Ten bands that changed our lives.

Ok, so it's a bold statement to say that a band can change your life. But what we wanted to do was come up with a list of bands that was more than just listing our favourites. These acts have something extra than being simply a good listen.. Some made us consider music in a different way. Some became an obsession, with others they were a comfort in sad times and able to provide the soundtrack for the good times as well. These are bands that have a story, character, that offer songs with depth or sometimes just a perfect pop song.

It's a particular list for us at Neon Filler. You will have your own top ten, which we are keen to hear about and have set up a discussion thread on our Facebook page for you to tell us about the bands that changed your life.  We've also come up with a top ten track list within each entry if you fancy checking out some of our favourites yourself. Here's the first, the rest of the ten will follow in the coming weeks.

1. XTC

Since I was a child I don't think a week has gone by without listening to an XTC track. They kept popping up on children's TV hawking their next single like Sgt Rock or Towers of London when I was young, but what got me hooked was a TV documentary on new wave and punk shown in the mid 1980s. The XTC track featured was Neon Shuffle, all jerky rhythms, frantic vocals, bizarre keyboards from their first album 1978's White Music. This was punk like I'd never heard before and showed a far edgier side to the band that appeared on kid's TV and Top of the Pops.

The next day I bought White Music and more enlightenment followed. The songs such as 'Newtown Animal,' were not just rants about boring suburban living or about the urban decay of The Clash's Westway. These were considered, intelligent songs about well, normal English life, about towns like their native Swindon.

Over the next few years I snaffled up all their albums. Some had already been released, others were new at the time. Skylarking, Oranges and Lemons and more, I devoured them all. They actually got better as they went on, with 2000's cruelly overlooked Apple Venus showcasing some typically unusual arrangements and song structures. The band even took time out to form a psychedelic act The Dukes of Stratosphear, that ended up being as good and even better in places than the hippy bands they were paying tribute to.

XTC make me think more about being English, not in a patriotic way, just what it means to be on this little island full of newtown animals, young men called Nigel being pushed into jobs at British Steel (Making Plans for Nigel) and middleclass hypocrisy (Respectable Street).

As I grew older and became a parent, XTC were still there, with songs such as 'Holly Up On Poppy' about the joys of fatherhood. Or the Dukes 'Affiliated' about the end of teenage life and beginning of the world of mortgages and staying in on Saturday nights watching TV.

The story behind the band made them intriguing as well. Lead singer Andy Partridge's stage fright meant they stopped touring at the peak of their career. With no world tour to help promotion their audience dwindled. The hits may have stopped, but critical acclaim carried on. They also fought back against their record company Virgin, going on strike for years.

They were an almost-huge, globally recognised band that could never quite get out of their Swindon roots, like George Bailey and his unsuccessful attempts to leave Bedford Falls in the film It's a Wonderful Life. To this day Partridge and Colin Moulding, the chief song writers, still live in Swindon, albeit the posher bits.

XTC have ended now, sometime around five years ago, despite pleas from fans to reunite. Nevertheless their legacy carries on. I still hear them on the radio from time to time, still have all the albums and listen to them regularly. I hear an XTC track in other band's music as well. This is particularly the case with some of the most innovative modern, bands around like Grizzly Bear and Field Music.

Ten of our favourite XTC songs

1.    Neon Shuffle
2.    New Town Animal
3.    Making Plans for Nigel
4.    Senses Working Overtime
5.    Scissor Man
6.    Then She Appeared
7.    Chalkhills and Children
8.    Dear God
9.    I'd Like That
10.    The Wheel and the Maypole

by Joe Lepper

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Top Ten Albums of 2010 (So Far)

This has already been a stellar year for alternative and indie music albums, with excellent releases by the likes of Owen Pallett, The Besnard Lakes and Avi Buffalo bringing  much joy to us at Neon Filler. The year has been so good that already we've easily come up with a solid top ten. Those on it are going to take some beating as the year progresses.
 
The year has also seen a welcome return of quality British music, with Sunderland's Field Music and Brighton's The Miserable Rich among the pick of the home grown entrants on our list.

Here's our top ten so far, based on those who achieved our rare 9/10 accolade in our reviews section and the pick of the 8/10s. Special mention must go to those that just missed out  such as The New Pornographers album Together, The Fall's Your Future, Our Clutter and Beachhouse's excellently dreamy Teen Dreams.

1. Field Music Measure

Measure, a double album no less, sees the band move on yet another level. There are aspects of the sweeping, mazy songs on their eponymous debut as well as the jerky, more structured pop of second album Tones of Town, but a whole lot more has been added. Led Zepplin, Fleetwood Mac, even ELO, XTC, The Move and 10cc are thrown into the mix….read the full review here.

 
2. The Miserable Rich - Of Flight and Fury

Of Flight and Fury is the second album from Brighton's The Miserable Rich and it picks up from where their excellent debut left off. Part of Brighton's Willkommen Collective they are the most compact and focused of the bunch ….read the full review here.

3. Owen Pallett - Heartland

With the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Arcade Fire's Jeremy Gara involved, Heartland is at times pure Brian Wilson  as it effortlessly takes in aspects of classical music, electronica, pop and indie-cool….read the full review here.

4. Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

Swedish folk singer Kristian Matsson, who takes to the stage under the name Tallest Man On Earth, must be bored to tears with being compared with early Bob Dylan, especially when in many respects he is actually better than the great man at the same stage in his career...read the full review here. 

5. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

After the first 30 seconds of opening track 'Like The Ocean Like The Innocent' I was sceptical. I've heard enough meandering drone rock to last me a lifetime, but nine minutes later at the end of the track I was a convert. This is music with genuine substance and power....read the full review here.

6. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago.

When the end of the world comes, as pollution lays waste to the Earth, Shearwater's leader singer Jonathan Meiburg will be on a nuclear  ravaged tropical island somewhere screaming bloody murder in his haunting baritone at the corporations and politicians….read the full review here. 

7. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

As debuts go Astro Coast is already a modern indie classic. Full of  a marvellous mix of riffs, indie rock influences such as  Sonic Youth and Pavement, passionate singing and some neat tricks as well. It is all that is good about the best of modern US indie rock…..read the full review here.

 
8. Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Opening track and lead single 'The High Road' kicks things off beautifully and is a sign of the good things to come. By the time you've listened to 'Vaporise' and Mercer's surprisingly good falsetto on 'The Ghost Inside' you know that Burton and Mercer have produced something worthy of an end of year best of list....read the full review here.

 

9. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo

Barely out of high school Avigdor and his band Avi Buffalo are quite rightly on the cusp of deserved success.  The right music, the right faces, the right attitude at the right time....read the full review here.

 

10. Fang Island  - Fang Island

Imagine if you will Bill and Ted's band Wyld Stallyons, but better, speeded up and backed by members of Primus, Faith No More and The Descendents. It's a heady mix of humour, power chords and squealing solos that Fang Island pull off with aplomb....read the full review here.

 
Compiled by Joe Lepper and Dorian Rogers

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Introducing….Thee Chancers

Where are they from?  Southampton, UK.

Who are they? JD  - guitar, Jase Dog - lead guitar, Pete - drums, Neil - bass.

What do they sound like?  Their electroacoustic/blues/indie billing on their Myspace page pretty much sums it up. They have that classic rock blues feel but with an indie edge that is earning them a strong local following in their native Hampshire. Among their influences are Big Bill Broonzy, Lead Belly and Blind Lemon Jefferson. They also sound a little like The Fall with their quirky lead guitar work, especially given Mark E Smith's similar love for classic US blues.

 

What have they got to say for themselves?  On their Myspace page they describe themselves as "Gritty Southern Bluesy rock 'n' roll from four Southampton locals."

What's their latest? Currently unsigned. Their self released first EP Miss Morgan is
available via their Myspace page.

Where can I find out more? http://www.myspace.com/theechancers
 

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Top Ten Football Songs

Football songs are usually pretty shameful affairs. The last world cup saw Embrace producing a typically pedestrian effort with the instantly forgettable 'World at Your Feet'. This year England have wisely decided not to have an official song, although that hasn't stopped the dozens of unofficial "anthems" from being released.

In celebration of the 2010 World Cup, we have picked our top ten songs about, or inspired by, the world's most popular game.

1. Mano Negra - Santa Maradona

A French band, with members who had origins from across Europe singing about an Argentinian footballer who spent most of his career in Italy. This song seems to encapsulate the spirit of the World Cup.

 

2. Half Man Half Biscuit - All I Want For Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit

Half Man Half Biscuit famously missed an appearance on the Tube to watch Tranmere Rovers play. Obscure football references aside this song is a brilliant observation on youth and the dangers of playing Subuteo.

 

3. The Fall - Theme from Sparta FC

Mark E Smith is a veteran of football songs, from 'Kicker Conspiracy' in 1983 to a World Cup song this year. His finest contribution has to be 'Theme from Sparta FC', still part of The Fall's live set and the theme music to BBC's Final Score.

 

4. Billy Bragg - God's Footballer

This contribution from the bard of Barking is about former professional football player Peter Knowles who spent his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers before voluntarily ending his football career to become a Jehovah's Witness.

 

5. Adam and Joe - The Footie Song

Adam and Joe are one of the few comedy acts that can write comedy songs that are actually funny. 'The Footie Song' is one of their best. Channel 4 don't allow their content to be embedded, so either click here to see the original clip or watch them performing the song at Summer Sundae below.

6. Morrissey - Munich Air Disaster 1958

This 2004 single b-side is Morrissey's sad and heartfelt tribute to the Busby Babes.

 

7. Teenage Fanclub - Kickabout

This, fairly uncharacteristic, Teenage Fanclub instrumental was used by the BBC for football programmes and was released as the b-side to the 'Aint that Enough' single.

8. Primal Scream - Big Man and Scream Team Meet the Barmy Army Uptown

Primal Scream, Irvine Welsh and others collaborated on this Rangers baiting unofficial song for Scotland in the European Championships in 1996.

 

9. Luke Haines - Leeds United

This brilliant song from the misanthropic former Auteur references David Pearce's book's The Damned United and the Red Riding Quartet and centres on a terrace chant style chorus.

 

10. New Order - World in Motion

The only official football song in our chant. Even the presence of Keith Allen and the John Barne's rap couldn't stop New Order, fresh from releasing Technique, from producing one of the best football songs of all time.

 

Compiled by Dorian Rogers and Joe Lepper

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The Other Glastonbury

Music news about Glastonbury, Somerset, UK,  is dominated by the giant festival that descends on the fields of nearby Worthy Farm, Pilton each year.

Now in its 40th year the sounds of Muse, U2 and Stevie Wonder will be echoing across the Somerset levels from the festival site in June to nearby towns such as Shepton Mallett and Glastonbury itself.

But what of the local bands that have had to play in the shadow of this mighty festival?  Neon Filler's Joe Lepper visited the town of Glastonbury  just a few weeks before the 2010 festival, to hear four local bands and to find out a bit more about the other musical Glastonbury, the one that rarely gets itself into the headlines.

For those that have been to the festival but not the town of Glastonbury it is a strange place indeed.  Full of vanity publishing bookshops, astral charts and magic stones. For tonight an array of local bands,  playing to an audience of largely under-18s  in  Glastonbury Town Hall, is thrown into the mix.

The members of one the bands playing,  Class Apart, may still be at school, in nearby Wells, but don't patronise these teens. They have a solid track record of winning battle of the bands events, have performed at the Royal Albert Hall and this year will be performing at the Glastonbury Festival.

Class Apart lead singer and guitarist George Ruddle- Hellier says that sadly there are two few opportunities to play live locally despite the giant festival down the road. "Glastonbury Festival is just one week a year, but it's hard to get gigs the rest of the year. This is our first this year, we've tried and made calls but there are just no venues around," he says.

Glastonbury Festival organisers, the Eavis family do their bit. They organise a gig for local young people at the festival site each year, with Florence and the Machine among those to play there most recently. Also local bands such as Class Apart get to play at the festival, seemingly based on a who you know basis.

George explains, that "someone we know sorted it for us," adding cryptically, "we were meant to play last year but there was a bit of miscommunication and it didn't happen."

Listening to them I can see why they were invited to play at the festival. Despite playing in front of a small crowd tonight they bashed out a cheery bunch of  mostly their own indie-pop numbers. The guitarist throwing in some Fugazi moments here and there helped as well. They are a crisp live act, admittedly still finding their distinct sound, but on this evidence will go from strength to strength.

George's views on lack of venues were echoed by Matt White, bassist with next band, the indie rock three-piece Cover The Crisis and guitarist with last act the hard rock leaning Shadows Burn.

Shadows Burn

Matt, who has also played at Glastonbury Festival twice, describes the relationship local bands have with the festival  simply as, "there is the first rung on the ladder at the bottom and the last rung at the top." 

"Glastonbury festival is what it is but there's a real lack of venues and music promotion in central Somerset. Someone needs to come forward and do something," he adds,  in between Cover the Crisis and Shadows Burn sets.

It was an emotional night for Cover the Crisis and the couple of dozen fans they brought with them as this was their final gig, due to  "life, families, work reasons, nothing malicious," says Matt. It was the set of a band splitting up, fun and full of tongue in cheek emotion as after three years they go their separate ways.

Matt was more serious and workmanlike though for the set of Shadows Burn, his relatively new venture, which provided a solid, hard rock end to proceedings.  

Karen Brandon, from gig organiser Somerset Youth Services laments the lack of punters,  as less than 100 turned up to the 300 capacity venue. "I spoke to some kids at school this week who said they hadn't heard about it. I'm not sure what we will do for  the next event," she says. There were rumours on the Shadows Burn Facebook site that some people were turned away for , "smelling of alcohol." Just imagine the Eavis family doing the same.

 The Mirettes

Class Apart seemed a little effected by the lack of people, with George describing his band's performance as "dire". This didn't seem to bother opener The Mirettes, from nearby Wells, though. They were too lost in their cheeky mix of ska and pop to notice , and as a result arguably put in the performance of the night.

While the Eavis family that runs the Glastonbury festival, local youth workers and a handful of pub venues, are clearly doing their small bit to promote music, it is a sad irony that in an area synonymous with live music, the highly talented bands that live in the area too often struggle to find venues and an audience.

by Joe Lepper, 10 May, 2010

For more pics visit our Facebook page.

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Indietracks Guide To Running Your Own Festival

Indie tracks is surely one of the most unusual festivals in the world. Set in the Midland Railway centre in Derbyshire festival goers get the chance to see some of the best new indiepop bands around, some musical faces from the past and even ride on a steam train.

This year's event takes place between 23 and 25 July and appearing will be one of the most talked about indie bands around, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (album review here) alongside indie pop veterans such as The Pooh Sticks and The Primitives.

The man behind Indietracks, which still only in its fourth year, is Stuart Mackay (pictured right), who is pleased to keep its innocuous billing as simply "an indie pop festival".  Here he gives Neonfiller's Matt Whipp his ten easy steps to building your own festival, as well as an insight into the organisation behind Indietracks.

1. Have a great idea.

SM: "I'd like to claim Indietracks was a really inspirational idea but it was really just I that I wanted to put on a gig and putting it on at a place I knew and was working at. As I restore old trains at the centre it seemed the easiest way forward."

2. Find a unique venue

SM: "At the Midland Railway I sometimes helped out working on the bar on their evening dining train, which also had a disco carriage. Working on there one night the manager explained that at weddings they also sometimes had bands play on the platform, it seemed an ideal opportunity. The first Indietracks we did we had three bands playing on the platform, and in between (when the bands were changing over) the audience would go for a steam train ride with the disco on board. It was a tremendous success, and encouraged me to do something bigger, which turned into the festival."

3. Persuade a load of people how good your idea is and rope them in to help you out

SM: "We're all volunteers, and start getting serious about organising once Christmas is out the way. Something to look forward to in those boring months at the start of the year. There's Emma that does all the website and artwork and now also books the smaller bands, Nat and Andy do all the press stuff, Alice deals with the booking agents for the bigger bands and co-ordinates the workshops, Dan arranges our volunteers, and Claire and Julie produce our programme. I deal with the railway and the stages and other stuff I can't delegate!"

4. Decide who you want to play and convince them that this is the best festival for them.

SM: "Pretty much any band will play if you offer them the right money, which is a problem when you're a really small festival, and being such a niche festival we're always gonna have that problem. But perhaps next year we'll take the festival down a notch, and not book any bigger bands through booking agents, it'll make it a lot easier on ourselves."

5. Know instinctively that a venue such as the centre's tiny corrugated tin church will deftly produce magical gig after gig.

SM: "As it's always packed I tend to sneak in the door at the side of the stage it's great to see rows and rows of people sitting on pews. Despite it being made of tin it still has the wonderful acoustics that churches seem to excel at."

 
6. Don't just pick your favourite bands. You might be too busy to see them anyway.

SM: "Well for the first three years I got to pick all the bands and they'd be nicely scheduled so the ones I wanted to see the most didn't clash, but I got to the stage last year when there was always something going on that I had to sort out that I got to see zero bands over the whole weekend. So I thought why worry about picking out my favourite bands, this year I let the others select them and if I'm lucky I might get to grab a song somewhere over the weekend."

7. Use word of mouth marketing. Tell all your mates to tell their mates

SM : "It was really hard the first year, it was April before we decided to do it so we had to put the whole show together in three months and marketing was a little neglected, and I think people didn't believe an indiepop festival could work. But everyone that did come absolutely loved it, and word of mouth and good reviews has helped us grow considerably since then."

8. Give up your day job.

SM : " I still work on trains! It did get too time consuming last year and was interfering with work, there's no budget to get paid to do it, so this year I've delegated a lot of my tasks." 

9. Keep the natives on side.

SM: "At first there was a lot of negativity at the centre, there was resentment about it not being a train-based event (there's events on there most weekends, all with the trains as the main focus). But everyone that got involved has seen how much fun everyone has and get's caught up in the friendly atmosphere and now love to be a part of it."

10. Work out how you're going to do it again next, but bigger, and better

SM: "The railway felt last year that it'd grown to a size they liked and were worried that they couldn't cope with anything bigger, so we're basically just repeating last year and almost everything apart from the bands should be the same. "

Tickets for the weekend are priced at £55 for early birds and are available from here.  For more information follow the  indietracks  blog.

Interview by: Matt Whipp

Main picture courtesy of Julie Weston at www.efestivals.co.uk

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Neonfiller.com's Top Ten Books About Music

There's plenty of rubbish books about music out there. Hatchet jobs, cobbling together a potted history of a band that adds nothing to understanding their music. But once in a while a real gem comes along, offering a different, sometimes personal take on the music industry. Here's ten of the best books around that are not only a good read but offer the reader the chance to really get to know the subject matter.

1. Lester Bangs - Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung

Lester Bangs is a legend among music writers, portrayed by Phillip Seymour-Hoffman in the film Almost Famous and died tragically at the age of 33 in 1982. For some he is one of America' best writers, it just so happens that he wrote music reviews in the likes of Rolling Stone rather than novels.

Perhaps his best trait is that he wrote about how music made him feel, rather than whether it will be a hit. Among the highlights here are his review of a Barry White gig recounting the grotesque caped image of 'bulbosity' wandering around murmuring about "lurve" in a hundred different ways. His time with The Clash on tour in 1977 is another high point, as is his arguments with Lou Reed and thoughts on John Lennon's death. "Did you see all those people standing in the street in front of the Dakota apartment where Lennon lived singing "Hey Jude"? What do you think the real -- cynical, sneeringly sarcastic, witheringly witty and iconoclastic - John Lennon would have said about that?" 

This excellent collection of Bangs work is a must for all music fans.

 
2. John Peel - Margrave of the Marshes

John Peel died while writing his autobiography. He'd barely got started, reaching about 1960 and the beginning of his life as a DJ in the US. His widow Sheila takes over the story from there and what follows is as much about the couple as the DJ and the history of alternative music over the last 40 years.

Even though the bulk of the book is told from Sheila's view, it is pure Peel. She knew his thoughts on the future of British radio and music better than anyone. There's some great stuff here. The couple's friendship and fall out with Marc Bolan and the later years when Peel started recording his show at home. The anecdote about the many members of Belle and Sebastian performing across the house for one of the legendary Peel sessions is particularly endearing.

3.Simon Reynolds - Rip It Up and Start Again

While Lester Bangs writes about how music makes him feel Reynolds takes another tact, how music is influenced by and influences society. This is his take on that largely unwritten part of music history 1978 to 1984. The over analysed punk of 1976 to 1977 is just the beginning for him and the story is particularly insightful of John Lydon's musical influences, reggae and even prog rock that was so despised by the early punks.

Across the book, there are thoughts on Devo, Pere Ubu, Magazine and others. Often it is tales of missed opportunities, of pretension and of artists failing to live up to expectation like Vic Goddard of Subway Sect and Howard Devoto of Magazine.

4. Dave Simpson - The Fallen

The Fall fan and journalist Simpson's attempt to track down all 50 plus members and ex members of the band almost ends up destroying his life. It's a tough job, which he miraculously pretty much achieves. What emerges is a bizarre picture of life working for and with Fall frontman Mark E Smith, which at times, according to Simpson's book, is like working in a Victorian factory, with Smith as the mill-owner.

Simpson even gets to interview the man himself  but it is the memories of the more recent members plus the infamous fight on stage in New York where Smith ended up sacking the entire band that  are among the true highlights.

 

 
5. Luke Haines  - Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part In It's Downfall.

As lead singer with the Auteurs Haines' reluctantly found himself part of the heady time of Britpop in the mid 1990s. This stunningly written and above all funny look back of that time is full of vicious musings about those around him.

For us at Neonfiller we particularly  like the recurring appearance of Noel Gallagher, who annoyingly for Haines turns out to be a nice bloke despite his "mindless northern bluff".

Others to get a tongue lashing including Radiohead's Thom Yorke - "that most heinous of creatures, a heavy rock outfit, fright-wig and all" and Blur - "those habitual bandwagon jumpers".  It's the classic tale of a nearly man of modern music, who while convinced of his own genius is painfully aware of his own failings.

6. Chris Salewicz  - Redemption Song - The Definitive Biography of Joe Strummer

When it comes to detail Redemption Song has it in spades. Written by Strummer's friend Chris Salewicz  this looks at the man behind the legend. His failings, infidelities and confused politics sit well beside the recognition that the Clash frontman Strummer was one of the most influential rock stars of his generation.

Some of the most interesting parts are his childhood, the death of his brother and the later years holding court around the camp fire at festivals. You get a feeling that you've really got to know Strummer by the end.

7. Julian Cope - Head On

Head On is the story of Julian Cope's discovery of the Liverpool punk scene and his subsequent adventures as an (almost) pop star with The Teardrop Explodes. His drug-fuelled adventures with the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen, Bill Drummond and David Balfe (the subject of Blur's 'Country House') are hilarious and often astonishing. Cope proves to be a very accomplished writer and his honest account of his own, very flawed, personality make this book a compulsive read.  The book now comes packed with the sequel, Repossessed, a worthy if more downbeat successor.

8. Bill Drummond - 45

45 is the age that Drummond reached when he decided to write this series of memoirs, it is also the speed of a 7-inch single. The bulk of the memoir tells of his days as a man who was obsessed with nothing more than the pursuit of a hit single.

Drummond is a witty writer, and his life has been interesting enough to make these tales into real page-turners. The best bits are the descriptions of his time with the KLF and the K Foundation as they attempted ever more outrageous stunts. There's a real sense of sadness as Drummond looks back and is filled with real doubts about what he has achieved.

 

9. James Greer  - Guided by Voices: A Brief History: Twenty-One Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll

Guided By Voices are the ultimately indie-rock act. They have produced dozens of albums, recorded many of them (quite literally) in a garage and have a strong cult following. They have also been a fairly insular act, not touring for many years and rarely appearing in interviews. Pollard himself being far too busy writing and recording to do much else.

Greer has a unique insight into the band being both a fan and also one of the revolving cast of players in the bands 21-year existence. He is also a music journalist and his writing on the band is of a very high quality.

The book deals with Pollard as a songwriter and also the band as a group of friends who meet and drink in a garage in Dayton Ohio. The stories jumping backwards and forwards between the bands final tour and their inception when Pollard was a 30-something school teacher are consistently engaging and have a pleasant, personal feel.

 
10. Alex James - Bit Of A Blur

Blur bassist Alex James loved being a rock star. Just look back at his ear-to-ear grin on stage at Glastonbury when the band reformed last year and you can see the sheer enjoyment he gets from music. This enjoyment is what makes his autobiography such a good read. He loved the lifestyle, the drugs, the sex and the rock and roll. He lived the dream and even though it almost wrecked his health he wouldn't do it any differently. Now a family man and cheese maker James's infectious love of life makes this one of the most enjoyable books about music around.

Compiled by Joe Lepper and Dorian Rogers

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Introducing...

Introducing… continuing our regular feature looking at some of the exciting acts around that you may not have heard of (yet). Our next instalment features Flipron.

Flipron

Where are they from?  Glastonbury, UK.

Who are they? Jesse Budd - Vocals, guitar, lap steel, accordion, harmonica, ukulele, mandolin, dobro & clarinet;  Joe Atkinson - Organ, piano, some guitar, accordion, backing vocals; Mark - Bass guitar; Mike - Drums, percussion & backing vocals

What do they sound like?  Eclectic doesn't even come close to the mish-mash of styles that Flipron use. Described as music-hall punk, ska, new wave and psychedelic by other reviewers, there's a bit of everything with Flipron. For us at Neonfiller.com the clearest influences musically are the Kinks, Pulp and The Auteurs. In terms of dress sense Pulp frontman's Jarvis Cocker is an influence again. Live their performances hinge on the energy and whimsy of lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Jesse, who has helped them develop quite a live following over the years that has even led to some US dates this year (2010).

What have they got to say for themselves? "We love old records and new records. We love all sorts of music by all sorts of people. This gets all mixed up and rearranged inside our Flipron-shaped brains and comes out again into our own music." In short, they like a lot of stuff.

What's their latest? Gravity Calling (2008), which was produced by The Damned's Rat Scabies,  Biscuits For Cerberus (2006) Fancy Blues & Rustique Novelties (2004).

Where can I find out more? http://www.flipron.co.uk/

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Top 10 Brainboxes of Rock and Pop

As David St Hubbins suggests in Spinal Tap, many rock stars truly believe that there is a  "fine line between stupid, and clever." Of course we all know that's nonsense and most rock stars are in fact complete numpties. But among the ignorance and stupidity of rock and pop there are a few beacons of intelligence that we think deserve some praise. In our top ten we've got an airline pilot, professors, a zoologist, even a big bang theorist as well as musical academics who returned to university to hone their skills. Sit back, pull up an academic journal and feast your brain cells on Neon Filler's top ten brainboxes of rock and pop.

1. Greg Graffin, Bad Religion

The self proclaimed 'Punk Professor' Bad Religion founder Greg Graffin has managed to effortlessly combine his successful academic career with being an icon of the US punk scene for the last 30 years. A double major in anthropology and geology, a masters degree in geology and a PHD in zoology are just some of his credits for Graffin, who is also professor of life sciences at UCLA and recipient of Harvard Secular Society's 2008 "Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism". At the ceremony he even played some acoustic versions of Bad Religion songs. Among his latest projects is a book called Anarchy Evolution, which is due out this year.

2. Brian Cox, D:Ream.

Things certainly got better for Brian Cox, keyboardist for D:Ream. After the 1990s dance pop act split and their hit 'Things Can Only Get Better' was adopted as an election tune by the Labour Party in the UK  in 1997, Cox perused a successful career as a physicist. His academic credits include a first class honours degree in physics from the University of Manchester. He was later awarded his PhD in high-energy particle physics from the same university. Having achieved a small amount of pop stardom and being happy in the spotlight Cox is in big demand when TV and radio needs a friendly egg-head to explain the latest scientific trend. Topics he has presented programmes on include The Hadron Collider and The Big Bang.



3. Brian May, Queen

Few eggheads are as hairy or prolific as Queen guitarist Brian May, who has developed a new career as a respected astro-physicist. After achieving a degree in physics and maths before Queen became big he had to cut short his PhD at Imperial College London in the 1970s to concentrate on his squealing solo work with the band. In recent years he has returned to academia, co-authoring the book,  Bang! - The Complete History of the Universe, with Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott and finally completing his PhD thesis in astrophysics in 2007, with the Flaming Lips-esque title  - A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud.  Now Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University May has the rare honour of having an asteroid named after him, the Asteroid 52665 Brianmay.

 

4. Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine

Rage Against the Machines securing of the Christmas number one slot last year was a plot of Machiavellian genius as the band was marketed as the perfect antidote to Simon Cowell's TV talent show production line of dross. Given the political intelligence needed to engineer the overthrow of Black Prince Cowell it is perhaps no surprise to discover that guitarist Tom Morello is quite the political egg-head, having gained a political science degree from Harvard.

5. Milo Aukerman, The Descendents

As lead singer with The Descendents the brain power of Aukerman even made it into the title of the 1980s California punk band's first album Milo Goes to College. The Descendents had to take a number of breaks to fit in Aukerman's sideline in scientific research, which included completing his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin.

6. Owen Pallett

Owen Pallett's braincells are what got us thinking about this list. His album Heartland this year is a work of musical genius, perhaps unsurprisingly given that Pallett has a degree in composition from the University of Toronto and is something of a musical prodigy. Learning violin as a toddler he composed his first music at 13 and composed two operas while at university.

7. Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden

According to The Economist's Intelligent Life supplement Dickinson is one of the rarest egg-heads around, a polymath, in that he is an expert in many, many areas. Take a look at his CV and it is hard to argue with this assessment. As well as being an icon of heavy metal, he is a trained commercial pilot, a skilled fencer (swords that is, not the garden variety) and has even presented a TV programme about spontaneous human combustion.

8. Blur's Dave Rowntree

Since Blur split Rowntree has been spending his time immersed in books. He is training to be a solicitor and works for a criminal law firm in East London. But it is not just legal egg-headery that has placed Rowntree on our list. He has a keen interest in science and computers, becoming involved with fellow Blur member Alex James in the Beagle 2 Mission to Mars and has even written a device driver for the Linux operating system - whatever the hell that means. He also speaks regularly on creative industry and new media policies and legal issues.

 

 

9. Sam Beam, Iron and Wine

It is a surprise that any of his students learned anything given the soft voice of Iron and Wine frontman Sam Beam, who was at one time a professor of cinematography at the University of Miami.

10. John Renbourne

Folk guitar legend Renbourne took some time out in the mid 1980s to graduate in music composition from Dartington college of Arts, now part of University College Falmouth, in the west of England. During his time there he had to gain special permission to alter the date of his second year exams, as the original date clashed with his gig with Doc Watson at Carnegie Hall. Surely this is the most creative excuse for ducking out of a test ever given.

Compiled by Joe Lepper

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Top 10 Alternative Music Videos

Our selection of videos have been picked because they are creative, engaging and different. They may be funny, or visually interesting, but they all have one thing in common - a great song. No amount of money spent on a promo can disguise a bad song and, although there may be better videos out there, these represent how good a video can be when partnered with good music.

1. OK GO - 'Here It Goes Again'

OK GO prove here how a good simple idea, well executed is much better than an expensive and complicated idea could ever be. They also saved a lot of advertising "creatives" considerable time and effort in thinking of their own idea.

2. New Order - 'The Perfect Kiss'

At nearly 10 minutes long this is the longest video in our selection, it is also the oldest. Directed by Jonathan Demme it is a demonstration of how a video can be simple when accompanied by a near perfect pop song.

3. Dinosaur Jr - 'Feel The Pain'

This video is not the best known of Spike Jonze's pop promos, but in my view it is the best. Also one of the best Dinosaur Jr songs from their brief major label career.

4. The Shins - 'New Slang'

Probably the best known of The Shins songs, and the video has a perfect melancholy feel. It is also a chance to see the band act out a number of classic album covers. How many can you identify?

5. Yo La Tengo - 'Sugarcube'

Very funny story video from the Hoboken drone rockers. Not a band well known for their pop promos, but this video shows the band's playful side.

 

6. The White Stripes - 'Fell In Love With A Girl'

Back before Jack White was a guitar god superstar his band were producing punk pop genius like this. This lego style video was directed by Michel Gondry who made lots of excellent pop promos before moving into feature films.

7. Okkervil River - 'Loast Coastlines'

This video, of the first single from The Stand Ins, is another example of how effective a simple idea can be when done well and accompanied by a great song.

8. Hefner - 'I Took Her Love For Granted'

This is probably the oddest video in the selection. How the idea of the band running, in strange body stockings, has anything to do with the song is anybody's guess. But it is certainly memorable.

9. Guided By Voices - 'Bulldog Skin'

An unusually polished promo from the Dayton Ohio rockers. Features a quite charming story and an excellent Doug Gillard guitar solo. "Maximum Riffage" indeed.

10. Field Music - 'In Context'

This could well be the lowest budget video in our selection, but it is no less effective for that. It stands as the perfect accompaniment to this song from the bands second album, Tones Of Town.

Compiled by Dorian Rogers

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Albums To Watch Out For In 2010

The second album by the Fleet Foxes and the debut by Broken Bells, the collaboration between producer Danger Mouse and Shins frontman James Mercer, are among the pick of the albums to watch out for in 2010.

The Fleet Foxes Second Album

The Fleet Foxes's singer Robin Peckfold (pictured) has revealed the band have begun recording the follow up to their critically acclaimed 2008 debut. Peckfold told Pitchfork that they have halted touring until the new album is completed.

He also indicated that the new album will have an even more melancholy feel than their self titled debut. Despite being lauded by critics for its soft take on pastoral US folk music Peckfold told Pitchfork that he thought it was too "upbeat".

He said: "I listened to the first record again, and I was kind of nonplussed. Some of it I was into, or I could see why we did that at that time - but some of it we would just never do again.

"When I was listening to it, I felt like I didn't get a chance to breathe. There was a lot that was"too upbeat.  I guess people think we're already kind of a mellow band, so maybe the next album will be pretty boring to most people."

He added that the new album is likely to be released in the second half of next year.

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

The long awaited debut from Danger Mouse and Shins' James Mercer is set to be released on March 9 on Columbia.

The Album will have 10 songs, with all instruments played by Danger Mouse and Mercer, except for the string arrangements by Daniele Luppi. The first single from the album, "The High Road" is released in December 2009 and is available via the band's website.

Other titles on the album include "Vaporize", "Your Head Is on Fire", "The Ghost Inside", "Sailing to Nowhere", "Trap Doors", "Citizen", and "The Mall and Misery".

David Byrne and Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love

David Byrne has set a late February release date for his next album, Here Lies Love, a bizarre collaboration with Fatboy Slim and a raft of guest singers about the life of  Imelda Marcos and Estrella Cumpas, the women that raised her.

The 2CD package through Todomundo / Nonesuch will include 22 songs, a DVD with videos for six of the tracks and a 100 page book about the strange project. The release date will be February 23.

Those appearing on the album  include Florence and the Machine's Florence Welch as well as St Vincent, Roisin Murphy, Steve Earle and Cindi Lauper.

Byrne says: "The story I am interested in is about asking what drives a powerful person—what makes them tick? How do they make and then remake themselves? I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if—as this piece would be principally composed of clubby dance music—one could experience it in a club setting? Could one bring a 'story' and a kind of theatre to the disco? Was that possible? If so, wouldn't that be amazing!"

Others to watch out for:

Darren Hayman - Essex Arms, the follow up to Pram Town, the former Hefner frontman's concept album about Harlow, Essex, which was named Neonfiller's album of the year in 2009. Hayman has already started performing tracks from Essex Arms at gigs during 2009.

Belle and Sebastian - It's been a while since their last album The Life Pursuit, but a photo on the band's website of lead singer Stuart Murdoch sitting by a window with the words " could that be another b&s album on the horizon" offered more than a hint that there could be a new album in 2010.

First Aid Kit - This Swedish folk duo have been building up quite a reputation since they appeared on Youtube with their fantastic cover of Fleet Foxes' Tiger Mountain Peasant Song'. Their second album is due to be released in 2010.

Compiled by Joe Lepper

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Top Ten Albums of 2009

A concept album about Harlow, the post-Second World War new town built in Essex, UK, is the unlikely recipient of top spot in Neonfiller's Top Ten Albums of 2009 list.

In a year when festival favourites such as Arctic Monkeys and The Flaming Lips released albums noted for their grand scale we have opted for the subtle, homespun talents of former Hefner frontman Darren Hayman and his album Pram Town. Sing about what you know is the familiar adage and Hayman does just that. Every lyric has meaning, every note has its place.

Elsewhere in the top ten we are not quite ready to declare a new era in Brit pop. Even though we are a UK based website we have named just four acts from our own shores. As with 2008's list we recognise that the bulk of indie/alternative talent is still across the Atlantic.

Among those that narrowly missed out in our top ten albums of 2009 list were Taken By Tree's excellent East of Eden, which was recorded in Pakistan, Built To Spill's comeback There Is No Enemy, Animal Collective's innovative Merriweather Post Pavilion and Grizzly Bear's eclectic Veckatamist. All deserve special mention and will quite rightly grace a number of other best of lists this year.


1.Darren Hayman - Pramtown

The songs are thoughtful vignettes about growing up in  the reality of the post war British new town dream. It is the most consistently enjoyable album that Hayman has produced since Hefner's demise. The songs 'Pram Town' and 'No Middle Name' are superb and 'Losing My Glue' and 'Fire Stairs' are probably the album's standout tracks…..read the full review.

 
2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 

French disco rockers Phoenix build on their 2006 breakthourgh album It's Never Been Like That to serve up 10 of the catchiest songs of the year,  including the wonderful 'Lisztomania', about 19th century composer and teen heart throb of his day Franz Liszt.

 
3. Brakes - Touchdown

More reminiscent of US bands such as Built to Spill than the British bands their members are associated with, including British Sea Power, Touchdown's openers 'Two Shocks' and 'Don't Take Me To Space (Man)' show just how much eccentric wordplay is crucial to the Brakes experience....read the full review.

4. Boston Spaceships - Zero to 99

Zero To 99 continues Pollard's run of form in 2009, and is his 6th album (in a multitude of guises) of the year. It is an assured set of Who-esque pop-rock and contains typically great Pollard songs...read full review here.

5. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
 

Ok, so Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle was not written in a log cabin, but in terms of sincerity, passion, mood and subtlety it would have given Bon Ivor's For Emma, Forever Ago a real run for its money had it been released last year....read full review here.

 

 

 

 

6. The Leisure Society - The Sleeper

The Leisure Society have a sound that is hard to find comparisons with other artists. The easiest reference point is The Beach Boys, but a Beach Boys that got their sound from rural England rather than the beaches of California....read full review here.

 

7. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

 

Wilco (The Album) shows a band basking in self-assurance, unafraid to straddle genres ranging from country folk to 60s New York underground through to 70s Californian rock....read full review here

 

 

 

8. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

The industrious music lover who gives Bitte Orca the time it deserves is guaranteed a satisfying album, to be listened to again and again for years to come....read the full review here.

 

 

9. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

Neko Case has the smoky old-style country singing of a Patsy Cline as well as the girl-pop sass of a Debbie Harry....read full review here.

10. The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead

In an era of where jolly synth pop seemingly rules, it is refreshing to occasionally hear some loud, squealing, introspective guitar music for a change, especially when it is so expertly delivered by the likes of The Twilight Sad...read full review here

 

 Compiled by Joe Lepper and Dorian Rogers