Top 20 tracks of 2009 Pt. 1

Pretty self explanatory, these are the best tracks of the past year. This is both in my opinion and as a matter of fact :D This will be in 3 parts, here is part 1-

Part I

Monsters of folk- Baby Boomer
Muse- United states of Eurasia
Arctic Monkeys- Crying Lightning
Sad Day for puppets- Marble gods
Scary Mansion- Scum Inside II
Vampire Weekend- Cousins
Asher Roth- I love College
Editors- Papillion
Joy Formidable- Greyhound in the slips
Gabby Young- We're all in this together
Asteroids Galaxy Tour- Around the bend
Big Pink- Dominos
Green Day- Before the labotomy
Metric- Gimme Sympathy

New Music from Old Bands

Manic Street preachers- Vision Blurred

The manic's sure love a bandwagon! Remember when they got the welsh one from I'm a celebrity get me out of here to sing on a track? Ah ok i'm needlessly bagging but they're already covering horrors' songs?! Everyone makes out MSP are some sort of god-like-genius'... none more so than nme who gave them that award last year ha. I saw them live in 2007 (supporting foo fighters) and it made me think maybe blur shouldn't reform if it's going to be like this!

Maybe I should mention the music though right!? Screeching guitars (probably with that pretty boy pouncing around the stage). Let's define a cover- making a song your own. Let's anylyse this- a track that didn't even make it onto another bands album which you've managed to make sound like every single other song you've ever done but also keeping in mind you wish you were u2... Well there ya go I think you've done it again fellas.










Ash- Return of the white rabbit

Couple of things about ash- healining the truck festival this summer which is awesome as I loved all their old stuff but then they decided to do a radiohead and give away their album online. That didn't have the same impact so they've decided to "revolutionise the music industry" release one single a month for the next year. I think this is a good idea as suuuurely that means they're gonna have like a solid month to make each track awesome rather than having recorded an album and just are releasing it like that. If it's the former, that's actually quite cool.

Speaking of cool, this track is just that. The music's great, the bass and keyboards rhythmically pumping this track forward with a resounding chorus. It sounds like this track will go down fantastically live and hopefully a sign of what they're about now. It's a great track, instant 3 stars on my ipod.













The Lemonheads- Dirty Robot Ft. Kate Moss

Kate Moss' singing career eh? First Le Belle Et le ete with Pete which I thought was a nice track as beautifully shambolic that album was and now teaming up with Evan Dando on their new covers album "varshons". It lists them as sleeping together on whatever "NNDB" is?! Ah god you've gotta hate the modern world.

The song in itself, sounds like it could have been made by that band from the mighty boosh. Synths, robot singing, trying to sound like the future you name it it's all there. It's really nice to have new lemonheads but... this isn't exactly lemonheads is it?! Like having seen them live i'm like are they even playing on this record?! Maybe the robot man is E.D. either way- the track- once you've stopped listening to it you will have "i'm a dirty robot" stuck in your head for a bit (I wrote hair there originally... messy) so I guess they've hit one demographic.

















The Twang- Another Bus

I've always been a little racist against scottish bands that sound like they're from scotland. Which is fortunate in a way as the twang are from birmingham... But also unfortunate as I'm racist against brummies in the same way :P Neither people from birmingham or scotland are races so I can say what I want and you can't get mad!

But I love bands that give away songs for free, it gives you a taste of the album that will hopefully make you want to add the whole album to your ipod. It does cause tagging issues sometimes but that's surely the only bad thing.

The track has that twingly dreamy guitar in the background ala silversun pickups and the vocals are certainly in the region of just saying things that go along with the music and not worrying about using cliches "we never really try" "I guess we'll never know" "somethings are better left alone" like, this is unimaginative sure but if you just let the track pass through you it's actually quite nice.
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O.K well 4 new tracks and one that is gonna get a good few listens on my ipod. I call that a result as I have 21000 tracks on there and around 1,100 are rated so that's above average. Kinda bullshit in a way but I'll try and weed them out further in the future for you guys. Hope you're liking this months Indie/Rock Playlist from Blalock.

Moderation

Ah so TWO of my posts over the weekend were straight up deleted! Had killer tracks on too and also meant that it messed up the whole schedule so there's a big gap between posts. So there you go moderation.

The other day I worked out in the gym for 2 hours and then did 100 lengths in the pool. This is not moderation. Nor is how many times I've told people.

Because of this travesty I'm going to do two today, this also because death cab are bringing out a new ep this week and it's my duty to document that in the most arrogant and elitest way :)

I may have mentioned that I was thinking of doing an indie/rock playlist, bottom line is I have no idea of torrents so I don't think I'm going to do it now, the main reason being it might mess up some of the tagging in my itunes because there's 40% that are already on there which I would have to retag seperately and then the new tracks which I also want on my ipod but not tagged the way it would be in a torrent and as for torrents- i don't have a clue!

Also yesterday was a nightmare trying to batch upload these. So i'm just going to do them the tried and tested individual way as much of a chore it is, it's reliable and I don't have to be anywhere til 3pm. So these are a bunch of tracks I would have included in the playlist...

I don't think I'm going to do it now, the main reason being it might mess up some of the tagging in my itunes because there's 40% that are already on there which I would have to retag seperately and then the new tracks which I also want on my ipod but not tagged the way it would be in a torrent and as for torrents- i don't have a clue!

It's bothering me about that post getting deleted I'm thinking it maaaaay have been because I posted a track by jack white's new band "the dead weather" and the guy is an asshole. I'm pretty certain taht's it because of what happened with that leak that time. But i'm telling you don't ever pay for anything Jack White or his record label ever makes, they are what is wrong with music.

The Rakes- 1989

Recorded in a studio owned by a former fashist dictator, the rakes latest album sees them return to what made their first album good, it seems their surroundings made them remember why it's awesome being in a band. Check it.

Michachu and the shapes- Lips

I saw Mica, who evidently was a talented kid who grew up to play hoovers and make scrunchy faces when she sings, supporting late of the pier. It was an intense gig and fortunately their songs are more accessible than her past suggested. They were right next to me while I rocked out to LOTP if I knew they were on the verge of indie acceptance I probably would have made a pathetic attempt to gain favour :)

Bonnie "prince" billy- Beware your only friend

Bonnie Prince Billy's latest offering in his recent... EDIT: That verb was way too descriptive!... Umm "smattering" of albums over the past few years was as ever received to mixed reviews, it seems the general consensus is either you think he's pointless or so important that he renders other artists redundant. Either way this is a good track.

Asher Roth- I love college

The first track I heard by "the REALLY white eminem" was a track where he talk about which cartoon characters he would like to have sex with... It sounds way funnier than it was. This however, is just as awesome as it sounds, all the things you loved about college (which is what north americans call any post high school education) drink, drugs, sex, no responsibilities, partying I could go on all day in this semantic field. Bottom line is if university wasn't the best time of your life you're probably a rock star.

Art Brut- Alcoholics Unanimous

Eddie Argos returns with Art Brut and their assault on English-German relations with a third album, this track is a coffee and tea promoting attack on this nation's favourite mistress- Drinky Winks!!

The other post had bands like trail of dead and joe lean in and other bands with stupid names i guess it wasn't that great, just don't get why it was deleted.

A closing note: Fuck me- I hate jack white.