I'm not quite sure why I suddenly felt the urge to stick Nana Grizol back onto my ipod. Maybe it's because I've been listening alot to Defiance , Ohio (of which singer Theo Hilton is also a member) or maybe it's because winter has finally hit London and I just needed some warming music. It is BLOODY FREEZING outside. Or maybe it's just because there's been a Nana Grizol shaped hole on my ipod that I've just been ignoring. Whatever the reason...I just love this band, I really really do.
Two beautiful songs, with accompanying videos made by band member Laura Carter (also of Neutral Milk Hotel).
Starting with Galaxies
And then Blackbox
Both songs are just perfect.
Aww...memories coming back of seeing them last summer in Brooklyn. Such a perfect evening.
2010 has been an incredible year for gigs. I have seen so many amazing bands in so many amazing places and organising them into any sort of ranking would just be impossible. Below is a list of the ten gigs that sticks out in my head for one reason or another. Photos by me, unless ptherwise specified.
Japanther and Ninjasonik @ Hoodstock, NYC, USA - 22nd May 2010 This was an insane night. Incredible bands, playing in amazing space.
Nana Grizol – The Silent Barn, NYC, USA - 4th June 2010 It's hard to go wrong with such an amazing band, playing in such a small quirky "venue".
Andrew Jackson Jihad – The Gaff, London - 8th October 2010 They've been around for ages, but I only really discovered AJJ this year. If two people using only a double bass and an acoustic guitar can get a massive moshpit started in North London, they are definitely doing something right. Great show.
Jad Fair – The Salvage Vanguard Theatre, Austin, USA - 14th March 2010 I stumbled upon this show by accident. I'm a huge Half Japanese fan, so seeing Jad play was a very special treat indeed.
Withered Hand – The Wilmington Arms, London – 22nd January 2010 The first show I put on this year and a roaring success, despite equipment issues and the venue being too small for the demand. An incredible show.
Times New Viking, Pavement ATP, 14th May 2010 ATP was all about Pavement, but in levels of fun Times New Viking was hard to beat. From the first distorted note to the very last, the whole venue was just one giant moshpit of smiley happy people.
Trouble Books – The Betsey Trotwood, 14th September 2010 I have nothing to compare it to, so I don't know if this was particularly great Trouble Books show. One thing is certain, though - I absolutely adore this band and seeing them in the tiny Betsey Trotwood basement was always going to be special. It was the first time I'd seen them and I doubt they'll be back any time soon.
Best Fwends – Houston, USA - 13th March 2010 I was jet-lagged, drunk and lost in the weird and not especially wonderful world that is Houston, Texas. Best Fwends were running around like crazy, screaming along to a backing track of bleepy electro-punk and wrestling giant inflatable gargoyles. Obviously this was absolutely amazing.
Allo Darlin' – British Music Embassy, Austin, USA - 20th March 2010 I've seen Allo Darlin' over 30 times this year, but the one that sticks out in my memory is this early day-time show in Austin. It was great atmosphere, with free food and a free bar and the band just played a perfect set.
Les Savy Fav, Electric Ballrom, London – 22nd November 2010 What can I say? You had to be there. Absolutely insane.
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.
Here it is...part 2...apologies for the delay. Some camera issues.
Soooo…..after another night at Casa Skipping Stones we headed down south towards New Jersey. By now, the driving, touring and eating habits were lowering morale a tiny bit. We tried boosting it by getting some doughnuts, but when you're used to Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts just isn't cutting it…proved here by this rare photo of Paul 'Thunder' Rains struggling to look excited, even with a doughnut in his hand.
Sadly, I didn't bring my camera for the Allo Darlin' show in New Brunswick. When I say "didn't bring" I really mean "I stupidly forgot" so there are no pictures from what was really a great evening.
Next up: WASHING DAY! Oh the excitement.
Round and round and round and round
On Friday it was time for another NJ show, this time in Jersey City, in an art gallery across the road from this rather impressive mural.
Allo Darlin' did their thing and it was all awesome. Go New Jersey!
Early rise againa nd off to Smittenland, or Burlington, Vermont if you like. The Satnav took us the scenic route, which involved.....
A BEAR...
...apple pie (and more doughnuts)...
...a ferry...and eventually...
We headed straight to one of several Smittens HQ's in Burlington, where an abundance of amazing food and booze was waiting for us. Yay!
The evening show in Winooski was loads of fun and, once again, Moustache managed to get through our songs.
Bill Moustache setting up
Moustache of Insanity
A Smile and a Ribbon
David Smitten kicking my ass at some arcade game
Allo Darlin'
The Smittens
In the morning we had pizza and Blood Mary's for breakfast...calling it flatbreads makes it feel alot healthier. Cheese and booze, cheese and booze, cheese and booze.
Then after alot of panicking about Canadian border crossing, we headed to Montreal....for more music....again
A Smile and a Ribbon
The Smittens
Allo Darlin'
Canada was nice....or the little of it we saw was nice. People looked exactly like they do in South Park The Movie....pretty much.
Then back to Vermont....for a final brunch....and then..
GOOD BYE....end of tour...
But not before we stocked up on SWEEEEEEEEEEEETS!!!!
Lemonheads!!
We also had a bit of an accident after a run-in with a dickhead in a pick-up truck....and even got to meet a real State Trooper!!!
He had a cool hat and everything!
Back in New York, we had a few hours to kill and went to Ghostbusters fire station.
If there's something strange in your neighbourhood...
I bet they get plenty of prank phone calls.
The rest of Allo Darlin' left town , leaving me and Elizabeth to be tourists for a few days.
We did Coney Island, which was smaller than expected but awesome.
After a few days of shopping and doing nothing, we felt ready for some live music again. Two awesome bands playing in a house. It was a perfect way to end our New York adventures.
That's about it, really. We had a horrendously long journey back to London and will never fly American Airlines again....mainly for pretty much forcing me to watch The Tooth Fairy, something I wouldn't do to my worst enemy. I'm still jet-lagged and just want to sleep all the time. But it was a lot of fun. Alot of fun. Apart from The Tooth Fairy. Awful, awful, awful film.
Big massive mega thanks to everyone who came to the shows and said nice things to us and who helped out, by feeding us and letting us crash in their houses etc. You know who you are. There are spare beds all across London waiting for you when you need them :)
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.
Sadly, I didn't bring my camera for the Allo Darlin' show in New Brunswick. When I say "didn't bring" I really mean "I stupidly forgot" so there are no pictures from what was really a great evening.
Then after alot of panicking about Canadian border crossing, we headed to Montreal....for more music....again
He had a cool hat and everything!
