Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 6.

6. The National - High Violet
Must Listen:
Bloodbuzz Ohio: 
http://songbytoad.com/tunes/TheNational-BloodbuzzOhio.mp3
Lemonworld:
http://www.drawuslines.com/wp-content/themes/digg-3-col/music/07%20Lemonworld.mp3
Coversation 16:
http://www.box.net/shared/static/t78sk6gnns.mp3
Anyone's Ghost:
http://www.inkiostro.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/The-National-Anyones-Ghost.mp3

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 7.

7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Must Listen:
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains):
http://www.theworldforgot.com/twf/mp3/Arcade%20Fire%20-%20Sprawl%20II%20(Mountains%20Beyond%20Mountains).mp3
We Used To Wait:
http://www.box.net/shared/static/z8uhlyi9en.mp3
Month of May:
http://www.quickbeforeitmelts.com/music/albums2010/2-10%20Month%20of%20May.mp3 
Ready to Start:
http://dysonsound.com/audio/Arcade_Fire-Ready_to_Start.mp3

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 8.

8. Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
Must Listen: 
Something Good Can Work:
http://thepopcop.co.uk/music/Two-Door-Cinema-Club-Something-Good-Can-Work.mp3
I Can Talk:
http://www.hearya.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/I-Can-Talk.mp3
Undercover Martyn:
http://www.papercranecollective.com/PPG%202010%20Yearmix/24%20Two%20Door%20Cinema%20Club%20-%20Undercover%20Martyn.mp3

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 9.

9. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Must Listen: 
Power:
http://www.postandpackonline.com/download/Kanye%20West%20%e2%80%93%20My%20Beautiful%20Dark%20Twisted%20Fantasy%20(Album)/03-Kanye%20West%20-%20POWER.mp3 
Runaway:
http://www.postandpackonline.com/download/Kanye%20West%20%e2%80%93%20My%20Beautiful%20Dark%20Twisted%20Fantasy%20(Album)/09-Kanye%20West%20-%20Runaway%20(feat.%20Pusha%20T).mp3
Monster:
http://www.box.net/shared/static/pzjs16mf5v.mp3 
So Appalled:
http://passionweiss.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/so-appalled-feat-rza-jay-z-pusha-t-swizz-beatz-cyhi-the-prynce-1.mp3

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 10.

10. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
Must listen:

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 11.

11. Local Natives - Gorilla Manner
For the L.A indie rock quintet Local Natives, it all comes down to the harmonies. Local Natives' three singers -- keyboardist Kelcey Ayer and guitarists Ryan Hahn and Taylor Rice -- have done away with the idea of the frontman and created something else entirely: a band led by its harmonies. Airplanes and Camera Talk prove the Natives can wring evocative sounds from traditional instruments while Drummer Matt Frazier has the knack for accenting a song with bursts of clatter. It's not the preciousness of Grizzly Bear, nor the gang-chorus of Arcade Fire. It is Local Natives

Friday, December 10, 2010

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 12.

12. Gypsy and the Cat - Gilgamesh 
The duo of Gypsy & The Cat released their debut full-length album in October. Their electronic, rock, pop, folk vibes really make 'Gilgamesh' a highlight album for the year, especially from the Australian representatives anyway. Thankgod for the Triple J Radio Unearthed Program or perhaps these 21 year old Melbourne locals may never have been discovered. The album clearly has influences from their love for French electro/disco, and you can't deny the unmistakeable 80's ballard anthems. Of particular note must be  'Jona Vark', 'Time To Wander' and 'The Piper's Song.'

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 13.

13. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
 
The key development in Odd Blood by Yeasayer is its directness, gained from an increased assurance in who they are and what they're doing. From sinuous synths, imitation-piano arpeggios, and singer Keating 's semi-hysterical falsetto, this is a genuinely beautiful record. Yeasayer have uncluttered and uncomplicated songs that didn't exist on the jamboree of All Hour Cymbals. Whether you prefer them mysterious, shadowy, and stoned-sounding, or openly striving for lyrical clarity and dancefloor fervor is a personal choice. But neither side of the divide could deny that it's a large evolutionary leap Yeasayer's made. And no one can deny the glories of Ambling Alp.

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 14.

14. Klaxons - Surfing the Void
Finally. Three years on from their brilliant, Mercury Prize winning debut Myths of the Near Future, Britain’s Klaxons are back with their follow up Surfing The Void. Why the wait? Apparently a whole album was scrapped after their label Polydor were disappointed with it. Surfing the Void in fact, continues on the path of their previous theme with the continuum of space, the universe and alternative realities. This offering is another taste of untamed, dance-damaged Britpoprock. I'm glad these guys have emerged from the first-album hype cycle, finding their sci-fi niche and expanding on it only slightly. Must listens include Twin Flames, Echoes, Cypherspeed and Extra Astronomical.

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 15.

15. Interpol - Interpol 
Interpol's self-titled fourth album finds them returning to the motif that made them such an exciting and intriguing band. Released on their original label home at Matador, Interpol's color scheme is back down to the bare, gloomy depths that I love. I guess this in reply to the disappointment of their 2007 Our Love To Admire. The mood here ranges from the fierce to the funereal, ultimately standing as one of the band's darker, jagged, ethereal atmosphere. The emphasis on the rhythm section makes these ten songs feel much more animated and punchy, which seems almost ironic given the recent departure of bassist Carlos D. Summer Well is my pick. Yet while Interpol doesn't quite recapture the magic I experienced on their debut, it offers a trip into the band's darker, more intriguing corners. "Just like the tailored suits that they've donned since 2002, Interpol wears nuance quite well".

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 16.

 16. Jonsi - Go
Go commits to its ambitious sound from beginning to end.  The Sigur Ros frontman's first solo record build and escape the work he has done previous with his band. There is something amazing about the music Jonsi can produce, the pounding drums, the uplifting orchestral surges, the overall oportunistic message it brings and the fact that he is singing in english for the first time make this a must have album of 2010. A group of friends and I caught Sigur Ros on their last tour and the show, no, the experience is incredible.

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 17.

17. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
Surfer Blood know the value of simplicity and a contagious melody, and that's what Astro Coast does well. Providing a consistent, well-crafted, traditional indie rock album, Astro Coast proves to be more than a one-hit wonder, more than a buzz-and-bust blog band. Surfer Blood is undeniably good at those punchy vocals and rolling melodies, with Twin Peaks and Swim being tour-de-force stand-out jams that threaten to make the rest of the album blend together into nine tracks of anonymity. Which could’ve been the case, if those other nine tracks weren’t so good.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Art Attack. Ben Frost


By chance I caught Ben Frost's exhibit in Byron Bay back in 2007. At the time he was coming back from outraging the art world and mainstream media when he staged his own death as part of his 'Ben Frost Is Dead' exhibition. Invities were in the form of funeral notices. Ever since he has been bulding a solid body of Pop Art with his acclaimed and controversial juxtapositions of cultural imagery. Check him out at http://www.benfrostisdead.com/

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 18.

18. Miami Horror - Illumination
As a concept album, Illumination’s song titles and overall impact draw from one theme, light. Each song depicts a different shade, taking listeners on a ride through electro-pop, shiny disco and deep-funk affiliations. Two years ago, when Miami Horror’s Benjamin Plant recorded and released his EP, Bravado out of a makeshift studio in his bedroom, The Justice meets Daft Punk meets Midnight Juggernaughts comparisons ensued. However, Plant’s overlaying of synths and guitar make it hard to pigeon hole Miami Horror into a genre or era; but it’s tracks like I Look To You, Sometimes, Moon Theory and Soft Light that make Illumination a favourite in the electro boundaries.

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 19.

 19. Vampire Weekend - Contra
Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut release will go down as one of my favourite albums of the last decade. Thus, I was afraid anything these guys produced after would pale in comparison. I was wrong. What's immediately striking about Contra is how little guitar there is on it. It's almost as though these guys made a statement that they could still achieve their unique sound without the electric guitar pop sound made famous on their debut. With all the digital bass, sequencers, synth pads and drum machines they could get their hands on, Vampire Weekend have made another beautiful album filled with their unmistakable melodies, orchestral patterns and metaphysical wit. Have been fortunate to see these guys twice now and they have no problem putting out a energetic and entertainng set. 

Top 20 Albums of 2010. Number 20.

20. Chiddy Bang - The Preview
Due to their album getting pushed back to 2011, Philadelphia's Chiddy Bang kindly quenched the growing online fanbase with their EP titled The Preview. It’s almost impossible not to like the sounds these guys are producing, riding high on the wave of fusion hip-hop/alt electro music, along  with the likes of Kanye West, KiD CuDi and Lupe Fiasco. However, there is something different about this duo that allows them to produce tracks with swagger and confidence far exceeding their age. Their sample choices do not disappoint, with the likes of Passion Pit, Radiohead, Hot Chip and the Gorillaz. Who honestly thought that Mgmt's Kids could be remixed to make it even catchier than the original? Get ready for their debut album, Air Swell in 2011.

Fresh Beats. Bird by Snow.

Bird By Snow is San Francisco resident Fletcher Tucker, and he has just issued fourth album Common Wealth via his own Gnome Life label. While previous efforts were mostly home-recorded affairs, Common Wealth finds Tucker collaborating and being produced in a 24-track studio by Tim Green of the Fucking Champs. The results speak for itself. 
 
Track - Bird by Snow - Across the Water
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/audio/AcrossTheWater.mp3

Fresh Beats. Lost Boy ?

Brooklyn-based Davey Jones, also known as Lost Boy ? provides us with some sounds for summer with his punk/pop slacker sounds from the same couch as Eddy Current Suppression ring and the Wavves. Apparenty working on an eight-track out of basements and bedrooms, Jones has recorded a prolific number of songs for both for Lost Boy ? and other projects. The new Lost Boy ? full-length album is due out early next year.

Tracks: Lost Boy ? -  Fast Burn
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/audio/FastBurn.mp3

Fresh Beats. Cut Copy.


Sounds like another classic synthpop album coming from the Australian boys, following the much loved Bright Like Neon Love (2004) and In Ghost Colours (2008). Dropping in February 2011 is third album Zonoscope.

Track: Cut Copy - Take Me Over
http://vacayweb.com/music/Take%20Me%20Over.mp3

Fresh Beats. The Wombats.

You should already have this track. I remeber seeing these guys for the first time in Australia at Splendour 2008 and they got so pissed on stage (and after) that they missed their flights to their Adelaide and Perth.gigs . Looking forward to the album release in early 2011.

Track: The Wombats - Jump into the Fog
http://www.groundcontrolmag.com/music/SWAG33The_Wombats-Jump_Into_The_Fog.mp3

Fresh Beats. Grouplove.

  
Finally. Got my hands on a good version of this awesome track from the L.A based 'Grouplove.' There is no denying that these guys have the makings of a smart, indie rock n roll band who will find a home amongst the folk/rock movement. I hear the Pixies all over this track, so you know that's good start.

Track: Grouplove - Colours
http://boxstr.net/files/6949337_qudxf/Grouplove-Colours.mp3

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

John Lennon: The Tea Man (1940 – 1980)

"What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean. I'm not interested in being a dead f--king hero…so forget 'em, forget 'em." 

Final Interview with Rolling Stone. Three days before his death.

Fresh Beats. Daft Punk.


So no doubt many of you have heard word of the French robo-shelled duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo scoring the new Disney Reboot of futuristic-cult classic Tron. Tron: Legacy is set for release in early 2011 and according to director, Joseph Kosinski, Daft Punk are a certainty for touring in promotion of the film. 

Track: Daft Punk - End Titles
http://www.dailybeatz.net/music/tronlegacyendtitles.mp3

Cover of the Week. Gorillaz.


Have a listen to this cover of the 'The xx - Crystalised' as recorded by Damon Albarn of 'Gorillaz' at BBC Radio earlier this week. It has also been confirmed that the group is also dropping an entire new Gorillaz album before Christmas that has been completely recorded and finalized on an iPad while on their most recent tour. Gorillaz co-conspirator Jamie Hewlett announced that the untitled effort will drop on Christmas Day. “On Christmas Eve a video for one of the new songs from the iPad album will be released. Then, on Christmas Day fans get the whole album downloaded to their computer for free as a gift.” There are still little details as to what to expect from the Londoners, but Albarn made sure to emphasize the fact that the whole thing was indeed recorded on his iPad during the band’s 2010 world tour. “I wanted to make sure that it came out at the end of the tour because I don’t want anyone to think I’d tampered with it,” Albarn said. “I literally made it on the road in America over a month. I didn’t write it before, I didn’t prepare it. I just did it day by day as a kind of diary of my experience in America. If I left it until the New Year to release it then the cynics out there would say ‘Oh well, it’s been tampered with’, but if I put it out now they’d know that I haven’t done anything because I’ve been on tour ever since.”

Track: Gorillaz - Crystalised
http://www.dailybeatz.net/music/gorillazcrystalised.mp3

Fresh Beats. Teen Daze.


This 8 track EP is full of spacey, high-energy tunes and an extremely promising first official release. After listening to Four More Years it’s less likely that you’ll remember any specific track or hook as much as you will the atmosphere that it brings.  Hopefully, brighter things to come for this Vancouver local.

Track: Neon
http://www.dailybeatz.net/music/teendazeneon.mp3

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Again.


A follow up to the film Trainspotting (1996) is looking to be a possibility after author Irvine Welsh published Porno this year, a novel set 10 years after the original drama. Boyle believes that the original team of Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner and Jonny Lee Miller will team up again (as long as) he can produce a script good enough to do the first one justice. He said, "Everyone says it's about getting the actors back again, but I think more importantly, it's about whether we can do justice to the characters. They have become mythical figures since Trainspotting came out." McGregor said, "I thought it was best left as it was because it would be terrible shame if it didn't live up to expectations. Then I read the book and said 'Oh come on it's fantastic'. It's interesting to find out what the characters are up to." Let's wait and see how Renton ended up after leaving us with the final quote, "So why did I do it? I could offer a million answers, all false. The truth is that I'm a bad person, but that's going to change, I'm going to change. This is the last of this sort of thing. I'm cleaning up and I'm moving on, going straight and choosing life. I'm looking forward to it already. I'm going to be just like you: the job, the family, the fucking big television, the washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electrical tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisurewear, luggage, three-piece suite, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing the gutters, getting by, looking ahead, to the day you die."