The Greatest Love Song Ever?

Like many of the blog entries to have come before it, this one started as a drunken debate.

In his own nomination below, Dom Farrell gives the full break down of how it happened, but basically we got to arguing the toss of what might be the greatest love song of all time.

Of course, it's an impossible question. In the five months in between time, we've barely managed to define the boundaries of a love song, nevermind establish the best one.

But we figured it was a good excuse to get most of the Musical Advent Calendar panel (plus a couple of newbies) back together, and pontificate.

The only condition we asked for when panelists made their nomination is that they must be able to explain why their song is a love song. It might not necessarily be, as Ali Mason neatly described them, a traditional 'chocolates and roses' love song, but that had to be the basic theme.

And what better day to tackle this subject than Valentine's Day?

Away we go...

Rory Dollard

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Into My Arms (The Boatman's Call, 1997)


Let us start from a sensible premise. Asking for the greatest/best/most definitive love song is a ludicrous question. It’s impossible. It doesn’t, nor can it, exist. Having acknowledged that let me now posit the following contention: Nick Cave’s Into My Arms is the greatest, best and most definitive love song going. While free of the saccharine strings and Hallmark-style lyrics which blight so many ‘classic’ love songs, there is something unapologetically tender about this song. Nick Cave being Nick Cave, things aren’t all that straightforward. He begins the song from the obtuse start point of conditional atheism (“I don’t believe in an interventionist God”) and spends the rest of the song meditating on the only counter argument he can think of for the presence divine being: his lover. If this song has been conceived of as more a song of religious conversion than love, and the imagery invoked certainly suggests that, then what of it? The cental theme at play in both - faith and faithfulness - is the same. That he wrote this song in the same sessions as he composed Murder Ballads - an album of homicidal fantasy culminating in an exaggerated male rape at gunpoint - makes its plaintive, heartfelt delivery all the more remarkable.

Matt Collins

Lance Pierce - This Guy's In Love With You (Simply The Songs of Burt Bacharach, 2008)


One of the more criminally under-rated products of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David songbook, This Guy's in Love With You first came to my attention when Noel Gallagher bigged it up in the mid-90s as the best song ever written. It was certainly good enough for him to plagiarise wholesale for Half the World Away, and for me to trawl through 60 cover versions on Spotify to find this one. What I love about it is its simplicity - melodically, it has just enough twists, turns and peaks to hook the listener, but it's such a simple message lyrically, encapsulated nicely within the title. Nothing too fancy - just a guy in love with a girl, pleading with her to love him back. I still get shivers when I hear the line "My hands are shaking".

Jonathan Witty

Daft Punk - Digital Love (Discovery, 2001)


With approximately 92.3% of all love songs lamenting the break-up of a relationship, I decide to buck the trend and plump for an uplifting slice of electronica. The French DJ duo artfully reworked the George Duke song "I Love You More" into a dancefloor-friendly ballad of love at first sight, which is worthy of a place at any Valentines Day table. The soft synth is punctuated by staccato guitars that build to a euphoric 80’s style axe solo, which should be out of place, but somehow rounds off a fantastic ode to disco romance. Honourable mentions… A Perfect Circle – 3 Libras, MF Doom – Let Me Watch, Bloc Party – Biko, The Hold Steady – First Night, Oasis – Slide Away.

Andy Welch

The Beatles - Here, There and Everywhere (Revolver, 1966)


“Love is hard to find. And even harder to define,” sang Richard Hawley on Truelove’s Gutter track Open Up Your Door. Of course, he’s correct on both counts, but that hasn’t stopped virtually every songwriter having a go at the latter. Many have come close, some have manage to capture certain elements of the Big L, but none have nailed the most mysterious and powerful of emotions quite like Paul McCartney did with this 1966 composition. At the time, artistically at least, McCartney was in direct competition with head Beach Boy Brian Wilson, who, just a few months earlier had unveiled his masterpiece Pet Sounds. McCartney’s determination to top that album, particularly the choral majesty of God Only Knows, together with his love for then-girlfriend Jane Asher resulted in, even by his own admission, one of the finest songs he’s ever written. Despite it’s natural flow, it was musically very clever (for example it incorporates four separate keys – G major, E minor, G minor and B flat) while lyrically it’s breathtakingly simplistic – he wants and needs this person by his side – yet within the song’s perfect two minutes and 25 seconds, he conveys exactly how he feels and why this person’s so special. The description of his love, making each day of his year and changing his life with the wave of a hand, is enough to inspire jealousy in the listener, yet somehow, amid all the high emotion, the song manages to steer well clear of both that and cloying, greeting-card sentimentality. For me, at least, that’s proof of its life-affirming brilliance and place as the best love song ever written. If someone ever asks you what it’s like to be in love, play them this song. If they get anywhere near something this pure, they'll be doing just fine.

Dan Stubbs

Pulp - Something Changed (Different Class, 1996)


Whether he’s singing about sex or senior citizens, Jarvis Cocker always manages to bring a sense of romance to his music. A love song with a twist – it was written “two hours before we met,” – Something Changed captures the feeling of meeting a new love, its strings orchestrating the first flutter of the heart and its lyrics ruminating on the role of fate. Totally irony free and schmaltzy in all the right ways, it sounds like falling in love.

Ali Mason

Rufus Wainwright - The Art Teacher (Want Two, 2004)


Every Rufus Wainwright album contains a great song. On Want Two, it's The Art Teacher. It's an atypical love song, told from the point of view of a woman remembering the art teacher she fell for as a schoolgirl. The relationship that never was is recalled through one specific occasion - a field trip to a gallery - with touching details about who liked which artists. Not many singers pack as much emotion into their voices as Rufus and as he powers through the details of how life turned out over the relentless piano, it seems almost too painful for him voice. It's not a traditional love song, but it does speak of the sheer, overwhelming power of love. Some will see this choice as a cop-out, and it probably is, but I couldn't think of a pure, chocolates-and-roses ballad which I was prepared to name as the best love song of all time. And anyway, it has wild applause at the end - what could be more uplifting than that?

Dom Farrell

REM - Nightswimming (Automatic For The People, 1992)


During a party at my house a couple of months back, attended by some of these fine contributors, a good number of people ended up drunk in the kitchen listening to music - as it should be I'm sure you'll agree. It was here that I proclaimed Nightswimming to be the finest love song in the history of ever. Obviously this is an overly bombastic statement that it is hard to argue convincingly in favour of. But that isn't about to stop me. I'm generally a big fan of sweeping drunken statements and will tend to defend them to the hilt. A song by a band who have produced numerous truly beautiful moments, Nightswimming could just be REM's finest hour. The trick is in its simplicity. Mike Mills' circular piano motif is underpinned by a deft strings section (arranged by none other than Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones) and joined late in the piece by a solitary oboe. This allows a flawless melodic structure and Michael Stipe's stark lyric to come to the fore. I adore Nightswimming as a love song because the love it depicts is fragile and one striving to be expressed with great conviction. There is no sugar coating, just pure vulnerability, casting Stipe as the nervous guy waiting in the corner waiting for his date to arrive five minutes after they said they would, as opposed to the sweeping romantic with half a dozen roses in his hand and a further one in his teeth. And in the line "I'm not sure all these people understand" Stipe nails it. A love between two people can only be fully comprehended by those involved, that's what makes it special. Sod it, it bloody well is the best love song ever.

Me

The Band - Long Black Veil (Music From Big Pink, 1968)


Yeah, I know, it's a long way from being a traditional love song, but it is about a man willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his love, even if it is an illicit one. Sung from beyond the grave by the man who loved his best friend's wife and hung for it, this is a haunting tribute to the woman who may not be his widow, but does nevertheless loyally visit his grave in a long black veil. It was written in 1959 by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin, first sung by Lefty Frizzell and has been covered dozens of times since, but I've never found a version better than that of the Band's legendary Music From Big Pink.

So there we have it. No doubt no one agrees with any of our picks.

One last thing before we go though. I just wanted to post this track, cos, well, I love it, and today is the day. Here's Steve Earle singing Valentine's Day. It's a live version, with a long, rambling intro posted alongside it too.

Steve Earle - Intro To Valentine's Day (Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt & Guy Clark, Together at the Bluebird Cafe, 2001)


Steve Earle - Valentine's Day (Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt & Guy Clark, Together at the Bluebird Cafe, 2001)


Happy Valentines Day
x

Cats vs Dogs: The Puppy Files

So the cats got their turn on Wednesday. The dogs have waited patiently.

Let's end this debate. It's time to release the hounds...

David Bowie - Diamond Dogs (Diamond Dogs, 1973)


"This ain't rock and roll...this is...GENOCIDE!" I don't need to add much more to get across the point that this is one of the most aggressive, most searing things that Bowie ever did.

Garbage - Dog's New Tricks (Garbage, 1995)


Some day soon I'll do a list of bands who put out one stupendously good album, then never followed it up with anything half so worth while. Garbage will be on the list. Dog's New Tricks isn't one of the stand-out tracks, unfortunately, but it does neatly sum up the dark, brooding feel of this mid-90s classic.

Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog (1952)


Although later made world famous by Elvis Presley, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote Hound Dog for Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. It was her only true hit, and sparked not only a long series of cover versions, but also a number of retorts, not least the Bear Cat song featured here on Wednesday.

Soledad Brothers - Sons of Dogs (Voice of Treason, 2003)


The Soledad Brothers' third album saw them strip down their rock 'n' roll edge to return to a more languid blues sound. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than the country-blues Sons of Dogs.

The Beta Band - Dogs Got A Bone (The Three EPs, 1998)


So completely did Dry The Rain come to define The Three EPs and become most people's first and perhaps only impression of the Beta Band, its all too easy to overlook the rest of their debut. Dogs Got A Bone is one of those highlights. Originally released on the same EP as Dry The Rain, it shares a similar groove, albeit stripped right down.

The Obits - Talking To The Dog (I Blame You, 2009)


The Obits were credited with saving rock and roll before they'd even put out their first single. But a very healthy hype machine can't overshadow the fact their debut, I Blame You, is a raw but smart rocker. Talking To The Dog is one of the better tracks from a collection that includes a couple of belters but isn't quite strong enough to prove rock n rolls saviour just yet.

Vic Chestnutt - Bilocating Dog (Dark Developments, 2008)


Vic Chestnutt's death on Christmas Day has sparked another re-evaluation of his extensive and varied output. 2008's Dark Development was a collaboration with fellow Athens residents Elf Power and that lent Chestnutt a fresh sound to produce one of his more satisfying later albums. While Chestnutt was often dour, Elf Power's pop stylings give the album an uplifting feel.

The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges, 1969)


If one song could win this debate hands down for either side, the dogs would have it with the Stooges' 1969 classic. Featuring one of the all-time classic riffs, sneering vocals and a menacing one-fingered piano monologue, I Wanna Be Your Dog is one of the greatest rock n roll songs ever recorded.

Led Zeppelin - Black Dog (Led Zeppelin IV, 1971)


First the Stooges, now Led Zeppelin. It's clear that rock's Gods are siding with the dogs. The opening track from their masterpiece, Led Zeppelin IV, set the tone with a trademark power riff and bluesy styling.

Johnny Cash - Dirty Ol' Egg-Suckin' Dog (At Folsom Prison, 1968)


Cash introduced this as a "love song" to his audience of convicts at Folsom Prison. But it's not really a classic of that genre, even if you sense the dog is still his master's best friend either way. It's another song Cash selected because it was perfectly suited to his audience and his setting.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - What Dogs See (Why There Are Mountains, 2009)


One of the more low-key tracks from Cymbals Eat Guitars' acclaimed debut, What Dogs See is a dreamy introspection, all swirling guitars and barely audible lyrics. The conclusion, I guess, is that dogs don't see too much...

Seasick Steve - Dog House Boogie (Dog House Music, 2006)


Seasick Steve's second album was dedicated almost entirely to dogs. From the messy opener, Yellow Dog, to the closing story of him looking for his runaway dog after being arrested and jailed, it's an album that seems permanently at risk of collapsing in on itself. But it is held together, if just barely, by tracks like Dog House Boogie, in which Steve's love of the traditional blues shines through.

The Fratellis - Doginabag (Costello Music, 2007)


There was nothing massively sophisticated about the Fratelli's debut - it was just a hell of a lot of fun. But while they ripped it up on tracks like Henrietta and Chelsea Dagger, there was also a little more depth to the album, which came from the likes of this bluesy number.

The Be Good Tanyas - Dogsong AKA Sleep Dog Lullaby (Blue Horse, 2001)


The Be Good Tanyas have never released a song that is anything less than beautiful, and it is no surprise that a lullaby of theirs should be no exception. They obviously liked this one too, because they went back to record "Dogsong 2" and put it on their next album Chinatown.

Sparklehorse - Dog Door (It's A Wonderful Life, 2001)


It should be clear by now that dogs and the blues go closely together. And so the most bluesy, dark, imposing track from Sparklehorse's It's A Wonderful Life is Dog Door. Yes, that is Tom Waits you can here on vocals.

Green on Red - Hair of the Dog (Gas Food Lodging, 1985)


Quite simply the best thing Green on Red did. It might primarly be about being hungover, but there are enough actual dogs that get a menion for it to qualify here. Plus they howl. Say no more.

Alessi's Ark - The Dog (Notes From A Treehouse, 2009)


Alessi's dog helps her fall in love. Good boy.

Rufus Thomas - Walkin' The Dog (1963)


I'd dearly love to be able to put up the Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels take on this, but don't have it except on vinyl, and alas, I have not yet acquired the means. But its kind of fitting to sign off with Rufus Thomas after we had his Bear Cat on the Kitty Files on Wednesday. It's just a flat-out classic soul song.

Cats vs Dogs: The Kitty Files

Depending on your viewpoint, it's either an age old debate, or no debate at all.

It seems like cat lovers and dog lovers will always bicker, never able to share the others point of view. People who love both are in short supply.

Having had this argument more times than I care to remember of late, I thought it was time to put it to the musical test.

Here's our cat-loving playlist. Check back Friday for the dogs.

I'm not going to keep score - my biases are too strong - but I reckon it should be obvious by the end of the week which animal has won.

Muddy Waters - Tom Cat (Electric Mud, 1968)


Electric Mud provokes mixed reactions. Kind of like when Dylan went electric, the idea of Muddy Waters playing through a wall of fuzz just didn't sit well with most people. Not at all well. But while it tends to get slated, thay overlooks some of the fine tracks on here, not least opener Tom Cat.

Johnny Cash - Mean-Eyed Cat (Unchained, 1994)


When Johnny Cash came to record the second volume of the American Recordings series, he revisited a handful of old songs, including Mean Eyed Cat which he'd first recorded for Sun way back when.

Rufus Thomas - Bear Cat (1953)


Rufus Thomas was one of Memphis' great entertainers in the 40s and 50s. Among his varied roles, he was a DJ on WDIA, a rare black-owned station. It was there that he received a promo copy of Big Mama Thornton's Hound Dog and promptly cut a none-too-subtle retort, Bear Cat, at Sun Studios. It may have been witty, and it may have been a huge R&B success, but it also caused Sam Phillips no end of trouble as he lost a copyright lawsuit for ripping off the original.

The Miller Sisters - Ten Cats Down (1954)


A short-lived act on the Sun label, the Miller Sisters never had a hit, and split soon after forming. One of the few things they did leave us with is Ten Cats Down, a simple enough but not particularly special track.

Carl Perkins - Put Your Cat Clothes On (1956)


Sticking with Sun Studios for a third track in a row, this is a classic every way up. While Elvis went off to take over the world and Cash scored the kind of crossover appeal most country artists can only dream of, Perkins was sadly left to toil on without any of the fame his outstanding work deserved during those early Sun years. It has come to him since his death, and deservedly so.

The Rolling Stones - Stray Cat Blues (Beggars Banquet, 1968)


This, put simply, is debauched. Essentially a song about sleeping with underage groupies, the Rolling Stones were going for the shock factor for one of the first times, but certainly not the last time, as they began to turn to a darker side on Beggars Banquet.

Royal Bangs - Cat Swallow (We Breed Champions, 2008)


Two albums in and I'm still trying to nail down Royal Bangs' style. Certainly they don't follow the lead of their mentor, Patrick Carney of the Black Keys. It's fun, upbeat, garage rock, but there's a healthy dose of electronica involved at times.

The Cure - The Love Cats (Japanese Whispers, 1984)


Okay, this is the coolest song on the cats side. Never actually on an album, but thrown on to the Japanese Whispers EP, this funky bit of pop features the Cure managing to get that guitars to squeak like cats. Nice.

The Kills - Cat Claw (Keep On Your Mean Side, 2003)


The second track from their debut album, I think this is still my favourite Kills song, and - even though I like the Dead Weather stuff well enough - the best thing that Alison Mosshart has been involved in.

Lou Barlow - The Ballad of Daykitty (Emoh, 2005)


I prefer my Lou Barlow a little more raw, either through Dinosaur Jr or Sebadoh, but this is at least a charming enough song from his more polished solo effort Emoh.

He Was The King - Happy Birthday Elvis...

Whether he's performing cabaret in heaven or bagging groceries in Kansas, we'd like to wish a happy 75th birthday to the King.

We're not going to wax lyrical about Elvis' impact here at length - plenty of others are doing it already - so we'll not add to the noise. But as a sign of his influence, no artist has been the subject of so many songs by others, and that is what we celebrate here.

We did a rather half-hearted marker of his death last year, but always said we'd come back for more on his birthday, and here we are. Some of the tracks below are repeats, but I figured it was best to get this playlist up in full.

Patti Scialfa - Looking For Elvis (Play It As It Lays, 2007)


We kick it off with this quite beautiful bluesy offering from Patti Scialfa's latest album, one of the two tracks (along with Gillian Welch) that first inspired me to make this compilation about a year ago.

Paul Simon - Graceland (Graceland, 1986)


The most famous song on this list by some margin is one of the defining moments of Paul Simon's solo career. It speaks of the power of Elvis as a cultural icon in modern America, a man who, while he may have been a simple entertainer, was able to unite the country. Dealing with the break-up of his marriage, Simon expects to find solace not in a church or anywhere like it, but at Graceland. "I'm going to Graceland/For reasons I cannot explain/There's some part of me wants to see Graceland/And I may be obliged to defend/Every love, every ending/Or maybe there's no obligations now/Maybe I've a reason to believe/We all will be received/In Graceland".

Gram Parsons - Return of The Greivous Angel (Grievous Angel, 1973)


The Elvis references in this one are less obvious, but Parsons finally gives away the identity of his subject in the final verse as he hints at Elvis' journey from Mississippi and Tennessee to his drug-addled days in Vegas: "The news I could bring, I met up with the king/On his head an amphetamine crown/He talked about unbuckling that old bible belt/And lighted out for some desert town".

Emmylou Harris - Boy From Tupelo (Red Dirt Girl, 2000)


Like Paul Simon, Emmylou Harris seems to have decided that Elvis is the man who can bring solace after a break-up. But rather than head to Memphis, Emmylou wants the boy Elvis, and heads to Mississippi and his childhood home of Tupelo. "Just ask the boy from Tupelo/He's the King and he oughta know..."

Neil Young - He Was The King (Prairie Wind, 2005)


There's no claims of higher powers or anything here - this is a straight homage from one great musician to another. And it's quite wonderful.

Drive-By Truckers - Carl Perkins' Cadillac (The Dirty South, 2004)


One of my favourite songs of all time, the Drive-By Truckers encapsulate the whole wonderful story of Sun Records through the tale of the Cadillac that Sam Phillips offered to the first artist to break

John Fogerty - Big Train (From Memphis) (Centerfield, 1985)


Like Young's He Was The King, this is the musician's tribute to the "Big Train From Memphis" who inspired so many kids across America to pick up guitars and learn to play..."Like no one before/He let out a roar/And I just had to tag along/Each night I went to bed with the sound in my head/And the dream was a song.

Smokin' Dave & The Premo Dopes - The Last Elvis Song (Too Many Years In The Circus, 1989)


Okay, so this one doesn't quite fit into the "tribute" bracket, but Todd Steed and friends let loose their feelings on Elvis in this riotous little song that deals not with the King's impact life but in the continuing obsession with him - which we continue here - after his death.

Bruce Springsteen - Johnny Bye-Bye (Tracks, 1998)


A young Bruce Springsteen first saw Elvis perform on the Ed Sullivan show in 1957. He was seven. "I couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to be Elvis Presley," Springsteen said. He did his best to meet him too, jumping the fence at Graceland in 1976 during an early national tour, and racing to the front door to ask if the King was home. He wasn't. The man who was later seen wearing an Elvis fan club badge on the sleeve of Born To Run wrote this short but sweet account of the night Elvis died but only put it out on the Tracks collection.

Ronny Elliott - Elvis Presley Didn't Like Tampa (Hep, 2003)


I've no way of knowing for sure whether Elvis did or did not like Tampa. I'm sure the tourist board of the Florida city would dispute it, but for now we'll take Mr Elliott's word for it.

Cowboy Junkies - Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis) (Trinity Revisited, 2007)


For footballing reasons, Blue Moon will always stand out as one of my favourite Elvis songs. The Cowboy Junkies first re-did it in 1988 on The Trinity Sessions and then again 19 years later (why not wait for 20?) on Trinity Revisited.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Tupelo (The Firstborn Is Dead, 1985)


In his practically apocalyptic ode to Elvis' original hometown, Cave seems to have compared the arrival of the King to the birth of jesus. Much of the imagery is the same as the town is sinking on its knees "Until the King is born!" like some kind of saviour. And when that happens, it happens like so..."In a clap-board shack with a roof of tin/Where the rain came down and leaked within/A young mother frozen on a concrete floor/With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw". Elvis was born in his parents' shotgun house in Tupelo, arriving 35 minutes after his stillborn twin brother, a fact Cave does not shy away from: "Well Saturday gives what Sunday steals/And a child is born on his brothers heels/Come Sunday morn the first-born dead/In a shoebox tied with a ribbon of red".

Bob Dylan - Went To See The Gypsy (New Morning, 1970)


There were plenty of claims that Elvis was descended from Romani gypsies on his mothers side - not true, but its a theme Dylan picks up on in another tribute to the enduring power of Elvis, this one released while the King was still very much alive and performing in Las Vegas. "Go on back to see the gypsy/He can move you from the rear/Drive you from the fear/Bring you through the mirror/He did it in Las Vegas/And he can do it here".

U2 - A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel (Angel of Harlem 'B' side, 1988)


Given that U2 went to Memphis to record Rattle and Hum in the shadows of Elvis at Sun Studios, it's no surprise that they wrote and recorded a song about Elvis. But A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel never made the album, instead appearing as a B side to the Billie Holiday ode Angel of Harlem.

Gillian Welch - Elvis Presley Blues (Time (The Revelator), 2001)


It was Advent Calendar panelist Pranam who first pointed out to me the beauty of so many songs about Elvis - and this was the song he first pointed to. One of the two original inspirations for this compilation, Welch's tribute is simple but touching, and a fitting way to round this out. It is taken from the Time (The Revelator) album which also features I Wanna Sing That Rock N Roll, a song not clearly about Elvis but another one that always makes me think of the King and his boundless enthusiasm for music.

Happy birthday, Elvis.

Happy New Year - What's on the way?

It's a new decade. And everyone should be taking the opportunity to play the Verve very loudly to celebrate. But we can only do that for so long before we start to look forward.

2010 will bring us many things. A World Cup, a Winter Olympics, and with a bit of luck a global economic recovery.

But none of these things will be quite as exciting as some of the albums on their way.

You're all already, no doubt, eagerly anticipating follow-up efforts from the likes of the Pains of Being Pure At Heart, the Fleet Foxes, the Hold Steady, Midlake, MGMT and more, but here are 10 more to keep an ear out for.

Call this a preview for the 2010 Musical Advent Calendar. But be sure to note that unlike almost every other post on here for the last month, this one is in no order whatsoever.

Sparrow & The Workshop - (As yet untitled, no release date set)

Track: Devil Song (Sleight of Hand EP, 2009)


Technically Glaswegian, but also Welsh and American, Sparrow & The Workshop were the latest band to join the ever-growing folk revival in 2009. Their delightful Sleight of Hand EP, from which Devil Song here is taken, was followed by the Into the Wild mini-album, but 2010 should bring a full-length debut.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - (As yet untitled, due Spring 2010)

Track: Ragged Company (Nothing But The Water, 2005)


With Catherine Popper on board fresh from working with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, the Nocturnals are substantially reinforced to work with Grace Potter on her third album, due sometime in spring. Here's hoping for a return to the bluesier sound of 2005 debut Nothing But The Water, rather than the jazzier This Is Somewhere from 2007.

Peggy Sue - Fossils And Other Phantoms (Due April 2010)

Track: Lover Gone (Lover Gone EP, 2009)


If I had been putting this list in order, this might have been at the top. Sporting a heavy lean on Americana that belies their Brighton roots, Rosa Rex and Kate Klaw have been charming pretty much everyone who has come across them since 2007. Their bluesy sound has landed them a big following on the other side of the Atlantic, and they seem to be spending so much time over there we can only hope they remember to pop back once in a while. A string of excellent sounding EPs has whetted the appetite for the full long-player, which is apparently recorded, mixed and ready to go. Making us wait until April...it's just cruel...

Spoon - Transference (Due January 26)

Track: Rhythm & Soul (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, 2007)


And if I was putting these in order of release, this clearly would be up first. Spoon, one of the rawest, most exciting rock 'n' roll bands out there right now, will not allow January to pass before they hit us with their seventh full-length effort, and the first since the pick of the bunch to date, 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. From what we've heard so far, this should be a very worthy follow-up.

Caitlin Rose - (As yet untitled, due summer 2010)

Track: Dead Flowers (Dead Flowers EP, 2009)


Listening to Caitlin Rose takes you back. All the way back. Back to Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Emmylou Harris and the classic country music of the late 60s and early 70s. The Dead Flowers EP, released late in 2009, only has me aching for more. Seven tracks long and featuring a couple of covers, including the title track, it hints in a very bright future for the 20-year-old.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (As yet untitled, no release date set)

Track: The Ongoing Debate Concerning Present vs. Future (Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, 2009)


Given that MBAR, a man who received oodles of love on this blog during the course of the Musical Advent Calendar, actually released two albums during 2009 - his eponymous debut and the follow-up Summer of Fear - it seems a bit much to expect another one in 2010. But when Dollard and myself accosted him in a Leeds pub following his May gig, he told us he had his first three albums ready and waiting to go just as soon as he got a deal for them. Having signed with Saddle Creek in time to put out Summer of Fear, that deal is now in place. Considering the huge difference in sound from the raw and edgy debut to the more playful follow-up, there's really no telling what it might sound like.

Smoke Fairies - (As yet untitled, no release date set)

Track - Frozen Heart (Frozen Heart EP, 2009)


Much like Peggy Sue, the Smoke Fairies are a female pairing from the south of England who sound much more at home in the south of the United States. Their bluesy/countrified sound has already earned them a strong and prominent following, one that saw their third major single, Gastown, recorded and released with Jack White through his Third Man Records company in Nashville, while they've also toured the UK with Richard Hawley, a man who knows a good record when it slaps him about the ears. There's been no official word of an album, but after two years of putting out singles and building a buzz, we can only hope one is on the way.

She & Him - Volume 2 (Due March 23)

Track: I Was Made For You (Volume 1, 2008)


This most delightful pairing of M Ward and actress/vocalist Zooey Deschanel will return for a second instalment in March, and we can only hope its half as good as the first. We're wondering if this one might have a very different sound, though. Where Volume 1 had a strong 60s vibe to it, both in the original material and the covers of the Beatles and the Miracles, Volume 2 will have a Skeeter Davis and an NRBQ cover. Do with that what you will...

The Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do (Due March 16)

Track: Birmingham (Southern Rock Opera, 2002)


When recently asked to draw up a list of my top 20 albums of the decade off the top of my head, the Drive-By Truckers' The Dirty South sat proudly at No. 1. Put simply, I adore that album. But while the reviews have only gotten better for subsequent releases, something seems to have been missing on more recent DBT albums. However, I can declare myself officially excited about The Big To-Do. Patterson Hood, whose outstanding solo LP Murdering Oscar restored all my faith in the band, has promised it is "very much a rock album. Very melodic and more rocking than anything since disc 2 of Southern Rock Opera." I can't wait for that.

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can (Due March 2010)

Track: My Manic And I (Alas, I Cannot Swim, 2008)


One of the key characters in the current UK folk scene, Laura Marling has mainly been in the news during 2009 as she, and her break-up from Charlie Fink, became the subject of Noah & The Whale's acclaimed second album The First Days of Spring. But Marling should get the headlines to herself in 2010 as she returns with her second solo disc, produced by the esteemed Ethan Johns, the man behind such classics as Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker, the first three Kings of Leon albums, and Whiskeytown's Pneumonia. Just don't expect this one to be a direct response to Fink or anything - we get the sense that Laura has moved on.

The Musical Advent Calendar - The Overall Top 10

First things first. We here at Ragged Glories are traditionalists. There's a reason we picked our Top 24s, and not Top 25s, for this project. A real advent calendar has only 24 doors.

So, er, what are we doing here today?

It's Christmas Day. There's turkey to eat. What could possibly be so pressing?

The overall top 10, of course. In all, there were 156 albums nominated by the panel over the last 24 days. Every single one of us came up with a different number one.

To make sense of it all, we wanted to then figure out what the consensus was amongst us - what was our collective No. 1 album of the year. Using a simple scoring system, one point for a No. 24 nomination through to 24 points for a No. 1, a chart was produced, and here for your listening pleasure is to the Top 10. The number in brackets indicates where in their top 24s individual panelists placed the album.

Have a very Merry Christmas.

1. The XX - XX (XL)

What we said:

Pranam (No. 5): "A Florence and the Machine remix and several listens on Spotify later, and I was hooked, addicted, bewitched and totally in love with this band. It’s a record that whispers rather than shouts, and my ticket for their return trip to Manchester is now very much booked."

Ali (No. 7): "Nothing is wasted on this album of simple, elegant beauty. This is Pinter-esque music, as much about what's not there as what is. Every pause is as important as every note, every beat is as important as every word."

Guy (No. 2): "Put simply, it's just astoundingly good."

Rory (No. 6): "One of the more surprising indie offering of the year, The XX debut was an effortlessly cooler-than-thou offering."

SP (No. 1): "...the teen quartet the XX produced an album of such simple, unfettered joy that to ignore it just seems perverse."

Track: Islands


2. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (Fortuna Pop)

What we said:

Dom (No. 2): "The Pains of Being Pure At Heart is one of those records you listen to and want to tell everybody about immediately. Buzzsaw guitars churn away merrily underneath sugar sweet boy/girl harmonies and addictive melodies to create ten delicious slices of irresistible indie pop."

Pranam (No. 16): "The Pains should be thanked for making it okay to like indie music again."

Ali (No. 22): "The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart sound like The Smiths, Jesus and Mary Chain and The Stone Roses, while lyrics move from genuinely funny to out-and-out creepy."

John (No. 6): "Sure, their lyrics are intriguing and engaging, but Kip Berman and co aren't going to be blowing out speakers any time soon with tracks from this debut album, which was as fey as its guitars were fuzzy. Still, I loved it."

Me (No. 6): "It takes a special album to instantly feel both fresh and familiar. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart did just that with their wonderful brand of shoegaze pop, which would have transported me right back to the late 80s/early 90s had I been buying records back then."

Guy (No. 1): "While this might not be the most cutting edge or original album I've heard this year, its unrelenting ability to inject fuzzy rushes through my veins every time I listen to it means it thoroughly deserves its place at the summit of this list."

Track: Contender


3. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (Warp)

What we said:

Andy (No. 20): "Hard to describe but easy to love, Veckatimest, the band’s fourth record, draws on everything from jazz and doo wop to folk and Sixties pop – namely Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys – which makes for a seriously special album."

Dom (No. 5): "The third offering from Brooklyn quartet Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest is a gift that keeps on giving. A densely textured collection of songs that reveals more to the listener with every listen, it is a joy of a record."

Pranam (No. 1): "Grizzly Bear have blossomed. I love Veckatimest because it sounds like an album conceived in the old school classic sense of the term – something it has in common with all my top ten entries. To quote Dory, the tracks ‘wildly cohere’ though they may be different to each other in style, and there’s a mood and soundscape that lingers throughout the whole."

Me (No. 7): "No album released this year is bursting with more ideas than Veckatimest. Trying to pin down Grizzly Bear to a particular style is a pointless exercise, they simply dabble in everything. From the soaring beauty of Two Weeks to the pop of While You Wait For The Others via the more ramshackle likes of Hold Still, this is an album that gives a little more each time."

SP (No. 6): "Repeated listens reveal it to be a dark-hearted gem, like a Fleet Foxes for the bleak midwinter and closer in tone to the sinister melodies of Yellow House."

Track: Fine For Now


4. Noah & The Whale - The First Days of Spring (Mercury)

What we said:

Andy (No. 1): "I can’t remember hearing a record that chronicles the dissolution of a relationship so well, from the realisation things might be coming to an end, to desperate, I-don’t-know-what-to-do-without-you laments. There’s bitterness, mourning, sorrow and regret, but perhaps most magically, through the layers of high emotion there are green shoots of hope; first that his erstwhile love will return, and later, on the more realistic Blue Skies, for an end to the suffering."

Dom (No. 8): "Charting the break-up of Fink and folk songstress Laura Marling, The First Days of Spring is a stark, painfully honest and often beautiful piece of work. Yes, it can be uncomfortable listening at times, but any music that can both explore and provoke such depths of emotion should be admired."

Matt (No. 11): "An album that better emotes the heartbreak of love straight after its giddy highs you are unlikely to find."

Ali (No. 18): "It's a world away from happy-clappy 5 Years Time which made them mainstream stars and it's utterly compelling, though it's sheer honesty - particularly on Stranger, an account of a one-night stand written as a confessional - will have you blushing, curling your toes and trying not to catch anybody's eye."

Rory (No. 4): "Less than a year after a jaunty but forgettable debut, Fink has penned a potential break-up classic for the ages."

Track: My Door Is Always Open


5. Blue Roses - Blue Roses (XL)

What we said:

Andy (No. 8): "In some cultures, a blue rose signifies love at first sight or a feeling of enchantment. That pretty much sums up how I felt about Blue Roses, or Laura Groves as her mum calls her, the first time I heard her voice."

Matt (No. 2): "The combination of instruments is gorgeous, from the familiar yet expertly played acoustic guitars and piano, through to thumb pianos and swirling harmonies."

Ali (No. 1): "From the intake of breath which precedes Greatest Thoughts to the resonant piano that punctuates the end of Imaginary Flights, Blue Roses' debut album is spellbinding."

Rory (No. 8): "If history is kind it will judge Leeds singer-songwriter Laura Groves as 2009’s lost superstar. Despite limited exposure, she wowed all who came into contact with her intricate take on piano-based balladry."

Track: Does Anyone Love Me Now?


6. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (Island)

What we said:

Andy (No. 2): "They only formed about two years ago, but in that time Mumford & Sons have gone from sometime backing band of Laura Marling to genuine stars of 2009 with their sincere, powerful blend of traditional English folk and American bluegrass."

Matt (No. 7): "Get a bunch of men together. Arm them with guitars, banjos, a big tom drum and a beater to hit the drum as hard as possible. Tell them to play as fast as they can, then to hit the drum as hard as they can when they want to slow down. The result will be something akin to Sigh No More."

Rory (No. 9): "...They delivered with a robust set of big rootsy tunes, driving banjos and frequently blurred the lines between emoting and rabble-rousing. This is country-rock with a soul."

Ali (No. 16): "Single Little Lion Man and a reputation for storming live shows set the bar high Sigh No More, which largely lives up to expectations."

Me (No. 16): "...These are real growers, and who knows, had it had more time it might even have made it higher up the list."

Track: The Cave


7 (Tie). Wild Beasts - Two Dancers (Domino)

What we said:

Andy (No. 14): "It’s easy for a band to be weird for the sake of it, but it’s even easier to see through. Obtuse lyrics, theatrical flourishes and depressing, morose imagery alongside fabulous pop melodies, though? Now you’re talking."

Pranam (No. 11): "Howling and hooting their way into my heart, this band keep the flame of British idiosyncracy alive. They're a little mad and a wee bit proggy, but they write great songs, such as the album highlight below."

Ali (No. 4): "What makes them great is their daring, filthy songs - pulsing with bass and oozing with grime. No artist has quite nailed life in 21st-century Britain like this, from the casual misogyny of All The King's Men through to the boozed-up anti-ballad This Is Our Lot. Kaiser Chiefs, take note."

Guy (No. 6): "The only reason this isn't number one is that the rest of the album doesn't quite match the sheer brilliance and eccentricity displayed on 'Hooting and Howling', 'We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues' and 'All The Kings Men'."

Track: Two Dancers (I)


7. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Saddle Creek)
What we said:

Ali (No. 20): "The visceral thrill of seeing Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson's raw stage act doesn't quite transfer to record, but his pounding, shambolic rock anthems (Woodfriend, My Good Luck) and the feeling that you're listening to a man constantly on the brink of a breakdown lend an excitement of their own."

Dom (No. 4): "Against the odds, near flawless song craft allied with gloriously ragged (see what I’ve done there) production allows for many uplifting moments."

Rory (No. 7): "An early favourite that dominated the first part of my 2009 listening. MBAR, an engaging storyteller like only New York can produce, sired an album of scuzzily-produced, tautly played rock ’n’ roll."

Me (No. 3): "This one will hit you like a freight train. With a powerful, bruised, troubled but ultimately uplifting album, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson announced his frightening potential on his self-titled debut back in March."

Track: The Debtor


9. Doves - Kingdom of Rust (EMI)

What we said:

Andy (No. 6): "When Jetstream was released, fans knew to expect something special. And they got it. There’s Jimi’s trademark, hurt howl, carnival drumming from Andy Williams and brother Jez’s guitar playing, as wide open and sprawling as the rolling Cheshire landscapes and industrial wastelands the songs pay tribute to."

Dom (No. 7): "Much of the initial press for Kingdom of Rust spoke of how Doves had moved back to their Sub-Sub post-Hacienda roots and recorded a dance orientated record. However, this proved to be only a partial truth and a one-dimensional way of looking at a fine record by a fine band, even if it was not their finest."

Matt (No. 4): "But this is fine stuff - mesmerising effect-heavy guitar riffs swirl round a fast paced series of almost excluvely strong rock songs."

Track: House of Mirrors


10. The Horrors - Primary Colours (XL)

What we said:

Dom (No. 21): "Reference points including My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division and Heaven Up Here-era Echo & The Bunnymen combine to produce an impressively brooding soundscape. This record is a lesson that well layered guitars with classic 50’s style echo produces far more gothic darkness than shit eyeliner ever could."

Pranam (No. 2): "No one saw it coming. Primary Colours is a thrilling ride from start to finish."

Guy (No. 14): "They've toned down the Stooges-influenced jams of their debut and branched out to embrace a much fuller sound, incorporating gothic synths, psychedelic guitars and tuneful pop ditties to impressive effect."

SP (No. 9): "Just when you thought The Horrors were going to go the way of JJ72 and Terris (remember them?!), they startled everyone with an album of unexpected depth. There are no primary colours in this gothic shoegazing fuzzfest but Farris Rotter and co. paint it black in style nonetheless."

Track: Mirror's Image


And that's it. This whole crazy scheme is over (until we do it again next year). A big thank you to the panel for their work, and to all those who followed along and made sure we weren't just talking to ourselves.

Normal service will resume on Ragged Glories just as soon as I find the energy.

Merry Christmas.