The Oscars.

It's that day of the year when I stay up all night for the most glamorous night of the year. Well, essentially, it's Hollywood masturbating over itself with little gold statuettes, rewarding not the best films of the years, but the films that have built up 'momentum' by having a really good advertising campaign in the film capital of the world. As long as you take them with a grain of salt, they're great fun though, and there's no arguing that film history is made every year on this occasion. So, to celebrate, here's my set of predictions, and who I'd like to see win.


Best Picture
- 127 Hours; Black Swan; The Fighter; Inception; The Kids Are all Right; The King's Speech; The Social Network; Toy Story 3; True Grit; Winter's Bone.

What Should Win?
There's no doubt whatsoever in my mind that only one film is better than decent. There's only one film which everyone seems to love, there's one film which is funny, tragic, bittersweet, heart-wrenchingly beautiful, and a cinematic treat. Every element of Toy Story 3 is a winner, except for the fact that it's animated, which is why it won't win. Most of the rest are decent, the only three I'm not fond of are The Social Network, 127 Hours and Inception.

What Will Win? The King's Speech
What Should Be There? Shutter Island



Best Director
- Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan; Coen Brothers for True Grit; David Fincher for The Social Network; Tom Hooper for The King's Speech; David O. Russel for The Fighter

Who Should Win?
Not really bothered about this one really, all were competent but none shone through their filmmaking choices. They were all a little hit and miss. But I'll go for the Brit: Tom Hooper, whose carefully composed shots still leave me thinking, and he was able to create a really funny, deeply moving film about an unlikely friendship without ever being too sentimental.

Who Will Win? David Fincher
Who Should be There? Sofia Coppola for Somewhere


Best Actor
- Javier Bardem for Biutiful; Jeff Bridges for True Grit; Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network; Colin Firth for The King's Speech; James Franco for 127 Hours.

Who Should Win?
No doubt I'd be saying Bardem if I'd seen the film - but that's what will probably stop him winning tonight: he's in a little foreign film which nobody's seen (I missed the 3 day run it had at my cinema...) But as it happens, again, there's nothing I'm strongly passionate for. I'd probably go for Franco, who even in an awful film with one of the most poorly written characters of the year, created a compelling performance.

Who Will Win? Colin Firth
Who Should Be There? Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine


Best Actress
- Anette Bening for The Kids Are All Right; Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole; Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone; Natalie Portman for Black Swan; Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine

Who Should Win?
All of them! They were all uniquely powerful. An absolute beautiful set of nominees, and it's kind of a shame Portman will walk it, as they all deserve some recognition. At a push I'd say Kidman's my favourite for her most human performance in years: she left me in tears.

Who Will Win? Natalie Portman
Who Should Be There? Carey Mulligan for Never Let Me Go




Best Supporting Actor
- Christian Bale for The Fighter; John Hawkes for Winter's Bone; Jeremy Renner for The Town; Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right; Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech

Who Should Win?
There's no denying the vivacity of Bale or the heart of Rush. But for me, Ruffalo was the standout in a really strong cast.

Who Will Win? Christian Bale
Who Should Be There? Andrew Garfield for The Social Network



Best Supporting Actress
- Amy Adams for The Fighter; Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech; Melissa Leo for The Fighter; Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit; Jackie Weaver for Animal Kingdom

Who Should Win?
Amy Adams showed she was more than just a one trick pony who steals your heart with her cuteness. Her performance was a huge departure for her, and she should finally be acknowledged as one of the best talents of today. It's the most open cateogry: The Fighter's ensemble was really strong, but will the support split votes? Will Carter ride The King's Speech love? Will Steinfeld win for her determined performance? Who knows!

Who Will Win? I'll go for Steinfeld
Who Should Be There? Lesley Manville for Another Year!!!!!!! Duh...



Best Original Screenplay
- Another Year; The Fighter; Inception; The Kids Are All Right; The King's Speech.
Who Should Win? Another Year
 Who Will Win?The King's Speech
Who Should be There? Somewhere


Best Adapted Screenplay
- 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter's Bone.
Who Should Win? Toy Story 3.
Who Will Win? The Social Network.
Who Should be There? The Ghost Writer



Best Cinematography
- Black Swan, Inception, The King's Speech, The Social Network, True Grit
Who Should Win? Inception
Who Will Win? True Grit
Who Should Be There? Shutter Island



Best Editing
- 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, The King's Speech, The Social Network
Who Should Win? The Social Network
Who Will Win? The Social Network
Who Should Be There? The American

Other Predictions:

Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Best Foreign Film: In A Better World
Best Documentary Film: Inside Job
Best Short Film: Wish 143
Best Animated Short: Day & Night
Best Documentary Short: Strangers No More
Best Art Direction: The King's Speech
Best Costume Design: Alice In Wonderland
Best Makeup: The Wolfman
Best Original Score: The King's Speech
Best Original Song: We Belong Together, Toy Story 3
Best Sound Mixing: Inception
Best Sound Editing: Inception
Best Visual Effects: Inception

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch), The Temptations

Cos it's awesome.

The Basket, Guillemots

The reason I didn't post yesterday was because I was waiting for the song to come on Youtube...

When your favourite band disappoints, it's hard to know how to respond. Your immediate reaction is to try and find all the positives, convince yourself that it's actually the best thing they've ever released, and that it only seems a disappointment because they're doing something radically different.

This is what I tried to convince myself with Red, the second album from the multi-national, London based quartet Guillemots. Sure, it had some stand out songs, I'd still argue that Don't Look Down could stand side by side to their best songs, and that Get Over It was the perfect example of glittery pop of which they were striving to achieve. But compared to their majestic debut, and the couple of EPs that were released around it? Pffft. It was nothing. It was a band who clearly have some of the most interesting ideas at the moment, a band full of creativity and magic wanting to be just another pop band, and it often came off a bit too Sophie Ellis-Bextor for my liking.

I hoped that the Guillemots found this in their own work and will either revert back to the style of their debut, or do something else entirely for their latest album. And whilst we'll have to wait a month or two for that album, this song suggests they're somewhere in the middle. This is apparent from the opening, some 80s synth, some textured sound and Fyfe's voice inanely shouting 'ooooh-oooh-ohhh' over the music. There's then some reverby-bass accompanied by an acoustic guitar, quite the daring mix, but it sounds quite natural.

It sounds more like a B-Side from their last album called Throw Me a Sun, a song I'm quite fond of, crossed with Annie Let's Not Wait. But I hoped they'd left this style behind them. The more I listen to it, the more I'm intrigued by its sonic qualities, and I absolutely love the ending. I suppose it's made me even more interested in their third album, I just hope it doesn't all sound quite like this.

Love Me Do, The Beatles

What I intended to be a productive day resorted in me finally learning to play a tune on the harmonica. Sort of. It was the opening of this song, which when I was a wee teenager used to be my favourite Beatles song. It's very twee like most of their earlier poppy stuff, and my taste has since evolved so that I appreciate their more experimental, boundary breaking and essentially irreplaceable rock, but this is still a great simple sing-a-long tune.

Over My Shoulder, Mike N The Mechanics

For pure childhood nostalgia more than anything else. A bit of cheesy pop never hurt anyone, especially in the 90s...

Actor Out of Work, St. Vincent

Actor is kind of a concept album about a bitter relationship with a waster who (implicitly) commits domestic abuse (you're a boxer in the ring/with brass knuckles underneath). Yet the paradox is that St. Vincent still loves this man no matter how much he hurts her.

The song is filled with some wonderful lines such as "You're the curses in my teeth/You're the laughter, the obscene." It's the constant push and pull between the damaging effect of this man and how Vincent is laughingly mocking him - versus the ambiguity in the word laughter - is she laughing with him or at him? All of this tension is set to some crazy music, some really effective guitar work and the drums just pound away being very high in the mix whilst her voice just floats over it all quite angelically. It's hard not to fall in love.

Limit To Your Love, James Blake

As a side note, I wouldn't listen to this on your laptop speakers, it loses all of its impact. Make sure you have some heavy bass on or you'll completely miss out...

This song may not be his most creative, especially in comparison to his two earlier EPs. To start with, it's a cover of a Feist song, and through most of the song it's just James Blake singing accompanied by a piano. But it's when the bass kicks in that this song reveals itself. It's simply one of the best bass lines I've heard: it's so deep, so subtle, so groovy. And it's rare that this would get matched by such a moving vocal. It's this combination of the classical pop song with the modern; the popular colliding with the modern electronic scene which makes this song sound so fresh. It's so stripped back, so naked, yet so loud, so emotional. Quite easily one of my favourite songs of 2010.

I'll Take Care of You, Mark Lanegan

Lotus Flower, Radiohead

What else could I possibly blog about today? I woke up to some texts, messages on Facebook and Music websites all telling me that Radiohead's album had come out 24 hours earlier than expected, that date only being announced on Monday. I was so excited that there was no chance of getting back to sleep, even whilst nursing a horrible hangover. I realised I had to pay for the album, I think that's the first time I've paid for a download as if I buy music I'd rather have something to hold (hence I bought In Rainbows on a physical copy and downloaded it for free). But what's so great about Radiohead is the way they are almost changing how music is distributed single-handedly, and the inventive music on each release is so satisfying that millions of people will do what I did: wake up and become immersed in their album, which will most likely stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Whilst following this cultural internet trend, it's interesting how Radiohead's music is also engaging with current trends of indie/electro music. Lotus Flower seems a natural progression from the minimalist style of In Rainbows, but it seems to be inspired by artists such as Flying Lotus (an 'intertextual' reference in this song?) Four Tet and The xx, to create something uniquely their own, as they continue to sound fresh and new at the same time. The sound just swirls around your head and each moment is so detailed and textured which really rewards close listening. The bass is so groovy and subtle at the same time. The rhythm of the song is pretty insane, just beating away... It loops then halts, then starts afresh, continuing to  excite and engage the listener. It's insanely atmospheric and moody, yet there's a strand of optimism running throughout the new album - as demonstrated through the mood of the song and Yorke's chilling vocal - a daring move considering all their fans probably love them for their angst.

So, I urge you to turn up the volume, put the bass on high, switch off the lights and just listen for five minutes. It will be the most sublime five minutes of your day.

Gimme Shelter, The Rolling Stones

The opening is some of the best rock music ever recorded. It's iconic, relaxing and simply sublime. The whole song just has this pulse of anxiety which runs throughout it, the pounding guitar, the bluesy piano, the way the percussion becomes noticeable at certain moments, making it sound as natural as a heartbeat. The instruments gel more perfectly than in any other song I can think of. I love how the dynamics of all the instruments change, but it's barely noticeable. The key tension of the song is the relationship between war and love, drawing upon the anxiety of the era and Jagger's personal concerns regarding drugs. It's this combination of deeply personal addiction, and the inevitably of war which makes it so profoundly moving and engaging... It makes a great companion piece to Let England Shake. The use of the female vocalist is inspired, as is the way she builds up the power of the song so that her voice cracks, almost as if the nation and Jagger himself are cracking with her.

Of course, such a famous song like this carries powerful connotations, and for me, the primary connotation would be the films of Martin Scorsese, as he often includes it on the soundtrack to his gangster films. It is similar to his films in that it's uniquely likeable, stylish but capable of never losing its power or poetry.

Jubilee, Blur

I spent all day in London then was busy tonight, but whenever I have a few moments to myself in the capital, I always stick on the Parklife album. Bliss.

Everything Reminds Me Of You, Emmy the Great

Listening to a lot of Emmy recently, but not got time to write up about one of the more complex songs which I love. This is still great though!

Under Cover of Darkness, The Strokes

Was meant to post this a few days ago when I heard it for the first time. Fairly standard Strokes, in that it's extremely enjoyable catchy rock which will appeal to many, and pretty much a perfect example of what they're trying to achieve. It's somewhat moving and nostalgic whilst never losing sight of their gift for delivering melody. Sure their music is never groundbreaking, but it's always good fun.

Album Review: Let England Shake, PJ Harvey

The albums of Polly Jean Harvey’s are all radically different. Her last effort, 2007’s White Chalk, was probably her most radical yet, the songs were a poetic exploration of her relationship to her home county of Dorset, and she explored the highest registers of her vocal whilst using the piano for the first time. It was haunting, quietly gothic and quite disturbing. It comes as no surprise that Let England Shake was conceived around the same time as White Chalk, yet the sound is remarkably different, though the exploration of her home country is woven throughout both works. The primary focus of Let England Shake, though, is the subject of war.

The title of Let England Shake calls to mind the title of Paul Weller’s recent Wake Up the Nation, yet while Weller’s album reeked of a bitter old man making jibes about Facebook and the Queen, the strength of Harvey’s writing is that she avoids any such polemical writing. Instead, she reflects on the subject of War herself, and invites the listener to join her which provides the basis for a truly resonant listen. The album is not a take on current wars, but of all wars, recalling scenes from as far back as Constantinople, and she’s spoke in depth about the research she undertook about current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Though I’d argue that its main focus seems to be on the First World War, creating an album which no matter in which era you listen to it, it will no doubt yield all sorts of current connotations.

One main focus of War art is the effect of War on nature, and the destruction it causes the land. On The Glorious Land, the song is introduced by the call of a bugle, followed by Harvey asking in an almost mythical rasp ‘How is our glorious country ploughed? Not by iron ploughs/our land is ploughed by tanks and feet/feet marching,’ then later on Bitter Branches, one of the more conventional rock songs on the album, she shouts about the cruelty that nature is capable of ‘Twisting under/soldier’s feet/standing in lines/in the damp earth underneath.’ These verbal echoes are all over the album, creating a really harmonious collection of songs which are all the more interesting when listened to as a whole, showing PJ Harvey really understands the concept of an album. Through this example she considers both man’s destruction of nature, and also the effect of nature upon man in time of war. She never passes judgement on whether war is bad or good, she simply presents a heartbreaking picture of how war effects more than just man.

At the heart of the album is Harvey’s relationship with England, and how she possesses a deep bond to her homeland, even if she does not always feel at one with the country. On the heartbreaking song England she sings ‘I am a withered vine/reaching from the country that I love/England, you leave a taste/a bitter one.’ Again, the imagery of the vine recalls the lines from Bitter Branches, as does the lingual connection of the taste England leaves. She is therefore linking her relationship with England to how the nation treats its soldiers, mirroring how war causes you to reflect upon your nation just as Harvey is doing through the album. It seems apparent that Harvey is using the subject of War as a way of cathartically drawing analogies to her own tension with her homeland, as she explored previously on White Chalk.

Behind all this poetry is some beautifully heartbreaking music. Throughout the album there is a distorted reggae feel. Written on the Forehead, for example, has this swirling, William Orbit-esque dreamy guitar, almost as if she’s heading off to heaven, and on the title track there’s some really macabre percussion, the sadistic subject matter of the song is juxtaposed with this awfully light sound. Through this summery feel you are reminded of the exotic locations in which war often takes place, you can feel the sticky heat as the soldier’s did.  Also, through the diverse music she employs, you remember that war is not just something confined to your own nation, but a global phenomenon which affects everyone in eerily similar ways.

This album then is not just universal in terms of its subject and music, but through placing the album against war of all ages, it’s almost an album that’s just as much part of the present, as it is the past, and surely the future. It’s a majestic work of art which blooms with each listen and is her most haunting album yet. It’s as sad as All Quiet on the Western Front, as devastating as The Thin Red Line and as beautifully rich as the best war poetry. In Let England Shake PJ Harvey has created the definitive War album.

Favourite Thing, The Replacements

This song is so energetic and vivacious. It reeks of total abandon and has some really great lines (Yeah I know I look like hell/I smoke and I drink and I'm feeling swell) It's so rock and roll, drawing on some punk influences with a complete 'I'll do what the fuck I like' attitude which is surely what rock is all about. It then goes all romantic which is where the title comes from. Totally reminds me of winning on a night out, feeling absolutely ecstatic and euphoric after drinks and smokes. One of the simplest, shortest songs on perhaps the greatest rock album of all time.

Drive All Over Town, Elliott Smith

Because I ran out of time again... Silly me! Though I am still posting songs, which was the point of this blog, hope the five people who seem to be reading it are enjoying! I think I might do an album review of PJ Harvey's latest this weekend, so watch out for that! As a heads-up... It's super-good!

Multiply, Jamie Liddel

A bit of funky pop, again something a little simple. It's surprisingly rare these days to find an artist who creates a unique brand of soul/funk which owes itself to Motown, but Jamie Liddel draws upon the bitersweet spirit of the 60s record label to make some uplifting pop. As I've mentioned with a few people on this blog such as Monae and Flynn, I feel it's a shame Liddel is so overlooked. He is part of the more experimental record label Warp (home to mostly experimental electronic music) which could account for this, but he still does have a pocket of fans. It's 4 minutes of pop perfection.

Kentucky Pill, Johnny Flynn

This song is just so catchy and enjoyable, the closest Flynn comes to pop. I've always found his voice deeply soulful which lends itself well to when he's dealing with deeper subject matter, but this is one of his simplest tunes. Kentucky Pill is Flynn expressing how he loved his childhood games, and he uses it to express not just his nostalgia, but also those fleeting loves - not only when you were younger - but how romances come and go through your life. It's deeply romantic, moving and purely joyous. It's when listening to Flynn that you marvel at how his close contemporaries Mumford and Sons have had such success whilst he's glaring in the shadows, I don't mind though, Flynn is still a cherished artist for many.

Chips Ahoy!, The Hold Steady

This evening I saw The Hold Steady, it was a good evening and it topped off quite a busy weekend (hence this blog has been a bit shit...) BUT! I will be back tomorrow (hopefully) with a song you MUST listen to... I don't know what it is yet, but I trust myself to pick good songs. Anyway, in tribute to this wonderful band, I picked one of my favourite songs from them which was alotta fun live. Peace xxx

Band on the Run, Wings

I've been busy, but I've not given up on my blog... I like this song. I played it on Guitar Hero earlier...

Old Man, Neil Young

Beautiful...

Bottle Rocket, The Go! Team

I can't find the mix I listen to on the album on Youtube, and in looking for it I found a few different versions, but I think I prefer the ones with the vocal lower in the mix. Not because Ninja's not a Goddess, but with The Go! Team it's the melodies and instruments which do the talking. Have you ever heard a harmonica so euphoric as at the end of this song? Have you ever heard such uplifting brass? If you have, I'd love to hear when. It's simply euphoric, and The Go! Team never fail to lift my mood.

VCR, The xx (Four Tet Remix)

It struck me yesterday that since I've been posting on this blog, it's always been during the day. And I'm not sure if this is true for everyone, but what I listen to kind of changes according to the time of day, just as it does for certain seasons. Since this blog should be representative of what I listen to, I thought I'd post something I discovered last night, which is a remix of the first xx song I heard (probably about 2 years ago now) by the minimalist electronic musician Four Tet whose album Rounds I've just gotten into. Incidentally enough, they both attended the same school, along with Burial, who I will also mention in passing.

Firstly, it must be noted that this remix strips away the bare, naked sound The xx are associated with, and replaces it with a cheeky electronic beat. None of this takes away from the chilled out atmosphere though, even if the atmosphere might be completely different. Besides the obvious electronica which Four Tet brings to the song, what's most impressive is the way they mix the vocals. On the original, which I have also posted for those who haven't listened to it (where have YOU been?!?!), it's the stark contrast between the female and male vocal which is so astounding. But in this version, they are brought together, and are mixed so that the song carries a specific distorted sound which you'll find is really common in both Four Tet's music, and is becoming a trend, not only in electronic music such as work by Burial and James Blake, but also being incorporated into some modern folk music by musicians such as Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens. It's a sound I'm extremely fond of as through producing vocals in such a way, it can paradoxically cause them to be more affecting than they originally were - the vocal now becoming a texture, and more of an instrument than it once was, becoming something that can be played around with in post-production.

It's about three times as long as the original, but that's a quality I really like, it kind of meanders without purpose, but at 3am, it's perfect listening - just allowing you to escape into this little slice of electro music without having to think about what you're going to put on next, you can just sit and relax for a bit.

Four Tet's minimalist electro is a huge contrast to The xx's original sound produced through organic instruments, and though it probably loses some of the impact and a lot of the sweetness of the original, I feel these two artists compliment each other wonderfully.