ALBUM OF THE WEEK

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - WRECKING BALL

A good old- fashioned Springsteen album. The Boss’s blue-collar expressions have always gripped most tightly when he’s tackled specific (personal or political) demons. Now aged 62, Springsteen is still smouldering and has plenty to righteously rail against in the modern world. His 17th album, Wrecking Ball, gets stuck right into themes of economic decline, community strength (rousing opener We Take Care Of Our Own), fat cats (Death To My Hometown) and working man’s blues. His latest collection feels unabashedly sentimental, he’s also solid and passionate enough to make you believe you’re being serenaded by a grizzled old craftsman from Asbury Park, rather than a mega-successful, globe-trotting rock star. On Shackled And Drawn, he growls: ‘I always loved the feel of sweat on my shirt/Stand back, son, and let a man work.’ Springsteen doffs his cap to many inspirations throughout, from Celtic folk to gospel soul and country (We Are Alive borrows from Johnny Cash’s Ring Of Fire), while Rocky Ground unusually features a softly spoken rap from guest Michelle Moore.

Springsteen doing what he does best.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

SIMPLE MINDS X5

For those who only think of Simple Minds as a overblown,soulless stadium band this is a timely reminder of how great a band they actually where. A collection of their first five albums proves just how innovative and influential they are. Atmospheric electronica, jagged guitars and post disco beats run through each album. Real To Real, I Travel and Today I Died Again would sit comfortably on a Horrors album. Containing three of the greatest albums of the 80's and with Love Song, Someone Somewhere In Summertime and Promised You A Miracle three of the best tracks also. If there is such a thing as "selling out" then Simple Minds epitomized this more than any other band. With this collection of their critically acclaimed albums they have just "bought in". A joy to behold.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

BOY & BEAR - MOONFIRE

Surely not another great Australian band ! Following the excellent albums by Cloud Control and Grouplove we wasn't expecting another exciting band from down under to emerge just yet but they have. Boy & Bear could well be this years Fleet Foxes. On Moonshine they provide a beautifully electic album of stirring harmonies and folk induced sounds. Eleven tracks that warm the soul .Flawless.

ALBUMS OF 2011

10.THE GO TEAM - ROLLING BLACKOUTS

Their third album saw The Go Team resurrected and reinvigorated after their disappointing Proof Of Youth release of 2007. A fun album mixing bubble gum pop and big beats with stripped down melodies. Scattered with charming,brief instrumentals that complete the 13 track release.

Here is the stand out track ,the bright n breezy Buy Nothing Day featuring the lovely Bethany from Best Coast.

9.REAL ESTATE - DAYS

Songs about street lights, phone lines and leaves should make for an album of mundane dirge. Real Estates ability to add layers of guitar and understated melody to this album, with every note sounding vital, is tribute to how complete an album this sounds. Masterful guitar work from Matt Mondanile adds colour to each song. You can hear the L.A sunshine shimmering throughout. Would have been the soundtrack to the summer and quite possibly number one in this list if it had been released in July and not October.

The beautiful sunny melody that is Out Of Tune

8.THE WAR ON DRUGS - SLAVE AMBIENT

Kurt Vile may have taken all the plaudits for his excellent Smoke Ring For My Halo album this year but it is his former band that claimed a top ten place in the e-quality top ten. An unlikely mix of US rock and experimental synth. Sounding like a collection of E street band demos recorded after a year listening to Krautrock. It's a record that shouldn't work but it does. A magnificent album.

A prime example of classic rock;

7.KELLY CLARKSON - STRONGER

A prime example of what this blog is all about. If it's a great album it's a great album ! It doesn't have to be loved by NME. Kelly Clarkson will always be "the girl who won the first American Idol". A label that has possibly hindered her attempts to be considered a relevant singer. A shame because Stronger is an album that proves her to be the greatest female singer around. While the world falls in love with autotune Gaga, Rihanna, Keisha etc..Clarkson continues doing what she does best..belting out heart on the sleeve power pop songs. 13 tracks to showcase a stunning voice.

Proof if needed;

6.LYKKE LI - WOUNDED RHYMES

A heartbreaking album filled with stark torch songs and bleak break up laments. It's an album that makes Lykke Li sound wise beyond her 25 years. Flirting between aggressor and victim throughout the ten tracks enables Li to display her distinctive vocals to the max. A formidable collection of songs. Lykke Li's career trajectory could be about to hit the stars. A slow burner but an album that will be hailed a masterpiece in years to come.

I Follow Rivers encapsulates the album beautifully;

5.SUMMER CAMP - WELCOME TO CONDALE

Following on from last years excellent Young ep, Welcome to Condale continues to see Summer Camp immerse themselves in 80's nostalgia. From sampling cult film Last Summer on Ghost Train to Eat To The Beat era Blondie the album is filled with retrospective moments transporting the listener back to those carefree days of long hot summers and holding hands with your teenage sweetheart.Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey have produced an album of melodic, synth pop at it's finest. In Sankey they have a vocalist of exquisite kooky charm and explosive singing ability. A joy to behold.

Pop music how it should be done;

4.YUCK - YUCK

Grunge isn't dead. It's alive and kicking in the form of this blistering debut album from the London based four piece. Guitar driven, hook laden and riff heavy make for a self assured 11 tracks. A rollercoaster between high energy crescendos (Get Away, Georgia) and alluring vulnerability ( Stutter, Suicide Policeman) shows the bands assured maturity in this body of work. Already as complete as any Pavement album ever was. They really should hail from Seattle.

It's 1991, here's Get Away;

3. ADELE - 21

2011 the year of Adele. Before 21 was released she was a highly acclaimed, chirpy cockney singer with a powerful voice mature beyond her teenage years. Now she is the biggest selling music artist on the planet. A worldwide phenomenon.Can the album really justify this ? Oh Yes ! Heart on the sleeve lyrics belted out by a girl that means every word. You can feel the soulful emotion throughout every track. From the spine tingling Someone Like You to the Nashville blues of Rolling In The Deep,Adele shows her sheer vocal ability throughout .Uplifting and heart wrenching. No gimmicks just music at it's very best.

THE TV moment of 2011 is right here ;

2. THE HORRORS - SKYING

The Horrors have gone from the band that everyone laughs at to the most vital band in Britain in the space of in just four years. Following on from the brilliant Primary Colours of 2009, Skying sees Faris Badwan and co ditch the gimmicky goth/Cramps look and focus on what great musicians they are. Drawing on early Simple Minds,Human League, Neu and Bowie as undoubted influences, Skying is as close to anthemic synth pop as possible. Every one of the ten tracks is faultless.On Endless Blues, Badwan shows his true vocal ability. Moving Further Away displays a band at their mesmerizing best,not afraid to build multi layers of sound to create yet another stunning track.A remarkable record.

I Can See Through You . Is it 1981 ? We Wish ;

1.DURAN DURAN - ALL YOU NEED IS NOW

Duran Duran winning best album of the year in 2011 is something that no one would have predicted. Long gone are the days of winning everything at the Smash Hits awards but to have an album so highly acclaimed almost thirty years since, arguably, their creative peak must surely eclipse even John Taylors' most fanciable male award(x7!!). All You Need Is Now saw the band rediscover their mojo thanks to producer Mark Ronson. They sound like Duran Duran should sound.Their songwriting credentials have also returned. Leave A Light On would sit snugly on the Rio album (So good they dropped Save A Prayer from their tour in favour of this),Too Bad You're So Beautiful and Girl Panic flaunt their disco groove while Mediterranea highlights Simon Le Bon's exquisite vocals. Their best album since the criminally underrated Big Thing album of 1988 and as near to Rio Part II as you are ever going to get.DD could have milked the cash cow with "dialing in" endless Rewind shows and living off former glories but they have always had courage of their convictions and continued to persevere with creating new music. Those convictions have paid off handsomely.For this alone they should be applauded. To make the best album of 2011 they should receive a standing ovation.

Video of the year also;

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

SUMMER CAMP - WELCOME TO CONDALE

Following on from the bright 'n' breezy Best Coast along come Summer Camp with their first full length album. After the release of their Young ep in 2010 things went a little quiet on the Summer Camp front but now we know why. Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Warmsley have been making a perfect pop album. Welcome to Condale is packed with sun kissed melodies. They also aren't afraid to experiment (distorted vocals, multi layered sounds and 80's cult film samples) and push the pop boundaries. Thoroughly refreshing and beautifully realised.
Here is the best pop song of the year ;


A stunning voice !

MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE

Congratulations to Polly Jean Harvey. The majestic Let England Shake album deservedly wins the 2011 Mercury Music Prize making PJ the only act to win this award twice. Ten years ago Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea was considered a career peak for Polly.With this latest success she is again being heralded as reaching another of said peaks. The dark subject matter of war, death and blood lifted by the almost boyant music is a stroke of genius from PJ. Richly inventive, chilling and completely original.Expect another career peak to follow.

THE DEATH OF AMY WINEHOUSE

Much that has been written and said following the death of Amy Winehouse has rightly cited her "unfulfilled potential". But at just 27, the Londoner had already proved herself to be one the most talented singer-songwriters Britain has ever produced. Collecting five Grammys, three Ivor Novello Awards and one Brit, and posting eight-figure sales over the course of just two albums, she was also firmly established as one of the most successful.

Amy Jade Winehouse was born Southgate, north London on September 14, 1983 to father Mitch, then a double-glazing salesman, and mother Janis, a pharmacist. Although Amy claied to have listened to Madonna's Immaculate Collection every day for four years until discovering hip hop at 11, she also fostered a profound love of jazz from an early age - thanks to her father's heavy rotation of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington on the family's home stereo, and the influence of her uncles who were professional jazz players. Music wasn't Amy's first ambition though; inspired by scenes from George Lucas' 1973 movie American Graffiti, she originally planned to become a roller-skating waitress.

Often in trouble at school for singing in lessons, Amy decided to find a place of learning where her talents would be more appreciated so, aged 12, she organised an audition for herself at the Sylvia Young Theatre School. She spent three years there before being asked to leave because, although bright, she was disrupting lessons and was not achieving acceptable grades. Her new nose piercing was also deemed to be against school policy.

Despite eventually spending some time at the Brit school in Croydon, the singer's significant break came at 16, when her friend, soul hopeful Tyler James, gave his A&R manager a tape of Winehouse singing. Soon after, she signed a management deal with Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment before picking up a record deal with Island/Universal (she later left 19, signing up her live agent, Raye Cosbert from Metropolis Music, as her manager in 2006).

A few weeks after her 20th birthday, Winehouse released her Mercury Prize-nominated debut album, the jazz-infused Frank. It peaked at Number 13 on the UK charts but eventually recorded triple-platinum sales. All the original material was co-written by Winehouse, and the track Stronger Than Me won her and producer Salaam Remi the 2004 Ivor Novello for Best Contemporary Song.

In 2006 Winehouse followed her debut with Back To Black - heralded by the brilliant but tragically prescient single Rehab. With production shared between Remi and Mark Ronson, the 12 brisk tracks skilfully indulged Winehouse's love of soul, RnB and '60s girl groups. The record sold well past 10 million copies, including close to three million in the the US, and earned her a record-breaking five Grammy Awards, alongside Q's 2007 Album Of The Year. The sound and emotional power found within also re-ignited the UK's love of soul and opened a path for British female solo singers to make an international impact. The successes of Adele, Duffy and Florence + The Machine can all, in large parts, be traced back to the impact of Back To Black.

Only last year, Jay-Z told the BBC that he believed Winehouse had re-invigorated British music. "There's a strong push coming out of London right now which is great," he said. "It's been coming ever since I guess Amy. I mean always, but I think this resurgence was ushered in by Amy. [I'm] just praying she doesn't turn into Lauryn Hill and we never get another album."

By then, the rappers fears were well-founded. Much of the confessional lyrics on Back To Black channeled Winehouse's heartache, following a break-up with boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil. "I didn't want to just wake up drinking, and crying, and listening to Shangri-Las, and go to sleep, and wake up drinking, and listening to the Shangri-Las," she told the LA Times in 2007."So I turned it into songs, and that's how I got through it."

However soon life began to overwhelm Amy Winehouse. Her struggles with addiction and illness have been well documented, as has her difficult marriage to - and eventual divorce from - Fielder-Civil.

Last week, the singer's father offered hope that she might be on the mend, telling the New York Times: "She's a great kid and she's going through some rough stuff at the moment, but the last few weeks she's been absolutely fantastic." Just three days before her death, Amy was well enough to return to the stage, briefly appearing with Bromfield at the iTunes Festival at London's Roundhouse.

Tragically, on Saturday, July 23, Metropolitan Police confirmed that the singer had been found dead in her Camden home that afternoon. As yet, the circumstances remain unexplained - with Superintendent Raj Kohli saying, "It would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of death."

British music mourns the passing of one of its most unique and gifted talents.

Here's EQ's favourite Amy moment;

R.I.P Amy