another year over

Merry Christmas


ALBUM OF THE DECADE

Adem....Homesongs




























SONGS OF 2009


Jesca Hoop....Four Dreams


Cate Le Bon....Me Oh My


Euros Childs....Shithausen & Gently All Around


Super Furry Animals....Moped Eyes


Withered Hand....No Cigarettes


Broadcast & The Focus Group....To Be The Colony


Spaceships Are Cool....Let Things Go


Alun Tan Lan....Dyma'r Diwedd


Magic Arm....Rested Bones




ALBUM OF 2009


Ambulances....The Future That Was (well what did you expect?)

The albums of the artists who feature in the songs of 2009 list are all excellent and recommended purchases. As well as these I give special mention to The Soundcarriers who have created a terrific album called Harmonium.

*Many of the artists featured on this post feature in a Festive Bestive podcast put together by the ever super Ted over at Cloud Sounds. Ted has incredibly similar taste to myself when it comes to music ie he likes Euros Childs quite a lot.

magic arm

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Just go buy the album Make Lists, Do Something. Wonderful, like The Beta Band & Beck doing McCartney in the best possible way.

*I used to have a magic arm but it's not what it once was. Now it's crab claw.

spaceships are cool

Spaceships Are Cool are cool. Where would you expect to find one of the most inventive bands around? Not in Nottingham. Dreamlike psyche-pop with electronic fidgets.

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*Spaceships are cool. Cooler than dwarves for example although dwarves are big in Japan.

FOUND

Edinburgh artist collective FOUND's star is on the rise. Tommy from the group has made a laptop mixtape available as a kind of christmas gift over at their website. Any mix with Shuggie Otis on is fine by me.

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Have a listen to the talented experimentalists too. They're rather good.

*Members of FOUND recently won a Scottish BAFTA for their autonomous emotional robot band CYBRAPHON.

**A sardine tin lid makes an excellent quiff for a homemade robot. Perhaps I should contact the guys with this improvement suggestion.

sam and the plants

Sam & The Plants come from the north west of England a make, quite simply, gorgeous music. I could go on about pastoral 60s folk and other whimsy but there really is no point. Just listen and tell your friends.

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the beep seals

As the end of the year/decade fast approaches we are constantly reminded of who or what was best and such like over the given period. Or, who'll be missed since they passed on but let's keep this light.

In the spring of this year The Beep Seals decided to call it a day. They leave behind a lovely wee album they recorded with Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake that folks will hopefully stumble upon for years to come. Here's a taster...

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withered hand (free download)

The ever brilliant Withered Hand are giving away a new song for free. Ergo, help yourself to the first gift that keeps on giving from this here site.

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the wellgreen

I can't believe I've not mentioned The Wellgreen until now. Just as well nobody reads this rubbish. Anyway, The Wellgreen, purveyors of fine music from the west coast of Scotland with a debut album imminent.

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*Stuart Kidd from The Wellgreen is also in 9/10 bands based in Glasgow & the surrounding area. Marco Rea from The Wellgreen is in the rest.

jesca hoop

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Jesca Hoop is an American lady living in Manchester. Have a listen to her song Four Dreams. It's one of my favourites this year. She's just released an album called Hunting My Dress too. You might as well just buy it now. It'll save you having to pick it up later.

*Jesca used to be nanny to Tom Waits' children before moving to England. I don't know any children but from what I can remember I'd prefer their company to the perpetual drizzle of Manchester.

alun tan lan

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Alun Tan Lan is amazing. Guitarist in Euros Childs' group and Britains No.1 surf combo Y Niwl, as well as a superfine solo artist to boot.

*I went to school with someone called Alun. He was in a heavy metal band called Rip N' Tear. Must be a very musical name Alun.