I first came across Conor J. O’Brien at the Hop Farm festival this summer. Although Bob Dylan was headlining, the outstanding moment for me was this guy’s solo performance. There I was, standing front row centre in a side tent, the god awful sound from the main stage was bleeding through, thanks to Mumford And Sons, between his songs and (in the quiet parts of his most spacious numbers) actually during them. I was spellbound. The record thankfully lived up to his majestic performance. Even with the Mercury Prize nomination I feel this record was criminally ignored by the British public. For me it is not only the best album released this year but it is the clear winner by a massive margin. Simply put it’s fucking incredible.

2. MALE BONDING Nothing Hurts (Sub Pop)

Again, this is an album that received middling reviews on it’s release but if you give the record a few spins then your persistence is rewarded with the feel good album of the summer. I caught these Shoreditch noise urchins at Canterbury and they were an awesome live unit. The bass players favourite album of the 80′s was Dinosaur Jr’s Bug. So they win, so there.

3. FIRST AID KIT The Big Black And the Blue (Wichita)

With harmonies to die for the Söderberg sisters delivered a record of outstanding folk beauty. This is the band’s second effort and that touch of Swedish accent that can be heard throughout just makes me melt every time.

4. M.I.A. Maya (Beggars Banquet)

This was my first taste of M.I.A., I got caught up in the hype of the brilliant Born Free ginger genocide video and fell head over heals in love with team M.I.A. I still can’t get with her previous records but even though Maya was pretty much universally panned I think it’s fantastic from beginning to end. I don’t give a doo-da if she’s married into money, it’s all about the music man. Give the girl a break!

5. FANG ISLAND Fang Island (Sargent House)

You want happy, well New York’s Fang Island are more than capable of delivering the happy. This record was so uplifting you have to chain it down. One thing that annoyed me about this was that on release people were comparing it to The Flaming Lips. Are you kiddin’ me, The Flaming Lips would kill to release a record this good. This is a belter.

6. THROATS Throats (Holy Roar)

Feel the pain, the angst and the vitriol. Lyrically this was ridiculously downbeat but when you focus on the music you are met with
the sheer brute force of a band that takes as much inspiration from early Naplam Death as they do from the modern day bruisers such as converge. It’s short, its relentless and as heavy as a van full of sludge.

7. STAINED GLASS HEROES Big Guns At Dawn (Fred Recordings)

Stained Glass Who? Well, you missed out world letting this one go by. Think if the Foo Fighters were a band that you were not ashamed to listen to and had a hint of indie suss about them to boot. Huge choruses and angular guitars helped these Londoners laugh all the way to the bank (applying for loans).

8. SUMMER CAMP Young (Moshi Moshi)

Forget Le Roux, this is how I remember the 80′s. When I saw the band at this years Lounge At The Farm Festival I was impressed but nothing prepared me for how much I enjoyed this EP. can’t wait to see if their debut LP is as hook laden.

9. THESE NEW PURITANS Hidden (Domino)
NME’s album of the year, of course they got it wrong again, obviously it’s the 9th best of the year but at least they gave it a shot. You have to give ‘em that.

10. HUMANFLY Darker later (Brew)

Oh my gosh, heavy heavy heavy. Leeds Humanfly deliver the goods again. I saw them level the Tunbridge Wells Forum this year, a paltry 5 people must have paid to get in but despite the bands popularity down south they need to be heard. 17 minute long finale Heavy Black Snow is the epic prog moment of the year.

Movies….
I love horror movies and my favourite this year has to be the remake of THE CRAZIES, Breck Eisner’s remake of George A Romero’s average original from 1973. It was action packed where it needed to be and scary in all the right places. the end of the world theme has been a massive cinematic theme this year. I got to see THE ROAD which was pretty awesome and also BOOK OF ELI which I surprisingly enjoyed as well. When i was in America we saw THE LAST EXORCISM which was pretty bloody great as well but for me this year was all about THE CRAZIES.

Elsewhere of all the non-horror films I saw this year THE SOCIAL NETWORK was by far my favourite with KICK-ASS coming in a close second. I don’t think I have laughed as hard at any point this year at all. It really did um…… kick arse.

Two music films floated my boat and I would highly recommend them both. Firstly WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE was excellent, just as I thought I was completely burned out on THE DOORS music this came out and re-invigorated my interest. The RUNAWAYS biopic was top banana too but when I bought the bands debut record it turned out to be a bit cack, dunno what I expected really… The clue was in the film.

As for television, the finale to LOST was honestly a little bit disappointing as was the final 24. Caprica was a big let down and i can see why it got cancelled so quickly. Much better was  the recent returns of HOUSE, DEXTER and TRUE BLOOD although Sookie is a fairy???? what?? Jeez. Of the new series that came out this year V was pretty cool, STARGATE UNIVERSE was better but the winner of best TV this year easily is won by THE WALKING DEAD. Not only was it great to see Sarah Wayne Callies in a TV series again after the unbelievable PRISON BREAK had finished. I mean unbelievable as in that would never happen, not ‘wow’, that is utterly unbelievably brilliant.It’s the first time this year watching TV when I have found myself totally engrossed in a show. So big props to the AMC network.

Finally my favourite music video was defiantly by Scotland’s MITCHELL MUSEUM (watch it below) for the track Warning Bells. The band didn’t even commission it. When I interviewed the band last month lead singer Cammy told me a fan just sent it to them. The concept is simple enough, just out of copyright film footage layed on top of the song. Regardless, it works perfectly.

Eerie post punk underground supergroup Love at Death Beach rose from the graves of dark electronic rock Londoners The Slow Blade, spikey Oxford alt. Indie boys Youthmovies & shouty iForward Russia!-esque Sheffield punksta Fury of the Headteachers.

The band have barely been together a few months but have already played the crazy Tramlines festival in the streets of Sheffield and their grinding doomed bass, noisey Stained Glass Heroes guitar and murky Horrors/O Children vocals continues where Ikara Colt left off. Dark and tragic, Love at Death Beach lurk in the same shadows as Joy Division & Interpol.

http://www.myspace.com/loveatdeathbeach

Surreal Reading (up to) 8 piece IDRchitecture create ridiculous & sincere Bowie/Beck-esque charming pop about Stegosauruses & shopping at Tesco. Through their dreamy, brilliantly whimsical songs, IDR celebrate the absurdity of modern life & in doing so have caught the attention of Radio1’s Huw Stephens & are set to star in his upcoming ‘Music Sounds Better With Huw Vol 2’ CD. Vol 1 by the way featured Dinosaur Pile-Up, Pulled Apart by Horses, We Have Band AND Monster Truck’s very own Gallops. Bodes well then, especially as jolly new single ‘Mortimer’ is out now.

FYI IDRchitecture will be playing a scaled down show due to the loss of a guitarist.

http://www.myspace.com/idrchitecture

PLUS another act to be announced, keep ‘em peeled…

Tickets are £5 and available from here…

    It’s not all alt-pop perfection though, Esperar is overly quirky with it’s stuttering rhythm and somewhat flaccid chorus and Save The Universe is far too straight compared to the rest of the record. But these are small niggles, the band have found themselves on the ultra hip Fred label (along with Gallon Drunk) and they dress slick as hell, even Fred Perry are championing them so there is no mistaking this band for anything other than a serious proposition but I thought that of Hefner until they imploded. Stained Glass Heroes have the potential to spark off a new wave of British pop and I’d much rather them denting the charts than the likes of the weak blooded Scouting For Girls, that’s for sure. Fingers Crossed.

Firstly an apology to opening rock urchins The Barnets. A) because we thought they weren’t coming and B) because we billed them as merely an Oasis/Libertine-alike Brit-Rock band. How wrong we were, and happy to be wrong too! The Barnets in fact harness the might of original early punk from The Clash to The Buzzcocks and pull it off with an abundance of cocky arrogance, especially through their standout set opener.

2nd on the bill were The Fuzz who quite frankly are awesome! Norwich, it seems, is the place to head if you’re a budding A&R bub. First Men’s office job gruff punk starred at Monster Truck III and now Norfolk teenage sensations; The Fuzz, who nearly stole the show at The Good Ship. With big hair bigger tunes and some truly impressive guitarmanship from young Ash, The Fuzz share the jazz-fusion & psychedelic funk tendencies of Mars Volta duo Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Zavala, heck they even have the impressive curly hair-do’s! However more blues-ey soul than prog, a big future awaits for these pesky kids.

Charming Battersea boys Fez battled early technical problems to delight their devoted fans with radio friendly summertime harmonious indie. Sounding like a cheerier Editors or The Walkmen gardening in Spring, highlights included the euphoric ‘Success Came Slowly’, ‘Low Light’ & Monster Truck’s new theme tune ‘Chemicals’. Fez are on the lookout for festival opportunities so get in touch booking agent douches; can’t think of a more apt band for the season. Failing that the Fez foursome should just rock up to Battersea park & serenade the picnickers & herons with some acoustic guitars & upturned biscuits tins.

Brilliant Brixtonite headliners Stained Glass Heroes brought proceedings to a mesmeric close, with standout single ‘Insects’ surely being the finest song aired at Monster Truck thus far. Fitting on a night when the country’s top three slimy bugs were squabbling on their TV talent contest. With stunning instrumental adventures through southern eastern Europe, Dave’s creepy crawling guitars, Al’s haunting beats, a hint of sci-fi snyths & Pete’s grippingly imaginative vocals, SGH are without doubt one of the most exciting & interesting bands in London right now. Their debut album is out in May, be sure to snap up a copy! & whatsmore blissful new single ‘Circumstance’ is out NOW on iTunes, Amazon, etc; go get it right away by following the link below:

http://bit.ly/bDNLuu

Massive Monster love to all the awesome bands & to everyone who came along. Keep your ears pricked for news about future Monster Trucks in May & June featuring I Am Austin…

Starring Stained Glass Heroes & Fez at The Good Ship 15/04 from 19:30

The Good Ship’s doors open at 19:30 & tickets are £5 on the door or from the link over there>>>

Fantastic Kilburn is easier to get to than you may think on the Jubilee line or overground to Brondesbury. There are also a plethora of buses – check the ‘Where’ page above for further details.

If undecided, jump to the Stained Glass Heroes’ myspace page and listen to the incredible ‘Insects’ – we guarantee you’ll be hooked! www.myspace.com/stainedglassheroes

London alt art rock pioneers Stained Glass Heroes headline Monster Truck IV with their genre defying Super Fury Animal weirdness & Liars eccentricities. SGH’s schizophrenic new single ‘Insects’ (out now) received critically acclaim, notably from Artrocker magazine who gave it a whopping 5 out of 5 for its twisted hooks & crawling paranoid Graham Coxon ‘blur’ or ’13′ era Blur guitars and The Smiths-esque vocals. The magical musical mystery tour continues through swirling Arabic instrumentals and Baltic gypsy rock to insular future single ‘Circumstance’, culminating with the triumphant Spring release of debut album; ‘Big Guns At Dawn’, on the arty Fred label.

The video for awesome future single ‘Circumstance’

Run to The Good Ship on 15th April to catch the wonder of Stained Glass Heroes where they will be joined by Fez, The Fuzz & The Barnets. Buy Tickets in advance from Music Glue by clicking on the Tickets link under Blogroll.

Monster Truck IV feat. Stained Glass Heroes, Fez, The Fuzz & The Barnets

Monster Truck roars into town for this months instalment of new music greatness

London Art Pop Pioneers Stained Glass Heroes headline with their infectious 3 minute wonders.Fellow locals FEZ bring the sound of summer with their feel good indie anthems. Norwich’s The Fuzz fuse happy punk funkiness into a mind swelling live sound. Last but by no means least The Barnets bring attitude infested scally wag rock to kick off the night.

DOORS OPEN @ 19:30, £5 (get there early as Luke will be wrestling a bear for our enjoyment)

Tickets can be bought online right away by clicking on the helpful ‘Tickets’ link on the right-hand menu.

Band bios, lowdown, pics & maybe some videos to come. In the meantime go check out the bands:

http://www.myspace.com/stainedglassheroes

http://www.myspace.com/wearefez

http://www.myspace.com/thefuzzuk

http://www.myspace.com/thebarnets

all this plus the usual visuals, live at the Good Ship (Kilburn) April 15th.

FRENCH HORN REBELLION

Here we have a pair of brothers, now based in New York, that have graduated from the MGMT school of indie disco pop with flying colours. Being involved in the backroom for MGMT’s giant hit EP, Time To Pretend, you can see all subsequent paths were indeed taken from this point. DJ’ing at one of New York’s many hipster nights, Brass Magic, allows them a legitimate qualification of their own making. Their pumped, kitsch, sickly-sweet beats and bleeps form part of the soundscape you often find in 80′s movies, similar to the mixes Futurecop provide. There’s also the kind of styled indie love, that Australia’s Modular Records often sign up, when you think of the Midnight Juggernauts, The Presets and Cut Copy ‘Aussie sound’ that eventually evolved into Empire Of The Sun. However, there’s even more disco packed in here, with it’s obsession with all things camp. Basslines are unashamedly bouncy and the synths are so simple it’s like their written for toddlers. The high-pitched vocals give it more sincerity, thank god, because anymore bubblegum would have had us choking. Have a listen to one original track and a bonus Twelves remix to see if you can swallow it.   (MB)

Find them here:       Myspace

Hear them here:       FRENCH HORN REBELLION – UP ALL NIGHT (ysi)
Hear them here:       BEACHES AND FRIENDS (The Twelves vs Database vs French Horn Rebellion) (ysi)

THE HEROES

We think it’s fair to say that The Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines were generation-defining artists, who packed both style and swagger into a musical basket rammed full of tunes. After such cultural events you can guarantee a long line of followers pretending to take their crowns, yet the vast majority over the last few years did indeed fall way short, often missing the point of these band’s existence. Well, at first glance we were ready to rubbish The Heroes as just some such pretenders, particularly on their track Little Suzie. They also had the tight, spikey guitar riffs to suit their tight trousers and Mod haircuts, yet you have to say there’s a little more substance found here than amongst all the other contenders. Sadly we think that it’s come a little too late. This band are indeed a little bit too ’2005′. Neither are we suggesting they’ll achieve the impact of The Arctics or Libertines, as they lack the creative invention or solid punch, but we suspect there’s plenty of space still available to bands that provide us with a genuinely energetic, talented show. If the Leicester four piece’s high octane, packed out gigs are anything to go by then their power-indie strutting and Teen adoration may yet prove to be something that has the required lasting power. (MB)

Find them here:          Myspace

Hear them here:          THE HEROES – BLUE RAVE (ysi)

STAINED GLASS HEROES

Stained Glass Heroes look like they’ve just emerged from the last ever meeting at the Cabaret Voltairein 1916’s Zurich. This multi-faceted Krautrock-loving four piece revel in spinning their own myths and shroud themselves in mystery, which is no bad thing as it’s allowed them freedom to deliver some pretty catchy, esoteric tunes such as the sublime Insects(see below). Robert Fripps industrial guitar work channels Talking Heads and Brian Eno (circa, Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy), whilst managing to borrow some of Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters’. This gives us a thickly-layered belter of a tune. The vocals hark at some disturbing science fiction prophecy that conjures up The Quatermass Experiment; you can even hear the unsavoury scraping sounds in the background of the track. The new single, Circumstance, is slightly less menacing but maintains their clever indie pop twists. It’s due out soon, whilst the album, Big Guns At Dawn, will be out in October. (DV)

Find them here:       Myspace

Here them here:       STAINED GLASS HEROES – INSECTS (ysi)

There’s a couple of bands on here that we aren’t 100% about, which is very unlike us, with our usual tight quality controls. However, some bands simply need more time for us to fall under their spell, and sometimes we need to offer our readers the chance to judge for themselves bands that have recently crossed our paths. Comment any thoughts you have…