Fever Ray
Our top records of 2009 countdown continues, with our favourite singles, albums and downloads of the year. We’re now at numbers 60-41.
Excellent single on Slumberland, a reverb drenched indie Scott Walker fronting Echo & The Bunnymen at their most optimistic.
Check out Crystal Stilts on myspace
Lo fi party punkatronica from Brookyln duo with plenty of charm and surprises.
Check out Matt & Kim on myspace
A welcome foray into languid synth pop territory for Mr Casablancas, with pleasing results. Kind of like a remix album of an unreleased Strokes LP.
Check out Julian Casablancas on myspace
Lush sample-heavy lucky dip ‘dreamy pop’, unafraid of loose threads and changes of direction mid song.
Check out A Sunny Day in Glasgow on myspace
Great lo fi folk pop from Scottish singer with an astonishing voice - like Tom Waits doing his best Satchmo impression.
Download Trying to cut a coin in the city mp3
Check out Lewis Irvine on myspace
Irresistible, immaculate pumped up summery pop from everyone’s favourite Beach Boys / Factory Records cross over band.
Check out The Drums on myspace
Indie soul genius from The Generationals - like Edwin Collins producing Connan Mockasin fronting Dexys Midnight Runners.
Download When they fight they fight and Wildlife Sculpture mp3s
Check out The Generationals on myspace
By now, you’ll have noticed that lo fi psychedelic 60s inflected garage rock features heavily in our top 100 list. The debut album from Women contributes to this phenomenon - an excellent Velvet Underground style record that is more spaced out than most of its peers.
Edinburgh cum London based The Vivians declared that it’s been ‘a crap year for music’, and released their stupidly catchy, and oddly substantial double A side.
Check out our Two Girls review
Check out The Vivians on myspace
For once, an LP title that makes no attempt whatsoever to be clever. Action Beat is indeed a Noise band from Bletchely. A most marvellous one at that. Which sometimes features 4 drummers when playing live. Take the time to watch the excellent video below, your attention will be rewarded.
Action Beat - Kortrijk. 100 Speaker Festival
? ? Fave Muslim ? ? | MySpace Music Videos
Check out Action Beat on myspace
Infinitely better than his hit and miss Monsters of Folk supergroup shenanigans, Outer South sees Conor Oberst at home with a group of righteous rock n rollers kicking out some superior, tuneful country jams. A stroke of genius to enlist uber talented Taylor Hollingsworth into the Mystic Valley Band.
Check out Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band on myspace
Fantastic, razor sharp artful pop on The Baddies debut LP, taut and with the precise punch of The Hives at their best.
Stunnning ‘Sci-fi folk’ that manages to be both soundscapey and song based at the same time. Anyone interested in Bonnie Prince Billy, Bon Iver et al should check out this lush blend.
Check out Wentworth Kersey on myspace
I meant to review this LP a while ago, but apt words ran away from me. Frenetic manic pop, the sound of a delinquent Streets / Furry Animal prodigy. With occassional nods to Jesus Christ Superstar and snooker. Check out the video below for a more accurate idea of what Lime Headed Dog does/is.
Check out Lime Headed Dog on myspace
Talking of Furry Animals, here they are at number 46. They’ve made so many good LPs now we’re in danger of taking their genius for granted. If this was a band’s debut album we’d all be shitting our pants I reckon.
Check out the Super Furries on myspace
Everything you would expect from a Lightning Bolt record, but somehow heavier than previous efforts, with influences from many genres sprinkled over the rumbling sonic behemoth.
Check out Lightning Bolt on myspace
Synth pop with dark tinges and Kate Bush echoes, more wired and personal than The Knife records.
Check out Fever Ray on myspace
Joyous infectious punk rock with Hutch’s irresistable lyrics/vocals and a surprisingly singalong feel. Packed full of beats that make you want to jump around. The Thermals playing at artrocker @ the Buffalo Bar a few years ago is still one of my favourite gigs of all time.
Check out our Thermals photo gallery
Check out The Thermals on Dirty Laundry TV.
Check out The Thermals on myspace
An excellent LP of punk rock with hormones raging from ex Gravytrain!!! dude Brontez.
Check out The Younger Lovers on myspace
Fantastic lo fi melody-packed power popping from Mr. Reatard, that at times (It ain’t gonna save me) sounds just like Supergrass at their very best (ie on their first LP).
Download It Ain’t Gonna Save me mp3 from Matador
Check out Jay Reatard on myspace
Sunday brought some very sad news to the music world. Mark Linkous, otherwise known as
Sparklehorse
, died by suicide this weekend. He'd suffered--and I mean...
Gaelic FrugHaving started off my contributions to TVV 7 weeks ago on safe ground with New Order, Iâve decided to throw a bomb into the mix early doors. I'm guessing tha...
Now that he is in a famous boy band
Drummer Allison Miller Releases Second Solo Leader CD, BOOM TIC BOOM, Performing Music Composed For and Inspired by Important Women in the Drummer/Composer's Life
Releas...
Big up to MGMT, trickers and the Oscars; boo hiss to striped T-shirts, Diet Coke and winter fatigueGoing upMGMT New album in April. With song titles like I Found A Whistl...
"You only get to appreciate what you do when you're not doing it," says bassist Rob Canning, slurping on a tea. "and now we're back, we're buzzing to go."
PART ONE: WELCOME TO 2008
ARTROCKER:...
Legendary rock photographer Steve Gullick has a retrospective at Manchester’s KRAAK Gallery running from March 12th til March 27th, featuring shots taken for NME and Melody Maker as well as his...
To accompany the review of Tune-yards’ Monday gig at Cargo, a few tasty shots of Think about Life, Trash Kit and New England native Merrill Garbus aka tUnE-yArDs.
Read the review of the night...
We have collected some truly heinous examples of recent album covers, from Empire Of The Sun’s Star Wars travesty to the banal evil that is Razorlight’s Slipway Fire. Discretionary...
Album art in this gallery was selected based on several simple traits: strong concept, fine graphics including creative typography and general lushness. The first three of ‘The Best Record...
Placebo pictures: just in - some photos of Placebo and Brian Molko from last week’s gig at the Glasgow SECC.
Also check out the review here
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The Drums
no no no!! Dreadful band - dressed up in the skin of the Beach Boys, but with no soul in the middle. All else = tasty!
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