Okey Pokey lovely ‘Spillers, I’m going to keep this short and sweet, just to fill in a wee gap before the awesome ‘Festive ‘Spill Number Ones appear tomorrow. Music was a funny beast in 2011, what with being kept busy with baby Kit and getting my video production company off the ground there really wasn’t much time to even listen to music, let alone scour the more obscure recesses of the interweb. Consequently I seem to have been listening to:
A – Safe comforting noisy indie that reminds me of being seventeen (4 albums of 11, yes I am taking a lead from Mr Panther on this – 11 for 2011? Okay then!)
B – Cosy alt folk from Scotland (5 albums)
C – Mildly skewed but really quite poppy stuff (2 albums)
D – Laura Marling, of course!!
Here’s my list!
1. “Belong” – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Going from twee indie roots to basically 1992 Smashing Pumpkins in the space of one album was always gonna be music to my ears. I played this to death, had a wee break, then played it to death again. My favourite song on it keeps changing too, which is a sure sign of classic status.
2. “A Creature I Don’t Know” – Laura Marling
This was inevitably also going to rank highly due to the ongoing obsession. This album was harder work than her previous two, but paid off in droves. A modern folk record with guts, depth, beauty, truth, and playfulness too.
3. “Colour Trip” – Ringo Deathstarr
Basically if you took My Bloody Valentine, JAMC, and every other early 1990s shoegaze band, and threw them in a blender – this would be the result. Short record, immensely fun and noisy and melodic. One song sounds like it’s made out of springs. Any record that has the line “Hit me with your tambourine, there’s no such thing as much too loud” has to be ace.
4. “Black Rainbows” – Brett Anderson
This album really has dominated the last month of the year for me – Brett has his mojo back, and it’s passionate and grand and basically a rock record from start to finish. Had Suede released this instead of ‘Head Music’ in 1999, they would have put themselves in an unassailable position forever. Oh, and don’t forget that voice. That voice….man! That voice!
(This album may have been higher up the list, if it had come out earlier in the year, and didn’t rely so much on various fire-based metaphors 
)
5. “Past Life Martyred Saints” – EMA
Uneasy listening from EMA, raw lyrics match raw sounds, lo-fi grungey cathartic harshness punctuated with moments of beauty. Absorbing.
6. “Yuck” – Yuck
Yep, more grunge-nouveau on my list. Sigh. I bloody love it. Played damn loud. A lot.
7. “Melodies” – Reverieme
Cute, literary Scots pop folk. I can’t listen to EMA all the time…Reverieme did a cool interview for The ‘Spill, and made it into the Festive ‘Spill 3s too.
8. “Master Of None” – Jonnie Common
McBeck. You can’t help but smile to hear this. Plus has “Summer Is For Going Places” on it, which is maybe one of the best songs of the last five years.
9. “Only In Dreams” – Dum Dum Girls
Super catchy sing-a-long surf pop like the best Bangles/Pretenders record you ever heard, but way, way better.
10. “That Might Be It, Darling” – King Creosote
KC’s other release may have got more attention, but I’m an indie snob and you can only get this on vinyl from his gigs. So there!
10a. “Diamond Mine” – King Creosote & John Hopkins
But was an amazing album though…..
11. “Factorycraft” – Found
Weird guitar pop from Edinburgh. “You’re No Vincent Gallo” is a cool song.
I’ve been incredibly lazy and only made a Spotify playlist of ten songs (it’s not all on Spotify y’know) which you can access by clicking here. If anyone doesn’t have Spotify and wants to listen to some music, let me know in the comments. Also, if you have a top 10, a top 5 or a three or even a top 1 and can’t be arsed doing a whole post about it, why not put them in the comments? Cheers, and a merry Christmas to all you lovely, lovely ‘Spillers! X x X
Forget the music (well, don’t – but you know what I mean…), that photo is perhaps the ‘Spill-pic of the year.
ace ace ace and cute.
Love the write up – stunning photo..
It’s like we have just been blessed with a Christmas card from ‘spill royalty. (and that’s the only royalty I am willing to acknowledge)
Awww, thanks guys. Two things I have noticed about that photo since posting it:
1. Kids make vinyl look even bigger than it actually is.
2. Hector is f*&*ing cross-eyed!
Vinyl looks brilliantly massive in the hands of children – and has the added bonus that it can’t be posted through the gaps in the old floorboards like a CD can – as my little one has done. It’ll be years until I work out what it is shimmering tantalisingly beneath my feet.
“A Song from Under The Floorboards” – Magazine !
now I know – ace… hee hee hee.
Much better than ‘A Magazine From Under The Floorboards’ – now that’s something no-one wants to see….
2. Hector is f*&*ing cross-eyed!
Me too when my right nipple’s tweaked
!!!!!!!!!!
Yay, finally!!
great photo Blimpy and interesting list, will have a listen to the playlist in a sec.
The reviews put me off the POBPAH album, but looks like i’ll have to think again.
Also, the Brett Anderson album definitely warrants further investigation…
Nice photo.
Funnily enough, I actually bought 11 albums that were 2011 releases this year, which for me is unusually, I mainly buy older stuff that I missed the first time around.
So, Carole’s Choice XI is (in no particular order);
Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
Radiohead – King Of Limbs
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Jacszyk, Collins and Fripp – A Scarcity Of Miracles
Van Der Graaf Generator – A Grounding In Numbers
Opeth – Heritage
Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Jeff Beck – Rock ‘n’ Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul)
John Wetton – Raised In Captivity
Which is a fairly eclectic selection too.
that’s a pretty good list too Carole.
I’m ashamed to say that the Mogwai completely passed me by, is it any good?
And, what’s the deal with Van Der Graaf Generator? is it a reunion? Is it all new material? Is it any good?!
Yes, the Mogwai album is really good, I think, a worthy follow up to “The Hawk Is Howling”. I saw them in Bristol shortly after getting the album and they were excellent.
The copy I have has a bonus second disc which is music they composed for an art film or for some kind of art event. It is called “Music for a Forgotten Future (The Singing Mountain)” and is really lovely and quite magical.
The VDGG is an album of brand new stuff, recorded as a trio of Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans and is a real return to form after the, in my opinion, disappointing “Trisector”.
I’ve been meaning to check out Anna Calvi properly for ages now. These lists always act as good reminders, thanks Carole. A good point though, I’m not sure I had many more than 20 albums I properly listened to this year – what gets me is when you see individuals listing their top 50 albums of the year – you may as well just type out the contents of your itunes!!!
It’s all about the placings for me – I kinda like the agonising over the order!
that was a great setlist Blimpy. The Ringo Deathstarr was a pleasant surprise as was Found – nice one!
Thanks for listening Mr Panther. I’m glad you found Found a good find. Where’s the rest of your countdown??!
All I want for Christmas is an elitist KC album. Great stuff Blimpy.
I remember your Pains of Being Pure at Heart song post, and i loved it. That brings to mind a Spill Challenge topic thought – What band would you never think to listen to because they have a such a twattish name, but the music actually ends up being pretty good?
That’s one, and i’d also throw in Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Casiotone For the Painfully Alone.
Happy Holidays to the Blimpsters and the magnificent Hector. But where are the cats?