2009: fragments of genre-confounding greatness; a parallel overview

HEALTH - Die Slow

With all the best of the decade lists being flung about at the moment, 2009 is in danger of getting overlooked. You can kind of forgive a few people for wanting to get the ’00s out of the way with to start a fresh in the next decade – in terms of world events it’s been a particularly shocking ten years – but this is a music website (usually) and we must avert our gaze, stick our headphones on and enter the parallel universe that is popular music.

New York cast a long shadow over the independent music world in 2009, just as it had done way back in 2001 – the internet and, more surprisingly, large sections of the mainstream fell for albums by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective and (Jay-Z’s new favourite) Grizzly Bear. These bands made sonically unique albums that still retain a certain amount of insularity – these are carefully-crafted other worlds on record, and they were a little too careful and too crafted for some.

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2008: dubstep, grime, career-bests and Jay-Z at Glastonbury

Wiley - Wearing My Rolex

Much like the rest of the noughties, 2008 had no defining genre that formed the spine for listening trends and consumer interest; we were instead provided with a rather messy collage of beats, breaks and riffs left to our own devices to sift through the good, the bad and the ugly.

One memorable yet disheartening sensation was the rise of Grime, which swiftly moved from dingy pirate radio studios to the speakers of cheese clubs up and down the country. Most notable of all was Wiley’s ‘Wearing My Rolex’, which opened up a new avenue of electro-house anthems. … Continue Reading

2007: Burial, The Klaxons and Of Montreal

Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future

2007 was a personal landmark year in music, almost entirely aside from any developments in the wider world. As the New Year was ushered in I had the good fortune to be working in a record shop with a group of Tom Waits devotees, opening the doors to an entirely new world of older music I’d previously managed to simply ignore. The start of 2007 was marked by a headlong dive into Waits’ Rain Dogs and Swordfishtrombones, and the likes of ‘Singapore’, ‘Shore Leave’ and ‘Tango ‘Til They’re Sore’ cloaked the January chill in humid, whisky-soaked warmth. … Continue Reading

2006: Gnarls Barkley, Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen

Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

While it was only a few short years ago, 2006 was a real game changer in terms of this decade. The previous year saw the implementation of digital sales into the singles chart and by summer this year Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ became the first UK number one not to sell a single physical copy. It was the also the year that YouTube went supernova and allowed many of us to check out classic clips of bands performing on Top of The Pops while we mourned the final weekly episodes. While the great rush to add people to your fledging MySpace account may have been slightly earlier, there are two acts that will forever be associated with it; Lily Allen and The Arctic Monkeys. … Continue Reading

2005: the year of Maxïmo Park

Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger

2005 was the year my favourite bands became more than a passing hobby, the year I slaved away at a double life reading my books in the daytime and drinking 70p spirit and mixers at dusk, the year I’d learn about new things through the anachronistic MySpace-trail and the year I became obsessed with Maxïmo Park. … Continue Reading

2004: Danger Mouse, the unremembered-’80s revival, bestiality and Britney’s two-day marriage

2004 got 99 problems but this (comically cut) video ain’t one of them.

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2003: the BRITs, The Postal Service and ‘Crazy In Love’

Beyonce - Crazy In Love

2003.  What a year.  I was 18, had moved to London and was working at a record label.  Living the dream.  First thoughts on the music of 2003 are namely Blue and Atomic Kitten, because they were the biggest bands I worked with at the time.  We were also preparing VS for their brief brush with fame – I only mention them because Marvin is now one quarter of JLS. … Continue Reading

2002: Coldplay, The Vines, Rival Schools, Muse… CD:UK?

Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head

2002.  The year that Eminem cleaned out his closet, The Streets pushed things forward, Lostprophets’ fakesoundofprogress got a shiny new production job, every other new band was The something and I started college, passed my driving test and went to my first ever festivals. … Continue Reading

2001: Queens of the Stone Age, Staind, The White Stripes and The Strokes

The Strokes - Is This It

2001. So near, and yet so far. Maybe because it played host to such a visceral event of world history, the effects of which we are still feeling, but sometimes it doesn’t seem that long ago. And then I picture myself, packing to go on my year out before university and there being an actual, real life Walkman in amongst the lonely planets and cheese cloth smock dresses, with actual tapes and playlists in biro, and I can’t believe it’s only been nine years. … Continue Reading

Music commentary is written by idiots

Neon Highwire

Those striving to make their living in the music industry of late are facing the same bleak prospects as a coal miner in the eighties. Although if I recall correctly you weren’t able to download coal in the ’80s, but aside from that minor difference it’s perfectly identical.

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