Saturday 20 December 2014

Steve's BARTS Nominations

Best Album
1. Royal Blood - "Royal Blood"
2. Smashing Pumpkins  - "Monuments to an Elegy"

Best Song
1. Royal Blood - "Out of the Black"
2. Royal Blood - "Loose Change"
3. Smashing Pumpkins - "Being Beige"

Best Musical Discovery 
My continued exploration of the works of Debussy and Bach
Mother Love Bone

Best Film
Never quite got round to seeing "Interstellar", so it's probably a coin toss between "Elysium", "Enders Game" or "Edge of Tomorrow"

Best Book
"2312" by Kim Stanley Robinson. But I want to read "Everyone Poos".

Best Gig
I'm going to see Neil's new band, The Retro Collective, who I believe are a blues combo, play on 27 December as part of my birthday celebrations. As this will be the only 'gig' I've been to this year, it would be rude not to nominate it.

Best TV Programme
After a bit of a dip during seasons 2 and 3, "Homeland" has seen a tremendous return to form for season 4. And Doctor Who, of course.

Best Radio
The digital one in my kitchen

Best Website
http://niccageaseveryone.blogspot.co.uk/

Best Sporting Moment
Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg at Bahrain Grand Prix.

Revelation
Spotify (ever late to the table)

Worst Purchase
Nothing springs to mind.

Best Child Related Thing
Toddler's week at Butlins seemed to go down well
2014 also saw Megan fully embrace Lego

Best Lifestyle Change
New clutch in the Watlingmobile

Sort
Rachel Riley


Person, People or Thing You’d Most Like to See Set Upon By a Pack of Wolves
Farage
That ISIS lot

The Winning Thing You’d Most Recommend Your Fellow Judges to Own/Have/Consume/Do
Signed up to Spotify on my office computer when the office radio packed up. A sound move.







Wednesday 17 December 2014

DarBartshire

Best album
War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
St Vincent – St Vincent
Royal Blood – Royal Blood
Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow
Pixies – Indie Cindy
Also liked Broken Bells, Elbow (in parts) and Metronomy

Best song

Future Islands – Seasons
Mogwai – Teenage Exorcists
Midlake – It’s Going Down
BBC - Luna 

Best musical rediscovery

Haven’t done much musical archaeology this year…didn’t even listen to much Morrissey (or buy his new album)

Best film

Nothing stand-out..Philomena, American Hustle, Captain Phillips and Gravity were the 2013 hits I saw on telly and were all good. It’s been kid’s films at the cinema so Frozen or the Lego Movie there.

Best book

Roy Keane – first 5 chapters

Best gig

Pixies/Royal Blood…a lovely summer’s day…kids with my folks…Laura on driving duties.

Best TV programme

This was the year we “did” Breaking Bad, so that
True Detective
The Trip to Italy

Best radio

I can now say with absolute personal experience and full confidence: Radconie

Best website

www.rightmove.co.uk

Best sporting moment


















Revelation
The flesh around the crown of my head

Worst purchase / disappointment
Morrissey’s autobiography…finished it this year and after a promising first 100 pages or so it descends into drivel.

Best child related thing

No longer having to deal with (daytime) nappies – some bum wiping still required.

Sort

Annie Clark

Person, People or Thing You’d Most Like to See Set Upon By a Pack of WolvesThe current Cabinet

The Winning Thing You’d Most Recommend Your Fellow Judges to Own/Have/Consume/Do
I know at least two of you are “doing” Breaking Bad…so I’ll say try and watch True Detective.  



Kelly - Barts 2014

Best album
War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
The Delines – Colfax
Gruff Rhys – American Interior
Elbow - Take off and Landing…
Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams

Best song
Future Islands – Seasons
Joan as Police Woman – Holy City 

Best musical rediscovery
Scott Walker – Scott 4

Best film
Blue is the warmest colour (very very rude)

Best book
Everybody Poos

Best gig
Prince at Leeds Arena

Best TV programme
Peaky Blinders

Best radio
Radconie

Best website
http://www.potato.org.uk/

Best sporting moment
Germany disassembling Brazil in the World Cup semi-final

Revelation
Sky +

Worst purchase / disappointment
The new Ray Lamontagne album is pants

Best child related thing
Self-service in the bottom-wiping department

Sort
The girl in a support band I saw: We Were Evergreen

Person, People or Thing You’d Most Like to See Set Upon By a Pack of Wolves
Farage

The Winning Thing You’d Most Recommend Your Fellow Judges to Own/Have/Consume/Do
Not watch Blue is the Warmest Colour in the company of extended family

Sam - Barts 2014



NB: These aren’t very well ordered, it’s more of a representative selection of music, and specifically music that it’s good to work to. So, it’s not necessarily all that challenging either…

Best Album
Future Islands - Singles
War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
Todd Terje – It’s Album Time
Gruff Rhys – American Interior
St Vincent – St Vincent

Best Song
Moz – Kiss Me A Lot
Marr – Money Money
Alvvays – Marry Me Archie
Lykke Li – No Rest For the Wicked
Mogwai – Teenage Exorcists

Best Musical Re-discovery
Beatles – Abbey Road
The 801 - Live
Dexy’s – Searching For the Young Soul Rebels
JAMC – Darklands
Gene Clark – No Other

Best Film
Not seen many. Er, How to Train Your Dragon 2?

Best Book
Joshua Ferris - And Then We Came To The End. It’s about an ad agency where everyone is slowly made redundant…

Best Gig/Event
War on Drugs

Best TV Programme
Horrible Histories

Best Radio Programme
Radconie

Best Website

Best Sporting Moment
Winning the title. Again.

Revelation
My eye-wateringly expensive office chair. Not a cure, but a real salve for back-knack.

Worst Purchase / Disappointment
I’ve tried very hard to love the new Elbow album. It’s a lot better, but something is missing still.

Best Child-Related Thing
Getting Cary on a proper bike. Family cycles (usually to/from pubs) are the future.

Best Lifestyle Change
Moving to what is hopefully home for the long term. Tonnes to do, but the luxury of time in which to do it properly.

Sort
Rachel Riley

Person, People or Thing You’d Most Like to See Set Upon By a Pack of Wolves
Lamacq

The Winning Thing You’d Most Recommend Your Fellow Judges to Own/Have/Consume/Do
Via Spotify I have listened to a greater variety of new (and new-to-me-music) music than I have for many years.

Sunday 14 December 2014

The Smashing Pumpkins - Being Beige (Audio)

I've been reluctant to post this after criticising the 6Music policy of abandoning critical faculties for bands of yore and praising their (usually uninspired) latest offerings....but this is a really good Pumpkins song and just a really good pop song.