New Little Dragon - Sunshine

New track from one of my faves, Little Dragon:



As you'll see it's in partnership with Absolut which at first seems a bit weird n full on in the thumbnail/title card, but there aren't many refs to Absolut throughout. At least it's a cool vodka brand and I'm sure Little Dragon got paid handsomely :)

Little Dragon at The Forum

Back in Feb I went to see Little Dragon at The Forum.

This review is embarrassingly late and won't be a full one but this is no reflection of the band's performance by any means!

Little Dragon exceeded expectations with an amazingly energetic and flawless performance, heavier than anticipated with the percussion adding another dimension to it. The beats reminded me of the drum-off every year at the end of Soulwaxmas ie awesome.

Lead singer Yukimi Nagano is now on equal hero level with Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard.

I danced the night away and was knackered but very happy at the end. The venue was very good too.

Looking ahead, Little Dragon are playing the Saturday at Lovebox so go buy your ticket NOW!

A

Video of the Day - DJ Shadow

Nice chilled tune from DJ Shadow featuring Little Dragon - 'Scale it back'

Amusingly bizarre and entertaining video



Check out his latest album 'The Less You Know, The Better' which also includes collaborations with Tali Kweli and one of my fave artists of 2011, Tom Vek.

Top 5 Tracks of the Year

I heard there was loads of demand for another end of the year list so I decided to throw in my 2 cents! These are not in any order btw as I'm too indecisive.

First up is a track I first heard in May and was gutted to miss their gig at KCLSU. Luckily I got to see them do a brilliant yet very short set at Lovebox and the song went on to become a massive summer anthem (although rather overplayed!)

Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks



Next up is another act I saw at Lovebox, who gave a powerful and unforgettable performance...

Lykke Li - Youth Knows No Pain



Now a song that also reminds me of summer and I got to see performed live at Bestival whilst wearing a rather dodgy fancy dress costume but also a lovely mask donated by the band.

SBTRKT (featuring Little Dragon) - Wildfire



This leads on nicely to my next choice, which is a super catchy tune of brilliance. Looking forward to seeing it live at the Forum next year.

Little Dragon - Ritual Union



Finally, I'm going with a track by a band who I saw briefly after they had been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, in a horribly crowded experience in the Psychadelic Worm tent at Bestival. Thankfully, I got to see them properly a couple of weeks later in a much grander setting, The Royal Albert Hall, and they were great! Tempted to go with The Bay, but it's going to be...

Metronomy - The Look



So it seems I favour bands that I have seen at festivals, or remind me of sunnier times, but these are the tracks that I have listened to the most and have made me happiest this year.

Honorable mentions go out to:

Warpaint - Undertow
Woodkid - Iron
Baxter Dury - Leak at the Disco
Real Estate - It's Real
Los Campesinos! - By Your Hand
The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness
Rihanna - S&M
The 2 Bears - Bear Hug
The Naked & Famous - Punching in a Dream
Jamie Woon - Night Air
Alex Clare - Up All Night
Fixers - Another Lost Apache
Cold War Kids - Louder than Ever
Lianne La Havas - Age
CSS - Hits me like a rock
Florence + The Machine - Shake it out
Big Boi - Shutterbugg

February is not just about Valentine's Day

I'm getting a bit bored of everyone's "Best of 2011" lists so I thought I would look ahead to 2012 as there are some exciting gigs coming up, particularly in February.

Here's my pick of the bunch:

21st January - SBTRKT with Sampha + Thundercat + Michael Kiwanuka @ Koko (sold out)

6th February - Howler + Man Made @ The Lexington

8th February - Lianne La Haves + The Staves + Rae Morris @ Borderline

9th February - Slow Club @ Heaven

9th-11th February - The Black Keys @ Alexandra Palace

22nd-24th February - Alabama Shakes @ Boston Arms

23rd February - Baxter Dury @ XOYO

24th February - Little Dragon @ Forum

If you think I've missed any or would like to join me at any of the above, holler at me.