HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Albums of the Decade - 2007

Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend
Here, Vampire Weekend present us with an attractive fusion of African polyrhythms, electro and classical-esque styles, which amalgamate neatly with typical indie fair in this gem of an album. The African Diasporic rhythm has significant relations to the Burundi beats of Malcolm McLaren, (as well as his 80’s side-projects such as Bow Wow Wow and Adam and the Ants), which thematically continues the later decade’s indie obsession with post-punk art rock. Interestingly though, unlike many of their musical peers, Vampire Weekend have here managed to create a thoroughly modern and hip affair which is not at all nostalgic. Thoughtful, yet incredibly happy, jolly music is offered that is always (quite literally) upbeat and makes you want to smile as much as dance. Production is slick and void of gimmicks, and the use of the string-synth timbres especially is technically and aurally excellent. Yes, it could be perceived as a bit preppy - indeed the lyrics are a positive flood of university references, which can become a bit staid when considered alongside the band’s penchant for arrogance. Clearly, Vampire Weekend think they’re very bloody clever, demonstrating typical we-are-the-enlightened-just-cause-we’ve-read-a-bit-of-Deleuze-and-Guattari style student wank. Freestanding, this kind of attitude is almost unbearable – fortunately the sheer joy experienced through listening to Vampire Weekend revokes any of this exterior unpleasantness. Just let this album wash over you like an aural happy pill; it’ll chase all your cares away.

Runner-up: Still Night, Still Light by Au Revoir Simone
This album from girly Brooklyn trio Au Revoir Simone is wonderfully whimsical, dainty and soft, with paper thin, compressed timbres. Gentle and self-effacing, it is beyond dreamy, yet remains rhythmically upbeat and thematically buoyant, never reducing itself to melancholy or negativity. Their lyrics and vocal style have a warm innocence, commanding minor keys instead of being consumed by them. Unassumingly this album will quietly sneak up on you and steal your heart.

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Also worthy of note:
The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow
Santogold by Santogold

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HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Albums of the Decade - 2007

Fur and Gold by Bat for Lashes
This hauntingly rich soundscape of an album is certainly the most innovate, curious and different release of 2007. Perhaps the most successful and potent example of the later decades trend for cool, vulnerable and aesthetically lavish musical packages, (think Florence and the Machine, Marina and the Diamonds, etc. etc.), Bat for Lashes creates an opulent yet refined and subtle audio and visual experience. The timbres all hark from a cool, eerie, stark place that creates a collective ambience of bewitching fragility that is truly feminine and not at all girly. The artistic and creative control that Khan has over every aspect of Bat of Lashes has been successfully measured, yet has all the authenticity and passion of an intelligent, creative lady who really knows what she is doing.
The album is strong musically speaking, with Khan playing a lot of the instruments herself. The sound is typically an infusion of classical, ambient and electro, with clear relations to Bjork and PJ Harvey amongst others. The production is great too; deep yet acute layers of sound are combined with beautifully recorded vocals that are captured with such accuracy it feels like Natasha Khan is literally sing in your ear; a special private performance where you can experience every minute click, pop and gasp. A subtly enjoyable and touching auditory experience.

Runner-up: White Chalk by PJ Harvey
Being such a distinct departure from her slightly staid grunge inspired indie, this album was not always well received by expectant (and perhaps stagnant) fans. However, I personally feel this is Harvey’s best album, with a more modern, fresh sound than previous works. Abandoning the guitar, her instrumental mainstay, for the piano, Harvey creates delicate ballads with high-pitched fragile vocals that connect with her twisted lyrics as well as her previous penchant for banish-like snarling. Harvey’s work has always captured female angst perfectly; here she captures our introspective vulnerability. “When Under Ether” is a particular highlight.
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Also worthy of note:
Weekend in the City by Bloc Party
Icky Thump by The White Stripes

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HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Albums of the Decade - 2004

Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand
Yes I know that by 2005 we had all got a bit tired of hearing this album, but this time media over-kill was completely justified. This debut release by Franz Ferdinand was such a huge breath of fresh air – interesting, upbeat, youthful, cool music for the cool kids, not boring dance or “slow-jams” for the chavs and the tasteless. This was art rock nouveau-stylee, not just recycling the bloody Beatles again. Plus it contained real instruments and real musicians really playing them. I would not of course be as narrow minded as to suggest that all music must have guitars and guitarists and real drums etc., but circa 2004 the only guitars in the charts were attached to either Busted or The Darkness. Boo indeed.
On a further note, the music is actually really really good. Accomplished musicianship, with properly diverse riffs and techniques, and enjoyable melodies and hooks that not only make you want to move but also make you smile. Songs and even verses/choruses are diverse rhythmically and ambiently, with some fast and relentless, some with a more complex and slightly mardy quality. Perhaps they could have been a bit more diverse with the guitar timbres, but it is a small niggle. Ultimately this album was one of the most significant catalysts for the guitar based indie-pop that has reined for the last 6 years. I can’t really say much more on this little beauty - anyway you get the jist, you all know how good it is anyway.

Runner-up: Funeral by The Arcade Fire
Admittedly, musically and lyrically Funeral is much better than Franz Ferdinand. This is a charming, yet poignant album, which is a truly accomplished fantastical feat of musicianship, with as marvelously diverse instruments as viola, melodeon and French horn. It is passionate and painful, and perfectly captures the tender conception of the album for the group; evoking a bittersweet, detached sense of numbness that is surely familiar to us all. Rich, poignant, attractive and innovate, Funeral is a truly remarkable album; Franz trumped this year very slimly, essentially because of the joie de vivre and influence they begot through their eponymous.

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Also worthy of note:
You are the Quarry by Morrissey
The Futureheads by The Futureheads

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HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Albums of the Decade - 2000

This album was the most commercially successful of Moloko’s four releases. However, whilst some of the derived singles achieved a certain amount of ubiquity in the afore mentioned year, throughout the decade this album seems to have declined in popularity towards partial obscurity. Certainly, this demise is not warranted in relation to the musical content. Here, Moloko present us with a curious diversity of instruments and a positive abundance of effects, both subtle and overt - from copious varieties of reverb and compression, to backward tape effects. Furthermore, the track lengths are also diverse, from “Keep Stepping” at 0.21 to “Sing it Back” at 9.20, which adds a supplementary degree of intrigue and staves off format monotony for the listener. The numerous musical styles contained within this album is also something to hail as impressive; through their 70 odd minutes, the band progress though versionings of acoustic, funk, electro, muzak, rock, pop, classical, and quasi through to full on dance. The literal space of the tracks is changeable too, with saturated, heavy tracks, to lonely, sparse songs and segways.
An additional virtue, Roisin Murphy’s voice is gorgeously broad with a slight raspy quality; sometimes soft, delicate and sensual, at others whining, taught, and penetratingly, twistingly percussive. She also has a notable range, which she regularly utilizes. Furthermore, the content of her vocals are typically accomplished; lyrically Moloko’s work here is strong. Whilst the dancier numbers may have a bit more repetition than the average indie listener can tolerate, most of this album is lyrically assorted and interesting.
This is a great album - a pure, fun little thing, which does not get the full recognition it deserves. This is not necessarily an album for everyone – it twists and turns so much that many may be disappointed with certain elements. It is however an album I have continued to return to, relish and enjoy for 10 years, and I feel it has many more juicy musical fruits to be unearthed by a wider audience.

Runner-up: Since I Left You by The Avalanches
Another 2000 group that have dismissed into (in this case complete) obscurity is The Avalanches, with Since I Left You being their only official release. This album perfectly examples how wonderfully subtle sample based music can be. Never heavy-handed or arrogant, throughout this album carefully selected samples are gorgeously fused in a heady ambient mix, wrapping you up in a soft, comfortable sonic blanket. The title track could be likened to aural Valium. There are additionally some competent dance tracks in the album’s midst, which are actually enjoyable to listen to as well get rhythmically involved in. Truly one of the sounds of 2000, if only because Sara Cox never stopped playing it on the breakfast show
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Also worthy of note:
Music by Madonna
Stankonia by OutKast

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One Minute Wonders: Singles Division

Best and worst for week ending 20th December 2009

Best. Number 32. TAKEN BY TREES - "SWEET CHILD O' MINE"
Whilst this track has essentially gained popularity through being on an advert (which some more militant musos tend to dislike on principle) this version is actually a really good cover. Delicate female acoustica just does not seem to get old and this track has a really beautiful, gentle, unassuming quality that the Guns and Roses original always seemed to covertly strive for but never actually came close to genuinely achieving. This Taken by Trees version adds a whole new dimension to the track, and on an additional note I must say it was perfectly chosen for the advert it originally featured in. Yes, the piano version of that famous lead riff probably is a bit easier than on the guitar, but come on, the guitar version isn't really that hard or impressive to play, and you - uncool southern hick, you need to get over it. Taken by Trees have here unearthed the beautiful base quality of the song that is considerably hidden by Axel Rose's awful vocal style and Guns and Roses general penchant for heavy metal gaudiness.

Worst. Number 9. CHUCKIE & LMFAO - "LET THE BASS KICK IN MIAMI GIRL"
Whilst the fact that this track entered the charts at no 9 is pretty impressive, it is also incredibly depressive, as "Let the Bass…" truly is utter shit from start to finish, in its entirety and on every level of instrumentation and composition. The lead synth is of an awful, headache inducing timbre - the kind of dreadful high frequency sawtooth wave that cuts through you, as well as embarrassing you with its archaic-ness. There are so few timbres in the track - it actually only has about 4 instruments, which for a "techno" track is pretty fucking lazy, and further indicates how this track is truly limited to the late 90's themed dustbin. I actually feel like I want to kill the idiots who made this - that is the kind of mind numbing aggression this music generates. Without wanting to fall into the typical cliché, this music is purely designed for the kind of nasty chav kids that like to trash respectable people's cars. That or people who have candy floss for brains and really like shiny things and bright colours.