[E.O.M.S.]

Monday 29 December 2008

Alt country style & design

New issue of this wonderful online magazine is now available
here.
102 pages includes an interview with the very wonderful Richmond Fontaine.
(Read the Richmond Fontaine article here.)

Flying Lotus - Parisian Goldfish

Video directed by Tim and Eric.
Warning video contains flashing lights & sex scenes!
Please do not watch if you are an epileptic prude!

Sunday 28 December 2008

The editorial team here at 'Exile' just groovin'!

Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines

Exile's Album Of The Year (By A Country Mile)!

So the album of this year is the sister album to probably my favourite album of last year, Okkervil River's 'The Stage Names'. As for my other 10 albums well Bon Iver's was the newcomer of the year to my ears showing that three months spent alone in a cabin in Wisconsin can be very productive (though it is probably my idea of hell.) Mark Stewart's first album in 12 years never quite scaled the heights and originality of his previous work, but maybe the world is just finally catching up with him. The Felice Brothers do Dylan and the Band very well, shut your eyes and pretend you are in the Big Pink in 1967. One of three new Lee Perry albums released in 2008 'The Mighty Upsetter' finds him teaming up with Adrian Sherwood again for the first time since 1990.
Portishead never really moved me until this album and I think it was down to the sound being more 'dirty' than on previous releases and 'Machine Gun' could well be my track of the year. Christian Fennesz continues to make astonishing records that I get the feeling that only a small amount of people are hearing, why don't cafes play this sort of music in the background instead of the crap that gets served with my coffee?
Dig!!! Lazurus Dig!!! is hilarious. In fact Nick Cave has been hilarious since the beginning. As for Spiritualized, well they never let me down. Too hip to admit liking CSN & Y well just namedrop Fleet Foxes instead and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is someone else who just doesn't do a thing wrong as far as I am concerned, but it is to the wonderful Okkervil River that I keep returning to.
EP of the year award goes to Four Tet's 'Ringers' and my gigs of the year were Low at the East Brunswick Club, Sonic Youth doing 'Daydream Nation' and Wilco at The Palace.
Packaging of the year goes to the Grateful Dead's 'Rocking The Cradle' and my rediscovery of the year was the electric era of Miles Davis between 1969 and 1974. I last listened to 'Bitches Brew' 33 years ago and HATED it. (Maybe I just matured - hah!)
A couple of albums that only just missed out on the best list were 'Stainless Style' from Neon Neon and 'Los Angeles' by Flying Lotus.
Biggest disappointment was Primal Scream's 'Beautiful Future'.
Finally 'the band that everyone seems to get apart from me' award goes to The Hold Steady.

Exile's Albums Of 2008 (Runners Up)

Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago

Mark Stewart - Edit

The Felice Brothers

Lee 'Scratch' Perry - The Mighty Upsetter

Portishead - Third

Fennesz - Black Sea

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!!Lazurus Dig!!!

Spiritualized - Songs In A & E

Fleet Foxes

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lie Down In The Light

Cha Boom! (For Herr B)

Saturday 27 December 2008

(Cyber) Space Is The Place where there WAS a 'Pathway To Unknown Worlds'!

Got a shock when I logged on to my computer today.
My favourite blog has shut up shop.

I do hope that it is not for long.
Here is Sun Ra's 'Space Is The Place'.

(Dedicated to Herr B.)

Read the comment below and weep!
It doesn't take much time or effort to say "thank you" you know and it makes all of us bloggers feel appreciated (and loved)!