2011 artist favorites

2011 Artist Favorites!

Laz McCluskey of Bubblegum Lemonade and Strawberry Whiplash

Another great year for Pop! Here are some of the tunes rocking the Bubblegum house in 2011. I’ve made up a Youtube playlist for your perusal.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9DD51B3C5D338A62&feature=mh_lolz

Metronomy – Everything Goes My Way
Cashier No 9 – Oh Pity
The Horrors – I Can See Through You
Real Estate – It’s Real
Kurt Vile – Life’s A Beach
Mike Snow – Animal
Just Hand Shakes (We’re British) – Falling Over Our Fear
Summer Camp – Down Down
Friends – I’m His Girl
Lana Del Ray – Video Games
Azure Blue – The Catcher In The Rye
Black Street / Dr Dre – No Diggity
High Highs – Flowers Bloom
British Sea Power – Carrion
Pale Sunday – Helen Reddy
The Pierces – I’m Kissing You Goodbye
Brilliant At Breakfast – Sacred Music
Champagne Riot – Moonstruck
Twin Sisters – All Around And Away We Go
Brett Anderson – Crash About To Happen
Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks – The Senator
Radar Eyes – Me And My Dogs
Gruff Rhyss – Whale Trail
The Duke Spirit – Surrender
Slow Club – If I Were Still Alive
The Lovely Eggs – Allergies
Veronica Falls – Found Love I A Graveyard
Real Estate – Municipality
Shimmering Stars – Into The Sea
Sharon Van Etten – Serpents
Younghusband – Golden Years
Kuryakin – Where Are You Now?
The Sunny Street – Hungry Hippos
Annemarie – Letter Never Sent

Melanie Whittle of The Hermit Crabs

Fave songs
The Very Most – Christmas Eve – I know it’s a cover but it’s perfect!
Lily Allen – The Fear
Tiny Fireflies – Snow

News from 2011
‘Coldest Night of the Year’ with Duglas from BMX Bandits on The Very Most Xmas EP, a few other songs with Baffin Island, 3 or 4 should be out next year, some backing vocals on Francis MacDonalds new solo stuff which should be out in the New Year, Gig with Baffin Island at Glasgow Popfest, Bass, drums and keyboard put down on four new Hermit Crabs songs, again, should be out in the new year, some interesting collaborations coming up in 2012……………

Stefan Larsen of Northern Portrait

Favourites of MMXI in no particular order…

Concerts:
Math and Physics Club in Nottingham and at Indietracks
Sloppy Joe
The Felt Tips

Records:
Azure Blue – Rule of Thirds
Sloppy Joe – With Kisses Four
Champagne Riot – Moonstruck EP
Help Stamp Out Loneliness – Help Stamp Out Loneliness
Bubblegum Lemonade – Sophomore Release

Songs:
Help Stamp Out Loneliness – Cottonopolis and Promises
Champagne Riot – The whole EP
Sloppy Joe – Still Be a Little Roof, Don’t Take a Fave of Mine
Azure Blue – The whole record

Tobias Isaksson of Azure Blue

TOP 10 INTERNATIONAL ALBUMS 2011
Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra
John Maus – We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
Destroyer – Kaputt
WU LYF – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Rustie – Glass Swords
Nicolas Jaar – Space is Only Noise
Drake – Take Care
Kuedo – Severant
Oneothrix Point Never – Replica

And the rest (rule of threes):

SWEDISH ALBUMS
The Sound Of Arrows – Voyage
Jonathan Johansson – Klagomuren
Korallreven – An Album By Korallreven

INTERNATIONAL SONGS
Poolside – Do You Believe
John Maus – Believer
Destroyer – Kaputt

SWEDISH SONGS
Jonathan Johansson – Stockholm
Air France – It Feels Good To Be Around You
The Sound Of Arrows – Nova

BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
Paul McCartney – Blue Sway by Jack McCoy
The Sound Of Arrows – Nova by Mattias Erik Johansson
Destroyer – Kaputt by Dawn Garcia

BEST LIVE SHOWS
Prince – Way Out West
The Arcade Fire – Popaganda
Morrissey – Hultsfredsfestivalen

WATCH OUT FOR THESE SWEDES 2012!
FANNY (Hybris)
Noonie Bao (Hybris)
Amanda Mair (Labrador)

BEST FILM
Winter’s Bone – Debra Granik
Three – Tom Tykwer
Melancholia – Lars Von Trier

Peter Momtchiloff of Would-Be-Goods

Favourite CDs:
Help Stamp Out Loneliness
P J Harvey: Let England Shake
Crystal Stilts: In Love with Oblivion
The Rapture: In the Grace of Your Love

Favourite show:
Help Stamp Out Loneliness, Would-be-goods, Amor de Dias at the Bull and Gate, 3 September 2011

Mark Monnone of The Lucksmiths

Singles:
THE MILLIPEDES – COLD SNAP
THE HARPOONS – KEEP YOU AROUND
PERSONAL & THE PIZZAS – DIET, CRIME AND DELINQUENCY
THE ZEBRAS / THE MOTIFS – SPLIT 7”
TWERPS – BLACK EYES

EPs:
THE ICYPOLES – PROMISE TO STAY
THE SOFT CITY – FOUR STORIES
CINEMA RED & BLUE – BUTTERBEAN CRYPT
CRYSTAL STILTS – RADIANT DOOR
RADIATOR HOSPITAL – I WANT TO BELIEVE

Albums:
MASTERS OF THE HEMISPHERE – MAYBE THESE ARE THE BREAKS
SHELLEY SHORT – THEN CAME THE AFTER
SONNY & THE SUNSETS – HIT AFTER HIT
THE BEETS – LET THE POISON OUT
GOLD-BEARS – ARE YOU FALLING IN LOVE?

Charles Bert of Math and Physics Club

I began 2011 thinking it might be the last year for the band, but ended the year trading demos and planning for our next release in 2012. Thank you UK! These were some of my favorite things from 2011…

1. UK tour. Aside from letting our merch get hung up at customs, and a few wrong turns on the expressway, the entire tour was brilliant, punctuated by an unforgettable (for us) set at Indietracks. Some of the most fun we’ve had as a band. Next time we’ll spring for the Sat Nav.
2. Sitting in the basement kitchen of our Glasgow hostel with our guitarist James and a pot of tea at the start of our UK tour, realizing we’d been dreaming about this for 20 years.
3. Playing “White and Grey” one last time (?) with Saundrah on violin at Indietracks.
4. Getting to sing “Darling, Please Come Home” with Mel from The Hermit Crabs (even if I blew the chords).
5. Bearing witness to first ever Bubblegum Lemonade show.
6. Watching Mark Monnone (aka “the farmer”) chase my kids (aka “the horses”) in circles around our house. What a good sport.
7. Playing a show at the Mural Amphitheater under the Space Needle on the same stage where I saw one of my first concerts at Bumbershoot in 1985, and countless shows since.
8. Books: Girls to the Front; Kitchen Confidential; The Great Gatsby; The Backyard Birdsong Guide
9. TV: Wilfred; Louie; True Blood
10. Food: Assyrian food truck in Olympia; Skillet Diner (poutine and “ultimate grilled cheese” with bacon jam – OMG!)

Jimmy Tassos of Matinée Recordings

Eleven splendid songs not released on Matinée in 2011:

1. Glasvegas – Euphoria, Take My Hand (Columbia)
2. Pushy Parents – Secret Secret (Elefant)
3. White Wishes – Come and Say Hello (Shelflife)
4. Younghusband – Carousel (Too Pure)
5. The Garlands – You Never Notice Me (Big Pink Cake)
6. The Wild Swans – When Time Stood Still (Occulation)
7. Acid House Kings – Would You Say Stop? (Labrador)
8. Veronica Falls – Bad Feeling (Slumberland)
9. Summer Fiction – It’s Getting Dark (Summer Fiction)
10. Craft Spells – After The Moment (Captured Tracks)
11. Glasvegas – Lots Sometimes (Columbia)