Moments of 2010

1) Seeing Paul Banks of Interpol fiddling with the tuning of his guitar for the pitch-bends in the song The New is possibly one of the most amazing things I have witnessed. Only Interpol.

This is the gig I was at. So the quality could be better. But I was here! So you are having this one.

2:31 for those amazing pitch bends.





2) Whilst attending Leeds Festival this year was something I did a lot of complaining about when I think back to it I definitely do not get all nostalgic and think of it for something better. It was dirty. I was cold. But, fuck me, Funeral Party were incredible. An absolute force. I cannot wait for their tour in the spring and their album which you can pre-order here!

Giant Song by Funeral Party



3) Which leads me onto my next moment. The moment I discovered SoundCloud... Well, probably not so much that moment in the moment, but it certainly had major repercussions after. A brilliant medium to discover new artists and share them. Or hoard them to yourself. Whatever works for you.

Without SoundCloud I wouldn't have stumbled upon the next artists when I did.



4) The first time I heard Odessa by Caribou I knew my life was going to be irrevocably changed thereafter. Words fail me. I cannot adequately express what this album has come to be to me. But suffice to say it is seminal.

And here is the bloody whole album thanks to SoundCloud!

Swim by Caribouband



5) I've only gone and possibly saved the best til last!

Gold Panda has literally rocked my world. Upon discovering You I wondered what the point in continuing with this whole musical journey was. A bit how I felt after discovering The Field. And whilst not a million miles away from one another. I think Gold Panda is wholly more accessible and gives me much more the inclination to dance.

The pinnacle moment was seeing him live. In that funny little club The Cut in Newcastle. Seeing him jump about and hit those buttons with perfect precision for his awkward rhythms and the crowd absolutely lapping it up was the best gig I have been to in a long time. Sometimes your idols fail to inspire you and there is that cliché that goes along with it, but Derwin Panda has made my 2010. I am very grateful.

Here is the infamous You, followed by Snow & Taxis:

You by Gold Panda

Snow & Taxis by Gold Panda

Kicking my heels!

And I swear, when I feel like kicking my heels, I do actually do it. Quite well too! Good news, a day to get things done, a peek of sunshine. No money or food, but that is always the case! I'll survive.

This whole General Election is pretty much freaking me out. I get scared that I'll soon have to look for a new home, in Scotland, and uproot my life there. And generally, I'm far too philosophical to really pledge my alliance to any political party. But having seen a barrage of Conservative posters in the country side that surrounds Teesside recently I've considered putting a Lib Dem poster in my window. And a Labour poster. Or something that states free-choice. Or something crude that says "Vote for whoever, as long as it's not the Conservatives or the BNP".

So the article Tory lead narrows amid huge voter disenchantment is something to smile at. And, ~swoon~, Jon Snow last night talking to 'the people on the street' about the Tory plans and getting laughed at. Oh, it is very nice. Reportedly people would rather see a hung parliament over either a Labour of Conservative government. I think it is morbid curiosity. Part of me would like to see a hung parliament!

Anyway, my hero so far, and a lot of people's from what I can gather is Vince "The" Cable. I definitely have a bit of one of my notorious crushes there. The Cable is dreamy and he makes me laugh. Ladies, what more could you ask for?!

Yesterday on the bus home from work, I had a headache, I was forcing myself to read my book on the ever depressing subject of neoliberalism, the elderly lady next to me was doing that annoying thing where someone sits on your coat. Hope was non-existent. As it so often is on public transport. Then I looked up from reading the name Thatcher for about the 100th time to see a 'Vote Lib Dem' poster in someones window on the first floor of a flat on a main road. My hand automatically dropped my book and pressed against the glass. Hope. At the time one of my favourite tracks was reaching it's pinnacle. And I swear, it was all I could do not to shed a tear at the beauty of it all.

The Field - Everyday [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

The overt and publicly political nature of this post has made me cringe and blush at myself, I do not do this sort of thing normally and probably won't be doing so again. I apologise.

(Loosest of all) Album of the Year

The Field with Yesterday and Today.

The Field - The More That I Do [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

Also the most magical gig I have attended this year, quite possibly.

Noises of 2007

Digitalism - Jupiter Moon at 2 minutes 52 seconds. Introducing the wailing that wasn’t really expected as part of the climax of this tense work up. That exact noise will make some vital organ explode in enjoyment. Digitalism on MySpace.



Roisin Murphy - Overpowered (Herve and Roisin in the sercret garden remix) at 2 minutes 31 seconds. My ears are tempted to believe this remix to be mediocre at best, that is up until this exact moment. That deep noise that kicks right to the core is no more the shining beacon of Herve's talents though it is in, what I think may be overlooked, this fantastic remix. I actually played this remix to death in 2007.



Joanna Newsom - Colleen at 1 minute 16 seconds. Like a pop of sheer delight. A chance to see this noise performed live should not be missed. It is absolutely one of the most exciting musical performances I can recall with ease of 2007. Recreating this noise yourself is funny and on a more serious note will make you appreciate the wonder of Joanna Newsom. Joanna Newsom fansite. (Anyone pedantic enough to point out this track is not from 2007 originally can bugger off, I love it and listened to it in 2007, and also, it was released on the Y’s Street Band EP in 2007, this comment is mainly aimed at a friend of mine.)



The Field - Everyday at 2 minutes and 41 seconds. Hairs on end. Swarmed by emotion. Moved to tears. There are bearly enough cliché phrases to actually resemble in any way what this does. Beyond all comprehensible ideals. Surpasses anything once deemed beautiful. Absolutely everyone should own the album From Here We Go To Sublime. The only album to unite a house in 2007. The Field on MySpace.

All tracks are via YouSendIt and will be available for 7 days.

The Field

The Field has somewhat fallen into my world from, I'm not really sure where.

And I am insanely grateful.

From Here We Go To Sublime is something I felt I almost stepped into. I felt I was wearing the sound and music as it filled my ears. It completely enveloped me from beginning to end.

I don't want to say too much on it.

Words may erode this piece of joy.

It is a seamless album. Making the album format something to love once again after being barraged with just 'tracks' in and of themselves for a long while now.

And with the Simian Mobile Disco album looming I feel that the album format will make a welcome return for most.

Buy From Here We Go To Sublime.