The Easter weekend provided us with a number of documentaries made by BBC local radio on a wide variety of topics which were pebbledashed around the schedule.
Radio: Tiswas Remebered (BBC Coventry & Warwickshire)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02n273s
Hosted by Chris Tarrant, this hour long show documents the conception, rise and fall of Saturday Morning children's TV favourite Tiswas. Tarrant's enduring love of the show is still as vibrant as ever and it sounds as if he enjoyed making this programme and reminiscing about the era with various on and off screen staff. The enduring popularity of the show amongst the online community means there was little which would have been new to enthusiasts, but the story was eloquently and warmly told with well planned guests musing on each stage of the tale.
Radio: Life After Coal (BBC Radio Sheffield)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02mb5qw
In a very different tone, BBC Radio Sheffield mark the anniversary of the end of the Miners' Strike with this documentary regarding the decline of the coal mining industry in South Yorkshire and the effect that it continues to have. The wide scope of the programme covers interviews with former miners and their families, and the many projects which still exist to try and rebuild the communities which effectively had their livelihood removed overnight. Some rather shocking facts emerge amongst the personal stories; the huge cost of social support and welfare which now dwarfs the subsidies paid to the coal industry, the huge drug problems and the misdirected attempts to attract new big businesses, but these are not sensationalised. This is not a story dwelling on the past, but recognising the challenges which continues to face the area and those who have overcome the adversity to improve their lot. The most disturbing section of the programme for me was the final section which focuses on a current major employer, reliant on minimum wage and zero hour contracts whilst effectively punishing staff for taking sick days and imposing lengthy queues for security checks entering and leaving work. The unions may have been partly responsible for the decline of the coal mining industry, but their influence is now needed to expose exploitative employers taking advantage of their staff.
Radio: Liberation 70 (BBC Radio Devon)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02mqwhk
Bergerac himself, John Nettles writes and narrates this epic tale of the occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. The production reminds me of the soundtrack of a museum diorama, evoking the atmosphere using recreations and archive material. The use of effects and background paints impressive sound pictures to illustrate the story. The production values for this are considerably higher than i was expecting, more akin to the style of Radio 4's drama output. The use of a wide range of voices, personal recollections and records from the period added considerable depth and gravity to the story without straying in to jingoistic territory often stirred up by wartime stories.
Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Listening List 01: An introduction
In order to inspire me to write more on here, i've decided to try a new format which may evolve in the future.
Listening List is (as the title suggests) stuff i've been listening to recently. At the moment, i'm spending far more time with speech radio and podcasts than i am listening to music radio, so this is a logical direction for me to take.
Podcast: Toby Foster at Breakfast (BBC Radio Sheffield, weekdays)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/toby
Toby Foster's Breakfast podcast draws together all the lighter parts of the show. The team have recently started putting more effort in to the production value of the podcast and it is paying dividends. Supported by Amy Nagy and Andy Giddings, Toby presides over a broad church of topics with a steady and even hand. My favourite recent topic was "Are you called Gary?"....
Radio: Archive on 4: Malled, 60 Years of Undercover Shopping (BBC Radio 4)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0532chv
Will Self has developed a superb radio style. Calm, positive, authoritative and often quietly anarchistic. This programme from the former Archive Hour features British and American material regarding out of town shopping and the Malls which have pebbledashed the suburbs either side of the Atlantic. We hear from a wide range of people; customers, workers, merchandisers and retail psychologists all offer a view of the rise (and in some cases fall) of the consumerist ideal. The variety of voices is brilliantly balanced, ranging from those who despite the Malls which to those who are obsessed with them. These excerpts are all brought together with Self's wry commentary and journey from Bluewater in Kent to Lakeside in Essex. As a fan of commentaries on modern consumerist society, this is an excellent listen.
Radio: Tales from the Ring Road (BBC Radio 4)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ringroad
Note: Although this review refers to the broadcast version, i believe the podcast version linked above is the same.
I'm sure this was supposed to be an atmospheric, ethereal collection of stories linked around the ring roads which encircle Coventry, Wolverhampton and Bedford. The production of the programmes is excellent, sounding like a slower paced version of Josie Long's Short Cuts. The content is more variable. The stories found almost entirely revolve around loss - accidents, fire, demolition and a murder stick particularly in the mind, but those stories which are supposed to represent the new hopes rising from the ashes sometimes miss the target. The story of hope from the Coventry episode revolves around the "regeneration" of a part of the city, which involves razing the whole area to the ground and building something more fashionable, which will probably be demolished itself within 30 years. I find it difficult to see that as progress. But i digress, the programme is an interesting collection of stories which would otherwise have remained untold and for that reason deserves a listen.
Listening List is (as the title suggests) stuff i've been listening to recently. At the moment, i'm spending far more time with speech radio and podcasts than i am listening to music radio, so this is a logical direction for me to take.
Podcast: Toby Foster at Breakfast (BBC Radio Sheffield, weekdays)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/toby
Toby Foster's Breakfast podcast draws together all the lighter parts of the show. The team have recently started putting more effort in to the production value of the podcast and it is paying dividends. Supported by Amy Nagy and Andy Giddings, Toby presides over a broad church of topics with a steady and even hand. My favourite recent topic was "Are you called Gary?"....
Radio: Archive on 4: Malled, 60 Years of Undercover Shopping (BBC Radio 4)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0532chv
Will Self has developed a superb radio style. Calm, positive, authoritative and often quietly anarchistic. This programme from the former Archive Hour features British and American material regarding out of town shopping and the Malls which have pebbledashed the suburbs either side of the Atlantic. We hear from a wide range of people; customers, workers, merchandisers and retail psychologists all offer a view of the rise (and in some cases fall) of the consumerist ideal. The variety of voices is brilliantly balanced, ranging from those who despite the Malls which to those who are obsessed with them. These excerpts are all brought together with Self's wry commentary and journey from Bluewater in Kent to Lakeside in Essex. As a fan of commentaries on modern consumerist society, this is an excellent listen.
Radio: Tales from the Ring Road (BBC Radio 4)
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ringroad
Note: Although this review refers to the broadcast version, i believe the podcast version linked above is the same.
I'm sure this was supposed to be an atmospheric, ethereal collection of stories linked around the ring roads which encircle Coventry, Wolverhampton and Bedford. The production of the programmes is excellent, sounding like a slower paced version of Josie Long's Short Cuts. The content is more variable. The stories found almost entirely revolve around loss - accidents, fire, demolition and a murder stick particularly in the mind, but those stories which are supposed to represent the new hopes rising from the ashes sometimes miss the target. The story of hope from the Coventry episode revolves around the "regeneration" of a part of the city, which involves razing the whole area to the ground and building something more fashionable, which will probably be demolished itself within 30 years. I find it difficult to see that as progress. But i digress, the programme is an interesting collection of stories which would otherwise have remained untold and for that reason deserves a listen.
Monday, 16 March 2015
The Jopi Awards for 2014
And unlike some lesser awards shows, these are given for and
therefore named after the year in which the work was done rather than
the year we're a few weeks a month in to....
SONG OF THE YEAR: Kasabian - Eez-Ehh!
Nothing came close to this during 2014. Quite often songs which have an initial appeal lose their lustre over time, but this three minute slice of genius is still gorgeously addictive to my ears. Although i've never really rated Kasabian that highly (particularly their last couple of albums which never appealed much to me), this pogo-ing session of indie-tech-pop is so utterly infectious that i can't help but dance.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Errrm.... Ummm....
It hasn't been a particularly album oriented year for me. Work patterns and a growing preference for listening on demand to more speech based radio shows mean i haven't had the opportunity to listen properly to a number of albums i bought in the summer which deserve proper attention before i build an opinion on them. In terms of which album i've spent most time listening to, well last year's winner in this category (Bent van Looy's Round The Bend) is undoubtedly the leader in that metric.
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR: BBC Radio Sheffield
I've fallen for the tone, warmth and conviviality of BBC Radio Sheffield. From Toby Foster's brilliant breakfast show to Bernie Clifton's audience driven Live-ish and the sublimely fun Treasure Hunt game Clueless, the station's output is pitched superbly.
MUSIC RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Well this is awkward...
I've had an awkward year with music radio. There doesn't seem to be a great deal of variety out there. Having long been a fan of dance music based radio shows, the current crop feels a bit weak. There are a lot of people doing the same thing, with very similar music apparently belonging to different genres whilst a wider world of music gets ignored. In a year which has seen the end of Rob da Bank's weekly Radio 1 shows and the opportunities for specialist music shows get reduced by the lengthening of most late night and overnight slots to three hours, it feels like we are approaching something of a fin de siecle with regard to new music. The whole music industry is in desperate need of a movement which feels genuinely dangerous and exciting to shake up the mainstream and the various youth-targeted radio stations reflect this stagnation.
FACTUAL RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Clueless (BBC Radio Sheffield)
Continuing last year's theme of Treasure Hunt styled games on local radio being my new favourite thing, BBC Radio Sheffield's Clueless has raised itself head and shoulders above the competition in my estimation. Howard Pressman's chairmanship is superbly judged, a combination of excitement, organisation and entertainer. Kat Cowan's role as the clue hunter (ably assisted by the Anti-Stig) is always entertaining and she throws herself in to the show wholeheartedly. The mysterious Cluemaster also adds to the revelry with banter, hints, solutions and the "Ask the Cluemaster" feature. The show never takes itself too seriously and is always good fun, especially when things go awry for Howie and Kat.
Also deserving a mention is the second series of BBC WM's Hunted, which returned in March and follows a similar format to Clueless. Similarly anarchic, with a penchant for double entendre and in jokes, Hunted is brilliant Sunday morning fun.
PODCAST OF THE YEAR: Iain Lee (BBC Three Counties Radio)
Despite Iain being the big name fronting the show, the Three Counties breakfast show is distinctly a team effort. The inspired combination of Iain Lee, Katherine Boyle, Kelly Betts and Justin Dealey has truly come of age in 2014. Given the creative freedom to try something different with the potentially stuffy format of BBC local radio breakfast, the team have elevated the zoo format to a newly credible level, being both entertaining and having the teeth to tackle serious material. It can be quite a rollercoaster ride, often veering in to the surreal. It definitely isn't what you'd expect from a show in that slot and that makes it all the more exciting.
SONG OF THE YEAR: Kasabian - Eez-Ehh!
Nothing came close to this during 2014. Quite often songs which have an initial appeal lose their lustre over time, but this three minute slice of genius is still gorgeously addictive to my ears. Although i've never really rated Kasabian that highly (particularly their last couple of albums which never appealed much to me), this pogo-ing session of indie-tech-pop is so utterly infectious that i can't help but dance.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Errrm.... Ummm....
It hasn't been a particularly album oriented year for me. Work patterns and a growing preference for listening on demand to more speech based radio shows mean i haven't had the opportunity to listen properly to a number of albums i bought in the summer which deserve proper attention before i build an opinion on them. In terms of which album i've spent most time listening to, well last year's winner in this category (Bent van Looy's Round The Bend) is undoubtedly the leader in that metric.
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR: BBC Radio Sheffield
I've fallen for the tone, warmth and conviviality of BBC Radio Sheffield. From Toby Foster's brilliant breakfast show to Bernie Clifton's audience driven Live-ish and the sublimely fun Treasure Hunt game Clueless, the station's output is pitched superbly.
MUSIC RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Well this is awkward...
I've had an awkward year with music radio. There doesn't seem to be a great deal of variety out there. Having long been a fan of dance music based radio shows, the current crop feels a bit weak. There are a lot of people doing the same thing, with very similar music apparently belonging to different genres whilst a wider world of music gets ignored. In a year which has seen the end of Rob da Bank's weekly Radio 1 shows and the opportunities for specialist music shows get reduced by the lengthening of most late night and overnight slots to three hours, it feels like we are approaching something of a fin de siecle with regard to new music. The whole music industry is in desperate need of a movement which feels genuinely dangerous and exciting to shake up the mainstream and the various youth-targeted radio stations reflect this stagnation.
FACTUAL RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Clueless (BBC Radio Sheffield)
Continuing last year's theme of Treasure Hunt styled games on local radio being my new favourite thing, BBC Radio Sheffield's Clueless has raised itself head and shoulders above the competition in my estimation. Howard Pressman's chairmanship is superbly judged, a combination of excitement, organisation and entertainer. Kat Cowan's role as the clue hunter (ably assisted by the Anti-Stig) is always entertaining and she throws herself in to the show wholeheartedly. The mysterious Cluemaster also adds to the revelry with banter, hints, solutions and the "Ask the Cluemaster" feature. The show never takes itself too seriously and is always good fun, especially when things go awry for Howie and Kat.
Also deserving a mention is the second series of BBC WM's Hunted, which returned in March and follows a similar format to Clueless. Similarly anarchic, with a penchant for double entendre and in jokes, Hunted is brilliant Sunday morning fun.
PODCAST OF THE YEAR: Iain Lee (BBC Three Counties Radio)
Despite Iain being the big name fronting the show, the Three Counties breakfast show is distinctly a team effort. The inspired combination of Iain Lee, Katherine Boyle, Kelly Betts and Justin Dealey has truly come of age in 2014. Given the creative freedom to try something different with the potentially stuffy format of BBC local radio breakfast, the team have elevated the zoo format to a newly credible level, being both entertaining and having the teeth to tackle serious material. It can be quite a rollercoaster ride, often veering in to the surreal. It definitely isn't what you'd expect from a show in that slot and that makes it all the more exciting.
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
All About That Bullshit
It is very easy to pour scorn upon overnight pop sensations. They appear from nowhere with an earworm laden *hit which will burrow its way in to your consciousness because every pop radio station will play it. Sometimes you'll get sick of them because they're overplayed. Other times, you just won't buy in to it from the beginning. Either way, three weeks after the blanket coverage started, you'll probably find yourself wanting to punch babies every time you hear it.
Which brings us to Meghan Trainor. She is a unique young woman. Despite being called Megan Trainer, she can spell neither of her names. There has never been an "h" in the middle of the name "Megan" and this ridiculous American practice of spelling names in "unique" ways needs to be ridiculed. Her *hit is an anthem for Americans everywhere, telling to love themselves whatever shape they are. Being Americans, they're usually spherical.
Now don't get me wrong, i don't particularly like self help songs (the sort of thing championed in years passed by Christina Aguillera and Pink), but give them some credibility. Trainor's voice when she sings is fairly passable (although overproduced to within an inch of its plastic life), but she spends most of her time talking in a whiny nasal tone which nobody could ever find remotely appealing. I think she is attempting to sound "sassy". What she achieves is "overgrown toddler mithering".
Which brings us to Meghan Trainor. She is a unique young woman. Despite being called Megan Trainer, she can spell neither of her names. There has never been an "h" in the middle of the name "Megan" and this ridiculous American practice of spelling names in "unique" ways needs to be ridiculed. Her *hit is an anthem for Americans everywhere, telling to love themselves whatever shape they are. Being Americans, they're usually spherical.
Now don't get me wrong, i don't particularly like self help songs (the sort of thing championed in years passed by Christina Aguillera and Pink), but give them some credibility. Trainor's voice when she sings is fairly passable (although overproduced to within an inch of its plastic life), but she spends most of her time talking in a whiny nasal tone which nobody could ever find remotely appealing. I think she is attempting to sound "sassy". What she achieves is "overgrown toddler mithering".
Saturday, 1 February 2014
Requiem for Free Record Shop
It now looks as though the long saga of the collapse of music, dvd and game retailer Free Record Shop has concluded in Belgium. Whilst the Dutch counterparts have apparently brought themselves back from the brink of extinction having gone through similar woes last year, it is reported that Belgian stores have now been cleared of stock, and that stock is being cleared at the Dutch stores.
The saga began last year when the company entered administration, online sales were suspended and a small number of stores were closed. A glimmer of hope appeared in December when the capital group (Hilco) responsible for rescuing HMV in the UK took an interest in the ailing chain and managed to keep the majority of stores open until the end of the year. Sadly this proved to be just a stay of execution and in early January, Hilco released that they were expecting to close the remaining 68 Belgian Free Record Shops. Belgian press sources suggest this has now happened.
It is fair to say that the chain has had problems. Stock was most overpriced and stores often felt very sleepy. It is fair to say that online retail and supermarket discounting of high volume titles has led to the death of the high street book and record shop in the UK, whereas Belgium doesn't have a local Amazon service. National titles are not often easily available online, with the easiet source for Vlaams titles being Leuven's independent store Bilbo Records. The main competitors to FRS (Extrazone) went out of business in late 2009, leaving them with a free reign on the high street. These factors have clearly helped Free Record Shop survive as long as it has. Aside from supermarket offerings, the only remaining retail outlet brands for media are now the europewide Electro-supermarkets Media Markt and Saturn.
Anyway, enough of the business concerns. I will miss Free Record Shop. Being honest, it wasn't my primary source for buying media in Belgium, but it was always worth a visit to have a rummage around and occasionally find the odd gem. The presence of an FRS branch would often be a good excuse for visiting a town that we would otherwise have missed. Small town Belgium will be a culturally poorer place without it.
The saga began last year when the company entered administration, online sales were suspended and a small number of stores were closed. A glimmer of hope appeared in December when the capital group (Hilco) responsible for rescuing HMV in the UK took an interest in the ailing chain and managed to keep the majority of stores open until the end of the year. Sadly this proved to be just a stay of execution and in early January, Hilco released that they were expecting to close the remaining 68 Belgian Free Record Shops. Belgian press sources suggest this has now happened.
It is fair to say that the chain has had problems. Stock was most overpriced and stores often felt very sleepy. It is fair to say that online retail and supermarket discounting of high volume titles has led to the death of the high street book and record shop in the UK, whereas Belgium doesn't have a local Amazon service. National titles are not often easily available online, with the easiet source for Vlaams titles being Leuven's independent store Bilbo Records. The main competitors to FRS (Extrazone) went out of business in late 2009, leaving them with a free reign on the high street. These factors have clearly helped Free Record Shop survive as long as it has. Aside from supermarket offerings, the only remaining retail outlet brands for media are now the europewide Electro-supermarkets Media Markt and Saturn.
Anyway, enough of the business concerns. I will miss Free Record Shop. Being honest, it wasn't my primary source for buying media in Belgium, but it was always worth a visit to have a rummage around and occasionally find the odd gem. The presence of an FRS branch would often be a good excuse for visiting a town that we would otherwise have missed. Small town Belgium will be a culturally poorer place without it.
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
THE JOPI AWARDS for 2013
And unlike some lesser awards shows, these are given for and
therefore named after the year in which the work was done rather than
the year we're a few weeks in to....
SONG OF THE YEAR: Goose - Control
Once again, Belgium leads the way in providing the pop music that the rest of the world should be listening to. This barnstorming slab of techno rumbles away to an insistent start and builds to a magnificent crescendo. Throughout it has the sound of a perfect harmony between analogue and digital; human vocals and drums combining brilliantly with synths and loops to bring a unique hybrid of sounds.
Also of note...Willow's singles Sweater and Remedy (the latter is a taster for their new album coming in 2014) are both sublime pop music, proving that the chorus isn't dead. Flemish lunatic Daan released Everglades, an English language offering from his predominantly French language longplayer Le Franc Belge, which offered up hugely catchy drama amongst sweeping strings. Swede Mason returned with another insanely brilliant collection of lo-fi techno and video editing in Derek Had A Double Dose. Francophone Jazz-pop pixie Zaz returned with her best single to date with the splendid On Ira.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Bent van Looy - Round the Bend
In what should possibly be renamed the Bent van Looy category, having been awarded to his band Das Pop last year, van Looy has released a sublime collection of offbeat and bittersweet pop songs in his unique style. He paints an heartwarming picture of scenes and emotions which are engaging, all within the confines of a three or four minute pop song. I spent a lot of time listening to this album during the autumn, which was the perfect time of year to be hearing it. There is no better audio accompaniment to the views of falling leaves as the wind starts to feel colder than it has done during the summer. Having said that, I'm sure it would work equally well in welcoming the dawn of spring.
Also of note... I've struggled to get excited by any British music this year. The obsession with the bland, the uninspired and the weak this year has developed to epidemic proportions. The whole music industry seems to be geared to new acts releasing huge debut albums, then have no chance of following them up. Even acts who have previously delivered quality albums seem to have been caught up in the creativity vortex engulfing the UK.
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR: Errr.... Ummm.... 2013, like 2012 hasn't shown a single radio station reach out and grab me. My general weekday listening pattern is as follows:
Breakfast: Jon Holmes (XFM); Morning: Ken Bruce (BBC R2); Lunchtime: Steve Yabsley (BBC Radio Bristol); Afternoon: Scott Mills (BBC R1) or Laura Rawlings (BBC Radio Bristol); Drivetime: Simon Mayo (BBC R2).
Each of these stations has some brilliant output, but also some dire crap as well. XFM struggles to have an indentity on daytimes outside of Jon Holmes' show. BBC Radio 2 is woeful away from Bruce and Mayo. BBC Radio Bristol is excruciatingly worthy at breakfast and through the mornings, exactly the sort of "worry about everything" broadcasting that Danny Baker criticised BBC London for.
MUSIC RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Gunther D (Studio Brussel)
This utterly barking mad hour of Friday evenings on StuBru is the right way to start off the weekend. The show is a mixture of mainstream dance music from the last 20 years, current underground dance, short calls from (often inebriated) listeners, sound effects and hype from Gunther. It is a festival of music radio, the likes of which simply aren't heard elsewhere. The show benefits from only being an hour long - any longer and it would struggle to maintain the hyperactivity. The show has also spawned two successful 3CD compilations.
FACTUAL RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Hunted (BBC WM)
Factual might be stretching it a bit for this show, but it deserved a mention. Hunted is a Treasure Hunt style programme with cryptic clues played out in real time across the broadcast area of BBC West Midlands. Over the course of the three hour show, the studio anchor is challenged to direct the runner in the radio car to the right locations and finally the hunted individual that gives the show its name. Neither the anchor nor the runner have access to any internet or text message feeds - all information must be passed by listeners through to the studio via the phone switchboard. Several BBC Local stations run similar programmes (notably BBC Radio Norfolk's Treasure Quest and BBC Radio Lincolnshire's Pirate Gold), but none manage the fantastic drama and tension achieved during the 13 week summer run of this show. If you want a taster of the format, my personal second favourite to Hunted is BBC Radio Sheffield's Clueless which is on year round.
COMEDY RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Cabin Pressure (BBC Radio 4)
If ever there were an example of a comedy writer raising their game and developing the depth of characters in a sitcom, then John Finnemore's work on Cabin Pressure is a textbook offering. The fourth (and final) series of the show featured some superb gags, quips and situations whilst building new storylines around key characters which stretched over episodes for the first time. But it isn't all about the writing - Benedict Cumberbatch (Martin), Stephanie Cole (Carolyn) and Finnemore himself (Arthur) all deliver sterling performances in key roles, but for me the show is stolen by Roger Allam playing the ever suave and unflappable Douglas with gusto. A final concluding episode is mooted for 2014.
PODCAST OF THE YEAR: Toby Foster at Breakfast (BBC Radio Sheffield)
A new category for this year. Toby Foster's Breakfast podcast demonstrates how good local radio broadcasting can be. Foster and his team are all experts of their patch whilst still being aware of the bigger picture. Their banter is a joy in a genre of radio which is dominated by the bland and the worthy. Comedian Foster isn't afraid of tacking serious topics and does so with a tactfully authoritative voice, although this material makes it through to the podcast less often than the laughs.
Also of note in this category is Iain Lee's weekly podcast from BBC Three Counties, about which much of the above could also be said.
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR: Jon Holmes (XFM)
Following his appointment to the breakfast show on XFM London, i did have some reservations as to whether he could maintain the level of creative energy demonstrated on his previous 6Music Saturday show for four hours, five days a week. Thankfully he can, and has been given a level of creative freedom on his show that he simply wouldn't get elsewhere (and to be honest it surprises me that he gets it on the Global brand). Holmes' show is quickfire daftness powered by a huge raft of jingles, specially recorded inserts and painstakingly well assembled mashed up bits of other radio programmes. If anything, the levels of creativity have raised during the year.
MUSIC RETAILER OF THE YEAR: Popcorn Music, Roeselare (Belgium)
The era of the huge second hand record shop appears to have all but come to an end. Thankfully, nobody has told this to Popcorn Music of Roeselare. The store has a huge choice of CDs and vinyl (plus even more available from storage), all housed in custom built racks. Our last visit was on a Saturday afternoon and the atmosphere was brilliant. There was a modest crowd of Flemish music fans sat around the cash desk (from where they also sell beer - only in Belgium) enjoying some banter.
HOPE FOR 2014...
New albums from Willow and (perhaps) Das Pop?
Another series of Hunted on BBC WM?
Nick Grimshaw's sacking from the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, along with everybody on the music panel at the station?
The final series of X Factor?
SONG OF THE YEAR: Goose - Control
Once again, Belgium leads the way in providing the pop music that the rest of the world should be listening to. This barnstorming slab of techno rumbles away to an insistent start and builds to a magnificent crescendo. Throughout it has the sound of a perfect harmony between analogue and digital; human vocals and drums combining brilliantly with synths and loops to bring a unique hybrid of sounds.
Also of note...Willow's singles Sweater and Remedy (the latter is a taster for their new album coming in 2014) are both sublime pop music, proving that the chorus isn't dead. Flemish lunatic Daan released Everglades, an English language offering from his predominantly French language longplayer Le Franc Belge, which offered up hugely catchy drama amongst sweeping strings. Swede Mason returned with another insanely brilliant collection of lo-fi techno and video editing in Derek Had A Double Dose. Francophone Jazz-pop pixie Zaz returned with her best single to date with the splendid On Ira.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Bent van Looy - Round the Bend
In what should possibly be renamed the Bent van Looy category, having been awarded to his band Das Pop last year, van Looy has released a sublime collection of offbeat and bittersweet pop songs in his unique style. He paints an heartwarming picture of scenes and emotions which are engaging, all within the confines of a three or four minute pop song. I spent a lot of time listening to this album during the autumn, which was the perfect time of year to be hearing it. There is no better audio accompaniment to the views of falling leaves as the wind starts to feel colder than it has done during the summer. Having said that, I'm sure it would work equally well in welcoming the dawn of spring.
Also of note... I've struggled to get excited by any British music this year. The obsession with the bland, the uninspired and the weak this year has developed to epidemic proportions. The whole music industry seems to be geared to new acts releasing huge debut albums, then have no chance of following them up. Even acts who have previously delivered quality albums seem to have been caught up in the creativity vortex engulfing the UK.
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR: Errr.... Ummm.... 2013, like 2012 hasn't shown a single radio station reach out and grab me. My general weekday listening pattern is as follows:
Breakfast: Jon Holmes (XFM); Morning: Ken Bruce (BBC R2); Lunchtime: Steve Yabsley (BBC Radio Bristol); Afternoon: Scott Mills (BBC R1) or Laura Rawlings (BBC Radio Bristol); Drivetime: Simon Mayo (BBC R2).
Each of these stations has some brilliant output, but also some dire crap as well. XFM struggles to have an indentity on daytimes outside of Jon Holmes' show. BBC Radio 2 is woeful away from Bruce and Mayo. BBC Radio Bristol is excruciatingly worthy at breakfast and through the mornings, exactly the sort of "worry about everything" broadcasting that Danny Baker criticised BBC London for.
MUSIC RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Gunther D (Studio Brussel)
This utterly barking mad hour of Friday evenings on StuBru is the right way to start off the weekend. The show is a mixture of mainstream dance music from the last 20 years, current underground dance, short calls from (often inebriated) listeners, sound effects and hype from Gunther. It is a festival of music radio, the likes of which simply aren't heard elsewhere. The show benefits from only being an hour long - any longer and it would struggle to maintain the hyperactivity. The show has also spawned two successful 3CD compilations.
FACTUAL RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Hunted (BBC WM)
Factual might be stretching it a bit for this show, but it deserved a mention. Hunted is a Treasure Hunt style programme with cryptic clues played out in real time across the broadcast area of BBC West Midlands. Over the course of the three hour show, the studio anchor is challenged to direct the runner in the radio car to the right locations and finally the hunted individual that gives the show its name. Neither the anchor nor the runner have access to any internet or text message feeds - all information must be passed by listeners through to the studio via the phone switchboard. Several BBC Local stations run similar programmes (notably BBC Radio Norfolk's Treasure Quest and BBC Radio Lincolnshire's Pirate Gold), but none manage the fantastic drama and tension achieved during the 13 week summer run of this show. If you want a taster of the format, my personal second favourite to Hunted is BBC Radio Sheffield's Clueless which is on year round.
COMEDY RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Cabin Pressure (BBC Radio 4)
If ever there were an example of a comedy writer raising their game and developing the depth of characters in a sitcom, then John Finnemore's work on Cabin Pressure is a textbook offering. The fourth (and final) series of the show featured some superb gags, quips and situations whilst building new storylines around key characters which stretched over episodes for the first time. But it isn't all about the writing - Benedict Cumberbatch (Martin), Stephanie Cole (Carolyn) and Finnemore himself (Arthur) all deliver sterling performances in key roles, but for me the show is stolen by Roger Allam playing the ever suave and unflappable Douglas with gusto. A final concluding episode is mooted for 2014.
PODCAST OF THE YEAR: Toby Foster at Breakfast (BBC Radio Sheffield)
A new category for this year. Toby Foster's Breakfast podcast demonstrates how good local radio broadcasting can be. Foster and his team are all experts of their patch whilst still being aware of the bigger picture. Their banter is a joy in a genre of radio which is dominated by the bland and the worthy. Comedian Foster isn't afraid of tacking serious topics and does so with a tactfully authoritative voice, although this material makes it through to the podcast less often than the laughs.
Also of note in this category is Iain Lee's weekly podcast from BBC Three Counties, about which much of the above could also be said.
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR: Jon Holmes (XFM)
Following his appointment to the breakfast show on XFM London, i did have some reservations as to whether he could maintain the level of creative energy demonstrated on his previous 6Music Saturday show for four hours, five days a week. Thankfully he can, and has been given a level of creative freedom on his show that he simply wouldn't get elsewhere (and to be honest it surprises me that he gets it on the Global brand). Holmes' show is quickfire daftness powered by a huge raft of jingles, specially recorded inserts and painstakingly well assembled mashed up bits of other radio programmes. If anything, the levels of creativity have raised during the year.
MUSIC RETAILER OF THE YEAR: Popcorn Music, Roeselare (Belgium)
The era of the huge second hand record shop appears to have all but come to an end. Thankfully, nobody has told this to Popcorn Music of Roeselare. The store has a huge choice of CDs and vinyl (plus even more available from storage), all housed in custom built racks. Our last visit was on a Saturday afternoon and the atmosphere was brilliant. There was a modest crowd of Flemish music fans sat around the cash desk (from where they also sell beer - only in Belgium) enjoying some banter.
HOPE FOR 2014...
New albums from Willow and (perhaps) Das Pop?
Another series of Hunted on BBC WM?
Nick Grimshaw's sacking from the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, along with everybody on the music panel at the station?
The final series of X Factor?
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Hipster Brats
I think i've worked out what is wrong with Radio 1. The management recently made quite a noise about various high profile songs which were not playlisted including the media getting hot under the collar about snubbing Robbie Williams' comeback single "Candy".
Now as somebody who regularly works with Radio 1's target audience (11-18 year olds), they're making a mistake. Radio 1 should be playing almost everything which makes the top ten, regardless of how cool they think it is. Just because a group of hipsters from Shoreditch tells them it isn't relevant to them doesn't mean it isn't relevant to the rest of the country.
Radio 1 is ludicrously London-centric. Aside from live events which tour on a rota basis, ticking each box on the list, the station is heavily influenced by the capital. The presenters talk about London and rattle off anecdotes about capital venues and locations as if we all know where they are. This means very little to the average teenager from outside of the South East. I understand the economies of scale and consistency of product which benefits from having the whole station in one building, but it also makes it focused on one group of people and their tastes.
London is currently very much influenced by post Dubstep urban music and commercial teenybop, thus that forms the lion's share of the station's output. The station's obsession with One Direction leads to torrents of abuse each time they are mentioned on the station's Facebook page. On each week's playlist there will be the token rock or indie record and a couple of token dance records which are there to justify the existence of the daytime offerings against the likes of Capital, but there is no risk taking. New records will be branded as part of the "BBC Introducing" scheme.
The heavy playlisting means that presenters on the station are becoming increasingly less relevant. Listeners loved Chris Moyles because he dared to not follow the company line at times and would call something crap if he thought it was. Scott Mills is the only daytime presenter who will dare to criticise the music he plays and it'll be on a much lower key basis. Everybody else just sounds like a weak Media Studies graduate clone.
Now as somebody who regularly works with Radio 1's target audience (11-18 year olds), they're making a mistake. Radio 1 should be playing almost everything which makes the top ten, regardless of how cool they think it is. Just because a group of hipsters from Shoreditch tells them it isn't relevant to them doesn't mean it isn't relevant to the rest of the country.
Radio 1 is ludicrously London-centric. Aside from live events which tour on a rota basis, ticking each box on the list, the station is heavily influenced by the capital. The presenters talk about London and rattle off anecdotes about capital venues and locations as if we all know where they are. This means very little to the average teenager from outside of the South East. I understand the economies of scale and consistency of product which benefits from having the whole station in one building, but it also makes it focused on one group of people and their tastes.
London is currently very much influenced by post Dubstep urban music and commercial teenybop, thus that forms the lion's share of the station's output. The station's obsession with One Direction leads to torrents of abuse each time they are mentioned on the station's Facebook page. On each week's playlist there will be the token rock or indie record and a couple of token dance records which are there to justify the existence of the daytime offerings against the likes of Capital, but there is no risk taking. New records will be branded as part of the "BBC Introducing" scheme.
The heavy playlisting means that presenters on the station are becoming increasingly less relevant. Listeners loved Chris Moyles because he dared to not follow the company line at times and would call something crap if he thought it was. Scott Mills is the only daytime presenter who will dare to criticise the music he plays and it'll be on a much lower key basis. Everybody else just sounds like a weak Media Studies graduate clone.
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