GIGS
1) Los Campesinos! at Brudenell, Leeds
Los Campesinos are the best band in the country and the Brudenell is the best venue in the country (even if it is on the wrong side of the Pennines). They curated an all dayer of their favourite bands, a stellar lineup including the likes of Hookworms, Slow Club and Martha, and still somehow ended up outshining them all. An absolute triumph.
2) Refused at 2000trees Festival
Refused have never been further from fucking dead. A lot of festivals can learn from 2000trees’ example; namely, sticking to your guns, doing what you do very, very well and booking one of the best bands in the world to close your festival.
3) American Football at ArcTanGent Festival
17 years ago American Football made an album as teenagers and then went their separate ways without giving it a second thought, but they mean so much to a small but not insignificant group of people. Their set felt like recognition of what ArcTanGent has achieved in just five short years.
ALBUMS
1) Johnny Foreigner – Mono No Aware
There’s a confidence and sure-footedness to Johnny Foreigner that comes from having the integrity to keep making better records, keep in touch with people who love their band. Their songs may still be about being awkward at parties, missing opportunities, general disappointment but it doesn’t matter when they’re this good.
2) Sleigh Bells – Jessica Rabbit
Sleigh Bells’ period of restlessness has achieved something special with this album. It’s the most experimental thing they’ve done, swapping abrasive guitars for brash synths, but it’s also their best album since Treats.
3) Bon Iver – 22, A Million
Justin Vernon has moved on from the blues, except that he hasn’t at all. He’s just creating something new with it, something that places him at the midpoint between Kanye West‘s innovative sampling and pioneering production and Simon & Garfunkel’s close harmonies and gentle guitar. It’s an odd place to be, sure, but a staggeringly beautiful one.
TRACKS
1) Car Seat Headrest – Fill In The Blank
‘Fill In The Blank’ is all Weezer-style power chords and classic rock sensibilities. The snippet of audio preceding the satisfyingly chunky riff with “You are now listening to… err… Car Seat Headrest!” is a knowing nod to his previous lo-fi stylings and the fact that this is most listeners’ introduction to the band. But what an intro. Graham Coxon would be proud of this little belter.
2) Doe – Corin
‘Corin’ ploughs through with an opening hollered chorus from singer Nicola Leel before soaring riffs. The second half of the track is where they really shine though, playing with the deceptively simple structure, getting faster and faster, Leel’s voice cracking and disintegrating into primal screams. As the song blasts along and then suddenly drops into half time for the last bar, you’re almost in room with them.
3) Slow Club – In Waves
This year’s album One Day All of This Won’t Matter Anymore demonstrates ably just quite how far they’ve come as a band in ten years. The gorgeous, soulful pop sound that they’ve since grown into is contrasted by the almost country feel of ‘In Waves’ but that incessant earworm of a chorus has been in my head for weeks on end.
Like all cis-male atopic half Welshmen, I'm a big fan of shouty indie, noisy drone and the daytime Radio 1 playlist. Outside of punk rock my primary interests are tea (white no sugar please) and beer (brown no sugar please). When I'm not writing about stuff for Silent Radio I'm occasionally doing my own stuff which you can read about at http://dead-pheasant.blogspot.com if you want (you should).
