I wrote a series of articles for the AMS fanzine this October. Since they’re mine, I’ll post them here too:
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1. The Pipettes – Stop the Music [“Space vs The Pipettes”, Fortuna Pop records]
The sixties girl group revival have returned. With such a drastic line-up change since their last album, you’d be forgiven for writing their new stuff off. Thankfully, Monster Bobby – the genius behind the outfit – is still a superb songwriter. The amount of times I’ve listened to this song lately is rather frightening. Shedding the lo-fi roots, this is a confident attempt at a more 70s disco style.  |
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2. Delorean – Grow [“Subiza”, Mushroom Pillow records]
I got dragged by a friend to a Delorean concert sometime earlier this year, and I’ve not regretted the experience in the slightest. Upbeat, relaxed Spanish dance, inspired heavily by rave and a healthy dash of alternative guitar music. Delorean is that feeling when you’re playing in the sea on a Mediterranean holiday, the sun and salt hurt your eyes, and you’re slightly drunk, and you just want to dance. Subiza is a refreshingly beautiful album that anyone can enjoy. |
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 3. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Say No to Love [single release, Fortuna Pop records]Epic, summery, emotional, uplifting, I’m going to run out of adjectives before I find adequate words. This is the best single of the year. It’s already become one of my favourite songs, by one of my favourite bands. The logical conclusion of TPOBPAH’s specific brand of summer tinged dream pop. Infectiously catchy and tugs at your heartstrings. Don’t know how they do it.
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 4. Alcest – Écailles De Lune (part 1) [“Écailles De Lune”, Prophecy Productions]
So far, so Pitchfork. The board /mu/ on 4chan introduced Alcest to me as ‘blackened shoegaze’, which I can only hope to interpret as ‘black metal meets shoegaze’. There’s also a heavy element of post-rock thrown in. What results is dreamy, brooding, introspective and beautiful. Even if you hate metal, don’t let it stop you from checking this out.
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 5. The Felt Tips – Silver Spoon [“Living and Growing”, Plastillina Records]
Potentially the most obscure band I will mention, but I have a soft spot in my heart for this delicate Glaswegian indie pop band. Their secret comes from a one-two punch familiar to Smiths fans – humble, witty lyrics and intricate, jangly guitars, all wrapped up in astonishingly catchy songs. Silver Spoon is a heart touching tale of a young man with a promising start to life, who ends up in a car accident. The irony is not lost on the narrator (you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth / now it’s gone in the blink of an eye … and if you want me to take that spoon from your mouth / then let me know with the blink of your eyes). |
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 6. Standard Fare – Philadelphia [“La Noyelle Beat”, Fortuna Pop records]
Another Fortuna Pop signing, Standard Fare produces straightforward pop rock, with tight hooks and affectionate female vocals. Philadelphia is the standout track from their newest album, about the ups and downs of long distance relationships. I’m not sure what else to say. It’s really good.
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 7. Best Coast – Boyfriend [“Crazy For You”, Mexican Summer records]
If you’ve managed to miss Best Coast this year, I’m not sure which rock you’ve been hiding under, but they’re quickly becoming one of the most popular bands among my friends. EVERYBODY has been going on about how great their album is. Imagine that My Bloody Valentine and The Beach Boys had a daughter, she became a teenager, locked herself in a room, and sung constantly about boys she fancied at school. THAT IS BEST COAST, AND IT IS AWESOME. |
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 8. MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS – ゼロコンマ、色とりどりの世界 [“ゼロコンマ、色とりどりの世界”, AVOCADO records]
Well, I’m going to make no friends by mentioning unpronounceable songs. It’s the album’s title track, the English translation being “Zero Comma, Multi-coloured World”. Last year’s World is Yours was one of the finest post-rock albums I’ve heard in a long time, and their new album is as enjoyably rich. Imagine if Mogwai did more stuff like Glasgow Mega-Snake, were Japanese and had soaring, beautiful vocals.
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 9. Allo Darlin’ – The Polaroid Song [“Allo, Darlin’”, Fortuna Pop records]
Allo Darlin’ is in danger of becoming the AMS’s favourite band. Catchy, dense, ukulele indie pop. The self-titled album has definitely been a standout LP of the year, with barely a bad song on it (I’ll leave the surprisingly weak Heartbeat Chilli alone, for now). The Polaroid Song is lovely, nostalgic, and probably the obvious single from the album (along with Silver Dollars and Dreaming). A friend and I have a recurring joke that the bassist has a chat show called “On Nodding Terms with Bill Botting”. Our dreams were smashed when we realised his real name was not Bill Botting.
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 10. Belle and Sebastian – I Want the World to Stop [“Belle and Sebastian Write about Love”, Rough Trade Records]
Contender for my favourite song of the year. With such an old band, it would be far too easy to say they’re past it. The Life Pursuit was a slight disappointment, but this is an astonishingly fresh and confident song from the now unreleased new album. A real grower and a darker direction they’ve not gone before (the closest might be the catchy B-side Your Cover’s Blown). Features on the rather funny and surprisingly beautiful TV show promo for their album, starring Dougie Anderson as their charismatic, fictional manager.
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