Entertainment For Lively Minds
Vote in the 2010 Word Festive Fifty!
Christmas is coming, the goose is giving the Atkins diet some serious consideration, and the Festive Fifty is BACK. Just choose your five favourite tracks (from singles or albums) released this year - in any order, it doesn't matter - and enter them in the boxes below. We'll shove the results into some kind of gigantic spreadsheet and feed it into a computer, which will then whirr and crunch and grind and eventually spit out the final list.
IMPORTANT TECHNICAL BIT: enter your choices in this format: TITLE OF TRACK IN CAPS followed by Name of Band
Closing date is FRIDAY 10 DEC. We'll put the results in the February issue of The Word, which is out on Jan 13th. And, just like last year, we'll compile it all into a magnificent Spotify playlist.
Now get voting! (Note - you'll need to be logged in to vote)
How about albums too?
This is a great idea. Can you run one of these polls for albums too, or is that too last century?
I put..
You are not alone - Mavis Staples
A brother slips away - Richard bloody Thompson
Move up - Patty Griffin
Never talk about it - Tift Merritt
Where dreams go to die - John Grant
Since I only bought 5 CD's released in 2010 it was relatively easy. But if I'd thought this through, and looked at mp3's I've downloaded or been given I'd probably have picked something from John Hiatt's Open Road or Elizabeth Cook's Welder
5 different
John Grant songs from 5 different posters so far (And none of them are the one I picked: "It's Easier"). Maybe that's why people think it's a great album?
Mine are:Running Man's
Mine are:
Running Man's Bible - Tom Petty & Heartbreakers
In Sleep - Lissie
Marz - John Grant
Alibi - Shelby Lynne
Aretha - Rumer
The only Brit track is Rumer, but it's so American influenced it may as well be from Memphis. Fell in love with that on Jools, but the album is a bit too MOR - even for me.
festive 50
The Battle Of Hampton Roads Titus Andronicus
Monkey Robert Plant
No Tears To Cry Paul Weller
Think Of me Kindly Lucas Renney
Worm Tamer Grinderman
Totally agree with albums idea. Have had to leave out The Phantom Band, Steve Mason, Laura Marling, Cherry Ghost, The Coral etc etc.Such a shame
I wonder how many will vote tactically? i.e. rather than their favourite songs, ones they like which they think will do well...My wild card? Something by Eliza Doolittle. I don't care who wins as long as it is not Arcade Fire or Kings Of Leon...Word readers surely have more taste...
Here's mine...
Fresh - Devo
Losing Sleep - Edwyn Collins
The Hair Song - Black Mountain
Woah Billy! - Lucky Soul
High Horse - Jim Jones Revue
Festive 50
Mine are
The Battle Of Hampton Roads Titus Andronicus
Monkey Robert Plant
No Tears To Cry Paul Weller
Think Of me Kindly Lucas Renney
Worm Tamer Grinderman
Totally agree with albums idea. Have had to leave out The Phantom Band, Steve Mason, Laura Marling, Cherry Ghost, The Coral etc etc.Such a shame
I wonder how many will vote tactically? i.e. rather than their favourite songs, ones they like which they think will do well...My wild card? Something by Eliza Doolittle. I don't care who wins as long as it is not Arcade Fire or Kings Of Leon...Word readers surely have more taste.
I can't remember exactly.
But I'm pretty sure I voted:
Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National
Zorbing - Stornoway
Skinny Genes - Eliza Doolittle
Caramel - John Grant
In no order whatsoever. I love those songs beyond measure, and equally.
eh?
No Hold Steady...??
I don't think...
...any of "Heaven Is Whenever" would qualify as being in my top five favourite songs of the year, no. I like it a lot as an album, but I don't think one particular song stands out, or stands alone as particularly amazing. It's a good, competent record, not a brilliant one. My fandom puts the album in my favourites of the year, but that's because I love them, and its release was a much looked-forward-to event for me. It's not their best work by a long shot.
Shame you weren't there
last Friday, I wanted to talk to you about the Hold Steady song I liked by mistake. An American chum came over and gave me a couple of compilation CDs he'd knocked up. We were playing them and one song came on and I really liked it, it was a "hey, who's this?" moment and he said it was The Hold Steady's "Weekenders" - pretty good.
Maybe we can do some CD swapping at the next meet-up?!
Definitely.
Let's sort out some CDs for next time.
"The Weekenders" is probably my favourite track on the last album. Still, though, compared to the previous records it does pale a bit.
My list's maybe a bit light on guitars and beards
this year.
1 Dancing On My Own Robyn
2 When I’m alone Lissie
3 Get out of my way Kylie
4 Rocket Goldfrapp
5 Wreckin Bar The Vaccines
I have no doubt though that Robyn's track is a solid gold classic, should have been number one for a month.
My choices were
Rulers, ruling all things - Midlake
Ambling Alp - Yeasayer
JC hates faggots - John Grant
Doubt - The Corin Tucker band
Murder weapon - Tricky
I've heard some great stuff this year, however...
Iron Maiden are wonderful storytellers. The proggy Isle of Avalon from their album The Final Frontier showcases the band hitting a creative peak.
Janelle Monáe’s album - The ArchAndroid - breezed through 80 years of popular music with incredible artistry and self-assurance. The highlight for me was the chamber-psychedelia blowout of Mushrooms & Roses.
J. Biebz’ - U SMILE 800% SLOWER is as, its title suggests, a dramatically slowed down version of the Justin Bieber hit - U Smile, reinvented as a 35 minute ambient masterpiece of celestial beauty.
The first time I heard Awake, Asleep by Fyfe Dangerfield the lyrics struck a chord and I immediately stopped what I was doing so that I could give the song my full attention. It originally appeared on the bonus disc of the album Fly Yellow Moon but is now tagged onto the tracklisting of the reissue.
I could have chosen any of half a dozen songs from The Coral’s album Butterfly House but at the moment North Parade is my favourite.
To Quote Dwight Schrute - Question!
Do the tracks need to be new, or can they be "new" old stuff reissued this year?
New new
Rather than old new or new old.
Thanks Fraser
But I'd also like to say bugger.
And apologise to Lee Perry.
mine (vote splitting a usual)
The National - Conversation 16
Gil Scott Heron - I'm New Here
Standard Fare - Philadelphia
Swans - Reeling the Liars In
er and I've forgotten what I put as the last one.
Doubt that
Standard Fare will trouble the Festive 50 scorers, but another of their songs, Dancing, made the New York Times top 10 songs of the year. Blimey.
I Can't Remember The Fifth One
Marz-John Grant
Stylo-Gorillaz
I Like-The Divine Comedy
Schoolin-Everything Everything
still can't remember it, ahh now it could be Lovebone by Dutch Uncles
Beware, 5 from the genre that dare not speak its name
My 5 are:
I Miss You - Court Yard Hounds
Laredo - Band of Horses
When I'm Alone - Lissie
Mama Here, Mama Gone - Mary Gauthier
Notes To The Coroner - Chely Wright
In a thin year - these are mine
Bullets for the New Born King - Mr Costello
You Are Not Alone - Mavis Staples
The Curse - Josh Ritter
One More Night in Brooklyn - Justin Townes Earle
Alibi - Shelby Lynne
Bollocks
How could I have forgotten Shelby Lynne. Although my choice would have been Loser Dreamer.
Any chance of a rejig Fraser, or is my vote final?
Which choice
do you want to remove?
Many thanks
Could you replace the Chely Wright track with
LOSER DREAMER Shelby Lynne?
Done
Shelby Lynne is IN.
I never could follow
a simple instruction. I've resubmitted as per Mr Lewry's directions.
I'm crap at lists
But anyway...
Instant choices (random order):
The High Road - Broken Bells
This Is Where It Gets Good - Eels
Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National
The Peppery Man - Natalie Merchant
I Can Change - LCD Soundsystem
That'll do.
Oh Yes!
I went for The High Road too! In fact, I could have picked the other four from the Broken Bells album as well.
Elsewhere, I went for 'To Binge' by Gorillaz, American Slang by the Gaslight Anthem, Rules Don't Stop by We Are Scientists and Albatross by The Besnard Lakes.
Five new ones from Calton Creek
(although I listened to more old stuff, especially Krautrock, Blood & Fire, Sun Ra ... I'm a flipping Cartoon Character, amn't I?
*checks mirror*
Ah, yes, that's right. )
Anyway -
Deborah Harry - Lucky Jim
John Grant - Sigourney Weaver
Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
Mary Gaulthier - Mama Here, Mama Gone
Polar Bear - Peepers
Here's my faves
Massive Attack - Paradise Circus
Laura Veirs - Summer is the Champion
65DaysOfStatic - Weak4
Kristin Hersh - Mississippi Kite
Broken Social Scene - Art House Director
ooh ooh
Mississippi Kite. THAT was my fifth one. Good choice me.
For the first time in living memory
I've been able to think of five songs I like that were released this year. Of course, three of them sound like they were recorded in 1970.
Shite..
...forgot to mention Laura Veirs. Oh well, cannot be bothered to change it.
I also went for 'The High Road', but of course the best track of the year is Fuck You. Fact.
Hey! I had that
but was careful to choose "Forget You" as I know Fraser will be using child slaves to collate the results.
Paul's Pop Picks
I SAW HER TODAY - El Goodo
WHAT'S IN IT FOR? - Avi Buffalo
LOS ANGELES - Phosphorescent
1000 YEARS - The Coral
HEATHEN CHILD - Grinderman
Think i went with...
Tightrope - Janelle Monae
Picture Window - Ben Folds and Nick Hornby
Come and Get It - Eli Paperboy Reed
Stylo - Gorillaz
I Need a Dollar - Aloe Blacc
And surely Tightrope will be the number one selection?
Think i went with...
Tightrope - Janelle Monae
Picture Window - Ben Folds and Nick Hornby
Come and Get It - Eli Paperboy Reed
Stylo - Gorillaz
I Need a Dollar - Aloe Blacc
And surely Tightrope will be the number one selection?
More Mary Gauthier...but a different track -
Mary Gauthier - Blood Is Blood
Ray Lamontagne - Old Before Your Time
Loudon Wainwright III - House
Richard Thompson - Big Sun Falling In The River
Justin Currie - A Man With Nothing To Do
The favourite five
for me this year was;
DNA-Darwin Deez
Good Intentions Paving Co-Joanna Newsom
Marken Låg Stilla-Dungen
Set The Tigers Free-Villagers
I Think Ur A Contra-Vampire Weekend
At least this week...
My Five
INFINITY GUITARS - Sleigh Bells
CATAPULT - Operator Please
RATTLING CAGE - Forest Swords
I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU LIKE THIS - The Joy Formidable
ATTACK MUSIC - These New Puritans
love
The Joy Formidable : ) They were one of my choices.
They're a great band.
A friend of mine used to be in a band with Ritzy and Rhydian in North Wales, and invited me to one of the JF's earlyish gigs at the Half Moon in Putney back in 2007. I cheekily asked Ritzy if they were looking for a second guitarist...
This is going to blow the Word spreadsheets apart...
I don't think I've noticed one duplication so far!
No, no
Lissie is the early leader of the field with two votes for When I'm Alone from Mr Fade & myself.
Lissie
rings a bell, I think Gordon was playing some of her stuff in the car when he kindly drove me home after the Awards - must check further.
Lissie's "In Sleep" is also
Lissie's "In Sleep" is also great track - very Fleetwood Mac, as are parts of the album. The overlooked album of the year (though not by Word readers, it seems), is Shelby Lynne's. The track "Alibi" is a cracker.
My Five
Leopard And Lamb/John Grant
Paradise Circus/Massive Attack and Hope Sandoval
Stay Too Long (Pendulum Remix)/Plan B
I Saw The Dead/Villagers
Troublemaker/Crippled Black Phoenix
My Five
Drunk Girls - LCD Soundsystem
Hang With Me - Robyn
We Want War - These New Puritans
Sun - Caribou
Roman's Revenge - Nicki Minaj
Now what was it callled....
This is a problem, I'll need to do some research! In the age of the ipod and media streamer I rarely look at track titles so I have no idea what it was that I liked. I'll get back when I'm on top of things!
for what it's worth...
I voted as follows:
Marz - John Grant
I Like - Divine Comedy
Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells
Paradise Circus - Massive Attack
Run - Vampire Weekend
John Grant & Janelle again
Marz - JG
Tightrope - JM
Get Some - Lykke Li
Hand me down your love - Hot Chip
Troublesome houses - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
I remember...
Janelle Monae - TIghtrope, Goriilaz - Stylo, LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change & Band Of Horses - For Annebelle. The last one was either The High Road by Broken Bells or I Remember by Yeasayer if my memory serves me correctly.
My five
IN CALIFORNIA - Joanna Newsom
OH! THE DIVORCES - Tracey Thorn
COLD WAR - Janelle Monae
BLOODBUZZ OHIO - The National
GROW TILL TALL - Jonsi
my festive 5
Akala - Yours And My Children
Kanye West - Lost In The World
Laura Marling - Rambling Man
Shad - Rose Garden
Massive Attack - Paradise Circus
Probably the only one to have voted for any of those. Oh well. Superb songs all.
Wot no Phantom Band?
Excellent to see John Grant featuring in so many lists! Marvellous man. But glaring omission of tracks from The Phantom Band's excellent new album, The Wants. Some mistake, surely (stop calling me Shirley).
Ghost profile surely
Until your post I was unaware of the existence of The Phantom Band, so clearly they very much live up to their name.
Probably change my mind tomorrow but for now these are my 5
We Want War - These New Puritans
Them That Do Nothing - Field Music
Four Dreams - Jesca Hoop
Cake - Race Horses
Photoshop Handsome - Everything Everything
note formatting
ORCHESTRAL INTRO Gorillaz
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF THE PLASTIC BEACH Gorillaz
STYLO Gorillaz
SPHERES SIDE The Orb featuring David Gilmour
METALLIC SIDE The Orb featuring David Gilmour
Followed the formatting thingy
GOOD INTENTIONS PAVING COMPANY Joanna Newsom
BROKEN RECORD Lloyd Cole
I CAN CHANGE LCD Soundsystem
I NEED A DOLLAR Aloe Blacc
ME AND THE DEVIL Gill Scott Heron
mmmm nice
I like your formatting
...but not my taste in music I bet....
.... well maybe some of it but not a lot.
And from him
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT - John Mellencamp
LOSER DREAMER - Shelby Lynne
THATS NOT THE PART OF HIM YOU'RE LEAVING - Elvis Costello
LITTLE GIRL - Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse (Song of the year imho)
DRAG THE LAKE CHARLIE - Drive by Truckers
Whoo Hoo!
Shelby Lynne ties with Lissie with two votes for their songs. I've not done any meaningful collation, but it looks like they lead the field.
These New Puritans
The brilliant 'We Want War' has 2 votes tool; go TNP.........
I couldnt omit
Loser Dreamer - bought the cd on a Florida holiday this year and this track was sung over and over by my wife, my daughter, my niece and myself - it probably sounded like a cats chorus but it was a happy time.
I saw Shelby play in a record store in Austin and my knees were definitely weak - not only a great voice but sexy as hell.
I got her album Suit Yourself from 2005 on my last business trip to US - It has a fantastic sultry version of A rainy night in Georgia on it - if you don't have it I can burn you a copy.
Scary but true. I bought
Scary but true. I bought Tears Lies & Alibis and Suit Yourself (really cheap) in Ameoba Records whilst on a trip to California this year. Weird.
(Ameoba is one of the few record shops left in the US and it's got a great website too.)
Five?!
My shortlist currently has 42 on it. Better get pruning.
Irresistible
Good year, tough choice. Here goes...
Þú Ert Jörðin - Olafur Arnalds
Meet me in the basement - Broken Social Scene
The Ocean - Lou Rhodes
Psychic Chasms - Neon Indian
Diplomat's Son - Vampire Weekend
Another great year for music
Vey, vey tough choice.
DON'T STOP BELIEVING - The cast of Glee
Now ubiquitous, unfortunately, but it moved me to tears upon first listen.
LAREDO - Band Of Horses
Could have been any of the four masterpieces on Infinite Arms.
DANCING ON MY OWN – Robyn
The most underrated woman in pop?
FREEMAN TOWN - Haight-Ashbury
Know nothing about this lot but I love this song.
SWIM UNTIL YOU CAN'T SEE LAND - Frightened Rabbit
Why don't more people love this great band? Perhaps it's the daft name. Winter of Mixed Drinks should have been on the Mercury list.
And I had to omit Shelby Lynne, These New Puritans, Best Coast, The Vaccines, Rihanna, Delphic, Kylie, Ellie Goulding, Goldfrapp..etc..bah!
And I totally forgot Fuck You. Duh.
Some similar choices to mine
which leads me to believe I should check out the tracks you've listed I don't know.
I heard Frightened Rabbit last year and the name did put me off.
Anyway, COME ON ROBYN!! GO GIRL! etc
I forgot
Lissie. That's a pretty fine album too.
And I now feel guilty for not including Rocket.
mine:
FUCK YOU Cee Lo Green
YOU ONLY WANT ME COS YOU WANT MY SISTER Evelyn Evelyn
MR BIB'S SEROSTAT STAR TIME Cathal Coughlan & the Grand Necropolitan Quartet
STAY TOO LONG Plan B
WE WANT WAR These New Puritans
mine:
SPACE GIRL The Imagined Village
EMERALD & ASH Steve Hackett
WHEN I'M ALONE Lissie
TC & HONEYBEAR John Grant
ACTS OF MAN Midlake
My top 5
In rough order too:
1. Carolina Chocolate Drops - Hit 'Em Up Style
2. Chris Wood - Hollow Point
3. Jean 'Binta' Breeze - Mother Africa
4. Bellowhead - A-begging I will go
5. Imagined Village - Space Girl
With Laura Marling's 'Devil's Spoke' and Gil Scott-Heron's 'New York is killing me' as runners up.
Chris
BLOODBUZZ OHIO The
BLOODBUZZ OHIO The National
LOS ANGELES Phosphorescent
LITTLE GOLDEN AGE Wolf Parade
TWENTY MILES Deer Tick
I WILL NOT BE MYSELF Deer Tick
Oops
Not sure that my lot are destined for high placings...
"Ravenna", Trembling Bells
"Bone Jump", Brian Eno
"Fantasia Pt 1", Lloyd Miller and the Heliocentrics
"Plea", Curios
"The Way to Nice", Mulatu Astatke
It is Fantasia. I promise.
Unashamed fromage avec le indie landfill noise
Track 1: Only Girl In The World - Rhianna
Track 2: Head First - Goldfrapp
Track 3: We Used To Wait - Arcade Fire
Track 4: Sprawl II - Arcade Fire
Track 5: Hitchhiker - Neil Young
Mon pieces de merde
Merci beaucoup
Gah that was tough
For the record:
ENGLAND The National
SILVER SOUL Beach House
SAME DREAM CHINA Gold Panda
DANCE OR DIE Janelle Monae
STYLO Gorillaz
Some great choices above, and very interesting to see the obvious trends for albums of the year. As someone suggested re John Grant (whose record I have, to my shame, still not heard), the best albums are the ones most likely to split the best song vote. See, for example, The National and Janelle Monae.
Oh, and loathe as I am to add to our already heaving list, TROPHY QUEEN by Guards from their amazing debut - and given away free - self-titled debut EP deserves some sort of a mention. The best medium player of the year by a long shot.
A Good Year I reckon
Not sure I can remember the order but it went sort of like this....
1. TORNADO jónsi
2. CONVERSATION 16 The National
3. PARADISE CIRCUS Massive Attack
4. COMPLETE BANKER The Divine Comedy
5. BABY LEE Teenage Fanclub
It was a
very good year for melody so a hard year to choose favourites but here are the 5 I plumped for
DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO Ed Harcourt
ALL COME DOWN Steve Mason
BE MANKAN Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate
TEN CENT PISTOL The Black Keys
BETTER THINGS Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Tricky ...
so today's final five are:
HOUSE OF CARDS Laura Veirs
THE ALMOND TREE Hannah Peel
LEOPARD AND LAMB John Grant
ASSUME THE PERPENDICULAR The Divine Comedy
UNCOMMON The Climbers
Outraged!
I have been a bit busy of late and have logged in to post my favourites, only to find that the closing date was yesterday! I don't know whether 80 or so comments mean that only 80 of the Massive have voted, but if so, I vote for the deadline to be extended.
By the way mine are all by Lauras Marling & Veirs, Joanna Newsom and Tracey Thorn by the way, which will surprise no-one.
Outraged!
I have been a bit busy of late and have logged in to post my favourites, only to find that the closing date was yesterday! I don't know whether 80 or so comments mean that only 80 of the Massive have voted, but if so, I vote for the deadline to be extended.
By the way mine are all by Lauras Marling & Veirs, Joanna Newsom and Tracey Thorn, which will surprise no-one.
I was determined to participate...
... but I find that I've not been very active in the new music buying this year. Hence my five votes for Bellowhead songs...
Word(s) fail me - get a life...
A tad naive Fraser? I'm listening to it now. The Festive Fifty's NEVER been away. dandelion radio 2010 Festive Fifty
Word/Fraser Lewry:Fail.
Crikey
We do it every year, that's why it is BACK. Dandelion do it too, and very well. I do hope there's room for more than one chart at Christmas.