Elba Annual 2009 – Chris ‘Knoxy’ Elba

Phil — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:59:58 +0000

After a couple of days of Christmas over-indulgence, Elba Sessions go self indulgent. We’ve saved a couple of annual posts until the end of the month about our ‘bests’ of the year. Up first, podcaster broadcaster Chris…

Album of The Year – Wilco – Wilco (The Album). I literally listened to one album for 2 months after I bought this album so it has to be. Honourable mention to Richmond Fontaine’s new album…brilliant.

Favourite New Band – The Low Anthem. Listening to 6music at work every so often a song pops in between a Reggae & Drum and Bass track that makes you turn up the radio…’Ohio’ was that track and I can’t wait to see The Low Anthem at Celtic Connections.

Best Gig (Elba) – Ok so i’m not in a band but my favourite gig that we put on had to be the October Elba Sessions. Calum MacDonald was a hidden gem, Paul McLinden is an artist I don’t understand how he isn’t huge and Le Reno Amps played as a two piece (it was like I was back in Aberdeen), their banter was brilliant and they showed that they are learning how to play their instruments…great night!!!

Best Gig – Bruce Springsteen – RDS Arena, Dublin (12/7/09). It was part 1 in a Bruce double header in 3 days and it was unforgetable. I claimed I had seen it all after Cardiff the year before but on this day I saw Steve Van Zandt in the street during the day, then Bruce & The E Street Band played for 3 hours + and included ‘Spirit In The Night’ & ‘Darkness On The Edge of Town’ from the request cards from the crowd.

Best Memories of 2009 – Richmond Fontaine – Stereo. The night Scotland played Holland in the decider for World Cup Qualifying I decided to go see Richmond Fontaine…what a decision…oh and they milked having no idea on Football excellently (At 10.30pm it was still 0-0 supposidly).

Hopes for 2010/Things You’re Looking Forward To -
Album – Lightspeed Champion.
Book – Willy Vlautin – ‘Lean On Pete.
TV – Final season of Lost can’t f%^king wait!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and putting on more gigs…

The Scottish Bloggers and Music Sites Award 2009 (The Scottish BAMS)

Phil — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:01:21 +0000

The Elba Sessions podcast has been running since July this year and we have been blogging since September so we were pretty honoured to be asked by Peenko to throw our tuppence worth into what is now affectionately known as The Scottish BAMS or The Scottish Bloggers and Music Sites Award 2009, to give it it’s proper title. The Phantom Band’s Checkmate Savage took the honours and the Top 20 was packed with plenty of good choices, with a large amount of Scottish talent being represented.

Personally I struggled a bit, not to choose the ten so much, but more to order it from 10 to 1. Looking back at my choices, I’ll stick with my Number 1 and possibly the first few places but to be honest, if any of my top 10 were at number 1, I’d have no complaints at all. Here is how Stephen, Chris and myself voted…

(note: Stephen ducks out slightly by nominating an unreleased album, but we’ll let him off for that and you’ll notice I favoured counting down from 10 to 1, to build suspense and all, wheras my fellow amigos went straight in with a number 1!)

Phil Elba

10. Cuddly Shark – Cuddly Shark
9.Le Reno Amps – Tear It Open
8.Bruce Springsteen – Working On A Dream
7.The Cinematics – Love and Terror
6. Brakes – Touchdown
5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
3. Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
2. Phantom Band – Checkmate Savage
1. Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances

Stephen Elba

1. De Rosa – Prevention
2. My Latest Novel – Deaths and Entrances.
3. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career.
4. Idlewild – Post Electric Blues.
5. Conor Mason – When its Over
6. Le Reno Amps – Tear it Open
7. LAU – Arc Light
8. bat for lashes – two Suns
9. Daniel Wylie – Fake your own death (wont be released until 2010 but i have heard the tracks and they are ace!)
10. Cuddly Shark – Cuddly Shark

Chris Elba

1. Wilco – Wilco (the album)
2. Richmond Fontaine – We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River
3. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream
5. De Rosa – Prevention
6. Bob Dylan – Together Through Life
7. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
8. The Low Anthem – Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
9. Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
10. Le Reno Amps – Tear It Open

I was pretty pleased that 4 of mine were included in the Top 20 and having seen the spreadsheet where the maths was done, a couple just missed out. I think The Phantom Band were worthy winners though, being voted for by predominantly scottish blogs and writers it’s fitting that a Scottish band should win it, who would have doubted that one would!

And here’s how the masses voted!

1. The Phantom Band – Checkmate Savage (61)
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion (54)
3. De Rosa – Prevention (53)
4. King Creosote – Flick the V’s (51)
5. Withered Hand – Good News (45)
6. The Twilight Sad – Forget The Night Ahead (43)
7. We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls (40)
8. Beerjacket – Animosity (38)
9. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More (32)
9. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career (32)
11. My Latest Novel – Deaths and Entrances (28)
11. Malcolm Middleton – Waxing Gibbous (28)
13. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – s/t (25)
14. You Already Know – s/t (24)
14. Broken Records – Until the Earth Begins to Part (24)
16. The XX – s/t (23)
17. The Antlers – Hospice (21)
18. Sufjan Stevens – The BQE (19)
18. And So I Watch You From Afar (19)
20. Wilco – The Album (18)

You can praise/blame/thank the following for their input!

17 Seconds, AyeTunes, Dear Scotland, Earz Mag, Elba Sessions, Glasgow Podcart, Hooligans Lament, Jim Gellatly, JocknRoll, Jockrock, Kowalskiy, Last Years Girl, Love Shack Baby, Manic Pop Thrills, My Portiswasp Says, Off the Beaten Tracks, The Popcop, Products of a Gaseous Brain, Song By Toad, The Daily Growl, The Spill, The Steinberg Principle, The Vinyl Villain and Under the Radar.

And once again, well done to Peenko for organising all of this!

Elba Sessions » richmond fontaine

Elba Annual 2009 – Chris ‘Knoxy’ Elba

The Scottish Bloggers and Music Sites Award 2009 (The Scottish BAMS)