pootling

Great letter from Popjustice that is, of course, partially about Lana Del Rey, but mostly about alternative music writers.

Yes It’s You by Sweet Charles

What I want to know is how anyone could write, produce and record a song that is so mind-blowingly brilliant, and then end up with it being so astonishingly difficult to track down in the early 21st Century. What the hell happened?

Still, love this. Wow.

In conjunction with my favourite albums, I’ve also put together a playlist of a handful of my favourite songs from 2010.

So, the list is complete, and my complete rundown is:

1. Have One On Me by Joanna Newsom
2. Queen of Denmark by John Grant
3. High Violet by The National
4. This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
5. The Age of Adz / All Delighted People EP by Sufjan Stevens
6. The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae
7. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
8. The Defamation of Strickland Banks by Plan B
9. Harlem River Blues by Justin Townes Earle
10. I Think Because I Can by Laura Marling

I’ve put all of my favourites from 2010 into a Spotify playlist. If the albums aren’t on Spotify, I’ve included them anyway, on the off chance you have them on your computer.

There were a few also-rans though, so in no particular order, here are some other albums I enjoyed from this year that didn’t quite make the top 10:

• There Is Love In You by Four Tet
• Treats by Sleigh Bells
• Contra by Vampire Weekend
• Odd Blood by Yeasayer
• Praise & Blame by Tom Jones
• One Life Stand by Hot Chip

Albums of the Year

Number 5: All Delighted People EP / The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens

I don’t feel too much like I’m cheating by blocking these two albums together as one single entity. Partially because they’re both by Sufjan Stevens, clearly, but also because they complement each other.

The All Delighted People EP came first, and of the two is the more restrained, sounding a lot more like previous albums by Stevens. It’s none the worse for that, of course. The title track is a particular delight, and deserves the two versions found on the EP, and alongside Djohariah is probably the best pointer to the album that was to follow. Tracks like Arnika and Enchanted Ghost show off Stevens’ simple songwriting skills and wouldn’t have sounded out of place on previous albums.

When Stevens announced that he was also releasing an album this year, therefore, I was expecting much of the same. However, October’s Age of Adz, despite containing many of his hallmarks, sounds nothing like music he’s made in the past. This may in part be due to the fact that Stevens has been suffering from some sort of debilitating virus which has caused him immense pain. This feels reflected in the music. There’s an ebb and flow between the quiet and loud sections of the albums, from the restrained to the bombastic, that bears a similarity to the feeling of the ebb and flow of pain. Stevens himself said that the album is “a result of that process of working through health issues and getting much more in touch with my physical self. That’s why I think the record’s really obsessed with sensation and has a hysterical melodrama to it.” That obsession with sensation becomes more clear on repeated listens. The album has a texture unlike anything he’s produced before. The multi-layered musicality of what he often produces is still there, but the ubiquity of drum machines producing often unusual beats creates an entirely different feel.

The album itself is named after a work by American artist Royal Robertson, who was a schizophrenic who saw visions and believed himself to be a prophet, and there’s a sense of import, drama and intensity that Stevens clearly relates to.

Both albums come across as works written by a man who’s absolutely overcome by original ideas, a man who has music just pouring out of him, and barely the means to control it. And there are parallels there with the subject of the album - the comparison between music, talent, originality and the notion of prophecy, schizophrenia, paranoia and madness. Both are mystical and difficult to explain. Both are difficult to control and harness, and with both it’s difficult to tell how the people you share it with will react. Is the prophecy true? Has the music succeeded?

Personally, I think it’s a triumph. A difficult, textured, slightly mad glimpse of genius.

Chicken Bones by John Grant 

I’ve been in love with John Grant’s album since I heard it a few months ago. This video is a suitably batty accompaniment to one of my favourite tracks of his. 

‘Even Though You’re With Another Girl’ by Trentemøller 

Another video from BUG, and a pretty weird one to a beautiful track by Trentemøller.

The xx - Islands 

I’ve known this song since the album came out, but I hadn’t seen the video until this week’s BUG at the BFI.

Madder Red by Yeasayer 

Rather endearingly mad video to Yeasayer’s new single.

It does beg the odd question though. I mean, is she having a relationship with the thing, or is it a pet? I thought the suggestion was that she’s in love with it/him, but then, at the end she takes it to a place that is quite clearly a vets. 

Maybe I’m overthinking it a tad.

Also, kudos to the YouTube commenter that asked the question on no-one’s lips “why didnt we get to see them fuck?!” 

Four Chord Song by Axis Of Awesome: 

There’s a good chunk of famous songs that use the same chord progression. This proves that point rather elegantly (via)

Chatroulette Piano Improv

I knew Chatroulette had a use.

fuckyeahthenational:

via(adventurez)

The set list from The National’s super secret warm-up show at the Bell House in Brooklyn on 3/11.

I like the fact they’ve got the first few words of the first line written next to the title. Presumably this is Matt’s setlist!

Exactly. All venues should have these signs.

Albums Of The Year 2009: Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective

As we draw in to the last few days of 2009, I thought it was time to suggest a few albums that I’ve enjoyed this year, and that you might like to have a listen to, if you haven’t already.

Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective sounded like a classic when it was released all the way back in January. Animal Collective have been promising that they could make an astounding album for years, but each of their attempts had just fallen short. To my ears, MPP is the first that lives up to that promise.

The opening track, In The Flowers, is to my ears the best thing they’ve ever made, and well-worth listening to turned up to full on a pair of good headphones, if you haven’t already. Despite hitting its pinnacle early, the rest of the album doesn’t disappoint and sounds fresh and entirely different from everything else you’ve heard this year.

Spotify Link

Lego Drum Kit by Uruk (via The Living Brick)