Silkworm - Firewater

Drinking music. There's two distinct types of drinking music if you ask me, I mean there's the "fuck yeah, I'm drunk and I don't give a fuck so I'ma sing/shout some songs and not give a fuck" type (Catch 22, Queen, mclusky, Big Black, Oasi-I mean wonderwall etc.) and then there's the "I'm only drinking so that I can forget about my problems because I am so sad, so very very sad" sort of stuff (Matt Elliott, everything else is small time). Silkworm are a band that fit snugly in the middle. They're loud and shouty enough to provide that "fuck yeah" kick but they're gloomy and down enough for that "fuck no" attitude.

Needless to say, I love Silkworm for this very reason.

Firewater is probably my favorite albums of theirs because it's just the right mix between the fuck yeah and the fuck no. I mean, it starts off with the good ol' "GOD DAMN THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT BROUGHT ME AND GOD DAMN YOU, MY FRIEND" shouty number "Nerves". But straight after you've got "Drunk" which is a pretty gloomy number about, well, drinking. The rest of the album follows suite with only one track sticking out like a sore thumb.

That track is called "Miracle Mile". It's a little acoustic number which lacks the fuzz and agression of the rest of the album but makes up for it in pure sincerity.

Oh.

And that kickass, fuzzy as fuck, louder than you can handle guitar solo that kicks in near the end. FUCK YEAH SILKWORM YOU ARE THE BEST BAND EVER.

Dig the likes of Archers of Loaf, Sebadoh and Polvo? Then this should already be in your collection.

Give it a listen

I woke up this morning after a heavy night of drinking with no real memory of what I did last night. I sure hope I didn't buy any more of those 90s american alternative rock albums. Every fucking time.

P.S. Eliot - Introverted Romance In Our Troubled Minds (2009)

Oh shit I love this album. It's like a mixture of everything I love in one beautiful, obscure record.

So get this. P.S. Eliot are this (near enough) all girl punk rock group that specialise in lovely fuzzy guitar melodies and even lovelier female vocals. Sounds like nothing special, right?

You're wrong.

Because they're so much more than just a punk rock band. They fuck that 3 power chords, 1-snare-3-4 drums and root note bassline routine and trade it in for sharp, catchy guitar lines that are reminiscent of twee pop bands like The Pastels and Shop Assistants, and a whole bunch of americana attitude (is dat sum harmonica?).

Don't get me wrong, they still write about those always-relevant-to-your-life-and-your-life-only songs that touch upon love and loss and all that crap. But it all feels so genuine. And I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for female vocals. Especially if the band is going to be singing somewhat bitter love songs.

So, to sum up. Female vocals, americana drenched punk pop, catchy as fuck, listen to it.

Give it a listen

Introverted Purchase In These Troubled Times?

HeyguesswhatI'mbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Sorry about the dead blog thing to all those people who give a damn (sooooo, no one?). Fuck knows I've got a shitload of albums to share, so let's just get to the nitty gritty.

For those who are remotely interested I have fixed the link in the last three posts I made (which had corrupted rars due to my internet being a dick, I presume). So you can actually download those albums now and listen to more than, say, two tracks. Yeah?

I'm not sure if I'm going to do regular updates or nuthin (read as: I know I'm not going to do regular updates) but be sure to check on this blog every once in a while because I'ma try my hardest to keep it alive. I've already got, like, shitloads of albums uploaded and ready to share so you've got a lot to look forward to. There's gonna be some math rock and some slowcore and some twee pop and some all girl punk groups and some 90s american alternative rock and so much more.

It's gonna be rad as fuck. Oh. And I'm starting right now.

Pulled Apart By Horses - Pulled Apart By Horses (2010)

So a while back I went to see Grammatics live with a bro. Whilst they were certainly the stars of the show to us they were actually there supporting Rolo Tomassi along with some other band from Leeds that no one had heard of. However, withing seconds of them playing I was in love with their energetic, upbeat post-hardcore tunes. I bought their EP and a tshirt and left that night a happy man.

So two years (I think, probably less actually) later they finally have a full length out. And it is gooooooooooooood.

I know I usually post angsty, depressing emotional bullshit on this blog but fuck that, lay your troubles by the door and listen to this. This has to be one of the most invigorating albums I've ever heard, it just makes me want to get up and dance like an idiot. Catchy hooks and riifs along with some shout a long choruses, fuck it's Future Of The Left all over again.

HIGH FIVE! SWAN DIVE! NOSE DIVE!

If you get the chance to see these guys live you'd better go see them live. I know I'm going to sometime soon (if only to buy a new tshirt, the one I bought last time is too baggy, really)

Give it a listen

AWESOME, RADICAL, AWESOME, TOTALLY WORTH BUYING (Jesus, that was lame)

And I'm coining the term "shoutcore". Deal with it.

Note: I realise this review is shit and doesn't let the reader know if this album is up their street or not...but fuck you, I'll re-write it the same time I re-write those other reviews.

Another note: Fixed the link. So now you can actually listen to this album. lololol

Home - XIV (2000)

I've decided that regular updates are lame because I can honestly say I don't discover stuff worth posting that regularly. Instead I'm just going to post when I find an album I want to share. So just check up on this blog every few weeks or so and you'll find some new albums no doubt. Also, I'm getting really fed up of starting all of my posts with these sorts of things.

So recently I have been slowly working my way through every album Dave Fridmann has produced. So far it's been mostly underwhelming with only the Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips and Delgados releases (most of which I was already familiar with) sticking out as awesome. Okay, I lied, they aren't the only releases...

I had never heard of Home before a few weeks ago but after grabbing this album and loving it I've started to make my way through their other sixteen albums (including one which came out this year which you should totally look out for). But what is it about them that's so great? Well, let me just say this...

Mercury Rev + Guided By Voices = Home

FUCK YES, YOU HEARD ME. Even though this was their first album to actually be, y'know, produced and all (by Dave Fridmann no less, how they did that I'd like to know) they still retain some of the lo-fi sound that they had on their earlier albums. That combined with their often simple, 60s inspired pop songs gives them a definite Guided By Voices twang. But then there's some big bodacious Mercury Rev (a la Deserter's Songs) orchestration going on in there as well as those trippy lyrics and hooks that Mercury Rev love so much.

So, let me get this straight. Big sounding, yet lo-fi, psychedelic 60's pop that was recorded by some 90's american alternative rock band?

SIGN ME UP. RIGHT NOW.
(also the track "Aguirre (Exterior)" totally sounds like it belongs on Clouds Taste Metallic by The Flaming Lips, fuck yeah)


Give it a listen

The only albums I buy are Dave Fridmann aproved albums

Note: Fixed the link. So now you can actually listen to this album. lololol

Graham Parker - Squeezing Out Sparks (1979)

Starting now I am going to try and update this thing somewhat regularly again. So enjoy it whilst it lasts!

Todays album is an often overlooked new wave classic. Now when you bring up the term new wave people have to bring up artists like Elvis Costello and Talking Heads, and for good reason (no doubt) but very few people will be familiar with the name Graham Parker.

And that's bullshit.

Graham Parker was like Elvis Costello in terms of sound, appearence and attitude but certainly not consistancy. Y'see, Elvis Costello is great...as long as we're talking about anything he released before 1983. Graham Parker is different, sure he peaked '88 but he continues to release pretty good (see: not bad by any means 6/10) albums to this day.

Now I know you're eager to listen to this glorious man already, but with a back catalogue that stretched back around 30 years it's hard to know where to start. So here, start with his most mainstream, critically acclaimed and well known album. Why? Because it has the song Passion Is No Ordinary Word which is the jam of a fucking life time.

Dig it.

Give it a try

I don't mind giving my pocket change to a genius musician who continues to make great music to this day despite the fact that commercial success and money will always elude him


Note: Fixed the link. So now you can actually listen to this album. lololol

Grammatics - Grammatics (2009)

Yes, I didn't update for over a month. No I don't really care.

So, Grammatics are a band I got into ages ago (see: before they were cool) back in the long forgotten year that was known as 2008. I was lucky enough to stumble across an article in some trendy, indie magazine (see: not NME) that namedropped this band called "Grammatics" and seemed to imply that they were somewhat decent. So I gave them a quick search on spotify and was surprised to see that such an obscure hip-as-fuck band would have a few songs on something like spotify. BUT I DIGRESS!

Long story short, I listened to their singles (and b-sides) and fell in love with their amazingly fresh, clean, and downright amazing sound. How a band made up of 4 people could create such a sound blew my mind, it seemed impossible. The only thing that was more impossible was trying to describe their sound to friends, ugh, let's see how I did shall we?

"they're like arcade fire if arcade fire only had 4 of its members"
"if alphabeat were more english...and not as poppy"
"mogwai-esque guitars from time to time, choir boy singing, killer drums...but it's all good. I SWEAR"

I don't think I ever really gave them credit, to be honest. Let's see if I can do a better job now.

So, each track they do is different and as a result it's hard to describe their overall sound since I guess there isn't one. Still, their lead singer has this angelic voice...but he plays guitar as well, and he used to be in a hard rock band (and it shows). But they've got this deeper, lusher, orchestrated sound. They always sound a bit eerie and weird. In fact, this album is interspersed with lots of random sound clips of people talking and such (sort of Smiths-esque).

Again, I'm not doing them credit. But it's hard to, since they're such an important band to me. Everything about them reminds me of a very important but odd time in my life, and I vividly remember listening to them every monday morning (another long story) and I certainly remember the day their debut album finally came out and I went out to get it (except I didn't, I got it the day after but shut it). It's an album that I sort of tossed away, I didn't listen to it too much. It was filled with different cuts of the songs I had listened to so much, and all of the new tracks weren't too great. Having listened to it again recently I can tell you that it's an amazing album with nothing but strong tracks. Especially "Broken Wing" which has always been my favorite track of theirs.

Give it a listen. You know you want to.

(also, I had a lot of brackets in this post, sorry about that)

(OH, and hopefully I'll start updating this blog thing again)

Give it a try

I bought it, so why don't you?

>Implying Surf Week

In case you couldn't figure this out yourself I'll just tell you.

Surf Week isn't this week, and it might not even be next week.

Too much stuff to do, but goddamn, I will post ALL the albums sometime soon.
Enjoy my oddly drawn Sonic for now.

Surf Week: Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Surfers' Choice (1962)

Look outside the window. Now, sure, you're looking out of a different window to me but as far as I'm concerned we're probably looking out at the same thing. Shit. It's at that point right now that isn't quite winter but isn't quite summer, it's still cold as fuck and it even rains more but there's no festivity or anything to make up for it. Goddamn, I hate spring. So, in order to hurry summer along and to have a wonderful time on the way there I have decided that it is SURF WEEK!

Surf Rock is a strange genre of music, it's something everybody knows (trust me, you know surf rock classics like Misirlou and Wipeout) and yet very few people listen to. It's been lost to time, and it's a shame because it's a wonderful style of music that fuses everything from blues to traditional greek music. So, see if you can't borrow your dads car this weekend, because me and the rest of the gang are grabbing our favorite gals and headin' out to the beach to catch some gnarly waves and my car is in the shop, total bummer, huh? So come on dude, hang eight and come on over.

So, in order to start this Surf Week off I figured we should start with THE surf rock album. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the genre (read as: all of you) this will make a great starting point, after all it is the debut album of one of surf rocks greatest practioners: Dirk Dale.

Dirk Dale is a guitar god. His name might not pop up as often as Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page but he is just as talented, and his sound is just as well known. Making full use of his Fender amps "wet" spring reverb (people thought that this setting on the amp made guitars sound like the waves, I don't know why, but don't argue k?) Dale played fast paced instrumental rock that took inspiration from just about everything. After hearing this album a load of kids picked up the guitar and formed their own surf rock bands and so the genre was born.

So come on, listen to the original surf rock album. You'll recognise a bunch of the tracks like Dales' rendition of Sloop John B (a song that would be made famous by The Beach Boys a few years later) and I'm sure a lot of it will be brand new to you.

Give it a listen

Look like a cool cat who listens to everything. Buy a surf rock record to put in your collection, today!

Come - Gently Down The Stream (1998)

Every city has a bunch of skinny white kids, clad in jeans and tshirts, playing noisy, slightly angsty, guitar driven alternative rock.

Now you could argue that Boston had Pixies, or The Breeders, heck you could even argue that The Lemonheads wer-the point is that the hilariously named Come may very well be a better answer.

Sounding like a mix between Seam and Archers of Loaf (and probably a bunch of other 90s american alternative rock bands that you've never heard of) Come recorded four incredible albums in the seven years the were together, no small feat I'm sure you'll agree.

Gently Down The Stream is, in my humble opinion, their finest release. It was the last album they put out and as a result shows the band pulling out all the stops, creating an album that's pretty different to their more slowcore inspired debut (which is also worth a listen if you can find a copy). At times it sounds almost blues rockish, sounding like something The White Stripes could have recorded way back when but at other times this sounds like the angst ridden, soundscapes that Seam threw together.

I don't know what else to write (I feel like I've written these exact same paragraphs for every other 90s indie band I've covered on this blog) but trust me when I say that this is an overlooked classic. There isn't a single bad track, instead each song is memorable and interesting. Sometimes they're unpredicatble, noisy and angry like in Stomp but sometimes they're incredly well thought, almost sorrowful and just plain incredible on tracks like Former Model.

If you're a fan of 90s alternative rock or a fan of good music you need to check this out (you owe it to yourself).

Give it a listen

Maybe if I buy this they'll reform? Hell, it worked for Pavement (anything is possible)

Danny And The Champions Of The Worlds - Streets Of Our Time (2010)

Country music gets a lot of bad rep, and most of it is completely unjust. Don't get me wrong, I understand where all the hate comes from, artists like Tammy Wynette (Stand by your maaaaaaaan) and Billy Ray Cyrus (Mah achey breaky heart) are godawful excuses for musicians. But trust me when I say this, country music can be incredibly beautiful, amazingly sorrowful and sometimes just downright fun.

This here is probably my favorite album to come out this year so far. Sure it's only February and so a comment like that could be taken quite lightly - but don't. This album is fucking excellent, no doubt about it.

Danny And The Champions Of The World are never gonna make it big. I know that's a terribl thing to say but it's true. The fact is that their wonderful mix of Neil Young style vocals, Jayhawks harmonies, Welcome Wagon soul and indie-go-lucky americana is never going to be down with the kids (see: first paragraph). It's a real shame as well, because thier heartfelt songs that hark back to many a fond memory are so easy to relate to (well, they are if you spent many a summer in the country: walking besides streams and rivers and old railway tracks) and immensly enjoyable to listen to.

So they're not going to get popular but that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to them.

Link's fix'd, enjoy!

Give it a listen

Country music is popular and I buy music. Anything is possible in opposite world!

Favorite Tracks: The Flaming Lips - The Captain

The Flaming Lips - The Captain
From "The Soft Bulletin 5.1/Outtakes"
Year: 1999?



If you don't mind, I'm just going to write a paragraph about me and this blog rather than this song.

This is what my blog was originally going to be; me talking about my favorite songs. Somewhere along the way (I think it was after one post) I figured that was a terrible idea and that I should just do what all great blogs do and provide people with links to awesome music. The thing is I alway had the same goal, to talk about music that I dig and (hopefully) get more people listening to some of the artists that don't get enough love. And you know what? That means that I can still do the occassional post about a favorite track. So there.

So what can I tell you about this track? I mean, apart from the fact that it's the best thing The Flaming Lips have recorded ever. I guess I could explain were the hell it came from. So pull up a pew, stick the kettle on and get comfy.


I don't know where this track came from.


I wish I did, but I have no idea when this was written and recorded so it's hard to explain how this amazing track came about. It was probably written during the Zaireeka sessions, when The Flips were experimenting like crazy, trying to change their sound to something completely different. And so we have this.

It starts with some very dramatic (and most likey synth'd) orchestration. Horns blur, strings flood in and chimes, uh, chime. But then it all ends. That great big wall of sound that just built up just fades away into nothingness and we're left with Wayne Coyne singing over some acoustic guitar strumming (and the beautiful piano playing of Mr. Steven Drozd). He's singing something about how things are "really bad" and that "this one here won't make it to the land". None of it makes sense, not that Flaming Lips songs usually do but still. A few more lines are sung before it speeds up a little bit. The lyrics are creating tension as Wayne Coyne begs "The Captain" to make an exception. It's all building up, and then the drums kick in. Something big is coming up, and you know it.

"Instead of being bold about it..."

And then the organ wails like a banshee.

"The Captain's being cooooooooold!!"

That wall of sound that opened the track is back, and louder, noisier and more beautiful than ever. You've got this incredibly awesome, almost shoegazey, vibe going on. The strings sound like they've been taken straight from My Bloody Valentines Touched, and Wayne keeps on singing those same lines.

"Instead of being bold about it..."

Needless to say, by the end of this track I am usually stood up out of my seat, arms raised in the air as I sing along at the top of my voice.

I really wasn't joking when I said it was the best thing The Flaming Lips have ever recorded.

The Lawrence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever Told (2003)

I.O.U. - A shitload of album uploads, reviews, music mlarky and blog updates in general. I should find time to do all of the above soon.

In the meantime you can take this as a placeholder, one of the best pop punk albums to come out of...well, ever. I highly recommend it.

I can't believe I posted this IOU without actually posting a link to the upload. HURPA DURPA.

Give it a listen

The Greatest Album Ever Bought

The Welcome Wagon - Welcome to the Welcome Wagon (2008)

Would you take a look at that cover art. Ain't it something? I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Makes it look like the album is going to be some guy and his wife singing songs about love and jesus.

Wait a minute. That's exactly what it is.

Still, you should never judge a book my its cover, because if you did you'd end up missing out on a load of great music, and this album is no different.

So, The Welcome Wagon is actually reverend Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique, and a bunch of gospel singers that back them up. Oh, and Sufjan Stevens. Yeah, that's right, Sufjan is involved. He produced the album and as a result it just oozes Sufjan, abeit a more religious than usual Sufjan.

So you've got a lovely christian married couple singing indie pop songs with gospel singers in the background and Stevens' production techniques slapped on for good measure. It sounds like a mixed bag and many people will be put off by the whole religious aspect of it, but fuck that, it's good music. End of.

You know you want to hear this now.

Give it a listen

Buying this album is like buying my way into heaven, right?

The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin Outtakes

This is just a small post I'm making because I care.

The Flaming Lips are one of my favorite bands and I recently bought (hey, some of us have to do it) The Soft Bulletin 2009 reissue and was happy to discover it came with a little bonus CD that contains 3 songs that were cut from The Soft Bulletin. Now I'm sure a lot of you guys already have these since they also came with The Soft Bulletin 5.1 but that wasn't released everywhere so a lot of people missed out on these songs.

They're great tracks, real top notch stuff. The Captain, has to be one of the coolest Flaming Lips songs I've heard, with a sort of shoegaze (a la My Bloody Valentine) sound to it. There's also the undeniably sweet Satellite of You, which is just one big ol' metaphor for love. Awww, bless.

So, grab it if you don't already got it.

Give it a listen

Double 180 gram LP reissue of one of the greatest albums of all time, complete with bonus cd of outtakes that are as good as the stuff that made the cut? Huh...I might buy that

Sea Snakes - Clear as Day, the Darkest Tools (2004)

So, your hipster cred is down and you need an album to boost it back up. Well, I've got this album...let's get the checklist and see how it fares.

1. Must be by a non-british/non-american band. Check
2. Must be the only album by said band. Check
3. Must have less than 2,000 listeners on last.fm. Check
4. Album art must not have the name of the band or album on it. Check

Oh, well there you go. You'll have to check out this slice of indie pie.

Sea Snakes only put out one album (this one, hurr durr) before each member went off to do his own thing (maybe you heard of one or two of them). It's a darn shame as well, because this is one of the best albums that I've heard in a long time.

Not too dissimilar from A Weather I suppose, they have that same quiet/quiet dynamic and both bands kick out some beautiful songs, but Sea Snakes have a certain sound to them. They're quite wintery, I guess. They sound like they're playing in a shed in the middle of winter, that's what it is. And I suppose the lack of a female vocalist makes their songs less sweet and more emotional. Think A Weather and American Football mixed together with a pinch of I Am Robot And Proud and you might get an idea of what I'm talking about. Better yet, get the damn album.

Quiet, acoustic-ish, wintery, indie cred boosting indie pop. Get on it.

Give it a listen

I would spend money in order to boost my indie cred. COME ONNNNNNN.

UT - In Gut's House (1987)

Okay, so now that the holiday season really has come to an end I should hopefully be updating this thing on a regular basis. Don't quote me on that, though.

So what's todays album all about, then? Nothing much, really. Just an amazing, long forgotten, punk album that came out of artsy New York way back in the mid 80s. Disorientated, multi-part vocals are layered over some jagged, atonal guitars with some rather minimilistic drumming that sort of fades into the discordant noise the guitars and vocals produce. It's all very artsy and raw.

Of course, you could argue that it's one of those albums that's easier to appreciate rather than enjoy. Something about a bunch of women playing experimental punk rock must've been pretty impressive back in the day, and it probably holds some significance even now.

But fuck that, I just think it sounds awesome.

Give it a listen

This album is so different, just like me. I'm actually going to BUY this.

Top 10 LPs of 2009

10. Watercolor Paintings - Open Your Mouth

This right here is one of the sweetest albums to come out this year. You've got two kids, brother and sister, throwing out some simple yet beautiful tracks. Think Nana Grizol meets Joanna Newsom in your basement with a tape recorder and you'll have an idea of what these guys sound like. Check it out.

Give it a listen
They're so sweet I think I'll visit their myspace


9. The Loneliest Cowgirls - I Shall Be Free

Some people will judge me for liking this record but I don't care. For those out of the loop The Loneliest Cowgirls is the brainchild of some 16 year old kid living in Montana. And it's painfully obvious that these songs are the bedroom recordings of a heartbroken kid with a guitar, but that just makes it all the better. It's raw, emotional trash and it's excellent.

Give it a listen


8. Ramona Falls - Intuit

Ramona Falls is one third of awesome indie band Menomena and this is his debut solo effort. And man-oh-man is it good. Catchy tunes, beautiful instrumentation and powerful lyrics. At times it actually gets pretty dramatic and almost theatrical, providing a truly interesting listen. It's creative, it's different and it's a little bit special. Couldn't recommend this more.

Give it a listen
I'm so artsy and cool I'm actually going to buy this


7. The Starlets - I Wake Up Dreaming

Nobody seems to know who The Starlets are. Let me tell you now, they're one of the best bands to come out of this decade. Hauntingly beautful dream pop is this Glascow bands forte and they push the boat out on their latest album. At times it's painfully melancholic but sometimes, just sometimes, a beautiul ray of joy pokes its head out of the lush soundscape. Sure they've recycled some of the songs of their earlier albums (particularly Further Into The Night) but you've not heard those either so shut up.

Give it a listen


6. The Leisure Society - The Sleeper

Calm, soothing, wonderous, relaxing, beautiful. All of these words (and no doubt more) can be applied to this album, and indeed the band responsible for it. This is another one of those albums that seemed to come out of nowhere and unfortunately only a few people found out about it. This album shows what this band is capable of and is definately one of the best debuts this year. I wish them nothing but luck in the future, and I'll always be keeping an eye out for them.

Give it a listen
These guys sound so cool I'm going to buy their LP AND EP


5. fun. - Aim and Ignite

Marmite.
This album is marmite. Some people love it like no other and others hate it with a firey passion. It's an odd thing, really. Some people really love the upbeat, broadway-esque music and the often overly-dramatic vocals and these people take nothing but joy in singing along to All The Pretty Girls which just oozes Queen. But then some people hate all that. I have my suspicions that those people are boring.

Give it a listen
You BUY marmite? Hahaha, oh wow


4. Jeffrey Lewis And The Junkyard - 'Em Are I

Folk-punk seems to be the hip new thang with bands like Andrew Jackson Jihad and Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains becoming ever more popular with their short, sweet songs that get stuck in your head for days on end. Andrew Jackson Jihad even released a new album this year, but it ain't got a patch on 'Em Are I. Sure, each to their own but this album doesn't have a kazoo sonata whilst it does have an 8 minute experimental epic that is equal parts folk-punk, jazz and post-rock. Sound interesting? You bet your ass it is.

Give it a listen
I would pay good money for an 8 minute folk-punk/jazz/post-rock track alone


3. Stardeath And White Dwarves - The Birth

If you've seen The Flaming Lips on tour recently you no doubt saw this bunch of kids supporting them. Stardeath And White Dwarves are an excellent band who have but out one of the most remarkable albums this year. Flaming Lips comparisons aside this is a beautiful, psychedelic, experimental and downright groovy album. Each track is different, from the funky, noisy masterpiece that is Those Who Are From The Sun Return To The Sun or the amazingly beautiful album closer Smoking Pot Makes Me Not Want to Kill Myself.

Give it a listen
Smoking pot makes me want to buy albums


2. Pomegranates - Everybody, Come Outside!

I dont know how to describe these guys. Uhh...as if Vampire Weekend weren't as boring and had a tonne more influences? And they're signed to Lujo Records (proud parents of Look Mexico) so you know they can't be bad. This album is immensly enjoyable, with each track being a little quirky indie gem. I don't know what else to say, it's just a really great album and I honestly can't wait to hear more of these guys.

Give it a listen
Quirky indie music? I'm going to buy a copy and show it to all my hip indie friends


1. Future of the Left - Travels With Myself And Another

I always knew this was my #1, from the moment I pushed play. Maybe it was the quiet opening that made me turn up the volume only to be scared to death by some guy shouting "C'MON RICK, I'M NOT PRIZE" at the top of his voice. But I always knew. This is the second album from the welsh noise rock band made up from the broken pieces of the always relevent Mclusky. This album is an agressive, noisy, sometimes funny collection of songs about everything from the army to plastic forks. With its awesome riffs, catchy-as-fuck songs and shout along choruses it certainly deserves the title of my album of the year.

Give it a listen
C'MON RICK, I'M NOT A PRIZE. I'M NOT A CYNIC OR ONE OF THOSE GUYS.


Well that's it for my top 10 LPs but I think I might compile a short list of favorite EPs as well, so keep an eye out.