A Top Ten With A Difference

The Nevstar is once again struggling to find great new albums to listen to. So it was timely that a regular reader suggested a potential Top Ten list which I felt warranted a little more attention.

Our listening tastes are generally dominated by 2 - 3 genres. But if we wish to branch out from that which we know, it can be a bewildering and stultifying experience. What, for example, is the best jazz album to start from the thousands listed on Amazon? Well, the answer for all eternity shall now be to turn the invaluable Nevstar Music Guide with a dozen albums from the major musical genres which are, in my opinion, the best place to start.

Now its important to forestall comments by stating out the outset these are not necessarily the best albums, and in fact, some of the choices may even offend some purists. What we are seeking here instead is a palatable introduction to a new genre in order to kindle interest in learning more. In each case, I have listed one album to start with and then a couple more to expand your collection.

Listed alphabetically by genre here are 12 albums (I told you it was a top ten with a difference!). If you purchase them all, it will ensure that you never hear that all to common lament from a party guest.... "But you dont have any (insert musical genre)!"


Blues

Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton : John Mayall

This is certainly likely to be an affront to many a blues fan who consider blues to be synonymous with black faces. But John Mayall was instrumental in popularising the blues to a wider audience, and his collaboration with an 18 year guitar legend by the name of Eric Clapton is an outstanding introduction to this emotionally resonant and powerful musical form.

Listen to or purchase here

If you like this then try:

The Healer : John Lee Hooker
Live at the Regal : BB King


Classical

Symphony No 5 in C minor - Ludwig van Beethoven

Perhaps the easiest choice of any genre, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is a brilliant place to shake any notions that classical music is dull and tedious. It begins with perhaps the most famous four notes in musical history in the unmistakable Da-da-da-DAH! But the rest is equally thrilling and with the four movements taking barely thirty minutes, it's an accessible yet hugely enjoyable introduction to the delights and riches of 19th century pop music.

Available to listen/purchase free here.

If you like this then try:

Piano Concertos 20&21 : Mozart
Nutcracker Suite : Tchaikosvky


Country

Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs - Marty Robbins

Marty Robbins was one of the original country and western singers and his best album is a romp through a suite of songs based on the largely mythical characters that inhabited the Wild West. As such, this brilliant collection of tracks provides a perfect entry point to an enjoyable genre which is unfairly maligned thanks to some egregious 'talents' that hijacked it in the 70s and 80s.

Listen to or purchase here

Next try:
Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 1 & 2 - Ray Charles


Dance Music

Leftism - Leftfield

The Nevstar freely acclaims that this selection is not his own, but it was this very album that a dance music aficionado recommended to me when I enquired about the best place to start. Dance music has multiple genres, but the chill-out genre such as this effort by Leftfield is a good place for 'rockers' to head first. It allows them to sample the rhythms and melodies replete in dance music without being turned off by some of the aural assault techniques practised by the more energetic sub-genres.

Listen to or buy here.

Next try :
Blue Lines - Massive Attack
Dig Your Own Hole - Chemical Brothers


Folk

Blue - Joni Mitchell

Similar to country music, folk is a genre that often carries unwarranted opprobrium. But one of music's foremost purposes is to match your mood, and folk is the perfect companion to moments of solitude and introspection. There is no finer exhibition of this than the perfectly titled Blue by the incomparable Joni Mitchell. A gift from the heavens which no serious music collection should be without.

Listen to or purchase here

Then try:
Five Leaves Left - Nick Drake
Shoot Out the Lights - Richard & Linda Thompson


Heavy Metal

Back in Black - AC/DC

Really, could it be anything else? Back in Black is a great, great album featuring everything that is great yet also silly about heavy metal. Monster riffs, showboating guitar heroics, smutty lyrics and a sense of political incorrectness locked perpetually in the 50s. Rock and roll aint noise pollution ladies and gentlemen but it sure is a lot of fun.

Listen to or purchase here

If you like this, then try:
Appetite for Destruction - Guns and Roses
Metallica - Metallica


Jazz

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

If you are stuck in a record store looking to make your first purchase of a particular genre (and momentarily without the Nevstar Music Guide as an aid), a rule of thumb may be to simply purchase the albums made by the best musicians. Jazz played by the lesser talented can be trying, to say the least. But Kind of Blue by the incomparable Miles Davis has perhaps the finest array of talent ever collected on one record. If you dont enjoy this album, move along. You will not ever be a fan of jazz. Read here for a fuller review.

Listen or purchase here.

If you like this, then try:

A Love Supreme - John Coltrane

The Köln Concert - Keith Jarrett


Punk

Never Mind The Bollocks - The Sex Pistols

Unlike jazz, punk is not about the best musicians. It was more about the attitude than the sound. Punk is a statement; a movement; an attitude. For all of these, head straight to "S" section of your record store and pick out the one and only album by the Pistols. Its got energy, anarchy, passion and vitriol. Indeed, you could make a case that its the only punk album you would ever need.

Click here for a fuller review.

Listen to or purchase here.

If you like this, then try:
London Calling - The Clash
Ramones - The Ramones


Rap

It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back - Public Enemy

Rap can be a hard genre to like. Some argue persuasively that its not even music. But that misunderstands that one of the primary utilities of music is collegial. It momentarily unites people from their disparate lives in recognition of what they have in common. Look around next time you sing the national anthem and perhaps wonder how much you have in common with the person next to you apart from nationality. Well, rap music is the national anthem of black youth and no album evokes this notion better than this revolutionary album by Public Enemy.

Reviewed in more detail here.

Listen to or purchase here .

If you like this then try :
Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys
Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A.


Reggae

Legend - Bob Marley

Those who know me well will be aghast at my selection here. I have raged widely, loudly and often about the destructive force and insidious creep of the "Greatest Hits" phenomenon. But, looking around reggae albums, there is simply no better place to start than Legend, the greatest hits of Bob Marley. Without Marley, reggae would probably not be known globally as a music genre in the first place. He popularised it for a global audience without betraying its working class Carribbean roots. Perhaps the most apt album title of all time.

Listen or purchase here.

If you like this, then try:
Live! - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Labour of Love - UB40


Rock

Revolver - The Beatles

I initially didnt include Rock as a genre reasoning that everyone is probably already familiar with the best rock albums. But I then realised that's a very idiosyncratic point of view. There are likely to be thousands of people, perhaps of older or younger generations, who simply dont know or are not familiar with the best rock albums. The easiest and safest introduction to the music form is undoubtedley The Beatles. Not liking them is akin to not liking the sun in the words of a famous rock critic. Revolver is the best place to start for any Rock neophyte as it contains all the elements of what makes rock so exciting and vibrant.

Listen to or purchase here.

If you like this, then try:

The Bends - Radiohead
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band


Soul

Whats Going On - Marvin Gaye

Soul music developed a social conscience in the early 70s as the music moved from the sugary sweet pop music courtesy of the likes of the Supremes to more challenging fare. No album represents this better than the magnificent What's Going On by Marvin Gaye. It was and is a landmark album showcasing more socially aware lyrics set against a kalediescope of musical ideas. You could compare it to moving from comics to novels; Jughead to Jane Eyre. If you are not already familiar with this album, then go out and purchase it now. Dont worry, I will wait.

Reviewed in full here.

Listen to or purchase here.

If you like this then try:
Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul - Otis Redding
Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder

Now, this is a Top Ten list that just begs to be argued with. Got a suggestion for a genre that wasnt mentioned or vehemently disagree with one of my selections. Send me an email, or make a comment below. A hat tip to Rob whose idea this was in the first place.

Thats all for this month. Look for another update in May with a review of a new album that has barely been out of my CD player since I purchased it.

Nevstar

January 2010

Big Day Out Edition

Passion Pit
Due to other commitments, the Nevstar was a little late arriving to the BDO in 2010 and thus unfortunately missed a lot of the early bands. General enquiry revealed that the standout performance in the early afternoon was electronica band Passion Pit. I recall asking about ten people what the highlight of the early slate was and the unanimous answer was the band from Massachusetts, USA. Those in attendance reported a set full of dynamic, bouncy, infectious electronic pop. The one act Im genuinely disappointed to have missed and a band that I will have to look out for in the future.


Jet
It is possibly a little unfair to provide a review of Jet as I arrived at the tail end of their top field set and saw only the last couple of songs. I would simply note that this limited exposure merely confirmed my view that they have not been able to recapture the magic of their debut album Get Born which had those three fantastic singles. Good larrikin fun but not really that inspired.


The Horrors
One of the most anticipated sets for this punter was the effort of The Horrors whose recent album Primary Colours was one of the Nevstar's favourites from 2009. Onto the stage they casually sauntered barely acknowledging the reasonable sized crowd that had gathered to hear the "future of British rock" (according to no less of a source than Jarvis Cocker). Wearing their trademark black, they quickly launched into the killer track Mirrors Image with apparent disdain and indifference. But their apparent lack of enthusiasm contrasts noticeably with the tight, muscular output as the driving rhythms and evocative vocals entice and delight anyone with earshot.

Working through virtually their entire second album, The Horrors soon demonstrated their expertise and capabilities. Its a sound born out of repeated exposure to the likes of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and the Human League. But it somehow manages to be derivative and original at the same time. Those familiar with their work revelled in hearing it live and loud, while those new to the band enquired about the history and output. Even Mikey Havoc was there enjoying the boys from more wintering climes strutting their stuff under a blazing Auckland sun. Top effort and great start to the day.

9/10

Set list : Mirrors Image, Three Decades, I Cant Control Myself, New Ice Age, Scarlet Fields, I Only Think of You, Who Can Say, Sea Within A Sea

Best Track : Who Can Say (see video here)

Ladyhawke
Concert crowds provide a vivid and visual reminder of the power of modern media. The dissemination of ideas, sounds and memes is almost instantaneous today. There was no better illustration of the increasing pace of adoption than the cracking melodies of a certain Pip Brown. Barely a year after emerging from obscurity, the young lady now known as Ladyhawke had what must be the surreal experience of thousands of strangers sing HER songs back to her. It must be an amazing feeling to hear a crowd of thousands of strangers sing YOUR songs. But sing they did to virtually every Ladyhawke song in the set illustrating her immense ability at writing great hooks.

In fact Ladyhawke seemed a bit apologetic throughout the show, as if even she couldnt believe that this many people not only liked her songs, but loved them. I had a particularly good view of the stage but couldnt see her through the mass of arms thrust in the air to the chorus of My Delirium.

The set was assisted no end by the excellent sound. I have been especially critical of the sound mixing of performances on the top stages at the Big Day Out but there were no complaints this year. The sound was fantastic. Ladyhawke had a wealth of supporting musicians including three violinists and a cello player which was remarkable in its own right, but the fact that we could hear the distinct tones of the violin accompaniement was a revelation. The band was exceptionally tight and extremely professional particularly given they havent had much stage time together. You wouldnt know it. From the first song to the last, the brilliant melodies and catchy hooks were played with verve and precision. An immensely enjoyable performance by a rising star of the New Zealand music scene.

9/10

Set list : Magic, Professional Suicide, Dusk Till Dawn, Better Than Sunday, Danny or Jenny, Back of the Van, Paris Is Burning, My Delirium.

Best Track : My Delirium


My Delirium



The Veils
The Veils are a London based indie alternative with New Zealand raised Finn Andrews as the lead singer / songwriter. He has a perfect pop pedigree as the son of former XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews. They have three quite distinct albums, the stylish The Runaway Found, the darker Nux Vomica and the rather disappointing Sun Gangs. This was my first time seeing them live and I must admit to being a little disappointed. They started with verve and energy and a great rock sound. But as the gig progressed, they sounded more like a Smiths cover band with Andrews nasal delivery eventually starting to grate with this listener. The guitar playing was probably the highlight of this set particularly the smoking hot female bass guitarist. Is there anything hotter than a sexy female playing guitar! But despite these charms, I left early to position myself for other bands. Glad to make their acquaintance but not enough to hold my attention.

6/10


The Decemberists
As profiled in an earlier edition of the Nevstar Music Guide, one of the rare treats offered by the BDO in 2010 was the first visit to our shores of the Portland, Oregon based The Decemberists. The Nevstar has been a fan for a few years with The Crane Wife album receiving numerous spins under the laser light of my CD player. So I was well positioned near the stage before an admittedly smallish crowd when they stepped into the blazing sunshine. I wasnt quite sure what to expect as their output is predominately wordy indie fare often melancholy in nature, but I left with a huge grin having witnessed a stellar performance and a concert experience literally unlike any other.

The set kicked off with lead singer Colin Meloy slowly strumming a mandolin before launching into the title track of my favourite album. What a great start. The Crane Wife is a brilliant, touching, acoustic ballad and it would normally be completely out of place at the 'rage hard, harder, HARDEST' atmosphere that predominates at the BDO. But for some reason, it was perfect. A sun drenched stage, an expectant crowd, a man, a mandolin and a moving mercurial moment.

Colin then introduced his band and they launched into some faster paced songs, quickly running through the 3 piece mini opera The Island from the aforementioned The Crane Wife . Then, noting that they were from Portland where it rains all the time, they played an ode to the sunshine (July/July) before announcing they were going to "darken it up a bit" because hey, thats what they do. Sterling versions of the earnest The Rakes Wife, the poignant The Engine Driver and the cheeky 16 Military Wives followed.

The final song was the magnificent Irish jig (thanks Juliet!) of the The Chimbley Sweep which concluded with a brilliant guitar duel between a double bass and an electric guitar. This intense fretboard action seemingly exhausted the participants. Slowly they sunk to the floor, the last echoes of notes sweeping across the field. They were then followed to the floor by the drummer and organist before Colin turned to the crowd and motioned for us too to lie down. A bemused New Zealand crowd initially ignored the request but his persistence and insistence were infectious. Slowly and surely, every single person watching the show sat or lay down on the ground. Once everyone was 'asleep', Colin and organist Jenny Conlee, tenderly sang unaccompanied before bringing the rest of the band and then the crowd to life in a trimuphant rampaging musical finale. The Nevstar has been to a few concerts in his time, but I have never seen anything like it. Watch some footage here although this doesnt begin to capture the moment. It was surreal. Great finish to a great, great show.

10 / 10

Set list : The Crane Wife, The Island : Come and See / The Landlord's Daughter / You'll Not Feel The Drowning, July July, The Rake's Song, The Engine Driver, 16 Military Wives, The Chimbley Sweep

Best Track : 16 Military Wives


Dizzie Rascal
The undoubted crowd favourite of BDO 2010 was Dizzie Rascal who drew an absolutely massive crowd to the main arena for his 1 hour set at 6pm. I was in the main stand and had a great view of a packed infield. To be honest, am not a fan of the music but it mattered little as this lad is a genuis entertainer. The entire field was bouncing and cavorting to his manic exhortations. On completion of the set, the crowd absolutely demanded an encore and he surely delivered coming back with an anthemic version of his crowd pleasing Bonkers. No other adjective better describes the crowd reaction.

If I was to be churlish, I would perhaps point out that his last three songs basically consisted of a chorus which went "Jump jump jump jump" followed by "Hey ho, Hey ho". But that would be unfair. Anybody who can get that many people to 'Jump Around' is a musical entertainer extraordinaire. Similar to Public Enemy at Rhythm & Vines, you dont have to like the music to appreciate the skill of the showman.

And if you were in the midst of all that mayhem, this is what it looked like from the above. Essential viewing.




Lily Allen
What the phuq! Whose idea was it to schedule a lounge act between a hip hop madman and two industrial rock madmen. Lily Allen sucked. Maybe, just maybe, it might have worked on the top stage as the night wore on, but her modus operandi of giggly, flirty strutting accompanied by dour ballad type numbers was an irretrievable loss of an hour of my life. Maybe Im just not the target audience (there were an awful lot of 17 year old girls around me) but if you cant sing all that well and dont really have any good songs, what are you doing wasting my time? Sure she's hot, but there were hotter girls surrounding me and I wouldn't pay to see them either. The ultimate indignity was when she had the temerity to sing a tepid, beyond dull, insulting version of the ripping Oh My God by the Kaiser Chiefs. Her next song was a witty, urbane, charming number apparently entitled "Fuck you, Fuck You Very Much" to which all the 17 year old girls around me proudly sang along to while urgently gesticulating with their middle fingers. How edgy and naughty. I cannot summon sufficient disgust and scorn. Fortunately it eventually ended......


Mars Volta
....... only to be replaced by a cacophony of discordant sound courtesy of Mars Volta who played ear-splitting, pointless, non-melodic, self-indulgent rubbish for 80 minutes. Life is too short to write about such crap.


Muse
Finally Muse were due up to deliver BDO 2010's headline show. I was really starting to question my wisdom of maneouvring myself early into a prime position following the antics of Lily and Mars Volta. They had better be worth it I thought to myself as the lights dimmed. They were.

Muse are a headline show band equal of any live band on the planet. The sound is majestic stadium anthemic rock proudly synthesising the best of Floyd, Zeppelin and Queen. There cant be three other guys on the planet who make such noise, but do it so beautifully (I hope Mars Volta were watching from backstage). Their astonishingly precise and accurate musicianship is only fully appreciated during their live performances with each member artfully complementing their respective bandmates. I did notice a keyboardist in the background which is a newish addition and perhaps replaces much of the computer generated riffs and samples which used to pace their shows. The dynamic live set was accompanied by a scintillating light and laser show which served to elevate the audiences out-of-body experiences as they sung along to the limits of their lung capacity.

The set list was perfect sampling extensively from each of their last four albums. Highlights were the soaring galactic heights of Starlight (Im always amazed how crowds are able to clap along to its complicated beat) and the exhilarating, energising Time Is Running Out. Returning for an encore, the concert was brought to a grandiose end by the stonking Knights of Cydonia. "You and I must fight for our rights, you and I must fight to survive." Amen to that.

9/10

Set list : Uprising, Supermassive Black Hole, New Born, Undisclosed Desires, Hysteria, Apocalypse Please, Stockholm Syndrome, United States of Eurasia, The Resistance, Starlight, Time Is Running Out, Unnatural Selection, Encore: Plug In Baby, Knights of Cydonia.

Best Track : Starlight

Opener : Uprising


New Born


And the finale : Knights of Cydonia


All in all a pretty good day. I didnt get to see as many bands as previous years but of the six shows I saw in their entirety, four were absolutely outstanding.

And now to the Awards

Best moment : My Delirium - Ladyhawke
Best track : Knights of Cydonia - Muse
Best crowd reaction : Bonkers - Dizzie Rascal
Biggest Disappointment - Lily Allen
Biggest Surprise - The Decemberists somehow getting the entire crowd to lie on the ground

December 2009

Its the start of the new year but before we consign 2009 to the dustbin of history, no year would be complete without the Nevstar's Top Ten Albums. As always, the list is necessarily limited by albums that I have actually heard. Still its an interesting list and may provide a pointer or two towards albums that you may have overlooked during the year.

Onto the countdown.

10. Marianne Faithfull - Easy Come Easy Go

The Christmas season sees the shops filled with efforts by ageing rock stars cranking out another a bunch of covers to fill someone's stocking. An astute friend of mine calls these 'lifestyle' albums - recordings to help the rock star sustain THEIR lifestyle. But an exception can be made in this case, because Marianne Faithfull released a stunning collection of tracks this year showcasing her wonderful voice and exquisite taste in music. A must for Faithfull fans. See full review in April 09 edition.

Best Track : The Crane Wife

Try this if you like : Marianne Faithfull, Dusty Springfield, Beth Orton

Listen to or purchase here

9. The XX - XX

One of the best websites to find new music is Metacritic which compiles music reviews from across the web. This proves a useful filter for determining what new albums might be worth checking out based on their opinion of multiple reviewers. And my Metacritic find of 2009 was The XX's who obviously spent a lot more time on their music than a name for this, their debut album. Packed full of lush, dreamy almost spacey pop music, this is an extraordinary album which manages to be quiet yet also have an awful lot to say.

Best track : Infinity

Try this if you like : Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire

Listen to it or buy here

8. Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event

This LA based rock band seemed to offer nothing new whatsoever. The same old riffs accompanied by the same old hooks interspersed with heroic guitar solos included to boost prospects of their inclusion in the next edition of GuitarHero. So how come I couldnt stop playing it? Maybe its simply that old time rock and roll sung with gusto and affection is always worth the time. The guilty pleasure of the year.

Best track : Papillion

Try this if you like : AC/DC, Guns & Roses

Listen to or purchase here

7. Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Now thats more like it. Kasabian have an interesting history. Their first album was full of brash enthusiasm. But, in attempting to generate ideas for a quick follow up to their mega-smash debut album, Kasabian reverted to raiding the back catalogs of Pavement and Primal Scream. So while their live act remains one to savour, the second album Empire was less than impressive. All is forgiven as the band this year produced a stunning album which harnesses their prodigous live efforts and condenses it into this action packed yet wildly inventive and interesting third album. Packed to the brim with ideas and overflowing with energy, WRPLA is a potpourri of loud guitars, synthesised rhythms and funky electronica. And not a band title either.

Best track : Vlad The Impaler

Try this if you like : Oasis, Primal Scream

Listen to it or purchase here

6. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers

The Preachers are a band that in some respects have tried to avoid their past, latterly producing albums of glorious anthemic pop music. This emanated from the disappearance of lead singer, Richie Edwards in 1995, never to be seen again (rumours of presence in New Zealand continue to abound). That the disappearance might have been planned is given credence by this album where the remaining band members have written songs to accompany lyrics that Richey left with them. Its a mesmerising yet darkly voyeuristic listen in stark contrast to some of their more recent material. Its as if we are peering into someone's soul as they contemplate diving into the abyss. Its not an easy listen, but nor is it unrewarding. Few of us touch such chilling depths, even fewer could write about it.

Best track : Me and Stephen Hawking

Try this if you like : Sparklehorse, Elliot Smith, Nick Drake

Listen to or purchase here

5. The Doves - Kingdom of Rust

One of my favourite bands of the last ten years or so returned with another stunning album. Here the trademark atmospheric wall of sound is accompanied by nods towards progressive rock and Wall of Soundish stadium anthems. A welcome return to form after 2005's slightly underwhelming Lost Cities. Reviewed in full here.

Best Track : Jetstream

Try this if you like : Coldplay, Elbow

Listen to it or purchase here

4. Muse - The Resistance
Perhaps one of the most inventive rock band operating today, Muse returned in 2009 with The Resistance which is surely close to their "Piece de Resistance"! After dabbling in classical pieces in previous albums, Muse now seem intent on forging a new orchestral-rock synthesis. The Resistance has several pieces which would not sound out of place in a concert hall played by the London Philamornic. Who else would combine a full prog rock virtuoso with an exquisite section from Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat Major. Fulled with grandiose ambition and exceptional musicianship, Muse remain one of the absolutely delights in the world of music. The album finishes with a full three piece Symphony "Exogenesis". Run, dont walk, to the Big Day Out to catch them live where they are the headline act.

Best Track : Guiding Light

Try this if you like : Queen, ELO, The Moody Blues

Listen to or purchase here

3. Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself and Others

The second album from Future Of The Left after emerging from the remnants of the acerbic post-Britpop era band McClusky. FOTL are led by the engaging character Andy Falkous whose lyrics don't so much roll of the tongue, as somehow emerge from between a clenched jaw and a tongue-in-cheek. The songs are streams-of-consciousness poetic diatribes about any and everything. Sometimes his targets are clear, often not. The Hope That House Built perhaps purports to comment on the credit crisis, Drink Nike seems to comment on consumerism and That Damned Fly maybe launches a tirade against rapacious music agents. Gloriously fun yet thought provoking particularly the lengthy monologue opening the final track which asks what was the best prison break in film history!

Best track : You Need Satan More Than He Needs You

Try this if you like : The Pixies, Faith No More

Listen to or purchase here

2. The Horrors - Primary Colours
Not the number one album of the year but probably the number one surprise. Emerging from the all style-no substance of their debut album, The Horrors returned with a second album, the fantastic Primary Colours. Its an album drawing generously from the past but showcasing glimpses of the future. From the inventive Joy Divisionish opening track Mirror's Image to the hypnotic 8 minute closer Sea Within A Sea, its an album that got played a lot on the Nevstar's stereo this winter. With the assistance of regular Portishead producer Geoff Barrow, The Horrors have delivered a consistently brilliant album and its reward is placement in numerous Album of the Year lists including the most cherished of all, the Nevstar Music Guide!

Best Track : I Cant Control Myself

Try this if you like : Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, Depeche Mode

Listen to or purchase here

And the number one album of the year is................

1. Black Joe Lewis - Tell Em What Your Name Is

It was a sad year for the retail music industry with many stores closing down and the writing seemingly on the wall for the business model of selling CDs to the general public from a High Street store. What I will miss most is the great recommendations from music store staff who know and listen to far more music than I do. The best example is this years number one album which was recommended to me by a staffer at JB Hi Fi in Queen Street. After figuring out what sort of music we liked, he unhesistantly handed me an album by Black Joe Lewis' called Tell Em What Your Name Is and told me I would like it. I'd never heard of the artist or the album but it proved to be an understatement. I dont like it, I absolutely adore it. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears have produced an album belonging to the genre which I have dubbed retro soul. Its funky, sassy and fun. Paying respective homage to the greats of yesteryear, it also blazes the path for others to follow. Soul music is dirty and sexy, but simultaneously music for all generations due to its danceability and singability. Black Joe Lewis has all of the above and its a worthy number one album for 2009.

Best Track : Please Pt 2

Try this if you like : James Brown, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave

Listen to or purchase here

As always, there were a lot of albums which were very good but not quite Top Ten quality. Here are the Next Ten which I also enjoyed (listed in alphabetical order).

The Antlers : Hospice
Jarvis Cocker : Further Complications
The Decemberists : Hazards of Love
Dirty Projectors : Bitte Orca
Franz Ferdinand : Tonight
Florence & The Machine : Lungs
Maps : Turning The Mind
White Lies : White Lies
Wilco : (the album)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs : Its Blitz

Previous Nevstar Albums Of The Year

This is the eighth year of compiling my Top Ten of the year. Here were the top albums from the last seven years according to the Nevstar.

2008 : Glasvegas : Glasvegas
2007 : The Shins : Wincing The Night Away
2006 : The Beatles : Love
2005 : Kaiser Chiefs : Employment
2004 : Franz Ferdinand : Franz Ferdinand
2003 : British Sea Power : The Decline Of British Sea Power
2002 : The Doves : Last Broadcast

Thats all for this month. Check back next month which will feature the Nevstar's Big Day Out Review. See you all there!

Nevstar

November 2009

If the best day of the year musically is The Big Day Out, a close second has to be the first announcement of bands in late September. Months of rumour and web leaks are finally ended by the media release detailing the first tranche of bands that will grace the pre-eminent Australasian music festival in January. This year was no disappointment with perhaps the worlds best live band Muse selected to headline the show. They will be ably accompanied by the likes of Groove Armada, Dizzie Rascal and Kasabian. Even the prospect of once again having to endure another set by Powderfinger didn't dull this punter's sense of anticipation.

However, it was further down the list of bands that my attention often strays. A Big Day Out is a great opportunity to experience live performances by bands who often dont make it Downunder via their own concert tours. I was thus delighted to see little known The Decemberists make the show bill. It is to the organisers credit that they continually seek out the quality indie bands coming out of America and persuade them to come to New Zealand / Australia. The likes of acclaimed indie bands such as The Greenhornes, Wilco, Flaming Lips and My Morning Jacket have all graced our shores recently thanks to these diligent efforts.

So for those looking for something a little different at the Big Day Out, here is an introduction to some of the best work of The Decemberists. You have three months to fall in love with them; you will probably only need three minutes.

Album of the Month

The Decemberists : The Crane Wife

Can you be too nerdy for rock and roll? It seems great art in other disciplines is synonymous with stately acclaim. But rock and roll seems to delight in the low-brow whether its childish lyrics, antics or behaviour. Regrettably, rock artists are too often remembered for their wives than their witticisms.

The Decemberists dare to be different. This folk-rock band out of Portland, Oregon take immense pride and delight in delivering folk tales set to gentle indie rock soundtracks. It's stories set to music rather than words attached to a catchy tune. Rock writing at its best is indistinguishable from poetry. This is their fourth studio album, and perhaps their best. After three efforts on minor labels, The Crane Wife represented their first major label release, and they have lifted their game accordingly.

You need only listen to the first track of the album, The Crane Wife, to understand all you need to know about The Decemberists. It forms the opening gambit of the song cycle which permeates throughout the album. The story relates to the Crane Wife which is a Japanese folk tale about a poor man who takes in an crane with an injured wing. After tending to the crane, he sets it free only to shortly have a beautiful woman appear on his doorstep. He falls in love and marries the woman. To alleviate his poverty, she makes beautiful silk garments which she agrees to let him sell as long as he promises never to watch her make them. This he agrees to but temptation eventually gets the better of him. He sneaks a glance into her room one day only to discover a crane plucking feathers from her body to weave into wondrous garments. The crane sees him and flies away, never to return.

The album is thus not your standard rock and roll fare. Other songs explore themes such as the Siege of Stalingrand (When the War Came), the inhumanity of the IRA (Shankill Butchers) plus a musical reworking of Shakespeare's The Tempest in the three part mini-opera The Island. This is a band clearly not short of inspiration or ideas.

On previous albums, The Decemberists were firmly in the folk - folk/rock genre but they expand their reportoire a little on The Crane Wife. There are more guitars and some rock power chords, even perhaps hints of a dalliance with progressive rock in The Island. But ultimately its primarily a mellow listen almost camouflauging the serious intent and ideas of these talented wordsmiths.

Whether their understated charms will suit the Stadium Rock environment of the Big Day Out is certainly up for debate. Listening to the album again moved the Nevstar to wonder whether they would be better enjoyed by an audience of 14 people in a large living room than 45,000 at Mt Smart. But, given the right setting, a cleansing ale in one hand and a sun-drenched Auckland summers day, they just might fit perfectly into an afternoon slot as The Magic Numbers did a few years ago. Without quiet, there is no loud.

Listen to and purchase here :

Best Track : The Crane Wife

Try this if you like :

The Kinks : Arthur - Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire
The Beautiful South : Welcome to the Beautiful South

If you like this try :

Belle & Sebastian : Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Rilo Kiley : Under the Blacklight
The New Pornographers : Mass Romantic


Essential Classic Album

Suede : Suede (1993)

Music is the art of imitation. There are only so many instruments and only so many ways to play such instruments (not including a certain Mr Jimi Hendrix!). So, an original sound is pretty hard to come by. Except that is if your band's name is Suede. Suede's major achievement on their eponymous debut album was taking three guitars and making them sound fresh and innovative if not downright sexy.

The album is primarily notable for its sexuality but not in the traditional sense. Suede is sexual, bisexual and asexual all at the same time. From its flagrant androgynous cover art to the stinging opening chords of the baldy So Young, this album is replete with that 'sexual feeling'. It mirrored to a certain extent, the increasingly flamboyant and liberal arts flourishing in the United Kingdom at the time. By all rights, it shouldve been lead singer Brett Anderson on the cover of Vanity Fair and not Liam Gallagher. He belonged on the cover of FHM.

Regardless of the attitudes and studied air of nonchalance, the album has aged well in the main because its replete with fabulous songs. The dynamic Animal Nitrate follows the aforementioned So Young and its a cracker filled with raw emotion and fiery inquiry. What animal spirit lurks in the hearts of men when blood flows towards their little heads?

After some more reflective, sobering tracks through the middle, the album closes with a triumphant triple treat. There is the anthemic destruction of Metal Mickey preceding the hard driving guitar heroics of Animal Lover. Finally, we a treated to the musical equivalent of a wistful glance backward with a knowing smile in the piano-driven The Next Life. Following the rapid, rabid sexual exertions of the first half hour, The Next Life brings the romance to an end. Easily the most tender and affectionate track it subtly reminds us that touching a cheek is more erotic than groping a breast.

Suede famously played live at the Brit awards in 1993 after a campaign by the NME to include more relevant music rather than further appearances by rock dinosaurs such as Phil Collins and Annie Lennox. But the penguin suited music head honcho's didnt really 'get' the act. Once again the music establishment was out of touch with youthful consumers. It should have been easy; lest we forget, rock and roll has and always will be about sex.

Listen to or purchase Suede :

Best track : Animal Nitrate

If you like this try :

Suede : Dog Man Star
Roxy Music : Country Life
David Bowie : Diamond Dogs


Top Ten List

This months Top Ten list was the idea of a regular reader. The question, simply postulated, was what are the greatest rock instrumentals of all time. While much electronica music is without vocals, very few rock bands attempt to write music without vocal accompaniment. However, there were quite a few good ones to sort through. For this list, I have arbitrarily excluded movie and television themes which we have explored previously. So here are the Top Ten Rock Instrumentals of All Time.

10. Oasis : F*cking In the Bushes
While not a movie theme, this bruising instrumental track, is used to devasting effect in the climatic fight scene in Snatch. The first track off the album Standing On The Shoulder of Giants, its probably also the best track. Proof, if it were ever needed, that Oasis werent reliant on Liam's vocals to sustain your interest.

Watch the scene here.

Hat tip to Don.

9. Freddie King : Hideaway
There are three great 'Kings' of blues guitar. BB King, Albert King and the lesser known Freddie King. For those of you who havent heard of him, this is the place to start. A ground-breaking piece of music which came at the start of the electric guitar blues revolution. A massive hit at the time (as the video attests), it still sounds fantastic today.

Watch him play it live here.

8. Machine Gun : Commodores
What self-respecting instrumental list could possibly exclude this dynamic hit from The Commodores. Given its name by the punchy repetitive clarinet which sounded like gunfire to a music exec, Machine Gun became a mainstream funk hit crossing over into the pop charts on its release in 1974. Popular and likeable to this day.

And a fun fact about the song that only the web can provide. The song was a huge hit in Nigeria! It was actually played after the national anthem at the end of each days television broadcast.

Listen to it here.

7. Dick Dale & The Del Tones : Misirlou
This is unfortunately now more widely known and loved as the Pulp Fiction opening score but to exclude it on that basis seems churlish. It is the finest work of one of the greatest guitar innovators the world has ever seen, the King of Surf Guitar, Dick Dale. That it should be considered still edgy, intriguing and powerful enough to open a movie 30 years later is testament to its enduring legacy.

Listen to it here.

6. Booker T & The MG's : Green Onions
Booker T & The MG's had two personas. They made their living as the house band for Stax Records providing instrumentation for hits by such luminaries as Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, and Wilson Pickett. But they also recorded their own material including this from their most acclaimed album of the same name. Its a terrific track showcasing the dexterity and talent of Booker T on the organ, the impeccable timing and rhythm of Al Jackson on drums and the exemplary guitar section of Donald "Duck" Dunn and Steve "The Colonel" Cropper (of Blues Brothers fame).

Great footage of the band and song here.

5. Elton John : Funeral For A Friend
This possibly stretches the definition of an instrumental, but I have always loved the first part of Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding. They are listed as two separate tracks on my CD version so thats good enough for me. Funeral For A Friend has an atmospheric opening which builds slowly, adding instruments while inexorably ramping up to a brilliant climatic moment in full symphonic traditions. Absolutely stunning live particularly as it usually opens a concert.

Watch it here.

4. The Shadows : Apache
Growing up, there was only one instrumental that anybody and everybody knew and that was Apache by The Shadows. The Shadows are possibly better known as Cliff Richard's backing band, but they were originally part of a deluge of instrumental guitar bands in the early 60s. Most faded away and virtually none of the songs left a lasting impression. Except this one. It has endured the test of time; a scintillating western themed instrumental track evoking images of desolate spaces and wagon trains, John Wayne and Rio Bravo.

Watch it here.

3. Fleetwood Mac : Albatross
From the original incarnation of Fleetwood Mac when they were an Elmore James inspired blues band. I think I was about eight years old when I was first introduced to this track by my music teacher at the time (the dearly departed Mrs Godfrey). She asked the class to listen to it and imagine we were a bird floating on wind currents soaring above the ocean. I loved it the first time I heard it and Im still listening to it 30 years later.

Watch video here.

2. Van Halen : Eruption
If you are a rock guitar fan, this should need no introduction. Eddie Van Halen's mesmerising guitar solo warranted inclusion in its own right on Van Halen's eponymous debut album. Some guitar playing just defies belief. I could practice 18 hours a day for the rest of my life and never get close to being able to play this. Sublime finger picking skills, particularly the revolutionary (at the time) fretboard tapping. Ever the perfectionist, Eddie claims that he made a mistake in the studio version "at the top end" and to this day thinks he couldve played it better. You be the judge.

Listen to the studio version first here. But then watch a live performance (here), and if you are anything like me, you will be applauding by the end.

- and the number one instrumental of all time is.......

1. Link Wray & His Ray Men : Rumble
I think you could safely bet that 1 person in 100 knows this instrumental by looking at the title and artist. But 99% will recognise on hearing it. Its the brilliant piece of music chosen by Quentin Tarantino to accompany his famous Jack Rabbit Slims scene in Pulp Fiction. Link Wray was a guitar god who revolutionised the sound of the electric guitar virtually inventing the rock guitar staple known as the "power chord". He has been cited as an influence by no less a troupe as Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Duff McKagan, Marc Bolan and Neil Young. Peter Townsend went further saying that if it wasnt for Link Wray, he never would have picked up a guitar! After losing a lung to tuberculosis, Link Wray concentrated on instrumentals with this one becoming the most powerful, enduring and famous. Wikipedia reports that the song was banned on the radio for a time because it incited juvenile deliquency. Not bad for a piece of music with no lyrics!

See here for incendiary live performance.

Others considered for the Top Ten include :

Led Zeppelin : Moby Dick - here
Jimi Hendrix : Star Spangled Banner
Edgar Winter Group : Frankenstein
Mike Oldfield : Tubular Bells
Metallica : Orion
Jeff Beck : Bolero - here

Thats all for another month. But, 'Before we go' (as Kermit used to say), I thought I would invite submissions for NEXT months top ten. As we draw to the end of 2009, it becomes relevant to ask what were the Top Albums of the year? In the December issue I will outline my top ten albums for the year that was. Any suggestions dear readers? Leave me a comment or send me an email. Would love to hear your thoughts on the best albums this year.

Thats all for now.

Nevstar