THE JOPI AWARDS for 2010

Lets see how many paragraphs of positivity i can manage...

SONG OF THE YEAR: DJ Rebel & FTW - You Can Call Me Al (FTW Radio Edit / Extended Versions)
As with 2009, this is awarded to the record which most made me sit up and take notice in 2010. This was a record i obtained in the traditional way, from the bargain bin of a branch of Free Record Shop (i think in Geel) for the huge sum of €0,20. The lead track mixed by DJ Rebel is useless - the awful synth brass ruins it. The second, mixed by Frank T Wallace (FTW) completely supercedes it in every way being the epitome of everything a proper cover version should be, offering something new and fresh to the original. From the opening menacing chord, the tone is set for something far more dramatic than you'd expect on a throwaway dance single. The vocals are subtley different to Paul Simon's originals without tons of processing or overproduction. Then we get to the main instrumental hook of the song which is just phenomenal and blows me away every time. In a year where dance music in the mainstream media has died on its arse, this was one of a very small number of highlights.

Worthwhile mentions: Das Pop - Wings is just beautiful. The Bloody Beetroots - Warp 1977 was the year's most brilliantly stark assault on the ears.


SINGLE OF THE YEAR: Manic Street Preachers - Its Not War (Just The End of Love)
Single of the Year is awarded to a brilliant song which arrived as part of a proper CD single EP, offering four different and interesting tracks. The sheer variety of the tracks on the single was impressive, ranging from the expansive lead track to the skiffle-stomp of I'm Leaving You for Solitude, the political indie of Distractions and an accomplished instrumental in Ostpolitik. This was the lead single from their album Postcards from a Young Man, but the song attracted a relatively small level of airplay considering how good it was.

Worthwhile mentions: Barely any this year. I've ordered the follow-up MSP single (Some Kind of Nothingness) on the strength of this one, but most of the physical format singles i bought during 2010 were bargain bin wonders. No music retailer seems to show any interest any more.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Das Pop - Das Pop
Although it wasn't released during 2010, i discovered this album during the year hence why it makes this list. Das Pop's 2009 album is a work of straightforward pop with dark edges and occasional irregular patterns that make it work on daytime radio or as something to provoke thought. The album is packed with hooks and ideas which leave most artists (particularly those in the British mainstream) standing. Of course, as it can't be pidgeonholed as Dubstep, Radio 1 aren't interested. Sadly, even 6Music seems determined to ignore a band which should be spot on for their remit. The good news is that they spent most of 2010 working on a new album which should hopefully see the light during 2011, so perhaps they'll retain this accolade?

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR: Studio Brussel (Belgium)
It really is difficult to fault Belgium's Studio Brussel who take this award for the second year. The problem i have is that no British broadcaster delivers a consisitently good product in the same way as StuBru. It is extrememely rare that i have a "Quick! Turn it off!" moment with Studio Brussel in the way that i do with the likes of Fearne Cotton, Steve Wright, Nick Grimshaw, Heart or Chris Evans. They also seem to adhere to their remit a lot better than most British broadcasters, a massively diverse playlist of new and old music without the boundaries of cool or demographics which seem to blight output from these shores. If you want a quick window on the StuBru world, a good place to start is their weekly listener vote show De Afrekening, which is helpfully available in its entirety as a podcast.

MUSIC RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Ken Bruce on Radio 2
This is a bit of a curved ball. Ken Bruce is quietly making himself indispensable on Radio 2 amidst the myriad of shite that the station is putting out otherwise during daytimes. Chris Evans is busy growing his ego again (i give him six months at the most before he implodes again), Jeremy Vine simply regurgitates the Daily Mail for two hours and Steve Wright is patronising and delivering a stale, lame donkey of a show. Between all of this, Ken Bruce is doing a fine job on the morning show without shouting about it. From the PopMaster quiz where music anoraks join together each morning to shout at the radio, we get cast into the mysterious 10:30 to 11am slot where any playlist seems to get cast aside and it quite often features long unheard ten or twelve minute tracks in their entirety. Its a fascinating show which can easily pass you by if you're not thinking about it.

Worthwhile mentions: Straight to the other end of the musical spectrum, Kutski's show on Radio 1 is brilliant with a mix of new and old energised dance (i don't like using the phrase Hard Dance as it makes people think of talentless one note wonders like Lisa Lashes). Likewise, Rob da Bank makes the most consistent delivery of excellent new leftfield music every week on Radio 1's Saturday morning paperboy slot.

FACTUAL RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: The Ghost Trains of Old England (Ian Marchant, BBC Radio 4)
I've long been a fan of Ian Marchant's writing and this one-off programme on Parliamentary Trains and railway stations served once a week was the most blissful half hour of speech radio all year. Put together in the way the only Radio 4 can manage, this gently tells a story which would otherwise never been known by most people and Ian Marchant's offbeat presentation fits his subject matter perfectly. I just wish it had been extended to run as a two or three part series as it felt like there was plenty of material to justify it.

SPORT RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Danny Baker (BBC Five Live)
Radio Five Live is at its best when it isn't taking itself too seriously. There are far too many opportunities for people to phone up broadcasters and complain about things, but not enough for them to call in and be daft. Danny Baker's Saturday show is one of the places where such irreverency is not only allowed, but positively encouraged. Until his illness enforced sabbatical from the programme in the autumn Baker had been on fine form, never running short of the eclectic barrage of superb quality ideas that fill the programme each week. The only problem was really that there were too many to keep track of. Aside from a few weeks after Danny went public with his cacner treatment, Alan Davies and Ian Stone have been sitting in for the show and doing a sterling job keeping the Pirate Ship afloat in the manner to which the regular listeners have become accusomed. Nevertheless, i hope Danny makes a swift and strong recovery.

Worthwhile mention: Chappers and Dave have reunited to host the erratically scheduled Soccer Express on some Monday evenings. Being only a half hour slot, the show tends to feel like it is just getting in to its stride as it finishes.

COMEDY RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Mark Steel's In Town (Radio 4)
On paper, this should be merely average. The premise is that Mark Steel visits a town usually considered something of a backwater and does a stand up show, which would be fairly lame if it weren't for Steel's meticulous research. It must be a very daunting prospect coming to a town as an outsider and presenting a stand up routine on local history, events and politics, but Mark Steel not only pulls it off, but does so with massive success.

Worthwhile mentions: It had to happen eventually, 2010 was the year i finally started getting my head around Bleak Expectations. Lucy Montgomery's Variety Pack was on the verge of brilliant, but let down by a couple of duff sketches.

BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR: Richard Allinson (BBC Radio 2 / Cumbria)
Richard Allinson is a remarkably talented man. He can make Steve Wright's show listenable. This is mainly because he dispenses with all the fluff, cheering, Craptoids and general ego stroking and just gets on with playing some decent music with intelligent chatter in between. Its just a shame he was only doing it as an interim measure. I suppose its enough to make do with having his early breakfast show on weekends, plus my recent discovery of his "Allinson's Albums" show on BBC Cumbria which deserves promotion to national coverage because there aren't enough programmes where the presenters can talk in an erudite manner about the music without talking all over it. Some of on the Albums show is refreshingly edgy for BBC Local Radio too. Richard Allinson is consistently one of the best voices to listen to on radio.

LIVE ACT OF THE YEAR: Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
Dan and Pip are one of the most entertaining live acts you'll see. So few British hip-hop acts have anything even approaching a personality, and those that do let their ego get away with themselves. Despite the fact that they've been touring and working for several years now, Pip still has a considerable fire in his belly and numerous messages to spur his creativity into action. Their second album was a bit patchy and lacked the overall flow and consistency of the first, but when performed live each track feels much punchier.


MUSIC RETAILER OF THE YEAR: Free Record Shop
If a trio of countries without a musical heritage as rich as Britain can sustain a chain of the quality of Free Record Shop, then why is HMV closing stores and looking to be on the verge of giving up high street retail entirely? I know that the market for physical format music and multimedia is falling and what there is stands dominated by the supermarkets, but the Benelux chain seems to keep its market position whilst providing a better range of music in a small town store than HMV can manage in their larger stores.

HOPE FOR 2011...
I'd like to think that people would finally realise that Dubstep is brainless dreck devoid of any emotion, but given that most of the population seem to be happy to love whatever is foist upon them by a desperate music industry on the brink of oblivion, then perhaps i should just let them get on with it. Perhaps i should have a more realistic hope, such as the realisation by Radio 1's playlist morons that the entire populous doesn't see more traditional guitar based indie bands as uncool. But i won't hold my breath.