The chorus is simple but effective and the whole song is driven forward by the backing, making it easy to sing along to and get the beat down.  The lyrics are witty and intelligent, and Big Bo's delivery is perfectly polished.  This song is one of the best rap offerings of the year, matched only by some of Kanye's output.

The whole of Sir Lucious is filled with catchy, funky keyboards and smooth rapping - the 'other half' of Outkast has finally broken free and produced the kind of album that we all expected from him.   

Thirty Days of Music Day 08 - A Song That You Know All The Lyrics To

Ok so I admit I may have taken the easy route for this choice, considering Love Like A Sunset only has about ten lines of lyrics - but the song is completely worthy of being included in my 30 days of music. Sunset is a climactic, diverse, slow burning rollercoaster - one of the best songs from 2009 masterpiece Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

 Sunset is driven by dramatic bass and electronic doodling, and it progresses stage by stage becoming more and more tense. Phoenix have mastered perfectly the manipulation of volume for effect, changing effortlessly from loud synths and forboding bass to trickling, anticlimactic guitar. However, it turns out that the highlight of the song is when the lyrics kick in. You have to wait six minutes - is it really waiting, though, when the song is this good? - for the stunning Mars vocals to arrive, but when they do they’re breathtaking. The melody is unbelievably uplifting and the lyrics are simple but powerful, Mars singing out ‘Day comes/ A visible horizon/ Right where it starts and ends’.

 I saw Phoenix live at Reading Festival this year, and they were absolutely incredible. Love Like A Sunset is possibly the best live track I have ever seen, and they performed it to an even higher level than that of the album recording. Mars’ voice is brilliantly versatile, and Phoenix should definitely be on your list of bands to see live.

Top Albums of 2010

#10 - Teebs - Ardour

Singing birds and dropping coins are not sounds usually associated with electronica, however Teebs - otherwise known as California-based producer Metendere Mandowa - integrated them seemlessly into his hazy debut collection.  It seems somewhat ironic that music entirely electronic in form can so effortlessly embody the atmosphere of the natural world - Ardour's luscious collection of escapist electronica sends you back to summer; the scorching sun hanging high overhead; birds cavorting in the sky; long luscious grass surrounding you.  It's a perfect aural pick-me-up to counteract the depressing effects of the long, cold winter ahead.


#9 - Goldheart Assembly - Wolves and Thieves

Originally hailed as the UK's answer to a certain Seattle-based folk band, whose hallowed name I dare not mention, Goldheart Assembly, a sixpiece hailing from London, released their debut album in March this year.  Although it was highly unlikely for them to ever match up to their transatlantic counterparts, Wolves and Thieves proved to be an album of great class - Dale and Herbert's voices combine perfectly into hook-laden melody over their more upbeat, poppy take on 'traditional' indie-folk and they succeed in creating a great depth of sound both vocally and instrumentally.  Their live show is absolutely stunning and the band is incredibly tight - their sound can't be faulted and the on-stage banter is second to none.  See them if you can.


#8 - Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Big Boi faced a veritable obstacle course trying to get his debut album released this year.  The trailblazing rapper, who has often unfairly been palmed off as the other half of that band Outkast, was forced to move record label just to get Sir Lucious out here for us.  It's an unusual mix of funky, fast-paced keyboard-based tunes combining with Big Boi's smoothly intelligent rap.  He's found a great selection of collaborators, including Janelle Monae, Cutty and B.o.B.  Just think how good it could have been if Jive hadn't denied us three Andre 3000 collaborations.


#7 - LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening

This is Happening may well be the last album that LCD Soundsystem ever make - but if it is, at least they've gone out with a bang.  Murphy's upbeat mock-disco tomfoolery is still just as charming as it always has been, and you can't help but nod along to the unashamedly catchy melodies that dominate the album.   Happening is filled with uncompromising self-appraisal and social commentary, Murphy picking up on the subtlest nuances of social interaction without seeming pretentious or all knowing.  Considering LCD spent most of the album's composition totally wasted in LA it's impressive it still turned into another work of art to add to your collection.


#6 - Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

After the infamous Pitchfork 10.0 it seems to be the 'hip' thing to leave Kanye West off your Top Albums of 2010, but you just can't bring yourself to do it when he's gone and produced the best album of his career.  We all knew something good was on its way when we heard Monster and Power, but the strength of this album was an unexpected delight.  Like Big Boi, Kanye has roped in a selection of classy conspirators including Jay Z, Nicki Minaj (whose cameo on Monster seems to be hot news at the moment), John Legend and Rick Ross, but the collaboration of the album has surely got to be with Bon Iver.  Who could argue against the joint effort of two such talented artists?  Not me.


#5 - Laura Veirs - July Flame

Named after a peach that she saw at a farmers' market, the seventh studio album of American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs was released in January.  As you might expect from the title, the album draws upon the imagery of nature - but in the unusually dreamy Shakespearian way represented by the album cover - and also has the scope to explore themes of love, life and war.  Her echoing vocals are spellbinding, and the tracks find the perfect balance between sparse guitar and delicate piano.   This is probably Veirs' best album, and her beautiful vision is wholly epitomised in the swelling title track.  A few listens will send you rifling through her back-catalogue on the hunt for more gems.


#4 - Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

The arrival of Age of Adz in November sparked some turbulence amongst hardcore Sufjan Stevens fans who felt he had over-deviated from his indie roots.  Adz saw Stevens introduce a more electronic aspect to his music, combining his old orchestral composition with new synths and beats.  You can't help but appreciate the audacity of the guy - leaving the style that had worked for him so well to experiment with new ideas - and you can't help but admit that Adz is a wonderfully creative, conceptually grand album. To be honest, it's worth the listen just to hear Stevens swear on a song for (what I think is) the first time.


#3 - Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

Laura Marling, pride of Hampshire, came into the spotlight when her debut Alas I Cannot Swim was released in early 2008.  Back then she was praised for her songwriting ability and witty yet romantic view of young love.  2010 saw her follow-up hit new heights, Laura showing a level of maturity far surpassing that expected of a 20-year-old.  I Speak Because I Can is a much darker, brooding album - Marling explores the responsibility of womanhood, her voice's natural punch is breathtaking and there is a decided urgency underlying her songs.  She has taken great steps in her honing of the indie-folk sound, and I Speak Because I Can makes a large number of older, more experienced bands look like amateurs.


#2 - Beach House - Teen Dream

American dream-pop duo Beach House have long been a critics' favourite, and with the release of third studio album Teen Dream they have only strengthened this position.  They have become masters of the ethereal sound, keyboard and guitar combining subtly under Legrand's haunting vocals, however, it's the poppy facets of the album that really make it stand out - Teen Dream is ridiculously catchy without descending into cheap, repetetive hooks.  If it's good enough to lure the likes of Beyonce and Jay Z to Beach House concerts, then it's good enough for us.

#1 - Foals - Total Life Forever

Total Life Forever, the second offering from Oxford indie favourites Foals, saw them depart from their barking, jerking math rock and progress into the unchartered territories of a more slick, more carefully composed sound.  Total Life is a large step up from their previous work - there is an unquestionable synergy of instruments, with guitar, drums, synths and bass working in perfect harmony with Yannis' new falsetto-filled, melodically driven vocals.  The album cover seems to represent their new sound perfectly - there is something tidal, almost aqueous, about the structure of the songs.  They are climactic and emotional; they transfer perfectly between gentle and restrained and loud and brash; the lyrics are abstract yet emotional and the hooks are perfectly considered.  Total Life Forever is a perfect example of how, through experimentation, a band can become so much more than they ever were.

Thirty Days of Music Day 07 - A Song That Reminds You of an Event

About 3 years ago I went to a fireworks show at one of my parents' friend's house.  He's an explosives expert and so the fireworks show was absolutely breathtaking, and my parents were kind enough to let me bring a friend along.  I took a friend called Joe, and at that time he was near obsessed with Fireflies, and so during the two hour journey to the fireworks show we sat in the back of the car listening to it over and over again.

This song is now linked so strongly to that event that it's all I think about when I hear it.  It seems fitting that a song about fireflies is linked to a night of incredible fireworks and, although I am not so in to that style of music any more, I still enjoy the song thanks to the memories that it brings to the surface. 

Fireflies is the sixth track from Finch's second album Say Hello To Sunshine.  Personally, I always preferred What It Is To Burn because I felt Finch left melody by the wayside with their second album.  There is no denying that both albums bring great intensity in their composition, but most of the tunes in What It Is are better composed - Fireflies is one of the only exceptions, matching up to classics such as Letters To You and Perfection Through Silence.  The chorus is simple but insanely catchy and the entire song is an intense, burning experience.  To a certain extent, it feels like it would be at home in Thrice's Alchemy Index Volume I: Fire.

Thirty Days of Music Day 06 - A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere

Sufjan Stevens' new album, The Age of Adz, was released in October during my first term at University.  The first single from the album, I Walked, is unlike most of his work previously, incorporating a more electronic, more synthesised side to his music.  When the album came out, I volunteered to review Adz for the Warwick newspaper, The Boar, and so I spent much of my spare time listening to the album and even did so whilst doing my work.

It's an experimental piece of epic composition that takes Stevens' work in a completely unprecedented direction.  Adz caused a stir amongst hardcore Suffy fans, but there is no question that he has kept up his famously high standards.  I Walked and the whole of the album remind me of Warwick campus - staying up late doing work, going to do the laundry, chilling in the tea shop.  It may seem like these are mundane activities, but it's small things that make the stay at University so much fun and this album is now inextricably linked to my life in Warwick.

If you wan't to see the full album review, click here.

Thirty Days of Music Day 05 - A Song That Reminds You of Someone

When the Cardigans released Long Gone Before Daylight in 2003, it wasn't long before a copy of it was on its way to my house.  My mum, who I have to thank for lots of my musical discoveries (including Fleet Foxes, Laura Veirs, Jackson Browne and Josh Rouse), introduced me to the album almost as soon as it arrived.  She's so into music that when a new album enters the house it tends to get played almost non-stop and I soon came to know almost the entire album off by heart.

Communication, a soft ballad of love and relationships, is probably the best track on the CD.  It starts with gentle guitar and Persson's beautiful vocals and progresses beautifully.  The song finishes with a beautiful blend of guitar solos and vocals that complement each other perfectly.  Persson sings out: 'But I don't know how to connect/ So I disconnect' and the song revolves almost solidly around her voice - of course, they knew their strengths when they made the song.  Persson's voice is so flawless throughout the entire album, and it is that which provides the driving force for most of the songs.

This song, and this album, remind of me of cold winters about six years ago when I would sit in the back room doing work and my mum would have this album on.  Most of all, though, it reminds me of my mum and her music taste and how similar hers is to mine. 

Other songs to check out from the album are You're the Storm, For What It's Worth and Please Sister.

Thirty Days of Music Day 04 - A Song That Makes You Sad

I really struggled to pick one song for this category because there are so many really incredible sad songs.  For a while I toyed with Konstantine by Something Corporate, but I feel its message isn't actually sorrowful even if the melody is.  I also thought about Winter by Joshua Radin and Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley, but these seemed a tad predictable.  In the end I was stuck between My Love Has Gone by Josh Rouse and Kingdom of Rust by Doves and I went for the latter.

The song itself is not classically, or stereotypically, sad - it's not slow, lilting and soppy, it's not quiet and gentle and it's not about doomed love.  Doves have created a song that is driven and progressive that also exudes earnest emotion and paints a bleak, beautiful picture of England.  Williams' vocals are simple in melody but they encourage contemplation.  He sings out 'My God/ It takes an ocean of trust/ It takes an effort it does' and it feels like the song could be applied to any part of our lives.

The video that so beautifully accompanies it is an almost perfectly appropriate interpretation of the song, and together they make one of the most moving pieces of art I've ever seen.  The shots of England are absolutely stunning and the conclusion of the video seems so genuine - it's as if the director has invested great personal and emotional experience into its creation.

Even though I have little other experience of Doves, this song alone gives me great respect for their songwriting ability and I would also recommend Caught by the River. 

Come back tomorrow for a song that reminds me of someone.

Thirty Days of Music Day 03 - A Song That Makes You Happy

Sufjan Stevens' Chicago has the power to warm just about anyone's heart - it provides you with six minutes of unadulterated happiness and has some intagnible quality to it that just inflates the euphoria within your chest.

When Illinois was released in 2005 it stunned critics with its orchestral grandeur, ambitious scope and evocative lyrics.  It was ranked highly on multiple Albums of the Decade lists, including a #1 from Paste magazine, and has been both critically and popularly acclaimed.  The whole album itself is so emotionally balaced - treading the fine line between sorrow and euphoria - and Chicago sits in the soul of the album, epitomising everything that it has come to represent.  It's filled with joyous trumpeting, swooning violins and uplifting lyrics.  The song seems to carry forward in a rush of released energy, and the lyrical content is uplifting without being cliched.  Sufjan sings out 'I made a lot of mistakes' without regret or anger but with a reminiscent fondness - the song revolving around the idea of rebirth from past experiences ('to recreate us/ all things grow, all things grow').  It works so well, just like the album as a whole, because the song seems to take happiness from sorrow - for every trough in emotion, there is a larger peak of joy that seems to heal the wounds.

The video above is a great live version - Sufjan puts on such an incredible show and the whole band are insanely talented.  His new album, which I've reviewed on here, was released a few weeks back and hopefully he'll be coming to Europe sometime next year.  I can't wait for it.

Thirty Days of Music Day 02 - Your Least Favourite Song

I made a small change to the rules for this category, and decided to choose only from songs that are in my music library.  I admit, there was a large selection of songs in my library that really disgusted me for various reasons - from the period in my life they represent, to the values they hold, to the pure ugliness of their sound.  I spent a long time debating all of these songs, toying with the idea of putting up some Slipknot, some Nightwish and 50 Cent, but in the end I couldn't help but choose Operation Ground and Pound as my least favourite song.

This isn't because I have an unquenchable hatred for Dragonforce or because I hate the actual song - in fact, I quite like the song as a stand-alone track - but because I hate what the song represents.  I have great respect for the sheer skill it requires to play such ridiculously fast guitar and drum parts, and I know that I will never be able to attain that level of proficiency, but I feel that it is putting forward an ideal that suggests music can only be good if it is extremely difficult to play.  Dragonforce seem to only write songs that require mind-numbing finger speed, and don't even try to play anything else.  While this is a commendable ambition, I find it bordering on elitist and it suggests to budding young musicians that the skill of being in a band lies solely in technical skill.

This, of course, is not true. 

If we look at bands such as The XX and Foals it is clear that good songwriting and originality are the keys to success - these bands play songs that aren't particularly challenging, but that have pushed the boundaries of modern music and that are musically coordinated and coherent.  Bands like these are both critically acclaimed and widely popular and show that raw finger speed isn't everything.

Furthermore, Dragonforce epitomise the idea that if you like or play a specific type of music then you must look a certain way.  In the same way that emo bands encouraged this a few years back, and indie is to a certain extent now, it almost forces listeners into social stereotypes regardless of whether these suit the person's character.  This is not the way that music should affect its listeners - it should be a release from any kind of social constraints, a chance to escape (to a certain extent) the conformity of day-to-day life.

I'd like to reiterate the point that I'm not trying to personally attack Dragonforce, and I don't want to suggest that they have limited songwriting ability and that they aren't original.  I just feel that they have been producing the same kind of music for far too long and they are too stereotypically representative of the stereotypical metal/ power metal band and listeners.

Thirty Days of Music Day 01 - Your Favourite Song

Heartbeats shot Jose Gonzalez into fame in 2005 when it was used in the Sony Bravia ad (above).  A cover of Swedish band The Knife's 2002 release, it is a beautiful two-and-a-half minute lament over a lost night of love.  I have spent many hours in wonder of the sheer genius of the guitar part that Gonzalez composed for the cover - it's honestly one of the best acoustic guitar phrases I have ever heard.  Unlike other songs that have tended to occupy my attention in phases - coming and going within weeks - this song has remained a favourite of mine for the last few years and now reigns supreme ,with 153, at the top of my most-played list.

Veneer, the album from which Heartbeats is taken, was Gonzalez's debut released in late 2005. It's a melancholy, tricklingly timid collection of songs that embody the style of a true singer-songwriter.  Gonzalez's gentle, placating voice is perfectly suited to this style of music and I can't stress enough how great this album is.  It may not be groundbreaking or experimental, but it's easy to spend hours listening to it.  Veneer is the perfect album to be woken up by on a lazy Sunday morning - it will coax you ever-so-delicately awake - or to chill out to after a busy day.  It's one of those albums that honestly feels like it does your soul good as you listen. 

Sony Bravia are almost single-handedly responsible for Heartbeats' fame - their famous San Francisco bouncing balls is an absolute masterpiece and is as good as the song itself.  Without using any special effects, Sony made one of the most beautiful ads of all time - the images and audio work perfectly together.  If you can't appreciate the beauty of this song, and this video, then I don't think I want you reading my blog...

Thirty Days of Music

I saw this challenge on the My Music Geek blog and thought I'd have a go.  Bearing in mind that lots of my choices for these categories change weekly, here's the list of days:

Day 01 - Your favorite song
Day 02 - Your least favorite song
Day 03 - A song that makes you happy
Day 04 - A song that makes you sad
Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
Day 07 - A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 08 - A song that you know all the words to
Day 09 - A song that you can dance to
Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 - A song from your favorite band
Day 12 - A song from a band you hate
Day 13 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 - A song that describes you
Day 16 - A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 - A song that you often hear of the radio
Day 18 - A song you wish you often heard on the radio
Day 19 - A song from your favorite album
Day 20 - A song that you listen to when you're angry
Day 21 - A song you listen to when you're happy
Day 22 - A song you listen to when you're sad
Day 23 - A song you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 - A song you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 - A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 - A song you wish you could play
Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 - A song from your childhood
Day 30 - Your favorite song at this time last year

Laura Marling Cover

This is mine and Emma's attempt at Laura Marling's song Blackberry Stone.  The video and audio quality is pretty poor, but it could be worse (I hope).  We gave it our best shot.

The Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens

I have been a big Sufjan Stevens fan for a long time and I am yet to dislike an album he has released. The critically acclaimed Detroit-born artist has long been a cult favourite, and to me (being part of the aforementioned cult) has been unwavering in his high quality output of music. The Age of Adz only consolidates his position in my mind, as it is another album of immense scope that he has pulled off immaculately.

Taking elements of the banjo-laden, acoustic tracks of Michigan and the orchestral grandeur of Illinoise he has mixed them with a myriad of electronic beats and synths - creating probably his most experimental album to date. It is very different to his previous work and even though you can still pick out trumpets, violins, guitars, piano and the other instruments we expect from him, they are often carefully layered or hidden behind an electronic haze. This dramatic change could shock some die-hard fans, but if you invest your time generously into listening then you will see the true beauty of the songs and arrangements.

Lyrically, Sufjan has taken a different approach to his previous albums - before, the emotion in the songs would be rooted in geographical or historical context, whereas in Adz we tend to see the raw feeling untempered by context. This is neither enhancing nor depreciating to his music - it is just, perhaps, a hint as to how he is evolving and experimenting. How he is not willing to stay static for too long.

The first single I Walked is an electronically emotional lament with Sufjan’s gentle voice rising and falling over the beat. It’s catchy yet meaningful, each layer combining to drive the song (gently) forward. However, there are some album tracks that far surpass it. The title track is a writhing, dramatic number where you see all of the usual orchestral components combining with heavy beats, cascading synths and a catchy chorus-sung hook. I Want To Be Well maintains a swift tempo yet slowly builds into an emotional crescendo - the chorus repeating the title and Sufjan, as far as I know, swearing for the first time on a track : ‘I’m not f***ing around’. There is something so earnest about this that it seems to exude emotional charge.

Impossible Soul, a twenty-five-minute tour de force at the end of the album sums up the collection as a whole. It may seem like a large investment at first, but you will find yourself more and more willing to return - each listen granting you new revelations.

Ardour - Teebs

The first I heard of California-based producer, painter and skater Teebs’ (Metendere Mandowa’s) debut album Ardour was the warning that it would make me want to pee. An apt analysis it seems, as Mandowa has produced a fluid, aqueous, intangible collection of songs that quickly lull you into a relaxed state with their deluge of sound. Even if you’re not rushing to the bathroom every ten minutes then it’s extremely easy to lose track of your time whilst listening.

Teebs manages to create an almost perfect synergy between the pulsing, undulating layers of sound and the slick, simple, low-key drum loops that characterise his unique style. The tracks are so carefully arranged that neither of the two ever dominates, and the frequent waxing and waning of sounds seems to coordinate to give the songs an almost tidal nature. Furthermore, he has clearly taken great pains to create his tracks, utilising not only his ambient, floating synths, but a variety of sounds from coins dropping, to birds singing, to chimes and piano. Almost all the songs are reminiscent of scorching sun and blue skies, and Teebs manages to effectively transport you back to summer. There are singing birds, euphoric synthesisers and gentle arpeggios that, although electronic, bring to mind walks in the country, empty fields and nature in all its forms. Tracks such as Lakeshore Ave., You’ve Changed and Humming Birds epitomise this uplifting style and really are the cream of Teebs’ crop.

He has produced an extremely accomplished album of escapist electronica but I do feel that the album as a whole is lacking something. It’s like listening to Zero 7 without Sia, or Portishead without Beth. You just feel that the music is slightly sterile without a voice to add passion and variety into the mix, and this means it lacks any emotional depth. There is a certain satisfaction to be gained from filling in Teebs’ blanks with your own emotions, but this can only get you so far and if you’re looking for something more meaningful you might have to go elsewhere.

However, Ardour is still an extremely intelligent and carefully crafted piece of work from a multitalented pioneer of the arts, and will appeal even to those who haven’t listened to much electronica before. Furthermore, if you’re getting depressed by the sight of winter looming down upon us, listening to Teebs could be the perfect way to escape all the stress and gloominess and take yourself back to summers past.

Mercury Prize

I've been away for a while so this post is a bit late, but I just wanted to talk about the Mercury Prize from a few weeks back.

 For me, the highlights of the nominations were Laura Marling, Foals and The XX.

 20 year-old singer-songerwriter Laura Marling's second album I Speak Because I Can is her second to be nominated for the Mercury Prize.  It is a mature, dark, brooding record - unexpected from someone of her age - that contrasts with her previous nomination Alas, I Cannot Swim.  She fully utilises her voice's primitive punch in this album, teaming it perfectly with ominous backing and her characteristic trickling fingerpicking.  These songs seem more melancholy than her previous offerings, and they take on mammoth subjects - life, death, heartbreak, responsibility.  It's as if, to me, the album reeks of history - songs such as What He Wrote, Made in Maid and Devil's Spoke all hearken back to a more uncomplicated time without losing any of their own sophistication.  All that's brought to mind is costume dramas, witches and denied love.

 Marling expertly emulates an old traditional folk style, and uses great contrast in her instrumentation.  The single, Devil's Spoke, sees running, rolling guitar and Marling's singing keeping pace whilst album highlight Blackberry Stone is much more gentle - you are lulled as you listen by the simple guitar, lamenting violins and her soft vocals.

 Oxford indie band Foals' second album also saw them depart from their debut's style.  Antidotes was filled with uncompromisingly stubborn math rock - barked vocals, odd time signatures and jerking, awkward guitar.  Total Life Forever, on the other hand, is an ambient, aquatic, synthesised masterpiece that even sees lead singer Yannis move into the unexplored realms of gentle melody and falsetto.

 First single, This Orient, is an uplifting, emotional web of carefully arranged sounds - multiple voices, synths, guitar, bass and drums all combine to create a beautiful end product.  The rise and fall found in This Orient is characteristic of the album - the band have created a perfect mix of gentle and loud music, and they masterfully transfer between the two.  Spanish Sahara is an escalating riot of the sound and singing that builds from near silence, Alabaster is an almost perfect synergy between vocals and instruments that creates a lamenting, uniquely structured song.  Every song seems to have a natural, catchy beat and the hooks are far more accessible than those in Antidotes.  They still retain a penchant for high, jerking guitar but it is rendered so much more subtly.  Total Life Forever is my album of the year so far - buy it if you can and see them live if you can.

 The XX, who won the award, are the hipster band of the moment.  Famous for their incredibly stylised, minimalistic approach to music, their debut album XX received critical acclaim.  Now I don't intend to oppose all those critics who think the album is quality, because it is.  They take a refreshingly different approach to music, and both Oilver and Romy have incredible voices.  Single Crystalised is a work of art, and the two vocalists always combine perfectly both live and on recording.  However, I feel that the other two albums I have talked about are better.  The minimalistic style of The XX is not condusive to putting great emotion into their songs, and this can lead to a sterility in their music.  Furthermore, the lack of variation in the album let it down.  Intro, possibly the best song on XX, is a faster piece - the exception in an otherwise slow album.


I'm not trying to take anything away from The XX, because the album is great(especially for a debut) and in a way they do deserve recognition for their acheivements.  However, like Nihal stated on the Mercury Prize show, I feel there's better stuff to come from them.

 Top Songs:
Foals: Alabaster, This Orient, 2 Trees, Spanish Sahara
Laura Marling: Devil's Spoke, Blackberry Stone, Made in Maid, I Speak Because I Can
The XX: Crsytalised, Islands, Infinity

Reading Festival

So it was Reading Fest last weekend and I took the opportunity to check out some of the awesome live acts that took part. Here's what I saw:


Friday
Two Door Cinema Club, Beardyman, Biffy Clyro, Mumford and Sons, Phoenix, LCD Soundsystem

Saturday
Hadouken!, Darwin Deez, Crystal Castles, Arcade Fire

Sunday
Goldheart Assembly, Thrice, Holy Fuck, You Me at Six, Kele, Foals, Paramore, Blink 182

Two Door Cinema Club were an incredible start to the festival, their joyful indie-pop melodies creating an electrifyingly enthusiastic atmosphere in the packed NME tent. Trimble hit every note and they showed they could effortlessly bring Tourist History's euphoric sound to the live stage.

After this, I was persuaded by a few friends to see Beardyman in the Alternative Tent - my mind was blown. UK champion beatboxer in 2006 and '07, he uses his voice and Korg loop pedals to create an incredibly varied and unique dance experience. Distinguishing a standard dance track from Foreman's live solo productions is near impossible.

My highlight of Friday, however, was the hook-laden show of French alt rock band Phoenix. They flawlessly reproduced classics 1901 and Lisztomania, but the true masterclass came in the form of Love like a Sunset - an almost entirely instrumental epic where the slow build in tension was perfectly crafted. The band used each progression of the piece as an entirely different song, creating the kind of synergy and cohesion rarely found in live shows. All this polish was topped off by the best lighting show I saw all weekend - credit to the guys working backstage at in the NME tent for a stunning job.

Saturday was my least favourite of the days, however there were still some stellar acts on show. Hadouken! and Crystal Castles showed their credentials with some solid dance tracks. Hadouken! let rip with their barking rap and sinister beats, whilst the Castles' trippy gameboy-dance was vocalised in frenzy by the always ferocious, always energetic Alice Glass.

Darwin Deez were the pinnacle of Saturday. It was a show of a euphorically comic nature - with Darwin and the gang performing dance routines in between their songs. Their neo-pop was rightly appreciated by the crowd in the Festival Republic stage, who were treated to the sentimentally romantic Radar Detector and the witty lyricism of DNA. The highlight of the show, of course, was seeing one of the specialised security dancing to Beyonce's Single Ladies whilst being circled by the prancing band.

Although unfamiliar with Arcade Fire, I was impressed with the polish of their show. They performed hits such as Keep the Car Running and Wake Up, fully utilising all 8 members on the stage to create a beautifully rich layer of sounds unlike any other band of the weekend. Butler and the gang perhaps lack driving energy in their performances, but his stage presence is undeniable and he even had the confidence to make a few quips at the expense of Guns 'n' Roses - the crowd rightly enjoyed these.

Sunday began with the best performance of the festival (in my humble opinion). Goldheart Assembly, a six piece from London, awoke a small crowd at the NME tent with their gentle alternative rock - mixing soft, folky Fleet Foxes-esque tones with more heavy, more purposeful instrumentation. Their stunning harmonies, neverending energy and unwavering confidence produced the perfect intimate show for the lucky audience. Dale and Herbert (lead vocalists) have great onstage banter, and you can tell they're true rockstars because they sip tea between songs.

The Main Stage crowd was a massive disappointment on Sunday. I went to see Thrice - perhaps my favourite band of all time - and although it was an impressive display of emotionally charged, perfectly performed music from (mainly) Vheissu and Beggars, the crowd failed to get into the songs at all. While the few of us who appreciated their talent flipped out in the single, small mosh pit, everyone else stood still and watched. I can't help but feel that Thrice would have been more appreciated in the Lock-Up.

Foals on Sunday evening, in a simlar vein to Phoenix, set the NME tent on fire with their raucous, rioting indie-rock and contrasting aquatic, floating electropop. Yannis bursts into life onstage - playing up to the crowd, jumping, shouting and dancing - and creates an incredibly hyperactive atmosphere for the crowd and the band. The tense, climactic Spanish Sahara was a maelstrom of swirling, repetetive, unrelenting emotion; the barked Cassius coaxed shouts of joy from the crowd.

I have few regrets, but I hear Queens of the Stone Age were mighty, and I would have liked to have seen Ash. However, I thought the lineup was solid this year and I hope for more of the same next time.

Remixes

I found all of these remixes browsing through Youtube today. There's lots of stuff you can find by unknowns as well as famous artists, but there's also lots of stuff that's not particularly great. It's worth the effort when you stumble accross something really special, though.


Comin' Home - City and Colour (Remix by Incubus96)



I spent an age trawling through Comin' Home remixes before I found this one. I suppose it's good that lots of people have made attempts at remaking the song - it shows Dallas is getting the credit he deserves - but I was pretty disappointed with the general output that I found. My main issue was that the majority sped up the original, making him sound like a girl and subtracting from the serious tone of the song. Furthermore, the lamenting lyrics that characterised the original just don't seem right showcased in some of the pumping, driven tunes had been produced. This remix, done by a guy who I only know as Ben (incubus96 on YouTube), stood out because he left the song's speed relatively unchanged. Also, he was very careful with his production - only really adding simple drums and bass. This, for me, gives the illusion of an increased pace whilst leaving the emphasis on the awesome vocals and lyrics of Dallas.


Somersault - Zero 7 (Danger Mouse and MF Doom Remix)
This second remix is of an absolute Zero 7 classic - Somersault. Conversely to the first one, it is quite a popular remix already - probably due to the fact it was produced by Danger Mouse and stars MF Doom. I love Doom's low-key rapping over the top of the original Somersault backing; it remains, in the style of Zero 7, unbelieveably chilled out and seemingly effortless. Sia's sweet vocals still pervade the chorus and background of the song, a gentle contrast to Doom's deeper tones. My only gripe is that the verses were removed - the purest, most delicate, most sweetly sentimental parts of the original.Circles -

Thrice (Thrice B-Side Remix)

Thrice are one of my favourite bands, and have been for a long time. This is a remix they did of their own song Circles from Beggars (their latest album). It's from the Beggars B-sides that could only be downloaded if you bought a hard copy of the album and used the codes on the card you got with it. This remix works so well because they have kept the meat from the original - the emotional lyrics and melody - whilst improving upon the intro, backing and outtro. For fans of heavier stuff, the original might still be considered superior, but for me this remix surpasses it in almost every way. It enhances the ambient nature of the original, casting back to the style of Alchemy Index Volume II: Water. This is my favourite of the three remixes as it retains the contemplative, regretful tone of the original whilst bringing something entirely new to Thrice's already unique sound.