I spent 13 years of my life at HMV, from 1998 to 2011. I saw the changes it made and the growth of the business and the beginning of what may be the end. Let's hope not.
Although this may come across as a slightly biased & rose-tinted view of the company, I'd like to get several points across and put a few things straight about what people have often complained about HMV over the years.
It may physically cost 10p to manufacture a CD or a DVD, but it costs a lot more than 10p for time in the studio, working on a film, editing an album, buying instruments, paying actors, crew, musicians, engineers, production staff.. I could go on. Yes in the good times HMV could get away with charging £16 for a back catalogue album on CD. In those days (the late 90s) it was the only place you could buy certain albums, especially in a small town as there was no other option. It seems a lot of money now, but even then new releases were often £12.99 or above. Even these days with more and more downloads, artists actually earn more money from physical sales than they do from digital.
Until supermarkets started selling albums at a loss from the early noughties onwards I don't think HMV or any of its competitors were seen as particularly expensive. Supermarkets selling CDs cheaply at pretty much the cost price is seen as a way of bringing customers into their store to buy food with higher margins. It also can bring up the total value the customer spends by another £10 or so. I was working in an HMV store when this started happening and remember a customer asking me why we were £2 more than Asda on a CD she wanted. I tried to explain that it wasn't ASDA's core business like it was for us, plus they make more money on bread & milk than they do on CDs! The margins on CDs & DVDs in those days were still much lower than that of clothing or food. You never see people complaining that Topshop sell dresses for £50 that cost £9 to make, which is far truer than the HMV '10p' statement!
If HMV does disappear it won't be good news for Independent shops.
HMV have a lot of shops. HMV have enough shops for small labels to decide whether to physically manufacture an album or not. Although some independents are doing all right for themselves, they may not have such a broad range of product to order as they may only want to order 2 or 3 copies. HMV will order 200 to 300! A label is more likely to get 500 copies of an album manufactured for HMV & independents as it will be commercially viable. The fewer copies are produced, the higher the cost price for the retailer and the less likely they are to order more than one copy as customers won't pay £15 for an album!
I'm also mainly talking about independent music shops. Where does one go to browse film on DVD & Blu-ray if not HMV or a soul-less supermarket? There aren't really independent film shops like there are for music. Film fans as well as music fans like to browse and complete collections as stated in a recent article on the Empire magazine blog.
You cannot browse or discover things online you didn't know about like you can in a shop.
Looking for music online isn't the pleasurable experience that it is flicking through racks in a music store. It just isn't. Online stores are great for when you know exactly what you want, but what music or film fan doesn't like seeing 'what's out' or buying something they like the look of and taking a risk on? The beauty of a physical shop, no matter what it sells, is that you don't always come out with what you intentioned to buy!
Here's an example. I volunteer every Saturday in an Oxfam shop and last weekend I put some music on the stereo. I picked out the Zero 7 album from 2001 that I loved at the time and hadn't heard in a while. Half an hour later a customer asked to buy the CD as well as some clothes she'd been trying on as she'd heard it whilst in the shop. She had never heard of Zero 7 and hadn't come into Oxfam intending to buy a CD. I couldn't tell you how many times I'd sold a CD in an HMV because the album was playing in the shop. That experience cannot be replicated online.
Independent shops can be intimidating, especially for women. There I've said it. As a female music fan I have never felt that comfortable in an Indie shop. I've always felt like I had to prove myself or buy something cool. As a teenager I could go to HMV or Virgin and not feel intimidated. The Indie music store is still very man-centric and I think it always will be mainly because men collect more music than women do.
If HMV goes, prices for CDs & DVDs will sky rocket. How do I know this? Without having the competition to undercut, Amazon will charge what they like for new releases, especially now Play.com is not longer selling new product. Supermarkets will do the same, so you can say goodbye to your £8 new releases!
HMV is much more than a Music retailer. Not only does it sell film & computer games, but it sells more headphones than any other retailer. Forgot your headphones before a long journey? Pick a pair up in your local HMV - not any more!
And finally....HMV isn't just a shop. Most people of my generation and before can remember the first record they bought and where. It's a right of passage. What you buy in a store like HMV identifies who you are. I remember going into HMV & Virgin every Monday after school to check out the new releases to spend my recently earned babysitting money on. It was a shop you could spend ages in browsing without getting bothered. How many people have as much of a passion for Marks & Spencer or ASDA like they do for HMV?!
OK I'm getting all sentimental now. Times have changed but this shouldn't be the end. I would never have worked in HMV if I wasn't passionate about the products and I can pretty much say that's the same for all the employees & ex-employees I worked with and am still friends with. HMV did not embrace change when they should have, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. When you're already doing well, why would you need to change anything? It was perhaps an arrogant attitude to have which the company are now paying for.
I really really hope this isn't it for HMV. There are many great people with so much passion working for HMV and they are the backbone of what could still be great. I'm keeping everything crossed for you all.
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Monday, 9 July 2012
Fashion for Real People - we identify, we buy!
I've written a piece about how the current state of the music industry frustrates me, and now it's fashion's turn! I love fashion and I read magazines on a regular basis. The one thing that has struck me since I was a teenager has always been 'why are there so many clothes on these pages that no normal person can afford?'
My knowledge of the fashion industry is very limited, unlike music that I worked in for over 10 years. I know fashion is all about image and aspiration, but it always amazes me how far removed from the real world fashion is. I get the fact that they use skinny models with unattainable bodies, but that I don't have so much of a problem with. My main gripe is that the clothes in the fashion spreads are more often than not a combination of things that, a) wouldn't look that good on a 'normal' person, and b) 'normal' people cannot afford.
I consider myself to be a 'normal' woman who's very into fashion. I spend quite a bit of money on clothes & shoes, but have never spent more than £150 on one item of clothing, and that was a coat! When I see fashion spreads with clothes costing upwards of £500, I really wonder what the point is of showing these. Some magazines mix designer with high street. Grazia is very good for that, I really think they have more a grip on reality than the Elles & Cosmopolitans of this world. I understand that fashion houses need their collections to be seen by a mass audience, but the mass audience don't actually buy anything high couture do they?
The weekly free women's magazine, Stylist is probably one of the worst for expensive clothes in their fashion pages, as people don't even pay for it! At least with Elle, Cosmo and so on, you've paid for the privilege of looking at couture. The style sections of weekend newspapers also appear to have no concept of reality either. Considering their readership is more a cross section of society than hardcore fashion buffs, you'd think they'd show a few items of clothing under £50! Guardian & Sunday Times I'm talking about you!
I'd love to meet a woman who buys the clothes she sees in fashion magazines. I for one surely earn a lot less money than she does. Despite having no children & a reasonably paid job, there is no way I am ever going to buy a Gucci shirt for £400! Even if I earned double my current salary I still wouldn't! At the end of the day a shirt is a shirt, as is a pair of jeans. You can argue about fabric being of higher quality & the cut of the garment being sharper, but at the end of the day if clothes fit and look good on you, why pay so much?
There is obviously something I'm missing. Of course I don't want to see expensive items banned from fashion magazines, I just feel they should be mixed a little more with affordable garments. Surely that's what fashionistas generally do anyway? Of course I love to see what wacky concepts high couture has to offer, but not on every single page! I just don't see the point really. It's perhaps like a food shop only displaying caviar & fois gras in the window when it's only something a tiny percentage of customers ever buy.
I actually find extortionately expensive clothing in magazines far more offensive than the skinny teenagers modelling them. In a way blame can be tossed towards high fashion for getting women into debt as it does for causing eating disorders! Fashion shouldn't be blamed for either of these, but there's a big difference between aspirational & unattainable. At the end of the day fashion is fun. All of us girls who care about how we dress see shopping as a pleasure along with looking at fashion magazines, but I for one would like a little realism every now and again, even in a fashion spread. How much harm would it do to occasionally have say perhaps a size 12 model aged 30 or so wearing Topshop, M & S, Debenhams, John Lewis? We identify, we buy.
That's my opinion anyway, but as they say with all indulgent things, 'everything in moderation.'
My knowledge of the fashion industry is very limited, unlike music that I worked in for over 10 years. I know fashion is all about image and aspiration, but it always amazes me how far removed from the real world fashion is. I get the fact that they use skinny models with unattainable bodies, but that I don't have so much of a problem with. My main gripe is that the clothes in the fashion spreads are more often than not a combination of things that, a) wouldn't look that good on a 'normal' person, and b) 'normal' people cannot afford.
I consider myself to be a 'normal' woman who's very into fashion. I spend quite a bit of money on clothes & shoes, but have never spent more than £150 on one item of clothing, and that was a coat! When I see fashion spreads with clothes costing upwards of £500, I really wonder what the point is of showing these. Some magazines mix designer with high street. Grazia is very good for that, I really think they have more a grip on reality than the Elles & Cosmopolitans of this world. I understand that fashion houses need their collections to be seen by a mass audience, but the mass audience don't actually buy anything high couture do they?
The weekly free women's magazine, Stylist is probably one of the worst for expensive clothes in their fashion pages, as people don't even pay for it! At least with Elle, Cosmo and so on, you've paid for the privilege of looking at couture. The style sections of weekend newspapers also appear to have no concept of reality either. Considering their readership is more a cross section of society than hardcore fashion buffs, you'd think they'd show a few items of clothing under £50! Guardian & Sunday Times I'm talking about you!
I'd love to meet a woman who buys the clothes she sees in fashion magazines. I for one surely earn a lot less money than she does. Despite having no children & a reasonably paid job, there is no way I am ever going to buy a Gucci shirt for £400! Even if I earned double my current salary I still wouldn't! At the end of the day a shirt is a shirt, as is a pair of jeans. You can argue about fabric being of higher quality & the cut of the garment being sharper, but at the end of the day if clothes fit and look good on you, why pay so much?
There is obviously something I'm missing. Of course I don't want to see expensive items banned from fashion magazines, I just feel they should be mixed a little more with affordable garments. Surely that's what fashionistas generally do anyway? Of course I love to see what wacky concepts high couture has to offer, but not on every single page! I just don't see the point really. It's perhaps like a food shop only displaying caviar & fois gras in the window when it's only something a tiny percentage of customers ever buy.
I actually find extortionately expensive clothing in magazines far more offensive than the skinny teenagers modelling them. In a way blame can be tossed towards high fashion for getting women into debt as it does for causing eating disorders! Fashion shouldn't be blamed for either of these, but there's a big difference between aspirational & unattainable. At the end of the day fashion is fun. All of us girls who care about how we dress see shopping as a pleasure along with looking at fashion magazines, but I for one would like a little realism every now and again, even in a fashion spread. How much harm would it do to occasionally have say perhaps a size 12 model aged 30 or so wearing Topshop, M & S, Debenhams, John Lewis? We identify, we buy.
That's my opinion anyway, but as they say with all indulgent things, 'everything in moderation.'
Sunday, 12 February 2012
The trouble with iTunes & music these days..
This article starts with a warning that I'm going to sound old & sentimental, but I also think this is constructive criticism.
I am a music lover, have been for as long as I've had ears! From my parents records of the Beatles, the Mamas & the Papas to The Muppet Show album, I grew up with music. As soon as I had my own pocket money, I was buying records of my own. I can't say the 10 year old me had particularly good taste, but there is sentimental value in those 7 inches. 20 or so years later, I have a fantastic music collection: some limited editions, box sets & exclusive promos of some of my favourite artists, along with far more CDs than a normal person should own. Thing is, I wouldn't change it for anything. I rarely buy digital tracks from iTunes, as it's less tangible than possessing a CD or record. This is where my gripes with iTunes begins.
I often see artists advertising "exclusive to iTunes" versions of their albums when they're released. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with that, but the sort of people that are completionists in terms of music like their exclusive box sets, limited edition packaging & "exclusive" content in physical form. Ok, those of a certain demographic do, but as record company budgets are tightened, fewer things are released in a physical format. This in turn somewhat makes music far more throwaway, and seen less of as a creative art form. As someone who still likes to buy music legally, I'm often penalised when 'special editions' of albums are released several months after the original that I've already bought. If I want this new material I can buy the album again when I already own most of it, or I can download the extra tracks individually, which generally costs around the price of buying the album again anyway!
My reason for writing this piece stems from an incident that occurred recently. I am a fan of Nerina Pallot. I pre-ordered her album, 'Year of the Wolf' in May last year from hmv.com, as they had a chance to win tickets to an exclusive gig she was doing the week before release in June. Play.com had signed albums to the first however many people pre-ordered the album, and iTunes had an exclusive 'deluxe' edition with extra tracks not available on the CD. I was lucky enough to win some tickets to her gig, and also got to see Bernard Butler perform with her on a few songs. I loved the album too, and felt I really got my money's worth buying that CD! Fast forward to January 2012 and Nerina announces on her Facebook & Twitter pages that a 'New Year of the Wolf' album with covers & BBC sessions will be available exclusively on iTunes in a few days. This gave me the impression that the '6 new tracks' were going to be an EP of some sort. Went onto iTunes the day the album was available and this album was yet another version of 'Year of the Wolf', but basically the original iTunes exclusive with another 6 tracks. As someone who bought the physical CD this meant there were 11 tracks I did not have. The album as a whole costs £11.99 on iTunes, it would cost me £10.89 to download the 11 tracks I don't have, which I won't do. As a true music fan I'd like a physical CD of some sort, 'exclusive to iTunes' doesn't hold much appeal to those of us who like mementos of our favourite artists' music.
I don't think I'm alone, judging by the complaints on Nerina's Facebook page. Of course as an artist it's not her fault, music is now an industry that makes so little profit from its products, no risks can be taken in manufacturing goods people don't buy. That's the beauty of the download - stock is in constant supply to whoever wants it. Thing is, although I put my music onto my iPod, I still like to buy CDs to add to my collection. I think something can be done however and this is my appeal to record labels.
When you have exclusive content for fans, communicate with them to offer pre-orders on physical products, with a deadline and limited run. You have your orders before manufacture so there is no risk involved with unwanted and pricey stock. Pledge Music sort of does this, though is mainly for artists without record deals. So it's buy before you try, but true music fans will pay for something they want. When we go to gigs we buy the tickets months in advance and not on the day, so why should it be different with music?
So, what's my point? In short, I'm not going to pay iTunes £11.99 for an album I can't hold in my hand when I already own half of the songs on it. More and more music fans are downloading illegally because of rip offs like this, even though they would often prefer to purchase the music legitimately. However, I would pay £11.99 for the same album on a CD in a limited run issued to fans only.
As long as this goes on, more people will download illegally and music becomes more and more devalued.
I am a music lover, have been for as long as I've had ears! From my parents records of the Beatles, the Mamas & the Papas to The Muppet Show album, I grew up with music. As soon as I had my own pocket money, I was buying records of my own. I can't say the 10 year old me had particularly good taste, but there is sentimental value in those 7 inches. 20 or so years later, I have a fantastic music collection: some limited editions, box sets & exclusive promos of some of my favourite artists, along with far more CDs than a normal person should own. Thing is, I wouldn't change it for anything. I rarely buy digital tracks from iTunes, as it's less tangible than possessing a CD or record. This is where my gripes with iTunes begins.
I often see artists advertising "exclusive to iTunes" versions of their albums when they're released. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with that, but the sort of people that are completionists in terms of music like their exclusive box sets, limited edition packaging & "exclusive" content in physical form. Ok, those of a certain demographic do, but as record company budgets are tightened, fewer things are released in a physical format. This in turn somewhat makes music far more throwaway, and seen less of as a creative art form. As someone who still likes to buy music legally, I'm often penalised when 'special editions' of albums are released several months after the original that I've already bought. If I want this new material I can buy the album again when I already own most of it, or I can download the extra tracks individually, which generally costs around the price of buying the album again anyway!
My reason for writing this piece stems from an incident that occurred recently. I am a fan of Nerina Pallot. I pre-ordered her album, 'Year of the Wolf' in May last year from hmv.com, as they had a chance to win tickets to an exclusive gig she was doing the week before release in June. Play.com had signed albums to the first however many people pre-ordered the album, and iTunes had an exclusive 'deluxe' edition with extra tracks not available on the CD. I was lucky enough to win some tickets to her gig, and also got to see Bernard Butler perform with her on a few songs. I loved the album too, and felt I really got my money's worth buying that CD! Fast forward to January 2012 and Nerina announces on her Facebook & Twitter pages that a 'New Year of the Wolf' album with covers & BBC sessions will be available exclusively on iTunes in a few days. This gave me the impression that the '6 new tracks' were going to be an EP of some sort. Went onto iTunes the day the album was available and this album was yet another version of 'Year of the Wolf', but basically the original iTunes exclusive with another 6 tracks. As someone who bought the physical CD this meant there were 11 tracks I did not have. The album as a whole costs £11.99 on iTunes, it would cost me £10.89 to download the 11 tracks I don't have, which I won't do. As a true music fan I'd like a physical CD of some sort, 'exclusive to iTunes' doesn't hold much appeal to those of us who like mementos of our favourite artists' music.
I don't think I'm alone, judging by the complaints on Nerina's Facebook page. Of course as an artist it's not her fault, music is now an industry that makes so little profit from its products, no risks can be taken in manufacturing goods people don't buy. That's the beauty of the download - stock is in constant supply to whoever wants it. Thing is, although I put my music onto my iPod, I still like to buy CDs to add to my collection. I think something can be done however and this is my appeal to record labels.
When you have exclusive content for fans, communicate with them to offer pre-orders on physical products, with a deadline and limited run. You have your orders before manufacture so there is no risk involved with unwanted and pricey stock. Pledge Music sort of does this, though is mainly for artists without record deals. So it's buy before you try, but true music fans will pay for something they want. When we go to gigs we buy the tickets months in advance and not on the day, so why should it be different with music?
So, what's my point? In short, I'm not going to pay iTunes £11.99 for an album I can't hold in my hand when I already own half of the songs on it. More and more music fans are downloading illegally because of rip offs like this, even though they would often prefer to purchase the music legitimately. However, I would pay £11.99 for the same album on a CD in a limited run issued to fans only.
As long as this goes on, more people will download illegally and music becomes more and more devalued.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Albums of 2011: Foo Fighters - 'Wasting Light'
Band that some people have tired of but I still love album of 2011
I love the Foos, I love all of their albums, but I think this is definitely their best since 2003's 'One by One'. I'm really not sure why they've fallen out of favour with some fans though that's beside the point anyway, as 'Wasting Light' is a fine rock album. From the opening of 'bridge burning' to the ending of 'walk', this album is just pure powerful guitar rock, but in a style only the Foos are capable of.
Along with Foster the People, this is one of my most listened to albums of 2011, and my favourite tracks keep changing. Initially it was 'These Days', which seemed to speak too me personally, but after many listens, 'Walk' and 'I should have known' are probably the stand outs for me. The thing with the Foos is that they are a bit Ronseal, and what's wrong with a band who always does what it says on the tin? There are no 'Everlong' type ballads on this album, so if you want some blasting tunes to rock out to, then you can never go wrong with the Foo Fighters. 'Wasting Light' is a prime example of a band who know what they do best, but also how to do it tongue in cheek without the quality of music taking a slide. I've been buying their music for almost 17 years, and I surely hope I will be for the next 17! Thanks guys!
I love the Foos, I love all of their albums, but I think this is definitely their best since 2003's 'One by One'. I'm really not sure why they've fallen out of favour with some fans though that's beside the point anyway, as 'Wasting Light' is a fine rock album. From the opening of 'bridge burning' to the ending of 'walk', this album is just pure powerful guitar rock, but in a style only the Foos are capable of.
Along with Foster the People, this is one of my most listened to albums of 2011, and my favourite tracks keep changing. Initially it was 'These Days', which seemed to speak too me personally, but after many listens, 'Walk' and 'I should have known' are probably the stand outs for me. The thing with the Foos is that they are a bit Ronseal, and what's wrong with a band who always does what it says on the tin? There are no 'Everlong' type ballads on this album, so if you want some blasting tunes to rock out to, then you can never go wrong with the Foo Fighters. 'Wasting Light' is a prime example of a band who know what they do best, but also how to do it tongue in cheek without the quality of music taking a slide. I've been buying their music for almost 17 years, and I surely hope I will be for the next 17! Thanks guys!
Albums of 2011: Nerina Pallot - 'Year of the Wolf'
Artist who should be bigger than they are album of 2011: Nerina Pallot - 'Year of the Wolf'
Nerina Pallot is one of those artists you may have heard about, though may not be terribly familiar with. She's a very talented singer songwriter who's been around for over 10 years and 'Year of the Wolf' was her 4th album. Ok, I'm a fan anyway, but this is a great album in its own right. It should be too, considering the production credits came from one Mr. Bernard Butler.
I was lucky enough to see Nerina play live the week before the album came out, and certain tracks stood out immediately. 'Butterfly', 'I think' & 'Turn me on again' were and still are my favourites, along with the emotional 'History Boys' and 'This will be our Year'. Each song has its own story, some are more upbeat than others, but as a whole this album is fit for every mood.
Nerina is such a great musician too, as she either plays guitar or keyboard on this album. The Bernard Butler production gives the overall sound a modern, but old school feel and I can't think of another female singer songwriter who's made such a consistently good album in the last year or so that's been a little too under the radar for so long. As a fan I kind of like it that way. Other female singer songwriters whose stars have shone more brightly have fallen by the wayside while Nerina's still standing and producing great albums. Duffy has been and gone, and who's to say the over-hyped Lana Del Ray will have as long a career as Ms Pallot. I'm not that fussed about Lana, as Nerina has consistently and quietly been making good music for over 10 years, and no doubt she still will for a good time to come.
Nerina Pallot is one of those artists you may have heard about, though may not be terribly familiar with. She's a very talented singer songwriter who's been around for over 10 years and 'Year of the Wolf' was her 4th album. Ok, I'm a fan anyway, but this is a great album in its own right. It should be too, considering the production credits came from one Mr. Bernard Butler.
I was lucky enough to see Nerina play live the week before the album came out, and certain tracks stood out immediately. 'Butterfly', 'I think' & 'Turn me on again' were and still are my favourites, along with the emotional 'History Boys' and 'This will be our Year'. Each song has its own story, some are more upbeat than others, but as a whole this album is fit for every mood.
Nerina is such a great musician too, as she either plays guitar or keyboard on this album. The Bernard Butler production gives the overall sound a modern, but old school feel and I can't think of another female singer songwriter who's made such a consistently good album in the last year or so that's been a little too under the radar for so long. As a fan I kind of like it that way. Other female singer songwriters whose stars have shone more brightly have fallen by the wayside while Nerina's still standing and producing great albums. Duffy has been and gone, and who's to say the over-hyped Lana Del Ray will have as long a career as Ms Pallot. I'm not that fussed about Lana, as Nerina has consistently and quietly been making good music for over 10 years, and no doubt she still will for a good time to come.
Albums of 2011: Foster the People - 'Torches'
Favourite new band & debut album of the year: Foster the People - Torches
As soon as I heard 'Pumped up kicks', I knew immediately that I had to find out who this band was. Although the song got played a lot on radio I never tired of it. As someone who listens to radio for at least 10 hours a week, this doesn't happen often.
When their album finally came out, it was early summer and their positivity & melodic tunes were more uplifting than anything I'd heard in a long time. My favourite tracks are always changing; 'Waste' was an instant iPod most played, but tracks like 'call it what you want', 'don't stop' & 'Helena beat' were soon climbing up the list as well.
I can't quite put into words how much I love this album, or how much I feel that it came along at a time where I needed to hear some good new music to help me along in life. If I had to define the sentiment of the album I'd just quote the chorus of 'Waste'. "And every day that you want to waste that you want to waste, you can." Every track on the album has its own personality and sentiment without being tired or lame in any way. I love it.
As soon as I heard 'Pumped up kicks', I knew immediately that I had to find out who this band was. Although the song got played a lot on radio I never tired of it. As someone who listens to radio for at least 10 hours a week, this doesn't happen often.
When their album finally came out, it was early summer and their positivity & melodic tunes were more uplifting than anything I'd heard in a long time. My favourite tracks are always changing; 'Waste' was an instant iPod most played, but tracks like 'call it what you want', 'don't stop' & 'Helena beat' were soon climbing up the list as well.
I can't quite put into words how much I love this album, or how much I feel that it came along at a time where I needed to hear some good new music to help me along in life. If I had to define the sentiment of the album I'd just quote the chorus of 'Waste'. "And every day that you want to waste that you want to waste, you can." Every track on the album has its own personality and sentiment without being tired or lame in any way. I love it.
Monday, 16 January 2012
My albums of 2011: Overview & List
It's been a fair while since I've written anything about music so thought I'd write a typical end of year piece of my own. Ok, so we're well into January 2012 by now, but it's better late than never!
I don't have a defined list or have them in any kind of order, but considering the highs & lows I experienced in 2011, I thought I'd write about the music that got me through, along with some new discoveries. It's mostly albums released in 2011, with one re-issue that I now love even more, plus one classic that stands the test of time and is the most played album on my iPod in the last 12 months! Individual critiques to follow.
Jo's albums of 2011:
Foster the People - 'Torches'
Nerina Pallot - 'Year of the Wolf'
Noah & the Whale - 'Last Night on Earth'
Kaiser Chiefs - 'The Future is Medieval'
Florence & the Machine - 'Ceremonials'
Foo Fighters - 'Wasting Light'
Charlatans - 'Us & Us Only' (reissue)
Fleetwood Mac - 'Rumours' (1977)
I don't have a defined list or have them in any kind of order, but considering the highs & lows I experienced in 2011, I thought I'd write about the music that got me through, along with some new discoveries. It's mostly albums released in 2011, with one re-issue that I now love even more, plus one classic that stands the test of time and is the most played album on my iPod in the last 12 months! Individual critiques to follow.
Jo's albums of 2011:
Foster the People - 'Torches'
Nerina Pallot - 'Year of the Wolf'
Noah & the Whale - 'Last Night on Earth'
Kaiser Chiefs - 'The Future is Medieval'
Florence & the Machine - 'Ceremonials'
Foo Fighters - 'Wasting Light'
Charlatans - 'Us & Us Only' (reissue)
Fleetwood Mac - 'Rumours' (1977)
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