2007 Top Picks Number 2 - Radiohead

After making last year's number 1 album (and in my opinion a contender for best album of all time) Thom Yorke returns.

This time the band is back and Radiohead had in mind not just to make great record but also to revolutionize the music industry while they were at it. There's been lots of commentary on the way that Radiohead distributed inRainbows (customers chose how much they wanted to pay for an MP3 download from the band's website). As a huge fan of Radiohead with an equal passion for change in the stodgy music industry this was all pretty exciting for me!

Luckily, along with all the hype about a wave of the future for the music industry, the record itself is drop dead brilliant. A return to form after the somewhat disappointing Hail to the Thief. All of the (by now) classic elements of Radiohead are there. Intricate melodies, perplexing harmonies, more than a nod to electronica and Thom's enigmatic take on the world. Production-wise the album has most in common with Amnesiac or OK Computer where the abstraction and samples augment rather than dominate the songs.

From the driving two-step of opener 15 Steps to the straight out rock and roll of Bodysnatchers via a good dose of melancholic beaty on Nude this is an album that refuses to be pigeonholed and demands to be listened to, again, and again, and again. The day that I downloaded it I listened almost continuously back to back and have been doing that on and off for the last few months. Pippa and I are off to see them live next year and I hae to say that I am incredibly excited about that. In the meantime, here is my current favourite:

Radiohead - Reckoner

With a tear in our eye we say goodbye to an old friend

On February 1 AOL will cease developing the Netscape browser. I guess this is no surprise as the browser hasn't been core to the AOL strategy for a while and Netscape has slumped to a <1% market share.

That said, this is a sad day for many of us who were introduced to the Internet within the confines of a Netscape branded window. At it's height it commanded a 90% share of the browser market. My college and my first employer would consider nothing less than the classic Navigator for access to the Web. But then the browser wars came and we all know how that turned out.

I guess that the Netscape we knew and loved really lives on as Firefox, but it's not the same, and I for one will be shedding a small tear come February.

2007 Top Picks Number 3 - Arctic Monkeys

In a minority of 1, I wasn't a big fan of their first album. I liked I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, but that was about it. Fortunately for me, Pippa is a huge fan and so it went without saying that there would be a copy of this album in our household from the very day it was released.

And boy am I grateful. This is the best straight-up no-nonsense rock record I have heard in years. It seems that over the last year the boys have been learning to channel their energy and talent. And in doing so they have produced an album that is at once more energising, more thoughtful and beautifully crafted. Like the best punk records of the 70s (think Buzzcocks et al) it makes you want to jump around like a madman; and like the best indie records of the 80s (think Echo and the Bunneymen) it makes you sit down and listen. I guess the closest comparison for me is The Jam.

Anyway, every track is an absolute killer, from the opening rabble of Brianstorm to the mellow closer Back to 505. Alex Turner's lyrics are always keenly observed and full of knowing witticism. He bends the English language to his own will.

My personal favourite is Do Me a Favour. Mainly because it exemplifies everything that makes this a great album in 1 song. A great melody, cunning lyrics and a crescendo that never fails to get me yearning for a bit of carnage! Here's a live version for you to enjoy.

2007 Top Picks Number 4 - The National

I came across The National via a banner on the emusic homepage. What a well targeted and serendipitous piece of merchandising that turned out to be...

Boxer is a really beautiful album. Reminiscent of The Smiths at there most melancholy or early mournful REM. Each song is like a lovingly hand-crafted piece of jewellery. Something about The National insistently whispers 'hand made'.

What sets this apart from other well written, well played, tightly produced rock music is Matt Berninger's wonderful crooning. A voice that is all syrup and smoky jazz bars, he could sing the newspaper and I would queue up to listen. A modern day Ian Curtis to rival even Editors front man Tom Smith.

Highlights are plenty, but include the insistent rhythmic intensity of Brainy and the sombre, imperious Guest Room.

Am at my inlaws right now so I can't post an MP3. I'll make sure a sampler is available later next week.

Homer Simpson Takes a Picture Everyday for 39 Years!

Violin playing robots - the future is happening

I'm absolutely astonished. This is such an incredible piece of engineering. It's the swaying that makes it scary!

2007 Top Picks Number 5 - dntel

After the marathon listening opportunity afforded by 20 hours flight-time between London and San Francisco last week it's time to get cracking on the Top Picks.

The Top 4 seemed to pick themselves this year (though wrangling over the specific order still remains). Given the single remaining spot and the rock-focus of the other four albums I really wanted to pick something on the electronic side of life for number 5.

Sadly though, it's not been a vintage year for electronica in my music collection. There have been some stand out tracks (To Build a Home by Cinematic Orchestra; pretty much anything on Alarm Will Sound's Acoustica) and a few near misses (the techno rush of the first 3 tracks on Cross by Justice that sadly could not be maintained for the full hour). But it's been a light year for the electronic opus.

One band that pulled it off was Jimmy Tamborello's dntel. Dumb Luck is a quiet masterpiece. It's an album that is as expansive as it is intimate. An album where folky little tunes meet all manner of electrickery. An album that recasts filters and compressors as the essential instrument of melody.

Take the title track's use of static washes to back it's whispered, self-doubting vocal. The white noise perfectly frames and enhances the acoustic guitar and adds clarity to the vocal. The mix is perfect, with not a single level out of place.

And every track has this magical quality. Using chaos and noise to showcase the beautiful, delicate structure of the underlying song. Bringing it to the front rather than drowning it out.

A real star track is 'Breakfast in Bed'. The lyrics are touching and bitter-sweet. The instrumentation is full of sexy gulps and bass with a crackling rhythm section. It come together as one of those perfect 'what John might have sounded like if he hadn't died' pop moments.

'Back in new York they can never find this out.' I disagree. Tell the world.

Breakfast in Bed - Dntel

Heroes - It's all over in the UK

So, Pippa and I have been pretty obsessed with Heroes over th last 20-odd weeks and tonight, in the UK, Series 1 finished.

The final episode lived up to expectations and set the stage nicely for Series 2. As ever it was the mix of fantastic events and human frailties.

Can't wait for the next series. Bring it on. In the mean time here's a bit of Bowie to keep you going.

Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, an iPod?

I spent the week in San Francisco this week. I love coming over here to soak up the city and drink a bit of Googleplex Kool Aid.

On the mandatory Saturday shopping trip I came across this amazing vending machine in Macy's basement (sorry for the picture quality, the camera on my Blackberry has not been all that well looked after).

That's right, it's a vending machine iPods. Everything from a set of headphones all the way up to a 160GB iPod Classic or even the sexy new iPod Touch.

Genuinely amazing. $400 consumer electronics consumed in the same way as we might get a coke. Times they are a changing...

Squirrel on a Impossible Reggae Mission

This video completely reminds me of my youth watching Tomorrow's World and other informative (!) programming from the BBC.

Sorry about those ads...

I'm experimenting with feedburner's ad system. that last post had some pretty ugly ads on it. I've changed the settings so we'll see how this works out...

Now I can post a video straight from YouTube

nice...