Resolutions: The 2011 Edition

It's a new day, a new year, and of course, some resolutions have to be made, if only to break them. This year, they are:

1. Shooting, Shooting, Shooting: Take the camera off auto-settings. Yes, I've taken some fab shots, but I've been lazy and not really got to know the camera well because I've used the auto settings a lot. Which means that I'm not really any more clued up than I was before, although I do know how to mess around with the white balance (although even then I've used those auto-settings). So it's a year of taking proper photos and getting to know the beast. TOH got me a fabulous wide-angle lens for Christmas so I will be trying to get the best out of that, too.
2. Cooking, cooking, and more cooking. And, in conjunction with 1, taking more photos of the results. We got a delightful Italian-inspired slow cooker book from these lovely people, and a new Nigel Slater, so I need to do more / take more photos of it. We've been good about trying new things, but I still think one recipe a week isn't much to ask, is it?
3. Reading, reading and more reading. Yes, every year it's the same, but still: I want to read more, and more "good" stuff. So, apropos of that, I want to read 5 off the Observer 100, as well as two each from the Booker and Orange shortlists. That'll do.
   
4. Looking, looking and more looking - at exhibitions. One of the best things about living in this city is, in theory, the availability and range of spectacular museums. Yet we almost never go. So I'd like to go six times - just six, for goodness' sake! So right now I'm signing up for information emails from various museums so that I know what's going on, when and where. Or, at least, I'm trying but the museum websites are a pain. I will persevere!
   
5. Solving, solving, solving. I would like to do three crosswords a week. That is all.

So that's it. Let's see how it goes.

Lagging Behind

Being jetlagged is really rather difficult for me (unlike my father, I seem unable to "just ignore it"). Being at home jetlagged while the Ashes is taking place in Australia is really, truly not helping me get over it.

It's been a bit of a tumultuous thing to get here, but snuggled up with the extremely lovely Betty the white & black cat by me, a cow patterned blanked, a glass of shiraz, cricket on and working away gently while absolutely full of turkey and turkey gravy sandwich, it's rather nice. Oh, and England having a 360 run lead while five down at the MCG doesn't hurt either.

2010: In Tunes

These are, at least for now, my favourite songs of the year.

1. Home - LCD Soundsystem. I was already falling more and more in love with this, and then saw it live - performed for the first time - at the Wellmont Theater gig in Montclair, NJ. The Murph felt he couldn't do New York I Love You, but You're Bringing Me Down in his home state of Jersey, so they did this instead - utterly perfect. And that was the point where I fell completely and utterly in love with it. And now it's my favourite song of the year, by miles. I love his ability to express doubt and ambivalence and fear and make it what's great about loving someone. I don't think there's anyone else who writes about friendship in quite the same way, and it's perfect on here:
   

   'Cause you're afraid of what you need
   Yeah, you're afraid of what you need
   If you weren't, yeah you weren't
   Then I don't know what we'd talk about

2. Turns Me On - Big Boi. A handful of tunes on Big Boi's album could have made this list, but this is by far my favourite.
   
3. Tightrope - Janelle Monae. One of the best videos of the year and, of course, written by Big Boi. But that's not only why I love it - her delivery is delicate and deft, and the result is so delightful - plus, of course, it gets the entire party moving. Brilliant.
   
4. Barbra Streisand - Duck Sauce. Bonkers song, bonkers video, bonkers everything and absolute genius.
   
5. Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do - Robyn. I wasn't as bats for this album as the rest of the known universe, but I absolutely love this. It's not exactly Che-levels of rebelliousness, but it's just great - a perfect juxtaposition of a catalogue of the (perceived) pressures of modern life with thumping beats, and then just a childish but heartfelt reaction. Perfect pop.
   
6. Flash a Hungry Smile - Mystery Jets. I can't help liking them - I don't know quite what it is given that they're quite cheesy, but I do, and the whistling in this just gets completely and utterly stuck in my head.
7. Why Does the Wind? - Tracey Thorn. I loathed Everything but the Girl for yonks, assuming they were just another twee band (before "twee" meant what it does now in terms of music). It took the glories of Protection, the single and even better, Better Things off Massive Attack's Protection for me to "get" the charms of Tracey Thorn's voice. I then started listening to Walking Wounded, and it became my running companion in the early 2000s - just glorious. Her voice sounds so simple, but has a wonderful ability to convey emotion without being OTT, particularly a soft, gentle yearning. I really liked her album - it was nearly in my top 10 this year - and this is by far my favourite track off it - just lovely.
   
8. Saturday Come Slow - Massive Attack. I wasn't entirely convinced by this album, but this is just lovely - yearning, and a wonderful use of Damon's voice - it's incredibly like that on Beetlebum, which also provided that low, huskier part of his range without the mockney stuff - which I love too, but this is a strikingly different sound.
   
9. Wile Out - DJ Zinc & Ms. Dynamite. Although I love a bit of Dy-Na-Mi-Tee, my favourite Ms Dynamite is still Booo!, and I just love her toasting - her voice is utterly perfect for it. Always nice to show a little love for DJ Zinc, too, who has managed to move away from drum & bass without much trouble.
   
10. Church - The 2 Bears. There's something of the Ian Dury about the strongly accented vocals, and it's just a joyful tune with bells in the background, the organ throughout, and then the uplifting vocals. It's lovely.

And now, of course, for my favourite remixes of the year...

1. Sincere - MJ Cole, remixed by Nero. This is an amazing dub version of Sincere, and it's also led to my being reacquainted with the original, which is as classic a piece of 90s garage as one could wish for.
2. Starry Eyed - Ellie Goulding, remixed by Penguin Prison. Everybody (quite naturally, given the dubstep fascination right now) went nuts for the Jakwob remix, which I do like, but I love this - so cheesy, but it pulses forward and cuts through the cloying sweetness of her vocals, as well as making great use of Theophilus London's vocals.
3. Riot Music - Don'ae - both the version mixed by Skream and also that by Shy FX. Both of these are wicked, frankly. That's all. Expect me to be the only person dancing to this at NYE, but I shan't care a jot, I tell you.
   

And a special mention for Jazzy Jeff & Mick Boogie's summer mix album which wiled away many summer evenings this year. Fab.

2010: The Albums

I was going to be a bit pathetic and not put these in an official order, but I think I have to.

1. I'm New Here by Gil Scott-Heron. The production is wonderful, his voice is glorious - it's not just spoken word, it's somehow blues and soul and soaked with pain and anguish and years of thought and abuse. And I love it. Absolutely magnetic.
   
2. Sir Lucious Left Foot the Son of Chico Dusty by Big Boi. This album is absolutely spectacular. Kanye may have got the plaudits and the nods from many, many lists of the albums of the year but this to me leaves it for dust. The production is inventive and playful, he sounds spectacular and it's funny, smart and just genius. Turns Me On and Tangerine are going to be on repeat for our New Year's party. Cracking.
   
3. This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem. Well, duh. I do love the Murph, we all know that. It's not Sound of Silver but, frankly, how could it be? Instead it's older, wiser, and Home is getting on for my favourite LCD track ever - at least, it's in the top 5. Maybe even top 3. Bliss.
   
4. Swim by Caribou. Apparently Mr. Caribou describes this record as sounds as if it were submerged in water and somehow, that just fits it beautifully. It has those slightly muffled qualities, and the warmth has that dazed, filtered sunlight feel to it. I love this - I've listened to it a ridiculous number of times and I find something interesting each time. It's got a really structured feel to it but it's not rigid - it flows, follows some pattern that I don't understand. Which makes sense, as the dude has a PhD in maths.
5. Dirty South Dance 2 by A Trak. Ok, so this is a mash up album so does it count? I dunno, but it's grand. I love the choices he's made on this, mixing up some seriously big hip hop names (Kanye, Ludacris), showing love for Kid Sister and then jamming them with house/dance tracks of the summer. TOH and I have listened to this a LOT this year.
   
6. Crazy for You by Best Coast. This was my album of the summer - just really good power 60s-style girl pop. It somehow sounds modern and fresh with this album, though, sort of like a Winehouse trick. Apparently they're amazing live, much edgier, so I'm going to try to grab tickets for her upcoming show with Wavves.
7. Cosmogramma by Flying Lotus. More dubby type stuff, with a fun, inventive streak. I wasn't sure about it at all at first then suddenly - bam. I've listened to it a lot at work. One of the ways I can tell I really am liking an album a lot is that it stays on the nano - now that I don't have that much space, I do have to use what I have judiciously. So there are certain things that I remove because I've not listened to them of late, although they may reappear later on. Cosmogramma has been on since I put it there, and it's not going to be removed any time soon.
8. The Magician's Private Library by Holly Miranda. So this is really, really not my usual type of thing, and TOH loathed it. But I like the breathy, magical and almost woozy feel to this. For reasons other than just the name it reminded me of The Magicians, which I read this year and really liked, and also of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - something about the fuzzying effect of magic in the real world.
9. Real Life Is No Cool by Lindstrom. Slinky disco house from Norway. It's ace. And, of course, there is a glorious aeroplane remix available of one of the tracks.
10. Foundation by Breakage. Came late to this, but I really like it - a bit dubby but tons of great breaks, basically - and anyone who collaborates with Roots Manuva is alright by me.
    

There were also a few albums that I love that are new to me, rather than new to the world in general. Newly discovered gems. And these I'm not going to number, but I do love:

• 1 2 3 by Pole. Sludgy dubstep from before dubstep was even invented. Mr. Pole made these three albums, now released together as one album, between 1999 and 2002, I think. They are stunning - sparse, cinematic, atmospheric and dark - absolutely remarkable. This might be my find of the year.
• Remain in Light / Speaking in Tongues by Talking Heads. I knew the hits, obviously, but this is the first time I've really listened to Talking Heads albums. And they're brilliant. The influence on bands I love (i.e. LCD) is quite remarkable.
• 5: Five Years of Hyperdub is a fantastic gathering of the best of the label Hyperdub's output so far. It's another one that hasn't left my pod since I got it - excellent to work to, apart from anything else.
  

And just to round this off, the artists I've listened to most in the past year, according to Last.fm, are:

1		Danger Mouse & Jemini			19
2		The Beatles			18
3		Arcade Fire			17
4		A-Trak			15
5		Big Boi			13
6		The Future Sound of London			12
6		Lykke Li			12
8		Talking Heads			11
8		Mystery Jets			11
10		Gil Scott-Heron			10
10		Simian Mobile Disco			10
12		LCD Soundsystem			9
13		Pantha du Prince			7
14		PJ Harvey			6
15		Portishead			5

1		LCD Soundsystem			1,101
2		Air			448
3		Thievery Corporation			434
4		Massive Attack			341
5		Richard Hawley			338
6		Friendly Fires			218
7		Slum Village			205
7		A-Trak			205
9		Radiohead			204
10		Caribou			196
11		Big Boi			191
12		Underworld			182
13		Daft Punk			167
14		The Streets			164
15		Flying Lotus			145

So there you go. Upcoming: gigs of the year and favourite songs. I bet you cannot wait.

Red Light

Behold!

Our very first Christmas tree. The cats have shown an almost complete lack of interest in it. Which is probably good for the tree but, I can't deny, a little disappointing. They did enjoy the threading of tinsel into the banisters, so that's something.