Top Hits of 2011 (about time really) #21 - 30

It feels like ages since 2011. It already feels soooo last year and the year seems like a vast blurry haze. Most of me wants to concentrate on new up and coming stuff, you know, music- and life-wise but part of me feels like I should celebrate and champion some of the great tunes from last year, because let's face it, there were some great tunes released last year.

Not being one for entire albums and I'll go ahead and blame these modern days of consumerism, where people haven't got time for entire albums and will just stick on a playlist of their favourite mp3s, my "Top Hits of 2011" list is comprised of albums, singles and EPs and whatever I found brilliant throughout the year. I think 30 should be sufficiently long and not too long and boring? Good. Let's get to work.

# 30 Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On

"Creep On Creepin' On" was Timber Timbre's fourth full length album and showed off their full ability to create shit-scary blues-ey folk-noir. (Fuck that's a lot of hyphens). The title track is the definite epitomization of that fucked up carnival you and I and everyone used to have nightmares about. (Yes, I'm thinking of Silent Hill and shitting myself again, oh hell)

  Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On by Arts & Crafts

# 29 Doldrums - I'm Homesick Sitting Up Here in My Satellite

Last time I posted about Doldrums I had no idea who or what was behind them. All I knew was "I'm Homesick Sitting Up Here in My Satellite" was an absolute scorcher of a track. Now I know Doldrums is the brainchild of Canadian Airick Woodhead and if this track is anything to go by, Doldrums should blow up in 2012. For the love of Pete, just check out the drums, man!

  Im Homesick Sittin Up Here In My Satellite by DOLDRUMS

# 28 Fleet Foxes / Cloud Control

2011 was the year Fleet Foxes made their mighty triumphant return with Helplessness Blues and what an album it was! Then along came Australian pretenders Cloud Control bursting onto the scene with their song "Ghost Story" sounding like Fleet Foxes with a jagged edge. I could even imagine what they looked like: Lumberjack shirts and huge beards à la Fleet Foxes but with kick-ass tattoos of rad shit like snakes in skulls and naked pin up girls having sex with snakes in skulls tattoo'ed onto their fists and faces. Turns out I was way off the mark.

# 27 Cold Specks

More "one to look out for in 2012" than a best of 2011, but Cold Specks released "Holland" last year which is a beautiful gut-wrenching song about, um, Holland. Like I say, one for the future.

  Holland by Cold Specks

# 26 James Vincent McMorrow - Early in the Morning

You need something special to get heard as a singer songwriter but it seems to help if you're Irish. J-V McMoz recorded "Early in the Morning" somewhere secluded and pretty much on his own. Or so they tell me. The results? Astonishing melodies backed up by his oh-so-sexy husky tone. Mmm yeah.

# 25 Rubik - Solar

Unfortunately the only Finnish entry on this list although a few others wouldn't be far behind. What a year it's been for these boys, eh? A huge tour of America and some massive festival slots (Primavera anyone?). Solar is a masterclass in Finnish pop songs and standout track "Laws of Gravity" just does it for me.

  Rubik - Laws Of Gravity by Fullsteam

# 24 Fair Ohs - Everything is Dancing

My favourite tropical punks finally came up with their debut album. T'was a mighty refreshing blast in the face in this era of reverbed fuzz and although some of Everything is Dancing was a bit same-ey the album's still a cracker. I mean you can't really go wrong with tracks like "Almost Island" and "Eden Rock".


  Fair Ohs - Eden Rock by Sleep All Day Records

# 23 Hiatus & Shura

When electronic producer Hiatus teamed up with songstress Shura the results were pretty much breathtaking. Combining his beats with her guitar and vocals Fortune's Fool is something so haunting you might want to break up with your other half just to get into the right mindset for this.

  Hiatus & Shura - Fortune's Fool by shura

# 22 Return of Friendly Fires

Considering how music is so shortlasting these days. who'd have thought back in 2008 that Friendly Fires would have made such an accomplished return with 2011 album "Pala"? Right from the off with "Live Those Days Tonight", Friendly Fires let you know what they're all about: Making you dance with a huge shit-eating grin on your face.

# 21 Naked & Famous - Passive Me, Aggressive You

The interweb insists that "Passive Me. Aggressive You" was released in 2010. That might be the case in their native New Zealand but they came to the rest of the world's knowledge in 2011 which has been their year so far. They've got a huge sound and seriously if you've been able to avoid the absolutely HUGE tune "Young Blood" then I'm seriously wondering what rock you've been living under.

Fair Ohs - Pacific Rim

To celebrate the fact that today is the first time in two months that my new shitty little usb modem has picked up the 3G network I thought I'd write a post. For all you non tech-savvy folks like myself 3G means good happy times whereas 2G means punch-yourself-in-the-face frustration. Great to see I'm getting my money's worth.

Anyway, what would be a better way to return to the blog than long time AGDTC favorites Fair Ohs, who've now released a limited edition 7" recording of their early more garage punk style tunes called Pacific Rim. Most of the tunes here are rapidfire in-your-face energized frenzies which tend to clock in at just under 1 minute. See 'I'm A Woman, I'm Your Wife' (mp3)


Get the whole thing over at Tough Love Records

If you need convincing, the whole thing's up for listening on soundcloud this week.
http://soundcloud.com/tough-love/sets/fair-ohs-pacific-rim-early

Pharaohs - Photosynthesis

If you're wondering what else to do today other than check out the new acts that have been added to Flow Festival's line up you could do worse than to listen to Pharaohs (not to be confused with Fair Ohs) and their up and coming album Photosynthesis. It's energetic and frantic and they're branding themselves mathpop, whatever that means, anyway the album's title track Photosynthesis is a stormer.



Perhaps even more in my mould however is the magical reworking of the track by Cats Hero which is sounding absolutely amazing!

Pharaohs - Photosynthesis (Cats Hero Remix) by Cats Hero

Listen to a preview of Pharaohs' Photosynthesis album on Soundcloud and download the title track at http://www.pharaohstheband.com

Be their first single as good as it is, they haven't yet gone and surpassed Fair Ohs as my favourite band that sound like the word Pharaohs, but then again that would take a lot of doing.

That's my little blog-break over and it's time to get back to what I do best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08YWhLTjlfo

Fair Ohs - Everything Is Dancing

Oh super happy moments of joyous news.

My favourite band (there I said it) Fair Ohs are releasing an actual full length album! After having them down as the kind of band who are just up for releasing a onslaught of seemingly never-ending awesome 7"s they've started up their own record label Honey High Records to release their debut album Everything Is Dancing.

This is what it looks like:

And this is what the title track and its video sounds/looks like:
(Christian Bale gone anti-The Machinist)

Everything Is Dancing from Fair Ohs on Vimeo.

Fair Ohs and their blend of "tropical punk" are exactly the right band to get you bang on track for that perfect summer you've always wanted but never had because of rain/traffic jams/lost dogs/broken TV remotes/morning breath/scientology/Cristiano Ronaldo/bicycles with gears/Hugh Grant/mosquitos/alcohol poisoning/Andy Murray.

Everything Is Dancing ships June 6th and you can get it here:
http://fairohs.bigcartel.com

If my little pitch wasn't enough then listen to these jangly motherflippers!

Hey Lizzy by fairohs

Almost Island (7" Version) by fairohs

Fair Ohs

I know I've mentioned these guys before on here, but I feel as though Fair Ohs can't get enough mentions on this here blog. It feels like this here blog was founded to praise the Fair Ohs and their mighty tropical summery punkpop.

So what I've gone and done now is got myself their new 7-inch 'Eden Rock/La Madrague'



What it is is another two awesome tracks. One of which (Eden Rock) is yet again a fine sunshine jam while the other (La Madrague) is an ace cover of this Brigitte Bardot song:



Now all I need is somewhere to play all these records I've been accumulating.

Eden Rock by fairohs

La Madrague by fairohs

Paradise Vendors/ Italian Beach Babes

Howdy!

Whoah, that was a weekend and a bit! First game of our football season. Horribly embarrassing loss. Tears. lost my capability to walk for a few days. (who said stretching is for girls?)
I even did the unthinkable, that I've been laughing at friends for doing, ie. internet poker.
In the words of fictive US senator Clay Davis: "Aah Sheeee-it"

What I haven't done for a while is burden the blogosphere with more drivel.
Today's rant is about this very very cool band compilation split LP PVI006/IBB004 from Paradise Vendors inc. and Italian Beach Babes.



Featuring some ace "local" (Brighton) bands as well as some ace "further-away" bands, this LP has a great blend of some of the most interesting lo-fi noise-pop bands you might well have never heard of. [especially when living out here in the wilderness (Finland) like me]

Tracklisting goes like so:

Teen Sheikhs - 'Germs'
Mazes - 'A Metric Tower'
Plug - 'Fresh Pleasures'
Cold Pumas - 'Tropical Guilt'
The Human Race - 'Kicks'
Spectrals - 'It's very kind of you to put up with me'
Graffiti Island - "Perverse Savage'
Male Bonding - 'Carrying'
La La Vasquez - 'Don't Rush Me'
Fair Ohs - 'Christmas Tree'
Not Cool - 'Limbs are for Liars'

My personal faves have been Cold Pumas for a while now, sounding like a gruffier HEALTH on tracks like 'Jela' and 'Beat Mystery' , being muchos differentos from most of the bands on here comp' who've got a much more laid back surf-vibe.



The one man band Spectrals have a great sound to them which evidently translates rather well to live performances too. See here "one-man-band-with-some-other-guys-helping-out"



However the cream-of-the-crop, the Créme de la créme, are Fair Ohs. With a sound they themselves describe as "Paul Simon but... you know... punk."
Here's their track called 'Almost Island'. It's very good with it's tropical rythm that brings to mind a certain Abe Vigoda