2013 - a year in music...

So, it's December. Cold, dark and before you know it, we'll be in 2014.

However, I hope that you agree when I say that 2013 has been a good year in the music world. There have been some fantastic albums released this year, some great gigs, and lots of eventful moments. I'm not sure if you can consider reflecting on the past twelve months as 'nostalgia,' but if you'll indulge me, I'd like to get a little bit misty eyed about some of the best records and musical moments of the year that was 2013. 

On a personal note, there have been some pretty big moments in the year for me. 

I can clearly remember the cold morning in January when I woke up to some news that I couldn't, or didn't believe. Bowie was back. I sat at my computer, listening to, re-listening to, and struggling to believe that the haunting melody of  "Where are we Now?" was actually the man himself making a return to the arena. The beautifully constructed surprise of the whole thing was done with such aplomb, and showed what a huge cultural icon David Bowie actually is - and even forty years after Aladdin Sane, he still has it - whatever It is.

On the gig front, 2013 was a year where I personally ticked off seeing several artists who I'd consider 'heroes.' I don't have many people I really look up to and I've never bought into placing people on pedestals as they tend to, eventually, let you down. This year I managed to see, and in two cases meet, a few people I really would say are heroes.

At Manchester's fabulous Ritz, I attended one of the best gigs at one of the best venues when Nile Rodgers and Chic came to town. A hit packed set list full of feelgood anthems, complete with a guest spot from Mr Johnny Marr who came onstage to Freak Out, was a really memorable occasion. 

O2 Arena from my pre gig cable cart view

In June, Neil Young & Crazy Horse played at the 02 Arena, which was a phenomenal show. Neil Young for me epitomises artistic integrity and his resolute, single minded approach to music is something I really respect. Playing a set that was probably suited more to die hard fans than the casual listener, he still managed to wow the audience, and hearing Neil play Comes A Time may be one of my most memorable gig moments.



That's me, in the corner...

In September, Tired Pony played at the Barbican in London. An unorthodox venue for an unorthodox band, who could probably be considered a 'super-group' with members of Snow Patrol, R.E.M., Belle & Sebastian and the Editors all involved. To sit and hear calming, Americana folk music wash over you in a venue where chamber music wouldn't be out of the question was a really memorable evening. It was subsequently made more memorable when after the show, I met Peter Buck and Mike Mills from R.E.M. (via literally bumping into Harry Styles, but that's another story). As I never got the chance to see R.E.M. live, this was the next best thing, and it was a real thrill to have a brief chat with someone who inspired me to learn to play Mandolin. It was also very nice to have a chat with some great music fans, who may or may not read this article.

October was a surprising month, in that something I never thought I'd ever see materialised from the ether - Morrissey's Autobiography. I'd long since dreamed of hearing what the man himself had to say on his career, and after years of speculation, it was nice to see the day arrive. I enjoyed the book to an extent, and although I felt it lost it's way towards then end, it is still an essential read. Peter Hook performing Power, Corruption and Lies at the Cockpit was a highlight too, if nothing else but to hear the New Order classic Blue Monday, which sounded great.

A sad end to October was the death of Lou Reed. I don't think I've ever really felt sad about someone passing away who I'd never met, so it was a first to feel a genuine sadness for someone who although I'd never met, influenced me. 

Marquee Moon

November let me take in a slightly belated Arctic Monkeys gig, where Alex Turner recovered from a sore throat to croon, girate and strut his way through the bands' fantastic new album. However, their performance was trumped by Television's performance at Manchester Academy the evening before. Their Marquee Moon album is possibly my favourite album of all time, and so to see Tom Verlaine play the classic title track was a real thrill. To then get him to autograph my album a little later was equally as exciting for me in one of very few 'fan boy' moments in my life.


I always get a little bit paranoid and wonder if the album is a dying art form in the era of the MP3, but 2013 proved that there were some excellent releases. I won't be so crass as to rank them in any sort of order, but here are 10 great records from 2013.


Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action

 Any self respecting teen of my age will hopefully have loved hits such as Take Me Out and Walk Away, and it's nice to see Alex Kapranos et al keep the trademark sound to make some memorable tunes, such as Love Illumination.


Tired Pony - Ghost of The Mountain 

Folky Americana from supergroup Tired Pony was one of my stand out albums, complete with jangly guitars, mandolins and fantastic lyrics from Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody make this essential listening. Lots of great tracks on here, but I Don't Want You As A Ghost is particularly good.



 Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

For me, the anthem of the summer was provided with Daft Punk's awesome Get Lucky, and RAM was a great album. My stand out track was Instant Crush which summed up my own briefly loved up summer to perfection, although the frighteningly catchy guitar hook to Lose Yourself To Dance may well be my current stand out track. 


Arctic Monkeys - AM

I think this is the Arctic Monkeys best record - it's infectious, has swagger and just feels, for want of a better word, sexy. This album really does move the goalposts of what indie bands should be aiming for and is in my opinion a bit of a genre buster, with it's rhythm and basslines that wouldn't sound out of place on a Dr Dre song. I think Knee Socks sums up the sheer coolness of this album.

Johnny Marr - The Messenger

As a huge Johnny Marr fan, it was great to hear him make a solo record that encapsulated everything good about his guitar playing - memorable riffs, elegant chord changes and layered guitar parts. 

 David Bowie - The Next Day

 
David Bowie's comeback was one of the big music stories of the year, and for me, he released his best album since Let's Dance with this record. The cover is brilliant, the songs are strong, and it shows that class is permanent. Haunting piano tracks, straight up rock, and a bit of jungle music thrown in for good measure, it is up there with his finest.

She & Him - Volume 3

I was a huge fan of She & Him's previous two volumes, and the third didn't disappoint. Some lovely vocal harmonies and nice arrangements - and if the thought of Zooey Deschanel singing the parts of Sunday Girl in French isn't alluring to you, then I don't know what is...


Robyn Hitchcock - Love From London

I've always thought that Robyn Hitchcock is one of Britain's most under rated song writers, and this effort reinforced my belief in this.  If you haven't heard this album, I'd recommend that you should...

Paul McCartney - NEW

 I'm quite glad that Macca has got round to releasing a great new record which is his best for years. It's hard to convince people who are used to him being rolled out with his piano to do Hey Jude at national events that he is still a good artist, but just three tracks in and you can tell that the ex-Beatle still has a lot to offer. His choice to work with several produces was a masterstroke, with this riff heavy album being well worth a listen.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito

I struggle to think of a band who ooze coolness as much as Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Having seen Nick Zinner and Karen O rock the Manchester Apollo with this record, it found new life after that - the opening track Sacrilege is stunning, and the rest that follows is just as good.



I hope 2013 was as good for you as it was for me. What were your stand out tracks and moments? Feel free to share...

Lists, lists, and Desert Island Discs...

When I'm not listening to music, I like to read about it. I have a slight obsession with rock biographies, predominantly due to the fascinating anecdotes, probably anarchy, sex drugs and rock 'n' roll they usually contain - unless you're reading a book on Cliff Richard, of course. I'm sure anyone who enjoys music has often wondered about where their favourite song, lyric or melody came from, and this is a point of real interest for me. Trying to understand the creative processes of musicians, and any other artist for that matter, fascinates me. It's also somewhat frustrating when you read, as I did in Ian McDonald's book on The Beatles, Revolution in the Head, that Paul McCartney woke up one morning with the melody for Yesterday fully formed in his head. I wish that my dreams were as productive.

Browsing in Borders yesterday, one book in particular stood out to me. This may be possibly because it was the biggest, boldest book on the shelf and like most five year olds, I'm inexplicably drawn to bright colours and large objects, making it inevitable. 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die jumped right out at me. I was immediately struck with a strange sense of ambivalence when I saw the book. Part of me was curious, and wanted to dive straight in to see how I need to spend my days working through these records, while part of me felt a little hesitant.



Part of me thought the idea of a definitive guide to music you should probably hear is a good idea, and it would probably act as a great tick list and a fun way to discover classic albums you may have overlooked. However, I couldn't help feeling a little sceptical that a book like this isn't just written by a bunch of middle aged men, who write for Q Magazine putting in the inevitable list of OK Computer, Revolver, Astral Weeks etc. They'd probably better throw a couple of hip hop records in there to be diverse and box tick, but it'd predominantly be a white, middle class view on things. Which is fine, if you're into that. It just seemed very matter of fact, and very impersonal, and left me unable to comprehend why these people held opinions that were more valid, than yours or mine.

As I got home, an act of serendipity seemed to occur. I noticed an advert for the BBC website, explaining how every episode of Desert Island Discs was now available on the site. After clicking on one, I found myself listening to the likes of Steve Coogan, Morrissey, Damian Hirst, Hilary Devey, Nick Clegg and even Jerry Springer talk about their favourite tracks. Politicians, sportsmen, you name it, all on there - each and everyone of them fascinating in their own way. I realised that only hours earlier, I'd found the thought of people listing music and records tiresome, yet I found myself captivated by the Desert Island Discs, and I'd passed more time than I'd care to mention enjoying these stories. Why?

It dawned on me that there was one big difference. This wasn't some homogenised, faceless list for hipsters to tick off in an act of social one up manship. This was what music and art is all about- the personal relationship between the audience and the content, what meaning is drawn from it, and why it earns a special place in someone's heart. It seems that as a culture, we live in this post-modern age where people are fascinated by lists, charts, greatest moments, Rolling Stone Top 100 films, songs, bands etc and any form of art is put into a competitive fight to the death. I really don't understand why people feel the need to validate their opinions. It's the same way that if I want to go see a film or buy a record, I don't read reviews- I've seen films that I love get panned by critics, and movies that are lauded with praise go completely above my head and don't resonate whatsoever. How do music critics view The Spice Girls? They sold 36 million albums and became the biggest selling British export since The Beatles. Does that mean they're a great British band? 36 million people(ish) can't be wrong, surely? I imagine it just means they have an emotional response that differs from mine when I hear Wannabe. If someone told me their favourite song was by the Spice Girls, it wouldn't be any more valid than my favourite song, regardless of what critics may think of it.

Oscar Wilde said "all art is quite useless," and even though it means the world to me, it's absolutely true. Music, or any art, is the definitive example of beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and I think that has to be remembered. It's the things that it makes you think and feel that matter, not whether or not the guitar solo is superior to the one in Stairway To Heaven, etc.

I didn't buy the book, by the way.

The Desert Island Discs show did, however, get me thinking about what songs mean the most to me. I'm glad I found that, as I couldn't be bothered writing down 1001 albums I enjoy, so thankfully I just figured I could put the eight tracks that mean the most to me on instead. They aren't better than any other song, or inferior, just, music that I enjoy.

Venus - Television

The melody, the lyrics, the guitar work...I love Tom Verlaine and Television. It always reminds me of being stood in a boiling hot Louvre gallery in Paris, looking at the Venus De Milo, humming this song. 

The Red Telephone - Love

If you've never heard Forever Changes by Love, please do so. It's paranoid, drug addled and yet quite beautiful. You can almost imagine being sat in the Californian hills circa the summer of love. Rarely has a song captured an atmosphere or a feeling as well as this one.

Fall On Me - R.E.M.

R.E.M. being on the radio is one of my earliest memories as a kid, seeing as I was two years old when Automatic For The People came out. That's one of my favourite albums, but as I got older and found the earlier, IRS records, I grew to love them, and this track in particular. The backing vocals are so good. It still haunts me I never got to see them live.

Look On - John Frusciante 

I think there is something really uplifting about this track, and it's just a cool song. The lyrics in the chorus struck a real chord with me, and if you haven't heard it, it's worth checking out.

Nowhere Fast - The Smiths

I struggle to remember what life was like before I discovered The Smiths (happy?!) but they are probably the most important thing I ever discovered in my early teens. Funny, witty and just a great bit of guitar playing, this track really sums up how I felt growing up in Castleford. Morrissey and Marr have been soundtracking my life ever since.

Giddy Stratospheres - The Long Blondes

This song reminds me of being around 16 years old and discovering this track after someone at college recommended them to me. I'd never heard of them before and I recall the feeling of "Oh God, how many more bands have I never heard of that are this good?" I ended up going to see these guys at a gig and the turned up 3 hours late. Rock n Roll. My dad wasn't happy waiting in the car for me, but it was worth the bollocking to hear this song live.

Real Love - John Lennon

This is the greatest song never released. It's incredible this was tucked away until after his death. I actually learned piano playing along to this song, and it was the only reason I ever bothered doing so. John Lennon's death is one of the few things that makes me sad and angry when I think about it, which astounds me as I wasn't even born when it happened.


Soul To Squeeze - Red Hot Chili Peppers

The guitar playing on this track is so expressive and as near as you can get to Hendrix without actually being the man himself. The bassline is amazing, and it's just a really beautiful piece of music, all the little production touches, make it stand out.

I realise this means after picking my eight songs I also get a book and a luxury item?

I'd take 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die and my iPod, I guess...