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Micachu & the Shapes - “Vulture”
Another year, another batch of best-of lists, then? Like Bill said: not quite. Rather than trying to identify the best albums of the year, we’d much rather share our favourite albums this year. Which is great for me, because thanks to a lot of travelling, I barely listened to anything released in the last 6 months of this year; you’ll note that most of my favourites this were released before June or July. In no particular order, let’s get on with this.
Richard’s Favourites of 2009:
No big surprises here. I could have sworn Insides was a 2008 release, so I’m glad I checked that, because it really was one of my favourite releases this year. Bitte Orca was a late bloomer for me, but I’m very happy that I eventually gave it a proper chance. I’ve posted a Micachu track along with this because, despite the early hype at the beginning of the year, everyone seemed to forget about her as the year wore on, and I think that’s a shame.
My resolutions for the new year are definitely going to include not only catching up on this year’s music, but making sure I keep up on what 2010 has to offer.
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Florence & The Machine - “Kiss With A Fist”
Florence & The Machine is Florence Mary Leontine Welch, and a backing band that seems to vary from show to show (currently Dev Hynes of Lightspeed Champion).
This track typifies Florence’s sound: a haunting, captivating voice and a bluesy sensibility that draws comparison with the likes of Kristin Hersh and Amy Winehouse, topped off with a whole load of attitude. It was released as a single on Moshi Moshi Records in the UK and IAMSOUND Records in the US, a week ago. Also worth checking out is her cover of Cold War Kids’ “Hospital Beds”, which can be streamed on her MySpace, that she frequently opens her sets with.
She’s currently working on her debut album with Kid Harpoon. You’ll also find her at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, and various other venues throughout the UK (all listed on her MySpace) after that.
