The Rest is Now...

It's been a great year for new music and new records. Every magazine reviewer, newspaper columnist, their comparable on-line equivalents and, inevitably, blogs and bloggers of every size, shape and preference, have their own favourites of the year.

This one is no different.

Amongst the majority of the bigger circulation music magazines the albums of both Arcade Fire and Joanna Newsom held considerable critical sway - interesting in itself as the albums and the artists are very different. Intriguingly, there has been a return to guitar based music - with more than a gentle nod to the 1980's; itself a decade undergoing renewed critical re-evaluation.

Favourite records then included:

The Books, Hammock, Emeralds, KORT, Twin Shadow, Fang Island, Sleigh Bells, Jonsi, Hoat Chip, She & Him, Teenage Fanclub, Tindersticks, Beach House, The Fall, Janelle Monae, Errors, The Gayngs, Alasdair Roberts, Best Coast, Kurt Vile, The Bambi Molesters, Eric Chenaux, Swans, Richard Skelton, Tame Impala, Darwin Deez, No Joy, Twin Sister, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Ruth Theodore, Glasser, Wildbirds and Peacedrums, Barn Owl, Oh No Ono, Pocahaunted, Girls, Caribou....

Janelle Monae
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Pocahaunted
The Bambi Molesters
Barn Owl
Emeralds
Girls
Hammock

There was also a wealth of re-issues and special editions of albums (no doubt dreamt up at the record company party) released including career retrospectives/compilations - Orange Juice, Dylan's Mono Recordings, Jon Savage's recently released introduction to late 1970's California Punk - to Springsteen's marvellous, 'The Promise,' The Velvets' 'Quine Tapes,' and the definitive re-release of Miles Davis's 'Bitches Brew.'

Bruce Springsteen
The Germs

Wire Marketplace
Volanic Tongue
Mono
Leaf Records
Domino Records

And that's it. Here's hoping 2011 provides the Swampabilly revival we've all been waiting for...



Mark Lamarr

***RIP Peter Christopherson and Leslie Nielsen***

seriously..

Most people are driven to drink on a bicycle with scratched paintwork, twisted and immovable handlebars, and a seat that's seen better days and nights... Richard Hawley, however, arrives at his destination - in this case, the Glenfiddich whisky distillery in Dufftown, with a pannier ful of musical loveliness that's incontestably great. It's difficult to think of anyone else currently making such soul achingly beautiful music so consistently.

''and I'm not afraid to use it.'

TWIN SHADOW IS NOT MOSS FROM THE I.T. CROWD...TWIN SHADOW IS NOT MOSS FROM THE I.T. CROWD...TWIN SHADOW IS NOT MOSS FROM THE I.T. CROWD...TWIN SHADOW IS NOT MOSS FROM THE I.T. CROWD...TWIN SHADOW IS NOT MOSS FROM THE I.T. CROWD...TWIN SHADOW IS NOT MOSS FROM THE I.T. CROWD...

BUT WHAT IF HE WAS.................................

...educate, inform and entertain...

It was something of a pleasant surprise to see the return of, 'Getting On' to BBC4's Autumn schedule - rarely has a sit-com been willing to exhibit such resolutely dark tendencies, such a complete lack of artistic compromise, such quality in writing and performance. Jo Brand, especially, has been a revelation. The same, although in a very different way, can be said of Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan's, 'The Trip;' now showing on BBC2. It's a wonderful, gently sardonic little gem - full of melancholic insights into the world of celebrity and the hubris associated with it. New comedy on television worth getting excited about...who would have thought?

'Getting On'

'The Trip'

Word, up...

By the sounds of it, Richard Ayoade's debut feature could be a small classic in the making. An adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's acclaimed novel, 'Submarine,' the film, which is yet to be given a UK release date, is a love story - but the kind of problematic love story you would expect from the co-creator of the still criminally neglected, 'Garth Marenghi's DarkPlace.' It's not a surprise that Ayoade's film has been so lauded: his music video work with the Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs showed rare comedic touches - it was obvious, even then, that he was destined for greater things. In the meantime...

'Mr Smanks'

'Oxford Comma'

'Dean Lerner - Women'

Warp Records

Additional - 2011 saw the general release of Ayoade's film. The film has garnered many positive reviews along the way - see the film and judge it for yourself. It is reminiscent of Wes Anderson and the later fims of Richard Linklater. Sadly, however, from the point of view of this observer, the film is a huge disappointment - lacking any cohesive narrative, with poorly defined acting performances, bereft of any real direction, and is, at best, good naturedly contrived, at worst, a waste of time, intelligence and money that could have been directed somewhere more deserving. A shame.