SKELETON JAMBOREE'S TOP ALBUMS OF 2010

It's 2:08am and I'm still packing for Falls Festival which I have to leave for at 7.30am. So, I'm just going to throw down my Top Albums of 2010 and get some sleep action- no fancy presentation, just a list of what albums gave me a big ear erection.
Check it:

SURFER BLOOD - ASTRO COAST

THE NATIONAL - HIGH VIOLET

CROCODILES - SLEEP FOREVER

TAME IMPALA - INNERSPEAKER

OH NO ONO - EGGS

ARCADE FIRE - THE SUBURBS

FOALS - TOTAL LIFE FOREVER

DEERHUNTER - HALCYON DIGEST

YEASAYER - ODD BLOOD

WILD NOTHING - GEMINI

That's it for me for 2010, I hope you had an amazing year and I hope your new year's eve celebrations kick as much ass as mine. Keep it foolish and may the power of greyskull be with you!

All the best and I'll see you in 2011,

SKELETON JAMBOREE XXX

It's not easy trying to compile a list of the 'best' songs from a whole year, I've basically just gone back to a few older posts, gone through all the albums I bought, checked under the bed and sussed out what had the most plays in my itunes. I've tried to go back to when I first heard each song and tried to relive how it first made me feel. So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite tracks that made up 2010 (subject to be updated):

GROUPLOVE - COLOURS

TROPHY WIFE - MICROLITE

DELOREAN - STAY CLOSE

WEEKEND - END TIMES

CHAPEL CLUB - FIVE TREES

EGYPTIAN HIP HOP - MOON CROONER

SURFER BLOOD - TAKE IT EASY

JAI PAUL - BTSTU

ARCADE FIRE - READY TO START

WILD NOTHING - CHINATOWN

WAVVES - KING OF THE BEACH

THE MORNING BENDERS - EXCUSES

THE NATIONAL - ENGLAND

HARD MIX - MEMORIES

BAG RAIDERS

Bag Raiders - Sunlight
As far as Summer anthems go, this is about as big as they come. Bag Raiders' have just revealed the video for their second single, 'Sunlight' taken from their debut self-titled album.  The vid is based around a bad-ass party chimp who totally plays this babe, he acts all romantic but then reveals his true identity. Move over Super Chill Monkey, there's a new chimp in town.

By the way, if you haven't already bought the album, you might wana hurry your shit up and get it here! SUMMER LOVIN!

YOUNG EMPIRES

Young Empires just dropped me their latest demo, a nice little slow jam called 'The Earth Plates Are Shifting'. Since last checking in with the Toronto trio, the guys have featured on the latest Kitsune compilation, been down to Bogota, Columbia with Jamiroquai and have locked some dates in next month to play with Tanlines and Chromeo. 2011 looks like it's going to be a pretty big year for these guys and it's still not too late to jump on and say 'I was a Young Empires fan from the beginning.'

YOUNG EMPIRES - THE EARTH PLATES ARE SHIFTING

GOLD FIELDS

My friend works at Deluxe Guitars, a boutique guitar store and rehearsal studio here in Melbourne. He's always giving me the heads up on some of the acts that come in to rehearse and at the moment there's a band that's been coming in that's really caught his ears. Gold Fields are a quartet from Ballarat who have just released their debut single on Young & Lost Club over in the UK and will soon be supporting Crystal Castles in Sydney next month. Not a bad referral, certainly one act to keep an eye on in 2011.

GOLD FIELDS - TREEHOUSE

M.I.A - BORN FREE
Directed by Romain Gavras



LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - DRUNK GIRLS
Directed by Spike Jonze & James Murphy



EL GUINCHO - BOMBAY
Directed by Nicolas Mendez



YEASAYER - MADDER RED
Directed by Andreas Nilsson



HEALTH - WE ARE WATER
Directed by Eric Warheim



KLAXONS - TWIN FLAMES
Directed Saam Farahmand



ARCADE FIRE - THE SUBURBS
Directed by Spike Jonze



BATHS - LOVELY BLOODFLOW
Directed by Alex Takacs and Joe Nankin



 MUSCLES - GIRLS GO CRAZY
Directed by Beaufort


TAME IMPALA - SOLITUDE IS BLISS
Directed by Megaforce


RÖYKSOPP - THE DRUG
Directed by that go (Noel Paul & Stefan Moore)

F I C T I O N

FICTION - BIG THINGS

I've been following Fiction for a while now and I've watched them slowly become one of London's finest indie acts. The four-piece recently finished up a UK tour with Klaxons and are gearing up to release their second single 'Big Things' through Hit Club. The band have also just revealed the new video for the single which you can peep below.

BEST COAST & WAVVES

For some, Christmas songs ignite something inside us that transports us to a place filled with nostalgic spirit and warm, happy times. For me, Christmas songs generally just give me the shits, however, I'm willing to make the rare exception. Late last month Target in the U.S of A paid a bunch of artists to record a song for the Christmas holiday season which would feature on a free compilation. Two of those acts were Best Coast & Wavves, who paired up to give us 'Got Something For You', a very pop friendly carol that we can all sing around the tree.
Both Wavves and Best Coast will be in Australia in March! MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS!

BEST COAST & WAVVES - GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU

Grab the whole compilation here.

OH NO ONO

Oh No Ono "The Tea Party" from friendly fire recordings

Oh No Ono just dropped their very lovable new clip for 'The Tea Party'. The Danish band released their debut LP, Eggs earlier this year and it's definitely one of my albums of twenty-ten!

TEEN DAZE

Teen Daze recently released his brand new EP, Beach Dreams which he recorded during the Canadian Summer. Inspired by beach life and the whole lo-fi pop scene, the EP is meant to bring back fond memories and recapture those love fueled experiences of the past Summer just gone. Good thing for us kids in the southern hemisphere then, where we're just starting our own Summer and can use these songs as a relevant soundtrack to our very own beach adventures.
Grab Beach Dreams here.

TEEN DAZE - LET'S FALL ASLEEP TOGETHER

TAME IMPALA

Tame Impala - Expectation from Modular People on Vimeo.

Whilst on tour in Europe, Perth lads Tame Impala took time out to head to a forest just outside of Paris to film their new clip for 'Expectation'. Directed by Clemens Habicht Sjot, the vid is a twisted kaleidoscopic visual feast for the peepers. The band also recently took out the J Award for Album Of The Year and rightfully so, clearly one of the best Australian debuts in recent times.

SMITH WESTERNS

I was supposed to post this weeks ago but I didn't for some reason, either way I'm too hungover to care.
"Weekends" is the first single to be taken from Smith Westerns' forthcoming album  Dye It Blonde, the followup to the Chicago band's self titled LP which was released back in 2009. If the rest of the new album is to sound anything like the first single, then it would seem the band is moving away from its former fuzz driven sound and moving towards a more polished and poppier reincarnation.
Dye It Blonde is set for release next month through Fat Possum and can be pre-ordered here.

SMITH WESTERNS - WEEKEND

G H O S T W O O D

Ghostwood are back with their latest offering, "Sunset Mirage", a song that showcases a band that are truly coming into their own. The Sydney boys are currently in the midst of rehearsing and recording new material and have been jumping from LA to London in search of a producer who will help them shape their debut album.
Follow this link and read about the time I randomly met the band in London many moons ago.


GHOSTWOOD - SUNSET MIRAGE

ACTIVE CHILD

Active Child - I'm In Your Church At Night from Active Child on Vimeo.

A trio of magical pastry chefs with tiny shrimp eyes feature in the new video for Active Child's 'I'm In Your Church At Night'. The track is taken from his harp infused Curtis Lane EP which was released back in September via Filter.

ACTIVE CHILD - I'M IN YOUR CHURCH AT NIGHT

CUT / COPY

Around 8am this morning, Tim Hoey of Cut Copy waltzed into the Triple J studios in Sydney to reveal to the world the band's brand new single, 'Take Me Over'. Soon to be the most blogged song in the blogosphere, it's the Melbourne trio's first official single to be taken from their forthcoming third album, Zonoscope which is set for release in February on Modular.

Cut Copy - "Take Me Over" (Radio Edit) Premiere by modularpeople

ARCADE FIRE + SPIKE JONZE

So, after watching Arcade Fire's latest video for 'The Suburbs' I've decided that Spike Jonze is the greatest man on Earth.
I still can't get over how utterly brilliant this clip is, it literally sends chills all the way from the back of my neck to the bottom of my spine. If you're yet to witness this masterpiece then I urge you to just sit back and try and take it all in.
Simple, beautiful, dark, magnificent.

B R E T O N

Breton are a four piece from South East London who are getting ready to release their latest EP, 'Counter Balance' via Hemlock Recordings. They're a band who can claim their own unique sound, taking elements from hip hop, math rock and deep electronica and fusing them all together to create a new twisted genre, à la Mount Kimbie meets Hudson Mohawke. I'm sure it won't be long before someone comes up with a new ridiculous name for this sort of sound, maybe Post-Math-Wobble-Hop?
The EP drops December 6th.

BRETON - RDI

K I S S E S

KISSES - KISSES

MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS - LARA VS THE SAVAGE PACK (KISSES REMIX)

Kisses' debut album, 'The Heart Of The Nightlife' is already out in the UK to great critical acclaim and will be available internationally on the 16th of November. The LA based duo have just dropped the video for, 'Kisses', a spaced out pop gem and has the pair dressed as DIY astronauts who like to have BBQ's on the moon. They've also recently done a chilled remix for Midnight Juggernauts latest single which you can grab above.


Kisses - Kisses from Kisses on Vimeo.

R A T A T A T

RATATAT - NECKBRACE

I've literally had Ratatat's 'Neckbrace' on repeat for months now and it still hasn't lost its initial impact. The video for the track has just been released and features a shitload of birds all boppin' and groovin' in synchronization.
The Brooklyn duo will be heading our way in January for the Big Day Out and have just announced a few extra side shows along the way- check out the dates here.

M I C K E Y

MICHEL SARDOU - AFRIQUE ADIEU (MICKEY RE-WORK)

Mickey is one DJ/Producer to keep an eye on, the man from Brussels is joining a string of artists coming out of Belgium like Villa, Mustang and even Aeroplane who all seem to be riding the cosmic-disco train. His debut EP comes out next week on the 12th through Relish and you can have a listen to one of the better tracks off the release below.

  Mickey-Farfalle by Mickey

M E N

MEN's new video for 'Off Our Backs' is about as camp as a row of tents and about as fun as a clown riding an iguana! The Brooklyn based band released the second single today via IAMSOUND and are set to release their debut album 'Talk About Body' on Monday 31st January.

SISSY & THE BLISTERS

SISSY & THE BLISTERS - HEY BETTY

Hit Club's latest release comes in the form of a garage-rock four piece by the name of Sissy & The Blisters. The band who hail from Guilford, UK are dropping their debut single, 'Things May Change' this month which also features the B-side, 'Hey Betty' which you can grab above. The video clip for the track was recently revealed and looks as if it was taken straight out of The Shining, with axes being smashed through doors and what not. You can pre-order the single over at Rough Trade, here.


Things May Change from Bennycrime on Vimeo.

PRIMARY 1

PRIMARY 1 ft. HARRY HUTTLE - NEVER KNOW

Primary 1 (or Joe Fiory to his mother) is all set to release his new Prince-esque single, 'Never Know', which drops on November 21 via Atlantic. The video for the single is quite the visual treat, it's as if someone pulled out a bazooka and blew up a rainbow on the set.
The Englishman's debut album is quite high up on my 2011 'hurrythefuckup list' and should hopefully see a release in the early months of the new year.

DORA ALEXANDER

My friend from T.O. (that's what cool kids from Toronto call Toronto) told me about a band she knew from the area who recently released their debut EP, 'Travelers'. I asked if she could get them to send me a copy so I could have a listen, and sure enough a day or two after I received an email from the band. At first listen I thought, 'hey, my friend knows Radiohead?!', an easy comparison to make, but no it was in fact Dora Alexander, a very promising quartet who are joining a wave of brilliant acts coming out of the big T.O.
'Travelers' was produced by John Critchley who has also worked with The Hidden Cameras and Dan Mangan and you can download the full EP from here.
I'm thinking I might need to take a trip to Toronto soon, there's got to be something in the water. 

DORA ALEXANDER - BEGINNING TO END

DORA ALEXANDER - MARLBORO FRIDAY

RORY PHILLIPS

I had a lot of amazing times at London's Durrr (Erol Alkan's club night) when it was still open, but what made it that much better was resident DJ, Rory Phillips. The Londoner is in the country at the moment and is playing this Friday night in Melbourne at New Guernica. Do whatever you can to get down and see him, his set's are nothing short of brilliant, to get a taster check out his latest remixes.

CRYSTAL CASTLES - BAPTISM (RORY PHILLIPS REMIX)


Maximum Balloon 'Groove Me' (Rory Phillips Remix) by RoryPhillips

STRANGE TALK Q & A

With a debut EP on its way, a string of upcoming shows supporting the likes of Muscles and The Rapture and even featuring on the new Kitsune compilation, Melbourne's Strange Talk are certainly one act to keep an eye on in 2011.
Here's a little Q&A I did with them recently. RECOGNIZE!


 
- S'Cracken y'all! how are you? what have you been up to this week?

RECOVERING FROM THE WKD, WORKING 9 TO 5 JOBS, AND HITTING THE STUDIO FINISHING A JESS MAUBOY REMIX, AND WORKING ON SOME STRANGE TALK TUNES

- So where did the name 'Strange Talk' come from?

JUST POPPED UP IN CONVERSATION AND IT STUCK...

- There's a lot of hype surrounding you guys. For a band that's only been kicking around since February, are you shocked at how much attention you've received?

YEH, WE ARE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. GENERALLY JUST APPRECIATIVE OF ALL OF THE BLOGS THAT HAVE TALKED US UP, TRIPLE J WHO GOT BEHIND US MASSIVELY, AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME TO OUR SHOWS. SO THANKS TO ALL YOU LOVELY PEOPLE.

- You've been compared to acts like Phoenix and Yeasayer, do they have any influence on the way you write and record?

WE ARE INFLUENCED BY THOSE BANDS FOR SURE AND MANY OTHERS. GUESS WE LIKE CLEVER POP MUSIC. SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC OUT THERE AT THE MOMENT.

- You guys recorded a song with Gypsy & The Cat's Xavier Bacash, called, 'The River'. Do you have any other collaborations you're working on, or someone else you'd like to work with?

YEH, XAVIER IS GREAT. SUCH A TALENT, AND GYPSY & THE CAT ARE HOT HOT HOT.

NEW COLLABORATIONS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON.... WELL GUESS THEY'RE ALL A BIT SECRET AREN'T THEY HAHA. THEY'RE COOL THOUGH... CAN SAY THAT.

- You guys are going to feature on the latest Kitsune compilation. That's pretty huge, are you pretty excited? especially considering that Kitsune are notorious for selecting the best up and coming artists in the world.

I KNOW!! EXCITED INDEED. WILL BE COOL THAT ALOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE WILL GET A TASTE OF OUR MUSIC.

- How is the EP coming along?

MUSIC IS DONE. GETTING THE FINAL SONG MIXED BY ELIOT JAMES IN THE UK NEXT WK... THEN RELEASED EARLY NEXT YEAR...

- He-Man OR Thundercats?

HE-MAN. HE RIDES A LION, TIGERY THING

- What's next for Strange Talk?

FESTIVALS, RELEASES, DOING REMIXES, PLAYING LOADS OF SHOWS, RECORDING AN ALBUM.

F O A L S

Towards the end of September Foals dropped into BBC1's Live Lounge with Jo Whiley to perform a few songs from their recent album, 'Total Life Forever'. Whilst there they also performed one of the best covers I've heard in a while, as they turned Swedish House Mafia's cheese anthem, 'One' into a synth laden masterpiece. If you haven't heard this yet, then you're in for a treat.

FOALS - ONE [SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA COVER]

CHAD VALLEY

'Ensoniq Funk' is the perfect type of tropical jam to accompany the sun, which actually came out today after a week filled with rain and shit weather. Chad Valley is the side project for Jonquil's Hugo Manuel and his forthcoming self-titled EP is due out November 16 on Cascine.

CHAD VALLEY - ENSONIQ FUNK
 

TROPHY WIFE

TROPHY WIFE - MICROLITE

One of the best new acts to come out of 2010 is Trophy Wife, a trio hailing from Oxford, UK. I've been following these guys ever since I first blogged about them earlier this year and their debut single, 'Microlite' will soon be released on November 8th via the brilliant Moshi Moshi. The band have just dropped the video for the single, check it out below.

HOLY FUCK

I'm not really a cat person, but I will however make an exception if they're driving cars or playing in a band. So, good thing that's exactly what they're doing in Holy Fuck's new video for 'Red Lights', directed by Brian Borcherdt & Michael LeBlanc.

MUMDANCE + ESSER

MUMDANCE ft ESSER - DON'T FORGET ME NOW

Mumdance has just released his debut EP, 'Mum Decent' on Diplo's über label, Mad Decent. The first track to see a release off the EP is "Don't Forget Me Now" which features the vocals of the brilliant Esser, who I haven't really heard much from recently. Check out the vid for the track, I'm pretty sure Milky Joe makes an appearance in there, somewhere. .

IS TROPICAL

'South Pacific' is Is Tropical's new single, set for release via their new label, Kitsuné on the 8th of November. The single will come backed with remixes from the likes of Crystal Fighters, Database, Yojimbo and Get People. If you live in London, head on down to The Macbeth next Tuesday (12th Oct), where they'll be playing their last show for a while before they embark on a UK tour in November supporting Mystery Jets.

WOLF GANG

 Parklife took place over the weekend and one of the standout performances for the festival was that of Wolf Gang. The UK band showcased a few new songs for the fanatical locals, but the one song that really stood out was their upcoming new single, 'Lions In Cages' which will be released November 22nd. I accidentally met a couple of the lads at the afterparty and I'm pretty sure I just said 'Wolf Gang! good shit' and stumbled off. Their debut album is scheduled for release some time next year, and should see Wolf Gang as being one of the big heroes of 2011.

WOLF GANG - LIONS IN CAGES [Removed by request]

HARD MIX

The young beat slinger from South Carolina, Hard Mix has just dropped a new mixtape into the blogosphere dubbed 'The Chill World'. Along with tracks from Burial, Javelin and J Dilla he's featured a brand new track of his own called "Had", which will not appear on his forth-coming debut LP, 'Weirdly Different'. Grab them both below!

HARD MIX - HAD

THE CHILL WORLD MIXTAPE

The Chill World Tracklist:
01 Burial: "Archangel (Phaseone Remix)"
02 Pretty Lights: "Finally Moving
03 Paul White: "Highlife"
04 Javelin: "Doug Flutey"
05 Hard Mix: "Had"
05 Bullion: "That's Not Dee"
06 Sexy Sushi: "I'm Afraid"
07 Donovan: "Wonderland"
08 FACT: "Reborn (Anoraak Remix)"
09 Juvelen: "Baby, When You're Gone"
10 O + S: "Permanent Scar"
11 Dirty Elegance: "Foreign Objects"
12 Club 8: Jesus, "Walk With Me (The Sound of Arrows Remix)"
13 J Dilla: "Stop"

AZARI & I I I

I'm really liking what Azari & III are doing, they embrace that classic House sound of the 90's and make it their own, which seems to work very well for them. With their recent collaboration with Friendly Fires and a number of remixes under their belt for the likes of Voltage, CFCF and Munk, the foursome have become one of the biggest names in Toronto. Their latest release, 'Indigo' is out now and was picked up by Turbo Records, check it out!

AZARI & III - INDIGO [Removed by request]

DUCK SAUCE + FARE SOLDI

We all know the identity of Duck Sauce and we all know what an amazing duo they make, if you don't know who Duck Sauce are, then you're probably one of those 'Nickelback' types. Anyway, the guys just dropped the So Me directed clip for their track "Barbra Streisand", where So Me has basically grabbed every slick cat in NYC and around the world and dropped them into the video.
I've heard a slew of remixes for the track, but the one that stands far above all the rest is Fare Soldi's amazing reworking; it's guaranteed to have you bouncing off the walls, and if it doesn't, well you're probably one of those 'Nickelback' types.

DUCK SAUCE - BARBRA STREISAND (FARE SOLDI REMIX)

UNKNOWN PLEASURES

It's been 30 years since the death of Joy Division frontman, Ian Curtis and the release of the band's debut album "Unknown Pleasures". To celebrate the anniversary, Peter Hook has been touring and performing the seminal album in its entirety. Friday night I was lucky enough to go see this performance and witness the Joy Division/New Order bassist play to an adoring audience. Seeing this show is basically the closest thing I'll ever experience, to seeing Joy Division live and it was just something really special. The final song played on the night was, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" which I recorded for the video below.

F O A L S

Foals - 2 Trees from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.
"2 Trees" is the latest single to be taken from Foals' brilliant sophomore album, 'Total Life Forever'. The video for the track was directed by Adam Bizansk and as much as I want to love the creatures featured in the clip, I just can't, they just seem to creep me out too much.

SLEIGH BELLS

Sleigh Bells "Infinity Guitars" from Phil Pinto on Vimeo.

Sleigh Bells have released the video for their track, 'Infinity Guitars'. The clip features cheerleaders, a bad-ass car and has Alexis strutting around in a school uniform with baseball bat in hand. The duo are heading our way towards the end of the year and will feature at a string of festivals including Falls Festival, where I'll be front and center.

DARWIN DEEZ + TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS

Darwin Deez - Constellations from Lucky Number Music on Vimeo.

Darwin Deez is re-releasing his track 'Constellations' on October 18th as a digital-only single and will feature two remixes from SBTRKT and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. The New York outfit will be in town next week for the Parklife Festivals and will surely put on an amazing performance filled with their famous dance routines.

DARWIN DEEZ - CONSTELLATIONS (TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS REMIX)

FRENCH HORN REBELLION

I love a good bit of synth-pop that lingers in your head for days after first hearing it. Brooklyn duo, French Horn Rebellion will unleash their debut single, 'This Moment' on November 1st and with it's catchy hooks and infectious vocal, you'll be humming it all week. Their debut album ‘The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion’ will see a release via Once Upon A Time Records on Nov 9th.

FRENCH HORN REBELLION - THIS MOMENT

CITY CALM DOWN

Melbourne's City Calm Down just dropped me a couple of tracks off their self-titled debut EP. The synth driven quartet combine a mix of genres from disco to post punk and appear to channel 80's bands such as Depeche Mode and Joy Division to form a sound that seems to be emerging at the moment. Joining other acts like the UK's, Heretics, they are leading the way in what would seem to be and can only be described as the NEW new wave.
The lads are playing a few shows around Melbourne in the upcoming months, check their myspace for details. You can buy their EP here!

CITY CALM DOWN - LOST. TRAPPED

CITY CALM DOWN - YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER

C R O C O D I L E S

Crocodiles - Hearts Of Love - Music Video from Mark P. Smith on Vimeo.

This is Crocodiles' hardcore new vid for 'Hearts Of Love'. The duo are releasing their second album, 'Sleep Forever' next week via Fat Possum which you can pre-order here.
WORD

W E E K E N D

Shoe-gazer's Weekend (not to be mistaken for B-more's Weekends) are releasing their debut LP, 'Sports' on November 9. Recently signing with Slumberland Records, the San Francisco band are taking steps in making a name for themselves with their post-punk fuzz rock. 'Coma Summer' is a track taken from the forthcoming album and hopefully is an insight into what the rest of the LP will sound like.

WEEKENDS - COMA SUMMER

THE MORNING BENDERS

The Morning Benders - "All Day Day Light" from Jack Ferry on Vimeo.

One act that I'm particularly looking forward to seeing at this year's Falls Festival is The Morning Benders. The Californian band released their sophomore album, 'Big Echo' earlier this year and are about to embark on a world tour that will span Europe and North America, before landing on our shores in December. Above is their latest video for, 'All Day Daylight', but it's their cover of the Jungle Book's classic, 'I Wanna Be Like You' that's really got me swinging.

THE MORNING BENDERS - I WANNA BE LIKE YOU [JUNGLE BOOK COVER]

KLAXONS AT THE PALACE, MELBOURNE (03/09/10)

PARADES