TOP 10 SINGLES OF 2007

This year was actually amazing for singles, so sorting through it all was really quite tricky. I think I've just about finalised it.

10. Feist - 1-2-3-4
Don't care, don't care, don't care. Yes, it was all over the adverts for those new custard cream-shaped iPods and a little overplayed. But it's an absolute tune, and it makes me happy. Quality.

9. The Kissaway Trail - Smother + Evil = Hurt
The Flaming Lips may have drifted off a little recently, but at least we have the Kissaway Trail to echo their glory days. One of the sweetest, jangliest songs of the year, with some excellent sweeping strings. It's here to put smiles on faces.

8. Modest Mouse - Dashboard
It would have been easy to overlook the quality of this song, what with the Johnny Marr-joining-the-band publicity that surrounded Modest Mouse this year, but there's no denying that this is a foot stomper of the highest order. Good work, sailors.

7. Pull Tiger Tail - Let's Lightning
They're playing with all the big bands, and one of them has two passports and a French Duke for an ancestor. Oh, and they put out this, which had me singing along for weeks on end. Good boys.

6. The Dykeenies - Clean Up Your Eyes
The Dykeenies' synthy indie-rock-pop verged on emo with this song. That might not sound great, but this is a nice heartfelt little number with hooks-a-plenty. Plus, there's a "doo-doo" bit at the end for good measure.

5. Rihanna - Umbrella
It had to be in there. This is one of the pop masterpieces of the past decade, easily. It might drive you up the wall, but it's not leaving your head anytime soon. May God shine his light on you, Mr Z.

4. Kid Sister - Control
A brilliant slice of grimy hip-hop dance pop from the US that's bound to get you grinding on the dancefloor. Yeah, she's friends with the stars, but who cares. This tune is perfect for the club night out.

3. Beirut - Elephant Gun
I only heard this lot recently, so I was a bit late. But when I finally checked out this single on a recommendation, I was pleased to discover the best voice in music right now. Utterly gorgeous and arty, without disappearing up it's own arse.

2. Elvis Perkins - All the Night Without Love
Three minutes of pure folk niceness. Sounding like it could have easily jumped out of the 1960s, yet still current enough to please. And it's all acoustic. Brilliant stuff. And to boot, Perkins' voice straddles just the right side of lazy to sound lush.

1. Lightspeed Champion - Galaxy of the Lost
There's something about Dev Hynes, and I don't know what it is. Either way, this song has been in my head since it first came out, and just never left. A perfect slice of offbeat pop writing with a vocal hook that could make music itself breathe a sigh and pack it in.

The adventures of the magical floating match.

Say yes.

The steam breath cut through the smog, the red disappearing from the Queen's cheeks. She picked up the mallet, ready to swing. Maybe it was approaching, maybe it was just a noise. Maybe, just maybe, it was only an idea. But she had no choice now. The blood had seperated from the water. It was time. She opened her eyes. There it was, stood before her. She knew, in that moment, what to do. But she couldn't. And as she stood, frozen, she felt it creep, she felt it move inside of her.

Revisiting the - because I love the - forever.

And it seemed like just another Sunday... how wrong we were.

So I set fire to the car. It was warmer than your embrace.

Moments.

Like those ones where we kiss, and I can't keep my eyes open. Your face is inside my mind, I don't need to see you. Yet somehow we never say the words we really mean.

And I miss the times I never told you that I love you.

Oh, of the boys I haven't met and the girls I've left behind.

But it's me. I'm always alright.

Part 2: And so...

...we threw our stereo into the river, listened to the crackling signal of its death.
And we were all smiles.

Part 1: I thought it over...

...and all that's left is a strange desire to punch you in the fucking mouth. I'd still take you to dinner though.
The bags beneath my eyes seem to be telling you something, yet the drool that runs from your lips seems to say "I love you" better than I ever could.

This alternative crowd.

Scenesters and all...
Nice to know we're all happy.
Sarcasm drips from my mouth like the drool for steak.

Album review.

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)

Sub Pop surely have to be the best label in the world by now. Look at the roster, both past and present: Afghan Wigs, Sebadoh, Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Sunny Day Real Estate... the list goes on forever. And now, Band of Horses. Seriously, these guys could be the best band of the past decade or so. This is no flash in the pan. Pretty good for an indie label.

Opening with the repetitive hook-based Is There a Ghost?, this album seems to be bang on the mark from the start. All jangly guitars over an ethereal yet piercing vocal from frontman Ben Bridwell for the first minute or so, before smashing into a crashing indie-rock/shoegaze wall of noisy guitars and pummeling rhythms, Bridwell's voice almost yelping over the top. It hits its crescendo as it drops into second track Ode to LRC, a more dramatic, yet still exciting affair, with more crashing guitar sounds and driving rhythms, even incorporating strings.

No One's Gonna Love You might just have the most beautiful vocal melody I've ever heard. As love songs go, this one seems to be sweet without overdoing the sugar-coating, romantic without the cheese. Nice to hear a love song that's not so overzealous. Detlef Schrempf continues the album, a nice, atmospheric tune, bringing the album to a peaceful calm before Band of Horses drop what could almost be a barn-dance tune in The General Specific. With it's country rhythms and hand claps, you can imagine yourself line-dancing (probably safer to imagine it without the cowboy hat) right up until it's abrupt end.

The short instrumental Lamb on the Lam (in the City) begins the second half of the album before Island on the Coast crashes in, its forward-ho!-style rhythms at times reminding you of a more modern-rock interpretation of the Bonanza theme tune, with Bridwell's vocals sounding like they could almost be those of your unlikely dancing partner. Marry Song and Cigarettes, Wedding Bands are more serious affairs, the latter with its heartbreaking vocal melodies and subtle, yet touching guitars, and they make for a masterful build-up to album closer Windows Blues.

You probably couldn't dream up a more beautiful closing song than Windows Blues. Soft, moving and - possibly a first for an apology song - totally unpatronising. Sliding guitars, banjos and soft rhythms compliment Bridwell's yet-again perfect vocals. Not straining, just open and honest. There's no attempt to reach another level here, no pushing the vocals for the last moment. This isn't music for people to cheer along to, it's there to listen to.

Band of Horses' sound is a unique one. At times almost country and western, but with a modern indie-pop suss, injected with shoegaze guitars... there's nothing here that can be accused of being a weak link. The rhythms, basslines, guitars, vocals - all are equal. At times it's as if they couldn't exist without each other. So what is it? Alt.Country? Indie-Rock? Post-Grunge? I don't know. All I know is this: not enough people will hear this album. That's not to say that it won't reach a lot of ears... it probably will. But not until every single ear on planet Earth has heard this album will it have been heard enough. Transcendent stuff.
9/10

Got held up.

So I haven't done the other 5 album reviews yet. I'll do them sometime in the week.

In case anybody cares, this man to the left is my hero.

The 10 albums that changed my life, part 1.

First 5 today, next 5 tomorrow, which incidentally will be:
Depeche Mode - Violator
Helmet - Betty
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
A Silver Mt. Zion - He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corners of Our Rooms
The Weather Report - Heavy Weather

Now, read on:

Faith No More - King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime
Anybody who knows me probably won't be surprised that this album has made the list. Not just because it's one of my favourite albums of all time... Mainly because there was always going to be something involving Mike Patton in here. Best vocalist ever. That's all I have to say on the matter. I chose King For a Day... mainly because of it's wide range of sounds and styles. Faith No More were already known for convention-fucking and genre-bending, but never before this had they so brilliantly combined pretty much everything. From metal (Ricochet) to spastic screams (Cuckoo For Caca) and the epic pomp of closer Just a Man, through lounge, big band jazz, ethereal electronica, almost-punk (the masterpiece that is Digging the Grave) and even elements of genres that it's very possible the band made up themselves. Pattons vocals as always were on top form, but the main thing that sets this apart from other Faith No More works is the eccentricity of (Mr Bungle guitarist) Trey Spruance's minimalist lead parts and fat, chunky distorted chordal riffs. Veering between moments of soft reflection and others of sheer, unbridled madness, King For a Day... is one of the most surreal, bizarre and borderline schizophrenic albums you will ever hear. And God bless 'em for making it.

Far - Water and Solutions
Along with Quicksand (see lower down), Far were responsible for really opening my ears beyond the standards of hardcore, punk and metal, giving me an opportunity to venture into various other areas of the genre. Put simply, Water & Solutions is a fucking masterpiece. Popping out of the Sacramento scene that spawned Deftones and Will Haven, it would have been easy to assume Far to be working along the same nu-metal/hardcore lines. Although there were elements of this on previous album Tin Cans With Strings to You, Water & Solutions is an altogether different prospect. From moody opener Bury White right through to the achingly beautiful closer Waiting For Sunday, this album hits every mark it aims for spot on. Mother Mary and Man Overboard nail your heart to the wall, while tracks such as I Like it and The System just make you want to hit the dancefloor or pit with everything you've got. Jonah Matranga's lyrics are incredible throughout, and the vocals... well, if you've ever heard Jonah's voice, you'll know what's going down here. Beautiful, rich, yet icy tones, with probably more heartfelt emotion than anything you'll hear from the modern emo crowd. It's a testament to his talent that people still follow him to this day, despite many short-lived projects and an on-off, ever-changing solo career. Maybe a bit too late to have invented emo, but certainly better than anyone else who's tried. Water & Solutions is a remarkable album by a remarkable band. And if you've never heard it... well, more fool you. Go out and buy a copy now, the re-issued versions are on Amazon for less than a fiver. You could do a lot, lot worse.

Quicksand - Slip
I know a lot of people that prefer Quicksand's other full length, Manic Compression. After years and years of trying to comprehend this, I'm still utterly baffled. Slip is an incredible piece of work. Featuring post-hardcore luminary Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Rival Schools, etc, etc...), Quicksand were pioneers of their genre, taking the standard hardcore ideas and violating them to such extremes that you'd be hard pressed to realise what they might have been in the first place. However, this is a violation that was most welcome, revitalising a flagging scene and putting themselves into the history books as some of the Godfathers of the emo scene. Fazer could be one of the most blindingly exciting album openers ever written, setting the standard high. Despite such an opening bombast, the quality never dips, and the album soars and soars, higher and higher until closer Transparent... This album seems like the musical equivalent of Icarus' flight to the sun, only unlike the winged fool, Quicksand never burn and fall to Earth. Rather, Slip seems to join with and begin making love to the sun... Full of energy, both upbeat and downbeat at times, angry and fun, Slip is a lot to live up to for any band. No wonder emo is so shit now. They'd never beat it.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
Indeed, not the album that got me into the Pumpkins, nor classically considered their best. However, this is probably the best musical example of a wolf in sheep's clothing that I've ever heard. Opening with the shrill, beautiful To Sheila, with it's pretty acoustic guitars and Disney-esque plinks-&-plonks, it's not long before it's broken into a snarling, beat-driven electro-rock monster with second track Ava Adore. As the album progresses, you start to notice these two vastly different extremes writhing around each other, mingling together to create a beautiful piece that brilliantly conveys rage, love and sadness in equal measure, often at the same time. Appels + Oranjes jumps out in the middle of the album, it's processed beats and upbeat rhythms vastly contrasting it's melancholy "What if..." lyrics. The album peaks with the building and building piano-led monolith that is For Martha, crashing to it's highest point, and fading itself beautifully into the closing tracks. The Pumpkins had been forced into a difficult position following the sacking of drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, and many had expected Adore to be a very different prospect from their previous albums. However, nobody could have predicted this... a monolithic, yet tiny sounding album, full of lush soundscapes, beats and subtle guitars. In my eyes, their best work.

Squarepusher - Go Plastic
Before hearing Squarepusher, I hadn't paid too much attention to the drum'n'bass genre. Indeed, this isn't standard drum'n'bass... some would claim it to be a completely different genre altogether. But it was Tom Jenkinson's compination of drum'n'bass beats, 2-step, jazz and cut up rhythms that really made me sit up and pay attention to anything in that spectrum. Until hearing Go Plastic, the only electronics I really liked in music were synthesized moodiness, soundscaping and various other morose things. This album, although not my favourite Squarepusher release, put me bolt upright in my chair, and was (quite bizarrely, considering it's oddness and awkward sounding nature) also a massive part in my discovery of dance music. At times danceable (My Red Hot Car) and at others pretty much just an example of extreme noise (Greenways Trajectory), Go Plastic is relentless in its invention, at times making me wonder why it isn't actually named after third track Go Spastic! A lot of people I have spoken to in the past about this album have just said it's nothing but bleeps, squalls and beats. But, not for the first time... everybody's wrong. A work of complete and total fucking art.

Pieces lost in sleep.

Harker stared at me 'cross the table top, his hand concealed. He seemed to have a very bleak view of the world. Tipping his hat, he queried me as to why I hadn't dressed for the occasion.

"It's only poker," I replied. "And dressed or not, why do you remain in your hat?"

He smiled at me. Harker had won.

Them.

They fuck harder in Winter.

I'm going to make a comedy.

Animalitos.

It would be easier in a knife fight.
But then where would be the point?
I suppose that's the beauty of this existence.
Take away the violence, and this is where we are:

It's nice here, in the armchair.

Oh, and these...

A Year in Prague and a Whiskey Soaked Romance

Don't wait for the train to arrive, tonight we fly

It's just a matter of time before I see you again
So make it happen, make it happen
I'll see you again when we reach Copenhagen

They release the hounds, but they'll never take us alive
Now your feet are weak from running, and I know we're never going to make it

Deafened by the barking, blinded by the searchlights
Will we never escape from within these fences?

We built these houses with our fists
We blew these rooms apart
We decorated these walls with our blood

Oh, Marie
If only you could see me now, you'd be so proud of me
Meet me in eternity

Copyright © Doug Taylor 2005

Cutting Up Shakespeare

Paper scripts
The end of this shit stained romance
She never listens - to me
Turn the pages
To reveal the horror

The burning passion
That keeps us from sleep
And we're cutting up Shakespeare
For what it's worth
I'm still alone

Dear lover, I'm still alone
Dear lover, I'm all alone

I'd still dream of fucking you
If it wasn't for these circumstances

Copyright © Doug Taylor 2005

Whitened Teeth and Vampire Smiles

Crippling the senses of the animals
Changing the scenery to night
Fucking the headlights to avoid the crash
The clocks will run backwards again

Cassandra, this wait is killing me
A Lolita dressed in white
The perfect thing I cannot touch
It breaks the windows
The stone is never thrown

Correct my faults
They came packaged in flesh

Laugh, cry, scream, awake

Copyright © Doug Taylor 2005

The Invasion of the Moon (1957-1970)

A hermaphroditic leper, bare knuckle boxing for funds to find a cure

We invade as a step of progress
Our scarecrows with smiles as big as armies
The amphetamines glowing in our pirouetting eyes
Leaning closer to feel the heat

Spread some love, baby, spread it
Spread some love, baby, yeah

Reaching for the future between your thighs
We'll break before we feel alive again

Give the workers their due
Give the professions their workers
Give the workers their work

Spread some love, baby, spread it
Spread some love, baby, yeah

We made a pact to make it up
Inserting pins into our scalps
The acupuncture points of a generation

Spread some love, baby, spread it
Spread some love, baby, yeah

Copyright © Doug Taylor 2006

An old one.

The Beauty of Sleep

I spent 10 days scaling the walls of the control towers, choking on the vomit of their protrusions. But as I reached the top, and they laid down their cigarettes for good, I danced a dance of joy. Gripping as I was with my fist, I couldn't escape the tumble. A quick look down and it all seemed closer. If only I had known I was falling. It was a smooth ride, all the same - as if I were drowning in air. And when I hit the ground, the cold sweat tingled, my startled eyes opened. The realisation that it had all been a dream made me want to take the ride again. The thrill, the experience, the FALL. If wishes were horses…

I found my feet in the shower.

© April 2007, Douglas Taylor.

Messages From Beyond...

Erotica. Biology. Physics. Fuck'd.

Last night was drunken, and the sweating has become a nemesis. Sat in the hope of a dartboard with the face of lager on. Dirty.

Today I made a compilation.

Paul Tinhead's Collection of Ace and Cheese, Vol.1

Disc One
01. Nik Kershaw - The Riddle
02. ELO - Mr. Blue Sky
03. Bruce Springsteen - Secret Garden
04. Richard Marx - Hazard
05. Billie Myers - Kiss the Rain
06. Lisa Loeb - Stay
07. Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
08. A-Ha - Hunting High and Low
09. Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
10. The Cure - Just Like Heaven
11. REM - Losing My Religion
12. Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels
13. Paul Young - Every Time You Go Away
14. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
15. REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You
16. Seal - Kiss From a Rose
17. Robert Palmer - Know By Now
18. Blessid Union of Souls - I Believe

Disc Two
01. White Town - Your Woman
02. Duran Duran - Ordinary World
03. Tom Petty - Free Fallin'
04. Crowded House - Four Seasons in One Day
05. Roxette - It Must Have Been Love
06. Shakespear's Sister - Stay
07. INXS - Never Tear Us Apart
08. Annie Lennox - Love Song For a Vampire
09. Lionel Richie - Hello
10. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
11. Whitesnake - Is This Love?
12. Sting - Fields of Gold
13. The Connells - '74-'75
14. Harry Nilsson - Without You
15. Neneh Cherry & Youssou N'Dour - Seven Seconds
16. Tasmin Archer - Sleeping Satellite
17. Prince - Purple Rain

Vol.2 coming later this week.

Apt.

It's like a regular witch-hunt.

The Wolf.

Fire fell from the skies, burning the souls that had before been all but lost. The seas boiled over, spilling over the beaches and harbour towns, roasting the folk who ran. Screams rang out into the night sky, as the great powers above looked down upon the destruction. The Angels had revolted, and imprisoned God in a cage. But still there had to be something, just something... A way to save them all.

And so, as she wept a final tear, God spoke a single word: "Sleep."

Around the Angels, Heaven erupted, tearing the universe and all its children to pieces. Down below, Lucifer cried, his eyes full. The Angels crumbled, like falling rocks in avalanches.

And God, in all her beauty, before destroying herself, cracked a smile.

And though they were destroyed, they were saved.

Copyright 2007 Paul Tinhead.

Adventures and the like!

Everybody likes to have an adventure every now and then... keeps the spirit alive. Some people have private adventures - countryside walks, shopping trips, even the thrill of running up a staircase. Sometimes masturbation. Anything can be enjoyed with other people, too. Even masturbation.

I think every day should be an adventure. One day I'm going to grab somebody by the hand and make them run, in the style of Doctor Who and assistant. But I'll wait for it to be the right person. If running out of the door rather than walking, jumping the bottom few steps of the staircase, or even changing your daily routine is the difference in the day, it just makes it more of an adventure.

After all, we all like adventures.

I'm going to write a book. It's a bit fucked up, but I'll probably post segments up on here for people to see if they want to. I've got the story down, just need to actually get down to structuring it somehow.

By the way, my name's Paul Tinhead... It's a pseudonym.