johnwiddop

https://soundcloud.com/mark-mcguire/the-instinct-extended-12

But does that Mark Mcguire album count, since it's a compilation of reissued stuff? Admittedly half of it was previously issued on a ltd Cdr of 3 copies, but it's not a new album. It'd like like including that Disco Inferno shit people spaffed over.

If Young Persons... does count, it's clearly the best release of 2011. Who gets to decide these things?

Was when Twenty Twenty Sound came out. Great album: The singles (I am the Sun, About 3am, Graceadelica) were good, but the album tracks were way better: Lies, What in the World's Wrong, The Sound of Awake. Saw them supporting Ultrasound (who I just found out are on 6music this week. What????) happy times.

I often find it very easy to criticise reviews, particularly on this site, but for once, find it necessary to compliment. Although there are a couple of things that go against my personal taste (not a big fan of swearing in review to emphasise points) but on the whole, I loved reading this for many reasons. It's a good example of why in the age of readily-available music streaming/downloading, music journalism isn't redundant, as it not only 'sells' an album to me that I might not (in fact, almost certainly wouldn't) have bothered listening to, but the personal and realistic context, particularly the first paragraph, that listening to the album myself would never have gained, worked a charm. Not being from Essex, I doubt whether I'd echo the same sentiments, but thanks to this review, I'm definitely going to give it a try. Awesome stuff.

which was surprisingly, even nearer the beginning than I feared.

I think it's called "Words and Music" and it's incomparably awful.

I remember listening to this album a lot during the summer of 2001. Particularly 'She Kills for Kicks'. A completely ridiculous album to get reissued, though - I can't see any financial logic in this whatsoever. Even I won't buy it.

as for it not intended to be humour, are you serious about "Am I the more reclusive Hitler of the music scene?"

I heard this album today. Dreadful stuff.

This is very poor review, and quite befitting of a site where most of the positive reviews of albums involve quite carefully written and thought out opinion pieces, and negative reviews are juvenile, humourless and pointless.

it's always good when people get pancreatitis.

I did exactly that last year - going to Gothenburg and hunting out some of the Jens Lekman places. Although we stayed near that ridiculous theme park Liseberg. Amazing place, I kind of want to go back..

Agreed with the excellence of the book, although the album by Pram with the same name is probably better than this band. Plus most of Richard Thompson's solo albums are better than Liege and Lief anyway.

Dakota
Mr Writer
The Bartender and the Thief
Pick a Part That's New
Just Looking
Handbags and Gladrags
Madame Helga

These are all top 5 singles, with Dakota being number one. I'm sure Maybe Tomorrow, Have a Nice Day and a few others were top 10 hits. Most of their singles have been top 20. I think they're most justified than a lot of other bands to have a greatest hits album based on the number of hits they've actually had in one decade. This doesn't mean they're actually good though, but considering the Libertines have got one despite only having two albums, one EP and two top 10 singles, and REPUBLICA have got one, despite only ever releasing three proper singles.

it's the 15th one down

Are very good, but it'd be hard to do one for At the Drive-In because they tend to be written from the perspective of someone who was 'there' and can comment on how well they've aged etc, their impact at the time. I doubt many people, in all honesty, could claim to have been into ATD-I from year dot, and their general lack of influence on a wider culture at the time of their release would make for quite a boring read. They were a good band, but not one who have had a fascinating career, and I, like 90% of all other At The Drive-In fans, loved Relationship of Command when it came out and then bought the other albums in one fell swoop.

seriously. I couldn't disagree more with this review.

I prefer having the understanding that it was all complete bollocks. It's one of my all-time favourites, mainly because it's SO ridiculous, and I don't want it all explained to me. It's like the Twin Peaks of albums!

I was there
Bristol Anson Rooms
Awk was by far the best thing ever.

wasn't "Theme from a Late Afternoon Documentary About The Dangers of Drug Abuse" or something similar, a b side of 'Your Woman' ?

But would the addition of a HOT male made the body of text, no!

I thought they'd released Good Arms vs Bad Arms before, but apparently the two singles so far have been Heads Roll Off and Fast Blood. So I'd choose that, especially as Good Arms.. was used during a weepy bit of Grey's Anatomy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zSHru_IeA0

I like the whole album, but this isn't one of the ones I'd have chosen, even if it is a double-A

She might do a Charlotte Hatherley and ruin the band for all you drooling idiots know. I'm just hoping that the fact that Parts + Labor have like, four side projects isn't going to detract from the main event. Mucs as I love Dan Friel's solo stuff and Shooting Spires, I hope they didn't use up all their best ideas on them, Mapmaker was my favourite album of last year.

and seriously, These Dancing Days are no match for Boyfriend OR her other song

I am a chain store employee, and whilst we only stock about a third of the titles on this list, I find your assumption that the 'average chain store employee' is somehow above the level of illegally downloading every hyped indie album and passing comment on it, because we're not and some of us (IE me) are every bit as sad as you lot.

some of the best stuff I've heard in YEARS

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Tindersticks - The Hungry Saw

In that he has more of a dedicated fan base than the sort of mass appeal that other bands have mentioned here. Not denying his brilliance, but playing a big gig would be ridiculous because he can't eactly pull out a Born to Run or Hungry Heart out to raise the roof, so it's not so much choosing to play a smaller venue but common sense. Although that doesn't explain why he doesn't play more of them, but then if I was universally respected as Tom Waits, then I'd probabably do what the fuck I want, too.

Have Mint Royale had the most sporadic chat career of the last decade or what?

I think you'd have a massive struggle to get a full album out of those two. I don't like that MTV Plugged album much either, and I'd like to think it's the one part of his catelogue Springsteen himself would disown, although I do like the introduction to 'My Beautiful Reward' on that, even though it's an awful song.

There's a live mp3 of Crooked Fingers doing 'The River' which I prefer to the original, and the Josh Ritter one.

When The Rising came out, I think everyone got a little over-excited because it was the first new Springsteen band-effort since Human Touch Lucky Town, both of which were awful, and the fist E Street Band one since Born in the USA, and when it turned out alright, then everyone went home happy. I don't like it very much, the bloody world music track and shit like 'The Fuse' mean I can't listen to it without my finger on the skip button. Whereas any of the last three, I'd take over The Rising. Although I'd take ...Tom Joad over any of them, mind.

You've also failed to mention that half of The River is filler, but still.

'Mapmaker' was my favourite album of last year but this sounds rubbish. It'll be like the "14 Track single" of Bochum that Six By Seven released that was two songs and then 12 tracks of Chris Olley dicking about with a synth.

the year above Alexa Chung and the girl from Thomas Tantrums or whatever the fuck their name is.

gimmicky, unfunny, boring waste of everyone's time, and sonically shit with it.

It's fun to see someone who offers comments passionately, and not just offering a single line "yeah that's good" or even worse just going " ^this". You're a rare find indeed. I'll add that I think Sleeps With Angels shits on Ragged Glory too, and since nobody's mentioned much of his post-2000 output, that Chrome Dream II is really, really good, although the songs might be reworked from the vault, 'Ordinar People' is worth the entrance price alone. I still have a soft spot for Freedom though, it's almost his 'Born to Run' only he's obviously Neil Young, not Springsteen, so it's marginally more nuts. Each album's so different though, it's hard comparing each one. I mean, I really like Harvest Moon, although a lot of people disregard that, to which I say "Such a Woman" which ends arguments from time to time. The only albums of his I've never fallen for are Mirrorball, and Ragged Glory, funnily enough, and both for different reasons. I didn't get that into Prairie Wind either, although the documentary/live film is excellent.

!

and I'm a fan

as above

Fucked Up were overlooked. My money are on that ridiculously overrated Battles shit.

PS Thank God it's a departure from 'I'

But I get your point, Greendale is awesome. Although I think 'Chrome Dreams II' is the best thing he's done in a decade. Maybe even since 'Sleeps With Angels'

How the NME's books balanced that week. Obviously 10k is about a third of the week's takings in it's current state, but then how much would they have lost by putting such a wank band on the cover without any gratuitous shots of them drinking beer backstage on the inside?