2010

Twenty ten, you’ve been good, you’ve been bad, let’s call it a day, eh?

In the way of music, like most years, 2010′s been brilliant. Not only have there been some great releases, be they single, EP or album, but you and I can look forward to 2011 with expectations of sonic standard that are sure to be met! An albums of 2010 list, or general muddle through, is to follow, but for now, head over to Aesthetic Octopus and swot up on our Top Ten Songs and Top Ten Albums of 2010 lists! Gigs have also been my way of getting out of my cocoon of a room, providing me with a distraction from the everyday grind and a fairly good tune or two (slight understatement) to boot. This year, Yeasayer, The Black Keys, The Agitator, Boy & Bear, Small Black, and Phosphorescent have impressed. Next year I’m looking forward to witnessing the musical athleticism of Twin Shadow, Tennis OR Metronomy (that’ll be a toughie!), Jamie Woon and Efterklang plus many, many more in January and February alone. Small Black’s ‘Photojournalist’ is a definite jam of the year, enjoy…

My continuing appreciative war on Literature reached new heights. Curveballs were thrown, recommendations were gathered and taken out from Glasgow University’s mammoth library and Nick Hornby once again danced an imaginary charleston dance of victory in my head out of amazingness. As is customary for my Christmas breaks, I have a toppling collection of books I need to read before January including the remainder of “London Calling: A Countercultural History of London”, “Ulysses”, “The Driver’s Seat”, amongst others. This year has also seen my introduction to Colum McCann, who I would advise you to search out right away. His collection of short stories, “Fishing the Sloe-Black River” is spell-binding in short. I’m currently awaiting the delivery of “Let the Great World Spin”, which I am hoping is as good as I’ve heard. I’m hoping 2011will not see me returning the question “Have you read ________?” with “No…” as often as it feels has been the case this year, I do love those conversations filled with recommendations, but I love replying with an affirmative “Yes” even more to said question.

I haven’t had the chance to do many art gallery visits, but Dorothy Bohm’s exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery this Summer was unforgettable. Once I’m back in Glasgow, the book, “A World Observed”, that was released alongside the event is being whisked straight to my door, believe me. In terms of films, I very much enjoyed Joann Sfar’s biopic of Gainsbourg, cleverly entitled, Gainsbourg.

Hopefully not spending NYE at home, but at Schofield towers, this year, so until 2011, I shall love you and leave you. The New Year shall bring you a retrospective, but mild, listomania. Happy NYE smooching, I’m off to look at my favourite Birthday/Christmas present again!

M

Neon Indian: T-Rex cover and Mind Drips video

Following the spirit of marches and demonstrations against tax dodging bigwigs, we’re looking at you Philip Green, and the disgraceful rise in student fees, it’s with a rebellious spirit I present you with Neon Indian’s cover of T-Rex classic, ‘Children of the Revolution’, which you can nab from here.

Alongside this, is the brilliant new video for ‘Mind Drips’, which was captured in one of the most unique ways I’ve ever heard of… 

From the video’s press release: “…The LZX Visionary (an analogue video synthesizer) manipulates and creates images in the same way a normal synthesizer does for sounds. ‘Mind Drips’ is the first music video to utilize this unique synthesizer, and all of its visual effects are recorded in real-time using techniques such as abstract pattern synthesis, video feedback, and analog compositing. For more information on the LZX Visionary video synthesizer, for more information, visit www.lzxindustries.net“

Young

Summer Camp, Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Warmsley, have created a burbling and fuzzy snapshot of life as they seemingly know it in these six songs. As jam-packed with brilliance as some full length albums come, the duo appear to have hit upon something rather novel with this EP, here’s to youth and Young itself…

 

 Sharing the vocal spotlight in turns, and at times together (huzzah!), ‘Round the Moon’ showcases Warmsley’s unique voice first and foremost, Sankey joining in, and echoing at the appropriate and well tempered points within choruses. Unapologetically romantic in its lyrics (“We danced all night and we held each other tight”) this opening track provides a peek of what’s yet to come in the words department on Young.

 

‘Veronica Sawyer’ could have come straight from the diary of any teenage girl in the throes of self-discovery, Sankey voicing the observations of a party going youngster, eventually concluding “It’s okay, I got so much more than this”. This disillusioned mentality of youth is another side to Summer Camp’s lyrical appeal and is all part of their distinctive nostalgia.

 

One of my absolute favourite tracks from the outset of their career and this EP, ‘Ghost Train’ is a best amongst first place entries as far as Summer Camp go. Combining the very best of Sankey’s alluring vocals and a clip-clopping rhythm, the track is spell-binding and calming all in the same breath.

 

‘Jake Ryan’ closes this debut EP in a personal manner, its lyrics demanding “Go on and ruin me/Take my life and run/Go on and have my heart, every beat/Finish with me now” amidst a murmur of contrasting and bubbling synths. The chaotic and emotive atmosphere of Young leaves me, for one, eager to hear more from Sankey and Warmsley. The different moods and airs of each individual song leaves them hard to figure out, Summer Camp are a curious mystery indeed.

Champ

Despite the fact that they hit their stride early on with classic EP, A Lesson In Crime, Tokyo Police Club’s strong burning flame of fame hasn’t seen a flicker in all its days. 2010’s second full length album, Champ, only reinforced this fact, bringing the Canadian quartet’s fan base out in a loving tour de force of spirit.

 

 Equally as gripping as early material, Champ gets off to a great start with ‘Favourite Food’ and ‘Favourite Colour’, similar names, very different songs. Well, not massively different, but different all the same. After a hesitant opening, ‘Favourite Food’ smacks the listener with all it has, providing a lively piece of proof that some bands should never stop making music, and hopefully never will (as long as their health isn’t in danger, mind…unless they‘re cool with writing songs from a hospital bed…). ‘Favourite Colour’ doesn’t make any of its predecessor’s concessions, making an immediate move for energy, grit and vigour, Dave Monks demanding “Tell me what/Tell me what’s your favourite colour” within the track’s stop and start chorus.

 

This energy loosens and whirls in an entirely different manner during Champ’s third track, ‘Breakneck Speed’, which includes one of my favourite lyrics of this album, “I remember when our voices used to sound the exact same/Now we just translate”. Although nuances at intellectual thought such as this lyric might sound contrived, within the nostalgic context of ‘Breakneck Speed’ ‘s melodies, the song’s lyrics aren’t sickly sentimental, but more of an inside joke in this reviewer‘s humble opinion.

 

‘Bambi’, my favourite track of Champ, absorbs much of the record’s best attributes and blurts them out in a stuttering flash of brilliance. Whilst Monks unfurls an again beautiful ribbon of lyrics, at times everyday and at others poetic, subtly dark keyboards and gurgling guitars surround his words, almost enveloping and consuming them entirely. The mood of ‘Bambi’ is hard to pin down, protective though the lyrics are (“You can watch it when you get a bit older/But for now in the bad bits I should cover your eyes”), the instrumental sections show a more menacing underbelly to the song.

 

Akin to the air of ‘Breakneck Speed’ is that of ‘Hands Reversed’. Sombre and lingering, the song’s atmosphere forcibly makes itself known in every aspect of the music, from the drawn out guitar melodies and down tempo drums to words such as “You’ve got to come into my kitchen for a cry”.

 

Oddly titled, ‘Frankenstein’ closes Champ on an dynamic note. Tempered by its choruses and downhearted lyrics “A gold star turns black”, ‘Frankenstein’ manages not to bolt from the door completely, creating a feeling of wistfulness that only moves to affect the listener’s own mind. 

Family

Family are a London based quartet who seem to like taking a backseat when it comes to describing their music, judging from their elusive and minimal presence here and there on the web. Relying for the most part on vulnerable yet ballsy guitar parts, the band spin a very unique yarn of melodies. The distinctive vocals of Family, that at times harmonise (big brownie points), are as emotive as they come, and compliment the instrumental components of songs such as ‘Arjun’ in gorgeous style.

For now, we the listeners, have five tracks to enjoy over and over again via the group’s bandcamp. Personally, I couldn’t recommend a particular favourite, and this isn’t to say the songs all merge into one, simply that Family’s material is so cohesive, you almost can’t have one track without the others. However, if you’re looking for a swatch of Family’s various artistic attributes, try ‘Eileen’ on for size. Can’t wait to see what 2o11 has instore for these guys.

Young at Love and Life

One of this year’s best EPs, Young at Love and Life from San Franciscan Dominant Legs bursts at the seams with a cheery atmosphere, wholly aware of its own youth.

 

 Opening with eponymous ‘Young at Love and Life’, the EP gets off to a cracking start, venturing forth with help from a great guitar riff and doubled over vocals from both Ryan William Lynch and Hannah Hunt. This enthusiasm gives way to the softer feeling of following track, ‘Clawing Out at the Walls’, which by no means maintains the EP’s youthful grit, but moulds it into more of a yearning determination.

 

The atmosphere is again changed for third track ‘About My Girls’, which foregrounds Lynch’s vocals and sees him admit “I just can’t seem to forget about my girls” amidst a flood of luxuriant synth melodies and Hunt’s vibrant oohs and aahs.

 

‘Run For Hell Like Leather’ is the perfect swatch, if you like, of Young at Love and Life. Combining aching vocals from both Lynch and Hunt and popping rhythms with driving melodies, the closing track moves in an odd but intriguing fashion, progressing in god knows what direction.

 

This ambiguous ending is absorbing and leaves you wondering what the next move is. The fact that a destination isn’t alluded to within these four tracks leaves all manner of opportunities open and ready to be taken by this exciting duo. 

Forget

After spending ten hours more than I should have done stuck on a coach due to “adverse weather conditions” with Forget pumping through my ears for 4 rotations, too scared to press any buttons in case the battery on my iPod went, I feel this album and I have a bond that will never be broken. This isn’t because I’ve come around to its unique pull, but simply because it is an amazing album with a density many debuts fail to achieve.

 

 ‘Tyrant Destroyed’, the opening track of Forget, starts in an understated manner, and coats the listener’s ears in George Lewis Jnr’s unique vocals, which are halfway between sultry and silky smooth, not a bad place to be at all. Instrumentally, the track gains traction through the steady addition of simple components, eventually reaching full density in its closing minutes, and marking the beginning to one of the year’s best albums.

 

 A world away from previous tracks, ‘I Can’t Wait’ displays Lewis Jnr’s adept talent at lyric writing, the track at one point rushing through heady lines such as, “My voice to me, he’s always asking for a dance/She said I hate his moves/Hands under her legs, his hands, always in my hand/She said I hate those moves”. These distracting words are surrounded by clapping rhythms and reeling synth melodies, which in turn take over as words fall away from the song‘s content.

 

 ‘Shooting Holes’, a definite highlight of Forget, pulls the listener in almost immediately with the spiralling manner in which its instruments combine. Once again, lyrics are a crucial and winning factor in this track, Lewis Jnr painting a rebellious and youthful picture with his rich and seductive vocal melodies. Elsewhere, it’s hard to catch the speeding instrumental parts of ‘Shooting Holes’ and deliberate over them, but when heard together, they are nothing short of magical. Similarly, following track, ‘At My Heels’ carries on this rebellious air by racing through vivid soundscapes which, when merged with the song’s lyrics, are overpowering and hard not to love. Simple musings such as, “Sometimes I don’t know what I’m seeing/Who’s keeping track of all that’s breathing” keep the mind restless and the accompanying instrumental melodies do the same for the body.

 

 As well as he soundtracks rebellion, George Lewis Jnr also pays homage to sadness and doubt in equally high standard, ‘Tether Beat’ reflects this almost effortlessly through use of downtrodden melodies and complementing and, at times, questioning lyrics “Do you sigh yourself awake/Is there nothing you can fake…Does your heart still beat”. This atmosphere bleeds into following track, ‘Castles in the Snow’, which builds a darker atmosphere with its doubled over vocals and screaming instrumental utilisation. The song’s focal lyric “You’re my favourite daydream/I’m your famous nightmare/Everything I see turns gold/Everything I touch turns cold” could have come straight out of a poetry giant and thus washes over the listener with effective force.

 

‘For Now’, another album highlight, seemingly absorbs the aforementioned bad feeling and pushes it with a more driven feeling. The sad overtones remain, but the rhythmic clicks and tings contained here lift this negative energy to another plane as Lewis Jnr asks “Is there anything as quiet as a night alone with you”, a question he seems to know the answer to.

 

If I have previously dubbed tracks as album highlights, there is no comparison when it comes to ‘Slow’. My hands down favourite song from Forget, quite frankly, has it all, and displays the very best of George Lewis Jnr’s talent. For example, if the chorus line, “I don’t wanna believe or be in love” doesn’t have you balling your eyes out in desperation, then I think you might be soulless. Frank words such as this are immersed in whirling melodies that mirror the lyrical anxiety from Lewis Jnr and create a dense window into the very worst feelings one can have.

 

Closing on the eponymous ‘Forget’, this record ticks a lot of boxes I didn’t even know I had on my imaginary sheet of musical loves. As with its opening song, ‘Forget’ builds to a gradual peak and releases its distinctive energy in gorgeous reams that fade to a very unsettling silence.

 

It’s a crime that some of the album charts of 2010 haven’t included Forget as being a highlight of this year, a mistake I certainly won’t make. Excuse this pun, but Forget is one album I certainly won’t forget anytime soon…eh?

Beauregard

Little known Pepper Rabbit of L.A. are currently polishing off their second album, their debut Beauregard is fully fledged being of fabulously partnered melodies that enlivens even the mellowest of listeners. Rousing, heart wrenching and glorious are three ways of describing it, but should you need to read on, I’ll happily oblige…

 

The record opens on a mournful note, in the form of ‘Clarinet Song’ which wallows in a pandering clarinet melody line whilst the vocals lift the atmosphere amidst an expectant piano section. This melancholy mood is carried through to ‘Harvest Moon’, which despite its heartily strummed melodies, is perhaps more downhearted than the previous song, due to the lyric “That’s when you find there’s nothing there/Drink when you find that no one cares”.

 

 Beauregard’s third track, ‘In the Spirit of Beauregard’ introduces an odd side to Pepper Rabbit’s music, which is a leaning towards creepy, baroque influences. ‘In the Spirit…’ relies for its most part on a spine-tingling piano melody and an enlivened rhythm, perfectly suited to a grainy black and white horror movie of old.

 

‘Red Wine’, one of Pepper Rabbit’s most well known songs, catches the listener’s attention in a nonchalant fashion with its various components, which ease themselves in with almost no fuss whatsoever, well besides the crashing drums and delightful banjo that is. The tempered spirit of the song’s rhythm links perfectly to the lyrical realisation that the “you” in question, did indeed drink the red wine. After the melancholy hits above, ‘Snowalker’, the album’s happiest song up until now, is more than needed. This being Pepper Rabbit however, the song would clearly have its tinges of self doubt, contained in lyrics such as “You’re not beating on your drum anymore”, but we’ll overlook those for now in light of the gorgeous, carefree melodies the lyrics are surrounded by.

 

As with ‘Red Wine’, ‘Older Brother’ is a well-known track from Beauregard, something down to its lyrical strength, no doubt. In this instance, it really is a case of ‘go and listen for yourself’, because if an attempt were made to pinpoint a favourite line of mine, the entire lyrical content would end up on here.

 

Minimal and lingering, ‘Song for a Pump Organ’ creeps into the audience’s consciousness with seeming reluctance, but eventually admits “I wanna change you/I wanna change your mind” amidst a flickering and melodic soundscape. This is punctuated by a gorgeous glockenspiel part and is eventually joined by a complementing harp melody as the track fades into nothing.

 

‘Send in the Horns’ closes Beauregard in a contrasting manner to how it began, utilising an echoing atmosphere and encompassing a larger amount of instruments into its scope as it ticks over. An expectant energy is built around peaks of sound until the song’s third minute, where the layers combine and spill over in a mess of horns, vocals and drums. The fashion in which this final songs simply fades out is also interesting if nothing else, and is the opposite of what I was expecting. Not to say that this a bad thing however, if anything, it makes me want to hear those opening melodies all over again, which is exactly what I am doing now.

 

As mentioned, Pepper Rabbit are working on the follow up to Beauregard, eagerly awaited by myself, there have been whispers of tours galore for the boys too, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing either.