the phantom band

[13] The Phantom Band, ‘The Howling’

We take these band names on trust, but Junior wants to know, “Are they ghosts?” “I don’t think so.” “They have no legs on the cover.” They must be then. She also notices howls subtly buried in the mix (not so subtle a motif, really) and “aaa-ooo”s along with them. An even smaller Shakira.

Krautrock’s rumble and pulse is all the rage, and Glasgow’s Phantom Band deliver it with a fair helping of swing, sounding like Nick Cave in a groove. The riff’s so compulsive it doesn’t need the song to make it a record of the year; it thrums and sashays with a style missing in the players themselves. Disappointingly, they’re a bunch of outré moustaches and beards in lumberjack shirts with not a ghoul in sight.

Hoooowling, hoooowling. Aaa-oo:

2009 Top 20 Singles?

We did this about this time last year, so why change a vaguely popular feature? These are the Top 20 Most Played 2009 Singles on the ever-honest iPod:

[1] Yeah Yeah Yeahs, ‘Zero’
[2] Dananananaykroyd, ‘Black Wax’
[3] The Horrors, ‘Sea Within A Sea’
[4] Passion Pit, ‘The Reeling’
[5] Animal Collective, ‘My Girls’
[6] James Yuill, ‘No Surprise’
[7] Sunny Day Sets Fire, ‘Adrenaline’
[8] TV On The Radio, ‘Dancing Choose’
[9] Frankmusik, ‘Better Off As Two’
[10] Röyksopp featuring Robyn, ‘Girl And The Robot’
[11] Jamie T, ‘Sticks ‘n’ Stones’
[12] Coldplay, ‘Life In Technicolor ii’
[13] U2, ‘Magnificent’
[14] The Phantom Band, ‘The Howling’
[15] Eg, ‘Broken’
[16] Junior Boys, ‘Hazel’
[17] Lily Allen, ‘The Fear’
[18] Fischerspooner, ‘Supply & Demand’
[19] Saint Etienne, ‘Method Of Modern Love’
[20] Red Light Company, ‘Arts & Crafts’

But will it bear any resemblance to the year-end chart? Be sure to check in 18 or 19 weeks.