Swindon Music

Indeed it is, been enjoying this over the past couple of weeks

Also belatedly discovered

The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient
The Stepkids - The Stepkids

and honorable mention to

Magazine - No Thyself

I suspect by Christmas the Fall's new effort will be on my list, only heard it 10 times so far but it's a good un

I bought this at the start of the year with high hopes and initially loved it, 10 months on I still like it althought it's a bit patchy, the high points (Rubber, Georgia, Suicide Policeman, Holing Out, Get Away, Shook Down) are some of the best songs of 2011 (or 2010 in the case of the first 2 which were earlier singles) I think the other tracks lose their way a bit. Definite potential though and 2nd album could be a cracker.

Rise Against -Endgame
Radiohead - King Of Limbs
Yuck - Yuck
Ryan Adams - Fire & Ashes
Scroobius Pip - Distraction Pieces
Rival Schools - Pedals

I engineered the Roxy Music tribute last Friday at The Vic, and can now say I don't see the apparent comparison. Maybe a tribute band isn't the way to compare, but after watching the 4 songs I did know, it surely must be the band pop with keyboards that prompted the comparison!

They were good live though (the Roxy tribute, was a class act) Metronomy are amazing live too - glad I caught them before and after the "band"

Loads of albums I'm still playing catch up on.

White Denim - D.
Thundercat - Golden Age of the Apocalypse
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
Death in Vegas - Trans-Love Energies
Vinyl Williams - name escaping but it was free on bandcamp and incredible.
Peaking Lights - 936
The Stepkids
Death Grips - Ex-Military. Another free album and would be my favourite hip hop album of the year...
Shabazz Palaces - Black up... if this wasn't my hip hop album of the year.

I'll no doubt get into albums recorded this year next year.

M83 and Ryan Adams were big let downs for me.
M83 album is just one over-blown collection of advert-ready songs and Ryan Adams album was just plain old bland and forgettable.

All great albums

I spent the better part of today doing my Best Of 2011 list.

http://open.spotify.com/user/joecritch86/playlist/2onuOAa1Qtyc3BKIYWJB69

Chase & Status ft. Liam Bailey - ‘Blind Faith’

This ultra-euphoric homage to rave’s early years was the first addition to this list and yet remains one of the strongest entries. I had it set as my wake-up alarm for at least 4 of the coldest, most lonely months of my life and I still love it. It’s the sort of tune that sounds to me like it wrote itself, a bit of a fluke even. The rest of the album (with the possible exception of ‘Time’ and opener ‘No Problem’) appears to be covered in rubbish guitar and doesn’t even come close to matching it. I like the cover art though.

http://youtu.be/PcVYBxHEry0

Burial - ‘NYC’

Will Bevan’s self titled debut and his 2007 follow up Untrue are amongst my most listened to records of all time. For the longest time they felt like the soundtrack to the way I see the world, an almost perfect accompaniment to my innermost thoughts. When this single dropped my expectations were impossibly high and I was inevitably disappointed. 6 months down the line I realised I had been stupid. NYC is on a par with Fostercare and arguably the best Burial tune to date. I can’t wait for the album, if there is one…

http://youtu.be/zv1BfpZkuFA


Deaf Center - ‘The Day I Would Never Have’

Another new release from an artist whose debut album left an indelible mark on my life. It took me months to work up the courage to properly listen to ‘Owl Splinters’, but when I did I was not disappointed, instead I was taken on an amazing journey where every minute detail of my surroundings acquired deep new meaning and even the tiniest of moments was instilled with profound significance. I was surprised to discover that music like this doesn’t just work in dark, wet and cold conditions. I associate this track specifically with cracked dry earth, scorched crops and the blinding white heat of a summer sun in a still and empty sky.

http://youtu.be/PvwUwNKO__I

Bon Iver - ‘Beth/Rest’

When I first heard this song it literally struck me dumb. My jaw fell open, my breath shortened, I started to shiver all over, not really knowing whether to laugh or cry. Finally I managed to get it together and cried like a baby in the most gratifying way possible. I realise I’m going way out on a limb here, but if you can’t get over yourself and feel the power of ‘Beth/Rest’ it’s your loss and I feel sorry for you.

http://youtu.be/9UtQe0JOCnM

Civil Civic - ‘Less Unless’

I am happy to report I know very little about this project beyond the fact I love it. I have no idea how tunes like this would work live or even fit into a DJ set and I find it inspiring and exciting that people are making music which sits in an awkward place between these two worlds. Even at low volume this song feels like it is sandblasting the flesh clean off my face with its sonic intensity. I imagine that provided with sufficient amplification the bass tone in this song could melt mountain ranges from the earth’s surfaces like butter on hot toast. I first heard this track as part of the ‘1’ EP and although the full album is out now, I still haven’t properly listened to it. I think I am scared that hearing how it fits in with their other songs will make it less of mysterious/anomalous and therefore less amazing.

http://youtu.be/n59HVHVllF4

blink-182 - ‘Up All Night’

I don’t believe in guilty pleasures and I don’t believe you can grow out of something as long as you genuinely loved it in the first place. I am aware what the majority of people hear when they listen to blink-182 but for me their music continues to embody the main things I love about pop-punk as a genre. Simple but heartbreaking melody, hopefulness in the face of overwhelming hopelessness, and a naïve refusal to ‘grow up’, give up or let go of dreams and high-ideals.

http://youtu.be/YpYhGdrknlA

Hudson Mohawke - ‘All Your Love’

A fresh and creative slice of euphoria from wet and windy Scotland. Not a massive amount to say about this other than I am a particularly huge fan of the hard-panned drum fills and I can’t wait to hear what big names this guy works with in 2012.

http://bit.ly/p5Zriy

Little Dragon - ‘When I Go Out’

Easily the most bizarre and openly experimental track from ‘Ritual Union’, a strong contender for album of the year and very much my cup of tea from start to finish. A proper long player! In this long, wilfully weird and yet strangely catchy track, noisy dislocated rhythms clatter along underneath some full-on Vangelis synthesizer swells and the chopped, twisted and layered voice of obscenely talented front-babe Yukimi Nagano.

http://youtu.be/WqOQG8pqTjo

MUTEMATH - ‘Odd Soul’

Just one track from an album full of expertly crafted pop songs, all loaded down with layers of sexy riffs, an unbelievably versatile blues/soul voice and some of the most joyful drumming I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. ‘Odd Soul’ is a rarity in that actually works as a whole. This eponymous opener is possibly it’s most direct track and drew me in a really cool way with it’s soaring vocal melody and satisfying structure.

http://youtu.be/kvrfoU3SS4U

ELOQ - ‘Why Don’t You?’

A very recent discovery for me and the latest name in a long list of exciting modern electronica acts shamelessly injecting their music with the absolute maximum possible amount of fun and energy whilst seemingly paying very little attention to the ‘rules’ regarding BPM. I have thoroughly enjoyed just cranking tunes like this in my bedroom in 2011, but I think 2012 should be the year I make more of an effort to catch it on a night out.

http://youtu.be/OdBkxYoKWLc

Honourable Mentions

Rival Schools, Metronomy, Young Legionnaire, Nero, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Ford & Lopatin, M83, Three Trapped Tigers, Evil Ex, Chris Brown, Feed Me, Spor, Lower Than Atlantis, Siriusmo, Dry The River, SBTRKT, Com Truise, Blanck Mass, Bjork, Japanese Voyeurs, Bombay Bicycle Club, Mammal Club, Polar Bear Club, Mastodon, Justice, Calvin Harris, Rihanna, Hella, Niki & The Dove, Bibio, Trap Them, Tidal Arms, Brontide, James Blake, Periphery, White Denim, Chad Valley, Lung, Knalpot, Glassjaw, Coldplay, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead and Turbowolf.

Many of these can be found here.

http://open.spotify.com/user/joecritch86/playlist/6ap0o3MadUhh4YXoRJj0bi

I genuinely have no idea how I managed to pick 10 tracks from all of the amazing music I’ve heard this year…

Thanks for reading!

J

Can't believe I forgot this!!

Amazing album!!

Only just got around to buying C'mon by Low. Definitely a top 5er.

http://www.daytrotter.com/#!/concert/bon-iver/20030270-3737628


Lot's on Bon Ivor fans on here, so I thought I'd post this link...

I've gone on about Day Trotter before, but no one seemed to pick up on how Fab it is, soooo Here's a FEE Bon Ivor session.

ALso on the website, Frank Turner session, Alabama Shakes, Pulled Apart By Horses etc loads of great American, and English music!