Top Hits of 2011 (about time really) # 11 - 20

# 20 Kyla la Grange

A handful of songs out last year and an album rumoured to be released some time this year, this is not the last you've heard of Kyla la Grange. Seriously I must have had "Walk Through Walls" on repeat for almost the entire year. Pretty much the ultimate air-grabbing power ballad of 2011.

# 19 Cults - Cults

Yes, "Go Outside" was used in every single fucking advert under the sun, but it doesn't mean it's still not a great song. Cults' debut album was a subtle reminder of how good 60's doo wop still is and that it can be replicated to make almost any hipster cream their excruciatingly tight pants. Still, I saw these guys last May and it only went to confirm my love for the album. It starts to repeat itself towards the end so maybe pushing the concept is in order for album #2?

# 18 Braids - Native Speaker

Another band I chanced to see earlier last year, Canadians Braids released "Native Speaker" so early last year that I was afraid I'd forget all about it come the end of the year polls. No chance of that happening because Native Speaker has that listen and then listen again quality about it. If you want to describe them as the female-fronted Animal Collective then so be it. Personally I think there's so much more to them. Beautiful stuff.

  BRAIDS 'Lemonade' by kaninerecords

# 17 Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam

I can see a pattern forming here. I saw Ghostpoet earlier in the year too which cemented "Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam's" place on this list. Raps about everyday normal life over bleak bass-heavy post dubstep breaks. Special.

  Ghostpoet - Cash & Carry Me Home (feat. Kano) by ghostpoet

# 16 Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey's been quite the force of nature. Unavoidable and controversial. "OMG has she had her lips filled?" "OMG is she authentic?" "OMG am I allowed to listen to her?"

Sure you can deny that "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans" are good songs but luckily this is my list and I'm not denying it thus they're on the list. Dig it.

# 15 Fixers - Here's 2001 So Let's All Head For the Sun EP

So again, I saw these guys last year and even though they were unfortunately mixed to sound like a sack of shit playing the bagpipes, you could still, through the awful sonic mess, get the idea that these guys really have a knack for a catchy melody. Their studio recordings thankfully sound miles better and this EP does it all really. 

 Another Lost Apache by Fixers. 

# 14 Bon Iver - Bon Iver

For Bon Iver's second album it seems Justin Vernon finally got over his break up with Emma and recorded an album which is essentially a list of his favourite places. In fact the track list reads a bit like all the places your creepy older relative has been. You know, the one who sends you weird postcards of lakes and cottages from everywhere they go.

# 13 Peaking Lights - 936

This duo's amazing lo-fi record hit me out of the blue some time last year. Well the song "All the Sun That Shines" hit me out of the blue with it's hypnotic bass groove and the rest of the album followed suite. "936" is THE summer chill album that still goes nicely even though I'll probably not see the sun again for a few months.

All The Sun That Shines by Peaking Lights

# 12 Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX - We're New Here

Sadly the legendary Gil Scott-Heron passed away last year and his 2010 "I'm New Here" album will remain the genius' last in a career spanning 5 decades. "We're New Here" is a collaboration between Scott-Heron and Jamie XX ie. the producer behind The XX which revamps I'm New Here and adds elements of house, dubstep and hip hop. It just goes to show that even at the age of 60, Scott-Heron wouldn't rest on his laurels and was open and ready to embrace new ideas.

# 11 James Blake - s/t

So what if Blake's reinvented his sound for his debut album? For a few EPs Blake was one of the most exciting dubstep producers around and then he came out with this, this soft self-versed album of phrases repeated ad infinitum. Some said he'd sold out, some were freaked out by the fact he actually sang on the album himself, some said "James Blake" was fucking boring. Some impressionable young women and me said it's a wonderfully beautiful record with incredible production. You just have to listen to it, like.

Great Escape 2011

I'm a professional blogger. When I set out to do coverage of something, I do it with such a level of professional dedication it's unreal. The same applied for The Great Escape 2011 in Brighton last weekend. I even hired a personal assistant and took her with me to Brighton to do all the photographing whilst I could focus on saying all the important and relevant stuff about the bands and all their this-and-thatness.

We'd have been fine if we were still living in the stone age. A camera with film that needs developing (in this day and age!) and a mobile phone without the internet or angry birds.
My photographer is still developing the film and will then scan the photos onto a computer and then have them with you sometime next year.

In the mean time you can look at this.

May or may not be Miami Horror (hard to tell)

All in all The Great Escape yet again fulfilled its promise of being "Europe's leading festival for new music" with so much going on every night with official Great Escape gigs, alternative escape gigs, various street gigs and loads of late night dancing.

Highlights included Denmark's Oh Land's friday night gig at Digital.
All dubstep wobble, pounding beats, ridiculously catchy tunes and possibly the most visually stunning show (woman) I've ever seen.
They were filming her gig but I haven't found it anywhere yet so here's an older live video. I think we were treated to a more intense performance



French band We Were Evergreen stepped in to replace Niki and the Dove and charmed the entire audience with their cute and quirky songs.

Their genuine upbeat goofyness translates so well from live set to video

I was so looking forward to Cults that I thought I'd end up super disappointed, but nay! Their set at Horatio's on the Palace Pier was every bit as entertaining as it could have been. You Know What I Mean live was just a different class of awesomeness.



Seams, Becoming Real, D/R/U/G/S, Miami Horror and Fantastic Mr. Fox took care of our need to dance. SBTRKT would've done nicely too, had we seen more than the last 3 minutes of his set. (Biggest regret?)

Ghostpoet and Braids took care of two of my favourite albums of the year so far.

Josh T. Pearson was simply amazing and Villagers sang his young little heart out.



Lewis Floyd Henry was a one man blues band but definitely not a novelty act. Definitely NOT a novelty act. Gritty, dirty and downright insane songs.



Honorable mentions go out to PVT (whose album Church With No Magic is amazing) who championed technical difficulties and started the festival off with a bang.
Brother and Bones should appeal to most Pearl Jam fans and played an entertaining and energetic set somewhere in a basement.
Here Comes The Storm by Brother and Bones

The Minutes from Ireland played a raucous gig in a tattoo shop where they were giving away free booze. Sounds perfect eh?
Black Keys by The Minutes

It wasn't all just giggles and booze though. Throughout the weekend there were some forgettable moments.

Hotly tipped Fixers managed to create an unlistenable wall of sound. Which was a shame because they do have some ace tunes.

Hype duo Big Deal who're signed to Moshi Moshi made me ask: "What is the Big Deal?!"
If I were giving away prizes for the most uninspiring and static performance of the weekend, they'd have won it hands down.

Erika M. Anderson's band EMA's live performance did in no way reflect the same intensity and dark groove as on her recordings. She seemed less like a Karen O-esque sex kitten and more like a tired puppy.

So that's it for this years Great Escape. It's becoming a tradition to do it every year so if anyone from Finland (or anywhere really) wants to join me on a big old adventure next year, then message me and let's do it!

Hot sounds for hot people like you. Yes I mean you, baby!

So hey there.

I rarely do multiple artist posts, but I should because they're a great way to get blog hits, and thus become super popular. And if you're not popular and don't go out with the school quarterback, then what have you got? I mean, really, in life. What have you got?

Well I've got the new Cults track You Know What I Mean and no, before you ask, it's not an Oasis cover.

(After writing this I've realised that Oasis song's called D'you Know What I Mean? and this makes Cults seem pretty sure that I know what they mean. I mean, do I? I'm not sure I do. Neither is Noel. What does it all mean? Does this mean anything? Do I even know what I'm writing anymore?)

You Know What I Mean reminds me of a slowed down Sugar Pie Honey Bunch and is just as good as you'd imagine that to be and it goes to show that Go Outside wasn't just a one-off.

Cults - You Know What I Mean by cultscultscults



Finland's very own hype band Big Wave Riders are getting just that. Hype. And quite a fair bit of it. Not to say it's not deserved though as their new(est) song Skate or Die proves.
All reverb and melodic shoutbacks, it's pretty much impossible to imagine them getting any inspiration from this.

Big Wave Riders - Skate Or Die by Big Wave Riders


Arkist was a complete stranger a while back. He still is. I've not met him. Probably never will.
But there's something pleasingly familiar but also wicked fresh about his tunes.
The tunes I've had the pleasure of hearing range from slick breaks to some pretty aggressive, muscular arpeggiator action. Whatever way Arkist wants to do his music, I'm listening.

You should probably check out his other stuff, but I'm going link Biography, just because it made me laugh.

Biography by Arkist

Guards

It has probably been statistically proven that people who read blogs are prone to read more than one blog. Thus if you feel part of that demographic (you are because you're reading this, fool) you may sometimes get overloaded by hearing about the same stuff all the time from different places. Right?

Get this! I'm not going to be any different. I'm going straight in there where many a dude has been before. No I'm not talking about the town skank. I'm talking music. In more detail I'm talking about a band that a band "tweeted" about.

Cults are a duo who released this awesome track called Go Outside and gathered a monumental blogosphere following. People have been touting them to be all sorts. Probably somewhere, somehow, someone has announced Cults to be a simultaneous double returning of the Messiah.

Well. Go Outside is quite good. (but you probably already know this)



Howevs.

They also featured on a song on Guards' eponymous EP called Sail It Slow.



The whole EP is a delightful ol' gem of jangly, reverb-laden pop. Perfect for listening to whilst doing whatever I've been doing while I've been listening to it.

There's also another guest star on the EP. Namely Caroline Polachek from Chairlift.



but Guards hardly need any "big" names feating on their tracks other than to gather a bit of a following because the tunes here are top notch.



So go ahead and treat yourself. (If you haven't already)
Download Guards' EP from the bandcamp site