In the wake of James Blake's warm, soulful and cautiously vulnerable second record, 18 year old singer/songwriter Jamie Isaac follows eagerly in his footsteps. "Softly Draining Seas" is led by heartbreaking, shimmering piano chords, immersed in distant voiceless wails and gentle pads, as Jamie's milky voice voice soothes and caresses. Whilst James Blake's voice cracks with hidden sorrow and defeated melancholy, the young Jamie Isaac sings with an air of innocence, peacefulness and even a trace of hope. If James Blake is the companion of electronic melancholia, Jamie Isaac is the antidote.
FOR FANS OF: James Blake, London Grammar, Bon Iver
Showing posts with label bon iver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bon iver. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Saturday, 10 November 2012
GIG REVIEW: Bon Iver @ Wembley Arena, feat. The Staves - 08/11/12
Going to a gig on your own might seem simple enough. You don't have to wait around for anyone, you can stand where you please, and, if it comes to it, leave when you please. However, having to rejoin a cloakroom queue three times due to having only two hands, but a drink, headphones, coat and pound coin to contend with, puts a slightly uncomfortable beginning to my evening. This is closely followed by the realisation that the allegedly Bon Iver-loving crowd consists largely, to my dismay, of either soppy couples, or snobby students in large groups.
The last straw is when a girl with bad teeth and a worse attitude next to me, surrounded by, one assumes, her friends, exclaims loudly "imagine if you came by yourself!" In a moment of what I consider to be calm and casual confrontation, I cheerily inform her that she is in the presence of one such poor sod, to which she gasps and says "I'm going to hell." Hoping she stays put for the moment, I find somewhere else to stand.
But to see a gig like this, to see the band who made the album that soundtracked my 2012, the most beautiful, comforting piece of escapist art I have heard in quite possibly my entire life, I don't want a companion to chit chat with. I want to witness the magic recreated on stage; to witness Justin Vernon utter those words "...at once I knew I was not magnificent" first hand. It might sound pretentious, but tonight was not a social occasion for me; It was only about Bon Iver.
Support act The Staves resemble, typically for an all female folk band, a trio of Karen Carpenters. The band however are as masterful at their craft as if there were indeed three of the late songstress up there. Their pitch perfect harmonies resonate charmingly around the arena, where the band clearly belong. "Bugger me, we're at Wembley!" one of the girls amusingly chirps, to whoops and cheers from an impressed crowd. Hopefully the Watford girls get to return here soon.
It feels like a long wait, longer when you're on your own (last one, promise), but at quarter past 9, the lights go down and to the simmering sounds of windchimes and dusty percussion, The many members of Bon Iver swoop onto a stage with enough equipment to open a store, and a huge, awe-inspired cheer is saved for the man of the moment, Justin Vernon.
The opening three songs from last year's Bon Iver are the opening three here, and it's clear that the band are going to be performing no chillout set. "Perth" is staggering, thanks in part to a wonderful sound in the arena, and totally justifies Vernon's one-time 'heavy metal' description. The pitter patter arpeggios of "Holocene" are met with surprised cheers at the decision to play it so early in the set, and the crowd don't appear to have been emotionally adjusted yet, but it's gorgeous anyway, although its probably the most autopilot performance of the night. Which suggests just how incredible the later highlights are.
As "Perth" hints, the band are ready to rock throughout most of the set, and it's engaging, exciting and gives the tracks new life. EP rarity "Blood Bank" follows "Holocene", and in its live form, it is straight up anthemic, borderline Springsteen even, with an aching, wrenching guitar solo courtesy of Vernon. No one is prepared for it. "Hinnom, TX" even builds to a grandslamming climax, tripling its emotional power, and making the comedown in "Wash" all the more satisfying.
I'm surprised its taken me this long to mention the light show. The stage is scattered with lights that resemble candles in a church, and when combined with the beautiful swathes of green and yellow light that swoop the stage like spotlights, and all the instruments and the many bodies of the band members come in and out of focus, and the whole stage comes off like a musical enchanted forest. It's quite simply breathtaking.
The show evolves from joy to joy. Once Vernon starts to engage with the crowd, it's through nonsensical stories about his soggy, cardboard underwear, that are somehow hilarious, and an awkward yet totally endearing mix of crowd-banter and bumbling thanks throughout. His manner is slight, but utterly human and warm, and the perfect antithesis to such epic music. On "Re: Stacks", he brings out his guests The Staves, for a sweet, effortless duet, in which the girls' envelop Vernon's fragile voice with distant wordless harmonies.
It's the show's finale however that really drops jaws. The opening chords of "Calgary" sound spine tingling live, as does the track's emotional climax of clanging guitar and belted vocal, and the burbling soundscape that turns out to be "Lisbon, OH", indicates that "Beth/Rest" is probably coming, and an excited crowd prepare for a send off. But "Beth/Rest" is a revelation that no one could have expected. Everything on paper is cringeworthy. The snare sounds like a building collapsing it's so loud, the notorious Phil Collins electric piano is twangier and more 1980s AOR than ever, and Vernon most noticably sings through a massively compressed autotune device. But it's heartbreakingly perfect. It's melodramatic, but the soul and aggression in Vernon's voice breaks through the autotune, like a battle between Vernon's voice and the machine trying to control it.
UK crowds often give awkward lacklustre pre-encore cheers, heaven forbid it look like we actually want more, but not tonight. The cheers are deafening and enthusiastic for a good 2 minutes until Justin et al reappear. When they do, it's a crowd pleasing closer, with "Skinny Love" prompting the night's only audible singalong, and the venue, no matter how big, suddenly feels intimate and friendly, like a super-sized pub gig. "Wolves" changes that however, with it's cataclysmic outro, encouraging every voice in the place to battle it out with the volume of the music as the entire place yells "what might've been lost" until it's meaning is embedded gloriously into the crowd's subconscious.
"For Emma" completes the circle of Bon Iver 'hits', and as the band take their final bows to the crowd, it feels like no stone has been left unturned; that we have just witnessed something rare, something perfect, something a portion of this occasionally noisy crowd didn't quite deserve, or perhaps expect. One things certain however, there's no one person leaving this venue tonight who isn't flabbergasted by the sheer power of tonight's set. One girl gabs in the cloakroom queue "I feel like I've just been to a rave, I'm on such a high!". And this is exactly what Bon Iver Live equates to: Expectations are exceeded, jaws are dropped, and I leave the venue, surrounded by groups of friends struggling not to lose each other in the mob, actually grateful that I don't have to talk to anyone about what I just experienced. As far as I'm concerned, that was just for me.
SETLIST
Perth
Minnesota, WI
Holocene
Blood Bank
Beach Baby
Hinnom, TX
Wash
Towers
Creature Fear
Re: Stacks
Michicant
Calgary
Lisbon, OH
Beth/Rest
---
Skinny Love
The Wolves (Act I & II)
For Emma
But to see a gig like this, to see the band who made the album that soundtracked my 2012, the most beautiful, comforting piece of escapist art I have heard in quite possibly my entire life, I don't want a companion to chit chat with. I want to witness the magic recreated on stage; to witness Justin Vernon utter those words "...at once I knew I was not magnificent" first hand. It might sound pretentious, but tonight was not a social occasion for me; It was only about Bon Iver.
Support act The Staves resemble, typically for an all female folk band, a trio of Karen Carpenters. The band however are as masterful at their craft as if there were indeed three of the late songstress up there. Their pitch perfect harmonies resonate charmingly around the arena, where the band clearly belong. "Bugger me, we're at Wembley!" one of the girls amusingly chirps, to whoops and cheers from an impressed crowd. Hopefully the Watford girls get to return here soon.It feels like a long wait, longer when you're on your own (last one, promise), but at quarter past 9, the lights go down and to the simmering sounds of windchimes and dusty percussion, The many members of Bon Iver swoop onto a stage with enough equipment to open a store, and a huge, awe-inspired cheer is saved for the man of the moment, Justin Vernon.
The opening three songs from last year's Bon Iver are the opening three here, and it's clear that the band are going to be performing no chillout set. "Perth" is staggering, thanks in part to a wonderful sound in the arena, and totally justifies Vernon's one-time 'heavy metal' description. The pitter patter arpeggios of "Holocene" are met with surprised cheers at the decision to play it so early in the set, and the crowd don't appear to have been emotionally adjusted yet, but it's gorgeous anyway, although its probably the most autopilot performance of the night. Which suggests just how incredible the later highlights are.As "Perth" hints, the band are ready to rock throughout most of the set, and it's engaging, exciting and gives the tracks new life. EP rarity "Blood Bank" follows "Holocene", and in its live form, it is straight up anthemic, borderline Springsteen even, with an aching, wrenching guitar solo courtesy of Vernon. No one is prepared for it. "Hinnom, TX" even builds to a grandslamming climax, tripling its emotional power, and making the comedown in "Wash" all the more satisfying.
I'm surprised its taken me this long to mention the light show. The stage is scattered with lights that resemble candles in a church, and when combined with the beautiful swathes of green and yellow light that swoop the stage like spotlights, and all the instruments and the many bodies of the band members come in and out of focus, and the whole stage comes off like a musical enchanted forest. It's quite simply breathtaking.The show evolves from joy to joy. Once Vernon starts to engage with the crowd, it's through nonsensical stories about his soggy, cardboard underwear, that are somehow hilarious, and an awkward yet totally endearing mix of crowd-banter and bumbling thanks throughout. His manner is slight, but utterly human and warm, and the perfect antithesis to such epic music. On "Re: Stacks", he brings out his guests The Staves, for a sweet, effortless duet, in which the girls' envelop Vernon's fragile voice with distant wordless harmonies.
It's the show's finale however that really drops jaws. The opening chords of "Calgary" sound spine tingling live, as does the track's emotional climax of clanging guitar and belted vocal, and the burbling soundscape that turns out to be "Lisbon, OH", indicates that "Beth/Rest" is probably coming, and an excited crowd prepare for a send off. But "Beth/Rest" is a revelation that no one could have expected. Everything on paper is cringeworthy. The snare sounds like a building collapsing it's so loud, the notorious Phil Collins electric piano is twangier and more 1980s AOR than ever, and Vernon most noticably sings through a massively compressed autotune device. But it's heartbreakingly perfect. It's melodramatic, but the soul and aggression in Vernon's voice breaks through the autotune, like a battle between Vernon's voice and the machine trying to control it.UK crowds often give awkward lacklustre pre-encore cheers, heaven forbid it look like we actually want more, but not tonight. The cheers are deafening and enthusiastic for a good 2 minutes until Justin et al reappear. When they do, it's a crowd pleasing closer, with "Skinny Love" prompting the night's only audible singalong, and the venue, no matter how big, suddenly feels intimate and friendly, like a super-sized pub gig. "Wolves" changes that however, with it's cataclysmic outro, encouraging every voice in the place to battle it out with the volume of the music as the entire place yells "what might've been lost" until it's meaning is embedded gloriously into the crowd's subconscious.
"For Emma" completes the circle of Bon Iver 'hits', and as the band take their final bows to the crowd, it feels like no stone has been left unturned; that we have just witnessed something rare, something perfect, something a portion of this occasionally noisy crowd didn't quite deserve, or perhaps expect. One things certain however, there's no one person leaving this venue tonight who isn't flabbergasted by the sheer power of tonight's set. One girl gabs in the cloakroom queue "I feel like I've just been to a rave, I'm on such a high!". And this is exactly what Bon Iver Live equates to: Expectations are exceeded, jaws are dropped, and I leave the venue, surrounded by groups of friends struggling not to lose each other in the mob, actually grateful that I don't have to talk to anyone about what I just experienced. As far as I'm concerned, that was just for me.SETLIST
Perth
Minnesota, WI
Holocene
Blood Bank
Beach Baby
Hinnom, TX
Wash
Towers
Creature Fear
Re: Stacks
Michicant
Calgary
Lisbon, OH
Beth/Rest
---
Skinny Love
The Wolves (Act I & II)
For Emma
Friday, 30 December 2011
TOP 50 OF 2011: #20 - #1!!!
After little bite sized chunks of 10 great 2011 tunes at a time, I now present to you in one fell swoop my TOP 20 SONGS OF THE YEAR!
This... is SERUS (not serious) business.
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#20
"I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick of Time"
Bon Iver
Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" is one of the most covered songs in pop music history, which is unsurprising as it's also one of the most powerful. But Bon Iver, covering this as a b-side to his "Calgary" single, gives it a surprisingly icy and non-saccharine touch, with a heavily compressed piano and rough vocal that sounds like a single take. Justin Vernon's falsetto is fully fledged, and painfully high, almost uncomfortably so. But this raw, flawed take is all the more emotional because of it, making the song less self-pitying and more lonely and isolated. It's ambiguous use of lyrics from another Raitt song at this track's close, the song being "Nick of Time", one with a decidedly more uplifting message, suggests an eventual comfort in solitude that no other version of the track would even consider, and it's a move that only Bon Iver would make.
#19
"OK Pal"
M83
On a record with enough "epic" to span over a Fantasy trilogy, "OK Pal", for me, is the track that provides the biggest heart leap every time, out of several contenders for the title. A simple two note hook looping for most of the song, and guitars epically twanging in the guiltiest of 80s pleasures, somehow, this one is the warm, cheese-loving centre of the wonderful "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming".
Download M83 OK Pal
#18
"This" (feat. Thom Yorke)
Modeselektor
This is what Thom wishes his solo material sounded like. "This" is creepy, brilliant and unsettling, with very little actual audible words coming from Thom's feature-spot, his voice mainly being cut and paste over deep, menacing bass-driven electronica. 6 and a half minutes gives the track plenty of time to build and breathe, and we eventually hear Yorke break gloriously out into a reverb laden falsetto with a non-cut and pasted vocal, and even letting moody guitars creep in towards the end, reminiscent of Radiohead's darkest moments. But nothing quite matches that first spinetingling moment, when Yorke's voice is heard on a loop, whispering "This/This/This/This..."
#17
"Over My Dead Body"
Drake
The piano/female vocal chorus alone is spine-tingling enough to warrant a placing in my top 50 songs of the year, but Drake's opener to his remarkably emotional (for a rap record) "Take Care" album, features some of the most honest adjusting-to-fame lyrics heard from a superstar, and not in a self-indulgent, self-pitying Eminem or Tyler manner, but in a fearful way, an emotion that one imagines many stars feel, but very few admit to. "I was drinking at the Palms last night, and ended up losing everything that I came with..." See? They're just like us.
#16
"Codex"
Radiohead
As with "Nude", "Sail to the Moon" and "Pyramid Song", no one does a surreal power ballad like Radiohead. But this time round, we're hearing the message clearer than ever. "Jump off the edge, into a clear lake" Thom peacefully murmers to us, and so enchanting is the shimmering piano that we could well be enticed in ourselves without realising. As with all of Radiohead's thoughtful suicide ballads (or what we assume to be), there is a level of innocence and even optimism that makes it even more beautiful and poignant. Thom rhymes "dragonflies" with "fantasise", and all of a sudden we enter the fantasy world that only Radiohead can open up to us.
And with every record, although it seems we are let further and further into the mindset of Mr Yorke, it's my bet that we will probably never understand quite what these beautiful words mean. But isn't that where the magic lies?
#15
"Life is Life"
Noah and the Whale
After the clinically depressed "First Days of Spring" let frontman Fink wallow in his post-break-up self-pity, it was a true delight to hear this track open the band's third record. Burbling synths and an amateur drum machine burst into a triumphant life-affirming anthem, that would seem hollow if it were not for the knowledge of where Fink has been mentally, and that the writer of hopeless odes to heartbreak "Stranger" and "I Have Nothing" is now singing "it feels like his new life can start". The use of third person is telling, and it's a common feature on "Last Night on Earth"; Fink has come to peace with himself, and is now taking inspiration from outside of himself, something a lot of songwriters are too proud to do. Although probably the least folk-sounding track the band has ever produced, lyrically, this tale of triumphing over depression, of changing one's life, proves Fink to be as adept a folk songwriter as any of his peers.
#14
"Shuffle"
Bombay Bicycle Club
After the lazy summer afternoon soundtrack that was "Flaws", it was refreshing to see Bombay Bicycle Club take an big risk in airing yet another a sunny new sound on "A Different Kind of Fix". But it all started with the most experimental track of all, the indie dance anthem "Shuffle". From the moment that stuttering honky tonk piano kicks in, til the final jumping vocal sample bows out abruptly, it's a plethora of hooks, yet Jack Steadman's heartbreaking cotton-candy voice and the band's wonderful songwriting still manages to shine through, better than ever in fact. "Shuffle" doesn't so much shuffle as bounce, and it was a new spring in the step of a band who, three very different records down the line, have yet to disappoint.
Funny youtube comment: "I asked Siri to play this song, but it just shuffled my iPod!"
#13
"Blue Cassette"
Friendly Fires
It's hard to think of another chorus this year that takes your breath away quite like "Blue Cassette" does the first time you hear it. Although it doesn't have the stargazing message of "Paris", "Blue Cassette" could well be the bands' biggest anthem to date. Once the tribal drums crash through the sonisphere, those orchestra hits smack you once, twice, THRICE in the face, and Ed Macfarlane yells "As I hear your voice, it sets my heart on fire!", it ceases to matter that the song is essentially about a grubby tape cassette found buried in the back garden, like some sort of glorified time capsule. But any band that can take THAT, and make a song like THIS, I'd wager that Friendly Fires could take anything and turn it into a blissful summer anthem. Glorious.
#12
"U&I"
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" record is predominately about self-acceptance and self-expression, so it's quite ironic that its most affecting track is a big country rock ballad about true All American love. There's no mistaking that this is one of Lady Gaga's most powerful melodies, and one of her most straight forward, memorable songs. However, by performing a country ballad, Lady Gaga instantly crushes the stigma of country and closed-mindedness, and it's a bold move, one only she could make. When Gaga cries out "You and I!" repeatedly at the track's emotional climax, it becomes apparent that the Nebraska thing is a façade, sang with tongue firmly in cheek. This is a love song to every one of her fans, and it indeed makes one proud to be amongst them.
#11
"Green Aisles"
Real Estate
Amongst an album full of heartbreaking songs, "Green Aisles" is the one that just about has the edge of them all. The daydream tapestry of guitar is a perfect background to the wonderfully simple vocal. "And if you just sit tight, I'll be there soon" is delivered as the most touching lyric of the record, closely followed by "The phone lines, the street lights, led me to you". This ain't nothing but a suburban love song, and few other songs this year have expressed love in such an honest way. It doesn't do much to draw attention to itself, but when it comes to songwriting and emotion, "Green Aisles" is pure perfection.
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Now, THE TOP TEN TRACKS OF 2011. Ok, here we go...
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A lot of dance music from Europe follows these trancey disco rules, but nothing this year even approaches the emotional power and heart of this track. Swedish producer Agebjorn brings the shimmering walls of synth, and plenty of sweeps and swooshes, but it is the typically hushed vocal performance of featured Le Prix, in an undecorated and gentle take, that really delivers the uplifting rush of a melody honestly and perfectly. Lyrically, she sings of a typical fantasy of running away with a loved one, and the lyrics, on page, come across a tad saccharine, but when the chorus explodes into "I never wanted to be special, I just wanted someone who was special to be mine", all cynicism is irrelevant. These sentiments have been heard before, especially in dance music, but never before have they been expressed so sincerely and beautifully.
#9
"LYF"
WU LYF
WU LYF's music exhudes rebellion and youth at every turn, with every vocal racket (an acquired taste for certain), every reverb heavy guitar line and every restless drum beat. But what makes it so impressive is the sheer passion with which each song is performed, each one sounding like a single live take (which they probably were, recorded in a chapel of all places, which explains the vast echo). "L Y F" opens the record, and soars to #9 in my list because in 4 minutes it seems to bare the soul of the band, and what an introduction. A simple organ motif opens the song peacefully, and the track shuffles and fidgets through its verse before bursting into its heavenly, vast chorus. The scream of "I love you forever", as a majestic guitar line weaves its way tearfully, sticks with you for the rest of the album, and in that one simple phrase, the band's heart couldn't be worn more on their sleeve.
#8
#6
"Marvin's Room"
Drake
"I'm just sayin' you can do better". At first, "Marvin's Room" seems to be his ode to love and fame, and how the two suit each other. But for all the lines about groupies and spending all his money drinking, you realise this is just a regular old drunk dial to an ex. "Fuck that n*gga that you love so much" he drawls drunkenly, and the woozy trip hop backing courtesy of producer 40 suits the mood perfectly. What's so affecting however is the line "the girl I would try, is happy with a good guy, but I'mma call her anyway". It's a surprisingly touching, and very self-aware lyric, one that shows his vulnerability, and also admits his lack of morality. Hip Hop so rarely admits its weaknesses and addresses its stereotypes in this way. Only someone as talented and honest as Drake could've really expressed hitting rock bottom like this.
#1
"Calgary"
Bon Iver
"Calgary" has been my song of the year ever since I heard it, but it is very difficult to explain why. I could have written twice as much about how Adele's "Someone Like You" has touched listeners world wide, or how Azealia Bank's "212" is a quiet revolution for hip hop, but "Calgary"... the sound of the opening three chords is all I need to confirm that this is a song that will stay with me for a long time.
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Well, that's it folks! 2011 still had great music if you went and looked for it, let's hope 2012 will make it easier for us, hmm...??
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Here's a summary of my entire Top 50:
50. Major Lazer feat. The Partysquad - Original Don
49. Neon Indian - Halogen (I Could Be A Shadow)
48. Will Young - Jealousy
47. Lady Gaga - Heavy Metal Lover
46. Toddla T - How Beautiful It Could Be
45. Korallreven feat. Victoria Bergsman - Honey Mine
44. Chad Valley - Shell Suite
43. Beyonce - Love On Top
42. Friendly Fires - Hurting
41. The Weeknd - What You Need
(Click here to read more about #50-41)
40. The Vaccines - Norgaard
39. M83 - Reunion
38. The Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light is The Greatest Shade
37. Charli XCX - Stay Away
36. Dillon Francis feat. Diplo & Maluca - Que Que
35. SBTRKT feat. Yukimi Nagano - Wildfire
34. Katy Perry - Last Friday Night
33. Emeli Sandi - Heaven
32. Wild Beasts - Lion's Share
31. Foster The People - Call It What You Want
(Click here to read more about #40-31)
30. Friendly Fires - Live Those Days Tonight
29. Classixx - Into The Valley (Julio Bashmore Mix)
28. Chad Valley - Fast Challenges
27. Noah And The Whale - Give It All Back
26. Wynter Gordon - Til Death (Denzal Park Mix)
25. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream
24. Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost
23. Cut Copy - Need You Now
22. M83 - Midnight City
21. Cut Copy - Take Me Over
Click here to read more about #30-21
20. Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick of Time
19. M83 - OK Pal
18. Modeselektor feat. Thom Yorke - This
17. Drake - Over My Dead Body
16. Radiohead - Codex
15. Noah And The Whale - Life Is Life
14. Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle
13. Friendly Fires - Blue Cassette
12. Lady Gaga - U&I
11. Real Estate - Green Aisles
10. Johann Agebjorn feat. Le Prix & Lake Heartbeat - Watch The World Go By
9. WU LYF - L Y F
8. Unicorn Kid - Boys Of Paradise
7. Bon Iver - Beth/Rest
6. Drake - Marvin's Room
5. Adele - Someone Like You
4. Unicorn Kid - True Love Fantasy
3. Bon Iver - Holocene
2. Azealia Banks - 212
1. BON IVER - CALGARY
(Click here to see what runner-up tracks were only just cut from the Top 50)
HAVE A GREAT NEW YEARS!!!
This... is SERUS (not serious) business.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
#20
"I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick of Time"
Bon Iver
Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" is one of the most covered songs in pop music history, which is unsurprising as it's also one of the most powerful. But Bon Iver, covering this as a b-side to his "Calgary" single, gives it a surprisingly icy and non-saccharine touch, with a heavily compressed piano and rough vocal that sounds like a single take. Justin Vernon's falsetto is fully fledged, and painfully high, almost uncomfortably so. But this raw, flawed take is all the more emotional because of it, making the song less self-pitying and more lonely and isolated. It's ambiguous use of lyrics from another Raitt song at this track's close, the song being "Nick of Time", one with a decidedly more uplifting message, suggests an eventual comfort in solitude that no other version of the track would even consider, and it's a move that only Bon Iver would make.
#19
"OK Pal"
M83
On a record with enough "epic" to span over a Fantasy trilogy, "OK Pal", for me, is the track that provides the biggest heart leap every time, out of several contenders for the title. A simple two note hook looping for most of the song, and guitars epically twanging in the guiltiest of 80s pleasures, somehow, this one is the warm, cheese-loving centre of the wonderful "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming".
Download M83 OK Pal
#18
"This" (feat. Thom Yorke)
Modeselektor
This is what Thom wishes his solo material sounded like. "This" is creepy, brilliant and unsettling, with very little actual audible words coming from Thom's feature-spot, his voice mainly being cut and paste over deep, menacing bass-driven electronica. 6 and a half minutes gives the track plenty of time to build and breathe, and we eventually hear Yorke break gloriously out into a reverb laden falsetto with a non-cut and pasted vocal, and even letting moody guitars creep in towards the end, reminiscent of Radiohead's darkest moments. But nothing quite matches that first spinetingling moment, when Yorke's voice is heard on a loop, whispering "This/This/This/This..."
#17
"Over My Dead Body"
Drake
The piano/female vocal chorus alone is spine-tingling enough to warrant a placing in my top 50 songs of the year, but Drake's opener to his remarkably emotional (for a rap record) "Take Care" album, features some of the most honest adjusting-to-fame lyrics heard from a superstar, and not in a self-indulgent, self-pitying Eminem or Tyler manner, but in a fearful way, an emotion that one imagines many stars feel, but very few admit to. "I was drinking at the Palms last night, and ended up losing everything that I came with..." See? They're just like us.
#16
"Codex"
Radiohead
As with "Nude", "Sail to the Moon" and "Pyramid Song", no one does a surreal power ballad like Radiohead. But this time round, we're hearing the message clearer than ever. "Jump off the edge, into a clear lake" Thom peacefully murmers to us, and so enchanting is the shimmering piano that we could well be enticed in ourselves without realising. As with all of Radiohead's thoughtful suicide ballads (or what we assume to be), there is a level of innocence and even optimism that makes it even more beautiful and poignant. Thom rhymes "dragonflies" with "fantasise", and all of a sudden we enter the fantasy world that only Radiohead can open up to us.
And with every record, although it seems we are let further and further into the mindset of Mr Yorke, it's my bet that we will probably never understand quite what these beautiful words mean. But isn't that where the magic lies?
#15
"Life is Life"
Noah and the Whale
After the clinically depressed "First Days of Spring" let frontman Fink wallow in his post-break-up self-pity, it was a true delight to hear this track open the band's third record. Burbling synths and an amateur drum machine burst into a triumphant life-affirming anthem, that would seem hollow if it were not for the knowledge of where Fink has been mentally, and that the writer of hopeless odes to heartbreak "Stranger" and "I Have Nothing" is now singing "it feels like his new life can start". The use of third person is telling, and it's a common feature on "Last Night on Earth"; Fink has come to peace with himself, and is now taking inspiration from outside of himself, something a lot of songwriters are too proud to do. Although probably the least folk-sounding track the band has ever produced, lyrically, this tale of triumphing over depression, of changing one's life, proves Fink to be as adept a folk songwriter as any of his peers.
#14
"Shuffle"
Bombay Bicycle Club
After the lazy summer afternoon soundtrack that was "Flaws", it was refreshing to see Bombay Bicycle Club take an big risk in airing yet another a sunny new sound on "A Different Kind of Fix". But it all started with the most experimental track of all, the indie dance anthem "Shuffle". From the moment that stuttering honky tonk piano kicks in, til the final jumping vocal sample bows out abruptly, it's a plethora of hooks, yet Jack Steadman's heartbreaking cotton-candy voice and the band's wonderful songwriting still manages to shine through, better than ever in fact. "Shuffle" doesn't so much shuffle as bounce, and it was a new spring in the step of a band who, three very different records down the line, have yet to disappoint.
Funny youtube comment: "I asked Siri to play this song, but it just shuffled my iPod!"
#13
"Blue Cassette"
Friendly Fires
It's hard to think of another chorus this year that takes your breath away quite like "Blue Cassette" does the first time you hear it. Although it doesn't have the stargazing message of "Paris", "Blue Cassette" could well be the bands' biggest anthem to date. Once the tribal drums crash through the sonisphere, those orchestra hits smack you once, twice, THRICE in the face, and Ed Macfarlane yells "As I hear your voice, it sets my heart on fire!", it ceases to matter that the song is essentially about a grubby tape cassette found buried in the back garden, like some sort of glorified time capsule. But any band that can take THAT, and make a song like THIS, I'd wager that Friendly Fires could take anything and turn it into a blissful summer anthem. Glorious.
#12
"U&I"
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" record is predominately about self-acceptance and self-expression, so it's quite ironic that its most affecting track is a big country rock ballad about true All American love. There's no mistaking that this is one of Lady Gaga's most powerful melodies, and one of her most straight forward, memorable songs. However, by performing a country ballad, Lady Gaga instantly crushes the stigma of country and closed-mindedness, and it's a bold move, one only she could make. When Gaga cries out "You and I!" repeatedly at the track's emotional climax, it becomes apparent that the Nebraska thing is a façade, sang with tongue firmly in cheek. This is a love song to every one of her fans, and it indeed makes one proud to be amongst them.
#11
"Green Aisles"
Real Estate
Amongst an album full of heartbreaking songs, "Green Aisles" is the one that just about has the edge of them all. The daydream tapestry of guitar is a perfect background to the wonderfully simple vocal. "And if you just sit tight, I'll be there soon" is delivered as the most touching lyric of the record, closely followed by "The phone lines, the street lights, led me to you". This ain't nothing but a suburban love song, and few other songs this year have expressed love in such an honest way. It doesn't do much to draw attention to itself, but when it comes to songwriting and emotion, "Green Aisles" is pure perfection.
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Now, THE TOP TEN TRACKS OF 2011. Ok, here we go...
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#10
"Watch the World Go By" (feat. Le Prix & Lake Heartbeat)
Johan Agebjorn
"Watch the World Go By" (feat. Le Prix & Lake Heartbeat)
Johan Agebjorn
A lot of dance music from Europe follows these trancey disco rules, but nothing this year even approaches the emotional power and heart of this track. Swedish producer Agebjorn brings the shimmering walls of synth, and plenty of sweeps and swooshes, but it is the typically hushed vocal performance of featured Le Prix, in an undecorated and gentle take, that really delivers the uplifting rush of a melody honestly and perfectly. Lyrically, she sings of a typical fantasy of running away with a loved one, and the lyrics, on page, come across a tad saccharine, but when the chorus explodes into "I never wanted to be special, I just wanted someone who was special to be mine", all cynicism is irrelevant. These sentiments have been heard before, especially in dance music, but never before have they been expressed so sincerely and beautifully.
#9
"LYF"
WU LYF
WU LYF's music exhudes rebellion and youth at every turn, with every vocal racket (an acquired taste for certain), every reverb heavy guitar line and every restless drum beat. But what makes it so impressive is the sheer passion with which each song is performed, each one sounding like a single live take (which they probably were, recorded in a chapel of all places, which explains the vast echo). "L Y F" opens the record, and soars to #9 in my list because in 4 minutes it seems to bare the soul of the band, and what an introduction. A simple organ motif opens the song peacefully, and the track shuffles and fidgets through its verse before bursting into its heavenly, vast chorus. The scream of "I love you forever", as a majestic guitar line weaves its way tearfully, sticks with you for the rest of the album, and in that one simple phrase, the band's heart couldn't be worn more on their sleeve.
#8
"Boys of Paradise"
Unicorn Kid
Unicorn Kid may not be the most famous bedroom synth-meister, but he's been doing this since he was 15 years old. Listening to his early material, hyperactive glitchy 8 bit Game Boy music, he may have polished and commercialised his sound over time (he's 19 now), but the love and celebration of the music he makes still shines through. His stunningly fresh sounding "Tidal Rave" EP takes startling euro-synth lines, mixes them with the melodies of early PlayStation games (not literally, metaphorically) and throws them over a mix of early 90s rave beats and glowing, balearic pads. "Boys of Paradise" has the happiest of happy melodies, and bounces along like a 5 year old on Haribo, and it's utterly, utterly joyous.
Unicorn Kid
Unicorn Kid may not be the most famous bedroom synth-meister, but he's been doing this since he was 15 years old. Listening to his early material, hyperactive glitchy 8 bit Game Boy music, he may have polished and commercialised his sound over time (he's 19 now), but the love and celebration of the music he makes still shines through. His stunningly fresh sounding "Tidal Rave" EP takes startling euro-synth lines, mixes them with the melodies of early PlayStation games (not literally, metaphorically) and throws them over a mix of early 90s rave beats and glowing, balearic pads. "Boys of Paradise" has the happiest of happy melodies, and bounces along like a 5 year old on Haribo, and it's utterly, utterly joyous.
#7
"Beth/Rest"
Bon Iver
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon never had any qualms with a sickly sweet balladic melody, but the aching beauty of his falsetto always let him get away with anything. Yet for many, the 80s keyboards and power ballad mantra of Bon Iver's second record's closing number "Beth/Rest" were a step too far into Phil Collins territory. But this is the reason it is in fact, an utterly perfect way to end a perfect record. On a record that carries you to every beautiful corner of its far away fantasy world, "Beth/Rest" continues the fantasy by using sounds so retro and unexpected that you can't help feel like you're dreaming. But given all that, regardless of the medium Bon Iver has used to communicate "Beth/Rest", it is undeniably heart stoppingly wonderful. 2.29: "I ain't living in the dark no more, it's not a promise, I'm just gonna call it". The rest of the lyrics might be nigh on gibberish, but, as with most Bon Iver tracks, that one line says all that needs to be said. The music says the rest.
"Beth/Rest"
Bon Iver
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon never had any qualms with a sickly sweet balladic melody, but the aching beauty of his falsetto always let him get away with anything. Yet for many, the 80s keyboards and power ballad mantra of Bon Iver's second record's closing number "Beth/Rest" were a step too far into Phil Collins territory. But this is the reason it is in fact, an utterly perfect way to end a perfect record. On a record that carries you to every beautiful corner of its far away fantasy world, "Beth/Rest" continues the fantasy by using sounds so retro and unexpected that you can't help feel like you're dreaming. But given all that, regardless of the medium Bon Iver has used to communicate "Beth/Rest", it is undeniably heart stoppingly wonderful. 2.29: "I ain't living in the dark no more, it's not a promise, I'm just gonna call it". The rest of the lyrics might be nigh on gibberish, but, as with most Bon Iver tracks, that one line says all that needs to be said. The music says the rest.
#6
"Marvin's Room"
Drake
"I'm just sayin' you can do better". At first, "Marvin's Room" seems to be his ode to love and fame, and how the two suit each other. But for all the lines about groupies and spending all his money drinking, you realise this is just a regular old drunk dial to an ex. "Fuck that n*gga that you love so much" he drawls drunkenly, and the woozy trip hop backing courtesy of producer 40 suits the mood perfectly. What's so affecting however is the line "the girl I would try, is happy with a good guy, but I'mma call her anyway". It's a surprisingly touching, and very self-aware lyric, one that shows his vulnerability, and also admits his lack of morality. Hip Hop so rarely admits its weaknesses and addresses its stereotypes in this way. Only someone as talented and honest as Drake could've really expressed hitting rock bottom like this.
#5
"Someone Like You"
Adele
For many normal people, not necessarily music fans, this will be the song they most associate with 2011. It was widely acclaimed on the release of "21", but then Adelemania began when she performed the song on the BRIT awards. Ordinary people who wouldn't normally buy CDs, went out and bought hard copies of "21" as if Adele was a charity for heartbroken women everywhere.
"Someone Like You"
Adele
For many normal people, not necessarily music fans, this will be the song they most associate with 2011. It was widely acclaimed on the release of "21", but then Adelemania began when she performed the song on the BRIT awards. Ordinary people who wouldn't normally buy CDs, went out and bought hard copies of "21" as if Adele was a charity for heartbroken women everywhere.
Now, this doesn't happen for just any artist, or for just any song. "21" is a great album, great songs, big, back to basics arrangements, hints of soul, and Adele's voice has matured aeons since her debut, BUT... "Someone Like You" is on a different level. There are no gospel choirs, no big thumping drums, no heartfelt string arrangements... just Adele and a piano.
All this has been written a thousand times before about the song, but it cannot be said enough just how perfectly expressed the lyrics of "Someone Like You" really are. Tapping into the subconscious of every vulnerable, insecure person who has held on to a memory of a past love for too long, she sings "I had hoped you'd see my face, and that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over". The song is painfully accurate in soundtracking the horrible moment of realisation that a love is well and truly over. The chorus begins, now famously, "never mind, I'll find someone like you". Such a throwaway phrase, one that feigns hope, but really resembles deep fear of being alone. The song itself is light and simple, but the meaning alone makes it dark. And this darkness can be related to by the millions of people who have watched the video on YouTube, plus the hundreds of millions who heard it on "21" and still listen to it religiously.
It may not be the most groundbreaking 'song' of 2011, but it is one song, above all others from this year, that is undoubtedly a modern classic.
#4
"True Love Fantasy"
Unicorn Kid
Technically "True Love Fantasy", playlisted on Radio 1 this year (a big step for the unsigned Unicorn Kid), has 'sell-out' written all over it. But actually, although the track takes the generic eurosynth chord procession that we've heard a million times this year in the pitiful charts, it files every soft edge to a hazardous point, as rebellious youths shout out rallies and chants (courtesy of U.K.'s previous split EP pals Talk to Animals) and the track builds to a glorious early 90s rave bliss. So I say, if Unicorn Kid can take chart-friendly sounds, and inject them with his infectious, hyperactive rave vibes, we could be in for a treat in 2012. Fingers crossed he sold out enough, eh?
"True Love Fantasy"
Unicorn Kid
Technically "True Love Fantasy", playlisted on Radio 1 this year (a big step for the unsigned Unicorn Kid), has 'sell-out' written all over it. But actually, although the track takes the generic eurosynth chord procession that we've heard a million times this year in the pitiful charts, it files every soft edge to a hazardous point, as rebellious youths shout out rallies and chants (courtesy of U.K.'s previous split EP pals Talk to Animals) and the track builds to a glorious early 90s rave bliss. So I say, if Unicorn Kid can take chart-friendly sounds, and inject them with his infectious, hyperactive rave vibes, we could be in for a treat in 2012. Fingers crossed he sold out enough, eh?
#3
"Holocene"
"Holocene"
Bon Iver
Once you watch the heart-stoppingly gorgeous video for the equally heart-stoppingly gorgeous "Holocene", it suggests that the track is about being humbled by the earth's natural beauty, as does the line "and at once I knew, I was not magnificent". As a picked acoustic guitar line gently washes in and out like the tide, brass burbles like a brook in the background, and percussion shuffles like the wind, Justin Vernon sings contently "I could see for miles, miles, miles...". For nearly six minutes, you escape your current time and place when you listen to "Holocene", and those six minutes drift along like hours, hours, hours...
#2
"212"
Azealia Banks
"212" became infamous for constantly being removed from youtube, because of its frequent use of a certain 'c' word. But the great thing about Ms Banks' breakthrough (and a half) single, is that the NYC-based 20 year old rapper/singer Azealia Banks has a way of sounding controversial before you even know she's caused controversy. Cut said word out of the track and its still incredible and deliciously threatening, a loose, dancehall-tinged house beat and clubby synth hook providing the infectious groove for what is a riviting performance by Banks. She starts off MCing conversationally, taunting at first with lines such as "you know what's up, or don't you?", before chucking in that phrase "I'mma ruin you c*nt", and eventually by the end of the track she's distorting the mic because she's shouting so loudly. It has to be heard. It HAS TO BE. To understand how exciting this track is.
"212"
Azealia Banks
"212" became infamous for constantly being removed from youtube, because of its frequent use of a certain 'c' word. But the great thing about Ms Banks' breakthrough (and a half) single, is that the NYC-based 20 year old rapper/singer Azealia Banks has a way of sounding controversial before you even know she's caused controversy. Cut said word out of the track and its still incredible and deliciously threatening, a loose, dancehall-tinged house beat and clubby synth hook providing the infectious groove for what is a riviting performance by Banks. She starts off MCing conversationally, taunting at first with lines such as "you know what's up, or don't you?", before chucking in that phrase "I'mma ruin you c*nt", and eventually by the end of the track she's distorting the mic because she's shouting so loudly. It has to be heard. It HAS TO BE. To understand how exciting this track is.
#1
"Calgary"
Bon Iver
"Calgary" has been my song of the year ever since I heard it, but it is very difficult to explain why. I could have written twice as much about how Adele's "Someone Like You" has touched listeners world wide, or how Azealia Bank's "212" is a quiet revolution for hip hop, but "Calgary"... the sound of the opening three chords is all I need to confirm that this is a song that will stay with me for a long time.
Saying this, the said three opening chords are, as one youtube viewer puts it, "written in blood from Peter Gabriel's heart". And they have a point. The track is another instance where the band have taken a clear prog rock influence, and are shamelessly tugging at the heartstrings of the listener with no restraint in a very Gabriel (dare I mention Genesis...) manner. It's by no means as blatant as the aforementioned "Beth/Rest", but maybe it's the right ratio of "cheese" to sincerity that makes "Calgary" so perfectly pitched.
Starting with just pads and voice, the track exhudes the trademark "Bon Iver" peace. Vernon's multitracked and reverb-heavy vocal still manages to give the track a campfire feel, despite the instrumentation, and it is one that it returns to at the close of the track, which features just Vernon and a strummed guitar. But between these two points, the tracks builds to a glorious out of body experience, spanning what seems like every calling card that Bon Iver has.
Dreamy and ethereal to begin with, the track soon kicks in with thunderous drums and a wall of guitar, as the vocals get louder and more celebratory, including a delightful falsetto hook towards the climax, before all is stripped away to, as I mentioned, guitar and vocal. The track resembles falling into a deep sleep, and being whisked away into an intense dream world before suddenly waking up, and wondering where on earth you've just been.
Where you've been is "Calgary", and you've just been "Bon Iver'd", as I'll clumsily put it, which is to say you've been given an out of body experience by their music. And "Calgary", with all its sweet and sour musical stops along the way, is now their triumphant benchmark. Let's see if they can top this. Because sure as hell no one else even came close in 2011.
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Well, that's it folks! 2011 still had great music if you went and looked for it, let's hope 2012 will make it easier for us, hmm...??
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Here's a summary of my entire Top 50:
50. Major Lazer feat. The Partysquad - Original Don
49. Neon Indian - Halogen (I Could Be A Shadow)
48. Will Young - Jealousy
47. Lady Gaga - Heavy Metal Lover
46. Toddla T - How Beautiful It Could Be
45. Korallreven feat. Victoria Bergsman - Honey Mine
44. Chad Valley - Shell Suite
43. Beyonce - Love On Top
42. Friendly Fires - Hurting
41. The Weeknd - What You Need
(Click here to read more about #50-41)
40. The Vaccines - Norgaard
39. M83 - Reunion
38. The Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light is The Greatest Shade
37. Charli XCX - Stay Away
36. Dillon Francis feat. Diplo & Maluca - Que Que
35. SBTRKT feat. Yukimi Nagano - Wildfire
34. Katy Perry - Last Friday Night
33. Emeli Sandi - Heaven
32. Wild Beasts - Lion's Share
31. Foster The People - Call It What You Want
(Click here to read more about #40-31)
30. Friendly Fires - Live Those Days Tonight
29. Classixx - Into The Valley (Julio Bashmore Mix)
28. Chad Valley - Fast Challenges
27. Noah And The Whale - Give It All Back
26. Wynter Gordon - Til Death (Denzal Park Mix)
25. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream
24. Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost
23. Cut Copy - Need You Now
22. M83 - Midnight City
21. Cut Copy - Take Me Over
Click here to read more about #30-21
20. Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick of Time
19. M83 - OK Pal
18. Modeselektor feat. Thom Yorke - This
17. Drake - Over My Dead Body
16. Radiohead - Codex
15. Noah And The Whale - Life Is Life
14. Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle
13. Friendly Fires - Blue Cassette
12. Lady Gaga - U&I
11. Real Estate - Green Aisles
10. Johann Agebjorn feat. Le Prix & Lake Heartbeat - Watch The World Go By
9. WU LYF - L Y F
8. Unicorn Kid - Boys Of Paradise
7. Bon Iver - Beth/Rest
6. Drake - Marvin's Room
5. Adele - Someone Like You
4. Unicorn Kid - True Love Fantasy
3. Bon Iver - Holocene
2. Azealia Banks - 212
1. BON IVER - CALGARY
(Click here to see what runner-up tracks were only just cut from the Top 50)
HAVE A GREAT NEW YEARS!!!
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
TOP 15 ALBUMS OF 2011.
On the way up to new year, I'll be listing my top 50 tracks of the year, always a biggie, but first, I want to appreciate something that might seem outdated to a lot of people, but I feel is still the essence of good music: the ALBUM.
iTunes encourages a pick and mix attitude to buying music these days, but it is a truly special album that defies this by making every track on the record simply essential. Whether it be because the album doesn't make sense without each track in its place, or whether it be that each track is a hit, the following are my top 15 albums of the year that kept the art of the "album" relevant.
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#15
"What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?"The Vaccines
Over the last 3 years, indie rock has all blended into one for me. The same sounds, each band going through the motions with their image, instrumentation and melodies, without actually doing anything interesting or diverting. It was a fashion, not a genre of music. The Vaccines have turned this completely on its head, and have shown that the genre does have potential to be exciting after all.
"What Did You Expect...?" is a perfect title for the record, as it actually doesn't stray from the indie rock formula at all, at least on the surface. It's simply the songwriting, the lyrics, everything at the CORE of their music that is fresh, insanely catchy and infectious. They've also taken the 'art' out of Indie and brought back the 'angst' of bands like The Smiths and Pulp. Tracks like "Post Break Up Sex" and "If You Wanna" are metaphor free, and pure nihilistic teenager rock, and "Wetsuit" just oozes hormones.
The Vaccines album is short, sweet and bittersweet, like losing your virginity, or stealing money from your Mum's purse.
#14
"Perfectionist"
Natalia Kills
What you have to understand about Natalia Kills is that she knows she's pretentious, desperate, superficial... and she wants you to know ALL this. The most pretentious thing about her at first seems to be her whole 'psychotic bitch' persona... but if anyone's ever read the novel 'American Psycho', it becomes a lot easier to believe that Ms Kills has a point to make.
On her debut album under the name 'Natalia Kills', the songs frequently reference killing, punishing or torturing her spouse ("Break You Hard", "Acid Annie"), other's refer to self-destructive relationships ("Zombie", "Love is a Suicide") and other's talk candidly of severe vanity and superficiality ("Superficial", "Free"). These are pretty heavy topics, as tongue-in-cheek as they may be.
But despite the overblown pretentiousness of it all, over the course of the record, you become drawn in to this surprisingly multi-faceted and detailed persona. These are not just a random collection of pop songs given to a manufactured pop singer. Kills co-writes all her material, and it's clear from the themes running through the record that she is a fantasist (as she has claimed in past interviews), and the surreal edge to the songs on "Perfectionist" comes down to the running theme of the album, which is "What if, one day I woke up and just wanted to...?"
It helps that, musically, all these tracks are dark electropop at their finest. Working with some of the team from Lady Gaga's first record, there are a lot of audible similarities between the sharp electro beats of "Perfectionist" and 2008's "The Fame" by Gaga. But whilst Gaga sang of these issues lightly and GENUINELY superficially, Natalia Kills addresses them in a far more obsessive way, and you're never certain where fantasy ends and reality begins for her.
"The English Riviera"
Metronomy
Calmer, more accessible (by far) than their earlier records, "The English Riviera" is uncomplicated and chilled, featuring songs with simple messages and uncomplicated arrangements, and this new straight forward approach makes tracks like the blissed out "Everything Goes My Way" and chirpy album highlight "The Look" much more immediate.
That's not to say the band have lost their edge, as the pulsating indie disco rhythms of tracks like "The Bay" and "Love Underlined" will testify. But overall, the album is charming, catchy, deeply unpretentious and, as a result, great fun.
#12
"On A Mission"
Katy B
Although people tend to forget, Katy B's "On A Mission" was pretty unheard of as a chart hit in late 2010 when it surfaced, and I like to think it is responsible for the rise of dubstep in 2011.
However, the album itself was not just a dubstep album. It was a dance album in the most underground sense, bringing to commercial attention dance genres that had been going for years, the UK funky of "Lights On" being a massive hit for her. Working with producers such as Benga, Geeneus and Skream, the album was a fine representation of her background too. In no small thanks to "On A Mission", these producers are high profile and in demand, and tracks like these are commonplace in the charts. Let's see underground music rise just that little bit more in 2012.
#11
"Born This Way"
Lady Gaga
There's no denying the disappointment we all felt when we heard "Born This Way" the track, I seem to remember I was pretty scathing myself in my review. I still think it's one of the weaker tracks on the album, and to be honest, the album is very flawed, and even more self-indulgent. So why place it at number 11?
The reason is that it's a grower, and the more you listen, the more you understand just how much of Lady Gaga herself went into this record. You can almost hear blood and sweat dripping from her pores as she distorts the mic on the chorus of "Marry The Night", as she cries "Put your drinks up!" in "U&I", and yes, even as she sings the awkward-to-sing "no matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgender life" mid section of "Born This Way" itself.
What's also endearing about the album is just how different it sounds to all other pop music. It has the spirit of heavy metal and rock 'n' roll in a defiantly 'uncool' way, and despite it's frequent lyrical theme of forward thinking acceptance, it's very traditional in its sense of songwriting. Whilst so many pop records are razor sharp and edgy these days, what with all these 'dubsteppy' breakdowns and allegedly 'futuristic' trance synths and beats, "Born This Way"'s mix of rock and dance music truly sounds ahead of its time, at least for an artist this big.
So for an album that does sound desperately try hard, you can't help but love Gaga for unashamadly releasing a record that refuses to compromise what she wants it to be. Hair metal riffing, massive gospel choruses, german gibberish, opera singing, homages to Bruce Springsteen, a song called "Highway Unicorn", and a song so terrible that it actually ends up being great ("Judas")... despite what I said in my previous blog post, Lady Gaga really was born THIS way. Whether we like it or not.
#10
"We're New Here"
Jamie XX & Gil Scott-Heron
The late jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron's final appearance on record was on this remix collaboration of his first record in 16 years from 2010, "I'm New Here". The jazzy trip-hop of the original record is replaced by a typically ambient and dubby production from the absurdly talented Jamie XX.
What's great about this remix album, and also what is so haunting about it, is the meeting of a mature artist with a fresh one. Jamie XX's sounds are creative and varied, from the thunderous hip hop beats of "Running" to the irresistably funky "Ur Soul and Mine" to the uplifting house of closer "I'll Take Care of U", and Scott-Heron's words, ones we now know were his last put to record, are wise, reflective and often beautiful.
The record only works with select tracks from Scott-Heron's original record, but its choice of the most profound, honest words, particularly the tape recorder conversations featured in the interludes, which are comforting in that Scott-Heron sounds content, laughing, and in reflecting on his life in "I've Been Me", he speaks the words of a man looking back on his life and not regretting a thing. And as we say goodbye to one genius, this album also introduces us to another on the rise.
#9
"Smother"
Wild Beasts
Since their wild and eccentric debut, Wild Beasts have been toning it down with every subsequent record. Losing melodrama and gaining soul, "Smother" now showcases a band having stripped away their sound of all pretence, and the bare bones are utterly gorgeous.
Where falsetto would be rabidly horny and screechy on "Limbo Panto", on "Smother", Hayden Thorpe's vocal is now effortlessly romantic and on dreamlike, misty-eyed tracks like the haunting "Lion's Den" and blissful "Loop the Loop". A sense of tabla groove drives most tracks, take the stop-start percussive flurries of "Deeper" or the rolling tribal drums of "Reach a Bit Further", and the whole album feels simplified and content.
For a band so sexually charged, "Smother" is hardly the wanton filth-fest its title suggests, it is much more concerned with expressing passion and love, and on "Smother", the band do this tastefully and subtely, with maturity and flair.
For a band so sexually charged, "Smother" is hardly the wanton filth-fest its title suggests, it is much more concerned with expressing passion and love, and on "Smother", the band do this tastefully and subtely, with maturity and flair.
#8
"Zonoscope"
Cut Copy
"Zonoscope"
Cut Copy
One word you would never have previously associated with Aussie indie dance act Cut Copy is "epic". Tracks are hook filled, laid back and above all, great fun. Synths flying everywhere, beats pounding as singer Dan Whitford drawls a poppy lyric or two.
But from the second chorus of "Zonoscope" opener "Need You Now", Dan Whitford's voice opens up and soars above cascading synths spiralling downwards in a Vangelis fashion. Tracks like singles "Take Me Over" and "Where I'm Going" have a similar sunny vibe to the pop gold of "In Ghost Colours", but elsewhere, tracks start off suggesting an idea, but before you know it, the track explodes into shooting star synths and thunderous hooks.
"Zonoscope" often resembles a film soundtrack, such is its sense of "storytelling" in each track. The synths in "Pharoahs & Pyramids" begin as mere blips before threatening to swallow the track whole by the end. "Ailsa" is a pretty song, taken up a notch by its huge vocal arrangements and firework guitars and the almighty rhythm of 15 minute closer "Sun God" is hypnotic in ways you never knew the band was capable of.
"Zonoscope" often resembles a film soundtrack, such is its sense of "storytelling" in each track. The synths in "Pharoahs & Pyramids" begin as mere blips before threatening to swallow the track whole by the end. "Ailsa" is a pretty song, taken up a notch by its huge vocal arrangements and firework guitars and the almighty rhythm of 15 minute closer "Sun God" is hypnotic in ways you never knew the band was capable of.
"Zonoscope" shows that Cut Copy have got much more than 3 minute pop songs up their sleeves, and it feels like their most important, cohesive record to date.
#7
"James Blake"
James Blake
"James Blake"
James Blake
If Katy B introduced underground dance music to the UK charts, James Blake introduced his own brand of glitchy electronic dub to underground dance music itself. What's ironic is that, without the BBC Sound of 2011 tag around his neck, the mainstream wouldn't have taken much interest in James Blake at all. And in fact, once "Limit to Your Love" fans realised what Mr Blake was actually about, he was sent back to the underground as fast as he came, the mainstream uninterested in his unfriendly 8 bit synths and complex melodies.
But more fool them. James Blake's debut is a deeply intense and surreal listen. Funnily enough, it's his first as a singer, after a year or two of releasing instrumental EPs, and you can tell his vocal influences are... well, to be honest, you can't tell. His flurries of harshly pitch-corrected soulful harmony are a mish mash of ideas, and one that you can never quite guess the direction of.
More dub than dubstep, James' production sounds sharply quantized against its will, and his beats stop and start and never suggest a groove, as James mournfully mumbles his, somehow, still gorgeous, melodies over the top. Occasionally, a commercial flourish appears, such as the straightforward dubstep throb at the climax of "I Never Learnt to Share" or the almost conventional song structure of "Wilhelm Scream", but the real magic of James' debut is his ability to combine the totally impenetrable with traditional singer songwriter conventions.
Listening to "James Blake" is often confusing and takes a few listens to really understand what's going on. But in 2011, a record with this much complexity and hidden pleasures is rare.
Listening to "James Blake" is often confusing and takes a few listens to really understand what's going on. But in 2011, a record with this much complexity and hidden pleasures is rare.
#6
"Go Tell Fire to the Mountain"
WU LYF
"Go Tell Fire to the Mountain"
WU LYF
WU LYF's sound is all at once visceral, euphoric and beautiful. The Frank Black-esque howl of singer Ellery Roberts is a million miles from the band's blissful organ and clean guitar led post-rock sound, but somehow you can't imagine it working any other way. If you had ever imagined vocals on Explosions in the Sky's material, imagine a guy throwing his guts up yelling, and you have a very crude basis for WU LYF's sound. And it's fucking amazing.
From the anthemic opener "L Y F", to the sparse, military march of "Such A Sad Puppy Dog", to the triumphantly danceable "We Bros", each and every track expresses the effortless joy of a pack of rebels enjoying their freedom. And for a band that refuses to talk to the press, and who generally don't seem to give a fuck about their (actually, widely positive) reviews, this seems a genuine record of 'heavy pop' (their term) to bring their fans together and party.
#5
"Days"
Real Estate
"Days"
Real Estate
You may say that Arcade Fire pretty much covered the topic of 'The Suburbs' last year, but whilst that record felt like a sweeping, political, intense record, "Days" is a much different suburban record. From the sunny opening notes of "Easy", its clear that Real Estate are making no statements here, mainly painting a picture.
But it's a picture of mixed emotions. There's the heartfelt and youthful love story of "It's Real" and its nostalgic and melancholic brother "Green Aisles", but also the heartbreaking sadness and regret of "Out of Tune" and "Municipality". In fact, as the album goes on, it becomes clear that this record is simply a record of love songs, and its the simplistic 60s sunny indie sounds, sweet and uplifting, that bring to mind an easy time in youth where love seemed like the most important thing in the world.
Listening to "Days" is like flicking through an old photo album, and even though it isn't your own, the messages are so universal and genuine, they might as well be.
#4
"Hurry Up, We're Dreaming"
M83
"Hurry Up, We're Dreaming"
M83
When one thinks back to M83's early days of sounding like My Bloody Valentine with synths, the opening screeching notes of the groundbreaking "Midnight City" sound like a completely different band. But the comparison potentially makes you love "Hurry Up" even more, if the days of tracks like "Teen Angst" and "Run Into Flowers" were founder Anthony Gonzalez hiding behind his synths, his belting, angsty voice now rises above them, gloriously.
Take the new age ballad "Wait", which wallows in its own bliss musically, acoustic guitars strum and bubblegum synths pop, as Gonzalez takes centre stage, belting out a gorgeous melody. And in fact, what really makes "Hurry Up" unique is its frequent use of looped vocal hooks, particularly on the insanely addictive "OK Pal" and, obviously, on "Midnight City".
On the whole, "Hurry Up" largely sounds like the 80s soundtrack to "Labyrinth" or "Legend". Atmospheric interludes take up a good deal of both CDs, but they are totally warranted, providing the necessary build up to the songs themselves, each of which explodes with massive drums and ever bigger vocals. These songs could almost be 80s pastiche if it didn't manage to take these pop ingredients, a crazy slap bass and prog rock keyboard solo on "Claudia Lewis", clanging stadium rock guitars on "Reunion", manic synth loops on "Steve McQueen", and make the record sound fresh and revolutionary.
There are even moments, particularly on "Intro" and "Outro", when the band looks back fondly at the epic walls of sound of their earlier material, and its a perfectly pitched move, and makes "Hurry Up" sound, effortlessly and triumphantly, like M83 finally achieving what they are capable of.
#3
"Pala"
Friendly Fires
"Pala"
Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires' debut was one with an escapist party spirit, funky and catchy. "Paris" and "Jump in the Pool" were high points, huge, stargazing indie anthems, but elsewhere it felt like the band were holding back. With "Pala", this is no longer a problem.
The first thing you notice about "Pala" is its lush cover, compared with the somewhat dull grey one from their debut. All these new found colours come across in the music: the songs are bigger, the sounds are clubbier and Ed Macfarlane has some damn crowd friendly melodies this time round, and there's no shame in any of the sounds here.
90s dance smarts this record no end, as do tropical, Caribbean sounds, resulting in the the pounding tribal rhythms and rave keyboards of "Live Those Days Tonight" and the steel drums, Hip Hop beats and boyband melodies of "Show Me Lights", amoungst, well, all the other gorgeous concoctions on the record.
There's lots of firsts on this record, the shameless 70s disco of "Hurting", the band's biggest chorus yet on "Blue Cassette", but the best first, and one that I am happy to say they reached so soon in their career, is that the band sounds like they are having so much fun. Maybe even as much as their fans are, but I can tell you, that would take a hell of a lot of enjoyment. Mindnumbingly great album.
#2
"Last Night on Earth"
Noah & The Whale
"Last Night on Earth"
Noah & The Whale
The background leading up to Noah and the Whale's third record could not be more soap opera-esque if it tried. Laura Marling was a part time member of Noah and the Whale on their naive and slightly irritatingly happy debut, and full time girlfriend to Charlie Fink. Then she dumped him for (HAHAHA!) Marcus Mumford (and Sons). Woe is him, and along comes totally different (and actually revelatory) second effort "The First Days of Spring". Gorgeous, desperately sad and full to the brim with missing and regret, it's quite possibly one of the best break-up records of recent times, to put it gleefully shallow terms.
Anyway, what one could've expected from "Last Night on Earth" is debatable. The title possibly even suggests an extension of the sentiment of "First Days...", to the extent that this "last night" is a self-destructive one. Then it could be a record about living each day as if it were our last. Turns out that the latter is the case, and after a couple of full listens, it's undeniable that "Last Night on Earth", for the optimists amongst us, is Noah and the Whale's defining record so far.
"Life is Life" states "...and it feels like his new life can start", and the record's positivity escalates from there. The record itself is the band's least folk by far, much more interested in taking sounds from american Springsteen-esque rock, which may have panicked some, but actually works in propelling Charlie Fink's newfound optimism to the joyous heights of tracks like "Waiting for My Chance to Come" and "Give it All Back". Single "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." might be a bit saccharine for some, but it pretty much sums up the message of the record, "you've got more than money and sense my friend, you've got heart, and you're going your own way".
If Noah and the Whale can go from pre-suicide folk to life affirming anthemic rock in the space of one album, quite frankly anything in music is possible.
#1
"Bon Iver"
Bon Iver
"Bon Iver"
Bon Iver
The story behind Bon Iver's debut record "For Emma, Forever Ago" is now an infamous one, the tale that founder Justin Vernon, wrote the record over a period of 3 months in an isolated cabin. The first record was, of course, an introduction to the fragile yet endlessly powerful voice of Justin Vernon, as well as the heartbreaking melodies and his oblique, yet still somehow touching, lyrics. The songs were all touching, but sometimes a little introverted, although this worked towards the magic of tracks like "Re: Stacks". But it was to be expected, the man did spend nigh on 100 days in a cabin on his own.
The best way to describe the sound of "Bon Iver", the band's second record, is that it sounds like Justin stepping out of the cabin and rediscovering the world through new eyes. Take "Holocene", probably the most beautiful song of the year, where Vernon declares "at once I knew I was not magnificent", although not in a negative way... this is a man humbled.
Lyrically, the whole album is as obscure as ever; it's the music that tells the real story. The sound is 10 times bigger and lusher; acoustic guitars are replaced by electric ones and voices are quadruple tracked and drenched in reverb. Echoing pianos are processed and compressed, and left to float gorgeously through the stratosphere on "Hinnom, TX", whilst warm pads give way too walls of distorted guitar and drums on "Calgary", and the infamous "Beth/Rest" is pure Genesis rock ballad, complete with sugary electric piano. Justin is no longer confined to his cabin, and he evidently wanted to express this in as many ways as he could.
Saying the album is obscure lyrically is not entirely fair. What I perhaps love most about the record is how it throws the listener a bone every now and again, with the odd lyric that speaks clearly and honestly. On "Beth/Rest", the album's most touching moment (and there are a lot) comes with the line "I ain't living in the dark no more, it's not a promise, I'm just gonna call it".
For Justin, and for all those that relate to his music, this album is a way out of the dark, albeit a cautious one, and with every melody sung, every surprising musical direction, every note plucked on a guitar and every note played on a keyboard, "Bon Iver" resonates contentment. And in a year as fraught with drama as 2011, it has been the perfect record to escape to.
If you have not heard anything of this record, I implore you to listen to just these two, if nothing more. "Holocene" and "Calgary" simply need to be heard.
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