The 10 Best Things I Heard This Year

Despite being a little bit peeved with lists, here’s yet another one, The 10 Best Things I Heard This Year…

10. Ariel Pink @ Buffalo

9. Angular vs. Coldwave Mix Part 1.

8. The song that Islet always finish their sets with.

7. The literally warped version of Alphaville's Forever Young from the weird tape I found in the street.

6. The news that Animal Collective were headlining Green Man.

5. Joe from Adam & Joe's Retro Text The Nation Jingle... Trash Version.

4. Unicorn Kid @ Green Man

3. Kode9 - Black Sun (mp3)

2. The intoxicating sound concocted from cries of despair and howls of laughter in the pub when Lionel Messi rose majestically to score Barcelona's second in the Champions League final.

1. Danny Boy & The Serious Gods – Castro Boy (Somewhat Normal) (mp3)... I don’t know if it says something, but for the second year running the best thing I’ve heard all year came out in the early 80s.

An Explanation

It's been ever so quite here. I must apologise for this but let me explain.

I haven't been listening to a lot of new music recently for a couple of reasons.

Firstly I was mugged at the beginning of the month. The fucker got off with my phone, which I use (well used to use) to listen to new stuff on.

So I got no player and I'm wary about walking round with earphones in as the guy crept up on me without me noticing because I was listening to music.

Secondly, I learned that George Lamb has been shifted to weekends on 6music, so I can now listen to the radio without punching walls. This has eaten into my new music time.

And thirdly, well it's been Christmas and shit.

But I'll forget the lesson I learned about walking around listening to music, I'll get bored of the playlists on 6music and January is almost here.

Normal service will resume soon.

Some Songs Put Together By Washed Out Which Sums Up Chillwave Pretty Much.

Blog darling Washed Out has hooked up with Platform as part of their Mixtape series. The Fantastic Symphony Mix gives us a little background into Washed Out, his influences and state of mind.

Dreams, summers, memories and youth are always brought up when people talk about Washed Out and it's with good reason. This short hazy nostalgic mix is quite lovely.

mp3 ---> Washed Out - The Fantastic Symphony Mix (Platform Mixtape VII) (Direct Link)

Tracklisting

1. Arch M – “Bedrm Band at Caf NVA (edit)”

2. The Samps – “Magnetic Thys”

3. Samiyam – “Wrap Up”

4. Toro Y Moi – “Brubek”

5. Koushik – “Homage”

6. Osborne – “Afrika (Bullion Remix)”

7. Iasos – “Inter-Dimentional Music”

8. Jack Nitzsche – “Untitled (edit)”

9. The Khalsa String Band – “Song of Bliss”

BBC Sound Of 2010

I love a list.

Especially one that tries to predict stuff.

That's why I always enjoy the day the BBC Sound Of... poll comes out.

Gold Panda is on it, as well as Joy Orbison and err... The Drums.

Parappa Pum Pum

I concede. I've done most of my shopping. I even started wrapping some yesterday. And I've been hitting the mince pies hard for a couple of weeks.

So here's cosmic disco don Lindstrøm twisting Little Drummer Boy into cooler shapes than even Bowie could manage. There's a 40 minute version floating around. This is the 5 minute edit.

mp3 ---> Lindstrøm - Little Drummer Boy (Direct Link)

Best Knob Twiddler of the Year 2009

Been thinking. Whose been the best laptop-wielding electronic fella this year? Yes I do have a lot of time on my hands.

There were three runners: Unicorn Kid, Memory Tapes and Gold Panda.

Unicorn Kid provided my favourite live experience this year at Green Man.

(I'm the twat in the green and red check shirt in the bottom right corner, trying not to spill cider).

Memory Tapes, kinda snuck up out of nowhere with a unique sound and free mp3s.

Gold Panda had been floating around for a minute and put in a decent performance at Swn, but I was never too sure about his own material, preferring his remix work.

That was until I heard Quitters Raga. A Four Tet flecked slab of summery eastern mysticism. Simply stunning.

And so the winner of Ceefax Of Life's inaguaral "Best Knob Twiddler of the Year" is Gold Panda. PRESTIGE!

mp3---> Gold Panda - Quitters Raga (Direct Link)

BSS Everywhere

Talking of Barfly last night, one of Los Campesinos had a Broken Social Scene t-shirt on. Can't remember which one. Left pretty soon after Islet finished.

Second time in a week for a random BSS moment. Heard Fire Eye'd Boy in Cardiff Arts Institute while waiting for BLK JKS.

And that's enough for a post on Broken Social Scene. Used to play this track loads on Sam & Sarah's Sonic Sandwich on Radiowave. Oh the memories.

Shuffling yet epic indie, that's perfect for making a grey day a bit brighter.

mp3---> Broken Social Scene - Fire Eye'd Boy (Direct Link)

Islet + Free Rum

Finally saw a whole Islet set. Always catch the end of their sets. It was starting to become a joke. They were the special guests at the Los Campesinos gig SPONSORED BY SAILOR JERRY'S @ Barfly last night.

I really want to hate Islet. Pretentious, art school wankery. Half hearted attempts at breaking the fourth wall. The way they swap instruments. The goof with the moustache (although he could actually be retarded, if so my bad).

But they're too damn good, all tribal and sinuous and odd and good.

Islet look like to have shunned the web as their USP, so no mp3s. But here's a video. Hope that suffices.