Festive Fifty

Here's a list of the most heavily rotated fifty tunes on my Ipod that were released this year, in descending order of astoundingness, and limited to 2 tracks per Artist;

1) The Domino State- Safe Now

2) Amusement Parks On Fire- Echo Park//Infinite Delay

3) Butterfly Explosion- Tracing Stars

4) Foals- Spanish Sahara

5) God Is An Astronaut- In the Distance Fading

6) Sennen- Age Of Denial

7) Malory- Floating

8) Amusement Parks On Fire- Flashlight Planetarium

9) Union Sound Set- Cause & Resolve

10) Holy F*ck- Silva & Grimes

11) I Like Trains- We Saw The Deep

12) Lowline- Outside

13) Air Formation- Low December Sun

14) Mogwai- Mogwai Fear Satan (Live)

15) Jonsi- Grow Till Tall

16) Biffy Clyro- Many Of Horror

17) Delphic- Clarion Call

18) School Of Seven Bells- Heart Is Strange

19) The Twilight Sad- The Wrong Car

20) 65 Days Of Static- Tiger Girl

21) The Arcade Fire- Ready To Start

22) The Boxer Rebellion- If You Run

23) The Domino State- You Are The Winter

24) Film School- Heart Full Of Pentagons

25) Butterfly Explosion- Closer

26) Exit Calm- Hearts & Minds

27) Mono- Pure As Snow (Trails Of The Winter Storm) (Live)

28) Kyte- Fear From Death

29) Blood Red Shoes- Don't Ask

30) The Joy Formidable- I Don't Want To See You Like This

31) Spotlight Kid- All Is Real

32) School Of Seven Bells- Ilu

33) The Arcade Fire- We Used To Wait

34) Tears Run Rings- Innocent

35) Union Sound Set- Here's To You

36) Sennen- Red Horizon

37) Frightened Rabbit- Nothing Like You

38) 65 Days Of Static- Debutante

39) I Like Trains- These Feet Of Clay

40) Delphic- Counterpoint

41) Kyte- The Smoke Saves Lives

42) Sad Day For Puppets- Such A Waste

43) Saxon Shore- Thanks For Being Away

44) God Is An Astronaut- Worlds In Collision

45) Mogwai- Glasgow Mega Snake (Live)

46) Team Ghost- A Glorious Time

47) The Joy Formidable- Popinjay

48) Holy F*ck- Stilettos

49) Interpol- Lights

50) Air Formation- Meltdown

30 tracks from this list that will hopefully make a difference to your lives will be available on 2 CD's in the New Year.

Merry Christmas.

Rich

Top 20 Albums of 2010

Not the greatest of years, it has to be said, and a top 20 took me some head-scratching, but here goes;

1) Amusement Parks On Fire- Road Eyes- very few in the UK care, so this Nottingham five-piece decamped to LA, hooked up with Brian Aubert of Silversun Pickups, and came up with the most shimmering, rocket-propelled sunshine rock album of the year. Not released in the UK yet, but doing decent business where it was intended.

2) The Domino State- Uneasy Lies The Crown- debut from London band who have Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland's brother in their ranks. Despite this, they managed an album that sounds like Ian McCulloch fronting Ride, which is a very good thing indeed.

3) Butterfly Explosion- Lost Trails- reverb-drenched heaven from Southern Ireland. Knob twiddling by Torsten Kinsella of God Is An Astronaut.

4) Biffy Clyro- Only Revolutions- the angular, stop-start rhythms of old are gone, and in their place a collection of balls-out, stadium-sized rock monsters. Suddenly being discovered by 12 year old girls, as a result of Matt Cardle's murdering of "Many Of Horror".

5) Mogwai- Special Moves- live album taken from their dates in Brooklyn, NYC, last year. Perfectly captures the awesome power of their live performance, with "Mogwai Fear Satan", in particular, scaring the hell out of the neighbours, as it should.

6) Malory- Pearl Diver- German Slowdivers with added Hybrid/Massive Attack electronics.

7) Foals- Total Life Forever- not as immediate as their debut, but definitely the sound of a band capable of going global monster huge.

8) Blood Red Shoes- Fire Like This- what The White Stripes should have sounded like, if they weren't so busy disappearing up their own crevices. Not seen a moshpit for a while like the one at Leeds Festival for them.

9) Mono- Holy Ground- Japanese post-rockers live with New York's Wordless Music Orchestra. I defy anyone to listen to this version of "Trails Of The Winter Storm" without being reduced to a quivering wreck by the end.

10) I Like Trains- He Who Saw The Deep- becalmed second from former Leeds historians, who focus here instead on a bleak environmental message for the future.

11) The Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

12) God Is An Astronaut- Age Of The Fifth Sun

13) School Of Seven Bells- Disconnect From Desire

14) Holy F*ck- Latin

15) Union Sound Set- Start/Stop

16) Sennen- Age Of Denial

17) Frightened Rabbit- The Winter Of Mixed Drinks

18) Jonsi- Go

19) Kyte- Dead Waves

20) Exit Calm- Exit Calm

Festive fifty posted tomorrow or Tuesday..top 30 tracks to make up "Best of 2010" compilations.

Cheers

Rich

Top Albums 2010

Just for a change top to bottom

Meursault

By a mile the best album of the year, if you don't like it on first play, just turn the volume up. OK so Neil's voice may be back in the mix in parts- well - TURN THE VOLUME UP. The songs are fantastic, the guitars are excellent, he's a great singer and whatever the beeps and clicks are they work for me...By a Mile!

Titus Andronicus

I'm not sure I can explain this one properly either, it's got a lot of guitars on it, it's quite shouty in places and it's certainly got a few great tunes on it. It's also a bit messy a bit oddly produced and doesn't exactly flow. It just makes me excited listening to new music though, definitely a heart rather than a head album. Play it loud and be immersed.

The National

Not that tricky really, just write an album choc full of great songs and everyone will love it. It's worth getting the first issue not the re issue though as Terrible Love is far better on it, they throw a drum kit down a long flight of stairs and record it.

Akira The Don and Joey2tits

In which AKD turns in his best work of the year, awesome mixing, great tunes, and the best UK exponent of hip hop for sure. Tunes meet dance meet rap meet pop, it's even got 60's riffs in there.

Arcade Fire

It took me a while to get this, the online video wotsit helped and then I played it in the car. My favourite driving album of the year perfect beats to singalong songs

Male Bonding

Old style indie guitars, no really old style, think Steve Diggle with more effects pedals. It's like all of Manchester Indie music chucked in a blender, switched to max spin and popping the lid. 3 minute pop songs making a welcome comeback...with screech guitar.

Kid Canaveral

Every song a classic, Sarah Records meets the neu folk revolutionists.

The Hold Steady

Trust me it's better in retrospect, I played it to death for a month earlier in the year and loved it, then I got bored with it and now it's my 2nd favourite Hold Steady album. It's always about the quality of the songs you know.

Yelawolf

This was free at the start of the year and the blogosphere went crazy. It worked a treat for Mr Yelawolf who signed for a major and pocketed the cash. If you listen to one rap album this year get a copy of the earlier issue. The big label scrapped half the best tunes stuck some filler in and trashed a great album. (I know someone with a copy ;-))

Gaslight Anthem

It's probably become fashionable not to like them by now but, I'll still be playing this album in 5 years time. It may be as a bit predictable, however as long as the verses and chorus' are singable it'll do me.

Silver Columns

Electronic, dance fun from north of the border

LCD Soundsystem

Some top tunes in amongst a few duffers, what the heck is that Bowie rip off doing on there?

Frightened Rabbit

They've become a bit popular and indeed a bit pop in parts but, I've played this album an awful lot and I've a feeling it's going to stick.

The Futureheads

As with all Futureheads albums it's a bit inconsistent, but when its good its mint. 'Heartbeat' is the best pop song of the year.

Foals

Talking of great pop songs 'Spanish Sahara' is one of the best his year too. It's my favourite spinning around album of the year.

Johnny Flynn

I don't care if he's mates with the rest of the southern new folkies and almost so hip he can barely limp because this album is full of surprises. It's almost trad folk and it's very pop in parts too, but in the way that Shane McGowan can write great songs I think Mr Flynn may well have a few classics in his locker.

And then a few other notable inclusions

Best Album illegally copied for me

Shoegazey Pop

Best Album nonchalantly passed by USB stick

Jangly pop tunes

And without further ado back to the magnificent Meursault, best album of the year and best gig of the year too.

If you haven't seen the live songs from Glastonbury then these are worth a look. Some good looking chaps in this audience! You know the rules TURN THE VOLUME UP

What You Don't Have

Crank Resolutions

and the quieter

One Day This'll All Be Fields

I think I'm starting to like the fact that the music industry is disintegrating and you have to search out the god stuff again rather than it being spoonfed to the masses.