Resistance album cover

Before I begin, I would like to say that I’m a big Muse fan. I have all their albums and have seen them live a few times.

That being said, Resistance is crap. Let me list the ways:

1. Uprising: The BBC have unveiled the new Dr. Who theme tune. Seems like they’ve chosen Call Me by Blondie
2. Resistance: Pretty generic college rock with some electronics
3. Undisclosed Desires: Someone’s been watching too much Smash Hits and VH1. New Wave with hip-hop beats? No thanks.
4. United States Of Eurasia: Otherwise known as Queen Tribute Act. And why stick on some Chopin on the end?
5. Guiding Light: Can’t think of anything interesting to say about this song. I suppose, Muse have never been at their best when writing slower songs.
6. Unnatural Selection: A crap cover version of one of their best songs, New Born
7. MK Ultra: Probably sounds ok live is about the nicest thing I can think of.
8. I Belong To You: What the fuck are Maroon 5 doing in my Muse album?
9. Exogenesis: Half decent but not the incredible epic it had been hyped to be.

This album is an overproduced mess. The past few albums have certainly shown that Muse do like epic and elaborate sounds, but they’ve also contained subtlety and nuance. The Resistance discards all of that and the end result is a bland mish-mosh of ideas that is completely toothless.

I used to think that Muse’s music and interviews were carried out with a knowing sense of the absurd, yet The Resistance and recent comments (Matt Bellamy seeks an audience with Peter Mandelson to fight piracy) makes me think that they actually believe everything they say and their own hype.

Since my development machine is a laptop (and often behind a NAT router), it would be easier for me to push to the server rather than pulling them since the server’s details will remain constant while mine are likely to change frequently. While merely setting up git on WebFaction is simple, there are a couple of gotchas if you wish to be able to push to the server.

While I have tried to make each step as clear as possible, I realise that I’m not very good at making clear instructions. This is not a git tutorial either so it may perhaps be a bit confusing to those with no prior experience of using it.

Installing Git

• Login to your server via SSH
• Download and install git (check the git website to make sure you’re downloading the latest version):

  $ wget http://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-1.6.3.3.tar.gz
  $ tar zxf git-1.6.3.3.tar.gz
  $ cd git-1.6.3.3
  $ ./configure --prefix=$HOME && make && make install

Setup the remote repository

With git installed on the server, it’s now time to setup the remote repository. Usually when you want to initialise a repository git init would suffice. Unfortunately that won’t do here. Thankfully, it’s not too difficult if you follow these steps.

• Create a folder for your repository. I tend to have a repo folder in my home directory which contains a folder for each project:

  $ mkdir ~/repo/projectname.git

  The .git suffix is just a style thing and not required.

• cd into this newly created directory and initialise the remote repository like so:

  $ git --bare init

  Those of you with prior git experience may wonder what the --bare is for. This tells git that we don’t need copies of the committed files on the filesystem, just the repository itself. Apologies for the rather vague description but it should become clear later on.

Configuring the local repository

After working on the server configuration, it’s now time to do a little work on your local machine. At the moment, your local git repository doesn’t know where to push the files to. This will soon change!

• $ cd /path/to/your/local/repository/
  $ git remote add origin user@server-ip-or-address:~/repo/projectname.git

  Of course, make sure to substitute the italic phrases for your own details

Now that your local repo has a reference to the remote one, it’s time to give this pushing malarky a try!

• $ git push origin master

• You’ll be prompted for your ssh password but after that everything should be hunky dory. Let’s look at the output:

  $ bash: git-receive-pack: command not found
  $ fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly

Uh oh. That’s not good.

Don’t despair! We can fix this

So what’s happened? Well after googling the problem, I came across this blog post which states:

Many installations of sshd do not invoke your shell as the login shell when you directly run programs; what this means is that if your login shell is bash, only .bashrc is read and not .bash_profile. As a workaround, make sure .bashrc sets up $PATH so that you can run git-receive-pack program.

What this basically means is that when you run git push, the server looks for a program called git-receive-pack but doesn’t know where to find it. Thankfully this is easy to fix.

• On your server, switch to your home directory and use your preferred text editor (e.g. emacs, vim, or nano) to open .bashrc
• Don’t worry if there’s stuff in there, just add export PATH=${PATH}:~/bin to the bottom.
• Back on your local machine, try pushing once more. This time your output should look something like:

  Counting objects: 250, done.
  Compressing objects: 100% (228/228), done.
  Writing objects: 100% (250/250), 453.36 KiB, done.
  Total 250 (delta 116), reused 0 (delta 0)
  To [removed to keep away from prying eyes]
   * [new branch]      master -> master
  

Now to setup a working directory

Wait, what? We’re not finished yet? I’m afraid so. There is just one more step to do. Remember before I mentioned --bare? Well this means that the files in the repository cannot be accessed directly. Not being able to access the files isn’t terribly useful if you’re wanting to deploy them onto your server. Thankfully making them accessible is easy to do.

• Switch to the directory on the server you wish to deploy the files. Since I’ve been working on a django project, this would be $ cd ~/webapps/django
• $ git clone ~/repo/projectname.git
• Now you should have a working directory with all of your lovely code

In conclusion

Hopefully this is useful for those who are using WebFaction shared hosting as I know a number of people have been looking at setting up git and getting push to work. Possibly people on other shared hosting accounts may find it useful as well.

Happy git pushing!

Installing a Wordpress plugin with SFTP

Like me, you may use SFTP instead of FTP to upload files to your server. Like me, you may also use Wordpress to blog about things. Like me, you may have been a bit disappointed to see that you couldn’t auto-update Wordpress or install plugins through the dashboard as it appeared to only support FTP and FTPS. If none of this made any sense then you might want to check out What is SFTP and why use it? below.

Yet don’t be disheartened O reader for it is a little known fact that Wordpress does allow one to use SFTP! To do this you need to have the appropriate SSH extension for PHP. Luckily Kevin van Zonneveld has written a lovely guide on how one does this. He does note that a new version of libssh2 has been released and I can confirm that it works so when you reach that section you might want to use the following steps instead:

wget http://surfnet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/libssh2/libssh2-1.0.tar.gz
tar -zxvf libssh2-1.0.tar.gz
cd libssh2-1.0/

After you install libssh, remember to install the PECL module:

pecl install -f ssh2

and modify your php.ini (usually in /etc/php5/apache2/) to include the following beneath Dynamic Extensions

extension=ssh2.so

You’ll probably need to restart Apache afterwards:

/etc/init.d/apache2 restart

Now when you visit the auto-update page you will have a third option to use SSH, as shown in the image above and your Wordpress SFTP days have begun!

What is SFTP and why use it?

SFTP is a replacement for FTP which is much more secure. It is based on SSH and is not to be confused with FTPS (despite similar names, the two are incompatible). SFTP encrypts all the data and commands that are sent to and from the server and provides protection against a number of network security risks. FTP, on the other hand, leaves everything – username, password, data, etc. etc. – in plaintext and so is susceptible to man in the middle attacks.

Needless to say, I’d highly recommend everyone use SFTP and disable their FTP logins.

What is FTPS?

FTPS is FTP running over SSL-enabled FTP servers. This is similar to the difference between HTTP and HTTPS. With FTPS, all the control data (e.g. authentication) is encrypted but the data may not be. This is because if you have already encrypted the data then there is no point having FTPS encrypt it again. Of course, if the data is in plaintext then you can ask FTPS to encrypt it.

The main problem with FTPS is that you need an SSL certificate plus it requires a secondary channel for the data which may cause problems with some firewalls. Of course, SFTP isn’t perfect as well but it’s the one I prefer.

Happy secure data transferring!

If you are a techy person then it is likely that you have used Google (or another search engine) to search for techy solutions to techy problems you are having. It is therefore likely that you have come across the website Experts Exchange as it seems to rate quite highly in search engines for a wide array of topics. You may then be frustrated to find that the answer to your question appears to not be on the page you were directed to and that you are required to not only sign up but actually pay for said solution!

Jings crivens! Paying for something on the interwebs! Heaven forbid such a thing!

Yet here’s Tom’s Top Tip for the day: just keep scrolling down. Scroll past the hidden answers. Scroll past the adverts. Scroll past the topic list. Scroll as if your life depended on it. If you scroll enough then you shall be rewarded with the answers to your question.

I highly doubt that I am the first to expouse this knowledge but I do know that a number of my friends did not know this nugget of wisdom and so would constantly bypass any Experts Exchange results returned by their search engine of choice.

I’m totally perplexed as to why people choose to use that website though. There are any number of websites dedicated to answering your questions and the vast majority are free and don’t require you to scroll past craploads of junk. Can anyone shed a light?

So without further ado, I shall introduce you to my 7 year old brain with the novelette The Mysterious Shadows.

The Mysterious Shadows: Front Cover

(Mick Allen was a pseudonym. No idea why!)

The Mysterious Shadows: Page1

There was a dark and misty town not far away from a dark and misty forest. Lots of gigantic shadows rose upon houses in the town and rose on the trees

The Mysterious Shadows: Pages 2 + 3

the town and rose on the trees in the forest. In the town a little boy went for a walk with his dad from the shopping centre to get a ball for the little boy to play with at the park and on the way home

(Notice how the shopping centre has separate “In” and “Out” doors. Very organised! I believe the parts underneath the “Shopping Centre” sign are entrances for cars; you can see I’ve then detailed the layout of the car park – an essential part of any artwork accompanying a book!)

The Mysterious Shadows: Pages 4 + 5

they went to the park to play football. Suddenly the shadows got to the park and when they got to the gate of the park one of them took out a gun and tried to shoot the little boy and dad but he missed them so he tried again and missed. He looked down to

(In the first image you can really see how I’ve detailed the mistiness of the town using an HB pencil. It also shows how I was experimenting with stepping out of my comfort zone as this is the only top-down piece in the whole book. The second image is, I feel, a really good example of how perspective and motion (of the bullet) can be utilised to great effect.)

The Mysterious Shadows: Pages 6 + 7

fill his gun up and while he was doing this the boy and dad ran out of the park and when he looked up he

(Aha. It’s a bit of a cliché nowadays but at the time the “baddy looking down to reload” twist was rather novel and here it’s used to get our heroes out of an impossible situation.)

The Mysterious Shadows: Pages 8 + 9

couldn’t see them. So they turned around and walked back to their secret hut and

(The pathetic fallacy of the increasing murkiness of the artwork really captures the more sombre mood of the second act.)

The Mysterious Shadows: Pages 10 + 11

when they turned round a corner the boy and dad flung

(You can really see the influence the Beano has had on my artwork with the action framing of the second piece.)

The Mysterious Shadows: Pages 12 + 13

their arms round the shadows mouths and they started to

(Note that in this amazing world we are visiting, door handles are larger than heads.)

The Mysterious Shadows: Pages 14 + 15

question the shadows. The boy said “take us to your secret

The Mysterious Shadows: Pages 16 + 17

hut.” So that’s what they did and when they got there the boy asked “do you have a leader” and one of them said “yes” “then take us to your leader” said the boy and one of them said “no” and the dad got really angry and then the shadow said “ok ok keep your hair on”. So they were taken to the shadows leader and the boy and dad together said “were going to take you some where your going to love” (the shadows were silly enough to believe them). So the boy and dad took the shadows to that place and that place was jail.

(It’s a well known fact that bad guys are amazingly gullible. It’s such an underused plot device.)

The Mysterious Shadows: Back Cover

No one knows when.
No one knows how.
But what puzzles them is who are they.

(This is a study in how to write a great blurb. Entice the reader in with vague questions and then never answer them in the book!)

Anyway.

A couple of days ago I decided to read about Watergate. Why? No reason apart from being curious. It’s such a well known scandal and I felt my understanding was very incomplete.

Nixon on Twitter

So with that in mind I headed to the fountain of knowledge and started reading. It’s fascinating stuff and so I became very engrossed. But while reading about people such as Ellsberg and Ehrlichman an idea popped into my head.

“Twittergate”.

And lo, Twittergate – a recreation of the events of Watergate twittered through the eyes of the participants – was born!

All of the accounts are in correct – as far as I could tell – chronological order but are, of course, not in real-time as that would have taken several years rather than a few hours.

I have no idea how this will appear to the naïve reader as I myself find the whole thing rather strange but listed below are the twitter accounts of all involved in the order they first join our…story, for lack of a better word. A journey perhaps?

• Daniel Ellsberg
• Richard Nixon
• Anthony Russo
• Neil Sheehan
• New York Times
• Henry Kissinger
• Egil Krogh
• John Ehrlichman
• The Plumbers
• Frank Wills

So there’s the cast, feel free to do what you will. I leave it up to you as to how you interpret it (as I can’t make head nor tales of it). Is it art? Is it saying something about the state of current affairs? Is it commenting about the usage of technology intruding into our privacy?

Please, feel free to make up your own wild guesses as to what goes on in my mind and let me know!

UPDATE
The NYT twitter account I created for this got renamed. Spoilsports!

13ghosts – The Strangest Colored Lights

One of the hidden gems I found last year was this album by the Alabama based band 13ghosts. Probably the most sombre album in this list, the lyrical contents on the songs deal mainly with death and related topics. The music, on the other hand, is much more spritely in places and crosses a wide range of genres with electronic infused folk music standing beside good ol’ fashioned rock’n'roll which is only a stones throw away from some reggae drums. This experimentation of styles prevents the melancholy topics from overwhelming the listener and instead makes it emenently listenable.

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

OK, so technically this entry is cheating as For Emma, Forever Ago was originally released in 2007 albeit in a very limited fashion. I include it here because a) I only heard it in 2008 and b) it’s my blog so I can do what I like (power trip!). If you follow any of the popular music blogs then undoubtedly you’ve already heard about how fantastic this delectable slice of folkey goodness is. Thankfully, in this instance, the hype really is warranted and I urge everyone to give it a listen.

Camphor – Drawn To Dust

I heard the song Confidences Shattered (which I have uploaded for you lucky people) and knew I had to have this album. Led by film composer Max Avery Lichtenstein, Camphor features members of other highly regarded bands such as Beirut, Bright Eyes, and Mercury Rev.  In general, the album is a lot more delicate than Confidences Shattered suggests although there are a couple of meatier tunes such as Castaway (of which you really should check out the video). Overall, Drawn to Dust is a beautifully melodic album and it’s a shame to see it hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves.

Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles

Contrary to what many believe, Crystal Castles do not have an Atari 5200 chip embedded in their keyboard. But the fact that it has been widely reported as a truth either tells you to be wary about the general intelligence of the human population or it tells you what to expect from this album. It’s about as blip-bloppy as is possible without the listener becoming a computer and processing each individual bit as they go streaming past. Although Sidabitball might have something to say about that.

Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours

Album #2 from Cut Copy is a vibrant patchwork of electronica that, in any other year, would have taken the title of best electronic album of the year (what’s #1 you ask? Have patience my binary friend). The new album is more cohesive than before and has a slight shoegaze feel (reminiscent of another quality album out this year, M83’s Saturday = Youth). Most of the reviews for this album contain words like “breezy” and “refreshing” and, while listening, you understand exactly what they mean; it’s as if the music gently caresses your jaded and weary face.

De Novo Dahl – Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound

Almost certainly the most upbeat album on this page, Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound is a raucous power pop album that you can’t help but dance along or sing to (ergo accomplishing the goal stated in the album title). While the more uptempo songs are the real highlights of the album (Subject of the Kill, Shout, and Be Your Man deserving shout outs) the slower paced ones also manage to contribute rather than detract from the overall product.

Destroyer – Trouble In Dreams

To predict that I would like the new Destroyer album is akin to predicting that the sun will rise tomorrow (although some human sacrifices might have to be made every now and then). That’s not to say I’m some kind of mindless fanboy (well, it does actually…), it’s just that I have such faith in Dan Bejar’s ability to craft some of the best indie pop songs that it doesn’t even cross my mind that he will disappoint. And lo I was, in my opinion, absolutely correct! Trouble in Dreams carries on from where Destroyer’s Rubies ended with a much fuller sound than his earlier albums (primarily because Destroyer could now be considered a band). It is a tragedy that, except in small circles, Bejar is not considered one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our generation.

The D’Urbervilles – We Are The Hunters

At just over half an hour long, We Are The Hunters is cutting a fine line to be called an LP but with songs this good I don’t care. Comparisons have been made with The Killers but I find that borderline offensive as The D’Urbervilles pack more inventiveness into one song than The Killers have managed in three studio albums! It’s also, despite the rather buoyant album cover, a deeply sinister album and gritty; the kind of album I’d imagine Anton Chigurh would have on his iPod.

Frustrator – American Made

This selection is probably cheating as, as far as I am aware, this album has not actually been released and so cannot be purchased. Fortunately the wonderful Tei Blow (the mastermind behind Frustrator) let me have an advanced copy and I could not resist putting it here. American Made is a rather dreamy album full of “bubbling electronics, homemade acoustic instruments, and drum machines”. I resorted to using Tei’s description as I really could not have put it any better. Once again I’m forced to bemoan the unfair world we live in and I can only hope that, like Bon Iver, Frustrator’s time will come albeit slightly delayed.

Islands – Arms Way

Ideally I would have liked to upload the 11 minute epic closing track Vertigo (If It’s A Crime) but I feel that lengthy, meandering songs aren’t generally the best way to introduce new bands to people; something to do with people’s patience. So the plan is: a) listen to album opener The Arm which I have helpfully uploaded for you, b) fall in love with Islands, c) buy the album, d) listen to it all and be gobsmaked by its bombastic, orchestral, power pop, e) come back and tell me how awesome Vertigo is, f) go and see them perform live as they put in one of the best live show of any band.

Think you can do that?

Kyte – Kyte

I first heard of Kyte when I read their description in the Latitude Festival 2008 lineup. They sounded interesting so I popped along to see their set and was pretty amazed. Comparisons to Sigur Rós and Arcade Fire are fairly obvious when you listen to them and, for a debut album, that’s praise indeed! It seems to have divided opinion though, with the Guardian giving an especially scathing review but personally I think Kyte have out Sigur Rós-ed Sigur Rós this year (Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust didn’t really do it for me).

Mother Mother – O My Heart

I completely missed the release of the first Mother Mother album but I wasn’t so careless this time round; O My Heart is an incredibly funky album which is well deserving of all the praise that’s been lathered on it. I’m still perplexed by all the comparisons to the Shins as I really don’t think they sound very similar. Anyway, if you’re a fan of harmonies or bouncy pop goodness then O My Heart will be right up your street!

Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

Apologies to the Queen Mary was a fantastically flamboyant debut album and so I had high expectations for Wolf Parade’s sophomore effort. I shall get my criticism out of the way quickly: At Mount Zoomer isn’t as good as its predecessor. Thing is, it’s not far off and so is still a worthy album in its own right. Things feel a bit tighter and darker now but it’s at the expense of the very dynamic sound that made AttQM such a unique sounding album. Still, it’s a great album and worthy of your consideration.

10 hours without a toilet break

This was sent to me by Jonathan during Sky 2’s epic two day long 24 marathon.

Is this how America treats its heroes? By forcing them to withgo from basic bodily functions? If that’s their attitude then I’m afraid I shall have to resign from The American Heroes League. I expect Horatio Caine and Peter Griffin to also tender their resignations.

And yes, I should be writing a report at the moment; don’t judge me.

So what will happen is that in this here blog post I shall press upon you the albums that are highly recommended but fell just short of being in the best albums of the year. Some time in the future I shall write up the list of my favourite albums of 2008 but, as this one took me so long to write, it shall have to wait a while.

I must add that, of course, I did not listen to every album that was recorded this year so this list should not be considered a holy writ. It is merely the albums that I enjoyed and thought you might too (especially you, Alan).

+/- – Xs On Your Eyes

Xs on Your Eyes

I was a big fan of this bands previous album Let’s Build a Fire (2006) so I had high hopes for Xs On Your Eyes. Thankfully I was not disappointed as +/- delivered yet another quality, quirky, reverb-lined, indie-pop record infused with a twist of electronics. It’s a bit mellower than before but that should not be a criticism in my eyes.

Fans of Electric President, Pinback and Death Cab will be welcome here.

31knots – Worried Well

Worried Well

Worried Well is the 6th album from 31Knots and it is a rather eclectic beast making it fairly difficult to describe. One might use the now fashionable term “math-rock” but one could equally put forward a valid argument for “punk” and/or “prog-rock”. At its core, Worried Well is a guitar album but the wide variety of different instruments that support it is impressive – everything from ragtime piano to jazz horns to samples. It could have turned into an unwieldy monster but thankfully 31Knots have the experience to restrain it.

Arms – Kids Aflame

Kids Aflame

The first solo album from Harlem Shakes’s guitarist Todd Goldstein, Kids Aflame is a wonderful lofi indie record. Compared to most of the albums on this list, it’s not very complicated with most of the melody coming from the guitar, peddles, and Goldstein’s voice but these basic tools are welded with skill to create some catchy little ditties. Even when things slow down for songs such as Sad, Sad, Sad there isn’t a boring part of this album.

Balmorhea – Rivers Arms

Rivers Arms

This is possibly the most beautiful album of 2008; every song is so delicate you don’t wish to make a noise in case it shatters. The band list their influences as equal parts post-rock (such as Six Parts Seven) and composers (Beethoven, Ludovico Einaudi) and it shows. Few contemporary artists would be able to pull off the fragile balance between the pianos and strings that Balmorhea achieve in every song, and yet there is a definite post-rock sensibility coursing through the album as the guitar playing in The Summer exemplifies.

With a new album already recorded and due for an early 2009 release, Balmorhea could be one to watch for next year.

British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?

Do You Like Rock Music?

Surprising many, including myself, British Sea Power have crafted one of the best straight up rock albums of the year. By losing some of the jangly guitars and down-right franticness seen prior to DYLRM?, BSP have somehow retained their rather unique sound despite moving into territory more befitting of (shock horror) U2 and other arena-rock bands.

And somehow, it’s not a bad thing.

Cities Over Seas – National Phantom

National Phantom

Dancing between upbeat electronic based songs to melancholy guitar led ballads with added piano and back again (often in the same song), National Phantom is a hidden gem of an album. It’s shockingly short (only 33 minutes long) but you don’t feel short changed at all.

Deerhunter - Microcastle

Microcastle

After much prompting from the infamous Richard, I finally got around to listening to Microcastle. I often have the misfortune of confusing Deerhunter and Deerhoof; two very dissimilar sounding bands with similar names.  Microcastle sounds like a Destroyer album only missing a bit of Dan Bejar magic. But I hold Destroyer on the same pillar as roller coasters and triple chocolate chip cookies (i.e. unimaginably awesome rays of sunshine in an otherwise dark and desolate world) so that it’s not as good as a Destroyer album is just a fact of life rather than a criticism.

dEUS – Vantage Point

Vantage Point

Pocket Revolution is one of my favourite albums of all time and I was hoping dEUS would build upon it and blow me away with their new record. Instead they moved in a slightly different direction – fewer slow burning epics like Sun Ra and Bad Timing; more reflection and obscure references. It’s a tighter record but just lacks a little spark that was so evident in Pocket Revolution. Saying all that, it’s still a great album (otherwise it wouldn’t be here) with The Architect (about the life of Buckminster Fuller) and The Vanishing Of Maria Schneider being particular delights.

Evangelicals – The Evening Descends

The Evening Descends

The Evening Descends is possibly the most schizophrenic album I’ve ever heard (with the possible exception of Of Montreal records). And that’s a compliment. The lead vocalist Josh Jones can be found talking through multiple characters in a number of songs and Bellawood is actually about a mental institution. If you like Of Montreal or The Flaming Lips then you’ll find plenty to love here.

Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight

The Midnight Organ Fight

Along with Glasvegas (although I am not comparing the two bands), Frightened Rabbit are currently the toast of the Glasgow music scene. With wickedly clever lyrics and a keen pop-sensibility, The Midnight Organ Fight has deservedly helped them become one of the countries best exports.

Just don’t go see them live at The Arches (underground tunnels weren’t designed with acoustics in mind).

Hot Chip – Made In The Dark

Made In The Dark

And now we arrive at the first of three electronic albums. Released at the beginning of the year, it’s a crime how none of the tracks from Made In The Dark made it to the dance floors. Yes, Over and Over is a brilliant tune but surely people have heard it enough? If you’re a fan of Hot Chip’s previous output then you’ll probably like this. It’s smart and catchy but sticks to the proven formula.

Who would have thought a dance album would contain one of the best lyrics of the year? “I’m only going to heaven if it tastes like caramel”

Late Of The Pier – Fantasy Black Channel

Fantasy Black Channel

You might like Foals. I’m not going to judge you if you do; it is a free country after all. But Late Of The Pier are like Foals with balls. Big, bass-driven balls. With some added Metronomy. For a mainly electronic album it’s big, it’s brash, and it’s strangely beautiful.

M83 – Saturdays = Youth

Saturdays = Youth

Rounding off this group of three electronic albums is Saturdays = Youth from M83. It continues the fine electro-shoegaze sound we’ve become accustomed along with the hilariously overly dramatic lyrics. “I want to be a part of it / Invisible even to the night / Then I’ll read poetry to the stones / Maybe one day I could be one of them” is a particular favourite.

Maybeshewill – Not For Want Of Trying

Not For Want Of Trying

Bearing more than a passing resemblance to their current touring partners 65daysofstatic (who happen to be one of my favourite bands), Not For Want Of Trying is the debut album from Leicester based Maybeshewill. Similar to 65dos, they make heavy use of glitchy, almost heavy metal sounding, guitars and electronic beats. My main criticism is that it sounds so similar to their peers, but that can also be taken as a positive. As a debut album they’ve got the electronic, post-rock sound down to a tee; now we just need to wait for the sophomore album to see if they can create their own sound.

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

Oracular Spectacular

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, MGMT won’t be new to you. In fact, you’re possibly among the many people who think they are massively overhyped. Fortunately I don’t pay any attention to the mainstream music media so haven’t been subjected to them 24/7 and I still find their album very fresh despite its obvious homages (Queen, Muse, and Mew spring instantly to mind). Possibly the main reason I love the album is that it makes me think I’m in an 80s version of the future ala Blade Runner (only less depressing). All in all, it’s an album full of catchy, dancy silliness and they don’t pretend it’s anything else.

Come back soon when I unveil my top albums of 2008!

Merriweather Post Pavilion album cover

So I have just returned from the delightful Monorail where the new Animal Collective album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, was being played ahead of its release on 12th Jan. I am a late passenger on the Animal Collective train as I only really started to listen to them this year after much prompting from Richard. And lo it was Richard again who convinced me to go tonight. He really loves his Animal Collective! But anyway, you’re not here to read about Richard (or are you?).

The new album is quite a departure from Strawberry Jam (of which I am most familiar with) but Richard asures me that this is par for the course with AC; they are consistently inconsistent. Opening track In The Flowers lets you know this straight away as it’s a completely different kettle of fish from Peacebone, which opened their previous album. While their rampant usage of weird-and-wonderful-sounds-which-somehow-meld-together is still here, there’s a more natural feel to these sounds; as if Mother Earth had given the band a collection of samples from her mixing decks. But it’s the vocals that really differentiate Merriweather from their past work. Put simply, they’re sublime. Put slightly more complicatedly, it’s as if they are channeling The Beatles to produce some lush, multi-layered harmonies that tingle the ears.

Monorail Music

Summertime Clothes contains probably the best examples of this new vocal work but since I don’t have that on mp3 you shall have to make do with My Girls. And by “make do”, I mean “enjoy lots”. Another notable track would be the album closer, Brothersport. A bit dancier than the rest of the album, you could tell that every person in the room was itching to cast their chairs to the side and strut their funky stuff.

Or that could have been just me.

All in all, it seems to me that Animal Collective has a winner on their hands. The album has a nice flow and I’m rather looking forward to it. It is probably worth noting that if you don’t like their other output then I don’t think this will change your mind.

As you can probably tell, I’m not a music journalist so please excuse my rather crappy descriptions and, as I have only heard the album once, I make no claims of this being accurate. It is just based on my admittedly flawed memory.