Posted on 5 Comments

Top 2008 Music

coldplay-prospekts-march11/ After long and hard consideration, the jury put Coldplay with Prospekt’s March on top of 2008’s releases. It is considered an unprecedented example of post-completion to an already genuinely great work, Viva La Vida (or Death and all His Friends).

The jury particularly appreciates the massive consistency. Personally I also love the guys for using the ghost title of the pre-release Viva.

2/ Not to be forgotten, to say the least, are:

  • Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts. Genius re-emerges beyond words
  • Brett Anderson – Wilderness. Former glam star contemplates (still)
  • The Verve – Forth. Grinding comeback with beatle-esque dignity
  • The Triffids – The Black Swan. Original intentions evilly reinstated

3/ The jury got used to the high performance level of Usual Suspects:

  • Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads.

4/ Unofficial commenting of the jury:

  • Eva De Roovere – Over & weer. Bevestiging van -levende- belofte
  • CPeX – Verzameld. Schitterende wederkomst onder de zon
  • Alanis Morissette – Flavors of Entanglement. Expanded scapes
Posted on 4 Comments

The Triffids: more expanded reissues

I remember 1986 (16 years old) and getting the Born Sandy Devotional LP by The Triffids. Totally overwhelmed when listening to it, felt like having to walk that wide open road by myself, very alone, although still that little ray of hope. It was the start of my eternal love for the desolate, powerful, soulful, romantic and edgy melodies of David McComb and his band.

Next, almost suddenly, the death of David (1999). And it turned out that their beautiful works were so hard to find on CD. Found only Calenture. Until… 2006: the reissues of Born Sandy Devotional, Calenture, but also the wonderful shed recordings of In The Pines. Not only remastered, but also expanded, enhanced… improved. Thank you, Graham (Evil) Lee. It made me buy The Black Swan on iTunes.

And now, at last, this week, the reissue of The Black Swan and release of Beautiful Waste And Other Songs, the collected EP’s Raining Pleasure, Lawson Square Infirmary and Field Of Glass. The latter is their fierce and haunting Peel Session (I was forever unhappy that I didn’t buy it when I had the chance, but ‘forever’ has come to an end today).

All made with the greatest respect. And the music has not lost one single bit of its beauty. Everlasting is the word.

And even a… video was made, featuring artist Steve Keene, of the song Save What You Can (from Calenture):

Okay, must admit, still have to go get the Treeless Plain reissue…