For any vinyl lover, Record Store Day is always pretty excited and highly anticipated. This year it falls tomorrow. Record store shops up and down the UK will be hosting live bands, selling exclusive content and perhaps doing lots of other lovely things.
This year, as usual, there is a whole heap of amazing artists releasing exclusive content. Here is a few of my top picks of that content. Head down to your local record store to pick up some of it and find out more about record store day here.
Laura Marling releases an exclusive 7″ single of Flicker and Fail with B-Side To Be A Woman (not previously released).
Arcade Fire release this 12″ featuring Sprawl II, my favourite track from their last killer album The Suburbs.
Beach House release a new track from their upcoming record ‘Bloom’. The track is called Lazuli and is another lovely dose of Beach House-y dream pop.
Edward Sharpe release a 7″ single of Love One Another. The track is taken from there new album which is out in May and is called ‘HERE’.
The wonderful Civil Wars are releasing the song ‘Dance me to the End of Love’ on 7″ with b-side ‘I Want you Back.
And so much more! Check it out here. If you are in London, head down to Rough Trade East where there is loads of stuff going on all day including an instore from Johnny Flynn.
I first wrote about BOY back in November of last year. I feel in love with their song ‘Little Numbers’, which is catchy, summery and all round great. It’s also got a beautifully shot video. The album ‘Mutual Friends’ is being released in the UK on April 12th and they are releasing an EP of acoustic sessions at the end of this month. For now though, you can grab a free download of ‘This is the Beginning’ below. The band kindly filled out a musical profile for me, and we have incredibly similar taste in music!
My Favorite band/artist: It’s so hard to choose just one!! You’ll find many of them in my dream festival line up.
My Favorite album: Bon Iver by Bon Iver is the one I´ve been listening to the most lately
My Favorite song: at the moment: Rebellion (Lies) by Arcade Fire
My Favorite gig: I once saw Feist at a pretty small festival in Germany, about six years ago. Her band somehow didn’t make it so she went on stage all by herself and played the most amazing and impressive show.
My Favorite lyric: “People are just people. (…) People are just people like you.” (Regina Spektor)
My Favorite new band/artist: Jack Beauregard, especially this song:
My Dream festival line-up: Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Phoenix, Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, Suzanne Vega, Tom Waits, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Cat Power, Feist, Rickie Lee Jones, The Broken Social Scene, Camille
My Right now I love: The flowers I bought for my apartment because I’ll be at home for longer than a week!
For me, live music is so much more important than recorded music. Yes, there are many albums which I completely fall in love with. But listening to a record doesn’t compare to the feeling of seeing a band live. Music is about so much more than just a song, just a melody and just an album. Music is about bringing people together, and sharing a moment that you will never forget. This year I was lucky enough to attend 10 different festivals, and experience so many different things, many of which I will never forget. Here is a list of my 10 favourite gigs of the year. Trying to write down why I loved each experience so much is difficult as you cannot put into words some experiences, but i’ve tried anyway.
1. Coldplay- The Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury Festival
‘Thousands of People, all covered in mud, who love this place with every drop of their blood’
Glastonbury is my favourite place on the whole planet. Nothing comes close to that atmosphere, that togetherness and that feeling of being at that festival. For me, it’s the most beautiful feeling in the world. Before this performance, I was a Coldplay fan. I have always loved their first two albums and was looking forward to seeing them. However, the performance they gave was completely out of this world. They are such an incredible live band and for them to headline this festival, for the third time, is a match made in heaven. The songs are epic, sounds and suit a festival better than anywhere else. The bands love and long time association with the festival make this the perfect place to see a band like Coldplay.
The crowd also made it for me, I was surrounded by people from all over the world, all singing along to every single word, loving every minute of it, and for many, by the end of it tears were really streaming down their faces. And walking round the festival for the rest of the weekend and hearing people sing the melody from Viva La Vida, you knew that you were part of something. This was one of those moments I will never forget, and always feel honoured to be a part of. Incredible.
2. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros- The Old Vic Tunnels
A gig is best when it is more than just a gig, when it becomes a whole experience. Edward Sharpe’s debut album was one of my favourites of 2009, and after watching countless videos of them on YouTube I was beyond excited to get tickets to one of these gigs. But what I actually got when I walked in far exceeded any expectations I already had. They created a whole universe in these underground tunnels. I wrote a whole review about this gig here, so read that to find out more about it. There is lots of photos too. I think this band are one of the best around, and its a shame more people don’t know it.
3. Bon Iver- Hammersmith Apollo
This man created my album of the year, the self titled Bon Iver Bon Iver. It is a stunning record, but live it was another experience completely. He doesn’t tour the UK much and so I think for a lot of people, including me, it was the first time they had the opportunity to see him live. The first album For Emma, Forever Ago affected a lot of people in a very personal way and so it was no surprise at the amount of tears present at this gig. Afterwards I felt like I had never done before after a gig, emotionally drained, and in complete awe of what had just happened. Go and see this man, just amazing.
4. Paul McCartney- Liverpool Echo Arena
I saw Paul McCartney in 2009 at the O2 Arena. But when he announced he was playing in Liverpool, his home town, I jumped at the opportunity to see him again. He is 69 and still an incredible performer. For about 2 and a half hours he wowed the audience with songs from his back catalogue of Beatles tracks, Wings and solo stuff. This man is a true legend and it was an honor to be able to see such a special performance in Liverpool.
5. Arcade Fire- Benicassim Festival
This was the third time I have seen Arcade Fire, and by far their best performance. It was the last night of their tour and they completely gave the audience everything. I didn’t enjoy Benicassim as a festival at all, but this performance and some others made it worth while. I think Arcade Fire are one of the best bands on the planet still making music.
6. Pulp- Park Stage, Glastonbury Festival
Pulp were one of the not-so-secret Special Guests at this years Glastonbury Festival. They played the Park Stage, usually home to small folky bands. I found out about it a couple of hours before, and since their wasn’t anyone else I wanted to see on that Saturday afternoon, I went and waited at the front of the stage and so was luckily enough to be right down the front (even if I did have to sit through the dreadful set from Tame Impala). Jarvis Cocker is quite simply a national legend. His humour between songs made it so special- and you could tell he completely understood Glastonbury as a festival. And taking a quote from the man himself ‘Glastonbury is more than just a festival, it’s a feeling’.
7. Primal Scream- Bestival
Primal Scream are an amazing live band. I first saw them at Benicassim and was amazed at how many song I knew. Bestival is an amazing festival as it is, full of character and spirit. This performance was in the Big Top tent at about 1am I think, and WOW, what a party. Amazing band.
8. Beyonce- Glastonbury Festival
I love Beyonce. I think she is a very unique kind of popstar and a inspirational woman. She completely stormed Glastonbury, and being the first female to headline is 20 years I think? When she played ‘Halo’ with videos of Glastonbury in the background, you knew she understood the festival. I also loved how grateful she seems for being given the opportunity to play- it seemed like we were all living out her dream together.
9. Joanna Newsom- End of the Road Festival
Joanna Newsom is someone I have been dying to see live for years. And when she announced she was playing End of the Road, I knew I had to go. She gave a completely flawless performance. Her voice has been altered as she’s had a lot of throat issues over the years, but I think this has actually worked a little in her favour. The unique, slightly shrill qualities of her voice are gone but what we are left with is a mellower version. She played solo, and I was completely entranced for the whole thing.
10. Willy Mason- WOOD Festival
Before this gig I didn’t really know who Willy Mason was. We were actually trying to work out if he was a young guy or an old guy with long hair (Willy Nelson). There was something very special about the atmosphere at this gig, it felt like everyone was incomplete awe of what we were experiencing. WOOD festival is a stunning place as it is, the festival feels like you are part of a great big family, I really hope it continues into 2012.
Special mention to Antony and the Johnsons at Wilderness Festival. Bring on 2012!
This years Benicassim line-up was one of the strongest of the festival season. Not only did they have headliners The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire, but also the likes of Mumford and Sons, Portishead, Primal Scream, Elbow, The Streets and many more. For me it was the line-up which completely persuaded me to go. The thought of The Strokes and Arcade Fire at the same festival, a festival by the beach in Spain, seemed too good to be true.
However, after my week at Benicassim I was left feeling disappointed, not by the music, but by the festival itself.
I’ll start my review with the good bits, the music. Over the weekend I didn’t see a single band who disappointed me and left with such an array of highlights. Arcade Fire‘s performance was flawless, the best I have ever seen them. They literally gave the crowd everything and the (disappointingly small) crowd gave them everything back. The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys also gave excellent performances, particularly the latter of the two. Mumford and Sons brought the hoedown to Spain for there last live show for a while as they are now in the studio working on their second album. Primal Scream were incredible, and afterwards I completely understood the Screamadelica obsession so many people had raved about to me.
Other highlights included Julieta Venagas, a Spanish singer/songwriter who attracted a wonderful crowd of singalong Spanish folk. Congotronics Vs Rockers brought a new fusion of Jefferson Airplane and African vibes to the festival. Herman Dune was fantastic, as were Beirut and Noah and the Whale gave the best performance I have seen them do for years. Elbow were fantastic too, Guy Garvey confirming his ‘such a nice guy’ status.
However, despite so many incredible bands, there was something missing from Benicassim; spirit. The festival just has none. The crowd is primarily made up of drunk and rowdy English teenagers, with the occasional actual music fan present. And the festival organised by money grabbers, who in 30 degree heat will confiscate your bottle of water on entry, and make you pay €2.50 for another one. Oh, and €9 for a beer. There is only 3 stages, and most people gather round the almost always packed main stage. There is also a comedy tent, food stalls, over priced bars with a ridiculous tokens system, limited services (the cash machine queue was over an hour long at times) and not much else. Although its overlooking the mountains, the arena is essencial placed in a big carpark.
The campsite is a slight improvement, the showers and sheltering tents is a great idea. The beach is a good half an hour walk away, which is quite deceiving from the marketing which makes it seem like the festival is practically on the beach. One good thing is that they start the music at 6pm and have it run throughout the night, with the headliners going on at about 1am. The heat of the day is so hot it wouldn’t be fun to have to stand and watch bands in.
If in 2012 you are looking for a Glastonbury alternative, I beg you not to choose Benicassim. Glastonbury punters are used to festivals full of spirit, life, alternative culture and eccentric mixes of people and unfortunately Benicassim fails on all these levels. I only hope the future of festivals does not lie in the hands of Vince Power and his money making ‘festival’ instituions. Long live places like Glastonbury and people producing festivals because they love it, not because they want a lot of cash.
We are now up to 20 of these posts! It started out as a bit of a ‘music I am listening to right now’ sort of thing, and I guess thats what its still about, but its also hopefully things you might not have heard. Hope you have been enjoying this series, here’s somethings for you this week!
Florence is back! Well, a new album isn’t due till the end of summer. But this Buddy Holly video has been unleashed onto YouTube and its great, I hope this sort of thing influences the rest of the album. Its much more raw sounding, which I like.
The new Fleet Foxes album has been slowly growing on me, I am now listening to it a lot, and this is my favourite tune from it. Just delightful!
Beirut is back, i’ll be seeing him in Hyde Park with Arcade Fire on June 30th for the first time which should be really great (Mumford and Sons too!). He is releasing a new album called ‘The Rip Tide’ on August 31st, followed by Manchester and London shows as well as a headline set at End of the Road festival. What a great summer for Beirut fans! This song is called ‘East Harlem’, I like it a lot, its quite sparse and more chilled than some of the older stuff, but in a good way.
The new soundtrack from the film Submarine has been raved about a lot and rightly so. I think its better than the actual film. Its made up of original songs from Alex Turner. All the songs are lovely and chilled and I think may become quite an integral part to my summer soundtrack. This is ‘Stuck on the Puzzle’.
Oh Land was the lady to see at this years Great Escape. I went to see her but couldn’t find the venue, which is a shame, she could be big news in the future. This song is incredibly catchy. She reminds me of a mixture between Lykke Li and Ellie Goulding.
Stealing Sheep have just released a new EP called ‘I am the Rain’ its lovely, you can listen to it on Spotify if you like. I like this band a lot. Heres a little video from when they recorded the EP in Abbey Road Studios.
The Staves completely blew me away at Bushstock, really beautiful stuff. I’ve been listening to their EP a lot, its beautiful. I hope they record something else soon so I don’t have to keep repeating the same 3 songs over and over.
I am going to end with a clip from the epic performance Arcade Fire gave at Coachella this year. I have watched almost their whole set now on youtube and it just seems EPIC. So excited to see them in Hyde Park this summer and then again at Benicassim in Spain. Incredible live band! This is the wonderful ‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’ from The Suburbs.
Arcade Fire have announced that they shall play a headline gig in Hyde Park on June 30th. They will also be supported by Mumford and Sons, Beirut and The Vaccines! Sounds too good to miss if you ask me! Tickets go on sale on Friday at 9am and will be priced at around £50. The band will also headline the Benicassim Festival in Spain and Coachella Festival in America. The gig also falls the weekend after Glastonbury and so Arcade Fire have been added to the list of rumours for the festival.
They are definitely going to be the band to see this summer, and if you haven’t managed to catch them live yet, this is what you can expect!
My favourite show of the year by my favourite band of the year. Stunning live and I cannot wait to see them again this year.
Stevie Wonder- Glastonbury
The moment when Michael Eavis came on stage was incredible and represented the spirit of Glastonbury Festival.
Laura Marling- Glastonbury
A really stunning performance, the best I have seen her give. The crowd were really wonderful too.
Slow Club- Summer Sundae
Summer Sundae gave Slow Club an evening slot which was an excellent idea as they’re energy really suits the evening atmosphere. Great energy!
Mumford and Sons- Summer Sundae
Mumford and Sons first ever festival headline slot and boy did they perform. Stunning live band, love them. I can’t find a video of it so i’ll post this instead.
Johnny Flynn- Shepherds Bush Empire
An excellent gig- Johnny on top form.He was also joined on stage by Laura Marling for The Water which made it even better.
This isn’t in any sort of order, just lots of songs I have fallen in love with throughout 2010. Hope you enjoy some of this lot.
Darwin Deez is my happy chappy of the year. All the songs on the album easily put a massive smile on your face, but especially this one.
Beach House were my number 2 album of the year with the stunning Teen Dream. I could include many of the album tracks on this list but I think I’ll have to go with Norway.
This is Helicopter by Deerhunter, I’m not sure why I like this song so much, but I really really do, lovely and dreamy.
Summer Camp have released a wonderful EP and some wonderful singles this year. I have high hopes for them in 2011. This is Ghost Train.
Mark Ronson was back this year with this song. Best pop record of the year, easily.
My band of the year, gig of the year, one of my albums of the year and I think my song of the year. This is the stunning Arcade Fire with Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Crystal Castles and Robert Smith gave us this addictive track. Bestival 201o collaboration?
I think Lykke Li is gonna be big in 2011, this is Get Some which gives us a glimpse of what to expect from the new album.
Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn gave us this stunning duet of The Water.
She and Him don’t tour much which is rubbish but they do make very nice songs like this one.
Caribou are also very summery, the album as a whole is stunning but this is my favourite song from it.
Best Coast have made a brilliant album and have won the award for best fuzzy surf rock group this year, for which there was A LOT of competition. Their is a lot of good singles on the album but I finally settled for this one which is the first track by them I heard.
Everyone has gone a little crazy for the Kanye West album in the last few weeks, i’ll let them off as this song is very, very good.
Janelle Monae cannot be missed off this list. Tightrope is an absolute tune, deserves much more attention than it has.
Thats your lot for now! I’ve probably forgot something very vital so there may be a part 2 yet to come. Hopefully a EP’s of the year, gigs of the year, and ones to watch for next year coming very soon. Stay tuned and have a happy new year! x
So here we are, No.1 and I have added the rest of the list to remind you of my full top 10.
1. Laura Marling- I Speak Because I Can
It had to be didn’t it? This album is stunning, and I have said it too many times. Her voice is honey and her songwriting is beautiful. I loved her debut, Alas I Cannot Swim, but for me this is leaps and bounds ahead. When Alas was released in 2008, reviews forever reminded us that she was only 18. The talent she showed at that age was incredible, but I think what was even more incredible was the transition from Alas to I Speak. This years album showed an incredibly maturity for someone of only 20 and I cannot wait for album No. 3. Absolute perfection. A beautiful album to top a wonderful year of music.
Essential Tracks: I Speak Because I Can, Hope in the Air, Blackberry Stone
2. Beach House- Teen Dream
Their is something about this album which totally grabs you, draws you in and makes you have to listen. Maybe its that voice, or the dreamy guitar, its hard to pinpoint why this album is so perfect as a complete work, but it is absolutely flawless. From the opening guitar melody on Zebra, to Victoria’s beautiful voice singing ‘I’ll Take Care of you’ on Take Care, you have to listen. It’s an album which rarely leaves my CD player and one which I recommend everyone to give a listen to.
Essential Tracks: Zebra, Norway, Take Care
3. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
Arcade Fire are undoubtedly my band of the year. This album is a triumph and their performance at Leeds Festival was flawless. The Suburbs is perfect, a masterpiece from start to finish. It’s yet another concept album, but that’s what Arcade Fire do best. I don’t know if anything, for me, can beat Funeral, their debut, but the fact that after such a brilliant beginning, they keep on making stunning albums shows that they are something very special indeed. The grandness and beauty of there sound is totally unique and I think they are a band who will be remembered throughout history, the best band of our generation.
Essential Tracks: The Suburbs, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), We Used to Wait
4. Caribou- Swim
This album was chosen as Rough Trade’s album of the year, and rightly so. It seems quite forgotten by the major music magazines but Swim, for me, is a triumph of electronic music and something which has changed my personal thoughts about the genre. The creativity and production on Swim is leaps and bounds above the ordinary album and Caribou have gradually become one of my bands of the year. For those who read this blog because they like folk music, I urge you to put an open mind on and listen to this album, you too might take to it like I have. This album is summer on CD.
Essential Tracks: Sun, Odessa, Kaili
5. Warpaint- The Fool
This for me, is the finest debut of the year. It shows so much prospect for this band, I only hope it doesn’t have the XX effect and unexpectedly explode in the next year. The hypnotic vocals, the murmuring guitars and the dreamy songwriting have created a beautiful album. They have just been long-listed for the BBC Sound of 2011, I hope they don’t win. This album deserves to be treasured not mainstreamed.
Essential Tracks: Undertow, Bees, Baby
6. Bombay Bicycle Club- Flaws
This is an album I instantly fell in love with. His voice is perfect and the songwriting too is flawless. It’s such a change from there first album yet it’s gone down so well with critics, long time fans and through it they have also gained many new fans. It’s gonna be interesting to see where they go with the next album, I predict a mixture of the acoustic and electric sounds, but no matter what they do next, ‘Flaws’ will always be a masterpiece.
Essential Tracks: Ivy & Gold, Swansea, Flaws
7. Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me
Joanna Newsom is perfect, as is this album. For me, nothing can beat her debut ‘The Milk-Eyed Mender’ but this album comes pretty close. On 3 CD’s, with around 2 hours of songs, some at 12 minutes long, this album is something very different to the rest on this list. But then Newsom herself is very different. Her voice, the simplicity of the instrumentation along side the complexity of the melodies and lyrics make her an absolute treasure of out time. She’s a one-off and its time more people realized that.
Essential Tracks: ’81, Does not Suffice, On a Good Day
8. Caitlin Rose- Own Side Now
For me, this album took a very long time to grow on me. When I reviewed it back at the start of the year, I thought it was a little dull, but now I take back ever saying that. I love this album. Her voice is flawless, the songwriting is simple, yet beautiful. Caitlin has made slide guitars, cowboy fashion and a Nashville country voice cool again.
Essential Tracks: For the Rabbits, Shanghai Cigarettes, Own Side
9. Vampire Weekend- Contra
Vampire Weekend’s first and self titled album stole many of the top spots on 2008 Album of the Year lists. Its a brilliant debut, but I think the second album is even more of an accomplishment, showing a development in writing, sound and production. The first album is upbeat, catchy, overly likeable, but this album has much more depth, more darkness, yet the crowd pleasers are still in there aplenty. I think this is a band around to stay for quite a while, and if they keep on producing albums like this then rightly so.
Essential Tracks: I think Ur a Contra, Cousins, White Sky
10. Glasser- Ring
From the first hearing, you can’t help being captivated by the music of Glasser. The strange melodies, complex rhythms and over experimental instrumentation somehow still manages to be very, very listenable. Her voice will grab you and the beautiful psychedelia of the songs will keep your hold from the start to the very end of this album. A stunning debut.
This album was chosen as Rough Trade’s album of the year, and rightly so. It seems quite forgotten by the major music magazines but Swim, for me, is a triumph of electronic music and something which has changed my personal thoughts about the genre. The creativity and production on Swim is leaps and bounds above the ordinary album and Caribou have gradually become one of my bands of the year. For those who read this blog because they like folk music, I urge you to put an open mind on and listen to this album, you too might take to it like I have. This album is summer on CD.
Essential Tracks: Sun, Odessa, Kaili
3. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
Arcade Fire are undoubtedly my band of the year. This album is a triumph and their performance at Leeds Festival was flawless. The Suburbs is perfect, a masterpiece from start to finish. It’s yet another concept album, but that’s what Arcade Fire do best. I don’t know if anything, for me, can beat Funeral, their debut, but the fact that after such a brilliant beginning, they keep on making stunning albums shows that they are something very special indeed. The grandness and beauty of there sound is totally unique and I think they are a band who will be remembered throughout history, the best band of our generation.
Essential Tracks: The Suburbs, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), We Used to Wait
2. Beach House- Teen Dream
Their is something about this album which totally grabs you, draws you in and makes you have to listen. Maybe its that voice, or the dreamy guitar, its hard to pinpoint why this album is so perfect as a complete work, but it is absolutely flawless. From the opening guitar melody on Zebra, to Victoria’s beautiful voice singing ‘I’ll Take Care of you’ on Take Care, you have to listen. It’s an album which rarely leaves my CD player and one which I recommend everyone to give a listen to.
Essential Tracks: Zebra, Norway, Take Care
Number 1 coming soon (no prizes for guessing!) plus lots of other end of year lists to do!
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