Top 10 Albums Of 2011

AS MUSIC becomes ever-more a commercial concern modelled around how to be more successful by sounding more like Artist X or Y, it’s always nice to look back at the end of the year and think of the albums that have bucked that trend. Whether they offered something fresh and trod new ground, or whether they simply offered a wee bit of fresh air among the dense fug of a hit factory churning out shallow pop pap by the skipload, these are my top 10 records for the year that was.

10. CANT – Dreams Come True

Having released the universally acclaimed Veckatimest and then done the requisite tours and TV appearances, Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor might have been due a break. But instead he’s come out with this fearlessly eclectic collection which brings together elements as disparate as synth-laden R&B, Peter Gabriel-esque collages and lonely piano compositions. It doesn’t always work, but when it does it is a pleasure to hear.

9. Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX – We’re New Here

If We’re New Here is to be a requiem to a unique and under-valued talent, then it’s a hell of a way to send off Gil Scott-Heron, who died in May. The achingly-beautiful and spare arrangements that have become Jamie XX’s signature perfectly match Scott-Heron’s pained utterances, and the result is darkly compelling.

8. Starfucker – Reptilians

Starfucker? What kind of name is that? They could be called Uncle Hitler’s Bagpipe Womp Band and this would still be a musical equivalent of going down the rabbit hole – kaleidoscopic, breezy and melodic.

7. Cults – Cults

Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion’s debut effort could easily have been disregarded as more sunny pop pap, but it’s full of well-crafted brain-worms that have more than a catchy hook behind them. Rave On indeed.

6. Cut Copy – Zonoscope

Though I won’t go down the contrived route of saying that just because Cut Copy are Aussies they’re bound to have a bright outlook, Zonoscope is certainly one of the sunniest albums of the year, and contains some of the sleeper anthems of the past 12 months – a perfect festival soundtrack.

5. The Horrors – Skying

For a band whose debut album, Strange House, was as cartoonish a mix of black and white (yet still massively underrated) as could be conceived, their third effort is a remarkably colourful, symphonic effort. It’s a rather different facet of Gothic they’ve channelled this time round, all 80s atmospherics and broad soundscapes, and easily their best album yet.

4. The Weeknd – House Of Balloons

Plunging you into dark, ice-cold atmospherics which manage to be both sensual and something far chillier and lonelier, House of Balloons was one of the year’s biggest and most pleasant surprises. Abel Tesfaye’s debut is all that modern R&B isn’t, but should be.

3. Memory Tapes – Player Piano

If there was one album that summed 2011 up as a year, this is it. Melding blissed out pop crescendos, fuzzy, warm electronica bliss and uncomplicated, tempo-driving beats, Davye Hawk’s most confident collection yet represents the zeitgeist unlike any other album on this list.

2. The Rapture – In The Grace Of Your Love

Previously best known for scratchy indie-dance favourite House of Jealous Lovers, The Rapture returned with a long-anticipated third album that channels 90s dance, sultry brass and a chorus of hallelujahs. Luke Jenner’s unmistakeable howl underpins what is by far their most accomplished, yet eclectic, release yet.

1. Metronomy – The English Riviera

Fusing moments of down-right old-fashioned whimsy with the jittery electronica of the band’s first two albums, The English Riviera is an album that straddles the past and future of British music. Frontman Joseph Mount’s seaside hometown gets more than a little nod on an album which pleasingly jars and marries very different influences at the same time. Crack out the neon cucumber sandwiches,  it’s a veritable disco picnic.

My Top Ten Albums of 2010

Lists, lists and damned lists: it’s that time of year again, when everyone gets a bit dewy-eyed and stat-crazy over the last year. Music-wise you might say that 2010 wasn’t exactly a vintage year – but this would be to disregard a lot of fine new music which no-one but a particularly rabid Pitchfork follower might have heard of before the turn of 2010.

I won’t bother saying what I think is the best album of the year full-stop, taking in all the myriad styles and variants which have set this year alight (or not). Instead, I’m just going to select the ten albums which have impressed me and that I’ve enjoyed the most over the last year. This list is dedicated to Captain Beefheart, the grouchy old visionary bastard who died on Friday. To commemorate Don Van Vliet, let’s all have a listen to this. Anyway, on with the list hey?

10. ABE VIGODA – CRUSH

Everyone keeps saying that what with the austere times, everyone’s falling back on nostalgia to keep them comforted. Although channelling the 80s isn’t anything new, I doubt Abe Vigoda’s particular brand of retrospectiveness is what people are referring to by ‘comfort music’. That Echo and the Bunnymen, New Order, Joy Division and Bauhaus, among many, are so clearly referenced does not mean that the album is an empty and indulgent tribute act. Frenetic, combustible and with a continuous dark undercurrent, Crush shows that referencing goth doesn’t have to be overly gloomy, camp or The Editors.

9. TAME IMPALA – INNERSPEAKER

One of the most arresting debuts of the year, Aussies Tame Impala’s first outing wears its psychedelic influences on its tie-dyed sleeve. While it could quite easily have been an over-indulgent morass of noodling and wailing,  Innerspeaker marries its blissful 60s nods with hints to latterday heroes Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear to compelling effect. If one album invites you to turn on, tune in and drop out, and have the best time doing it, this is it.

8. ARCADE FIRE – THE SUBURBS

Perennial list-botherers Arcade Fire may be filling critic’s best-of lists across the world, but they’re not on this countdown because of the weight of critical opinion, just because yet again they’ve created an utterly enthralling album. Managing to make everyday suburbian themes into sweeping, orchestral masterpieces, this album has finally launched them into the stratospheric realms of stadium filling, even if they have received the dreaded nod of approval from Bono along the way.

7. VAMPIRE WEEKEND – CONTRA

After their surprisingly uber-successful debut album, you felt it was do-or-die time for the afrobeat loving New Yorkers. But Contra cast aside those second album doubts and moved onto a whole new palette of sounds. Although the band’s collegiate sound might not be to everyone’s tastes, their cosmopolitan range of different sounds is truly brought out to play on an album that lacks the indie club-bothering likes of ‘A Punk’, and is all the better for it.

6. HOLY FUCK – LATIN

On their second full-length outing, the fellas with a rude name (snigger) have added a more balanced, melodic approach to their earlier, jarring approach. Juxtaposing rhythms, styles and arrangements with consummate ease, Latin is an album which combines elements of modern dance music with a more ambient wash, with just a little hint of drama, reminiscent at times of the Chemical Brothers. Plus, with an album-closer as ear-drum shatteringly good as ‘P.I.G.S.’, what’s there not to like?

5. FOALS – TOTAL LIFE FOREVER

Similar in a way to Vampire Weekend’s progressive leap from first to second album, Foals firmly left behind their polyglot first album to come up with something altogether more polished. Whereas their first album seemed desperate to cram as many styles and influences into each song as possible, every note on Total Life Forever sounds like it’s fought its way onto the album, not a single sound is wasted. ‘Spanish Sahara’ hits the yearning note right on the head, while ‘Miami’ is a flagship single with a palpable sense of melancholy. Proof that even albums with worthy ambitions can be both expansive and exciting.

4. DELOREAN – SUBIZA

If ever an album fitted a certain state of mind, it’s Subiza. Listening to this at the height of a balmy June, it’s sun-drenched tones washing over you, seems to define summer. Much like the titular car, the album travels back to a bygone era by unashamedly counting 90s Balearic beats and dance as its main influences, and then splashing a contemporary indie sheen over the whole mix. The Spanish four-piece’s full-length debut is dizzyingly refreshing, and sure to cure any bout of the blues this winter.

3. CARIBOU – SWIM

Swim is an apt title – for much of the album sounds so liquid that you’d think you were doing breaststroke through it as opposed to merely listening. Caribou (aka Dan Smith), have created an electro album that truly sounds like no other. From uncategorisable, fluid opener ‘Odessa’ to the slow-burning euphoria of ‘Jamelia’, not one of the immaculately-produced songs ever outstays its welcome. In an already-saturated world of electro, Swim is a standout, eclectic record which houses a smorgasbord (pretension alert!) of different tones and sounds.

2. CRYSTAL CASTLES – CRYSTAL CASTLES

Riding on the back of Skins-created hype and their own, idiosyncratic bubble in the market, the Toronto duo could easily have sunk back into the abyss following their first album. Thankfully, their second self-titled album was just as fucking awesome as the first. An uncompromising assault on the senses (and believe me, live it’s all of the senses), it’s still less savage than its predecessor, showing the band moving into new uncharted ‘poppier’ territory. But despite managing somehow to tame Alice Glass on the spine-tingling ‘Celestica’, it’s those trademark glitchy howls into the night that you yearn for, and in the likes of ‘Doe Deer’ and ‘Baptism’ you have them. After four turbulent years, Crystal Castles’ dark, beating heart is still pumping ferociously, and long may that continue.

1. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – THIS IS HAPPENING

Despite an album cover which looks like it’s from the latest Michael Buble record, This Is Happening proved to be a fantastic, entrancing album from beginning to end. James Murphy, for so long seen as some kind of electro geek extraordinaire, now has an album which is a yardstick by anyone’s standards, not constrained by genre. In ‘All I Want’, he has crafted possibly the song of the year, and although ‘Drunk Girls’ nods back to the disco-friendly early days, this is a fearless exploration of new and ambitious sounds. Although the trademark bleeps and beeps still abound, there’s now the propensity for epic grandeur that makes it all the more sad that this will probably be LCD’s last album. So enjoy every bloody second.

Reviewage – LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening

LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening

8.444

LCD Soundsystem’s first, eponymous record was a rare one – it garnered near universal critical acclaim, yet also implored, no FORCED you to dance dance dance! 2007′s Sound Of Silver carried on this hot streak, and James Murphy has ever since become electro aristocracy, his name a by-word for how to do electro disco punk (or whatever you want to call it) which makes you scratch your chin while you pogo around the room.

No pressure then for this year’s third (and, rumours abound, final) Soundsystem release, This Is Happening. Customarily, Murphy rises to the self-appointed challenge by not only meeting the expectations of fans world-over, but bettering his previous two efforts.

Although the average track length is around 6 minutes (no surprise for a man whose 2006 single-track release 45:33 lasted, in fact for 45 minutes and 58 seconds) the atmosphere lurches between unapologetically catchy soon-to-be-dance floor fillers and trademark discourses in drawing the best out of a protracted, pure beat.

Dance Yrself Clean eases the listener in with a typically minimalist lo-fi path, ridden concurrently by a sunny harmony and Murphy’s  almost spoken vocal line, before launching into a boisterous break. Murphy’s vocals, reminiscent of The Rapture’s Luke Jenner, howl over the reverb-heavy, bassy synth which crunches dreamily throughout the duration of the track’s 9 minutes.

While the record’s flagship single, Drunk Girls, may not be in the same league as Daft Punk Is Playing At My House, it runs it close for sheer, breathless playfulness. This it the punky element of Murphy’s alchemy: a messy, sweaty stomp that will very shortly be demanding to inhabit every perspiration-drenched dance-floor in the country. Ahead of the festival season, you have been warned.

One Touch allows the listener to catch some breath, breaking down into a Kraftwerk-esque electro-rise that continues inexorably through Murphy’s heavy vocals and trademark synth flourishes before leading onto another of the album’s strand-out tracks. All I Want is probably one of the best songs the band have ever recorded. Pitchfork have compared it to Bowie’s Heroes, and there certainly is some similarity  in the faintly post-punk arrangement, vaguely melancholy keyboards and guitar lines that evoke the elegantly dissipated nature of Bowie’s classic. In its messy, overarching brilliance it’s very different from the more pared-down electro style of much of the rest of the album, but the way the squalling arrangement of sounds overpower Murphy’s astral vocals towards the end suggests an artist ambitious enough to try something so grandiose, and competent enough to make it work seamlessly. The briefest tinkling of vaudeville-esque pianos at the very end even hints at a more light-hearted tribute to the Starman’s greatest ever song.

For all the 21st century chops, a deep appreciation of older musical forms runs throughout the record. I Can Change can’t help but be reminiscent of the proto-electro of the 70s in its Casio synth lines and distantly soulful vocals. You Wanted A Hit is perhaps the albums’ biggest symbolic statement: at 9 minutes its muted electro-sheen and chugging chords are certainly not radio-friendly, but Murphy adds a pleasingly perverse note by intoning “you wanted a hit, but maybe we don’t do hits”. In its low-fi delivery it’s perhaps the most similar track in sound to their 2005 debut. It sounds like a very pointed statement to certain people and to the music industry as a whole, and it’s a perfectly weighted one at that.

Pow Pow is a chaotic blend of an unashamedly funky and fast drum line and yelped vocals, underpinned by dampened guitars and bass, while Somebody’s Calling Me is an unusually downbeat shuffle, with a soporifically funereal piano riff overlayed with wilfully discordant synths. The album is rounded off by Home, a fittingly diverse mashing of most of the styles appearing throughout the record, adorned with one of Murphy’s most pristine harmonies and wearing its euphoria on its sweat-stained sleeve.

If This Is Happening does happen to be LCD Soundsystem’s swansong, it will be a wholly fitting one. It bristles with the electro sounds honed on previous releases and through Murphy’s production work, but also takes no time to lose its inhibitions, making it a joyously dance-able record but also appreciable for its sheer quality. It sticks to the band’s twin qualities: unabashedly dancy party tracks and immaculate electro collages, and if this is Murphy’s last musical gift in his current guise, then it presents the world with a perfectly crystalline snapshot of what LCD Soundsystem are/were. If this only turns out to be his penultimate offering however, then we’ll really be in for a treat.

Reviewage – MGMT: Congratulations

MGMT: Congratulations

6.754

MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular was one of the biggest albums of 2008: cannily released in May of that year it effectively made itself the soundtrack of the summer through dreamy attention-hookers like Kids and Time to Pretend.

Now the Brooklyn duo of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Van Wyngarden have returned to the fray with their second album. Perhaps mindful of the adulation reserved for the singles on their first release which overshadowed the album as a whole, they’ve decided not to release any from Congratulations. As symbolic acts of image-shedding go, that’s a fairly strong one.

David Fridmann, known for his work with the Flaming Lips, stamped his other-worldly influence on Oracular Spectacular and again the choice of producer leaves an indelible mark on the finished product. Ex-Spacemen 3 man Peter  Kember (otherwise known as Sonic Boom) is at the helm for Congratulations and his psychedelic overtones seem to announce that the band want to shed their image as electro-pop show ponies.

Of course there is still some synergy with their previous release: the distinct trademark sound of baroque-tinged electro is still very much evident, just now with an extra reverby sheen courtesy of Kember’s production.

That said, the 60s references noticeable on their first album are even more pronounced here. The kaleidoscopic Siberian Breaks sees Van Wyngaard playing at being Syd Barrett before a dreamy interlude that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion.

As a statement of intent and fulcrum for the album it’s incredibly bold: at a constantly evolving 12 minutes it shows the duo’s confidence and is an enthralling high-point on the album, even if it is one that is likely to polarise listeners more accustomed to the sing-alongs of Oracular Spectacular.

Opener It’s Working is likely to be as close as anything on Congratulations get to Time to Pretend, but its sun-drenched harmonies are far more understated than 2008′s breakaway hits. Someone’s Missing is of a similar ilk, and is one of the songs with the most linear connection to Oracular Spectcular.

The garage-rock throwback of Brian Eno and the cinematic Lady Dada’s Nightmare illustrate the freedom that the duo have found to express themselves on this record and their playful willingness to splice in mutiple time signatures and textures means that this is a record that is never a dull listen.

While it remains to be seen if MGMT’s self-imposed exile from the charts will adversely effect them, they have produced an album that, although not always satisfying, entertains through its bold change of direction.

Oracular Spectacular was an album that was unashamedly fun, a collection of escapist sing-alongs accompanied by psychedelic videos that seemed almost quaint. Congratulations is not that album, and will doubtless disappoint many people, but neither is it a let-down. It is a collection of typically quirky and dreamy pop songs that might be different to what you expected, but still deserves, and sometimes demands, your attention.

Is R & B the future of Indie?

I’ve held the feeling for a while that the avenues through which contemporary music can reinvent itself to form new sounds are shrinking.

This of course is a fairly contentious point of view: it’s easy to imagine people in every single decade thinking that the musical well was dry, and not being able to see where the music of their time could evolve. If they could, they would have forged a new path, and been hailed as musical pioneers as a consequence.

But 2009, amid the ever-increasing clamour of contrived chords and unimaginative electro etc etc, saw genre splicing that not only worked, but was successful too.

R & B (the modern, slick vacuous one as opposed to the type that Chuck Berry is still playing at 165) as a genre does not sit easily along the sounds or ethics of the genre-formerly-known-as Indie.

But as unlikely as the marriage of the two styles sounds, the end results yielded last year are, in their different ways, quite exhilarating.

*****

The XX’s self-titled debut album was, quite rightly, acclaimed the world over.

The most surprising break-through album of last year was an almost uncomfortably intimate affair, with the breathy vocals of Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim playing off each other in a way that could be described as seductive, but was also extremely personal. Sims’ simple but assured bass underpins this, and is the focal point of their reductionist sound. So far so Cocteau Twins.

But the band’s utilisation of pared down R & B rhythm is arguably what has let them carve out their own little niche. On songs like Islands (watch the viddy below) or Crystalised this works perfectly alongside Sim and Madley Croft’s breathy interplay. And by way of a nod to their inspiration, they’ve even covered Aaliyah’s Hot Like Fire.

*****

Whereas The XX used the R & B template in an unostentatious arrangement, The Dirty Projectors, or Dave Longstreth to be precise, embraced it in a more full-blown manner.

Bitte Orca was another stand-out album from last year, one in which Longstreth’s musical vision seemed to find coherency as well as thrills. Although the album draws from influences too numerous to write here, R & B beats form an important piece of the jigsaw throughout.

Stillness is the Move (below) is a typically abstract creation as is Longstreth’s wont, but it’s founded on a vibrant beat that would be recognisable on thousands of dance floors across the land. Amber Coffman’s vocal is similarly soulful.

Temecula Sunrise pays less obvious homage to the genre, but throughout it’s tumultuous five minutes that trademark lazy shuffle still underpins the chaos.

*****

Discovery, the side-project of Vampire Weekend keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij,  have embraced R & B to the fullest extent, with end results that sound like a strange fusion of The Postal Service and something that fell off the Usher production line.

Here the R & B element is an integral part of their sound as opposed to an influence or inflection, as songs like Osaka Loop Line (below) and Orange Shirt display all the sentiment and pristine electro-noise that you might see in any modern chart-hugging floor filler. It’s likely that you’ll love it or loathe it.

*****

Likely to also be on the “love or loathe” list are Pit Er Pat with their recent The Flexible Entertainer. Songs like Water add a hefty dose of genre critique and irony in with the Timbaland-esque synths and syncopations. Whether its a case of over-egging the pudding or not is up to you.

It’s always great when something surprises you or makes you sit up and listen in modern music. Whether anyone else (apart from Muse, shudder….) keeps on splicing we’ll see, but judging by last year’s crop, and I never thought I’d say this, R &B might help produce some of the most interesting indie music of the future.

Hjaltalín and Dry the River at the Norwegian Church, 09/03

Photos courtesy of Gilo

As a venue, the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay has few competitors in terms of its intimacy and charm.

Staunchly looking out over the glittering waters of the bay, its white structure is a lone beacon in the gloom of the night, offering a welcome shelter from the bitter wind.

The modest, virtuous structure played host to a gig which would never have had the same atmosphere if it had been held anywhere else: this was truly a case of the surroundings complementing the music perfectly.

Reykjavík-based Hjaltalín are chart-toppers back home in Iceland and produce beautiful, stirring music that could easily be mentioned in the same breath as Grizzly Bear. Without wanting to put a crude, Scandinavian spin on this, the Norwegian Church seems to be the most aptly-picked of venues for their Welsh debut.

*****

But first up were Newbury nu-folk quartet Dry the River.

“Soaring” has become a clichéd reviewphemism for particularly scintillating harmonies, but it really does best describe the collective vocals that are their trademark.

Singer Peter Liddle’s voice evokes the haunting vulnerability of Jeff Buckley in songs that, through their simplistic arrangements, are perfectly designed to showcase the fragile harmonies of Liddle, guitarist Matthew and bassist Scott.

Songs like Demons and Night Owls drew upon the folk heritage of either side of the Atlantic which lulled the audience, most of whom were sat on the wooden floor, into a blissful reverie.

This minimalist template was rarely broken by the odd more powerful burst, and finally by the (relatively) tumultuous Weights and Measures, which closed their six-song set.

Now the blissed-out folk of Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons et al is making steady inroads onto the mainstream, Dry the River have both the songsmithery and vocal prowess to get noticed, and when they get their chance they should fully deserve it.

↓ Dry the River play Weights and Measures at the Norwegian church

*****

I’ve heard Hjaltalín mentioned in the same breath as Sigur Rós, but in truth they are far more similar to Arcade Fire. Instead of icy soundscapes, their songs carry a raft of different inflections, such as Icelandic folk, gospel and chamber pop, but with a playful edge.

Their music’s main strength is its reliance on the full range of the band’s instruments: featuring a bassoon and violin as well as the usual suspects, they create a well-constructed collage of sounds that runs the whole gamut of emotions. Melancholy to euphoria and all the way back again, it’s all there and performed with gusto and soul.

While Hjaltalín’s two biggest songs – Traffic Music and Stay by You – are both beautifully rendered pop nuggets crowned by jubilant choruses, there is so much more to their sound.

While they are sometimes prone to orchestral sweeps, they are just as likely to go for beautiful understatement, and then a bit of jaunty folk for good measure. Their inability to rigidly stick to one sound is their greatest asset: songs such as Trailer Music for Rafskinna or the tender The Tree’s Don’t Like the Smoke showcase the huge range of styles they have absorbed.

Blonde singer/guitarist Axel and vocalist Sigga swap and share the vocal leads throughout, adding a soulful element to the ensemble’s sweep, and injecting some charm into the proceedings.

If the band do fall down anywhere, it’s on an ode to a topless British chef and, um, Frosty Jack’s. Despite being as musically adept as the rest of their catalogue, the lyrics of “kosher cider” and “Frosty Jack’s….” take away from the sweeping beauty of the music. Although it did make me laugh quite a bit.

But that’s a small, small gripe in a set that was a true joy to behold. Hjaltalín make music that is so gorgeously, unashamedly beautiful that it surely can’t be that long before people outside of their volcanic homeland start to notice.

↓ Hjaltalín play Traffic Music at the Norwegian Church

*****

An interview with Los Campesinos!

Sorry for my prolonged absence from the world of blogging, like all of my fellow trainees I’ve been very busy with production day malarkeys and other such fun.

Los Campesinos! are one of the most exciting bands on the British indie scene at the moment. Having formed while at Cardiff University in 2006, the seven piece band released debut album “Hold on Now Youngster” to critical acclaim in 2008 and became well known for their energetic and chaotic live performances. They released their second official album “Romance is Boring” on February 1 and are currently on a world tour which will end on May 21 with a gig at Cardiff University’s Solus. I spoke to drummer Ollie Campesinos! about touring, recording and ambitions for the future.

*****
JF: Your new album “Romance is Boring” is your third overall release and second “official” album, and shows signs of the band maturing and taking the music in new directions,was there a coherent idea behind the album? What brought on the changes between this record and the last?

OLLIE: Well we’ve all developed as musicians and we are more confident now about what we can play, so we wanted to challenge ourselves. We’ve been heading in this direction for a while.We went into the recording of this record knowing that we were recording an album so we did plan how it was going to flow and Gareth wrote the lyrics with themes running through it. We wanted to create something that people would listen to all the way through rather than listening to particular tracks which seems to happen nowadays.
JF: The lyrics in your songs are always quite idiosyncratic and are a trademark of the band’s music – I’ve heard them described as a “combination of Morrissey’s bleak wit and Springsteen’s wordiness” – what inspires the words behind the music?
OLLIE: I don’t want to comment too much as [vocalist] Gareth writes them. But he is inspired by events in his life and what happens around him. He’ll even quote things that people have happened to say at random times.

JF: You recorded “Romance is Boring” out of the UK, what made you decide to relocate to Stamford, Connecticut with John Goodmanson, and what effect did the different settings for the recording have on the final product?
OLLIE: Actually all our records have been recorded outside of the UK. The two most recent have been mixed in Wales, but everything else has been recorded in North America. I don’t think the surroundings affected us that much, when you’re stuck inside a studio losing all track of time, its not going to really affect you.
JF: You’re just out on tour again and you have a reputation for being a brilliant live act, where do you find the onstage energy that has become your trademark?
OLLIE: I think we are just so happy to be in this situation, so we’re taking full advantage of it. People enjoy bands more if they are having as good a time as the crowd. What’s the point in seeing a band who just stand there?
JF: As well as touring the UK and the festival circuit quite comprehensively, you’ve been to Europe, the US and South America. Which has been your favourite gig and why?
OLLIE: There are loads. Highlights include playing to more than a thousand people in Bogota, Colombia, our first show there and we played to more people than we had played to in the UK. Playing on the main stage at Summersonic in Tokyo which was in a baseball stadium. There are lots.

JF: Is there anywhere in the entire world you have an ambition to play?
OLLIE: Lots of bands have played in Australia and New Zealand so it would be really cool if we could go there.
JF: Why, like the Ramones, does every member of the band have Campesinos! as their onstage surname?
OLLIE: Because we’re one big happy family! And it protects our real identities.
JF: Will you be playing any festivals in the summer?
OLLIE: Hopefully. We’ve had some offers through so expect to see us on some lineups soon.
JF: What does the future hold for Los Campesinos!? What is the band’s biggest ambition?
OLLIE: As we never really set out to do this, we don’t really have any ambitions. Anything is a bonus. I think one ambition that we have is to curate an All Tomorrow’s Parties festival [held in Minehead]. That would be awesome.
JF: As a band who developed in sunny Cardiff, what was the venue you enjoyed playing the most?
OLLIE: I always enjoy playing shows in Clwb Ifor Bach, but The Point was a really nice venue.  It was a converted church, really beautiful. Unfortunately the surrounding residents forced it to close.
JF: Who or what were your greatest influences as a burgeoning band?
OLLIE: We draw a lot of influences from early 90s American college indie bands such as Pavement, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. Gareth is influenced in his lyrical writing by people such as Paul Heaton and Aidan Moffat.
JF: Thanks for taking the time to speak to me, and good luck on the rest of the tour.

*****

Premier League Team of the Decade

Now term is finishing and we’ll be running joyfully out of the door, possibly in slow motion, we’ve decided to have one last decade related debate. The team of the decade will surely lead to cussing and fisticuffs among erstwhile colleagues, and there will be controversial additions and omissions aplenty.

So, without further ado, here’s my offering.

Goalkeeper

Mark Schwarzer (366 apps for Middlesbrough, 52 for Fulham)

Any player to play for both Boro and Fulham and make this list must have been doing something right, and Schwarzer’s consistently commanding form between the sticks for both Boro and the Cottagers throughout the decade has led to mini-renaissances for both teams and his inclusion here. A towering physical presence and a good communicator, he has played at the highest level for eleven years now and holds the Premier League’s record for appearances by a foreigner. Highlights include winning the League Cup with Boro in 2004, saving Robbie Fowler’s penalty in 2005 to send them into Europe for a second season, and being voted Fulham’s player of the year in his debut season.

Centre Back

Sol Campbell (255 apps for Tottenham, 135 apps for Arsenal, 95 apps for Portsmouth)

After moving controversially across North London in 2001 Campbell became part of the ‘Invincibles’ Arsenal side of 2003-2004 and cemented his position as one of the Premier Leagues’ best ever defenders. Strong, athletic and a great reader of the game, Campbell won a slew of FA cup and Premier League winners medals and became a mainstay for the English national side. Despite becoming almost as slow as Kanu as the years wore on, he moved to Portsmouth and his nous and leadership helped them win the 2008 FA Cup.

Centre Back

John Terry (284 appearances for Chelsea)

As captain of boyhood club Chelsea, Terry led them to their first ever Premier League trophy as part of the meanest defence in the league. His leading-from-the front style and always evident passion have given him legendary status among Blues fans, and the England captaincy. He was voted player of the year by fellow players in 2005. With Terry at the helm Chelsea have won two Premier League titles, two FA cups and two League Cups, and could have added a Champions League to that tally had he not missed the decisive penalty in the 2007 final. He remains one of the finest centre-backs in the world.

Centre Back

Rio Ferdinand (127 apps for West Ham, 54 apps for Leeds, 212 apps for Manchester Utd)

Perma-crocked Jonathan Woodgate aside, the classiest centre-back to grace the Premier League this decade. After learning to block out the mental lapses that littered his game, Ferdinand formed one of the most effective defensive partnerships that Man Utd or the Premier League have ever seen with Nemanja Vidic. Confident with the ball, an expert at reading the game and with the physical attributes to match, Ferdinand helped guide Man Utd to one of the most successful patches in their history, winning three Premier Leagues, the Champions League, a League Cup and the FIFA World Club Championship. He remains, despite major injury concerns, one of the most imperious centre-backs in the world.

Right Wing

Cristiano Ronaldo (196 apps for Manchester Utd)

Bought as an 18 year-old for £12.4 million in 2003, the brylcreemed Portuguese whizz-kid developed into one of the finest attacking players the league has ever seen. He combined dazzling skill with a deadly eye for goal to score a whopping 42 goals in all competitions in the 2007-2008 season. His goals were one of the key reasons for Man United winning six trophies in three years, and his ability to produce moments of brilliance out of nothing left Premier League audiences astounded year-on-year.

Centre Midfield

Steven Gerrard (345 apps for Liverpool)

A man for whom the superlative “inspirational” might have been invented, Gerrard has consistently dragged hometown club Liverpool along with him and just nudges out the ever-impressive Frank Lampard because of this. Having won five trophies this decade, including the Champions League in 2005, Gerrard has been one of the most consistently brilliant midfielders in the world. His knack for scoring crucial (and frequently brilliant) goals, such as against Olympiakos in 2004 and West Ham in 2006 has made him one of the most watchable players in the world.

Centre Midfield

Michael Essien (116 apps for Chelsea)

Perhaps a controversial choice as he edges out fellow Chelsea player Claude Makelele, but Michael Essien has developed into the ultimate modern midfielder. He is athletic, has a brilliant understanding of the game and has a range of passing that belies his reputation as a defensive player. He also has a howitzer of a shot. Essien is a key player for a fine Chelsea team packed with talent and, at 27, there is plenty more to come from the Ghanaian in the coming decade.

Centre Midfield

Patrick Vieira (279 apps for Arsenal)

In a choice guaranteed to leave Man Utd fans scoffing into their prawn sandwiches, I’ve gone for Viera over his eternal nemesis Roy Keane. Winning three Premier Leagues and four FA cups for an at times irresistible Arsenal side, Viera often gave a masterclass in midfield work, with a shuddering tackle and a range of passing to complement Arsenal’s attacking vibrancy. With a temper to match his talent, Viera just about pips Keane to being the most influential captain and midfield enforcer of the decade.

Left Wing

Ryan Giggs (575 apps for Manchester Utd)

With a trophy shelf creaking under the weight of 21 trophies, Ryan Giggs is not only one of the players of the decade, but probably one of the finest footballers British football has ever seen. Having developed from a scurrying winger into a cultured midfielder, Giggs has class that very few possess, allowing him to play (and score) in every single Premier League season. His contribution to a Manchester Utd team that is the most successful side of the last two decades cannot be underestimated, and he continues to be as influential now as he was ten years ago. A true class act.

Striker

Thierry Henry (254 apps for Arsenal)

Many consider Henry to be the finest player the league has seen, and who am I to disagree? Henry developed from a gawky winger into the best striker in the world under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger and graced the Premier League with some of its finest ever finishing while helping Arsenal to two Premier Leagues and four FA cups. With the coolest head in football, nifty with both feet (and hands) and a range of skills that was unparalleled in his day, the French maestro will long live in the memory as the player of a generation.

Striker

Dennis Bergkamp (316 apps for Arsenal)

There are many candidates for the second striker slot. Alan Shearer, Ruud van Nistlerooy and Michael Owen have all scored bags of goals, but the man with the required X factor is the Dutch maestro Bergkamp. His footballing brain defied all kinds of logic and even when his legs deserted him it still allowed him to continue doing what he did best – scoring sumptuous, beautiful goals. As well as scoring goals, Bergkamp was just as good at setting them up, becoming one of the league’s top assist makers. The understated Dutchman remains one of the finest players the Premier League has ever seen and brings the team to a fitting conclusion.

As it’s the team of the decade and there were so many brilliant players who missed out, it’s only fair to have a substitutes bench of the decade as well. Shay Given has been a consistently brilliant (and overworked) goalkeeper for over ten years. Jonathan Woodgate remains one of the classiest defenders in England and Ashley Cole is probably the world’s finest full-back. Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard have both been two of the finest midfielders in a generation through their midfield masterclasses for Manchester Utd and Chelsea respectively. Alan Shearer, despite never winning a trophy for his hometown club,  has been England’s finest striker since Gary Lineker, and Ruud van Nistlerooy was one of the most feared predators in the Premier League.

Substitutes

Shay Given, Jonathan Woodgate, Ashley Cole, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Alan Shearer, Ruud van Nistlerooy

Capturing Cardiff – Notes from a City

The exhibition is being held at the Old Library in central Cardiff

A curled up figure resting fitfully on a rooftop. Two old men, fag in hand and deep in conversation. A defiant couple, arms around each other and staring straight back at the lense. The 33 images arranged around the exhibition room all have one thing in common: they were taken by members of Cardiff’s homeless community.

The exhibition at The Old Library in central Cardiff is the end result of a competition held at the beginning of December by Cardiff council’s housing department and outreach agencies from around the capital.

The 48 participants, all homeless people staying at hostels and using agencies in the city, were given disposable cameras and 24 hours in which to capture the reality of their Cardiff, a Cardiff vastly different from that experienced by most other people.

The results are inventive, gritty and candid, and always personal. The best 33 pictures are part of the Notes from a City exhibition being held until December 23rd and offer a unique insight into the realities of homelessness without reinforcing its stigma.

The project was the brainchild of Phil Lewis, Advice and Support Manager for the Housing and Neighbourhood Renewal department of Cardiff city council.

Phil has done projects in a similar vein before. When he worked at the Tresillian House hostel he organised a similar photographic competition for the people living there. The results were shown in an exhibition at the Norwegian church in Cardiff Bay in April.

After that relative success Phil thought the idea could spread to something that could be done Cardiff-wide. Backed by the management at the council and other agencies in the city, he launched the competition with the aim not only of gathering a unique insight into the lives of the homeless, but also to give them an opportunity to become involved with the arts and photography.

“We put posters up in hotels and outreach agencies throughout Cardiff. If people applied then they could go back and pick up their camera at 4pm on the Friday, and then return it 24 hours later” he says of the scheme.

48 people from around Cardiff entered the competition, and were handed a disposable camera with the general aim of capturing “change” around Cardiff on September 25th.

They produced over 1000 images between them, and these were then marked by three judges; Lisa Bell, head of education for Ffotogallery, Mike Friel, operations manager of strategy, advice and support for Cardiff council and Hannah Firth, head of visual arts at the Chapter arts centre. As well as documenting the theme of change, the judges marked the photos on their inventiveness, execution and , and selected three prize winners and another two merit winners.

Phil says “the photos were of remarkable quality. The judges were very surprised considering the photos were taken on disposable cameras.”

Martin Brettle won third prize, John Arthur second and Rebecca Giles first. They were each awarded a digital camera and they have been offered a workshop with professional photographer Lisa Edgar, who contributes to Cardiff’s online photo gallery.

Phil says: “Those winners who decided to carry on with their photography are really up for it, they’re looking to take it up as a job if they can, and they will now have the opportunities and some of the skills needed to do it professionally perhaps.”

But Phil says the effect of the competition went farther than just discovering an interest in photography. “When the ITV crew came on monday to talk to some of the participants, they were overwhelmed. Their self esteem has been really boosted; they have not had any other opportunities, photography wasn’t a priority for them, eating and sleeping was.”

Phil already has plans to continue the competition next year. “I would hope that this will become an annual thing held by the agencies and hostels, driven by the service users themselves. Some of this year’s contributors have said they will definitely come back to help new entrants, so people like myself will only be involved in a facillitating role.

“Ultimately it would be great to see a competition like this run all over the country, with a national prize. It’s obvious from the effect that its had on this years entrants how much good a competition like this can do.”

Newspaper Journalism in “Not Dead Yet” Shocker

A man with a plan?

As both UK editor for www.paidcontent.org, an online media hub that offers news and business analysis, and a former graduate at Cardiff University, Rob Andrews was bound to have some interesting thoughts to offer.

And he didn’t disappoint, not just talking about how specialised sites like his own and The Financial Times are turning the online stream into gold, but also how other newspapers can avert financial oblivion over the next years.

As you might expect, there were some interesting figures in there – the growing dominance of online revenue was brutally spelt out: it was at less than $100 million in the first quarter of 2004, and now rakes in nearly $800 million.

Newspapers have never been able to bring that much in, and that problem is compounded by the fact they are now losing revenue from search engines.

The newspapers engaged in a free-for-all 10 years ago to try to increase their viewing capacity, not thinking that by opening the gates to the castle they would bring about the end of journalism as we know it, Jim.

The online money is not meeting the shortfall on falling traditional business – which is a third (yes, a third!) less than it was last year.

But it wasn’t all gloomy news for us newspaper folk. Rob is clearly an inventive and imaginative fellow, and he, more than anyone else I’ve heard, had some tentative answers for the mess that we’ve wandered into in search of our dream job.

After going over the paywall debate (and especially Johnston Presses potentially disastrous idea to erect them on the sites of their local papers) the debate moved to how newspapers can utilise the web to survive.

“Exterminate! Resitance is futile!”

The idea of benevolent benefactors may not sound like the ideal answer I would agree, but I would take it  any day over there being no funding for good journalism at all. There is some precedent for this, the Bureau Of Investigative Journalism has received £2million by the Potter Charity Foundation, and although it’s not ideal, it’s better than starving good investigative reporting.

Rob also thinks newspapers can learn from the music industry, who, seemingly being overrun by the tides of downloaders, now offer exclusives  and free give-aways to bring people back to their more traditional and tangible wares. It sounds very similar to what The Times is doing, so, again, there’s a precedent.

Although these may only sound like drops in the ocean at the moment, every revolution needs some seeds to germinate from. A start along a long road, but a start nonetheless.