Review: Top Albums Of 2009 (II)

The moment all music lovers have been waiting for, part 2 of the NME-Europe top albums of 2009. There were some class acts among positions 11-20 (click here if you haven't read part 1 yet), but the real cream of the crop is here. As promised, a couple of surprises along the way. Enjoy!


10. Camera Obscura - 'My Maudlin Career'
Camera Obscura have certainly managed to make themselves heard this time without compromising the style which has seen them reach cult status in many countries. Read full review.






9. Muse - 'The Resistance'
From the very start of Muse's much-anticipated fifth studio album 'The Resistance' you are aware that this is quite simply the complete aural experience, which confirms their status as top dogs on Planet Rock. Read full review.






8. Manic Street Preachers - 'Journal For Plague Lovers'
Whilst there are undoubtedly similarities between this 'Journal' and the original 'Holy Bible' - starting with the cover art provided by Jenny Saville -,this is not just another attempt at an earlier winner. Read full review.





7. Placebo - 'Battle For The Sun'
Less glam, less goth, more rock and a blinding album is the result. Hats off to Molko and Co for yet another cracker.






6. Morrissey - 'Years Of Refusal'
If, as he declares, he really has only five years left, we must treasure every offering until D-day arrives and there's no better way to start your personal homage than by getting your hands on a copy of 'Years Of Refusal'. Read full review





5. The Cribs - 'Ignore The Ignorant'
It is clear that Mr. Marr has been instrumental - in all senses of the word - in the development of their sound. Read full review.






4. Overspill Poets - 'Thompson Falls'
It has it all. You want musical poetry? Try 'The Neon Lights Are Beautiful'. Something a little more powerful? How about 'Independence Day' and 'Northern Star'? Meanwhile, 'Boxing Gloves' or 'Summer' keep all nostalgics satisfied. Read full review


And so, the podium awaits...

3. Second - 'Fracciones De Un Segundo'
Everything about Second is very 'Brit'; the look, the sound, the voice and in the previous three albums they even sang in English most of the time! This is the first totally Spanish album, but what doesn't change is the sublime combination of catchy pop songs and heart-searching ballads. The added expertise of producer Carlos Jean means this is Second's most complete album to date. Read full review.







2. The xx - 'XX'
From the moment 'Intro' springs to life, The xx's sound, quite frankly, captivates the listener. The more you hear, the deeper you are drawn into their lair and once you're in there, forget about escaping. Read full review.







1. The Temper Trap - 'Conditions'
Dougal Mandagi's falsetto vocals are angelic, the melodies are exquisite and there's not much else to add - 'Conditions' speaks for itself. Read full review.





So, congratulations to the chosen few. In particular, my hat goes off to two bands; first of all Overspill Poets. By their own definition they are "the poor cousin" 0f the Top 10. One thing I will say is that if your immediate reaction to position Nº 4 was "Overspill Who?", then you should go straight to ReverbNation.com and check out the tracks from 'Thompson Falls'. Secondly, if you'll pardon the pun, I think the fact that Murcian boys, Second, have made it into an international Top 10 is quite a feat for a Spanish band. However, making the top 3 is no less than they deserve after a career spanning 12 years and 4 albums (and at the moment it's difficult to find a rival for them on the Spanish indie scene). 'Fracciones De Un Segundo' is quite simply a fantastic album - had it been released by a British band I'm sure the other NME would have raved (and this time with good reason). Still, you the learned reader know that the most reliable music opinion is here on the alternative NME (the continental one), so why not take my word fot it and can see what Second are all about by clicking here.

Lists are subjective and this one will hopefully stimulate some debate or, at least, make you check out a couple of bands you previously had no idea about. NME-Europe is proud of it (in fact, it's getting into the list idea, so the Top Tracks and Top Albums of the 00s lists are in the pipeline!), it's up to you to approve or not.

Album Reviews: June's Top Of The Pops

Another busy month ahead of the summer festival period. Here's what June had to offer:

Camera Obscura: 'My Maudlin Career' (rating 9/10)
Camera Obscura have certainly managed to make themselves heard this time without compromising the style which has seen them reach cult status in many countries. Read more.






Manic Street Preachers: 'Journal For Plague Lovers' (rating 9/10)
Whilst there are undoubtedly similarities between this 'Journal' and the original 'Holy Bible' - starting with the cover art provided by Jenny Saville -,this is not just another attempt at an earlier winner. Read more.




Cooper: 'Aeropuerto' (rating 8/10)
There are few surprises on 'Aeropuerto', lyrically sound and incisive backed by a tight Power Pop sound with apparent influences as wide-ranging as The Kinks, Paul Weller or Teenage Fanclub, which means there's generally something for everyone. Read more.




And there was more...

Placebo: 'Battle For The Sun' (rating 9/10) Less glam, less goth, more rock and a blinding album is the result. Hats off to Molko and Co for yet another cracker.





Little Boots: 'Hands' (rating 2/10) One of those moments when you regret having a gut feeling. Commercial pish and not really worth a review, but I don't want anyone else to make the same mistake as I did.



Kasms: 'Spayed' (rating 6/10) Brash and certainly not for the light-hearted, but seems to lose its way a little after the opening tracks and ends up being a bit noisy!




Eels: 'Hombre Lobo' (rating 8/10) There's something about songwriter E which is bizarrely addictive and 'Hombre Lobo' merely serves to extend the myth. Sublime combination of country and rock keeps the punters happy.



Kasabian: 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum' (rating 8/10) Kasabian maintain their swagger, but also branch out to host a variety of sounds on this at times chaotic piece of work. Psychotic psychadelia, but with some bouncing tracks.



Read May's summary.

Album Review: Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers: 'Journal For Plague Lovers' (Colombia/Red)

1. Peeled Apples
2. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
3. Me And Stephen Hawking
4. This Joke Sport Severed
5. Journal For Plague Lovers
6. She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach
7. Facing Page: Top Left
8. Marlon J.D.
9. Doors Closing Slowly
10. All Is Vanity
11.Pretension/Repulsion
12. Virginia State Epileptic Colony
13. William's Last Words

The Manics roll back the years on this their ninth studio album and as per usual it's not a simple affair. Recorded on the back of the hearing that proclaimed Richey Edwards as 'presumed dead', Bradfield and co took a series of unpublished Richey lyrics and put them to music on what many have described as the sequel to the masterpiece 'The Holy Bible'.

Whilst there are undoubtedly similarities between this 'Journal' and the original 'Holy Bible' - starting with the cover art provided by Jenny Saville -,this is not just another attempt at an earlier winner. Nothing could ever be as vehement as 'The Holy Bible' was, but what makes this album equally as compelling is that it combines all that was manic during the Richey-era - tracks such as opener 'Peeled Apples', 'All Is Vanity' or particular favourite 'Marlon J.D' - with the natural progression the band has made since he departed - highlighted in tracks such as 'Jackie Collins...', 'Me And Stephen Hawking' or the delightful 'Doors Closing Slowly'.

The Manics are back with a vengeance and, on this showing, are most definitely presumed alive.

NME-E Rating 9/10
Top Track: 'Marlon J.D.'



Last 5 NME-E reviews:
Cooper: 'Aeropuerto'
Silversun Pickups: 'Swoon'
The Enemy: 'Music For The People'
Maximo Park: ' Quicken The Heart'
The Maccabees: 'Wall Of Arms'

Read all NME-E reviews

Weekly Round Up (18 May 2009)

Here's the latest batch of music news....

Top Stories

The online music site, Spotify, is planning to launch a mobile version and launch in the US.

Founder Daniel Ek spoke about what he thought the future lay in store for the product: "Portability is an important aspect, [as is] interoperability with other devices."

"That's definitely something we think is a premium product that people are willing to pay for - being able to bring the music with you or being able to have it working on your stereo."

A £9.99 subscription is currently available in the UK which blocks adverts. The US market could well see something by the end of this year or the beginning of 2010.

Meanwhile, the debate as to how to deal with illegal (or should that be alegal?) downloading on music continues. The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has spoken of its disapproval over a plan proposed by an alliance of creative industries in the UK to disconnect music file sharers' internet connections.

The alliance of the creative industries have called on the Government to "cut-off" repeat offenders to reduce the distribution of copyrighted material, but the response from the ISPA was that the idea was "disproportionate":

"ISPs and consumer groups consider disconnection of users to be a disproportionate response, a view that was recently supported by the european parliament."

In an attempt to offer some sort of compromise to the situation, Barbara Follet MP, minister for the creative industries, told industry executives that they were looking at a system of penalties and threats of legal action.

We'll see how this develops.

Myspace Magic

A couple of bands have added new material to their profiles over the past week. Scarborough's finest, Loveday Fools, have uploaded two new tracks - 'Terry O'Neill' and 'Come On Mate'. The former is a wistful ballad, while 'Come On Mate' is a down to earth little ditty which could be about any of our mates. This band is certainly versatile, so I seriously recommend a listen.

Liverpool's The Jacs have also added two new demos to their myspace page. This band will be featured in an nme-europe Myspace Magic article in the near future, but for now, all 60s music lovers should head straight for their page.

If you're looking for something along the lines of Editors-cum-Placebo-cum-The Cinematics you shouldn't bypass The Scholars. This Midland band, already featured on nme-e have added a couple of new tunes to their myspace profile. 'Turbulence' is my particular favourite - this band is really churning out some quality tunes and are surely one to watch.

Finally, another Midland band, Subkicks, released their debut album last week. A full feature will appear here this week, but for now have a look at their profile and sample some of their sounds.

Reviews
This week's main release is 'Journal For Plague Lovers' by the Manic Street Preachers, which has already caused a stir in with its cover. Indeed, supermarkets are refusing to display their new album cover, only stocking it in a blank slipcase because they fear that the cover image will offend.


Nicola Williamson, Sainsbury's music buyer, said: "We felt that some customers might consider this particular album cover to be inappropriate if it were prominently displayed on the shelf. As such, the album will be sold in a sleeve provided by the publisher."

However, James Dean Bradfield had other thoughts. "You can have lovely shiny buttocks and guns everywhere in the supermarket on covers of magazines and CDs," he said, "but you show a piece of art and people just freak out."

He's kind of got a point...

And finally....
Antonio Vega, 51, R.I.P.

Now, most of you will be wondering, 'who?' but Antonio Vega should go down as one of the great pop-writers in the Spanish music world. Nor he nor his band ever made the giddy heights they might have (and probably would have if they had been from the UK or the US) deserved, but Vega's lyrical and musical ability is unquestionable. His most popular song, 'La Chica De Ayer' was, in fact, covered by the Gigolo Aunts and is possibly the best way to remember him.

Weekly Round Up (30 Mar 2009)

Welcome to the latest batch of interesting (?) new stories from the music world.

Top Stories
Revolutionaries Manic Street Preachers have stopped the British National Party from using their 1998 Number 1 'If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next', after the far-right political party used the track as the backing for a video titled 'The Cesspit Called London' on their website and on a YouTube account without seeking permission to do so. The material was removed after SonyBMG, the band's label, issued a cease and desist order.

Ironically, the lyrics to that song concern the International Brigade – the group of volunteers who went to Spain to fight Franco's fascist ranks in the Spanish Civil War. Another example of the BNP's ignorance.

Back in the "cesspit", organisers of a campaign aiming to ensure that a suitable replacement is built for the London Astoria, which was forced to close in the name of urban development in January, held a rally outside the venue last Saturday.

Campaigners were asked to take their iPods with them in order to have a silent disco directly outside the venue, due for imminent demolition.

A campaign petition has now been signed by over 1,000 people, while the campaigners' official Facebook page has over 3,000 members.

Back in the 'Pool, Some of the city's best known musicians have teamed up with Liverpool players to honour the Hillsborough disaster, which "celebrates" its 20th anniversary in April.

Musicians including John Power (The La's, Cast), Peter Hooton (The Farm), Nick Kilroe (Echo And The Bunnymen) and Rob Taylor (The Troubadours) have recorded an updated version of Irish folk song and fans' favourite 'Fields Of Athernry'.

The song, which has been renamed 'Fields Of Anfield Road', also features vocals from the 'Kop Choir', made up of past players including Kenny Dalglish, Phil Thompson, John Aldridge, and Bruce Grobbelaar.

Speaking of the single, Hooton said he wants the track to be seen as a tribute.

"A lot of people have volunteered to get involved," he said. "It is a reworking of a Kop classic and I hope it raises awareness of the Hillsborough disaster and is a fitting tribute to the 96 and the survivors."

Starsailor frontman James Walsh, a big Liverpool fan, also appears on the track.

As a member of the "Blue half", I wish the project the very best. I was unfortunate to be around at the time and hope this serves as a deserved tribute to all those who were affected.

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.

Myspace Magic
Plenty happening on Myspace this week, in fact too much to summarise here. With no disrespect to the rest, the picks of the week are Loveday Fools, a band who will appear on this page in the next week or so and who have uploaded another new track to their page this week. 'The Year I Started Smoking' confirms their ability to bang out a quality melody. (And thanks for sending me a sneak preview, gents!).

Fellow friends, Alexis Blue, also uploaded some new sounds. Their debut album is available on a free download from their page. I seriously recommend a visit and listen.

Following the latest Myspace Magic interview with midlanders The Scholars, the lads have informed me that their demo album 'Turbulence', mentioned in the article, is available for full streaming on LastFM at the following link:

http://www.last.fm/music/the+scholars/turbulence

You can read the full interview here (shame on you if you haven't already!)

And finally, congratulations to Londoners We Have Band, who have won the Emerging Bands competition organised by the Glastonbury festival. The lucky gits will be on one of the main stages during the festival.

Reviews
No particularly important releases this week. Still pending is a write-up of 'Klang' by The Rakes, and a summary of this months top albums will appear soon.

Festival Fever
In the light of Los Planetas' cancellation ahead of this year's SOS 4.8 festival, the organisers have been quick to confirm Maximo Park as replacement and have also rescheduled the programme a little. Spiritualized have now moved from the Friday (May 1) to the Saturday, while the aforementioned Maximo Park will play the main stage on the opening night. You can check out the complete listings here.


Up the road, Benicassim's classic FIB festival announced more confirmed acts to accompany headline acts Oasis, Franz Ferdinand, Kings Of Leon and The Killers. The latest additions are Lily Allen (oh well!), Glasvegas and Mystery Jets. Other confirmed acts included TV On The Radio, Fight Like Apes and Late Of The Pier. Again, more information is available on the official webpage.

More next week.


Read all NME-E News

Richey James Edwards, R.I.P.

This week, one of the most famous cases of a "missing person" came a stage closer to being closed. The "person" in question was Richey James Edwards (or Richey James as he preferred), original member of Manic Street Preachers, who disappeared from a London hotel on February 1st 1995. His car was found abandoned near the Severn Bridge.

Whilst many presumed he had comitted suicide, 14 years have passed until his status of missing has been changed to "presumed dead", despite various alleged sightings during that time.

It seems appropriate, therefore, to dedicate this week's post to the late Richey James Edwards, surely one of the greatest lyricists of our times, and his band Manic Street Preachers.


Coming from Wales, The "Manics", as they became known, quickly achieved a reputation as a band with a political message and were linked almost immediately with The Clash and The Sex Pistols. After 6 years of demos, ep's and a series of volatile gigs, in 1992 they released their first full-length album, Generation Terrorists (Columbia), which boasted great tracks such as 'Motorcycle emptiness', 'You love us' and 'Stay beautiful'.

This magnificent debut was followed-up by a more ordinary album, Gold Against The Soul (Columbia, 1993), and many thought this was a signal the Manics would leave the music world without a trace (the band had even said themselves that they would break up after the first album). However, they came back with a 3rd album which, in my humble opinion, is one of the best of the 90s - The Holy Bible (Epic, 1994). This is a dark, hard album, typified by tracks such as 'Of walking abortion', 'She is suffering', 'Revol' and (personal favourite, mainly because of the title) 'Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart'. It was during this time that Richey's already erratic behaviour became increasingly accentuated and just before the group's scheduled tour of the U.S. his disappearance occurred.

For the next 2 years, we heard more about Richey being seen across the world and rumours the band would finally split than anything related to their music, but in 1996 the Manics brought out Everything Must Go (Epic), which finally established them as one of the U.K.'s biggest bands. Much poppier and certainly easier to listen to, but still retaining songs of a highly political content ('Kevin Carter' is a fantastic example of this) and, at the same time, offering anthems such as 'A design for life'. Indeed, for most this was the album of the year.

Since 1996, the band have released a further four studio albums; This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours (Virgin, 1998), Know Your Enemy (Virgin, 2001), Lifeblood (Sony, 2004) and Send Away The Tigers (back with Columbia, 2007) as well as the compilation Lipstick Traces (Sony, 2003).

Whilst it is probably true that the band has never reached such a level as "Everything..." each of the following albums have always graced us with a track or two to enjoy and highlighted the band's commitment to the socialist cause: 'Tsunami' talks of the deliberate flooding of a small Welsh village to benefit the English and 'Baby Elian' deals the U.S's treatment of Cuba (and ensured they became the first western band to play in La Habana, complete with a dinner invitation from Fidel Castro).

Now that Richey is no longer missing, it will be interesting to monitor the band's next move, given that 14 years after his disappearance, Richey James Edwards is as an important a part of the Manic Street Preachers as ever, a theory confirmed by the fact that their next album, due for release in Spring 2009 will consist exclusively of songs written by the man who is no longer with us.

In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the Manics, check out their discography by clicking on the thumbnails and listen to some of their tracks on the jukebox below.

Manic Street Preachers:
James Dean Bradfield, vocals and lead-guitar
Nicky Wire, bass and vocals
Sean Moore, drums and vocals
Richey James R.I.P, guitars

Albums:





Sounds:

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Note: These tracks are copyright. I probably shouldn't put them on here, but all I'm trying to do is let people listen to some music and get an idea of why the Manics are so brilliant. I'd rather not get into trouble with the police, so if this is a problem, let me know and I'll remove the tracks.