The Decemberists - Make You Better (Official)

Live posting this whilst it's on the radio....I think I've needed to hear this quite a lot to grow to like it....but I have heard it a LOT. Not perfect but I do like the fact the verses are catchier than what passes for choruses in a lot of stuff around at the moment.

Barts 2014/5

I think War on Drugs won that. With a nice diversity of other stuff going on, which  I intend to explore.

I've got some good PC speakers now, so I'm going to try listening to more radio via the laptop, and use the Playlister thingy. Hopefully it'll give a more robust Barts 2015. I'll let you know how that goes

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.

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

http://www.theguardian.com/music/series/10-of-the-best

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.

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.

St Vincent

So as the leaves fall from the trees and young men's thoughts turn to best of the year lists, here's one that was criminally left off here at the time of release.

Mogwai - Teenage Exorcists

Heavenly in Hebden

2015 gig schedule get off to a surprisingly good start...