Goodbye, Farewell...

Sorry for the long wait between posts folks, I've been slack after coming back from uni, and I'm afraid I have more bad news, I'll be away for about two weeks from tomorrow on holiday. But fear not, I leave you with something wonderful.

I got an email from Laura Marling's mailing list a week or so ago, proclaiming her to having played with Jeffrey Lewis. Now seeing as I love her and newly love him, this seemed like something I should hear immediately, and hear it I did. For an odd little new section on the Guardian website, Jeffrey Lewis has started singing the news and then performing tracks with other artists, and the result of the first of these was his collaboration with Ms. Marling (link). And a weird one it is too.

They're covering Eminem's "Brain Damage" in a simplistic sing-song style (x4 alliteration), with Jeffrey's tell-tale drawl sitting uncomfortably but wonderfully next to Laura's dictive style. It's not an instant classic, but I've listened to it a lot recently and it makes me smile, which is never a bad thing. And with that I leave you!

Jeffrey Lewis and Laura Marling - Brain Damage (Eminem Cover) (YSI)

BONUS HOLIDAY TRACK!

Weezer - Island In The Sun (YSI)

The MFAGW Top 10

It's the end of the year, and sure as eggs is eggs there are music lists, polls and debates galore. I'm a sucker for a good end-of-year list, so I'm sure as hell gonna contribute my own. So without further ado, here are my top ten albums of the year:

10. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into

A triumph of genre crossovers, from Daft Punk to '80s pop, there was hardly a dud track on here.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Weird Science

9. Ida Maria - Fortress Around My Heart

Explosive, effervescent pop-punk from the amazing Miss Maria, her live show is just as good.

Ida Maria - Stella

8. Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge

Dev Hynes truly manages to shake off the Test Icicles tag to mould himself as a brilliant, twisted folk troubador.

Lightspeed Champion - Galaxy Of The Lost

7. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords

I know comedy records shouldn't count, but this is such a well-formed album, the fact that it's funny doesn't even matter that much.

Flight of the Conchords - The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)

6. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires

The perfect blend of house, indie, funk and any other genre you want to name, this album manages the seemingly impossible task of making a hugely coherent album without ever becoming samey.

Friendly Fires - Photobooth

5. Mumford and Sons - Lend Me Your Eyes EP

Alright, it's an EP not an album, but all four tracks are just so beautiful, so unbelievably heart-wrenching and glorious that I can't not include it.

Mumford and Sons - Awake My Soul

4. Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim

New-folk's true pioneer, this album delivered exactly what everyone wanted, the old demos produced beautifully, as well as some wonderful new tracks.

Laura Marling - Night Terror

3. Johnny Flynn - A Larum

Three new-folk albums in a row eh? I'd been waiting for an album from Johnny Flynn since his first demo of Tickle Me Pink, and the album was everything I'd wanted and more.

Johnny Flynn - Leftovers

2. Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - Angles

Hip-hop doesn't have to be corporate, gangstafied shite, it can be poetry, it can be dance music, it can be funny or tragically sad. In short, this album's brilliant.

Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - The Beat That My Heart Skipped

1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

To be honest, I don't think there was ever a doubt in my mind that this would be first place. When it came out it was just so different. Totally summery, totally African and totally incredible.

Vampire Weekend - Bryn