NME Can Go Bollocks!!

So the NME have released their Top 50 whatever albums of this year, which generally has been a rather good year in the world of music! However... THESE NEW PURITANS at number one! are they having a fucking laugh!

So I've never got These New Puritans, and with the release of their second album this year 'Hidden' it has given me a reason to 'not get them' even more. It Sounds like The Flight Of The Concords doing a version of 'Dark Side Of The Moon', Seriously, nobody deserves that. Don't get me wrong I Love FOTC and 'Dark Side Of The Moon' is a massive guilty pleasure of mine, however this is neither Funny nor is it Psychedelic prog pop. What it is however is a bloody mess from start to finish!

And yeah, I do think 'Suburbs' should have been at the top spot, and yes, there is many people who reckon they are a bunch of over hyped annoying canadian pretentious wankers. This maybe true however, I'm a bit of an Arcade Fire fan boy and I think its great... So there!!

The Reason I'm Slating the NME here is because, like it or not, they hold the main responsibility for getting 'good music' out to the masses, as it is much more accessible than; The Fly, Drowned In Sound, PitchFork, Blalocks etc etc. And unfortunately, some people see the NME as their only option as a musical reference, which is fine, and despite what people say it is generally good. But they can't go promoting BOLLOCKS like 'Hidden' with the accessibility they have!

And on another note, yet still sticking with the same subject. There is many albums on that list that should be higher up; Perfume Genius for a start is in a lot of peoples top ten's this year. However its at the back end of the NME's list, WHY? Its fucked up, WEIRD, perverse, and at the same time charming and has more depth than 'Hidden' has in its title alone, whats not to like about that record...Nothing. And Why Isn't Johnny Flynn's new one up there, thats brill. Also Male Bonding is at the back aswell, that is a great great record, bringing pop punk back with a brand new outlook, and was one of the only things that kept me going for 2months spent in a horrible part of Europe! (can't live without ya ipod)

Talking about overseas, at the moment California needs to be wiped off the musical map, its producing bollocks, utter utter bollocks that everyone seems to like and there is no reason they should as they are well... BOLLOCKS. Best Coast, Avi Buffalo and especially, especially Beach House should not make music, as they cant! And its NOT a new sound its the californian sound the same californian sound thats been around for years, and the majority of Beach House lyrics make me want to rip my ears off shove them down my throat and shit them out of my arse. Vulgar YES, but so is the music, you get what you give!

Anyway rant over, Good Night!!! x

Charles Haddon!

On Friday at the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium, Charles Haddon the lead singer of the band Ou Est Le Swimming Pool committed suicide at the age of 22. For many, the band had the "next big thing" label attached to them, and deservedly so. I have managed to see the band twice over the last year or so, and they were pretty damn good. And what with their increasing small army of fans and a number of great ep's and singles under their belts, such as, 'Jacksons Last Stand', 'These New Knights' and the brilliant 'Dance The Way I Feel', they were a band who seemed to be going for the big time. With their debut album, 'Christ died for our synths' originally due out for an october release, it is still unsure weather it will now, ever see the light of day. I hope so, as we will have something to remember them by. If not, and either still, what a waste of a talent that was.

My Top 5 Albums of The Year, So Far....

We are now half way through the year and here are my top 5 albums so far -

5. Tokyo Police Club 'Champion' - This is a great little record, and packs some great punches. From the off TPC always moved away from jumping on the strokes bandwagon, and although this is much more radio friendly than their debut, or second album 'Elephant shell' they still have a unique sound that keeps them apart from their canadian contemporaries.

4. Beach House 'Teen Dream' - This album really fucking annoys me. The lyrics are far from great, the tracks are painfully samey and the vocals are to a personal taste, but i just cant help falling in love with it more and more on every listen, and thats why its at my number 4 spot.

3. Crystal Castles 'Crystal Castles II" - This is up there with 'Merryweather Post Pavillion' for being one of the greatest electronic albums of the last couple of years. A much different and distinct sound than their debut. Pure Magic!

2. Male Bonding 'Nothing Hurts' - I'm really in love with this new lo-fi london scene at the minute, and male bonding seem to be flying the flag for it. A brilliant album with a lovely garage sound to it.

1. Arcade Fire 'The Suburbs' - I think i have said everything i need to about this Gem, so I wont say any more. Utter Classic in every respect!

After The Hype, All Is Still NICE!!!!

So, Arcade Fires 'The Suburbs' has happily grounded itself in at the number 1 album slot for 4 weeks now, but after the hype is it still the album we thought it was going to be, and initially thought it was?

Well Fucking yes, YES IT IS!! And why? because every time you put it on you get a new favourite. It is probably the greatest produced alternative rock album of the last five years! (Produced heavily with a natural feeling to it, courtesy of Markus Dravs)

It really is one of those records which is oh so rare these days, that gives the listener something new on every single listen. At first there were a few songs which didn't get my attention as much as 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)' or the punky anthem of 'Month Of May'. However nearly every song grabs me by the balls now and messes with my senses much more then any album of the last year. Songs such as 'Rococo' and 'Modern Man' are making me break the repeat button like the above mentioned songs did at first. Still it is an 'album' album and works well together, much like the band itself. Sprawl II for example is the greatest pop song of the year, FACT!!!. And why it works is the best thing about it, nobody knows. Surely a song that sounds like the best thing the 'Nolan sisters' never wrote, and has the far from perfect voice of Regine singing the lead should get no credibillity, but it does, PLENTY! And its these unpredictable sounds and not knowing exactly how it works which makes, 'The Suburbs' A Classic!!

And on that note, why is no one else stating the fact but saying it. What i mean by this is, why do music magazines and articles feel like they are too important to give albums such as 'The Suburbs' 10/10 ratings when what they are saying about the album, in the article gives it that rating. For example the NME gave it a 9/10 giving no indication that they felt that the album was sloppy for a second, and finished off the article by calling it "Perfect". And the Beeb, (And this really pissed me off) gave it 9.5/10, and finished their article on the album by saying, "This is their 'OK Computer' but arguably its better than that". I'm sorry, but you cant go around making statements like that, then not give the album full marks. Weather you agree with the statement or not is beyond the point, the point is why do these articles always seem to hold back, and exactly what is it their holding back for.