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It's the return of the CMU Weekly's annual round-up of the year in music. And round it up we have. Like a shepherd and his dog, we've crammed the whole thing into one tiny little space and shut the gate. Take that, 2009! Here's how it works (don't worry, it's much the same as usual). We've picked some news stories and quotes that were particularly 2009-centric, plus some of the new bands we tipped this year who we think you'll be hearing more of in 2010, and some of our favourite answers to the Same Six Questions from over the last twelve months. On top of that, we've chosen our favourite albums of this year and we've rounded it all off with a hilarious pop joke. CMU takes no responsibility for any splits that appear in your sides after you read it. So, now I'm off for a mince pie and an extended lie down. All that remains to be said is thanks very much for reading CMU Weekly. This was its first full year in operation since launching in September 2008, and it's been endless amounts of fun to put together. I hope you've enjoyed it, too. We'll be back again on 8 Jan for more of the same. Hope you have a merry Christmas and an especially marvellous new year. Andy Malt |
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MICHAEL JACKSON DIES Michael Jackson died, aged 50, after suffering a cardiac arrest at his LA home on 25 Jun. There had been speculation about Jackson's health for years, partly, of course, because of his frail appearance, though once he had signed up to do a fifty night residency at The O2 in London, promoters AEG Live assured reporters that their insurers had done a rigorous heath assessment which the singer apparently passed with flying colours. The singer's death was later ruled a homicide, after it was discovered that he had died from an overdose of the powerful anaesthetic propofol, which had been administered by his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, to overcome insomnia. |
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CHRIS BROWN ATTACKS RIHANNA In the early hours of 8 Feb, while travelling home from a pre-Grammy party in LA, Chris Brown pulled his car over and beat his then girlfriend Rihanna unconscious, before driving off and leaving her on the pavement. Although Brown maintained his innocence in the run-up to his trial for "assault likely to cause great bodily harm", he reached a plea deal with prosecutors with minutes to spare before the first formal court hearing, pleading guilty to one count of assault. He was sentenced to five years' probation, 180 days of community service and a year of domestic violence counselling. He was also ordered not to come with 100 yards of Rihanna (except at music industry events). Both Rihanna and Chris Brown recently released new albums. Sales of Brown's have so far not lived up to those of his previous LPs. |
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LES PAUL DIES Legendary guitarist Les Paul died in New York, aged 94, from complications arising from pneumonia on 12 Aug. Credited with inventing the electric guitar as it is known today, the eight-track tape recorder and numerous recording techniques and effects, Les Paul - it could be argued - is the man responsible for almost all modern music. He built the first solid-wood guitar in 1941, affectionately known as 'The Log', paving the way for Rickenbacker, Fender and Gibson, the latter of which produced an iconic range of guitars that he lent his name to. He continued to perform at New York's Iridium Club every Monday night up until his death, despite crippling arthritis and, still devoted to advancing the possibilities of sound, had been attempting to build the perfect hearing aid. |
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BLUR REFORM, OASIS SPLIT The heady days of 90s Britpop were recalled briefly this year, when Blur announced that they were reforming for a handful of live dates. The band played a number of small shows in venues significant to their career, as well as two nights in Hyde Park in July and headline slots at the Glastonbury, Oxegen and T In The Park festivals. In order to play the latter show, which brought the reunion to an end, guitarist Graham Coxon had to discharge himself from hospital, after being admitted with food poisoning earlier in the day. The band bowed out on a high, while their Britpop rivals Oasis imploded, splitting as they were due to go on stage at the Rock En Seine festival in France. Noel is now working on solo material, while Liam has formed a new band with Oasis members Andy Bell and Gem Archer, currently going by the name of Oasis 2.0. |
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THE ASCENSION OF SARAH BOYLE After amazing the world by being someone who didn't look like a model but could still sing quite well on 'Britain's Got Talent', Susan Boyle beat every Amazon pre-order record going when the online retailer began taking orders for her debut album, 'I Dreamed A Dream'. It was released on 23 Nov, and in its first week on sale the album became the fastest-selling of the year, achieved the biggest first week sales for a debut album in chart history and also the fourth highest first week sales for any artist album, out-selling the rest of the top five combined in that week. She's now shifted more than a million copies in the UK alone, and over six million worldwide. |
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I'M GONNA LET YOU FINISH, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST HEADLINES OF ALL TIME |
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Want more? Want daily in-depth music news? Want all this for free? Well, ha, you're in luck. Click here to subscribe to the CMU Daily. Or here to access the CMU News-Blog. |
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It's the end of the year, which means it's time to start making lists. We've written all kinds of lists over the last few weeks, from Christmas shopping lists to lists of bands people should check out in 2010, but most important right now is this one. Tell me readers, do you know what the ten best albums of the year were? That's right, they were these: Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor You can find out what CMU Editor Andy Malt thought of each and every one of these albums right here. |
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Delphic. We first heard this band about two years ago when our good friend Eddy Temple-Morris played a demo version of their upcoming single, 'Counterpoint', on The Remix on Xfm. Now Delphic are fast becoming Manchester's hottest new property. Their sound is steeped in their home city's musical history but they're taking it forwards like no one has managed for quite some time - www.myspace.com/delphic | |
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An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump. Riding in on a wave of unrelenting drums and fuzzed-up bass, this band are every bit as intriguing and disturbing as the eighteenth century painting they take their name from. Sparse post-punk soundscapes are the order of the day, all topped off with strong vocals offered in turn by each of the band's three members - www.myspace.com/anexperimentonabirdintheairpump |
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Ellie Goulding. There's been a bit of fuss about Londoner Ellie Goulding since the start of 2009, though it wasn't until more recently that she's really begun to make moves, inking a deal with Polydor and grabbing hold of many a music fan's ears with her debut single, 'Under The Sheets'. The hype around Ellie is currently threatening to swallow her whole, but she has a stong arsenal of songs with which to fight back - www.myspace.com/elliegoulding | |
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Toro Y Moi. An almost annoyingly precocious 23 year old making freaky electronica with the washed out bliss of Animal Collective and the spirited beats of J Dilla, 'Talamak' is the siren for Toro Y Moi's collection, fuelled by a laid back roof top party vibe, and vocals as hazy as the swirling, warped music, which is kept in check by a steady groove and some sparsely placed vocal samples - www.myspace.com/toroymoi |
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Emika. The title track of new Ninja Tune signing Emika's debut EP, 'Drop The Other', sounds like a squeaky clean R&B track that's been taken out on a heavy night and then left alone in a strange town to find its way home at 4am. It's catchy and definitely has pop in its heart, but it also sounds damaged and subdued. It's not out til January, but Ninja Tune are giving away a Scuba remix of the track right now - www.ninjatune.net/emika | |
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Apparatjik. Featuring Mew's Jonas Bjerre, Guy Berryman from Coldplay, A-ha's Magne Furuholmen and songwriter/producer Martin Terefe, Apparatjik made their debut single, 'Electric Eye', available for free via their official website last month. It's an intriguing taste of a project that could turn out to be the best thing ever or head down a route of impenetrable self-indulgence - www.apparatjik.com |
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Q1 How did you start out making music? EMMY THE GREAT: "It's a long story but, basically, I ended up at Fuji Rock just after my A-levels and, while I was on the run from the guy who took me there (who was really nice, I was just a shit-witch when I was eighteen), met a band called The Get Up Kids. At the end of the festival they told me and my friend to start a band so that we could meet again next year. That's how I got into music" |
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Q2 What inspired your latest album? |
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Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track? CRADLE OF FILTH: "We usually formulate ideas at home and then come together to bash our skulls together in the rehearsal room. From here on we demo on Pro-Tools whilst I address the lyrics, finally meeting up to iron out any flaws before taking it to the studio. Then we make ardent living sacrifices to Moloch and dance naked under the stars" |
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Q4 Which artists influence your work? MY TOYS LIKE ME: "Well, it used to go like this. I get really paranoid that I can't do anything creative at all and sit on the floor being melodramatic. Then I boil an egg, stick it on the end of my thumb, dance to some Aaliyah in my socks and start experimenting with Lazlo. But now there's four of us and if I do that first bit everyone wants to join in, which gets too out of hand, so I need to try something else" |
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Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time? HIGH RANKIN: "That it's best listened to in a state of undress and semi-arousal. Whiskey helps" |
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Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future? COMANECHI: "Our ambition for our latest album is making the music scene not suck. For the future? The same. Making the music scene not suck is our forever mission" |
Q. Who's the most Christmassy member of Take That? A. Robin Williams |
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