Yes I know it's early, but with a rare night in on my own and a busy schedule in the run-up to Christmas, I've taken the chance to put together my Festive Fifty 2011. This is the culmination of a year's work listening to the Guardian Music Weekly and Hype Machine podcasts, checking out the Pitchify, Quietus and Spotirama websites, and taking lots of good recommendations from good friends. Then it's a case of listening to the albums on the train to work, filtering out what I like and adding it to a long list, which I've just whittled down to 50 in the last 3-4 hours.
Highlights for me included Sarabeth Tucek, who was was one of the artists signed to an indie label that had its inventory burnt down in the London riots, when the Sony / PIAS centre in Edmonton went up in flames. I tried out her album out on Spotify, then bought the mp3 version, went to see her live twice in London and Norwich, and also bought a signed copy of her LP. That's the only model I see working if a lot of indie musicians are going to make money and thrive.
Among all the new music, it was also good to see some familiar old faces re-emerging in 2011, and I couldn't resist putting in newly released recordings from Bob Dylan, Kate Bush, Noel Gallagher and R.E.M. (R.I.P.). It was also good to see bands that I grew up with, like Sigur Ros, PJ Harvey and Radiohead, still going strong. Anyway, here's the list and happy festive listening:
1. Sarabeth Tucek – Smile for No One
2. The Antlers – I Don't Want Love
3. Alex Turner – It's hard to get around the wind
4. PJ Harvey – Written On The Forehead
5. Lana Del Rey – Video Games
6. Feist – How Come You Never Go There
7. Beirut – Port of Call
8. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Bats In The Attic
9. Radiohead – Lotus Flower (SBTRKT RMX)
10. M83 – Midnight City
11. The Horrors – Still Life
12. Lykke Li – I Follow Rivers
13. Ensemble – Things I Forget
14. Mona – Listen To Your Love
15. Fleet Foxes – Lorelai
16. Jeffrey Lewis – Time Trades
17. Blouse – Videotapes
18. Destroyer – Downtown
19. The Silver Seas – Jane
20. TV On The Radio – Will Do
21. Lanterns on the Lake – Tricks
22. The Decemberists – January Hymn
23. Elbow – lippy kids
24. Danger Mouse – Season's Trees (feat. Norah Jones)
25. St. Vincent – Champagne Year
26. Baxter Dury – Leak At The Disco
27. The Moth & The Mirror – Closing Doors
28. Bon Iver – Minnesota, WI
29. Death Cab for Cutie – Home Is A Fire
30. Half Man Half Biscuit – Tommy Walsh's Eco House
31. Azari & III – Reckless (With Your Love)
32. Dirty Projectors + Björk – All We Are
33. Surfer Blood – I'm Not Ready
34. Washed Out – Amor Fati
35. Cults – You Know What I Mean
36. Roots Manuva – Here We Go Again
37. Sigur Ros – Lúppulagid
38. Cold War Kids – Skip The Charades
39. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – If I Had A Gun...
40. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Tigers
41. Kate Bush – Never Be Mine
42. R.E.M. – We All Go Back To Where We Belong
43. Anna Calvi – Suzanne And I
44. Chain and The Gang – Youth I Wasted On The Young
45. British Sea Power – Living Is So Easy
46. Cut Copy – Corner Of The Sky
47. Kurt Vile – In My Time (Album Version)
48. Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
49. Bob Dylan – The Love That Faded
50. Laura Marling – Sophia
Highlights for me included Sarabeth Tucek, who was was one of the artists signed to an indie label that had its inventory burnt down in the London riots, when the Sony / PIAS centre in Edmonton went up in flames. I tried out her album out on Spotify, then bought the mp3 version, went to see her live twice in London and Norwich, and also bought a signed copy of her LP. That's the only model I see working if a lot of indie musicians are going to make money and thrive.
Among all the new music, it was also good to see some familiar old faces re-emerging in 2011, and I couldn't resist putting in newly released recordings from Bob Dylan, Kate Bush, Noel Gallagher and R.E.M. (R.I.P.). It was also good to see bands that I grew up with, like Sigur Ros, PJ Harvey and Radiohead, still going strong. Anyway, here's the list and happy festive listening:
1. Sarabeth Tucek – Smile for No One
2. The Antlers – I Don't Want Love
3. Alex Turner – It's hard to get around the wind
4. PJ Harvey – Written On The Forehead
5. Lana Del Rey – Video Games
6. Feist – How Come You Never Go There
7. Beirut – Port of Call
8. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Bats In The Attic
9. Radiohead – Lotus Flower (SBTRKT RMX)
10. M83 – Midnight City
11. The Horrors – Still Life
12. Lykke Li – I Follow Rivers
13. Ensemble – Things I Forget
14. Mona – Listen To Your Love
15. Fleet Foxes – Lorelai
16. Jeffrey Lewis – Time Trades
17. Blouse – Videotapes
18. Destroyer – Downtown
19. The Silver Seas – Jane
20. TV On The Radio – Will Do
21. Lanterns on the Lake – Tricks
22. The Decemberists – January Hymn
23. Elbow – lippy kids
24. Danger Mouse – Season's Trees (feat. Norah Jones)
25. St. Vincent – Champagne Year
26. Baxter Dury – Leak At The Disco
27. The Moth & The Mirror – Closing Doors
28. Bon Iver – Minnesota, WI
29. Death Cab for Cutie – Home Is A Fire
30. Half Man Half Biscuit – Tommy Walsh's Eco House
31. Azari & III – Reckless (With Your Love)
32. Dirty Projectors + Björk – All We Are
33. Surfer Blood – I'm Not Ready
34. Washed Out – Amor Fati
35. Cults – You Know What I Mean
36. Roots Manuva – Here We Go Again
37. Sigur Ros – Lúppulagid
38. Cold War Kids – Skip The Charades
39. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – If I Had A Gun...
40. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Tigers
41. Kate Bush – Never Be Mine
42. R.E.M. – We All Go Back To Where We Belong
43. Anna Calvi – Suzanne And I
44. Chain and The Gang – Youth I Wasted On The Young
45. British Sea Power – Living Is So Easy
46. Cut Copy – Corner Of The Sky
47. Kurt Vile – In My Time (Album Version)
48. Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
49. Bob Dylan – The Love That Faded
50. Laura Marling – Sophia
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