December, you crept up on us didn't you? Despite months of warning in the form of television adverts since mid-October, I am shocked that it's now only five days until Christmas Day and I'm not even sure I've bought all the presents I need to. Even if I haven't, I can't go and get any more, because the nation has been viciously attacked by weather than can only be described as 'treacherous'.
Anyway, with the end of the year fast approaching, now seems like the perfect time to take a retrospective look at 2010 and think 'wow, another lacklustre year in the field of everything'. I would tell you what happened in each month, but I don't think either of us are really that bothered. In short, my faith in humanity died a little more as songs from the hateful TV show Glee started entering the charts. If anything as bad happens in 2011, I will seriously consider buying, building and locking myself in an underground bunker with nothing but tinned food, Sprite, a stereo and a self-recorded CD that features nothing but guitar feedback.
As far as the charts were concerned, the year passed by in a haze of pop acts that crossed genres so many times, that I spent much of my summer feeling like I had gotten out of bed too fast. The biggest low, however was when James Corden made it to number one. James Corden made it to number one. James Corden made it to number one. No matter how many times I write it down, it will never make me feel comfortable.
Anyway, despite my many misgivings about the beginning of a new decade, there have been some brilliant albums. So, as predictable as Sports Personality of the Year being on the Sunday before Christmas, or a list from any musical publication about what they thought the best albums of the year were, here's my list of favourite albums of 2010. There's no particular order, but I might be able to sort a top three.
We Are Scientists - Barbara
Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation
Surfer Blood - Astrocoast
The Drums - The Drums
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Sky Larkin - Kaleide
Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You
Pavement - Quarantine the Past (I don't care that it's a compilation)
Various - Scott Pilgrim vs The World (OST)
The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
3) The Thermals - Personal Life
2) Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
1) Blood Red Shoes - Fire Like This
If you haven't listened to any of my top three, then give them a try. Don't expect to hear the best album's of all time, because they're not, they're just my favourites. If you're not a fan, you can always go back to listening to Kings of Leon or N-Dubz.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, 20 December 2010
Sunday, 12 December 2010
X-Factor Reduced Me To This:
As anyone who is familiar with me will know, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with a lot of aspects of popular culture. By the term 'love/hate', I mean that I genuinely hate it as much as I hate Charity Muggers, being cold and Nick Clegg. At least that is until it starts gradually wearing me down, destroying the walls that protect my internal misery and forcing itself upon me until I can't help but sing 'Bad Romance' by Lady GaGa at the top of my voice.
I blame this on two things. The first is that when I'm not being a student, I have a job in which I am relentlessly bombarded with chart music. I spent four or five days a week, every week having to listen to every hateful pop act on the planet, and Katy Perry. I know most of the words to most of the songs on Now 76 as a result. Going back to my car at the end of the day and putting on one of my CDs gave me what I imagine to be the same feeling a crack addict gets when he's given the chance to score.
The second reason is The X Factor. At first I kept my distance from it, but after a month or so it had worn me down and I couldn't help but sit in every Saturday and Sunday and watch it. By now, it acts as some sort of undercover agent, which allows things I usually wouldn't give a second look to filter itself into my subconscious. This includes Take That, JLS and even Dannii Minogue. I genuinely went on youtube last week and searched out a Dannii Minogue song, I found this. I've been singing it ever since. I don't know why, it's absolutely horrendous.
Luckily, after tomorrow, The X Factor is over, which gives me a chance to overdose on all things alternative until it all happens again next year. However, one act who will definitely be allowed to stay is Rihanna.
Firstly, I want to defend myself and say it's not because she appeared on X-Factor last night in an outfit that left little to the imagination. I like to think I am far more of a decent human being than that. The truth is, I manage to absolutely love most of the songs that she releases. 'Umbrella' is a tune, 'Only Girl (In The World)' is as well, and 'Rudeboy' is genuinely one of my favourite songs of 2010 (I think it's something to do with the steel drum effects). She's a star on a global scale, and isn't anywhere near as annoying as some other worldwide phenomenon (ahem, Lady Gaga), which makes me feel that little bit better for liking some of her music.
Let's get one thing straight though, the above paragraph is the only time I am ever going to admit such fandom for her. It's probably going to be the first and last time it ever happens in the public sphere. In fact, I'm going to go right now and listen to Blood Red Shoes and Pavement and forget this whole thing ever happened.
P.S. Matt Cardle to win!
I blame this on two things. The first is that when I'm not being a student, I have a job in which I am relentlessly bombarded with chart music. I spent four or five days a week, every week having to listen to every hateful pop act on the planet, and Katy Perry. I know most of the words to most of the songs on Now 76 as a result. Going back to my car at the end of the day and putting on one of my CDs gave me what I imagine to be the same feeling a crack addict gets when he's given the chance to score.
The second reason is The X Factor. At first I kept my distance from it, but after a month or so it had worn me down and I couldn't help but sit in every Saturday and Sunday and watch it. By now, it acts as some sort of undercover agent, which allows things I usually wouldn't give a second look to filter itself into my subconscious. This includes Take That, JLS and even Dannii Minogue. I genuinely went on youtube last week and searched out a Dannii Minogue song, I found this. I've been singing it ever since. I don't know why, it's absolutely horrendous.
Luckily, after tomorrow, The X Factor is over, which gives me a chance to overdose on all things alternative until it all happens again next year. However, one act who will definitely be allowed to stay is Rihanna.
Firstly, I want to defend myself and say it's not because she appeared on X-Factor last night in an outfit that left little to the imagination. I like to think I am far more of a decent human being than that. The truth is, I manage to absolutely love most of the songs that she releases. 'Umbrella' is a tune, 'Only Girl (In The World)' is as well, and 'Rudeboy' is genuinely one of my favourite songs of 2010 (I think it's something to do with the steel drum effects). She's a star on a global scale, and isn't anywhere near as annoying as some other worldwide phenomenon (ahem, Lady Gaga), which makes me feel that little bit better for liking some of her music.
Let's get one thing straight though, the above paragraph is the only time I am ever going to admit such fandom for her. It's probably going to be the first and last time it ever happens in the public sphere. In fact, I'm going to go right now and listen to Blood Red Shoes and Pavement and forget this whole thing ever happened.
P.S. Matt Cardle to win!
Friday, 3 December 2010
I'll Be Fat, Lonely Or Dead
So, England won't be hosting the World Cup in 2018. There are a number of reasons being banded around as to why too. The first is that we just weren't good enough, the second is because FIFA are a little corrupt, what with all their bribes and such, and the third is that David Cameron didn't actually pitch about why England should have the competition, he actually just pretended he was in the House of Commons and argued about why he thinks he's better than Ed Milliband. Whatever the reason, England aren't hosting the World Cup until at least the year 2030.
It was that fact that got me thinking. In 2030 I'll be 40 years old, but what about further on into the future after England don't host that World Cup either? Chances are by the time I'm 52 I'll be either fat, lonely or dead. Either way, I'm quite willing to admit that I won't be doing anything extravagant like playing Wembley arena, or releasing my umpteenth album. I'm no Paul Weller.
I don't know why, but I've suddenly re-encountered my love for Weller. It might be because he was on the cover of NME last week. I didn't realise I was so influenced by the media, first The X-Factor, now this. Next thing I know, I'll be buying Black Eyed Peas new album (I definitely won't).
Anyway, I've digressed. The truth is, Weller is a legend, and although you might not know it, everyone has encountered some of his music at one point or another. The man has been in the music industry since 1977, and apart from a bit of a blip in the late 80s with The Style Council, he has continually released good music right up to this day. It's a testament that he hasn't run out of things to do.
I think the reason is because there's always something to complain about. When he was around with The Jam in the late 70s and early 80s, he was brilliant at commentating on society, or voicing disdain at how it was being treated by the powers that be. This is something that has stayed with him right up to the present day, he may have mellowed a bit since being a teenager, but you still get the picture with Paul Weller. He's pissed off.
Anyway, on Monday he released a new live album, mostly featuring material from his latest studio album, Wake Up The Nation. Weller's live shows can only be described as immense, sure, the audience he attracts aren't quite the same as the ones he probably did 30 years ago, but he still gives it his all, which is quite commendable at the age of 52. He even breaks out some classics from his days in The Jam, if you can, make sure you listen to 'That's Entertainment', one of his most famous songs, slightly reworked, but still retaining all that made it good originally.
Don't take it from me though, have a listen to the great man yourself. You can listen to a playlist of all his greatest songs here. Hopefully it'll keep you entertained until 2012, at least by then we'll have the Olympics.
It was that fact that got me thinking. In 2030 I'll be 40 years old, but what about further on into the future after England don't host that World Cup either? Chances are by the time I'm 52 I'll be either fat, lonely or dead. Either way, I'm quite willing to admit that I won't be doing anything extravagant like playing Wembley arena, or releasing my umpteenth album. I'm no Paul Weller.
I don't know why, but I've suddenly re-encountered my love for Weller. It might be because he was on the cover of NME last week. I didn't realise I was so influenced by the media, first The X-Factor, now this. Next thing I know, I'll be buying Black Eyed Peas new album (I definitely won't).
Anyway, I've digressed. The truth is, Weller is a legend, and although you might not know it, everyone has encountered some of his music at one point or another. The man has been in the music industry since 1977, and apart from a bit of a blip in the late 80s with The Style Council, he has continually released good music right up to this day. It's a testament that he hasn't run out of things to do.
I think the reason is because there's always something to complain about. When he was around with The Jam in the late 70s and early 80s, he was brilliant at commentating on society, or voicing disdain at how it was being treated by the powers that be. This is something that has stayed with him right up to the present day, he may have mellowed a bit since being a teenager, but you still get the picture with Paul Weller. He's pissed off.
Anyway, on Monday he released a new live album, mostly featuring material from his latest studio album, Wake Up The Nation. Weller's live shows can only be described as immense, sure, the audience he attracts aren't quite the same as the ones he probably did 30 years ago, but he still gives it his all, which is quite commendable at the age of 52. He even breaks out some classics from his days in The Jam, if you can, make sure you listen to 'That's Entertainment', one of his most famous songs, slightly reworked, but still retaining all that made it good originally.
Don't take it from me though, have a listen to the great man yourself. You can listen to a playlist of all his greatest songs here. Hopefully it'll keep you entertained until 2012, at least by then we'll have the Olympics.
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