And so another year ends (2011 in review)

BEST BRITISH ALBUMS OF 2011

The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Frankmusik - Do It In AM
James Blake - James Blake
Rustie - Glass Swords
Kode 9 - Black Sun
Toddla T - Watch Me Dance
The Whip - Wired Together
Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
SBTRKT - SBTRKT
Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

The real question is...
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds or Beady Eye?

ISoA's Best of 2010

NOTE: This list will be updated with songs and music and pictures galore until the end of December! Please keep checking back!

Sorry I haven't been around. I've been trying to figure out what to do. In my opinion if I can't give you guys my all then... there is no point in even trying...

Normally that would lead to me saying I'm packing it in... BUT that's not what I want to do. I want to pull my extraordinarily depressed head out of my arse and get back to work.

All the experiences I've had with this blog have been brilliant! I mean whether it was bowling with Klaxons, or FreQ Nasty interviewing me lol, I can't imagine anything cooler. It would be insane to give up now. Plus I still have archived stuff you guys want to hear/see for sure and how could I possibly deprive you of that?

Enough blather... this is why you came here...
BEST OF 2010
Remember this is (mostly) based on U.S. release dates (unless the album didn't come out here *cough* TMB)!

Best Albums:

It would be hard to beat the epic scope of Plastic Beach and the inclusion of "Cloud Of Unknowing" sort of seals the deal on it being my "record of the year". I will say that Surfing The Void was a very very very close second.

Gorillaz - "Plastic Beach"
Klaxons - "Surfing The Void"
To My Boy - "The Habitable Zone"
The xx - S/T
Editors - "In This Light And On This Evening"
Ellie Goulding - "Lights"
Foals - "Total Life Forever"
Hot Chip - "One Life Stand"
M.I.A. - "Maya"
The Chemical Brothers - "Further"

Best Singles:

This time Klaxons win as they rightly should! If I could I'd give 'em like every award for best everything (which I almost am) so we'll save some time here and say that the narco-dreamscape vibe of "Twin Flames" wins both best single and best video of the year!

Klaxons 'Twin Flames' from Trim Editing on Vimeo.

Klaxons - "Twin Flames" (Best song also best video!)
La Roux - "Bulletproof"
To My Boy - "Hello Horizon"
Gorillaz - "On Melancholy Hill"
Ellie Goulding - "The Writer"
Foals - "This Orient"
Kele - "Everything You Wanted"
Frankmusik - "Fear Inside Of Me"

Best Breakout Artists:
She Is Danger
Gorillaz - "On Melancholy Hill (She Is Danger Remix)"

Best Non-Brit Dance Album:
Matthew Dear - "Black City"

Best Non-Brit Album:
Kanye West - "My Beautiful Dark Fantasy"


Best Remix Of The Year:
Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance (Starsmith Remix)"

Best Concert Of The Year:

Klaxons
This is fun because there's a nice story with it.

Well let's start at the end and work our way back to the beginning. Right as we parted company, on our second night with the Klaxons, Jamie Reynolds said "Never has something so negative, in my mind, brought about something so positive"...

What is this negativity you ask? It's around 1:12... it probably worth you knowing that my radio show is called "The Spirit Of Albion" :)


And what was the positivity? The fact I ended up making friends with my favourite band after that mess.

I went to the Klaxons show at the Magic Stick with the expectation that I would have some time to talk to them. I'd already talked to their manager so it was a sure thing (but I kind of expected it to be like 5 minutes, and a hand shake, and off we go). Instead it turned into hanging out with the whole band til 2am and going bowling. Then getting an invitation extended to join them in Chicago the next day blew the lid off of awesome and we entered some new realm of awesome lol...

Highlights:
Bowling with Jamie and creating our own new technique; surprisingly I won which made no sense...
Bursting into song with James singing Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy" (as he could not remember the city of Kalamazoo)
Simon inviting us to Chicago where the list read "Guy from Detroit"
Exposing the band to Bell's beer one of Kalamazoo's greatest exports
Hearing loads of awesome stories that I'd never read in a magazine, or write about here
Jamie bought a fucking CROSSBOW because that's how truck stops in America work
Making friends with one of my favourite bands of all time


Lowlights: (or "The stupid shit I say to this band every time I see Klaxons")
James: "So I guess the original version of the album sounded more like 'Echoes'"...
Me: "(Me thinking of the sound) You mean like Ride? Like shoegazey music?!?"
James: "Umm, no, like the song 'Echoes'"
Me: "Oh, yeah... *awkward pause*"

Me: "Anthony, I'm really glad I didn't realize who you were last night. I think I would have geeked out" Note: For those of you who don't know Anthony Rossmondo was Pete Doherty's replacement in The Libertines which is this blog's other favourite band
Anthony: "I'm really glad that you didn't do that"
Me: "Yeah me too, me too" (if you picture me acting like Scott Pilgrim that scene just comes alive with how retarded I was acting)

As far as a review of the live show: The shows both nights were great but the Chicago show had more energy than the Detroit one (largely due to crowd size). They really killed nearly every song they did but one of the biggest tunes was "Flashover"... they do a great job with their poppier songs? But the intensity of their harder songs sort of transforms the crowd and everyone is sort of in tandem (like the "Twin Flames" vid without the nudity lol)... further proof of this was "Atlantis To Interzone" which literally was an amazing bolt of sonic energy bouncing around the room. I've seen them perform 4 times and this tour has been their best so far. They seem more centered, more grounded, and generally happier dudes... or maybe I just caught them on a couple great days and had a wonderful time? Perhaps I can confirm that next time they roll through the Midwest...

I could continue to blather about fun times but let's just say Klaxons are as nice in real life as they are in your heads.




Ok I've got some work to do... but there are literally pages and pages of written material for this I simply have to go back and proof read. I figured if I was going to disappear for months I'd come back with something big lol. Love you guys... thanks for the on going support!

Radiohead... Best Of?

So... Parlophone and I are cool... right? We're cool aren't we? Yeah I thought so. That's why they aren't going to C&D my ass for posting this as the Radiohead Best Of is coming out! That would be silly right :) Because it's probably making Parlophone more money me posting this track than not posting it lol...

Radiohead- "Climbing Up The Walls"

Radiohead- "Climbing Up The Walls"

All jokes aside the little widget for the album is to to your right side (that I might leave up for a minute... mind you not because anyone asked me to but just because).

Now, I know a lot of you have been very "anti" the best of... because your fav song got left off... or because the 2nd disc is better than the first but is limited edition... well... truth hurts... Best Of comps aren't meant for FANS... they are meant for the uninitiated! They are meant for 14 year olds who we're in onesies when "Creep" came out. They are for your uncle who just came out on the other side of his midlife crisis and likes good music now. They are for the now 35 year old former student who stopped really listening to Radiohead after "The Bends" and wants to know if their "new" work is good as everyone says it is. They serve to bring people into the fold, back to the fold, and to remind people of what they are missing. And of yeah... to make money. Probably shitloads of money. Parlophone, no offense, but you guys are probably going to make a lot of money off this one and people are going to be angry for that reason alone...

Why? Because people have a "personal" relationship with Radiohead. The way people do with Jesus. They feel that their feelings and their essence is reflected in Radiohead's art. NOW, this "corporate record label" (now the obvious antithesis of what Radiohead is) is "selling Radiohead out" so that all these sloppy people can have a cursory knowledge of Radiohead. This is life. And it sucks. I would love to drown in Stanley Donwood paintings and listen to "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" back to back everyday for the rest of my life and feel like me and a few other people we're really "PART" of it all... but that isn't real and it isn't going to happen. If you really care about Radiohead be happy they are being exposed to young people who haven't heard them. Fuck the money. Forget the money. Remember why you love Radiohead.

For those of you who have addressed that "In Rainbows" is nowhere to be found... well that's because record labels tend to release the WHOLE back catalogue of an artist and then they do a "Best Of" when the band leave the label... ummmmmmmm... "In Rainbows" wasn't on Parlophone. We know the band is sort of "whatever" about this comp being released. Why would those tracks be on there? Doesn't make any sense.

Now, I'm not some paid lackey but we all know I am fiercely passionate about British music. And up until now the world needed record companies to sell records! Maybe we're past that and the age of selling digital straight from the band is really here... but Parlophone released Supergrass, Babyshambles, and a billion other artists you probably own or listen to. So please stop acting like some crime has been perpetrated! Music is sold... the make the artist money and up to this point the record company is like the pimp that gets the happy hooker out there. Seriously, no offense to record companies, but we all know that's what it is. Maybe it's about support. Maybe it's about art. It's mostly about money unless you're say Astralwerks and then you still have to release soundtracks to make money back.

So I've said my piece. Buy it. Don't buy it. Just stop freaking out about it. And enjoy the song and remember why Radiohead are so great.

WHOO HOO!!! PARTY!!!

OH yeah... how you like these apples. I've had a counter up for roughly 2 months (give or take a day) and I broke 20,000 hits this morning. That is totally mental to me... 20,000 hits in such a short period of time! Since I couldn't have done it without you (well I suppose I could have but that would have been pretty crazy) so I'm going to try to give you the BEST British "BEST OF" I can come up with! I haven't quite finished my list so instead it's just going to be a rough overview of the best bands/tracks of the year...

LET'S GET IT STARTED (shoot the imaginary stereo for playing BEP.. cause they suck... and WILL leave wet spots on your couch!)

I would say my favourite song of the year is probably "Boy From School" by Hot Chip... it's perfect mixture of Simon & Garfunkle melancholy and filter house grooves was the most amazing musical combo this year (next to Timberlake/Timbaland but that's another story... here's the Erol Alkan Rework...

Hot Chip- "Boy From School (Erol Alkan's Extended Rework)"

Then we have a track from The Streets... it's pretty obvious that "Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living" is going to make a lot of people's lists this year... but this track (which is an improvement on the already great original) will likely be overlooked...

The Streets- "When You Wasn't Famous (Professor Green Remix)

And of course Arctic Monkeys are the most important band of the year... the new 'Oasis'... and I don't need to tell you anything about them... here's a live one from KCRW!
Arctic Monkeys- "Fake Tales Of San Francisco (Live @ KCRW)"

I don't know a lot about Sunshine Underground other than the name is from a Chemical Brother's song... but they are pretty sweet.. here's a fun live track from the London Calling festival...
Sunshine Underground- "Commercial Breakdown (Live @ London Calling, Amsterdam 1.4.06)"

Guillemots (which I STILL do not know how to pronounce) wrote one of the most touching albums this year (in fact 'Trains To Brazil' easily will make it into my ten best songs of the year) and this is a beautiful b-side off their EP...

Guillemots- "Sea Out (B-Side)"

I wanted to post the video for "Trains To Brazil" as well... it's fucking awesome...


I know I mainly talk about Pete Doherty but his former partner Carl Barat, and his band Dirty Pretty Things, are just as relevant and just as exciting as the Libertines use to be... however without the drama that Babyshambles were surrounded by DPT were largely overlooked this year... and so was this bonus track at the end of their album... (if you buy the limited edition vinyl version this is on the bonus 7 inch.. sweet song)

Dirty Pretty Things- "B.U.R.M.A (Hidden Track)"

Ah the Kooks... my friend Lolly, who is mates with them, introduced me to them earlier this year just prior to the "THEY ARE FROM MUSIC SCHOOL" backlash... because of this I have no tainted view about them and really enjoyed their album... this is a wicked cover of Gnarls Barkley...

The Kooks- "Crazy (Gnarls Barkley Cover @ Radio 1 Live Lounge)"

...and speaking of covers, and speaking of The Kooks, Lily Allen hit both bases this year while taking the piss at the same time... after making a bunch of remarks on how worthless The Kooks were she went ahead and did this at Radio 1's Live Lounge as if to beat them at their own game... then to prove she was still indie friendly she dueted with Alan from The Rakes... game, set, match!

Lily Allen- "Naive (Kooks Covere @ Radio 1 Live Lounge)"

If you've been reading this blog you know I love dance music... and Klaxons were the biggest thing to happen this year in British dance music... this is a demo version of their cover version of the old rave classic 'The Bouncer' (that was a mouthful)!

Klaxons- "The Bouncer (Demo Version)"

Here is an AWESOME 2 part Klaxons performance... fucking ace...



This song is about a girl being raped and killed... I think... that's a bit dark for me so instead I just bop around not listening to the words.. works well.. you should try it... anyway.. Larrkin Love's skank funk was so successful they almost beat Babyshambles for the best white reagee influenced band this year! Here's a live rendition of the song from London Calling festival...

Larrikin Love- "Happy As Annie (Live @ London Calling, Amsterdam)"

Of course no 'best of' comp would be complete without the next Arctic Monkeys The View... they haven't quite taken the world by storm but you can TRUST they will be on my 2007 list as well.. these guys are going to take over the world.. and this song will help them do it! Here's a demo of their biggest track thus far... an homage to their friends the Wasted Little Djs...

The View- "Wasted Little DJs (Demo)"

The Fratellis are little lad rock-y for me... BUT I generally still dig them just because I like overly masculine bands with insane egos (Kasabian, Oasis)... and these guys have got that one nailed!

The Fratellis- "Dirty Barry Stole The Blackbird (B-side)"

Ahhhh... The Pipettes... the prettiest girls you've never met... this track was a refreshing step away from the norm with one of the most catchy choruses in 06... here's a live one from Radio 1's Blue Room...

The Pipettes- "We Are The Pipettes (Live @ Radio 1's Blue Room)"

...and why not just give you their super weird Austin Powers-esque video...


...and last but not least... my favourite midget Lady Sovereign... I think I already posted this but this is one of the songs that didn't make it to the album... I heard her do it live and it's a nice addition to any Sov collection (for all you completists out here)! This is actually from 2005 and got a 4 star review over at Pitchfork...

Lady Sovereign- "The Broom (B-Side)"

Actually here is sort of what that sounded like...


So that's that! I will (as I said) still be doing a 'best of list' before Christmas and will keep giving you more tracks from this years best artists until the 1st (if everything goes to plan)... so, thanks again for stopping by and PLEASE feel free to leave comments!

P.s. If we blow through a BUNCH of these YouSendIt links really fast I will throw some other sort of links up if you guys request them!

BRITPOP EXPLOSION! Oasis vs Blur LIVE!

I have always been an ardent Oasis follower. The first time I heard "MAY-BAYYYYYY... I DON'T REALLY WANNA KNOWWWWW... HOW YOUR GAH-DEN GROWSSSS" I was hooked. "Live Forever" is the first song I ever learned how to play on the guitar (in fact it's one of the only songs I 'actually' know how to play as I'm not a guitar player... *in the most pretentious I went to art school way* I'm a SONGWRITER lol). I cannot count how many of the best moments of my life were surrounded or soundtracked by Oasis songs. So many fantastic moments.

Like, how about when my friends Melissa and Lizzy and I went to see them with Travis (the band not a person) in Detroit? We were only like 17 or 18 (which meant Meli Mel was a couple years younger than that) and we got soooooooooo fucking drunk. This college age guy in front of us was drinking Jim Beam and buying us beers, and he would keep turning around and beign like "WOOOOO You're my bro man! Oasis are fucking SWEET man!" and letting us take swigs of his pint. If memory serves me correctly I had a joint on me that we smoked with him (who's joint it was evades me but oh well) and it made Lizzy really sick cause she was already so drunk. Frat boy brings me my third and last beer (which I guzzle thinking 'they're bound to play plenty more songs so I better blow this down so when they finish an hour from now I'll be straight to drive') and as soon as I take my last sip Liam goes 'fuck you good night' and the show was over.

Needless to say I almost killed us going home. I frankly it was one of maybe three times I have driven drunk (WHICH I DO NOT CONDONE AND THINK IS HORRIBLE SO DON'T DO IT!) and it was sooooo difficult. When we got home it was as though I had climbed Mount Everest and I was so proud we got home in one piece (btw thanks for that God!). They ended up staying at my house because it didn't really seem to make sense and... if my memory serves me correctly... my girlfriend walked in on the three of us in bed the next morning and was ready to kill me (if she didn't come in she at least stopped by). Now, nothing happened, I didn't do anything with either one of them, they were just my friends, but we all just sat around in bed giggling and being retarded because I think we were still high... and it was one of those bonding moments that makes you friends for life.

We got to see one of the greatest bands of all time. We got royally fucked up. We were saved from certain death (did I mention it was raining buckets, I had the car on cruise control because I didn't know better and almost ran into a bunch of cement dividers because the 'move-over-arrow-highway-sign' was turned off?). We got free Ian Brown solo album singles outside the show. We got to see Noel sing acoustic 'Masterplan'. We had a major laugh and got to do everything fun (and stupid) that teenagers do in one night.

Of course, I've seen Oasis many times since (most of which have been plagued by rain and near death experiences) and I will tell you each time I go it strengthens my feeling that the world is an ok place. That other people see the magic I do in Oasis... in fact it goes a little something like "I think you're the same as me/ We'll see things they never see..."

Their new collection Stop The Clocks (UPDATE: you can stream the whole entire thing over here at AOL= Oasis, 'Stop the Clocks'), which is a greatest hits album with new tracks AND a concept video has just come out and I thought I would celebrate by posting some live stuff to stir up some nostalgia. Here's some tracks from The Point in Dublin, Ireland... it's all Noel, no Liam, in all of his coked out Be Here Now glory! If nothing else make sure you check out 'Stand By Me' which is labeled 'Sand By Me'... ooops!

Oasis- "Be Here Now (Live @ The Point, Dublin, Ireland)"

Oasis- "Stand By Me (Live @ The Point, Dublin, Ireland)"

Oasis- "D'You Know What I Mean" (Live @ The Point, Dublin, Ireland)"

This right here is the best performance I have ever seen them do:


And I really love this song... both are off Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants which I think is the album everyone dislikes except for me...


And since I mentioned Travis... I thought I'd give you this to jog your memory...

Travis- "Driftwood (Live @ Link Cafe, Glasgow)"

Now............... as much as I am a major major Oasis fans with posters in my living room, posters in my bedroom, Oasis ring tones, stickers on my car, and ringtones on my phone... I do like Blur a lot as well. I suppose in the Blur vs Oasis war, I'm more on the Oasis side though. HOWEVER, I own every single Blur album and 13 had a profound impact on my life. And Think Tank. And Parklife. Memories of driving to Bath from London listening to Badhead falling asleep in the sun. In fact when I was younger I used to think I wanted to be Damon Albarn when I grew up (even though everyone said he was a twat). In fact I used to carry a picture of him in my binder during high school (him and David Bowie along with a chat transcript of a 5am GMT chat with the Thin White Duke himself). I own ever Gorillaz album, I have a huge poster in my living room, a dvd and loads Albarn related stuff on my Amazon Wishlist (hint). So having said all this... I will post some Blur as well. Just to appeal to you all.

Blur- "Beetlebum (Live @ Brixton Academy)"

Blur- "Girls & Boys (Live @ Brixton Academy)"

Blur- "Song 2 (Live @ Brixton Academy)"

Sorry I haven't been around for a few days. I'll make sure to post TONS over the weekend... in fact I'm going to start right this second!