Who doesn’t love a good indie Christmas song?

1. Christmas Party – The Walkmen
2. It’s Only Christmas – As Tall As Lions
3. Happy Christmas (War is Over) – Damien Rice
4. Splitting up Christmas – Kevin Devine
5. Christmas Time is Here Again (Bring Out the Joy!) – My Morning Jacket
6. Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved it!) – Sufjan Stevens
7. Happy Christmas (War is Over) – Thrice
8. White Christmas – Bright Eyes
9. Jinglebell Rock – Arcade Fire
10. Happy Christmas (War is Over) – The Polyphonic Spree
11. It’s Christmas Time – Yo La Tengo
12. Holly Jolly Christmas – The Format
13. The First Noel – Bright Eyes
14. Get Behind Me, Santa! – Sufjan Stevens
15. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Death Cab for Cutie
16. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Daphne Loves Derby
17. The Christmas Song – The Raveonettes
18. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Bright Eyes

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The NME got in on the act early. This Sunday the Observer Music Monthly publishes its top 50. So I thought I might as well have a go. I wanted to get mine done first and see how much common ground I’ve got with the OMM seeing as its my favourite music mag. It’s harder than you’d think to select just 50 albums that span 2000-2009. I’ve had to leave out some records I really like. But here we go… Please comment as you feel necessary!

50 – Daft Punk: Discovery.

49 – Bob Dylan: Modern Times.

48 – Camille: Le Fil.

47 – Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

46 – The Blue Nile: High.

45 – New Order: Get Ready.

44 – Mercury Rev: All Is Dream.

43 – R.E.M.: Accelerate.

42 – Fionn Regan: The End Of History.

41 – The Beatles: Love.

40 – The Avalanches: Since I Met You.

39 – Badly Drawn Boy: The Hour Of Bewilderbeast.

38 – Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep.

37 – Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever ago.

36 – Mark B & Blade: The Unknown.

35 – Coldplay: Parachutes.

34 – Malcolm Middleton: Into The Woods.

33 – Seafood: When Do We Start Fighting…

32 – Doves: The Last Broadcast.

31 – Duke Special: Songs From The Deep Forest.

30 – Morrissey: You Are The Quarry.

29 – Guillemots: Through The Windowpane.

28 – Bruce Springsteen: The Rising.

27 – The Gaslight Anthem: The ‘59 Sound.

26 – Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue Vol. II

25 – Richard Hawley: Coles Corner.

24 – Fleet Foxes:  Fleet Foxes.

23 – Athlete: Vehicles & Animals.

22 – Spin Doctors: Nice Talking To Me.

21 – Sigur Ros: Takk…

20 – Goldfrapp: Felt Mountain.

19 – Maxïmo Park: A Certain Trigger.

18 – Delirious?: Glo.

17 – The Shins: Wincing The night Away.

16 – Ben Folds: Rockin’ The Suburbs.

15 – Green Day: American Idiot.

14 – Neil Young: Living With War.

13 – Ray Lamontagne: Til The Sun Turns Black.

12 – Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs.

11 – Idlewild: The Remote Part.

10 – Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around

An extraordinary achievement for a man in his final year. Johnny Cash’s last ‘proper’ album has the power to bring me to the edge of tears. I bought it the week he died in 2003 and played it a lot. A mixture of originals and covers, Rick Rubin’s brilliant production means there’s pathos dripping from every track. ‘Hurt’ is one of the songs of the decade which couldn’t even be ruined by that dire Nike advert. When I first heard ‘I Hung My Head’ it stopped me dead in my tracks. Just like most of the rest of this awesome album.

9 - Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights.

I think there’s a good case to be made for Interpol as the band of the decade. To my shame I’m yet to see them live but their three dark, brooding and melodic albums demand that I get round to it soon. I think their debut is the pick of the bunch. Starting with ‘Untitled’ which takes its cues from the shoegazing bands of the early 90’s, the album goes onto channel the best of My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division and classic Krautrock. I suppose it can be said about all the records in the list but I can’t listen to this album too many times. It sends me to sleep, it wakes me up and generally soundtracks my life.

8 – Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend.

The drums alone deserve some kind of award. Chris Tomson is, for my money, the best drummer in a rock band at the moment. But this isn’t Keith Moon fury, or John Bonham theatrics. He sees the drum kit as a melodic and harmonic instrument. The kit is a lead instrument here and when allied to fantastic songwriting, it’s a winning combination. The African influence if overstated (this isn’t even the noughties’ Graceland, let alone Fela Kuti or Ali Farka Touré). However, the hints of afrobeat are enough to make this stand out from the crowd. Walcott is a great track – but there aren’t any duds here.

7 – Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump.

This outstanding record is often compared favourably with ‘OK Computer’. Well, I’ll put my cards on the table. There’s only one winner; and it isn’t Radiohead. Grandaddy are impossible to categorise, but this record combines the best bits of alt-country, electronica and post-rock. The audacity of a 9 minute opening track has been matched by many bands. The difference is they’ve not made a song as arresting as ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot’. ‘The Crystal Lake’ is among the best songs of the decade while ‘Undreneath The Weeping Willow’ showcases a brilliant knack for melancholy. Released at the start of the decade, very few records have got anywhere near matching Grandaddy’s Magnum Opus.

6 – The Hold Steady: Boys And Girls in America.

‘Best bar band in the world blah… blah… blah’ said the music press. Talk about damning with faint praise. The Hold Steady are one of the greatest bands of the 21st Century, full stop. And though their earlier albums are packed with gems, this breakthrough album sees their manifesto fulfilled. How many bands could start a record quoting Jack Kerouac but never fail to be fun? The sound was compared to classic E Street Band and that’s probably as close as you can get to describing this joyous racket. Craig Finn’s lyrics are always interesting and frequently brilliant. So looking at our checklist we’ve got superb music, superb lyrics and some guys that seem delighted just to be playing rock and roll. It’ll do for me.

5 – Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid.

I suppose too much has already been written about this album. It’d be easy to include ‘Asleep In The Back’ to prove I’ve liked Elbow since I used to play them on student radio in 2000. But that would miss the point: for once, the awards committees, journalists and hype-merchants got it right. This is an amazing album. There’s not an average track in sight in an hour’s running time. Picking highlights almost seems crazy, but ‘Grounds For Divorce’ and ‘On A Day Like This’ have deservedly grabbed the headlines and soundtracked a million daytime DIY programmes. But some of the less well know tracks contain stunning music and lyrics. When Guy Garvey croons ”We kiss like we invented it” on ‘Mirrorball’ it’s enough to melt your heart.  We await their next move with eager anticipation.

4 - Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther.

Take a moderately successful Texan indie band and give them a copy of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. Stand well back and light the blue touch-paper. Doesn’t sound promising does it? How wrong could we be??? This was THE album of 2006. Inventive harmonies, layered synths and lyrics pining for the antebellum South came together to produce a stunning record. The guitar solo that comes halfway through ‘Head Home’ is one of my favourite musical moments of the decade, but this album contains several contenders for that title. The real genius of ‘…Van Occupanther’ is its ability to keep you on your toes. Just when you think it may slip into mid 70’s FM rock pastiche, the band pulls out a track like ‘Young Bride’ which forces you to admit this is a record which is far more than the sum of its considerable parts.

3 – Damien Rice: O.

David Gray is a perfectly decent singer songwriter. The same can’t be said for the likes of James Morrison and James Blunt. But how any of them came to be spoken of in the same breath as Damien Rice is beyond me. The irishman deserves to be in far better company (Jeff Buckley for example). This debut album was a slow-burning word-of-mouth behemoth that managed to retain artistic dignity while being offered on 2-for-1 deals in Tesco. Its strengths have been repeated endlessly, but any blogger who can’t find room for Lisa Hannigan’s beautiful vocals, the stunning string arrangements or the strange re-working of Silent Night is a fool. If this album has a flaw, I’m yet to find it. I can’t pick one track as a highlight because the others simply look at me reproachfully and say ‘actually we’re all rather lovely’. And they truly are.

2 – My Morning Jacket: It Still Moves.

This album sounds like the best party you’ve ever been to. If you want to label it I suppose it’s alt-country. But what on earth does that matter when the music is as much fun as this? Don’t get the idea this is some kind of comedy record though. Howling vocals, squealing guitars and pounding drums fuse together to create a brilliant racket. ‘One Big Holiday’ has a guitar hook to die for, but this isn’t an album of simple pleasures. The genius of the songs reveals itself slowly. The first time you hear it, it sounds like these are well crafted and edited jams. But like Led Zep at their peak, the tracks are more cunningly moulded than that. Crazy Horse are another reference point and when talking about a rock and roll band there are fewer bigger compliments than that. It’s a long record (71 minutes) but unusually for an album of that length, it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Superb.

1 – Stephen Fretwell: Magpie.

I’m annoyed I couldn’t find a decent picture of this album without the parental advisory sticker on it. Ok, maybe it doesn’t make an ideal present for a toddler, but any parent who’s doing their job properly should be investing in this if their child shows any kind of serious interest in music. It’s as close to a perfect record as its possible to get. At the start of the decade, Scunthorpe’s Stephen Fretwell found himself in Manchester as a promising singer-songwriter. A little while later, he was in a recording studio creating some of the most beautiful music that great city has ever produced. By 2004 it was ready for release. In reality, the Manchester thing is a bit of a red herring. Fretwell owes little to the genius of the Smiths and Joy Division or the more prosaic talents of Oasis. He’s just a good old-fashioned acoustic troubadour. So who are the key influences here? I’d guess Neil Young, Bob Dylan et al. But that doesn’t tell you much about this record’s greatest strength. Fretwell’s gift for melody is astounding. Songs like ‘Emily’, ‘New York’ and ‘Rose’ are beautifully crafted and sung. But there isn’t a track here which leaves you cold. You may know ’Run’ as the Theme of ‘Gavin and Stacey’ but don’t stop there. Investigate it immediately. Buy it and love it. There’s only one album of the decade after all; whatever the Observer says!

“Is that alright with you?”

Damien Rice – 9 Crimes

It’s been a week since the release, and I’ve been doing a lot of listening. John Mayer is an artist that I have always casually enjoyed. That all changed this year when I was turned on to the “trio” side of John Mayer. It represents everything I love about music–groove, improvisation, interplay between band members, etc. Steve Jordan is an amazing pocket player, like Steve Gadd. I just know he’s one of those guys that practices grooves for extended periods of time. He probably sits down at the kit, picks a certain groove/beat and just play it non-stop for a half hour, stopping only when it “feels” good. This is how he can make the simple 1 and 3 bass drum rock beat feel sooooo tasty. No superfluous flair, just groove, (although I recently heard some of his earlier work with a band called Eyewitness. He’s got crazy solo and technical chops too, it’s just cool how he demonstrates restraint nowadays and focuses on groove). As John himself says, you could easily mute the rest of the music and people would still come to hear just Steve play. With the equally groove-oriented Pino Palladino on bass, this makes a rock-solid foundation for musical genius to flourish. The thing I love about Pino is that, although he plays so well in the pocket and lays back most of the time, the man’s runs, hooks, bends and turn-arounds are beautifully executed with precision. You look at the guy playing and you just know he’s the real deal. In another life, I would be a bassist. A reincarnated Pino.

Every once in a while, amidst the more cosmetic and impulse spending, I make an excellent investment. This is the case for my copy of “Where the Light Is: Live in Los Angelos.” In it, we get to see the three incarnations of John Mayer’s music–his acoustic sensibilities, the trio work and his full-band pop-megahits. It is the marriage of these three incarnations that draws me to John Mayer. He is extremely versatile. He is truly virtuosic on the guitar, spot on on vocals and a superb song-writer. He is also a really, really intelligent guy, and funny. Follow him on twitter. You won’t be disappointed: johncmayer.

This brings me to Battle Studies, which came out last Tuesday. People might ask, how could he ever follow Continuum?? I don’t think his intent was to “follow” Continuum. Instead, I feel like Battle Studies is a step to the side, or even slightly forward. I think Battle Studies is something fresh and new from John Mayer, the next step. If you try to fit Battle Studies into the guise of Continuum, you’re setting yourself up for a disappointment. The same goes for Where the Light Is or TRY! Although Steve and Pino play on the album, this is not a John Mayer Trio, jam-filled album. Don’t try to make it something it isn’t. It’s the next step in John’s journey as a musician and song-writer.

That all said, this is a really chill album. Some might scoff at the overwhelming sentimentality throughout much of the album, but I am not turned off by music driven by emotion, inner contemplation and struggle. I feel like that’s what music addresses best, just as poetry does. One of the reasons I like Damien Rice so much is that he has the ability to evoke an incredible amount of emotion in his songs and performances, most about failed or flawed love. Don’t dismiss this as a sappy pop album. It is much more than that. I think John is being really honest in this album. It is where he’s at in his life right now, and right now he’s battling, hence the battle-themed songs, titles and lyrics: Heartbreak Warfare, Assassin, War of my Life, Battle Studies, “Bombs of sulfur in the air, bombs are falling everywhere,” etc.

Favorites (In order):

Assassin (groove…enough said)

Heartbreak Warfare (U2 meets JM)

Crossroads (pays homage to the blues great)

Edge of Desire (just love it)

Half of My Heart (i have a crush on Taylor Swift..)

Who Says (this has grown on me since the single came out. it’s actually something i’d turn on at the end of the night….and….because of the first 3 seconds when steve jordan counts us in)

I don’t feel like writing today, but it would be good to post something that would convey…:

We might kiss when we are alone
When nobody’s watching
We might take it home
We might make out when nobody’s there
It’s not that we’re scared
It’s just that it’s delicate

So why’d you fill my sorrows
With the words you’ve borrowed
From the only place you’ve known
And why’d ya sing Hallelujah
If it means nothing to you
Why’d you sing with me at all?

We might live like never before
When there’s nothing to give
Well how can we ask for more
We might make love in some sacred place
The look on your face is delicate

So why’d you fill my sorrow
With the words you’ve borrowed
From the only place that you’ve known
And why’d you sing Hallelujah
If it means nothing to you
Why’d you sing with me at all?

And why’d you fill my sorrows
With the words you’ve borrowed
From the only place that you’ve known
Why’d you sing Hallelujah
If it means nothing to you
Why’d you sing with me at all?

Il est MA découverte musicale de 2008, qui se fait malheureusement trop rare sur scène.
Lui c’est Damien Rice, un artiste irlandais, auteur/compositeur/interprète, que l’on peut classer sous l’étiquette rock/indie folk.

Damien Rice

Il débute sa carrière au sein du groupe Juniper formé en 1991 avec des camarades de lycée. Seront issus de ces années de travail deux singles, sortis en 1998. Un an plus tard, Damien quittait Juniper pour se lancer en solo.

Dans cette nouvelle aventure, il s’entoure de musiciens qui l’accompagnent pour ses apparitions live: j’ai nommé Lisa Hannigan (chant, qui les a quittés depuis 2007), Vyvienne Long (violoncelle), Shane Fitzsimons (basse) et Tom Osander (batterie). Le succès est quasi immédiat en Irlande.

C’est en 2004 qu’il se fait connaitre au-delà de ses frontières natales, grâce au film “Closer, entre adultes consentants”. Deux des chansons de son premier album “O” (sorti en 2002)  composent la bande originale du film: “The Blower’s Daughter”, ainsi que quelques notes de “Cold Water”.  Avec cet album, il réussit à se classer deuxième des ventes en Irlande, derrière…. U2, excusez du peu!

Un deuxième opus viendra ravir les fans: “9″ sort en 2006. Il illustrera quant à lui quelques épisodes de “Grey’s Anatomy”. 

Parfois comparé à Jeff Buckley (il reprendra d’ailleurs le très célèbre “Hallelujah”), Damien Rice nous offre principalement des balades.

Il fait un passage par la France en 2007 pour quelques représentations. Autant dire qu’il est attendu par son public!

En attendant de peut-être le voir sur scène, je vous laisse écouter la chanson qui m’a fait craquer pour ce petit Irlandais. Enjoy the mix of guitar and cello, just perfect!

I know, así se llama la canción que pertenece a Sea Song de Lisa Hannigan… Hermosa voz y la melodía perfecta para relajarse.

A Lisa Hannigan la descubrí en las canciones de Damien Rice, ella fue la vocalista que lo acompaño por más de 6 años.

Idag har jag varit så pigg och det är sååå skönt. Jag har varit trött men haft energi! Huvudvärk dock, kanske pga blodgivningen…? What ever…

Har varit hemma. Blev ingen spruta idag då vaccinet var slut. Fixade lite hemma, tog mig an shit som jag inte orkat se på bra länge. Och då har det ju en förmåga att växa… Pappershögar tex…

Syrran ringde och vill att Tuva skulle komma och sova. Självklart blev lillbruttan jätteglad att få åka och mysa hos moster.

Jag fixade ordning lite bifteki (grillad köttfärsbiffar med fetaost i) och vi hade en mysig middag med våra pojkar. Tog varsitt gott rött vin till och det kändes riktigt lyxigt sådär på torsdagen.

Just det! Pratade med syrran över skype. Tuva lilla har tappat en tand! Tycker det var lite tidigt. Men.. nu är hon tandlös. En liten hajtand har lossnat och en glugg återstår. Sött! Mallig värre såklart!

Nu måste jag sova. Lång dag imorgon! Natti natti!

Just det… jäkla bra låt… det blir en grej till innan jag somnar… Damien Rice “9 crimes”. Underbart!

Hei kjære bloggen min, vet du hva? Lisa Hannigan lager så fin musikk at bare sitter og smiler og er litt fornøyd nå. Det er sånn musikk jeg vil dele med deg kjære bloggen, for jeg tror du vil bli litt gladere og se litt mer lyst på livet når du får høre på slik fin musikk. Lisa er kjæresten til Damien Rice vet du, eller, de er kanskje egentlig ikke det, men jeg liker å tro det selv. Damien fortjener en fin dame , og Lisa tror jeg må være akkurat den dama han trenger. De liker å synge sammen hvertfall, det gjør de titt og ofte.

Se så vakker hun er. Det finnes ingen slemme folk som smiler på den måten.

Nå er det sånn da, at Lisa Hannigan ikke finnes på Spotify, sånn bortsett fra de sangene hun har med Damien Rice da, så klart. Men vi har jo faktisk noe som heter youtube. Det er ikke like fin lyd på youtube, derfor liker jeg ikke å bruke youtube, men vi får gjøre et lite unntak nå.

Se, det er en tekst der, så du kan synge du også.

Soundtrack: Lisa Hannigan – Splishy Splashy

Today isn’t a day for new music per se … honestly, these are songs that I just felt like listening to … that’s all. Enjoy …!

Ryan Adams – “Come Pick Me Up”

Fleetwood Mac – “Rhiannon”

M. Ward –  ”Chinese Translation”

Iron & Wine – “Naked As We Came”

My Morning Jacket – “Where to Begin”

Band of Horses  – “The Great Salt lake”

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “It’ll All Work Out”

Ben Folds Five feat. Regina Spektor – “You Don’t Know Me” (not folky but whatever)

Fleet Foxes  – “Ragged Wood”

Patty Griffin – “Long Ride Home”

Ryan Adams – “Wonderwall” (cover)

The Shins  – “Young Pilgrims”

Ben Folds Five – “Such Great Heights”

Damien Rice – “Delicate”

Meiko – “Hawaii”

Blur – “Tender”

Before we move to my Top 10 albums of 2003 — a purely subjective choice of albums from that year which I enjoy, rather than an attempt at a best-of list — let me apologise for the confusion created by wrong links in last week’s two posts, and thank the kind people who alerted me to them. It was a little negligent of me not to test the links first. I have worked out what the trouble was: on Mediafire’s infuriatingly redesigned site, the “copy link” button is seriously wonky; instead of copying the link for the requested file, it copies the link of the first file in the upload folder (in last week’s instance the Iron & Wine song). So, here’s an urgent message to Mediafire, Facebook and all other services: please don’t innovate yourselves into oblivion. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

* * *

Josh Rouse – 1972

To mark his 30th birthday, Josh Rouse decided to record a concept album intended to evoke the year of his birth. I’ve written about the cover before here. In that post, I wrote the following about the album itself. 1972 might easily have turned out as a pastiche of the worst clichés. Happily, it didn’t: the sound is contemporary. Rouse evokes rather than recreates what he imagines were the sounds of 1972. Imagine the concept as the subtle but essential spice in a delicious meal. The album borrows its influences wisely: James, a song about alcoholism which appears on the first Any Major Flute mix, is a psychedelic soul workout, with Jim Hoke’s excellent jazz flute and Rouse’s falsetto positioning the song closest to 1972. Elsewhere, swirling strings and saxophone (also by Hoke), handclaps and Latin percussions serve as a marker for the ’70s influence being filtered through Rouse’s sound.
Josh Rouse – Rise.mp3
Josh Rouse – Love Vibration.mp3

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Lloyd Cole – Music In A Foreign Language

Lloyd Cole used to get such a bad rap back in the day. I could never understand the charges of Cole being pretentious. Even Easy Pieces, the second Lloyd Cole & the Commotions album which Cole has virtually disowned (on account of having been rushed by the record company to prematurely complete it), has many great and not particularly pretentious moments. Having broken up the Commotions after three albums, Cole’s solo career didn’t really take off. That is a shame. On Music In A Foreign Language, Cole continued on the acoustic trip he began on the previous album. Here it’s just him, his guitar and minimal backing music, with Lloyd singing his melancholy, beautiful songs straight on to his computer. The whole exercise is so intimate, listeners may be forgiven if they feel like they are intruding on a private moment. Lyrically he is on introspective top form. I don’t listen to this album nearly often enough.
Lloyd Cole – Music In A Foreign Language.mp3

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Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism

This is the album where Death Cab for Cutie crossed the line from oddly-named Indie group to serious rock band. Transatlanticism is something of a rock symphony; it’s not rewarding to pluck out its songs in isolation, except perhaps the excellent opener, The New Year, and the acoustic coda, A Lack Of Color. It’s the kind of lush album one must hear in full, preferably with headphones while in a kicked back mood, being immersed in the sound. Lyrically it has its moment, such as the story of the protagonist in Title And Registration who finds a forgotten photo of an ex-girlfriend after being pulled over by a cop (it also features the annoying line: “The glove compartment is accurately named”; thanks for pointing that out, Gibbard).
Death Cab for Cutie – A Lack of Color.mp3

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Colin Hay – Man @ Work

The title of the album is an obvious reference to the Australian band with which Scottish-born Colin Hay had some chart success in the early ’80s. Here Hay revisits some of his best songs from his solo repertoire as well as the Men At Work catalogue. None of these re-recordings do their originals injustice. The acoustic versions of the three big Men At Work hits — Down Under, Who Can It Be Now and Overkill — are strikingly remade and worth the price of the CD alone, especially the far superior interpretation of Overkill. There is also a more faithful reworking of Down Under, with brass replacing the flute; and fine remakes of Men At Work’s Be Good Johnny and It’s A Mistake.

Hay fans will have their own views on which versions here eclipse the original. Looking For Jack is vastly improved here, but I prefer the less dreamy version of Beautiful World on Going Somewhere to that reproduced here from 2002’s Company Of Strangers. Hay does recycle enthusiastically; the recording of Waiting For My Real Life To Begin here is the same as that on Going Somewhere; he recorded a rockier, inferior version for 2005’s Topanga, named after the California town where he now lives.
Colin Hay – Overkill (acoustic).mp3

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The Minus 5 – Down With Wilco

The title of The Minus 5’s fifth album notes the involvement of Tweedy and pals in its production, not an antipathy towards Chicago’s finest (and the group was doubtless aware of the title’s gag). A project of songwriter Scott McCaughey, leader of The Young Fresh Fellows and touring bassist for Robyn Hitchcock, this incarnation of Minus 5 also includes long-time collaborator Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies. The sound borrows heavily from White Album period Beatles, early Byrds and the Hollies (Life Left Him There sounds more than a bit like Jennifer Eccles), filtered through an ambient alt.country colander. Wilco’s mark is evident but not overbearing, and Tweedy’s voice is welcome when it pops up. There is a joy in the sound which suggests that the collaborators had great fun recording it. This is an upbeat album that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Minus 5 – Where Will You Go.mp3

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Richard Hawley – Lowedges

All of Richard Hawley’s five full albums will feature in my Top 10s of the ’00s. All of five of them are superb; all are beautifully orchestrated with Hawley’s attractive baritone giving life to his fine, often melancholy lyrics. So when I declare that Lowedges is my least favourite Hawley album, I am being somewhat unfair to what is a fine album. The songs on Lowedges are as affecting as any; one wants to live inside them. Don’t Miss Your Water, On The Ledge, The Nights Are Made For Us or the dramatic Run For Me are as good as almost any Hawley songs. Lowedge’s The Motorcycle Song probably is my least favourite Hawley song; and even that is not terrible.
Richard Hawley – The Nights Are Made For Us.mp3

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Damien Rice – O

O, but Damien was one overwrought lad. You fear for him in what must be a terribly fragile state. But, goodness, there are some beautiful songs on this album, and some heartwrenching lyrics. Rice is not a very good singer, so all the happier the moments when Lisa Hannigan supports him (although, typically, only to make poor Damien even more heartbroken). There are no clunkers on this set, and a bunch of quite brilliant songs, particularly The Blower’s Daughter, Volcano, Eskimo (with the operatic interlude), and Delicate. And Cannonball, which eclipses all of them. The album’s inclusion in this post is something of an anomaly. O was released in Ireland in 2002; after slow-burning success which eventually took the album into the UK top 10, it was released internationally in 2003.
Damien Rice – Eskimo.mp3

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Rosie Thomas – Only With Laughter Can You Win

Of Rosie Thomas’ four albums (excluding last year’s Christmas effort), this is the one on which she is most explicit about her Christian faith. That is good news, of course, for the believer, but should not put off the religious sceptic, for her brand of Christianity — like that of her frequent collaborators Damien Jurado and Sufjan Stevens —bashes no Bible and does not glorify or moralise. Mostly, she is asking God how the hell she is supposed to live this life. Indeed, the evangelical fundamentalists might well call Rosie a Maoist Osama Nazi, as is their objectionable wont, should they encounter lyrics like this, on Tell Me Now: “How am I to tell them if they never follow Christ that heaven doesn’t hold a place for them…when I’m no better than them.” Christ is periodically present; and He should be: the album was recorded in Detroit’s 19th century St John’s church.

The music, as on all Rosie’s albums (which is another way of saying predictably), is intimate, delicate and entirely gorgeous — but there isn’t much by way of the victory-aiding laughter in the title. Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam makes an appearance on Red Rover, alas the weakest track on this album, which is also the weakest of in the Rosie Thomas catalogue — though here I hasten to invoke the Hawley doctrine.
Rosie Thomas – I Play Music.mp3

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The Darkness – Permission To Land

Was it all a glorious piss-take, lending heavy rock all the camp that Queen fans so routinely denied in their group because the band’s name provided absolutely no clue? The cover of Permission To Land even aped the sexism we occasionally encountered in Queen (remember the Fat Bottomed Girls poster that came with the Jazz album?). The debut, unlike the follow-up, borrowed its influences more broadly than merely Queen, of course. The Darkness swigged copiously from the vats of hair metal, Van Halenesque CocRock, and AC/DC. Singer Justin Hawkins camped it up in striped spandex trousers, while bassist Frankie Pullain played the straight man. It was all a bit Spinal Tap, and if not quite a spoof or wind-up, then certainly rock music performed with a wink and a nod. And yet, the Darkness was not a novelty act; they took their music seriously and wanted the listener to have fun with it. They even gave us a damn good power ballad, featured here.
The Darkness – Love Is Only A Feeling.mp3

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eastmountainsouth – eastmountainsouth

Before there were The Weepies, there were the shift- and space-bar boycotting eastmountainsouth. Discovered by Robbie Robertson, the folk-pop duo released only this one album, before Kat Maslich Bode and Peter Bradley Adams went their own way. That’s a pity; the album is lovely. It does not spring surprises on the listener; indeed, played in the wrong mood, it could be considered boring. The songs don’t go beyond mid-tempo, and they don’t always engage as immediately as those of fellow folkie Rosie Thomas. But the harmonies are exquisite, the vibe is warm. This is an album to savour on a lazy, preferably rainy weekend over a cup of coffee.
eastmountainsouth – Ghost.mp3

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More Albums of the Year

Damien Rice is without argument one of the most talented singer-songwriters to come along this decade.  Granted, his discography consist largely of live albums and only two proper studio albums but those records are sublime.

always the pained performer, always sublime.

It would be completely unfair to neglect to mention Lisa Hannigan’s vocal work when discussing Damien’s music because she’s feature so prominently both: on the studio and on his live performance that up to this point they are inseparable.  Word has it that Damien and Lisa parted ways and that his upcoming work will not feature her which leaves me nervous to think his work will suffer without her vocals supplementing his and at the same time excited to see what he comes up with all on his own.

Lisa Hannigan. her voice? closest to angel's music.

Damien’s music is well, perfect. There’s just no other way to describe it. Even his lesser work–mostly demos and or concert experiments/deviations–can be consider the work of someone burning with enough musical talent to shame the competition.  From lyrics, to arrangements, to melody to his voice–and what a voice–every song of his is just the stuff of sublime heartbreak, for his forte is of course matters of the heart; a folky, singer-songwriter trend that goes back to even before modern music.

Damien has hinted that he’s keen to produce music that is not so melancholy, that even he gets tired of singing depressing songs, so even if he indeed follows through on this statement, he will forever be known and remember as the King of Pain.

“If there’s anything bad that can possibly be said about him, any complains, is that he’s a bit of a prima donna; a sometimes moody artist that does not suffer fools gladly, and can get overwhelmed by his own fame, which is another trait of pained-singer-songwriters: their own talent and the fame that brings to them can be their own undoing.

Grade: A+

“O”  Damien Rice’s debut album is simply a masterpiece.  A majestic blend of soulful, folky ballads and a few stormy stompers than showed that he wasn’t just all quiet yearning.  And that’s what truly separates Damien from the rest: he can sing sweet, heartbreaking songs like no one else but he also can wield the pain and anger of heartbreak into this volatile eruptions that seem to come out of no where and knock you down when you hear them.  His voice, his singing style also put his miles away from everyone else.  There are singers that are good and can sing competent any song to the delight of many, Damien–apart from being a great vocalist–injects his songs with feelings, he doesn’t just sings songs, he lives them, he can be happy or suffer through them and he dies in them too.

Grade: A

“9″ his proper follow-up to “O” goes even further into proving that he’s not just a longing troubadour with his heart on his sleeve.  The songs themselves are more challenging, some less melodic and even structurally different from the regular ballad template.  The lyrics are even darker and despondent than those found in “O” and in some cases Damien sounds truly distraught, ripped apart from the inside out by a love that can’t be salvage.  With “9 Crimes” he and Lisa Hanningan craft one of the most frank and touching meditations on the subject of marital infidelity and the ramifications this affair is causing this two souls that rather inflict pain on each other than separate, as told from both points of view.  Absolutely brilliant.

Grade: B+

“B-Sides” which contains left over songs from “O” further showcases the fact that even Damien rejects are 100x better than most other singer’s proper singles. “Woman Like a Man” is one of his darkest meditations, in this case, the role of women in the world and the sometimes need to be like a man in order to be taken serious, even if Damien is reproaching a woman for going this route. “Lonelily” and “Moody Monday” are more of musical experiments that give us a look into his composing process.

Grade: A

“Live from the Union Chapel” and “Live at Fingerprints-Warts and All” are small concerts that are made grand by the sheer capacity of his expressive vocal talents….and those of the more quiet but just as heartbreaking Lisa Hannigan.  Both concerts highlight their undeniable talent and make an even stronger case at how well their combine skills accentuate one another.  Lisa’s own creations: “Be my Husband” and her sinister take on “Silent Night” are startling, and her calm before the storm of Damien’s vocals on perennial fan favorite: “I Remember” is just beautiful.

Grade: A

Whatever the next decade brings, I can only hope Damien keeps following his heart and keeps giving us more majestic music.

Did I say that I loathe you?
Did I say that I want to
Leave it all behind?


I can’t take my mind off you…

“And What I am to you is not real
What I am to you, you do not need
What I am to you is not what you mean to me
You give me miles and miles of mountains
And I’ll ask for the sea” Damien Rice.

Laying in my bed, sleeping alone again, last night I had a bit of an emo realization. It doesn’t matter who I want or what I want from anyone, because in all sensible reality, I’m asking too much. And I am most definitely asking too much of myself. There are a lot of lovely people in my life, and there is one in particular I would like to be closer to, but it’s not right for him, and barely right for me, but I am trying to shake the feeling and haven’t been doing a very good job of it till now. So, I give up. Things are the way they are and I need to just breathe for a while.

Love my friends, be kind to my family, and eventually, get a good nights sleep.x

Hyvää lauantaipäivää KOTKAFANIT!

Iloisia uutisia: palasin hengissä Tallinnasta ja risteilyltä. Ei niin iloisia uutisia: VIRALLISTA risteilyraporttia joudutte vielä odottamaan. Kuvausteknisistä syistä en ole vielä saanut haltuuni laivalla otettuja valokuvia, eikä risteilyraportti ole risteilyraportti ilman hassunhauskoja kuvia.

Tänään on taas toiminnantäyteinen päivä. Juuri nyt syön JUGURTTIA kotona. Olisin juonut myös teetä, mutta Ikeasta ostetut teepalloni (samanlaiset kuin Espresso Edgessä) olivat homehtuneet, koska en ollut tiskannut niitä viikkoon. EI NÄIN! Nukuin aika pitkään koska väsytti rankan risteilyn jälkeen. Jos jaksan, menen ehkä arkistoon ennen sählyhöntsyjä. Illalla tiedossa on isoa KOTKA MEININKIÄ, kun kansakunnan nuoret toivot liitävät Venäjä-bileisiin. It’s going to be massive!

Tässä kirjotuksessa keskityn top3 ELEFANTTIAIHEISIIN popkappaleisiin. Syitä tähän on monia: tykkään listoista (suosittelen kaikille listafaneille lämpimästi Nick Hornbyn kirjaa High Fidelity, sekä samannimistä elokuvaa. Suomeksi Uskollinen äänentoisto), elefanteista ja popkappaleista. Kaikille elefanttifaneille suosittelen hassunhauskaa piirroselokuvaa Horton (ääninä Jim Carrey ja Steve Carell). Popkappalefaneille suosittelen spotifyn hankkimista mahdollisimman pian.

Elefantti on savanneilla elävä ISO harmaa nisäkäs. Elefantilla on iso kärsä ja isot hampaat.

3. Damien Rice – Elephant (“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ0ASiUuttc)

Damien Rice on irlantilainen laulaja-lauluntekijä, joka on julkaissut kaksi pitkäsoittoa. Elephant on uudemmalta, 9-nimiseltä albumilta (nimi ei ilmeisesti viittaa Ricen varpaiden määrään). Elephant on ihan kiva balladi, mutta ei missään nimessä Ricen parhaita kappaleita. Laulussa Rice laulaa kahdesta MIMMISTÄ, joista toinen osaa maalata elefantin paremmin kuin toinen. Luultavasti elefantin maalaaminen on toissijainen ominaisuus Ricen mimmisuhteissa ja viittaa johonkin ihan muuhun, mutta koska en tunne Ricea, en voi olla varma.

2. The Stone Roses – Elephant Stone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfzQLZtCZSY)

The Stone Roses on 1980- ja 1990-luvuilla skulannut rokkibändi Manchesterista. Elephant Stone julkaistiin singlenä ja se löytyy yhtyeen Stone Roses -nimisen debyyttialbumin US-versiolta. Elephant Stone on ehdottoman hauska kipale, jossa on vaikutteita tanssirytmeistä. Erinomainen yhdistelmä rokkia ja kreisibailumeininkiä. COOL! Sanat eivät kerro varsinaisesti elefanteista, vaan (jälleen kerran) MIMMEISTÄ. Laulun päähenkilö on ilmeisesti saanut pakit ja kertoo siitä kappaleessa.

Joskus kun juttelee jollekin mimmille, voi saada pakit. Kuvassa työkalupakki.

1. Beirut – Elephant Gun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-mqhkuOF7s)

Beirut on paitsi kaupunki (hyviä rafloja, makee rantabulevardi, singonreikiä talojen seinissä), myös Zach Condonin luotsaama bändi. Beirut tekee just sellaista musaa, josta ei voi olla tykkäämättä. Hauskoja popkappaleita, jossa on HAITAREITA, TRUMPETTEJA ja älyttömiä sanoituksia. Elephant Gun on vuonna 2007 ilmestyneeltä Elephant Gun ep:ltä. Mulla ei ole hajuakaan mistä kappaleen sanoitukset kertoo, mutta koska siinä mainitaan elefantti, se hyväksytään tälle listalle. Kannattaa tsekata myös kreisin värikäs ja hauska musavideo!

Nauttikaa viikonlopusta. Viikonloppu on ehkä kaikkein parasta KOTKA-AIKAA, koska silloin voi sekä sekoilla että lepäillä. BIG UP!

Scott

Even if you don’t have a soft spot for soft stuff, “Declaration of Dependence” by Norwegian pop-folk duo Kings of Convenience is an important album. Forget that it’s beautifully minimalistic, that it has enveloping atmospherics, or even that it runs at a comfortably relaxed pace: this record is just plain good music.

I always have trouble describing how great this album is without drawing an analogy to Simon and Garfunkel. You know, the delicate vocals, contagious harmonies, and tasty finger-picking guitar. On top of this, the Kings have done a nice job of spicing things up with the inclusion of the extended string family, adding some violin, bass, and piano here and there to create a unique feel for every song. The percussion section is conspicuously absent, but this doesn’t stop the album from being rhythmic. In fact, there are some surprisingly catchy grooves propelling the otherwise low-key music. This focus on upbeat tempos saves the album from the slump that snags similar efforts. Lyrically, the words are very introspective, a good match to the musical mood.

On top of the obvious merits of the music, the recording quality is top notch: lots of breaths and finger noise capture an aspect of intimacy in the performance.

Overall this album is consistent, relaxing, enjoyable, and easy-listening. 85/100

Josh

For the last year or two, indie-rockers have enjoyed a high wave of reverb-drenched  70s nostalgia. I’m no enemy of the trend–I find the quirkiness of Midlake particularly endearing, and I’m hugely sympathetic to the stacked vocal harmonies of Fleet Foxes. One blogger favorite I’ve completely failed to connect with, however, are the Kings of Convenience.

Frequently compared to the legendary Simon and Garfunkel, KoC unfortunately capture all of the former duo’s sugary smoothness and none of their politically-informed wordplay. Instead, on their latest album we’re treated to a bunch of saccharine meditations on relationships.

All too often the songs are structured with rhythms that often bear an uncanny resemblance to up-strum patterns employed by Flight of the Conchords. If only the lyrics had even a bit of the Conchords’ irony–instead, we’re treated to song after song of endearingly heartfelt boy-wants-girl tripe that is undoubtedly meant to be tender and endearing, but is instead just…cute (intimate recording techniques and all). It’s all the confessional, singer-songwriter honesty of Damien Rice or The Swell Season, but with none of the passion.

At their best, KoC sound like a “sensitive” soundtrack to a hipster chick-flick. At their worse, they sound like a band that’d be right at home picking up their instruments for a quiet scene in a thirty-year old Barbara Streisand rom-com. 42/100

Het noodlot slaat toe. Ik had toch net uitgelegd dat ik geen geduld heb? Bij het binnenrijden bij Bad Bentheim (klinkt als een Friesche Aardappelsoort) krijgen we eerst in het Duits, dan in het Nederlands, en ten slot nog in het Engels te horen dat we ongeveer zeventig minuten moeten wachten op de treinstellen die bij dit station bij de trein komen. Zeventig minuten stilstaan. Ik overleef vijf minuten bij de tramhalte al nauwelijks. Dus, geheel volgens theorie, steek ik nog maar een sigaret op. Bijna meteen komt er een man met een groene jas naar me toe die mij om mijn paspoort vraagt. Achterop zijn jas prijkt het woord “Zoll”. Braaf geef ik mijn paspoort en beantwoord ik zijn vragen: “Haben Sie etwas was an zu geben?” (es tut mir leicht, aber ich sprech kein Deutsch), “Do you have anything to declare?” (No, unless it’s illegal to import Heineken to Germany), “Any marihuana, Hashish, Cocaine?” (No, no, no), “Do you have more than ten thousand euro’s in cash with you?” (I wish), “Do you have luggage with you?” (yes, I hate wearing the same clothes more than three days in a row). Toen mocht ik gaan.

Niet zeventig maar negentig minuten na het binnenrijden op het zeer snel saai wordende station bad Bentheim, vertrekt de trein eindelijk. Vier uur later komt de trein aan bij Berlin Ostbahnhof. Ik heb geen idee welke metro ik moet hebben, maar wel dat er twee Nederlanders voor me lopen die vast uitgezocht hebben waar hun hostel is en waar ze moeten zijn. Ik vraag dus maar of ze toevallig (Als je hostels Berlin googelt, krijg je 3270000 hits) ook in het All-in Hostel verblijven. Dit vinden zij even grappig en toevallig als ik, want daar slapen ze ook. Gezamelijk tackelen we het best wel overzichtelijke metrosysteem van Berlijn en een half uur later blijken we ook nog eens de kamer met acht bedden te delen met zijn drieen. Tegen zoveel toevalligheid kan geen enkele wet op, dus besluiten we maar cocktails te gaan drinken in de Astro, een barretje vlakbij. Thomas en Myrthe (what’s in a name) blijken CMW te studeren in Utrecht, en al vaak in Berlijn te zijn

geweest. De cocktails met veel drank en weinig sap a vijf euro vliegen er als water in. Drie cocktails later is de conclusie dat ik morgen mee moet naar een kaas-feest van een in Berlijn wonende vriend (gezellig).

Om een uurtje of half vier besluiten we lekker melancholische liedjes te gaan luisteren in het hostel. Onder het genot van The Blower’s Daughter van Damien Rice besluit Myrthe dat, sinds we inmiddels een band hebben opgebouwd, er geen gene meer bestaat en vind het onhandig om haar BH uit te doen terwijl ze haar nachtshirt al aanheeft, dus draait ze de natuurlijke volgorde om. De altijd breekbare stem van Damien klinkt in de kamer (Can’t take my eyes off you) en als het schouwspel zich voltooid heeft sluit ik moe maar voldaan mijn ogen. Eindelijk is mijn vakantie begonnen.

En hoe.

did i say that i loathe you?

did i say that i want to leave it all behing?

Nu när jag outat mitt maniska förhållningssätt till låtar som dyker upp delar jag med mig av fler:

Från Nina Ramsby har jag en hel skog av låtar. Men det började med den här:

Från Tildes favoritnummer med lindansaren Molly:

Hittade skivan i ett soprum:

Via Spotifysök på Winnerbäck: