Monday 28 December 2009

Top 6 Albums of 2009

I couldn't deal with just 5. In no particular order:



Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
John Paul Jones, Josh Homme and Dave Grohl were three of the 5/6 names I would have shouted at you if you had asked me 'Who would you put in your ultimate rock band'. Imagine my joy when I found out they were going to be working together. JPJ is my favourite bassist of all time, Dave Grohl drumming is my favourite kind Dave Grohl, and Josh Homme, well. I love the man and worship every project he's been involved with. And on top of this, there's Alain Johannes too - such an underrated musician, he is as amazing as the other three and NEEDS more recognition. Watching them live you can just see they are a cut above other musicians, and they work so well together. A bunch of very clever men indeed. And watching Josh swing his hips when they perform Interludes with Ludes, is practically pornographic. He moves like Elvis did.




Horehound - The Dead Weather
This is just amazing. In the same way that Them Crooked Vultures is. All of them are stupidly talented. Live they are flawless. You'd think they'd been playing for over a decade, not barely a year. Alison Mosshart and Jack White have so much chemistry on stage, you just get sucked into it. Jack White really did assemble a masterpiece of a band here, you can tell he's a perfectionist. Their blusey album-ender is a corker, and their cover of New Pony is brilliant, as I am massively partial to a Bob Dylan cover, what with him being such a great songwriter, but a terrible performer, I love it when other musicians do his songs, especially bands like this that can pull it off. It completes the genius, and balance is restored.




Sweethead - Sweethead
I got into Sweethead as they support a lot of the bands I go to see. How on earth can one woman be so sexy? Serrina Sims' voice along with Troy Van Leeuwen from Queens of the Stone Age's wonderful guitaring make such saucyness. Whether it's normal sexy, attitudy sexy, or subdued sexy, its pretty much all sexy. Other than "It's sexy" there's not much more to say. I recommend this album if "sexy" is your thing. And I recommend watching their video for The Great Disruptors, because even if you don't like the music, there's a sexy lady in it.




I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose - Bombay Bicycle Club
It's been so good to finally hear a proper recording of this band. From the start they really deserved to have their music produced properly. Despite being young they are unexpectedly talented, and at times their music makes them sound older than they are... If that makes sense. Every track is fantastic, and I especially love how the Intro track is as good as the rest of the album - not just something you skip when you put it on. It would be too difficult to name a favourite as they pretty much all are, but Always Like This is basically my summer in music form, and The Hill just reminds me of sixth form when we used to "go outside and rise rise rise to the meaning of life" and makes me realise that I do just really "want to go back to old times". Ahh... On one hand its silly teenage indie music, yet on the other it's so much more than that.




Humbug - Arctic Monkeys
This album made me love Arctic Monkeys. I think I put this down to it being co-produced by Josh Homme. He bashed the Sheffield out of them and made them men. They are no longer spotty teenagers in t-shirt and tie combinations, they are mature, proper musicians, and Alex Turner's voice is beautiful now. And as a whole the album's really really sexy. There's that "sexy" again. I can see this ending in myself making a "sexy jar", in which I deposit a pound every time I say the word "sexy".




West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum - Kasabian
Now. This is the guilty one. I thought I hated Kasabian. I thought they were a rubbish mini-Oasis. And to be a rubbish version of something already that rubbish is... well. Bad. For this reason I almost feel ashamed to like this album... But it's actually brilliant. Granted, I dislike the lazy backing vocals, that sound like the voice of weird lovechild combination of the Gallaghers and Peter Griffin when he's on crack, or humming his own theme tune, but aside from this, every other aspect of this record is brilliant. It's really well produced, and Tom Meighan actually has a rather nice voice when he tries. Vlad The Impaler and Take Aim are awesome, and West Ryder Silver Bullet is beautiful.


All in all, I think what I've learned from this, is that I generally veer towards music that's "sexy". Perhaps my Top 2010 albums will be "Sexy Albums of the Year" instead.

Thursday 17 December 2009

Christmas Bonbonbonbonbonbonbononbonbons



Christmas pudding alcoholic truffles topped with white chocolate and er... Kellogg's Fruit Winders, cut into holly shapes. Which was horribly fiddly. Originally a Nigella Recipe, but I made a few changes.

Monday 14 December 2009

Public Information Leaflet

Sunday 13 December 2009

Conspiracy

Me explaining that The X-Factor is Evil, through the medium of expressive typewriting.











A sketch for a typeface. Watch this space, one day it will be a .ttf.

Monday 7 December 2009

A note to Father.

 

Those of you who know Barry might enjoy this.