Top 10 for 2012- #1-5

And now, my top 5 records for 2012...

1. Flats- Better Living

No record this year impressed me as much as Better Living. I am still amazed that I heard no buzz about this release, haven't seen it on any other lists, and it hasn't made any waves anywhere. Harkening back to the days of metal, industrial, experimental and heavy political rock isn't the way to turn heads nowadays, I guess. But for me, this is exactly what the world needs now: Black Sabbath riffs, samples, Pailhead screams, and industrial noise.

Mark my words, (this band and a few others have me thinking that) metal and heavy rock from the UK is coming back. There may be hope yet for "the kids."

2. Django Django- Django Django

A great debut from a band that works all the touchstones they can. From Beta Band and The Specials to krautrock and afrobeat, Django Django wrapped all their tight pop song writing in all sorts of experimental packages, and delivered a great record.

3. Tame Impala- Lonerism

Just by having released "Elephant," Tame Impala cemented a spot in my top 10 this year. Definitely the best single of the year, its glam rock meets psych groove was a game changer. With 2-3 other possible singles on this LP, it's an interesting record that deserves time and attention, even if psychedelia is not your thing.

4. TOY- TOY

TOY was the record The Horrors should have released next. This is a perfect next step in the London nouveau shoegaze scene, without getting caught up in the tropes of their inspirations. With their look, sound, and songs, they are the complete package and I can't wait for their next move.

5. S.C.U.M- Again Into Eyes

I waited a very long time for this record and was not disappointed. After all the talk of goth music and fashion returning, no one seemed to take it seriously or produce music, fashion or art that really understood it. Again Into Eyes for me was the only thing that really hit the target. It's not aping the past but taking inspiration from it and taking those ideas to the next progression, by adding other ideas, genres, textures and re-contextualizing them for 2012.

Sadly, after waiting for 2 years for S.C.U.M to release a full record, it took them less than a year after to break up. Sad days, indeed.

TOY

I don't honestly know tons about TOY. What I do know is as follows:

1. They are signed to Heavenly Recordings. That's a good sign.

2. They have released two 12" singles.

3. This was the first video I saw/song I heard:

4. This their official bio: TOY will release their debut album in September 2012. TOY is a Korg Delta led five-piece formed in 2010. It consists of Tom Dougall (Vox/Guitars), Dominic O’Dair (Guitars), Maxim Barron (Bass/Vox), Alejandra Diez (Synthesizers/Modulation) and Charlie Salvidge (Drums/Vox). TOY’s musical influences incorporate a wide range of genres including punk, psychedelia, krautrock, post rock to name a few and they explore experimental recording techniques in the studio.

5. Their full record won't be out until September.

6. While the first release sounded very much like the Horrors with a dash more shoegaze and a bit less goth, the new single sounds more like Teenage Fanclub. Winners on both counts I say.

The Horrors and The Duke Spirit

9. The Horrors- Skying
At first, the latest Horrors record was a bit of a disappointment. It was interesting enough, and was definitely the latest lateral and interesting sonic gear shift from the band now becoming known for being consistently in flux. But I loved their last record. I was blown away by the production, the restraint, and the strength that they had finally wrestled onto a full release.

On Skying, much of that was gone. The darkness had been replaced with a sense of openness, as if sunlight had finally made it through the window after one of the darkest nights the Horrors had seen. But with the arrival of the dawn, a new and different Horrors had arrived. Much of this comes from their musical touchstone trajectory. They have done their Nick Cave and The Birthday Party and Bauhaus and were moving on (in chronological order) to the mid-late 80s. So out wen the tight black swatches and in came the paisleys, the band collars, the baggy psychedelia of early Primal Scream or the shimmer and shine of Talk Talk or Echo and the Bunnymen. It's not the evil I love, but a totally commendable shift to a spot where very few are right this second. Good for them for avoiding the crowds.




10. The Duke Spirit- Bruiser
Another recent past favorite, The Duke Spirit have plateaued. That's not particularly a bad thing. While others struggle to make more than one good record, The Duke Spirit have now come to a point where they don't need to change a formula. Their songwriting, attitude, look and stamina are above and beyond most of their peers, so they can now fashion something all their own in the space that they have made. With fewer rockers, than their last release, Bruiser still brings what makes this band worthy. Pop hooks with muscles, and vulnerable moments with just enough of a pout throughout, Bruiser cements the fact that this is one of the best rock band out there right now. Keep on keepin' on.

S.C.U.M

I have been waiting for a label and release announcement from S.C.U.M since 2008. While The Horrors and Beak> and the like came out with their atmospheric gothic dirge releases, S.C.U.M really floored me with their textures and sounds more than the rest. But then, radio silence. They posted random dates and some signs of life, but nothing official and nothing to make me think that they would actually release anything. The I got news from Mute:

"With a highly anticipated debut album due out late summer, the London based band S.C.U.M has signed to Mute. As a preview, the band is releasing a new track “Summon The Sound” which is featured on Mute’s exclusive Record Store Day vinyl release, Vorwärts."

Finally confirmation that I am not the only person who found this band exciting. So a new song, news of a debut release and hopefully some touring thereafter should see if they can live up to their potential or if I was led astray by the moody lighting and prevailing sense of death. I am a sucker for a prevailing sense of death.

Check out the new song "Summon The Sound"
S.C.U.M - Summon The Sound by Mute UK

The AEC Top 10 for 2009

I feel no obligation anymore to make these top 10 lists every year (no deadlines, no place to have them printed), but I still feel personally compelled and since some folks are inevitably going to ask, I therefore give you the All England Club Top 10 Albums for 2009

1. The Arctic Monkeys- Humbug
   
2. The Big Pink- A Brief History of Love
   
3. The Horrors- Primary Colours
   
4. LaRoux- LaRoux
   
5. Morrissey- Years of Refusal
   
6. the morning after girls- alone.
   
7. Esser- Braveface
   
8. Julian Casablancas- Phrazes for the Young
   
9. Zomby- Where were you in '92?
   
10. The Drums- EP
    

Honorable mentions:
The 1990s- Kicks
Junior Boys- Begone Dull Care

And that's the way I saw 2009.

AEC Monthly Missive (missed)

So I submitted an AEC Monthly Missive that didn't run in TheTripwire. But I don't want it to totally be for naught. So I'll print it here instead. Some of this stuff I may have covered here before, and some of this might even be a bit out of date by now as well, but hopefully you will still enjoy.



Welcome back to another installment of the AEC Monthly Missive. One of the things we struggle with each month is where to draw the line. We want to keep everyone up to speed on things we see and hear from the UK, but we don’t want to bore you with bands/music/news, that you may already know about. We’d love to be strictly for the “headz,” but we are also here to help teach the uninitiated. So this month, we figured we would split it up.


For those in the know already, some of these releases/ bands might be old hat. But in case you don’t know them, here are some current basics that folks are chatting about.


La Roux- We sadly missed her NYC appearances a few weeks back, but we have honestly been impressed by La Roux. She walks the line of pop and critical darling carefully, and in the end, the tunes stand up to inspection. We had the feeling it would be all hairdo and major label bluster, but we were wrong. Quicksand will be a 2009 staple.

http://www.laroux.co.uk/


Bat For Lashes- We dug BFL last record and tour, but Natasha Khan has since added Charlotte Hatherley of Ash to the live band! The tunes are still solid and the live show is getting loads of praise. This will be the band your parents will hear about by the end of the year.

http://www.batforlashes.com/


The Horrors- We admittedly disliked the Horrors debut. For our taste, they just seemed to be lacking the bite, and even the bark, and basically only had the fur and the howl. But the band had Portishead’s Geoff Barrow produce their latest record, and it seems that he has had a serious impact. Much tighter sonically, spacious and cooler, the Horrors just might be able to deliver on their earlier promises.

http://www.thehorrors.co.uk/


Jarvis Cocker- Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker has always been a great personality. His music has also always been insightful and smart and cutting, but rarely has his work been considered “rocking.” He just changed that. Jarvis’s new song, “Angela,” proves he can rock with the best of them, pulling out his best mod stomp to date. If this is what we can expect from his next LP, we absolutely can’t wait. Get the track free at his site now.

http://www.jarviscocker.net/


The Specials- Reunions are so de riguer, and often from acts that haven’t even waited long enough to make us want them back. Not so in the case of the Specials. The reunion has caused plenty of noise overseas and folks are freaking out (including Fred Perry: http://www.fredperry.com/thespecials/) Playing all the old tunes at small venues and still killing it live, we can only hope they make it to our shores for a few dates.

http://www.thespecials.com/


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


As much as the above acts already have plenty of attention, we think we should spend sometime on folks that are so far under the radar as well.


Big Pink- “On 4AD, and produced by Alan Moulder.” In theory, that’s usually enough to win us over, but The Big Pink also have great tunes. Dark, loud, noisy and smart, we have the feeling this release could be a big difference maker this year.

http://musicfromthebigpink.com/


Tom Allalone & the 78s- Most folks know we have a serious penchant for pure and simple rock and roll. Obviously, so do Tom Allalone &the 78s. They’ve got great outfits, great hair and flawless rockabilly, straight outta Kent. Check out the first single, “Hell Hath No Fury” and the new record, Major Sins Pt. 1, just released in the UK last month.

http://www.tomallalone.com/


God Help the Girl- Stuart Murdoch is not an unknown, but the leader behind the iconic Belle and Sebastian camp has a new project that is still flying below the radar. His new project is called God Help the Girl and won’t be released until late June, but is worth seeking out right away. It’s shimmering 60s pop feel is balanced by it’s heady fake movie soundtrack concept keeps it brainy and interesting.

http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/


The Enemy- For some reason, this trio has somehow slipped the American anglophile consciousness. We saw them last year, and their Jam/Oasis/Clash style blew us away. Tight musicianship, great stage personality and plenty to say as well, these Coventry boys just released their sophomore effort in the UK. Hopefully they will have a chance to hit the States this time with a bit more support.

http://www.theenemy.com/


Dizzee Rascal- On these shores, Dizzee had his moment but has since been somewhat forgotten. We just heard his new single, “Bonkers,” produced by Armand Van Helden, and were immediately reminded how great he can be. The rhymes, attitude and raw sounds are all there, and immediately beg for the track to be heard thru giant bassbins. Straight up CHOON.

http://www.myspace.com/dizzeerascal


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


And finally, The Mighty Boosh has finally made it to the US.! Adult Swim has picked up the insane show, and thankfully given us something to do late on a Sunday night. There’s no point trying to explain the “plot” of the show, but if you are into the Adult Swim vein of comedy, and are a fan of such bands/musicians as Razorlight, The Horrors, Towers of London, Gary Numan, and Roger Daltrey, then this is the show for you. Obviously we love Noel Fielding (close friend of Russell Brand’s), but we also must admit that we have a total soft spot for Bollo the gorilla and Naboo the Enigma. Don’t ask, just watch.

http://www.adultswim.com/shows/themightyboosh/indexpage.html#episodes



Til next time.