A Celebration of a Decade of Musical Discovery

As 2009, and The Noughties, draw to a close, I'm left considering what albums over the last 10 years deserve the accolade of being called "The Best." After buying Q's Artists of the Century issue for the interviews with Robert Plant, U2, Brandon Flowers and the green guy from Gorillaz, I was appalled to discover that Amy Winehouse's Back To Black was voted Number 1! Just because the leader of the Lib Dems and Tom Jones say it is, doesn't make it true! In order to combat this abomination, I'm going to provide my own list, and if you agree/disagree in any way, let me know! As long as you don't try to discount my opinion, I won't force mine upon you. This is the entire point of my list, that everyone has their own opinion, and I'm just letting you know what mine is.

Here we go! This list is alphabetical order, it's too difficult to choose a Number 1:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug (2009)
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2002)
Daft Punk - Alive 2007 (2007)
The Killers - Sam's Town (2006)
Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004)
Noel Gallagher - The Dreams We Have As Children (2009, but recorded in 2007)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf (2002)
The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures (2009)

2 of these albums are live, so I'm not sure if they'd count, so if not, I'd replace them with U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004) and Kasabian's West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009).

My favourite compilation album is a toss-up between Morrissey's Greatest Hits or the soundtrack album to (500) Days of Summer, the best movie soundtrack by a country mile.

Well I hope you like the list, and the main thing is it gets you thinking about your own! I love nothing more than sitting and listening to an album from start to finish. Once I finish The Strokes, I think Sgt. Pepper needs another listen!

Also, with festival announcements already underway, I'm now in the middle of a battle to rustle up money to get a ticket for Isle of Wight next year. The Strokes, Jay-Z, Blondie and Pink have already been announced, and I bet you can guess who I'm most looking forward to! Wish me luck!

Darren out, saying you stay classy... Planet Earth!

Thom Yorke

Just a quick post about the Radiohead lead singer...

Isn't the guy just awesome?

Darren says don't worry, be happy.

----------------
Now playing: Thom Yorke - The Eraser
via FoxyTunes

"And there was much rejoicing."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enSYlCEz5VI

Ah, Messrs. Chapman, Jones, Idle, Cleese, Gilliam and Palin, I salute you. Yes, I've just watched The Holy Grail for what seems like the 20th time, and it's just as funny, if not more so than when my Mum and Dad gave me the Python films boxset for my 16th birthday. Maybe it's because I'm older I understand the jokes a hell of a lot more (I remember the first time just laughing at "Ni!") and because I learned to respect what each member's done since The Meaning of Life:

Terry Gilliam: Directing the WONDERFUL Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas (It's influence extends to the top of this very page!)

John Cleese: Basil Fawlty. What else can I say?

Terry Jones: Made a number of documentaries and written a number of books (One of which he wrote entirely naked).

Michael Palin: Travel shows, books and also appeared on Home & Away. If that's not a career-defining role, I don't know what is.

Eric Idle: Wrote Spamalot, co-created The Rutles, and basically done a hell of a lot of voice acting.

Graham Chapman: Sadly no longer with us, he did appear in the video for Iron Maiden's "Can I Play With Madness" as a strict teacher. I like the irony in that.

So as you can all tell, I'm a Python fan! British comedy's often had its hits and misses, which I'll no doubt list at some point in the future, but I'll spare you that for the moment.

Think I might watch Pulp Fiction, since I found out yesterday that the co-writer's in prison for manslaughter...

Here's a new feature I'll be starting, well, now, I suppose!
Fun Fact: Did you know Life of Brian wouldn't have been made if George Harrison hadn't given £3 million to fund the film?

Aren't The Beatles fantastic?

Darren says look both ways when crossing the road...

----------------
Now playing: Thom Yorke - The Eraser
via FoxyTunes

"I Think Before My Days Are Done, I Want To Be A Fisherman..."

If you know what song that line's from, leave me a Facebook comment and I'll be very happy :)

I have a problem with TV these days. You can't go half an hour without Jeremy Kyle shouting in your face, a TV chef complaining about having to COOK in the jungle. I'm not happy. I wish we had more US shows over here, some of the best shows in the last few years have came from America. Please, for your own sake, bear this list of shows in mind when you're looking for something new to watch:

Modern Family
The Office
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
South Park (Not strictly new, but the latest season is brilliant)
The Cleveland Show.

Watch these, and you'll thank me greatly.

Also, I'm listening to a hell of a lot more, well not all new, but bands I hadn't listened to very often before, so that counts, I'm sure. Primus' Frizzle Fry, Weezer's Maladroit and Thom Yorke's solo album, The Eraser, are all worth listening to.

I'm off to watch Season 5 of Seinfeld on DVD, still far and away the best TV show of all time, only because I've never seen The Wire, Battlestar Galactica or The Sopranos.

DH says Relax...

----------------
Now playing: Weezer - (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
via FoxyTunes

New Moon

Yesterday, I went to see New Moon with Kirstie, honestly not expecting much at all, basically counting down the days until Avatar comes out... I left having been very pleasantly surprised at how quite good it actually was, although the slow motion walking and the general toplessness was a bit far, but then again, I'm hardly the core audience, am I? Overall, the film was pretty decently written, sticking pretty close to the book, although the introduction of Harry Clearwater's death scene (which you don't see in the book) let me hear Thom Yorke's "Hearing Damage," which is on the soundtrack CD, and I LOVED IT!! The entire soundtrack fits very well, and I think I'll be looking out for the majority of the artists on it very soon.

Anyway, I'm watching the Scientology South Park episode, I love taking the piss out of organised religion, especially one made up by a science fiction writer!

Here's the Final Thought... "How amazing are Led Zeppelin?!"

Hunter out.

----------------
Now playing: Thom Yorke - Hearing Damage
via FoxyTunes

Supergroups

I'm going to start this off by listing my favourite supergroups:

Cream
JOURNEY!!!
Traveling Wilburys
Temple of the Dog
A Perfect Circle
Audioslave
Velvet Revolver (my taste changes often enough I'll eventually like them again)
Monsters of Folk,

and finally, the newest my list, Them Crooked Vultures. Members from bands like Nirvana & Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl), Queens of the Stone Age & Eagles of Death Metal (Josh Homme) and Led fucking Zeppelin!! (John Paul Jones) released their album on Monday. And I have to say, it's utterly epic. There's not one track of filler, but the standout songs for me have to be Gunman, Spinning in Daffodils or Elephants. Truly brilliant album.

Also, Blur had a live CD in the Sunday Times today, bought it just for the CD, then binned the paper, being the RIGHT THING TO DO... Loved listening to it though, brought me right back to T in the Park, how wonderful are Tender and The Universal?

Well, that's me for however long it'll take to find something to praise/rant about.

Bye for now, DH.

The Wonderful Surprise of Live DVD Announcements

Within 2 weeks, I happen to find out, out of the blue, that 2 of my favourite all time bands, Metallica and Kings of Leon, are both releasing live DVD's, with KOL's being released in, say, half an hour, and Metallica later on in the month. I already knew about the Killers one though, because it was well enough advertised. I already have Cunning Stunts, Metallica's '97 live dvd, which had a guy run across the stage while on fire, which was cool, and the new one's filmed in the same place as Rammstein's, so you know it's a cool venue. Yeah, metal...

Also, "The Scottish Foo Fighters" (That's Q's statement, not mine) Biffy Clyro also release their new album in half an hour, and it's going to be off the chizain! Bloody love Biffy, me...

Never thought I would, either, but Foo Fighters' Greatest Hits cash-in single, Wheels, is actually fantastic!

Right, I need to finish this can of Monster and head off...
Bye for now, DH

----------------
Now playing: Them Crooked Vultures - Mind Eraser, No Chaser
via FoxyTunes

The Thick of It

Just after watching In The Loop, thinking, this can't get any better, along comes series 3 of The Thick of It. Major creamage.