All week, ClashMusic.com has been marking the halfway point of 2009 with favourite album selections from our dream-team editorial five. That’s our online ed, reviews ed, news ed, deputy ed and, today, the top dog himself, The Editor.
These albums aren’t arranged in any order – they’re simply listed like this for our own enjoyment, and hopefully yours. Our five articles will also come in very handy when Clash is making its important end-of-year decisions. After all, come November it’s very easy to forget a classic of February.
Below are the choices of Clash editor Simon Harper; find four different (but equally quality) lists by following these links:
Mike Diver, online ed
Nick Annan, reviews ed
Robin Murray, online news ed
Matthew Bennett, deputy ed
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Micachu – ‘Jewellery’
(Rough Trade, released March)
My esteemed colleague Mike Diver, he of questionable tastes, included this in his top picks the other day, so either his judgement is improving or I’ve been subjected to his bookish chat for far too long. Either way, Micachu never fails to liven up the day – anyone who can make music this good from a discarded vacuum cleaner deserves playing on the Clash stereo continuously. A bit of an experience seen live too – don’t forget your hard hats.
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Ben Kweller – ‘Changing Horses’
(ATO Records, released February)
I’ve been a fan of Ben’s since his first solo album, and every release since always sounds gloriously familiar – not in the sense that they all sound the same, but in the way that when I play it I instantly feel at home and wanna totally immerse myself in it. No one was more overjoyed than I when he fully embraced his country influences for ‘Changing Horses’, employing new friend Kitt Kitterman to add pedal steel and dobro throughout its rustic charms. I saw him live at the Union Chapel in London just before Christmas when he performed acoustically with Kitt and these songs, stripped bare, were just magical.
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Grizzly Bear – ‘Veckatimest’ (pictured)
(Warp, released May)
Is this set to garner the most votes in this week’s So Far, So Good lists? Quite possibly, and deservedly so. Just as Radiohead invited the feel-good Brooklynites on tour with them, I want to extend the offer to them to come and serenade the Clash HQ, starting with ‘Veckatimest’ in its entirety. I’ve lost myself a couple of times in this album and look forward to repeating that experience throughout the rest of 2009 and beyond.
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Gossip – ‘Music For Men’
(Columbia, released June)
The first time I heard this album was in the Clash office when a Columbia minion came and watched as we all tried to listen while hard at work. Needless to say its impact was limited – it’s hard to gauge the quality of an album when its sound is obscured by the deputy ed’ shouting down the phone at the water delivery people. However, a week or so later when my own copy came in, I was able to digest it properly, and it was then I discovered the fantastic pop hooks and relentless melodies that are abundant in ‘Music For Men’. ‘Heavy Cross’, ‘Love Long Distance’ and ‘Four Letter Word’ have been my standout tracks all along… and I still love them.
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Various Artists – ‘Dark Was The Night’
(4AD, released February)
Clearly I’ve gone for an easy option here – having to whittle my favourite albums down to ten meant I tearily waved goodbye to the likes of The Phantom Band and Bruce Springsteen, but with the sneaky inclusion of ‘Dark Was The Night’ I’ve managed to squeeze about thirty more artists in there. This compilation is the latest in the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series, which means that by buying this not only are you letting into your life great tunes by Feist, Bon Iver, The National, Iron & Wine, Beirut and the brilliant My Morning Jacket, but you’re also contributing to a very worthy charity. That’s called instant karma, folks.
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Phoenix – ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’
(V2/Cooperative, released May)
Phoenix were ironically in danger of losing me after ‘It’s Never Been Like That’, their 2006 album that just didn’t sparkle as brightly as ‘Alphabetical’ or their debut, ‘United’. But when the band let ‘1901’ out of the bag a month before its parent album was due, I was literally salivating at the prospect of their return. It’s glossy pop at its best, and of course it’s touched by that delicious je ne sais quoi that certain French bands are lucky enough to exude. ‘Lisztomania’ is another single that’s bound to stand the test of the year, and the unofficial video for it that’s on YouTube has to be seen. It’s Eighties-tastic.
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Passion Pit – ‘Manners’
(Columbia, released May)
Passion Pit are, to date, the first band to feature on the cover of Clash before their debut album has been released. They were the only band from the glut of lists produced in January of this year proclaiming the Next Big Things that actually excited me – there was no pretension, and no massive hype surrounding them just because they had boobs. The music was totally honest, organic and, most importantly, totally fun. I DJ every week in London, and have been playing tracks from ‘Manners’ since before its release, always to a great reception. People continue to ask who it is and I’m continually delighted to tell them. ‘The Reeling’ is a firm favourite. Terrible video, though.
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Bat For Lashes – ‘Two Suns’
(Parlophone, released April)
This time last week I would have put Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘It’s Blitz!’ in this list, but after watching footage of Natasha Khan at Glastonbury this year I just had to revisit ‘Two Suns’ and fall head over heels in love with it once again. That voice is magnificent – it’s incredible on record, but seeing Natasha recreate the same wonderful tones live on stage was breathtaking, and gave the album a whole new dimension. ‘Pearl’s Dream’ is a suitably hypnotic slice of synth pop, and ‘Daniel’ is similarly fantastic. Khan do (*groan* – MD).
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Animal Collective – ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’
(Domino, released January)
Again, Mr. Diver put this in his list, which is worrying. Next thing you know I’ll be copying his dubious Edward Scissorhands hairdo. This was a grower on me, but then I didn’t have much choice, considering Mike and Matt would relentlessly stick this on the office stereo. I just thought the braying compliments were unjustified, and that everyone was jumping on the Animal Collective bus without actually buying a ticket. Repeated listens in the comfort of my own home, however, revealed the depths to ‘Merriweather…’ that deserve to be explored at any opportunity. So consider me on board the Animal Collective submarine.
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Neil Young – ‘Archives Vol.1’
(Warners, released June)
To date, the first volume from Neil Young’s ‘Archive’ series is the only album to score a full ten out of ten in Clash Magazine. And it was me what scored it. And for good reason. Some might say this project – ten DVD/Blu-Ray discs or eight CDs – is self-indulgent, but I say it’s a fan’s wet dream. For a whole day I was drowning in Neil Young, listening to the unreleased demos and classic songs while trawling through the treasure chest of home movies and unpublished photos, and it was as close to heaven as I’ve ever been while sat in this office. Neil Young is a maverick genius. Fact. Don’t call me a Luddite because I included this on my list and not something by pop’s latest darlings – just introduce your senses to the magic of Neil Young and your life will never be the same again.
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Read our other top tens:
Mike Diver, online ed
Nick Annan, reviews ed
Robin Murray, online news ed
Matthew Bennett, deputy ed
