Apr 16, 2020
hm i have thoughts and opinions on higglemas wiggenstaff
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hm i have thoughts and opinions on higglemas wiggenstaff
ALBUMS 2 - 1 ‘TGE’s TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2012’
2. Crystal Castles – (III) Ethan Kath and Alice Glass’ third album took an unusual turn in the already unusual world of Crystal Castles, with the band’s relocation to Warsaw to record (III) where Kath replaced his vast array of digital equipment with some analogue synthesizers to add to the wavering, sinister feel reflected in the album. I mean if the album cover depicting a burka-clad woman nurturing a wounded teenager wasn’t enough of a warning. Musically, (III) still holds the menacing and ominous feel that we’ve come to wilfully love from the band’s sound, yet there is a definite movement in the direction of serenity and tenderness, hidden somewhere deep within apocalyptic pulsing synthesizers and harrowing track titles, namely with Glass’ toned-down, gentler vocal style than what we’ve come to hear before. In fact, upon deeper listening, there’s lots of beauty and sentiment laced throughout the album, perfectly masked by aggressive electronics and obscene track titles like ‘Child I Will Hurt You’. (III) plays perfectly on the notion of contrast between beauty and ugliness and peace and violence and gives us a valuable lesson into finding moments of meaningfulness in a world full of chaos.
1. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave If anybody mentioned ‘folk-step’ a year ago, you could’ve been forgiven for believing it to be some kind of dance invented in the West Country that originated amidst copious amounts of cider, tweed and fiddles. Cue alt-J and their genre-inventing, debut album: An Awesome Wave. After meeting at university in Leeds, the quartet went on to produce an album that’s dominated i-Pods and radio waves since its release back in May. The result of five year’s worth of songwriting and creativity, the thirteen track album is full of infectious guitar, melodic piano and double entendre in the form of Joe Newman’s intelligent lyricism. Since their recent, rapid eruption to the forefront of the UK music scene, alt-J have played a variety of festivals over the summer, fully sold out both winter and spring tours, oh and they won that Mercury Prize thing too. I think it’s fair to say it has been a good year for the boys.
ALBUMS 4 - 3 ‘TGE’s TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2012’
4. Friends – Manifest One of the most anticipated albums this year was from Brooklyn-based trendsetters Friends. The uber cool five-piece have had a stonking 2012 surrounding the release of their much-hyped debut Manifest in June. The record followed the success of 2011’s standout single ‘I’m His Girl’ which proved a hit with hipsters and arguably remains Friends’ defining moment. The sassy swagger of front woman Samantha Urbani’s vocals are steeped in retro beats and 90s sounding melodies which effortlessly captures the spirit of NYC. The dance-punk pals weave their party-starting style into the foundations of their tracks and their current attitude-heavy single ‘Va Fan Du Gor’ is a sure hit on every dancefloor. With the release of ‘Oshin’ back in June, only one month after they hit the shores of Brighton to play our very own festival, Diiv rapidly became one of the bands to feature in the ‘must see’ lists of 2012 and ‘ones to keep tabs on’ in 2013.
3. Diiv – Oshin Captured Tracks are rather particular with the type of sound they like, with bands like Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils and Widowspeak all nestled under their warm, shimmering metaphorical arm. So when guitarist Zachary Cole from Beach Fossils formed Diiv back in 2011 and started producing reverb-friendly, summery sounds with three other friends and fellow musicians, it seemed Diiv were fated to release their debut album ‘Oshin’ under Captured Tracks. ‘Oshin’ brings 13 tracks that combine the primitive-crunch of early Nirvana with psychedelic, iridescent guitar akin to Wild Nothing. It’s grunge but a summertime grunge, as if you’re taking it out of rainy Seattle and plonking it on a beach. Essentially, it’s a kind of beach-pop with a darker, harrowing feel that teeters on the brink somewhere between dreamy and mild nightmare, and we like this combination very much.
ALBUMS 6 - 5 ‘TGE’s TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2012’
6. Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man One of the most talked about albums of the year was Bat For Lashes third record The Haunted Man. Following the success of the stunning Two Suns there was a lot to live up to, not to mention that album cover. Natasha Khan delivered. The all-baring artwork gave insight as to what the record held, exposing a more intimate and personal side to Natasha Khan than had been seen previously. The spine-tingling and finest moment on the record comes in the form of ‘Laura’. The delicate and intimate track is arranged perfectly around piano and vocals and leaves few eyes dry. The Haunted Man is another stunning record from a firmly established, ever-growing and unforgettable artist.
5. Grimes – Visions 2012 was a big year for Canadian cool queen, Grimes. Not only did she sign a record deal with 4AD but she released her third album, Visions, which is undeniably one of the most awe-inspiring albums of the last twelve months. With its weird mix of electronics, Claire Boucher’s sky-high vocals and ever-changing artistic directions, Grimes crafted a record that redefines pop - on her terms. The insanely danceable album captivates as it soars from the floaty elegance of ‘Genesis’ to the show-stopping ‘Oblivion’ and into the ghostly gorgeous ‘Vowels = Space and Time’. From start to finish, Visions is a masterpiece of experimental electro, dance pop and quirky creativity.
BAND OF THE DAY #369 – Native Native are a band, we tour a lot’ this is all the information given away by the band’s Facebook page! In fact they’ve been touring internationally since mid November and they’ve played a show every single night since. Looking back at some of their shows, they’ve played some interesting ones too, alongside the likes of Lady Gaga and Beyonce at Summer Sonic in Japan as well as playing an exciting slot at Midpoint Music Festival with Caribou, Best Coast and Villagers. Native is made up of four friends who came together in Indiana before attracting the attention of US Label Sargent House who also deal with This Town Needs Guns and Fang Island alongside a number of exciting acts. Their sound can be compared to Minus The Bear, with powerful distortion, explosive varying drumming and energetic, aggressive vocals. Apparently their live shows are unmissable too, with their performances carrying even more energy than the studio recordings of their tracks, and with over 271 gigs played in the last few years according to their Songkick profile, it seems they’ve had enough time to perfect their shows. They play a handful of gigs in Europe before heading back to the States, check the band’s Facebook page to find out where.
BAND OF THE DAY #363 – THE MOTH & THE FLAME The Moth & The Flame was started by Brandon Robbins and Mark Garbett and later saw the inclusion of drummer Andrew Tolman. During the band’s first ever show, local musician/electrician Nate Pyfer offered to produce their first album. They spent a year working together on The Moth & The Flame’s self titled debut album before its physical release, to critical success, at the end of last year. I emphasise the albums ‘physical release’ because, as of today, it’s only available to buy in its physical form as a CD. The band state on their website that the artwork is significantly important to their music ‘we consider it [the art] to be the opening track of the album’. The front of their CD can be seen below, and we must agree there is a certain eeriness to the delicate, plucked guitar as it rings over dreamy keyboards and Thom Yorke-esque vocals when played alongside the surreal image. Have a listen to their track ‘Lullaby II’ which comprises layers of haunting, faded strings with faint guitar and simple vocals that strike powerfully over the background noise. Oh I forgot to mention its filmed on a block of ice floating on a lake in Utah too, as if there music wasn’t atmospheric enough...
BAND OF THE DAY #362 – WINTER PEOPLE With a name derived from the gypsies that would travel from village to village in winter, shunned by the townspeople the gypsies were forced to set up camps just outside where their wild and ancient music could be heard deep into the night, scary yet intriguing. The next morning the gypsies would have vanished, leaving nothing but the ashes of a fire and the distant melodies of their night time tunes. These were Winter People. Listening to the band’s debut album, ‘A Year At Sea’, released back in September, one can see the logic behind their choice of name. The six-piece have an organic folkyness to them, acoustic guitars and violins ring out over tribal sounding drums, yet they also create vast, apocalyptic atmospheres within their music, listen to ‘Banker’s Lament’ for an epic, Muse like track, both scary and intriguing, much like the wandering gypsies that inspired their name. After extensive touring of Australia and a few shows in America, Winter People have played on the same bill as Beck, Sigur Ros, Beirut and The Dandy Warhols as well as an exciting gig with Houndmouth in New York. Until they make the journey across to the UK, they have a number of tracks up on their Soundcloud for your listening pleasure!
BAND OF THE DAY #361 – Findlay Once one of Manchester's best-kept secrets, kickass rock chick, Findlay, has spent last month supporting Jake Bugg on his national tour. Looks like secret's out guys... The 21-year-old has released a raunchy new video for her début single 'Your Sister'. The dirty, racy, and overbearingly awesome track is on fire with a gritty mix of attitude and angst. Findlay bears a clear resemblance to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Kills. The single is getting regularly spun on Amazing Radio and frontwoman, Natalie Findlay, has received rave reviews of her live performances. If they stand up to her 'performance' in the sexy vid, then all eyes are going to be on this for 2013.