日志

187: U2 - No Line On The Horizon
182: Rammstein - Liebe ist für alle da
173: Blue October - Approaching Normal
140: Muse - The Resistance
50: Rascal Flatts - Unstoppable
49: Deadmau5 - For Lack Of A Better Name
36: Mr Hudson - Straight No Chaser [2009]
35: Brad Paisley - American Saturday Night
24: Kenny Chesney - Greatest Hits II
24: MSTRKRFT - Fist Of God
23: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
22: The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
19: Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
19: Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
19: The xx - xx
17: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Can't be arsed to write an essay, so here's my top 12 in order:

1. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart -The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

My favourite album of the year by quite a sizeable distance.Not seen this in any end-of-year lists so far, but this, for me, has been one of my most played and loved albums of this year. Yeah, it's shameless early MBV/JAMC grave-robbing, but that's the reason I love it. It takes me back to those great times. And for this reason, I'll be eternally grateful to this album for making me feel young again:)) This is Music to fall in love to/with. Frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't been more popular, it's perfect pop. Excellent.

2. Wilco (The Album)-Wilco

Another solid album from Jeff Tweedy and Co. They seem to have got over their 'difficult' period (which was also excellent. YFH is one of my all-time favourites), and seem to have settled into an accessible, dare I say, MOR, radio-friendly sound. That's not a criticism. This album is a pleasure from start to finish. The sound suits them, and they seem fresh and untroubled these days.

3. My Way-Ian Brown

what more needs to be said about this man? One of my heroes from way back. This is perhaps his most solid album. The music is fantastic, and his lyrics are in fine fettle. It sounds a bit like a hip-hop album, which suits his voice, never the best singer in the world, but he seems to have found a style which suits his obvious limitations. Unfortunately, as one review observed, it seems to have an air of finality about it. If so, it's a great way to bow out after an illustrious career.

4. Humbug-Arctic Monkeys

So then, that difficult third album. Mostly produced by Josh Homme, it's pretty dark and moody, as expected, but it's a mature effort. The shoutboxes and forums were awash with 'not as good as the first one' cries. Good. They've moved on, they're not teenagers in Sheffield anymore. Deal with it. Damned if you don't progress, damned if you do, it seems. After multiple listens, it reveals itself to be the equal to its predecessors, but the boo-boys obviously can't get past one listen, such is the limited attention span of the modern music fan. shame, it's a corker.

5. Monsters of Folk-Monsters of Folk

Whoah! A folk supergroup! Sounds very Travelling Wilburys/CSNY, doesn't it? The result of Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Jim James' collaboration is a stellar effort. The first half of the album is faultless, the second half tails off a bit towards the end. But with three of the biggest talents in American music at the moment, not much can go wrong. Excellent.

6. It's Blitz-Yeah Yeah Yeahs

When you've got one of the best guitarists in the business, ditching the guitars in favour of synths is indeed a bold move. But they lost none of their edge as they made a play for the dancefloor. Still one of the most exciting live bands around, this is an excellent addition to their canon. A long time fan, It's probably my favourite by them. That's saying a lot.

7. Dark Night Of The Soul-Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse

Uber producer, danger Mouse and Mark Linkous, essentially Sparklehorse, combin eforces for this corker of an album. I've loved Sparklehorse for years, but get this, he hardly even sings on it. Why bother when you've got a guest-list like this?: (deep breath) wayne Coyne, Gruff Rhys, Iggy Pop, Black Francis, Julian Casablancas, james Mercer, jason Lytle, Suzanne Vega, Nina Perssons and Vic Chestnutt. Wow! The album is in three very distinct 'acts' and hangs together perfectly. Awesome stuff.

8. Album-Girls

To be honest, I don't know too much about this band, as I live in China and miss a lot of the hype surrounding bands. But I picked up this by chance, and it's definitely a winner. Of course it was hyped on the internet, but well-deserved I think. Pretty laid-back, they seem to be able to toss of shoegaze-y-meets-Beach Boys melodies with relative ease. A surprising one, then, but a pleasant surprise. Just don't call me a hipster!

9. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix-Phoenix

Phoenix have been burrowing away now, reasonably unnoticed, for quite a few years, tossing out albums every couple of years. Everyone seems to know them, but they never seem to have got that elusive mainstream support. All that changed with this, their fourth, and best album. It's a joy from start to finish, with no filler. Let's hope they can capitalise on this and get the success they so richly deserve.

10. Merriweather Post Pavilion-Animal Collective

Ok, let's get this out of the way. I didn't want to include this, because it seems to be everyone's number one this year, and doesn't need anymore praise heaped upon it. Then I decided not o be such a churlish twat. It's not my number one, but there's no denying that it's certainly one of the best records of this year, if not, this decade. If we'll still be listening to any of these albums in ten years, it'll probably be this one. From the cover in, it's a full-on, psychedelic treat. Nine albums in and they've struck gold. This is a classic album.

11. Two Dancers-Wild Beasts

A relative newcomer to this band, I missed their first album, and have only recently got into this album. It's eccentric, in the way The Smiths and Morrissey are/were. They're the obvious touchstones, both lyrically and musically. If you can stomach his voice, there's a lot to enjoy here. I predict good things for this band.

12. Primary Colours-The Horrors

I wasn't expecting this. Their first album was a steaming pile of dogshite, and they were just NME-hyped scenesters with more hair than tunes. I wanted to hate this album too, but my mate kept harrassing me through Facebook to listen to 'Sea Within A Sea'. well, I heard that, and I was gobsmacked. They've totally transformed their sound from wannabe goth garage band to a Krautrock/MBV/Joy Division/Psychedelic Furs behemoth of a band. The most unexpected, pleasantly surprising album of the year.

There we have it then. Honourable mentions go to the albums released this year by:

Bat for Lashes, Dinosaur Jr., Bad Lieutenant, M. Ward, Camera Obscura, Doves, The xx, Air, Kasabian, Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions, The Felice Brothers, Jason LytleThe Big Pink, Neko Case, Peter Doherty, Julian Casablancas, Soulsavers, Lily Allen, The Raveonettes, Grizzly Bear, White Lies, Richard Hawley, Florence and The Machine, La Roux and last but not least Super Furry Animals

Sorry if I've missed any. I'm sure I have.

Cheers,

have a good Christmas and New Year.

xx

After months of deliberation, here it is folks, what you've all been waiting for, my top 100 albums of the 00's! If the tenties (that's what i'm calling the next decade) are anywhere near as good as this one was then we're in for a good un'!

The first 75 are from numbers 100-26 and are sorted alphabetically ( I couldn't be bothered putting them all in order.)

Animal Collective - Feels
Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
Annie - Anniemal
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock And Roll
At the Drive-In - Relationship Of Command
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
Bat for Lashes - Fur And Gold
Battles - Mirrored
Biffy Clyro - Infinity Land
Björk - Volta
The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
The Bronx - The Bronx II
The Bug - London Zoo
Camera Obscura - Let's Get out of This Country
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Daft Punk- Discovery
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Elliott Smith - Figure 8
Explosions in the Sky - Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever
The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
Finch - Say Hello to Sunshine
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Future of the Left - Curses
Glassjaw - Worship and Tribute
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America
Holy Fuck - LP
Hot Chip - The Warning
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog
Islands - Return to the Sea
Justice - †
LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
Liars - Liars
Life Without Buildings - Any Other City
M.I.A. - Kala
M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
The Mae Shi - HLLLYH
The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
Mastodon - Blood Mountain
mclusky - mclusky Do Dallas
Modeselektor - Hello Mom!
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
The Microphones - The Glow, Pt. 2
The National - Boxer
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Portishead - Third
The Postal Service - Give Up
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
Radiohead - Amnesiac
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
Sigur Rós - ( )
The Strokes - Is This It?
The Thermals - The Body The Blood and The Machine
The Tough Alliance - New Chance
Trentemøller - The Last Resort
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns And Fifteen Winters
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
Yourcodenameis:milo - All Roads To Fault

...and the top 25 are:

25. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven


24. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House


23. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica


22. Burial - Untrue


21. Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R


20. Björk - Vespertine


19. Modeselektor - Happy Birthday!


18. Radiohead - In Rainbows


17. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump


16. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois


15. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It in People


14. of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?


13. Radiohead - Hail To The Thief



12. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam


11. The National - Alligator


TOP 10

10. Sigur Rós - Agaetis Byrjun



9. Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender



8. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain



7. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion



6. Arcade Fire - Funeral



5. Panda Bear - Person Pitch



4. The Knife - Silent Shout



3. Joanna Newsom - Ys



2. Liars - Drum's Not Dead



1. Radiohead - Kid A

20 Bat for Lashes - Pearl's Dream
19 Beirut - My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille
18 Hey - Kto Tam? Kto Jest W Środku?
17 Devendra Banhart - 16th and Valencia Roxy Music
16 The Prodigy - Omen
15 Arctic Monkeys - Crying Lightning
14 Placebo - Julien
13 The Dead Weather - Bone House
12 Kap Bambino - Dead Lazers
11 Patrick Wolf - Tinderbox
10 CocoRosie - Spirit Lake
9 Peter Doherty - Broken Love Song
8 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Dull Life
7 Kasabian - Underdog
6 La Roux - Colourless Colour
5 Kuba Wandachowicz - Retro
4 Patrick Wolf - Vulture
3 Julian Casablancas - Left Right In The Dark
2 The Gossip - For Letter Word
1 CocoRosie - Happy Eyes

*,*!

LW TW WI Artist - Title [Chart History]
=======
01 01 06 Florence and The Machine - You've Got The Love [2-2-2-2-1-1]
04 02 07 Dashboard Confessional - Belle Of The Boulevard [23-20-15-12-6-4-2]
05 03 03 Lady GaGa - Bad Romance [50-5-3]
02 04 03 Norah Jones - Chasing Pirates [4-2-4]
03 05 04 Pearl Jam - Just Breathe [11-1-3-5]
07 06 05 Skunk Anansie - Squander [1-1-3-7-6]
16 07 03 Adam Lambert - Time For Miracles [17-16-7]
06 08 05 Rihanna - Russian Roulette [39-37-32-6-8]
08 09 05 Chris Brown - I Can Transform Ya (Featuring Lil' Wayne & Swizz Beatz) [50-40-35-8-9]
33 10 03 The Swell Season - Low Rising [46-33-10]
======
10 11 03 Michael Jackson - This Is It [9-10-11]
12 12 07 Beyoncé - Broken-Hearted Girl [9-6-5-5-10-12-12]
14 13 04 Robbie Williams - You Know Me [16-15-14-13]
09 14 07 Snow Patrol - Just Say Yes [24-18-12-8-8-9-14]
11 15 08 Miike Snow - Black & Blue [47-7-5-3-3-5-11-15]
18 16 09 Athlete - Black Swan Song [1-1-3-4-7-7-13-18-16]
13 17 03 Lily Allen - Fuck You [14-13-17]
15 18 10 The Twilight Sad - Seven Years Of Letters [46-20-14-14-10-8-4-7-15-18]
20 19 07 Death Cab for Cutie - Meet Me On the Equinox [48-40-30-29-24-20-19]
19 20 13 Leona Lewis - Happy [3-4-6-8-9-11-1-1-4-6-11-19-20]
=======
29 21 03 Stereophonics - Innocent [45-29-21]
17 22 07 Foo Fighters - Wheels [16-14-9-9-12-17-22]
28 23 06 Paolo Nutini - Pencil full of lead [32-29-27-28-28-23]
21 24 08 Nneka - Heartbeat [3-2-3-6-10-16-21-24]
22 25 07 Kasabian - Underdog [46-38-25-22-20-22-25]
23 26 10 Newton Faulkner - If This Is It [17-14-10-10-9-13-15-22-23-26]
27 27 12 David Gray - Fugitive [29-20-11-4-4-4-7-11-14-21-27-27]
ne 28 01 David Gray - Full Steam (Featuring Annie Lennox) [28]
26 29 08 Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone [21-17-15-16-18-26-29]
32 30 07 Alicia Keys - Doesn't Mean Anything [49-49-45-36-34-32-30]
=======
37 31 14 Florence and The Machine - Drumming Song [10-10-8-7-6-3-5-6-13-19-24-31-37-31]
24 32 09 Placebo - Ashtray Heart [21-9-8-8-10-13-18-24-32]
30 33 11 Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill [49-40-37-34-37-36-26-23-26-30-33]
25 34 09 Pearl Jam - The Fixer [49-42-33-25-21-19-23-25-34]
ne 35 01 John Mayer - Who Says [35]
39 36 03 Lifehouse - Halfway Gone [42-39-36]
31 37 06 Calvin Harris - Flashback [41-38-32-30-31-37]
34 38 13 Skunk Anansie - Because Of You [50-3-3-2-2-2-5-11-14-17-25-34-38]
38 39 14 Miley Cyrus - The Climb [7-11-10-11-13-18-23-12-12-17-20-33-38-39]
35 40 19 Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone [1-1-1-1-1-4-2-2-1-1-6-8-15-16-20-25-29-35-40]
=======
36 41 13 Robbie Williams - Bodies [22-21-19-16-15-18-19-17-18-21-27-36-41]
ne 42 01 Biffy Clyro - The Captain [42]
42 43 17 Erik Hassle - Don't Bring Flowers [6-4-3-5-7-9-9-10-13-16-21-23-28-31-36-42-43]
46 44 02 Mika - Rain [46-44]
41 45 19 The Twilight Sad - I Became A Prostitute [33-29-24-20-18-18-18-20-26-31-34-36-38-42-44-41-41-41-45]
43 46 17 Kasabian - Where Did All the Love Go? [33-18-12-8-1-1-2-3-7-7-13-21-23-28-37-43-46]
ne 47 01 Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart [47]
44 48 12 Paloma Faith - New York [47-44-38-35-32-32-31-33-33-40-44-48]
47 49 08 P!nk - I Don't Believe You [39-44-44-46-45-47-47-49]
50 50 16 Lily Allen - 22 [46-8-6-6-5-5-5-12-17-25-29-35-44-49-50-50]
=======


out this week...
The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition [29-15-13-10-7-5-6-11-19-22-26-39-40]
The Gossip - Love Long Distance [4-2-5-7-8-9-11-15-18-22-24-30-38-45]
Editors - Papillon [50-43-38-40-39-36-35-44-48]
Iglu & Hartly - Dedication [49]

Best Of 2009 in alphabetical order:
Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs
A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Caspian - Tertia
Converge - Axe To Fall
Depeche Mode - Sounds of the Universe
Editors - In This Light And On This Evening
Fall of Efrafa - Inlé
Isis - Wavering Radiant
Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
Katharsis - Fourth Reich
Long Distance Calling - Avoid The Light
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Mono - Hymn To The Immortal Wind
Narrows - New Distances
Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition
White Lies - To Lose My Life...

Very Good:
Ahab - The Divinity of Oceans
Architects - Hollow Crown
Archive - Controlling Crowds
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Baroness - Blue Album
Ben Frost - By The Throat
Blockhead - The Music Scene
Blueneck - The Fallen Host
Drudkh - Microcosmos
Echo and the Bunnymen - The Fountain
Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetics
Funeral Mist - Maranatha
Gifts From Enola - Fathoms
Glorior Belli - Meet Us at the Southern Sign
If These Trees Could Talk - Above the Earth, Below the Sky
Jay-Jay Johanson - Self-Portrait
Marduk - Wormwood
Microfilm - The Bay of Future Passed
Pelican - What We All Come To Need
pg.lost - In never out
Rise and Fall - Our Circle Is Vicious
RJD2 - Tin Foil Hat (EP)
Saxon Shore - It Doesn't Matter
Scarlet Youth - Breaking the Patterns (EP)
Suicide Silence - No Time to Bleed
Swallow the Sun - New Moon
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Tides From Nebula - Aura

Best Video:

01. Jonas Brothers
Hey Baby
Can't Have You
Paranoid
Year 3000
Hello Goodbye

02. Britney Spears
Gimme More
Perfect Lover
Why Should I Be Sad
Break The Ice
Get Naked (I Got A Plan)

...I didn't know that I've listened to Blackout that much :o

03. The Smashing Pumpkins
Luna
Obscured
Whir
Mouths of Babes
Soma

04. Justin Timberlake
Last Night
FutureSex/LoveSound
Losing My Way
Until The End Of Time
(Another Song) All Over Again

05. Lady GaGa
Starstruck
LoveGame
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)
Paparazzi
Poker Face

06. Ashley Tisdale
Be Good To Me
He Said She Said
So Much For You
Positivity
Don't Touch (The Zoom Song)

07. Christina Aguilera
Love For All Seasons
Get Mine, Get Yours
Obvious
Loving Me 4 Me
Still Dirrty

08. Arctic Monkeys
When the Sun Goes Down
Still Take You Home
Fake Tales of San Francisco
Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But...
Dancing Shoes

09. Madonna
Inside of Me
Dance 2Night
Bad Girl
Deeper and Deeper
Survival

10. Miley Cyrus
Fly on the Wall
Full Circle
Right Here
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
G.N.O. (Girl's Night Out)