Music from 2010 part 1

	Music From 2010 Part 1

	So here's part 1. Click on the picture of the tape to go to the mix. Below are details of the tracks.
Animal Tracks - Mountain Man	Mountain Man actually failed to appear at their Leeds gig due to illness. I'll let them off though because I thoroughly enjoyed their album. Despite their name this is actually three women singing along with one acoustic guitar.
California Smile - A Million Years	When I was down the Bowery a couple of months ago I just happened to catch this band supporting Jesse Malin. This song is probably my favourite by them. The sort of song that Kings of Leon should be making instead of bleating on about 'Your Genitals are ablaze' or whatever their big hits called.
As Young As We Are Tonight - Albert Ross and the Otters	Albert Ross and the Otters is a bit of a mouthful. Don't know much about them. They come from Leeds and are decidedly professional sounding. The music is pretty much middle of the road but they play it well and there are some good tunes. This song in particular is a real cracker and I also love the sentiment of the lyric.
Diplomat's Son - Vampire Weekend	I must admit I wasn't expecting great things from Vampire Weekend. Their debut album was so perfectly formed and seemed to have painted them into a corner stylistically. To my surprise their second album although not massively different was equally as good as the first.
The Time That We Had part 1 - JonnytheFirth	I first came across JonnytheFirth a couple of years ago. This year though I've caught him live on several occasions. I'm afraid this song isn't really representative of his live set which is raw and bluesy. On the other hand it is a very good song.
First Comes The Wish - Field Music	One of the most pleasant surprises of the Summer was attending a gig by Field Music at Harrogate. I'd previously listened to a grand total of one song by them. Indeed I'd actually gone to see one of the support acts. The band is fronted by two brothers who take it in turns to drum and sing. The songs are short sharp and catchy. They remind me of XTC, Wire and even Talking Heads.
Oh The Divorces! - Tracey Thorn	Confession time. I've never been a Tracey Thorn fan. I've never had any interest in Everything But the Girl. However I heard a song off her latest album on a compilation and was so struck that I went out and got the album. Its a great mature song cycle which really hits home to a forty something like myself. All about been a parent (not that I'd know) and divorces (ditto).
Zorbing - Stornoway	Ok this band are annoyingly inoffensive. A kind of acoustic version of Coldplay. But if you listen to the album they do have some very good songs. Zorbing is apparently the act of running along in a plastic bubble. Obviously in this case its a metaphor. The lyrics are all about the excitement of new love (or at least that's my interpretation).