Top Hits of 2011 (about time really) # 1 - 10

# 10 SBTRKT - s/t

SBTRKT made this album by getting all his favourite singing buddies together, stuck masks on their faces and made them sing along to him playing the drums. An easy concept with great results. "Pharaohs" has been my alarm clock tone for ages now meaning wherever I am there's a party from the moment I wake up. Oh yeah, you know it, baby.

# 9 WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

The Mancunian four piece sing about god-knows-what because singer Ellery Roberts' vocal style is so damn  sluggish you can't make a word out. This is a bit of a shame on "We Bros" because it's such a fucking catchy tune you just want to sing along. So the chorus goes a little something like this: "We bros nn aase, we bros nnnn nono no. we wear yo guns nn weeee,  aseen no ssooo." '

As clever lyrycs as I've ever heard.

 Wu Lyf - We Bros by WU LYF 

# 8 Lucy Rose

I remember when I was younger and had a massive crush on Kate Nash. Anyone remember her?

Anyway I thought I was past all that silly crushes on redheaded celebrities business. I'm a grown man damn it. Then along came Lucy Rose and "Middle of the Bed" and there I was again like puberty was yet again a blessing of the present. Awww isn't she cute? Oh and getting back to business it's an ace tune too. 

# 7 M83 - Midnight City

Alright so I knew this tune was a winner when I checked out my cousin's Last.fm profile and saw he'd listened to "Midnight City" 100 times in 24 hours, but didn't really get into it until that scene in How to Make  it in America where (spoiler alert!!) Ben has sexy time with the never-ageing sex vixen Gina Gershon. Ooh that was one damn hot scene. I love you Gina.

# 6 Gang Gang Dance - MindKilla

During the summer I attempted an ambitious appeal to get Gang Gang Dance's "MindKilla" played on my mum's favourite radio station. It failed horribly meaning my mum didn't get to appreciate to sonic amazing-ness that the song is but at least the rest of us can still enjoy it.

# 5 The Antlers - Burst Apart

A heavyweight contender for album of the year, The Antlers' "Burst Apart" is a stunning collection of songs, each more impressive than the last one. If you thought their last album "Hospice" was good then you're in for a huge fuck-off treat here. It might have been a dream but I'm pretty sure album ender "Putting the Dog to Sleep" has made me cry at least once and then I realised it wasn't actually about putting a dog to sleep and I was fine with it.

"Corsicana" is as beautiful as it gets.

# 4 Burial - Street Halo

For a person who considers Burial's "Untrue" to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever created, hearing the man's new "Street Halo" EP was like going to Disneyland, Alton Towers, Legoland and Moomin World all at the same time. No great change to anything he's done before but why change something that works like a fucking charm?

# 3 Psychologist - Comes in Waves

What a tune! How to make a song about a man giving birth sound so damn touching is beyond me, but Psychologist does it. The "Waves of OK" EP is practically the man behind the alias wailing in an empty church. Does that sound appealing? Well it should because it's incredible. Sometimes the vocals are reminiscent of Jeff Buckley at his rawest and sometimes they're layered to self harmonise, but always they are amazing.

 Psychologist - Comes In Waves by NOT EVEN 

# 2 Zomby - Dedication + Nothing

This could be considered cheating because I've entered Zomby's new EP "Nothing" here as well as his LP "Dedication" so he gets two entries but when genre mish-mashing is as good as it is on these two records then they both warrant a spot way up on this list. Mixing elements of UK rave, dubstep, garage and D'n'B these are both brilliantly eclectic musical treasure troves perfect for either those late night clubs nights or just lounging about in your underpants on a rainy sunday afternoon. 

# 1 Daughter - His Young Heart

Finally, damn it. It's taken me bloody ages to compile this list so you'd best flipping enjoy it. Even if some of the entries on the list were "boring" or "obvious" I'm pretty sure you'll love this. If Daughter's still an unfamiliar name/face then it's the moniker of Elena Tonra who sings the most beautiful songs you'll hear. Of all the releases from last year, Daughter's "His Young Heart" EP still strikes me as the most important. It's just so personal and close and damn perfect. However many times I listen to first track "Landfill" it honestly always sends shivers down my spine. Haunting and sad, but the most beautiful kind of sadness.

  Daughter - Landfill (taken from the 'His Young Heart' EP) by ohDaughter

Daughter - The Wild Youth EP

Following on from her previous EP "His Young Heart" which has been immensly popular in my household this year, Daughter or Elena Tonra has another new set of 4 songs out called "The Wild Youth EP".

The Wild Youth songs are more heartwrenching folk songs with a productionally experimental edge which makes Daughter stand so tall above the plethora of acoustic guitar and vocal acts out there. Whilst often her voice alone is captivating enough, Elena can and does incorporate reverbed ghostly backing vocals, dark brooding synths and sometimes even beats we're more used to hearing with the likes of The XX into the mix to create a greater sense of gravity and loss.

On a lighter note, don't they look cute on that cover?

new music: Lucy Rose

Gdansk. A beautiful, beautiful city and the beer was cheap as tits. Not a bad combo me thinks.
I found myself a little safe haven in the form of a bar called Absinthe. T'was here I met a couple of fellow bloggy types from Sucking Lemons and a cool little bunch of exchange students (one of whom was wielding Daddy's credit card with the fury of a nerd with a 1d8 mystic bastard sword at a LARP event)

Anyway, being away from a computer for about a week means that even a small fry blog-type like me manages to get an inbox full of various requests to listen to this-or-that band. I love getting these music related e-mails because it means I get to listen to music that I'd perhaps not otherwise get the chance to listen to.
Sometimes even though some of the bands are pretty dreadful, I'm still very much appreciative of the time and effort they've put into it and because sometimes just sometimes some real gems are uncovered. The latest being Lucy Rose.



As far as I'm concerned 2011 has been the year of the female singer-songwriter. It's not really a scene that ever disappears anywhere, it's just that this year more releases such as Daughter, Emmy the Great, PJ Harvey have caught my eye (ear) than before. Now I need to add Lucy Rose's new single Middle of the Bed to the list. It doesn't get an official release until August 8th but you can listen to it on Soundcloud now.
The simple guitar + the odd clap here and there really accentuate Lucy's gorgeous voice and then when, halfway though the song, the curously electro-ish synth kicks in, the whole song just ties itself together.

Lucy Rose - Middle Of The Bed by Lucy Rose



think you've heard her before? Quite possibly seeing as she also sang on Bombay Bicycle Club's Flaws

Daughter

Elena Tonra who goes by the name Daughter has been getting a lot of coverage all over the internet and radio world and I think it's time she has the dubious honour and privilege of being on AndygoesdowntoChinatown which is obviously the place to be seen and heard.

Anyhoo, her new His Young Heart EP and especially its opening song Landfill are up there in my top-300 list of things that could make me weep like a little girl if only I wasn't so damn strong/tough/emotionally repressed.

Her earnest and hearfelt songs just give me the shudders whenever I hear them. Now either I keep listening to her in cold rooms or her acoustic folk tunes are actually affecting me in some kind of way (I once read in Mojo/Rolling Stone/Men's Health/Vanity Fair that good music might make you feel something. They were probably referring to Bon Jovi, but I reckon Daughter works better for me. A lot better.)

Daughter - Landfill (taken from the 'His Young Heart' EP) by ohDaughter

You can listen and buy the digital version on her bandcamp page
http://ohdaughter.bandcamp.com/