So here it is my last blog for 2009, my last blog of the decade. How momentous! I’ve just been recording a show with my friend Chris Jennings at Stroud FM 107.9,I was his a guest on a ‘review of the year in music’ type show-it was so difficult to try and narrow down my choices to a concise 7 tracks – I could have made a seven hour show with all the music I wanted to play. I was backed into a corner and forced to chooseand here are the seven tracks I picked as highlights from 2009The tracks:
1) Florence and the Machine-Drumming song : A populist choice, I know, but I could have picked almost any from her tremendous album
‘Lungs’. It’s an album I’ve loved and listened to a lot this year and it’s great to watch somones career bloom from unknown gigging musician struggling to fill out small venues (as she was a couple of years ago when I first heard of her) to becoming a “sold out stadium, being played on prime time radio and everywhere else” type pop star. An incredible performer and talented musician who truly deserves all the plaudits and success she’s received this year.
2) Wet dog-Lower Leg: From their newly released album Frauhaus. A totally unique and sharply edgy lo-fi, post punk number from my favouriteobscure girl group with ‘the most creative fusion of energy since Wilson Phillips’(according to Pitchfork .com). This year has been a good one for them, supporting the Slits, releasing their second album and adding NME ,Vivien Westwood and Topshop to their already illustrious list of famous fans. Let’s hope 2010 is even better.
3) The Rusticles- Jazz Cigarette: A band to watch out for and to check out if you’re a fan of gypsy jazz/folk/rock or blues. I saw them live over the Christmas period and they were fantastic. They’ve really developed a polished yet raw rootsy rocky sound that I find hard to define as it’s not really like anything else around at the moment. It’s classic and timeless and is performed with gleeful exuberance and skillful mastery of their instruments. I bought their demo and have been listening to it all week ,playing it to anyone who’ll listen. Impressive.
4)The Horrors-Who can tell: Another song from an album I’ve played over and over again-‘Primary Colours’ is a masterpiece in my opinion. Nuff said. Genius!
5)The Big Pink-Velvet: A beautiful ,deeply dark song of epic proportions. Throbbing bass, dirty distorted guitars, crystal clear vocals and enough drama to fuel a British soap opera for weeks. Makes me want to cry and dance at the same time. Blissful.
6)Pleasure Mob-Where’s my money: I’ve been banging on about them for the last few months and my enthusiasm has not dwindled. With the immediacy and highly addictive quality found usually only in hard drugs, I defy anyone to listen to this song without starting to at the very least vigorously tap your toes. If you actually manage to get it out of your head , and don’t end up singing it all damn day after just one listen, then you obviously don’t have the same weakness for catchy riffs and bouncy dance punk as me. Watch out for great things from Pleasure Mob in 2010.
7)The Prodigy-Warriors Dance(Benga remix):I love the Prodigy. Always have,always will. It became a bit of a tradition of mine to finish my radio shows with a prodigy track,and so there it was. This time of year is all about tradition and what a great tradition to have. Pure Class. Oh, and I had to get some Dubstep in somewhere hence the Benga remix.
So those were the tracks I managed to play but there were so many more I wanted to fit in if I’d had seven more it would have been:
1) 
Shotgun Venus -Hate world
2) The Yeah Yeah Yeahs –anything from It’s Blitz
3) The XX-Crystalized
4) Major Lazer-anything from the album Guns don’t kill people Lazers Do
5) Fever Ray-Triangle Walks
6) The Black Bloc-Death of a Culture
7) Ahhhrgh! I can’t make a final choice there’s so many err…Kish Mauve, London Elektricty, High Contrast, The Antlers, My Toys Like Me, Zomby,The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Mpho-Box n Locks to mention but a few.
I’m sure I’ve left loads out but I’ll be writing more on this subject very soon. I’ve yet to tell you about my live music high points , my own hand picked ones to watch for 2010 and other random reflective ramblings that I’d like to share for your reading pleasure. This was a year of firsts for me: my first Radio Show and series, my first blog, my first (and possibly last) tweet on Twitter, my first term at university,etc, it’s been exciting, exhausting and exhilarating.
Whatever you do I hope you have a safe and smiley New Year.
Bring on the next decade!
Milly
x
Happy Christmas! I am actually quite amazed and astounded that 
the guitarist who says
It does show we have the power to resist the dominant mainstream ideals if we want to and that people in England really do care about the state of the music industry-hurrah! I agree with the argument that it’s a shame it’s a major label and that we could have used that solidarity to support an independent but I guess it’s the sentiment of that song that encapsulates the public mood so well ”F**K You I won’t do what you tell me” indeed. I do chuckle to myself because I used to play this loud on my cassette player when my poor old Mum was asking me to tidy my room when I was 13 . What oppression, What a disregard for my human rights and freedoms !What a brat I was!!! Sorry Mum. I have since realised that RATM were actually fighting for real injustice and oppression (for instance the plight of the Zapatista Indians) and had a bit more reason to be angry than me and my self involved teenage rebellion.
I’ve got a head full of cold and as a result am finding it hard to get excited about anything except lemsip and balmy tissues. However something did just catch my eye and make me exclaim something other than a sniff or sneeze-
drink anti-freeze instead of champagne –that’s how punk they are! Vivien Westwood chose their track lower leg to play at her Milan fashion show, adding the fash pack to their already star studded fan base(The Slits, Mark Ronson, Beth Ditto and Dave Rowntree of Blur to name just a few!).
I watched the film Anvil this week with awe and respect, a little mirth and also sadness. It’s the story of a rock band trying to recapture their 15 minutes of fame and is the tale of absolute self belief in the face of adversity. An absolute point blank refusal to give up on their dreams when really all evidence is saying let it go. It’s a familiar (if extreme) story to anyone working in the music industry and I guess anyone who has a dream and dares to follow it. It also highlighted he elements of luck involved in success in this fickle business we call the music industry. It was hilarious but also very touching and if it was just a question of hardwork and determination then they deserve to be the biggest band in the world-sadly they’re not-I’m not a fan of thrash metal (my boyfriend is though) but I’m a newly converted fan of Anvil. I want to take full advantage of being ill and watch all the music films I’ve been meaning to see ,’Control’ the joy division story, ‘Le Donk and Scor-say-zee’ the story of a wannabe music manager on tour with the Arctic Monkey’s and his midlands homeboy rapper Sco-say-zee, which I’ve been highly recommended. There’s loads of great music films to watch any other recommendations would be gratefully received.
I went to see New York Dolls at the Anson Rooms in Bristol, it was so exciting. Ok so there were only two remaining original members, David
Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, but two legends is better than none. Johansen was amazing, he had the classic demeanour of a drug addled aging rocker and it felt like witnessing a piece of rock history. He had the face of an anorexic bulldog and the figure of someone who’s probably survived on a diet of liquids, powders and not much else but he was still totally enigmatic, utterly captivating and played it all with a wry knowing smile . He did attempt some of the old moves but looked a bit creaky, though his presence was that of a true rock God and totally effortlessly cool. Insanely cool in fact, one of the most charismatic front men ever!
This week I made my last show for Stroud Fm which was very emotional and just to seal the coffin in the most melodramatic and maudlin way I could I played The End by The Doors as my last track and burst in to floods of uncontrollable tears on air (ok I made the latter bit up but you get the general sentiment). It was sad but I went out with a bang with interviews from Talk to Angels, Ten Bears and local folk sensation Jim Lockey and music from Sonic Youth, The Black Ghosts, Kish Mauve and the legendary Stevie Nicks to name but a few. It had some technical issues so it’s going to be aired again next Friday (December 4th at 7pm) if you fancy a listen on 
