50 quid bloke

This was the year when I saw my youth being revived. I think it probably happens to everyone at around this age (38 if you must know) when the music of their late teens reaches its 20th anniversary, and a group of bands who were barely born at the time start recreating it.

Yes, the signs have been there for a while - but this year, somehow, it really kicked off and every time I turned on the radio I had a spooky feeling of deja vu. Except of course when I was listening to Radio 4.

So we had Franz Ferdinand and everything else that followed - ending the year with the Killers and, ‘Somebody Told Me’ which I think has to go down as one of my favourite tracks of the year. Kasabian slightly jumped the mark by reviving the whole Stone Roses thing (the baggy revival isn’t really due for a couple of years yet, but I suppose you have to start somewhere) with what was definitely one of the better albums of the year, but still not a patch on the original.

Part of this is that we forget just how long ago our youth was. When I was 16, it was only 12 years since the Beatles had split up: but
even then they seemed like ancient history. It is now 22 years since
the Jam split up - which I suppose must make them positively
paleolithic to today’s 16 year olds.

The thing that was new was the fact that this time round we’ve had dance music, and there’s a million smart kids with computers ripping, mixing and burning all this stuff. So the whole Mash-Up phenomenon has been fantastically energising to follow. Yes, it all really moves a bit too fast for an oldie like mysel to truly ‘follow’, but you know what I mean.

A lot of what I’ve covered on here has been what can only be described as quiet-core. Has there been a boom here, or was there always this much of it around, and I’ve only started to notice it because it’s all my ageing ears can bear? I find it incredibly difficult to sort out the ‘pretty good’ from the ‘very good’ in this area. I basically bow to the recommendations of Really Rather.

My other favourite of the year was M Craft, stumbled on completely by chance while pinching a bunch of CDs from our Arts Editor - and in particular that one track Dragonfly. My hope is that he delivers a cracking album in the next year. My fear is that he takes himself far, far to seriously and never quite delivers.

The rise of MP3blogs has been one of the smarter bottom up phenomenon of the year. LargeHeartedBoy still rocks in my book, but I think it’s going to be intersting to watch this phenomenon - and the music industry’s reaction to it - evolve over the next year. Personally, I’m still buying CDs more than anything else…it’s just easier to keep tabs on everything that way, and I feel the music is really mine to do what I want with, rather than restricted by whatever this week’s DRM policy is.

My dance floor moment of the year (and I have to admit there were a lot less than in previous years, so it’s an easy category to judge), happened at around 2.55 in a tent in Glastonbury on the Friday night, when the DJ switched from hours of banging beats and bleeps to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. I have never seen a gang of sweaty people go quite so wild: but I suppose you really had to be there.

All in all, a good year, methinks.

And the latest list - from Michael Hann who edits The Editor pages in the Guardian, and introduced me to the Decemberists earlier in the year - for which I am truly grateful. He’s done a list of what he listened to over the year. He uses something called a Discman.

From 2003, but dominating the Discman in 2004
Guided by Voices: Human Amusements at Hourly Rates
Truly, America’s most compelling rock band of the last 20 years. This best-of proves it
The Decemberists: Her Majesty The Decemberists/Castaways and Cutouts
The the first new group I’ve felt really passionate about in some years
The Wrens: The Meadowlands
Sort of like Snow Patrol. But good

From 2004, and very good too
The Unicorns: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
Very strange, very playful neo-psychedelia from Canada
Brian Wilson: Smile
As good as one could have hoped for
The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
Hurrah for indiepop
Secret Machines: Now Here Is Nowhere
I feel I probably shouldn’t like a group so obviously endebted to Floyd and Zep, bnut I can’t help it

From ages ago, but revisited in 2004 and sounding great
10,000 Maniacs: The Wishing Chair
Folkier, and less earnest than their later, bigger albums
Wire: Pink Flag/Chair’s Missing/154
Makes you realise how average the post-punk revival groups really are
V/A: Tamla Motown Gold
Three CDs, 82 tracks, all hits - for under £15. Fantastic.

And one for the kids
Farmer Jason: A Day On The Farm With Farmer Jason
He used to be the leader of Jason and the Scorchers, who were the fiercest of the 80s "cowpunk" bands. And now he makes kids’ albums

Full set over at Flickr

A happy Xmas to one and all. My hunch is that if you’re reading this, it’s very likely you’re the one in the family who understands iPods, and therefore has probably been beseiged with requests for advice/ help/ free music since mid-November. No? OK, it was just me then. (yes, I’ve written about this before)

Actually, this was all done (mostly) unbegrudgingly. I didn’t mind when one friend phoned up on a Thursday having bought an iPod after a slightly excessive lunch, and wondered if I could fill it up wiht music by Sunday so he could take it away on their holiday. He’s a good friend, who’s done plenty for me, has a small child and doesn’t have a pc set up at home. A text message from their hol as they were enjoying listening to Burning Spear in the sunshine was thanks enough.

I also didn’t mind helping a work colleague sort out an iPod for her husband. Especially as a) I ordered it using my Amazon associate number and b) She then gave me some CDs that I didn’t have to be ripped which I errr…thought I better keep on my laptop for reference. However, I failed to get the software to work on her laptop, so that one’s going to come back to me.

I also used Xmas presents as a rather gratuitous way to buy people CDs that I suspect they will only ever half like because I sort of want them myself, but felt they were a bit too obvious (Maroon 5, Snow Patrol, Keane and Dance Decades if you must know). I ripped them, repackaged them, and passsed them on to their new homes.

However, I’m starting to have a few pangs about this low scale piracy. The story of the Beta Band’s 1.2m debt, made me feel almost err, guilty. So I’m now implementing a new regime: if I give you some digital music you like, and you don’t already own it…BUY THE CD. It doesn’t matter if you never open it, or play it.

Obviously, if it’s Keane…they can probably survive if you don’t. The Beta Band, however, might be rather appreciative.

As The Tears. Live review from The Guardian.

Each of the dozen or so songs contained fragments of what once made Butler and Anderson great - the endorphin jolt of Co-Star, the swooning choruses on Apollo 13 - but the results lacked greatness. Of course, it’s entirely likely that, once available on CD next year, the songs could grow as the initially unlovable Suede album Dog Man Star once did. Anderson still writes a massive chorus, and now that Butler is singing backing vocals, the tunes have a creamy new depth.

Setlist over at NME (of an earlier gig, at least). As I’m sure you’ll have guessed, they’re named after the final line of the Philip Larkin poem Femmes Damnees. (full text at the bottom of this page)

The marble clock has stopped. The curtained sun
Burns on: the room grows hot. There, it appears,
A vase of flowers has spilt, and soaked away.
The only sound heard is the sound of tears.

Introducing the Morrissey Mobile store…

You’ll love this (much touted) list of best of 2004 lists. Of which, you really should take a look at (the peerless) LargeheartedBoy Albums of the Year.   (complete, of course, with illustrative MP3s)

I’ve been pretty useless at posting recently. Apologies. To make up for it -  let me introduce this most excellent Guest list from Steve over at Really Rather he has been a constant tipper of excellent new music throughout the year, and is offering us his top 10 ‘Found Sounds’ of 2004 - ie stuff he’s stumbled across online. In his words: "it’s mostly soft girly stuff - even the blokes on the list sound more Prince Edward than Prince Harry. The tracks hang together well enough though - if anyone’s got the kit to burn it, it’d make a decent ‘Now that’s what I call Wimp Pop’ CD compilation." Oh, and all the tracks seem to be legal…which is nice.

Suburban Kids With Biblical Names -  Rent-a-wreck
Artist site| Track download | Label downloads

Tilly & the Wall / Bessa
Artist site | Track download
(Who needs a drummer when you can tap-dance?)

Cocorosie / Good Friday
Track download
(they’re French)

Kite Pilot / on my lips -demo(no records yet)
/songs/on_my_lips.mp3\\
\
Willow Willow / I feel love\
-demo (no records yet)\
Totally wet late \’60s throwback but hey, they are\
actually from San Francisco\
\http://www.willowwillow.com\/music.html\\
\http://www.willowwillow.com\/ifeellove.rm\\
\
The Pipettes / Judy (Wotcha gonna do?)\
-demo (no records yet)\
Brighton\’s finest\
\http://www.mdawson.aviators\.net/pipettes/\\
\http://www.mdawson.aviators\.net/pipettes/demo/judy.mp3\\
\
Laurel Music / The way love goes\
Swedish loveliness (and live in Brixton on Dec12)\
\http://www.laurelmusic.se\\
\http://www.laurelmusic.se/mp3\/laurel_music-the_way_love\_goes.mp3\\
\
Denison Witmer / Are you lonely\
Long-term blog hero and fine, sincere\
singer-songwriter\
\http://www.denisonwitmer.com\/albums_flowsinto.php\\
\http://www.denisonwitmer.com\/music/denison_witmer-flows\_into-are_you_lonely.mp3\\
\
Fitzgerald / Dirt\
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//–>Track download

Willow Willow / I feel love -demo (no records yet)
Artist site | Track download
Totally wet late ’60s throwback but hey, they are
actually from San Francisco

The Pipettes / Judy (Wotcha gonna do? - demo)
Artist site |Track download
Brighton’s finest

Laurel Music / The way love goes
Artist site| Track download
Swedish loveliness (and live in Brixton on Dec12)

Denison Witmer / Are you lonely
Artist site | Track download
Long-term blog hero and fine, sincere
singer-songwriter

Fitzgerald / Dirt
http://www.myspace.com/fitzger\ald\\
\
Fizzle Like a Flood / like wind like rain\
Douglas Kabourek, D-I-Y bedroom Brian Wilson\
\http://www.ernestjenning.com\/bands_fizzle.htm\\
\http://www.ernestjenning.com\/music_samples/fizzle\ like\
a flood - Track01.mp3\
\
Er.. that\’s it.\
\
Cheers\
\
Steve McEntee\
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______________________________\____\
Do you Yahoo!?\
Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more.\
\http://info.mail.yahoo.com\/mail_250\\
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//–>Artist site

Fizzle Like a Flood / like wind like rain
Artist site | Track download
Douglas Kabourek, D-I-Y bedroom Brian Wilson

They say it’s strange the way that people will often confess things on their blogs to complete strangers that they’d never confess to their friends. Well, here goes: I’ve bought Paul Weller’s covers album: Studio 150.
Yes, I know I shouldn’t have. And I feel cheap and dirty. But, well…I don’t know…it seemed like the right thing at the time.
Actually, I bought it because I loved his version of Gordon Lightfoot’s Early Morning Rain (a dramatic improvement on the original), and Sister Sledge’s Thinking of You (a genuine surprise) - both heard, I should add on Word’s covermount CDs (this month’s is excellent, btw).
So, what do I think? Well the thing is - I think he’s really good when he’s adding a bit of depth and gravel to lightweight songs like those two, and, on the album, ‘Wishing on a star’. That said, he does a version ofn of ‘Close To You’ which is sort of sub, but he completely murders songs which have any subtlety of complexity to them.
Aaron Neville’s Hercules is murdered. Gill Scott Heron’s The Bottle is brutally butchered. And, his version of All Along The Watchtower proves he’s neither a Dylan nor Hendrix).

More thanks to the author of today’s list, Lee Caulfield, aka London Lee (he’s called Lee, he’s from London, but works in Boston) creator of PopHeaven. He’s offered up a list of his most listened albums of the year - a mix of new, newish, re-issued and compilations. (and he agrees with Trev on ‘A Girl Called Eddy’).

New

“A Girl Called Eddy” - A Girl Called Eddy

“Let It Die” Feist

“Even Closer” - Goapele

“Stargazing” -Alpha

Re-issues

“In Gardens Where We Feel Secure” - Virginia Astley

“Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta” - Syreeta

Compilations

“I Want To Be With You (The Mercury/Blue Rock Sessions)” - Dee Dee Warwick

“In Perfect Harmony” - various

“A Treasury of Northern Soul” - various

“A Soldier’s Sad Story” - various