2012: blur - Under the Westway

Welcome back to the only monthly blog to be updated just once a year. [insert generic excuses here].

My twelve for '12. In reverse order (these are all links to the videos, I just can't figure the colour thing out)...

12. Chairlift - I Belong In Your Arms
11. Atlas Sound - Lightworks

10. Sharon Van Etten - Give Out

9. Wye Oak - Civilian

8. Evening Hymns - Dead Deer
7. Bat For Lashes - Laura

6. Feist - The Bad In Each Other

5. Deerhunter - Desire Lines

4. Girls - Vomit

3. Norah Jones - Miriam

Miriam is probably my favourite thing Norah Jones has done. I couldn't stand her when she first appeared on coffee tables all across the developed world, but her last few albums have been superb. Love the darkness she's conjuring up here, plus it's just a brilliant tune (and definitely my favourite music video of 2012, too).

2. Lana Del Rey - Ride

Ride might have won, but for the fact I wasn't convinced Lana Del Rey warrants back-to-back roty wins. Not least because I'm still pissed off with the mess of an album she churned out. It's not that it didn't have great songs on it - it did - but they threw some shite in there too while leaving off things like Ride and Without You (which they held back for the sold out (in every sense) 'Deluxe' and 'Paradise' editions). Sad, because strip her album back to 10 or 11 of the best songs from all of the editions she's put out and there's a really good record in there. One of the best this year, in fact. 

Whatever. Ride is a great pop song, so I'm taking it on its merits and throwing second place at it.

1. blur - Under the Westway
Under the Westway, however, is blur at their very best and shows that they are still relevant and should still be making music together. And yes, it does sound a bit like Whiter Shade of Pale. And there's a touch of Let It Be in there, too. But if you're gonna borrow, then borrow from the best. It's all fantastic, but from 2m 40s onwards - 'magic arrows hitting the bull' - it's up there with just about anything they've ever done.

And if it does prove to be the last thing they do together, then it's a worthy curtain closer.

2011: Lana Del Rey - Video Games / Blue Jeans

Record of the year time. Well, 11/12 of the year to be precise, because I started this thing in Feb.

In reverse order (altho the title of the post has already given the game away, so I'm not sure why I'm bothering to massage the suspense)...

11. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Death & Rats (March)

10. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (June)

9. Sarabeth Tucek - Get Well Soon (August)

8. Dum Dum Girls - Bedroom Eyes (September)

7. Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever (December)

6. Bon Iver - Holocene (November)

5. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Bats In The Attic (May)

4. Emily Jane White - The Law (April)

3. Ryan Adams - Lucky Now (October)

2. Okkervil River - Mermaid (February)

1. Lana Del Rey - Video Games / Blue Jeans (July)

It was *real* close between this and Okkervil River. I love 'Mermaid', it's one of my favourite Okkervil songs and they're one of my favourite bands. BUT...

'Video Games' stopped me in my tracks last year. And to be backed with the (almost) equally excellent 'Blue Jeans' is just too good a record to overlook.

December: Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever

"If it wasn't taped you could escape this song."

The final rotm of 2011 is here. Late again, but here. 

'Jesus Fever' is the first thing I've heard of Kurt Vile. I'm not sure how many guitars are played on this at times but having seen the live performance it seems to be at least three. All with the delay whacked up, to give a real nice chiming effect. Which reminds me of old school Teenage Fanclub. In fact, the outro solo on this really recalls the outro to one of my all time favourite tracks, TFC's 'Everything Flows'. It's been a while since I heard a song with a great guitar outro.

In fact, the recorded version - as good as I really do think it is - doesn't do justice to the outro in the way the live version does. So I've slotted that in under the promo video. Everything after 2m50s in that live version is my idea of guitar solo heaven. Most of what's before it ain't too shabby, either. Kurt Vile has pretty much nailed my favourite guitar riff of 2011.