Review of the year 2011
2011-12-29 ~ 10:24 p.m.
I have nearly written a proper entry a few times, but I'm in Christmas-based antisocial/decline/abandoned by everyone heading overseas mood. Hence, here's my annual review of the year, only slightly stymied by the fact that I couldn't really think of a favourite single or album of the year, and have only been to the cinema about 3 times (though I've seen other new releases on DVD).
Fictional TV show of the year
Fresh Meat The story of teenagers off to university for the first time, looking to have sex, discover new worlds, reinvent themselves, and do as little cleaning as possible. It inevitably harks back to forebears, particularly the excellent and similarly warm and wayward Undeclared, with its central almost-romance between geeky, sexually-inexperienced boy and apparently shy, sweet girl (although it's quick to upend the stereotypes). But what really elevates it, making it something new, is the character Vod (Zawe Ashton), the mysterious, self-destructive female student, looking sexually androgynous, of indeterminate mixed race, with a vast wardrobe of outfits that always look like costumes or disguises; she may have a tragic past or is possibly just making it up. She feels like a new character, a woman who's not there to be sex symbol, best friend, villain, or butt-monkey, and the closest equivalent on TV is probably Mike in the Young Ones (only funny, taller, and significantly better looking).
Runners up This Is England 88 (for me neither of the TV outings have quite matched the film's unification of political rhetoric and personal lives, but the show continues to steer its fascinating characters into new situations, damaging them but never quite destroying them, and the latest installment had a clear sense of how Thatcherism was changing the dynamics of British culture, new social mobility - or at least social pretensions - to go along with the hardness); the first episode of Oliver Twist (I've not watched the other 2 yet, because after the first part it's a fairly boring book, but definitely the most beautiful hour on TV this year, with its gorgeous sinister fenland setting, and fascinating reimagination of Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham).
Factual TV show of the year
The Story of Film There's been very few series that I eagerly anticipate each episode, and even fewer that are in the loose and horrible genre of TV arts shows. But Mark Cousin's voyage through world cinema managed to tell huge amounts of new things, introduce new films (e.g. Sergei Paradjanov's fantastic Carpathian folk tale-inspired Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors), present interesting stories of old films, and sum up the artistic, narrative, and emotional importance of so many filmmakers. Usually arts TV is more interested in the presenter than the art; but even though Cousins wrote, directed and filmed, he is therefore always behind the camera, and his lugubrious, slow-paced narration ties it all together. He used to lecture in film at Edinburgh College of Art, and I'm sure his lectures were very strange experiences but also wonderful, transforming you around the world.
Film of the year
Tyrannosaur (dir Paddy Considine) I've not been to the cinema much, but one film stands out for taking strong characters, putting them in horrible situations, and producing unforgettable results. Manages to incorporate incredible cruelty to women, children, and dogs, as well as men. The violence is seldom gratuitous, and more impressively the central love affair isn't gratuitous either (Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman screen couple of the year?).
We Need To Talk About Kevin was striking, but also slightly insubstantial, in that if you tried to imagine Lynne Ramsay directing the film you'd probably think of something similar or even a little better; maybe my disappointment is just because Ratcatcher and Gas Man were so brilliant, utterly perfect.
Album of the year although I'm sure some sources say it was released last year
Vivian Girls - Share the Joy There's not been many albums that have totally impressed me, but this record is a joy from start to end, the sort of record every amateurish punkish we-can't-play band should progress to after they've learned to play. Also including the winners in both Best 80s country-punk cover version of the year and Best Marvelettes-style advice song for lovelorn teenage girls of the year, for Sixteen Ways (by Green on Red) and Take It as It Comes respectively. Take It As It Comes also wins the award for worst miming in a music video, and best Prince reference in a music video.
I also really liked about half of James Blake's eponymous debut, though some of it's just too "minimalist". Wild Beasts' Smother would score very highly but I don't like the lead singer's voice, although it annoys me less than it used to. Metronomy's The English Riviera has some good tracks but other bits are kind of boring/late-90s-80s-revivalist-pop, and again they need a better singer (though the song Corinne briefly sounds like Chicks on Speed, and Everything Goes My Way adds a female vocal to great effect).
Best album from last year that I only got into this year (see also previous category)
Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks Superb Scottish guitar-pop from a band who were apparently over-hyped in 2007 and everybody hates them since, but I missed the hype, their debut album, and was even delayed on this, their follow-up. Simultaneously dour and fun-packed.
Best Scottish album of the year (a category which requires singing in a broad west-of-Scotland accent and lyrics about headbutting stuff)
Martin John Henry - The Other Half of Everything Folk-rock-y, occasionally worthy, but there's a nice picture of hills on the cover, and it sounds like music connected with moors rather than music about towns. Includes lyrics about breaking rocks on one's brow. Probably for fans of Arab Strap who prefer when they use real instruments. "New Maps" sounds like some long-forgotten 80s band if every Scottish band in the 80s wasn't shit or girly. From Bellshill, which is a dump.
Soft Rock album of the year
Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams
Most disappointing album by a band with "girls" in their name
Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Not winner of best soft rock album of the year.
Best album title of the year
Luke Haines - 9 1/2 Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s and Early 80s For me it's not one of his best albums, despite a string of good reviews, and obviously the title.
Half Man Half Biscuit's 90 Bisodol (Crimond) was an obscure title even by their standards, but a much better album than Haines; full of interesting tracks like Descending The Stiperstones with its bizarre fantasia about the TV soap opera Crossroads, it was more consistent than CSI Ambleside, but with fewer moments of utter wonderfulness.
See also (but don't hear) the heartfelt and much appreciated title of LMFAO's Sorry For Party Rocking. Alas they were not sorry enough to place shotguns in each others' mouths and jump off a bridge. It's like Adolf Hitler publishing a book called Sorry For The Jew Thing. In July 1939. And then invading Poland, invading Belgium, kidnapping PG Wodehouse, and killing 20 million people.
Pop album of the year
Nicola Roberts - Cinderella's Eyes Not all of its pleasures were intentional, but this is a wonderfully eccentric debut solo album from the Girls Aloud Ginger Scouser. Some of it is great pop music, some of it is about sending your driver in to buy you a bottle of vodka because you're only 17 and already a pop star, some of it is long lists of shit.
Runners up Rihanna's Loud (S&M, What's My Name, Only Girl (In The World)) and Rihanna's Talk That Talk (We Found Love, etc).
Single of the year that everybody hated on principle but is actually deceptively great
Lana Del Ray - Video Games Best jerky slightly-awkward transition between verse/chorus/bridge of a pop song since Girls Aloud's Biology. The line "It's you" is possibly the best lyric of the year. The video's kind of shit, though.
Least plausible lyrics for a banging epic dance-pop single of the year
Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend Maybe it's common in Sweden to get your new boyfriend to ring his ex to tell her to fuck off, but it doesn't seem a very nice thing to do in the less Viking-oriented corners of the world. I can't work out of the video is shit or somehow ironic/postmodern/redeemed by fluffy sweater. I wasn't so pleased with Robyn's 3-album-in-a-year 2010, but this is her at her best.
Pop video of the year/Party pop song of the year
Katy Perry - Last Friday Night Perry can be tiresome. Indeed she's tiresome almost all the time. But Last Friday Night finds her nailing the mixture of regret and anticipation that should characterise every Friday night.
Don't see: Sexy And I Know It by LMFAO. You could never pixellate enough of that video even if you threw your television in a skip.
Runner up is Nicola Roberts' Lucky Day purely for the 80s Top of the Pops-style video effects where she moves her arms and you see a trail of arms moving. Also she wears a very short dress and smiles a lot.
Personality-free pop star of the year
Rihanna Lots of great singles, who cares who's singing them? Even made a Calvin Harris collaboration less than intensely annoying. See also: Bruno Mars. Don't see: Olly Murs.
Best book I've only started but not yet finished
Norman Davies's Vanished Kingdoms A history of lots of bits of Europe that nobody cares about. E.g. Dumbarton.
Worst gig of the year
The Fall with Mark E Smith's foot being too sore for him to sing. Best gig was either James Blake or Half Man Half Biscuit.
Least tragic event of the year
Black-Eyed Peas "on hiatus".
Review of the year 2011 - 2011-12-29
Well the old world may be dead, our parents can't understand... - 2011-12-03
And when you do please don't twist it - 2011-11-18
Now the cat is in the bag and the bag's in the river - 2011-11-05
You abuse the ones who love you. You abuse the ones who won't. - 2011-11-01
mail note tunes cabbages sprouts
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