Joy Formidable
A Balloon called Moaning
Cradle

Goldfrapp
Head First
shiny and warm

Canterbury
Canterburythankyou.com (go get the whole CD here!)
Set You Right

The Moons
Life on Earth
Promise Not To Tell

Draw Me Stories
Single
Becomes The Hunted

Sunshine Underground
Nobody’s coming to save you
Any Minute Now

Lostboy (aka Jim Kerr)
Lostboy
Refugee (advance listen)

Malachai
Ugly side of love
Lay Down Stay Down

We Have Band
WHB
oh

Two Door Cinema Club
Tourist History
What You Know

The Notes
Those days, those nights (single)

New Young Pony Club
The Optimist
Oh Cherie

Gorillaz
Plastic Beach
Rhinestone Eyes

Hot Melts
Hot Melts
God Will Drive My Hearse

Two Door Cinema Club
Tourist History
I Can Talk

The Courteneers
Falcon
Scratch Your Name Upon My Lips

Malachai
Ugly Side of Love
Blackbird

Gorillaz
Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach (vocals: Mick Jones & Paul Simonon of the Clash)

Los Camposinos!
Romance is Boring
I Warned you Do Not Make an enemy of Me

Ellie Goulding
Lights
Wish i stayed

New Young Pony Club
The optimist
We Want To

Groove Armada
Black Light
Look Me In The Eye Sister

Honour Before Glory
single
A Beautiful Reminder

Frightened Rabbit
The Winter of Mixed Drinks
nothing like you

Bad Lieutenant
Never Cry Another Tear
walk on silver water

Gorillaz
Plastic Beach
White flag

Hot Chip
one life stand
Take It In

Hot Melts
Hot Melts
24

This show is includes CDs #30 – #16..

Next week’s show (Dec 30) will have the best 2009 CDs from #15 – #1.

To listen to even more tracks from the artists below, go to 2009 Podcasts and do a search (“Edit”, “Find”) by artist name.

My top 30 CDs for 2008 are here.

——-

#30. Starting off (or ending off, depending how you look at it!) this year’s list is Victoria Hesketh. In 09 she popularized a new instrument that’s a digital tablet, called the Tenori-on. Her artist name, Little Boots, was given to her by a friend, because she has little feet. While this is the overall best song on the CD (and one I couldnt stop singing for about 3 days straight at one point this year, try as I might…) the CD is great electro dance music, with touches of old Madonna-style — which can get a bit cheezy at times but it’s a total ‘fun’ album you can listen to loud, or throw on a party in the background and everyone’s feet will subconsciously be tapping along… After this song check out her ‘New in Town’.

Little Boots
CD Hands (June release)
- Stuck on Repeat

#29. Liverpudlian’s by birth, but quasi-american in their musical style is #29. In the fall, I wrote a review for ExploreMusic.com. It’s one of the best rock/pop ones to come out in Fall 09.

Hot Melts
CD Hot Melts
- Edith

#28. Another best rock CD out this fall. Scots rock! The review’s here.

The Twilight Sad
CD Forget the Night Ahead
- I became a prostitute

#27. Wimbleton born, singer/songwriter Jamie Treays (Jamie T.). Often compared to Alex Turner (lead, Arctic Monkeys) but I don’t hear it…. apart from the northern accent – but you cld say that about many artists! His CD Kings & Queens came out in Sep, but later in the fall he got laryngitis which forced him to cancel his tour. People in OZ/UK & parts of Europe — you can NOW see him thru Feb. Rejoice!

Jamie T.
CD Kings and Queens (September release)
- earth wind and fire

#26 Editors are finally coming to Canada in 2010! Review of their new CD here. The track I chose below is representative of their overall sound. So if you like-a, then also go buy-a their “Back Room” CD too!

Editors
In this Light and On this Evening
- The Big Exit

#25. Calvin! Dance! Monkey! Dance! Electro dance king Calvin brightened up our clubs (and our livingrooms!) ah-gain this year with a follow-up to last year’s “I created Disco” (think Acceptable in the 80s…). You won’t sit still listening to Calvin. When not busy tweeting the odd rant, this boy’s producing for Dizzee on their Dance wiv me EP and Dizzee’s LP out this year (and also #18 on my list!). As a bonus – a great CD to listen to on my phone when I’m out shoveling snow…keeps me motivated!

Calvin Harris
CD Ready for the Weekend
- The rain

#24 Tricky (and F.L.A.’ers South Rakkas Crew) surprised the crap out of me near year’s end with this remix album of Tricky’s 08 CD “Knowle West Boy” (which itself scored on my list for Top CDs of 2008). I hesitate to say this remix is better than the original! Ah hell, it is. And keep your eyes peeled for Tricky to be back singing with his past group Massive Attack… looks like they’re all back on speaking terms. Hell I guess if Blur could muster it together this year, why not M.A.?

Tricky & South Rakkas Crew
CD Tricky meets South Rakkas Crew Review
- Joseph

#23. To the Lake District we go! And it’s Wild Beasts’ 2nd CD at 23. They received more critical acclaim for their latest oeuvre (to be fancy pants about it) than their 2008 Limbo Panto. While CD2 makes my best of list for 09, they’ve dropped a few spots from last year’s #15. Still enjoying the lead’s falsetto voice though..think it’d be tiring but no…

Wild Beasts
CD Two Dancers (August release)
- empty nest

#22 Esser’s swept up ‘do looks vaguely like a dark haired, male La Roux. This boy from Essex sings of daily life, nothing heavy, but enjoyable.

Esser
CD Bravaface (March release)
- Real Life

#21. This CD demonstrates what you can do creatively with music when you don’t give a shit what people think. Lo n behold it turned out great. A wonderful concoction of sounds and usual instruments (eg vaccum cleaner). Not for the close-minded! Itzzz ex-pair-ree-mental!

Micachu and the Shapes
CD Jewellery (March release)
- calculator

#20. AKA the Noise-ettes. Great voice leading us through the hybrid sounds of Amy Winehouse’s R&B/retro, with electric guitar pop, strings. The CD didn’t do commercially as well as it should’ve..here’s hoping this gets it more recognition.

The Noisettes
CD Wild Young Hearts (May release)
- saturday night

#19. And conversely, speaking of an artist that got *lots of attention this year, it’s Lily. She’s an attention-getter by nature but her witty lyrics and song content just elevate the whole. Now. If you havent heard of this versatile songwriter by now, it’s too late. She announced a couple of weeks ago she’s pulling out of performing for a couple of yrs and will start a start-up label. She can stir up a controversy like very few (think back to this year’s illegal downloading debate between artists) and she’s even better at stirring up a crowd as she did when I saw her at Septembers Bestival in the U.K.

Lily Allen
CD It’s not me it’s you
- everyones at it

#18. ahh the irony of Dizzee rappin in “Road Rage” about going around ‘being a trooper in his mini Cooper” when, I believe his preference is a Bentley! and also… didn’t Madonna write that line back in ’03 (Hollywood track)? Nonetheless, a great song (beep! beep! comin’ through!!) and an overall great CD. One for the rapper in you! This CD also reminds me of Scotland. Why? because I was there in September when Dizzee’s CD was coming/came out and there were ads for it everywhere and magazine articles galore.

Dizzee Rascal
CD Tongue ‘n Cheek (September release)
- road rage

#17. I first heard of them back in the summer when I got a free download of ‘Tell you So’ and I was hooked. It’s not often in summer I look forward to fall but the release of their album was one reason. Manchester has produced ah-nother great band (what do they feed those kids growing up??) CD favors walls of sound, Stone Roses moments and more.

The Longcut
CD Open Hearts (October release)
- repeated

#16. Winnners of the Glasto ’08 new talent competition, a band that also started their own label and run a monthly concert series ‘The Bronze club’ in London where fellow artists/musicians perform, and doing an interview interview with me at Bestival (!) has kept #16 pretty busy in 09. This eclectic band sounding of electro pop/funk/dance and more understand the importance of taking career in hand and staying connected to their fans. Lead Gwilym Gold said he wanted to be different, and this CD’s achieved that.

Golden Silvers
CD True Romance (April release)
- True Romance (True #9 Blues)

Stay tuned for Best of 2009, Part 2 of 2! it’s all coming on Dec 30!

Joe Gideon & the Shark
Harum Scarum
- Dol

Blue Eyed Shark Experiment
I’m still learning
- Generation

The Yeah You’s
Looking Through You
- 15 Minutes

The Victorian English Gentlemens Club
Love on an Oil Rig
- Bored In Belgium

Florence & the Machine
Lungs (deluxe version CD)
- Falling

The Maccabees
Wall of arms
- Love you better

The Kooks
- Victoria (Kinks’ cover)

Hot Melts
Hot Melts
- I wish I’d never been in love

Wild Beasts
Two Dancers
- Two Dancers

The Ruling Class
- Marian Shrine (single)

The Wallbirds
- Lying At The Side Of You (single)

Stereophonics
Keep calm & carry on
- Stuck in a rut

We Were Promised Jetpacks
These Four Walls
- Ships with Holes Will Sink

Wild Beasts
CD Two Dancers
- the fun power plot

Morrissey
CD Swords
- Good looking man about town

Ian Brown
CD My way
- Vanity Kills

Zero 7
CD Yeah Ghost
- Medicine Man

Gemma Ray
CD Lights Out Zoltar!
- Death Roll

Florence and the Machine
CD Lungs
- hurricane drunk

Simian Mobile Disco
CD Temporary Pleasure
- Audacity of Huge

Just Jack
CD All night cinema
- Goth In The Disco

Fanfarlo
CD Reservoir
- The Walls are Coming Down

Hot Melts
CD Hot Melts
- Fun

Frank Turner
CD Poetry of the deed
- Richard Divine

Jarvis Cocker
CD Further complications
- I Never Said I Was Deep

PLAYLIST

Just Jack
CD All Night Cinema
- Doctor Doctor

Basement Jaxx
new CD Scars
- raindrops

Joe Gideon & the Shark
new CD Harum Scarum
- Harum Scarum

The Twilight Sad
new CD Forget the Night Ahead
- Seven years of Letters

Johnny Foreigner
new CD Grace and the Bigger Picture
- More Heart and Less Tongue

Hot Melts
new CD Hot Melts
- 24

Golden Silvers
new CD True romance
- Another Universe

Since 92 Manchester puts on annual music industry convention called In The City (Inthecity.co.uk)
This yr it took place Oct 18-20. ITC aims to educate and inspire music artists/industry people.
There’s discussion panels on emerging issues in musician and up’n coming bands play. Four discussions this year have been podcasted.

I encourage you to check them out (itc.co.uk, then click podcasts) specifically one called The Importance of Being Idols. Panel is outspoken Jon McClure (Reverend & the Makers), BBC Radio DJ Tom Robinson, Steve White (drummer Paul Weller), Clint Boon (keyboardist Inspiral Carpets) and more…

The discussion focuses on the media’s dumbing down of artists into celebrities, the public’s responsibility/involvement in doing so, and the resulting decline of artistic creativity. An interesting part of the discussion focuses on a movement called InstigateDebate(.com) — about the public’s role to redirect/generate dialogue on ethical, international & domestic issues.

Youtubes of celebrities interviews on these topics are available. Interesting to note their range of knowledge, and comfort discussing such issues – some surprisingly in the know, others sad.

Go to:

www.youtube.com

Instigatedebate.com

And now…back to the music !

The Red Zoids
- I Am The Man (Single) — DOWNLOAD FREE RED ZOIDS TRACKS HERE
note: EP Kicking Screaming (out soon)

Frank Turner
new CD Poetry of the Deed
- Live Fast and Die Hard

Dizzee Rascal
new CD Tongue n’ Cheek
- Road Rage

Burn the Negative
new CD In the Atmosphere
- She Said She Said

Editors
new CD In This Light And On This Evening
- In This Light And On This Evening

Honor Before Glory
- Broken Bottles, Empty Hearts (single)

Have a groovy Hallowe’en week!! Go out there ‘n kick some ghost butt!!!!

SEE MY CD REVIEWS FOR THE ARTISTS BELOW IN RED on Canada’s Biggest Music Website:   EXPLOREMUSIC.COM (as of Thurs. Oct 22)

PLAYLIST:

Editors
New CD In This Light And On This Evening
- East Raw Meat = Blood Drool

The Twilight Sad
CD Forget the night ahead
- Made to disappear

Florence and the Machine
CD Lungs
- Girl with one eye

Hot Melts
New CD Hot Melts
- Happiness Is A Weakness

Just Jack
CD All Night Cinema
- The day I died

Jamie T.
new CD Kings and Queens
- Castro dies

Dizzee Rascal
CD Tongue n’ Cheek
- Chillin wiv da man dem (produced by Cage, NY rapper, found of The Weathermen)

Calvin Harris
new CD Ready for the Weekend
- Worst day (feat. US hip hop artist Izza Kizza)

Basement Jaxx (w/Santigoldl)
new CD Scars
- Saga

The Cribs
CD Ignore the Ignorant
- We Were Aborted

Echo & the Bunnymen
new CD The fountain
- Think I need it too

The Longcut
new CD Open hearts
- Repeated

Burn the Negative
CD In the atmosphere
- Change