At some point in 2011, the release of each of these albums made us not want to listen to anything else, but more so than any other with White Denim's 'D'. Street Joy, Keys, It's Him and every other track are brimming with soul, excitement and hyperactive musicality, and for us at least there was no other option for album of the year in 2011.
With less than a week to go until Field Day 2011, and what may be the best Field Day of its young life, I cannot stop gaping at the line-up in awestruck paralysis. Some of the best UK artists are on show in the form of Anna Calvi, James Blake, SBTRKT, Anika and Spectrals, while there's a healthy sprinkling of trans-Atlantic big hitters Twin Shadow, Glasser and Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti as well as our European cousins Junip, who I for one don't listen to enough.
Below is a mini-playlist to whet your appetite, led out by the boy-girl harmonies, pounding drums and driving 60s garage guitars of Veronica Falls' new track, plus a few choice extras from Gruff Rhys, Jamie xx, Anika and Junip. We also have a fleshed out Spotify playlist you can grab here.
While this year's Latitude line-up may not have had quite the commercially attractive draws of its preceeding year, it was without doubt as engaging, diverse and inspiring as ever.
A festival that fails to sell out is perhaps a sign that your ticket investment may not offer equal returns. However, a festival is better judged on the number of tough, band-clash choices you have to make, so with Suede up against Eels, Lykke Li battling Gold Panda, Anna Calvi vying with The Leisure Society, Everything Everything mixing it with Iron & Wine, and Foals locking horns with Paolo Nu... Well perhaps not all decisions were difficult.
Here's our pick of the music we caught at Latitude 2011, with a couple of live videos from The National and Suede, alongside the pick of the rest.
The National: Son and About Today - Friday, Obelisk
Suede: Animal Nitrate - Sunday, Obelisk
Foals: Blue Blood - Saturday, Word Arena
The Walkmen: Angela Surf City - Saturday, Word Arena
Mazes: Summer Hits or J+J Don't Like - Sunday, Lake Stage
Welcome to No Action.
Based in Bow, East London, writing about stuff that sounds good.
No Action has also written for High Voltage and The Fugitive Motel.
