CAST YOUR MIND BACK: Episode 3, 1995, Girl Power before the Spice Girls existed

1995 was the year of seminal works and debuts from bands that we have come to obsess over. Oasis released '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?', the Red Hot Chilli Peppers had 'One Hot Minute', and every girl had a copy of 'Jagged Little Pill' by Alanis Morrisette. Myself included; that being the first CD that was bought for me. Australian favourites Regurgitator and You Am I were first getting recognition and local fame, but I wasn't quite into them yet (but oh boy would I be into them). One thing I was getting into was Björk, and I bought her 'Post' record on cassette tape, the first album I ever bought with my own money. A lot of first for me in 1995! IN FACT, BJÖRK IS FIRST ON THIS LIST! HA!

Björk - "Army Of Me" (#83)

When this song came out, I could NOT get it out of my head. I spent a few days humming to it constantly until I tried to seek out who she was and how I could get her music. I had seen "It's Oh So Quiet" on Rage and soon linked the two together and soon I was fascinated by this insane backflipping pixie-ish lady. I never stopped being fascinated really. At the time I thought the lyrics were "And if you complain why I'm small, you'll meet an army of me" not "If you complain once more"... and since I was going through a "I'm the shortest person in my class and for that no one takes me seriously and it sucks" phase, it suited me very well. 

Supergrass - "Alright" (#79)

I thought this song was really old when I heard it the year it came out, and couldn't understand why it was being played everywhere. It became the soundtrack in the back of my head for fun holiday days and weekends of activities and adventure (not that many really, I was a pretty shy kid).  

N-Trance - "Stayin' Alive" (#64)

I was super surprised to see this song by "lets recycle a famous song and turn it into a clubbing piece of shit remix" collective N-Trance, make the countdown. It must have been PRETTY BIG considering it was PRETTY SHIT. I did like it though, because I was a 90's kid of the age of 9. Now it reminds me of the scene in 'Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion' where they do a synchronized dance at a club, which is awkward and deadpan and hilarious. So the song has been good for one (1) thing. 

U2 - Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me (#57)

Let me be frank, I am not a U2 fan, and will never be one. But BATMAN, guys. The last couple of Batman movies ('..Forever', and '..And Robin') before Christopher Nolan got his hands on the franchise, were complete rubbish. But goddamn did they have excellent soundtracks. It's almost as though Joel Schumacher had to find a way to make the films worth anything, so threw a bunch of money at some decent artists to make some decent songs. This is one of them, with a pretty absorbing videoclip. God I loved watching those movie soundtrack video clips, especially if I hadn't seen the movie yet. I had seen the whole movie by the end of the clip though.


Skunk Anansie - "I Can Dream" (#41)

No one remembers this band I bet, and I have no idea what happened to them, but I really liked this song. It's very rock and screamy and loud and rough, but I think mostly I was enamoured by the lead singer. I loved how she was bald (omg she was bald!) but still beautiful and had such a powerful voice and presence, and to me that was pretty out there. 1995 may have been my total girlpower year.

Alanis Morrisette - "You Oughta Know" (#39)

SPEAKING OF. HERE SHE IS. THE QUEEN OF THE 90's FEMINISTS, ALANIS. I can't really pick a favourite song from this era because I played her album on repeat for months, but this song was the first to grab my attention. Alanis was so mad and crazy and sang with so much snipe and passion, and she had long hair and thrashed it around a bit. What more could you want, really? Unfortunately the best thing she did after this album was play God in Kevin Smith's 'Dogma'.

Pulp - "Common People" (#38)

I remember really liking "Disco 2000" more than this song, which was released in November that year (so perhaps too late in the game to get enough followers to vote). I grew to love this song pretty soon after it made the CD and it's still a classic. You may have all forgotten about the William Shatner with Ben Folds (feat Joe Jackson) cover of this song, but let me refresh your memory. I know you hate me right now but I'm not sorry. 

Swoop - "Apple Eyes" (#32)

This song was ridiculously catchy and bright, and just like most catchy bright songs of the time, was a one hit wonder of sorts. The film clip was half the appeal... I love how they discovered Green Screen in the worst possible way, so now it is so 90's it's gone past there to the 2000's and back to the 80's. The "I think I love you" bit made me cringe back then and it is making me cringe now. 

Jill Sobule - "I Kissed A Girl" (#18)

FUCK YOU KATY PERRY, JILL KISSED A GIRL BEFORE YOU DID, AND SHE LIKED IT BETTER THAN YOU DID. You thought you were so out there and taboo making a song about an occasional lapse into lesbianism (whether permanent or not) when it is OLD NEWS. It's not taboo anymore Katy and Jill didn't need fluro blue or pink hair and crazy outfits to pull it off. Where are you now Jill, to punch this girl in the throat? THIS IS GIRLPOWER, DAMMIT.

Mindless Drug Hoover - "The Reefer Song" (#12)

One of those novelty songs that was forgotten about in a year, and was truly pretty terrible. I had to get a friend who knew better to fill me in on what 'reefer' was, and once I knew, it was so deliciously naughty to sing along to. I had it soon memorized even though I still wasn't entirely sure what was going on in the song. For someone so impressionable I never developed much of an interest in actually trying reefer.

T.I.S.M. (This Is Serious Mum) - "Greg! The Stop Sign!!" (#10)

Baklava (or wine cask bladder)-clad TISM may have SEEMED like a novelty band, but they were actually very good musicians with quite a bit of songwriting wit. They can even transfer their hits on to traditional greek instruments. Their real identities were never to be revealed, with rumours that they were members of the Wiggles or Machine Gun Fellatio, but eventually were (proving all rumours incorrect). This song was one heck of an earworm and even though I only heard it a bunch of times on the radio/Rage, I heard it a million times more in my head.

Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue - "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (#8)

Possibly one of the worst Nick Cave songs ever, with some of the most compromising and cringey lyrics: "...BUT MY NAME WAS ELIIIISA DAY". Ok, Elisa. But Kylie got some serious indie cred from this (which carried over from her earlier indie-er offerings), and it was pretty mega. The song was a pretty basic 'murder ballad' (guess which Nick Cave album this is on??) and enchanted me for many months... even the terrible filmclip had me watching intently. Ok so there are some much less feminist works in this countdown... this song definitely balances out the angry lady rock songs. 

Custard - "Apartment" (#7)

For starters, this song is freaking brilliant. For seconds, I loved it to bits. For thirds, it is the first song I played on my first very own CD player. In my room. Imagine it. It was the awesomest thing ever at the time. Never mind I also purchased Hit Machine 14 to go with that CD player, let's just forget that ever happened. Lastly, I still love this song and have a great time listening to it. CLASSIC CUSTARD. NEVER FORGET. 

Presidents of the United States - "Kitty" (#4)

I was originally a cat person before we got a dog, and then I became a fence sitter. So while our family had a lovely grey persian cat named Geno, this was a song I enjoyed. (I only just realised now, as he was a very old cat, that at the time I thought cats got grey like humans did. ANYWAY) It's definitely not the Presidents' best work, and it's as novelty as they come, but I got lots of fun out of singing this song (except I never said the f's.) Goddammit I was such a boring child. 

Oasis - "Wonderwall" (#1)

And now for the song that blitzed the entire world and made Beatle-esque music totally cool and in. My parents bought '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?' not long after it came out and I got heavily, heavily into it. It is an excellent album, no one can really deny that, and had a lot of staying power. I remember in that year after the countdown, mum enrolled me into a drama group nearby, and for one of our activities we had to get in a line and sing some of our favourite song. I started in a tone way too low for me "TODAY IS GUNNA BE THE DAY THAT I'M GUNNA THROW IT BACK TO YEWWW". It was horrible, and the group leader was a little taken aback. I'm still blushing from it. Anyway, this song was destined to be number one, and the fact I loved it made it all the sweeter. 

For the full list see HERE! HAVE FUN LISTENING TO THE COUNTDOWN TODAY GUYS! I'VE ACTUALLY NOT GOT SUPER UPSET YET (Except for maybe Lana Del Ray and Of Monsters and Men getting in, you really have to be kidding me.... shhh steph) BUT THERE IS STILL TIME! SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR 1996! 

CAST YOUR MIND BACK: Episode 2, 1994 ('cause I'm a dimwit)

This post carries on from original post here!

OK. I am stupid and have no sense of time. When googling the Triple J Hottest 100 lists I naturally worked back a year, keeping in mind that all hottest 100 countdowns are announced in the new year. My last blog post was about 1993, not 1992. I used that M.I.A. reference all for nothing. I am sorry for being a total dickhead. 
Also, if you're viewing on your mobile, please click on the links to watch the videos, as for some reason the embeds didn't come up on phone screens last time. Never been a better time to switch to Tumblr!

199FOUR was the year that Cranberries nailed the top spot, The Offspring's "Ixnay on the Hombre" was everyone's most played album, and Silverchair turned up fresh off the highschool bus and became instant heartthrobs. 

The countdown list suggests that Triple J listeners WERE better back then, OR the music was better, because people voted BEERCAN (#29) above LOSER (#45) by Beck which I am assuming was a song much less flogged. HUGE songs such as "Mm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies or "Stay" by Lisa Loeb, were only a measly 69 and 100 respectively, and the most mainstream tune that made it in was probably Warren G's "Regulate" featuring Nate Dogg (which is kinda rad really). My memory is sharper of this time and music was becoming much more a part of my world, but I will stick with 15 songs for you. 

Blur - "Girls And Boys (Remix)" (coming in at #96... should have been higher!)

I remember pairing this song at the time with East 17's awful cover of "West End Girls", because they both talked about boys and girls, had similar-ish filmclips, and were good looking. Except no one remembers that song and everyone remembers Blur's song, which you can still hear played at Ric's on a Saturday night. BLURPLEASECOMETOAUSTRALIARIGHTNOWOKTHANKSBYE.

Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes - "I'm Gonna Release Your Soul" (#79)

One my parent's favourites at the time (or so my memory tells me), Dave Graney hit pretty big with this song. It was damn catchy and stuck in your head immediately, with a bit of sex appeal that was most definitely lost on 8 year old me. I think it mostly annoyed me, but I can naturally appreciate and enjoy it in my adult life. 

Frente - "Bizarre Love Triangle" (#56)

Frente! was one of the first bands I ever got into as a very youngster, and they were very appropriate for a 7 year old to get into as "Accidentally Kelly Street" sounded like a song from Play School. This song however was a very popular, sweet cover of the New Order tune, that I thought at the time was an excellent original (remember how old I was guys). I can remember my dad remarking on the video "that girl's got something up her schnozz", and nothing more... not even bothering to tell me that this wasn't an original song. SHAME ON YOU FRANCO.


Ed Kuepper - "La Di Doh" (#55)

For some reason I really liked this song as a kid, and I don't really know why- maybe it was just my parents going nuts over it and thus modelling was the culprit. SHAME ON YOU AGAIN FRANCO. It is a really good song though, a thousand times better live rather than this kind of abrupt recording. 

Christine Anu - "Monkey and the Turtle" (#43)

Remember Christine!? She was all 'My Island Home' and 'Why don't you come join ma parteh' and before those songs got big she did this song, which was a million times better than those two. So groovy and joyous and easy to sing along. Probably danced to this in my room one time too many. 

The Prodigy - "Voodoo People" (#37)

I definitely danced to this in my room ten times too many. 

Tori Amos - "Cornflake Girl" (#35)

What was she singing about?! What was she saying half the time!? Peel out the walch wear? Who knew! All I knew is whenever I had cornflakes for breakfast, I too was a cornflake girl, and this song was in some way partly responsible for my desire to play piano some day. 

Kylie Minogue - "Confide In Me" (#30)

Remember when Kylie Minogue had some good songs? This was even before her 'Impossible Princess' Indie-queen era, during which  she also had some good songs. This was a pretty great song, and if anyone disputes that well then I don't care. It also opened up my vocabulary a bit. 

Underground Lovers - "Losin' It" (#19)

This song kills me every time. IT IS SO GOOD. Back then I was a bit saddened by it, as it sounded so mournful and hopeless. But since then its catch and hook and danceability weirdly uplifts me despite the lonesome subject matter. Underground Lovers were totally underrated. They toured recently but DID I GO? NO BECAUSE I SUCK. 

Nick Cave - "Do You Love Me" (#11)

Nick Cave's two big songs at this time, this one and "Red Right Hand", took over the airwaves and took myself to a dark, scary place with no light at the end of the tunnel. Somehow I was okay with this, (again, my parents probably had a lot to do with that... FRANCO!) and would sing along to this song in the living room. I obviously didn't listen too deeply to the lyrics. Great job Nick!

Severed Heads - "Dead Eyes Opened (remix)" (#10)

"I'm not going into details. It's too horrible." There are many many versions of this song on youtube, as it has been remixed a hundred times, and was first released in 1984. The song's sample of a British man reading an excerpt from what I read was a book called "Death on the Crumbles" made it a huge hit- it was fascinating and ghastly. Along with the addictive electronic beat, the song is almost timeless.

Max Sharam - "Coma" (#8)

I remember this filmclip EERILY well. It's not a great clip, but the song was probably my favourite ever at the time. The sense of insanity was so present, even if I was too young understand the concept of stalking and heartbreak. In a way I related to that sense of coming apart and being in a coma-esque funk, as I was a pretty anxious young girl at the time. Max Sharam was a one wonder at the time, cleaning up at the ARIAs then disappearing, but wikipedia tells me she is crowdfunding a new record. 

Veruca Salt - "Seether" (#6)

I have a distinct memory of my mum and dad watching this clip and endlessly debating what the "Seether" in the song was. "It's a cat!" "NO it's a human!" "Oh maybe it's a dog?" "No it's definitely a cat!" One of those classic 90's girl rock bands, the rawness of this song hooked me, and left me to wonder for hours how you'd try to cram a child/person back into a person's 'mound' or 'mouth', if you want to believe LyricsFreak. 

Silverchair - "Tomorrow" (#5)

It is simply quite amazing how far Silverchair came, growing up out of their Pearl Jam/Nirvana emulating beginnings and into an artistic, critically lauded band. I can't say I was a fan of them all the way through (and felt sometimes the 'artiness' was a bit gratuitous), but listen to something like Dissociatives (in which frontman Daniel Johns collaborated with Paul Mac of Itch-E and Scratch-E, another 1994 fave), and its hard to believe they're the same band. This was a perfect rock song that gave them huge exposure, whether they wanted it or not.

The Cranberries - "Zombie" (#1)

"IN YUR HEEEEAAAD!! ZAHHHHMBEHHH-YEH" Having NO concept of the Protestant VS Catholic conflict in Ireland, I of course just thought this song was about zombies and enjoyed singing along to what I thought was a hilarious tune. It was damn hard to escape this tune and it's despairing tones, and it was no surprise when it became number one. 

THAT'S ALL! I believe the countdown for Triple J's Hottest 100 songs of the last 20 years is next weekend. Do you think I can complete this blog project by then? NO WAY! I will forever be harping on about last years news. As long as someone reads it, I don't care... I SHALL CARRY ON. See you soon for Part 3, 1995!

Favourite Songs of the Year + Screamfeeder @ Woodland, 1st December, 2011

Hello friends, I'm on holidays. I've spent a lot of time doing very little and sleeping in. It has been terrific. What this also means is more blog time! Not only shall I briefly mention my last gig but there is also ANOTHER LIST FOR YOU! Don't you love them?

MY FAVOURITE SONGS OF THE YEAR AKA WHAT I VOTED FOR IN THE TRIPLE J RADIO HOTTEST 100

No surprises this year actually, for my top 10 songs of the year. I am usually a pretty dedicated Triple J listener and poll contributor, but this year, I was pretty terrible at keeping up with what was hot. I only just read about Lana Del Ray. Nevertheless I managed to come up with a shortlist of 21, narrowed down to what you see here. Most of them are also from my favourite albums of the year, surprise surprise. I gave myself rules: One song per artist, Must be in the pick list that Triple J, but must be genuine favourites. Cannot just vote for Björk because she's Björk.

Arctic Monkeys- The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala

What a great way to sum up the year with the lyric "sing another fucking shalalala". There were ups and downs to 2012, so many important figures died, so much of the music scene was considered dying, and throughout all this, the Monkeys were reviving britpop. Perfect.

(Piledriver Waltz was not in the list :( )

Ball Park Music - All I Want Is You

A sweet, heartwarming tune professing the comforting qualities of having a loved one by your side as your day turns to absolute shit. I found this one stuck in my head during a great proportion of the year, and I didn't mind it being there one bit.

Björk - Crystalline

Luckily, this song is pretty amazing, otherwise based on my rules I could not have voted for it. With thumping bass beats that hark back to Homogenic and a singable chorus line, the super highlight is when everything is lost in a massive house/techno/trance drum explosion at the close.

Cut Copy - Need You Now

An album forgotten from my top list this year, sorry Cutters! They redeemed the dancefloor with this album and their title track gets you right in the mood, slowly building up so that by the last "I KNOW WE'RE GOING CRAZY BUT I NEED YOU NOW" you can't stop your feet moving.

The Horrors - Still Life

Surprised that it was only this one or "I Can See Through You" on the Triple J pick list. Nonetheless, this was the sleeper hit for me of the year, such a slower, pulsing track on their album but so addictive and with such a comforting message; "Don't hurry, give it time, things are the way they have to be".

Jay-Z and Kanye West - That's My Bitch

I could only choose one? Who made these rules anyway! Luckily this was my favourite AND on the list and an easy selection. The opening drum sample combined with the grinding bass and the chorus chant by ... La Roux? perfectly combine with said ridikulus lyrics. And who said I couldn't find something to like about La Roux?

Radiohead - Lotus Flower

Amazing beat, fantastic lyrics, completely bizarrely timed handclaps which somehow work, and Thom's brilliantly weird dance. WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE

St Vincent - Cruel

A song I've really got into over the past few months, from an artist I've always wanted to check out but never got around to until around the same time. It's a ridiculously catchy tune, without being particularly contemporary or predictable. I also loooove the filmclip.

tUnE-yArDs - Bizness

I think I've ranted enough about Merril Garbus' tUnE-y-ArDs project, but this song is absolutely amazing and I really hope it make the 100 this year, as it damn well DESERVES TO.

TV On the Radio - Second Song

A perfect opener to Nine Types of Light and completely worthy of any party soundtrack over this summer. I love how the beginning is so completely different to the end, with signature TVOTR brass the icing on the cake.

I am ashamed at my lack of local artistry in my list! A couple that were on my shortlist included Emma Louise and Last Dinosaurs who are much beloved at the moment. I couldn't say no to the 10 above however. What's special about those two songs is that a few of my friends worked on the pretty rad filmclips for them. I also didn't vote for Gotye, but I'm not worried, everybody else has.

SCREAMFEEDER @ WOODLAND - 1ST DEC 2011

3-piece Screamfeeder et. al.

I had decided it would be totally wrong of me not to swing by Woodland on a Thursday evening to check out Brisbane's beloved Screamfeeder, who were also playing with Tape/Off and Violent Soho on this eve as part of Screamfeeder's 20th Anniversary of being a band. So I did, just in time for Violent Soho to be getting into their set. I have seen Violent Soho more times than I can even begin to remember, probably more than any other band I've seen, but this was the first in quite a few years. As it appeared, they still 'have it' (not that they could ever lose it), and their handful of new songs I heard were quite pleasing, signifying perhaps a return to the studio? A la Trail of Dead who they supported years back, VS were the band to rock out to and I enjoyed a little bit of a jump to old hits "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend", "Love is a Heavy Word" and "Bombs over Broadway". The sound was actually really good, which was not usually a high point of any of their shows; distortion, screaming and excessive feedback taking precedence over clear sound. I realised later that this clarity was probably assisted by having stood right next to the sound deck. Perhaps this is the key to good sound at Woodland?

Screamfeeder took a while to come on and when they did it was reasonably easy to stand myself right at front. Front man Tim Steward found this lack of mosh uncomfortable and asked everyone to come forward, so I could have leaned out and touched bassist Kellie Lloyd's awesome tights (but didn't).

rad tights

Being out the front however meant I had to make way for the 2 or 3 photographers that wanted every angle, which I hadn't ever found to be an issue before this night. The music commenced, and as mentioned earlier, the sound did turn out to be a bit distorted, but I would have been crazy to move. They opened with the classic "Above The Dove", and continued on with a bucketful of their songs. Many of them I didn't recognise and a few were hard to discern due to the sound issues, but I was happy to hear the ones that stuck in my head over the years; for example the fantastic "Hi C's", accompanied by Dean Shwereb's sticks-on-fire drumming, emotionally charged "Ice Patrol", and finishing with the upbeat "12345". It was a very, very long set, which was made even longer by some technical problems a third of the way through- it appeared that neither Kellie's bass nor Tim's guitar were working, and it was a good 5 to 10 minutes before they were on their way again. It was nice to hear so much of their signature guitar work, harmonies and drum patterns in one night though, and I was happy to be a little tired for work the next day.

Before their closing song, Tim got a few people up on the stage, including Violent Soho and Tape/Off, Seja from Sekiden, and apparently a member of Pavement (see first pic). They played "You and Me", a joyful singalong that put smiles on everyone's faces, even while singing the lyrics "hey now, the devil's at my feet".

It was a great 'last' (or at least last for a while) performance, complete with a giveaway of a Tym's Guitars pedal, a very deliberate and graceful destruction of a guitar by Tim (simply by bending it upright on the stage), and final hugs and high fives for most of the audience members (I got a high five!).

RIP guitar

It was a gig that left me in a good mood and humming their tunes for a few days. Screamfeeder gets 7.5 out of 10 Tim/Tyms.

please stand still when you're high-fiving Tim.

HAPPY NEW YEAR BLOGREADERS! May your 2012 be as music filled as you want it to be. In my case, PACKED!

2011: ALBUMS OF THE YEAR (AND ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZIGGYPLAYEDGUITARBLOG)

2011 was a year of oh so many things. It's the year I moved out again, found out what having normal housemates is like, met a bunch of new people, got a new job, broke a heart, grew a heart, started to patch up some old wounds, grew even closer to some awesome friends, made some new awesome friends, graduated to full vegetarian, joined a touch rugby league team, got contact lenses, ran 5kms in the bridge to brisbane, spent more money on clothes and concert tickets than I have in my entire life, grew up a little more.

Amongst that, I also, as usual, immersed myself even more in the music world, so much more that I began to appreciate things I hadn't usually, and got extremely into some things I had only casually dabbled in. Some of my obsessions of the year have been sitting around for years, such as Roxy Music, Iggy and the Stooges, Brian Eno, the Saints, the 13th Floor Elevators, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Kooks (well, less years but still sitting around for a while). And some, like the artists in this list, have become new favourites to a lot of people this year.

The other thing that happened this year is that this month my blog turns ONE YEAR OLD! And surprisingly, it's still active, and for that, I am very proud of my typical 'can't finish anything I start' self.

So, as is good tradition, and celebration of my own achievement (feel the self love) my first top ten list of the year will be, the best albums of 2011. And of course, because a list of 10 is hard, some others that made the year what it was: All natural and political disasters aside, kinda great.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2011 BROUGHT TO YOU BY ONE INDIVIDUAL'S OPINION

10. FOSTER THE PEOPLE - TORCHES

Foster the People's 'Torches', just squeezed into the top 10, as a very late addition to my list. I only iTunes'd it (the second album I've ever bought off iTunes ever), a few weeks ago, and it quickly became an instantly accessible, summery pop hit. It's a perfect low key party album; every song is a crafty bubbly masterpiece, and 'Pumped Up Kicks' is one of the best singles of the twentyteens, brooding, sexy, and with the catchiest chorus of the year. It would have been the single of this year if it wasn't already released late last year (dang). Kicking off with electro-dance smash "Helena Beat", each song has a very distinctive Foster the People style about it. But rather than sticking to a theme making the album become boring, it just adds to the even flow of it. Other highlights are "Waste", "Houdini", and "Miss You", but really, it's all very good, and there really isn't a skippable moment. These guys have been flavour of the month for a few months already, and for good reason.

9. AKRON/FAMILY - AKRON FAMILY II: THE COSMIC BIRTH AND JOURNEY OF SHINJU TNT

Akron/Family's latest really grabbed me this year, as it combined all the things I love about them in a nicely contained package. As mentioned in my review of their September gig, they've morphed from indie folk to psychadelic rock with general genre bending moments, to this, which is a lovely balance between the two. Standouts include the "A AAA O A WAY/ So It Goes" medley, the joyful travelling tale of "Another Sky" and the very self-titled-esque subtle melody of "Canopy". It's all exceptional however, the harmonies strong and moving, the mood set from the first note of each song. This album really captures what I love about the out-there sounds of Akron/Family, and it's probably now my second favourite to their self titled debut. It's also just accessible enough to perhaps ensnare a few new fans. COULD ONE OF THEM BE YOU, READER?

8. ELBOW - BUILD A ROCKET BOYS!

In my humble, humble opinion, Elbow has not released a bad album ever, and this one is no exception. Their fifth album continues their progression from brooding, deep, serious Manchester gentlemen to lighter, more optimistic, but still deep and slightly serious fellas you'd invite over for a wine. While still keeping it very Elbow, there is even more to enjoy than on Seldom Seen Kid, but with less 'wow' moments as a whole. Opener "The Birds" is classic, epic, and haunting Elbow territory, and aims to push their territory further than its gone before, with great success. It's not all intense however, and there are beautiful tender moments, such as "Jesus was a Rochedale Girl", "The River" and "The Night Will Always Win". "The Night.." proves that Guy has never ceased wearing his heart on his sleeve, with completely relatable lyrics such as "I miss your stupid face". Songs such as "Lippy Kids" touting the title lyric, and "Neat Little Rows", are powerful and addictive numbers. As I said in my review of their gig this year, you just cannot fault this band.

7. TV ON THE RADIO- NINE TYPES OF LIGHT

TV on the Radio are such beloved indie darlings that their latest release is no doubt always going to be compared to the ones before them. Granted, there is little in the music world itself that can beat their first and second albums, 'Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes' and 'Return to Cookie Mountain'. However, people do have to get past the idea of things being not the same sometimes, and TV on the Radio are one of those bands that while retaining a very unique style, have never done the same thing. 'Nine Types of Light' continue this tradition. While a few tracks do blend together a bit (I can start with "Repetition" in my head which will quickly become "No Future Shock"), they still share awesome energy, and others are just stellar (see the enormously catchy "Second Song", the heartfelt sing a long "Will Do" and the gorgeous "Killer Crane"). The rest of the album pack a nice punch. Where the band continue with their political and philosophical subject matter on this album, it's a little more romantic than the others to boot, with songs such as "Keep Your Heart", "You", and "Will Do" being sweetly romantic odes and reminiscences of loves and losses. The album is a sign of the band developing, maturing, and reflecting, and sadly well timed, after losing their bassist Gerard Smith to cancer earlier this year. RIP.

6. THE DODOS - NO COLOUR

Dropbox is a magical thing, and it was thanks to it that I found this album, by US guys Meric Long and Logan Kroeber. I was totally blown away by this album when I listened to it, not expecting anything and discovering so much to love. From the thundering, rollicking opening track "Black Night", to the incredible "Good" all the way to the musically complex finale of "Don't Stop", the flow of this album is magnificent and sets it apart from the rest. The intricate guitar work of Meric Long, combined with Logan Kroeber's amazing hard hitting drums, beautiful lyrics and an all encompassing folksy feel, are brought together to create such magic. Long's vocals can be both uplifting but devastatingly melancholic, and frame the music beautifully. There is not a dull moment to be seen, as each song is tied together in style, are uniquely delightful by themselves as well. After that last drum smack, you just want to start the whole journey over again. I am excited to hear more of this band, who already have 3 prior albums and toured Australia twice. I hate being late to everything.

5. RADIOHEAD - THE KING OF LIMBS

As a darn tootin' die hard Radiohead fan, this is no surprise to anyone. It was not going to NOT make my list, as even the worst Radiohead songs are better than most music. That was a lame statement of me to make, wasn't it? I don't care.

So, King of Limbs. Oh my god, Radiohead have gone dubstep, whatever you define that as! Omg it's minimal and beat driven and full of... AMAZING. I don't know why people get shocked when Radiohead don't do the same thing again. They're Radiohead. They're always progressing, always looking for a new direction, always building on the last album to create something completely new again. Ok, I'll be realistic, while the last 'In Rainbows' was to me, a perfect album, this is not; there are its moments of discomfort and headscratching while muttering 'you've kinda lost me there Thommo'. But with each listen I'm still finding new ways to appreciate it, subtle nuances to discover, and so many things to love. And as per my regular yearly/ half yearly phase where all I want to listen to is Radiohead for a week, all I wanted was to hear the opening blips of "Bloom" for a few good weeks. And as the linked clip shows, every song has it's tiny little elements, unrecognisable away from the rest of the music, but when all pieced together, make the song the amazing piece of work it becomes.

So basically, they've done it again.

4. THE HORRORS- SKYING

The Horrors are a band that have completely transformed in a mature and sophisticated way over the years. While 'Strange House' in it's raw, gritty glory had indie circles the world over hailing them and even Vince Noir (The Mighty Boosh) wanting to be in them, 'Primary Colours' had the big time music critics joining the praise. Enter 'Skying', which is one step even further, and cements The Horrors as the band everyone should listen to at least once. Granted, the heavy rawness has been reigned in within each album, as production technique steps in, and this album is the cherry at the top of this process. Even in its slow moments, it is deep and moving, and ever so infectiously melodic. Standouts "Endless Blue" and "Moving Further Away" are instant classics, and the plodding "Still Life", one I didn't think could grow on me, is an anthemic winner in the end. I could go on, but basically every song is a catchy-as-fuck gem. The final track, the dark, slow burning "Oceans Burning" (lots of burning) starts off threatening to end the moment on a note of despair. However, in Horrors true form, it crashes spectacularly into a swirling crescendo, parting us with distorted rhythm and vocals repeating "Turns out you were right all along". Like the moment of revelation after the closure of a relationship, the album's ending is perhaps it's most powerful moment. I just hope this is not the end of my relationship with the Horrors, and they continue their musical journey of maturation.

3. tUnE - yArDs - W H O K I L L

Tune-Yards just SLAYED me this year. Merril Garbus' musical opus had been talked about months before I actually listened, and I had heard good things, but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to experience. I put the album on and went "what is this, and where do you file this in the musical thoughts filing cabinet". It grew on me like a shot. As the opening "My Country" starts and develops, it becomes quickly obvious that you really can't just sit down and do nothing while listening to this album, and the feeling only intensifies with head bopping "Es- So" and howling "Gangsta". Merril does most of the album herself, including manipulating and looping her voice and instruments (lots of drums and ukuleles) to create melody lines like never heard before. There are african beats, reggae, electro, r&b, rock, sax-filled jazz... and other completely undefineable moments. It's such a refreshing album to discover when everything in music feels recycled at the moment. Tune-yards is truly unlike anything I have heard before- the only exception being perhaps a more accessible Max Tundra without the novelty cheese. Complimenting her at times bizarre and always addictive tunes is her unique and versatile voice, at times exuding sweet innocence (see "Doorstep") at times screeching with questions and passionate demands (see Ric's-friendly "Bizness"). I've youtube'd her live performances and it's hard to peel your face from the screen, so her show that I'll be seeing in Melbourne in January is one of my most anticipated.

2. ARCTIC MONKEYS - SUCK IT AND SEE

This year I also found myself upgrading from 'casual appreciation' to 'woah holy moly these guys are awesome' Arctic Monkeys fandom. It was this album that did it, and caused me to completely fall head over heels with Alex Turner's lyrical protagonist. They're still talking about girls, drinking, and nights on the town, but in their maturest and most lyrically superb way. The girls are thunderstorms, the drinks (and girls) are dandelion & burdock vs. post mix lemonade, and the nights on the town end with another 'fucking' chorus of 'sha-la-la-la'. Looking back on the catalogue since realising their value, that sophistication was always there, but a little more overshadowed by the power of their rock and roll style. While the style of this album has episodes of their usual rawness ("Brick by Brick", "Library Pictures"), it's also complemented by some more mellow but still extremely powerful musical moments, ("Love is A Laserquest"..., the rest of the album?). Everything is so well put together, the harmonies, guitar hooks, the basslines, and the exceptional lyrics, that it just doesn't really ever go wrong. I was so drawn into this album as quite a very personal collection of stories, emotions, and observations; it has this way of making you feel like the band is playing to you, and you alone. There are many, but the number one stand out is the gorgeous melancholy of "Piledriver Waltz", which also features as an solo version in the soundtrack of Richard Ayoade's debut film, Submarine.

I still can't stop listening to this album.

1. JAY Z & KANYE WEST - WATCH THE THRONE

Alas, there can only be one winner, and as unlikely as it is, I have to make this album number one. This is for a few reasons:

1. Ladies and gentlemen, Steph spent money on a hip hop album. No other musical group has lead me to do this. Not even De La Soul (copied - don't report me.)

2. It is the 2011 album I probably listened to most this year, and will continue my listenings into 2012.

3. It is so completely ridiculous that one cannot help falling into the ridiculousness and becoming equally ridiculous.

4. It requires it's own phrase book. I can now insert the following into my vocabulary, along with half the world:

"Guess I got ma swagga back"

"I might even make him (son) be Republican, so everybody know he love white people"

"What's Gucci, my n****? What's Louie my killer? What's drugs, my dealer? What's that jacket, Margiela?"

"You ain't accustomed to going through customs"

"'Bout to go dumb, how come?"

"Racksonracksonracks (racks.) maybachsonbachsonbachsonbachsonbachs. Who in that? Oh shit, it's just blacksonblacksonblacks."

"ELLOELLOELLOELLOWHITEAMERICAASSASINATEMYCHARACTER"

"Ima need a day off, I think I'll call Ferris up"

"But my dick worth money, I put moanie in the middle"

"Ah never understood planned parenthood, 'cause I never met nobody plan to be a parent in da hood"

"No electro, no metro, a little electro? Ah, perfecto."

"No, you ain't listenin'- they black, they sisters. Their momma named them after white bitches."

"See shorty right there? Thats my bitch."

"Please lord forgive them for these n***ers not know what they do, OOH!"

all culminating in one, enormous, "THAT SHIT CRAY." (ain't it Jay? What she order? Fish filet.)

Fucking ridiculous.

Last year's Kanye West album ('My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy', if you were living on Mars at the time) was probably a helpful segue into appreciating this album, and hence, becoming completely overcome by it. All completely insane lyrics aside, the music is itself insane-ly good. It builds to a slow boil with the growling opener "No Church in the Wild", explodes with the Beyonce driven "Lift Off" (you cray if you can't enjoy that song), and simmers sensually down to the croonin' Curtis Mayfield sampled "The Joy". I CANNOT help but do a weird kind of skanking dance to "Gotta Have It" and "That's My Bitch", or at least in my head. And frankly, "Niggas in Paris" is pure unrestrained, joyous crayness.

Both Kanye and Jay-Z are big players in the mainstream music industry and hence, they have egos to match. They have free reign to do almost whatever they want, and they pretty much did it with this album. You wonder if they're taking themselves seriously, but the feeling from the album is that they're just doing what they love, together, and as a result, making some pretty great music in the process. There are personal moments, particularly with the ode to good parenting, "New Day" which samples "Feeling Good" in a way you've never really heard before.

With that in mind, I think the reason why both rapping superstars have got so much critical and popular acclaim (and why I love this album) is due to their use of popular samples in ways that are at times unrecognisable and often quite enhancing to their music. I'll leave out "Harder Better Faster Stronger" in this compliment however (what the hell was that). Combined with that skill, their subject matter does contain a little more than bitches and hos and dollars and blow, and there is real stuff amongst the silliness. So lets have a toast to the douchebags who made me appreciate hip hop in a way I never thought I would or could.

Let the "WHAT? YOU DON'T KNOW REAL HIP HOP" comments begin. (Please.)

So, albums that I also enjoyed and can in turn enjoy runner up status:

And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Tao of the Dead - Trail of Dead are back to classic, raw, conceptual form, while also receiving points for one of the worst album covers of the year. As usual.

Antlers - Burst Apart : I am a casual fan, and while some good moments were had on 'Kettering', this is the stuff I suspected I would find really enjoyable from the Antlers.

Ball Park Music - Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs Purely enjoyable pop with some fantastic creative moments- also "It's Nice to Be Alive" is to Ball Park as "Fill Your Heart" is to Bowie.

Björk - Biophilia A sad non-addition to the top 10, I couldn't help compare this album to her earlier works, it just isn't as good. But it is still good- and "Crystalline", "Mutual Core" and "Virus" are fantastic moments amongst some duller ones.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver : Another gorgeous album from Mr Melancholy with some also very out of character moments (Beth/Rest- what?)

Gotye - Making Mirrors : Already the album of the year isn't it? Gotye shows he is not a one trick pony and also wins over a lot of non-triple J audience. Yet they refuse to play more Australian music on mainstream radio. Eh.

The Strokes - Angles : Another great album from the Strokes, that unfortunately suffers from the Strokes curse; the first half is always miles better than the second half. To me, in my opinion, to me.

The Walkmen - Lisbon : This album is growing on me at this very moment and could nearly have made it into my top 10 if it wasn't for timing. I should correct my Harvest review; I'm finding much Walkmen stuff that stands out to me now.

Happy birthday blog! Here's a cake.

 ,,,,,           _|||||_           {~*~*~*~}        __{*~*~*~*}__    jgs `-------------`