My top 3 albums of 2011...so fugn close but after much thought: 3/PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Wins the best production of the year too and the use of Niney The Observer's 'Blood & Fire' in 'Written On The Forehead' was simply genius...
2/Richmond Fontaine - The High Country
Willy Vlautin...read his books, hear his songs!
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and 1/Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting
After first coming across this Burial remix of 'Wayfaring Stranger' I didn't think that Mr Woon would let me down. This album became the soundtrack to a lot of nocturnal rambles this past year...
Song of the year:
Atari Teenage Riot - Black Flags (feat. Boots Riley)
Plan B performing 'Stay Too Long' at the Big Day Out
Our collective jaws dropped at the conclusion of their set that day...
Album track of the year:
David Lynch - Strange and Unproductive Thinking
12" of the year:
Burial VS Massive Attack - Paradise Circus/Four Walls
The if I had the money I probably would have bought it artifact of the year goes to this.
Biggest disappointment gig of the year goes to the Nick Drake tribute...gawd I was bored at this gig. So fugn polite. Am I the only person who doesn't get Robyn (I'm bonkers me I yam) Hitchcock? It was so nice to see Green Gartside on stage again tho for the first time since I caught the trio Scritti#1 (with Tom and Nial) numerous times back in the late 70's...
Biggest disappointment of the year also goes to the gigs that ill health stopped me from going to (Underground Resistance/HTRK and Black Cab at The Tote)
...and how on earth did I miss this band until this year?
Pygmy of the year? Well there could only be one winner...
A dip into the rich history of Radio Luxembourg. Often referred to, erroneously, as a pirate, 'Luxy' was thoroughly licensed from its start in the early 1930s. In the days when the BBC distanced itself from entertainment, Luxembourg rose to the challenge, beaming the UK with a first taste of commercial radio. Commercial it was too, in a 21st century brand integration way. The transmitters were seized during the War, and happy presenters were replaced by the tones of Lord Haw Haw, whose 'Germany Calling' call-sign can be impersonated by the generation which heard him, and which later saw him hanged for treason. The new Luxy flourished after the War. Having moved to its famous 208m position on the medium wave, it was embraced by a young Britain both before the 'pirate' era - and beyond, as a young UK 'independent local radio' pursued its early 'worthy' programme policy. Owing to the format gap, Luxy bounced through the seventies and only began to suffer real attrition as Radio One moved to FM; and commercial radio was freed for a more populist approach and the growing network seized Luxy revenue. The station eventually waved farewell to 208 in 1991 - and remained on satellite until its closure a year later. The station is remembered to this day for: 'the Ovaltineys' sponsored programmes; the presenters it spawned (Murray, Savile, Edmonds, Freeman); the poor reception ('the Luxembourg effect'); and for being listened to 'under the bedclothes' (unavoidable really, it only managed to occupy its frequencies in the nightime). Via
John Cage performing on Nam June Paik's TV special called 'Good Morning Mr. Orwell' from 1984. In the beginning, we see that Cage is joined by Takehisa Kosugi and one other unidentified person. perhaps they were performing a composition or improvisation that they would have done during a Merce Cunningham dance. there is also a cut away to a Joseph Bueys piano performance art piece. MORE (Thanx Michael!)
LinguagrooverRichard Dixon Kim Jong Un rounds off period of official mourning in North Korea and underlines change of direction with release of Morrissey covers album HA!