February 2012
13 posts
WatchForever Boy, one of the more foreboding, sunburnt moments from A Classic Education’s album, gets a video centred on a motorbike gang with a subtle difference.
January 2012
11 posts
WatchJust seventeen months after Kaleide’s release, a new Sky Larkin video for Tiny Heist. Having taken 2011 off to be Wild Beasts’ touring keyboard player (Katie), enrol in academia/drum with Napoleon IIIrd (Nestor) and scavenge feral-like across northern moorland* (Doug) they’re now back rehearsing new songs.
(* citation required)
The Brit Awards nominations are announced tomorrow at 5.30pm. Because I can, here’s a guess. British Album: +, 21, Let England Shake, Mylo Xyloto, On A Mission British Single: goes on sales, I think, so: A Team, Changed The Way You Kiss Me, Earthquake, Glad You Came, Heart Skips A Beat, Price Tag, Rolling In The Deep, Someone Like You, What Makes You Beautiful, Wherever You Are British Male:...
WatchAnd an animated accompaniment to Maison by Honour Before Glory, the title track of an EP released February 12th before the album gains full traction on 5th March.
December 2011
21 posts
The annual 'feeling old?' register
Things that are ten years old this new year
Up The Bracket Original Pirate Material Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Turn On The Bright Lights Mclusky Do Dallas A Little Deeper Losing My Edge House Of Jealous Lovers There Goes The Fear Freak Like Me Work It No One Knows Dirrty The Ketchup Song Pop Idol and Will vs Gareth; Popstars The Rivals and Girls Aloud Lisa ‘Left...
Yeah, I spent my New Year’s Eve evening whittling down a list of the year’s best tracks into an unordered top 50. Would it help if I admitted it was essentially for someone else? Do I need to change my social circle? Allo Darlin’ - Darren Beth Jeans Houghton - Dodecahedron Chad Valley - Now That I’m Real (How Does It Feel) Clock Opera - Belongings Colourmusic - Yes! Comet...
2012: a year that will shape part of the 10s
Posted this on DiS earlier but everyone ignored it, so I’m fleshing it out a little and posting it here so you can ignore it too. - The Nineties retro revival, which has been brewing (house references, Viva Brother/All The Young Britpop revivalism, the top ten sounding like Haddaway) without being identified as such quite yet, properly kicks in. Now even yacht rock and its attendant gated...
Let’s close up the last gap in the STN history of Christmas number ones, a concept I’m going to have to do something proper with one day, though obviously it won’t go viral as nothing I ever write does. Hey ho. 1998: 40 Bing Crosby - White Christmas 39 The Tamperer - If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better 38 Barefoot Man - Big Panty Woman 37 Manic Street Preachers - The...
If I’m going to see these old charts through before the 25th I’d best get a shift on. 1996:
40 Soundgarden - Blow Up The Outside World 39 Faithless - Insomnia 38 2Pac - I Ain’t Mad At Cha 37 Tina Turner - In Your Wildest Dreams 36 Manic Street Preachers - Australia 35 No Way Sis - I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing Actual Oasis contemporary tribute band take...
Got three more old Christmas top 40s to get in in the next week if I’m to fill the gaps this year, so best get on with 1994: 40 Erasure - I Love Saturday 39 Robert Palmer - You Blow Me Away 38 R Kelly - She’s Got That Vibe 37 Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around 36 2wo Third3 - I Want To Be Alone 35 The Stone Roses - Love Spreads 34 Black Duck - Whiggle In Line The sort of idea that...
The latest in the wrapping up of the Christmas top 40 series lands us in 1990. 40 Dream Warriors - My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style 39 Innocence - A Matter Of Fact 38 Orchestra On The Half Shell - Turtle Rhapsody Not an actual orchestra, or an actual rhapsody. 37 The Sisters Of Mercy - Doctor Jeep 36 The Proclaimers - King Of The Road EP 35 Black Box - Fantasy 34 Gazza - Geordie Boys...
Continuing the mop-up of old Christmas charts, 1985: 40 Julian Lennon - Because 39 A-ha - The Sun Always Shines On TV 38 Full Force - Alice I Want You Just For Me 37 A-ha - Take On Me 36 Inspirational Choir - Abide With Me A more successful reissue of a 1984 near miss for Red Wedge’s own gospel choir, they’re the extra singers on Madness’ Wings Of A Dove and counted...
Those advent calendars in 'full'
Christmas In Haworth, as previously mentioned, now with extra Josie Long, MJ Hibbett, David Tattersall, 30 Pounds of Bone, Ralegh Long and Clemence Freschard among many others.
Joyzine also have some Hibbett, plus a Miss Black America Peel session track, a cover of Sonic Youth’s Bull In The Heather and something new from the ever active Jim Rhesus.
You have to get in quick for Banquet...
Almost self-evidently there’s a whole heap of Christmas links to put up this week, mostly Advent calendars just to make it tricker. For now, Darren Hayman has a six track EP of new Christmas songs, Christmas In Haworth, out now through Fika Recordings. As some sort of tie-in he’s co-curated a Fika Advent calendar of free new songs which so far has brought up Hayman, the Wave Pictures,...
Over the last few years I’ve been recapping Christmas charts on STN, which are all here if you poke about the links. They always prove quite popular, but this year hasn’t afford neither time nor, really, inclination to continue. However, there’s a few gaps left between the earliest I’ve done, 1975, and the end of the century, so between now and three weeks’ time I...
November 2011
7 posts
WatchRather lovely video for rather lovely single, I Taught You How To Dance from Darren Hayman’s The Ship’s Piano album. The B-sides are covers: Roxy Music’s Dance Away, Eddy Grant’s I Don’t Want To Dance and the Kinks’ Come Dancing. I spy a theme.
“We must seem so pathetic to you, pointless even. our cottage industries. our...”
– Alexei FUCKING Berrow, Johnny Foreigner. (via carrowvseverything)