INNOVATORS OF THE POPULAR AVANT-GARDE

Having played a lot of "Avant-Garde" music on my shows, I decided to do a show which explored the origins of some of these sounds. So, with my good friend Alex, I played some fantastic music from the era when the Avant-Garde started to become "popular".

Download it here: Innovators of the Popular Avant-Garde (27th January 2009)
or even just listen to it "straight out" here:

1. The Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs
2. David Bowie - It's No Game
3. Roxy Music - Editions of You
4. Soft Machine - Hope For Happiness
5. CAN - Mushroom
6. H. P. Lovecraft - Electrallentado
7. John Cale - Heartbreak Hotel
8. Pere Ubu - Laughing
9. Scott Walker - Farmer in the City
10. Bjork - Where is the Line

.WOW.

NEW YEAR 2009 SHOW

To welcome in the new year I thought it appropriate to play some brand new music, some music that I discovered over the Christmas break, as well as some forthcoming releases. Being the first show for a while which I conducted on my own, without being bound by any particular genre, I thoroughly enjoyed doing it and being back in the studio, playing some fantastic music.

Experience the cutting edge by downloading here: NEW YEAR SHOW (20th January 2009)
or EVEN stream here, but be careful, it's sharp.

1. Paavoharju – Kevatrumpu
2. Animal Collective – My Girls
3. Fever Ray – Conrete Walls
4. Anthony & the Johnsons – Aeon
5. The Prodigy – Omen
6. Squarepusher – Arterial Fantasy
7. Shed – Flat Axe
8. Barack Hussein Obama – Yes We Can
9. The Gullivers – Ambulance
10. MF Doom – Ballskin
11. Madlib (The Beat Konducta) – The Paycheck (Gotta)
12. Dr Who Dat? – Ghetto Dreaming
13. Telefon Tel Aviv – The Birds
14. The Cinematic Orchestra - Exodus

Razor.

FAVOURITE MUSIC OF 2008

Pretty much every week that I was at Cambridge this year I wrote at least one music review and broadcast a radio show which meant that I was fortunate enough to listen to a lot of good music.
Not quite managing the 400 that I listened to last year (most of which must have been listened to during my Gap Year), I still managed to listen to over 200 albums, I guess around an album every other day, and so I came across some great music.
While perhaps there were less stand-out albums than 2007, this year was still a fantastic year for music overall.
Also, the fact that I was at University gave my associative memory less of a chance to link music with places, since I think the majority of music was listened to in my room.
Anyway, here they are:

THE ALBUMS THAT MEANT THE MOST TO ME THIS YEAR WERE:

1. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair
2. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
3. Mamma Mia! – The Official Movie Soundtrack
4. Beck – Modern Guilt
5. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
6. Born Ruffians - Red Yellow and Blue

I HAVE SEPARATED THE FOLLOWING INTO 2 LEVELS:

VERY VERY FANTASTIC

2562 – Aerial
Alva Noto – Unitxt
Byetone - Death of a Typographer
Cat Power – Jukebox
Clark - Turning Dragon
Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
HEALTH - HEALTH—DISCO
Hot Chip – Made in the Dark
Ital Tek – Cyclical
Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
Portico Quartet - Knee-Deep In The North Sea
Shackleton & Appleblim – Soundboy’s Gravestone Get Desacrated by Vandals
Shed - Shedding the Past
Sunken Foal - Fallen Arches
Syclops - I've Got My Eye On You
Tindersticks - The Hungry Saw
TV on the Radio – Dear Science,
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
Zomby - Where Were U in ‘92

VERY FANTASTIC

Alexis Taylor – Rubbed Out
Dungen – 4
Esbjörn Svensson Trio – Leucocyte
Four Tet – Ringer
Free Blood – The Singles
Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Johann Johannsson – Fordlandia
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Madlib - WLIB AM: King Of The Wigflip
Monkey - Journey to the West
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Neon Neon - Stainless Style
Pole – Steingarten
The Shortwave Set - Replica Sun Machine
Squarepusher – Just a Souvenir
Tape – Luminarium
The Very Best mixxxxtape
Why? – Alopecia
Xiu Xiu – Women as Lovers

I think anyone would be pleased on checking any of those albums out!

BUT LET'S NOT FORGET EPs!

Animal Collective - Water Curses EP
Bar 9 – Malicious Tactics/Midnight 12” (AF008)
Bar 9 - Murda Sound / Untitled Symphony (ZAUDIO006)
Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant EP
Flying Lotus – 2X3 EP
Quarta 330 / Cardopusher - Split 12” (HDB017)
The Juan Maclean – Happy House
Zomby – 12” (HDB009)
Zomby – The Lie 12” (RAMP015)


Most Over-hyped/Over-rated albums

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
The Bug – London Zoo
Benga – Diary of an Afro Warrior


And I think I have found my favourite album of 2009 already too:
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

I hope you listen to some great things in the new year, and do let me know if you think I left anything out or if you also listened to some great music that I didn't!