It’s been a good year since ‘Fantasies’ so we’d of assumed Metric, or whoever makes money from Metric, would have moved on; but months and months on and album highlight ‘Gold Guns Girls’ is getting a roight good airing, possibly due to the success of Fifa10, possibly because fantasies hasn’t sold so good and people want some money.  Annnnyway I’d love to show you the high tempo video that mimes the numbers awesome blackout-siren guitar-hook and has some fantastic images of newyorknewyork but myspace has exclusivity.. so go here to watch it, but only after watching this 80′s Matchbox video.. you’ll understand why soooon enough..

Minus the gigantigous heads and you’ve got two identical videos.  80′s Matchbox are back soon, as will a proper blog from me with reviews of albums and at the end of May; gig reviews!  80′s should feature in both - all very exciting because I have to go to gigs for that shit to work and gigs are rare thesedays.  Hot tip for now though.. try mixing your loud angry music with the mostly instrumental and mostly ignorable ‘Get Color’ from HEALTH to enhance almost everything in life.. ever.

Awwwwwwwwwhh.

2010 is gonna turn out alright, it’s been decided.  How could any year that sees in albums from Interpol, of Montreal, annnnd the New Pornographers not be?  ***UPDATE – ADD THE EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER AND THE STROKES TO THE NEW ALBUM LIST – BEST YEAR EVER NO?***

The New Pornographers – Your Hands (Together)  (‘Together’ out in May)

Nothing from of Montreals ‘Black Priest’ or the allegedly Bright Lights-esque ‘Pol albums have been given away/leaked yet, but Barnes&Co. have been freaking out on Yo Gabba Gabba again, I would embed the video but vimeo gets the better of me so go here and check it out. 

All this album talk is future tense though.. I should be loving the new Love Is All album by now (it could be abysmal; but viva such optimistic band names, none of this ‘Pains..’ rubbish, LOVE!) but it’s been delayed until sometime over easter, so all we know is Kungen..

Argh! To be in America would be useful right now, given that they’re touring with Japandroids, who are even busier then last year; releasing a 7″ collection throughout 2010 and re-releasing old stuff in a collection somewhat ironically called ‘No Singles’ – both these bands are coming out on Polyvinyl Records, who – if I’ve never mentioned on here before – rock and rock hard.

I was going to run in and say how grand Sambassadeur’s new album ‘European’ was, but then I listened to it and it’s nothing in comparison to 2007′s ‘Migration’, so go download that instead.  The albums one worthwhile number was given out for free, so gutted for them.. Sambassadeur – Days 

Soooo far this year I’d still put Surfer Blood’s ‘Astro Coast’ at the top of album charts, they got mentions last time but this is futureAlex and he seconds pastAlex’s opinion that life without Surfer Blood is some unfulfilled empty vessel of an existence.  They’re on British soil come May so if you don’t live in a backwards-ass town like some; go! 

I’d never bothered with Yeasayer before I saw the ker-aaaaaaaaaaaazy video for ‘Odd Blood’s 1st single ‘Ambling Alp’.  Dodge 07′s ‘All Hour Cymbals’ unless you want to plagiarise some drum and synth loops, but giving a foggy-eyed chance to ‘Odd Blood’ is bound to have you swimming in some curious dream odyssey.  That read like a dumb ass sentence, but every time I listen to the album I think ‘dream odyssey’ (ps. remember this if I’m ever comatosed) and such suggestions are furthered with the video for ‘One’ which is a standout tune, but then most of the album is standout tunes – so better go buy it like right now..

Oh!!  I nearly forgot to mention Suckers!  They’re releasing their debut this summer I think, but for now listen to this daytrotter session (while your there join daytrotter and check out their archives: its a much better website then this here blog affair) and get very excited – I’m excited, so excited I almost forgot to mention the gits.  Dunne.

Better things have come from across the pond.  January saw the summery trip ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ released, turning this writer thoroughly on to the Animal Collective path.  The experimentalists are just about to release its supporting EP ‘Fall Be Kind’ (07/12/09 – hint! for those who want to get alex a birthday present..) and 2010 could be busier as they get set to release an Animal Collective movie!   Unsurprisingly the EP has leaked, and it’s much darker then their predecessing LP, lacking any catchy numbers, like m.p.p. had ‘Summertime Clothes’ and the epic ‘Lion In A Coma’.

Animal Collective – Graze

Favourite release of the year by far has to be Sunset Rubdowns ‘Dragonslayer’, definitely to be listened to from start to finish.  Dragonslayer feels like Spencer Krug (of Wolf Parade fame) challenging the Decemberists for best rock-opera album of the year – just underproduced and with a D&D theme, from the slow and sombre intro ‘Silver Moons’ to the climatic ‘Dragon’s Lair’, interspersed with some beautiful individual triumphs like ‘Paper Lace’.  Much better then the last Wolf Parade effort, and in toe with Handsome Furs awesome ‘Face Control’ I might recommend that they stick to their side projects. 

Sunset Rubdown – Idiot Heart

I talked about Japandroids last time I posted on here (6 months.. phew) but seeing them last month supporting the inaudibly awesome A Place To Bury Strangers at the flapper reminded us how damn fine Aprils ‘Post-Nothing’ was, and it was nice to see the Vancouver pair enjoying what they do – in comparison to the headliners whose wall of sound rock (PS – I was told APTBS were the loudest band around, the volume was nowhere near 11) came with little enthusiasm.

Enough about why 2009 was good, a few things to look out for in 2010:

Vampire Weekend are back, will ‘Contra’ match up to the scarily successful self titled debut?  New single ‘Cousins’ makes me think yes, with the speed of A-punk and the wittiness that epitomised ‘Vampire Weekend’ – however the initial album teaser ‘Horchata’ let me down, it feels cliché’d, with lyrics that feel forced and uninteressant.. time will tell.

More importantly 2010 sees the release of ‘Astro Coast’ from Florida’s Surfer Blood – already one of my favourite albums of 2009.  Their bouyant, sunkissed rock already has me wanting to hear new material, which is slightly infuriating in truth.  ’Fast Jabroni’ makes my heart swell, feels like it should be the soundtrack to every romantic films final kiss for the near future.  For those who read this (anyone..) I implore you to check them out, you’ll thank me.

Surfer Blood – Fast Jabroni

See you in another 6 months..

Not actually hear to talk about Black Grape (but them and Dreadzone are all I remember of my youth in music) but thinking of guilty pleasures; totally retracting all previous statements about Bloc Party.  Properly listening to Intimacy after nearly a year of sulking/mourning the ‘Silent Alarm’ days and fuck! me, when you approach it as an album and not a Bloc Party album its actually doing a rather fine service to the tech-oriented side of alternative music.  ‘Ares’ and ‘One Month Off’ are as ballsy as ‘Helicopter’ and ‘Signs’ was practically a tear jerker – but I’m blaming my now overthrown conjunctivitis for that slip of emotion.   I’d recommend checking out the Armand Van Helden remix, it’s radical in comparison; but perhaps fits with the album better…

 Bloc Party – Signs (AVH remix)

Anyway, you’ve all heard of Bloc Party, you might not know much about Animal Collective and you really fucking should.  Latest release ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ is the best 2009 album I’ve heard so far, and should I spend my summer lying in grass, looking at clouds and.. drinking.. (fingers-crossed) it will be this album I’m at the very least singing to myself.  But it’s making me contemplate purchasing a boombox for such situations.  I’ve been annoying everyone in Hull with the chorus for ‘My Girls’ (which Ruby Isle do a great remix of..) but it’s really all about the summery bliss of opener ‘In The Flowers’ and total favourite ‘Summertime Clothes’ which both benefit magnificently from beautifully romantic lyrics, one of distant love, one of new love, but love none the less.

Tomorrow Japandroids release Post-Nothing on 12″ only – buy it whether you have a record player or not.  It’s easy to say it because there a twosome but there like what Death From Above 1979 would sound like had Sebastian Grainger not gone and joined a country-rock band. 

Japandroids – Heart Sweats

In totally none important to the rest of you news it’s two of my best friends birthdays today:  Kashif ‘Missing in action’ Nazir is gonna be the big 2-0, *claps* and Gareth ‘Satsumas and pears’ Thomas is 21 and soon to be violently drunk.  Congrats to both of you, so much love is in my heart for the pair of you that I may well vomit up some of it.

Sorry about that, au revoir..

Alex.