I spent most of yesterday on the sofa recovering from what was a brilliant bank holiday weekend, only leaving the flat once to go to Tesco next door to buy food and shitloads of popcorn.
But, wow...I can't remember the last time I saw so many awesome bands in such a short space of time.
On Saturday I headed down to Brixton for the first day of The Oddbox Weekender. It was a great line-up, but I only stuck around for Fever Dream and Humousexual. They were both great!
Fever Dream
Humousexual
I left Brixton early to go home and drop off my own gear (I had been playing as well, you see). Then I headed over to Power Lunches in Dalston, where Trash Kit were playing a rare show. I love their album ALOT, but had never seen them live, so it was something I really didn't want to miss.
I've been without my proper camera for a month now, so apologies for all these terrible phone pictures. Somewhere in that red blur is a hazy outline of Trash Kit's drummer.
On Saturday it was time to do some Camden Crawling. I'd never been before and it always looked a bit horrible...but a friend was playing as part of a Fence Collective showcase, so I headed over to the Earl of Camden on Parkway. I managed to catch a glimpse of Rozi Plain, who was joined on stage by members of Francois & The Atlas Mountains and it was all very pleasant indeed.
Rozi Plain
Then it was time for The Pictish Trail to turn up the noise levels a notch and they were great....really good fun! It wasn't the best of venues or time slots, but they managed to pull it off.
Back on the tube to Islington and the Buffalo Bar for the second day of the Odd Box Weekender. We got there in time for The Middle Ones, who were absolutely brilliant as usual.
Then it was time for Martha, a pop-punk quartet from Durham, whose EP I've been listening to rather obsessively for the past month or so. Really, these guys are soooooo good. Great songs, great lyrics, really tight and just really nice people (which is always a bonus). They have an EP out and you cen listen to it below! And then...buy it! NOW!
Martha
Martha
Anguish Sandwich were up next. They also have a new EP out...and again, it's absolutely brilliant.
Anguish Sandwich
Finally, when I thought I couldn't handle any more music, it was time for Standard Fare. Those guys just keep getting better and better, which is quite incredible considering that they have been brilliant since the very beginning.
Standard Fare
Back to Camden...this time the Jazz Cafe (yes, really) and Rolo Tomassi. I'd heard a lot of good things about those guys, but maybe I had already reached my band limit for the day.
It's not really the kind of venue I feel comfortable in and definitely not one suited for that type of music. The bouncers threw out the first crowd-surfing kid before the first song had even finished.
We finished off the night at some Camden Crawl closing party at The Cuban Bar. It was all kinds of awful. We should have gone home.
That's all really. We made it home eventually, ears ringing and liver hurting.
Even if it has been a great year for music, it hasn't been a particularly great one for new albums. I've discovered a lot of new bands and been to alot of awesome shows, but I was struggling a bit to find ten records that had impressed me.
But, I got there in the end...so here goes...in reverse order...my top-10 albums of 2011
Apologies for the random mixture of videos, sound cloud players and youtube 'audio streams'...these are actually just boring "videos" of the album artwork that someone has uploaded, but I've turned the height way down so you only see the player bit. I'm sure this will mess up in some browsers. Sorry.
10. Black Lips – Arabia Mountain
There were some major warning bells when I heard that Mark Ronson was producing the new Black Lips album, but it turned out alright...great even. Arabia Mountain is just a really awesome record! Their last album didn't do much for me, but this one really brought back memories of their incredible Good Bad Not Evil from 2007. Although this is a much bigger sound and much more polished than we're used to, it's never "too much" and in the end the record just feels well-produced rather than over-produced. Great stuff! It's difficult picking a favourite track. There are so many awesome songs to pick from, but in the end I just love the chorus to Mr. Driver too much. It has to be that one. It was stuck in my head for so long over the summer.
9. Cloud Nothings – s/t
This one was released in the early days of the year and I was still listening to it regularly in the summer. That doesn't happen very often, so hats off to Dylan Baldi & Co. This is fun and bouncy garage pop of the best kind. Not overly serious, but never too juvenile either. I also managed to catch them live twice and they're sooo much fun. And then there's the videos! Eeek...some maximum weirdness going on there. It's a great song, but I'm still not sure how I feel about the gagging-on-hair video for Should Have. It's on youtube if you like that sort of thing. So, high expectations for this gang in the next year, since they already seem to have everything sorted...great on record, great live show and great (but weird) videos.
8. Standard Fare – Out Of Sight, Out Of Town
After their amazing debut album last year, this was surely one of the most eagerly awaited indiepop releases of 2011. Did it live up to expectations? Of course it did! Emma is one of the best songwriters in indiepopland and this is another great record. And it's not just Emma...some of my favourite tracks on the record are Danny's this time. The songs on here are all great, but I must say that for me Standard Fare are really a live band...that's when the songs really shine.
Favorite track: Call Me Up
7. Let's Wrestle – Nursing Home
Let's Wrestle went all the way across the Atlantic to record this one. And who was doing the knob turning if not indie legend Steve Albini! Was it worth it...did they really need to? I'm not sure. The songs are all great, but I do find some of the production a bit strange...especially the drum sound on some of the songs (mainly on If I Keep On Loving You). Was this on purpose? Maybe. I don't know. The classic punk records are not really famous for their amazingly recorded drums. Anyway, who cares? It's all about the songs and as I said they are all amazing! Another brilliant record from London's finest punk kids.
Favorite track: In Dreams Part II
6. Veronica Falls – s/t
It was a long wait, but Veronica Falls finally released their album. Yes, there are quite a few songs on there that had already been released on various seven-inches, but those songs are all fucking ace and it would be a shame for people discovering the band to miss out, so that's fine in my book. This is dreamy garage pop at it's very best. It's not often I notice these things, but I really love their drums. They take you by surprise over and over again and just when you think it's not working...it just becomes part of it all and works just perfectly. Did that make any sense? Probably not. Same thing with the lyrics. I have no idea what most of the songs are about, but every time I try to listen and make sense of them I get carried away by the music and the subject matter becomes irrelevant.
Favorite track: Bad Feeling
5. John Maus – We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
I don't really know much about John Maus, apart from that he occasionally plays with Ariel Pink and is on Upset The Rhythm's label. Oh, and that this album is fucking incredible. That's all I need to be sure of for this kind of list, I suppose. It's full of echoey and reverbey goodness, with repetitive melodies that wrap around your brain like some sort of warm crazy blanket. Erm...yes...and then you find yourself humming 'let's kill the cops tonight' out loud on the tube and people stare. But, it's great! He's also a complete loon bag (in the best possible way) live...an absolutely mesmerising performer.
Favorite track: Cop Killer
4. The Death Set – Michael Poiccard I've listened an insane amount to the Death Set's 2008 record, Worldwide, so this one had a lot to live up to. After the sad death of bandmate Beau Valesco in 2009, the band understandably took a bit of time to figure out what to do. Nobody would have blamed them for calling it a day, since Beau was very much part of what made them such a great band, both on record and live. But they decided that he wouldn't have wanted them to give up...and what better way to keep ones memory alive than to keep doing the thing they loved. From the first line "I wanna take this tape and blow up your fucking stereo!" to the last note, Michael Poiccard is just bursting with energy, some happy, some sad, some angry and some just very sweet. It's certainly better produced than Worldwide and although I kinda miss the rubbish drum machines at times, Michael Poiccard is still definitely a record that I'll keep on playing for a long time.
Favorite track: Can You Seen Straight?
3. Times New Viking - Dancer Equired If there was one band I hoped would never "clean up their sound" it was Times New Viking. I adore all of their previous releases and as news of a change in direction for this record started popping up on the interwebs, I was getting worried. Part of their charm (to me anyway) was that you had to work hard to appreciate the songs. Somewhere under the cloud of hissy, distorted noise were these beautiful and incredibly catchy melodies. I shouldn't have worried...even though this is a massively smooth record in Times New Viking terms, it is still far from clean and dull. And those melodies...they're are as strong as ever! Awesome!
2. Humousexual – Grenzenlos
It's only seven tracks, but I'm gonna call it an album. Sue me. This record just blew me away in a way I never expected. Sure, I like Tahini Beach Party, but it never made me feel like this. From the first song to the last, this is an incredible little album and sadly one that far too few people will ever hear. Or is it sad? Maybe we don't want "them" to find out about Humousexual? Maybe they're one of those bands that should be treasured by a few. I'm pretty sure Victor and Boitel are reasonably happy with that...if not, I guess I'll help spread the word some more.
Favorite track: No Borders (but a very close second is the quieter last song, Come On In..and that one is on youtube)
1. Japanther – Beets, Lime and Rice Readers of this blog will know how I feel about Japanther. They keep impressing me more and more, record after record, show after show and this is no different. It's just awesome. It's a bit less upbeat than last year's Rock n'roll Ice Cream, but you can't just spend your entire life just bouncing up and down, right? Sometimes bad or sad things happen. Heroes die, girlfriends leave...it's all just part of life...and that is one thing this record is full of. It is almost impossible to pick a favourite track here, but I've settled for the opening track. The first time I listened I thought there was something wrong with the recording in the beginning...and then drums kicked in properly...and I was totally blown away. Awesomeness indeed.
Favorite track: First Of All
I think that's it. Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us...I hear rumours of a Japanther European tour in February! Eeeek!
Here goes...the ten best/most memorable gigs I've been to this year.
10. Let's Wrestle (26th February 2011, The Victory)
This one was a hard one to decide on. I've been to so many great shows this year...but there can only be ten in a top-10. Maybe it's unfair to pick a gig that I can't really remember much of...all I know is that I had a lot of fun. It was dirty, smelly and hideously cramped but I was too drunk to care. I'm pretty sure it was awesome!
9. The Death Set (13th April 2011, Old Blue Last)
The show that almost didn't happen. The Death Set were meant to play the night before, but had to cancel because of some transport issues. I can't remember happened exactly, but they didn't get to the venue in time for curfew anyway. Luckily, the venue managed to find a slot for them the following night. It was my first time seeing them live and it was just as great as I'd imagined.
8. Withered Hand, Standard Fare and Tigercats (9th February 2011, Catch)
The only show I promoted this year, but it sure was a good one. It didn't matter that it was unbelievably packed, uncomfortable and almost impossible to see anything. All three bands were incredible that night.
7. Allo Darlin' (Greg's garden)
I've seen Allo Darlin' play all sorts of venues this year, but this was probably the one I enjoyed the most. Playing in the garden at a friend's birthday party, the band came alive in a different way than normal. I love how these kind of small shows makes bands relax and just have fun.
6. Half Japanese (31st May 2011, The Scala)
I had seen Half Japanese play an amazing show in Barcelona just a couple of days earlier, but this was even better. Everything was spot on. They played all the the songs I wanted to hear and Jad made full use of his amazing bendy guitar.
And with support from Let's Wrestle and The Lovely Eggs of course this was an awesome evening!
5. Times New Viking, Veronica Falls (3rd May 2011, XOYO)
This was a great night. I hadn't seen Veronica Falls for a long time and was really excited about hearing some new stuff. They certainly didn't disappoint and I rememeber being blown away by how great they were live. Times New Viking are always awesome and this show was no different. To finish off a great set they tried to play Fuck Her Tears (one of my favorite tracks on the new record) twice, before giving up. The guitar strings just couldn't handle it and snapped during the intro both times. Great end to an awesome show.
4. Humousexual (25th February 2011, Andrew's living room in Notting Hill)
Now this is what I'm talking about! It doesn't get much better than a proper bedroom show. Humousexual in a small bedroom, playing to just a handful of people. This was very special indeed.
3. Japanther (14th February 2011, Tufnell Park Dome)
I've seen Japanther five or six times and it's never been less than amazing. This show in North London was one of the best. The atmosphere was just unbelievable. Not many bands can get a London crowd going like these guys can.
2. Math The Band x 3 (Guildford/Harlow/Tunbridge Wells, October 2011)
I'd been wanting to see Math The Band for a looooong time and I never expected to have to thank Wheatus for finally making it happen. Kevin and Justine were invited to join the more-than-just-a-little-older-than-teenage dirtbags on an insane UK tour that lasted something ridiculous like five weeks.
I skipped the London show and instead decided to visit some nearby towns and venues I'd never been to. It was weird and great on so many different levels. Great to see one of my favorite bands play to a packed venue...weird that it was happening in Harlow, Guildford and Tunbridge Wells....and even weirder that they were supporting Wheatus, a band that played my University graduation ball ten years ago!
Anyway, every single show was great and the only thing I regret now is not going to more of them.
Finally...
1. Weezer (6th July 2011, Brixton Academy)
I know Weezer doesn't really need the publicity and in general I tend to prefer smaller gigs, so this might come as a surprise. But, the thing is...Weezer at Brixton Academy was just unbelievably AMAZING!
Reading that makes me want to go to that show again and again and again and again...you get the point. And Male Bonding were supporting! Best gig of 2011. FACT!
That's it. My ten gigs of 2011. Many awesome shows have been left out. Other incredible gigs that spring to mind are Proper Ornaments at Power Lunches, Pulp in Hyde Park, Enfant Bastard in Edinburgh, Cloud Nothings at CAMP Basement, Omi Palone at Duke Of Uke, Best Friends Forever and The Middle Ones at the Old Blue Last, Anguish Sandwich at Indietracks, Spaghetti Tree weekend in Peckham (with Japanther, Please, John Maus etc) and the awesomeness that was Primavera Sound in Barcelona.
Bring on 2012! I noticed on Songkick that my teenage heroes Guttermouth are playing in London in March. I might have to go, just for old times' sake. One of the first big concerts I ever went to was to see them support The Offspring in Gothenburg in 1994. Shit, I feel old.
Putting on shows can be extremely stressful. I tend to panic for months in advance about not selling enough tickets or, in the case of last night, panic about selling too many. Last night's show should really have been at a bigger venue, but it just didn't work out that way. I do think it's quite nice seeing bands play different places, though, and with venues closing all over London it's nice to support the smaller ones and spread it out a little. I hadn't been upstairs at Catch for about five years and I was a little terrified when I saw the size of the place, knowing how many tickets I'd sold. But, but...it all worked out in the end. Managers/owners were all amazing, very accommodating and helped it all run smoothly. It was pretty damn mobbed in there, but I much rather see a band play a packed smaller venue than a half-full big one.
Anyway, the show. Three of my favorite bands in one night. It was just as great as I hoped it would be.
Tigercats kicked off the evening, playing a bunch of new songs, that I really can't wait to hear on record. Word on the street is that a bunch of new songs have been recorded/mixed and that a weePOP! seven-inch is happening in the not-too-distant future.
Next up was Standard Fare, a band that's impossible not to love. Their songs are just so fucking good. And the songs from the new single sounds amazing as well (you can and should buy it here)
Finally, Withered Hand. The third time I'd seen them in as many months, but I could really watch them every night. They are sooooo good.
Instead of just always apologizing for the terrible sound/video quality I should really just get myself a better video recordery thingymabob. One day. Anyway, here's a clip from last night of Love In The Time of Ecstacy
A brilliant night. Thanks to all the bands for playing. And thanks to the crowd for squeezing together and being all lovely.
Just six days to go until the Withered Hand, Standard Fare and Tigercats extravaganza at Catch in Shoreditch. If you haven't already bought your ticket, now is the time. There are still some cheap advance tickets left from wegottickets.
Here's a video for Standard Fare's awesome song Philadelphia.
So, I'm putting on a show on 9th February at Catch in Shoreditch, so put it in your diaries. It's a rather awesometastic line-up, so I definitely think you should round up all your friends and come join the fun. Duncan from Tigercats have made this awesome flyer!
It took a while, but here it is. Originally, the plan was to make a podcast of all the best tracks, but then my computer died, so that's not going to happen now.
Anyway, here they are...the albums that soundtracked my year more than any others...in reverse order...
10. Ninjasonik – Art School Girls I think it's fair to say that Pitchfork are not fans of Brooklyn rappers Ninjasonik. The final sentence of their album review speaks for itself really - "Can an album truly be bad even if it achieves exactly what it intended to do? If your intent is to make shit music, I don't even see how it's a question at all." And the final score of 1.9 out of 10 makes it one of the worst reviews I've ever seen on the site. But then it's Pitchfork. They were never going to approve of this. Yes, this is not a deep and meaningful record. It's silly, stupid and hideously un-PC at times, but for some reason that's part of it's appeal. It just feels like an honest record and I guess serves as a document of a certain scene - a record for friends made by friends, with all the references and in-jokes that goes with that. We all talk shit when we're with friends. I guess, most of us just don't put those conversations on a record.
(track: Ninjasonik - Daylight Remix)
9.The Thermals – Personal Life I didn't expect much from the new Thermals record. I guess I kind of thought the band was a closed chapter for me. Then I heard I Don't Believe You and all that changed. I can't really pinpoint why I love the song so much, but it's definitely one of my tracks of the year. And although nothing else on the album quite reaches that level of awesomeness, it is a very strong record. It's fun and bouncy and never boring. That's all I ask really.
(track: The Thermals - I Don't Believe You)
8. Säkert – Facit I don't really understand how non-Swedish speakers can listen to Säkert! Sure, the music is stunning, but for me it's all about the lyrics. It's sad and uplifting in equal measures. It's a rare skill to be able to express yourself to such an extent in two languages, but Annika Norlin never struggles with words. Every bit as charming as her songs in Hello Saferide (her English-language band) this is, again, an extremely personal and very beautiful record.
(track: Säkert! - Får Jag)
7. Matt and Kim – Sidewalks Matt and Kim are all grown up these days, doing Bacardi ads and playing giant festivals. Sidewalks is miles away from both their self-titled debut album and the follow-up Grand. But, you know...it's still Matt and Kim, one of the happiest, most life-affirming bands on the planet. I'm always going to love these guys, no matter what they sound like. And don't get me wrong, the album is great. It's nowhere near as punky or fast as the previous ones, but still alot fun and catchy as hell.
(track: Matt and Kim - Block after Block)
6. Of Montreal – False Priest I don't understand what people were complaining about. So, it's not a new Hissing Fauna. False Priest is still fucking great. Famine Affair is one of my all-time favorite Of Montreal songs. That's all.
(track: Famine Affair)
5. Standard Fare – The Noyelle Beat I wasn't overly impressed when I first heard Noyelle Beat, but over the course of the year it has just grown and grown on me. It's really a stunning record. All the songs are great, but songs like Fifteen, Dancing and Philadelphia really stand out...all pure indiepop classics.
(track: Standard Fare - Fifteen)
4. Trouble Books – Gathered Tones Just another absolutely stunning record from Ohio's finest.
(track: Trouble Books - Arms Full Of Lemons)
3. Tiger Tape – I Woke Up In Hökarängen I already wrote a post about this record somewhere. It's AMAZING! 'nuff said.
(track: Tiger Tape - Skanstull)
2. Nana Grizol – Ruth Hmmm....getting bored of thinking of things to say now. Nana Grizol's debut record Love It Love It was an incredible effort, so follow-up Ruth had a lot to live up to. As is quite common, it's a much more polished record, but none of the charm is lost. An extremely addictive record, with lyrics and melodies that will stick in your head for months and months.
(track: Nana Grizol - Cynicism)
Which brings us to the number one...
1. Japanther - Rock N'Roll Ice Cream
During the past nine years Brooklyn punks Japanther have produced a seemingly endless amount of material. I've lost track on how many full-length albums they've released, but each has added something new and fresh to their sound. This constant re-invention continues with Rock N'Roll Ice Cream, an album that marks a slight departure from their usual lo-fi fuzz and distortion. The record is by far their most "produced" and "clean-sounding" effort to date. They've even called in some female assistance to provide some extra vocal layers. Despite some initial hesitation, I quickly grew to absolutely love this "new sound". Since I first got my hands on the record in the beginning of the year, I've listened to it an insane amount of times and it still shows no signs of losing its appeal. It's just great. Bursting with positive energy, with just the right dose of angry thrown in, it's a record that I can count on to drag me out of the shittiest of days. Big words, but Japanther are really my favourite act in the world right now, both on record and live. They have a great attitude to recording and performing and I just can't wait to hear the next one.
They're coming to London in February! Seriously, you need to get tickets.
I'm Nik, a Swede in the wonderful mess that is London. I watch a lot of films and I listen to a lot of music.
I mainly seem to write about films these days, but occasionally I do post about music. If you want me to remove a song, send me an email (recordsmakegreatpets@gmail.com) and I will remove it immediately. If you like what you hear, please support the bands by buying their albums and going to their shows.
