December 2008
23 posts
1 tag
Monkomination: Family Tree by TV on the Radio
Nomination #14 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
I don’t think I could let only one nomination from Dear Science slip through without joining the love-in.
Perhaps I’m just a fan of heavy-delay, but there’s a seminal power to ‘Family Tree’ that’s worth a vote.
MP3: Family Tree - TV on the Radio
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Plankomination: Water Curses by Animal Collective
Nomination #13 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
Water Curses: I call it Animal Collective by numbers. A great cacophony of sounds focused into the most surprising of aural euphoria; ecstasy for the mind, body and soul. It’s the inevitable crescendo of the band’s nautical obsession, an unashamed statement of an essentially...
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Monkomination: This Sweet Love by James Yuill
Nomination #12 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
From the highway-devouring momentum of my last nomination to someone comfortably wedged in the middle-of-the-road, Monkton presents the sweet electro-melodica of James Yuill.
Playing out the age-old tenderness between man and laptop, James Yuill’s music is a modest introduction...
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Plankomination: The Gardener by The Tallest Man on...
Nomination #11 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
Back in March, Kristian Matsson (aka The Tallest Man on Earth) shared with with us the story of The Gardener, a song worthy of modern folk classic status if ever their was one. It’s devastatingly dark yet achingly beautiful at the same time, and quite simply a lyrical masterpiece....
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Monkomination: Buenos Aires Beach by The War on...
Nomination #10 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
Veering off the beaten track like a rusty locomotive crammed to the sunroof with Dylan mixtapes, The War on Drugs gave 2008 an excuse to stop listening to the Velvet Underground and start roadtrippin’ along to ‘freshly pressed’ vintage sounds. As hard to swallow as...
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Plankomination: No One's Better Sake by Little Joy
Nomination #9 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
In 2007 Los Hermanos vocalist Rodrigo Amarante teamed up with Fabrizio Moretti, drummer of The Strokes, to form Little Joy. What’s truly surprising about the results is how much Little Joy lend their sound from The Strokes, considering they share little more than half a rhythm...
2 tags
Monkomination: True Love Will Find You in the End...
Nomination #8 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
Swashbuckler Alela Diane cooly lends a vocal to a not so wedding-friendly covers band called Headless Heroes. Not that her solo album ‘The Pirate’s Gospel’ is particularly wedding-friendly… I imagine it depends what sort of wedding you have in mind - i.e. Pirate...
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Planklog: Damien Rice B-Sides (A Nominations...
While nominations chug along nicely I thought I’d leave you with a (non-2008) track I’ve been digging a lot in the past week, plus another couple of gems.
After the delightful ‘O’, Damien Rice released ‘9’, an awfully clunky record with a string of lyrical clangers that can only be explained by either extreme laziness or ignorance on Damien Rice’s part....
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Plankomination: Dancing Choose by TV on the Radio
Nomination #7 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
Somehow, it seemed awfully natural for TV on the Radio to follow their difficult, critically acclaimed masterpiece ‘Return To Cookie Mountain’ with something far more accessible. Why, ‘Dear Science,’ is an album that gleefully skitters along, bouncing thrilling...
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Monkomination: Inní mér syngur vitleysingur by...
Nomination #6 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
Monkton wants to contribute something kind of predictable to the MVP list. It’s Icelandic. It’s contrived of pure joy and nakedness. And it makes Monkton want to dance joyfully and nakedly. MP3: Inní mér syngur vitleysingur - Sigur Rós
Monkton x
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Plankomination: First Communion by Gang Gang Dance
Nomination #5 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
According to BBC news: “Late last night a fight broke in downtown New York between math-rock darlings Battles, Icelandic pixie goddess Björk and hip-hop wild child M.I.A. Unfortunately there were no reporters at the scene, but witnesses say that it sounded a hell of a lot like...
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Monkomination: 'The Devil's Crayon' by Wild Beasts
Nomination #4 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
A long, wretched time keen followers of El Divo and G4 have been sold short by MVP’s promise of a brighter music-made future. And so who better to fill the operatic vocaloid - that’s ‘vocal-void’ MVP readers - than Wild Beasts? Obviously,...
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Plankomination: In the New Year by The Walkmen
Nomination #3 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
One of 2008’s most pleasant surprises was the return to form of The Walkmen. They’ve always held an extraordinary nostalgic beauty for me, even if I can’t tell what it is they remind me of or why. In the New Year, as a track, is no exception. Maybe...
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Monkomination: Transformer by Marnie Stern
Nomination #2 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
From the compelling motion-sickness of ‘The Rip’ to another sort of exhilarating nausea - I bring you ‘Transformer’ by genius rock-minx Marnie Stern. Like receiving a hi-frequency jolt from a statically charged xylophone, this track will give you the sonic...
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Plankomination: The Rip by Portishead
Nomination #1 for ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER OF 2008 EVER’
It would be criminal to overlook this gem - way back in March many were already touting it to be the best track 2008 would produce, and for good reason. Here Beth Gibbon’s vocals drift effortlessly above soft swirling guitar arpeggios which, as the song reaches...
THE WORLD'S GREATEST MUSIC PLAYLIST THAT WILL...
2008 is winding down - the high-streets are humming, the mulled wine is a-mulling, the festively plump turkey is no longer counting his chickens, and every music-blogger this side of Google is united in one solemn task. ‘Tis the season to write playlists - and we at MVP have concocted our own uniquely superficial theme that places us ‘above the rest’ this Christmas.
Yes...
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Planklog: Welcome to the Wunderkammer
‘Clangour’ by Sin Fang Bous. Dreamy, psychedelic, warm Scandinavian pop, kind of like an unlikely love-child of Animal Collective and the Boy Least Likely To. ‘Clangour’ really makes me want to huddle up under several duvets beside a warm fire and roast marshmallows all night long. Is this love? I think it just might be.
MP3: Fafafa (Sin Fang Bous) MP3: Melt Down The...
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Monklog: Re - Bon Iver EP
Plank, I’ve got to say - you’ve definitely overlooked the (potentially dyslexic) third track ‘Babys’. This isn’t a massive departure, but it certainly suggests ways in which Bon Iver can sustainably develop the tone of his music without the kind of novelty factor we see in ‘Woods’. Surely it’s heartwarmingly autumnal energy is the next logical step...
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Planklog: Bon Iver EP
Barely weeks after its original announcement, the new Bon Iver EP ‘Blood Bank’ has leaked.
First impressions: for the most part, this isn’t really much of a departure from ‘For Emma…’. Blood Bank itself is a gorgeous track which would not have looked a jot out of place on the album. The EP certainly loses its way though; tracks 2 and 3 are ultimately...
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Monklog: Re - Open Up Your Throat
The Listening Party: Like a cross between a planetarium and a suicide pact. With music. The Album: Merriweather Post Pavillion. I actually feel like I could physically pick the album up and give it a good sniff. Their work to date has been somewhat elusive (nonetheless brilliant), but here they seem to reach a tactile, living, breathing concept, complete from head to foot. Taking their learnings...
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Planklog: Open Up Your Throat
Wednesday night.
Plastic People in London.
In any other context, I would have concluded that I had walked into some kind of cult gathering. It was a small dark room, and there was no discernible order to the people within. Everybody was sat on the floor, huddled over themselves, rocking back and forth, often with eyes closed.
If this wasn’t a cult gathering, what was it?
It was a...
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Monkton - Re: Plankton Fanmail
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Plankton Fanmail
A poem of gratitude courtesy of AtEase member Bachlevarr…
O! fair winter morn! The cold breeze of anticipation Lapping at thine naked feet Wouldst not preparest thee For the approaching solace. Hither! Upon the horizon Glimmering like a b’jeweled lion The mighty Plankton strides ‘Neath his arm a wondrous basket Full of bountiful tithings. He unsheathes his secret weapon Nay! Not...