Niklas' blog

It’s that time of the year again! Last year I did this, but this year I’ve got no time to make pretty album covers, but there’ll be tracks streamable. So there, go weep and shudder, cry and duck and cover! I fully expect your comments on this one. Rage and tell me where I’m wrong. In no specific order, then:

Albums

DJ Hell – “Teufelswerk”

Maybe nobody thought the boss of International DJ Gigolos able to make one of the best electronic albums of recent times, but here it is. I’ve pined so much for Kraftwerk’s “The Catalogue“, i.e. the remastered versions of their studio albums, that I thought it would entirely dominate my world when released. But no, that’s simply not the case. DJ Hell has, without a doubt, created the most coherent, lust-filled, playful and minimalistic electronic album of 2009; actually, I think it moves beyond that. The Guardian are prone to agree:

Many of you will find the idea that DJ Hell has made one of the best albums of 2009 (yes, already) utterly ludicrous. I know. I can hardly believe it myself. But, prepare to be amazed, because Teufelswerk – a 17-track opus, split between ambient Day and jackin’ Night tracks, which arrives on 27 April – is one of the most ambitious and cogent dance music albums of, well, all time. Seriously.

Röyksopp – “Junior”

Following their immensely good debut album and the likewise disappointing follow-up, it’s great to see the band back on track. This is a very good collection of songs that even goes past DJ Hell in areas where Röyksopp doesn’t compete; pop, vocals and melodies. Just listen to the powerful instrumental “Röyksopp Forever“, reminiscent of George Delerue and the playful and 303-y “Happy Up Here”. Songs to make you dance, songs to make you think and songs like “The Girl And The Robot” (which they did with Robyn) that I have to play while DJing, songs that make you explode just like Junior Senior were once capable of doing.

Lady GaGa – “The Fame Monster”

The expansion of “The Fame” is this, “The Fame Monster“. From the first single, “Bad Romance“, this album – which I will refer to the appendix as – leads on from where Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta once started; piano-driven singles throughout a digital landscape. This album is more splintered than the predecessor, and still coherent and very much danceable. I love the Texan slurs throughout glammy “Speechless” as much as the heavy synth carpet-bombing that is “Alejandro“. Still, the lyrics are often forgotten in the midst of her poppiness, as is her fashion, fun and deliberate madness.

And I must mention it: her stealing Lionel Richie’s “Easy” was a sweet move, possibly paying back Faith No More for their covering her “Poker Face” live.

The Noisettes – “Wild Young Hearts”

I’ve already written this separate post on this album, so check that out! This is a tight contender for my absolute fave album of the year, so check it out! Sheer samples:

Averkiou – “Throwing Sparks”

No album cover here, but a gig instead, ha!

There have been a lot of hype regarding My Bloody Valentine as they’ve reformed, so much that any band that sounds even remotely similar – i.e. uses reverb, echo effects and/or multiple layers of guitars – are cast out as copies. Fawk dat! Averkiou are from Florida, have recorded this album that’s 22 minutes long, and it blows your mind. Yes, it does.

Neko Case – “Middle Cyclone”

Following up the masterpiece that is “Fox Confessor Leads The Flood” is no small feat, so despite this being a weaker album, Neko still proves four things: 1) her melodies are prime, 2) her ability to collate musicians that are brilliant at what they do is stellar, 3) her lyrics are the country equivalent (albeit slightly older in style) of Lady GaGa’s and 4) her voice rules. Plus, she covered Sparks “Never Turn Your Back On Planet Earth“.

Metric – “Fantasies”

This is a new discovery for me, considering they released their fourth album this year. Synth-y, melodic harmonies pinned down by a firm voice and a band that obviously gels. Really nice work, reminiscent of Noisettes, inspired by Wire and very nice alt-rock in general.

Peter Doherty – “Grace/Wastelands”

Despite staying a joke while doing anything other than recording during most of 2009, this album – propelled by Stephen Street and Graham Coxon – is quite good as a whole, but it’s hit-and-miss; while tracks such as “1939 Returning” and “New Love Grows On Trees” are brilliant, tracks like “Sweet By And By” should have been smothered in their infancy; bad druggy takes on Libertines’ demos? No.

And no, I’m not holding my fingers for Gary Powell’s new band, The Invasion Of… either, mostly because of Alan McGee’s hype. What’ll challenge anything post-Libs? The Courteeners’ coming album, “Falcon“?

Lightning Bolt – “Earthly Delights”

The Brians are back! Yeay! So, what’s new? 30-second-snippets:

Apparently, not that much! The tracks are slightly more (!) experimental, the energy is there and I can’t say how much I’ve waited for this album to drop. Just listen to the first track and realise it kills. And rejuvenates. It’s like a gigantic breath of fresh air. Metal without the cock-rock of it all. It’s like watching a movie with a sex-scene that should be in there, I mean, that different and far-fetched, yet completely in-place. I love the Brians.

Play the album in its entirety here.

Ladyhawke – “Ladyhawke”

I don’t give a fuck that this album was released in some continents late 2008, it’s just so noteworthy that I have to holler about it and you have to check it out. The multi-instrumentalist on the album cover plays most of what’s heard on the album and she’s just the pop equivalent of Bernard Butler, except I think she’s better in some way; people keep talking about how Little Boots and La Roux shape the girly pop landscape but they’ve apparently missed Ladyhawke. Brilliant name, by the way. Anybody who name-drops that film is a personal friend of mine. You have to listen to this album. P.s. If she’s from New Zeeland, why does she sound like she’s from Germany at times? I mean, fram desk till dauuuuun?

The xx – “xx”

A lot of magazines list this album as the very best of 2009. I’ll say it’s music to take drugs to take music to listen to drugs to. It’s simple and spaced.

Fever Ray – “Fever Ray”

No, we cannot forget an album based on bum glissando notes, sleep deprivation from having a child and a lot of songs hailing from The Knife canned bits off the Miami Vice soundtrack her life. The lyrics are pap yet poetic, and still, I like this a lot played through speakers at loud volume.

Morrissey – “Years Of Refusal”

Morrissey himself deems this album as one of his three best, excluding “Vauxhall & I” in the process, which I think singles out part of what makes this album; it’s by itself. It’s quite similar to “Southpaw Grammar” in some sense, akin to “Maladjusted” in another world, yet still the blazing Morrissey we know, minus – dare I type it? – some of the wit that adorned his life before 1988 and that which is apparent in most albums including “Ringleader Of The Tormentors”

Songs l really like from the latest album are “I‘m Throwing My Arms Around Paris“, “All You Need Is Me” and “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore“, while songs such as “When Last I Spoke To Carol” and “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell” may be seen as strong in comparison with other artists’ material, I deem it to be among the weaker material in his canon¹.

I love the man. I’m always saddened to hear of his frequent cancellations during this tour, I’m afraid that his health is faltering yet am convinced he’ll come back to blind us all with lyrics that can truly be compared to none other than his own and the help of his co-conspirators, of which Alain Whyte – my fave tune-smith for Morrissey – is still very apparent. Cheers to the new year, Morrissey!

Compilations

“Kitsuné Tabloid by Phoenix”

This is a really strong and eclectic compilation. Buy it on the strength of word alone! Or you can hunt for it.

(500) Days of Summer

Such a sweet film deserves a sweet soundtrack, and it became so.

The boy, Tom Hanson, at Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he’d never truly be happy, until the day he met The One. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop-music, and a total mis-reading of the movie ‘The Graduate’.

Songs

Apart from some of the above being mentioned:

Reissue, repackage, repackage

Beastie Boys – “Check Your Head”
The Beatles – Remastered Stereo Box Set

Discovered this year

Backstreet Boys

I’ll let this post speak for itself. It’s credible, believe me. Just listen to their greatest hits-collection and try telling me there aren’t bits of supreme, infallible pop in there.

Magnetic Fields

Likewise, I’ll try to let this post detail my infatuation and complete affection with “69 Love Songs”, finally discovered after a few years of misunderstanding everything about it. I’m better now, I promise.

Disappointments

Super Furry Animals – “Dark Days/Light Years”

You what?

Depeche Mode – “Sounds of the Universe”

Please. Don’t, any more. Come back to me.

Regina Spektor – “Far”

More of the album before, but just not catchy. Come back, you too!

Related articles by Zemanta

• GaGa, oo-ma, ma-oo, artistic, materialistic fun: the Super Deluxe The Fame Monster Pack or bust (niklasblog.com)
• The video to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” is great (niklasblog.com)

Anything else?

No, apart from stating that Rage Against The Machine snagging the UK #1 christmas spot this year is still brilliant.

1. Bar “Kill Uncle“, for Bog’s sake…[back]