Monday Mixtape 26/01/2009

Today's very lazy theme is the best tracks on 2008. Well, my favourite tracks. So ner.

DATE: 26/01/2009
THEME: Best tracks of 2008
LENGTH: 10 Tracks, 38:43

1. CRYSTAL CASTLES - Untrust Us (3:06) (Crystal Castles, Lies/Last Gang 2008)
2. METRONOMY - Heartbreaker (4:09) (Nights Out, Because Music 2008)
   
3. XX Teens - Darlin' (4:12) (Welcome To Goon Island, Mute 2008)
   
4. LATE OF THE PIER - The Bears Are Coming (3:23) (Fantasy Black Channel, Parlophone 2008)
   
5. BORN RUFFIANS - Hummingbird (3:08) (Red, Yellow & Blue, Warp 2008)
6. VAMPIRE WEEKEND - Walcott (3:41) (Vampire Weekend, XL 2008)
   
7. FOALS - Red Socks Pugie (5:08) (Antidotes, Transgressive 2008)
   
8. DEERHUNTER - Agoraphobia (3:22) (Microcastle, 4AD 2008)
   
9. BURIAL - After Dark (3:54) (Untrue, Hyperdub 2007 (but I don't care))
   
10. BECK - Chemtrails (4:40) (Modern Guilt, XL 2008)
    

This list is a bit similar to the first one I did. But I'm lazy. And I don't care who knows it.

Monday Mixtape 05/01/09

This is brand new feature for 2009 (ahamagad) whereby I create a mixtape every Monday (that I can be bothered) of what I've been listening to and/or what I think you should be listening to to appear cool to all of your friends.

Occassionally there will be various themes, but this will all depend on the amount of effort I can muster.

Also, the mixtape will only be 10 songs or 45 minutes, whichever comes first, to ensure minimum effort on my part.

DATE: 05/01/09
THEME: none
LENGTH: 10 tracks, 35:29

1. CRYSTAL CASTLES - Untrust Us (3:06) (Crystal Castles, Lies/Last Gang 2008)
2. GORILLAZ feat. BOOTIE BROWN - Dirty Harry (3:45) (Demon Days, Parlophone 2005)
3. DJ SHADOW - Mashin' On The Motorway (2:58) (The Private Press, MCA 2002)
4. BEASTIE BOYS - Shazam! (2:26) (To The 5 Boroughs, Capitol 2004)
5. FRIENDLY FIRES - Paris (4:00) (Friendly Fires, XL 2008)
   
6. BLACK LIPS - Veni Vidi Vici (2:26) (Good, Bad, Not Evil, Vice 2007)
7. BORN RUFFIANS - Hummingbird (3:08) (Red, Yellow & Blue, Warp 2008)
8. WEEZER - Pork & Beans (3:09) (Weezer [Red Album], Geffen 2008)
9. GRANDADDY - Jeez Louise (3:41) (Just Like The Fambly Cat, V2 2006)
10. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Fireworks (6:50) (Strawberry Jam, Domino 2007)

Next weeks mixtape will be on the theme of early 90s North American Indie Rock. Maybe.

SATISFACTORY ALBUMS OF TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT

The late late edition. I'm getting worse and worse at keeping up with this. I could blame many things for this. The current state of the Middle East, for example, distracting me from listening to new music and instead relying on my musical library to cheer me up. Everyone current excuse of "y'know, the credit crunch and all that" which, if I hear as a phrase one more time (even in the form of the BBC's cautiously optimistic "economic downturn" complete with mainly downward facing arrows) I'm gonna scream.

I could also blame the mountains of university which I have also clearly not completed, even a small amount, or the endless hours of shifting sportswear to the ironically overweight for pennys. But in reality, I'm just lazy. 2009 is ages away, I said to myself, why worry about it now? Erm...bugger.

So here it is, my Top 15 (extra 5 from last year!) especially for you jolly good people that I banged out in about 15 minutes between getting home, eating my dinner and procrastining until the red dawn light. Enjoy:

15: Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
14: No Age - Nouns
13: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
12: Portishead - Third
11: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend Review

10: Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue Review
9: Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
8: Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles Review
7: Santogold - Santogold
6: British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music? Review

5: MGMT - Oracular Spectacular Review
4: Beck - Modern Guilt

3:

Foals - Antidotes
While my review didnt take particularly kindly to this album back in April, it has worked its way back to my affections on repeat play alone. There is something to be said about an album that I could sit there and listen to quite comfortably on more than one occasion. For a while it was my "go to" album of choice - what you listen when you can't think of anything else and are too impatient to use the shuffle function.

In April I criticised it, rightly, for not featuring Foals' two best tracks. Namely "Hummer" and "Mathletics"

2:

Deerhunter - Microcastles/Weird Era Cont.
Bradford Cox's second entry on this list, and none more deserved than for this fantastic album of shoegaze, noise and lo-fi perfection, with Weird Era Cont. winning the prize for best bonus disc of any album, possibly ever. But don't just take my word for it, read the original review here for the thoughts of me just one month ago. (or scroll down a bit)

1:

Metronomy - Nights Out
Joseph Mount's follow up to wonky debut Pip Paine finds his former solo moniker now including live partners Oscar Cash and Gabriel Stebbing this time around. And while the album has failed to reach the chart success it should, tracks such as "My Heart Rate Rapid" and "Heartbreaker" have proved dancefloor hits of their own.

If nothing else, Nights Out has blended pop themes and sensibilities with minimalist beats and an aching, awkward dancefloor noise.
Album Preview

ALBUM: Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue

These genetically-generated scamps seem to have made themselves known to me through adverts, tv appearances and blog hype. Like any other band really. These guys, in particular featured in the american episode of Skins (the one where Cassie goes mental and fucks off to New York) and a mobile phone provider advert. Actually, there's nothing stopping me saying who it is, its Orange, and despite them not being my provider, the person who decides the soundtrack to the adverts has an awesome taste in music.

But I digress.

Having heard only "Hummingbird" and their take on Grizzly Bear's "Knife", my hopes were very high. I was expecting something that was both unashamedly poppy and energetic, yet with enough ragged fuzzy bass and strained guitar that I wouldn't feel too guilty about it.

I wasn't really expecting this.

Opener and title track "Red, Yellow and Blue" has the same afrobeat air of Vampire Weekend, yet lacking its pretension and soul-sucking precision. Lalonde's voice reminiscent of Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Josh Grier of Tapes n' Tapes, and eventually so does the rest of the band. Struggling for an original sound, only "Hummingbird" immediately stands out and is clearly and somewhat predictable the best track of the album.

The mood is often lethargic despite the upbeat tone and tempo, and the band all too often descend into Jack Penate style guitar wankery that takes away so much from the often delicate chaos of the subtle guitar and bass interplay.

What does happen when the band slow down for the second act, is that their somewhat timeless influence does shine through, showing a pleasant mix of the contemporary and the classic.

But, to be honest, its just all a bit samey. The same tricks are pulled out of the bag in every song and the singer's voice soon becomes wearing (again bearing similarity to Alec Ounsworth) on an album that is not nearly as fun as "Hummingbird" suggested. It's not a horrible listen, and is a bit of a grower, really, except that that's not what I wanted. Its horribly reminiscent of being told I'd have to clean my plate of horrible vegetables before getting any chocolate ice cream - and then finding that these disgusting carrots have filled me up already.

I'm pretty these guys weren't Canadian I would have hated it even more.

6/10

Red, Yellow & Blue is out now in the UK on Warp Records