Album & Song of the Year

What a very odd year

2010 seen The first coalition government since the first world war, rioting in the streets by students who missed out on Jeremy Kyle for the first time in years and of course the year I proposed to my missus (its a wonder what Rohipnol can do these days isn’t it?)

Anyways, I thought I’d give my opinion on what I see as album and single of the year for 2010. Here goes

Album of the year

My choice for album of the year has to go to the debut album by Them Crooked Vultures

TCV brought back to music the ‘Super Group’. Sadly missing from music since, er, Audioslave! Messer’s Grohl, Jones and Homme jumped onto the scene with the ferocity of a sex starved panther with a bottle of rush shoved up his snout. I believe songs such as “Elephants”, "Scumbag Blues" and "No One Loves Me & Neither Do” optimised the true essence of pure hard rock

In all honesty I don’t think the album has that many really stunning songs, but what really does stand out is the reason behind their decision to record this superb album. John Paul Jones is old enough to be Homme & Grohl’s dad, yet he has stamped his style all over this album and ‘took the reigns’ to show these two fine musicians a thing or two about song writing.

Guitar wise, Homme is simply stunning. He has not bothered changing his own style and started where he left off with (my personal favourite band) Queens of the Stone Age.

As for the drummer (Groh) there’s not really much you can say about a fella who has John Bonham’s Led Zep 4 Sign tattooed onto his arm. As they would say in The Lisbon’s Bog - WHAT a skin pounder

Not really heard anything about TCR following up this brilliant album, but I really do hope they do. Well done chaps

Single of the year

Without a shadow of doubt it has to go to a rather stunning new rock band called Foxy Shazam with their debut sing ‘Oh Lord’.

I usually leave the likes of reviewing music to my Balding Bison friend Neil in Manchester, but in this instance, I simply have to speak about them

Remember 2003 when The Darkness first came on the scene and everyone couldn’t make their minds up to decide if they were a joke band or serious? I get the same feeling with Foxy Shazam.

Tight trousers, hard rocking guitar, massive choruses and extremely high-pitched vocals are gladly in abundance on this song. Its one of them songs that gives you a tingle down your spine when you hear it, bit of a cliché, but so, in a likeable kind of way, is this song

In my opinion it has everything (including a brass section at the beginning that explodes into joyous rock splendour)

As for the chorus, I absolutely love the lyrics

“And there is always a wrong to your right/and there is always a war somewhere to fight” – brave lyrics from a band originating from North America. Political message? Maybe, but in the true spirit of rock music - Who fucking gives a shit!

So, there you have it. I know most of you have, but if you’ve not heard any of the above, give them a listen

All the best

Abby Titmus and a Happy New Rear

Mol