Lost AT E Minor

Upsilon Acrux

Punk was at least partially a rebellion against prog rock, but now it’s drawing new inspiration from the sort of music it once derided. Upsilon Acrux is firmly rooted in aggressive, snarling post-punk, but their music owes its complexity to bands like Magma, King Crimson, and Henry Cow. Of course, the LA-based band isn’t merely a revival act — it also lists technical death metal band Necrophagist and musical cubists US Maple as influences. Despite the dizzying polyrhythms and intricate melodies, this isn’t self-congratulatory or wanky music — these guys unleash an instrumental onslaught that is at once disciplined and wryly humorous.

Paul Steel makes our top twenty musicians of 2008

Paul Steel has slipped into my top twenty artists for 2008, right at the bottom of the final innings. I heard one of his songs, In a Coma, via BBC radio, and I am still in paralytic shock. With all the absolute sludge being released over the last twelve months, it’s so refreshing to hear music that is colourful, melodic and challenging to listen to. Forget Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes, this album has come from a 20 year-old Brighton native, who has taken the best elements of Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello and XTC, and transformed his album into a world of delightful tunes and animated wonders. This is what one of Brian Wilson’s band members said when he heard In a coma: ‘It just @$%^&* freaked me out! Holy @$%^&* bananas!’ What’s so upsetting is that Steel was subsequently dropped from his major label after releasing this album, but that’s ok. He’s now a truly independent genius in music.

All You Need Is Love

In 1974, journalist and film-maker Tony Palmer set out to make the definitive documentary of pop music. Seventeen episodes later, All You Need Is Love (broadcast between 1976-80) endows any music devotee with more then they could ask for: fifteen hours of historical music anthems, interviews and cultural gospel. From the first glance of Glitter Rock icon David Bowie, to the experience of being ‘altered’ by Pink Floyd, this box set is beyond worthy. For those of us who were mere zygotes when Angus first graced the stage with his backwards jig, this gives Generation X’ers a first glance at all that we missed out on. Spending a rainy Sunday afternoon watching Keith Emerson destroy a Hammond Organ on stage could be considered one of life’s little delights.

Urs Fischer’s installations

New York and Zurich-based artist Urs Fischer’s entropic sculptures and installations blows apart people’s expectations of what to expect at a gallery. Last year’s installation, You, at Gavin Brown was a 38-foot-by-30-foot crater dug into the gallery floor. His huge, ambitious works seem frantic and impulsive despite the immense planning and meticulous execution they often require. His mockery of physics, and the enormous scale and shock-and-awe quality of his work suggest the god-like potency of an artist, at least within a gallery space. Read more

Paper Water Bottle

Design company BrandImage has just come out with their line of paper water bottles made out of renewable resources. The bottles themselves are recyclable, and while not as reusable as a plastic bottle, can still be reused a few times. These are cool designs, even if they still pander to our on-the-go, single-serving, throw-away culture. Their environmental friendliness is also dubious, considering most people will still choose to throw these things in the trash rather than taking the time to find a recycling bin.

Faith No More reunion

Very few band reunions get me excited, but I’ve consistently loved Faith No More since I was 13. I loved their pre-Mike Patton era, I loved King for a Day, and I even loved their track with Boo Yah Tribe on the Judgment Night soundtrack. Kerrang recently hinted that a FNM reformation is in the works for ‘09, and though bassist Billy Gould has emphatically denied the rumors, the general consensus is that the reunion is on.