December 2011 Playlist

So here it is, my playlist, it's really really fun. As one year ends and another begins, why not celebrate by getting all the songs on my playlist and having a darn diddly good time.

1) I Told You Once - Howler

2) What You Wanted - Spector

3) When The Sun Goes Down - Arctic Monkeys

4) The Black Bird, The Dark Slope - Los Campesinos

5) Rocksteady - By The Rivers

6) Love Will Save Your Soul - Grouplove

7) Blinded By The Lights - The Streets

8) Your Father's Eyes Are Blue Now - Hail! The Planes

9) Do You Love Me - The Contours

10) A Case Of You - James Blake

11) Love Lockdown - Kanye West

12) Breaking Down - Florence & the Machine

13) 54-46 That's My Number - The Maytals

14) On The Run - Cerebral Ballzy

15) I Want It I Need It (Death Heated) - Death Grips

16) Banned In D.C - Bad Brains

17) Selena - Das Racist

18) Baby's Arms - Kurt Vile

19) Music When The Lights Go Out - The Libertines

20) Supreme - Robbie Williams

December has been one of those months where I have listened to an excessive amount of music, both new and old. Of the newer selection, I'd definitely recommend Spector. Made up of members of bands such as Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man , their back to basics approach makes for perfect pop. A few of the older ones seem like obvious choices, but this is mainly thanks to Chris Anstey ( @anstizzle ) for hooking me up with a large section of his I-Tunes. THX M8.  

Top Christmas Songs Ever

Well it's that time of year, and  what better way to celebrate than a countdown of my favorite Christmas songs. Obviously all Christmas songs are brilliant but I feel the need to whittle them down to a Top 5.

5) Mr Garrison - Merry Fucking Christmas
Ok, so not exactly one of the more "traditional" Christmas songs, but definitely one of the funniest. Equal parts festive and racist.

4) Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas?
Mega Christmas guilt trip from all the best artists. Of course "there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time" , but that doesn't stop it being a brilliant song.

3) The Darkness - Christmas Time
What more could you want for Christmas than ridiculous guitar lines and Justin Hawkins in a cat suit? All Christmas songs should have to belted in a falsetto as impressive as this.

2) Wizard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
I thoroughly agree with the message of this song. It would be so awesome. However, it would add to Britain's recession and obesity problems, so maybe we should just keep wishing. 

1) Wham! - Last Christmas
The bells. The bitter-sweet lyrics. That video. All reasons why this is the perfect Christmas song and why it tops my list. I listen to this song all year round and it's still brilliant.


M3RI KRSTMZ EVRY1

Single Of The Year 2011

This is a bit later than I wanted it to be so I expect you're bursting to see this list. Considering my album choices these may come as a bit more of a surprise. In at number 20.....

20) Itchin' On a Photograph - Grouplove's  Lead single off their debut album showed us how much fun they were.

19) Shake It Out - Florence & the Machine  Technically the first single off her second album, this pop gem got rid of any doubt that she'd lost her magic

18) Micheal Jackson - Das Racist    Are they joking? Are they serious? I dunno, but this was both hilarious and brilliant. And had the most stupid chorus of the year.

17) All We Wanna Do - Two Wounded Birds   Another surf-punk band with sing-along lyrics and hummable guitar lines. This is definitely a good thing.

16) Garden - Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs   Subtle and tender yet awesome to dance to, this synthy wonder has you hooked from the opening chords.

15) Dirt - WU LYF   The bands first big single with an incredible video. Hard hitting and beautiful.

14) Money - The Drums   Let's be honest, The Drums were not going to come back as a hardcore band. Smith-esque guitar lines balance out perfectly with Jonathan's mopey lyrics.

13) Hunger - Frankie & the Heartstrings   If this was their statement of intent, then they sure told us what they were all about. A good old indie-pop band basically. Brilliant.

12) Otis - Jay Z & Kanye West   From the moment that sample comes in, to Kanye's last verse, this cleared up any uncertainty what 'Watch The Throne' was going to sound like. Mega.

11) Under The Cover of Darkness - The Strokes   Containing one of their best guitar lines yet and with Julian Casablancas showing how much vocal work he'd done while away, this blew everyone away and sent the internet crazy.

10) Make Some Noise - Beastie Boys  Another come back single with a lot riding on it. Squelchy beats and brilliant rapping showed that they could still compete for the rap crown.

9) No Rest - Dry The River   It's chorus is awesome. The instrumentation is awesome. It is massive. They are not Mumford & Sons.

8) Hello Sadness - Los Campesinos   Well I wasn't exactly going to leave them out was I? Showed Los Camp at their self loathing, depressing best. Which is why it's brilliant

7) Still Life - The Horrors   With their new chilled sound, this was perfect from chillin. It had a brilliant chorus though as well with trippy guitar and synth to back it up.

6) Gold Dust - DJ Fresh   This is incredible. The rapping! The drums! The bass! Perfect when you're smashed

5) The Look - Metronomy   Unveiling their new sound with this brilliant seaside tune. Chilled organ and bassline making the perfect combo to make it funky as well. Plus you can definitely make up dance moves for it.

4) Weekend - Smith Westerns   Definitely the best song to air guitar to all year. The riff is brilliant, but coupled with the laid back vocals and chorus, it is incredible.

3) Yonkers - Tyler the Creator    The moment were Tyler went from a cult LA rapper to a voice of angry youth. The dark beat and darker lyrics showed us the man who was going to be annoying people all year long.

2) If You Wanna - The Vaccines    Clocking in at just under 3 mins, If You Wanna takes all the elements to make a classic pop song. It's fast, simple and has a brilliant guitar solo. This was soundtrack to the summer and helped them to conquer every festival.

1) Reach a Bit Further - Wild Beasts     This was not the first single from the album, nor the biggest selling, but was definitely the best song on it, maybe the best they've ever done. The lush guitar line and tribal drums provided the perfect backdrop for the interweaving vocals, made up of Hayden's fragile falsetto and Tom's smooth whisper, this is perfect. Best song of the year definitely.

Christian's Sound of 2012 Shortlist

The BBC caused much hoopla today with their announcement of their Sound of 2012 list. In retaliation, I have done my own. ENJOY

By The Rivers.

Leicester reggae band. May not be winning any awards for originality, but they sure are fun.

 Death Grips

If you thought Odd Future were "a bit dark" this really isn't going to be your thing. Genre defying beats with the scariest MC  ever (maybe).

Dry The River

Ok, so they were on the BBC's poll, but  that's because they're brilliant. Folky guitars and violin with massive chorus'.

Egyptian Hip Hop

They've been floating around for a few years, but after finally completing an album, this year will be theirs.

Howler

They're already set to apparently "do a Vaccines" and they definitely have the songs to back it up. What they lack in The Vaccines raw energy, they make up in more considered song writing.

King Krule

He's being compared to Joe Strummer, Ian Dury and Jamie T and is still only 17. Formally known as Zoo Kid, his slowed down (kinda) raps will not exactly conquer dance floors, but are perfect chillin' music.  

Outfit

Following in Wild Beast's footsteps, this Liverpool group locked themselves away to create their sound maaaaaan. And it really worked.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs 

Turns out you don't need stupid basslines to make dance music these days. Minimal and groovy

Tribes

They've been gathering support all year but with their debut finally being released, shit's gonna get real. 

Frank Ocean

Odd Future's crooner gets his debut re-released and his simple, sexy r'n'b will take over the charts.

Skrillex who?

Best Albums 2011

It's here. It's finally here. One of the reasons I created this blog, so I could force people to listen to the lists I make up in my own head. This list has had about a month in the making and has been very fun (for me). You can argue all you like but THIS IS THE LIST. So coming in at number 10...

10) WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

Once you get the vocals, this album is really good. Delicate guitar lines with manifesto like choruses.

9) The Strokes - Angles

Not what you'd expect from The Strokes, and obviously not their best, but still a very good album. Julian Casablancas at his vocal best.

8) The Drums - Potamento

The summer definitely ended for The Drums with an album taking on heartbreak and religion. Showed a darker side to the band.

7) Tyler, The Creator - Goblin

After a controversial year, Tyler went from nowhere to winning a VMA. This album was the jewel in the crown and contained some of Odd Futures best songs yet. He showed he wasn't just another horror-core rapper.

6) James Blake - James Blake

On first listen this whole album sounds out of time. Every other listen revels the brilliant post-dubstep album this is. The intricate vocal lines and minimal beats mark it out as brilliant.

5) Frankie & The Heartstrings - Hunger

Big tunes from a small band. Brilliant guitar pop taking influences from 80's indie bands whilst keeping it real maaaaan.

4) The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines

Well we expected exactly this. Reverby surf-punk with mega choruses became the soundtrack to the summer. Although nothing new, they did it so well that it felt like it.

3)  Metronomy - The English Rivera

Showed a lighter, more minimal sound to one of the best bands around. Dancey, yet demure, it was brilliant for chilling in the garden on a nice summers day.

2) Wild Beasts - Smother

Minimal and sexy, this was an album I kinda hated on first listening. But once you realise how amazing that falsetto is, things become a lot better. This was so close to being my number one, it is an amazing album.

1) Los Campesinos - Hello Sadness

Well, what did you expect. I love them. That said, it is a cracking album and show a band who have found their direction and ran with it. It shows them at their most confident musically, and most melancholic lyrically. Beautiful.





That's it. End of discussion.