Canterbury
Canterburythankyou.com
Friends We’re More Like a Gang

These New Puritans
Hidden
Three Thousand

Deluka
Deluka EP
Mixed Message

La Roux
La Roux
quicksand

Wild Beasts
Two dancers
Empty nest

The Cribs – interview excerpt

The Cribs
Ignore the Ignorant
- save your secrets

The Clientele
Bonfires on the Heath
Share the Night

The Harmonics
Eight Miles High (single)

Joe Gideon & The Shark
Harum Scarum
Hide & Seek

Florence and the Machine
Lungs
I’m not calling you a liar

Maccabees
Wall of arms
one hand holding

Ian Brown
My Way
so high

The Cribs are an enthusiastic guitar rock band from northern England (Wakefield) made up of 3 brothers’ Jarman.  In ’08 Johnny Marr (ex The Smiths’ guitarist) joined the band after a ‘tenure’ with Modest Mouse.  And now I love the Cribs even more!

They started in ’02 and 4 albums later I had the pleasure of hearing their best CD to date – Ignore the Ignorant, out in Fall ’09. Actually listened to it on the train ride hom….whoops! back up to London, after being at Bestival (Isle of Wight).  It was wonderful to listen to great UK “indie” rock whilst (might as well use full-on ‘english’ here!) watching the english countryside zip by.   Btw, their next best CD is New Fellas (#2) with Men’s Needs… being their 3rd best and probably most ‘commercial’.

They played Toronto Jan 15. And apparantly, The Cribs loved it there.

My gig review here. Interview discussion points are below.

Interview & Band pics here: (unfortunately Marr was absentia from all interviews).

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During the interview lead singer / guitarist Ryan and I discuss:

- what he considers the most important thing about live shows
- how he acquired the necklace he’s always seen wearing these last few months
- the changing music term ‘indie’
- his impressions of NME magazine calling The Cribs “the biggest cult band in the world”
- their approach to gain bigger audience while dealing with the music biz B.S.
- what they’d be doing if not being The Cribs
- his relationship with girlfriend Kate Nash
- Kate’s present & future plans now that her 2nd CD is officially ready for release
- Ryan and Kate’s shared values, such as the treatment of women in the music industry

But first, we dive right in with a quick discussion wayyy back to 2007 – on a specific gig and Ryan comments about the Southampton Guildhall, UK.

ps. sorry about the bit of background noise. Brothers Gary and Ross were also being interviewed simultaneously in the same room!

More UK Artist Interviews with Tara O. (eg, La Roux, Arctic Monkeys, Florence (and the Machine), Friendly Fires, Elbow, Glasvegas, Paolo Nutini, and more!

My interview with lead vocalist & guitarist Ryan Jarman & pics with the band will be posted this week.

In the meantime here’s a review.

I’ve been following The Cribs since ’05 New Fellas CD (great classic Cribs guitar rock except last 2 songs or so). Saw them in UK in ’07 (this is what I talk to Ryan about at the beginning of the interview -coming soon) and they were cray-z. Lying on the ground, while spinning around on their hips; extended crowd surfing — both of these were really missing at the TO show save a couple of short lean in to the crowd by Ryan) and just no mercy for their guits. If I remember correctly, one of them even broke a string.

This time at Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, while still full-on energy, improved vocals, and of course the addition of the talented o so cool-lean-back-old-style-mancunian Johnny Marr (a bit more guitar never hurt anyone ), I didn’t *quite get my ‘craziness’ fill.

But for $20 and the opportunity to see a legend (the Smiths’ guitarist Marr) and, to hear played live a whole new CD’s worth of music (their best one yet), it was well worth the admission price. They played tracks from all albums with emphasis on the most recent.

Phoenix was full (sold out?) but there was breathing room at the back which still offered a great view. The lack of Encore was quiky (and missed) and people hanging around afterwards had differing opinions on which parts of the show held up best.

FYI Here’s another good review

http://www.chromewaves.net/2010/01/the-cribs-at-the-phoenix-in-toronto/

The Victorian Englishmen’s Gentlemens Club
Love On An Oil Rig
- The Venereal Game

The Cribs (have any questions for them when I interview them Jan 15?)
Ignore the Ignorant
- last year’s snow

Stereophonics
Keep calm and carry on
- Innocent

Delphic
Acolyte (CD release: 11 Jan)
CD Review
- Doubt

Johnny Foreigner
free 2010 EP download
2009 CD Grace And The Bigger Picture
- dark harbourzz

La Roux
CD La roux
- In for the kill

Basement Jaxx
2010 CD Zepher
- where are we now?

Tricky
Tricky Meests South Rakkas
- Joseph

Toddla T
Fabriclive 47
- Lonely Days (Drums of Death remix)

The Heavy
The House That Dirt Built
- Sixteen

Editors
In This Light And On This Evening
- The Big Exit

Tindersticks
new CD Falling Down a Mountain
- no place so alone

Just Jack
All night cinema
- 253

Ian Brown
My way
- Just like you

The Cribs
Ignore the Ignorant
- we share the skies

Mr Hudson
Straight no chaser
- instant messenger

Advantage
EP Future Echoes
- Future Echoes

Deluka
Deluka EP
- Wake me up

Arctic Monkeys
Crying Lightning EP Itunes
- i havent got my strange

Noisettes
Wild young hearts
- Cheap kicks

Delphic
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8441316.stm
Acolyte (CD out Jan. 11)
- This Momentary

Basement Jaxx
Scars
- what’s a girl gotta do

La Roux (stay tuned for your chance to win show tickets on Feb 6!)
www.bestartvinyl.com
La Roux
- Fascination

Simian Mobile Disco
Temporary Pleasure
- Synthesise

Toddla T
Fabric live 47
- Stepping Stone (with Duffy)

The radio show / podcast of the best CDs of 2009 #30-#16 is here.

2009 Picks for the best CDs are selected amongst LPs only (as much as I loved some EPs this year….) AND based on the album’s overall quality — these albums below don’t just have 3 or 4 good songs on them – it’s a solid album that’s worth your download or walk-into-a-store-and-purchase time.

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.
——-

#15. Congrats to Canterbury – a group fresh out of the waters of 2009 – for recently celebrating over 10,000 free downloads of their CD. And while it’s gratis don’t think this is some ‘nothing’ CD that a bunch of wankers smashed together for no good reason. This is the type of CD you, we, *I should be out paying $ for… (using the money we *should get back from some of the baddies we *did buy this year!) . But thanks to ferocious competition and marketing these boys have pulled a smart move in ’09 by offering the 1st one and hopefully hooking us on their next one… We’ll be hearing more from them on the show in new year

Canterbury
CD Thank You (Free CD)
- take me out of the wall

#14. I must’ve played about half this album in ’09. Feel free to check past podcasts for the tunes from these Glaswegians.

Wake the President
CD You can’t change that boy
- Remember fun?

#13. Sounding a little like Arcade Fire are we? Well, they are sharing the same producer – but seriously, a beautiful album.

The Maccabees
CD Wall of Arms (May release)
- Love you better

#12. Welsh band SFA said this CD is meant to be played at outside venues only…sorry boys ..you’re indoors on the radio today! The CD is Led Zep, Jim Noir, Beach Boys and Thievery Corporation rolled into a summer ball of fun – with a few german lyrics just ta mess wit ur head! It’s prog, it’s art rock, it’s pop …. and it’s good.

Super Furry Animals
CD Dark days light Years
- white socks flip flops

#11. Pop Noise Records is the company that made the intellingent move to get behind Some Beans (AkA Andy Fonda). Thank you Pop Noise for supporting Andy who writes, play, and produces the CD (o you lay z lay z boy!). Almost every track is a pleasure. Think Portishead, Buck 65, Cut Chemist…. If you like this track, you’ll like the others that style between low-fi/ambient/electr/jazz/pop.

Some Beans
CD Fear and loathing in Tipton St. John
- Turning Blue

#10. A highly underrated CD of indie rock. It’s like well thought out twee with a fun twist … and lyrics you really you need to stop and listen to cause there’s actually some meaning in them (go figure)!

Art brut
CD Art brut Vs satan
- am I normal?

#9. Dance punk at its best! A new band from Carlisle, UK. Burn the Negative

Burn the Negative
CD In The Atmosphere (May release)
- she said she said

#8. My review of their CD on their website

The Lightyears
CD London, England (Jan. release)
- I’m not

#7. She redefined 80′s retro music (is that possible? …she re-retrod-retro?). A fun CD but don’t be fooled – there was many years of work gone into the making – hear about this and more in my 2009 interview with La Roux.

La Roux
CD La Roux (June)
- tigerlily

#6. The addition of Johnny Marr only makes this rock band even better than they’d already be with their 4th go around on a CD. Read my full CD review here. Stay tuned for my interview with them in Jan/10.

The Cribs
CD Ignore the ignorant (Sep. release)
- cheat on me

#5. My 2009 interview with Arctic Monkeys (Alex & Jamie). Artistic integrity & evolution was their goal for their 3rd CD and they did achieve it. …. yet in the back of my mind I can’t always help wondering if they reeaally needed to go to the Cali desert & NY to find it – considering all the production talent back home (granted some production was Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford). Nonetheless a great rock music output that shouldn’t have scared away as many base fans as it did – it’s just that this CD took a few more ‘go-rounds’ before you went ….yeah baby!

Arctic Monkeys
CD Humbug (Aug. release)
- Cornerstone

#4. My 2009 interview with Doves at the U.K. festival “Bestival”. My fav interview of the year??? I almost died from a cold waiting for them but it was worth it! The interview pics alongside the audio will give you the whole crazy fun.

Doves
CD Kingdom of Rust (April release)
- The Greatest Denier

#3. Great scots! …and just like the band in my #1 spot, they were early out of the gates in ’09 and held the bar high for all that followed. Every song on the CD (but one) is great. Even the slow song Katherine Kiss Me fits well. Do I like this CD better than their changed-the-music-landscape-and-reminded-the-world-where-scotland-was- 2004 debut album? .. hmmmm…..

Franz Ferdinand
CD Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Jan. release)
- no you girls

#2. My 2009 interview with Florence.I think I played almost every song off this album and some twice over. She’s got a gorgeous, emotive, and powerful voice, well drafted lyrics, songs from the quirky to the serious to the surreal, Flo is an entertainer and a dreamer all wrapped into one. My full album review is here.

Florence and the Machine
CD Lungs
- I’m not calling you a liar

#1. A great CD out from the gates in 2009. Wondered all year if it’d be topped and the answer came back 11 months later. Nope. Well Harry Mcveigh, Jack Lawrence Brown and Charles Cave, all in their early 20s gave us a complete, well rounded, well orchastrated, fabulously lyricized (is that a word?) album – carrying the gamut of emotions. 2010 is supposed to bring more work from these boys. I can hardly wait…though I’ll try (try) to temper expectations… and if they never produce anything better than this, I’ll still be happy for this one. My interview earlier this year with songwriter Charles Cave.

White lies
CD To lose my life (Jan. release)
- Farewell to the Playground

Also as discussed in the show, you’ll find the relevant links throughout this playlist…

Deluka
EP Deluka
- finito

Esser
CD Braveface
- Braveface

The Joy Formidable
- my Beerdrunk Sould is Sadder than a Hundred Dead Christmas Trees (single)

Mr. Hudson
CD Straight no chaser
- white lies

New Young Pony Club
CD The Optimist (release date: March 1)
- Lost A Girl (advanced single)

The Longcut
CD Open Hearts
- Out at the roots

Advantage
What you think of this song? Email (BestInBritishMusic@gmail.com) or Twitter your feedback!
EP Future Echoes
- Something to Say