Cougar Microbes are marching in like army ants…

Haven’t we heard this one before: Hollywood starlet (or her management team) eyes an opportunity to milk a few more $$$ out of the fans by branching out into the music world. Usually the next step is a dismal release or two after which she returns to the relative safety of her day job.

That was what I was thinking when I was told Zooey Deschanel was teaming up with alt-country darling M. Ward but boy was I wrong. Instead, under the moniker She & Him, they may well have released one of the most interesting albums in recent years transporting you back to a when music was about style over substance. The resulting album Volume One sounds just like the old 60s albums my dad used to play me in his car dipped in sentimentality and following in the tradition of songstresses like Joni Mitchell and Dusty Springfield.

Zooey, I owe you an apology.

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It’s amazing what a few months can do to a bands profile. Back in November I was coming to terms with TV On The Radio‘s latest effort. Now their tracks have rooted themselves firmly in my subconscious making Dear Science, the go to album when people ask me for something that will appeal to fairweather music fans and enthusiasts alike. I’m not really surprised that in December TOTR were featured prominently on New Year programs for the BBC and Channel 4 alike and were also played repeatedly on the office stereo.

Bruce Springsteen should be worshipped as a fully qualified rock god. We are all familiar with his “Greatest Hits” but his back catalogue deserves to be dived into and discovered. In May 2008 I finally caught the man live two nights in a row at Emirates Stadium. To say it was perfect would be an understatement as he and The E Street Band launched into anthem after anthem as I stood with a big smile on my face. It would have been easy after all these years for them to take it easy and perform to the minimum possible requirement; instead they launched into every track like their lives depended on it. This was easily one of the highlights of the year and when Bruce shouted ”The highway is jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive” my heart skipped a beat.

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Last summer you probably heard MGMT before you knew you heard them. Tracks like ‘Time To Pretend’, ‘Kids’ and ‘Electric Feel‘ delivered melodies that attach themselves to your brain and force you to hum them for hours. And this was before you dived into the aptly named ‘Oracular Spectacular’ to hear a succession of tracks that evaded the status quo and yet defined the 08 sound. The follow up (whenever it arrives) is eagerly anticipated.

There is hype and then there is H-Y-P-E!!! It is safe to say Vampire Weekend enjoyed a fair bit of the first and a shit load of the latter. Before they even had a release under their belt they had connoisseurs and scenesters alike salivating at the prospect. Fortunately when they released their self titled album it did not disappoint. I don’t completely buy the Afro-pop tag that has been used to label them but there is an individualistic streak to the boys music that sounds like few other bands about. Its this laid back vibe and cultivated lyrics that meant pretty much any track from this album could have been released as a single. Vampire Weekend succeeded in releasing an instant classic that will be eternally linked to the sound of 2008 and honestly “why would you lie about how much coke you had, why would you lie about something dumb like that?”

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One of the few benefits of my daily commute to and from work is that I have been reading loads on the way. One of the books I enjoyed the most last year was the Jim Morrison/Doors biography ‘No One Here Gets Out Alive’. The book details Jim Morrison‘s life commencing with his childhood, going on to the formation of The Doors and his subsequent rise to legendary status (both musically and intellectually). The book doesn’t shy from recounting every detail of Morrison‘s life including his tangles with the law and his untimely death. The writers self confessed fan boy approach often raises Morrison to mythical proportion digging deep into his infamous “Jimbo” persona and romanticising the alcohol abuse and of course the drugs, sex and rock n roll. However, there is suitable coverage of “James” the intellectual, poet and the sensitive soul. Ultimately this was a great introduction to one of the great bands of the last century. After reading this rock n roll roller coaster I had the entire Doors discography on repeat on a daily basis with Five To One becoming my raison d’être; its familiar bass refrain ringing through my head night and day.

If you can make your own opinions without being influenced by the authors’ veneration yet manage to capture their enthusiasm you will enjoy this tale on one of rocks last true greats.

Now that the New Year hangover is definitely over the accepted thing for any self-respecting blog is to have a best of the year post around this time and so for the past few weeks I have been contemplating my version. It has to be said that the band Included did not necessarily released anything new in the past 12 months but you don’t have a new “product” out to be relevant. Here we go:

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Sometime last Christmas, between roast dinners,  numerous presents and copious amounts of alcohol, I decided to watch every Flight Of The Conchords episode during a 3 day marathon. Needless to say, I loved Bret and Jermaine‘s awkward adventures and crazy humour. After a bit of research I uncovered the original BBC radio series that launched the “4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo” on a global scale .  I adored the original British twist the boys gave to their instantly quotable gags. I think its safe to say season 2 is eagerly awaited.

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There is no arguing that 2008 was the year Kings Of Leon came out swinging. I was  spinning the brilliant Because Of The Times night and day when the band dropped Only By The Night and added a string of shows that established them as live favourites. It has already been discussed on these pages how the new release was slightly disappointing given the expectations set. Despite all that tracks like ‘Closer‘, ‘Manhattan‘ and ‘Sex Is On Fire’ (-by the way Caleb, i’m pretty sure there is a cream for that-) still packed enough punch to appeal to the masses and musos alike. If all else fails I can still spin ‘My Party’ on repeat to remind me of how great the band can be when they hit top form.