The Obligatory Best of 2007 According to Sandy - Albums part 2

So at last we come to the end - the 5 best records of 2007. Seek these out and you shall find aural pleasures beyond your wildest dreams. Listen and love...


5.Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future

Overhyped by certain music publications this is nonetheless a great debut album. A mess of sounds crafted with some sublime production into a whole that somehow manages to cling to coherence by its fingernails, this is a high-pitched manic record that rattles along at a frenetic pace. Full of high pitched vocals, manic yelps and slightly out of tune harmonies this is not a purist musician's album, it's about the whole being more than just the sum of its parts. Forget the labels, don't even try to dance to it - just stick it on loud and try to work out how the hell it works. I dare you.

Key Tracks: Atlantis To Interzone, Golden Skans, Gravity's Rainbow, Two Receivers




4.Mumm-Ra - These Things Move In Threes

Just when you though nobody could make a proper British starry-eyed pop album anymore these guys create an absolute masterpiece. This albums is all about two things- tunes and enery and it as more than enough of both. Theres a sweet childlike innocence on display here - everything is full of sunshine and glee throughout with no real dark moments. Don't mistake this for a lack of depth though, the lyrics are neat and never trite and the songwriting has a real sophistication behind it. Like a well produced kids TV programme, they have made something enjoyable for kids and parents alike. This is the years perkiest album that is irresistable in tis enthusiasm. Just listen to 'Out Of The Question with a group of friends and odds are you'll all be daning around the room like a bunch of loons before even having a drink. If you are looking for an album that is fun, unadshamedly poppy and yet doesn't get boring, irritating or predictable after a few listens this is undoubtedly what you are looking for.


Key Tracks: The Sick Deal, Out Of The Question, Light Up This Room, Starlight


3. Reuben - In Nothing We Trust (Hideous)

One of my favourite bands ever returned with a third album that did not disappoint one single bit. At both the most visceral and the tenderest they have ever been this is a heavy rock album unafraid to be varied and original in it's approach. Freed of their label and going it alone Jamie, Jon and Guy take themselves to te next level, in the process creating one of the most complicated and groundbreaking rock abums in quite a while. From the brutal social commentry of 'We're All Going Home In An Ambulence' and the crazed genius of 'Deadly Lethal Ninja Assasin' via the tender acoustic duet of Good Luck and possibly the worlds first guitarless piano metalpopcore track in Agony Agatha (which shouldn't work yet somehow really really does), this is an album that runs the entire spectrum of emotion in the most innovative and varied manner full of light and shade yet still maintains an honsty and directness that only Reuben can bring. It's a monster of a record and deserves its place in the hearts and minds of every rock fan out there and quite a few others besides.

Key Tracks: Good Luck, We're All Going Home In An Ambulence, A Short History Of Nearly Everything, Deadly Lethal Ninja Assasin, Blood Bunny Larkhall



2. Frank Turner - Sleep Is For The Weak (Xtramile)

A far cry from his screams at the front of Million Dead, Frank Turner's debut album is an acoustic masterpiece. Steering clear of the trite ramblings of many a singer-songwriter this is a wonderfully direct, charismatic album with plenty of force where needed and a genuine emotion behind it. With a clever wit and brutal honesty this is possibly the most human album of the year as well. Add to that a voice with real power that sets him apart form many of his wimpier, moaning peers and songs so personal in their nature that somehow they become universal and you're left with something irresistably anthemic and individual. Its an album full of contradictions that pulls everything together into something so complete that even after almost a whole year stands out, as well as having the most defiant track of the year in the closing 'The Ballad Of Me And My Friends'.

Key Tracks: Wisdom Teeth, The Ladies Of London Town, Father's Day, The Ballad Of Me And My Friends




1. The October Game - Box Of A Billion Lights (Carmandie)

Despite technically being released last year this is without a doubt the album of 2007 (I't my list and I'll break the rules if I want to...) I've reviewd this album at length elsewhere on this blog but from start to finish this is the most absurdly brilliant thing I have heard this year. From its forceful rhythms through it's serpentine guitars to it's passionate, thoughful vocals and artful lyrics this is a triumph in every respect. This album takes my breath away every time I hear it, and every time there is something more to love. Seek it out and you will find something truly rare and special

Key Tracks: Gatherers Hands, No Time For Feelings, Satellites, Serpentine and every other track on there


Honorable Mentions: Feist - The Reminder, Paramore - Riot!, Roisin Murphy - Overpowered, Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City, Yourcodenameis:Milo - They Came From The Sun


Conclusions

So what have we learned from this year then?

~ British unsigned/independent label music has some fantastic talent (making up over a third of these lists and taking both number one spots is a real achievement)
~ The Barfly is already better than the Loft was
~ Cambridge has some damn good gigs going on at all levels
~ Reuben can do no wrong
~ Bjork and Tori Amos can unfortunatly
~ Mark Ronson is turned on by horn sections. There's no other explanation for it
~ British indie has moved back about 3 steps. Everyone wants to be Oasis again dammit (see The Enemy, The Twang et al)
~ Being Northern doesn't make you automatcally cool (see above)
~ Biffy Clyro can do the mainstream - who'd have thunk it?
~ The Young Knives hit bum notes occasionally
~ Mumm-Ra ooze fun from every pore
~ The new album from the Automatic will be interesting...
~ Amy Winehouse will somehow live until the ripe old age of 89
~ Pete Doherty is still a c***

oh and 2008 is going to be great - look for our ones to watch very soon

Happy New Music y'all!

The Obligatory Best of 2007 According to Sandy - Albums part 1

Creating a good album is much harder than making one perfect single. Producing a great album is an incredible feat. It's not just the fact that there are more songs on it that makes producing a worthy long-player so tricky. Its about the way the piece works as a whole, the

We've been spiled for the last three years with some incredible music and for me, as with the singles this year represented a little bit of a downturn on the whole. Follow-up albums from big artists have often been rather disappointing, while a proportion of the fresh takent as taken a step backwards, following successful formulae to some extent but never managing to find something original or great (just look at the tonnes of Arctic Monkeys/Libertines/Oasis copyists out there at the moment and you'll see - I won't name names here).

That said when the highs came they really were high. The best albums of this year stood out like fireworks above the darkened ground showing us that there was plenty of flash and bang in 2007 yet. 2007 wasn't a bad year. It gave us these...

10. Bat For Lashes


In a year when the big singer songwritresses have largly disappointed this album shone brightly. Etherial, dangerous and tribal this is not the sort of album you would expect to come out of modern Brighton but it carries itself with a real sense of flair and mystgery that cannot help but pull you into it's warped worlds and enchant you with its menace and beauty. Natasha Kahn is a lady with a mesmerising voice and real individual character and all of that shows through in this superb debut.

Key Tracks: Priscilla, What's A Girl To Do?, Tahiti


9. Joey Nightmare - Polytechnic (4Real)

Proving that you don't have to be American to produce a great pop record with guitars Joey Nightmare have created an album that takes a subtly different tack from the crowd and produced an album that belies their youth. Putting the simple riffs and empty hooks to one side instead we get an album built around some fantastic tunes and chiming guitars that is subtly direct and never overly or falsely angsty. These guys have the talent to go far and deserve a much bigger following than they have, and on the strength of this should get it too.

Key Tracks: Pirate Disco, Nothing, We're Down AT Polytechnic

8. Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures

Quite a few critics gave Maximo Park's sophomore album a rather lukewarm response but I think they're entirely wrong. Taking a step backwards from the raucous, jerky sounds of 'A Certain Trigger', 'Our Earthly Pleasures' is the sound of a band that have refined their songwriting to an immense degree. Just listen to album highlight 'Books From Boxes' and you can hear why. Subtle twisting guitars and a greater dimension of feeling mix with their original energy, wit and charm. Without a doubt one of the years best returns

Key Tracks: Books From Boxes, The Unshockable, By The Monument


7. Puggy (Talkio)

A quirky album full of Gallic charm from this Belgian-based three-piece , boasting some great little acoustic guitar led ditties with plenty of delicacy, power and complexity. Some fantastic European sounding guitarwork and a powerful vocalist in Matthew Irons make this album quirky, underrated winner. Only available online at the moment from the band's website this is well worth seeking out.

Key Tracks: Chez Madame Louise, Burned, Insane, Lonely Murder


6. Biffy Clyro (14th Floor)

One of the surprises of the year - Biffy Clyro go mainstream! This was an album that alienated quite a few songs with its embracing of the big pop chorus and a much lighter, less vicious and complicated sound to its predecessors this also gained them some new ones, bringing their complex rock sound to the masses. While never rocking out and screaching like a true Biffy album should there are some luscious songs here (check out the stunning 'Love Has A Diameter) mixed in with some of the most aggressive twisting rock singles to ever hit mainstream success (Who would have ever predicted that 'Living Is A Problem...' would become such a big hit?). Where they go from here will be intersting but this album deservedly has a lot more people joining in the chorus of 'Mon The Biffy!'

Key Tracks: Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies, Love Has A Diameter, Semi-Mental, Who's Got A Match?

The Obligatory Best of 2007 According to Sandy - Singles part 2

So we reach the top of the pile - the final five!

5. Stateless - Bloodstream (!K7)

Piece together a truly haunting piano riff that toys with your spine as it swirls around with a sultry, slow chilled beat and desperate, sorrowful vocals that sound a little like Thom Yorke had his sinuses cleared up and this is the glorious result. This is not the sort of track you normally expect to see come from a dance label but what you have is a beautiful plaintive song that benifits from some superb production and subtle shifts in tone to create one of the most moving songs of 2007.





4. Air Traffic - Shooting Star (EMI)

If you want a single that soars higher than an eagle strapped to a jumbo jet this is the only choice. What could have been an utterly saccharine piece of indie-pop turns out to be a hearfelt classic with a chorus that can blow hole in walls and a finishing guitar solo that ties you in knots before pulling the ropes and unravelling you in one gleeful spinning burst. Giddy joy in just over four minutes.







3. Laura Marling - My Manic And I EP (Virgin)

This was so close to the top spot. Laura Marling is a girl with phenomenal talent. In person she is like a ghost, yet put a guitar in her hands and a mic at her doisposal and the only thing epherial is the music. Haunting, moody acoustic tremors delived by a vocalist that can send the most lovely shivers up the spine are her trademark and this EP shows them off at her best so far ahead of a debut album in February. Live she is a revelation as well, transforming a room in the space of a few notes. We were lucky enough to have her in session too and even going solo these songs have the capability to leave you in a totally different dimension. Hunt down the atmospheric 'Night Terror' or the the multi-faceted 'My Manic and I' and see for yourself.

Right here you might expect to find number 2. but there was a problem. However much I tried I couldn't seperate these two singles out. Both of these have been so important to me this year that I couldn't decide so in a complete departure from the rules - I give you my joint #1's:

1.. Arthur - The Blue EP (unsigned)

Ok so technically this wasn't released or recorded in 2007 but to me this is very much a 2007 record and so makes the list (it's my best of 2007 and I can break the rules if I want to). I first found out of this band early in 2007 after hearing their singer would b guesting on the new Reuben album. I had a spare few minutes, checked out their myspcae and was immediately blown away by 'Heart Stopping Specialist'- the lead track from this EP. A few weeks later they were all over the station and topping our charts. Pretty good for an unsigned band still at 6th Form College!

Why is this EP so good? Quite simply it is the best 4 track EP I have ever heard. Fantastic tunes, a voive that is destined to make every teenage kid fall in love with Hannah Shark without even seeing her face, energy and maturity all rolled into an impossible whole this is irresistable. Listen to the desperate coyness and come-hither smile of Heart Stopping Specialist or the heart-breaking chimes of self-deprication of Mirror and if you tell me it doesn't touch you then I won't believe you. It's as simple as that


1. Dead Letter Society - Mr Profound/On Too (unsigned)

Dead Letter Society are Cambridge's best band. Period. And the fact that they are unsigned is absolutly criminal. And to be honest any of their tracks could have got to the top of this list but once again this is one that has shaped my year on CUR1350 - listen to almost any of my shows on even a semi-regular basis and you will have heard this for no other reason than that it is fantastic. Proper British pop music with some lush guitarwork, brilliantly used piano flourishes and a vocalist in Matt Start with rare style and charisma to go with the powerful voice and lyrics.

2007 wouldn't have happened anything like it diod for me without this band and their music. That's why it deserves its place with Arthur at the top of this tree. The album is on the way early next year and I cannot wait - 2008 is theirs. Don't forget where you heard them first

Honorable mentions: Fish Go Deep - The Cure And The Cause, Pendulum - Granite

So the singles are out of the way - tune in from tomorrow for the big ones - thealbums!

The Obligatory Best of 2007 According to Sandy - Singles part 1

Singles-wise 2007 has been decent if not extraordinary - I'm not sure why, maybe it's just the last 3 years of awesomeness catching up with us. That said it was still tricky to narrow it down to just ten absolute bangers.

Be warned nothing on the singles list appears on the albums list starting in 2 days time. When it comes to the albums I will be noting down key tracks and singles so don't think you're going to be missing out on that front.
Ok so here goes - singles 10 through 6 of the best 10 singles of 2007 according to
Sandy that are not on the 10 best albums of 2007 according to Sandy.

That was a bit of a mouthful (or would have been if I wasn't typing)

[Disclaimer - all lists here are entirely subjective, if you disagree or want to give us yours then comment away - that's what it's there for. Who knows we may even do a listener's best of sometime!]


10. The Duke Spirit - Lassoo (Vital)

'Cuts Across The Land' had some great singles on it (check out the sublime 'Love Is An Unfamiliar Name') but this is the way to announce your return. Leila Moss' vocals show their true power and potential here over some sumptuous horns and striking crescendos, all building to to a brash and forceful chorus that is enough to take the wind out of any indie kid's sails



9. The Pistolas - Take It With A Kiss (unsigned)

This tune that had me breaking out into falsetto in the studio every single time I played it regardless of who was around (Just ask my co-presenter Ella on The CUR1350 Music Show). The Pistolas gave us a single that just screamed at us to get our asses on the dancefloor with some ridiculously high vocals and a bassline capable of shifting tectonic plates in a funky manner. Unashamed frenetic fun for three and a half minutes, and we all need that sometimes don't we. These guys promise a lot for the future.


8. Sky Larkin - One Of Two (dancetotheradio)

If you have listened to CUR1350 Berakthrough you will know that Leed's dancetotheradio is one of the best independent labels out there and these guys are one of their best new signings. 'One Of Two' is an odd, intense little pop gem that stands out like a diamond with a gorgeous tune delivered with a gorgeous urgency and softness.




7. Kosheen - Overkill (Pinnacle)

After inexplicably choosing to follow up one of the greatest dance albums of the decade with a collection of indie-ish misfires this single finally announced that Kosheen were back to what they do best - supremely atmospheric dance music with a real spine and big tunes. Sian William's vocals are on mean form here, slithering along like a Welsh cobra before rearing its head and spitting brashly at you in glorious fashion. Combine that with some dangerous sounding samples and 'Kokopelli' is finally forgiven.



6. Operator Please - Leave It Alone (Brille)

By far the spunkiest single of the year, these Australian kids gave us a song that hits you repeatedly in the face with a bat made of fun and doesn't stop until you're well and truly shattered. This track boasts one of the choruses of the year in a quickfire banger with vocals that put Beth Ditto to shame and enough speed and energy to leave you exhausted when it's done. Making violins sound cool again and not just those sweeping instruments you use when trying to be all emotional and stuff is no mean feat. Infinatly more fun than a high-school orchestra.


Tune in tomorrow for the final five...

The Obligatory Best of 2007 according to Sandy - Starting tomorrow

At this time of year every magazine, radio show and blog this side of Mars (and probably quite a few on the other side too)is counting down their favourite tracks and albums of the past twelve months. There are a lot of reasons why this is such a popular practice. Some albums and singles take a while to properly "get" - in this business immediate repeated listening is a luxury rarely afforded to us as there is always something new that requires attention. This way after a few months we can truly laud those that we may have missed alongside those we managed to get first time around. It's also a chance to show off tastes and draw attention to those things others may have missed and deserve a wider audience. Finally, let's face it all the new releases dry up at the start of December and we need something to do...

Tying to do this though is often an exercise in near futility. Trying to rank albums is a stupidly hard thing to do - do you go with musical complexity, personal meaning, emotional evocation or just which album has the biggest horn section (in which case Mark Ronson wins hands down). What the hell does "best" even mean? (Hell I'm a philosopher and I don't even know!)

That said over the the next 4 days I'll be unveiling my top 10 singles and albums of 2007, 5 each day, singles first. These lists have been painstakingly compiled from absolutly everything I have heard that has been released over the last 12 months, carefully ranked and reviewed in a paletable reverse order just for you

Just don't ask me how I compiled it...

What Happens In Aldershot...

I tend not to travel too far for gigs. I don't have a car and most public transport shuts down just after 11 so quite often it's just not much of an option for me. However when I heard that Reuben were putting on a Christmas spectacular in Aldershot and Arthur were supporting I couldn't resist so my friend Adam and I made the 2 1/2 hour trek from the sussex coast.
So after a long drive in thick fog and a long wait in the carpark (missing the rush hour made so much sense before we arrived 2 hours early) playing I-Spy (I won hands down). We finally got in. Tickets were like golddust, anticipation was high and the venue was intimate and great. So far so good

First up were Extravagatron. Drafted in as last minute replacements for the original openers Audit, nobody knew what to expect. What nobody expected was a lead singer wearing only kneepads, black briefs and a luchadore's mask. I would post a picture here but I realised that would mean having a picture of a muscled, sweaty, near naked bloke in his pants on my laptop and I didn't really want to have to explain that one to my girlfriend, so you're just going to have to imagine this one. The music itself was very varied, ranging from cock-rock to jazz in neat little bursts with lyrics as filthy as the space under my 19 year old brother's bed. Never taking itself too serriously these guys are no maestros but for a bizare 30 minutes I just didn't care. Needless to say this performance was an experience, and a damn fun one at that. See them live and you won't regret it. Unless you feel the need afterwards to scour your eyes.

So onto Arthur. I've been supporting this band for a long time on CUR1350 and for good reason. Arthur have produced some of the finest indie/pop tunes I have ever heard. Youthful and exuberant somehow combining raw energy and passion in a way few bands ever havce into three minute blasts of bliss, this was my first time seeing them in the live arena and I was a little bit worried whether they would live up to my expectations. Cue one magnificent performance to put any doubts to rest within 2 tracks.
The set tonight is wholly build around their newer material, showcasing a greater complexity in their songwriting than previous EPs and it pays off superbly. Tortured Artist' is a manic uncontrollable hook twister while old favourite 'Me and the Minister' is revamped into a new twisted electro shape and seems to like it. The new material is waht stands out tonight though with a song about rocket ships impressing with its brilliant flicks between sections and one of the best vocal hooks I have heard in ages. Even after one listen it sounds like a classic. On record Hannah Shark's vocals are magnificently emotive. Live they have the ability to melt spines and break hearts at will. An most people would gladly let them. To take a crowd of rock fans and make such a good impression is a big feat especially for a band whose members are still in 6th Form college but they really won over the crowd. I've said it a million times. This band deserve it all.

Tonight is Reuben's night though. This is a band on the top of their game after the release of the superb 'In Nothing We Trust' and tonight it is their party. Blitzing through a set made up of material from accross theoir back-catalogue we were promised something special and boy was it delivered. Live debuts for the Brutal 'Crushed Under The Weight Of The Enormous Bullshit' and a passionate 'An Act of Kindness', a rocking little Beatles cover and plenty of tracks that didn't get an outing on the last tour were mixed in with the more familiar singles in a setlist that satisfied the purist and kept faith with those that have just boarded the Reuben train. Combine that with some between song banter that many stand-ups would be proud of and a real regard for the people in front of them Reuben have the crowd around their little fingers but like true gentlemen never take advantage of it. The big fireworks were saved for the end though with a starting with a voice destroying 'No One Wins The War' that threatened to bring the house down from the crowds singing alone. A rare outing for the classic 'Words From Reuben' that breaks your heart before showing you true love and fan favourite 'Everytime A Teenager Listens To Drum and Bass A Rockstar Dies gave way to the most surprising ending that could have been hoped for. 'Shambles'stopped the heart of everybody in the room with its passionate poigniancy befoer exploding in joyus desperation. Faithfulness, and dare I say it, love distilled into sonic form. I could barely speak afterwards and that wasn't just because I'd been singing so hard.

I've reviewed these guys live on this blog before and the effect was the same. A crowd so moved by music that nothing could snap them out of their trance until the band left the stage. On home ground they had nothing to prove. But they damn well did it anyway. What Happens In ALdershot doesn't just stay in Aldershot. When it's this good the experience stays with you for the rest of your life.

[Photos curtesy of the cameraphone of my good friend and chauffeur Mr Adam Pellett]

Xmas Music

Goddamn I hate Xmas music. Every year it's the same old songs and every year. Endlessly. In shops, on the radio and the torturous adverts that permeate every 10 minutes of television. Its wrapping paper thin lyrics, overabundance of sleighbells, and false cheeriness grate at me more than almost anything in the world. Lets face it, a good christmas song is as real as Santa

And this year is no different, another X-Factor winner and The Pogues getting overplayed more than usual due to a fuss over something that was right before people started objecting to it.

I woke up in the middle of the night two nights ago with Cristmas songs in my head and a pain in my arm swearing I would crucify the next radio, TV set or shop tannoy playing Slade Wizzard or any of that sorry repetitive bunch.

Wrong holiday I know but it feels appropriate

So this Xmas I'm turning my radio off and listening through some albums that I've missed in my musical education so far. Just because there's nothing new out, it doesn't mean that there's nothing new to be found at this time of year. Looking back is sometimes as good as looking forwards

I can't remember who said it, but "If I ain't heard it, it's new to me!"

rant over, tune in this week for a very special gig review featuring one of our favourite bands on CUR1350, as well as my obligatory single and album reviews of the year

Everything else shuts down and we start back up - I'm a natural pedant

Sandy