The most depressing day of the year is upon us and about bloody time too. The one day of the year where it is acceptable, nay encouraged, to whine and moan and cry and complain. Great stuff.
I personally intend to skip dinner (to heightens sadness receptors), turn off all the lights, pull up the duvet and cry for hours. I might even crack out old love letters and diaries.
If you would like to join me, here's a Spotify playlist to soundtrack our delicious despair, feel free to add your own odes to sadness: Blue
Man and wife sell up 9 to 5 life to meander around the coast on a sailboat and write songs. That's nice. Other people's lives are nice. Should we just all jack it in? I'm pretty adept with a tambourine and I can stay in tune most of the time, who's with me? But I am quite sleepy and warm. Maybe later.
These guys have been floating around the bloggies/onestowatch columns for a while now but didn't seem to take off in a big way despite their first track 'Marathon' being lauded by everyone from Pitchfork to the Guardian. (It's absolutely ace by the way- listen below). Maybe it's because they are annoyingly hard to google search. But NEVER FEAR. After releasing 'Take Me Somewhere' into the blogosphere a few weeks ago they are currently most blogged on hypem.com and have just announced a European tour in January, hooray!
It's that time of year where everyone is thinking ahead to end of year lists, frantically rifling through Spotify playlists and itunes purchases to come up with a list of not-too-obvious-ace-albums-cuz-ya-know-i'm-a-bit-left-of-centre-and-shit. AND HERE'S MINE. I've pretty much raved about all of these at some point on here so they need no introduction. I've stuck a few tracks I can find off soundcloud below for your aural pleasure or here's a spotify playlist. Enjoynowbye x
1. Warpaint- The Fool (obvs). Couldn't find Undertow or Shadows but this is a sweet song.
10. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs. Still getting into this more nostalgia-based album from the Fire. I think it's going to be a keeper. We Used to Wait, Rococo, Sprawl II all aces. Nice strings with interesting, more mature lyrics. Arcade Fire - Rococo by Scenedamage
Here is some good music make feel nice that's been knocking around my noodle. Enjoysers:Listen here
First Aid Kit 'When I grow up'. This is a really nice cover of the Fever Ray track, check out the video for the original below, also aces. Those crazy Swedes.
Warpaint 'Ashes to Ashes'. I think it's been established Warpaint can do no wrong in my eyes. Maybe they are Veelas. Their cover of Bowie's 'Ashes to Ashes' is as beguiling as to be expected, with delicious bendy bass, good girls.
***SPECIAL TREATZ*** The man himself working the popular 80's 'paedo-in-leather' look, ooooh!
Babeshadow 'Sea Serpents', 'Darling'. I like them because they look like this:
Lefty is an inspiring cross between Art Garfunkel and Michael Hutchence and righty is channeling the perfect amount of old school Kings of Leon (before the unpleasantness...)
I like them #2 because they sound a bit like Larrikin Love and Clap your hands say Yeah (in a good way...
Morning Benders 'Mason Jar', 'Excuses', 'Promises'. Phwoar. Saw them at the Borderline last week and they were incredible. One of those pleasant surprises that are five million times better live than on record (even though the new album is an absolute banger), I nearly died. If you get a chance, go and see them live, you won't be disappointed. Until then, here's their new song
Neon Indian 'Deadbeat Summer'. I like it, I have it. Wasn't blown away by Psychic Chasms but this nostalgia-laden track is bonzer.
I've also thrown on some oldies that have kicked their way back onto my playlist...
The Cribs 'Be Safe'. I can't stop playing this song. 'Lets take life and slow it down incredibly slow, frame by frame with two minutes that take ten years to live out. Yeah, lets do that.'
Arab Strap 'Cherubs'. Some like it scotch...
Foals 'Spanish Sahara'. This is incredible. Check out the video, very Into the Wild...
I'm not sure shoegaze is exactly what I mean with these bands but they are perfect for staring at things wistfully, k? Anyway, have a listen to the spotify playlist and you'll know what I mean. I have always been a fan of zone-out music when working or having those groundbreaking thoughts when you are walking in the rain and immediately forget when you take your earphones out... But goddarned it, along with old favourites Atlas Sound, Deerhunter and Blonde Redhead, with each passing day the Pitchfork and Hypemachine brigade are championing a new batch of sleepy-eyed, sluggish-melodied ditties with wistful, teen angst lyrics and it's getting a little old frankly...
I've rounded up the best of the bunch recently getting props to save yourself the embarrassment of falling for the Clarks of the shoegaze world and it's contemporaries ;)
An overrated album by a bunch of stoners? There are some shining star tracks though; Boyfriend and The End are great schmoozy, sixties-inspired lullabies but the album can get a little repetitive as a whole. They have done a load of interviews where they just come across as Stoner Central and pretty dull really.
Watch this now:
REAL ESTATE
Beach Comber is a banging track, not on Spotify but worth a buysies. I like this. It even has one of those shaker things that looks like an egg, fucking love those. The guitar on Basement sounds like it's trying to snog itself. Surf poppy shoe gaze.
WASHED OUT
Ok so 'Feel It All Around' has pretty much been the soundtrack to my Summer. The bass is straight out of Human League- Don't You Want Me, smothered in glittery tinklings and a hazy finish. Delicious. The rest of the Life of Leisure EP ain't half bad either but no other song touches this one.
TORO Y MOI
An Eton Mess of sound. Whip 500ml of distorted, bendy guitar with a handful of mixed voices, top with a sprinkling of beepy things. Serve on drums.
CARIBOU
This is the livelier end of shoegaze, more like shoeshuffle, but I call the shots on this blog so it's going in also. Odessa is a stroke of pure genius and Swim is a phenomenal album.... Yeah, slightly off the shoegaze track but there are elements in there and it is FANTASTIC. Czech it out.
GOLD PANDA
Lonely Owl is just beautiful...perfect wind down material. Just some flecks of shoegaze in here, lets call this one wallstare. Again a bit more trancey/ambience but a great wee EP on spotify, listen yes.
